Chapter Text
Music:
• CHINCHILLA - Little Girl Gone
• Alice in Chains – Man in the Box
War Children 12 – The thing about graveyards...
“Dumb – Dumbledore is dead! They killed him,”Harry finally manages to choke out.
A shocked silence followed his sentence, both on the screen and in the Great Hall. There was not a sound besides Harry's erratic breath.
And then, of course, the room went into an uproar
- - - - - - - - - -
“WHAT!? THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE!”
“How could that happen!?”
“Dumbledore cannot die, right? He's... well... He's the headmaster. He can't die!”
Lord Arcturus Black pursed his lips as the noise in the room reached an all-time high. Seriously? It was such an unbecoming behaviour. Even the few lords and ladies present were expressing their astonishment and shock. Couldn't they keep some kind of decorum? The students, it was understandable. They were children and it was a shock... but the adults? The adults! They were supposed to be able to keep their composure. Or at least not behave like barnyard animals.
“Dumbledore can't die!”
He noticed a student at the Gryffindor table. That was the girl – Miss Evans if he recalled well. Out of the entire table, she was the only one to stay put. She blinked in shock at the announcement but unlike her Housemates, she didn't lose her mind over it. She was calm, almost stoic. Arcturus made a note of it. He had been looking for an assistant for some time but most people were scared of him for some reason. He did not doubt that the lass was aiming for more than just an assistant (even if Arcturus' assistants required more skills than that of normal assistants) but it would certainly look good on her resume if she had experience as her assistant and a recommendation letter from him. He was getting tired of Lords and Ladies throwing their children at him in hopes that he would take them in his service. Even his self-imposed exile did not help with that; he still got letters about it from time to time.
The Slytherin table was quieter than the other tables (yes, even the guests' one) but only just.
“He's dead,” Rodolphus muttered. “He's dead.”
“Well, yeah, but that's two decades in the future,” his little brother felt the need to remind him.
Rodolphus ignored him and Evan scoffed:
“Good riddance,” he mumbled.
Look, he knew very well that the old man was not as bad as his brain made him out to be, okay? But Evan didn't like him. He didn't need a reason to dislike him, he just didn't like him. He would have the same reaction if he had been informed that Lucius Malfoy was dead. No, scratch that. He would have probably started cackling if it had been Malfoy.
The teachers on the other hand were stunned. Minerva's eyes were blown wide and she looked pale. She brought a hand to cover her mouth and grimaced at the thought that her former Transfiguration teacher – the one who passed on his passion for Transfiguration to her- did not die of old age. Filius patted her arm in a vague attempt at comforting but it didn't do much.
“Albus... Albus can't die. It's... It's too soon.”
Filius almost opened his mouth to say that in 1997, Albus would have lived a long life already but he thought it might sound a bit too callous. Especially for human taste.
Instead, he chose to be sympathetic:
“I know, Minerva. I know.”
On the other side of the room, at the Gryffindor table, you couldn't even hear yourself think. Lily rolled her eyes in annoyance and brought her thumb and middle fingers to her mouth, whistling loudly. It worked a little too well; the entire room quieted down and turned to look at her.
Blushing, she said with a deadpan look:
“You were too loud.”
She caught a few approving faces, ignored the disapproving one and dodged a hair ruffle from Sirius Black.
After that, they calmed down, some even appearing sheepish for their lapse in composure.
The screen was unpaused.
Lee had dragged the raven-haired boy to the couch and they were talking in hushed whispers:
“I was in the Astronomy Tower. Apparently, Voldie ordered Mini Malfoy to kill Dumbledore.”
Arcturus blinked but he was not surprised. Although he never joined the Death Eaters – that Walpurgis thing was a kiddie club- he had heard about it. He knew You-Know-Who tended to give impossible tasks to his young recruits to test them.
“Seriously? Malfoy is even more of a coward than his father.”
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Barty let out a quiet snicker:
“I'm not surprised.”
Evan's lips twitched.
“I think Voldie did that to punish Lucius Malfoy. He failed at retrieving the prophecy didn't he?”
“Yeah, but that was last year. How long can someone hold a grudge?”
“Never question a Dark Lord,” Evan said, snigg*ring. “They'll always go well past your expectations.”
“Guys, let's not disperse,”Lee interrupts the twins.“So, what happened?”
“Snape killed him.”
There was a brief silence. Then James jumped up and started to go off (rather violently) against a shocked Severus Snape but before any spell could be exchanged, the voices on the screen caught their attention once again.
The screen didn't freeze. Why didn't the screen freeze? The screen always froze to let them process the shock of new information.
“But we already knew Snape would kill him. You heard them talk. Didn't Dumbledore order Snape to kill him? I'm still lost. Why would he do that?”
James blinked, unable to process what he had heard.
“What?”
His mother took advantage of the fact that he couldn't move from shock and dragged him back to his seat, berating him for his uncouth behaviour.
Evan leaned back in his seat:
“I was going to say I'm surprised that Snape would do something like that but I think it's even more shocking that he would follow such an order from someone like Dumbledore. We're missing something big, aren't we?”
“We are,” Rabastan and Regulus agreed.
Barty didn't answer. He was staring at the screen, deep in thought.
Lily was staring at Severus, frowning and confused and Severus wasn't in a better state. Why would he do that? Why would he obey such an order? That didn't make sense. Why would he - … No. He had no reason to do that. Also, he never really liked Dumbledore so why would he go to him? Why would he follow his order like a mindless beast?
//Harry takes a shuddering breath:
“Dumbledore was cursed. We all saw his hand at the beginning of the year. It was almost completely black.”
“So he was going to die anyway?”
“Yes. But by letting Snape kill him, they could convince Voldie that Snape is loyal to him,”George starts, thinking out loud.
Lily stared. She blinked then blinked again but nothing changed.'They could convince Voldie that Snape was loyal to him',they said. Wasn't... Wasn't Severus a recruit for the Death Eaters? Wasn't he always hanging out with baby Death Eaters? Granted, those same 'baby Death Eaters' seemed completely disillusioned with You-Know-Who and... They didn't seem as bad as she first thought. Well, some of them anyway. Rosemary and Vincent Carrow were probably even worse than she first thought because she saw Vincent Carrow laugh when Harry passed out from blood loss during the Umbitch Incident. Yes, that's what she called that woman in her head.
So... Severus... Why was everything so complicated when it involved her once best friend?
Once upon a time, Rodolphus would have snarled at the thought of someone being disloyal to the Dark Lord. Not because he was particularly loyal but because he would have thought he had to. Now though, he only blinked.
“So... Severus killed Dumbledore to appear completely loyal to the Dark Lord?” he whispered.
Isabelle Goyle growled, a surprisingly low sound escaping her throat:
“You'd dare to go against our lord?”
Severus for his part, kept his head down. He had half the mind to snap back at her that he didn't have a lord but he didn't want word to go back to the Dark Lord although he doubted it wouldn't go back to him anyway. As a matter of fact, he couldn't get over the fact that nobody had managed to share the news of this projection with people who weren't there before. Somehow, there were only two people who hadn't been there the night before and those two were (as far as Severus knew) neither Death Eaters nor Dumbledore's people.
“Goyle, that's enough. Have some composure, will you?” Rodolphus snapped, eyes glowing in annoyance.
Isabelle pursed her lips and, still glaring, she sat back down. She hated that she couldn't talk back to Lestrange (that f*cking traitor!) but she knew that if she dared to try anything, she would become a pariah in Slytherin. Even if he was a traitor, Lestrange had a higher rank than her.
“Why would he do that?”
“I don't know but I heard them mention a vow,”Harry mumbles, wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt.
“A vow? What kind of vow?”
“How did Death Eaters manage to infiltrate Hogwarts?” Sirius asked when they heard Harry tell the twins and Lee that Bellatrix Lestrange, Fenrir Greyback along with other Death Eaters were in the school when it happened.
“Didn't you listen?” Mary intervened. “They talked about it before. “Mini Malfoy was tasked with finding a way to get them inside the castle. There's a magical cabinet in the Come-and-Go room if I heard correctly.”
“We'll have to get rid of this,” Lord Rosier was saying at his own table (the guest one).
He might have at some point been a non-marked Death Eater but he had started to distance himself as Riddle started his descent into Darkness. He didn't like muggles, didn't particularly like mudbl – muggle-borns, but there were some things that he wouldn't do. Not even for his chosen Lord. And getting crazy psychotic Wixen in a castle full of children was one of them. He couldn't even blame the Malfoy kid (what was his name?) because the kid was probably terrified and it didn't take a genius to suspect that Riddle was probably threatening his family.
Remus for his part both flinched and and growled upon hearing the name of the infamous werewolf.
“Remus, are you okay?”
The Gryffindor looked into the concerned eyes of Marlene McKinnon and he forced himself to calm down.
“Sorry. I just... I really don't like Greyback.”
“Is... Is everyone okay? I mean, besides Dumbledore.”
“Yeah, we don't... Nobody died apart from Dumbledore and one of the Death Eaters. They set fire to Hagrid's hut but that's about it. I came as soon as I could. It won't be long before Voldie's minions take over Hogwarts.”
Barty blanched. Right now, Hogwarts was the safest place to be; the castle even welcomed stranded Wixen who had nowhere to go because of the recent attacks. He couldn't imagine a time when even Hogwarts was no longer safe.
To think You-Know-Who would sink so low as to even think about attacking Hogwarts. But in the future he did. He and his men tainted the halls of Hogwarts with blood (figuratively and physically speaking).
“I don't – I don't know why I'm crying. I'm not sad.”Harry whispers when Fred yanks him into his lap and wraps him in a hug.
“He's not sad?” Basil Smith started, perplexed. “But the headmaster just died!?”
“Yeah, but I seem to recall that both Harry and the twins didn't like him... or trust him.”
“How did you come to that conclusion?”
“... Seriously? Did we watch the same thing or do you stop paying attention when cute girls aren't involved?”
“Hey!”
