READING ALL SIX PRIOR INSTALLMENTS IS ABSOLUTELY ONE HUNDRED PERCENT COMPLETELY ENTIRELY NECESSARY. It all will make far less sense if you start here, and even the first chapter of this installment has massive series-wide spoilers.
There's not much else to say, is there? Time to get right into it! Hope you enjoy the final installment of this Albus Potter series! I've been waiting to write this last book for years and I have been working my hardest to make sure it lives up to the expectations of this amazing community that's followed me for so long. Without you, there wouldn't be this. Thank you, and happy reading!
ALBUS POTTER AND THE ABYSSAL VORTEX
O
CHAPTER ONE
The New Dismiusa
O
CHAPTER TWO
Dead or Alive
O
CHAPTER THREE
The Kill Switch
O
CHAPTER FOUR
Memory Lane
O
CHAPTER FIVE
The Desert Island
O
CHAPTER SIX
The Cairo Flyby
O
CHAPTER SEVEN
A Nice Foreboding Drop-In
O
CHAPTER EIGHT
The Fokii's Flower
O
CHAPTER NINE
The Chaos Drain
O
CHAPTER TEN
Bloodbombs
O
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Ilka
O
CHAPTER TWELVE
Werora of the Waves
O
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Inner Nature
O
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Hijack and Hightail
O
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Solaerial Summit
O
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The Hostage
O
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The Propheteers
O
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Clashing Shadows
O
CHAPTER NINETEEN
The Burning Day
O
CHAPTER TWENTY
Eyes for an Eye
O
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
The First Prophecy
O
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Skull and Crossroads
O
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
The Pandoran Catalyst
O
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
The Superstorm
O
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
On the Scent
O
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Severing the Strings
O
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
The Harry Potter Effect
O
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
The Phoenix Anthem
O
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
The Battle for the Ministry of Magic
O
CHAPTER THIRTY
The Abyssal Vortex
O
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Board a Train
O
EPILOGUE
Nine Years Later
O
O
CHAPTER ONE
THE NEW DISMIUSA
O
He walked into the tavern, keeping his hood up. He looked around until his eyes fell on the young man he was supposed to meet, and he slid onto a stool beside him.
"Grody," he said.
The man, not yet twenty, turned his head slightly, and smirked when he saw the hood. "Hullo, Pierce," he said with a slight slur. "At least, I assume that's you. How's the face?"
Pierce glared.
"Fancy seeing you here," said Grody with a grin, downing the rest of his drink.
"I don't fancy being seen by anyone else," grunted Pierce. "Cuz I'm sure no one else would fancy seeing me here."
"This is a Muggle tavern," said Grody with a shrug. "Who's going to recognize you? Come on, have a few frinks—ah. Drinks. Well, don't have as many as I've had."
"The target could recognize me," said Pierce.
"Dude. Relax. You're Polyjuiced."
"Quiet, you dimwit," said Pierce. "We don't want anyone else to know we're wizards, okay? Some Muggles are still sensitive about that. And we don't know how long we're going to be here. Hence the hood. I don't want to run out of Polyjuice, suddenly have my skin start bubbling and then pull my hood up. That'll attract worse suspicion."
"Scratch what I said earlier," said Grody. "You definitely need way more drinks than I've had. Perhaps they'll help you forget that catastrophic failure of yours that decommissioned the Shadow's Engine when you let Lupin walk right in to blow it up. You know, the explosion that destroyed your face?"
Pierce continued to glare.
Grody smirked and shrugged, and then turned to the bartender. "Hey! Bitch!"
Much to her credit, the bartender still smiled warmly at him and prepared another drink.
"Two this time," said Grody. "One for the puckered anus sitting next to me, and… eh, hell, I've had too much already. Two for the puckered anus sitting next to me."
"Stop it," muttered Pierce. "Just find the—"
"No, it's okay, I'm paying," said Grody. "Picked me up some Muggle money earlier just for the occasion—"
"You say one more word that could give away that we're wizards, and you're dead," said Pierce. "You know the Man. He's not fond of loose ends, or loose lips."
