Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter, sadly, doesn't belong to me. It belongs to JK Rowling.

A/N: I'm still alive! I will still be posting to ROH2, but this story has been bouncing in my head for a while and i wanted to get it out there. Its based off of that Voldemort was apparently very powerful and clever, able to fool so many people. Why then, through Harry Potter did he absolutely fail to act like that at all? So, this Voldemort is smarter, more powerful and has grand plans, and these plans involve some of our favourites.

Please read, review and follow!

Chapter 1 - The first meeting

"Harry Potter"

Harry stared at the face, red menacing eyes and slits for nostrils and panicked. He had no desire to continue to stand there, facing off against Voldemort of all people. He tried to get his legs moving so that he could run in the opposite direction, but his legs refused to move.

"See what I have become? Mere shadow and vapour. This is what I was reduced to that fateful night when I set out to remove the threat stated in the prophecy."

Harry frowned. "Prophecy? You went there to kill my parents!"

Harry watched as confusion crossed the face of Voldemort before it settled to amusement. "You mean to tell me that Dumbledore has not told you the reason I came after your family? Why I targeted you?" Harry shook his head. "Interesting."

"You mean, you came to kill me? What about my parents?"

Voldemort nodded. "Yes, your parents. Fierce, powerful warriors they were. They could stand toe to toe with me; not many wizards could. I had the upmost respect for them and their skills. But don't you find it odd that I had battled with them three times? They had either driven me to a standstill or to defeat each time. Do you see a problem here?"

Harry was confused – this was Voldemort, the evil wizard who had come to kill him as a child, yet he was trying to have a discussion with him. "What do you mean?"

"Well, the fact that these two powerful warriors, who have held their ground against me, would almost just roll over and die when I come and attack a fourth time. Does that not seem very strange to you, Harry Potter? Haven't you been told anything about that night?"

Voldemort watched as a flash of anger crossed Harry's eyes. 'Hmm. This will be a lot easier than I expected.'

"No. No one has told me anything about that night. The only thing I know is that you came to attack my family and that I survived the killing curse" Harry said. Voldemort raised an eyebrow and gave a cold laugh. "Survived the killing curse? No one, not even I, could survive the killing curse. No. I didn't hit you with that Harry."

Harry didn't know what to say to that. This was the man who he had been told had tried to kill him! Shouldn't he be trying to kill him now?

Voldemort stood there, studying Harry. "I will make a deal with you Harry Potter. I will not kill you now and take the stone in your pocket from your corpse. I ask that you do one thing. Ask Albus Dumbledore why I attacked your family that night in Godric's Hollow. See if he tells you about the prophecy. If he does not, I will tell you the prophecy. If he does not tell you, leave a red envelope at Hogsmeade Station by the rock near the entrance. I will seek you out."

Harry didn't respond immediately, thinking it over. This man was supposedly evil, yet was willing to tell him more about that night, about this prophecy. No one else wanted to. Everyone he had asked simply said 'Sorry Harry, I don't know more about that night' or 'I'm not allowed to tell you.' He slowly nodded. No matter what, he wanted to hear more about his parents, and he had the right to know. His family was attacked, surely someone would tell him why.

Voldemort smiled and waved his hand, releasing Harry from the body bind. Harry felt cold at the realisation that Voldemort had him completely at his mercy and could have done absolutely anything. The fact that he had done nothing but talk to him made him feel even colder. Could Voldemort possibly be telling the truth?

"Now, I'm afraid that if I leave you alone, Dumbledore will become very suspicious. So I'm afraid I'm going to have to attack you" He looked back up into the red eyes of Voldemort and nodded. He saw the wand raise and a flash of red light before darkness overcame him.

Voldemort lowered his wand and stared at the young boy on the floor. This was the boy who was supposed to defeat him? He had discovered over the year that the boy had no training, no knowledge – instead, he had been shipped and imprisoned with muggles of all people. Voldemort loathed muggles. They had their uses, yes, and they had power, no denying, but they were disgusting, horrifying creatures that loved to fight.

