Chapter 61: Exam PrepSummary:A fair bit of drama happens here, and our heroine and her friends persevere.
Notes:(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter TextCatching up for exams wasn't as hard as she thought it would be, and she still found time to prepare for the Task too. Naturally she managed to tell the other Champions what she had found out, though she didn't tell them how she learned it, and they all spent time in the library preparing for whatever beasts or tricks were likely to be inside that maze.
One evening, while feeding Regina, she decided to ask about it. "Regina, do you have any advice for dealing with acromantulae?"
"All spiders fear me. They have no eyelids and cannot close their eyes, so they are at constant risk of my deadly gaze. The merest smell of a basilisk should ward them away from you; your ring or dagger will bear my mark."
"Thanks, Regina." That wouldn't do much good for the other champions, but that was fine. They were older and stronger than she was, and sooner or later she had to take this competition shit seriously.
Pansy's father was still being an asshole. The research project Snape had arranged had borne fruit, but with summer looming just a few months away, she was starting to get scared. She was staring at yet another angry, homophobic letter. "I can't go home. I won't go back there, I simply won't."
Hazel squeezed her knee. "I wish I could take you with me, but my relatives wouldn't really appreciate that."
Daphne looked thoughtful. "Even if she stayed with someone else, she'd have to go home eventually. Someone has to… what was that Muggle phrase you used, Hazel? When we were scaring Weasley?"
"Put the fear of God into him? Who could do that, Snape? Dumbledore?"
Tracey giggled nervously. "I don't think Pansy would appreciate it if her father was killed, even if he's an abusive cunt. And what do you expect Dumbledore would do? He's got enough going on."
"That's bullshit, dealing with this crap is exactly what he's supposed to do!" Hazel fumed for a moment. "I'm gonna talk to them both tonight, and you're coming with me, Pansy."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure, we're not gonna let that man mess with you any longer."
"We're coming too." Draco sounded resolute, and the rest of the fourth-year Slytherins nodded.
And so it was that after dinner, Hazel and the others went up to the front of the hall. She looked them both in the eye. "Professor, Headmaster, we need to speak with you. It's about Pansy's dad."
"Of course, right this way." Dumbledore led them into a side chamber, then locked the door. "Miss Parkinson, if you would explain matters?"
Pansy fidgeted and couldn't meet anyone's eyes. "M-My dad's a… a very traditional man. And, well, I'm not."
Snape nodded. "Such was easily presumed after you danced with Miss Potter at the Ball."
"Yes sir. Father didn't like that at all, and he won't listen to reason. He doesn't care that I like girls and boys, he's obsessed with appearances, with that stupid pureblood society crap, and I… I can't stand it, I want out. I want to be my own person!"
She held out the letter, and Dumbledore adjusted his half-moon spectacles to read its contents. "Hm, he certainly doesn't mince words. I presume you wish for some way to keep you from going home over the summer?"
"Yes sir, please, I- I think he might…"
Snape held up a hand. "Say no more, Miss Parkinson. I shall speak to Archibald myself, ensure your fair treatment while under his roof. I will only speak to him, of course, unless he proves especially stubborn."
"O-Okay…"
"Do so unannounced, Severus. It would not do to give your potential enemies forewarning."
"Of course, Headmaster. I will write to Narcissa to learn the Parkinsons' social schedule, and move in on an evening they are not otherwise occupied."
"Thank you, Professors." Pansy bowed and turned to leave. The others went after her, and they returned to the common room. "Thank you, all of you, I couldn't have done that alone."
Draco smiled. "What are friends for? Let's relax for a bit, Snape's got it under control."
"You guys go ahead, I've got some homework left." Hazel sat down and pulled out some of her books. Astrology essay for Divination, Transfiguration practice…
The next day, after the owls came in, the Daily Prophetwas full of all sorts of bad news. The front page had a blaring article about some foreign dark wizard set to be released from prison this year, but Hazel ignored it and flipped through the rest of the paper, looking for something new from Rita Skeeter. She was going after Bagman now, but anything about Crouch and Voldemort had apparently been hushed up, much to her annoyance.
Of course, everyone else could only talk about the dark wizard who was set to be released. Grindelwald this, Grindelwald that. Students were bothering Dumbledore, asking for details of his legendary duel, and he would answer in his usual self-effacing, misdirecting way. "It was a duel of necessity, not of glory. If the ICW sees fit to release Gellert, who am I to argue with them?"
Now that the issue of Pansy's father was resolved for now, Hazel had assumed a single-minded focus on exams and revising, spending her time in the library or the common room with her nose in books. Whatever extra time she had on weekends was spent with Luna or Pansy, at least when she wasn't leading the dueling club or the study group.
The entire month of May went by this way, and before she knew it, it was nearly June. Snape held her back after Potions that day. "You are to go down to the Quidditch pitch this evening after dinner. Mr Bagman and Mr Crouch will be waiting to explain the third Task."
"So that's why the pitch was closed off to us last week."
"Indeed. I suggest feigning surprise." He dismissed her with a flick of his wrist and she went on upstairs to her next class, and at dinner that evening she ate quickly before heading down to the pitch.
She met Cedric along the way. "Alright, Hazel? Haven't seen much of you since the second Task."
"Yeah, I've been busy. Got bored of training and decided to sit the exams this year, so I've been with Krum and Hermione getting ready for them."
"Huh, and no one tried to stop you?"
"As if I'd let them!"
That brought a laugh out of him. "I'm studying for them too, I mean, it's my last year and I can't just not get ready for NEWTs, can I? I'm lucky dad's in the Ministry, he's setting me up for an internship over the summer so I can still take them after school." He shook his head and sighed. "Anyway, you got any idea what we're in for? Fleur reckons we've got to find treasure in a tunnel maze, or some ridiculous thing."
"If it's tunnels then why are we meeting on the pitch? A maze sounds likely, though."
They reached the pitch, and Cedric gasped indignantly. "What've they done to it?"
Hazel pretended to be shocked. "Looks like a hedge maze!"
"Well spotted, Miss Potter! Hedge maze indeed!" They turned to see Bagman and Crouch entering the stadium as well, with Fleur and Krum trailing behind.
"The gamekeeper has been growing the hedges, and will provide a number of dangerous creatures to populate the maze. There will also be spells and other obstacles. The order in which you enter the maze will be determined by how many points you have accrued over the course of the previous Tasks." Crouch looked and sounded much better than he had before, Hazel thought.
Bagman winked at her. "That means you go first. Then Mr Diggory and Miss Delacour, and Mr Krum will bring up the rear! You'll all have a fighting chance once in the maze though, depending on how well you deal with the obstacles!"
She rolled her eyes. "Sounds like fun. Is this the final layout of the maze?"
"Maybe! Or maybe not! You'll have to wait and see!"
She caught Cedric's eye and glanced at the stands, high above their heads. He nodded in reply; they could just fly up there and study the layout of the maze as it grew. Fleur narrowed her eyes at Crouch. "It will be everyone for themselves, yes? No more working together?"
"Correct, Miss Delacour. In the first Task you were alone, in the second Task you had the option of cooperating, which to your credit you all decided to do. Here, however, you must face one another along with the dangers of the maze itself."
"And the rules of engagement?"
"Spells that are normally illegal are still forbidden, and you may not deliberately kill or maim your fellow Champions. Other than that, you are not expected to abide by the usual rules of dueling, since the goal is to reach the center and be the first to grab the Triwizard Cup."
"In other words, don't waste time fighting each other, you'll have plenty to worry about in there! The judges will be patrolling the outer edge of the maze, and everyone else will be in the stands looking down on the proceedings! So don't play too dirty against one another!"
