book 4

\"Come to watch Harry in the last task!\" said Mrs. Weasley brightly. \"I must say, itmakes a lovely change, not having to cook. How was your exam?\"\"Oh . . . okay,\" said Ron. \"Couldn't remember all the goblin rebels' names, so Iinvented a few. It's all right,\" he said, helping himself to a Cornish pasty, whileMrs. Weasley looked stern, \"they're all called stuff like Bodrod the Bearded andUrg the Unclean; it wasn't hard.\"Fred, George, and Ginny came to sit next to them too, and Harry was having sucha good time he felt almost as though he were back at the Burrow; he had forgottento worry about that evening's task, and not until Hermione turned up, halfwaythrough lunch, did he remember that she had had a brainwave about Rita Skeeter.\"Are you going to tell us - ?\"Hermione shook her head warningly and glanced at Mrs. Weasley.\"Hello, Hermione,\" said Mrs. Weasley, much more stiffly than usual.\"Hello,\" said Hermione, her smile faltering at the cold expression on Mrs.Weasley's face.Harry looked between them, then said, \"Mrs. Weasley, you didn't believe thatrubbish Rita Skeeter wrote in Witch Weekly, did you? Because Hermione's not mygirlfriend.\"\"Oh!\" said Mrs. Weasley \"No - of course I didn't!\"But she became considerably warmer toward Hermione after that.Harry, Bill, and Mrs. Weasley whiled away the afternoon with a long walk aroundthe castle, and then returned to the Great Hall for the evening feast. Ludo Bagmanand Cornelius Fudge had joined the staff table now. Bagman looked quitecheerful, but Cornelius Fudge, who was sitting next to Madame Maxime, lookedstern and was not talking. Madame Maxime was concentrating on her plate, andHarry thought her eyes looked red. Hagrid kept glancing along the table at her,There were more courses than usual, but Harry, who was starting to feel reallynervous now, didn't eat much. As the enchanted ceiling overhead began to fadefrom blue to a dusky purple, Dumbledore rose to his feet at the staff table, andsilence fell.\"Ladies and gentlemen, in five minutes' time, I will be asking you to make yourway down to the Quidditch field for the third and final task of the TriwizardTournament. Will the champions please follow Mr. Bagman down to the stadiumnow.\"Harry got up. The Gryffindors all along the table were applauding him; theWeasleys and Hermione all wished him good luck, and he headed off out of theGreat Hall with Cedric, Fleur, and Viktor. 400

\"Feeling all right. Harry?\" Bagman asked as they went down the stone steps ontothe grounds. \"Confident?\"\"I'm okay,\" said Harry. It was sort of true; he was nervous, but he kept runningover all the hexes and spells he had been practicing in his mind as they walked,and the knowledge that he could remember them all made him feel better.They walked onto the Quidditch field, which was now completely unrecognizable.A twenty-foot-high hedge ran all the way around the edge of it. There was a gapright in front of them: the entrance to the vast maze. The passage beyond it lookeddark and creepy.Five minutes later, the stands had begun to fill; the air was full of excited voicesand the rumbling of feet as the hundreds of students filed into their seats. The skywas a deep, clear blue now, and the first stars were starting to appear. Hagrid,Professor Moody, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Flitwick came walkinginto the stadium and approached Bagman and the champions. They were wearinglarge, red, luminous stars on their hats, all except Hagrid, who had his on the backof his moleskin vest.\"We are going to be patrolling the outside of the maze,\" said ProfessorMcGonagall to the champions. \"If you get into difficulty, and wish to be rescued,send red sparks into the air, and one of us will come and get you, do youunderstand?\"The champions nodded.\"Off you go, then!\" said Bagman brightly to the four patrollers.\"Good luck. Harry,\" Hagrid whispered, and the four of them walked away indifferent directions, to station themselves around the maze. Bagman now pointedhis wand at his throat, muttered, \"Sonorus,\" and his magically magnified voiceechoed into the stands.\"Ladies and gentlemen, the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament isabout to begin! Let me remind you how the points currently stand! Tied in firstplace, with eighty-five points each - Mr. Cedric Diggory and Mr. Harry Potter,both of Hogwarts School!\" The cheers and applause sent birds from the ForbiddenForest fluttering into the darkening sky. \"In second place, with eighty points - Mr.Viktor Krum, of Durmstrang Institute!\" More applause. \"And in third place - MissFleur Delacour, of Beauxbatons Academy!\"Harry could just make out Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Ron, and Hermione applaudingFleur politely, halfway up the stands. He waved up at them, and they waved back,beaming at him.\"So ... on my whistle, Harry and Cedric!\" said Bagman. \"Three - two - one -\"He gave a short blast on his whistle, and Harry and Cedric hurried forward into the 401

maze.The towering hedges cast black shadows across the path, and, whether becausethey were so tall and thick or because they had been enchanted, the sound of thesurrounding crowd was silenced the moment they entered the maze. Harry feltalmost as though he were underwater again. He pulled out his wand, muttered,\"Lumos,\" and heard Cedric do the same just behind him.After about fifty yards, they reached a fork. They looked at each other.\"See you,\" Harry said, and he took the left one, while Cedric took the right.Harry heard Bagman's whistle for the second time. Krum had entered the maze.Harry sped up. His chosen path seemed completely deserted. He turned right, andhurried on, holding his wand high over his head, trying to see as far ahead aspossible. Still, there was nothing in sight.Bagman's whistle blew in the distance for the third time. All of the championswere now inside.Harry kept looking behind him. The old feeling that he was being watched wasupon him. The maze was growing darker with every passing minute as the skyoverhead deepened to navy. He reached a second fork.\"Point Me,\" he whispered to his wand, holding it flat in his palm.The wand spun around once and pointed toward his right, into solid hedge. Thatway was north, and he knew that he needed to go northwest for the center of themaze. The best he could do was to take the left fork and go right again as soon aspossible.The path ahead was empty too, and when Harry reached a right turn and took it, heagain found his way unblocked. Harry didn't know why, but the lack of obstacleswas unnerving him. Surely he should have met something by now? It felt asthough the maze were luring him into a false sense of security. Then he heardmovement right behind him. He held out his wand, ready to attack, but its beamfell only upon Cedric, who had just hurried out of a path on the right-hand side.Cedric looked severely shaken. The sleeve of his robe was smoking.\"Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewts!\" he hissed. \"They're enormous - I only just gotaway!\"He shook his head and dived out of sight, along another path. Keen to put plentyof distance between himself and the skrewts, Harry hurried off again. Then, as heturned a corner, he saw ... a dementor gliding toward him. Twelve feet tall, its facehidden by its hood, its rotting, scabbed hands outstretched, it advanced, sensing itsway blindly toward him. Harry could hear its rattling breath; he felt clammycoldness stealing over him, but knew what he had to do....He summoned the happiest thought he could, concentrated with all his might on 402

the thought of getting out of the maze and celebrating with Ron and Hermione,raised his wand, and cried, \"Expecto Patronum!\"A silver stag erupted from the end of Harry's wand and galloped toward thedementor, which fell back and tripped over the hem of its robes. . . . Harry hadnever seen a dementor stumble.\"Hang on!\" he shouted, advancing in the wake of his silver Patronus, \"You're aboggart! Riddikulus!\"There was a loud crack, and the shape-shifter exploded in a wisp of smoke. Thesilver stag faded from sight. Harry wished it could have stayed, he could have usedsome company...but he moved on, quickly and quietly as possible, listening hard,his wand held high once more.Left ... right... left again . . . Twice he found himself facing dead ends. He did theFour-Point Spell again and found that he was going too far east. He turned back,took a right turn, and saw an odd golden mist floating ahead of him.Harry approached it cautiously, pointing the wand's beam at it. This looked likesome kind of enchantment. He wondered whether he might be able to blast it outof the way.\"Reducio!\" he said.The spell shot straight through the mist, leaving it intact. He supposed he shouldhave known better; the Reductor Curse was for solid objects. What would happenif he walked through the mist? Was it worth chancing it, or should he doubleback?He was still hesitating when a scream shattered the silence.\"Fleur?\" Harry yelled.There was silence. He stared all around him. What had happened to her? Herscream seemed to have come from somewhere ahead. He took a deep breath andran through the enchanted mist.The world turned upside down. Harry was hanging from the ground, with his hairon end, his glasses dangling off his nose, threatening to fall into the bottomlesssky. He clutched them to the end of his nose and hung there, terrified. It felt asthough his feet were glued to the grass, which had now become the ceiling. Belowhim the dark, star-spangled heavens stretched endlessly. He felt as though if hetried to move one of his feet, he would fall away from the earth completely.Think, he told himself, as all the blood rushed to his head, think. . .But not one of the spells he had practiced had been designed to combat a suddenreversal of ground and sky. Did he dare move his foot? He could hear the bloodpounding in his ears. He had two choices - try and move, or send up red sparks, 403

and get rescued and disqualified from the task.He shut his eyes, so he wouldn't be able to see the view of endless space belowhim, and pulled his right foot as hard as he could away from the grassy ceiling.Immediately, the world righted itself. Harry fell forward onto his knees onto thewonderfully solid ground. He felt temporarily limp with shock. He took a deep,steadying breath, then got up again and hurried forward, looking back over hisshoulder as he ran away from the golden mist, which twinkled innocently at him inthe moonlight.He paused at a junction of two paths and looked around for some sign of Fleur. Hewas sure it had been she who had screamed. What had she met? Was she all right?There was no sign of red sparks - did that mean she had got herself out of trouble,or was she in such trouble that she couldn't reach her wand? Harry took the rightfork with a feeling of increasing unease . . . but at the same time, he couldn't helpthinking. One champion down. . .The cup was somewhere close by, and it sounded as though Fleur was no longer inthe running. He'd got this far, hadn't he? What if he actually managed to win?Fleetingly, and for the first time since he'd found himself champion, he saw againthat image of himself, raising the Triwizard Cup in front of the rest of the school. ...He met nothing for ten minutes, but kept running into dead ends. Twice he tookthe same wrong turning. Finally, he found a new route and started to jog along it,his wandlight waving, making his shadow flicker and distort on the hedge walls.Then he rounded another corner and found himself facing a Blast-Ended Skrewt.Cedric was right - it was enormous. Ten feet long, it looked more like a giantscorpion than anything. Its long sting was curled over its back. Its thick armorglinted in the light from Harry's wand, which he pointed at it.\"Stupefy!\"The spell hit the skrewt's armor and rebounded; Harry ducked just in time, butcould smell burning hair; it had singed the top of his head. The skrewt issued ablast of fire from its end and flew forward toward him.\"Impedimenta!\" Harry yelled. The spell hit the skrewt's armor again andricocheted off; Harry staggered back a few paces and fell over.\"IMPEDIMENTA!\"The skrewt was inches from him when it froze - he had managed to hit it on itsfleshy, shell-less underside. Panting, Harry pushed himself away from it and ran,hard, in the opposite direction - the Impediment Curse was not permanent; theskrewt would be regaining the use of its legs at any moment.He took a left path and hit a dead end, a right, and hit another; forcing himself to 404

stop, heart hammering, he performed the Four-Point Spell again, backtracked, andchose a path that would take him northwest.He had been hurrying along the new path for a few minutes, when he heardsomething in the path running parallel to his own that made him stop dead.\"What are you doing?\" yelled Cedric's voice. \"What the hell d'you think you'redoing?\"And then Harry heard Krum's voice.\"Crucio!\"The air was suddenly full of Cedric's yells. Horrified, Harry began sprinting up hispath, trying to find a way into Cedric's. When none appeared, he tried theReductor Curse again. It wasn't very effective, but it burned a small hole in thehedge through which Harry forced his leg, kicking at the thick brambles andbranches until they broke and made an opening; he struggled through it, tearing hisrobes, and looking to his right, saw Cedric jerking and twitching on the ground,Krum standing over him.Harry pulled himself up and pointed his wand at Krum just as Krum looked up.Krum turned and began to run.\"Stupefy!\" Harry yelled.The spell hit Krum in the back; he stopped dead in his tracks, fell forward, and laymotionless, facedown in the grass. Harry-dashed over to Cedric, who had stoppedtwitching and was lying there panting, his hands over his face.\"Are you all right?\" Harry said roughly, grabbing Cedric's arm.\"Yeah,\" panted Cedric. \"Yeah ... I don't believe it... he crept up behind me. ... Iheard him, I turned around, and he had his wand on me. . . .\"Cedric got up. He was still shaking. He and Harry looked down at Krum.\"I can't believe this ... I thought he was all right,\" Harry said, staring at Krum.\"So did I,\" said Cedric.\"Did you hear Fleur scream earlier?\" said Harry.\"Yeah,\" said Cedric. \"You don't think Krum got her too?\"\"I don't know,\" said Harry slowly.\"Should we leave him here?\" Cedric muttered.\"No,\" said Harry. \"I reckon we should send up red sparks. Someone'll come andcollect him . . . otherwise he'll probably be eaten by a skrewt.\" 405

