Author Note: This chapter moves pretty quickly. Lots of things going on.
Snape entered his home to find it quite empty except of people. Pettigrew and Voldemort had departed. He briefly closed his eyes wondering what sort of chaos this foretold now.
He called to Malfoy manner and Bellatrix answered.
"What is it Snape?"
"It would seem that the young miss and the rat have departed while I was away." He tightly said.
Bella stepped through the floo into his face. "Excuse me? They left your house? How could you allow that to happen?"
"If you could tell me how to keep the dark lord confined without risking my own life I would be quite pleased to hear it." Snape huffed in displeasure.
"Damn. This throws a kink in the hose. We need to find them before they do something irreversible to her body." Bella said pacing, "Not to mention if Potter has to kill her that's going to seriously damage his psyche."
"So there is a way to separate the Dark Lord from the child?" Snape asked in surprise.
"Oh of course. We're chasing the Weasleys to France to be with their son. When the mother gets there she's going to get some real mental treatment too." Bella cackled.
"Well you would know about mental treatment."
"Not really. Never been meself. Got killed before the courts had all that. 1968 was the last time I breathed air." the spirit in the body declared.
"I must confess I do not know who you were when you were alive?" Snape frowned.
"You never heard of me? Crazy Mary? I went on a 9 state killing spree with my brother and his best friend."
"In the United States?"
"Yeah. Me and my brother Charles Lawrence Coombs murdered 27 people across nine states from 1966 to 1968 when the US Marshals finally caught us and gunned us down. Jimmy he got away and only died three years later when the car he was driving crashed during a high speed chase in California. Really tragic." she sneered.
"And you're helping in this why?"
"We'll get a few millennia shaved off of purgatory for this. A few less raping by demons. But then you'll find out when you get down there." She laughed for several seconds as Snape pondered his life.
"Why do you not merely ask where he is?"
"Because when we're on this side we're not allowed to know stuff like that. Only reapers and the big lady herself get that info. We've got to play the game like mortals." She huffed, "Such a pity."
"So we will have to look for a teenage girl and a scruffy looking human male. Who could have apparated to anywhere within a five hundred mile radius." Snape said dejectedly.
"Yep. I better get back and let Myrtle know. You might want to get back up to the castle and let that old fool Albus know."
Snape growled, "I am not an owl."
"No you're a pigeon. Now get moving." She said stepping back through the floo.
Snape clenched his fists but flooed back to the castle to give them this latest round of bad news.
===xxx
Harry and Hermione had grabbed Luna and Lavender to get to the hospital. They needed to get to the Longbottoms and see if they could get them out of the hospital.
"Shouldn't we see about the records first?" Hermione asked.
Lavender glanced around as they entered through the visitor entrance. "Shouldn't we tell the adults and let them handle this?"
"Van Gelder has probably been very careful to hide his manipulations." Luna pointed out.
"Yeah but its a confirmed fact that holding someone under the crucio long enough will damage their minds and cause them to pass out. The Longbottoms were held under the spell for most of a day."
"How do you know that?" Hermione asked.
"Its common knowledge the healers that admitted them told mum and she told me." Lavender said.
"Well who admitted them?" Harry asked.
"I don't know." Lavender admitted.
In the stair well Hermione stopped them, "Okay so what are we going to do? We'll need to get Van Gelder to confess to all of the things he's been doing, either that or get evidence of his activities." Hermione said.
"I can get Luna and I into the Doctor's offices if you want us to search his office. But what are the two of you going to do?"
"Go visit the Longbottoms."
===xxx
Pettigrew and the Dark Lord were walking down the streets of Cokeworth. She was in a foul mood as she walked. Pettigrew was not helping that mood by obsequiously following her.
Snape was no help, the other version of his own psyche had stolen his followers. His dreams of revenge against the muggles were destroyed. His own mind was cluttered, confused. The sensations of this body were strange and different. The Dark Lord had never been one to play around with transfiguration for sexual perversion. He had of course seduced and used females as tools. Sex being just one more means to an end.
