The family cemetery where the Riddles laid was in a small area in the Southern part of England known as Hangelton. Though Harry had been to the graveyard during his fourth year at Hogwarts, none of the others had traveled there.
So it was up to Harry to apparate them all as quickly as possible should they be correct in their theory and were spotted immediately. Fortunately, the distance was short, but even so transporting with more than two side-alongs wasn't possible. The auror decided it best to take the Weasely men first and scout the area before returning for Hermione and Ginny.
"Ready?" Harry asked, stepping into position.
Mr. Weasely nodded and Ron breathed a 'yeah' as they both stepped forward and took hold of the outstretched arms. Harry inhaled sharply before the three disappeared.
Little longer than instantaneously, the wizards found themselves standing just in front of the huge monument on Voldemort's father's grave. Each quickly drew their wands, twirling around in case of enemies. However, they seemed to be alone.
"It's right creepy here, it is," Ron blurted after the realization nobody was about.
Harry and Arthur ignored the younger redhead and stepped cautiously about the tombstones, keeping their wands raised. It didn't seem that anything had been bothered. Every plot was perfectly at rest with no signs of having been dug into or otherwise upturned.
Though it was only just afternoon, the sky appeared glum and dark as if it were about to storm, but the unnatural mist that Harry had seen upon his first visit was not about. Therefore, it was easy to conclude that there were no others among the graves themselves.
As they lowered their weapons, Harry gazed across the length of the cemetery to the old house that had once belonged to Tom Riddle's family, "I'm going to get the girls," he informed, "then we need to check that place out."
Arthur followed the auror's gaze and studied the home, "Go on, then. We'll keep a sharp eye."
The dark haired wizard gave one final visual sweep, then spun and disapparated. Once back in the witches' presence, the two hurried to his sides and grabbed his wrists without need for explanation.
The brief moments were still enough to make the auror anxious regarding the men he had momentarily left. Upon return, however, he discovered that they had been both unharmed and unconfronted.
Through a shiver, Hermione walked away from Harry and his wife, carefully observing the yard for herself, "Doesn't look like the bones came from here," she mused and then with a turn back to her companions, "Off to the house, the- Harry? Are you alright?"
The lead auror was staring at the stone Grim Reaper that had once held him, forcing him to take part in the ritual that revived the dark Lord Voldemort. The memory of that night often invaded his thoughts and dreams. If it hadn't been for him...Harry's own blood, the evil wizard would not have resurfaced and continued his reign. In his heart, he knew that it wasn't that simple- that Voldemort had many enemies and would have returned regardless, but the auror still kept guilt in his mind.
"Yeah," he finally spoke, taking his gaze from the statue and putting it on the others.
Harry began strolling toward the two-story building where he first saw through Voldemort's eyes and witnessed the murder of the old muggle man tasked with keeping the property. It was that vision that gave him enough insight to properly lead the group through the shadows and safely inside the home, but before entering, the wizards paused to make sure they were prepared.
"Should we use the revelio charm to see if they're inside?" Ron whispered.
"Homenum revelio only reveals humans. It might not detect Gerald," Ginny told her brother.
"But it would show Oliver," he protested. "And they're together."
"It would also alert them to our presence if they are here," Hermione snapped. "We don't know if they're alone. That charm wouldn't work on vampires either."
"Right," Arthur agreed, keeping hushed as well, "Our best bet is to sneak inside and look. There might not be anyone here at all and we shouldn't base our decision to move forward on Oliver being around. If they'd parted ways, leaving Gerald alone with or without vampires...we'd see an empty house where creatures may actually be."
"Hold on," Hermione said as the lead auror took hold of the door handle.
The witch lifted her wand and pointed it at the hinges of the entrance, commanding, 'scourgify.' The invisible energy struck the metal, cleaning all rust and dirt from it. She repeated this spell on each hinge and then the handle itself.
"No squeaking," she said casually.
The troupe readied once more and Harry slowly pushed the entrance open.
Inside the home, everything lay dark and still. No caretakers had taken charge of the place since Voldemort had killed the last or at least so the filth and disarray of the place made it appear.
The five made careful, deliberate movements around the mess as they pointed their wands in the various crevices, crooks, and rooms of the first floor. They slowly made their way around the base of the structure, about each toppled piece of furniture and pile of random, broken objects before meeting at the bottom of the stairs.
A slight noise sounded when they regrouped. Harry immediately gave a signal for everyone to stop moving and listen. A few moments passed with no more disruptions so the leader gave the go ahead to keep on, but instantly retracted it when there was another, longer string of sounds.
Whether their targets or not, there were people upstairs talking with each other. Harry and the others stayed in their place, trying to listen in. However the voices were too muffled. So instead, in synchronized steps to lessen chance of noise, they crept up the stairs. Near the top, the conversation became more audible.
"Why wouldn't you just do this? You know you've put us all in danger and Brad might even be dead because of you?" the first voice spoke. Oliver.
"He's not dead," the other scoffed, "And because the last time I trusted someone with this, he abused it!" Gerald raised his voice. "You can't tell me you trust these blood-suckers to be ethical."
