Amazon Rainforest, 2/13/1988, 12:39
Harry was leading his new student through the thick undergrowth of the Brazilian jungle. They were in search of a very special snake today, the Lachesis muta or the South American bushmaster.
Harry had been letting Jennifer practice milking Athena to show her the technique but now it was time she learned how to milk a wild snake. He figured he'd start her out on something a bit more relaxed and bushmasters were usually pretty mellow snakes.
"Do you hear that?" Harry asked as they entered a thicker area of jungle.
"Yes, what is it?" Jennifer asked as she looked around nervously and the light shining down from above became shaded by the thick canopy of trees overhead.
"That is the snake warning you not to come any closer, it's vibrating its tail as a rattlesnake would," Harry explained.
"It kind of sounds like a bee," Jennifer muttered.
"Yeah but you don't want that to sting you," Harry chuckled as he pointed to the head of the snake that was almost perfectly hidden in the underbrush.
"Remember the spell and don't rush this, one bite from that snake and you could be dead," Harry advised.
Turns out there was a snake-handling spell that paralysed a serpent for a certain amount of time so a handler could capture a snake without hurting themselves or the snakes. Harry had never had to bother with this for obvious reasons but it seemed to be pretty handy for non-parselmouths.
"So no pressure," Jennifer snorted nervously.
"Just relax, the snake doesn't want to bite you, they only bite if they feel threatened," Harry said patiently.
§Don't lie to her, if she uses that spell on me again, I will bite her§, Athena hissed petulantly from just to their right.
§What spell?§ The male snake Jennifer was approaching hissed nervously
Harry groaned as he saw the snake starting to raise it"s head like a periscope to stare at Jennifer, a clear sign it was preparing to strike.
"Damn, cast the spell now," Harry said shooting Athena a look of annoyance.
"Serpinarresto," Jenny incanted as she pointed her wand at the snake who was seconds away from striking.
The yellow spell flew straight and hit the male bushmaster freezing him in place much to Harry's relief.
§You almost got her bitten§, Harry admonished as he picked up his familiar while Jennifer hastily began extracting venom from the wild bushmaster.
§She needs to be prepared for anything, and that is a very handsome specimen, I want to see him flex a bit§, Athena defended grumpily.
"What happened?" Jennifer asked after carefully releasing the snake and stepping back with a capped vial of venom in her hand.
"Athena happened, but you did very well on the collection," Harry said as Athena slithered off his shoulders and into the jungle, muttering to herself as she disappeared into the brush.
"Well one down, twenty-three more to go," Jennifer said optimistically.
"These are some of the harder snakes to track, they like to hide in thick brush and they do strike unbelievably quick. If you ever see one raising their head like that one just did, back off immediately. It means they are honing in on your heat signature," Harry explained as they began searching for their next snake.
"This must be so much easier for a parselmouth," Jennifer lamented.
"It is, usually I just have to bargain with a snake and it will trade me its venom for a service. Muggles do it without the gift, so it's not impossible," Harty encouraged.
Harry was amazed at how young Jennifer looked, she really wasn't that much older than his niece and still looked like a child to him even though she was going on nineteen. Jennifer was tall for a girl and had a wiry build, she had a pale complexion with ebony hair and green eyes.
She seemed very eager to work with snakes and contrary to Athena's complaints, she was very good about milking his familiar.
"The spell certainly helps but I don't think they like the spell very much," Jennifer pointed out as they began walking deeper into this thick section of jungle.
"It probably feels uncomfortable for them," Harry conceded.
"Your familiar seems to hate the spell," Jennifer said as they heard the buzzing sound from another lachesis close by.
"Athena does not like being confined, she actually incited my daughter to free every snake at the Central Florida zoo a couple of years ago," Harry chuckled.
"Your daughter is a speaker too?" Jennifer asked as the familiar vibration got much louder as they neared a large tree with low-hanging branches
"Both of my children are, do you see it?" Harry asked as he locked eyes with the snake about four feet up the tree.
