I do not own Bleach or Harry Potter the both belong respectively to Tite Kubo and J.K. Rowling
Harry felt his feet slam into the ground, legs wobbling from the trip. A groan to his right, drew his attention to Cedric, who was just getting to his feet, the Triwizard Cup lay forgotten between them.
"Did anyone tell you the cup was a portkey?" Harry asked.
"No" said Cedric.
Looking around it was obvious that they had left the Hogwarts grounds far behind; they must've traveled hundreds maybe thousands of miles from the castle. For even the mountains surrounding the castle grounds were gone; in their place was a dark and overgrown graveyard. In the background Harry could make out the outline of what looked to be an old house on a hillside.
"Maybe it's part of the trial" Cedric suggested. Though his nervous tone didn't make him sound confident about the idea. "I'm thinking wands out."
"Yeah" Harry agreed.
Wands at the ready, they moved through the cemetery, searching for any sign of life. Though as they searched Harry couldn't help but notice how strangely empty the graveyard was. Ordinarily they were overrun with numerous spirits. So why was this one so empty?
Then without warning, Harry's scar exploded with pain. Beyond agonizing, he dropped his wand, knees buckled beneath him, leaving him on the ground, eyes clenched shut, as the pain felt like his skull would split open.
"Harry? Harry what's wrong?" Cedric asked, worried about the younger boy's sudden pain. He tried to see if he could help but Cedric couldn't even figure out what was wrong let alone how to fix it.
His senses dulled by pain; Harry failed to notice another presence until it was too late.
"Avada Kedavra!"
A blast of green light blazed through Harry's eyelids. He heard something heavy fall to the ground beside him, as the pain in his scar grew so intense, he puked. And then just as quickly as it came, the pain suddenly dimed to a dull throb. Terrified of what he was about to see, Harry opened his eyes.
Cedric's body laid lifeless beside him.
What came next for Harry was rage; someone had killed Cedric, cut his human life short, and he wasn't going to let them get away with it.
Forcing himself to his feet, Harry ignored the once again steadily increasing throbbing in his scar, instead focusing on finding Cedric's murderer.
He instantly zeroed in on a short figure wearing a hooded cloak, hiding amongst the graves. Harry could see the figure's wand in one hand and in the other, they seemed to be carrying what might be a baby, wrapped in overgrown robes. There was something strange about the infant, something that just felt wrong and twisted; as for the cloaked figure, Harry easily recognized their soul.
"Pettigrew!" Harry growled, as the pain in his scar returned to agonizing levels.
Pettigrew didn't respond, instead he fired a spell at Harry, who instinctively dived out of the way, grabbed his wand and returned fire "Stupefy!"
A red streak of light fired from Harry's wand, in response Pettigrew threw up a hastily done shield charm, staggering back as the boy's spell crashed violently against it.
Knowing one thing, Pettigrew could never hope to defend against, Harry started to focus his spirit energy when suddenly the pain in his scar spiked; the pain grew so intense his vision was actually starting to blur.
Harry couldn't understand it; Pettigrew hadn't hit him with a spell and usually Nakatsukasa could protect his mind from attacks.
Nakatsukasa…. Nakatsukasa? Why wasn't his zanpakutō spirit answering. Something was definitely wrong. But before Harry could even try to think about what to do next, his now pain dulled reflexes, left him too slow to avoid Pettigrew's stunner and Harry's word turned black.
Harry awoke gagged and bound to a headstone, unable to move he could only watch as Pettigrew struggled to push a large stone cauldron to the foot of the grave, next to the baby the escaped convict was carrying. Suddenly a hissing noise caught Harry's attention, directing him to the large snake slithering through the grass, circling the headstone, slithering away the instant Pettigrew lit a fire under the stone cauldron.
That snake felt like a Hollow? Now that he thought about it, Pettigrew's baby felt similar to a Hollow only somehow more twisted and unstable.
The baby seemed to be getting agitated, kicking around inside the adult sized robes. Harry watched it, and his scar once more seared with pain...his every instinct was telling him he needed to destroy it….it was some kind of abomination. Then he heard a high, cold voice speak out.
"Hurry!"
The liquid in the stone cauldron had come to a boil, somehow actually firing of sparks of magical energy.
"It is ready, Master" said Pettigrew.
"Now" said the cold voice.
The pain in Harry's scar spiked as Pettigrew pulled open the robes on the ground, revealing what laid inside. There was absolutely no way it was human. It was hairless and scaly looking, a dark, raw, reddish black. It's arms and legs were thin and feeble, and its face was flat and snakelike, with gleaming red eyes.
