Hey there! I am back with chapter 3! :) Thank you to my kind reviewer, and everyone who favorited this story or me :D
Just an fyi, the story will most likely have 15 chapters (and a HEA of course!) I am finishing chapter 11 right now.
I updated the warnings/ announcements in chapter 1, cause I felt like I should have been more clear about some stuff.
Hope you guys enjoy chapter 3 and I hope everyone had a Happy Easter! :)
They had met in the Room of Requirement again, the atmosphere was tense this time, everyone knew that this would be the last meeting- they had no choice but to carry out the plan early, doing it on Wednesday instead of Saturday.
The whole army was present, even Sirius, after he had begged Gryffindor relentlessly.
"Let us go over it one more time", Gryffindor began, he was not speaking loudly, he did not have to, his natural air of authority ensured that everyone was always listening to him respectfully.
He was a born leader, and as he took charge of the meeting once again, there was no one in the room who did not hang on his every word.
"The Death Eaters are meeting on Wednesday at 4 pm- which is tomorrow. Severus will be there and prepare the trap- by telling Voldemort that Harry and his friends are planning a secret protest in Hogsmeade that same night. To make it more convincing, he will show Voldemort a faked release of The Quibbler announcing the protest- which Luna and her father have prepared for us", he gave a short nod to Luna who grinned back.
"It can be expected that the Lord will personally appear in Hogsmeade since most of his Death Eaters will be at the orphanage, trying to set the building on fire- which will be prevented by members of the army who will arrive at the orphanage no later than 6 pm that night, escorting all of the children and staff to a safe place", Gryffindor looked at Remus, Hagrid, the Weasley twins, and a few others, "Ron and Hermione will be in charge of taking care of the children during that night- along with the staff, obviously", he smiled at them, "as soon as the Death Eaters arrive at the orphanage, Remus Lupin will create a distraction to lure them into the building- and magically lock it", Gryffindor looked around the room, "the rest of the army will be in Hogsmeade."
The room got even more quiet, "we won't be able to apparate into Voldemort's little hiding space to free the prisoners, his protection spells are quite strong, unfortunately- he has to let us in willingly."
Harry frowned, "Sir, may I ask…"
"Go ahead, Harry."
"How…are you planning to free the prisoners, then? If he does not let you in, Ginny…", his voice broke.
Gryffindor merely smiled, "trust me, Harry, after I am done with him, he will let me in."
Somehow, Harry did not doubt that.
"Any other questions?"
"Sir, what if Vol…Voldemort does not show up in Hogsmeade?" that was Hermione.
Gryffindor laughed, "I was wondering when you would ask me that- well, to answer your question, we do not know for sure what Voldemort is going to do, and therefore, Salazar will wait for him in Hogsmeade, while I join the others at the orphanage."
"That means…wherever he will go, he is screwed", George Weasley added wickedly, and everyone started laughing, secretly glad to reduce some of the tension in the room, even though George's joke had not been that funny.
"We are certainly going to hope that the trap will work- it will be easier to tackle Voldemort in Hogsmeade than at the orphanage", Salazar remarked, "the goal has to be to escort the children at the orphanage safely and to free the prisoners quickly, we do not want any unnecessary deaths at this point- they will get a trial, and most likely will be send to Azkaban for a very long time, so there is no need for anyone to play the hero tomorrow night."
Everyone nodded in acknowledgement.
"I think we covered everything", Godric said, "get some rest, you will need it tomorrow", the members of the army started to get up, whispering quietly to each other.
Sirius lingered, glancing over to Gryffindor, a hopeful expression on his face, but he did not say a word.
Please…just tonight…please…
"Come over here, Sirius Black", Godric finally said, "it is way past your bedtime, I am putting you to bed."
"The…dorms, then?"
Gryffindor rolled his eyes, the boy did not fool him for one second, "this is an exception, do you understand?"
Sirius grinned from ear to ear, "yes, Sir, I understand."
He sighed, and picked him up, "hold on tight, Sirius Black", they apparated, and minutes later, Sirius found himself tucked in bed next to Aurelius who was already sleeping soundly.
