Chapter 225
A short time after Albert Black entered the mysterious maze, he found himself facing countless interwoven paths that seemed to mix reality and illusion.
The walls were covered with strange plants, their branches stretching in odd harmony, as if they were guarding the maze's secrets.
Albert tried to focus on finding the correct path leading to the Triwizard Cup, but he could not determine any clear route.
As he cautiously took his steps, the plants on the walls began to move strangely, as if responding to his presence.
Albert felt uneasy, but he did not allow the tension to control him. He stood in his place, pulled out his magic wand, and began casting different spells to calm the moving plants.
The sounds of the spells echoed inside the maze until the plants gradually calmed down and regained their stillness. However, he did not stop there, but cast the magical spell "Revelio", a charm that reveals anything hidden or concealed in the path ahead of him.
He waited for a few moments, but nothing abnormal appeared.
When Albert confirmed that the path was safe, he decided to quicken his pace and began running inside the maze. He passed five consecutive turns, each one seeming more mysterious than the last. With every step, excitement and fear wrestled within him.
Suddenly, he noticed a strange beam of light shining from the middle of the maze. The light was pale blue, emitting a strange feeling of reassurance and danger at the same time.
Albert paused for a moment to catch his breath, then began to move cautiously towards the beam, realizing that it was the thing he had been waiting for impatiently.
But suddenly, he heard a scream piercing the darkness; it was Fleur's voice, followed by complete silence. He looked around, wondering what might have happened to her. He took a deep breath, then rushed through that fog, and the world around him flipped upside down.
He stood in front of two adjacent corridors, looking around for Fleur. He was sure it was her who was screaming... What did she encounter that made her scream like that?! "Oh, damn it!! I forgot!! Krum is under the Imperius Curse!"
After Albert thought about it, he started running to save Fleur from Krum, but suddenly he stopped running, thinking carefully:
"Wait!!... In the original story, Krum was under Barty Jr.'s control, but Jr. is in Azkaban prison before the Third Task begins, so Krum won't be under control... So who would make Fleur scream like this?!"
The maze was exhaling its mysterious breaths into Albert Black's ear, warning him with every step that it carried a new danger.
As he ran relentlessly towards the direction where he had heard Fleur Delacour's voice, the dense fog crept like a ghost between the trees and plants, trying to thwart his vision and confuse his steps.
The plants were moving strangely, as if watching him and trying to grab him, despite his continuous attempts to cast spells to keep them out of his way. Fleur's voice echoed in his mind like a cry for help, pushing him to continue despite the difficulties.
As he got closer and closer to the source of the sound, the fog thickened, and the plants became more aggressive. Albert used his spells non-stop, a blue ray emerging from his magic wand to cut the plants or push the fog away for fleeting moments.
But the more progress he made, the more the maze seemed to try to frustrate him, as if it were playing a cruel game with him. Nevertheless, he continued to advance, his ears catching the slightest sound that might lead him to Fleur.
Finally, after minutes that seemed like hours, a narrow corridor opened before him. That was the direction where he had last heard Fleur's voice. He ran towards the corridor cautiously, looking around to ensure there was no immediate threat. As soon as he entered the corridor, he saw Fleur in front of him. She was standing steadily, her back to him, as if she were a stone statue frozen in place.
He paused for a moment, trying to understand what was happening, then called out anxiously:
"Fleur?! Are you alright?!"
But Fleur did not answer. She remained fixed in her place, as if she had not heard him. Then, as if Albert's voice had penetrated the eerie silence, Fleur slowly turned towards him. Her sight was shocking. Her eyes had turned completely white, without any trace of pupils or natural color, and strange tears streamed down her face, glistening as if they were water contaminated with magic. Worse yet, her magic wand was pointed towards him, as if she was preparing to attack.
Albert felt shocked and confused. He raised his hand slightly, trying to calm her down, and said in a worried voice:
"Fleur... What is it?! It's Albert, isn't it?!"
But before he could finish his sentence, he heard footsteps behind him. He quickly spun around, only to find himself facing another familiar face: Viktor Krum. But, just like Fleur, Viktor was in the same horrific state, his eyes completely white, and his tears glistening unnaturally. His magic wand was also pointed towards Albert, and before Albert could understand what was happening, Viktor fired a sudden "Stupefy" spell.
Albert quickly retreated backward, dodging the red beam of light that nearly hit him, but he was not ready for the second attack. Fleur, who showed no expression on her face, raised her wand and cast a Freezing Charm. Albert's limbs froze for moments, and he felt cold air wrapping around him, making his movement heavy and slow.
In a few seconds, Albert realized that both Fleur and Krum were under the influence of a powerful mind-control spell, perhaps from the maze itself or from an unknown force within it. He had no time to think or analyze. He had to act quickly.
He focused all his energy on trying to break the effect of the Freezing Charm, and he managed to use the "Apparition" spell to disappear from their sight in an instant.
Albert appeared directly behind Krum, breathing heavily but determined to end this nightmare. He knew he had to act cautiously, as neither Fleur nor Krum were real enemies, but they were now more like puppets moved by a mysterious force. He tried to speak again:
"Krum! Fleur! This is not you! You must fight against this magic!"
But the words did not reach them. They seemed completely submerged in this mysterious control and unable to hear his voice. Krum quickly turned and fired another spell, while Fleur began to advance towards him, her eyes glistening strangely with every step.
