Remus Lupin's POV

Crack – crack – crack – crack – crack – The sounds of glass bottles shattering broke out all around us. Immediately, a noxious green smoke began to fill the crammed bottom of this deep, deep prison.

I swallowed hard. Having woken up after being knocked out, my mind was all abuzz. What was more, a terrible fear over what had just happened between Barty Crouch Jr. and Raylynx made my stomach curl up in pain.

Alastor looked grimly at the emerald smoke creeping up around us. "Acid Poison, eh?"

"We have to try to get out of here," I said. Ignoring the waves of nausea thundering through my body, I stood up.

I reached down to help Alastor up, but he shook his head at me and patted his thigh, below which his leg was missing. "We've no chance of getting out, boy. This trunk has many magical spells on it, all kinds of illusions and locks to keep us in here. The Dark Lord designed this prison himself. Besides, I know this poison. Crouch Senior used to use it on some of our most dangerous witnesses, to keep important information from leaking out of the Ministry. I s'pse that's where Crouch Junior got the idea from – his father. Trust me when I say it acts quickly."

Alastor sighed heavily. "At least the poison's quick. I reckon we're better off than that poor Potter boy."

"Harry?" I said swiftly. "What about him?"

"S' not much point tellin' you this, since we're about to die and powerless to stop it, but I heard Barty planning Potter's fate."

"Tell me," I urged him. "Tell me now."

Slowly shaking his head, Alastor recounted mournfully, "The TriWizard Tournament was all a set-up."

"A set-up?" I said hoarsely.

"To lead Potter to the Dark Lord."

My heart stopped. "What? You can't be serious…"

"I am," he replied solemnly. "The TriWizard Cup – It's a Portkey. The minute Harry touches that thing, it's over."

I leapt to my feet. "We have to get out of here."

"That would be ideal, but there's nothing we can do."

"We can't give up now," I insisted. "Not when – Not when Raylynx left us this." I raised my hand to reveal Raylynx's wand in my grasp.

Alastor's one eye widened. "Is that - ?"

"Raylynx Kingsley's wand."

Once Raylynx had realized that Alastor and I were down here, she chose to forfeit her own fight when she leapt near the trunk and discretely dropped her wand down to us. That was when Barty Crouch Jr. managed to wrap ropes around her. He must have thought that she had dropped her wand because his attack worked. He had underestimated how fast she was.

The poison began to make me feel nauseous and very tired. To be honest, there was a part of my heart that simply wanted to lay down. In a strange sort of way, I actually wished to succumb to my fate. If this poison was as fast as Alastor said it was, then perhaps it was the easiest way to go.

However, holding Raylynx's wand in my hand and realizing that she had given up her wand in battle to give us a chance a survival, as well as realizing that Harry was in terrible trouble, I knew I had to get out of here.

But how? That was the million-Galleon question. My head whipped back and forth furiously as I tried to learn more about the magical trunk that we were locked in.


Jasper Riley's POV

Emmeline and I tracked Remus Lupin into the mountains, but we were unable to confirm exactly where he was hiding or whether he was with Sirius Black. We hadn't seen Sirius with him yet, but we were fairly sure that Sirius was using either an Invisibility Cloak or perhaps even Polyjuice Potion to disguise himself as Remus. Otherwise, why would Remus had run that night we had tried to visit his flat?

The trouble, of course, was that there was also a chance that Remus was serving as a diversion and that Sirius was making a getaway behind our backs as we chased Remus.

Emmeline and I debated on whether to split up or not, but we ultimately decided that we were stronger together and that eventually, Remus would lead us to Sirius. Besides, we preferred to travel together. The compromise then, was that we tried to stay close enough to Remus that we knew where he was going, but far enough back that we would catch Sirius should he try to escape behind our backs.

That strategy worked quite well at first, because the mountainside was upslope, and it was easy to see Remus trying to hobble up the rocks, even from a very far distance. Unfortunately, when the mountain suddenly leveled, Remus disappeared from our sight, and it was hours before we had reached the point where we had last seen him.

For the last several days, we had been searching the mountainside for Remus and Sirius, but to no avail.

"Sorry, Em," I said ruefully. "I might've dragged you all the way out here on a wild goose hunt."

"No," Emmeline replied, shaking her head sleepily. "'M fine."

I sighed and sat against the rock that we had decided to camp out behind.

"Are you cold?" I rummaged around in my cloak, intending to fill a bell jar with bluebell flames and put it near her, but Emmeline reached out and grasped my arm.

"Not that cold," she mumbled, with her eyes slowly slipping shut, "just cold enough to…" She half-pulled me closer to her and half-nestled herself into my side. Her head dropped lightly on my shoulder, and she fell asleep.

I gazed at her for a long moment. I guess that means I'll take watch for the night, I thought, but I found that I didn't mind all that much. Besides, it was only an hour or so until sunrise…

Only an hour… I blinked tiredly and fought to stay awake as the morning sun came up.

Just then, something flashed across my vision. I lifted my head. What is that… among the rocks? I squinted. Is that a dog? For I thought I was seeing a black dog bounding down the side of the mountainside. It was still quite a ways away from me and moving down the mountainside very quickly.

What's a dog doing in the mountainside? That's odd. Then, it hit me – I'd seen that dog before!

I hastily reached over and shook Emmeline's shoulder. "Em, look."

Emmeline blinked awake and looked at where I was pointing. "Huh?" she said gruffly. "What is that thing?"

"That's Sirius Black's dog!"