The clothes Pettigrew had found for her to wear had been common enough but the under garment was entirely wrong. So she was going without which caused movement until a spell stopped that, causing them to stick straight out from her chest in twin torpedoes.
"Hey baby. Nice look." A man called out from a nearby car park. His companions snickered and grinned at her.
"Excuse me muggle? Are you speaking to me?" She asked in a raspy voice.
"Damn you got to cut back on those chesterfields pretty girl. They're making your voice sound bad." One of the companions said with a laugh.
"Hey it ain't her voice I'm interested in." The first one said turning to approach. "So you wanna go to a real party?"
Drawing her wand she said, "No. I want to murder you."
The guy laughed, "Oh I'm quaking in my boots little girl."
"Avada Kedavra" and a gout of green light burst forth to hit the man in the chest. He collapsed to the ground in a limp heap. His friends took a moment before they cried out and started charging at her.
A dark cutting curse, a burst of fiend fire and a bombarda to the face stopped the friends of the first victim suddenly. The Dark Lord walked over to the one that was trying to hold his intestines in his bisected body.
"What the fuck. What the fuck was that?"
"That was an interesting little spell that severs your body in half yet prevents you dying instantly. You will live only for a few more minutes. Then you will die. Until then I have a question for you."
"You sick little bitch! Fuck you and your questions." The thug tried to spit but he began to gurgle and gasp then he collapsed.
"Apparently his heart wasn't in this." The Dark Lord chuckled. "Are the keys to the automobile within it?"
Pettigrew ran over to their car and called back, "Yes they are."
In the distance a sudden two-tone wailing of a police car was heard. The dark Lord nodded before getting into the car, "Drive us away from here."
Pettigrew got behind the wheel and began to fumble but soon got the car moving.
Voldemort looked over dryly asking, "All that time around Sirius Black and you did not learn how to drive a car?"
"He was very particular about his cars. He didn't let just anyone touch them."
Voldemort laughed. "Ah just another reminder of how they felt about you then."
"Yes my lord. May I ask why we are using a muggle car?"
"They have no doubt ascertained that I have returned, or at least my counterpart has. So they will be looking for apparates and other magic use. We shall refrain from doing so until we are ready. Let the Ministry attack the others. Destroy them while we quietly rebuild." She sneered happily.
"Uhm My Lord. Your appearance may prove difficult."
"Perhaps. I will have to think about this. Drive silently." Voldemort said thought fully.
"Where my lord?"
"Take me home." She said looking out of the window.
Pettigrew was not certain where his master was ordering him to go but since Little Hangleton was not far away he pointed the car towards that village.
===xxx
Harry and Hermione entered the room of the Longbottoms. They were asleep so Harry and Hermione stood quietly for a moment. Harry felt an odd sense of sadness about this. Both he and Neville were orphans of a sort, only Neville had the much crueler method done to him.
Hermione stepped to the foot of the beds and began to cast several spells. Harry did not recognize all of them except the finite. When nothing happened he did ask, "You didn't really think a simple finite would work did you?"
"Well it couldn't hurt. And a good researcher covers all bases." Hermione replied.
"I doubt the solution is going to be that easy."
Sighing deeply Hermione agreed, "I know. But I had to try."
"So now what?" Harry asked.
"Well. To be honest I'm not sure." Hermione confessed. "We'll have to wait for Lavender and Luna to get the information from the office. Then see."
They waited and an hour later Lavender and Luna slipped into the room. "We managed to find out some stuff. Mum helped us."
"She's not going to get into trouble is she?" Harry asked.
"No but I have bad news. Van Gelder was the healer that admitted them and has been in charge of their care ever since." Lavender said.
"So we don't know if he's been experimenting on them or not." Harry said.
"No I guess not. There isn't much we can do either." Hermione said. "Can your mother check on them?"
"She can do some." Lavender said, "But she's also going to check with the research department if there has been any progress on treatment elsewhere that Van Gelder or the Ministry has been ignoring."
Harry huffed, "I was hoping we could do something good here."