"Yes, it's on the middle branch," Jennifer said as she set up her collection equipment.
"Good, now give it another go, Athena won't interfere this time," Harry promised as he stood back and observed his pupil extract the snake's venom.
He would be shadowing her for a little while as he didn't want her going off on her own just yet. He and Sanjay had it easier as the snake could tell them how they were feeling, Jennifer would have to learn to read their body language and know how to recognise the signs of danger. In this line of work, a mistake could very easily get you killed.
Harry could tell that in a year's time she would be able to keep up with the best collectors out there. She had a very good technique for extracting venom and she would only get better the more she did it.
The rest of the day was like this, though after a while, Jennifer got to where she could spot them without his help. Jennifer easily collected the two dozen vials of lachesis venom they were shooting for before sundown so they were on course to fill their quota of a hundred and twenty vials by the end of the week.
"So why do you want to work with snakes?" Harry asked when they made it back to camp.
"Snakes have always fascinated me, and their venom is worth a lot of money," Jennifer shrugged as she watched him set up the grill.
"Good a reason as any, I chose snakes because I can talk to them," Harry shrugged as he ignited the charcoal with his wand.
"What are we having for dinner?" Jennifer asked as the blue charcoal smoke billowed out of the grill.
"Pacu, usually on these trips I just catch whatever fish are in the area," Harry admitted.
"So you don't bring food in?" Jennifer asked in surprise.
"I have a bunch of canned food in my tent but my old mentor liked to catch our dinner and I got in the habit of doing that as well," Harry answered as he summoned two medium-sized fish out of the river.
A simple wave of his wand later and four perfectly cut pacu fillets were on the grill.
"It smells good," Jennifer conceded.
"Do you not like fish?" Harry asked.
"It's okay, we had it a lot at school," Jennifer admitted.
"Oh, I guess they must have gotten a lot of the school food from the jungle," Harry said thoughtfully.
"Most of the fruit, the hose elves would collect it daily. The vegetables and livestock the students would tend to, but we ate a lot of pacu," Jennifer explained.
"Sounds like they got it pretty easy at Hogwarts," Harry chuckled.
"Are you familiar with Hogwarts?" Jennifer asked curiously.
"Sure, I removed a basilisk out of the school in eighty-two," Harry explained grinning when he saw her look at him in alarm.
"You're making that up," Jennifer exclaimed giving him an incredulous look.
"I am not, it had been in the school since it was founded," Harry assured her.
"Unbelievable," Jennifer muttered still looking sceptical.
"What were you wanting to know about Hogwarts?" Harry asked as he turned the fish.
"I was wondering if you know a boy named William Weasley?" Jennifer inquired.
"Yeah, my niece is good friends with his younger brother," Harry answered a bit lost as to how she would know about Bill.
"He insulted our hospitality by refusing to come to Castlebruxo next school year, my sister was devastated," Jennifer admitted.
"His family probably couldn't afford to send him, they are not very wealthy," Harry said remembering Ron saying something about Bill having a penfriend in Brazil once.
"Oh, why didn't he just say that, she already sent him a cursed hat because he said he didn't want to visit our school," Jennifer huffed.
"That's unfortunate," Harry chuckled.
Costa Rica, 1/28/1988, 13:28
Today they were after the very plentiful Fer-de-lance or Bothrops asper, which were responsible for more snake-related deaths in South America than any other breed of serpent. Their venom was highly potent and they had very good camouflage meaning people often stepped on them by accident, particularly at night when the snakes usually hunted.
These snakes were unusually aggressive when approached and could strike lightning quick. The snake's head was shaped like a lance and just like most snakes in this part of the world, they were a pit viper.
"Be very cautious where you step, these things are very hard to spot and can reach out a great distance when they strike," Harry whispered as they walked along a stretch of riverbank in the shade of tall palmetto trees.
"I know this snake pretty well, we have them all over my father's land," Jennifer assured him.
"Sorry, I guess I should have known that," Harry said.
"These things are all over the place in Venezuela," Jennifer giggled.
