~ All There Ever Was ~
Author: Bachy A
E-Mail: screenwriter7@msn.com
Website: www.remnant-archive.0catch.com
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter...neither do I own J.K. Rowling. I don't own Warner Brothers – basically, I own nothing even closely related to Harry Potter. This story is meant to be pure fiction created by me using the characters of this series.
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Chapter 1: Fury Revived
Darkness crept through the trees. An ever-extending shadow seemed to sweep down, penetrating all that lay before it.
But this was no normal shroud, not one brought upon the world through its own cyclical nature...
No, this darkness moved forward because of the will that drove it, the presence that rolled over all it saw and wrung the very life from what lay before it...
And at the center of that darkness, two beings stood, one cloaked in its essence...and the other seeming to cower before it...
"Wormtail, this is going to be the last time: Tell me now..."
The small man shivered at the sound of the voice. Quivering, his knees bowed to the ground, he began to wonder. Peter Pettigrew had always thought himself to be clever, able to pull himself from any sticky situation...
...But what he thought, and what reality actually appeared to be, were two totally different things...
"CRUCIO!!!"
In an instant, Wormtail fell to the ground, screaming shrilly as he clutched his body, rocking on the ground as tremors washed through him.
Then, as quickly as it had begun, it was over. A small cry escaped Wormtail's lips as the absence of pain began to return.
The high voice returned, its tones ringing in his ears.
"Wormtail!!!"
He slowly brought his face up, his breathing ragged as he struggled to make out the dark shape before him. Slowly, he spoke, shaking as he tried to raise himself up.
"M-master...I don't...I don't know..."
"CRUCIO!!!"
A fresh howl rose into the night air as Wormtail crumbled back to the ground. He felt knives rush through every facet of his body...it seemed to go on and on, never wanting to stop...
...Until it did.
He lay there, twitching more violently than before and gasping uncontrollably.
"Now, Wormtail," the cold voice demanded, "I suggest that you tell me what I want to know...for your sake..."
Wormtail's eyes seemed to bulge slightly. He took in a deep, shaking breath, and slowly brought himself to his knees.
"Yes, Master...It's H-Harry Potter, m-my lord..."
An impatient discharge of breath silenced Wormtail's words.
"Harry Potter," said the high voice, its tones dripping with contempt. "Harry Potter...when is it not Harry Potter??"
The malice that fell from his master's tongue caused Wormtail to shake a little harder, whimpering slightly.
A frozen chuckled floated through the pitched shroud.
"Still cringe at the sound of my voice, Wormtail?"
Wormtail's gaze quickly shifted upwards, his need to profuse his loyalty radiating from his very eyes.
"N-no Master...I would never..."
"Silence."
The calmness in his master's voice betrayed what truly resided inside – Wormtail knew this, better than most, and instantly held still.
He could see the dark form of his master, standing there among the blackened trees. A hand rose, thoughtfully scratching a shrouded chin. To Wormtail, ages seemed to pass before his master spoke again.
"It is time, Wormtail. Time for me to act...Time for me to be rid of the meddlesome pest and all who follow in his wake."
As his master drew his body up, Wormtail caught an illuminated glimpse of the aged face, deathly white, and eyes recognizable only as slits...
...Cares and concerns of a world long forgotten lay on it, readable to all those who chose to see.
"Many long years have passed, Wormtail. My chances to destroy Harry Potter have come, again and again...and yet, through all my efforts, the boy has endured."
"But now, he shall endure no longer. He has reached the end of his pitiful rope. I will not stand by any longer, now while he is allowed to live."
A long, bony hand peeked out from the black curtain of the night, its index finger pointing menacingly at Wormtail.
"You, Wormtail...You are the one who will bring Harry Potter to me..."
If at all possible, the fear inside of Wormtail's being seemed to double, feeding the fire of anxiety that already smoldered in his soul.
He had before been assigned the very same task: to bring Harry Potter to his master. Every single attempt had verged on success, until that last moment when the boy would always seem to slip away.
His master was giving him another chance...but this time, it was different.
Harry Potter was no longer a boy...and those loyal to him were now more powerful than ever...
"Master," he said, gulping slightly. "M-master, I...I'm not sure..."
Another impatient snuffle escaped his master's mouth.
"Not sure? You have failed me many times, Wormtail. Many times have you forced me to question your worth..."
"M-master, I am a l-loyal s-servant...I always have been..."
Once again, a cold laugh penetrated into Wormtail's very heart.
"Loyal, Wormtail? Hmmm...that remains as a mater of debate..."
Wormtail saw the brush quiver slightly as his master rose above it.
"It is Harry Potter's last chance to escape me...and in a way, it is also your last chance, Wormtail..."
Wormtail's breath seemed to catch as he waited for his master to continue.
"You will bring me Harry Potter...I believe you remember what will happen should you fail me yet one...more...time..."
A shudder ran through Wormtail's squat frame. He did indeed remember...
...And it was something that he had absolutely no desire to experience...
"Do you understand me, Wormtail...?"
A suppressed nod was all that Wormtail could manage. He continued to sit there on the ground, letting time pass, until he heard his master's laugh again, one that chilled him down to the bone...
"Yes, Wormtail...I know it now..."
Wormtail glanced up...and gasped. His master's face loomed above him, perfectly illuminated by the waning moonlight. It's mouth stretched into a wide grin...
"Harry Potter will not escape me this time..."
With that, he let out another laugh, this one more terrifying than any before...
...And in that place...in a forest now blanketed by darkness...it had become apparent that evil had once again taken a stand...
Lord Voldemort had returned...
...and this time, nothing would be able to stand in his way...
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A/N: Not terribly exciting, but this chapter is meant to set things up. I have much, much more planned, so stay tuned!