"We will eventually Harry. We cannot solve all of the world's problems at once." Luna said sadly as she rubbed his back.
After the four left Alice Longbottom's eyes opened and she mumbled something that might have been "ha-ee"
===xxx
Snape had come back to the castle in a huff. He told Albus about the Dark Lord escaping and what the spirit in Bellatrix's body had said.
"Well then we shall have to find her before anything unfortunate happens." Albus said.
Minerva looked at him askance, "And just how do you propose to do that? Sirius Black was able to hide from the Ministry, without assistance for over a year. Do you think that the adversary will be any less capable?"
Snape quickly said, "Even as broken as Black's mind was he was able to hide. The Dark Lord is broken in different ways but he retains his intelligence just as well as Black did."
"Yes but his soul has been damaged and shattered." Albus countered.
"But it has not affected his intellect, merely his morality, what little of it there was he had before he created the Horcrux." Snape pointed out.
"So we have a cute innocent fifteen year old girl's body housing the most dangerous and amoral dark lord in the last generation. Whose bright idea was this?" Minerva asked with her lips pulled so tight they were a thin white line.
Albus cleared his throat "Well the idea of having Myrtle take over Riddle's body was a joint effort, Tom himself taking over Miss Weasleys was a bit unforeseen."
Snape raised his eyebrow, "Yet still he is loose, no doubt sowing death and chaos."
"Well then perhaps you should see to it that Myrtle and the other's seek him out." Albus said.
"I believe that was the plan."
===xxx
Riddle was sitting at the table with Bellatrix, and Dolohov. The three of them were discussing the situation.
"So Voldemort is out running around loose." Riddle laughed, "I bet Snape about crapped his pants when he found out."
"He almost looked worried. I gotta say he is good at keeping his emotions under wraps. Reminds me of this one cop I knew." Bella said with a chuckle.
"So who did we send after him?" Riddle asked.
"I dispatched Rabastan and Rodolphus they are unquestionably convinced you are the Dark Lord to follow. The Carrows, Corina and the Mandrakes are not as convinced." Dolohov replied.
"And the others?"
"They are at least paying lip service to you. The Carrows are trying to convince others to their side."
"And what do they hope to achieve? Do they feel that Voldemort's new body is the one to follow?"
"No they are considering a new leader. Amycus is angling for himself to be chosen. Caleb Mandrake is opposing him." Dolohov explained.
Riddle laughed, "Oh good. Bella start getting cozy with Caleb he is a widower, encourage him to take charge. Be more forceful. Dolohov do the same with Amycus. If we're lucky the two sides will remove each other."
"That will be fun." Bella grinned. "And what about the rest of the sheep? When do we get to fleece them?"
"I'm personally handling Narcissa." Riddle said.
"Oh yes we know that." Dolohov snorted in amusement. "She sure is being,, handled,, quite well."
"Rather frequently too. I'm amazed she can still walk." Bella giggled maniacally.
"I have a lot of pent up frustration to work out." Riddle said with a shrug, stressing the word lot.
"Speaking of frustration. Fenrir has gotten frustrated with the way things are going and has struck out on his own. You want I should arrange a silvery accident for him?"
"No. Let it slip where his usual pack hunts to the Ministry, they'll send a hunting squad out after him. We have to focus on the important things." Riddle decided.
"Right." The other two agreed.
===xxx
Voldemort strode into her ancestral manor once more. The ritual in the nearby cemetery the last time she had been within these walls.
"Why have we come back here my lord?"
"The Ministry nor that fool Dumbledore will think to look for me here. They will think I have abandoned this place."
"Yes my lord but what are we going to do. There is just the two of us right now, Van Gelder may come and we may be able to contact and convince some of the others but."
"No I was thinking. Obviously fate has given me this new body for a reason. A young healthy body. One that I may grow old within. I see now what my flaw with the Horcruxes was. They ruined my body even as they saved my mind from dissolution. This one though, yes. It will serve me quite well as I gather new followers, new subjects to carry out my plans." She said. Her voice losing much of the raspy deepness as she practiced it.
