"Harry!"
Pansy had cried out his name and was squeezing Luna's hand so hard that she gasped in pain. Her left hand was clutched to her chest as she began hyperventilating.
"What's wrong?" Luna asked.
"I don't know."
"That's a lot of red stars," Parvati whispered.
There were indeed a stream of them shooting from the center of the quidditch pitch. The center of the maze. Something had gone wrong, and the knot in the pit of Pansy's stomach crept up to clench at her heart. Before she knew it, tears were streaming down her face and Luna pulled her over into a hug, cooing into her ear that Harry would be back, that he wouldn't leave her.
She knew it was an attempt at soothing her fears, but Pansy could hear the hint of uncertainty, as not even Luna could remain perfectly unfazed by the terror of Harry being once again endangered by unknown forces.
Somewhere deep inside, Pansy knew. The Dark Lord's plan, whatever it was, had taken effect.
Please come back to me, Harry.
He recognized the sensation of being pulled through a howl of wind and swirling colors. Someone had turned the bloody cup itself into a portkey. The trap had been sprung at the very last moment, just as he had let his guard down, thinking it was over.
As his feet slammed into the ground, he crouched down and let go of the cup. He shook his head to clear the lingering sensations and looked around.
He was in an old graveyard, overgrown with foliage. There was a church off to his right, although he couldn't see any light coming from it. Off to the left was a hill with an outline of a large manor in the distance. It seemed like he was completely alone, but there was also something there- some inexplicable feeling- as if he was being watched.
Was that a rustling he heard?
As he held his breath in order to try to pinpoint any sound, his scar began to tingle.
Great, just what he needed. The tingle turned to an itch and then began to burn. Harry reached up with his left hand and rubbed at it, but the pain was slowly building. He needed to get out of here, wherever here was.
Then a figure was approaching from out of the shadows of a clump of trees near the bottom of the hill. The pain was still growing, and Harry realized that could only mean one thing. The time for thinking was over.
"Stupefy!"
Harry cast a stunner at the robed man who countered with a shield spell. Before he could fire again, his scar seared worse than it had since he had been in the presence of Quirrell's possessed body in his first year and he struggled to remain standing. That brief pause was enough.
"Depulso!"
The banishing spell sent him crashing backwards into a tombstone. The back of Harry's head hit with a thud and he fell into darkness.
"Dobby!" As soon as she could control herself enough to think, Pansy called for him and the elf immediately appeared in front of her. "Go find Harry!"
"Dobby cannot, miss Pansy. Dobby promised master Harry to make sure miss Pansy was safe."
"I am safe," she argued but he was shaking his head.
"Too many people could hurt miss Pansy. Dobby swore to master Harry. Dobby must keep his promise."
"But-"
Luna pulled her up to her feet.
"Let's get you inside. Once you're in your quarters, you'll be safe. Then Dobby can check on Harry."
"Alright."
"I'm coming with you," Sirius said.
"We'll stay and see what happens," Andromeda said. "I can contact you if we find out anything more."
"Thanks, Andi," Sirius replied.
"I'll get down there and see if I can be of any help." Tonks stood and pushed her way through the noisy crowd.
"Alright, follow me girls." Sirius lead the way, and people stepped aside as he quickly got them out of the packed stands. As soon as they got out of sight and underneath the bleachers, Sirius threw up a Notice-Me-Not charm. "It should be safe now for Dobby to pop us up to your quarters without anyone knowing."
"Good idea. Dobby, can you take the three of us together?"
"Dobby thinks so, miss Pansy. Everyone hold on."
The pop was louder than usual, but a moment later they were all standing near the couch in Harry's quarters. The couch where she and Harry had spent so much time for the last two years. She choked back a sob and took a deep breath while Luna guided her to sit down.
Dobby was kneeling and gasping for breath.
"Three is probably the limit," the elf said.
"Are you alright?" Luna asked.
"Give Dobby a moment, miss Luna."
"No one can get in here without Harry's permission, right?" Sirius inquired.
"Right," Pansy answered as she tried to fight off the haze she'd felt for the last few minutes. "That means I'm safe now, Dobby. As soon as you can, go find Harry. Rescue him. Do whatever it takes, Dobby. I can't live without him."
"Take me with you, Dobby," Sirius requested. "If the girls are safe, then I can help."
"Dobby can do that."
"Disillusionment first," Pansy suggested. "You're liable to be heading into enemy territory."
"It's not just Harry that professor Moody's been rubbing off on," Luna grinned, trying to cheer her obviously distressed friend up. Pansy forced something meant to be a smile that was more of a grimace than anything else though.
Dobby hopped up on the table in front of the fireplace and took hold of Sirius's hand before they both disappeared from view.
"Ready, mister Sirius?"
"I'm ready. Let's bring our boy back."
They were gone with a loud crack.
Pansy stopped trying to hold back her tears and collapsed into Luna's arms.
"Awaken the boy."
"Crucio!"
Harry jerked into consciousness when every type of pain he could imagine all flooded his nervous system at the same time. It was as if his skin was being flayed from his body, while his blood was burning, and his bones were being crushed. It was only a second, but it was the worst second of his life.
"Inventive, Barty," a high pitched voice laughed. "Don't do too much damage though. The boy is mine to play with before he dies."
"Of course, master."
Harry blinked open his eyes and saw the same man he had tortured- no, the Dark Lord had tortured- from his dream the month before. He was bound to a gravestone with ropes. His glasses had fallen off when he had been hit by the spell, but the robed figure was close enough that Harry could still make him out.
"Hello, Potter. Welcome to the night of the Dark Lord's return and the end of the boy-who-lived."
There was a large stone cauldron several feet away with a fire already roaring underneath it. To his right, Harry saw a grave that had been dug up, a skeletal body revealed within the opened coffin.
"Enjoy your last moments while you can, boy."
"Enough," a cold voice hissed. "Put Potter's glasses back on. We don't want him to miss out on any of this. Then begin the ritual."
"Yes, master."
Barty reached down to the ground nearby and then shoved Harry's glasses back onto his face. He couldn't see Voldemort, but Barty turned away and picked up a small bundle of black robes.
His momentary curiosity soon turned to horror as the thing was revealed. It was shaped roughly like a rail-thin child, but Harry could not imagine anything less human. Its skin was a dark crimson, hairless and slimy. The limbs were spindly and far, far too long. The face was all wrong- flat, noseless and with lips so thin Harry barely noticed they were there. If there were ears, they too were almost flat against the head of the thing.
And then there were the eyes. The gleaming red eyes, burning bright in the dark night.
Harry knew those eyes. He felt them burrowing into his mind, reminding him of all his fears, all his pain, and the haziest image of green light flickering as the woman with red hair fell to the ground.
"I see you, Harry Potter. I can feel your terror, your weakness. Before the night is through, you will be free of all your burdens and worries. You will feel the pain of being ripped from your body. The same pain you caused me all those years ago. And then you will face oblivion."
The cold high voice laughed and Harry's scar once again flared with a searing pain.
