Harry Potter and the Dawn of a New Age

Harry Potter and the Dawn of a New Age (11)

By fbline

Chapter Eleven: Flight of the Serpent

Dark wizards didn't put much stock in dusting, so the interior of the Riddle House was in much the same state it had been in two years previously when Voldemort had first occupied his late father's family estate. The only difference now was that there were now three persons living there, along with the Dark Lord's familiar, Nagini.

Voldemort had hoped that he would have had the full roster of his Death Eaters with him by now, but the debacle at the Ministry had changed that plan. He had only been able to get Bellatrix out safely, while he had already left Wormtail behind at the base, not trusting him with such an important mission as gaining the prophecy. The plan had been to lure the Potter boy to the Ministry in order for him to get it for him. If it had gone according to plan, he would likely now know how to realize his goal off controlling both the wizarding and Muggle world alike. Unfortunately for him, his followers had failed him and the prophecy had been lost forever. He had hoped to make up for the error by killing the infernal Potter boy instead, but even that enjoyment was denied him, thanks to the interference of the accursed Dumbledore. He had instead barely managed to escape and ever since had been forced to lay low in order to plan his next move. Laying low however did not mean that he was idle, and he had instead been working on other plans to attain his long held goal.

The main objective that they were currently working on was the breaking open of Azkaban. The idea would have been impossible at one time, but since the dementors had joined Voldemort's side, the goal was at least attainable. The wizard prison was still well guarded, but it was now being guarded by Aurors. Aurors were highly skilled wizards, but they were also human and humans could be corrupted, and Voldemort was a master of the art.

"My Lord, our operative at Azkaban has informed us that he will be the one guarding Malfoy and Lestrange tonight. This would be the best time to strike."

The shirt balding man with the watery blue eyes was on bended knee as he spoke to the black robed man seated in front of the fire. They had been waiting for a time when his newest servant would be in a position to free his two most lethal Death Eaters. With the three of them, along with Bellatrix, they could create enough of a diversion inside the prison to allow the dementors and his secret weapon to attack from the outside. If all went according to plan, he would have his remaining followers with him within twenty-four hours.

"Excellent, Wormtail. I am glad that one of my servants can follow orders. Bella, you have been in Azkaban before, are you ready to return now and extract your revenge?"

The black robed wizard looked to his left and smiled at the black robed witch next to him. Her years inside Azkaban had deprived her of sunlight, and the effect of it caused her to look like a living corpse. Her black hair was lifeless and thin, her eyes were dull and deeply recessed in her head, and her skin tone was a sickly yellow color. At the sound of her Master's voice, a maniacal laugh escaped her throat and an equally maniacal gleam appeared in her coal black eyes.

"My Lord, the walls of that accursed place will be repainted with the Auror's blood. I will delight in their dying screams and take pleasure in hearing them beg for mercy!"

Bellatrix and Voldemort laughed as Wormtail cringed at the sound of it. The silver coating of his hand had now spread to cover his entire arm and he was deathly afraid of what might happen if it finally ended up consuming him. He had never been very brave, and this fact had led him to the pitiful existence he lived now. Voldemort stroked the head of his pet serpent and looked into the raging fire in the hearth.

"We shall strike tonight at midnight. Our operative will free Malfoy and Lestrange and then he will allow entrance for you, Bella. The four of you will strike at the Aurors long enough for the dementors and my newest pet to strike from the skies. Once all of my servants are freed, you will all get far enough away so that you can apparate here. Since this house is under a fidelius, you will first need to inform them all of it's location. It was another of my strokes of genius in my selection of secret keeper."

Wormtail raised his eyes from the floor and looked up at his Master.

"My Lord, I would have thought you would have made me your secret keeper. After all, I was the one who brought you here in the first place."

Voldemort merely laughed at the cowering man before him.

"You, Wormtail? I think you have already proven your dependability as a secret keeper, don't you think? I had to find someone that I could trust to not tell another soul. Now, the time for our attack draws near. Bella, you will apparate to the spot closest to the prison. When Malfoy and your husband have been freed, you will gain admittance and join the fight. Once the rest of them have been freed, you will all escape to the point where you first appeared and apparate back here. Once you all have returned, we will set to work on our plan to attack Hogwarts."

