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Chapter 3 – it begins

The first thing that Voldemort had done before apparating them both was to hastily conjure some plain black robes. He had told them that no matter what it would be a bad idea for Harry Potter to be seen walking where they were going.

Hermione quietly whispered to Harry that the fact that Voldemort had just apparated the both of them at the same time was considered impossible. Harry whispered back that Voldemort had not only performed wandless magic, he could do it without you even being aware, pointing out that Voldemort had trapped him down in the room with the stone. Before they could continue the conversation, they stepped out into an alleyway.

Looking to his right, Harry could see down the end the entrance to Diagon Alley, or at least the side view of it. He turned to Voldemort. "Where are we?"

"Knockturn Alley. This is the place for those who have acquired tastes, those who wish to sell and buy dangerous items, rare items, items banned by the Ministry. It is a place where a good light wizard doesn't go because those who come here are killers, psychopaths and 'Dark' magic users. You'll find yourselves visiting here very often."

Hermione looked around and immediately spotted the book store. "Can we go in there?"

Voldemort shook his head. "Not yet. Another day. We have other items to acquire." With that, he set off down the street, Harry and Hermione close on his heels. The few people they passed on the street glared at them but stayed away, unsure of who they were. It was mildly unsettling for them both but knew they were well protected.

"First thing you must remember about Knockturn: everyone is a crook. They will try to rob you of your money. Say you wish to purchase a book. You know the book is worth 12 galleons, but they tell you it's worth 40. That's too high, so you give a lower price, say 10. They'll counter, say around 25. So you sweeten the deal for them by saying 20. They'll give it to you, proclaiming you ripped them off when they have made a tidy profit."

"Knockturn alley thrives on this. Those who are considered dark and in the know, know that you always bargain the price given. Never accept it because they will continue to rip you off. It also identifies to people who you are. In Diagon, if the price is 25, you pay 25. Here, if the price is 25, you barter to get the price to 18. A 'light' wizard will always pay the price listed. This will help you to determine and gain allies here."

"So, no matter what the item is, we always barter?" Harry asked.

Voldemort nodded "Yes. There is one exception, and that is one of the stores we are going to today. Wands. Wands are fiercely regulated by the Ministry. The only authorised seller is Ollivanders, and even possessing the knowledge of how to make a wand without being an apprentice of his is highly illegal and carries a penalty of 30 years in Azkaban. As such, this seller charges 100 galleons for the wand. The price is always 100 galleons, no more, no less."

Voldemort stopped in front of two stores, one that appeared to sell potions and ingredients and one that was full of clothes. He stepped towards the wall and placed his hand on one of the bricks. Harry and Hermione watched as the wall in between the two stores appeared to pull apart from each other, peeling away like a banana skin revealing a large black door. Voldemort pulled his wand out and tapped it against the door. The door opened and Voldemort ushered them in, allowing the door to close behind them.

The room was small and stuffy, walls filled with all kinds of materials. There was a single gas lamp on the wall, giving everything a more sinister look with shadows hiding many things. Harry turned to find himself face to face with an old witch. He jumped back in surprise, noting from the corner of his eye that Hermione had spun around as well. Voldemort appeared more amused than anything.

"Strangers have made their way into Katine's shop. What can Katine do for strangers today?"

Voldemort stepped forward. "My companions here need wands, Katine. I'll cover the cost."

Katine shuffled over and stared at Voldemort. "Mr Smith. It has been a long time since you have frequented Katine's shop."

"It has. I feel that I and my companions may frequent your store more often."

The witch nodded and turned towards Harry and Hermione. "Katine wonders who you are, young ones. No one who frequents Katine's store is a stranger of Katine's."

Harry turned to Voldemort, unsure what to say. Voldemort nodded. "They are my protégés Katine. May I introduce Seraph (He pointed to Harry) and Aeriel (He pointed to Hermione.)" Katine nodded walked over to Hermione first. She reached out and ran her hands through her hair.

"Katine can sense you are to become a formidable woman. Of course, Katine remembers your mother and the power she wields. Katine looks forward to what you will achieve." She walked over to Harry, grabbing his arm and running her finger up and down her arm. Harry noticed that her finger was almost uncomfortably hot against his arm.

"Power flows through you. I can sense that destiny has a great path ahead of you. Make your own fate, Seraph." She moved over to the table and pulled a small but sharp looking knife out. "Katine needs your hand." Harry and Hermione looked at each other before Harry shrugged. He stepped in front of Katine and held it out, bracing himself. She cut his palm and quickly placed a bowl underneath. Even though no one moved, the cut on his hand healed itself over, leaving nothing behind.

Harry looked up to watch as Katine took the bowl of blood and dropped it into the caldron. She stirred the potion inside as it turned a rich purple colour. "Ah, Katine understands … but of this, she does not know." She hobbled into the back room, where they could hear her clattering around. Harry had the feeling that the woman wasn't completely all there, but obviously knew how to make wands, otherwise Voldemort wouldn't be taking them there.

