Chapter 46: The graveyard goes kaboom! P2

Voldemort breathed in the fresh air enjoying the cool air circulating through his nose to his lines. He did so in a manner without sacrificing his equanimity. It wouldn't do if he behaved like some muggle barbarian. He was Lord Voldemort, the greatest sorcerer the world has ever seen. He was the one who defeated death itself and now he was back to reclaim his position in the world.

Reaching out with his chalk-white hands, he touched his head. There was not a strand of hair standing on his head. His skin felt like a hardened stone while his muscles felt like they were carved onto his body. He held up his hands and made a fist feeling the blood and strength coursing through his arm. It had been fourteen years since he felt this strong. He had almost forgotten what it felt like to have his own body, to feel the blood pumping through his veins.

It was surreal, almost inexplicable he'd say. Factoring in the ritual that he used he was not surprised he was feeling far better compared to his previous physical form.

'I'm reborn like a phoenix rising from the ashes.' Voldemort thought, pausing a moment to admire magic and its might.

Voldemort trained his blazing ruby eyes on his mortal enemy. He smirked as he took in the boy tied to the headstone of his filthy father's grave.

"Do I truly look inhuman Harry?" he asked curiously.

"You don't have a nose and your eyes look like that of a cat with slit pupils. You look barely human." said Harry.

Voldemort laughed in joy. To hear his most hated enemy confirm that he has evolved out of his human boundaries was a rare form of validation of his hallowed existence. He found himself liking Harry Potter for a brief moment. The boy at least had the courtesy to acknowledge him, unlike Dumbledore who always insisted on reminding him of his filthy muggle name. Too bad the boy was destined to die by his hand. If the prophecy was not between them he'd have seriously considered letting the boy live.

"I always thought my father was a useless piece of muggle filth. But, he turned out to be very useful. His bones have given me new life and his grave holds you my prisoner Harry." said Voldemort, followed by a cold mirthless laughter.

A pathetic series of sniffles interrupted Voldemort who took his eyes away from his prophesized foe. Instead, his red eyes found the scrawny mewling mess that was Peter Pettigrew.

"Master...please..."

Voldemort sneered at the weakness displayed before him. For a moment, he contemplated the merits of using the killing curse on the rat thereby doing away with the hassle of tolerating his wimpy servant. Having a snivelling weak worm like Pettigrew was really not to his taste. However, Pettigrew was at least useful in his resurrection.

"My lord... my arm... you promised... please."

Dismissing the urge to end the misery of the rat with a simple spell, he held out his hand.

"Give me your arm."

"Oh, master... you are merciful master." Wormtail whimpered with watery eyes.

"Your other arm Wormtail." Voldemort smiled coldly seeing the relief get wiped away from Pettigrew's face.

"Master?" Wormtail pitifully whimpered.

"Your arm." Voldemort's eyes blazed making Wormtail obey promptly.

Voldemort smirked as he saw the faint outline of his mark once he pushed back the sleeve above the elbow. Reaching out with his hand he pressed one of his pale fingers against the Dark Mark. Closing his eyes he felt his magic seep into the mark and thereby connect with his marked followers. He could feel his magic reach out across the land heedless of the geographical or magical constraints announcing his return to full power.

Letting out a cold laugh Voldemort took to his feet.

"Now, we'll see. Who among my Death Eaters remains loyal to me?" he whispered, looking around at the graveyard slumbering under the cold night. "And how many shall turn away from their master?"

The graveyard remained silent save for the cry of crickets.

Voldemort turned his attention back on his prophesied enemy.

"You see Harry. Time has been your enemy and my ally. You have triumphed over me twice but look at you now. Alone and away from your precious Dumbledore. If you had but only died you'd need not have suffered so all these years. It'd have been painless."

Voldemort laughed cruelly before turning sharply towards Wormtail.

"My wand Wormtail."

Pettigrew shivered as he fished out his master's wand from his robes before promptly placing the piece of wood in his master's palm.

"Come now my Death Eaters. Come and join your master on this glorious night." Voldemort said with a flourish which was followed by a series of popping sounds as several wizards in masks apparated into the graveyard.

Voldemort's red eyes blazed in the darkness as dark figures teleported into the graveyard, their cloaks swishing in the air and their masks gleaming under the moonlight. These dark figures were quick to fall to their knees before they moved forward cautiously.

"Master... how... master..."

One of the Death Eaters murmured in disbelief before crawling forward and kissing the hem of Voldemort's robes.

Voldemort remained unmoving with a cold smile on his lips as his Death Eaters kissed his robes one after the other. His red eyes blazed as he counted the numbers but otherwise didn't make his thoughts known. He waited until the last Death Eater kissed his robes and took their place in a ring around him.

