The first thing Harry noticed when he woke up was that he could not move his arms or legs. His eyes slowly opened and saw that he was tied up and he had no idea where his wand was. He knew he had made a mistake and lost track of Wormtail during his fight with Crouch. He would've kicked himself if he could have moved his legs. Harry tried to think of how he was going to get out of this situation, but so far nothing came to mind.
Looking around, Harry saw that Barty Crouch Junior's unconscious body was still slumped against the broken headstone where he had fallen. Crouch appeared to still be breathing, indicating he must have survived the impact. Harry felt a small bit of relief when he saw that, even though he knew it was probably a foolish thing to do in this situation. Voldemort had apparently decided it wasn't worth the effort to heal Crouch yet. With Harry tied up the Dark Lord must not have felt that his adversary was much of a threat. Wormtail, meanwhile was busy watching over a huge cauldron that was full of some dark, bubbling, liquid. Harry wasn't sure what the potion was for, but he knew it was not a good sign.
"It's ready, my lord." Wormtail said humbly.
"Begin at once." the ugly creature that was Voldemort replied. Wormtail nodded and carefully picked up his master before placing him in the cauldron. The potion inside hissed as sparks shot from it and the liquid inside began to swirl around violently, but after a few moments it calmed down and Wormtail continued with the ritual.
"Bone of the father… unknowingly given… you will renew your son." Wormtail said. As he spoke he lifted what Harry assumed was a human leg bone and dropped it into the cauldron. The potion bubbled again and turned an ugly blue color. Wormtail paused to check on the potion as if he was unsure he had done it correctly but when he had assured himself he had he continued. It was clear from his words what he intended to do. Harry knew without a doubt he was watching a ritual meant to return Voldemort from his body.
Harry struggled to free himself and stop the dark ritual, but it was no use. He still could not move. He began trying to think of a way to disrupt the ritual but was unsure what he could do. His only hope was to get Wormtail to end it himself.
"Flesh of the servant… willingly given… you will revive your master." Wormtail said as he lifted up a knife and placed it at his wrist. He was a moment away from slicing it off when Harry interrupted him.
"Peter, stop!" Harry yelled. "Please don't do this."
"It's too late for that, Harry." Wormtail answered and raised the knife again.
"You don't have to do this!" Harry replied, still hoping that the man would change his mind.
"But I do. I have no choice, you see. If I don't do this he will kill me."
"I saved your life! You owe me." Harry said, but he knew his words were having little impact.
"It doesn't work that way." Wormtail then turned away placed the knife on his wrist once again. He closed his eyes as if trying to work up the courage to go through with the act and then, with all his strength, pushed the blade through the flesh and bone of his arm. When he was done his entire hand dropped into the cauldron and he howled in pain. The potion, meanwhile, continued to simmer but had now turned a red color much like blood. Wormtail took a minute to compose himself before continuing the ritual.
"Blood of the enemy… forcibly taken… you will resurrect your foe." the Death Eater said as he approached Harry. He still held in his hand the ritual knife he had been using and Harry knew Wormtail had come for his blood.
"Don't do it, Peter. Please." Harry said, but Wormtail was now ignoring him. He drew the knife and plunged it into Harry's arm as Harry fought to not scream out in pain. The tip of Wormtail's knife was now coated with Harry's blood, and he held it carefully as if it contained some priceless treasure. Wormtail walked over to the cauldron and lightly flicked the knife at it, spilling a few drops of Harry's blood into the concoction. It immediately began to spark and bubble like never before, eventually turning a blinding white color. Wormtail began stepping away from the potion as if he where afraid of it, but his eyes never left it. Harry's attention never left the cauldron either and for a brief moment he held hope that something had gone wrong. But then he felt pain from his scar like never before, and knew that somehow Wormtail and Barty Crouch Junior had returned Lord Voldemort to his body.
A moment later a dark form began to rise out of the cauldron. It was bald, pale, and covered in a dark cloak. Although it's form was human, Harry thought it looked more like some dark creature. The creature held its head in its hands as it rose out of the still bubbling potion. When he was finally free Voldemort pulled his hands away from his face and to look at them, giving Harry his first clear look at what the Dark Lord had become.
Voldemort looked nothing like the teenage version of Tom Riddle Harry had encountered in the chamber of secrets. He had been a rather handsome young man with dark hair and pale skin. The monster now standing before Harry had skin that was almost grey and no hair at all. It's face only looked vaguely human, with a flat nose and bright red eyes. The Dark Lord spent a moment examining himself carefully as if looking for flaws in his form before turning to face Harry and sending him a cruel smile.
"Come, Wormtail." he commanded.
"Yes, master." his servant answered as he scampered towards Voldemort. He then knelt and held out a wand towards his master. "Your wand, my lord" Voldemort reached out and grabbed the wand. As his finger touched it his twisted face took on an expression of triumph.
"Your arm." Voldemort demanded.
"Thank you master!" Wormtail exclaimed as he happily held out his stump of an arm.
"Your other arm." Voldemort clarified. Wormtail gasped in surprise, but obediently held out his other wand. Even from far away Harry could see that Wormtail's Dark Mark was now as black as night and perfectly visible. Voldemort pressed his wand into his servant's arm as the other man winced in pain but said nothing. Moments later men in full Death Eater's robes began apparating into the cemetery. Each of them wore masks that covered their faces so Harry was unable to see who had come. One thing was clear however: his odds of escaping had dropped dramatically.
....
Join my P*atreon to enjoy 60+ advanced chapters.
Link: p*atreon.com/ScarletRosee (Remove the *)
Free members can get 2+ advanced chapters FOR FREE.