Disclaimer: I don't own anything that is recognized, I'm not making any money off of this fiction.

The Puppeteer


Harry James Potter, now 20 Years old. Is a dueling instructor at "Sticks, and Twigs" a small business that teach wizards to do what they can, with what they have during a fight. Often only needing to point out that wizards got more spells than just the straight forward combat kind. Among learning to see, and understand what their spells can do, they learn what to expect in a fight.

There is also an class devoted to empowering magics. The class, often skipped and looked on as an waste of time, might prove the downfall of many a great duelers, and fighters.

This particular skill set is something Voldemort would employ around his followers, and enemies to spread terror, and ensue loyal followers. By flaring your magical potential, you will be able to project you intentions onto your surroundings, be it people, plants or wildlife. This skill is not only known by its use by Voldemort, but often picked up by herbalist, and centaurs.

This skill is hard to master, or even just to use. It demands that you are very much in tune with nature, and that means all aspects of it, even death, and darkness.

Voldemort even as sick and twisted as he was at the end. No one could, or can say that he was not an magnificent wizard.


Three years earlier.

The defeater of Lord Voldemort, and savior of Wizarding kind. Is also a man that was fated to be Lord Voldemort's equal.

Thus having a locked fate to face a man in battle who has been obsessed by magic from the moment he gained knowledge of it. Harry turned to every magic branch he could find, and would suck up what was easy to reach information. Because he was learning magic the way a drowning man would gasp for air under water. He drowned himself in his magical theory.

So when the last battle was to begin, he realized that all he had managed to learn, was that he was a fool. All those hours to train, and learn, had done the opposite. He was now a man with a wealth of knowledge in many a different spells, and incantations. But he was not proficient enough with any of them to actually use them in battle. Opting instead to learn as many new spell as fast as he could, instead of learning a few, and master those.

So now he could not see himself employ any of the spells in real combat, or any situation actually. Figuring that instead of the well trained wand movements of a dueler, his new spells would take to much time to perform. So he was stuck with his rudimentary combat spells learned at Hogwarts, and a few more advanced ones.

The battle was to be held at Diagon Alley. The alley being mostly abandon, after several skirmishes, and fights between both sides in the war.

They had discussed this at a order meeting. That it would be the best place to box in, and ambush death eaters, and still have enough corners to take cover behind, while they waited for Voldemort's appearance.

Having encountered Voldemort in combat only two times over the years after Hogwarts. He knew he could deal with any Death Eater, and still come out on top. The problem was to take down Voldemort. Over time he though he could gain knowledge, that Voldemort did not have. But he now sees that it was a fool's hope. Even if he could find anything, he held no hope to use it in combat to a degree that would ether shock, or surprise the dark lord.

So here he was, standing between what used to be, Flourish and Blotts bookstore, and a shop named "Junk Shop." The shop seemed to still be in working order, as he saw someone closing the curtains when he strode up to his position.

No more than 5 minutes went by before a group of six Death Eaters appeared. One looked, and recognized Harry, and promptly disappeared soon after." Obviously gone to get The Lord, and his happy little friends." The rest spread out, but stayed between the buildings. "Standard Death Eater approach." Went through Harry's mind. "Not even offering a thought to outflanking me, or that I might have a plan as to why I'm standing here all alone." You could always be sure that that they went for the same, and easiest strategy every time. " And why shouldn't they? Why change something that works?" This time though it was not going to work. This time they where prepared, and before the leader of the group could start spewing his beliefs, and what not. He pulled his wand, and let loose a new spell sequence containing simple stunners, and more advanced cutters with nearly the same color. Having found out that the wand movements fit together in a continuous string.

The Death Eaters targeted, though surprised that Harry was not going to follow bad guy/good guy rules, managed to get a shield up, but to the shock of the rest, two of the seemingly harmless stunners went right through, and flayed their right arms to the bone. Sinking towards the ground screaming, the next spells in the sequence was to their fortune, stunners, and hit them right in the head. Their screams was cut off abruptly, making the rest believe that they where dead.

