Chapter Thirty-Six: Horcrux Hunts and Misdirection

Raiden managed to get through the first few months fairly well, even though the times Dumbledore left school made him nervous. He knew that the Headmaster would be searching for the Horcruxes, and didn't know how far Dumbledore had gone in discovering them. It was during this time that he came up with his plan.

Hurrying up to the Owlery after Transfiguration one afternoon, he sent Salazar off with a letter to Lucius, with instructions to forward it to Voldemort. The letter said,

Dear Master

Dumbledore is still searching for your hidden possessions and has made more progress in locating them. I hope they are well guarded. I was thinking that in order to throw him off the trail, we ought to reveal my existence. Not the fact that I am HP, just the fact that you have a student known as Lord Raiden. This will make him panic as he thinks that once the Horcruxes are gone then destroying you will be easy. If a student exists then the threat of the Dark Side will be harder to get rid of.

Yours sincerely

Raiden

Salazar flew off into the darkening sky as Raiden made his way down to the Great Hall, hoping to study before dinner. The letter had been sealed so only Voldemort could open it. None of his friends called him Raiden around any other people that didn't know about his true allegiances. They all called him Harry or Veneficus.

A week later a reply came to him via the Malfoy eagle owl. The bird delivered the letter at breakfast and Raiden glanced at it. Seeing his master's writing, Raiden tucked the letter into his bag, wanting to read it out of sight of prying eyes. Swallowing the last of his breakfast he headed for Arithmancy, where he once again came top in the day's work. This earned him no points with Daphne who was doing her best to beat him and not succeeding. Not even a hug could sooth the irate witch and Raiden found his offer of tutoring rejected with a testicle shrinking hex.

"Arrgh, Daphne did you have to do that?" he complained when he realized what the hex did.

Daphne smirked and replied, "Yes. What's the matter Harry; don't you know how to reverse it?"

Raiden glared at his girlfriend and hissed "No I don't. What the hell am I supposed to do? The counter curse isn't in any of the standard healing spells that we have access too!"

Daphne merely grinned unrepentantly and replied, "Well you'll just have to go to Madam Pomfrey then won't you." She laughed and headed back to the common room, leaving Raiden to nurse his wounded ego and think about the embarrassing situation he was in.

After going to all his classes and trying to discover the counter curse on his own, he swallowed his pride and asked Professor Snape for help. He found his Head of House in the Defence against the Dark Arts office, grading papers.

"Mr Potter this is unexpected. What are you so upset about?" Snape asked. His eyebrows rose into his hairline and a smile threatened to break out when Raiden haltingly explained his predicament, clearly embarrassed.

"I see," Snape said neutrally, fighting to keep from laughing. Daphne really was creative in her retaliation which Snape liked. "You'll have to go to Madam Pomfrey I'm afraid, I'm not about to start messing with those type of spells. Why, the wrong counter could render you sterile."

Wide and shocked green eyes met Snape's before Raiden turned and left the office. Deciding to skip dinner he walked determinedly up to the hospital wing. He'd rather suffer the embarrassment of telling the medi-witch what had happened, than risk his ability to have children later on.

Madam Pomfrey was very sympathetic. "It's a favorite target for young witches to go for when attempting to humiliate their male classmates I'm afraid" she said as she got Raiden comfortable. "The cure is a counter curse but it's a complicated one. Just lie back and I'll fix you up as fast as possible."

Raiden looked rather nervously at the medi-witch when she asked him to take off his trousers and underwear. Pomfrey smiled when she noticed this and assured him that she'd seen everything before and he had nothing to worry about. This reassured Raiden somewhat but he was still annoyed that his girlfriend had caused him to suffer this humiliation.

One spell later and Raiden was restored to full health. His face was still red as he put his underwear and trousers back on. Quietly thanking Madam Pomfrey he left, heading down to the kitchens for some food. The house elves were more than happy to give him food and after eating his fill Raiden headed back to the common room.

"All fixed?" Daphne asked innocently when she spotted him. Raiden glared at her and snarled, "Yes no thanks to you. Don't do that again otherwise you might find yourself in trouble."

He then turned and made his way to the dormitory, still fuming over what Daphne had done to him. He knew it was meant to be a joke but he couldn't see the joke part of it. Angry, he grabbed his homework and lay on his bed to do it, not acknowledging the others as they came in. Draco knew enough to leave his brother alone, Raiden would get over this with time, but Blaise tried talking to the furious Dark Lord in training. Bad mistake. He found himself heading for the hospital wing after Raiden tossed a nasty curse at him that swapped his arms and legs. Walking on one's hands was not as easy as it seemed, Blaise discovered.

