Library, Hogwarts, 1/10/1993, 14:36
Harry and Susan were seated at a table in the back of the library as they poured over three different potion reference books to finish out their holiday homework.
They had only just returned to the castle after the break, and to be honest, the Christmas season wasn't very festive this year. Sirius' grandfather had gotten very ill and was taken to St Mungo's on Christmas Eve.
Harry had known Arcturus Black as Uncle Artie and had spent a lot of time with the man growing up. Truthfully he'd always seen him more as a grandfather than an uncle, but Arcturus said that he preferred to be called uncle as it made him feel a bit younger.
Harry knew the man didn't have very long, and it worried him. He knew that Arcturus and Sirius had become very close as the older man guided him through his head-of-house responsibilities, and he would be devastated if he lost his grandfather, not that Harry could blame him.
"You're daydreaming," Susan's voice cut into his thoughts.
"Huh?" Harry asked distractedly.
"I said you are daydreaming, Harry," Susan said with an air of forced patience
"Sorry, I was just thinking about Arcturus," Harry sighed as he went back to scanning the page for anything relevant to his essay on the properties and preparation of the girding potion.
"Oh," Susan muttered, giving him a sympathetic smile.
"I saw him Friday. He doesn't even look like I remember him," Harry muttered as he turned the page in his reference book.
"He was always so nice to me when we visited," Susan said sadly.
"I remember. You always got chocolate while Draco and I got a lecture on how heirs are supposed to behave," Harry snorted. He remembered his childhood visits to Arcturus' cottage.
"Because you two were always into something," Susan shrugged though she looked amused
Before Harry could say anything else, the seat across from him was taken by Hermione, who seemed to be in a very good mood which was a bit at odds with how he felt right about now.
"Hello, you two," Hermione said, giving them both a warm smile.
"Hey Hermione, have a good holiday?" Harry asked, putting a smile on his face as he looked over at the bushy-haired Ravenclaw girl.
"I did. My parents took us skiing in Switzerland," Hermione beamed.
"I tried skiing once," Susan muttered, taking the hint from Harry and putting on a cheerful demeanour.
"I was on my bum more than my skis, but the mountains were gorgeous," Hermione said as she removed her books from her bag.
"Same with me. I never could stay upright," Susan admitted.
"I never had much issue with that," Harry smirked.
"No, you just couldn't get the hang of braking," Susan shot back.
"So, what are you two working on?" Hermione asked as she sensed another one of Harry and Susan's arguments coming on.
"Potions," Harry shrugged.
"That's the only one we didn't finish over break," Susan elaborated.
"I didn't do that one either. I needed a few reference books that I didn't have at home," Hermione said, eyeing the book Harry was using hopefully.
"Same for us," Harry chuckled as he went back to writing the paragraph on ingredient reactions so Hermione could use the book.
"So, how was your holiday, Harry?" Hermione asked as she watched him with interest.
"Not good. I spent a lot of it at St Mungo's," Harry sighed as he finished with the first reference book and slid it across the table to Hermione.
"Why?" Hermione asked, giving him a look of concern.
"Sirius' grandfather fell ill," Harry explained as he opened another book and began searching for information relevant to his essay.
"What's wrong with him?" Hermione asked hesitantly.
"The healers are calling it a Provectaetas Malediction. They haven't ever seen anything like it before," Harry said, not pausing in the paragraph he was writing.
"It's awful. He won't stop ageing," Susan muttered sadly.
Hermione was saved from having to say anything as Draco took a seat beside her. For once, he didn't seem to have anything negative to say and just gave the other three a nod before he took out his history of magic book and began to work on his essay.
"Are you alright?" Susan asked, giving Draco a wary look.
"Sure, just glad to be back in the castle. Mum was in a right state over Yule," Draco shrugged.
"I notice she didn't even host the Christmas ball this year," Susan said, sounding slightly disappointed.
"She has always been close with Uncle Arcturus and just wasn't in the mood to organise a party," Draco said, sparing Susan a glance before going back to his essay on goblin rebellions.
"Sirius was the same," Harry said as he began scratching out another paragraph.