Bellatrix bowed to her Master and made her way to prepare for the battle ahead. Before she could leave the room, Voldemort called her name again.

"Yes, my Lord?"

"Kill as many Aurors as you can. The less that there is to oppose us, the easier our future plans will be because of it."

"As you wish, my Lord. What about our operative working for us?"

An evil thin-lipped smile appeared on the snake like face of the Dark Lord.

"He has proven himself useful and should therefore be rewarded. Wait to kill him until you are ready to leave."

The battle of Azkaban, as it would later be known, resulted in the largest loss of Aurors since Voldemort's original rise to power fifteen years prior. A total of one hundred and twenty Aurors died that night, while forty-eight of the fifty-two Death Eaters that they had guarded escaped. By the time that the Ministry had been alerted and Fudge had been roused from his slumber, the battle was over and the Death Eaters had returned to their Lord and Master. This was something that the Minister could not deny. Voldemort had officially struck first in this, the second war.

Bellatrix had apparated to the opposite shore of the island prison and made her way across the black waters that separated the mighty fortress from the rest of civilization. When the dementors had patrolled the grounds, a sneak attack would be been impossible since they did not rely upon such base human senses as sight and hearing to detect others. However, with advanced disillusionment and camouflage spells, she was able to make her way to the appointed area where she would be given admittance to Azkaban. Once inside, the fate of all of those within was instantly sealed.

A rational person would have constructed an elaborate plan for how to best take over the vast prison, but Bellatrix had lost all rational thought the moment she had received the Dark Mark. No, Voldemort had merely informed her to kill as many Aurors as possible, and she was only too happy to do so. Her husband and Lucius had been waiting on her when she entered, as was the foolish young Auror who had made possible the escape. Bellatrix could see that he was nervous now about his part in the plan, so she decided to move things up and kill him first. The horrified look on his face as she off-handedly cast the killing curse on him only caused her to laugh and to make her all the more hungry for more.

By the time that the alarm could be sounded, many Aurors had already met their deaths at the hands of the trio, along with those Death Eaters that they had freed in the process. The Aurors did manage to get into an offensive position of their own eventually, but the arrival of the dementors sent their numbers into disarray. The casting of the patronus charm helped stem the tide for a while, but when the third wave arrived, the battle was officially ended. The term "wave" may not be technically correct, since it was in fact only one creature, but the carnage it brought on was equal to an army. As the once mighty fortress burned, the newly freed Death Eaters followed the lead of Bellatrix and apparated to the Riddle house to join again with their Lord and Master.

"Ah, you have returned to me at last. You will take your positions so that I might speak to you before I tell you out next move. And know this, failure will not be tolerated this time. Returning to Azkaban will be the least of your concerns if any of you fail me again."

The Death Eaters quickly took up their positions that they had last been in the night Voldemort had returned two years ago. The same heavy tension filled the air, along with the fear of displeasing the Dark Lord at the cost of their lives, or worse. Once they had all taken up their positions, Voldemort removed his wand from the pocket of his robes and began to walk in front of them all, stopping occasionally to focus his red eyes on one of them.

"We meet again my loyal subjects. Have you all enjoyed your stays in Azkaban? Has it robbed you of whatever humanity you had left? Are you ready now to extract your revenge on those who put you there? Are you ready to take up your rightful positions in this world? I shall rule all with an iron fist, and you all shall by my fingers. We shall eliminate the inferior race that is the Muggles. We will cleanse the world of squibs and half-breeds. All those that oppose us will be destroyed or enslaved to serve our whims. You will all be given more power that you could possible imagine, and all I ask in return if your complete and total loyalty to me. If your loyalty comes into question, or if you do something that causes me displeasure, well, you will find yourself among the bodies that will lay in testament to my limitless power. Are you all prepared then to embark on the path that lies ahead?"

All of the assembled Death Eaters responded in loud affirmation of their oaths to the Dark Lord, some going ass far as falling to one knee and bowing their head in deference to him. Voldemort smiled at them all, his blood red eyes continuing to look menacingly at them. Finally, one of the black robed wizards slumped down at his feet and prostrated himself before him.

"Master, I am your most loyal servant. Ask of me what you will, I am yours to command."

