Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything Harry Potter related. They are all owned by J.K. Rowling. I just like to take them out to play.

Chapter Two

Platform 9 and 3/4 was crowded with people: students saying goodbye to their families and greeting their friends excitedly. Harry moved among them quietly, unnoticed, as he observed carefully the interactions of his peers.

Draco would be meeting him on the train, but Harry wanted to use the last few hours of anonymity to his advantage.

He smirked to himself as he ran a hand through his unruly black hair. No one knew what he looked like. They all knew the name Harry Riddle, of course, but Voldemort had been careful to never allow photos to be taken of him. In fact, Harry hadn't really met anyone except a handful of Death Eaters that had come to Riddle Manor and Draco.

He had rarely been let out of his home for ten years. And though Harry partly resented it, he also had known nothing else; it was just his way of life. And honestly, Draco's life wasn't that much different, except that his mum threw parties every once in a while for some of the Ministry officials and their wives.

He boarded the train and glanced into the different cars as he strolled past until he caught sight of the familiar blonde locks of his best friend. He shoved the door open and walked inside. "Draco," he greeted with a nod.

Draco nodded back. "Harry. I'm guessing neither guardian saw you off?"

Harry laughed mirthlessly. "The Dark Lord and our Headmaster? Hardly! Far too busy for the likes of me."

He couldn't keep the bitterness from his voice. Unlike his godfather, he was not very good at hiding his emotions, nor did he really try.

Draco glanced at his friend cautiously. Harry had quite a temper on him and it wasn't hard to set him off. Although all under-age wizards had the trace on them so they couldn't perform magic without getting in trouble, they could still release magic when their emotions were high; and Harry had done so any time he grew angry, so Draco learned to walk on eggshells around him.

"And Victoria wasn't there?" Draco asked hesitantly though he guessed the answer. After all, Victoria had been let go a few days previously. He knew Harry had taken it extremely badly - like someone had sent his mum away, which is basically what had happened.

Harry's eyes narrowed and Draco felt his heart speed up in fear. Had he just set his friend off? Merlin, he hoped not. "No...no she wasn't there. I'll probably never see her again." His voice was cold and hard.

Draco felt sorry for him. He loved his own mum very much, though he tried very hard never to show it because his father would see it as a sign of weakness. He couldn't imagine having his mum just sent away from him.

"I...I'm sorry Harry," he replied hesitantly. But before either boy could say another word a bushy-haired girl stepped into their car.

"Have either of you seen a toad? A boy named Neville's lost one," she informed them with a haughty tone.

Harry smirked and pulled out his wand, twirling lightly in his fingers. He knew that even the Hogwarts Express didn't allow magic, but he wanted to see if the girl was easy to threaten. "No, no toads here, except for you."

Draco laughed and sneered at the girl.

But the girl seemed unmoved. She folded her arms across her chest and stepped into the car. "I look nothing like a toad and we all know it. And you can't do magic here, you'll get in trouble."

Harry's eyes narrowed and he frowned at her. "And who exactly is going to punish me when my father is the Minister?"

The girl's eyes widened in surprise and she couldn't suppress a little gasp. "You're Harry Riddle?"

Harry smirked again, pleased that she looked both impressed and frightened. "Precisely. So I'm not too worried about getting in trouble."

That wasn't quite true. Voldemort expected Harry to follow the laws that he had made and wouldn't hesitate to punish him should he break them. Though perhaps not as harshly as others, it would still be highly unpleasant. But Harry wasn't about to let the girl know that.

"I'm Hermione, by the way. Do you mind if I join you? I don't have a seat yet," Hermione asked hesitantly, her eyes darting between the two boys.

Harry shrugged. "Couldn't care less where you sit."

So Hermione made her way to sit beside Harry. "And you are?" she asked Draco once she had settled.

"Draco Malfoy," he replied haughtily. While his father might not be as impressive as Voldemort, he was still third highest in Britain.

Hermione pulled out one of their text books and opened it, then began reading. Harry and Draco exchanged amused glances.

"Reading already?" Harry asked with a smirk. "We don't even have homework yet!"

Hermione smiled at him and shrugged. "What can I say, I want to get a heads up on everyone."

Harry tilted his head and gazed at her curiously. "Why?"

Hermione straightened her spine and looked at him confidently. "Because unlike the two of you, I don't have important parents. No one cares about me yet. So I need something to give me power and interest in the world. I'm going to be the smartest and best one here."

Again the two boys exchanged glances. Harry was rather impressed by the girl with slightly buck-teeth. "Not bad. A little nerdy, but whatever. What House you going to choose?" he asked with interest. He was thinking maybe Ravenclaw; it seemed to suit her nature. But thankfully for them they could pick their own House.

He couldn't understand why the Headmaster's of old forced kids into Houses; what was the point in that? Shouldn't it be up to them where they went and what path they chose for themselves?

"Slytherin I think," Hermione replied lightly as she turned a page.

Draco and Harry raised their eyebrows at one another. "Slytherin? Are you sure about that?" Draco asked in disbelief.

