"It is good to see you again, Albus. I suspect this is an update to the time vortex situation?" Tom said. While most referred to the man as 'Headmaster' or 'Sir', Dumbledore's inner circle had no use for such formalities.
"Astute, as always." Dumbledore said coyly. Tom did not reveal his unease. The topic was dangerous ground for him, considering his followers' involvement. But one did not work directly under one of the most accomplished archmages of their time while secretly betraying that same man without being a remarkably good liar, and Tom Riddle was the best.
The meeting was held within Hogwarts, in an innocuous but heavily warded, unused room on the sixth floor. Hogwarts was the logical meeting place, both because of its security and because most of Dumbledore's inner circle were professors, not by coincidence. The Headmaster had gathered together renowned experts in their fields- defense and dark magic, charms, potions, and transfiguration- both to teach the next generations, and to aid him personally in the war effort. Also present at the round table were Lily Snape and an exhausted Kingsley Shacklebolt. Shacklebolt was normally not present at such meetings, but his role in the response to the time vortex made his account important. "Will Severus be joining us?" Tom asked Lily.
"He should be right-" The doors opened, and Severus Snape entered, his robes billowing behind him. Lily flashed him a plastic smile as he sat next to her. For all her talent, she'd still hadn't been given a choice in her marriage partner. By all accounts, Severus was smitten by Lily, while Lily merely tolerated him. After years of observing them, Tom wouldn't have been surprised if they'd only ever been intimate the nights required to have their son- Septimius. Regardless of the exact truth, the lack of intimacy obviously rankled Severus. If he had married a lesser woman, he could have enforced his will upon her, but he hadn't. He had married Lily- Dumbledore's favored pupil and confidant, and one of the most talented magic users of her generation. Tom had no doubts who the Headmaster would support in a dispute between her and Severus.
Minerva McGonagall followed on Snape's heels. It took a formidable woman to become more than glorified breeding stock, and McGonagall was such a woman. The transfiguration professor was out of her prime childbearing years, and her lifelong dedication to discretely honing her transfiguration skills had landed her the professorship, and eventually the headmaster's ear. With his closest confidants present, Dumbledore called the meeting to order. He briefly summarized the situation- the disturbances with the vortex and the response team Shacklebolt had assembled. He then opened the floor to the man.
"Casualties were… high." Shacklebolt said wearily "Not only was Hydra also present, but also a group of rogue wizards." That wasn't good, but as long as they hadn't been identified, it wasn't a disaster. "One of the survivors was able to name three of the four wizards involved- they are all former Hogwarts students- Neville Longbottom, and Ron and Ginny Weasley." Damn it!
There was a stir at the names "I thought they were dead." Minerva said. "We mourned them!"
"Yes, and now it appears the brats have betrayed us." Severus sneered "The only question is why, and how."
"Indeed. But what I'm most interested in, is how they knew about the temporal disturbance." Dumbledore said. Wait. "It would take some remarkable magic to detect it."
He didn't suspect that they'd been inside the vortex. This was good, he needed to foster that. "How many people were informed about the activity, Albus?" He asked.
"You're suggesting a mole?" Minerva asked.
"It's a possibility we need to consider." Tom shrugged.
"Indeed." Dumbledore agreed "But I hope I can assuage your concerns, Tom. The only people who knew of this are currently in this room. I trust all of you implicitly."
"Do we have a memory of this event?" Lily asked.
Albus nodded "Capital idea, Lily." He tapped his wand to the table, and the center opened up to reveal a pensieve. "Kingsley, if you will."
They observed the memory, from Oliver Wood's encounter with the wizards, through Binary's interruption, to his take-down by Harry Potter. "Longbottom's wearing a time turner." Lily noted. "That must be how they knew. But I'm shocked that any still exist, weren't they all destroyed?" That time turner had been lent out by the British ministry to the Americans before Britain had flipped to the Order, and it had taken him many years to track down. No one would be able to connect it to him, Riddle had made sure of that. If Dumbledore investigated, he would only find dead ends and dead bodies.
"It'd need extensive modifications." Dumbledore mused "It's possible, but it'd require a powerful and knowledgeable wizard to pull it off."
"So, they have a benefactor." Snape surmised "Neither of those three have what it takes to manage such a thing." They were getting uncomfortably close to the truth, Riddle needed to throw them off, now.
