Chereads / Paid In Blood (Harry Potter Fanfic) / Chapter 28 - Chapter 25

Chapter 28 - Chapter 25

The moment the portkey dropped them on the other side, Harry, Dobby, and Scylla found themselves in a graveyard, standing among the tombstones. Harry drew his wand and Dobby drew a knife, as Scylla uncoiled herself from around the elf's waist.

"~~Scylla, go,~~" Harry ordered, and Scylla started to slither through the paths between the tombstones, as human and elf started to walk, on guard, only to come up against a barrier that flashed blue.

"~~I can't pass through the barrier,~~" Scylla hissed, slithering back to them. Knowing what to do, Dobby grabbed his master's arm and Scylla and tried to pop. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to.

"What the hell?" growled Harry, pointing his wand at the barrier. "The more time we waste..." he never finished his thoughts, starting to channel his magic and chanting in a low language. He felt the low power of the barrier, which was one ward among many others. He found that odd, although at the moment he really didn't care and was only focused on getting to Daphne as soon as possible. Surging his magic, he weaved his magic into the ward lines and made the barrier crumble in but a few minutes.

"Now!" he growled, and human, elf, and basilisk passed through the barrier line as the whole barrier crumbled. They stepped forward and Harry widened his eyes at what he saw. Standing in a small clearing among the tombstones were five people dressed in Death Eater garb, lined up in formation. In the middle of them, with his wand in his hand, a surprised look in his red eyes, and an amused smirk on his lipless mouth, stood none other than the Dark Lord Voldemort. He looked just as Harry remembered him from all those years in his past: pale, bald, and with two slits in place of his nose.

However, Harry's attention was focused on the girl standing in front of Voldemort. Daphne looked listless and had clearly been roughed up. She was dirty and bleeding from a busted lip, and with a careful look one could realize her eyes were glazed. Adding to that, her necklace was glowing, and a few feet from her the body of Kael was unmoving between two tombstones, headless and damaged nearby what seemed the body of another Death Eater.

"Daph!" Harry called, but Daphne didn't move.

"Harry Potter," Voldemort spoke at last, "I have been expecting this moment for quite some time."

"Voldemort..." Harry spat, his attention going to the Dark Lord. "I am going to kill you for hurting Daphne." To that, Voldemort and his Death Eaters laughed.

"Oh, I'm terrified, Harry," Voldemort taunted, caressing Daphne's cheek with the back of his hand. "She did put quite a fight, mind you, enough to gain my interest. The moment she appeared among us, she was able to avoid my servants' curses, and that snake of hers was immediately summoned. It killed one of my servants before we killed it and captured your girlfriend. It seems she is unable to resist the Imperius Curse, unlike what I've heard about you."

"This is between you and me, Voldemort. Let her go." Harry replied coldly, not hiding his concern.

"And why would I do that, Harry?" Voldemort asked with a taunt, "She clearly is powerful, and can become even more powerful with the proper guidance. All I need to do is to break her and train her to serve me... It's a shame that Bellatrix is dead, she would be perfect for the job of training this girl."

"Daphne, fight it," Harry called, but nothing happened, making the Dark Lord chuckle. "Dobby?" Harry whispered, and at his side, the elf shook his head.

"Like I said, I have been expecting to meet you again for a long while, Harry. Or should I call you Lord Slytherin, cousin?" Voldemort spat, and his amusement became anger as his red eyes glowed. "How can you, a mere boy, uncover the secret of Salazar Slytherin when greater, more worthy wizards failed? Although I was surprised when I read the newspaper back in November after your task. I must say, it was an extraordinary performance."

Harry didn't reply, his angry eyes focused only on Daphne, his fingers twitching in anticipation of cursing Voldemort and the Death Eaters. "I was very interested in the fact that you claimed to be hiding your true self and your real power, right under Dumbledore's nose. I was even more interested when you were resorted into Slytherin, not to mention the Yule Ball..."

"You will pay for what you did, Potter!" one of the Death Eaters shouted, interrupting his master. Surprisingly, the Dark Lord didn't curse him, instead only waving his wand towards the man and making his skull mask vanish in smoke.

