Harry Potter's POV

I managed to lift my head, though I felt exhausted from the Cruciatus Curse. Wormtail scurried towards me. He pulled the cloth out of my mouth, and he released me from the ropes. I fell onto the cold, hard stone beneath the tombstone. It hit me: I'm standing on a grave. I shivered.

I thought about running for a second, but then my leg panged with pain, and I realized that I could never outrun all of the Death Eaters and Voldemort gathered before me. Besides that, I could still see Cedric's dead body in the grass. The thought of leaving his body behind was unbearable.

Voldemort's cold voice slithered through the darkness. He asked me, "You have been taught to duel, Harry Potter?"

What does it matter? I wondered numbly. When he's just going to kill me.

"We bow to each other, Harry." Voldemort bent the slightest bit, though he never took his red, glimmering eyes off of me.

When I didn't bow back, Voldemort sighed. "Come, now. The niceties must be observed. Dumbledore would wish for you to show your manners."

Behind him, the gang of Death Eaters jeered at me at this sarcastic mention of Dumbledore.

"Bow to death, Harry," Voldemort whispered to me.

I stood resolute and steadfast, staring at Voldemort.

Voldemort's eyes narrowed. He abruptly hissed, "I said – bow."

Voldemort lifted his wand, and suddenly – I was bowing. My spine curved without my permission, as if some invisible hand was pressing hard on my back, forcing me to bend forward. The Death Eaters burst into laughter.

"Very good," Voldemort whispered. "Now, you face me like a man, straight-backed and proud, the way your father died…"

A hot spurt of anger erupted in my chest. I gripped my wand tightly in my hand.

Voldemort's eyes flickered a blood-red in the dim light. "And now – we duel."

I didn't even have a chance to shout or spell or even raise my wand, when Voldemort had already shouted, "Crucio!"

The pain hit me before I even realized what had happened. "Ahhhh!"

I was writhing on the floor. Knives were piercing my chest and ripping it open. I expected my raw heart to fall out onto the floor, at any moment. But at least then, the pain would stop. I begged in my head, please, please...!

Finally, it stopped. The high, cruel laughter of Voldemort, accompanied by the loud jeering and hissing of his Death Eaters filled my ears.

I wanted to stay on the ground and rest, to wait until I could think again or could remember any sensation other than pain… But I knew I had to move. Ignoring my shaking hands and buckling knees, I forced myself to get up. When I tried to walk, my leg gave out again and I staggered to the side. My left hand reached out and met the cold marble headstone of Tom Riddle Senior.

I was panting heavily, but I kept my head lifted, so I could watch Voldemort.

"That hurt, didn't it, Harry?" Voldemort spoke softly, as if he had had nothing to do with what the pain he'd just inflicted on me. "You don't want me to do that again, do you?"

I glared at him. I knew what he wanted from me: He wanted me to beg.

I'm not going to do that. I've got no chance of wining this fight, but at least I'll choose the way I go. Voldemort's right – I'll go like my dad, straight-backed and proud.

I took a deep breath and straightened up. My hand left the tombstone. With my other hand, I gripped my wand tighter.

Voldemort's voice became slightly more impatient, as he repeated, "I asked whether you want me to do that again. Answer me!"

I kept my gaze steadfast and resolute. I won't.

Voldemort suddenly pointed his wand at me and shouted,"Imperio!"

A floating sensation entered my head, as if all thoughts were merely bubbles that one could pop. Just say no. Answer no.

But… why? a tiny voice whispered in the back of my head.

Just say no, Harry. You know you want to.

No, actually. That's not right. I won't. I won't. I won't –

"I WON'T!" The words burst out of my mouth. My shout echoed through the graveyard, with each syllable ringing shrilly through the cold night air.

The Death Eaters fell silent.

Voldemort no longer looked to merely be taunting me. His face had become deathly still. "You won't?" he murmured. "Obedience is a virtue, Harry, one I need to each you before you die. Perhaps another dose of pain - ?"

As soon as I realized what Voldemort intended, I flung myself sideways and rolled behind the headstone.

The Cruciatus Curse that Voldemort had just sent flying at me hit the headstone instead. A loud crack! rang out as the spell slammed into the marble.

"I give you the chance to fight, and this is how you use it? We are not playing hide-and-seek," Voldemort hissed. "You cannot hide from me."

I wasn't trying to hide. I was – I was – I didn't even know what I was doing. I was just trying to live, to survive, to make sure that my parents' sacrifice, and Dumbledore, Remus', Sirius, Raylynx, Ron, and Hermione's sacrifices all meant something. My heart thundered madly in my chest. You're still alive, it told me. But I also knew that it may not have many beats left.

"Come out, Harry," Voldemort said. "I shall finish it now, as you wish. It might be quick. It might even be painless. I do not know, Harry, for I have never died…"

I've lived so far… I thought. I should be grateful for that. I should have died thirteen years ago. But I survived. I survived.

I closed my eyes and I pictured my parents' grave. Lily Potter. James Potter. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

For some reason, whenever Professor Kingsley took me to my parents' grave, I always thought that I would see them standing there, waiting for me, in place of their grave. As if they were cursed to stay where their grave was, so that they couldn't follow me home and be with me, but that if I came to the graveyard first, they would be there, waiting for me.

It looks like… I'll be coming to you instead. I let out a deep breath. Sorry, Professor Kingsley. Sorry, Sirius.

The end had come. I knew it in my heart. There was no hope, and no helped to be had.