Daphne saw his predicament and swallowed hard before deciding that she'd let her boyfriend cool down before making up with him again. It had been meant as a joke, but she'd forgotten that wizards were notoriously sensitive about having that part of their anatomy tampered with. Settling down with her homework she finished most of it quickly before glaring at the Arithmancy equations.

Looking at the door to the boys' dorm room she sighed. Getting up and taking her work with her she knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" came Raiden's distinctly grumpy voice. Daphne swallowed.

"It's Daphne. I'm really really sorry Harry, I won't do it again. I need your help with the homework."

There was silence for a few minutes before the door swung open silently and smoothly. Daphne entered cautiously. Raiden was equally skilled in magic with or without his wand and indeed wouldn't have bothered with using his wand for any spells from first year up to and including fifth year level were it not for the need to hide his ability in wandless magic. He still used his wand for learning new spells but once he was able to satisfactorily cast the spells wandlessly he barely used it again.

He was developing into a very powerful wizard and when he came into his full power on his seventeenth birthday he would easily be Voldemort's equal in terms of raw power. At that point, the only thing that both Voldemort and Dumbledore would have over him was experience. Neither of the older wizards had much skill with wandless magic though so that would be Raiden's advantage over them in any duel. Voldemort sometimes liked to tease him by calling him Lord Vader to which Raiden merely responded by calling him Emperor.

"You have a problem with the homework" Raiden stated neutrally. His expression gave no clue as to his feelings. Daphne nodded and approached the bed where Raiden was lying on his stomach. His own work was piled neatly on the bedside table, as he'd finished it earlier. Draco took one look at the situation and quietly left, seeing that the two needed time alone.

"I am sorry Harry" Daphne apologised again. Raiden looked at her and then smirked slightly. He pulled her towards him and then down onto the bed where he rolled on top of her and pinned her down.

"I know. The question is, what am I going to do about it?" he said, his tone indicating that he was teasing her. Daphne noticed their positions and promptly tried to squirm free. Raiden easily blocked that attempt but got off her anyway, changing position so that they were lying side by side.

"Now, what's giving you trouble? It's a simple multi layered equation with links between the layers, we did this earlier in the week." Daphne lay there and listened while Raiden made her problem with Arithmancy magically disappear. She looked at the workings on the parchment and then kissed him, getting up to go and copy it out neatly in the common room.

Moments later a shriek of "HARRY POTTER!" echoed through the Slytherin House as Daphne spotted his revenge for the prank she'd played on him. Her hair had been turned blue and was now very bushy and stiff as well. It looked like she'd been introduced to muggle food coloring before being electrocuted and then having extra-hold gel plastered liberally in the result.

Daphne came storming back in, in a fury. "Turn it back!" she hissed.

Raiden lounged on his bed and shook his head. "No can do love. You forced me to go to Madam Pomfrey so it's only fair that you have to do the same. After this we call a truce though, and go back to our nice comfortable relationship OK?"

Daphne grudgingly nodded and cast a glamour charm on her hair to hide what had been done to it. Raiden didn't mind this, after all his problem had been covered up so it was fair that Daphne be allowed the same privilege.

When she'd gone to the infirmary, Raiden finally opened the letter that had been burning a hole in his bag all day. It went as follows.

Dear Raiden

I quite agree with your plan. It is bothersome that Dumbledore is still searching but don't worry, all my other possessions are well guarded. One of them, the one that currently resides around your neck was even replaced by a fake so I wish Dumbledore all the luck in the world with his searching. As for announcing your existence, there will be a meeting in two days time. I will send you a Portkey which will allow you to attend the meeting, please be dressed in your Avenger robes, and I will give Severus instructions to inform Dumbledore of your existence immediately afterwards. Hopefully that will throw him for a loop.

Keep up with your studies, you're doing very well so far and go visit the basilisk at some point. I'm sure she'd appreciate your animagus form.

I will speak with you further at Christmas, regarding the Veil and how we are going to retrieve your godfather from it.