Voldemort offered his scaly hand to the man, but as the Death Eater grabbed hold he let out a blood-curdling scream and pulled back a blackened stump of an arm. The Dark Lord merely laughed at him while the rest of those present gasped in shock and horror at the sight.

"You asked for my forgiveness last time, Avery, and I informed you then that I do not forgive. Let your useless appendage serve as a reminder that those who are not loyal to me are useless as well. If you perform well in the tasks I gave you, I may allow you the same reward I gave Wormtail. As you can see, it's starting to..."grow" on him."

Voldemort let out another maniacal laugh as the Death Eaters turned to look at the man to the left of The Dark Lord's throne. Another collective gasp could be heard when they saw that the silvery armor that had once only covered his hand now spread over his entire arm and appeared to still be spreading. Voldemort's attention then went to the man next to Avery with the long white- blonde ponytail.

"Lucius, I understand that you killed many of your former captives this evening. I am glad that you were able to enjoy yourself. However, you were placed in charge of getting the prophecy, were you not? If you are to be my general, you must prove yourself worthy of the honor. I will give you another chance to make up for your blunder. If you fail me again, well, I don't need to go into specifics of what I would do to you, do I?"

Lucius Malfoy was not generally a man to be intimidated, but he could not have been more so now. He had seen firsthand what Voldemort was capable of during his first rise to power and had no desire to experience it himself.

"I will not fail you again, Master. I will crush those that stand against you."

Voldemort nodded his head slightly and continued walking around in front of them all, unblinkingly staring at them. After what felt like an eternity to those he scrutinized, the Dark Lord returned to sit upon his throne and stroked the head of his pet, Nagini.

"We have lost some of our number through death and their own choice, but we are still strong. I have already gained the dementors to our side, and the giants will soon follow. I also have recruited a creature that all wizards fear, and that will help enormously in our attack on Hogwarts. Yes, I will have my revenge against Dumbledore and his group of blood traitors and mudbloods. The time for my final victory is nearly upon us, and that means that is time to formulate the plan to do so. Lucius, I want you and Wormtail to remain here. Bella, take the rest of them to the basement dorms. You shall all be sleeping as free men tonight."

As the rest of the crowd left the room, Lucius and Wormtail sat down at the large oaken table that Voldemort had conjured for them. Nagini followed his master to the table and curled up at his feet just as a cat or dog would have done. With another wave of his hand, a large map of Hogwarts and the surrounding area appeared upon the table as well as several ancient looking tomes and a stack of photos. Looking at them, Lucius recognized the photos as being of students and teachers at the school. His heart skipped a beat when he noticed that his own son, Draco, was one of the pictures in the pile as wondered what the Dark Lord had in mind for him. Looking up at him, he saw that the smug smile he had when looking at his Death Eaters was now replaced with a look of the utmost seriousness and concentration.

"My first objective of attacking Hogwarts is to put an end once and for all to the boy who has been a thorn in my side for far too long. I will not rest until Harry Potter lies dead at my feet. That is why I wanted to talk to the two of you in particular. Lucius, I know that your son is in his year at school, and I know that you have years of experience with him as well, Wormtail. I need to know all I can about him so I can destroy him. Wormtail, tell me about the people he cares about, whose death would affect him the most and make him the most vulnerable?"

Wormtail looked even more nervous now that the Dark Lord had asked him something. It also made him anxious to prove his worth to him.

"Potter cares about nearly everyone he meets, but he keeps most people at arms length. Very few people have access to his heart, which I believe comes from his upbringing by his Muggle relatives. From what I overheard from my time with the Weasley family, they treated him very bad while he was growing up. I believe it would be a waste of time going after them, since his emotional ties with them are not very strong. The people who he sees as his family are those he has met at Hogwarts. I'll write some of them down for you, Master."

Wormtail took one of the blank sheets of parchment and a quill and began to write down the names of those he had seen Harry befriend over the three years he had spent watching him.

1. Hagrid- The boy has become very close with the half-giant. It is my understanding that Hagrid was the one to have rescued the boy from his parents house fifteen years ago, and he was also the one to first introduce him to the magical world that he previously had no apparent knowledge of. Killing Hagrid would most certainly affect the boy deeply.

