Chapter 96: (Don't Fear) the Reaper
"Kill the spare," Harry heard a raspy voice say.
"Cedric get down!" Harry sprung forward to tackle Cedric just as a green light flew right overhead. "Wand out, be on your guard."
Cedric hauled Harry up and spun them behind the nearest tombstone. As Cedric caught his bearings, Harry quickly brought grabbed for the rune on his sleeve.
"Bugger," Harry cursed at the tear in his sleeve that went right through the rune.
"How'd you tear your sleeve?" Cedric asked. "And why does that matter?"
"I tore it in my fight with the Minotaur," Harry explained, as they heard footsteps approaching. "And it was a way to contact Dumbledore in case this sort of thing happened."
"Nothing we can do about that now," Cedric said. "You ready to fight?"
"I'll manage," Harry recast the numbing charm on his ankle. "Let's go face whatever Voldemort has in store."
"Voldemort?" Cedric paled and then his face hardened. "I'll start on offense, you take care of defense. If you see me start to tire, take over."
"Got it," Harry gripped his wand tightly and they spun around the stone just before spellfire hit it. Cedric returned fire with a brace of bludgeoning hexes and a swarm of birds. Harry then got his first look at their attacker.
"Wormtail," Harry spat at the portly man whose balding frame held an ugly baby-like thing.
"That how you greet your honorary uncle, Harry?" Pettigrew bared his oversized incisors at Harry. "Now be a good boy and stand still and we'll let your friend go."
"Not happening," Cedric stepped forward and launched a trio of exploding curses, causing the ground around Wormtail to explode.
Wormtail responded with another killing curse which Harry blocked with a summoned tombstone. Cedric seemed to flag a little, prompting Harry to launch his own set of curses, starting with a trio of piercing curses that Wormtail barely dodged and a leg-locker curse that hit. Pettigrew hit the dirt.
"Well done, Harry!" Cedric stepped up and laughed at the flailing Pettigrew and his little bundle that was now cursing at him like a sailor. "What should we do with him now?"
"I think we've got a party to get to," Harry said. "I don't know about you but I'm knackered."
"Then let's get to the cup," Cedric said. "Hopefully it'll still work and then we can celebrate!"
"I'll call Hermione," Harry said as he thrust his hands into his robes to fetch the mirror. "And all I want is a sandwich and a short 7- or 8-hour nap."
Cedric laughed again as he hauled Pettigrew to his feet. While Cedric did the heavy lifting, Harry extracted the mirror. Once it cleared his pocket, a tremendous crack rang through the air.
"Terebrare," A new voice echoed across the graveyard, hitting Cedric in the back. Blood and sinew burst from his chest and the older boy collapsed in a lifeless heap.
"Cedric!" Harry dropped the mirror to check on Cedric but before he could reach him, blackness overtook him.
When he came to, he was looking at the face of Barty Crouch. Just beyond him, he spotted Pettigrew smashing his mirror. Harry cursed inwardly as his mind scrambled for a way out of this.
"There he is," Crouch brought him out of his agonized musings. "Sorry for my tardiness master, it took a while to get clear of the Hogwarts wards before I could return to your side."
Harry's brain spun in entropy. Crouch, one of the staunchest opponents to the Dark Arts a Death Eater? It didn't add up. As Harry worked on the problem, Crouch's face started to change. The nose became more pointed, the face longer with shoulder-length white hair. With a flourish of his wand, the clothes changed and Lucius Malfoy stood in front of him in full Death Eater regalia, minus the mask.
"Much better now," Malfoy said. "I have been waiting for this day for a long time, Potter."
"Time is short," the raspy voice rang out again. "Get on with it."
"Sorry we don't have time for pleasantries, Potter," Malfoy said. "But we are on a tight schedule."
Pettigrew hauled an enormous cauldron that looked like it was pulled from a movie set onto a raging fire. As the liquid inside started to boil, Pettigrew unraveled the creature from its bundle, dropping it into the concoction.
"Bone of the father," Pettigrew said as the ground beneath the tomb opened. "Unknowingly given. You will renew your son."
