Harry Potter and the Return of the Dark Lord
Chapter 2: The Dark Lord Returns
Harry turned the ring over many times in his hand. He studied it closely. Was this truly the same ring? He dared not put it on. Last time he did so he saw his parents, and Sirius, and Lupin. Now, seeing those people he once loved would be too hard. He set it down on a small table and proceeded to sit in a (less than comfortable) chair. He shifted his position quite frequently until he was mostly comfortable. Then he clicked on the television set and watched some poorly made British film. However, his concentration on his television viewing was disturbed by the ring. He constantly glanced at it, unsure of the reason why he received it.
Finally he decided to go back over to it. It was marvelous at sight. Slowly, he picked it up to put it on. He was mesmerized by its beauty. He closed his eyes, prepared for whatever the ring would bring him. Then he put it on. He felt nothing odd or strange. Then, he heard a familiar voice. "Harry Potter," it said. He kept his eyes shut tightly, fearing this callous person. "My dear boy, it has been nineteen years. You have grown so much." A fit of hoarse laughter forced Harry to open his eyes. Before him stood the eerie silhouette of a familiar person; someone he dreaded seeing.
Two narrow slits for eyes glared at Harry. The snakelike man was pale and evil. He was not at all like the young handsome boy Harry had seen him as in the Pensieve. Now he was like the figure he had been at Hogwarts. He was the person he was when Harry last looked into the eyes of Lord Voldemort.
He panicked. Hurriedly, he tried to take the ring off. The Dark Lord only laughed at Harry's struggling. The ring wouldn't budge. Harry beat it on furniture, on the wall, and anything else he could find. However, the ring was glued to his finger. Without thinking, when he knew that Voldemort was now unable to leave, he cried, "Why are you here? Has this new author-"
Voldemort immediately silenced Harry and said, "I am here because I want to change my ways. The nineteen years I have been dead have allowed me to read the Harry Potter series. Now I truly realize how pointless my doings were. I am still not entirely sure why I wanted all that power. So what if I am the heir to Slytherin. That doesn't mean I have to go power-mad. I'm not certain why I was considered the villain, I am deeply mortified. I used to be a good person, but when that Rowling took me and made me evil," he clenched his fists, "that just made me so mad! But now there is a new author. She has something new in store for us."
"Blimey, V. this is all sort of odd," said Harry. "For seven books I had always thought you to be evil. But in truth, you are good." Voldemort nodded. "So now that there is no villain to my stories, what's going to happen, Voldemort?"
"Please Harry, call me Tom," Riddle said as he made his way over to a (less than comfortable) couch. He made himself comfortable and continued, "That Harry is not your concern. The new author has an idea for a story and we should just follow along. Whatever is going to happen will happen. We must not concern ourselves with the plot. Alright?"
Harry gave an unsure nod and sat back in his chair. It was awkward to be sitting having light conversation with the Dark lord himself. He continued trying to remove the ring but all was hopeless. He was stuck with Voldemort until the end of the story.
The door suddenly burst open and a mud-covered Ginny and Lily walked in. "That Mr. Longbottom is some kid. Luna even had trouble calming him down," said Ginny angrily. "Now, Harry," she shushed Lily out of the room who she rushed up to the bathroom to clean herself up, "what was in that package you received?"
"That ring," he said matter-of-factly.
"Ring?"
"The Hallow." Ginny was bewildered. She went somewhat pale as Harry had.
"Well, where is it?" Harry lifted up his hand to show her that he was wearing it. Tom then fell asleep and began to snore loudly. Ginny didn't hear it, however, because she couldn't see, hear, feel, or (thank goodness) smell him. Instead, she gasped and began to yell at Harry. Several curses were chanted at Harry and angry words were spewed in all directions.
"Why the fuck did you put that ring on? For all your luck it could be another Horcrux. You could have died. It's definitely a man thing. You do before you think. Jesus Christ, Harry." More fowl language was shared until Ginny had used every single swear she knew. The abrupt language awoke Voldemort. He grunted and groaned angrily for he was still sleepy. This, however, does not further the story and was a useless sentence to add. Yet, in the previous chapter Ginny said that I, as the new author, should keep the story Harry Potter-ish and thus I am. For those who may not have ever noticed, Rowling tended to put rather meaningless sentences and I am keeping her tradition alive.
Anyway, back on the ranch, Harry then stormed upstairs with Tom following close behind. Ginny felt the womanly urge to clean and dust and did so. Lily ran to her room in tears after hearing her parents' idiotic quarrel. "Tom," Harry began as he closed the bedroom door behind himself, "I don't understand women." He paused for several minutes recapping the events of the last half-hour or so. "Do you think I should tell Ron about the ring?"
"You mean that red-headed Muggle-lover?" Harry gave Voldemort a wicked glance. "Of course you should tell him. That will further the plotline and something interesting might arouse." Harry nodded in agreement to Voldemort's idea and then slowly opened the bedroom door as to not make any noise. He withdrew his wand and crept to the end of the stairs and pointed it at Ginny. "Muffliato," he whispered. Ginny was instantly made unable to hear Harry talking to Voldemort; that, as well as the fact that Harry was now going to leave the house. Harry immediately thought of the Burrow and was Apparated there. Now he stood in the spot where he spent most of his summers; a place where he was finally able to rid himself of the Durselys. Harry smiled and made his way over to the front door. He knocked a few times and the door slowly opened.