Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the world of Harry Potter, I humbly control only my original characters and original spells and such.

Chapter 29: Evil Risen

Harry felt his feet slam into the ground, the sudden impact jarring his entire body and threatening to break the healing on his bad leg. Falling forward, he dropped the Cup of Merlin. It bounced away as he hit the ground, glimmering slightly in the darkness. Groaning, Harry raised his head and looked around.

He had clearly left the Hogwarts grounds and been transported hundreds of miles; he didn't recognize anything around him. He was standing in a dark and overgrown graveyard. The black outline of an old small church was visible beyond a large yew tree to his right. A hill rose above him to his left and he could make out the outline of a fine old house on the hillside.

"Well this is great situation you got yourself into Harry," he sighed to himself as he crouched to examine the Portkey. "The cup was obviously a trap, it was even on a stone pedestal."

He stood up straight and started to look around the graveyard. It was completely silent and unsettling; many of the gravestones were chipped or worn down, ivy crawled across and covered several. There was no wind and yet the yew tree seemed to creak and groan in the oppressive atmosphere. Moving slowly past a small mausoleum, he went to examine one of the larger grave markers that had the Angel of Death hovering over it, scythe drawn.

Reaching up, he wiped some of the dust and grime off the marker to read one of the names:

Thomas Riddle: 1905-1943

Breathing deeply, he staggered back.

'I'm in serious trouble now,' Harry thought, flicking his wrist to draw his wand. He heard the sounds of two, maybe three people coming closer from behind him. Squinting into the darkness, he could just make out two silhouettes drawing nearer. Quickly he hid behind a marble headstone that had an angel hiding its face. Peering around the angel, he could see one of the men was short and carrying something bundled in his arms while a taller man conjured a black cauldron.

"Where is the boy?" a high cold voice whispered, one that chilled Harry's blood even now after all his confrontations with its owner.

"The cup is here, my lord, the boy must be hiding amongst the graves," the taller figure muttered.

"Wormtail, hand me over to Lucius and find the boy," Voldemort's voice commanded.

"Y-yes, my lord," Wormtail stuttered, handing the bundle of robes he was carrying to Lucius Malfoy, the other voice. Wormtail pulled out the former wand of Ginny Weasley and started to nervously search behind the nearest gravestones for Harry.

"Falduplicem," Harry muttered under his breath. An illusion of himself appeared behind a tombstone that Wormtail was about to search behind.

"There you are, Harry!" the short man yelled, sending a Stunning Spell at the illusion.

He missed and the illusion took off, running through the graves and leading Wormtail deeper into the graveyard. Counting silently under his breath, Harry waited until his illusion and Wormtail passed him, the Death Eater completely unaware of the ambush coming.

"Oi, Wormtail!" Harry yelled as he popped from his cover, "Over here you scum!"

Wormtail whipped around, his eyes widening as Harry slashed his wand and yelled, "Industricus!" An emerald wave of energy flowed across where he had slashed his wand and flew towards the short Death Eater.

"Protego!" the man shouted, but the Shield Charm flickered for a second and disappeared. Wormtail barely had time to blink at the failed spell before the energy smashed into his body, throwing him through several marble headstones and into the wall of the small mausoleum.

Harry turned to face Lucius and just barely dodged a curse that streaked his way.

"Stupify!" Harry yelled, but Lucius twisted behind a statue and the spell splashed harmlessly against the head.

"Crucio!" Lucius yelled, blind firing the Cruciatus Curse and forcing Harry to dodge behind a tombstone.

Rolling out from under his cover, Harry volleyed an Explosion spell back. His spell blew the statue apart, but Lucius was prepared and had placed a Shield Charm around himself to absorb any impact from the debris.

"You'll have to do much better than that, Potter," Lucius sneered as the dust and debris fell away from his shield.

"Set me down, Lucius," Voldemort's voice commanded. The Death Eater followed his master's order, then slowly undid the clasp to his robes and cast them and his cane aside. Thus unburdened, he settled into a proper dueling stance.

"Prepare yourself, Potter," he called before launching another stunner.

Harry deflected the Stunner and yelled, "Tonitrua!" A bolt of electricity arced out of his wand towards his opponent.

Lucius swept his wand across and the bolt of electricity collapsed into water. Swirling his wand around, the water rose up and Lucius directed at Harry shouting, "Frigidus Incarceum!"

Harry dove behind another gravestone as the water splashed against the stone and froze around it.

"Impedimenta!" Peeking from his cover, Harry drove the spell at Lucius. Lucius flicked his wand and deflected the spell back at Harry and sent another Stunner right behind it.

Harry ducked behind the nearest grave to dodge the spells and was going to stand up to return fire when he heard the elder Malfoy snarl, "Velox Expulso!"

Multiple small explosions lifted Harry off his feet as the granite shattered. He landed heavily on his stomach, dust and dirt covering him in a fine powder. Whipping around on his back, Harry shouted, "Flipendo Maxima!"

The blue whirlwind of light erupted from his wand and caught Lucius, sending him flying through the air. He disappeared into black smoke before landing.

'Where did he go?' Harry wondered as he slowly and shakily got to his feet, eyes flickering for any movement.

An explosion of black smoke next to him made him turn and yell, "Reduc. . ."

"Incarcerous!" Lucius snarled and Harry felt ropes start to wrap around him.

"Relashio!" Harry said hurriedly and the ropes vanished.

Harry retook his dueling stance, his wand at the ready while Lucius taunted, "Come Potter. You have backbone, I'll give you that," The Death Eater flicked his wand several times and sent spells crackling at Harry. "Why don't I break it for you?"

