1981
Severus Snape knelt before his master, head bowed in reverence. He had overheard the beginning of a prophecy that foretold the downfall of his master, he would be richly rewarded for passing along the information, perhaps she would let him have his deepest fantasy, and let him show Lily Potter how much he truly loved her. Yes, she would allow him to have Lily as a reward for his loyalty. He was almost shaking in anticipation.
"Speak Severus, I have been informed that you have something important to tell me." She said coldly as she stood before him. He made to stand to tell her the news but she clicked her tongue a single time, the high pitched noise reverberating around the cavernous room she enjoyed using for meetings such as these.
He fell back to his knees at her feet, her knee-high, black, dragon-hide heels were all that he could see of her as his eyes cast downwards to the darkly tiled floor under his hands. She was not an imposing figure, had she been a normal law-abiding citizen of the world no one looking at her would think anything amiss. She was slightly shorter than the average woman at just over five feet tall, though she tended to favour taller heels to mitigate this somewhat. She had shiny black hair with several greys peaking though showing her age, and a slim body. The rest was always covered in the presence of her followers. Men, she had found out at a young age, tended to always let their minds wander to a female's body, most couldn't help it, she didn't take offence to a natural inclination. She did, however, chose to give them nothing to think about with her layered robes covering her from neck to just below her knees where her boots began. She had better things to do than torture every one of her mindless followers who dared an unsavoury glance in her direction.
"A prophecy my lady, I have just overheard a prophecy concerning you." Stammered Snape greasily.
She brought her finger to her lips and patted them slightly, when she was younger they had been full and plump, now they were more severe-looking after having thinned out with age. "Go on Severus, what is this prophecy."
"My lady, 'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lady approaches... born to those who have thrice defied her, born as the seventh month dies.' That's what was said."
"Is there more to this prophecy Severus?" She inquired with a pensive look as she began to slowly circle his kneeling form, her heels clicking on the hard tiled floor with each slow measured step she took. The sound tended to intimidate most, yet another advantage to her choice of footwear.
"No master." Severus gulped slightly, he knew he was likely in for some pain at this point. "I was discovered before I could hear the rest." He tensed slightly in anticipation of what was to come.
"Ahh, so you've failed me then. Crucio." She said lazily as she pointed her wand at his now prostrate and jerking form. She held the spell for a count of five seconds before removing it and allowing him to breathe. She had found with practice and many castings of that particular curse the perfect amount of time for each occasion. Five seconds happened to be the sweet spot for showing displeasure to her followers, while still allowing her victim the ability to function after she released it.
"Even in your failure you did manage something Severus, so I shall not punish you too harshly. I am a fair to my servants, am I not Severus?" She enquired as she crouched down slightly, bending at the knees, she pointed her wand at him a second time and forced his face up so that she could look him in the eyes.
"Yes master, you are most lenient and fair with my mistakes." He panted.
"I know Severus, I know." She said in a mocking tone as she let his head fall onto the cold tile once again, it's impact making a dull and slightly wet thud.
"When last I spoke to Lily she was pregnant, I guess her offspring is foretold to bring about my downfall." She muttered to herself as she made her way to a large window to stare out at the grounds on the estate, it was late at night and dark so there wasn't a lot to see from her vantage point. But she did enjoy thinking next to windows, it seemed to give her clarity and a sense of the bigger picture before her.
"You have altered my plans for the night, Severus, I must go see this child for myself." She said matter-of-factly as she strode with purpose across the room and to the main door leading into the estate proper, her heels clicking with each step. The room was a large ballroom, so the journey took her almost a minute. Severus Snape remained in the position she had left him in.
"Master..." Severus managed to croak out before she left the room.
It brought her to a halt with her hand on the doorknob. She took a deep breath to calm herself, she now had a plan and hated having her plans interrupted. "Yes, Severus?"
"Please... Please don't hurt Lily."
"I know you love her Severus. It's a foolish thought but I know. You have been faithful to me this night, and even with your mistakes have given me important information, I shall endeavour to do my best to not hurt the mudblood." With that she pushed open the door and left, a cloak materializing around her shoulders and she strode down the hallway towards her destiny.
