First and foremost, I would like to thank my good pal (in the whole wide world), Mystic Pebble, for the inspiration of this chapter.  Thank you! Oh, and please read her fic.  It's not on this section but it's in Lord of the Rings, so if anyone out there likes LOTR, please read it coz its really good. Personally, I have read it myself and it is cute.  It's called "Under the Moonlit Tree".  Oh, and don't forget to review. All right, there, ya happy now?! (Someone nods) God, (mumbles in coherently).  Anyhoo, I would like to thank my cool reviewers, alex b (thanks, please continue reading so that you don't miss anything), Beldin325 (thank you, and don't worry, you don't have to wait very long), Padfoot & Prongs (wow, I wasn't aware that it was a cliffy, so thanks. Oh, and Sirius is my fav character too!), Little Marauder (heh, well, I meant the chapter title to give a little hint hehehe).  As for this chapter, like my pal suggested, it will definitely be Voldemort's POV, although it was against my will to make it really humorous (someone glares). Oh, come on, it's the ol' makin fun of the villain thing?  Oh, well, I don't own anything, er, maybe some things.  Here's chapter 14!

Chapter 14:  Riddle in the Dark

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All was dark about this study room, save maybe the glimmer of the streetlamps from the half-opened window.  Nothing in the room made noise except the occupant's snake slithering and hissing across the floor searching for mice to prey upon.  The snake's master sat on an armchair by the already extinguished fireplace.  He sat there with his fingers fiddling with one another as he stared in space, obviously lost in deep thought.  One might piece together all these clues and therefore reach a conclusion that a person with only dark and cold thoughts can own this place.  And that one would be correct, because this person was the most feared wizard in the wizarding world- Lord Voldemort; and this was his hideout from those who sought to destroy him. Pityful beings.  He sat there thinking of the happenings in the both the muggle and wizarding worlds.  His mouth curved into a small smile as his mind turned to the many news he had gathered of muggle tortures and the chaos this had led to the wizards.  Slowly but surely, he was regaining power and fear in both worlds. His Death Eaters were multiplying and, most importantly, the darkest of creatures had joined him-the Dementors.  However, there was only one person standing in his way-that meddling old git, Dumbledore.  Voldemort's face darkened by the memory of this old man.  Dumbledore and his stupid group of do-gooders always are in my way, he thought.  But no matter, I have an edge against them.  The more people I gather to me, the more I get close to destroying Dumbledore and his pets-the whole lot of them, most especially the Potter boy and Briana.

  "I will get you this time, Briana," he voiced out loud.  "It does not matter if we have important bonds with each other, but I will kill you no matter what."

Right about this time, his hands were balled in fists and were on the armchair.  As he was planning ways to kill Dumbledore, Harry Potter, and Briana Sullivan (more slowly than just the plain old "Avada Kedavra"), a knock was heard from the door.  Voldemort eyed the door as though it ruined the happiest moment of his life.  He watched as it slowly opened and made creaking noises as it did.  A round, pale head appeared behind the door.  The expression of the face looked as though he was about to cry. 

  "Wormtail, have I not told you not disturb me while I'm on my chair?" he hissed venomously at the man known as Wormtail.  Although the man's voice was almost a whisper, Wormtail flinched as though he was hit with a whip.

  "Begging your forgiveness, Master," whispered Wormtail nervously, entering the room and bowing in front of him.  Voldemort smiled at this, for he loved to see Wormtail suffer.  He watched as beads of sweat formed at Wormtail's forehead while he tremblingly took his Master's hand.  Voldemort, still enjoying his minion's pain, lazily took his hand off Wormtail's grip.  His hand is absolutely soaking with sweat.

  "Wormtail, I did not tell you to enter the room," he said almost idly.  "You better have a good explanation for this.  You do know how angry I can get."

  "Yes, I know all too well, Master.  Please, forgive me."

  "Enough of your babble, Wormtail, I am personally getting annoyed of it.  Now, why are you here?"

  "Yes, Master," Wormtail answered hastily. "I-I came here in this room, Master, because the Seer you have asked for has come.  She is waiting outside as we speak, Master.  Shall I let her in, Master?"

  "Do wizards have wands, Wormtail?! You needn't have asked! Go and get her, you useless piece of human flesh! GO!" he barked at him.  Wormtail went cowering from Voldemort and exited the room.  Voldemort listened to the faint voices outside.  The door was slowly opened and there was Wormtail with a middle-aged woman dressed oddly like Professor Trelawney (A/N: Don't worry it's not her!) carrying a large bag.  She smiled grimly and said,

  "Tom Marvolo Riddle, the fear of the wizarding world, has it been a long time?"

