Daddy issues

CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN: One day...

*Annabella's POV*

"NO! NO!" The Potter boy was crying out, trying his best to get to Cedric while I wrestled him over to a gravestone nearby, sitting him down and gently stroking his hair -out of view of my father.

"Keep him there, we will need him for this." My father instructed. I wasn't quite sure what he meant. Yes, I was strong, but not that strong... Harry was after all still a guy and had surprisingly a lot of muscle since he played quidditch. I looked to Harry, rather perplexed as to what to do with him.

"Can you just, I don't know, like, stay where you are?" I asked awkwardly, earning me weird looks from both him, my father and Pettigrew.

"What?" Potter asked, confused.

Wormtail just carried on with his task of emptying my dad into the pot. I always found it funny how he just plopped into the liquid. I struggled not to laugh at the sound as I was facing away from them all and looking directly at a scared Harry. However, despite the fear, he also was trying not to laugh at the sound. We both just stood there, bodies shaking and faces contorted with concentration, begging ourselves not to make a sound. In that moment, laughing with Potter, it reminded me of a few days ago, in DADA when Barty was teaching and Harry cracked a joke with Ron about something -that I now can't even remember- and I struggled not to laugh when I overheard, because if anyone knew we were friends I would be dead. But the truth was, other than Harry being a little big-headed from time to time and Hermione being a smartarse, the trio were okay... They were kind and caring, they didn't feel as if they needed the reassurance of others or they didn't feel the pressure that us purebloods did. It was nice being with them, being able to lose myself in the moments of laugher and cheer.

"I'm sorry, Harry." I whispered as I performed my magic, suspending him midair, being held by the strong and stony arms of the grim reaper gravestone. Unintentionally, I had placed him above my grandfather's tomb. Creepy.

Suddenly, I felt a strong heat tried behind me accompanied by a flurry of light and sound. I turned to face one of the most disgusting sights I had ever laid my eyes on, the cauldron was starting to bubble turning different shades of skin tones and Wormtail walked over to Harry with his wand and knife in hand.

"Bone of the father, unknowingly given. You will renew your son!" He chants as he extracts one of my grandfather's bones from the grave before dropping it into the boiling pit of magic.

"Flesh -of the servant -w -willingly given -you will revive -your master." Weeping out in pain as he proceeded to slice off his right hand and watch it fall into the cauldron with a splash. Blood began to fall from the flesh and Pettigrew clutched onto it tightly in pain, a choked out gut-wrenching sob emitting from his throat.

He stumbled over to where Potter was and held out his free hand with the knife trembling in it. I quickly rushed besides Harry and pulled on his trousers to distract him from the pain to come. Just as he turned to look at me Pettigrew slit his arm open, drawing blood, it oozed out of the wound instantaneously, onto the blade.
Wormtail quickly rushed to the pot and dripped several drops of the blood into the mixture, chanting,

"B- Blood of the enemy... forcibly taken... you will... resurrect your foe." Harry was scrunching his face up in pain but I could do nothing for him. As much as I felt bad for the boy, I was finally going to be able to see my father again, in human form. I was finally going to be able to have my father around to tell me how proud he was of me, or how I can improve. I was finally going to be able to hug my father... something I have not been able to do since I was a one year old -when I cannot even remember him...

I knew the final step. I had to do it. I had to be brave. Yes, Dad was not always a good man, but he was my Dad. Even though I never really knew him, part of me still missed him. At one point he somehow managed to send a birthday card; my eighth birthday, I was so happy, but I knew he was weak and it wouldn't be able to happen again. I wished every night for him to heal and somehow return so that we could have a proper relationship, I was left waiting for years to no avail... Until now.