Chapter Fifty

"Crucio!"

Harry had never known that feeling such pain was possible. It was like every nerve was burning, he was burning alive and there was nothing that would stop it, he was going to burn forever and every second felt like a lifetime.

And it was gone as soon as it had started. Harry was hanging limply in the ropes, gasping for breath and trying to recover.

The Death Eaters were laughing, pointing at him.

"You see, I think, how foolish it was to suppose that this boy could ever have been stronger than me." Said Voldemort, "But I want there to be no mistake in anybody's mind. Harry Potter escaped me by a lucky chance. And I am now going to prove my power by killing him, here and now, in front of you all, when there is no Dumbledore to help him, and no mother willing to die for him! I will give him his chance. He will be allowed to fight, and you will be left in no doubt which of us is the stronger. Just a littler longer Nagini..." He whispered, and the snake glided away through the grass to where the death eaters where standing, watching him.

"Untie him, Bellatix and give him back his wand."

Harry scrambled to find his feet. Bellatrix walked over and grabbed Harry's wand from the floor before slitting the ropes with the tip of her own wand. Harry fell to the floor and forced himself to stand, the only good thing about having been tide up was it had given his ankle a rest, meaning it was holding his weight slightly better now.

She thrust his wand into his hand and glided back to where the other death eaters where standing. Harry had a fleeting thought to run for it, but his bad leg still shook and the death eaters were closing in around them, blocking any route of escape.

Voldemort looked Harry up and down with his glowing red eyes, "I presume you have been taught how to duel Harry Potter?"

Harry's mind flashed back to the disastrous duelling club that Lockhart had tried to run. His parents had taught him basics but Harry really didn't think that would get him through at this point.

"Well you know what they say about assuming things..." Harry said, it was sarcasm or fear at this point.

Voldemort glared at him.

"You should show more respect." Bellatrix snapped at him.

"It's all right my Bella, our friend is just feeling a little worried now he is actually having to face me alone." Voldemort smiled.

Harry forced himself to smile and roll his eyes, "Well, it was more fun with Quirrell cheer leading you on."

Voldemort's smile turned to a glare, "We bow to each other, Harry."

Harry didn't move.

"Come, the niceties must be observed, Dumbledore would like you to show manners." Voldemort smirked, bending a little, keeping his snake like eyes turned up to Harry, "Bow to death, Harry..."

"Death isn't here." Harry said, his voice far calmer than he felt.

"I said, bow!" Voldemort said, raising his wand.

Harry felt his spine curve over, it was as though someone was pushing him down, hard enough that it was hurting his back. He could hear the death eaters laughing around him.

"Very good." Voldemort said softy, he raised his wand and let Harry stand up straight, "And now you face me… like a man…"

"But I'm not a man." Harry spat, "I'm fourteen, I'm still a child. Behold the great and terrible Voldemort, scared of a child. Kill me; and all you've done is kill a child."

"He is Lord Voldemort!" Bellatrix spat, taking a step forward, "If you dare to name him at all you filthy little half blood!"

Voldemort raised his hand to silence her, "It is all right, the boy plays with words for he cannot play with power. You will face me, Harry Potter, like a man, no matter your age. Straight backed and proud, the way your father died."

Harry felt a lump in his throat nearly choke him. He was already angry at Voldemort but hearing him speak about James that way made his blood boil. Harry gripped his wand more tightly, he knew what was coming next."

"And now, we duel." Voldemort grinned.

He raised his wand before Harry could react. Harry was once again hit by the pain of the Cruciatus Curse. He had no ropes to hold him up this time and smacked into the ground, thrashing around as white hot knives stabbed every inch of his skin.

He tried not to scream, he'd been determined not to but he had nothing to bite down on this time and screams left his mouth louder than he thought was possible.

It stopped, leaving Harry gasping for breath. He forced himself to stand up, he needed to be on his feet to have any chance to fight back.

"A little break." Said Voldemort, he was loving this, Harry could tell, "A pause. That hurt, didn't it, Harry? You don't want me to do that again, do you?"

Harry glared back, his mouth firmly shut. He knew he was going to die, like Cedric, like his father had all those years ago. But he was not going to be their play thing, he was going to die being stubborn until his last breath.

"I asked you whether or not you want me to do that again?" Voldemort said, barely above a whisper, "Answer me! Imperio!"

Harry felt the happy dreaming feeling of floating take over his body. Just say no his brain told him, he was so happy, all the pain felt so far away.

Just say no

Just answer, say no…

"I WON'T!" Harry yelled, he hadn't meant to say it out loud, but it echoed through the graveyard none the less.

Voldemort was looking at him with a mix of annoyance and adulation, "You won't?"

Harry looked around, no one was laughing now.

"No. I won't." Harry said, straightening up.

"You won't say 'no'? Really Harry, obedience is a virtue I clearly need to teach you before you die, perhaps another little dose of pain?"

"Mum doesn't believe in hitting children." Harry said, "Maybe she could teach you a few things."

Voldemort raised his wand, ready to strike again. Harry was ready and dived out the way, Quidditch had given him good reflexes over the years and he was about to put them to good use.

He dived behind the nearest grave stone, the one of Tom Riddle and took several deep breaths.

"We're not playing hide and seek Harry!" Voldemort called after him.

"We're not?" Harry shouted back, "Drat, I'm really good at hide and seek! Can we play that instead?"

Harry heard another crack as a curse hit the grave stone behind him.

