This is my take on the riddle graveyard scene. What would have happened if it had been Cedric's cousin Nigella who had touched the cup with Harry and not Cedric?
Side note: To fully understand Nigella's ties with Voldemort and Cedric read Watch Who You Fall For.
The Serpents Loss
"Harry wait! Be careful the sphinx is going to get you!" Nigella cried out trying to get Harry to stop. Sure she wanted to get to the cup first, but she didn't want him to get hurt either. Harry was a nice boy he had helped her with a few tasks so she was repaying the favor now.
Nigella watched as Harry dodge the sphinx's paw and dove into the bushes trying to get away as fast as he could." Hey thanks." He called out moving again trying to get away from the rampant beast trying to take his head off. She continued to watch before sending a rather powerful confundus charm at the sphinx knocking it off balance long enough for her to run up to Harry.
": Our only chance to end it all is to grab the cup. Come on lets go." She said grabbing Harry by the hand and dragging him towards the center.
"Why are you helping me? This is supposed to be a competition. Were from different schools, and this is for school pride." Harry asked. He didn't understand this rather interesting Beauxbatons student. She treated him like an equal unlike the rest of the girls from her school. Most of them were too stuck up, and busy looking at the Slytherins.
"Just because were from different schools doesn't mean I want you to die! I am not like the rest of the girls from my school. I am not some stuck up prat who needs to learn to use her own brain." Nigella replied looking at him with a cold look in her eyes. She didn't know why this moron thought just because he was from Hogwarts she would let him die.
"Oh…..I just …….I thought. Oh never mind." Harry said getting frustrated. This whole tournament had taken a real tole on him. The three tasks were never easy, and now this strange Beauxbatons student was acting like she actually cared about his safety. What a day.
"Yes I know you didn't think. That's not the point lets just get to the stupid cup before the sphinx has a chance to wake up." She said pulling him out of the hedge and towards the cup.
"You're right let's get going I am not really interested in being sphinx food." Harry said looking at the sphinx and then running with her to the end of the way going towards the shining golden Triwizard cup. After running for what seemed like forever they finally made it to the cup." On the count of three we'll both grab a handle and we'll be taken out of this stupid maze." Harry said looking at Nigella. When she nodded in understanding Harry began the count," One….two….three." He said and both of their hands lunged forward grabbing one handle on either side of the cup.
Before they knew what was happening the world was swirling around below them. This wasn't supposed to be happening they were supposed to have been taken out of the maze and now they were swirling about land they didn't know. What was going on here? Neither one could speak due to the fast spinning of the portkey. All they knew was that this wasn't a good thing to happen.
After the spinning was over they landed with a loud thud." Are you ok?" Nigella heard Harry ask her from not to far away. She was afraid to open her eyes the spinning had left her awfully dizzy. So in answering him she merely shook her head." Good." Harry said and stood up looking around him. He was in a graveyard. From somewhere behind him he heard foot steps and things being drug around.
Nigella lay there on the ground for a few minutes before opening her eyes to see a small man standing looking at her." Who the hell are you?" She asked in her icy voice awaiting an answer from the twitchy old man.
"My name dear is Peter…..Peter Pettigrew." He said looking down at her. Nigella knew that if she stood up she would dwarf the man, but she suddenly realized that she couldn't move.
"What the hell is this? Let me go! I haven't done anything to you!" She said trying to wiggle her way out of the ropes that Pettigrew had tied around her.
"Nigella……where are you?" She heard Harry calling her name, and she called back trying to get his attention." HARRY OVER HERE!" She screamed hoping that he would hear her.
When she didn't hear him running to help her she figured she hadn't been heard and she looked back up to the small man standing in front of her. With her looking back to him Peter had a rather nasty smile on his face. It wasn't flattering at all but then again nothing about the small man was.
"It looks like your feeble attempt to catch Potter's attention has failed. Its time now for you to go meet my master miss." Peter said prodding her in the back with his wand to make her move towards the large grim reaper-shaped head stone in the middle of the cemetery. After crawling for a little bit Nigella finally stood and walked to the head stone as gracefully as she could with the ropes around her.
"It doesn't matter if my attempts were feeble. Harry will come and help me I know it." She said looking down at the pitiful excuse for a man that inhabited her sight. Just as she was about to say something snide to Pettigrew Nigella heard a voice behind her that sounded way too familiar. It struck a nerve somewhere deep inside causing a well of emotions to come over here, but the most prominent was awe.