"I know, I can usually fill my quota in three days when I get the contract for fer-de-lance venom," Harry admitted as he continued to search the ground around him for any signs of a snake.
"Serpinarresto," Jennifer exclaimed suddenly, sending the spell at a large pile of leaves laying ten feet to their right.
"Good eye" Harry beamed as she picked up the five-foot-long serpent and began to extract the yellowish venom.
§That is cheating§, Athena protested from the brush not far away from them.
§Behave, she doesn't speak the language§, Harry sighed as he watched Jennifer release the serpent before the spell wore off.
Harry was actually pretty impressed with his student's ability to spot hidden snakes. She had a much more difficult time working with snakes but seemed to be grasping the concepts pretty well.
"Well done, only forty-seven more vials to go," Harry beamed.
"That can't be done in a day," Jennifer exclaimed.
"I am going to let you go off on your own, I'll fill twenty-four and meet you back at camp, if you run into trouble send off a cannon blast spell. I have plenty of antivenom potion if necessary but please be careful," Harry instructed.
"O-okay," Jennifer said nervously.
"You'll be fine," Harry assured her before handing her the storage box with twenty-three empty vials in it.
Harry was just putting the finishing touches on a pot of fish stew when Jennifer wandered into camp looking pleased.
"I filled them all, Harry," Jennifer beamed.
"Knew you would, we'll do this again tomorrow so we can fill the order by the end of the week. Then next week you can meet the golden lance-head pit viper," Harry said as he stirred in some seasoning.
"You mean we're going to snake island?" Jennifer asked excitedly.
"Yeah, that's where I learned to collect venom," Harry shrugged.
"What are they like?" Jennifer asked.
"Quite timid, but very good conversationalist, they spend a lot of time in the trees hunting birds," Harry said thoughtfully
"You really like this work don't you?" Jennifer said as she set her case on top of his and took a seat at the picnic table.
"I like the snakes, they really are amazing creatures," Harry admitted as Athena slithered into camp with a big bulge in her middle section.
§Thank you, Harry§, Athena hissed as she slithered over to her spot by the fire and coiled up.
"I don't think your snake likes me very much," Jennifer said.
"Don't take it personally, as I said before she is not fond of the snake spell you use," Harry shrugged as he served them both a bowl of stew.
"I take it you found her on your first trip here?" Jennifer asked.
"Yes, she agreed to let me have some of her venom if I would take her with me to see the world," Harry chuckled.
"She has to be the largest bushmaster I've ever seen," Jennifer admitted.
"Same, I have never seen another lachesis as big as Athena, though her son may soon catch her up soon," Harry said in between spoonfuls of stew.
"I think if I take a snake as a familiar, I'll choose a constrictor," Jennifer admitted.
"Never worked much with them, to be honest. They aren't used in potions often and I rarely run across them in the jungle believe it or not," Harry said as he tried to remember the last boa he had seen
"We had a few boas in our care for creatures class, their skins are used in quite a few of the potions the school nurse used in the hospital wing," Jennifer explained.
"How did you get the potion company's attention anyway?" Harry asked.
"My uncle owns Chupacabra Potion Supplies, I asked if I could collect venom for the company and he said the only way I could was if I was trained by a magizoologist," Jennifer admitted.
"I can't say that I'm upset, this is the third spring in a row I've worked the Amazon rainforest," Harry chuckled.
"Do you not like the rainforest?" Jennifer questioned as she refilled her bowl.
"I find the jungle quite beautiful, though I could do without the monkeys. No, I just miss my wife and kids when I have to travel here three months a year," Harry explained.
"Oh," Jennifer nodded in understanding.
"So you're doing me a favour by taking over this territory," Harry shrugged as he refilled his own bowl.
"We can agree to disagree, there is so much money to be made here," Jennifer pointed out.
"There are more important things than money," Harry shrugged amused at her perspective.
"If you say so," Jennifer said in a disbelieving tone.
'She'll figure that out eventually,' Harry thought as he finished his dinner and prepared to turn in for the night.
