Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, or HBP would have been different.
A/N: My response to my own challenge, "The New Dark Lord". The requirements are included in the prologue. Please, if you read, leave me a comment. It makes me happy. I've reposted this with the correction about Remus and with a new bit about Harry's story in the five years of his disappearance.
Rise of Lord Eversor
As soon as Ginny finished her words, Hermione Apparated away to the Burrow, hoping he had gone there. Ron followed her with his sister, and they searched the house, but Molly assured them he had not been seen.
From that day, Hermione and Ron searched for him, helped by the Order of the Phoenix. Every night they would reunite at the Burrow and discuss where could he have gone. One of the first places to be checked was Godric's Hollow, once his house when he lived with his parents, but there were no signs of him there.
Then they tried at the Dursleys, although it was really unlikely he had gone there. Neville suggested searching at Hogsmeade, and in the Shrieking Shack. Maybe he had gone there to be near the only place he considered home, Hogwarts.
But even there they found nothing. Rosmerta gave them all the information she had, but it was very little.
However, that set them to search on the mountains, and even in full winter Hermione led the others to search for him, through snow storms and terrible cold.
Nothing.
After an year, even she had to admit defeat. Harry Potter had vanished, and it was clear he did not want to be found.
At night, she would cry over a picture of the three of them, and Ron would hold her. She was grateful to have him, at least, and welcomed his touch every night, falling asleep in his arms.
Their relationship progressed well, although knowing that Harry was upset about it gnawed at Hermione. But, she could not break it off. After all, Ron was the one who had stayed by her, not abandoning her. Even if Harry was upset to see his two best friends hook up, there was no need to vanish like that, she thought angrily.
They could have talked about it, and maybe he would have understood. But, no, he had to follow his instinct and leave.
Although there was still an hole in her heart, she finally started the career in the Ministry she had always dreamed of. Ron, instead, enrolled in the Auror Department. After an year of hard training, he was finally admitted to join the ranks.
One night, he proposed to her, and she eagerly accepted. She wondered, at times, how life would have been if Harry had stayed, but she was overall happy.
Her work pleased her, she had just gained an important role as Vice-Minister, and she hoped with time to reach the position now held by Scrimgeour.
Five more years passed.
No one ever heard from Harry. He didn't leave traces of himself. At first, he exiled himself to the Chamber of Secrets. No one would be able to find him there.
And there he based his new life, finally letting the rage he bottled up for years come out. Hermione leaving him for Ron had been the last straw. He let hate overwhelm him, and that was his mistake, as it consumed him. He fed on it, and on the dark arts hate made him like. The very dark arts he despised in his youth, the very dark arts at the base of his troubled life.
He fled from the castle, to not return there anymore, after an year since his disappearance. He went to the place where it all started, and set things in work to open a new chapter of his life. A chapter that will give him what he wanted, one way or the other.
In Godric's Hollow, a new black manor had been built where once the Potter family lived. In it, a lone man studied dark arts for months and months, till he managed to contact someone who was once an enemy, but could turn to be a valuable ally.
Today, an hooded man entered the castle.
He walked through the halls, till he reached the Throne Room.
"What are you doing here, Wormtail? Have you news for me?" a voice sounded.
The man shook his head. "Nothing big, my master. I only managed to find out that the Mudblood is Vice-Minister now, and the Weasley is Head of Auror Department. They are married, and with a child. She is three years old"
"This is really deluding, Wormtail. I already knew most of that, not about the brat though. I could kill you now, you know. That would be a fair punishment for betraying my parents" the other man said, caressing his wand, green eyes flashing in anger.
"Oh, no, Lord Eversor" the little servant said, but could not finish the sentence, because the Dark Lord Crucioed him.
Minutes later, he lifted the curse. "Try and not disappoint me again, Wormtail. Although, I doubt you will be able to. Now, go and try to find me as much servants of Lord Voldemort you can, and bring them here. I want to see if they are worthy of serving me"
Then he left, closing an heavy door behind him.
