Chapter 29

The soaring of his heart had been short-lived. He had done it. Justin had beaten his older brother to the cup. Having taken down both Durmstrang champions he felt the win had been more than deserved. When he saw Harry and Fleur enter the long corridor he had wasted no time in scrambling backward towards the cup expecting spellfire to follow and was only moderately surprised when it never came. The euphoria was ruined however when the portkey flew from his hand and he hit the dirt hard. Recognizing the familiar pull of a long-distance portkey the disorientation threw him, but only for a moment. Sensing danger he instinctively raised a shield as a red light flashed towards him.

Rolling towards his right he cried as his ankle locked up under a rock, but facing an unknown threat, he buried the pain as his brother taught him, and whipped his wand in an arc of destructive blasting curses. Roars of rage followed his spell fire, followed by cries for help, "YOU FOOLS! HE CANNOT ESCAPE."

The voice made a sharp pain lance the length of the lightning bolt on his forehead. It felt as if a hot iron had been pressed against his skin. It was worse than any normal burn, however. Worse than any broken bone. It was as if he was back under the cruciatus that Peter had once held him under, but he couldn't fathom the cause. He staggered under the weight of a dozen stunners hitting his shield, and only then did he realize that his attackers were wearing the familiar black robes and silver masks. Death Eaters. At least a dozen. His wand attempted to fire back, but as soon as he did he was caught in the chest with a bright red light and darkness consumed him.

Copper was the first thing he recognized when the lights of the world came back on, and his eyes opened. The feeling of both of his hands being in chains lifted above his head nearly had him panic before he realized why copper was flooding his senses. Blood. The taste was familiar to him, and he wanted to spit to give himself relief of the taste, but not knowing the circumstances of him being chained up prevented himself from doing so. His tongue moving in his mouth caused a pain to lance through his mouth, and he knew he must've bit his tongue when he had been stunned by the Death Eaters. As his mind began to process exactly what was happening around him he realized the world was quiet. The creatures of the night were even silent. The only audible sound was a lone voice, "13 years it's been. Not one of you tried to find me."

Roaring the names of his followers Justin lifted his eyes to see the man rip their mask off causing them to groan, and fall to the ground in some type of pain. When Lucius Malfoy was dropped, realization had hit the young Potter like a hurricane. The Dark Lord was walking among the living once more. Every nightmare Justin had experienced since he was old enough to remember was occurring before his eyes, but for some reason he knew he wasn't going to wake up this time. His only hope was his brother. If Harry could get to him then maybe he had a chance, but he would need to get to his wand, and he would have to summon his patronus. It was his only hope.

Before he could begin to ponder what had come of his wand the cold voice of the humanoid man began to direct itself at him, "Justin Potter, the boy who lived, our own little celebrity. Oh how your survival has inspired defiance among the people who once feared me. Shall we tell them what truly happened that night? The night I lost my power."

Justin wanted to antagonize the man with defiance, but his brother's voice entered his mind, "Say nothing. If you are outclassed, lull your opponent into a false confidence. Don't show your strength until you absolutely have to."

Following the advice of his brother he said nothing as Voldemort continued his monologue, "You see, it was old magic. Something I should have foreseen. When dear, sweet Euphemia Potter wouldn't even raise her wand to fight me, she enacted a powerful ritual. No matter though. Things have changed."

With a movement that was so fast the Dark Lord may have apparated he was upon Justin in a flash, "I can touch him you…NOW."

With a finger pressed into his famous scar, Justin wailed in agony. Voldemort seemed to relish his pain, and he nearly laughed with joy as he released his hold upon him. Stepping away, the man faced his followers, "The time for us to take our place in the world is nearly upon us once again my slippery friends. There is merely a small task I must attend to first. Let us call it… a safety precaution, until we see this 'til the end. Lucius, were you able to do as I instructed?"

