CHAPTER 11
~Peter's Sacrifice~
All through the rest of the day, Harry felt tense and anxious. He was most likely going to meet Lord Voldemort again that night and if he was going to meet him, it also meant, Harry was going to fight him. He was jumpy most of the times that day, too. He was startled by the simplest sounds and always turned sharply around whenever he heard footsteps.
Time seemed to have sped up. Last time Harry checked his watch, it was only one o'clock in the afternoon. Sunset gradually came and soon, Harry found himself waiting nervously in bed, listening to the snores of his class mates and making sure they were fast asleep.
Finally, he got up, slipped the Invisibility Cloak over him and tip-toed out of the room. He opened the portrait of the Fat Lady very quietly and started walking inaudibly out to the Entrance Hall.
The thought that scared him most kept swimming across his mind: What if he dies?
Then I'll be with my parents. He told himself repeatedly. No matter how scared he was, the thought of seeing his parents again kept him determined.
In no time, he was standing in front of the Forbidden Forest, the soft breeze ruffling his hair and sending icy chills up his spine. He entered the forest, carefully making sure he didn't make too much noise.
Unexpectedly, a strong gust of wind blew from his right and, startled, he let go of his cloak. His body materialised out of nowhere. Harry gasped and started frantically searching for his cloak. But a sudden song had filled his head again…
As if hypnotised, Harry began to walk, his legs stiff and his hands held out in front of him like a zombie. The only thing he seemed to be able to control were his eyes.
He knew that it was the phoenix's song he was hearing but it wasn't pleasant. Instead of feeling relaxed and happy, he felt panicky and scared. The song was sharp and loud, almost deafening him.
As Harry kept walking, he saw a clearing. In the middle of it stood none other than the rainbow phoenix he had been seeing. It was just sitting there, its eyes strangely glazed. The song stopped. The phoenix collapsed.
Harry tried to move his arms and legs but they wouldn't. The phoenix lay there, as though dead but Harry could see its stomach rising and falling as it continued to breathe. His heart thumping painfully fast now, Harry struggled, trying to fight the invisible ropes that had tied itself around him. As a result, he fell down onto the rough ground. Then a voice spoke.
"Harry Potter…"
It was the same, cold voice that Harry had been hearing over and over again in his dreams. A man appeared from behind a large tree—this man was wearing robes of pure black and a hood over his pale face. But he didn't need those to cover his features—Harry already knew who he was.
It was Lord Voldemort.
"And so we meet again," he said, laughing his atrocious laugh.
Harry felt the invisible ropes tied around his mouth vanish.
"I have waited a long time for this, Harry…" Lord Voldemort said, lowering his hood, with long, delicate fingers.. Harry wasn't surprised of his appearance. Voldemort hadn't changed from the last time Harry met him. He still had those vivid red eyes, dangerously narrowed into slits; he still had the same nose, flat like a snake's; his face was white, making him look like as though he was dead; he had scars on his face, souvenirs from all the trouble he went through to look like what he was now. He continued.
"I had some help though…" He looked behind him, at the phoenix. "Transform, Kasender. Now!" he barked.
Totally aghast, Harry watched as the phoenix slowly grew to the form of Professor Kasender. Beads of sweat were running down her face and she looked weak.
"W-what?" Harry stammered.
"You see Harry," Lord Voldemort hissed. "your dear Professor Kasender was an Animagus. An unregistered Animagus."
"B-but, you c-can't be…"
"Oh, but she is boy, she's the one who has been helping me lure you into the forest…where I shall kill you. But before I deal with you Harry, I shall deal with her first."
"No!" Harry yelled.
"Yes," said Voldemort. Then he shouted into the night, "Avada Kedavra!" Intense green light filled the air…screaming….then, nothing. Harry opened his tightly shut eyes to see Professor Kasender, once alive and breathing, was now lying, sprawled on the ground, clearly dead.
Voldemort walked slowly up to Harry and moved his face so that it was only inches from his own. Pain shot through Harry's scar and he screamed, wanting to rub it but unable to as his arms were tightly bound to his sides. Voldemort laughed again.
"Poor little Harry Potter. But you deserve it. You deserve every single inch of pain that you get," he sneered. "You escaped from me countless times Harry, but not this time. This time, you will meet your death."
The remaining invisible ropes around Harry disappeared and he landed on the ground, crouched on all fours, panting heavily. His hand flew to his scar, searing pain still cursing through it.
"Stand and fight, you fool. We shall duel like the last time we met…except this time I shall win. Now, stand!"
Harry stood up, glaring at Lord Voldemort.
"And bow…" Voldemort bowed. Harry followed.
"Well done Harry…I remember I had some trouble with you last time...trying to make you bow..."
Harry continued to glare at him, anger overtaking his whole body, his whole mind…
A sudden whimper made him look away from Voldemort. He saw Wormtail—Peter Pettigrew—watching them. He was shaking, like he was nervous, his small, watery eyes wide and fearful.
"You!" Harry gasped, distracted. "What are you doing here?"
Peter answered, in a surprisingly normal voice, despite his shaking, "I go wherever my Master goes, Potter. I never leave him."
"And I hope you stay true to your word, Wormtail," Voldemort whispered coldly.
"Y-yes, Master. Of-of course, Master…"
"Enough, Wormtail. It is time for me to kill this foolish boy."
He lifted his wand, but Harry raised his own first.
"Petrificus Totalus!" he bellowed.
The full body-bind spell hit Lord Voldemort and he immediately stiffened. Harry grinned triumphantly for a second, then his smile vanished. Lord Voldemort spoke.
"Like father, like son, Harry. Your father didn't have any brains either. You think that such a simple spell can hurt the Dark Lord?"
Harry took a step backwards.
"Crucio!" Voldemort screamed.
Once again, immeasurable pain shot through Harry; he dropped his wand and fell to the ground, twitching and screaming; every bit of him ached; it felt as though he was on fire…
Then the pain was gone. Harry stood up and looked desperately around for his wand. It was lying at Voldemort's feet.
"Didn't like that, did you boy?" he said, eyes gleaming. "But I have decided not to waste any more time. Soon, boy, you will be back with your foolish parents…good bye Harry Potter."
Everything seemed to have stopped. Not even a leaf moved. There was no sound. Even time itself seemed to have frozen.
Voldemort raised his wand.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Something heavy collided with Harry and he flew to the ground, knocking his head on a tree root. Harry lay there, thinking all was lost; thinking he must be dead now…
He opened his eyes and what he saw made him cry out loud. Peter Pettigrew was lying next to him, flat on the ground, his eyes bulging and his mouth open in a silent scream. He was dead.
