Darkness. That was all there was in the void between life and death.
Harry felt like he was under the ocean, and it was impossible to breathe or move around as he sank towards the bottom. He tried to swim up, but something had latched itself onto him, causing Harry to look down and become shocked as he saw a little horrifying creature that resembled Voldemort pulling him down. He tried kicking it off and hitting it, but nothing worked as the creature continued to drag him down into oblivion.
His strength continued to fade even more as he began to hear voices, familiar voices that he preferred to never hear again. He heard Vernon calling him a worthless freak and waste of space, Dudley making fun of the fact that he's an orphan and calling his parents' names, Ron calling him greedy and an attention seeker, and Hermione calling him a liar. All of these dark memories made Harry's spirit feel week and eventually, he stopped moving as Riddle's Horcrux dragged them both down.
Fleur felt groggy as she attempted to get up and both her vision and hearing were foggy at best for a good minute before, finally, she regained her senses somewhat. She was laying on a bench and was surrounded by the Headmistress, her sister, Marie, and a few other Beauxbatons students who were looking at her with concern.
The Headmistress spoke first, "Fleur, are you all right? You and Krum were both found unconscious and badly hurt when the aurors retrieved you. You've unfortunately been disqualified, but that doesn't matter now."
Fleur just drew a blank, until she realized what had happened in the maze before she passed out. Running into Krum in the maze, him attacking her while he appeared to be bewitched, getting badly hurt, Harry and Cedric showing up and saving her before she lost consciousness. She got up and looked around the stadium, it was now nighttime, and the crowd appeared to be waiting in anticipation now that they know the winner would be from Hogwarts. She looked to her left and saw Karkaroff looking at his arm in terror before bolting out of the stadium, much to the confusion of everyone except for the Hogwarts potions master who was covertly rubbing his arm with a solemn look on his face. Fleur had a terrible feeling in her stomach that something had happened to her husband, and if that worst case scenario the founders kept talking about has come to pass, then she has to stand ready to anchor Harry back.
Over on the other side of the stadium, Tonks was pacing as she was eyeing everyone in suspicion as she awaited any news on her husband. All was well until Fleur and the Durmstrang meathead came back injured and then Moody suddenly took off for no reason without any instructions. All year Moody, despite being his normal barmy self, had these weird moments of insanity that was out of character even for him. She and her fellow aurors had chalked it up to him finally starting to pass the point of no return on the crazy express, but now she was not so sure. Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw two people emerge from the maze and her sense of dread had skyrocketed.
It was Moody, who was carrying a bloody and broken Cedric. Many screamed at the sight, none more so than that Cho Chang girl who was dating Cedric and Tonks rushed over with the professors and Madam Pomphrey immediately got to work on the boy. Tonks cringed at the sight as Cedric had a swollen eye, cuts on his torso and lower body, a severely broken left arm, and a right leg that was essentially detached and bleeding profusely and Tonks just knew they would have to amputate. It was a far cry from the innocent and cute first year she met in the Hufflepuff dorms seven years ago, but she steeled herself and walked up the professors to understand what had happened.
Dumbledore spoke first, "What's happened here, Allister?"
"I went to investigate what happened to Krum and Delacour, when I found two death eaters standing over Diggory in that condition. The two ran off when they saw me, so I grabbed Diggory to bring back here. However, the cup was nowhere to be seen and neither was Potter, so something is afoot.", replied Moody and Tonks couldn't help but detect a hint of excitement in his voice at that last part.
Although, she was a little too panicked to say anything, as her husband was now definitely fighting Death Eaters and maybe even You-Know-Who himself and she was with no way of finding him. If there was one thing she hated in this world, it was being unsure of something and worse, being powerless to do anything about it. One thing she knew for sure, though, she would stand ready like any good auror, or Lady Black, would.
Turning attention to Harry's final wife, Penny rushed over to see if she could help Cedric at all; she did some time studying medicine and even worked in the Hospital wing from time to time. She was, however, a nervous wreck as now three of the champions have come back injured and there was no sign of her beloved anywhere. Ever the Ravenclaw, there was a multitude of things running through her head and how she should approach, but for now, she decided to help Cedric and hope Harry could hold out wherever he was until backup arrived.
Penny was performing healing charms on Cedric next to Pomphrey and said, "Don't worry, Cedric. We're going to fix you up, just hang on a little while longer."
