Disclaimer: Nah, still don't own Harry Potter.

A/N: Heads up, this chapter is over 8000 words long! Voldemort has a bit of explaining to do though.

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Chapter 2 – Revelations

Harry sat there staring at Voldemort, his mind unable to comprehend what he had just been told. Voldemort, to his credit, stayed silent, watching Harry as he processed what he had said. Harry couldn't say how long it was before he said anything.

"How? You killed them! How could you have them as spies when you killed them?"

Voldemort nodded. "That's a good question. To be able to answer that, I'll need to backtrack a bit." He shifted on the seat and settled into a more comfortable position, staring out across the park. "1945. I came home from Hogwart's for the last time to discover that the muggles had finished their war with the detonation of nuclear armaments. All around, I found that the muggles were celebrating. They had killed over 200,000 people with just two bombs, and they were celebrating. By that point, I was already set to bring down the magical world and change it to how Salazar Slytherin wished. Don't get me wrong, I hate muggles. They are violent, dangerous and petty creatures that take pleasure in hurting people. But when I saw that, I realised that the magical world had it wrong."

"Gellert Grindelwald had the right idea. The magical population needed to control the muggles, limit what they could do and use our magic to enforce our will. But he tried too big, too fast. So I decided to start small. Take over magical Britain, for no other reason than most of the magicals are lazy."

Harry nodded; from the little time he had spent in the magical world, he had worked out that they were all lazy and wanted others to do the work for them. Nothing new or exciting happened in magical Britain.

"However, I was merely one wizard. You cannot take over with just one. So, I needed followers. But who to use? The answer came to me: The Purebloods. In the magical world, the purebloods hold all the monopoly's. They hold the major businesses, have the most gold, and have the most people and influence in the Wizengamot. So, to take this country, I needed their gold, their influence and their power. How to get them on my side? Claim that I hate muggles and muggleborns, that they are a threat. It wasn't that big of a lie to tell. They flocked to me, and with their gold, with their influence and power, I nearly took the Ministry and the wizarding world."

"What does this have to do with my parents?" Harry said.

Voldemort fixed him with a glare. "Interrupt me again and you'll see why I was really feared." Harry leant back and nodded.

"So, while I was spouting about the 'mudbloods' and how they were a corruption, I wasn't fully saying what I truly wanted – to bring down the current ways of life in both the magical world and the muggle world and to create something new. Most of those flocking purebloods believed that, when I won, I would allow them to rule over everyone."

He chuckled "They couldn't be more wrong. However, a few either worked out what I truly desired, or I believed I could share my true vision with them. The few I could include your parents, Lucius Malfoy, and Bellatrix Lestrange."

"Now" he said, turning to look at Harry "your parents. To make sense of why they joined my ranks, I need to give you some of their history. Like I have said, my goal was to gain power over everyone. Now, this meant that I obviously would need allies, allies that I knew shared my vision of removing the muggles from their positions of power and having them serve underneath us, as well as removing the power from the magical people."

"Your mother came to Hogwarts with a dream, a dream to make a new life for herself. You see, she was abused by her parents and family. They saw her as a freak, a creature that weird things happened around. She told me that when she arrived at Hogwarts, she had four broken ribs and broken fingers, as well as a concussion because her father had thrown her down the stairs and her mother had hit her with her handbag."

Harry just stared horrified at Voldemort. "So, my Aunt is treating me…"

Voldemort nodded "Exactly how she, and her parents, had treated your mother. And when she arrived at Hogwarts, it took all of two days before she realised that she had left one abusive environment, and entered another. No one seemed to like her or just wanted to use her."

"And then, in her second holidays, I sent a squad of Death Eaters to her suburb. One of my Death Eaters, who already knew my vision, found a young girl who was suffering from terrible wounds and healed her. He later told me that he looked into her eyes and saw what he described as 'a kindred spirit. This is someone who would fight for this vision.' And so he brought not only her, but the whole family. And when I met her, and asked what happened, she broke down."

"I was the first person to actually ask what had happened to her. No one else had. And when she was done, I realised here was someone I could one day rely on. So I told her. When I was done, I offered her a place by my side. She nodded and offered to take my mark. She decided to act as a spy for me, telling me what happened in the castle, causing chaos and infiltrating the 'light' side."

"James, on the other hand, was simply a very disillusioned person. He had no faith in the magical world, who were lazy and did nothing, nor did he have faith in the muggle world, who he also saw as violent. When Lily told him everything that they had done, to her and in general, he also realised that my vision for the world would make it a better place. The correct people in power. So, a summer later, he also took the mark and became a spy."