Barty carried his master with an air of reverance over to the cauldron. There was a hiss of steam as the thing was dropped into the boiling water.
Harry tried to wish that the thing would boil and drown, but he knew that whatever dark magic this was would never let him off so easily.
"Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!" Barty called out as his wand pointed at the skeletal figure and a bone floated over and dropped into the cauldron. Sparks flew and Harry could see the surface of the water shift to an unnatural, vivid shade of blue.
Barty reached into his robes and pulled out a wicked, curved knife. The dark blade was serrated and seemed to blend into the very shadows.
"Flesh of the servant, willingly given, you will revive your master!"
Harry could hardly believe his eyes as the dagger sliced cleanly through Barty's wrist and his left hand fell into the water, turning it a brightly burning red.
But the Death Eater was not finished yet.
He set the blade down atop a nearby gravestone and pulled his wand from inside his robes. He barely winced as he used some sort of flame charm to cauterize the wound and then turned to Harry, taking the ritual knife back in hand. Barty smiled coldly as he stepped forward.
He cut just enough of the conjured rope from Harry's left side to have access to his arm, then sliced his sleeve out of the way as well.
"Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken, you will resurrect your foe!" Barty slashed into the flesh of his forearm more carefully than Harry would have expected, and the blood began to trail down towards his wrist. The Death Eater held the knife up and flicked it at Harry, splattering drops of blood all over his face and neck while sneering at him.
He stepped back to set the blade down again and then pulled out a glass vial that was then pressed up against the cut on Harry's arm. Blood seeped into it for several moments as the crazed man kept grinning at Harry until it was nearly half full. Only then did Barty walk over to the cauldron, pouring it in as well.
As soon as the blood hit the water, it flashed a blinding white and Harry slammed his eyes closed. The light was so strong that he could see it even through his eyelids and it pulsed three times before fading.
Even though he feared what would come next, Harry's eyes opened and he saw steam billowing out from the cauldron, filling the entire area with a fog that then coalesced into a shape, slowly taking on the form of a man.
No, not a man. A humanoid figure yes, but definitely not a man.
"Robe me," the high, cold voice hissed.
Only seconds after the initial crack, Dobby and Sirius reappeared in front of the couch, falling to the floor.
"What happened?" Pansy shrieked.
"Dobby is unsure. Dobby has never felt that before."
"I think I know what it was," Sirius said as he rubbed his knee that had banged into the edge of the table. "There are spells you can put up to block apparition. I guess whoever has Harry doesn't want to be disturbed."
"But no one thinks to block against house-elves," Pansy insisted, unmindful of the tears still falling. "No one."
"I guess they're really paranoid."
"Dobby, can you feel where Harry is?" Luna asked.
"Far away," he answered after closing his eyes. "Master Harry is in a dark place. Dark with evil magic. Dobby can't see through the shadows. The shadows must be blocking the magic."
"But he's alive?" Pansy asked with a tremor in her voice. "Say he's alive, Dobby! Say he's alright! Please! Please... say he's alright..."
The elf took a deep breath and clenched his eyes shut.
"Dobby can tell that master Harry is alive. Alive, but in pain. It is terrible that Dobby cannot help him. Dobby will punish himself for failing the great Harry Potter sir."
The elf twisted its ears and ran over to the fire that lit with a snap of his fingers. He then stuck those fingers into the flames.
"Stop! Stop, Dobby! You can't punish yourself while Harry is still in danger!" Pansy yelled, and the elf turned back around.
"Dobby has never been so ashamed," he said as he fell to his knees and began to cry.
"Winky?"
There was a pop as Luna summoned her family's elf.
"Hello, miss Luna," she said with a bow. "What can Winky do?"
"First, please make sure Dobby didn't injure himself."
"Dobby's being a foolish elf again," she castigated him as she checked him over, holding her hands over his and healing the burns. "How will Dobby take cares of his family with burnt hands?"
"I'm sure it was just a mistake he made," Luna suggested. "Dobby would never want to let the Great Harry Potter sir down."
"Of course, miss Luna is right. Yous be listening to good miss Luna, Dobby!"
"Dobby is sorry. Dobby is so, so sorry."
"I'm sure you are, but let's concentrate on trying to help Harry right now," Luna replied. "Dobby, why don't you keep trying to focus on Harry? That way you'll know as soon as he is away from the Dark magic that is blocking you from going to him."
"Winky, can you do me a favor?" Sirius asked.
"Winky's not knowing you."
"Let me introduce you, Winky. This is either Stubby Boardman or Sirius Black. He's been known by both names. He is Harry's godfather and he wants to try to help Harry."
"Mister Harry is a good wizard and a friend to Winky's family. What does mister Stubby want Winky to do?"
"I'd like you to contact my cousin, Andromeda Tonks. She was waiting in the stands to see if Harry returned or if they could find out what happened down at the quidditch pitch. See if she knows anything yet."
"Wait!" Pansy interjected. "Check with Tonks too. I mean, Nymphadora Tonks, Andromeda's daughter. She's an auror, she was going to try to help. She's probably more likely to know something."
"Winky will be right back," she said with a nod and then disappeared.
Barty was flexing the fingers of his shiny new silver hand that Voldemort had conjured to replace the one he had sacrificed. He was thanking his master with a voice filled with awe, but the Dark Lord had turned his attention back to Harry.
"You have been given a great honor, Harry Potter. Only one of two people to witness the glory of my rebirth. Of course, by the end of the night, that won't matter anymore, but you must treasure these things while you still can. Would you like a history lesson? Or perhaps I should properly introduce you to my most faithful servant- Barty Crouch Junior. I'm told you were acquainted with his dearly departed father.
"Of course, poor Barty missed out on the opportunity to murder him. I was not so unlucky. Can you believe it, Harry? A mere muggle was somehow able to sire the greatest wizard ever to live. And then he had the nerve to turn away from my mother, to turn away from magic. What a fool! Well, he paid for that treachery.
"And yet, even years later, he repays me by playing his part tonight. An easy part it was to play, too. Almost as easy as your role, Harry. To bleed, and cower, and die.
"But not yet. You might still have a few lines before the curtain falls."
"You really like to hear yourself talk, huh?"
The Dark Lord laughed, but his mirth was mixed with a cold anger.
"Brave to the last, eh Harry? Well, you may have a point. I did have years to plan for this, so coming up with things to say was obviously a part of that. A bit dramatic, to be sure, but an element of theatre is useful when you want people to follow you properly without having to punish them all for their stupidity and cowardice. It's hard to get things done otherwise.
"Come to me, Barty!"
Crouch knelt before the Dark Lord.
"I live to serve, master."
"Show me your arm."
Riddle smiled as the Dark Mark was revealed, the faded tattoo now vivid with color that turned to jet black as Voldemort pressed his long bony finger to it.
"Look, Harry. Isn't it beautiful?"
Voldemort raised his wand to the sky and cast some sort of spell then smiled down at his Death Eater.
"Well done on the protection, Barty."
"Thank you, master."
"As for you, Harry, you should prepare yourself for our guests to arrive. But I don't want to get your hopes up. No one is going to rescue you. Only those who bear my mark can approach us here.
