Chapter 104: Voldemort's Manipulations
Voldemort had felt the subtle attempt at Legilimancy and he easily rebuffed the probe. Smiling at the man across from him, he said, "I'm here to ask you about your former lover, Albus Dumbledore."
Whatever he was expecting, that question was definitely not it and the shock slipped through his Occlumency Shields and shown upon his face. Centering himself, Gellert regained control and asked, "Who are you?"
Voldemort smiled at the man in front of him before answering, "Oh, You-Know-Who," he emphasized before continuing, "I'm your cousin, Nathaniel Bagshot."
Grindelwald was a very sharp man and he got the hint immediately. He laughed aloud as he said cheerfully, "It is very good to see you, cousin. Now, what would you like to know about Albus?" Inside, he was dancing, he knew that he would never leave this prison; time had ravaged his body far too much. He would take his revenge any way that he could and Lord Voldemort was going to be his avenging angel.
Voldemort and Grindelwald spent the rest of the day in deep discussion about Albus Dumbledore and their once grandiose plans for domination.
When Voldemort was about to leave, he asked one last question, "Do you want me to tell him anything from you the next time I see him?"
Grindelwald's smile was almost predatory, "I do. Please tell him that I told you everything for the 'Greater Good.'"
Nodding his head in understanding, Voldemort turned and swept from the room without a backwards glance. After retrieving his wand, he left the prison and Apparated to his next target, Igor Karkaroff.
Voldemort almost snorted when he arrived. He was standing outside of a ramshackle hut in the forests around Durmstrang. 'The man is a stupid coward.' h e thought to himself as he walked up to the cabin with his wand drawn.
Not bothering with subtlety, he blew the entire front wall apart, sending the front door flying into the interior of the shack. He could hear moaning coming from inside, someone had been caught by the flying debris. Conjuring a shield, Voldemort stepped into the wrecked cabin.
Lying on the floor, buried under pieces of the wall and the door, was Karkaroff. He was obviously in a lot of pain because he didn't even notice when Lord Voldemort himself had conjured a chair and sat down facing him.
Voldemort picked up Karkaroff's wand and inspected it for any damage. Finding none, he pocketed it and returned his attention to the whimpering man on the floor. Using the toe of his dragon hide boot, he kicked Karkaroff's arm to get his attention.
There was a moment of uncertainty in his face before Karkaroff realized who was in front of him. Hurriedly, he stammered out, "M-m-my Lord?"
In a low, menacing tone, Voldemort hissed, "You disgust me, Karkaroff. Why did you not return when I called? Did you fear the retribution of your comrades or was it my wrath?"
Karkaroff was too scared to say anything so he stayed silent. He knew that he was a dead man the minute that the Dark Lord returned and that was why he had run as soon as his mark burned black.
Voldemort's sibilant voice cut through the silence, "Now, why don't we have a nice little chat about what secrets you told when you turned traitor." Leveling his wand at Karkaroff, he hissed, "Crucio."
The screams were like music to his ears. It had been far too long since he had truly tortured someone for information or betrayal.
Contrary to popular belief, he didn't torture people often, just when the act would serve dual purposes. The first reason was to make people fear him. Because he was so feared, many victims would start talking the minute he held them at wand point.
The second reason was that Voldemort did enjoy inflicting pain, especially on people that betrayed him. Betrayal was something that he didn't take lightly. He felt that he had been betrayed by his father as a child and that action set in stone his reactions to being betrayed.
Lifting the curse, Voldemort watched as Karkaroff twitched from the aftereffects. Pain was a wonderful motivator and he was going to give Karkaroff plenty of motivation before they were through.
The next three hours were the longest of his life. Karkaroff had spilled all of his secrets to escape the torture. By the time that death released him from his pain, Karkaroff was a broken man.
Back in London, the residents of the Granger household were just beginning to stir. John and Annabelle were in the kitchen having a cup of tea while Dobby and Winky were making a larger than normal breakfast.
At half past seven, there was a knock on the door. Dobby excused himself and went to lead the guests to the kitchen. A minute later, he was leading Andromeda, Ted, Dora, Sirius, and Remus to the breakfast table. Pulling out a chair for Andromeda, Dobby said happily, "Please be seated. Breakfast will be ready shortly. I will go wake Master Harry and Mistress Hermione."
The adults were all seated around the table having tea and croissants when a bleary-eyed Harry followed a perky Hermione into the room. Harry stopped immediately upon noticing the two new additions to the table. He looked up at his godfather and Remus and received smiles in return.
If Sirius trusted the two newcomers, he would give them a chance before passing judgment. Plopping himself in the seat next to Hermione, Harry calmly said, "Good morning." Turning his piercing gaze upon the new couple, he said, "You look familiar. Are you related to Sirius and Dora?"
Andromeda noticed Harry's wary reaction at seeing them for the first time. Hoping to ease his fears, she said warmly, "Yes, I am Dora's mother, Andromeda, and this is my husband, Ted. Sirius is my cousin and you and I are distantly related as well."
Hermione had clasped hands with Harry underneath the table. She was pleased that he was getting to meet more of his distant relatives.
Harry was surprised. He didn't know if he would ever get to meet any more of his distant relatives, especially ones that didn't follow Voldemort. He looked over at Sirius again and received another warm smile in confirmation. Turning back to his newly discovered relatives, he said happily, "Pleased to meet you. I'm Harry and this is my wife, Hermione."
Andromeda and Ted looked gob smacked. They couldn't tell if he was joking or not. Going by the reactions of the rest of the table, they realized that he wasn't joking and that they were indeed married.
John broke the tension by saying, "Just make sure we don't have any grandchildren anytime soon."
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