Part I, Chapter I

June 24th, 1995

Quidditch Pitch, Hogwarts School

The crowd stared at the hedges in anticipation. Two glowing dots, hovering over the maze, had met up with the white orb representing the Tri-Wizard Cup. All three disappeared. The crowd drew in a breath... and when the champions did not appear on the victory stage, began to grow concerned.

Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, was especially worried. He had had his eye on the preparations for the Task, and had even assigned his close friend Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody to place the cup inside the maze. That it had been somehow tampered with...

Several minutes passed, and the people in the stands were near panic. Finally, the Champions reappeared. The crowd screamed in joy, a feeling of elation overtaking them. The Champions, Cedric Diggory, star seeker for the Hufflepuff House Quidditch team, and Harry Potter, brother of the Boy-Who-Lived, had returned!... then they noticed the blood pooling from Diggory's slashed neck, the stiff posture of his corpse.

Headmaster Dumbledore raced from the judges' booth, accompanied by Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department for International Magical Cooperation, and Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge. As they approached, they could hear Potter whisper, "He's back, Dumbledore! He's back!"

"Arrest him!" Fudge shouted. Dumbledore could only look on in sadness as the Aurors grabbed the child roughly by the neck. He should have seen the signs that the boy was going dark. The similarities between him and Riddle were striking.

Harry Potter looked up in horror. What-?! In panic, his eyes scanned the crowd, looking for his brother. The twins' eyes met for a brief moment. Nathaniel's eyes held grief and regret, and Harry closed his eyes in agony. Even his brother, who had supported him through thick and thin, thought him a murderer.