"What?" Emmeline sat up, surprised.

"Well, I'm not sure if it's Raylynx's or Sirius' dog, but once, when I was certain that Raylynx's house was empty, I saw a dog in there. I didn't understand how that dog could have gone without being fed for so long, and then I later realized that Sirius had been in that house the entire time, feeding the dog," I explained as quickly as I could. I could tell that Emmeline was a bit confused, but I repeated, "It's that dog, I swear it is."

Emmeline nodded when she saw my resolve. Leaping lithely to her feet, she said, "All right, let's go. That dog could lead us to Sirius!"

"Yes, but what if it means that Sirius is here somewhere, perhaps hurt, and the dog went to fetch help for him?" I countered. "Perhaps we should look around here."

"I'd say it's better to track that dog and back, then to just wander around blindly in the mountainside for another day," Emmeline pushed back. "We know where the dog is now, but not where it came from."

I thought it over very quickly, before I replied, "Agreed. But we need to be careful not to startle the dog. It's much faster than us, and it could run back up the mountainside before us and alert Sirius again, and we'd have to start our search all over again."

Emmeline grabbed my hand in hers. "Well, c'mon then! The dog's already way ahead of us!"


Harry Potter's POV

My feet slammed into the ground. My injured leg gave out at once, and I fell forward. I picked myself up quickly, though, as I expected to be facing a crowd of students. But to my surprise, we were not at Hogwarts.

Cedric, who had managed to stay on his feet, looked around curiously. "Where are we?"

"I don't know…" I slowly took in the landscape before us. There were rows and rows of crosses, with crows perched on several of them.

"It's a graveyard," I realized. I also noticed the black outline of a small church just beyond a large yew tree to our right. On our left, a hill rose above us, and I could see the hazy outline of a fine old house on the hillside.

My heart stopped. That house. I've been in that house. In my dream.

"Cedric…"

Cedric had already wandered a ways away, going further into the graveyard.

"Cedric!"

Upon hearing my call, Cedric turned around. "What?"

"We need to get out of here."

"Why?"

"Listen to me! Cedric, get back to the Cup!"

Cedric seemed more confused by the urgency in my voice than by where we were. But that foreboding feeling grew stronger within me as I remembered the dream that I had had. I had been inside a room in that house, hearing Voldemort planning my death. The dream had felt so real that I had gone to see Dumbledore.

It's actually coming true, I realized, with a horrible sinking feeling in my stomach. We have to get out of here, as fast as we can.

"Cedric, c'mon!" I urged.

Just then, Cedric turned away from me, distracted. "Someone's coming!"

We both drew our wands out.

Squinting through the darkness, we watched a figure emerge from the mist rolling over the graveyard.

"What…?" Cedric began, but he quickly fell silent, for the figure quickly approached us.

Both Cedric and I stared at it, as though hypnotized. With the way the shadow flared out at the sides, it was clear that this walking figure was carrying something.

The figure finally stopped besides a towering marble headstone, only six feet from us. At that moment, my scar suddenly erupted with indescribable pain.

"Ah!" I started shouting without even realizing it.

Cedric rushed over to me, trying to help me. "Harry! What's going on? Are you all right?"

I fell to my knees, clutching my head. It felt like someone was ripping my head open, starting from my scar.

A high, cold voice ordered, "Kill the spare!" – and at once, a second voice screeched, "Avada Kedavra!"

A blast of green light flooded my vision. I instinctively shut my eyes tightly against the bright emerald light.

There was a terrible, heavy beat of silence. I opened my eyes and turned my head – only to see Cedric dead.

For a second that contained an eternity, I stared into Cedric's face, stared into his open, blank eyes, stared at his half-open mouth…

Wake up, I thought numbly. Move…

I didn't realize that I was being pulled to my feet and dragged away, at least not until I felt my back slam against a tombstone that bore the name "TOM RIDDLE."

Tight cords started to snake around my neck, wrists, and ankles, trying to trap me against the headstone. Struggling against the cords, I managed to kick my feet out, only to then receive a blow to the face. I hissed in pain. Turning my head to look at my attacker, I saw that it was – "You!"

Wormtail's eyes flickered up nervously to meet my gaze. "Shut up. Be still."

"What are you - ?"

"I said shut up!" Wormtail screeched. He reached over with trembling hands and nervously checked my binds. He yanked roughly on all of the binds, until the cords were cutting into my skin.

When I yelled at him, "Let me go!", his only response was to pull black cloth from inside of his cloak and stuff it roughly into my mouth.

Wormtail hurriedly scurried off somewhere. I tried to turn my head to follow him, but I was too tightly bound against the headstone to move my head and neck. I had to face forward. The scene directly in front of me was a complete nightmare, for there was Cedric's dead body, the TriWizard Cup some way beyond him, still glowing dimly, and then my wand, also on the ground.

A slight, yet sudden movement caught my eye. I could only make out what was moving from the periphery of my vision, but I thought it was some type-of bundle of rags of clothes shifting about. I couldn't tell what it was beyond that, but my scar flared up again and a terrible pain shot through my head. I gritted my teeth together, trying to brace myself against the pain.

A moment later, Wormtail came back into view. He was pushing a stone cauldron, filled with what looked to be water, in front of the tombstone that I was tied to. At Wormtail's feet, a huge snake slithered along, hissing as it went. I swallowed hard.