He turned and sent a blasting charm at the mirror, conjuring a shield charm protecting himself and Harry from the shrapnel. He then turned and knelt near the boy. "I'll uphold my promise to you." With that, he stood up and extracted himself from Quirrell. As the last of his spirit left the body it collapsed. He had known that the body wouldn't last much longer, and his final possession had, as painlessly as possible, killed off Quirrells spirit. The man had been mostly useless but he had cared and looked after his master for the last year. Either way, if the body wasn't left behind then Dumbledore would be alerted that he was back.

That was the last thing he wanted. Let Dumbledore think he was defeated for now. Besides, he had other things to do.

Harry, Infirmary Wing

Albus Dumbledore stood watching the Boy-Who-Lived as he slept in the hospital bed. The boy had performed how he expected and his plan had worked exactly as he had expected. Voldemort had gone after the stone and failed, being banished from Quirrell.

Albus regreted that Quirrell couldn't have been saved. Any lives lost was a waste and should be avoided if possible. Ariana still sat at the front of his mind, and she was the reason that he had pushed for the Death Eaters to be sent to Azkaban. Yes, they were serving life sentences but they would still be alive.

It was why he had left the boy with the Dursleys. Yes, they were horrible people but they were his family. Dumbledore knew that the boy would be safe with muggles and it would provide protection to them as well, as undoubtedly Voldemort's supporters and Death Eaters would be interested in 'having a talk' with them.

He had retrieved the stone from Harry as soon as he had made it into the room and sent it back to the Flamels. The stone had run its use as a trap and had shown him that Harry was indeed the prophesised one.

Albus looked up as Harry stirred. His eye's opened and seemed to look around the room.

"Harry, my boy, well done. I knew you could do it" Albus beamed at him as he handed over his glasses.

"Sir, Voldemort was there! The stone!" Harry said, looking around. "Harry, my boy, don't worry about it. You stopped him from retrieving the stone. I retrieved it and sent it back to the Flamels. Voldemort will not be coming back using the stone."

Harry leant back, relieved. He leant back and sighed as his body relaxed. Something drifted through his mind that Voldemort had said to him. "Sir, why did Voldemort want to kill me? He said he came after me"

Years of experience was the only reason that Dumbledore kept a straight face. "Ah, Harry my boy, I'm afraid I can't tell you yet. You deserve to relax and enjoy your childhood. Voldemort won't attempt to come back again just yet."

Harry nodded. He was annoyed at the fact that Dumbledore had just simply dismissed his question. Voldemort had come after him when he was a baby, and he had been down in the room with the mirror. Harry felt he should know why Voldemort was after him, or at least why he was a big part of his life. Dumbledore had just patted him on the head.

"Sir, do I have to go back to the Dursleys? I can stay with my friend Ron, or Hermione." Harry didn't like the pleading tone of his voice; he didn't want to sound desperate or pathetic but he couldn't help it. Dumbledore gave him a look of pity that sent a flash of anger through Harry.

"I'm sorry Harry, but for your safety I'm afraid you must stay at the Dursleys. The protection given by your mother with her love will only protect you if you stay with any family. As your aunt is the only family you have, you must stay with her. The wards protecting you are powerful."

"Sir, they don't care for me! They hate me!" Harry said, sitting back up. Dumbledore put his hand on his shoulder and gently pushed him back down. "Harry, they are your family. They may not love you as much as their son, but they do love you. Please, just accept that this is the truth." Harry realised that he wasn't going to be able to change his mind so he decided to sit back.

"Sir, how did I get the stone out of the mirror?" Dumbledore smiled. "Ah, Harry, one of my more brilliant ideas. To retrieve the stone, one simply must want to find the stone, not feel the need to use it. Voldemort would want the stone to return him from the half-life he has condemned himself to. But enough of this. I think it's time for me to make sure the feast is ready." With that, Dumbledore walked out, leaving Harry to his thoughts.

Harry stared at the retreating figure of Dumbledore and couldn't help but find himself annoyed. He was the one who was being targeted by Voldemort, yet he had no training, no knowledge to help him fight. Instead, he was just being shipped back to the muggles. He felt the familiar rise of fear in his stomach, making him nauseous. He forced his mind to think about that he would find out about his parents and the supposed prophecy that Voldemort would tell him. He also needed to find a red envelope.