"So, are you ready to go up against Hufflepuff's new seeker?" Draco asked in a pointed attempt to change the subject after the silence became a bit uncomfortable.
"That Diggory bloke?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, our scouts tell us he's really fast," Draco whispered.
"Slytherin team has scouts?" Harry snorted, more amused than surprised at this information.
"They're the house of the cunning, of course, they spy on other teams while they practice," Hermione sighed, giving Draco a disapproving look.
"Don't give me that look, Granger, professional teams analyse their competition before games," Draco exclaimed.
"Muggle teams go over their opposition's previous game footage as well," Harry added, shooting Hermione a look of amusement.
"Well, you and Diggory will be on equal footing, he's flying the same broom that we are," Draco said, getting back on the subject.
"Slytherin plays Ravenclaw next Saturday, don't they?" Susan asked as she rolled up her completed potions essay.
"Yes, it's supposed to snow but that is still preferable to our last game in the middle of a thunderstorm," Draco muttered.
"You lot might have this in the bag. From what the Weasley twins told me, Chang isn't very good," Harry admitted.
"And how would they know that? This is her first year on the team," Hermione asked as she looked up from her essay.
"They are the Gryffindor scouts. They have been sizing up the other teams' players on Wood's orders," Harry smirked, causing Susan to giggle beside him when she saw the incredulous look on Hermione's face.
"She's also flying a Comet Two Sixty, which is leagues behind the Nimbus line," Malfoy said, giving Hermione a smug look.
"Yeah, but Ravenclaw's chaser lineup will tear the Slytherin chasers to pieces, so you had better catch that snitch in a hurry," Susan warned.
"Oh Susan, not you too," Hermione sighed, giving the other girl a look of exasperation.
"What? I grew up watching professional quidditch," Susan defended.
"We all did," Harry said as Draco nodded his agreement.
"Potter's right even Greengrass is a die-hard Harpies fan," Draco chuckled.
"That is because the Harpies are the only league team with enough sense to keep little boys off of the pitch," a haughty voice cut into their conversation.
Harry looked in the direction he heard the voice and spotted Daphne stepping out of the row of shelves in the potions section
"Daphne, how was your holiday?" Hermione asked a moment later when her fellow Racenclaw joined them at the table.
"Quite nice. We visited my aunt in Germany," Daphne said, giving the girl a rare smile.
Harry had noticed that the two girls had become closer this year, which was a welcome change from their constant bickering from the year before.
"The Harpies aren't doing very well this year," Draco smirked.
"They're still ahead of the Falcons," Daphne shrugged as she picked up the reference book Harry had just finished with.
"They're three spots behind the Bats," Harry beamed.
"Alright, I've had enough quidditch talk," Hermione sighed, giving Harry a look of annoyance.
"I'm done with my potions essay anyway. Care to go for a fly, Draco?" Harry asked as he looked over at the other boy.
"Sure, it might help to get in some real practice against another seeker," Draco nodded as he put away his completed history of magic essay.
"Good. With those two out of the way, we can have some girl talk," Susan beamed.
Harry and Draco made a hasty retreat as they were both s little too familiar with subjects girl talk usually revolved around.
"So, how is living with the Carrow twins?" Harry questioned as they stepped out of the library and made their way towards the stairs.
"They avoid me and spend most of the time with Mum or in the aviary," Draco shrugged.
"Probably for the best if they were the ones who jumped us last year," Harry mused.
"True," Draco agreed as they stepped onto the grand staircase.
They walked the rest of the way to the quidditch pitch in silence, neither of them really anxious to fly in the frigid January cold, but both of them wanting to keep themselves busy so as not to think about Arcturus and whether or not they would be attending another funeral very soon.
The quidditch pitch was vacant when they arrived, as very few of their peers would voluntarily fly when it was so cold out.
"Bloody hell," Harry muttered as he kicked off, the frigid air making his eyes water as he shot into the air
"We are not staying out here long," Draco exclaimed as he came to hover beside him at playing height.
"Alright, go ahead and release the snitch," Harry said as he rubbed his hands together in an attempt to warm them up.