"Sleep tight, Little Star", Godric smiled at him, "you were very well behaved at the meeting today, I am proud of you."
Sirius' whole face blushed, "eh…thank you…Sir", he shyly smiled back, "you…you won't get hurt tomorrow, right?"
"I will be fine, Sirius", Godric assured him, his eyes twinkling, "and now sleep. It is late", he ruffled his hair softly and got up, leaving Sirius glancing after him, a drowsy, happy smile on his face.
Damn nightmares…
Voldemort poured himself a whiskey for breakfast, he had not called for Wormtail or one of the elves because he did not want to see anyone right now.
It was about seven in the morning; the manor was quiet as he made his way up the stairs to the library.
He would not go back to bed, not after seeing Mrs. Higgins sour, hateful face again in his dreams, screeching and yelling at him, like she had for years when he was a boy at that goddamn orphanage.
Well, today this nightmare would end- and if the old hag still worked there, she would die with everyone else, leaving nothing but ashes.
He should have burnt down the orphanage months ago, Potter and the mudbloods had side tracked him, but now it was time, time to get rid of all these awful memories.
Voldemort took a sip, coughed, and decided to spend the time until the Death Eater meeting at 4pm with reading.
He started reading and as usually, forgot everything around him, until Peter entered and tentatively cleared his throat, "My…Mylord…it is time…for the meeting…", he stuttered, obviously scared to be punished for interrupting.
Voldemort just stared at him, then closed his book and got up, "get out of my way, Wormtail", he hissed, walking towards the door briskly, eager with anticipation- they would finally all burn in hell!
The meeting went by quickly, and even though none of the Death Eaters, not even crazy Bellatrix, seemed to look forward to murdering almost 400 innocent children, no one protested.
"Any questions?", Voldemort finally said, even though he knew the answer- no Death Eater ever asked him a question, it was a suicide mission.
"Good. Severus- do you have anything to report?"
Snape looked up, "I do, Mylord."
"What is it, Snape?"
"Potter and his friends are planning another protest tonight", Snape started, his voice silky smooth, "I was able to get a hold of one the newspapers they are using to spread their message- I took it from Miss Lovegood", he handed Voldemort the fake edition of the Quibbler, and waited.
Voldemort cursed, glanced at the Quibbler and then set the paper with a quick "Incendio!" on fire.
"That damned son of a bitch! Always interfering, always being in the way! I have had enough!", his eyes were dark red, "I am going to put an end to it, tonight", he whispered, "I am going to kill that little bastard, I am not waiting for him to come to me any longer, my patience is over, it is OVER!"
The Death Eaters stepped back, terrified, only Snape remained in position, "a great plan, Mylord", he said, still unabashed.
"Get out, all of you! Get out!", he was basically screaming now, and the Death Eaters hurried to apparate, "report back at midnight after it is done, and not a second before!", he turned around, missing the triumphant little smirk on Snape's lips who was the last one to apparate.
The trap had worked.
Voldemort went back to the library, the only place where he somehow felt safe from everything going on, and sat down, still furious.
Bloody Potter and his damn mudblood gang- organizing a protest on the exact same night- the audacity…
He reached for his whiskey and his book, he had planned to join the Death Eaters at the orphanage at some point to see some of the teachers there getting killed at least, it would take all the fun out of his day to miss that!
Postponing the mission was not going to happen though- he had already waited long enough, and today was the day he would finally put an end to both of his biggest nightmares- Mrs. Higgins and Potter.
He took a sip of his drink, as suddenly an idea struck him.
Well, why not do both? He did not need the Death Eaters for a quick little visit to the orphanage- and why not join in the fun…undercover?
He grinned, a plan forming in his head- it was daring, risky, but that was part of the thrill, was it not?
Voldemort got up, went over to one of the mirrors, and waved his hand.
The snake illusion disappeared, and his real, much younger self was now staring back at him, with the same expression of arrogant defiance he had perfected as a boy. Unfortunately, he felt the same as he did back then, too- misunderstood and rebellious, and that was one reason why he hated to take off the snake illusion. He did not like to have feelings.