Pettigrew carried the creature to the cauldron, placing it inside; there was a hissing as it vanished beneath the surface, hitting the bottom with a soft thud.
Let it drown, Harry thought, his scar burning almost past endurance. Please…let it drown.
Shaking with fright, Pettigrew raised his wand and spoke out into the night.
"Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!"
The ground beneath Harry's feet split open, as a fine trickle of dust rose out from the grave and fell softly into the cauldron; the potion within firing off numerous sparks as it turned a vivid poisonous looking blue.
Now whimpering, Pettigrew pulled a long, thin, silver dagger from his cloak.
"Flesh… of the servant…w-willingly given... you will…. revive… your master" he spoke, his voice breaking into sobs.
Harry watched as Pettigrew let out a horrific scream, as he cut off his own right hand, dropping it into the cauldron, potion turning violent blood red.
Gasping and moaning with agony, Pettigrew approached Harry speaking out the next step of his twisted ritual.
"B-blood of the enemy . . . forcibly taken . . . you will . . . resurrect your foe."
Harry struggled as he now realized what Pettigrew intended to do, but his bindings wouldn't budge. If I could just get an arm free.
He was powerless to defend himself as Pettigrew brought the knife down, when suddenly a light burst free from his combat pass. The knife never reached Harry as his entire body was encased inside a barrier.
"Master!" Pettigrew screamed, as a surge of energy from the barrier burned his hand to a crisp.
Mom's protection Harry realized. During his first trip to the Soul Society, Lily had taken the combat pass from him. At the time she had explained she had the badge's full functions activated, but now Harry realized that his mother had taken the time to strengthen the protection against Voldemort to include contact with marked Death Eaters.
"Do not fail me, Wormtail!" the creature hissed from within the cauldron, obviously it hadn't drowned.
Whatever the creature was Pettigrew clearly feared it more than he did Lily's protection, as the traitor forced his blackened hand around the handle of knife and forced himself to endure as the kidō barrier slowly burned him alive, as he managed to make a small cut across Harry's right arm.
With half of his body a sickeningly charred black, Pettigrew stumbled over to the cauldron letting Harry's blood drip off the end of the knife blade into the potion. The liquid instantly turned a blind white, while Pettigrew, his job done dropped to the ground beside the cauldron, curled up into a ball, gasping and sobbing from the pain.
A suddenly a thick steam rose from the cauldron blocking Harry's vision. Through the mist he was just able to make out the dark outline of a man, tall and skeletally thin rising slowly out of the cauldron.
"Robe me," said the high, cold voice from behind the steam, and Pettigrew, sobbing and moaning, forced his mutilated body to move, picked up the discarded robes and pulled them one-handed over his master's head.
The thin man stepped out of the cauldron, staring at Harry and he stared back into a face he hadn't seen in three years. Pale white skin, with sinister glowing red eyes, and a flat snake like nose with slits for nostrils…. Lord Voldemort had returned.
"Harry Potter" Voldemort hissed, looking pleased by the boy's presence. "It is fitting for you to be here at the scene of my rebirth."
Harry didn't look away refusing to show weakness, ignoring the throbbing pain of scar, he focused only on his hate for the thing standing before him, for Voldemort was certainly less than a human being. If he had to describe it, Harry would say that the Dark Lord's soul though resembling a Hollow's was broken and twisted, even nauseating to his senses.
"M…my L…Lord" Pettigrew choked.
"Hold out your arm" Voldemort said lazily.
He extended his still bleeding stump, but Voldemort simply laughed.
"The other arm, Wormtail."
To the Dark Lord's frustration Wormtail did not do as commanded, having just then fallen dead, having succumbed to his wounds.
"Pitiful" Voldemort hissed, forcing the left sleeve of Pettigrew's robes past his elbows, revealing his Dark Mark. "It's back, they will all have noticed it" he said softly, before turning his gaze back to Harry. "Now Harry, shall we see.…. shall we see who dares to answer the call."
Harry's scar seared with pain as Voldemort pressed a long bony finger to the mark on Pettigrew's arm.
With a look of cruel satisfaction on his face, Voldemort threw back his head, taking in the sight of the dark graveyard with his own eyes. "How many will be brave enough to return when they feel it?" he whispered, his gleaming red eyes fixed upon the stars. "And how many will be foolish enough to stay away?"
Unaware of the danger Harry has found himself in Ginny, Hermione, and Ron sat in the stands back at Hogwarts, concerned by how long it was taking for the third task to finish.