It was a short wait before she came back out, holding a box that was full of all kinds of materials. She dropped it rather unceremoniously on the bench. "Come, come. Katine needs you to pick through her wares."

Harry shared a look with Hermione before he stepped forward. The boxes were full of feathers, what looked like string, sticks of wood and stone as well as some other items that looked suspiciously like organs. Harry looked at the woman who stared at him, then suddenly nodded. "Ah, Seraph not been told. Stick hand into box – wand will come to you, yes?"

Harry nodded and then slid his hand into the box, keeping his face still even though he could feel his fingers getting caught in many slimy items. As he reached the bottom, the box and items grew warm around his hand and he felt something slide into his hand. He pulled it out and held it so that the others could see it. Katine held her hand out and Harry, rather reluctantly, handed it over.

"Ah, yes. Katine has not seen this sort of combination often. 12 inches, black ash and … hmmm … Katine senses twin core. Heart of Manticore and blood vessel of Basilisk. A very formidable and powerful combination." She handed the wand back to Harry, who was admiring his wand while at the same time wondering what a Manticore and Basilisk was, and how they extracted a blood vessel from it.

Hermione, meanwhile, had moved over to the box and had been about to put her hand into it when Katine snatched the box off the table. "Katine feels this box not for you. Katine has your box prepared already, yes Katine does." She put the box up and stepped back, waving her hand. Hermione hesitated for a second before putting her hand in.

It was only a few seconds before she pulled her hand out, clutching a white wand. She held it out to Katine who took it with a look of reverence. "12 inches, Alder and … twin core as well. Heart of Nundu and nerve of Chimaera. A vicious and powerful combination as well. But Katine is not surprised, for your mother is the legendary Bellatrix Lestrange, yes?"

Hermione nodded, holding the wand close to her. Katine smiled. "Both wands are combinations Katine has not seen often." She turned to Voldemort. "These two have the power to change this world. Katine looks forward to it."

Voldemort nodded "We will need your special holsters, of course, with the usual enchantments – anti-detection charms, anti-summoning as well as anti-removal as well."

Katine nodded, walking over to the wall. "Your pick – Katine will enchant for you."

In the end, Harry chose a purple dragonhide holster while Hermione selected a blue holster that they couldn't identify what creature it had come from. Harry slid it over his wrist, watching in fascination as the band constricted around his right wrist (Voldemort had insisted), settling in nice and tight. Harry slid his wand into the holster and watched as it seemingly vanished. He could see a light outline on his wrist, but when he looked at Hermione's wrist, he couldn't see anything.

Voldemort handed over a bag of galleons, which Katine tipped out over the counter and moved coins around. "Katine is satisfied with payment. Come back whenever you need Katine's services. You are all friends in Katine's shop."

Voldemort nodded and walked to the door, Harry and Hermione on his heels. They turned around to watch as the wall came back together, hiding the shop from existence. Harry turned to Voldemort. "She seemed friendly enough."

Voldemort nodded "Katine is the wandmaker of this alley. The only people who know where her shop is, and how to access it, are those that the Ministry and the Light consider 'Dark'. What do you think of your wands?"

Harry flicked his wrist, popping his new wand out. "It feels … powerful. Much more so than my Ollivander wand."

Voldemort chuckled "This wand has a duel core, unlike the Ollivander wand. Those cores complement each other for you. This wand also doesn't register under the Underage Magic net that covers the country, allowing you to practise magic at home."

Hermione looked at him, shocked. "Wait, what do you mean? Are you saying that if anyone gets a wand from anywhere other than Ollivanders, they can practise magic?"

Voldemort nodded. "Yep. All wands purchased from Ollivanders are registered and detectable from your date of purchase until you turn 17. And, as all wands are registered to a name, the Ministry can tell if it's a pureblood, halfblood or Muggleborn who casts the magic. They will ignore the Purebloods while fining and ruining the muggleborns and probably the halfbloods lives."

Hermione growled "That's just so typical of these people! This means that I would have been disadvantaged this whole time?"

Voldemort nodded. "Not only that, when you graduate from Hogwarts, you will find you have absolutely no chance of getting anywhere in the Ministry, your degree will get you nowhere anywhere in the magical world either here in Britain or the rest of the world, and you won't even be able to go back to the muggle world. You are trapped by the bigotry and the pettiness."

Hermione's shoulders slumped as she processed what Voldemort told her. She felt a hand slip into hers and she looked up into Harry's eyes, which she saw was full of anger as well. "We'll make them pay, Hermione. We've gone from one corrupt world to another, and if they won't fix it, we will."

Before they could continue their conversation, Voldemort ushered them into another store which wasn't hidden behind a wall. Inside, it was similar to Katine's store but instead of materials for wands, it was full of clothing. Hermione turned to Voldemort "Why didn't we just go to the store next to the other one?"

"That is because that is a general clothing store. This one is much more specialised. I also have a custom order to pick up." A man walked out and plastered a large grin on his face.

