Pacing in his throne room, the greatest wizard, the most powerful dark lord in current times, fumes internally, his magic flexing, his wand alight, and his face twisted into a snarl.

"The boy mussst pay, the Malfoysss mussst…" He stops and clenches his hand, cutting off his own monologue. "No, Luciusss can be coercssed and Bellatrix can get her sssister on board jussst fine, it isss the boy who remainsss…belligerent, defiant, an overall thorn in my ssside." He hisses out in anger.

Voldemort thinks back to their meeting at the ministry, where the boy had the audacity to wait for him, his father by his side, Bellatrix floating unconscious next to him, the Weasley Girl in his arms, as he…waved to him. The boy waved. To the Dark Lord. To Lord Voldemort himself, before grinning the widest grin known to man, and showing the prize in his hand: the prophecy, the sole reason for invasion of the ministry, the most important and sacred mission he had given to his followers.

Fury bubbles up inside him as he remembers the taunting smile of the boy, right before said boy disappeared, kidnapping two of his best soldiers and refusing to return them. Against the more…violent of his tendencies, Lord Voldemort has tried several times to reach out to the boy, ultimately resulting in him arriving at Malfoy Manor in person, after an attempt at apparating in failed. Alas, the new and improved wards kept him out, promising a painful death for any who would cross them without proper permission.

He did not fear death, for he had already conquered it, but there was little reason to run head first into it, for so little gain. Idly he spins his wand in his hand, diving deeper into his own thought, his expression darkening with each moment. He had them. He had Potter. He had the Prophecy. He had it all, before they interfered: the boy, Draco Malfoy, and who else but Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.

It was bad enough to hear how Lucius struggled with mere students, with mere children as he hunted down the all-important prophecy, but to then have his own son, his child, his flesh and blood, his heir be the one to thwart their plans…the glower on the serpentine face of the Dark Lord tells the story, as does the rumbling around him.

When Lucius returned to the fold, he would be welcomed with open arms, yes, but he would also suffer dearly for the inconvenience his seed had caused. And Bellatrix…oh, how he pines for his greatest soldier, his second in command. His followers tell him that she had not gone willingly, unlike her spineless brother-in-law, but she was taken all the same. By the boy.

It begs the question as to what the boy, what young Draco could want from him, so they can meet face to face, so he can release both his father and his aunt back into their proper place, beneath him and in the service of Lord Voldemort. Did he want women? Power? Knowledge? What else could a boy his age desire?

Of course, the moment said boy shows himself, Voldemort will strike, offering the boy no mercy, not even that of death, as he extracts just a fraction of the retribution owed to him by the young Malfoy's defiance. Perhaps he would then mark the boy, claim him, bolster his forces with an immensely talented young wizard, and then he would slowly mold him into his image.

A snake-like smile graces the visage of the Dark Lord. Yes, that would do wonderfully. A…not quite successor or an heir, as that was simply not needed, but a proper scion, perhaps a future host, a backup plan should the impossible happen once again. Perhaps he would kill two birds with one curse, and send the boy at the other thorn in his side: Albus Dumbledore.

Always a bother, even in his days at Hogwarts, the old man was powerful in his own right, and perhaps the sole wizard capable of matching Lord Voldemort, even if only for a moment. Yes, he'd send the boy at him, dangle the idea of freedom for himself and for his family in front of him, and should he succeed? There will be one less obstacle in the way of their movement. Should he fail? Albus should be weakened enough for him to simply step in and finish the job. But first he needs to get the boy under his thumb and to do that…

Calming down from his anger, Lord Voldemort enters a different train of thought, albeit in the same vein. He…can use a wardbreaker, or perhaps a spellbreaker at least, to get his hands on the boy. He needs something to cut through the magic at the Malfoy Manor and for that…

"Bring me Nott." He calls out to Wormtail, who bows obsequiously and scurries off the do his bidding.

"Yes, my lord."

"The young Nott." He clarifies. "I have work for him."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Voldemort has returned. It is official, and it is real, and he has seen it with his own eyes. Tom is back, and he is as powerful as ever. Closing his eyes and sighing, the Headmaster of Hogwarts calms himself. He…knew on a certain level that Tom had returned, as young Harry had bore witness to it, and if he trusted anybody in this world, Harry Potter was among them. So, he knew, but seeing and believing and experiencing are all different beasts.

Some part of him hoped that the dark wizard would be revived broken, weakened, in a lesser state, which would give him enough time to prepare Harry for his prophesized life trials. But after doing battle with the man, and needing to sacrifice Fawkes, if only for a moment, just to hold his own, Albus knew better than anyone that Voldemort is truly back.

With his return comes the acceleration of certain plans, a pinch of desperation, and the introduction of plans that carry a level of risk. One such plan, a plan that he is warming up to more and more as he thinks about it, is to use Draco Malfoy as a buffer against newly revived Tom. Under normal circumstances, Albus knows that the boy would refuse, and not just because of his family's ties to the dark wizard, which is why the plan involves a lot of carrot with little to no stick.

A duel, between him and the boy is the plan, one with an unbreakable vow attached. If the Malfoy heir should win, he would get the Elder Wand, a tool of death and destruction, of magical superiority, a lure that the boy could not help but to bite. When he wins, as the older, more powerful, and more experienced wizard, Draco would be forced to help young Harry in his fight against Voldemort, and to the best of his abilities.

A sigh escapes his lips as he shakes his head of the fuzziness and attempts to workshop the plan. It's not ideal, but if it works…if it works, their chances of winning rise exponentially.