Prodigy

Chapter 23 - Meeting Tom

Summary: Our first look at Voldemort

October 31^st, 1992

This is my first entry since coming to Hogwarts two months ago. The time has flown by; I've been so busy. Surprisingly, I was not sorted into a house. I will be working my way through school as an Independent study, which suits me just fine. Besides the teachers, I've not really met anyone here, and that's fine with me. I'm still hesitant about how they'll react to me, and I will not repeat Prometheus's mistake. The only student I've spoken to is a girl my age named Hermione Granger. She seemed nice and intelligent, but when I talked to her, she badgered me with questions, and I didn't know how to react, so I left her. I don't know how she took that, and I admit, I'm feeling a little guilty about it.

Amazingly, this was not the first time I met her. She was the one that nearly discovered me when I retrieved Prometheus's journal. I was thinking about how that happened, and it seems when I arrived, I broke the wards that had been hiding the room, and anyone on the outside could then see it. It was just coincidence that she happened to be outside when the door appeared, but what's done is done. She remembers me - it was what she wanted to question me about. I told her I wouldn't say anything, so she tried asking about something different. I understand her curiosity, but I wish it wasn't so apparent. Perhaps in a little time, I can talk to her again.

Harry stopped writing for a moment to think. It was Halloween and all was silent in the castle. Harry knew that there was a party of sorts for the students happening, but he hadn't been interested in going. Well, that wasn't totally true. He was interested, but scared at the same time. The only student he had really spoken to was Hermione Granger, and she was a complete mystery to him. It bothered him that she seemed to be having some of the same troubles as him about meeting people, according to what McGonagall has told him during their first lesson.

Except for his social situation, things were going well. He was extremely pleased with the work he had done with the Goblins, and they had hinted at other projects they might have for him. He was already extremely rich from the M-Machine and the warding job, but that didn't really matter to him. What did matter was that he was making something that people really used, and he was creating capital that he would be able to use later in life when he started Potter Enterprises.

His education was progressing as well. His work with McGonagall was satisfying, as well as the work he had done with Nicholas Flammel. He hadn't met with any of the other professors yet, as he had been busy with his own work, and he suspected that they were still trying to figure out exactly how to work with him.

His work on the M-Machine O'Matic (a name given by Sirius), was progressing at a slower pace than he had hoped, but it was progressing never-the-less, which was all he could ask for. None of the professors had been pushing to get one, but Harry wanted to get them all one as soon as he possibly could. It would just make everything run smoother.

There was the small problem of what exactly was happening in the Forbidden Forest. Someone or something was killing unicorns. When Harry had first heard about that, he had immediately researched exactly what such an act meant. He was horrified with what he found. The blood of a unicorn could sustain someone's life even at the brink of death, but at the cost of living a cursed life from that moment on. While there were not any specifics given about what that curse might be, Harry was both intrigued and bothered about what kind of creature would be driven to commit such a thing.

Harry decided that the next morning he would begin looking into the matter. It would be a side bonus that he would be able to learn something about magical creatures while he was at it. None of his previous studies had even mentioned them, and Harry had been quite surprised to find that such creatures even existed.

The next morning, after having breakfast in his room, Harry sought out the large man that was the Care of Magical Creature Professor for Hogwarts. Harry had first found it strange that such a man would be a Professor, but Sirius had explained to him one night exactly what kind of man Hagrid was. Harry was perfectly accepting of the half giant, and even a little awed.

Coming to the small hut where Hagrid lived, Harry knocked on the door then waited for Hagrid to open it.

"Harry? Whatcha doin out here this morn'?" the big man asked.

"I was hoping to talk to you about the unicorns you mentioned the other day," Harry said.

"I thought that might be it." Hagrid moved over to the side to allow Harry to enter. "I'm right worried about it, but Dumbledore has finally cleared me to do sumpthin about it."

"What are you going to do? I would like to help if it's possible..."

"Shore you can, Harry! Tonight, I've got two first years that will be spending detention with me. I will be taking them into the forest to help me find out what's going on. I'd be happy to have you come along."

Harry smiled. He sat thinking for a moment. His first instinct was to back out when he heard that there were going to be other students around, but he decided he best be making progress at some point. He kept to his earlier statement. "Thanks Hagrid. I guess I'll see you tonight then."

After bidding Hagrid goodbye, Harry made his way back up to the castle. When he arrived on the other side of the doors, he ran into Professor Snape.

