Author's Notes:
Standard Disclaimer: It all belongs to JKR. That you JKR for letting us play with your toys.
I will continue to use the occasional song lyric in the story and will give credit at the time when needed. This chapter is a bit heavy on borrowed prose from JKR.
This is the fifth book in my Slytherin Harry series.
Book 1 Harry Potter and the Muggle's Daughter.
Book 2: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Book 3: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Book 4: Harry Potter and the Blood Traitor's Daughter
Book 5: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
If you haven't read books 1-4 you won't know what's going on. But the bonus is you've got four completed books before you even get to this one!
And here we go, the penultimate chapter!
HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE
CHAPTER XXVIII
For Ginny
HPHPHP
Hogwarts' Champion Cedric Diggory Dead
Harry Potter Destroys Goblet of Fire
Durmstrang Champion Viktor Krum Remains in Coma
Harry Potter a Danger to Others
Hostage Continues Her Recovery
Where Was Dumbledore
Third Task to be Abandoned
Harry Potter Not in Classes for Last Week
Where did the Kraken Come From
Minister Évreux, Minister, Hjelmsäter, Defend Decision to Restart Tournament
Lord Malfoy Bemoans Loss of Ancient Artifact
Lord Black Defends Godson Amidst Accusations of Cheating
Charlie tossed the paper aside and slouched back on the couch. "What am I doing?" he asked morosely.
Tonks looked up from her book. "Sorry?"
Charlie waved his hand at the papers disgustedly. "What am I doing, Nymph?"
"Erm, sitting with me before you head to the stadium?"
"That's just it," he said. "All this shit and I'm getting ready to play a match tomorrow."
"Playing a match is your job, Lug."
"Yeah," he sighed, "my job… Play quidditch." She set her book down, stood and moved to the couch. She forced him forward, squeezing in behind him so she could wrap her arms and legs around him. "What's that mean?"
He flexed his hand a number of times. "It's a game, Nymph. Meanwhile you and Bill and everyone else are fighting a war."
"I wouldn't exactly call it a war."
"Don't tie me up in semantics, Nymph."
Tonks sighed. "I get what you're saying, Charlie. But the world goes on. It needs things like people who play quidditch just as much as it needs aurors and unspeakables and everyone else. And you're not exactly doing nothing. At the very least, you're my support."
"Your support?"
"What I need at home to get up and go out and do my job."
He huffed. "Real manly of me."
"Please don't tell me you're going to give me some chauvinistic bullshit speech about how it's a man's job to protect the women. I first went out with you because you never once got mad when I thrashed you in defense."
He turned in her arms. "It really doesn't bother you I can't protect you?"
"Don't give me that, Charlie. So you're not an auror. You're perfectly capable with your wand, and the goddess forbid you actually get your hands on someone. Even Dan is hard pressed against you."
"Only cause he's old and I've got three stone on him."
"I'll tell him you said that."
Charlie grimaced. "Please don't."
Tonks stretched up and kissed him. "You're mine, Lug. And I'm perfectly happy with you just like you are."
"I just can't help feeling like I should be doing more."
"Then I'll help you do more," she said. "But don't you dare think you're quitting quidditch on me. I like nights after a win far too much to give them up yet."
Charlie smirked. "Is that a fact?"
"Yep."
"I've got twenty minutes before I need to leave." He quirked a brow.
She smiled seductively. "Well then, I'd suggest you use them wisely."
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One week before the third task was supposed to take place, Albus Dumbledore stared out the window of his office. It had taken him nearly four full years to piece things together. Little bits here; a stray thought there, a Tracking Charm that wasn't detected, a portrait catching a whispered conversation. It was almost impossible to believe how much had gone on right under his nose. He'd even facilitated it when he'd hired Remus Lupin as Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts. But the biggest breaks had come with the tournament. Harry's inner circle had gotten a bit careless with trying to make certain he survived the competition.
The tournament hadn't begun as what it'd become. He had agreed to hold it at Cornelius' request. The man needed a success; something that would shine and take the pressure off his embattled run as Minister. But not a week after all the agreements had been signed the dementors had broken loose. Parvati Patil had been kissed and it was too late to stop the coming disaster. Not even when he'd caught Igor placing Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire could he stop things. Of course, at that point, he hadn't wanted to even try; not once he'd known why. It was too late to stop and needed to go forward regardless. The other champions, he'd just hoped they'd escape their unfortunate position as victims of circumstance.
But what to do now Igor had been discovered? The man was currently incarcerated at the ministry. Director Dewer continued to impersonate the man, though he was no longer under the control of Igor's Imperius Curse. He knew Minister Bones had been counting on catching Voldemort out by going ahead with the third task. He had been just as intent on letting things play out. Neither of them had counted on Harry.
With the Goblet destroyed; its magic broken, Harry had no intention of competing. The third task would not occur. Harry would not take the Triwizard trophy and be portkeyed to the graveyard of Tom Riddle Sr where his blood would be used in a rebirthing ritual as Voldemort had planned. Nor would he be, as Amelia planned, portkeyed to the ministry where he would be switched out and William Weasley would go on to the graveyard and the trap that had been set for the Dark Lord.