Hazel had a sinking feeling in her guts at those words, though. Fleur was going to be trouble, she would fight dirty inside that maze. Krum probably knew all sorts of Dark spells and Cedric had proven himself a clever and creative duelist in the club, but for some reason she couldn't take either of them seriously.
Either way, she had more preparations ahead of her. She had to keep up with her exam schedule, and find time to sneak out on her broom to scout the maze as it grew. It didn't seem to be shifting its layout, but she kept coming out every other night or so to be sure. She was fairly certain the other Champions were doing the same thing, though they avoided each other while doing so.
Exam time came, and she found herself going to Madam Pomfrey for some of that gross purple headache potion, and focusing on Occlumency so often that Pansy poked fun at her for the expression on her face. "Your face is going to stick that way if you don't relax, Potter."
"If I relax this headache will explode and I'll be a total bitch!"
She was reasonably certain she did well enough in Defense, Charms and Transfiguration, as well as Runes and Potions. Her other classes though, Arithmancy, Creatures, Herbology and Divination, she wasn't so sure about. Or she would have been if she'd had time to think about it, since no sooner did the bell ring after Divination but Trelawney was standing up. "Well done everyone, enjoy the rest of your day."
On the way down, she overheard Ron bragging to Lavender: "Fell asleep in class again."
"Oh Ron, you probably failed the exam!"
"Meh, no one cares about Divination anyway." Then he lowered his voice. "I did have a whacked-out dream, though. I was tied to a statue and some berk was coming at me, waving a knife, saying something about blood or whatever… then I had the strangest idea to just give himmy blood…"
"Ew, Ron! Ew!"
"Right? Can you imagine someone wanting my blood? I mean, if you want it that badly just ask, you know? I've got plenty of it~"
"That's terrible! You're a terrible boyfriend, Ronald Weasley!"
Lavender pushed away and stalked off down the hall, and Hazel had to laugh. "Stepped in it that time, didn't you?"
"I guess. But like, imagine just giving up your blood if some nutter comes around, eh? S'what we got wands for, am I right?"
"I guess." She rolled her eyes and kept going, eager for exams to be over so she could get through the Task and be done with this Tournament once and for all. "God, I'm so sick of this Tournament. Win or lose, I want it to be over!"
"I'd just as soon never have to use homo-whatever, but that might just be me."
"Hematomancy."
He rolled his eyes. "Sure, that."
Notes:Huh, random dream in Divination class. That won't have any relevance to anything, I'm sure.
Chapter 62: Pre-Task NervesSummary:The finale is nearly upon us...
Chapter TextThe next day was finally the day of the Task, and Hazel had somehow made herself forget it until Pansy spoke up that morning. "Ready for the maze, Hazel?"
Hazel, preoccupied with charming her shirt to hold her chest in place, was only half listening. "The what?"
Pansy raised her voice. "The Task, you bimbo! It's tonight, did you forget?"
She felt a month's worth of dread and alarm dump over herself all at once. "Oh fuck! I did forget, yeah!" Still swearing under her breath she finished getting dressed and went upstairs, wondering how else things could go wrong.
Snape intercepted her at the door. "You are expected in the side chamber after breakfast, Miss Potter."
"I am? Why?"
"So you can greet your family members who chose to watch the Task tonight."
Stupidly she thought of the Dursleys. "But they're Muggles, they can't even see the castle."
"Five points to Slytherin for reading Hogwarts: A History.And don't worry, your Muggle relatives aren't coming."
Wondering who it could be, she ate breakfast in silence, stuffing a few scones with eggs, bacon and hot sauce and chowing down on them.
"Why so down, Hazel?"
"I forgot about the Task tonight, Blaise. Also the Champions' families are invited to watch, and we're supposed to meet them in the side chamber after breakfast."
"You don't think those oafish Muggles of yours are showing up?"
"God, I hope not. It'll probably be Remus and Sirius." She finished eating and stood up, heading over to the door to see who was waiting for her.
The first person she saw inside was a stunningly beautiful woman with long, silvery-blonde hair, who had aged gracefully and had a sharp resemblance to Fleur; next to her was an energetic young girl who seemed to be a year or so younger than Ginny.
"Eyes up, darling. Staring is impolite~"
"Narcissa!" She ran over and threw her arms around the older witch, who laughed and hugged her back. "I never thanked you for the scarf! But I wore it all winter."
"Oi, no love for us?" Hazel laughed and turned to hug her godfather and Remus. "There it is. So, are you ready for the last of this bullshit?"
"Probably not, but we're doing it anyway."
The door opened again and some more people came in. The other Champions of course; Fleur immediately went to her mother and sister and started jabbering away in French. Krum went to the corner, where a dark-haired and dour looking couple had been waiting silently for their son. Cedric came in with his parents right behind him, and Hazel guessed they had been delayed at work for whatever reason.
Last in line, to her surprise, was Bill Weasley. He looked around, saw Hazel and went over with a smile to shake her hand. "Heya, Hazel. Mum couldn't make it so she had me drop by instead." He looked around the room, winking at Fleur who blushed and winked back. "Nice to be back, that's for sure."
She saw where he was looking and smirked. "I bet it is."
Fleur tossed her hair and pointed their way; she had a brief moment of panic when she realized the other girl was leading her family over here, and quickly got a grip on herself.
"Mother, this is Hazel, the fourth Champion." She smiled at Bill and led him off to the side. "And you are?"
Fleur's mother rolled her eyes and introduced herself. "Apolline. My dear, whatever happened to your head?"
"Dragonfire, during the First Task. I couldn't get the egg from her without being Marked."
"Oh, but your lovely black hair, so thick and wild. Where are my manners? This is Gabrielle, my youngest daughter."
The adults introduced themselves, and Hazel offered her hand for the younger girl. "I'm Hazel."
"Fleur writes about you a lot. She thinks you are very brave, but also you don't belong in the Tournament."
"She's right, I don't. I shouldn't be here at all, but I am." She shrugged. "It was that or lose all my magic forever."
Gabrielle seemed appropriately horrified by this, but Hazel was saved by the other Champions leading their families over. Krum's parents didn't speak English and Hazel didn't catch their names, but she shook their hands anyway. Amos Diggory still seemed a bit cool towards her for showing up his son, but with his wife standing there he didn't dare cause a scene, and after a few biting remarks the Diggorys left the room.
"Sorry Hazel, he's been impossible about this Tournament stuff. Between the disaster at the World Cup and all the stuff going wrong around here, he… well, whatever. Good luck." He shook her hand and hurried after his parents.
Bill hadn't noticed a thing since Fleur started talking to him, and he couldn't help but laugh. "Give us a tour, then?" Hazel shrugged and led her adults out onto the grounds, pointing out the Beauxbatons carriage and the Durmstrang ship.
"So how's Percy lately? I wrote him a while back and never got a reply."
"I haven't been around so I don't know first-hand, but by all accounts he's been horribly busy. What with all this stuff about Crouch, and no one seems to know exactly what happened either."
"I know what happened, I was there." Hazel told them about finding the elder Crouch on the edge of the forest, and of what she learned from him and from his son.
When she was done, Sirius was furious. "Are they seriously still going through with the Tournament even though they've got positive proof of Voldemort's involvement?"
Narcissa didn't look too happy either. "They don't have a choice, Sirius, if they do cancel the Tournament then the Champions lose their magic. If you doubt Dumbledore's ability to keep Hazel safe you can speak to him yourself, at any time."
"Maybe I'll do that…"
"So Crouch Jr did survive. And he'd been manipulating things while impersonating Moody all year?" Remus sounded reluctantly impressed.