"Do we know who that fourth wizard is?" Tom asked, to silence. He knew that none would, he was after all, the man his team had recovered from within the vortex. "I ask because you can clearly see him doing wandless magic. Not just casting and deflecting spells but levitating an object to intercept a killing curse." Tom said "That takes remarkable power and precision." It was easier to lie when there was a grain of truth behind the deception. He truly was interested in this man, who's origins were so mysterious, who wielded such power, who seemed so hauntingly familiar… There was no doubt in Tom's mind that Potter was important, that he could solve the mysteries Tom had spend much of his life speculating on.
"He looks no older than Longbottom and the Weasleys." Minerva said "How could be manage something like this?"
"Prodigies are rare, Minerva, but we know they exist." Dumbledore said. "Or else we wouldn't be here today."
"And we know that one's apparent age can be deceptive." Tom said with a nod to Dumbledore, who looked nowhere near his over a century of age. Dumbledore and Grindelwald's apparent agelessness had been the topic of much speculation. Tom, naturally, was intensely curious about their methods, and had concluded that they'd likely gotten their hands on the Flamels' Philosopher Stone.
"What are you suggesting, Riddle?" Snape said, derisively "That he's used magic to make himself younger?"
"I'm suggesting nothing." Tom said "Only that we keep our minds open to the possibilities. After all, he apparently dapples in temporal magic."
"Well, we are fortunate that Wood was able to survive the encounter." Minerva noted.
"How… did he manage that, anyway?" Tom asked, nudging the conversation to a safer topic.
"Apparently, this mysterious prodigy saved him." Kingsley said.
"What?"
"Put him under a disillusionment charm and left him there." He shrugged "Damned if I know why."
The conversation continued, speculating about this man's motives. Was this his way of announcing himself? Or was it an attempt to recruit Wood? Or perhaps a peace overture to the Order? Riddle remained silent, his mind contemplating the man, this Harry Potter, who had in a single day nearly caused the undoing of everything he had worked for.
-----
"I hope you enjoy the demonstration, Tom." Lily said.
Tom nodded, looking down over the arena. He had intended to slip out of Hogwarts after the meeting with Dumbledore, but when Lily had mentioned a 'testing session', the opportunity to get a look at her research was too tantilizing to ignore. His followers could wait a few more hours.
Already, Lily's subject had been ushered out. Much of her was obscured by a dark cloak, but he recognized the blonde hair of his former student. "Lovegood?" He asked unnecessarily.
Lily nodded "We've made some more enhancements since the last test." She said, "I hope she'll be ready soon."
He politely asked about the enhancements, and her other research. He knew that Lily wouldn't be able to refrain from talking about her passion, and in more detail than she perhaps should. Tom had kept a careful eye on her studies- particularly on her attempts to create the Order's own super-soldier, something that would be superior to anything Hydra could field- save perhaps Binary and Hela herself. Any progress they made on this front, particularly with regards to Luna and Grangers' enhancements, would only be good for him. The two witches would be natural allies thanks to their connections to three of his followers.
He'd hid the knowledge of what happened to their friends from Longbottom and the Weasleys. If he had told them, they would go rushing in blindly, likely exposing him in the process. At the same time, the longer he waited, the more capable the two witches would become. Once they were out in the field, recovering them would be much easier, if he could break the method that the Order used to control them. For all her brilliance, Lily's control over her test subjects was tenuous. As vicious as she could be at times, she was still soft. The blood contracts she had them under could compel obedience, but not loyalty, and they could be worked around through loopholes and technicalities. It might also be possible to negate the magic of the contract altogether, though it would take some advanced magic and getting his hands on the signed document.
But that was a question for another day. For now, he was most interested in seeing what progress Lily had made. "You're doing good work here, Lily." Tom said "Those two will change the world once they're out in the field." Though not in the way that you'd hope. The prospect of two powerhouses flipping to him was tantalizing. It would be a big step in building a team that could begin to challenge Hydra and the Order on equal terms.
Her reply was uttered almost too quietly for him to hear "I didn't do it for the world."
-----
Professor… professor… can you hear me?
Her mental pleas went unanswered, as they always did. Wherever they were being kept, it was beyond the reach of Xavier's abilities. Still, Rogue tried, for lack of better options.
They'd been captured by wizards, for long enough for the days to bleed together. It could have been a few days ago or a couple weeks. It had been long enough for the corpse to start stinking, requiring Pyro to burn it away. That hadn't been pleasant, but what that man had been doing to them had been much worse.