He smiled now, and his image did, too, "hello there, orphan boy- you look ready to have some fun today- some grown up fun."
Those damn bitches at the orphanage were in for a shock- all he needed now were some appropriate clothes, and then he would apparate, mingling with the orphans, waiting for an opportunity, and the best part was, he would still have enough time to kill Potter later!
Such a shame that he was not able to share this glorious idea with anyone, he would be mortified if his Death Eaters saw him like this.
He found some shabby looking clothes in one of the bedrooms, and changed into a worn-out pair of denims and a black sweater.
Still grinning sardonically, he apparated- now, off to the orphanage!
Albus Dumbledore was not pleased.
Truth to be told, he was rarely pleased those days anyways, but today he was especially displeased.
His plans were not unfolding the way they were meant to- and he had lost his spy, which meant he no longer received information about the army.
He mumbled a curse and took a sip of his lukewarm tea, why was everyone and everything turning against him these days?
Well, first things first, he was going to make his spy pay for disappointing him.
And he knew exactly how to do that- that idiot was in for a very unpleasant surprise!
Nothing had changed.
Well, besides the new building next to the janitor's house and the paint job they had done, everything looked and felt the same.
He bit his lips as he walked across the huge playground in the back, suddenly regretting the idea of even coming here- shouldn't he be too old for crying over some damn nightmares anyways?
He kept walking, hands in his pockets, it had been way too easy to get in here, nobody had even noticed him slipping in.
They did not care, certainly not then, and not now.
A group of older children, probably about 12 years old, were gathered by a big tree, a teacher in the middle.
They were laughing and talking excitedly, and seemed…happy, which he had deemed impossible in this place.
He walked closer, curiosity getting the better of him, and stared quietly at the scene in front of him.
The children, all of them boys, took turns climbing up to a certain spot in the tree, they grabbed something- a piece of fabric it looked like- and then…jumped.
He was frozen in place, watching them climbing, jumping…and the teacher catching them.
Why the hell did he do that? Why not let them fall?
He was getting close enough now to be able to hear their voices.
"Are you ready, John? You have 2 minutes and 11 seconds to beat!", someone yelled.
"I will see you guys in 2 minutes and 10 seconds then!", another boy, probably John, answered, he was laughing.
"Ready…set…go!"
John sprinted up to the tree, he climbed like a monkey, and he watched him grab the little piece of fabric hidden on a branch, and then he jumped- and the teacher caught him, hugged him, and beamed at him like he was some fucking miracle, like he did not just climb a damn tree, something any idiot could do.
He scowled, suddenly annoyed, not even knowing why.
The teacher glanced over at him, a strange smile on his lips, "do you want to try as well?", he asked calmly.
Voldemort examined him closely, he looked familiar for some odd reason- but he could not put his finger on it- or maybe he was just imagining things.
"I do not want to try", he responded curtly, "I have better things to do."
Like finally finding that hag Mrs. Higgins and torturing her senseless.
"Scared, hmm?", the teacher said mockingly, "afraid of heights, I assume?"
Some of the boys snickered, and he balled his hands into angry fists.
Just remember, they will all burn to death tonight anyways- no need to create a quarrel…just go and find Mrs. Higgins…
"I won, then", John declared, a smug look on his face, "2 minutes and 8 seconds- it is not like anyone can beat that anyways."
Arrogant prick.
"Really? We will see about that", he came even closer, he was the Dark Lord after all, and he never backed down from a challenge, even though this one was just plain ridiculous.
"Go on then- what is your name by the way?"
"It's…Tom", he had to force himself to say it, damnit, he should never have come here, he hated nothing more than being reminded of his childhood and his damn name, this was a mistake, what was he…
"Ready…set…go!"
He ran towards the tree, climbing up, which was a lot easier than he had thought- and he already saw the little red piece of fabric way above him.
The boys started shouting excitedly, he was clearly a lot faster than John- serves you right, asshole- he grabbed the fabric, damn, he was pretty high up already, and…
"Come on, jump, Tom!", screamed one boy, "you are not even at 2 minutes yet! JUMP!"