If Voldemort was going to regain his body and destroy the Horcrux that was Harry Potter, leaving himself vulnerable to Albus, then Harry needed to fall into the Dark Lord's grasp. But how to facilitate it when Igor was incarcerated and Voldemort remained ignorant of it? There was no one else with access to Harry… Unless, he thought.
HPHPHP
Lord Voldemort sat on his chair in front of the fire. On the one hand he was pleased. Without doubt Harry Potter had proved he was the enemy spoken of in the Prophecy. His blood would be used in the Rebirthing Ritual. On the other, with the third task now canceled, he had no way of getting his hands on the brat. He clenched his hand tightly. He was not pleased to have found out about the destruction of the Goblet and the cancelation of the third task from the paper. Igor'd had more than enough time to inform him in person but had failed to do so. Two days later and he still had not shown. The man would pay for his disobedience. He would pay dearly. And if he'd finally run like the coward he was, he would wish he were dead. "The time, Bartemius?" he rasped.
Barty Crouch Jr moved from the table and knelt in front of him, careful to keep his eyes down and a safe distance between himself and his master's familiar, Nagini – a black as night and abnormally large – over three meters – adder. "It has been four hours my Lord." Voldemort curled his fingers into a fist. It had taken months to find a way around that accursed map, but he'd done so and dispatched Wormtail to see what he could find. He would have preferred to send Bartemius, but being a rat animagus made the sniveling little man the perfect choice to infiltrate the school. "Does my Lord wish me to find him?"
Before Lord Voldemort could respond Nagini shifted. "The rat returnsss," she hissed. The door opened and Wormtail entered. He hurried over to stand in front of Voldemort, unceremoniously dumping what he'd been carrying over his shoulder on the floor at his master's feet. "My Lord," he gasped.
Voldemort stared at the bound and unconscious body. He looked sharply at his servant. "Explain."
"My Lord," Peter answered. "I left as you instructed and went to the school. I entered the Shrieking Shack only to find it was occupied."
"Occupied?"
"I was captured my Lord; stunned and knocked unconscious. When I awoke the boy was bound and unconscious beside me. There were two letters; one telling me to bring the boy to you; the other, I have not read."
Voldemort held his hand out. His hand shaking, Peter withdrew the letter from his cloak and offered it to him. "Look at me, Wormtail." Hesitantly Peter did. He whimpered and a few seconds later collapsed in a sniveling heap. Voldemort spared him not a glance. Amazingly the man was telling the truth. He fingered the rolled parchment for a moment before breaking the seal.
Tom,
I do not expect you shall thank me, nor do I wish your thanks. You see, this time around I do intend to be the servant. Still, I need you to recover your full strength before I can confront you and take your power for myself. In the meantime, know that Karkaroff has been found out and sits in a cell within the department of mysteries. As well, the ministry knows your plan and had set a trap for you at the graveyard before the boy ruined it by destroying the Goblet. That said, as it is not that day and it will be some hours yet before he is discovered missing I believe if you move quickly you might yet complete the ritual before they think to look for him there.
Our time will come my friend. Till then, for my sake, I wish you luck. Oh, and I warn you not to underestimate the boy; give him the smallest crack and he will slither out of your grasp.
An unfaithful servant
Stunned, Voldemort sat back in his chair. Who? And how? Who was this person who dared mock him in such a manner and how did they know?
"My Lord?" Bartemius asked cautiously.
Voldemort turned his red eyes on him. "Go to the graveyard. Take Nagini, ensure everything remains in place and it is not being watched."
"Watched my Lord?"
"Igor has been captured. We must move quickly before it is discovered Potter is missing."
Bartemius shifted nervously. "You wish to proceed with the ritual tonight my Lord? When the ministry knows your plans?"
"Is that not what I said?" Voldemort hissed.
Bartemius bowed. "Of course. Forgive me, my Lord."
"Go. Quickly." He snapped his fingers. "Nagini."
The snake immediately slithered forward, winding up and around Bartemius to lie across his shoulders. She flicked her tongue across his neck. He suppressed a shudder. "Be afraid, little man," she hissed.
Voldemort chuckled. "Return him in one piece, my friend."
"If I mussst." She settled in place.
"My Lord," Bartemius croaked. He turned and disappeared with a sharp crack.
Voldemort shifted his eyes to Wormtail. "Get up, you sniveling coward." The man pushed himself to his knees but remained prostrated before him. "Crucio!" Voldemort hissed. Peter shrieked as he spasmed about on the floor. Voldemort only kept the curse on him for a few seconds before lifting it. The man lay there sobbing. Potter moaned. Voldemort glanced at him. Had he heard Peter screaming? "Crucio!" he hissed again. Peter shrieked again and Potter seemed to respond to it. Voldemort dropped the spell, shifted his wand and stunned Harry. "Soon, my young friend."
