Ch. 16
Harry was dragged to his feet by the stranger and slammed into a tombstone. The stranger pulled out a wand and conjured ropes that bound Harry tightly to the tombstone, so tight that he couldn't move. Then the figure removed his hood to reveal Wormtail.
Harry sputtered when he saw who his capture was, but Wormtail paid him no mind. After making sure that Harry wouldn't escape, he turned away to drag a huge cauldron over by the pile of robes he had dropped. Harry had a sinking feeling that the cauldron was big enough for a man to bath in and it was already filled with water.
The pile of robes started to twitch, but Harry couldn't see what was inside. Wormtail ignored it as he lit the fires for the cauldron and in no time, the water was boiling.
Wormtail picked up the robes and revealed what was inside. It was a mixture of a human child and a snake. Hairless and scaly-looking, it was colored a dark raw reddish black. The face was flat and snakelike with gleaming red eyes. It looked helpless with its tiny thin arms and legs, but Harry knew better.
In the back of his mind, he heard Sloane's voice. "Man, is that thing fugly!" For some reason, it helped clear the pain and Harry could think. He watched as Wormtail put the thing into the cauldron.
Wormtail started the spell as the thing vanished in the cauldron. His voice was shaky and Harry could tell that he was scared out of his wits. He took out his wand and raised it into the air.
"Bone of the Father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!"
Harry scrambled back against the tombstone as dust rose off the grave and fell gently into the cauldron. The liquid in the cauldron changed to a vivid, poisonous blue.
Wormtail pulled out a long, thin dagger. He started to sob to the point where he nearly didn't get out the second part of the spell.
"Flesh - of the servant - willingly given - you will - revive - your master!"
Harry flinched when Wormtail cut off his left hand. No wonder the little coward was scared. Harry tilted his head slightly as he studied the cauldron, now a burning red. He didn't recognized the spell that Wormtail was using, but he could guess the end of it.
Wormtail walked over to Harry and knelt by him. Fear seized Harry as he realized that he would have to contribute to the spell.
"Blood of the enemy, forcefully taken, you will resurrect your foe!" Wormtail enchanted as he sliced into Harry's right arm. Harry bit back a cry of pain and watched as the little man caught some of his blood in a glass vial.
The cauldron now turned a blinding white. Harry prayed that the spell went wrong or that the creature had drowned. Mist rose from the cauldron and surrounded everything until Harry couldn't see Wormtail or Cedric.
Then, through the mist, he saw the figure of a skeletally thin man rising from the cauldron. He ordered Wormtail to 'robe' him in a cold voice. His eyes never left Harry, and Harry's never left him. He was tall with a face whiter then a skull with wide, livid scarlet eyes and nose as flat as a snake's with slits for nostrils - a face that had haunted Harry's nightmares for three years.
Lord Voldemort had risen again.
Harry's mind was in overdrive as Voldemort examined his new body. There had to be a way out of this. He quickly took in what he knew.
He was in a graveyard far from Hogwarts with the darkest wizard of all time. He had one dead friend and he was most likely going to die next. There was a Port Key, but he was tied up and couldn't get to it. Harry hated to admit it, but he was in deep trouble.
Voldemort walked over to Harry, his scarlet eyes sweeping over the graveyard. He seemed to be waiting for something, but would settle on Harry in the mean time. He smiled; a cruel twisting smile that made Harry's blood turn to ice.
"You stand, Harry Potter, on the remains of my dear late father. He was a Muggle and a fool - much like your own mother. However, both had their uses, did they not? Your mother gave her life to defend you, and my father has proven his use in death as well."
Voldemort laughed and began to pace up and down the graveyard. Harry could see a large snake circling the graveyard - Voldemort's pet snake, Nagini.
"You see that house on the hillside, Harry Potter? My father lived there until his death. My mother was a witch who lived in the village down there. They fell in love and she became pregnant. However, he abandoned her the second she told him of her magic. She died giving birth to me and only lived long enough to give me my father's name. My father never even knew I existed until I sought him out."