“Besides, they may not know him personally. I mean, not that much. If someone I barely knew died, I'd be sad but notthatsad.”
“You don't have to be. But you just witnessed someone's death. It's traumatic,”George explains as Fred tucks Harry against the crook of his neck.
Barty swallowed a coo; it wasn't the right moment to whisper how soft the twins were for their honorary baby brother. He wanted to. He didn't care much for the headmaster but he didn't think some of his most judgemental classmates would appreciate.
An elbow caught his ribs and he winced. When he glared at Regulus, the other boy raised a brow:
“Were you lost in your thoughts again? You're missing the memories.”
Oh, no! Regulus was right of course. He had not noticed that the projection didn't stop and had missed part of the conversation. It seemed it was taking place the same night, at the same place but probably a couple of minutes later.
“[…] so what's the deal with Dolohov?”Lee asks, raising a brow at Harry.“I mean, I know he swore allegiance to you(“And I still don't know what it all entails,”Harry mumbles)but... Was he Death Eater? Is he still one? What's up with him?”
James scoffed; of course, Dolohov would join the Death Eaters. He used Blood Magic for Merlin's sake... Oh. That's right. His family used Blood Magic too. James didn't quite know what to make of it. He had known of course but it had never truly registered that the Blood Magic his parents used was the same kind of Blood Magic he denounced a long time ago as Evil.
Dagger straightened, staring at the screen. They could feel their colleagues' curious gazes on them but they ignored it.
At the Slytherin table, Rosemary & Erwin Carrow exchanged a smirk. At least, one of their former Housemates turned out to be a wizard worthy of his gift. They've been rather disappointed in the past day or so. Not only did the Lestranges, the Black and Rosier Heir turn out to be traitors (and apparently Crouch Jr too but that one was not much of a surprise unfortunately. They saw it coming) but somehow, most of their Housemates seemed to enjoy those memories. Rosemary saw Ellie Derrick and the Flints look on in disgust and fear when the Dark Lord was shown. The audacity and disrespect of those morons! They expected better from the Flints but apparently, they had been wrong. Rosemary would be sure to tell her father that she wouldn't look for a marriage with this damn family (not that she had much of a choice to begin with).
// Harry tilts his head to the side and leans back against the couch.
“He's not a Death Eater. He's a non-marked Death Eater but he's not a Death Eater.”
Rosemary smirked as the noise in the Great Hall erupted again. James looked ready to riot. He should have known, he thought bitterly. Dolohov was nothing but a -
Unfortunately, before anyone could vocalize their shock (or not) or disgust, the memory continued.
“What... What does that mean?”Lee asks, confused.
“You do remember that you will not be able to share any of this information with anyone not already in the know?”Harry questions him.
“Of course, I do. Why would I do that? Do you have permission to discuss this?
“Just making sure. And yes, I do. With close 'associates' and friends,”he says, mimicking the quotation marks.
Peter frowned:
“Why would they have that kind of agreement with their friends?”
Lily snorted:
“They are at war. Just like us. They're right to be careful. You never know when one of your friends might pull a knife to your unprotected back.”
James would have laughed at the look of revulsion and incredulity that crossed Peter's face but he didn't think it would have been appreciated.
“Come now, surely you're being overly paranoid.”
Lily gave him an annoyed look:
“And you're not enough.”
// Harry pauses.
“Do you know how close the Dolohov family is to the Royal family of the magical Monarchy of Russia?”
“What does that have to do with anything?” Barty asked. “And does anyone know the answer to that question?”
Rodolphus frowned.
“I'm not sure. I heard that the Dolohovs have contacts in high places but I don't know anything about their contacts in Russia. Father doesn't discuss that sort of thing with me.”
Dagger barely managed to disguise a snort as a cough. It was more like his own father didn't discuss those sorts of things with outsiders. And even though the Dolohov and Lestrange families were associates in some things, his father did not trust just about anyone with that kind of information.
“... No?”
“They're close. Voldie made a lot of noise back in the '70s. Russia was worried that he might become a threat later on. When he was seventeen, Antonin was tasked with infiltrating the Death Eaters movement and gathering information on Voldie. The (magical) Tsar personally requested this of him. He 'joined' the ranks when he was 18. Luckily, his membership to the Department of Mysteries made it impossible for Voldie to mark him.”
Dagger sighed. Ah, well. It was bound to come out at some point. They just didn't think it would be so soon. Then again, no one could have predicted the appearance of those memories from a “Future That Could Have Been”.
Outsides of their little bubble, the world had gone strangely silent. Up until Fleamont snorted and muttered that he should have expected something like that and that he remembered the kid to be a brilliant actor.
Then, of course, the Great Hall erupted again.
Rosemary and Erwin Carrow looked absolutely furious. They thought... They thought Dolohov at least could be trusted. He was a dark wizard, for Merlin's sake! He was supposed to be faithful to the Dark Lord!
Isabelle Goyle calmed down. It... wasn't ideal but still. Even if he lacked faith in the Dark Lord... Heir Dolohov was still a catch. Perhaps if her father managed to get Lord Dolohov interested... perhaps there was a chance. Isabelle knew all there was to know in being a pureblood wife. She'd been raised for it, after all. She could seduce Heir Dolohov back into the right path. She would be perfect for it. Even better than thatCarrow c*nt.
On the other side of the room, the Gryffindor table had gone oddly silent. James, who had all but stood up earlier to yell that he knew that guy was a good-for-nothing snake, put his head to rest against the table. Why couldn't he be right? He didn't enjoy seeing his preconceived ideas shatter. Let's be honest, nobody would like that. James especially didn't like finding out that some of the brats he pranked – thinking that they deserved it- were... notbadpeople. Look, James knew, okay? He knew that some of the pranks he played were not... funny. Not for the pranked people anyway but... James enjoyed playing pranks. He enjoyed making people pay and he especially liked doing this when he knew he wouldn't be punished. He would never do something like that at home. Even if he didn't get caught pranking some of his cousins, he knew his parents were smart enough to suspect him. And unlike the headmaster who was truly too good for the world, his parents were parents and parents never made things easy for their kids, now, did they?
… Okay. James knew that some of the things he did were bad. He did! He knew that he should have been punished. He wasn't. He knew that it wasn't right but did you seriously expect him to turn himself in? Nah. Nobody wanted to be punished. Especially not when it was because you left someone hanging by their boxers in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady. If McGonagall found out that it was the Marauders... If she ever got the proof of it... They were dead. She wouldn't expel them. Not because they were her favourites but because they were Professor Dumbledore's favourites. But she would be so disappointed.
At the Slytherin table, Barty exchanged a bewildered look with Evan and Regulus before looking at the Lestrange brothers:
“Did you guys know about that?”
But they all shook their heads.
No? Good. At least he wasn't the only one this revelation shook to the core.
For her part, Minerva shook her head in disbelief. She could have never entertained the thought that Dolohov, the heir to a dark family could have been spying on You-Know-You. She trusted those memories, sure, but it was a shocking revelation. That and the fact that James's son seemed to have acquired quite a few Dark wizards in his corner. It would help him, she was certain although some part of her remained wary and suspicious. Especially since Rodolphus Lestrange never hid the fact that he supported a lot of the 'Dark Lord's ideologies. Why would he suddenly turn against his Lord?
“Why is that?”
“The Unspeakables are rather... possessive of their employees. You have to 'dedicate yourself entirely to the job' or something along those lines,”Harry explains, grinning.“Can't promise you'll stay dedicated to the Department if you are marked by a Lord.”
Sword snorted. Possessive was the world alright. The Department and its Head were damn possessive bastards but he wouldn't have it any other way. It was nice – that feeling of belonging somewhere.
He grinned even as the scene started to blur and he glanced at the other Unspeakables. Thorn, Shield and Sword exchanged a grin.
[Little Hangleton graveyard, England – June 24th, 1995]
“A... graveyard?” Lily repeated slowly, sounding perplexed.
She was not the only one.
The place was desert which wasn't a surprise considering it seemed to take place in the evening. The sun was setting. There was no one so... why were they watching this?
They got their answer when the unmistakable sound of portkey reverberated and the two figures were thrown to the ground with a blue cup.
Lily wanted to be surprised when one of the figures turned out to be Harry but she truly wasn't. The other figure was a boy, probably around Lily's age. He was a tall guy with chiselled features and dark hair.
“He's rather good-looking,” Marlene commented, smirking when she saw Sirius narrow his eyes.
“Hmpf... I guess he's a pretty boy,” the oldest Black child said after a couple of seconds.
He sounded reluctant to admit it but when he did, Marlene lit up and snickered, agreeing with his words.
Mary MacDonald wasn't in the mood to laugh though. Something about the setting was off and she could tell things were about to go very wrong.
At the Hufflepuff table, Casey Loxia was feeling the same way, biting his nails with nervousness.
//As the boys regain their bearings and stand up, they watch their surroundings with wariness.
“Is it... Is it part of the task?”Harry asks quietly.
“I... I don't know. Wands out, you reckon?”
Mary watched as they drew their wands, heart pounding.
“Task? What is it?”
Gabriel Bletchley tilted his head to the side before a gasp escaped him:
“Is it the Tournament!?”
His suggestion was met with nods of agreement. It could be. It very well could be. But then, Gabriel's eyes widened and he grabbed Charles' hand, eyes blown wide.
“Gabe?”
“The boy... The twins said that Harry witnessed one of his classmates being killed during a task. And that he was kidnapped and tortured. What if...”
What if it was what they were about to see? Charles didn't need his partner to finish his sentence. He knew what he wanted to say. He truly hoped it wouldn't be the case but he knew that it was likely going to happen. He squeezed his partner's hand in silent comfort.
They didn't have to wait long. Footsteps were heard and they watched Harry collapse on the ground, twisting in pain. Surprised, Cedric looked away from the figure approaching and was crouching down near Harry when a cold voice everyone (most of them anyway) recognized reverberated in the room:
“Kill the spare.”
