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Betaread by Snuggle the muggle and johnnydicaprio. Thanks ladies. And a happy belated Women's Day to all.

So Close, So Far Away

It was hot.

"It's bloody hot!" complained Sirius.

It was very hot.

"We are in the desert," said Remus. Sirius sneered at him.

The Sahara Desert was very hot. Being summer, it was especially, blisteringly hot. Sirius was not pleased. "I think this may a situation where cooling charms are useful, guys," mused Harry, who was waving his wand over himself as he walked ahead of them. The two Marauders took his advice and did the same while Bill and Harry shared a smirk.

They walked toward the main tent of Bill's assigned camp. Though the actual location had changed in the weeks since he'd left for England, it was the same collection of wizards and goblins Bill had left at the end of July. As they strolled down the makeshift path between an assemblage of khaki colored magical tents, small groups of curse-breakers and their goblin supervisors could be seen through half-open flaps. Some were talking, but the rest seemed to be doing their best to stay cool by keeping as still as possible.

When they approached a large, gleaming pure white tent that was noticeably bigger than the others, Bill stopped and turned to them. "Okay, guys. This is Stonenick's tent. He's the head goblin for the camp. He has no sense of humor, so please just..." Remus and Sirius were nodding already while Harry just grinned deviously. Bill sighed and shook his head forlornly. "Just don't talk. Or move."

The foursome entered the tent, with Bill leading the way. Without warning, Bill came to a sudden halt. Harry stepped to his side, but Remus stopped right behind him, causing Sirius, who had been glancing around the interior of the tent, to walk into the werewolf's back.

"Sirius!" Remus hissed.

"Why'd you stop?"

Bill would have chastised them for immediately disregarding his instructions, but he was too distracted by the gleam in his mentor's eyes. Rockspear stood to the side of Stonenick, who was seated in a plush armchair sized for a goblin. The feral grin on the goblin's face terrified the novice curse-breaker. Stonenick remained expressionless as his gaze shifted to each of the newcomers.

"Mr. Weasley," began the head goblin. "You have brought guests. Rockspear informed me when he received your letter that you would be bringing three wizards with you."

"Yes I have, Stonenick," Bill stepped to the side and motioned for his friends to come forward. They did so and looked toward the goblin, waiting for him to speak. Harry was the only one adhering to proper protocol, standing stiffly with his hands clasped in front of him and staring at a point in space just above and behind Stonenick. Remus shifted his weight from foot to foot, staring between the two goblins. Sirius nodded to the goblins and then looked to Bill, who was trying not to wince. He hadn't expected a formal greeting and hadn't thought to instruct the others on proper behavior. The expression on Rockspear's face was also worrisome.

After several moments of intense scrutiny from the head goblin, Stonenick stood and nodded. "Proceed, Mr. Weasley."

Rockspear waited until the older goblin had exited the room for his personal quarters before chuckling. "Well done, William. At least one of your friends is familiar with goblin greetings. Interesting that it would be one who is so young."

Harry relaxed his posture and unclasped his hands as he grinned at Rockspear. "You are Rockspear? Bill has spoken well of you."

"I am, indeed, boy. William, you have brought a recently-freed convict, a werewolf and the most famous child in the wizarding world. May I ask what exactly the situation is that has brought the four of you here?" Remus stared at the goblin open-mouthed. "Yes, Mr. Lupin," said Rockspear in response to his look. "The goblins are well aware of your affliction. Believe me when I say it matters not to us." The statement effectively shocked Remus into closing his mouth. A hint of a smile played across Bill's face as Sirius snickered at his friend.

Harry stepped forward and bowed, preparing to address Rockspear. Before he could open his mouth, however, the goblin began laughing. "Surely William has spoken to you of my disdain for traditional customs. You need not treat me any differently than you would a wizard while we are not in the presence of Stonenick or any other senior goblin."

At this point, Bill was smiling widely. It was now Sirius' turn to gape at the goblin. "Mr. Black, I assure you, I feel no ill-will toward your family for their past misdeeds. As most of them are dead or incarcerated, their past does not affect our present."