I held my wand up against my heart for a moment. Then, I threw myself around the headstone with my wand already raised.

Voldemort had already seen me coming. He screamed, "Avada Kedavra!"

I shouted, with all of my might, "Expelliarmus!"

I don't know why I chose a Disarming Spell, except for the fact that I didn't want to kill.

Of course, I couldn't have known that twenty years ago, when Sirius Black was having a birthday party at James Potter's house (after Sirius ran away from his own home that summer), my father had predicted this moment.

Suddenly, Remus started laughing. It started quietly and then grew into something uncontrollable.

"Moony…? Sirius said weakly.

"I don't know why it suddenly sprang to mind, but d'you remember," Remus said between laughter, "when Mulciber hexed you in your third year, Padfoot? And Prongs here went after him to get 'revenge' for you and the only thing he managed to do was Disarm him before he got absolutely pummeled? The stupidest spell choice! Could've Stunned him, could've made him bald, and instead you, James, a scrawny second year, disarmed him. As though you tilted the odds by disarming Mulciber."

Sirius laughed, too. "I remember! You came back with the blackest eye and this terribly prattish scowl."

"Shut up!" James said hotly. "Expelliarmus is my favorite spell. It's going to save the world someday, you just watch."

The jet of green light from Voldemort's light collided in midair with the jet of red light that blasted from my wand.

Red light? When has Expelliarmus ever produced a light? I wondered. But there was no time to second-guess myself. My wand was suddenly vibrating, as though an electric charge were surging through it. At first, I had to struggle to hold on; but then, the oddest thing happened. It felt like my wand was glued to my hand. My fingers tightened around my wand of their own accord, and I knew that I couldn't release my wand even if I wanted to.

Suddenly, the most incredible thing happened: The two connected stream of light coming from Voldemort's and my wands transformed into a single, bright, thrumming gold beam of light.

My mouth dropped open. But I didn't lose concentration; I didn't allow myself to. I might very well die at any moment now, but until that moment came, I would fight as hard as I possibly could, so that I could meet my parents knowing that I had done everything I could to honor their sacrifice, their love for me, which I'd heard so much about, and was apparently running in my very veins, but which I had never been able to feel firsthand.


Sirius Black's POV

I knew it was risky to move so boldly in broad daylight (especially since I wasn't using my Demiguise Cloak, but I couldn't move nearly as fast under the Cloak.) Besides, I had no idea what I was searching for. However, in the dirt pathway leading up to Hogwarts, I suddenly picked up the scent of Remus' blood. My heart began racing anxiously. Someone attacked him here.

While the scent of blood was faint, indicating that Remus hadn't been bleeding too openly, the trail led all the way into the Forbidden Forest, and then, back up towards the castle… I swallowed hard. That's a lot of blood to lose, even if it's just a scratch or something. Oh, Remus, please be all right…

Just then, a loud cheer distracted me. I realized that there was a huge crowd gathered on the Quidditch Pitch; in fact, it seemed like the entire school, plus Durmstrang and Beauxbatons were there. That's right, it's the day of the Third Task. I wondered if I should risk going to see if Harry was all right, but I knew that Dumbledore would be there, so I followed my dog nose and kept tracing the scent of Remus' blood. As the trail kept going, I became very anxious to find Remus.

I quickly made it inside the castle. I was grateful for the empty corridors, as it made it much easier for me to sneak around, but at a fast pace. I dodged Filch, Mrs. Norris, and Peeves. Then, I started to wander down a hallway where some of the Professors' offices were (for that was where the trail of Remus' scent was leading me), when I suddenly picked up on a different overpowering scent, right in the middle of the hallway. The scent of Raylynx's blood was so intense and heavy that it completely erased any trace of Remus' blood. In fact, I could literally see a thick trail of scarlet blood streaking down the hallway.

My eyes widened. What happened here? Where the hell is Remus? Where is Raylynx? Are they together?

Shit, I cursed in my head, I knew something felt wrong.

Abandoning all secrecy, I began a full-out sprint, following that hideous red trail of Raylynx's blood all the way down the hallway.

Please, I prayed, let them be alive. Please, please, please…


Remus Lupin's POV

Alastor was beginning to lose his head. As was I.

I was starting to see things that could never happen inside this trunk:

"And – POUNCE!"

I cried out in surprise. I'd barely stepped front into the Great Hall, when Sirius, appearing from out of nowhere, grabbed my arms and held them behind me.

James frantically wrapped a bright red Gryffindor prefect's robe around me. His hands clumsily scrambled all over my stomach as he tied the robe belt around me with a big, loopy bow. Meanwhile, Peter crammed a stupid red and gold party hat on my head.

"And there you are!" Peter crowed victoriously.

"What're you doing?" I cried out.

"Celebrating the fact that you're prefect, of course!" James said loudly. "We put a prefect's bathrobe on you, so everyone will know!"

"But I don't want everyone to know," I mumbled. Then, I suddenly realized, "Wait, how did you get into the prefects' bathroom? I don't even know the password yet!"

Behind me, Sirius smirked. As he finally let go of me, he whispered lowly in my ear, "Oh, Moons, you're the only one who doesn't know the password yet. S' probably why Dumbledore made you prefect – to catch you up with the rest of the world."

"Pads…" I whispered, as I slumped over. "Pads…"

That's right, my mind whispered, Sirius might be in trouble right now. And little Prongs is in danger, too…

I blearily opened my eyes. That's right. Pain and exhaustion are such old friends now, I thought heavily. They aren't good enough reasons to give up on life anymore.