Peverell Beach House, Cornwall, 2/14/1988, 09:39
Harry stepped into the bedroom after dropping the kids off at their Aunt Narcissa's for the day.
Harry planned on taking Bella out for the day as it was a lover's holiday and it had been some time since they had gone on a date.
He was about halfway through the trip to South America now, he would be taking Jennifer with him to Africa but that was mostly so she could get some experience with magical serpents. After that trip, she would be on her own and he only had to worry about one collection trip a year (except in special circumstances).
He wanted to give Jennifer a good understanding of how different each species of snake were. She mostly planned to work out of South America so he didn't have to take her on the full tour as Sanjay had done with him but he wanted to give her a good idea of what to expect when working with venomous serpents.
Harry pushed open the bedroom door to find the bed empty, he could hear singing coming from the bathroom so he was fairly certain Bella was in the shower.
"I've got a cauldron full of hot, strong love," Harry heard Bella singing, her voice echoing off of the tile walls
"And it's bubbling for you! Say Incendio, but that spell's not hot-
" I didn't know you were a Warbeck fan," Harry said in an amused tone.
"I like that song, have you come to join Bella in the shower?" Bella asked hopefully.
"Sure, I can wash your back if you like," Harry offered.
"As long as you plan on getting me good and squeaky clean," Bella giggled.
"If I must," Harry sighed as he stripped down and climbed into the shower, eager to help his wife get nice and clean... after getting her a bit dirty first of course.
Diagon Alley, London, 2/14/1988, 11:29
Harry and Bellatrix were walking down the alley mostly just killing time until they were ready to eat lunch. They had stepped into a few shops but hadn't made any purchases yet.
For the past six months, they had been training during every free second they had, so this bit of relaxation was most welcome for both of them.
Bellatrix had definitely not lost her edge as far as duelling went, she was bloody terrifying with a wand. Her speed was matched by few and she had an intuitive grasp of magic, seeming to be able to counter any spell that was sent her way with laughable ease
Her defensive skills were formidable, to say the least, but they didn't hold a candle to the ferocity of her attack. She would throw endless chains of deadly spells at her opponent and completely overwhelm them until her foe made a mistake, and then she would annihilate them. Sparring with his wife was unlike anything he had ever experienced before and it really challenged him, he quickly learned that Bellatrix had earned her reputation as the most feared dark witch in Britain.
When they had first begun sparring together, Harry had been against using deadly spells in their duels but Bella hadn't given him much choice in the matter.
He had tried using kid gloves with her and lost quite a few of their duels. Once he stopped holding back the duels became quite intense, at some points in their mock duels, a single mistake made by either one of them could have fatal consequences. Harry was eternally grateful that neither of them ever made such a mistake but he couldn't deny how effective training like that was.
"Is that Thomas Avery?" Bellatrix asked, pulling him from his thoughts.
"Looks like it," Harry said as he saw the man she had indicated, heading towards Gringotts.
They had been trying to pin down Avery's location for months but the wards around his home were quite impressive and they never could get close enough without triggering them.
"Figures the little worm comes out to ruin our Valentine's day," Bella pouted.
"We're not following him today, all work and no play makes Bella a dull girl," Harry chuckled as he lifted her hand to his lips and place a soft kiss on her knuckles.
"But we may not be able to find him again," Bella pointed out as Harry led them away from Gringotts.
"Trust me we'll be able to find him, I already know where they're all going to be in June," Harry pointed out.
"You want to attack the ritual?" Bellatrix asked in understanding.
"Yeah, if we're lucky we might finish him off before he regains a body," Harry explained.
"If the ritual site isn't warded," Bellatrix countered.
"True, we'll have to start scouting the area a couple of weeks before the solstice," Harry said thoughtfully.
Do you remember where the cemetery is located?" Bellatrix asked after a few minutes of silence.
"It's... It's somewhere near... oh dammit!" Harry said in realisation when he figured out what was happening.
"Just as I thought," Bella nodded.
"They've already started warding the property," Harry said in a resigned tone.