"And they will all appear, or others may be joining you in death tonight." Riddle laughed again and turned away. "Now, we wait."
"Winky's be having messages from Tonky ladies. Nice miss Andie-romeda says that mister Harry has disappeared and people bes panicking. Younger miss Nymmie says that mister Mad-Eye is keeping watch over nasty foreign dark wizard. Younger miss has gone to watch the gates in case anyone tries to enter or leave."
"Thank you, Winky," Sirius answered as the girls were still huddled together on the couch. He could tell that Pansy was on the edge of losing it, but considering how he had acted years ago, he could hardly blame her. Thank Merlin that Luna was there. "Did you see professor Dumbledore by any chance?"
"Yes, mister professor Dumbledore was talking to his flaming bird. The bird was sad, not beings able to help its master."
"Damn," Sirius sighed. "That would have been good if it had worked. I wonder if that same dark magic that Dobby spoke of is keeping the phoenix away as well. No luck yet, Dobby?"
"Not yet, mister Sirius."
"Fuck."
"Mister Sirius should not bes using such filthy language in front of young misses," Winky scolded, waving a finger at him threateningly.
"Sorry, Winky."
Pansy chuckled for a second as Luna continually ran her fingers through her hair as she laid her head in the blonde's lap. Harry would love to see his godfather being treated like a naughty boy by Winky. She'd have to remember to tell him about that when he got back.
Because he had to come back. He just had to.
"Was it Karkaroff?"
The red-eyed monstrosity turned back to him and looked him over speculatively.
"You may be smarter than you look, Harry," the Dark Lord chuckled. "Yes, Igor was my agent inside Hogwarts. One of them anyway. Crouch Senior was as well, for a time at least. Why do you think both of them scored you so highly?"
"Does that mean you had Bagman under your spell too?"
"No, if that fool was biased towards you it was likely due to his vice of choice- gambling. The last Barty had heard of him, Bagman was deeply in debted to various people. I had considered using that knowledge if necessary, but my plans went well enough without him."
There was a moment of silence that hung between before being replaced by repeated cracking sounds as figure after figure, all dressed in dark cloaks, masked and hooded arrived. Harry tried to count them all, and guessed there were at least twenty as they slowly approached Voldemort.
One by one they fell to their knees, kissing the hem of his robes as they crawled before the Dark Lord, all of them groveling and fawning over their master.
'So much for the pride of purebloods,' Harry thought with disdain. He then noticed an enormously long snake slither into the middle of the circle that was forming as the Death Eaters stood back away from Harry and Voldemort. Barty was still in the middle, off to Harry's right.
"These are all weak foolsss, massster," it hissed.
"Indeed, Nagini, but they are my weak foolsss," Voldemort replied, and Harry realized he was speaking in parseltongue as none of the Death Eaters reacted at all.
"Welcome, my old friends. It seems as if were only yesterday that we were united like this, does it not? Thirteen years have gone by in the blink of an eye. All of you returned to my side in mere moments now that I have returned.
"And yet, where you have been all this time? What have you done while I was away?"
Harry noticed at least two figures flinch in the shadows as Voldemort turned slowly, looking over his minions.
"I smell something... Is it guilt? What could you have to feel guilt over?"
No one moved as the Dark Lord peered at each of his robed followers one at a time.
"Could it be your cowardice? You who had sworn yourselves to me, who had seen my power and flocked to my banner, fell back into the shadows as soon as my so called demise was announced. Back into familiar places in society, claiming to be enchanted if you were suspected at all, and back to consorting with the rabble that had quivered before me, fearing to even give voice to my name.
"Is it guilt? Guilt to have betrayed me for the comforts of your lives, hiding your robes away in the back of a wardrobe somewhere as if being a Death Eater was a mere costume you had once worn and set aside. Something only in your pasts.
"Were you so foolish to believe me truly gone? That my magic could be defeated? Have you fallen before the myth of the boy-who-lived?" he sneered as he looked back over at Harry.
"Or perhaps you all were just afraid to stand against Dumbledore? Such a powerful wizard, isn't he? How many of our attacks did he ever foil? How many victims did he avenge by striking you down? How many of our forces fell to his mighty Order of the Phoenix whenever we battled? How many of you did he make sure faced justice once I was gone?
"Perhaps I have forgotten, but as I recall, the answers were always few if any. That pitiful old man never had the stomach for war, and yet as soon as your leader was away, you all just... gave up. You slunk back into the shadows and seemed to pretend that it was all over.
"I must confess that I am left feeling somewhat... disappointed."
"Forgive me, master," a deep voice answered as he fell prostrate before Voldemort, shaking even as he again kissed the hem of the Dark Lord's robe. By chance, Voldemort was looking in Harry's direction and his scorn was plain to see.
"You want forgiveness, Crabbe?" Voldemort let the question hang for a moment before raising his wand. "Crucio!"
The Death Eater writhed and screamed on the ground under the spell before it was ended.
"I do not forgive nor do I forget. All of you owe me for thirteen years of silence. None of you sought me out or tried to follow the whispers of my whereabouts. I know those who did, those who stood loyal." He paused before an empty spot in the circle of Death Eaters surrounding him. "Here is where my faithful would stand amongst you. The Lestranges all shall be honored for their loyalty. None of them renounced me. None of them pretended to be victims. We shall have to remove them from Azkaban soon. My servants that have suffered while I have been gone will be rewarded for their faith and brought back into the fold.
"Of course, one has already returned. Come, Barty." Crouch stepped over and knelt before Voldemort, looking down in reverence. "Young Barty here searched for me with the Lestranges and was then imprisoned along with them. His mother talked her fool of a husband into freeing him before she died, although he was kept in another sort of bondage. Years under the Imperius curse. Some of you claim to have suffered similarly when questioned by the aurors. And yet it was Barty here who broke from his captivity and rejoined me. I have to wonder why all of you fled at the sight of my mark when he cast the spell last summer at the quidditch match. Did even my true followers really believe that there was some rogue Death Eater out there?
"That is the story that came out after someone murdered MacNair, is it not? But I know that none of you would ever do such a thing, would you? No, I believe not. I shall find out who was responsible, though, and the killer will pay for his crime.
"And speaking of paying for his crime, I am pleased at how well Igor has done so far. I know that he betrayed us years ago, and he shall have to compensate Rookwood greatly once he is freed, but he has done my will for almost a year now. I shall have to make even greater use of him in the future because he owes me more than most."
Voldemort came to a stop and slowly, menacingly, strode back over in front of Harry.
"We have a few others that are missing as well. How many followers do you owe me now, Harry? Shall we count? First we have Lucius, who would have been most valuable to me with his purse strings and societal connections. Then the little spy who led me to your parents. Well, I must admit that Pettigrew was so worthless that I will his concede his loss. He did owe you something, did he not?
"But Severus, on the other hand, would have been worth quite a bit more. For his abilities at least, although his loyalty was to some extent... questionable. I was amused to hear of how you got rid of him though. Calling on magic itself to repay his treachery towards your father- bravo. Such vengeance is something that I can appreciate. That must not have been something that the population of Hogwarts was expecting to see from their supposed savior. Am I correct?"
