Author's Note: So I got an email from Ms. Rowling (we're pretty tight ya know) and she told me to tell you all that I own none of this and never will. Oh, but I am allowed to own Alex since I made her up.

Chapter 23 The Rebirth

Cedric dove out of the way just in time to avoid the spider's long, menacing pinchers. He and Harry began shooting spells at the spider but they all bounced off its hard exoskeleton. Unable to do anything, Alex watched nervously as the two champions fought the giant arachnid. Then, Harry shouted for him and Cedric to try and hit its underbelly. They shouted a spell together and it hit the spider in the soft stomach area. The gigantic beast froze and fell on its back, legs up in the air. Panting, Harry turned to Cedric.

"Go on," he gasped, wiping the mixture of blood, dirt, and sweat from his brow, "You were here first, take the Cup."

Cedric looked at the gleaming trophy and at Harry, shaking his head.

"No, you saw it first, you take it."

"Look, just pick up the trophy already," said Harry impatiently, "Either way it's going to Hogwarts. You're the true champion anyway!"

"We'll take it together," said Cedric sternly, "We'll say we arrived at the exact same time, even though you were here first. That way, both Houses will have the bragging rights."

He gave Harry a smile and reached for the Cup, stopping just inches from it, Harry doing the same. Suddenly, Alex felt a sense of dread and wished neither would take the award.

"On three then?" Cedric asked and Harry nodded. They counted together.

"One…Two…THREE!"

And Alex watched as they each took a handle and felt as though she were being squeezed into a small tube. The wind roared in her ears as she was tossed around. Her eyes formed reflex tears from the air and then she was thrown onto a grassy surface. The breath was knocked out of her as she lay there for a moment, gasping for air. Shaking horribly with fear, she finally sat up and looked around.

It was a graveyard with those cold, marble headstones where the names of the long gone were chiseled with care. Angels of death looked down over those six feet under with teary eyes and open mouths, as if they were crying out with the sadness within themselves. Overgrown weeds and vines crept up around the graves of those forgotten by their families and crypts for the wealthy glowed ominously in the pale moonlight.

Over on the other side of a crypt were Harry and Cedric, looking just as confused and frightened as Alex felt. Was this another part of the task? No, something in Alex told her this was not planned by Dumbledore.

"It was a portkey," said Harry, looking for the Tri-Wizard Cup amongst the weeds. When they landed in the graveyard, it seemed that the Cup was thrown from their hands. Alex walked over and began trying to look for the Cup as well. "Whoever got to it first would be brought here."

"But where's here?" Cedric asked, looking at the gravestones, "I don't know any of these people."

A door creaked open, making everyone jump. In the shadow of the moon, Alex could see a figure with a balding head holding a bundle of rags. As the figure neared, however, Alex let out a shout of anger. It was Wormtail, otherwise known as Peter Pettigrew. This was the man who had framed her father and was responsible for the thirteen years he had spent in Azkaban, away and unknown to her.

It seemed no one could see her here as well. Wormtail smiled evilly at Harry and then turned to Cedric, completely missing Alex who was standing between them.

"Kill the spare," the bundle said in a high, cold voice that Alex knew only too well. Lord Voldemort was there in front of her.

Wormtail pulled out his wand and there was a flash of green light. Alex screamed as a roaring noise filled her ears and she saw Cedric Diggory lying motionless on the grass. Tears filled her eyes as she turned angrily to Wormtail and Voldemort. Suddenly, it was as though someone had stuck a scorching knife into the scar on her right shoulder. The pain brought her to her knees and blurred her vision as she tried unsuccessfully to not cry out from the pain. From what she could make out, Harry was being tied to a gravestone by Wormtail. Wormtail began chanting something that Alex could barely hear through her pain as he worked over a steaming cauldron.

"The bone of the father unwillingly taken."

Wormtail pointed his wand at the grave and a single bone rose out of the ground and into the cauldron. The smoke turned a horrid black as he went to Harry and said, "The blood of the sacrifice forcibly taken".

Wormtail pulled out a long knife and made a cut on Harry's arm. He brought the knife to the cauldron and tapped it, letting a few drops enter the potion. It turned blood red and Alex felt woozy.

