ADVOCATUS DIABOLI

BOOK I: ASCENSION TO MADNESS

CHAPTER 1

22 June 1995 - Room of Requirement - Hogwarts - 4:30AM

(6 Hours after Little Hangleton)

"Well, that was certainly eventful."

Lily Evans sharply paused mid-stride to glare fiercely in the direction of the glib statement, eyes narrowing dangerously. Severus Snape - her best friend, confidant, Moste Extraordinary Potioneer, and the vaunted Lord Prince - raised an elegant brow in response, expression completely unapologetic. Huffing indignantly, Lily resumed her fierce pace. She absent-mindedly thanked the Room's foresight as her dragonhide boots tread their repetitive path across the thickly carpeted floor. It would not do to leave scuffs on the ancient room's floor due to her inability to be still.

Clutched in her right hand was her wand, 10¼ willow with dragon heartstring, thrumming gently as it sent light and cooling pulses through her palm in its efforts to soothe her. Her faithful companion since its purchase in Ollivander's upon her 11th birthday, her wand was keenly attuned to her many moods, a tangible reassuring force (along with her hard-wrought Occlumency abilities) that helped keep her centered and focused. Alas, after the previous hours' horrifying events, she would not be so easily calmed.

The Triwizard Tournament had concluded mere hours ago, resulting in an unprecedentedly catastrophic ending. The Dark Lord had risen once more, fully embodied and intent on wreaking absolute havoc on Wizarding Britain. Her twin sons Harry Black and Jim Potter had been kidnapped in the Third Task to be used in a ghastly ritual to help restore the Dark Lord's form, and subsequently murdered upon the ritual's completion. It was only thanks to Harry's Slytherin cunning (carefully curated under Lily's vigilant tutelage) that both her sons had survived the night, even after Jim's regrettably persistent Boy-Who-Lived Gryffindor hero complex had led them straight to disaster.

"Just like his idiot father." Lily's angry muttering elicited a quiet laugh from Sirius, his icy gray eyes sparkling merrily in spite of the tense mood. Lord Black's epic fallout with James was on par with Lily's fabled divorce from the current Lord Potter, and he never shied away from insults upon his ex-best friend's character.

"Yes, that fact was rather obvious, but it is your own fault for marrying the dunce." Snape scathingly replied. Lily leveled a mutinous glare in his direction, yielding his unrepentant scoff.

"Nevertheless, I did not come here to spend my precious time opining your ex-husband's inexorable idiocy. We no longer have that privilege for that particular pastime. The Dark Lord has risen as was noted in the Prophecy, and he will not be idle in his schemes to…Ascend. The Ministry has long since been entangled in his poisonous web, and Fudge's competency only stretches so far. We. Need. A. Plan." Before Lily could angrily retort, the Room's remaining occupant raised an elegant hand, rendering complete silence. Crystalline blue eyes took each of them in, revealing nothing beyond his typical stoic mask. He paused to look meaningfully at Lily, who immediately strode to sit next to Severus, their expressions completely serious. Likewise, Sirius adopted a similar countenance.

Satisfied with garnering their complete attention, Thomas Marvolo Riddle Jr. ("Tom" to his closest friends, "Lord Gaunt" to his political allies and most others, with the exception of a noted handful of truly bigoted Purebloods) confidently strode to stand and address his audience. Tall with stately posture, he loomed gracefully over them, quietly observing. His uncommonly handsome face retained its usual inscrutable mask, save his eyes which quietly burned with intense focus. Lustrous dark hair (with the slightest dashes of salt-and-pepper gray) lightly shined under the warm candlelight glow of the Room. Lips quirking slightly, he clasped his hands behind his back and addressed them.

"My friends, Severus is correct, we do require a plan. Whatever contingencies we had in play to avoid this exact calamity have been completely nullified due to the most recent events in Little Hangleton. The Dark Lord has returned, fully embodied, miraculously still sane, and completely intent on… Ascending. His Death Eaters… the Ghosts of Silesia … are bearing down upon us, and they will not be content to be housed in the shadows." He paused briefly as the others visibly reacted to his words, Lily's flinch worst of all. Tom's expression softened at her reaction, the memories of her near fatal encounter flashing in his mind's eye.

"His minions have long since been entrenched in the Ministry, and I absolutely refuse to rely on Cornelius Fudge as our bureaucratic stronghold within the ensuing chaos. As… useful as he's been to our plans, Albus Dumbledore's assistance will now, at best, be a secondary reliance." His expression became slightly pinched, as if pained to acknowledge Dumbledore's support. Old habits never really died.

"His focus on the Boy-Who-Lived Prophecy is too absolute, neither he nor his Order will spare us aid in our equally dire endeavor. Things have changed. We no longer possess the luxury of time, for I fear time is no longer on our side." His gaze turned more intense, shimmering eyes darkening to a stormy blue.

"My friends, it is time for the Knights to resume formal guard of The Watchtower. We cannot, we will not allow it to fall, for the sake of the Destined Heir, for the sake of all mankind." He received three sharp nods in response.

"Excellent. Now then, let us start with logistics. Sirius, what is the current attitude of the DMLE towards the announcement of the Dark Lord's return?"

As Sirius droned on in the background, Lily allowed her mind to wander about the choices - most her own, some made by others - that had forged the path to bring her to this moment.

AN 1: As you can tell from the summary, this fic is very heavily influenced by the vaunted "Harry Potter and the Prince of Slytherin" fic by The Sinister Man. It is a remarkable fanfic that I shamelessly drew plenty of inspiration from, with some notable divergence as it suits my story. While this fic will feature the wrong BWL plot that is central to the PoS storyline, the Dark God Prophecy will be significantly more central to the plot.

AN 2: Very Grey Lily Evans, ruthlessly pragmatic (and still Muggleborn) Slytherin who laid the foundation for Slytherin Harry's current badass-ness. Grey Tom Riddle Jr., unaffected by the psychological trauma of Myrtle-gate, becoming a well-respected and rather Machiavellian Lord Gaunt. Grey Sirius Black, still Gryffindor but significantly more restrained in Marauder antics. Disillusioned war veteran James Potter Sr., pigheaded but thinks he means well. Grey Severus Snape, less taciturn with some major divergences; he'll be a Severus positively influenced by his mother's nurturing and free from his father's abuse.

AN 3: Harry & Jim will actually get on, but will keep up sibling rivalry appearances for their parents' sakes.

AN 4: Peter Pettigrew will be much... more frightening than TSM's rendition. You've been warned :)