Harry watched Draco take the practice snitch out of his pocket and toss it into the air, its little wings instantly coming to life before it zoomed off toward the goalposts furthest away from them.
The rest of their afternoon consisted of both boys searching desperately for the most elusive practice snitch Harry had ever seen in his life.
In the end, Harry was able to catch the snitch when he spotted it loitering around the commentator's box, but both boys were in agreement that they spent far too long to find it.
As Harry and Draco trudged through the snow back to the castle, intent on getting some hot cocoa, both of their minds wandered back to their earlier thoughts though now they were also questioning their own sanity for going flying onone of the coldest days of the year.
Carfax Abbey, Near London, 1/21/1993, 21:29
Daciana was seated in a high-backed chair in front of an unlit fireplace in the drawing room of the ancient manor while she waited on Alana to join her. The room was lit with a few candles casting the dusty room in flickering light. She had always found candlelight soothing, and she sat there watching the flames as she sipped from a goblet of fresh lamb's blood, savouring her drink while she reflected on the meeting she had just come from.
She had just met with Voldemort again and was quite pleased to learn that the dark lord had upheld his end of the bargain and placed concealment wards over the village of Little Hangleton.
She too had upheld her deal and found thirteen newly turned vampires who had experience in non-magical combat. She had armed them with broadswords and armour and had one of the coven members instruct them on the finer points of close-quarters combat with edged weapons.
Truthfully they were a bit out of their depth. Most of them were former soldiers in the British Army and had only been trained in bayonet combat during boot camp. Modern militaries relied more heavily on small arms and artillery than the melee combat of old. She had no inclination to procure modern weaponry for them as it just seemed so soulless to her, so she opted to have them trained with the sword and shield.
Thankfully her chosen fighters were quick students and took to wielding the heavy broadswords with ease, their enhanced strength aiding them tremendously.
Daciana was pulled from her thoughts as the door opened, and Alana entered the room. The other vampire looked to be deep in thought but quickly crossed the room to join the blonde. As soon as their eyes met, Alana gave her an inquiring look.
"How did your meeting with him go?" Alana asked as she took the empty seat to Daciana's left.
"He has upheld our agreement," Daciana answered simply.
"Good, the triplets wish to go and live in the village," Alana said, giving her an inquiring look.
"That is their decision," Daciana shrugged.
"I told them the same," Alana agreed.
"And Bethany is staying at Riddle Manor with the fighters. She has chosen," Daciana added.
"Good. What of the meeting with Dumbledore's emissary?" Alana questioned.
"Nymphadora has returned to the academy. I will be meeting with Albus Dumbledore sometime next month to hear what he has to say," Daciana replied.
"Be careful with that girl. She is well protected," Alana warned.
"Oh?" Daciana asked, a bit surprised at how grave Alana sounded.
"I may have neglected to mention that the Reaper was watching over your meeting with Cadet Auror Tonks," Alana said, giving her a meaningful look.
"So he knows where to find us," Daciana mused.
"He does," Alana nodded as she poured herself a goblet of blood from the pitcher.
"That is very troubling," Daciana said, not looking pleased with this revelation
"This just means we will have to tread carefully as far as he is concerned unless you would prefer that we relocate somewhere safer," Alana said, giving the blonde a questioning look.
"No, this property is sacred among our people," Daciana said stubbornly.
"Then we should keep an open mind when we meet with Albus Dumbledore," Alana shrugged, looking unsurprised at the other woman's answer.
"I suppose we should," Daciana agreed.
"Let us hope that whatever Voldemort plans with those vampires doesn't negatively affect our negotiations with Dumbledore," Alana said before she took a large sip from her goblet.
"It may help us if they assume that we have more soldiers at out disposal," Daciana reasoned.
"We need to train some more up," Alana pointed out.
"We do. Knowing Voldemort's track record, there is a good chance most of those thirteen will be killed in the first battle," Daciana agreed.
"You knew that was a possibility when we made the deal," Alana shrugged.
"What exactly did Reaper say to you?" Daciana asked after a moment of silence.
"That he was there to watch over the cader and that he had no quarrel with us," Alana said as she thought back to the conversation.
