Chapter 3 - Double Agent
Back in his Transsylvanian hiding place, Voldemort took a small, shrunken human skull out of his pocket. He poked his wand in between its jaws, and a snake of green smoke crinkled out of the skull's mouth. Voldemort closed his eyes and focused his mind on the person he wanted to summon, knowing that the Death Eater in question would feel the Dark Mark burning immediately.
A loud crack echoed in the confined space of the cave when Wormtail apparated.
He looked dazedly out of his watery eyes for a moment, glancing around hesitantly.
He quickly snapped his eyes back at his master, afraid to displease him by
showing to much interest in his surroundings, and bowed low, saying: "How
can I be of service, master?"
Voldemort looked down on him. "It appears you can be of use to me still, Wormtail. I need you to get some supplies for me," he said.
Wormtail straightened, and asked: "But master, why me? You know I can't show myself."
"Well, you are quite fit for menial jobs such as this one, Worm. Besides, you are useless to me for all other purposes, because the world thinks you are dead, and the places you can get these things don't care whether you're alive or not, as long as you bring the galleons," said Voldemort slightly irritated. "Memorize this…" He mentioned a large number of items he needed Wormtail to get for him. "Now go," he concluded.
"Yes, master," Wormtail mumbled, and he bowed again before he disapparated.
Voldemort felt a lot better now that he was occupied again, carrying out plans.
After years of idleness just the feeling of being alive, having a goal to work
towards, was enough to make him feel incredible. He sat down in his high-backed
chair and sunk into silent contemplation, considering the information his new
council had given him.
He had been particularly pleased to learn of the ministry's weakness.
He had expected them to be a lot stronger, because the ministry had been constantly
gaining strength after his first rise to power. A lot of the aurors and officials
that had thwarted him then would still work there now, so he wondered just
how stupid Fudge and the rest of the wizarding world had to be to ignore their
advice. They were making the same mistakes all over again. Voldemort grimaced.
It had to be the influence of the mudbloods, perverting old wizard bloodlines
all over the place.
He had seen it all happen before, of course. When he had been at Hogwarts,
over fifty years ago, another Dark Wizard had gained control over much of the
European mainland. The European ministries had tried to negotiate with Grindelwald,
giving him more and more power, and when the war finally broke out they still
had not seen it coming. The mistakes the wizard governments had made resulted
in years of devastation, especially after the muggles were drawn into the conflict.
It was then, seeing how easily the peace-loving establishment was fooled,
that Voldemort – still going by the name of Tom Riddle then – realized
he was destined to be more powerful than anyone else.
After he had left the orphanage he grew up in and arrived at Hogwarts it had
not taken him long to discover his amazing talents for wizardry. The praise
he received from his professors – both for his great accomplishments
with magic and his unquestionable behavior – always made him feel superior
to the other students at Hogwarts, who were fumbling with the simplest of spells.
When he first came to Hogwarts the headmaster told him how his muggle father
had betrayed him and his mother, and he decided to avenge himself right then.
However, it was not until he first heard about Grindelwald that his ambition
became to be the greatest Dark Wizard ever.
He started studying the Dark Arts avidly after that. With his spotless reputation
it was not hard to get his hands on the many resources Hogwarts had to offer,
and after he found out how to get around the ministry's underage magic
regulation methods he could practice during the holidays too.
He had not made many friends during his time at Hogwarts, so when he disappeared
after his graduation no one really noticed. The moment the graduation ceremony
was over he apparated to Little Hangleton and killed the Riddle family. He
travelled around the world for many years after that, using many different
names, meeting many shady figures of the wizarding underworld. He spent all
his time learning new spells and gathering powerful magical items, not hesitating
if he had to kill to get them. He practiced the most obscure and evil forms
of magic, and when he resurfaced as Lord Voldemort he had filled his purse
with a fortune in galleons, and his head with an even greater fortune in knowledge
and skills.
When the first dead bodies started to appear the ministry had been completely
at a loss for what to do. There had not been any serious trouble since Dumbledore
had defeated Grindelwald, and no one – or almost no one – had foreseen
that there would be another Dark Lord in their lifetime. When the Ministry
of Magic finally began to take effective action, Voldemort had already gathered
a veritable army of dark wizards and creatures. The ministry had been weak
then, as they had been with Grindelwald, and apparently it was the same now.
