The Outlaw

by Tellemicus Sundance

Abundant pride can destroy the world. The wizards neglect their duties, allow dragons to break free of control all across the Earth, destroying cities. Now fear and greed trigger civil wars throughout society. Who can endure in this savage new world?

2. Simmering Aftermath

The Outlaw
By: Tellemicus Sundance
Chapter 2—Simmering Aftermath

June 26, 1996
Wednesday, 9:48pm
Hogwarts, Infirmary

It was an impressive, and slightly intimidating, sight that beheld the students who had the questionable luck of seeing it. Ten Aurors, clad in their proudly robes with their wands at the ready, marched through the halls of Hogwarts. They were following the lead of the furious Minister Fudge as he stormed forth towards his destination. It spoke well of the survival instincts of the various students that they were quick to scramble out of the way as the troupe came into view.

Finally reaching his destination, Fudge glowered angrily as he shoved open the doors and entered the Infirmary. His sudden and noisy arrival instantly drew the attention of the various individuals who were already gathered inside; most of the Weasley family, Professors Sprout and Flitwick, and several other students. Excluding the ones who were standing, the students lying on the beds looked like they'd been through Hell and somehow survived, if just barely. He quickly recognized two of them as being Harry Potter's best friends. The red-haired girl was obviously a Weasley, and he didn't know who the other two were, but those minor details didn't matter in this regard. However there was an all-too-noticeable absence of the student he wanted most.

"Minister, what's the meaning of this?" Madam Pomfrey demanded as she moved from where she had been feeding Ms. Lovegood a potion to confront the men. "What's going on?"

"Where is Potter?" Fudge demanded, practically spitting out the name of the person he most loathed. When he didn't immediately receive a response, he turned to the Weasley boy and yelled, "You! Tell me now!"

Glaring as best he could, Ron didn't answer, knowing that Fudge wouldn't believe him anyway.

"Where is Potter?" Fudge yelled at the room, his face dark red with marginally-suppressed anger.

"Even if we…knew," Neville managed to grunt out, drawing the attention of the rest of the room. "we…wouldn't tell you…Minister." He spoke the final word with a clearly heard mocking tone.

"Very well then." Glaring angrily at the young man, Fudge reached into his cloak and withdrew a rolled up piece of parchment. Holding it out, he read it out in a commanding voice, "By order of the Ministry of Magic; Educational Decree Number Twenty-Nine, students who commit crimes of vandalism, slander, libel, or terrorism against any Ministry-regulated institution or personnel shall be henceforth arrested, tried, and – if found guilty – be sentenced to time in Azkaban. Effective immediately."

Seeing the stunned, scared, and murderous gazes that were coming his way, Fudge barked out, "These children are all under arrest for crimes of breaking and entering into the Ministry of Magic Department of Mysteries, destroying many magical secrets and vital research, aiding in the attempted theft of a highly-classified and protected magical object, and subsequent demolition of the entire Ministry."

Mr. Weasley stood up quickly, moving from where he'd been sitting between his two hospitalized children. "Minister, you can't possibly believe—"

"Stupefy!" one of the Aurors barked, hitting Mr. Weasley squarely in the chest and sending him flying through the air and smashing into the wall behind him. This sudden attack caught many of the people in the room by surprise and Molly was quick to rush to her husband's side.

Not the least bit perturbed, Fudge growled out, "We're taking these criminals in, today and now. Move away or you'll be arrested as well."

"Minister, I must object!" Madam Pomfrey said, not backing down in the least. "These children are all still badly injured and require some time to heal before they can be moved! If you were to move them, their conditions would only deteriorate and they could die!"

In a move that was rather cold and uncharacteristic of Fudge, the man just turned to the gathered Aurors behind him and said, "Bind and Stun them, I want them interrogated as soon as they're brought to the Three Broomsticks. Use Veritaserum if they try to resist or start spouting lies."

"You'll be endangering their lives!" Madam Pomfrey yelled incredulously, her face starting to turn a bright red of anger. "Minister, you can't do this!"