\"He'd deserve it,\" Cedric muttered, but all the same, he raised his wand and shot ashower of red sparks into the air, which hovered high above Krum, marking thespot where he lay.Harry and Cedric stood there in the darkness for a moment, looking around them.Then Cedric said, \"Well... I s'pose we'd better go on. . . .\"\"What?\" said Harry. \"Oh . . . yeah . . . right. . .\"It was an odd moment. He and Cedric had been briefly united against Krum - nowthe fact that they were opponents came back to Harry. The two of them proceededup the dark path without speaking, then Harry turned left, and Cedric right.Cedric's footsteps soon died away.Harry moved on, continuing to use the Four-Point Spell, making sure he wasmoving in the right direction. It was between him and Cedric now. His desire toreach the cup first was now burning stronger than ever, but he could hardly believewhat he'd just seen Krum do. The use of an Unforgivable Curse on a fellow humanbeing meant a life term in Azkaban, that was what Moody had told them. Krumsurely couldn't have wanted the Triwizard Cup that badly....Harry sped up.Every so often he hit more dead ends, but the increasing darkness made him feelsure he was getting near the heart of the maze. Then, as he strode down a long,straight path, he saw movement once again, and his beam of wandlight hit anextraordinary creature, one which he had only seen in picture form, in his MonsterBook of Monsters.It was a sphinx. It had the body of an over-large lion: great clawed paws and along yellowish tail ending in a brown tuft. Its head, however, was that of a woman.She turned her long, almond-shaped eyes upon Harry as he approached. He raisedhis wand, hesitating. She was not crouching as if to spring, but pacing from side toside of the path, blocking his progress. Then she spoke, in a deep, hoarse voice.\"You are very near your goal. The quickest way is past me.\"\"So ... so will you move, please?\" said Harry, knowing what the answer was goingto be.\"No,\" she said, continuing to pace. \"Not unless you can answer my riddle. Answeron your first guess - I let you pass. Answer wrongly - I attack. Remain silent - Iwill let you walk away from me unscathed.\"Harry's stomach slipped several notches. It was Hermione who was good at thissort of thing, not him. He weighed his chances. If the riddle was too hard, he couldkeep silent, get away from the sphinx unharmed, and try and find an alternativeroute to the center.\"Okay,\" he said. \"Can I hear the riddle?\"The sphinx sat down upon her hind legs, in the very middle of the path, and 406

recited:\"First think of the person who lives in disguise,Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies.Next, tell me what's always the last thing to mend,The middle of middle and end of the end?And finally give me the sound often heardDuring the search for a hard-to-find word.Now string them together, and answer me this,Which creature would you be unwilling to kiss?\"Harry gaped at her.\"Could I have it again . . . more slowly?\" he asked tentatively. She blinked at him,smiled, and repeated the poem. \"All the clues add up to a creature I wouldn't wantto kiss?\" Harry asked.She merely smiled her mysterious smile. Harry took that for a \"yes.\" Harry cast hismind around. There were plenty of animals he wouldn't want to kiss; hisimmediate thought was a Blast-Ended Skrewt, but something told him that wasn'tthe answer. He'd have to try and work out the clues. . . .\"A person in disguise,\" Harry muttered, staring at her, \"who lies ... er ... that'd be a- an impostor. No, that's not my guess! A - a spy? I'll come back to that. . . couldyou give me the next clue again, please?\"She repeated the next lines of the poem.\"'The last thing to mend,'\" Harry repeated. \"Er ... no idea . . . 'middle of middle' . . .could I have the last bit again?\"She gave him the last four lines.\"'The sound often heard during the search for a hard-to-find word,'\" said Harry.\"Er . . . that'd be ... er ... hang on - 'er'! Er's a sound!\"The sphinx smiled at him.\"Spy ... er ... spy ... er ...\" said Harry, pacing up and down. \"A creature I wouldn'twant to kiss . . . a spider!\"The sphinx smiled more broadly. She got up, stretched her front legs, and thenmoved aside for him to pass.\"Thanks!\" said Harry, and, amazed at his own brilliance, he dashed forward. 407

He had to be close now, he had to be. ... His wand was telling him he was bang oncourse; as long as he didn't meet anything too horrible, he might have a chance. . ..Harry broke into a run. He had a choice of paths up ahead. \"Point Me!\" hewhispered again to his wand, and it spun around and pointed him to the right-handone. He dashed up this one and saw light ahead.The Triwizard Cup was gleaming on a plinth a hundred yards away. Suddenly adark figure hurtled out onto the path in front of him.Cedric was going to get there first. Cedric was sprinting as fast as he could towardthe cup, and Harry knew he would never catch up, Cedric was much taller, hadmuch longer legs -Then Harry saw something immense over a hedge to his left, moving quicklyalong a path that intersected with his own; it was moving so fast Cedric was aboutto run into it, and Cedric, his eyes on the cup, had not seen it -\"Cedric!\" Harry bellowed. \"On your left!\"Cedric looked around just in time to hurl himself past the thing and avoid collidingwith it, but in his haste, he tripped. Harry saw Cedric's wand fly out of his hand asa gigantic spider stepped into the path and began to bear down upon Cedric.\"Stupefy!\" Harry yelled; the spell hit the spider's gigantic, hairy black body, butfor all the good it did, he might as well have thrown a stone at it; the spider jerked,scuttled around, and ran at Harry instead.\"Stupefy! Impedimenta! Stupefy!\"But it was no use - the spider was either so large, or so magical, that the spellswere doing no more than aggravating it. Harry had one horrifying glimpse of eightshining black eyes and razor-sharp pincers before it was upon him.He was lifted into the air in its front legs; struggling madly, he tried to kick it; hisleg connected with the pincers and next moment he was in excruciating pain. Hecould hear Cedric yelling \"Stupefy!\" too, but his spell had no more effect thanHarry's - Harry raised his wand as the spider opened its pincers once more andshouted \"Expelliarmus!\"It worked - the Disarming Spell made the spider drop him, but that meant thatHarry fell twelve feet onto his already injured leg, which crumpled beneath him.Without pausing to think, he aimed high at the spider's underbelly, as he had donewith the skrewt, and shouted \"Stupefy!''just as Cedric yelled the same thing.The two spells combined did what one alone had not: The spider keeled oversideways, flattening a nearby hedge, and strewing the path with a tangle of hairylegs. 408

\"Harry!\" he heard Cedric shouting. \"You all right? Did it fall on you?\"\"No,\" Harry called back, panting. He looked down at his leg. It was bleedingfreely. He could see some sort of thick, gluey secretion from the spider's pincerson his torn robes. He tried to get up, but his leg was shaking badly and did notwant to support his weight. He leaned against the hedge, gasping for breath, andlooked around.Cedric was standing feet from the Triwizard Cup, which was gleaming behindhim.\"Take it, then,\" Harry panted to Cedric. \"Go on, take it. You're there.\"But Cedric didn't move. He merely stood there, looking at Harry. Then he turnedto stare at the cup. Harry saw the longing expression on his face in its golden light.Cedric looked around at Harry again, who was now holding onto the hedge tosupport himself. Cedric took a deep breath.\"You take it. You should win. That's twice you've saved my neck in here.\"\"That's not how it's supposed to work,\" Harry said. He felt angry; his leg was verypainful, he was aching all over from trying to throw off the spider, and after all hisefforts, Cedric had beaten him to it, just as he'd beaten Harry to ask Cho to theball. \"The one who reaches the cup first gets the points. That's you. I'm telling you,I'm not going to win any races on this leg.\"Cedric took a few paces nearer to the Stunned spider, away from the cup, shakinghis head.\"No,\" he said.\"Stop being noble,\" said Harry irritably. \"Just take it, then we can get out of here.\"Cedric watched Harry steadying himself, holding tight to the hedge.\"You told me about the dragons,\" Cedric said. \"I would've gone down in the firsttask if you hadn't told me what was coming.\"\"I had help on that too,\" Harry snapped, trying to mop up his bloody leg with hisrobes. \"You helped me with the egg - we're square.\"\"I had help on the egg in the first place,\" said Cedric.\"We're still square,\" said Harry, testing his leg gingerly; it shook violently as heput weight on it; he had sprained his ankle when the spider had dropped him.\"You should've got more points on the second task,\" said Cedric mulishly. \"Youstayed behind to get all the hostages. I should've done that.\"\"I was the only one who was thick enough to take that song seriously!\" said Harrybitterly. \"Just take the cup!\" 409

\"No,\" said Cedric.He stepped over the spider's tangled legs to join Harry, who stared at him. Cedricwas serious. He was walking away from the sort of glory Hufflepuff House hadn'thad in centuries.\"Go on,\" Cedric said. He looked as though this was costing him every ounce ofresolution he had, but his face was set, his arms were folded, he seemed decided.Harry looked from Cedric to the cup. For one shining moment, he saw himselfemerging from the maze, holding it. He saw himself holding the Triwizard Cupaloft, heard the roar of the crowd, saw Cho's face shining with admiration, moreclearly than he had ever seen it before . . . and then the picture faded, and he foundhimself staring at Cedric's shadowy, stubborn face.\"Both of us,\" Harry said.\"What?\"\"We'll take it at the same time. It's still a Hogwarts victory. We'll tie for it.\"Cedric stared at Harry. He unfolded his arms.\"You - you sure?\"\"Yeah,\" said Harry. \"Yeah . . . we've helped each other out, haven't we? We bothgot here. Let's just take it together.\"For a moment, Cedric looked as though he couldn't believe his ears; then his facesplit in a grin.\"You're on,\" he said. \"Come here.\"He grabbed Harrys arm below the shoulder and helped Harry limp toward theplinth where the cup stood. When they had reached it, they both held a hand outover one of the cup's gleaming handles.\"On three, right?\" said Harry. \"One - two - three -\"He and Cedric both grasped a handle.Instantly, Harry felt a jerk somewhere behind his navel. His feet had left theground. He could not unclench the hand holding the Triwizard Cup; it was pullinghim onward in a howl of wind and swirling color, Cedric at his side. 410

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO - FLESH, BLOOD, AND BONEHarry felt his feet slam into the ground; his injured leg gave way, and he fellforward; his hand let go of the Triwizard Cup at last. He raised his head.\"Where are we?\" he said.Cedric shook his head. He got up, pulled Harry to his feet, and they lookedaround.They had left the Hogwarts grounds completely; they had obviously traveled miles- perhaps hundreds of miles - for even the mountains surrounding the castle weregone. They were standing instead in a dark and overgrown graveyard; the blackoutline of a small church was visible beyond a large yew tree to their right. A hillrose above them to their left. Harry could just make out the outline of a fine oldhouse on the hillside.Cedric looked down at the Triwizard Cup and then up at Harry.\"Did anyone tell you the cup was a Portkey?\" he asked.\"Nope,\" said Harry. He was looking around the graveyard. It was completely silentand slightly eerie. \"Is this supposed to be part of the task?\"\"I dunno,\" said Cedric. He sounded slightly nervous. \"Wands out, d'you reckon?\"\"Yeah,\" said Harry, glad that Cedric had made the suggestion rather than him.They pulled out their wands. Harry kept looking around him. He had, yet again,the strange feeling that they were being watched.\"Someone's coming,\" he said suddenly.Squinting tensely through the darkness, they watched the figure drawing nearer,walking steadily toward them between the graves. Harry couldn't make out a face,but from the way it was walking and holding its arms, he could tell that it wascarrying something. Whoever it was, he was short, and wearing a hooded cloakpulled up over his head to obscure his face. And - several paces nearer, the gapbetween them closing all the time - Harry saw that the thing in the persons armslooked like a baby ... or was it merely a bundle of robes?Harry lowered his wand slightly and glanced sideways at Cedric. Cedric shot hima quizzical look. They both turned back to watch the approaching figure.It stopped beside a towering marble headstone, only six feet from them. For asecond. Harry and Cedric and the short figure simply looked at one another.And then, without warning, Harry's scar exploded with pain. It was agony such as 411

he had never felt in all his life; his wand slipped from his fingers as he put hishands over his face; his knees buckled; he was on the ground and he could seenothing at all; his head was about to split open.From far away, above his head, he heard a high, cold voice say, \"Kill the spare.\"A swishing noise and a second voice, which screeched the words to the night:\"Avada Kedavra!\"A blast of green light blazed through Harry's eyelids, and he heard somethingheavy fall to the ground beside him; the pain in his scar reached such a pitch thathe retched, and then it diminished; terrified of what he was about to see, he openedhis stinging eyes.Cedric was lying spread-eagled on the ground beside him. He was dead.For a second that contained an eternity, Harry stared into Cedric's face, at his opengray eyes, blank and expressionless as the windows of a deserted house, at hishalf-open mouth, which looked slightly surprised. And then, before Harry's mindhad accepted what he was seeing, before he could feel anything but numbdisbelief, he felt himself being pulled to his feet.The short man in the cloak had put down his bundle, lit his wand, and wasdragging Harry toward the marble headstone. Harry saw the name upon itflickering in the wandlight before he was forced around and slammed against it.TOM RIDDLEThe cloaked man was now conjuring tight cords around Harry, tying him fromneck to ankles to the headstone. Harry could hear shallow, fast breathing from thedepths of the hood; he struggled, and the man hit him - hit him with a hand thathad a finger missing. And Harry realized who was under the hood. It wasWormtail.\"You!\" he gasped.But Wormtail, who had finished conjuring the ropes, did not reply; he was busychecking the tightness of the cords, his fingers trembling uncontrollably, rumblingover the knots. Once sure that Harry was bound so tightly to the headstone that hecouldn't move an inch, Wormtail drew a length of some black material from theinside of his cloak and stuffed it roughly into Harry's mouth; then, without a word,he turned from Harry and hurried away. Harry couldn't make a sound, nor could hesee where Wormtail had gone; he couldn't turn his head to see beyond theheadstone; he could see only what was right in front of him.Cedric's body was lying some twenty feet away. Some way beyond him, glintingin the starlight, lay the Triwizard Cup. Harry's wand was on the ground at Cedric'sfeet. The bundle of robes that Harry had thought was a baby was close by, at thefoot of the grave. It seemed to be stirring fretfully. Harry watched it, and his scar 412

