Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. That would violate Anti-Slavery laws.
Wormtail hurried over the countryside, careful not to drop the ingredients he held. If he failed to deliver them, the consequences would be most unpleasant. As he got to the top of the last hill, he saw a quaint little farm house. Wormtail opened the front door and stepped over the still bodies of the former occupants.
"Have you got the ingredients yet?" hissed a voice from the kitchen.
"Yes master," stammered Wormtail, who entered the kitchen. He quickly put a small cauldron on the stove top and poured the ingredients in. While stirring, Wormtail trembled as his master spoke, "So, you decided not to tell me about Harry Potter saving your life. I would still be alive if it weren't for you, Wormtail. You do know that, don't you? Do you think I'll forgive you if you make this potion? Do you think I will forget what you cost me?"
Wormtail whimpered, and Voldemort laughed. "No, Wormtail. You will pay for your actions. But since you have been loyal, you will not die." Wormtail looked at the little grotesque figure that was sitting on the counter. He had nursed Voldemort back to some health again, like two years ago. And like two years ago, he was brewing a potion, but Wormtail couldn't see how it would help.
"What will the potion do?" asked Wormtail, as he finished stirring.
Voldemort laughed again, and said, "You will soon find out. It is time; Put me in." Wormtail lifted Voldemort up and put him in the cauldron. Immediately, the potion started to change color, until it was a vivid yellow. However, it seemed to be draining, and Wormtail gasped as he saw that the liquid was being absorbed by Voldemort's tiny body. When the cauldron was empty, Voldemort let out a horrible scream. Wormtail gasped as a pulsing black apparition ripped itself from Voldemort's body. Suddenly, the new spirit flew straight at Wormtail and disappeared inside of him.
Wormtail smiled, and walked out of the door with a confidence that he never had before.
"I nominate Harry for Quidditch captain," Ginny said, as the 5 returning Gryffindor quidditch players met the following day.
"What? Come on, I'd make a great captain!" complained George.
"You? Bollocks, I'd make a far better captain than you!" Fred retorted.
Fred and George started arguing, but Ron, Harry, and Ginny didn't pay them any attention. They knew that neither Fred nor George would make it.
"I don't think I'd make a good captain," Harry admitted. "I think Ron should do it. He's got a far better idea of the strategy behind the game. Just as long as you don't make me do those annoying drills like last year."
Ron smiled, and then said, "Come on, Harry. You won us the cup last year by the Flying Eagle drill. What did you call it? The Puking Buzzard?"
Harry and Ron laughed, and Ginny said, "Ok, Ron would make a good captain. Hey! Fred! George! We've decided whose going to be captain!"
Fred and George stopped arguing, and looked over at them. "Who?" they asked in unison.
"Me," said Ron in a smug voice.
"What?!" yelped Fred.
"Ronniekins!" asked George, astonished.
"You heard right," said Harry, sticking up for Ron.
"That's crazy" the twins both cried.
Ginny exasperatedly said, "Fine. Let's take a vote. Who votes for Fred?" Fred raised his hand and glared at George. Ginny then said, "Ok, who votes for George?" George raised his hand, glaring back at Fred. "Alright," Ginny said loudly, "who votes for Ron?" At this, Ron, Harry, and Ginny raised their hands. Fred and George saw this, and looked a little miffed.
"Oh, come on, you two," chortled Harry, "Don't you think you're going to get enough fun with Lee as prefect? I don't know if Gryffindor would survive if one of you jokers were quidditch captain as well."
At his words, Fred and George grew giant grins, and Ron said, "Ok, first order of business: new players. We need two new chasers. Now, only one person talked to Madame Hooch. Apparently, Natalie McDonald is a decent flier, and Hooch gave approval. But we need another chaser. Any ideas?"
Every sat awhile thinking. Finally, Harry spoke up, "How about Jill Stephans?"
"Who?" asked George and Fred.
Harry answered, "She's a 2nd year. I remember seeing her at her flight class last year. She wasn't half bad, but it looked like she was a little too timid in the air."
Ron agreed to talk with Jill, and wrapped up the meeting muttering, "It's a sad state when we can't find enough people that want to play Quidditch!". As they wandered back up to the commons, Harry wondered what they'd do about beaters next year. After all, Fred and George were both on the team for the last 5 years, and suddenly two new spots would be available.
"Wormtail!" yelled Lucius, and whipped out his wand. Wormtail calmly walked up to the small group of death eaters. "I'm surprised at you, Wormtail. You show your face around us, when you destroyed Voldemort! Why should I not kill you now?" Lucius hissed.
"But, Lucius, I am not Wormtail," Wormtail calmly spoke, with a hint of a smile.
"What?" asked Lucius, slightly off center. He had never seen Wormtail act so confidently.
"Surely you knew that I would rise again? Did you believe Harry Potter could stop me forever? Death holds no power over me. Or perhaps you forgot? Crucio!" Wormtail shouted, brandishing his wand at Lucius. Malfoy immediately bent over in pain. Finally letting up his spell, Wormtail hissed, "I have been gone for 3 months, Malfoy, and you presume to lead the death eaters? You obviously doubted I would be back. But I have concocted a potion which has given me a new strength. I have taken over this body. Do not worry; Wormtail will pay for his mistakes."
