Flesh, Blood, and Bone
Harry felt his feet slam ... "Where are we?" he said.
The adults all frowned at the book. This wasn't good. The aurors in particular were on the edge of their seats.
"How is this even possible?" Amelia huffed. "The wards should have prevented this, surely?"
"I would have thought so," Albus said. "Except, certain wards would have had to be lowered to allow the beasts in for the tournament. If you wanted to interfere with the wards, it was the perfect time to do, I imagine."
Cedric shook his head ... mountains surrounding the castle were gone.
"Not good," Sirius said. "You need to grab the portkey and get the hell out of there."
"Will it take them back?" young Ron asked. "Is it even a two way portkey?"
"Only one way to find out," Fred said.
They were standing ... cup was a Portkey?" he asked.
"That was Crouch's idea," Minerva said. "It was supposed to bring the winner back to the outside of the maze."
"That explains why the wards didn't protect them," Albus sighed.
"Nope," ... "Wands out, d'you reckon?"
Moody nodded. Their wands should already be out. He would make sure both boys had that drilled into their heads before they left this chamber.
"Yeah," ... they were being watched.
Moody grimaced. That wasn't good. It was fortunate that Potter had such good instincts though. It would give him a little warning of an attack. Not much. But it was something.
"Someone's coming," ... between the graves.
Severus handed Sirius a calming draught. This was going to be bad. That much was certain. He also passed one to Arcturus. The man was looking alarmingly pale.
Harry couldn't make out ... merely a bundle of robes?
Both of Cedric's mothers were holding him tightly and his heart was racing. He knew what was coming but it didn't make it any easier to hear.
Harry lowered his wand ... watch the approaching figure.
"Do not lower your wand!" Moody growled.
It stopped ... Harry's scar exploded with pain.
"You-Know-Who?" young Ron asked.
It was agony ... "Kill the spare."
"NO!" Cedric's mother cried out. "Not Cedric. Please. Please."
Tom blinked rapidly as he watched the two mothers fall apart. He had caused their pain. This was all his fault.
A swishing noise ... "Avada Kedavra!"
"CEDRIC!" Mrs Diggory screamed.
No one else spoke. There was nothing they could say. Nothing that would make this better.
A blast of green light ... he opened his stinging eyes.
"The only reason I lived was because they needed me for the ritual," Harry said quietly, tears in his eyes. "It wasn't because I was better than Cedric. Or knew something he didn't. I was just useful."
He shied away from their attention, hiding in Sirius's side. His younger self was staring at the book in shock. Harry had warned him. Told him all about this but all his explanations had left him ill prepared for just how terrifying this all was.
"They killed the wrong boy," Vernon huffed under his breath, causing a normally mild mannered Remus to growl loudly at him.
Cedric was lying ... He was dead.
Cedric let out a deep breath. Finally, it was done. He didn't have to wonder about it anymore. He knew how his older self died. It was done.
For a second ... being pulled to his feet.
"Focus, Harry," Hermione cried.
"It's not that easy. I'd never seen..." Harry began. "Sure, I can remember my parents dying but this was different..."
"You were in shock," Galenus Everleigh said softly. "Anyone would be."
"I remember when my mum died," Luna said. "I didn't speak for a month."
Dudley looked sick. He couldn't fathom what his cousin had gone through. His mother was staring at the book as if she could smell something sour.
The short man in the cloak ... TOM RIDDLE
"My father's grave?" Tom asked.
Harry nodded.
The cloaked man ... It was Wormtail.
"I'll kill him," Sirius said, raising his wand.
"No!" Harry said, forcing Sirius's wand arm down. "No violence, remember."
"You!" ... some twenty feet away.
Sirius really didn't know how his son was going to get out of this. One thing was for sure, he was going to be the most overprotective father imaginable after all this.
Some way beyond him... ground at Cedric's feet.
"You don't even have your wand?" Astoria sniffled.
Theo was muttering curse words under his breath.
The bundle of robes ... he didn't want that bundle opened...
"I feel sick," Daphne muttered.
The other Slytherin girls nodded their agreement.
He could hear noises ... full-grown man to sit in.
