Alana scowled as there was a soft knock on her door, interrupting her from her notes. Huffing, she deliberated just ignoring it, before relenting and barking for her assistant to come in. The young man entered nervously, stuttering out several incoherent phrases.
"Just out with it!" she sighed.
"M-m-"
"I can introduce myself, I think," a familiar, smooth voice interrupted, and her demeanour instantly brightened.
"Harry!" she exclaimed happily, leaping off her seat and rushing towards the door to see him standing there with an amussed smile along with Sarah. "And you even brought Sarah. Lovely! Come in, come in, I'm sorry about the mess...if I knew you were coming I would have...oh I've just been so busy. Felix, get Harry and Sarah some tea and biscuits!"
"Take a breath dear," Sarah instructed with a patient smile. Alana rolled her eyes, but did so. "Why don't you show us what you've been doing."
"Right, right, so...I've finished the universal runic language...at least for now, the 2D version, at least. I know you wanted me to focus more on practical applications, so I began experimenting on muggle weaponry. Take this, for instance," she pulled open a drawer, withdrawing an old rifle convered on its wooden and metal surfaces with runes. "An AK-47, twenty round magazine, muzzle velocity of sevent hundred fifteen meters per second. Three point seven kilograms. Now modified with much smaller ammunition that unshrinks as it enters the firing chamber and enhanced acceleration, two hundred round magazine, muzzle velocity of mach three and nearly weightless."
She passed the weapon to Harry, who felt it in his hands, impressed. Having used the weapon many times prior, it took some time to calibrate to the new specifications. He unplugged the magazine, inspecting inside to see the top bullet was normal sized, and had runes carved over it. Looking at her for an explanation, Alana supplied, "The bullets need to be stabilised or they burn up too fast. Other enchantments have also been added, ranging from shieldpiercing to explosive rounds. You can imagine how effective they are."
"How long do they last?"
"Nine months, give or take a few weeks," she sighed. "Even for such a small piece of magic, they wear off to quickly. Without tying it to some magical source...I doubt the problem can be resolved."
"With charges?"
"What do you mean?"
"It's a case of equipment not having enough magic over time, right? So what if, after three months of use, the equipment is put in a HME?"
"An HME?"
"High magic environment," Sarah supplied easily. "Essentially, Harry has found a way to store magical energy temporarily. Take in magic on ley lines, move it to another area and poof, an artificial magical emitter."
"And when was this invented?"
"Three...four months ago?" Sarah mused questioningly towards Harry, who shrugged. Alana merely groaned annoyed.
"So you had a solution to this the entire time, and I was stuck here working my butt off trying to find one?"
"Yep," Sarah chirped, entirely too cheerful for the older girl's liking. "Think on the bright side, it makes the fact Harry is so beyond you all the more clear."
"I...don't see how that's a bright side."
"Oh…" Sarah scrunched up her face. "Well too bad for you then. Anyhoo, Assuming they were regularly magically treated, could the equipment work indefinitely?"
"Decades at the very least," Alana agreed distractedly. "Do you have one of these HMEs with you?"
"Here," Sarah proffered, pulling out a small crystal from her pocket and tapping the coating with her wand, dispelling the reflection charm keping the magic contained. The gem turned from a opaque black to brilliantly translucent clear. Immediately, a thick ooze filled the room, as though they were standing on the epicenter of several converging ley lines. Several trinkets began spinning violently, though Alana paid little attention, instead observing the crystal curiously.
"How long will it last?"
"At the current dispelling rate, roughly two days." She tapped the crystal again with her wand as the crystal slowly greyed and clouded over. The permeating magic around them eased, until it was but a faint feeling one had to concentrate hard to even notice. "And at this rate, probably three months."
"That's…incredible," Alana praised. "Magical civilisation could expand to places never imagined before...it...this could fundamentally reshape society. When are you releasing it to the public?"
"Not for a long time," Harry chuckled, much to her confusion and at least a hint of consternation. "It's far too a valuable advantage to have, and a dangerous tool our enemies could use against us. Make no mistake, if the likes of Grindelwald, Voldemort or Dumbledore got their hands on this...I shudder to think of the implications."