Justin's eyes went to the blonde whose gaze shifted to meet the young man's eyes, but they flicked away just as fast, "My Lord, I completed the task to the best of my ability. Five of the items you requested were gathered, but I fear…that one of them has been lost to us forever. Destroyed by the youngest Potter boy."

A look of fury crossed Voldemort's face, and a red curse caused howls of agony to rip from the Death Eater's throat, "You will pay dearly for that mistake, Lucius. I entrusted you with my diary. It was magic beyond anything you could possibly understand, and a foolhardy error on your part that cannot be undone. But make no mistake, you will pay me back with everything you have if necessary. You have failed me, Lucius."

Lucius trembled as the Dark Lord summoned a black bag from the man's cloak. With a flick of his wrist, four items began to slowly levitate out of the bag, and all gathered looked on in wonder. A ring, a locket, a tiara, and a cup rotated in a circle, and Voldemort looked at each of them with clear reverence written on his face, "A quick lesson in history is in order, my friend. This ring and the locket both show the connections I hold to the ancient families of this country. The Gaunt family ring was once held by the Peverell family and the locket of Salazar Slytherin. You may also recognize the lost diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw, and the cup of Helga Hufflepuff. I intended to find an item from Godric Gryffindor for the completion of my collection of historic items, but alas I chose to go with something a little more personal. I have never been a sentimental type, but this item certainly deserves its place in history."

When Voldemort released his own wand and it began swirling in the circle of items Justin stared in horror wondering what could follow next. He knew the look of affection the Dark Lord gave the items could only mean doom for his own life, but continued to say nothing as Voldemort called out the names of Malfoy, Nott, Avery, and Macnair, "The four of you have been chosen to hold one of my special items on this night. You have been chosen for your magical abilities, and should be honored to possess such ancient magical relics. You see, the four of you, along with my most faithful, will be wielding these objects to ensure my return to power is…undeterred. I hear our enemies have collaborated, and could truly pose a threat to me. I will not allow this to happen. With these items in your possession, you will each be an unstoppable force."

A man that Justin recognized as Walden Macnair questioned the Dark Lord, "Your most faithful, my Lord?"

A loud feminine laugh entered the graveyard at this point, and the Dark Lord allowed a sinister smile to spread across his face, "My dear Walden, you don't truly believe I have been able to accomplish all I have tonight without the assistance of my most powerful follower. Young Barty showed me the way, and I merely tweaked his brilliance to my own needs."

A pale woman entered the graveyard. Her black curly hair was a mess, and Justin instantly recognized the woman from old newspaper articles that were in his father's office. Bellatrix Lestrange strolled past the other Death Eaters to stand just behind Voldemort, "My Lord, we are all ready."

Justin's eyes widened at the sight of the woman, while Voldemort glanced at him letting out a soft chuckle, "Oh, are you starting to understand, Little Potter? Barty may have put your name into the Goblet of Fire, but it was Bellatrix that guided you here tonight. When Barty fell to your brother's hand I felt something I had not felt in many years, desperation. I knew I needed a capable follower to enact my plan. It was then I arranged for Narcissa Malfoy to take the place of her sister in Azkaban. A simple polyjuice switch that has been maintained for months. Lucius didn't even notice his wife's absence. Tsk, tsk, Lucius I imagine you will have a hell of an explanation to give your wife once I break out my other followers. Not to worry, though, she will be free by dawn tomorrow."

The words caused Bellatrix to let out another cackle of laughter that made Justin want to crawl into a ball and surrender. Clamping down on that feeling, however, he tried to continue observing what was happening around him, hoping for a solution to present itself.

Voldemort waved his wand, and the five items floated to each of his previously named followers. To Lucius went the Diadem. Macnair, the cup. Avery, the Locket. Nott, the Ring. While finally, the wand went to Bellatrix. At this, Voldemort summoned the crooked wand from Bellatrix's hand into his own, "This will do until I have taken the Elder Wand from Dumbledore."

Justin could not help it when he heard this. He was unsure if he was hysterical or just coming to terms with the inevitable, "Oh, my lord, you haven't heard."

