Disclaimer: I in no way own Harry Potter or anything connected to him. All rights go to JK Rowling.
This is my very first fanfic, so please bare with me. I'm definitely no JK Rowling. It's something I've been contemplating writing for a while now though, so here is the first chapter, and the second is in the making. I hope you enjoy, and please review! Thanks!
Chapter 1 - The Riddle
Minerva was in her office, reviewing the roster of new students for the upcoming year so that the necessary letters could be sent out. Last year had been a fiasco, with the Ministry trying to control Hogwarts and hush up You-Know-Who's return. The elder witch's lips became extremely thin as she pursed them in remembrance of Dolores Umbridge's reign in the school. Minerva had been extremely upset, as many in the Order had also been, at Dumbledore's actions the previous year. Or lack there of. And now that the Ministry had come clean with the Dark Lord's return, rumors and emotions were running high in the wizarding world.
Sighing as she picked up her cup of tea, Minerva raised the glass to her lips, turning her thoughts back to the task at hand. "Linley...Newton...Nore...Patterson...Prindle...Ri ddle...Ridgely..." When her mind caught up to what she had read, the tea cup fell from her hand and onto to the floor to lay forgotten under the circumstances. Snatching the parchment to double check she had not misread the name, a sudden fear gripping her, Minerva clarified what she already knew.
She had not made a mistake.
She let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. "Tink." She called, her voice shaking slightly. A house elf appeared instantly, its eyes bright and large. "'Fessor 'Gonagal needin' Tink?" It questioned in a rather squeaky and high pitched tone. If one had to guess on appearance alone, this would be a female elf. Spotting the forgotten tea cup and mess of tea that had spilled from it, a sudden look of fear flitted across the elf's face. While this professor had never been particularly mean to the elf, one could never be too sure. "'Fessor not like tea?" The female squeaked out nervously shifting on her small feet.
Aware of the look now on the elf's face, Minerva followed her line of sight and spotted the mess. Shaking her head almost sharply, she vanished the mess with her wand and returned her attention to the elf. "No, no. The tea was exquisite, as always. No, Tink." She reassured the elf almost absentmindedly. "I need you to alert the Headmaster that I require a meeting with him right away. It's a matter or urgency. Please tell him I will be in his office in ten minutes."
Ten minutes later, Minerva hurried past the stone gargoyle guarding the passage to the Headmaster's office, clutching the roster in a death grip that crumpled it slightly. Making her way up the stairs, she paused at the door and rapped on it twice before entering.
"Ah. Minerva." Albus welcomed her from behind his large desk, blue eyes twinkling but with a vague concerned look. "What seems to be the issue?"
Without further provocation, Minerva walked briskly across the office and silently held out the roster to him, her lips severely thin by this time. Looking slightly taken aback, Albus reached for the parchment even as he glanced down at it. He looked back at her questioningly. "The roster for this year?" He asked rhetorically. Clearly that's what it was. But he couldn't understand what the issue would be. Minerva nodded, but seemed either unwilling or unable to clarify. She merely stated back at him evenly.
He returned his eyes to the list, silently going through the names until finally..."Riddle.." It came out almost a whisper, and an unexpected one at that. Shocked, his eyes raked over the roster again, making sure it hadn't been a trick. The roster was never wrong. It was impossible to trick it to say anything other than what it needed to. That was the beauty in the complex magic used on it.
How had this happened? His shock was easily replaced with anger. He had clearly not been expecting anything like this. And it could be detrimental to all his plans. Everything he had worked for was now on the line. One thing he could not stand was when things did not go according to his plans.
"Albus?" Minerva's voice brought him out of his inner thoughts and back to reality. "What does this mean? Do you..?" She trailed off questioningly, and he shook his head slightly, knowing what her question was even though she had not finished it. "No. I don't know who she is." He admitted, barely restraining his anger at that fact. How could this have been slipped past him? He exhaled in what could have been misconstrued as him releasing his shock, but really he was trying to keep his grip on his anger. And his fear.
"As for what this means, I have no idea." He added, almost as an afterthought. Clearly, his deputy was looking for more direction, because she pursed her lips, eyes narrowing. "Surely you must have some-" She began in a somewhat clipped tone, voice almost shrill. He cut her off holding a hand out to stop her. "I am sure it is not by chance. It is too coincidental." That was an understatement if he ever heard one. The child would be in the sixth year, and transferring from a school abroad. It was either a very huge coincidence, or Voldemort had more up his sleeve than Albus had originally thought.
Calming at the fact that they seemed to be on the same page, Minerva nodded, exhaling. "What do we do?" Albus was smug in the fact that instead of coming up with her own plan of action, she looked to him for one. Though he was careful not to show it. Instead, he put on an air of an old man with far too many problems. "We will consult with Severus." He advised, not allowing the concern he felt to show through. Surely if this was some elaborate plan of Tom's, Severus would know? And would have shared his information about it long ago? If Severus wasn't in on this plan, that could mean Tom suspected he wasn't loyal to him. Or if Severus did have knowledge of this, it meant he wasn't loyal to Albus. Either situation wasn't ideal and would put an even bigger hitch in Albus' plans.
