There was split second where Hailey considered making a run for it, but her injured leg shook under her as she stood up. The Death Eaters closed ranks, forming a tighter circle around her and Voldemort, filling the gaps of the missing Death Eaters.
Pettigrew was standing in the circle with the Death Eaters.
"You have been taught how to duel, Hailey Potter?" asked Voldemort, his red eyes glinting.
Hailey remembered the dueling club she briefly attended two years ago. All she learned was Expelliarmus. What use would it be if she deprived Voldemort of his wand when there was about thirty Death Eaters, who would happily kill her? She didn't know anything to prepare for being thirty-one on one. She was facing the unblockable Killing Curse.
"We bow to each other, Hailey," replied Voldemort, bending a little, keeping his snakelike face upturned to Hailey. "Come, the niceties must be observed…Dumbledore would like you to show manners…Bow to death, Hailey…"
The Death Eaters were laughing and Voldemort's lipless mouth was smiling. Hailey didn't bow, because s he didn't want Voldemort to play with her before she got killed. She wasn't going to give him that satisfaction…
"I said, bow," Voldemort said, raising his wand, and Hailey felt her spin curve as if she had a huge, invisible hand bending her ruthlessly forward. The Death Eaters laughed even harder at that.
"Very good," said Voldemort softly and he raised his wand, the pressure bearing down on Hailey lifted too. "And now you face me…straight-backed and proud, the way your father died…And now—we duel…" He rushed at her, using magic to throw her to the ground.
She was hit with the Cruciatus Curse again. The pain was so intense, so all-consuming. She didn't even know where she was. It felt like white-hot knives were piercing every inch of her skin. Surely her head was going to burst with pain, she was screaming more loudly than she'd ever screamed in her life—
The pain stopped. She rolled over and scrambled to her feet. She was shaking uncontrollably as Pettigrew had done when he had his hand cut off. She staggered sideways into the wall of watching Death Eaters, and they pushed her back towards Voldemort. She could've sworn she heard someone whisper, "I'm so sorry," as she was pushed towards Voldemort.
She was sure it was double-standards talking. If she was a boy, she wouldn't have gotten, an "I'm so sorry" from a loyal Death Eater, but since she was a girl, and apparently girls get more sympathy than a boy in her position.
"A little break," said Voldemort, his nostrils dilating with excitement, "a little pause…That hurt, didn't it, Hailey? You don't want me to do that again, do you?"
Hailey didn't answer; because she was going to die like Cedric, those pitiless red eyes were telling her so…she was going to die, and there was nothing she could do about it…She wasn't going to play along. She wasn't going to obey Voldemort…she wasn't going to beg…
"I asked you whether you want me to do that again," said Voldemort softly. "Answer me! Imperio!"
For the third time in her life she had the sensation that her mind had been wiped of all thought…It was bliss, not to think, it was as if she was floating, dreaming…just answer no…say no…just answer no…
I will not, said a stronger voice in the back of her head, I won't answer…
Just answer no…
I won't do it, I won't say it…
Just answer no…
"I won't!" The words burst from her. Her shout echoed through the graveyard, and the dream state was lifted as if cold water had been thrown over her. The aches from the Cruciatus Curse had come back. She was still in the graveyard and she was facing Voldemort.
"You won't?" said Voldemort quietly. The Death Eaters weren't laughing. "You won't say no? Hailey, obedience is a virtue I need to teach you before you die…Perhaps another little dose of pain?" He raised his wand.
Hailey was ready and threw herself sideways onto the ground. She rolled behind a headstone right as she heard the crack of the spell hitting it as it missed her.
"We are not playing hide-and-seek, Hailey," said Voldemort's soft cold voice, drawing nearer as the Death Eaters laughed. "Do not turn your back on me, Hailey Potter. I want you to look at me when I kill you. I want see the lights leave your eyes."
Hailey knew that the end had come. There was no hope…no help to be had. And as she heard Voldemort draw nearer still, she knew one thing only, and it was beyond fear or reason.