Then he pulled out a vial and said, "The blood of the other unknowingly given," He uncorked the vile, took out a bloody rag and added this into the potion. He then put the knife to his own wrist, saying in a shaky voice, "The blood of the servant willingly given".

Alex turned away just in time and heard something splash into the cauldron. She retched horribly as tears streamed down her face, pain searing in her scar. There was nothing she could do. Ron and Hermione's voices had vanished altogether a long time ago and no one here could see her, so running towards the village down the hill was out. She was forced to watch the return of the most evil and dark wizard of all time and there was nothing she could do about it.

Looking up, she saw Wormtail placing the bundle into the cauldron and quickly using the rags to bind his stump that was once a human hand. The smoke was now emerald green as it bubbled loudly. Alex stumbled shakily over to where Harry was bound and watching with horror, hoping to somehow be of comfort, letting him know she was here as well even if he couldn't see or hear her. But what came next drove all thoughts of comforting Harry out of her mind.

A tall pale figure rose out of the cauldron and turned his head. His face was like a snake's but his eyes, oh his eyes! They were the color of all the blood he had shed during his reign of terror and they were looking coldly at where Harry and Alex were. Her scar was burning so bad that she had to sit on the gravestone next to Harry so as not to pass out with the pain. Alex was shaking even more than ever, but she looked back into those eyes defiantly, even if her own eyes were full of tears. This man, this monster, had killed her mother and a poor defenseless Muggle and had laughed while doing so! She remembered well the high laughter she had heard when the dementors were near her and it filled her heart with anger and pure hatred like she had never felt before.

"My robe, Wormtail," Voldemort said and his servant put it on, using his only hand.

Voldemort stepped out of the cauldron and held out his hand, the long white fingers beckoning his servant forward. Wormtail gave him his wand and he caressed it like a mother does to her baby's head to help it sleep. It made Alex sick as she watched him walk around the graveyard, occasionally waving his wand and forcing spiders to cry in pain or setting the vines on a crypt into flames. He then turned to Wormtail once more.

"Give me your arm, Wormtail."

"My Lord, thank you," he said, holding out his stump and Alex felt her knees weaken.

"No, no! You're other arm!" Voldemort snapped.

"But, my Lord, you promised that-"

"Yes, I did," Lord Voldemort said with what could technically be called a smile, but Alex thought it looked too evil to be one, "But I must first call my followers."

Reluctantly, Wormtail held out his normal arm and Alex saw a horrible looking tattoo of the Dark Mark on the under part of his forearm. Voldemort pressed his wand to the tattoo and it grew darker in color. Wormtail looked as though he were trying not to shout with pain. Finally, Voldemort removed his wand.

"You have done well, Wormtail. And, being a good master, I will reward you for your hard-work."

If Alex wasn't so terrified, she would have snorted at his comment of being a "good master". Wormtail looked at where his stump had been and gasped. His new hand was made of silver and, when he picked up a large rock, it turned to dust when he crushed it.

"Thank you, Master!" he said happily.

"Where are my Death Eaters?" Voldemort said with, Alex was content to notice, a tone of impatience, "Before I left, they would come within seconds of my call."

He began pacing the yard, getting more aggravated with each step. Suddenly, there were a serious of pops and figures dressed in black. There were masks over their faces and Alex realized she had seen these costumes before. These were the Death Eaters, maybe even the same ones who were at the Quidditch World Cup.

"My Lord," one man said and Alex instantly recognized the voice as Lucius Malfoy's, "You have returned at last!"

"You sound surprised, Lucius," Voldemort said, "Did you not believe I would return? Did any of you?"

There were protests but Voldemort held out a hand and there was silence. Voldemort began his pacing and saw Cedric's body lying on the grass. He walked over and touched Cedric's face with his foot.

"Get the bloody hell away from him, you bastard!" Alex snarled and, to her shock and horror, Voldemort looked straight at her and smiled.

"Of course," he said softly to himself, "I should have known you would have been at his side. Even when you were a baby, you were there with him."

"You…You can see me?" Alex asked, trying not to sound as terrified as she was.

