Chapter 19:
"Cedric!" somebody yelled. It sounded like Harry. No, Oliver thought. He tried to struggle to his feet but it was no use. He was stuck. At least until Voldemort decided otherwise.
In only a few moments Wormtail had grabbed Harry and forced him to where Oliver knelt. Their eyes met. "Oliver?" Harry asked astounded. His eyes glistened with tears threatening to fall, while Oliver's face was permanently stained.
"Harry," he choked out, but it hurt. His throat was sore from his sobs, and the chains were pushing on his lungs. Harry tried to crawl to him, but Wormtail flicked his wand and Harry was instantly chained to a large headstone.
"Madam Pomfrey. Such a shame. I always cared about you," said Voldemort. "How did it happen." Oliver couldn't see his face, but he assumed the creature was talking to him.
"She couldn't deal with knowing she killed her own son."
"Madam Pomfrey?!" Harry yelped. Oliver nodded. "Oh dear god!"
"Quiet!" Yelled Wormtail. He lit the tip of his wand, and for the first time, Oliver noticed a large cauldron only a few feet away.
"It is time." Voldemort said inside his bundle. Harry struggled.
"Don't bother," said Oliver. "They won't let up."
"What's going to happen?" Oliver shrugged.
"I'm going to kill you." the boy quickly paled, Oliver literally bit his tongue for that comment. He was still numb and it came out in his voice as if he didn't care. Of course he cared. He loved Harry more than anything.
He avoided the boy's eyes. He looked over to see Wormtail unwrapping the little creature. It was a grotesque creature with an oversized head and tiny limbs. This is what the world's greatest evil sorcerer had been reduced to? Wormtail dropped voldemort into the cauldron, there was a small splash followed by a soft thud. Apparently there was some sort of liquid in there.
Wormtail raised his wand towards Harry. Oliver struggled beneath the weight of the chains. "Bone of the father, unwillingly given," a large bone flew out of the ground at Harry's feet. Oliver relaxed only slightly as the bone joined Voldemort in the cauldron. At this point Wormtail started crying. "Flesh of the servant," he said between sobs. He raised both his hand, one, clutched into a fist, the other holding a sharp knife. "Willingly sacrificed." Oh my god, thought Oliver. Wormtail brought the blade down onto his own wrist, his hand went flying into the cauldron, along with a spray of blood. Wormtail keeled over and sobbed. Oliver blinked trying to get the image out of his memory, but it was too late, it was etched in his mind for the rest of his life. He felt himself regurgitating.
Wormtail stood up again and knelt next to Harry. His entire body shook. Oliver felt himself unconsciously balling up his fist. "Blood of the enemy," he raised his shaking hand.
"Wormtail, if you touch so help me I will kill you!" Oliver yelled struggling again.
"Forcibly taken." He cut Harry's arm. He barely made a sound.
"The Dark Lord will rise again." At first their was nothing. For a moment Oliver thought it hadn't worked. That something had gone horribly wrong, Voldemort had drowned, Wormtail's blood had dropped into the cauldron, it screwed everything up. Everything was ok. No such luck. The liquid inside started to bubble. Lights sparked all around. And moments later a man grew in the pot.
Voldemort was back.
"Oh my god!" He whispered. Oliver couldn't remember him. In fact, if anyone had been lucky to get a picture of the Dark Lord, it wouldn't really matter as they would have been dead only seconds afterwards. But seeing him. He somehow recognized him. They weren't wonderful memories either.
"Wormtail, my robes." Wormtail, still sobbing reached up and slung a heavy robe over Voldemort's shoulders. It was difficult, considering he only had one hand to do it. Voldemort stepped out of the cauldron and onto the earth. He stood tall, much taller than any man there. His face was disfigured as if it had been pulled and twisted for years.
"Master," Wormtail sobbed. "Please!" Voldemort smiled.
"You have been a faithful servant, hold out your arm."
"Oh thank you Master!" Wormtail held out his shaking nub. Voldemort sneered at it like a disgusting cockroach.
"You other arm." Wormtail paled. But he remained silent. He held up his other arm. Voldemort pulled back his sleeve and touched his skin. Wormtail moaned in agony. Voldemort let go. Oliver once again struggled. Voldemort chuckled. "Oh, where are my manners. Wormtail, bring the two lovebirds closer together." Wormtail lifted his less injured arm. The shackles were pulled off Oliver. He stood clumsily and ran to Harry.
"Harry," he whispered before the chains were on him again. "God, damnit!"
"He killed Cedric." He shut his eyes. Cedric was a good friend of his, there was no awkwardness after Oliver bedded him. He was a good guy. And now he, just like everyone else that night, was dead.
"Harry," Oliver opened his eyes. "Its only going to get worse." At that point there were a few loud cracks as many people appeared out of thin air. Death eater. "Like that. That makes things worse."
