Author Note:
Having gotten stuck on Book Two I decided to go ahead and start Book Three in the hopes that my muse will inspire. She doesn't seem to get the idea of finishing one story before starting another but what can you do when your invisible spirit of inspiration has less of an attention span than your two year old niece.
Also I need a good Dark Lord name for Damien. Lord Gothic will do but I think something different would be better and I like giving my reviewers a chance to have their input, so suggestions are welcome.
The First Gothic. Book Three. A Wizard In Action. Part 1.
Private Study. Mason Mansion. Wizarding Britain.
As I sat in my private study on a overstuffed chair next the lit fireplace with a glass of fire whisky in my hand I couldn't help but let my mind wander over what had happened in my recent history and to what would happen to me in the future.
From the perspective of the Outcasts, as well as Harry Potter and Ginny Wealsy, it had been close to thirty years since the four of us, Ginny having joined us much later, had jumped through the Veil of Death and into the magical land that was Narina, but for the people of the Wizarding World that event hadn't even been four years ago.
During the time we had been gone little had changed for the wand using Wizard and Witches of this hidden world, but that was good news for everyone as change was hard for the long lived magic users of this society to accept and it also meant that things were still as I needed them to be.
There had been no war. Voldemort had never risen again thanks to me and the services of four men who in their own reality, and others, were the well known Ghostbusters. Under my carefully given instruction and after receiving a generous down payment for their services. The Ghostbusters had successfully contained the spirit of Tom Riddle within one of their traps and then had returned to their native reality.
I had arranged all of this before I too had left the Wizarding World along with my two wives and an unwanted tag along.
As if that hadn't been enough I had also killed many of the Death Eaters which would of ensured that Voldemort wouldn't of had much of an army even if he had been able to once return to a corporal existence.
With no Blood Purity war and a much lowered crime rate thanks to the death or imprisonment of the Death Eaters, Wizarding Britain had enjoyed a few extra years of peace while I had been away.
That was soon to change as the prophecy had foretold that I would one day destroy the corrupt society I lived in and the more I lived in it the more I felt motivated to destroy it.
Little did the average Witch or Wizard who walked down Diagon Alley on an average day have any real understanding of just how truly awful their culture could be.
Creatures of light magic, such as the unicorns, were left to fend for themselves in forests filled with werewolves and other monsters. Neutral beasts such as dragons were penned in on reserves and harvested for parts when they died. As for dark creatures, they were not hunted down and destroyed rather they were allowed to thrive and multiply. It was worse when the Ministry did get involved as all they did was pass laws that aggravated the monsters and made them more hostile towards people.
As for the other sentient races that shared this globe with mankind they were persecuted, had their lands stolen under the slightest of pretexts and could be forced into servitude or the like the giants they were soon to be gone forever because Wizard refused to believe that other races deserved the same rights as they did.
Only the darkest races, like the goblins, seemed to be in any position of strength and they were downright evil.
Having supplanted the control of metal from the noble, hard working dwarves they now held a tight hold on the wealth of all magical beings and it wouldn't take much to spur them into yet another war with Wizardkind.
There were other races out there as well but I knew little about them and my concerns were focused within the U.K as I had a hard time imagining that I could really change the entire world. That said taking over Magical Britain would be a major stepping stone to the sort global power that would be needed in order to change the entire world.
How exactly one would achieve global power within the Wizarding World was mostly still a mystery to me, but I could learn more about the other magical communities as I started to forge the connections I needed with this societies other outcasts. I was planning a rebellion after all and even I wasn't going to be able to reshape this civilization without help, so it was important for me to make alliances.
Doing so would much easier now that I didn't attend Hogwarts while under the watchful eye of Albus, To Many Middle Names, Dumbledore and thanks to the keen mind of Madam Longbottom I was no longer in any sort of legal trouble.
The efforts of Neville's grandmother had earned a great deal of gratitude from me as if it weren't for her I would still be a criminal and would of lost all of my 'family's' wealth and properties.