"But...what about your promise of...your dream...vision to push magical society forward?" Alana questioned. Harry considered his words, while Sarah shifted uneasily on her feet.
"I dream of a society in which achievements like the ones I bring are uncommon rather than almost unheard of. But to that, society needs to face a reckoning. There are forces that cling to the ideologies of old, ideologies which have proved their failure over and over. Our revolution must be a careful balance between ideology and pragmatism, lest we become subsumed. If I released this, what do you think would happen? A scramble to establish new magical colonies? The weaponisation of magic on a scale we haven't seen? The good that publicising this could bring is outweighed heavily by the potential damage that it would do to our thought revolution. It is always tragic, to have to think in such ways, yet it is the truth, that we must accept a temporary suffering, in exchange for a further, greater good. It was the failure of the BMU, was it not? To try do too much all at once, only to fall prey to the same plagues of the past."
"I...I can see the logic in that, even if I don't like it," Alana conceded. "I...this could do so much. It's wrong that...well...I just wish…"
"I know," Harry assured softly, wrapping the young woman in a hug as she struggled for words. "It's why we're fighting. Because we dare to dream of a better world. Sacrifices will have to be made. In time and effort, but more importantly, on our conscience. Are you willing to do what must be done, Alana? Can I count on you to do what's right?"
"Yes," Alana resolved. "I...I'm sorry for doubting. I…"
"Doubt is natural, my dear," Harry assured, placing a finger on her lips. "I confess...that I too often wonder on the path I am taking. It would be so easy to just live an unremarkable life, mildly prosperous on my achievements. Perhaps work for the ministry and rise up the ranks. Perhaps found my own company and start to profit, start a family...but we could be so much more. You've seen what you can achieve with motivation. Achievements that you would have believed impossible by masters two years ago, you have accomplished yourself. When you doubt, Alana, remember this. Remember the sensations. Because that is what keeps me going, and what will keep you going as well."
"I will."
"Now, why don't you show me the universal runes?"
"How did you-"
"I never doubted you would succeed, Alana," Harry chuckled. She straightened at the statement, pulling open a drawer and unfurling a large piece of parchment that spanned the entire desk. Even now, the magical harmonics of the shape channeled the minute ambient magic present and amplified it to a resonance that pressed lightly against the senses of all three.
Delicately, Harry traced his finger along several, scrutinising them before nodding pleased. Alana sagged in relief. "This is very well done. That even in a LME and on regular parchment such power has been achieved is a testament to their efficiency. You have pleased me."
She beamed brilliantly, almost glowing in happiness at his words. His acknowledgement was perhaps the single greatest gift he could have offered the girl, beyond any knowledge, blueprint, experimental device or gift. The satisfaction, however brief, of having achieved a purpose, was more addictive than any drug, and Harry knew he had strengthened her loyalty to a personal one rather than merely one of shared ideology.
Sarah must have sensed his thoughts, as she had a knowing smirk on her face.
"I must admit to feeling bad about not informing you of my work," Harry lamented, ignoring Sarah's roll of her eyes. "Perhaps I can make it up to you with this?"
He pulled out several pieces of parchment, placing them on the table. Even Sarah couldn't help her curiosity, sauntering over and taking a look. Both females had confused expressions as they read through the works.
"What's all this?" Sarah asked. "The calculations make no sense...I can't recognise this from anywhere."
"Three dimensional carvings, using multiple materials," Harry answered. "In what I believe will be my magnum opus, I hope approach the theoretical potential for runes by creating three dimensionanl runic symbols as well as utilise multiple materials in a single work. Apart from the material savings, it would also offer unprecedented density in runic construction."
"That's...any one else proposing this and I would have laughed...but with you...I somehow believe," Alana chuckled ruefully. "Promise me I'll be the first to see any success."
"Assuming Sarah does poke her nose where it doesn't belong," he flicked Sarah on the forehead affectionately, "you will be. Sarah, go check up on Felix, would you? I would like a cup of tea."
She pouted, but did as he bade, leaving the room. With a mysterious smile, he pulled a package from his pocket, unshrinking it and placing it on the table. "Your early birthday present. Open it."
