Harry's second portkey journey of the day was much longer and more disorienting than the first. He felt his body spun around as if he were in some kind of magical tornado which seemed to never stop. Finally he felt the spinning slow and knew he was approaching his destination. Harry concentrated on holding on to his wand and hoped he would be able to land on his feet, but as the portkey dropped him he rolled on the hard ground before finally coming to a stop. As he lay there Harry tried to reactivate the portkey, but it was no use. Bagman had given him a one way portkey, meaning he would have to find another way home. Pushing himself to a standing position, Harry desperately tried to fight off the dizziness as he looked around trying to figure out where the portkey had taken him

He was in a cemetery, Harry realized at once. He had walked past cemeteries before and knew what they were supposed to look like, but this one seemed completely wrong to him. The headstones marking the graves were mostly old and crumbling, and instead of being arranged in neat rows they had apparently been placed randomly. The grounds were not covered with freshly cut green grass but hard rocks and dirt with only a few sickly weeds sticking up through the ground. None of the graves had flowers placed near them, leading Harry to think that perhaps no one had come here in quite a long time.

The sound of footsteps approaching quickly proved that he was wrong. Harry quickly turned towards the direction the footsteps were coming from and saw two figures approaching him, each wearing dark cloaks that covered their faces. One was small, fat, and appeared to be carrying something like a parent would hold a baby. The other was taller, thinner, and his head had the habit of jerking from side to side as if looking for threats. Suddenly Harry felt a painful burning in his scar and he knew without a doubt what, or rather who, was being carried towards him.

"Seize him." a strange, almost inhuman, voice called out from the bundle that the fat man was carrying. The taller man stepped forward with his wand held ready before pulling back the hood of his cloak to reveal his face.

"Barty Crouch Junior." Harry said in recognition as he raised his wand to face the older man. That would mean that the shorter man was almost definitely Peter Pettigrew.

"Correct, Mr Potter. Ten points to Gryffindor." he answered with an insane chuckle. "There'll be no one to come and rescue you now. I suggest you just give up, it will be far less painful that way."

"Go to hell, Barty." Harry said as he silently cast a bone breaking curse at the man who had once impersonated Alastor Moody. Crouch was able to sidestep the spell fairly easily and sent a body bind curse at Harry, apparently attempting to capture him as he was ordered. Harry brought up a shield which was easily able to absorb the energy of Crouch's curse and then began trying to lure Crouch away from the others. Wormtail seemed to be focused on protecting whatever form Voldemort had taken that was now laying in his arms, but Harry knew he would have to keep an eye on them.

Crouch's next spell was, surprisingly, a Stupefy. Harry almost laughed at this because he realized that he held an advantage over his opponent. Crouch, for whatever reason, was trying to subdue him without injuring him. Harry did not have to worry about trying to avoid hurting Crouch, in fact he wanted to do so.

Harry sent a series of chained spells at Crouch including a Incendio, a Confundus, a Jelly-Legs jinx, and ended with a spell that produced hurricane force winds. The first two spells missed and Crouch was just barely able to raise a shield against the Jelly-Legs jinx but he was caught completely off guard by Harry's wind spell. Crouch's magical shield was unable to stop the physical force of the wind and he was hurled back several feet and landed painfully on his back. Unlike their first battle, Harry was now casting completely silently and with much more power than he was previously capable of.

Crouch began rolling as soon as he hit the ground and was, luckily for him, able to avoid Harry's follow up curses. He was quickly growing frustrated by his situation and the fact that this mere boy was beating him. With a pained grunt Crouch leapt to his feet and screamed "Crucio!", hoping that he would not only catch his opponent of guard but that his master would not be too angry with him.

Harry, however, was prepared for the Death Eater's use of an Unforgivable curse and conjured a stone shield to appear in front of him. Crouch's Cruciatus curse struck the wall and shattered it, but in doing so the spell's energy was spent and it died harmlessly. Before the stone pieces could hit the ground Harry banished them back at Crouch and was happy to hear the man yelp in surprise and pain.

