From the perspective of the remnant soul inhabiting flesh, the truth was undeniable: Tom was merely another version of himself. Who else could possess such power at that age? And Harry, Tom's trusted acolyte… it explained why the remnant soul had said what he did upon seeing him.
But while the remnant soul might accept this, Harry certainly did not. He was perfectly content with Tom's dominance, but this noseless, bald creature had no right to stand in judgment. At that moment, Harry regarded the remnant soul—resembling a grotesque infant swaddled in aged skin—with undisguised disgust. The remnant soul's very presence was intensely irritating.
"You must be very confused, right?" The remnant soul chuckled, its voice grating. "Wondering why you suddenly appeared here?"
Harry remained silent.
"And to appear just as you were on the cusp of victory. Surrounded by strangers, with no allies, everyone thirsting for your blood. You must be absolutely terrified, hmm?"
Again, Harry said nothing.
"Good! Be scared!" The remnant soul's composure shattered. "If it weren't for you, I would have already conquered the world! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be in this mess! And if it weren't for you, another version of myself wouldn't have materialized, hell-bent on my destruction! It's all your fault, Harry Potter!!!"
Speechless, Harry thought, What the hell does any of this have to do with me? I didn't ask for any of this. And that last bit? Was he serious? Harry finally understood Snape's perpetual exasperation. He was being blamed for everything.
"But it's too late for fear to save you now! There's no escape!" the remnant soul shrieked. "Barty! Lucas! Begin!"
"Yes, my master."
Barty grabbed Harry, shoving him against an angel statue wielding a scythe. With a flick of his wand, Barty animated the statue, its stone blade pinning Harry against the cold stone. Barty even flashed Harry a reassuring look as they stood face-to-face.
Of course, Harry wasn't worried. He almost laughed at the remnant soul's outburst, but he managed to suppress it.
Meanwhile, Lucas unceremoniously tossed the thrashing remnant soul into the cauldron filled with the vile concoction. Chanting the incantation, Lucas tossed in the promised "father's bones." Next came the "servant's flesh," and Lucas didn't hesitate, hacking off his own left hand and throwing it into the bubbling potion. Finally, the "enemy's blood," which Barty Jr. extracted from Harry's arm with a sharp knife.
As Harry's blood mingled with the potion, the mixture erupted into a violent boil! Flames engulfed the cauldron, consuming everything save for a hunched, skeletal figure. Flesh and blood began to regenerate, reforming the remnant soul until his resurrection was complete!
"Hehehe… hahahahaha…" The remnant soul cackled, "Body, life, power… the invincible me is back!!!"
But his joy was short-lived. He glanced around, noticing his "old, weak, and disabled" henchmen forming a protective ring around him. "Hmm?"
Through the dense fog, he saw the graveyard was now teeming with figures cloaked in black. "Heh. A pack of traitors."
The remnant soul stroked his bald head, inhaled deeply, and his crimson snake eyes flared. "What do you think you can possibly do against me now…?"
The Death Eaters remained silent.
The remnant soul gestured for the four "old, weak, and disabled" to fall back. "I'll give you one last chance. Submit to me again, and I might spare your worthless lives."
Silence was his only answer.
Only Harry dared to taunt him. "Give it up! We are all loyal only to the truly great Dark Lord!"
"Then I'll kill you first!" The remnant soul pulled out a wand, prepared by his men beforehand, and bellowed, "Avada Kedavra!"
A sickly green bolt of energy shot forth!
Just as the Killing Curse hurtled toward Harry…
"The statue!" Barty Crouch Jr. bellowed, swiftly casting a Stun. The statue, with Harry pinned against it, froze a mere inch from the lethal energy.
The remnant soul gaped in disbelief. "Barty Crouch Jr…?"
Even you, my most loyal acolyte, have betrayed me? The remnant soul drew a ragged breath. "When?"
"From the very beginning," Barty Crouch Jr. replied evenly.
Hearing it a second time only fueled the remnant soul's rage. "Barty Crouch Jr.! Why?!"
"I am only loyal to the Dark Lord."
"…" The remnant soul snorted. "You think he is superior to me? He couldn't possibly be my match!" After all, Tom wasn't around to hear it, so why not boast a little?
Rustle…
The sound of footsteps in the grass behind him instantly extinguished the remnant soul's bravado.
Turning, he saw the handsome young man approaching, the Elder Wand clutched in his hand. Tom's icy, serpentine gaze seemed to penetrate his very being, and the wand's ghostly green tip stirred up the deepest, most primal fear within him.
"…"
Does anyone truly understand?!
That Tom was eavesdropping again! Eavesdropping is one thing, but why is he so damn petty? He'd kill me just for mouthing off!
"Wait!" Seeing Tom raise the wand, the remnant soul stammered, taking two steps back. "We are all Tom Riddle! Surely you don't need to kill yourself, right?"
"…"
Holy crap! The guy just raised his wand!!!
"You bastard…" Now truly terrified, the remnant soul shrieked, "Do you actually have to kill yourself?!"
(Remnant soul: "What do you even take life for?!")
"…"
The remnant soul's words gave Tom pause, and a cold chuckle escaped his lips. "And what about you?"
"…" If I could kill you, would I be wasting my breath talking to you? The remnant soul managed a wry smile. He understood Tom perfectly; it seemed he was well and truly screwed. After all, he had tried this once before. Escape was impossible, and this place was warded against Apparition.
Originally, he had been concerned that Harry would grow too powerful, master the spell, and escape from his control. Now, that same protection had become a prison, trapping him.
The only saving grace was the lingering echo of his past brilliance; he still possessed a considerable number of Horcruxes. He could resurrect after death. He was truly cunning, wasn't he?… Wait a minute! That trophy looked suspiciously like a Portkey!
Teleporting into Dumbledore's clutches would be much easier than fighting Tom. The remnant soul, deciding to use the trophy as his last resort, morphed his lower body into a cloud of black mist and shot toward the trophy.
"Crucio Curse!"
"Accio, trophy!"
Bellatrix, lurking in the shadows, unleashed the Cruciatus Curse upon the rapidly approaching remnant soul, while Barty Jr. cast the Summoning Charm, snatching away the trophy and the remnant soul's last hope of escape.
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