Fudge paused long enough to turn back to Pomfrey, "I already have."

Harry Potter – Reign of Fire – Robin Hood

June 27, 1996
Thursday, 1:42pm
London, 12 Grimmauld Place

LONDON IN ASHES!
-Written by Shane Instone – The Quibbler
June 26, 1996

With loss of the Daily Prophet's main office, we are only now managing to bring you the latest news of what has happened. At shortly before 9pm, 26 June 1996, a dragon suddenly and violently attacked London with no warning. The dragon's brutal attack has burned much of Muggle London down, destroyed Diagon Alley, and collapsed the Ministry of Magic.

Substantial evidence has come to light that last night's dragon attack is the fault of the Muggles. They were digging a tunnel for an extension of their new Underground tube system when they cut their straight into the holding pen of Gringotts Bank. Gringotts has historically and periodically stored dragons within the deeper reaches of the bank, in which to protect the more valuable and influential of safety deposits. However the purchase, training, and use of guard dragons are very expensive endeavors. Given the recent boom in dragon population, they had gotten a newer specimen (a Hebridean Black) to replace their current and very old guardian.

Though it is unknown just how many have been killed, preliminary estimates are that almost a three dozen Witches and Wizards were killed during the incident, with Muggle causalities believed to be well within the thousands. But, as previously stated, the Magical World didn't escape unscathed either. The Ministry of Magic has sustained tremendous structural damage, with Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley being reduced to ashes. Hogsmeade now serves as the temporary headquarters of the Ministry and Alleys until a reconstruction effort can be initiated.

We, of TheQuibbler, shall endeavor to keep you all properly informed as the stories develop…

MOST UNDESIRABLE
THE BOY-WHO-LIVED CAUGHT IN THE ACT!
-Written by Rita Skeeter – The Quibbler
-June 27, 1996

The Boy-Who-Lived has finally shown his true colors. The boy who we have all revered until just recently has been caught in an act of terrorism against the Ministry of Magic. In the same night of the dragon attack that has sent our world in chaos, the boy and several of his followers were sighted entering the Ministry of Magic afterhours. Though what they were after remains a mystery, irrefutable proof has come to light that he had been seeking something in the Department of Mysteries, to which sustained extensive damage prior to the building's collapse.

Had it not been for a small group of honest and highly-respectable Ministry employees who had been working the late shift and noticed his intrusion, it is very likely that the boy would've succeeded in his goals. However, in the ensuring firefight, which resulted in deliberate and catastrophic damage to the building's foundations and structure, the Ministry was completely destroyed. At this time, it is still unknown to the whereabouts of Harry Potter and his companions, or whether they had survived the collapse of the building at all. Recovery efforts are already underway to scour the wreckage for any signs of survivors.

But this reporter cannot help but question the unique events and the timing. How was it that Potter had been able to so easily penetrate as deeply into the Ministry as he did? How was it that this intrusion happened at exactly the same time as the dragon's first appearance and subsequent assault of Diagon Alley? Or the many rioters and looters who ravaged our beloved Alley further? The answer is quite obvious: he had staged this whole affair. Given his headstrong beliefs in his own righteousness and a powerful mental instability in regards to certain subjects of interest, this reporter finds it highly probable that he was in fact the one to cause this unmitigated disaster.

Forty-seven witches and thirty-two wizards dead, nineteen magical shops destroyed and pillaged, the Ministry in ruins, and an as yet undetermined amount of damage done. Yes, Mr. Harry James Potter has many crimes to make amends on. We, formerly of the Daily Prophet, strongly support the Minister's declaration of Harry Potter being elevated to the status of Most Undesirable and we are eager to see this clearly dangerous outlaw be imprisoned in Azkaban for his many crimes against us, the people of the Wizarding World, upon his discovery!

The Minister has instigated a martial law in hopes of rooting out the Undesirable from wherever he may be hiding. Minister Fudge has also begun imposing many new reforms to further aid the Aurors in the hunting and capture of this criminal. We, of the Daily Prophet, strongly urge the citizens of the Wizarding World to report any and all sightings of the Most Undesirable to the nearest Ministry employee immediately.