Voldemort, Wizengamot Chamber

Voldemort couldn't believe how easy to walk into the Ministry after everything that had happened. The 'security guard' on the desk was a joke, not even checking the name before waving him through. The Ministry itself hadn't changed from the reports that Lucius had given him. He stopped to look at the fountain and found it so telling about the magical population. A wizard would never find himself going anywhere near a centaur, would look down at a house elf and would barely tolerate the goblins.

Likewise, the centaur would avoid the wizard, the house elf would be cowering in fear and there was a higher chance of the goblin beheading you than they would look up to a wizard.

Continuing on, he exchanged small talk with a worker and soon found himself in the public gallery of the Wizengamot chamber. The chamber itself was impressive. The floor was dark blue marble with gold rivers flowing through it, leading to the first tier. Ten chairs were in the first tier, one more intricately carved than the others. That was the chair for the Chief Warlock, while the other nine were for the Ministry workers – one for the Minister, one for their undersecretary, and the other seven were for the department heads. None of the ten seats held any votes, though the seat of the Chief Warlock was capable of vetoing any legislation or votes. Each seat had the Ministry seal on it.

Above the first tier were four more tiers, three holding twenty-five seats and the fourth holding twenty-six. There were no partitions between the tiers, simply that they were raised to allow for the members at the back to see. Every seat had a crest on it that belonged to the House that held the seat at the time. The idea behind the fourth tier was so that there was never an even number, allowing for votes to pass through. Voldemort laughed internally at that – most of the time, votes were almost always stalled because a few didn't vote, leaving an equal number.

The roof was the most impressive. Like the floor, it was a dark blue marble, but the decorations made it stand out. It was filled with silver stars that moved and flashed, and in the centre was a golden M with a Phoenix and a Dragon behind it. The Phoenix flapped its wings while the Dragon looked around menacingly. The seal had always impressed Voldemort. It was well designed and was meant to show the strength and power that the Ministry held.

Voldemort looked away from the roof as the members of the Wizengamot filed in. Most of the members were wearing plum coloured robes with the Ministry seal on their left breast. Underneath was their house crest, either in gold or silver. Voldemort knew that those with the gold crests were the heads of the Houses, while those with silver were representatives of the Head. This was mostly due to the head of the family being underage or being unable to make it.

Voldemort watched as the Minister and his toad – Undersecretary walked in. Unlike the others, their robes were black trimmed with gold, with only the crest of the Ministry on their left breast. The Minister was the only Ministry member who was expected to be at all Wizengamot meetings unless there was a legitimate reason why he couldn't. All other Ministry members either needed an agenda or were invited to attend.

Voldemort looked around the room at the members. He spied Lucius talking with the Minister, Nott, Crabbe and Goyle were discussing something, which Voldemort knew from experience could be a proposition for a bill or could simply be what they had for dinner last night. Travers appeared to be observing the Wizengamot. Voldemort was both disappointed and angry that none had searched for him, but was distracted by the door opening and walking in was his rival.

Albus Dumbledore strode into the room, wearing midnight blue robes. Unlike his normal robes, there was nothing fancy or distracting about the robes he was wearing. There were only two things on his robes; the Ministry crest and a silver House Potter crest. Voldemort kept his face passive but knew this was something he would tell Harry. Not straight away, but one day.

Dumbledore sat down in the seat and nodded at a small man that Voldemort hadn't noticed walk into the room. "Hear ye, Hear ye. This fourth winter session of the Wizengamot is now in session. The doors will now be sealed." The doors shutting and hissing sealed them in the room, and Voldemort felt a magic bind fall on him. He knew that all members of the public were fully bound while the members of the Wizengamot were only allowed to cast coloured light to vote.

Dumbledore looked around the room. "Does anyone object to any motions passed from the third winter session?" No one spoke and Dumbledore nodded. "Very well. I call the fourth winter session now open for business." A cannon blast sounded in the room. "Scribe please begin with the first item."

The non-descript man stood up. "The first item on the agenda is the proposed tax increase and budget for the Ministry." Dumbledore nodded. "Who wishes to speak for this proposal?" Everyone's attention shifted to the Minister who had stood up.

Voldemort stopped listening and looked around the room, having no desire to listen to how the budget for the DMLE would decrease but the budget for the Minister's office would increase, nor how that the Ministry had no further real developments or problems.