Sirius only nodded and turned to Remus. The two stared at each other for a moment, eyebrows raised, before returning their attention to the others. As Rockspear closed the gap between himself and Harry, Bill knew what his mentor was planning to do and stifled an unmanly giggle.

Harry watched the goblin approach him and began to tense up before Rockspear held out his hand for a traditional handshake. "Are you kidding me?" blurted Sirius, causing Remus to groan and the others to shoot amused glances his way.


It was September 1st. In a few hours, the Hogwarts Express would be pulling into Hogsmeade and hundreds of students would ride the thestral-drawn carriages or magically propelled boats to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In any other situation, this would be one of the happiest moments of Albus Dumbledore's year. However, as he sat at the head of the last staff meeting of the summer before the students would arrive, he was severely distressed. He did not let his concern show, lest his possessed Defense Against the Dark Arts professor discover that Albus was aware of the situation.

"Albus," said Minerva McGonagall. "Are you quite all right?"

Albus realized he had been lost in thought and straightened himself in his seat. "I am fine, Minerva. Thank you. Is everything prepared for the feast this evening?"

She nodded, though continued to eye him curiously. "Yes. I spoke with Hagrid earlier this afternoon. He's prepared the boats and fed the thestrals." At this, her mouth pursed in distaste.

"Excellent," responded Albus. "Does anyone else have any pressing needs or questions?" The other professors, including Quirinus Quirrell, shook their heads. When Albus looked to him, the younger man's left eye twitched a bit. A false appearance of concern crossed Albus' face. "Quirinus, are you certain you will be able to attend the feast? Poppy can prepare some potions for you, if you wish."

The turbaned man shook his head jerkily and stuttered out a response. "N-no th-th-thank you professor. I'll b-be fine. Just f-fine." A sickly smile followed his answer and Albus held in a sigh. He'd known as soon as the new Defense professor had arrived wearing the purple turban that Voldemort had possessed him. Harry had said it would happen when the faculty were informed that the Philosopher's Stone would be held at Hogwarts for the year, and as usual, he was correct. Nicholas Flamel and his wife were on a tour of the Muggle world and knew some of his suspicions. After insisting that he would return the stone within a month, Nicholas had shaken his hand and agreed.

"If things do not work out as you wish, do not worry about us, young man. Pernelle and I have lived long, happy lives. After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure. And trust me when I say this, both of us have had many years to organize our minds for this eventuality."

Albus had grimaced at the time, remembering Harry's Pensieve memory of himself saying the exact same phrase. He had learned many things from the much older man, but parroting Nicholas was not something he did often.

He had answered the fatalistic alchemist. "My friend, you will not be leaving us anytime soon. The world will need you in the near future, and I intend on making sure you and your lovely wife will be available."

Nicholas had laughed. "Ah, Albus. Always manipulating those of us who are too noble for our own good. Pernelle and I will be on the continent until the end of November. Owl us if you need anything."

Shaking himself out of his memories, Albus stood and realized he was alone in the staff room with Minerva. She looked at him with a squint to her eyes.

"Albus, are you certain you're all right? Do you need to speak to Poppy?" her eyes narrowed further as the edge of her mouth turned down, forming a scowl. "Or Severus?"

He laughed. "No, Minerva. I will be perfectly fine. I have just been...lost in my thoughts recently. Much has happened this summer."

She nodded. "Indeed. I still cannot believe Sirius Black was forced to endure Azkaban for so many years without a trial."

Albus nodded solemnly. "It is one of my greatest regrets. I was convinced that he was the Potter's secret keeper. So much so that I did not push the Ministry as much as I perhaps should have. Many things have been brought to my attention in the past few months, and I must admit I have begun to feel my years. I have made mistakes, Minerva. Many mistakes, and the consequences may be disastrous."

Minerva walked to his side and clasped his arm in her firm grip. "Don't dwell on the past, Albus. Learn from it, and try not to make the same errors in the future. That's the best any of us can do. You're a great wizard, and a great man, but even you can make mistakes." Albus agreed with her, but chuckled on the inside. The mistakes of the future were the ones he was trying to prevent.


