The Time Travel Crew
Anything in this chapter taken directly from the books is written in bold.
Chapter 26: The Crew's worst nightmare 2
Luna's feet touched a very unsteady ground. Her vision cleared and she found herself staring through the bars of a cage.
However, as her head cleared, she realised that it was she who was in the cage. Taking a better look, Luna realised that it wasn't just one cube shaped cell, but many of them linked together vertically and horizontally, making walls... Four walls, so huge, Luna wasn't sure she would see the topmost cage opposite her even if she tried...between the walls was a huge open ground.
Each cage was being filled with dazed people - around eight to ten, probably depending on their size - one after the other.
The wizards and witches who appeared after Luna were mostly the staff and students of Hogwarts and a member of every family in Hogsmead, just showing how desperate Voldemort was to show his supremacy over the rest... How important it was for him to show that he was above death itself.
There were people in the cages above, below and the sides of Luna, most who she recognized. Looking below again, she estimated her cage to be the second one from down, and she to her good luck found herself sharing the compartment with the other members of the crew save for poor Harry.
Luna's hand went to her robe pocket in search of her wand and as she had expected, it wasn't there. Why had she expected it? Because, for one, she saw Albus Dumbledore, Minister Bones, Reg Cattermole, Ollivander, Barty Crouch Senior and a few other Influential wizards stuck in the cage below her and if they weren't able to open themselves, Luna decided against bothering herself with the task.
The second reason was the large pile of sticks that Luna presumed to be their wands on the ground - the large quadrangle made by the four walls of cages, was each holding hundreds of wizards. What intrigued Luna was the silence that prevailed, wards must have been put to prevent sound from passing out of the cages. Overall the entire scenario was very claustrophobic and restricting.
The cage besides Dumbledore's, who looked both worried and furious, contained Lily Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Madam Pomfrey, Aberforth Dumbledore, Nympharora Tonks and a couple of house-elves, probably the representatives of the elfs that Voldemort chose. Hagrid on the other hand had a cage to himself, just like two centaurs who shared a cage not too far away.
The cage wall opposite Luna had Death Eaters and all Voldemort's bold and secret followers. Even Bellatrix and the Lestrange brothers were there. They appeared to be jeering, but why they were locked too was a mystery. Perhaps, Voldemort wanted to check out their loyalty before he started his 'new regime', but Luna wasn't complaining - having them locked up was a blessing for many.
Besides the gigantic pile of wands on the ground was a big stage that held a huge cauldron and, Luna's eyes opened wide with horror, a large log to wood that Nott senior and Amycus Carrow were setting upright. The log to which Harry would be tied too.
Luna heard a whimper besides her and she turned to look at the other crew members.
"Harry said to trust him." she said.
And they nodded, except Professor Snape who was testing the bars of the cage with his hands.
"All we have to do is wait for them to use his blood, then not even death can affect him."
"That won't stop him from getting hurt." Neville countered grimly.
"It will soon all be over." Luna said, ignoring Neville's statement. "It will end soon and Harry will be okay."
Snape turned around to face them, "The cage can be opened from the outside...and it's warded against any kind of magic from the inside."
Luna was positive she could hear Neville, Draco and Justin biting back curses. She couldn't see her parents or those of any of the other boys', or their siblings. In the Weasley's case however, Ron, Percy and Ginny weren't present among the Weasleys in the cage on other side of Dumbledore's cage.
McGonagall let out a strangled sort of moan and Luna turned to see the log set in place and at the same time, Pettigrew apparated with the bundle of rags in which lay Voldemort, Barty Crouch, however, apparated with a very pale and bleeding Harry.
It looked like he had been subjected to the cruciatus again, but having no means to know what hadn't happened, thanks to the large mirror still sitting in the DADA office, Luna wouldn't have known if they hurt him in any other way. She couldn't suppress the sob that escaped her throat.
It had to be alright... It just had to... And it would... Hopefully...
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Seeing Harry pulled along as though he was a sack of potatoes made Justin's blood boil. He felt so helpless...it really was the worst feeling, knowing he couldn't do anything from where he stood...a very taunting feeling and Justin kept getting angrier after every second. Or was he getting angry simply to hide the fear he felt for Harry?