seared with pain again . . . and he suddenly knew that he didn't want to see whatwas in those robes ... he didn't want that bundle opened....He could hear noises at his feet. He looked down and saw a gigantic snakeslithering through the grass, circling the headstone where he was tied. Wormtail'sfast, wheezy breathing was growing louder again. It sounded as though he wasforcing something heavy across the ground. Then he came back within Harry'srange of vision, and Harry saw him pushing a stone cauldron to the foot of thegrave. It was full of what seemed to be water - Harry could hear it slopping around- and it was larger than any cauldron Harry had ever used; a great stone belly largeenough for a full-grown man to sit in.The thing inside the bundle of robes on the ground was stirring more persistently,as though it was trying to free itself. Now Wormtail was busying himself at thebottom of the cauldron with a wand. Suddenly there were crackling names beneathit. The large snake slithered away into the darkness.The liquid in the cauldron seemed to heat very fast. The surface began not only tobubble, but to send out fiery sparks, as though it were on fire. Steam wasthickening, blurring the outline of Wormtail tending the fire. The movementsbeneath the robes became more agitated. And Harry heard the high, cold voiceagain.\"Hurry!\"The whole surface of the water was alight with sparks now. It might have beenencrusted with diamonds.\"It is ready. Master.\"\"Now ...\" said the cold voice.Wormtail pulled open the robes on the ground, revealing what was inside them,and Harry let out a yell that was strangled in the wad of material blocking hismouth.It was as though Wormtail had flipped over a stone and revealed something ugly,slimy, and blind - but worse, a hundred times worse. The thing Wormtail had beencarrying had the shape of a crouched human child, except that Harry had neverseen anything less like a child. It was hairless and scaly-looking, a dark, raw,reddish black. Its arms and legs were thin and feeble, and its face - no child aliveever had a face like that - flat and snakelike, with gleaming red eyes.The thing seemed almost helpless; it raised its thin arms, put them aroundWormtail's neck, and Wormtail lifted it. As he did so, his hood fell back, andHarry saw the look of revulsion on Wormtail's weak, pale face in the firelight ashe carried the creature to the rim of the cauldron. For one moment, Harry saw theevil, flat face illuminated in the sparks dancing on the surface of the potion. Andthen Wormtail lowered the creature into the cauldron; there was a hiss, and it 413

vanished below the surface; Harry heard its frail body hit the bottom with a softthud.Let it drown, Harry thought, his scar burning almost past endurance, please. . . letit drown. . . .Wormtail was speaking. His voice shook; he seemed frightened beyond his wits.He raised his wand, closed his eyes, and spoke to the night.\"Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you wil lrenew your son!\"The surface of the grave at Harry's feet cracked. Horrified, Harry watched as a finetrickle of dust rose into the air at Wormtail's command and fell softly into thecauldron. The diamond surface of the water broke and hissed; it sent sparks in alldirections and turned a vivid, poisonous-looking blue.And now Wormtail was whimpering. He pulled a long, thin, shining silver daggerfrom inside his cloak. His voice broke into petrified sobs.\"Flesh - of the servant - w-willingly given - you will - revive - your master. \"He stretched his right hand out in front of him - the hand with the missing finger.He gripped the dagger very tightly in his left hand and swung it upward.Harry realized what Wormtail was about to do a second before it happened - heclosed his eyes as tightly as he could, but he could not block the scream thatpierced the night, that went through Harry as though he had been stabbed with thedagger too. He heard something fall to the ground, heard Wormtail's anguishedpanting, then a sickening splash, as something was dropped into the cauldron.Harry couldn't stand to look . . . but the potion had turned a burning red; the lightof it shone through Harry's closed eyelids. . . .Wormtail was gasping and moaning with agony. Not until Harry felt Wormtail'sanguished breath on his face did he realize that Wormtail was right in front of him.\"B-blood of the enemy . . . forcibly taken .. . you will. . . resurrect your foe.\"Harry could do nothing to prevent it, he was tied too tightly. . .. Squinting down,struggling hopelessly at the ropes binding him, he saw the shining silver daggershaking in Wormtails remaining hand. He felt its point penetrate the crook of hisright arm and blood seeping down the sleeve of his torn robes. Wormtail, stillpanting with pain, rumbled in his pocket for a glass vial and held it to Harry's cut,so that a dribble of blood fell into it.He staggered back to the cauldron with Harrys blood. He poured it inside. Theliquid within turned, instantly, a blinding white. Wormtail, his job done, droppedto his knees beside the cauldron, then slumped sideways and lay on the ground,cradling the bleeding stump of his arm, gasping and sobbing.The cauldron was simmering, sending its diamond sparks in all directions, so 414

blindingly bright that it turned all else to velvety blackness. Nothing happened. . . .Let it have drowned. Harry thought, let it have gone wrong. . . •And then, suddenly, the sparks emanating from the cauldron were extinguished. Asurge of white steam billowed thickly from the cauldron instead, obliteratingeverything in front of Harry, so that he couldn't see Wormtail or Cedric oranything but vapor hanging in the air. ... It's gone wrong, he thought. . . it'sdrowned. .. please . . . please let it be dead. ...But then, through the mist in front of him, he saw, with an icy surge of terror, thedark outline of a man, tall and skeletally thin, rising slowly from inside thecauldron.\"Robe me,\" said the high, cold voice from behind the steam, and Wormtail,sobbing and moaning, still cradling his mutilated arm, scrambled to pick up theblack robes from the ground, got to his feet, reached up, and pulled them one-handed over his master's head.The thin man stepped out of the cauldron, staring at Harry . . . and Harry staredback into the face that had haunted his nightmares for three years. Whiter than askull, with wide, livid scarlet eyes and a nose that was flat as a snakes with slitsfor nostrils . . .Lord Voldemort had risen again. 415

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE - THE DEATH EATERSVoldemort looked away from Harry and began examining his own body. Hishands were like large, pale spiders; his long white fingers caressed his own chest,his arms, his face; the red eyes, whose pupils were slits, like a cats, gleamed stillmore brightly through the darkness. He held up his hands and flexed the fingers,his expression rapt and exultant. He took not the slightest notice of Wormtail, wholay twitching and bleeding on the ground, nor of the great snake, which hadslithered back into sight and was circling Harry again, hissing. Voldemort slippedone of those unnaturally long-fingered hands into a deep pocket and drew out awand. He caressed it gently too; and then he raised it, and pointed it at Wormtail,who was lifted off the ground and thrown against the headstone where Harry wastied; he fell to the foot of it and lay there, crumpled up and crying. Voldemortturned his scarlet eyes upon Harry, laughing a high, cold, mirthless laugh.Wormtail's robes were shining with blood now; he had wrapped the stump of hisarm in them.\"My Lord . . .\" he choked, \"my Lord . . . you promised . . . you did promise ...\"\"Hold out your arm,\" said Voldemort lazily.\"Oh Master . . . thank you, Master ...\"He extended the bleeding stump, but Voldemort laughed again.\"The other arm, Wormtail.\"\"Master, please . . .please ...\"Voldemort bent down and pulled out Wormtail's left arm; he forced the sleeve ofWormtail's robes up past his elbow, and Harry saw something upon the skin there,something like a vivid red tattoo - a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth -the image that had appeared in the sky at the Quidditch World Cup: the DarkMark. Voldemort examined it carefully, ignoring Wormtail's uncontrollableweeping.\"It is back,\" he said softly, \"they will all have noticed it... and now, we shall see ...now we shall know ...\"He pressed his long white forefinger to the brand on Wormtail's arm.The scar on Harry s forehead seared with a sharp pain again, and Wormtail let outa fresh howl; Voldemort removed his fingers from Wormtail's mark, and Harrysaw that it had turned jet black.A look of cruel satisfaction on his face, Voldemort straightened up, threw back his 416

head, and stared around at the dark graveyard.\"How many will be brave enough to return when they feel it?\" he whispered, hisgleaming red eyes fixed upon the stars. \"And how many will be foolish enough tostay away?\"He began to pace up and down before Harry and Wormtail, eyes sweeping thegraveyard all the while. After a minute or so, he looked down at Harry again, acruel smile twisting his snakelike face.\"You stand, Harry Potter, upon the remains of my late father,\" he hissed softly. \"AMuggle and a fool. . . very like your dear mother. But they both had their uses, didthey not? Your mother died to defend you as a child . . . and I killed my father, andsee how useful he has proved himself, in death. ...\"Voldemort laughed again. Up and down he paced, looking all around him as hewalked, and the snake continued to circle in the grass.\"You see that house upon the hillside, Potter? My father lived there. My mother, awitch who lived here in this village, fell in love with him. But he abandoned herwhen she told him what she was. ... He didn't like magic, my father . . .\"He left her and returned to his Muggle parents before I was even born. Potter, andshe died giving birth to me, leaving me to be raised in a Muggle orphanage . . . butI vowed to find him ... I revenged myself upon him, that fool who gave me hisname . . . Tom Riddle. . . .\"Still he paced, his red eyes darting from grave to grave.\"Listen to me, reliving family history . . .\" he said quietly, \"why, I am growingquite sentimental. . . . But look, Harry! My true family returns. . . .\"The air was suddenly full of the swishing of cloaks. Between graves, behind theyew tree, in every shadowy space, wizards were Apparating. All of them werehooded and masked. And one by one they moved forward . . . slowly, cautiously,as though they couldhardly believe their eyes Voldemort stood in silence, waiting for them. Then oneof the Death Eaters fell to his knees, crawled toward Voldemort and kissed thehem of his black robes.Master . . . Master \" he murmured.The Death Eaters behind him did the same; each of them approaching Voldemorton his knees and kissing his robes, before backing away and standing up, forminga silent circle, which enclosed Tom Riddle s grave, Harry, Voldemort, and thesobbing and twitching heap that was Wormtail. Yet they left gaps in the circle, asthough waiting for more people. Voldemort, however, did not seem to expectmore. He looked around at the hooded faces, and though there was no windrustling seemed to run around the circle, as though it had shivered. 417

\"Welcome, Death Eaters,\" said Voldemort quietly. \"Thirteen years. . . thirteenyears since last we met. Yet you answer my call as though it were yesterday, weare still united under the Dark Mark, then! Or are we?\"He put back his terrible face and sniffed, his slit-like nostrils widening.\"I smell guilt,\" he said. \"There is a stench or guilt upon the air.A second shiver ran around the circle, as though each member of it longed, but didnot dare to step back from him.\"I see you all, whole and healthy, with your powers intact - such promptappearances! and I ask myself . . . why did this band of wizards never come to theaid of their master, to whom they swore eternal loyalty?\"No one spoke. No one moved except Wormtail, who was upon the ground, stillsobbing over his bleeding arm.\"And I answer myself,\" whispered Voldemort, \"they must have believed mebroken, they thought I was gone. They slipped back among my enemies, and theypleaded innocence, and ignorance, and bewitchment. . . .\"And then I ask myself, but how could they have believed I would not rise again?They, who knew the steps I took, long ago, to guard myself against mortal death?They, who had seen proofs of the immensity of my power in the times when I wasmightier than any wizard living?\"And I answer myself, perhaps they believed a still greater power could exist, onethat could vanquish even Lord Voldemort. . . perhaps they now pay allegiance toanother . . . perhaps that champion of commoners, of Mudbloods and Muggles,Albus Dumbledore?\"At the mention of Dumbledore's name, the members of the circle stirred, and somemuttered and shook their heads. Voldemort ignored them.\"It is a disappointment to me ... I confess myself disappointed. . . .\"One of the men suddenly flung himself forward, breaking the circle. Tremblingfrom head to foot, he collapsed at Voldemort's feet.\"Master!\" he shrieked, \"Master, forgive me! Forgive us all!\"Voldemort began to laugh. He raised his wand.\"Crucio!\"The Death Eater on the ground writhed and shrieked; Harry was sure the soundmust carry to the houses around. . . . Let the police come, he thought desperately . .. anyone . .. anything. . .Voldemort raised his wand. The tortured Death Eater lay flat upon the ground, 418