Wormtail pulled out his wand. "Incendio." Fire burst into life under the cauldron, heating up its contents. The snake raised its head and hissed at the cauldron. Meanwhile, the bundle of clothes was shifting more and more aggressively, as though trying to free itself.

I watched in a kind-of horrified fascination as the liquid in the cauldron began to bubble, and then spark. Steam began to blossom out from the cauldron, creating a haze all around us. Then, a high, thin voice whispered, "Now."

My heart leapt into my throat when I heard that cold, metallic voice ring through the ear. It spoke in naught but a whisper, and yet, and yet… A deep sense of fear began to unfurl in my chest. What is going on? If that's Wormtail, then – then – this could mean that…

Wormtail hurried over to the bundle of clothes. He tugged at the robes on the floor, and he revealed what was inside. I let out a muffled yell when I saw what it was: a ugly, slimy, bald thing, all curled up.

Wormtail picked it up and a head feebly arose out of the disgusting, fleshy thing. The face was snakelike, was gleaming red eyes and slits for a nose. I couldn't comprehend what that thing was – and yet, deep in my heart, I knew: It was Voldemort.

The moment that name entered my mind, the pain in my scar, already sending a high-pitched, dizzying buzzing around my mind, flared up intensely. I tried to inhale, but I choked and gagged on the cloth in my mouth.

Wormtail gingerly carried Voldemort over to the cauldron and tipped him inside of it. A soft thud rang out as Voldemort's body hit the bottom of the cauldron.

Please, I begged inside of my head, let it drown, let it drown, please…

"Bone of the father, unknowingly given…" Wormtail was speaking in hushed, frightened tones. "… you will renew your son…"

Underneath me, a cracking sound rang out as the surface of the grave cracked. Terrified, I watched as a bone, already half-crumbled away into ash, lifted into the air. Wormtail moved his wand, and the bone fell into the cauldron.

Wormtail swallowed hard. "Flesh of the s-servant – w-willingly given - " Wormtail suddenly whimpered, even though he was the one saying the words. " – y-you will r-revive – your master!"

I stared in confusion at Wormtail, but then, when Wormtail raised his wand in the air, I suddenly realized what he was about to do. I quickly shut my eyes as tightly as I could and I winced as the sound of flesh being cut into rang out, followed immediately by Wormtail's desperate scream.

But then, worse yet, Wormtail turned towards me. His eyes were gleaming faintly with a sort of crazed sickness, and there was a thick sheen of sweat on his forehead and upper lip. He raised his wand at me – I thrashed against the cords, but to no avail. I needed my wand to escape these cords…

"B-Blood of the enemy, f-forcibly taken, y-you will resurrect your foe."

I shouted as something sharp suddenly pierced the inside of my left arm. Blood trickled down my arm. Wormtail limped forward. With his remaining hand, he pulled out a small glass phial. Using his teeth to unstopper the phial, he leaned over me and with a trembling hand, he collected my blood.

Wormtail raced back to the cauldron and immediately deposited my blood into the cauldron. The liquid inside the cauldron suddenly frothed animatedly. It flashed and turned a blinding white and sent diamond sparks in all directions.

No, I thought in my head, terrified, no, please… Let something go wrong. Please!

Flash! Suddenly, a huge torrent of white sparks erupted from the cauldron – and then, from the white steam billowing thickly in the aftermath, rose a tall, thin figure, robed in black…

Terror, as thin and cutting as ice, pierced my stomach, as the figure turned around. I saw, through the smoke, features of this thing's face – It was the same livid, blinking scarlet eyes, flat face, and snake-like slit-nose as that mutilated ball of flesh had had while wrapped in his robes.

And I knew, without a doubt, that Lord Voldemort had risen once more.


Lord Voldemort's POV

To be able to take a breath…

To feel a heart beating in my chest…

To have fingers that could wrap around a wand…

I opened my eyes. The world existed again.

How strange, I thought to myself, I have never cared for my physical features, except when I was younger and still on my search for power and I could use my appearance to charm others. But at a certain point, I had enough power that I no longer had to rely on pretense, and I could focus on what most interested me – the human soul, the thing that housed our ability to live… forever.

Yes, that night came, that night that robbed me of all of my powers… My jaw clenched for a moment as I recalled that horrible moment where my body had burst apart. Such agony cannot be described…

But it has only proven that I have succeeded, for I have returned, as powerful as ever. And I know now – that I am invincible. I cannot die.

A thin smile rose on my lips. I am invincible.

Nagini slithered around my feet, immediately recognizing me as her master.

Now, it is time to rebuild my empire.

"Wormtail." My voice slithered out into the cold night air.

"Y-Yes, my M-Master?"

"My wand."

Wormtail, still gasping pitifully from the loss of his hand, used his remaining hand to pull out my wand and hand it to me.

I grasped it. The wand trembled in my hand, and then, it sparked – green sparks burst out of the end of it.

It recognizes me. We have been reunited.

I turned and looked directly at the pathetic little boy who was strapped to my late father's tombstone.

"Harry Potter," I whispered.

The boy's eyes went wide and he stared at me, utterly terrified.

"How ironic it is, and yet how right it is, that on the day of my resurrection, you will die."

I savored the fear growing in the boy's eyes, as I repeated, in naught but a chilling whisper, "You will die."


Nobody's POV

The moment that Lord Voldemort arose again, all of the portals of the world symbolizing life and death momentarily opened.

The Unspeakables who worked in the Death Room gasped and stumbled back in shock as the veil suddenly opened and a flash of blinding white light filled the room.