His instinct, similar to almost everyone around them, was to take a glimpse of Lily Potter. Justin regretted his action almost immediately at what he saw.
Mrs. Potter had lost it. She appeared to be screaming at the sight of her son... though only the people in her compartment could hear her. She was alternating between pulling at the bars of her cage and rushing into them, trying her best to get to her son... to try and protect him again... to step in the way and save him again.
Sirius Black who had looked like he was going to cry at what he saw on the stage, seemed to regain his senses and pulled Lily away from the bars... Alecto Carrow and Crabbe senior stood in front of their cage, jeering at them...it was revolting just to look at the scene...Justin couldn't bear it anymore, he turned away to gaze at Dumbledore below him. The man looked troubled...more like scared... Scared for Harry. But what Justin hadn't expect to see what the expression of utmost helplessness that came not a second later... Yet another discouraging scene.
His companions weren't doing well either. Luna, the emotionally strongest member of the team was in Draco's arms, both sobbing regretfully. Even Flitwick was crying. Snape, as usual, was expressionless, but Justin wasn't fooled. He had come to know the man by now and he knew how deep his love for Harry ran. McGonagall and Sprout, well, weren't better off than Flitwick. Neville, like Snape, wore no expression, he simply stood rooted to the spot, his eyes, fixed on the sight in front of him.
Justin sighed and turned to look at his friend on the stage, the centre of all the viewers attraction.
There was a charm set on the cage, giving every person a clear view no matter how far they were, a sickening sight and a sickening gesture on Voldemort's part... If Justin had guessed correctly, the monster had planned on killing Harry in front of a representative of every part and family of the Wizarding community of England, then he would probably demonstrate his power on a few of the Wizards present, setting his followers free and escaping with them, had been Justin's last visualization of the plan.
Too bad Voldemort trusted no one save for himself.
Harry was trembling, more because of the crucios than fear...his face was hard to read with all that blood, to Justin it looked as though he was trying to do some quick thinking, but then he simply let his shoulders droop and began looking around at the cages, as best as he could, with that hand in his hair. Harry managed to make contact with their compartment. He looked at them soberly and gave them not two winks, but two blinks and then he turned his attention to his sobbing mother.
Whatever, the blinks meant, Justin had no idea, and he wasn't going to waste time asking the rest of the crew what Harry meant for at that moment, he saw Harry being leviated off the ground and tied with rope from head to toe to the log on the stage.
This extracted an anguished, "Oh Harry!" from Snape who was still expressionless.
A fire was set beneath the huge cauldron and it began emitting sparks.
It was disgusting... Justin just couldn't stand it... It reminded him of the picture of Saint Joan of Arc he had once seen, only in this case, it was a twelve year old boy, who luckily had the mind of an adult. What was the rest of the world thinking? Was this incident going to cause never ending nightmares to them all?
The entire Wizarding viewers watched as though hypnotised as Pettigrew lowered the frail form of Lord Voldemort down into the cauldron. His hiss could have echoed around the place.
Justin didn't want to watch...he didn't... He just didn't!
Pettigrew's clear, confident voice cut through the silence as he raised an earthen container above the cauldron, "Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!"
Pettigrew tilted the container and the fine dust that fell into the cauldron was invisible to the naked eye. It was only because Justin knew what the statement meant and what the ritual was about that he knew the container had the senior Riddle's bone remains.
It would soon be over, Harry, Justin thought furiously. Just hang on!
The ritual went on with Pettigrew's flesh and Justin preferred to watch Harry as he closed his eyes when Pettigrew did the willing severing of his hand. How Harry had been able to withstand this at the age of fourteen, Justin would never know, but his friend didn't really have a choice then.
Justin watched Harry with utmost concentration as a sobbing and moaning Pettigrew approached him with a knife and cut Harry's arm. Junior held a flask below the fresh cut, collecting his blood like a thirsty man collecting a trickle of water in a desert. Pettigrew added Harry's blood to the already red cauldron.
Now, Justin thought triumphantly, as Voldemort stepped out of the cauldron, nothing could stop Harry.
