Written for Quidditch League: Round 4: It's a Horror Story Out There
Team: Holyhead Harpies
Position: Seeker
Prompt: Apocalypse
Summary: Now that the world was his, it was time to rebuild. And Harry has one last plan to help.
Word Count: 1220
Warnings: mass murder (not graphic but mention of Harry causing the death of a bunch of people)
It was much easier to take over the world than Harry thought. The sixteen-year-old felt a bit nostalgic as he roamed the halls that were once Hogwarts. Where there were once walls, there was only rubble and dust left. Where there was once light, there was only darkness.
Harry would rebuild this place, eventually. For what, he did not know, but he did somewhat miss this place that he once called home. For now, he had more pressing concerns.
The rest of the world was the same as Hogwarts. While Harry tried not to destroy too many cities in his conquest, there were still casualties - sacrifices - that needed to be made. Harry mourned each and every one as he could, but he did not stop.
His first conquest was actually the United States. It received the brunt of the damage as Harry was mostly testing his new weapons. Harry's favorite was a disease that he had his scientists made, which he named the Magical Flu. It was a version of the flu with magical diseases and the bubonic plague for added symptoms.
It was very effective. When Harry first had it released, he did not expect so many to die so quickly, but he knew it was the best death he could give them. Everything else would be far more painful than the disease and would last way longer as well.
By the time Harry was done with America, the world was ready for war. But Harry was as well. Against his planning and well-trained army, they stood no chance. The war was bloodier than the first and second world wars combined. Harry personally fought in the war, often under disguise, and it was something he wanted no one to experience again.
Harry's musing was cut off by a female voice. He turned to it, knowing who it was already. Ginny Weasley had changed as well, Harry thought. She was there when he first came up with his plan and fought every battle alongside him. Although he didn't have romantic feelings for her, they were family as Harry thought of her as his little sister.
"What are you thinking about now, Harry?" she asked, amused.
Harry got lost in thought much easier now. He constantly thought about what he had done and questioned himself, and it was in moments like those that his friends and family would snap him out of it.
"Just feeling a bit nostalgic," he answered, turning his back to her and continuing to walk.
Harry heard her follow as she replied, "It's sad to see it like this, huh?"
Harry nodded in agreement. The once bustling halls in ruin proved a sad sight, but Harry knew it would stand again one day and comforted himself with that thought.
"Do you have any regrets?" Ginny asked bluntly, after a few moments of silence.
That was something Harry appreciated about Ginny. She was never afraid to speak her mind, even to her leader.
"Of course. Don't you?" he shot back.
She conceded at that. She was by no means innocent, but they both knew it was for the better. The rest of the world might not see it, but they knew it was necessary.
It all started when Voldemort returned. Harry already knew the magical world was corrupt, but Fudge's decision to ignore his and Dumbledore's warning threw him over the edge. The summer before his fifth year, he vanished.
It was surprisingly easy to vanish. His 'family' didn't care and the magical world thought he was safe. Harry just packed up and left and no one thought anything of it until he started initiating his plan.
The plan he came up with was radical. It was crazy by all standards, but Harry was confident he could pull it off. His first move was to contact his friends and tell them what was going on. They supported him full-heartedly and promised to gather allies in England while he went to the United States.
Harry knew the situation in the states was more unstable than one might assume, after some extensive research on the subject. It was easy to incite riots and gather support from Muggles and wizards alike as people finally grew sick of their government.
By the time Christmas arrived, the US was about to collapse and Harry took over. The world, realizing what was happening, declared war, but Harry crushed them in about a year, much to the shock of everyone.
His conquests had consequences, however. Almost half the population of the world was gone, due to diseases, the war, starvation, and other incidents Harry caused indirectly or directly.
The world was in ruins, and now Harry had to fix it. And out of the ashes, something new would emerge to take the place of the old world.
"Are you sure you want to go through with this plan?" Ginny asked him in concern.
"Are you doubting me?" he replies harshly, turning to face her once more.
Ginny backed down. Harry always had a bit of a temper when one of his plans was about to come to fruition. There was no talking back to him when he was like this, so Ginny backed off. She had her answer.
Harry took a deep breath to calm himself. There was no time to be angry, and he felt guilty for snapping at her.
"Any news on the Resistance?" he questioned.
"Yes. Hermione is quickly rising through the ranks and is slated to become the leader of their army within a year, with Ron as her advisor and general," Ginny reported.
A big part of their plan involved Hermione and Ron defecting. They weren't pretending either - Harry leaked some information to make them hate him and turn away from him.
"That's good. Estimated timeline?"
"A little less than a year."
Which meant in less than a year, Harry would die. Because there was no way the world could go on with Harry alive. He was the villain, more powerful and crazier than Grindelwald and Voldemort combined.
And for the world to start healing, the villain needed to die.
"What would you have done if I hadn't taken over the world?" Harry suddenly asked, which startled Ginny.
She thought about it for a moment before answering, "Probably become a Quidditch player."
"I think I would have liked to be a teacher," Harry informed her as they walked to where Dumbledore's office formerly was.
"Maybe in another life," Ginny said, her tone wistful.
Another life indeed. A life where he wasn't the Boy-Who-Lived and his parents were alive. A world that wasn't as broken or corrupt as theirs was.
Maybe it was because he knew he was going to die, but Harry was suddenly filled with nostalgia and wistfulness of a better time. He felt way older than his meager 16, almost 17, years.
"Perhaps. Now, shall we get going? We'll be late to our own ceremony," Harry said, ready to Apparate.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Ginny bowed and with a pop, they were gone.
In less than a year, he was going to die. He might as well go off in style. And once he was dead, the world could start healing. And maybe one day, Hermione, Ron, and everyone else could forgive him. Not forget, never forget, but forgive.