A Dark Graveyard
"I don't understand." - Thomas
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24th June 1995
Raven wasn't sure how she expected to die - a part of her figured she would end up following in her mother's footsteps - one day, her potions would stop working and she would spiral, before ending her life, in the quickest ways she could think of. Other than that small thought lagging at the back of her mind, she had no idea what to expect; would it be old age? - no - surely not, she could never see herself growing old, something about that just didn't seem right.
But if not old age, what would bring her to an end - stop the miserable life of Raven Howendale?
The thoughts of her death had skipped over her mind, although they had never invaded her as much as they had when she looked around what seemed to be a dark graveyard, something seemed off.
Chilling ice seemed to move through her body - Raven spun around, she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, pulling the sleeves of her robe down further to cover her hands. Her hand pressed against the stone, calloused fingers dipping into the intriguing patterns carved onto it, "It's a graveyard," Cedric gasped, he trailed behind her, reading the writing carved into the stone, "The cup was a Portkey."
Raven turned to look at him, limping over towards him - her stormy eyes scanned the headstone, "Did anybody tell you the cup was a Portkey?"
Cedric shook his head, tearing his eyes away from the headstone, locking them onto her own, "I don't understand." Raven muttered, reading the engravings on the headstones.
"Wands out you reckon?" Raven nodded, pulling her wand out from her robe pocket. If death was faced before her she didn't know what she would do - would she fight? - sometimes Raven wanted to face death because when she had died she could meet her mother, she would finally get to meet the person who brought her into this cruel world, "someones coming."
Raven turned, looking around her, she could hear quiet sobs - begs - someone was near, but Cedric seemed oblivious to this, he stepped in front of her, his eyes squinting into the darkness, "Run - it's part of the prophecy!"
They both turned to move, although a chilling voice hissed through the air, "Kill the spare." And Raven let out a sob of disbelief as Cedric was blasted to the floor beside her.
"Cedric?!" The boy let out a raspy gasp for air, his frantic eyes locking onto her own. His robes were torn, crimson blood spilling onto the damp grass, "Oh my God, Cedric!" She moved forward, pressing her shaking hands onto one of the larger wounds, the sticky liquid staining her robes.
"Run." Her head snapped up, facing the paling boy, his voice was horse almost unauidable, his hands trembling from where they rested beside him, "Run!"
Raven's eyes snapped up, looking at the small man as he scurried over towards her, "Who are you?" She asked, her voice shaky as she looked up at the man who stood above her.
The man's blue eyes looked down at her, almost with an act of sorrow before he grabbed her arm and dragged her away from the bleeding boy, "No!" She screeched, her body thrashing in the mans hold, "He needs help - he's going to die!"
Although the man paid no acknowledgement, of course, he knew the boy was going to die - he had cast the spell to kill him. Instead of replying he brandished his wand and conjured ropes to tie her to one of the headstones. Soon a black piece of fabric was placed into he mouth; silencing her.
Raven watched him walk away, her body trembling with fear as her eyes laid on the gasping boy on the floor. She wanted to comfort him - help him if she could - but instead, the boy was grasping at the grass, trying to hold onto life for as long as possible.
The stubby man returned, pushing a large stone cauldron. He left it in front of her, wheezing as he hunched over whilst he caught his breath. Then, he scurried over to the base of one of the headstones where a bundle of blankets laid.
She watched the balding man wave his wand, flames igniting below the cauldron, licking up the sides, and then the man turned away. Raven watched, her breathing laboured as she wriggled in the ropes - beads of sweat ran down her face as the flames around the cauldron grew, she could bearly see the other side as the man picked up the bundle at the base of a headstone.
"Hurry up, Wormtail." A voice hissed, and Raven let out a scream (which was muffled by the fabric) as the man kicked a gasping Cedric aside, approaching the cauldron once more. He unwrapped the blankets, a shrivelled creature hunched up inside. The man dropped the creature into the cauldron.
Slowly the pieces seemed to form in Raven's mind; this was the return of Lord Voldemort.
"Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son." The balding man shook almost as much as Raven, whose legs had bucked from below her in fear; only being held up by the ropes that were cutting rawly into her skin. The man dropped a bone into the cauldron, a splash forming as it created contact with the liquid.
"Flesh - of the servant - w-willingly given - you will - revive - your master." He stuttered as he pulled a dagger out of his robe pocket, he held out his right arm - bringing the dagger down and allowing his hand to splash into the potion. He let out an agonising scream.
Raven shook, uncontrollable sobs escaping her lips - muffled by the fabric. The whimpering man then put his left - and only - hand into his robe pocket, "B-blood of the enemy.... unsuspectedly taken.... you will.... resurrect your foe." He revealed a glass vial, it was full of dark blood, Raven watched in terror as the man struggled to uncork the bottle with one hand, however, once he did the blood soon added to the mix. Harry - how in Merlin's name did they have Harry's blood?
