Chapter 38: The Deepest Magic
Voldemort's private chambers -
Voldemort was in seclusion. He was waving his wand over the Omegahedron that was rotating in his hand.
He could feel the power within him. But yet why could he not stand up to his enemies.
He was wondering if it had anything to do with his horcruxes. He had known in advance that fragmenting his soul would make it unstable. But what was an unstable soul to him? To anchor himself to life to avoid death was all that mattered to him. Fragmenting his soul had caused his physical appearance to grow more grotesque, but he didn't care about being a handsome boy. He had been a handsome boy and it did nothing to save him from death.
He felt the new and improved powers within him as the Omegahedron rotated in his hand. He began casting a new spell to reach out into the space time continuum and extract knowledge and information from the very universe itself.
'Why were events the way they were?' 'Why could he not kill Harry Potter?' 'Why had several other people that he had tried to kill or have killed returned from the dead?' 'There were defenses against the killing curse that never existed before.' 'His faithful pureblood Death Eaters were starting to question whether or not he was their liberator from the despicable contamination of muggle-borns.'
He was supposed to be Lord Voldemort; the most powerful wizard in the world. Ever since Dumbledore came to the orphanage and told him that he was a wizard, he wanted to be the best. He wanted to expand the boundaries of magic, to prove that the impossible was possible. To escape death; to never die. The idea of his consciousness ceasing to exist, or his consciousness going to the god-awful afterlife...if of course there is an afterlife?, better to continue on in this life than the risk a chance on an afterlife that may or may not exist.
He could feel with a magical Sixth Sense what was within him. The fragment of his soul was significantly less than what it should be. When he killed Harry Potter his soul should have been broken into six pieces. It wasn't until after he had regained his body he thought he had turned his beloved Nagini into his sixth horcrux therefore making his soul into 7 pieces. But now his soul seemed significantly smaller than a 7th of a piece? After closer examination with his magical Sixth Sense on this analyzation of his soul fragment he then realized that his soul has gone beyond breaking into 7 pieces; his soul is broken into…'NINE' pieces.
What? How could this happen?
But where are the other two pieces? It seemed that there were things that Voldemort had never considered. He took the risk of ripping his soul to pieces without believing in his heart that there actually was a risk. He had read the book, 'Secrets of the Darkest Art', it explained exactly how to make a horcrux. It said that there were negative side effects such as having the remainder of your soul within your body be unstable. But it didn't describe what that instability meant. He felt no sickness, he felt no fatigue. He had everything he wanted; he could not grow old or be killed in battle. When his own killing curse hit him back in 1981 it destroyed his body, but he was still alive, and eventually regained his body.
But where were the other pieces of his soul? He believed that he had only one horcrux left, the Diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw, but now it seems that he has three.
Then it occurred to him, the other two were created by accident. His soul rendered unstable could result in further unintentional fragmentation of the portion of his soul within his body. The piece of his soul would then need to attach itself...to something else?
He thought about that for a moment and then continued to ponder.
"How could I have overlooked this?" Voldemort asked himself, but then he criticized himself, he had foolishly believed that he was all knowing.
He, Lord Voldemort, had delved deeper into magic than any other wizard. How could he not know?, but then again the fact that he had delved deeper into magic than any other wizard he had touched magic that was hitherto unexplored. He never would have known. No wizard would have known. And the more his soul continued to fragment the more unstable it will become. It is possible that if a soul fragments too far then he could suffer a fate worse than death. He would not die, no, but his continued existence would be meaningless; it would not be life.
But where are the new horcruxes now? His horcruxes often exhibited unusual powers. And then it hit him; Harry Potter. His, Voldemort's, soul had fragmented when his body was destroyed the first time.
The fragment of his unstable soul would have attached itself to Harry Potter, which explains why Harry Potter could read Voldemort's mind from time to time, and as well as Harry's ability to talk to snakes. And why Voldemort had been unable to kill him. The portion of his own soul with in Harry's body was trying to protect itself from him. It might also explain why the connection of the twin cores is so powerful between the two of them.
