Harry found himself surprisingly captivated by Voldemort. He could clearly hear the passion in the man's voice, which wasn't something he had ever expected. It was no wonder that Voldemort had managed to collect so many followers for his first war. He was a charismatic orator, and if he was already tainted by madness, then it wasn't showing. Considering the crowd they were in, Voldemort knew just which chords to strike.
"You may be wondering who I am," Voldemort resumed after a long silence. "I am the one who has delved into the most ancient of magicks. I represent what we once were. I have dedicated my life to learning the art of magic, every facet of it, every spell, every incantation, even those deemed too dangerous by the Ministry. I would be an outcast, because of my beliefs, because of what I know. And yet, here I stand, knowing what power is in the ancient texts. That power is yours by right. I am the one who will return to you what is yours. I am the one who will make our world strong again. I am the one who will purify our world and restore it to its former glory. I am Lord Voldemort."
The clearing was quiet for a long moment, before the cry rose into the midnight air. "Voldemort!"
It wasn't long before it was being picked up by every student present. Harry joined in as much as he could, trying not to draw attention to himself, but it was hard for him to feel the same intensity. What Voldemort had just said would resonate with many wizards, he realized, and would earn him many sympathizers. Sparing a sidelong glance at Bellatrix, Harry found her following the chant only half-heartedly, as well.
"Thank you," Voldemort offered after basking in the chanting for a few minutes. "You do your world proud," he announced grandly. "By taking up the fight, by standing up to our leaders when they are wrong, you have taken the first step towards the reclamation of our world. In time, you will learn many things, things that will prepare you for the coming struggle, when we finally end our leaders' oppression. You will learn spells that the world has not seen in centuries. You will be shown the magic that your ancestors created, the magic that the Ministry is too afraid to teach you. I will show you. I will teach you. And when the time comes… we will take back our world!"
The cheer arose once more, and Voldemort held up his hands to quiet the crowd. "Now, it is time for you all to return. I want you all to separate. Take alternate routes, make sure you are not being followed. You must keep the events of this night secret, for enemies are everywhere. When the time is right, I will contact you again." With a final, satisfied smile, Voldemort gestured grandly, pointing into a seemingly random direction. "The castle is in that general direction."
Harry made sure to move slowly, despite his eagerness to get away from Voldemort. Trying to blend in with the others who were leaving proved difficult, as they split up into groups of two and three each, taking different directions to head towards the castle. He finally found Bellatrix, spotting her as she entered the forest, and hurried to catch up with her. Silence hung between them for a few minutes. It was Bellatrix who finally broke it, her voice wavering just a little. She hid it well, but Harry could tell something was wrong.
"Is he a genuine dark lord?" she asked quietly.
"Why else would he call himself that?" Harry replied noncommittally.
"Maybe he's just trying to fit in? Maybe he's trying to show everyone that he's from a noble house, that we've got rights to titles that no one really gives a damn about anymore?"
Harry wondered about that for a moment. "I didn't know the wizarding houses had lords. Or even titles, for that matter. I didn't even know they were considered noble."
"They used to be," Bellatrix answered, almost sullenly. "Technically, the older houses base a lot of their wealth and influence on the fact that they are aristocrats. The Ministry hasn't recognized them as such in decades, however. But technically, since there are no laws abolishing nobility, they still may claim the title. You know, I never thought about it before, but you-" she stopped abruptly. "Did you hear that?" Bellatrix asked quietly.
"No." Harry glanced around. "Why? Did you hear anything?"
"I thought I heard a twig snap."
"Probably an animal." Harry really hoped he was right. "This forest certainly has enough creatures living in it."
"You act as if it doesn't matter. Some of those animals are dangerous, you know."
Harry shrugged. "In my experience, they don't bother you unless you bother them." Most of the time, he added silently, the incident with the giant spiders coming to mind. He resumed walking, and Bellatrix followed after a few seconds of intent listening.
"So," he continued, "the Ministry doesn't acknowledge the families' nobility anymore?"
"No. They've decided that being one of the Old Families doesn't get you anymore than any other family. Of course, we still have a lot of influence, so a lot of us end up in the Wizengamot, or other important places. The rest, though, is filled with either Ministry appointees or elected delegates."
"I like the elected delegate idea, but in my experience, Ministry appointees are no good."
"You can say that again," Bellatrix muttered. "What Voldemort promised us is to restore the old order, where the only ones in the Wizengamot were representatives of the Old Families. Their right to govern was linked directly to their bloodline. Changes had to be made once there were more and more muggleborns. They wanted to be part of government, and there came a point where there were so many of them…"
"That it became necessary to change in order to avoid rebellion," Harry finished.
Bellatrix nodded. "You know, you never answered my question properly. Is he the genuine thing? Is he a real-"
Harry suddenly clamped a hand over her mouth and hushed her. "You hear that?" he whispered hurriedly. Her eyes widened as she nodded. Another twig had snapped, and this time, Harry had heard it. He was certain it wasn't an animal this time. They both scanned the area around them, but it was much too dark to see anything.
"Told you so," Bellatrix whispered. "Something's following us."
"Maybe a centaur or a unicorn," Harry said, trying more to reassure himself more rather than Bellatrix. He had been afraid that he had roused Voldemort's interest, but he had hoped that Voldemort would just dismiss it.
Bellatrix stared at him skeptically. "It could still be dangerous. We're still outside of the wards, we could apparate to London and return tomorrow morning. It's Saturday, no one will notice anything."
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