Lord of Darkness
Life & Death
***One day ownership will be mine... BUT IT IS NOT THIS DAY! ***
*Follow me on the Twitters at AngelSlayer135 for occasional progress updates on stories
***LoD***
'Could have at least chosen a nicer setting' the boy-who-lived mused as he was pushed along through a creepy graveyard by the disguised schoolteacher.
"Keep walking Potter!"
"Yeah, yeah I heard you." The man gave a growl, before pushing a bit rougher this time, earning a backwards glare from his 'prisoner'. "Touch me again and I'll break your arm you insect." The tone caused Crouch to pause for a moment, before muttering to keep moving.
Finally, the two came across a small clearing, in it lay a cauldron along with another man nearby.
"Avery!" the disguised murderer snapped, "Is everything ready?"
"It is, everything is ready and prepared, all we need is a bit of blood."
Crouch nodded, before reaching out and grasping the teen's shoulder, while drawing a knife. Harry responded exactly as he said he would, by grabbing the offending arm and snapping it like a toothpick in annoyance.
The disguised man fell to the ground, crying out in pain as the remaining Potter strolled forward, ignoring the man named 'Avery' and glancing into the cauldron. Inside a rather ugly fetus-like creature lay.
"Potter!" it screamed, instantly recognizing the baby it had tried to destroy over a decade prior.
"You are one ugly little bastard, aren't you? I mean seriously, were all those dark rituals worth it if you don't even have a real body?"
"Avery!" the creature screeched again. The man moved forward at his master's cry, only to be stunned without so much as a gesture from the teen.
"Now now that wasn't very nice Tommy boy, we have so much to catch up on after all."
"You think I wasn't prepared for your insolence Potter? That I would not have planned for you? There is nowhere to go…"
A snickering nearby earned a raised eyebrow from Harry, who looked up in curiosity as Bellatrix Lestrange stepped out from behind a nearby tree. Moments later she was joined by dozens of others. Instantly he recognized Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape being among them, with both looking rather passively towards him.
"Oh my my my, you really have been busy, haven't you Tom?"
"Scared Potter!? Betrayed by your precious Minister who you fought so hard to elect?"
Harry rolled his eyes, he had probably spent less than three hours doing anything for the Malfoy Lord.
"But that isn't all, oh no… behold..." three more Death Eaters emerged from nearby, dragging the Triwizard Champions along with them. "Your blood, for them!"
"And if I were to simply drown your miserable dickless body right here? Hmm? What would you do then Riddle?"
"Then they would die, and I know how fond you have grown of your little toy. Now what do you have to say hm Potter?"
Emerald eyes glanced over the three hostages, lingering on one in particular, before he let out a sigh, "Fine, how much do you need?"
***LoD***
"Avery, the object."
The newly revived man shiftily glanced about, taking in the weary expressions on more than a few faces as they moved back from the area. "Master, with all due respects..."
The response was shouted back at him, "NOW! The world will know of my return, shall feel fear once more!"
"Y-yes my Lord..." the Death Eater mumbled, before retrieving a small orb from nearby and with a wave of his Wand caused it to float. "The Viewing Orb shall broadcast everything across the Magical world, they will all witness your resurrection my Lord... but the others, they will be revealed..."
"THEN MOVE BACK!" the creature screamed in rage, earning a wince from the man as more than a few of his followers moved back from the area to remain unidentifiable.
A mocking laughter escaped from the nearby teen, "Oh my Tommy boy, looks like your little bitches are camera shy."
Voldemort growled, before gesturing for the ritual to commence. Less than a minute later and the few drops of blood were being added with a flourish. "Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken, you will resurrect your foe!"
Just as the cauldron shattered the orb lit up, revealing the Dark Lord in all his glory and power to tens of thousands across the world.
"I live!"
***LoD***
Sirius Black stood, froze in horror as he watched a nearby image appear of a resurrected Dark Lord... and even worse was that standing not twenty feet away was his godson.
"MOONY!" He roared in panic, before grabbing his Wand and sprinting to a nearby cabinet. With strength he didn't even realize the door was practically ripped off, displaying half a dozen suits of armor and various weapons. The Blacks, if nothing else, were a paranoid lot.
"Padfoot" the Were growled as he entered the room. Sirius turned, and did a double take. His best friend's features were roughened, his hands constantly clenching and unclenching. But it was his eyes that spoke the most.