"Shouldn't it have been over by now" said Ginny.
"Now, Ginny I'm sure they're fine" said Mrs. Weasley, though it was obvious she was worried about Harry too, the sight of Dumbledore seemed to calm her. "Dumbledore and the other professors won't let anything happen."
"Exactly, they've already carried out the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons champions" said Bill. "I'm sure if he were in trouble, Harry would've been rescued too."
Despite her mother and eldest brother's assurances Ginny couldn't help the foreboding feeling in her stomach, as if something terrible was happening. A glance at Ron and Hermione told her that they were feeling the same way.
Remembering what Yoruichi had taught them about seeking out spiritual pressures the three tried to sense out Harry's location. While not as good adapt in its use as Harry, they did manage to pick up on more than just the overpowering soul of Yoruichi.
Ginny, Ron, and Hermione traded frightened looks as none of them were able to pick up on Harry's spiritual pressure; Harry wasn't anywhere on the grounds. Deciding to investigate, they got to their feet and started make their way out of the stands.
"Where are you going?" Mrs. Weasley asked, but the children weren't listening.
"I'm sure they're just trying to calm down" said Remus, getting up to follow them. "Sirius and I will go check on them. Molly and Bill just stay and watch for Harry."
Mrs. Weasley started to stand, not about to leave two of her children and Hermione who she's accepted as one of her own to fend for themselves, when Bill pulled her back down to her seat.
"Mom, I'm sure they'll be ok" said Bill. "Sirius is Harry's godfather I'm sure he and Remus will calm them down." Plus, they might not be in the mood for hugs. Bill loved his mother but sometimes she needed to relax and not feel like she had to take care of everyone, all the time.
"So what's wrong?" asked Remus, as he and Sirius caught up to the kids as they gathered on the perimeter of the tournament site.
"We're going to go look for Yoruichi" said Ron.
"The Soul Reaper that's been helping Harry, why?" asked Sirius.
"He's not in the maze" said Hermione. "In fact no one is."
"This has to be it. Whoever entered Harry is making his move" said Remus.
"We're hoping, Yoruichi can help us find Harry" said Ginny.
"Bet I know who can take us to him" Sirius growled, his eyes narrowing as he noticed a certain Death Eater headmaster sneaking away. "Awfully strange for a headmaster to just take off and leave their student behind, eh Moony?"
"You have a good point there, Padfoot" Remus said grimly.
Ginny, Ron, and Hermione were surprised by the absolutely bloodthirsty look in the two marauders' eyes. Harry was in danger and as they watched them stalk after Karkaroff, they had no doubt that Sirius and Remus were willing to go to any lengths to protect him.
Deciding to follow after them, they prayed that wherever he was Harry would prove strong enough to survive what challenge he was facing.
With Pettigrew dead the magic holding his bindings faded and Harry, removing his gag stood fearlessly before Voldemort, a cruel smile on the Dark Lord's lips.
"It is strange how even a pathetic muggle can have its uses" he hissed. "You see, Harry Potter, you stand upon the remains of my late father, a pathetic fool, though he did prove useful in death."
Voldemort laughed, spreading his arms wide as he gestured to the whole graveyard, while his snake circled around his feet.
"You see that house upon the hillside, Potter? My father lived there. My mother, a witch who lived here in this village, fell in love with him. But he abandoned her when she told him what she was. He didn't like magic, my father.
He left her and returned to his muggle parents before I was even born, Potter, and she died giving birth to me, leaving me to be raised in a muggle orphanage, but I vowed to find him. I revenged myself upon him, that fool who gave me his name…Tom Riddle."
"Why the trip down memory lane?" said Harry.
"I suppose I'm growing sentimental" said Voldemort. "After all isn't that what brought us here, our family histories. Ah but it seems my true family has arrived."
The air was suddenly filled with the sound of swishing cloaks as all over the graveyard, wizards were Apparating, all of them wearing the uniform of the Death Eaters. One by one they moved forward…slowly, cautiously, as though they couldn't believe their eyes…their Dark Lord had returned.
Then one of the Death Eaters fell to his knees, crawled over to Voldemort, and kissed the hem of his black robes.
"Master…Master" he muttered.
The Death Eaters behind him did the same; each of them approaching Voldemort on their knees and kissing his robes, before backing away and standing up, forming a silent circle, enclosed around Tom Riddle's grave, Harry and Voldemort.
