Chapter 34 – The Blood Moon

Quick Note: I do not own anything from the wonderful world of Harry Potter by JK Rowling. That includes any scenes I may have derived or paraphrased from the original text.

Hospital Wing

"Oh dear..." muttered Madam Pomfrey as Hermione deposited an unconscious Daphne Greengrass onto one of the hospital beds. "You said she fainted?"

Hermione nodded once, eyeing the Slytherin for a moment. She'd found Daphne as she left the Slytherin common room, and by the grace of Merlin, she'd happened to be alone. After Stupefying her and tampering with her memories so she forgot what she saw between her and Draco, she brought her to the Hospital Wing to be taken care of. Blaise was already paranoid enough, it was best Hermione kept all her bases covered.

"I watched as she fell while walking back to the common room after the Hogsmede trip," she said, pushing away the small pang of guilt she felt at the lie. "I'm not quite sure what happened..." the blonde frowned in concern, hoping it looked convincing.

"Well," Madam Pomfrey huffed after performing a few scanning spells to check her immediate health, "It seems that she's fine for now. Do let her classmates know she's here in case anyone becomes concerned. Thank you for bringing her in, Miss Malfoy."

Hermione smiled and gave her another nod before leaving. Hesitating at the door, she turned to glance back at Greengrass, taking a moment to wonder if she should wait to ensure the memories held or not. Deciding not to, as it would look odd, she took a deep breath and left, praying she didn't make a huge mistake.

Hogwarts – 06/24/1995

Hermione felt nauseous as she walked onto the huge field for the Third Task. The past few days had come and gone without a hitch when it came to the memory charms and while she and Draco had gone over their plans relentlessly, the uncomfortable feeling that something would go wrong remained with her.

Sirius had come to visit a few days back, and although she'd only seen him at meals, his presence helped calm her. As relaxed as he seemed to be, she could tell even he was wound up. Harry had been sending him owls daily until he arrived, and he was on high-alert for even the littlest sign that something was off.

Walking with Blaise and the rest of the Slytherins, she took her seat beside him in the stands and nervously wrung her hands. She needed to come up with some excuse to remove herself from him so she could slip off and see Harry and Draco, but she couldn't come up with anything believable. A hand on her knee drew her out of her thoughts and she looked to her side immediately, quelling the revulsion she felt at his touch. The dark-skinned Slytherin was looking at her with his eyebrow raised, a smirk on his lips.

"Well, Hermione? How fast do you think it'll take Potter or the mud-blood to piss themselves and forfeit? I say an hour," he had a dark glint in his eyes as Crabbe and Goyle laughed.

She could feel her temper rising quickly, and she clenched her hands. Just as she was about to speak, an airy voice cut in.

"Lovely day isn't it?"

Blaise's eyes flickered from hers to the girl behind them in confusion before he glanced up at the sky. Hermione followed his lead and nearly laughed. It was overcast today, with a hint of a storm brewing on the horizon.

"You talking to me, Looney?" he asked, a smug look on his face when his cronies laughed again.

"Would you just shut–"

"It's quite alright, Hermione," smiled Luna, completely unperturbed. Her radish earrings clinked as she turned to give her a serene smile. "Would you mind coming with me? Dumbledore wanted a word with you."

Thrown off momentarily by the change of topic, there was a beat of awkward silence where Luna watched her expectantly as the Slytherins eyed them and whispered. Her eyes somehow caught Oberon's – he was sitting two rows down – before he quickly looked away.

"O-Of course," she finally stuttered, her anger ebbing and making way for concern.

She got up and made to follow Luna before Blaise cut in.

"Make it quick," he said in clipped tones, causing her to bristle at the order.

Luna held her hand and pulled her away quickly, sensing her anger.

"Hermione," she whispered, as they quickly descended the stands and walked towards the tents, "don't let him get to you."

She shot her a half-hearted smile.