When Voldemort flashed that horrible smile at Harry again, Harry had a feeling that he was expecting something from him. Despite being scared for his life with a wizard who had spent all of Harry's life so far planning on how to kill him, this was a rather pleasant evening - in some strange sense.
Harry cleared his throat slightly. "Sorry to hear about your mother," he said. Voldemort only smiled wider.
"Listen to me, reliving my family history," Voldemort said quietly, "why I am growing quite sentimental. But look, Harry Potter, my true family returns -"
Harry craned his neck and saw about twenty hooded and masked figures. The Death Eaters moved to make a circle around Voldemort and Harry, but there were gaps where Death Eaters were missing.
Several of the Death Eaters crawled forward and kissed Voldemort's robe hem. They called him Master and begged for his forgiveness.
"Welcome my Death Eaters. It has been thirteen years, and yet you answer my call as if no time has passed." Voldemort said quietly. "We are still united under the Dark Mark. Or are we?"
In the back of Harry's mind, he begged that Voldemort became so busy with his Death Eaters that he forgot all about Harry. He watched as Voldemort walked the circle, chastising his Death Eaters for not seeking him out. Harry didn't mind. The more Voldemort talked, the longer Harry got to live.
Voldemort finally turned to Wormtail, who was quivering. He smiled that terrible smile and spoke of how Wormtail had returned to him.
"You returned, not because of loyalty, but from fear of your old friends. You deserve this pain, Wormtail. However, never let it be said that Lord Voldemort doesn't reward those who help him. You returned my body to me, and for that, I will thank you."
Voldemort raised his wand and created a silver hand that attached itself to Wormtail. Wormtail stared at his hand in awe and then fell to his knees, thanking his master.
"May your loyalty never waver again." Voldemort ordered.
Voldemort then turned his attention to one of the Death Eaters. "Lucius, my slippery friend, I hear you present a respectable face to the world, but practice the old ways in the dark. You were ready for a little Muggle-torture at the World Cup, but you never tried to find me. Wouldn't you agree that your energies have been better spent in trying to find your master?"
"I was constantly alert, Master. Had there been any hint of you, any sign of your whereabouts, I would have been at your side immediately," came Lucius Malfoy's voice. "Nothing would have prevented me from finding you -"
"And yet you ran when a faithful Death Eater sent my mark up in the sky." Voldemort said lazily. "You disappoint me, Lucius. I expect you to be more faithful in the future."
"Yes, Master, of course. You are merciful, thank you -"
Voldemort had moved on. Harry could feel Lucius' eyes shift from his master to him. Harry was certain that Lucius was the only Death Eater to notice that Harry was in the circle. The others were watching Voldemort as he greeted and chastised many of them.
"Didier, how nice to see you again. I hear you are now working in Hogwarts," Voldemort said, stopping before one robed figure.
"Yes, Master." Didier Fontaine said.
"It has also reached my ears that you have been pursuing Tori Mars," Voldemort said.
Didier twitched inside his robes. "Not to the extent of others, My Lord."
"Still, I had warned you away from her the last time we met. It pains me to see that once you had thought that I was gone that you would continue to go against my orders."
Didier fell to his knees, begging for mercy. Voldemort held out his wand and placed Didier under the Cruciatus Curse until he felt that the other man had learned his lesson. Harry's eyes sought out Lucius, wondering why Voldemort was not as angry over Malfoy's contact with his mother as he was with Fontaine's.
"And here," Voldemort said, stopping at the largest gap, "we are missing six people. Three dead in my service, they will be missed. One I believe has left me forever and he will be hunted down. One who is too cowardly to return, he will be punished. And one who remains my faithful servant. He will be rewarded."
"He is at Hogwarts, my faithful servant. It is through him that we have our guest of honor. I am sure you all know Harry Potter. He has kindly joined us for my rebirthing party."
Drat! The Death Eaters all turned to look at Harry, and he knew that there was no way he'd be able to escape. He gave a feeble smile and tried to wave.
"Master, we crave to know how this miracle came about," Lucius simpered.
"Ah, what a story, Lucius." Voldemort said. "It begins and ends with our young friend here."