"Remove your masks and hoods." He commanded.

His order was followed promptly and his red eyes took in the faces of his servants.

"Welcome, Death Eaters." Voldemort said quietly. "Thirteen long years... after thirteen long years we stand united under the Dark Mark. Or do we?"

With his flattened nostrils, he made a show of taking several sniffs.

"What is this that I smell? Is it guilt?"

A shiver passed through the Death Eaters at the trajectory he was taking.

"You have gathered here all healthy, with your powers intact. With such promptness no less! So, I ask myself... why did they not come to aid their Lord to whom they've sworn eternal loyalty?"

No one spoke. Except for Wormtail who was weeping on the ground cradling his bleeding arm.

"And I answer myself..." Voldemort frostily said, "they must have thought me dead. They believed their master had been laid low by a mere baby."

Several of his Death Eaters shook their heads. But, he prowled on heedless of their reactions.

"My Death Eaters whom I had prided myself to be the worthiest in our world slinked back behind the enemy like dogs with their tail tucked away in shame. They, who knew the steps I took to triumph over death, doubted the immensity of my power. I find myself disappointed."

Voldemort's eyes picked up movement from among his Death Eaters. Avery prostrated himself before him shaking from head to toe while kissing the hem of his robes.

"Master!" Avery cried. "Master forgive me. Forgive us all!"

A sadistic grin settled on Voldemort's face.

"Crucio."

Avery screamed and proceeded to twitch and thrash around on the ground. He rescinded the spell leaving Avery to helplessly spasm as his nerves locked him up because of the overload of the pain he endured.

"You ask for forgiveness after all these years of shirking your duty and your vows to me. Lord Voldemort does not easily forget nor does he forgive. I want thirteen years of loyal service before you get my forgiveness." said Voldemort.

"Master, I came. I served you." Wormtail sobbed.

"Not because of loyalty but out of fear of your old friends. But, you know that now do you not? You'll not make the same mistake again, will you?"

"Master... my lord... Please forgive me... Please..." Wormtail begged, folding up in a fetal position crying profusely.

"Yet, you did serve me. You did help me return to my body." said Voldemort, reaching out with his feet poking Wormtail who jolted upright. "Weak and traitorous as you are... you rendered me a service. Lord Voldemort does not forget his helpers..."

With a flick of his wand, he conjured a fluid silver metal which proceeded to wrap itself around Wormtail's injured hand. The metal solidified into a gleaming silver hand and seamlessly fit itself into Wormtail's bleeding hand.

Wormtail's whimpers stopped abruptly. The traitorous rat raised a new shining metal arm for all to see shining as if it was made of starlight.

"Oh, my lord. My master. Thank you... thank you." Wormtail sobbed, bending down and kissing the hem of Voldemort's robes.

"Consider this a reminder. May your loyalty never waver again, Wormtail." said Voldemort.

"No my lord... never again my master." Wormtail whimpered, climbing to his feet keeping his head bowed low and moving three paces backwards.

Voldemort then eyed his other prominent Death Eaters.

"Lucius, my slippery friend." Voldemort moved towards the blonde-haired head of the House of Malfoy. "I'm told that you have come upon a recent slew of unfortunate incidents. Some had predicted your end and yet, here you are."

"There were some unfortunate incidents but as my lord knows the House of Malfoy is not so easily fallen. We have followed the path of the great Salazar for centuries. Enemies may have the luxury of winning battles but we Malfoys have always focused on winning the war." said Lucius.

"Hmm. Strong words Lucius. But, if it was winning the war you were so concerned for, why did you not seek me out? Or perhaps, you thought yourself infallible in my absence and sought to supplant me?"

"My lord!" Lucius fell to his knees. "You vanished without a trace. Your mark waned and though repeated efforts were made I could not contact you or find you. If only there was a whisper of your whereabouts... if only I had known of your location I'd have sought you out despite the odds."

"And yet, you ran away when my faithful servant cast my mark at the Quidditch world cup." Voldemort remarked, draining all colour from Lucius's face. "Yes. I know about that. Nothing goes unnoticed from my eyes Lucius. You should do well to remember that."

"I beg your forgiveness, my lord." Lucius bowed his head.

"I expect more loyal service in the future from you Lucius."

"Of course, my lord. You are merciful..."

Voldemort moved on to his other Death Eaters essentially turning his back on his enemy.

XXXXXX

Harry keenly observed the dynamic going on between the Death Eaters and Voldemort. It was not surprising why the sane Death Eaters never sought out Voldemort after his fall. Though Voldemort was indeed a powerful wizard, he was still a wizard of muggle origin. There was no doubt that the present Death Eaters were the top brass of the organization. These wizards were also from prominent pureblood families. Watching them prostrate themselves before someone like Voldemort despite his many gifts was quite amusing for Harry to watch.