"Damn you, Potter!" Crouch roared as he angrily raised his wand again. Harry saw with a brief smile of satisfaction that he had his enemy frustrated and off guard, but unfortunately this had caused Crouch to abandon his earlier plan to capture Harry unharmed. "Reducto!" Crouch shouted, causing Harry to jump to the side in order to avoid the powerful spell. Harry's wand never left Crouch as he avoided the spell, and as soon as he had the chance Harry returned fire. This time he did say the name of the spell out loud because he wanted Crouch to hear what was coming, after all he was the one who had taught it to him.

"Inficio!" Harry called as a sickly yellow light erupted from the tip of his wand. Crouch's eyes widened in surprise as he tried to avoid the spell but he wasn't quick enough and it caught him on the hip. Immediately his cloak began to disintegrate and the skin below bubbled as if it were melting. He was barely able to contain his screams enough to perform the counter curse which still left behind a nasty looking wound.

"Use my spell against me, will you?" Crouch yelled in rage. "Avada Kedavra!" The Killing Curse flew towards Harry and he reacted on instinct by conjuring another stone wall to shield himself. This time the impact of the spell turned his shield into dust instead of pebbles like the Cruciatus curse had done.

"Barty, you fool!" Voldemort screamed from his spot on the sidelined. "I need him alive!"

"Forgive me, master." Crouch answered, although his eyes never left Harry. "I shall not fail you again." Harry had briefly glanced over and even from far away could see that Voldemort had been able to take some, small physical shape. Which meant that he could be destroyed by his touch like Quirrel had been in his first year at Hogwarts. He only needed to get past Crouch and close enough to Voldemort to grab him...

"Stupefy!" Crouch called, bringing Harry's attention back to the duel. Harry in response raised his most powerful shield and began running towards his opponent. Crouch began rapidly firing non-lethal spells at Harry but his shield was far too strong to be broken by any of the simple spells he was using. Before he knew it Harry had almost completely closed the distance between them and Crouch hesitated, not sure if Harry was trying to physically or magically attack him. A mere moment before Harry reached Crouch he dropped his shield and began casting the strongest blasting curse he could manage. By the time he completed the spell the tip of his wand was inches away from Crouch's chest and the man had no chance at all to do anything to lessen the impact of the curse. The powerful spell sent Crouch flying through the air and across the cemetery. He was only stopped when he hit a large headstone which broke in half from the impact. He was immediately knocked unconscious.

Harry watched this happen and felt a small amount of shock. He didn't think he had put that much power into the spell, but apparently it was enough. Harry briefly wondered if Crouch had survived the crash. He hadn't noticed, however, that his charge towards Crouch had brought him alarmingly close to Wormtail and Voldemort. He never even saw the stunner that hit him in the back coming.

"Good, Wormtail. Now we can begin." Voldemort said with a chilling laugh.

Meanwhile, the panic at Hogwarts had not died down any. The Dark Mark still hung menacingly in the air, constantly reminding everyone what had happened. Most of the spectators had remained in their seats even though the tournament had ended. Many stayed to discuss whether or not the Dark Lord could or would return, others stayed because they expected something else to happen.

Harry's friends attempted to get as much information from their teachers as was possible, but in truth no one seemed to really know what was going on. All they could determine for sure was that Ludo Bagman had been taken into custody and was now being interrogated in Professor Dumbledore's office by the Aurors and the Headmaster himself.

Bagman's questioning started with an examination of his left arm, where to some surprise they did not find the Dark Mark. Further inspection revealed signs that Bagman had been under the Imperius curse very recently and was therefore probably not responsible for his actions. After being awoken and dosed with Veritaserum he revealed that he could not remember anything he had said on stage after Harry's victory, nor did he know who had placed the Imperius curse on him or where the portkey had taken Harry.

These revelations meant that there was no easy way to find Harry. Unless they got very lucky it would be up to Harry to find his way home.

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.