"Yes, but only because some of your own blood flows in my veins, I thank you for that. My servant at Hogwarts was successful in procuring your blood without you suspecting a thing. No, no one else can see you but me. You have nothing to fear from me though, I cannot hurt you now. You are only here like a spirit, your body is still at Hogwarts."

"My Lord?" Mr. Malfoy asked.

"We have the honor of having two guests with us this evening," Voldemort said, turning to his followers, "But, before I introduce them, where are the others? We are missing quite a few followers."

Alex saw there were gaps in the circle. As the Death Eaters were accounted for, Alex looked at Harry and put a hand on his arm. Her hand went through his arm and she sighed shakily. How was she to help Harry if she couldn't touch anything without her hand going through it?

"Now then," Voldemort said, "You see that the great Mr. Harry Potter has joined us for our little gathering, but you may not see our second guest. I shall explain how Miss Ratcliff was able to join us this evening."

"Alex?" Harry started and looked around. She wished she could call out to him and tell him she was fine, that Voldemort couldn't hurt her here and she was safe...for now.

"You see," continued Voldemort, "There were two families that night I went to Godric's Hollow, the Potter's and the Ratcliff's. I shall not go into details for it is quite embarrassing for me to relate. See, I forgot that silly old magic of love. It was the love of Harry and Alex's mothers that allowed my curse to backfire on me. For all those years, I could not touch them, but now I can."

He walked over to Harry and put his forefinger on Harry's forehead. Alex let out a scream of pain and clutched her arm as it felt like someone had ripped her arm open from her scar. It was so intense that words couldn't even describe it. It was ten times worse than a white-hot poker to unprotected skin, twenty times worse than putting a finger to a burning stove, and fifty times worse than dumping boiling water onto exposed skin.

Even when Voldemort removed his finger, Alex's entire arm still throbbed painfully. She heard laughter and saw the Death Eaters watching Harry's limp form.

"Harry!" Alex shouted and rose to her feet, going to him. Seeing that he was still breathing and blinking back reflex tears, she let out a breath and sat back on the gravestone.

"Because both of them were able to fight off my curse," Voldemort was saying, a horrible smile on his face, "A connection was made between them. They know what the other is thinking, where they are, and especially when the other is in danger. They are closer than the closest twins because of their connection. And, although you can't see or hear her, Alex Ratcliff is here now, watching what we are doing."

"How can we make sure she won't tell Dumbledore, my Lord?" Mr. Malfoy asked.

"My most faithful servant will take care of her. Once Harry is gone, Alex will be sent back to her body where he is waiting to finish her."

Alex eyes went wide. A Death Eater at Hogwarts? But who would be able to get past Dumbledore? And yet, in her heart, she knew who it had to be. Snape used to be a Death Eater and that would explain why he wasn't here now. He was waiting until she came back to kill her. It was as her father told her, "Once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater".

Voldemort whispered something to Wormtail and he went to Harry. He untied Harry, who fell to his knees. Wormtail threw Harry's wand at his feet and backed away.

"Get up, Harry Potter," Voldemort said, his cold voice full of mirthless laughter, "We shall have a Wizard's Duel. You do know how to have a Wizard's Duel, am I right?"

Harry picked up his wand and faced Voldemort. Alex watched, unable to do a thing, as her closest and one of her best friends was going to fight to his death. All she could do was watch and pray.

"Good, now we bow," said Voldemort but Harry didn't move. Suddenly, he let out a cry of pain and bowed.

"On the count of three, we will begin," Voldemort said, "One…two…three!"

Harry dove as a jet of green light barely missed his head. But then he was hit and he fell to the ground, shouting out in pain. It was the Cruciartus Curse. Voldemort lifted his wand up and Harry struggled to his feet. As jets of light missed him, he ran behind a headstone, gasping for breath.

"Come out, come out, Harry Potter!" called Voldemort, "Come out and meet death! If you come out now, I shall make it swift and painless."

Alex crawled over to Harry and put her hand just above his shoulder.

"Harry," she whispered, tears streaming down her face, "Is this how you want to die, hiding behind a gravestone? Sure, no one wants to die this way, but…but at least die fighting, die being the Gryffindor I know you are."

