Chapter 25: The Graveyard
Peri's feet hit the ground with a slam. She stumbled to the ground letting go of the cup. She raised her head looking around, they were not at the Quidditch field. They weren't even at Hogwarts, she scrambled to stand up. "Harry. Cedric."
Harry was on the ground, "Where are we?"
Cedric shook his head. He got up, helping Harry to his feet as they looked around.
They were no longer at Hogwarts. They were miles —hundreds of miles probably. The mountains that surrounded the castle were nowhere in sight. They were standing in a dark and overgrown graveyard; there was a small black outline of a church that was visible beyond a large yew tree off to the right. There was the slightest outline of an old house on the hillside.
Cedric looked at the cup then Peri, "Did your mum or stepdad mention the cup being a Portkey?"
She shook her head as she proceeded to walk further into the graveyard, "No. I figured it would be tough to get us out of the maze."
"Perhaps this is part of the task," Harry thought aloud.
"I dunno," Cedric said. He sounded nervous, "Wands out?"
Peri lifted hers, "Already ahead of you."
Harry agreed and withdrew his wand from his robes as they looked around them.
Peri had the strange feeling she was being watched. She kept looking behind her only to find Harry and Cedric.
"Someone's coming," Harry said suddenly.
Peri squinted tensely in the darkness, watching as the figure drew nearer to them. The figure walked steadily toward them between the groves. A face was unable to be identified. The figure was short, and wearing a hooded cloak pulled over their head to black his face from view. There was an object in the person's arms, it appeared to be a baby…Peri doubted it was one.
She watched Harry lower his wand slightly to glance at them. Cedric gave them both quizzical looks. They looked back to watch the figure.
Without a warning, Harry's wand slipped from his hand and he placed his hand over his face. He fell to the ground in pain.
"Harry!" Peri shouted approaching him.
From the figure, she heard a high, cold voice say, "Kill the spare."
She snapped her head to see a wand pointing at her, "Harry…" she cried frozen in place. "Tell my family…"
"The boy," the high, cold voice spoke again.
A swishing noise and a second voice spoke, a voice she slightly recognized, screeched into the night: "Avada Kedavra!"
A blast of green light blazed inches past where Peri stood, she sucked in a breath. Closing her eyes as she listened to the fall of Cedric's body hitting the ground, "No…" she shook her head. Reopening her eyes, she turned slightly to see Cedric staring at them with stinging eyes. "Oh, god…oh, god."
She looked back at the figure and then quickly rushed to Cedric's side, "Cedric…Cedric…Harry!" she cried looking at him through the darkness and then down at Cedric's open gray eyes, blank expression etched across his face. His mouth was half-open. "Oh, Cedric. We will get you home," she cried as tears fell onto his hands.
She looked back up to see the short man in the cloak dragging Harry toward the marble headstone. She glanced down at Cedric's body, before grabbing her wand and running forward to Harry, "Leave him alone!"
She raised her wand when suddenly roots from the ground rose to grasp her ankles, wrists, and waist causing her to drop her wand, The restraints prevented her from any further movement. She struggled against them, watching the cloaked man conjure tight cords around Harry's neck to his ankles. Peri looked around them to see if there was another figure, there was another figure off in the distance approaching them.
"You!" Harry gasped.
"Harry…who is it?"
He attempted to look in her direction, "Wormtail…Peter Pettigrew…he gave Voldemort the location of my parents!" He struggled against the cords around him.
She continued to struggle against her restraints watching Wormtail withdraw a black material from his inner cloak and stuffed it into Harry's mouth, then hurried away as the other figure approached Peri. She could not see its face as they came up behind her placing a bit in her mouth before leaning into her ear, "We will always win, P."
Bash.
Peri sucked in a breath pulling more at the restraints, "The Dark Lord wants you, P." He circled to face her, dropping his hood so that his dark brown nearly black eyes glistened in the moonlight. "And there is no boyfriend or lover to save you now. I will have fun with you later."
He disappeared around the corner with Wormtail.
She could hear the two nearby, she attempted to try and see but they were out of her line of vision. Her eyes fell upon the headstone, it was hard to read with Harry pressed against it. She managed to read the name.
Tom Riddle
Who was Tom Riddle?