The Death Eaters stood in a circle surrounding Voldemort as he looked around inspecting them. Harry could not tell if he was happy with what he found or not, but the Death Eaters seemed to be nervous. As the Dark Lord began speaking they all dropped to a knee, as if before royalty.

"After all these years, my friends, we have been reunited." Voldemort began. "And yet I must wonder, where were all of you when I needed you the most? For years I was trapped somewhere between life and death, and none of you searched for me."

"I did, my lord." Wormtail bravely, or perhaps foolishly said.

"Out of fear, not loyalty. I suppose you do deserve some reward for your efforts however. Hold out your arm." Voldemort ordered and Wormtail gratefully complied. Using a spell that Harry did not recognize, Voldemort conjured a magical silver hand to appear where Wormtail's had been. Wormtail held up the hand and stared at it in awe. Voldemort meanwhile was looking at his wand with a confused expression on his face, as if something had happened he did not expect. A moment later the look was gone and he was once again standing before his followers.

"Where were you Avery? Or you, Goyle? Crabbe? Nott? And what of you, Malfoy?" Voldemort asked. Harry sat and listened, though he was not at all surprised to see it confirmed that Lucius Malfoy was a Death Eater.

"My lord..." Malfoy began to plead pathetically, "I was constantly on the alert. Had there been any sign, any whisper-"

"Quiet, Lucius." Voldemort said forcefully, and Malfoy knew better than to continue. "There will be time to make up for past failures later. Now we must be suitable hosts and attend to our guest." With that he pointed at Harry who was still tied up and bleeding from his arm. Harry could hear the Death Eaters laughing from behind their masks at his predicament. Voldemort began walking towards him as he spoke, and was soon standing right in front of him. "The world was foolish enough to think that this mere child had destroyed the most powerful wizard of all time. It was not he that defeated me that night, but a mistake on my part. Old magic was at work that night, powerful magic. I did recognize it then, but I do now. And I have overcome it. Believe me Harry, I can touch you now." With that Voldemort pressed his finger into Harry's forehead where his famous scar lay. The pain Harry felt in that moment eclipsed anything else he had ever experienced.

"Now Harry, we shall see if the Boy-Who-Lived can truly stand against Lord Voldemort." the Dark Lord said with a sneer. "Wormtail, untie him. And give him his wand." Wormtail rushed to obey his master, and soon Harry was free with his wand in his hand. Harry nervously looked around and knew full well that he was surrounded by potential threats as well as face to face with one of the world's most powerful wizards. Voldemort looked like he was preparing to continue his speech, but Harry thought his best option was to get on the offensive and stay on it as long as he could.

Harry began casting and moving as quickly and as powerfully as he could. Even Professor Flitwick would have been proud of him if he had been there. The chain of spells he used was one he had come up with months earlier and practiced constantly. It included piercing hexes, tripping jinxes, cutting curses, Crouch's acid spell, bone breaking curses, a tickling charm, a cutting curse, a charm that caused boils to break out on its victims face, and ended with a massive Bombarda. But even though Harry was casting at his best nothing seemed to get past Voldemort's defenses. Everything he threw at the Dark Lord was either blocked by conjured or summoned items or simply avoided. When the dust cleared from his last spell, which had been powerful enough to leave a small crater in the ground, Lord Voldemort was still standing there laughing at him.

"I'm impressed, Harry." Voldemort said. "Perhaps you should rethink the offer I made to you years ago. Join me and I will help you reach your full potential."

"Never!" Harry responded angrily. He then transfigured two headstones into massive bears which he sent to attack Voldemort, but before they could reach him the Dark Lord had destroyed them with two lazy swipes of his wand.

"You still have much to learn. A pity you won't get the chance." Voldemort taunted.