"P-p-power from the chosen.... you will be stronger than before." The mans trembling figure turned to the sobbing girl, he rushed over, untieing the rope from around her. Her weak body fell to the floor, although the man dragged her up, she found herself stood before the cauldron.
The potion the man had created was strange, it was a milky white, with swirls of deep, vivid red rushing around it. He forced her hands over the potion, for a moment she thought he was going to push her in - one life for the life of Voldemort, although she was mildly surprised as he thrust a piece of paper in front of her face, "Read this."
Raven moved to stand back, looking at the man in disbelief, "No." She said, her voice shaking, "I'm not helping you."
"Recite this if you want him to life." He thrust his head in Cedrics direction, he laid on the floor, watching with weak eyes.
Raven stepped back forward, looking down at the potion with uncertainty, one last look at a pale Cedric, her eyes were scanning over the paper the man held in front of her face, with his only hand. Her hands shook violently over the potion as she began to read the strange spell scrawled onto the parchment.
"nobilibus digna resuscitare - " The incantation was strange, and Raven had no idea why she of all people had been summoned to perform this spell - although, she was mildly surprised as the potion began to glow a blinding golden colour.
"Say it again." The man commanded although he was backing away slowly as the potion grew brighter. Raven repeated the spell several times, it was only when the golden light became too bright did she step back, watching fearfully as diamond-like sparks shot up into the dark sky.
Raven felt her feet move towards Cedric, and the man made no attempt to stop her, "Cedric," She said, shaking the boy his lips had cracked, and Raven could see blood beginning to cover them, "Stay awake, you need to stay awake for me."
Her body trembled as he gave her a weak smile, grasping her hand fearfully, "You need to get the cup - you need to get out of here -"
Raven wanted to follow Cedrics request, she did, although she was cut off by a spine chilling voice, "Robe me." It said, and both Ravens and Cedrics heads turned to face where the steam continued to bellow. The small man shook as he rushed forward with the robes that had being wrapped around this - man - moments before.
Raven gasped as the smoke thinned, and she could see the beady red eyes of a monster. Lord Voldemort had risen again, with a devilish smirk forming on his face as his eyes landed on Raven.
Although he turned away, slipping a pale finger into his robe pocket and pulling out a yew wood wand, "My Lord...." All eyes snapped to the hunched-over the figure on the floor, "my Lord.... you promised...."
Voldemort rushed over to the pathetic man, crouching in front of him, "Hold out your arm, Wormtail."
Raven was glued to the spot, her hands pressing down on Cedric's wounds - although she wasn't sure if it was doing anything anymore, for the boy already looked like death, he had grown unnaturally pale, and his breathing had grown weak as he laid in a puddle of his own blood.
"Master.... thank you - master thank you." The withering man moved to hold out his pathetic stump, although Voldemort pushed it back in disgust.
"Your other arm Wormtail." Grasping his left arm, Voldemort pushed the sleeve of his robe back, where a tattoo of sorts stood boldly on it, "It is back," Voldemort whispered, examining the tattoo, "they will all have noticed it.... and now, we shall see." The man - Wormtail - withered on the floor as Voldemort pressed a pale finger to his tattoo.
"Who will be brave, and who will be foolish?" He thought aloud, his red slits studying the sky, only looking down as wizards began to populate the graveyard. They were everywhere, apparating all around Raven, Voldemort, and the withering man.
He began talking, although Ravens head had grown numb, a loud ringing in her ears drowning out the sound of his greetings, "Cedric," she whispered, shaking the pale boy, her voice weak as her body collapsed on top of him, "Stay with me - please stay with me."
She brushed her hair out of her face, Cedric's blood smearing on her as it rubbed off of her hands, "We are joined here tonight by a special guest - one who helped me rise back to power." Raven shuffled backwards as the snake like man walked towards her, "Raven Howendale - I'm sure you've all heard of her families legacy?"
Some of the Death Eaters nodded eagerly, murmuring in acknowledgement, "Stay away from me." Raven hissed, scooting backwards, looking at the man in fear.
"Now now girl," Voldemort said, a sickening smirk on his face, "I don't want us to be enemies - I want us to be friends."
Looking up in disbelief, Raven pointed her wand at him shakily, "You've killed people!" She cried, blood mixed with tears and sweat down her face.
Voldemort, looked at her through his snake-like red eyes, "Everybody who died was collateral damage - we all want the same thing here," He reasoned, "We all want a new world - an improved world."
"You and I both have very different ideas about what will make an improved world." She hissed, stumbling to her feet, and shakily pointing her wand at him.
