Moonstruck | A Remus Lupin Love Story

Chapter 23: The Final Trial

Cold. It was so cold. That was all that consumed Esmeray's mind as she clung to the now lifeless body of Cedric Diggory. The darkness had won.  He had won. And it was far from over. Nothing could reach Esmeray. Not the screams from the onlookers. Not the pain rippling through her body. Not even Remus's touch. She was defeated. And the world was hopeless.

As she sat there protecting Cedric's body, her mind brought her back to that graveyard. Her and Cedric had grabbed the cup at the same time, when suddenly they had been transported somewhere else. Somewhere much, much darker. She remembered the smile of the boy's face, thinking that they had just won the tournament. She also remembered how his smile had turned stale, as a flash of green flung his body to the ground. It had all happened so fast. She had thought, well hoped that it was just one of her nightmares. That she had simply passed out after the trial. But something about the slimy, cold chill that swam through the eerie, dusky air, something that awakened the wriggling and squirming within her stomach, made her very much aware, that she was really there. 

Bits and pieces kept coming back to her, like a series of horrors on an endless loop. Peter Pettigrew, looking as greasy and gruesome as ever, emerging from the darkness. A giant iron cauldron, filled with bubbling black tar. An army of faceless wizards, their faces painted with silver. There was a whisper that wailed through the winds and that swarmed through her mind. It enticed her, teased her, demanded her. It was him. The Dark Lord himself. Her father. His voice slithered around her head disorientating the woman more than the death of her fellow champion. She had been so befuddled by this, that the wormy man, Peter, had locked her to a giant tomb behind her. She had no choice but to then watch the boiling and bubbling cauldron tip over and reveal her greatest fear. From the pool of oil and sludge, a skeletal figure grew, enveloped in a series of green and red fireworks. A burnt and rotten smell took over the atmosphere as the figure grew taller. The starless night cloaked the ashen and glabrous body. A harsh cackle rang through the graveyard, causing every being to bow down. And as the figure turned to face Esmeray, she felt all the light drain from her soul. There he stood. Voldemort. Her father. Her creator. But instead of existing as rumors and warnings, he stood in the flesh, his animalistic eyes narrowing on the woman. 

Tears had carved caverns down her grimy face. Her mouth was permanently positioned in a gasp. Her eyebrows were strained to the top of her forehead, creating a river of wrinkles that pulled at her skin. Her face was frozen like that, the terror of what had materialized in front of her, painting itself on her ghoulish face. Voldemort stalked towards her, his wand dissecting her as he neared.

'AHHhhh...my dear daughter...look how much you've grown,' he sneered. Esmeray was terrified. She could only whimper in response. 

'Tsk tsk...is that any way to greet your father,' he taunted. He moved closer, his serpent breath practically licking her ears.

'I can sense your power girl, and I sense how strong, and how dark you have become,' he whispered. Her lips trembled, trying to barricade the cries that begged to leave her body. Voldemort turned to his followers and bellowed,

'The world is now ours! The world will fear me, all thanks to our little Esmeray.' 

As he relished in his followers' cheers, Esmeray desperately twisted her hands against the stone, trying to escape from her prison. Her hand shredded against the rough surface, but she had to do anything to get out of there. By this time, Cedric was still alive, and had been trapped by Pettigrew in a sort of unconscious spell. She had looked to him, and then the cup, trying to devise some sort of escape route. But then the raspy and hollow voice interrupted her thoughts.

'Ahhh...why are you so desperate to escape...when you are one of us,' Voldemort sneered. 

'I will never be anything like you!' she screamed in retaliation, an anger starting to build in her bones.