"Probably not," Harry replied with a shrug. "I've gotten past the time when I cared what the public thinks of me."
"They are fools, are they not, Harry?" Voldemort inclined his head slightly and turned back towards his followers. "That was something I learned long ago. But even among the masses, others have also removed some of my followers. Three killed or arrested because of that pointless display of muggle baiting at the World Cup. And most recently, Yaxley losing a duel merely because his pride was stung as his wife fraternized with another wizard. So very disappointing.
"I shall have to work to rebuild my forces. But enough of that! Let us get to our main event, shall we?"
Voldemort turned back to Harry and held him with that burning red gaze.
"Harry Potter. The bringer of my downfall. Shall I explain how this happened? A forgotten bit of old magic as his mother stood before him and sacrificed herself in an attempt to save the boy. It was a miscalculation, but it has been rectified. Lily Potter kept me from being able to touch him, but tonight I have overcome that protection."
He flaunted this statement by reaching up and softly stroking Harry's scar, which again seared with pain. Voldemort laughed as Harry gritted his teeth to keep from crying out.
"Such bravery shall be rewarded, momentarily, my dear boy. A fitting end comes soon enough. But I must return to my tale. For when I was unable to kill him I was ripped from my body. None of you can imagine the pain. You all must remember my goal of conquering death. Even I, who have gone further along the path to immortality than any others before me, cannot fully explain what happened that night. In the end, I became something less than shadow, a wraith, formless but still tied to this world. So long was I weakened as I waited for one of my followers to seek for me. To enable my return.
"Well, time passed before someone came upon me. A young, gullible wizard who led me back to England in an attempt to steal the philosopher's stone. An artifact so powerful that I could have been reborn. And once again, it was young Harry who thwarted me. The boy-who-lived. The savior. The hero.
"Tut-tut, Harry. You should have learned your lesson from your parents. Playing the hero only gets you killed." Voldemort flourished his wand and the ropes around Harry disappeared. "My Death Eaters might still be confused about how such a pitiful boy could possibly be my downfall. I must show them the truth. You understand don't you, Harry?
"Crucio!"
It was the same pain he had felt when Crouch had awoken him, only somehow worse as Voldemort held him under the torture curse for what could have been an eon for all Harry could fathom. Time ceases to have meaning when your entire being feels like it is being shredded and melted.
He couldn't remember screaming, but when the Dark Lord finally released him from the spell, his throat was sore. He felt his limbs tremor as he realized he was face down on the ground.
"So much for the vaunted legacy of Harry Potter. We can see that he survived by a mere stroke of luck. But just to drive that point home further, I will finish dispelling the myth of the boy-who-lived tonight, once and for all. I will even give him a chance to show his worth. He is a Gryffindor, is he not? Brave enough to face down dementors, or so I've heard. Well, he shall have his chance to display his powers before you all.
"And then he shall die."
Harry looked up as he struggled to get back to his feet. The huge snake was coiled to the side of Voldemort and he was stroking her head softly.
"Ssssoon, Nagini. The boy will make an excellent dinner for you," the dark lord hissed, then turned with a sneer back to Harry.
"Barty, give the boy his wand. Your time is at an end, Harry Potter."
For the second time, Luna felt Pansy tremble and moan. While she usually envied her friend for her deep connection to Harry, who she so clearly loved, tonight it had proved to be a double-edged sword. 'Alive, but in pain,' Dobby had said, and she knew that Pansy was feeling some sort of echo of Harry's condition.
Magic is a wonderful but terrifying thing.
"Still no luck, Dobby?" Sirius asked, breaking the tense silence.
"No, mister Sirius."
Luna wondered if there was anything more that she could do. This feeling, this helplessness, was the worst thing she had experienced since the day her mother had died. As much as she loved Pansy, who had taken her under her wing and helped her to understand so many of the things that she had gone through over the last couple of years, it was Harry that she knew would stand in front of a dragon for her, even wandless, and die before letting her be harmed.
How could she not love him?
The girls in her dorm were still afraid to even look twice at her since Harry had entered her life, despite the previous year and a half of torment as they had felt free to take advantage of her reluctance to fight back.
Tonight, Luna knew, that had to change.
Somewhere, Harry was fighting for his life, facing who knows what.
The time when she could be a kind girl even to those who would hurt her, unwilling to retaliate against those who would bully, and injure, and destroy... that time was over. When Harry returned, because she refused to consider a future without him, she would have to learn to fight. To stand beside him and drive the monsters back into the darkness.
But at that moment, she felt powerless. There had to be something more she could do other than just holding onto Pansy as she cried and feared for the love of her life. If she couldn't stand beside Harry, she at least had to do everything she could to take care of Pansy for him.
They were her best friends. Her only real friends, actually. And Luna was not going to lose either of them, no matter what. Her mind made up, it was time to prepare things for when Harry returned.
"Winky," she called.
"Yes miss Luna?"
"I need you to get a calming draught for Pansy."
"Of course, miss Luna." She quickly popped in and out, handing over a vial of liquid.
"I don't know-" Pansy began as Luna practically forced her to sit up.
"I know it is hard right now, but he is coming back. And Harry will need you to be strong when he gets back. He will need you to comfort him and take care of him. Whatever he goes through won't matter as long as he makes it back to you. You know how single-minded he can be. It will take more than a Dark Lord and his henchmen to come between the two of you.
"So, we're all going to stop worrying and start preparing. If he's hurt, then we'll make sure to tend to his injuries. Sirius and I will only be able to do so much tonight. Harry's bound to be tired and stressed. Probably needing some physical affection to help him recuperate. That will be up to you, my dear Pansy.
"But once tonight is over, we will be at war. We will learn everything we can about how to fight. How to protect ourselves and our loved ones. We'll find out more about Harry's enemies- our enemies- and we'll make them wish their precious Dark Lord had never come back.
"Because I love you and Harry, and I will do whatever it takes to make sure the two of you get your happy ending. You both deserve it, more than any two people I've ever met. Now drink this and let's start to think about the future."
Pansy wiped at her eyes and then swallowed the potion.
"Well said, Luna," Sirius added as he got up. "I can tell you both about what happened in the war last time. What we did wrong, especially. There's no sense in all of you not learning from my mistakes if at all possible."
"Thank you," Pansy whispered as she crushed her best friend in a hug. "I love you too, Luna."
"I know you do, but I won't spread it around in public. You do have a reputation to protect, you know?" Pansy and Luna laughed together and the emotional tide of the evening had crested. Now all they needed was for Harry to return.
"Besides, one of these days, I expect to be godmother to your and Harry's children."
"Have you been taught how to duel, Harry Potter? Or has the school fallen even farther than I had imagined?"
"I thought you'd heard how I killed Lucius," Harry answered with a grin.
"I dare say you will find me much more of a challenge than that soft, pompous buffoon. To think all it took was a few months in Azkaban and rumors of a dalliance with his wife to make him lose his self-control so badly that he was defeated by a mere boy."
