AN- Had a lot of people thinking I didn't know the difference between a Muggleborn and a Half-Blood. Perhaps I should have included in the authors notes on that last chapter that what was written in the 'article' was for the sake of the 'article'; creating bias and changing opinions of wizardkind.
()()()
Chapter 31- Lost and Found
()()()
This was it. This one had to be it.
They'd been through the Pogradec Lake Region on the first full day there at the far Eastern side of the country, and Dora had been right, it was much too populated for it to have been a hiding place for him. They'd gone all the way out there though, a nearly two hour drive, so after they'd done a survey of the wooded area around Pogradec they took in some of the touristy sights and gone for a boat ride then enjoyed the beach while they had a nice dinner then headed back to their villa for sun down.
The next place they checked out was the Kuturman- Qafa e Bushit Park and the Goliku Bridge. Dora had filled him in on the history behind the bridge on their drive there. They had actually passed it the previous day, but it had been much too late to stop and check it out by the time they were headed back.
Harry had known the story of the Three Brothers, he'd been told he owned one of the 'fabled' items after Dumbledore had figured out the Gaunt Ring held the Resurrection Stone. It was a surprise to learn that it had all supposedly taken place in Albania though. He'd assumed it was England. Yet another poor assumption on his part. Potter's, like Peverell's would have immigrated to England's Isle from somewhere, and it would make sense to have moved after one encounter's 'Death'.
According to the story there had been treacherous waters there at some point, but the river was low flow now, there must have been a dam built up stream somewhere. Harry wouldn't have needed the bridge in order to cross the ankle-deep current that there was today. The trees on the land around them were no more than shrubs either, certainly there wouldn't have been one large enough with a knot in it for Lady Grey to have hidden her mother's Diadem in. Didn't look like there had been ever before either. The land didn't even look capable of growing proper trees.
The third place that they wanted to check out was the furthest. Gjirokaster was a medieval village with a Reserve by it that was far enough away from the village in the valley of a mountain range that it would be difficult for Muggle's to get there and hold little interest for Witches and Wizards as well.
It was on the third day that they explored the village for a bit before attempting to venture towards the Reserve. It was amazing to see all of the medieval architecture mixed in with the modern touches of LED lights and café's tucked into the stonework. It really was such a beautiful country. Harry couldn't help but marvel at the fact that he hadn't even seen the top rated tourist locations in the country.
Sirius looked to be rather enjoying himself too. This time next year Harry hoped he would take the opportunity to travel and see some more sights while Harry was finishing up his last year at Hogwarts. Then he could tell Harry where the best places were before he went to experience them for himself.
Travel had not been something he'd ever thought about before. He hadn't had money for it, at least he hadn't thought he did, and his world had simply consisted of school or his bedroom at the Dursley's. Trips to Hogsmeade had been exotic for him considering how he was raised. Now he had a world of options after school. Ginny hadn't mentioned anything about wanting to travel, but her family wasn't too well off either, so maybe she just hadn't seen it as an option either.
After stopping for lunch in Gjirokaster the four of them wandered out of town a bit, Snape had opted to stay back at the Villa while they did their exploring the past few days. He had supplies that he needed to keep on top of, and he wasn't keen on following them around for their search, his part came once they'd found it, not before. Considering how sallow he was Harry was glad for that.
Harry observed the lands around the town. They didn't have much foliage on the hills, but from how Dora had explained it the actual reserve was on the other side of the mountainous ridge that faced them.
"So, just to go over what we've discussed so far," Dora called their attention. "We'll be walking in from here. No magic whatsoever will be used unless we have to Apparate out. Sirius, Harry, you two keep with in arms-length of each other at all times, understood?" she looked pointedly at Harry.
"Yeah, promise," Harry nodded. He was the only on of the bunch that couldn't Apparate.