"He'd always been exceptionally clever. I'm hardly surprised the Dark Lord and his followers would have relied on him to infiltrate Hogwarts." She turned to Hazel. "Where is he now?"
"Last I knew he was in some holding cells beneath the dungeons. Dumbledore seems to think he's safest down there, instead of back in custody."
"He's probably right, Fudge has been quite unhinged lately. Ever since the first vague rumor of the Dark Lord being involved surfaced, he's refused to hear a word of it, and there are standing orders around the Ministry for anyone caught talking about it to be summarily fired and escorted from the premises."
Sirius scoffed. "Ten sickles says Crouch Jr would get the Dementor's Kiss if we brought him anywhere near the Ministry."
Remus had a thoughtful frown on his face. "None of us would be stupid enough to take that bet. I think it would be wise to keep an eye on Crouch Sr, he might not be fully recovered from all the Imperiusing they did to him."
It was getting close to lunch time, so they turned to head back to the castle. "So are Dobby and Winky making a difference around Grimmauld Place since I sent them there?"
Narcissa smiled. "The place has never looked better now that Kreacher has some help around the place. Dobby is always eager to help out, and while Winky is still recovering from losing her old masters, we're confident she'll come around in time."
Sirius turned a suspicious look toward his goddaughter. "Speaking of Dobby, I found him snooping around the family library a while back, right when Dumbledore had me remove some real nasty books. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"
Hazel scoffed. "Even if I did, I wouldn't talk about it out here." They were back in the castle again, by now, and she didn't need talk about Horcruxes getting around. She led the way to the Slytherin table, where Draco was surprised to see his mother. Bill, Sirius and Remus looked a little awkward sitting over on this side of the Hall, but shrugged it off eventually and had a fine lunch.
"Did you come to watch Hazel, Mother?" He looked like he wanted to stand up and pull out a chair for her to sit in.
"Obviously. Why else would I come up here, unless to confer with Severus about your academic performance? And speaking of, how did the exams go this year?"
Draco flushed slightly, but got a grip on himself quickly. "Well enough, Hazel and Hermione were helping everyone study so I think we all did alright. Hazel took the exams too, even though she was exempt from them!"
"What can I say? I got bored watching that maze and practicing spells. Pretty sure I did alright."
Sirius was seasoning a bowl of soup. "I'm guessing you found some way to cheat for the maze."
"Of course I did. I've got a list of some of the creatures that should be in there, and I've been studying those. But the biggest obstacle will be the other three Champions, I'm most worried about Fleur."
"What about Krum and Diggory?"
She just shrugged uneasily. "I mean, sure, Krum's got crazy Dark Arts training and I know for a fact Cedric is nasty in a fight. But neither of them take it as seriously as Fleur does. Krum didn't even want to compete, but he's stuck here anyway just like the rest of us."
"By the sound of it, if Krum hadn't been picked, old Karkaroff would have sailed back to Durmstrang in a huff, no matter the consequences. The way he dotes on that boy, you'd think they were related."
Narcissa smirked. "They're not, cousin, as you very well know. Pass the jam, Draco?"
It was weird having adults at the table, even if they were supporting her. It was almost enough for her to forget what was coming this evening, except that every ten minutes someone would mention the damn maze again. That or she'd catch someone staring at the disfigured half of her head; she wasn't sure why it was bothering her again now, of all times. It wasn't like they hadn't seen it before.
After lunch she made her excuses and disappeared upstairs to the Room of Requirement, where she locked the door and spent a few hours screaming into the void, punching and kicking her anxieties away, casting Unforgivable Curses on random conjured creatures. Everything she could think of to get rid of these stupid feelings; she knew she had to be calm and focused when the time came, and she wouldn't get there with everything all bottled up inside.
When she felt better she took a shower and slipped downstairs to get dressed in clean clothes again. This time she got the charm on her shirt right, and smirked at herself in the mirror. "Time to kick some ass and take some names, Hazel Jade Potter~"
In the last few minutes before the feast she polished her wand one more time, double checking that the runes were still intact and working, then did her hair and slipped upstairs. Her guests were up there, and she partook in the feast with everyone else, though she avoided conversation and only ate sparingly, nervous about overindulging before such a momentous event.
Finally, after a dessert course she could barely bring herself to touch, Bagman got to his feet. "Ladies and gentlemen! The third and final Task is nearly upon us! In ten minutes I will ask all of you to proceed to the Quidditch stands! Champions, follow me!"
Before she could stand, Narcissa leaned over and placed a light kiss on her cheek. "Come back safe to us, my dear. Good luck."
The gesture was stunning in more ways than one, but she made herself reply. "I will, I promise."
Fighting off nerves, Hazel and Krum stood up from the Slytherin table, to the cheers and anxious whispers of their fellow students. Across the Hall, Cedric got up from the Hufflepuff table and Fleur rose unsteadily from her spot with the Ravenclaws. The four of them trudged up to join Bagman, who grinned and waved them onward.
"Any last minute questions? Everyone feeling alright? Fleur, Hazel?"
She could only shrug and make a noncommittal sound, and Fleur did something similar. Cedric and Krum didn't say anything at all, though she thought they both seemed faintly ill.
The pitch was unrecognizable, with twenty-foot high hedges all around the edge, except for one gap maybe three feet wide.
Cedric took a deep breath. "Hazel, Fleur, Viktor. Whatever happens in there, I hope you won't take it personally. We're all here to win, after all. Aren't we?"
"Yes. No matter who is having victory, I hope we are still friends afterward."
"I agree! This whole trip would have been a waste if we let international relations break down over a maze duel!".
Hazel raised her wand in salute. "Absolutely. Nothing personal?"
"Nothing personal," the others murmured, likewise raising their wands.
Bagman clapped and grinned. "Lovely, simply lovely! I couldn't have put it better myself!"
As they spoke, Mr Crouch stepped out of the entrance, grim-faced as usual. "The Cup is in place, Ludo. I checked it myself for any extraneous spells. Once the others are here, we can get started."
"Fucking finally." Her outburst earned a glare from Crouch and nervous laughter from the others, but it subsided quickly.
Chapter 63: The Final TaskSummary:The end is here! One of them, anyway.
Chapter TextMinutes later the stands began to fill, as students, teachers and family members filed into seats. "Mr Crouch, are the stands lower than usual?"
"Well spotted, Potter. We thought the crowd could get a better view if they were a bit closer to the ground."
Separate from the crowd came Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, and Sprout, as well as Hagrid and Charlie. They all had brightly glowing red stars on their robes or jackets, and were clutching their wands. "The five of us will be patrolling the outer edge of the maze. If you encounter grave difficulty and wish to be rescued, simply send red sparks into the air, and one of us will retrieve you. However, by doing so you forfeit any chance at victory, so think twice before giving up."
Cedric raised his hand. "Professor, what if we find one of the other Champions incapacitated?"
"If you should find another Champion in dire straits, you may attempt to aid them or revive them however you see fit. Or you can send up red sparks so we can retrieve them to safety, though they may not appreciate being deprived of victory without their knowledge."
"And if it was one of us who knocked them out?"
McGonagall scowled at the question. "Then I would hope, Miss Delacour, that you have enough respect for your fellow Champions to arrange for their rescue." She seemed about to say more, but cut herself off with a glance at the darkening sky. "It is nearly time. Scatter, all of you!"
Hazel looked around, but didn't see Snape anywhere. "Wait! Where's Professor Snape?"
"Severus is providing security in his own way. Good luck, Champions." And then she disappeared around a corner with the other observers.