"Well you don't really have a choice anymore, do you?" Oliver showed equal frustration as that in Gerald's angry tone. "And neither do I!"
"Ollie, you made your own damn choice when you-"
"When I saved you?" the wizard cut the demon off. "Yeah, I get it. I chose wrong," he spat.
A quiet fell between the two in the room at the end of the hall. In response, the approaching group stilled their movements and gripped their wands more tightly.
They had made it several paces past the staircase, peering into each empty room as they went. There didn't seem to be anyone except the fighting friends.
"You're right," Gerald's voice grew soft. "You did."
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Arthur started walking again. They'd almost reached their goal. The conversation seemed to have ended as it remained quiet even up until the wizards stood outside the room.
"Ger- I-" Oliver tried to talk again, but his hunters flung the door open wide, stepping in with wands high.
"Keep your hands down, Gerald," Harry ordered. "Oliver, hands up."
"Leave him out of this," Gerald gave a low growl, his eyes narrowing at the auror though he kept his arms down to his sides.
Harry ignored him, speaking firmly again to the other man, "Oliver?"
Oliver glanced over at Gerald before slowly lifting his hands, opening them to prove they were empty. Gerald's breathing picked up when his brother obeyed the order and when Mr. Weasely moved forward to arrest the wizard, Gerald moved as well.
Arthur quickly turned his wand on the demon, both men stopping in their tracks, giving each other intense stares. Gerald's chest kept heaving and his eyes starting to blink more often.
"Gerald, calm down," Oliver soothed, but his uneasiness showed.
"Leave him alone," Gerald repeated, his voice cold.
Everyone stayed in their stances, waiting for someone else to move and initiate the battle they all knew was coming. But then, Gerald did something unexpected.
He knelt.
Keeping arms glued to his sides, he slowly fell to his knees and set his vision blankly before him. The aurors looked from the dark wizard to Oliver and back, trying to assess what he was doing. The motion seemed to show defeat. Harry even pondered him pleading for Oliver's freedom as he gave himself in.
But it wasn't so.
"Ger...Ger, listen to me," the man standing beside Arthur jumped suddenly, but ceased motion when the wand aimed at him twitched in warning.
The begging wizard's words were enough for Harry to justify an attack on the kneeling creature. Jerking his hand, he threw the stupefy charm at Gerald, but the being's reflex caught and dispersed the spell's energy in time.
One hand raised and pointed, as if holding an invisible wand, yet he remained on his knees, shaking his vision to actually see. As he laid eyes on Harry, the auror saw that they were crimson again.
"You know, Mr. Potter," his voice was thick, "I had the chance to kill you...twice. I won't pass up the opportunity a third time."
The aurors and the witches drew their attention from Oliver and cast spells at the once more menacing demon while Arthur bolted forward in an attempt to restrain Oliver.
Ron threw fire at the creature with an incendio charm while his wife tried to stupefy him again and Ginny made use of the bombarda charm, but it was Harry's shouting 'expulsio' that actually hit Gerald as he focused on deflecting the other attacks.
Hitting his back hard enough to break it against the wall behind him, the demon fell to the ground in the cloud of dust released from the force to the aging building.
Oliver and Arthur had entered a hand to hand battle after having simultaneously grabbed the wrists of the other. Mr. Weasely still held onto his weapon as the two struggled. Gerald's crash, however, was startling enough to give Oliver an opening to pull close to the older redheaded wizard, knee him in the stomach, and break away.
He used this out to run to Gerald's assistance, raising his own wand against their attackers.
"Oliver, don't do this," Hermione asked, "You know he-"
Just then, out of the the settling dust, rose a long, skeletal spike. It burst from the fallen demon's back and struck down directly into Oliver's shoulder, causing him to drop his wand and shriek in pain as blood splattered onto the side of his face.
As Oliver faltered from his friend's side, leaning downward trying desperately to retrieve his weapon, Gerald stood, all aspects of humanity removed from him.
In place of the small, queer looking man, was a black creature that loomed higher than everyone in the room. Broad chest and thin abdomen, standing on haunches like that of a satyr though they were as bare the rest of his body. His face had become angled and pointed with sharp white horns lining his skull from forehead to the back of the neck. Large, red eyes shone with cruel intent and the entire beast was framed with wings of bone, completely lacking any skin.
"Bloody Hell," Ron squeaked softly.
Each wizard and witch gazed at the creature as it stopped moving. Even its eyes were still, suddenly giving the semblance of a statue. Everyone tried to match its quiet, unsure of their best approach.
It was Oliver who caused things to stir once more. He had gotten hold of his wand though he kept his hands open, placating the demon instead of assaulting him.
"Ger, se parakalo, adelfe...se parakalo..."
The beast seemed to consider the man's words, but they weren't enough. Gerald dropped jaw open to reveal his multiple fang-like teeth and emitted a sound that only the descriptor 'demonic' could accurately define. It was powerful, but not loud; deep, but like a squeal.
The creature bound forward, knocking Oliver to the ground as its sites set beyond him and to the wizards who had wands charged, beginning to fire charms just as before.
"Sectum sempra!" Harry shouted the deadly spell which successfully found its target.