"The only person who knew that they were Death Eaters was Lucius, and he swore an oath to never reveal it unless given permission by me. When Dumbledore offered them a position within the Order of the Phoenix, they joined. Dumbledore was right, there was a spy within the Order, but I had several, instead of just the one which he believed. I had Lily, James, Peter, Severus and two others."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "So that's why my parents joined you. But how did you engineer the prophecy?"

Voldemort smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. "The only wizard whose power matched mine was Dumbledore. I had already taken steps to prevent my soul departing this world when I died, allowing me to return. However, your parents made a suggestion to increase the terror and show the people that I couldn't be killed."

"So, they forged a prophecy and I inserted it into the mind of a potential seer. When they visited the school to talk to McGonagall, one of them visited the then Divination teacher and convinced them that they should retire. I planted hints to Severus to visit the Hog's Head and set it up so that when this potential sat in the Hog's head with Dumbledore, she would spout this fake 'prophecy'."

"In the meantime, I limited my outings, and made sure that very few would be fitting to this prophecy. Your parents realised that to ensure the security of the prophecy, they volunteered themselves to be a pair that had thrice defied me. Meetings were set and we had particularly spectacular battles, and thus when you were born they fit the criteria. Of course, Lucius pointed out that to make it even more confusing, a second pair should be chosen as well. Alice and Frank Longbottom were chosen."

"Lily and James, along with Severus and Peter, manipulated them into confrontations with them and thus they also had thrice defied me. To ensure they had a child, Lily created a potion that would ensure that Alice and herself would fall pregnant and that the due date would be at the end of July."

"Dumbledore, desperate for a way to finish the war with minimal loss of life, clung to the prophecy like a lifeline. So, when they had the babies he hid them behind the Fidelius charm. James had access to the Black library, thanks to Sirius Black. So, during the time he was hidden, he had found a charm that would create a 'presence' behind a scar, thus 'marking you as my equal'. A few hints, dissent spread among the Marauders made Peter the secret keeper. While James and Lily knew that Peter was the spy, Peter did not know that they were mine as well."

"So, everything was in place. Peter came to me and gave me the location, and I arrived. We engineered a fight and they died for their beliefs. Next came the hardest part. Once I had cast the charm, I placed a protection shield on you and essentially blew myself up. Everyone believed I was dead."

"James and Lily sacrificed themselves so that, one day, you would be able to live in a world that I had crafted. They hoped that I would have you by my side, as my protégé and right hand."

Harry looked over the park, taking everything in. He turned to look at Voldemort "Why would you have me by your side?"

Voldemort smiled "Because, what has any of them ever done for you? You 'defeated' the most powerful Dark Lord to come from Britain to be left with muggles. Muggles who have abused you your whole life. Muggles who knew of magic and didn't care, they were happy to see you get abused. And when you do come back, the moment you do something wrong they all turn on you. Ostracise you. None of them have ever done anything for you."

"What I can give you though is respect. Power. I can teach you magic that others won't want you to learn. And when I take over the world, they will realise that their 'saviour', the one they abandoned, the one they bullied, has had enough and has stood up for himself."

He chuckled "Also just some personal revenge. What do you say? Will you join me?"

Harry sat there looking at the sunset, thinking over everything Voldemort had told him. Voldemort had told him about his parents, the prophecy, why he was targeted. It seemed so unlikely, but considering that no one else had told him anything. He turned to Voldemort "How do I know you're telling the truth?"

Voldemort waved his hand and a round bowl appeared. The inside of the bowl was glowing and the liquid inside seemed to almost be like a shimmery soup. "What is this?"

"A pensive. More specifically, it's the Potter pensive." He pointed to a crest that Harry realised was his family's. "It is designed to only work for a member of the Potter family, including those that marry in. Your parents left it with me knowing that one day I would find you. They left a memory for you."

Harry looked at the pensive then back at Voldemort who gestured that he put his head in. As soon as Harry's nose touched the liquid he felt his feet leave the ground and he plunged headfirst, falling so fast he was already landing before he could grasp what was happening. He looked up to find himself in a house.

The house had a warm, comforting feel, and was clearly magical. There were potions bubbling on the boiler and items whizzed around the house with no apparent influence on them. But as he looked around, he saw that one of the potions was a vile looking colour, and several of the books were on topics like necromancy, torture and one on soul magic. He turned and stopped at the sight of two people sat in chairs.