Sincerely

Emperor Voldemort

Raiden chuckled as he wandlessly incinerated the letter, gathering the ashes in a small container that he absently transfigured from a hanky nearby, again without touching his wand. Having the ability to do most of his magic wandlessly was a real thrill, the rest of the Avengers had given up on it after a few months but he had continued. It was fun, and exciting to be able to just concentrate and will something to happen and it did. Raiden liked the Star Wars films but didn't think of them in relation to his situation very often. It only really came up in the plan to humiliate and crush Dumbledore. No, the reason he liked wandless magic was that it was so very convenient and handy for him to use.

'It's a shame I have to hide it for another year or so though' he thought to himself as he rolled over. Seeing that it was almost time for bed he absently summoned his pyjamas and then used a switching spell to change into them without leaving the bed. Unfortunately he had to get up in order to brush his teeth but he was back in bed soon enough. Just before he went to sleep he noticed the door opening and someone that was distinctly female entered.

He raised his eyebrows when Daphne slid into the bed beside him but only wrapped his arms tightly round her as they slipped into sleep. The last thing he heard that night was "Sleep well Harry."

Accordingly, two days later, Raiden was at the Death Eater meeting which included every marked Death Eater. An illusion representing him had been left in his bed, charmed so it would act like him were anyone to get too nosy. As the meeting was being held at night, they shouldn't as they would all be asleep.

Most of the meeting was boring until Voldemort announced his plan. "Severus, I want you to inform Dumbledore of Lord Raiden's existence. Tell him that I have an apprentice and what his name is, but say nothing else. If pressed, say that he was robed and masked all the time and that none of you have any idea of what he looks like."

As Severus nodded, one of the younger Death Eaters spoke up. "Why is he your apprentice my Lord? He doesn't look very powerful."

All the older Death Eaters winced and Voldemort gestured for Raiden to step forward. "Deal with him" the Dark Lord ordered. Raiden nodded and smiled behind his mask. Raising his gloved hand, Raiden slowly closed it into a fist, using wandless magic to make the Death Eater choke. In a scarily accurate imitation of Darth Vader he hissed coldly, "I find your lack of faith disturbing."

Voldemort was laughing inwardly; it looked like Raiden had found a way to deal with problem Death Eaters without resorting to Unforgivables. He would have to see if Raiden could duplicate the magical lightning attack he'd used with Bellatrix, which would be an even greater deterrent. Seeing that the Death Eater that had so unwisely questioned his apprentice's power was about to pass out from lack of air he intervened.

"That's enough Lord Raiden. As incompetent as he is, I do need him." He added in Parseltongue You really have been watching too much Star Wars.

Raiden looked at him and then replied smoothly, "As you wish Master" before dropping the Death Eater roughly on the ground. "I can do a lot more than that if you seriously annoy me" he growled before retreating to stand just behind and to the side of Voldemort's throne.

Lucius and Severus were smirking as the meeting ended. Raiden and Voldemort had introduced the two of them to the Star Wars films, as Voldemort had become quite a fan of Palpatine. They had appreciated Raiden's little demonstration and were quite willing to bet that no Death Eater would want to piss off their young Lord now.

Raiden himself was being portkeyed back to Hogwarts, into the Chamber of Secrets which was where he'd portkeyed out. The Chamber had a passage from the Slytherin dorms which he used to return to his bedroom. Draco was still fast asleep, and Raiden slid into bed, grateful to close his eyes. He was happy though, because he'd finally found a way to keep the Death Eaters off his back without resorting to the Unforgivables.

In the meantime, Snape had run up to Dumbledore's office. The Headmaster was still awake, having been waiting for his report. He paled upon hearing the news.

"Voldemort has an apprentice? Are you sure Severus?"

Snape nodded. "Yes Headmaster. He didn't say much, but he did show an impressive command of wandless magic when one of the Death Eaters questioned his right to be the Dark Lord's apprentice."

At Dumbledore's raised eyebrows, Snape smirked. "He used wandless magic to choke the Death Eater until he was almost unconscious and implied that he'd do worse if any of the others ever questioned his right to be there again."

Dumbledore looked pale and even a bit sick. "What is his name Severus, and do you know his age?" he asked. Snape smirked; here was his chance to clear Raiden of all suspicion from Dumbledore.

"The Dark Lord called him Lord Raiden, what his real name is I don't know. As for his age, when he spoke he sounded like he was between eighteen and twenty."

Dumbledore nodded and dismissed Snape, before sitting back in his chair. He wouldn't get much sleep that night, worried over how to get rid of this new threat.

'If this apprentice isn't destroyed before Harry kills Voldemort then the Wizarding World is in big trouble' he thought.