"Perkins!" shouted Arthur Weasley. He was in his new office, which was still quite bare as he had only relocated the previous day. Several crates of personal items and files from his old department were stacked haphazardly around the room.

"What!?" The answering shout was distant.

Arthur stepped to the door of his office and shouted again. "Where are you!?"

"In my office!"

"Come to the main office! I don't know where yours is!"

Almost a minute passed before Perkins stepped into the large, empty room that would soon contain several dozen witches and wizards. The Department of Muggle Relations was going to be the second largest department in the Ministry, close behind the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Many of the duties of both departments would be shared, such as responding to accidental magic and Muggle baiting, but the DMLE would soon be focusing solely on purely magical situations.

The short, older wizard strolled up to his boss and grinned widely. "I can't believe this, Arthur. My office is almost as big as the Minister's. Merlin! Is this real?"

"It's amazing, isn't it? I couldn't believe it when Amelia told me. Meeting the Muggle Prime Minister made it real enough, though. Care to have some lunch before we head out?"

"Head out?" asked Perkins.

"Yep. I'm introducing you to him. I explained that if I was ever unavailable that he would be speaking to you, and he wanted to meet you."

Perkins gulped, then gave a strained grin. "All right. I suppose I can understand that."

Arthur smiled and slapped the older man on the shoulder. "Wonderful! I can't wait to show you his office. There's so many Muggle things, and he knows about a lot of them. Used to be in the Muggle army. He worked with e-lec-tron-ics."

The pride in his voice as he slowly, but correctly, sounded out the Muggle word was palpable. As the redhead turned to lead the way out of the office, Perkins shook his head fondly. This was certainly going to be a fascinating change.


"This is certainly interesting," said Rockspear with a frown as he scratched his chin. The five of them sat quietly around a table. Remus looked concerned that sharing the truth with the goblin might not have been a good idea.

"It's pretty difficult to believe," stated Harry.

Rockspear shook his head. "No, that is not what concerns me."

"Are you worried about the effects to the timeline?" asked Bill.

The goblin scoffed. "Hardly. If what you say is true, Mr. Potter here has already split our own universe off into a new timeline."

Harry shot Remus a victorious look as the older man perked up a bit, then scowled when he caught Harry's eye. Rockspear continued. "No, what concerns me is your 'Tom Riddle,' as you insist on calling him.

Harry sighed. "That's his name. Voldemort is an anagram."

"Yes, yes. But the persona of Voldemort is much more dangerous than Tom Riddle. It would not be wise to underestimate him by lessening your opinion of his power, based on a name."

Harry sat and pondered this for a moment, and there was silence at the table. Eventually, Rockspear resumed his questioning. "In your universe, Mr. Potter, you apparently had experience with goblins."

Harry nodded, but Bill decided to tackle the delicate topic that they knew would come up. "Harry was the Ministry's top liaison to the goblins. He and a friend of his, along with the Minister at the time, finally repealed most of the laws restricting goblins in the wizarding world."

Rockspear began to stroke his chin again. Harry noticed that the spindly pointed fingers kept passing over a faded scar that stretched from the goblins ear to the bottom of his chin. "I take that to mean we did not side with Voldemort in your timeline?" he inquired.

"The goblins remained neutral," responded Harry in a flat voice.

The goblin moved slightly. If he had been human, he would have reclined into his seat, thoughtfully. "You wish us to ally ourselves with you in this timeline," he stated.

Harry snorted and mimicked the goblin. "Hardly." At this unexpected response, Rockspear grinned toothily. It was not the malicious, bitter grin that most humans were familiar with, and it startled Remus and Sirius. Harry and Bill merely grinned back just as savagely.

"You truly are an interesting wizard, Mr. Potter."

"Please, Rockspear. Call me Harry."

"And you may call me Rock. William seems to prefer to shorten the name of every goblin he meets." He turned to Remus and Sirius. "You two should also use my unofficial nickname. As Harry has trusted you enough to impart this extremely valuable information, I should, at the least, allow that much informality."