  "I have many minions who don't dare utter that name, for fear of me doing something horrible about it, but, then again, some don't even know my real name.  Yet you still use it?  I could have killed you instantly for saying it in front of me," he said from his armchair.

  "Yet you don't, for you know that I am the only one you trust," smirked the Seer.  "Besides, no one can be good at fortune-telling as I am, and you know that for a fact, am I right?"

  "If I were you I wouldn't be so confident.  I could torture right now," he remarked. 

  "I would not want that to happen.  It would just wreck my Seeing Eye.  Well, we better get this over it then."

The Seer began setting up her things from her large bag around the room.  She placed the table next to Voldemort's armchair in the middle of the room and covered it with a dark-red velvet tablecloth.  She placed her crystal ball on the table.  Lastly, she placed four white candles in four different directions to form a large diamond.  After she had finished, she whipped out her wand and, first, turning to the candle on her right and said this as she lit the candle,

  "Lords and Ladies of the East, where the sun rises, guide us through this ritual."

Then she turned and crossed the room to the candle on the opposite side.  As she lit the candle, she said,

  "Lords and Ladies of the West, where the sun sets, guide us through this ritual."

She walked towards the candle near the window and said,

  "Lords and Ladies of the North, where the light gathers, guide us through this ritual."

Lastly, she crossed the room and stood at the candle towards the door.  

  "Lords and Ladies of the South, where darkness rule, guide us through this ritual."

After she had finished lighting the candles, she turned to Voldemort. 

  "Come, time does not wait.  Let us sit where the energy gathers, in the center of the diamond, where energy from all directions gather." 

She had placed two chairs in either side of the table.  She beckoned Voldemort to sit at the opposite side of her.  He got up from his armchair and sat in front of the Seer.  The Seer took Voldemort's palms. 

  "The eyes are the windows to one's soul and the hands are the pathway to them.  To see into the past, present, and the future, one must look into the eyes and touch the hands."

The Seer put her hands on top of Voldemort's and closed her eyes.  She took a deep breath and looked deep into her crystal ball.  Voldemort watched anxiously as the Seer looked into her ball.  Beads were forming at his temples when all of a sudden, her eyes grew wide and her hands left his and went on the ball.

  "What? What do you see?" he asked in a slightly frightened tone.

She furrowed her brow.  "I see-I see the earth moving, opening…"

  "What?" he gasped as he himself looked into the ball.  He found no vision of earth but just wisps of swirling smoke.  He was beginning to wonder if this Seer playing a trick on him, but then her eyes grew even wider as she stared at her crystal ball.

  "Two people getting up from the earth!  This is very strange.  What can this mean?"

Voldemort looked at the Seer then back at the ball.  He tried to imagine what she had just said. "Who were the two people?  Can you recognize them?"

  "I can't see how they look like, because they are mere shadows.  However, I can tell that one is a male and another is a female.  Now they are heading towards a castle.  From the looks of it, that the castle must be Hogwarts."

When she had said this, something like it was invisible hit Voldemort on the face.  A male and a female coming out from the earth and heading for Hogwarts, but can it be? 

  "I can see them more clearly now," continued the Seer, again placing her hands on his.  "They are talking to Dumbledore and, wait, I also see Harry Potter.  Yes, I see him and he is embracing the two people! Can they be his parents?"

  "Are you lying to me?!" exclaimed Voldemort, suddenly yanking his hands away from the Seer.  "Can you absolutely believe that you can fool me like that? You are not telling me that those two people that came from the earth are James and Lily Potter!  They have been dead for years! I have killed them!"

  "The crystal ball does not lie, Voldemort.  It sees the truth and tells them to me," said the Seer softly.  "I am quite aware that the Potters had died sixteen years ago.  But their purpose as to why they are here again I cannot begin to imagine.  We shall continue until we sought what we have wanted."  She looked deeply into her crystal ball.  "It had grown blank, Voldemort, you have broken the connection.  Come, put your hands upon mine and we shall continue.  There, the orb is moving.  It is a different setting now, but just as strange.  A ring of multicolored fire with bright green flames in the middle?  I cannot tell but I reckon there is a young man in the middle.  Yes, a young man with red hair.  Do you know a boy with red hair?"

  "I meet many people," said Voldemort thoughtfully.  "Not in my memory did I ever remembering meeting a boy with red hair.  No, wait, Arthur Weasley has children with red hair, does he not?"

  "I think he does," replied the Seer.  "But what is with the fire?"

Voldemort hesitated to answer.  Of course, he knew what it was.  He was taught about those fires long ago by a person who had influenced him to be where he was now.