"Mr Smith! It's a pleasure to see you again! Your order is ready. And are these the two compatriots that are joining you?" As he said this, he ran his eyes over them both. "The usual material?" He seemed surprised when Voldemort shook his head and walked over to the rack.

"This material. How much for two robes?" The man tilted his head slightly, running calculations through his head. "130 galleons."

"50"

"Sir, are you trying to bankrupt me?" the man said, clutching his chest as if he was having a heart attack. "I cannot go any less than 100."

"80"

"90, my final offer."

The two men stared at each other before Voldemort nodded. "90 it is."

The man nodded, walking over and grabbing the spool. Walking back to the counter, he pulled two measuring tapes out and threw them at Harry and Hermione, letting them take measurements as he pulled material off the role. Nodding to himself when he got the measurements, he set off to the back room.

Voldemort sat down and pulled out a notebook that he started to write something in. Harry and Hermione walked around the store, aimlessly browsing the store. Harry wasn't sure how long it was before the man walked out with two black robes.

"If Sir and Madam would care to try these on."

Harry took off his other robe first before sliding the new one on. The robe fit him like a glove and flowed around him like water. The material was almost pure black and was extremely lightweight. He also found a hood that came over his head, leaving only his face visible. He turned to find Hermione wearing her robe as well.

A cough from the counter had Harry and Hermione turning back towards the salesman who had two masks on the counter. "Mr Smith, I have your order here." Voldemort nodded and wandlessly vanished his book, getting up and walking over to the counter. He picked up one and held it out to Hermione before handing the other over to Harry.

Harry looked at the mask in his hand. The face was painted gold, with mesh over the eyes and mouth. Over the face was a swirl pattern. Harry looked over to see Hermione with a similar mask but with flames instead of swirls. Harry looked back up.

"You are going to be my protégés. This means that you will be joining my elite Death Eaters, or rather the ones who know the truth. You'll be in the higher ups and you'll have more freedom to complete the vision."

Harry nodded, then placed the mask on. A hiss came from the mask as it readjusted itself to his face. When it had finished, he opened his eyes. Unlike normal masks, when he opened his eyes his vision wasn't impaired by the eye holes. As such, he found he could look around the room normally.

"You'll find, Sir and Madam, that your voices will not sound the same. The mask has a voice distortion charm on it as well as being able to fit to your face, disappear and reappear at a wave of your hand and can never be removed unless you remove it."

If it wasn't for the mask, Hermione would look impressed. As it was, the only thing anyone could see was the gold mask shining from within the dark hood. Harry looked and could see why people were terrified of Voldemort's Death Eaters, whatever they were. Seeing a golden blank face peering out from under a black hood would be terrifying in a fight. He looked back to see Voldemort nodding. "Perfect."

After being taught how to hide the mask by the store person, they walked out wearing their new black robes. Harry was fascinated at how the robes seemed to flow, making him seem to be gliding down the alley. Voldemort stopped and turned to them. "Stay here. I have to go collect some things." With that, he stepped into the bookstore nearby. Harry and Hermione moved to the side near the pet store, not wanting to draw attention.

{Ssstupid humansss. Why do they alwaysss need to disssturb my sssleep?}

Both Harry and Hermione jumped, turning around to find themselves staring at the largest snake that they had ever seen. Harry felt a shiver of anger go through him at seeing the large snake trapped in a tiny cage that clearly wasn't big enough for it. {"We're sorry. We didn't mean to disturb you.}

The snake opened an eye and moved its head so that it was looking at Harry. {You ssspeak. I have heard of ssspeakers, but I never thought I would meet one.}

Harry frowned, completely confused with what the snake was saying. {What do you mean?} He turned to Hermione who was biting her lip.

{"Harry, I think we're parseltongues.} She tutted when Harry just stared at her with a blank look. {People who can talk to snakes are parseltongues. To those that speak, they think they're speaking English, but you're actually hissing right now, just like I am}

Harry looked impressed before he turned back to the snake. {What's your name?}

The snake coiled, moving so that it appeared to be sitting up as much as it could in a tiny cage. {My name isss Nagini. What is yours?}

{Nice to meet you Nagini. I am Harry Potter and this is Hermione Lestrange} Harry turned to Hermione who looked surprised. {Your mother is a Lestrange – you should have the same name}. He watched as a smile broke out on her face as she considered what he said. He saw movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to see Voldemort walking back over.

"Are you two done?" Hermione nodded but Harry hesitated. He turned back to look at Nagini and then turned back. "Can we get the snake?"

Voldemort just stared at him, an eyebrow slowly rising. He looked at the snake in the small cage and then back. It didn't take long for him to make the connection – Harry would want to get the snake because she was trapped in the small cage, just like he had been for most of his life in the cupboard. The more he considered it, the more the idea appealed to him. She was the perfect symbol of Slytherin, a potential loyal companion and familiar and would help him strike a powerful image.

