IV.

"What?" asked Patrick, looking around. "Did you say your brother knows him?" and being the logical person he was, said, "That means that boy knows that Potter kid, who seems to know that man who just tortured that other man. And assuming you would know him too if you went to school with Ernie, you somehow can do…do…that?"

"Mum'll kill me…" Erin muttered. "You must promise that you won't tell anyone."

"Of course we won't," said Brett quickly. "Just tell us."

"It's…magic…that's happening tonight," said Erin quietly. "That man, You-Know-Who…"

"You mean Voldemort?" asked Jamie, and Erin gasped.

"Don't say his name!" she hissed. "Anyway, You-Know-Who is an evil wizard. He does Dark Magic. That boy…" she pointed at Potter, "destroyed him thirteen years ago when he was a year old. Nobody knows how. And now, after thirteen years, he's returned."

Jamie, Brett, and Patrick were now staring at Erin, dumbstruck. "You can't be serious…" whispered Jamie.

"Dead serious. We need to watch this, maybe we can help later…"

When Jamie looked up, the first thing he noticed was that Wormtail was no longer sobbing at the foot of the grave. He was standing in the circle with a silver hand gleaming in the darkness. He hears Erin explaining to Brett and Patrick, "No, not all wizards are bad. Only a few. Most of us only do magic for good…" but Jamie shushed her. Erin looked around, and Jamie said, "He's talking to these Death Eater people. He's coming this way!" The four of them ducked out from the hole. If he found them…but no; he passed over their space, barely glancing at it.

Jamie dared to look out again, and Voldemort was now staring at a space, some feet away, which looked like it could have held six people. "…and one, who remains my most faithful servant, and has already re-entered my service. He is at Hogwarts…" Erin gasped.

"That's where Ernie goes to school…"

"Hogwarts? What kind of a name is that?" asked Patrick, but Erin shushed him.

"Yes, Harry Potter has kindly joined us for my rebirthing party. One might go so far as to call him my guest of honor," Voldemort was saying.

Erin snorted, and Brett said, "Erin, shut up, will you?"

But Voldemort didn't seem to have noticed anything; he had walked over to Potter and stood next to him. "You know, of course, that they have called this boy my downfall?" Potter was grimacing again, maybe has was allergic to this Voldemort and it caused him pain instead of itches? Jamie had never heard of an allergic reaction like that. They didn't exist, as far as he knew…he made a mental note to ask his mum, a doctor, if there was such a thing when he got home.

If I get home…

Voldemort was saying, "His mother died in the attempt to save him, and unwittingly provided him with a protection I had not foreseen…I could not touch the boy." He put his finger an inch from Potter's face, and said, "His mother left upon him the traces of her sacrifice…this is old magic, I should have remembered it, but no matter…I can touch him now."

Voldemort touched his finger to Potter's face, and if the gag was not in his mouth, Jamie was sure he would have screamed. His eyes grew wide and he turned as white as snow, but then Voldemort released his finger, and Potter's pain seemed to have subsided some.

"I miscalculated, my friends, I admit it. My curse was deflected by the woman's foolish sacrifice, and it rebounded upon me. Aaah…pain beyond pain, my friends; nothing could have prepared me for it…" Jamie was growing rather bored. He noticed also that Brett and Patrick were whispering together urgently, and Jamie leaned over and joined the conversation. Erin, it seemed, had noticed nothing, as her eyes were still fixed on Voldemort.

"I'm scared…" Brett was saying. "Why didn't we leave earlier?"

"Because you told us to stay, peanut brain," whispered Patrick back. "Remember? Erin wanted to go and get her parents, but no, we had to stay and 'see this' if I remember correctly." Patrick always got surly when he was scared or tired, and seeing that right then he was both, his bad mood seemed to have intensified.

"Yeah, well…" began Brett, but Jamie shushed him. "What? Brett asked.

"Can you guys shut up?" asked Jamie irritably. "We're risking our necks as it is without you two blabbering away."

"Oh, come on!" said Patrick. "We're fine, what would he do with us if he found us?"
"One thing I know, he won't let us go prancing off to Mummy and Daddy. He'll probably torture or kill us, or both. Is that incentive to keep your trap shut?"