Most Death Eaters followed Voldemort out of fear and for self-serving purposes. So, if he was to deal any significant blow to Voldemort it was to the narrative, the story of terror and fear personified behind the name Voldemort. And these Death Eaters were the bridge Voldemort would use to establish himself again in the wizarding world.

'Too bad I'll be breaking that bridge today.' Harry thought, observing Voldemort's megalomania from a front-row seat.

"The Lestranges shall be amongst us as soon as possible." Voldemort proclaimed silkily. "The Ministry thinks they'll waste away in Azkaban forever. They went to Azkaban rather than renounce me... For that, they'll be rewarded. The Dementors have always been my allies. Arrangements shall be made to reach out to them as well as the giants... and all the other creatures that swore their allegiance to me. I shall make this land tremble in fear as I rebuild my armies."

Harry took note of those Death Eaters with whom Voldemort took care to converse as he aired his deranged plans. Crabbe, Goyle, Macnair, Malfoy and Nott among others were given the 'honour' of being addressed by Voldemort.

While Harry was content to assess and take note of the faces of the assembled Death Eaters, Voldemort was all too happy to drone on and on. Harry suspected the Dark Lord loved to give out monologues and he was making up for missing out for the last thirteen years or so.

"Here we have six missing Death Eaters.."

Harry was amused to note that Voldemort was speaking to thin air.

'The guy has truly lost his marbles or he loves his voice too much.' he thought in amusement.

"...three dead in my service. One too cowardly to return... he'll pay for the defiance. One, who I believe has abandoned me and the cause... he'll be meeting his death sooner rather than later. Then, at last, my faithful servant at Hogwarts who has been instrumental in my rise to power. He shall of course be rewarded for his loyalty and services rendered."

A murmur passed among the gathered Death Eaters.

"Yes. It was my faithful servant at Hogwarts who has brought our main guest of the evening. Harry Potter, the hero of the wizarding world, has joined in this wonderful event to stand witness to my rise." Voldemort let out a burst of mocking laughter.

Lucius Malfoy stepped forward.

"My lord... we beg of you. How did you return to us?"

Harry looked at Malfoy with a raised eyebrow impressed by the man's acting.

'It'd seem Lucius understands Voldemort always liked the occasional stroke to his ego.' Harry thought.

He wondered whether Voldemort understands that his followers were merely paying lip service. Most probably, Voldemort understands and does not care.

"Ah, what a story it is Lucius." Voldemort said. "It begins and ends with our younger guest, Harry Potter."

Voldemort sauntered over to the headstone Harry was tied to.

"The boy-who-lived, they call young Harry. I confess myself. The killing curse I used that night rebounded and struck me down. Though, I have safeguards against any mortal death, I didn't account for the old magic the boy's mother would invoke. Though a mudblood by birth, she was an exceptionally gifted witch. A life for a life. I erred that night and for my negligence, my own curse turned against me."

Harry was really getting tired of Voldemort droning on. So, he palmed his wand gathering the magic he needed for the spell he has in mind.

"But through her sacrifice, Lily Potter cast a powerful protective barrier for her son that has to this day kept him safe. It was old magic... a life for a life. That night, Lily Potter unwittingly gave her son protection. I could not touch him." Voldemort spoke softly, stepping on the grave and reaching out with his pale hand. "But no longer shall Lord Voldemort be denied!"

This was the moment Harry was waiting for. Voldemort was now completely immersed himself in his monologue and his show of superiority before his followers. This left the Dark Lord wide open.

The moment Voldemort was just an inch away from touching his skin Harry grinned coldly looking into the red eyes of the Dark Lord. The ropes around him vanished and the tip of his Holly wand was now at point-blank range against Voldemort's heart.

"Here is my welcoming gift. Battio Inflammata."

The spell blasted Voldemort away, a fiery battering ram pushing against Voldemort with full brunt force. The Dark Lord was blown off his feet as his skin burned away and his bones got crushed under the assault.

But, Harry was not done. He fired a consecutive spell straight into the abdomen of Voldemort.

"Bombarda Maxima"

There was a huge blast of force expelled by the spell as it binded against Voldemort's pale skin. There was a painful shriek from the Dark Lord followed by blood and gore splashing the dark robes of the Death Eaters.

Capitalising on the shock of the Death Eaters, Harry quickly surrounded himself under the protective layer of a shield spell.

"Indomitus."

Harry dragged his wand around him creating a bubble of magical shield.

