A curse was like a set of scales: place your sacrifice on the left, and your enemy would suffer on the right.
It was a fair trade, as long as the sacrifice on the left remained unseen.
Once the sacrifice was seen, the damage on the right became much less frightening.
Dodging or substituting something else would both work. The key was:
Equivalent exchange.
A life for a life. That was the basic rule of equivalent exchange.
Lucius got busy with the task. He took Voldemort's advice and went looking for hardened criminals in Muggle prisons.
Voldemort, meanwhile, began living a quiet life. He had two apprentices to teach, and a resurrection potion to study.
It was bound to be a difficult process, because Voldemort had many requirements for his new body.
He didn't want to end up with a Snake-faced monster like the one in Lin Zuo's memories.
And while he busied himself, his enemies had already begun to act.
Hogwarts, Headmaster's Office.
A great many cards lay before Dumbledore:
Riddle Building, Wood Orphanage, a map of the Forbidden Forest, Malfoy Manor...
At the very center of them all, Dumbledore had placed a card depicting a ramshackle house.
"Boom."
The door to the Headmaster's Office swung open. Dumbledore looked out over the top of his half-moon spectacles.
He picked up his wand, as though he meant to confirm the visitor's identity before deciding whether to put away the things in front of him.
A moment later, McGonagall's face appeared at the top of the spiral staircase.
Dumbledore lowered his wand. He evidently decided there was no need.
"Malfoy Manor, Headmaster. Your guess was right."
As she spoke, McGonagall sat down across from him. She looked exhausted.
"Neville and Luna are both with him?" Dumbledore asked.
"Yes, and they