"So much for Hermione keeping her under control," Harry muttered darkly as he threw the newspaper into the fire.

In the chaos that was left behind following that dragon's rampage, it had taken Harry the rest of the evening and well into the early morning to find his way to 12 Grimmauld Place. During that trek, he had been able to safely deliver the small girl he'd rescued to a police station that had more or less managed to survive complete destruction that had been wrought during the night, state his name and what had happened to her, and promptly left. Because he couldn't Apparate or make Portkeys, as well as being trapped in the heart of Muggle London, alone, he had no way of contacting anyone.

Grimmauld Place was deserted when he finally stumbled into it shortly after the morning sun had risen. But he paid the lack of activity no mind as he dragged himself upstairs and collapsed onto the closest bed he could find. After such an exhausting day, an even more tiring night, several traumatic experiences, and many painful bruises and injuries, he had fallen asleep before his head had even touched the pillow. He was so completely exhausted that he slept throughout the remainder of the day, finally awakening in the early hours of Thursday. Then he spent the next six hours grieving over Sirius' death. If it weren't for his bodily needs, he probably would've remained in that bedroom for the rest of the week. As such, it had taken a surprising amount of willpower for Harry to force himself out of bed, make his way to the bathroom to freshen up, and then head down to the kitchen.

At first, he had tried to use the Floo to reach the Burrow, or even Hogwarts, but the magical connection didn't seem to be working at the moment. It was as he was starting to get frustrated by the lack of success that he had a sudden epiphany. The Floo was probably integrated and controlled by the Ministry. And with the Ministry being little more than rubble…the chances of Harry making contact with anyone at the moment were likely very slim. All he could do was stay here and wait for someone to show up or for an owl to find him. With these bleak thoughts, he went about finding himself a quick lunch to feed his positively ravenous appetite. It was as he was finishing his third bowl of cereal that he noticed the newspaper that had been thrown haphazardly onto the counter in the far side of the kitchen.

Though he frankly shouldn't have been surprised, given what they'd been doing to him for the past year, it still deeply irritated him to realize that the Minister was blaming everything, even the dragon attack (which he'd had no idea was happening!) on him. But what really was getting Harry's hackles raised was the term 'Undesirable'. He may not have heard of that term before, but he felt that it was safe to assume that it ran along the same lines as the Muggle phrase 'Most Wanted'. So he (and likely his friends) was now officially a criminal and an enemy of the state?

Looking away from the burning paper, Harry absentmindedly picked up his empty bowl and moved to the sink to clean it, still lost in his thoughts. Though he could likely understand the possible reasons for it, Harry couldn't understand why no one from the Order had yet shown up at 12 Grimmauld Place. With all the chaos that was taking place in Magical Britain due to the destruction of the Ministry and the magical Alleys, every available employee was likely being pulled into doing overtime as they sought to reestablish order and (hopefully) open the Floo connections again.

A sudden soft pop startled Harry as he spun around to face the source of the noise. Even without his glasses, he was easily able to recognize the person before him. It was Albus Dumbledore himself.

"Professor!" Harry uttered in surprise. He hadn't been sure who might've appeared, but he most certainly hadn't been expecting Dumbledore to do it himself!

"Ah, Harry," Dumbledore said quietly, smiling softly with a gentle twinkle in his eye. "So you did manage to find your way here. It is such a relief to me to know this and it's very fortunate that you are here safe. You're not injured, are you, Harry?"

Shaking his head silently, Harry stared up at the old man with a hesitant gaze. "Professor, where are…how are…"

"Your friends are safe and alive, Harry," the old Professor inserted calmly. "When the Ministry began to collapse and I saw you Disapparate, I and the other Order members there were able to collect your friends and bring them back to Hogwarts. Last I heard, they were resting and healing now. I believe most of them will be fully recovered by the end of today…But first, I believe there's something you're missing. Here you go, my boy."