"Easier said than done, I suppose," she sighed, coming to a halt as Luna positioned them just behind one of the tents and out of sight. The girl gave her a mysterious smile before turning and walking away, causing her to frown.

"Luna! Where are you going? I thought Dumbledore–"

"You needed an excuse," she replied, turning back to give her a quick wave and a knowing look before she moved towards the stands again.

Hermione's mouth dropped before a slow smile curled her lips at the realization that Luna had successfully managed to get her out from under Blaise's annoyingly close watch.

Thank Merlin for Luna Lovegood, she thought.

Not wasting a moment, Hermione placed a disillusionment charm on herself and slipped off to the Hogwarts' Champions' tent. Entering slowly, she looked around and marveled again at how large and spacious it was. Magic would never cease to amaze her. Low murmurs from the back of the tent brought her out of her reverie and she glanced over to see Sirius and Harry in conversation. They were seated on a bench while Draco paced anxiously off to the side. His wand was clenched tightly in his hand as he practically wore a hole in the ground. Seeing that the coast was clear, she took off her disillusionment charm, and just as the brunet noticed her, she threw her arms around him. He yelped and stumbled back for a few seconds before righting the both of them.

"Merlin, Hermione, you nearly tackled me to the bloody ground," Draco said, an amused tinge to his voice. "...Hermione?"

She just shook her head, held him tightly, and breathed in his scent. The warmth of his embrace calmed her. He gave her a quick squeeze.

"I'll be fine, you're acting like you've already planned my funeral."

She froze at his words before pulling back and glaring at him.

"Take that back."

He rolled his eyes.

"I didn't even–"

"Now."

"Fine, I take it back," he growled.

"Good," she sniffed, giving him a severe look before turning to Harry and enveloping him in a large hug as well.

"Be safe out there, alright?" she said, her voice shaking just a bit as she looked between them. "Remember the plan." Her eyes caught Draco's for a moment, and he gave her a infinitesimal nod.

"No hug for your cousin?" asked Sirius, pretending to look hurt.

She rolled her eyes and smiled before enveloping him in one as well.

"And what is this plan of yours?" Sirius interjected, looking between the three of them.

"Just what I told you about the coins, Sirius," explained Harry as Hermione grabbed them from her pocket.

He gave a nod of understanding before his eyes flickered back to the Slytherin, and in response, she turned to glance at him.

"Hermione, could I have a word?" he asked seriously.

Instantly feeling apprehensive, she swallowed nervously and nodded. As they moved to a corner of the tent, she could hear Draco and Harry go over plans and spells to make sure they had everything sorted.

"What is it, Sirius?" she frowned as he ushered her onto one of the seats.

"I know this isn't the best time to have this conversation, Hermione," he began slowly, leaning in so they wouldn't be overheard. His grey eyes stared into hers, as if trying to get her to understand, "but as I'm sure you know, this year hasn't been a smooth one for Harry... or for yourself." She nodded carefully, her eyes traveling back to the two champions. "I know what it's like to be in your position," he continued, causing her to freeze. "I hate my family... our family, I guess I should say," he shot her a wry grin. "My brother, Regulus, however, always had a soft spot in my heart... despite his stupidity." There was a pregnant pause and she looked up at him. He gave her a small, reassuring smile. "I know you know what I'm about to ask, so I won't beat around the bush anymore... but I presume you know some of what your father is doing?"

She took in a deep breath, expecting him to ask her this.

"Only barely," she replied softly, clenching her hands. "I know he's doing something with Voldemort, but what exactly it is, I'm not entirely sure."

"Dumbledore and I knew as much," he nodded. Taking her hand gently, he continued, "If you ever need a place to stay, you're welcome with us, Hermione. Harry and I are just an owl away. I know I said I hate my family, but you might be the one exception," he shot her a grin.

Appreciation flooded through her and she relaxed.

"Thank you, Sirius, honestly. I'll... I'll let you know."

He nodded.

"Our door is always open, just in case."