The one in the left chair had bright red hair and the same eyes that looked at him in the mirror. She had a soft smile but her eyes had a sharpness to them. The one in the right chair had messy black hair and hazel eyes, but where her smile was soft his was sharper. Harry's gaze fell back to his mum when she started speaking.

"Harry. My beautiful baby. Tom has clearly found you and explained a few things to you, like who we really were and why he came after you. We just want you to know that every word of it is true. We are sorry for leaving you behind, but for this world to be remade, sacrifices had to be made."

"Besides" Harry's attention shifted to James "You are a powerful young wizard. I mean, you were levitating items around the house before you were one. Dumbledore will keep you from knowing about your family history and what you can do because it's not in his 'greater good'."

"Don't get me wrong Harry, Dumbledore is not evil. It's just he thinks the world should stay as it is. But if we don't evolve, if we don't change the world then wizard kind will die. My advice to you, Harry, is to do what you think is right. If that is working with Tom, or working against Tom, or not at all, it is up to you. Don't let anyone play you."

Harry felt himself fly back up through the liquid and found himself back on the bench. Everything his mum and dad had said was almost moot, as he had made his mind up before he had entered. He turned to look at Voldemort. "I'll help you. But I won't be a servant."

Voldemort chuckled "So like your parents. Don't worry – those I shared my vision with are my equals."

He stood up "Now, let us pay a visit to your dear beloved 'relatives'. Then, we have one more stop to make."

Vernon, Dursley Residence

Vernon got out of his company car and smiled. Today had been a good day. He had yelled at seven different employees, made some sales, yelled at more people, gotten home in a good time and had beaten the freak. He was hoping that the freak had forgotten to do something, so that way he could beat him some more. He had missed beating the boy.

He walked through the door to find the smell of dinner missing. "Petunia, darling, I'm home!" he watched as Petunia walked through and gave her a small kiss on the cheek. "Has the boy forgotten to put the food on or have you gotten him doing something he's taking too long to do?"

Petunia frowned. "Neither – he's not here. He went out to get us some food and hasn't come back. That was around six hours ago."

Vernon frowned – it wasn't good that the boy hadn't come back. Not because he cared for the freak, no. It was because if anyone discovered that the boy was being beaten he would lose everything.

They both jumped as the doorbell rang. Vernon instantly moved towards the door, knowing it wasn't the boy. The boy knew the back door was open, as it wouldn't do if he had to go get something and couldn't get in or out of the house. He opened the door to find a young man stood there. "Yes, what do you want? I'm a bit busy at the moment."

The man smiled but said nothing. Before Vernon could shut the door, Petunia walked into the corridor and the man's eyes shifted to her. His smile widened. "Why hello Petunia. You look exactly as Lily described you."

It was funny to watch as the colour disappeared from Petunia and seemed to collect in Vernon. He had reached a purple colour before he yelled "FREAKS! I have told you, STAY AWAY FROM THIS HOUSE!" He slammed the door in Voldemort's face.

Voldemort, Outside

Voldemort turned and looked at Harry who was standing back and cowering. Voldemort sighed internally, knowing he would need to get the boy to face his fears. "Is he always like this?"

Harry's slight nod told him everything he needed to know. He pulled his wand out. "Wait. Won't you get in trouble for using that?"

Voldemort chuckled "No. This wand is a very specifically crafted wand. Its signature is hidden from detection and besides, the wards here are very good – they will hide any magic cast." With that, he flicked his wand at the door and it flew off its hinges, smashing into the kitchen door and shattering. Screams were heard inside the house as Voldemort stepped in, Harry on his heels.

Voldemort walked into the living room, immediately spotting the two muggles attempting to hide behind the couch. He rolled his eyes at the attempts that the whale was making to hide behind the couch and waved his hand, sending the couch flying. As the muggles were screaming, Voldemort conjured a chair for himself and sat in it, directing Harry to stand behind him to the right.

Voldemort could sense the boy was scared and that was part of the reason why he had placed him there. With himself in the way, the muggles wouldn't be able to get to Harry without going through him. With another wave of his hand, he had the muggles kneeling in front of them both.

"Now, I believe that we got off on the wrong foot. I'm here to talk to you about your nephew Harry. I, or someone I choose, will come and collect him every morning. He will return and be allowed to sleep here. You are not to threaten him or attempt to bully him. You will just have to deal with the knowledge of what he has done and not be able to tell anyone about it."

He lifted his wand and stopped when Dudley stumbled through the door. Before Dudley could do anything, he was wrapped up and thrown next to his parents. Voldemort pointed his wand towards them and then stopped. He turned the wand and held it to Harry. "Do you want to try?"

