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He had won. He had everything he had ever wanted, ever dreamed. A magical utopia, for all magical beings. Everything he had striven for, yet why did he feel empty. Why did he feel as if there was something missing. He frowned when he thought about it, and then growled low in his throat when the answer came to him. Potter. That's what, no who, he was missing. He wanted Potter, at his side, as he had been for almost a decade. A decade of... bliss, for the both of them, yet all the magic and science (he loathed to admit he went there for answers.) in the world gave no answers, and an ancient, obscure disease had taken his life.
They had called a truce, and a short year after said truce Voldemort had started to... court him. It was weird for Harry to say the least, so very weird, but he had grown accustomed to it. Voldemort won, and through his winning he had gained back some of his sanity. It had been awkward at first, but Potter had grown used to it, and had come to be his husband. Magic was indeed a marvelous thing, and through it Potter had bore him an heir. Said heir, however, had been unfortunately tied to the magic of his bearer, a rare phenomenon, and had died with his bearer. The rage and sorrow that had poured from him was on a monumental scale. The wizarding world had felt the pain, losing the couple of the century, and almost getting reverted to the way it had been in the second blood war.
Voldemort, or Tom as he went to his closest of allies, was thinking about this, sorrow pouring off of him, when an idea struck him... an epiphany, really. He got up and with a swish of his cloak he appeared in his massive library, one filled with books that were thought to be lost to time, but they had just been secreted away. He stroked his chin and with a whispered word, and a flick of his wrist, the oldest, most forbidden book in the world came to him. He started flipping through it, smirking softly as he easily read the tome. It was really just a collection of scrolls bound in book form, but it served it's purpose. He found the spell he had been looking for and grinned. Oh, yes... this would be perfect. He turned again, book in hand, and vanished.
~HGWHW~
He read scroll, the spell, the ritual, for almost a week. He needed it to be perfect, and he had to have it memorized. He practiced the wand movements, the incantations, the subtle movements of the body needed, until everything was as good as it would get. He pressed the tip of his wand, the Elder Wand, to the small master dark mark just below his wrist, hissing a command to the death eater that would assist him. It took nearly fifteen minutes, but she came. Bellatrix Lestrange kneeled, muttering a soft 'my lord', and at her head he glared. Oh, she had lost faith in him, but she knew better than to deny a summons.
"My faithful Bellatrix... I have thought for many days, and my eyes have been opened." Tom said, hissing softly where needed. He had taken the old, terrifying snake visage, grinning at her surprised look. "I have knowledge at my disposal, a knowledge so vast that the founders would be jealous. I have a ritual, that with your assistance, will help bring back things as they should be." He snarled softly as he spoke, pacing, smirking inwardly at her look of glee.
"Oh, my lord! I knew you would see this, I knew everything would be restored!" She giggled, smiling her lunatic smile.
"Yes, of course. Now, my faithful servant, lock your gaze with my own." He said, speaking in a tone that to her was almost... sensual. She shuddered and did just as he asked, not prepared for his next words, or the magic that flowed from him to her.
"Legilimens!" He all but bellowed, and she froze in fear and pain, unable to move as she was overwhelmed. Into her body flowed his magic and what was left of his soul, before she shuddered and convulsed, her own soul pushed back, her magic at his disposal. He growled, stifling a snicker at the sound in her voice. He had little time to be amused though, he had work to do. He gathered both her magic and his own and apparated, appearing almost instantly in front of the fabled and feared veil of death.
The Unspeakables on guard sneered at her, but let her be, as she was a lieutenant of the minister. Her wand, as well as his wand, was up in a flash and a slew of old Sumerian words poured from her mouth. As the last word left her lips, the runes around the veil, normally dark and invisible, lit up and her body was struck with magic. Her core was detonated, and an explosion of pure power flooded from her. Everything, both physical and magical, was destroyed in a wash of magic, the timeline forever gone, to be replaced as he saw fit. He would have his utopia, with his husband at his side.
~HGWHW~
Due to the massive amount of spell fire in the veil room, the runes on the archway lighting up went unnoticed. Sirius Black was certainly far too occupied to notice, battling his deranged cousin, Bellatrix. He was enjoying himself though, the most freedom and entertainment he had in almost a decade and a half. He blocked a spell and smirked, deciding to taunt her.
"Is that the best you can do, cousin? What a shame, really." He laughed as he ducked another spell, but was nearly tripped up by another.
"Avada Kedavra!" His cousin screamed, and he was surprised he had gotten to her so easily. He was frozen at the sight of the green curse hurtling towards him, but was saved by an unseen force pushing him away, the curse going harmlessly into the veil of death. She snarled and was about to fire again when she shuddered, and then she kneeled in submissiveness. Sirius was about to get up and use this, when he felt an aura so completely dark, that it made him shudder as well. No. There was no way. HE was here. He gulped and with a quick 'Accio' his godson was in his arms, and then tucked behind him.
