Prologue
On that day: "Flesh of the servant, willingly given, you will revive your master." A knife, a scream, quiet sobbing. "And blood of an enemy, forcibly taken, you will resurrect your foe." The same knife, a deep gash, the tricklings of several drops of blood falling. "The Dark Lord will rise again…"
"Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son." A plop of something falling into a large cauldron.
And then:
A sharp, searing surge of pain shoots through Severus Snape's left arm and he gasps aloud.
The Triwizard Tournament has not yet ended, and he is lucky that no one is paying very much attention to him.
Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Karkaroff looking panicked. Severus watches as he stands and mutters a few hasty words to Dumbledore on his left.
He locks eyes with Karkaroff as he turns, but it is only fleeting, as Karkaroff brushes past him, making his way into the woods, the opposite direction of the school.
Dumbledore turns to look in the direction Karkaroff left, a slight frown on his face. He sees Severus watching him and studies his face for a moment.
Severus stands as well and inclines his head at Dumbledore, silently asking for permission to leave.
Dumbledore's frown deepens, but he nods. Severus turns to go, feeling Dumbledore's eyes bore onto his back as he makes his way along the same route Karkaroff did just moments before.
Severus does not see Karkaroff as he steps into the forest and he doesn't expect to. As he loses sight of the Quidditch pitch, he hastens his footsteps until he reaches the edge of Hogwarts' borders.
He has known for a while now that the Dark Lord was returning, but this… he has prepared for this day for thirteen years, and yet, he isn't ready.
The Dark Lord has not yet summoned his followers, yet Snape can feel his renewed presence and knows that the others can, too.
He wonders fleetingly why the Death Eaters have not yet been summoned. Surely by now, the Dark Lord would have called them before him…
No matter. He must hasten to his side anyway. He must secure his place once more among Voldemort's ranks.
In the middle of the forest, once he is sure he has left the Hogwarts boundaries, he takes a deep breath, ignores the churning in his stomach, and Disapparates with a crack that seems to echo in the forest.
He reappears in a graveyard mere seconds later.