Pettigrew looked confused but since he was forced to be loyal by his silver hand he did not ask any further questions even though many burned and begged for release. Although he did feel like he needed to point out something glaringly important. "My lord. I beg your forgiveness but Hogwarts will no doubt already be aware that you have stolen that body. Between Dumbledore and Potter."
"Speak not to me of those names vermin." She spun, long red hair twirling as she drew herself to her full height. "Hogwarts is no longer a priority to me, at least until I have rebuilt an army large enough to tear that accursed building down stone by stone. I shall see it fall around Albus Dumbledore's head in rubble."
"So how will you rebuild this army my lord?" Pettigrew was concerned. "If you cannot go to Hogwarts and your former..."
Turning with a smile, a cold cruel vicious smile she said, "We shall go to Durmstrang. Karkaroff may have fled but Durmstrang remains! We shall find friends among our northern brethren."
Pettigrew nodded, unsure how this was going to turn out but feeling this was not going to end well.
===xxx
Harry and Hermione had returned to the school in time to be told about the disappearance of Voldemort and Pettigrew. They called a meeting of the ADA to discus what they needed to do.
In the middle of the meeting Kreacher dropped a rumpled and foul smelling straggly ginger haired man. "Kreacher comes with one Master ordered him to find. Dirty one has not got locket upon it."
"Thank you Kreacher. You've done very well." Harry said as the chubby rummy thief blearily sat up.
"Bloody fookin ell. That little beast dragged me out of the middle of a business deal." He complained.
When he looked around the room he fell silent though, "Well this is a bit of a pickle eh?"
"Mundungus Fletcher you stole something from me." Harry declared looking at the man crossly.
"That's what the little monkey was growling about." He said waving at Kreacher who growled and hissed at him.
"I would suggest you be much more polite towards him as he doesn't like you." Hermione suggested.
"Well pretty girl. I'll be mighty polite to you."
"I don't like you either." Hermione said with disgust in her voice.
"C'mon kids. I'm not all that bad." He said looking at the scowling faces.
"Mundungus. Look. All you need to do is tell us where you put the locket you stole. The rest of the silverware and stuff I'll let you deal with Kreacher over." Harry said, almost saying he didn't care about but as sensitive as Kreacher was that might not have been a good thing to say.
"Locket? I don know nuffin bout a locket." He deflected shiftily.
"A locket. Rather old, made of gold and inlaid with Connemara Marble. In the shape of a stylized S." Harry described.
"Don't ring a bell." He said with a casual shrug, "Now if you're looking for a gift for one of the ladies here I can hook you up with some really nice baubles. Real cheap too."
Harry took a deep breath before Luna laid her hand on his arm, turning to Mundungus she smiled, "Mr Fletcher is it?"
"Mundungus Fletcher at yer service madam." He said trying to be the most winsome possible with his yellowed teeth and five o-clock shadow.
Luna stepped forwards, "I know you remember the locket because you exhibited the higher pulse and a brief bit of sweat on your brow from lying. It would be much more beneficial if you would tell us what we want to know without having to resort to unfortunate methods to convince you to cooperate."
"Here now missy. I'm just a simple businessman trying to earn a livin. I don know what the fuss is about." He tried to appear affronted and upset.
Harry and Hermione let Luna continue as she seemed to have his attention. "As a businessman then you are able to appreciate the idea of a good return on a trade."
"Right in one dearie. Now yer talking my language."
Luna titled her head looking like she was going to say something then changed her mind, "Harry would use force to browbeat you into revealing the information while Hermione would magically rip it from your mind. Those methods could be quite painful or leave long term injuries."
"I'd really appreciate neither of those happen you know." He said worriedly looking at the two teens mentioned.
"Well then I would suggest you cooperate with us and explain what happened to the locket."
"And wha do I get outta this?" Mundungus crossed his arms petulantly.
"What do you want?" Luna asked while the others shifted uncomfortably as the scruffy looking man leered at the girls.
"Well now. With the multitude o choices here. Maybe we could work something out."
