Multiverse Shenanigans: Raja's Journey

The maze loomed before the champions like a labyrinth from a dark legend, its towering hedges shifting as though alive. Raja and Harry shared a glance, both feeling the weight of what lay ahead.

As they stepped inside, the maze closed in around them, isolating them from the world outside. Shadows danced across their paths, and strange, twisted noises echoed from deep within. They moved quickly, evading magical creatures and traps, their resolve unshakable.

After what seemed like hours, a glow appeared ahead of them. The Triwizard Cup sat at the center of a clearing, glinting faintly in the darkness.

"Together?" Harry asked, reaching out his hand.

Raja nodded, gripping Harry's shoulder. "Together."

They each reached out and touched the cup. The instant their fingers brushed the handle, the world spun around them, and they were yanked off their feet, carried away by a powerful, disorienting force.

When the world stopped spinning, Harry and Raja found themselves standing in the middle of an eerie, silent graveyard. A thick mist hung low over the tombstones, and the oppressive smell of earth and decay filled the air.

"This… isn't Hogwarts," Harry whispered, his voice barely audible.

Raja's gaze was cold, scanning the gravestones. "Stay close, Harry."

A figure slinked out from the shadows, his eyes wide and terrified as he cradled something small, twisted, and cloaked. Wormtail. He moved with desperate urgency, carrying what looked like a frail, shriveled figure wrapped in a dark, tattered cloth.

As Wormtail set the figure down near an ominous, ancient headstone, Raja gave Harry a glance, nodding briefly as if to reassure him. Before Harry could react, Raja suddenly dropped to the ground, appearing lifeless.

Harry felt his heart leap in panic, but he kept his silence, trusting Raja's plan. Bound by fear, he stood still as Wormtail turned his attention to him, casting a spell that pinned Harry to the headstone.

"Tonight," a voice whispered from the bundle Wormtail held, "Lord Voldemort will rise again."

The shriveled figure's tone sent a chill down Harry's spine. It was Voldemort. Wormtail shuffled forward, pulling out a cauldron that bubbled with a dark, murky potion. The atmosphere grew dense as he chanted an incantation, pouring ingredients into the cauldron and casting a sinister spell over Voldemort's frail form.

The air thickened as Wormtail approached Harry with a dagger, slicing his arm to collect blood. Harry struggled in vain, his skin stinging from the wound as blood trickled down his wrist and into the cauldron.

A dark mist began to form around Voldemort's body, swirling as Wormtail completed the ritual. Thunder rolled across the sky, and the cauldron erupted with black smoke. Voldemort's form rose from the mist, fully restored, his red eyes blazing with fury and triumph.

The ground seemed to shake beneath Harry as Voldemort stretched his newly restored limbs, savoring his return. "At last," he whispered, his voice smooth and venomous. His gaze drifted to Harry, his eyes gleaming with malice. "Harry Potter… welcome to your death."

But before he could advance, a rumbling growl echoed from behind him. The air grew colder still as a colossal dark thunderbird, Raja's Patronus, appeared from the shadows. Its wings spread wide, releasing fierce bolts of lightning that crackled through the graveyard, illuminating the terrified faces of the Death Eaters who had begun to gather around their master.

Voldemort's expression twisted in anger and confusion as Raja rose to his feet, wand in hand. He faced Voldemort, his Shadow Tempest blazing with dark energy.

"Thought you'd get away with it, didn't you?" Raja's voice was calm, almost mocking. His thunderbird Patronus released another burst of lightning, scattering the Death Eaters as they scrambled to avoid the searing arcs.

Voldemort sneered. "A child dares to challenge me?"

With a swift flick of his wand, Raja countered a curse Voldemort cast, the Shadow Tempest humming with raw power. Dark tendrils of magic collided in mid-air, crackling and bursting like fireworks. The Death Eaters tried to surround him, but Raja moved swiftly, his wand deflecting their spells with flawless precision.

One Death Eater tried to send a deadly curse toward Harry, but Raja's Patronus thunderbird swooped down, unleashing a massive strike of lightning that shattered the ground around the attacker, sending him flying backward.

As the smoke cleared, Voldemort's anger turned to curiosity and then to rage. "You think parlor tricks and illusions will save you, boy?"

Raja's gaze was steady. "You've already lost your hold here, Tom." He tightened his grip on his wand, and with a wave, the shadowy tendrils of his Patronus wrapped around several Death Eaters, binding them in a cage of flickering black lightning.

Voldemort's lip curled. "Such arrogance." He raised his wand, directing a powerful curse at Raja, who sidestepped, his Patronus shielding both him and Harry from the impact.

"Harry," Raja called, glancing over his shoulder, "we need to get out of here. When I give the word, touch the cup."

Harry nodded, his heart pounding as he kept his eyes on the duel between Raja and Voldemort.

One Death Eater lunged at Raja from behind, but Raja spun on his heel, muttering a binding spell that sent ropes of dark energy wrapping around his opponent, leaving him immobilized on the ground. His Patronus swooped in again, another burst of thunder scattering the Death Eaters in terror. Their morale crumbled, their fear of the thunderbird taking hold.

"You cannot defeat me," Voldemort spat, raising his wand high. "I am the Dark Lord!"

But Raja, unfazed, activated his Magic Haki, an invisible wave of force emanating from him, causing even Voldemort to hesitate as his strength and power radiated in all directions. The Death Eaters felt it too, paling as they stumbled backward, unable to meet his gaze.

Raja turned his full attention to the Dark Lord. "Last chance. Let us take the cup, and you may live to see another day."

Voldemort's laugh was sharp, bitter. "Enough of this!" He unleashed a torrent of dark magic, the ground itself cracking under the weight of his spell.

Raja's Patronus rose once more, its wings sweeping across the graveyard, creating a powerful shield that deflected Voldemort's curse, scattering fragments of the graveyard in all directions. The thunderbird let out a cry, releasing a fierce lightning strike that split the sky, illuminating Voldemort's furious face.

Harry, realizing this was their moment, grabbed the cup with Raja, their hands meeting as the world spun again. Voldemort's scream of rage faded into the distance, swallowed by the roaring wind as the Portkey whisked them back.

The grounds of Hogwarts reappeared beneath them, the cheers from the crowd silenced as the champions returned, battered but alive. The weight of their ordeal settled heavily on Harry's shoulders as he looked around, disoriented but grateful.

Dumbledore was the first to reach them, his expression etched with concern. "Harry… Raja… what happened?"

Raja took a breath, his eyes meeting Dumbledore's. "Voldemort… he's back."

The crowd gasped, whispers of fear and disbelief rippling through them. Dumbledore's expression remained calm, though his eyes betrayed a deep sorrow.

"Come," he said softly, leading them away from the crowd, his voice steady. "We have much to discuss."

As they left the arena, Raja cast a final glance back at the stunned faces of the students and faculty, knowing that this night would change the wizarding world forever. The silence that followed their departure was filled with the weight of a new reality—one where Voldemort was not a distant memory, but an imminent threat.

The battle lines had been drawn, and Raja knew that this was only the beginning. As he walked beside Harry, he resolved to stand with him, a silent guardian in the darkness, ensuring that the path forward would be one paved with both courage and sacrifice. The return of Voldemort had changed everything, but together, they would be ready to face whatever lay ahead.