Harry looked surprised at the offer. "What? What do you mean?"

The slight eyebrow raise was the only change in Voldemort's expression. "Try some fun with them? They have hurt you and beat you. Do you want some revenge?"

Harry looked at the wand. He was silent for a bit before he looked up. "Won't I get in trouble with the Ministry? The wards and the restriction for underage sorcery and that?"

Voldemort rolled his eyes. "Has anything come through due to me blasting the door off?" he watched as realisation flashed across Harry's face. "Now, take the wand."

The Dursleys watched as Harry grabbed the wand and flinched when sparks flew out the end. Harry just stared at them and then turned to Voldemort. "I don't know anything."

Voldemort chuckled "Yes you do. Standard spells can be easily used for sinister purposes. Use your imagination. Perhaps start with an Expelliarmus, right next to his hand"

Harry turned and pointed his wand at his uncle. Voldemort watched fascinated as the uncle watched the wand moving towards him and started to piss himself. Harry put the wand against his hand. "Expelliarmus"

The uncle screamed as the spell, at point blank range, broke several bones in his hand. Harry quickly followed with a silencing spell (after Voldemort taught him) on his uncle before turning to his aunt and casting the body locker spell. As she stiffened out, Harry levitated her and lifted her to the roof, cancelling the charm and causing Petunia to fall face first into the coffee table. He lifted her up and dropped her a few more times before turning to Dudley. Voldemort watched as Harry started to transfigure body parts into needles and various other small parts.

Eventually Harry handed the wand back. He looked relieved but disturbed at the same time. Voldemort knew he would need to deal with Harry later and talk to him about what he had done. He waved his wand and healed the wounds Harry had caused. He leaned back in the seat.

"As you can probably tell, your nephew isn't quite happy with you. Of course, this isn't the end of it. Crucio."

Vernon screamed as he was hit by the torture curse. He thrashed around, his screams joining with Petunia's and Dudley whimpers. Harry couldn't deny that he got a small shiver of excitement up his spine from the magical output of the spell. Voldemort lifted the curse from Vernon who laid on the floor shuddering.

He lifted the wand again and watched as they all flinched, bringing a small smile to his face. He moved the wand in a complicated motion and the Dursleys glowed. When they stopped glowing, he turned to Dudley and performed another motion, causing Dudley to glow again.

"You won't tell anyone about what happened today. If you do… well if you want to know what will happen, I advise you do tell someone." He got up and banished the chair, turning and walked out with Harry following. He repaired the door and went to walk out. Before he did, he poked his head back in the door. "Oh, and enjoy your new bedroom Dundey."

"Dudley" Harry responded before he went bright red at correcting the Dark Lord. Voldemort turned and looked at him before continuing to walk. They reached the end of the street before Voldemort held his arm out. Harry took it and found himself feeling like he was being squeezed through a tube that was travelling at the speed of a bullet train. It wasn't long before the feeling disappeared and he found himself in a random street. He turned to Voldemort who nodded.

"Your 'relatives' are going to hate their lives from now on. Now, hopefully they haven't moved in the last ten years." He set off down the street with Harry following behind before stopping in front of a house.

The house was late Victorian style, but the cars outside indicated that the owners of the house were not exactly strapped for cash. The garden was immaculate as they walked up to the door and Voldemort knocked. A shout could be heard from inside as they patiently waited. The door opened and the twelve year old girl who answered stopped short just before she introduced herself. "Harry?"

"Hey Hermione. You won't believe what I've just found out." Hermione nodded before looking at Voldemort. "Hi. I'm Hermione Granger."

Voldemort dipped his head "Tom Riddle. Is Emma or Dan home?" Hermione nodded. "Just my mum at the moment." She turned around and yelled back into the house where a shout back could be heard. "Would you like to come in?" Voldemort nodded and walked in, removing the heavy cloak and placing it on the rack near the door. Harry followed and brushed his shoes, looking up to find his best friend giving him a bone-crushing hug.

"You look like you haven't eaten for ages! Have your relatives been looking after you?" Harry could see the concern and anger in her eyes at the thought that his relatives would actually hurt him in any way and gave her a small smile. "Not quite, though they probably will now thanks to Tom." Hermione turned back to Voldemort just as Emma walked in. Harry instantly could see that Hermione had inherited the hair from her mother.

"Sorry about that, I was just dea…." Emma froze as soon as her eyes locked onto Voldemort. Voldemort gave her a small smile. "Hello Emma. It's been a while. You look fantastic."

