Step By Step.
I dropped down, with Kara, Astra, Elle, Rosemary, and Ariana arriving right behind me. The sands of time were ticking down as when were in the Realm of the Shadow Elves. And I felt a strange sense of foreboding.
"Something's wrong," Rosemary murmured.
"Didn't this used to be a more magical place?" Astra asked.
The realm looked like a complete wasteland. The waters in the lake had been practically dried. The powers wilted. It was like the magic had been sucked out of every single option.
"Please tell me it's not a Magicvore," Kara said.
"There's a few lines of magic here," I told her. "But, they're faint."
"We need to get to the tower," Kara said. "See Queen Estella and find out…"
"The stars are disappearing," Ariana said.
A light click click click occurred through the sky. The flashes of light continued to occur and it caused a shiver to spread over my spy.
"We're running out of time," I said.
"Keep moving, get to the tower, don't stop," Kara said. "Don't look at anything."
"She's right," I said.
No sign of anything. Which was bad. It was like the magic in the area, in this enchanted realm was failing.
"This shouldn't be happening," Elle said. "It's almost like magic is dying."
"It can't be the torch," Kara said
"No, even if they get the flame, it's useless," Elle said. "Once we get the flame and use the torch to put things right, we need to destroy it."
"Can it be destroyed?" I asked her.
A wave of blue light erupted from the area next to them. We all collapsed. Some force had been drawing the magic from the area and also from us. There was a loud blip in the distance.
"There," Elle breathed. "Look."
Some kind of box, carved with runes, with a glowing crystal in the middle rippled through the air. It had been draining the magic out of the realm and maybe eventually everywhere.
Whoever was behind the Cloaks had just exercised the nuclear option to slow me down. Did they understand what they were doing? I severely doubt it.
"We've got to go another way," Kara breathed.
"No," I told her. "The tower isn't safe. No place is safe. Not until that thing is destroyed."
"Stand back!" Kara yelled.
Kara aimed her heat vision through the field and poured the heat on the case. No matter how much she bombarded it, the crystal did not crack.
"Taking too long," I said. "We need to shut it down now!"
I did something which was very much on brand for me. I raced through the blue field. The magical drain aged my body. My eyes rolled into the back of my head. I channeled all of the power through the Elder Wand I could and blasted the runic slab and the crystal to pieces.
I dropped down. The sky returned. Water and plants returned. And I dropped to the ground, breathing heavily.
"HARRY!"
Kara and Astra made their way over to me. I looked over at my reflection in one of the crystal towers. My body aged to adulthood and several decades beyond. My hair was greyed completely. It took a second for me to get my barings.
"But, you never age," Kara murmured.
"That was reckless," Ariana said. "But, you saved us."
"Harry? Kara?'
From the cave just behind where the portal was, stepped a familiar face.
"Hello, Izzy," Astra said.
Princess Isabella, or Izzy, of the Shadow Elves approached us with a few tentative steps. She saw something and looking at her eyes, it wasn't really good.
"Astra," Izzy said. "Harry…you…took the burden of restoring all of the magic in the realm."
Izzy ran her finger against my face for a second.
"Six or seven hours, you'll be dust," Izzy said. "Unless you find a way to restore yourself."
"Well,in about eight hours, I'm going to vanish from existence," I said.
We briefly filled Izzy in on the story. Izzy wrapped her arms around me. There had been pain shooting through my joints. Oh, I never thought I would experience the ravishes of old ages.
"There's got to be a way," Astra said.
"Where's my mother?" I asked.
"She's been taken prisoner by that horrible snake man," Izzy said, almost quivering with fear.
"Kaiser," I said with a slight wince as the cold air irritated my ankle.
"Mine too," Izzy said. "Enid let the Cloaks in."
"Enid," Elle groaned.
"And they killed her and the rest of the shadow elves…well the ones who couldn't get away," Izzy said. "You must think I'm a coward, not defending them. It's just this snake man…Kaiser, he sucked their essence all into this glass secptor, saying that this magic should not be wasted."
"But, Queen Estella and Lily, they're still…."
"Held captive," Izzy said. "He knew this would get your attention."
"Well, he has my attention," I said.
"You won't survive."
We all spun around and saw a cloaked figure atop of a Murdercorn off in the mists of the realm.
"Lyra Malfoy," I said.
"You should have let me get the other pieces of the Green Flame Torch," Lyra said. "I could have stopped the Cloaks before they reached here. And put things right. I'm sick of paying for Lucius's bargain and his arrogance."
"We don't have time for a fight," Astra said. "But, I will strike you down if you get in my way."
"Fight, that would be stupid with what's on the line," Lyra said. "But, Potter, you don't have much time left. Either your magic keeps draining, or you get wiped out of reality. You need the Green Flame Torch. The only way to save yourself is to reset the timeline back to where it was before you were sent back to the past."