He turned to the snake. {What's your name?}. He noticed that both Harry and Hermione's eyes widened slightly and resolved to ask them about it later.

{Nagini. You ssspeak asss well?} Voldemort nodded. The widening eyes along with what Nagini had just said told him that Harry, and possibly Hermione, spoke Parseltongue as well. This helped him make another decision as well. Without saying anything else, he strode into the store, Harry and Hermione close on his heels. He didn't need to look to see that Nagini was staring at them as well.

He walked up to the counter and dropped a coin bag on the counter. "How much for the snake in the cage?"

The woman on the counter turned to look at him and scoffed. "Take it. I don't want the money for it. Nasty thing. Super aggressive – I'll be glad to see the last of it." Voldemort raised an eyebrow and looked at the woman. He mentally counted to repress the urge to pull his wand out and just kill her. "My two companions want to purchase snakes as well. How much?"

"50 each." She said, turning back to the magazine she was originally reading. "20." She snorted but nodded, and Voldemort decided that this woman was not the right person to operate a store in Knockturn. He gestured and Harry and Hermione moved over to where the other snakes were. While they were browsing, he walked back over to the cage that Nagini was in.

{I'm going to release you. This woman has no intention of doing anything for you.}

Nagini gave a hiss that Voldemort knew was the snake equivalent of a chuckle. {I don't like mossst humansss. Essspecially her. Ssshe'sss cruel to sssnakesss. I've tried to bite her many timesss.}

Voldemort chuckled as he opened the latch. Nagini hissed and slid out, using his arm to climb up and drape herself over his shoulders, curling her tail around his torso. He walked back in and waited for Harry and Hermione to come back with their selections.

Hermione was the first back, clutching what appeared to be a Black mamba. Voldemort snorted, not in any way surprised that the daughter of Bellatrix had one of the most dangerous and venomous snakes in the world. Harry appeared not long after carrying a cobra of some kind. A quick look had Harry quietly telling him that she was an Indian Cobra.

Voldemort walked back to the counter. "I trust that they are not registered, and that you have the money needed?"

The woman nodded, not even trying to hide her glare at Nagini on his shoulders. Nagini just hissed and settled down on Voldemort even more. "Nope and yes. Don't ever bring that creature back to my shop."

Hermione looked up to see Voldemort's eyes narrow ever so slightly. Had the woman on the counter actually been looking at that point, she would probably have fainted. Instead he said nothing, just turning on his heels and walking out the store. Harry and Hermione followed him up the road back to where they had apparated.

Instead of leaving, however, Voldemort strode past and continued towards Diagon alley. Harry stopped. "Is it going to be safe for us to go there?" Hermione coughed, trying to cover up the laughter at the fact that Harry somehow considered it more dangerous for them to go to Diagon alley instead of Knockturn alley.

Voldemort didn't even stop, instead pulling his wand out and cast disillusionment charms over Nagini and the other two snakes. "The only person who would even consider I'm back is Dumbledore, and he thinks I'm licking my wounds in Albania. He also believes you are at Privet Drive. No one here will recognise us anyway and your cloaks have notice-me-not charms on them. And before you ask, I cast them when you weren't looking."

Harry grinned, not even needing to look to see that Hermione was closing her mouth, looking a bit disgruntled at the fact that Voldemort had guessed she had wanted to ask how he had done it.

A short walk later saw them walking up the steps to Gringotts. Voldemort looked around the lobby that he hadn't stepped foot in for over twenty years. There was something about the ruthless efficiency of the goblins that Voldemort respected. Many of the purebloods liked to play their word games and to take their time to enact plans. Voldemort appreciated the idea, even knowing that it was useful, but to spend all your time doing it when you could just as easily blast the problem away quickly was just as useful and satisfying.

The goblin guards on the door eyed them up when they entered but did nothing to stop them. Voldemort ignored them, focusing instead on finding a goblin teller. He ignored those without a line in front and chose the goblin with the shortest line.

An hour later saw him in front of the goblin who didn't even look up from the paperwork. "Yes, wizard?" The goblin stopped when Voldemort placed a key on the counter and he picked it up. "Authorisation?"

"Enclave" Voldemort said, quietly so that only the goblin heard. "I require a meeting with the manager."

The goblin nodded. "Wait here." He turned and moved towards a door. Voldemort waited patiently, knowing that the goblin would be back within the next five minutes. He watched as a Muggleborn came up to one of the tellers without a line and tried to get the goblin's attention, then proceeded to get angry when the teller ignored him. Voldemort hid a smirk when the teller then left, with the Muggleborn cursing the goblin before storming out.

He then noticed that the goblin was walking back out the door towards him. Voldemort didn't move, instead waiting for the goblin to reach him. "The manager is free to see you now." Voldemort nodded. The goblin turned and walked back to the door, Voldemort close on his heels. Unlike most people, he only spoke if he needed to when dealing with the goblins. This appealed to their 'time is money' mentality, and had definitely paid off when organising business deals through them – their cuts were sufficiently large that they continued to work to 'appease' him and gain larger cuts.