Draco stood nervously in front of the maze as the crowd cheered behind him. Twirling his wand through his fingers in agitation, he looked over at Harry, who was staring firmly ahead of him, seemingly in a daze. Glancing behind him, he caught sight of Hermione easily. Other than her bright hair, her posture was as rigid as a plank and he could almost see the anxiety flowing off her in waves. His eyes narrowed as they traveled to Zabini, who was seated next to her. He couldn't wait to get rid of that prat.

"As stated before, each one of you have been assigned a professor to keep watch over you throughout the maze," began Professor McGonagall, her voice echoing loudly throughout the arena. The stands immediately died down as she began to speak. "We will be patrolling around the maze to prevent any serious injuries in the event that things get out of hand. Be careful," she stated, looking at each one of them with a grave expression on her face, "once we have intervened, you will officially be disqualified. If you wish to withdraw at any time, simply raise your wand and send red sparks into the sky. Your assigned professor will come to you immediately. Any questions?"

Everyone shook their heads in response.

"Very well, then," she nodded, "I wish you all the best."

As she stepped away, the noise from the stands became loud once more as everyone cheered. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Draco stood in front of his entrance to the maze and waited.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" announced Ludo Bagman, "The third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin! Let me remind you of the current ranking with our champions! Tied for first place are Mr. Harry Potter and Mr. Draco Granger!" Draco didn't quite think it possible, but the screams increased in volume and became deafening. If he weren't in such a harrowing situation, he might have basked in it. "In second is Mr. Viktor Krum, and in third is Miss Fleur Delacour!" Bagman paused for a moment, allowing the stands to cheer. "So... on my whistle..." he said slowly, "Three... two... one!" He blew and the stands erupted into cheers again as the third and final task began.

"Lumos," he muttered, entering the dark maze. The noise died down considerably after a few steps before it was completely silent. He paused at the sudden change, feeling the hair on his arms stand on end. Walking forward quickly and swallowing the lump in his throat, he took a right at the first fork in the path.

It was chilly and incredibly eerie in the maze. The fog, unnatural quiet, and darkness did absolutely nothing for his thundering heartbeat and sweating hands. Tapping his wand surreptitiously against his pocket to ensure the coin was there, he continued onward. His plan was to find Harry and survive. Turning another corner, he continued going forward and to his right – where Harry had entered – only to find a dead end.

Cursing, he doubled back to where he had first started, but the path seemed completely different now. He quickly shoved the panic he was beginning to feel to the back of his mind. Now was not the time. A voice that sounded a little too much like Hermione told him to focus. Steeling himself, he decided to go left instead and ran forward quickly, jumping in surprise when the coin in his pocket buzzed once. Sharp relief spread through him and he continued moving forward slowly, focusing on the coin. The silence in the maze was unnerving.

Surely someone would have come across the minotaur by now?

Just as he turned the corner again and the coin buzzed twice in a row, something blasted into his side and he collapsed onto the ground, completely winded. Opening his eyes, he caught sight of blonde hair and groaned, trying to push Fleur off him as nicely as possible. She seemed entirely out of it. There were scratches on her arms and she was covered in dirt and some blood.

"Are you alri–"

"MOVE!" she screamed, her eyes wild. Not waiting for a response, she tripped over him and fled, going along the path he had come from.

Before he could call after her, rapidly approaching large thuds stopped him. Looking forward, Draco could swear his heart stopped beating at the sight of a large half-bull, half-giant slam into one of the hedges on the far end of the path. The shrubbery collapsed with its weight and it roared angrily. Scrambling to get up, Draco grabbed his wand and moved away as the hedges around them began to collapse. Just as he took one step, the minotaur glanced up, its blood red eyes locking onto him. Its body was covered completely in dark brown fur, save its hooves, each one bigger than Draco's head. He paled considerably as it fell to all fours and began to charge in earnest, it's sharp horns pointed towards him.

His blood thundered through his veins as he took a right onto a different path. Glancing behind him, the saw the minotaur turn easily onto his path and follow him.