"Bill Weasley..." Harry spat as he recognized the redhead, "Must I be hounded by you redheaded scum forever? Can't you Weasleys just DIE?!" Then Harry's eyes widened as he thought of something. "The owl...the Hogwarts howl... Your sister was responsible for this wasn't she? She was the one who sent Daphne the portkey?!"

The Death Eaters chuckled, as did the Dark Lord.

"Go on, William," Voldemort encouraged his servant with a grin, and Bill stepped forward.

"Yes, you little shit," Bill confessed, "I sent a message to my brothers and sister and told them to send the letter I gave them to your snake whore. Sure, there was a minor Compulsion Charm on it to ensure their secrecy and their loyalty, but it was a fair price to pay to get to you."

"I know it was you. I know you are the one responsible for what happened to my family, as much as you are responsible for what happened to my sister. Did you really think we wouldn't make you pay? That we wouldn't have our vengeance? You son of a bitch, I will make you pay for everything you cost us..."

"Piss off, Weasley, I wasn't the one who put the hit wizards after your family. I am willing to bet Longbottom did, and you know what? It's a shame they failed to catch you all, as much as it is a shame Kael didn't kill your slut of a sister at the Yule Ball."

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Bill roared, his wand pointing at Harry, "Crucio!" The yellow spell never hit because Harry moved out of the way, as did Dobby.

Harry countered with a greyish curse that Bill was able to barely deflect with a shield. Harry thought back to his duel with the Weasleys many years before (from his perspective). There had been four of them back then, all trying to kill him, and Bill Weasley had been the best of the bunch. However, that had been during the course of the second war and much had changed since then. Harry had gained more experience in battle and dueling, and had increased his repertoire of spells. He had taken time to learn many deadly spells, intent on being able to finish his enemies before they could do anything against him or his...

Harry's strategy had long been to hit hard and deadly at the opening of his duels, be it Dark, Grey, or Light spells. That was why he retaliated with Sectumsempra, the Dark cutting curse he had learned from Snape's Potions book back in his original sixth year, moments before a Piercing Curse left the tip of his wand, piercing the right side of Weasley's chest and exiting through his back. As Weasley fell to the ground, Harry turned to Voldemort and his Death Eaters, noticing that Dobby had vanished under the Disillusionment Charm.

It was ridiculous how wizards underestimated elves, but Harry wouldn't complain about it...

"Impressive, Potter," Voldemort complimented the green-eyed boy, ignoring his fallen servant. "You showed good form and power. It is a shame for your opponent, though. Young William was a decent curse breaker, a talented wizard, and an intelligent young man."

"And yet, he joined you," Harry replied. It was almost a taunt, but the iciness in his voice showed no humour at all. He glared at Voldemort, who just raised an eyebrow at the boy. "This is only between you and me," Harry told Voldemort. "Let her go and we can duel each other to the death."

"Oh, I intend to, Potter. However, I want answers about all that has happened, and I want you to tell me the truth or I will make your girlfriend hurt...and you would not want that, would you, boy?" Voldemort asked, his wand pointing at Daphne. Before Harry could say anything, Voldemort smiled and mumbled a single word. Harry didn't need to hear the spell because the yellow light and Daphne's painful screams were enough to identify the spell.

"NO!" shouted Harry over Daphne's screams, but instead of pleading for mercy, knowing very well it wouldn't work, Harry's horror was replaced by a cold fury. A blue slash left Harry's wand, and a surprised Voldemort was forced to stop his Cruciatus and raise a shield to block the spell.

With a stab in the air, Harry shouted and reinforcements joined the battle. Zael formed in the air before being thrown against a Death Eater, who screamed in shock and horror at the sight of the powerful, dripping jaws of the massive snake. Another Death Eater screamed in pain and fell to his knees as he felt the cold stabs in his lower back, just in time to see a flash of blue against his eyes.

Dobby dropped the Disillusionment Charm and stood in a protective stance next to Daphne, putting his hand on her shivering forehead and started trying to break the curse. A third Death Eater screamed in pain after being bitten in the thigh by small, but eager fangs, but before he could raise his wand against the unusually large snake behind him, he was hit by a green curse that threw him several feet away.