"Dobby, Winky. Now!" he screamed under the protection of his shield charm.

The ground around him erupted and the headstones in the graveyard were blown away. Harry smirked as he saw the M61 Dobby had so cleverly nicked from a muggle military base open fire on the unsuspecting Death Eaters. Harry saw three of the Death Eaters get mowed down within seconds while the others knew something was up. Some Death Eaters who had the presence of mind put up a shield facing the direction of the gunfire.

'That's not going to be of any use.' Harry thought.

The next moment, another M61 took the Death Eaters from their backs courtesy of Winky. The gun was a rotary cannon with 20 mm rounds at a rate of 6000 rounds per minute. Harry saw Crabbe and Goyle's heads literally explode like balloons full of meat as Winky unleashed the gun on the Death Eaters. Nott and Avery tried to put up a shield but their thought process was not as fast as the rate of fire of M61. Their limbs were blown apart in a blink of an eye. They fell in a shower of blood with their bodies littered with bullet holes.

Blood was everywhere and the screams of the Death Eaters were quite disturbing for Harry to endure. He had the urge to close his eyes and charm his ears with silencing charms but he resisted the urge. He had made this plan knowing the results. If he was to pull back and disengage at this time, he'd be betraying himself. So, Harry forced himself to keep his eyes and ears open.

It took Harry a moment to understand that he was holding his breath all this time. Letting go he took a deep breath and he wished he didn't not a moment later. The smell was horrendous. The smell of blood and guts spilt on the ground invaded his nostrils making Harry nearly lose his concentration. Thankfully, he managed to place a bubble-head charm that insulated him from the smell saving him from retching.

The two cannons spit out a few more rounds worth of bullets before falling silent. Harry had made some magical adjustments to the guns which allowed them to magically refill the bullets. So, both Donny and Winky must have thought there were no longer any enemies left alive. Sure enough, when Harry gave a cursory look around the graveyard he couldn't find anyone standing.

Even though the guns fell silent his ears were ringing. The bloodied mess around him was quite a gory sight. There were severed limbs and spilt guts everywhere he looked. The urge to retch came again but somehow he kept it down.

Harry's arms were shaking and he somehow managed to fish out a cigarette out of his pocket. Lighting the tip of the cigarette he took a deep draw. The smoke warmed his insides and he felt a modicum of comfort as smoke escaped through his nostrils. He took a few more puffs and Harry felt some normalcy was restored to his body. At least, he stopped shaking.

The bubble-head charm around his head somehow filtered away the smoke leaving him breathable air. Still, he felt skittish to look at the gory remains of his enemies.

'They deserved it. They deserved it.' Harry whispered this over and over like a mantra in his mind.

Taking a few more draws from his smoke, he vanished the cigarette. Reaching into his robes Harry fished out his shrunken Firebolt. Restoring the Firebolt to its proper dimensions, Harry mounted his broom and floated over the graveyard.

"Lumos."

The tip of his wand lit up with light and Harry looked around. Most of the dead bodies were barely recognizable. Nonetheless, Harry searched the carnage. He found Wormtail or what he assumed was Wormtail seeing as he could see the gleaming piece of metal arm lying intact near a body. He managed to identify some Death Eaters but many were face down. He could use his magic to ascertain their identities but using his magic excessively was not part of the plan. Especially, considering the follow-up plan that has yet to commence. He'd rather not have questionable spells performed with his wand. After all, he had a sob story to perform back in Hogwarts.

He zoomed around the graveyard on his Firebolt but he could not find Voldemort anywhere.

'Bugger. That snake escaped.'

He'd have really preferred to take Voldemort prisoner. The Draught of living death would have rendered the Dark Lord powerless and Harry could have tracked down the Horcruxes at his leisure. Though disappointed he was not surprised. He gathered Voldemort would cut his losses and flee somehow. Still, he had hoped...

"No matter. I'll get him in time. The war has only just begun." Harry muttered.

After letting out a sharp whistle, Harry flew back to the spot where the Triwizard cup was lying innocently on the ground. The whistle was the signal for both Dobby and Winky to clean up and make their escape. After all, their teleportation would certainly leave residual magic. But the Aurors would be totally helpless as both Dobby and Winky would be going to the Chamber deep underneath Hogwarts under the protection of ancient protective wards cast by Salazar Slytherin himself.

Harry shrunk the Firebolt and secured it inside his robes. He also took out the fake skin he was wearing around his forearms and tucked them safely in his robes. Checking everything was in place and once again going through the plan, Harry reached out with his hand and took hold of the Triwizard cup's handle. He felt a pull on his gut and Harry felt himself get sucked into a vortex leaving the graveyard of Little Hangleton behind.