Chapter 21: The Alchemist-Lord and a World Reignited (1995-1996)
The summer of 1995 dawned humid and uneasy over Britain, but within the ancient, warded heart of Blackwood Manor, a profound, almost sacred, stillness reigned. Corvus Blackwood, Lord of his House and now, in secret, a Master Alchemist, spent the initial weeks following Voldemort's crude re-embodiment in quiet contemplation and meticulous experimentation with his newly created Philosopher's Stone.
The Stone, a flawless, vibrant ruby, pulsed with a gentle, life-affirming energy in his hand. It was a universe away from the dark, soul-splintering magic of Voldemort's Horcruxes. Corvus, with his unparalleled understanding, felt no crass urge to immediately transmute lead into mountains of gold or brew endless draughts of the Elixir of Life. His first interactions were subtle, scholarly. He used the Stone to catalyze certain rare magical reactions in his laboratory, observing its ability to purify substances to an elemental level and to drastically amplify the potency of enchantments woven in its presence. He created a small, intricately carved talisman for each of his children and his wife, imbued with a sliver of the Stone's protective energies – not for immortality, but for perfect health and resilience against mundane and minor magical ailments. It was a subtle, personal application of its power, a gift from the patriarch.
The most significant change, however, was the nature of the information now flowing through the multiplier. With Lord Voldemort once again corporeal, his mind active and focused, the spectral whispers Corvus had grown accustomed to over the past decade transformed back into a roaring torrent of amplified consciousness. Voldemort, hidden away after his rebirth at Little Hangleton, was a cauldron of seething ambition, vengeful fury, and meticulous, dark planning. Corvus now had a front-row seat to the second genesis of a Dark Lord.
He felt Voldemort's immediate priorities:
* Consolidating Power: The summons to his returning Death Eaters, the interrogation of those who had faltered, the re-establishment of his authority. Corvus experienced, tenfold, Voldemort's manipulative charisma, his terrifying rage, and the intricate web of fear and loyalty he wove around his followers.
* Information Gathering: Voldemort was desperate to understand how a mere baby had defeated him, and why his Killing Curse had rebounded. His obsession with Harry Potter and the prophecy stored in the Department of Mysteries became a burning, all-consuming fire in his thoughts.
* Secrecy and Strategy: Voldemort knew the Ministry, under Cornelius Fudge, was weak, fearful, and prone to denial. He planned to operate in the shadows initially, rebuilding his strength, discrediting Dumbledore and Potter, and ensuring the wizarding world remained unprepared for his true return.
Corvus observed all this from the serene comfort of Blackwood Manor. He read the Daily Prophet's increasingly hysterical denials of Voldemort's return, Fudge's attacks on Dumbledore, and the appointment of Dolores Umbridge as High Inquisitor at Hogwarts, with a kind of detached, intellectual amusement. It was all playing out as Voldemort intended, as Corvus himself might have orchestrated it, had his goals been so crude as mere domination.
"Fools," he commented one morning to Isolde, gesturing to a particularly egregious headline proclaiming Dumbledore "Demented." "They actively cultivate the ground for their own destruction. Voldemort could not ask for more compliant incompetence."
Isolde, her own Travers lineage giving her a keen understanding of political maneuvering, simply nodded. "And House Blackwood, my dear Corvus, remains above the fray, as always."
"Precisely," Corvus affirmed. "And will continue to do so."
Orion, now a quietly influential figure within the Department of Magical Law Enforcement's more arcane research divisions, occasionally visited, his reports on the Ministry's internal chaos and Fudge's paranoia confirming the amplified intelligence Corvus received from Voldemort. Corvus offered his son cryptic but invariably prescient advice on navigating the treacherous political waters, ensuring Orion (and by extension, Blackwood interests) remained insulated from the purges and power plays orchestrated by Umbridge and Fudge's fear. Lyra, pursuing her Charms research in Geneva, was kept informed through discreet channels, her safety paramount. Corvus even used a minuscule sliver of gold transmuted by his Stone to anonymously endow a research grant that benefited her institution, a subtle use of his new resource that was untraceable yet effective.
The reformation of the Order of the Phoenix under Dumbledore was another development Corvus noted with interest. He felt Voldemort's derision for the group, but also a grudging awareness of the threat Dumbledore himself posed. The Order's clandestine activities, their attempts to counter Voldemort's moves, were like a game of shadow chess played out on a board Corvus could see in its entirety. He received no direct approaches from the Order this time; Dumbledore evidently understood the finality of Corvus's earlier refusal.