2. The Weasley family- Harry has come to view the Weasley family as his own. I witnessed many times how Mrs. Weasley treated him, and I know that the boy looks at her as a mother figure. Killing them would weaken the boy a great deal, as well as the two Weasley children that participated in last year's failed Ministry mission.

3. Dumbledore- The Potter boy is Dumbledore's favorite, and the boy reveres him in return. Eliminating Dumbledore could possibly result in the boy giving up entirely. The loss of him on top of his beloved godfather might prove enough to break him.

4. Remus Lupin- My knowledge of Harry's relationship with Remus is incomplete owing to the fact that they only really became acquainted during my final year with them, but I well remember the relationship Remus had with his godfather and parents. Killing Remus now may have the same affect as the killing of Sirius had last year.

Voldemort looked at the list and smiled. It appeared that Wormtail had proved himself useful after all. Killing adults that Harry respected and looked up to was one thing, but to get to the boy's heart and soul he wanted to know about those closer to him.

"Very good, Wormtail! Your pathetic brain seems to have retained some useful information for a change. It appears that the Potter boy has a strong support system of adults looking after him. This not at all surprises me of course. However, I am more interested to know whom he considers his closest friends, those who he has come to care about deeply. Indeed, since the boy is sixteen now I should imagine that he might have someone he is romantically attached to. What do you know of his personal affairs, Wormtail?"

Wormtail again pulled a blank sheet of parchment from the pile and set about writing down another list.

1. Ron Weasley- Ron has been the Potter boy's best male friend since the first day at Hogwarts. Weasley is intelligent, but rarely applies himself. His greatest strength is his strategic mind, but his greatest weakness is that he is subject to emotional outbursts and tantrums. The Potter boy would do anything for Ron, and vice versa. Getting to him would be like hacking off one of Harry's own limbs.

2. Neville Longbottom- Neville was part of the "Ministry Six." He, like Potter, had parents that were affected in the first war. While they are still alive, they are as lost to him as they would be if they were truly dead. Neville's strength comes from his fierce loyalty to his friends, while his weakness lies in his own insecurities. He appears to be much surer of himself than he was during his third year, but he is still nowhere near the power of Potter himself.

3. Ginny Weasley- Next to her brother and the Granger girl, Ginny would be the closest person to Potter. From the moment she laid eyes on the boy she has been infatuated with him. I cannot count the hours that I heard her drone on and on about how wonderful and handsome she thought he was. Also, it was Ginny that Harry risked his life to save four years ago in the Chamber of Secrets. I firmly believe that Harry would fall into any trap we might set if we use the girl as bait.

4. Hermione Granger- The female member of the golden trio and best female friend of Harry Potter. During the last year that I spent as his pet, the Weasley boy had developed a crush on her. Hermione is extremely intelligent and seems to have a close connection to both boys. During the time that she spent petrified four years ago, Harry was nearly despondent in his anxiety to cure her. Anything that would happen to her would impact both boys deeply.

5. Cho Chang- My knowledge of the girl is limited, but I do know that the Potter boy

was developing feelings for the girl during his third year. If his feelings for her have

continued to evolve, she may be the person now closest to his heart.

6. Luna Lovegood- Nothing is known about this girl. She was a member of the "Ministry Six", but I have no knowledge of her being friends with any of the trio during the three years I was with them. Doing some research, I was able to find out that her mother died when she was younger, and her father is the editor-in-chief of a tabloid newspaper. She is a pureblood, but she isn't in Slytherin or Gryffindor. She is a Ravenclaw, so she is obviously intelligent as well. Her relationship with Potter is unknown, but hopefully young Malfoy could shed some light on the subject.

Voldemort read the parchment and smiled even wider.

"Excellent, Wormtail! You are full of pleasant surprises this evening. Since it has been three years since you left them I would imagine that there have been some changes in their relationships. Lucius that is why I need your help as well. What information have you been able to gain from your son?"

Lucius Malfoy straightened in his chair at the sound of his name. He wished to have the focus on him now, as he was growing increasingly jealous of the accolades Voldemort had been giving Wormtail.