As he was speaking, he withdrew something from his sleeves and placed it upon Harry's face. It took a mere second for Harry to realize that the old man had just placed a fresh set of glasses upon his face. Harry let out an audible sigh of relief that he hadn't been aware he'd been holding. He could see again and at least his friends had survived; two small bright spots in an otherwise bad day.

"Thank you, sir," he muttered to himself as he leaned heavily against the sink behind him.

After a moment's pause, Harry looked up at Dumbledore, who seemed to be letting him collect his thoughts, and asked, "So what now? Are you here to bring me back to Hogwarts, sir?"

A pained look crossed Dumbledore's face as the eye-twinkle faded. That was answer enough for Harry. Nevertheless, Dumbledore responded to the question as he beckoned the boy to sit down at the kitchen table. "Unfortunately, I cannot permit you to return to school just yet, Harry. In case you're unaware, Minister Fudge has declared you a criminal and ordered all Aurors and Ministry employees to hunt you down once the recovery and reconstruction efforts have been properly planned and initiated. They will be watching Hogwarts closely in the event that you do attempt to return."

Nodding slowly as the gravity of the situation began to take hold of him, he said, "But since the end of term is only three days away, it doesn't really matter that I'd miss a couple of days. Will it, Professor? Oh, what about my stuff?"

Without a word, Dumbledore reached into a pocket of his robe and extracted a small box. Only after he'd laid it on the floor in front of Harry, did the boy realize that it was school trunk, miniaturized. With a muttered incantation, Dumbledore unshrunk the trunk and received a grateful nod from Harry. "Thank you, sir… "But what about—?"

"I believe your owl is currently making her way here as we speak," Dumbledore interrupted softly, a knowing sparkle in his eye as he watched Harry visibly sag in relief. After only a split-second, the tension returned full-force as the boy turned his gaze back upon his mentor.

"If can't go to Hogwarts, where will I go now? Back to the Dursleys?" He made no attempt to keep the venom and dislike out of his voice as he uttered that final statement.

"Unfortunately, no," Professor Dumbledore said quietly, his voice and expression strictly neutral. That answer immediately drew Harry's attention. "You probably aren't aware of the sheer magnitude of the damage inflicted upon Diagon Alley and London, are you, Harry?"

"I did read a little bit of what happened in a few newspapers, but nothing specific was mentioned, sir," Harry said quietly. "But I did see a lot of…strange damage and a very big explosion when I was coming here the other night."

Nodding at that statement, Dumbledore sighed wearily, "That explosion you had seen was the wand shop of Ollivander's being destroyed when the dragon hit it." Harry couldn't help but gawk at that statement. "The power of the explosion seems to have had an unforeseen effect upon London. It triggered many fires all across the city and much of the suburbs. Though no Muggles seem to have been killed by the magical explosion, there is extensive collateral damage to countless buildings and property… Your relative's home has been burnt down as well and I have yet to be able to locate them."

"They probably fled the country…if they're still alive," Harry couldn't help muttering under his breath as he sent a blank, stupefied stare at the man. The Dursleys' home was gone? They picture-perfect house, the perfectly trimmed lawn, the tidy front garden, and everything that they'd ever prided themselves on because it was – right to very definition of the word – ordinary. All of it was gone in a single magical explosion? For some reason that he couldn't understand, this knowledge caused a strange twisting knot to form inside him.

"Hm, perhaps they did," Dumbledore responded to Harry's whispered statement. "Then I shall likely have to look a bit more abroad than I have been. In the meantime, we have no choice to keep you safely here until things calm down."

Returning his attention to the Headmaster, Harry's dumbfounded confusion was quickly turning to anger as his brain registered and understood the implications of just what the Professor had said. "Why? Why do I have to go back to the Dursleys at all?"

Dumbledore returned his attention to Harry, his eyes boring down into the boy's unwavering and angry gaze. With a heavy sigh of resignation, Dumbledore said, "Harry, I do believe it is past time that I shared with you some information that I probably should've a long time ago. Starting with the prophecy that Voldemort was after the other night."