Thankfully, the walk was short before he was stood outside a door. The simple silver panel on the door read "Grocknut, S.A.M."

It had not taken Voldemort long to learn what he could about the goblins. Their use of post nominals wasn't like the muggles, who used them for awards. Instead, the goblin post nominals were used to represent their position within Gringotts. A simple yet effective method that Voldemort appreciated. A sharp knock on the door had a grunt from inside that Voldemort interpreted as 'Enter'. He sat himself down in front of the goblin.

"Who the hell are you? You're not one of the authorized wizards for this vault. Who gave you this key?" The goblin snarled. From the movements of his hands in his lap, Voldemort guessed that he was currently holding a small blade. Despite his age, the goblin would still be incredibly fast and more than capable of cutting his throat before he could react.

"You're memory must be going if you didn't recognise me, Grocknut. To verify though, the red dragon dealt with the S.A.M of office three on September 25, 1950."

The frown lessened as the goblin sat back. A soft chuckle escaped his lips. "There's only one person who could know that. You look a lot younger than when I last saw you. What do you want?"

"A few items. First, I need two duplicate keys like this one so that other people can access the account. Naturally, these keys cannot be registered, nor can I bring these people in for registering."

Grocknut nodded. "Easy enough. They'll have to give the authentication code when they present them."

Voldemort nodded. "Second, I wish to know what progress has been made on all accounts. I'll take the reports to cut down on time." At Grocknuts nod he pulled out a piece of paper and slid it across the table. "Third, I need you to find this person."

Grocknut unfolded the paper. He looked back at Voldemort. "You want to know where this person is buried?"

Voldemort shook his head. "I have it on good authority that they are alive, but their location is unknown. I need you to discreetly track them down. When I know where, I'll retrieve them."

Grocknut frowned but nodded. "It'll take time, more than normal. People in powerful places will ask questions if they find out about this."

"Which is why I ask you. Which brings me to point four. What is Gringotts current stance in this climate?"

Grocknut snarled and got up, walking over to a decanter with some unknown liquid. He poured himself a decent measure and downed the whole drink. Voldemort remained quiet while Grocknut poured himself a second and walked back over to the desk. He taped a part of the desk with his long finger and Voldemort could feel some kind of suppression field drop on him.

"Powerful secrecy field. No one will be able to hear what we say or do. As for where Gringotts stands, it stands with its head so far up the Muggleborn and Dumbledore's arse, willing to do anything to appease the humans." He spat on the floor. "It's a disgrace, I tell you. It's only gotten worse since you disappeared."

"Ragnok, the coward, is doing what he can to appease the Ministry, the human customers. Our profits have started to diminish because he's more interested in helping Dumbledore and all them humans. Plus, he recently placed a human in charge of a division of Curse Breakers! What's next, a human teller? A human manager?"

Voldemort nodded gravely, his Occlumency skills strong enough to stop the smirk on his face from breaking through. "Sounds like there needs to be a change in management."

Grocknut stopped snarling and turned to look at Voldemort. "A coup? It'd never happen."

"Ah, but it could" Voldemort replied. "Come now, surely you don't think you're the only goblin that thinks this?" When he saw Grocknut shake his head, he allowed himself a small smile. "So perhaps it's time you worked with other goblins to restore Gringotts to its former glory, just like I plan to do with the Ministry and beyond."

Grocknut was staring at his glass, but Voldemort knew that he was seriously considering his words. He knew it wouldn't take much to convince the old goblin. "As you said yourself, Ragnok is a coward. Careful planning, the right word here and there, the right goblin in the right place, and when the time comes, you take back Gringotts."

Grocknut snorted. "Aye, but I know who you are. What's to stop you from coming in when we've finished killing each other and deciding to take over here yourself?"

Voldemort smiled, his red eyes glittering. "Because, Grocknut, I have no intention of running a bank, but making this the only bank that anyone can use, magical or not. You could potentially become the Manager of the only bank in the world, run completely by goblins, working alongside me to make this world in the image we know it needs to be. What say you?"

Grocknut didn't say anything. Voldemort allowed him to stew in his thoughts for a while. "You won't be leading this coup?"

Voldemort shook his head. "I want this coup to happen, and have a time I wish for it to happen by, but the rest would be up to you. Anything else would be an insult to your race."

Grocknut downed the drink and then nodded. "You agree to leave us our freedoms and allow us to do what we want within this bank, then I'll do a coup. When do you plan on needing it done?"

Voldemort shrugged. "Not immediately. Not even for a few years. This is the final game, and not all the pieces are in place, nor are all the powerful enemies defeated. Take your time, gather your strengths, then when the time comes be ready to strike."

Harry/Hermione, Outside

Having been left by Voldemort, and while with the knowledge that they were protected by Notice-Me-Nots, Harry and Hermione didn't want to draw any attention to themselves and so they moved down the street, Nagini wrapped around Harry while Hermione carried the Mamba and Cobra.