"I figured they would, especially with the dark lord in such a vulnerable state," Bellatrix admitted.
"Then we'll have to keep searching, Avery will make a mistake eventually," Harry said with as much confidence as he could muster.
"He will, if not we can always kill him at the ministry," Bellatrix agreed.
"That could cause trouble," Harry chuckled as he thought of the other two assassinations he had carried out at the ministry.
"So how is your apprenticeship going?" Bella asked as they approached The Winged-Horse restaurant.
"Good, Jennifer should be ready to go solo by next spring," Harry beamed.
"So you won't be leaving me next spring?" Bella asked.
"Exactly, no more springtime trips," Harry agreed.
"Good," Bella nodded happily, even though they had been having this conversation a lot recently she never got tired of hearing him say this.
"What have you been up to while I've been away?" Harry asked curiously.
"I've been spending a lot of time with Andi, Bella gets bored at the house all by herself," Bellatrix shrugged.
"You can always apply for next year's defence post at Hogwarts," Harry suggested knowing full well she wouldn't like the idea.
"No, I don't want to put up with other people's children, I have no idea how Cissa does it," Bellatrix admitted.
"She charges an exorbitant tuition and she somehow convinced Lady Greengrass to teach the younger children for her," Harry pointed out.
"Cissa always knew how to make money, I'm just glad she's teaching the twins for free," Bellatrix said sounding amused.
"Nothing is ever free with your sister, dear," Harry said as they stepped into the restaurant.
"True," Bella agreed.
"Lord and Lady Peverell, a table for two?" The host asked in a dignified tone.
"Please," Harry nodded and followed him to their usual table.
Harry scanned the menu though he already knew he wanted the stromboli.
"I think I want to try the lasagna this time," Bellatrix said thoughtfully.
"I've had it before, it's amazing," Harry assured her as he set his menu down and opened the wine list.
Their waitress soon came by their table and took their order before bringing a bottle of elf-made wine to the table.
"I have been thinking about selling enchanted items in the alley. I have been thinking about making some inquiries at some of the local shops to see if they would be willing to sell my products on commission or something," Bellatrix said thoughtfully.
"Like that razor, you enchanted back in Azkaban?" Harry asked with a nod.
"Exactly, there are spells a witch can use for that kind of thing but they never get legs as smooth as an old fashion razor," Bella nodded as she sipped her wine.
"If you want to do that, I think it's a wonderful idea," Harry said as he sipped his own wine.
"It will give me something to do," Bella shrugged.
"You could open your own shop, we can certainly afford to rent a storefront if tb
Hat is what you want," Harry pointed out.
"No, I want to do this as more of a hobby and it would take a lot of time to run a business," Bellatrix admitted.
"If you're sure," Harry said as their waitress brought their salad to the table.
"I am," Bella nodded as she speared a cherry tomato with her fork.
They both settled into a comfortable silence for a few moments as they ate, and Harry took the time to glance out the window noticing Avery walking past the restaurant
The tall brown-haired man seemed determined to distract him from the date he had planned today. Harry wanted nothing more than to follow Thomas Avery and take care of one of Voldemort's highest-ranking death eaters.
"Thomas is just begging for it," Bellatrix muttered when she saw where Harry was looking.
'Yes, but we must be patient," Harry said as he spotted the waitress bringing their food.
"I was never a very patient girl," Bella said as the steaming plate of lasagna was placed in front of her.
'I am starting to lose my patience too,' Harry thought as he saw Avery disappear into Knockturn Alley.
Riddle Grave Site, Little Hangleton, 6/22/1988, 21:29
Tom Riddle also known as Voldemort, stood from the cauldron and flexed his hands, enjoying being able to stand on his own once again. The ritual had gone off without a hitch and the only thing spoiling an otherwise happy occasion was the six foot five three hundred and fifty pound man blubbering on the ground in front of him.
Vincent Crabbe was in the fetal position, holding the left arm that was missing a hand to his chest and crying noisily about ten feet away from the cauldron Voldemort was standing in.
