"What about Dumbledore?" Bellatrix asked.
Orion sighed heavily. "Dumbledore certainly has the power to stand up to a dark lord, but he's getting along in the years, isn't he? There's also the problem that, whoever we're going to bring in to lead, we'll have to stand behind them. Once you do, you're stuck. While I certainly admire Dumbledore's abilities, I do not think he would make for a very good leader. No, it would be best if our society could unite and combat this dark lord in a broader and more organized way. Dumbledore would be a vital asset, but I would prefer he not be the leader of the fight."
Cygnus frowned. "What about the Foxes?" he suggested. "Surely they would…"
Romulus shook his head. "Andrew would rather retreat to France than actually pit himself against a real, live dark lord. I can't blame him-he's always been more bark than bite. Edward might actually have the ability to fight a dark lord, but how do we know he isn't the dark lord, himself?"
Harry was about to interrupt and tell him that Edward Foxe was not the dark lord they were after, but decided to let the man continue.
"Also," Malfoy added, "he might actually believe that having a dark lord roam around free would benefit him. The Ministry always grants the Unspeakables more powers in emergency situation. He might decide that it would serve his interests to leave him be. We can't really trust the Foxes."
Harry's head spun. He had never really considered not following Dumbledore's lead, though he could see the truth in their words. Things would have gone much differently if Fudge had grown a spine and publicly led the fight against Voldemort in his time. It would have deprived the dark lord of many of his followers, and a strong leadership uniting the country would have limited the damage Voldemort's campaign of terror had done. The proverb "united we stand, divided we fall," came unbidden to his mind.
"So," Bellatrix asked after a long silence, "what are we going to do about this Lord Vol-"
Orion held up his hand and stopped her abruptly. "Do not speak his name."
Harry frowned, wondering why on Earth everyone was already afraid of speaking his name, despite the fact that Voldemort hadn't done anything yet. "Is there a reason we should fear speaking his name?" Harry asked.
"It is motivated by wisdom and experience, not fear," Orion explained. "The dark has its way of detecting unwanted attention. If we're going to talk about this person, we need a way to refer to him."
"Saying the dark lord in every other sentence is going to get ridiculous pretty fast," Bellatrix noted.
"I agree, but unless you have a better alternative…" Orion shrugged.
An idea came to Harry's mind that had him grinning mischievously. "Why not call him by a common name," he suggested. "How about Tom?"
Romulus smirked. "I like your style, Ashworth. Not only will it disguise our conversations about him, it'll also be a signal to the people that he's a mortal just like them, that he can be killed. I personally would've chosen Bob, but Tom works just as well."
If only people in my time had thought that way, Harry mused idly. He briefly wondered what had happened to these three people in his time. Judging from the way they were acting now, they would not have taken Voldemort's rise lying down, whether he was there or not.
"Tom it is," Orion said slowly. He glanced at both his brother and the elder Malfoy. While Romulus appeared a little more at ease with the situation, Cygnus was looking decidedly unhappy. Apparently deciding that they needed some time to ponder the situation, Orion rose, and looked directly at Harry. "I think it would be best if we all took some time to carefully consider our next actions. We shall meet again soon to discuss this further."
"Right," Harry agreed. "You know where to find me."
"Indeed. Please see to it that my niece returns to Hogwarts safely. It would be best if you avoided any unwanted attention."
"Of course." Harry stood and offered his hand to Bellatrix. She took it and rose as well.
"I'm going to get a few things while I'm here," she said.
"Go ahead, Bella. We've got a few things left to discuss with Mr. Ashworth," Orion waved her off. Once she had left for upstairs, he leveled his eyes at Harry. "Mr. Ashworth… while I agree that involving Bella likely could not be avoided, I will not tolerate you placing her in unnecessary danger. You have a new added assignment from now on. You will keep her safe, is that understood?"
"Yes, sir," Harry replied on reflex.
"Good. Then I bid you a good night. Bella's room is up the stairs, second one on the left." With that, Orion stood and left the room, Romulus following him. Cygnus remained a while longer, before accompanying Harry up the stairs. Before turning down the hallway towards his own bedroom, he stopped Harry.
"Take good care of my daughter, Ashworth."
"I will."
"Good." He turned around and entered his bedroom, leaving Harry staring after him.
The door next to him opened to reveal Bellatrix. She signaled him to step in. "There you are, Ashworth!" Bellatrix exclaimed. "I thought you'd gotten lost."
"No, just had to talk a few things over with your uncle," Harry replied evenly, staring at the open trunk that was brimming with… stuff. He watched as Bellatrix went to her closet and retrieved a delicate-looking pair of dragonhide gloves which she tossed into the trunk. "Didn't you pack everything you need when you left for school?"
Bellatrix kept rummaging around her closet. "I didn't really expect the extent of our extra-curricular activities," she shot back, poking her head out. "Can you grab that trunk from up there?"
Harry followed her pointing finger to a large trunk that was sitting on top of an armoire across the room. He pinched his nose in exasperation and levitated it down.
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