The Hogwarts Express slowed to a halt, and I stepped off, the crisp spring air brushing against my face. I walked calmly to the Platform 9 ¾ barrier, my thoughts already on the summer ahead. Students pushed past me in excited clusters, but I ignored them. Their chatter, their petty triumphs — none of it mattered.
I slipped through the barrier with ease, moving quickly into a more distant alley. No need to risk being seen. With a flick of my wrist and a muttered incantation, I Apparated straight to Slytherin Manor.
The familiar stone walls and dark, polished floors greeted me as I stepped through the front doors. Silence settled over the manor, the quiet only broken by the soft hum of magic lingering in the air. This was my domain now, my base of operations, and the place where my plans could unfold without interruption.
I paused in the main hall for a moment, surveying the house. The library, the potion labs, the training areas — everything was perfectly arranged. Everything ready for my experiments, my training, and the growth of my Death Eaters.
I allowed myself a small smile. This summer would not be wasted. With Ancient Magic now in my grasp, and my Death Eaters loyal and powerful, I could begin laying the foundations for everything I had envisioned.
I headed to the library first, already pulling books from shelves and scrolls from drawers, preparing to study Ancient Magic in depth. Already, I could sense the power within these pages, the echoes of spells older than Hogwarts itself, waiting to be understood and mastered.
This summer, I thought, I would rise beyond any wizard who had ever lived.
And nothing — no rival, no professor, no muggle or magical authority — would stand in my way