"So all of this, never will happen," I said.
"We need to move, now," Elle said.
"I'm going for Kaiser and I'm going to get the flame," I said.
"I don't suppose there's no way to talk him out of it," Rosemary said.
"If I don't, we're all done," I said. "Their end game is to wipe out all non-magical people. And ninety percent of magical people will perish as a consequence."
"The wasteland you walked into was a preview of what these monsters intend," Rosemary said. "And magic will die. Humanity will die."
"Life will die," I agreed.
"Harry, hold on," Kara said. "I've got you."
"I do too," Astra said.
"Always," I said. "Lyra, you seem to know where they are, lead the way."
X-X-X
We were outside of the castle. Kara eyed me for a second. She held me steady, afraid to drop me.
"I'm not dead yet," I reminded her.
Turned into dust or erased from reality. Neither looked appealing. I noticed the castle doors were wide open.
"They left the gates open," Elle said. "This is a trap."
"I'm going to make them pay," Izzy said.
"Whoa, easy there kid," Kara said. "We'll do it. We'll all…."
Rosemary stepped inside of the castle with a few nervous steps.
"There's no one here," Astra said.
"There's the flame, right there," Rosemary said. "Look!"
Hanging in a magical orb was the green flame of the green flame torch. I lifted my hand, but Elle blocked my hand.
"Let me," Elle said. "It's dangerous to touch when you're so magically weakened."
"Get ready to light the torch," Lyra said.
"Almost out," Elle said.
The fact we were not attacked made me rather nervous. And suddenly, the minute Elle opened the orb, Lyra snatched the torch, and took out the staff of Herpo the Foul before blasting us all to the side. It happened so quickly that I was surprised.
Should have expected treachery from a Malfoy, but desperate times came for desperate measures. Lyra took the other two parts of the Green Flame Torch and lifted it to the flame. The Green Flame Torch glows brightly in her face. She grinned widely.
"Now, they will all pay," Lyra said. "Every single unworthy pureblood will…."
Lyra's hand heated up and the Green Flame Torch rocked out of her hand. I summoned all of the strength I could and jumped for the Torch. Lyra jumped up for it as well and caught the Torch before I could do so.
Well, she's a better seeker than Draco is. I collapsed to the ground. So weak.
"Why isn't it working?" she demanded.
Several vines shot from the ground and wrapped around Astra, Elle, Kara, Izzy, Rosemary, and Ariana had been wrapped up by the vines. And the vines ensnared me as well.
"Because, you're not worthy," Kaiser said.
A large snake appeared before us. It was drawing the magic out of the air. And Kaiser slowly stroked the large snake.
"Harry Potter," Kaiser said. "You're not looking well. It's time for me to put you out of my misery."
I tried to summon all of the power to burn the vines. Only the vines just wrapped tighter around me and smothered me and the rest of them.
"Let him down," one of the cloaks said. "I want to make this pretender suffer."
I dropped down to the ground at the feet of one of the cloaks. Lyra had been snagged by some of the cloaks as well, and one of them threw her into a crystallized prison. My mother was on one side and Princess Estella was on the other side.
"Harry Potter," the cloak said. "It should have been me."
I jumped for Kaiser, who had the Green Flame Torch in one hand and Herpo the Foul's staff in the other hand. My aging body failed me instantly
"This is quite sad to see him like this," one of the cloaks said.
"And we thought he would be a threat."
"He's still breathing, still a threat," the cloak said. "Look me in the face."
The cloak put his hand underneath my chin.
"Harry Potter. You were famous the world over. And I was a footnote in history. Even if I was you, before you were infamous. But no one even remembers me. Other than to remark how I resemble the famous Harry Potter. Do you realize how annoying that is?"
"Who are you?" I gasped.
I better figure out a way to turn the clock back. A few days ago, I had a problem being in a body that was too young to me. Now it's a body too young for me.
"Let's just feed him to the snake before his magic fades away," Kaiser said.
"No, not yet!" the cloak grabbing me yelled.
Elle tried to break free, only to find herself in an orb. And the others were placed in orbs as well. The magic from their bodies slowly drained into the staff of Herpo the Foul.
"Your friends will fade before I finish you off," the cloak said.
"Look, you're just some faceless idiot," I breathed.
"Tick tock, tick tock," one of the cloaks murmured.
"Snape was useful to brew this potion to open up the realm and keep it open until all of the magic was drained," the cloak holding me said. "And then…"
I managed to pull a knife from one of the robes and stab the cloak in the stomach. I reached for Kaiser's throat and wrestled him for the staff. At least until Kaiser's pet ensnared me and pulled me back. I managed to take a large piece of crystal and hack him to pieces, causing blood to spurt everyone.