"Someone has to stand up against the likes of you and your master," Harry countered, deflecting each spell and sending his own back at the Death Eater. "Apparently losing the first time wasn't enough for you."

"My son seems to underestimate you. You're much better at dueling than he led me to believe." Lucius was almost making conversation now as a spout of flame rushed towards the boy.

"Your son couldn't duel his way out of a first year Charms class," Harry laughed, putting a Shield Charm up to block the flames. "Shatield!" he yelled, and the shield fragmented, shooting toward his opponent like shards of glass.

The man merely countered by levitating a gravestone out of the ground and catching the shards with it.

"Sadly, I must agree with you, Potter," Lucius conceded with a sad shake of his head. "He still has much to learn. Perhaps he will grow into something more once the Dark Lord is returned to power."

"I don't think Voldemort will be returning to power tonight," Harry bantered. "You'll have to beat me into submission first and you can't seem to do that."

"The Dark Lord doesn't want you harmed, Potter," he chuckled dryly. "At least not yet. Ah, finally arrived I see."

Harry was confused a moment before he heard a gruff voice behind snarl, "Crucio!" Screaming, he collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain. It was agony such as he had never felt in all his life; even more so than Anton's Blood Boiling Curse. His wand slipped from limp fingers as he tried to curl in on himself.

"Enough," Lucius barked. The curse on the boy finally ended.

Harry felt himself get yanked to his feet. Through the haze left by the Torture Curse he could just make out the form of his attacker. It was Professor Moody. The grizzled and disfigured Defense teacher glared at him with nothing less than disgust, and there could be no mistaking that shockingly blue magical eye. He felt his stomach drop and his throat go dry as the professor stumped beside him, his wand out and pointing at Harry. A manic look had taken over his real eye, and his tongue flicked in and out rapidly.

"Excellent work, Barty," Voldemort's voice said in praise as Moody dragged his prisoner over to a large tombstone and bound him roughly to it.

"I live to serve my lord," Moody growled, bowing low to the bundle of robes. He suddenly gave a grunt of pain, his body seizing in that position, and started to shake and convulse. "Gaaahhh, glahah, geeehhh." Moody's grunting didn't even sound like full words, just sounds. His figure twisted, his hands clenching and unclenching. His false eye popped out of its socket and was replaced with a normal one. His false wooden leg pushed out of the way by a real one that grew out of his torso. The grizzly gray hair retreated some and turned brown, his face changing into the features Harry had seen in Dumbledore's Pensieve.

"Rise, Barty," Voldemort's voice said and Barty Crouch Jr. slowly got to his feet, shivering with the last effects of the Polyjuice Potion.

"What was your delay, Bartemius?" Lucius asked as he lit a fire under the cauldron.

"That Dueling Professor, Kemper, and Black found and attacked me as I left the grounds," Crouch explained.

"We are lucky you escaped Barty," Voldemort's voice spoke. "I still have great need of you."

"What is your command, my lord?" Barty asked, bowing his head.

"Bring Wormtail over here," Voldemort's voice commanded. "Lucius, begin the potion and ritual."

"At once, my lord," the two Death Eaters said.

Barty moved off to where Wormtail's form lay by the small mausoleum while Lucius brought the bundle of robes closer to the cauldron. Walking over to Harry, he produced a gag and shoved it into the boy's mouth. Stepping back into the light cast by the cauldron flame, he then levitated the unconscious and bloody form of Wormtail to the foot of the Angel of Death and the headstone that Harry was tied to, where he dropped the man unceremoniously in the dirt.

Wormtail groaned pitifully and Harry took some small satisfaction from the thought that his spell work was the cause of his injuries. Being blown through several marble slabs and smashing against a mausoleum wall had broken several of the coward's bones. Blood dripped from a severely broken nose, his eyes were already blackening, and a cut along his scalp oozed. Several shards of marble were imbedded in his arms and legs, with one particularly large one in his lower torso. The man was barely alive.

Hearing a noise, Harry strained his neck and managed to get a glimpse of a gigantic snake slithering through the grass. It regarded him with uncannily intelligent eyes and he could have sworn he saw a dark mist swirling within them before it started to circle Wormtail and the headstone. As the seconds passed, Wormtail's breathing started to even out, but it was more wheezy than usual.

'Probably several broken ribs too,' Harry thought.

"Quiet, rat," Barty hissed, kicking the short man. Wormtail screamed, causing Lucius to regard him briefly. The elder Malfoy sneered before returning to the cauldron, which he was filling with some unknown potion. The potion started to boil and froth quickly. Large amounts of steam and sparks rose from its surface.

"Everything is in place, my lord," Lucius murmured as he dropped to one knee next to the bundle of robes.

"Quickly! Now! Before Wormtail expires from his injuries," Voldemort's voice hissed urgently. Barty stooped down and opened the bundle, revealing what was inside them. Harry let out a muffled yell of surprise and disgust at the sight. The creature Crouch was now picking up had the shape of a human child, but it was hairless and scaly-looking. It was bone-white for the most part, but areas of it were a raw reddish black. Its arms and legs were thin and feeble and its face was the stuff of nightmares- flat and snakelike, with gleaming red eyes. The thing seemed weak and helpless, almost as if it was barely clinging to life. It wrapped its arms around Barty's neck as he carried it to the cauldron.

Movement throughout the graveyard caught the attention of those present. A dark mist filtered through the graves, twisting this way and that as it slithered over the stones and statues. Upon reaching the gathering it coalesced into the shape of a man. In the time it took to blink, the image sharpened and a figure appeared. The man was garbed in a black suit that seemed to absorb light and an old fashioned red vest. His blonde hair was slicked back along his scalp, his empty blue eyes sending a shiver down Harry's spine as they threatened to draw him into their depths. This was a man that was used to having power and control, a man that felt nothing for those that got in his way. Those empty blue eyes flickered around the graveyard, the man leaning on an ebony cane that had an extremely elegant design of tendrils of something spiraling up to the handle.

