An owl hooted into the night. The leaves of trees rustled gently in the wind, and dark clouds covered the sky. A tall man with pale skin and even paler hair stood silently in the darkness, a black cloak wrapped around him.





It was almost too dark for him the see the figure cloaked in black that appeared only a yard away from him, and he may not have noticed, if he hadn’t already been expecting him.





“My master,� the man said, bowing before the cloaked figure.





The figure’s face was covered with a hood, but he stared down at the man with bright eyes visible through the hood, and said, “I almost thought you wouldn’t come, Lucius.�





Lucius Malfoy rose, and said, “It is my highest honor to do my master’s bidding.�





“Ah,� replied the other, “but your master is dead, is he not?�





“But you are his heir, and thereby are also my master.�





“A good answer,� replied the figure, removing his hood. A face so white that it looked as if it had never seen the sun was revealed, and short black hair grew from the head. The bright yellow eyes glowed in the night, and he said, “My time has come. I shall soon have vengeance.





“Now go, alert the other Death Eaters that I am ready, and tell them to meet me here in exactly one week. Then gather the dementors, along with all of Voldemort’s old allies.�





Lucius winced slightly at the name of his old master.





“Ah, so even in death, his name scares you.� The man smiled. “Forget about him, he is dead, and his time is over. Before long every witch and wizard in the entire world will fear my name, and not his. I will be more powerful than he ever was. Now go, I have work to do.�





“Yes, my lord,� replied Lucius, and, with a crack, he disappeared, leaving his master alone in the cold darkness.





For a moment he stood there, listening to the sounds of the night. Then he Dispparated, and a moment later he was standing on the outskirts of a village – Godric’s Hollow. He walked up to the nearest house, whether home to a wizard or Muggle he did not know. He drew his wand and tapped the doorknob, and he heard a small click, and he opened the door. He shut it behind him, then walked down a small hallway and turned into a living room, where a middle-aged man sat watching TV. It was a moment before the man noticed him, and when he did he stood up, a frightened expression on his face at the sight of the unnerving stranger, and said, “Who – who are you?�





He did not answer. Instead, he raised his wand and pointed it at the man’s chest and said, “Where are the Potters?�





“P-Potters?� the man stammered. “I – I don’t know what you mean –�





“Where does the Potter family live?�





“I – across the village, I don’t know exactly where.�





The man drew a wand – so he was a wizard too.





“Very well,� he said, his cold voice sending a chill through the man. “Avada Kedavra!�





The green light flashed through the room, and the man crumpled and fell dead to the floor, his eyes wide with surprise and his wand lying next to him. The pale fingers lifted the wand, and he studied it. He would keep it, as a prize, and perhaps some day it might come in handy.





He left the house, and after about an hour’s searching and a few more interrogations, he finally found the Potter’s house. He stood a little back, staring inside a window, where Harry and Ginny Potter sat talking. Their children would be at Hogwarts right now: the Christmas holidays were still a few weeks away.





Thinking about the children suddenly gave him a cruel, evil idea. He wouldn’t kill Harry Potter yet – he would torture him first, but without magic. He would make him experience great pain.





He would suffer greatly. Oh, yes, he would suffer….











OK, I hope you all liked the prologue.