She recognized the name but was unable to match a name with a face.
Peri twisted the best she could to see Cedric's body lying about twenty feet away with the Triwizard Cup glistening in the starlight just beyond him. The bundle of robes, what Peri assumed was a baby began to move. Perhaps it was a baby. Harry let out a groan of pain, she snapped her head towards him and attempted to make a noise to ask if he was alright.
She felt movement around her feet. She still had control of her body except for her arms and legs, she looked down at the ground to see a giant snake slithering through the grass toward the headstone. At that moment, she would change her answer about the creature she would not kiss. The snake began to circle the headstone that Harry was tied to. She heard what sounded like Peter — Wormtail's fast, wheezy breathing. It sounded as if it were getting louder.
Something heavy came across Peri's vision and she spotted Wormtail pushing a stone cauldron with Bash watching, not helping at all. The cauldron appeared to be full of water — the sloshing could be heard in it — it was larger than a normal cauldron. It seemed large enough for a grown man to sit in.
The bundle of robes began to stir more persistently as if it were trying to free itself. Bash withdrew his wand as Wormtail went to the robes after the cauldron was settled. Bash lit the wood beneath the cauldron on fire. The flames began to crackle and flicker against his face, creating an eerie expression. He glanced over at Peri with a smirk, "Nearly there, P."
She wrinkled her nose at him as the high, cold voice spoke again.
"Hurry!"
The cauldron seemed to be heated past a boil, but to the point where the fire was bursting from it. It sent fiery sparks out. The steam created a thick, blurry outline of the things around her. The robes became more irritated.
"It is ready, Master," Wormtail informed the robes.
This was Voldemort's rebirth.
"Now…" said the cold voice.
Wormtail pulled open the robes on the ground, revealing what was inside them. Harry and Peri attempted to yell, but their voices were blocked by the material in their mouths.
The shape of the thing Wormtail was carrying was similar to a crouched human child, except Peri had never seen a baby like this. It was hairless and scaly-looking, a dark, raw, reddish black. Its arms and legs were thin and feeble, and its face — no child alive ever had a face like that — flat and snakelike, with gleaming red eyes.
This thing was almost helpless; it raised its thin arms, put them around Wormtail's neck, and as he lifted the thing his hood fell back. Peri knew instantly this was the person she met on New Year's. The firelight showed Wormtail's weak face as he carried the creature to the cauldron. He lowered it into the cauldron; there was a hiss and it disappeared below the surface; the body hitting the bottom with a thud.
Wormtail began to speak. His voice was shaking as he spoke; he seemed frightened. He raised his wand, closing his eyes as he spoke into the night.
"Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!"
The surface beneath her feet began to rubble and crack. She watched in horror as a fine trickle of dust rose into the air at Wormtail's command and fell into the cauldron. The diamond-encrusted surface of the water broke and hissed; it sent sparks in every direction. Peri had to duck the best she could to avoid being hit. The water appeared to turn a poisonous-looking blue.
Wormtail began to whimper as he withdrew a long, thin, shining silver dagger from the inside of his cloak. His voice broke into sobs that Bash continued.
"Flesh of the servant willingly given you will revive your master."
Wormtail stretched out his right hand in front of him — the hand with a missing finger. He gripped the dagger very tightly in his left hand and swung it upward.
Peri gasped as she watched Wormtail hand the dagger to Bash, who took it in his hand. He repeated the same motion but did the opposite hand. She watched in horror as Bash did not even quiver at the motion. The cauldron began to turn a burning red, it burned bright enough that Peri had to close her eyes. She wanted to keep watching.
Wormtail was gasping and moaning in agony while Bash remained calm and collected. She reopened her eyes find Bash and Wormtail standing right in front of Harry. She pulled at the roots again.
"Blood of the enemy forcibly taken you will resurrect your foe."
The silver dagger in Bash's remaining hand penetrated Harry's skin on his right arm from the crook to the wrist. Blood seeped down the sleeve of the torn robe. Wormtail captured the blood in a glass vial, allowing the blood to fill it.
The two returned to the cauldron with the blood. Wormtail poured it in. The liquid turned a blinding white. The job was done, Womrtail dropped to his knees as Bash continued to stand watch. He tossed the dagger to the side.