"Right then," she continued. "We'll stick close to the valley, don't need to use up and excess energy by climbing the ridge. If anyone feels the impulse to turn back, you need to push through it. There could easily be some kind of ward or repelling charm around the area that he managed. There is literally no recent record of anyone going into the reserve in the past several years, so we don't entirely know what there is stopping people from going in."
Harry caught Sirius giving Remus a look followed by a wink, he didn't need to ask what that was about. Clearly Sirius was being a smart arse and guessing about their bedroom activities from the way Dora was taking charge. She was the Auror though, it made complete sense to him that she take the lead for this mission of sorts, no doubt she'd had plenty of training and experience dealing with unknown situations.
This had sounded like the most likely area that Riddle would have hid too. From the notes that Dumbledore had provided from Professor Quirrell's escapade before he'd been partially possessed or whatever that was, he'd visited the Magical communities in Albania. There were only three in the country total that were majority Magical. Quirrell might have wandered into the reserve and encountered him there.
It was going to be about a six-kilometre hike, so they had to get started right away.
Sirius took up the lead and Harry stayed close behind him, then Dora, and then Remus took up the tail. They all marched in relative silence through the dip in the ridges. The rubble beneath their feet was not secured since it was not a very travelled route; rocks that were shaken loose by Sirius' boots made it all the less stable of a hike for him. Hiking wasn't something he was very experienced with, but he hoped the exercise he got through Quidditch had at least prepared him enough for this.
After an hour and a half he was sweating bullets. Trying to navigate this terrain was well more exhausting that he'd thought it would be. He'd figured hiking was essentially walking, so really, how difficult would it be? But boy, did he need a break.
"Alright," Dora said just loud enough for the three of them to hear. "Let's sit and fuel up. It looks like this next rise is going to have us in the Reserve. How's everybody feeling?"
The three men did little more then cast cursory glances at each other. The three of them were covered in sweat and had the appearance of being about to pass out, meanwhile she was still seeming rather energized and able to do this. The smirk on her face at their conditions was a slap in the face.
"I think the lot of you could do with getting outside more," she teased as she passed out some sort of nutrition bar she'd picked up in town for them.
"I did think I was in shape," Sirius muttered.
"Round is a shape," Dora remarked.
"Hey!" he didn't look truly offended though, more tiredly amused.
Harry didn't have the energy to join in on that banter, he just ripped open the bar and took a bite, looking around for level enough ground to sit on. This was the only time they'd have to do this trek. Once they got into the Reserve area and knew the surroundings those of them of age, everyone but himself, would be able to Apparate there.
Remus took up on the ground beside him. "Rather figured that my werewolf stamina would allow me to keep up." He looked just as sweaty as Sirius and he though, perhaps not quite as out of breath though.
"I'll be looking forward to the pool when we get back," Harry said wistfully. They did still have the drive back though, but at least he could Side-Along Apparate back to the village instead of hiking back.
Dora only allowed them ten minutes to rest and recuperate before getting them to their feet again. From then on she made sure they were all going to be as quiet as possible too.
It was another twenty minutes before they made it to the crest of the rise that the valley that this reserve lay in. From where they were they could see the entirety of the forested area. It was only about two kilometres in diameter and stretched from North to South for about double that. They were high up enough to see it all. The trees there were indeed much larger than the foliage that they'd seen anywhere else in the country. From the look of them, even at this distance, it seemed like they'd been there for hundred's of years. The four of them exchanged looks of surprise and victory. This had to be the place.
Dora stopped them from going any further towards the tree's though. "Disillusionment?" she said quietly. "If he's in there," she trailed off.
Going in there fully visible when the wraith could be watching and waiting did seem like a stupid idea. He might not have known who they were, but Snape was supposed to be the only one to be 'seeking him out'.
"Perhaps just two of us should go down at a time," she suggested.
That left Harry out, he was underage and couldn't Apparate himself out if he was in trouble. He opened his mouth to protest, but Sirius grasped his wrist and pulled him gently toward him. "You've had enough to deal with in the past week. Let them go ahead," he whispered.