Several of the girls made negative noises as they scowled at him, Luna sighed, "You could look but not touch. If you touch then bad things will happen that will make you wish for Harry to allow Kreacher to do things to you." Luna said in her calm polite soft voice but it carried the tone of a threat.
"Look but not touch you say?" He said clearing his throat. "Just for telling you where that stupid thing went?"
Hermione nodded when Luna glanced at her, "Yes that is the deal. A private strip show. To the full buff. Our choice of girl."
"What? I'm not exposing my bits to this scumbag." Cho growled.
"Nobody was going to ask you to Cho." Harry said calmly. "Anyone who doesn't want to participate can ask the avatar to set up another room as we'll need to discus what to do when he tells us where the locket went."
The group discussed the situation for a few moments then Cho scowled but stayed along with everyone else. Hermione nodded to Luna who turned and smiling asked, "Where is the locket?"
"Well ye see. Its like this I was in a muggle pub drinking and trying to finangle the pubmaster to let me run a tab when this group swarmed in there. A bunch o the telly folks. They started buying drinks and talking about the roman stuff they found. So I sidled over since they seemed interested in old stuff and showed them the locket. I talked to the bloke in the hate and the ugly sweater wearing ones. I dunno what they was called but eventually we came to a deal and I got some good money for it. And glad to see the back o that thing indeed. Gave me the creeping willies it did." Mundungus shivered.
Hermione furrowed her brows, "This television group? They were interested in old stuff?"
"Yeha the whole lot of them were digging the whole bloody village green up and everything." Fletcher said with a shrug.
"You don't remember their names do you?" Harry asked.
Mundungus scratched his head before saying, "Yeah the one bloke I got into a drinking match with cause he was a fellow Wiltshire man, he was named Phil. Phil yeah that's it."
"And they have the locket?" Harry asked.
"Yeah they do."
"Alright Luna give the man his reward. Kreacher if he tries to touch her, or himself sexually you can do whatever you want to him as long as it takes several hours and is very painful." Harry said.
Kreacher grinned widely showing his full mouth of barracuda sharp teeth. Luna merely nodded and called for the avatar. Speaking with the construct briefly a large hoop suspended from the ceiling descended and the lights dimmed apart from some spotlights focused on the ring. Harry and the command staff stepped to the side to discus the situation.
Luna jumped up and began to twist a gyrate on the ring, articles of clothing slowly starting to drift off as she moved. Hanging upside down topless at one point. Mundungus looked like he wanted to react more interestedly but Kreacher was staring at the man looking very hungry.
"Okay. Do you know what he's talking about with these muggles?" Neville asked watching Luna move.
"No but I bet dad does. He's the one that likes to watch historical programs. This sounds like something he'd be interested in." Hermione replied.
Lavender looked at her watch, "Well its only half past five right now. So we've got a couple of hours before dinner. So you want to go visit them?"
"I'll go. Mum's going to be at the club tonight. You guys stay here and make sure Dungheap behaves himself."
Susan chortled, "The way Kreacher is glaring at him we could all be dancing there and I doubt he'd step out of line."
Hermione grinned, "Good. I'll have Winky take me to dad."
"Alright we'll stay here and wait for you." Harry said watching as Luna folded herself into a U shape while somehow flinging her knickers off at him.
===xxx
Winky popped Hermione into the room where Daniel Granger was currently located. The fact that it was their bedroom and he was underneath Emma Granger engaged in coitus had not occurred to either Winky or Hermione.
Hermione's embarrassed eep noise as she turned around alerted her parents.
"Sweetie. Uh. Knocking can be a good thing." Emma said as she dismounted and pulled her robe off of the floor.
"Uh yeah." Her dad said as he wrapped the blanket over himself.
"Sorry I had an important question to ask dad."
"You didn't get the satellite phone working yet?" Daniel asked. You could have just called.
"No. Its a project I'm working on. But anyhow dad. Do you know of a television program that has people digging up village greens, and looking for old things. One of the people involved wears ugly sweaters while the other is someone named Phil?"