Brett was staring at Jamie. "You can't be serious…we didn't do anything to him…he can't kill us…"

"Did that Cedric Diggory person do anything to him? No. Did Harry Potter do anything to him intentionally? No. He destroyed him when he was a baby, so what? He didn't mean to…and look at what he did to that man who asked for forgiveness! And to his own follower…"

"Ok, ok, I get the point," said Brett angrily. "But still…"

"There are no buts; we have to get away from here now."

"No," Erin said suddenly. "We have to stay here."

"What the…" said Brett. "…five minutes ago you were all keen to leave, let's go!"

"We can't."

Patrick rolled his eyes. "C'mon, it's either run or get killed."

"You can go, but I'm staying. Nobody's binding you here, like You-Know-Who is to Harry Potter."

These words seemed to have a strong impact on Brett. "But…but…"

"Sh! Listen!" said Jamie, and they all turned. Voldemort was still speaking to the assembled men.

"I knew that to achieve this – it is an old piece of Dark Magic that revived me tonight – I would need three powerful ingredients. Well, one of them was already at hand, was it not, Wormtail? Flesh given by the servant…

"My father's bone, naturally, meant that we would have to come here, where he was buried. But the blood of the foe…Wormtail would have had me use any wizard, would you not, Wormtail? Any wizard who had hated me, as so many of them still do…"

Jamie was growing rather bored again. He gathered from what he listened to that Potter's blood would make him stronger, that this Potter boy was apparently being kept safe by a man called Dumbledore, and that a "Triwizard Tournament" was being played at Hogwarts this year, and Potter was dragged into it.

What really made Jamie's ears perk up was the sound of the word he had heard once before in his life. "Crucio!"

The air was suddenly full of muffled screeches, and Jamie found that he was right when he had thought that "Crucio" was a torturing…something…because Potter had turned as white as Voldemort himself, and his body was shaking and twitching as much as his bindings would allow. Jamie suddenly felt sympathy for the boy…it must be a horrible feeling…knowing that you're going to die that night…and with nobody there but your most hated enemies…

But then the screams stopped, and Potter looked very pale indeed. His eyes were looking, terrified, up at Voldemort. Voldemort was saying, "You see, I think, how foolish it was to suppose that this boy could have ever been stronger than me. But I want there to be no mistake in anybody's mind. Harry Potter escaped me by a lucky change. And I am now going to prove my power by killing him, here and now, in front of you all, where there is no Dumbledore to help him and no mother to die for him. I will give him his chance. He will be allowed to fight, and you will be left in no doubt which of us is the stronger. Just a little longer, Nagini," Jamie was confused for a moment about this Nagini person, but then he saw the snake slither away. He supposed "Nagini" was the snake…

"Now, untie him, Wormtail, and give him back his wand," said Voldemort, smiling slightly.

Wonderful, now this Voldemort is going to torture and eventually kill this poor kid…what could they do to stop him? Nothing, that's what, and that's what irritated Jamie the most – they could not do anything to stop the murder of an innocent boy. Erin moaned beside him and tightened her grip on his arm; he feared she would soon cut off his circulation.

Wormtail went up to Potter, pulled out the gag, and then cut through his bonds with his silver hand. Jamie was amazed at that hand. If it can cut through rope like that, what else can it cut through?

But nobody else seemed interested in Wormtail's hand; Erin was watching Potter sway where he stood. Jamie was surprised that he could stand at all; his leg and bathrobe were covered in blood, and he was wincing, which made Jamie suspect a sprained ankle.

Brett and Patrick were still staring at Voldemort, but their view was soon obstructed by the Death Eaters closing ranks so Potter could not escape, but which also made them unable to see anything. Brett looked disappointed and Erin looked like she was about to faint. "At least we can still hear what's going on," commented Patrick dryly. "Isn't much condolence though…"

"Oh, c'mon, we can see a bit of what's going on," Erin said impatiently. "What did you expect, front-row tickets?"

"You have been taught how to duel, Harry Potter?" said Voldemort. Duel? Wizards duel? What about those sticks they always have out? thought Jamie. "We bow to each other, Harry," said Voldemort, and though he bowed slightly, his eyes never left Potter. "Dumbledore would like you to show manners…bow to death, Harry…"

"That sounds wonderful, doesn't it?" said Erin sarcastically. "Like he would…" for a moment, it didn't seem like Potter was going to bow; Jamie saw a rebellious glint in his eye.

But then Voldemort said, "I said bow," he raised his stick, and then brought it down; Potter bent in accord with it. "Very good. And now, you face me, like a man…straight-backed and proud, the way your father died…and now, we duel."