𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐋𝐄𝐘 || 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳

✿ CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE ✿

My feet bang against hard ground but my head continues to spin. I double over, retching bile that burns my throat and leaves my mouth tasting so bad I almost want to throw up again.

Slowly, the world comes into focus. The ground beneath me is grassy and slightly muddy. It's still night time, so I'm in the same country- hopefully. It's cloudy, I can't see the stars, but the moon lights up the graveyard enough- wait. The graveyard.

My breath catches in my chest. I can't breathe.
"Ruby?" I look over to see Harry and Cedric Diggory standing by a large headstone.
"No." I say. "No. No."
"What?" Harry says.
"No, Harry go back to your Portkey."
"Is this a part of the task? Why are you here?Ruby tell me what's going on!"
"Harry go back to your Portkey!" I yell.

But I knew what would happen. The short, stubby man emerges, carrying the bundle of cloth I had seen so many times before in my nightmares. Harry's eyes widen.
"Hide." He whispers. I know what to do because I'd done it before. I run to hide behind a headstone. What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? My head spins, my face it hot and sweaty, tears prick my eyes. Somehow I know this real, I'm not dreaming. I can't watch this happen again.
"Kill the spare!" A cold voice hisses.

As a last-ditch effort, I scream at the top of my lungs, "PROTEGO MAXIMA!"
"Avada Kedavra!" The stubby man hisses. My shield charm surrounds Cedric in a thick bubble of light. I pray with all my might that some miracle will happen and my charm will succeed, but just like Moody had taught us, nothing could stop a killing curse. The green jet from the stubby man's wand penetrates my shield of light around Cedric as though it were nothing more than air. And just like my vision, just like my nightmares, Cedric Diggorys lifeless body hits the ground with a thud. He is dead before he even falls to the floor.

My legs force me to stand, though I try to protest.
"Who do we have here?" He says."Expelliarmus." My wand flies out of my hand and through the air, landing in Wormtails outstretched palm. He drops in onto the floor before taking Harry's want too.

The stubby man grins wickedly, his wand pointed at me. He flicks his wand again, and my body goes rigid. I am paralysed. I can't move. Another flick of his wand causes me to fall to the ground and - as though an invisible person is holding my ankles - be dragged along the rocky and muddy ground over to him.

The man flicks his wand again and the rigid feeling in my limbs disappears, though his wand is still trained on me.
"Stand." He says. I don't stand. Instead I shake my head in protest.
"Crucio!" Pain erupts through my body as though my bones are on fire and my head is being stabbed over and over by knives. Then, as quickly as it started, it stops.
"Stand." The man repeats again. This time I obey.

"Who are you." He snarls.
"Who are you?" I choke out rebelliously. The man flicks his wand in a short and sharp motion. A stinging sensation erupts in my cheek, and blood trickles down my face. When I move my hand to touch it, I feel a deep gash across my right cheek.
"I am telling you to cooperate. Whatever actions you take to oppose me or rebel against me, starting now, will come back to the other person. For the sake of each other, I advise you to obey me." The man says to both Harry and I.
"I am going to ask you once more. Who are you?"
"My name is Ruby."
"Ruby who?"
"Ruby Weasley." Recognition sets into the man's face.
"Lovely to meet you, Ruby Weasley." The man says. "I am Peter Pettigrew. The Dark Lords most faithful servant."