He walked lazily to Harry and stood next to him. "You know, of course, that they are calling this boy my destruction. They tell of how I met my end at his hands thirteen years ago. I did lose my powers and body, true. I tried to kill him, but his mother's death had shielded him. I admit, it was of a magic older then I had thought to encounter. I was outwitted and defeated."
Voldemort softly stroked his long fingers down Harry's cheek. "Her sacrifice had made it impossible for myself to touch him, but now that barrier has been broken."
Voldemort straightened up a bit and addressed his Death Eaters. "I miscalculated, my friends. My spell was rebound by a foolish woman's sacrifice and I was hit instead. I spent years as a powerless vapor, wondering if any of my faithful Death Eaters would come for me. I waited in vain!"
"Then, one day, my patience was rewarded. A foolish wizard, weak in all ways, found me four years ago. Imagine my joy when I learned that he was a teacher at Hogwarts. I bent him to my will and possessed his body. But my plan failed! I did not get the Philosopher's Stone as I had wanted. I was thwarted, again, by Harry Potter!"
Harry gulped as he felt the eyes glare at him.
"With that servant dead, I tried to regain my form by reviving my stored memories. This time, a snake-creature that was under my control became my vehicle for renewal. He placed the powerful amulet into the school and let my servants suck the Mudblood students dry of their life to return me to my sixteen-year-old body. And again, Harry Potter stopped me!"
Voldemort smiled suddenly. "All was not lost. A year ago, as I lay in despair, Wormtail found me. He was fleeing his old friends and sought me out in a country I was rumored to be in. He brought me the gossip of what everyone was saying since my demise. He also brought me valuable information in the forms of Bertha Jenkins and May Albers."
Harry gave an unconscious jerk when he heard the name of his aunt. Voldemort paused and gazed at him before continuing.
"It was through Bertha that I learned of the Triwizard Tournament and of my faithful servant, held prisoner by his family. I set my newest plan into action after I had disposed of Bertha and her friend. Wormtail helped me build my body and we waited until the right moment for my rebirth."
Voldemort raised his hands. "My faithful Death Eater slipped into Hogwarts and made sure that we would have Harry Potter with us this night. Far beyond the protection of Dumbledore and into my waiting arms."
Voldemort walked in front of Harry and smiled, reaching out to grasp his chin and force Harry's eyes to his. "Do you know what else I plan, Harry Potter?" Voldemort asked softly. "I have heard the rumors of what the wizards believe of Tori Mars. They say that she was my Dark Lady, and even my Death Eaters seem to believe it. Who am I to deny them a queen?"
"Stay away from her!" Harry growled.
Voldemort laughed and raised his wand.
"Crucio!"
It was a pain beyond that of anything Harry had felt so far. It even blocked out the pain from his scar. Every nerve in Harry's body had exploded and he just wanted to die.
And then it was gone. He hung limply on the tombstone, panting for breath as Voldemort and his Death Eaters laughed.
"Untie him, Wormtail, and give him his wand."
Harry watched Voldemort as his servant did as he was told to do. Once Harry was free and armed, Wormtail walked back to his place in the circle.
"You have been taught to duel, right Harry Potter?"
Harry gave him a curt nod. He wasn't going to show fear to this man. No matter what, not even if he died, he was never going to let Voldemort know how scared he was.
They gave each other the shallowest of bows, eyes never leaving the other. Harry knew that no matter what Voldemort used first, his last spell would be the Killing Curse. This was just a chance to play with Harry before he killed him.
Before Harry could fling his first spell at Voldemort, he was hit with another Cruciatus Curse. He fell to the ground, writhing in pain. He had never screamed so loudly in all his life.
And then it stopped. Harry scrambled to his feet and staggered. He was shaking uncontrollably as he tried to stay upright. Instead, he staggered sideways into a wall of Death Eaters who pushed him back into the circle. He fell, panting on his hands and knees.
"A little break, then?" Voldemort's voice sounded. "That hurt, didn't it Harry? You don't want me to do that again, do you?"
Harry ignored him as he crawled over to the tombstone to hoist himself up. He leaned back, still shaking. He knew he was going to die. He could see it in those pitiless red eyes.