Not that it had taken a great effort to get me cleared. After all I had only set a 'dangerous creature' lose and while that was a crime I had done it for altruistic reasons rather than to harm anyone or to undermine the authority of the Ministry. Had I been a Muggleborn that no doubt would of got me expelled, not that it would of mattered, but having money tends to get one out of trouble.
As for the death of McNair, that was handled by the fact that there was simply no evidence to support the fact that I had killed him. It was pretty unbelievable, at least in the eyes of the old fools who ran the courts, that a teenage boy with only a few years of schooling could of defeated an experienced wizard. Add to the fact that the Forbidden Forest was considered to be a very dangerous place and it had been easy for Nev's Gran to convince the coots that I had nothing to do with his death.
What would have been a lot harder to explain was where I and the others had been for three years, but there was no need for me to offer any explanation as I had yet to return to public life. Harry and Ginny had re-entered the larger world, but what they had told people was completely unknown to me and I had no desire to find out.
There was no need for me to venture out into the big, wide world as of yet and despite the fact that Neville, who now had a well paying job at the Ministry, had told me that no one was out there waiting to arrest me I was pretty sure that the media might show some interest and that there could still be Death Eaters out there who still had the intent to kill me.
At some point I'd have to leave my large house and go outside, but I wanted things to die down first as I knew that once some time had past then people would forget about the teens who had gone missing for three years only to reappear.
Also I needed to have some sort of cover in place for when I started to carry out my plans. It would be much easier to make arrangements, gather political power, gain influence over Wizarding Britain and to manipulate people if I had a valid reason for travelling around the nation.
What exactly that cover would be was something I still hadn't decided upon.
My idea of becoming a land lord and moneylender was still a good one, but giving out loans threatened the goblin's control over such things and I wasn't yet ready to go butt heads with those half sized monster. They held the purse strings of the government and had enough money to out bribe me. Plus I had to consider that making such a big move so soon would draw a lot of attention, and I had to consider the damage I could end up doing the Wizarding World's economy. After all I planned to take over a functioning society not a collapsed civilization. No it was better to build up to things slowly. There was no rush I had centuries of life, perhaps even more, to gain power, control and influence. Also it would be best to wait until Neville was Minister of Magic, something that wouldn't happen for a least three more years, before I tried to take on the Goblins as I would need powerful allies in order to wage such a war.
As I refilled my glass I mentally started to list the careers I could have as part of my public persona. It couldn't be anything to demanding as I was also planning on becoming the next Dark Lord and it would be hard to go around doing evil things if I was also working a full time job.
Not that I really needed a job as I already had more money than some countries and I could easily get more, but as I'd already reminded myself I did something like a job so that I could go around meeting people and making deals while having a valid reason for doing so.
A good cover would be to follow in the tradition of the Mason family and become an inventor. That was simple enough as I had access to many worlds that each had magic that I could exploit in order to create new potions and maybe even new spells. The Weasly Twins were raking in the profit from their joke items so I could sell my 'inventions', but I intended to market my products to a more mature audience.
I could even open my own store, but having worked in retail I knew enough to know that I didn't want to go the trouble of actually running it myself. There was no need in any case as there were plenty of smart Muggleborns out there who needed a job and most Purebloods didn't mind having Muggleborns working in low paying jobs service jobs.
As for me there was something that could be even easier and more profitable for me to do.
Having access to other worlds meant that I had access to enchanted items no one else could get there hands on and there were collectors out there who would pay small fortunes in order to posses something that was, at least in this world, completely unique. And while there was government oversight when it came to dealing in magical items it would far less of an interference to my dealing than those who dealt with enchanted Muggle objects or things that were for every day use: such as brooms and cauldrons which were heavily taxed.
There was also my idea for a House Elf parcel service. My idea there was to employ a few elves who , thanks to their ability to transport themselves anywhere they were required to go, could easily beat owls when it came to delivering packages.