The bartender placed the drinks on the table in front of Pierce, but he didn't touch them. She eyed the pair carefully—Pierce gripped his wand inside his sleeve—but then she left to serve other customers.
"Eh, I'm not sure," drawled Grody, though he did lower his voice. "Ever since Auchland finally revealed himself to us as the Man in the Shadows, I've kind of lost a lot of respect for him. Ya know?"
"No, I don't know," said Pierce, his eyes narrowing.
"He had it made, he was Head Auror and a potential for Minister for Magic," said Grody. "And then he lost his shit and got kicked out of office."
"Auchland may play the fool, but he does it purposefully," said Pierce. "He's not going to seek politics anymore—why would he? He's far more powerful ruling from the shadows. And the longer that people mistakenly believe that he's a bumbling idiot, the better. He's drawn any and all suspicion away from himself by feigning total incompetence."
"It just… doesn't seem like feigning, to me," chuckled Grody, taking some money out of his wallet. "Let's see… what is this? Merlin, this crap confuses me. They pay with paper? Can't anyone just take a piece of paper and draw the symbols on it to make it look like money? And what happens if this shit gets ripped, or wet? Man, Muggles are stupid. Can't wait until we don't have to deal with 'em anymore." He placed some money down on the table. "Is that right?"
Pierce rolled his eyes. "Hell if I know."
"Right," said Grody. "Well, if the bitch says something, just kill her, she'll be dead soon anyway and the world will miss neither her nor her bitch face. I'm gonna go grab a dance."
He stepped over to the floor where a small, ratty band was playing some strange tune. Several scantily clad girls were grinding on some drunken teenagers, and the girls eyed Grody's handsome face as he approached.
Grody cast his gaze around for a moment before settling on a gorgeous blonde who was undulating her hips on top of a muscular twenty-something in a chair. Grody gently took her arm and grinned down at the man she was with.
"Mind if I borrow this?" he crooned.
The man furrowed his brow, and the blonde looked at him curiously. Grody took both his hands and pressed his pants closer to his skin, and when the girl saw the impressive bulge he was sporting, she left her first man in the snap of a finger and they were swaying on the dance floor.
Their hands were everywhere; ten seconds into their dance there wasn't a place on either's body that hadn't been thoroughly catalogued by the other. Grody pressed himself up against the blonde tightly and bit down on the succulent curve of her neck; she moaned in a low tone that sent shivers down his spine. He dragged his teeth down closer to her breast, and his hands dove deep into the back of her pants. Her back arched in pleasure.
"More?" murmured Grody with a grin.
She jerked her head towards the restrooms. Grody nodded and pressed their faces together, sneaking his tongue in for a moment before they wandered off in that direction.
They entered the lavatory and burst into the stall, attached at the face, and fell into a stall. A few men who were washing their hands rolled their eyes and stepped out. Grody closed the door behind him with his foot (as his hands were occupied) and began undressing his female companion. She cupped his groin, rubbing it as he worked.
Grody slid off her shirt and felt down her pants. He stroked her legs fully, making sure there was nothing but leg. And then, once he was fully satisfied that she did not have a wand, he pulled his own wand out from an undetectable sleeve pocket, and pressed it against her throat. Her eyes bulged, and he leaned in close.
"Thought you'd sneak out to a Muggle tavern for a quick fuck, did you?" he whispered. "Didn't think anyone would find you? Sorry, little girl, but that's not the way the world works anymore. Not even a Polyjuice Potion can hide Lucy Weasley now."
The stall door opened, and Pierce loomed overhead.
"Excellent work, Grody," said Pierce. "You may take her."
"Too bad I had to cut us off so soon," said Grody, still to Lucy. "I would have loved to let you suck me off before I took you in, but we've got schedules to keep, and a Minister for Magic to blackmail with his daughter."
"Let's just hope Wilcox doesn't end up with the Minister position once we've ousted Weasley," said Pierce. "Or else the Man in the Shadows might have to face off against Wilcox… and honestly, I'm not sure who would win."