Coming out from behind the veil was none other than the Dark Lord himself. He was in his snake-like visage, and he looked around at his death eaters, all kneeling and waiting. He grinned a feral grin, and then made his way towards his kneeling lieutenant. A silent command of dark magic had the other death eaters following, leaving the Order of the Phoenix in stunned surprise.
"Your arm, Bellatrix." Came the dark, silky tones of her lord, and she did not hesitate to give him what he asked for. He took his wand out and pressed it to her mark, inwardly snarling in disgust at the delight that he felt through the magic of the mark. She truly was lost, but that was alright, she was not long for this world anyway. He called the rest of his elite to him, and when he let go of her arm he looked at her. "Look at me, Bellatrix."
Once again, she didn't hesitate, smiling at him with that deranged glee. "Yes, my Lord?" She asked in reverence of his presence.
"Avada Kedavra." He spoke, succinctly, without even a moment's hesitation. She slumped with a surprised look on her face, and then the next of his elite appeared. He waited until they had all arrived, before he released his aura in its complete glory. Everyone in the room, except for those who were more grey than light or dark, dropped to their knees.
"My loyal followers... or, are you?" Voldemort said, starting to walk around the kneeling, shuddering death eaters. "I find myself, once more, disappointed. My elite here, defeated, thwarted by schoolchildren. Even if one of them is my heated nemesis." He snarled, standing in front of Walden McNair. "Avada Kedavra." The bright green of the killing curse taking the man's life. Almost a full dozen more of those, and he had thinned his own ranks of the worst of the worst and he felt... good. He stopped in front of Lucius and was surprised to see the man staring at him, almost pleadingly, but he said nothing.
"Trying so hard to redeem yourself, Lucius. I admire this." The Dark Lord said, before wordlessly sinking into his followers mind. Lucius, gaining even more trust from the Dark Lord, did not resist or guard his mind. The Dark Lord found what he was looking for, and nodded softly to himself.
“You do not disappoint me, Lucius, for that you keep your life. However, I do have questions for you.” He said, glancing lightly to the door that was slowly being opened, the opposite to his dark aura pushing against it. Dumbledore was here, but he still had time.
“Anything I can answer, my lord, I shall.” Lucius said, submissive, but not completely so.
“Where is the rat, and my Potions master?” He asked, tone deceptively calm.
“The rat, my lord, is in my home. He waits for your orders, skulking about like the vermin that he is.” He spoke, huffing softly, but tugging it back as he was not done. “Severus, my Lord, continues his duplicity, per your orders.” He finished with a soft bow, and the Dark Lord nodded.
“Excellent, Lucius, I thank you. Now, return home, and fetch the rat.” He smirked at the surprised look he was given, and continued. “Bind him, both magically and physically, and bring him to the head of the DMLE, he has outlived his usefulness. Do this now, go.” He finished, and Lucius did just that, leaving when the aura was removed from his person. A swish of his wand had the other death eaters, those he had not slaughtered, gone with activation of their portkeys. Just as he let his aura down, the doors opened and in stepped not only Dumbledore, but another small force of his Order.
“It was foolish for you to come here, Tom, the Aurors are on their way.” The leader of the light said, and he was surprised to get an almost genial smile from the Dark Lord.
“I have no intentions of fighting you today, or in the future, Albus. I am here for other reasons.” He said, glancing back towards Harry, before looking at Dumbledore again.
“Mr. Potter is under my protection, Tom, I will not let you have him.” Dumbledore said, wand at the ready.
“Ah, I am not taking Harry, not at all.” Tom said, the ‘yet’ not added verbally. “I was just… cleaning up.” He said, glancing at the murdered death eaters. He was about to speak again when Aurors came in, and a rather frazzled Minister for Magic.
“No! That’s not possible! He’s back!” Fudge said, shivering in fear.
“Yes, I have returned. I have been back for nearly a year, Minister. Perhaps if you listened to Albus, you would not have been surprised.” He said, before looking at Dumbledore again.
“I must go now, Albus, I have many things to do.” He said, and then raised a hand. “I have no intention of going to Azkaban, or ‘answering for my crimes’, I am far too busy. I will, however, give you a gift.” He grinned and then took great pleasure in the expression on Dumbledore’s face at his next set of words.
“He is what you suspect, but your method is not the only one.” He smirked again, and continued. “Allow me to tell you how to remove it.” He then turned so he could look at Albus, and Harry with minimal difficulty.
~Tell the headmaster this, young Harry, he will understand the words I speak. Tutum Restitutionem. Tell him that it is completely foolproof, I have researched it extensively. Until we meet again, Harry Potter.~ Tom said in Parseltongue, and Harry could swear his name was uttered with a seductive purr. That was the last thing uttered, before Tom gathered his magic and vanished without a sound.