As though he had heard her, Harry nodded and stood up, facing Voldemort. They both raised their wands at the same time and shouted their spells together.

"Expelliarmus!"

"Avada Kedavera!"

The beams of light hit each other and connected the two wands together, their owners unable to move their wands. A little ball of light was moving towards Harry's wand tip but Harry seemed to be concentrating. Then the ball of light moved towards Voldemort's wand. When it touched, both were surrounded by a shining cage of white light. Alex gasped in awe and Mr. Malfoy moved towards the light but Voldemort shouted for him to stay back.

"The boy is mine!" he shrieked.

Suddenly, Cedric Diggory came out of the wand, pure white and glowing.

"Harry, take my body back to my family, will you?" he asked and Harry nodded. Cedric then turned to Alex and said, "Harry, you're lucky to have such wonderful friends. Never forget that."

Then another white figure appeared out of Voldemort's wand. It was an old man with a walking stick.

"He said he was going to kill a boy named Harry Potter and a girl named Alex Ratcliff," the man said in a distant voice, "Someone needs to tell the police, he's a psychopath!"

Another figure appeared out of the wand. This time, it was a woman in her late thirties.

"I didn't mean to tell him!" she said, her voice distant like the old man's, "He used the Imperius Curse on me! I was just trying to enjoy my holiday!"

Then, two figures came out together and Alex gasped. Her grandparents were there before her, glowing white. They looked at Alex and smiled sadly.

"A man came into our house while you were in school and threatened to kill us if we didn't tell them where you were. We refused and here we are," her grandmother said, "We didn't tell you the truth about your mother's death because we were frightened of what you were. We were frightened of our own daughters when they were alive and then we were the same with you."

"I hope you can forgive us, Alex," her grandfather said, "Know that we are so proud of you and are sorry for not realizing how wonderful you truly were, normal or not."

Alex nodded and watched as two more figures appeared. It was her and Harry's mother. Alex's mother looked at Harry, out to where her daughter was, and smiled.

"Take care of this one here," Alana told her daughter, nodding to Harry, "He seems to be a trouble-maker like his father."

Harry was staring at his mother so he didn't see a skinny man with messy black hair and glasses appear out of the wand followed by the man Alex had thought was her father. David Ratcliff found Alex and smiled.

"You look just like your mother, Alex," he said, smiling at Alana, "But you have your father's eyes."

Alex looked at her mother, who smiled sadly and said, "Tell Sirius I say hello, will you darling? And to keep up the good work, I'm so proud of you both."

Alex nodded, a small sob escaping her and she covered her mouth to stop her lip from trembling.

"Alex," said Mr. Potter and she turned to an older version of Harry, "When Harry breaks the connection, be sure you are near him when he takes the cup. Thank you for being there for our son."

She nodded and turned to her mother. Alana was looking at her daughter with such pride and Alex knew she would never let her, or David, down as long as she lived.

"Go on, sweetie," Mrs. Potter was saying to Harry, nodding encouragingly, "Remember, even if you can't see us, we're here always."

Harry took a deep breath and pulled his wand up. All the figures flew towards Voldemort, blocking his vision.

Author's Note: So...do you approve? Was it worth waiting for? I know I left you all with a major cliff hanger and I'm dying to know what you thought of this chapter! It's one of my personal favorites in this story so I'd love to hear what you thought of it, even if you hated it. Although just be sure to tell me why you liked it or hated it. :)

Are you calling me crazy?: I'm glad you liked the task! I guess you could call it that, maybe I could come up with a clever name for it. Hmm, I must ponder this...once I'm done this reply of course! ;) Yeah, I liked having Draco talk with Ron and Hermione. It doesn't happen very often, in fact I'm pretty sure this is the only time they have a civil conversation together. I'm glad you appreciated my dramatic-ness of the last A/N. Haha! I do feel very special about your long review and the fact that you've stuck with this story for so long. I am very appreciative of that so thank you so very much. :D

As I always do, I must thank my reviewers, those who put me in their favorites, and those who put me on alert. It's always so amazing to me that I get new fans every time I post a new chapter, so thank you so very much. Don't forget to review; the review button will not bite, I promise! :D