Stardust

Chapter 18

Wormtail approached Harry, who scrambled to find his feet, to support his own weight before the ropes were untied. Wormtail raised his new silver hand, with one swipe he cut through the bonds tying Harry to the gravestone. There was a split second, perhaps, when Harry might have considered running for it, but his injured leg shook under him as he stood on the overgrown grave, as the Death Eaters closed ranks, forming a tighter circle around him and Voldemort, so that the gaps where the missing Death Eaters should have stood were filled.

Stella watched Harry carefully as he reached forward to her, trying to untie her. "Leave her, Potter," Voldemort said and Harry flinched.

"No, you said it yourself she wasn't supposed to be here, let her go then. You have me."

"Don't try to be a hero," Stella hissed.

"Listen to her," Voldemort said lazily and Stella shook her head. Harry looked at her and finally let go of her.

Wormtail walked out of the circle to the place where the cup lay and returned with Harry's wand, which he thrust roughly into Harry's hand without looking at him. Then Wormtail resumed his place in the circle of watching Death Eaters.

"You have been taught how to duel, Harry Potter?" said Voldemort softly, his red eyes glinting through the darkness. Stella, for some reason, thought Harry in fact wasn't taught how to duel. She watched his face and she knew he was doing his best to remember at least one spell he could use. Stella closed her eyes tightly and relaxed, she prayed this could work and after a moment Harry glanced at her, shocked.

"Disarming Spell - Expelliarmus," her voice rang in his head.

He tried to speak but she shook her head briefly, "Just think what you want to say."

"How are you doing this?"

"Doesn't matter!" her voice hissed and he looked around at people wondering if they could hear her too, but it seemed like this spell, or whatever she was using, was working only on him. "You need to listen to me. You have an option to kill him, or do this, after you get rid of his wand, do the summoning charm for the cup and get the hell out of this."

"What about you?"

"Don't worry about it. He doesn't want to kill me, I'll be fine until Dumbldore finds me."

"He doesn't want to kill you yet." Harry pointed out and she rolled her eyes.

He had never learned anything that could possibly fit him for this. He knew he was facing the thing against which Moody had always warned . . . the unblockable Avada Kedavra curse — and Voldemort was right — his mother was not here to die for him this time. . . . He was quite unprotected. . . .

"We bow to each other, Harry," said Voldemort, bending a little, but keeping his snakelike face upturned to Harry. "Come, the niceties must be observed. Dumbledore would like you to show manners. Bow to death, Harry." The Death Eaters were laughing again. Voldemort's lipless mouth was smiling.

"Just bow, Harry, or he'll make you!" Stella hissed.

Harry did not bow. He was not going to let Voldemort play with him before killing him, he was not going to give him that satisfaction.

"I said, bow," Voldemort said, raising his wand — and Harry felt his spine curve as though a huge, invisible hand were bending him ruthlessly forward, and the Death Eaters laughed harder than ever. Stella closed her eyes. "Very good," said Voldemort softly, and as he raised his wand the pressure bearing down upon Harry lifted too. "And now you face me, like a man, straight-backed and proud, the way your father died. And now — we duel."