I stared tiredly at the broken glass shards from the exploding Potions bottles, now literally the floor. With a trembling hand, I slowly lifted my wand. I whispered, "Wingardium Leviosa."

Alastor and I both watched the thin shard of glass lift up into the air. I guided it all the way up to the lock. Then, with a flick of my wand, I pushed the glass forward. It pressed against the inside of the lock and – click.

"It opened!" I said, awed. I had realized that the potion bottles, which had been secretly embedded along the sides of the trunk, had likely been in the trunk for as long as the trunk itself had existed. Thus, it was glass that had not been touched for a long time. It bore no human imprint. That was why the magical lock didn't reject it.

For a moment, neither Alastor nor I moved, as we were waiting to see whether Barty Crouch Jr. was still around. But there was no movement above us. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Good work, boy," Alastor remarked. "But we're not out of this yet. How the hell do we get out of here? The exit's too high up to magically eject ourselves."

"Um, I'm not opposed to using traditional methods," I remarked sheepishly.

"Huh?"

"Like this." I threw back my head, took a deep breath, and then yelled, as loudly as I could, "HELP!"


Jasper Riley's POV

"Look!" Emmeline grabbed my arm.

I turned to see what she saw – a streak of black as the dog raced up the grounds and towards the castle.

We took off after it. We entered the castle, only to find the hallways completely deserted.

"Everyone's at the tournament," Emmeline whispered.

I nodded. "Wands out."

Emmeline copied my move, and we both drew our wands out.

"Where d'you think the dog raced off to?"

"I have an idea," I replied grimly. "Follow me." I started to lead the way up to Raylynx's office.

As we climbed up the staircase, Emmeline queried, "How do you know Hogwarts so well? You didn't go here."

I hesitated. I hadn't told Emmeline about my relationship with Raylynx. "Well…" I said quietly, "I suppose - "

Just then, a mournful, muffled cry broke the still air. Emmeline and I looked at each other with wide eyes.

"Did you hear that?"

"Yes, what - ?"

The sound burst into the air again.

I frowned. "It sounds like someone's hurt."

"It's coming from this way!" Emmeline stepped out of the staircase and took off down the nearest corridor. I followed her, staying right on her heels.

As we neared the source of the cries, we could make out what exactly the voice was crying: "Help! Help! Help us!"


Harry Potter's POV

Voldemort's wand and mine continued to be connected by that strange, bright golden light. I could barely see past the light radiating off of the central stream, but I saw how Voldemort's long, deathly white fingers were also gripping a wand that seemed to be shaking, just like mine.

A few Death Eaters rushed forward, with their own wands out, but Voldemort shrieked, "Do nothing! He is mine!"

But the words had barely left Voldemort's lips when, inexplicably, both Voldemort and I were lifted into the air. I cried out in surprise when I felt my feet lift from the ground. We hovered, high in the air, still connected by our wands.

What is this? I thought desperately, but I was also afraid to question it too deeply, because I had a sense that this was keeping me alive somewhere.

Below us, the Death Eaters were shouting and Nagini had lifted her sleek, huge body halfway off the crowd and was hissing fearsomely… However, we were in the air, untouchable, unless one of us killed the other.

Voldemort's eyes met mine, and his face distorted into a furious snarl that terrified me. At that moment, though, the golden beam of light connecting us splintered. Though that central strand of light remained, suddenly, a thousand golden beams arched high over us, crisscrossing all around us, until we were enclosed in a golden, dome-shaped web, a cage of light. That was when I saw Voldemort's eyes finally widen in astonishment.

He doesn't know what's happening, either, I realized, and though that did nothing to elevate my knowledge, I felt more confident. I put my left hand on my wand, too, and I gripped the wand tighter.

Maintain this connection! My instinct screamed at me. Don't let go, don't let go, don't let go…!

Then, the most curious thing happened – A most unearthly, trembling, yet beautiful sound filled the air. It was like a hum, and it occurred to me that the noise was coming from the thrumming streams of light themselves, all shivering and vibrating in the air.

As the vibrating sounds came together, I slowly recognized it for what it was: a phoenix song. I had heard it once before, down at the Chamber of Secrets, when Fawkes had healed me. I couldn't explain why, perhaps because of the memory of Fawkes' healing or or because Fawkes reminded me of Dumbledore, but that familiar sound, as mournful and unearthly as it was, inspired hope in me. It was as if the song was playing out in my heart, even moreso than it was playing out in the world I was in… For a moment, as insane it was, given the situation, I felt peace.

My wand jolted in my hand and then began to shake harder than ever. I suddenly feared that my wand would split in half. I swallowed hard and held on even tighter. The muscles in my hands were protesting…

As Voldemort and I fought to keep control of our wands, a bright white bubble of light bloomed in the very middle of the golden stream of light. It initially slid down the golden thread of light and came towards the tip of my wand. The closer the bubble of light came, the more my wand shook – I was sure that if the bubble reached my wand, my wand would not survive.

Push it back, a voice whispered in my head. Send it Voldemort's way.

How? I thought desperately.

There is no 'how.' You must do.

I closed my eyes and focused. I focused, without knowing exactly how, on pushing the bubble of light back towards Voldemort. My wand shuddered in my hand, but then the white ball of light began to go back down the golden stream of light towards Voldemort instead.

Voldemort watched with astonished eyes as the bubble of white light came his way. For once, he seemed flustered. That was my sign to push harder, to concentrate even more on getting that bead of light to Voldemort's wand.