"Welcome, my friend, to my rebirth," Voldemort hissed weakly.

The man nodded silently. His gaze flickered casually from Harry to the cauldron and back, as though the ritual taking place before him was of little interest. His focus seemed far more fixed on the boy, though what he was looking for Harry couldn't tell. He stared back at the hollow face and tried not to show his fear.

Barty, continuing on as though there had been no interruption, lowered Voldemort into the cauldron; a hiss rose immediately, the steam twisting briefly into the shape of a snake. Harry heard the frail body hit the bottom with a soft thud.

'If only he would drown here, my life would be much simpler,' he thought.

Lucius began the incantation, his voice grand and full of reverence.

"Bone of the Father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!"

Flicking his wand at the surface of the grave beneath Harry's feet, he cracked the stone and pulled something from its depths. Fascinated despite himself, Harry watched a fine trickle of dust rise into the air at Malfoy's command and fall softly into the cauldron. The potion, which up until now had taken on a diamond-like shimmer, hissed and turned electric blue.

The man then directed his wand at Wormtail, lifting the short man into the air to float above the cauldron.

Wormtail twitched and struggled against the spell as the fumes from the cauldron roused him to full consciousness. "What are you doing?!" he squealed. "This wasn't the plan, it was supposed to be just my hand!"

The only answer Lucius gave was to continue the ritual

"Flesh of the Servant, sacrificed, you will revive your master!"

Harry's eyes widened as the man slashed his wand through the air and a mirroring gash appear across Wormtail's throat as though assaulted by an invisible knife. Wormtail's hands flew to his throat. Blood began to seep from the slash, running through his fingers while the coward panicked and thrashed about. He locked eyes with Harry, silently begging for help, but Harry could only watch as Wormtail's struggles ended and all life drained from his form. One last shudder racked his beaten frame before it stilled. Lucius lowered his wand and Wormtail's corpse descended into the cauldron. Harry averted his eyes as the potion flared a bright, burning red.

Harry could hear Lucius make his way toward him. The sound of a knife coming free from its scabbard reached his ears.

"Blood of the Enemy, forcibly taken, you will resurrect your foe!"

Harry felt a sharp point prick in the crook of his right arm and blood began trickling down the sleeve of his torn robes. Barty rushed over, producing a small glass vial, and caught a few drops. Both Death Eaters made their way back to the cauldron, where he added it to the gruesome brew.

"The Dark Lord will rise again!" both Death Eaters yelled.

Instantly the liquid within the cauldron turned a blinding white and erupted into flames. As the flames consumed the cauldron itself, they revealed a thin body floating in the potion. Sticky fluid dripped from the figure as it stretched and straightened. The smoke wrapped itself around the body, forming wispy black robes.

The newly formed figure floated gently to its feet as the robes became fully formed. The thin man now standing where the cauldron used to be opened his eyes, staring at Harry. Harry stared back into the face that had haunted his nightmares for three years- whiter than a skull, with wide, vivid scarlet eyes and a nose that was flat as a snake's with slits for nostrils…

Lord Voldemort had risen again.

Voldemort looked away from Harry and began examining his own body. His hands were like large, pale spiders. His long white fingers caressed his own chest, his arms, his face, his head; the red eyes, whose pupils were slits like a cat's gleamed still more brightly through the darkness. He held up his hands and flexed the fingers, his expression one of rapt exultation. He took not the slightest notice of Lucius or Barty, nor of the giant snake circling Harry again, hissing. Voldemort slipped one of those unnaturally long-fingered hands into a pocket of his robe and drew out a bone white wand. He caressed it gently too; and then he raised it, and pointed it at the large tree, which promptly imploded into a pile of splinters and bark. Voldemort turned his scarlet eyes upon Harry, laughing a high, cold mirthless laugh.

"My Lord," Barty said, dropping to one knee. Lucius quickly did the same.

The Dark Lord glanced down, as if noticing the two men for the first time. "Your arm, Barty," he said lazily.

Barty extended his left arm and Voldemort rolled up the sleeve of his robes past his elbow. Harry saw something upon the skin there, something like a vivid red tattoo – a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth – the Dark Mark. Voldemort examined it carefully.

"It is back," he muttered softly. "They will all have noticed it . . . and now, we shall see who has remained loyal after all this time."

He pressed his long white forefinger to the brand on Barty's arm. When he released the man, Harry saw that the skull and snake had turned jet black. With a look of cruel satisfaction, Voldemort straightened up, threw his head back, and stared around at the dark graveyard.

"Now we shall see," Voldemort whispered, his head turned to gaze upon the stars overhead. There was a contemplative look in those red eyes. "How many have remained loyal in my exile, and which will be foolish to ignore my call?"

"Many of us have desired to see your return, my Lord," Lucius muttered.

A cold laugh escaped Voldemort as he looked at the Death Eater and replied, "We shall see my slippery friend. Many of our brethren have walked far from the true path." Turning to his mysterious guest, he asked, "Will your brother be joining us, my friend?"

"No, he is still otherwise engaged," the man stated simply. His voice had a cultured tone to it, but a hint of menace dripped from every word. Harry couldn't stop a shudder racing down his spine. He could almost feel the darkness lurking in this man.

"A true pity, I doubt we all would be standing here today if not for his efforts," Voldemort muttered.

The dark lord began to pace slowly around the small group, his bloody eyes jumping from gravestone to gravestone as he looked for something. After a few moments of this, Voldemort's gaze fell on Harry and a cruel smile formed on his snakelike face.

