Harry Potter and the Jade Heart
Chapter 21
"Manipulation"
Ron fell to his knees. He put his face in his hands but didn't cry. He was too numb to cry. Harry picked up Ron's wand. The wand looked completely normal.
"You can thank Draco," said Hermione, reading Harry's mind. "He coated the wand with a potion that redirects curses, so they don't affect the person or thing it is aimed at. Pretty clever, huh?" Harry was surprised that Hermione was beaming with pride.
"You think this is funny? You just killed someone and you're smiling. You're proud of what you did?"
Hermione looked taken back. "I didn't kill anyone. Ron said the magic words."
"Don't act innocent. You know what you did."
"Oh, I know what I did."
"And yet you don't feel an ounce of guilt."
"Why should I?"
"You honestly think this is a fair trade off? This is your revenge? Because Ron and I weren't there for you, you're now a murderer?"
Hermione didn't answer. She gave Harry a deadly look and turned around. The other death eater prefects turned and they all walked back to where the other death eaters were.
Harry's attention went back to Cho and Voldemort. He didn't know what he could say to save Cho. "If you want to kill me, then kill me."
"I don't need your permission," Voldemort said. "I want to kill you, but I'd rather do it after you've witnessed my power. You weren't alive during my previous reign of terror. This time you have a front row seat." Voldemort lifted his wand. "Watch and learn, Harry." Voldemort tapped Cho with his wand. She opened her eyes and saw the fire in front of her.
"Cho!" Harry exclaimed.
"Harry?" Cho slowly stood up not noticing the death eaters or Voldemort. "Where are we?"
"You are standing in a forest by Godric's Hollow," said Voldemort. Cho jumped when she heard his voice. She didn't dare turn around. Her eyes stayed fixed on Harry's. He didn't know what Voldemort's plans were, so he couldn't instruct her to do anything. All he did was just look back hopelessly determined. "You know about Godric's Hollow, don't you, Harry? Haven't you been here before?" It sounded familiar, but Harry couldn't recall why. "See those houses over there?" Harry cautiously turned his head and looked at a peaceful looking village shrouded in darkness. "Do you notice anything wrong with the picture?" Harry's eyes roamed the landscape. They settled upon a large gap between two houses. He turned his head back to face Voldemort. A new fury sprang into his eyes.
"I've been here before," Harry said with suppressed rage. "That's where you were destroyed."
Voldemort's face twisted at hearing this. "If I had been destroyed, how can I be standing before you?" Voldemort now spoke to Cho. "I'm sure you know all about what happened to the famous Harry Potter when he was just a baby." Cho didn't nod or anything; she continued to stare at Harry. "Harry tried to kill me after I killed both of his parents. Capable of such emotions at such a young age." Voldemort smirked at Harry.
"You tried to kill me. I did nothing. What happened to you was your own fault."
"Oh, now I suppose you are going to blame the death of Cedric on himself?"
Harry had no idea what Voldemort was getting at. "I blame his death on you and only you."
"You have such a bad memory. As I recall, Cedric died before I was resurrected. Is that true or isn't it?" Harry couldn't argue with that. When he didn't say anything, Cho gave him a questioning look.
"And if I hadn't been resurrected, then the death eaters" -- he motioned to the group behind him -- "couldn't possibly have arrived yet. True or false?"
"You had Wormtail with you."
"I'm sorry. Who is Wormtail exactly?"
"Peter Pettigrew. Your faithful servant. The one who sold out my parents."
"Peter died Harry," said Voldemort, as though he was breaking bad news to him. "Sirius Black was your parents' secret keeper."
"That's not true!" Harry said. Cho looked completely confused.
"Did Sirius Black kill Cedric?" Cho asked Harry.
"No!" Harry exclaimed. "He's lying!" Harry now wished he had told Cho everything about Cedric's death. He had told her nothing about Peter or Sirius. "Please believe me. By Voldemort's orders, Peter Pettigrew performed the killing curse on Cedric."
Voldemort bent down slightly and said in Cho's ear, "As a baby, Harry sought revenge. He stops at nothing to get what he wants. You see how determined he is on the Quidditch field. He even befriended the smartest student at Hogwarts for his own benefit. Did you know he almost got sorted into Slytherin? Did he ever tell you that?"
Harry tried to read the look on Cho's face. She looked slightly hurt. "Don't listen to him! Please! You know me! You know I'm not like that!"
"You knew he liked you, but then Cedric liked you as well. And Harry just couldn't handle the competition."
Harry's blood started to boil. He didn't know what he could say. Then he saw it. A purple fog started to surround Cho. It just appeared and seemed to be absorbing into her. "I didn't do anything to Cedric!!! He's lying!!!"
"How can you believe him? He has told you nothing. You can't even begin to know all the secrets he's kept from you."
An angry sort of look came into Cho's eyes. She looked at Harry coldly. "Is that true? Have you been lying to me?" she asked him.
"I've never lied to you!" he exclaimed. He had the urge to run through the fire to her, but as though reading his mind, the flames gave a sudden burst.
For a moment the purple mist stopped. Harry held his breath.