"Impedimenta!" he yelled, throwing his wand over his shoulder to fire the spell. His eyes widened in shock when it rebounded off one of the minotaur's horns and exploded into the hedge next to them. Picking up speed, he registered the coin was still buzzing twice and at a faster rate, and he took a left.

His mind was whirring with thoughts, the most prominent one being that he needed to find the center of the maze first and then incapacitate the minotaur, otherwise he wouldn't be able to reach the Triwizard Cup in time. Deciding to place a tracking spell on the minotaur, he looked over his shoulder once again.

The creature was a good distance away – far enough to where he didn't have to worry, per se, about it killing him, but close enough to where it could follow his movements. Holding his wand over his shoulder, Draco aimed at the minotaur's body.

"Vestigio!"

The spell hit the creature straight on its chest and he grinned in triumph. Turning right once more, he slammed into the very person he'd been searching for.

Scrambling, he pulled himself up quickly, and before Harry could get a word in edgewise, grabbed him and dragged him along.

"Draco!" he yelled, yanking himself out of his grip, "What the–"

A loud roar sounded from behind them along with gradually increasing footsteps and his eyes widened.

"RUN!"

They both froze as the minotaur slid right behind them, it's nostrils flaring and releasing hot, acrid smoke. It was too close. Much too close.

"Stupefy!" roared Harry, his wand pointed at its face.

Draco visibly relaxed as it flew back into the hedge, taking the surrounding hedges down with it.

"Bloody powerful Stupefy there, mate," he huffed, leaning over and catching his breath. The relief he felt at finding Harry was overwhelming. "Thank Merlin we practiced so often."

"What the bloody hell has happened to you?" Harry asked, walking over and eyeing him in concern. "You look like a hoard of centaurs strung you up and dragged you through the Forbidden Forest for a few hours."

"That thing has been chasing me for the past fifteen minutes," he groaned, taking a moment to collapse onto the ground and catch his breath. "However, I managed to come up with a brilliant strategy to finish this."

Taking off his glasses, Harry began to clean them with his shirt, "Well, go on, then."

"I placed a tracking charm on it, so every time I use the compass spell, it will lead me to him," he nodded towards the unconscious minotaur. "We just need to find the center of the maze, lure him over there, incapacitate him, and then we'll be done."

"You think it'll work?" he asked skeptically. "Not to mention all the other enchantments they added in here, too."

"Who bloody knows," he snarked, getting up and shaking the dirt off, "but it's the only plan we have for right now and there's two of us to execute it."

Just as Harry opened his mouth to reply, a rumbling noise came from the minotaur.

Exchanging a glance, they ran.

"Point me!" ordered Harry, his wand in the palm of his hand. It spun and stopped to their left. "Alright, let's go."

Moving forward, the pair of them continued down the path and took a left, leaving the minotaur behind as they made their way north and to the center of the maze. It was fairly quiet for awhile as they trudged through the dark hedges – the chill starting to set in and the fog increasing as they continued.

Bagman's statement that there were other enchantments in the maze had Draco on edge.

"For fuck's sake," he growled under his breath as they turned another corner. It was almost impossible to see a few feet in front of them with how thick the mist had become. "Stay alert."

He began walking forward slowly, his eyes peeled for any sort of creature or enchantment. The moisture clung to his skin as he moved, and he struggled to take in deep breaths. Pausing, he lifted his shirt and aired it, while focusing on his breathing. Realizing that the mist was making it feel like he was slowly being strangled, he began to move forward quickly only to stumble over something hard on the ground and have the wind knocked out of him.

"Draco, are you alright?" called out Harry, his voice tinged with concern.

He groaned and rolled onto his back before blinking a few times, slightly dazed. Glancing up, he saw the boy come into his line of sight with his wand out.

"I'm fine," he muttered, sitting up and attempting to stand. Just as he moved one of his legs, something latched onto it tightly.

