Chapter Six

Voldemort stood near the window, basking in the sunlight. It'd been so long since he'd been able to feel anything. The warmth of the sun on his skin was exquisite. He let his head fall back, eyes closing in pleasure. In the distance, he could hear the chirping of birds and the bubbling sound of the black lake.

His senses had not been this sharp before. Everything seemed tuned to a higher pitch. He felt alive and so full of energy he could take on the world. How could he have ever thought living as a spirit was preferable to this? Turning to a mirror, he gazed at his young face. He looked as his dark hair and eyes. It wasn't near as handsome as his old face, but it wasn't like he'd cared about his looks anyway. Aeval's voice in his head brought him out of his thoughts.

"Are you done reveling in your new body yet?"

Voldemort scowled at his reflection. He watched his pale face twitch in the mirror. It was going to take some getting used to seeing that face reflected back at him. He spoke to his reflection. "Have you ever been without a body?"

His eyes widened as the reflection in the mirror shifted. Within seconds, the face of Aeval stared at him out of the mirror. When she spoke, the lips of the reflection moved, but he heard her voice in his head.

"No, but I can imagine how good it must feel to be alive again. Remember, you still have a job to do. Kill the boy, and I'll make sure you are restored to your own body."

Voldemort glared at the queen of Faerie. "I keep my promises."

"Good, remember you also promised to bring me the philosophers stone."

"Yes, but that is going to be difficult. Nicholas is not going to let it out of his sight, not after the price he paid to create it."

Aeval's blue eyes gleamed. "Imagine how dear Parenelle would feel if she knew what he did to finish his greatest creation. Think of the chaos you could create with just one little letter."

Voldemort grimaced. Aeval loved chaos and pain a little too much for his liking. True, he had killed and tortured, but he took no pleasure in it. Aeval on the other hand loved causing humans pain and misery, like their race didn't have enough to deal with as it was. Something moved in the shadows of the room behind him. He didn't dare to turn his head. He had to wrap this up. If Aeval noticed that movement, it could mean trouble. True, she couldn't directly interfere with mortal affairs, but he had no doubt she had agents watching him.

"I'll need to give them a reason to move the stone, but we'll have to make sure it is the real one. I imagine this isn't the first time someone tried to steal it."

"Actually, our attempt will be the seventh," Aeval said smugly. Her expression turned hard. She stared at Voldemort, her pointed teeth bared. "And ours better be successful."

"I'll do what I can, but I must be careful. We can't afford for Dumbledore to know Quirrell is really me."

"Keep me posted," Aeval said. Her image slowly faded from the mirror leaving Voldemort staring at his own reflection. What had he gotten himself into? He turned around and looked at Oberon's ghost floating in the air behind him.

"I was unaware that you could enter the material world."

"I didn't know I could either, but you don't know until you try. I'm still bound to the world between worlds, but I can make trips here for short visits."

"And you are still trying to talk me into betraying your ex-wife, aren't you?"

Oberon shrugged. "I don't think there is any point in that. You will do what you will do and nothing I say is going to stop you. I want to make a deal with you."

"A deal?" Voldemort said raising an eyebrow. "What sort of deal?"

"I can help you get Nicholas to move the philosopher's stone, but in return, I want you to leave Harry alone. No harm must come to him."

"You offer very little," Voldemort said dismissively.

"Think about it," Oberon said earnestly. "If I can get Nicholas to move the stone, it will be time and resources you do not have to expend doing so. Instead, you can gather your strength and prepare to breach the defenses Dumbledore will no doubt use to guard it."

"Your offer is tempting, but I have given my word to Aeval. Lord Oberon, I have sacrificed any purity and honor I may have once had in my quest to protect the wizards. I don't have many morals left. My word is the only thing of value I have. What you ask is a violation of who I am. I am sorry your son must die. I truly am, but it has to be done. Rest assured that his death will not be in vain. It will aid in my return and prevent the slaughter of the Wizarding race."

Oberon stared at him. "Perhaps there is some good left in you after all," he said quietly. "Remember Tom Riddle, while you are alive, it is never too late to change." Before Voldemort could respond, Oberon had vanished.

Turning, he stared out the window. "It is too late for me,' he whispered running a hand down his smooth cheek. "There can be no redemption or forgiveness for the things I've done."