A deep amber color filled them, the wolf was angry, it wanted out. The beast wanted to hunt, to kill, to feast. Not for the first time did the Black Lord feel a shiver of fear roll down his spine. Remus could be the kindest man in the world, but when he got like this he could just as easily tear a grown man apart with his bare hands.
"You saw?" It was more of a statement then a question, and Lupin barely nodded in answer. "Good, grab some Dragon-hide armor and the meanest looking weapon you want. We're going to go get our cub back and murder some bastards in the process."
***LoD***
"What a lovely new body I have." Voldemort mused, flexing his limbs and spinning his Wand deftly between his fingertips.
"Not sure how much of an improvement it is, I mean we all sort of caught your pale ass emerging from that pot and I have to say... really, no genitals at all? I mean call me silly, but I would have put something there at least. Course maybe you never got laid growing up, so you don't know what sex is like... in that case I commend you on your choice to continue your celibacy oh Dark Lord Tom."
The Dark Lord snarled at the boy's insults, before his own face shifted into something far darker. "Carrow, Rabastan, If Potter addresses me by anything other than 'Dark Lord' I want you to enjoy his pretty little friend..."
The two men, who were the ones currently nearest to Fleur, grinned as well.
Harry, on the other hand merely turned to face them, his face staring at them in a way that sent shivers of unknown fear down their spines.
"A duel then Potter?" Voldemort declared with a sneer. "Good, good... Avery make sure you focus in on us with the orb. I want the entire world to watch as I destroy their precious savior!" the cowardly man quickly nodded, before slowly encircling them to capture every angle.
The two Wizards met each other's eyes, before striding into the middle of the opening in unison. Voldemort drew first, not that Harry even bothered to do so, "Avada Kedavra!"
Harry sidestepped the bolt of green energy, allowing it to strike the Death Eater who had been positioned behind him during their movements. Avery fell to the ground, his eyes blank and lifeless. With his death the orb dimmed and fell, cracking on a nearby stone as it stopped its broadcast.
"Whoops, sure hope he wasn't important..."
Rage ripped through the Dark Lord once more, "Crouch! The orb, NOW! I want my victory shown to the world!"
"Y-yes my Lord..."
Meanwhil,e Harry let out an exasperated sigh, "Do we have to stand around and wait oh Dark Lord? I mean I do have things to do, places to be and such..."
Voldemort growled, before raising his weapon once more.
***LoD***
Sirius Black and Remus Lupin Apparated into the clearing they had been just informed of to meet Dumbledore at. Even still they estimated several miles of distance to where their godson was. This wasn't some hastily planned action, it had been in the works for some time if the Dark Lord's followers had set up such a massive Ward.
"Remus, Sirius!" a voice called out
The two men turned to see the Headmaster gesture them from a short distance away. The two hastily made their way over to see a large group of Aurors, including Tonks and Amelia Bones, along with the elderly Wizard himself. Several were currently working on what appeared to be analyzing the barrier separating them from their objective.
"Albus, what happened?"
"I am not sure, but from what we have gathered Harry was kidnapped by Alastor Moody shortly after the third task of the Championship began. It was then that Severus was summoned by the Dark Lord, but not before sending me the coordinates."
"And thus, here we are." Director Bones chimed in, as a few more Aurors appeared nearby, adding to their forces. "I am not sure if this will be enough Albus, at least not with hostages involved."
A growl answered her, "Then we make do, that monster is not going to take my godson from me." Remus swore, earning a nod of agreement from his best friend.
The others fell silent, before the Ward breakers continued their duty of bringing the dome down.
***LoD***
In all her years Fleur Delacour had never felt such despair. In her heart she knew that this night would be the end of her, that she would die in this horrible, wretched place... if she was lucky. Kidnapped Veela were rarely given a pleasant end, and often suffered through hours, if not days, of violations before being granted death.
The only thing currently stopping this was a boy. A single fourteen-year-old child who stood against a Dark Wizard, decades greater in experience. Yet the boy stood, and in that single fact she found some solace. At least when her end came it would be with the one she had fallen in love with. With the boy who had shown her something greater in humanity, and in herself, than she had ever thought possible. Perhaps her last moment would be staring into his beautiful eyes one last time.
The Veela's thoughts went next to her own sister.
