91 A shade!

{Great Hall, Hogwarts}

{10th Sep 1991}

{3rd Person POV}

When Tom opened his eyes, he was greeted with darkness, and a sense of annoyance went through him. He felt Quirrell writhe slightly as he flexed his consciousness, trying to find the source of whatever magic woke him up. He analyzed the change in the wards of Hogwarts. They were repulsing his very existence, and only because he was already devouring Quirell's magic and using it as a shield did he not have to deal with the consequences of the repulsion ward.

'What happened?' Tom demanded. 

"Are... you... alright... Professor Quirell," Tom heard Snape's lazy drawl. His servant must have noticed Quirell's unnecessary struggles.

"N-no, n-nothing happened, P-professor S-snape," Quirell replied. He was speaking with a stutter, trying to suppress the waves of pain that were canvassing through his body.

'Find a quiet place to talk!' Tom instructed. Quirell jerked as he heard the instruction, and he was intimately familiar with the Dark Lord's lack of patience. Without waiting for Snape to reply, he walked toward the door, stumbling, but it was Snape's voice once again that cut him off.

"The doors are closed. If there is anything urgent, I don't mind helping you out, Professor." Snape said, looking at Quirell with narrowed eyes. The Potions professor had been suspicious of Quirell's timid behavior. He was timid before his trip to Albania, but now it looked like he was overdoing it.

'Find a corner and tell me what's going on!' Tom continued. His senses hadn't been as sharp since he had overexhausted himself during the Gringott's theft attempt. Not only did they not get the Philoshiper's stone, but he had expended quite a lot of his energy during the escape, making sure they didn't leave any tracks behind; Quirrell still had his uses, after all.

Tom had been a little dormant for a couple of months now as he was planning what to do next. He knew that Dumbledore would safeguard the stone in Hogwarts. Keeping the stone close to him was the safest place in the old man's mind, so he still had a decent chance.

'My Lord, the mass murderer, Sirius Black, had infiltrated the castle earlier today. Dumbledore had put the whole school on lockdown.' Quirrell admitted as soon as he walked toward the main door. He went toward a corner and pressed his back against the cold walls. The coldness helped the burning pain that was wreaking his body.

'Sirius Black? Mass-murderer?' Tom questioned. He remembered the black sheep of the Black House, one of the members of the last generation that hadn't joined his side. Both he and Potter had been notorious for being joined at the hip.

'Yes, my Lord, he was your right-hand man, a spy in the order that revealed the location of the Potter to you?' Quirrell thought back. He instantly shrank and whimpered slightly as red-hot pain spit apart from his neck along his spine.

'ARE YOU INSINUATING THAT MY MEMORY IS FAILING ME?' Tom demanded. He kept up the appearance and ignored the pleading Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. 

'So Pettigrew managed to pin the blame on Black... For someone so incompetent, the rat is surprisingly useful in critical moments.' Tom mused, keeping his thoughts hidden. He knew the rat would have run away the first chance he got, so there was no way for Sirius to prove his innocence, especially given the condition of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Black.

'Wasn't Black in Azkaban?' Tom asked. He was debating whether to scour Quirrell's memories to see if he had missed anything important.

'He escaped from Azkaban a week ago, and a manhunt has been going on around the country to try and catch him.' Quirrell whimpered. He kept his thoughts shut, not daring to think about anything more than necessary. Still, at the thought of Sirius Black, he couldn't help but try to shoot his shot.

'Maybe we should try to find him. He would surely be able to help you a lot better, my Lord,' Quirrell questioned. He was doing his best to try to suppress the hope in his thoughts, but even if Tom was not going through his memories, he was able to see through Quirrell's intentions.

Tom sneered as he replied, 'No need, Black could handle himself.' The statement was true, as the man was indeed a competent duelist. His mood soured for a moment as he thought about his current situation. Even now, as he was drawing on Quirrell's life force, he could feel that he was too weak. He needed something stronger, something with more powerful vitality.

'Did you locate the tribe in the forbidden forest?' Tom asked. He was ready to lash out if Quirrell hadn't listened to his demands, but it seemed that the bald man had also grown used to his temper.

'Yes, My Lord.' Quirrell thought back. He had resigned himself to his fate. At least by substituting a unicorn's vitality, he would be able to survive. He would live a cursed life, but he would survive in the end. 

Tom did nothing to dissuade Quirrell from his fear, and he stopped making a fuss. The pain that Quirrell was experiencing was soothed, and Tom started to feel weak once again.

'Good, get ready, we will go there soon. During the next full moon...' Tom determined as he felt exhaustion claiming him.

'Yes, My Lord.'

Tom smiled slightly, and just as he was about to rest, he sensed some familiar mana presence. They were far, but he was pretty sure that one of his few weapons was currently just outside the Hogwarts wards.

'Dementers, why are they here?' Tom thought, and in a moment, he made the connection. 'They are after Black. He is the first prisoner to escape from Azkaban, so there is no data on how the Dementers might react to it. I can't sense their emotions from here, but still, this unmistakable cold magic surrounding the castle from the Dementers...'

Even if exhaustion and sleep claimed his thought process, a scary smile hung across Tom Riddle's deformed face.

'Another piece to play with...'

...

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AN—Voldemort's condition was not much mentioned in the original story, so I have quite a liberty to guess right now. I hope you guys will like the setting, as I'm trying to cover as many plot holes as possible!

Regarding the Smut content, The 18+ content would increase as it would take up a little more of the story! Upcoming characters include Narcissa Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson, followed by Minerva and then Susan!

P.S- 42+ Chapters on P.atreon!

P.P.S Minerva's part in the story starts in chapter 133!