"What the–"

They glanced over to see something that looked like a decaying hand sticking out of the ground and wrapped around his ankle. Fear gripped Draco's heart, and he instantly tried to pull his leg out of its tight grip.

"Don't move!" yelled Harry, his voice slowly becoming weaker and weaker as the fog constricted his airway. "I'll try to blast it off–"

A deep, low groan sounded and the hand moved upward to reveal part of an arm and elbow. Draco's eyes widened as other sounds erupted from around them and the ground started to shift. Not wasting any time, he grabbed his wand. Black spots began to pop up in his vision at the lack of oxygen.

"Reducto!"

Harry's spell hit the hand and it exploded, sending black slime everywhere. Draco attempted to get to his feet but stumbled as a large, decaying head popped out from the ground. Black, soulless eyes glared at the two of them. Much faster than anticipated, it began to pry itself out, it's other arm lashing out at him. A warm hand grabbed Draco's and hauled him to his feet as the spots began to get larger and his breathing more rapid. He was on the verge of fainting.

"Expulso!" Harry cried out as he ran and attempted to drag Draco with him. The curse hit one of the hedges, causing it to collapse on top of the creatures. As they continued to move away, the fog cleared and the black spots vanished. Certain they were safe after a few more minutes of running – Draco clumsily stumbling as the Boy-Who-Lived nearly dragged him out of there – they paused to catch their breath.

"What the hell was that?" Harry asked, stopping to catch his breath as well.

"Either zombies or inferi," Draco retorted, disgust written all over his face. "Bloody disgusting, they are. I can't believe the Ministry thought to put them here..."

"What do you mean?"

"Inferi are dark magic and illegal, so I doubt that's what they were," he began as they started to walk forward again. "I'm assuming they were zombies... I've never seen them before, however," he added as they took a sharp right at another fork in the road. "I thought they were just in the southern part of North Ameri–"

"Oh shit."

Harry ducked as a bright white light flew past them and exploded in the hedges and Draco instantly grabbed him and pulled him back. Turning his head around the corner, he saw the minotaur staring back at them. Another shot of light – red, this time – flew past and he immediately hid.

"I think Krum is out there," he whispered, hearing the tell-tale, loud footsteps of the minotaur draw closer. "We need to–"

A loud bang was heard and the minotaur flew back into the hedges next to them with a loud roar. There was a short moment of silence.

"Well... that's sorted," Harry muttered, moving away from the hedge and turning the corner.

Another bright light whizzed past Harry's head – missing him by an inch – causing Draco to curse and yank him back once more.

"I know you are there," came the deep voice of Krum, causing Draco to roll his eyes.

Obviously.

"You vill stay there or I vill knock you out. I haff taken down the minotaur, so I vill get the cup. It is only fair. Do not make me curse you."

Draco and Harry exchanged a tense look.

"Alright!" the Boy-Who-Lived yelled back, clutching his wand tightly.

After a few moments, Draco peeked out from around the hedge to see a path that seemed to stretch all the way to the other side of the maze. In the middle was a podium with the Triwizard Cup glittering ominously on top. Everything beyond the podium was shrouded in an intense fog.

Zombies.

Focusing, he saw Krum running towards the cup, his back turned to them, and he rolled his eyes again. Did he really think they'd be so scared of him they'd sit here and let him take it? Next time he talked to Hermione, he needed to ask her how she was friends with him for so long. He was a bloody idiot.

Coming out quietly from behind the hedge, he pointed his wand at Krum's back and yelled, "Stupefy!" Slight guilt hit him for cursing the Bulgarian when his back was turned, but it vanished at the prospect of possibly coming face-to-face with Voldemort after touching that cup. He'd practically saved Viktor's life with that spell.

Movement started from behind them just as the cup vanished again.

Before he could even blink, Harry stunned the minotaur again and it fell unconscious once more.

"Let's go!" he yelled as the cup materialized again, and the two began to run towards the center of the path. Draco could hear his blood thumping in his ears as they approached it.

"Together?"