He was moving before the first Death Eaters dropped, getting to cover just as a couple of blasting curses struck the corner he just dived behind, and blasted large chunks out of it.

Coming up from his roll, he turned to some garbage they had left in the alley before they commenced the operation. He started to transfigure it into a Badger. "Damn. It takes more time than I though. Dumbledore made it seems so easy in the minister chamber. Even though it takes time, the benefit no doubt outlast the effort." Finishing his transfiguring, just as the first Death Eater rounded the corner.

The man gave a yelp of terror, and tried to lift his wand just as the Badger jumped, and bit down on the mans wand arm. As the Badgers jaws crushed down on the mans arm with enough power to snap his bones, Harry sends a weak bludgeon spell to the side of the mans head, smashing his head into the stone work of the building beside them. Sending the man crashing into unconsciousness.

The badger released the arm as soon as it heard the bone crack.

Now the other Death Eaters heard the man's screams, and the sudden oppressing silence that followed the sharp sound of his head hitting the wall.

It made them take an different approach. They put more distance between themselves, and the alley. Then started to edge along the opposite wall, so they would be able to see into the alley.

Just as the first one rounded the corner and made to take a look. A crack from an apparition sounded, and distracted them. That would be the last mistake of the one looking into the alley, as at the same time a cutting curse came flying out, and struck the man in the neck, severing it, and making the man choke on his own blood.

Harry, having taken down another with his great seeker reflexes, as he heard the loud crack of apperation, and knowing that it could only signify that reinforcements have arrived. Starts flinging spells at the last remaining Death Eater hoping to take out the last adversary before he could join up with his buddies.

Having no luck taking him down, and his badger dieing by a cutting curse to the head by Voldemort himself.

-"And so it begins, time to bring in the muscle." He makes his wand produce sparks, which means for the rest of the order to put down anti apperation/portkey wards, and start attacking.

Chaos erupts.

Men, and woman from both sides shooting spells back and forth, some deadly, some aimed to incapacitate, even though that was changing fast, as it soon escalated into a pure gore party. In the chaos there are people bleeding, panicking. Others screaming in pain, and sorrow, some just laying lifelessly, being lost to the lands of the dead, and forgotten by the living in the heat of battle.

In the middle there are two men whom are staring at each other, ignoring everything, and being ignored by everyone around them, and by some miracle not getting hit by any stray spells.

"So at last you decide to counter attack. Potter." Voldemort spits with disgust. "I'm afraid it's too little, too late. Now feel my power, and tremble before me."

With those words Voldemort starts by sending an Avada Kedavra. Harry dodging to the side, nearly jumping into a spell from another battle. While dodging he fling a bludgeon spell at the ground in front of Voldemort. From the spell impact dust blow, and irritates the dark lords eyes, making him raise an advanced form of the shield spell so he can get the dust out of his eyes. Confident that Harry will not sort to the unforgivables, he stands still and clears his eyes. What he has not taken into account is that the only shield to absorb physical blows is the simplest form of the shield spell. So when the dark lord opens his eyes Harry is gone, having sprinted at top speed behind him.

Seeing a chance to end it. He pounce with a hasty conjured short sword, a sword so flimsy that it would brake against bone if he was unlucky. As he lunges at the dark lord's upper back, his aim true to his target. He sinks his weapon of choice to the hilt. He sneers in the ear of Voldemort as he dies. "You have outlived your purpose here on this earth. Your horcruxes are destroyed, and now so are you. Begone, forever."

All battle stop just as an inhuman screech escaped Voldemort's lips. He teetered forward, then fell to his knees. Tilting his head backwards. He looked at the sky, until death claimed him, and his head slowly sunk back down until his chin rest against his chest.

Not deserving to die on his knees like a normal man, and feeling spiteful, Harry kicked the body so that it lay sprawled on the ground, he aimed his wand at the body and then sat it on fire.

Even corpses got secrets men could unveil.

