Chapter 31

Hagrid had been like a kid in a candy store as he waited for him, inspecting every owl to make Harry's decision easier when he finally arrived to pick one. Chad had humoured Hagrid by listening to him point out faults or list points of interest about each species, but in the end, he had already decided on the only snowy owl in the store.

It was pure white without a single black spot marring its feathers, a typical sign that it was a male of the species. Confused, as Hedwig was described as female in canon, he double-checked with his personal animal expert.

"Hagrid, is this snowy owl male or female?"

"Let me have a look... She's a girl, just been magicked to look white. Female snowy owls naturally have black markings, but since they are quite rare in England, pure white owls are more in demand." He helpfully supplied.

Magic. Of course. For a second there, Chad had thought that Harry had confused the gender of his owl and given it a girl's name. It would certainly explain why Hedwig was always bashing him around the head with her wings or pecking him.

Twenty minutes later, they left Eeylops Owl Emporium carrying a large ornate cage housing a majestic pure white snowy owl. Chad had also purchased a top of the line perch, and a heap of owl treats for his new owl to enjoy. He was doing his best to spend as much of Dumbledore's money as legitimately possible. As for the name of his new winged minion, Chad was thinking of something other than Hedwig. Sure, it was a German girl's name meaning war or something similar, but he felt it didn't roll off the tongue well enough.

With the obsession for erasing the black markings on female snowy owls, Chad thought of Purity as a name but dismissed it after chuckling at possible racial connotations. In the end, it was the memory of Hedwig battering Harry that gave him the idea for her name. In in the Old Testament and in Jewish folklore, Lilith is often envisioned as a dangerous demon of the night who attacks children, perfect for a messenger owl in his employ. Any Hogwarts student trying to use his owl will receive a vicious battering and the fact she is nocturnal and hunts down small critters matched perfectly. Plus, Chad liked the name, Lilith.

He was happy for the gift, even if he could have bought it himself. Another example of Hagrid's kindness or cunning, depending on how you looked at it. It was actually the first thing Chad looked for when he invaded the sleeping half-giant's mind. He was happy to find out that the lovable bumbling idiot was indeed just that, instead of a ruthlessly calculating person voluntarily in Dumbledore's indentured service. It was a bit of a d*ck move on Harry's part in canon, not to use his newfound wealth to return the favour of Hagrid's gifts. Especially since Hagrid was on a groundskeeper's salary.

He couldn't remember a single time Harry bought the half-giant a gift for a birthday or Christmas, even after receiving gifts himself. Rude. With Hagrid carrying the cage with the sleeping owl, they made their way to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. It was the last stop as everything else had already been purchased by this point. All his clothing was once again of the best quality that a noble could wear proudly, from his winter cloak to his dragon hide protective gloves.

Chad exercised some artistic liberty when it came to the 'Plain Pointed Hat (Black) for day wear' on his school list, as he had seen the conical-shaped hats in the street and had not been impressed. It looked more like a dunce's cap that a hat fit for a wizard. Since it only listed a plain pointed hat that was black, Chad ordered the closest thing he could see to a Gandalf hat, a simple charm could change its colour to suit his needs.

He was surprised that Acromantula silk wasn't a thing, as he had his elves stockpiling it for the last few years to sell. Fanon had made it seem like it was a common thing in the Potterverse and Chad was ashamed to say he also took it as gospel. But he was not worried, when he checked the farm on an Australian tour, he had been impressed by its strength and quality. Although it had no magical properties, it would be ideal for clothes and other linen products.

With their shopping done, Chad talked Hagrid into lunch at the Leaky Cauldron, his treat for helping him shopping. Getting a private room for some solitude from the Harry Potter admirers was innocent enough and convenient for Chad's plan. It was a simple matter to have Boppy enter disguised as Quirinus Quirrell, shoot some spell-like illusion at Hagrid and put him to sleep with Legilimency. A half-giant had decent spell resistance, but they were just as susceptible to mind magic as any untrained mind. They then had plenty of time to take out the Philosopher's Stone and inspect if it was genuine or not.

