Chapter 11- Dark Lord Returns

Harry landed in the familiar cemetery and looked around to get his bearings. He saw the large manor house that Voldemort was staying in the past year, and he also saw the large headstone of Tom Riddle in the distance. It was a fair walk towards it. As he walked, he felt his scar burning for the first time in a long time. Dumbledore suspected it would still burn at proximity to Voldemort.

He saw the man, the fat man in the black robes approached and he heard a high voice yell. "Restrain him." It yelled and Harry felt ropes wrap around him and he was soon moved to the headstone. Harry thought about how he would handle things this time and had a stupid idea.

Wormtail carefully put the bundle down and approached Harry, taking his wand from his hand and began tightening the ropes. "Harder daddy." Harry said in a husky voice. Wormtail looked up surprised. "What?" He asked. "What." Harry said back. Wormtail looked slightly shocked as he pulled the black cloth from his pocket. Harry smiled at him. "OOOHHHH, do I need a safeword. Mine's teacup." Harry said. Wormtail had a shocked look on his face and he then stuffed the cloth in Harry's mouth and quickly ran away from the tied boy.

"Master, I think he is enjoying this." Wormtail said to the baby. The baby looked over and Harry winked at him. Voldemort was at a loss for words. "Just… get on with it… hurry." Voldemort said. Wormtail nodded as he placed Voldemort into the cauldron of boiling potion. Harry looked around and saw the snake slithering around. He would handle her later.

"Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son." Wormtail chanted and a bone by Harry's foot levitated into the cauldron.

"Flesh of the servant, willingly given, you will restore your master." He said and he sliced off his hand with one swipe of the knife, taking his hand. Harry was slightly impressed by the blade and thought about taking it.

"Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken, you will resurrect your foe." Wormtail said, albeit with short breaths as he stabbed Harry's forearm and brought the blood over to the cauldron. He then dripped the blood into the cauldron and soon massive steam came up and Harry hoped something went wrong and the damn thing died.

No such luck as a white, skeletally thin man emerged from the cauldron and a high cold voice came from it. "Robe Me." He commanded. Wormtail shuffled over and put the robe over his master's body, covering him. He turned around and Harry's eyes met with his. Red, cat like slits, face as white as a skeleton. Lord Voldemort had returned.

Hermione and Ron headed to the Defense office and Hermione quickly overcame the traps on the door. Ron kept a sharp lookout for Moody and wished he remembered to bring the map with him. Once the door was open, they both entered and Hermione quickly found the trunk. "Okay, let's get this opened." She said as she opened the locks with a spell.

The trunk opened multiple times before it opened up with Hermione looking down and seeing the bloody but very much alive Mad Eye Moody. "Professor? What are you doing down there?" Hermione asked, training her surprise.

"I was just wondering the same thing." Came a voice behind her. Both Ron and Hermione turned and saw Mad Eye standing there, Lavender bound in front of him with his want pointing at her head.

"Lavender!" Ron shouted and Mad Eye kept the girl close. "I wondered why you came here." He said.

"We were told to bring something from your office. That bottle of brandy." Hermione said, pointing at the bottle on the desk. Mad Eye grimaced. "We heard a voice from the trunk and well, here we are." Ron finished, his wand pointing at Mad Eye.

"Yes, here we are. Toss your wands away." He commanded. Ron and Hermione nodded to each other and threw their wands behind them. Mad Eye grinned. "Now, I think I will have fun before I dispose of you. Maybe have some alone time with this sweet thing." He said stroking Lavender's cheek as she cried silent tears. Ron's rage was billowing for him touching her. "I might make you take Potter's mudblood. Then I'll have a turn with her." Mad Eye laughed as he looked at the angry faces of the teens.

"I have some fun of my own." Came a voice. Mad Eye turned around and Snape punched him in the face. He let go of Lavender, and Snape took her behind him. Mad Eye tried to fire a curse but suddenly his eye went wild, the filters that kept him from seeing everything were unleashed and he was wildly thrashing before he came to the edge of the trunk.

A pair of hands reached out and pulled Mad Eye in and they heard fighting and punching before Alastor came out of the trunk, fixing his eye back into its socket. "Bloody scum." Alastor said. Holding two wands.