Harry knit his eyebrows together at him. Sure he'd had a Horcrux removed and done an emotional tour of his first home that had been blown up, but that was then and this was now. He'd recovered. He wanted to go down there and see if he could help.
"Don't make me Apparate you all the way back to the village," Sirius warned.
Harry stared at him, rather shocked by the tone he was using. It was so… parental. "Okay," he managed, unsure of how that tone was making him feel. He looked back over to Dora and Remus and gave a small shrug.
They didn't say anything more before the two of them turned their wands on themselves and disappeared. Harry looked back at Sirius, he too had his wand out.
"Muffliato," Sirius said quietly. "Alright," he started in his regular voice. At Harry's wince from his volume he explained, "that spell blocks out anyone from overhearing us. You can talk again with-out whispering."
"Okay," Harry said cautiously.
"Sorry I had to pull that card, but Dora is the trained Auror here, and it does make sense that we have a team of two of us go in. It also makes sense that it be she and Remus. With her training and his sense of smell and hearing they'll be better prepared if anything happens. You or I going down would just complicate things."
"You're okay sitting on the sidelines right now after everything that you've done so far?" Harry asked in doubt.
"I want the bastard gone for good, that doesn't mean that I have to be the one doing absolutely everything. You and I have already played some pretty fucking important key parts in getting rid of him. Let's let little Dora have a turn."
Harry couldn't help the reluctant smile that came to his face from his referring to Dora as 'little'. Though she was shorter than all of them she had this able bodied air about her that made her seem bigger than she was. "I like her," he said as he sat down on the rock face.
"Don't tell Ginny that."
Harry rolled his eyes at the terrible joke. "You know what I mean. Ginny likes her too. She came to the school to do a talk about the Auror Shadow Program a few months ago. I didn't get the chance to introduce them then, but I'm sure they'll meet again at some point this summer. She and Remus seem to be getting on well."
"Ginny didn't apply to the program?"
Harry shook his head. "She hasn't got any interest in being an Auror. Ron signed up for it with me, but I don't think any of the other guys in my dorm did."
"Not your mate Neville?"
"Merlin, No!" Harry laughed. "He's going to be a Herbology Master. I had to help him through every year of DADA."
"Both his parents were Auror's," Sirius stated. "Surprised he didn't inherit any of their interest in it."
"So's Neville's Gran," Harry pointed out with a frown. "Pretty sure she's the only reason he continued with the class. Nev like's Remus well enough, but his heart really isn't in it. It does bother him how his Gran expects him to be more like them."
"Eh," he shrugged. "At least he knows for sure what he'd like to do with his life."
"So, what am I expected to do for the next few days?" Harry asked, he gestured at the Reserve, "if this turns out to be the place. I mean, one of you three will be bringing Snape here and following him around until he finds the wraith, right?"
"That's right," he nodded. "You will be expected to be enjoying your holiday."
Harry raised a skeptical eyebrow at his Godfather. "That's it? You lot take turns combing through this place and I'm expected to just lay poolside?"
"That and finish your school assignments," Sirius shrugged. "You've had a crazy year, Harry, you need to just sit back and enjoy yourself a bit. If you really want to contribute then you can make sure whomever is going to be tailing Snape has a supply of sustenance in their bags."
"I do have experience with kitchen work." Harry agreed to that eagerly. "I just. I want to help more. I'm sure there is more that I can contribute."
"And we all love you for your willingness to help us out," he wrapped his arm around his shoulder. "But many hands make light work, and we've got five us here for two people jobs. You can man the home front at the Villa. Unfortunately, you're still underage and are limited in what you can do right now."
Sadly, Harry knew that much was true. He had thought that he would be able to do more though, but if his job was to be the kitchen boy and that was the best way he could contribute, then he'd just make sure he did a good job of it.
()()()
A shiver ran through Remus as he hopped over a small stream.