gasping.\"Get up, Avery,\" said Voldemort softly. \"Stand up. You ask for forgiveness? I donot forgive. I do not forget. Thirteen long years ... I want thirteen years' repaymentbefore I forgive you. Wormtail here has paid some of his debt already, have younot, Wormtail?\"He looked down at Wormtail, who continued to sob.\"You returned to me, not out of loyalty, but out of fear of your old friends. Youdeserve this pain, Wormtail. You know that, don't you?\"\"Yes, Master,\" moaned Wormtail, \"please. Master . . . please ...\"\"Yet you helped return me to my body,\" said Voldemort coolly, watchingWormtail sob on the ground. \"Worthless and traitorous as you are, you helped me... and Lord Voldemort rewards his helpers... .\"Voldemort raised his wand again and whirled it through the air. A streak of whatlooked like molten silver hung shining in the wand's wake. Momentarilyshapeless, it writhed and then formed itself into a gleaming replica of a humanhand, bright as moonlight, which soared downward and fixed itself uponWormtails bleeding wrist.Wormtail's sobbing stopped abruptly. His breathing harsh and ragged, he raisedhis head and stared in disbelief at the silver hand, now attached seamlessly to hisarm, as though he were wearing a dazzling glove. He flexed the shining fingers,then, trembling, picked up a small twig on the ground and crushed it into powder.\"My Lord,\" he whispered. \"Master ... it is beautiful. . . thank you... thank you. ...\"He scrambled forward on his knees and kissed the hem of Voldemort's robes.\"May your loyalty never waver again, Wormtail,\" said Voldemort.\"No, my Lord . . . never, my Lord . . .\"Wormtail stood up and took his place in the circle, staring at his powerful newhand, his face still shining with tears. Voldemort now approached the man onWormtail's right.\"Lucius, my slippery friend,\" he whispered, halting before him. \"I am told that youhave not renounced the old ways, though to the world you present a respectableface. You are still ready to take the lead in a spot of Muggle-torture, I believe? Yetyou never tried to find me, Lucius. . . . Your exploits at the Quidditch World Cupwere fun, I daresay. . . but might not your energies have been better directedtoward finding and aiding your master?\"\"My Lord, I was constantly on the alert,\" came Lucius Malfoy's voice swiftly frombeneath the hood. \"Had there been any sign from you, any whisper of your 419

whereabouts, I would have been at your side immediately, nothing could haveprevented me -\"\"And yet you ran from my Mark, when a faithful Death Eater sent it into the skylast summer?\" said Voldemort lazily, and Mr. Malfoy stopped talking abruptly.\"Yes, I know all about that, Lucius. . . . You have disappointed me. ... I expectmore faithful service in the future.\"\"Of course, my Lord, of course. . . . You are merciful, thank you. ...\"Voldemort moved on, and stopped, staring at the space - large enough for twopeople - that separated Malfoy and the next man.\"The Lestranges should stand here,\" said Voldemort quietly. \"But they areentombed in Azkaban. They were faithful. They went to Azkaban rather thanrenounce me. . . . When Azkaban is broken open, the Lestranges will be honoredbeyond their dreams. The dementors will join us ... they are our natural allies ... wewill recall the banished giants ... I shall have all my devoted servants returned tome, and an army of creatures whom all fear. ...\"He walked on. Some of the Death Eaters he passed in silence, but he pausedbefore others and spoke to them.\"Macnair . . . destroying dangerous beasts for the Ministry of Magic now,Wormtail tells me? You shall have better victims than that soon, Macnair. LordVoldemort will provide. ...\"\"Thank you, Master . . . thank you,\" murmured Macnair.\"And here\" - Voldemort moved on to the two largest hooded figures - \"we haveCrabbe . . . you will do better this time, will you not, Crabbe? And you, Goyle?\"They bowed clumsily, muttering dully.\"Yes, Master ...\"\"We will, Master....\"\"The same goes for you, Nott,\" said Voldemort quietly as he walked past astooped figure in Mr. Goyles shadow.\"My Lord, I prostrate myself before you, I am your most faithful -\"\"That will do,\" said Voldemort.He had reached the largest gap of all, and he stood surveying it with his blank, redeyes, as though he could see people standing there.\"And here we have six missing Death Eaters . . . three dead in my service. One,too cowardly to return ... he will pay. One, who I believe has left me forever ... hewill be killed, of course . . . and one, who remains my most faithful servant, and 420

who has already reentered my service.\"The Death Eaters stirred, and Harry saw their eyes dart sideways at one anotherthrough their masks.\"He is at Hogwarts, that faithful servant, and it was through his efforts that ouryoung friend arrived here tonight. . . .\"Yes,\" said Voldemort, a grin curling his lipless mouth as the eyes of the circleflashed in Harry's direction. \"Harry Potter has kindly joined us for my rebirthingparty. One might go so far as to call him my guest of honor.\"There was a silence. Then the Death Eater to the right of Wormtail steppedforward, and Lucius Malfoy's voice spoke from under the mask.\"Master, we crave to know ... we beg you to tell us ... how you have achieved this .. . this miracle . . . how you managed to return to us. .. .\"\"Ah, what a story it is, Lucius,\" said Voldemort. \"And it begins - and ends - withmy young friend here.\"He walked lazily over to stand next to Harry, so that the eyes of the whole circlewere upon the two of them. The snake continued to circle.\"You know, of course, that they have called this boy my downfall?\" Voldemortsaid softly, his red eyes upon Harry, whose scar began to burn so fiercely that healmost screamed in agony. \"You all know that on the night I lost my powers andmy body, I tried to kill him. His mother died in the attempt to save him - andunwittingly provided him with a protection I admit I had not foreseen. ... I couldnot touch the boy.\"Voldemort raised one of his long white fingers and put it very close to Harry'scheek.\"His mother left upon him the traces other sacrifice. . . . This is old magic, I shouldhave remembered it, I was foolish to overlook it... but no matter. I can touch himnow.\"Harry felt the cold tip of the long white finger touch him, and thought his headwould burst with the pain. Voldemort laughed softly in his ear, then took thefinger away and continued addressing the Death Eaters.\"I miscalculated, my friends, I admit it. My curse was deflected by the woman'sfoolish sacrifice, and it rebounded upon myself. Aaah . . . pain beyond pain, myfriends; nothing could have prepared me for it. I was ripped from my body, I wasless than spirit, less than the meanest ghost. . . but still, I was alive. What I was,even I do not know... I, who have gone further than anybody along the path thatleads to immortality. You know my goal - to conquer death. And now, I wastested, and it appeared that one or more of my experiments had worked ... for I hadnot been killed, though the curse should have done it. Nevertheless, I was as 421

powerless as the weakest creature alive, and without the means to help myself...for I had no body, and every spell that might have helped me required the use of awand. . . .\"I remember only forcing myself, sleeplessly, endlessly, second by second, toexist. ... I settled in a faraway place, in a forest, and I waited. . . . Surely, one ofmy faithful Death Eaters would try and find me. . . one of them would come andperform the magic I could not, to restore me to a body . . , but I waited in vain. ...\"The shiver ran once more around the circle of listening Death Eaters. Voldemortlet the silence spiral horribly before continuing.\"Only one power remained to me. I could possess the bodies of others. But I darednot go where other humans were plentiful, for I knew that the Aurors were stillabroad and searching for me.I sometimes inhabited animals - snakes, of course, being my preference - but I waslittle better off inside them than as pure spirit, for their bodies were ill adapted toperform magic . . . and my possession of them shortened their lives; none of themlasted long. . . .\"Then . . . four years ago . . . the means for my return seemed assured. A wizard -young, foolish, and gullible - wandered across my path in the forest I had mademy home. Oh, he seemed the very chance I had been dreaming of... for he was ateacher at Dumbledore's school... he was easy to bend to my will... he brought meback to this country, and after a while, I took possession of his body, to supervisehim closely as he carried out my orders. But my plan failed. I did not manage tosteal the Sorcerer's Stone. I was not to be assured immortal life. I was thwarted . . .thwarted, once again, by Harry Potter. ...\"Silence once more; nothing was stirring, not even the leaves on the yew tree. TheDeath Eaters were quite motionless, the glittering eyes in their masks fixed uponVoldemort, and upon Harry.\"The servant died when I left his body, and I was left as weak as ever I had been,\"Voldemort continued. \"I returned to my hiding place far away, and I will notpretend to you that I didn't then fear that I might never regain my powers. . . . Yes,that was perhaps my darkest hour... I could not hope that I would be sent anotherwizard to possess . . . and I had given up hope, now, that any of my Death Eaterscared what had become of me. ...\"One or two of the masked wizards in the circle moved uncomfortably, butVoldemort took no notice.\"And then, not even a year ago, when I had almost abandoned hope, it happened atlast... a servant returned to me. Wormtail here, who had faked his own death toescape justice, was driven out of hiding by those he had once counted friends, anddecided to return to his master. He sought me in the country where it had longbeen rumored I was hiding . . . helped, of course, by the rats he met along the way. 422

Wormtail has a curious affinity with rats, do you not, Wormtail? His filthy littlefriends told him there was a place, deep in an Albanian forest, that they avoided,where small animals like themselves had met their deaths by a dark shadow thatpossessed them. . . .\"But his journey back to me was not smooth, was it, Wormtail? For, hungry onenight, on the edge of the very forest where he had hoped to find me, he foolishlystopped at an inn for some food . . . and who should he meet there, but one BerthaJorkins, a witch from the Ministry of Magic.\"Now see the way that fate favors Lord Voldemort. This might have been the endof Wormtail, and of my last hope for regeneration. But Wormtail - displaying apresence of mind I would never have expected from him - convinced BerthaJorkins to accompany him on a nighttime stroll. He overpowered her ... he broughther to me. And Bertha Jorkins, who might have ruined all, proved instead to be agift beyond my wildest dreams ... for - with a little persuasion - she became averitable mine of information.\"She told me that the Triwizard Tournament would be played at Hogwarts thisyear. She told me that she knew of a faithful Death Eater who would be only toowilling to help me, if I could only contact him. She told me many things. . . but themeans I used to break the Memory Charm upon her were powerful, and when Ihad extracted all useful information from her, her mind and body were bothdamaged beyond repair. She had now served her purpose. I could not possess her.I disposed of her.\"Voldemort smiled his terrible smile, his red eyes blank and pitiless.\"Wormtail's body, of course, was ill adapted for possession, as all assumed himdead, and would attract far too much attention if noticed. However, he was theable-bodied servant I needed, and, poor wizard though he is, Wormtail was able tofollow the instructions I gave him, which would return me to a rudimentary, weakbody of my own, a body I would be able to inhabit while awaiting the essentialingredients for true rebirth ... a spell or two of my own invention ... a little helpfrom my dear Nagini,\" Voldemorts red eyes fell upon the continually circlingsnake, \"a potion concocted from unicorn blood, and the snake venom Naginiprovided ... I was soon returned to an almost human form, and strong enough totravel.\"There was no hope of stealing the Sorcerer's Stone anymore, for I knew thatDumbledore would have seen to it that it was destroyed. But I was willing toembrace mortal life again, before chasing immortality. I set my sights lower ... Iwould settle for my old body back again, and my old strength.\"I knew that to achieve this - it is an old piece of Dark Magic, the potion thatrevived me tonight - I would need three powerful ingredients. Well, one of themwas already at hand, was it not, Wormtail? Flesh given by a servant. . . . 423

\"My father's bone, naturally, meant that we would have to come here, where hewas buried. But the blood of a foe ... Wormtail would have had me use anywizard, would you not, Wormtail? Any wizard who had hated me ... as so many ofthem still do. But I knew the one I must use, if I was to rise again, more powerfulthan I had been when I had fallen. I wanted Harry Potters blood. I wanted theblood of the one who had stripped me of power thirteen years ago . . . for thelingering protection his mother once gave him would then reside in my veins too. .\"But how to get at Harry Potter? For he has been better protected than I think evenhe knows, protected in ways devised by Dumbledore long ago, when it fell to himto arrange the boy's future. Dumbledore invoked an ancient magic, to ensure theboy's protection as long as he is in his relations' care. Not even I can touch himthere. . . . Then, of course, there was the Quidditch World Cup. ... I thought hisprotection might be weaker there, away from his relations and Dumbledore, but Iwas not yet strong enough to attempt kidnap in the midst of a horde of Ministrywizards. And then, the boy would return to Hogwarts, where he is under thecrooked nose of that Muggle-loving fool from morning until night. So how could Itake him?\"Why ... by using Bertha Jorkins's information, of course. Use my one faithfulDeath Eater, stationed at Hogwarts, to ensure that the boy's name was entered intothe Goblet of Fire. Use my Death Eater to ensure that the boy won the tournament- that he touched the Triwizard Cup first - the cup which my Death Eater hadturned into a Portkey, which would bring him here, beyond the reach ofDumbledore's help and protection, and into my waiting arms. And here he is ... theboy you all believed had been my downfall. ...\"Voldemort moved slowly forward and turned to face Harry. He raised his wand.\"Crucio!\"It was pain beyond anything Harry had ever experienced; his very bones were onfire; his head was surely splitting along his scar; his eyes were rolling madly in hishead; he wanted it to end ... to black out... to die ...And then it was gone. He was hanging limply in the ropes binding him to theheadstone of Voldemort's father, looking up into those bright red eyes through akind of mist. The night was ringing with the sound of the Death Eaters' laughter.\"You see, I think, how foolish it was to suppose that this boy could ever have beenstronger than me,\" said Voldemort. \"But I want there to be no mistake inanybody's mind. Harry Potter escaped me by a lucky chance. And I am now goingto prove my power by killing him, here and now, in front of you all, when there isno Dumbledore to help him, and no mother to die for him. I will give him hischance. He will be allowed to fight, and you will be left in no doubt which of us isthe stronger. Just a little longer, Nagini,\" he whispered, and the snake glided awaythrough the grass to where the Death Eaters stood watching. 424

