AN: Written for the A Major Arcana (Tarot Reading) Challenge!
Prompt: The Chariot (Reversed)
Write about a Dark character, previously in a position of power, losing that position. Alternatively, write about the spirit of Voldemort, between the time he was thought to be dead, and when he returned to physical life during the Goblet of Fire.
The Dark Lord Voldemort had made study of a great many of the magical arts in his lifetime, and had come across the darkest of arts that would have normal wizards recoiling in horror, but he was anything but normal. He was exceptional, he had done many great things in his life, terrible to some, but still great, definitely great. The feats of magic that he was capable of were some of the hardest to master, and he did a great many of them with ease. That was why he found it hard to think of the thought that he would be destroyed by a mere child as had been prophesised. He trusted young Snape though, and he had taken the memory straight from the younger man's mind, what they knew of the prophecy had indicated that he would be killed or vanquished by one of two children. He was not about to let that happen, he would just have to get rid of any obstacles to him first before they had the opportunity to damage him or his power base. He would go after one child and send his best after the other, get them both out of the way at the same time.
Bellatrix was told to go after the Longbottom's whilst he himself went after the Potter family; he had expected it to go smoothly, he knew that they were staying in a small cottage under the fidelius charm, but he had been given the secret. He expected Potter Sr to fight for his family, so when the woman ran for the stairs to get the boy he knew that they would try to escape. He killed the father before making his way up the stairs, the mother was an obstacle, but he had promised her to Severus Snape for his service and for bringing him the prophecy, she would be spared if she would step aside. He did try, but in the end she was nothing but another woman to fall at the end of his wand. Turning his wand on the child he looked at it for a moment, wondering what was so special about this child and the other that one of them could be his downfall. Thinking on it no more he uttered the two words that would seal the child's fate, "Avada Kedavra".
The green light erupted from his wand, flying through the air towards the child, aiming straight for the babe who was staring him directly in the eye. Shockingly the child didn't flinch, instead the baby smiled at him as the light hit him, and then Voldemort knew no more. A moment or two later he seemed to stir, the babe was still in its crib, but he was nothing, not really. He had no proper form, he wasn't quite vapour, but he certainly wasn't in a human form. He fled from the house, leaving his robes and wand, knowing that Pettigrew would collect his wand, and the child to lay in the crib alone in the house with the bodies of its parents.
Voldemort had studied many a different form of magic over his lifetime, but he had no idea what had happened. There was no way that a child, a mere babe, should be able to survive the killing curse. It wasn't as if he had done the spell incorrectly, as he seemed to have suffered in the child's place. The curse had rebounded, but why that was the case he had no idea. It wasn't as if there was anything tying him to the child, the parents were dead and there were no bonds between them and he, there was nothing that should have stopped him from removing the child from existence. There was nothing that he could about it at the moment though, he was weak, a feeling that he hated, and would need some time to recuperate.
He travelled silently in the only way he could as a mist, it wasn't as if he could apparate, as he had no idea what shape his form would take if he tried. He really needed to gather one of his Horcrux's to regain his body, but wasn't too sure that that would be a good idea. First he needed to find Nagini and plan for the future. He didn't like the thought, but it may be the case that he would have to withdraw for the time being, he couldn't trust his followers with the knowledge of his state after all. He waited for a few days, taking in the news that Nagini would bring him every day, of how his Death Eaters were being rounded up and sent to prison, some were denying him and he would deal with them in the future.
In the end he decided that the best plan would be to travel for a while, there was nothing that he could do to help himself in the manor he was staying in, it was muggle and of no real use to him as Dumbledore knew where it was. He could have possessed a muggle in the village for a while, but the thought made him feel dirty, to be inside something so foul, and Dumbledore no doubt watched the village for any signs of strange activity, knowing that this was the area from which his parents had come from. He left his Horcrux hidden in the little shack as well, without his wand or any real form he would be unable to get through the protections that he had erected to keep it safe. It would have been easier to merge with a Horcrux, but he had made sure that they were all so well protected that he would need the help of someone else to be able to manage it. He had thought about Lucius Malfoy and the diary that he had placed into the other man's possession, but the man was self-serving and had denied him once to the wizarding world, the man would probably use his state against him and try to gain power for himself if he knew of his weakness at the moment, or the true knowledge of what he held in his possession.
