Until It Sleeps

Until It Sleeps

Where do I take this pain of mine

I run but it stays right by my side

-Until It Sleeps, Metallica.

Prologue- Waking Dreams, Living Nightmares

"Both of us." Harry said.

"What?" Cedric blinked.

"We'll take it at the same time. It's still a Hogwarts victory. We'll tie for it."

Cedric stared at Harry, thunderstruck, after all their rivalry throughout the year this was the last thing he expecting from the younger wizard. They had fought over so much; Quidditch, this tournament, Cho... He unfolded his arms. "You-you sure?"

"Yeah," said Harry. "Yeah, we've helped each other out, haven't we? We both got here. Let's just take it together."

For a moment Cedric couldn't believe his ears; then his face split in a grin.

"You're on," he said. Come here."

He grabbed Harry's arm below the shoulder, and helped him limp towards the plinth where the cup stood. When they had reached it, they both held out a hand over one of the cup's gleaming handles.

"On three, right? said Harry. "One-two-three-"

Cedric and he both grasped a handle.

Instantly, Cedric felt a jerk somewhere behind his navel. His feet had left the ground. He was unable to loosen his hold on the Triwizard Cup-turned-portkey; it was pulling him onwards, in a howl of wind and swirling colour, Harry at his side.

Their feet slammed into the ground hard, Harry stumbled but Cedric held him up. The younger boy swore under his breath and muttered a quick healing charm over his injured leg before straightening and looking around.

The phrase 'this ain't Kansas Toto' flickered in Cedric's memory from his last Muggle studies class, it was completely appropriate in the circumstances. They were miles -perhaps hundreds of miles- from Hogwarts.

Cedric glanced down at the Triwizard cup then up at Harry. "Did anyone tell you the Cup was a Portkey?"

"Shh!" Harry hissed, glancing around the overgrown graveyard they found themselves in.

"But-"

Harry shushed him again, the fourth year was looking very nervous, a look familiar to Cedric, it was the look all OWL students wore when their results arrived.

"Is this supposed to be part of the task?"

"Shut up Diggory!" Harry snarled under his breath.

Someone was coming, more than one person it seemed, stepping through the tendrils on mist and materializing from the darkest shadows in the graveyard. Four figures, all hooded and swathed in cloaks so nothing of their faces could be discerned.

One was very tall, taller than Cedric but so thin it looked like a strong man could snap him in half. He walked a few steps ahead of the other three.

The second was, in contrast, short and squat, just over Harry in height. He hurried behind the first figure like a train-bearer, staying in his shadow.

The last two brought up the rear like bodyguards, they too were tall- although nowhere near the first figure's height- and well built like warrior mages.

All four were silent, they stopped some dozen feet from the two boys and Cedric's skin prickled from the intense scrutiny he was under. Beside him, Harry stood straight but kept his eyes downcast, looking neither at the newcomers nor at Cedric.

Cedric had the disconcerting feeling of having walked into a play without his script.

After several minutes of silence so tense it could have been cut with a butter knife, the lead figure spoke in a voice so cold and high that if the hairs on Cedric’s neck were not standing up already, they would be now.

"Well done child." Though the voice was terrible, the tone was strangely soothing.

All the tension seemed to drain from the boy beside him and Harry let out a heavy sigh of relief. "Then...I...I passed?"

"With flying colours." This time one of the bodyguard wizards spoke and Cedric started as he recognized the voice. Lucius Malfoy.

Harry's face cracked into a grin and he fell on one knee, arms open in thanks.

What on Earth was going on?

The lead figure waved a bone-thin hand and the four removed their hoods.

If Cedric had been doubting his senses before hand, he now knew this was some horrible nightmare. Because he knew who stood there in front of him. He hadn't taken NEWT Defense Against the Dark Arts for nothing thank you very much.

He knew very well that the serpent faced, scarlet eyed Dark Wizard standing no more than a dozen feet from him was Lord Voldemort, a wizard so powerful and so evil that few in the wizarding world dared speak his name.

He knew that, just as he knew that the bodyguard wizards wore the white masks and black robes characteristic of Death Eaters.