"So he was not hostile toward you?" Daciana pressed.
"No, actually he was quite polite," Alana admitted.
"We may have to see about reaching an accord with him in case things go badly with the others," Daciana mused.
"I agree, but let us wait until we learn what Albus is offering," Alana said as she rose to her feet.
"Is it dinner time already?" Daciana asked as she too rose from her seat.
"It is. Renee promised to deliver us magical blood fresh from Knockturn Alley," Alana answered, sounding giddy.
"Excellent, I hope it's virgin blood this time," Daciana said as she hurried to follow after the other vampire.
"In this day and age, I wouldn't hold my breath," Alana giggled as they stepped into the dark hallway.
Daciana's mind was still on their earlier discussion as she and the members of her coven consumed the jug of still-warm blood from some unknown witch.
She knew that they were playing a dangerous game working with Voldemort when it was obvious that he was going to lose his war with the ministry. Having an exit strategy was only sensible, so they had to ensure that they could make allies with both sides.
In the meantime, she planned to focus on building their numbers though she would use a different strategy than they had had over the previous summer.
'By this summer, our interests will be secured,' Daciana promised herself as she swallowed the last mouthful of blood from her goblet and felt the energy flow through her very being.
St Mungo's, London, 1/23/1993, 12:39
Sirius sat in a chair next to his grandfather's bed as the elderly nan slept peacefully. The former Lord Black was getting worse by the day and was barely recognisable due to the accelerated ageing he was suffering through.
Sirius knew that his grandfather didn't have very long now and he was doing his best to mentally prepare himself for...
No! He couldn't let his thoughts go in that direction.
There was still a chance that his grandfather could recover if the healers could figure out a way to combat the disease. Though if he were being honest with himself, he knew his grandfather didn't have much longer.
Sirius thought that Harry had found the cure a week ago when he had administered a glowing red potion that made the former Black lord seem to de-age before their eyes.
Unfortunately, within ten hours of his grandfather consuming the potion, all of the progress began to reverse itself again and he looked the same as he had before taking the potion.
The only good thing that had happened of late was Amelia being back to her old self again. She had returned to work a week ago though Sirius himself had taken off some personal time to stay with his grandfather.
His grandfather spent most of his time sleeping now and was only awake for a few minutes at a time before his condition tired him out.
Sirius was pulled out of his thoughts as his grandfather's eyes flickered open and looked up at him. The man's complexion was pale and his face was heavily wrinkled with dark spots and veins crisscrossing every inch of his skin, making him look hundreds of years older than he was. His hair was ivory white and thinning in places so Sirius could make out his scalp underneath. The only thing that looked familiar was his grey eyes which were still as sharp as Sirius remembered.
"Gr-grandfather," Sirius muttered as he took the man's gnarled hand into his own.
"Grandson," Arcturus rasped out, sounding like it took him a great effort to speak.
"I'm here," Sirius whispered.
"Please take care of our family, Sirius," Arcturus almost pleaded.
"I will," Sirius promised, his heart sinking as he felt his grandfather's hand starting to tremble.
"The family is yours now. Do with it what you... will," Arcturus said, his voice barely above a whisper.
"I don't want to hear that right now! You can't die on me, Grandfather," Sirius exclaimed, his voice sounding almost pleading even to his own ears.
"It's my time, Sirius. Your grandmother is waiting to see me on the other side," Arcturus said, a weak smile playing on his lips as if he could see something behind Sirius.
Sirius stared at the man unable to form words as he held his hand, barely noticing when his grandfather's hand went slack in his own seconds before a chime sounded throughout the ward.
Sirius didn't need the healers pouring into the room to know that his grandfather was gone. Sirius knew when he felt his grandfather's hand become limp in his own, though curiously the older man still had that peaceful smile on his face that made him look almost like his old self... almost.
Sirius felt numb as he watched the healers try in vain to revive his grandfather before they called the time of death and one of the healers came over to speak with him.
Sirius left the hospital shortly after not sure what to do first but knowing that a stop at the pub might help him clear his mind before he began making the arrangements for his grandfather's funeral.