Emma slowly walked over and reached out, touching her hand to Tom's face. She started to chuckle "You did it. It actually worked." Voldemort nodded as Emma sat down. Hermione just looked between the two of them and turned to Harry. "Harry? Who is this?"

Harry gestured at Voldemort. "Hermione, this is the Dark Lord, Lord Voldemort. Lord Voldemort, my friend Hermione." Hermione's eyes widened and she jumped up, scrambling away from Voldemort. Harry jumped up and caught her. "Let me go!"

Harry didn't let go, instead keeping his grip on her. Hermione kept struggling but froze at what Harry said next. "Hermione! You do realize that the Dark Lord is sat here not attacking us?"

Hermione looked up into the red eyes which were studying her. Her brain put together what she was seeing with what Harry had told her. She sat back down and Harry released her. "Ok. Why is the Dark Lord sitting in our lounge?"

Voldemort turned to Emma. "You haven't told her?" Harry and Hermione turned to look at Emma who shook her head. "It's been too dangerous. We had no way to protect ourselves, or her."

"Mum? What are you on about?"

Emma turned to look at Hermione. "Hermione … I have a confession to make. Dan and I … we're not your parents."

Hermione's face went stark white and she leaned into Harry. "What?"

Emma looked concerned "Please, listen to what I have to say. We're not your parents, but I am related to you. To explain that though, I have to go back a way."

"Whenever you have asked about your grandparents, I have always brushed you off in a sense, never really explaining who they are to you. The reason for that is because my parents were magical. I was born to two purebloods, Druella Rosier and Cygnus Black. Before me, they had three daughters already. While mother was carrying me, a disgruntled wizard that worked for father, and this man was a devout follower of the light, threw a curse at my mother and sisters. My mother was hit with the curse and my father took her to St Mungo's."

"The healers told my parents that they had no idea how the curse would affect me since their scans didn't show anything. My parents were forced to wait until I was born. The birth was very difficult, and nearly killed my mother. It took many hours but eventually I was born."

Emma looked up at Hermione. "When the healers tested me, they told my parents that the curse had effectively shredded my magical core, leaving me a squib. Not only that, it had left me unable to have children."

She reached over and grabbed Hermione's hand, gently rubbing it. Both had tears running down their cheeks. "My parents loved me. They treated me like my sisters because they knew that it was the fault of the light I had no magic. Most often, squibs are hidden away in the muggle world because they have no magic and they could be used as hostages against other pureblood families."

"I was close to my sisters, but I was closest to my oldest sister, Trix." She chuckled "I was the only one who she would allow to call her that. Anyone else who tried and she would either curse or hit them. As she got older, the curses got more and more dangerous. I though could call her that. We were very close, and we would tell each other our secrets and desires."

Emma picked up her tea. "When she went off to Hogwarts, I didn't want her to go. By then, I knew why I had no magic. My parents thought I was upset because I wouldn't get to go to Hogwarts. Trix though knew why I was upset – I didn't want her going near any Light supporters. They had injured me and I didn't want her hurt. I was five at the time."

"As we grew up, Trix would always send me letters. The letters I found were getting darker and darker, and she was singing the praises of Tom here. Narcissa was doing the same and my parents were integrating themselves with the Death Eaters."

"I had approached my parents and told them I wanted to go to muggle school. I needed to learn, and I could be of more use by having a muggle education and working in the muggle world than staying in the magical world. My parents understood my logic and sent me off. I spent my years at school and got good grades, getting into uni and becoming a dentist. I met Dan there and when I told him my history he didn't run. He chose to stay at my side."

"Not long after I had started as a dentist, Trix turned up at my house. By this point she was feared throughout magical Britain, but to me she was still the sister I looked up too. She was telling me about the Dark Lord and everything she had done for him. I then turned to her and asked how I could help."

Emma seemed to be in another world at this point, looking off into the distance. "She simply asked me what I could possibly bring. She knew I was talented, but I had no magic so she didn't know what value I would have to the Dark Lord. I explained to her about how Dan was in the British armed forces, and had a lot of contacts there and in the government. I also knew quite a few people."

"I also had plans for the money I earned. Through Dan, I had set up a vault at Gringotts. The goblins were going to take some of my salary and invest it. One thing my parents had taught me was that the goblins could be valuable allies, and the thing they value most is gold. Since I was happy to provide it, and give them a decent fee for their time, they were happy to invest." She turned to Voldemort. "At the moment, that account is sitting on several million pounds. That money is free for you to use."