Gabriel froze, heart pounding in his chest.
// Harry still lying on the ground, face contorted in pain when a voice calls out:
“Avada Kedevra.”
Screams echoed in the room when a green light hit the older boy in the chest. Stunned and speechless, Rabastan could only watch as the young man fell, lifeless.
At the teachers' table, Minerva was clutching her chest, a horrified expression on her face. Her colleagues were in no better state as they stared at the screen, frozen. Those children... Those poor children... Besides her, Filius clenched his fists, his jaw tight. He'll never forgive people who kill children. He could understand – understand, not approve- some... stories behind a murder (Goblins were, after all, vengeful creatures) but he could never forgive those who murder the young ones.
Azael Diggory stared at the lifeless form of his nephew, frozen in shock and horror. He could not take his eyes away from the screen even if every fibre of him screamed at him to do so. He wondered how Amos would react if he was here but he realised, somewhat distantly, that it was probably for the better that his older brother couldn't visit him the day before since it meant he was not present today either. Amos and he might not have been the closest pair of brothers – certainly, they were nothing like Fabian and Gideon or the Weasley twins- but he cared. He knew Amos cared too; the older man always took his role as an older brother seriously but Azael could tell that he cared in a sort of distant way. He wondered what sort of relationship his brother had with little Cedric in the future. Were they close? Did they have a good father-uncle relationship? What about Azael? Did he get along with his nephew? With his brother? Sister-in-law?
He shook his head. Those questions were futile right now. He reported his attention to the screen, white-faced. He knew, of course... The loss of his son would destroy his brother.
At the Slytherin table, Regulus could only watch with horror as his son rolled over when the pain decreased slightly and was faced with the lifeless body of his... friend? Fellow Champion? The older teen's eyes were wide open, a surprised look in his otherwise empty gaze.
//A stocky cloaked figure slowly approaches Harry.//
“What is he going to do with him? What is he going to do!?”
Marlene grimaced, watching James losing his mind over the newcomer's plans for his kid. She didn't know what to say so she just patted him awkwardly on the back even as she watched the figure roughly grab the passed-out kid and drag him with him. She couldn't look away as the unknown person lifted Harry like a ragdoll and tied him to a funerary statue.
“What – Why is he -” one of her housemates started only to tall silent when they saw Harry's head loll
Tiberius Ogden, sitting among the guests, grimaced when he saw the dazed look on the boy's face.
The angle changed, showing the place in its entirety and not just the headstone holding Harry in place. There was a giant cauldron a few feet away from the boy. The cauldron was steaming.
The cloaked figure approached Harry once more to make sure he wouldn't be able to escape. Harry must have recognized him because his face contorted in rage as he struggled against his bonds:
“YOU!”Harry exclaims as he starts to seriously struggle against his bounds.
Lily frowned.
“What? Who was it? I couldn't see,” Mary muttered, almost pouting.
Lily shook her head:
“I couldn't see anything; it's too dark.”
“I guess we'll find out later,” Dorcas said although she looked annoyed at the lack of answer from the screen.
“YOU f*ckING TRAITOR!”
Upon hearing the green-eyed teen swear, Rodolphus gaped in the most undignified way.
“Evan! The baby swore!” Barty yelped before the reality slapped him in the face and he trailed off, oddly silent.
He repeated in his head what Harry had just said and went pale upon coming face to face with a fact Regulus had just now realised; Harry knew the person who had killed the other kid – Diggory- and knew him well enough to consider this a betrayal. That or maybe the person had been someone close to him long before and... well, there were a few possibilities but nothing that came to his mind at the moment.
On the other hand, Gabriel Bletchley, soon to be Higgs, gasped and brought a hand over his mouth.
“You trusted the wrong person,” he whispered, repeating what You-Know-Who had been saying in a memory earlier.
Charles turned his face towards him and frowned.
“That's what HE said when he killed Evans and Potter. Do you think it could be the same person? Or am I seeing too much into this?”
On the other hand, Sirius burst into laughter at that. It wasn't a nice laugh, it was an “I'm on the edge of losing it why is my kind always at the centre of danger?” kind of laugh. If such a kind of laughter existed.
“Harry!” James squeaked in shock.
Admittedly, he should have been more bothered by the situation his son was in but to be honest, he hadn't expected Harry to snap like that.
Remus tensed, staring intently at the figure whom Harry had deemed a “traitor”. Who could it be? Surely, it had to be an adult? It couldn't be a kid his age, right?
After a moment, they saw Harry stop struggling and Regulus nodded in approval.
“Good.”
The others stared at him in horror and shock.
“Good?”
“Yes. He's stuck. It's better if he keeps the energy he has to escape as soon as he can instead of wasting it all now when he won't be able to escape the bindings.”
Oh. Makes sense.
//The angle changes again, showing this time a bundle of dark clothes lying on the ground, a few feet away from the cauldron.//
“Is it... moving?”
“I – I think so.”
James tilted his head to the side and squinted his eyes at the screen:
“Is that a baby? Why would this guy – whoever they are- bring a baby here? Especially when they just killed... when they just... That doesn't make any sense!”
“Calm down, Prong. We don't know for sure if it's a baby or not. It could be a small animal.”
Something slithered on the ground, near Harry and Regulus groaned when he saw the gigantic snake sliding on the grass.
“Oh, no,” Barty moaned, eyes widening in fear.
He might have had a “snake phase” when he was younger but large snakes were never his cup of tea. No, thanks.
// The cloaked figure struggles with the cauldron, trying to push it closer to the tombstone holding Harry. //
“Is there... Is there a potion inside?”
“I dunno. It looks like water to me.”
“Why would anyone want to make a potion in a place like that? It's so creepy,” Isabelle Goyle muttered, wrinkling her nose in disdain.
The snake disappeared from view and Rabastan sighed in annoyance. Goyle was right of course, but that didn't mean he wanted to admit it. In front of him, Regulus was biting his nail, too stressed to do anything else. Barty and Evan seemed barely in a better state. They could all tell it was a bad situation even if most of them did not realise how bad it was, yet.
“Hurry!”a voice hisses from the bundle of cloth.
Barty became chalk-faced at that and the whole room sucked in a deep breath. Regulus' grip on his friend's wrist tightened painfully at that but Barty only grimaced.
Evan leaned forward, staring at the giant cauldron. The surface was sparkling so much that he almost had to look away.
“Hey, anyone recognizes this?” he asked softly to the nearest students.
They all shook their heads in dismay.
The oldest Lestrange though looked contemplative:
“I do not recognize it but something tells me we are about to witness one of the darkest kinds of Magic there are in this world.”
And because it was Rodolphus Lestrange, of course, he had to be right, Evan would later think bitterly.
“It's ready, Master...”the cloaked figure mumbles.
Remus' eyebrow furrowed; something in the voice of the figure sounded oddly... familiar. Did he know him? Perhaps they had been students at the same time? He glanced at the Slytherin table before mentally berating himself. The kids from the future proved to him that Slytherins weren't all bad people and he had known that before!
He forced himself to look away from the green & silver students. It could have been anyone. It didn't have to be a Slytherin.
They watched as the unknown Death Eater (it had to be a Death Eater, right?) leaned down to open the pile of robes lying on the ground.
Gagging sounds echoed in the Great Hall when the students found themselves faced with what had been previously lying in the bundle of clothes.
It was a monstrosity. There was no other way to say it. Although it had the size and shape of a child, it couldn't have been less like a child. Regulus had no words to describe it. Even Carrow looked appealed and disgusted with what she was seeing.
Gleaming red eyes stared back at them on the flat face of a snake-like humanoid baby.
It was, without a shadow of a doubt, what had once been a powerful Dark Lord. And yet, he was still just as terrifying, if also very diminished.
So, this was what the Dark Lord had been reduced to.
“What's going on... ?” Mary asked, eyes wide.
The only thing she could hear was her heartbeat thumping loudly inside her chest.
“Woah, that's an ugly baby if I ever saw one,” Evan whistled, looking impressed. “He's even uglier than my nephew was when he was born.”
Rabastan released a kettle-like wheeze, sounding more than a little bit on edge and Rodolphus sent the Rosier Heir a long-suffering look.
Helena Rosier, now Fawley was the oldest child of Lord Rosier. She was six years older than Evan and had gotten married when she was 18. Barty briefly looked away from the screen to laugh at Evan's statement but his attention returned just as soon as they heard a “ploof”.
Everyone looked back at the screen.
“What happened?” Rabastan asked when the others gasped.
It was useless to answer as the reaction of the potion should have told everyone what had happened but Barty still opened his mouth to reply:
“The – The guy dumped The Da – the baby in the cauldron.”
Without looking away, the Ravenclaw boy slightly turned his head towards Regulus.
“Reg, I want our child out. I want Harry away from this place.”
Regulus nodded in agreement and felt Pandora grasp his hand on his other side. They shared a worried look. Pandora wanted to tell him that it would be okay, that Harry survived – because they had seen him older and alive!- but she couldn't. They may have seen him older and alive but she remembered a heated conversation between the twins and the “Order”. She remembered them saying some... worrying things. She knew, right then, that she couldn't tell Regulus that it would be alright.
“Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!”
Marlene's eyes widened in horror at that. She hadn't - … She should have realised, of course. She knew, deep inside what the cauldron was for. She had known since the bundle of clothes had revealed the Fallen Dark Lord. She hadn't wanted to see the truth though. Now, there was no way to avoid it any longer.
Someone out there was trying to resurrect He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named.
As the truth settled into her, it slammed into everyone else.
“Is that... What is that?” someone asked in the assembly.
As if they didn't know by now. The younger students and the most naive ones may not have realised yet but the older students knew what was happening.
“This is dark magic. The darkest kind,” Fleamont whispered, eyes wide with equal parts apprehension and revulsion.
“Is that truly what I think it is that he dumped in the cauldron?” Peter asked, grimacing as he watched the dust hit the liquid inside the cauldron.
“Yeah,” Lily replied, with a grimace.