Black Family Crypt, Wales, 1/27/1993, 13:09
Harry stood with his family as he watched Sirius levitate the casket into the Black family tomb followed a moment later by the older members of the Black family.
Tears were streaming down the twins' cheeks and Ignotus in particular, had taken Arcturus' passing quite hard. Harry felt saddened himself, this was the second family funeral they had attended in less than a year and Harry hoped it was the last one for a while.
This funeral was very heavily attended compared to Ted's funeral but the sad thing was that most of these people were complete strangers that were only here to honour a former Wizengamot lord because it was expected of them.
Harry noticed that his wife was fighting back tears of her own and had been unusually subdued since they had left the manor this morning. Usually, Bellatrix wasn't an emotional person but he also knew that his wife was far more upset than she was letting on.
"He's at peace now, Luv," Harry whispered to Bellatrix as he gave her hand a comforting squeeze.
"I know, but I never liked funerals," Bellatrix muttered as she surreptitiously wiped her eyes with a handkerchief.
"You're not alone in that regard," Harry said as he gestured to Narcossa and Andromeda who were standing a short distance away from the Peverells.
Harry wasn't surprised to see that both of Bella's sisters had tears streaming down their cheeks. Arcturus' loss had deeply saddened the family and Harry had to wonder if things had been this way in his timeline or not.
The grinding of stone pulled Harry from pondering that question any further as the elder blacks led by Sirius stepped out of the tomb and the opening sealed itself shut as a door with the Black family crest slid into place, reminding him of a Gringotts vault door.
Unfortunately, this wasn't the end of things as all members of the Black family were expected to meet at Gringotts shortly for the will reading.
Harry had never actually been to a Gringotts will reading but he was already preparing himself for a long drawn-out affair.
Harry waited until most of the guests had cleared out before pulling the portkey from his pocket and offering it to the twins.
"Where are we going now, Daddy?" Carina asked softly.
"Gringotts, and then we'll go get some ice cream," Harry said as the kids took hold of the empty potion bottle he had made into a portkey.
"I hate the bank," Ignotus grumbled.
"That makes two of us," Harry agreed as he prepared to activate the portkey.
"This won't take long," Bella promised as Harry tapped the portkey with his wand to activate it.
Harry's last thought as he felt a pull behind his navel and they were sucked into the blue vortex was hoping that his wife was correct.
Peverell Manor, Leeds, 1/27/1993, 18:25
Almost five hours later, the Peverells arrived in the drawing room of their manor, Harry in particular feeling thoroughly wrung out.
The will reading seemed to never end though Harry couldn't say that he was surprised with how Arcturus had bequeathed his possessions.
Narcissa had inherited Arcturus's share of the potion company, which made sense as she had been running the British side of the company for years. She seemed quite pleased and Harry knew that Sirius had no interest in Black Potion Supplies, so it was a win-win as far as they were both concerned.
Andromeda had been bequeathed Arcturus's home in Wales, and she seemed very touched. Andi intimated that she had always loved visiting the home as a little girl and spent quite a few summers there with her aunt Melania. Harry thought this may be a blessing as Andromeda was still reluctant to move back into her own home after the attack the previous summer.
Harry was a bit surprised that Arcturus had left Bellatrix the Villa in France but like Andromeda, it was a place Bellatrix (and Harry for that matter) were quite attached to, considering they had gotten married on that very beach. Both he and Bellatrix were quite touched by Arturus' generosity and knew the kids would be thrilled when they visited the villa over the summer.
Some of the older Blacks, Pollux and Cygnus, had been left properties abroad. Edgar, Tonks, Draco, and the twins had all been left a sizeable amount of gold to be placed in their trust vaults until they reached majority, with the exception of Tonks who was almost twenty.
Sirius had inherited everything else, which would be transferred to the Black family vaults in the coming days.
Harry waited by the fireplace until Carina stepped through before he let out an audible sigh of relief at finally being home.
