Harry felt the light feeling of no thoughts, the feeling he'd only
felt a few times before. No thoughts, just do as he was told, Go to
Voldemort. Say hello. Go to Voldemort. Say hello. Then his own voice inside
his head kicked in, No! Do nothing this man tells you to do! Are you
stupid, Harry? Are you a total idiot? Wake up! He came to himself. "No."
"Did you just tell me 'no' boy? COME HERE AT ONCE!" he shrieked.
Harry held his ground. He turned his head to see if he could still see Terry out of the corner of his eye without turning away from Voldemort. He saw, and he saw that Terry was gone. "What have you done with him?"
"I threw him away. He was of no use to me."
"Bring him back."
"I don't think you want me to. No, not really. But if you insist-" Voldemort gave a careless wave of his wand and from the chasm came a scalded corpse.
Harry shuddered and felt himself nearly sick at the sight.
Voldemort laughed. "I told you, you really didn't want to see that, did you? Come now."
"No."
"You only make things more difficult on yourself. Bring him." Voldemort snapped his fingers.
Two powerful arms grabbed his arms and pulled him forward to where Voldemort sat. Voldemort stood up and stepped slowly toward Harry. He took one of his long, pale fingers and traced the scar on Harry's forehead.
Harry screamed in agony. The scar pain felt like it would split his head apart if it did not stop. All he knew was pain and his own voice screaming.
Then the pain was gone.
Harry slumped down to the ground, his arms still held behind him, and Voldemort chuckled. "See? That wasn't nice, was it? Now, you are going to die. I can't decide though. Should I make it leisurely for all the trouble you've caused me? Or should I be fast and end you life with one sudden stroke of death?"
"Who says I'll let you kill me?" Harry asked with a snarl, like a wolf. Struggling but rising to his feet with a grimace he continued. "I dare you to let me face you man to man. A wizard's duel. If I am to die I will die as my father did."
"No, a runt like you. You're not a man. You can't face me."
"You mean you won't face me. You were willing to face me as an infant, and last year when I was down, tortured, younger, and with a broken leg. You won't face me when I can stand on my own two feet? You are a coward."
Voldemort's nostrils flared and his eyes flashed angrily. "You dare speak to me like that?"
"Yes, and I challenge you to a duel. Accept and fight or refuse and be proved in front of everyone here that you are a coward who doesn't have the power to stand up to one fifteen year old boy." While Harry waited for the answer he looked to where his classmates and Professor Delano had been chained. They were all still there, helpless, but something seemed to be moving around them. Ron!
Voldemort seemed to be considering. "I accept, but you may not use your wand. I remember the last time we met."
"It's the only one I have."
"Malfoy! Bring me the wands of those unfortunate misfits."
Luscious came, bearing a box. Inside were over a dozen wands.
Voldemort waved a careless hand. "Pick any wand you like. I swear I've touched none of them."
Harry looked at the wands. He recognized some of them. Harry picked up one in particular; it belonged to Neville.
"Have you chosen? Good. We'll begin."
The Death Eaters made a circle around Harry and Voldemort; this was to be sure Harry couldn't run away. Harry saw that the box of wands was outside the circle of Death Eaters. He hoped Ron would notice.
The Death Eater who had been with Pettigrew appeared in the middle of the circle. He bowed to Voldemort. "My Lord, Wormtail is missing."
"Explain yourself."
"I turned my back for an instant and he was gone. I don't know what happened."
"He was always worthless, so he is no great loss but you must find him. I don't care if he lives or dies, we just cannot let people know he lives. Get him alive or dead and bring him to me. Go with three others. Be gone. I have business to settle here."
The wizard who had brought the news vanished with three others.
"Bow to your death, Harry Potter."
Harry instead stood taller. He pointed his wand at Voldemort, just distract him, Harry thought. Just distract him until Ron has the others free, then attack to kill. "Rictusempra!" he shouted thinking back to his second year of Hogwarts.
Everyone was surprised, Voldemort himself was doubled over with laughter and wheezing with the effort. He appeared to try and cast a spell but was too out of breath to try. Harry set a shielding spell around himself in case any Death Eaters came after him. This was when the others struck.
The Death Eaters didn't know what had hit them.
Those who had been chained together now had their wands and they had attacked the Death Eaters. Some had struck back but most had Disapperated immediately for fear of being unmasked and turned in to the Ministry.
Harry looked around. Voldemort seemed to have recovered and he was coming toward Harry. Voldemort had dropped his wand but Harry knew that if Voldemort touched his skin he would be in so much pain he couldn't think or defend himself.
Harry raised his wand to cast another spell, he saw Voldemort coming at him, he saw the snake streaking toward him, he saw the fighting around him, and then he saw nothing.