In the end Voldemort set off as quickly as he could for somewhere no-one would be able to harm him due to his lack of wand. He had thought back to his travels and the time that he had spent in Albania, it was impossible to use wanded magic there, the country was just too wild. Wild magic and free magic were used in abundance, but in the forests of Albania,, the use of magic was more sparse and he would be safe there as well as able to use magic in this form, or at least he hoped so. He would have to find a shaman to advise him. It took him quite some time to get to Albania, especially as he was having to possess different creatures to get there, just so that he was able to survive. His favourite animal to possess was the snake as he knew how they thought and they were swift travellers, despite what people thought of them, slithering across the ground they could move exceptionally fast. THey didn't last long though, and he didn't want to destroy too many of the noble creatures. Rats though, were the other main alternative, and they lasted an even shorter time than the snakes before they burnt out. It was the strength of his magic, the littler creatures were unable to handle the strain that it put on their bodies. The larger animals coped a bit better, but they were a lot less conspicuous and people always took interest in the movements of the animals that they didn't consider to be pests.
He did on a few occasions think on possessing a muggle for a few days, that was all he would get out of them, but it would give him the opportunity to travel a further distance by muggle means. The idea was distasteful though, not just the thought of possessing a muggle, but travelling with them and being in such close quarters with them. He couldn't stand them, they were weak and insipid, his father and grandparents being the worst type of muggles, abandoning their blood, and those at the orphanage, they had set him on a path for life. He would have nothing to do with them, he was Lord Voldemort one of the greatest wizards in the world he would get where he was going without the help of others. He did once take possession of a man that he knew to be a squib, just so that he could feel the use of his magic properly. It was hard forcing his magic through a body that was unwilling to perform magic, the magical pathways in the squibs body not having formed properly before birth, but it wasn't impossible.
When he had finally arrived at his destination in the heart of the Albanian forest he knew quite a few years had passed since he had supposedly died or been destroyed by a baby. He was determined though to use the time that he spent in the forest to the best of his abilities. It was there years ago that he had found the Diadem of Ravenclaw and the tree that it once had been hidden in still held its aura and some of the knowledge had seeped into the tree over the years. He would learn what he could from the tree before trying to find a shaman to help him return. There were many arts of magic that were overlooked because they were hard or difficult to practice in Britain, but Voldemort knew that they were useful. The wild magic in this forest could strip a man of their body, he just hoped that with the help of a shaman he would be able to rebuild his body. He was still living by possessing the creatures of the forest, invading their bodies to gain sustenance, in the form of food and then their lives to fuel his magic.
He had no idea how long it was that he had been in the forest when he was stumbled upon by a wizard, he had seen a few different shaman, but none had been able to help, but this was an English wizard. The man was a professor, of muggle studies of all things, at Hogwarts, the man was on sabbatical before he would return to take up the cursed position of Defence against the Dark Arts. Voldemort smirked at the thought, even though he was nothing more than a shade his magic was still mighty and felt throughout Wizarding Britain, that even in the form that he was in he was still able to hold a curse over Hogwarts itself showed that. There was nothing for it he would be going back to Britain with this so-called professor. Voldemort didn't think that the man would be of any real use other than transport back to his homeland. The forest whilst useful had proven that there wasn't much help for him there. The professor though let something slip that convinced him fully to return, the philosophers stone was going to be stored at Hogwarts during the coming year, protections being put in place by the teachers of Hogwarts. It was perfect timing, the elixir of life would give him the magic and the body for which he would be able to return in all his former glory, it would give him an even better chance at being immortal than his Horcruxes had, even though they were useful in keeping him alive.
It was decided that he would return to his father's family home, Quirrell would oversee the stealing of the stone for him from Gringotts before it was moved to Hogwarts under the nose of the old fool. He did not relish the idea of being back in the muggles abode, but he had no other option at that time, when the school year started he would be ready to take over the world again if the stories of the elixir of life rang true. Quirell was a liability though; he had been unable to procure the stone from Gringotts, even if he had managed to get in and out without being caught. The stone had already been moved and was no doubt already in Hogwarts being set up behind some great protections thought up by the professors. Voldemort thought about the useless man that he was using as his pawn, he would need to keep a closer eye on him, just to be on the safe side. He didn't know if Quirell's incompetence was a sign of faltering loyalty or if the man was just an idiot. He would have to go to Hogwarts, he wasn't strong enough to go as an entity of his own, the wards would no doubt detect him if he used a construct of some sort, and he didn't really want to have to possess Quirell and deal with the day to day inertia of having to teach or deal with Dumbledore. He had been thinking on it for a while when he came up with the idea of attaching himself to the man's magical core. He could siphon some of the magic for himself, whilst he was attached to them man, under his turban would be the best place to hide himself. It would mean that he could keep an eye on him as well as Dumbledore and his other servant Snape, as well as having a look at the next generation of promising wizards, helping him decide on the followers of his future.
