Severus had been reborn at the age of ten, only to find that his current home felt bizarre in every possible way.
They were still living at Number 23 Spinner's End, but Tobias had a job, and Eileen, though perpetually gloomy, was in excellent health.
She simply looked at him, saying nothing.
Nor did Tobias beat him or abuse Eileen.
Everything felt as though he were living in a dream, Severus thought.
However, the most important task right now was to resume his training as quickly as possible, acquire a wand, brew potions, find that old busybody, and go kill... the Dark Lord.
To Severus's sudden request to learn potion-brewing, Eileen raised not the slightest objection, even producing a wand she had kept hidden for a long time.
"Severus, you must study magic properly—you must!"
She repeated it over and over again. Only when Severus began practicing spells did he realize that his current body was... far, far too healthy.
Soon, the first batch of potions was ready. Because they were basic potions, Severus went to Diagon Alley to sell them, using the proceeds to buy some herbs.
After the second, the third, and the eighth batch...
Both Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley learned that a child wizard skilled in potion-making had arrived.
Lord Voldemort naturally received the report as well.
"A new... suspected Potions Master?" Long fingers tapped against the desk, pale fingertips gently rapping the surface. Lord Voldemort calculated the time: Severus must be ten years old now.
So, he had returned right at the age of ten?
Lord Voldemort took a deep breath, waved away the Death Eater standing at attention, and suddenly called him back. "Wait."
"My Lord?"
"Call Lucius and Abraxas. Bring a few others. We are going to Knockturn Alley."
Patrol.
Lately, the Dark Lord had been showing up in Knockturn Alley every now and then to acquire certain items, sometimes even creating detours that drove the local residents to distraction.
Knowing full well how sharp his double agent was—even as a child—Lord Voldemort had spent three or four years making a grand, drawn-out affair of clearing paths.
He was practically turning into a Voldemort mole.
Upon hearing the news, Abraxas didn't ask questions; he simply rounded up his son, who was transitioning from fourth to fifth year—Lucius Malfoy—and dragged them both to Knockturn Alley.
***
Wrapped entirely in a cloak, Severus navigated the familiar turns of Knockturn Alley and slipped into Borgin and Burkes.
As a Potions Master, the potions he put on the market were immaculate—so immaculate that even a profiteer like Borgin considered them treasures.
Borgin was already toying with the idea of presenting this person to the Dark Lord.
Severus had no idea what the current Wizarding World was like, but in his memories... the Dark Lord was at the height of his arrogance, slaughtering half-bloods and wizards alike.
He still had Eileen, and he had Lily. Though he didn't know what had happened to Tobias, everything seemed to be changing for the better.
"This... sir?" Borgin rubbed his hands together, forcing a cold, greasy smile that made Severus uncomfortable.
"Well?"
Seeing an opening, Borgin hurriedly said, "Master, Lord Voldemort has been recruiting capable wizards for years regardless of blood status. Would you care to try your hand?"
At that, a sharp *buzz* went off in Severus's head, his vision glazing over as he became utterly deaf to whatever Borgin was babbling on about.
"Lord Voldemort, you see, he treats men of talent with great courtesy—hey, hey, why are you leaving—"
"Sir? Good sir!?"
Borgin sighed. Everyone knew that recommending a Death Eater to Lord Voldemort yielded a handsome finder's fee.
Rolling up his sleeve to stroke the Dark Mark upon his skin, Borgin let out a sigh, as if catching a glimpse of that Dark Lord whose style had abruptly changed several years ago.
Was this a blessing or a curse, he wondered...
Severus stumbled out of Borgin and Burkes in a daze, only to be met head-on by rows of prostrate wizards. It felt as though his brain had been struck by lightning, leaving his mind completely blank in a single instant!
Abraxas walked beside Lord Voldemort, watching a wizard who had just stumbled out of Borgin's shop freeze up entirely at the sight of Voldy. He frowned slightly.
*Thud!*
Cold sweat instantly drenched Severus's forehead. With swift, practiced ease, he dropped to his knees, pressed himself flat against the ground, and frantically set Occlumency to work.
"Oh..."
Abraxas paused. He had just cast Legilimency, hoping to probe these Dark wizards for any useful news, only to run headfirst into a formidable opponent.
Scared out of his wits, Severus scrambled to piece together false memories the moment he regained his composure—an exercise in Occlumency capable of deceiving even the Dark Lord himself.
That piqued Abraxas's interest even further. If the initial glimpse of rudimentary Occlumency had merely puzzled him, the rapidly solidifying, lifelike advanced memories made him truly fascinated by this wizard.
"Voldy, that wizard is rather interesting," he murmured to Lord Voldemort.
Lord Voldemort once again marveled at his old friend's acute instincts.
This was his hard-earned double agent, after all... of *course* he was interesting.
Nodding, Lord Voldemort changed course and walked toward the wizard prostrate on the ground.
The posture was entirely familiar; the Noseless One's Death Eater servants all adopted this exact stance.
"What is your name?" Lord Voldemort looked down at the wizard trying so desperately to keep his composure, showing mercy by sparing him further torture.
"Reporting to... the great Dark Lord, Will Hamers."
Severus forced an appearance of calm, though the clothes against his back were soaked through with cold sweat.
Abraxas's expression shifted instantly. Ever since Voldy had gone off the rails seven years ago and abruptly destroyed a Horcrux, he had become an entirely different man; over the past few years, he had been engaged in all sorts of incomprehensible projects—projects that nonetheless heavily benefited the Malfoy family.
Yet, as far as Abraxas knew, wizards in Knockturn Alley and everywhere else still addressed Voldy as the Dark Lord, the great Dark Lord...?
It seemed... this fellow was no simple character either.
Seeing his double agent frightened out of his mind, Lord Voldemort's fingers curled slightly, and he abandoned any thought of teasing him further.
"Not pure-blood, then... Abraxas, let's go."
Lord Voldemort's merciful dismissal left Severus untouched, which only fueled Abraxas's curiosity.
Given Voldy's past disposition, catching an enemy meant hounding them to the death. Why on earth... judging by this man's reaction, he should have wronged Voldy or terrified him somehow—so why was Voldy letting him off so easily?
Back at Voldemort Manor, Abraxas hurried over with an eager expression. "Voldy, Voldy, quick, tell me—who was that wizard just now?"
His eyes shone with excitement as he stared at Lord Voldemort, who looked back at his old friend in utter speechlessness.
"He is my Potions Master."
"And?"
"He should be ten years old this year."
"You're walking a very fine line there, Voldy."