The Downfall of Lord Voldemort

The Downfall of Lord Voldemort

by

Birrmagnur/Satrios

Prologue

"Gathering"

Harry wondered whether he was dreaming. It seemed so real, in places.

A slender Death-Eater stepped forward to address Lord Voldemort. The circle of his followers had grown since Harry had last seen it--both in size and in power. Mists played around the knees of The Dark Lord and his followers, making Voldemort's glowing red eyes look very creepy indeed.

She spoke in a clear voice, after he nodded to her, acknowledging her presence.

"My Lord," The lone figure announced. "I have gained access to the recipe for The Potion of Immortality." She stopped, pausing to see how this pleased her lord. There was a sharp intake of breath around the circle. He nodded for her to continue. Voldemort then raised his eyebrows.

"Go on," he whispered. Steam issued from his mouth, and Harry caught a whiff of it's acrid scent. He tried desperately not to cough, lest he be heard by Voldemort and all of his Death Eaters.

"I am positive it would work. There is only one setback."

The masked face turned once again to face Voldemort. He motioned impatiently for her to go on.

"The ceremony calls for the herb vervain. The winds are already more than brisk and I am sorry to say that the plant must be grown outside and it must be harvested in the dark of the moon. I fear we may only have a month or so in which to harvest the plant and prepare the potion; the ceremony has to take place on Beltane.

There was a terrible, hungry look in Voldemort's red eyes now.

"My Lord." A fawning, overly attentive voice that could only belong to Lucius Malfoy issued from a hooded and masked face. He had stepped forward to address The Dark Lord.

"I could hold an innocent Beltane feast for Ministry members that night. We could split our party into thirds--one to take the party, one to attend the ceremony, and one to strike Hogwarts."

"You like this, then?" Voldemort demanded breathlessly. He was excited. After chasing his quarry so long, the end was almost in sight.

Lucius' mask shifted as he grinned, and then nodded.

"Very well." Voldemort's mouth twisted into an insane grin. He then turned to the first Death-Eater, the woman.

"Prepare the potion under the supervision of Severus Snape," he commanded, then swung around to face Malfoy. "Hold a Beltane feast for Ministry members, as you proposed. Then we strike."

Lucius nodded, and then stepped back.

The first Death-Eater said, "Your wish is my command my lord, and as always, I obey."

Harry woke with a start.

The Beginning

A/N - Well? How do you like it? As you may have guessed, the woman Death-Eater is Florence Sinistra. Lucky Voldemort needs Snape, eh? Otherwise he would've killed him. Well, that's all for now. Expect another chapter in a few days. The next chapter is entitled "Sleep," and Harry actually sees Florence as a Death Eater. What will he do about it? Find out next time in, "Arrival."