Lucy Riddle and the Boy Who Lived

The Last Visit to Dumbledore's Tomb

Chapter Fifty

Everyone was on Hogwarts grounds. Sirius Black, Tom Riddle, Lucy Riddle, the Weasley brothers and sister, Hermione Granger, and Harry Potter were standing at the foot of Dumbledore's grave. They had traveled there the next day, before summer began.

It felt right; it felt too surreal. Voldemort was gone. Well, his evil self was. Tom Riddle was a new improved man. He won't hurt a fly with his daughter always nagging him about every little thing. Everyone was getting used to him walking around the streets. The Weasleys loved him though. They invited Tom to every dinner and dinners to come.

Harry walked to where Dumbledore's head should be. He held the Elder Wand in his right hand, the left was in his pocket. With a sigh, he said softly, "Look, Dumbledore. We did it." He cracked a smile. "The Wizarding world is safe."

There was no reply from the corpse. Harry didn't know what to expect — Dumbledore magically alive again, or that he was just pretending to be dead? That was impossible. He watched the man fall hundreds of feet in the air.

Sirius gripped Harry's shoulder in a comforting way. Harry's head slumped to his heart-broken chest. He was really disappointed. Just as he was about to open the tomb to give the Wand back to its rightful owner, something inside of him broke.

Literally, he felt like his lungs snapped in half. Harry crashed onto the hard dirt, hitting his head on the corner of Dumbledore's tomb on the way down. He fisted his shirt just above his heart. His breathing was ragged, and his vision was blurry.

No one knew what was going on. Harry was thrashing around, pain evident on his face. Sirius tried to help the poor boy, but Harry just wouldn't keep still. Hermione and Lucy tried to cast some spells on him, but none of the healing spells would work. There was something else going on rather than real, internal injuries.

"Somethings going on with him," Lucy announced. "None of the remedies we've tried are working. Do you know what's wrong with him, Dad? You're the most powerful wizard in the world — there has to be a way for you to stop this."

Tom looked torn between Harry and Lucy. He wasn't sure he could do anything. What Harry was going through . . . he didn't recognize it at all. Which was odd since he's experience more than enough to know a lot of things. "I don't know, honey," he replied. "I don't know exactly what this is. I've never seen anything like it."

Suddenly, Harry stopped moving. He laid on the ground, motionless. Ginny slapped a hand over her mouth. Fred and George walked over to their sister. Lucy and Hermione gasped. Ron and Sirius went over to his body. Harry's eyes were clamped shut. His mouth was ajar, and his chest was still.

Ron poked him softly with his foot. He didn't move. Again, he did it — receiving the same response. Sirius was just about to lean in and pick the body up when Harry's eyes opened. He sucked in a deep breath and sat up like he was doing a sit up.

He turned his head towards Tom Riddle and snickered. "Ha! Coward, you are. I knew you were too soft," he sneered. Then his gaze landed on Fred. He tilted his head, palming the Elder Wand. "You — Fred, what are you doing here in my presence?"

"Harry, man." Fred walked towards Harry. "I'm your friend. Don't be like this."

Harry pointed his wand at the Weasley, and Fred stopped. "I'm not your 'friend,' man. You discriminated me the last time I saw you. And do you know what happens when you do that to the Dark Lord?"

Tom paled. "No."

"You get tortured." Harry shouted with a smile, "Cruciatus!"

Fred screamed. His back arched. Then he recoiled forward, falling at Harry's feet. Lucy pushed Harry away, pulling Fred into her chest. "No," she said. "You will not harm my friends."

"Lucy, stop," Tom whispered.

"Dad, no! I will not." Lucy rose to her feet and walked to Harry. Fred trembled as he watched his girlfriend stand up to the maniac. He tried to get up on his feet, but he just fell back down. George was holding onto his shoulder, trying to stop him from doing anything even more stupid. When Lucy was nose to nose with Harry, she stopped. "You will not hurt anymore people."

Harry smirked. "And you're going to do something about it?"

She cracked her knuckles. "Yes, I am." Lucy threw a solid punch at Harry's jaw. She heard a satisfying cracking sound, and almost, almost smiled. She watched as he fell to the ground. "Tell me." She walked around his body. "Why is it that you're doing this?"

He sent her a bloody smile. "You don't know, do you?" Tom Riddle was staring at the two, and Harry's smile grew wider. "Ask your father. He'll know. Tell 'em, Tom. Tell 'em all what I am to you."

Tom cracked his jaw. "Don't."

"Go on," Harry cooed. "Tell them."

"I will not."

"Do it, or else I'll kill your precious daughter."

Tom stared at him. "Harry was my seventh Horcrux. I didn't know it during the time, but when I tried to kill him as a baby all those years ago, a bit of my soul went inside him. He's becoming the last bit of former soul, like my diary."

Lucy's eyes grew as wide as saucers. "So you're telling me —"

"That I'm basically Voldemort Number Two? Then yes, that's what I'm telling you," Harry answered. He stretched his arms as he laid on the ground. "This is entertaining. Guess what I'm going to do now?

"Ah, too late!" Harry flicked his wand at Hermione. "Avada Kedavra! Can't have the smartest witch against me, can I?"

It all happened in slow motion. The green beam of light Harry was so used to seeing in his nightmares would now be in hers. It was just about to hit Hermione in the chest when Sirius Black jumped in front of her, saving her life, and evidently ending his.