"I believe this is yours?" He said handing the wand back to Hermione. She had tossed it into the trunk and hoped Moody would get the point. Ron ran to Lavender and untied her she was crying but a silencing charm was placed on her. Snape cast the counter curse. "Oh god, Ron. He just grabbed me. I was so scared." Lavender said as Ron pulled her into his arms.

Moody though was glaring at Snape. "I guess Albus was right about you." He growled. Snape merely nodded. "Something has gone wrong, Mr. Potter has not returned from the maze." He said. Hermione had genuine worry, especially when Snape's mark began burning and it pained him.

In the Graveyard, Voldemort inspected his new body and was impressed by it. "Master, you promised." Wormtail feebly said. Voldemort ignored him and faced Harry. "You stand Harry Potter on the bones of my father. He was a local lord who ruled over this quiet town with kindness and wisdom. Such a weak fool." Voldemort said.

"He could make his subjects both fear and love him and instead he tried to understand them. As if the common drabble were equal to him and his station." Voldemort said. Harry rolled his eyes. He and the Dursleys may not like each other, but they all shared a very similar hatred for royalty. Self important jack asses that didn't pay taxes and acted like because they came out of the right vagina that made them superior.

"My wand Wormtail." He commanded to the bleeding man. Wormtail handed the wand over. "Your arm Wormtail." He ordered. Wormtail smiled and handed his bloody stump. "YOUR OTHER ARM!" He barked. He switched arms and Voldemort pulled up the sleeve. "It has returned, let us see who shall return, and who is to cowardly to return." Voldemort said. He then placed the wand on the mark and Harry's scar burned as he called his followers.

It was a grueling ten minutes before they arrived in black cloaks and white masks. Voldemort smiled as he saw them arrive, all shocked at seeing their master restored. "Master…Master." They muttered as they crawled to them and kissed the hem of his robes. They then formed a massive circle around him and the grave. Harry then began struggling, hoping he could start some commotion.

"Welcome, my loyal followers. Welcome my faithful Knights of Walpurgis. Welcome my Death Eaters!" Voldemort declared as he held his hands up. "Thirteen years since you last answered my call and you come to me as if it were yesterday. We are still united under one Dark mark!" Voldemort said.

Harry tried to stifle a yawn from this grandstanding. "I confess myself, disappointed." Voldemort said. "Thirteen years I waited for one of my servants to find me. Thirteen years I waited, my powers broken while you got fat from your lives of plenty." Voldemort snarled. One Death Eater stepped forward. "Forgive me master…" His speech was cut short by Voldemort yelling "CRUCIO" and the man fell to the ground in pain.

He released he spell after a minute and he snarled at him. "I do not forgive Avery! I do not forget! You owe me thirteen years of service before I consider forgiving you!" Voldemort snarled. He turned to the others. "You all owe me for failing to aid your master. The very master you swore eternal fealty to! And repay me you will! My Knights must be loyal to me and no other. Not to the Ministry, not to the Queen, and certainly not to Dumbledore!" He yelled. He turned to Avery. "get up, and never allow your faith in me to falter again!" He snarled. Avery got back into position as Voldemort began looking around the assembled group.

"The Lestrange's should be here, they went to Azkaban rather than betray me, they will be honored once we break open Azkaban." He said. He listed a few other dead Death Eaters that Harry began zoning out on. H eheard this before and it was honestly boring the second time around.

"Master, how did you achieve this miracle?" Malfoy asked and Voldemort smiled. "It all begins and ends with our dear guest of honor." Voldemort said, nodding to Harry. Harry winked at Voldemort who had a slightly confused look on his face.

"Are you enjoying this?" He asked. Harry thought about it before nodding. "You are very unusual." He said. Voldemort saw a beetle on Harry and brushed it off of him before turning to his Death Eaters. "His mudblood mother's love was the key. I needed the protection it afforded him so that I will be able to touch him." He said as he placed a finger on Harry's scar.