As the months wore on, Voldemort's focus on the prophecy intensified. Corvus experienced, in excruciating, amplified detail, the Dark Lord's attempts to lure Harry Potter to the Department of Mysteries. He felt Voldemort's frustration at the boy's resilience, Dumbledore's protective measures, and the incompetence of some of his own Death Eaters. He learned of Voldemort's plan to use a fabricated vision to draw Harry to the Hall of Prophecy. The multiplier gave Corvus a perfect understanding of Voldemort's strategy, his psychological manipulation of Harry, and his intended use of the prophecy – not just to understand it, but to destroy it, ensuring no one else could access its knowledge.
Corvus, during this period, dedicated part of his research to the nature of prophecies themselves, cross-referencing Voldemort's desperate pursuit with ancient Blackwood texts on divination and fate. His own Stone, he discovered, could act as a potent scrying focus, though he had no interest in foretelling his own future, which he preferred to shape himself. However, understanding the mechanics of prophecy was a valuable intellectual pursuit.
The culmination of Voldemort's initial efforts to reassert his power came in the winter of early 1996, with the mass breakout from Azkaban. Corvus felt the entire operation unfold as if he were standing beside Voldemort himself: the meticulous planning, the infiltration of the prison by those Death Eaters still at large, the overpowering of the Dementors (who were increasingly disillusioned with the Ministry and drawn to Voldemort's dark power), and the triumphant release of his most loyal and fanatical followers, including Bellatrix Lestrange.
The wizarding world was thrown into open panic. Fudge could no longer deny Voldemort's return. The Daily Prophet's headlines shrieked of terror. The Ministry was exposed as woefully unprepared.
Corvus Blackwood read the news with a calm, analytical expression. This was the true beginning of the Second Wizarding War. Voldemort had shed his initial secrecy and was now ready to openly challenge the established order. The amplified feed from the Dark Lord was electric with triumphant malice, strategic planning for the next phase, and a renewed, almost palpable, confidence.
He convened a brief meeting with Orion, who had returned to the Manor immediately upon hearing the news.
"The Ministry is in chaos, Father," Orion reported, his face grim but composed. "Fudge is finally admitting the truth, but it's too late. Umbridge is being recalled from Hogwarts. There's talk of Auror recruitment drives, emergency measures…"
"Predictable," Corvus said, steepling his fingers. "And largely irrelevant to us. Maintain your current position, Orion. Observe. Report. Ensure Blackwood assets are insulated from any emergency levies or requisitions the Ministry might foolishly attempt. Our neutrality must be seen as absolute, backed by unbreachable strength."
"And you, Father?" Orion asked, knowing his father always had deeper plans.
Corvus allowed himself a rare, thin smile. "I, my son, will continue my studies. Lord Voldemort, in his renewed vigor, is proving to be an exceptionally… stimulating research subject." He gestured vaguely towards his private laboratories. "His methods of re-establishing control, his refined understanding of dark magic after his… sojourn in spirit form, his strategic imperatives – all provide a wealth of data. And with the resources now at my disposal," he subtly indicated the direction of his hidden alchemical sanctum where the Philosopher's Stone resided, "our House is more secure, more self-sufficient, than ever before."
He did not need to elaborate. Orion understood. His father, the enigmatic Lord Blackwood, was a power unto himself, a silent player in a game only he fully comprehended.
As Voldemort began his campaign to secure the prophecy, Corvus focused on a new area of personal research inspired by both his Stone and the Dark Lord's activities: the creation of absolutely loyal, magically potent constructs. Not Inferi, which were crude and reliant on necromancy, but true automata, animated by complex enchantments and powered by ambient magic, perhaps even subtly augmented by the Stone's radiant energies. These would be the ultimate, unbribable guardians for Blackwood Manor, an additional layer of security beyond even the Aegis, ensuring his family's safety for generations to come, regardless of which Dark Lord or incompetent Ministry held sway in the outside world.
The wizarding world was descending into a new era of darkness. But within the timeless, magically saturated walls of Blackwood Manor, Corvus Blackwood, the Alchemist-Lord, the silent scholar of Voldemort's soul, calmly continued his work, his power growing in the fertile shadow of his unwilling, unknowing benefactor. He had his Stone, his knowledge, his family, and his impenetrable sanctuary. The war could rage; House Blackwood would not only endure, it would thrive.