A Voldemort Christmas Carol

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling (JKR), various publishers of the Harry Potter (HP) series. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Plot based on 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens.

Summary: [AU] Dumbledore lost a battle. Hogwarts School has fallen and Voldemort has taken over the castle. It's Christmas and Voldemort is the new Scrooge.

Chapter 1 (uploaded 12/9/03)

Lord Voldemort sat in an armchair in a dungeon level room of Hogwarts Castle. The walls and floor were made of stone, and although fires and candles burnt brightly, the sparsely furnished room felt very cold. Death Eaters in black hooded robes hovered around a table strewn with maps, diagrams, and lists argued amongst each other while the Dark Lord looked on and petted his snake, Nagini, half-curled on his lap.

The knock on the heavy wood door was answered and another Death Eater swept into the room and joined the others at the table.

"Severus Snape," Voldemort hissed.

The potions expert briefly clenched his jaws as he moved urgently to the beckoning. He knelt on one knee and dropped his head, "I'm sorry, my Lord."

"You're late," the hooded leader's red eyes glowed under his hood.

"I had trouble getting away. Bloody Headmistress McGonagall demanded I attend the staff Christmas party this evening. I only made my escape when I finally got the flying instructor thoroughly pissed so she could release her grip on me." The other Death Eaters snorted and hushed each other to listen to their Master berate the late arrival.

"Well, excuse me for tearing you away from the dance floor. You cannot lie to me, Severus Snape, you didn't want to break your tango with the new Headmistress. Now get busy on my invisibility potion and spare the Demiguise hairs. They were very difficult to obtain. I left the recipe on the work bench. You may not leave until all your tasks have been completed."

"Sir, tomorrow is Christmas and I was hoping..." Snape's soft voice faded as anger flashed in Voldemort's eyes.

"My, aren't we a bit of Gryffindor today," Voldemort said sardonically. "What?! Hoping for what? I suppose you want tomorrow off? Damn Christmas, it's delaying my plans. I suppose you all want tomorrow off?"

Nobody said anything, but most of them nodded...barely. Of course, they wanted Christmas off.

"You will all stay until today's tasks are finished. Snape, leave the potion simmering overnight and return tomorrow or suffer my wrath." Voldemort hissed in a high pitched voice which got louder as he went on. Lesser skilled Death Eaters might have suffered punishment at the Dark Lord's wand, but he knew Snape needed his wits about him and steady hands in order to brew the sensitive draughts.

"Yes, my Lord," Snape bowed his head and backed out of the room, hiding his sneer in the shadow of his hood.

As Snape reached the door to leave the room, Lucius Malfoy announced, "Wait, Severus. I'm hosting a Christmas party tomorrow. You're all invited, of course. My Lord, you would honor me deeply if you would grace us with your presence, even if for a moment. I guarantee your safety, of course."

"Lucius, don't tell me you're as sentimental about Christmas as muggles and mudbloods. Humbug! Christmas is a humbug! I don't want to hear any more about Christmas. Do I make myself clear to everyone?" Voldemort's skin tinted slightly as his blood pressure rose, not that anyone could tell in the yellow light of the fires. "I'm going to answer the door. Everyone better keep working."

In unison, everyone droned, "Yes, sir."

When he left the room, Goyle threw out the question, "Did anyone hear the doorbell ring?" They all shook their heads. A minute later they heard the chimes.

Voldemort opened the front door and snarled, "What do you want?"

The stranger at the door removed the hood from his head. As he did, another stranger walked up and stood behind him. The thin wizard in patched up robes began, "Good evening, sir, I hope I didn't catch you at dinner. My name is Remus Lupin, are you the wizard of the Castle?" Lupin held out his credentials, but Voldemort didn't take them. He faintly acknowledged the card with a nod.

"What is it? I'm a busy man," Voldemort demanded.

"I represent the Werewolves of London Society and I am taking pledges for our Christmas Charity Drive. Our mission is to find a cure for lycantropy and meanwhile provide potions to the needy so that they may control their condition during each full moon. Oh, this is my traveling partner, Sirius Black. May we count on your generosity this year?" Lupin held his ledger open and quill ready to write.

The tall wizard with long black hair started his schpiel, "Good evening, sir. I am collecting for orphans and widows who have lost their family members to the war. We provide education, meals, and shelter for wizarding children and jobs for the adults. We keep them off the streets and train them for other jobs if they do not qualify for higher wizarding education so that they do not become a burden to society. May I put you down for 1000 galleons?"

"You may not! I am responsible for creating those damn orphans and widows. Let them die in the streets, what should I care? In fact," Voldemort charmed himself with 'sonorus' so that he could be heard throughout the castle. "I am going to kill the next Death Eater who allows a child to survive his parents in the next raid!"

