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"I don't see why I have to do all the digging," Harry complained as he continued to shovel his way down to Tom Riddle, Sr.'s remains. "And why do we have to
dig, anyway. We've got perfectly good wands--"
"Potter, it's as I've told you," Egremon insisted. "If we use magic to dig up the corpse, a whole gaggle of Death Eaters is sure to be on us in an instant. And
really, do you think a man as old as I am would be any use trying to shovel a hole?"
"No, I suppose not," Harry grumbled. "But it's not the easiest job to do, so if you don't mind, I don't want to hear another word about hurrying it along."
"What will have been the point of avoiding magic to dig, if you take so long that we're discovered anyway?" he pointed out. "You don't really think this
graveyard has been forgotten since the last battle, do you? Believe me, the wound you inflicted by freeing the Dark Lord from his body has not been forgotten. There
are plenty who would wish to see you come to harm. Besides, just how many leg bones can one father have? This last one's got to be pretty valuable, by my way of
thinking. Without it, the Dark Lord would have to find another way to return entirely."
"Then maybe we should just destroy the bone once we've got it," Harry pointed out.
"That could work, if you have no love for your friend," Egremon answered shrewdly. "But if I'm right, you're going to want to be guarding the thing with your very
life."
Harry sighed, and started moving faster again. Then the shovel hit something hard. "I think that's done it," he announced. "Now we've just got to get inside. The
wood is fairly rotten, and it looks like it's been broken away before. Yes, there we are. We're in."
"Good work, Mr. Potter," said Lucius as he appeared with several Death Eaters to either side of him. "I knew I'd be likely to find you here, trying to destroy the
last means to bring our Lord back. How convenient it is that you've delivered the bone and the enemy all in one night."
"Grab him!" shouted one of the masked men, and the other rushed up and caught Harry by both arms. "The Dark Lord is certain to reward us handsomely for this."
"And who is this with him?" inquired the first Death Eater as he sized Egremon up.
"He is of no consequence," Lucius said haughtily. "He is on our side, meant to keep the boy on task, nothing more. Come, Egremon, and Apparate us to our
destination."
"As you wish, my Lord," Egremon agreed with an enigmatic smile.
"Bloody bastards!" Harry yelled as convincingly as he could. "You'll never get away with this. I killed Voldemort once, and I'll kill him again if I have to."
"Such bold words, Potter," Lucius sneered. "As I told these men, I only married your little Mudblood friend to get to you. Come, the Dark Lord is eager to see
you again."
"Not as eager as I am," Harry retorted. The entire group Disapparated into oblivion, only to appear near the mouth of the caves and one of the Death Eaters hit
Harry over the head, knocking him unconscious.
"What did you do that for?" Egremon complained. "Now we're going to have to carry him."
When Harry opened his eyes again, he was surprised to find himself once again held in place by a scythe. He didn't have to look around much to discern that
since they could not bring Voldemort to the graveyard, they'd brought the graveyard to Voldemort. What he was completely unprepared for was the sight of Egremon
standing over the cauldron, preparing to aid Lucius in casting the spell that would bring the Dark Lord to life again.
"What the--" he muttered, only to gain unwanted attention as a result.
"He awakens, my Lord," announced a demon who had been set to watch.
"Good!" answered a gravelly voice as a huge demon strode into view. "Bring the woman. I want her to see everything that transpires here."
"She remains unharmed?" Lucius demanded when he heard this. "I'll not have you break your word, my Lord. I would see my wife ere I begin."
"Dear Lucius," he chuckled. "How very gullible you are. Do you really think I'm going to trust you with such an important task?"
"What do you mean, my Lord?" he asked, all the blood draining from his face.
"You know what to do," he said as he smirked at the others.
Four demons moved forward intent upon taking Lucius into their custody. He yanked his wand from his cane and started blasting, running away from them. Then,
he turned his wand on the Dark Lord instead, and shouted, "Avada Kedavra!"
The green light flew across the gap and struck its target, shattering the image like breaking a mirror. In the place of the huge and terrible demon stood the
wizened creature who had told Hermione all its plans.
Hermione was brought in with a gag in her mouth. She tried to scream past it, to tell Lucius what the thing in front of them had planned, but of course he
could not understand a word she said.
One of the demons aimed a wand at Hermione's heart, and Lucius subsided immediately, letting the others take him. "I'm sorry, Hermione," he told her as they
dragged him toward Harry. "I love you with all my heart. Haven't I proven that by now?"
"All you've proven is that you're the worst kind of traitor there is," sneered the little creature as the demons bent him forward. "I had hoped you would be a
willing victim, Lucius. Your devotion to that Muggle-born bitch sickens me."
"I've faced my demons, Lord Voldemort," Lucius said proudly. "I will never serve you again."
"You won't have to," Voldemort said with a smirk.
Lucius had a sudden, sinking suspicion he knew exactly what his former Master meant. He would not have to serve him because he was about to be him. "No!" he
shouted, struggling anew. "I won't let you. If you come in here, I swear I'll rip your worthless soul to shreds."
"You can certainly try, Lucius," he said. "Proceed, Egremon."
"As you wish, my Lord," said the old man with a gleeful smile. He picked up the Dark Lord and tossed him into the pot, and then the demons forced Lucius in as
well. The boiling hot liquid made him cry out in pain as Egremon recited the incantation, throwing in the bone and deftly slicing off his hand even as he turned
and sliced open Harry's wrist. Harry's cries of pain joined with those of Lucius, and Hermione's sobs of despair joined in as well.
Then, suddenly, Lucius' cries of pain turned to sobs of joy. Though he retained the voice, it was certain the sounds were now controlled by Voldemort himself
as he stepped free of the caldron in all the naked glory of the man whose body he now possessed.
"Am I not glorious to behold?" he bragged in dulcet tones as he pranced about the room. Everyone voiced their appreciation of his new form until he danced up
to Harry Potter himself. "And you, Potter? What do you think of my new body?"
"It disgusts me," he answered.
"I don't need you anymore," Voldemort commented. "I may as well kill you now."
He stopped with his wand halfway raised as Harry laughed gleefully.
"What's so funny, Potter?" he sneered.
"I'm the only one who knows where your wand is, Voldemort," he informed him smugly. "If you kill me, you're never going to get it. And don't ask that prat,
Egremon. He only thinks he knows where it is."
"He's lying," Egremon sneered. "He never suspected me for a moment. It's at his home, in Grimmauld place."
"Are you so sure?" Harry asked mockingly.
"Untie him," said Voldemort as he wrapped himself in a robe. "And bring me the girl. I'm sure she'll behave herself now that the deed is done."
"Yes, my Lord," Egremon agreed.
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