His blood is magic. I drew some of the power from it. And my body de-aged, until they started to fire at me. I ducked and rolled and sent spells back at them.
"You just delay the inevitable, Harry Potter," the cloak said. "And now…."
I picked up the crystal and smashed the orbs. Kaiser stopped draining the other people of their powers.
"Only half-drained," Kaiser said. "But it doesn't matter. Because they aren't strong enough to defeat me. And neither are you Harry P…."
I punched Kaiser in the mouth. The Green Flame Torch had been sent flying to one side and the Staff had been sent flying to the other side. The cloak who had been taunting me earlier, and we fought to try and get to the staff. Chaos happened as Elle, Rosemary, and Astra summoned enough strength to beg fighting back.
"It's mine!" he yelled. "You're done!"
I tore off the mask of this cloak.
"What the actual fuck?"
I looked face to face of someone who looked the same as me. But different somehow.
"Are you the WishDotCom version of Harry Potter?" I asked him.
Hey, Mum and Dad, we want Harry Potter! But you already have Harry Potter at home!
"My name is Timothy Hunter!"
I beamed him out of the way until another figure slammed a staff into my back. The energy bombarded me. I grabbed the staff and drained more of the power from it.
"Enough," Kaiser hissed.
Another energy bubble appeared, securing us all. Kaiser picked up the staff of Herpo the Foul and blasted me against the wall, right beside my mother's trapped form. Lily gasped at the bombardment.
"Is that all you got?" I asked.
"He doesn't understand he won't live to see another day," one of the cloaks said. "After all I've done for him, he's not very grateful. No one would know who Harry Potter is without me."
"I'm sorry, but do I know you?"
Her voice sounds a bit familiar. But, I can't place it completely. Then again, my head is ringing as Kaiser is bombarding me with the staff of his many times over great-grandfather. I tried to fight away from the attack. While I was slowly de-aging, the sands of time were finishing.
"I made you."
"My mother is right there," I reminded the mysterious cloak. "I'm pretty sure that she has…."
"Enough games!" Kaiser hissed. "You will pay for what you did to my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great…"
I overpowered him mid-sentence. That's what you get for being accurate. And more of those insidious vines wrapped around me. Along with the others.
"I vote we just kill him now," Barry Trotter or whoever that low-rent version of me with the cloaks is called.
"I would say we should, we really should."
Lyra burst free only to find herself trapped in an energy bubble. She crashed down to the ground, every inch of her body shaken.
"You should stand with us, Lyra Malfoy," Kaiser said "And you as well Rosemary, and you Ariana."
"Get bent," Rosemary said.
"I would rather fall apart from you, than stand with you," Lyra said. "The Green Flame Torch is…."
"Too powerful for you to hold, little girl," Kaiser said.
I am not sure how much time I have left. But if they start with the villain monologue, that's going to burn up the clock.
"Between Herpo's staff and the Green Flame Torch, I am untouchable," Kaiser said.
"And yet I still hit you three times in a row," I said. 'You're missing something. Something really important. I don't even know how you could have masterminded sending me back in time in the first place to begin with."
"Well, it's quite simple really," Kaiser said.
"Don't tell him that," the cloak who claimed to create me said. "Don't you know how this works? He's stalling for time. He's going to escape while you tell him your evil plan. And he's going to beat us."
"Wow, you're way too smart for the likes of me," I said. "But, I'm still here."
"You won't be in another five hours."
"Really,that long?" I asked.
"You will perish, Harry Potter."
"I've heard it before," I said. "Talk, talk, talk."
"You're ungrateful just like the fans I gave life meaning to," the cloak said. "Without Harry Potter their lives were worthless. It's not like they would ever read another book. But, I could never do enough."
"Who are you?"
"I made a mistake when agreeing to tell your story," she said. "I won't make that mistake once reality is rewritten and Harry Potter will be a memory. The entire fandom will be gone."
The cloak dropped down.
"That's right! It's me, Potter! It was me all along, Potter!"
The mysterious cloak unveiled to reveal the face of Joanne Kathleen Rowling. I sold the rights to my story in the future. Who apparently now has magical powers of her own.
Huh, JK Rowling being behind the destruction of Harry Potter. The cynic in me wants to think that's a metaphor for something. The rest of the group, being the captive audience they unfortunately are thanks to the various means used to restrain it.
Of course, she could be a clone. Or a doppleganger. Or a product of Daphne giving me the wrong ice cream.
Hell, I feel like this entire year plus feels like some really weird trip. And this is the peak of it.
"That's right, I'm the mastermind between the Cloaks and your trip back through time."
It was Agatha, er I mean Joanne all along.
To Be Concluded In the Final Chapter.