Harry groaned and tried to push his way past the fog in his mind. Bloody hell, his head hurt. Come to think of it, his whole body hurt. He felt like he was lying on stone. And he was freezing. He shivered and tried to wrap his arms around his middle only they wouldn't move. And that was when the pain in his shoulders registered. They felt as if they were on fire. A cold wind blew across his bare skin. He tugged his hand again. Why the hell was he tied up? Tied up? he pondered. His nose twitched with the smell of smoke and grass and the outside. His mind surged. He wasn't lying down; he was standing, or rather hanging, by his wrists – no wonder his shoulders hurt. Rough stone scratched at his back. Was this another training exercise with Hermione's father? It had happened to him once while home for the spring break. With the capture of Karkaroff they'd feared a kidnapping attempt so he'd been told he'd be kidnapped and was expected to find a way to escape. They'd hoped it would help him to function if it ever happened for real. Never mind he'd rescued Astoria from an actual kidnapping. I mean seriously, had he not functioned then? Whatever, he was here now. Was this another test? One he hadn't been warned of? Forcing his mind to calm he let his wolf rise. Scent and sound assaulted him and… fucking hell, he was starkers! They better hope this was real because if this was another training exercise he was going to kill them all. He cautiously tried moving a foot. They didn't seem to be tied and he could feel nothing around his legs. A scent, locked deep in his memory, surged in his mind. Rage erupted with it.
The rat!
Harry opened his eyes just as he was slapped hard across the face. "Wake up!" Harry lashed out with his foot, catching the man in the stones. He howled and dropped.
"Impedimenta!"
Harry's legs locked in place. The man who had kidnapped Astoria moved in front of him. Crouch Jr. "Bastard," Harry snarled.
Crouch ignored him, instead, taunting the rat. "I warned you to tie his legs." Wormtail struggled to his feet. He glared at Harry with hateful eyes. Harry knew it was coming a second before it did. He tried to brace for it, but a vicious kick to his bits and he nearly passed out again. Crouch Jr. backhanded Wormtail. "The Master said not to harm him."
Vaguely Harry was aware of the two men moving about but his body and mind were swimming with so much pain he could barely think. "Hurry," a high, cold voice cut through the fog in his head. He shook his head slightly, wincing at the agony it created. Squeezing his eyes tightly he forced the pain aside. He got his feet under him. It didn't allow him to bring his arms down any but relieved a bit of the tension in his shoulders. Opening his eyes he surveyed his surroundings. He was in a graveyard; tied to a great headstone. Wormtail and Crouch Jr were standing next to a large stone cauldron; large enough for a person to bath in. They'd just lit a fire beneath it and beside it sat a writhing bundle of robes. Harry's eyes locked on it. He didn't need to see what was in the robes to know what, or rather whom, it was. The Rebirthing Ritual! The thought exploded in his mind so forcefully it sent a lance of pain jabbing behind his eyes. He had to get out of here! Out of the corner of his eye he caught movement. Slithering through the grass and up near his feet was the largest snake Harry had ever seen. It stopped in front of him and reared up, looking him straight in the eyes.
"Attack them," Harry hissed.
The snake rocked back. "You ssspeak the tongue."
"Yes, and I command you to attack them."
The snake shook its head. "I am not yoursss to command." Before Harry could blink the snake struck, burying its fangs deep in his leg. Harry jerked and a very weak burst of accidental magic lashed out and zapped the snake in the face. Harry groaned painfully. It felt like something had blocked his magic from fully releasing and the backlash of it within his body was like getting sucker punched in the kidney. The snake shook its head. You will pay," it hissed furiously.
"Stop!" the bundle of robes hissed, drawing both Harry and the snake's attention. "Leave him."
"Yesss, Massster," the snake answered. It backed away but remained within striking distance of Harry.
Harry's leg burned with venom but it remained localized and he could already tell Kaa's protection was fighting the bite. Harry spit at the serpent. "You think you can kill me? I survived a basilisk."
"SILENCE!" the cold voice shrieked. For once in his life Harry didn't talk back. Instead he reached for his magic. He could feel it, but it only responded weakly, like way back when Remus had first found him and he'd tried to levitate the picnic table. He must have been given a magic dampening potion, that or the manacles holding him were some kind of inhibitor. "It is ready," the high, cold voice said, breaking him out of his thoughts. Harry focused on the cauldron again.
How the hell? Harry thought. The cauldron was already bubbling, the whole surface alight with sparks and flashes, sending tendrils of foul smelling steam across the graveyard that left the taste of brimstone in Harry's mouth.
The rat bent and pulled open the robes on the ground. Harry couldn't help cringing at what was revealed and the pain behind his eyes increased tenfold, nearly blinding him. It was like one of Hagrid's skewerts only worse; a hundred thousand times worse. The person, or being, or whatever it was, was no bigger than a small child. An emaciated child, with skin that was raw and reddish black with great cracks weeping puss. Its arms and legs were thin and feeble and looked like a simple flick of a finger could snap them in half. Its face was flat, snakelike and its eyes were gleaming red slits filled with hate. It raised its arms and wrapped them around the rat's neck. He lifted the body and carefully lowered it into the bubbling cauldron.
Far too much to hope it will drown, Harry thought.