A human femur levitated from the ground turned to dust and dropped into the bubbling maelstrom, turning it white.
"F-f-flesh of the s-servant," Pettigrew hesitantly said as he drew a long dagger from his belt. "Willingly sacrificed. You will renew your master."
Taking a deep breath, he brought the dagger down toward his right hand. Harry closed his eyes but couldn't block out the blood-curdling scream nor the plopping sound of the hand hitting the water.
"Blood of the enemy," Harry opened his eyes as Pettigrew hobbled toward him, blood dripping freely from his arm. "Forcibly taken. You will resurrect your foe."
Harry tried to pull his arm away but Lucius grabbed it in an iron grip.
"Stay still," Lucius watched over Pettgirew's shoulder with glee as the blade made contact with his arm where the sleeve was already torn. "Or don't. This is going to hurt either way."
Harry screamed as the blade dragged from his elbow to his wrist. Crimson blood ran freely down his arm onto his hand. With his blood covering the blade, Wormtail hobbled back to the cauldron and flicked Harry's blood into it.
The potion turned from red to pitch black as the miasma continued to boil violently. Seconds felt like hours as Harry wished, pleaded and hoped the thing would drown. A geyser of steam shot upward, pushing the remaining liquid out of the cauldron. Harry watched with bated breath. Let it be dead, he repeated over and over. As he watched, his eyes widened in horror as a white hand reached out to grab the rim, followed by another. They grasped the lip and a face crested the top of the cauldron, white as bone with blood-red eyes that gleamed in the night. The rest of his skeletally-thin body followed and there was no denying: Lord Voldemort had returned.
"Robe me," Voldemort instructed. Malfoy advanced with black robes while Pettigrew held out Voldemort's white wand.
With them distracted, Harry took his chance.
"Dobby," Harry called but Dobby didn't arrive.
"Thought you'd call your little elf friend, did you?" Voldemort turned toward him. "We thought of that and every other way you might contact your friends. You are all alone, Harry Potter. No Dumbledore, no mother to die for you. Just you and me."
Harry's eyes traveled from the newly-resurrected Voldemort to Cedric lying motionless, his eyes staring unblinkingly up at him, the last vestige of his final laugh still on his face.
"Oh I'm so sorry," Voldemort spoke without a hint of remorse as he followed Harry's eyes to their target. "It's your fault you know? He wasn't needed, only you were. Had you been a good boy and come alone, as you were supposed to, he'd still be alive."
Even employing all his occlumency exercises, Harry couldn't hold back the tears that flowed forth.
"There, there," Voldemort smiled as he coddled the boy condescendingly. "Don't cry. You will join him before long. But first, we have some things to take care of. First, let's see what you've got in this lovely head of yours."
Harry glared at the man which was exactly what Voldemort wanted. Without warning, a probe, fiercer than any Harry had ever felt, entered his mind straight past his defenses. On the viewscreen of his mindscape, memory after memory passed through, as if Voldemort was mining his memories. He went from his childhood, being locked in his cupboard, Petunia hitting him with the frying pan for spilling the eggs, Vernon whipping him with his belt, and running from Dudley and his gang. Voldemort moved to more recent memories. Harry went through the Chamber and caught a feeling of pure rage when the diary was destroyed. Voldemort moved past it, to Paris where he and Hermione almost kissed, to times with Neville and the rest of his friends. He relived training with Hermione and Flitwick before moving to Sirius before finally landing on Helen and Richard, all smiling at him before he went to start the third task. Harry finally marshaled enough willpower to force Voldemort out.
Voldemort stepped back as if slapped, turned, and drew his wand.
"Crucio," Harry expected to hear pain but heard Lucius scream again. "You have failed me, Lucius. You gave my diary, the item I specifically gave for you to protect, to a little girl!? What's worse, you have accomplished nothing. The Grangers are alive. Why didn't you check for people to be home? You burnt down a house and for what? Your own personal pleasure."
A hiss came from the ground as a snake wound its way around Lucius' writhing form.