"It will be quick…it might even be painless…I would not know…I have never died…" Voldemort said softly.
Hailey wasn't going to die crouching behind a headstone like a child playing hide-and-seek. She wasn't going to die kneeling at Voldemort's feet…she was going to die upright like her father and she was going to die trying to defend herself, even if no defense was possible. She stood up and marched over to face Voldemort, "Have it your way."
She gripped her wand and shouted, "Expelliarmus!" right as Voldemort yelled, "Avada Kedavra!"
A jet of green light came from Voldemort's wand right as a jet of light blasted from Hailey's wand—meeting in midair. Hailey's wand was vibrating as if an electrical charge were surging through it. Her hand seized up around, knowing that she couldn't have released it if she'd wanted to. A narrow beam of deep golden light connected the two wands. Hailey followed the beam of light, saw that Voldemort was gripped a wand that seemed to be shaking and vibrating.
The golden thread connect Hailey and Voldemort splintered, though the wands remained connected, a thousand more beams arced high over Hailey and Voldemort, crossing all around them, until they were enclosed in a golden, dome-shaped web, like a cage of light, beyond which the Death Eaters circled like jackals, their cries strangely muffled.
"Do nothing!" Voldemort shrieked to the Death Eaters. His red eyes were wide with astonishment at what was happening. She saw him fighting to break the thread of light that was still connecting his wand to Hailey's.
Hailey held onto her wand more tightly with both hands. The golden thread remained unbroken.
"Do nothing unless I command!" Voldemort shouted to his followers.
An unearthly and beautiful sound filled the air, sounding like it came from every thread of light-spun web that was vibrating around Hailey and Voldemort. Hailey recognized it as a phoenix song, even though she heard it once before.
It sounded like hope to Hailey…it was the most beautiful and welcome thing to Hailey had ever heard in her life…She felt as though the song was inside her instead of just around her. It was the sound she connected with Dumbledore…it was almost as though a friend were speaking in her ear…
Don't break the connection.
I know, Hailey told the music. I know I mustn't…but after thinking it, it seemed to become harder to do, because her wand was now vibrating more powerfully.
The beam between her and Voldemort changed…it looked as large beads of light were sliding up and down the thread connecting the wands—Hailey felt her wand give a shudder under her hand as the light beads began to slide slowly and steadily her way. The direction of the beam's movement was now toward her, from Voldemort, and she felt her wand shudder in an almost angry manner.
The closest bead of light moved nearer to Hailey's wand tip, the wood beneath her fingers grew so hot she feared it would burst into flame. The closer that bead moved the harder Hailey's wand vibrated; she was sure her wand would not survive contact with it; it felt as if her wand was going to shatter under her fingers.
She concentrated hard, forcing the bead back toward Voldemort. It seemed like her ears were full of phoenix song, her eyes furious, fixed…and slowly, very slowly, the beads quivered to a halt, and then, just as slowly, the beads began to move the other way…Voldemort looked astonished…almost fearful.
One of the beads of light was quivering, inches from the tip of Voldemort's wand. Hailey concentrated on forcing that bead of light right back into Voldemort's wand…and slowly…very slowly…it moved along the golden thread…trembled…and then it connected…
It seemed like echoing scream of pain were echoing from Voldemort's wand and it looked like Voldemort's eyes widened with shock—because a dense, smoky hand flew out of the tip of the wand and vanished…it looked like the ghost of the hand that he had made for Pettigrew. Something much larger began to blossom from Voldemort's wand tip, a great grayish something, that looked as if it was made from the solidest, densest smoke…It had a head…now a chest…arms…the torso of Cedric Diggory.
Hailey would've released her wand from shock, but something was telling her not to, so she didn't, so the golden light remained unbroken, even if the grey ghost of Cedric Diggory emerged in its entirety from the end of Voldemort wands, as though it were squeezing itself out of a very narrow tunnel…and the shade of Cedric stood up.
It looked up and down the golden thread of light and spoke, "Hold on, Hailey." The voice was distant and echoing.