"Who said it was just a rumor?" Harry smirked. "I wonder how many of your followers have lonely, unsatisfied wives at home. That's the peril of arranged marriages I suppose. That's how Yaxley met his end too, after all. My godfather stole my idea. I guess it won't work on you though, huh Tom? There isn't some secret Mrs. Voldemort, is there?"
"I think you'll find that I have no weaknesses, Potter," the Dark Lord hissed, his anger obvious.
'Right, bantering with the bad guy is a bad idea,' Harry thought and he could just imagine Moody ready to curse him for his stupid bravado.
"Now, bow and prepare to die."
Harry copied Voldemort's ever-so-slight inclination and they both raised their wands. But there was no count off, no other formalities. Only the Cruciatus curse once again flying fast and true and what seemed like an eternity of pain.
He was still screaming when the spell was lifted and he struggled to his feet even as he felt his muscles twitching uncontrollably.
"That's just a taste of what I have in store for you tonight, Harry. It is only going to get worse. You do realize that, don't you? I will make you a deal though. Let it never be said that I am completely without mercy. We all know which of us is the most powerful. We all know who is bound to win. I will grant you a quick, clean death. Just as I granted your father. I will end the Potter line with a moment of kindness.
"All you have to do is beg me. Beg me to end things, and you will know no more pain. No more sorrow. Isn't that better than some pointless struggle? Isn't it?"
The red eyes were boring into him, trying to force him to admit his defeat, but Harry was far too stubborn to ever grovel before this bastard or anyone else. He was going to die on his feet, one way or another.
"Answer me! Imperio!"
He remembered this feeling, and the will pushing him to submit was much stronger than when Moody had cursed him. Much stronger than when Pansy had tried it as well. There was peace there, if he would just accept.
'Beg me, Potter. Beg me to end things.'
'No.'
'You are a fool to resist. It will get you nothing but more pain.'
Harry felt the pressure rise, the attempt at domination, but even as that floating calm sensation tried to press into him, thoughts of dominance and submission as well as his earliest experiences with the spell made him think of Pansy. The time that he had let the spell wash over him when they were in that special room back at the castle.
He wasn't going to let anyone else control him, and a surge of anger rushed through him at the thought of this monster trying to intrude on his memories of someone so precious as Pansy.
"NO!" he roared, as the Imperius finally failed.
There was a resounding silence as the Death Eaters backed away, subconsciously having some idea that things were about to get worse.
"You dare say no TO ME? Perhaps another taste then?"
But Harry was not merely standing there waiting for another curse. He started to fire off a Reducto as quickly as he could raise his wand.
Voldemort shielded against it with a negligent wave. At least he hadn't been able to fire off another round of the torture curse. However, it also made him less willing to play with his prey any longer.
"Avada Kedavra!"
"Reducto!"
Harry still didn't know for sure that he had the power and right emotional state to be able to successfully cast a killing curse of his own, so he fell back to the advice Sirius had given him. Three syllables is less than six, and that split second was enough to save his life because the two spells collided in midair, blue light smashing against green.
But they did not ricochet off each other, as he had seen happen back in Moody's class on a couple of occasions. Instead the two spells seemed to battle each other. It was for dominance once again, his will pushing back against the Dark Lord's need to kill him, to reclaim his invincible reputation.
The wand in his hand started to vibrate, and Harry went to reach for it with his left hand as well, to try to stabilize it, but something stopped him.
Maybe he could do something else? Something to get a moment to escape. All he needed was a distraction and a few seconds. He still had his invisibility cloak with him. But how?
Then he remembered the few spells he had tried to master wandlessly. Harry doubted that a cleaning charm would do him any good at the moment... but the summoning charm was the second he had learned. And if he could just spot something to use it on.
He clenched his right hand on his wand as he scanned his surroundings. The two spells, still linked, were illuminating the area much brighter than it had been. Voldemort was saying something, ranting to his minions about not interfering, how he would finish the boy.
Man, he really liked to listen to himself talk.
And then he saw it. The ritual knife was still sitting atop the headstone where Barty Crouch had left it several minutes ago.
Trying to summon it might not be the best idea though. And yet, he wasn't nearly as practiced with the banishing charm, at least not to where he could necessarily manage it silently.
He focused back on the two spells pushing against each other for a moment, as Voldemort's green light had pressed further towards him. With a grunt, the blue light surged back away from him and they were once again split halfway between the two.
No moment like the present, Harry thought.
"Depulso!" he screamed and the knife flew straight into Riddle's left shoulder. With a howl of rage, the connection between the spells was broken as the two lights flew off in random directions.
This was the moment Harry needed. Just off to his right, he saw the enormous snake amongst the crowd of Death Eaters, hissing angrily. That's the best target.
"Confringo!"
Harry turned as the blasting curse left his wand, not waiting for the explosion before he ducked behind the largest nearby gravestone and frantically pulled his cloak out. He was covered and hidden, but he still needed to escape, even as he heard Voldemort screaming in rage.
For a moment, it sounded almost as if there were two of him.
Harry began to move, trying to sneak away, but there were still so many Death Eaters. How could he manage to avoid bumping into any of them in all the chaos? If only he had his own portkey.
But then he remembered.
He did have one. His ring- the Potter family ring. It could take him to any of his family's properties.
Well, a portkey had gotten him in, so hopefully one could also get him out. He grabbed the ring and focused.
Get me the fuck out of here!
"Something has changed!" Dobby yelped.
"What is it Dobby? Can you feel where he is now?" Pansy had gotten up and ran over to in front of him as soon as the elf opened his mouth. "Go get him, please!"
"Dobby can't. Master was there, still in the dark magic, but then he was gone."
"No!" Pansy screamed, grabbing and shaking the elf. "He can't be gone!"
"Not dead, miss Pansy. Just gone. Like master Harry is hidden. Hidden by powerful magic. Maybe the most powerful Dobby has ever felt."
"Keep reaching out to him then. As soon as you can, go get Harry and bring him home."
"Dobby will. Wait!" He closed his eyes again, his magic focused on reaching out to the missing head of his family. "Dobby can't feel the dark magic anymore. Master Harry must have escaped somehow. Dobby bes ready!"
Sirius raced over to try to grab onto the elf, but Dobby disappeared.
"Ow."
Harry sat up as he rubbed his left side. Apparently he had landed on a not so small rock, laying there in the slightly overgrown yard. Where was he? But then he looked up and saw the house with part of its roof still blown out all these years later. He was back in Godric's Hollow. Back where it all began more than thirteen years ago.
"Fitting I guess," he muttered. He tried to stand but felt another tremor go through his left side. He had never been in an earthquake, but he supposed that this was something like the aftershocks that kept coming after the main event. Harry wished he could remember more from science class all those years ago because maybe then he would have some idea how long this would last.
Of course, that assumed that magic was anything like nature.
'Probably not,' he thought with a frown.