Magic, she knew, could do many things. She'd seen it enough, though thankfully at a distance and always on the wrong side of it. Knowing, and experiencing for herself was another matter. She knew that magic could cause pain, but now just the word 'crucio' had her body tensing in fear and in preparation for the agony that was to come. She knew that magic could manipulate people, but the memory of 'imperio', of being led into a cell like a happy little lamb to slaughter, haunted her. She had spent her life living on the edge of existence, as all mutants did. They were trusted by no one, and hunted down by the two most powerful factions in the world. When her powers had manifested, she had run. She had killed someone, and she knew her community wouldn't stand for it. Even if they loved her still, they wouldn't let themselves be targets of the Order or Hydra. She was lucky to be alive, lucky that Professor Xavier had found her, lucky to be an X-man. She had taken on a new name- no longer Anna, but Rogue.
Nothing in her hard life could have prepared her for the pain of 'crucio'. She had lashed out at one of their torturers unthinkingly, just wanting to make it stop, grabbing the wizard's ankle. Immediately he'd stilled, his wand slipping through limp fingers. She could feel the power course into her. It felt good. She hated her ability, despised what it had done to her life, her friendships, and relationships, and she hated that it felt good when she killed people. It didn't take long, less than a minute, for the man to collapse, and about as long from there for his pulse to stop.
They'd braced themselves for reprisals from their captors. But none came. They didn't even bother retrieving the body. It was odd. She knew that their friends were out looking for them right now, even if they probably believed the search was hopeless. That their captors didn't even care about one of their own dying… it was terrifying. If they could be so cold to their own people, what did that say about how they'd treat their prisoners?
"Hello, don't-." A woman said, jolting Rogue from her thoughts.
"Ha!" Jubilee shouted, sending out a streamer of light that detonated next to the woman. Her image distorted with the explosion but was not noticeably hurt. She wasn't really there; this was just a projection.
She tutted "I'm not here to hurt you." She was a redhead, perhaps middle-aged, with striking green eyes. She wore the robes of a wizard, they seemed designed to cover as much skin as possible, from the fabric that covered the back of her hands to the high collar of her neck.
"Funny way of showing it." Pyro snorted, eyes drifting to the pile of bones they'd shoved in the corner.
"What do you want with us?" Colossus, the fourth and final member of their group, asked. "Why did you capture us, rather than simply kill us?"
"That is why I am 'here'." She said, smiling in what might have passed for reassurance "To explain your situation to you. In a few minutes, you will be put into combat as a capability test. If you defeat your opponent, you will go free."
The four looked at each other uncertainly. Was the offer genuine? Were they being set up? In the end it was irrelevant, they had little choice. They could fight and die with honor, or refuse to fight and be killed anyway. Suddenly, their cell jolted into motion. The entrance, which had been covered by a barred door, slid away, replaced by stonework. "I hope you'll do your best." The woman said, before flickering out of existence.
The cell then opened into an enclosed arena. There were no seats or stands, no audience, at least none that they could see. It seemed to be entirely underground, with a ceiling of unhewn stone. On the other side of the arena, perhaps fifteen feet away, was their opponent. She was dressed in a black robe that covered most of her body, which contrasted with the pale skin of her face and long, blonde hair. Her skin seemed to be blemished, somehow, but Rogue couldn't make out the details.
"What do you think she is?" Rogue asked.
"Some sort of witch, probably." Jubilee snarled "Let's take her down, before she takes us." They'd had nothing but bad experiences with wizards. Hydra's position on mutants was to capture them and recruit them, by any means necessary. The Wizarding Order just wanted them dead. It was why she'd been shocked to be alive, and it was why she doubted they'd be freed if they succeeded here.
Jubilee launched an explosive barrage, but the witch propelled herself forward with sudden speed. Jubilee's explosions burst harmlessly behind her, little more than a multicolored light show. Pyro intercepted her with a gout of flame that she didn't even try to avoid. The seconds ticked by with her form obscured by the fire, then a hand reached out from the inferno, grabbing his outstretched palm. The flame choked off, smothered, and Pyro gasped in pain at the strength of her grip. With the fire dissipating, the witch came back into view. Her robes had been burned off, leaving her nude, but she wasn't fazed at all. It wasn't her nudity that shocked Rogue, though.
