A Different Beginning

Chapter XXIII - The Return of the Dark Lord

Harry glanced at Cedric, his voice and his heart lost in his throat. This wasn't happening. There was no way that this was actually happening. Cedric wasn't dead and Wormtail wasn't here, he wasn't being instructed by that ... that thing in his arms to kill the spare as he had said before whispering those unforgivable words. He gulped as he looked down into those folded blankets in Wormtail's arms and when he did, pain soared through the scar on his forehead and he gasped, falling to his knees. He knew what was inside of those blankets now.

He felt arms grip him, but the pain was so intense that he couldn't even drum up the energy to struggle. He was dragged across the rough ground and slammed back against something hard. When he managed to open his eyes he realized that it was a tombstone and it had the name, Tom Riddle on it and the date of both a birth and death. Then he realized that Wormtail was tying him up to the stone with a rough rope. It was tough and Harry knew that in his weakened state there was no way that he would be able to get himself out of this situation.

He watched Wormtail walk away, his scar was throbbing so badly but he somehow managed to speak anyway.

"You! Why are you doing this?"

But Wormtail didn't answer only making Harry even angrier by the fact that he was there. He didn't understand how he could be doing this. Didn't Peter think that he had hurt his family enough? Yet here he was helping Voldemort do ... something that Harry was much too afraid to figure out. The pain in his scar wasn't as intense as it had been but it was still stinging in pain. He watched fearfully as Wormtail brought out a huge cauldron, big enough for a full grown man to sit in. He lit a fire beneath it and he filled the cauldron with water. The water began to bubble and shine and then it looked almost as if it was shining like diamonds. Then he laid the tiny creature in the blankets next to the cauldron carefully.

"It is ready, Master."

Then a cold shrill voice spoke from what could only be the thing inside of those blankets. "Now."

Wormtail bent down and picked up the tiny creature. It was the most horrifying sight that Harry had ever seen. It was as tiny as a child but it was hairless and almost scaly-looking. It was a dark reddish black in colour with thin and feeble arms and legs. Its face was flat and looked more like a snake then a human being and its eyes were dark, shining red. Harry watched as the creature wrapped its tiny arms around Wormtail's neck as he carried it towards the cauldron. He dropped it inside and Harry's only real thought was; please let it drown.

Wormtail was speaking now, his wand pointed towards the ground at Harry's feet. His voice was hoarse and almost whiny sounding as he spoke. "Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son."

The ground trembled and broke open where Harry was sitting. A bone flung up from between Harry's legs in the crack and flew into the cauldron. The cauldron smoked and turned a deep blue as it hissed.

Then Wormtail's voice was quivering as he raised the right sleeve of his robes, holding a small dagger in his hands. "Flesh – of the servant – w-willingly given – you will – revive – your master."

He closed his eyes and raised the dagger. Harry watched in horror as he brought the dagger down, slicing off his own hand and a sick plopping sound assured Harry that it had indeed fallen into the now burning red-potion.

Then Wormtail was kneeling in front of him with a long blade. He grabbed his arm and pushed the sleeves of his robes up. "Blood of the enemy ... forcibly taken ... you will ... resurrect your foe."

He brought the blade down, piercing Harry's skin. Harry bit his lip to keep from yelling as he sliced down, the blade was now covered in blood. He took out a small glass phial and used it to collect the blood from the blade and from Harry's arm before he walked back to the cauldron and carefully dripped the blood into the cauldron. The potion turned a blinding white.