After removing the sonorus charm, he continued, "And as for you, werewolf, "St. Mungo's is stocked with anti-lycantropy potions. Christmas is merely another excuse to dig into my purse. Humbug, I say. Humbug to Christmas! Humbug to you! Go away and leave me alone." With that, Voldemort waved his wand and slammed the heavy wood door in Lupin's face while his jaw hung open at the rude tirade.

"Close your mouth, Remus." Sirius patted his friend on the shoulder, "Screw him, we'll have a happy Christmas anyway." Remus shrugged and hung his head as they walked away from Hogwarts Castle to disapparate to their next destination.

Downstairs, upon hearing and feeling the reverberation of the front door slamming hard, Crabbe commented, "His Lordship doesn't sound in a good mood."

"Shut up," Malfoy said, "let's finish this. I want to get home in time to approve my wife's party preparations before it gets out of hand. Avery, see if Severus needs help. I want him to have enough time and energy to play bartender tomorrow. I'm looking forward to his Crème de Noël specialty drinks."

Nott added, "Severus makes a mean eggnog, too," to which everyone else nodded in agreement.

o

By midnight, the castle was finally clear of all activity. Voldemort finally sent all the Death Eaters away, Snape and Malfoy being the last to go after proving the potion was stable and ready to simmer overnight. He checked each room for security spells, stopping last in the kitchen for a bowl of mutton stew and stale roll. Nagini was left to her own devices and kept the castle free of mice and other small rodents and birds. She normally was allowed to roam at night as an extra security measure. Voldemort brought his tray upstairs to his room and to eat by the fireplace.

As he walked around the castle, Voldemort kept sticking his finger in his ears and wiggling it around as if to clear his hearing. From the rafters he could almost hear the Hogwarts Choir singing Christmas carols. "STOP IT!" He yelled in the Great Hall, to nobody in particular. "I'll just bet Albus Dumbledore charmed the rafters to produce Christmas carols every Christmas eve. It sounds like something that crazy old muggle loving headmaster would do. STOP IT, LEAVE ME ALONE!"

He finished his bowl of stew with a painful belch, "Ugh, the stew can't be going bad already, it's only 5 days old." After draining the last bit of ale in his mug, he grabbed a blanket off his bed and wrapped it around himself to rest in the armchair until the indigestion passed.

Voldemort had dozed off in his chair when he was awaken by a noise. In the hallway, it sounded like someone was dragging a heavy chain and knocking it carelessly about. The noise had awaken the portraits in the hallway and they were noisily complaining about it. Voldemort threw open the door to his quarters and stepped out into the hallway. "PEEVES! Stop that racket this instant! Dumbledore couldn't rid you from this castle, but I swear on my father's grave, I will!"

Peeves only cackled in response and blew raspberries at the pale bald man with red eyes. Then he proceeded to throw armor about the hallway and chanted, "Visitors are coming, visitors are coming. Ghosts will come tonight."

"What are you going on about, you batty poltergeist? Why are you here?" Voldemort demanded. "Never mind, you're not here. You're a lump of bad mutton, you are! Go away, leave me alone!"

Peeves danced around in circles around Voldemort while dragging his chain and throwing more pieces of armor. "There are ancient spells on the castle which cannot be removed. Certain spells are activated specifically for Christmas!" The colorful apparition flipped upside down and laughed heartily before continuing. "You do not hold Christmas in your heart. You will go through hell tonight, for what was a mere charm to a looney old man with a long white beard whom I shall not name, Albus Dumbledore, will be your curse. MUAHAHAHA!! As long as you occupy this castle you will relive this nightmare every Christmas."

"You will have three visitors tonight. When the grand clock rings one you will be visited by the ghost of Christmas Past. When the grand clock rings two, you will have a second visitor, the ghost of Christmas Present. You will have a third visit from the ghost of Christmas Future when the grand clock rings three. If you don't know what I'm talking about, go read 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens. It's still in the library in the fiction section. It was the Headmaster's favorite book this time of the year."

"Shut up and go away. I know the story, damn it, he read it every Christmas to the students who had nowhere else to go over Holiday break. I put up with it for seven years."

"Fine, I've said my piece. Dumbledore cursed me to say this crap. Have fun tonight." With that, Peeves zoomed away with his chain and armor clanking behind him.

Finally quiet, Voldemort locked his chamber door and turned down his bed without giving Peeves another thought. He pulled the drapes closed around his four-poster and quickly fell asleep.

To be continued...

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Author's Note: Please leave a review. Merry Christmas anyway. I complete my stories. This one will finish before Christmas.