But what about that additional piece. Could he be wrong? No, he was correct. There was a ninth piece of his soul somewhere. And then it occurred to him. The two magicians from the other Universe, Arthur Haff and the Alastor Moody doppelganger. They extracted that thing from him and then placed it into that crystal amulet containment vessel. A piece of his unstable soul must have fragmented during the extraction process.
He continued to wave his wand over the Omegahedron rotating in his hand. He focused. He felt the power. He felt the magic. He was honing and taming this power that he possessed. And he felt himself grow even stronger. More powerful. He attempted to stabilize the remaining fragment of the Soul. Of course since he had exceeded seven pieces and gone to 9, his soul in 7 pieces was no longer the most powerfully magical number. He started to wonder if breaking his soul into pieces was the wisest course to begin with. But he already thought this through after hours, days, weeks, and months of deliberation with himself. No, this was the wisest course of action. He sought a way to cheat death, so that he would not succumb to what every other person in the world has; the end of their own life. But how to escape death? To live forever?
Becoming a vampire? A dose of vampire venom into his veins. He would possess skin stronger than steel, superhuman strength, lightning-fast speed, super senses, and with his powers most likely have an extra special ability. But most important, he would live forever and never get any older. But he would then be dependent on blood, not to mention he could still be susceptible to death by be ripped apart and burned. Also, he would lose his magic. For no wizard that had become a vampire possessed their magic after the transformation, at least not in the same way. And also he would be bound to the rule of the Volturi, that royal family of a vampire coven that police their own kind, and are allied with the wizard government, though the Volturi had tended to their own affairs for thousands of years prior to the Ministry of Magic's 'Beast and Beings' Classification Summit of 1811. He had tried on several occasions to recruit the Volturi to his cause against the Ministry but Aro, Caius, and Marcus were not interested. Voldemort had tried to retaliate at their rejection but proved too formidable against his Death Eaters.
He could have obtained or made for himself a Philosopher's Stone. But though Nicholas Flamel did not die he was still old and frail. He would still be a prisoner to a weak fragile body. And if the Elixir was contaminated or if the Philosopher's Stone was stolen or destroyed. He had to give death credit. It was awfully difficult to escape it.
As he continued to wave his Wand over the rotating Omegahedron in his hand he cast powers of healing and rejuvenation into his body. He had suffered some injuries that would have been fatal to a mortal. Another problem was that he had to face countless enemies that where always trying to make an attempt on his life. He had to deal with Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix, and now these superheroes with extraordinary abilities. James had failed to kill Bella Swan and then she was able to stop his nuclear warhead. And now she possesses the power of a nuclear warhead within her own body.
What he needed was a clean slate. Everyone in this world had defied him, no one in this world would serve him willingly. Granted, there were some that believed in him and his goal and gave him their support offering their service. But they were meaningless. All of them were meaningless.
It was decided, he was going to lay waste to the entire planet in one fell swoop.
As he continued to hone the powers of the Omegahedron he found that he could do it. It would be difficult. But once it is done he can then pursue his Ambitions without interruption from another enemy.
It took many more hours. He concentrated on the Omegahedron rotating in his hand while he waved his wand over again and again. Meditating. Feeling out the power of the Kryptonian power source.
"It is decided." Voldemort said out loud to himself. "I will wipe life off of this world with a wave of antimatter."
His own extraordinary magical Talent combined with the Omegahedron he could create this wave. It would require some preparation. He might be vulnerable during the time of preparation. But it would be done. He would promise his servants their lives and protection. To create a new world free of muggle-born wizards. A place where non magical beings would do their bidding as a labor force. They would serve him willingly. He would be their God and creator. He would then expand to other worlds. As well as other universes. He had all of eternity to do it course.
But he still needed more people to help him fight. He then realized that while he was formidable against any opponent, he needed those that were more familiar with his new enemies. He then waves his wand while summoning the power of the Omegahedron.
"Bring to me reinforcements." he commanded the magic.
And then multiple breaches began to open all around him.