"My lord," Lucius shouted while he writhed on the ground. "I sought only to find you. I thought Potter knew something and to get to him, I needed Dumbledore gone. Please, I beg of you. I sought only to bring you back, to serve you again."
Malfoy shouted his last words and Voldemort lifted the curse and walked away.
"You will spend the rest of your life serving me," Voldemort sneered. "Both of you will. Your arm, Wormtail."
Wormtail extended the stump of his arm and sputtered grateful platitudes.
"Not that arm," Wormtail looked torn between confusion and betrayal while Voldemort lifted the other arm and pressed a finger to Wormtail's mark. "Now you will see, Potter. You will see my true family."
"Except one," Voldemort sneered. "My most loyal follower is the one I have to thank for your presence here today. He submitted your name, made sure you faced the toughest dragon so I could see where your skills are, and brought in the Minotaur for the third task. Pains me to say this but you have impressed me, Harry Potter. Which is why I will be kind to you. We will battle and you will die. Quickly. You have earned a quick death, that much is to be certain. Ah and here my family arrives."
Whisps of shadow descended from the sky in steady columns. As they reached the ground, their shapes became decidedly humanoid, all wearing black robes and skull masks. 30 Death Eaters answered the call, arrayed in layers around Voldemort. As one, they all kneeled.
"Welcome my old friends," Voldemort stood in the center of the semicircle they formed around him. "So many years since our last meeting and you have heeded my call as though it were yesterday.
"But it has been much longer since our last meeting, hasn't it?" Voldemort walked toward his followers and all of them dropped their heads. "Rumors have floated to my ears that you have renounced me. That you are now siding with the mudblood-lover Albus Dumbledore!"
A cacophony of shouts interrupted Voldemort, every one of his followers pleading their case at once.
"I am sorry," one of their number broke rank and stumbled to Voldemort, kissing the hem of his robes.
"Stand up, Goyle," Voldemort kicked the man away. "There will be time enough for that. You all owe me a debt, this you should know. Loyalty is something I require of all who serve me. Have I not been loyal to you? Have I not been good? Did you think me done in by a mere babe?"
More shouts of no filled the night.
"We returned," Lucius said, still shaking from the cruciatus. "Wormtail and I, we found you."
"That is true," Voldemort turned toward the shaking Lucius and Wormtail cradling the stump that used to be his hand. "Though your hand was forced and you didn't come willingly, that comes with certain benefits."
With a flourish of his wand, a silver hand appeared in front of the group. Another flick and the hand floated to attach itself to Wormtail's hand.
"See?" Voldemort spoke as Pettigrew flexed his new hand. "Voldemort is kind, he is generous. All he requires… is loyalty. Give him loyalty and loyalty from him you will get."
Harry couldn't take it anymore. He laughed.
"Ah yes," Voldemort turned toward Harry. "You all know our guest of honor. The famous Boy-Who-Lived."
Voldemort bit out the title to which the Death Eaters laughed.
"Yes quite the legacy," Voldemort said. "Held aloft by rumor and speculation but he is nothing but a boy. I will admit, he has some talent but that talent pales in comparison to mine."
"But how, if I may ask, did he defeat you the first time?" One of the Death Eaters asked.
"Ah yes Nott," Voldemort smiled evilly. "I am glad you asked. It was his mother. A prodigious talent, as I'm sure you all remember. She invoked old magic, ancient magic. I should have foreseen but how was I to expect a little mudblood to have information like that? Anyway, she used her own sacrifice to power a ritual. As a result, I could not touch him by either spell or physical contact, something I discovered four years ago. It was then that I was at my lowest point. Powerless, abandoned by my faithful followers."
The Death Eaters shuffled their feet and avoided eye contact.
"But then fate smiled on Lord Voldemort," Voldemort gestured toward Malfoy and Pettigrew. "They came to me with a woman, Bertha Jorkins. She told us about the coming tournament and she even had a greater secret, the secret which allowed us to find our ally, the one who operated in secret and set the trap for our young friend to join us.