He knew that, he just didn't believe this situation could be possible. You-Know-Who was gone, thought banished by the very boy who now stood at his side, the boy who now bowed to the wizard who had killed hundreds, including the boy's own parents.

Cedric's nerve snapped and he did the only sensible thing to do when the world's gone mad, he fled.

He ran like a startled rabbit, scrambling away behind a tomb half hidden by brambles, staying frozen in place until he realized there were no sounds of pursuit.

Peering, terrified over the edge of the tombstone marking a Mr. Edward Jones last resting place, Cedric glanced back over to where the Triwizard Cup glowed in the dim light.

None of the men had moved, Harry still knelt at Voldemort's feet, head bowed.

"Stand up." Voldemort spoke, gesturing at Harry.

Behind the Dark Lord, Cedric glimpsed the short figure, a balding man with watery blue eyes sending Harry a wink and a thumbs-up. Harry gave a weak smile back.

"I admit that I had doubts as to your capability for this, Harry Potter," Voldemort said, "after all your record is against you, and had it not been Barty Crouch who sponsored you I think I would have declined.

"You have, of course, proved yourself trustworthy enough during the past four years in keeping my return safe from that old coot Dumbledore. But still you are what? Fifteen years of age?"

"Still fourteen, my Lord." Harry spoke so softly Cedric had to strain to hear, "I will turn fifteen in July."

"Ah yes, I remember. Very young; too young, I thought. Most of my followers join upon leaving Hogwarts, if that. Only a very few while they are still within Hogwart's wall and none before they have even taken their OWLs! Yet Barty approached me and begged to be allowed to sponsor you. Do you know why?"

"He's teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts and has been helping me in private." there was a hint of the old fire in Harry's words, a hint of the pride he took in his skills.

What in Merlin's name is he on about? Cedric wondered. Mad-eye Moody's teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts! Moody! The famous Auror and Dumbledore's friend! You couldn't get anyone less like a supporter of the Dark Lord! And who was this 'Barty'?

"Yes, he spoke to me of you aptitude in both Defense-" Voldemort gave a horrible, razor toothed smile-"And attack. But it's one thing to cast spells in a classroom and quite another to cast them on the battlefield! And this, is why we had your name put into the Goblet of Fire, as you no doubt already know."

Harry nodded, he still kept his head down, eyes downcast in respect. "Barty spoke to me about it after it had named me, my Lord."

"Yes, we needed to test you. Due to the fact you are almost constantly watched over by Dumbledore, we had to do it broad daylight so to speak and make it look like something else. The Triwizard Tournament provided the perfect opportunity."

Cedric had heard enough, this was beyond a joke and he was going to wake up now. He lent over and pinched himself hard.

Nothing.

He pinched himself again, now his arm hurt. Not dreaming.

Lucius Malfoy took up the narrative, "Of course, whether you won or not was beside the point. We needed to see how you reacted under certain stressful situations."

Harry nodded again, "But I passed?"

An equally horrible, twisted smirk from the Dark Lord. "Congratulations."

Harry gave a small smile.

Voldemort spoke, his words ritualistic "Kneel down before me as you will now always submit to my will."

Harry did as he was told, going down on one knee, head bowed in submission.

"Give me your arm as you now give me your life."

Harry raised his left arm and Cedric saw him wince as the Dark Lord's abnormally long fingers snapped shut just below his elbow like a steel trap.

Lord Voldemort raised a slender dagger and pressed the tip on the inside of the boy's arm, where the skin is most sensitive "Swear to me your loyalty, Harry James Potter. Swear me your loyalty, son of Blood Traitor James Potter. Swear me your loyalty, son of the mudblood Lily Evans.

Harry's eyes closed at the mention of his parents and Cedric saw the short, balding man fidget nervously, but then the boy's mouth tightened and he spoke, and as he spoke, Voldemort drew the dagger in patterns along the inside of his arm, baptizing the new Dark Mark in its servant's blood.