Her entire body was tattooed with symbols she couldn't even begin to decipher. They were arrayed in shapes- a triangle formation on her abdomen, concentric rings around her thighs, lines that ran the length of her arms and legs and up her spine. They were on her hands, her feet, her neck, her face, her chest… every part of her that Rogue could see. A few of these symbols glowed with a blueish-white light, a cluster just below her breast that Rogue figured protected her from fire, and one on the back of her hand.
She flung Pyro back with telekinetic force, and he collided heavily against the wall. Colossus charged straight at her. A series of spells formed from her hands and glanced off his metallic body, and his fist pummeled into her head. It snapped backwards, her neck clearly breaking, but then the tattoos on the back of her neck, one for each bone of her spine, flared to life, and the witch's neck whipped back into place. She held a hand up to her bruised and gashed face, her fingertips lighting up with their own set of tiny symbols. As she ran her fingers across the wounded area, it healed.
Colossus was momentarily stunned, but then began swinging away. The witch ducked away from each blow, igniting runes along her arms and legs that gave her sudden bursts of speed and strength. Rogue ran after them but was repeatedly forced back by spells that the witch formed from her palms. Rogue had a plan, a secret weapon of sorts, but if she used it at the wrong time, it would be wasted. She needed to take her by surprise.
"You know, you could just give up." The woman said.
"And let you kill us, witch?" Jubilee spat the word like an epithet "Not likely!" Jubilee was in a terrible position. As long as the witch was close to one of them, she couldn't attack without risking hurting them.
Colossus finally pinned her down, but as he brought his arm down on her, the witch blocked it with a translucent shield. He grunted as he strained to overpower her, but to no avail. "I won't be the one to kill you." She said, and then her eyes flared.
Her eyes, Rogue realized, they'd been modified too, a white rune imprinted onto each pupil. They were glowing now, and Colossus staggered back, clutching his head with a pained scream. The witch just looked down pityingly. "You can stop now. It'll be easier."
"Like hell!" Jubilee shouted, launching an explosive blast at her. The witch crouched, another faint shield forming around her as the explosion sent Colossus flying back. Rogue winced. They'd discussed this, what she had to do if enough of them were taken out of commission. She hated it, but it made sense. There was no way she could get close enough, not without their abilities. She found Pyro first. He was trying to push himself to his feet. "I'm sorry." She said.
"Don't be." Pyro grunted "Kick her ass." She placed her hand on his arm. It was the first time someone let her touch them in years. She took as much as she dared and watched him slip unconscious. She wouldn't go further. However much he'd given her would have to be enough. She found Colossus next. He didn't say a word, he just met her eyes and nodded.
Jubilee, seeing what Rogue was doing, launched a massive explosive barrage at the witch to distract her, but the exertion had clearly taken a lot out of her, and the witch seemed to be no worse for wear. Her return fire- a shower of spells that sprung from her fingertips- downed her instantly. That left Rogue, and the final trick up her sleeve. She brought a hand to the waistband of her jeans, where she had stashed that long dead wizards' wand. As her fingers closed around the wooden shaft she'd stolen from the wizard, she felt the tingle of magic she had taken from him as well.
-----
The two observers watched as the battle progressed. Lovegood certainly had come a long way, though some of her takedowns were… inefficient.
"She could have ended this much sooner." Tom noted.
"I think she's going easy on them." Lily sighed "She knows what will happen to them if their abilities aren't useful, so she's trying to… I don't know, make the fight look more impressive."
There was only one mutant left standing, and Tom couldn't figure out her plan. She'd barely participated in the battle up to this point, until she'd crouched over two of her fallen teammates.
Then she created a massive wave of fire from her palm, and he realized. She could take other mutants' powers. Lovegood fired blindly outward, but the mutant had turned metallic, and the spells bounced off her. She charged into the flames as they dissipated, and Tom idly wondered what she was hoping to accomplish. Lovegood would not be defeated by another punch. Then she drew a wand, and Tom's jaw dropped. "IMPERIO!" She screamed. The spell crackled from the wand, and the mutant nearly dropped it in shock. Lovegood, taken completely flatfooted, stiffened as the spell struck true.
"What." Tom said.
"Merlin." Lily breathed.
The two women in the arena stared at each other and nodded.
"They're going to make a break for it." Tom said, instantly assessing the seriousness of the situation.
Lily's eyes went wide as his words registered "Shit."
-----
Luna hadn't expected the imperious curse. Hadn't expected the mutant to be capable of magic, somehow.