Likewise, he had no interest when a motion was carried to increase the tax for the Muggleborn by 5%, halfbloods by 2% and purebloods to not increase at all for any transactions. He watched as the toad – Undersecretary put forward a motion to limit the movement of "half-breeds" as she worded it and was soundly defeated as they were already very limited.

Dumbledore eventually looked around the room and stood up. "This report I am presenting is on my behalf as the Headmaster of Hogwarts. It is with my pleasure that I announce that Gilderoy Lockhart will take on the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. I also will announce that the graduating Seventh year students all gained a total of 105 N.E.W.T scores, and the fifth year gained a total of 176 O.W.L scores."

Dumbledore sat down. "The floor will now be opened to discussion. Be there any members who wish to voice concerns?"

Everyone looked to the third tier as a member had stood up. "My son has just graduated from Hogwarts. One of the subjects that he studied for but didn't pass was potions. Could you explain this, as he achieved Outstanding's in all other subjects, yet only achieved Poor in potions?"

Voldemort saw a flicker of surprise flash across Dumbledore's face before it settled into the serene look that he normally showed. "It is possible that he simply didn't study enough. Potions is a very difficult subject."

"That is true" the member said. "However, only one person passed potions this year, and they scraped an Acceptable. Why is it a class of fifteen only had one person pass potions at N.E.W.T level?" murmurs broke out around the room as that revelation broke out.

Dumbledore smiled. "Severus Snape has my full confidence. He is a renowned Potions Master"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean he can teach, nor should he" the member sat down as the whispering increased just a little. Dumbledore stood up. "Severus is a competent teacher. However, due to the concerns you have raised, I will have a discussion with him and perhaps help him to alter his teaching style."

This seemed to satisfy the members of the Wizengamot and Dumbledore sat down. "Now, any further business?"

Parkinson stood up. "My daughter sent me a rather unusual letter recently. She claimed that Harry Potter was involved in an incident in the third corridor and was hospitalized. Perhaps Dumbledore you could elaborate on these rumours and explain what has happened." Everyone turned to Dumbledore who looked surprised.

"Member Parkinson, your daughter is correct, Harry Potter was hospitalized." Noise broke out and Dumbledore had to send a cannon blast out to silence them. "However, there was nothing sinister that happened, just a teaching exercise that went wrong. He had fully recovered by the end of the day, but as you all know, Madam Pomfrey wasn't going to let him out of her care easily."

This sent titters through the room, all of the members having either spent time in her care or had friends who had. Parkinson sat down and Dumbledore looked around. "Any other concerns?" No one stood up. "Very well. This fourth winter session has now concluded. The next session will be the first summer session, to which all members are invited." He tapped his wand on the banister and the doors unsealed, and Voldemort felt his magic return.

Voldemort stepped out of the visitor's entrance into the sun and sighed. It didn't surprise him that Dumbledore would cover up what had happened at the end of term, pulling it off as a teaching exercise would dispel most rumours and make the others unbelievable. The wizarding world liked its comfortableness and hated anything out of the ordinary. Telling them that Voldemort had tried to return would result in him being discredited and thrown out the Ministry, and Dumbledore wouldn't allow that.

Voldemort knew that Dumbledore knew he wasn't dead, simply waiting to return. For Dumbledore, he wouldn't risk being removed from his positions of power before Voldemort would return. To be able to combat the Dark Lord, he would need the power to be able to stop him from taking over the Ministry.

Voldemort apparated away from the Ministry, appearing near Hogsmeade. He had two days before the students would head home, and he intended to make sure that he could see if Harry wanted to talk.

He also had to decide where to go from here. It all depended on how easily he could get the boy, and the girl, on his side. Being able to explain everything to them would, hopefully, be able to convince them. Plus, he needed to get his body back.

Then there was the matter of Severus. Back then, he had appeared to be a loyal Death Eater, and as such he was chosen to be one of Voldemort's spy within the Order of the Phoenix. Yet, he had never fully trusted him. He had, after all, been in deep with Dumbledore's group, and had an obsession with Lily Potter that had creeped even Voldemort out. He had watched him over the year to determine where Severus' loyalties laid. He wasn't sure that the loyalties laid with him, however he could tell that Severus hated the boy. Probably because of his relation to James.