"What was that?" one Unspeakable gasped, terrified.

"I don't know!" the other two replied.

The one standing nearest to the portal rubbed her eyes furiously, trying to get her sight back. She never did, for she had seen too much.

Far away in Artic waters, a siren queen devoured her own population, and that region of ice never saw sirens again. The waters of the world shook with their miserable howling as their own queen, the Enchantress, betrayed them for their souls.

Meanwhile, the Great Squid erupted out of its cave, fuming until the dark waters around it boiled ferociously, and every other creature in the lake hid, frightened.

In a dark Albanian forest, a horde of vampires screeched loudly and transformed into bats, celebrating the victory of their old ally.

In a faraway mountaintop cave, somewhere in a mythical ice realm, an ancient, rust-scaled dragon howled in terrible fury.


In Dumbledore's office, Fawkes abruptly cawed. He opened his magnificent wings for a moment, and he rustled them, as he had once done after two of his feathers had been plucked by Dumbledore and presented to Ollivander as a gift to celebrate his inheritance as a wandmaker. Far away, in a graveyard in Little Hangleton, Voldemort was hissing, "My wand, Wormtail…" and then, when Wormtail had held it once, Voldemort had grasped it. The wand sang in his hand, sensing it's master.

Meanwhile, the rows of Headmasters all looked at each other – some fearfully, others sadly, and yet others excitedly.

Armando Dippet sighed and lifted his hand to press his fingers lightly against his closed eyes. "To think that this would happen… I did not know what that boy would become."

"No, Armando," Dilys Derwent agreed mournfully. "You did not."

Phineas Black's eyes glittered as he whispered, in equal parts awe and disgust, "A second chance at life…!"

Everard looked over at Phineas. In a sorrowful voice, he remarked, "No part of this should be celebrated, Phineas. This type of magic should never have been known."

"But it has," Phineas countered.

"Yes," Everard replied mournfully. "Yes. So, it begins…"


Lord Voldemort's POV

"My Lord," Wormtail's voice interrupted my thoughts.

I blinked in annoyance.

"My L-Lord, my a-arm, you promised…"

His arm? Oh, yes, I thought lazily. I turned to him. "Hold out your arm."

Wormtail let out a gasp of relief. "Yes! Thank you, Master!"

"The other arm," I hissed, when he extended the wrong arm towards me.

Wormtail's face fell. He whimpered, but he extended his other arm. I flicked my wand, and the sleeve of Wormtail's shirt fell to the ground. Wormtail winced when he felt his sleeve fall off; possibly, he thought I had been about to cut off his other arm, too. Though the thought was amusing, I could not waste my time with such unimportant things.

Instead, I stepped towards Wormtail and then, I pressed the tip of my wand against the Dark Mark, the tattoo of a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth, etched onto Wormtail's skin.

Wormtail howled, and behind him, Harry grimaced and jolted.

"Yes," I said softly, "they will all have felt it."

I gazed at the empty graveyard. Murmuring to myself, I wondered, "We shall see… How many will be brave enough to return?" A knife-sharp edge entered my voice, as I also wondered, "And how many will be foolish enough to stay away?"


Lucius Malfoy's POV

Narcissa and I were sitting for dinner. I lifted my wine glass and brought it to my lips when –

"Ah!" With a shout, I suddenly lurched forward. The wine glass fell and shattered onto the tablecloth. Immediately, a deep red began to seep into the cloth.

"Lucius!" Narcissa leapt from her chair and came over to me. "What is the mat -?" Then, she noticed that I was gripping the inside of my left arm.

"No," she whispered, in a hushed voice. "It – It cannot be… Lucius…"

I slowly revealed my left arm to her.

My eyes widened, and Narcissa gasped, when we saw how the faint outline of the skull and snake had now become glaringly obvious, turned a thick, inky black.

Narcissa gripped my shoulder. "Does this mean that he has returned?"

"Yes. This Mark pled allegiance to the Dark Lord, and the Dark Lord alone. No one else but the Dark Lord himself could have transformed the Dark Mark to such an obvious degree…" Sweat gathered on my upper lip. I quickly wiped it away. "I am sure he will forgive me, Narcissa. I have, after all, remained loyal to him…" My voice trailed off uneasily.

Narcissa stared at me with disbelieving eyes. "Shall I go with you, Lucius?"

"No." I lifted my right hand and gently pushed her hand off of my shoulder. "You do not bear the Mark, after all. The Dark Lord will not concern himself with whether or not you appear. However, if – if I do not appear…"

I closed my eyes and breathed out heavily. I knew I only had seconds to spare now. The Dark Lord was not a patient man…

Finally, I whispered, "Do nothing at the moment. But if I do not return this night, retrieve Draco and go."

"Lucius, you have a choice - "

"To delay means death. Surely you know that, Narcissa."

Narcissa looked at me with worried eyes, but, seeing how I was at my limit, she merely nodded once.

Behind her, the wine had reached the end of the tablecloth, and the red liquid spilled to the marble floor, sounding out in a hollow drip, drip, drip…


Audrey Vega's POV

Sometimes I was aware that I was in St. Mungo's. Sometimes I was not.

The most clarity my thoughts had ever had in the past thirteen years was when I realized who was next to me in my ward: Frank and Alice Longbottom.

At this, I let out a hollow, ragged laugh that lasted so long that the Healers decided to wheel me out and put me into a personal psychiatric ward for the rest of the day.