Voldemort let out a deathly chuckle turning back to his followers, "See, our new friend here has a gift; she is the girl from the prophecy," Several of the Death Eaters gasped, "A most ancient Prophecy going back hundreds of years, and now with my return - her powers have being activated," He spun around, facing Raven who glared at him hatefully, "If you do not learn to control your powers.... they will take over and you will die."
"Join me, join us, and I will teach you how to control these powers."
Raven looked at him in disbelief, "Why would I join you? - you've taken everything from me!"
He chucked, it was dark with a menacing stare from his beady eyes, "And yet, when Dumbeldore knew something was going to take place tonight - he still let you participate in the task, you see me as the enemy, but who is the real enemy?"
Voldemort turned on his heels, "A faithful follower has already redeemed his redemption," Many of the Death Eaters shared confused looks, "He has been undercover at Hogwarts - without his hard work, I would not have returned tonight."
"Tonight we shall not talk about redemption, no," Voldemort said, walking closer to the edge of the circle of Death Eaters, "Tonight we welcome Raven Howendale, a new member into our group; with her power by her side, we will vanquish all unworthy souls."
The Death Eaters cheered as Raven looked at him in fear, "I won't join you."
The Death Eaters grew silent, looking around at each other in fear. Voldemort merely stepped forward, stopping when he was towering over Raven and the pale boy, "You will join me in this battle; you will join the winning side - you need me to teach you how to control your powers."
"I don't need anything from you."
Voldemort looked at her in anger, his red eyes glowing in the night sky, he pointed his wand down at her, "Crucio." Her body thrashed against the ground, her arms shaking as a deafening scream escaped her lips.
When the spell stopped she laid weakly on the ground, her vision grown blurry, "Without knowing how to control your gift, you are weak; vulnerable," He reasoned, "Let me help you control something your mother could not - let me help you become powerful."
Raven didn't move, her body laying on the ground weakly, "Hey - hey!" She looked up, a blurred shadow of slender legs before her, she looked up her eyes locking onto the glowing blue of the woman that stood before her, "You need to get back to the cup - you need to accio the cup!"
Raven furrowed her eyebrows, "Who are you?" She groaned looking up, the woman merely shook her head, blonde locks falling in front of her face.
"None of that matters right now," She insisted, "You need to get the cup - quickly."
Raven looked around, her weak arms holding her up, she grasped her wand in her hand, "-her magic is different from ours, she does not need a wand to channel her power - no - she holds all of her power -"
Voldemort, who was too busy informing the Death Eaters about their powers, hadn't noticed how her wand was pointed at him, "Stupefy." A red beam of light shot out of her wand, flying towards the wizard. Voldemort merely turned around and flicked his wrist, shielding himself from the spell.
He scoffed, "Pathetic," He hissed, "With your powers, you can do so much better; you wand limits what you can do."
"Join us now, before it's too late."
"You're not going to win anything - Harry will destroy you, just like last time." Raven hissed, scooting further away from the disinformed man.
"Haven't you wondered how we got Harry's blood yet?"
Raven gasped, using what little strength she had left to pull Cedric with her, that woman was right; she had to get back to the cup.
"Harry Potter only managed to defeat me through the use of old magic, something I should've foreseen - it was love, you see when dear sweet Lily Potter gave her life for her only son; she provided the ultimate protection," Voldemort said, turning around, explaining the story everyone had theorised about for years, "I could not touch him. The boy has lived off of false names 'the boy who lived', my curse would've in fact killed him if it wasn't for the protection cast around him."
Raven looked around, her eyes landing on the silver cup that laid beside one of the headstones, "I'm going to get us home, " She whispered, looking down at Cedric, "I promise; you're going to be okay."
"Accio." She whispered. Nothing happened.
"Accio." Once again, nothing happened.
"Accio!" She shouted, drawing the attention of the Death Eaters, to her pride the cup began soaring towards her.
She quickly grasped onto Cedric's arm as she felt the cold metal of the cup fall into her palm, she merely heard Voldemorts shouts of protest before the cup took them away. Hopefully, returning them home.
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Began Writing 13/11/20 21:39
Published 20/11/20 14:50
Publishing this when I'm suppose to be joining my form teams meeting but oh well.
Ugh, I'm halfway through writing this chapter and I have no idea how to conclude it - I dunno how to get her out of the graveyard. So, to future me who is probably wrapping this chapter up right now, well done! Go eat something nice. News update: I'm eating chocolate digestive. And a week later I'm finally editing it.
I also need to edit the previous chapter and publish that, but, yeah. Anyway, this chapter is the start of where the plot strays from the books/films and you get Ravens own storyline more, of cause we still see Harry, Ron, and Hermione, while they're busy doing random shit that they find themselves it, Raven has her random shit to deal with.
Not sure about this chapter, it seems so rushed when I go back through to edit I'll probably change a few things.
Also, three more chapters of A.C.T.1. Eek!
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