Voldemort wasn’t pleased with this state of affairs. Not pleased at all. He had lost the chance to easily get a hold of a loyal and efficient servant back in his ranks merely due to a lack of capable servants. Barty would have been a valuable addition to his ranks and the man could have helped make his plan for the coming year even more perfect. But it is never to late. He could still effect an escape, despite his incapacitated state. After all, he is Lord Voldemort.

Voldemort managed to turn the head of the weak body he currently resided in and called his faithful snake to him.

~Nagini! Where are you? I have need of you~

The huge snake slithered in from a few rooms over, that giant maw of hers stained with blood, no doubt from a recent meal she had had.

~I need you to carry something for me inside the ministry. You leave tonight~

The rest of the day passed by making the potions required. Of course, he didn’t yet have the physical ability to do so. But he was more than strong enough to hold his wand and the Imperius on a young wizard captured by Fenrir was enough to give him the set of hands he needed for the task. The potions were simple enough for him and his strong will batted aside the weak-minded mind of the body and controlled it precisely to create the two potions.

The two potions were prepared in no time. Of course, he could have done an even better job if he had done it himself but needs must. The potion on the left was an acid green concoction which was smoking continuously and giving a strongly acidic smell. The other was a pale colored potion with occasionally flickers of bluish light which seemed slightly ethereal in nature, rather reminiscent of the ghosts of Hogwarts.

He got Fenrir to toss the young man into the nearest magical settlement after obliviating him. It wouldn’t do to have Aurors sniffing around sooner than he wanted. It was highly unlikely that they would go through the trouble because of one measly wizard but stranger things had happened. He wouldn’t make a mistake this late in the game.

~Come here Nagini! Take them~

And he reached into Nagini’s mind to let her know the instructions he had. He could have fully controlled the snake if he had a completely corporeal body, but this was good enough for now. Nagini would be perfect for this sort of task.

Later that night, a disillusioned snake slithered into the atrium of the Ministry unseen and headed up to level 2 where the DMLE offices were situated, including the Auror headquarters, the Improper usage of Magic office and the Wizengamot Administration Services. The snake had been expertly disillusioned and none of the few people working in the night shift even noticed her. She stealthily slithered across to the holding cells and came to rest in front of one of the cells that held a relatively young-looking man with straw colored hair. She opened her jaws impossibly wide in the way snakes are wont to do and released a package wrapped on an oilskin covering which landed on the floor of the cell with a soft thump. Her job done, she gave a soft hiss and turned around and left silently the same way she came. Once out of the Ministry and some ways away from the building, Fenrir picked her up and the two disapparated back to the Riddle Manor in Little Hangleton.

The plan had gone off without a hitch. The soft thump had woken Barty Jr up and he heard the soft hiss before Nagini left. To him, it was obviously the work of his lord and he was beyond elated that his steadfast disbelief regarding his Lord’s death was proven. He scrambled across to the bars of the cell and unwrapped the package lying there. After all, who could be so bored as to play such a bored trick or take such a roundabout way to kill him? The package came undone and he found two vials with potions within them, charmed to be unbreakable as well as a small note with them.

The security in DMLE was normally quite thorough and this chain of events wouldn’t have been possible on any other day but the events at the World Cup saw the majority of the Aurors delegated to various tasks and duties and left the security quite lax. On top of that, Voldemort was rather good at making plans and executing them and he brought his full talents to play. The cells at the DMLE were charmed, runed and warded to be near indestructible and prevent any break-outs. Apparating in or out was impossible and so were portkeys. But potions, the often-underestimated branch of magic in society could do what was otherwise impossible.

The first potion, which gave a rather acidic smell and looked too dangerous to even get close to, was a reagent used in alchemic rituals and experiments created through a rather complex potioneering technique. Barty carefully used it and dripped just a little bit on the bars of the cell, which instantaneously started falling apart and melting to the bottom, giving out dark fumes as it did so. He carefully made his way out of the cell, taking delicate care not to touch it even by accident. He didn’t want to test his flesh against that ghastly potion which even rendered the metal bars of the cell down to scrap.

Once he was out, he immediately took the second potion, as instructed to him via the note and felt rather than saw his body disappearing. If anyone had been present their, they would have seen his body slowly disappearing into he void, as if being disillusioned, only it was a much stronger effect than any disillusionment had the right to be. But that was not all, it was as if his very presence had been erased, only the most skilled magical trackers would have even the slightest chance to keep track of him. Ordinary sight, smell, sound etc. would be of absolutely no use while he was under the effects of that potion. Unfortunately, the potion could not be used in conjunction with any other magic without dispelling the effects of the potion, otherwise it would have been a priceless tool for espionage or assassination. And the potion could not be taken too many times without causing adverse effects to the body. But in a one-off situation like this, it was an invaluable asset and helped Barty Jr. creep out of the place unnoticed by anyone at all. He walked out calmly and left the Ministry, disapparating with a soft pop once he was outside the ward perimeters. He had managed to get away easily. Lord Voldemort’s plans had once again came together beautifully and there had not been a slip-up.

The next day it was utter bedlam at the DMLE. Though it didn’t have the same claim as Azkaban as to no escapes, until Sirius Black came along that is, but it was still pretty rare to have someone escape the place. Most of the crooks and corrupted people caught by them weren’t anywhere near skilled enough to escape from here and neither did they have the clout or connections to get them out. Those that did, did not bother to escape and just bribed their way out of a conviction or got of with a mere slap on the wrist. Several Aurors were called in and even Madam Bones made an appearance for a short while. Some of the scholars at the Ministry soon had the answer for how the near indestructible bars were destroyed but they couldn’t be sure as to how Barty Jr. made his way out of the Ministry. Though Amelia did not catch much flak for it personally since she was seen as the one who brought him in, the Ministry as a whole was left rather red-faced when a second death eater escaped their custody just a year after the last one. Fudge was losing his popularity fast and even heavily leaning on the Daily Prophet couldn’t keep the news out of the papers.

Meanwhile, Barty Jr. was kneeling in front of his master. He had fed and watered after being broken down and taken a few potions set aside for him to remedy his health before resting for the night. First thing next morning, he was led to his master.

“I am so thrilled to see you alive, master. Though, may I ask how this came to be?”

“My death eaters knew I had gone to great lengths, walked further than any other person on the road to immortality. When I struck that boy, something happened. Something caused the spell to backfire and damage me. But I survived, I was lesser than the weakest ghost, but I survived. I have slowly regained my powers over the last decade and now I have finally got a body, frail though it may be. And soon, very soon, I shall rise again, even greater than before. So, tell me, Barty, are you willing to do a task for me?”

“Your will, my hands, my lord!”

“Excellent, that is what I wanted to hear. Now, here is what I want you to do…”

And Voldemort started explaining his plan for the coming year to his faithful servant.