He jabbed his wand; her body became rigid, and her limbs were locked to her sides. Grody flexed his fingers and grabbed hold of Lucy's arm, and then Disapparated, and Pierce followed shortly after.
O
"New report," said Auchland, leaning back in his chair. "Red Pierce and Lyle Grody have captured Lucy Weasley. Just heard it directly from them."
"And they have secured her?" replied Wilcox, twiddling his thumbs.
"They have," said Auchland. "That would almost make up for Pierce letting Lupin in to destroy the Shadow's Engine, except for the fact that it doesn't nearly make up for that."
"Excellent," said Wilcox. "The Minister for Magic now answers to us. That's one of the final steps."
"Spectacular," said Auchland, rubbing his hand together. "And my first official act as Minister shall be to begin the eradication of all non-magical 'people.' Of course, the public need not know that…"
"You are not going to become Minister," said Wilcox. "Plans have changed."
Auchland cut himself off, but then his face contorted in rage—
"And I know you're not going to complain about it, because you know the deal," said Wilcox. "I am the mastermind. I got us this far and my word is law."
"You are also the reason for our only loose end," growled Auchland.
"True," said Wilcox. "I am the reason that there is only one loose end."
"It's a pretty fucking enormous loose end," said Auchland.
"Albus Potter has nothing on us," said Wilcox. "I am everywhere. Unseen and everywhere. If he pokes his head through a door one time to try and warn someone, I'll be there, and I'll destroy his mind for good this time with no Dalton Desulgon there to protect him. And I suspect we'll find him even before he sticks his nose out; I'm good at that."
"But you haven't found him yet."
"There appears to be some lingering protection," said Wilcox. "Some form of the Moramorary Devoctrix, I suspect, as Desulgon sacrificed his mind for Albus Potter. He must have had more emotion than I anticipated. But soon it'll wear off. Albus Potter is almost of age."
"That holds true for everyone, does it?"
"It's most powerful when the subject of the Devoctrix is underage. The Trace breaks at seventeen for similar reasons. But that's not what we're discussing."
"Yes," said Auchland, leaning back again and folding his fingers so tightly that they turned white. "We were discussing how you've misled me into believing I was going to become Minister."
"You were intended to take the position for a while," said Wilcox, "but then again, so was I for some time. Now I worry that it will be too obvious. de Rière is going to become Minister for Magic."
"She's not with us," said Auchland, furrowing his brow. "Or have you lied to me about that, too?"
"No, she's not with us," said Wilcox. "That's the point. We'll frame her. Make it appear as if she IS working with the Man in the Shadows… because most of the intelligent people have already assumed that we would take out Percy Weasley and replace him with one of our own. We'll plant very subtle evidence and schedule some very not-so-subtle deaths. Let the 'good guys' 'discover' her for what she actually isn't, because they'll definitely be looking just in case. de Rière will go down in flames by the wands of her own allies, and nobody there will trust each other anymore. Su Jun will take over to ensure our control of the Ministry. No one has suspected her in the slightest, and they'll feel safe with a Head Auror in the post of Minister. And the populace will be under the belief that they dodged a bullet, by finding out about de Rière and taking her down before she'd done too much damage."
"Excellent," said Auchland. "But still. Potter."
"Potter is hidden from my vision, but his birthday is in two weeks," said Wilcox. "We'll see him soon enough."
"And if he's figured something else out, like how to hide from you?"
"There is nowhere he can hide from me," said Wilcox. "I have, for some time, been using the Locubic Devoctrix to locate every host of the Chaos Contagion. That is how I found most of the Devoctrix scholars… And we know that Albus Potter is indeed a host."
"And if he hides in a Concosmic universe," said Auchland, "like the Hourglass Empire? Will you still be able to see him?"
"I'll have… one of my two closest acquaintances stationed in the Hourglass Empire," said Wilcox. "I have some business to take care of down there anyway. Wouldn't want another one of my Horcruxes to be discovered by the Loch Stock Liner, so I'm putting it where the Liner won't find it."
"But you own the Liner."
"It could be compromised at any time," said Wilcox.
"What did you do with Milo and Salvo, anyway?" asked Auchland.