Minerva seemed to be thinking along the same line, always quick to jump to the right conclusions. It was one of the things that made it so hard to manipulate her, but he managed it. "Albus, surely Severus would've given you information regarding this beforehand?" She questioned reluctantly, apparently not wanting to think about the other ultimatums. "I quite agree Minerva. However, if this does have something to do with Voldemort," here Minerva gasped, as most did when hearing the name, "then he might have been keeping it a complete secret. But he might have let something slip. Or said something that might not have sounded important at the time but could have been a clue." While Albus didn't believe this himself, it seemed to pacify his deputy.
Albus wrote a a quick note on parchment with an elaborate peacock feathered quill, and sent it off with a house elf to be delivered. Him and Minerva settled into silence. Neither one having much to add to the conversation, and anticipating what the potions master would have to report. As usual, Severus was not happy to be called. He swooped into the office like a dark cloud, robes billowing around him. "You summoned me?" He emphasized the word, his silky tone clearly showing his contempt at the fact that he was beckoned like a common house elf.
"Really Severus, there's no reason to be so sulky. If the Headmaster called you, it was obviously for an importan-" Minerva, nerves clearly frazzled by the situation, began to berate him in clipped tones of impatience. But Severus wasn't having it and cut her off, onyx eyes sparking. "I'll thank you Minerva, for saving both your opinions and reprimands to yourself." Severus replied through gritted teeth. Albus jumped in seeing as Severus looked about ready to rip Minerva a new one. Clearing his throat, he headed off the impending argument, regaining both professors' attention.
"Severus, I have some questions for you, and I don't want you to think I don't trust you, or that I think you've been keeping things from me, but it is vital I ask you anyways. Something has happened which makes this necessary." Albus explained, using an almost gentle tone which he hoped would smooth any ruffled feathers with the potions master. However, it had the exact opposite effect.
Severus, for his part, did a world class act on looking extremely offended. He couldn't let on for one second that he might know what this was all about. He opened his mouth to let loose his sharp tongue, but Albus headed him off. "Now Severus, I do not believe you have kept things from me." Albus continued to try to placate the snarky man, if only so he could get to the bottom of this situation. "A situation has arose which looks to be connected to Voldemort, and I think it might be likely he has kept it from all of his followers completely." He allowed that statement to sink in, the unspoken words that hinted at the fact that if Voldemort had confided in others and not Severus needed not to be spoken. All three of them understood without them being spoken.
Severus nodded, letting the headmaster know he understood. Silently , Albus held out the roster. Raising an almost quizzical eyebrow, Severus looked from one colleague to the other, but after no further explanation was given, he swept forward and took the list. After one more glance towards his colleagues, he looked down his large nose to read it, knowing this was the cause for his ruined evening.
Reading down the list, Severus wasn't finding anything out of the ordinary. "Albus, I fail to see what is causing all this commo..." He trailed off, eyes imperceptibly widening in shock. He stated, at a loss for words, giving the impression he didn't know whether to believe he was seeing correctly. Albus broke the tense silence. "Clearly this is a very unsuspected issue. Has Voldemort made any kind of inference or said anything that might not have seemed important at the time but now...?" Severus had his words dying before they left his mouth. "No. Nothing." He met the old wizard's gaze head on. "Whatever this is, I believe it is not something concocted by the Dark Lord."
Minerva made a sound that clearly showed she did not concur with that idea, but wisely remained quiet. Albus studied the potions master, never breaking eye contact, and seemed to find what he was looking for. "Very well." He sounded grave. "We will just have to wait until the child gets here at the beginning of term." Severus nodded, in line with this plan of action, realizing there wasn't many other options they had at the moment. Minerva, on the other hand, looked outraged. "Albus!" She exclaimed in disbelief. "You cannot be serious! It could be dangerous to allow such a-" Again, Albus stopped her mid-sentence with a raised hand, and gazed at her with a look of apology mixed with resignation. "What other choose do we have Minerva? We know nothing about the child. It could be a coincidence of name," Minerva was about to interrupt, but he stopped her once again, continuing on before she could. "But even I realize what a long shot that is. But until we have more solid information, we will have to play this by ear. I will do my best to research this, and see if I can find where this child comes from, and where she's been. Maybe, if we're lucky, she won't know a thing about Voldemort," both professors winced, "even if they are somehow related."
There was an authoritative edge to his tone that left no room for argument, and so Minerva reluctantly nodded in response to this plan, and having little else to say on the matter, she bid the other two good evening and headed back to her office, taking the roster with her so she may finish the letters. Her last thought on the subject was that something was bound to happen. It was not coincidence.
