Voldemort: Shadow Ascendant

Part 2 The New Order

The world had changed. Where once the halls of the Ministry of Magic buzzed with the mundane concerns of magical governance, now they echoed with the sharp commands of Death Eaters and the silent, fearful whispers of those who remained only to keep their families safe. The magical world's governing body had been reduced to a puppet, its strings pulled by Voldemort, the puppeteer shrouded in darkness.

In this new order, pure-blood families were elevated, enjoying privileges and power previously undreamed of. Meanwhile, those of muggle descent or those who dared show loyalty to the old ways were marginalized, persecuted, or disappeared altogether. Hogwarts, under the stewardship of a headmaster loyal to Voldemort, no longer taught the virtues of bravery, intelligence, loyalty, and hard work. Instead, its curriculum was twisted to glorify the Dark Arts, producing young witches and wizards not just skilled in magic but indoctrinated in the ideologies of blood purity and dominance.

Yet, beneath the surface, unrest stirred. The seeds of rebellion, watered by the blood of those who had fallen at Hogwarts and during the dark days that followed, began to sprout. Small, disconnected groups of witches and wizards, some former members of the Order of the Phoenix, others disillusioned by the reality of Voldemort's rule, began to gather in secret, sharing news and plans in whispers.

Among them was a young Auror, who had survived the Battle of Hogwarts by the skin of his teeth. His name was Eric Wainwright, and he had seen firsthand the horrors that Voldemort could unleash. Eric became a key figure in the resistance, driven by a burning desire to see the light return to the wizarding world.

The resistance's efforts were small at first: sabotage of Death Eater operations, protection of those targeted by the new regime, and the spread of information to counter the propaganda of Voldemort's Ministry. They operated in the shadows, knowing that to be caught meant certain death.

Their greatest challenge was not just the overwhelming power of Voldemort and his followers but the climate of fear that had taken hold. Trust was a rare commodity, and betrayal was a constant threat. The resistance needed a symbol, a rallying point that could unite the fragmented opposition and ignite the hope that had been all but extinguished.

That symbol came unexpectedly, in the form of a young girl, no more than sixteen, who had managed to evade capture after openly defying the Death Eaters at her school. Her act of defiance, small as it was, became a beacon. Her message, one of courage in the face of darkness, spread through the whispered conversations and coded messages of the resistance. She was Lydia Bainbridge, a name that would soon become synonymous with hope.