He looked down and saw that his left arm was still bleeding too. Harry really wished that he had learned a spell or two to help with this. Maybe after tonight Madam Pomfrey would be more willing to teach him. She couldn't fuss over him if he died before making it to her hospital wing.
Not seeing or hearing anyone around him, Harry removed the cloak and put it back in his pocket. Whatever else happened in the future, he was definitely carrying it with him from now on.
Or at least until Riddle and all his scumbags were dead.
He probably needed to start wearing his contacts all the time too. If Voldemort hadn't wanted to gloat, not having them on tonight could have made things much, much worse.
He tried to stand again but felt lightheaded.
Then he heard the pop and saw two enormous green eyes right in front of him.
"Hi, Dobby."
"Master Harry sir! Wes all have been so worried!"
"I'm alright," he replied but he was unable to keep it from sounding like a groan. "Well, mostly."
"Dobby must get master back safe to miss Pansy!"
"Wait! Wait, just a second, let me think."
"But, master, you're hurt," Dobby whined.
"I know, but it's not as bad as it could have been. Look, people still don't know that you can pop me directly into the grounds of Hogwarts, right?"
"Miss Pansy does, and a few others too."
"But very few people, right?"
"Yes, mister Sirius also tried to keep the secret tonight."
"Good on Sirius then. Do you know what else was happening?" Harry tried to decide what exactly he should do. Dumbledore would have to be told about this. Come to think of it, Madam Bones was there too. Hopefully she could be of some help.
Of course, Minister Fudge was there as well, but Harry had no faith that he would be anything other than useless. At least he didn't still have Malfoy whispering in his ear and filling his pockets with gold.
Dobby began to tell him of where various people were and the things that had gone on in Harry's absence. He noticed that he was even more lightheaded, though.
"Dobby, can you tear my sleeve off?" he asked as he raised his left arm and the elf obeyed immediately. "Nice, now, wrap it around where I'm bleeding."
"Master Harry needs to get to a healer," Dobby said in a worried tone.
"I know, and I think that's what we should do. You said Tonks was at the gates, right? Then let's pop back right outside them and she can help get me to Madam Pomfrey. One blood-replenishing potion and I should be a lot better."
"Dobby can do that."
Before he could say another word, his elf had grabbed onto him, and Harry was now looking up at Hogwarts, all lit up in the distance.
"Harry!"
Tonks came running over to him, wand out and casting 'Lumos' so she could get a look at him.
"What the bloody hell happened to you?"
"It's a long story. Do you know where Madam Pomfrey is?"
"She was over at the pitch last I heard. They were hoping you might come back to the same place if you could get away from wherever you went."
"Okay, can you help me get to her? I think I could use a potion to help with the blood loss."
"Do you have any other wounds?"
"I don't think so, but this one on my arm might have hit a vein. Or an artery, I can never remember which is which. Anyway, it hasn't stopped bleeding and I think I might fall over."
And fall over he almost did, but Tonks caught him under his non-bleeding arm and helped keep him standing.
"Alright let's go. Try not to pass out on me."
"Will do, Tonks. Dobby, please go tell Pansy that I'm back and okay and tell her where I'm going to get patched up. Oh, and tell her that I love her. In fact, tell her that first."
Dobby agreed and vanished, off to complete his mission.
"You know, you're probably my favorite distant cousin right now."
"I'll bet you say that to all the girls," Tonks chuckled as he continued to lean on her.
"Naw," Harry drawled out. "I'm not a pureblood, remember? But then, you aren't either. But you're like backwards of me. Pureblood mum, muggleborn dad. From what Sirius told me, your mum's side of the family was pretty awful. Although I think he was way too hard on Narcissa."
"Aunt Narcissa was pretty awful when I was a kid. I barely remember hearing from her."
"Well, she was trapped in an arranged marriage with a closeted homosexual slash murderer. That can't have been too fun, you know?"
"Yeah, mum told me you had a soft spot for her."
"I think it was a hard spot, actually," Harry giggled, still feeling drowsy as Tonks kept him marching. He could hear the crowd in the distance.
"Wait a minute," she actually stopped walking and both of them tripped over onto the ground. "Sorry Harry, let me help you up. Sirius said it was just a rumor that you had slept with Aunt Narcissa. That it was just something Lucius dreamed up as an excuse to try to kill you because you had gone to her ball while he was imprisoned. You didn't really do anything with her, did you?"
"It wasn't my fault. You try saying no to a beautiful woman."
"That's actually pretty easy for me, Harry," Tonks snorted.
'Yeah, well, you know what I mean."
"Weren't you only thirteen at the time?"
"Yeah, but she was lonely. And so sad. I mean, can you imagine not having sex for more than a decade? Damn, now that's a fate worse than death. Plus, I think it was the biggest slap in the face she could imagine to a Death Eater like Lucius."
"I can't believe it."
"Please don't tell anyone. It's better for everyone involved if people just think it was a rumor."
"I bet Pansy wasn't too happy with you, huh?"
"It was her fucking idea!"
"What?"
"Getting Lucius properly riled up by the idea of his wife sleeping with me so he would challenge me to a duel. Right when he got out of Azkaban, he would have been at his weakest, and most unhinged. That's what we hoped and what we got."
"Why the bloody hell did you want him to try to kill you?"
"So that I could kill him. Do you know what that bastard did the year before? He unleashed a thousand year old basilisk on a school full of children. Including his own son! It's a miracle no one died. Especially me. Remind me to show you my other arm. It hurts like hell when a Basilisk tooth goes most of the way through your arm."
"There's no way anyone could survive that," Tonks said in disbelief.
"I barely did. Only 'cause of Fawkes showing up and crying on the wound. Being poisoned actually hurt a lot worse than just the bite did. I mean, I guess it wasn't exactly a bite because I was stabbing up into the thing's brain at the same time."
"Harry, some of your life sounds completely unbelievable."
"Hey, I was there, and I don't always believe it."
They were finally nearing the quidditch pitch, and someone saw them. Thankfully, it was Luna, and she and Pansy came running over, with Sirius huffing behind them.
"Harry!" Pansy nearly bowled him over as she embraced him. Then she was kissing him, and Harry wasn't about to let her go either.
Several seconds later, Tonks stopped just coughing politely and actually poked him in the side.
"More of that later, yeah?"
"Right. Let's get me patched up first."
"What happened?" Pansy asked, looking down at his arm.
"We'll probably need Dumbledore and others to hear the whole story. Is Madam Bones still around? Because she should be there too, I think."
"I'll go find everyone," Sirius said.
Other people were starting to surround them, some of Harry's friends as well as a whole lot of spectators, gawking at Harry once again. He felt like a car wreck that everyone was looking at for a chance to see some gore.
Thankfully, Tonks was on the job. She pulled her wand and yelled out.
"Clear the way before I start hexing people." Her official 'auror on duty' voice seemed to do the trick, because the masses parted and Harry saw Madam Pomfrey rushing his way from a nearby tent.
"What happened to you, Harry?"
"Oh nothing you haven't seen before, I'm sure," he giggled. She looked thoroughly unamused. "Seriously, this might not even crack the top five times I've needed your services."
