A-N sorry its taken so long. I've been busy with other things.
-/-/-/-/-
The Champions and their families are congregating in the chamber off the Great Hall just before the Third Task. Vesper was still not allowed out of the hospital wing, so Harry was about to leave the Great Hall when he is called to join the other champions. Inside, Harry was pleasantly pleased to find that Mrs. Weasley and Bill were waiting.
Mrs. Weasley twitters and asks Harry if he's eating well, while straighten up his shirt. Bill rolls his eyes behind her back. Harry had become used to Vesper straight int his collar that now it just feels weird when someone else does it.
Harry, Mrs. Weasley, and Bill spent the morning touring the Hogwarts grounds. Mrs. Weasley mentioned that the Ministry was becoming suspicious that Mr. Crouch's instructions. They meet up with Ron and Hermione for a while before returning to the Great Hall.
As the sky darkens, Professor Dumbledore sends the Champions to the maze.
Harry wishes Vesper was in the crowd. The past few weeks had made him realise just how much he depended on her to just be there. A constant reassuring present he didn't know he needed.
Cedric stood beside him on the field. He looked like a defeated man, before he caught Harry's eye and gave him a soft smile.
Ludo Bagman announced that Professor McGonagall, Professor Moody, Professor Flitwick, and Hagrid shall patrol the maze from outside. If a Champion runs into trouble, they can send up red wand sparks. Harry and Cedric, whose scores are tied, enter the maze together, separating at the first intersection. Krum goes next, then Fleur.
Harry, navigates towards the maze's center, already unnerved by its apparent emptiness, it's deafening silence. A noise behind him is Cedric, still smoking after a run-in with a Blast-Ended Skrewt. Shortly after, Harry successfully defends himself against a Boggart in the form of a Dementor. Harry heard Fleur screaming in the distance. At least he thinks it's Fleur. Harry looks for another route, and he hears Krum using a curse on Cedric, through the hedge. Burning a hole through it, Harry stuns Krum, and sends up red sparks. He and Cedric acknowledged each other before separating and again head for the center.
-/-/-/-/-
Nearing the center, Harry sees the Cup, he starts to run for it, while Cedric appears from a side passage ahead. Harry spots a giant spider, Cedric did not.
"Cedric! On your left!" Harry bellowed, Cedric looked up just in time to hurl himself away from the creature, dropping his wand in the process. The giant spider started to bear down on Cedric, Harry jumped into action.
"Stupefy!" The spider was jilted enough to start charging at Harry instead. Harry yelled spell after spell but it was no good. Harry had one horrifying glimpse of eight shiny black eyes, and razor-sharp pincers, before it was on him. Harry was lifted into the air, he struggled madly, his leg connected with the pincers and then he felt nothing but excruciating pain.
Cedric jumped up and grabbed his wand. "Stupefy! Impedimenta!" But it had little to no effect. Harry raised his own wand again and shouted,
"Expelliarmus!" Surprisingly it worked and the spider dropped Harry on his injured leg. Together Harry and Cedric defeat it. Harry thinks of Vesper and Ron, and that their irrational fear of the eight legged creatures, wasn't so irrational after all.
Harry and Cedric argue over whose to take the Cup, both insisting the other earned it, they've helped each other throughout the Tournament. Harry finally suggests that they grasp it simultaneously. Cedric agrees, and the pair each grabbed a handle. Instantly the pair felt a tug behind their navel and their feet left the ground.
The Cup was a Portkey.
-/-/-/-/-
The Triwizard Cup was a Portkey and it deposited Harry and Cedric in a hard into the ground. Disoriented the pair look around, where they are? A graveyard, but where? Harry urged around, he'd been here before. He knew he had, but when?
A figure approached out of the dark, it was apparently carrying a baby. Harry's scar suddenly started to sear. He drops his wand and falls to the ground, in pain.
A high voice orders, "Kill the spare."
Cedric was thrown back against a large stone by the approaching man. He didn't get up.
Harry, through his pain, dimly realizes he is being tied to a grave marker inscribed with the name of Tom Riddle. He recognizes his assailant—Wormtail.
Wormtail checks Harry's bonds and gags him roughly, then departs. Cedric laid not far way from him and behind him glinting like a star was the tri wizard cup.
There was a rustle beside Harry's feet and he saw a large snake in the grass. The pain in Harry's head flared up even more, the bundle of robes next to the graveside stirred. Harry didn't want to know what it was.
Wormtail busied himself by a huge stone cauldron containing a clear potion, placing it beside the bundle and lighting a fire beneath. The snake disappears into the darkness of the night.
Wormtail picks up the bundle, pulling away the robes. The creature was the size of a small crouching child, only hairless and scaly looking. It's arms and legs feeble and weak looking, and it's face was flat and snake-like, with gleaming red eyes.
Wormtail collected it off of the ground and drops it into the cauldron; Harry hopes it drowns.
Wormtail starts to speak, sounding as terrified as Harry feels. He turns towards Harry causes the grave under Harry's feet to disgorge something that looks like dust; he chants, "Bone of the father, unknowingly given. You will renew your son!" Wormtail sends it into the cauldron.
He pulls out a sliver knife and with only a slight hesitation slices off his right hand and drops it into the cauldron, he continues haltingly, "Flesh — of the servant — w-willingly given — you will revive — your master." In agony and weeping, he moves towards Harry. Stale, anguished breath falls on to Harry's face as Wormtail raises the knife to Harry's arm. Harry struggled, but could do nothing to prevent it, Wormtail cut his arm with a shaking knife and collects blood in a vial. As it drips into the cauldron, he chants, "B-blood of the enemy... forcibly taken... you will... resurrect your foe."
His job done. Wormtail drops to the floor and cradles his stump.
The cauldron simmers then suddenly a surge of white vaporous clouds billowed thickly from it.
'Let it drown...let it be dead' Harry thinks
Then from the mist he felt a wave of terror, a dark outline of a tall, skeletal figure ascends slowly from inside the cauldron.
"Robe me." It's voice was high and cold.
Wormtail still whimpering and crying, clutching his bloodied stump,scrambled to collect a black robe from the ground, he got to his feet and pulled them on one-handed over his masters head.
The figure then turned and stared at Harry, and Harry stared back. This was the face of his nightmare. This is the face of fear. This is the face of death. This was the face of Lord Voldemort.