I scowl fiercely as I enter my sparse rented room in a shady corner of Knockturn Alley. I look around the gloomy room, not really seeing the cracked walls or the lone bed and rickety table, all I can see is the sight of that wretch. I throw my ruined robes to the ground, unable to believe the audacity of that girl. She'd somehow had the nerve to pour boiling tea onto my person, thus provoking my anger and forcing me to retaliate. My anger and my actions were well justified, but I still felt agitated that she had so easily forced me to play my hand.

I knew next to nothing about her besides her occupation and her name. What I needed to do was to acquire every scrap of information that I could scrounge about this mysterious maid. The question that most intrigued me about her was her fear-her fear of me. Though it was gratifying, it wasn't justified, not until after I had deliberately poured the remaining tea on her. Yet, she had been terrified of me even before that incident. Why, though? I had certainly never met her before today and even if I had, I had done absolutely nothing to earn her unrelenting fear.

"Ginny, Ginny, Ginny," I murmur her name to myself, tasting the worn syllables in my mouth. I sit on my lumpy bed and remove my shoes and socks all the while turning over the enigma that the red-head is. What I need is more information, I decide. One way or another I will decipher this mystery and then you will see, Ginny how terrifying I can be. I look forward to the day when I can look deeply into your frightened eyes as I carve my real name into your flesh. Your sweet, anguished screams will be the nectar that I drink before I finally release your soul from the confines of its prison and make you a martyr for my cause. You, Ginny, will be the catalyst that aids me in making my first horcrux.

Yes, a more perfect plan could have never been devised, I smile at the thought, But first I will pry each and every clandestine secret from your warm lips.

I tap my fingers pensively against my chin as I recline gracefully on my lumpy mattress, my mind whirring as I construe plan after plan to reach my new goal. I examine each aspect of a strategy before disregarding it. Abraxas, I realize with a jolt, conjuring his haughty face in my mind, he would be the perfect candidate to unearth every unsavory detail of Ginny's life. He has the political connections and the unlimited wealth and resources to discretely extract every hidden fact.

I unhurriedly sit up and replace my shoes on my feet, the heat pooling at the bottom of my shoes and sweat immediately beginning to squelch unpleasantly. I grimace bitterly at the disgusting sensation and and wave my wand over my shoes, wordlessly removing the filth from my shoes. I hate this, my abject poverty even after escaping from the putrescence of the orphanage. Almost nothing has changed since one year ago, when I finally left that festering blemish on society. All the money I make I meticulously save, forcing myself to room in a dilapidated hole in the wall and working everyday except for Sunday at the hovel that is Borgin & Burkes.

But I have a goal in mind, the ultimate goal, making my first horcrux in the form of the locket of my venerated ancestor, Salazar Slytherin. After that first step has been accomplished, then the money I have saved will become crucial in my travels to unearth the symbols of each and every founder.

I resume getting ready and am soon walking out the door of my room. I glance at the dark hallway and quickly renew the wards on my door, insuring that any trespasser will suffer painful lacerations to their persons before having their airways painfully constricted until they pass out. No killing curses unfortunately, I do have a heart after all, I wouldn't want to deny any trespasser the chance to grovel for forgiveness in front of me when I return before I relieve them of their burden permanently.

I take measured steps through the hallway and down the teetering stairs to the empty pub below. Eugene, the landlord who is pointlessly polishing a grimy glass with any equally grimy cloth, gives me a suspicious once over as I pass him on my way out the front door.

"Boy, you better pay your rent before Friday!" I hear behind me. "I won't have any excuses, you hear!"

I mentally scoff at him, as if I have ever given him excuses before. He just doesn't like me because I asked him from which part of the chicken did the scale come from in my chicken stew. Ever since then he has always greeted me with a scowl and the same warning.

I step outside the pub and into the stifling heat, sweat already beginning to form on my brow. I expertly navigate the throng, cursing the fools that jostle me in their hurry. Finally I reach my destination, Saladin's Strange & Scarce Tomes, located at the corner between Knockturn Alley and Diagon Alley, shabby enough to be considered part of Knockturn Alley, but respectable enough to have visitors from Diagon Alley.

I check the time with my wand and am satisfied to see that it is four pm on the dot. I open the front door and make my way inside, pleased to notice that he is already here, browsing some titles by the door.

"Abraxas," I call out evenly, noticing the sudden tension in his shoulders before he turns around to face me.

"My Lo-Tom," he cautiously greets me, breaking off his greeting when I give him a warning look. Saladin is closely watching our greeting with his beady black eyes from his perch on a stool behind the counter.

