A.N - Its amazing the things you find when you sort out old documents. This is a One Shot I discovered I never posted, and strangely enough am still happy with it. In summary, Voldemorts thoughts and actions as he seeks out a wizard to act as a host. Pre Quirrell.

Ash and Bone

As the clocks tick echoed ominously around the silent and empty house, a shadow of a man thrashed in pain. Time had changed for this man, and nothing was anymore consistent than the babblings of a small child. Frustration burnt through his body, pain searing through his nerves. Once the greatest man ever to have lived; brought to his knees in agony of confusion and loss. Time moved apart from him, leaving him lost in a whirlpool of misery. Cursed kid, how could a brat barely born do this to him? Crippling him to a state of living death.

But there was life in him still, not much, and every moment passed like hours of torture, but he was alive, which was more than the Potters could say of their current state. In theory he should be able to 'survive' in this state of limbo for the rest of eternity, though in the knowledge that the pain would worsen greatly as 'time' passed, it was plain he'd have to find himself a willing host; and soon.

A young snake with two heads were rested on a warm stone, one poised to attack the other, and the other, though obviously serpentine, looked odd – as though there were some humanoid features thrown in, skin, pigmentation difference's, expression. It looked irritated, frustrated, bored.

*If you kill me, you die too.*

*And if I don't, you will kill me. You steal my food.*

*We were born this way, there is nothing you can do about it. Mother nature, snake, mother nature.*

*You are no snake.*

*And yet I'm attached to you, funny little world isn't it? As I recall, before we hatched, I made a deal with you. I'd make you stronger, more powerful, and in return, you take me where I want to go. You should have thought about that first, before you agreed.*

*Your journey ends here.*

*Pity, I had hoped you would last longer than the last. How shall it end? Just hack at each other until the other looses it's head or find some willing badger too take care of the job?*

*Leave.*

*Snake, we were born together, and with out a sharp set of teeth it's a condition that isn't going to end soon.*

*Leave.*

*The shock will kill you. Are you sure you want to do that?*

*Leave.*

*So be it.*

The snake's muscles seized before collapsing limply on the stone. The other half followed suit, but green light burst from within, shinning from it's mouth and eyes as it finished the spell. A ghostly wisp of green smoke hovered for a few brief moments above the two, with a frown. Snakes were growing headstrong, not surviving the distance. They couldn't survive possession once hatched they had to be 'negotiated with' early after the eggs were laid. Even then, sometimes it was too late that their body couldn't host another. Siamese twins had worked best thus far, but five years of this hadn't brought him far from his hiding. Someone stronger was needed, humanoid would be best. Unfortunately, there wasn't a ready supply anywhere near.

"Professor! Professor!" More locals. More bloody weak-minded Muggle expeditions. Yes, they were humanoid, but the fools generally got themselves killed this far into the jungle. The woman however, was not a Muggle. She was strong willed, and had her wits about her. Persuading her would be a challenge – getting some communication would be equally difficult. All the same, if he succeeded she would be the closest thing to perfect.

"Rune spores aren't native to this region," the professor muttered kneeling down to examine the cadaver. "This one doesn't even look like a snake," she lifted the head of the mutated snake with her wand. "Still fresh. Bag it, I'll examine it back at the camp." A translator relayed the orders. Voldemort followed, a wizard so close after all these years would give him the energy to do what was needed, though there was only a small window of opportunity. He would not miss it.

As fascinating as it arguably was to watch your former host of a body being sliced and examined, Voldemort had more important things to worry about. He was yet to try invading a person's thoughts, and whilst the theory was plausible, it was yet to be confirmed. He waited until she was ready for sleep; extracting an unbreakable vow from a person was so much easier when they were out of a conscious state of mind. No one would know that he was feeding off her power.

'Hello?' the professor spun around, as something darted behind her. It was like she was standing on a black, invisible stage, the backdrop was little more than a still sketch she'd drawn earlier that same day - nothing else existed. But there was something intruding, she couldn't explain it, she just knew.

Something darted in the corner of her eye, and she brandished her wand - missed it again.

The wand fell limp, and grew, turning into a snake – with a head as strange as the one she'd been dissecting. Backing away carefully, she watched it as a green light expelled from it's eyes and gaping mouth, before falling limp again. She waited a moment, wishing she had something to hold on to for comfort or that she'd wake up as the body cut with an invisible knife along the back and a man stepped out.

'Good evening Professor,' he made a bow and waited.

'Who are you?'

'Your future.' He replied as though that much was obvious. 'Should you choose.' He added as an after thought. 'For we are bound by the choices we make.'

'What are you?'

'Up until now, history. I am power, knowledge, opportunity, freedom, life and death.' She'd read something like this before, years ago, those very words, a book? A prophecy? A memory? A play? 'You want answers, do you not? I have them. I make them. I am them.' These thoughts left her as she listened with interest.

'The future is what those in power make of it, life you should know doesn't end like a book. The world is filled with many yields, beyond good and evil, you have felt this. Why else would you come all this way? You want to make a difference, I am the relic that you seek.'

'What are you talking abo-'

Everything she saw was reversed and played again when the serpent died…collapsed. Thinking everything would repeat as it had before, she made her way closer.

It didn't.

The snake sprang to…death, it was dying, writhing in pain until it disintegrated to dust. Something stood out thought in the pitch darkness. Once again, she waited for something to happen.

Nothing did.

From the dust, she pulled what appeared to be a wand out, but it was white, made of bone with an inscription.

–We are Bound by the Choices We Make–

In truth, Professor Heather Bailes didn't have either a choice or a chance. Voldemort's attempt to fool her into willingly accept him killed her. She was found dead, mauled by a jaguar with a fine bone wand limp in her hand.

She was his first human victim in his attempt to return to his human form. Her father, Professor Keelin Bailes, who made a follow up and attempted to complete her research in her memory, recovered her diaries amongst several other possessions. They detailed oddity of the reoccurring dreams she was having only a week before her death, and how after the first she awoke with a fine bone wand in her hand. She didn't use it naturally, to do such a thing would be outlandishly foolish. However, she also couldn't think of a suitable explanation how each and every night it found her way back into her hand when she'd locked it in a box leaving the key with another member of the expidition.

Stupid. Of course the spell would know if he were cheating to steal a part of another's soul. It was apparent that the gease wasn't about to let him off on a technicality, and the attempt to persuade her had drained an exhausting amount of energy which in truth he didn't have to spare.

Stupid. She finally gives in and uses the bloody wand, and the cursed wand backfires on him – inside of her. She didn't even have a moment to know he was there. "We are bound by the choices we make," how ironic. Back to snakes…for now.

A.N, Let me know what you thought, this is just a one shot.