They'd made it into the wooded area, he could hear Dora just a few steps in front of him. She was being very light on her feet, but with his extra hearing it wasn't hard for him to track her movements. He reached out to halt her movement and trailed his hand down her arm. There was something in the air there. Something that was different on this side of the stream.
He ran two fingers down her spine, trying to copy the feeling that he was getting. She pulled his hand to cup her cheek and she made an obvious nodding movement with her head. She was feeling it too.
This was the place.
He tugged at her arms to get her back over to the other side of the stream. He wanted to make sure that the feeling they were both getting wasn't just in their heads. Hoping back over the water the eerie feeling vanished.
Dora tugged on his hand. She wanted to survey along the path that the stream followed. They walked for near a kilometre, not feeling the sensation again. She hopped over the stream again and he followed suit. This time he didn't feel the sensation in his spine. Holding hands they back tracked along the stream again. After about 300 meters it happened again, the creeping sensation up the spine.
That narrowed down the area rather nicely.
Jumping back over the stream to the safe side he followed her another kilometre along the stream, passing their starting off place. Again, the hopped over the stream and felt the sensation, so they hopped back and continued on, crossing again in another half kilometre and feeling nothing, then back tracking until they felt it.
That was all they needed to know. The reserve was long and narrow, they knew what length his area covered enough now to be able to find him rather easily. Now they just needed to get back to the Villa and discuss this plan thoroughly with Snape. There couldn't be any mistakes.
The two of them stayed disillusioned and silent until they got back up to the crest of the rise and spotted Sirius and Harry, carrying on a conversation that couldn't be heard. The two of them did not have their guard up, something that made him shake his head, but his lovely girlfriend was not as passive as he. As Remus was about to remove the spell on him, Sirius and Harry were both yanked backwards and tumbled off the boulders they'd opted to sit on with silent exclamation. Dora then revealed herself. She was standing over them with a raised eyebrow and hands on her hips.
"Constant Vigilance," She growled, glaring at them, before hopping down from the boulders and making her way back towards the trail back to town.
Remus followed through on removing his spell and gave Harry and Sirius a weary look before following behind her. He could see she was half-way down the rise already by the time she Apparated away. He looked over to make sure that the boys were following their lead before shuffling down the ridge himself and Apparating to the agreed upon spot.
Dora was there when he appeared, she looked angry. "What are they playing at?" she asked him rhetorically. "They were just sitting there carrying on. We snuck up on them no problem. They should have been watching to see if the path we'd been taking had any shifting rocks. And that spell they'd used?! It doesn't just silence them-."
She was cut off as the two of them appeared beside them with a crack.
"That didn't just silence you!" she turned on Sirius more than Harry, "It blocked out sound that we would have been making as well. What if we'd called for help and you didn't hear it? How STUPID are you?" Not waiting for an answer she turned abruptly away from them and started stalking back to the village.
Remus had seen her angry before, but it had always been at him, and about something he could easily set her in a better mood about. Sirius and Harry looked as though they'd been slapped. Neither of them were able to verbalize an apology. From their expressions he knew they were sorry and felt awful, but Dora would have been too worked up to listen to any apology they could manage to formulate anyhow.
"We figured out the area he's in. Perhaps I'd better Apparate her back to the Villa, you two can drive back. Give her some time to vent and cool down." Remus suggested.
Sirius nodded. He was more concerned about Harry's expression though, he looked so upset at himself for disappointing her. Remus moved forward and patted him on the shoulder, "she just needs some time. I'll have her calmed down by the time you get back."
"Thanks," Harry muttered, "and sorry."
Remus turned and jogged after her, catching up when they were only 100 meters away from the wall of the village. He fell in step beside her, "they're going to drive back. We can Apparate."
Her lips pursed but she turned on the spot and blinked out of sight.
He landed pool side and saw her form retreating into the house. Severus was sitting in the shade under the umbrella at the table with one eyebrow cocked at him.
"We found him," he relayed and sat heavily in the chair opposite. "There was some sort of charm or ward in the Reserve outside Gjirokaster."