His voice shaking Wormtail raised his wand. "Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will restore your son!" The ground at Harry's feet cracked and bubbled and a shard of bone, probably a femur, rose out of the earth. Wormtail directed his wand and the bone drifted over and fell into the cauldron. The roiling surface intensified twice over, sending sparks high into the sky before slowing and turning a poisonous looking electric blue that reminded Harry of the blue bolts of lightening Emperor Palpatine had sent into Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi.
"Do it you fool," Crouch snarled.
Wormtail whimpered and took a very sharp looking dagger from his cloak. He then held his hand over the cauldron, the one he was missing his finger from. Gripping the knife tightly he stammered. "Flesh — of the servant — w–willing given — you will — revive — your master." He raised the knife. Horrified, Harry couldn't look away. What could possibly bring someone to do this? The knife flashed and Wormtail screamed. His hand splashed into the cauldron and the knife clattered to the ground. A burst of sparks rose from the cauldron before it settled back, the surface nearly still and red as blood. Wormtail gasped and whimpered on his knees, clutching his stump in agony.
Crouch Jr grabbed him by the collar. "Get up," he snarled. He thrust the knife at the sobbing man. Holding his stump under his arm Wormtail managed to take the dagger and stumble his way to Harry. Still reeling from having watched the man cut his own hand off Harry didn't even think to resist till he felt the knife slash his cheek. "B–blood of the enemy… forcibly taken … you will… restore your foe."
Harry snapped out of his daze. "Yeah, just go ahead you traitorous bastard, slice me open, I'm happy to give my blood to your master." Wormtail ignored him. He stumbled back to the cauldron where he held the knife over it and dripped three drops of Harry's blood into it before dropping the knife and collapsing on the ground where he lay, gasping and sobbing.
The cauldron bubbled furiously, sending sparks flashing in all directions before suddenly stopping. Silence descended on the night. Brimstone mist roiled out of the cauldron so thick Harry gagged. A loud crack preceded a chill wind blowing through the graveyard, clearing the mist away to reveal the dark outline of a tall man, if he could be called such, as naked as Harry standing with the cauldron split in half on either side of him.
"Robe me," he hissed and Harry didn't think he'd ever heard anything that sounded more evil. Crouch Jr stepped forward with clean robes that he draped over his master's shoulders. The man held his hands out in front of him, examining his new body. "My wand," he said, holding a hand out. Crouch placed a wand, smooth and white in his master's hand. Voldemort slowly closed his fingers around it. His head then rose, whiter than bone, a nose that was flat with slits like that of a snake. Livid scarlet eyes focused on Harry.
Harry stared back. His brain might have felt like it was ready to burst from his skull and he might have never been so scared in his life, but that didn't mean he was going to let the son-of-a-bitch know it. "Shit, you're one ugly mother." Voldemort's eyes narrowed and Harry felt like the man's rage had stabbed him in the eye. Harry flinched and turned away.
Voldemort laughed. "Did I not tell you, Bartemius?"
"You did, my Lord."
Voldemort stepped forward. "My Lord," Wormtail whimpered. Voldemort stopped. "My Lord… you promised… you promised."
Voldemort considered him before lazily saying, "Hold out your arm."
"Master… oh, Master," Wormtail gasped. He held out his arm.
Voldemort laughed softly. "You're other arm, Wormtail."
"Master?" he asked. Voldemort bent and grabbed Wormtail's left arm. He pushed the sleeve up, revealing a vivid red, tattoo-like scar – skull with a snake protruding from the mouth. The Dark Mark. Voldemort examined it carefully, ignoring Wormtail's sobbing.
"It is back," he said softly, "They'll have noticed… And now we shall see… Now we shall know."
"My Lord," Crouch Jr said cautiously, "should we not make haste?"
"Let them come," Voldemort said quietly. "Let them come and see Lord Voldemort cannot die. Let them come and know their end is upon them." He pressed a long white finger to Wormtail's brand. Harry grimaced with another searing stab of pain directly into his mind. He shook his head clear. What the fuck was going on that his head was hurting like this? Voldemort had straightened and was calmly looking around the graveyard.
"Please, Master," Wormtail whimpered.
"How many will be brave enough?" Voldemort asked softly. "How many will be foolish enough to stay away?" He began pacing. After a minute he stopped and focused on Harry. "Harry Potter."
Harry refused to look away. He could feel the man slipping into his mind. One thing was certain; Riddle would never sneak up on him with Legilimency. Of course Harry didn't think he'd ever be able to match the levels of evil the bastard oozed so he wouldn't be leading him a merry chase either. With deceit denied, Harry coalesced before Riddle in his dreamscape. He said nothing, choosing to just stand defiantly in front of him. Riddle retreated from Harry's mind.
"You are stronger than when we last met," Riddle said.
"Try me and you'll find out just how much stronger I am," Harry answered.
"And insolent," Voldemort went on. "Much like your mother. She did not know when to run away either." Harry said nothing. "But she had her uses, didn't she? Died to protect you… and I killed my father. Both useful in death. You see how alike we are?"
"I see a scared little cock sucker who hasn't got the stones to give me my wand and face me like a man," Harry retorted.
"Why you," Crouch Jr cried, advancing on him.