Emma turned back to Hermione. "In Feb of 1979, Trix turned up at my house. She was going through a range of emotions – elation, joy, fear, anger. She told me that she was pregnant. I was overjoyed for her. I asked how her husband felt about it and she laughed. It turned out that Rodolphus was sterile. Trix wanted a child, so she went out for a night on the town. She had no idea who the father was but that didn't matter to her."

"To protect the baby, Bellatrix and Tom would cast glamour's so that her bump was hidden. At this point, Trix's reputation was such that when most people saw her, they ran. She didn't want the light to know she was having a baby. On September 19th, 1979, Trix gave birth, here in this house, to a beautiful baby girl."

Harry heard Hermione gasp and looked at her. He could almost hear the gears running in her head as she put the pieces together. "The baby was me, wasn't it?"

Emma nodded. "Yes. This place was a sanctuary for Trix, or Bellatrix Lestrange as she was mostly known. No one on the side of the light, and very few on the dark, knew of me, so Trix knew she could come here to have you."

Harry turned to look at Hermione who had gone white at learning that she was the daughter of one of the most feared dark witches. She wasn't running and screaming though. He grabbed her hand and she gripped it back. "How come I didn't know this?"

Emma looked up. "On July 31st, 1981, Tom was 'defeated' by Harry here. Trix knew that she would be hunted by the Ministry, and knew that if you were found, it was entirely possible that you would have your mind wiped or possibly even be killed. Another baby suffered that fate, though apparently it was due to an 'allergy' the baby had."

"Since no one knew of me, on August 1st, Trix turned up. It was horrible. My sister, my idol, was crying. Not for Tom, not for herself, but for you. She begged me to keep you and raise you as my own child. She knew Tom would come back one day, and wanted to make sure you were safe. She cast a complex charm on you, to suppress memories and certain aspects of your personality, as you were very much like her. The charm could be lifted by her or by Tom, as she knew it was likely that she might be killed or captured."

Hermione turned to look at Voldemort who was watching them. "What happened to her?"

"She went after one of Dumbledore's most loyal supporters, as their child was the other child that fit into the prophecy. She was captured along with her husband, his brother and a loyal supporter with links to the then Head of the DMLE. She proclaimed her loyalty and was sentenced to life in Azkaban where she currently resides. How I will get her out, I am not sure yet."

Voldemort pulled his wand out, rolling it in between his fingers. "Now, I know how to undo the charm. It will cause you to see memories that have been blocked. This charm would have served another purpose as well. Your parents Harry and your mother Hermione did bring you to my Headquarters. The two of you were close."

He focused his gaze on Hermione. "You always liked the gore and the screams, covering yourself in the blood of whoever we had at the time. You seemed to think it was a game. Your mother suppressed your bloodthirsty tendencies, so much so you became quite the bookworm, with no desire to do anything wrong."

He looked at Harry. "For you, they knew that Dumbledore would take you and couldn't risk him seeing anything important. They merely blocked your memories and did the same, though it made you quite meek."

He stood up. "if you desire, I can cast the charm and unblock those memories. I have one condition to you both – you will stand by my side as my protégés and lieutenants."

Harry turned to Hermione and could see that she was tempted but holding back. "Why?"

Voldemort raised an eyebrow. "To protect our way of life. To protect ourselves. To prevent the destruction of this world by the corruption of those who delude themselves with being 'light' and from the muggles who wish to pillage and burn this world to the ground. I can show you power and give you the ability to shape this world how you want it."

He could see Hermione was indecisive. "You have been bullied all this time by the other muggle kids. Their parents see you as an annoying brat. You have then come into a world where those with the power have decided you are an annoying creature that doesn't deserve any power or place in their 'perfect' society. You will be ridiculed and spat down on, made to marry some pathetic pureblood just so you can move beyond the base level of maintenance." He could see Hermione was leaning his way. "With me, you can remove those obstacles and change this world."

She looked up at him. "Will we have to kill people?" and Voldemort laughed. It sent chills down their spines.

"Oh yes. They will wish to rise against us, to keep the status quo. We will have to teach them to fear us and that we have the power."

He lifted his wand. "Prepare yourselves." Harry and Hermione looked at each other as he twisted his wand in a complicated pattern and then everything went black.

Hermione

She had no idea how long she floated there before she opened her eyes to find she was drifting in nothing. There was no light but she could see herself, but when she moved her hand it was like she left copies behind. She didn't know when but she noticed that it seemed like she was falling before light exploded around her. When she blinked, she found herself in a baby's room. She turned to find a woman stood bent over a crib.