Cedric was trying to speak though and motioned for Penny to lean in, "Moody…works with… Death Eaters…hurt Harry."
Cedric finally passed from the pain and Penny saw red as she glared at Moody, who was about to drink from flask that she always sees him drinking from and that was when a theory popped in her head. "Accio!", she cast silently. The flask was ripped from his hand and into hers and now everyone's attention was on her, she though was busy was busy sniffing the contents and her eyes widened as her theory proved accurate. "Polyjuice potion", she thought.
"Cedric said he was the one who hurt him and Harry, and he's working with the Death Eater's! This is Polyjuice Potion!", she shouted.
Moody snarled and took out his wand, but thankfully the already agitated and on alert Tonks already had her wand at the ready for the threat. The real Moody would be so proud.
"Expelliarmus! Stupefy!", she shouted.
The wand flew out of his hand and the imposter went down like a sack of bricks. Everyone then decided to pull their wands out then as if they expected another attack as the stadium entered an eerie and terrifying silence. Snape essentially glided over to Penny and sniffed the flask and nodded to Dumbledore to confirm her suspicions.
Dumbledore nodded and he seemed every bit his age with an ancient tiredness about him, "Well, it seems we know who's been stealing from your stores, Severus. You, Minerva, and Filius take our guest here to the DADA classroom and use veritaserum, I have some questions for him."
The three professors nodded and took 'Moody' away as the medical staff, led by Pomphrey, stabilized Cedric enough to move him and made their way to the Hospital wing. The crowd was becoming rowdy as they were demanding answers to what was happening, and the Minister was doing damage control. While everyone was distracted, the three wives slipped away from the crowd and headed for a secluded spot beneath the rafters; although, had they been paying attention, they would have seen an old man's curious eyes see them leave together.
Once they arrived, Tonks being Tonks decided to break the silence first, "Well, we are officially up shit's creek without a paddle. Bullocks, and there's nothing we can do."
Penny rolled her eyes at the crudeness but refrained from chastising her and said, "Well, it seems like that the worst-case scenario has happened and now we have to hope that, if the worst comes to pass, hope our love anchors Harry's soul."
Fleur nodded sadly, "I hate feeling powerless, especially in protecting my loved ones. But I know that we'll see 'Arry again. I don't know how I know; I just do."
The others nodded when, suddenly, their ladyship rings started glowing and they all felt Harry's soul trying to reach out, but for some reason couldn't. They all knew what they had to do, so they sat in a circle and put their hands together as they tried to allow their magic flow through the rings and allow their love for Harry to reach out to him and anchor his soul. Their memoires flowed through them as, unbeknownst to them, they started glowing themselves as their magic went out and sought to connect to Harry's.
Harry had all but lost hope that he would find a way to pull off one last miracle, but sadly, it appeared that what little good luck he had finally ran out. He closed his eyes as the piece of Voldemort's soul sucked him down deeper into the darkness and awaited the end, hoping that he would at least be reunited with his parents. When all seemed lost, however, Harry was suddenly bombarded with three bright lights that forced him to open his eyes; one was a crimson red, another was violet, and the last one was blue, and they seemed to take a humanoid shape that looked female.
When the three 'spirits' touched him, Harry felt all the negative voices and memories evaporate and instead was bombarded with all his good memories he had made over the last four years, but especially with his three wives. Him and Penny talking and laughing over the course of their relationship, him and Tonks dueling and goofing off over their shared hobbies, and him and Fleur having their first date and working through their issues with each other's support. He loved those girls more than anything and now they were trying to defy death itself for him and he couldn't just sit back and do nothing. He reached out grabbed them tightly and tried to connect his magic and soul to them using his love and after a while, the spirits separated Harry form the Horcrux and lifted him towards the surface as the piece of Riddle's soul was finally consumed by the darkness and then, all Harry saw was a flash of light.
Harry awoke to find the opposite environment of the one he was just in, as now the room he was in was now pure white and kind of looked like King's Cross station. Harry got up and walked over to one of the benches and when he looked down, he saw the piece of Voldemort that had tried to drag him down into the dark huddle into a ball and seemingly dying very slowly and painfully.
Harry was brought out of his musings by a new voice that sent chills down his spine, "You know, of all the people ever to cheat me, you have got to be the most creative and impressive."