Once everyone was seated, Bagman approached the judge's table and hopped onto it, holding his wand to his throat and muttering the familiar spell. "Ladies and gentleman, the moment is nearly at hand! First, a brief review of the standings!
"In first place, with ninety-one points, we have Hazel Potter of Hogwarts!" She waved to a solid wall of cheers from the Slytherins, and most of the other Houses too, though Hufflepuff stayed silent. "In second place, with eighty points, Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons!" Everyone cheered for Fleur, and the other female Beauxbatons students performed an impromptu cheerleading dance; Fleur posed briefly and smirked.
"In third place, with seventy-eight points, Cedric Diggory, also of Hogwarts!" That prompted the badgers to cheer and shout, and the rest of them as well, to which he merely waved bashfully. "And bringing up the rear, with seventy-five points, Viktor Krum of Durmstrang!" Lots of cheering from the Gryffindors and Slytherins, not to mention his fellows, and he bowed gravely in reply.
Glancing over the Durmstrang section, Hazel noticed Karkaroff wasn't up there. Weirdly, she didn't see him anywhere else either. Where the hell was he? Who would represent Durmstrang in the judging? Was he with Snape?
She didn't have time to think about it though, the Task was about to start! She sent a quick prayer to the stars, to her parents, and stood before the entrance to the maze, waiting for Bagman's signal. "On my mark, Miss Potter will enter the maze! One, two-!" A sharp whistling blared outward, and she dashed into the hedges, doing her best to recall the layout as she went!
All sound from the crowd was cut off the moment she crossed the boundary; the silence was so abrupt and complete that she felt submerged for a brief moment. Fifty yards ahead the path forked, and she went left just as Bagman's whistle sounded once more, faint and distorted. Fleur was in the maze now.
Hazel lit her wand as she hurried forward, turning corners with purpose. Torches were spaced along the hedge at seemingly random intervals, the flickering light casting confusing shadows all over the place; she didn't have time to try and decipher any kind of pattern, she kept her head down and kept going, relying on her memory of the maze's layout.
Twice more the whistle blew, sounding fainter each time. Everyone was in the maze now, and Hazel felt as if she were being watched. She kept pursuing her chosen route, wondering when she'd cross paths with an obstacle, or one of the other Champions. Did the maze have alternate routes through? She couldn't remember, she had only studied what she thought was the fastest way through, and a few side paths in case she got turned around-
"Fuck!" She jumped back as a blast of fire nearly intercepted her. The Blast-Ended Skrewt! It was ten feet long, with a long curled stinger dripping poison and a fiery… extremity… on its opposite end, and too many legs to bother counting. It made a curious shrieking noise and skittered forward, propelled by a fiery burst!
Stick to the plan, she told herself, raising her wand. "Crucio!" The thing shrieked again and lost control of its limbs. She skirted around it and lifted the spell once she was out of its reach, and continued onward, eager to put as much ground between it and herself as she could before it recovered.
She turned the next corner and stopped dead, as a vast black shape filled the width of the maze before her, blotting out the stars and filling the air with a deathly chill as rotting, scabby hands reached forward, blindly groping ahead…
Desperately she backtracked, flailing about in her mind for a happy memory: the sense of security she felt earlier that day when Narcissa hugged her. "Expecto Patronum!"She twirled her wand while shouting the words, and sent her massive basilisk patronus soaring forth.
The Dementor gave an odd screech and stumbled backward, and that was when she realized it wasn't a Dementor at all, but the boggart! "Fuck you! Riddikulus!"The shape-shifting creature dissolved with a crack, she dismissed the silver basilisk and kept moving, desperate to reach the Cup and put an end to this insanity.
Abruptly she heard shouts from very close by, and the sounds of a duel going off. Curious to see who had got caught up and eager to pick off the loser she forced her way through the hedge, casting a couple Exploding Charms to clear a path. Her wand thrummed and greenery flew everywhere, and she finally emerged on the other side to see Krum and Cedric going at it as hard as anyone ever had!
Krum wasn't holding back, casting all manner of dark curses both silently and out loud. Cedric dodged them all and responded with quick Transfiguration spells and bush-league jinxes, though cast so powerfully that Krum's shield charms shattered repeatedly.
Seconds later Krum got a lucky spell off, and sent Cedric flying as blood poured from every orifice on his body. That was a good time to intervene, so she aimed for Krum's back. "Stupefy!" The red jet of light slammed into him, sending him flying as well. "Cedric! Wake up!"
He wasn't stirring, though, and blood was still pouring from his mouth, and his nose, his eyes and ears. "Episkey." The blood flow slowed, but didn't stop. "Damn you, Krum. Vermillious!" Red light shot into the sky and burst, hovering above them. She had lost nearly a minute with this little heroism, and forced her way back through the hedge and onto her chosen route.
After forcing her way through a weird golden mist that turned the world upside down for a few moments, Hazel knew she had to be getting close to the center. But where were the obstacles? Surely it should have been harder to get this far, diversions or not.
Her thoughts were cut off when she encountered a strange new creature, which seemed quite at ease blocking the path. It had the body of a lion, and bizarrely the head and breasts of a human woman. It was a sphinx, but none of the diagrams had ever shown one with breasts. "Um."
"You are very close. The quickest path forward is through me." The creature's voice was calm and hoarse, and its claws glinted dangerously.
"And if I want to go around in peace I have to answer a riddle, right?"
"You must do so in one guess. Answer correctly, I let you by. Answer wrongly, we fight to the death. You can always turn and find another way, but you will be delayed."
She was ready for this, she'd been studying riddles for weeks. "Let's hear your riddle."
The sphinx smiled, sat up straighter, and began to recite:
"First think of the person who lives in disguise,
Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies.
Next, tell me what's always the last thing to mend,
The middle of middle and end of the end?
And finally give me the sound often heard
During the search for a hard-to-find word.
Now string them together, and answer me this,
Which creature would you be unwilling to kiss?"
"I've heard this one before. Person who lives in disguise, deals in… spy, a spy."
The sphinx smiled enigmatically, but remained in place.
"Last thing to mend, middle of middle… obviously that's a d. And the sound often heard…"
"Enough muttering, Champion. Give me an answer or face death."
"Fine, you beast. It's a spider, okay? Happy?"
"More than you know." It stretched out, then stood and moved aside. "Good luck~"
"Thanks, I guess." She tore her eyes away from the creature's breasts and kept moving, hoping that it had spoken true when it said she was close to the end.
A few more turns, and she heard yelling, hoarse animal roars. Hurrying ahead she found Fleur locked in combat with a vast, hairy form. The acromantula! "Fleur, get back!" She pushed Fleur aside and summoned her dagger. "Creature! Do you know this smell?"
It turned to her with a snarl, but as soon as the scent of the dagger reached its senses it recoiled. "No! Not that! Get away!" It skittered back and dove out of sight, leaving the girls alone.
"Fleur, are you okay?"
"It nearly got me, but you arrived in the nick of time. Again you save me, Hazel Potter."
"I'm not about to let you be eaten, Fleur." Her breath caught in her throat when she saw, off to one side, the gleaming white glow of the Triwizard Cup, mere feet away from them. The giant spider had been the final obstacle!
Obviously Fleur saw it too, and tensed up. "This is it then. You and me."
Hazel brought up her wand. "You and me." As if sensing what was about to happen the hedges shifted, closing off the Cup. She knew it would only open once one of them was left standing. "Nothing personal, right?"
"Nothing personal." Fleur raised her wand as well, and for a second everything was perfectly silent. Then she flicked it and threw a bright blue light forward, Hazel dodged and responded, and the duel was on!