Harry Potter – Reign of Fire – Robin Hood

Thursday, 6:14pm
London, 12 Grimmauld Place

Harry had never been one to lose control of his emotions, unless it was under some very serious conditions or distress. After Dumbledore had explained to him the reasons behind the fiasco and the death of his godfather that had tormented Harry, what the secret of the prophecy had been, why he hadn't been told before, why he had to keep going back to the Dursleys, and what the situation of his current status was…well, Harry had reduced most of everything that he could get his hands on in the kitchen to debris in his violent need to break something tangible. Once he had calmed down enough to 'accept' the truth of Dumbledore's words and think about the possible and likely outcomes of his newly-revealed fate, he had promptly walked away to sulk in his bedroom. He wasn't sure whether Dumbledore was still there or not, but he wouldn't have been surprised either way.

So, he had to either kill Voldemort or be killed. Why he had to always return to the Dursleys was because his mother's blood in Aunt Petunia's veins would help to reinforce the protection Lily had died to give him from Voldemort. And Sirius had been killed due to his own laziness in practicing Occlumency, which allowed him to be tricked by an illusion of Lord Voldemort and the lies of Sirius' repulsive and disloyal house-elf Kreacher. And it was that last part that was really gnawing on his conscious: Sirius was dead. If it didn't go against his nature, Harry would've sought out Kreacher and strangled the little demon with his own two hands.

He tried everything he could to put the sad truth out of his mind, but his very presence inside the place that his godfather once lived made it all the more improbable. The knowledge that he was inside his godfather's house, the memories he had of the man inside the said house, and the cold reality of knowing that those shared times together would never be repeated caused Harry to remain in a state of depression scarcely above contemplating suicide. As far as he was concerned, it should've been himself who'd been killed by Bellatrix and not his godfather. It would've been a fair trade wouldn't it? Give the man who'd been ripped from his prime a chance to live the remainder of his life in relative happiness in exchange for the life a teenager who was now likely going to be hunted for the rest of days until his eventual (highly probable) death at the hands of the Dark Lord.

At this point, Harry would've gladly given almost everything he owned to have been able to leave the house that felt like such a prison. But he couldn't even do that, again according to Dumbledore. Apparently with the Dursley home destroyed and the family missing, his mother's protection and the blood wards would be null and void until he returned to them for a short time. And during this time of weakness, he was wide open to attack from all sides, particularly the Ministry and Death Eaters. And until the Dursleys were found, he had no choice but to remain hidden in the ancestral Black family house because not even the Burrow had all the protections and enchantments that the Grimmauld Place had. His status as the most wanted outlaw in all of Magical Britain certainly didn't help matters much either.

Sighing in resignation, Harry climbed to his feet and moved out of the bedroom. He needed something to do in the dark, depressing house. But because of the very nature of the house, his choices of entertainment were strictly limited to whatever lay in his old Hogwarts trunk. He couldn't even do magic on extremely strict orders of Dumbledore, who'd explained to him about the Trace that all underage wizards had.

If he used his wand for magic, no matter what the reason, the Ministry would know almost exactly his approximate whereabouts. At the very least, they'd find the road that 12 Grimmauld Place was located on and they'd keep the area under observation until he eventually showed himself. And although he still possessed his Invisibility Cloak, under the graces of Dumbledore, he had no real desire of venturing into Muggle London due to the risk of being spotted by a passing wizard.

Moving down into the kitchen again, Harry found himself not overly surprised to see that all that he'd broken and destroyed had been repaired, likely by Dumbledore or, however unlikely, Kreacher. But he paid that no mind as he moved to where the unopened school trunk was lying. Kicking it open, Harry rifled through his things.

Despite his depressed funk, Harry couldn't help but smile in gratitude as he realized something interesting. Professor Dumbledore had apparently expanded the interior of the trunk and filled it with all of Harry's personal belongings, which included his many school supplies, clothing, Quidditch supplies, and his other various knick-knacks that he held onto for sentimental value. He wanted, no needed, to find something that would take his mind off of his problems.