"Bring to me the enemies of my enemies." he commanded the magic.
Then multiple villains and captured servants came out of the breaches to him, including Sinestro who was wounded and bound in green shackles.
Alastor Moody was meditating with Harry Potter. They had reached a state of mental mediation that Alastor Moody was satisfied with Harry Potter for doing.
"Now Harry Potter." said Alastor Moody. "By the end of the session you will have achieved wandless Magic. All you have to do is believe, and cooperate."
"Understood professor." said Harry.
"I am not a professor." said Alastor Moody.
"Sorry." said Harry. "Old habits die hard. Your doppelganger was a mentor to me in my universe."
"I would have liked to have met my Doppelganger." said Alastor Moody in interest.
"He too was a very powerful magician." said Harry.
"A dark wizard catcher?" asked Alastor Moody.
"Yes." said Harry.
They smiled at each other for a few moments in admiration. But then Alastor Moody became professional again.
"Let us not lose our meditative concentration. I have connected to your powers within you and your mind." said Alastor. "First Harry Potter, in order to eliminate the need for a wand you must, 'forgive yourself'."
"Forgive myself for what?"
"There is feeling of shame and guilt within you." said Alastor Moody, a statement of fact, not a question.
"What?"
Alastor Moody concentrated with his eyes closed for a little while and then said, "Lord Voldemort has been gunning for you since the day that you were born. You feel that it is your fault of the deaths of every person that has stood between you and Lord Voldemort and died. This shame and guilt that you feel is inhibiting your powers. You must stop this inhibitor against your powers. You must look deep within yourself Harry Potter. Think of everything that you have ever been ashamed of that was not your fault."
"I'm not sure if I know how." said Harry as he tried hard to concentrate with difficulty.
"It's alright Harry Potter, that's why I'm here. I will guide you."
Harry remembered his parents being killed by Lord Voldemort. Cedric Diggory. Professor Dumbledore. Barty Crouch Jr. entering him into the Triwizard Tournament which lead to Peter Pettigrew restoring Voldemort's body with Harry's blood. And therefore Voldemort's Resurrection to begin with. And then every person who died because of Voldemort and the Death Eaters after that event. It was all his fault. All those people would still be alive now if it wasn't for that.
"It was not your fault Harry Potter." said Alastor Moody inside Harry's head. "There was no deliberate act that you did that had you not done would have prevented it. There is no hindsight scenario that was your fault."
And as Alastor Moody's meditation was encouraging Harry to believe, he then realized the very last sentence.
'There was no hindsight scenario that was your fault.'
And in that moment it was ingrained into Harry's mind. It wasn't his fault. He didn't do anything wrong. He did nothing to cause any of this. There was nothing he could have done to avoid any of this.
The bonds of the inhibitor in his powers fell away.
"Congratulations Harry Potter." said Alastor Moody. "The inhibition of Shame and guilt is gone from you. You have forgiven yourself, or rather realized that there was nothing to forgive."
After a quick test he suddenly found that he cast simple spells without a wand.
"That is only the beginning. Let us continue." said Alastor Moody. "Next, fear. You must confront your worst fear. Harry Potter, what is it that you're most afraid of?"
"My former teacher, Professor Remus Lupin, said that when I face a boggart it turns into a dementor, meaning that what I fear the most is, fear."
Alastor Moody raised his eyebrow in interest. "That is very wise Harry Potter. But what a boggart transforms into to scare you it's not the same. Tell me Harry Potter, what do you fear most?"
Harry concentrated on the meditation. He imagined the worst thing imaginable. He imagined being deprived of all his money and being homeless on the street. No, he was not afraid of that. He imagined having a swarm of 1000 spiders crawling up his body. No, that was a petty fear that offers an adrenaline rush of discomfort. He imagined his own life ending. No, even death was not something to be afraid of. He imagined Voldemort holding everyone that he loved hostage and then killing them. Harry felt his fear go away when he imagined sacrificing himself to save all of them. He'd already be willing to do that. He had already been prepared to do that. He feared Voldemort winning the war. He feared his family and friends living but being enslaved and tortured.