"Stop," Voldemort said. Crouch Jr froze. Voldemort never took his eyes from Harry and he laughed softly. "Soon, Harry, soon." He looked up with the sound of cloaks swishing in the air. "But first you shall meet my friends." All around them wizards were apparating. Between graves and trees they appeared. Each was hooded and masked and one by one they slowly moved forward… cautiously, seemingly afraid and hopeful at the same time. They formed a circle, though there were gaps, like a space being held for one who had not arrived yet. Voldemort waited, saying nothing. One of the Death Eaters fell to his knees and crawled forward. He kissed the hem of Voldemort's robes. Master… Master," he prostrated himself.
"Fucking hell," Harry snorted. "A bunch of inbred, sister-fucking blood supremacists calling a half-blood master.
Voldemort whipped around. "Crucio!" he shrieked. Harry had about a nanosecond to consider he maybe should have kept his mouth shut before his body exploded. Everything. Everything hurt. It felt like a million red-hot icepicks were being jabbed into his body all at once. Nothing, nothing at all, not being whipped, saving Ginny from kraken venom, not even basilisk venom had prepared him for this. How long it lasted Harry couldn't have said, but it felt like lifetimes had passed before he found himself hanging limply from his arms. Slowly, ever so slowly, his senses came back to him.
"And you, Lucius," Voldemort was speaking. Harry kept his head down and just listened. "You whom I trusted more than any other, what sweet words will you speak?"
"My Lord," Lucius spoke softly. "I was always on alert, always listening. Had there been any sign, any sign at all I would have been at your side immediately, nothing could have prevented me—"
"Silence," Voldemort hissed. Lucius snapped his mouth closed and said nothing more. "There were signs Lucius. There were signs but you did not come. You ran from my Mark when a faithful Death Eater sent it into the sky this past summer… Yes, I know all about that Lucius." Malfoy said nothing. "You have disappointed me… Still, I hear you have kept the old ways, secretly plotting while presenting a respectable face… I expect better, Lucius."
Lucius dropped to his knees. "You shall have it, my Lord." He kissed the hem of Voldemort's robe.
"I shall," Voldemort agreed. He moved on and Lucius slowly rose back to his feet, resuming his place in the circle. There was room between Malfoy and the next person that three people would have fit. "The Lestranges should stand here," Voldemort spoke softly. "But they pay for their loyalty within the walls of Azkaban. They were faithful and did not renounce me… I will break those walls and when they are freed they will be honored beyond their wildest dreams!" Voldemort moved around the circle. Some Death Eaters he ignored entirely, a few he spoke with.
"McNair. Nothing more than an executioner of beasts now. That will change soon. Lord Voldemort will provide you with better victims."
"Thank you, my Lord."
Voldemort moved on. "Crabbe and Goyle. You shall do better this time, yes?"
"My Lord," they grunted in reply.
"And you Nott?"
A stooped figure stepped forward. "I remain your most loyal—"
"That will be enough," Voldemort dismissed him. He reached Crouch Jr. "And here my most loyal servant. You shall be rewarded."
"If it please you, my Lord."
Voldemort moved on. "And this one in Azkaban, his loyalties in question. We shall know the truth." He moved to Peter, bent over, sniffling and holding his stump. "And you, who returned to me not out of loyalty, but fear…"
"M–master, please," Wormtail whimpered.
"Still, you have proved useful and Voldemort rewards those who prove useful. He took Wormtail's arm in his hand while whirling his wand in the air. A silvery blob grew from the end of the wand. Shapeless, it bubbled like liquid mercury before forming into the shape of a human hand bright as moonlight. It detached from Voldemort's wand and floated down over Wormtail's bleeding wrist.
His sobbing stopped abruptly. His breathing harsh and ragged he held the hand aloft, examining it. Bending down he picked up a small stone and crushed it into dust in his fist. "My Lord," he breathed, "it's beautiful." He threw himself at Voldemort's feet and kissed his robes. "Thank you."
"May your loyalty never waiver again, Wormtail," he said.
"Never," he answered. Voldemort turned from him and Wormtail resumed his place in the circle.
"My Lord," Lucius stepped forward. "I beg of you, tell us how you came back to us?"
Voldemort turned and focused on Harry. "Ah, Lucius, that tale begins and ends with my young friend here, who is not nearly so incapacitated as he would like us to believe." Harry straightened his legs and picked his head up. Voldemort eyed him and Harry remained silent. Voldemort walked lazily over to Harry. "You see him silent," he said. "Many of you think it is because he has learned the repercussions of defying me… You would be wrong. Even now he is thinking, calculating, looking for a way to escape… So very much like myself." Voldemort paused, bending over to look in Harry's eyes from only inches ways. He straightened suddenly. "Yet he stands here not from anything of his own doing." He walked slowly around the circle. "You all know the night I lost my powers and my body, the night I died. Harry Potter stopped me, that is the story they all tell. But it was not him. It was his mother. Old magic. I confess; a mistake made that cost me dearly. The sacrifice of herself that left a mark on him, made him untouchable." Somehow, when Voldemort stopped in front of him, Harry knew it was coming. "No more!" Voldemort said and grabbed Harry's shoulder. Harry screamed. And Voldemort screamed with him. His hand was like molten lava on Harry's bare skin. Voldemort released him. Panting, he whispered in Harry's ear. "Mummy can't save you this time."