\"Now untie him, Wormtail, and give him back his wand.\" 425

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR - PRIORI INCANTATEMWormtail approached Harry, who scrambled to find his feet, to support his ownweight before the ropes were untied. Wormtail raised his new silver hand, pulledout the wad of material gagging Harry, and then, with one swipe, cut through thebonds tying Harry to the gravestone.There was a split second, perhaps, when Harry might have considered running forit, but his injured leg shook under him as he stood on the overgrown grave, as theDeath Eaters closed ranks, forming a tighter circle around him and Voldemort, sothat the gaps where the missing Death Eaters should have stood were filled.Wormtail walked out of the circle to the place where Cedric's body lay andreturned with Harry's wand, which he thrust roughly into Harry's hand withoutlooking at him. Then Wormtail resumed his place in the circle of watching DeathEaters.\"You have been taught how to duel. Harry Potter?\" said Voldemort softly, his redeyes glinting through the darkness.At these words Harry remembered, as though from a former life, the dueling clubat Hogwarts he had attended briefly two years ago. ... All he had learned there wasthe Disarming Spell, \"Expelliarmus\". . . and what use would it be to depriveVoldemort of his wand, even if he could, when he was surrounded by DeathEaters, outnumbered by at least thirty to one? He had never learned anything thatcould possibly fit him for this. He knew he was facing the thing against whichMoody had always warned . . . the unblockable Avada Kedavra curse - andVoldemort was right - his mother was not here to die for him this time. ... He wasquite unprotected. . . .\"We bow to each other. Harry,\" said Voldemort, bending a little, but keeping hissnakelike face upturned to Harry. \"Come, the niceties must be observed. . . .Dumbledore would like you to show manners. . . . Bow to death, Harry. ...\"The Death Eaters were laughing again. Voldemorts lipless mouth was smiling.Harry did not bow. He was not going to let Voldemort play with him before killinghim ... he was not going to give him that satisfaction. . . .\"I said, bow,\" Voldemort said, raising his wand - and Harry felt his spine curve asthough a huge, invisible hand were bending him ruthlessly forward, and the DeathEaters laughed harder than ever.\"Very good,\" said Voldemort softly, and as he raised his wand the pressurebearing down upon Harry lifted too. \"And now you face me, like a man . . .straight-backed and proud, the way your father died. . . .\"And now - we duel.\" 426

Voldemort raised his wand, and before Harry could do anything to defend himself,before he could even move, he had been hit again by the Cruciatus Curse. Thepain was so intense, so all-consuming, that he no longer knew where he was. . . .White-hot knives were piercing every inch of his skin, his head was surely goingto burst with pain, he was screaming more loudly than he'd ever screamed in hislife -And then it stopped. Harry rolled over and scrambled to his feet; he was shakingas uncontrollably as Wormtail had done when his hand had been cut off; hestaggered sideways into the wall of watching Death Eaters, and they pushed himaway, back toward Voldemort.\"A little break,\" said Voldemort, the slit-like nostrils dilating with excitement, \"alittle pause . . . That hurt, didn't it. Harry? You don't want me to do that again, doyou?\"Harry didn't answer. He was going to die like Cedric, those pitiless red eyes weretelling him so ... he was going to die, and there was nothing he could do about it...but he wasn't going to play along. He wasn't going to obey Voldemort... he wasn'tgoing to beg. . . .\"I asked you whether you want me to do that again,\" said Voldemort softly.\"Answer me! Imperial\"And Harry felt, for the third time in his life, the sensation that his mind had beenwiped of all thought. . . . Ah, it was bliss, not to think, it was as though he werefloating, dreaming ...just answer no ... say no ... just answer no. .. .I will not, said a stronger voice, in the back of his head, I won't answer. . . .Just answer no. . . .I won't do it, I won't say it. ...Just answer no. . . .\"I WON'T!\"And these words burst from Harry's mouth; they echoed through the graveyard,and the dream state was lifted as suddenly as though cold water had been thrownover him - back rushed the aches that the Cruciatus Curse had left all over hisbody - back rushed the realization of where he was, and what he was facing. . . .\"You won't?\" said Voldemort quietly, and the Death Eaters were not laughingnow. \"You won't say no? Harry, obedience is a virtue I need to teach you beforeyou die. . . . Perhaps another little dose of pain?\"Voldemort raised his wand, but this time Harry was ready; with the reflexes bornof his Quidditch training, he flung himself sideways onto the ground; he rolledbehind the marble headstone of Voldemort s father, and he heard it crack as the 427

curse missed him.\"We are not playing hide-and-seek, Harry,\" said Voldemort's soft, cold voice,drawing nearer, as the Death Eaters laughed. \"You cannot hide from me. Does thismean you are tired of our duel? Does this mean that you would prefer me to finishit now, Harry? Come out, Harry . . . come out and play, then ... it will be quick ... itmight even be painless ... I would not know... I have never died. . . .\"Harry crouched behind the headstone and knew the end had come. There was nohope ... no help to be had. And as he heard Voldemort draw nearer still, he knewone thing only, and it was beyond fear or reason: He was not going to diecrouching here like a child playing hide-and-seek; he was not going to diekneeling at Voldemort s feet... he was going to die upright like his father, and hewas going to die trying to defend himself, even if no defense was possible. . . .Before Voldemort could stick his snakelike face around the headstone. Harrystood up ... he gripped his wand tightly in his hand, thrust it out in front of him,and threw himself around the headstone, facing Voldemort.Voldemort was ready. As Harry shouted, \"Expelliarmus!\" Voldemort cried,\"Avada Kedavra!\"A jet of green light issued from Voldemorts wand just as a jet of red light blastedfrom Harry's - they met in midair - and suddenly Harry's wand was vibrating asthough an electric charge were surging through it; his hand seized up around it; hecouldn't have released it if he'd wanted to - and a narrow beam of light connectedthe two wands, neither red nor green, but bright, deep gold. Harry, following thebeam with his astonished gaze, saw that Voldemort's long white fingers too weregripping a wand that was shaking and vibrating.And then - nothing could have prepared Harry for this - he felt his feet lift fromthe ground. He and Voldemort were both being raised into the air, their wands stillconnected by that thread of shimmering golden light. They glided away from thetombstone of Voldemort's father and then came to rest on a patch of ground thatwas clear and free of graves. . . . The Death Eaters were shouting; they wereasking Voldemort for instructions; they were closing in, reforming the circlearound Harry and Voldemort, the snake slithering at their heels, some of themdrawing their wands -The golden thread connecting Harry and Voldemort splintered; though the wandsremained connected, a thousand more beams arced high over Harry andVoldemort, crisscrossing all around them, until they were enclosed in a golden,dome-shaped web, acage of light, beyond which the Death Eaters circled like jackals, their criesstrangely muffled now. . . .\"Do nothing!\" Voldemort shrieked to the Death Eaters, and Harry saw his red eyeswide with astonishment at what was happening, saw him fighting to break the 428

thread of light still connecting his wand with Harry's; Harry held onto his wandmore tightly, with both hands, and the golden thread remained unbroken. \"Donothing unless I command you!\" Voldemort shouted to the Death Eaters.And then an unearthly and beautiful sound filled the air. ... It was coming fromevery thread of the light-spun web vibrating around Harry and Voldemort. It was asound Harry recognized, though he had heard it only once before in his life:phoenix song.It was the sound of hope to Harry. . . the most beautiful and welcome thing he hadever heard in his life. . . . He felt as though the song were inside him instead of justaround him. ... It was the sound he connected with Dumbledore, and it was almostas though a friend were speaking in his ear. . . .Don't break the connection.I know. Harry told the music, I know I mustn't. . . but no sooner had he thought it,than the thing became much harder to do. His wand began to vibrate morepowerfully than ever . . . and now the beam between him and Voldemort changedtoo ... it was as though large beads of light were sliding up and down the threadconnecting the wands - Harry felt his wand give a shudder under his hand as thelight beads began to slide slowly and steadily his way. . . . The direction of thebeams movement was now toward him, from Voldemort, and he felt his wandshudder angrily. . . .As the closest bead of light moved nearer to Harrys wand tip, the wood beneathhis fingers grew so hot he feared it would burst into flame. The closer that beadmoved, the harder Harry's wand vibrated; he was sure his wand would not survivecontact with it; it felt as though it was about to shatter under his fingers -He concentrated every last particle of his mind upon forcing the bead back towardVoldemort, his ears full of phoenix song, his eyes furious, fixed . . . and slowly,very slowly, the beads quivered to a halt, and then, just as slowly, they began tomove the other way . . . and it was Voldemort's wand that was vibrating extra-hardnow . . . Voldemort who looked astonished, and almost fearful. . . .One of the beads of light was quivering, inches from the tip of Voldemorts wand.Harry didn't understand why he was doing it, didn't know what it might achieve . .. but he now concentrated as he had never done in his life on forcing that bead oflight right back into Voldemort s wand . . . and slowly . . . very slowly ... it movedalong the golden thread ... it trembled for a moment. . . and then it connected. . . .At once, Voldemorts wand began to emit echoing screams of pain . . . then -Voldemort's red eyes widened with shock - a dense, smoky hand flew out of thetip of it and vanished . . . the ghost of the hand he had made Wormtail. . . moreshouts of pain . . . and then something much larger began to blossom fromVoldemorts wand tip, a great, grayish something, that looked as though it weremade of the solidest, densest smoke. ... It was a head . . . now a chest and arms . . . 429

the torso of Cedric Diggory.If ever Harry might have released his wand from shock, it would have been then,but instinct kept him clutching his wand tightly, so that the thread of golden lightremained unbroken, even though the thick gray ghost of Cedric Diggory (was it aghost? it looked sosolid) emerged in its entirety from the end of Voldemort s wand, as though it weresqueezing itself out of a very narrow tunnel. . . and this shade of Cedric stood up,and looked up and down the golden thread of light, and spoke.\"Hold on. Harry,\" it said.Its voice was distant and echoing. Harry looked at Voldemort ... his wide red eyeswere still shocked ... he had no more expected this than Harry had . . . and, verydimly. Harry heard the frightened yells of the Death Eaters, prowling around theedges of the golden dome. .More screams of pain from the wand . . . and then something else emerged fromits tip ... the dense shadow of a second head, quickly followed by arms and torso ...an old man Harry had seen only in a dream was now pushing himself out of theend of the wand just as Cedric had done . . . and his ghost, or his shadow, orwhatever it was, fell next to Cedric's, and surveyed Harry and Voldemort, and thegolden web, and the connected wands, with mild surprise, leaning on his walkingstick. . . .\"He was a real wizard, then?\" the old man said, his eyes on Voldemort. \"Killedme, that one did. . . . You fight him, boy. . . .\"But already, yet another head was emerging ... and this head, gray as a smokystatue, was a woman's. . . . Harry, both arms shaking now as he fought to keep hiswand still, saw her drop to the ground and straighten up like the others, staring. . . .The shadow of Bertha Jorkins surveyed the battle before her with wide eyes.\"Don't let go, now!\" she cried, and her voice echoed like Cedrics as though fromvery far away. \"Don't let him get you, Harry - don't let go!\"She and the other two shadowy figures began to pace around the inner walls of thegolden web, while the Death Eaters flitted around the outside of it... andVoldemort's dead victims whispered as they circled the duelers, whispered wordsof encouragement to Harry, and hissed words Harry couldn't hear to Voldemort.And now another head was emerging from the tip of Voldemorts wand . . . andHarry knew when he saw it who it would be ... he knew, as though he hadexpected it from the moment when Cedric had appeared from the wand . . . knew,because the man appearing was the one he'd thought of more than any othertonight. . . .The smoky shadow of a tall man with untidy hair fell to the ground as Bertha had 430

