บท 35: The Return of the Peverell
7 Advanced chapters on Patreon: Fiction Haven
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Harry was both wary and relieved when he appeared in a cemetery. The place was covered in mist. It was overwhelmed with a depressive and dark aura. Harry was in Little Hangleton where Tom Riddle Sr was buried. He looked around and smiled slightly he could feel the two presences approaching him, one minuscule and the other dark and ominous.
Harry calmly turned in the direction of the approaching figures. One of them was tall and lanky, dressed in a black robe. The other one was plump and short. A frown marred Harry's face at the robed figure. A disbelieving snort came out of him as he saw the paler-than-skull skin of the figure. Wide, livid scarlet eyes stared at him with undisguised contempt.
"Hullo, Baldiemort."
"Acting coy, I see. Why don't we see how long you can keep that arrogance."
Harry returned Voldemort's sneer with his own. His eyes briefly flashed to Wormtail whose hand had been replaced with a silver one.
"Confusion. I can see that in your eyes. Are you wondering how I returned?" Voldemort intoned haughtily. "I shall thank your father for his sacrifice. I wouldn't be here without him."
James might have died, Harry immediately concluded. James had promised to watch Harry compete in the Third Task. Harry didn't care, which was why he wasn't even surprised not to find James among the audience. Voldemort's glorious appearance explained what happened to James.
"Ah, you might want to see him. Wormtail, get the sacrifice."
When Wormtail floated James' bloodied body, Harry's suspicion was confirmed. He mostly reacted to the scene in apathy, but a small part of him felt regretful. Regardless of how he felt, what happened was bad news. It was a blatant showcase of power. Voldemort and his Death Eaters were telling him they could infiltrate the Ministry whenever they wanted.
Harry's blazing blue eye sank coldly. He summoned James with a flick of his wand, snatching James from Wormtail. The rat was shocked by the ease at which Harry did it. When he got over his shock, Wormtail attempted to get James back, but Voldemort stopped him. His master gestured for him to stay quiet.
"Does it make you bleed in rage, boy? Isn't this what you want? You want us to come for you. We did and this is what it got you." Voldemort gestured at James' bloody figure. "He could have just conceded his blood and we would have left him harmless. He fought us and this is what he has become, a pitiful human stranded between life and death."
Voldemort's cold and derisive laugh resounded through the cemetery. Harry paid no mind to the creature; casting healing spells at James instead. Voldemort went silent when he realised Harry was not reacting. That couldn't be. He was Lord Voldemort. Everyone trembled at the mention of his name. He couldn't endure the apathy.
"Are you so doused in rage that you cannot utter a single word, boy? Do you finally care about the family who abandoned you? I still remember how reluctant you were when you saved that conceited brother of yours three years ago. What changed, boy?"
"Talkative, aren't you?" Harry sneered. "Psychology dictates those who seek attention are deprived of it. I guess you used to get ignored." Voldemort's face contorted in anger. Harry ignored him and cast, "Aegeas!"
"Judging me by bringing up the subject those puny bunch study. I bet that assessment is valid," Voldemort scoffed.
"It is as valid as it could be, Riddle."
"Don't call me by that name! Avada Kedavra!"
"Reducto!"
A green beam met a whitish-blue beam. The air exploded as they battled for supremacy. Magic power overwhelmed the place, forcing Wormtail on his knees. Voldemort's eyes widened. Harry was not somewhat capable. The moment their curses clashed; he could tell they were equal. A small part of his mind reminded him of Albus Dumbledore.
However, Harry was not Dumbledore. Unlike the old headmaster, the look in his eyes didn't reflect his desire to change him. Harry wanted to end his existence. Those cold burning eyes sucked him like a bottomless abyss. For a moment, Voldemort felt like he was Tom Riddle again. It was fleeting but managed to make his heart skip a beat.
"Die, Potter!"
"Keep dreaming, Riddle."
"Don't call me by that name!"
Harry's nonchalant snort irked Voldemort more than he wanted to admit. He hated every word that came out of Harry's mouth. Riddle! It was a name he most despised. It reminded him of his weakness, his father's uselessness, and his mother's foolishness. Not a day went by without him damning that name.
Boom!
The situation was not looking good for Voldemort. His curse got overwhelmed, forcing him to erect a shield. Even so, the shield broke, throwing him backwards. Wormtail was stunned by the situation. His invincible master lost in a battle of raw power. It was something he had never dreamt of.
"Summon the Death Eaters!"