"Now, after a decade and a half respite, it is time for our mission to continue. MacNair, are you ready to use the axe for more than slaughtering animals again? Nott, are you ready to worm into the government again? Good, there is work we need to do there. Goyle, I know you're missing your partner but we will get him out. We will bring new members into our cabal to replace the ones we have lost. We will descend on Azkaban and free our most oppressed soldiers. With them and the Dementors at our backs, we will rain fire and fury down on this country until they bow to us. They will learn there are two options: bow or die. Magical Britain has become far too soft, thanks to the insipid Albus Dumbledore and his championing of Mudblood rights. If he had his way, we would serve them. He would even have us breed with them."
A few retches came from the Death Eaters as Voldemort spoke.
"We cannot allow the further dilution of our ways. We are wizards, we are strong and we are the only ones equipped to lead not just magical Britain but also muggle Britain. From there, the rest of the world will see our symbol and know its place. Only with strict guidelines can with move forward.
The group of Death Eaters all cheered.
"We will bring the Giants back, reach out to the vampires and werewolves. Their mission aligns with ours anyway."
Harry laughed again.
"Really, Tom?" Harry cheeked. "The werewolves are gone. They left once Fenrir was killed."
"Crucio!" Voldemort shouted and Harry's world became pain. From the strands of his hair to his toenails and everywhere in between, pain lanced across every nerve. Not even his screams did anything to abate the pain. His voice grew hoarse and before he could take no more, the pain stopped.
"Pain, Potter. That's all you have left in this world. Pain and death. And once I prove once-and-for-all why you are nothing more than a little boy who dared to stand against Lord Voldemort, I will display your broken corpse to send a message to all who would oppose me. Your torso will hang above Gringotts, a message to the Goblins that their master is once again active. And your head, I will mount in the Ministry itself. First, we will duel and then you will die. And just in case you get any bold ideas…"
Voldemort extended a bony finger and traced along Harry's scar.
"Your mother's protection lives within me now," Voldemort cackled. "I can touch you however I want, wherever I want, and whenever I want. But now to the heart of it."
The ropes slackened and Harry tumbled down onto the ground.
"Lucius, get him his wand," Voldemort instructed. "Precious Boy-Who-Lived needs his weapon, right?"
Malfoy thrust Harry's wand into his hand.
"Do put up a good fight," Malfoy whispered in his ear. "I am eager to see you die but put on a show before you do, would you? My followers have been without entertainment for far too long."
"I know we should be in a dueling arena but I'm afraid we don't have the time," As Voldemort spoke, Harry bandaged his arm as the blade used prevented him from mending the cut on his sleeve, trying to keep his arm from twitching thanks to his cruciatus exposure. As he reached the cuff, he saw the rune stitch back together. Before he could press it, he was hit with another Crucio, this one lasting far shorter.
"Pay attention, Harry," Voldemort said. "I was taking all that time to explain this and you're not listening. Honestly, I heard you were a good student."
The Death Eaters cackled as Harry picked himself back up.
"Now first we bow," Voldemort bowed and Harry barely inclined his head. "That just won't do, I said bow."
An invisible hand grabbed Harry's spine and bend it into a formal bow.
"That's better!" Voldemort led a new round of cackles. "Now, we can begin."
Fine, Harry thought as he tightened his grip.
"Auguamenti, Glacius, Duro, Gemino maxima," Harry's conjured ice spears multiplied. "Depulso."
The mass of spears shot toward Voldemort whose eyes widened a fraction. He flicked his wand and the spears intended for him dissolved into water droplets. However, the Death Eaters behind him were not so lucky. Two dodged but one standing behind Voldemort did not react in enough time and was impaled straight through the mask.
"Impressive," Voldemort said. "Filius has trained you well, I see. Now see how far you have to come to match me. Incendio!"
A waterfall of flame erupted from his wand. Acting on instinct, Harry dove out of the way and cast a severing charm on the flame to kill its reach before putting as much power into his water charm as possible. Steam covered the expanse between the two wizards.
"Serpensortia," Harry conjured a viper. "~Strike at him~."
The snake slithered into the vapor as Harry pushed magic into the rune. When it lit up, he smiled and readied his next attack.