Hermione looked up at them and nodded. "Yes, quite sure. Oh I'm certain that all the Houses have their fine points, but Slytherin stands out most to me. And if you notice, everyone currently in power came from Slytherin. I want power." She looked at Harry intently for a few moments before returning her attention to her book.

Harry was even more impressed by her now. And he wasn't surprised that she would want to make his acquaintance either. He knew that many of the students would try to use him for his connections; in fact, he was rather looking forward to it.

All three first years fell silent, lost in their own thoughts and world, as the Hogwarts Express sped on to what would be the most important seven years of their lives. None of them realizing that there was far more danger there than they could possibly know.

The hooded figure moved silently through Hogsmeade, flitting from one shadow to the next as it moved toward its final destination - a house on the end of the cobbled street.

It unlocked the door with a whispered spell and stepped inside. The owners of the home were far too trusting - perhaps because they were so near to the famed school - but they hadn't placed any wards on their home. Dangerous for them, as it turned out, but fortuitous for the hooded man.

He walked so quietly it was as though he were hovering over the ground. He had learned the skill of such silence through his years spent in the Irish countryside hunting all manner of creatures, especially magical ones.

He first entered the children's room and cast a heavy sleeping charm on them. The man was cruel but he didn't hurt children. Then he left there and stopped in front of the parent's room.

He slipped inside and found them asleep in their bed. They were on opposite sides of the bed, both pulled as far from the other as possible. They've been fighting, he thought and then dismissed the knowledge. He didn't care.

"Sectumsempra!" he muttered and slashed his wand at the husband. There was a scream and the two adults woke instantly, the man thrashing about in pain as blood began to pour from the hundreds of cuts made on his body at once.

The woman wasted time trying to check on her husband rather than on her immediate surroundings and gave the hooded man time to immobilize her - freezing her so that she could not move but would watch in terror as he tortured her husband.

For hours he made the other man suffer as he begged and pleaded for mercy. Finally the hooded man stopped the pain and froze the man, this time to watch as he proceeded to torture his wife.

Another several hours passed as he made her scream and beg until he drew the last ounce of strength she had left in her. Only then did he let her die. And when she had, he killed the man as well.

Then he took each of their hands and Apparated with their dead bodies back to his home, where he proceeded to add them to his garden of horrors. He smiled as he gazed at his finished product and then turned to look up at Hogwarts, where he knew Severus Snape was sleeping. Soon...very soon, he thought and then went into his home for a much-needed rest.

Severus heard a knock on his door and sighed. "Enter," he commanded as he looked up from the papers on his desk.

Lucius Malfoy strolled into the room looking as arrogant and confident as ever. "Greeting Severus. The Dark Lord has sent me to investigate the disappearances in Hogsmeade. I believe you are to help me."

Severus rose and shook his friend's hand. "Yes, I shall as I have the time; but unfortunately you've come right at the beginning of the busiest season. It takes at least two months for all the students to settle down. Not only that but yesterday my Professor of Potions quit on me; he wouldn't even give me a reason why. So I had to search frantically through the names of applicants from the past year. Only one person stood out so I sent her an owl last night. I'm hoping she will arrive today as classes start tomorrow." He sounded stressed and incredibly unhappy.

Lucius gave him an understanding smile. "I know how much you hate this job. But you are loyal to the Minister and that is all that matters in the end. At least you are greatly rewarded."

Severus nodded his agreement. Voldemort paid him extremely well and the home they shared was far better than what most Headmaster's would have been able to afford. Not to mention the fame and power he held because of his position, both at Hogwarts and abroad.

Severus motioned toward the two armchairs in front of the fireplace. The two men sat opposite one another and Severus summoned a house-elf to bring them glasses of Firewhisky.

"Well," Severus began once they had their glasses in hand, "do you have any idea where to start looking?"

Lucius made a face. "I suppose at the house of the latest victims."

Severus tilted his head curiously. "Victims? How do you know they are victims if they are simply disappearing?"

Lucius smirked and tapped a long, pale finger against his glass. "Because of the amount of blood left behind. There's no doubt that someone is killing these people and then taking their bodies. The question is who and why. And as this person is killing wizards, we know the murderer must be a wizard as well. We certainly can't have that."

Severus agreed and finished his whisky before rising. "Well, I have quite a bit to do before the Sorting ceremony tonight. If you need anything, let me know. I've already prepared quarters for you."

Lucius rose as well and finished his drink before handing it off to a waiting house-elf. "Thank you, Severus. I will keep you informed." Then he left the room, heading for Hogsmeade.

Severus stared after him for a moment before returning to his desk and all the paperwork that needed going over before the students arrived. He hoped his newest Professor would arrive soon as well. He sighed and dropped his head into his hands. Why, oh why, had Voldemort given him this assignment? With a shrug of his shoulders he focused his mind and worked.

A/N: Thank you to everyone reading and following the story so far! Please, please leave some reviews/comments! Thank you!