The cauldron shimmered, sending diamond sparks in every direction. The light was so bright, everything else around her turned a velvety black. Nothing happened.
Perhaps the potion didn't work. She hoped it didn't work.
Suddenly, sparks emanating from the cauldron were extinguished. A surge of white steam billowed thickly from the cauldron instead, and she could no longer see anything. No Harry, Wormtail, Cedric, or even Bash. The world before her was gone by the vapor.
As the mist faded away she saw an icy surge of the dark outline of a man, tall and skeletally thin, rising slowly from the cauldron.
"Robe me," said the high, cold from behind the steam. Wormtail sobbed and moaned attempting to scramble to pick up the robes as he cradled his mutilated arm. Bash reached them first. He began to dress the man before them.
The thin man stepped out of the cauldron, staring at Harry. Harry stared back. The man turned his head towards Peri. Her fears were coming true, he was back.
Lord Voldemort had risen again.
Voldemort turned away from them and began to examine his own body. His hands were large and pale, his long white fingers caressed his chest, his arms, his face; the red eyes, whose pupils were slits, like a cat's gleamed still through the darkness. He flexed his hands and fingers, his expression rapt and exultant. He did not take any notice in Wormtail or Bash. Wormtail continued to lie on the ground twitching and bleeding. Bash resumed his military posture, waiting for further commands from his Master. Voldemort slipped his long-fingered hands into a deep pocket of his robes and withdrew his wand. He caressed it gently too; and then raised it, pointing it at Wormtail who lifted off the ground and was thrown against the same headstone that Harry was on. Wormtail fell to the foot of it, laying there crumped and crying. Voldemort let out a high, cold, mirthless laugh as his scarlet eyes fell onto Harry.
Wormtail's body was soaked in blood, with the excess of his sleeve wrapped around the stump of his arm.
"My Lord…" Wormtail choked, "my Lord…you promise me and Bash…you did promise…"
"Hold out your arm," Voldemort answered lazily.
"Oh, Master…thank you, Master. Bash will appreciate it. He is…"
"I don't care if I get mine back or not. Ladies like scars right, P?"
Peri wrinkled her nose in disgust again at him.
Wormtail extended his bleeding stump, but Voldemort laughed again.
"The other arm, Wormtail."
"Master, please…please…"
Voldemort bent down and pulled out Wormtail's left arm; he forced the sleeve of Wormtail's robes up past his elbow, and Peri saw the Death Eater mark — a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth. This same image was at the Quidditch World Cup last summer. Voldemort examined it carefully, ignoring Wormtail's weeping.
"It is back," he said softly, "they will all have noticed it…and now, we shall see…now we shall know…"
He pressed his long white forefinger into the brand.
Wormtail let a fresh howl; Voldemort removed his finger from the mark and she watched it turn to jet black. It was never black on her mom's arm, always red.
A cruel satisfaction appeared on his face as Voldemort straightened up, he stared around the dark graveyard.
"How many will be brave enough to return when they feel it?" he whispered, his red eyes fixed on the stars. "And how many will be foolish enough to stay away?"
He began to pace up and down in front of Harry and Womrtail. After a minute, he stopped to look down at Harry, his cruel smile twisting on his snakelike face.
"You stand, Harry Potter, upon the remains of my late father," he hissed softly. "A Muggle and a fool…very much like your dear mother. But they both had their uses, did they not? Your mother died to defend you as a child…and I killed my father, and see how useful he had proved himself, in death…"
Voldemort laughed again. He paced up and down again, pausing this time in front of Peri.
"Peri King, daughter of Severus Snape and Cassandra Rice. Not Rice, it is Banks now. Your mother was not loyal, but your father was very loyal. I need a younger generation of Death Eaters, that is where you will play a part. I no longer have female Death Eaters of suitable age for breeding."
"I will gladly take that position, my Lord," Bash spoke up for the first time since Voldemort's return.
Voldemort laughed as he ran a long finger across Peri's cheek then cupped her face in his hand, "No. I will determine who she will be with. Right now, she needs to finish growing. I do not need any disappointing Death Eaters."
Peri snatched her face from his grip, staring him down with her dark eyes.