"Milo is in Azkaban for 'killing Salvo.' It seemed the cleanest."
"No one will believe he was involved in Salvo's death, no matter what you did with the body. You understand that, yes?"
"No one would have believed that Vanessa Varnisse or Lynwood Chinch could have been capable of murder, either," said Wilcox. "Strange things are happening these days. No one is safe."
Auchland grunted.
"You ought to have faith in me after all I've done," said Wilcox. "Don't worry. Albus Potter cannot hide forever. Even if he were to conceal himself in a Concosmic world, what would he even be able to do from there? As soon as he leaves, I'll notice, and I'll destroy his mind, and then the world will understand that anything he's said against me was simply an insane rambling. Especially given that I'm keeping my head low and staying away from positions of power, as far as they know. And besides, if he doesn't get caught, the Chaos Contagion will take his mind soon enough anyway. It's only a matter of time, since he doesn't know how to control it."
"Perhaps Desulgon taught him."
"Desulgon had no time to teach him. He was rarely ever in Hogwarts, and I kept an eye on him when he was."
Auchland shook his head. "I am just saying… The Potters have a way of stumbling into puzzles and accidentally solving them. We shouldn't take this lightly."
"And exactly what has led you to believe I'm taking Albus Potter lightly?" said Wilcox.
"Your general tone, it's—"
"I am not taking him lightly," said Wilcox, calmly but so forcefully that even the rigid Obydin Auchland flinched. "I am going to find him and expunge his sanity. Like licking my fingers and pinching out a candle. He's already burned down to the base and he's flickering. And I am doing all that I can to find him, so there is little on which to worry. Not even the Cloak can conceal him from an eventual Death, and Death serves me now."
"Now that's what I like to hear," said Auchland.
"What you do and do not like to hear has no bearing on the plan," said Wilcox. "I will remind you that you are not my number two. You're not even my number three. So quit your power plays."
"I don't know what you mean," said Auchland, squinting.
"Acting like you're the one who's galvanized my stronger reaction to Albus Potter," said Wilcox. "I'm already doing what needs to be done, and you're currently wasting my time here. So you can stop pretending I need advice in any form. I don't. You are here only to report to me the status of the stalk of Lucy Weasley, and to receive orders. Any insubordination in the future, including even the slightest inquiry about something I have not decided to discuss with you, will be met with more than just a conversation. We're entering a critical stage of the process and you're not going to sit here acting like you're my equal without me putting you back in your place."
Auchland rolled his eyes. "Fine."
"No," said Wilcox. "It's not."
Auchland glowered at him. "Fine, it's not."
Wilcox glared back. "I will kill you in a heartbeat if I decide that you're a threat to my success. Understand that fully."
Auchland nodded, and something like fear crossed behind his eyes for the briefest of moments.
"If you disobey me, you are dead," said Wilcox, immediately pouncing on the temporary vulnerability. "You know of my two top men, though you don't know who they are. And you know they will find you even if I don't. So you will stay in line."
"I will," said Auchland, and he shifted in his seat and changed the subject. "Then, may I ask, what is my role to be now, if I am not taking the position of Minister for Magic?"
"You are going to be Headmaster of Hogwarts," said Wilcox.
Auchland blinked. "I am?"
"Yes," said Wilcox. "Tomorrow, a most unfortunate accident will occur. My poor, depressed son is going to commit suicide."
"So that's happening tomorrow," said Auchland. "How sad."
"Indeed," said Wilcox. "I will be quite distraught by this tragedy. I will not want to set foot back into Hogwarts again for fear of being constantly reminded of his death, and this horrible trauma will lead me to leave my position as Headmaster. You will take over as Headmaster of the school, under direct orders from Percy Weasley. We have his daughter now; he wouldn't dare do anything about it."
"And the world will still believe you to be neutral," said Auchland. "Brilliant."
"Yes," said Wilcox. "That was part of the impetus behind my construction of the plan and was therefore unnecessary to cite. I would prefer if you would keep your end of the conversation to a minimum, Obydin. Meaning you should only speak to inform me of new developments or to voice your understanding of my plans."