"Fascinating how events in the past shape our future, eh Harry?" he hissed softly. "Neither of us would be in the positions we find ourselves in now if it wasn't for the past. I never would have hunted you as a baby if not for a dire warning I received … and I wouldn't have been able to return if I had not killed my father. He gave his son the greatest gift in the end, even when he thought he had abandoned me."

Voldemort chuckled quietly as he continued to pace. His eyes once again darted all around the graveyard, while his followers dared not move a muscle until they received orders to. The mysterious guest seemed more amused by the night's proceedings as he casually observed.

"Death seems to be the link," Voldemort pondered. "The link that binds us to the past, an inevitable fate, a weakness that needs to be overcome. One would think we wizards would have discovered a way to defeat that age old enemy, but even my mother died as I was born. I vowed to never succumb to such weakness and to have my revenge on the fool whose name I bore."

Voldemort couldn't seem to stop pacing, but Harry thought maybe it was because this was the first time the Dark wizard had legs in over a decade.

"It matters not in the end, eh Harry?" Voldemort stated, stopping with a smirk forming on his lipless mouth. "Ultimately, our true family is the one we choose, and now mine has returned."

The swishing of cloaks and the soft pops of Apparation filled the air. All around the graveyard, figures in hooded black robes appeared, white skull masks obscuring their features. Slowly they moved forward, forming a circle around their master and as one, they all fell to their knees in reverence to Voldemort.

"Welcome, my friends," Voldemort said quietly. "Thirteen years it's been since we last met, and yet you arrive as promptly as if it were only … yesterday. Such a sight to see: each and every one of you whole and healthy and with your magic intact. All of you hold true to the eternal loyalty you swore to me … and yet, I must ask myself, why did none of you seek me out in my hour of need?"

Every Death Eater was silent, unmoving as a statue.

"I confess myself … disappointed," Voldemort whispered. His red eyes were blazing. "You must have believed me broken, destroyed at the hands of a mere babe. Fools, all of you!"

With sweep of the Dark Lord's hand, every skull mask exploded into black mist. The assembled Death Eaters cried out in pain and surprise, some crumpling to the ground as they lost their composure. Only Lucius Crouch, and the mysterious guest remained where they were. The latter even seemed pleased by the pain.

"You all slunk back among my enemies, showing utter disloyalty to the master you swore never to betray," Voldemort yelled.

"Master!" a Death Eater yelled, throwing himself forward. "Forgive us! Forgive us all!"

The only response the man received was a raised wand and the coldest laugh Harry had ever heard.

"Crucio!"

The Death Eater writhed and shrieked on the ground, his limbs twitching uncontrollably. Harry was sure the sound must carry to the houses nearby, but that was nothing more than wishful thinking on his part. With another flick of the Dark Lord's wand the tortured Death Eater fell back in a crumpled heap.

"You ask for forgiveness, Avery?" Voldemort hissed softly. "I do not forgive, nor do I forget. Thirteen years of disloyalty would make all of your lives forfeit … but let it not be said that Lord Voldemort is without mercy. Thirteen long years. I want thirteen years of utter and unshaking loyalty to wipe the slate clean. Lucius here has paid his due by helping to restore my body, and Barty never once wavered."

Moving to where Lucius and Crouch knelt, Voldemort gripped both men by the shoulder.

"You both returned faithfully to me, out of loyalty to me and the old ways, and Lord Voldemort rewards those who remain faithful. You both have shown me that you are my most dependable and loyal followers, along with Bellatrix once she and our imprisoned friends are free."

"Thank you, my Lord," Lucius said, bowing his head lower.

"As any true follower would do, my Lord," Crouch mumbled, his tongue flicking out.

"Once we reclaim our incarcerated brothers and sisters, we will renew our alliances with the dementors and the giants, re-forge the ties to our natural allies. Once again, we shall have an army to be feared throughout the wizarding world," Voldemort continued saying, slowly walking around his followers.

"Perhaps we should move on to the point of our meeting here tonight, Voldemort?" the mysterious man said, drawing all the attention of those present to him for a moment.

"Yes, you are right my friend," Voldemort chuckled quietly, his red eyes shifting to Harry. "I'd almost had forgotten you were here, Harry. I'd introduce you, but word has it you're almost as famous as me these days."

As the Dark Lord paced over to Harry, the eyes of every Death Eater followed him. The giant snake coiled around the gravestone started to circle again.

"The Boy Who Lived, a legend built upon lies," Voldemort stated. "Young Harry here did nothing to foil me, it was merely an oversight on my part. A momentary lapse of thought and an unexpected piece of magic are the only reasons our guest of honor is still with us. However, I succeeded in my quest to conquer death. I survived to return and show our world that nothing can stop my ascent. So here he hangs, the boy every witch and wizard believed to be my downfall."

Voldemort slowly raised his wand to point directly at Harry. Knowing what spell would be coming, the boy focused on the training Professor Kemper had given him on pushing through pain, hoping it would be enough.

"Crucio!"

It was pain beyond anything Harry had ever experienced, far beyond anything else he had gone through during the night. His very bones felt like they were on fire; his head like it was going to split along his scar. His muscles and nerves were screaming and it took everything he had to resist the most serious effects. As the spell lifted, he still had the strength and will to escape if he could.

Hanging limply in his bindings, pretending to be overwhelmed by the Torture Curse, Harry looked up into Voldemort's red eyes. The sound of cruel laughter filled the graveyard.