It was the hardest fight of her life up to that point. Fleur knew silent casting, and she knew spells Hazel didn't recognize, forcing her to dodge and evade rather than risk her shield breaking and throwing her off balance. She responded with brute force, throwing all her intent into every cast; the runes on her wand gleamed brightly, almost blindingly, and it felt warm in her grasp as it responded easily to her commands.
"You are strong!" Fleur barely deflected a stunner into the hedge.
"So are you!" Hazel took advantage of the brief moment to sling more spells into the gap. She was glad she had unsealed her core, glad of the runic enhancements to her wand; if she had not done those things, she wouldn't stand a chance in this duel!
As it was, she was barely able to overpower Fleur's defenses through sheer brute force, and at last send her sprawling with a disarming charm; she snatched the wand out of thin air. "The Cup is mine!"
"Oof… so it is." Fleur tried to stand and floundered back to the ground. "What happened to the boys?"
"I saw them dueling each other. Krum used some dark spell to take Cedric down, and I stunned him from behind while he wasn't looking. But I couldn't make the bleeding stop, so I had to send sparks up to get them out of the maze."
"Too bad it was not me. Well, you have won, Hazel Potter. End this madness once and for all!"
"Gladly." She set Fleur's wand on the ground, just out of reach, and turned away as the hedges parted once more, revealing the Triwizard Cup at last. Gritting her teeth in preparation for the Portkey to take effect, she reached out and grasped one of the Cup's handles; she felt the jerk behind her navel, felt herself pulled up and away, and closed her eyes, waiting for the trip to be over…
Chapter 64: The Graveyard, Part ISummary:It all comes down to this!
Notes:(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter TextShe had just enough time to realize it was taking longer than it should have when the trip ended, dropping her to the ground in the middle of some strange, dark place. The Cup rolled away, and she staggered to her feet, wand in hand, looking all around. She saw rows of headstones going off into the darkness; the closest one was a large monument guarded by a stone angel bearing a scythe.
"The graveyard in Little Hangleton. Not for long!" Voldemort had pulled his plan off anyway, even without Crouch Jr! Was it Karkaroff? Or perhaps Crouch Sr hadn't been as recovered as hoped? She didn't have time to think about it.
She ran toward the Cup, hoping against hope that it still had the Portkey effect going on, but it flew out of her grasp before she could reach it. "Not so fast, Potter."
Two men came out of the darkness, both wearing dark robes and skull-like masks, both holding their wands up and ready. "Don't think you can escape now, girl."
Her wand was out, raised and ready for offense. "Fancy meeting you two here, Lucius, Gilderoy. What's your mad plan now? Gonna bring Volde-"
Lucius winced. "Do not say his name! The Dark Lord willreturn to life on this night, and there's nothing you can do about it!"
"We'll see about that!" She flicked her wand, sending an entrail-expelling curse at Lockhart; he failed to get a shield up in time and was hit full-force, thrown backward while unpleasant noises and smells began wafting outward. In the same movement she cast the same spell at Lucius, though he managed to deflect it right back at her, forcing her to duck her own spell.
"You are fighting the inevitable, Potter! I strongly suggest you-"
"Crucio!" she replied, forcing the man to dive away. Again she dashed for the Cup, and again it flew out of her reach; Lockhart had gotten himself under control, apparently.
Suddenly a faint, breathless voice intervened, and the scar in her forehead seared hotly. "Stop messing around… subdue her…" The precious seconds it took her to deal with the pain and isolate it through Occlumency were enough; she was disarmed, forced back against a towering headstone and bound against it, not only with ropes but with the stone scythe of the headstone's guardian, animated to constrict her neck. The breathless voice laughed cruelly. "See how easy… it is? Now… Wormtail…"
A third cloaked figure stumbled into view, holding a ragged bundle in his arms. Lucius levitated a massive stone cauldron to the foot of the grave, one larger than any Hazel had ever seen before, full of some clear fluid like water. For one insane moment she thought it was a bathtub, even. Wormtail conjured a bed of wood for the cauldron to rest on, then lit it with a murmured fire-making charm.
Even through the pain in her scar, Hazel could still speak her mind. "Gonna give your Dark Lord a bath, are you? He probably needs one!"
"Quiet!" Lockhart flicked his wand and cast a silencing charm at her, and her voice was cut off.
The fluid in the cauldron rose to a boil very quickly, the surface shimmering like diamonds and emitting fiery sparks. Lucius bowed to the ragged bundle. "Everything is prepared, my Lord."
"Good… proceed…"
Wormtail unwrapped the bundle, revealing the homunculus form of Lord Voldemort. It was tiny, scaly-looking, red and raw, possibly one of the ugliest things Hazel had ever seen, and she felt her scar searing and pulsing as that flat, snake-like face turned to her, gleaming red eyes boring into her vibrant green ones. Even as the pain spiked, she couldn't look away.
It didn't last long; Wormtail placed the tiny form into the boiling cauldron, and it sank to the bottom with a hiss and a faint thud. Drown, motherfucker, Hazel thought furiously, glaring at the cauldron. I hope you fucking drown in there!
Lucius cleared his throat and raised his wand. "Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!" The surface of the grave cracked below her feet, releasing a trickle of dust that floated through the air and settled onto the surface of the boiling fluid; sparks flew even more vigorously, and the fluid turned a bright, poisonous blue.
Wormtail, shuddering and gasping, pulled a thick, cruel-looking dagger from inside his robes with his left hand. "F-Flesh of the servant, willingly g-given, you will revive your master!" He only hesitated a moment before slashing downward, severing his right hand and letting it fall into the cauldron with a splash. His screams of pain couldn't block out the hissing of the cauldron, as the fluid inside turned a fiery red and began emitting thick clouds of steam.
Sobbing and clutching the stump of his hand, Wormtail collapsed to the ground, and Lockhart stooped to retrieve the dagger, flicking his wand to cleanse it of the smaller man's blood and flesh. "Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken, you will resurrect your foe~" He spoke in a fond crooning tone, approaching Hazel through the vapor with the knife held high, eyes darting all over her body as if debating where to stab.
The scene reminded her of Ron's dream, it was exactly like this! He'd said he had a strong urge to give up his blood without fighting, hadn't he? Bound and restrained, she wasn't in any position to fight Lockhart off, but-
She'd be damned if she let them have their way with her. Especially not a man who'd just shat himself.
The dagger was inches from her forehead when she bit down hard on the inside of her cheek and spat a wad of her blood straight into Lockhart's eyes; he stumbled backward, snarling and swiping at his face. "Bitch! How dare you!"
"The blood, Lockhart! Stop wasting time!" Lucius hadn't seen what happened, apparently…
Still cursing under his breath, Lockhart turned away, collecting as much of the blood and spit as he could onto the dagger before flinging it into the cauldron. The boiling fluid instantly turned a blinding white; Lockhart and Lucius dragged Wormtail back, and Hazel had to shut her eyes against the blaze of white sparks shooting all over the place.
Abruptly the sparks stopped flying, and white steam billowed upward instead, obscuring everything all over again. Drown, please drown, please fuck up, she prayed, trying to see through the steam. All she saw was a male figure rising slowly from the cauldron, as the steam was sucked back in. He was tall and thin, nearly emaciated, nothing but bone and skin.
"Robes." The high, cold voice forced a spike of pain and terror through her scar. One of the men grabbed the ragged bundle of cloth and threw it over his master's head. Thus clothed, the thin man stepped out of the cauldron, staring straight into Hazel's eyes.
Despite all her efforts, Lord Voldemort had risen once more.