It was a vastly different experience for Harry this time around. Whereas before, with Hagrid loudly proclaiming his presence as well as his noticeable scar, Harry couldn't take two steps without someone or other thanking him or gushing over him.

But now, these same people were ignoring him, and Harry found that he was really enjoying the experience. He hated the hero worship, the constant reminders of the day he lost his parents. These people wanted to celebrate that fact, but didn't actually care for their saviour, happily leaving him with abusive relatives and in the dark about the wizarding world, a world he saved.

Hermione, meanwhile, was used to being ignored, or stared down on. Her whole life, people had stared down at her, for her looks, her intelligence, her birth. These people had stared down at her just because they thought her parents were muggles. It made her blood boil.

They stopped outside Flourish and Blotts where a large crowd of women and young girls were almost stampeding in and out of the store, carrying large stacks of books. Harry just watched as they ran past. "What do you think has them all excited?"

{Probably sssomething related to that possster in the doorway} Nagini hissed, pointing the tip of her tail at a poster which covered one of the display windows. Moving closer, they saw that the poster was stating, in horribly bright colours that didn't match whatsoever, that Gilderoy Lockhart would be at the bookstore doing signings.

"Why are all these people here if he's not even here for signing? It's a month away" Harry said, looking at all the people in the line that were clearly carrying books written by this unknown Lockhart.

"Probably because they want to make sure they have the books anyway. Hopefully this is over before our booklists are released so we can buy them in peace – I don't think I could stand these crowds."

Harry grunted, giving the bookstore and line of people one last look of disgust before they moved further up. Quality Quidditch Supplies had a display for the new Nimbus 2001's. Harry spent a few minutes gawking at them while Hermione stood around bored, whispering to Nagini who seemed disinterested by the crowds.

Moving further up, Hermione dragged Harry into Eeylop's and started to look over the various birds that the store held. Harry picked up some more owl treats, and chuckled when he saw Nagini eying some of the smaller owls. Even though they were essentially hidden, the smaller owls seemed to sense that they were being watched by a predator and started to cause a ruckus.

"Why are we in here? You know you can use Hedwig" Harry said as he moved to where Hermione stood.

"I know, but Hedwig isn't exactly the most subtle or discreet bird. Her being bright white and an owl means that she draws attention, and with the company that we are soon going to be present in, I don't think it's a good idea for her to be seen" Hermione said, eying a particularly vicious looking Kestrel. "I wanted a bird that would not stand out but still be useable, and I think he's just the one."

"Do you really need him though? We already have the snakes" Harry said. "Yes. He can be used to send messages to those who we don't want people like Dumbledore to know about. Trust me Harry, it's a good idea. Besides, the snakes will be staying with us at Hogwarts all the time." Harry shook his head but stood back as he waited for Hermione to buy the bird.

When they walked out, Harry looked down towards Flourish and saw that the line was even longer than it had been before. He shook his head but stopped suddenly when Hermione grabbed his hand. "Hermione, what –" His attention was drawn to where she was looking at Albus Dumbledore walking down the street. Harry grabbed her hand and dragged her back into the store.

Albus Dumbledore

Today was a good day, Albus thought to himself. He had picked up more of those wonderful lemon drops, the wards on Privet Drive were stronger than ever, and he had finally confirmed Gilderoy Lockhart for the position of Defence against the Dark Arts. Granted, he had been the only one, but Albus was counting on Harry to prove him as a fraud. Gilderoy was too well protected by his reputation, and the only one that could bring him down was Harry. He had seemingly inherited the Potter luck of causing incidents.

Now, all he had to do was sort the budget with Minerva. As such, he was now on his way to Gringotts. Normally when travelling, he would apparate or use Fawkes. However, the goblins didn't really like wizards apparating into Gringotts, nor did they appreciate the beauty of a phoenix fire-travelling in. Albus still winced thinking about the day he had done it, not long after Fawkes decided to join him as his companion. He wasn't planning on making that mistake again.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something move into one of the shops. He stopped and looked, but couldn't see anyone other than the store clerk who was stood behind the counter, too far away from the door to have been the source of the movement. He shrugged, certain that he imagined it.

Walking into Gringotts, he was looking around for a teller that wasn't busy when he suddenly crashed into something, falling heavily. Looking up, he saw that it was a young man who shook his head, papers surrounding him on the floor that signified that he worked for one of the Wizengamot members. The young man looked up to see Albus and scrambled to get up.

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going, I do apologise!"

Albus smiled, back on his feet. "Not to worry, I've done the same thing myself. Nothing's hurt. I'm sorry, but I don't recall seeing you at the Ministry."

The young man shrugged as he finished picking up the folders. "I've only just started. Anyway, I have to get going." The young man walked off very fast towards the doors, and Albus watched as he disappeared through it. A slight frown formed as he couldn't shake the slight ominous feeling he had. He turned back to find a line.