That night, in Little Whinging, a dark hooded figure wandered. He came to Privet Drive, and walked the street till he reached number four.
Blasting the door away, he entered the house, finding the occupants in the living room.
"Who-Who are you?" Vernon Dursley said, whimpering.
The man lifted his hood. "Nice to meet you again, Vernon" he said, uncovering his raven hair, a lightening scar on his forehead.
He pointed his wand at them, and one after the other he Crucioed them. Then, after he was done with that, three green beams of light erupted from his wand. Then, he left, setting the house on fire.
When he returned to the manor, he found Wormtail with some other people there.
"Let's see who have you brought, little Peter" he sneered. "Malfoy, McNair, the Lestranges, Dolohov. And other I don't recognize. Very well, I think some of you will be useful to me, my guests. The others, I will kill. Let's start from Malfoy…"
So the initiation of his new servants started. In the end, Malfoy, Dolohov and Bellatrix joined his ranks. Others refused, being that he had killed their previous Master, and they were killed themselves.
"Now, we are a restricted group, my friends. But this won't stop us. First of all, Bellatrix, Dolohov, I want a raid to kill the Minister. Never liked the man"
"But, this will make the Mudblood the most likely next minister" Bellatrix opposed. "You surely do not want that, Potter"
"Crucio!"
The woman writhed in pain on the floor. "Never call me that, all of you" he said, dark green eyes flashing with rage. "I'm not Potter anymore. I am Lord Eversor. Now, about your objection, Bellatrix, she's got more brain than all of you together. Let's clarify. I'm not gonna start a new pureblood campaign. I should kill myself if I were to do that, as I'm not pureblood myself. No, we will destroy everything that stands on our way. I'll select the targets, and you won't question me"
They all nodded, although Bellatrix grumbled.
"Good. Now, with the plan to kill the Minister…"
So, a month later, Bellatrix and Dolohov Polyjuiced themselves as Ministry employees that they had kidnapped, and entered the building, having with them the wands of the two they were impersonating. Going to their supposed offices, they later in the day went to meet the Minister as it was planned that the two employees would do. They had learned their schedules thanks to Wormtail's Animagus ability. He, as a rat, had been able to nick them and bring them to Lord Eversor.
Once in the office, Dolohov wandlessly Silenced the room, and Bellatrix killed the Minister. Then, they left the wands on the floor and grabbed an old quill and were Portkeyed back to the manor. At the same moment their Portkey was activated, the two prisoners were whisked away to the Minister's office.
As soon as they landed, both walked toward the Throne Room. They then moved to meet their Lord, and bowed in front of him.
"Lord, your plan has been accomplished. Minister Scrimgeour is dead, and the two prisoners will be charged with his assassination" Dolohov said.
The Dark Lord nodded his approval.
"Well done. Now, I reckon Malfoy has something he wishes to talk about with you"
They recognized the dismissal, and after another bow, they left.
Harry Potter, or, better, Lord Eversor, walked to a secret room that he had warded so that only he would be able to enter.
Once there, he looked at old photos from his Hogwarts days. Focusing on a tall redhead, he muttered angrily.
"See what you made me become, Ron? You will pay for this. I'll have what I deserve, after the life I was damned to live."
Then, he conjured a fake Ronald Weasley, and punched him over and over, with rage. He often did that, to relieve himself of the stress that being a Dark Lord brought.
One month passed, and as Bella had predicted, Hermione Granger was the next Minister of Magic. The first thing she did was to call her husband in the office. She wanted the real killers of the Minister caught and thrown in Azkaban.
The two employees had been sent there, as the proves were too strong against them, but still Hermione was not convinced of their guiltiness. The story of Sirius Black had taught her that not always a case is as simple as it may seem, and she wanted to avoid to start her rule of the Ministry with the stain of an unjust accusation.
When he arrived, she warmly welcomed him in.