Harry wasn't sure what do. Despite all of his training and his relatively easy victory over Barty Crouch Junior he was still clearly not in Voldemort's league. Gathering his courage, Harry went back on attack. He decided that he would have to use his deadliest spells and so cast "Cruormorsus", the same spell he had used against the acromantula in the maze. Voldemort was finally forced to raise a shield to defend himself, but when he did something very strange happened. Beams of pure magic stretched from each of their wands, connecting them. As they did Harry felt a strong drain on his magical reserves and knew he could not keep this, whatever it was, up for very long. Voldemort was distracted by this unexpected phenomenon, and Harry saw his chance to strike.

Harry ended the spell just as it started to form a dome above him and quickly fired off a cutting curse towards Voldemort's head. The Dark Lord had been distracted by what had happened and tried to side step the spell but was only partially successful. A long cut opened up on Voldemort's cheek and blood began to trickle down to his chin. Voldemort roared in anger and then finally began attacking Harry. Harry used his speed to avoid the first wave of spells, but as he tried to jump behind a headstone was struck with the Cruciatus curse.

Harry screamed as Voldemort held the torture curse on him. He had felt the curse before during his fight with Barty Crouch Junior, but the Death Eater's version of the spell felt lick a tickling charm when compared to Voldemort's Cruciatus. The pain coursed through every part of his body and Harry felt as if he were on verge of going insane. A moment later Voldemort lifted the spell and Harry could hear the evil man laughing at his suffering.

"So this is all the great Harry Potter can manage? Pathetic." Voldemort laughed. "I think I shall send your head back to Dumbledore. What do you think of that, Harry?"

"No good." Harry gasped. "He likes socks." The Dark Lord chuckled at Harry's response and slightly lowered his wand. Harry's trembling fingers closed tightly around his wand which he had almost dropped during his torture at the hands of Lord Voldemort. The Dark Lord took a step back and motioned for Harry to stand up.

"Get up, Harry. You do want to meet death on your feet, don't you?" Voldemort said. Harry had been slowly making his way to a standing position anyway and a moment later was finally able to stand and face the Dark Lord. Harry looked around for some last minute way to save himself, but could find nothing. He was still completely surrounded and no help was coming.

'I'm going to die here.' Harry thought with sad laugh. His little chuckle soon turned into an audible laugh which had the Death Eaters thinking that perhaps Lord Voldemort's Cruciatus had driven the Boy-Who-Lived insane after all.

"You think death is funny, do you?" Voldemort asked as he raised his wand towards Harry. Finally Harry stopped laughing and raised his wand to face the Dark Lord. "Any last words?"

"Screw you, Tom." Harry said with another laugh. Voldemort, furious with Harry's use of his true name, yelled out "Avada Kedavra" and sent the killing curse flying towards Harry who was able to leap out of the way. Around them the Death Eaters, fearing that a stray killing curse could catch them unprepared, began to search for cover. Harry returned fire with a "Reducto", but Voldemort was easily able to avoid it. The Dark Lord then cast another killing curse, but Harry was able to conjure a rock wall to shield him from the spell. The shield exploded when the curse hit it, but Harry didn't wait for the dust to clear before banishing a conjured spear back towards Voldemort. When the dust settled it was clear he had missed, but he had no time to think about it because Voldemort sent yet another killing curse his way.

Harry leapt to the side to avoid the curse, but unfortunately Voldemort had been expecting that and had summoned a headstone which slammed into Harry's side and knocked him off balance. Before Harry could recover Voldemort had cast the killing curse again. Harry's eyes widened as he saw the green spell speeding towards him. In that moment he knew he couldn't avoid it, and that he had been beaten.

The impact of the spell knocked Harry off of his feet and sent him spinning to the ground. When he landed Voldemort stood victorious over Harry and looked down at his unmoving body. Below him, Harry's lifeless eyes lay open and staring off into the distance.

Back at Hogwarts, Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge had arrived and taken the stage in an attempt to calm the audience and look for a way in which he could take advantage of the situation for his own political benefit. With his hearing on the Sirius Black case only a day away Fudge was getting desperate to find a way to remain in office. He knew the last thing the public wanted to hear was that You-Know-Who was still alive and so he spent his time on stage promising that the Dark Lord was dead and that there was no way he could ever come back. Some people seemed eager to believe him, but others weren't convinced.

