Chapter 19
Two days later
The wedding venue had been set up. All of the guests had arrived. Half of Dumbledore's army, several members of the Order of the Phoenix, all of the Weasleys, and even the Dursleys showed up.
Harry had not expected the Dursleys to show up but as they were his only living family he decided to send out invitations and Uncle Vernon decided that the family was long overdue for a vacation to the United States, especially a quaint little town like Storybrooke.
Hermione's parents had also arrived. Long since had they been reverted from Wendell and Monica Wilkins in Australia, and restored to their normal selves. Mr. Granger was now going to walk his daughter down the aisle.
Ginny was going to be walked down the aisle by Arthur Weasley.
The nun Astrid was going to be walked down the aisle by two of her fellow fairies.
Harry and Leroy both wore tuxedos, while Ron wore Wizards dress robes.
Both Hermione and Ginny wore modern white wedding dresses that were strapless, while Astrid wore a more old-fashioned conservative wedding dress, (though the fairies in the Enchanted Forest never had a problem showing cleavage).
The wedding ceremony would take place in the large assembly room at the Town Hall, while the wedding reception would also take place there after the chairs were removed and the tables and dance floors were set up. Dr Hopper would be officiating as he is the town's marriage commissioner.
The visitors from out of town were keeping a low profile. They decided to use Captain Hook's ship as their base of operations.
Lord Voldemort was in one of the cabins below deck pondering his plan. He was thinking about how all of this first came to be.
Flashback-
The Ministry of Magic, many years ago
Tom Riddle was 15 years old, almost 16. He and some of his fellow Slytherins were on a class field trip. It had been four and a half years since Professor Dumbledore had brought him his Hogwarts letter at the orphanage. It was extraordinary when he learned about magic. He used to believe that it was just fairy tales, but then he started living his own. Except he had decided that he was going to be the villain. His choice was entirely selfish. He wasn't a villain who mistakenly thought that they were doing good under honorable intentions, no, he wanted power. The power to control his life and everyone else's. There was not any sacrifice that he wouldn't make in order to get it. He was prepared to kill.
He had recently discovered that he, Lord Voldemort, was the heir of Salazar Slytherin, and had recently discovered the location of the Chamber of Secrets. Of course the name Lord Voldemort was only a name that he shared among his most trusted friends. Though he wouldn't call them friends, he felt no emotional affection towards them. He never felt lonely when they weren't around. He never craved their company. They were his loyal servants. Pawns to do his bidding. He won them over with his extraordinary magical talent and then began to manipulate them and when he entrusted them that he was the heir of Slytherin, once he found out, they looked at him with new eyes, with a sort of reverence.
But he didn't just care about power, he also wanted to live forever. He did not want to die. He feared death. But it was more than just self-preservation. He didn't go out of his way to avoid accidental poisoning or petty injuries that might be fatal, no, that was easy enough to do, no, he wanted a way to cheat death entirely. He had been researching for months through complicated spell books in the Restricted Section of the Hogwarts Library. There were all kinds of ways to heal poisons and diseases and give one good health, and extend life, but to cheat death entirely, that was proving impossible.
But there was one place that he hadn't been able to look yet, and he was certain that the answer was there. 'The Department of Mysteries'. It was actually Tom Riddle who had manipulated events at school to get this field trip arranged. And now he was here, in the Ministry of Magic.
While their tour guide was giving them a lecture on various aspects and features of the Ministry, Tom Riddle very stealthily snuck away. Where he then met up with another one of his fellow Slytherins that had stayed behind at Hogwarts pretending to be unable to go on the field trip.
"Lestrange, you made it." Tom Riddle acknowledged.
"Voldemort." said the boy Reinhard Lestrange who bowed his head in respect.
"Clever work sneaking out of school and then getting here and inside without being detected." Tom Riddle complimented.
"I wish only to serve the heir of Slytherin." he said with respect.
"Did you bring it?" Tom Riddle asked.
Reinhard Lestrange then produced a flask.
"The polyjuice potion that you brewed yourself."
"Excellent." said Lord Voldemort.
He then reached to the top of his head and yanked out a single hair. Lestrange opened the flask and allowed Tom Riddle to put the hair into it. They waited a few seconds and then Reinhard Lestrange took a sip. It took a few moments but he had then transformed into Tom Riddle.
"Remember, it will only last 60 minutes. So watch the clock. And make sure that you take another sip every 55 minutes."
"I understand." said Lestrange.
"You might have to keep up the charade for a while. I don't know how long I'll be."
After Reinhard Lestrange rejoined the class as Tom Riddle, the real Tom Riddle made his way down to the Department of Mysteries. He had cast a disillusionment charm on himself to make himself invisible. Obviously the Department of Mysteries had security spells to detect concealment, but Tom Riddle was already prepared for that. Using a very careful spell of his own design he was able to overcome the security spells with a great deal of effort and difficulties. Once he was inside, he began searching. He didn't know what he was looking for, it wasn't exactly like there was a 'main file directory' that could guide him directly to what he was looking for with a 'keyword search'.