He straightened and returned to walking the circle. "A miscalculation. My own spell rebounded back at myself." He shook his head. "Ahh… pain beyond pain my friends. Nothing, not even the cruciatus could have prepared me for it. Ripped from my body; less than the lowest ghost… but alive. What I was, I do not even know. But I was alive. You all know my goal; to conquer death and I had done so. But I had no body.
"For ten years I forced myself onward. Day by day, even second by second, weary beyond weary I did not rest. I settled far from here. Deep in the forests with the one power I had left to me. I could possess things; beasts and humans. But I was weak and it took many years before the right human came along. Weak of mind and gullible he was perfect; a teacher in Dumbledore's school. I had him bring me back; certain my return was at hand. Only once again Harry Potter stopped me. And this time his mother had nothing to do with it. Though," he mused, "there was a different girl. But not pertinent to this story. The servant died and I was denied the Sorcerer's Stone. It was, perhaps, my darkest hour. I fled. Despair… I could not hope for another wizard to possess. I nearly gave up my faith, not that any of my Death Eaters cared what had become of me…"
A few of the Death Eaters shifted, but Voldemort ignored them. Harry had nearly lost it when Voldemort mentioned Ginny, but he forced himself not to react and to keep his mouth shut. While the bastard had been going on with his Death Eaters he'd figured out the moron liked the sound of his own voice. Seriously, it was like listening to the bad guy in a Bond movie prattling on about his brilliance before not killing 007 only to then get himself killed by 007.
"But then, not even a year ago," Voldemort went on. It was everything Harry could do not to roll his eyes. "A servant returned to me. Wormtail, who had faked his own death to escape justice, was finally caught out. He was sent to Azkaban. But miracle of miracles, he wastes away so much he is able to slip out of the manacles that prevent him from assuming his animagus form. He escapes! My most worthless servant escapes Azkaban! And following the whispers of his filthy little brethren he goes searching for me. And not only does he find me, he brings with him a ministry employee; one Bertha Jorkins of the Department of International Games and Cooperation.
"And this is where fate truly shines on Lord Voldemort. She was privy to two secrets. The first being the Triwizard Tournament to be held at Hogwarts this year. The second, much darker, the knowledge of a servant loyal to me, a servant thought dead, a servant who could help me if only I could reach him. Unfortunately Ms Jorkins was no longer suited for me to possess. Breaking the memory charms on her left her too damaged. I was forced to dispose of her. Wormtail was also ill suited to possession, being a wanted criminal. But he was able to follow my direction and create a weak body for me to inhabit till such time as I could bring about my true rebirth.
"So, with a body strong enough to travel we set off. The Philosopher's Stone was no longer an option. No whisper of it has surfaced in three years. I set my sights a bit lower. I would settle for my old body, my old strength before resuming my hunt for immortality. But I would need three powerful ingredients. Two were easily at hand. My father's bone and the flesh of a servant. But the third, blood of thy enemy. What to do about that? You see, I knew, for my new body to be as powerful as possible, the blood had to come from my greatest enemy. But who was that? Was it Harry Potter, who had supposedly banished me? Was it Alastor Moody? Was it Albus Dumbledore. Or someone else entirely. Logic says it is Albus Dumbledore. But then there is the prophecy, the very thing that sent me after Harry Potter all those years ago and set into motion everything we have already spoken of. But was it real, or was it only a fluke, brought about by his mother? The fact he had denied me the Philosopher's Stone suggested it was the boy. But I had to be certain so I determined to test him."
"I've got him," Bill said. The map had gone off an hour ago, telling them Harry was no longer on the school grounds. The tracking gem embedded in Harry's arm had allowed him to quickly locate Harry in the Shrieking Shack. They'd apparated there only to find he'd been moved again. He'd nearly located him again about thirty minutes ago only for Harry to be moved moments before he'd pinpointed his location. It had taken another thirty minutes for him to locate him again.
"Where?" Amelia demanded.
Bill grabbed the map and plotted the coordinates on it. Idiot, he thought. He looked up. "The graveyard." There was a second of stunned silence before everyone exploded into motion.
"Plan (B)," Minister Bones shouted.
"So you had Karkaroff enter me in the tournament?" Harry interrupted.
Voldemort turned to him. "Yes, I see reports of your intelligence are not in exaggeration." Harry chose to remain silent. "And if the first two tasks had not convinced me it was your blood I needed, your destruction of the Goblet of Fire sealed the decision."
"You must be so proud," Harry mocked, "killing babies and children."
Voldemort shrugged. "I do what I must."
"Pitiful," Harry sneered.
Voldemort's eyes narrowed to glowing red slits. "Release him; give him his wand and a robe."
Crouch Jr waved his wand at Harry. Harry felt his magic thrum through his body as his bindings fell away. A wand and robe were tossed at his feet. Harry staggered a bit, struggling to stay upright on legs still shaky from the cruciatus. He rolled his shoulders, trying to get blood flowing in his arms and hands again. "Take your time, Harry Potter," Voldemort said. "We wouldn't want it said I didn't give you a fighting chance."