//The figure pulls out a knife and, whimpering brings it to their free arm.//
Fleamont winced.
“I suggest you look away, kids. That's not something you wish to see.”
Although Fleamont was rather quiet and reserved, he didn't want the kids to see what was going to happen. If no one else was going to warn them, Fleamont had to do it. The kids were already going to have enough nightmares without adding to it. He only wished Harry too could have been spared.
“Flesh — of the servant — w-willingly given — you will — revive — your master.”
Thankfully, the boy looked away the moment he realised what was about to happen. Good.
Shrieks echoed in the Great Hall when a pained scream echoed in the room and they heard a resounding splash. Some might have looked away but the sounds did not leave much place for imagination.
Euphemia gripped her husband's arm, shaking slightly.
“Fleamont -”
“I know... I know, darling.”
Fleamont was not a man of many words but he knew how to comfort his wife.
When she looked back, Euphemia noticed at once that the potion was now turning red, light shining from the cauldron. She squinted her eyes and had to close them briefly from the sudden pain. Beside her, James was not making a sound, staring intently at the screen. She could see young Regulus and his friends doing much the same although Heir Crouch looked ready to cry. Her motherly instincts wanted nothing more than to wrap all those children in a warm embrace but she restrained herself.
“That's a sick f -”
“Edward!”
“What? He is. You'd have to be frakin' devoted to someone to cut your arm off. That's cult leader behaviour. I don't like it.”
//The whimpering figure turns around, seemingly staring at the tied-up teen before slowly approaching him, knife in sight.//
“No!” James exclaimed. “That bastard better not touch my kid!”
“Our kid,” Regulus muttered darkly from his table although only the closest students heard him.
They would have laughed and teased him, had the situation not been so tense.
Professor McGonagall told Potter off for his language but it was out of habit rather than true annoyance. She herself seemed to be about to curse the unknown Death Eater.
“B-blood of the enemy . . . forcibly taken . . . you will . . . resurrect your foe.”
Dorcas winced when the Death Eater plunged the knife into the kid's arm without any regard for Harry. Not that she expected anything else but still...
Fleamont stiffened upon hearing this. Darkest kind of magic indeed. That one ritual got to be one of the darkest he had ever studied. The only reason he even studied it was because he had worked in the Department of Mysteries.
James was all but foaming at the mouth, muttering deadly threats to the known and unknown foes.
“He didn't have to practically cut off his arm!”
“James, you are exaggerating,” Fleamont said quietly. “You're not completely wrong though. He only needed a couple of drops of blood for the ritual. He didn't have to make such a large cut.”
Regulus winced and briefly closed his eyes. He wanted nothing more than to look away but he would not. He had to know. He felt a hand on his wrist and turned his head, smiling weakly when he saw the look on Pandora's face.
“It's going to be okay, Reg.”
“You don't know that.”
“No... I don't. But we saw him older. We know he'll survive whatever happened that day.”
Regulus looked away. Pandora was right of course, but they didn't know how much whatever it was had affected his kid. And... whatever it was... Reg had an idea. Whatever it was, it involved the Dark Lord and... Regulus remembered the twins saying something about the Lord's resurrection and the death of a classmate. It... It had to be that, right? It couldn't be anything else. Surely it was the only time Harry had been kidnapped, right!?
Everyone watched in apprehension and horrified shock as a figure slowly rose from the cauldron. The tension went up a notch and Barty's leg twitched they got their first sighting of – of...
// A tall and skeletal silhouette moves through the mist and steps out of the cauldron. //
Barty whimpered as people – mostly younger kids but also some older students as well as guests- got a good look at the resurrected Dark Lord. Because it was him; there was no doubt about that.
Regulus closed his eyes tightly as if he was trying to block that vision. He knew it wouldn't do anything but he couldn't help it.
Not far from him, Rodolphus Lestrange swallowed. A few weeks ago, he would have been... not ecstatic per se but he would have probably been satisfied by that sight; if he had to absolutely join the Dark Lord, then he wanted to at least be on the winning side. Today, things are different. They knew more about the future; he knew his future self had regretted joining the Dark Side enough that he and his brother had switched sides. At least, it didn't look like they were stupid enough to go to Dumbledore.
Lily's eyes widened in horror. She wondered distantly if it was how You-Know-Who looked at the moment or if his time spent as a wrath was the cause of it. Perhaps something had messed up the ritual even! Or maybe You-Know-Who already looked like that now. What a terrifying thought. She stared at the gleaming red eyes shining with a malevolent look and she shuddered.
The scene whirled around slightly but they didn't even have time to protest that it reformed, once again in the graveyard. Only a couple of minutes could have passed, nothing more, they instinctively knew it.
// Lord Voldemort, now robed (thank Merlin!) turns his attention towards his servant. //
“Hold out your arm.”
Marlene watched with a scornful expression as the snivelling servant – why did he remind her of someone? And who?- held out his arm with whispered gratitude, only for his master to laugh coldly.
“The other arm, Wormtail.”
It was like... It was like... There were no words to describe the profound silence that overtook the room at that. The guests, for the most part, had no idea what was going on but everyone seemed to be looking at the Gryffindor table. Those at the Gryffindor table were looking at a peculiar group of individuals; four young men who were completely frozen in shock. Dorcas and Marlene too, couldn't move. They couldn't even quite process the revelation. Wormtail... Wormtail was... Peter. They knew Wormtail was Peter but... Peter couldn't be a Death Eater! It was – It was insane, right? Peter was too... Peter to be a Death Eater. He was a coward! He was the "good friend" (well not always a good friend but you get the idea). Sure, he had a cruel streak but who didn't in the Marauders. For all that they showed a somewhat friendly personality, some of their worst pranks, Marlene knew were cruel. Sometimes the victims deserved everything they got and more, sometimes the humiliation was uncalled for. But still... Peter wasPeter. He couldn't be a Death Eater! Why would he even join them? He didn't share You-Know-Who's ideology, did he? He didn't dislike Muggle-borns. He was friends with Lily, for Merlin's sake! She tutored him in Charms and they got along well enough.
Outside of their shattered bubble, the silence only lasted long enough before the first few students processed what had been said.
“Wormtail... Isn't that... Pettigrew's nickname from his friends?”
Regulus did not reply but he didn't need to; they all knew who Wormtail was. The Marauders sometimes personally signed their more harmless pranks. James Potter and his gang of pranksters usually called each other by a nickname although the roots of those nicknames were unknown to everyone. Why would someone call themselves Wormtail or Padfoot? It made no sense. Although Padfoot sounded kind of cute. Not something you would expect to fit Sirius Black.
Dagger stared at the screen in consternation; he never liked Peter Pettigrew but he never thought the boy would have the balls – or the stupidity more likely- to join the Dark Lord. He wasn't naive: the boy had probably been terrified when he graduated and had most definitely already been approached by dark sympathizers but Dagger still didn't expect him to join the Dark Side. He would have thought his friends meant more to him. Then again, Dagger didn't know him well enough to know what was going on in his head. Perhaps he was a bit like Barty and thought he could protect his friends but... That didn't sound like Pettigrew. Dagger wasn't even trying to be mean but he knew that the Gryffindor was a wimp, a pushover. He tended to hover around the strongest or more popular. At Hogwarts, it was the Marauders and they were in the same House. Outside of Hogwarts, the boy must have felt lost when he realised that he was no longer surrounded by the strongest because the Marauders were no longer the biggest fishes in the tank (to use a Muggle saying).
The Unspeakable shook his head. He shouldn't have an opinion on this, it didn't even concern him but he couldn't quite get rid of the feeling of pity and disgust that took over for a second.
“How is that possible?” Rodolphus Lestrange whispered, staring at the screen. “He's a wuss. I've never seen someone so...”
“Non-Gryffindorish in the Gryffindor House?” Barty suggested, looking vaguely overwhelmed.
Rodolphus blinked.
“That's not exactly what I was going for but I supposed it's true enough.”
“Wait, I thought Pettigrew was dead!” Casey Loxias exclaimed at the same time.
The Ravenclaw looked as shell-shocked as everyone else but there was a flicker of rage somewhere in there.
Rabastan didn't know Loxias well but he knew that he and Pettigrew had once been close. He heard some rumours but he wasn't sure he believed them; Casey Loxias was a handsome and well-liked young man. Why in Merlin's name would he have a crush on Pettigrew? Not that Pettigrew wasn't... cute but he had nothing on the rest of the Marauders. Loxias was smart too so why would he develop a crush on the other boy? Then again, you don't usually get to choose when it comes to love. Now, Rabastan wasn't even sure if the rumours were to be believed but from what he had heard, Loxias – who used to tutor Pettigrew and hang out with him sometimes- confessed his feelings to Peter in their fifth year and the Gryffindor only laughed at him. Rabastan thought he might have done more but the whispers about that case had been pretty hushed. He was certain that rumour was true though; Loxias stopped hanging out with Pettigrew overnight and even the other Marauders were a bit tense around Pettigrew for a while after that – not that the boy noticed. There was a reason Pettigrew went to Lily Evans for tutoring. Before the rejection, he never had the guts to go the prefect girl – she was scary, Rabastan would give him that- but afterwards, he had no other choice. There weren't a lot of people who had the patience to deal with Pettigrew. It wasn't because he was annoying or anything (even if Rabastan thought he was) but Pettigrew was easily distracted and could launch an impressive bunch of questions in a single breath without waiting for an answer. He also tended to annoy other students. The most patient ones were Loxias and Evans (or some Slytherins but Pettigrew never approached those unless it was somewhere private. He never approached any of them for tutoring, not even the few who offered). Without Loxias, Peter had no choice but to go to Evans.
Rabastan shook his head; it looked like Loxias dodged a bullet (he was pretty sure it was a muggle expression) with that one. It might have hurt at the time (if the rumours were true which Rabastan was not 100% certain) but in the end, it was for the best, wasn't it?”
“Is it really Peter?” Mary MacDonald asked quietly.