"You all see, I believe, how foolish it was to assume this boy could be a match for me," Voldemort laughed. "But, there should be no mistake in anybody's mind. Harry Potter escaped me by a lucky chance, and now I'm going to prove my power is far beyond his. No Dumbledore to help him, and no mother to die for him. He shall have the chance to fight, and then no doubt shall remain." He gazed fiercely at each of his followers "No one," he shouted, "is to interfere!"

With a wave of his wand Harry's bindings vanished, causing him to collapse heavily to the ground.

"Pick up your wand Potter! I said pick it up! Get up! Get up!" Voldemort yelled, sweeping back and forth in anticipation.

Harry located his wand and slowly got to his feet, his leg aching but otherwise able to hold his weight still.

"You've been taught to duel, I know," Voldemort said, a mocking edge in his voice. "First, we bow."

While Voldemort gave a mock bow, Harry didn't move beyond gripping his wand tighter. He wasn't going to be toyed with, but he highly doubted everything he learned made him a match for Voldemort.

"Come now, Harry, it is only proper manners," Voldemort sneered. "I said … bow!" Voldemort flicked his wand and Harry felt like a giant hand was forcing his spine to bend. The Death Eaters started laughing even harder.

"Very good," Voldemort hissed softly as he lifted the pressure bowing Harry. "And now you face me, properly, like a man … straight-backed and proud, the way your father died…"

Harry gripped his wand tighter at the mention of his father, Professor Kemper's words ringing in his ears to not reveal his ability unless absolutely necessary.

"And now, Harry, we duel."

Voldemort flicked his wand and Harry had to immediately dodge another Cruciatus Curse.

"Flammiaculis," Harry yelled and a spurt of flame leapt from his wand, but Voldemort merely cast a shield and the flames passed harmlessly around it.

"Atta boy, Harry, your parents would be proud," Voldemort hissed before slashing his wand.

Harry's eyes widened as a black mass shaped like a cannonball soared at him that he recognized as a Matter Smash Curse. He quickly shouted, "Protego," and the black mass impacted against the shield. He skidded him backwards, but his Shield Charm had taken the spell well. Voldemort's eyes widened a little, but then he sent another Cruciatus Curse and Harry had to dodge behind a gravestone to avoid it.

"Commaulapis," Harry yelled and the headstone blew apart into several razor-sharp shards. Directing his wand, he sent them flying at Voldemort, but the Dark wizard threw his wand up and the shards disintegrated into dust.

"Crucio," Voldemort said coldly, and Harry rolled to avoid it.

"Luccrepitus," Harry yelled and several orbs of light shot out of his wand. Voldemort flicked his wand and the orbs imploded before they could reach him and explode violently.

"Cerevalide," Voldemort snarled.

"Protego," Harry yelled to block the Skull Smashing Curse that Voldemort sent at him. The spell impacted against his shield and was absorbed, but before Harry could do anything else, Voldemort had already directed his wand at Harry again.

Voldemort sneered and Harry's eyes widened as a jet of blue light smashed through Harry's shield and drove him backwards into a large gravestone. "Crucio!" and Harry gritted his teeth as the Cruciatus Curse was placed upon him again. The pain was so intense, so all-consuming that it took everything he had to not let it overwhelm him.

Then it was gone again, leaving Harry shaking against the headstone but still standing on his own two feet.

"I must admit myself impressed, Harry. A little break though," Voldemort mocked. "A little pause, that hurt, didn't it Harry? You don't want me to do that again, do you? I'm going to kill you Harry Potter, I'm going to destroy you. After tonight no one will ever question my powers. After tonight if they speak of you they'll speak only of how you begged for death, and I . . . being a merciful lord . . . obliged."

Harry didn't answer. He was going to die, those pitiless red eyes were telling him so . . . he was going to die, and there was only so much he could do, but he refused to play along and beg Voldemort.

"I asked you whether you want me to do that again," Voldemort softly. "Answer me! Imperio!"

And Harry felt, for the third time in his life, the sensation of his mind trying to be wiped of all thought … but focusing his willpower on the pain, like Professor Kemper and Abygail had shown him, he resisted.

"You can't make me beg, Riddle," Harry said defiantly, throwing the Imperius Curse off.

Voldemort's red eyes widened and his nostrils flared. It was clear he was shaken, not to mention angered by Harry using his given name, but he recovered his composure quickly.

"You truly have grown since the last we encountered each other, Harry," Voldemort whispered quietly. "Perhaps, given time, you would be a true opponent to me."

Voldemort suddenly stabbed his wand forward, and a small jet of gray light shot out. Harry dropped out of the way as the jet of light pierced the gravestone behind him and the light kept going, passing through gravestone after gravestone.

Lying on his stomach, Harry threw his wand forward and yelled, "Expulso," and the jet of light impacted in front of Voldemort, sending debris and dirt into the air.

"Stelliopelle," Harry whispered and the Disillusionment Charm camouflaged him.

"Hiding are we? Tired of our little duel already, Harry?" Voldemort quietly asked. "I admit you've lasted longer than I thought you would.

"Vocemittre," Harry whispered then he said aloud, "You're not going to kill me tonight, Riddle."

His words rang throughout the entire graveyard, but Voldemort started laughing coldly.

"We are not playing hide-and-seek, Harry," Voldemort hissed softly, his Death Eaters laughing. "You cannot hide from me, but if you have tired of our little duel, I will oblige your silent request to die now."

Harry remained silent now and moved slowly to avoid any shimmer that would give away his location as he repositioned himself next to the Angel of Death statue. Voldemort must have sensed Harry there because he suddenly whipped around and yelled, "Avada Kedavra!" Harry ducked out of the way of the Killing Curse by whipping around the statue so the spell collided with it instead.

"Don't you turn your back on me Harry Potter! I want you to look at me when I kill you! I want to see the life leave your eyes!" Voldemort yelled.

