<div align="center"><strong>October 31, 1981<br/>Godric's Hollow &amp; Little Hangleton</strong></div><br/>Wind whipped through the bare trees around the small village. Most had gone down for the night and were resting peacefully in their homes. All cozy and comfortable, sleeping away their nights and dreaming about what their day would be like the next morning. A few silly, little craved pumpkins glinted with candle light pouring through their mouths. The village had the feel of a place that had been left out of the modern world. All quiet and calm.<br/><br/>No one stirred to see who the cloaked figure walking down the street was. There were no foot prints in the dirt or leaves that surrounded the direction he'd come from. It was as if he'd appeared on the spot. A small child did see him from a bedroom window, but was told to leave the handsome stranger alone and go to bed by his parents. Most assumed him to be a friend of a family or a relative come early for the holidays. Even with his strange choice in clothing, most couldn't imagine a slightly aged, handsome gentleman like him to be of any danger. It was good for the village people to ignore him. He was more dangerous than they seemed to realize. He wasn't going to let even a child get in his way tonight. He was on a mission and intended on being victorious.<br/><br/>Finally, he came to a stop outside a little gate attached to a stone fence. Behind it was a walkway, but it seemed to lead to nothing. Just an empty lot. He pulled the hood from his head and pointed his wand at the ground next to him, "Is this it?" he snapped. Almost instantly a pudgy, scared looking boy in his mid-twenties popped onto the spot next to the tall man, "Is it?!"<br/><br/>"Ye...y-yes, My Lord..." he squeaked out.<br/><br/>A sick, cold smile crossed the tall man's face as a the empty lot flashed for a moment before revealing a simple, stone two-story house, "Wonderful," he sneered, "Be gone. I can handle this myself," he growled to the smaller male, who disappeared almost as quickly as he came. It had take him nearly a year to find this place. Dumbledore had hid them well, but now, even Dumbeldore's protection had failed. As much as he wanted to savor this moment, he also wanted it to go by as quickly as possible. The longer he took to do it, the more chances for failure.<br/><br/>Slowly, he pushed the gate open and headed up to the house. There was no reason for the parents to die, but he refused to leave till the child was dead. In fact, he'd even promised little Severus that he would keep the woman alive if possible. The woman was a talented witch for a Mudblood. Surely Severus could find a more suitable woman to keep him company, but if he really wanted to have a Mudblood for a pet, then he would 'try' to make it happen. After all, Severus was more than talented at potion making and spell creation, he deserved some sort of 'reward' for his service. If a pretty, little Mudblood was all he asked for, then it was the least the Dark Lord could do.<br/><br/>As he raised his wand to the door, he couldn't help the excited feeling that coursed through his body at the thought of destroying something that so many thought would grow to kill him. He was going to prove to them that he was not only the most powerful Dark Wizard in history, but the most powerful Wizard in history and that nothing would ever stop him. Not even death could stop him.<br/><br/>Without a word, a jet of red light flew from his wand tip and turned the wooden door to splinters. Pieces fell at his feet and he heard the sound of a child crying and feet running up stairs, "Run, Lily! Take Harry!" a masculine voice rang out as he stepped into the warm house, "Voldemort!" he growled, "<em>Avada</em>..." at least the man had some guts to not waste time with silly little spells and go straight for a real curse. Still, it was futile.<br/><br/>Voldemort was quicker, "<em>Avada Kedavra</em>," he snapped back before James Potter could utter the last word of the curse. With a flash of green light the dark haired man fell to the ground like a rock. His wand rolled from his dead fingers and Voldemort snapped it as he stepped on it. Just to show his frustration with having to search for these people for a year, he stepped on James' lifeless body as he headed for the stairs.<br/><br/>Not even half way up the stairs, he could hear the soft voice of Lily Potter trying to coo her crying child into silence. The nursery door blew open as he stood in front of it and the redheaded woman clutched her child tightly, "I'm here for the boy. Not you. Hand him over," he was a monster at heart, but he had promised Severus he would<em>try</em>to spare this girl.<br/><br/>"No!" she screamed, putting the baby into the crib before turning her wand on him, "I won't let you hurt my son!"<br/><br/>"Stand aside, you silly girl. You needn't die for this..."<br/><br/>"Kill me instead! I won't let you have my child!" she seemed smart enough not to try and cast a spell against him, but she stood between them, "Have mercy..."<br/><br/>Voldemort sighed a little. He could kill her. It would be easy. No. She needed to suffer for her insolence, "<em>Stupefy</em>," he called out and a moment later her body slumped to the floor after the spell hit her chest, "If Severus wants you, he can come get you himself..." he said softly as he stepped over her form and towards the crying one-year-old in the crib.<br/><br/><hr/><br/>Moment later, the cloaked man stepped from the house. The sound of the child inside had been silenced. He raised his wand high and a green jet shot from it. The clouds turned a toxic green and hazy. The swirled and formed into the shape of a skull, the jaw lowering slowly and a large snake slithered it's way out and knotted around itself.<br/><br/>Voldemort lowered his wand and pressed it against the same shape imprinted on his arm to let his Death Eaters know that he'd been victorious.<br/><br/>Now was the time for celebration. Time for the Death Eaters to reign supreme under his control. They would know where to meet him. At the graveyard where his father's bones lay.<br/><br/><div align="center">(http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20091227193921/harrypotter/images/archive/6/6b/20091227194234!The_Dark_Mark_in_the_sky_over_the_Quidditch_World_Cup_campsite.jpg)</div>