Voldemort decided to wait before he made any more plans. He needed a lot more
information: did Dumbledore know of his return? And, if he did, why hadn't
the ministry alerted the rest of the world yet?
***
"Respirato!" A high-pitched voice echoed through the cavernous, winding corridors.
Immediately the air, that had been so full of dust and spores Lord Voldemort
could hardly breathe, became as clear as the air on a mountaintop in spring.
Voldemort inhaled deeply.
He was standing in an old crypt under the ruins of a muggle church. There
were human skulls and bones sticking out of the walls and floor here and there,
and the place was heavy with a dark, gloomy atmosphere. Voldemort felt right
at home.
He had used this place to hold meetings before, but he was sure only he himself
and a few Death Eaters knew of it, so it was quite safe. He took his timeteller
out of his pocket; a small circular device with over a dozen tiny rotating
globes inside of it. A glance told him he wouldn't have to wait much
longer.
Voldemort heard footsteps slowly winding their way down the stairs that led
into the crypt. He shivered with anticipation; he had been looking forward
to this meeting. He wondered what he would learn.
A single hooded Death Eater appeared round the corner of the corridor Voldemort
was standing in. He stopped at a respectable distance, then knelt and said: "My
Lord… you can't imagine how happy I was to hear of your return." He
looked up at his master's face for a moment, and then lowered his head
again. "I pray you understand my situation… I could not come when
you summoned me. I am, as always, forever at your service," he concluded.
Voldemort was astounded at his courage, or perhaps it was simply foolishness.
He acted as though no fourteen years had passed, during which he had been working
for the Dark Lord's greatest enemy.
When Voldemort spoke, it was with such a horrible hiss that the kneeled figure
shrunk back a bit. "Sseveruss Ssnape…" Voldemort looked down
at him for a few seconds, and then suddenly, before Snape could even blink
his eyes, the Dark Lord had his wand out and Snape was smashed into the wall
of the crypt. Several skulls fell from the wall and rolled over the floor with
a clattering sound. Snape remained pinned to the wall, nervously glancing from
the corners of his eyes at a very sharp bone jutting out millimetres from his
neck.
Voldemort walked towards Snape, and stopped with his gleaming red eyes inches
from Snape's. He said: "I am most disappointed in you, Severus.
Most disappointed…" Snape didn't try to move, and kept quiet. "You,
always such a useful servant, failed me the worst when it really mattered.
You knew all about my attempt to get the Philosopher's Stone, but you
didn't try to find me. You hung around in your comfortable castle, teaching
mudbloods, cosying up to Dumbledore!" Voldemort's voice had grown
steadily louder and higher and now turned into a violent screech. "You
betrayed me, Severus! You turned over to my enemy when I needed you most, and
now I doubt whether you were ever truly loyal."
Snape opened his mouth, which appeared to take some effort. "My Lord," he
started, but before he could say any more Voldemort lowered his wand, causing
Snape to fall to the ground, and said: "Crucio!"
Voldemort laughed as he saw Snape writhing in pain, as he had seen so many do before. "Tell me it's true! You are a traitor, and I know it!" he yelled over the sound of Snape's screams. "You are a filthy mudblood-lover, aren't you, Snape!"
Snape gasped loudly several times, trying to talk. Finally, he managed to scream out: "NO! I… no! Never!" That was all he managed. Voldemort stopped the Cruciatus curse. He decided to try a different tactic.
With a flick of his wand Snape, now laying limply on the ground, was raised
into the air again. Voldemort stood close, stared into his eyes, and mouthed
wordlessly: "Legilimens."
Snape didn't turn his head or close his eyes, but he stared determinedly
into the Dark Lords snake-like slits. Voldemort saw a rush of images, and he
began to filter out what he wanted to see.
First, he saw a tired-looking Snape in front of a roaring fire. Dumbledore's
head was in the fire, telling Snape that Voldemort had disappeared. The memory
was followed immediately by another one; Snape standing alone in a dark room,
screaming in anger.
Next he saw Snape talking to Rodolphus Lestrange, discussing plans to find
their master. Snape was telling Lestrange that he had to stay at Hogwarts,
that he would be able to find out more there.