Gabbie, if only there had been more time, time for goodbyes and tear-filled whispers of 'I love you'. Her younger sister meant more to her than anything else in this miserable world... and yet she would never see the bundle of joy and sunshine again.
'At least she will be safe, at least she isn't here...' It was a small miracle, but at this point the French Witch would take whatever she could get.
On her other side Krum made a desperate struggle to free himself, only to be punched by the older man holding him hostage.
Cedric, it appeared, had given up long ago.
A roar of anger brought the girl's attention back to the duel, and to where her only hope of salvation lay.
***LoD***
"Running away Potter!? Like a coward!?"
Harry let out an exasperated sigh as he twisted his body, avoiding yet another Killing Curse. Seriously was that the only spell the Dark Lord knew?
"Actually, I was hoping you would do something a bit more impressive, you know some sort of awe-inspiring feat of Magic not... this."
The snake-skinned man growled, glancing over to see Crouch still fumbling around with the Magical viewing sphere. Bloody useless man, the Dark Lord made a mental note to kill him after he returned to whatever mansion he would commandeer next.
"Stop running Potter, or I will turn my wrath on your friends next! Now stand still, be a good little boy, and die!" The man roared out the Killing Curse once more, and this time the boy made no hint at dodging the bolt of energy. Instead he raised his right arm, before swinging it before him.
Flames as black as the darkest midnight erupted in front of him, as if summoned from Hell itself. The Magic sent forth was enveloped, immediately burning away as if it had been made of paper. Silence fell among those nearby, the Dark Lord's Wand slowly lowered in disbelief as he stared at the boy, whose expression turned savage as he raised his hand once more.
"Dodge," he growled, before snapping his fingers. Fire erupted once more, of the same darkness. But this time it roared towards Voldemort, as if taking the form of a great beast preparing to devour him. In that moment, the single instance of time Tom Riddle saw his death, before managing to Apparate out of harm's way.
The blast collided with a nearby mausoleum. The resulting explosion shook the ground, as the structure, and the nearby graves, were blown asunder, and a child laughed, his left arm crossing under his right as he snapped once more.
"Too predictable..." he muttered as Voldemort appeared on his right side, forcing the feared murderer to teleport once more to avoid another devastating attack.
This time he appeared to have learned and flashed into existence a dozen feet behind the teen, before sending a barrage of silent spells and Curses towards his intended victim. They never reached within five feet of the boy before being engulfed in flames that appeared from nowhere.
"My Magic is borderline sentient at this point Dark Lord, it will protect me even if I was unconscious..." True enough the fire surged forth, this time as a river towards the attacker. Voldemort Apparated once more, never more thankful that although the Wards prevented intruders, it did not stop those from moving about inside the area.
Riddle growled, before taking a moment to assess the situation at hand, allowing Harry to turn towards him with a patented smirk on his face. "You know... you are going to run out of places to run eventually..."
"Potter..."
"I mean you keep Apparating round but... well just look."
And the man-turned-monster did, noticing the flames still present, and slowly growing by the second. Some were even quite close to him, with hardly a thought he flicked his Wand, casting an extinguishing spell to remove the annoyances.
It was only due to years of practice that he had the reflexes to pull his arm back as the blaze flared upwards towards him, as if seeking to devour his very soul.
"Oh, didn't I mention?" the boy mused, loud enough for everyone to hear. "These flames of mine burn all things, including Magic itself. If I were not in control of them they would eventually reduce all of creation into ash."
***LoD***
Lucius Malfoy fought to contain the trembling that was threatening to consume his body.
This wasn't how it was supposed to go. Potter was supposed to have been destroyed by the Dark Lord upon the man's return. Instead the boy had... well the Malfoy Lord wasn't quite sure what was happening. But he did know that Voldemort was in retreat, fleeing from the teen like boy was the Devil himself.
Not that he blamed the man. The moment those flames began to burn away Magic Lucius was sure that he himself would have died. For a second something else flooded into the blonde's mind. If Harry Potter won... he was under no illusion that the emerald-eyed child knew who was responsible for freeing the Death Eaters, hell the Dark Lord had pointed him out directly.
What would happen to him? How devastating would the child's wrath be?
He glanced over at a very pale Severus Snape, who was eyeing the remaining captured teens. Perhaps his friend had the right idea, if they could do a show of loyalty, of freeing those Potter cared about...