Voldemort smirked, "You will be my Death Eaters, Half-Blood Princess. It is what you are called after all. The Death Eaters will want you, but only one lucky one will receive you. You will create my heir…or heiress, we can't judge entirely."
He continued to pace with his eyes darting from grave to grave. He began to tell his family story. "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…"
He continued to pace pausing again in front of Peri, "Your father abandoned you, too. That was not a smart movement for Severus, nor was your grandfather disowning your mother for getting pregnant with you. I could have arranged their marriage and your parents would have been together, you would have liked that wouldn't you, King? You do not even accept your stepfather as your father, even though he raised you and made you his heir making you a princess. That is better than being considered a bastard. And my heirs will do better with a title of royal acknowledgment than knowing they were born something less than."
Peri struggled against the roots.
"Listen to me Periwinkle King, you will find a family in my true family. Speaking of, look Peri and Harry! My true family returns."
The air was suddenly full of swishing cloaks between the graves and the yew tree, every shadowing space, wizards were apparating. All of them were hooded and masked. Each moved forward one by one…slowly, cautiously, as though they couldn't believe it. Voldemort stood in silence, waiting for them to approach. One of the Death Eaters fell to his knees, crawled towards Voldemort, and kissed the hem of his black robes.
"Master…Master…" he murmured.
Each Death Eater behind him did the same; each of them approaching Voldemort on their knees and kissing his robes, before backing away and standing to create a silent circle, which enclosed Tom Riddle's grave, Harry, peri, Voldemort, Bash, and a still sobbing Wormtail. There were some gaps in case others chose to return. Voldemort, however, did seem to expect more. He looked at each of the hooded faces, there was no wind, and a rustling seemed to run around the circle as if it had shivered.
"Welcome, Death Eaters," said Voldemort quietly. "Thirteen years…thirteen years since we last met. Yet you answer my call as though it were yesterday…We are still united under the Dark Mark, then! Or are we?"
He put back his terrible face and sniffed the air, his slit-like nostrils widening.
"I smell guilt," he said. "There is a stench of guilt upon the air."
A second shiver ran around the circle, as though each member of it longed for it, but did not dare, to step back from him.
"I see you all, whole and healthy, with your powers intact — such prompt appearance! — and I ask myself…why did this band of wizards never come to the aid of their master, to whom they swore eternal loyalty?"
No one spoke. No one moved except Wormtail, who continued to sob over his bleeding arm. Peri's eyes darted toward the dagger that was on the ground, she watched it twitch on the ground. Was she performing wandless magic? She was. She pulled her attention away from it to look at her wand inches from her, she managed to spit the bit out of her mouth but remained silent watching Voldemort and the Death Eaters before her.
"And I answer myself, perhaps they believed a still greater power could exist, one that could vanquish even Lord Voldemort…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, and some muttered and shook their heads. Voldemort ignored them.
"Perhaps it was not Albus Dumbledore, but a younger greater power. A power not through magic but the one who received the witch who was potentially set to wed one of you. Talented. Smart. Most of you would claim to be beautiful. Cassandra Rice, was her name until she married a prince. Richard Banks. Do you worship him? Is he your new Master?"
One of the men suddenly flung himself forward breaking the circle. Trembling from head to foot, he collapsed at Voldemort's feet.
"Master!" he shrieked, "Master, forgive me! Forgive us all! Those of us did begin to stray to respect Cassandra and Richard Banks. We all have young sons now, we want an alliance with one of their daughters."
Voldemort began to laugh. He raised his wand.
"Crucio!"
The Death Water on the ground writhed and shrieked; surely the houses around them would hear this and call for help.
Voldemort raised his wand. The tortured Death Eater lay flat on the ground, gasping.
"Get up, Avery," said Voldemort softly. "Stand up. Do you ask for forgiveness? I do not forgive. I do not forget. Thirteen long years…I want thirteen years' repayment before I forgive you. Wormtail here has paid some of his debt already, have you not, Wormtail?
He looked down at Wormtail, who continued to sob.
"You returned to me, not out of loyalty but out of fear of your old friends. You deserve this pain, Wormtail. You know that, don't you?
"Yes, Master," Wormtail moaned, "please, Master…please.."
"Yet you helped return me to my body with the help of our newest recruit."