"Very well," said Snape. "I will make sure I have all the supplies ready for tonight." He let a silence settle between them. "What prompted that?" he gestured towards where Dora had disappeared.
"I'm afraid Sirius and Harry are in a bit of hot water with her. Neither are quite up to her Auror standards and she's not through letting them have it for having their guard down at an inopportune time."
"Something I need to worry about?" Snape wondered.
"No," Remus shook his head. "The two of them should be back in about four hours. You and I, or she, should be ready to go by then. Here's what we figured out-"
()()()
The second night of wandering through the Reserve was not as bad as the first. True, this time he had Black keeping an eye out for him this night, but now he was more prepared for the cold that settled into this valley with no sunshine to fill it. He had more food and warm liquids to sustain him as well, and his footwear let in less of the moisture that built up on the grass and such under his feet.
The first few days in this country had been rather lovely.
There were very few times in his life he could refer to as lovely. But, sitting poolside with the fresh food that the Villa provided with the space to himself while the other four were out, only a small portion of his day dedicated to maintaining his potion, that had been his version of lovely. He may have had this potentially life threatening task to do, but until then he was able to sip a cool drink in a beach chair and take a swim in the pool without anyone seeing him. He couldn't help but plan when he might be able to take a holiday such as this in the future, with-out the company and the Dark Lord of course.
He'd had everything that he needed should he actually find the wraith and convince him of his sincerity and devotion. Albus had approached him not long after the winter break and the two of them had been researching since. The Dark Lord being bonded with Quirinus many years ago was confirmation enough of the form that he would be in now. The Horcruxes though, that had been enlightening. There wasn't much written about them. He did learn enough about them to know that it was absolutely something that the Dark Lord would have attempted.
Before he'd left, Albus had given him the option of seeing the Inferi they transferred four pieces of his soul into. He vehemently refused, there was no knowing if the souls would have some kind of link. There was no literature he found that told him one way or the other.
He had to keep his Occlumency shield up while he was searching. It didn't have to be in the dead of night, but it would be the time that best allowed him to see the wraith. Wraiths preferred the dark as well, he would have been hiding during sunlight hours. The stretch of land that he was occupying wasn't too large though. He had hoped that the wraith would reveal itself to him shortly.
If it did so with that bumbling fool Quirinus, it should for one of its marked followers.
Nymphadora had been remarkably quiet following him yesterday. The invisibility cloak she'd had was of the highest caliber he'd ever seen, and he'd hoped to observe it closer and find out where it had come from. Sirius was wearing it now, but he was not as silent, every now and then he heard a wayward stone being tread on or a twig being snapped.
The sensation he felt when he crossed into the territory that the Dark Lord was occupying stayed with him as he searched. First he'd trudged through what he'd believed to be the center of the area, then looped around the perimeter.
There had been no sign of him on the first night, no matter where he'd travelled.
Tonight he was going to go to the approximate middle and set up a camp of sorts and stay there with a small fire to warm him. Perhaps if he simply stayed put his former master would approach him.
Setting up a small camp he lit a fire and began pulling items from his lightweight satchel; a cauldron, food for sustenance, a potions set with several special vial's. He took up on a log by the fire and waited.
He pulled up his sleeve, looking at his faded Dark Mark in the fire light, tracing the design and straining his ears.
He had put a lot of energy into the search for the perfect potion. It would have brought him into the Dark Lords inner circle and made him one of his most trusted advisors. Someone to be revered by the likes of Lucius Malfoy and his brat of a child. He could only imagine the ways in which his master would have given his gratitude.
The potion had been found in the personal library in the Headmasters office. It was where most of the texts referring to banned areas of study by the Ministry had gone to retire, collecting dust and the wisdom of the words being lost to generations. There were obvious reasons that such materials be limited to the public, but there was no index, no cataloging of any of the books that had been banished. In the wrong hands, in the inexperienced hands, the spells and potions related to Dark Materials would be catastrophic, but in scholarly and methodical ones, they would be very enlightening.