"Oliver, I've always liked your humor, but right now I think it's a little misplaced." The Death Eaters formed a circle around Voldemort, leaving several spaces where Oliver assumed were reserved for other Death Eaters. Apparently when forming circles they didn't play any form of guessing game.
"Master please!" Wormtail begged. Voldemort sighed in disgust.
"Very well," Wormtail smiled. He held out his injured arm. Voldemort touched it with the tip of his wand and a new hand grew out of his wrist. It was shiny and metallic, like a hard titanium. Wormtail's sobs finally stopped. He picked up a small rock with his new hand. Then he crushed it into dust. Oliver dramatically gulped. "Now in line." Wormtail nodded before joining his fellow Death Eaters in their circle. Voldemort began addressing the circle. Oliver turned towards Harry.
"Harry, Harry, we have to get out of here!"
"Any suggestions on how we do that?" Oliver thought. His mind was blank. One thought swirled in his mind.
"Voldemort wants me to kill you." He blurted out.
"He wants you to, or you want to?" Harry said coldly. Oliver had half a mind to roll his eyes.
"Harry don't be like that. Look if I don't kill you, he'll kill me." His heart ached. With every passing minute a new piece was torn away. "Harry, I don't want to die." Harry nodded. He didn't say a word.
"Look for what its worth. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. Even though I shouldn't be apologizing, most of the bull shit between us came from you."
"Oh come on, you were the one who shagged Malfoy."
"It was a fling, you went and told everyone that I was gay, you told my mother! Who then told me my father raped me."
"Well I didn't know that, I just thought it was good punishment!"
"I didn't need punishment, its none of your business who I sleep with. If you didn't want to know, you shouldn't have asked."
"Well excuse me, if I want to know who my boyfriend has plugged!"
"Who said I was your boyfriend, and plugged? I'm sorry, have I been transfigured into an outlet?"
"Shut up you ass hole!"
"If I recall you seemed to like my ass hole!"
"You know now is not the time for you to be talking about this. Unless you enjoy taunting people before you kill them." That shut his up. Now he started to hear everything that was being said.
"Oliver," Voldemort called. "Your task is up," he waved his wand, which Oliver never even knew he grabbed, and flicked the chains away from him. Harry's also fell. Oliver stood slowly to his feet. Harry was even slower. They knew what was to come next. And neither of them was happy about it. Voldemort himself stepped up to the two boys. He handed Oliver his wand. Wood looked down at that wand for a good long time. Its amazing that this simple piece of wood could hold so much power. It was so light, so compact, so portable, yet it could so easily take the life of someone. "Kill the boy Oliver, or I will kill you." Oliver looked up to see Harry standing not three feet from him. His face showed no sign of emotion. It was stone. But his eyes gave way to all the fear and pain he felt. But he never lowered them. He was going to die like a man. This fourteen year old boy was going to do what an eighteen year old could not. Or so everyone thought.
"No," he said firmly. Harry's fearful eyes were now mixed with confusion. "I won't. I guess you'll have to kill me." Voldemort didn't like that attitude.
"Crucio!" He yelled. Oliver fell to his knees as once again pain coursed through his body.
"You really need to learn a new spell!" he yelled through clenched teeth. Voldemort smiled maliciously.
"Well, if you won't kill the boy on your own, I guess I can force you to, my dear Ollie. Imperio!"
The pain was gone. It was replaced by a remarkably calm. For the first time in months, Oliver felt happy.
Kill the boy, a beautiful voice said in his ear. Well alright then. He raised his wand. But then he looked into Harry's eyes again. The beautiful calm vanished. He couldn't do it.
"What are you waiting for?" Voldemort yelled. "Kill him!" Oliver looked at him and silenced.
"I won't. You can't force me to either. I guess you'll just have to kill me."
"You'll risk your life, to save Harry's?" Oliver nodded. "Why?"
"Because I love him." Harry gasped a little. Nobody had ever loved him before. Except his parents, but he couldn't even remember them. Oliver was going to die, all for him. Voldemort's face was full of a light no one had ever seen. He had never truly appreciated love before. Few people preferred death to someone else. Yet here stood this eighteen year old boy, a celebrity, a famous Quidditch player with his whole life ahead of him, willing to die for someone else.
"Pity," he raised his wand yet again. "Crucio!" Oliver screamed. This was far worse than any he'd ever experienced before. His arteries tightened and his heart throbbed in his chest. His lungs were on the verge of collapsing. This was it, he was going to die. He coughed with the little air he had left. Blood was mixed in with his mucus.
"Kill me yourself!" Harry no! The pain stopped.
Chapter nineteen is up and running, R&R hope you enjoy! Jeez, its really coming close to a close. Listen its going to be a while before I can update again. I have a couple of busy weeks ahead of me. This weekend I'm going out of town to gain membership to the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, wish me luck! Next week is homecoming, go Warriors! And then I have to butt into my friends love life. I'm swamped. But I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can.