The two Marauders stared for a moment before grinning sheepishly and nodding in agreement.

"So, what is it you want from me, Harry?" asked Rock as he snapped his fingers. A bottle of firewhiskey appeared, along with four glasses. A single butterbeer stood in front of Harry, who glared at it for a moment before answering.

"We need a favor," he responded as he picked up the butterbeer, trying not to look like a pouting child.

"I see."

Bill rejoined the conversation. "We're not asking you, or any goblins, to pick sides. There are some things we're willing to offer in exchange."

"Such as?"

Remus spoke for the first time since they had entered Rock's tent. "Full rights for goblins as citizens in the wizarding world. The Ministry would recognize Gringotts as an independent entity and allow several seats on the Wizengamot to be reserved for goblin elders."

As Bill concurred with that statement, Sirius shook his head in disbelief and drained his glass of firewhiskey. He then refilled his glass.

"That's an impressive offer, Remus. Do you speak for the Minister?"

Remus shook his head as Bill pulled out a single piece of parchment from his robes and laid it on the table. "He doesn't," said the redhead. "But I do."

"As do I," said Harry.

Rock grinned. He then began to chuckle, and proceeded to fall into a fit of full-blown laughter. The sight stunned Remus and caused Sirius to take a large gulp of his newly topped off glass.

"You are full of surprises, William. And Harry, I am certain that you would not be able to claim such a right if you were not involved in the recent disruption in the Ministry."

The grin Harry responded with was not as intimidating as the goblin's, but for a ten year old boy it was quite impressive. "I may have had something to do with it."

Rock was still shaking a bit with mirth. "Excellent. So Madame Bones is aware of the situation. Is there anyone else other than the four of you, the Minister and Albus Dumbledore?"

"No one else," said Harry. "It's just the seven of us at the moment."

"You intend to add to the list."

"Yes, we have a plan."

"You should not plan based on the past, Harry," said the goblin. "Planning the future of this timeline based on your original universe will be certain to bring unpleasant surprises."

"That's why we've come to you," agreed Harry.

Rock took a small sip of his firewhiskey and closed his eyes briefly. "Who else do you foresee speaking with about this matter?"

"For certain?" asked Harry. Rock bowed his head in confirmation. "Well, there's the seven of us. I'd like to keep the group as small as possible unless we have to."

"If things do not go according to your plan, who else would you trust with this information?"

The four of them had not given the idea much consideration and shared several bashful glances at being caught out. Sirius grimaced and finished his drink. He reached for the bottle once again before Remus snatched it away from him with a look.

"Well," Harry hesitated. "Bill, I think your dad would be one."

"It would probably be a good thing to have another department head to work with, especially with how much influence Amelia is planning on giving him," agreed Remus.

"That's going to be an awkward conversation," said Bill.

"Moody," said Harry.

"'Mad-eye' Moody?" asked Bill.

"Yeah. I don't know of anyone that hates Death Eaters more than him."

"Okay. I can see that," said Bill. He rubbed the back of his neck in thought. "Anyone else in my family?"

"Not right now. Maybe the twins in a few years. Ron when he's older."

"How about McGonagall?" inserted Remus.

Harry laughed. "Sure. I think we'll let Albus be the one to explain it to her, though."

Rock interrupted. "May I ask, have you spoken to the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement? Rufus Scrimgeour?"

Harry shook his head. "I don't trust him."

"Is there anyone is that department who you would trust?" asked the goblin.

Remus responded. "Kingsley Shacklebolt is the new head Auror. What do you think, Harry?"

Harry let out a non-committal noise and stared into space for a moment before answering. "We can sound him out. I'm not sure what his feelings are at this point."

"You knew him for over fifteen years," said Remus. "Did you trust him in your universe?"

"Yes..." Harry grudgingly replied.

"Well, he can't be all that different. Plus, he can help us with Crouch without making a fuss in the Minister's office."

"Bartemius Crouch?" asked Rock.

"Junior," responded Remus. "His father has been hiding him and controlling him using the Imperious Curse for almost ten years now."