As for my private life, well that was easy enough to sort out. I would be a business man who travelled a lot in order to find interesting items to sell and who also went around opening new business. I also planned to get Luna pregnant as not many dads find the time to be a dark wizard it would give the right sort of impression to the likes of Dumbledore. With all that there wouldn't be much of a connection between Damien Mason and Dark Lord... well I hadn't picked a name yet.
After another refill of whisky I started to relax a little and to think about what would soon be the other side of my life.
With a public persona already planned out I would be free to do the real work, the work of a Dark Lord.
I would led a double life, one that of a young, handsome business man. One who would enjoy the finer things in life while still being somewhat of a private person and even a family man.
The other life would be as a Dark Lord who would work in the shadows as he tore down and then rebuilt this corrupt society. Then perhaps one day I would rule the entire magical world as the power behind every throne.
It would be years of work to build both characters and it would unwise to start too soon, but I had time. Physically I was only seventeen and I could expect to live a few hundred years. Also it suited me to wait as Dumbledore was still a powerful force in the world. He was getting old but he was still potent and highly skilled, but he was also stretched thin.
I would have to lessen his influence and control over others before making any big moves, and I couldn't do anything to obvious as if a new Dark Lord appeared so soon after my return it wouldn't take a genius to figure out that there could be a connection.
A knock brought me out of my thoughts and I bade whoever it was at the door to enter.
It turned out to be Neville and this was no surprise as he had mentioned during our last meeting that he would return with soon with more news, and given that he carried a copy of the Daily Prophet it was pretty easy to figure out that it was news that everyone now knew.
"My lord" he said by way of greeting.
I hadn't actually declared myself to be the next Dark Lord in any sort of public way, but the Outcast's inner circle had known about my intentions for some years now and my return had convinced Neville Longbottom that I already was the next Dark Lord even the rest of the planet's magical population didn't.
Thankfully, he didn't bow or kneel before me as that would have been too weird and as we were after all old friends. Granted there was a distance between us now but making him grovel at my feet would of diminished him as an ally and servant, and therefore diminish me as well.
"Sit down" I said while gesturing to a chair.
Tizzy, my personal House Elf, offered my former school chum some refreshment, which Neville took gladly. I'd quickly guessed that he was stressed out given by how quickly he'd drank down some very good oak matured meed.
"Bad day at the office?"
My attempt at humour wasn't suitable given that he was suppose to be my agent rather than a drinking buddy, but it was a fault of mine that I kept trying to be witty even when my timing was off.
Neville said nothing, rather he passed me the paper so I could see what the trouble was for myself.
"Ah, I see" was all I had to say on the matter.
I'd just discovered that Harry Potter or possibly Ginny Weasly had spilled the beans and told everyone where they had been for the last three years.
Given that there was no mention of the Traveller it had to be Potter was the one with the lose lips, although Ginny could of omitted certain facts when telling the story.
However this wasn't as bad as Neville's non-verbal signals had made me think. Sure everyone now knew that the Veil of Death led to other worlds, but wand wavers weren't the type of people who would run off to other dimensions if given the chance and the guys down in the Department of Mysteries would just end up locking the Veil away along with all the other interesting magical items they had.
"You're not going to be able to go out in public now that people know all of this" said Neville once he realised that I didn't seem too concerned about the report "and the Unknowables will be after you".
"I highly doubt that" I replied "Weasly and Potter are easier to find, and this will all blow over as soon as soon as the paper has something more juicy to report".
Had Rita Skeeter still be around I might be more worried as she was the type to dig in order to find her story and she would then present the story in a way that would cause a lot of problems for people, but Skeeter had disappeared years ago.
"Besides Narina is part of a C.S Lewis story" I pointed out "sooner or later someone will tell that to the paper and they will print out something that makes Potter look like a liar. That will distract everyone and make them forget that I was ever involved".
