act two: little dark age
chapter forty-seven

There's always this lingering feeling that something is about to happen and a lot of people never know why. That was the anxiety behind everyone's brain. Someone was always watching, and something was always bound to happen. And in Daphne's case, almost every time without a fault, it had been proved true.

She wasn't sure why she had been thrown into the maze. She wasn't sure why Caius had sided with the Death Eaters and why her brother was torn between sides having to play a game as dangerous as russian roulette wtih his life. She wasn't sure why her abilities were considered so valuable that Voldemort wanted her.

She was a pawn, she knew that from the beginning. Her mother never let her go a day without knowing it. Despite being an heiress, despite being a Black, she was a girl who could see things that could change the course of the future and the war. She was a weapon that could be played either way, if done correctly.

That's mainly what she feared. What if Voldemort got into her head? What if for some reason, she betrayed everyone she loved and she didn't understand why? She didn't want her mother to be right. She didn't believe in blood supremacy, she didn't believe in Voldemort. She believed in equality, and she believed in freedom.

Everything that Voldemort preached against. Voldemort was supposed to be dead, everyone knew that. But Daphne also knew that for the past four years, something had happened at Hogwarts and two out of those four had been confirmed to be Lord Voldemort himself. And a dead man could not be doing those things without living.

After Daphne's hand had locked around the cup, she had lost the feeling of the handle against her palm. Feeling her fingers slip almost after a second as her stomach turned and gnaled. Something was eating her from the inside out as the whispers in her ears began to get louder. She swore she saw flashes of both red and green, signs of danger and war.

Instantly, Daphne felt a jerk somewhere behind her navel. Her feet had left the ground. She could not unclench the hand holding onto her friends while they held the Triwizard Cup; it was pulling them onward in a howl of wind and swirling color, Cedric and Harry at her side. No clue of what was happening or where they were going.

It wasn't even a moment later when everyone was thrown down somewhere. Daphne hit harshly into what felt like solid stone which knocked the breath out of her before her mind began flashing images at her. Her eyes were wide as she saw an array things in front of her. Her breaths were loud as she tried her best to breath.

Then something seemed to click in her mind. This was the cemetery from Harry's dream. Harry's dream was coming true right now. Voldemort was here. Wormtail was here. They were about to come face to face with one of the darkest Wizard's to date. Daphne wasn't sure if it was the stone or her anxiety that seemed to be taking her air from her.

"You okay?" Cedric was merely a few feet away from her as he laid at Harry's side, rising to his feet as he looked at the injured boy.

"Yeah, you?" Harry asked as he looked back at Daphne who forced herself to stand as she looked around, before her hand fell on the gravestone.

Cedric placed his hands on his hips as he stood, stretching before he walked around for a moment, "Where are we?" He questioned before in Daphne's mind she felt a shift.

"I've been here before," Harry looked worried as he seemed to realize where they were, walking around before his eyes settled on the gravestone Daphne was touching, he stumbled and Daphne surged to grab ahold of him.

"It's a portkey," Cedric got down as he looked at the cup that gleamed brightly on the ground, his eyes shining in wonder.

"Cedric!" Something clicked in Daphne's head that scared her, "Cedric, you've got to get out of here! You're going to-"

It seemed as if he couldn't hear her as she began to overfill with protectiveness and worry, Harry was pulling her along as he stumbled around. Refusing to let her get out of his grasp as she refused to leave his side.

"Harry, the cup is a portkey!" Cedric exclaimed with a grin resting on his lips as he looked back at the two, "Amazing."

"Harry, it's here," Daphne's voice wavered as she whispered quietly, "I know what's going to happen - Harry..."

By the way her voice was so high as she barely got her words out, he knew it wasn't good. The gears were going in the back of his mind as Daphne looked at him trying to get them out of there as soon as possible, they needed to leave.

"I've been here before, in a dream," Harry held his wand and looked over the names on the stone before exclaiming, "Cedric! We have to get back to the cup, now!"

"What are you talking about?" Cedric seemed to be put on high alert as he turned and looked at the two.

Daphne felt the way her stomach dropped. She could feel a sense of anger and pain rushing through her. She wasn't sure why, but her sadness began to peel away. Her fear turning into something that made her fear herself. Holding onto Harry as the two heard a door open and all three turning to the source of the sound.

This can't be happening, no, Daphne's thoughts were running wild as she held onto Harry while listening to the sounds of creaks as fire began to engulf the candles merely a few years away from them. It was happening. He's here. This is why I'm here, Daphne knew now why she had been told to watch out.

They had just been handed to the Dark Lord.

Harry began to yell out in pain and drop to the ground as he held onto his head. Daphne knew that his scar had to be burning. She watched as Cedric came over, clearly confused about what was happening as Wormtail appeared, holding some sort of thing in his arm as the cauldron in front of them became engulfed in flames.