That was what snapped the Marauders out of their daze.
Finally, James unfroze and promptly lost it. With a roar of rage full of anger and betrayal, he threw himself over the table and tackled the rat animagus to the ground. Gasps and yells of surprise echoed but he ignored them.
“YOU f*ckING TRAITOR!”
Uh, it seemed that James Potter and his son were remarkably similar in that reaction, Lord Arcturus Black mused absently. He too, had been shocked to learn that the 'sweet boy' (Lody Marchbanks' words, not him - he didn't even know the kid) that was Peter Pettigrew would grow up to be a Death Eater if he didn't change his ways.
“James!” Lady Euphemia exclaimed although it felt a bit half-hearted.
Whoever thought the Potters did not have a vindictive and vicious streak would eventually find out that they couldn't have been further away from the truth. The truth slammed into them with the strength of a bludger when James forgone his wand to physically attack his 'friend' while growling vicious words to his face.
“I thought he was dead,” Dorcas Meadowes pointed out, confused.
“The map never lies,” Remus growled, his eyes flickering amber for a second.
Dorcas stared at him. Was that a trick of the light? Upon a closer inspection, Remus seemed to be struggling, keeping a tight leash on his self-control. No surprise considering what they had just heard. It came to her as a surprise that no one else had tried to attack Peter – their house was full of hot-headed dorks. Could their drinks have been laced with Calming Draught? Nah, they wouldn't do that. Even if the staff had their best interest at heart, it would be illegal. Perhaps she had underestimated her Housemates' control over their emotions.
Then she saw Lily and Mary throw themselves at Peter when the Potters finally managed to detach James from a whimpering Pettigrew and she revised her opinion. Perhaps not. She further took back her previous statement when two other Gryffindors joined in the fray and the adults had to intervene. Oh, well. She'll have her chance later. She'll make him pay. She knew she couldn't do much; Peter hadn't done anything yet (as far as they knew) but she couldn't shake the deep feeling of betrayal she felt when she looked at him.
The other guests and students were mostly focused on the near fight happening. They never expected James Potter to lose it. Here he was, showing a ruthless side of him no one – apart from his parents- had expected. Severus swallowed. He hadn't known Potter could be so... bloodthirsty. So, unlike he had been led to believe before, Potter did hold back when he played all those mean pranks on him and others. If he didn't... Well, Severus didn't want to think about that, right now. Even the other Gryffindors were a lot more bloodthirsty than they had been led to believe in the past. Some paled when they saw Evans and MacDonald join the 'fight'. That would not end well.
Fleamont only made an effort to calm his son because, despite everything, the other boy was still a kid and hadn't done those things yet. Make no mistake though, if that boy ever came near his family again, Fleamont would keep a very close eye on him. He kept a tight hold on Sirius who had been sitting near him when James tackled Peter. If he hadn't, Fleamont was sure Sirius would have joined his brother in all but blood in the assault. In fact, Fleamont realised as he glanced around, young Regulus Black was struggling in his seat, only held back by the firm grip of the Rosier and Crouch heirs on him.
“You will not lose your decorum, Black,” Rodolphus hissed at him when it looked like Regulus was about to storm the room despite his friends' grip on him.
Regulus snarled lowly and Rodolphus sighed:
“I know you are angry. I understand but do not lose your composure so easily.”
Regulus calmed down enough to utter a few words:
“I am not angry. I'm furious.”
There was a Death Eater – a so-called friend of James Potter, standing just beside his kid. Forget the Dark Lord, Regulus had his attention focused on the one who betrayed his friends. At least, he knew what to expect from You-Know-Who. Pettigrew, it seemed, was an unknown.
“LET ME GO! I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!” James snarled from the Gryffindor side of the room.
Regulus swallowed and forced himself to relax. Instead of shaking off the hold his friends had on him, he calmly asked them to let him go and then, he stood up and walked towards the Gryffindor table. He was so furious that he completely ignored the eyes that followed him. Usually, having the attention of half of the Great Hall would have made him blush in embarrassment but tonight, he wasn't in the right mindset to care about that.
When he reached the cluster of students trying to get to Pettigrew everything stopped. Evans stood up first and took a step back. MacDonald followed, gulping a bit at the dark look on the youngest Black's face. Regulus ignored them all, bypassing the others to crouch down, towering over the whimpering mess that was Peter Pettigrew.
Nobody heard what was said but they all saw Peter blanch and tremble. Regulus might not have known how he felt about having a kid with James (a wonderful, precious kid) – he was overjoyed and terrified all at once- but he knew one thing; nobody hurt his family and got away with it. Whether it was by Regulus' hands or Karma, they would pay. Peter Pettigrew was not different if he ever even thought of joining the Dark Lord.
Satisfied, the youngest Black got back up on his feet and strode towards the Potter heir. James immediately stopped struggling when his hazel eyes met Regulus' dark orbs:
“Calm down, Potter. You're making a spectacle of yourself.”
Usually, that sort of declaration would have annoyed him and pushed him to make even more of a spectacle of himself, just to annoy his interlocutor. This time though, it was different; there was a... some kind of protectiveness in Regulus' expression and James felt himself blush. f*ck. He had it bad ('Bad enough to bond with him and carry his child' a teasing voice echoed in his mind, making him blush even harder).
Regulus almost lost his confidence when he saw the blush spread on J – Potter's face. Merlin, that's not fair.
Instead, he straightened and snorted:
“I didn't expect you to resort to muggle methods to make him pay.”
James shrugged sheepishly:
“I thought it'd be more satisfying.”
Then he hesitated and whispered:
“Besides, the curses we, Potters, favour are toying with the lines of legality.”
Regulus stared. He didn't know why he was surprised, he should have; Lady Euphemia had been pretty scary in her youth and even now she could be pretty intimidating when some Wixen were annoying her. Gods, James was hot when he grinned like that, all sharp and teeth, ready to make someone's life a living hell. And not with pranks, no.
The youngest Black forced himself to look away before he started walking back to his table.
“Wait, you're not staying?” Potter squeaked.
Regulus almost smiled at that but instead, he turned around and offered the Potter heir a roguish smirk:
“And be surrounded by Gryffindors? Thanks, but I'll have to pass.”
And with that, he walked away.
James watched on, a dopey smile on his face.
“Oi, lover boy? You in there?
James blinked and turned to face Lily who was laughing at him. There was also a triumphant look in her and when he looked down and saw Peter on the ground with an adult healing his bloody nose, he understood why.
“Nice job, Evans.”
Lily snorted:
“You bet.”
A few feet away from them, Peter slowly got up on his feet. He could feel his Housemates' glares and could see the dark looks directed at him. He wanted to deny those things; he would never be a Death Eater! He wanted to tell them but... he had been approached before, by You-Know-Who's sympathizers at school. He had talked to them... Peter wanted to say that he would never become one of them but... he wasn't like James. He wasn't like his friends; he was not as strong or brave as them. He... Would he waver? It hadn't even happened and somehow, it felt like, in a single sentence, he had managed to lose all his friends.
On the other side of the room, the Slytherins stared as one of their own came back to them:
“There,” Regulus said as he sat down in his seat. “I did not lose composure.”
Rodolphus continued to stare at him.
He shook himself out of his stupor:
“I give up. There's no winning with you, brats.”
Evan stopped laughing:
“Oi, what did we do?”
His only answer was a glare and Rabastan knew exactly why: Evan was the one who never cared for some of their 'more stupid' rules. As it was, Evan Rosier never missed an opportunity to tease or touch his friend Barty. PDA was... not really a thing in Slytherin. At least, not outside of their area. Not in Public. Evan didn't care for that though; anytime he could touch or flirt with Barty and get away with it, he did.
There was a noise from the front of the room and when they looked up they saw the screen glitch before unpausing.
// The resurrected Dark Lord presses a long finger against Peter's dark mark. Harry hisses in pain. //
Mary almost whimpered, feeling for the teen who was subjected to such a traumatizing and terrifying event.
“Why... Why does he feel pain? Is it linked to You-Know-Who?”
“I dunno. It seems to happen the moment he touched the Dark Mark so I think so.”
She saw Peter, no, Pettigrew howl in pain. She would feel sorry if she wasn't so angry. She knew that she shouldn't take it on Peter – he hadn't done any of these things yet but... she couldn't help it. She would need a while to process this.
“Guys,” one of the more laid-back Gryffindors, Jorge Juarez (also called JJ by his friends) said. “I know this is... really bad but... Peter hasn't done those things. We can't hold that against him. Just like we can't hold other's future actions against them too.”
Well, Mary thought a bit awed. There was one person who wasn't afraid to say that to James' face when the Captain looked like he was contemplating murder.
“Is he-” a guest started, wide eyes.
“He is,” Lord Rosier confirmed grimly.
“What? What is he doing?” a young student asked.
The adults shared a look until Lord Rosier explained:
“He's calling his servants.”
“How many will be brave enough to return when they feel it?”the humanoid lean figure whispers, gleaming red eyes fixed upon the stars.“And how many will be foolish enough to stay away?”
//
The once aspiring future Death Eaters froze, some exchanging worried looks, others muttering to themselves. Isabelle Goyle and Rosemary Carrow looked regal in their seats, so sure that they would be among those Death Eaters, certain that they made the right decision – that they would make the right decision and join the Dark Lord. He was the only person worth following, the one who would restore their world and put it back on a glorious path.
Rodolphus shivered at the sound of that cold, dark, cruel voice and Barty almost whimpered when he heard the Dark Lord laugh. Rabastan curled into himself, leaning against his brother in an effort to block out the sound of that voice.
The frozen image swirled again and when it cleared once more, a few minutes seemed to have passed.