And, finally, the bubble reached the tip of Voldemort's wand. The wand trembled for a moment. Then, horrible screams of pain began to emit from Voldemort's wand.

"What?" Voldemort snarled. "What sorcery is this?"

A grey, smoky, yet quite dense matter began to escape the tip of Voldemort's wand. The smoke wafted out into the air between us, and then, it formed the body of Cedric Diggory.

Shock flooded my mind. Cedric! But he's dead. Is this – Is he a ghost?

"Harry…" The ghost of Cedric was speaking to me. "Hold on , Harry…"

I stared, transfixed, at this smokey image of Cedric.

Meanwhile, more shadowy figures were emerging from Voldemort's wand, somehow. Another ghost-like figure appeared besides Cedric's. I didn't recognize this man. He was an elderly man holding a cane. He spoke in a gruff voice, as he told me, "Survived two wars, only to be killed by him. I see he was a real wizard now. You fight him, boy."

Already, though, there was yet another person who had appeared. It was a woman with wide, frightened eyes, plump cheeks, and rosy lips. It was Bertha Jorkins. When she saw what was happening, she cried, "Don't let him get you, Harry! Be strong, now! Don't let go!"

And there was yet another figure appearing. My heart clenched when I saw the smoke form into a man with very messy hair and glasses…

In a trembling, disbelieving voice, I whispered, "Dad?"


Raylynx Kingsley's POV

I thought I heard a dragon roar… or was it a cry for help?

Help…? Yes, I must help. I must go…

I tried to lift myself up, but my head felt so heavy, my mind so hazy, and my body trapped…

Is that shallow breathing mine? Is that thick wetness on the side of my head my blood…?

My eyes slipped shut, and I fell unconscious once more.


Sirius Black's POV

I finally came to the door where the trail of blood stopped. The trail led to a broom cupboard, and the door was closed. Who should be desperately pressing their paws against the door and trying to melt through than Quincy, Raylynx's fire salamander.

Quincy was so intent on melting through the door that he didn't notice me until my dog nose was sniffing loudly right next to him. The little salamander started when he heard my loud huff right in his ear. His paws froze, and his tail shot up straight in the air. He leapt backwards, bonked his head on my nose, and then ran around dizzily.

I quickly transformed into my human self. I reached down and stuffed Quincy unceremoniously into my front pocket. "Out of the way, you."

Drawing out my wand, I cast the spell, "Alohomora!"

The will behind my spell was so strong that the door burst open. And inside was –

I breathed out in horror. Before I could stop myself, I cried aloud, heartbroken, "Lynx!"


Harry Potter's POV

"Dad?"

"Yes, it's me. And your mother's coming. She wants to see you," the ghost of my father replied quietly. "It will be all right, son. Just hold on."

And then, she came – my mother: a young woman with long hair and eyes that shone brightly and lovingly, even in her ghost form. It was Lily Potter. She walked over and touched James' face before she came to me.

"M-Mum?" I whispered. I held my breath, scared to breathe out, in case my breath would push her away.

"Harry," she whispered back. She gazed at me.

James joined her, standing by her side. "We can't waste time," he murmured softly to Lily. "We're here to save him."

My mother slowly nodded. She told me, "When the connection is broken, we will linger to give you time – but only for a few moments. You must get to the Portkey. It will return you to Hogwarts. Do you understand, Harry?"

"Yes." My face was wet with tears. For a moment, I wondered if it would be so wrong to let myself be killed by Voldemort, so that I could join them.

My mother's face furrowed for a moment, as though she could sense my thoughts. "Sweetheart. You've been so brave," she whispered. "Don't give up now."

"Son, hold on," my father said fervently. And I knew from how emotional his voice was that he wasn't just talking about holding onto my wand, but holding onto the will to live.

Then, Cedric's ghost stepped up. "Harry, will you take my body back? To my parents."

"I will," I promised. It was getting harder and harder to hold onto my wand. My hand no longer felt glued to it. Rather, it felt like my wand was about to slip out of my grasp at any moment.

"Do it now," my father whispered. "Be ready to run…" He reached down and clutched my mother's hand. They both prepared themselves to run towards Voldemort, as did all of the other ghosts surrounding me.

"Now!" my mother burst out.

"NOW!" I yelled back. I wrenched my wand upwards, away from Voldemort. The connection finally broke, and the cage of light and the phoenix song abruptly disappeared.

The ghosts rushed forward all at once, closing in on Voldemort, shielding me.

I ran as fast as I could, pleading with my leg to keep up.

"Stun him!" Voldemort screamed.

Curses began to rain near me. I yelled and ran faster – this was it, it was now or never. I threw myself onto the ground besides Cedric, narrowly ducking the Stunners that the Death Eaters were sending my way. What was more, I heard a terrible hiss, and I saw Nagini racing through the grass towards me.

I wrapped my arm around Cedric's arm. Then, I pointed my wand towards the Cup, which was still gleaming dimly, and yelled, "Accio!"

The Cup soared towards me - Nagini struck – Voldemort was screaming – the Death Eaters were directing a torrent of Stunners in my direction –

I managed to grab the Cup with my left hand while keeping my arm around Cedric, and –

Whoosh!

I was swept up by a whirl of roaring wind and senseless color… We were going back.


Raylynx Kingsley's POV

Rain… It was rain.

And the air was warm.

It must be a summer rain.

Like that rainy day when Sirius and I foolishly ventured out to the coffee shop.

It was July. But it still rained.

"…Lynx, Lynx, Lynx…"

I must be dreaming about that day. That wonderful day.

