Albania

Flames licked at the fireplace in the quiet bar room of the armëve princat on a wet and windy day in Albania. Rain pelted at the windows and the few customers huddled in their coats to keep warm.

One such occupant of this dank pub was unperturbed by the apparent chill in the air as he hunched over a book, a hood upon his face. His wand placed beside him in case of any uninvited guest who may come to join him, not that many had dared to since he'd make it quite clear he preferred solitude, by stunning one such unfortunate mingler within the first week that he'd been staying there.

The locals had since given him a wide berth and kept themselves to themselves since, although gossips was abound as to who the mysterious figure was and why he had always kept a hood upon his face since arriving. Perhaps he was disfigured, or on the run…or hiding something.

Tom Riddle closed the book before him in frustration. Yet again this book had yielded him no results, or nothing he did not already know. He must have looked at every bloody tree in Albania, so far no diadem. Perhaps the Grey Lady had lied to him, or been so blindsided in her "fear and grief" that she had not even been in the right forest. He seethed silently as the thought of his next move.

He summoned the serving witch over with a casual wave of his hand. After ordering his usual simple lunch, soup and a double of fire whiskey he dived back into the unfinished book, determined to find some sort of answer to the questions in his mind.

Lord Voldemort as he had decided to rename himself had discovered many things in his travels since leaving school. Unlike his sister he had given up with the idea of a teaching position and now sort to further his knowledge into all sides of magic the light and the dark.

He had mastered a new ability that many before him never could…he could fly without the need for a broom, taking a simple levitating spell and adapting it around his person to make him free from the pull of gravity at will. He was magnificent he had always known it and soon he would be ready to show the world his power.

So deep in his thoughts he didn't notice the arrival of two strangers who had made their way into the bar both wearing cloaks to keep out the rain from their clothing. Anyana Knight took a place at a table near the fire, paying little head to the man on the opposite table.

Zarian made his way to the bar in order to purchase some drinks for them both, pulling the hood from his shoulders as he did so. Anya studied her husband from her seat, his age had begun to show in his hair line and in some lines to his face, but his smile still made her melt and time had had no bearing on his eyes. They weren't young anymore but they were happy and this holiday had been what they both needed, she smiled brightly at the thought.

Someone else had noticed the man at the bar, and now his eyes fell on the lady sat before him, by the fire. Where Zarian Knight went, Anyana wouldn't be far behind. His mouth formed into something like a grin and his eyes filled with mischief. He began to hiss softly to himself.

"What is lost can never be found…."

Anya was in the process of removing her soggy cloak when she first heard the noise, a hissing she would know anywhere despite the long years since she had heard it.

Glancing around she searched for the source of the noise before her eyes fell upon the table to her right, where a familiar shaped figure sat. Lowering her hood, she answered back careful of the patrons around her.

"But what's found…can never have truly been lost"

Anyana turned to look at her brother, confused by his hooded appearance at school he had always been proud of his looks and being so far away would mean he would not have to hide himself from unfriendly eyes. She moved over to the table ignoring Zarian's puzzled look as he waited to be served.

"Why are you hiding brother? Why not show me your face?"

Tom Riddle glanced up at his sister, and for the first time she noticed the blood red colour that had taken over his eyes…recoiling slightly at what he had become she observed, his face was pale withdrawn, and yet a fraction of his old handsome self was still upon him making him recognizable to her but still strange…unnatural.

"What has happened to you…" Anyana gasped. Reaching out to touch his face before he stopped herself and brought her arm back down, unsure how he would react to the intrusion.

"I have become immortal as I told you years before…it appears to carry some costs but none that are not worth paying the price for."

It was at this point that Zarian had returned with the drinks, to join his wife at the unknown man's table. "Anyana, are you alright? You've gone white as a sheet" he placed the drinks down before sitting and grabbing his wife's hand. He looked towards the figure before him and a cold fear shot down his spine at the sight of his old school colleague.

"Tom?" he questioned…"Is that really you? We've been searching for you…Anya has been concerned…"

Lord Voldemort merely sneered at his sister's husband, why she had gone on to marry the man had always puzzled him, the power of love that he could and never would begin to understand. He respected the man that Zarian had become working for the ministry, and rising with its ranks but he was disappointed that he had limited himself to it, and for in his opinion holding back his sisters potential.

"I have travelled many miles and discovered large quantities of knowledge through my travels. I have discovered magic that had long been forgotten and what could not be found in any school library" he sneered the word with a look at his sister showing he was still displeased with her unwillingness to join him on his journey.

"Why have you come here Anyana…last we spoke you were content to stay with your husband and the muggle loving fool Dumbledore at Hogwarts, why seek me out now…it is most inconvenient, for as you can see I am busy…"

Anya rolled her eyes at her brother's pettiness still it seemed he held a grudge because she chose love and work over him. She felt her ire get up at his rudeness, she had traveled a long way to find him.

"I came here to find you…I had not heard from you in several years and had grown concerned and quite rightly true it seems…what magic could have caused this Tom…just how dark have you delved…to mutilate yourself as you have done…"

Lord Voldemort felt his own temper flair and the condensation from his older sister. He rose from his seat before vanishing the book with a flick of his wand, he pulled his cloak tighter around his person before glancing down at his sister.

"I do not need to explain myself to you sister…go back to your castle and your potions…I have no need for you…"

"How dare you…I didn't travel all this way to be spoken to like that…" Anya stood up angrily. A few people in the bar looked round at the commotion, eager for any gossip that may unfurl about this previously unknown figure. One look from Anya's piercing eyes however made them quickly turn back to their own business.

"Anyana enough I do not have time for these petty squabbles…I am working on becoming something far greater than ever before…you had your chance to join me and you refused. I will find what I'm looking for alone. I need no ones help. "

With that he disparated leaving a speechless and fuming Anyana behind him. The arrogant prick she thought to herself…she would not be so easily cast aside…

AN – this chapter took a life of its own…not 100% sure with it, but trying to keep updating more frequently, changed the story in my mind somewhat from what I first planned. If anyone has any further ideas on what Voldemort did while he was in Albania, please let me know, got a few of my own but hard to pin them down for certain. Thanks to all my loyal readers I know this has taken some time, but rest assured I don't want to abandon it as I definitely want to write the ending of her tale and adventures.