"Peter it is time for the ceremony. Have you gotten our prisoner yet?" Came the voice of Lord Voldemort himself.
"Yes my lord." Peter said prodding Nigella in the back again making her bow before Voldemort. With Nigella now bowing Harry finally found where she was, and he ran into the circle staring at Voldemort with eyes full of suffering and pure hatred.
"Nigella get away from there that man's dangerous." Harry screamed trying to come closer but he couldn't a barrier had been placed around the small area upon his arrival. As he stood there trying to get in to save Nigella a pair of arms came around him making him watch closely to the things going on inside the barrier.
"Pay attention Potter. This is going to be a real treat." Came the voice of the unknown death eater.
Meanwhile in the barrier Nigella was still in awe over the voice of the man in front of her. She had never expected to hear Tom speak again. It was as she was recalling all of their memories together that she heard Peter move closer to her.
"Avada Kedavra" He screamed and everyone around saw a flash of brilliant green light, and Nigellas entire form go limp. With a wave of Voldemorts wand Peter flipped over her body and he was very surprised at the dark lord's reaction.
"Ni…Nigella? It…..it can't be…….she can't be dead." Voldemort looked at peter with a look of revenge in his eyes. Never before hand any of Voldemorts followers seen him this angry. He was so angry that not even blind fury could describe it.
"My lord……what's wrong? You seem like you didn't want this insignificant girl to die." Pettigrew had the gall to say to Voldemort looking at him like he didn't understand everything that was happening.
"No ……Peter…….I…..didn't……….want……her …….dead." Voldemort said through clenched teeth as he kneeled beside the body of the woman he had once loved. She looked just like she had the night she had, had to leave him. Her long black hair felt just as soft he recalled as he ran his hands through her hair, and her skin was just as pale.
"Why my lord? She isn't part of the plan. She doesn't matter." Peter said moving to stand near Voldemort. He could tell that he was distressed but he couldn't place it. This girl was nothing to them.
"I didn't want her dead Peter because I loved her! She was the one I always told you I would find again, and now you have killed her. Do you know what that means for you Peter?" Voldemort said a cynical tone in his voice making him sound almost mad.
Peter stood there shaking his head utter terror coming over him. He had only heard Voldemort this angry once before, and that was when he had first begun to talk about being defeated by Harry Potter." No…..No……please. I didn't know." Peter said getting on his knees and begging for Voldemort to spare his pathetic and meaningless life.
Voldemort stood there staring at the person he had once believed to be his most trusted servant, and he thought about the reasons he had kept him around, and he realized he really didn't know. Peter Pettigrew was a bumbling fool who couldn't do a damn thing right even if he tried. With that thought Voldemort made a decision that he hadn't planned on. Peter Pettigrew must die for the death of his love." Well Peter it is simple. It will be a life for a life." He replied laughing. It wasn't maniacal it was more sad. He wasn't himself looking down at the corpse of Nigella.
"My Lord what do you mean a life for a life? We have Harry Potter right outside…..couldn't we just kill him instead? Wouldn't that give you just as much enjoyment? Killing the one enemy you had vowed from the day he defeated you that you would exact a slow and painful revenge. Wouldn't that mean the same thing?" Peter said trying to back away from Voldemort. Trying to get back in his good graces trying to do anything in his power to not lose his life.
" Obviously Peter you have never been in love, because if you had you would realize that if you saw the person you love murdered by someone you thought you trusted you would know that revenge upon the person who did it would be the only way to make their memory ok." Voldemort said standing up and looking down up on Peter. He loved the frightened look in Peters eyes it gave him more strength. Because contrary to the way he was acting he had no strength his whole body was numb and he felt like he was going to be sick. The sight of death had never made him want to retch before, but Nigellas did. Her death made him want to join her in the grave but not until after Peter Pettigrew was lying dead before him.
"I didn't mean to kill her lord. I thought you would have wanted the extra body taken care of. I didn't know she was Nigella." Peter said in a feeble attempt to change Voldemorts mind.
"HOW DARE YOU USE HER NAME! YOU SNIVELLING LITTLE BASTARD!" Voldemort said pointing his want at Peter and he began to torture him with Crucio.
"Please my lord stop….please." Peter begged as the tears began to pour from his eyes. The pain was unbearable.
" Never….not until your dead! I want to see you die a slow and painful death for taking her from me!" Voldemort said spitting on Peter as he continued to torture him.
The death eater that had been holding Harry back was watching this in horror. He didn't understand Pettigrew had done what any of the others would have done, but here he was being tortured by Lord Voldemort.