XXX

"I don't see why I have to go," Ginny grumbled. "I won't be starting Hogwarts for another year. Can't I just stay and learn magic. Harry and I still have so much to practice."

"Like snogging," Fred said waggling his eyebrows. "Come Gin-Gin, we know that's what you really want to do. You don't want to practice magic at all."

"Shut up," Ginny snapped feeling her face heat up.

The floo flared behind them and Harry tumbled out. "I hate floo travel," he grumbled climbing to his feet."

Fred grinned. "Talk of the devil."

"Did you miss me Fred?" Harry quipped.

"Nope," George interrupted, "but Gin-Gin did."

"Shut up," Ginny said again.

"Enough," Molly snapped. "Hello Harry dear. How are you this morning? Do you have your money for school supplies?"

Harry nodded. "Yes Mrs. Weasley, I've got it here," he tapped his pocket. As he did, Ron, Ginny's youngest brother scowled at him.

"Must be nice to have enough to buy new stuff," he said just loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Enough Ron!" Molly shouted. "Right then, now that everyone is here, let's go."

As they all lined up at the fireplace, Harry allowed his mind to drift to the youngest Weasley brother.

He'd always gotten along fairly well with most of Ginny's brothers, but Ron was an enigma. He could be funny and playful sometimes, but he was easily angered and had a jealous streak that caused him to resent anyone that did better than him at anything. Harry knew that this was due to low self-esteem, but that didn't make it any easier to deal with.

For this reason, Harry had never been very close to him. He never actively avoided him and he would play games of quidditch or Wizards chess with him, but he never went out of his way to befriend him. He was brought out of his thoughts by a touch on his shoulder.

"Your turn Harry," Ginny said holding out the pot of Floo powder.

"Oh joy," Harry grumbled causing Ginny to giggle.

Harry took a pinch of the powder and threw it into the fire. As the flames turned emerald green, he stepped into the fire. The flames felt like a warm breath on his skin. "Diagon Alley," He called.

His stomach dropped as he began to spin. With a whoosh, he vanished from the Weasley's living room.

XXX

A strong hand grabbed Harry's shoulder preventing him from falling flat on his face.

"Careful," said Tom the bartender of the leaky cauldron with a toothless grin. "Floo travel isn't your cup of tea is it, Mr. Evans."

Harry smiled shyly. "Thanks Tom."

Tom nodded before going back to his bar. Harry stepped aside just in time to see Ginny come shooting out of the flames. She grinned at him, wiping soot off her dress.

"Tom catch you again?"

Harry blushed.

Ginny giggled. "It's amazing that someone that is so shore-footed they can walk through snow without leaving a print can't help but fall flat on his face when traveling by floo."

Before Harry could answer, Molly came bustling up to them. "Ginny, good you're here. Come on, Gringotts is our first stop."

Harry and Ginny followed her out the back door of the small pub and approached a seemingly blank brick wall. "Stand back," Molly warned

Approaching the wall, she tapped a certain number of bricks with her wand. The brick wall flowed like water shifting into an iron arch that towered above them.

'Diagon Alley,' had been etched into the metal. Harry followed the others onto the cobblestone streets beyond the arch. He glanced over his shoulder just in time to see the arch melt back into a brick wall.

"I wonder if it's really a brick wall or some kind of glamour,' he said quietly.

Ginny looked back at the wall as they walked down the street. "I bet it's really a wall and is transfigured into the archway to Diagon alley. If it was a glamour, you'd be able to fall through it wouldn't you?"

"Good point," Harry said. He looked up as they approached the steps of Gringots. The goblin guarding the doors was glaring out at the crowd, a slight sneer twisting up the corners of his pale lips. Was it just his imagination, or had the goblin's hand tightened on his ax just slightly?

He turned to Mrs. Weasley. "I think I'll wait out here. You know we don't keep our money in Gringots, so there's no reason for me to go inside."

Mrs. Weasley frowned slightly before catching the eye of the goblin guarding the doors.

"That might be for the best, dear."

Ginny looked at her Mother. "I'll wait out here with him."

"Of course you will," Fred said grinning at the two while puckering his lips.

"That's enough Fred," Mrs. Weasley snapped.

Fred looked down at the ground sheepishly. "Sorry Mum."