Voldemort

When he was certain that Dumbledore wasn't watching, Voldemort slowed down and sent the folders to his newly acquired home in Hogsmeade. It was not the most ideal headquarters to use, but for now it would suffice. He looked around, frowning when he couldn't see his two protégés. He walked up the street before suddenly turning around to find Harry and Hermione stood behind him. He subtly waved his hand and cast a notice-me-not over himself as well. "You seem to have been busy while I was in there" he commented, looking over the new bird Hermione was carrying.

"Dumbledore was here! He walked past us!" Hermione said, and Voldemort could tell she was slightly panicking.

"There is nothing to concern yourselves over. Besides, I knew that. I walked into him" Voldemort said. "He is as clueless now as he was years ago, most likely still taking faith in the prophecy. While he is a problem, he is a concern we don't need to worry about just yet."

Hermione looked less worried while Harry frowned. "What now?"

Voldemort held his arm out and Harry and Hermione both grabbed on. Making sure that everything was secured, Voldemort twisted and took them to the Hogsmeade home. When they landed, Voldemort wasn't surprised to see Hermione fall over, head spinning while Harry was bent over, looking extremely pale. Nagini was glaring at him, as much as a snake could.

The owl was glaring too but since he had been glaring at everything before they left, Voldemort wasn't sure if he was actually annoyed about the travel or not.

"What was that?" Harry asked as soon as he got his breath back.

"Apparition. A form of magical travel that is near instantaneous and only requires strength and determination. There are a few other forms of travel, but apparition was the easiest for me to bring you all here."

He walked up the path towards the house, Harry and Hermione following behind. Nagini had slithered onto the ground and when the door opened, she slid in and disappeared into one of the rooms.

"This is where I will train you. The property is warded against the detection net, but since you will be using your Katine wands, you won't need to worry about that."

"Where are we?" Hermione asked. "A safe house. For now. With time, we shall be able to move to a different location. One much more secure than this."

"What will we learn?" Harry asked. Voldemort waved his hand and several books landed in front of them both.

"I will teach you Occlumency, Ligilimency, magic that many consider dark and evil. I will teach you how to fight, the inner mechanisms of the Ministry, the Order of the Phoenix. I will teach you rituals and conduct those rituals to make you more powerful. All things you will need to be able to stand by my side as we bring about the vision."

Harry nodded before looking out the window. "Wait, is that Hogwarts?" Hermione got up to look out of the window to see the castle settled not far away. "We're in Hogsmeade?"

Voldemort smiled. "Where else is the best place to watch your enemy, then right underneath the enemies' nose? I don't plan on staying here long – this house will remain mine, but used as a staging house more than anything. No. Dumbledore is too powerful and well connected, and his death will strike the final blow in the morale of this country. Now" he grabbed the bracelets off the table. "These will allow you to portkey here and back to where you left. These will be temporary. To set a location to go to, simply place your wand on the bracelet and think of the desired location. I expect you, Hermione, here tomorrow at 8. Harry I will collect you from your house before that"

The two nodded and tapped their wands to the bracelets, vanishing away. Voldemort looked around the house. "And so it begins."

Privet Drive

Harry reappeared in the backyard of number 4, well hidden from the windows of the other houses. He found the door unlocked but decided he wanted to test his new wand. He pulled it out and tapped it against the lock. "Alohomora" a soft click told him that the door was unlocked and he let himself in. He had made it halfway up the stairs before he heard a voice.

"So, boy, you've come crawling back have you? That freak want's nothing else to do with you, does he? That's a shame."

Harry turned around to find Uncle Vernon stood at the bottom of the stairs. Even though his face was purple, he had a wary look on his face that sent a thrill through Harry. Harry turned and smiled at Vernon, who took a step back. Harry started slowly walking down the stairs, and Vernon started to back away.

"Pertrificus Totalis" Harry said and a blue light caught Vernon who suddenly locked up. He heard his Aunt scream from the lounge room and smirked. He walked up to Vernon.

"If you haven't worked it out, I can do magic outside of school now. And the magic that I'll be learning, will make what happened earlier today seem like the best day of your life. As for that 'freak' well, he'll be sticking around. And he'll be teaching me more of those tricks he used against you. You remember them?"

The tip of his wand lit up and Vernon's eyes widened, and Harry heard liquid pattering on the floor. He rolled his eyes and stepped closer. "So, heed my words Dursley, and perhaps you might just survive. Stay away from me." With that, he turned on his heel and walked up the stairs, casting the counter-charm over his shoulder.

He got up to his room and shut the door, locking it. Hedwig looked up at him from her cage and hooted. Harry walked over and tapped her cage, unlocking the door. Hedwig hopped out and flew to his shoulder, butting her head against his. The Cobra around his neck hissed and engaged in a glaring match with Hedwig, who continued to stand on him.