Lucius shook his head. Undoubtedly the victor would know of his involvement in that as well. Regardless it appeared his future was quickly fading away.
***LoD***
Bellatrix Lestrange trembled from where she stood, watching with unblinking eyes at the 'duel' currently underway.
Well, it wasn't much of a duel at that point. Dueling implied that there were two active participants in a battle, this was more like a Wizard taunting a Muggle at their inability to even comprehend what was happening.
A quivering voice whispered from nearby, "I-It is alright Bella, don't be afraid. Our Lord will emerge victorious as he always has, as he always will. And when he does everything will go back to the way it should be."
The Witch rolled her eyes. Seriously, why the hell did her sister's moronic husband have to free her own idiot of a spouse? After so many years of marriage the dunce still couldn't tell when she was frightened and when she was excited?
Fact of the matter was that she hadn't seen such power, such dominance in years. Not only that but from what she had gathered from overheard conversations, gossip magazines, and just using her own eyes the teen was not only appreciative of his followers, giving his blood to save some girl, but also rewarding of them. How else could she explain how Lucius had become Minister in such a rapid time?
Most important of all though was the poorly concealed carnal desires. If the boy was shagging at least a Veela, and the girl's sister, then it was clear he was far more interested in sex than the losers she had been with previously.
For now, she was content to watching, while discreetly rubbing her thighs together, the one-sided battle currently being waged. Later though… later she would find a way to show just how much a deprived woman could teach a younger man.
***LoD***
"Oh come on now! You give me this big speech about running away and here you are, fleeing from a child!" Harry shouted to out into the graveyard as he slowly walked between tombstones, looking for his target.
Meanwhile the other Death Eaters shifted around awkwardly. Not only was Potter displaying more power than most could ever dream of, but their master was hiding from him. Crouch had long since given up trying to reactivate the device designed to display the Dark Lord's 'triumphant return' and had simply taken to hiding behind cover instead.
"You can't hide forever Dark Lord" the teen called out once more, growing a bit annoyed at the situation. Seriously, why bother resurrecting yourself just to hide? Well he had more than one way to deal with this. "You know, my followers do not call me a 'Dark Lord' like so many of yours address you... they have a rather different name for me. Do you know what it is?"
Nearby Voldemort sneered, the boy was clearly trying to get him to drop his defenses... that is when a horrible pain shot through his leg, as if he had been stabbed. Glancing down his ruby eyes widened in horror at the blade that had emerged from the shadow of the building he had sought cover behind.
"The Lord of Darkness" Harry answered, "you see Dark Lord, you cannot run from me. You cannot hide from me!"
Tom managed to extract the object from his leg a second later, and immediately dove forward to avoid another object slicing up from the shadows. Unfortunately, he was in the middle of a graveyard, surrounded by weapons that could be utilized by the teen. Soon he was Apparating, dodging, and diving simply to stay one step ahead of the vast array of objects that could be conjured by the boy in an instance, and from virtually any angle.
"ENOUGH! LUMOS!" the man roared, creating such a powerful beacon of light that it pushed the shadows away from him, limiting any source of angled attack.
Harry turned, smiling as he finally found his target. "Finally! About time you do something different. Although to be fair... you missed one."
Another spike shot through the Dark Lord, as he fell forwards with a cry of pain.
"Did you truly believe that your own shadow was exempt from me? That there is not darkness beneath your own feet? When I said there was no where you could hide... I meant it."
***LoD***
"Dumbledore what in the bloody hell is taking so long!?"
"Patience Sirius, the Ward system is complicated, they are overlapping and strengthening each other in complex ways that are putting us in a bit of a snag, but I assure you..."
Remus snarled in annoyance from nearby, and the Animagus agreed with him. The Headmaster was treating this like some bloody school assignment, not as if a bunch of teens were trapped in a heavily fortified area surrounded by psychopaths.
"To hell with that, move."
The Black Lord raised his Wand, before starting to mutter out an incantation to himself. The Aurors promptly heeded the advice and jumped out of the way, but Dumbledore did not. "Sirius my boy I assure you that..."
"Either move or I'll go through you."
With a sigh the elderly Wizard nodded, before standing aside, earning a bit of calmed curiosity from the nearby Werewolf. Why would Dumbledore be so opposed to... Remus' eyes shot open the moment red energy began crackling from the Marauders Wand as he spun it in a large circle over his head.