"Good morning, Professor," Harry greeted the man cheerfully. Snape turned towards him.

"Ah, there you are. I've been looking all around for you. We're supposed to be having a meeting right now in my office to go over some potion work. I am extremely displeased with you. I'm beginning to think that maybe I was wrong about you."

Harry frowned, hurt by what he had heard, but at the same time not really understanding what Snape meant by being wrong about him. It didn't sound like a good thing, though. "I'm sorry, sir. I was unaware of any meeting that was supposed to be happening."

Snape glared at Harry for a minute, seemingly deep in thought. “You didn't get the message, then?”

“No, sir,” Harry said meekly.

“I apologize. I shouldn't have jump to conclusions.” Harry got the impression that apologizing was not something the Potion's Master did very often. “Follow me.”

Harry followed Professor Snape down to the lower levels of the castle and into a large lab. There were tables full of cauldrons, and a cabinet full of ingredients. The air was musty, reminding Harry of his home lab. There were also a few scorch marks that could be seen on the gray stone walls.

“What I would like to go over with you today is the problems the current wizarding world is facing in the area of potions with the hope that together we might be able to solve some of these problems,” Snape said as he took a seat behind his desk. Harry nodded and sat down in a chair across from it. He pulled his M-Machine out of his bag along with a pen looking instrument, and tapped on the screen a couple times. Snape looked at Harry curiously while he did this.

“Sorry, I'm getting ready to take notes,” Harry explained simply. Snape raised his eyebrow, but didn't say anything. “I'm ready now.”

“Very well,” Snape said. “Currently, the biggest problem we have is the Wolfsbane potion. While it has been said that there is a potion that would enable a werewolf to take control of the wolf side of him, this has never been proven. The best we have is the Wolfsbane potion which allows a werewolf to keep his mind, though he is still forced to transform.”

Harry was writing furiously while Snape explained this. The M-Machine was both recording Snape's voice, and the notes Harry was writing. When Snape finished talking, Harry had a few questions.

“During my studies, I never came across werewolves. I must admit that I know nothing of their history, or much about them at all, for that matter. Can you give me a basic rundown?”

Snape nodded, surprised that Harry hadn't really studied those, but decided that it made sense. Harry's studies had focused mainly on magical theory. He probably hadn't studied magical creatures at all.

“Well, no one is sure how werewolves came into being, but there is no doubt of their existence. Your godfather's friend, Remus, is a werewolf, for example. A human turns into a werewolf after being bitten by another werewolf. This means they are forced to transform into a wolf every full moon. The transformation is marked by the inner wolf that is created by the bite taking over the human along with a savage nature to destroy everything in it presence. The biggest weapon of choice against werewolves is silver, as the wolf cannot stand to be in its presence. Indeed, exposure to silver can kill a werewolf, even if they haven't transformed.”

Harry nodded, thinking. Every few moments, he would make a note on his M-Machine. One such note was to remind him to speak with Remus about his condition.

“It sounds similar to an animagus transformation, only uncontrolled. The fact that it can be passed on by a bite marks another difference. The problem with silver is worth noting, I think,” Harry summarized.

“Why do you think that?” Snape asked.

“Well, as a human usually has no problem with silver, it is obviously the wolf part that reacts. If there was some way to target the wolf with silver while keeping the human alive, that may be one solution,” Harry mused.

“Impossible. There have been experimentations to that effect, and each one resulted in either death or severe injury,” Snape explained.

“Perhaps… Why don't we go over the Wolfsbane potion?”

Snape took the next twenty minutes explaining the potion while Harry took notes. Harry was beginning to see a few ways to approach the problem, but more research would need to be done.

“Ok, I think I have the gist of this problem. I'm going to need to do some research, though, to get better acquainted with the problem, however,” Harry said once he finished writing. “Why don't we move on?”

“The other main problem I'd like to look at is the Cruciatus curse and its effects. Exposure to this curse leaves its mark for some time, and over-exposure can lead to insanity. Current pain potions do not seem to have any effect.”

Harry nodded. This problem would need some research as well. Harry thought back to what he knew about the curse. It was one of the three so-called unforgivable curses, and caused great pain. Harry realized something.

“I hesitate to say this, but I think I'm going to need to actually see the curse as well as do some research about this problem. I'm not sure about the legality of this, however…”

“As long as the curse is not used on another person, it's perfectly legal to perform,” Snape explained. Harry nodded and began rummaging around in his bag before finally pulling out a round stone and connecting it to his M-Machine.