I remembered how Sirius had kissed me, and how I had hugged him to pull him even tighter to me. My hands came up and I feebly clutched at something, some coarse fabric.

"Lynx?"

"Tired…" I mumbled out. I felt my mind start to fade away.

But in my dreams, Sirius began to say strange things to me, things he hadn't said to me that day we had our date.

"Don't fall asleep, love. Don't. 'Cause then you're going to leave – you'll leave me."

Why is he saying such things?

Is he crying? No, it's just raining. Right?

"Please, Lynx. As long as you're with me, we can save the others, I know we can. Just stay with me, love. Please."

Why would I leave you?

I slowly blinked, confused at my own dreams.

"Raylynx!" It was Sirius' shout of utter relief that made my eyes flash open. Only, part of the vision in my left eye seemed dark…

"You're alive. Oh thank Merlin, thank Merlin," Sirius whispered hoarsely.

I blinked and tried to look at him. I was in his arms, nestled against his chest, and I had been weakly clutching at his ragged shirt, just over his chest.

"Do you - ?" Sirius hesitated. "Do you know who I am?"

I tried to speak, but my voice caught in my throat. I had to try again. I managed to choke out a raspy voice, "Yes."

"Who am I, sweetheart? Tell me. Say my name."

I coughed, "S-Sirius."

Sirius let out a huge breath. "Good. But Lynx, you're in bad shape. Really bad shape."

Memories of what had happened began to filter into my mind as consciousness came – slowly, at first, but then, in a rush –

"Not me!" I suddenly burst out, though my voice remained quite croaky. "'S not me you've got to be worried about!"

"What?"

"Remus! And H-Harry!" I stared at Sirius with terrified eyes. "Go! You have to g-go, Sirius!"

Sirius shook his head fervently. "I'm not leaving you."

"You have to! Find Dumbledore and - "

"No, I'm not leaving you."

"Then, together!" I implored him desperately. "Help me up, Sirius. C'mon!"

I tried to get up on my own. The entire world spun. I collapsed forward. Thankfully, Sirius quickly caught me. I whimpered as a wall of pain slammed into my body. In that moment, my left eye completely lost vision. But I knew that as long as I had breath in me, I had to find Harry and Remus.

Behind me, Sirius said, in a worried voice, "Your head… You're still bleeding."

"Sirius, it doesn't matter!" I said, yelling at him now out of frustration. "Remus is locked away in a – a poisoned trunk and Harry is in trouble!"

At this, Sirius spat out, "What!?"

"It was Barty, Sirius, only Barty Crouch Junior, the one everyone thought died in Azkaban. But he didn't. Somehow, he got out, and he ambushed Moody. The Moody at Hogwarts has been an imposter all along!" I tried to explain quickly, even as I forced myself to clutch at Sirius' shoulder and make my way back down the hallway, towards Moody's office, where I knew Remus and the real Moody were.

Sirius' brow furrowed at this news. Half of his mind wanted to reject it – because if it was true, it meant that Harry was in real trouble. But Sirius recalled the traces of Dark Magic that he and Remus had discovered at Crouch's mansion, followed shortly by the death of Barty Crouch Senior.

Of course, Sirius thought miserably. It's like I said before – We were wrong to discount the attack at Moody's so quickly. People wrote him off as just paranoid, but it was the real thing. It was a Death Eater ambush.

Merlin, he thought, how the hell are we going to get ourselves out of this mess? Harry, hold on. We're coming!

We were almost at Moody's office, when suddenly – a whole mess of people came tumbling out of Moody's doorway: Jasper Riley, helping the real Moody to stump along on one leg and Emmeline Vance, who was supporting Remus as he dazedly stumbled along as well.

"Re - !" I nearly shouted with joy and relief, but then, I suddenly remembered that I was standing beside none other than Sirius and there, in front of us, was Jasper, the Auror who had been most dedicatedly and successfully tracking Sirius this entire time.

Sirius had his arm around me to help me walk. Now, I shoved Sirius away from me as fast as I could. Ignoring the pain that shot up my side when I did so, I immediately stepped in front of Sirius. Only, it was too late: Jasper and Emmeline had seen.


Harry Potter's POV

I felt myself slam into the grassy ground of the maze.

Quidditch field. The scent of earth and grass filled my nose, and I felt so grateful because the earth here smelled of life and not of rotting corpses and blood…

Corpses… Blood…

Cedric is dead.

Voldemort is back.

I didn't move. The weight of those two thoughts – those two truths – made me feel like I couldn't move at all.

In my hand, I could still feel the cool, metallic handle of the Cup, and against my arm, I could feel Cedric's arm. I shut my eyes even more tightly. I was vaguely aware of the crowd cheering. They must have thought we won, I realized. They don't know…

Then, another thought infiltrated my head – well, not so much a thought as a recognition that my scar was burning.

"Why are you still in the maze, child?"

I blinked and then my mouth fell open in surprise. The sphynx was hovering above me, staring down at me. With her wings out behind her, she was absolutely huge, almost blocking out the entire night sky from my vision.

"That boy… Is he dead?" The way she spoke about death was so neutral, so objective. There was no horror or sadness in her voice, just observation.

I mutely nodded.

"Are you safe here?"

I stared at her, and the images of Voldemort rising from the cauldron, of Nagini hissing at me and slithering after me, and of the horde of Death Eaters jeering at me and then casting spells at me played out in my mind.

The sphynx made a strange hissing sound. Then, reaching down, she easily lifted me and Cedric's body from the ground.