"Lord Voldemort!" said a distorted mystical feminine voice from down the hall.
What in the world? Tom Riddle thought.
"Lord Voldemort!" The mysterious voice prompted again. "This way!"
He followed the voice in the direction that he thought he heard it from. He found a door a few doors down the hallway where he pushed on the door and found that it was unlocked.
When he entered, he had entered a room where all the walls were mirrors and bathed in pink light which was coming from the source at the center of the room. It appeared to be a ball of pink fire about the size of a large pumpkin suspended in mid-air from no source of fuel, and it appeared to be trapped inside some kind of containment spell.
"Hello?" he said to the ball of fire.
The ball of pink fire then reshaped itself into a face, except the face had no eyes or eye sockets. But there was what appeared to be a mouth, and a nose.
"Lord Voldemort, I know that you are seeking something that has eluded you!" said the mouth of the fiery face in the distorted mystical feminine voice.
"Who, or what are you?" asked Voldemort directly.
"I am the Mystic Oracle of Mysteries and Contemplation!" the ball of Fire answered directly.
"How do you know who I am?"
Among the pink fire on the face's forehead appeared a bright glowing gold eye that gave off a radiance so bright it almost blinded Voldemort.
"I see all!" said the Oracle in a dramatic voice.
The Golden Eye on the forehead then disappeared.
"Ask and you shall receive, within reason!"
Voldemort decided to jump straight to the point.
"I seek the key to eternal life. To cheat death."
"Be wary Lord Voldemort!" the Oracle said in warning. "Death is but another path! Those who cannot die are prisoners of life!"
"I'll take my chances." said Tom Riddle with impatience.
"Unfortunately the rules of my power do not allow me to give you all the knowledge at once!" explained to the oracle. "Your path to immortality will be a puzzle! An obstacle course of Hoops to jump through!"
"Very well." said Voldemort with reluctant resignation. "What is the first hoop?"
"Out the door! To the right! Four doors down the hall! Door on the left! There is a large magical machine that will generate a cyclone that will transport you to another Realm!"
The gold eye on the forehead appeared one more time and radiated it's blinding light again.
"Once there, seek out a small girl, she will direct you to the next piece of the puzzle! When you wish to return here, simply return to the place where you arrived and it will bring you back here!"
So cryptic. thought Voldemort.
He followed the instructions. Out the door, to the right, four doors down, door on the left.
Inside the room was what appeared to be some strange sort of apparatus. It had several instruments sticking out of it on different spots. It was about the size of several phone booths, large enough to fit several people comfortably. He wasn't entirely sure how to work it, but he walked up to it and he stepped inside. Apparently it activated automatically all of a sudden he was surrounded by a swirl of Green Smoke and feeling like he was inside a tornado all of a sudden he found himself somewhere else.
Oz, many years ago
He appeared to be at the edge of a field bordering a forest. And the border between the forest and the field appeared to be a man-made pathway made entirely out of yellow bricks.
He marked the spot that he was standing on and then walked 10 Paces forward. He turned around and then walked back to the spot that he had materialized on, and with a whirl of Green Smoke and feeling like he was inside a tornado he suddenly found himself back inside the apparatus of the room in the Department of Mysteries.
Glad to make sure that his means of getting back worked he again stepped inside the apparatus and again was back in the mysterious place.
He started to walk for about 15 minutes when he came across what appeared to be a small hovel. There were several sheds, a Corral with a flock of sheep and goats, and a large storage shelter of pre-cut firewood.
He then heard a rustling in the bushes next to him. He then realized that someone was behind the bushes. When he walked around to examine he saw what appeared to be a girl barely older than toddler age perhaps four years old maybe five at most. But what caught his eye was that she was holding her hands out in front of her and levitating rocks into the air with her mind like telekinesis.
Believing that this child was the first piece of the puzzle that would lead him to the next he decided to engage her.
"Your magic is impressive." said Tom Riddle with flattery.
She gasped in surprise, clearly not expecting to see him there.
"Sorry." she said with contrition. "Please don't tell my father. He doesn't like it when I do magic."
"I'm sorry you have to live like that." said Tom Riddle with fake sympathy, though he did feel a sense of dislike towards the father who apparently was persecuting a magically talented child.
Was her father a muggle, or a squib? Or was this girl a mudblood? But no time to worry about that, he had to follow the trail that the Oracle had given him.
"What is your name?" he asked.
"Zelena." said the girl.
"Pleased to meet you Zelena."
He wasn't certain how this girl would give him the information to the next piece of the puzzle, so he decided on the direct approach.