The woman was tall, with black curly hair that seemed to go everywhere. Her eyes were so brown they were almost black and a thin mouth that seemed to be full of sharp teeth. Hermione watched as the woman stood up straight, holding onto a baby. Hermione had seen enough baby photos to realise that this baby was her.

"Is baby happy to see mama?" the woman whispered. Baby Hermione gurgled and grabbed some of Bellatrix's hair, pulling on it. Bellatrix laughed. "Mama had so much fun today. We went on a raid. You remember what a raid is?"

"Gah!" Baby Hermione said and both Hermione and Bellatrix chuckled. "Well, there were many people there, all people who deserved the pain." She looked up and pulled her wand out, sending a curse that exploded the wall. A eep followed by a man falling to the ground where he slid across the floor towards where Bellatrix had summoned him.

"Wormtail! Spying on me, are you? CRUCIO!" Hermione watched as this 'Wormtail' started to scream. As he thrashed about the floor, baby Hermione sat watching. Hermione watched as baby Hermione started to clap and squeal happily.

When Bellatrix lifted the curse, Wormtail kept twitching with blood running from his mouth. "Get out of here you pathetic creature!" Bellatrix then aimed a kick at him, missing the second time as he scurried out as quickly as he could. She turned back to baby Hermione. "Now, the raid started …."

Hermione felt herself being pulled back as Bellatrix's voice faded before she found herself in what looked like a dungeon. She heard moaning coming from what appeared to be a body on a slab. Blood dripped down the fingers of the hand that was backwards on the arm. Hermione looked over to see herself, around the same age, on the table. Baby Hermione was covered in blood and appeared to be having the time of her life.

Bellatrix walked in and made her way over to a gurney, grabbing a thin blade. She walked over, humming as she started to carve into the screaming thing on the slab. Hermione recognised the tune that Bellatrix was humming as 'rock a bye baby'. Baby Hermione rocked from side to side, giggling when Bellatrix walked over and tickled her, covering her in blood.

The scene went black and reformed and Hermione recognised the house she lived in. She watched as Emma walked in with food. As she went to sit down, the door exploded and Emma grabbed it. Hermione watched as two redhead's walked in. She didn't recognise who they were but realised that they had to be related to the Weasley family.

"Well, well, well. Who do we have here?" Red one said. Emma was holding Hermione behind her as she tried to back out the door. Red two cast a spell and Emma dived behind the chair. "Imagine our surprise when we discover that Bellatrix not only has a daughter, she leaves her with a muggle. Well, Dumbledore will want her. Might train her up to fight her own mother." The two laughed and cast what Hermione recognised as a Petrificus Totalus and grabbed baby Hermione who was crying. As they straightened up the front wall exploded.

The two red's turned to find Bellatrix standing in the rubble. It was at that moment that Hermione realised why when people whispered of Bellatrix they always said she was as terrifying as Voldemort. Power seemed to roll from her and the atmosphere of the room seemed to be almost electrified. Her eyes were filled with rage and power and she had a snarl that made Snape look like he smiled instead of snarling.

It was no surprise why people would run instead of fight her.

She didn't even say anything, instead opting to cast a spell that Hermione didn't recognise. Red one was thrown into the wall and slid down. Red two dropped baby Hermione on the floor as he sent a spell at Bellatrix who was slowly walking into the room. Bellatrix batted the spell away with her wand and started to throw spells at red two who threw himself to the side. Bellatrix disappeared and reappeared next to him, casting a bright green spell at him, causing him to slump to the ground. She turned towards red one and cast a sickly purple spell. Hermione watched as blood started to trickle out of red one, slowly increasing. It wasn't long before he slumped down and Hermione realised he had died.

Bellatrix meanwhile had gone over to Emma and waved her hand, releasing her from the Petrificus. She then ran over to where Hermione had been dropped. She quickly picked her up and held her close. Baby Hermione stopped crying and cuddled close to Bellatrix.

Hermione was pulled back again before she heard Bellatrix say anything before it reformed in the kitchen. Bellatrix was sat at the table with a glass in her hand and baby Hermione was sat on the floor playing with toys.

"So, what happened?" Emma said, sitting down opposite Bellatrix. She didn't immediately reply, keeping her gaze on Hermione. "The Dark Lord went around to the Potters and started the plan. Lily and James are dead and Voldemort has disappeared. Dumbledore sent around Hagrid of all people to collect baby Harry and has taken him somewhere."

Emma sipped her coffee "Will Dumbledore train him up to be a weapon?"