Alana carefully unwrapped the package, pulling out a diamond shaped in a triple helix, one branch made of tungsten, another out of gold, a third out of platinum. In awe, she squinted her eyes, eyeing the runes engraved on it. "A...magical source? How…"
"Very crude and rudimentary," Harry admitted. "It's producing slightly less magic than needed to keep itself stable in absence of any magic from its surroundings. More a proof of concept than anything."
"But to produce magic...that fundamentally violates the...but…the laws of magic..."
"As I said, dare to dream, Alana," Harry bade. "Today, this might be nothing more than a useless trinket, tomorrow, it could become the future of magical society. Keep up the work."
Patting her on the shoulder and squeezing lightly, he departed, to see that Sarah was waiting right outside the door. Side by side, the two departed the unassuming muggle building, after which the girl eyed him curiously. "How does the device work?"
"Soul magic, it's slowly being drained. Fundamentally, magic is an energy that cannot be created nor destroyed. Even soul sacrifices only amplify usable magic, rather than increase magic itself."
"Then why...you want her to question everything, don't you?"
"I do," Harry acknowledged with a nod. "She still clings onto bits of the old. I want every trace wiped from her being."
"She's going to figure it out eventually."
"I would be disappointed if she doesn't. But she would have learned her lesson and the lie's purpose fulfilled. It won't matter by that point," Harry shrugged uncaringly. Sarah merely smiled knowingly.
-Break-
"Welcome back, students. To our first years, a warm welcome to Durmstrang, one of if not the finest institutions in the world. I am your assembly master, Auerlius Kotova, and it is my duty to represent your interests to the school board and staff. As is tradition, begun by my predecessor, I would like to impart a few words onto all of you, so I ask you indulge me.
Durmstrang is an institution of excellence. That you stand here is a testiment to the potential each of you hold. Be it in the field of academics, sports, or something else, you have been chosen because you have potential to be leaders in your own field. Because there is a spark within you that is lacking in most others.
But we must not be content on this alone, for potential unrealised is potential wasted. Here in Durmstrang, excellence is rewarded with a king's bounty, whereas mediocrity is punished most severely. To fail to try is a crime worse than to try and fail. You would do well to remember that, be you a first year or seventh. In the past century, there have been less than twenty masteries awarded. I hope in the coming year this number will increase to the hundreds, if not the thousands.
Each one of you in this hall is capable of achieving something. Of innovating on magic itself. On revolutionising the world. Today, the likes of Grindelwald and Dumbledore continue to shape society around them, and while few of us may reach their level, it does not excuse ourselves from trying to leave our own legacy on this world.
I fear not an afterlife where I must answer to a higher being for my sins, but I fear one where I cannot bear to look myself in the eye. The only person you should ever answer to is yourself. Just because others label you as successful does not make you so, just as being mocked as a failure does not make you so. Too often do we look outside for answers that lay within.
So often is the journey to success represented like a mountain, with a clear path and a clear goal. I rather dislike this notion. Success is like finding your way into a maze: there will be missteps you won't realise unless in hindsight, no path will be clear, and you will have to rely on yourself to make the right decisions.
Ask not what the world can do for you, ask what you can do for it. Forge your own path. Live a fulfilling life, one where you could look both your future and past in the eye with confidence over regret and despair.
Durmstrang has stood the test of time through empowerment and excellence. Let us all live by its example. Thank you." Aurelius recieved enthusiastic, warm applause from the students as he descended from the podium and returned to the circle, taking a seat across from Harry.
"An excellent speech, Aurelius, you have done well," Harry praised, giving the boy the validation he so craved. Aurelius glowed from the praise, eating his meal with gusto while Sarah hid her amusement at this by lifting her goblet to take a sip of water.
They ate their meal in companiable silence thereafter, saving the conversation. When Harry finished, the others quickly took their last bites, setting down their cutlery and cleaning the corner of their mouths with the napkins, before, following his lead, they stood up as one and left the hall towards the circle's meeting room.
Entering, the members present each stood behind their chair, waiting until Harry had made his way to the one at the far end of the table and sat down, before following his lead. With a smile, he met the eyes of each member. "Welcome back, my friends. I hope everyone had a refreshing summer?"