The manor was much bigger than the beach house but it was already starting to feel like home. Bella and her sisters had done a wonderful job with the decor though the ballroom and the grand dining room were a bit grandiose, in his opinion, with ornate crystal chandeliers and an abundance of Italian marble. The rest of the house was more to his tastes, with neutral colours and plenty of natural light coming in through the diamond-paned windows. True, there were whole sections of the manor they seldom used due to the sheer size of the manor, but they now had a very extensive library as well as a wine cellar and their own basement dungeon.
The drawing room that was connected to the floor was where they spent most of their time together, excluding mealtimes. This drawing room overlooked the lawns and wasn't far from the parlour that was connected to the snake's greenhouse and fairly close to the smaller dining room where they usually took their meals. This wasn't the largest drawing room in the manor, but they all agreed it had the most comfortable couches. It also had thick plush creme-coloured carpet on the floor so the kids could play board games in relative comfort.
"Dad, why was that so much longer than Uncle Ted's funeral?" Iggy asked as he plopped down onto the leather sofa.
"Because your Great-Uncle Arcturus was a very wealthy man and he had a lot of possessions to divvy up," Harry sighed.
"Is that why all of those stuffy pureblood lords were there?" Carina asked, looking just as exhausted as her brother.
"It is. Those same people were at our wedding and I had no idea who most of them were," Harry chuckled.
"They were at Sirius' wedding as well," Bella added as she perched on the arm of Harry's chair.
"I don't want that many people at my wedding," Carina muttered, looking horrified at the thought.
"It depends on who you marry," Harry shrugged.
"If she marries Harry Potter like she wants, then it'll be everyone at the funeral and then some," Iggy smirked, causing his sister to flush crimson and glare murderously at her brother.
"Stay. Out. Of. My. Diary!" Carina hissed, looking livid.
Harry felt a migraine coming on when what Ignotus said fully sank in and he shot his wife a pleading look.
"Carina darling, you're very closely related to Harry Potter. You can't marry him," Bella soothed, taking pity on her husband.
"I am?" Carina asked in surprise and more than a little disappointment.
"Very closely related," Harry agreed.
"How are we related to him?" Iggy asked, looking just as surprised as his sister.
"Why don't you two go change out of your dress robes and we'll go flying," Harry suggested in hopes of avoiding answering that particular question.
"Yeah!" The kids chorused in unison as they sprang to their feet, the earlier topic thankfully forgotten with the prospect of going for a fly.
Harry could have sworn the children apparated out of the room as they were off of the couch and sprinting out of the room in the blink of an eye, much to Harry and Bella's amusement.
"That was awkward," Harry muttered as soon as he heard his kids' footsteps in the hallway.
"I noticed. You should have seen your face," Bella giggled.
"It was like hearing my worst nightmare," Harry muttered.
"They say a girl ends up marrying someone like their own father," Bella smirked.
"I don't believe the saying is quite that literal, Luv," Harry scowled.
"How did Uncle Arcturus die in your time?" Bella asked, catching him a bit off guard by the change in topic.
"I don't really know," Harry admitted giving her an apologetic look.
"But you said he passed away two years later than in your time?" Bella pressed.
"He did according to the tapestry at Grimmauld Place," Harry agreed.
"I wonder what changed," Bellatrix mused.
"I couldn't say. I am starting to wonder if I got things wrong about time travel, to begin with," Harry admitted.
"What do you mean?" Bella asked, looking confused.
"My original theory was that my being in the past created an entirely different timeline, a sort of an alternate reality from the point I arrived in this timeline. That would explain how the things I changed did not make me cease to exist. The most notable being when I killed Rookwood, making it impossible to send me here in the first place," Harry explained.
"So if you are not a time-traveller, then what are you?" Bella pressed.
"I am starting to think I travelled here from another dimension. It would explain all of the slight differences to my timeline that I had no part in changing," Harry mused.
"What differences?" Bella asked.
"Orion and Walburga dying years earlier than they did in my timeline and Amelia bringing you that poisoned chocolate bar in Azkaban. Those are two changes that my being in the past had absolutely nothing to do with. After I started making changes to the timeline, it's harder to tell what my presence influenced," Harry said as he thought about her question.