Mrs. Weasley turned back to Harry and Ginny. "We'll be back as soon as we can."

Harry and Ginny watched as the others mounted the steps to Gringots. The goblin stepped aside so they could enter the bank. Once the doors had closed, Ginny turned to Harry.

"Do you think the goblins will ever forgive you?"

"Maybe eventually," Harry said with a shrug. "It's just a good thing we don't keep anything in Gringots."

"Has your Mother said anything else about you going to Hogwarts?"

"I have elemental magics,' Harry said. "I can also perform some minor glamour."

"That's impressive for an eleven year old."

"Yeah, but I'm not human. I have no idea how I compare to other elves or shifters in regards to magical skill. Mum still had her old wand, but I haven't had any luck at all focusing magic through it. Without the ability to use a wand, I see no way I can go to Hogwarts."

Before Ginny could respond, a high pitched voice spoke from behind them."

"Well if it isn't the half-breed."

Harry turned to see a pudgy boy standing behind them. His brown hair was slicked fast to his head and his blue eyes stared at Harry with disgust. Seeing that he had their full attention, he continued.

"How does it feel knowing that you are the cause of the breaking of the treaty between the wizards and the fae?"

"The treaty is not broken, Longbottom."

"It is kind of hard to enforce a treaty when some of the participants are locked in their own realm."

"I had nothing to do with that," Harry said calmly. This boy was trying to force him to react to his words. If he acted, that would imply that his words had some sort of truth to them. He had to stay calm.

"What do you want Longbottom," Harry said icily.

"Show the defeater of Voldemort some respect," Neville snapped.

"If anyone defeated Voldemort, it was your Father. Your prancing around taking credit for his sacrifice is a dishonor to his memory."

Neville's fists clenched. "You leave my Father out of this."

"Why? You brought mine up. Why shouldn't I talk about yours? My Father died to protect me same as yours did. We should be honoring their sacrifice and the sacrifice of all those that died in the war, not prancing around like peacocks."

Neville scowled. "The difference is that mine died to stop Voldemort. Yours died to lock all the fae away."

Harry took a step forward. "My Father did what he had to do to insure mine and my Mothers safety."

"And damned the Wizarding world in the process,' Neville snapped.

A large beefy man stepped up to the arguing boys. "That is quite enough of that," he said with a thick Scottish brogue. He glared at Harry. "How dare you pick on the savior of the Wizarding world like that?"

Harry bowed his head, keeping his tone as respectful as possible. "I meant no offense sir," he said. "I was merely pointing out that he should honor his Fathers sacrifice instead of taking credit for something he had no control over."

"How would you know he had no control over what happened," a scrawny woman dressed in a torn dress and extremely high heels said from the back of the crowd. "What? Did being part elf give you some sort of wisdom that we mere mortals don't possess? Get out of here and leave the Boy-Who-Lived alone why don't you? You're just a half-breed that doesn't know his place."

"Your people were happy enough to accept the help of even half-fae not so long ago."

"Yeah," the woman said shrilly, "but that was before your Daddy closed all the gates wasn't it? We've all been waiting you see. We've wanted to see what you're really like and now we know. Weren't satisfied with being the reason your own Father died were you? You had to pick on the Boy-Who-Lived about his Father's noble sacrifice."

"It was clear to Harry that he wasn't going to win this argument. He glanced at Ginny and was surprised to see her trembling with barely suppressed rage. Just before the situation could escalate, Harry felt someone gently take hold of his arm.

"Come on," Lily said. "I've let Molly know that you're with me. We'll get your school supplies and get back home."

"Yeah," the scrawny woman howled. "Run back to your Mummy."

Lily glared at the woman. Her jaws lengthened slightly and her eyes turned amber. "That's it. One more word out of you, whore, and I'll rip your diseased head off your shoulders."

The woman stepped back, flushing in anger. "How dare you," she spluttered. "I'm not a whore."

Lily tapped her nose. "My nose says otherwise. I can smell the leavings of other men on your body. What's the matter?" she snarled her voice growing deeper with every word. "It's not so fun when you're not tearing down an eleven year old anymore, is it?" She glared out at the crowd that'd gathered who all suddenly looked a lot less sure of themselves.

"Remember," she said raising her voice so everyone could hear. "The gates are closed now, but they will not remain so. My son will grow up and take back our homeland. I suggest you remember that when you all try to gang up on him like a pack of jackals."