Auchland's nostrils flared. "Understood."
"Excellent," said Wilcox. "Now, have we found a new Muggle Studies teacher to replace Rhuavone for the coming year?"
"Yes," said Auchland. "Aethan Maddox has expressed desire to interview for the position. I assume you remember him."
"Of course," said Wilcox. "The mute boy who won the Dueling Tournament almost every year he'd entered. I made him Head Boy. And he was a Slytherin… Good choice. Is he a supporter of the cause?"
"He's a Muggle Studies teacher," said Auchland. "It is kind of difficult to be. And we have a hard time reading his mind… His spoken language abilities never developed, so it's difficult for us to understand what's going on in his head. It's like he's developed his own language for expressing his thoughts inside his mind."
"Keep an eye on him," said Wilcox. "He's also head of Witches and Wizards with Disabilities, but I'd planned on eradicating all people with disabilities like deafness, blindness, muteness. They drag society down almost as much as Muggles."
"People will notice if you kill a teacher, and students," said Auchland.
"There you go again," said Wilcox. "I know, Obydin. I'm not going to kill them in the castle. I'll stage large-scale deaths and our targets will be in the mix, a few at a time. Avoids suspicion to what we're doing when we do it that way. Understand?"
"Understood," growled Auchland.
"Good, but I will not always consent to explain my plans like this," said Wilcox. "So don't get used to it." He stood up from his chair, and began to pace around the large office. "Then the staff is complete, apart from your vacated Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching position. I'll look into whether Leslie Tetchel would be up for the task. And, now that I think about it, it may also be best to remove Dottie from the school. She's already drawn too much suspicion, more than I would like, and she would serve a better use as a mobile unit. Perhaps standing guard over the development of the new Engines."
Auchland's eyebrows lifted; he hadn't been aware that new Shadow's Engines had been constructed, but he opted not to say anything based on Wilcox's earlier reactions.
"And what are the newest developments on the N.S.?" said Wilcox, still pacing.
"Still theorizing, but getting closer," said Auchland.
"When did you last check in with the researchers?"
"Yesterday," said Auchland.
"Check again tonight and report back to me," said Wilcox. "Too much relies on my ability to repel any attempt at resistance, in case one cog of our machine slips out of place. We need immediate access to the power that will allow me to become a new Dismiusa."
"I thought you said your plans were foolproof," said Auchland. "Why have a backup plan?"
Wilcox gave him a venomous glare, and Auchland inadvertently recoiled.
"Always have a Plan B," said Wilcox. "But never tell anyone that you have it, because that'll make them suspect you don't have confidence in Plan A. I think you've heard me say that before. Now, I did tell you my Plan B, but only because I need you to understand why it is so important that we constantly keep up with any developments from our research team, even daily… and because I seem to have recalled telling you that you are to keep your mouth shut on matters like this, so you should not have doubted me in the first place."
Auchland stared back at him, without answering.
"You'll find me at my house, poisoning my son's mind. Use the secure transport."
"Of course," said Auchland.
"I—"
Wilcox's eyes flashed, and he snapped his jaw shut. For a moment, he stared into nothingness, and then his eyes twitched madly for a second before he calmed himself.
Auchland leveled his gaze. He didn't dare ask Wilcox what had just happened—he had already been told too many times today that such action would apparently be "stepping out of line." Instead, he waited for Wilcox to tell him on his own accord.
"Never mind," said Wilcox.
"Never mind… what?" said Auchland.
"You'll find me here tonight instead," said Wilcox. "I just received word that my son is no longer at my house."
Auchland hadn't been expecting that. "What?" he asked. "Then where is he?"
"For some reason… I cannot tell," said Wilcox. "There are very few explanations to someone disappearing from my sight, and I think I know what the explanation for this is."
Auchland swallowed his question and waited for Wilcox to answer it of his own accord.
"Lupin," said Wilcox. "He must have taken my son to wherever Desulgon was holed up out of my sight."
"Why would he do that?" asked Auchland. "Out of pity? Did they know you were going to do away with him?"