And then, he found them, stashed away in the midst of his other school books. Six new additions to his collection of books, all of them were old, heavily worn, several had their spines bent in places, multiple loose pages protruded past the faded covers, and most of the covers' corners were nicked and bruised. The book that he was currently examining was titled 'Advanced Potion-Making' by Libatius Borage.

"Where did this come from?" he asked himself as he opened the cover. As he opened the cover, he quickly noticed a piece of newer parchment that was lying between the cover and the first page. Picking it out, it read,

'Dear Harry,

With what's happening in Diagon Alley and the Ministry, I felt it prudent to supply you with a spare set of old copies of your next year's school books that the Professors had on hand. Please remember to not attempt to cast any spells until after we've managed to clear up the problems with the Ministry.

Professor Dumbledore'

Despite his still slightly lingering resentment towards the Headmaster, he couldn't help but chuckle softly for a moment in appreciation. If what he'd read in The Quibbler was actually accurate for once, then students purchasing new school supplies would be very hard-pressed to acquire anything, most especially their textbooks with the burning of Flourish and Blotts. For the Headmaster to have gone out of his way like this…it was a much-needed boost to his day for Harry.

Curiously, Harry slid the note aside and took a set at the kitchen table to read his newest Potion book. He may not have passed his Potions O.W.L. to allow him to become an Auror, but what else did he have to do with his time today? Upon opening to the page of the first potion, he immediately lost whatever good feelings he managed to dredge up.

Whoever the previous owner had been had scribbled all over the pages, so that the margins were as black as the printed portions. Flipping quickly through the pages, he saw that there was barely a page on which the previous owner had not made additional notes, and not all of them concerned with potion-making either. Here and there were directions for what looked like spells that the person had made up him or herself. As he was flipping towards the back, he noticed something scribbled along the bottom of the back cover in the same small, cramped handwriting as the rest of the instructions.

This is the Property of the Half-Blood Prince.

Shrugging his shoulders, Harry flipped back to a random page and came upon the 'Calming Potion'. After reading the notations (both the official and the Prince's versions) of what the potion could do if used properly, Harry set about finding the ingredients. If nothing else, maybe brewing a Calming Potion would help him ease his pain of losing Sirius for the moment. Plus, he couldn't help but be curious on whether this 'Prince's alterations would work in comparison to what the official instructions were.

In his focus on solving this 'mystery', Harry failed to notice an owl arrive and drop off a rolled up newspaper. In big, bold black letters that filled up the entirety of the top portion of the newspaper was an ominous title.

DRAGON CONTAINMENT PRESERVES FAIL! DRAGONS ON THE LOOSE!
INTERNATIONAL CONFEDERATION OF WIZARDS SCRAMBLE!

Harry Potter – Reign of Fire – Robin Hood

June 30, 1996
Sunday, 6:38am
Malfoy Manor, Library

While the Wizarding World was contemplating how to locate and detain the youngest and most villainous outlaw in their history, Harry Potter, Lord Voldemort was clenching his teeth in frustration as he stared at the blueprints to Hogwarts Castle. He was in the personal library of Lucius Malfoy; one of the few places in the Pureblood's home where he could expect to be (mostly) free of molestation of the many incompetents under his banner, excluding a select few.

Setting the castle's ancient designs to the side, he leaned back in the chair he sat in with a heavy sigh. Despite what many of his minions may have thought, Voldemort was far from thrilled over the recent turn of events. He may have failed to acquire the prophecy, killing either Dumbledore or Potter. Lucius may have succeeded in placing the Minister under the Imperius, ensuring his cooperation and unknowing loyalty to their cause. Lucius and several of the other noble Purebloods had also blackmailed several important Wizengamot members and Ministry officials. With the wondrous luck of having the dragon attack to stir up so much chaos and confusion, Voldemort and the Death Eaters now had the Minister exactly where they wanted it. They could soon move into the open without having to face a Ministry that would galvanize the Wizarding world against their cause.