Continuing, he commanded, "First, we must get the dementors to join us, along with the imprisoned death eaters inside Azkaban."
Lucius said, "That has already been attended to."
"Very good, Lucius. Now we must set our sights on Hogwarts," Wormtail hissed.
The one thing Harry had forgotten about Hogwarts was how very boring the History of Magic class was. Professor Binns was droning about the battle between Albus Dumbledore and Grindelwald, and somehow making even that sound boring. Ron was even worse off than Harry, because Ron covered all of this in his report last year, and dozed off to sleep within ten minutes.
Harry sighed, and resolved to stay awake. However, before Professor Binn's monotone voice could test his convictions, Dean Thomas stood up. Binns stopped his lecture, and stared with incredulity at Dean. Dean, for his part, didn't seem to notice. Harry grew alarmed, as Dean didn't appear to be noticing anything, and had a dull look in his eyes. Dean Thomas lifted both of his hands, and clapped above his head three times.
Dean then shook himself and said, "What the…?" After Dean sat down, Professor Binns resumed his lecture, but nobody was paying the slightest bit of attention to him. They were all looking at Dean.
"That was… weird!" Dean whispered, "I was nodding off, when suddenly my head felt like it was spinning or something. I couldn't think straight, and I heard this strange whisper. It told me to raise my arms in the air and clap. It was almost like… like…"
"Like…" prodded Ron, now completely awake.
"Like the Imperius curse," Dean whispered. Several of the students shivered at this, and Dean assured them, "It wasn't actually the Imperius curse. It just felt a little like it."
Harry, Ron, and Hermione were completely confused, and argued about it as they left the class. "But," Hermione said, "He said it wasn't the imperius curse! He knows what it feels like from two years ago!"
"Look at what happened," argued Harry, "His mind went blank, and he heard a voice telling him to do something. If that wasn't the imperius curse, it's got to be some relative to it."
Ron asked, "Are there relatives to the imperius curse?"
Hermione said, "No."
Harry grimaced, but he supposed Hermione knew what she was talking about. "Ron," he said, "we've got to go. Quidditch meeting is in a few minutes."
"Oh yeah!" remembered Ron. Harry was already starting to wonder about Ron's ability to be a captain.
When Harry arrived at the Quidditch pitch, he took it that Natalie McDonald was accepting the nomination on the team, seeing how she somehow managed to procure one of the Gryffindor quidditch robes reserved for game day and was already flying around the pitch with the quaffle.
"Natalie! Those are for game day!" shouted Ron. Harry sniggered, and Natalie landed somewhat embarrassed. However, Ron was soon distracted by another person on the field.
"Jill! I hoped you'd come! So are you going to join the team?" Ron asked.
Jill Stephans looked like she was ready to bolt, and stammered, "Er… Well… I don't…"
Ron prodded, "Yes?"
Jill slowly said, "No." Ron was looking a little miffed about this, and Harry decided to leave the area before Ron heard him sniggering.
Harry heard Ron say something about "Gryffindor pride", but he was focusing on two approaching students. It turned out to be Colin and Dennis Creevey. Of course, Colin started taking picture of the group, but Dennis walked over to the new quidditch team.
"Jill," Dennis stammered, "I didn't know you played quidditch!" Dennis was looking at Jill with an adoring gaze.
Ron seized the moment and told Dennis, "Actually, Harry said she was one of the best fliers in the school!"
Jill Stephans blushed, and Dennis slowly said, "Wow!" Jill clearly didn't know what to do about Dennis, and she was turning even redder.
Harry sniggered again as Jill turned to Ron and whispered, "Ok, I'll do it"
Harry smiled as he walked into Herbology with Ron and Hermione. He liked Herbology; not because he was particularly good at it, but because it wasn't too demanding. He had done gardening at the Dursleys for many years, and Herbology seemed like carefree gardening of exotic plants.
"White Anthurium," Professor Sprout spoke, "Is a lot different than the muggle variety. Instead, it has small, white, star shaped flowers. Also, its floral scent inspires tranquility. Hence, a lot of perfumes and potions use it." Harry smiled even wider, and resigned himself to a peaceful hour in the greenhouses.
"This is nice, isn't it," chimed Hannah Abbott, who was working not far from Harry, Hermione and Ron.
Hermione didn't even say anything, but gave a relaxed murmur of agreement.
"Harry, this is some good stuff," Ron said lazily, "Maybe we should plant some in our commons,"
"I don't see Fred, George, Lee, and Tranquility getting along," joked Harry. Hannah suddenly went rigid, and Harry noticed her eyes were like Dean's earlier that week in History of Magic.
"Hannah, are you all right?" Harry asked. Hannah didn't seem to notice him, and walked slowly to the door.
"Abbott," called Professor Sprout, "It's not time to go yet." Hannah left the greenhouse, and the Gryffindors all looked at each other.
"She looked just like Dean," whispered Hermione.
Harry nodded, and added nervously, "Except it's lasting longer now."
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There! The plot is starting to thicken, and hopefully the title makes a little sense now…
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