Lucius bowed low. "Welcome back, milord."
Voldemort ignored him and examined his new body, large spider-like hands probing his thin chest, his neck, his snake-like nostrils. He flexed his fingers, staring at the thick, talon-like fingernails. "Something is wrong."
"M-Milord?"
Lockhart threw his hood back and tore off the mask. "We performed the ritual exactly as you told us! Bone, flesh and blood!"
"Nonetheless, something is wrong." He reached into a pocket, withdrew a long, pale wand with a bone-like grip. He flicked it, and the silencing charm gagging Hazel's voice was lifted. "You did something, Hazel Potter."
"Did I? I was tied up the whole time, Riddle, maybe youfucked up."
Lucius growled and raised his wand. "How dare you! Cruc-!"
A flick of Voldemort's wand sent him to the ground, though. "No one harms her but me. I will not ask again, Potter, what did you do?"
She knew it was in vain, but she struggled against the ropes and the cold stone scythe anyway. "It was Lockhart. He wanted to take my blood. Instead I gave it to him!"
Voldemort frowned and turned toward Lockhart. "Is this true, Gilderoy? Did you truly commit such a banal error at the climax of my ascension, on top of soiling yourself~?"
Lockhart's grin had faded, and he looked from Hazel to Voldemort with confusion and terror. "Not on purpose, my lord! She cursed me! And when I went to cut her forehead she spat blood in my eye! Lucius insisted I continue the ritual!"
"You will not pin this on me, charlatan!"
"Silence." Both men fell silent and lowered their wands at the order from their master. "Wormtail, arise."
"M-My lord." The smaller man struggled to his feet, the bleeding stump of his hand wrapped in his cloak. "I p-performed my part, my lord, j-just as you requested-"
"Yes, you seem to be the only one who carried out my instructions without issue. And you shall be rewarded. Now give me your arm."
"Right away, my lord!" He extended the bleeding stump, hope and fear warring across his weak face.
"Your other arm, Wormtail. Don't be greedy."
Still shivering and whimpering, he pushed his left arm forward, and Voldemort slid the sleeve of his robes out of the way. "My Mark returns. It grows darker. Soon, we shall see who remained loyal all this time. But not yet."
He straightened and faced her once more, pacing back and forth. "Your little act of defiance will prove meaningless in the end, Hazel Potter. Everything you have done will prove meaningless; all that matters is that I have arisen."
"They know you're coming! I warned them all year, warned all of them!"
"Did you?" He stopped his pacing, regarded her curiously. "And where did you hear of such things?"
She knew instinctively that revealing her dreams would be a bad idea for everyone. "Come on! You weren't exactly subtle! I knew ever since that night in October that you were coming back, and Barty Jr confirmed it! And they found Bertha Jorkins in Malfoy Manor!"
"Yes, that was Lucius' idea, he thought it would throw them off our scent. But you saw through it, did you?" He chuckled darkly. "Too bad about young Barty, though, he was truly loyal to his master. Fortunately I have other servants, many other servants!"
He spun back toward Wormtail, yanked him up by the arm, and pressed his finger to the Dark Mark branded into him; Wormtail howled, and Hazel grimaced against a fresh surge of pain from her scar as the other two clutched their left arms and hissed in pain. The brand had turned a jet black color, and she imagined it burning, imagined all of them burning.
"Now they come, my true family. If they dare, that is." He laughed another of those high, cold laughs. "We shall see who will appear, and who will mark their own deaths! Get ready, my friends!"
The three men scrambled to put their cloaks and masks back on (Lockhart waving his wand to cleanse himself and his robes of the filth from her curse), and Voldemort paced back across the graveyard. "You and I have much in common, Hazel Potter. Filthy Muggle blood runs in our veins; you from your darling mother, and I, from my father, he who's name I am cursed with. Filthy or not they both had their uses in death! You'd be dead yourself if it weren't for her, wouldn't you?"
She tried to appear unfazed despite the pain in her scar. "So I've heard. Tell me something I don't know, Riddle!"
He only chuckled fondly, and the sound made her grimace again. "Such defiance! Well, if you're so smart, who's house is that, up on the hill?"
House on the hill? She vaguely recalled seeing a church just outside the graveyard, and a large house looming above it all from a hill. "I'd guess it was the Riddle Manor, since your father is buried right under my feet?"
"Indeed. I heard you were smart, Hazel. You must have fooled my diary into revealing these things to you."
She rolled her eyes. "Please, Lucius said it. Bone of the father, or whatever the words were? You have no idea how much we have in common, Riddle."
"Why don't you enlighten me, Potter~?"
It was stupid to reveal so much, but she was determined to wipe that smirk off his face. "Even before tonight, we shared blood! Didn't you wonder how I became Heir of Slytherin? How I managed to command the basilisk beneath the school?"
The fond smile faded at last. "I admit, I had assumed it was some relic of your survival, that night fourteen years ago. What are you implying now? Speak plainly!"
"The blood of Salazar Slytherin runs in my veins too, you bastard! Morfin Gaunt, your uncle, raped my great-grandmother and left her with child! And that child became my grandfather on my mother's side!"
Was it her imagination, or was he suddenly nervous. "Impossible! Lily Evans was a mudblood, everyone knew it!"
"Did they ever check? Why would they bother? You thought her father was just another Muggle, but he was a Squib! Morfin had erased my great-grandmother's memories of the times he raped her!"
Lucius hurried to reassure his lord. "She lies, milord. She cannot know these things so many years after the fact!"
"No, I suspect she speaks the truth. The goblins would surely have tested her heritage, and blood magic would see through any false lineage."
"What did you need my blood for, anyway? Blood of the enemy, everyone is your enemy, you could have used any witch off the streets!"
"Exactly my point!" Wormtail sounded very faint now.
Voldemort was about to answer when a series of pops began to be heard, as wizards in hoods and masks began to Apparate into the graveyard. He laughed and turned away from her. "And so they arrive. Welcome, my Death Eaters!"
The Death Eaters approached cautiously, as if unable to believe their eyes. One of them hurried forward and fell to his knees to kiss the hem of Voldemort's robes."Master! It really is you!"
One by one the others did the same, and Hazel, still bound to the statue, was forced to watch as grown men debased and prostrated themselves. Some seemed young and spry, kneeling quickly and rising; others were old, struggling to their knees before they could do honor, and Voldemort was gracious enough to help them rise once more.
Or maybe he just didn't want them getting in the way of the others? It was hard to say from here.
As they rose, they fell back and formed a rough circle around the grave, around the scene of the resurrection. There were gaps in the circle, but Voldemort seemed satisfied for now. "I did not expect so many of you to return. Should I count myself honored?"
The assembled wizards said not a word, not even Wormtail who was still bleeding and shivering. "Did you return out of loyalty, or fear? Or perhaps… guilt?" He drew a long breath through his deformed, slitted nose. "Ah, I smell it. I smell guilt. Or is that your trousers I smell, Gilderoy?"
The Death Eaters laughed, and Lockhart, who stood isolated from the others, quivered with rage beneath his robes. "You see, my friends, Gilderoy was too slow to defend himself from our guest, and was struck with an Entrail-Expelling Curse! Tell me, can such a clumsy wizard truly be trusted in my inner circle?"
Lockhart seethed as the others pointed and laughed. "Master, I did everything I could to help you get this far! Everything I could! I used that woman, I took part in the ritual, I-!"
"Enough." Lockhart fell silent, as did the others, as swiftly as a candle going out. "You are a charlatan and a pretender, Gilderoy, but in spite of yourself, you were useful. You will have your reward very soon." Voldemort flicked his wand. "Stand with the others, you are one of us."