Justin spat the words 'my lord' as if they were a sickness, and Voldemort twitched slightly at his voice but turned to face the boy with a look of contempt allowing him to continue, "The most powerful wizard alive now holds the Elder Wand, as my brother took it from Dumbledore after the second task. You have no idea what you are up against."

Voldemort nodded with a slight smile, "Oh, I have some idea. The wizard trained by Gellert Grindelwald himself. I am sure he is an excellent source of knowledge. After all, I have seen the memories of the first and second tasks. He is an impressive wizard, of that there is no doubt, but even with the Elder Wand he is no match for me, and my…safeguards."

Justin couldn't help, but snorted, "You are wrong. When he finds out you have killed me, he will hunt you. You won't have to go looking for him. He will hunt you and your followers to extinction."

The young man's eyes turned defiantly to his followers, "Live a little longer and run! My brother will figure out where we are sooner, rather than later, and you will all be de-"

Before he could finish his words, the cruciatus curse washed over him, and the scream that escaped his lips was near inhuman. It was quite unlike the two previous times he was held under the unforgivable curse. He felt the hatred behind this spell, and this was its true power. He struggled to control the pain, but before he could beg for release the curse ended, and he heaved for breath while his body twitched. Desperately he wished for it to be over, but his eyes met the humanoid looking upon him, and felt his fury override his pain, "Pathetic! Cursing a 14-year-old in chains? My brother is right, you are just a worthless coward leading other cowards!"

Almost expecting another round of the cruciatus he braced himself, when the silence prevailed he took a final gamble that was certain to cost him his life, "The world will never know it was a fluke if you don't kill me fair and square. Give me my wand and let's settle this. Once and for all. I will finish the job my grandmother started all those years ago."

Silence, and then laughter. Voldemort strolled forward until he was within striking distance, and then backhanded the boy with a flick of his wrist, "You truly believe… you are truly so arrogant to think you can best me, boy?"

"Give me my wand, and I will show you that I was trained by the most powerful wizard to ever live. You have no idea what he is capable of. What I am capable of." Justin spat angrily, his plan already formed in his head.

Voldemort nodded, and then smiled, "Oh, how you could have been my own son. I see much of my youthful arrogance in you."

Justin wanted to say something snarky, like, there's no reason to be insulting, but knew he was on thin ice with his taunting, and restrained himself.

"I will grant you your final wish, but first I must see to my followers. A final step must take place before our duel. I do hope you don't die in the initial trading of spells. You have set my expectations quite high for your abilities, Mr Potter."

With that Voldemort whipped around to face his followers with Bellatrix's wand in his hand. With a whispered incantation he launched a black spell that broke into five pieces striking each of the followers, but at first, there seemed to be no effect before the screaming started. Each of the five followers in unison unleashed tormented cries, causing the others to scramble backward in fear. Bellatrix recovered first as she lifted her head, and her eyes shined dark red. Justin watched in horror as each of the others followed suit. Voldemort grinned as he turned back to Justin flicking his wand causing the chains holding him up to disappear. The young man hit the ground hard, and he groaned as the aches of the cruciatus threatened to overwhelm him.

His wand hit the ground in front of him, and Voldemort cried, "Pick it up, pick it up."

Quickly realizing his window of opportunity was approaching and closing rapidly he scrambled to his feet, wand in hand, prepared to defend himself, but Voldemort merely looked at him appraisingly, "You've been taught to duel I presume? First, we bow to each other."

When Justin merely stared trying to determine exactly how suicidal his plan was Voldemort tuted, "Now, now, Justin you wouldn't want to embarrass your brother now would you? I said BOW!"

The imperious curse overtook his senses, but only for a moment. When he stood strong, Voldemort tried the command again, and his knees buckled, but he again held strong. Voldemort merely grinned appraisingly, "Very good, Mr. Potter, my expectations continue to grow. If we are going to skip the pleasantries then I suppose I will just kill you. AVADA KEDAVRA."