"I swear my undying loyalty to you, to The Dark Lord Voldemort Salamair Slytherin. I swear to you that from this moment to the time I draw my final breath I will serve you and you alone. No others-" Harry gasped in pain and nearly sobbed the next words-"No others will bend me to their will, and I will bend to no other will save yours. To no other cause save yours will I raise my wand to fight for. For you are now and forever my Lord and master, and I will serve you until my death.

"I, Harry James Potter, son of Blood traitor James Potter and-and Mudblood Lily Evans do swear to you."

This isn't happening. Cedric thought, this was completely impossible. It was like he'd woken up one day and found that magic no longer existed or that the sky had turned black or that the sun had burned out. This just could not be real.

"Then know that I, Lord Voldemort, do accept your vow." Voldemort slid the blood-stained dagger back into it's sheath at his belt and withdrew his wand, pressing it's tip into the middle of the gory mess that had been the inside of Harry's left arm.

"Morsmordre."

There was no sign of the dreaded skull and snake of the Dark Mark, but Cedric shivered at the word, last heard in the crowded chaos of the Quidditch world cup. Harry was tense now, even from where he cowered Cedric could see the tendons standing out as the boy gritted his teeth in order not to scream.

Voldemort removed his wand.

"Arise and stand before me, young immortal, apprentice of the Dark, Death Eater."

As Harry stood shakily, stretching muscles no doubt aching from his previous position, his sleeve fell back over his bloody arm, sticking there damply.

"Look at me and prepare to fulfill your vow."

Harry lifted his head and for the first time since they’d arrived in the graveyard, he looked Voldemort in the face.

"Although we can afford to dispense with secrecy now, it is my will that you return to Hogwarts for the time being. We need one loyal within the walls of the school next year and you will do so."

"Yes my Lord."

"Of course, we must be careful to keep your status secret from all, and with that, you must kill all those who discover the truth."

"Yes my Lord."

"Cedric Diggory has not gone far and has seen too much to be allowed to leave this place with his life. Make sure this happens."

"Yes my Lord."

At that, to Cedric incredulous horror, Harry Potter, boy-who-lived, golden boy of the side of light turned and began to search out the immediate area, wand out.

Harry's head jerked up suddenly and his green eyes picked out Cedric still peering around the tombstone. He raised his wand.

Cedric didn't wait to see what happened, he turned tail once again and ran, crashing blindly into the low branches of the yew trees which filled the cemetery. Twigs scratched his face as he ran on, jumping over graves and thorn in a crazed escape attempt.

Following nimbly in the trail of torn leaves and trample bushes, Harry kept up. Eyes keen enough to find the snitch time after time in a Quidditch game now put to the more sinister purpose of seeking out his fleeing quarry.

Cedric ran and ran, tearing towards the supposed safety of the Muggle church over to his right. There would be people there, he promised himself, muggles or wizards who could stop this from happening. Oh Merlin please let there be someone...

Merlin had clearly deserted him, from not only was the church empty, it was also locked tight. Cedric stopped and pointed his wand at the lock.

"Expelliarmus!"

Cedric's wand flew out of his hand as the young man himself was sent flying into the unforgiving wood of the church door. He picked himself up and stared over his shoulder at Harry.

"Looking for this?" The boy held up Cedrics wand.

"Harry...please..." Cedric gasped.

"Please what?"

"Merlin...please Harry...please don't kill me..."

Harry smiled.

"Whatever this is about...Cho...Is this about Cho? You can have her Harry...please...please just put the wand down..."

Harry laughed, "This has nothing to do with Cho Chang, this was put in motion years before I ever met Cho Chang and I won't put my wand down."

"What do you want?....Why are you doing this Harry?...I'd have let you have the Triwizard cup if you wanted it...Oh Merlin Harry!...Don't kill me please!"

Harry lifted his wand. There was no triumph in his face, no sorrow, this had to be done and he would do it, but he took no pleasure nor suffered any pain from it.

"Oh Merlin...Harry no...Why do this?"

"I do it because He commanded me to kill you."

"Avada Kedavra."

There was a blast of green light, then the yawning maw of Death devoured him.