Severus followed in much the same manner, but once he was within the safety of his dungeons, a slow smirk curled his lips. He needed to report in, and soon. He made his way to his private quarters, and grabbed his cloak. Quickly and quietly, he made his way out of the castle, down the lane that led to Hogsmeade, and once outside the boundaries of the castle, he turned on the spot, one place in mind.
Arriving at Malfoy Manor, Severus briskly walked up the path leading to the front gates, looking for all the world like a man on a mission. And technically, he was. He brushed past the gates, the wards on the place attuned to him, and he entered the manor as if he owned it. He paused in the entry hall and called out impatiently, "Rinnie." A house elf appeared in front of him, this one a male, and it bowed lowly. "Master Snape." It greeted him in a nasally voice. "What can Rinnie be doing for you?" Severus didn't waste any time. "Where is the Dark Lord?"
"The Dark Lord and Master Malfoy be in Master's private drawing room sir." Severus nodded to this, and sent the elf to advise the pair of his arrival as he headed to the same drawing room at a more leisurely pace. Now that he was here, he felt a little more relaxed, though you'd never know by his outward appearance. He ran into no one on his, which was fortunate for everyone else, because he had no patience for those who would undoubtedly find it upon themselves to question him.
At last he reached the drawing room he knew was Lucius' personal and private area, and knocked once before entering, confident in the fact that the house elf had already announced him. He was right in that regard, seeing that neither the Dark Lord nor Lucius seemed surprise to find him in their presence. His quick gaze noticed the pair were alone, Lucius sitting on what looked like both an expensive and comfortable small couch, and the Dark Lord seated in a high backed chair that was customary for him, situated behind a large desk. Both men had what seemed to be very old tomes in front of them, various pieces of parchment scattered across the two tables, as there was a low tea table situated between Lucius and the other couch that was left unoccupied.
Both men looked at him as he entered, and Severus stepped into the room, closing the door behind him, and immediately bowed. "Severus." Straightening after the welcome, his eyes immediately sought his Master's, knowing from experience eye contact was expected. "My Lord." He responded in greeting, to which Voldemort gestured a pale hand toward the remaining couch. Severus took his queue and made his was forward, seating himself and as he did so, nodding to Lucius in greeting. He turned his attention back Voldemort. "My Lord, it has happened." It was all he said, but Voldemort knew exactly what he was referring to. He nodded once, and it was all the inclination he gave his long time followed and faithful servant. Severus went on.
"Minerva, as you know, handles the summer letters. It was she who discovered it, and immediately brought it to Dumbledore's attention. Naturally, he called me in for questioning." He spat the last word, and Lucius was unable to contain a smirk, sharing a glance with the Dark Lord. Both men knew it was a blow to the potions master's ego that he be thought of as incapable. Severus bit back a retort, though barely, and Lucius' smirk grew, as if he knew that fact. Severus ignored it for now. "Everything went as planned, and though he is suspicious, he has no option but to wait and see. Though I can tell you now he will be looking through your bloodline very closely, and will most likely discover her relation to you before term begins."
"That makes no difference." Lucius drawled from his place on the opposite couch. "Even if he does, it's to our advantage. He will cover her surely, especially once he becomes aware of her magical prowess. He will want her on his side, but she will remain elusive and unobtainable, while seeking out Potter." He spoke specifically to Voldemort, reinforcing the confidence that their plan would work.
Voldemort was looking at neither of the wizards before him, but seemed to be lost in thought, and Severus and Lucius exchanged a look. After the battle at the ministry, which Lucius barely escaped being caught, their Lord had become completely sane. Ever since he had regained his body, it had been in temporary spurts that he had seemed to be of sound mind. But it became more and more frequent as time passed, and lasted for longer intervals. It was during these times that this particular plan had been hatched, and Severus and Lucius had taken it upon themselves to work it all out in the hopes that eventually their Lord would completely regain his sanity. Now he was nearly as they remembered him, when he had first recruited them, minus his appearance, which he now covered with a glamor. It gave them, dare they think it? Hope.
"Yes. I believe it will work." Voldemort's slow response, as if cautious of putting too much confidence in it, brought them out of their thoughts. Brown eyes that we're usually red, but had not lost any of their fierceness, caught Lucius' cold grey ones. "And you are confident she is ready?" Lucius nodded at once. "Yes my Lord. She has exceeded far beyond even my expectations. I dare say she is quite a formidable opponent." He offered with slight scowl, and an almost grudging tone. Voldemort couldn't keep the corners of him lips from turning up almost imperceptibly. "Now Lucius, you can't still be holding a grudge about that? It does not become you." The Dark Lord taunted the blonde wizard, much to the shock of Severus, though he didn't show it. This was taking some getting used to, though he had to admit that he much preferred this compared to torture.
Lucius sniffed snobbishly. "Of course not." Severus couldn't hold back the snort that escaped him, and found himself on the receiving end of a steely glare. He was just about to ask exactly what had happened that Lucius was holding a grudge on the girl, when a knock on the door interrupted them, and the three wizards turned to it to meet deep purple eyes.