"Yes, Master. Thank you, Master." Lockhart sounded sullen, but he stood in the circle nonetheless.
"As for the rest of you, who did not come to my aid, did you believe me defeated? Did you truly believe the Potters responsible for striking me down?" He paced back and forth, and the silence was thick as gravel. "I suppose I cannot blame you. It must have been a terrifying time: your Lord and Master was gone, the Ministry was cracking down, your fellows were falling left and right. Was it safer, back then, to renounce your fealty? To claim innocence, ignorance and bewitchment?"
One of the older men stepped forward. "My Lord, I can only speak for myself. I never doubted you would return, my Lord, not for a moment."
"Then why did you not attempt to find me, Archibald? Or, should I say, Lord Parkinson?"
Parkinson? Hazel stared at the hooded man, venom in her gaze, but he paid her no heed.
"It was not safe, Master. What good would mindless fealty be if all it did was land us in Azkaban for the rest of our lives? Better to stay free and be useful when you return, Master, than to need rescuing from that dreadful place!"
Voldemort yawned and flicked his wand. "Crucio."Parkinson fell to his knees, fighting not to scream as his body shook and quivered. "Occlumency will not save you, Archibald! Crucio!"
Now he screamed, fell to his side and cried out from the pain. Seconds later Voldemort relented. "You should have sought me out, Archibald. You should have joined the Lestranges in their madness, in proclaiming your fealty unto me even in defeat!"
Lucius cleared his throat. "My Lord, if we all were in Azkaban, who would have been there to help you ascend once more? We were on the alert for thirteen years, for the slightest sign of your return. I brought you Lockhart and Wormtail the moment I was released, the moment I knew you were coming back."
"Ever the voice of reason, aren't you, Lucius?" Voldemort rolled his eyes. "Stand, Archibald. You will serve me yet." Parkinson struggled to his feet with Lucius' help, and Voldemort went on down the circle, examining each wizard in turn. "Avery, Walden. Serving in the Ministry these days, murdering dangerous beasts? You will be my eyes and ears, you will have more worthy victims soon."
The two men bowed and scraped, but he ignored them and moved on. "Crabbe and Goyle. Your sons are in Hufflepuff, I hear? What a disgrace~"
Two of the largest, clumsiest Death Eaters, unsure what to say or do, glanced at each other uneasily beneath their hoods. "Master?"
"Never mind, never mind. Second-guessing the Sorting Hat is a fool's game, and they can still serve. Do better for your Master from now on."
"Of course, Master."
Notes:For those of you who might have been expecting something a bit more original: I apologize. I suck at endings.
Chapter 65: The Graveyard, Part IISummary:The nightmare doesn't stop from keep happening. Take heed that there is quite a bit of violence and murder in this chapter.
Chapter TextVoldemort came to the smallest of them, shivering and hunched over in Goyle's vast shadow. "Stand, Wormtail."
"M-Master… I-I need-"
"You need a spine, Wormtail, so you can stand up straight in the presence of your Lord and Master. Or did you lose that when you became a rat?"
Wormtail, weak from blood loss, could only whimper and hold out his bleeding stump. "Master…!"
"You came to me out of fear, not loyalty. You betrayed your friends, sold them out, as if it would prove your fealty. Lord Voldemort has no use for traitors."
"Master! I helped you come back! I gave my life and my flesh for yours! I was in Azkaban for twelve years because I refused to renounce you!"
"True, true. No amount of loyalty can truly erase betrayal, but you have rendered a service to me tonight. Lord Voldemort rewards his helpers~"
He raised his wand, slashed it through the air in a whirling motion; a streak of molten silver was left behind, hanging for a moment before coalescing into the shape of a hand, gleaming in the moonlight before soaring down and fusing to Wormtail's wrist.
"M-My Lord! It's perfect!" For a moment he could only stare wide-eyed at the gleaming appendage. Hazel figured there must have been a blood-replenishing spell in that hand, because he swiftly regained his color and kissed his Master's robes before getting back to his feet. "Thank you, Master!"
He dismissed the man with a lazy wave of his hand. "May your loyalty never waver again, Wormtail." He was nearly to the end of the circle, and he stopped before two of the men, a surprised expression on his face. "Severus? I did not expect you to show up."
"Nothing could prevent me from returning to your side, my Lord." It was Snape's voice! Hazel couldn't stop herself from gasping in surprise. "I have been at Hogwarts for fourteen years, and I have watched over the Potter girl ever since she came to Slytherin; I have much to tell you in private."
"And you have brought me another traitor? Show your face, Igor, I want to see the fear in your eyes."
The tall Death Eater next to Snape pulled back his hood and mask, revealing the fear-stricken face of Professor Karkaroff. "Master, please, I-"
"You were too weak for Azkaban! You sold your fellows out for a reduced sentence, and then fled to Durmstrang! Give me one reason why I should not kill you now!"
"I was watching the maze earlier, making sure she made it through! And I have been teaching a new generation of Death Eaters!" Hazel wondered why he didn't simply flee. "Everyone who passes through Durmstrang learns the Dark Arts, more than that fool Albus ever allows at Hogwarts!"
"And where are these new recruits, exactly? Did you not bring them with you?"
"W-Well, I-"
"Silence, Igor. You were afraid of Dumbledore, afraid of the Ministry. Afraid to stand up for yourself; one final bit of servitude will not save you now. Release him, Severus."
Snape stepped away, and Karkaroff turned to flee; Voldemort lazily raised his wand. "Avada Kedavra." A flash of green light enveloped the man, and he fell to the ground dead. "I can forgive laziness, I can forgive betrayal and ignorance and defiance with penance, but I can never forgive cowardice. Remember that, my Death Eaters."
Hazel couldn't believe what she was seeing. Snape had really come here! After everything they had shared, all the lessons and confidences. She grit her teeth and focused inward, on all her Occlumency training; she had to stay in control, for all she knew this was just part of Snape's long game.
Voldemort had moved on. "And here we come to the missing ones. Rabastan, Rodolphus and Bellatrix, all imprisoned in Azkaban. They will be honored beyond their dreams, for they were faithful, they sought me out regardless of the cost to themselves. So many of my loyal followers locked up in there, they will all be released in time. Young Barty Crouch should be here as well, but he is sadly indisposed. I suspect he may never stand in my presence again.
"And yet, my friends, it is because of his efforts that our guest of honor stands with us tonight." He turned and flicked his wand, and a ball of white light appeared over Hazel's head. "Yes, Hazel Potter herself, though it was hardly an easy task!"
"Master, how did this happen? How did you come back to us? We must know, Master, we crave to know."
"Ah, and what a tale it is, Avery, what a tale." He approached her, his snakelike face turned up in a cruel sneer. "It begins and ends with our young friend, the so-called Girl Who Lived. They called her my downfall! But she had nothing to do with it, with that night where I lost my body and my powers. No, it was all her mother. Lily Potter, so beautiful with her red hair and green eyes."
His gaze flicked over to Snape. "You all know that Severus lusted for her, of course. And who could blame him? It was truly a shame that she had to die, but she stood in my way. For Severus' sake I tried to spare her, but she was a Gryffindor to the end."
Snape shifted, and for a moment Hazel's heart ached the same way his no doubt was aching right then and there. But Voldemort returned his attention to her in the next moment. "Lily died for her daughter, and the force of her love created such a barrier that when I turned my wand upon her, the spell rebounded! Such pain, my friends, such pain and agony!"
Hazel could see the memory of that moment in his eyes, the indescribable pain of dying and yet not dying, of having one's body destroyed and being left behind as something less than a ghost.