Harry stood there watching this site with wide eyes. He couldn't believe Voldemort was exacting revenge for Nigellas death." Why…why would he do this? He's acting almost as if he knew her." Harry said as he continued to watch Voldemort torture Peter. This in a sick way pleased Harry. He had wanted to kill Pettigrew a few years ago because of his betrayal towards Harry's parents. Even though it was at Voldemorts hands and not his own Harry got some satisfaction that Pettigrew was beginning to pay for everything he had done.
" I won't stop Peter. You know I won't. You're getting you just reward for taking my only light. The only hope I had left." Voldemort said as he continued to torture Peter. He was enjoying watching the little sniveling rat in front of him writhe in pain. It gave him a satisfaction as he avenged his loves death. It hurt him the most that someone he had trusted took her from him and that was what made him torture peter with a cruelty that no one around him had ever seen.
" It was an accident. Please…please forgive me!" Peter cried out in pain. He didn't understand the fury behind Voldemorts attack on him. This just didn't make sense Lord Voldemort loved no one but a lady known as power. He had done everything to get it and he was willing to give it all up for this dead girl? Where the hell was he in some alternate reality?
" I don't care if it was accident Peter. You killed her and you will follow suit. I don't care how long it takes for me to kill you this way I won't give up until your dead." Voldemort said torturing him and laughing not only with malice in his voice but a hint of finality.
" Please….if you plan to kill me at least make it quick. With all the years of loyal service I gave to you don't I at least deserve that my lord?" Peter said as tears streamed down his face.
" For you act Peter…you deserve much worse than what I am giving you, but there is no spell for it. I would love to watch someone peel the flesh away from your bones slowly, and have them slowly pull you apart limb from limb. And even then I don't think that would be a sufficient enough punishment for the act of treason you have played against me here this night." Voldemort said in a serious and icy tone. He had meant every word of his short speech. He wished he could do so much more to peter, but at this point he didn't have the heart. All he wanted was to get out of this graveyard and far away from the body of Nigella.
Peter looked up at him in horror never had Voldemort wished such a horrible punishment on anyone. It was a horrible fate to have his wrath but to have him wish such a horrible death on anyone was just as bad as actually doing it. Peter decided that he would try once more to reason with Voldemort. He would try once more to bargain for his life." My lord…..there is an easier way to get revenge for Nigella. All you have to do is simply kill Potter. He would make a much better trophy for her don't you think?" Peter said looking up at him pleading without words for his life. Begging his lord to spare him.
" I thought I made it clear that you had no right to use her name. It is to beautiful to be defiled by such foul lips as yours, Peter. And no I don't think potter would make a better trophy. The only blood I want to spill this night is yours. You will pay for your crime against me. Did I make it clear enough for you this time?" He asked through clenched teeth trying to bite back the killing curse. Offing him with the Avada Kedavra would be the easy way out for a worm like Pettigrew and Voldemort wasn't about to give him the easy way out.
" Yes….yes my lord you have made it deathly clear." Peter said looking up at him with a look of resignation. He finally understood that he wouldn't be getting off for his one slip up. He rolled over unto his side as the onslaught continued. He looked over at the corpse of Nigella and he was surprised to find that even in death the girl was beautiful. Her lifeless eyes stared back at him, and it made him shiver.
" Good. I am glad you are finally seeing it my way Peter." Voldemort said as he continued the onslaught watching with delight as Peter began to show the first signs of his impending death.
After being tortured for what seemed like an eternity Peter died staring at Nigella. When Voldemort realized how Peter was laying he kicked the body and made it roll completely over." You have no right to look at her." He said going back over to Nigellas body and kneeling next to it he stared at her." My dear Nigella. I miss you so much already. Why did you have to leave me? I still need you." He said in a low voice as he closed her eyes and stood up making a conscience decision to no longer be known as Lord Voldemort, but to go back to the name Nigella love Tom. He stared at her for a long time after standing up, and after an hour he waved his hand and the barrier was gone. He walked to the death eater that was holding Harry and he simply said," Let him go Crabbe. It isn't worth it to kill Potter on such an occasion. And tell the others…..you are on your own. I am done." Voldemort said and he walked away. He didn't turn around to look at the stunned look on Crabbe's or Harry's faces. He continued to walk through the cemetery out of the sights of the two stunned men. With Voldemort finally leaving Harry turned to Crabbe.