"No, you idiot," said Wilcox. "Isn't it obvious?"
Auchland kept silent on this one for different reasons.
"Part of the reason for choosing Exorian in particular would be due to pity, yes," said Wilcox. "But more specifically, it's because Lupin is looking for Desulgon. He knows that getting Desulgon back into the fight is their only chance. And if Exorian bites him during the full moon, Desulgon may be cured of the Chaos Contagion."
"But I thought that you said becoming a werewolf would render you forever unable to cast another Devoctrix," said Auchland. "Isn't that why you didn't do it to yourself?"
"But if he had his mind back… he could teach them," said Wilcox.
He looked out the window, and sighed.
"We'll just have to find him first."
"Are we looking for Teddy too, then?" asked Auchland.
"Yes," said Wilcox, keeping his gaze out the window. "But he's probably in Desulgon's little hideout right now. I haven't sensed him in a while. He knows that without Desulgon as a bodyguard, there's nothing stopping us from killing him on the spot, so I don't know if he's going to be sticking his head out for a while." He looked over at Auchland. "And have you liaised with Werora recently?"
Auchland nodded. "Two days ago."
"She's happy keeping her position and keeping our secret?"
"Seems that way," said Auchland. "Is she a liability?"
"Only if she realizes the true extent of her power," said Wilcox. "Which is why we need to keep up our tabs on her. She's achieved the power I've been after—she's the new Dismiusa. And I need to know how she did it."
"She's really got that much power?"
"She does. But like Dismiusa, and even Herpo the Foul, she has yet to unlock its true, absolute, unbridled potential. Keep in contact with her and try to figure out her secrets. I have my theories, of course, but…"
"But no one's allowed to know your secrets, except you," said Auchland.
Wilcox glared at him.
"I never said I wanted to," said Auchland, holding up his hands. "Because if it made me start acting the way you're acting, I don't think I'd like to take that fate, regardless of the power I—"
"Avada Kedavra!"
Auchland was cut off mid-sentence as Wilcox's wand flew out and the lethal green jet blasted through the air and struck him directly in the heart. He toppled over and slammed into the ground on his back.
He gasped out a breath that he hadn't known he was holding, and he threw his hands onto his chest, searching for his body—was he still alive, was he still here?
"You might as well get up," said Wilcox. "Next time you won't be able to."
Auchland scrambled to his feet and stared at Wilcox.
"You've failed to understand my direct orders almost one too many times," said Wilcox. "The main qualification of members of my ranks is their ability to follow my orders. I've requested that you stop being a vexing cunt but it has had no effect on you. I hope that little demonstration will have an effect. Because next time, I won't restrain myself. Agitating me can only serve to slow us down. I can't spare any time at this stage of our conquest, but I can spare a few idiots. Do you think you understand now?"
"Yes," said Auchland, swiftly and obediently.
"Are you planning on continuing your piteously awful sardonic inanities?"
"No, sir."
"Then you may go," said Wilcox. "Keep looking for Albus Potter, Desulgon, Lupin, and my son, and keep trying to get to the heart of the Werora question. Don't fail me. People who get in my way tend to end up dead."
"Understood, sir," said Auchland. "And I'll find you here?"
"Come here if you must speak to me directly," said Wilcox. "If I'm not here, wait for me. I know when someone's come to visit and I'll be with you shortly."
Auchland stood up and left about as fast as his legs could carry him.
Wilcox stood up. Gutting Auchland like that might have been enjoyable to another man, but Wilcox knew he shouldn't have even had to gut him. The prospect of world domination had turned Auchland from a devious politician into a power-hungry maniac… but then, there wasn't much of a difference there. In either case, nothing was going to make Wilcox satisfied until the world was his. Until then, there was no time to smile unless it was for the purpose of deception.
Wilcox turned and Apparated into Hogwarts, landing directly in front of the blank stretch of wall of which he'd grown so fond. He paced back and forth a few times until the door to the Room of Requirement appeared. Casting the spell to unseal the door, he opened it, and then he calmly stepped into the Abyssal Vortex.