Ludo Bagman had been transferred to the Ministry of Magic for further questioning. It seemed clear that he would not face charges for his actions due to the evidence pointing towards the Imperius curse. He was however immediately fired from his position with the Ministry and rumors were beginning to circulate that the goblins had demanded he be turned over to them after his release to face punishment for crimes against them.

Harry's friends did not give up searching for more information, but unfortunately they continued to find nothing new.

Meanwhile Dumbledore sat alone in his office wondering what he could have done differently, and what it would mean if Harry died. One thing was clear: dark days lay ahead.

Harry's eyes popped open and he sat up, wondering what had happened. Upon seeing his surroundings however, he also wondered where he was. A strange whimper caught his attention and he turned to look in that direction. He saw a a strange creature that reminded him of what Voldemort had been before the ritual to return him to his body, but Harry had no idea what it meant. Around him the world was completely white and without definition, and the blankness of his surroundings seemed to go one forever.

"Harry." a gentle female voiced called out, seemingly from all around him.

"Hello?" Harry asked. "Who's there?" As he continued to look around he finally saw two forms approaching him in the distance. As they drew closer he saw that one was man and the other was a woman. They appeared to be holding hands and slowly walking towards him. After what felt like hours to Harry, they finally got close enough that he could see them clearly.

"Mom? Dad?" Harry said uncertainly. "Is that really you?" Finally they were close enough for him to be sure, and when he was he ran to them and allowed them to wrap him into a strong hug. Harry could not help but begin crying as he held on to his parents for the first time he could remember. For a long time they hugged and did not speak, and for that time Harry's questions about what was happening seemed unimportant to him.

"It's OK, Harry." his mother reassured him. "It's really us. Well, as real as it can be."

"I'm dead, aren't I?" Harry asked. "Does that mean I get to stay here with you?"

"You aren't exactly dead, son." his father informed him. "But you aren't exactly alive either. You have a choice, Harry. You can die, or you can go back."

"What if I want to stay with you?" Harry replied. The emotions from meeting his parents were still overwhelming.

"We have some things to explain to you first." Lily answered. "We love you very much Harry, but it is important that you go back."

"Why?" Harry asked, clearly upset.

"Because of Voldemort." James said, and glanced over to the ugly creature that Harry had noticed when he first arrived. "Voldemort has tried to make himself immortal, and that is how."

"What is it?" Harry asked, looking over at the creature his dad had pointed at.

"It's a piece of his soul." Lily answered. "He accidentally transferred it to you the night we died. It is why your scar hurts whenever he is around. It's called a Horcrux, Harry, and as long it is still alive Voldemort can not truly be killed."

"But if I die it does too, right?" Harry guessed. "So I can't go back."

"That piece will die even if you do go back." James said. "But that isn't the only piece of his soul that needs to be destroyed. He's made others, and it up to you to find them."

"Why me? Why not Dumbledore, he's stronger than I am." Harry replied.

"There was a prophecy made before you were born. Dumbledore never told us exactly what it said, but it meant that either you or Neville Longbottom would have defeat Voldemort. Things have changed since then, and it's clear that it has to be you." Lily said sadly.

"But how? He's better than me-"

"No!" James yelled. "He may be stronger, but he is not better than you."

"He is stronger. And if I do get back to my body I am still going to be surrounded by Voldemort and his Death Eaters with no way to escape. Then, if by some miracle I do escape, I have no idea where to look for his Horcruxes." Harry said in frustration. He simply did not see a way to make it work.

"We will help you, Harry." Lily said softly. "Or to be more precise, we will force Voldemort to help you."

"How?" Harry asked.

"That piece of his soul he put inside you contained all of his personality and intellect right up until the moment he separated it from the rest of his soul. We can take parts out and give them to you." James said with a proud smile, as if it had been his idea.

"So you can just give me all of his knowledge?" Harry said, realizing how this could help him.