Harry said nothing as he bent to grab his robe. If the idiot thought he was going to follow the niceties of a formal duel, well, he was a bigger moron than Malfoy. He focused on his magic, gathering it into a ball of molten hate. With a sudden movement he snatched his wand from the ground. Diving forward, he screamed, "DEFODIO MAXIMA!"
Voldemort flicked his wand, erecting a shield. Harry's spell slammed into it. The shield held but there was an almighty CRACK and Voldemort shrieked. Harry came out of his roll a step from Lucius Malfoy… If he'd simply apparated away right then he'd probably have made it just fine, but the chance to avenge Ginny overruled logic and he put his wand right in the man's stomach. "For Ginny," he snarled.
Ginny jerked awake in her bed and screamed, "Harry!"
Daphne bolted up in her bed in time to see Ginny slump over and fall face first onto the floor. She pooled on the cold stone and didn't move. "Ginny!" she cried. She jumped out of bed and crashed on her knees beside Ginny. She shook her gently. "Ginny, wake up." Ginny didn't move. "Ginny, come on… Don't you do this to me." Ginny remained unresponsive. Daphne triggered the release for her wand and levitated her. Quickly she had her in the hall and was making her way through the Slytherin common room. "Professor Vector!" she screamed.
Harry's spell blew through Lucius' body and out his back, spraying the headstone behind him with blood and gore. Harry was twisting to apparate away before the surprise had even left the bastard's eyes but before he could his mind exploded with pain and he flopped to the ground writhing in agony. It went on and on, far longer than the first time Voldemort put the curse on him. When it was finally lifted Harry could do nothing but lay there twitching.
"Crucio!" Voldemort screeched. Again and again the spell was put on him and Harry could do nothing. Never long enough to drive him insane and never long enough between to even begin to recover. Finally Voldemort stopped. Harry simply lay there, his body twitching uncontrollably. His throat was so raw from screaming he couldn't even make a sound. Voldemort used his wand to flip him over. "What did you do?" he hissed.
"Fff," Harry burbled, the taste of blood heavy in his mouth.
"It won't heal," Voldemort said, "tell me what you did."
Harry couldn't speak and if his mind had been functioning properly he would have known he shouldn't, but he pulled the false memory forward and slammed it at Voldemort. The son of a bitch rocked back, twisting funny, his leg snapped. He howled painfully but even so it took only a few seconds for him to slowly pick himself up. "Master?" Crouch Jr asked, crouching beside him.
"Do not touch me!" he said softly.
The Death Eater backed away. "Yes, Master."
Voldemort pushed himself to one knee, leaving his broken leg on the ground with the other foot planted firmly beneath him. "You will pay for this, Potter." He raised his wand. "Crucio." Voldemort dropped the curse after only a few seconds. He stared at Harry's unmoving body. What now? The boy hadn't reacted to the curse at all. Even if his throat was too raw to scream he should have been writhing in agony. He reached with his unbroken hand and opened the boy's eyes. Nothing. No dilating of the pupil or anything. He held his hand in front of his nose. He wasn't dead. He could feel the boy breathing and see his chest moving up and down. "Crucio," he said. Harry didn't even twitch. Voldemort dropped the curse. Even if Harry had lost his mind the curse should still cause him unbearable pain.
He knelt there trying to understand. Absently he cast a healing charm on his leg. Unsurprisingly it did not work. Somehow Dumbledore had known what would be required for the rebirthing ritual. He'd told Harry if he found himself unable to stop his blood being taken to say he was giving it willingly. His new body was as brittle as bone china. And it would not heal properly. He thought furiously. Was the hatred Harry held for Dumbledore that Karkaroff had reported nothing but a ruse? He pried Harry's eyes open again. Nothing. The boy's mind was completely blank.
Rising, he absently cast a splinting charm on his leg. Scanning the area his servants all watched him nervously. All but one that is. Lucius was dead. Potter had blown out half his spine. He eyed the body for a second. The loss was not insignificant. "For Ginny." That was what Potter had said before killing him. What had his servant done to the girl?
"Bring the boy," he said softly. "I want no harm done to him."
"My Lord?" Bartemius asked.
"He has answers I yet need. He will live till I am certain there are none left to be extracted from him." He turned slightly, but a sudden piercing cry in the night followed by a flash of brilliant white light forced him to shield his eyes and by the time he realized what had happened he was staring at the empty spot Potter had been.
"Tell me again what happened?" Mrs Tonks asked.
"She just bolted awake and screamed Harry's name," Daphne answered. "By the time I sat up she was falling out of bed."
"How did she know?" the matron asked. Just then a brilliant flash of white filled the infirmary. The three women whipped out their wands and raised shields. The light was so bright they were forced to shield their eyes. When the light faded enough they could look again the only thing to be seen was Harry's naked and battered body lying on the floor.
"Harry!" Mrs Tonks screamed, diving down beside him. The matron was a half second behind her. Her wand flashed through the air performing diagnostic spells.
"My Lord?" Bartemius asked.