Chapter 21
"Manipulation"
Ron fell to his knees. He put his face in his hands but didn't cry. He was too numb to cry. Harry picked up Ron's wand. The wand looked completely normal.
"You can thank Draco," said Hermione, reading Harry's mind. "He coated the wand with a potion that redirects curses, so they don't affect the person or thing it is aimed at. Pretty clever, huh?" Harry was surprised that Hermione was beaming with pride.
"You think this is funny? You just killed someone and you're smiling. You're proud of what you did?"
Hermione looked taken back. "I didn't kill anyone. Ron said the magic words."
"Don't act innocent. You know what you did."
"Oh, I know what I did."
"And yet you don't feel an ounce of guilt."
"Why should I?"
"You honestly think this is a fair trade off? This is your revenge? Because Ron and I weren't there for you, you're now a murderer?"
Hermione didn't answer. She gave Harry a deadly look and turned around. The other death eater prefects turned and they all walked back to where the other death eaters were.
Harry's attention went back to Cho and Voldemort. He didn't know what he could say to save Cho. "If you want to kill me, then kill me."
"I don't need your permission," Voldemort said. "I want to kill you, but I'd rather do it after you've witnessed my power. You weren't alive during my previous reign of terror. This time you have a front row seat." Voldemort lifted his wand. "Watch and learn, Harry." Voldemort tapped Cho with his wand. She opened her eyes and saw the fire in front of her.
"Cho!" Harry exclaimed.
"Harry?" Cho slowly stood up not noticing the death eaters or Voldemort. "Where are we?"
"You are standing in a forest by Godric's Hollow," said Voldemort. Cho jumped when she heard his voice. She didn't dare turn around. Her eyes stayed fixed on Harry's. He didn't know what Voldemort's plans were, so he couldn't instruct her to do anything. All he did was just look back hopelessly determined. "You know about Godric's Hollow, don't you, Harry? Haven't you been here before?" It sounded familiar, but Harry couldn't recall why. "See those houses over there?" Harry cautiously turned his head and looked at a peaceful looking village shrouded in darkness. "Do you notice anything wrong with the picture?" Harry's eyes roamed the landscape. They settled upon a large gap between two houses. He turned his head back to face Voldemort. A new fury sprang into his eyes.
"I've been here before," Harry said with suppressed rage. "That's where you were destroyed."
Voldemort's face twisted at hearing this. "If I had been destroyed, how can I be standing before you?" Voldemort now spoke to Cho. "I'm sure you know all about what happened to the famous Harry Potter when he was just a baby." Cho didn't nod or anything; she continued to stare at Harry. "Harry tried to kill me after I killed both of his parents. Capable of such emotions at such a young age." Voldemort smirked at Harry.
"You tried to kill me. I did nothing. What happened to you was your own fault."
"Oh, now I suppose you are going to blame the death of Cedric on himself?"
Harry had no idea what Voldemort was getting at. "I blame his death on you and only you."
"You have such a bad memory. As I recall, Cedric died before I was resurrected. Is that true or isn't it?" Harry couldn't argue with that. When he didn't say anything, Cho gave him a questioning look.
"And if I hadn't been resurrected, then the death eaters" -- he motioned to the group behind him -- "couldn't possibly have arrived yet. True or false?"
"You had Wormtail with you."
"I'm sorry. Who is Wormtail exactly?"
"Peter Pettigrew. Your faithful servant. The one who sold out my parents."
"Peter died Harry," said Voldemort, as though he was breaking bad news to him. "Sirius Black was your parents' secret keeper."
"That's not true!" Harry said. Cho looked completely confused.
"Did Sirius Black kill Cedric?" Cho asked Harry.
"No!" Harry exclaimed. "He's lying!" Harry now wished he had told Cho everything about Cedric's death. He had told her nothing about Peter or Sirius. "Please believe me. By Voldemort's orders, Peter Pettigrew performed the killing curse on Cedric."
Voldemort bent down slightly and said in Cho's ear, "As a baby, Harry sought revenge. He stops at nothing to get what he wants. You see how determined he is on the Quidditch field. He even befriended the smartest student at Hogwarts for his own benefit. Did you know he almost got sorted into Slytherin? Did he ever tell you that?"
Harry tried to read the look on Cho's face. She looked slightly hurt. "Don't listen to him! Please! You know me! You know I'm not like that!"
"You knew he liked you, but then Cedric liked you as well. And Harry just couldn't handle the competition."
Harry's blood started to boil. He didn't know what he could say. Then he saw it. A purple fog started to surround Cho. It just appeared and seemed to be absorbing into her. "I didn't do anything to Cedric!!! He's lying!!!"
"How can you believe him? He has told you nothing. You can't even begin to know all the secrets he's kept from you."
An angry sort of look came into Cho's eyes. She looked at Harry coldly. "Is that true? Have you been lying to me?" she asked him.
"I've never lied to you!" he exclaimed. He had the urge to run through the fire to her, but as though reading his mind, the flames gave a sudden burst.
For a moment the purple mist stopped. Harry held his breath.