Finally, he could see a series of memories involving Harry Potter. Harry Potter
in his first Potion's class… Harry Potter playing quidditch… Harry
Potter in the company of a girl and a red-haired boy, talking to a man Voldemort
recognized as Sirius Black, pointing their wands at Snape. And Voldemort felt
Snape's hatred towards the boy was so intense it nearly outstripped his
own, and he knew Snape had to be on his side.
Voldemort took a step backwards, and he put his wand away. Snape slumped to
the ground again, where he lay panting for a moment before struggling up on
his knees. He remained kneeled respectfully, and again he said: "My Lord,
I am here only to serve you."
Voldemort nodded. "I believe you. Stand up," he ordered. Snape
got to his feet a little unsteadily. He looked straight into Voldemort's
eyes again, who said: "Perhaps you are loyal after all. Continue to serve
me well, and you will live. But remember: I will keep an eye on you." Snape
bowed slightly in response. Voldemort continued: "In fact, you couldn't
have come at a better time. I need information, Severus. I need to know what
happened to Barty Crouch, and how much Dumbledore knows."
Voldemort conjured a chair for himself, leaving Snape standing in front of
him. "Tell me what you know," he commanded.
"I'm very sorry to say that Potter made it back to Hogwarts safely," Snape
began. Voldemort could see that he was still shaken and surprised by the Dark
Lord's sudden turn from violent torture to matter-of-fact interrogation.
Snape continued to say: "Bartemius Crouch was given a Dementor's
kiss after he was caught trying to kill Potter, but not before he was interrogated
by Dumbledore personally."
"So Dumbledore knows everything," Voldemort said gnashing his
teeth.
"I'm afraid so, My Lord. There is some good news, however. The
only ones present at Crouch's interrogation were Dumbledore, Minerva
McGonagall and myself. The Dementor got him before anyone else could hear his
confession – Dumbledore was not happy about that," Snape said.
"What about Fudge? He was there for the Tournament, wasn't he?" Voldemort asked.
" Indeed he was," Snape said smiling darkly. "I saw it happen,
it was quite amusing really. The blustering idiot didn't believe Potter,
and since Crouch was unable to relate his story again…"
Voldemort looked doubtful, and said: "But didn't Dumbledore manage
to convince Fudge?"
Snape scoffed. "That is the good news, My Lord. It seems that Fudge
has finally decided he can run things on his own, and there is a definite breach
between him and Dumbledore. He appears to think Dumbledore is loosing his mind
for believing Potter on his word."
Voldemort was smiling now, showing rather long and pointy fangs. "That
is good news. I have heard about Fudge's behaviour, but I didn't
dare to believe he would go so far… We could benefit greatly from this.
To see my enemies divided without any effort on my part, it is more than I
could have hoped for." He turned again to Snape, more serious now, and
said: "What about Dumbledore? How did he react to this?"
Snape responded: "He was angry, of course, though he didn't show
it. This changes everything, he said, so he must have been counting on Fudge."
" Very good," Voldemort cackled, "and what can you tell me
about Dumbledore's plans? What has he done after he heard of my return?"
" I don't know the whole of it, but after the task he sent someone
of to inform 'the others,' presumably members of his 'order'.
It was Sirius Black," Snape said with a heavy scowl on his face.
" Ah, yes," Voldemort hissed. "Wormtail told me all about
him. An animagus, and Potter's godfather, isn't he?"
"
That's right. The ministry is still after him, so he can't
show himself in public, but Dumbledore trusts him."
Voldemort thought about this for a second, and then continued to question
Snape. "What about Dumbledore's other supporters? How many do you
think he will be able to convince I am back?"
Snape answered: "If the ministry continues to deny it, he might have
some trouble. Still, Dumbledore can be very – persuasive. I can't
give you any names you do not know already, but I might be able to find out
more. Dumbledore trusts me more than he did fourteen years ago."
" Is that all you can tell me?" said Voldemort.
" Yes, My Lord… for now," said Snape.
" If you have more information you can contact me through DeWitt. Try
to find out whatever Dumbledore is doing to oppose me. You can leave." Snape
bowed, then straightened and turned to walk away, when Voldemort said: "Oh,
and Snape? Remember; serve me well, or else…" He made a short jabbing
motion with his wand, causing Snape to feel a sharp pain shoot through him.
Snape winced and said: "Of course, My Lord." Then he turned and
disappeared around the corner.
***
