The Girl Who Fought | h.p |

The Graveyard

"Fuck," Nova hissed as she looked up at the headstone. 

"Give me your wand," A squeaky voice demanded. 

"Oh, hello, Peter," Nova said casually as if she weren't in front of the man that framed her father. "How's your evening going?"

Confused, he responded. 

"Pretty good. How about you?" He asked. 

"I'm doing good. Watcha doing?" Nova asked. 

"Raising my master from the dead," Peter shrugged. 

"That sounds really fun!" Nova exclaimed in false enthusiasm. 

"What are you doing?" Peter asked. 

"Well, I was competing in a tournament. But now, I'm going to stop you from raising Moldyshorts." Nova shrugged. "You said you needed my wand?"

"Yeah," Peter nodded. His lump frame still looked like the disgusting rat Nova wanted to kill. 

"Well, here you go," Nova handed him her wand, knowing full well she doesn't need it to escape and can summon it back to her hand. 

"Are you serious?" Peter asked. 

"No. I'm Nova. Sirius is the man you framed." Nova said. "Speaking of which, I have a message from him."

"What is it?" Peter asked. 

"This," Nova said, sending a punch to Peter's nose. 

Pettigrew fell to the floor. Nova kicked his side. 

"You go, Nox!" Regulus cheered. "Teach that rat!"

Pettigrew transformed into a rat, getting away from Nova. He stood to his feet and pricked something into the side of Nova's neck. 

Nova fell to the cold ground. At first, it was just her toes she couldn't feel. Then it was from her knees down. Then it was from her waist down. In seconds, Nova couldn't move anything from her neck down. 

"Son of a bitch!" Nova hissed. "You fucking fucker paralyzed me!"

Two loud thumps were heard a few feet away. 

"Did anyone tell you the cup was a Portkey?" a familiar voice was heard. 

"Nope," said Harry. He was looking around the graveyard. It was completely silent and slightly eerie. "Is this supposed to be part of the task?" 

"I dunno," said Cedric. He sounded slightly nervous. "Wands out, d'you reckon?" 

"Yeah," said Harry, glad that Cedric had made the suggestion rather than him.

"Someone's coming," he said suddenly. 

Squinting tensely through the darkness, they watched the figure drawing nearer, walking steadily toward them between the graves. Harry couldn't make out a face, but from the way it was walking and holding its arms, he could tell that it was carrying something. Whoever it was, he was short, and wearing a hooded cloak pulled up over his head to obscure his face. And - several paces nearer, the gap between them closing all the time - Harry saw that the thing in the person's arms looked like a baby...or was it merely a bundle of robes? 

Nova, who lay on the ground in the dark wanted to do something. Every time she tried to talk, it came out like a groan. 

Harry lowered his wand slightly and glanced sideways at Cedric. Cedric shot him a quizzical look. They both turned back to watch the approaching figure. 

It stopped beside a towering marble headstone, only six feet from them. For a second. Harry and Cedric and the short figure simply looked at one another.