As the hairless servant ape of her pet's enemy was thrown away, Scylla saw her pet's elf kneeling next to her unofficial pet, protecting her with shield magic. Knowing Daphne was safe, Scylla slithered behind a tombstone, intending to find the enemy's snake.

"KAEL!" Harry shouted, and from his wand a second snake took shape, this one smaller than the first but still massive. As Zael and Kael attacked the remaining Death Eater together, the Dark Lord's servant cast a Killing Curse in desperation against Zael. However, Zael threw its body to the right to escape the curse, and Kael captured the Death Eater's arm in its jaws. With a strong bite, the man screamed as his arm was ripped from his torso, only to be thrown to the ground under Zael. The last thing the Death Eater saw was the glowing green eyes of the snake disappearing behind its jaws.

Daphne blinked when Dobby broke the curse, immediately feeling the pain of the Cruciatus she had been subjected to by Voldemort. Tears fell from her eyes as she tried to rise from the ground, still shivering.

"D-Dobby?" she asked when she recognized the elf.

"How are you, Mistress?" Dobby asked with a concerned look.

"Hurting," she replied, turning her head to the sounds of spell fire, and widening her eyes as she saw the bodies of the Death Eaters on the ground and the two summoned snakes standing over the body of one of them. She gasped when she saw Harry dueling Voldemort in the distance and tried to stand, only to be stopped by Dobby.

"Harry needs help," Daphne said.

"No, he doesn't," Dobby replied promptly, shaking his head, "Harry can take care of Voldemort alone."

"But..." Daphne insisted, only to be silenced by Dobby's hand on her shoulder.

"Mistress, what did they do to you?" Dobby asked, and Daphne looked at him, still concerned with Harry.

"They tried to curse me. I was able to dodge at first, but someone hit me with a Stunner," Daphne told Dobby. "Kael came and attacked them, but I don't remember anything more until I was Rennervated, already under their power."

"You were under the Imperius Curse, Mistress. You're free now. Also, I suggest you cancel the summoning," Dobby said, pointing at the still-glowing necklace. "You're wasting the magic of the necklace needlessly."

"But..." Daphne replied, turning to the snakes, "That Kael isn't mine?"

"No, yours was destroyed. Those are Harry's." Daphne's attention again went to her boyfriend, who was now dueling Voldemort between the tombstones.

"Harry..." she thought, watching him attacking Voldemort with a barrage of blue Piercing Curses, ignoring the tears running down her cheeks. "Be careful, Harry."

~BREAK~

"The boy is fairly good," said a man from the shadows, dressed in black and purple and surrounded by six of his companions, also clad in the same colours.

"With your permission, Hierophant, I believe the boy is the superior wizard," a woman replied, and the hierophant raised an eyebrow. "Voldemort is too arrogant and sure of his own superiority, and he underestimates the boy at his every move. He is powerful, true, but any of us could face him to a standstill. I beg your pardon, but I don't understand the man's use."

"Mysterious are the Lord's designs," the hierophant replied enigmatically, and his companions bowed their heads. "And ours is the duty to make them true."

"My life for the Great One's return," the six spoke as one.

"My life for the Great One's return," the hierophant replied in a whisper, caressing the cover of the ancient leather tome attached to his waist by a golden chain. He squeezed the dark metal of his staff with his other hand, all the while feeling the cold metal of a dagger inside of his robes, touching his skin. Today our failures will be redeemed. Tonight, a god shall walk the earth once more.

From the book and the dagger, the hierophant felt a wave of pleasure filling him. He lived to serve the Great One.

~BREAK~

Scylla needed no effort to find Nagini in the graveyard. The older snake was easily located by the younger one, who quickly rushed at it to attack. Nagini was surprised at first, but quickly defended herself from Scylla's jaws. Scylla attacked again, and once again Nagini dodged before striking at Scylla with her own jaws, but came away empty as the young basilisk avoided the strike.

"~~Who are you, serpent?~~" Nagini demanded, "~~Are you with the Potter man-ling?~~"

"~~Yes, he's my pet and you are with the enemy to our nest,~~" Scylla replied. "~~I know what he did and how you need to die for my pet to kill our enemy.~~"

"~~Don't be silly, serpent,~~" Nagini replied, "~~My companion is powerful and he's a speaker. Join us. Join him and you will have enough food for a lifetime.~~"

Scylla scoffed.