Voldemort's shout awakened Wormtail. He immediately pointed his wand at his Death Mark, activating the summoning charm. As soon as his job was done, Wormtail was stunned by Harry. His unconscious body flew towards Harry and landed beside James. Harry cast a sticking charm on Wormtail, making him stuck to the ground, but not providing him with any protection.
"Protego Diabolica!"
Harry spun graciously, drawing a circle with his wand. A ring of blue flame arose, surrounding him and the unconscious men beside him. Voldemort watched the scene in shock. It was a high-level dark charm that he hadn't even mastered. The wizarding world had only seen one person use that and it was the notorious Gellert Grindelwald, the man who made everyone treat Dumbledore like God.
Voldemort soon sneered, however, when Harry stepped out of it. A mirthful laugh escaped his mouth as his opponent's stupidity amused him very much. He would have a hard time against Harry had he stayed inside the ring. Even Voldemort wasn't sure if he would survive the fire. Fortunately, Harry was unable to control the fire to such an extent.
"Don't think I am incapable of controlling the fire, Riddle! I am not using it because I want to show you just how little effort I need to squash your life!" Harry announced derisively.
"Delusional. My servants, kill the enemy!" Voldemort shouted.
"A feast, it is!"
Harry laughed as spells rained on him. Aegeas protected him from the spells as he cast one spell after another. Each swing of his wand took down one Death Eater. Very few could block his spells. Soon enough, the Death Eaters were forced to be on the defensive.
Voldemort snarled at his servants' uselessness. He bombarded Harry with curses and hexes, engaging him in a one-on-one duel. Harry easily parried everything sent at him. Although he had to be extra careful, he could see many ways to defeat Voldemort. Harry blocked the shards of glasses Voldemort sent him. He used to think it was unimpressive when he saw it in the movie and he finally understood now how impressive the shards were.
"They are not transfigured missiles, aren't they?" he joked.
"Feel proud, Potter. For I, Lord Voldemort, see you as my equal. Know that you shall be remembered as the greatest wizard to ever fight me!" Voldemort roared.
Harry Apparated in front of Voldemort and cast a Bombarda Maxima. Voldemort managed to erect his shield but still got launched backwards. Harry immediately bombarded him with Sectumsempra, riddling…Riddle's body with cuts. Voldemort roared as he sent a ball of fire at Harry. Harry scoffed at the attack and batted the fireball with his blue fire tendril.
"Ah!"
An idiot tried to get past the ring of blue fire and vanished. Harry snorted in amusement, not even bothering to look. Voldemort scowled before casting the Killing Curse at Harry. He needed time to heal his bleeding body and the Killing Curse was the only way he could think of to occupy Harry.
It was much to Voldemort's surprise that Harry countered it with another Killing Curse. The familiar darkness that he always exuded overwhelmed his senses. The sheer negativity coming from the curse made him shudder. For someone who wanted peace, Harry was ironically ominous. Voldemort realized that Harry only needed one push to become another Dark Lord.
"How ironic! The reason why you made my curse rebound that night is your darkness. The Boy Who Lived is but someone those dimwits classify as a Dark Lord! Haha!"
Crack!
"Yap, yap, yap—shut the fuck up!"
"Ah!"
Voldemort got punched by Harry who apparated to his side. Never in his wildest dream did he see himself get punched. It was as shocking as it was humiliating. Harry kicked the bald creature and cast Defodio. The spell hit Voldemort's chest, punching a hole through it. As Voldemort's eyes widened, Harry drew a line with his wand, severing Voldemort's head.
Before the stunned Death Eaters' eyes, Voldemort's head dropped to the ground. They were petrified by the scene until Voldemort's soul screamed at them to retreat.
"This is not over, Potter! You will be on the ground the next time we meet."
Harry ignored the declaration and levitated Voldemort's head. He apathetically walked towards the ring of blue fire, ignoring the fleeing Death Eaters. At one point, his eyes met Lucius'. The newbie Death Eater froze, unable to Disapparate until Harry ignored him.
When the cemetery was empty, Harry extinguished the fire.
"This should be enough payback, right, James?"
James remained silent, but Harry didn't expect him to answer. Harry activated the Portkey on the Triwizard Cup and disappeared from the cemetery with James and Wormtail, leaving unburied bodies behind.
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Frona_Gorgophone
Frona_Gorgophone Three weeks ago, I lost two friends in the same week, a few days apart. That week made suits look not so classy to me with how many times I saw them. I got entangled with life responsibilities afterward and had this sense of reluctance to write. I relished the time I spent hanging out with my friends and just doing my 9 to 5.
It's been a while. Hope you are still here.
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