The Prophet would focus on Potter rather than me, and it wouldn't be the first time they smeared him.
"At least if its all in the open then Hermione can go back to school. She really wants to do her NEWTS for some reason".
I really couldn't understand why the muggleborn would want to stay at Hogwarts. We'd had decades to master our wand magic thanks to the sheer amount of books my second wife had dragged along on our adventure.
She'd be much better of going to the College of Winterhold so that she could study and experiment as much as she wished or she could even go and explore the magic of worlds she'd knew nothing about.
"Yeah, but..."
I interrupted my ally and tried to assure him.
"Relax I have no intention of doing anything that will draw too much attention. Aside form buying Borgan and Burkes that is".
The change of subject was just what Neville needed.
"That creepy place down Knockturn Alley?" he asked.
Well that was what it was now but it wasn't that bad by the standards of Knockturn Alley and the ally had a bad reputation anyway. It wasn't somewhere children should go but for an adult with a firm grip on his money pouch and on his wand, it was more seedy than dangerous.
"Yes I plan to buy it and to open up my own store. Not that I'll run it myself but I need an excuse to get into the artefact business".
I decided to explain further as my former school chum still looked a bit confused, but he'd had a long day so it was forgiveable.
"There are a lot of magical relics still out there that some power, and I intend to get them. I could afford to buy them but it could look suspicious unless I gain a reputation for being a collector. The store is a cover it will mostly be selling silly things I put together but will be unique enough to gain some notice and if I sell some odds and ends that I buy from other collectors then it won't look like I'm trying to hide anything".
I didn't think that it was necessary for me to go that far in order to cover up my future business as it was doubtful that any deals I made with the older families would become public knowledge, but the more cover I had the easier I'd find it to keep things hidden from the likes of Dumbledore and his Order of the Burning Bird.
"What if Burke doesn't want to sell?" inquired my old sidekick.
"Then I'll make him sell" I said "or I'll just get rid of him".
There was a pause and Neville seemed to go a bit paler, clearly he wasn't getting enough sun what with spending so much time at the office that was underground, but somehow he managed to look even less tanned than before.
"Exile not death" I assured while also regretting that I had to assure my servants "although given that he has been known to supply Death Eaters with dangerous artefacts perhaps we could get him arrested".
It would need to be a serious crime so that a fine wouldn't be punishment but it couldn't be anything so bad that he got the Kiss for it as in a soulless state he wouldn't exactly be inclined to sell his shop.
"If he disappears you won't be able to get the shop for at least a few years" informed Neville "it would be better if he died, then you can buy it from his next of kin".
It was surprising to me that Longbottom was supporting the idea of killing someone but he'd devoted himself to the cause a long time ago so perhaps I had simply been underestimating him.
"I could stage a robbery that goes wrong" I mused out loud "kill him and then ransack the place. No one would suspect me of needing money so there's no connection there".
Again I sensed that the subject needed to be changed and in any case my agent within the Ministry didn't really need to know the details of the murder.
"Go home to your wife, Neville" I told my spy "Hannah will be worried about you".
Longbottom had married a few months after leaving Hogwarts and thinking of that reminded me that I still needed to marry Luna in a ceremony that was legally binding within the Wizarding World.
Given that we technically already married, at least in Skyrim, neither of us were too fussed. However a wedding and then a long honeymoon would be the perfect thing to distract people from the death of a shop owner.
"I'll need a Time Turner" I told the Ministry Worker "or at least I need to know where they are kept. I can steal one myself if needs be".
"I can do it" assured Neville as he made his way out of the room "I still have the invisibility spell you got for me".
With that the Longbottom heir left the room. Which left me to hope that this mental state would improve after he got something to eat and got a good nights sleep.
Which was something I could do with as well so once I finished my drink I headed to bed and hopefully I wouldn't be alone. Luna had a tendency to wander off, but she always found a way back to the bedroom in the end.