"~~My pet is more powerful and greater than yours in everything, and he already provides me with enough food. I don't need yours for anything, you stupid snake,~~" Scylla replied with a hiss, "~~Your Voldemort will die today and our nest will be protected.~~"

"~~To kill my companion you need to kill me first, snake-ling.~~" Nagini taunted, "~~I am older and bigger than you. Why do you think you can kill me?~~"

"~~Because I am your king!~~" Scylla replied, throwing herself against Nagini. The two snakes entangled themselves and rolled around on the ground, trying to bite each other. Unfortunately for Scylla, Nagini was indeed older and bigger. That led to Scylla being bitten in her body, making the young basilisk hiss in pain as Nagini clamped her jaws into Scylla's muscles near her head. Scylla hissed and tried to get free, but was unsuccessful, only causing more blood to spill. Blood that was ingested by Nagini without care.

Scylla threw herself against a tombstone, hissing in pain because of the bite but also making Nagini release her. Scylla was in pain and couldn't immediately strike at Nagini. Fortunately for her, the older snake hesitated as she felt a strange pain coming from inside her and start to spread throughout her body.

Seeing her chance, Scylla glared at the older snake and attacked, only to feel a strange surge of something in her eyes before seeing the shocked and limp body of Nagini fall to the ground, before she even connected with her bite.

Nagini's body exploded in a shrieking mist, and nothing remained apart from the ashy taste in Scylla's mouth. Still in pain, the young basilisk coiled itself on the ground, seeing a small rat scampering through the tombstones. Scylla looked at it, and the moment their eyes crossed, Scylla felt the same surge in her eyes, making the rodent fall dead on the ground.

"~~I did it, my pet,~~" Scylla mumbled, coiling herself as happiness took hold in her cold-blooded heart, "~~I finally have my gaze and I killed the enemy snake.~~" Scylla closed the extra lid of her now-mature, deadly, yellow eyes, and dropped her head to her body, blood oozing from the bite wounds.

~BREAK~

Harry attacked Voldemort with a Blood Boiling Curse, followed by a flaming spear that exploded into several flaming arrows, and several powerful Cutting Curses. Voldemort defended against these spells by either shielding or dodging, all the while feeling his anger against the boy rising. How could this be possible? How could the boy be that good? Good enough to stand against him, the Dark Lord Voldemort, when so many others had fallen?

Once more, how did he manage to dispose of his servants so easily? Granted, they were very low-level servants, but they were supposed to be able to deal with a mere boy. And where were his other servants? Where was his inner circle, whom he had summoned before the arrival of Potter and his bitch? Why hadn't they answered their master's call? Had they betrayed him? Then there were his allies, standing behind a powerful barrier. He knew they were watching, and he knew they had their own plans, but they had a common goal. They both wanted the Potter boy.

Their agreement had been simple. In exchange for a new and powerful body, along with some knowledge of ancient and powerful magic, the Dark Lord Voldemort would deliver Harry Potter to them, alive. At first Voldemort had scoffed at the offer, but after receiving a demonstration from the hierophant himself he became very interested. He had not bowed to them, obviously; the Dark Lord bowed to no one. He was wary of them, of course, but they had fulfilled their part of the agreement. They completed an ancient ritual and gave him his body back, as powerful as before, and taught him powerful magic thought lost to the aeons of time.

Granted, Voldemort thought the members of the cult were crazy for worshiping a dead wizard as a god, but maybe that was the right thing to aim for. He himself was powerful, immortal, and the greatest wizard alive. Maybe he should start his own cult, with him as a god to be worshiped by the magical masses. Who else would be worthy of such honour?

In any case, his own plans were simple. He was not going to simply deliver them the Potter boy. His intentions were to kill him, and then with the support of his Death Eaters turn on his "allies," who were obviously a threat to him.

During the several months he had been with the cult they had helped him recruit several new members, mostly from the slums of the Wizarding World. He had attempted to summon his Death Eaters, but they had not replied, and Voldemort had been too busy learning the old and ancient magics to go to their homes and demand answers.

