Fourth Time's a Charm

lviii. story

Harry's POV

He stared into my eyes. The face that had haunted my nightmares for so many years, now standing right in front of me.

He looked away, examining his new body. At an agonizingly slow pace, he drew his hands across his arms, his face. He pulled his wand from the pocket of his robes, watching it carefully. A cruel smile appeared on his face, ignoring the whimpers of the man next to him.

Wormtail was crumpled on the ground, robes stained darker where he had wrapped his arm with them.

"My Lord... you promised..." he choked out, looking up at Voldemort desperately.

"Hold out your arm."

"Thank you, Master... oh, thank you." He began to extend the stump of an arm.

"The other arm."

"Master, please..."

Voldemort ignored his pleading, pulling up the sleeve of his left arm. Across his skin was a skull with a snake coming out of its mouth, traced in red. The same image that had hung in the air over the World Quidditch Cup.

"It's back. The others will have felt in by now. Now we see who shall come..." He pressed a long finger to the mark, watching as it turned black. The pain in my scar magnified, causing me to grimace.

"How many will be brave enough to come? How many will be foolish enough to stay away?"

I tried to look over at Cassie, making sure she was alright. She hadn't stopped pulling at the ropes that were attached to her wrists, kicking and thrashing against them as if it would make a difference.

Her cheeks were stained with tears and blood, though I suspected that was my own left from the vial Wormtail had used on both of us. Being here was bad enough, but having to watch her made the burning of my scar feel like a bee sting. Why, why was she here? It seemed too deliberate to be an accident, but what was the purpose?

"You stand, Harry Potter, on the bones of my father." I reluctantly drew my attention away from Cassie, realizing Voldemort had started coming closer to me. "A Muggle and a fool, like your mother. They had their uses I suppose, without them, neither of us would be here."

He started pacing back and forth in front of the graves, getting closer to the tree with each length. I didn't like how close he was to her. I mumbled things against the cloth stuck in my mouth. I didn't know what I was saying, or how effective it would be if I actually could, but I knew he saw my discomfort.

"When he found out my mother was a witch he left before I was even born. She died giving birth to me so I was raised in a Muggle orphanage. But I vowed to find him, kill him, take revenge on the fool who gave me my name... Tom Riddle.

"Look at me, getting all sentimental. No matter, my true family returns now, Harry. Soon you shall see."

Black cloaks spiraled into sight, witches and wizards Apparating around us. They formed a circle around Voldemort and the grave I was tied to. They didn't seem to notice Cassie, who was much quieter now. She must have tired herself out from trying to get out of the ropes.

Death Eaters had begun begging for forgiveness. He didn't listen to any of them, only monologuing over their unfaithfulness. One cried out, flinging themself at his feet to which he only laughed.

His wand was drawn and the word "Crucio" was muttered.

The man twisted in pain, screaming loudly. It felt much more real than sitting in Professor Moody's class. This wasn't a spider, it was a real human being. And then I realized this was what she had gone through, so many times.

Watching her now was more heartbreaking than before. Cassie's head hung limply and I realized the hem of her shirt pulled up. If you weren't aware of them, the bruises wouldn't have been visible, but I could easily see them. The only indicator that she was alive was her heavy, choked breathing.

Voldemort walked around, calling out each of the Death Eaters for not searching for him. Wormtail was given a new hand that shined silver. It was getting harder to focus on every single detail.

Lucius Malfoy stood among the cloaked figures, attempting to deny his avoidance of the Dark Mark at the World Cup. He ultimately failed, and promised to do better.

I recognized other names: Crabbe, Goyle, Nott. Other kids that we went to school with. They hardly surprised me.

He came to a large space, commentating on the whereabouts of the missing people. "Six missing Death Eaters. Three dead, one too cowardly to return, and one who has left me forever. They shall each be honored and punished accordingly. One who has already reentered my services, stationed at Hogwarts. It is thanks to him our two guests could be here."

Eyes fell to me and then they noticed Cassie. I saw an odd expression cross Lucius's face as he saw her. Not sympathy, but a recognition that I didn't like. Why would he know her? Maybe I just imagined it.

"On that night, 14 years ago, I lost my power, my body when I tried to kill him. His mother died in an attempt to save him, creating a protection I had not foreseen... I could not touch the boy." He came towards me, extending a finger to hover just over my forehead. "She left upon him the trace of sacrifice, old magic I foolishly overlooked. No matter. I can touch him now."

Coldness touched my forehead that quickly turned to a burning headache. It vibrated through my body, making him laugh as I writhed in pain. He pulled away soon enough and it decreased but was still very much noticeable.

Voldemort launched into a retelling of how he had come to be once again, recounting the events from my first year at Hogwarts. The attempt to steal the Sorcerer's Stone, possessing Professor Quirrell.

He described how Wormtail found him and they worked to revive him, finding a potion that would restore him to former glory. A bone of his father meant the graveyard. Blood of enemy could have been anyone, but he was set on it being me—that sense of pride ever-present. What's more poetic than to be revived by the blood of the person who destroyed him once before?

He tortured a Ministry witch, Bertha Jorkins, to the point of revealing the Triwizard Tournament. Then his "associate in Hogwarts" made sure I would get to the Cup.

"And here he is... the boy you all believed to be my downfall..." He walked over to where Cedric's body laid. "Of course there are always little complications in our plans."

He nudged Cedric's face with his foot, making me call out against the gag in my mouth. Cassie, however, had no cloth in her mouth. And she was, understandably, a lot more upset.

"Don't fucking touch him!" Her voice was strained, but still pierced through the air as heads turned, taking much more notice of her than before.

"Ah, I wonder if many of you understand her purpose yet. Surely you must, Lucius. I recall your family was quite close with her mother."

I didn't like where this was going.

"Some months before the night I disappeared I had an epiphany. While I—we—may be powerful, I would not be ignorant enough to think myself unbeatable, that much has been proven by Harry Potter's stroke of luck. If I were to die, what would there be to my legacy?

"A young pureblood girl, just out of Hogwarts, came searching for a long-lost family. One her ancestor had neglected but she yearned to return to. The Black family is not usually so forgiving, but Lucius, your wife took pity on her. Naturally, she was given the dark mark and became a loyal follower.

"I made a decision to produce an heir, and she became the perfect candidate."

He walked over to the tree Cassie hung at, a new fire burning in her eyes. Part of it had remained from when he touched Cedric, but as he began speaking she looked to be growing angrier and angrier.

"Tell me, dear child," he reached out, drawing a hand down the side of her face. It would have been an almost endearing motion if it hadn't been him. Cassie flinched away from it, both of us fearing the words that would come next.

"Do you recognize the story of your own mother?"