He looked over at Harry and nodded, sending a silent prayer up to Merlin to make this as painless as possible if they were sent to Voldemort.

"Three... Two... One!"

They extended their hands – Draco's shaking – and touched the cup. The familiar pull of the portkey tugged at them, and they vanished.

Little Hangleton Graveyard

Draco winced in pain as he came to. His head felt like lead and the underside of it burned, but he knew better than to utter a single word. Before he had blacked out – his head had sharply hit a rock when the portkey dropped them at their destination – he saw where they had come to, and it definitely was not the front of the maze. This had gone wrong... horribly wrong.

It wasn't until then that he realized someone was screaming.

"Oh shut up," he heard a familiar voice say, somewhere to his right, before the screams were silenced. Whether by the killing curse or a silencing charm, Draco wasn't certain. He felt his stomach roll with nausea as fear and a sense of extreme urgency seeped into his bones. He needed to get the fuck out of here and fast. Opening his eyes a small fraction, he saw a very curious scene.

There was a young man who appeared to be in his twenties pacing silently, his black cloak billowing behind him, while Rabastan Lestrange was suspended mid-air, his neck sliced open. The shock of seeing his uncle dead had Draco freeze. Blood was dripping intermittently from his neck onto a shimmering, golden cup with two handles. Looking to the side, he saw Rodolphus standing silently and watching the gruesome scene with his Death Eater mask in one hand and his wand in the other.

Scanning the area, he felt slight relief to see Harry staring at the scene in horror, restrained against a large grave with the words Tom Riddle carved upon the headstone. There was a long cut on his forearm that was still bleeding.

Thank Merlin he's still alive, he thought.

Moving his eyes further to the right, he saw the long cape, expensive cane, and familiar dragon-hide shoes that belonged to none other than Lucius Malfoy. He was standing just a few feet away from Draco, and the proximity put him on edge. If he tried to move, Lucius would know instantly. Draco looked for his wand and the Triwizard Cup but neither were anywhere near him or in his line of sight. His eyes flickered back to Lucius's cane. If he could somehow grab his wand... then perhaps he could Apparate out of here with Harry. It would be incredibly risky, there would be a lot of explaining to do, and the chance of it working was slim to none, but it was the only chance he had. His stomach flipped violently at the realization that the odds were stacked against them heavily.

Cold laughter broke the tense silence, and his eyes snapped back to the unfamiliar, young man. He was clenching and unclenching his hands, intense satisfaction on his face.

"My Lord? Did it work?" asked Lucius softly.

My.. Lord? Is that Voldemort?!

Draco's eyes widened as the man let out another short laugh.

"Of course it did, Lucius," he replied triumphantly before waving his hand. Rabastan fell to the ground in a heap, and the golden cup disintegrated.

A sudden, sharp realization hit Draco as he stared at Rabastan's dead body – it wasn't just any cup... it was Helga Hufflepuff's cup. It was one of Voldemort's horcruxes... and if Harry was bleeding... then they must have used both his and Rabastan's blood to bring Voldemort back. The man standing in front of them was a much younger version of Voldemort since that was the portion of his soul which had been trapped in the horcrux.

A loud, ear-piercing scream cut through the night air, but this time, it was coming from the Dark Lord, himself. Draco's eyes flashed to him quickly enough to see some sort of thick, grey smoke enter through his mouth and nostrils, and a now empty black cloak collapse onto the ground. He could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Just before Riddle fell, Rodolphus rushed forward to steady him.

"I don't need your help," he hissed, glaring murderously at the man. He shrunk back in fear and moved away, bowing multiple times and apologizing profusely.

"Your wand, my Lord," murmured Lucius, pulling out an elaborate case from his cloak and bowing.

He took it immediately, opening the case and caressing the wand inside before holding it in his hands. At that very moment, he glanced up and locked eyes with Draco, who shuddered involuntarily. Ice settled in his gut.

"Ah, Lucius, it seems your mud-blood has awoken," he commented slyly, gesturing towards him with his wand.