Quirell was nervous at the prospect, but Voldemort soon had him convinced of the honour it was to share his body and magic with the Dark Lord and the great boon he would receive when their work was done. Quirell was a simple man, it wasn't hard to get his loyalty; it was just whether or not he was holding that loyalty. When term started and Voldemort was stuck on the back of Quirell's head sat at the staff table he realised that he hadn't really thought this through properly, he had to go everywhere with the man, sit through feasts that he could smell, but couldn't eat, and listen to Dumbledore go on and on about absolutely nothing. The only good thing was that he appeared to cause the Potter child pain whenever he looked at him intently. It may seem spiteful but he was glad, after all, the child had ruined a great many of his plans and had cast him from his body almost a decade ago, a little pain was the least that he deserved.
Halloween came and Voldemort had instructed Quirell to take the stone, or at least have a go at the protections surrounding it. They were disturbed however by Severus Snape, and Voldemort was unable to get a proper reading on the man as to his motives as to why he was protecting the stone from Quirell. It may just be that he thought the man was useless and had no use for such an artefact. It could be that Severus himself had designs on the stone, perhaps for use in potions, or maybe he wanted to be the one to restore him to his former glory himself. His reason remained undiscovered, but they did find out what the first protection was; a three headed dog, no doubt a beast belonging to Hagrid. Voldemort had Quirell working out the best way to get around Hagrid's protection as well as subtly trying to figure out the other protections in place safeguarding the stone. He had a few run-ins with Snape over it, where Severus actually threatened the man. Voldemort would have to look into that, whether Severus was just out for himself or if he wanted to protect the stone for Dumbledore.
They finally figured out how to get the knowledge of how to get by the three-headed beast of Hagrids, something from his youth that he had remembered, the oaf had always wanted a dragon. A game of cards in the Hogs Head later Hagrid had a dragon's egg and Voldemort had the secret to getting through the first protection on the stone unscathed, just a little music and the dog would be put to sleep. He had also had a confrontation of sorts with the Potter boy in the forest. Quirell had been drinking the blood of a unicorn for him; the blood of such a pure creature boosting the natural magic within him even if it was now tainted by the curse that came with slaying a unicorn, when the Potter boy had come across them. They had fled when the centaur arrived, knowing that the giant wouldn't be far behind, unwilling to get caught when he hadn't gained what he was there for yet. Once he had the stone he could deal with the Potter boy properly, he may take a few shots at it before then, but nothing was as important as gaining the stone and his body once more.
He couldn't believe how easy it was in the end to get through the supposed great protection that were guarding the stone, they were simple in a way, the only one that took any logic or skill was Severus' little word puzzle, but that was no match for him. Quirell stood in the final chamber, staring at a large mirror, which was supposedly the last challenge to gain possession of what he desired so much, when the flames blocking them in flared and the Potter boy walked into the chamber with them. Quirell's concentration was taken away as the boy expressed his disbelief, he'd thought it was Snape trying to kill him and take the stone. Voldemort was semi-impressed that Quirell wasn't the one under suspicion, but with Severus floating about, he wasn't the most obvious choice. When Quirell went back to studying the mirror Voldemort began to study the boy, he seemed to know something about the mirror if the way he was staring at it was any clue.
"Use the boy." He told Quirell, knowing the man dare not disobey.
Potter was soon in front of the mirror and making up lies about the house cup and quiddich, pathetic child couldn't even lie properly, as if that would be the thing that he wanted most in the world, surely if it wasn't the stone he saw the child would see his parents.
"He lies." Voldemort stated coldly, before he insisted on speaking to the boy himself. He tried to convince the whelp to give him the stone, to join him, about how they could be powerful together. The boy was a consummate Gryffindor though and was not about to be swayed, so Voldemort had no recourse but to set Quirell on the child, he needed the stone in the boys' pocket.
What happened next was unexpected, but then so had most of his interaction with the boy. When Quirell touched him he burned, his skin burning wherever he touched the boy with the intent to harm. There was a protection in him, deep protection, one that could only be invoked by sacrifice, and suddenly it all made sense. How a child had managed to 'defeat' him, the sacrifice of the mother had created a deep protection that had blocked his curse rebounding it onto him, and it was protecting the child even now.