It felt so surreal to be lifted out of the maze. Once the sphynx cleared the height of the hedges, her wings unfolded even further, and I suddenly understood what a majestic creature she was. I realized that she could crush me in her paws instantly if she wished, but her grasp was so gentle that I felt safe - cradled, almost.

The cool wind blew on my face as we swept through the air. I caught glimpses of the maze rushing below me. It was incredible how insignificant it all looked from up here.

She only had to beat her wings a few times to take me to the Quidditch pitch. As we approached, I mumbled, "But… you didn't make me answer a riddle."

She replied quietly, "There's no need. You already have one in your eyes, and it's eating you alive."

I heard the crowd gasp in surprise and even in terror when they saw the sphynx approaching. She set me down gently, and without even landing, she was off again – into the vast, starry night sky.


Raylynx Kingsley's POV

"You!" Jasper roared.

Remus reacted incredibly quickly. He used the fact that he already had his arm around Emmeline to yank her down to the ground. "I'm sorry!" Remus cried out, as he pinned her to the ground.

Unfortunately, Alastor Moody didn't know the truth about Sirius yet, and as an Auror, he considered it his duty, as much as Jasper's, to capture Sirius Black. While Moody didn't have a wand, nor could he stand up on his own, he immediately let go of Jasper and pushed him forward, encouraging him to go after Sirius, before Moody himself fell softly to the floor.

Emmeline and Remus grappled with each other on the floor. Emmeline was trying to get to her wand, and Remus was doing his best to keep her from succeeding.

Jasper – Well, Jasper had already had his wand pointed at us.

"No!" I screamed. I stepped in front of Sirius and threw my arms out.

Jasper paused. With a growl, he cut short his spell.

Turning, I shoved Sirius down the hallway. "Run! Run, Sirius!"

Sirius took off, and I ran right behind him. A Full Body-Bind Freeze Curse flew over my shoulder and landed at Sirius' heel. He jolted, and he managed to push himself forward just enough to miss the spell.

"Go, go, go!" Adrenaline coursed through my body, and it gave me the energy I needed to shield Sirius from Jasper as Sirius ran for it, for Jasper was reluctant to hit me with a spell.

Unfortunately, after running for a while, the hallway that Sirius and I eventually turned into was a long hallway, with only broom cupboards to hide it. "No," I moaned lowly. At this rate, we would be caught.

But to my surprise, Sirius disappeared before my very eyes.

"Siri - ?"

A voice whispered quickly into my ear, "Demiguise Cloak."

Only a second later, Jasper came sprinting into the hall. I lifted my wand. "Supplantor!"

My trip jinx worked. Jasper went sprawling.

I winced. I had used the Trip Jinx instead of the Impediment Jinx, hoping that the impact would be softer, but I hadn't accounted for how hard Jasper would be sprinting towards us.

I raced over to him. "Jasper, please," I begged. "Give up this chase. He's not the one you want. I promise you."

Jasper, who had been staring up at me from the floor, suddenly snapped. "You promise?" He leapt up and grabbing my wrists in his hands, he pushed me against the wall. Ordinarily, it wouldn't hurt at all – only right now, my rib was fractured, if not broken, and the side of my head had a huge gash in it. As soon as my back hit the wall, my vision spun. When I was moving, even though my body hurt more, the adrenaline kept me going. But being held down like this, being forced to be still – all the pain was catching up to me at once.

Still, even now, I knew that I wasn't the only one feeling pain. Jasper had tears in his eyes as he gripped my wrists extremely tightly, until his fingernails dug into both my wrists and his palms, as he growled, "Where is he?"

"Jasper - "

"You've hidden him from me all this time, but the game is up! Where is he?"

"Please," I whispered, "I know I hurt you, and I'm sorry, but I - "

"Raylynx, tell me where Sirius Black is!" Jasper roared. "Tell me now!"

I gasped in pain when Jasper shook me – again, it wouldn't have hurt at all if I hadn't been hurt, but I was hurt.

"Impedimenta!" a voice growled.

Jasper was blasted back from me. With a low groan, he forced himself onto his feet again. His eyes narrowed into a frightful glare, as he muttered knowingly, "That was Black. He must have a Cloak of Invisibility, then."

Lifting his wand, Jasper scanned the hallway furiously. "Now, where exactly did that come from?"

"Sirius, you fool," I whispered under my breath. "Giving yourself away like that…"

Jasper made his move. "Homenum Revelio."

I gasped, as a phantom bird, made of white smoke, swooped over a particular spot in the hallway, not far from us.

Victoriously, Jasper pointed his wand at that spot and yelled, "Stupefy!"

"Protego!" I cried out.

Jasper's Stunner and my Shield raced desperately towards the spot that the Revelio Charm had revealed. My Shield was successful and with a deep gong-like sound, Jasper's Stunner ricocheted off my shield, hit the wall, and dissipated.

But Jasper knew that there were other ways to get to Sirius. He'd barely finished casting his Stunner when he switched tactics and murmured instead, "Accio cloak."

Thankfully, nothing came flying towards him. Sirius must have deflected the spell or else managed to hold onto the Cloak he was under.

Suddenly, a loud cry and then a low, gruff, "oof" rang out – as Emmeline and Remus toppled into our hallway. Emmeline had managed to get to her wand, but Remus still had his hand around her wand hand and was firmly directing her wand away from him.

I raised my wand, intending to help Remus, but he cried out loudly, "Raylynx! Harry – He's in trouble!"