It was the circularity of it all that made me laugh. Circles, circles, yes, that's all I've seen, all I've known since that day…

That day, when the Lestranges tried to recruit me to go after the Longbottoms, I had pretended to agree, but deep down, I knew I would never join them. I had never felt true loyalty to Voldemort. I had only joined because I didn't want to turn my back on my family and friends. But if Voldemort was gone, as he seemed to be, there was no reason to wear the mask of pureblood bigotry.

Instead, I chose the mask of repentance. I turned myself in to the Ministry. That was why, when the Ministry told me that I would be imprisoned if I did not present a defense, I said nothing. That was why, when Raylynx Kingsley, of all people, chased after me, and told me to say something in my own defense, I refused her.

That day, when Raylynx Kingsley left, and when Emmeline Vance left me alone in my cell in Azkaban with Barty Crouch Senior, I learned that the Ministry of Magic, too, wore a mask.

Crouch tortured me for information I did not have – mostly, whether Voldemort had truly died, and if not, where he might have escaped to. I screamed and screamed and screamed… When he finally left, the dementors swooped in and took what they could, feasting on the remainders of my mind…

For eleven years, this cycle played itself out over and over again. Even when Crouch was demoted, he still came and saw me at Azkaban and he tortured me more than ever, for even more far-fetched questions that I could never know the answer, too. He seemed to believe that capturing another Death Eater would help him regain his status. The irony was that he'd miss his own son, right in front of his own nose.

At some point, the lights clicked off in my mind. Someone came and fetched me. I walked out of the prison, but it didn't feel like me walking out of the prison. It was me that was released "for declining health and sanity," but it didn't feel like it was me that was released.

It was me that was put into a general ward at first, because the Healers just thought I was suffering from the dementors, as all prisoners did, but even as time passed, I continued to "act oddly," or so they said. So then, it was also me that was put into St. Mungo's, Janus Thickey Ward, for those with permanent spell damage, but it didn't feel like me…

At least, until I realized who I had been situated next to. The irony of it all was not lost on me, not one bit. Circles, circles, circles…

I should have tortured them, I thought, or they should have tortured me. But what's the use in trying to do some good in this world, if all it ends up as is three mentally gone people instead of just two?

I sat in my bed and drew circles on everything – my water cup, my sheets, myself…

Only tonight, when I went to draw on my arms again, I paused. A soft burn rose on the inside of my left arm.

I didn't have to look to know what it was. I had been aware of it every waking moment of my life ever since they branded the damn thing on. I remember being so terrified that I had pulled Raylynx Kingsley aside, to warn her not to associate with me anymore. And now, there it was, burning again.

My mouth opened, and I started to laugh a horrible, long, loud laugh. It didn't sound like me. Was it me? I wasn't sure.

Besides me, startled from her sleep, Alice Longbottom let out a soft, terrified cry. One bed now, Frank Longbottom began wailing.

The nurses came rushing in. One pointed her wand at me. I was strapped down, and they wheeled me away again, but I was laughing, laughing, laughing, and my arm burned hotter than it had burned in the last thirteen years…


Lord Voldemort's POV

My eyes came to rest on the wretched Riddle House, up on the hillside.

"You see that house upon the hillside, Potter?" I mused aloud. "My father lived there. My mother, a witch who lived here in this village, fell in love with him. But he didn't like magic, my father. He left her before I was even born. My mother died giving birth to me, leaving me to be raised in a Muggle orphanage. But I vowed to find my father. I vowed to revenge myself upon him, that fool who gave me his name - Tom Riddle. And I did."

I smiled, savoring the memory of planning and executing the murder of the Riddle family. I had taken Morfin's wand and then cast the Killing Curse on Tom Riddle, his mother, and his father. I had had the pleasure of telling them that I was in no way related to them whatsoever, that I was the heir of Salazar Slytherin alone, and that I had nothing to do with Muggle filth like them. Then, I had raised my wand and killed them, one by one. I saved Tom Riddle for last.

Afterwards, I propped them all back up in their dinner chairs. "Please, continue to play your façade," I had whispered. "As if you didn't abandon my mother, as if you didn't abandon me…"

I turned and stared at my father's graveyard. "You stand, Harry Potter, upon the remains of my late father. A Muggle and a fool. Very like your dear mother." My eyes flickered up to Harry's face, and I smiled thinly at him. "But I believe you'd agree – they both had their uses, did they not? Your mother died to defend you as a child. I killed my father, and you see how useful he has proved himself, in death." I laughed.

Harry finally managed to spit out the black rag stuffed in his mouth and he screamed at me, "DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT MY MOTHER!"

I continued smiling cruelly at him, as I replied coolly, "She was a mere Muggle. Like my father, she's not worthy of mourning."

Harry opened his mouth again, but just then – Swish! Swish! Swish!

The air was full of swishing cloaks.

"Ah," I said lowly, as I turned around to face the graveyard once more. "Behold, Potter, for my true family returns…"

The Death Eaters, my old supports, approached me cautiously, stepping forward in the manner of trembling mice and staring at me in utter disbelief.

I said and did nothing. I wished for them to feel the full weight of their own discomfort, for these fools had all made the mistake of not believing in me, of instead mistakenly believing that death could have finished me off, as if I were a mere mortal like them.

They will never make that mistake again, I snarled in my head.

Nott fell to his knees, crawl towards me, and kissed the hem of my robes. "Master…" My desire to curse him was so strong that my hand twitched, but I resisted. Though I could see into every one of their cowardly minds and read their exact motivations, there was no need to acknowledge or reject such motivations, so long as they held a use for me. And as long as these pathetic men would make themselves useful to me, I could stand their hideous behavior.