"Robes, Thomas," Voldemort said as he stepped out of the metal cauldron that was starting to feel hot underneath his feet.
"At once," Avery bowed before assisting his master in donning the black acromantula silk robes.
"Excellent, now that we have completed this ritual, it is time to assess where we go from here. As I have learned, many of our best have fallen in the last decade so for the time being, we must work to rebuild our forces. Thomas has already begun recruiting for the cause but we face many hurdles, the first being the ministry which will not be sympathetic to our cause," Voldemort proclaimed to the robed death eaters standing in a perfect circle around the cauldron, the fire burning underneath it casting them in flickering orange light.
"My lord pl-please," Crabbe sputtered from the ground.
"Oh yes, Mr Crabbe how silly of me to forget your suffering," Voldemort said with a put-upon sigh.
Taking his yew wand from the robe pocket, he waved his wand and produced a blob of molten silver that quickly took on the shape of a human hand.
"For services rendered," Voldemort said as he flicked his wand, causing the silver hand to seamlessly attach itself to Crabbe's wrist making it appear as if the man had on a silver glove.
"T-thank you m-master, it's b-beautiful," Crabbe sniffled as he moved his fingers experimentally.
"I'm glad you approve, now quit your snivelling and get to your allotted place," Voldemort snapped impatiently.
"Y-yes master," Crabbe mumbled as he scrambled to retake his place in the circle.
"As I was saying before the interruption, the ministry has never been more hostile towards our cause and the auror force is larger than it has been since the turn of the century. We are going to have to tread delicately until we can make inroads into the upper echelons of the government," Voldemort continued, the death eaters hanging on his every word.
"Now while I have been... away. Thomas has set up quite a few useful contacts in the foreign ministries. We are going to be staying abroad for the time being as I would rather we were outside of Dumbledore's sphere of influence," Voldemort said, his head turning to lock onto each death eater standing in the circle.
"What about 'im, my lord?" Amycus Carrow asked pointing to Elphias Doge who was still lashed to the gravestone of Tom Riddle Sr.
"He shall be our newest spy into the order," Voldemort said thoughtfully.
"I would never help you, Dumbledore is my oldest friend and you're a monster!" Elphias exclaimed angrily.
"Never say never Mr Doge, Imperio," Voldemort said as he directed his wand at the prisoner.
Voldemort easily overpowered the man's will and forced him to accept two commands. The first command was to write everything he heard in the order meetings on an enchanted piece of parchment that was paired with one Avery had. The second was to kill Albus Dumbledore when the opportunity arose.
"Untie him and give him the parchment," Thomas," Voldemort instructed.
Avery hastily carried out his orders and gave the glazed-eyed Elphias Doge the rolled-up piece of parchment which Elphias slipped into the pocket of his robes.
"Healer Rivers, please clean him up," Voldemort ordered.
The short brown-haired man hurried forward and treated the deep cut on Elphias' forearm caused by the ritual blade. The dittany quickly sealed the wound shut, though there was no healing it completely. Since the wound was made with a dark artefact, there would always be a scar there.
"That's as good as I can heal the wound, my lord," Rivers said as he made his way back to his place in the circle.
"It will have to do," Voldemort nodded before pointing his wand at Doge, and casting a nonverbal sleeping charm over the man.
"Obliviate," Voldemort intoned and hit the sleeping man with a memory charm to erase any memory of tonight from his mind.
The imperious curse was still tied to the man's subconscious so he would still carry out his orders and not even realise he was being controlled.
"Take him back to his home, Alecto. Tuck him into his bed, he must believe he fell asleep as he normally would," Voldemort commanded and watched the female Carrow twin carry out her orders.
"I believe it is time we adjourn to Thomas' summer home, make sure the area is cleansed of our presence here," Voldemort commanded before disappearing with a soft 'pop.'
Head's Office, Hogwarts, 6/21/1988, 23:29
Dumbledore stepped out of the Pensieve looking very troubled, the fact that Voldemort was using his childhood friend to spy on him upset him greatly. He was also rather surprised with what he had learned in the memory, it seems Voldemort was very cautious around the current ministry. That was the one bit of good news though it was hardly that comforting as Voldemort would be building his forces elsewhere.
