Voldemort's Return [A Harry Potter fanfic]

The headlines screamed at Voldemort from the yellowed pages of old newspapers. His face darkened with each turn, the weight of four years' absence pressing down on him.

[The trial of Bellatrix Lestrange, her husband Rodolphus Lestrange, along with Rabastan Lestrange and Bartemius Crouch Jr. has finally ended! These ruthless criminals will spend the rest of their lives in Azkaban...]

"These reckless fools!" Voldemort hissed, his fingers clenching the brittle paper.

He closed his eyes, exhaling deeply. After the incident at the Potter house, he had vanished without a trace. His most fanatical followers—the Lestrange family and young Bartemius—had searched for him relentlessly, their desperation leading them to unspeakable acts. The torture of Frank and Alice Longbottom into insanity was just one of the loose ends he now had to tie up.

A cocktail of emotions swirled within him: frustration, pride, and something unfamiliar—was it concern?

He was no longer just Lord Voldemort. The memories, emotions, and power of the Dark Lord had merged with the soul of Ewan Eldrin, a seemingly ordinary professional journalist. Though Voldemort's personality dominated due to his greater age and wealth of experiences, Ewan's influence lingered, softening edges that were once razor-sharp.

Voldemort's gaze drifted back to the article, focusing on Bellatrix's quoted outburst in court. "The Dark Lord will rise again!" she had screamed. "He will reward us, his most faithful!"

A small smile tugged at his lips. "Your loyalty is impressive, Bella," he murmured. "And it shall not go unrewarded. Be patient, my faithful ones. Freedom approaches."

He reached for another newspaper, his mind already formulating plans for a precisely executed prison break. But first, there were matters of the Veirdant family and his son to attend to.

As he read on, a burst of laughter escaped him. 

[Bartemius Crouch Senior, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement during the First Wizarding War, is transferred from his position to become the new Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation.]

"How the mighty have fallen," Voldemort smirked, savoring the irony of Crouch's demotion.

' The annoying man had been demoted.' It seemed the Ministry of Magic couldn't get past the fact that he was the father of one of the most notorious Death Eaters or his extreme measures during the wizarding war.

Hours passed as he absorbed years of magical history. When he finally stood, stretching to dispel the stiffness in his limbs, the magical world had taken shape in his mind. A delicate balance had been struck in his absence, with Millicent Bagnold securing re-election as Minister for Magic on the back of her supposed 'victory' over him.

'Enjoy the glory you didn't earn, Millicent,' he thought, recalling the Harry Potter books' mention of Cornelius Fudge taking over in 1990. 'My plans have no place for an idiot like him.'

Half an hour later, Voldemort entered the restaurant and was surprised to see the decor had changed. The tables were pushed to the sides, leaving one central table adorned with candles and flowers.

"Sir, you have arrived," John Claus greeted him with a cheerful grin. "Please have a seat, I'll serve dinner right away."

Voldemort took his seat as John hurried to the kitchen. With a wave of his wand, the dishes floated gracefully onto the table.

'Visually, the dishes look beautiful. Let's see how they taste,' Voldemort thought.

John stood nervously by as Voldemort sampled the food with calm deliberation.

After a moment, Voldemort set down his spoon and spoke words more meaningful than a thousand praises. "I want to hire you!"

John laughed, his face lighting up with joy. "I agree, sir! I want to work for you!"

"Don't rush. Sit down and read the contract first."

John returned the dishes to the kitchen, cleaned the table, and then sat to read the contract Voldemort handed him.

"Be aware, we'll finalize the contract with a blood oath if you agree."

John seemed unfazed at first, but soon his hand began to tremble. 

"What's wrong?" Voldemort asked.

John looked up, eyes brimming with tears. "Sir, will you actually pay me this salary?"

Voldemort was taken aback. 'Oh, the simple-minded!'

Minutes later, the contract was signed, making it official.

"So, sir, when will I start working?" John asked excitedly.

"First, we need to settle your debts. Show me the way."

"Sir, there's no need for you to come; I can go alone," John said quickly.

"Ha!" Voldemort laughed, a hint of mockery in his voice. "You've borrowed from loan sharks. Do you think they'll accept the money from you that easily?"

"Sir, they're not that kind of people!" John replied innocently.

Voldemort put on a sarcastic smile. "Do you think they hang a sign saying, 'We're bad people, don't approach us'? Tell me, what respectable financial institution would loan money to a restaurant with no future or profit opportunities? Who advised you to open here in the first place?"

John's eyes widened with realization. "Montero Financial Transactions, the company I borrowed from!"

Voldemort observed the young man, crestfallen and disappointed. 'I must be more tactful with this naive boy.'

"These people prey on those in financial distress. Once you take their money, the interest will inflate ridiculously over and over, and thus you will spend the rest of your life trying to repay a debt that has become hundreds of times bigger. You'll be trapped in debt forever. Paying early isn't allowed because it is a loss to them and if you try, they might send thugs to ruin your business and take away your money."

