Standing Alone.

Chapter 24 - The silence in the storm.

A/N: And this is it! The second to last chapter! I can't believe it... I do apologise for the late update, but I wanted it to be perfect for you all, and it most definitely isn't- But anyways! I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and please, leave a vote and a comment, if you feel up for it! Love you all.

"Leave the boy alone." A deep voice spoke from the shadows. Voldemort moved and turned to look at Regulus, his eyes narrowed. "Harry Potter... You finally show up." Regulus gave a mock bow and looked over at Cedric, who was staring at him with wide eyes.

"I will leave him alone. As long as you die." Regulus sighed and shook his head.

"That is not going to happen, Tom. And I think we both know that."

Voldemort's lackeys all flanked his sides and he laughed. "You seem to forget, that I can now touch you, Harry."

Regulus hummed and the two began to circle one another, allowing Regulus to whip his hand near Cedric, and send him to the outer lines of the circle, on his side. "I do not care whether you can touch me or not. I am not here to have you kill me."

Shrugging, Voldemort threw out his hands. "Who cares what you want me to do or not?! I will kill you! And then I will take the wizarding world! I will wreck havoc and cause many deaths-"

"You seem to forget something." Regulus interrupted, stopping his walk, and smirking. Voldemort was displeased with the interruption, but listened none the less, him stopping as well. "I have been preparing for this moment for all too long now, Tom... I have been waiting for you to be mortal, when I took up this fight with you."

With every word Regulus uttered, Voldemort felt unease settle within himself. 'Harry' was all too cocky and self-assured for the broken and manipulated boy, that he was supposed to be. Dumbledore surely wouldn't have told him about any of the things that he was speaking of currently. Voldemort had been so certain of it, that he was willing to bet on it! But then... Why did he speak of him being mortal? And waiting... Harry was only fourteen... He was also supposed to have been with the Portkey...

"Do not tell me, you don't sense it..." Regulus said, a smirk creeping onto his lips under the hood of his cloak, for he was not Harry Potter formed, he was himself, completely himself. The little kid cheering for him inside of his head, was enough to fuel his need for destruction of these death-eaters. It was mad, that Dumbledore wanted that child to have done this...

Voldemort drew back slightly, eyeing the form of the person in front of him. They were a bit taller than what he would have figured a fourteen year old to be, but eh, James Potter had been a very tall man. And then he felt it... It took some time, considering he had only just been resurrected, but surely... Something inside of himself was missing... It felt cold, and empty...

"What did you do..." Voldemort huffed out and Regulus smirked clearly now, throwing his head back with a shivering laugh. His hood fell from his curls and all the Death-eaters raised their wands. There in front of them all, stood Regulus Orion Black.

Cedric held his breath and stared with wide eyes at the scene. "What the fuck..." He muttered and Regulus glanced at him, smirking. "Yes... You see. I found all your little, Horcruxes." He said the last word, with a quick move of his eyes to look at the bald snake man, who was seething. "It took me years to grow this body strong enough, to actually end it... But when Pettigrew told me that this year, you would be resurrected, I had to act fast." All eyes snapped to the fat lump, who flinched back, his eyes wide. "Oh don't blame him! I caught him in his stupid rat form and threatened to kill him. How he made it to Gryffindor, is beyond me."

Voldemort turned back to Regulus, his ruby red eyes storming with rage. He raised his wand and fired. "Avada Kedavra!"

Regulus just deflected it with a flick of his wand hand. "Oh stop your dramatics, Tom. We all know that you cannot kill something, that is not alive."

"You may not be, but the body that you possess, is! And you have no power outside of the physical realm... Regulus..." Voldemort growled and fired another, but Regulus did the same once more.

"Is the killing curse the only one you know, Tom? Because that is actually, mildly concerning." Tom growled, almost animalistic when Regulus continued to refuse, death. "You see, Tom..." Regulus sighed and waved his wand around thoughtfully, but then Voldemort attacked once more, and it turned into a duel instead of a lecture, much to Regulus' disappointment.