  "All I can think about is Gryffindor," was all he could say.

  "You mean the House in Hogwarts?" inquired the Seer.

  "No, Godric Gryffindor, one of the founder of Hogwarts.  He had dark red hair, I remembered."

  "Then this could be his heir, do you think that?"

  "It's possible," he murmured.  "Only the Heir of Gryffindor could control the element of fire, and Gryffindor had dark red hair."

  "Then he must be Gryffindor's heir.  He looks as if he must not 16 or 17 years old, to be exact.  He must still be at Hogwarts. But if he is at Hogwarts, no doubt will he be close guarded by Dumbledore."

  "No doubt about that," he mumbled.  "But nonetheless I know what I must do to-"

  "Wait," interrupted the Seer, "I see more! But it seems like it had just taken place, for it is clear.  It is Hogwarts and I see, I see a lonely hut and two people.  I see the two people; they are, yes, Briana and Sirius Black.  I see a ring-yes, a ring, and he is kneeling-he is proposing to Briana."

  "What?" gasped Voldemort.

  "It seems so.  Do you think there is some connection with Briana to the Gryffindor heir?"

  "Yes, Briana is the Ravenclaw, so I am sure that she would be guarding that heir as well."

  "What about the Potters?  What do you think they have to do with the Heir?"

  "I am not sure.  But whatever it is, Dumbledore has kept it confidential.  The Potters shouldn't have been brought back," he said darkly.  "They know far too much about me than anyone, especially Lily.  It is imperative that I must get rid of them again."

  "And to think that you have made Lily your heir long ago," chuckled the Seer softly. But Voldemort's eyes grew dark.

  "It was a mistake I have paid dearly for, but it shall not be made again.  I was foolish to think that I could have broken their friendships."

  "You have two of them by your side."

  "Who?  Wormtail? He is completely useless other than the fact that he does what I say no matter what.  Maria?  She is quite useful but not the person that I was hoping to get."

  "Well, then, it is not too late to break their friendships," she leaned towards Voldemort.  "But you have to choose the right one to break apart."

Voldemort also leaned forward and said, "What do you mean? Who do you have in mind?"
  "I say if you are to get any of them to your side, then it should be Sirius Black.  He has evil in his heart but it lays dormant.  Stir it up once and you shall get the result you have been hoping for.  And besides, he is getting married to Briana, it is only right to give them a wedding gift they will never forget.  And he already has a notorious reputation in the wizarding world."

Voldemort smiled.  "That sounds pretty interesting. But he shall refuse to come to our side and Briana will do her part to keep him away from us." 

  "He does not need to know he has been chosen to your side.  Control him and you shall succeed."

Voldemort thought for a while.  Then he turned towards the door and barked, "Wormtail! Come in here!"

The door creaked open and Wormtail came creeping in. 

  "Hold out your left arm, I need to call somebody," he commanded.  Wormtail rolled his sleeve and stuck out his left arm to Voldemort.  Voldemort extended his hand to touch Wormtail's Dark Mark, which glowed deep red.  Wormtail whimpered as his master gently touched his Mark.  Immediately, a pop was heard next to Wormtail, and there appeared a woman with a mask on.

  "You called, Master," the woman said as she bowed. 

  "Maria, I want you to learn what you can about the Heir of Gryffindor and the Green Flamed Torch.  Also," he added with a slightly wicked smile, "I want you to learn how to make Kaster's Potion."

  "As you wish, Master, but whatever for?"

  "Well, for the soon-to-be husband and wife, of course."

  "And who might that be, My Lord?"

  "Briana Sullivan and Sirius Black, which reminds me, I would like for you to learn the date of which they will be married.  We don't want to send our wedding present on the wrong day, would you?"

  "No, Sir, we wouldn't."

  "Good, then go get started.  Time is of great essence."

With that, Maria bowed low and disappeared from sight.

  "And I shall be leaving too.  The crystal has gone blank and nothing more can be shown tonight," said the Seer, getting up from her seat. 

  "The crystal has shown enough for me to plot my next moves."

  "So, until next time, then, Tom?" she said as she put her things away with a wave of her wand.  Voldemort flinched at the sound of his name, but, nonetheless, he nodded in agreement.

  "All right, good night." 

And she disappeared in front of him, leaving him alone with Wormtail.  Silence wrapped them as Voldemort sat where he was and plotted his next moves. 

Well, I resisted the urge of making fun of Voldie and I have succeeded! Well, at least I have survived.  The next chap will be about Briana and Sirius's BIG news and more fortune-telling in the night!!!!!!! Please leave a review!