What may have been days later or only seconds, Harry was only just barely aware of someone touching his head and whispering some words. Then there was the nothingness again. Another time Harry thought he heard voices. After that there was nothing until the dream.
"Did you just tell me 'no' boy? COME HERE AT ONCE!" he shrieked.
Harry held his ground. He turned his head to see if he could still see Terry out of the corner of his eye without turning away from Voldemort. He saw, and he saw that Terry was gone. "What have you done with him?"
"I threw him away. He was of no use to me."
"Bring him back."
"I don't think you want me to. No, not really. But if you insist-" Voldemort gave a careless wave of his wand and from the chasm came a scalded corpse.
Harry shuddered and felt himself nearly sick at the sight.
Voldemort laughed. "I told you, you really didn't want to see that, did you? Come now."
"No."
"You only make things more difficult on yourself. Bring him." Voldemort snapped his fingers.
Two powerful arms grabbed his arms and pulled him forward to where Voldemort sat. Voldemort stood up and stepped slowly toward Harry. He took one of his long, pale fingers and traced the scar on Harry's forehead.
Harry screamed in agony. The scar pain felt like it would split his head apart if it did not stop. All he knew was pain and his own voice screaming.
Then the pain was gone.
Harry slumped down to the ground, his arms still held behind him, and Voldemort chuckled. "See? That wasn't nice, was it? Now, you are going to die. I can't decide though. Should I make it leisurely for all the trouble you've caused me? Or should I be fast and end you life with one sudden stroke of death?"
"Who says I'll let you kill me?" Harry asked with a snarl, like a wolf. Struggling but rising to his feet with a grimace he continued. "I dare you to let me face you man to man. A wizard's duel. If I am to die I will die as my father did."
"No, a runt like you. You're not a man. You can't face me."
"You mean you won't face me. You were willing to face me as an infant, and last year when I was down, tortured, younger, and with a broken leg. You won't face me when I can stand on my own two feet? You are a coward."
Voldemort's nostrils flared and his eyes flashed angrily. "You dare speak to me like that?"
"Yes, and I challenge you to a duel. Accept and fight or refuse and be proved in front of everyone here that you are a coward who doesn't have the power to stand up to one fifteen year old boy." While Harry waited for the answer he looked to where his classmates and Professor Delano had been chained. They were all still there, helpless, but something seemed to be moving around them. Ron!
Voldemort seemed to be considering. "I accept, but you may not use your wand. I remember the last time we met."
"It's the only one I have."
"Malfoy! Bring me the wands of those unfortunate misfits."
Luscious came, bearing a box. Inside were over a dozen wands.
Voldemort waved a careless hand. "Pick any wand you like. I swear I've touched none of them."
Harry looked at the wands. He recognized some of them. Harry picked up one in particular; it belonged to Neville.
"Have you chosen? Good. We'll begin."
The Death Eaters made a circle around Harry and Voldemort; this was to be sure Harry couldn't run away. Harry saw that the box of wands was outside the circle of Death Eaters. He hoped Ron would notice.
The Death Eater who had been with Pettigrew appeared in the middle of the circle. He bowed to Voldemort. "My Lord, Wormtail is missing."
"Explain yourself."
"I turned my back for an instant and he was gone. I don't know what happened."
"He was always worthless, so he is no great loss but you must find him. I don't care if he lives or dies, we just cannot let people know he lives. Get him alive or dead and bring him to me. Go with three others. Be gone. I have business to settle here."
The wizard who had brought the news vanished with three others.
"Bow to your death, Harry Potter."
Harry instead stood taller. He pointed his wand at Voldemort, just distract him, Harry thought. Just distract him until Ron has the others free, then attack to kill. "Rictusempra!" he shouted thinking back to his second year of Hogwarts.
Everyone was surprised, Voldemort himself was doubled over with laughter and wheezing with the effort. He appeared to try and cast a spell but was too out of breath to try. Harry set a shielding spell around himself in case any Death Eaters came after him. This was when the others struck.
The Death Eaters didn't know what had hit them.
Those who had been chained together now had their wands and they had attacked the Death Eaters. Some had struck back but most had Disapperated immediately for fear of being unmasked and turned in to the Ministry.
Harry looked around. Voldemort seemed to have recovered and he was coming toward Harry. Voldemort had dropped his wand but Harry knew that if Voldemort touched his skin he would be in so much pain he couldn't think or defend himself.
Harry raised his wand to cast another spell, he saw Voldemort coming at him, he saw the snake streaking toward him, he saw the fighting around him, and then he saw nothing.
What may have been days later or only seconds, Harry was only just barely aware of someone touching his head and whispering some words. Then there was the nothingness again. Another time Harry thought he heard voices. After that there was nothing until the dream.