“Are you able to cast this curse?” Harry asked Snape. Snape frowned and looked very uncomfortable, but finally nodded.

“Ok, if you remember back to my presentation, this stone is able to take a magical reading of different spells and record them for analysis. It requires that the spell be fired at the stone. Would you be able to do this for me?”

Snape's eyes widened. Surely Harry Potter was not asking him to actually use an unforgivable? He thought about it for a moment. It wasn't like the act would be illegal, but Harry's request was unexpected to say the least. Finally, though, Snape agreed. Harry hooked everything up, and set the M-Machine and the Stone on a table before backing away. Snape rounded his desk and took aim before hesitating.

“Are you sure about this?” Snape asked, dropping his wand arm back to his side.

“I can see that you are uncomfortable with this, so if you would rather not do this, that's OK. I can find someone else to help me,” Harry said. Snape didn't hesitate this time. He pulled up his wand, took aim, and said quite clearly, “Crucio.”

Harry felt a chill go up the back of his neck as the dark curse was performed. He knew he hated the feeling at once.

The stone began vibrating after a few moments, and Snape cut the spell off. Harry cautiously approached the stone and machine to make sure the readings were successful. With a satisfied look when he saw that they were, Harry touched the stone only to pull his hand back immediately.

“Is something wrong, Harry,” Snape asked with a concerned tone in his voice.

“Oh, I just should have tested the temperature of the stone before I touched it. It's quite hot right now,” Harry explained. After casting a cooling spell on the rock, he touched it again to find that it was back to normal. Harry unhooked the stone from the machine and placed it back in his bag.

“Thanks, Professor. I'll begin looking into both these things.”

Harry and Snape discussed some possible ways to approach the subject before Snape dismissed Harry and setting a time to meet with the young man the following week.

That evening, Harry headed out to Hagrid's hut just as he had promised that morning. Hagrid was waiting outside with a crossbow and his trusty dog, Fang, that Harry had been introduced to earlier.

“Good evening, Hagrid,” Harry greeted the large man.

“Evenin, Harry. Ready to go help?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Well, we're just waiting on Filch to bring the two first years down, and then we can start out,” Hagrid explained.

“Any idea what's causing it,” Harry asked while they waited.

“None at all, but I don like it one bit,” Hagrid said.

Soon, Filch, the Hogwarts caretaker, was seen in the distance with two young boys following him, carrying lanterns. One of them had red hair, while the other had greasy blond hair. Harry didn't really recognize either.

“You're late,” Hagrid said to Filch when they got near enough. Filch grunted before leaving.

“Well, I dunno what you did to have a detention, but I don care, either,” Hagrid said, addressing the two boys, who were standing rather silently. Harry got the idea that the two didn't like each other one bit. “You're going to help me tonight by going into the forest with me.”

“We can't go into the forest!” the blond boy exclaimed. “There's all sorts of dangerous creatures in there.”

“What's the matter, Malfoy, you scared?” the redheaded boy taunted, but was obviously scared as well. Harry noted the blond hair boy's name along with the fact that he didn't really like him. Neither of the boys seemed to be very nice, for that matter.

“There ain't no use in arguing,” Hagrid said simply. “Follow me.”

Harry followed Hagrid without a word with Fang at his side. After all, he had volunteered to come out. The other two, however, trotted behind very reluctantly.

There wasn't a discernable path they were following, but Hagrid seemed to have an idea of where they needed to go. The forest was very dark, of course, and the only light was from Hagrid's lantern, and the lanterns the two boys were carrying. Harry hadn't thought to bring one, but wasn't bothered by it. The forest felt somewhat comfortable to him, and he made a note to come back at some point. It was peaceful, and quiet.

Hagrid stopped suddenly in front of them and kneeled down. He dipped his finger in a puddle of silvery substance of some sort.

“What's that, Hagrid?” Harry asked.

“Unicorn blood. There's one around here somewhere,” Hagrid said simply.

“Why don't we split up, then? We can cover a larger area, then,” Harry suggested.

“Hmm, seems like a good idea. Why don't you take Fang that way,” Hagrid said, pointing left, “While I take these boys and go the other?”

“Ok, that sounds fine,” Harry said before heading off. The forest was dark, so He conjured a globe of light to follow him and Fang around. Every few meters, Harry was able to spot a small dab of silver on the ground, so it seemed like he was going in the right location.