Peri's darted to where she knew Bash had originally been standing, but he was now clothes in dark hooded robes and a silver mask.
Wormtail continued to sob on the ground with Voldemort watching him cooly, watching. "Worthless and traitorous as you are, you helped me…and Lord Voldemort reward his helpers."
Voldemort raised his wand again and whirled it through the air. A streak of what looked like molten silver hung shining in the wand's wake. Momentarily shapeless, it writhed and then formed itself into a gleaming replica of two human hands, bright as moonlight. The left hand soared across the circle to where Bash had been standing and the right hand soared downward and fixed itself upon their recipients' hands.
Wormtail's sobbing stopped abruptly. His breath harsh and ragged, he raised his head and stared in disbelief at the silver hand, now attached seamlessly to his arm, as though he were wearing a glove. He flexed the shining fingers, then, trembling, picked up a small twig from the ground and crushed it into a small powder.
"My Lord," Wormtail whispered. "Master…it is beautiful…thank you…thank you… Bash and I thank you."
He scrambled forward on his knees and kissed the hems of Voldemort's robes.
"May your loyalty never waver again, Wormtail."
"No, my Lord…never, my Lord…"
Wormtail stood taking his place in the circle.
"As for the mention of most of you having young sons who you wished to wed Cassandra and Richard Banks' daughter. You may be waiting a while as their youngest daughter are twelve and eleven. Now if you mean Richard Banks' stepdaughter, the daughter of one of our own. Severus Snape's daughter with Cassandra, Peri King."
Voldemort turned to face her, "Granddaughter of Erling Rice, one of the few who returned tonight. Daughter of Death Eater Severus Snape, who remained at Hogwarts this evening to not raise too many alarms I've returned, and former Death Eater Cassandra Banks née Rice. And who is currently dating Death Eater Lucius Malfoy's son Draco Malfoy, but continues to bed a blood traitor."
Peri tugged at her ropes as her blood boiled, "You leave me out of this! I already told my grandfather I would be on this side. Draco is my boyfriend and I have not slept with George Weasley in months. Draco is saving us for something special." She was making things up to continue protecting Draco.
"You've gained your ability to speak." Voldemort's eyes darted down to the bit that was hanging around her neck now.
"I will never join you. I will never become your bitch to breed your heirs. I will continue protecting the ones I love whatever that entails."
"I could kill you now and let your grandfather return your body to your mother and fathers, but instead I will let you suffer a consequence."
She swallowed, "Do not test my power. And temp my fury!"
"You are weak, Peri King."
"The only thing that you care about is that I am a woman. A woman considered to be royal because the wizarding community around the world claims me to be."
"I do not think Draco would appreciate losing his girlfriend would he, Lucius, my slippery friend." Voldemort turned away from her and moved toward Lucius in the circle.
Lucius stood with his dark robes and silver mask, "No, my Lord. Draco adores Ms. King. He speaks highly of her, every letter to his mother or myself he speaks of her and how he adores her. For her birthday he gifted her jewels from our family vault and created a special M necklace. I believe my son would be distraught if he lost her."
Voldemort eyed Lucius intensely, "I am told that you have not renounced the old ways, though to the world you present a respectable face. You are still ready to take the lead in a spot of Muggle-torture, I believe? Yet you never tried to find me, Lucius…Your exploits at the Quidditch World Cup were fun and your son's relationship with Peri is helpful to help us establish a future of Death Eater, I daresay…but might not your energies have been better directed toward finding and aiding your master?"
"My Lord, I was constantly on alert. Had there been any sign from you, any whisper of your whereabouts, I would have been at your side immediately, nothing could have prevented me —"
"And yet you ran from my Mark when a faithful Death Eater sent it into the sky last summer?" Voldemort spoke lazily, and Lucious stopped talking abruptly. "Yes, I know all about that, Lucius…You have disappointed me, your son is pleasing me by gaining the trust and respect of my princess."
"I am not your princess!" Peri called out. "I am not even one, it is a made-up title given to me."
Voldemort ignored her and continued speaking to Lucius, "I expect more faithful service in the future."
"Of course, my Lord, of course…You are merciful, thank you…"
Voldemort moved on and stopped, staring at the space large enough for two people that separated Lucius and the next person.