" Looks like you're on your own." Harry said sending a confundus charm his way and running over to Nigellas limp form." It seems like it didn't matter that we helped each other through these tasks Nigella. I'm sorry I couldn't save you." Harry said dragging her lithe form over to the Triwizard cup and picking it up. He held unto her body closely as the world began to swirl beneath him, and this time when he landed it wasn't to a rampant death eater it was to a bunch of shocked faces as they looked at the limp form he was clinging too. He heard someone approach him and wasn't surprised by the voice he heard.
" What have you done Harry? Why did you have to kill her? Nigella didn't do anything to you." Came cedric's voice from right behind him. It was full of contempt and anger at the site of his dead cousin.
" I didn't kill her Cedric. Peter Pettigrew did. He thought that was what Voldemort would want, but it wasn't." Harry said relinquishing Nigellas body to Cedric and Amos Diggory. He watched as the carried her way, and he felt a pang of sadness in his heart. It want only for her family and him, but he even felt bad for Voldemort. Harry had never expected to feel bad for him but Harry had seen a side of Voldemort tonight that he hadn't known was there. Harry had seen him upset over the death of someone he loved. It had never crossed Harry's mind that Voldemort was capable of love, but he should have guessed this was the wizarding world anything was possible.
Over the next few hours he recounted the entire story to Dumbledore,Snape,McGonagall, and the rest of the staff. He wasn't surprised by the looks of awe on their faces as he told of the way Voldemort had killed Pettigrew out of revenge. But the real treat was the look of shock on their faces as he told them how Voldemort had told Crabbe's dad that he was done being Lord Voldemort, done being the leader of the death eaters. He hadn't said what he was going to do but Harry believed him when he had said he was done. To Harry's surprise the adults around him even made him recount the story under veritaserum just so they knew for sure he wasn't lying.
The next months all Harry saw in the paper was the accounts of Nigellas death and her family's remorse. Harry sympathized with the Diggory's. He was just glad that none of them had, had to be there to see her die. It was really sad. Harry sat there thinking about that night and it still gave him chills when he thought about the sick satisfaction that he got from the sight of Pettigrew's body lying there motionless. It almost made him feel like a monster, until he thought about all of the horrible things Pettigrew had done and then he just sat back and smiled." Finally….Pettigrew paid for everything he had done……to anyone. I hope you're watching Sirius. Let's hope you give him a nice welcome into the afterlife." Harry sat back thinking about Sirius greeting Peter and he laughed to himself. It wouldn't surprise him if his dad was there to help Sirius welcome there favorite rat to the afterlife.
Four Years Later……….
Back in the Riddle Cemetery the newly re-acknowledge Tom Riddle walked around recalling the nights of his loves death. People said time healed all wounds, but this one was still so fresh in his mind as if it had just happened last night. He walked along not in his normal prideful stride but in one of reverence. In Nigellas sight he didn't need pride all he needed was to be with her and to talk to her for a few minutes. He thought himself stupid but he swore when he told her loved her every time he came to visit that he would hear her voice carry the same sentiment in the wind.
After walking along for 15 minutes he came to the grave that was already marked for him, and he looked to the other side showing where he had put all of Nigellas information and even a picture of the flower that represented her name. The love in the mist. His love in the mist lay in the ground underneath him, but still he felt like if he reached out he could hold her close to him." I know it's been along time my love, but I have been busy. I miss you, I wish you were here with me. How's the baby? I hope there okay. Tell them daddy sends his love. Please don't ever leave me Nigella. I still need you even now." He said looking down at the headstone with her name carved in the beautiful old English letters. As he did he realized what he had said and a tear streamed down his face as he said," I forgot….you already have."
As he said this a song resonated through his head. It was a tune so familiar to him these days that it was second nature. He sang the lyrics to himself.
I'm so tired of being here
Suppressed by all my childish fears
And if you have to leave
I wish that you would just leave
'Cause your presence still lingers here
And it won't leave me alone
These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just to much that time can not erase
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me
You used to captivate me
By your resonating life
Now I'm bound by the life you've left behind
Your face it haunts
My once pleasant dreams
Your voice it chased away
All the sanity in me
These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just to much that time can not erase
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me
I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone
But though you're still with me
I've been alone all along.
He then whispered the words he hadn't said to her in far too long." I love you so much Nigella. Please don't ever forget that."
Hope you enjoyed this. Thanks for Reading. Please Review. Please read some of my other works especially Watch Who You Fall For and The Truth about Time Travel.
Song: My Immortal by Evanescence
All the characters except Nigella Diggory are the express content of J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers.