The Intelligent Potter

An: If you wanna read the latest chapters of TIP a teensy weensy bit early, check out THe Intelligent Potter on webnovel. I hope all of you enjoy this chapter. I know I'm going to enjoy writing this one…

Cue maniacal laughter

*** 2 Months Later, Riddle Manor

"Today is the day I will finally be myself," The Darkness announced inside of Voldemort's head, as if it were coming out of the closet, and not acquiring a physical manifestation of itself.

"Yessir."

For the hell of it, The Darkness sent a wave of pain at Voldemort. It was a testament to how used to it Voldemort had gotten that he didn't even wince or whimper. Or maybe it was just a testament to how much the Dark Lord's vocal chords had suffered in his time playing host to the spirit of The Darkness.

"Fetch Severus Snape," The Darkness commanded. Oh, he knew that the Potions Master was an informant for Dumbledore, he had seen it in Snape's memories. Fortunately for The Darkness, Dumbledore was very tight-lipped about his sources, and he took the secret of Snape's true allegiance to the grave. When Snape disappeared shortly after the attack on Hogwarts, it was generally assumed that the man was dead.

That was untrue.

He had been called to the Dark Lord's side, only to be subjugated by The Darkness, and forced to brew the various dark potions which were required for the ritual he was about to perform. It was an elaborate plan, yes, but Severus Snape was one of the very few wizards or witches who could brew the complex potions required. His skills were invaluable, the only reason that Voldemort had kept him around despite the uncertainty of his allegiance.

The sallow-skinned man entered the room, looking painfully thin. After all, he had not been fed in weeks. Voldemort regretted the torture he had been forced to inflict upon Snape, yes, even the former Dark Lord had limits to his sadism, but it was either Snape suffering or himself, and The Darkness already tortured Voldemort enough without extra incentive in the form of disobedience.

"The potion is ready, master," Snape said robotically to the Dark Lord, bending over painfully into a bow, despite the lashes that Voldemort knew had been delivered by the magical whip he himself had animated.

Voldemort rose on shaky feet, and headed towards the ritual room. Once they were inside, Snape handed a vial to the Dark Lord. Voldemort drank it.

Then his world was pain.

*** Later

His world was still pain.

*** Later

His world was still pain.

*** Later

pAiN.

*** Later

His world was still pain… but relatively less pain. Everything burned, but at least he could see and move, and the first thing that he saw was The Darkness.

He could not describe what exactly it had become. It was hot like fire, and as cold as ice. The Darkness had taken a vaguely humanoid shape, but it was shifting and moving, even as he looked at it. It seemed to be a body made up of shadows, like the kind of armour Voldemort had made for himself from The Darkness in the past. Where its face was supposed to be, there was just an abyss of blackness, with two small dots of fire for eyes. It was large, extremely large, larger than any human being that Voldemort had ever seen or heard of, at about ten feet of height, he reckoned. Not only tall, but quite broad. Power didn't just radiate off the being, power WAS the being.

Voldemort's knees went soft and he collapsed. He realised he was still looking at The Darkness, the magnificence of the primordial being had brought him into a sort of trance.

Looking at The Darkness made his vision go spotty so he looked away.

The pain was beginning to subside, and Voldemort realised that he was feeling better than before. All of the Darkness which had crept into his body over the years, which had given him strength, was gone.

And he felt BETTER for it.

"I need to rest," The Darkness spoke, out loud, with its own mouth, and not Voldemort's.

It plodded off to his chambers, to rest in his bed.

Voldemort finally accepted something that had been in the back of his mind since the Battle of Hogwarts. He was no longer the Dark Lord, he had not had control of The Darkness for a long, long time now. He had been a Dark Servant of sorts, but now, he was FREE.

The Darkness had left him.

A plan for escape started to form in his head. He tried the door of the now empty ritual room, Severus Snape having hastily exited after The Darkness. It was locked. The Darkness had locked him in.

Voldemort felt inside himself, hoping against hope that he still had magic. His power welled up against him, and he felt good again. Strong. Not in the way that he had been with The Darkness, but strong as he had felt in his days at Hogwarts. He suspected that The Darkness thought he was beaten, powerless once stripped of the unlimited magic granted by the primordial being.

But Voldemort was not beaten.

He was a man feared all around Britain for a reason.

Voldemort drew his wand forth, and the familiar warm thrum of power greeted him, so unlike the piercing cold of using The Darkness. It was his power.

He wanted to speak the words of the first real spell he had used in over two years, but his throat was completely done for, so he settled for a non-verbal 'Alohomora'.

He walked out of the room, he had a few hours before The Darkness had recovered in its new body and found some new use for him.

Voldemort stumbled as he hobbled out of his Manor… no, The Darkness' Manor.

There was only one place he could go now. One place which was still beyond the reach of The Darkness.

They would probably kill him, but after what he had been through, Voldemort embraced death.

He wanted it.

And there were good chances that he would find it at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

*** End of Chapter

An: What a twist!