Sirius was using dark Magic, ancestral dark Magic, the kind that had the hairs on the back of his neck standing up and the wolf inside quivering in anticipation. This wasn't the sort of spell one would learn as an Auror, it was undoubtedly something he had either found in the Black Vault or had drilled into his head by his deranged parents.
The muttered chant ended with the Black Lord slashing his tool down, sending a massive bolt of red energy blasting into the Wards, which groaned from the effort to stabilize. Sirius merely gritted his teeth and forced more energy into the assault.
***LoD***
"Come on now I've given you plenty of time to rest and think. I'm getting fed up with chasing you around, do something new." Harry urged with something that sounded almost like boredom in his voice.
"New..." Voldemort growled, "you want new? You want exciting!? THEN HOW ABOUT THIS!? BURN POTTER!" A massive snake made of bright amber flames streamed from the Dark Lord's Wand, illuminating the area and earning gasps of awes from the Death Eaters.
Without so much as a gesture the pale hybrid sent the serpent towards his enemy, who merely smiled in delight. Just as it was about to reach him the boy opened his mouth... and took a deep breath, inhaling the flames as if it were mere oxygen. A split second later the Magic was gone, and the boy exhaled a bit of smoke, before letting out a deep burp.
"Not bad, I would say a bit spicier than Hogwarts usually makes it but... not bad really."
Once more stunned silence greeted him, before Riddle began to stutter out his enraged protest, "H-h-how!? How are you so strong? How are you able to do that!?"
Harry quirked his head a tad, blinking a bit in confusion. "What?"
"THAT! THIS MAGIC!? HOW ARE YOU SO POWERFUL!?"
"Powerful?" the boy repeated softly, "You think this is power? You think that this is my limit? You stupid man... let me show you what real Magic looks like."
The shadows lengthened, and the lights flickered just as the moon, previously bright in the night sky, became eclipsed by darkness.
***LoD***
Lucius Malfoy noticed it first. A slight tremor moving through the ground. In fact, if graveyard had not been so deathly quiet he was quite sure he would have missed it.
A few seconds later another tremor.
Then another.
Followed by another, each increasing in intensity just slightly. However, after a minute or two the others seemed aware that something was wrong as well. Turning his head slightly, as he caught sight of it.
"No..." the man muttered, spinning completely, so that he could take a step back, fear filling his eyes. "It isn't possible. There are limits, rules that must be followed..."
Nearby a young boy began to chuckle, which quickly escalated into full blown laughter... which turned malicious. Dark and terrible, it filled the area as the shape continued approaching them, its body covering the stars with ease.
The creature was larger than any structure the Malfoy Lord had ever bore witness to... maybe even Hogwarts itself. Hundreds of feet tall, it was humanoid in shape… and yet it at the same time the very opposite of what humanity could be considered.
Did it have two arms or twelve? Was it fur that adorned its body or writhing tentacles? It appeared to have a single head… and yet movements in the dark seemed to suggest multiple mouths.
Regardless of the shape, the monster was dark. As shadowy as the night sky. Whatever features might have adorned it were obscured in this darkness... save for the eyes. Two blood-red circles were visible at the very top, giving an indication of how truly massive it was... for the Death Eaters themselves were forced to tip their heads back just to see those ruby orbs.
And then it roared.
It was a primal sound, something born from the darkest corners of the deepest jungles and evolving in the shadows of human fear. It echoed through the area, low and deep as tombstones and mausoleums alike crumbled from the force. Like straw huts attempting to stand before a hurricane.
The Death Eaters froze in place, as their hands went to cover their ears crouching down in mere instinct to try and protect themselves, paralyzed in a terror they had never experienced before now as they looked upon the monstrous shape of death itself, and elsewhere, miles from where they stood, a group of Aurors halted in their actions, eyes widening in shock and fear.
The boy's laughter hadn't ceased, and the monster finally came to a halt. For a brief moment the teen quieted, and silence reigned, for even the Dark Lord himself dare not speak lest he draw attention to himself.
Then the air was split by a massive arm. Fingers tore into the ground, ripping apart the earth as a person might do to loose sand.
Voldemort barely had time to raise a barrier before it struck, the defenses cracking and shattering near instantly from the force. Yet he had survived, being tossed to the side due to the collision, and undoubtedly breaking several bones as he crashed through stone and rubble.