"Get him over here to a bed," she answered with a frown. "Then let me see that arm. And Tonks, clear the rest of these people out."
"Yes, ma'am."
There was just something about Poppy Pomfrey. Even a few years after graduating, Tonks still didn't want to cross her. Harry knew he was going to have a fight on his hands later, but there was no way in hell he was spending the night anywhere other than in his own bed- with Pansy.
She had the cut on his arm taken care of quick enough, and moments later one of the Hogwarts house-elves had delivered a blood-replenishing potion that Harry immediately gulped down. Within a couple of minutes, the lightheaded feeling passed and he felt a lot more alert.
Then, it was time for the interrogation to begin.
The headmaster had arrived, as had Sirius, Moody, Bones, Fudge, and McGonagall. Tonks had disappeared at some point in the commotion. The students were ordered out, although Harry had his arm around Pansy and professor Dumbledore nodded in agreement, knowing that they would not be parted for the rest of the night.
Harry began his tale by suggesting that someone should arrest Karkaroff.
Who else would have turned the cup into a portkey but the already known and convicted Death Eater?
Almost at once, politics started turning everything into a mess. Fudge wasn't too happy about arresting the head of a foreign school, but Amelia Bones was officially in charge of an active investigation, so she ordered him detained for questioning. It was a matter of semantics that allowed the minister a bit of cover.
While an ambassador from Bulgaria was on hand, due to Krum, Karkaroff was Serbian. Harry had a feeling that someone would be contacting that country's government soon as well.
Then his story began, of how the cup was a portkey and how he was attacked and captured by Barty Crouch Junior. For the second time, Fudge began to protest, saying that he was dead. Harry responded by telling of how his own father had supposedly gotten him out of Azkaban and kept him prisoner under the Imperius.
The minister clearly wasn't happy with Harry's story, and he had a feeling that the bumbling idiot was going to be a real problem one of these days.
Professor Dumbledore kept Harry focused on telling his story though, so he told of how he was knocked unconscious only to wake up bound and helpless as he watched the ritual that gave Voldemort a new body.
The headmaster was paying very close attention to every word.
Harry went on to explain how the Death Eaters were called back to their master's side and how Voldemort forced him to duel, hoping to end speculation of how Harry had been his downfall years ago. He told of the spells colliding and using a blasting curse to make a distraction so that he could escape.
When asked where the Triwizard Cup was, Harry had to assume that it was still at the cemetery.
Soon enough, Fudge was blustering about how none of this could possibly be true, but thankfully Madam Bones was there and she suggested that he let her investigate the claims before they announced anything to the public. That seemed to soothe the minister, at least for the moment, and he was soon being escorted home by his auror guards.
"Useless bloody fool," Amelia muttered as she watched him go.
"You know, Madam Bones, it might be a good idea to contact the press before the minister tries to bury the truth," Harry advised. "He didn't seem to like having to face what's happened. A few pictures in the Prophet might keep him from doing anything too stupid."
"That's about what I think of the moron too, Potter," Moody snorted. "Is it any wonder I retired shortly after that useless fool was elected? He had Lucius bloody Malfoy pulling the strings from day one. I wish I had gotten something on that slippery bastard back when the war was still going."
"I can't take the press before we know if there's any danger there," Amelia replied. "But if someone were to get an anonymous tip shortly thereafter that a big story was breaking, then I wouldn't necessarily be able to stop someone from taking a few pictures and asking a few questions."
"You're alright, Amelia," Harry smiled. "Can I recommend the name Simon Brightwell? He did me a favor awhile back and I have no doubt that he'd be one to seize this opportunity for another front page headline."
"I'll remember the name."
"Amelia, if the cup is still there, I should be able to trace it now," Dumbledore suggested. "Perhaps you should gather a few more aurors and we can hopefully find some evidence."
"I already sent Tonks to round up as many as she could. Alastor, I'd like to have you come along as well. Who knows what that eye might catch that we could otherwise miss."
"I'd be happy to help, but someone should stay behind to make sure the school is safe. We've already had one kidnapping from the grounds."
"Professor McGonagall, I trust you can watch over the school while I'm away?"
"Of course, headmaster."
"Excellent. Sirius, if you would, make sure to keep an eye on Harry at least until I'm back."
"He can follow us to the hospital wing," Pomfrey said.
"No need, he can just follow me back to my quarters," Harry replied. Dumbledore, Bones, and Moody all left to try to track down the crime scene. He wondered for a moment how many of the Death Eaters might have been hit by the blasting curse. He was pretty sure he at least got the damn snake.
"After what you've been through, I will need to do a more thorough check up, Potter," the healer insisted, drawing Harry's attention back to her.
"Madam Pomfrey, I really don't want to argue about this, but I am not spending the night in the infirmary. I was already kidnapped once tonight. I am going to sleep somewhere that I know is secure."
"The hospital wing is perfectly safe."
"Look, I trust maybe five people in the entire school to watch my back after everything I've been through tonight, and I am not going to sleep where anyone can possibly have access to me. I am going back to my quarters, but I will be sure to come back tomorrow so you can check me over."
"Potter-"
"Poppy," Sirius interrupted. "Harry will be safer there. And he will have plenty of people watching over him. I promise you that if there's anything else wrong with him, anything at all, I'll be as fast as possible at getting him directly into your care."
"Fine, but it's on your head, Sirius Black. And yours as well, Mr. Potter. Foolish, headstrong teenagers," she muttered as she walked off. Harry smiled as he imagined her throwing her hands up in the air at his obstinate behavior.
"Well, now that that's been decided, shall we be off?" Sirius asked with a grin.
Harry and Pansy followed him, and they soon found several others waiting nearby to see if Harry really was alright. Luna and Hermione were there of course, and the rest of his Gryffindor year mates were as well as the Weasleys. Even Ron.
Hermione and Luna raced to see who could hug Harry first and everyone seemed to begin talking all at once. There were congratulations and concerns, people all wanting to make sure that he was unharmed, wanting to know the truth of what had happened when he had disappeared.
It was too many questions, and Harry had already gone beyond his breaking point and back again once or twice. He needed to be in bed as soon as possible.
Eventually, Sirius bellowed loudly enough to make everyone fall silent. He was going to get Harry back to his room because he needed his rest and they could all wait to hear whatever Harry might want to tell them until tomorrow.
There were still a few mutters at that, and Hermione in particular looked unhappy about it.
Luna just kissed Harry on his cheek and whispered 'welcome back' in his ear. As she slipped back behind the rest of the crowd, he saw her wave and walk off with Winky beside her.
That was a weight off his chest. He knew that she could get back to her dorm safely with Winky there to look after her.
As much as he appreciated his other friends' worries about him, he was also very glad that they moved in a group back up to Gryffindor tower together.
"Sirius, I might need you to stick around here for the last few days of the term. An attack dog might be the only way I get a moment's peace."
His godfather just chuckled as the door closed behind him. Pansy was guiding Harry over to the couch. Her arm had been wrapped around his waist for the entire trip back to their rooms, so she couldn't have missed the occasional tremor.