Bellatrix snorted "No. He will preach that the hard times are over, and that the Dark Lord is gone. He will keep all the Death Eaters alive to give them a second chance." She growled. "Most will turn on the Dark Lord to keep their castles and power. Lucius is the only one I can accept as the Dark Lord commanded him too. But I won't. Dumbledore will have me sent to Azkaban, to make me repent and see the path I have taken is wrong. But I won't."

She turned to look at Emma and Hermione watched in awe at the power and resolve that radiated from the woman, the fire that was in her eyes. It was at that moment that Hermione believed what Voldemort and Emma had told her – it was like looking at a mirror image of herself, minus the crazed look in her eyes.

"I want you to promise me Emma – protect Hermione. Don't tell her the truth, not until the Dark Lord comes back. It won't be safe for her if she knows, not before. If I'm not out before then, tell her then. Tom will release the block for her." She grabbed Emma's hands. "Promise me."

Emma looked into Bellatrix's eyes. "I will Trix. I'll keep her safe."

Bellatrix nodded and then got up, walked around the table and crouched in front of Hermione. A single tear rolled from the corner of her eye as she traced the edge of baby Hermione's face. Baby Hermione reached out and grabbed some of Bellatrix's hair and gently tugged on it.

Hermione felt herself start to cry as she watched Bellatrix pull her wand out and aim it at baby Hermione's face. The tip of the wand was shaking as Bellatrix was trying not to cry. "Forgive me baby" She twisted her wand a few turns as she muttered a phrase that Hermione didn't catch. She watched as baby Hermione went very still and her eyes dulled. When Bellatrix was done, baby Hermione's eyes closed and she slumped forward, Bellatrix catching her easily. She held her close before handing her back over to Emma.

"Keep her safe. I don't know when I'll be back."

Emma smiled and hugged baby Hermione close. "I'll be waiting – and so will she." She hesitated, not knowing what to say and Bellatrix nodded. "I know. Bye Emma."

Emma sniffed. "Bye Trix."

Bellatrix's eyes drifted to baby Hermione. She took a deep breath and turned, walking out the door. Emma walked to the door and watched her, but Bellatrix never looked back. At the end of the garden, she disappeared with a slight crack. Emma stood in the doorway, watching until she felt baby Hermione start to stir. She stepped back inside and closed the door.

Granger family room

Hermione opened her eyes and found bright green ones looking at hers. She sat up and found Emma and Voldemort looking at her (one with concern, the other with curiousity). She turned to Emma. "So, you're my …"

"Aunt" Emma said. "We look similar enough that I knew we could get away with it. Dan was able to get the muggle records changed so that you were our daughter, and Lucius got the magical records changed."

Hermione nodded. "I wondered why you didn't really seem surprised when Professor McGonagall visited us." She turned to Voldemort "You'll get her out?"

Voldemort nodded. "Yes. I plan on freeing all my loyal Death Eaters that have stayed in Azkaban. It's more a case of when."

He stood. "Now, will you two vow to join my cause? To crush the muggles, the 'light'? To take the place and power you deserve?"

Hermione and Harry looked at each other. They had a conversation with nothing more than looks and a few raised eyebrows. They turned back. "We do."

The Dark Lord smiled. "Well then. We have some work to do."

Azkaban

If one was to look for Azkaban, they would be hard pressed to find it. It was a dark slab of obsidian that jutted out of the ground, a slab that sucked the light that the few lanterns provided away. It was far enough north and out to the ocean that it was cold 12 months of the year, and was perpetually raining. Sometimes, it stormed harder than normal, causing the inmates and guards to suffer even more than normal.

The prisoners of the secure ward had it the worst. In what was considered the coldest part of the prison, it was situated right underground and had freezing cold air and sea spray come through the thin windows, and had near 24 hour Dementor presence. This led to all the prisoners in the ward slipping further and further into insanity and mania.

One of these prisoners was sat in her cell. She ranted and raved like the others when Ministry dignitaries arrived but otherwise just sat in her cell. She exercised when she could, she ate when given food, and held her belief that the Dark Lord would return one day. It was what she focused on to preserve her sanity.

She would have been angrier if she knew that another prisoner three doors down held a similar belief, except it was to kill a traitor rat.

She felt a shiver go through her that released a memory – a memory of a young baby. She got up and grabbed the bars of the window, pressing her nose against the dark mark. A small smile broke out on her face for the first time in ten years.

"He found her. Don't worry baby – mama will be free soon"

Next Chapter: Voldemort takes Harry and Hermione along to collect some new supplies, and Voldemort enacts some of his plans. A new ally and companion appears and what is Albus Dumbledore scheming about?