Harry, Hogwarts

Harry had been released for the final feast, even though he was fine days ago. He walked out and suddenly found himself with a face of brown hair wrapped around him. He stiffened slightly before realising it was only Hermione.

"Harry, oh my gosh! You're ok! Did you stop him? Did Dumbledore get there in time to stop him? We met him on the stairs, he was rushing, and …"

"Hermione, give him a break! He can't answer your questions if you don't allow him!" Harry turned to find his best friend Ron stood there, grinning. Harry grinned back. He turned to Hermione "Yes, I'm fine. I didn't stop him; Dumbledore did I think." If was a white lie, he knew, but Voldemort hadn't gotten the stone so he wasn't completely wrong.

Hermione smiled and they turned to head to the feast.

It was the next morning, when coming down the stairs with his trunk that Harry found Hermione sat on the couch waiting for him. "Hey, Hermione, do you have a red envelope?" Hermione looked up from the book she was reading and raised an eyebrow. "Red envelope? You mean like the ones that are used for a Howler?"

Harry stared at her blankly. "I have no idea what a Howler is, but if they're red then yes." Hermione rolled her eyes but reached into her bag and pulled one out. "Here you go. Who do you need to send a Howler to?"

"No one, I just need to send something and I need a red envelope for it." Hermione gave him a searching look but nodded, turning back to the book she was reading. Harry noticed it was a book on defensive spells. "Why are you reading that? It's not a course book."

She didn't even look up "Harry, we just got involved in a fight against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. We need to know more spells if we're going to be dragged into this." Harry nodded.

Voldemort, Hogsmeade

Voldemort stood disillusioned in Hogsmeade Station, watching the students from Hogwarts disembark from the carriages and head into the station. It had been a long time, but Voldemort could remember the atmosphere being very similar when he was a student. Granted, he had hated it every time he had to go back to the hellhole, but the atmosphere of tired but excited kids would never change.

His eyes drifted to the latest carriage to arrive, from which Harry disembarked. Voldemort watched as he pulled his trunk out and stood to the side, allowing Ron to exit. Voldemort was unsure about his loyalties; the Weasley family was notoriously Dumbledore supporters. The next occupant to disembark was Hermione, and a small smile crept onto Voldemort's face.

Voldemort watched as Harry lagged behind the other two who were in a debate and slid a red envelope under the stone. He waited until all the students had passed through before walking over and pulling the envelope out.

He had no doubts that Dumbledore wouldn't have told the boy about the prophecy, more likely making some excuse. Dumbledore loved to preach forgiveness and peace, and so it didn't surprise him that the boy had no training nor knew of the prophecy. His carrot that he had dangled had obviously caught the boy's attention.

Harry, Privet Drive

Harry limped along the path into the park, looking for some respite for a few hours. He had some chores to complete but knew that he just had to get away for a bit, accepting that he would pay the price later. He tried not to let the pain bring tears but it was difficult. He collapsed under a tree and laid there, not noticing a man walking over.

He noticed when the man had crouched in front of him, and waves of coolness passed through his body. The aches and pains dulled and disappeared and he felt his ribs crack back into place. He looked up into a face of a man he didn't recognise.

He was young, handsome looking with long dark black hair and dark eyes. He appeared to be no older than 20. "Hello Harry. Told you I would seek you out."

Harry's eyes widened. "Voldemort?" The man nodded and held out his hand. Harry looked at his hand for a few seconds before grabbing it, allowing Voldemort to pull him up. They walked to a nearby bench and sat down. Voldemort waved his hand and a ripple in the air moved around them.

"Muggle-repelling ward" Voldemort said to Harry, who nodded having wondered what Voldemort had done. Watching him do magic wandlessly made Harry realise just how powerless he was compared to Voldemort and Dumbledore, the only other person he had seen do wandless magic.

"You probably have guessed why I'm here. I saw you place the envelope under the rock. After that, it was as simple as following you home. I couldn't immediately meet you, as Dumbledore has had someone watching you from when you came back until this morning."

Harry felt anger rise up inside him. "Does he know what they do to me? What they have done to me?" He looked at Voldemort. "Most likely, though without asking him I couldn't say and I have no intention of ever going and asking him."