Harry was safe. They were all safe.
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Draco had watched as Harry was tortured and manhandled by both Crouch and Voldemort and the more he watched, the more guilty he felt. Within no time, he was sobbing, with Luna in his arms.
He deliberately refused to look at the scene ahead and when he finally turned his attention to the stage he noticed was Voldemort, robed and all walking around the steaming cauldron, with Pettigrew moaning on the floor.
Oh how Draco would apologize to his friend once it was all over. Of course it would be all over...the use of Harry's blood was important to both sides for two different reasons. But Draco couldn't help but doubt that power of the ancient magic that kept Harry alive in the previous time. Dumbledore on the other hand seemed more calm, maybe even victorious, than he had the entire afternoon.
It was evening now and as the air started to cool, Voldemort began to to talk. He spoke softly, but his voice reached all ears.
"To all who do not know me, I am Lord Voldemort...your master, the one who you will all bow to this day on...the one whose guidance will help this world see no bounds...the one who was able to brush away death... I have accomplished more than anyone on this earth and not even the great Albus Dumbledore can stop me."
Voldemort went to to speak of his achievements and about how powerful he was. He spoke of the Halloween night incident to be a 'mere miscalculation' on his part. He went on to humiliate Harry, taunting him, trying to get him to talk, but Harry remained silent, calmly focusing his attention to his mother, who, Draco saw, was staring back at Harry with tears running down her face.
Then Voldemort went to talk of Lucius Malfoy and about how he took his wand without Lucius's knowledge and put a very effective charm on it, the charm that would attract every wizard unique for his power and blood, how certain molecules in the air around them would simply behave as a portkey and get the person or persons into this confinement. Draco could imagine his father, who wasn't there at the moment, flushing in embarrassment. He noticed Dumbledore speaking to Amelia Bones, probably telling her about how Lucius was acting on his instructions.
Voldemort spoke of how all the people confined in the cages would all be given a choice between being his followers and death. But Draco knew the Muggleborns wouldn't stand a chance if Harry, who seemed to be listening very attentively, didn't act soon.
To Draco's dismay, he suddenly realized that it all rested in Harry's shoulders now... He was the only one who had the liberty to act...and he, if Draco guessed correctly, was the only person besides Voldemort and his followers around the stage who didn't have a magic bind on him.
"We shall now begin to see how many of you will be fit to serve me and who amongst you will make your way into Nagini's and her friends' stomachs after following the same procedure my young friend will. Barty, if you will get her..."
Junior bowed low and disapperated.
Voldemort used his time to turn to Harry and pointing his wand at him, he said again, "Crucio."
Harry's screams split the air and Draco felt his skin crawl with the surge of terrible guilt that made it's way up his system yet another time that day. The unearthly screams wrecked his mind, bringing out all the terrible things he had done to Harry in the previous time. He hadn't changed, he was as bad as he was in the previous time. Oh, why had he agreed to join them in this mission? He had made a mess of it all.
Harry's screams went on for a long time and Draco thought he would go mad... And all of a sudden, the screams stopped and Harry trembled, remaining upright only because of the ropes that rooted him to the spot. Draco himself knew how bad the effects on his own twelve year old body were, he still couldn't stand without support, and he had endured the curse just twice.
Voldemort and the other Death Eaters laughed and Pettigrew seemed to have healed his stubbed arm, for he was now sitting up and watching the show. Junior came back with a tank and Nagini, who to Draco's horror seemed very much alive. Hadn't Harry mentioned that she was dead? Maybe he had been mistaken?
But then, as Junior came forth with tank and placed it in front of Voldemort and moved towards Harry with a malicious grin, the tank glimmered and Voldemort screamed when Nagini's dead body came into view.
"Crouch!" Voldemort screamed and sent the killing curse at him which missed and Draco didn't know if the screams he could hear were his or someone else's, because he - knowing it would be alright but not believing it - and everyone else saw the curse painfully hit Harry in the chest, bounce clear off him, and hit Peter Pettigrew straight on the chest.
Draco felt no remorse as he watched the man fall back to the floor and move no more.
To be continued...