Harry jerked his head up when he heard Fang let out a bark before the cowardly dog dashed away. Harry frowned and look ahead to see what had scared Fang. About twenty meters away lay a bright white unicorn. It wasn't that, though, that caught Harry's attention. It was the cloaked figure standing over it.

Fang's bark had obviously startled the dark figure, who was now standing straight up and looking back at Harry. A chill passed through Harry's body as he felt the strange gaze pass over him. The figure's cloak hid the figure's face entirely, and appeared to almost float.

“And who are you?” The figure's voice spoke for the first time, causing another chill down Harry's spine. Harry then frowned, as he felt a warming presence around him.

“Do not fear,” came the voice of an old lady in his head. Harry smiled. The lady had returned just when she was needed most. Harry stood straight and answered evenly. “Harry Potter.”

“Do not mock me,” the figure answered. “Harry Potter disappeared several years ago.”

“Believe what you will,” Harry answered. There wasn't any need to get in an argument over the matter, anyway. “Who are you? And what are you doing to the Unicorns?”

“That is not your business. As for whom I am, you may call me, Lord Voldemort!” With the announcement, the air around him chilled several degrees in a matter of seconds, and Harry could begin to see his breath. The ball of light that had been following him around was snuffed out a moment later, and Harry felt powerful magic headed towards him. Instinctively, Harry held out his hand, conjuring a shield. The magic hit, and threw him backward slightly, but he did not fall.

The calming presence of the old lady was once again felt in his mind.

“The dark one possesses another. Cast his spirit out,” the lady whispered quietly. Harry began to focus and another ball of light began to form in front of him. The dark figure backed away as the ball grew bigger and bigger. Then, Harry pushed the ball towards his opponent, ordering the ball to cast the spirit out.

Time seemed to slow as the ball moved towards its target. The dark figure found he was stuck in place; unable to move. The hood of his cloak blew off his head as the powerful magic moved. Finally, the ball hit and erupted into a huge display of light. A shockwave reached out from the impact, spreading in all directions, pushing leaves, and other obstacles out of the way. Harry felt the wave passed over him, but his feet were rooted firmly in the ground.

“Well done, young one,” the lady spoke once more before Harry felt the presence leave.

As the light blinked out, Harry conjured another ball of light to see what had happened. The dark figure lay prone on the ground near the now dead unicorn. Harry approached it carefully. The cloak seemed to have been burned away by the explosion, and the remaining figure lay covered in torn clothing. Harry reached down and checked the pulse, only to find there was none. Whoever the man was, he was dead.

“Human, what are you doing?” A voice interrupted Harry's inspection. He turned to look at a strange creature that appeared to be half horse, half human. The human part looked to be older, and had a short beard. The arms were quite muscular, and Harry knew this was not someone to cross.

“This human was killing Unicorns. I served his justice,” Harry spoke clearly, almost defiantly. The Centaur looked back at him.

“There are not many humans who would risk their life to save those of a non-human,” The Centaur said.

“I am not like most humans,” Harry explained.

“It definitely seems so,” The centaur said before glancing in the direction that Harry had approached from. “You're friends come, it is time for me to go.”

“May I come visit you,” Harry asked as respectfully as he could.

“Look to the stars for your answer, young one,” was the cryptic answer. The Centaur quietly disappeared into the woods.

Harry returned to inspecting the body of the fallen figure for any clues as he waited for Hagrid to arrive. There were no obvious markings on the body, although there was a strange mark on the left arm of the man. The mark was a skull with a snake coming out of its mouth. Harry felt it reek of darkness. That the man bore the mark told Harry much about the character of the man he had killed. Any guilt that he had been feeling slowly drifted away.

“Harry? What Happen?” Hagrid yelled when he felt he was close enough for the raven hair boy to hear him.

“Hagrid, we need to get this body up to Dumbledore. I'll explain there,” Harry said simply. With a wave of his hand, the corpse began to float.

“Is that man dead?” The red headed boy managed to finally ask. The blond haired boy looked too scared to do anything.

“Yes,” Harry said evenly. The two boys stayed as far away as they could from the floating corpse from that moment on.

The rest of the trek back up to the castle was silent. When they arrived inside, Hagrid directed Harry to take the figure to the hospital wing while he would go fetch the headmaster.

When Harry arrived at the Hospital wing, he found the doors to be closed. A wave of his hand, however, fixed that problem, and soon he was laying the figure on an empty bed. The wing appeared to be empty of students, but that soon changed as a lady appeared from a side door. Harry remembered her name to be Madam Pomfrey.