Hailey looked at Voldemort…he still looked shocked…he didn't seem to expect it, like Hailey…
More screams of pain from the wand…and then something else emerged from the tip….the dense shadow of a second head, quickly followed by arms and a torso…an old man that Hailey had seen only in a dream. He was now pushing himself out of the end of wand just as Cedric had done. His shadow fell next to Cedric's, and surveyed Hailey, Voldemort, the golden web, and the connected wands, with mild surprise. He was leaning on his walking stick…
"He was a real wizard, then?" he asked, his eyes on Voldemort. "Killed me, that one did…" He turned to Hailey, "You fight him."
Another head was emerging…however it was a woman's. Hailey's arms were shaking as she fought to keep her wand still. The woman dropped to the ground and straightened up like the other two, staring.
It was the shadow of Bertha Jorkins. Her eyes widened as she took in the battle and she cried, "Don't let go, now!" Her voice echoed like Cedric's, as if it was from far away. "Don't let him get, you Hailey—don't let go!"
Bertha, the old man, and Cedric began pacing around the walls of the golden web, while the Death Eaters walked around the outside of it…Voldemort's dead victims whispered as they circled the duelers. They whispered words of encouragement to Hailey and seemed to hiss words to Voldemort, which Hailey couldn't hear.
Another head was emerging from the tip of Voldemort's wand…Hailey knew who it was when she it saw. It felt like Hailey expected it from the moment when Cedric had appeared from the wand…she knew because it was the woman that Hailey thought of more than other tonight.
The smoky shadow of a young woman with long hair fell to the ground as the others before her. She straightened up and looked at her and Hailey, her arms shaking madly now, looking back into the face of her mother.
"Your father's coming…" she said quietly. "Hold on for your father…it will be all right…hold on."
He came head first…then is body…he was tall and untidy-haired like Hailey. It was the smoky, shadowy form of James Potter. He blossomed from the end of Voldemort's wand, fell to the ground. He straightened like the others before him. He walked close to Hailey, looking down at her. He was looking livid with fear as Voldemort's victims prowled around him. In the same distant, echoing voice, to Hailey, so the Voldemort couldn't hear, he spoke, "When the connection is broken, we will linger for only moments…but we will give you time…you must get to the Portkey, it will return you to Hogwarts…do you under, Hailey?"
"Yes," Hailey gasped, fighting to keep her hold on her wand, because it was slipping and sliding.
"Hailey…" whispered Cedric, "take my body back will you? Take my body back to my parents…"
"I will," replied Hailey, her face screwed up with the effort of holding her wand.
"Do it now," whispered her father's voice. "Be ready to run…do it now…"
"Now!" Hailey yelled, pulling her wand upright. The golden thread broke, the cage of light vanished, the phoenix song died, and the shadowy figures of Voldemort's victims stayed. They were closing in upon Voldemort, shielding Hailey from his gaze—
Hailey ran as she had never ran before, knocking stunned Death Eaters aside as she passed. She zigzagged behind headstones, dodging curses and graves. She ran towards Cedric's body—
"Stun her!" Voldemort screamed.
She dived behind the marble statue that she had been trapped with, as jets of red light flew at her. The tip of the statue's wing shattered as spells hit it. She held her wand tightly and ran out from the statue.
"Impedimenta!" she yelled, pointing her wand wildly over her shoulder at the Death Eaters running at her.
There was a muffle yelled and she jumped over the cup and dived as more spells were fired at her. They flew over her head as she fell. She stretched out her arm, trying to grab Cedric's arm as she heard, "Stand aside! I will kill him! She's mine!"
Hailey grabbed Cedric's wrist. She was one tombstone away from Voldemort, but Cedric was too heavy to carry and the cup was out of reach—
"Accio!" she shouted, pointing her wand at the Triwizard Cup.
Voldemort had raised his wand and Hailey caught the cup by the handle.
There was a scream of fury as Hailey felt that jerking sensation behind her navel which meant that the Portkey still worked.
They were speeding her and Cedric away in a whirl of wind and colour.
They were going back.