// The air is charged with tension when suddenly, one, two, three and then more cloaked figures appear in the Graveyard. //
James swallowed, his heart pumping in his chest when he saw the terrified expression on his kid's face. Harry looked so young. He should have never been put in this situation. Why did the organizers not put the protections needed to ensure no one would end up outside of Hogwarts!? Why was it that Harry always ended up in a dangerous situation? His gaze landed on the Headmaster's empty chair and he couldn't help the resentment that bubbled in his throat. The headmaster had always been a powerful man and, surely was even more powerful in the future. Why didn't he put better protections? Why didn't the organizers think of putting better protections? Obviously, if his son had been put in the tournament by a third party, they should have done something, anything!
Marlene frowned but it was Dorcas who spoke up:
“That's a lot of Death Eaters... How did that many criminals escape prison?”
Her question brought an uncomfortable silence. Nobody wanted to say what was on their mind; nobody wanted to admit that their post-war Ministry was probably just as corrupted as their current Ministry. Corruption had always been a problem. Somehow, though, it seemed to be a particularly big problem in Wizarding Britain (whereas Muggle Britain seemed to be doing a lot better than them).
What followed was a disgusting show of remorseful Death Eaters kissing the hems of You-Know-Who's robes.
Logan Avery paled when every student turned toward him after hearing the Dark Lord call his family name:
“Don't look at me, it's not me! … I hope.”
The attention was soon returned to the screen when the Dark Lord uttered the incantation of the pain curse and they had to watch as the Death Eater was tortured under their eyes.
Mary winced and looked away:
“I know this guy is a Death Eater but -”
“Nobody deserves to fall prey to that curse,” another Gryffindor finished for her.
She nodded even as some of the most bloodthirsty students scoffed and said that some did.
Peter didn't dare say anything; everybody seemed to have forgotten his presence and he wasn't stupid enough to remind them he was there. He was already dreading sleeping in the same room as his friends if they hadn't cooled down by the evening.
“Lucius, my slippery friend...”
Sirius rolled his eyes, and a bitter laugh escaped him.
“I warned Cissa. I told her to not marry him,” he whispered resentfully.
He continued to mumble and glare at the table while on the screen, Lucius whispered sweet nonsense to his Lord.
“And here we have six 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 will be killed, of course . . . and one, who remains my most faithful servant, and who has already reentered my service.”
“One has left forever? Is he talking about Regulus?” Sirius asked.
“Nah, I don't think so. He was confirmed dead a long time ago if I remember correctly,” Marlene said as gently as she could. “He would have counted among the dead Death Eaters and... I don't think he would have been part of the Inner Circle. He was too young and not... cruel enough, I guess.
Sirius grimaced and looked away. He was not ready to touch that subject yet.
“Then who is the one who left forever?”
“Maybe he's talking about Dolohov?”
“But does he know about Dolohov? I don't know, it seemed like he was still trusted when Harry was older so I doubt You-Know-Who is talking about him.”
//Voldemorts starts to taunt Harry, saying that his mother's sacrifice is gone now – that now he can touch him. He demonstrates those words by touching Harry's scar, delighted by the hiss of pain that escapes the boy.//
Sirius clenched his fists on his thighs and he felt James tremble against him. When he looked up, he was stunned to see the anger in his best friend's eyes.
“Prongs? Prongs, mate. You okay?”
James shook himself and nodded but Sirius could tell the other boy wasn't listening to him.
“He's in pain, Pad. I don't like it.”
'Don't like it' was an euphemism but Sirius just nodded in agreement.
“And Peter -”
James trailed off before he could continue that line of thought but it was too late; anger was already surging back forwards and the two boys forced themselves tonotlook at Peter (who did not dare sit back near them after what had happened earlier).
Reporting their attention to the screen, they had to endure You-Know-Who bragging to his minions about how his journey back to a body happened.
// Voldemort raises his wand and turns back to the boy:
“Crucio.”
And Harry was there, writhing against the rope, shrieks of agony echoing in the graveyard. Mary ducked her head and brought her hands over her ears to block out the screams but she could still hear them, if somewhat muffled. They would be forever encrypted in her mind. She couldn't stand it but could do nothing. She couldn't imagine how it must have felt for James and Regulus. Glancing at them, white-faced and agony graved on their faces, Mary could tell that they wanted nothing more than to make it stop.
Screams echoed in the room at the sound of the incantation and the younger students blanched when Harry screamed.
Gwydion Flint was grey-faced as he watched the boy erupt in pain. He looked away, all too aware of the effects of that curse. No one ever hit him with this one but Alecto and Amycus were fond of dark curses and sometimes used him as a guinea pig (Milana Smith's expression, not his).
At the teachers' table, Minerva and Pomona looked horrified while Poppy and Filius had a thunderous expression on their faces. It was devastating; to witness something like that without being able to step in or stop this... horrifying event from taking place. Sure, they would hopefully be able to stop all of this from happening but they had the knowledge that it had happened in this future. And nobody had stepped in. Not even the Death Eaters. Why were they laughing!?
“He is a child...” Minerva whispered, revulsed.
Her argument was reflected farther away at the guest table.
“That's a child he is torturing,” Lord Rosier whispered furiously, earning nods of agreement from the other seated guests.
Not that anyone would dare to argue, even less when they were watching something like that.
Nobody was stupid enough to openly support the Dark Lord especially not when he was seen torturing a literal kid.
Nobody?
Rosemary Carrow scoffed:
“He should have known better than oppose the Dark Lo -”
She didn't get to finish because she was thrown out of her seat and crashed onto the ground with a pained grunt.
While she was regaining her bearings, Rodolphus Lestrange turned and raised a brow at Regulus.
The youngest Black raised a calm eyebrow:
“I didn't do anything.”
Riiight.
“Really?”
Regulus shrugged:
“She would have deserved everything and more but... I didn't do anything to her. Do you have proof before accusing me?”
Rodolphus snorted:
“I was not accusing you.”
They all knew he did it. He was surprised that the crash was not followed by whispered threats from the youngest Black but then against, considering he was pretty sure the boy had used a borderline dark spell, he was not about to turn himself to the teachers. Even if the spell in question was not illegal.
The Carrow girl finally stood up and took her seat back with a glare directed at all those who were snickering. Her glare turned particularly dark when she looked at Black but she didn't dare say anything.
Good, Barty though with a vindictive grin. Because he would have done so much worse than Regulus did to her. Nobody laughed at his son being hurt and got away with it. Nobody. And certainly not a whiny brat like Rosemary Carrow. Isabelle Goyle was slightly smarter: she took one look at the scene – the furious trio and the unsympathetic faces surrounding them and she promptly swallowed the remark she was about to make.
Good.
“Look at that, James. I think your future husband is taking action,” Marlene teased the Potter heir, trying to take their attention away from the scene of horror that was happening on the screen.
James managed to tear his eyes away from the screen long enough to see one of the Slytherin – Something-something Carrow on the ground with literally no one caring about it- and he blinked.
What did he miss?
But then You-Know-Who started talking again and James found that this was more important (he would ask later what had happened here).
//The Dark Lord continues to brag, saying that the boy bound in front of them is nothing special and that he, Lord Voldemort, would prove them that once and for all.//
Mary snorted:
“I doubt it will go how you planned it, asshole.”
“Wait. What does he mean by that?” Azael Diggory asked with his head tilted to the side.
“How does he intend to do that?” Bothild Thorsson asked.
“Wait, they're going to duel?”
Rodolphus snorted:
“Yes, because that's going to give his followers faith in him. As if him killing a child in front of them would prove anything.”
He sure hoped that his future self hadn't been stupid enough to fall for that – if he was even there. Was he in Azkaban?
“They can't duel! Harry has to survive!”
“Now untie him, Wormtail, and give him back his wand.”
Peter shook under the combined weight of glares sent his way. Why couldn't they understand that he hadn't done all of these things!? Why were they willing to give Crouch and the Lestranges the benefit of the doubt but not him!? Even Lily had turned her back on him!
Indeed, young Miss Evans had turned away from him but not out of anger. Or well, not completely out of anger. Sure, she felt betrayed, knowing that the boy she tutored in Charms had become one of those Death Eaters – she would have never expected it! But that's not the reason why she wasn't looking at him. Lily was a prefect, the Headgirl in fact. She was supposed to be calm and composed. She couldn't lose her temper that easily -although, sometimes the Marauders drove her mad. The point was, she was supposed to be unbiased and, yeah, in this particular situation (watching memories from the future) she thought she'd be allowed to be a bit biased but... she was trying to not let the anger and betrayal consume her. She didn't want to attack Peter when he had yet to do all of those things. She wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, wanted to think that he would know better this time but... Why? Why did he betray them by becoming a Death Eater the first time around?
//Once Harry is standing on unsteady feet(“Hey, why is he bleeding? Was he already injured before!?” Barty squeaked out)with his wand in his hand, the Death Eaters form a circle around the Dark Lord and Harry while Voldemort taunts the boy.
“Bow to Death Harry.”
And with a flick of his wand, forces the boy to bow when he refuses to obey.
Barty's eyes filled with tears and he turned away, burying his face in Evan's chest. The Slytherin boy was barely fairing better but he awkwardly patted his Ravenclaw friend on the back and wrapped an arm around him. Then he glanced at Regulus and gulped when he saw the thunderous look on his face.
“That f*cking bastard,” Lily whispered furiously.
“Lily!” James squeaked but only only glared half-heartedly at him.
“What? It's true. I'd say that to his face.”
Lady Euphemia's lips twitched into a smile. Oh, she liked that young lady. She had... what did they say? She showed spunk.
“And now, we duel.”
Without giving Harry time to straighten up, he aims his wand at the teen and hits him with the Cruciatus curse a second time.//
James clenched his jaw, fury radiating from every pore.
“I'll kill him... I'll kill him.”
“Damn straight,” Fleamont muttered although he would personally like it better if his son did not pull himself in danger.
That being said, even the Dark Lord should know better than to try and target his family. Fleamont was not usually a dangerous man – quite content to tinker away and create new potions. He was not a dangerous man... unless you forced him to be.
Regulus took a deep breath. He would not break his composure again. He refused to look at Carrow because that stupid girl never learned and he was sure she would soon be back to make disparaging comments about his son.