As he felt Quirell's body give out as the man died Voldemort fled, knowing that he didn't have long before Dumbledore arrived. The boy was unconscious and Quirell dead, and the stone was just there in the boys' pocket but there was nothing he could do to get it. He had to get out of the school, he was a mere shade with few options, but he needed to be away from there immediately. Apparition was said to be impossible within Hogwarts halls, but he had always been powerful and the pure blood of a unicorn was a strong substance. His desire to be anywhere but Hogwarts and out of the grasp of the meddling old fool found him back where he had been almost a year ago before his quest for the philosophers stone had begun, back in the forests of Albania. It wasn't ideal, but it was better than being at the mercy of Albus Dumbledore who would then be assured of the steps that he had taken to gain his immortality if he had the opportunity to study him. At least this way he was still safe, even if it meant that his plans to gain a body of his own were once more delayed.
He had been in the forests of Albania for another two years before another wizard of use came upon him. He wasn't of much use, but he had known that when he had taken Pettigrew into his service. Peter Pettigrew the man who had set him on the child that had destroyed him, had come to find him in an attempt to escape from the friends who had betrayed him. They stayed in the forest making plans to leave and return to magical Britain. Their delay in leaving was useful as it meant that they acquired information that was instrumental to his future plans. For the first time in any of his forays in the forests of Albania he came across a witch, or rather, Pettigrew had been seen by her and she had recognised him. That would not be problematic if the man hadn't been thought to be dead. The woman had to be disposed of, he couldn't have her rushing back to the Ministry of Magic with tales about dead men, it wouldn't do for Pettigrew to be taken away, at the moment he needed him.
The witch, Bertha Jorkins, was full of useful information about what was going on in the wizarding world and the events that the Ministry were planning, the Quiddich world cup and the Triwizard Tournament. The most useful information though was the stuff that she was unaware that she knew. Her mind had been disrupted by an obliviate spell badly performed which had left her with issues in her memory. A mere obliviate was no match for him though, especially as she had no mind protection, he ripped through the obliviate with his mind, finding what was so important that she was made to forget. One of his faithful was alive when they were supposed to be dead. Not one of the faithful like Pettigrew who he knew was only loyal to him due to the protection that he was offered, no this was one of his true faithful. Bartemius Crouch Jr, a man who had gone to Azkaban rather than forsake him, he had apparently died in Azkaban but that seemed not to be the case.
Once Jorkins had been disposed of he made Pettigrew take him back to Britain, it was handy that Jorkins was there on holiday as they had been able to use her portkey to get back into Britain easily. They had then gone to the Crouch residence, Crouch Sr surprised to open the door to a supposedly dead hero that Pettigrew was. It was only that surprise that had allowed them entrance as Pettigrew managed to overpower the man. Once inside they went looking for the man they had come to see, the man supposedly buried on the isle of Azkaban. Barty wasn't in a great state, his father had been keeping him under the imperius curse for years, but his devotion was strong. They came up with the plan for his resurrection and Barty even completed a small ritual for him that gave him a small homunculi form rather than that of the shade that he had been for the previous years. He had thought of using the ritual before, but he knew that Pettigrew wouldn't have been able to do it successfully.
The ritual planned for his rebirth was simple though and even Pettigrew would be able to perform it, they just had to acquire the necessary ingredients, the Potter boys' blood being the one that he needed the most. Barty was set to make that happen for him though and they planted the man in Hogwarts under the guise of Mad-eye Moody a friend of Dumbledore's who was going to be teaching Defence. He set everything up so that Potter was called as a fourth champion in the Triwizard tournament and guided him through the tournament until he was where he was now; tied to a headstone, his schoolmate dead at his feet.
Emerging from the cauldron with a body of his own for the first time in over a decade was a relief. The boy was there to witness it all after he had played his part and finally Lord Voldemort would have his revenge for all the years that he had spent as a shade as a result of his attempt on the boy's life. He called his Death Eaters so that he could inform him of his return and allow them to watch the downfall of the child that was said to have thwarted him. It didn't go completely as he had wished, the boy escaping back to Hogwarts with the other boys' body, but he knew that his faithful servant at Hogwarts would deal with him for him. He didn't mind handing that victory over to Barty he found, the other man had served him well, a reward of such a great kill would be expected. He had his body and the ability to use wanded magic once more. The feeling as he had cast unforgivables at the child had thrilled him, he was determined never to lose that feeling ever again. His immortality was assured with his Horcruxes, but his fragile body, he would need to safeguard it, there was no way that he wanted to spend any more time as a shade.