"The phoenix," Voldemort hissed. He turned to apparate away but an instant before he could an anti-apparation ward went up. Only it was unlike any ward he'd every encountered before. He could actually see it; a shimmering dome of magic trapping he and his Death Eaters.
"Tom Riddle," a female voice called.
"He's gone," Bill said quietly from beside Lily.
She looked at him sharply. "What?"
"He's not here anymore."
"He's at the school," Remus said.
"What?" Bill asked, "you can't possibly have located him again that quickly."
"The map just pinged, says he's back in the infirmary."
"Who dares use that name?" Voldemort demanded.
"How the hell would he have gotten back?" Bill demanded. "He can't apparate there and the portkey takes him to the house."
"I'm just telling you what I see."
"Confirm it. Mirror Andi."
"Who dares use that name!" Voldemort thundered.
Lily forced her concern regarding Harry aside and turned her attention back to the task at hand. "Lily," Bill said, "If he's really back at the school, there's no point in going through with this."
"It's time," she countered. "Let them see he isn't the only one back from the dead.
"Daphne say's he's there," Remus interjected. "Hurt, but alive."
"You sure?" Bill pressed Lily
"It's time," she answered.
Bill blew out a breath. "Then let's do it." He cast a Flare Charm into the sky over the specially designed anti-apparation dome. He, Lily, Remus and Malala had spent nearly a year on the calculations to create it. It had taken nearly a year more to charge the gem needed to power it.
"Who dares use that name!" Voldemort thundered again.
Lily stepped forward with Bill and Sirius flanking her; Remus was just to Sirius' left. All the way around the ward aurors stepped forward. The Death Eaters tightened ranks and raised their wands. Everyone but Lily stopped, with her moving right to the edge of the ward. Voldemort stared at her.
"I do," Lily said.
Red eyes bored down on her. "Who are you?" he he demanded.
"Tom," she said patronizingly, "I'm disappointed. It was my son, after all, that you failed to kill that night."
"What does she mean?"
"Failed to kill?"
"It can't be."
"Lily Potter." The Death Eaters continued to whisper furiously.
"Impossible."
Voldemort held his hand up. The Death Eaters instantly fell silent. Voldemort did nothing but watch her. She looked straight back. "I'm impressed," he said.
"I am not," she countered.
His lip curled. "Do you really think you can stop me?"
"I did once… And this time I do not have the disadvantage of trying to protect my son."
"Your son is dead. I killed him and sent the pieces of his body to the ends of the earth."
Lily laughed. "Oh, Tom, you continue to miscalculate. Do you think I don't already know how he escaped you? He's quite safe. A bit worse for wear, I'll admit, but most certainly alive." Voldemort didn't answer. "Outwitted by a boy all of fourteen," she taunted. "The great, all-powerful, Lord Voldemort couldn't kill a babe in his mother's arms and now, with his slaves surrounding him, that same boy survives him again," she continued to mock. Her eyes shifted to the body on the ground. "And look, if I am not mistaken, it appears he took a pound of flesh from you. Which of your hapless little minions did he kill?"
"Enough talk!" the largest of the Death Eaters thundered. "Let's kill them!" The aurors edged forward with wands raised.
"Silence," Voldemort hissed. He and Lily continued to measure each other.
"This is your only warning," she said loudly. "Whether tonight or the near future, your master will fall. You can either join him, or you can surrender your wands and live."
Silence. For near a full minute.
"Kill them," Voldemort's soft command was like a cannon shot in the silence.
Dozens of spells, Severing Curses, Blasting Hexes, Blood-Boiling Curses, Entrails Expelling Curses, The Flaying Hex and at least three Killing Curses flashed from the Death Eater's wands. The aurors didn't move. The spells, even the Killing Curse, all slammed into the wall of the ward and rebounded in every direction imaginable. The quick and agile of the Death Eaters managed to dive out of the way or block the spells coming back at them, but at least four were struck by a rebounded curse and dropped to the ground shrieking in agony. Before the first wave of spells struck the ward a second had already been on the way. The second volley was too much and the ward shattered.
The aurors surged forward. Bill, Sirius and Remus all jumped in front of Lily and engaged with Voldemort. Chaos reined. Spells flew fast and furious, but the Death Eaters were surrounded and outnumbered and were falling quickly. A massive concussion wave rippled out from the center of the fight, toppling Death Eaters and aurors alike. Bill dove behind a headstone. He rolled out and launched Harry's favorite spell at Voldemort. He twisted away and the spell flashed harmlessly past.
"DEATH EATERS, AWAY!" Voldemort cried. A sharp crack and he was gone. His Death Eaters followed.
Cautiously, Bill climbed to his feet. "Keep your eyes and ears open!" Kingsley shouted.
Remus grabbed Bill's arm. "Get her out of here."
"I should stay."
"I can be replaced. You and her can't."
"I'm hardly—"
"Quit arguing and do what he says, Bill," Sirius said.
"Go find out what the hell happened to Harry."
"Probably be a good idea for you to come with then," Bill said.
"You two go," Remus said, "I've got this."
HPHPHP
Author's notes:
Hopefully up to expectations and different enough to the original to be interesting?