Remus huffed as he wrestled with Emmeline. I raced forward, but Remus shook his head wildly and shouted, "The Cup's a Portkey! Get to Harry! NOW!"

Suddenly, with one fluid motion, Sirius pulled the Cloak off of himself.

Emmeline gasped. Jasper's eyes narrowed, and he immediately pointed his wand at Sirius.

Calmly, Sirius said, "Fine. You can have me. Just let Lynx and Remus go."

"Sirius…" I whispered.

Sirius looked over at me and Remus. "Go. Save Harry."

I bit my lower lip and shifted from foot to foot. My heart was torn. I can't – I can't leave Sirius, and yet – there's Harry - !

Sirius' eyes blazed with a quiet, but fiery resolution. "I said go."

I stared at him for a second longer. I knew that if I left Sirius here, he would be captured at once. Jasper and Emmeline were already at the ready. But Harry was our godson. Harry was… He was our baby. As much as I wanted for Sirius to be the most important person to me, and I to be the most important person to him, it just couldn't be. Harry was our priority.

With a loud cry of frustration, I turned away from Sirius and sprinted off. Remus followed me.

Emmeline made to step towards us, but Jasper said curtly, "Let her go."

"What?" Emmeline said, shocked. "But they're Black's accomplices - !"

"It doesn't matter," Jasper said. His eyes glinted as he approached Sirius, and he announced, "We have what we want."


Harry Potter's POV

Someone was calling my name, but I didn't even recognize my own name at first – not until a pair of hands seized my shoulders tightly.

"Harry! Harry!" The face of Albus Dumbledore came into view, for he was crouched over me.

My arm was straining to keep hold of Cedric and the Cup. I let go of the Cup. But I quickly found Cedric's arm again, and this time, I clasped it in my hand.

"Harry." Dumbledore stared into my face with the most serious gaze.

"He's back," I whispered. "Voldemort's back."

"What is going on here?" The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, suddenly popped into my vision. "Harry, my God, and – Diggory! Dumbledore, he's dead!"

From Fudge, the news of Cedric's death spread over the crowd.

"Harry, let go of him," Dumbledore said quietly. "You cannot help him anymore. It is over."

But I clutched onto Cedric even more tightly.

From somewhere amidst the crowd, a voice wailed, "NO! WHERE IS HE? WHERE IS MY SON? WHERE'S MY BOY?"

Amos and Annabelle Diggory rushed forth, breaking through the crowd of people that had gathered around Harry, Dumbledore, and Fudge.

Take my body back to my parents… I finally let go of Cedric's body.

Amos dropped to his knees and pulled Cedric into his arms. Meanwhile, Annabelle burst into horrified, heartbroken tears.

"My boy," Amos whispered. He began to sob, "Cedric, my son, the best part of my heart…"

Instead of sharing in their grief, I suddenly felt numb. Because it was my fault. I should have just taken the fucking Cup.

"Dumbledore," Fudge hissed, "we must take the body where it cannot be seen. There are too many people!"

Somebody grabbed my shoulder and pulled me up from the ground. They pushed me forward, made me walk. "I'll take the Potter boy to the hospital wing."

"No," Dumbledore replied, "I'd rather he stay here – Fudge, let Amos and Annabelle be - "

"My boy, my son…!"

"It's all right. I've got you. Come on now. Hospital wing it is…"

"Dumbledore said stay," I mumbled. The pain in my scar had started to pound heavily. My vision was starting to blur from the pain.

"You need to lie down. Come with me, now…"


Sirius Black's POV

I remained silent as Jasper Riley approached me, with Emmeline Vance at his shoulder. But when Jasper reached out to take my Cloak and wand away from me, a bloom of bright orange fire came spurting out of my front pocket. It startled me as much as it started Jasper and Emmeline. I cried out and stumbled backwards.

"What the hell -?" Emmeline yelled.

Jasper had chosen not to duck, as he realized that his ducking might put Emmeline at risk of being burnt. Instead, he slashed his wand in the air, and a thin, but effective shield appeared, blocking both of them from the worst of the flame.

As I tripped backwards, I felt something warm scrambling inside of my pocket. Then, Quincy poked his head out of my pocket. He hissed fearsomely (or, as fearsomely as a little salamander could) and then, with a tiny roar, he let loose another burst of fire – this time bright blue.

I used the diversion to shout, "Bombarda!" Though I was not proud of this by any means, I knew full well that destructive spells were my strongest spells. Thus, it didn't surprise me when three feet of the wall burst into rubble – but it did surprise Jasper and Emmeline.

Still, Jasper managed to throw back his own attack. "Incarcerous!"

Black ropes came flying through the air, quick enough to make it past the exploding rubble, even, and came flying towards me. The ropes managed to catch my ankle.

Merlin, he's quick, I thought to myself. Only, I was used to these kinds of spells. My own parents used to put them on me. I had quite a lot of practice getting out of them,. So, with barely a grimace, I pointed my wand at my own ankle and muttered, "Sectis."

The spell cut the ropes away, though it also cut a deep cut into my ankle. Ignoring the steady trinkle of blood bleeding into my shoe and the accompanying pain of a fresh cut, I threw on the Cloak and then ran down the hallway as fast as I could, with Quincy bouncing along happily in my front pocket.

Didja see that? He puffed out his little chest proudly. Almost dragon-level, I think!


Harry Potter's POV

It was only when Moody nearly carried me through the crowd that I realized it was him.

We finally escaped the crowd and Moody set me down. We walked back towards the castle.