"Now, what did you not tell everyone while we were down there?" she asked as he slumped down into the seat. "Don't tell me that shaking is nothing either, Harry."
"I might have not revealed every little thing to Madam Pomfrey."
"Harry, dammit! How many times?"
"How many times what?" Sirius asked.
"Two," Harry answered. "No, three. Crouch got me once too."
"He was hit by the Cruciatus curse," Pansy growled. She clenched her hands and closed her eyes before kissing Harry's forehead. "I'm still glad you weren't stubborn enough to talk Moody into letting you see what it was like."
"Well, good news, it turns out I can keep fighting afterwards. Not very well, but-"
"But you made it back. That's all that matters."
"Yeah." Harry squeezed her hand and smiled at her. "You know, Riddle's actually hit me with all three unforgivables now. The Imperius wasn't so bad. Probably helped save my life actually."
"How so?" Sirius asked, taking a seat in the nearest chair.
"My ring," Harry replied. "When Moody was teaching us about how to fight off the Imperius curse a few months ago, he mentioned how the Potter family ring probably helped a bit. I think that little subconscious reminder might have been what I needed tonight. I don't normally think of it, you know? But, I remembered what else it could do right when it mattered most."
"A portkey!" Pansy exclaimed.
"Exactly. Riddle said something about a protective spell over the area that would keep anyone but his servants from reaching us, but the Triwizard Cup had summoned me there as a portkey, so I had to hope that a portkey would be able to get me out. And the ring does function as one, able to take me to any Potter home. I ended up back in Godric's Hollow."
"Where it all started," Sirius nodded.
"Yeah, I hate that fucking place."
"Me too. I wish I could go back and fix everything. I still can't believe I trusted that fucking rat."
"By the way, you should be extra careful in the near future. Riddle was none-too-pleased at losing Yaxley's service in your duel. And he was positively furious about the rumored 'rogue Death Eater' who was blamed for MacNair's death."
"I'll be on guard."
"I'm going to get the bedroom ready," Pansy stated as she got up.
"I don't think I need to know about that," Sirius chuckled.
"Not like that, you immature prat. I looked up treatments for Cruciatus exposure back when Harry was insanely considering being trained to withstand torture. Massage helps reduce the after effects. Besides, I might owe Harry a massage or two."
"I think I'll owe you several more this summer," Harry teased in response as she kissed his cheek and headed for their bedroom. "Sirius, if you haven't done it before, try giving a woman a sensuous massage."
"What makes it sensuous?"
"The right type of massage oil helps, but it's mostly about the nudity."
His godfather barked out a laugh and Harry smiled as he tried to relax. This had been a very long day.
"Hey, where did Dobby go?"
"I asked him to get a couple of potions for us. He and I are going to stay here tonight and make sure that you are alright. We'll need the extra energy to stay up, just in case. It will be the first time in a long time that I've been up all night worrying over you. The last time you were about six or seven months old."
"What happened?"
"Oh, it was just a bit of colic. Nothing serious really, but everything seems so much more important to new parents. Your mum and dad were both so worried over you. Your dad especially. I think I must have made half a dozen pots of tea that night."
"I'll probably be that way too someday."
"You think so?"
"I didn't grow up with any family, Sirius. Well, not any real family anyway. I've got the beginning of one now. Whenever Pansy and I have kids, I'm pretty sure I'll be the most obsessive, doting father imaginable."
"Just not too soon, okay?" his godfather teased.
"I'm not in that big of a hurry," Harry smiled. "But I'll be sure to get in tons of practice before it is time."
"You're really already sure you're going to marry her, huh? Just like your dad, Harry," Sirius barked out a laugh. "James was head over heels for your mum for so very long. I figured that meant I needed to play the field enough for the both of us."
"How very thoughtful of you."
"I like to think so."
"Oh, Harry," Pansy called to him from the bedroom in a slightly sing-song tone.
"I guess that means good night, Sirius. A good end to it at least."
"Go on then. You deserve to get lucky after everything else that's happened."
"Do you need help taking your clothes off?"
"I don't think I would ever turn down that offer," Harry teased.
"I meant are you in pain, you silly man."
"Nothing too bad right now." He kicked off his shoes and Pansy stepped closer to help him pull the shirt over his head. "Actually, I think I hurt way too much to be able to take off my pants."
"At least you're in a good mood," Pansy smiled as she undid the button and zipper. "I heard a lot of laughter out there."
"Yeah, Sirius was trying to keep my mind off things I think."
"It's good that you have him."
"True," Harry said as Pansy slid his boxers down and he helped her stand back up. "I think it's even better that I have you though."
He pulled her in for a kiss and felt himself growing erect against her. Pansy had stripped down to a purple babydoll nightgown and she felt wonderful in his arms.
"Lay down on the bed."
"Now we're talking."
"Massage first, Harry. Your muscles will need it before we do anything more fun."
"You're right I suppose," he sighed as he crawled to the middle of the bed.
"Of course I am. Someone has to take care of you." Pansy climbed on top of his back as he lay face down. He felt her lean down and kiss the back of his neck.
"That's nice."
Then her hands began rubbing, starting with his neck and shoulders. She was using some sort of oil or lotion. Harry couldn't tell what it was, but it felt different to what he remembered using on her during a few special occasions. Of course, it could be different just being on the receiving end for once.
"Ohhhh yeah," he moaned as Pansy moved down to the middle of his back, between his shoulder blades. He had been more sore than he realized. "I don't think I've told you that I love you enough tonight."
"I love you too, Harry," she giggled. "But be quiet while I work."
"Whatever you want, my love."
He needed to have another of those special occasions some time this summer as soon as he could. Pansy was his goddess.
"Rest and relax now."
Within fifteen or twenty minutes, Harry had dozed off. She continued to work on his arms and legs for awhile after that as she had noticed a couple more muscle twitches even as he slept.
Dobby had brought her a pain potion which was now sitting on the night table on Harry's side of the bed. He hadn't asked for one, but it couldn't hurt to have one on hand in case he woke up feeling worse.
A part of her wanted to wake him up. To have some fun now that he was back- back with her, where he belonged. Harry's arms wrapped around her, feeling him buried deep inside her, his mouth on her neck or her breasts while she held him close.
She wasn't sure why a few tears leaked out at that thought. Maybe it was the terror of earlier that night. That Harry would not return. That she would never feel him next to her again.
Pansy thought of how Harry had broken down after the second task and how he spoke of not being able to sleep without her next to him. If he hadn't come home tonight, if... if he had died... she wasn't sure how she could ever sleep again without Harry.
Without Harry.
That thought was so completely horrifying that she laid down next to him and pulled him as close as she could. In his sleep, Harry's body still reacted to her and soon their arms and legs were entwined as she snuggled her face into the crook of his neck.
"I can't lose you, Harry," she whispered. "I don't care what it takes. Even if we have to drop a bomb on that bastard. I love you."
Maybe it was just her imagination, but Pansy felt like he pulled her just that bit closer, and moments later she fell asleep. In Harry's arms, where she belonged.