"Harry, what is it?" Cedric's words were urgent and rushed as he looked at the girl who gripped his sleeve, shaking her head as if telling him not to do something.

"Cedric, get back to the cup! Get back to the cup!" Harry was clearly in an immense amount of pain as he gripped his head for dear life.

Daphne gripped Harry as he sat on the ground holding his head before getting a chill as she made direct eye contact with Voldemort. Refusing to let him see her fear, holding her composure as she held onto her boyfriend while yelling at Cedric, she needed him to run. She needed him to get as far away from here as he could.

"It'll be okay, I've got you," Cedric looked at Daphne as he held his wand up, trying to defend the two as he yelled, "Who are you? What do you want?"

"Cedric!" Daphne yelled knowing what was about to happen next as she surged to her feet, blocking Harry but trying to get Cedric.

Voldemort's plan was set in place, and Daphne knew that,"Kill the spare," Voldemort did not hesitate to say as Wormtail obliged.

"NO!" Daphne screamed angrily at the top of her lungs as she managed to grab Harry's wand, not caring if it did not help at all.

"Avada Kedavra!" It was no use, Wormtail was faster and the flash of green light hit the boy and blew his now deceased body back to the ground.

"No! Cedric!" Harry yelled as the green light illuminated their faces as Daphne let out a cry at the sight before she continued to block her boyfriend.

"You traitor! You little bitch ass rat!" Daphne screamed as she looked at Wormtail, "This is why you were the weakest out of the Marauders! Isn't it? You were everyone's little bitch!" She screamed as she gripped Harry's wand.

"Crucio!" Wormtail hadn't hesitated to shoot at the girl and she tried to block it, but to no avail, she dropped down to the ground as she tensed and groaned out in pain as her body began to twist and contort.

"Odette!" Harry yelled as he looked at his girlfriend, before Wormtail rose him from the ground and placed him against the grave which moved to hold him.

The spell never let up on Daphne, but it got to the point where her body would spasm every so often. Her muscles locked up as she looked over at Harry, anger clear in her eyes as she did her best to fight against everything that was going on. She couldn't be weak - but this was a spell that was illegal because of the damage it did.

"Do it! Now!" Voldemort ordered from Wormtail's arms after making sure Harry was secure against the stone.

"You're okay," Harry muttered as he fought against the stone, trying to push it off of him, "You're okay. We're going to get out of here."

Daphne didn't say a word as she clenched her jaw even tighter, the pain was excruciating. Her eyes caught sight of Wormtail who was looming over to the cauldron with the deformed baby Voldemort in his arms, holding the small fragments of the man before dropping him into the cauldron. Causing it to bubble up and Daphne to shut her eyes tight.

This was all her fault. Cedric dying was all her fault. She knew something was wrong, she knew he was going to die and she didn't do anything. She was supposed to stop it all, she was supposed to protect Cedric. She was supposed to protect Harry. Yet, she couldn't even protect herself. And the pain was a result of that. Maybe she should've died in the maze. Maybe someone would have a chance.

Daphne managed to get a small grip on herself, despite her muscles still spasming, pushing herself over towards the gravestone she tried not to make any sound, the curse had lifted but it still had lasting affects. And she did not need them knowing that it had lifted just yet, she needed to play her cards right and maybe they'd make it out.

"They're closing in on you..." Daphne heard the voice in her head, looking confused as she knew no one was speaking to her.

"He will rise again," She knew the voices and she knew who was speaking, but they weren't, "He's going to rise again, and you're going to give him what he wants."

Daphne's stomach dropped as she figured out what was happening. She had known all along, but never realized it. All the warnings from her brother, all the comments from Moody, and all of the threats from Caius... it was all happening now. Voldemort was coming back now.

"Bone of the father.... Unwillingly given," Wormtail pointed his wand at the bone, causing it to fly within the air before it fell into the steaming cauldron while falling ablaze.

"Because it's steaming does that mean we're inhaling him?" Daphne muttered the questioned as she tried her best to mask her true feelings of fear and despair.

Wormtail paid Daphne no mind as he placed his wand back into a coat pocket before grabbing out a knife, "Flesh of the servant...." He walked over the cauldron and placed his hand over it, "Willingly sacrificed," He cried out in pain as the knife sliced through his wrist and his hand fell into the murky cauldron.

Daphne felt bile rise to her throat at the sight of it, quickly shutting her eyes tightly before she tried to figure out a way to sabotage whatever was happening. If something was put into the potion that shouldn't be there... then it wouldn't work. What can I find to put in this nutcases shit? Merlin, Daphne needed to act fast.

