“What’s going on?” Harry cried. At this point, however, he no longer needed to ask, he could see it for himself. The immediate area was quaking before them. “What did he do?”
“Harry, Harry, I think”aahhhh!” Whatever Hermione thought, she did not have a chance to explain, for at that moment the trio was thrown backward by a sudden upheaval of earth. The grave of the Potters shot into the sky and landed only inches away from Hermione. “No, no, it can’t be!”
“Hermione, what---?” Harry trailed off as his question was no longer relevant. As his gaze shifted forward again, he saw what was waiting before them. Where his parents were previously buried, a chasm had opened up. Slowly two figures rose up out of the gaping hole. Harry could not discern any visible features at first and he did not have time either. Once again his head split open with pain. Harry yelled out in agony once more, but his friends were more concerned with the horrific sight before them. So it begins…Show no mercy…”STOP!” Harry yelled out, unable to bear anymore. His pain subsided instantly and he looked up again. Two figures were still trudging towards him and his friends.
“Harry, let’s go!” Hermione practically screamed.
“No, something’s happening, I have to find out what.”
“No, Harry, we have to go now!” Her words fell on deaf ears, for Harry would not be moved. Voldemort had something planned and there was no more running from him. Whatever evil was now in store for Harry, he knew he had to face it head on. Voldemort would certainly have far worse ready for him later and there was no sense avoiding his works now. But nothing could have possibly prepared Harry for what was now before him. As the shapes came close enough for Harry to observe them clearly, he noted at first what appeared to be two very pale individuals walking towards him. He noticed one of them appeared to be male and had dark untamed hair. He looked vaguely familiar, but nothing that Harry could identify at first. The other seemed to be female and had longer red hair. As she came closer, Harry noted she had green eyes, and a familiar green at that. Somewhere he had seen before…
With a thrill of horror Harry finally realized exactly what was going on. Never in all of his worst nightmares did he ever expect anything like this to happen. Clearly an act this horrible only showed just how evil Voldemort truly could be. “Mum! Dad! No!” Harry’s words were now the ones that were useless. All he could do now was watch in shock and panic as his parents trudged towards him menacingly.
Ron shouted out something that Harry could not decipher, but it sounded oddly like a swear word. “Harry! Do something!” he cried. Harry, however, stood frozen to the spot with tears running down his face. Hermione ran over and shook him.
“Harry, I know this is horrible, but we have to do something! They’re going to kill us!” Harry seemed to snap out of a reverie at this action. He looked over at his friends.
“What am I supposed to do?” he yelled.
“Fight them! They’re not going to stop, and they’re almost here!” she retaliated.
“Fight them? Fight my parents?”
“They’re not your parents anymore, Harry. They’re Inferi! They’re not alive! And they’ll kill us unless you do something!” Harry looked from Hermione to the advancing minions of evil. He knew she was right, but again he stood frozen. These were still his parents in a way. Seeing them like this, the first time in sixteen years, it was just too much. Ron, however, decided that it was the time for action. “Stup---!”
“No!” Hermione cried out as she shoved his wand arm into another direction. “Let Harry do it!”
“Hermione, look at him! He can’t do this!”
“Just trust me, let Harry do it!”
“But---“
“RON! Now is not the time!”
“HERMIONE!” Ron yelled. The Inferius of James Potter was reaching out for her.
“No! Impedimenta!” Harry drew his wand and knocked back his former father. He careened backward and tumbled into Lily. Both were momentarily on the ground, but then quickly rose back up and redoubled their march on the trio. Harry looked forward at them, still stunned, but this time ready to act. “Mum…Dad! I’m sorry!”
“Harry, please!” someone said on his left. Harry raised his wand and looked forward, steeling himself. “INCENDIO!” Flames shot from the end of the wand and set the Potters ablaze. The Inferi fell to the ground and began writhing and twisting in the heat and light. In all of this, however, not a single sound escaped their lips, which somehow made Harry feel worse. As Harry looked on at the burning nightmarish creations before him, he felt something brush against his arm. He looked over and saw Hermione clutching his arm with an expression of utmost pity on her face. CRACK!
All three reappeared in front of the gates of Hogwarts. “Why did you want us to come here, Hermione?” Ron asked.
“This is the only safe place anymore. Voldemort knew Harry was there. He can’t get us in here. Not yet, anyway,” she added dismally.
“Hermione, look…” Ron pointed behind her. Hermione turned around and noticed Harry several feet away, staring off into space. “You all right, Harry?” He didn’t answer them. Never, in all of his life, did he ever expect anything so horrible to happen. His own parents reanimated and sent to kill him. Clearly Voldemort was counting on him being unable to attack those that were once so dear to him. Admittedly, it had not in any way been easy. Attack not the physical self, but the heart…Those words would resound with Harry forever, the awful chill in the voice lingering with a truly sinister effect. He could not possibly continue on his mission right now. He needed to see someone first. He needed to talk. And there was only one person that might understand. “Harry?”
Harry turned and looked at Hermione. “I have to go.”
“What?”
“I have to go. I’ll come find you later. But for right now, I have something that I need to do.” With that, he Disapparated.