"Perhaps we should continue our discussion in the backroom," I lightly command him, putting a hand on his back and steering him away from the ever watchful Saladin. Saladin watches our progress to the backroom, but doesn't protest, knowing full well what I am capable of doing to him if he does.

"Now we can speak," I tell Abraxas as I finish putting wards on the door, preventing anyone from entering-and anyone from leaving as well.

He gulps audibly, his adam's apple bobbing in fear.

"Really Abraxas?" I tsk carefully, shaking my head in false sympathy. "I think you know better than to address me in public or have you not learned your lesson?" To show him exactly what I mean, I deliberately tap my wand against my thigh, tapping in rhythm to his rapidly accelerating heartbeat.

"N-no, my lord," he stutters, his eyes glued to my wand, "I ask you to forgive my mistake. I promise it will never occur again."

"Oh, if I only I could believe that Abraxas. But this hasn't been the first time you have made the same mistake now is it?" I stop the tapping of my wand abruptly and draw it. "The last time you made such a mistake almost resulted me in me getting expelled from Hogwarts if you don't recall."

"N-n-no, my lord! I beg you," he falls pathetically to his knees, sniveling vilely as I stalk closer to him.

I gently run my fingers through his silky smooth hair in a caress. "But you must be punished for your transgressions, shouldn't you?" I gently ask him, stroking his hair away form his face.

"N-n-no, p-p-please," he begs me his eyes squeezed shut, tears trailing down his face undeterred. I watch, fascinated as one salty drop after another drips onto his collar.

"Hmm, perhaps you are right. Perhaps you shouldn't be punished."

"Th-thank you my lo-AHHHH!" He suddenly screams in agony as I forcefully grip his hair, almost tearing it out by the roots and halting him when he tries to shakily stand up.

"But I didn't say that, now did I Abraxas?" I chillingly inform him, dragging him to his feet by his hair. I let go of him and shove him away from me and in fluid motion, curse him.

"Crucio!"

I take a deep breath and grin a satisfied smile as he begins to convulse on the floor, his mouth frothing red foamy blood as he tries to bite his tongue to stop from screaming. I intensify the force of the spell and watch in amusement as he howls in agony, his body contorting unnaturally from the force of the spell.

After a few more exquisite moments of listening to his painful cries, I sharply cut off the spell.

"Now that you have been sufficiently punished, we can speak about the real reason I wanted to see to you." I watch disinterestedly as he stays collapsed on the ground, sobbing as he regains his breath. When he doesn't regain his feet after a moment, I lose patience with him and swiftly kick him in the ribs, eliciting a wheezing yelp as my heavy boots connect with his unprotected ribs.

"Get up, I don't have time for this drama," I impatiently command him.

Wordlessly, he slowly picks himself up off the floor, clutching his ribs and panting at the exertion. His head bowed, he looks at my shoes and answers me, "I-I'm at your s-s-service my l-lord."

"Good," I smile at his bowed head, pleased by his answer. "I need you to gather any and all information that you can about Ginny, the new maid of Hepzibah," I command him.

He nods his bowed head imperceptibly, "A-as you say my L-lord. Is there anything else you would like me to do?"

"No," I think carefully before realizing that there is one detail I have overlooked. "Wait, there is one more task that I need you to complete."

"Y-yes, my lord?"

"Gather the Knights. We will meet tomorrow at seven at the usual meeting place," I say before turning away from him. "We have business to discuss."

I promptly cancel the wards that I have put on the door and gather myself before I leave the dank room. I turn back to Abraxas to see silent tears dripping down his face as he remains standing in the middle of the room.

"You might want to clean yourself up before you leave," I command him, pointedly looking at the rapidly growing wet spot on his trousers.

I exit the room before he can reply and shut the door behind me. Saladin gives me a terrified look as I pass him, evoking a pleased grin from me as I remember that I hadn't put a silencing spell on the door. Poor Saladin had probably heard the entire exchange. I flash my canines at him as I walk out the front door, causing him to cower on his stool and make the sign to ward off the devil with his withered fingers.

I smirk to myself when I am outside, not bothered by the heat and feeling relaxed now that I have taken out my previous anger caused by the red-headed waif at Abraxas. As if I could be warded off by foolish superstitions. No one can escape the wrath of the devil, no one.

A/N: I am sorry about the looong wait between chapters, but school has kept me very busy. A special thank you to black111star for reviewing because your review motivated me to continue writing this story. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter; I certainly enjoyed writing it. :) Thank you so much for the favorites, follows, and reviews. I love reading everything that you guys have to say. Please remember to review this chapter. Adios! :)