Recieving nods all around, he clapsed his hands. "Excellent, then perhaps let's go into reports? Katerina?"
"I've managed to acquire several family tomes for your purview. I would also appreciate a private moment if possible, I have something to show you."
"We can do that after this meeting," Harry agreed, turning one seat over. "Otaba?"
"Grindelwald doesn't suspect me as far as I can tell. He believes that you intentionally let Serilda close in," he supplied. Harry frowned thoughtfully.
"He does not suspect that Serilda's devotion to the cause is waivering?"
"Not as far as I'm aware."
"I...see," Harry nodded. "Keep me posted, and do keep an eye on Serilda."
"Of course."
"Megan?"
"I visited Taiwan. I've got notes on various important artifacts, and bought some useful trinkets back as well. With Charity's connections, I was able to purchase and liberate some artifacts from some of the old families there, though most weren't willing to sell. I've pensive memories for the inspections of those I could see prepared for your purview. Charity sends her regrets that she was unable to meet you at the ball, by the way, but the Taiwanese were very stringent in the time frame we could visit their island."
"No worries, it can't be helped. That you even got access to the island is a testiment to both your talents. I'll look over them and get back to you, know that I am pleased. Aurelius?"
"My family travelled to Africa for some business dealings. While I was regretably limited in what I could achieve due to the language barrier, I did manage to make a few contacts that could be potentially useful."
"I see," Harry acknowledged, not commenting further. "Overall, I would say it has been a productive summer. I've been working on several personal projects, and have made some connections in the arithmancy guild. I have a standing invitation for next year's conference in Lisbon, along with requests for my presence by the runes and rituals guilds. I've also made quite a few friends in China, including several businesspeople I've rerouted to Albert. I have several tasks in mind for this year for each of you, though the majority, I hope, will be self-exploration and discovery. Aurelius, find out what you can about the international wizarding tournament set to take place at Hogwarts next year. Given Karkoff's hands off approach, I suspect he will rerout many duties to you. Megan, keep managing your international contacts and try to make new ones, even if you'll be somewhat limited here at Durmstrang. Pay attention to the first years, see if any could be potential recruits. Many of our veteran fighting members have graduated, keep in contact with them, just check in, show that we care. Otaba, I've left some notes from Alana, see what rituals you can come up with using the runes there. Sarah, keep up the training of your agents, I believe the first batch just graduated? Send them on assignments, Albert will arrange for their compensation. I'll arrange a list of targets by tonight. If that's all, then you're all dismissed."
The circle members save Katerina quickly bowed before vacating their spots, until only he and Katerina remained. As the door closed, he offered her an encouraging smile, taking her hands in his own. "Kat, it's been a while, how has summer treated you?"
"I have a mem-"
"Kat," Harry chuckled, "that can wait. I'm curious to hear how you're doing."
"Oh," she blushed. "It was good. I...well I was productive. My casting speed has increased, finally managed to beat my father in a duel, so that was exhilirating."
"Did you get any rest?" Harry frowned. At Katerina's duck of the head, he sighed, tapping his wand on the table and transfiguring it into a bed. "Clothes off, onto the bed."
Shyly, she did as he bade, lying face down onto the newly minted bed as he straddled her and began to rub gentle circles along her shoulder blades. Several pops from gas build up in the synovial fluid were released, causing her to let out a startled eep.
"Relax," he commanded, waiting until she stopped tensing as much before continuing his motions, tracing his fingers along her skin and massaging areas with strain. Over time, Katerina gave up attempting to stifle the moans of comfort, though Harry suspected she no doubt was blushing. He moved up and down her body, from neck to toes, working his fingers with methodical efficiency to relieve the tension. While some might have considered it romantic or bonding, for Harry, there was little embarassment, for often as agents of the Union they had to help each other quickly recover from injuries. Compared to healing battle injuries, this was far from the most invasive procedure he was well versed in.
By the time he was satisfied with her movements, she had dozed off lightly, though as he flipped her over, she 'eeped', startling awake and her hands rushing to cover her crotch. This had the effect of accentuating her chest, which she realised, blushing at the unimpressed look Harry gave her. "Sorry…"
"If you're embarassed for fear of being physically unattractive, I can assure you that you would be considered attractive," he answered dryly, beginning to massage her foot and slowly work her way up. Katerina had given up covering herself, though her face was flushed red. Several times Harry had to slow down as she tensed up. He hid his amusement as he noticed the slight moistness around her nether region, surmising she was already embarassed enough, and instead continued to work his way up.