In retrospect, maybe he should have gone to them and thrown around a few Cruciatus Curses to reestablish his authority. However, for some reason he had found it more important to increase his own knowledge and magical power. The fact that the cult had "helped" several wizards and witches find their way to him was not lost on him, but he didn't care.

Then, on that same night, he had attempted to summon his servants once again, but they had not come. Again. What was happening?

Voldemort's anger against everything and everyone started to cloud his judgment, and he cast several high-powered curses he had recently learned, all of which were avoided by Harry.

Harry raised an eyebrow, recognizing some of the ancient curses from his studies with the Meharjhai. He dismissed it as a coincidence, as the spells could be learned in obscure texts, and this was Voldemort, the man who had dabbled in the Darkest of arts.

The older wizard started to grow tired and felt his wand arm aching. To his annoyance, Harry Potter kept dueling him as an equal, not as the weak green boy he believed him to be.

His thoughts were interrupted by pure agony as a fiery Cutting Curse hit the Dark Lord across his chest. That unique moment of pain was more than enough for Harry to cast two other curses against him, throwing him to the ground.

Harry summoned Voldemort's wand and bound the man to the floor, still in agony.

"You lose, Tom Riddle," Harry said in a low voice, approaching the man on the ground. With one flick of his hand, a blue curse was cast from his wand and Voldemort's body started to burn under blue flames, making the Dark Lord scream even more in pain.

"I could make a speech, I could say how I know you are a half-blood like me, son of a near squib Gaunt and a muggle Riddle. I could say how much you have fallen, how great you could have been..." His eyes glowed in anger. "But you dared to kidnap the woman I love and hurt her..." Harry snarled, "I am not going to let that pass so easily," Harry said with venom, as the flames started to burn with more intensity and Voldemort's screams increased.

~BREAK~

"Uh..." an older man mumbled, "I guess there is some truth in the stories about this Harry Potter kid."

"I guess I owe you five galleons, Master," another, younger man replied, "We could use his help..."

"We could, but no matter how powerful he is, he's just a kid and our fight is not his," the first man replied.

"If our suspicions are correct, our fight may soon be his," a woman mumbled from the back. Neither of them turned to her, both knowing the truth of her words.

"I hope we are wrong," the first man replied, dread filling his mind. "Keep the orbs at hand. If they are indeed here and we can't contain them, we will need reinforcements."

"We have the upper hand, Master," the second man spoke, waving to the nearly fifteen people behind them.

"We may be more, but if we are right, these are no mere cultists or necros... these are the elite, and each of them is a fearsome foe," the master replied ominously, his attention directed again to Harry Potter and the screaming Lord Voldemort.

~BREAK~

"Voldemort is defeated, Hierophant," the woman said, and the man nodded.

"What should we do?" another man asked, and the hierophant wondered the same.

"Do nothing yet!" the voice of his master answered him in his mind, and he quickly forwarded the reply to his companions. "The blood of innocents has been spilled in my name, I can feel it. All that is needed is the sacrifice of kinslaying and the flesh of the vessel. Be ready to act soon."

"Your will be done, my master," Varrard'Thoth replied in thoughts. He would not fail his master.

~BREAK~

"Harry!" called Daphne, and Harry turned slightly back, acknowledging his girlfriend's presence. She had her wand in her hand, and despite the tremors she seemed to be on alert, much to his approval. Just because Voldemort was down, that didn't mean all was well. She was also followed by Dobby, Zael, and Kael.

"Daphne, are you alright?" he asked with concern, both wands still in his hands. Daphne only nodded, slightly glaring at the fallen Dark Lord. For some reason, she felt no fear, only anger and disgust. She fought a tremor, only to be wrapped in Harry's arms, sharing a quick kiss. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Just a bit shaken," she replied with a small nod.

"Dobby?"

"I'm fine," the elf replied, and Harry sighed in relied, caressing Daphne's back in a tight hug.

"Come, it's time to end this," he told them, and Daphne nodded, all of them turning to the fallen and injured Voldemort. "~~Scylla!~~" Harry shouted in Parseltongue, and for several moments there was no reply.