Burning sensations came over Harry, forgetting that now his scar was still a horcrux. He hated the burning feeling of his scar. Seeing the boy in pain brought a smile to Voldemort. "Let us now prove you are not so special." He said. He went to Wormtail, who was still bleeding and crying. "I reward my followers for their service. Cowardly as you are, you helped your Lord these past few months." He said and gave him his silver hand.

"Master, thank you." He smiled. "May your faith never waver Wormtail. Now, untie the boy and give him his wand." Voldemort said.

"Fucking finally" Harry thought as Wormtail approached and pulled the cloth from his mouth. "Thank you for the session." Harry said. Wormtail blinked at him before cutting the ropes with his silver hand and handing Harry his wand. He backed away from Harry and joined the other confused Death Eaters.

"You have been taught how to duel Harry Potter?" Voldemort asked. Harry merely nodded and bowed at his opponent. "Very good, you observe the traditions." He said returning the bow. "And now, we duel."

Before Harry could react, pain came over his body as Voldemort hit him with the cruciatas curse. Harry hadn't felt pain like that in a long time and it made him fall to the ground. The pain let out and Harry quickly got to his feet.

"Ahh, the vitality of youth." Voldemort smirked. Harry glared at him. "Expulso" he cried and several bursts of spell fire came out like a machine gun. Voldemort easily deflected it, but was caught off guard when a headstone flew at him. He ducked and the headstone hit one of the heath eaters and toppled him down. Voldemort looked and saw Harry still using one wand, but nobody can cast like that….

"I see you have grown tired of our duel, very well. I shall end it. AVADA KEDAVRA!" Voldemort yelled.

"EXPELLIARMAS!" Harry shouted back and the two beams collided. "It's a really good thing beams don't explode on impact. "Harry thought.

Like before, a dome came over them and covered the two combatants and Harry used his own will to force Voldemort's wand to submit.

Outside the dome, Wormtail observed the procedings with the others, mesmerized by the magic. He suddenly felt a wand at the base of his neck. "Slowly follow me." Came a female voice. He found a silencing spell was cast on him as he was pulled away from the other Death Eaters, to stunned by their masters duel to notice Wormtail.

Harry's will overcame Voldemort's again and the spells frm Voldemort came out and soon enough James and Lilly both appeared. "My boy, you make us both proud." Lily said in a whisper. "We will distract him and help you escape. You get to the portkey." James said. Harry nodded. "And remember, the rings were put in the vault. For that wonderful woman of yours." James smirked.

Harry kept the connecrtion going, then he pulled the second wand from his other holster. As he broke the connection he pointed the other one quickly. "THUNDAGA!" He yelled and a blast of lightning came from the Elder Wand and struck Voldemort. Harry then waved his arm above his head. "Black Mist!" and a cloud of dark mist came over the area. Harry quickly made a run for it, casting a quick "Diffindo" onto Nagini killing the snake.

Harry ran, firing stunners behind him as the confused Death Eaters were trapped in the mist. He kept running until he saw Wormtail being dragged towards the portkey, by Rita Skeeter!

"Rita?" Harry asked as he approached her. "No time to explain, we need to get this sack back to Hogwarts." She said and then she turned into her beetle form and landed on Harry's shoulder. Harry pretended he didn't know she could do that and stunned Wormtail, then summoned the cup over to him, sending him back to Hogwarts.

Once he landed, he noticed the beetle fly off and Harry was soon surrounded by aurors and teachers. "Mr. Potter… Oh dear boy your alive!" McGonagall tearfully cried as she approached her student. Amelia Bones was also there. "Who is that with you?" She asked. Harry pulled off the man's hood and revealed to the shocked crowd Peter Pettigrew.

"This…it…how can this be?" Bones stammered as she saw a supposed dead man in front of her. "Yea, I think you might be in for a few surprises." Harry said.

Harry was then brought to the Hospital Wing, where he was being treated by Madam Pomfrey and telling his story to a stunned group. Amelia was writing things down but Fudge just looked like he was having trouble believing this.

"He can't be back. There is no way!" Fudge declared. Harry and Albus both tried to keep from rolling their eyes. "The fact that we have both Peter Pettigrew and Barty Crouch Jr. should be sufficient evidence!" Albus declared.