done, straightened up, and looked at him . . . and Harry, his arms shaking madlynow, looked back into the ghostly face of his father.\"Your mother's coming . . .\" he said quietly. \"She wants to see you ... it will be allright.. . hold on. . . .\"And she came. . . first her head, then her body... a young woman with long hair,the smoky, shadowy form of Lily Potter blossomed from the end of Voldemort'swand, fell to the ground, and straightened like her husband. She walked close toHarry, looking down at him, and she spoke in the same distant, echoing voice asthe others, but quietly, so that Voldemort, his face now livid with fear as hisvictims prowled around him, could not hear. . ..\"When the connection is broken, we will linger for only moments . . . but we willgive you time. . . you must get to the Portkey, it will return you to Hogwarts ... doyou understand, Harry?\"\"Yes,\" Harry gasped, fighting now to keep a hold on his wand, which was slippingand sliding beneath his fingers.\"Harry . . .\" whispered the figure of Cedric, \"take my body back, will you? Takemy body back to my parents, ...\"\"I will,\" said Harry, his face screwed up with the effort of holding the wand.\"Do it now,\" whispered his father's voice, \"be ready to run . . . do it now. ...\"\"NOW!\" Harry yelled; he didn't think he could have held on for another momentanyway - he pulled his wand upward with an almighty wrench, and the goldenthread broke; the cage of light vanished, the phoenix song died - but the shadowyfigures of Voldemort's victims did not disappear - they were closing in uponVoldemort, shielding Harry from his gaze -And Harry ran as he had never run in his life, knocking two stunned Death Eatersaside as he passed; he zigzagged behind headstones, feeling their curses followinghim, hearing them hit the headstones - he was dodging curses and graves, peltingtoward Cedric's body, no longer aware of the pain in his leg, his whole beingconcentrated on what he had to do -\"Stun him!\" he heard Voldemort scream.Ten feet from Cedric, Harry dived behind a marble angel to avoid the jets of redlight and saw the tip of its wing shatter as the spells hit it. Gripping his wand moretightly, he dashed out from behind the angel -\"Impedimenta!\" he bellowed, pointing his wand wildly over his shoulder at theDeath Eaters running at him.From a muffled yell, he thought he had stopped at least one of them, but there wasno time to stop and look; he jumped over the cup and dived as he heard more 431

wand blasts behind him; more jets of light flew over his head as he fell, stretchingout his hand to grab Cedric's arm...\"Stand aside! I will kill him! He is mine!\" shrieked Voldemort. Harry's hand hadclosed on Cedric's wrist; one tombstone stood between him and Voldemort, butCedric was too heavy to carry, and the cup was out of reach -Voldemort's red eyes flamed in the darkness. Harry saw his mouth curl into asmile, saw him raise his wand.\"Accio!\" Harry yelled, pointing his wand at the Triwizard Cup. It flew into the airand soared toward him. Harry caught it by the handle -He heard Voldemort s scream of fury at the same moment that he felt the jerkbehind his navel that meant the Portkey had worked - it was speeding him away ina whirl of wind and color, and Cedric along with him. . . . They were going back. 432

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE - VERITASERUMHarry felt himself slam flat into the ground; his face was pressed into grass; thesmell of it filled his nostrils. He had closed his eyes while the Portkey transportedhim, and he kept them closed now. He did not move. All the breath seemed tohave been knocked out of him; his head was swimming so badly he felt as thoughthe ground beneath him were swaying like the deck of a ship. To hold himselfsteady, he tightened his hold on the two things he was still clutching: the smooth,cold handle of the Triwizard Cup and Cedric's body. He felt as though he wouldslide away into the blackness gathering at the edges of his brain if he let go ofeither of them. Shock and exhaustion kept him on the ground, breathing in thesmell of the grass, waiting . . . waiting for someone to do something . . . somethingto happen . . . and all the while, his scar burned dully on his forehead. . . .A torrent of sound deafened and confused him; there were voices everywhere,footsteps, screams. ... He remained where he was, his face screwed up against thenoise, as though it were a nightmare that would pass. . . .Then a pair of hands seized him roughly and turned him over.\"Harry! Harry!\"He opened his eyes.He was looking up at the starry sky, and Albus Dumbledore was crouched overhim. The dark shadows of a crowd of people pressed in around them, pushingnearer; Harry felt the ground beneath his head reverberating with their footsteps.He had come back to the edge of the maze. He could see the stands rising abovehim, the shapes of people moving in them, the stars above.Harry let go of the cup, but he clutched Cedric to him even more tightly. He raisedhis free hand and seized Dumbledore's wrist, while Dumbledore's face swam inand out of focus.\"He's back,\" Harry whispered. \"He's back. Voldemort.\"\"What's going on? What's happened?\"The face of Cornelius Fudge appeared upside down over Harry; it looked white,appalled.\"My God - Diggory!\" it whispered. \"Dumbledore - he's dead!\"The words were repeated, the shadowy figures pressing in on them gasped it tothose around them . . . and then others shouted it - screeched it - into the night -\"He's dead!\" \"He's dead!\" \"Cedric Diggory! Dead!\" 433

\"Harry, let go of him,\" he heard Fudge's voice say, and he felt fingers trying to pryhim from Cedric's limp body, but Harry wouldn't let him go. Then Dumbledore'sface, which was still blurred and misted, came closer.\"Harry, you can't help him now. It's over. Let go.\"\"He wanted me to bring him back,\" Harry muttered - it seemed important toexplain this. \"He wanted me to bring him back to his parents. ...\"\"That's right. Harry . . . just let go now. . . .\"Dumbledore bent down, and with extraordinary strength for a man so old and thin,raised Harry from the ground and set -him on his feet. Harry swayed. His headwas pounding. His injured leg would no longer support his weight. The crowdaround them jostled, fighting to get closer, pressing darkly in on him - \"What'shappened?\" \"What's wrong with him?\" \"Diggorys dead!\"\"He'll need to go to the hospital wing!\" Fudge was saying loudly. \"He's ill, he'sinjured - Dumbledore, Diggory's parents, they're here, they're in the stands. ...\"\"I'll take Harry, Dumbledore, I'll take him -\"\"No, I would prefer-\"\"Dumbledore, Amos Diggorys running . . . he's coming over. . . . Don't you thinkyou should tell him - before he sees - ?\"\"Harry, stay here -\"Girls were screaming, sobbing hysterically.... The scene flickered oddly beforeHarry's eyes. . . .\"Its all right, son, I've got you . . . come on ... hospital wing . . .\"\"Dumbledore said stay,\" said Harry thickly, the pounding in his scar making himfeel as though he was about to throw up; his vision was blurring worse than ever.\"You need to lie down. . .. Come on now....\"Someone larger and stronger than he was was half pulling, half carrying himthrough the frightened crowd. Harry heard people gasping, screaming, andshouting as the man supporting him pushed a path through them, taking him backto the castle. Across the lawn, past the lake and the Durmstrang ship, Harry heardnothing but the heavy breathing of the man helping him walk.\"What happened. Harry?\" the man asked at last as he lifted Harry up the stonesteps. Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. It was Mad-Eye Moody.\"Cup was a Portkey,\" said Harry as they crossed the entrance hall. \"Took me andCedric to a graveyard . . . and Voldemort was there . . . Lord Voldemort...\" 434

Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Up the marble stairs . . .\"The Dark Lord was there? What happened then?\"\"Killed Cedric . . . they killed Cedric. . . .\"\"And then?\"Clunk. Clunk. Clunk. Along the corridor . . .\"Made a potion . . . got his body back. . . .\"\"The Dark Lord got his body back? He's returned?\"\"And the Death Eaters came . . . and then we dueled. ...\"\"You dueled with the Dark Lord?\"\"Got away . . . my wand . . . did something funny. ... I saw my mum and dad . . .they came out of his wand. ...\"\"In here. Harry ... in here, and sit down. . . . You'll be all right now . . . drink this....\"Harry heard a key scrape in a lock and felt a cup being pushed into his hands.\"Drink it... you'll feel better . . . come on, now. Harry, I need to know exactly whathappened. ...\"Moody helped tip the stuff down Harrys throat; he coughed, a peppery tasteburning his throat. Moody's office came into sharper focus, and so did Moodyhimself. ... He looked as white as Fudge had looked, and both eyes were fixedunblinkingly upon Harry's face.\"Voldemort's back, Harry? You're sure he's back? How did he do it?\"\"He took stuff from his father's grave, and from Wormtail, and me,\" said Harry.His head felt clearer; his scar wasn't hurting so badly; he could now see Moodysface distinctly, even though the office was dark. He could still hear screaming andshouting from the distant Quidditch field.\"What did the Dark Lord take from you?\" said Moody.\"Blood,\" said Harry, raising his arm. His sleeve was ripped where Wormtail'sdagger had torn it.Moody let out his breath in a long, low hiss.\"And the Death Eaters? They returned?\"\"Yes,\" said Harry. \"Loads of them . . .\"\"How did he treat them?\" Moody asked quietly. \"Did he forgive them?\" 435

But Harry had suddenly remembered. He should have told Dumbledore, he shouldhave said it straightaway -\"There's a Death Eater at Hogwarts! There's a Death Eater here - they put myname in the Goblet of Fire, they made sure I got through to the end -\"Harry tried to get up, but Moody pushed him back down.\"I know who the Death Eater is,\" he said quietly.\"Karkaroff?\" said Harry wildly. \"Where is he? Have you got him? Is he lockedup?\"\"Karkaroff?\" said Moody with an odd laugh. \"Karkaroff fled tonight, when he feltthe Dark Mark burn upon his arm. He betrayed too many faithful supporters of theDark Lord to wish to meet them . . . but I doubt he will get far. The Dark Lord hasways of tracking his enemies.\"\"Karkaroff's gone? He ran away? But then - he didn't put my name in the goblet?\"\"No,\" said Moody slowly. \"No, he didn't. It was I who did that.\"Harry heard, but didn't believe.\"No, you didn't,\" he said. \"You didn't do that. . . you can't have done...\"\"I assure you I did,\" said Moody, and his magical eye swung around and fixedupon the door, and Harry knew he was making sure that there was no one outsideit. At the same time, Moody drew out his wand and pointed it at Harry.\"He forgave them, then?\" he said. \"The Death Eaters who went free? The oneswho escaped Azkaban?\"\"What?\" said Harry.He was looking at the wand Moody was pointing at him. This was a bad joke, ithad to be.\"I asked you,\" said Moody quietly, \"whether he forgave the scum who never evenwent to look for him. Those treacherous cowards who wouldn't even braveAzkaban for him. The faithless, worthless bits of filth who were brave enough tocavort in masks at the Quidditch World Cup, but fled at the sight of the Dark Markwhen I fired it into the sky.\"\"You fired . . . What are you talking about. . . ?\"\"I told you. Harry ... I told you. If there's one thing I hate more than any other, it'sa Death Eater who walked free. They turned their backs on my master when heneeded them most. I expected him to punish them. I expected him to torture them.Tell me he 436

hurt them, Harry. . . .\" Moody's face was suddenly lit with an insane smile. \"Tellme he told them that I, I alone remained faithful... prepared to risk everything todeliver to him the one thing he wanted above all... you\"\"You didn't... it - it can't be you. ...\"\"Who put your name in the Goblet of Fire, under the name of a different school? Idid. Who frightened off every person I thought might try to hurt you or preventyou from winning the tournament? I did. Who nudged Hagrid into showing youthe dragons? I did. Who helped you see the only way you could beat the dragon? Idid\"Moody's magical eye had now left the door. It was fixed upon Harry. His lopsidedmouth leered more widely than ever.\"It hasn't been easy, Harry, guiding you through these tasks without arousingsuspicion. I have had to use every ounce of cunning I possess, so that my handwould not be detectable in your success. Dumbledore would have been verysuspicious if you had managed everything too easily. As long as you got into thatmaze, preferably with a decent head start - then, I knew, I would have a chance ofgetting rid of the other champions and leaving your way clear. But I also had tocontend with your stupidity. The second task . . . that was when I was most afraidwe would fail. I was keeping watch on you, Potter. I knew you hadn't worked outthe egg's clue, so I had to give you another hint -\"\"You didn't,\" Harry said hoarsely. \"Cedric gave me the clue -\"\"Who told Cedric to open it underwater? I did. I trusted that he would pass theinformation on to you. Decent people are so easy to manipulate, Potter. I was sureCedric would want to repay you for telling him about the dragons, and so he did.But even then,Potter, even then you seemed likely to fail. I was watching all the time ... all thosehours in the library. Didn't you realize that the book you needed was in yourdormitory all along? I planted it there early on, I gave it to the Longbottom boy,don't you remember? Magical Water Plants of the Mediterranean. It would havetold you all you needed to know about gillyweed. I expected you to ask everyoneand anyone you could for help. Longbottom would have told you in an instant. Butyou did not. . . you did not. . . . You have a streak of pride and independence thatmight have ruined all.\"So what could I do? Feed you information from another innocent source. Youtold me at the Yule Ball a house-elf called Dobby had given you a Christmaspresent. I called the elf to the staffroom to collect some robes for cleaning. I stageda loud conversation with Professor McGonagall about the hostages who had beentaken, and whether Potter would think to use gillyweed. And your little elf friendran straight to Snape's office and then hurried to find you...\"Moodys wand was still pointing directly at Harry's heart. Over his shoulder, foggy 437