Harry turned slowly and he went pale as he saw a seven-foot-tall creature, wrapped in a dark cloak and the face and hands of a skeleton with burning red eyes. At first, Harry assumed it to be a Dementor, but this monster was much bigger and had an even deadlier aura around him. He couldn't move and he didn't dare speak for a good two minutes until he finally found the courage, or the stupidity, depending on how you look at it.
"W-Who…or what are you?", he asked.
The figure chuckled, "Typical mortal, that's always the first question."
He eventually stopped laughing and continued, "I am the one who waits, not creates. I am the one who those in the dark worship and fear at the same time. I am the one who will remain when you pathetic mortals finally meet your end. I…am DEATH.
Harry gulped but steeled himself, "So, does this mean I am dead?"
Death scoffed, "Thanks to that little stunt you and your wives pulled, and that bastard snake latching a part of his soul onto you, you will not die unless you choose to. Taking a piece of that man is enough of a consolation prize for me. You can leave whenever you want and considering what you've chosen as your place of limbo, you can take a train back."
Harry nodded, "You know, seven months ago, I might have actually taken you up on that offer. I had no one and I was just so tired of the world, still am in most ways. However, I found something special, and I won't give it up, not yet."
Death spoke again, "I really couldn't care less, boy. However, I want Tom Riddle dead, for good this time. I cannot directly kill anyone, so I cannot be the one to do it, so you will. Consider it payment for escaping my clutches twice, but I'm not heartless, so I'll give you a hint. A long time ago, I created a wand that increased a person's magical output tenfold; The Elder Wand."
Harry became intrigued, "How can I find this wand?"
Death just looked at him, "When the time is right, you will know it when you see it. Now leave mortal, I have wasted enough time on you. Five Horcruxes remain, destroy them, and prepare for a final confrontation with Riddle. Oh, and one last piece of advice, there is a saying among you mortals you might find beneficial in the future…keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."
Harry was confused but didn't get a chance to ask the deity what he meant as Death suddenly disappeared in a puff of black smoke. Harry felt it was time to leave before he pushed his luck any further, so he closed his eyes and asked for a train to appear to take him back to the land of the living and soon enough, the Hogwarts Express came rolling in. Harry boarded and allowed his heart and mind to take him home to his wives, and as he did so, he felt his soul reach back out to his wives to reassure them almost as he headed to the land of the living.
When Harry awoke, his head was spinning and apparently, was now covered in black blood spewing from his scar; meaning that the Horcrux was now indeed gone. He slowly looked around and noticed he was still in the graveyard and that the Death Eaters were gathered around Voldemort, who had seemingly fallen to his knees and clutched his head in pain. Harry tried to move quickly but, considering he just technically died, his body didn't want to cooperate He was able to move his upper body slightly and he immediately went for his wand but for some reason, once he picked it up, he felt like it wasn't responding to him anymore. He widened his eyes, remembering that this wand was the brother of Voldemort's wand and since the Horcrux is no more, the connection Harry has to him is severed and made his wand useless. He had no way of defending himself now, unless-.
"Wandless magic. I've been practicing all year, but it's still incredibly difficult to control my power output even in the best of circumstances. But now I have no choice, so I'll stick to the spells I've mastered for now and pray for the best…as usual.", he thought.
He started to get feelings in his legs again and slowly began to get up, but as his luck would have it, Voldemort was also getting on his feet and saw Harry, giving the young Gryffindor a look of pure hatred that he would remember for years to come in his nightmares. The other Death Eaters were to shocked really that Harry had yet again survived the killing curse to say or do anything as Voldemort pushed them out of the way. Harry was on shaky legs, but he had essentially regained his ability to move, which was good because Riddle decided to raise his wand.
"Crucio! Crucio! Avada Kadavra!", he casted.
Harry concentrated his magic outwards and prayed that this would work, "Reverso!"
The new spell he casted was taught to him by Godric in order to block highly dangerous spells during times Harry would be without a wand in combat; specifically, to block the Imperious and Cruciatus curses. The spell essentially creates a metal liquid, combining the earth, water, and lightning elements, out of your magical energy to create essentially a mirror that can absorb an attack and direct it back at your opponent. The founder came up with the spell on one of his many adventures across Europe dealing with Dark Wizards.