Present Day - 1995
"The one with the power to destroy the Dark Lady approaches... born to those who have thrice defied her, born as the seventh month dies...and they will be marked as equals, but he will have power over the Dark Lady that she knows not... Dystopia and utopia fork their path to greatness... the one with the power to destroy the Dark Lady will be born as the seventh month dies..."
"Take the cup Harry, you earned it!" Pleaded Cedric from his prone position in the maze just at the entrance to the clearing where the Triwizard Cup stood on its dais. The darkness of the maze, with its high walls not allowing for any sunlight to reach them, made it hard to see each other through the relatively short distance between them.
"We can take it together, then it's a victory for Hogwarts." Retorted Harry as he neared Cedric at a jog, stumbling several times on the uneven earth under his feet. He tried to lift the older boy to his one remaining foot and drag him towards the cup but he was too heavy after the day's exertion and they both fell to the ground. The maze had been tiring and Harry had little energy remaining for the task of helping Cedric to the cup.
"Just finish this Harry." Said the older boy through gritted teeth. He had lost the lower part of his left leg, and the foot that was attached to it, several minutes earlier in a fierce battle with an acromantula. The wound had been cauterized poorly and blood wept from several places across the stump. "I want this over more than I want to win this cursed thing."
Harry looked him up and down quickly. He did need urgent medical care if they would have any chance of saving his leg and foot. That could probably be regrown with some time in the hospital wing or St. Mungo's in the worst case, but it would need to be looked at soon before the damage was to far gone. As it was the flesh may have already started to degrade enough that regrowth would be impossible. His very limited knowledge of medical charms hampered his ability to fully asses the Hufflepuffs condition.
"Fine!" Shouted Harry in resignation, "Fine. I'll take it."
He jogged back to the cup, careful to avoid rolling his ankle on the loose ground and ruts, and aimed his wand into the air before sending up a red blast to alert the medics Cedric needed attention. He put his wand in his pocket so he could grab the cup with both hands and with a deep steadying breath he said, "For Hogwarts!" and grabbed both handles at the same time. As soon as the words left his mouth he felt embarrassment for himself, what was that? That was really dorky. He couldn't believe that was going to go down in the history of the Triwizard tournament as the words he said when he claimed the title of champion.
He didn't have a chance to ponder how much of a total loser he was though, as soon as his hand grasped the cup he felt the familiar hook behind his navel that accompanied portkey transportation. His body felt like it was tumbling through space for almost a minute until the world came back into view for less than a second before he abruptly landed on his head in a misty field, his world went blank, the rock he had landed on with his head had knocked him out.
"Louve of the fam... emy." Stuttered a man as Harry came back to reality. His head was throbbing from where he had landed on it. He blinked a few times and felt a sharp prick on his arm while he shook his head to regain his senses. His mind, coming back to life after being unconscious was still very foggy. Where was he was his first thought.
He looked around groggily and didn't recognize his surroundings, he seemed to be in a place far from Hogwarts, there was a slight chill in the air and a mist clung to the ground about a foot high. There were rows of stone. 'So a graveyard then' his brain filled in. He tried to move but he was tied to one of the headstones. A rope binding in him in place, he was only able to wiggle a small amount, but not enough to free himself.
'So not a friendly place then' He thought idly as hew blinked hard a few more times and shimmied to try and loosen the ropes, his vision was still blurry on the edges. He felt around for his wand and could feel it in his pocket just out of reach, he could just graze the handle with his fingertips.
He noticed his arm was bleeding, that must have been what he felt when he woke up, maybe what actually woke him. There was a man tipping something red, his blood maybe, into the largest cauldron Harry had ever seen. It was lit with a large bonfire at its base made of greenish wood and was bubbling with a shimmering purple and pink liquid. A fine iridescent steam was slowly wafting from the surface of the liquid.
"Ar... Tim... Of the servant, will... given." stuttered the man at the cauldron. This time as he finished his semi incoherent sentence he produced a large knife from inside his robes and quickly used it to cut off his hand over the bubbling liquid. Harry could see the hand, then the fingers slowly sinking into the opaque liquid as several sparks flew from up from the edges of the cauldron and flickered out high into the night sky.