shapes were moving in the Foe-Glass on the wall.\"You were so long in that lake, Potter, I thought you had drowned. But luckily,Dumbledore took your idiocy for nobility, and marked you high for it. I breathedagain.\"You had an easier time of it than you should have in that maze tonight, ofcourse,\" said Moody. \"I was patrolling around it, able to see through the outerhedges, able to curse many obstacles out of your way. I Stunned Fleur Delacour asshe passed. I put the Imperius Curse on Krum, so that he would finish Diggory andleave your path to the cup clear.\"Harry stared at Moody. He just didn't see how this could be. ... Dumbledore'sfriend, the famous Auror. . . the one who had caught so many Death Eaters ... Itmade no sense ... no sense at all. ...The foggy shapes in the Foe-Glass were sharpening, had become more distinct.Harry could see the outlines of three people over Moody's shoulder, moving closerand closer. But Moody wasn't watching them. His magical eye was upon Harry.\"The Dark Lord didn't manage to kill you. Potter, and he so wanted to,\" whisperedMoody. \"Imagine how he will reward me when he finds I have done it for him. Igave you to him - the thing he needed above all to regenerate - and then I killedyou for him. I will be honored beyond all other Death Eaters. I will be his dearest,his closest supporter . . . closer than a son. ...\"Moody's normal eye was bulging, the magical eye fixed upon Harry. The door wasbarred, and Harry knew he would never reach his own wand in time. . . .\"The Dark Lord and I,\" said Moody, and he looked completely insane now,towering over Harry, leering down at him, \"have much in common. Both of us, forinstance, had very disappointing fathers . . . very disappointing indeed. Both of ussuffered the indignity, Harry, of being named after those fathers. And both of ushad the pleasure . . . the very great pleasure ... of killing our fathers to ensure thecontinued rise of the Dark Order!\"\"You're mad,\" Harry said - he couldn't stop himself- \"you're mad!\"\"Mad, am I?\" said Moody, his voice rising uncontrollably. \"We'll see! We'll seewho's mad, now that the Dark Lord has returned, with me at his side! He is back,Harry Potter, you did not conquer him - and now - I conquer you!\"Moody raised his wand, he opened his mouth; Harry plunged his own hand intohis robes -\"Stupefy!\" There was a blinding flash of red light, and with a great splintering andcrashing, the door of Moody's office was blasted apart -Moody was thrown backward onto the office floor. Harry, still staring at the placewhere Moody's face had been, saw Albus Dumbledore, Professor Snape, and 438

Professor McGonagall looking back at him out of the Foe-Glass. He lookedaround and saw the three of them standing in the doorway, Dumbledore in front,his wand outstretched.At that moment, Harry fully understood for the first time why people saidDumbledore was the only wizard Voldemort had ever feared. The look uponDumbledore's face as he stared down at the unconscious form of Mad-Eye Moodywas more terrible than Harry could have ever imagined. There was no benignsmile upon Dumbledore's face, no twinkle in the eyes behind the spectacles. Therewas cold fury in every line of the ancient face; a sense of power radiated fromDumbledore as though he were giving off burning heat.He stepped into the office, placed a foot underneath Moodys unconscious body,and kicked him over onto his back, so that his face was visible. Snape followedhim, looking into the Foe-Glass, where his own face was still visible, glaring intothe room. Professor McGonagall went straight to Harry.\"Come along, Potter,\" she whispered. The thin line of her mouth was twitching asthough she was about to cry. \"Come along . . . hospital wing ...\"\"No,\" said Dumbledore sharply.\"Dumbledore, he ought to - look at him - he's been through enough tonight -\"\"He will stay, Minerva, because he needs to understand,\" said Dumbledore curtly.\"Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can therebe recovery. He needs to know who has put him through the ordeal he has sufferedtonight, and why,\"\"Moody,\" Harry said. He was still in a state of complete disbelief. \"How can ithave been Moody?\"\"This is not Alastor Moody,\" said Dumbledore quietly. \"You have never knownAlastor Moody. The real Moody would not have removed you from my sight afterwhat happened tonight. The moment he took you, I knew - and I followed.\"Dumbledore bent down over Moody's limp form and put a hand inside his robes.He pulled out Moody's hip flask and a set of keys on a ring. Then he turned toProfessors McGonagall and Snape.\"Severus, please fetch me the strongest Truth Potion you possess, and then godown to the kitchens and bring up the house-elf called Winky. Minerva, kindly godown to Hagrid's house, where you will find a large black dog sitting in thepumpkin patch. Take the dog up to my office, tell him I will be with him shortly,then come back here.\"If either Snape or McGonagall found these instructions peculiar, they hid theirconfusion. Both turned at once and left the office. Dumbledore walked over to thetrunk with seven locks, fitted the first key in the lock, and opened it. It contained a 439

mass of spell-books. Dumbledore closed the trunk, placed a second key in thesecond lock, and opened the trunk again. The spellbooks had vanished; this time itcontained an assortment of broken Sneako-scopes, some parchment and quills, andwhat looked like a silvery Invisibility Cloak. Harry watched, astounded, asDumbledore placed the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth keys in their respective locks,reopening the trunk each time, and revealing different contents each time. Then heplaced the seventh key in the lock, threw open the lid, and Harry let out a cry ofamazement.He was looking down into a kind of pit, an underground room, and lying on thefloor some ten feet below, apparently fast asleep, thin and starved in appearance,was the real Mad-Eye Moody. His wooden leg was gone, the socket that shouldhave held the magical eye looked empty beneath its lid, and chunks of his grizzledhair were missing. Harry stared, thunderstruck, between the sleeping Moody in thetrunk and the unconscious Moody lying on the floor of the office.Dumbledore climbed into the trunk, lowered himself, and fell lightly onto the floorbeside the sleeping Moody. He bent over him.\"Stunned - controlled by the Imperius Curse - very weak,\" he said. \"Of course,they would have needed to keep him alive. Harry, throw down the imposter's cloak- he's freezing. Madam Pomfrey will need to see him, but he seems in noimmediate danger.\"Harry did as he was told; Dumbledore covered Moody in the cloak, tucked itaround him, and clambered out of the trunk again. Then he picked up the hip flaskthat stood upon the desk, unscrewed it, and turned it over. A thick glutinous liquidsplattered onto the office floor.\"Polyjuice Potion, Harry,\" said Dumbledore. \"You see the simplicity of it, and thebrilliance. For Moody never does drink except from his hip flask, he's well knownfor it. The imposter needed, of course, to keep the real Moody close by, so that hecould continue making the potion. You see his hair ...\" Dumbledore looked downon the Moody in the trunk. \"The imposter has been cutting it off all year, seewhere it is uneven? But I think, in the excitement of tonight, our fake Moodymight have forgotten to take it as frequendy as he should have done ... on the hour. . . every hour. . . . We shall see.\"Dumbledore pulled out the chair at the desk and sat down upon it, his eyes fixedupon the unconscious Moody on the floor. Harry stared at him too. Minutes passedin silence... .Then, before Harry's very eyes, the face of the man on the floor began to change.The scars were disappearing, the skin was becoming smooth; the mangled nosebecame whole and started to shrink. The long mane of grizzled gray hair waswithdrawing into the scalp and turning the color of straw. Suddenly, with a loudclunk, the wooden leg fell away as a normal leg regrew in its place; next moment,the magical eyeball had popped out of the man's face as a real eye replaced it; it 440

rolled away across the floor and continued to swivel in every direction.Harry saw a man lying before him, pale-skinned, slightly freckled, with a mop offair hair. He knew who he was. He had seen him in Dumbledore's Pensieve, hadwatched him being led away from court by the dementors, trying to convince Mr.Crouch that he was innocent. . . but he was lined around the eyes now and lookedmuch older. . . .There were hurried footsteps outside in the corridor. Snape had returned withWinky at his heels. Professor McGonagall was right behind them.\"Crouch!\" Snape said, stopping dead in the doorway. \"Barty Crouch!\"\"Good heavens,\" said Professor McGonagall, stopping dead and staring down atthe man on the floor.Filthy, disheveled, Winky peered around Snape's legs. Her mouth opened wideand she let out a piercing shriek.\"Master Barty, Master Barty, what is you doing here?\"She flung herself forward onto the young man's chest.\"You is killed him! You is killed him! You is killed Master's son!\"\"He is simply Stunned, Winky,\" said Dumbledore. \"Step aside, please. Severus,you have the potion?\"Snape handed Dumbledore a small glass bottle of completely clear liquid: theVeritaserum with which he had threatened Harry in class. Dumbledore got up,bent over the man on the floor, and pulled him into a sitting position against thewall beneath the Foe-Glass, in which the reflections of Dumbledore, Snape, andMcGonagall were still glaring down upon them all. Winky remained on her knees,trembling, her hands over her face. Dumbledore forced the mans mouth open andpoured three drops inside it. Then he pointed his wand at the mans chest and said,\"Ennervate.\"Crouch's son opened his eyes. His face was slack, his gaze unfocused.Dumbledore knelt before him, so that their faces were level.\"Can you hear me?\" Dumbledore asked quietly.The man's eyelids flickered.\"Yes,\" he muttered.\"I would like you to tell us,\" said Dumbledore softly, \"how you came to be here.How did you escape from Azkaban?\"Crouch took a deep, shuddering breath, then began to speak in a flat,expressionless voice. 441

\"My mother saved me. She knew she was dying. She persuaded my father torescue me as a last favor to her. He loved her as he had never loved me. Heagreed. They came to visit me. They gave me a draft of Polyjuice Potioncontaining one of my mother's hairs. She took a draft of Polyjuice Potioncontaining one of my hairs. We took on each other's appearance.\"Winky was shaking her head, trembling.\"Say no more. Master Barty, say no more, you is getting your father into trouble!\"But Crouch took another deep breath and continued in the same flat voice.\"The dementors are blind. They sensed one healthy, one dying person enteringAzkaban. They sensed one healthy, one dying person leaving it. My fathersmuggled me out, disguised as my mother, in case any prisoners were watchingthrough their doors.\"My mother died a short while afterward in Azkaban. She was careful to drinkPolyjuice Potion until the end. She was buried under my name and bearing myappearance. Everyone believed her to be me.\"The man's eyelids flickered.\"And what did your father do with you, when he had got you home?\" saidDumbledore quietly.\"Staged my mother's death. A quiet, private funeral. That grave is empty. Thehouse-elf nursed me back to health. Then I had to be concealed. I had to becontrolled. My father had to use a number of spells to subdue me. When I hadrecovered my strength, I thought only of finding my master . . . of returning to hisservice.\"\"How did your father subdue you?\" said Dumbledore.\"The Imperius Curse,\" Moody said. \"I was under my fathers control. I was forcedto wear an Invisibility Cloak day and night. I was always with the house-elf. Shewas my keeper and caretaker. She pitied me. She persuaded my father to give meoccasional treats. Rewards for my good behavior.\"\"Master Barty, Master Barty,\" sobbed Winky through her hands. \"You isn't oughtto tell them, we is getting in trouble. ...\"\"Did anybody ever discover that you were still alive?\" said Dumbledore softly.\"Did anyone know except your father and the house-elf?\"\"Yes,\" said Crouch, his eyelids flickering again. \"A witch in my father's office.Bertha Jorkins. She came to the house with papers for my father s signature. Hewas not at home. Winky showed her inside and returned to the kitchen, to me. ButBertha Jorkins heard Winky talking to me. She came to investigate. She heardenough to guess who was hiding under the Invisibility Cloak. My father arrived 442

home. She confronted him. He put a very powerful Memory Charm on her tomake her forget what she'd found out. Too powerful. He said it damaged hermemory permanently.\"\"Why is she coming to nose into my masters private business?\" sobbed Winky.\"Why isn't she leaving us be?\"\"Tell me about the Quidditch World Cup,\" said Dumbledore.\"Winky talked my father into it,\" said Crouch, still in the same monotonous voice.\"She spent months persuading him. I had not left the house for years. I had lovedQuidditch. Let him go, she said. He will be in his Invisibility Cloak. He can watch.Let him smell fresh air for once. She said my mother would have wanted it. Shetold my father that my mother had died to give me freedom. She had not saved mefor a life of imprisonment. He agreed in the end.\"It was carefully planned. My father led me and Winky up to the Top Box early inthe day. Winky was to say that she was saving a seat for my father. I was to sitthere, invisible. When everyone had left the box, we would emerge. Winky wouldappear to be alone. Nobody would ever know.\"But Winky didn't know that I was growing stronger. I was starting to fight myfather's Imperius Curse. There were times when I was almost myself again. Therewere brief periods when I seemed outside his control. It happened, there, in theTop Box. It was like waking from a deep sleep. I found myself out in public, in themiddle of the match, and I saw, in front of me, a wand sticking out of a boyspocket. I had not been allowed a wand since before Azkaban. I stole it. Winkydidn't know. Winky is frightened of heights. She had her face hidden.\"\"Master Barty, you bad boy!\" whispered Winky, tears trickling between herfingers.\"So you took the wand,\" said Dumbledore, \"and what did you do with it?\"\"We went back to the tent,\" said Crouch. \"Then we heard them. We heard theDeath Eaters. The ones who had never been to Azkaban. The ones who had neversuffered for my master. They had turned their backs on him. They were notenslaved, as I was. They were free to seek him, but they did not. They were merelymaking sport of Muggles. The sound of their voices awoke me. My mind wasclearer than it had been in years. I was angry. I had the wand.I wanted to attack them for their disloyalty to my master. My father had left thetent; he had gone to free the Muggles. Winky was afraid to see me so angry. Sheused her own brand of magic to bind me to her. She pulled me from the tent,pulled me into the forest, away from the Death Eaters. I tried to hold her back. Iwanted to return to the campsite. I wanted to show those Death Eaters what loyaltyto the Dark Lord meant, and to punish them for their lack of it. I used the stolenwand to cast the Dark Mark into the sky. 443