He'd brewed this potion four times to ensure that it would turn out the same way each time. He'd collected the ingredients needed, the one's that his former lord would approve of. He was positive that he would be able to do this correctly. So long as the wraith finally appeared to him.
The waiting was the worst part. Last night had been long and fruitless, tonight had been more aggravating considering whom it was that was watching him. The only better part about having to be up all night for this night than the last was that he'd decided to stay in the one spot by the fire.
The night was waning as he heard movement approaching him. He turned in the direction it was coming from and squinted his eyes in the poor light. The rustling of leaves on the ground was growing closer. It could be that the fire had called an animal to him, but he had seen so few in this area that he doubted it. The section that was warded had repelled most fauna.
It was a glass lizard that came close to the fire. He watched cautiously and carefully as it circled around the flames. That was not typical reptile behavior.
"My Lord?" he whispered. "My Lord, please, if it is you let me know. Show me in some way. I have searched this country, been through several of its forested area's in search of you. I had hoped, from the ward I felt as I crossed the stream, that this is where I would finally find you." He let visions of his time as a loyal Death Eater float across his mind and through his shields.
"My Lord," he bowed his head and continued. "I know you are still alive, somehow. I heard tale of how that bumbling fool Quirinus Quirrell had managed to find you. How he had shared his body with you. And I have discovered a way. A way to give you a body back. You will have no need to share one, particularly with someone unworthy like he had been."
The glass lizard raised itself up, peering into Severus' eyes. These animals were classified as lizards and common to the area, but they were by all appearances snakes. Its full height was equal to that of Serverus' when he was sitting down.
"It is you," Severus breathed out in awe. He went to his knees and bowed his head. "My Lord! I am so pleased to have found you! Finally. Please, my Lord. I don't know how you have managed it, but from all that I have learned you are in your wraith form. I can give you your body back. There is a way, even if I don't have the anchor that is holding you to this earth."
The lizard opened its mouth wide, wider than should have been possible and a dark mist came out of it, hovering there as the lizard fell to the ground and slowly moved away into the trees.
Severus shivered as he stared with wide eyes at his former master. He had seen a lot of horrible things in his time and read about so many gruesome things, but he had never been before something quite so terrifying as the wraith form of his former master. As he was, he wouldn't have been able to possess a fully grown human, but no doubt that if there had been a child that stumbled into the area, he would have taken over their body without hesitation.
"What is this spell?" came the disembodied voice from the mist.
"Allow me to set up the cauldron, my Lord and I will explain," he stomached his fear behind his normal facade of capability and moved around the mist carefully to summon a tripod with a hook to hold up the cauldron, stoking the fire to get it hot enough. "The potion that I discovered requires a belonging of yours. It took me a while to find something, but a note you had given me with instructions on a task from my initiation, I kept it and it will work. Your signature was at the bottom." He told him this in a simpering and auspicious manner as he withdrew the note from his potions supplies.
"Next, I beg for your apologies master, I needed to do my research on your origins." He bowed his head again. "A bone of a relative," he whispered. "I discovered where Marvolo Gaunt was buried, last known descendant of the Slytherin line. He is your grandfather, yes?"
"How do you know this?" the mist asked angrily.
"Thorough research, my Lord. It was not easy to figure out who your blood relatives were, your birth name, nor the location of your grandfather's bones. It took many months." He raised the vial with a talus bone. "This however," he removed another vial with a small amount of blood and turned to the mist with a feral smile that looked so out of place on his face and felt it. "This is blood of a foe."
"Whom is this foe?" asked demanded the voice.
"Albus Dumbledore." Severus told him proudly standing up tall. "I 'assisted' in healing him after an altercation with a few students. The old man must be losing his edge. The children managed to do little more than make his nose bleed, but it was enough."
"You sound very proud to have simply found yourself in ideal circumstances." The voice drawled, unimpressed.
