Chapter 20
Cassius fell on the ground. They had landed on a bit of a hill and he wasn't expecting it.
"Where are we?" Harry asked.
Cassius shook his head, but was unable to look Harry in the eye.
'Why do I feel so guilty? This is what I want!' He told himself as he helped Harry to his feet.
Cassius decided to act confused until the time came to reveal his part.
"Did anyone tell you the cup was a Portkey?" Cassius asked, looking down at it.
No one told him, but he wasn't surprised that it was.
"Nope," Harry said, looking around the graveyard they had landed in.
"Is this supposed to be part of the task?" Harry asked.
"I don't know. Wands out, d'you reckon?" Cassius asked.
If he had to tie Harry up he'd rather be prepared. Harry wouldn't expect an attack from a supposed ally.
"Yeah," Harry sounded relieved.
Cassius looked around, 'what now?' He asked himself.
"Someone's coming." Harry said suddenly.
Cassius squinted into the darkness, watching a figure draw nearer. Cassius didn't know who it was, or even if this person was also helping the Dark Lord.
He was short, wearing a hooded cloak over his head, and carrying something.
Harry lowered his wand and both Cassius and he shared a look.
The figure stopped beside a marble headstone, six feet away from Cassius and Harry. For a moment the three of them just stared at each other. Cassius waited for the figure to make a move.
Harry dropped to his knees, his wand slipping from his fingers and the hooded figure put what he was holding on the ground and gestured to Cassius.
"Good job, Cassius." The Dark Lord whispered.
Cassius worked with the man to drag Harry to the marble headstone.
Cassius held Harry up while the hooded man conjured tight cords to keep Harry against the headstone.
"You!" Harry gasped.
Cassius didn't check to see if Harry was talking to him or not. The man started to check his knots, but his hands were trembling uncontrollably. After he was done, he pulled a length of some black material from inside his cloak and stuffed it into Harry's mouth.
Cassius was checking the knots and making sure that they were tight because of the man's trembling he didn't think they would hold.
"Why?" Harry croaked through his gag.
Cassius, not wanting to give an answer, turned away and went to help the man.
The man and Cassius didn't say anything. Cassius wasn't sure what he would say in this situation. But he was glad for the silence.
He and the Man started to push a large cauldron full of water up the hill towards the gravestone. They both were panting from the exertion they were putting into their task.
The man busied himself at the bottom of the cauldron, igniting flames under it.
Cassius walked over to the bundle of robes and lifted it up into his arms.
'Is this him? The Dark Lord?' Cassius asked himself as he looked into the bundle.
The liquid in the cauldron was heating up very quickly. Not only was the surface bubbling, but it was sending out fiery sparks, as though it were on fire. The steam from it was causing the surrounding area to be thickened, blurring Cassius's sight of Harry.
The bundle of robes in Cassius's arms started to become more agitated and Cassius had to make sure he didn't drop it.
"Hurry!" The cold voice said.
"It is ready, Master." The man said.
"Now…" The cold voice hissed.
The Man pulled open the robes Cassius was holding, and he had to close his mouth. The thing was ugly and slimy, but worse. It was the shape of a small human child, but it wasn't. It was hairless and scaly-looking, a dark, raw, reddish black color. But it's face… it's face was flat and snakelike, with gleaming red eyes.
The thing raised its thin arms and wrapped them around the Man's neck.
Cassius was glad he didn't have to carry it.
The Man lowered the creature into the cauldron with a hiss, and it vanished below the surface.
The Man started to speak, though his voice shook.
"Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!"
With a wave of his wand, the surface at Harry's feet cracked. A trickle of fine dust rose into the air and fell softly into the cauldron, turning the diamond surface of the water into a vivid poisonous-looking blue.
The Man had started to whimper.
Cassius stared in front of him, not sure of where to look.
A long, thin, shining silver dagger was pulled from the inside of the Man's robes.
"Flesh - of the servant - w-willing given - you will - revive - your master."
The Man stretched his right hand out in front of him. The dagger in his left hand swung up.
Cassius flinched at the pained scream that echoed through the graveyard.
He couldn't watch as the Man's hand was put into the cauldron. The Man was whimpering and moaning with agony.
"B-blood of the enemy… forcibly taken… you will… resurrect your foe."
Cassius looked to see the Man cutting Harry's arm.
Harry tried to squirm, but there wasn't much he could do; the cords were tight.
The Man carried a small vial of his blood back to the cauldron and poured it in. When it was in the cauldron, the man dropped to his knees and lay on the ground, sobbing.
The cauldron simmered, and Cassius started to think of Cassie, wondering what she was doing now.
Was she having a vision of what's to come?
Did she already know what was going to happen?
The cauldron let out a blinding light that Cassius had to close his eyes.
And then the light disappeared. And the sparks on the water had gone as well. A surge of white steam billowed from the cauldron, blocking everything in sight.
A man started to stand in the cauldron.
Cassius wasn't sure how this spell brought this man back, but he hoped he would never have to witness another one like it in his life.
"Robe me," the high, cold voice said.
Cassius stepped forward, he was still holding the robes.
The man on the ground stood up and sobbed as he helped Cassius robe the Dark Lord.
Cassius did look at him, having only heard stories before.
He had a white face, scarlet eyes with a slit just like a snakes, and a nose that was flat and also looked like a snake.
Lord Voldemort had risen.
Shout out to livesinasong13 for adding all of the stories into your favorite list!
Shout out to Pamela Hutchins for leaving a review!
Pamela Hutchins: Right? Like I hated him as I wrote him through Cassie's side. And now that I'm writing through his perspective, I'm just making myself sad!