"Better?" he asked when he finally finished. She nodded shyly. "You really need to take care of yourself, dear, another few months and we could be looking at muscle tearing or joints being worn."
"How do you...actually I don't want to know," she giggled to herself, quickly putting on her clothes. "I feel much better though, thanks for that."
"Anytime, dear," Harry chuckled, untransfiguring the bed back into a table. Summoning her sachet, he handed it to her. "Now what got you so excited?"
"I have a memory of my grandfather's duel with Grindelwald, perhaps second only to the one Dumbledore had," Katerina bubbled. Harry's eyes widened incredulously as he summoned a pensive over, allowing her to gently pour the silvery mist into it before the two leaned in.
"Ah, young Zakharov, at last we meet face to face," Grindelwald greeted the panting man, who had the bodies of a dozen dead men and women surrounding him, some decapitated, others cleaved through from the waist, some obliterated such that only chunks of withered flesh remained. Surrounding the dark lord was half a dozen of his most skilled, including Vinda Rosier and Alson Krafft. Noticably absent was Isard Ivarin, who Harry quickly deduced was a hasty promomtion after this battle. "Allow me to introduce my companions, Vinda Rosier, my second, Alson Krafft, a master in the dark arts, Zevulon Schwarz, a master in battle transfiguration, Leluck Alexeyev, a master in duelling, Melaine Black, prodigy in esoteric battle magic, and of course, your brother. Konstantine Zakharov." The six lieutenants flanked out, three a side, forming a semi-cicle around him with their wands raised. However, Malec's wand was still pointed at the dark lord, whose wand was held lazily to his side. "You know what my answer will be, murderer." Immediately, the six lieutenants began firing their own spells, though Grindelwald merely stood there lazily, allowing the spell to near him before suddenly fizzling, splitting into hundreds of small bolts that cracked before popping violently in the air in small explosions, fizzling out of existence.
Malec watched with widened eyes, as he rolled forward, hurling several more dark curses in a vain attempt to kill Grindelwald, though this time, the dark lord simply shielded against them. Malec then had to contend with defending against blasts of magic from Grindelwald's six lieutenants, ducking underneath a sizzling yellow curse while contorting his body to avoid a pulsing purple arc. As the first salvo ended, he swished his wand in an arc, surrounding himself with a circle of blue flames that rapidly expanded outwards, forcing the seven Grindelwaldians to raise shields to protect themselves.
Despite the spell having taxed his already tired and battered body, he flicked a quick shield piercer at Grindelwald, whose shield pulsed angrily but somehow held against his spell. Flinging another towards Alson, the man was not so lucky, only a short, startled cry escaping his lips before his body was consumed hungrily by the blue flames.
He fired several more spells at Grindelwald's lieutenants, managing to clip Zevulon in the shoulder with a flesh rotting curse, though Melaine dodged his crucifixion curse. Once again, he was forced on the defensive as Vinda fired a blood boiling spell, organ liquifying curse and skull implosion curse, which he was forced to dodge by rolling to the side, right into the path of Leluck's concussion spell, only partially shielded by his hasty shield and causing his ears to begin trickling blood.
He leapt into the air, hurling himself to the side as several more curses flew his way, closing towards Zevulon and dragging a poisoned dagger, hurling it at the man's torso. He conjured a slab of marble, which allowed the sword to impale itself into it, before dispelling it, causing the blade to drop uselessly to the ground, retaliating by conjuring a flock of birds and sending them flying towards him.
However, Malec's attention was on avoiding the cruciatus curse Vinda sent his way, and controlling his anger when he noticed Grindelwald observing impassively. Grabbing another blade, he flung it towards Vinda, temporarily distracting the woman as he raised a shield against the demon's hand curse sent by Melaine. The streak of black instead hurtled towards a bulding, building up into a large vortex before imploding.