Spinning away, she gently guided Harry and Ginny down the alley away from the crowd.

XXX

As they went from shop to shop, Harry couldn't help but notice the glares of the shopkeepers. It was clear they'd heard what'd happened on the steps of Gringots.

Exiting Flourish and blots, Harry turned to his Mother. "I'm not so sure I should start Hogwarts this year."

Lily glanced at him, but said nothing.

"It's clear that I will have no friends at Hogwarts. If I'm going to try and acclimate myself to Wizarding society, I'd rather have someone I can trust guiding me." He glanced at Ginny. "I need someone I can trust guarding my back just in case someone tries to stick a knife in it."

Lily looked down at the books he was carrying. "That's why I didn't let you pick up a Defense against the dark arts book. I thought you might want to wait and start with Ginny. We'll talk to Dumbledore and see what he says. I don't think he'll disagree. After all, you'll just be starting a little later. I'll use that time to extend your knowledge of elven magic."

"I thought most fae magic consisted of Elemental and light or shadow manipulation?"

"It does, but there are branches I haven't shown you yet." Lily said with a mysterious smile. "Now come on, we need to try and get you a wand."

XXX

Ollivander scratched his head, a perplexed expression on his face. "I just don't understand it," he said almost plaintively. "I've never failed to find a wand for a wizard." He glared at the towering stack of boxes as if they'd insulted his Mother.

Lily patted him on the shoulder. "It's alright, Ollivander," she said soothingly. "I didn't think you'd be able to find him a wand. He has elven blood after all and elves don't carry wands."

Ollivander sighed before turning to Ginny. "Alright then, you next my dear?"

Ginny opened her mouth to say she wasn't starting Hogwarts for another year, but Lily spoke before she could.

"Yes, I think that is appropriate."

Ollivander gave Ginny a piercing look, his silvery eyes seeming to gaze into her very soul. He strode purposefully to the back of his shop and lifted a long dusty box from a high shelf.

"Most complicated wand I ever made," he said returning to the front of the shop. "For the seventh child and the only daughter born to the Weasley clan for generations, it is only proper we begin with the most unique wand I have."

He lifted the lid of the box revealing a wand at least a foot long. The wood was bone white with sigils and runes carved along its length. The handle of the wand had been carved into the shape of a lion's head. Ollivander gently lifted the wand from the box. "Yew, fourteen inches with the heartstring of a griffin as its core."

Seeing Lily's look of outrage, Ollivander grinned, revealing blindingly white teeth. "The griffin had just died. I didn't kill it. I just harvested what I thought would be good for wand material. A few hairs, some feathers, the claws, and the heartstring."

Ginny lifted the wand out of the box. She felt the warmth travel up her arm almost immediately. Hesitantly, she gave the wand an experimental flick. A shower of red and gold sparks flew from the tip. Ollivander clapped excitedly.

"Well done Ms. Weasley, well done indeed." He took the wand from her and laid it back in its box. He turned to Lily. "That'll be fourteen galleons."

Lily nodded and handed over the money. Ollivander gave Harry and Ginny a calculating look. "I expect great things from you to. The most powerful witch I have seen in generations and the prince of the fae." He smiled his silvery eyes twinkling. "I can't wait to see what you two do."

XXX

Dumbledore shifted papers on his desk, frowning deeply. "I don't know that it is a good idea for Harry to wait a year. He must learn to face adversity and what better time than when there are people around that can stop things if they get out of hand."

"The staff can't be everywhere," Lily said harshly. "I intend to make sure he is able to defend himself."

"They are school children," Dumbledore said holding up a placating hand. "They will not be able to do any harm."

Lily snorted. "Have you forgotten that we are in a school with a moving staircase? One spell while the staircase is moving and a student could be crushed between floors."

Dumbledore winced at the image, but before he could respond, Lily continued.

"Look Albus, I am not asking for your approval. I am merely asking if Harry can start next year."

Dumbledore took off his half-moon glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I don't agree with your decision, but I will acquiesce. Why don't you bring Harry and Ginny for the Halloween feast and the end of year feast? We can see how the students react to Harry and do what we can to prepare them for his arrival. You said you would be homeschooling them correct?"

Lily nodded.