Albert had no choice but to use a spell against them, so he managed to send Krum away by disarming him, while Fleur, who was running towards Albert, was able to cast an offensive spell immediately after Albert was busy with Krum.
Albert could easily block it, but...
The night was dark and gloomy, and silence hovered over Tom Riddle's graveyard.
The wind howled between the gravestones, as if whispering ancient secrets buried long ago. In the middle of this desolate graveyard, Peter Pettigrew stood in the shadow of a dilapidated stone statue, holding a small creature resembling a newborn baby, wrapped in thick black cloth. This creature was the Dark Lord Voldemort, who was but a shadow of what he once was.
Voldemort spoke in a weak voice, yet full of authority and awe, directing his commands to Peter:
"Peter... Hurry, the signal has arrived. It's time to work."
Peter nodded nervously, muttering unintelligible words under his trembling breath. The medium-sized cauldron in front of him was filled with hot water, boiling under the effect of a powerful heating spell. Peter carefully placed the wrapped creature—Voldemort's fragmented body—inside the cauldron, his eyes never leaving the being who represented his great master.
Clouds of hot steam rose, and the heat began to intensify, making the atmosphere more terrifying and mysterious.
Peter advanced towards one of the shattered gravestones, holding his magic wand, and began casting a complex spell on the stone wall next to the grave.
The spell emitted a pale green glow, and little by little, the stone cover began to move with difficulty, revealing bony remains buried inside. The grave bore the name "Tom Riddle," Voldemort's father. Peter reached his trembling hand inside the grave and took out an old broken bone, then spoke in a low voice but full of reverence:
"First, bone of the father... the Greater Master."
He carefully raised the bone towards the boiling cauldron and dropped it inside. As the bone touched the boiling water, a sharp, whistling sound emitted, and a cloud of strange smoke rose, making Peter step back, trying not to choke.
Peter continued his mission, almost collapsing from terror and fear, but he realized that any mistake could mean his end. He stood steadily, then took out a sharp dagger from his pocket and looked at it for moments before grabbing it with his left hand. He raised the dagger high, then said in a choked but determined voice:
"Second, the servant's sacrifice for his master."
In a single moment, Peter severed his left hand with one sharp movement. He screamed in a deafening cry, the sound of his scream echoing throughout the graveyard as if it were an invitation for darkness to come closer. He fell to his knees, clutching the stump of his severed hand, blood flowing profusely. With great difficulty, he picked up the severed hand and threw it inside the cauldron, where it quickly sank between the boiling water and the rising smoke.
The pain consumed him, but he did not stop. He took a breath with difficulty, while his face was pale and his eyes were full of tears. He picked up a small bottle that was hidden in his other pocket and raised it with his trembling hands. The bottle contained blood taken from Albert Black—blood that represented the final key to his master's return.
He slowly opened the bottle and poured its contents into the cauldron, saying in a voice broken by pain:
"And finally, last but not least... blood of the enemy... which will bring the Dark Lord back to life!"
As soon as the blood mixed with the cauldron water, things began to change horribly. The cauldron itself began to tremble, and the boiling water suddenly ignited with strange black flames.
Thick, colored smoke rose to the sky, filling the place with a suffocating sulfurous smell. Then, very slowly, a strange being began to form from the smoke and fire. Its features were initially blurry and unclear, but it quickly became clearer.
The being rose into the air, gradually taking shape until it became a complete human. He was a completely bald man, with a face without a normal nose, and two blood-red eyes that gleamed like blood. His body was covered in a long black robe that stretched to the ground, and his thin hands hung beside his body. He slowly raised his hand, touching his face as if assuring his return. Then, with a cold, terrifying smile, he said in a deep voice full of evil:
"I have returned."
Peter watched this scene, barely able to breathe. The pain from his severed hand still flooded his body, but he did not care. All that preoccupied him was seeing his great master return to life. Peter bowed before Voldemort, his tears mixing with the blood that covered the ground, and said in a weak voice:
"My Lord... I have done as you commanded... Welcome back."
Voldemort approached Peter with slow, steady steps. His appearance was terrifying, but his prestige was undeniable. He looked at him calmly, then said in a low voice but full of power:
"You have done your work well, Peter. Your reward will be appropriate."
Voldemort waved his wand, and the pain in Peter's severed hand stopped, and a silver hand formed in its place. The hand gleamed unnaturally, but it was strong and moved lightly. Peter looked at his new hand with astonishment and gratitude, then bowed again and said:
"Thank you, My Lord. I am your loyal servant."
Voldemort smiled coldly, then raised his head towards the dark sky. He knew that his return would not remain a secret for long, and that the wizarding world would soon feel his presence. But that did not concern him. All that preoccupied him now was revenge and regaining his full power. He said in a loud voice full of evil:
"The world will soon know... that the Dark Lord has returned."
But in a sudden moment, Voldemort heard the sound of something falling onto the ground of the place, and he turned around and saw the Triwizard Cup, which was blue, with the appearance of another figure whose face and hands were covered in blood and a wound on his forehead from which blood was flowing.
This boy was panting heavily due to the severe wounds he had suffered, but after advancing a little, he saw something that made him so shocked that he opened his mouth from the intensity of the shock and began to stammer and speak very slowly from what he saw: "V-V-Vol-Voldemort?!"
To be continued....