"The Lestranges should stand here," said Voldemort quietly. "But they are entombed in Azkaban. They were faithful. They went to Azkaban rather than renounce me…When Azkaban is broken open, the Lestranges will be honored beyond their dreams. The dementors will join us…they are our natural allies…we will recall the banished giants…I shall have all my devoted servants returned to me, and an army of creatures whom all fear…"
He continued to walk past some of the Death Eaters, pausing in front of one to speak.
"Rice. You disappointed me in disowning your youngest. But you attempted to bring your granddaughter to our side early, you failed though. She still going to need some convincing."
Erling spoke in his confident tone, "I ensure you, my Lord. My granddaughter will join us, but if you want an actual pureblood to begin your line of heirs I have three more granddaughters. One of which is closer to being of age, the other two not so much. And one is a Gryffindor but she has strong healing abilities, but my wife and I are hopeful the youngest granddaughter will be a Slytherin. She is an excellent flyer for only being eleven."
Voldemort shook his head, "No. We will use Peri, I want my line to start as soon as possible and she has the title of respect from around the world. I can expand my loyalties around the world not just Northern Europe."
"Of course, My Lord. You can use Mallory and Alicia then, they are very young but you are welcome to them and they are purebloods."
"No! We will use only Peri!"
Erling tilted his head towards the ground, "Of course, My Lord. I trust your reasoning completely."
Voldemort started to walk away, "You say that one of the younger ones has healing abilities."
Erling nodded, "Yes, my Lord. Mallory. She turned twelve in February."
"She will be useful."
"No!" Peri shouted, her breathing was rushed and panicked as she pulled at the roots. They were digging into her wrists. "Leave my sisters alone!"
Voldemort whipped around to look at her, this seemed to please him. He was finding pieces that triggered her emotions. He gave her a sly grin before moving on to the next Death Eaters. He stopped in front of Bash, "Our newest recruit! Nephew of Death Eater Igor Karkaroff, Sebastian Pavlov."
He walked lazily over to stand next to Harry so that the eyes of the whole circle were upon the two of them. The snake below Harry continued to circle.
"You know, of course, that they have called this boy my downfall?" Voldemort said softly, his red eyes upon Harry. Peri watched Harry struggling to hold back a scream. "You all know that on the night I lost my powers and my body, I tried to kill him. His mother died in an attempt to save him — and unwittingly provided him protection I admit I had unforeseen… I could not touch the boy."
Voldemort raised one of his long white fingers and put it very close to Harry's cheek.
"His mother left upon him the traces of her sacrifice…This is old magic, I should have remembered it, I was foolish to overlook it…but no matter. I can touch him now."
The tip of the long white finger touched Harry, Peri watched as he felt the pain of Voldemort's touch. Voldemort laughed in Harry's ear, then removed the finger and continued to address the Death Eaters.
"I miscalculated, my friends, I admit it. My curse was deflected by the woman's foolish sacrifice, and it rebounded upon me. Aaah…pain beyond pain, my friends; nothing could have prepared me for it. I was ripped from my body, I was less than a spirit, less than the meanest ghost…but still, I was alive. What I was, even I do not know…I, who have gone further than anybody along the path that leads to immortality. You know my goal — to conquer death. And now, I was tested, and it appeared that one or more of my experiments had worked…for I had not been killed, though the curse should have done it. Nevertheless, I was as powerless as the weakest creature alive, and without the means to help myself…for I had nobody, and every spell that might have helped me required the use of a wand…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 magic I could not, to restore me to a body…but I waited in a vain.
The shiver ran once more around the circle of Death Eaters who listened to Voldemort. The silence spiral horribly before Voldemort continued, "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, of course, being my preference — but I was a little better off inside them as a pure spirit, for their bodies were ill-adapted to perform magic…and my possession of them shortened their lives; none of them lasted long…then…four years ago…the means for my return seemed assured. A wizard —young, foolish, and gullible — wandered across my path in the forest I had made my home. Oh, he seemed the very chance I had been dreaming of…for he was a teacher at Dumbledore's school…he was easy to bend to my will…he brought me back to this country, and after a while, 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 Sorcerer's Stone. I was not to be assured immortal life. I was thwarted…thwarted, once again, by Harry Potter…"
There was an eerie silence, nothing stirred not even the leaves from the yew tree. Everyone remained motionless, the glittering eyes of the Death Eaters in their masks fixed upon Voldemort and Harry some very briefly twitched their eyes toward Peri but just as quickly returned to look at their Master.