"Well, what do you think, Albus?' Snape asked from his seat on the other side of the desk.
"Voldemort is playing things very cautiously, he didn't kill poor Elphias which he would usually not hesitate to do," Albus said thoughtfully.
"The death eaters are a bit on edge because of this man that has been killing death eaters. They believe McNair is dead as well, the dark lord hasn't been able to track him through his mark," Snape explained.
"Yes, I remember you saying something about that, do they still believe it is Lord Peverell?" Dumbledore questioned.
"They are uncertain as of yet and have decided to use extreme caution just in case," Snape answered.
"I admit that there is some logic to their speculation, Lord Peverell is a very talented wizard," Dumbledore said thoughtfully.
"Well if he is the person responsible for all of these deaths, then he is most likely working at the behest of Narcissa Malfoy," Snape put forward.
"Yes, Lady Malfoy has always been able to find those to take care of her dirty work for her. It is said that out of the three, Narcissa was the most dangerous," Dumbledore agreed.
"I am not sure I believe that, Bellatrix is like a force of nature with a wand," Snape argued.
"Bellatrix is a broadsword through the chest in the heat of battle, but Narcissa is more akin to a poisoned dagger in the back while walking down the street. She doesn't have to use her wand, she gets others to make her enemies suffer and from the stories I've heard, she's quite ruthless," Dumbledore explained.
"So Lucius, Nott, Selwyn, Greyback, and McNair were all killed on her orders?" Snape asked incredulously.
"And Randolph LeStrange if I were to hazard a guess," Dumbledore agreed.
"So what are we going to do about Peverell?" Snape asked.
"Bring him into our fold of course," Dumbledore said as if it were obvious.
"But he's clearly a killer," Snape protested.
"We all have blood on our hands, Severus. As much as I detest killing, I cannot pretend I am upset by the loss of these men. They were all quite despicable human beings," Dumbledore sighed.
"So how do you plan to bring him in, you said he rejected your offer to join the order," Snape asked.
"I will offer him a place on the staff," Dumbledore replied, his eyes twinkling merrily.
"Is that wise, we already suspect him of multiple murders?" Snape asked, not looking thrilled at the suggestion.
"He is quite good with children, I believe he has already taken young Nymphadora Tonks under his wing," Dumbledore pointed out looking completely untroubled by Snape's question.
"Yes, and look how that has played out, those infernal wards popped up in every classroom in the school this past year! Hogwarts sounded like a bloody barnyard!" Severus exclaimed still furious at the memory of those wards over his classroom.
"Yes, Minerva was on the warpath after those donkey wards, I personally found them very amusing," Dumbledore chuckled.
"You're going to do what you like regardless, but I still say it's a bad idea," Snape said bluntly.
"Your protest is noted, but Silvanus recently lost an arm due to his carelessness around a particularly aggressive Griffin. I thought Lord Peverell might be interested in taking over the class until our care of magical creatures professor is fully mended," Dumbledore shrugged.
"He's a serpent expert," Snape snorted.
"With a mastery in care of magical creatures," Dumbledore pointed out.
"Very well, I have to get some rest," Severus said realising the futility of trying to argue with the stubborn headmaster.
"I shall see you later, Severus, good evening," Dumbledore said pleasantly as the surly potions professor swept from the room.
Albus could appreciate Severus' perspective on Harry Peverell but Albus also knew that Severus' opinion was influenced by Lord Peverell's strong resemblance to James Potter.
Albus began penning a letter asking for a meeting with Lord Peverell at his earliest convenience. Albus just hoped he could convince the man to come work at Hogwarts, that would be the first step in getting the man on his side.
'With all of this bad news, it would be nice to have some good,' Albus thought to himself and sealed the letter before giving it to Fawkes to deliver.
