(Book Four) Brave {CLP SERIES}

{Chapter 35}

C R Y S T A L ' S P O V

"I miscalculated, my friends, I admit it.' Voldemort started.

He had been speaking for a stupid amount of time at this point, but his followers showed no signs of boredom.

'My curse was deflected by the woman's foolish sacrifice, and it rebounded upon myself. Aaah . . . pain beyond pain, my friends; nothing could have prepared me for it. I was ripped from my body, I was less than spirit, less than the meanest ghost . . . but still, I was alive. What I was, even I do not know . . . I, who have gone further than anybody along the path that leads to immortality. You know my goal - to conquer death. And now, I was tested, and it appeared that one or more of my experiments had worked . . . for I had not been killed, though the curse should have done it. Nevertheless, I was as powerless as the weakest creature alive, and without the means to help myself . . . for I had no body, and every spell that might have helped me required the use of a wand. . . .

"I remember only forcing myself, sleeplessly, endlessly, second by second, to exist. . . . I settled in a faraway place, in a forest, and I waited. . . . Surely, one of my faithful Death Eaters would try and find me . . . one of them would come and perform the magic I could not, to restore me to a body . . . but I waited in vain. . . ."

The shiver ran once more around the circle of listening Death Eaters. Voldemort let the silence spiral horribly before continuing. "Only one power remained to me. I could possess the bodies of others. But I dared not go where other humans were plentiful, for I knew that the Aurors were still abroad and searching for me. I sometimes inhabited animals - snakes, of course, being my preference - but I was little better off inside them than as pure spirit, for their bodies were ill adapted to perform magic . . . and my pos- session of them shortened their lives; none of them lasted long. . . .

I shivered.

"How could someone be so cruel? You mustn't have a soul if you can manage to accept that you didn't even half the tings that you have done. How do you sleep at night?" I yelled out, narrowing my eyes.

That's when it hit me that I just insulted the darkest wizard of all time. Voldemort turned around, his movements sleek and slow. I watched as Harry's eyes widened.

"You are of no importance to anyone here Miss Potter. Maybe to your brother, but he won't be around for much longer. As much joy I would get out of ending your life too, I believe it would be more effective to keep you alive just to hear you scream. . ."

'What have I got to lost at this point?' I thought.

"You sicken me." I spat dangerously.

"And you're a foolish, naive little girl who is way in over her head."

"I may be foolish and naive, but that only makes you more of a soulless monster who feeds on people's pain."

"Now, now, don't get hasty, no need for that. Now, back to what I was saying."

I glared at the man in front of me as he turned away.

"Then . . . four years ago . . . the means for my return seemed assured. A wizard - young, foolish, and gullible - wandered across my path in the forest I had made my home. Oh, he seemed the very chance I had been dreaming of . . . for he was a teacher at Dumbledore's school . . . he was easy to bend to my will . . . he brought me back to this country, and after a while, I took possession of his body, to supervise him closely as he carried out my orders. But my plan failed. I did not manage to steal the Philosopher's Stone. I was not to be assured immortal life. I was thwarted . . . thwarted, once again, by Harry Potter. . . ."