"No, you are all fools, listening to the ramblings of this boy. Sirius Black obviously had confounded him and was working with Pettigrew and Crouch. Somehow it all makes sense." Fudge said. Albus could not believe the things coming from this man. "Cornelius you cannot be serious!" He declared.

"No I am seeing things clearly. You are getting to old for this Albus. You have been confounded by Sirius Black and so has this boy!" He said pointing at Harry. "I could show you a memory of the incident?" Harry offered. Fudge waved it off. "Memories can be altered boy." Fudge sputtered.

Amelia though could not believe her boss. Harry Potter just delivered proof that Pettigrew was alive and maybe Sirius Black was innocent but this stubborn fool was not hearing anything apart from his own delusions.

"I have let you have free reign here Dumbledore, but that is about to change. I'll be back in the morning to discuss how things will run now." Fudge spat.

A commotion outside distracted everyone as Ron and Hermione were dragged in by an auror with a black eye. "These two attacked an auror in the line of duty." He said. Harry recognized him as Dawlish, the auror stooge. Harry looked over and he was fuming. "I brought the dementors as you asked and this little girl did something to drive them away and when I went to arrest her this one punched me." Dawlish said. Albus looked at Fudge with fury. "YOU DARE BRING DEMONS INTO MY SCHOOL!" He yelled as he gripped Fudge's robes.

"Listen here Dumbledore, I can bring whatever protection I want. And with this ludicrous report of You-Know-Who back, I needed extra protection." Fudge sputtered. Albus shoved the minister and glared at Dawlish. "Unhand my students John." He said. Dawlish sputtered before Amelia intervened. "Let them go Dawlish, and report to my office in the morning." She said. Dawlish nodded before turning and leaving.

Fudge then turned to Harry and he could see a glare on the minister. "Here you go, a thousand galleons for winning the tournament. I hope you enjoy it." He sneered as he stalked off with Harry glaring at him.

Hermione carefully walked to Harry and set herself into bed with him, and gently held him, stroking his hair until Harry started to calm down. Amelia assured Dumbledore she would keep the prisoners safe before departing.

"You can come out Rita." Dumbledore said and Rita was then sitting on a chair. "Well, I knew he was stubborn but I didn't think he was this bad." Rita said. Despite her easygoing expression, she still looked shaken from what she saw. "Did you get the story you wished for?" Albus asked. Rita nodded. "More than I can imagine." Rita said. She then got up and walked out before giving Harry a curious look.

Hermione also looked at him funny when Harry told them all what really happened. "Look I just thought it would be funny as hell." Harry explained to a chuckling Albus.

"So, we brought Peter back, why did the minister still double down?" Ron asked as he took a chair next to Harry's bed. Dumbledore pondered it for a moment. "History is a river, drop a stone into it and it moves as if nothing had happened, the four of us are pebbles. And trying to change history might alter this river to much and give us a less than acceptable outcome. You see, you try and dam a river it will find its own way around the obstruction, but it won't be the same." Albus said.

The others nodded with the explanation. "However, this was not unforeseen. I have another plan tht I will share details with tomorrow. For now, you all need rest." Albus said. He beckoned for Ron to join him as he left Harry and Hermione together in the dark hospital wing.

"I was so worried Harry." Hermione said. Harry pulled her tight and kissed her forehead. "I will always come back to you. I love you and that isn't changing anytime soon." Harry said.

Soon the couple fell asleep, ready to face the new challenges they had.

Voldemort was angry. He cursed every Death Eater in his vicinity for failing to catch Potter and for the death of his beloved snake. If they only knew her importance to keeping his soul bound to this world. "I will not underestimate him again. Next time, and there will be a next time. I will have my revenge."

AN: Okay, so this is the end of act 1. Now, as to why I am going on a break, well act 2 is getting a massive revision. I had a weird idea after watching a horror movie. I won't spoil the movie, but it gave me an idea that forced me to revise act 2. Then there is the fact I am having trouble with either ending on act 3 or making a fourth act. A lot to try and think about.

A recent development is about my health. My insurance lied to me about them covering my eye treatments. For now I have no idea what to do. I can't change insurance til open enrollment in November so yea. Depending on how things go, I might cancel the story. We shall see how things shake.