Sudan, Africa, 6/21/1988, 22:29
Harry was seated at the picnic table outside the camp enjoying his evening meal by the campfire. As much as he detested working with surly black mambas, this country was indescribably beautiful especially at dusk. The open savannahs really became active after dark and if it wasn't for the wards his camp would be in a very dangerous place.
The hyenas always started calling first, their barks sounding like maniacal laughter that had terrified his student on their first night here. Next came the cries from the pride of lions that called this patch of savannah their home.
"I still can't understand how you are so relaxed here," Jennifer said pulling him from his thoughts.
"The wards keep them away and those snakes we milked today kill more people than lions ever will," Harry shrugged as the air above him was lit up in a fireball as a familiar phoenix appeared, a letter clutched in its talons.
"That's a phoenix," Jennifer said in awe as the bird landed on the table and offered Harry the letter.
"I believe this is Fawkes, Albus Dumbledore's companion," Harry said as he took the scroll only for the bird to disappear in another burst of bright flame.
"You mean the Albus Dumbledore," Jennifer exclaimed sounding awed.
"Yes, we're acquaintances of sorts though we don't usually see eye to eye," Harry shrugged as he unfurled the letter, his eyes widening the further he read.
Lord Harry Peverell,
Lord Voldemort successfully regained a body not an hour ago. He has decided to stay outside of the British Isles and rebuild his forces from continental Europe. This is the gravest of news so I thought you should be informed at once.
Now onto the real reason for this letter, I wish to meet with you in person this coming Saturday to discuss an employment opportunity for the upcoming school year. If you are agreeable, I shall call on your residence at noon to discuss the specifics in person.
Hoping you are well,
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore
Harry reread the letter twice to make sure he wasn't mistaken before tucking it into his pocket. Harry would admit that he did find the idea of working at Hogwarts awfully tempting. The job would give him the freedom to see his family every day while still earning a steady income.
"That must have been important," Jennifer said looking as if she was dying to ask what the letter was about.
"Dumbledore wants me to work at Hogwarts... I think" Harry said as he went back to his meal.
"Teaching at a school would be a great job, that's what I plan to do in a few years when Professor Cortez retires," Jennifer admitted.
"Then who will collect the South American venom samples?" Harry chuckled.
"I believe I can do both, after working with the snakes here, the snakes back home seem pretty tame," Jennifer giggled.
"So I can't talk you into taking this territory off of my hands as well?" Harry asked innocently.
"No, I almost got bit three times today alone," Jennifer shuddered.
"Yes, that was a bit closer than I would prefer," Harry agreed.
"They move faster than I can cast the spell," Jennifer admitted.
"Well, what did you think of the runespoor?" Harry asked.
"I seemed quite gentle really," Jennifer admitted.
"That's because all three heads are constantly bickering amongst themselves they hardly pay attention to what goes on around them," Harry explained.
"They are?" Jennifer asked in surprise.
"Yes, though mainly it's the left and right heads arguing while the middle head tries to reason with them both. Its bloody migraine-inducing reminds me of dealing with squabbling toddlers," Harry grumbled.
"Are you going to take the job?" Jennifer asked curiously.
"I don't know, I will have to discuss this with Bellatrix before I make a decision one way or the other," Harry replied as he cleaned his plate before tossing it into the fire.
"I think you should, you are a pretty good teacher," Jennifer said her cheeks turning slightly pink.
"Yes, I am very tempted as it would give me a chance to keep my eye on my niece," Harry said thoughtfully.
They fell into a comfortable silence as Harry got lost in his thoughts. He had been expecting Voldemort to return tonight as all signs pointed to him using the same means he used last time around. They had been unsuccessful at locating the graveyard Tom Riddle Sr was buried, Harry suspected they had used a fedelius ward over the graveyard.
So now it was happening, the second rising of Lord Voldemort had begun. Harry was both apprehensive and excited at the prospect of the coming battle, he had been preparing for this since he had arrived in the past and now it was finally happening.
'I guess it won't hurt to hear what Albus has to say," Harry said thoughtfully as he watched Jennifer toss the paper plate into the fire.