"Then why don't they take the end of year exams. If they don't pass, they can start in the first year. If they do then they will start in the second year." He smiled charmingly. "You always did enjoy teaching others when you were here. This will put those skills to the test."

"Agreed," Lily said smiling. "I guess I'll see you at Halloween."

Dumbledore stood and escorted her to the door. "I'll see you then."

XXX

Voldemort slipped through the narrow passage. His heart was pounding. If he was caught, his death would be quick and then he'd be right back where he started. He saw the vault door straight up a head. Concentrating, he activated his magesight.

The magesight was an ability that allowed him to see magic, specifically wards. His magesight was weaker than it'd been in his original body. Everything was blurred, but his sight was clear enough to show him the layer upon layer of protections covering the vault. He had to be very careful. He wasn't about to try and steal the stone from the vault, not with his current level of power. He just needed to trigger the wards. Withdrawing his wand from his cloak, he pointed it at the vault door.

"Reducto," he whispered.

The bolt of red light struck the door and rebounded. Voldemort ducked causing the light to fly over his head. At the same time, he felt a drain on his magic. He stumbled, reaching out a hand to keep from falling.

Alarms suddenly began blaring all around him. He froze. That spell should not have triggered those alarms. Turning, he made a mad dash for the exit. He had to get out of here before the goblins found him.

XXX

"Will you do it," Nicholas said. He leaned forward his round belly bulging against the buttons of his robes. "We need the stone protected Albus," he said earnestly. "This is the third time someone has tried to steal it from Gringots. It is clear the goblins cannot be trusted to guard it."

"Alright," Dumbledore said. "I'll do what I can, but I must have time to prepare the protections."

"Thank you Albus," Nicholas said gratefully. Standing, he offered Dumbledore a pudgy hand to shake before turning towards the door. Dumbledore's voice stopped him.

"What about you and Paranelle? How will you get the elixir if you do not have the stone?"

Nicholas glanced over his shoulder. "We have enough stored up for a little over a year. Hopefully, this mess will be sorted by then. If not, I'll have to risk taking the stone out of whatever protections you have so we can brew more."

XXX

"I think it's a fantastic idea," Arthur said enthusiastically. "I assume you will be teaching her Wizarding magic?"

"I'm also going to try and teach her elven magic. It may give her a leg up on her exam."

"Don't you think you should've asked our permission before buying her a wand and offering to homeschool her?" Molly said with a glare.

"You haven't had a problem up to this point," Lily said stiffly. "Why would this be any different? I've been teaching her wandless magic and she's soaking it up like a sponge. Passing the first year exams is really just a formality. She and Harry can already perform most of the first year spells without a wand."

Molly stared at Lily silently fuming. She felt as if the younger woman was trying to steal her daughter. Didn't she understand that the wife's place was at the home? What use was wandless magic if Ginny was going to be a homemaker?

Arthur placed a hand on his wife's arm. "It's alright love," he said quietly. "She'll do fine."

Molly didn't respond. Something was going to happen. She just knew it.

XXX

On the first of September, Ginny met Harry and Lily at their cottage bright and early. "That's the good thing about not starting this year,' she said happily. "We can get started learning now.'

Lily smiled at the girl's enthusiasm. "Right then," she said lifting some heavy books onto the table in front of them. She turned to Harry.

"I noticed that you can change the shape of an object, but not its composition. For example, you were able to change an ink bottle into a dragon shape, but it was still glass. Ginny, on the other hand, was able to change a quill into a spider. We are going to begin working on elven magic today."

She opened the book revealing pages of runes and sigils. "You will be starting at the beginning," she said pointing to a picture of a match with the eye of a needle at its top. "Wizards use incantations to perform their spells. Elves use runes not that different from Egyptian hieroglyphics. . We will be starting with transfiguration. Since you are just starting, you will need to draw the runes on paper then place the object you want to transfigure on the rune. You will then need to pour power into it to activate it." She stopped to see if Harry had any questions. When he didn't say anything, she continued.

"The next stage is hand runes. That means you will draw the symbols in the air. This has the advantage of not needing paper and pen, but still takes time to cast spells."

Lily pulled a match out of her pocket. She waved her hand through the air, drawing the symbol they saw on the page of the book in front of them. The rune appeared in the air outlined in blue fire. It suddenly pulsed with a blinding blue light. When the light faded, the match had become a needle."