"I have no fear of pain or death. I have no fear of poverty. What I fear is other people will suffer if I fail to stop Voldemort."
"Harry Potter." said Moody through the meditation. "You are brave, honorable, noble, and selfless. You desire to protect others from those who would do harm to them. As long as you are alive then you protect them. You fear failure. You must realize Harry Potter that if you go up against Voldemort without fear then you will stand a better chance of defeating him. To overcome this fear you must understand that if you fail then you must take consolation that is not your fault that you failed, but rather you had simply tried. You tried your best. Take comfort that if Voldemort wins then you should trust that your allies will continue to defend each other in your name. Take comfort that Voldemort can never win, because there will always be those who will rise up against him. Take comfort Harry Potter and feel no fear."
As Moody forced the power of persuasion into Harry's Mind through the meditation Harry's fear fell away.
"Final test Harry Potter." said Alastor Moody through the meditation. "If you can Master this then your powers will be unsurpassed. And you will no longer need a wand."
Harry focused on the meditation. He took a deep breath and then let it out.
"I'm ready." said Harry.
"You must...'forgive'."
Harry tried to think about that for a moment but he just felt confused.
"I don't understand."
"You must forgive." said Alastor Moody.
"Forgive...who?"
"Anyone and everyone who has ever wronged you." Alastor Moody clarified.
"That's the test?" asked Harry.
"That is correct Harry Potter."
Suddenly Harry felt taking aback. He was supposed to forgive Voldemort? He was supposed to forgive Bellatrix Lestrange? He was supposed to forgive Dolores Umbridge, and every other Death Eater that he could think of?
"You got to be kidding me?" said Harry Potter with surprised disbelief.
"The final and quite possibly strongest inhibitor of wandless magic is unresolved hatred and resentment towards your enemies."
"How in the world am I supposed to forgive Lord Voldemort for killing my parents?" asked Harry in a tone of disbelief. "How exactly am I supposed to forgive Lord Voldemort for killing countless others. People who are close to me?"
"You forgave Severus Snape." said Alastor Moody. "You forgave Draco Malfoy."
"The crimes they committed against me are not the same." said Harry.
"Provocation is an illusion." said Alastor Moody. "Someone wrongs you, and you then feel that there should be an act of justice against them, so you commit that act of justice in your own way. Where then they feel that you have committed an injustice against them so they commit an act of justice against you in their own way. It is a never-ending cycle Harry Potter. You must consciously choose to end the cycle, in your mind. By all means, you must take action to stop Lord Voldemort, but you must stop hating him. When you go fight him, let it be nothing more than to stop a great evil, but let it not be 'personal'.
"I can't just turn off my hatred for him, especially after everything that he's done."
"Because you forgave Draco Malfoy and Severus Snape, that means that within you is the capacity to forgive. There is only one sure thing in this universe, it is whether or not you are good, or evil.
"Lord Voldemort does not have the capacity to forgive. He is the epitome of hatred. He hates everything. I think he even hates himself. He was dealt a bad hand in his life, not to mention he was corrupted by the Fiend Specter. He was a victim. I'm not saying that he shouldn't be stopped, but he should be pitied. I'm not saying he shouldn't be stopped, but he should not be heated. I'm not saying you shouldn't be stopped, but you should forgive him, and stop him without it being personal."
Harry's concentration on the meditation was failing.
"How?" asked Harry. "How can I just turn my hatred off for Lord Voldemort?"
Through the meditation Alastor Moody projected a suggestion into Harry subconscious.
"It is not him that you hate Harry Potter. It is merely what he does that you hate."
That idea was a seed planted in his mind but it still wasn't enough.
Harry broke the meditation and stood up quickly.
"No!" said Harry in extreme irritation. "You ask too much of me!"
"Harry Potter, if you do not forgive, the inhibitor of your powers will be too strong and you will not be able to master wandless magic."
Harry thought for a moment with hopeless resignation.
"Then I guess I can't do it." said Harry.
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