"Draco has had many run-ins with the golden trio. Potter remains closest with the Weasley boy and the mudblood, Granger. Longbottom looks up to Potter in nothing short of hero worship, much in the same way that the Weasley girl does. According to Draco, Potter and Chang had a falling out towards the end of last year. It seems he now spends a great deal of time with the Lovegood girl. They were photographed together by my son during a date they were on in Hogsmeade. If you are looking for the closest person to Potter's heart, I would say that it is her."

Voldemort continued to smile maliciously as he rubbed his hands together in evil glee.

"Excellent, Lucius, excellent. Your son will make an excellent Death Eater soon. If Potter has indeed fallen for the Lovegood girl then she will be our first objective. We will see how invincible he is while he watches Bella practice her sadistic expertise on her. Very well, the two of you may go get some rest. You will need your strength for tomorrow."

The two men rose from their chairs and bowed to Voldemort. Once they were gone, the Dark Lord laughed at the absurd ease in which his plan was working. The sound of his laughter caused Nagini to raise his head and laugh along with him.

"Yes my pet, my victory is close at hand now. Soon you shall feast on those that have stood against me. The Potter boy's luck is coming to an end, my sweet. But first, I need to confirm what I have been told tonight. It's not that I don't trust them, no of course not; it's the fact that I don't trust anyone. It is late so the Potter boy should be tucked up in bed now. I shall enter his mind and make certain of what his feelings are. If the Lovegood girl is closest to his heart then she will indeed be the first to die. Keep on guard my pet, I will need my full concentration to break into his mind."

Closing his eyes and concentrating, Voldemort projected his mind into Harry's. It was a great deal harder than it had been in the past, but he still managed to do it. The myriad of layers and threads would be impossible to navigate for anyone not a master of legillimency like he was. Knowing what he was looking for, the Dark Lord was able to invade the very place in Harry's mind that he kept the most closely guarded; his emotions.

The flashbacks he saw were those of the people Harry felt anger towards. Visions of his fat uncle and cousin and horse-faced aunt were the most numerous here. There were also many of various students, most of them the children of Death Eaters. Draco seemed to be of some prominence amongst these. Stronger emotions came when he saw flashes of Wormtail, Bella, and the Death Eaters that were involved in the Ministry mission last year. Finally he came to the strongest anger Harry felt, an image of Voldemort himself. This was not a surprise of course; so he plunged into Harry's mind further to examine his feelings of friendship and love.

The first scene he came to was that of Harry spending time at the Burrow. It was obvious after seeing how many memories of Mrs. Weasley hugging him and fawning over him that she was indeed a mother figure to him. The Burrow appeared to be his adoptive home where he felt a great emotional tie with it and all the people there. The Weasley girl and boy were also prominent in these memories, and it was obvious that Harry looked at them as one would their actual brother and sister. This was all information he knew, however. Voldemort wanted to know whom it was that the boy cared most for since love, as far as Voldemort was concerned, was humanity's greatest weakness.

The next group of memories he came upon were those of his past relationship with the Chang girl. Even when a person no longer was "in love" with someone, his or her memory still retained a space in the person's mind. Voldemort watched as Harry's awkward attempts to ask the girl to the Yule Ball evolved into Harry's disastrous date with her on Valentine's Day of the previous year. It appeared that Lucius had been correct; the Potter boy had obviously had a falling out with her and had moved on from his crush on the girl.

The next group of memories he came upon were much stronger and more current. These were the memories he had of the mudblood, Granger. By far the memories here were the largest he had of any female. Voldemort found it most interesting that, despite the huge volume of memories he had of her, there seemed to be some confusion about his feelings towards the girl. In one respect, he seemed to view the girl as a sister, just as he did the Weasley girl. However, there was also a jumble of memories the showed the girl in tight fitting bathing attire, the girl kissing him on the cheek, and many others of her hugging him and holding his hand. It appeared that Harry had some unresolved feelings for her, and that information could come in handy in his plan to destroy him.

Beyond that was the relatively small amount of memories that involved the Lovegood girl. Like Granger before her, he obviously felt very strongly towards the girl, and his feelings for her were also confused ones. He seemed to have a romantic connection to the girl, but he was also fearful of what these feelings could lead to. He desperately feared for her safety, but he could not help but want her regardless. These were the types of memories that could cause Harry to be careless, and Voldemort knew from his past history with the boy that his hero complex would compel him to try and save anyone that he cared about very much.