"I asked you if you wanted me to do that again," Voldemort's voice hissed. "Answer me! Imperio!"
Harry felt his mind being wiped blank as the spell took over him. It was bliss, not having to think or feel. He was floating in a dream.
Just say no, Harry. Just answer no.
I will not, a voice in the back of Harry's mind said, I will not answer.
Just say no . . .
I won't do it!
Just say no . . .
"I WON'T!"
Harry threw off the curse, only to find out that the pain in his body had returned. Voldemort wasn't laughing any more, and neither were his Death Eaters.
"I see that you need to learn obedience, Harry. It's a very important virtue. Didn't Tori ever teach you to obey the wishes of those superior to you? This will be a lesson that you will learn before you die, Harry."
This time, when Voldemort raised his wand, Harry was ready. He dodged out of the way, flinging himself behind a gravestone. He needed time to think. He knew that the next curse from Voldemort would be the Killing Curse, and he needed to find a way to stay alive.
When all magic fails, do it the Muggle way
Tori's voice drifted into Harry's mind. The Muggle way would be to deprive Voldemort of his wand and use his fists. Crude, but effective.
Harry stood up, his wand pointing towards Voldemort. His enemy was ready, however, expecting to see Harry. As Harry shouted, "Expelliarmus!" Voldemort cried, "Avada Kedavra!"
The two spells clashed in midair, forming a golden ball between them. The ball started to move towards Harry, making it harder for him to hold on to his wand. He knew that if it reached him, something bad would happen. He concentrated and pushed the ball back to Voldemort as a golden net formed over them, shielding them from the Death Eaters.
"Do nothing!" Voldemort yelled, his voice strained as he gripped his wand. "Do nothing unless I command you!"
Harry pushed again and the golden ball entered Voldemort's wand. At once, Voldemort's wand emitted loud screams and smoke. Voldemort's eyes widened as the smoke took on the ghostly form of Wormtail's hand. The hand fell to the ground and scuttled around a bit, reminding Harry of the Adams Family.
A few more screams and the smoke took the form of a head - and then torso - and then finished into the shape of Cedric Diggory. The gray ghost of Cedric stood up and looked around. He walked near Harry and whispered, "Hold on, Harry."
More screams and another person appeared from the smoke. This time, it was a young woman. She smiled at Harry.
"Don't give up, Harry Potter. I have faith in you."
Another form fell from the wand and straightened to reveal a young man. He stared at Voldemort and then at Harry.
"Keep it up, kid! This jerk stole my dinner!" the man cried and then looked down at himself. "And he killed me and my girlfriend!"
Another form, this one of Bertha Jenkins. Harry knew who would be coming next, and almost smiled when he saw his Aunt May.
"Don't let go, Daniel! We'll beat this scum yet! Thinks he can get away with an insult to the Mars family, does he!" May then turned to Voldemort and shook her finger at him. "You just wait until my niece Tori hears about this. She'll avenge me!"
Harry's eyes were drawn to the smoke as it now released another woman. Harry knew that he'd see her, once he realized that the ghosts of Voldemort's victims were appearing. He stared as his mother straighten herself.
"You're father's coming, Harry," Lily said quietly. "Hold on for him, dear."
And then he came. Harry watched as his father appeared and stood up. He walked close to Harry and whispered in his ear, "When the connection is broken, we'll shield you. You have to get out of here."
"Regroup and prepare, Daniel." May's voice drifted to him. "We'll show him what a Mars is made of."
"A Potter!" James said.
Harry wanted to smile, hearing the two parts of his family arguing over what he was. He nodded, his fingers slipping slightly on his wand.
"Harry, take my body back with you." Cedric whispered.
"I will," Harry said.
On a silent signal, Harry broke the connection. The ghosts of the victims surged forward towards the frightened Voldemort and Harry ran. He stunned two Death Eaters and dashed in a zigzag to the Port Key. He could feel the spells as they missed him by scant inches. He flung himself on to Cedric's body and grabbed the Port Key. The graveyard vanished.