Harry canceled the Disillusionment Charm, took a deep breath, and then came out from behind the statue.

"Have it your way," Harry said defiantly. "Bombarda Maxima!"

Voldemort threw a shield up as Harry's spell exploded in front of him, dust and debris flying into the air. Harry took the opportunity to turn and run, pushing into the ring of Death Eaters. They seemed to take their master's orders to heart as they didn't move to stop him.

A flash of green light flew over Harry's head, then another spell that was black in color sucked the life out of a shrub to his right. Flicking spells blindly over his shoulder, he couldn't see where Voldemort had gone. A darkness had surrounded him, all light and sights blotted out except in a small two feet radius.

Harry threw himself to the ground as several blue shard-like spells raced towards him from the darkness, slicing cleanly through the graves around him. Flicking his wand repeatedly, he sent several Stunning Spells in that direction, but still couldn't see where Voldemort had gone. More of the blue shards flew at him, so clearly Voldemort could see through the darkness.

"Lumos Maxima!" Harry yelled. His spell pushed against the darkness enough so that he could see a white wand flicking out towards him. There he was.

"Mucus ad Nauseam!" he yelled, the sickly white spell racing toward where Voldemort's wand shone. His shield deflected the spell, but it gave Harry enough time to get moving again. Running through the darkness, he burst out of it in time to deflect two red spells into two top hat wearing statues. A red glow emerged from then as they melted into molten stone.

Voldemort followed, his red eyes gleaming as he materialized out of the shadows he had created. A purple flame streaked out at Harry as the man slashed through the air with his wand. Harry threw a shield up to protect himself, but the spell passed through it and he was blasted backwards as the spell sliced across his chest. He felt like a blunt knife had just been drawn across his torso, but he had to keep going.

Rolling, he was able to get back on his feet and point his wand at Voldemort again. He sent another Stunning Spell at him, slowly backing up into a clear section of the graveyard, devoid of any markers. Death Eaters appeared in wisps of black smoke, reforming the circle around the dueling pair. Harry's window of opportunity was closing.

"Expelliarmus!"

"Avada Kedavra!"

The jet of red light and the rush of green impacted against each other, and suddenly they morphed into a gold stream. Voldemort's eyes widened as he tried to break the connection with a flick of his wand, but the wands stayed connected.

"Interesting," the mysterious man commented, reappearing as well on the edge of the circle.

"What have you done, Potter?" Voldemort yelled, still trying to break the connection. Something glimmered in the Dark Lord's eyes. They widened just a hair and Harry caught sight of something he'd never seen there before. Voldemort was afraid. Despite all the magic he'd studied, he didn't know what this was. Then again, neither did Harry.

"Nothing, Voldemort," the mysterious man replied. "Mr. Potter here is not causing the bond between your wands. Something else is."

Harry looked at the pale figure in his crisp suit, standing nonchalantly to one side, then back at Voldemort, who barely seemed to hear his mysterious guest as he struggled to break free. Harry tightened his own grip. He couldn't allow the connection to break, it was the only thing keeping Voldemort at bay. The gold beam between the combatants shined brighter, wispy arms of light dancing off it.

"Don't break the connection," an ethereal voice whispered, and Harry looked around for the source. No one in the circle of Death Eaters had spoken, none of them had so much as moved. Only their visitor seemed to even have noticed anything; he smirked coldly at the dueling pair.

Harry returned his gaze to the beam connecting himself to his opponent. Voldemort had stopped trying to fight his way out and was now simply trying to maintain his grip. The more they pulled against each other the brighter the light became, until certain points along its length began to glow more brightly than the rest. These beads, originally evenly spaced between the two wands, began to slowly slide toward Harry. As they got closer, maintaining his grasp grew exponentially more difficult. Knowing he would not be able to hold on if they came any closer, Harry did the only thing he could think of, he pulled his wand sharply upward, angling the beam back toward Voldemort. The beads of light reversed their movement and sped back toward the older man. The Dark Lord cried out in shock as, one after the other, the beads flared and disappeared into his wand.

Screams of pain started to echo around the graveyard, but no one was crying out. Where was that coming from? Harry's eyes focused on Voldemort's wand as another scream of pain echoed from it. Every figure present stared at the shrieking wand. Suddenly the screams died and a collective gasp bounced around the circle like a whisper as something started to emerge from the tip. Voldemort's eyes widened as a smoky shadow of an old man flew out to stand next to Harry.

Voldemort looked clearly shaken as he gaped at the shadowy form.

"He killed me, boy," the shadowy old man said. "You fight him tooth and nail."

"No spell can awaken the dead, it's impossible," Voldemort hissed.

Even then, another form burst out of the wand and it was one that Harry immediately recognized. A shadowy version of his mother now stood next to him, a soft smile on her lips.

"Hold on, Harry," she whispered. "You must hold on."

With his mother now here, Harry knew who was coming next. One more shadow emerged from the wand, the same unruly hair on its head as he was used to seeing in the mirror. James Potter stood next to his wife, smiling proudly down at his son. More victims of Voldemort started to emerge from the wand, but they surrounded the Dark Lord instead of coming to Harry's side. Voldemort's face was etched with fear.

"You must get back to the Portkey, Harry," James instructed. "We can linger for a few moments to shield you from him once the connection is broken."

"How are you here?" Harry asked. The grip he had on his wand was starting to hurt his hand.

"We're always there, watching you," Lily replied quietly. "We're so proud of you, Harry. We are so proud of the man you are growing up into."

"I'll keep making you both proud, I promise," Harry said. The exhaustion started to weigh on his arms, and holding his wand still was suddenly nearly impossible.

"Be ready to run, son," James whispered. "Break the connection now. Do it now."