He focused on launching an arc of fire towards the Grindelwaldians, though to his surprise, rather than shield, Melaine instead tapped her wand to her throat and began to emit strange gurgles and creaks. Frowning, his eyes widened as a pulse of power suddenly radiated from her. Casting a gauging charm below him, he managed to drop below ground just as an arc of magic rushed over, the likes of which he had never felt. It was as though magic itself was lashing out, an unstooppable tidal wave of energy. Propelling himself out of the ditch with a banishing charm, he observed his surroundings, seeing that all the indivuduals were worse for wear. The four Grindelwaldians had surrounded their leader, all pouring their magic into a shield together, while Melaine's throat had ripped open.
Taking advantage, he quickly fired of an arc of fire towards the huddled lieutenants before making a mad dash towards Melaine, knowing she, aside from Grindelwald, was the greatest threat on the battlefield. She, seeming to realise his intentions, began flicking her wand far more desperately as her throat nearly knitted together while he already had flung a decapitation curse towards her and drew a dagger to finish the job. Instead, she once against produced a garbled sound, and a blast of magic, weaker than the first but still strong, pulsated from her body, knocking into Malec in full force. Despite his hastily raised shield, it quickly shattered under the strange magic, and the tail end of the pulse impacted him, causing his skin to cook. He felt his insides nearly being cooked in an instant, only his affinity for fire and heat allowing him to still function, albeit painfully.
Looking where Melaine stood, there was now only a garbled, mangled corpse shredded in too many pieces to be recognised. Shakily, he turned to face the remaining Grindelwaldians, who had lowered their shields and began to fan out. This time, Grindelwald seemed intent on joining the fray, and Malec knew his time was coming.
Casting a shield around him, he began a low chant for 'the last pyre', an obscure ritual that could only be used by fire elementals. Sensing the danger, Grindelwald fired a killing curse at him, though as it struck, the ritual was completed, and with himself as a sacrifice, his body became a bed of magical flames.
The lieutenants all watched in horror, though Grindelwald merely had a determined look on his face as he waved his wand in intricate motions. As though sentient, the flames rushed towards the Grindelwaldians, but found a strange barrier that sapped it of his strength everytime he tried to press forward. Even as the flame's intensity continued to grow, the bubble slowly tightened around him like a noose, strangling out the flames as he burned hotter and hotter in a desperate attempt to exact his revenge...until at last his flames burned a brilliant hue of white, shattering the barrier of missing air and lunging forward at Grindelwald.
The Grindelwaldians cast their shields once again, but the flames would not be deterred, ramming against the flames as it felt its strength begin to fade, determined ot complete its mission before dissipating. As he pushed forward, the strain of maintaining the shield cause all the Grindelwaldians to strain. The dark lord had blood trickling out his ears, while Vinda was on one knee, both hands holding her wand up shakily. Already, Leluck's magic had been expended, and in his attempt to pour everything into the shield, allowed his body to drain into a horrific husk that looked like a withered mummy's corpse.
He pushed, and pushed, but the magic was not enough, and his white slowly returned to the normal shade of blue, then yellow, before fading away with one final angry hiss, the pungant smell of sulphur present in the air. Only Grindelwald, Vinda, Konstantine remained, the latter two unconscious, and the dark lord's body frail and withered from so much magic having been drained from him.
"That was...incredible," Katerina shuddered. "What...what magic was that? The one that Black used...it's…"
"Esoteric magics, better known as chaos magic," Harry observed. "Long dispelled as superstion and myth...I thought it mere propoganda by the Grindelwaldians. If this is true...then it would explain a great many things. It seems that only with great power, concentration and training would such a magic be possible...which could explain why he did not employ it against Dumbledore, having essentially fought two battles back to back against legions of Coalitionists with similar magic. I...this merits research."
"I'll help you," she agreed eagerly. Harry smiled at her enthusiasm, nodding in acceptance. "Do you think...do you think we will discover it?"
"It may very well be the final magical affinity," Harry chuckled. "Perhaps...all the answers I seek are interlinked. But we shall see."
"What are you thinking, Harry?"
"I need to reach out to some contacts, and see what they make of this. I conceded I am far from an expert on ancient magics. I'll let you know once I have some answers," he assured. Eyeing her, he sensed something was off. "Katerina, you've pleased me greatly by bringing me this, but I sense there is something disturbing you. Speak, there can be no offense between us."