~HGWHW~
Though he had wanted to not really except the words of the Dark Lord, Harry had told Dumbledore the incantation. He wasn’t really up to date on his Latin, so the translation escaped him, however Dumbledore seemed to take it with a bright smile.
“Those words exactly, my boy?” Dumbledore asked him, after a few minutes of silence, and Harry nodded, just a little miffed at the familiar words used for him.
“Yes, sir. He said you’d know what they meant.” Harry said, fidgeting lightly in his seat, wondering how Sirius was doing, and Hermione. She had been slashed down, but apparently was in stable condition now. He was broken from his thoughts by Dumbledore, standing and clapping his hands together.
“Marvelous, my boy, simply marvelous.” He moved around the desk and took his wand out. “It will only take a moment, I assure you, and it might be… painful, however it will help monumentally in the fight against Tom.” His smile was wide, eyes twinkling madly in glee.
“If… you insist, sir.” Harry said, hesitantly, but if it would help, why not? “Maybe… petrify me first? If It’s going to hurt, I don’t want to lash out or anything, hit you accidentally.” He offered, and Dumbledore nodded.
“Grand idea, my boy.” Dumbledore said, and a silent wave of his wand and Harry was frozen in his seat. Dumbledore then said the words that had been told to Harry, wand pointed at the scar on his forehead.
Harry, though frozen due to the petrification, felt the pain of whatever it was that the spell was accomplishing. He even twitched through it, muscles twitching as his eyes were wide with the pain. Then, just like that, it was gone. There had been a soft light, and out of his head poured a grey mist. Before Dumbledore could react, however, it vanished into the walls, on it’s way hundreds of miles south. Dumbledore released the spell and Harry gasped, slipping out of the chair and to his knees, huffing and then laughing softly.
“My boy?” Asked Dumbledore, concerned, helping the young man up back into his chair.
“It’s gone, the connection. Like… like a dull headache I had learned to live with. I can’t feel him anymore, it’s just me in here.” Harry said, lightly tapping his head, and then wavering softly. “Though… I could use a nap.” He said, blinking with a soft shake of his head.
“Of course, Harry, of course.” The old headmaster said, smiling, things were looking up indeed.
~HGWHW~
Tom Marvolo Riddle twitched as the last of his soul returned to him, the smallest sliver, but it was still part of him. He took in a deep breath and smiled, getting up and stretching, feeling like a new man. He conjured a full length mirror, marveling at the ease in which he did so. His magic responded to him without so much as an ounce of protest, not like just hours ago. He looked himself over and grinned, yes, this was the form his Harry like. Aristocratic features looked at him, and while he was not a model by any standard, he was not hard on the eyes.
He looked at the clearer tattoo on his wrist, touching it with his wand and sending a command to a particular death eater. He waited for almost fifteen minutes, but he was not upset, not in the slightest. He turned when he felt the presence he had been waiting for, smiling as the kneeled form of his Potions master was before him.
“Ah, Severus, how wonderful you to come so promptly. It is so hard to find good help these days.” Tom said, smiling as he could see the twitch of surprise, his voice was silky, seductive, as it had been all those years ago.
“I live to serve, my lord.” Drawled Snape, looking up at a silent command, and barely able to school his features of the surprise in his eyes. “What can I do for you, my lord?” He asked, face a mask once more.
“There will be no war, Severus, I am tired of fighting. I am tired of the bloodshed.” Said Tom, sounding just a bit tired. He shook his head lightly at the lingering thoughts, of a future that would not happen, before looking at his servant. “I wish for you to retire from your position at Hogwarts. I have things for you to research, potions to create. You are a potions master, your time is wasted teaching.” Tom said, smirking softly at the surprised look that ghosted over Snape’s face.
“I… do not know what to say, my lord. While it is not secret I do not enjoy teaching, Hogwarts… has been my ho-” Snape was interrupted, by a snarl from the dark lord.
“Do not LIE to me, Severus! Your mental shielding is admirable, but I have known you long enough to know when you are lying!” Tom growled out, a bit of hissing breaking through, his eyes tinging red for a moment.
“No doubt Albus told you of my Horcruxes, to prepare you in case he should fail to be rid of them.” Tom said, tone softer now. “They are gone, my soul returned to me, my sanity restored.” He sighed and looked at his servant once more, smiling gently, which was kind of unnerving.
“Return to my side, Severus, just as Lucius has. As the friend I had before madness claimed me.” He said, extending a hand to Severus, helping the man to his feet.
“As you say, my lord.” Severus said, surprised, and a little wary. Tom huffing in amusement.
“Yes, yes. You may go tell Dumbledore, I know you are itching to do so, like a schoolgirl with gossip.” He said, smirking at the affronted look at Severus’ face, before the man left with a short ‘my lord,’ leaving Tom to his thoughts once more. A year, he would have to wait, but he could do that. Yes, a year was nothing if he would have his love once more.