Barty couldn't believe he had once entertained the idea of joining the Dark Lord. Sure, it was more because he didn't want to abandon his friends than anything but he might have been a bit awed too. Now, though, watching him torture a literalchildmade him wonder why he ever thought it would be a good idea. His nails dug into the back of his other hand and he gritted his teeth even as tears gathered in his eyes. He would not cry. He would not cry.
His mood didn't get any better when the Dark Lord continued to taunt Harry by asking him if he wanted a break. And why in Merlin's name were the Death Eaters still laughing? Were they mindless minions just there to satisfy their master's need for a crowd?
“Answer me!Imperio!”
Gabriel Bletchley gasped and briefly closed his eyes before slumping against his fiance. Without looking away from the screen, Charles wrapped an arm around his boyfriend's waist and brought him closer to him, patting him to give him some comfort.
“You okay, baby?”
Gabriel sniffled and nodded quietly. At the sound made by his partner, Charles looked away from the giant screen made of mist and gave his boyfriend a kiss on the temple. Gabriel gave him a watery smile and grabbed his free hand.
They had no idea what awaited the boy. They heard the twins talk about it and remembered the kid narrating how it felt to be put under the curse (just listening to him talk had told them that he was telling the truth – he had been held under it) but... they had no idea how he managed to escape alive. They had no idea that there were so many Death Eaters present. At least thirty or so. How did the boy manage to escape?
And the Imperius Curse!?
“He has been hit by all three curses.”
The couple blinked and turned to face the owner of the voice, as did the other Slytherins who had heard him. Lionus Jugson was staring at the screen with an intent look on his face.
“What? What do you mean?” Rabastan Lestrange asked quietly, trying to follow the conversation while also keeping his attention on the screen.
“The kid. He has been hit by all three Unforgivables. First, the Killing Curse when he was a baby and... the Cruciatus curse and the Imperius just now.”
At the corner of his eyes, Charles saw Regulus Black blanch and, honestly, he felt the same way. It wasn't his kid but the boy didn't need to be related to him for Charles to feel terrible about witnessing all those things without being able to do anything.
That was the price of being able to see that future and hopefully avoid it. A small price perhaps, in the grand scheme of things but they all felt terribly useless.
At long last, Charles could tell that some people's views of things had been completely shattered. Although Rodolphus Lestrange had never seemed very enthusiastic at the idea of joining the Death Eaters, he had, until now, never seemed all that against it either.
At the guests' table, the guests were whispering loudly. Gasps echoed when the name of that cursed spell left the Dark Lord's mouth.
Lord Arcturus Black looked particularly... murderous as he stared at the Dark Lord on screen. If anyone thought that Lord Black was a sympathizer of the Dark Lord, they have been proved wrong wrong here, right now. In fact, Miss Amelia Bones from Hufflepuff was surprised that the intimidating man had such a good leash on his magic because she almost expected him to lose control like his grandson, Regulus. And Regulus did usually have good control.
“He's done for. The Dark Lord has him under the Imperius Curse.”
Amelia frowned, her eyes narrowing in thought as she looked at Ewald Smith.
“You just called him the Dark Lord...”
The Hufflepuffs around them stopped their nervous conversations to glance at the two of them. Erwald froze and shot Amelia a nasty look before shrugging:
“It's shorter than He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named or You-Know-Who,” he said haughtily.
Amelia didn't look away even when Erwald's glare intensified. Basil Smith, who was Erwald's younger cousin and was sitting next to Erwald shook his head at Amelia with a nervous, almost frightened look. Amelia knew Basil well enough to know that his cousin Erwald tended to bully him to keep him in a subdued mood. Amelia never liked Erwald but she could have put her feelings aside for the cohesion of the House if not for how much of a bully and a bigot Erwald was.
Her attention snapped back to the screen when they were suddenly able to hear the boy's thoughts.
Just answer no... just say no... I won't.
Amelia knew she wasn't the only one who felt her jaw drop at that. There was no way... He couldn't...
“He's fighting the Imperius,” one of her classmates whispered with a reverent tone.
Confused mutters erupted among the people who had no idea what was going on – who did not realise what they were witnessing.
Just answer no-
“I WON'T!”
The screen paused briefly and a profound silence took place in the Great Hall. For a moment, absolutely no one talked.
“He – He threw it off...”
The spell was broken and the room became very noisy as everyone commented on the scene they just witnessed.
“It's insane. James, your kid is something else;”
A dazed (but proud) James Potter could only nod in agreement even as his mother tried to cut off his blood circulation.
“He did it,” he muttered, staring at the image of his son surrounded by Death Eaters, with a Dark Lord towering over him.
“You won't? Perhaps another little dose of pain...”
Mary shuddered upon hearing the voice of the Dark Lord.
“Don't you f*cking dare!”
“Language”
“Another little dose? There's nothing little about what he did to that kid!”
James froze when he saw the monster raise his wand, ready to curse again but-
// Harry rolls over and flings himself behind another tombstone, stumbling over to escape the predator hunting him. //
James whooped in joy when Harry managed to dodge the curse. He knew for a fact that Harry was still affected by the Cruciatus Curse even months later – he had seen the way his hands shook sometimes and it wasn't always because of nervousness. He was just glad Harry wouldn't be exposed to the pain curse any longer. Or at least, he hoped but Harry was still in an incredibly dangerous situation.
At the Slytherin table, Barty grabbed Regulus' hands and held them to stop his friend from biting his nails until he drew blood.
“Seriously, Reg. You need to stop that habit.”
“I can't help it, this is a highly stressful situation.”
“I know,” Barty approved seriously. “This is our son who is risking his life in front of a stupid Dark Lord,” he said ignoring the hiss of fury from the Carrow girl.
Milana Smith and Pandora Lestrange exchanged a smirk and Evan nodded seriously even as a rosy blush appeared on Regulus' cheeks.
“Yeah.”
It was useless to tell Barty that Harry was technically James & Regulus' son because Reg knew that his friend had already made up his mind about this.
“Oh, Merlin. He's a sick, sick son of a -”
“Language!” Gabriel Bletchley interrupted Evan with a glare.
Evan rolled his eyes but did not finish his sentence. They all knew what he was going to say anyway. Listening to the Dark Lord taunt a boy about playing games when HE WAS THE ONE playing games... It was sickening.
“Oh trust me,” Sirius growled lowly. “You will die, f*cker.”
“Sirius Orion Black, language,” Euphemia scolded him gently.
Sirius pouted.
“Yes, Mom,” he mumbled, pointedly not looking at Lady Euphemia when he heard the woman gasp.
He might have been joking but it was no joke. He did consider Lady Euphemia his mom. James was so lucky. Although, he thought with a wince, maybe all of his relationships with his biological family were not completely broken. Especially if Reg... or if his dad... yeah.
Someone gasped in the audience:
“Look!” they exclaimed, pointing at the screen which had not frozen as they thought it did.
They all whipped their heads around and James swore when he saw Harry stand up as a result of the taunting.
“I mean,” Lily started. “He has nowhere else to go.”
He couldn't stay there, someone – one of the Death Eaters- would eventually come and drag him back. At least, this way, he could move freely, of his accord. She wished Harry didn't have to listen to Voldemort saying that she basically died because of him or that she couldn't protect him anymore.
Will Abbott (from Ravenclaw) gasped when he saw the look of determination on the kid's face. It was like... like he was ready to face death. As if... as if he was ready to fight for his life, which he was.
“Damn, I don't think I'd be that courageous if I was in his place,” his friend, Alderick Tomas muttered from his seat.
Will nodded slowly. Maybe, maybe not. You never know what you are truly capable of doing until there is no other choice but to keep going. And if it wasn't awe-inspiring (and terrifying) to watch this small child stand up, ready to face a monster like You-Know-Who.
They watched as the teen left his hiding place and faced the Dark Lord with a defiant look on his face. They saw them ready their wands at the same time but shouting two very different spells:
“Avada Kedavra!”
“Expelliarmus!”
Rodolphus almost dropped the glass he was holding.
“What!?” he squeaked.
He shook himself, horrified at the sound he had just let out but he was too shocked by what he had just heard (and seen).
“Harry!” James yelped, horrified.
Why would he – why would he use such a spell? Then again, as a fourth-year, muggle-raised student, there was no way he had been taught more offensive spells but... how was his kid still alive?
//A jet of green light shoots from Voldemort's wand while Harry's wand lets out a red jet of light. Both spells meet in the middle, creating a connexion with a blinding golden light.//
“... What?”
“What is this?” Rabastan whispered, atonished.
How was this possible?
Dagger exchanged a look with his fellow Unspeakables. It was Shield who explained to his confused co-workers:
“Brother' wands. They don't work well against each other.”
At the Gryffindor table, Lily's quill was writing everything Lily was whispering. She knew she wasn't the only one taking notes but she preferred to have her own so that she could organise them later on. Her eyes were fixating on the screen, clammy hands fisting the fabric of her skirt. She wished she could look away but the truth was that she couldn't bear to; not when Harry's life was on the line. Not when it was hanging to a thread.
“How?”
“Does that have anything to do with the prophecy?”
“I mean, I guess but thecauseis not the prophecy. I mean... I don't know how to explain.”
// The connexion seems to vibrate and both Voldemort and Harry are suddenly levitating a couple of feet off the ground. The Death Eaters start to panic but Voldemort yells at them to not attack the boy. //
“Damn, he's possessive. That's a bit creepy.”
Sirius grabbed James' hand and squeezed it. Tightly. James winced and clenched his teeth to not make a sound. He knew just how nervous and scared Sirius was even if the dog animagus tried to play it off as nothing.
They both froze when a melody pierced the air.
“What? Is that... music?”
Dagger tilted his head, listening to the thrill echoing in the air.
“It's a phoenix echo.”
There was no phoenix but... He exchanged a look with his co-workers and Sword nodded gravely:
“Brother wands,” he said, repeating what Shield had said earlier.