He locked eyes with his father next, who was staring at him with true hatred in his eyes.

"I would request, my Lord, to kill him myself–"

Draco felt nausea build inside him.

"No," he interrupted, his voice filled with quiet authority. "I have a better use for him."

"My Lord?" Lucius frowned.

"You will keep him for Hermione. I want her to kill him when she pledges herself to our cause in–"

"SHE'LL NEVER!" yelled Harry hoarsely, grasping at the statue that held him tightly against the grave.

Riddle stiffened for a moment and Draco watched with a sinking feeling as the same murderous fury that he'd shown at Rodolphus earlier flashed across his face before he turned to look at him.

"I don't recall giving you permission to speak, Potter," he began quietly, striding over to Harry. There were a few long moments of silence as the two looked at each other – Harry with complete hatred and Voldemort with curiosity. "Rodolphus!" he finally called out, causing everyone to jump, "It's time."

The man walked over quickly and held out his forearm. Still staring at Harry, the Dark Lord placed his wand to the mark, causing Lestrange to wince. Draco could just barely make out the dark mark as it came alive against his uncle's white skin and the visual brought back horrible memories.

"Harry Potter..." he began, as if testing his name on his tongue, "You know, it is quite interesting housing both parts of myself in one body since I am privy to the thoughts of my older self... You see... after Wormtail was given the kiss, my original plans were foiled and so I had to come up with something new... and, in fact... this might have been even better."

He moved away to look at him fully now.

"There you stand upon the bones of my wretched muggle father," he began, almost conversationally, "I killed him, of course... I'm sure that's of no surprise to you. He died in that house right there," he pointed lazily with his wand towards the large mansion on the hillside, "I vowed to find him after he left my dear mother to rot. He was more useful in death than he was in life," a cruel smile curled his lips, "and soon you will join him and your filthy muggle mother and father."

Recognizing a monologue when he saw one, Draco prepared to jump Lucius and grab his wand when the familiar cracks of apparition began to fill the air. Silently cursing, he kept himself on the ground. There would be an opening, and until then, he would wait.

The Death Eaters appeared quietly and cautiously as Riddle moved away from Harry. There was a general air of hesitation before one of them knelt in front of him and kissed the hem of his robes. The others followed suit quickly, and Draco scrunched up his face in disgust. They formed a circle around him, with gaps for those who were dead or still in Azkaban.

"Welcome, friends..." he started quietly. "It's been thirteen years, and as expected, you all have answered my call as if it were just yesterday..." he moved around the circle like a predator, his wand twirling between his long fingers. "You are all alive and well... and so I can't help but wonder... where were you all when your master needed you most? You all seemed to just... disappear..." his voice was light and soft, but held a certain edge to it that made Draco shiver.

"You all swore to me your loyalty, did you not?" he continued, cocking his head. The silence was deafening. "Yet the only one who came to my aid twice, who helped me infiltrate Hogwarts this year, who brought to me Harry Potter... was Lucius Malfoy."

"My Lord," began the man in question, his head bowed, "I am not worthy–"

"The Lestranges, as I knew they would, made the ultimate sacrifice for their master's rebirth and will be rewarded generously as well..."

"My Lord," murmured Rodolphus reverently, "Anything for you, my Lord." He moved forward from his spot in the circle and knelt at his feet immediately. Riddle looked down his nose at him before patting his head patronizingly, as if his mere touch were a gift.

"Out of everyone here, they have proven their loyalty is unquestionable... As for the rest..." a sneer curled his lips, "Did you truly believe I was gone? After knowing the measures I took so many years ago? After seeing my true power; after knowing that I am the most powerful wizard on this planet... Yet you all reintegrated into society to save yourselves instead of coming to my aid, as you should have. How utterly disappointing..."

"Forgive us, my Lord!" someone ran forward and knelt at his feet, shaking. "We will never leave your side–"

"Crucio."