"Now!" Harry yelled, pulling his wand with an almighty wrench. The gold beam shattered, but the shadows of Voldemort's victims lingered and converged towards him. They would shield him from the Dark Lord's gaze and…

They exploded into a fine mist that quickly dissipated. Harry looked over and the mystery man was lowering his hand, a black energy twining around his fingers.

"There will be no more of that," he stated simply, his face becoming bored again. But those empty blue eyes never left Harry.

"What did you do Potter?" Voldemort hissed, while Harry just stood with his wand hanging loosely from his hand. His chance to escape had disappeared at the hand of Voldemort's strange guest. "That went far beyond the Priori Incantatem effect. No matter, I'll discover that soon enough."

A flick of Voldemort's wand made Harry cried out as a Cutting Curse far stronger than anything a student could produce cut right along her arm. A river of blood flowed down it now, drenching his robes. Gritting his teeth, he raised his wand and sent a Stunning Spell at Voldemort.

He couldn't escape just relying on his magic, Voldemort was too strong for that. He had to reveal his secret now. Too much more of this and he'd pass out from blood loss alone

Voldemort raised his wand again, another Unforgivable ready on his lips, and Harry saw his chance. With an easy flick of his wrist, several stone shards rose up from the ground and rocketed toward the Dark Lord.

Swishing his wand before him, Voldemort disintegrated all the projectiles, except one which managed to slip through. That one shard hurtled straight into the bone-white wand, shattering it in his hand. Broken now beyond repair, the wand hung limply in the Dark Lord's fingers.

"NO!" he screamed. Harry took the chance to send two boulders into the crowd of Death Eaters and took off running. "Stop him!" Grabbing the wand of an unconscious follower, Voldemort sent a Killing Curse at Harry. The Death Eaters followed suit, racing after their escaping target.

Zigzagging through the headstones, Harry fired spells back over his shoulder, then had to roll behind a statue of an angel as a nasty black and red curse exploded where his head had been, taking part of the angel with it.

Popping out from behind the ruined statue, Harry sent a Stunner at the offending Death Eater, blasting him head over heels and out of sight. Taking off again, Harry threw his hand up. An earthen wall rose up to block the curses and give him a minute of breathing room to escape.

"An excellent performance, Mr. Potter. Truly, it was very impressive for someone just beginning to step into a new world."

Harry whipped around to see Voldemort's mysterious guest standing a few meters away, calmly leaning on his cane and looking at Harry with interest.

"Stupefy!" Harry yelled, but the man spun his cane and the spell was deflected away into a gravestone. His follow up with a large stone boulder was met with a blast of black light that shattered the stone and left only dust hanging in the air.

"You've got a very long way to go, Mr. Potter, before you can even try to fight me," the man said, twirling his cane nonchalantly. His suit and vest were stainless, without even a crease to show that he'd been standing in the midst of battle. "Now, I'm afraid you can't leave this graveyard alive."

Harry was about to reply when a Stunner zoomed over his head and he was forced to take off again, winding his way through the graves. Looking back over his shoulder, he watched the blonde man slam his cane down into the ground and turn it. Black tendrils of energy raced out in all directions across the ground, sinking down into the earth as they reached graves

Knowing nothing good could come of that, Harry picked up the pace, hurtling smaller stones now as he wove between the larger ones looking for something, anything, to get him out of here. Suddenly, hands started to burst out of the ground, rotting flesh and bone hands that started to pull the corpses and skeletons they were attached to out of the ground.

"Bloody hell!" Harry shrieked, for a moment sounding as terrified as he felt. He tried to run even faster, but the shuffling corpses and skeletons were after him and still emerging out of the ground in front of him. A hand shot of the ground in front of him, grabbing his leg and he fell heavily to the ground as a corpse broke through the earth. A worm was crawling through its empty eye socket and he could see that several teeth were missing as the corpse stretched its mouth as wide as the decaying muscles would allow.

"Flammiaculis!" Harry shouted, jabbing his wand into the face of the corpse. A rush of flame shot out of his wand and engulfed the decaying figure. He felt his leg come free and he scrambled to his feet, shooting more spouts of flame at anything coming near. Harry almost thought he'd be able to hold his ground but then jets of light from the Death Eaters started to tear into the earth and graves around him.

Harry directed two more flame spells in front of him and ran through them, dodging a Stunner as it sailed past. "Stun him!" he heard Voldemort scream.

Harry could see the Portkey up ahead, but more of the walking corpses were in the way and two Death Eaters suddenly appeared in whirls of black smoke.

"Potter!" one of them yelled, shooting a Leg-Locker Curse at him.

Harry rolled out of the way, popped up and yelled, "Impedimenta." His spell slammed into the Death Eater's face and slowed him to a crawl, but the other one whipped his wand through the air before Harry could turn to him. Chains shot out of the ruined ground and wrapped themselves around the teenager.

"I have him My Lord," the Death Eater yelled in triumph and Harry despaired as he saw his path to freedom, more than ten feet away, lying behind the Death Eater and a shambling force of corpses.

"Excellent work, Yaxley," Voldemort said, appearing next to the Death Eater in a rush of smoke. "Well, Harry, it was an excellent attempt, but not quite good enough. Ossa Frangere!"

Harry yelled as the bones in his right leg shattered. Groaning, he screamed further as Voldemort put another Cruciatus Curse on him, his red eyes blazing. Harry writhed and twitched as much as the chains around him would allow. This was his longest session under Crucio yet, and even his training wasn't helping anymore. Through the pain and agony, Harry struggled to lift his head. He could see the Cup of Merlin just lying a few meters away.

