thirty-six
Augustus and Cedric were both anxious due to Lorelei's absence. They both tried to bring it up to Professor Snape, but he did and said nothing.
The other professors were preparing for the tournament, and they were unable to find them.
"Just... finish this and we can find her. You can't back out now." Augustus said to him as Cedric waited anxiously for the tournament to begin.
"She's in trouble. I know it."
"Cedric Diggory." A man called out, "Come along."
"Good luck." Augustus bleakly said.
From the the arena, Zoya was with her group of friends cheering away for Harry. Fred, as usual, had his arm swung around her.
"Let's go Harry!" Zoya yelled.
Music played as the champions walked out, "Earlier today Professor Moody placed the Triwizards cup deep within the maze. Only he knows its exact position. Now as Mr Diggory and Mr Potter tied for first position they will be the first to enter the maze. Followed by Mr Krum, the first person to touch the cup will be the winner. I've instructed the staff to patrol the perimeter, if at any point should a contestant wish to withdraw from the task he or she need only send up red sparks with their wands. Contestants, gather round."
He spoke to the contestants as the crowd continued to cheer. Dumbledore took a few steps back, "Champions! Prepare yourselves." Professor Moody loudly said.
Cedric hugged his father and looked into the crowd sadly. He looked at Augustus, who only shook his head.
"On the count of three... ONE..."
The cannon suddenly went off, the the champions disappeared into the maze.
From a graveyard, Lorelei was being held down by over five death eaters. Her lip was bloody and her body sweaty.
"Please, I-I don't know anything." She weakly said.
Her father and Peter Pettigrew circled her, "Then stop forcing us out of your mind." Lucius spat.
"I'm not doing it on purpose." She cried, "What do you want with me?"
"You are tainting the name, Lorelei." Lucius replied, "Not to mention..." He trailed off as he touched his cane to her mind, "You are too powerful to be left to your own devices."
Morana Van Vries walked up to the two, and Lorelei shook her head, "Please, stop."
She bent down and touched her hand to Lorelei's, emitting a loud cry from her. Morana Van Vries, as Lorelei learned, was Sayaka's mother.
She was a powerful Legilimens, yet she was struggling to look into Lorelei's mind. That didn't stop the sharp pain Lorelei felt every time her mind was penetrated.
She let go and stood up, "She keeps blocking me out."
"Go." A voice whispered from Peter.
Morana took a hold of her and suddenly apparited to a graveyard along with Peter. They heard voices, one being...
"Cedric..." She trailed off, quickly recognizing his voice.
"Ahh..." Morana whispered, "It's him."
Morana kept her grip on Lorelei, and walked her out of the shadows with Peter. Peter had a blanket in his hand, and Lorelei got a sickly feeling.
Both Harry and Cedric held their wand up to Peter. Cedric looked at Lorelei, who had tears streaming down her face.
"It's okay." He whispered to her.
Her lip quivered as she heard a voice come from the blanket, "Kill the spare."
"NO!" Lorelei yelled, breaking free from the grip.
But she was too late. The words Avada Kedavra left Peter's mouth faster than she could block it. Cedric was struck lifelessly to the ground, and she ran to him and fell down beside him.
"Cedric... Cedric!" She cried, paying no mind to what was going on around her. She put her hand to either side of his face, "Please please, I'm so sorry." She sobbed.
She felt ropes tie around her, and she was suddenly chained to a grave with her wand just feet away from her. She couldn't focus. She felt her heart break into a million pieces over and over as she stared at Cedric's lifeless body.
A body suddenly emerged from a cauldron, which formed into...
"No." She whispered.
Lord Voldemort stood in front of them, in the flesh. He slowly walked to Peter, "My wand, Wormtail."
Peter took a want out of his coat, and gave it to Voldemort. He then pressed his wand to Peter's forearm, which summoned a snake in the sky. Death Eaters emerged from it, and they all landed around the graveyard.
Voldemort floated around like a snake as he looked around at the Death Eaters surrounding him, "Welcome my friends. Thirty years it's been, and yet you stand before me as though it were only yesterday. I confess myself disappointed, not one of you tried to find me." He angrily said.
He began to snatch the hoods off of each hooded person, "Crabbe... Hemlock... Macnair... Goyle... Van Vries..." Each person fell to the ground as their masks were swiped away with a screech. He walked to the last one, "Not even you, Lucius." He said as his mask disappeared.
Lucius fell to his knees, "My lord. Had I detected any sign or even a whisper of your whereabouts."
"There were signs my slippery friend, and more than whispers."
"I assure you I never renounced the old ways. The face I have been obliged to present each day since your absence, that was my true mask." Lucius replied as he slowly stood up. He glanced at Lorelei, who still had tears coming from her eyes and sobs coming from her mouth.
"I returned." Peter meekly chimed in.
Voldemort turned to him, "Out of fear, not loyalty. Still you have proved yourself useful these past few months Wormtail." He replied.
He moved his hand, and Peter suddenly grew a new shiny metal hand. Peter looked at it, "Thank you master, thank you."
Voldemort walked to Cedric's corpse. He put his foot on his face and turned it, "Oh, such a handsome boy."
"Don't touch him!" Lorelei yelled.