Pomfrey hurried over when she saw someone being laid on a bed.

“What happened?” she asked as she began casting a spell.

“Don't bother,” Harry said. “He's dead.”

“What? What on earth are you doing with a dead man, Mr. Potter?”

Harry shrugged. He didn't want to explain the story more than once, and said as much.

They only had to wait a few minutes before Dumbledore appeared with Hagrid, Snape, McGonagall, and Sirius following. Apparently, they had been meeting together (minus Hagrid) in the headmaster's office when they received the news.

“Good evening, Mr. Potter,” Dumbledore said. “It appears you have had some excitement tonight.”

“Unfortunately so, sir,” Harry answered. Sirius rushed to hug Harry, momentarily forgetting his godson's discomfort with the act. Harry accepted it willingly, however.

“What happened, Mr. Potter,” Snape asked.

“Well, I went with Hagrid tonight to investigate what's been happening with the Unicorns out in the forest. At one time we split up, and I eventually stumbled upon a fallen unicorn. There was a figure, this one here on the bed, standing over the animal. When he noticed my presence, he came towards me, demanding my name. I told him, but he didn't believe it. I asked him his, and he called himself Lord Voldemort,” Harry explained.

“This man is not Voldemort,” Snape said immediately. Harry nodded before continuing.

“We dueled, and I figured that it had to be Voldemort possessing this man. I was able to cast Voldemort out, but at the cost of his hosts life,” Harry explained. “I believe that this man might have been one of the dark lord's servents.”

“Severus?” Dumbledore asked.

“I do not recognize him,” Snape answered. Harry raised an eyebrow. Why would Professor Snape know if this man followed the dark lord?

“There is a mark on his arm that was created using Dark Magic,” Harry explained. “That is what led me to that conclusion.”

Sirius uncovered the mans arm, revealing the mark to the group.

“Yep, that's the dark mark, alright,” Sirius confirmed.

“I'm afraid, Headmaster, that it is as we feared. Voldemort has not yet disappeared, but is looking for a way to regain his body. He was probably in the forest in the hopes of stealing the Nicholas Flammel's stone. He was probably responsible for the break in at Gringotts as well,” Harry said. He noted that Professor Snape blanched at this announcement, turning a little green, while Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey both gasped.

“I think you might be right, Mr. Potter,” Dumbledore said. “At least the stone is safe for now.”

“There are other ways, though, that he can use to regain his body, right?” Harry said.

“Unfortunately, that is the case,” Dumbledore confirmed. Harry shook his head. It looked like he still had a destiny to fulfill. “Mr. Potter. Why don't you get some sleep. Professor Snape and I will take care of the rest of this.”

Harry nodded and headed out of the room, followed quickly by Sirius.

“Hey Harry,” Sirius called. Harry stopped, waiting for the man to catch up. They walked back to Harry's room in silence, but Sirius spoke up once they were inside with the door closed.

“How are you feeling about all this?” Sirius asked.

“Well, at first I felt bad about causing the death of someone through a spell I cast, but now that I know he followed Voldemort, it isn't as bad anymore,” Harry said. “I'm sure I'll have to do it a lot more before all of this is over.”

“Well, if you ever want to talk about it, you can come to me,” Sirius said.

“Thanks, Sirius. I do appreciate it.”

With a nod, Sirius turned and headed out of the door.

END CHAPTER

A/N: Ok, so it's not as long as I was hoping, but we got to see our first real action in this chapter. This chapter is the longest one to date, however, so I'll hold that as a partial victory at least.

To answer a few questions, and give a few hints. Harry will be starting his first business seriously during third year. It will not be selling M-Machines, or any of his other inventions. It will be making a vital product for the wizarding world who suddenly find themselves without a supplier.

This chapter was meant to following through Christmas, but when I started in on that part, i realized there was a lot more to be added, so instead of waiting to release that, I'm going to go ahead and put this out there.

Finally, I'm looking for fic reccomendations. I would like to read complete stories (preferably over 40,000 words) with Harry paired with any girl besides Hermione, Ginny, Bellatrix, Narcissa, or Cho. It would be nice to see a Susan Bones, Hanna Abbot, Padma (not parvarti) Patil, Tonks, or other Pairing. I've read White Night / Grey Queen, so please don't send me that. If you have not read it, I highly recommend it. It features a Harry / Pansy pairing, and it's quite good. Please don't send Slash.

Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed. Your words are extremely encouraging!