"Welcome, Death Eaters," Voldemort said quietly. "Thirteen years…. thirteen years since last we met. Yet you answer my call as though it were yesterday. We are still united under the Dark Mark, then! Or perhaps not?"
A shiver ran through the circle, as each member feared what their Dark Lord would do.
"I see you all, whole and healthy, with your powers intact; such prompt appearances! So I must ask myself: why did this band of wizards never come to the aid of their master, to whom they swore eternal loyalty? Perhaps they believed me broken, they thought I was gone.
So they slipped back among my enemies, and they pleaded innocence, ignorance, and bewitchment. And then I ask myself, but how could they have believed I would not rise again? They, who knew the steps I took, long ago, to guard myself against mortal death? They, who had seen proofs of the immensity of my power in the times when I was mightier than any wizard living?
And I answer myself, perhaps they have abandoned me. Perhaps they now pay allegiance to another… perhaps that champion of commoners, of mudbloods and muggles, Albus Dumbledore?"
At the mention of Dumbledore's name, the members of the circle stirred, muttering and shaking their heads. One of the men flung himself forward, breaking the circle, trembling as he kneeled at Voldemort's feet.
"Master!" he shrieked, "Master, forgive me! Forgive us all!"
Voldemort laughed as he raised his wand. "Crucio!"
Harry watched as the Death Eater on the ground writhed and shrieked in agony, until Voldemort stopped the curse.
"Get up, Avery" he said softly. "Stand up. You ask for forgiveness? I do not forgive. I do not forget. Thirteen years…I want thirteen years' repayment before I forgive you" the Dark Lord then levitated Pettigrew's corpse for all of them to see. "Wormtail here was willing to give his life in an attempt to earn my forgiveness. I expect the same of you all.
It is a shame that the Lestranges are not amongst us, for their loyalty they shall be freed from Azkaban and honored beyond their dreams. The Dementors will join us…they are our natural allies. We will recall the banished giants; I shall have my devoted servants returned to me, and an army of creatures whom all fear.
Though six Death Eaters remain missing, three dead in my service. One, too cowardly to return…he will pay. One, who I believe has left me forever…he will be killed, of course…and one, who has proven to be my most faithful servant, and has already reentered my service."
Snape! Harry thought venomously, promising to make the man pay once he dealt with Voldemort.
"He is at Hogwarts, that faithful servant, and it was through his efforts that our young friend arrived here tonight…yes" said Voldemort, his eyes glowing as he focused on Harry. "One might go so far as to say Harry Potter is my guest of honor."
The Death Eaters were silent, until one of the masked wizards stepped forward, and Lucius Malfoy spoke from behind his mask.
"Master, we crave to know…we beg you to tell us…how you have achieved this…this miracle…how you managed to return to us."
Ah, what a story it is, Lucius," said Voldemort. "And it begins and ends, with my young friend here."
Voldemort started to walk lazily towards Harry, his snake following like a loyal puppy.
"You know, of course that they have called this boy my downfall" he said softly, red eyes staring into Harry's green. "But we know that isn't entirely true, don't we Harry?"
The Death Eaters remained silent, though it was obvious that all of them were curious as to what their master was talking about.
I miscalculated, my friends, I admit it. For the woman I dismissed as nothing more than a mudblood was something much more. Something I must admit was too powerful even for your Lord."
The Death Eaters traded looks unable to comprehend someone, anyone, let alone a muggleborn woman having the power to vanquish their Dark Lord. None had the nerve to ask.
"I remember only forcing myself, sleeplessly, endlessly, second by second, to exist…I settled in a faraway place, in a forest, and I waited…Surely, one of my faithful Death Eaters would try and find me…one of them would come and perform the magic I could not, to restore me to a body…but I waited in vain."
Voldemort paused to enjoy the obvious fear pouring off his Death Eaters, before continuing.
"Only one power remained to me. I could possess the bodies of others. But I dared not go where other humans were plentiful, for I knew that the Aurors were still abroad and searching for me.
I sometimes inhabited animals, snakes being my preference, but I was little better off, for their bodies were ill adapted to perform magic…and none of their bodies lasted long.
Then four years ago the means of my return seemed assured. A foolish wizard wandered across my path, a teacher at Dumbledore's school, he was easy to bend to my will. He returned me to this country, and I took possession of his body to supervise him closely as he carried out my orders. But my plan failed. I did not manage to steal the Philosopher's Stone. I was not to be assured immortality. It seems the son takes after his mother, for I was thwarted by Harry Potter.
His mother had left a protection around her son, truly impressive how it has remained potent after all these years."