"Oh yeah. That's a new program on Channel 4. Its only been on a couple of years. Called Time Team. Phil Harding and Mick Aston. Tony Robinson is the host of it. They're these archaeologists.."
"Right thanks. Well I think mom would rather you use that enthusiasm to help finish her off." Hermione said.
Emma laughed, "Uh no offense but next time check to see if we're in the middle of things before just popping in?"
"Yes Miss Emma. Winky will make sure to do so." The pink elf nodded as she took Hermione's hand and popped back out.
"Now where were we?" Emma said resuming her position.
"I think were were somewhere around here." Daniel said beginning to rub his wife's bottom.
"Ah yeah. That's about right."
===xxx
Popping back into the Room Hermione noticed Mundungus and Kreacher were both no longer there but a slightly sweaty Luna was sitting in Harry's lap, still naked.
"Did your dad know?" Harry asked.
"Uh yeah. Hermione said shaking her head.
"Something wrong? Were they alright?" Neville asked quickly.
"Oh they were doing just fine. Very fine." Hermione earnestly said.
"Did you interrupt them in the middle of coitus?" Luna asked to the amusement of everyone else.
"Yes. I did Luna. Now Dad identified the show as Time Team on Channel 4. All we have to do is find them and make contact so we can ask them about the locket." She said.
"Okay. Are we going to do that tonight?" Luna asked.
"Uh maybe. I was considering it." Hermione said. "Only after dinner."
Luna smiled widely, "Oh good then Harry has time to engage in some strenuous debauchery with me."
Hermione and the others chuckled as Lavender said, "See you at dinner guys, assuming either of you can still walk."
"If not Harry can carry me bridal style. After all we will be getting married so our child will be honest." Luna dreamily said as harry picked her up.
As harry and Luna went into another part of the Room the others made their way out.
===xxx
Pettigrew had been sent out to bring them food and several other muggle things the dark lord had required. When he returned Voldemort was admiring herself in the mirror. She had managed to change the clothes to a black corset and white blouse, a dark leather pleated skirt with high leather boots lined with fur completed the outfit.
"Did you get all of the items I sent you after?" She asked haughtily.
"Yes my lord." Pettigrew had learned not to ask any questions, painfully.
"Good. Prepare the food. I will return." She said heading for the master suite.
Pettigrew entered the kitchen and began to cook the meal. By the time he was finished the dark lord had returned wearing the same outfit as before but with coal black hair, black lips and dark blue eye shadow.
"My lord? You look. Different." Pettigrew was confused.
"Do I not look appealing?" she asked twirling in place.
"I believe so sire." Pettigrew replied carefully. Trying to sound as complimentary as possible without being too interested.
"I did not like the red hair of the blood traitors. As we are going to register me as the daughter of Bellatrix Lestrange and Voldemort I felt I should look the part. Refer to me as Corva from henceforth." She commanded sitting to the meal.
"Yes my lord. As you wish." Pettigrew neutrally said.
"Yes. I shall gather a new army. A new group of followers. And we shall return to England as conquerors. As victors." She laughed as Pettigrew grew worried.
Review Responses
OfficerDonNZ: As I've said before sometimes I am nice to the Weasleys and sometimes not. This is one of the times I am not. Molly Weasley will not appear on scene until the final chapters. Although I have to agree that in a story where she is given a chance to show her maternal instinct being on the receiving end of her ire would not be pleasant.
Jadesabrexiv: Neville can control his temper rather well. He's more of the bury it then explode like a nuke then be okay type. Although the table might have been a bit worse for wear. As for Ginny and what will happen there are things that will be popping up as we get moving along here. Thank you. The Manchurian Candidate (The good one with Sinatra and Lansbury not the lame newer one) was sort fo the inspiration for Ron. But with my own twist.
Alaskan Dracolych: Thank you. Van Gelder will get his coming soon. If it goes as well as it does in my head when i write it it should be rather satisfying.
Tjearl22170: Thank you. I'm glad you enjoy. Peace, Prosperity and Goodness to thee as well.