"A resurrection ritual," Rookwood murmured. "Necromancy?"
”Death magic?” Bill gasped in horror.
The children all stared at the book. They remembered their magical theory lessons. They were told to avoid magic like that. It wasn't to be messed with. Not unless you understood it, something not many people did. And they were pretty sure Rookwood had said something about always asking for Lord Death's blessing before performing necromancy.
The thing inside the bundle ... away into the darkness.
"Good. That snake needs to stay away," Draco said. He was not a fan of Nagini.
The death eaters were all nodding in agreement. They did not like the snake.
The liquid in the cauldron ... "Hurry!"
Amelia frowned. She really wasn't sure how Potter had survived this. He was wandless, tied up and completely alone. And what was worse, no one knew where he was.
The whole surface of the water ... ugly, slimy, and blind -
"What is it?" young Ginny asked her mother.
"Nothing good," Molly replied.
but worse, ... with gleaming red eyes.
Several of the younger children let out a scream. Professor Snape busied himself distributing calming draughts.
The adults in the chamber were not fairing much better. Several people were crying. Others were clutching family members. While one or two paced the chamber.
"No child should have to witness that," Mrs Weasley cried, wishing that she could pull Harry into her arms and hold him tightly so that she might be able to protect him from everything that had happened to him.
The thing seemed almost helpless;
"Not how I'd describe it," Sirius laughed darkly.
"Me neither," Kingsley said.
it raised its thin arms ... let it drown...
Harry huffed. All the wishful thinking in the world wouldn't help.
Wormtail was speaking ... you will renew your son!"
Rookwood shook his head. "This ritual never ends well. Everything I've read about it suggests the subject will be... well, not human, that's for sure."
”That’s sick,” Lee said, looking ready to vomit.
The surface of the grave ... you will - revive - your master."
The death eaters listened thoughtfully. Very few of them would willingly give their own flesh for the dark lord. Not even at the height of his power.
Seamus sighed. It was no wonder Harry hadn’t wanted to talk about this. And to think he hadn’t believed him. Seamus felt like a terrible friend.
He stretched his right hand ... Harry's closed eyelids...
"What was happening at the school while this was going on?" Remus asked.
"We thought they were still in the maze," Minerva said tearfully. "We had no idea."
"The wards didn't alert you that the portkey had left the castle grounds?"
"No. At least, I don't think so. Albus certainly didn't say anything about the wards."
"If the cup was already a portkey and had been keyed into the wards, they wouldn't alert me." Albus had his head in his hands. How had his older self missed that? He should have known better than to allow a portkey on Hogwarts soil. It wasn't done. The heirs of noble and ancient houses studied in that school, the rules that governed it were strict for their protection. While Albus thought all children deserved the same level of protection, he didn't disagree with the security measures. He had faithfully tried to adhere to them wherever possible. He'd made some errors in judgement, especially early on in his career but he had thought that he had learned from them. To allow a portkey of all things...
Wormtail was gasping ... resurrect your foe."
Sirius had to be physically restrained as he went to launch himself at Wormtail. The man himself was hiding behind Madam Bones whimpering loudly.
”That snivelling bastard!” George said. “I’ll gut him.”
”I’d threaten to use him as potion ingredients but he’s already done that to himself,” Severus said snidely.
Harry could do nothing to prevent it ... a dribble of blood fell into it.
Sirius was spitting mad. How dare he use his son's blood in a necromantic ritual!
He staggered back to the cauldron ... let it have gone wrong...
People all around the chamber were crying now. This was awful. How had the Prince survived this?
Young Vernon had a hopeful gleam in his eye. Perhaps the brat would die…
And then, suddenly, ... please let it be dead...
"It wasn't dead," Harry said. He could feel tears in his eyes. He'd had nightmares about this for months afterwards.
Dudley looked traumatised. He'd bullied his cousin over this. Laughed and ridiculed him for having bad dreams about his dead boyfriend. This was a thousand times worse than... well, anything he could have imagined.
But then, through the mist ... Lord Voldemort had risen again.
Tom shuddered, horrified to hear what had become of himself.