As the two Cruciatus curses hit, they were instantly absorbed by the mirror and shot right back at Voldemort, who just narrowly dodged the two curses; the same could not be said for the two Death Eaters behind him. Meanwhile, Harry just barely dodged the Killing curse, which destroyed the mirror as that is the only spell that no shield or charm can block. He landed behind a gravestone and tried to analyze his surroundings, searching for a way out and he knew that apparating was out of the question due to the wards around them. However, he then noticed a familiar blue light behind the Riddle family grave, the Triwizard Cup which also happened to be a Port Key.
"I need to get closer to the cup, but I'll need a distraction.", he thought.
Channeling his magic again, he stood up and fired lighting from his hands at Voldemort and his cronies, like he did at the World Cup. The purple lightning managed to hit the few who weren't fast enough to get their shields up in time, but they appeared to be mostly non-fatal injuries. Although, one of them got hit by a lightning bolt and it went right through his chest, killing him instantly. Harry ran towards the cup, but Voldemort managed to shoot some more curses at him, and Harry knew he was going to have to stand his ground some more as he got ready again when Riddle raised his wand again as Harry summoned what little magic he had left.
"Expelliarmus!", Harry shouted.
"Avada Kadavra!", Voldemort shouted.
Red and green beams of energy collided in a struggle that very few could hope to accomplish and suddenly, a sphere of energy surrounded Harry and Voldemort as the struggle backed up to Riddle's wand. Once the center touched his wand, four ghosts popped out, one was the old man who he had seen in his nightmares since the start of the summer that Voldemort killed and another he didn't recognize, a woman who appeared to be in her early 40's and Harry felt like she looked similar to someone he knew but he couldn't remember who. However, it was the final two ghosts that popped out of the wand that made Harry stop thinking and his heart stop, it was his mum and dad that appeared right next to him.
"Harry, when the connection is broken, you must get to the Port Key. We can linger for a moment to give you some time, but only a moment. Do you understand?", said his dad.
"Let go. Sweetheart, you're ready. Let go. Let go!", said his mum.
With a final grunt, Harry undid the connection and made a run for the cup as the four ghosts blocked the Death Eater's path. The last thing Harry heard was Voldemort's angry and inhuman scream right before the cup activated and Harry was transported. He landed on the ground hard, and Harry was once again subjugated to the feeling of grogginess and dizziness, to the point where he barely noticed people starting to crowd around him.
"Harry! Are you alright?!", he heard the familiar voice of Penny ask.
He finally regained his senses and saw Penny, Tonks, and Fleur grab onto him and check him for injuries. He looked up to notice Dumbledore and a few of the teachers approach him and the crowd seemed to be a mix of concern and curiosity as they gazed upon him. He probably looked like shit and he could imagine what's going on in their minds, especially if they saw Cedric.
Dumbledore approached and asked, "Harry, what's happened?"
Harry just said, "He's back. Voldemort's back."
Dumbledore didn't seem overly surprised at the news, but his face did make a look of concern, resignation, and solemness all at once. The same could not be said for everyone else, who gasped at the news and looked at each other with confusion and fear, while Fudge just looked outraged. The three girls attached to him just hugged him tighter and whispered sweet nothings in his ear as he finally noticed that his wand had apparently broke in the fall, but he really could not bring himself to care he was so tired.
"Professor, he needs to go the hospital!", Tonks said.
Dumbledore nodded and allowed the girls to take him back towards the castle, ignoring the looks everyone was giving them. After roughly twenty minutes, they finally dragged a half-dead Harry to Pomphrey's loving welcome.
"For God's sake, Mr. Potter. Can you ever finish the year without spending it here!?", she asked.
Harry grinned, "I love you too, Poppy."
The matron rolled her eyes before telling the girls to set him down and allow her to check him over. After ten minutes of applying first aid medical charms, the good doctor gave the all clear and would apply the more serious healing tomorrow when he felt up to it. She tried to dismiss the girls, but Harry pleaded they stay and even used the moral support card to make her agree.
She sighed, "Fine, but no funny business. He needs to rest."
The girls blushed and the sly matron gave a wink towards him, and he smiled in return before she departed. After she was gone, Tonks closed the curtains and the three girls jumped onto the bed with him and snuggle up with Penny and Fleur on his sides and Tonks on top of him.
"Are you okay, mon amour?", Fleur asked.
"Not really, but I'm alive thanks to you. I love you three so much.", he said before allowing the fatigue to finally catch up with him and drift off to sleep.