"You cannot hide from me forever, Harry Potter." Voldemort said, "Does this mean you are tired of our duel? Would you prefer for me to finish it now, Harry? Come out, Harry! Come out and play. It will be quick, it might even be painless. You see I wouldn't know, I have never died."

Harry crouched behind the headstone, trying to think. He didn't want to go out, he didn't want to die. He wanted his Mum and Severus to find him, to rescue him and make it all better.

But no one was coming, they didn't even know where he was, he was almost sure that Voldemort's call wouldn't have made it through the Hogwarts wards. Even if they did come, they couldn't make it all better. Cedric was dead, and nothing was going to change that.

Harry took a deep breath, he wasn't about to die crouched behind a gravestone. He stood up, and walked round, gripping his wand tightly.

Voldemort smiled, he raised his wand "Avada Kedavra!"

Harry was ready, "Expelliarmus!" he shouted.

A stream of green light charged towards Harry as a red beam of light crashed into it. They met in the air and stopped, Harry could feel his wand starting to vibrate, and the hair on his arm stood on end, like the air was filled with a static charge.

The beam connected the two wands was no longer red or green but bright gold and arching over the two of them. Harry looked over to Voldemort but he seemed as surprised and confused as Harry was.

Harry felt himself be lifted off the ground, the two wands still connected and set to rest in an empty patch of ground.

Shocked death eaters started to reform around them, shouting for instructions from Voldemort but Harry couldn't hear them any more.

"Do nothing!" Voldemort ordered them, "You are not to interfere unless I command you!"

A phoenix song filled the air, drifted beautifully around them. To Harry it was the sound of life, of hope.

"Do not break the connection." he heard, whispered in his ear, almost as though it was a part of the song that only he could hear.

"I know." Harry though, but it wasn't easy, his wand was shaking harder in his hands now. His wand gave another, large shudder and the beam changed between his wand a Voldemort's. It was now thinner, with several golden beads sliding towards his wand from Voldemort's.

The bead hit and Harry felt his wand grow hot. Another bead was close and Harry was sure his wand wasn't going to survive another hit. He focused every bit of strength he could find, and forced the bead away, and towards Voldemort's wand.

Voldemort looked at him, a mixture on anger and shock as the bead travelled closer and closer to his wand. The bead paused for a moment, before connecting to the tip of Voldemort's wand.

Voldemort's wand let out a horrifying scream of pain as it trembled in his hand. His eyes widened with shock as another ghostly scream burst out from the tip of Voldemort's wand.

Harry watched, still focusing to keep them connected as the body of Cedric Diggory emerged from Voldemort's wand.

Harry clutched at his wand, he couldn't drop it, he couldn't lose now. Cedric's smoke body looked up and down the golden strand connecting Harry and Voldemort.

"Hold on, Harry." he said, giving Harry a small smile. It's voice was distant and echoed around the graveyard.

There were more yells from the wand and another body came out. It was Lucy, the young girl, who Bellatrix had forced to look after Voldemort. She looked around,

"If you can, tell my parents I died." she said, "I don't want them looking forever for me, they were never great but… they deserve to know. My bones are in the old house, the police can work out the rest."

Harry nodded, no idea how he was going to let the police know this without getting arrested himself but he wasn't about to deny her now. She looked so young, barely a year older than Harry was, even her smoke form was covered in bruises and cuts from her mistreatment.

Another person was emerging, Frank, the old caretaker. He looked at Voldemort and shook his head.

"He was a real wizard then?" Frank said, "Killed me, that one did… you fight him boy!" he stepped to the side as yet another person was coming, a man this time.

He looked like Harry, the same messy hair and way of moving. Harry knew this would happen, ever since Cedric appeared from the wand Harry knew he would be seeing his father, it was the only thing that had kept him holding on.

"James… Dad." Harry said, his voice barely a croak.

James smiled at him, "Harry. It's so good to see you."

"I don't know what to do." Harry said, he could feel himself welling up, at least he would have some family here when he died.

"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 understand Harry?"

Harry nodded, his fingers slipping on his wand.

"Harry?" the figure of Cedric said, moving forward, "take my body back will you? Take my body back to my parents..."

"I will." Harry nodded, "And I will do my best to let your parents know where you are as well."

Lucy smiled, "Thank you Harry. You're the nicest person I never got to meet." she laughed.

"Do it now Harry." whispered his father, "Be ready to run."

Harry didn't want to let go, he didn't want to be alone with thirty plus people who wanted to kill him.

"Do it now!" James said.

Harry yanked his wand up and the phoenix song died instantly. The victims didn't however, they crowded around Voldemort, stopping him from being able to see Harry.

Harry was fast, but he'd never run so fast in his life. He pushed passed the two nearest death eaters and zig zaged his way behind headstones towards Cedric's body. He could hear spells slamming intot he stone behind him as he went, and the cries of death eaters trying to stop him but he never looked back.

"Impedimenta!" Harry screamed behind him, stunning a death eater, he heard them fall.

"Stun him! Stun him only!" Voldemort yelled.

Harry was nearly at Cedric now.

"I will kill you Harry Potter!" Voldemort shouted.

Harry skidded to a stop and grabbed Cedric's arm, his eyes connected with Voldemort's gleaming red ones for a second.

"Accio!" Harry screamed, pointing his wand towards the Cup.

It flew towards him, into his out stretched hand. He felt the pull behind his navel; he was safe and going back to Hogwarts.