Watching as the body of Lord Voldemort, Tom Marvolo Riddle burned. He remembered his fallen allies, and friends.

Rage gripped his heart as he sharply looked up. Eyes shining with an unholy fury, he look at the rest of the death eaters, and transformed from an 17 year old man into an epitome of death itself.

In the blink of an eye Harry Potter became The Judge, Jury, and most definitely executioner of the last remaining death eaters in the alley.

The same day as the incident three years later.

Harry Potter. Boy who lived. Ender of dark times. Defeater of Evil. Fabled Master of Death, or as he would modestly call himself. A normal wizard.

One would believe that one with so many titles, and accomplishments would be a straight backed, and impeccable dressed man. But no, this man is wearing a gray t-shirt, which is showing signs of daily usage.

A pair of blue denim jeans hides his legs from the world, and at last a pair of shoes that no doubt is made for use in an urban environment.

This Young man is what you would call not dressed, nor ready for the challenge that is thrown at him by fate. But never mind that for what this young man is blissfully thinking of is that its three years since he defeated Voldemort, and that he is meeting his friends at the local cafe, for a sitting down, and reminiscence of comrades lost in the war.

With this in his thoughts he hurries along.


He walks with fast steps towards his destination, just as he sees something gleaming in the shadows of the side street.

His curiosity perked he approaches the shadows, and seeing something looking like a small scepter designed like a wooden snake with wings?

He crouches carefully, looking around to see if its an obvious trap. Even though Voldemort was defeated long ago, and the worst of the purists was rounded up, and put through a trail with veritaserum. There would always be some sympathizers, but it was nothing the aurors could not handle.

Seeing no immediate threat, or problems, he flicks his wand at the object. Getting no response from the spell, he bends down and grabs the object. Feeling a sudden surge from his own core, and being compelled to say a sentence that pass through his mind making him hiss in parseltongue. "Winter is coming."

With a sudden jerk of acceleration, his body is dragged through something reminiscence of an apperation tunnel.

His feet crash to the ground, and he regains his bearings.

He crouch low, and whips out his wand, casts a advanced shield charm, while slowly spinning around. The first he observes is that he finds himself alone in a dense forest.

Figuring that he is alone in the area after not getting cursed the moment he appeared. He checks the area more carefully, and finally notices that its quite chilly, throwing a heating charm at himself, knowing of the dangers of doing so as the charm does not do anything other than trick the mind into believing that its a comfortable temperature. But even though having such an drawback it still works to his advantage of steadying his hand in the chilling weather. Now without the distraction of the cold, he proceeds to leave the area he apparated into. You never know, there might be a couple of bad guys that has just messed up the coordinates.

Trudging through the snow, he casts a very weak bludgeon spell at the trees over his trail, getting the snow to fall, and cover his tracks.

Now out of immediate danger. First thing first. Transfiguring some cloths. You have two different types of transfiguration. Shallow, and permanent. Shallow is changing one thing to another, not really changing much. Sure you can get an twig to look like an animal, but that's it, just a hollow animal. While permanent, that's real magic. It takes much more time, but usually the benefit outweigh the time used.

Harry shot down a couple of twigs from the surrounding trees, and started on his permanent transfiguration, he worked slow, and methodical. The robes slowly knitting itself together, starting to take form, and closing in on his size. Rechecking his work many times, seeing to it it that the robes would come out with the best result possible.

Wiping his forehead, he checks the result, and feels the heavy, but soft material. He can feel the heat bounce right back at his palms.

Wasting no more time, he throws it on. Removing his charm, he feels the cold seep into his body, his hands starting to shake. Thinking to himself that a couple of hours with that spell on, and he would slowly frozen to death without knowing.

The forest darkening around him, he comes to the conclusion that he needs shelter for the night.

Author note:

For you people that started to read my other story, or to you new ones... I hope this one is better, and brings you joy, and I will see what I can do about updating this... I am probably not going to update this in a while, so I thought to just give you what I have, and gain some kind of response, as I belive that this version is much! Much! Smoother to read.