A hushed, apologetic chorus of "Master, Master, Master…" rose up around me. I looked at the bowing heads of each of the Death Eaters, and I saw their thoughts, their fears, their hopes…

Finally, I spoke quietly. "Welcome, Death Eaters. 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!" I paused. Then, a low snarl rang through my voice, as I asked, "Or are we?"

I sniffed the air, and there it was, the disgusting smell of – "Guilt," I hissed. "There is a stench of guilt upon the air."

I saw the way the Death Eaters cowered when I spoke the word "guilt." I seethed with anger inside, but I kept control of myself, as I spoke, in a falsely awe-inspired, yet knowing voice, "I see you all, whole and healthy, with your powers intact, and such prompt appearances! Yes, and I ask myself – Why did this band of wizards, my supposed friends and greatest allies, never come to the aid of their master, to whom they swore eternal loyalty?"

Everyone was deathly still, keeping their heads bowed, afraid to stand out. My lip curled in disdain as I whispered, "And I answer myself, they must have believed my broken, gone. So, they slipped back among our once-sworn enemies, and they pleaded such shameful things as innocence, ignorance, even bewitchment…"

Some among the group began to shiver.

"And then I asked myself," I continued, "but how could they have believed I would not rise again? 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 believed a still greater power could exist, perhaps they now pay allegiance to another - that champion of commoners, of Mudbloods and Muggles, Albus Dumbledore?" I let a heavy beat of silence fall upon them all before I said, softly, "It is a disappointment to me. All of us. I confess myself… utterly disappointed."

Avery flung himself forward, and he collapsed at my feet. "Master, forgive us!"

"Forgive you?" I raised my wand and struck. "Crucio!"

Avery writhed on the ground and shrieked loudly.

I laughed. You deserve this pain, you lying coward.

I tortured him for a moment longer, making sure to impress upon the other Death Eaters that I was back in full force, as capable of my magical powers as I had ever been, if not more.

Finally, I released Avery from the Torture Curse. He lay gasping on the ground.

"Pathetic," I snarled. "Get up, Avery. Stand up."

Avery forced himself to stand.

I approached him. I put my wand at his throat, and then I whispered quietly, "You dare to ask for forgiveness? I do not forgive. I do not forget. Thirteen long years… I want thirteen years' repayment before I forgive you. Do you understand me?"

"Y-Yes, my Lord," Avery stuttered.

"Back." I stabbed my wand into his throat, and coughing painfully, he stumbled back towards the rest of the group.

At that moment, yet another coward made himself known, by moaning, "P-Please, Master, you promised – The pain is un-unbearable…!"

"Ah, yes," I said, coldly looking down at Wormtail, who was hunched over on the ground, "Wormtail here has paid some of his debt now, have you not?"

My eyes narrowed into slits as I continued knowingly, "But 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, I have – have learned – oh, please, please, p-please," Wormtail begged. Tears were streaming down his pathetic face.

My hand twitched again, but I recognized this moment as a moment of strategy. I had shown the Death Eaters how easily I could torture a healthy, armed man. Now, I had to show them how I could heal even the weakest of them all.

Drawing my wand, I spoke again. "Yet, you helped me return to my body. And Lord Voldemort returns his helpers…"

Taking a deep breath, I drew on the magic flowing through my mind and body. The magical words seemed to spell themselves in my mind, almost as an afterthought, as I waved my wand over Wormtail's bloody stump.

Plasma-based alchemic liquid, encased in a metal most alike to silver, appeared in the air. I guided the substance into the shape of a human hand, and then attached it to Wormtail's arm.

"Master!" Wormtail cried out, delighted, as he flexed his fingers. He picked up a twig and then crushed it into powder easily. "Thank you! Oh, thank you!"

"May your loyalty never waver again," I said to Wormtail, but I was staring out at the crowd of Death Eaters instead. To Wormtail, I thought to myself, And if you ever try to betray me again, you traitorous coward, that hand will get to you first.

Wormtail scampered away, to join the circle of Death Eaters surrounding me. My eyes fell on the man standing next to Wormtail.

"Lucius," I whispered, "my slippery old friend. You delighted more than anyone in the torture of Muggles. And yet, you never tried to find me."

"My Lord, had there been but a sign from you, I would have been at your side immediately - "

"And yet, you ran from my Mark, when a faithful Death Eater sent into the sky at the Quidditch World Cup last summer? Even though, just before that, you were having your bit of fun torturing Muggles at the campsite?"

Lucius stilled.

Fool, I thought angrily. As if I wouldn't know.

"Yes, Lucius," I said, continuing to speak softly, almost lazily, "I know all about that. You have disappointed me most severely."

I saw the way Lucius tensed under his mask. I paused, weighing my use of his wealth and facilities with the use of my torturing him before the others.

Finally, I decided to simply warn him, "I expect more faithful service in the future."

"Of course, my Lord," Lucius said swiftly, and the relief was evident in his voice. "You are most merciful. Thank you."

I continued to walk around the circle. "Macnair, Crabbe, Goyle, Nott, Rosier, Avery, Gibson, Jugson, Rowle, Selwyn, Wilkes, Yaxley, and Alecto and Amycus Carrow…"

Then, I paused and stared intentionally at all of the gaps in the circle, one by one, and I would explain each and every one so that the Death Eaters standing before me now would not question their loyalty – or their impending death.