"I...well...two things, milord. I...how can I ever become that powerful? And if...if that wasn't good enough to beat the dark lord...then what hope do I have in matching that power?"
"Ah," Harry sighed knowingly. "While you will be great, at your current pace, you will never match the power of a titan like Grindelwald. You will reach your grandfather's abilities and surpass him so long as you follow me, but beyond that…"
"What can I do? You speak as though…you have a way?"
"It's a dark path, one that I…" Harry pulled out a small journal, handing it to her and allowing Katerina to flick through it. Her eyes bulged as she read page after page. "The techniques that were used on me...well, I daresay you wouldn't survive it. Magic was harvested from individuals and literally pumped into me. That my body is intact is a miracle, though even now in raw magical power, by current trajectories, I will reach parity with the titans by the time I'm seventeen. I have been conducting more rituals on myself, of course, and currently apart from the twenty one I was made to do in my youth, I have done an additional two hundred and fifteen, many of my own creation. I plan to stop at three hundred and fourty three in total, but your body would not survive the strain. Again, I am an...anomoly in that sense. However, I believe your body could handle fourty nine. Seven sets of seven. I believe this would be the limit that Grindelwald, Dumbledore and even Voldemort dared do. Only Voldemort may have attempted more, as a prodigy of the dark arts, it is possible. She might have attempted to do three sets of seven sets of seven for a total of one hundred fourty seven...but certainly nothing beyond that."
"Then...how…"
"Did I complete that many?" Harry supplied with a chuckle, to which she nodded. "That is knowledge that I wouldn't entrust to anyone. Perhaps hypocritical or selfish, but it's an act I hope is never repeated."
"I trust you," Katerina defered. "If you believe it's too dangerous, I trust you. Let's move on...why haven't you already made the circle do rituals, if you're making the agents and defence league members do it?"
"An astute observation. They are merely doing a set of seven rituals, far simpler and less taxing on the body. The difficulty of juggling magics increases exponentially as you introduce more and more rituals. It is why it is exponentially more difficult. If two rituals are completed that aren't compatible...you could literally tear your soul apart if you aren't careful. I have stopped all of you from doing those rituals because I have a far more advanced set in mind for those I trust most. The three rituals undergone were chosen to maximise the benefits assuming no others were done. With fourty nine…"
"You have to choose more carefully."
"Exactly. It's even more annoying seeing as Ira and Otaba have already done some rituals on themselves, and I have to think about followers getting promoted in the future...but that's for me to worry about, not you. If you're willing, I am happy to arrange for you to begin the set of fourty nine."
"If you believe it best, I'll do it," Katerina agreed quickly. Harry smiled, taking her hand and leaving the room.
Author note:
Finally I can begin exploring more of Harry exploring magic. Hopefully you enjoyed the snippet of Grindelwald fighting Katerina's grandfather, I was so eager to tell the story and I hope I did the battle justice. I hope this also explains why Grindelwald didn't attempt to use chaos magic against Dumbledore. As hinted, he had fought and killed literally hundreds of other magicals and was exhausted and injured. Adding to this, he had already used this chaos magic prior, and each time you use it, it further strains the body, in particular the voice box, as human bodies aren't designed to produce these ancient magics. The lore behind their origin might be explored further in the future, we'll see. Melaine is a perfect example of what happens when you don't cast it correctly, and to be frank, it was a more tame example. I'm talking literal rips in reality for more powerful cases of improper use. As promised, Katerina is making a big comeback into the story, and I'm hoping that she can be the Raven to Harry now being General White. I'll quote from , "General White would be proud." Though make no mistake, she's going to have to fight Sarah tooth and nail for that post, not to mention the likes of Ira, Aurelius and Albert will have their own plans to endear themselves to him.
To the annonymous guest, yes, penguins are in fact quite mean :( A shame as I used to love cuddling a penguin plush when I was a baby. Oh well, they'll be cute and cuddly and friendly in my dreams. Snowbot, I admit I have no idea whether that is a good or bad 'sheeeesh'. Hopefully the former ;)
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