Surprisingly, the stone Hagrid had been carrying around all day was, in fact, the real deal. Unsurprisingly, it was practically worthless. It was a real Philosopher's Stone, but it had been depleted of any of its miraculous energy, only having just enough to expose its authenticity unless carefully inspected. No matter, having the genuine article negated any frustration over it being drained of power. It could still be studied to see if it was possible to be replicated or refilled.

Chad had a couple of house-elves use their overpowered magic to make a copy using the Gemino Curse in case he left a magical signature for Dumbledore to identify. They then placed the duplicate back in the original's packaging and slipped it back into Hagrids coat pocket. It would fade and be destroyed eventually, but not for a month or two if he was lucky. If Dumbledore searched Hagrid's memory, he would only be able to blame Quirrell as the culprit.

Once Chad edited Hagrid's mind for any errors he may have made in his behaviour, they would hopefully be above suspicion. When Hagrid awoke, it was as if he had never been asleep, continuing where he left off in the conversation explaining the glory of Hogwarts. Everything proceeded like canon after their meal, Hagrid helped Harry on to the train that would take him back to the Dursleys, then handed him an envelope.

"Your ticket for Hogwarts, for the first of September. King's Cross, it's all on your ticket. Any problems with the Dursleys, send me a letter with your owl, she'll know where to find me... See you soon, Harry."

The train pulled out of the station. Chad waved goodbye then watched Hagrid until he was out of sight. With his shrunken trunk in his pocket now also holding what remained from his spending spree and Lilith in her cage next to him, he couldn't help but smile. He was now free from surveillance and able to enact his plans until he boarded the Hogwarts Express in a month. He would need to transfer the tracking spells back onto Dudley for tonight's operation though. Can't have Dumbledore notice him teleporting to wherever Voldemort's spirit was hiding.

The mundane trip home to Little Whinging was quite enjoyable in a relaxing way as he watched the different scenes pass by his window, but the walk home was annoying carrying the cage. Chad remembered to smile as he waved to Mrs Figg before entering the Dursley residence. That old b*tch was going to get it after he left for Hogwarts, if he hadn't swapped places with Dudley, she would have happily watched while he was worked like a slave.

Ten o'clock at night saw Boppy popping into his cupboard to inform him of the ninja team's success at following the idiot Quirrell to his ghostly master. Why he didn't just apparate to the Ministry of Magic and report Voldemort once he was back on English soil, he could not understand. With the old switcheroo of the tracking spells, Chad was off to catch himself a snack of the soul variety as Boppy had already put the prior attack plans into action, not taking any risks.

A hundred of his best ninjas had been recalled for this operation as Chad didn't need an angry Voldemort searching for him if they failed. Even if he only had a fraction of his original power, he was still quite capable of making his life hell. As much as Chad laughed and mocked the retarded minor Dark Lord, he was still responsible for the deaths of a lot of people and had die-hard fanatics he could call on if he put aside his ego.

Arriving a goodly distance away from an old looking house, Chad took note of his surroundings. They appeared to be in a remote forested area in the middle of nowhere since he could see no other lights other than the ones in the house. Maybe this was Quirrell's family home and was warded against muggles? Either way, the isolation would work against Quirrell as no one would be able to hear him cry for help. A ninja emerged out of the darkness and kneeled in front of Chad. He really needed to do something about his night vision.

"Master, there has been no movement since fifteen minutes ago. After the target led us here, he entered the house and then started screaming, we held off in case it was a trap to wait for your orders." The ninja elf informed him.

"Good work, you were correct in your actions. The target was probably tortured by Voldemort's shade and then possessed. Are their any wards on the house?"

"No, Master. There are only basic protection wards against fire and damage. Nothing to stop us."

"Very well. I want ten of you to pop right next to the target and hit him with the tranquillizer darts, don't worry about overdosing him. Boppy will then pop me in, and we will try to contain the shade from escaping. The rest of the ninjas will spread out and make sure the shade doesn't escape, if they can't stop it, then just follow it." Chad ordered.

The main soul of Voldemort was the only variable that could suddenly change in his plans. If Quirrellmort was somehow tipped off during the school year and disappeared, then there were too many things that could go wrong. The worst-case scenario was Voldemort completely cracking and outing the wizarding world with some stupid display of his power. Hopefully, after tonight, he will be gone for good.