Voldemort then set about implementing he second part of his plan. This meant that he would send Harry a vision of Death Eaters attacking the Burrow. This type of plan had worked perfectly the previous year when he had sent him the false image of his godfather being attacked at the Department of Mysteries and he fully expected it to work again. Harry would then alert Dumbledore and the bulk of the Aurors would be dispatched to protect the Weasley home. While occupied, the bulk of the Death Eaters would instead arrive at Hogwarts and attack strongly and quickly. The main objective would be to kidnap the Lovegood girl, along with any of the others they could get in the process. Once they had them, they would then return back to Riddle house and set about getting Potter to come rescue her-alone. Once there, he would finally be killed, and the last obstacle in his path to world domination would be eliminated. A laugh escaped the Dark Lord's throat as he relished in the delight that would soon be his.

The laughter died in his throat however when he felt the connection he had with Harry's mind start to reverse itself. Suddenly, Voldemort could feel a foreign presence in his own mind. The feeling caused him to be shocked to his core as no one had ever been able to reverse his legillimency before, and the fact that a mere sixteen year old boy could do so caused him to feel the very emotion he strived to inspire in others: fear.

Suddenly, he could feel Harry taking over his own senses. He now knew about his plan to attack Hogwarts and about the breaking open of Azkaban. Voldemort quickly tried to concentrate on expelling Harry from his mind, but it was very hard to do so for some reason. Obviously the boy had been getting training in Occlumency. "Most likely from that damned Dumbledore", he thought.

Eventually he did manage to expel the boy's presence, but Harry wasn't going without a fight. The next image Voldemort had was of the both of them being transferred into the mind of Nagini, a place that he knew Harry had been before. This presented an even bigger problem; Nagini was his secret keeper. He knew that Potter was a parseltongue as well, so he would now know his exact location. This meant that the Order would also be alerted. His plan would have to be aborted now so that they could escape.

Severing his connection with Harry, Voldemort projected his mind into each of his now sleeping Death Eaters and screamed into their heads to wake up and assemble in the war room. Minutes later, his full roster of servants were before him with looks of fear and confusion on their faces.

"We must flee from this place immediately! Wormtail, gather up the map and everything that's been written down. Bella, make sure anything that could tie us to this place is taken with us or destroyed. The rest of you will come with me now, there is no time to pack anything."

Wormtail quickly summoned everything they had worked on that night and shoved it into a large canvas bag. Seeing Voldemort like this scared him deeply. He had never seen a look of, dare he say it, fear in the Dark Lord's eyes.

"Master, what is it? What has happened?"

"Quiet, fool! There is no time for explanations, we must leave here and return to my former place of exile."

Voldemort grabbed all of the torches from their sconces on the walls and cast the Portus charm on them before handing them out to some of the Death Eaters.

"Now, you will all take these Portkeys and follow me. Wormtail, you already know where the location is, so you may follow by apparating."

Wormtail watched as the groups of Death Eaters began to disappear from the room and looked again at the still fearful look on his master's face.

"My Lord, where is it we are going to?"

Voldemort looked at him straight in the eyes and now took on an expression more of anger than fear.

"The Potter boy was somehow able to reverse the connection I had with his mind. He knows where we are and what we had planned. No doubt he will now alert Dumbledore and the others. It will no longer be safe here for us, so we must get far away from here. As much as I loathe it, we must go back to my cave in Albania. Come now, we cannot stay here any longer. When I return next to England it will be to watch Hogwarts burn to the ground, so swears Lord Voldemort!"

As Lord Voldemort apparated away to rejoin his followers, Harry Potter suddenly bolted upright in his bed screaming. All the other boys in his dorm were woken up by the screams and rushed to see what was the matter. Ron reached him first and sat down next to Harry on the bed.

"Harry, mate, what's wrong? It is...him? What's he doing? What did you see?"

Harry's head was pounding so bad he thought it would explode. He could feel the bile rising in his throat and knew that he would be getting sick soon. Despite the pain and nausea he knew that he had to talk to Dumbledore immediately, and that he would need Ron's help to get him there. Looking at his ginger haired best friend, he could see the fear and concern on his face even in the heavily darkened room.

"It's him, Ron. It's him...and he's running."