"~~Scylla!~~"

"~~I'm here my pet,~~" the injured basilisk hissed back, emerging from behind a tombstone.

"~~Are you all right, Scylla?~~" Harry asked, seeing what seemed to be injuries along her body.

"~~I'm fine, my pet.~~" Scylla replied, "~~The snake is dead and I finally have my gaze,~~" Scylla replied happily, despite her injuries. Harry smiled as Scylla approached the group, looking at both Zael and Kael, feeling a mix of envy and awe. "~~Who are these two big ones, my pet?~~"

"~~Those are Zael and Kael, Scylla.~~"

"~~Hi, I'm Scylla,~~" Scylla introduced herself, receiving no reply from the two snakes, which annoyed the young basilisk, "~~Oi! I said hello!~~"

"~~They aren't real snakes, Scylla. They are constructs. Golems,~~" Harry replied with a chuckle, and the annoyed Scylla looked from Harry to the two golems.

"~~Fake ones?~~" Scylla asked, and Harry nodded. Scylla looked at the two golems and hissed, "~~You don't need these fake things anymore my pet. You have me,~~" Scylla replied snobbishly, slithering between Harry and Daphne.

"What was that about?" Daphne asked with a raised eyebrow, and Harry chuckled.

"Scylla was just jealous of Kael and Zael," Harry replied with a grin, and Daphne chuckled, noticing the basilisk hissing while approaching her. "She says she's glad you're fine." Daphne caressed Scylla's head softly while Dobby and Harry chuckled, all of them turning again to Voldemort, their brief moment of amusement now gone.

"Dobby, can you pop away?" Harry asked and Bobby shook his head.

"No, Master," he replied, and Harry grunted.

"A pity," he said.

"Why?" Daphne asked.

"I wanted to show him how truly beaten he was..." Harry replied.

"You...cannot...defeat...me...Pot-Potter..." Voldemort wheezed in pain, and Harry snorted.

"Maybe I can't show you your defeat..." Harry said with a sneer, only to be interrupted by Dobby.

"Actually, I thought you might need this..." Dobby replied, taking a small box from one of his pockets. With a snap of his fingers, the box was enlarged and opened. Harry laughed heartily, and Daphne looked surprised, raising her eyebrows. Inside the box, which was more like a trunk now, floating in a yellowish liquid, were Voldemort's Horcruxes. Or former Horcruxes.

"The Horcruxes were destroyed the moment they were dipped in the venom," Dobby informed. "I just closed the trunk with Locking and Impervious Charms and put it in my pocket."

"You're a cheeky bastard, did you know that?" Harry laughed, amused, and patted the elf's back.

"You may have mentioned it a couple of times..." Dobby laughed, and even Daphne chuckled at their interaction while Scylla looked at all of them.

"So, Tom, do you remember your first Horcrux? The diary of Tom Marvolo Riddle?" Harry taunted with a grin, and Voldemort's eyes widened despite the pain. "I destroyed it two years ago, all thanks to Lucius Malfoy, who put it among Weaselette's possessions."

Harry levitated the Gaunt ring from the chest. "Your grandfather's ring, the one you left in the Gaunt shack. Remember this one?" Voldemort's eyes widened in disbelief and painful anger. Harry dropped the ring into the trunk and took the locket out. "Slytherin's locket. By the way, Regulus Black found out your secret and tried to destroy it. He failed and paid with his life, but his house elf kept the Horcrux and gave it to me to destroy. Speaking of which, Dobby, we need to compensate Kreacher somehow, I did promise him he would be there when we destroyed the Horcrux."

"I'm sure Kreacher will forgive you, Master," Dobby replied with a smirk, "I shall go to him after this."

"Kreacher?" asked Daphne.

"The Black family elf," Harry replied, and Daphne nodded.

"Right, you told me," she replied.

"Moving on..." Harry replied, levitating another Horcrux out. "The Diadem of Ravenclaw, you left it in Hogwarts, another priceless heirloom you corrupted..." Harry said, taking the cup from the trunk "Hufflepuff's cup. This one was tricky to get... The hardest, actually," Harry continued, dipping the cup in the venom again. "~~Scylla here killed Nagini, isn't that right, Scylla?~~"

"~~That's right, my pet. I gazed at the snake and I bit her. She exploded with a scream. She was also stupid. She bit me and swallowed my blood. Stupid snake, she didn't realize I'm a basilisk and that my blood is deadly as well.~~" Harry laughed and translated Scylla's words, earning Scylla a caress from Daphne, which the basilisk appreciated.