But she wasn't upset. As she felt the haze wash over her mind, she only put up a perfunctory struggle. The contract she had signed all those years ago stipulated that she help Lily with her research in any way necessary. It was an incredibly broad and vague mandate, that had forced her to comply with… a lot.
At first, she'd been willing, hoping that these experiments and enhancements would eventually give her freedom and allow her to help people. She'd long since stopped believing in that. She didn't want to go through another torturous 'enhancement' just to fight some other poor, captured soul in this dungeon. But what else was there? There was no hope here, no hope that anything she did mattered or could change anything. And if she died… she'd be leaving Hermione, the only friend she had left in the world.
With the imperious, however, she wasn't in control of her actions. It wasn't her fault if she followed her commands. And if she followed them with a little more relish than necessary, well, the vagueness of the contract worked both ways.
Hi, um, I'm Rogue. I'm sorry to do this and I really don't know what I'm doing here. The woman's voice spoke in her mind.
Luna almost laughed with relief. Hello, I'm Luna. It's nice to meet you. Since you have me under your spell, all you need to do is 'think' a command and I will be compelled to obey. You don't need to worry about me fighting you. I'd very much like to get out as well.
Then let's break out! Rogue 'shouted'. Luna grinned, held her hand up, and carved a hole into the wall. Rogue looked shocked as the beam of light ate away at the stone barrier. Could you do that all this time? How did you not just kill us?
I was holding back. Luna replied, stepping through the hole. I didn't want to kill you, but I was under orders to fight. Maybe if they were fast enough, they could-
Ah, it was not to be. Of course. Lily Snape was waiting for them, and she was sure reinforcements were coming.
"You need to stop this foolishness, Luna." Lily said.
"I'm sorry Lily, I'm just following orders." Luna replied serenely. "Would you like to test out my abilities, Professor?"
Lily didn't utter a sound, but she twisted her wand in a well-practiced motion. Luna held up her hand, conjuring a shield to block the incoming spell. She did not expect it to materialize out of thin air, behind them. It struck Rogue, and the imperious' effects fell away. Luna slumped her shoulders and looked down. Without the impetus from the imperious, the will to fight was gone.
"Remarkable." Lily said, approaching Rogue's body. Luna shuddered at the look in her eyes. It was the one that terrified her more than anything else- curiosity.
-----
It had been positively domestic until they received the call. They'd had a quiet dinner, a good night's rest, and a bustling morning. Harry had dreamed of this, of just spending time with his old friends. The tranquility of the cottage had lulled them all- even Neville, Ron, and Ginny- into a state of relaxation. They'd been discussing lunch when Neville stepped aside, fishing a handheld mirror out of his coat pocket. After a quick discussion, he announced to the group that 'he' was ready for them, and that they'd be portkeying to their destination. The relaxed atmosphere was instantly punctured, and everyone sprang into formation around Neville, who had produced a small figurine- a snake with emerald eyes.
Hmm.
Their benefactor was likely a Slytherin. That shouldn't be concerning, Harry should have been beyond petty House prejudices, but something about this bothered him. He couldn't put his finger on it, though, and there was no time to think it over.
A Slytherin. A powerful wizard, on par with Dumbledore… for some reason his mind would not put the pieces together.
The portkey took them away and deposited them in a sitting room- complete with fine carpeting, furniture, and a small table. "My apologies for the delay. I was held up with my other responsibilities." Their host said, and Harry knew him. How could he not? Not even the magic of the fidelius could prevent it. He hadn't seen him appear so human, not since their encounter in the Chamber of Secrets all those years ago. He was seeing it again like it was yesterday. The gloating image of Tom Riddle, revealing how he'd tricked him. Ginny's cold body, curled up on the ground. His laughter as the Basilisk's venom took effect… Tom Riddle was older now, with a dignified dusting of grey in his hair, but it was unmistakably him.
Voldemort.
He just stared, no words coming as horror seized his chest and ice flooded his veins. "I've been very interested in meeting you, Harry Potter." Tom Riddle said "I'm Professor Riddle. I teach Defense Against the Dark arts at Hogwarts, and I'm in control here at the Organization."
He couldn't think, he couldn't breathe. He felt like he'd been dropped into a nightmare, and his friends were just standing there, like this was normal. Riddle sat down at the table, gesturing for Harry to sit opposite him. His manner was gracious, but his eyes were calculating. "Why don't you have some tea?"