"Ventus," Harry dispensed with the steam until he could spot Voldemort. "Kamehameha."
Harry put as much as he could into the blue ball of flame as he could muster. The ball shot toward Voldemort. As it approached, the Dark Lord simply smiled and extended his hand. The ball stopped at his hand and he held it aloft in amusement.
"I heard of this spell," Voldemort laughed. "I expected it to be… stronger."
Voldemort turned the ball to ice and crushed it in his fist.
"Now if we are done playing," Voldemort squared up when Harry's snake shot from the remaining clouds, forcing Voldemort to sever its head mid-strike just as a puff of flame briefly appeared above their heads, unnoticed by anyone in the graveyard. Voldemort turned back to Harry, rage on his face. "Petulant boy! You attack the Heir of Slytherin with a snake! Now you die! Avada Kedavra!"
"Expulso," Harry rapidly cast before trying to get out of the way of the killing curse. The two met in the middle and a golden thread appeared between the two wands. Harry felt his feet lift off the ground. In the middle, three beads of light shone brighter than the rest of the thread. As Harry focused, they started to move toward him. As they moved closer, his wand began to vibrate harder and more intensely. Harry screwed up his features into a look of focused concentration. With all of his might, Harry finally got the beads to move back the other way. As they encroached on Voldemort's wand, the resurrected lord's eyes widened.
As the beads reached his wand, they disappeared into it and three whisps of blue smoke protruded from it. They resolved into three shapes, one an old man and two the faces Harry saw whenever he looked at his photo album: James and Lily Potter.
"So he's really a wizard," the old man said. "Thought he was just barmy."
"You've been so brave, son," his father said. "In a battle of wills, yours has proven stronger, just as we expect. He's a powerful wizard but as wills go, his is pretty shite."
On the other end, it seemed Voldemort was having a conversation with the specters as well and was aghast at what he was hearing.
"Settle, Prongs," Lily admonished. "Honey, you've done so well. We're so proud of you. It's almost time to break the spell. When you do, we'll stick around long enough for you to escape. Get to the cup."
"I don't want to leave you," Harry pleaded.
"We're with you wherever you go," his mum placed the ghost of a hand on his cheek. "Even if you can't see us, we're there. Now go!"
"Now, son!" James transformed into his stag form and charged Voldemort just as Harry broke the spell.
Harry's ankle screamed in agony as he slammed back down onto the earth. Spellfire from the other Death Eaters soon distracted him and Harry took off as fast as he could, weaving between the tombstones to deflect spellfire. He finally spotted Cedric's body and made a beeline for it. When he arrived at his body he summoned the cup. A short distance away, the cup floated off the ground and sped toward him. He reached a hand out to grab it but just as he was about to make contact, a spell hit the cup and the cup vanished before his eyes. Harry's hand closed on air.
"Harry Potter," Voldemort growled. "Your time for running is at an end. Avada Kedavra."
As the green spell sped toward him, Harry only had time to stand and turn. He closed his eyes and let his best memories float before his eyes. Meeting Hermione at Kings Cross and then their trip up to Hogwarts, seeing the Castle for the first time, enjoying his first full meal at the opening feast, meeting Neville, then Luna, Daphne, Susan, Tracey, and the others, watching Parvati, Lavender create their business, watching Fred and George grow their own, Quidditch against Cedric. Then there was the first Christmas with the Grangers, watching Dragon Ball with Richard, cooking with Helen, and Hermione giving him his first-ever gift. After that, there was the trip to Paris and their moment on the Eifel Tower, followed by their first kiss. On and on they went, his entire life flashing before his eyes in an instant.
"I love you, Hermione," Harry said as the spell made its final approach. Just before it hit, he could swear he heard her shout his name.
(A/N: I'm sorry. I know some wanted Cedric to live but sometimes where there is death, there will always be death. But in the books you really only meet Cedric in the fourth book and then he dies. This time, I wanted his loss to be felt more, especially by Harry. Harry puts up more of a fight but you still see the power gap between Voldemort and Harry. The follow up will be posted the next day so you won't be hanging on a cliffhanger for very long.)