Chapter 18

The Harbinger's Curse

Harry could feel rage lurch like a wild lion within his soul the minute he saw his son strung up against the stone gargoyle like a sacrificial offering. Harry gasped as his memory gave way and he suddenly found himself strung to a similar gargoyle in a graveyard. It was uncanny. A tomb. A graveyard. And then, realisation hit him with full force. Nott smirked as he revealed the resurrection stone to Harry in his palm. Harry felt his whole body go cold.

"Are you crazy Nott?" Harry cried. "Where did you get that?"

"You didn't hide it very well Potter. Your son was such a useful dog, he went and fetched it for me." Nott grinned and patted Albus with mocking affection on the cheek. Al was too weak to react. This made Harry's blood boil. The others were engaged in a heated battle against the other five Death Eaters. Harry's heart then almost stopped as Nott, as quick as a viper, suddenly lashed out and cut Al swiftly across the chest. The scream was terrible. Time seemed to stop for Harry as Nott turned the Resurrection stone thrice in his hand. Harry quickly shouted a curse at Nott, but it was blocked by an invisible shield.

"NOOO! ALBUS!" Harry shouted.

Armon.

It was over.

His son was dead.

Harry felt as though the whole world had crumbled.

He felt as though he were in Hell receiving his punishment.

After everything I've been through! He yelled in his mind. He wasn't sure to who though. After everything you have put me through, you kill my son!

Nott yelled a curse at the large Tomb in the centre, which looked more like a stone table, and it began to crack and a dark portal like well appeared in the centre of the Tomb. It was shimmering like liquid twilight. Harry, Teddy, Luna, McGonagall, Ron, Hannah, and Draco all stared in horror as the table opened to reveal a ghost of someone they never thought could return. Its red eyes scanning the room. The ghost that haunted Harry in his sleep. Nott grinned triumphantly as Voldemort's ghost smirked at Harry and rushed towards the body of his son.

Albus' small frame was released from the gargoyle and he was dropped to the floor. Blood was still trickling down the small boy's frame. Harry sobbed as his son looked up, but instead of Lily's eyes staring back at him. They were Voldemort's hellish red ones.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" Harry yelled. His breathing was harsh, he was completely frozen as Voldemort stood up in his son's body. A cold smile on his son's lips.

"ALBUS!" Hannah, Ron, Teddy and Luna all yelled at different times. McGonagall was too shocked to speak.

Draco, meanwhile, tackled Theo from behind, in all of Theo's victory, the man had failed to see his former school mate sneak up from behind, when everyone was so busy staring at Voldemort's soul returning.

"You idiot!" Draco yelled as he rugby tackled Theo to the ground. Forget spells. Draco wanted to pummel Theo's face in until there was no tomorrow.

"You killed him!" Draco seethed, "You killed my son's best friend! I'll kill you!"

"Ah, Draco." Draco froze as he looked up from Theo's now bloody face to Albus' one. Draco shivered as the Dark Lord's penetrating eyes glared into his own.

"You have joined their side I see." It was not a question.

Draco felt his mouth go dry. The faded dark mark on his right arm was itching like crazy.

"Voldemort!" Harry yelled from across the room. Draco's eyes flickered over to Harry's, who had Gryffindor's sword clutched in his hands.

"Let my son go." Harry demanded.

Voldemort laughed. His cruel laugh that had always set Draco on edge.

"Your son is no more Potter." Voldemort's laughter ceased and instead he hissed at Harry angrily who seemed frozen with fear. "The Horcrux I never meant to make!"

McGonagall gasped, Luna, Hannah and Teddy gasped.

Voldemort raised Al's wand at Harry, whose trembling hands held the sword. Al, Voldemort, smiled cruelly and hissed,

"Crucio."

Harry writhed with pain. He had never felt this pain before. Even though he knew it wasn't his son, just to see his son's body attack him like that. It felt nothing like before. Instead it felt worse. Much worse. A thousand knives stabbing him on the inside and out. He could see the others attempt to aid him, but the other Death Eaters had now sprang into action.

Voldemort chuckled and grasped Harry by his messy hair. Harry groaned with pain. Despite being in Al's body, Voldemort was incredibly strong.

"How does it feel Potter, to know that you killed me, but I have come back? I will always be here. Even if you defeat me now, I was always be in the deepest, darkest corners of your mind. I will always be here to haunt you."

Harry growled and swiped at Al's face, hitting him right on the nose. Harry flinched as Al's nose broke like a twig, blood poured down his son's face like water trickling down a stream.

Harry raised Gryffindor's sword, about to strike, but… he couldn't. He could practically feel Voldemort's satisfaction.

Harry's eyes widened as Voldemort brandished Al's wand, pointing it directly at Harry's heart. "You will die."

"Avadake- No! No it's not possible! You should be dead!" Voldemort cried.

Harry's heart soared as he looked up and the red eyes had vanished, and Lily's eyes were in their rightful place once again.

"Hi dad." Al said softly. He grimaced. "Give me the sword."

Harry gasped, tears running down his cheeks. "You're in Slytherin. It'll burn you."

Al shook his head. "No it won't." He smiled. "Grandma's with me."

Harry stifled another sob as he handed the sword to his son. Al felt as though he were walking through treacle instead of air. Each step hurt.

"Hurry Al, I can't hold them off for long!" His Grandmother warned.

Albus nodded, he dodged Nott's cursed as he reached the stone table of the Tomb, the Helix stone shimmering with might.

"Albus!" Draco called and with a flick of his wrist the Resurrection stone, which he had stolen from Nott during their scuffle, flew towards Al who caught it smoothly.

"Sorry Grandma. I guess this is goodbye." Al choked and he threw the resurrection stone into the portal.

"NOOO!" Nott screamed.

NOOO!

Nooo!

Albus clutched his head as Voldemort and Armon attacked his mind so viciously he thought he was going to die. With one final effort, he raised the sword of Gryffindor and brought it down upon the Helix stone, and collapsed into darkness.