HP: Harry From The Ancient House Of Black [ Chapter 69 ]

Aries landed on his feet next to Diggory, though Potter landed with a thump on his backside. They were in a graveyard at the base of a massive mansion.

As Potter came to his feet his eyes locked on one particular grave. It was a marble headstone and on it was inscribed a name Aries had become all too familiar with: TOM RIDDLE. Suddenly Potter screamed in pain, clutching his forehead.

"Kill the spare." Aries and Diggory turned to the cold voice, brandishing their wands. A hooded figure stood across from them.

"Avada Kedavra!" The flash of green light soared towards Diggory and Aries reacted on instinct. He reached out with his magic, bending the earth in front of Diggory upwards, creating a wall of hardened earth.

The Killing Curse struck it, blasting the earth in large pieces, and throwing them both backward. Aries felt his head collide with a headstone and darkness took him.

"Flesh of the servant. . . Willingly given. . . you will. . . revive your master. . ." The shaky voice came to him followed by a scream of pain as he regained consciousness.

He slowly pulled himself up, using the headstone in front of him for cover. The back of his head was caked with blood, but a whispered spell cleaned the wound.

Diggory was still unconscious and the man who he now recognized as Wormtail walked towards Potter.

"Blood of the enemy. . . Forcibly taken. . . you will resurrect. . . your foe. . ." A bubbling cauldron sat in the center as Wormtail cut along Potter's arm.

Blood coated the knife as Wormtail returned to the cauldron and tapped three drops into it. The man dropped to his knees, clutching a stump at his right arm.

The cauldron was shooting out diamond sparks before they suddenly stopped. White steam erupted from the cauldron before it exploded, blocking everything from Aries' view. Then slowly as the steam faded he began to see the outline of a man.

"Robe me." The man commanded. Wormtail scrambled to collect black robes and pulled them over the man's head.

He turned towards Potter and he received his first good look at him. The man was skeletally thin with skin whiter than bone. It was his eyes that struck Aries.

They were wide and a livid scarlet with a nose that flared out like a snake. Aries suddenly had a good idea who the man was: Lord Voldemort.

The Dark Lord had returned at last. He disillusioned himself quickly, making sure Diggory was still unconscious and slowly moved to a better position as the Dark Lord spoke with Wormtail.

"You stand, Thomas Potter, on the remains of my filthy Muggle father." The Dark Lord's voice was high and cold.

"You see that home? That is where he lived and that is where he died. But alas, my true family returns." The air was suddenly filled with the swooshing of cloaks as wizards began to apparate into the graveyard.

"Welcome, Death Eaters. Thirteen years it has been and now you return to me as if it was yesterday. We are still united under the Dark Mark then. Or are we?" Diggory began to stir as the Dark Lord berated his followers. The same spell Aries had used with Potter before the Second Task struck Diggory.

"Don't move!" Diggory tensed but lay still. "Wait until I attack and then join the fighting. We still have the element of surprise."

"Ah Lucius, my slippery friend." The Dark Lord's voice came back to him as he ended the spell. Aries watched his uncle remove his mask with a sense of pride.

"I hear you have not renounced the old ways, though you present a respectful face to the world. Tell me, will you still be as passionate as you were before? Your exploits at the World Cup were. . . fun I daresay. And yet you never searched for me as other, more faithful followers did."

"My Lord had there been any whispers or any sign of your return I-"

"And yet the sight of my Mark filled you with fear." The Dark Lord sounded displeased. "I am disappointed in all of you. I expect far more faithful service in the future." He looked around the circle, pausing at unfilled spots.

"We are missing a few members of our family. Some are in Azkaban, they will be freed of course. A few are dead. There is one who I believe has left me forever, and then there is one who has already returned to me. He serves me faithfully even now." Suddenly the Dark Lord turned to Potter.

"And oh, how could I forget my guest? The one whom we all have to thank for tonight." The Death Eaters leaned in expectantly.

"You see my friends, years ago I miscalculated. I believed the Potter children to be the ones Dumbledore saw as my downfall. And when I went to destroy them something remarkable happened. I believe, in part, my curse reflected due to the sacrifice of Dorea Potter, but there was something more.”

“Harry and Thomas somehow performed extraordinary magic and in doing so the curse, that was meant to kill both children, was somehow turned back on me. The boys lived, but the toll of the magic killed Harry and now the Boy-Who-Lives remains."

"Three years ago, Potter thwarted my attempts to seize the Philosopher's Stone and I thought all was lost until Wormtail found me. When others failed he succeeded and he brought me Bertha Jorkins, who told us of the coming Tri-Wizard Tournament.”

“It was through the help of my faithful servant that I formed a plan, one that would bring about my resurrection. And now I have returned, to finish what I started thirteen years ago." The Dark Lord brandished his wand, a ghostly looking yew, and pointed it at Potter.

"Crucio." Potter screamed and fought against the ropes that bound him before the Dark Lord released him.

"You see how foolish it was to believe that this boy was ever the true cause of my downfall. But I do not want there to be any doubt in anyone's mind. I will kill you tonight Thomas Potter. Untie him Wormtail and give him his wand."

Potter struggled to his feet and Aries considered attacking now but decided against it. The Dark Lord was not yet distracted. Potter and the Dark Lord stood a few meters apart and the Death Eaters looked on with eager anticipation.