Harry gaped. "Awesome, but it's a bit flashy isn't it?"

"Some magic is," Lily said with a shrug. "The last stage is thought runes. That needs no hand motions, just visualization."

"So if this applies to all forms of magic, how do charms work?" Ginny asked.

In answer, Lily drew a pair of wings. She then drew a needle extending from the pair of wings. Placing her hand flat on the paper, her forehead wrinkled in concentration. The rune glowed and the needle on the table rose into the air. Her eyes widened as the needle sprouted wings and began flying around the room.

"Crap," Lily grumbled. She clicked her fingers and the needle fell to the floor, the wings vanishing.

Ginny grinned. "Neat," she said clapping her hands.

"We'll be starting with transfiguration today," Lily said handing them a match. "Why don't you two give it a try?" She turned to Ginny. "Before you try the elven form of magic, use your wand to change it into a needle. Remember, it's all in the visualization."

Ginny waved her new wand almost negligently. The match shifted shape becoming a needle.

"Good," Lily said. "Now use the rune."

Ginny dipped the tip of her wand into the inkpot and drew the rune on a piece of paper. Placing her hand on the rune she concentrated on powering the rune.

There was a sizzling sound and the paper burst into flames. Ginny jerked her hand back letting out a cry of shock.

Lily gently took her hand and examined it closely. "You were lucky," she said. There are no burns. You need to be precise when drawing the runes. One mistake and they won't work. If you get them wrong when tracing them in the air, they will flicker out. She turned to Harry.

"Now you try."

Harry pointed a finger at the match. The shape of the match shifted, becoming a wooden needle. He groaned.

The material didn't change."

Lily smiled. "That's very good. There were once needles made of wood and even bone, so you are doing fine. Now draw the rune."

Harry picked up a quill and slowly traced the rune from the book. As the quill moved across the paper, he felt the magic flowing out of him. It was as if his magic was guiding him. Once completed, he looked down at the rune. He compared the rune in the book to the rune he'd drawn. He let out a satisfied huff of air.

"Good," Lily said. "Now send magic into the rune."

Harry watched as she placed a new match on the parchment. He moved the match until it was lying atop the rune. Placing a single finger upon the rune, he sent a small thread of power flowing through it.

The rune lit up with a soft blue light. The match seemed to flow like water. When the light faded, a silver needle lay on the paper.

"Very good," Lily said.

"It wasn't as flashy as yours," Harry said.

"I didn't think it would be. Your magic is tuned for this work." She glanced between Ginny and Harry. "I intend to teach you both types of magic. However, I suspect that Ginny will surpass you when it comes to Wizard magic and you will surpass her when it comes to elven magic.

Both types of magic have their advantages. Wizard magic takes less time to cast and is more useful in battle. However, Rune magic is more potent and is permanent unless reversed."

Harry and Ginny nodded. They looked at the huge book in front of them. There had to be at least a thousand pages in there.

"Alright," Lily said stretching. "Let's get back to work. "Harry, I want you to work on transfiguring the match without using the rune. Ginny, I want you to do the opposite."

XXX

Voldemort stared out at the sea of faces, his frustration mounting. What was he going to do now? Alright, so he had managed to force Nicholas into moving his blasted stone, but The Evans boy still wasn't here. Could Dumbledore have had the boy sorted in secret? No, that didn't make sense.

The boy was only an elven prince. For all Dumbledore knew, he hadn't found a way to return yet. He would be focusing all his attention on the Longbottom brat. He needed to investigate this matter, but carefully. If his trip to Gringots proved anything it was that he didn't have near the power he was used to. He could not defeat Dumbledore in a straight up fight.

He picked up his fork and began to eat, not even tasting the food on his plate. His mind was whirling with possibilities. A twinge of fear coiled in his gut. For the first time, he entertained the possibility of failing to kill the boy. He had to get the stone if nothing else. Even if he didn't manage to kill the son of Oberon, perhaps bringing Aeval the stone would mollify her.

With a sinking feeling, he realized he was out of options. He had no choice. He was going to have to talk to Dumbledore. He needed to know where the boy was and more importantly, when or if he was going to come to Hogwarts. He just hoped Dumbledore wasn't as observant as he once was.