The goblin's face took on a predatory gleam as he turned to Bill. "How many Death Eaters are currently employed by the Ministry?"

"Probably around twenty to thirty," he responded. "We're not totally sure."

Harry expanded on the answer. "My memories of the Ministry are limited to what I knew as a child, Rock. In fact, at this point in my old universe, I wasn't even aware magic existed."

Rock's eyes widened slightly, but he said nothing more.

"Speaking of Death Eaters..." Bill looked expectantly at Harry.

"No."

"You said you trusted him," countered Bill.

"No."

"Who?" asked Remus.

"Who do you think?" said Harry. "Of all the Death Eaters, which one do you think I'd consider... No," finished Harry, making a cutting motion with his hand.

Bill grinned. "What about Tonks?"

Sirius finally entered the conversation. "Nymphadora Tonks?"

Bill and Harry nodded. Remus looked down and began to blush.

"Moony?" questioned Sirius, tilting his head to meet his friend's eyes. The werewolf remained pink as he realized Sirius' cousin was just starting her seventh year at Hogwarts.

Sirius stood up shakily and struck out suddenly with his hand, only to grab the bottle of firewhiskey and walk out of the tent wordlessly. Remus and Harry shared a look and, with mumbled apologies, followed Sirius outside.

Rock waited until he were sure they would not be interrupted before speaking. "If you will agree, I believe informing Ragnok of this situation would be beneficial."

The human sitting across from him went wide-eyed for a second before calming himself with a sip from his glass. "How so?"

"You have asked me, or the goblins, if I am not mistaken, for a favor. I imagine if Harry is as familiar with goblins as he claims, he would not make such a request lightly. Of course the secrecy spell I am under would require Harry's permission to share this information with Ragnok, but I believe you should consider it."

Taking a breath and holding it for a moment, Bill exhaled sharply before staring into Rock's inky eyes. "Do you know what a Horcrux is?"

The goblin jerked in surprise before reclaiming his usual calm expression. "Yes," he answered simply.

"Riddle, or Voldemort, created six Horcruxes. One of them is in the Lestrange vault at Gringotts in London. In Harry's universe, he and two of his friends broke in and acquired it with the help of a fugitive goblin on the run from Death Eaters."

"And what of the other five?" asked Rock, choosing to ignore the unlikeliness of someone breaking into one of the deepest levels of Gringotts.

"We've destroyed three of them. One is in the possession of Lucius Malfoy, the other is in the vault," said Bill.

"And the sixth?" Rock asked with a hint of barely noticeable dread.

"It's Harry."

"Hmm," responded Rock. "This is certainly very interesting."


The Welcoming Feast had just ended. The prefects were leading the first years to their new houses while the other students made their way to their dormitories. Albus was walking with his Potions professor in tow.

"Whoppers," said the headmaster to the gargoyle. It slid aside, revealing the staircase that led to his office.

Once inside, Severus Snape looked around. He hadn't been there since the end of last term, and immediately noticed many of the unidentifiable magical devices that had littered the shelves were no longer present. The sound of Albus clearing his throat focused his attention.

"Severus, I feel the need to apologize to you."

Snape raised an eyebrow, but otherwise showed no reaction.

"It has been brought to my attention that I occasionally make requests that may be...difficult to fulfill. I would like to apologize to you for insisting you continue to pay penance for your time in the service of Lord Voldemort."

During the apology, Snape's eyebrow had returned to it's normal position. The Potion Master's expression remained impassive as he spoke. "There is no need to apologize, Headmaster. Is there anything else?"

Albus smiled sadly at the younger man. "Indeed, Severus. Please stay in the dungeons and away from Quirrell this evening. I will explain in the morning, but at the moment it is of the utmost importance that you specifically keep your distance."

The dour man grimaced slightly and nodded once before turning to the door and exiting the office. Albus sighed and unwrapped a Rolo, tossing it in his mouth as he considered his plan for the evening. Convincing Quirrell to come with him alone to the chamber where the Philosopher's Stone was hidden within the Mirror of Erised would not be a challenge. The problem would be what was to follow.