"You're going to die like this Harry Potter," Voldemort whispered, lifting the curse. "This will be the day that people remember when they think of your name. The day you died and I ascended."

"How about we push that day back?" Harry quipped and Voldemort responded by blasting his left hand with another Bone Breaking Curse. Every tiny bone in his hand shattered. Screaming, Harry could feel darkness of unconsciousness encroaching on his vision. His body couldn't take much more, but he couldn't close his eyes, not yet. He would never wake up if he did; he needed to live and fight another day…

"I think we've had our fun," Voldemort hissed. "Goodbye, Harry Potter." He raised the borrowed wand to strike the boy down once and for all. Harry closed his eyes as he thought about all his friends and family, and how he would never see them again. Sirius, Remus, all of the Weasleys, Neville, Luna, the Ericson sisters, his new foreign friends, his teachers … Ron, Hermione and Ginny … he wished he and Ron had finally made up … but no … he wasn't going to die here … he was going to see those he loved again. He fought off the impending darkness, clenching his teeth and gathering whatever reserves of strength he had left.

"Avada Kedavra!"

The streak of green light raced towards Harry and he knew he had to act now. A large circle of rocks raced to surround him and intercepted the Killing Curse. Voldemort's eyes widened in surprise before Harry gestured with his wand hand and a column of earth rocketed forward, knocking over Yaxley and the Dark Lord.

"Relashio," Harry groaned, pointing his wand at the chains keeping him pinned to the ground. He rolled out from under his earthen shell, away from the other men. Voldemort's red eyes pierced into him, hatred pouring off of them. He snarled and raised the borrowed wand once more. The mysterious man that had summoned the corpses stood nearby, his eyes shining with glee and he nodded ever so slightly to Harry in respect. All of this happened in a moment before Harry turned away, looking past the wall of the dead.

"Accio!" he yelled, pointing his wand at the Cup of Merlin.

It tumbled along the ground toward him. He grabbed it by the handle –

"NO!" Voldemort screamed as Harry disappeared in a whirl of color. His Death Eaters came up behind their master, but held back a few steps from his fury.

"Most impressive indeed," the man said, looking at the spot where Harry disappeared. "It is of no serious consequence though."

"Potter was not supposed to survive," Voldemort hissed. "The entire plan is ruined now, the fear that was to be thrown across the wizarding world will be met by defiance. The Dark Mark the Cup produced was supposed to announce his death and my return, to shatter their morale. Now it merely announced me and they have time to prepare and not panic." His Death Eaters flinched backward at the iciness of his tone, but their guest held firm.

"Only Dumbledore will prepare, the Ministry will be … ineffective," the man said.

"Why?" Voldemort asked. "The Dark Mark will clearly galvanize the Ministry into action this time."

"My brother has the ear of Fudge, he can influence him against Dumbledore and Mr. Potter," the man said with a cold grin. "Barty will be the insane escapee from Azkaban that we can pin everything on, including the idea you didn't truly return." He stepped forward and put a hand on the Dark Lord's shoulder. "If anything this now gives us the chance to take the ministry from the inside out, without our enemies interfering."

Voldemort slowly started to smirk. "Dumbledore and his Order of the Phoenix will turn themselves blue trying to convince people, while the Ministry maintains that everything is fine, especially if a body is discovered by the Aurors and identified as Barty's."

"Yes. So tell me my friend, do you wish for further assistance in your plans?"

"I do, yourself and your brother are highly resourceful."

The blonde figure chuckled. "More than you know; we have been silently moving pieces across Europe for our plan."

All of Europe? Voldemort's eyes flashed a dangerous red. "And what is this plan of yours?"

"War, my friend, an all-out war for control." The Dark Lord's eyes widened slightly as the man continued. "When the fighting begins anew, it will not be petty terrorist attacks or targeted assassinations, although those will of course be utilized. We shall take control of this country and all of Europe in a pureblood empire raised in darkness."

Voldemort stared into the man's pale and chiseled face. For once he felt no threat at this figure's implication that he held more power than the wizard. Instead, he viewed his companion with a modicum of respect, shrouding, of course, the possibility of becoming more powerful and taking the lead position by force. "You want my help to accomplish this?"

"No, we want your help to lead this effort. You would naturally control Britain when the fighting ends with allies across the continent, including Karkaroff whom I'm aware you've already given a task."

Voldemort was silent, considering the option and liking the way it looked. He was sitting on the throne of Buckingham Palace or better yet, ruling from Hogwarts, with the entirety of Britain at his command and allies abroad controlling the rest of Europe in a pureblood empire. Perhaps he would eventually extend his rule to the Americas and elsewhere. "Yes," he answered slowly, "I believe I will join this endeavor."

The blonde nodded. "We require one more year to finish moving the last pieces, but no longer."

"I have a plan I can work on in the shadows. Potter has escaped one too many times for my liking, I must retrieve what started all of this."

"My brother will assist you if needed."

Voldemort grinned a humorless, snake like grin. "Excellent, your continued assistance is appreciated."

"Then let us shake and seal the deal," the man said, extending his hand.

Voldemort took the offered hand and felt a wave of energy -cold, malevolent, dark energy- flowing into him. Something inside him awoke, causing the Dark Lord to close his eyes as whatever it was enveloped his very being and soul, merging with him.

As he opened his eyes, a black and purple energy radiated from them briefly before they returned to their normal red. Rising his hand slowly, he dropped the wand he'd snatched from an unconscious follower. Energy crackled between his fingers. Leveling his fingers at a tombstone, he thought of an Expulso Curse. A jet of light left his hand and the tombstone exploded into dust and a crater. A cold smile broke across his face and he started to laugh into the night, his loyal followers standing behind their master watching him laugh triumphantly.