Dagger nodded in thanks and reported his attention to the screen. He understood the feeling though; they all did. Somehow, they knew that Harry shouldn't break the connexion. Not so soon anyway.
That's when things started to get weird... well... weirder.
James could see Harry struggling to keep a hold of his vibrating wand – same with You-Know-Who. But then, some sort of vapour escaped the tip of the Dark Lord's wand; familiar screams of agony echoed and a ghostly hand fell off.
“That's -” Dagger started, almost gaping although he quickly shook himself.
“Yes. The hand of Pettigrew,” Thorn confirmed with a solemn look.
She looked like she was about to
Dagger cut his line of thoughts before it could continue because now he knew why she sounded so serious.
Lord Voldemort's favourite curse may have been the Cruciatus one but he did enjoy a lot of dark spells... The Killing Curse was a close second. And if they were about to see Voldemrot's last spells... Well, there would be nothing pleasant about this.
As if to confirm his thoughts; new screams echoed from the the Dark Lord's wand.
James gasped when he saw Harry slowly gaining the upper hand. It was slow, and it looked incredibly taxing for the teen but the light was slowly turning completely red and moving towards You-Know-Who.
“He's winning,” Amelia Bones whispered, eyes wide. “He's winning,” she repeated, incredulous.
Lord Arcturus Black exchanged a look with Lord Rosier.
“That's a powerful grandchild you got there, Arcturus.”
Arcturus snorted and nodded although there was a glimmer of worry buried deep in his dark eyes.
“He looks scared,” Rabastan whispered to his brother.
Rodolphus almost snorted; no wonder Harry looked scared. If he lost his focus or tired too much, he would lose and would be hit by the Killing Curse. There was no way he would survive a second time.
Then, he realised; Rabastan wasn't talking about the kid. He was talking about the Dark Lord! And he was right. There was a frightened look in the Dark Lord's eyes.
“There's no way,” Isabelle Goyle whispered before Rosemary Carrow cut her off with a shriek of rage.
“THERE'S NO WAY!”
But she was silenced by an annoyed sixth-year student who showed no remorse.
“She was annoying me,” Leana Fawley muttered.
“Thanks,” Evan said with a wave. “She was making my head hurt.”
Barty guffawed and didn't bother trying to hide it.
//Something larger starts to form from the wand of the Dark Lord... a mass... a torso... a head... Cedric Diggory...//
Lily gasped but it was a guest who explained what was going on:
“Priori Incantatem. It's a charm. It, uh, it shows the wand's last spells as echoes. It's notably used by members of the DMLE during investigations.”
Lily took note, a gleam in her eyes as Marlene looked back at the screen. She couldn't imagine... seeing the ghost of a boy whose death you just witnessed. A boy the kid had known. She couldn't begin to imagine how he must have felt.
“Hold on Harry...”
Mary felt tears gather in her eyes and she didn't bother stopping them. She had always been the emotional one in her group of friends and she had long since abandoned the idea of controlling her emotions. It was always all over the place.
She saw Harry's wide eyes, the pain on his face as he gazed at his olderdead friend.
She glanced at the Death Eaters who looked just as scared as their master but who couldn't do anything because of the golden dome that surrounded the Dark Lord and his Nemesis.
//An old man appears, followed by a young woman. Both are encouraging Harry to not let go.//
The old man was a muggle but the woman...
“f*ck!” a student exclaimed, ignoring the warning look he got from McGonagall. “That's Bertha Jorkins!”
“Who?”
“Bertha Jorkins. She graduated a few years ago. She was in Hufflepuff. Not very bright but she was funny to hang out with.”
Among the guests, she was much more recognizable.
“Isn't that one of the employees from the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes?” Theodore Nott (the oldest son of the main branch) asked, looking at his father, Theodred Nott.
Lord Nott tilted his head to the side.
“I believe so.”
“That's her,” Nicodemus Flint confirmed. “Although she has been moved to the Department of International Magical Co-operation since.”
He knew Jorkins well enough although he didn't usually spend a lot of time around her; she was a bit too gossipy for his taste but it was useful sometimes.
// Another ghostly head emerges from the wand. //
Dorcas gasped. Pandora flinched. At first, Barty didn't understand why but then, they saw the ghost take form and he blanched when he recognized Lily Evans.
Minerva gasped and Filius felt his hands shake with the force of the shock. James closed his eyes and Lily stared in shock. Of course, she thought numbly. If the spell showed echoes of the last spells used and that You-Know-Who had been bodyless for the past decades, he couldn't have used his wand during that time. And the last spells he used before being turned into a wrath were... the Killing Curses... Three Killing Curses.
She gasped, a hand over her mouth when she realised what was going to happen.
“Your father is coming...”
Barty saw Harry's face twist in agony at that and he grabbed his friends' hands. His heart ached for the boy when he saw the tears rolling down his cheeks.
Lady Euphemia almost sobbed and slumped against her husband. Fleamont wrapped an arm around his wife and put his free hand on his son's shoulder.
“Hold on for your father... Hold on, Harry...”
Sirius froze when something else escaped from Voldemort's wand and began to take shape. He knew what was coming. He shook his head and looked away but he couldn't, not for long. A second went by and he was looking back at the screen.
Remus tensed when an older James appeared on the screen. It seemed like the war had been stressful for him before his death as even ghostly-looking Remus could see that some of his hair had been turning grey. It was confirmed when he saw James (their James) pout at the screen. It had been a thing in the Potters family. The males tended to go grey early, although James' father Fleamont had been one of the few Potter men to escape it. He was barely starting to go grey.
“When the connexion is broken, we will linger for only moments . . . but we will give you time . . . you must get to the Portkey, it will return you to Hogwarts . . . do you understand, Harry?”
Harry nods with trembling lips as he drinks at the sight of his parents.
(or, you know, his dad & godmother, not that he knew that at the moment.)
Alice MacDougal -soon to be Longbottom-, gasped, eyes going wide:
“Even in death... they are trying to protect him and to guide him.”
Frank patted her hand and squeezed it, a sad smile on his face. They would have made good parents. They would make good parents.
“Harry,”Cedric starts.“Will you take my body back to my parents, please?”
Harry nods numbly:
“Y- Yes.”
Maximilien Smith could only imagine the pain it must have felt like, to face a teenager – barely older than him, a teen he had known and watched die asking him to take his body back to his parents. His heart ached for both teenagers; one whose life had been cut too soon and one who had to live through this and all this pain.
“NOW!”Harry yells as the ghostly forms close in on Voldemort.
The connexion breaks and the boy makes a run for it with one goal in mind; Cedric's body. //
Barty almost stood up, too worked up to cheer Harry on but terrified beyond belief that someone would catch him. He did hear some yelling words of encouragement but his own throat was working against him and he couldn't formulate a single word. He didn't protest when Evan pulled him against and kissed his temple but a blush spread on his face. Next to him, Regulus and Pandora were holding hands, eyes fixated on the screen, watching Harry quite literally run for his life.
“Impedimenta!”
“He's good at instinctive shooting,” Rodolphus commented when a pained yelp sounded somewhere behind the teen.
He would make a good Hit-Wizard although he doubted it would be in the boy's plan; he was an artist. He might have been a fighter but only because he was forced to.
James' breath caught in his throat when he heard the Dark Lord yell at his men to catch the boy and saw all thirty or so Death Eaters chase after his son.
// Harry dodges various deadly curses and skids to a halt to crouch down in front of Cedric's lifeless body. //
Azael Diggory blanched at the sight of the still body. His nephew...
James felt guilty for not caring much about the body of the Diggory boy but to be honest, he was way too scared, watching his kid struggling with the body before giving up and aiming his wand at the Cup.
At the same time, Voldemort aim at the teenager with a triumphant smirk.
“A-”
“ACCIO CUP!”
“-vada-”
With baited breaths, they watched as the cup flew past one Death Eater and was hurled towards Harry. James only dared to breathe again when he saw him grab both Cedric and the flying Cup and heard the scream of rage coming from You-Know-Who.
Regulus himself slumped slightly against his friends, leaning on Pandora as he regained his breath.
“Never again,” he whispered.
He never wanted to watch something so stressful and terrifying but he had a feeling the Fates would not be on his side this time.
Beside him, Pandora let out a quiet chuckle, seemingly on the edge of hysteria and he understood all too much.
Barty took a shuddering breath and all but collapsed on Evan, tears of relief falling from his eyes. Frowning, Evan leaned forward and wiped away a stray tear with his thumb before kissing Barty's cheek. A vibrant blush spread on Barty's cheeks and he buried his face into his friend's chest.
“Why do you do this to me, Evan?”
The aforementioned boy snickered;
“Why not? You blush so prettily, darling.”
Barty whined but did not move away. He liked being in Evan's arms. If he could stay there for the rest of his life, he... he wouldn't mind that.
//Harry reappears in front of the maze with Cedric. He's shaking and crying but it takes a while before the celebrating Wixen realise that something is wrong.//
An older Amos Diggory hurries forward, yelling for his son and Dumbledore crouches down despite his old age to try and pry Harry off Cedric.
“He's back!” Harry yells, crying. “He's back.”
Dumbledore forces the teen to look at him, asking him who he is talking about.
“He knows,” Pandora whispered coldly. “He knows who Harry is talking about.”
“Voldemort. He's back,”Harry whispered, traumatized, exhausted and hurting.
James opened his mouth to argue when he saw Dumbledore make Harry stand up and call for Moody. It was obvious Harry could barely walk; why was he telling him to follow Mad-Eye? Couldn't he see how exhausted Harry was? Couldn't the interrogation wait?
But the screen froze and the Unspeakables told them that they would have a short break so that everyone could “recover from their emotions”.
À Suivre...
Publié le: 3 février 2024
![[Watching | Marauders Era Watch] War Children - Chapter 13 - x_manga_Bleach_x - Harry Potter (2024)](data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mP8/h8AAvMB+NzmkbcAAAAASUVORK5CYII=)