Severus bowed his head. "My Lord, I assure you, I would have gotten it another way if necessary. Either his or Harry Potter's,"
The voice let out a hiss and cut him off. "That child!" The mist floated around fervently. "How old is he now?"
"Sixteen, My Lord. Not yet of age."
"As soon as I am strong enough I will end him."
"I have no doubt, My Lord." Severus bowed. He had prepared the potion ahead of time that he needed. It had required a month to brew properly. "This is Rificiat Potio, this potion combined with the three other ingredients and yourself in your wraith form will give you a body. You will be weak to begin with, but you will grow just as strong as you were before."
"What promise have you of this?" he demanded.
"I pledged my allegiance to you My Lord, I swear to you. This will work. I have studied Potions Making all these years. It has been made correctly. You do not need to be in this form anymore. You can take your rightful place in this world again."
The mist circled around his head and he stood stalk still, allowing him to gather just how truthful he was being.
"And if it is not?" the mist asked. "What then? What if your potion fails and you harm your master further. How will you punish yourself?"
"Master, if the potion does not work it will be incapable of harming you. As a wraith you cannot be harmed. You will simply continue on as you are, and I will work tirelessly until I get it right. I am determined to give you your human form."
"Proceed," he said carefully, a hint of eagerness evident.
Severus could see the Dark Lord in his minds eye as he was before, sitting at the head of a magnificent table surrounded by his followers and commanding them with his blood red eyes and a domineering wave of his hand. He went forward to the cauldron and poured in the Reficiat Potio, stirring constantly while he waited for it to bubble. "It is ready," he told him. "I will add the other ingredients first, you are the last to go in."
"I did wonder," the mist began. "You must have been rather disappointed in me after I killed the one you loved."
Severus froze a moment before answering. "Loved is a rather flowery term," he managed. "She made her decision. I made mine." He refused to think on it and reached for the letter. He tossed it into the cauldron and stirred. Next went Marvolo Gaunt's foot bone, lastly from the vials was Albus Dumbledore's blood.
"It is ready, My Lord."
The mist circled him again, winding around his body several times. "I watched you when you arrived here last night," it told him. "You seemed rather disappointed after you left."
"I was, My Lord. I was sure you were here. I could feel it."
"And when I have a body, what then?"
"Then I will get you back to England, back to where you belong. You will gain strength, and everyone will know that you survived. It will inspire the nation, and the world!"
The mist considered him another moment before drifting over to hover above the cauldron before slowly lowering into the potion. There was a puff of smoke that he had been expecting and a scream from inside the cauldron. The air around him turned putrid, telling him that it had worked. He waited for the smell to clear, then levitated the cauldron off the flames and turned it onto its side, pouring out the liquid onto the ground, and with it came out a being that was growing with rapid speed. The being looked a tangle of pinkish string that was slowly expanding and taking on the form of a man.
It let out a gasp from its forming mouth. Slowly the man untangled from its balled-up position and star fished out on the cold ground. Fingers and toes separated from each other. The eyes opened and limbs became defined. The liquid that covered the body quickly became part of it or dripped away.
He struggled, the form being too weak to hold itself up.
Severus felt a tap on his shoulder. "It's done," he drawled. "Let us contain him as he is before we take him back to London."
()()()
AN- Yes. I know that's not how the potion worked in GoF. Anyone that wants to be a pain about that might want to consider that this is fiction on fiction. I can make up whatever potion I want, could have had Snape tap the mist and say 'Alakazam' and 'poof', Tom Riddle is a real boy again.
And, to the guest reader that was either wondering if this story was a repost from days passed, or accusing me of plagiarism (on fanfiction?!); no. I did write all of this myself and as it says directly in the summary that I hadn't seen this story line here, so if you can find the story you believe I was ripping off (you know, besides J. ) please share with us.
Also, this story started being posted nearly a year ago, so perhaps you got to chapter 6 when it was initially posted and are now re-reading THIS story again.