"So, Ron, I guess you know why I called you here"
"You wanted to see your handsome husband?" he joked.
She smiled, but shook her head. "This is not time for jokes, Ron. We need to find the killers of the Minister, soon"
He turned serious.
"I'll try, but Hermione, you must understand that once the Wizengamot has approved the condemn of the suspects, we are not allowed to open the case again"
"Very well then. This law will be changed as soon as possible. For the moment, do what you can. I want them to rot in Azkaban" she said fiercely.
"Is this all?" he asked.
"Yes, it is" she said, standing up.
"Ok, then. I'll see you this evening at home" he said, walking out of the door she was opening for him.
"Ron, wait" she said, and he turned.
"See you later" she said placing a sweet kiss on his lips.
Once he was left, she sat again at her desk, and sighed, looking at the picture she ahd placed there. One picture of the trio in Hogwarts, waving happily at the camera.
"Wherever you are, Harry, please come back. We need you. I need you" she whispered, caressing it.
Months passed, and as she had said, Minister Granger changed the law that blocked the Aurors from reopening a case once the Wizengamot had emitted the condemn. However, ever with all Ron and his men's efforts, there were no news on that case.
Instead, a path of destroying in Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley had happened, and every time the attacked establishment would have a black phoenix hanging over it, just like the Dark Mark used by Voldemort.
One of the first to be destroyed was Madam Puddifoot's. Lord Eversor had requested that his servants kill everyone who stayed in their path, not sparing anyone, even if they were purebloods, and that had been a constant of the attacks. Rarely less than twenty killings were reported.
Bella kept complaining about the pointless attacks they were ordered to do, and every time she would suffer minutes and minutes under the Cruciatus for that. He would not kill his servants , as he had few of them still, but he would punish them hard for their insubordination.
Malfoy had been assigned to a logistic task, so he was often in charge of the actual planning of the operations, when Lord Eversor would not bother with it.
Wormtail proved to be a good spy, thanks to his Animagus abilities, and that made their planning easier, but still his followers, even if more cautious of Bella, didn't understand the purposes of their actions.
So one night their Lord reunited them in the Throne Room.
"Seems like many of you wonder what are we doing. I'm gonna explain it to you, useless servants of mine. We are striking hard, although I agree that we are doing it randomly, so that the Wizarding World will fall into fear again. For now the path we are following does not matter, as long as we kill, they will have fear of us. That will help with the recruitments too. When we will be feared enough, we will start the actual plan to take over the country"
Then he Crucioed all of them, and sent them away. "And do not bother me anymore with this, or you will pay with your life even if I have not much followers yet"
He referred especially to Bella, but the alert was meant for all of them.
And it proved he was right with his plan. Many wizards and witches joined his ranks thanks to the old trick of menacing their families, and a small army was slowly forming.
"Soon, really soon, we will be able to conquer all Britain" he sneered after marking ten new followers.
"Wormtail!" he called then.
"Yes, Master" the rat-like man said, coming into the room.
"I have a mission for you. I'm sure you remember well the Burrow, after all the years you lived there"
"Yes, Master, I know the house like my pockets"
"Very well. Go and kidnap Ginny Weasley. I've got something to do with her. Bring Bella with you, so that she can impersonate her for some time. We've got some Polyjuice left, don't we?"
"Yes, we have that. I'll tell your orders to her then"
His servant bowed and left, while Lord Eversor mulled over his plan.
A couple hours later, Wormtail was back with a tied Ginny Weasley. Lord Eversor had covered himself fully, even more than normal, to not be recognized.
"Leave us alone, Pettigrew"
"Imperio!" he cast on her, then. "Now, Ginny, I need you to tell me all the habits of your brother and Hermione, and all the information you have on their child"
After she told him all she knew, an idea started forming in his mind. He modified her memory, then stunned her.
"Wormtail, bring her back to her house" he ordered, throwing the girl roughly out of his chamber.
Then, he closed himself in the secret room, and sitting at his desk, he started a letter.
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