"The servant died when I left his body, I was left as weak as ever I had been," Voldemort continued. "I returned to my hiding place far away, and I will not pretend to you that I didn't then fear I might never regain my powers…Yes, that was perhaps my darkest hour…I could not hope that I would be sent another wizard to possess…"
A couple of the masked Death Eaters in the circle appeared to move slightly uncomfortable, but Voldemort did not take notice.
"And then, not even a year ago, when I had almost abandoned hope, it happened at last…a servant returned to me. Wormtail here, who had faked his death to escape justice, was driven out of hiding by those he had once counted friends and decided to return to his master. He sought me in the country where it had been rumored I was hiding…helped, of course, by the rats he met along the way. Wormtail had a curious affinity with rats, do you not, Wormtail? His filthy little friends told him there was a place, deep in an Albanian forest, that they avoided where small animals like themselves had met their death by a dark shadow that possessed them…but his journey back to me was not smooth, was it, Wormtail? For, hungry one night, on the edge of the very forest where he had hoped to find me, he foolishly stopped at an inn for some food…and who should he meet there, but one Bertha Jorkins, a witch from the Ministry of Magic. Now see the way fate favors Lord Voldemort. This might have been the end of Worktail, and my last hope of regeneration. But Wormtail — displaying a presence of mind I would never have expected from him —convinced Bertha Jorkins to accompany him on a nighttime stroll. He overpowered her…he brought her to me. And Bertha Jorkins, who might have ruined all, proved instead a gift beyond my wildest dreams…for with a little persuasion she became a veritable mine of information. She advised me of the Triwizard Tournament would be played at Hogwarts and the return of Cassandra Banks née Rice along with her daughters. She informed me of a faithful Death Eater who would be willing to help me if I could contact him. The Memory Charm used upon her was too powerful, once all the useful information was extracted from her she was damaged beyond repair. I disposed of her."
Voldemort flashed a terrible smile, his red eyes expressionless.
"Wormtail's body was ill-adapted for possession as everyone presumed him dead. However, he was able to use instructions to return me to a weak body until the time came when we had the essential ingredients for my rebirth. Using Bertha Jorkin's information and using one of my faithful Death Eaters, stationed at Hogwarts, to ensure that Harry's name was entered into the tournament. Due to the previous war, we lost many Death Eaters, but are currently out of young females. I needed to recruit one of the excellent standings. This is where a Peri King, came to play. We placed her in the tournament as well, it was far easy. She was already a transfer from Ilvermorny and her parents were beloved around the world, she became a Slytherin. Exactly what I needed, she has friends and family in the Gryffindor house allowing her to gain Harry Potter's loyalty and trust. Together the two worked to win. The Death Eater who was placed undercover at Hogwarts turned the Cup into a portkey to ensure the boy specifically would be brought to me when he touched it. With them working together I got them both exactly where I wanted them. Both are beyond the reach of Dumbledore and her parents, into my waiting arms. And here they are! The girl who will provide a next generation of Death Eaters and…the boy you all believed had been my downfall."
Voldemort moved slowly forward and turned to face Harry. He raised his wand.
"Crucio!"
"Harry!" Peri yelled out.
She looked at her wand having it twitch along the grass, "Accio wand," she spoke under her breath as it flew up into her hand. Her eyes darted up the scene before her watching Harry hanging limply in the ropes binding him to the headstone with Voldemort's red eyes shining through the darkness. The Death Eaters' laughter surrounded them.
"You see, I think how foolish it was to suppose that this boy could ever have been stronger than me, but I want there to be no mistake in anybody's mind. Harry Potter escaped me by lucky chance. And I am now going to prove my power by killing him, here and now, in front of all of you. When there is no Dumbledore here to help him, no mother to die for him. I will give him his chance. He will be allowed to fight, and you will be left with no doubt about which of us is the stronger. Now untie him, Wormtail, and give him back his wand."