Voldemort slowly turned to him, "Ahh, Lorelei..." He whispered. He traveled his sharp fingernail over her face, "So much you don't know about your own life. Isn't that right, Lucius?" Voldemort asked, turning back to the white haired man. He looked back at her, "It's no wonder why he is scared of you... tell me, where is it you get your Legilimency and Occlumency? Surely not your parents..."
"I–" Lorelei tried to speak, but nothing came out.
Voldemort's eyes widened mockingly, "Oh... you don't know. Interesting..." He whispered. He turned back to Lucius, "You were blessed with this child... yet you have wasted her. Now look where she is..." He said as he looked down at Cedric again, "Left out of the family business and fallen for a Hufflepuff." He said as he touched his foot to Cedric's face once more.
"Don't touch him." Harry yelled at him, struggling to free himself from the stone axe that was trapping him against a grave.
Voldemort quickly turned to him, "Harry! I'd almost forgotten you were here. Standing on the bones of my father. I'd introduce you but word has it you're almost as famous as me these days. The boy who lived. How lies have fed your legend Harry. Shall I reveal what really happened that night thirteen years ago? Shall I divulge how I truly lost my powers? It was love. You see when dear sweet Lily Potter gave her life for her only son she provided the ultimate protection. I could not touch you. It was old magic, something I should have foreseen. But no matter, no matter. Things have changed, I can touch you now!" He said, bringing his skinny and pale hand to Harry's head.
Harry screamed out in pain, and Voldemort mimicked it. Lorelei continued to struggle against her chains and Voldemort continued to speak, "Astonishing what a few drops of your blood will do eh Harry?"
Harry was suddenly freed, and he fell to the ground. Voldemort took a few steps back, "Pick up your wand Potter. I said pick it up, get up. Get up!" Voldemort yelled. Harry picked up his wand from the ground, "You've been taught how to duel I presume, yes? First we bow to each other. Come on now Harry the niceties must be observed, Dumbledore would not want you to forget your manners now would he?"
When Harry didn't bow, Voldemort forced him to, "I said bow! Ah, that's better. And now..."
Voldemort cast a spell at Harry, and he fell back to the ground in pain. Harry tried to yell expelliarmus, but was cut off by crucio, "Atta boy Harry, your parents would be proud. Especially your filthy mongrel mother. I'm going to kill you Harry Potter, I'm going to destroy you. After tonight no one will ever again question my powers. After tonight if they speak of you they'll speak only of how you begged for death, and I being a merciful lord obliged. Get up."
He pulled Harry to his feet, and Harry instantly tried to move away. Voldemort blasted Harry and he dodged behind a grave, "Don't you turn your back on me Harry Potter I want you to look at me when I kill you, I want to see the lights leave your eyes!"
Harry saw Lorelei diagonally from him, who was still tied to a grave. He muttered a spell, and her ropes were freed.
She wiped her tears away, and quickly grabbed her wand. She nodded at Harry, and the two stood up and faced Voldemort. His eyes widened at Lorelei, "Have it your way." She gritted.
Her and Harry both yelled Expelliarmus while Voldemort yelled Avada Kedavra. Their spells met in the middle, and streams of magic came from all of their wands in attempt to overpower the other. Despite Lorelei and Harry being together, they were still struggling against the Dark Lord.
The Death Eaters tried to intervene, but Voldemort stopped them, "Do nothing. They are mine to finish. They are both mine!"
As Lorelei and Harry struggled against Voldemort, shapes began to form in the surrounding magical energy. Lorelei saw a vague shape of Cedric, and he only gave her a soft smile.
"Harry, Lorelei, when the connection is broken you must get to the portkey. We can delay it for a moment to give you time but only a moment, do you understand?" Harry's father, James Potter said. On the other side of Harry was his mother, Lily Potter.
Lorelei then saw a figure of a woman that she did not recognize. But from the look of the figure, she recognized her.
"You can do it, sweetheart." She softly said.
"Lorelei, take my body back will you? Take my body back to my father." Cedric said to her.
If Lorelei was sobbing before, she was now breaking down, "I-I can't hold it much longer." She cried.
"I love you, Lorelei." Cedric said to her, "You're going to be alright."
"Let go!" James yelled.
The connection broke, and Harry yelled Accio, and the Goblet of Fire flew into his hand. Lorelei was already by Cedric's body when they teleported back to the arena.
The crowd cheered and the band played when Harry arrived back. Him and Lorelei were both by Cedric's body crying loudly. She placed a kiss on his forehead as her hands shook, "I-I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She mindlessly repeated.
Fleur screamed when she saw Cedric's body, and that's when the crowd went silent. Dumbledore rushed to Harry and Lorelei and a ministry official tried to pull Lorelei back, "No! Get off of me!" She yelled, blasting him back with her wand.
"Tell me what happened!" Dumbledore yelled.
"He's back, he's back! Voldemort's back. Cedric, he asked us to bring his body back. We couldn't leave him, not there."
"How were you there?!" Another official yelled at Lorelei.
Amos walked through the crowd, and when he saw his son, he fell to the ground, "That's my son! My boy!" He wailed.
Lorelei stood up, and the voices she could hear were louder than anything she had ever heard before.
She did it.
She is working with him!
Murderer!
"Please, I-I didn't do it!" She pleaded loudly.
Dumbledore muttered a spell and looked to her, "Go!" He quietly said to her.
And with that, Lorelei apparited out of the arena.
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