Harry nodded, feeling betrayed. The man he had looked up to knew what the Dursleys were doing to him. It meant that he knew they beat him, starved him, and from the way his uncle was looking at him, probably knew that too. "He said that there were protections around the house."

Voldemort nodded. "Yes there are. Blood wards, considered borderline dark by the Ministry. While you are inside them, they charge and provide protection for your family and yourself while they're here. However, you only need to spend four hours every day within the wards to achieve that."

Harry stiffened at hearing that. "You mean; I could go elsewhere then Privet Drive? Away from them and I only have to come back to sleep here?" Voldemort nodded and Harry felt the anger inside him turn into a beast – a beast wanting vengeance. "How can you get in though? Isn't it meant to protect me from danger?"

Voldemort raised an eyebrow "I have no intention of harming you, Harry Potter. As the wards are designed to keep those with the intent of harming you or killing you out, except your family as they are what the wards are based around, I am able to pass through them. A flaw of them."

"I'm surprised that Dumbledore didn't learn of what happened in the chamber from your mind." Voldemort watched as the slight colour in Harry's face dropped. "He can read my mind?" Voldemort nodded "Yes. He is very good at passive Ligilimency, and regularly scans the student's minds. That's how he knows if you have done something wrong."

"So, he will know I know of the prophecy! He'll know that I've talked to you!" Harry yelled, jumping up and starting to pace. Voldemort waved his hand and Harry crashed back into the chair. "Calm yourself! You still wish to learn of the prophecy? The thing that 'made' me come after you?"

Harry nodded. He had come this far, and if everything Voldemort had told him was truthful, he wouldn't be led astray. Voldemort sat back.

"The one with the power to defeat the Dark Lord approaches…Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…And the Dark Lord will mark him as equal, but he will have power that the Dark Lord knows not… And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…"

Harry stared at him in growing horror. He leapt back up "Why are you just sitting there? Why are you not trying to kill me?"

Voldemort sighed and rolled his eyes, trying not to get frustrated. "Do you really think that prophecies are the be all, end all? Do you think that every prophecy that has ever been made is fulfilled? They are not. Just because the prophecy exists, does not mean it will ever happen. Besides, that one is a fake."

Harry just stared at him, prompting Voldemort to continue. "You see, that prophecy was 'made' by a young woman who wished to teach at Hogwarts as the Divination Teacher. A bit of memory manipulation, and when she was sat in an interview with Albus Dumbledore, it caused her to have a seizure and spout out what I told her to say. I also made sure to have a Death Eater whose loyalty I considered questionable to 'hear' the prophecy and report it back to me."

Harry continued to stare at him. "But…what?"

Voldemort chuckled, and it sent a shiver of fear down Harry's spine. It was not a nice laugh, but more cold and sinister. "Yes. I made a fake prophecy to ensure that people didn't realise that any of them could kill me. Dumbledore heard it and took it for face value. He believes that you, due to me attacking your family and leaving you with that scar, are the destined one from the prophecy."

"So, to ensure that this prophecy would 'begin', I made a plan. Thanks to the work of two of my most loyal spies and supporters, I was able to engineer the three confrontations between the Potters and the Longbottom's. One of the spies also discovered an obscure spell that would create a scar and give the scar the magical signature of a piece of soul. From there, they made sure that the secret keepers were both Death Eaters so that they would give me the locations."

Voldemort looked at Harry. "You see; I could have taken the Ministry. I could have taken over the wizarding world, and I could have taken the muggle world. But someone would have worked out what I did to stay immortal. Someone would have found a way to kill me. I wanted to prevent that, so I engineered my death, allowing the wizarding world to celebrate, letting them think they're safe, while some of my most loyal Death Eaters, the ones who knew what my real plans were, have been working behind the scenes – gaining influence, gaining allies, setting it all so that when I make my return, when the wizarding population realised that I couldn't die and not even the prophesised one could defeat me, I would be able to take control of the world and no one would try to stop me."

Harry just sat there, everything Voldemort was saying going through his head. "Who were your spies? The ones who set my parents up to die?"

Voldemort looked at him. "Haven't you worked it out yet? The spies were your parents."