"Then, the last one..." Harry levitated a moistened sock from the trunk. Despite his anger, fear and shock, Voldemort raised an eyebrow, not understanding and not recognizing the Horcrux.

"To be fair, this is one of Dobby's old socks," Harry said with a taunting grin, "It's a shame we had to waste a sock with this thing, but after living with a piece of your soul in my scar for all this time, all I wanted was to get rid of it as soon as possible, and Dobby had a sock in hand..." The sock fell into the trunk, and Harry's demeanour changed to anger. His wand pointed at Voldemort and a blue Lightning Curse was cast.

"I don't care about the prophecy you and Dumbledore obsess over," Harry roared over Voldemort's screams. "You killed my parents that night, and because of what my mother did, as well as your stupidity, a sliver of your soul attached itself to me..."

Harry strengthened the curse and Voldemort screamed even more. Daphne was disgusted and wanted to look away, but didn't, wanting to be strong, and trying to ignore the smell of burned flesh. Harry dropped the curse and glared at Voldemort. "That was for my parents!" he said, turning to Daphne, giving her a soft smile before turning to Voldemort once again. "But THIS ONE, is for kidnapping and torturing my WIFE!" Harry shouted in anger.

With a wave of his wand, Voldemort was lifted from the ground, screaming in pain, and the Dark Lord felt his entire body break. All his bones cracked at the same time, under the pressure of an unseen force. Voldemort screamed in pain as blood dripped from his wounds and exposed bones, and Daphne had to use all her willpower not to throw up or turn away. Voldemort's body was a gruesome sight, but the man was still alive when Harry dropped him back on the ground.

"Goodbye, Lord Voldemort, also known as Tom Marvolo Riddle," Harry said in a low tone. "May you rot in whatever hell waits you." From his wand, flames erupted, engulfing the broken body of Voldemort, who barely screamed, as the fiery snakes, manticores, and dragons engulfed him and reduced his body to ash.

"Don't you think that was a little much?" Dobby asked Harry, nodding to Daphne.

"Daphne, are you alright?" Harry asked, concerned, and Daphne nodded.

"That was...disgusting," she replied in a low tone, but tried to smile. "Is he gone?"

"For good this time," Harry replied, and Daphne nodded.

"Good," she said, approaching Harry and grabbing his face for a kiss.

All of a sudden, bones erupted from the ground; bodily spines shaped like chains, binding Harry's wrists and forcing him to kneel in mere moments.

"What the...!?" Harry shouted in surprise. Daphne widened her eyes in shock as two bone chains attached to her wrists and pushed her back from Harry.

"Harry!" Daphne shouted, seeing Harry being subdued by the bone chains. A third chain trapped Scylla on the ground, making sure the basilisk couldn't move, and Dobby was trapped by two other bone chains.

"Master!" Dobby shouted in horror, seeing Harry's arms being spread wide as Harry was forced to his knees, powerless to resist.

"What... is… happening?" Harry growled, trying unsuccessfully to use his own magic to fight back against the chains. The ground started to glow an ominous red, revealing runes traced in the ground, formerly unseen but now powered and quite powerful. Then, much to Daphne and Dobby's horror, Harry started screaming in pain as his eyes became darker in front of them.

~BREAK~

"IT IS TIME, BROTHERS AND SISTERS!" Varrard'Thoth exclaimed in glee, and the barrier protecting him and his six acolytes fell, revealing the seven men and women to the world, all of them feeling the happiness and the excitement their leader felt. "TONIGHT, A GOD WILL WALK THE EARTH AGAIN! RHASSEL'THOTH SHALL REJOIN THE WORLD OF THE LIVING!"

"My life for the Great One's return," they all chanted as one, as the hierophant drew the dagger from his robes and started to walk towards Harry, all of them taking their places and starting the chanting of the ritual.