Before Bella could ask her next question, the kids burst into the room dressed in heavy winter clothes with their brooms slung over their shoulders.
"We'll talk about this later," Bella said as Harry got to his feet and summoned his broomstick.
"Are you going to fly in your dress robes, Daddy?" Carina asked in amusement.
"Good point, Princess," Harry beamed as he quickly slipped off his outer robes to reveal he was wearing jeans and a white tee shirt underneath.
"I should have done that," Iggy muttered as his father hung up his dress robes and grabbed himself a winter coat.
"Rule number one of wearing dress robes, always wear something comfortable underneath," Harry beamed as he led the twins out of the drawing-room door.
"Girls can't do that," Carina huffed as they stepped out into the ankle-deep snow covering the lawns.
"No Princess, they usually can't," Harry agreed.
As Harry and his kids took to the sky, he pondered what he had talked to Bellatrix about earlier. He knew it was about time he paid another visit to Saul Croaker and see if the man could shed some light on his question.
If he was in another dimension, then theoretically, travelling back to his original dimension wasn't impossible though he wasn't sure he would want to. Still, he was curious now. The death of Arcturus had given him pause and made him question his earlier assumptions about how he ended up here.
Pushing those thoughts from his mind for the time being, he took off over the vast lawns with the twins in hot pursuit, finally cutting loose after a very stressful day.
Gringotts, London, 2/14/1993, 20:39
Voldemort strolled down the nearly deserted street towards the grand white marble building that towered over the alley. Tonight he was going to make his move, and come dawn, the wizarding world would be in chaos.
Voldemort came to a stop at the foot of the stairs catching the attention of the two goblins standing guard on either side of the doors.
Ignoring their scrutiny, he pulled a pitch black stone from his robe pocket and attacked it to the tip of his wand. Immediately he felt the stone begin to draw his magic into it feeling almost painful in his chest.
The goblin guards' eyes bulged in alarm as he directed his wand at the bank.
"PRAESIDIUM OBLITERARIO TOTALUM!" Voldemort bellowed as he felt himself go weak in tge knees from the draw on his magic.
Voldemort watched as a geyser of blood-red light flew from the corrupted horned serpent jewel and struck the wall of the goblin bank with unimaginable force. He was forced to clamp his eyes shut as a blinding white light filled the alley, followed by the sound of shattering glass as the bank's protections were destroyed in a massive wave of magic. The sound of crumbling stone soon followed as large sections of the bank walls were blasted inward.
Voldemort shakily lowered his wand as a wave of white marble dust obscured the bank from view. All around him, people had fallen to the ground from the shockwave but he had somehow managed to remain upright.
Shakily Voldemort detached the stone from the tip of his wand and slipped it back into his pocket as the dust began to settle. He actually breathed a sigh of relief, the draw on his magic ceasing the moment that he broke contact with the gem.
All around him, people were scrambling to their feet covered in white dust, making them appear almost ghostly. Gasps were heard all over the alley as the dust cleared, revealing one whole side of the bank had been blown inward, giving the citizens of the alley a clear view into the decimated bank lobby.
Seconds later, the alley was lit up in a flash of blue light as a portkey arrived on the steps of the bank. Thirteen men clad in heavy armour materialised out of thin air and drew heavy broadswords, and raised large shields affixed to their left forearms.
"Kill any goblin you find and seal up the tunnels," Voldemort commanded and watched with satisfaction as they began to charge toward the bank at inhuman speed.
Seconds later, men and women in black robes and white masks began to appear all over the alley and started casting explosive hexes at the buildings on either side of the bank.
Voldemort lamented not being able to join in on the sacking of Diagon Alley but he was much weaker than he cared to admit after using the horned serpent gem for the first time.
He watched with satisfaction as the apothecary burst into flames and screams filled the air. It appeared that the tenants living over the shop were rather rudely awoken. Voldemort activated his return portkey before he could see if they managed to get out of the building though he was hoping they managed to escape the flames as he was not trying to kill witches in this attack.
As he felt the tug behind his navel, Voldemort couldn't help but wonder how well his people would do here tonight and how greatly it would affect the wizarding world for months, if not years to come.