The man said several other things over the course of the next few minutes, Harry noticed that he had a strange shuffle to his gait and the little bit of his flesh he could see looked very yellow. He was clearly sick thought Harry, and not at all coherent in what he was doing. Harry was not focused on that man though, he was focused on the small amount of room he could wiggle his hand to reach his wand. He worked with what little room he had available to him and had made slow but steady progress towards his wand, he almost had enough free space to grab it, he just needed another few seconds.
The man rose his good hand, and his stump, into the air triumphantly just as Harry grabbed his wand. Whatever was bubbling in the cauldron was clearly finished now and Harry did not want to be anywhere around it when it was used. He quickly released himself from his bindings with a cutting curse and dove for a headstone just in front of him to take cover.
The man darted his eyes around and Harry recognized his face immediately, Wormtail. He looked near death with whatever ailments were currently afflicting him but Harry would know that face anywhere. His goal was to get back to the Triwizard Cup, hopefully it would bring him back to Hogwarts, but there were no guarantees, portkeys were not often made to go both ways but rather as a single-use item. As it was it was his only hope. He wanted so badly to stun Wormtail and bring him back with him so that Sirius could be free, but that just wasn't possible if he had any hope of getting out the graveyard with his life.
The cup was laying just a short sprint away, but it was across open ground, Wormtail would easily be able to pick him off during the run, even in his diminished state. He popped his head up and over the headstone he was using for cover to get a view of Wormtail's location, he hadn't moved since Harry had taken cover. The potion was bubbling fiercely behind him, throwing sparks by the thousands into the inky black sky and starting to overflow the cauldron. The pink and purple liquid was splashing over the side and sizzling on the wood below which cast curls of oddly coloured smoke into the air and scented the entire area in a strange mix of lilac and sulphur.
'Ok, you've got one shot at this Harry.' He said to himself as he readied for his mad dash to the cup. His plan was to try and stun Wormtail as he ran so he could have a chance to make it. Even if the spellfire distracted the traitorous marauder long enough for Harry to get to his intended goal his plan would succeed. He forced out a breath of air and gulped another in greedily just before he launched himself out from behind his cover.
The grass under his feet was slick with the low hanging mist. He brought his wand up to aim at Wormtail when he began his sprint but he slipped on his second step, the wet grass unable to provide any reasonable traction with so little momentum, and his aim was slightly off because of his fall. He shouted, "STUPFY" as he regained his purchase on the ground and he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Wormtail had been hit by his spell and was blown off his feet. He heard a sickening crack just as he reached for the cup and was whisked away from the graveyard. The portkey was set to go both ways.
Wormtail lay motionless at the base of the cauldron, his eyes staring lifelessly into the dark sky and his blood pooling fast around his head.
A head emerged from the violently bubbling liquid, as soon as the mouth broke the surface the figure let out a thundering wail of pain and anguish. The scream lasted for close to a minute before the body was fully upright and the liquid within the cauldron began to vanish slowly as if draining out of a bathtub.
A girl, appearing to be in his mid-teens to early twenties stood in the now empty cauldron, her black hair hanging limply over her eyes and across her shoulders was matted with the leftover liquid she was just born from. She was petite and short, her skin was so white it was almost translucent. She stood almost unmoving for several minutes, the only movement that could be seen was the steady rising and lowering of her shoulders with her deep breaths, and several strands of his hair that were not matted to her head and shoulders waving in the gentle breeze that had begun to blow across the graveyard.
With time she raised her head slightly and said, "Wormtail, my clothing." Nothing happened.
"Wormtail, my clothing now!" She demanded louder. Still nothing.
She looked around and noticed his body at the base of the cauldron before saying a soft, 'fuck' to herself.
She was glad there was no one around, she very clumsily removed herself from the cauldron, nearly tripping and falling to the wet mud and grass-covered ground. She dressed in the clothing that she had her, now deceased, servant bring for her. She felt different than what she remembered feeling before she became a wraith on that Halloween night so many years ago. She was unsure how to pinpoint the difference but she knew something was not the same.
After gathering her wand she quickly vanished the cauldron and the remains of the bonfire used to heat it, and after a short while to think she transfigured Wormtail's body and put it in her pocket. The graveyard looked as if it had never been disturbed when she was done. She gave the place one last look before popping out of existence with an almost silent crack.