Justin blinked for a long moment as he remembered his brother's lesson on wards, "You don't yet have the power to apparate through anti-apparition wards. Don't forget, though, that doesn't mean you don't have options. Just because you can't escape the boundaries, doesn't mean you can't move within them. Don't forget that."

As the green curse filled his vision he spun without hesitation apparating away from the curse. The man roared in rage as Justin dropped behind the tall skeleton he was once chained to, "Expecto Patronum."

A raven erupted from his wand, and if his heart hadn't been racing he would've stopped to think that his Patronus had changed, but instead he said, "He's back. Graveyard. HELP!"

The raven took off just in time as the reaper came to life behind him, and attempted to remove his head with the scythe. Justin was not idle though, as he knew he had to survive until his brother could unravel his clue and come for him. He could only hope he could hold out until then. With a slash of his wand, the stone reaper exploded into thousands of pieces that he transfigured into sharp objects and hurled them in the direction of the Dark Lord. The debris was quickly turned into a swarm of large bats that Justin quickly set on fire, and attempted to hurl back at Voldemort.

The Dark Lord laughed as he wrestled control of the fire, and turned it into a giant snake-like creature. Justin stared in horror as it hissed at him, and began to come at him. His brother's control over water however inspired him as he unleashed his most powerful water charm to shield him from the attacking serpent. Quickly realizing it wasn't enough, he once again apparated, but this time a green spell zoomed past his ear, and Voldemort roared with rage, "You will have to do better than that, Potter! You cannot use the same trick twice against Lord Voldemort."

Justin wanted to roll his eyes, but Voldemort launched a spell at the ground causing the earth to rise up and try to throw him backward. But Harry had used this spell against him before and knew exactly how to reverse it. With a blasting curse and levitation charm in quick succession, he uprooted the soil in front of him causing the Dark Lord's spell to launch over his head with an effect that certainly would have caused his death. Seemingly having surprised the Dark Lord momentarily, Justin went on the offensive with a speed he could only hope would hold him back. He threw everything he had at the man. Blaster, Shredding hex, piercing charm, organ rupturing curse, bone breaker to the head, heart splintering curse, and every bit of dark magic his brother had ever taught him. He felt hatred for the man that had taken his childhood from him. Taken the attention of his family from his brother causing him to be alienated. Causing the family to be divided. He had almost lost them so many times over the years, and it was this abomination's fault. Justin would make him pay. His speed was something that even his brother would be proud of as he roared with rage allowing it to fuel his magic. Having no idea how long his chain of spells went he was suddenly lifted off the ground and launched backward in between spells.

Suddenly he was floating in the area with the feeling of a hand on his throat. Looking down he saw the Dark Lord holding him up without even using his wand, "I'm going to kill you, Justin Potter. You were quite the unexpected surprise, and I almost wish I could convince you to see things my way. You would have made quite the apprentice. If your brother is half the wizard you are, he will make quite the adversary. Alas, it will not be enough. You see, Mr. Potter, only I can live forever."

"You will never get away with it." Justin choked out, "He's coming for you, Tom."

A final look of rage crossed the pale wizard's face as he raised his wand, "Defiant to the end I see. Just like your blood traitor grandmother. No matter, your tale ends here, Justin Potter. AVADA-"

Justin closed his eyes at his name, but the flash of green light never came. Instead he found himself falling to the ground, landing on his injured ankle causing agonizing pain to go through his body. Mayhem was the only sound he could recognize as he opened his eyes to see how he had survived his encounter with the Dark Lord. Tears immediately began to spring to his eyes as his mind processed what happened. His brother was standing there with a look of absolute fury on his face, and the Elder Wand sparking dangerously in his hand. Voldemort was staring hatefully at the young man that merely spat "Get away from my brother."

At those words, two other apparitions brought two elderly men to his side. Both had wands drawn, and Justin sobbed at the sight of Gellert Grindelwald and Albus Dumbledore ready to do battle.