\"Ministry wizards arrived. They shot Stunning Spells everywhere. One of thespells came through the trees where Winky and I stood. The bond connecting uswas broken. We were both Stunned.\"When Winky was discovered, my father knew I must be nearby. He searched thebushes where she had been found and felt me lying there. He waited until the otherMinistry members had left the forest. He put me back under the Imperius Curseand took me home. He dismissed Winky. She had failed him. She had let meacquire a wand. She had almost let me escape.\"Winky let out a wail of despair.\"Now it was just Father and I, alone in the house. And then . . . and then . . .\"Crouch's head rolled on his neck, and an insane grin spread across his face. \"Mymaster came for me.\"He arrived at our house late one night in the arms of his servant Wormtail. Mymaster had found out that I was still alive. He had captured Bertha Jorkins inAlbania. He had tortured her. She told him a great deal. She told him about theTriwizard Tournament. She told him the old Auror, Moody, was going to teach atHogwarts. He tortured her until he broke through the Memory Charm my fatherhad placed upon her. She told him I had escaped from Azkaban. She told him myfather kept me imprisoned to prevent me from seeking my master. And so mymaster knew that I was still his faithful servant - perhaps the most faithful of all.My master conceived a plan, based upon the information Bertha had given him.He needed me. He arrived at our house near midnight. My father answered thedoor.\"The smile spread wider over Crouch's face, as though recalling the sweetestmemory of his life. Winky's petrified brown eyes were visible through her fingers.She seemed too appalled to speak.\"It was very quick. My father was placed under the Imperius Curse by my master.Now my father was the one imprisoned, controlled. My master forced him to goabout his business as usual, to act as though nothing was wrong. And I wasreleased. I awoke. I was myself again, alive as I hadn't been in years.\"And what did Lord Voldemort ask you to do?\" said Dumbledore.\"He asked me whether I was ready to risk everything for him. I was ready. It wasmy dream, my greatest ambition, to serve him, to prove myself to him. He told mehe needed to place a faithful servant at Hogwarts. A servant who would guideHarry Potter through the Triwizard Tournament without appearing to do so. Aservant who would watch over Harry Potter. Ensure he reached the Triwizard Cup.Turn the cup into a Portkey, which would take the first person to touch it to mymaster. But first -\"\"You needed Alastor Moody,\" said Dumbledore. His blue eyes were blazing,though his voice remained calm. 444

\"Wormtail and I did it. We had prepared the Polyjuice Potion beforehand. Wejourneyed to his house. Moody put up a struggle. There was a commotion. Wemanaged to subdue him just in time. Forced him into a compartment of his ownmagical trunk. Took some of his hair and added it to the potion. I drank it; Ibecame Moody's double. I took his leg and his eye. I was ready to face ArthurWeasley when he arrived to sort out the Muggles who had heard a disturbance. Imade the dustbins move around the yard. I told Arthur Weasley I had heardintruders in my yard, who had set off the dustbins. Then I packed up Moody'sclothes and Dark detectors, put them in the trunk with Moody, and set off forHogwarts. I kept him alive, under the Imperius Curse. I wanted to be able toquestion him. To find out about his past, learn his habits, so that I could fool evenDumbledore. I also needed his hair to make the Polyjuice Potion. The otheringredients were easy. I stole boom-slang skin from the dungeons. When thePotions master found me in his office, I said I was under orders to search it.\"\"And what became of Wormtail after you attacked Moody?\" said Dumbledore.\"Wormtail returned to care for my master, in my father's house, and to keep watchover my father.\"\"But your father escaped,\" said Dumbledore.\"Yes. After a while he began to fight the Imperius Curse just as I had done. Therewere periods when he knew what was happening. My master decided it was nolonger safe for my father to leave the house. He forced him to send letters to theMinistry instead. He made him write and say he was ill. But Wormtail neglectedhis duty. He was not watchful enough. My father escaped. My master guessed thathe was heading for Hogwarts. My father was going to tell Dumbledore everything,to confess. He was going to admit that he had smuggled me from Azkaban.\"My master sent me word of my father's escape. He told me to stop him at allcosts. So I waited and watched. I used the map I had taken from Harry Potter. Themap that had almost ruined everything.\"\"Map?\" said Dumbledore quickly. \"What map is this?\"\"Potter's map of Hogwarts. Potter saw me on it. Potter saw me stealing moreingredients for the Polyjuice Potion from Snape's office one night. He thought Iwas my father. We have the same first name. I took the map from Potter that night.I told him my father hated Dark wizards. Potter believed my father was afterSnape.\"For a week I waited for my father to arrive at Hogwarts. At last, one evening, themap showed my father entering the grounds. I pulled on my Invisibility Cloak andwent down to meet him. He was walking around the edge of the forest. ThenPotter came, and Krum. I waited. I could not hurt Potter; my master needed him.Potter ran to get Dumbledore. I Stunned Krum. I killed my father.\"\"Noooo!\" wailed Winky. \"Master Barty, Master Barty, what is you saying?\" 445

\"You killed your father,\" Dumbledore said, in the same soft voice. \"What did youdo with the body?\"\"Carried it into the forest. Covered it with the Invisibility Cloak. I had the mapwith me. I watched Potter run into the castle. He met Snape. Dumbledore joinedthem. I watched Potter bringing Dumbledore out of the castle. I walked back outof the forest, doubled around behind them, went to meet them. I told DumbledoreSnape had told me where to come.\"Dumbledore told me to go and look for my father. I went back to my father'sbody. Watched the map. When everyone was gone, I Transfigured my father'sbody. He became a bone ... I buried it, while wearing the Invisibility Cloak, in thefreshly dug earth in front of Hagrid's cabin.\"There was complete silence now, except for Winky's continued sobs. ThenDumbledore said, \"And tonight. . .\"\"I offered to carry the Triwizard Cup into the maze before dinner,\" whisperedBarty Crouch. \"Turned it into a Portkey. My master's plan worked. He is returnedto power and I will be honored by him beyond the dreams of wizards.\"The insane smile lit his features once more, and his head drooped onto hisshoulder as Winky wailed and sobbed at his side. 446

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX - THE PARTING OF THE WAYSDumbledore stood up. He stared down at Barty Crouch for a moment with disguston his face. Then he raised his wand once more and ropes flew out of it, ropes thattwisted themselves around Barty Crouch, binding him tightly. He turned toProfessor McGonagall.\"Minerva, could I ask you to stand guard here while I take Harry upstairs?\"\"Of course,\" said Professor McGonagall. She looked slightly nauseous, as thoughshe had just watched someone being sick. However, when she drew out her wandand pointed it at Barty Crouch, her hand was quite steady.\"Severus\" - Dumbledore turned to Snape - \"please tell Madam Pomfrey to comedown here; we need to get Alastor Moody into the hospital wing. Then go downinto the grounds, find Cornelius Fudge, and bring him up to this office. He willundoubtedly want to question Crouch himself. Tell him I will be in the hospitalwing in half an hour's time if he needs me.\"Snape nodded silently and swept out of the room.\"Harry?\" Dumbledore said gently.Harry got up and swayed again; the pain in his leg, which he had not noticed allthe time he had been listening to Crouch, now returned in full measure. He alsorealized that he was shaking. Dumbledore gripped his arm and helped him out intothe dark corridor.\"I want you to come up to my office first. Harry,\" he said quiedy as they headedup the passageway. \"Sirius is waiting for us there.\"Harry nodded. A kind of numbness and a sense of complete unreality were uponhim, but he did not care; he was even glad of it. He didn't want to have to thinkabout anything that had happened since he had first touched the Triwizard Cup. Hedidn't want to have to examine the memories, fresh and sharp as photographs,which kept flashing across his mind. Mad-Eye Moody, inside the trunk. Wormtail,slumped on the ground, cradling his stump of an arm. Voldemort, rising from thesteaming cauldron. Cedric. . . dead . . . Cedric, asking to be returned to his parents....\"Professor,\" Harry mumbled, \"where are Mr. and Mrs. Diggory?\"\"They are with Professor Sprout,\" said Dumbledore. His voice, which had been socalm throughout the interrogation of Barty Crouch, shook very slightly for the firsttime. \"She was Head of Cedric's house, and knew him best.\"They had reached the stone gargoyle. Dumbledore gave the password, it sprang 447

aside, and he and Harry went up the moving spiral staircase to the oak door.Dumbledore pushed it open. Sirius was standing there. His face was white andgaunt as it had been when he had escaped Azkaban. In one swift moment, he hadcrossed the room.\"Harry, are you all right? I knew it - I knew something like this - what happened?\"His hands shook as he helped Harry into a chair in front of the desk.\"What happened?\" he asked more urgently.Dumbledore began to tell Sirius everything Barty Crouch had said. Harry was onlyhalf listening. So tired every bone in his body was aching, he wanted nothing morethan to sit here, undisturbed, for hours and hours, until he fell asleep and didn'thave to think or feel anymore.There was a soft rush of wings. Fawkes the phoenix had left his perch, flownacross the office, and landed on Harry's knee.\"'Lo, Fawkes,\" said Harry quietly. He stroked the phoenix's beautiful scarlet-and-gold plumage. Fawkes blinked peacefully up at him. There was somethingcomforting about his warm weight.Dumbledore stopped talking. He sat down opposite Harry, behind his desk. Hewas looking at Harry, who avoided his eyes. Dumbledore was going to questionhim. He was going to make Harry relive everything.\"I need to know what happened after you touched the Portkey in the maze. Harry,\"said Dumbledore.\"We can leave that till morning, can't we, Dumbledore?\" said Sirius harshly. Hehad put a hand on Harrys shoulder. \"Let him have a sleep. Let him rest.\"Harry felt a rush of gratitude toward Sirius, but Dumbledore took no notice ofSirius's words. He leaned forward toward Harry.Very unwillingly, Harry raised his head and looked into those blue eyes.\"If I thought I could help you,\" Dumbledore said gently, \"by putting you into anenchanted sleep and allowing you to postpone the moment when you would haveto think about what has happened tonight, I would do it. But I know better.Numbing the pain for a while will make it worse when you finally feel it. Youhave shown bravery beyond anything I could have expected of you. I ask you todemonstrate your courage one more time. I ask you to tell us what happened.\"The phoenix let out one soft, quavering note. It shivered in the air, and Harry feltas though a drop of hot liquid had slipped down his throat into his stomach,warming him, and strengthening him.He took a deep breath and began to tell them. As he spoke, visions of everything 448

that had passed that night seemed to rise before his eyes; he saw the sparklingsurface of the potion that had revived Voldemort; he saw the Death EatersApparating between the graves around them; he saw Cedric's body, lying on theground beside the cup.Once or twice, Sirius made a noise as though about to say something, his hand stilltight on Harry's shoulder, but Dumbledore raised his hand to stop him, and Harrywas glad of this, because it was easier to keep going now he had started. It waseven a relief; he felt almost as though something poisonous were being extractedfrom him. It was costing him every bit of determination he had to keep talking, yethe sensed that once he had finished, he would feel better.When Harry told of Wormtail piercing his arm with the dagger, however, Sirius letout a vehement exclamation and Dumbledore stood up so quickly that Harrystarted. Dumbledore walked around the desk and told Harry to stretch out his arm.Harry showed them both the place where his robes were torn and the cut beneaththem.\"He said my blood would make him stronger than if he'd used someone else's,\"Harry told Dumbledore. \"He said the protection my - my mother left in me - he'dhave it too. And he was right - he could touch me without hurting himself, hetouched my face.\"For a fleeting instant, Harry thought he saw a gleam of something like triumph inDumbledore's eyes. But next second. Harry was sure he had imagined it, for whenDumbledore had returned to his seat behind the desk, he looked as old and wearyas Harry had ever seen him.\"Very well,\" he said, sitting down again. \"Voldemort has overcome that particularbarrier. Harry, continue, please.\"Harry went on; he explained how Voldemort had emerged from the cauldron, andtold them all he could remember of Voldemort's speech to the Death Eaters. Thenhe told how Voldemort had untied him, returned his wand to him, and prepared toduel.But when he reached the part where the golden beam of light had connected hisand Voldemort's wands, he found his throat obstructed. He tried to keep talking,but the memories of what had come out of Voldemort's wand were flooding intohis mind. He could see Cedric emerging, see the old man, Bertha Jorkins ... hisfather . . . his mother . . .He was glad when Sirius broke the silence.\"The wands connected?\" he said, looking from Harry to Dumbledore. \"Why?\"Harry looked up at Dumbledore again, on whose face there was an arrested look.\"Priori Incantatem,\" he muttered. 449