To make his point, Voldemort reached out towards Harry, only to pull his hand back once Lily's kidō activated to defend him.
The Death Eaters' eyes widened as none of them had ever seen such magic, powerful enough to ward off even their master.
"Yes, a truly potent protection so that I and none that bare my mark may even touch him. It was this very protection that proved to be my servants end and I was forced to return to my hiding place far away, having given up hope that any of my Death Eaters cared what had become of me."
One or two of the masked wizards in the circle moved uncomfortably, but Voldemort took no notice.
"And then, not even a year ago, when I had almost abandoned hope, it happened at last . . . a servant returned to me. Wormtail, who having escaped from Azkaban had decided to return to his master.
During his journey Wormtail came across one Bertha Jorkins, a witch from the Ministry of Magic. Displaying a presence of mind, I would never have expected from him, brought Bertha Jorkins to me, and with a little persuasion became a veritable mine of information.
She told me that the Triwizard Tournament would be played at Hogwarts this year. She told me that she knew of a faithful Death Eater who would be only too willing to help me, if I could only contact him. She told me many things but the means I used to break the Memory Charm upon her were powerful, and when I had extracted all useful information from her, her mind and body were both damaged beyond repair. Having served her purpose, I disposed of her.
Wormtail proved useful as an able-bodied servant, despite the poor wizard he was, he was able to follow my instructions, which returned me to a rudimentary weak body. A body I would be able to inhabit while awaiting the essential ingredients for true rebirth. A spell or two of my own invention and a little help from my dear Nagini" Voldemort's eyes fell upon the still circling snake.
"A potion concocted from unicorn blood, and the snake venom Nagini provided; I was soon returned to an almost human form, and strong enough to travel.
Using Bertha Jorkins' information, I had my one faithful Death Eater, stationed at Hogwarts, to ensure Harry Potter's name was entered into the Goblet of Fire, and ensured he'd be the one to reach the Triwizard Cup, which had been turned into a portkey, which brought him here into my waiting arms.
Where using an old piece of Dark Magic I was restored. But you can feel it can't you, Harry? You can feel that my trials have marked me, strengthened me beyond anything a wizard has ever shown before."
Harry just glared at Voldemort, refusing to participate in his gloating, instead his hand slowly started to reach for the combat pass around his neck.
"Yes the protection around Harry Potter is great, truly a testament to the power need to vanquish Lord Voldemort. But I have yet to explain to you my Death Eaters just what powers I speak of"
The Death Eaters remained silent as their Lord spread his arms out.
"Lily Potter was no mere mudblood, in fact she held the very powers of death" said Voldemort, while a few of the Death Eaters were silently wondering if their Lord had lost his mind during his time as a disembodied spirit. "I sense your doubts and I confess that when Wormtail tried to tell me as such, I dismissed it. But your Dark Lord speaks true; I speak of those spoken of in whispers of only the darkest and most ancient of grimoires. Those that even the most powerful of Dark Wizards would not dare to challenge, the Reapers.
It stands to reason that only such a being could ever best your Lord. And the fool Wormtail had informed me that this very power had been passed down to Harry Potter. The very same power I believe he used to capture a number of you at the Quidditch World Cup."
Now a small number of the Death Eaters, including Lucius Malfoy were looking at Harry differently, thinking that perhaps their master spoke true. It would certainly spare the Malfoy head's ego.
Now the question was, what power did Voldemort gain during his struggles to regain a body?
"There is but one problem, the protection your mother had left for you, Harry. But I have no doubt you'll cast it aside and face me" said the Dark Lord, holding up his hand to display a gold ring inset with a black stone. There was a slight glimmer from the stone, and suddenly the sky tore open as a trio of Gillians entered the graveyard, standing on the outer rim of the circle of Death Eaters.
"M…My Lord, what are these creatures?" asked one the Death Eaters.
"Fear not, your Lord now also holds power over death" said Voldemort, somehow directing the Gillians to focus their attention on Harry. "These Hollows will serve as Potter's motivation."
Together the Gillians prepared to unleash Cero blasts, when suddenly their heads were sliced clean off. Voldemort didn't care though, instead a sinister smile spread across the Dark Lord's lips, as he and his Death Eaters watched as Harry now stood before them in Soul Reaper form.
As Harry released his spiritual pressure, the Death Eaters were left terrified as they were forced to their knees under the weight of the boy's power. Only Voldemort stood unaffected.
"Yes Harry come and I will show you; I fear the Reaper no more."