John looked down, tears welling up. Voldemort quickly added, "But don't worry, I'll handle everything."

John looked up, eyes hopeful. "Sir, will you really do that? I'll follow your every command!"

'As per the contract, you have no choice,' Voldemort thought.

He sighed and said, "Lead the way."

John donned a cloak. "Please cover your face, sir. It's dangerous."

'Really?' Voldemort thought as they entered a shadowy alley filled with cloaked figures.

'Knockturn Alley,' he mused. 'Does he not realize every business here is shady?'

"We're here," John said as they approached a building with a worn sign: .

John addressed a worker. "Hello, can you call Mr. Montero? I'm here to settle a debt!"

The man raised an eyebrow but got up.

"That's fine, Donald, I heard," said a lanky wizard with sharp eyes. "Hello, it's rare to have visitors. May I know your name?"

John began to speak, but Voldemort interjected, "John, return to the restaurant. I'll take care of this."

John left quickly, leaving confusion in his wake.

Montero spoke, "I'm confused. Can you explain?"

Voldemort noticed some reaching for their wands. "I'm here to settle John Claus's debt."

Montero retrieved a notebook from his enchanted bag. "Let me see.. John Claus... Ah, we can't accept payment now since the due date hasn't arrived."

"Mr. Claus won't be available. You must accept the money."

Montero narrowed his eyes. "Even if we could, Mr. Claus must do it himself. Who are you?"

Voldemort sighed, his patience thinning. Montero sensed danger and ordered, "Take him down!"

---

Inside the dilapidated building, chaos erupted as Voldemort faced off against a band of seven rogue wizards led by Montero. Unaware of his true identity, they foolishly challenged the Dark Lord.

A torrent of curses flew toward Voldemort, but he remained unscathed within a shimmering magical barrier. "Weak," he muttered, exasperated by their feeble attempts.

Determined to avoid attracting attention, Voldemort decided to end the fight swiftly. He raised his wand with precision. "Avada Kedavra!" he intoned, and a flash of green light struck Montero, leaving him lifeless.

The remaining wizards froze in shock at their leader's sudden demise. Desperation fueled their next assault, their wands casting spells that ricocheted uselessly off Voldemort's shield.

Realizing their futility, they tried to flee, but the door remained unyielding. Voldemort smirked, dispatching green bolts with deadly accuracy. In mere moments, he stood alone amidst the fallen.

'What a gang of useless wizards,' he thought, surveying the scene.

To cover his tracks and protect John, Voldemort gathered Montero's enchanted bag and the wizards' belongings, staging the scene to resemble a theft.

Suddenly, he heard voices approaching. "Come, this way... the lights are coming from here0!"

'What?' Voldemort was startled by the unexpected development. 

"The door won't open!"

"Alohomora!"

"The unlocking charm isn't working!"

"Move aside! -- Reducto!"

The door exploded, revealing three Aurors, two males and one female. 

"Immobilus!" The Auror leader wasted no time, firing a spell at the hooded figure standing amidst the bodies.

"Expelliarmus!"

"Stupefy!" The others joined in quickly.

Though the hooded figure's face was obscured, they caught a glimpse of a smile as he effortlessly dodged their attacks.

"Expelliarmus!" shouted the leader again, sending a disarming charm toward Voldemort. With fluid grace, he sidestepped, gliding through the chaos. Another Stunner followed, but he evaded it with ease.

"Confundus!" The spell hit its mark.

A wave of confusion momentarily disoriented Voldemort, but his Occlumency quickly cleared his mind. With precision, he deflected a barrage of Incarcerous spells.

As the battle continued, Voldemort moved with both elegance and unpredictability, dodging, parrying, and deflecting the Aurors' spells effortlessly, clearly toying with them.

"We need to restrain him!" the leader exclaimed. He conjured corporeal chains, but they melted through Voldemort's cloak like smoke.

"Impedimenta!" shouted the third Auror.

"Protego!" Voldemort countered, shielding himself.

Predicting their non-lethal tactics was easy for Voldemort. But then, as he dodged another Stunner, something unexpected happened.

"Immobilus!" One of the male Aurors tried to freeze Voldemort in his place.

 Just as Voldemort is dodging the spell "Revelio!" the female Auror casted.

"Flipendo!" the leader chanted half a second later.

'She anticipated where I would move to.'

The revelation spell hit Voldemort. His bones shifted and his skin contorted as the Polyjuice Potion's effects were forcibly ended. Now he can't move until the effects of Polyjuice Potion completely undone but then the knockback spell hit him and throw him away to the end of the hall.

Only his cloak now concealed his true identity now. 

"Lumos Maxima!" Voldemort chanted, blinding everyone with a burst of light.

The Aurors knew, even without sight, that their target had slipped away successfully.