Had that one dragon attack against London have been the end of it, Voldemort would've been rejoicing in their near-victory along with his minions. But it was the recent and unexpected escape of the dragons from their preserves that caused him great concern, easily dampening his celebratory mood. Though the fear and destruction that the dragons could cause would be helpful beyond measure to Voldemort's short-term plans, they were a definite hindrance to the long-term. If they couldn't be dealt with, and soon, his plans for world domination and purification would never reach beyond the shores of Great Britain. Perhaps he might've been able to take hold and purify Ireland as well, but that was being more optimistic than Voldemort was really ready to accept.

That was the biggest variable in his scheme, and had him the most concerned as well. But there were other ones, more immediate that he needed to deal with before he could turn his attention more abroad. The most imminent concern was the assassinations or persuasions of specific Wizengamot members who supported or tolerated the presences of Mudbloods and Half-Bloods in their society.

Bones would soon be dead, and it was important to neutralize Dumbledore and Potter as much as possible. Granted, he already had the Minister labeling Potter as an Undesirable, warranted his immediate arrest and sentencing to Azkaban. And though the Minister had more or less removed Dumbledore from Hogwarts, it made the elderly wizard all the more dangerous because he was no longer restricted to watching over the school and could now take a more active role against the Death Eaters and Voldemort. And finally, Potter's whereabouts were currently unknown.

The second most important goal he had was trying to figure out the most efficient means of breaching Hogwarts and laying a trap to exterminate Dumbledore when he eventually returned to the school. Snape's continuing position as a professor in the school was an invaluable asset, making him a truly irreplaceable pawn in his game. But Voldemort had some high hopes for his next generation of Death Eaters, specifically the Malfoy heir who was scheduled to receive the Dark Mark in a few short weeks. The boy may have only been marginally more powerful than the common wizard, but he was quite talented in his own right. And while he didn't possess the wisdom to fully think his decisions through or the self-restraint to hold his tongue when it was necessary, the boy did possess a respectably good head on his shoulders when compared to his classmates. With him inside Hogwarts aiding Snape from behind the scenes, he could be just the wild card the Death Eaters needed.

Snape's news that Potter had disappeared during the dragon attack on London was both good and bad for their cause. On the one hand, it was now impossible to launch a strike against the boy at Hogwarts. On the other, he was no longer under Dumbledore's direct protection. Voldemort didn't know if Potter had survived or where he may be hiding. He was clearly in some kind of safe house of Dumbledore's, but he just couldn't figure out where. He had tried entering the boy's still largely unprotected mind, but found that the boy had confined himself to filthy, dark room and was grieving over the loss of his godfather. As much as he enjoyed the boy's misery, he just couldn't stand being in the boy's mind for more than a few minutes.

That war was approaching rapidly. But with Fudge, and the Ministry by extension, now in his pocket, with the assassinations, all that would remain of the resistance was Dumbledore's little group and their icon, Potter. Hopefully, once they finally killed both of them, the back of the resistance would be broken before it could truly organize and then Voldemort could truly turn his attention to the more pressing matter of exterminating the dragons before they removed any chance he had at his long-term goals.

Soon, he thought with some relief, soon we will be ready.

---

(AUTHOR'S NOTE) Well, there you have it. Voldemort's immediate plans for the future.

You know, this is something I never quite understood in canon. If Lucius was so close to Fudge in canon, why didn't he put the imbecile under the Imperius sooner? Then they wouldn't have needed to go through the hassle of assassinating the next Minister in order to put their own puppet on the throne, so to speak? This way has seriously cut back on a lot of time for Voldemort.

And now with Harry as a wanted criminal, unable to do magic thanks to the Trace, and separated from his friends, the odds are HEAVILY stacked against him. If anyone's got any suggestions or ideas for what could/should happen in the near-future, please don't hesitate to voice them. Granted, I may not use them if they're contradictory to what I've got planned.