Chapter 1 : Messenger
'Avada Kedavra.'
A green light burst out of the wooden stick that was pointed towards her. The woman just had time to catch a glimpse of the scene before she dropped on the floor, hit by the lightning force of the spell. Voldemort slid across the threshold, staring at the corpse with satisfaction. As he took another moment to contemplate the lifeless Muggle, Nagini swayed past him to stop the rest of the family from running away. Seconds later, the green light stroke again, leaving all four Muggles dead.
'Massss-ster, the wizard has not been here for a long time. His sss-scent has worn out from this placcccc-ce.' she hissed.
It was true. He himself had not felt the presence of a magical being upon approaching the little house. The man had taken precautions. Yet, it would not be enough for he would find him, and the Elder Wand would be his. He raised his wand once again:
'Appare Vestigium.'
A golden dust spiralled around them and pushed through the door to the outside. He made his way to follow the golden trail, attentive to what the tracking spell would show him. The dust led to a hidden pond behind the house where a tall and shimmering hooded figure was lying a hand on the surface of the water. A slick round shape started to emerge. The hooded figure casually leaned back and was soon facing a fully emerged water snake. The two stared at each other for a while without moving.
Voldemort got closer, hoping to hear what the serpent was saying. Nagini avidly moved forward too, unconsciously mimicking her master. However, the tracking spell could only reveal magical particles, not sounds. Thus, he could not hear what the snake said, nor the type of spell the wizard was casting. The scene lasted for a few more seconds before the serpent returned into the water. Then, the hooded figure stood up and disapparated.
He remained thoughtful and looked around. This could be a trap from the very wizard he was trying to catch. He cast the thought aside with a sneer; Poor Gregorovitch, does he not know Lord Voldemort can speak to snakes? Does he not know he is the most powerful Legilimens the world has ever known? There was no doubt he would discover what the man wanted to hide.
As the shimmering figure had done before him, he laid a hand on the surface of the water, summoning the serpent. To his delight, its head emerged from the pond:
'Who am I speaking to?' it asked him.
'The Dark Lord himself' he replied, not surprised by the rather dry welcome he had received from the pond's host. 'I am seeking the wizard who used to live in this house. His name is Mykew Gregorovitch.'
'Prove to me that you are the wizard you say you are.' This time, the serpent's words surprised him.
'I am speaking to you. How many wizards do you think can do that?' Voldemort smiled.
'Two wizards' it replied sharply.
Harry Potter thought Voldemort. His smile faded. The sole thought of that boy made his wand twitch. This serpent knew something, he was now certain about it.
'I have a message for one of you, and a venomous bite for the other' continued the serpent whose patience seemed to be wearing off faster than that of Voldemort.
Nagini, who had been standing behind her master all this time, appeared in between them:
'Enough little ssss-nake! You will be dead before you attempt that bite.' she threatened.
'Thank you' the serpent replied simply. 'A death threat and your venomous pet was enough to confirm your identity.'
At the word pet, Nagini jumped towards the throat of the water snake. Fortunately, Voldemort had sensed her anger and produced a protective bubble to avoid the collision.
She rose up again, pestering against its smaller counterpart: 'Disss-respectful worm! Repay your arroganccccc-ccce with your life!'
'Not now Nagini. Let our host perform its deed' Voldemort whistled soothingly.
The serpent magically rose up in the air, a few inches above the water level.
'I have a message to deliver to the Dark Lord.' It declared, and then pursued:
'Meet me when the moon is at its fullest
In the hovel your kin lived
And the heirloom replaced.
The last born will await
And at the twelfth strike,
Your heritage shall be passed.'
The night suddenly grew darker and thicker, as if Voldemort's seething rage was channelling the powers of dementors. He glared at the snake:
'And who exactly should I be greeting on that moonful night?'
Nagini was looking at the snake too, eager to hear more about the hooded figure she saw from the tracking spell.
'The message has been delivered.' it replied absentmindedly. Voldemort waited for the snake to say more. But after a silent pause, it started to make his way back into the water.
'You have fulfilled your mission successfully, but I see you won't be giving me what I seek' Voldemort interrupted. And without a warning, he shot an eradication spell to the water snake which disintegrated before it dived back into the water.
The place fell silent. Nagini was still looking at where the water serpent used to be. Then, she departed back towards the Muggle house determined to have some diner.
Someone knows about the Gaunt's ring, Voldemort thought to himself. Someone knows what I was after tonight and where I would be. I have not been careful enough. Do I have a traitor within my ranks? He remained near the pond, thoughtful for some time. In his head, he was already making plans to uncover the identity of the hooded figure. Nagini came back. She was looking replenished and more lethal than before.
'It seems we have another enemy.' Voldemort told her. 'They will never learn'.
He looked up at the moon; only six days before the next full moon. He took Nagini and they disapparated into the night.