Prologue
Summer, 1995
I was gliding, gliding, through the air, as weightless as a feather. I had mastered the ability to fly, and now I could be airborne without a broom or some other means of levitation. I had my followers with me; tonight, we would finally, finally finish Harry Potter for good. I had carefully woven together my plan for years. Everything must be perfectly right for it to work. Everything that I had worked for during the last twenty or so years of my life had all come down to this one moment. That one second could be the complete turning point for myself, my followers, my non- followers. Everyone would be affected somehow by the events that occur on this night. It should have happened fourteen years ago, but something went horribly wrong. Now that I have my body back, and my army back, I can finally flush him out. For good. No more backfiring spells, no more avoidance of me. He would be finished. Tonight.
The burrow was looming in the distance, and through the windows, I could see people moving about inside, laughing, talking, being the social creatures they were. They would all have to die. Soon. We easily broke through their protective enchantments, them being weak and feeble. If I had any feelings left in my whatsoever, I would have been excited, perhaps a but nervous. But all I could feel was that cold, dead hatred that always came before a kill.
Something was wrong. I could sense it in the air, feel it in my heart. Something would go wrong. Maybe it was the way that my followers huddled to each other in nervousness. Maybe it was the way that even I was tense. Maybe it was in the way that Arthur Weasley peered out the window, suspicion written plainly across his face. But somehow I knew that tonight would most definitely be a major turning point.
"Go!" I hissed to Lucius, who hesitated for a moment before carefully aiming his wand at the door.
"Expulso!" Lucius shouted, pointing his wand at the door. The sound was similar to that of a bomb going off as the door cracked, but did not break. There were several screams from the other side of the door, and a great scuffle as those inside retrieved their wands.
"More force, Lucius! You're acting like you have the abilities of a two year old!" I screeched, my anger boiling over. I was seething. One of my Death Eaters, who has been performing magic since he could talk, can't cast a simple explosion spell?
The Death Eaters coiled back, away from my uncontrollable anger.
"EXPULSO!" Lucius bellowed, finally shattering the door. Once the smoke and dust cleared, I could see the tips of at least fifteen different wands pointing at our group.
An explosion of spells erupted from both parties. Brilliant flashes of light and color lit up the night sky as we battled to the death. I was dueling against three or four different witches and wizards, and had my hands quite full. So, I could have never prevented the green jet of light that came from behind. It hit me squarely in the back.
I was falling, falling down a dark hole. I didn't know who or what I was, where I was, or if I was even alive. I smashed into the ground (was it ground? Or something else…) facedown. I just laid there for a moment, assessing my surroundings, sensing for any slight movement. As I sat up, I realized that something was wrong. I felt, younger, more alive than I had felt in over 50 years. I glanced down at myself and gasped in shock. I was my former self. I looked like I was about 20 years old. I ran my hands over my head, which was previously bald. Now I had a full head of dark hair. I felt for my nose, that, instead of being two slits in the middle of my face, was now pointed, and fleshy, like a normal human nose should be.
"What has happened to me?" I wondered aloud. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard a voice respond.
"Well, Tom," a very warm, familiar voice chuckled, "I am not quite sure of the answer to that myself! I have a theory, though." Albus Dumbledore was standing before me, clothed in his usual floor length robes. The twinkle in his eyes behind his glasses was something I had never seen before directed at me.
"Dumbledore, you old fool. You have your stupid theories for everything, all of them involving love." I sneered, trying to cover up my shock. "Humor me. What is this theory of yours, then?"
"Ah, Tom. You mustn't act like that, especially around your elders. Now that you've passed on, one would think that you could learn proper respect." He said wisely, the twinkle fading slightly.
"You mean to say that I am dead? You fool, I can never die! I am immortal! My Horcruxes-"
"Your Horcruxes have all been destroyed. There is nothing left to keep you alive."
"What? That is impossible, or close to it. Did you-?" I sputtered, completely confused.
"Anything is possible, Tom. And no, I did not destroy all of the Horcruxes. I destroyed one. Harry Potter destroyed two. Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger destroyed one each. And Neville Longbottom eliminated one, your snake, Nagini. You yourself, destroyed the last one, when you tried to take Harry Potter's life. That last Horcrux was latched onto Harry's soul. " he explained calmly. I tried to see into his mind, using Legimency, to see if he was telling the truth, but it didn't work. I couldn't make the connection.
"Tom, that is no longer possible, because you are dead. This is Hell." Dumbledore said, sensing my struggle.
"You old man, you think you have bested me? I can NEVER DIE! DO YOU HEAR ME? I AM IMMORTAL!" I bellowed at Dumbledore. With that, I ran, farther and farther until Albus Dumbledore was just a grey speck on the everlasting horizon of hell.