After completing some paperwork, which often sat untouched for minutes at a time as Albus contemplated his plan, he noted the time and rose from his chair. He made his way to the Defense professor's private quarters and announced his presence to the painting on the door. The portrait nodded and vanished for a moment before Quirrell emerged, fiddling with his turban.

"How m-may I help you, A-Albus?"

"Quirinus, I have been ruminating on the defenses the faculty has placed on the Stone. I believe you mentioned several curses and protective spells you are familiar with that we chose not to utilize?"

"Yes I d-did, Albus."

"Excellent," Albus beamed. "Would you please accompany me down into the chamber so that we may add some additional protections?"

"C-certainly," stuttered Quirrell, his eyes wide in shock. Albus could almost feel the anticipation in the air. He guessed it was not from the weak-willed professor.

They made their way to the third floor corridor in silence. The few half-hearted attempts at conversation Albus had made were tempered by the knowledge that Voldemort was within feet of him. It was unnerving. As he conjured a flute to play a soft tune, they both watched Fluffy huff once from each head before falling asleep. When he turned to Quirrell, the man had a nervous grin on his face that was so insincere that Albus wanted to lash out at him.

They continued on, canceling the traps quickly. Albus had full control over all of them except the troll Quirrell himself had placed in the room following the flying keys. When they reached the troll, Quirrell cast an impressively strong Confundus charm and they moved on without incident. When they reached the entrance to the chamber that held the Stone, Albus turned to his companion and smiled falsely as he waved his wand, banishing the flames.

He stepped into the room and spotted the Mirror of Erised against the wall. Quirrell followed him and stopped, eyeing the mirror. "Quirinus, have you put any thought into what defenses would be strongest? said Albus.

"Y-y-yes, I have," he stuttered, staring at the mirror. "What is that?" The stutter seemed to have gone.

"That is the Mirror of Erised."

"Is the Stone hidden in the mirror?" The stutter was most definitely absent.

With Quirrell completely focused on the mirror, Albus surreptitiously drew his wand and held it at his side. "No, Tom. It is not. And you will never know where I have hidden it."

He had expected Quirrell to turn, either in fear of being discovered or in surprise. Instead, he did not move at all. Standing still as if petrified, the possessed Defense professor and the Headmaster merely waited for what they knew would happen.

"Let me speak with him," hissed a voice that caused Albus to wince internally. He had truly hoped this day would never come.

"But Master, you are not strong eno-" he was silenced by a curse so strong the air sizzled as it flew toward him from Albus' wand. Quirrell dropped to his knees just in time, Voldemort's control of his body was too powerful to disobey. Rolling over to release his wand hand, he conjured a wall of cement and surrounded himself with it as it grew thicker. Albus fired several spells at the wall, but only managed to gouge holes in it that were quickly filled in as the wall expanded.

"Now, now, Albus. Is that any way to treat a former student?" hissed the same voice. They were ensconced within the cement walls, but the words echoed around the chamber.

"I cannot allow you to have the Philosopher's Stone, Tom," replied Albus as he cast several wards around the room as well as a few containment spells and hexes Bill had shared with him.

"That's some interesting magic, old man." Albus could hear the faint mutterings of Quirrell whenever Voldemort spoke, but it would cut out whenever he quieted. "Do you really think you can contain me?" A maniacal chuckle echoed around the room, and even when Voldemort's taunting ceased, Albus could still hear it bouncing along the walls of the chamber.

"It matters not, Tom," replied Albus when the noise had subsided. "Your followers no longer serve you. Quirinus, if you can hear me, you do not have to obey him. You are not lost."

A strangled scream was the only response, followed quickly by the crackling of magical energy that made Albus hold his wand with both hands in preparation for whatever was going to happen next.

Another second went by before a roar reverberated throughout the chamber, shattering the mirror and causing cracks in the walls from floor to ceiling. Chunks of stone fell to the ground, breaking into pieces as they struck the floor. Albus watched as the cement block that Voldemort had hidden himself within fractured with thousands of tiny fissures.