"I was wondering if you could help me? I seek information. Information to something that is difficult to do."
But before he could go on the girl responded.
"Well, you could always go to the one that is referred to as, 'The Wizard'."
The Wizard? Thought Voldemort. In the singular? As though he's the only one? The Oracle did say this was another Realm. Maybe there aren't expansive wizard communities here.
"He is very wise, and he helps anyone who asks."
Allowing the Oracle to guide him he took this as the next piece of the puzzle.
"How or where can I find this wizard?" asked Tom Riddle.
"He lives in the Emerald City. In the main building of the Town Center."
"Can you direct me to this city?"
"Directions are simple. Simply Follow the yellow brick road."
Tom Riddle couldn't quite put his finger on it. But there was something that seemed awfully familiar about all of this. It was on the tip of his tongue.
The fact of the matter was that while Tom Riddle was in the orphanage he had never read the original story of The Wizard of Oz nor did he see the movie when it first came out. He had only vaguely heard of the title and at present it didn't quite register in his memory.
"Pardon me for asking," said Tom Riddle with extreme curiosity, "but what is the name of this land?"
The little girl had a confused look on her face.
"You don't know?" she asked.
"No," said Tom Riddle, "I do not know. I actually just arrived here. Could you tell me please? "
The girl paused for a moment to consider the lack of information that this man had. But then answered, "They call this land, Oz."
Though Lord Voldemort had not read the book or seen the movie he had heard the title before and at this he grew extremely confused. Wondering if that machine had somehow magically transported him inside of the fictional plot of a story book?
He wished the young girl well and then continued to travel down the yellow brick road.
He traveled for another 12 hours. Where he then saw it, across a large field of poppy flowers.
The city consisted of a wall surrounding it on all sides with giant spotlights that were shining bright light up into the sky and several dozen tall skyscrapers that were all green in color. The city looked spectacular, like something out of a fictional story book. But it did not matter. He crossed the field of flowers and came to the entrance. The people were very friendly and admitted him entrance.
He asked for the wizard and they directed him to a building at the center of the city. He walked past two guards into a large room. The walls, floor and ceiling were all green. There were fires and what seemed to be electric lights. He walked into a main area of a large room where after going up a few steps and crossing a large floor he was interrupted by a burst of bright pyrotechnic sparks.
He jumped backwards in shock and surprise and drew his wand in defense.
There was then a semi-transparent green curtain right in front of him that showed a silhouette of a man in a trench coat and a top hat with his hands on his hips. A voice then came out of loud speakers.
"I HAVE BEEN EXPECTING YOU!"
"I am expected, you say?" Tom Riddle asked.
"YES! I SEE ALL!"
Lord Voldemort was not a fool. Clearly this person was trying to intimidate, look impressive. Invoke false fear in others in order to be respected. Far too overdramatic and not exactly practical, except to those who could be fooled by the deception. But, down to business. He had to follow the oracle's puzzle.
"I seek an audience with the one that they call, The Wizard?" Tom Riddle stated in a voice of polite respect.
"WELL THEN, YOU HAVE COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE!"
The silhouette on the curtain then raised its arms high dramatically and the pyrotechnics exploded with bright streams of sparks once more.
"I AM OZ! GREAT AND TERRIBLE!"
There was a brief pause.
"I was told that you could help me." said Tom Riddle
"TELL ME WHAT IT IS YOU SEEK AND I SHALL DO MY BEST!"
"I seek the key to eternal life. To cheat death."
"I UNDERSTAND! MANY WANT THAT! WHICH IS WHY I AM SORRY TO DISAPPOINT YOU THAT I DO NOT POSSESS THE POWER TO GRANT THAT TO YOU! BUT, AS A CONSOLATION PRIZE I SHALL GRANT YOU DIRECTIONS TO ONE WHO MIGHT BE ABLE TO HELP! PLEASE, HOLD OUT YOUR HAND!"
Tom Riddle held out his hand, fingers spread palm up.
The silhouette behind the curtain waved his hand and in Voldemort's hand magically materialized in a puff of Green Smoke a piece of paper.
"THOSE ARE THE STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO TRANSPORT YOURSELF FROM YOUR REALM TO ANOTHER!"
"A spell?" Asked Voldemort.
"YES! THE EFFECT HAS SOME LIMITATIONS! IT WILL ONLY WORK IN YOUR REALM, NO OTHERS! ENACT SPELL, AND GO TO A PLACE CALLED THE ENCHANTED FOREST! SEEK OUT AN INDIVIDUAL REFERRED TO AS THE DARK ONE! PRESENT HIM WITH YOUR CONUNDRUM AND YOU MIGHT FIND WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR! NOW GO! AND I WISH YOU WELL IN YOUR ENDEAVORS!"
Voldemort was growing weary of these Hoops to jump through, but he knew that he needed to follow The will Of the Oracle.
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