"It was a mistake, of course. It would have been better to merely stun fair Lily, and kill the girl without the shield of a mother's love surrounding her. Ah, but I was blinded by my own arrogance, and paid the price. And what a price it was: condemned to ten years of the meanest existence imaginable, biding my time in a distant Irish forest, waiting for my faithful Death Eaters to seek me out."
"An Irish forest, Master? We thought we had scoured the British Isles for you!"
"Clearly you did not scour hard enough, Garnet." Voldemort was still studying Hazel from inches away. "I spent years in that forest, possessing creatures whose lives were shortened dramatically by the process, hiding myself away. Until finally a foolish young wizard named Quirinus Quirrell came along, drawn by rumors of a fell darkness within my woods."
He laughed at the expression on Hazel's face. "Yes, Potter, that was when I found that fool. I possessed him, dragged him back to England, forced him to apply for and accept the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. We plotted to steal the Philosopher's Stone, which Dumbledore had placed in the school as part of some mad test for you and your friends."
Snape stirred again, and Voldemort noticed. "Do you have something to say, Severus?"
"Had I known it was you guiding his hand, I would have done more to aid him. As it was, I never suspected you were truly there; I believed Quirrell was lying, attempting to steal the Stone for his own mediocre purposes."
Voldemort was silent for a long moment after these words. "Perhaps I should have trusted you, Severus. You are, after all, a far more competent and capable wizard than Quirrell ever was."
Snape bowed. "There is no point dwelling on the past, Master. I am here now, I have forsaken Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix forevermore, and stand ready to serve once again."
"Very well, Severus." Voldemort turned back to Hazel once more. "Quirrell was an unfit servant, and he died before he could fulfill his service to me, died by young Miss Potter's own hand no less. I believe this was because of the same protection that kept her safe from me all these years, that once saved her life at the cost of my powers. Ah, but now…"
He raised his hand, placed one gnarled, dirty fingertip to her forehead, at the center of the small web of scars there; immediately pain beyond imagining shot through her, and she grit her teeth against it, mustering all her willpower not to cry out.
He chuckled, leaned in close, whispered in her very ear. "You do not scream? You are the master of your pain, Potter? Let us try again!" He stepped away and raised his wand, she had a split second to bring her Occlumency defenses slamming down- "Crucio!"
Every nerve in her body lit up in an instant, literally lit up, as if she were on fire. The fire reached her bones, her blood, it was everywhere. She screwed her eyes shut against the pain, against the fire, as it burned at the walls of her mind. "Severus has taught you well, Potter!" His words felt distant; she was still fighting against the pain that yearned to burst forth from her throat, though she had her jaw clenched so tight it seemed like her teeth would shatter. "But no one can keep Lord Voldemort away! Crucio! CRUCIO!"
Don't scream, she told herself sternly, sagging against the stone scythe as all feeling except that burning pain fled her body. Don't scream, don't scream, you can do it.The fortress of her mind was not crumbling, instead it was shrinking, forced in and in by the endless stream of pain, the same sort of pressure that built up under the Imperius-
"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" The pressure burst all at once, driving the pain out of her body. The spell stopped; there were shouts and sounds of dismay, of men knocked over, struggling to their feet.
She opened her eyes, saw Voldemort several steps back, braced against the cauldron. She couldn't read his expression; he seemed shocked and elated all at once. Then he laughed, and pushed himself away from the cauldron. "Severus has taught you well~"
"Fuck off, asshole, I taught myself! I've always had to teach myself! Hogwarts moves too slowly!"
Voldemort only laughed harder. "Then let us see what you are made of, Hazel Potter. Where is her wand?"
"Here, Master." Gilderoy stepped up quickly, pulling her wand from his pocket and offering it forth.
"Hm." He took the wand and held it up, examining it closely. "Fourteen inches, elder and phoenix feather. Curious, my own wand has a phoenix feather core. Ah, and you have modified it!"
"Of course I modified it, why wouldn't I?"
"As I said, Hazel Potter, let us see what you are made of." One swipe of his wand lifted the scythe and severed the ropes, and she sprawled to the ground, still sore from the Torture Curse. "Pick up your wand, my dear, and prepare to die~"
Hazel felt more than saw the Death Eaters closing in, sealing off the gaps that had been there before, heard footsteps and the rustling of cloth; a soft thump told her Voldemort had thrown her wand down before her. She took her time grasping her wand, rubbing her arms and legs before slowly rising to her feet.
"You have been taught how to duel?" Voldemort sounded amused at her ongoing defiance, his red eyes glinting in the darkness. "We bow to each other, of course." He bent forward slightly, unwilling to look away; acting transfixed, she did the same, and brought her wand up in her favored stance. "Very good, Dumbledore wouldn't want you to forget your manners, would he?"
"Let's just get this over with." Her mind raced for a strategy. She had to scatter these goons, she had to get the drop on Voldemort. Maybe the statue…? "What's in it for me?"
He just laughed some more. "Let me see, if you defeat me you will be allowed to leave, alive and whole. And of course, if you lose, you die."
"Works for me!"
"Very well then! Crucio!"
But she ducked to the side and spun around, aiming not at Voldemort or any of the Death Eaters but at the towering angel statue behind her. "Piertotum Locomotor!"The statue came to life, sweeping down off its plinth and along the ground. Hazel scrambled to get atop it as it swept through the ranks of the Death Eaters, forcing them to scatter or be trampled.
"Get back here, you cowards!" Voldemort fired spells at the animated stone behemoth. They bounced off its carven surface, though, and abruptly Hazel saw her way out; Voldemort should have been able to simply blast the statue to pieces, but his spells weren't working that powerfully, and he wasn't moving as quickly as a legendary duelist should be able to.
Wormtail was gone; Lucius was standing his ground, trying to flank the statue as it attacked his master, and Lockhart was going the other way. "You're mine." She directed the statue at the con artist; its scythe slashed through the air, forcing him to the ground, and Hazel leaped down, landing on his back as hard as she could.
"This is for Hermione, motherfucker!" She ripped the wand from his grasp and jammed the tip into the back of his head, hatred for his child-molesting ways raging in her chest. "AVADA KEDAVRA!"
There was a blinding flash of green light, and Lockhart fell limp on the ground beneath her. But she didn't have time to think about it; she scrambled back up the statue, now with two wands in her grasp. It was hard to direct the statue and use two wands at the same time, but she managed it somehow, keeping Voldemort and Lucius on their toes.
Then the light from some spell or other highlighted an innocuous little stump a few yards behind Voldemort. Snargaluff? She really hoped it was Snargaluff. "Get him!" The statue surged ahead, swinging its scythe at Voldemort while she fired spells to either side to keep him hemmed in. A little more… now! "Incendio!"
A jet of flames shot out, off to the side of Voldemort, impacting very near to the stump on the ground. It came to life instantly, countless brambles covered in razor thorns flailing in the air! They snagged Voldemort and dragged him in, forcing him to waste precious seconds cutting himself free!
Seconds that Hazel took full advantage of, pressing the center of her ring and leaping off the animated statue just as he was blasting the last bramble off and then the stump itself. A flick of her wrist called the Slytherin dagger to her, and she crashed into Voldemort's back, the dagger plunging over and over, deep into his flesh!
"Fuck you! Fuck you fuck you FUCK YOU!" She spun him around and kept stabbing, going for his chest, his neck, and finally his eyes! Blackened blood flew with every slash of her dagger, and he staggered to his knees when she finally withdrew for the last time before falling over. "Motherfucker." She spat on the body and turned away, looking for the Triwizard Cup so she could get out of there.