A moment of calm followed. The only sound was the quiet clinking of small pieces of the ceiling falling to the ground. Albus stood on guard, unmoving. The cement block Voldemort had surrounded himself with suddenly exploded outward. Thousands of broken pieces of it flew through the air so fast that the air sizzled. They stuck the wall with an uncountable number of claps that ran together, the noise level putting a strain on Albus' ears. His conjured stone shield held up for a moment, but ricochets from behind slashed at his body, tearing through his robes.

As the debris settled and the shield he had conjured dissolved, Albus looked with dawning horror at the sight before him. Quirrell's head was turned at an unnatural angle so that Voldemort's face, attached to the back of his skull, was facing the headmaster with a repulsive leer. The professor was obviously dead, and his Master was controlling the corpse with dark magic Albus had read about as being possible, but never practiced.

"Tom, you cannot possibly hope to win this. You will never have the Stone. It is too well protected."

"Do not use that filthy Muggle name, Albus," the voice seemed to be wavering in strength.

"You have no followers. No one will help you. No one can help you."

Quirrell's arm rose and the wand in the dead wizard's hand pointed directly at Albus. "Avada Kedavra!"

Albus dove away as soon as the first syllable was uttered and transfigured as much of the debris as he could into sharp steel blades. With a flick of his wand, they went speeding toward the body of Quirrell. Voldemort made no effort to avoid them and Quirrell was struck until even less of his robes remained than Albus'. With cuts all over his body, the face of Voldemort merely grinned and looked down at several blades sticking out of the body he inhabited.

"Do you truly believe you can stop me? I am Lord Voldemort!"

"You are a shadow of your formal self, Tom Riddle. I am afraid you have been since before I ever met you in that orphanage."

"Ah, Albus. But that orphanage made me what I am today. That place, along with a bit of help from you, created the greatest wizard the world has ever known!" The body of Quirrell was beginning to stumble. Albus knew that Voldemort's magic was weakening. It was time to finish this.

When he pulled out the opaque vial of Harry's blood, the shadowy eyes of Voldemort widened for an instant before he scowled.

"Tom," stated Albus. "It is over." He threw the vial toward Quirrell and his wand shot forward, blasting it into a spray of glass and moisture. When it struck a bemused Voldemort, his expression changed to one of agony. The scream was so thunderous that when Albus tried to cast a silencing charm, the magical backlash knocked him to the ground.

Stumbling to his feet, Albus watched dispassionately as the body of Quirinus Quirrell quickly dissolved. The specter of Voldemort rose and quickly floated to the door, where a quick glow from one of the wards pushed it back to the center of the room. Enraged, it flew from ceiling to floor, trying several points in the wall as it moved, without any change.

In a rage, Voldemort sped toward Albus. The headmaster dodged as the specter flew past him, and tried to cast a containment charm at it. It struck, and other than a slight wavering appearance, as if it were underwater by a few inches, it seemed undamaged and continued to approach him.

Firing one last spell to conjure an iron plated, solid cage to surround the specter, Albus gasped as Voldemort flew straight through it. The last thing Albus saw before he collapsed were the hate-filled, glowing, red eyes of Tom Riddle.


A/N - So, a cliffhanger, huh? How 'bout that? So my new beta, StM as I shall refer to her in A/N's, mentioned some of you may be confused by QQ showing up the year before Harry's first year - and this is assuming that you all realize it's the year before PS. But you knew that, because you're smart. Just like me.

Anyway, there's an essay on the lexicon about Quirrell and his time abroad that leads me to believe he did not go to Albania the year before Harry attended Hogwarts. If you go to the A-Z listing on the front page of the lexicon, it's under 'Q' for Quirrell as 'Quirrell's Leave of Absence.' Check it out. It's what I'm basing this part of the story on, if you're confused.

So...yeah! Good stuff, and don't forget to review. You guys are awesome.

Oh, and I have a new story up. Check out my profile page. It's called 'Loyalty Redefined.' Don't worry, this story is still my priority. My profile also has the artists and song names that I borrowed for my chapter titles. This chapter is a bit of a doozy. Kinda obscure compared to the others.