"The Lestranges… They are entombed in Azkaban, for they refused to renounce me. When Azkaban is broken open, they will be honored beyond their dreams. The others, too – Dolohov, Rookwood, and Travers – shall also rejoin us.

"And now, here are four missing Death Eaters – three dead in my service. One, too cowardly to return – he will pay. One, who I believe has left me forever – He shall be killed, of course. Another, a traitor who meant to renounce me entirely, only to discover that the Ministry is less merciful than I. And finally, one, who remains my most faithful servant and who has already reentered my service.

"In fact," I said, "he is at Hogwarts, that faithful servant. It was through his efforts that our young friend arrived here tonight.

I slowly turned to face Harry. "Yes, Harry Potter has kindly joined us tonight, for my rebirthing party. I daresay he is our guest of honor tonight."

"Harry Potter," I repeated, and all humor left my face. "The Boy Who… Lived."

Harry struggled against his binds. I stared at him disdainfully. He was just a silly little boy, propped up as Dumbledore's puppet to hinder me.

"How lies have fed your tale…"

Behind me, Nagini hissed, sensing my rising anger.

"Yes," I whispered, "it is true that I miscalculated. On the night I lost my powers, I tried to kill him. His mother died in an attempt to save him, unwittingly casting a protection on him that I admit I had not foreseen. I could not touch the boy."

"My Lord?" Lucius whispered, confused.

"It was old magic. I should not have overlooked it," I said quietly. "But it is of no matter. For now… I can touch him now."

I lifted my hand and then, I pressed the tip of my finger against Harry's scar.

Harry screamed.

I laughed softly, and then I turned back to my Death Eaters. "My curse rebounded upon myself. And what I experienced was… pain beyond pain. I was ripped from my body, I was less than spirit, less than the meanest ghost. But still, I was alive. I remember forcing myself, sleeplessly, endlessly, second by second, to exist. And so, I have conquered death, for I was not killed, even though the rebounded curse should have ended me.

"I settled in a faraway forest near the great Albanian mountains, where the shadows reign at all times of the day. There, I met creatures who helped me to subsist. They taught me about parasitic energy. Through them, I was able to gain back one of my powers – possessing the bodies of others. And four years ago, a foolish, young wizard wandered across my path in the forest. He was so easy to bend to my will. He became a teacher at Dumbledore's school, as I wished him to become. Through him, I intended to gain back my old body. Alas, I failed. I failed to steal the Sorcerer's Stone.

"At that point, I confess I had given up hope that any one of my so-called loyal Death Eaters would come and find me. I returned to the forest once more, to regain my strength. And then, it happened at last – a servant returned to me. Wormtail here, heard rumors of my whereabouts and he came to find me, for he had no allies of his own, and his very existence was proof that he was a murderer… But when he tried to find me, he ran into a Ministry of Magic worker – Bertha Jorkins. He brought her to me, convinced her to accompany him on a nighttime stroll before overpowering her. And that foolish witch, who may very well have spelled the end of Wormtail and the prolonging of my desperate existence, instead proved to be a windfall of information.

"It seemed that Jorkins had a knack for gossiping and for findings out things that she wasn't supposed to. She informed me that Hogwarts was hosting the TriWizard Tournament again this year. Do you recall how we made use of it the last time at Hogwarts?"

Several of the Death Eaters nodded.

"Yes," I said softly, "and what was more, Jorkins told me that she knew of a faithful Death Eater who would be only too willing to help me. It cost poor Jorkins a lot to tell me all this." My lips curved up as I remarked ominously, "She had extracted every piece of useful information from her mind, in my service… But in the process, she became damaged beyond repair, and I could not possess her. Poor girl. I decided to save her from herself and I mercifully disposed of her.

"With Bertha's information in mind, I did not yet have a plan, but I knew it would be better if we relocated closer to Hogwarts and waited for an opportunity to present itself. In the meantime, I learned of the ancient knowledge that the creatures of the shadows – vampires, I believe they are called in popular terms - and in exchange for bringing them humans to bleed dry, they taught me the method with which they are able to re-materialize their ripped-apart bodies. As I said, it was ancient knowledge, such that the creatures themselves did not need it anymore, for it had become an automatic instinct of their physical bodies to rematerialize. Thus, I had to work backwards to figure out the method, and then to transform it to fit my own state and my own needs. At last, I discovered that what I needed was: flesh given by a servant, my father's bone, and the blood of a foe.

"Well, Wormtail, coward as he is, wished for me to use any old wizard or witch, didn't you? Any enemy of mine, and many are still out there. But I knew that the one I must use, if I was to rise again, more powerful than ever – was Harry Potter. Yes, I desired the blood of the one who had stripped me of power thirteen years ago, for the lingering protection his mother once gave him would then reside in my veins too.

"Then, the question became: How to get at Harry Potter? For he is better protected than I think even he knows, protected in ways devised by Dumbledore long ago, when it fell to him to arrange the boy's future.

"But then, as fate would have it, who else should stumble into my grasp but his own godmother, the Muggle-born, Raylynx Kingsley?" My lips curled once more into a highly pleased and amused smile, as I recounted, "Perhaps it was fate that smiled on us the day we failed to kill her before she became Mudblood Champion of the last TriWizard Tournament. Imagine her torment when she discovers that her survival and foolishness was what led to her own godson, Harry Potter, dying at my hands in this Tournament.