"You two need to get along, alright?" Hedwig looked back at him and hooted softly. She nibbled his ear and flew out the open window. The Cobra hissed softly and Harry placed it on the table in the sun. He laid back on the bed and summoned his mask, studying it in the sunlight. He got up and stood in front of the mirror. He looked at himself in the mirror before he placed the mask on.

With the mask on, he realised why people had been so terrified of the Death Eaters. It gave him a thrill, and deep down he made himself a promise to feel this again. And if that meant he worked with Voldemort?

Well, since his parents did, he could live with it.

Hermione

Hermione was sat in her favourite window, watching the cars drive past. Normally, she would be sat here, eating her favourite snack and getting lost in one of her books. However, everything she had known had been turned upside down. Her mum wasn't even her mum!

A knock on the door made her look up. "Come in."

Emma walked in the door, a steaming mug in her hand. "Hey. How are you doing?"

Hermione smiled as she took the cup Emma held out. Emma sat down next to her and looked out the window. "Besides the fact that everything I thought I knew was a lie? Pretty good. More than good. You'd think I'd be panicking more about how you're my Aunt, and my mother is a mass-murdering lunatic in Azkaban, and that Voldemort want's to tear down both the magical and non-magical world and shape them how he sees them."

Emma looked at Hermione. "Do you think it's the right thing to do?"

Hermione sighed. "Yeah. The muggles don't know how to control the power and resources they have, the wizards are too lazy to do anything about it with the power they do have, and instead decided to play bully amongst themselves about how's better than who." She snorted. "So yeah, I'm all for tearing it down."

Emma smiled and pulled Hermione in for a hug. She placed a box in Hermione's lap. "What is this?"

"Some things your mother left. I kept them hidden from you until the time was right. And now that you know…" she drifted off and Hermione opened the box.

There were only a few items – an onyx stone locket with 'HL', a few documents that looked like birth certificates and a picture frame with Bellatrix and herself as a baby. The Bellatrix in the frame waved at Hermione before planting a kiss on baby Hermione who appeared to giggle. Hermione picked up the locket.

"It's a tradition in the Black family, when a baby is born, for the Head of the House to give either a ring or a locket. As your mother was a Black, you were entitled to a locket. I wish you could have worn it, but without knowing the truth about it you would always be at risk. Now you know the truth, you should wear it."

Hermione looked up at Emma and held it out. Emma, knowing what Hermione wanted shifted her hair so that she could clasp the locket around her neck. Hermione turned to look at the locket around her neck in the mirror.

"It looks good on you. Trix would be proud of you, I know it." Emma said as she hugged Hermione from behind.

Hermione smiled. "I hope so."

Knockturn Alley, after dark

Had anyone been sat on the Alley, they would have seen a man appear out of thin air, without even a pop to announce his arrival. Knockturn alley, however, was not a place one wanted to be around, even during the day, and so it was an empty alley the man started to walk down, red eyes the only thing visible beneath his hood.

Stopping outside one of the shops, the man pulled a wand out and gave it a lazy wave as he walked towards the door. The air shimmered as he waved his hand, the door clicking as it opened. The animals inside started to hiss but a soft hiss back from the man settled them all. The man pulled out a sales book, checked it briefly before placing it back and heading up the stairs.

The woman in the bedroom was dozing off when she heard a creak outside her door. She slowly grabbed her wand as she rolled out of the bed. Living in Knockturn, one didn't wait for those who wanted to cause trouble to come to them, nor did one not know how to defend themselves.

What she wasn't prepared for was the door exploding inwards. She flew backwards, slamming heavily into the wall. Dimly she was aware that she had lost her wand. Before she could do anything, ropes had tied themselves around her and dragged her into a sitting position. Her eyes lifted upwards to find the man who had come in earlier that day standing in front of her. She also noticed the large snake curled around his neck. She opened her mouth to scream, but the man waved a hand and no noise came out.

"While I do like it when people scream, unfortunately I don't have much time before I could be found, and that would be disastrous for my plans. Now, do you recognise me? Or rather, do you recognise who I actually am?"

Her eyes followed his arm as it twisted towards her, revealing a snake flowing out of a skull. That, along with the easy wandless and non-verbal magic made her realise who was stood in front of her. She started to scream and Voldemort sighed.

"Today, I discovered how cruel you were to Nagini here. So, I don't think you have a place in the society I wish to create. You should be proud. Your death marks the start of the changes I plan to bring about."

He hissed, and she watched as the snake slid off his shoulders and moved towards her. She tried to wriggle away, but the ropes were so tight that she all she could do was fall over. She watched as the snake moved towards her and then struck.

Voldemort waited until the woman had stopped struggling and was bleeding out before vanishing the ropes. He levitated her body down the stairs and placed it near Nagini's former cage. He cast a quick Evanesco to remove the blood from the woman's bedroom and stepped out the store. A lazy wave of his hand removed the silencing ward and he vanished into the night.

Next Chapter: Training begins for Harry and Hermione, while an old enemy enacts his own plans.