"And blood... of the enemy," Daphne forced herself to her feet as soon as Wormtail spoke as he turned towards Harry with the knife, but Daphne blocked his way.

"Get away from him," Daphne was not going to move to let Wormtail get through, she was making sure that he did not get Harry's blood.

"Stupid girl, so much like your family," Wormtail looked at her, and for once he didn't look riddled with anxiety as raised his knife.

"You can't kill me," Daphne decided this was the route she was going with, manipulate and trickery to survive, "You know that he needs me alive. He needs to know what I've seen," She held her head high and despite the light shake of her body her words were held authority.

Wormtail narrowed his eyes before he waved his hand, and Daphne felt a pull forward before she found herself hitting against the side of the cauldron roughly before hitting the ground once again. The cauldron had been hot and it burnt the skin that it had touched.

"Leave her alone!" Harry yelled as he narrowed his eyes, his face was full of pain as his leg continued to bleed.

Wormtail took the knife across Harry's sleeve, in the process cutting the fabric and the boy's arm causing him to scream out which made Daphne feel sick, "Forcibly taken..."

Daphne grabbed something off of the ground as coughed wildly while trying to put something in the cauldron, only to feel a kick against her, pushing her body into the flame of the cauldron once again before she tugged herself back as she laid on the ground panting as pain painted her face.

Wormtail tapped the knife as the blood dripped down into the cauldron, Harry's screams were getting louder and louder, "The dark lord... shall rise again...."

No, no, no, Daphne's mind was running wild as she laid against the grass. Forcing herself to sit up despite the pain in her abdomen from the burning flesh. Ignoring the whispers in her ears. She had to do something and she had to do it quickly. Daphne watched as the cauldron became engulfed in flames as Wormtail ran away.

Shit, we don't have time, we're running out of time, Daphne repeated to herself. Trying to figure out how to get them out in time. Could we take the portkey back? What would happen if I tried to grab him? Would the entire grave come with us? Daphne ran through every scenario in her head as she moved away from the flames that engulfed the cauldron, ending up sitting upright beside Cedric.

The cauldron was simmering, sending its diamond sparks in all directions, so blindingly bright that it turned all else to velvety blackness. Nothing happened in that moment, it simply kept burning and changing colors. So maybe, Voldemort had died in the cauldron? No, Daphne knew better than to think that. He is alive...

And then, suddenly, the sparks emanating from the cauldron were extinguished. A surge of white steam billowed thickly from the cauldron instead, obliterating everything in front of Daphne, so that she couldn't see Wormtail or Harry or anything but vapor hanging in the air. Harry's okay. He's okay, I need to figure out a plan. We've got to get out of here...

But then, through the mist in front of him, he saw, with an icy surge of terror, the dark outline of a man, tall and skeletally thin, rising slowly from inside the cauldron. Daphne felt her body grow cold and rigid as she stared at the man before her. She could feel Harry's gaze lingering over as he stood merely two feet in front of her. Naked at that, causing her nose to scrunch up in disgust.

"Robe me," spoke the high, cold voice from behind the steam, and Wormtail, sobbing and moaning, still cradling his mutilated arm, scrambled to pick up the black robes from the ground, got to his feet, reached up, and pulled them one-handed over his master's head.

Daphne wanted to joke about the situation. Crack some sort of comment that would make someone laugh, but she knew it wasn't the time. She knew that it was not a great idea to do that when they were on the verge of death. She just hoped that with Harry, they could figure out how to leave. That they could defeat Voldemort again, maybe then she wouldn't be so weak.

The thin man stepped out of the cauldron, staring at Harry . . . and Harry stared back into the face that Daphne knew had haunted his nightmares for three years. Whiter than a skull, with wide, livid scarlet eyes and a nose that was flat as a snake's with slits for nostrils . . . Lord Voldemort had risen again.

Voldemort looked away from Harry and began examining his own body. His hands 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 cat's, gleamed still more 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, who lay twitching and bleeding on the ground, nor of the great snake, which had slithered back into sight and was circling Harry again, hissing. Voldemort slipped one of those unnaturally long-fingered hands into a deep pocket and drew out a wand.

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 was tied; he fell to the foot of it and lay there, crumpled up and crying. Voldemort turned his scarlet eyes upon Harry, laughing a high, cold, mirthless laugh.

Daphne's jaw clenched as she narrowed her eyes at the Dark Wizard. The man who had created all of the problems for the children for years. Causing them to never catch a break or for them to never once have a good year.

"Hold out your arm," Voldemort spoke to Wormtail and Daphne's eyes widened, knowing the exact reason why.

"He's summoning the others," Daphne whispered more or so to herself as she tried her best not to touch Cedric's body.

They were completely and utterly screwed.