The teacher opened his arms, "don't worry, I will catch you, Thomas."
Tom, damnit, not Thomas- and yeah right, that bastard was gonna let him fall, shit shit shit, he had not thought this through.
He lingered, hesitated, while the boys kept screaming and telling him to jump- but he could not do it. He tried to climb down, stumbled and…fell.
Next thing he knew, strong arms were holding him, and that damn teacher smiled at him, pulling him close, so close that he could hear his heart beat, and it felt so…good, in a weird, new way, "2 minutes and 6 seconds- close call, but you won, Thomas", he ruffled his hair, "that was not so bad, was it?", he added quietly.
Tom struggled to break free, "I don't know what you are talking about- and it's Tom, not Thomas", his voice was cold, he despised himself for the fact that he had actually liked the feeling of being held for a second, and this whole thing had been a bad idea, just a very bad idea.
He stormed off without looking back, he needed to find Mrs. Higgins before he went absolutely crazy.
Finally, the luck seemed to be on his side- because when he entered the main building, he saw her right away, carrying a pile of papers into an office.
She looked exactly the same- and how the hell was that even possible- with her ugly dress, her flat shoes and her sour expression.
Tom followed her into the office, overwhelmed by emotions. He was not thinking clearly anymore.
"Mrs. Higgins?"
The woman turned, her expression stiffened, "it is Mrs. Gardner, Mrs. Higgins was my mother."
Now this made a lot more sense.
"Well, where is your mother?", he demanded, "does she still work here, too?"
Mrs. Gardner snorted, looking at him with utterly confusion, "my mother died sixteen years ago- did you know her? I often have people tell me what a difference she made in their lives- she was a real treasure, such a loving, nurturing woman."
"She definitely made a difference in my life", damn he sounded bitter- and for crying out loud, why was he still here? This was stupid. Just plain stupid.
Mrs. Gardner attempted a smile which looked more like a grimace, "well, I am quite busy- if there is nothing else you need, boy, get out, I am sure you have chores to do before dinner."
Boy.
Out of my way, boy!
What are you still doing here, boy?
Are you done yet, boy?
You lazy, stupid boy, it is no wonder no one wants you!
That damn bitch did not care, of course not, no one fucking cared.
Well, her mother was dead, what a shame, so now she had to pay the price.
"Crucio!"
The woman let out a surprised, agonized scream, the pile with papers slipped out of her hands and fell on the floor, and she screamed…and screamed…
The screams got louder, but he did not bother to speak a Silencio, he did not care if someone heard her, feeling numb all of a sudden, and he was talking, rapidly, yelling at her, shouting more curses, and he knew he was not making sense, but somehow, he could not stop talking.
"I am not your damn boy, I am a man, you thought you broke me, boy, ha, what do you think, who do you think, bitch, I am going to kill you, I am not a boy, you never wanted me, I am the Dark Lord, not a boy, do you hear me, this is it, damn, I will make you…"
The door to the office opened, someone came in quietly, watching, and then- it stopped.
The screaming stopped; the talking stopped- everything just stopped and he was not able to cast another spell.
What the hell had just happened?
"That was a big mistake, Thomas."
Yeah, no shit.
That damn teacher, of course- fucking saint.
"What do you want? Who the hell are you?", he raised his wand, his red eyes burning with absolute rage, "I demand that you…"
The older man laughed, he seemed amused for some reason, "you demand, hmm? You are not going to demand anything anymore, Thomas."
"It's not Thomas, how dare you…"
"I probably should have introduced myself first- my name is Godric. Godric Gryffindor", he smiled at him, but there was no warmth in his smile, just scorn, "and we are going to have a little chat now, Thomas."
And then everything turned into a nightmare- a very real one, this time, and one he could not wake up from.
yep...nightmare it is...the next chapter will have the first real spanking scene in it, and since Voldemort/ Tom will not submit to Gryffindor willingly, it will be...intense.
Who the spy for Dumbledore is/ was will be revealed later.
As always, I would LOVE some feedback!
Cheers,
Antonie :)