Harry merely smiled, before waving a hand and dismissing the giant, which promptly evaporated into smoke, then standing back and patiently waiting for his enemy to stand.
Seconds passed, and then minutes as the boy grew impatient, tapping his foot as he began to mutter to himself.
"Come on come on get up get up get up get up get up..."
Tom Riddle pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, gripping a nearby chunk of rock to attempt to rise, yet the pain coursing through his body brought him back to the ground an instance later.
"Come on..." Harry growled, allowing the man to try once more, and fail. "Come on! GET UP! HEAL YOUR WOUNDS, REGROW YOUR BONES, SUMMON YOUR DEMONS! HIT ME! FIGHT ME!"
Yet the murderer could not, and merely slumped forward, gasping for breath despite the almost hysterical shouts from the boy-who-lived.
"Pathetic..."
Lucius Malfoy might have agreed, save for the fact that he was convinced that the boy standing before them could probably take on all Magical England at this point and win without so much as a scratch.
"I let you live for all these years and this was the best you could do?"
"Wh... what?" Riddle gasped out, shifting around to watch in horror as the teen produced a very familiar looking diary.
The boy-who-lived merely scoffed in annoyance, "Your little soul anchors of course. I could have killed you years ago... hell I would have if I had known you would be this pathetic."
"I-I-Impossible... how..."
"The Minister of course, which does remind me that he and I need to have a little chat once this is all done about slipping my followers possessed items..."
Malfoy felt his insides nearly freeze in fear. He was quite sure that there wouldn't be much left of him after the teen was done with his vengeance, that had seemingly built up over the years.
"Well regardless it doesn't really matter now. I suppose I should let you go, give you a chance to become more powerful and maybe give me a decent challenge in the future hm?" Harry turned, and began walking back towards the Death Eaters assembled nearby.
Voldemort did not see a second chance, however. What his corrupt mind saw was a mere child turning his back on him... as if he were nothing. What he saw was someone else telling him that he wasn't worthy, wasn't good enough, wasn't strong enough.
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
"Stupid fool..." Harry muttered, before spinning on one foot, his 'Wand' appearing in his hand just as his other discreetly activating the viewing orb which had lain dormant nearby the entire battle. It activated just as a beam of light was fired against the Killing Curse.
White met with green, and the two balanced for a mere moment, before the brilliant spell of his began to consume the other, flowing towards the Dark Lord at an alarming rate until it reached his Wand. There is entered, producing cracks and fissures, first in the weapon and then the man's own body as the shining energy filled him.
Then the Dark Lord exploded, illuminating the entire battlefield as if it were noon, several beam of concentrated light arching outwards in various directions... targeting various objects that still bore fragments of the man's soul.
The eruption quickly overwhelmed those assembled, throwing them backwards, or onto the ground itself, and shattering the display sphere in the resulting shock wave.
Then all fell silent, and dark, once more. That is until a young boy sat back up and stretched.
"Now then... where were we?"
***LoD***
Severus Snape made a discreet gesture of pulling back his sleeve, to reveal a blank arm... it was true. Voldemort was dead. The Potion Master resisted the urge to shout in joy, to scream and holler, to dance like a lunatic.
Years... over a decade of scheming and planning... and it was over. All he had to do was survive this night, and he could retire. No more spying, no more hiding his thoughts in fear of being discovered. No more double agent. No more pretending.
All thanks to one person.
His mind froze, Harry Potter, the boy who he had picked on and borderline tormented had suddenly become the source of his freedom. Lily's son, whom he had played a part in making an orphan, had been the key to his own salvation... and redemption.
Before he could think upon this further a sickening wet sound filled the air, followed by a scream of pain. Looking to his left he noticed that Amycus Carrow's hand had been rather cleanly separated from the rest of his arm. This notion immediately became known to Fleur Delacour, whom the man had been holding hostage, and she threw her head backwards into his chest, knocking the wind from his lungs and dropping him, to the ground before sprinting across the devastated landscape.
"Foolish girl..." Lucius Malfoy muttered from nearby, earning the Slytherin's attention. "No one would dare raise a Wand against you now..." Severus agreed, judging by the terrified expressions of every Death Eater present, he doubted any of them would so much as look at the girl now that her allegiance was made apparent.
The boy put a comforting arm around her, while her face buried into his shoulder to conceal her sobs of fear, and relief. Emerald-eyes turned to Rabastan Lestrange next. This time, however, the man seemed to take the hint and, raised his arms in a submissive gesture.