Draco took in a deep, steadying breath and closed his eyes as the man's screams pierced the cold air. Memories swirled through his mind, and he prayed for it to stop.

"Forgiveness? I don't quite believe that is what I had in mind, Avery," he stated coldly, his eyes gleaming as he watched the man shake after ending the spell. "Every single one of you have much to prove to me – thirteen years of sacrifice to earn my forgiveness."

He stepped over Avery's still-shaking body and moved to the rest of the Death Eaters in the circle. Draco could almost feel their discomfort and fright as he spoke to many of them and questioned their loyalties. He wracked his brain for any sort of plan to get out, but was coming up empty. If only one of the Death Eaters could move closer to him...

A sudden, reckless idea formed in Draco's mind. It was utterly mad, but he knew his father would react accordingly.

Bracing himself, he hoisted himself up from the ground and ran. Shouts of outrage were heard immediately, and lights whizzed past him as he stumbled, the blood rushing from his head too quickly. He could barely make out the headstones of each grave he ran past as familiar black spots appeared in his vision and his movement felt sluggish. After another few seconds of running, he felt one of the curses hit the center of his back, and he passed out instantly.

Malfoy Manor

Draco's head throbbed painfully as he came to, his cheek flat against the cold, damp floor. Groaning in pain, he shifted and slowly opened his eyes. All he could see were familiar stone walls, illuminated faintly by a flickering light in a far corner. An iron cell door stood some fifty feet away. Releasing a breath in relief, he slowly sat up, trying hard not to move his head too much. Propping himself against the wall, he gingerly lifted a hand to his head to see the extent of the damage. He could feel crusted and fresh blood all over his matted, brown hair, but the pain wasn't too bad.

Voldemort and his father had done exactly what he'd hoped they would – they'd taken him to the manor so he wouldn't be too much of a hindrance. A smart plan, in theory.

"Fay?" his voice was hoarse and he coughed, attempting to clear it.

After a moment, a crack sounded and the small house-elf appeared in front of him.

"Mister Granger!" she squeaked, looking horrified. "Your head!"

He waved her off. There was no time to focus on him.

"Do you know where Lucius Malfoy is, Fay?"

She nodded quietly, her eyes wide as saucers.

"I want you to Apparate to Little Hangleton and bring Harry Potter to me, do you hear me?"

She nodded slowly, straightening up and puffing out her chest.

"I will!"

"Be as careful as you can and disillusion yourself," he warned, "Harry is in serious danger."

She nodded again and snapped her fingers. Draco watched as she slowly disappeared, her body blending in with the dungeon walls. Another crack was heard as she left.

Closing his eyes, he clasped his hands together tightly and waited.

Okay so... I want to do a short recap. The next chapter is going to be the last of fourth year and an official overview about what's going on, but I wanted to clear up some things. So, when the Lestranges broke out of Azkaban many chapters ago, it was specifically for this purpose. Voldemort intended to kill one of them and gain access to their vault for the Hufflepuff cup. Tom Riddle's younger body is housing the part of his soul that was within Hufflepuff's cup and the small part of his soul that was left in his older self. They're coexisting in him as two separate entities. They are not fused. It's kind of like Quirrel. Older Voldemort is a nagging, evil voice in the back of Tom's mind giving him direction, but without a face on the back of his head. The reason I thought this could be plausible is because Tom Riddle wore the Gaunt ring for a short time on his hand after he made it into a horcrux. That's with 50% of his soul residing in his body and 50% residing in the ring. In this case, he only has about 6% of his soul in the cup and less than 1% left in him. In order to fuse his soul together, I'm assuming he would need to have all his horcruxes together, not just two of the pieces, and feel remorse. I'm sort of taking JK Rowling's ideas and experimenting with them a bit. Also, I know I ended this chapter on a shitty cliffhanger and I apologize T_T If it helps, I'm about to start on the next chapter right after I upload this one.

Thank you all so much for your love and patience! Your reviews and PMs brighten my day and I always go back and reread them :)

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