"It was so very easy, once I had read her mind, to ensure that Harry Potter would find his way to me. I used my one faithful Death Eater, stationed at Hogwarts, to ensure that Potter's name was entered into the Goblet of Fire and to ensure that the boy would touch the TriWizard Cup first – the cup which my servant had turned into a Portkey to bring him here, straight to me, and out of reach of Dumbledore's protection. And here he is… the boy you all mistook as my supposed downfall…"

I blinked once, and the smile fell from my lips. I slowly raised my wand. Then, I shouted, "Crucio!"

I watched as the boy screamed in pain. He writhed against his binds, against the tombstone that he was tied to. His eyes rolled madly in his head.

Still, I felt no satisfaction. I knew that the pain he felt was nothing compared to the pain that he had subjected me to, thirteen years ago.

I slashed my wand, and the Curse was lifted. Harry hung limply from the ropes.

In a deathly quiet voice, I announced, "After tonight, there shall be no mistake in anybody's mind: Harry Potter escaped me by lucky change. I am the more powerful, the most powerful. And so, to prove this to you, I will give him a chance. He will be allowed to fight, and you will be left in no doubt as to which of us is stronger."

I stared at Harry Potter a moment longer. Then, I ordered, "Untie him, Wormtail, and give him back his wand."

As Wormtail rushed forward, I looked down and whispered, "Just a little longer, Nagini."

She hissed and then glided away through the grass to where the Death Eaters stood watching.


Remus Lupin's POV

The first thing I did once the poison exploded was to cast Bubble Head Charms around myself and Alastor – that way, we had fresh air to breathe.

However, the poison was being to eat through the Bubble Heads. Besides that, my entire body, as unprotected as it was, was already tingling all over, especially my hand, with which I was holding Raylynx's wand.

I had already tried all kinds of spells, while aiming my wand at the magical lock high above us. I had also tried to run my hands all over the sides of the trunk, hoping to find a way out.

But I couldn't find any buttons or levers with my hands – in fact, I wasn't even sure whether my hands were even touching the trunk, nor could I find a spell to unlock the trunk.

"There's something about this trunk," I murmured, half-dazed, but trying to think through the fog in my head. "It seems to reject anything human."

"You're losing your wits there, boy," Alastor asked gruffly. "What you mean is, the trunk seems to reject any magic that interacts with it."

"No, no," I said, shaking my head. "I can't touch the wall. Can you?"

"Well, sure, I lean on it all the time."

"Really? Show me."

Alastor scowled at me. "What kind-of nonsense is this?"

"Please, Moody. We haven't got much time."

With a sigh, Alastor dragged himself up by his hands into a sitting-up position, and then he leaned back against the wall – or so it seemed.

I knelt down and looked closer at Alastor's back. "You're not actually leaning on the trunk."

"What?"

"Your back is not touching the trunk wall."

"Are you saying this is all an illusion?"

"No," I replied quickly, "it's very real. But I think the inside of this trunk rejects all that is human. Even the use of magic… I think the trunk can sense that it's human magic, somehow. Maybe through the human imprint on the base of the wand?"

Alastor thought about what I had just said. Then, he said morosely, "If that's true, then isn't this it for us? We're human, after all. Everything we do is human. And if you can't even use a wand, that really leaves us with very little."

I groaned and put my head in my hands. Think, think, think…


Jasper Riley's POV

"Hogwarts." Emmeline stared up in awe at the grand castle that used to be her home and school. Then, her eyes followed the large black dog bounding into the Forbidden Forest. "The dog came to Hogwarts for help."

She let out a sigh before she admitted, "Well, I think you were right, Jasper."

"About what?"

"About Dumbledore protecting Sirius."

My lips flattened into a grim line, but I only said, "Let's find out the truth, and finish it once and for all."

"But how are we going to get inside Hogwarts?" Emmeline asked thoughtfully. "That dog can get through the Forbidden Forest undetected, but I wager we'd be detected fairly quickly once we near the school."

Just then, a loud tumult of noise, clearly the sound of a crowd, carried over the school gates and reached us.

"What's that?" I wondered.

"It sounds like it's coming from the Quidditch pitch. My guess is that it's either a Quidditch Game or the TriWizard Tournament," Emmeline replied. "Remember last summer, the entire Ministry was in a frenzy trying to plan it?"

"Right. In that case, why don't we say we're from the Ministry and say that we're here to help with the Tournament?" I suggested.

Emmeline shrugged. "Sure, sounds as good a plan as any."

We strode forward together, towards the Hogwarts gates.


to nathaliedew98: Thank you so much for reading my story and for taking the time to leave such a kind comment! Yes, definitely, same HP-universe we know and love, but I hope there are elements of different kinds of magic that are suggested at in the original books, but not always explored as well (wand-making, Runes, as well as legendary/historical magic). I'm so excited to see it all tie together as the series goes forward, especially given that, in this chapter, Voldemort is back. Also, to your point about Sirus-Regulus-Raylynx, I don't want to give any spoilers away, but as you might have guessed from the last few chapters, Sirius is still adamant about finding out what happened to Regulus and... well, the name 'Damocles' has been used before. ;) I'm so excited to write the Order of the Phoenix chapters. I wrote out Sirius and Raylynx's storyline separately way back when I started the story, and obviously, Sirius is imprisoned for a huge amount of time, so I ended up writing a ton of Order scenes (since Sirius is finally in one place for a long time) that I've been holding onto for years and years! I very much hope you like them, too.