"Not exactly." Lily replied. "You see it's impossible to separate his personality from the things he knows, so the more information we take out of him and put in you the more of his personality will also get transferred. If you took everything you would basically become him."

"So what do I get?" Harry asked.

"Everything he knows about his Horcruxes. That way you should be able to make him mortal again and then kill him." Lily explained. "And then his knowledge on how to apparate. Use that to escape the cemetery and make it back to Hogwarts. Those are the only things we dare pull from him."

"This is going to change my personality isn't it? How much?

"We're not taking much, so it shouldn't even be noticeable." James answered. "We're trying to be as careful as we can."

"OK then. I'll do it." Harry said finally. "Do I have to go now?"

"Yes, I'm sorry but you do." Lily said with tears in her eyes. She pulled Harry and her husband into another hug which they happily returned. "You'll see us again one day, Harry. But hopefully not for many more years. Never forget that we love you very much."

"I love you too Mom, and you Dad." Harry replied. Soon they were all crying and holding each other. They stayed this way for a few moments, but then Harry felt everything start to change. He felt like he was being pulled away from them by some undeniable force. His parents let go of him and began waving good-bye, but his vision was starting to cloud and he could no longer see them clearly. Then everything suddenly went black.

The first thing Harry felt when he returned to his body was the dull ache that came as a result from the Cruciatus curse. He knew in that moment that he was alive again. He laid there for a minute listening to Voldemort give a speech about his plans for world domination and hoping no one had seen his eyes close. Harry expected someone to point out at any moment that he was still alive, but all attention was apparently still on Voldemort.

Harry finally got the courage to slightly open his eyes and glance around. The Death Eater were all facing away from him and towards the Dark Lord in such a way that only Voldemort could possibly notice that his eyes were open. He noticed with a small amount of surprise that no one had bothered to take his wand out of his hand, apparently they were convinced he was dead.

His parents had told him to apparate out, and when Harry concentrated on the subject he realized he knew almost everything about it. He even knew that he could apparate to a standing position from laying on the ground where he was. Voldemort had studied apparition extensively. Harry wondered what chaos he could cause before leaving when he noticed that Wormtail was standing at the back of the group being ignored by everyone. He had already dropped to the lowest spot on the Death Eater hierarchy. Grinning, a plan quickly came together in his head.

Harry watched and waited for his chance. Finally Voldemort ended his speech to the cheers of his loyal followers. In that moment Harry apparated to a standing position right behind Wormtail. No one had even noticed him moving around.

"Hey Tom!" Harry yelled as he grabbed Wormtail's arm. "Did anyone ever tell you that you suck at that spell?" The Death Eaters turned and stared at him in shock. Voldemort was equally surprised but had the presence of mind to raise his wand at Harry. He was too late though. Before anyone could stop him Harry had apparated both himself and Wormtail out of the cemetery and back to Hogwarts.

Minister Fudge was still on stage talking to the audience, however when he asked if they had any questions he had been forced into defending himself regarding the accusations he would face at his hearing the next day. It was an uncomfortable position for him and he was desperate to escape it.

"I will answer all of these questions tomorrow." Fudge promised. "But let me assure you of a few things. Sirius Black is guilty and Peter Pettigrew is dead."

As soon as he spoke those words Harry appeared on the stage with Wormtail who was still in shock from seeing Harry alive. Harry stunned the traitor as soon as they arrived and then began looking around. Most of the crowd was still in the stands and had burst into applause as soon as he appeared. The Dark Mark in the sky had faded but was still visible.

"He's back." Harry said to the Minister of Magic, but Fudge chose to turn his head in disbelief. Angered by this, Harry ripped the sleeve of off Wormtail's robes, exposing the dark mark below. "Voldemort is back!" he yelled, but this time it was loud enough for those in the audience to hear. Soon everyone knew what Harry had claimed and were struggling with whether or not to believe it.

Harry was able to watch the Aurors take Wormtail into custody before the exhaustion caught up with him and collapsed right in the middle of the stage.