The boy raised his hand once more and snapped, the flames incinerating the Lestrange brother, and earning a scream of rage from the remaining, and a secret cheer from Bellatrix.
"Y-y-y-you! WHY!?" Rudolphus screamed in rage and confusion, earning the slight tilting of the boy's head.
"Whatever do you mean? I told them both that they were going to die…" With that declaration the, still screaming, Carrow was silenced as dozens of blades ripped through his torso from the ground below him.
***LoD***
"Well, if that is all then you can all go." The teen turned, transfiguring a bench out of the nearby rubble, and sat down, allowing the girl to promptly fall onto it next to him.
The adults, and the two remaining champions merely stared in shock, "Y... you're letting us go?"
"Yes."
"Why!?"
Snape fought the urge to murder whatever dumb bastard was trying to argue for them all to be torn to pieces by a fourteen-year-old. Why couldn't they just shut their damn mouths and be grateful?
"Because none of you are a threat to me, and I believe it is obvious now that if you try going after someone I care about the consequences will be... most unpleasant. Thus, I could care less about what happens to any of you. My guess is that you have around three minutes before my godfather finishes breaching your Wards and a group of Aurors, led by Albus Dumbledore, arrive so that gives you all a decent head start. With Voldemort's return being displayed across the world your return will be as well... which means that life will be quite a bit more hectic for most of you in the coming months."
One by one the Dark Lord's followers disappeared, leaving only Malfoy and Snape, along with the four teens.
"My Lord I..."
Harry didn't even bother looking at the man, his gaze now directed onto the blonde Veela, "You should probably clean up those bodies Minister. If your pardons are linked to what happened you will undoubtedly find yourself in Azkaban... and I am finding it difficult to care what befalls you."
The Malfoy Lord visibly flinched, before nodding slightly and departing with the nearby corpses. Snape gave the slightest of nods as well, before Apparating to maintain his own cover.
A minute passed, before Cedric spoke up to break the silence, "You aren't going to get away with it Potter..."
Turning, the raven-haired boy gave the Hufflepuff his attention, along with a curious expression.
"We know the truth. We heard your death threats, felt your dark Magic, watched you let murderers go free... and Malfoy calling you a Lord?"
"You should probably take your shot then." The two male champions blinked in confusion, earning a further elaboration. "In case you aren't aware I just stepped on the most powerful Dark Lord of the last several hundred years like a bug. If you plan on trying to defeat me, now would be your best chance."
Krum gritted his teeth, before putting a hand on Cedric's shoulder and shaking his head. "You are just like the other Dark Lords, and you will fall just the same. Durmstrang will join Hogwarts and unite against you. Fleur will..."
The Bulgarian halted mid speech, watching as the French Witch turned a glare on the two other Champions. "I do not understand why you were chosen for loyalty Cedric. Harry has saved our lives twice now and you turn your back so easily..."
"B-but Fleur... what he has done..."
"What has he done? Killed a Dark Lord? Brought about change to remove bigotry from England? Saved innocent lives, saved our lives!?"
"He is evil. You feel it just like we do Fleur! He slaughtered human beings!" Krum declared gruffly.
"Dark, not evil. Veela are classified as 'Dark Creatures' too. I am tired of being treated as an object to stare at and lust over. Tired of being seen as something less than human..."
She turned back to her lover that still next to her, "Please... I wish you serve you. You saved me, gave me hope when I had none... I want to be with you now and forever."
Harry smiled, before reaching out and gently rubbing her face, his fingertips brushing against her lips. "So very pretty... but that isn't all is it? Triwizard Champion, Witch, sister... all of these contribute but not one defines you completely." His attention turned back to the growling older boys, "I would highly recommend you waiting a bit before giving Dumbledore your side of what happened."
"Why is that?" the other Hogwarts student snapped, "Planning on wiping our memories?"
"Don't be ridiculous, if I was going to do that I would have already. No, I want no doubt about your mental states, if you go to him immediately, shouting about how I am evil after being kidnapped and held hostage by a Dark Lord they will dismiss you entirely. I want Dumbledore to find out, to begin planning against me. I want a challenge, and with Voldemort dead the defeater of Grindelwald appears to be my only option left for this."
The Wards fell, and a minute later the area was swarmed by Aurors.
***LoD***