"What happened, Harry?" Moody asked me.

"Cup was a Portkey," I answered, in a numb tone that reflected the blankness I was feeling inside. "Took me and Cedric to a graveyard. Voldemort was there."

Moody threw me a look. "The Dark Lord was there?"

"Yes."

"What happened then, boy?"

"Killed Cedric." I paused. Then, I repeated it – I don't know why: "They killed Cedric."

"And then?"

"A cauldron. Made a Potion. The Dark Lord… He got his body back."

"The Dark Lord succeeded? He's returned?"

"Yes…"

"And what then?"

"The Death Eaters came. Voldemort made me duel."

"You dueled with the Dark Lord himself?"

"Yes…"

Moody pushed me down into a seat. I suddenly realized that we were in his office. Moody seemed to frown at an open trunk in his room. He seemed to be calculating.

All at once, he suddenly began to act quite briskly, or so it seemed to me. He pointed his wand at his office door, and it shut with a bang!

Before I could even blink, Moody was in front of me, kneeling in a way that seemed to put a lot of strain on his wooden leg.

"Voldemort's back, Harry? You're quite sure of that?"

I nodded mutely.

"And the Death Eaters?"

"There were loads of them."

"Did he forgive them all?"

Suddenly, I remembered – "A Death Eater!" I burst out. "I meant to tell Dumbledore – There's a Death Eater at Hogwarts! They put my name in the Goblet and they made sure I got to the Cup first tonight!"

I tried to jump onto my feet, but Moody's hand snaked out quickly. He gripped my shoulder and pushed me back down. "I know," he said quietly. "I know who the Death Eater is."

"Karkaroff?" I guessed.

Moody laughed. "Karkaroff? No, that coward fled tonight, when he felt the Dark Mark burn on his arm. But I doubt he will get far. The Dark Lord always has ways of tracking his enemies." Moody blinked, and I thought that I saw his tongue flicker out of his mouth for a moment, before he continued, "You see, Potter, time is running out now – for Karkaroff, yes, but for you and me as well."

"What?" I said, stunned. "Karkaroff ran away? But then – he didn't put my name in the Goblet?"

"No, he did not. It was I who did that."

"No, you didn't." I countered him before I even realized what Moody had said. "No, you wouldn't. You can't have. You didn't, Professor."

"I assure you I did. I put your name in the Goblet of Fire, under the name of a different, fourth school, to ensure that you would be chosen. For the First Task, I bought Hagrid a drink at the Three Broomsticks and I suggested that he show you the dragons. Then, I helped you, idiot that you were, to get past the dragon. That Second Task - "

"Cedric told me to open the egg underwater," I said hoarsely. "And Professor Kingsley found the gillyweed."

"But who told Cedric to open it underwater, hm? I knew Cedric would give you that information, as repayment for your telling him about the dragons. And Professor Kingsley, why, that stupid Mudblood has been my greatest ally. You had no ideas the pains she took to help you get through the Tournament, Potter. I was always worried that Dumbledore would find it suspicious if I gave you too much help with the Tournament, but with her in the picture, it became so laughably easy. Of course she would help you. And she had no clue that the entire time, her actions were leading to the Dark Lord's resurrection and to your death."

Moody cackled gleefully. "Of course, in the maze tonight, while I was 'patrolling', I Stunned the Delacour girl and I Imperiused Krum. I planned to have him finish Diggory off, so that you could get to the cup unhindered. It didn't quite work the way I planned, but either way, the Diggory boy met his sad, pathetic fate, didn't he?"

I opened my mouth to protest furiously, but Moody abruptly stood up. He stared down at me with one eye, while his magical eye rolled around in his head, checking the vicinity. "And now that I've confessed to you, Harry – you tell me: Did the Dark Lord forgive them?"

"W-What?"

"I said," Moody growled, "did the Dark Lord forgive the scum who never even went to look for him? Those worthless bits of filth who were brave enough to wear his masks at the Quidditch World Cup, but fled at the sight of the Dark Mark when I fired it into the sky."

I stared at Moody in total disbelief. I whispered, in pained tones, "You… You can't have - "

"I told you, Harry," Moody snarled, "I fucking told you. If there's one thing I hate more than any other, it's a Death Eater who walked free. Now tell me that the Dark Lord tortured them for their disloyalty, for their cowardice. Tell me he hurt them, Harry."

I was mute. But Moody is Dumbledore's ally. How can this be? It doesn't add up. Maybe he's really gone mad. Maybe he's having a spell. This must be his paranoia at work – right? Right?

"No?" Moody began to breathe heavily. His tongue flickered out across his face a few times. "Fine, then, I shall solidify my own position as the Dark Lord's most faithful supporter. The Dark Lord wanted to kill you tonight, Potter. You were only kept alive because he needed your blood, see?" Moody began to look absolutely mad, and his words began to run together, and he started to laugh in a high-pitched laugh as he explained, "Butnowthathe'sgotyourblood, all he needs – yes, allheneeds – is you dead."

"You're mad!" I blurted out. "You're completely mad!"

"Mad? Me?" Moody laughed even more loudly. "You sound just like my father, you know. He always said that about me, too. He always called me mad, when he was the one who never came home to take care of his mad son. Mad, mad, mad, mad -!" Moody's sing-songy voice cut off, and he raised his wand.

With a yell, I made to grab at my own wand, but it was inside of my robes, and Moody already had his wand pointed right at me –


to Mindy-Liane: Thank you so much for reading! :)