Chapter 14
"You must relax, young one. You have your whole life to grow into your power. I wish I understood it, but magic is an ever-expanding riddle, and I fear it is one we will never completely solve."
The aged man stood in front of his pupil who was heaving for breath and clearly frustrated as he spat out, "I have to be strong enough now! I have to be the best."
"You will be, child. I have felt your power. I have sensed your future. You must have the patience to get there, because nothing is certain, and if you push too hard you will not make it to see this future. Nor will I." The man spoke kindly.
Huffing, the boy took a seat, picking up a nearby journal and going through it quietly. The man observed the young Potter heir, clearly amused by the boy throwing his fit, "You have yet to speak to me about the end of your first year at Hogwarts. Did it go well?"
Barely looking up, the boy said, "Boring. I could do almost every assignment wandlessly, and when I held my wand to do the tasks, they were things I could do at six years old. It was frustrating. I thought about leaving and returning to you full time at several points. At least here I can be pushed to be better."
"I did warn you that my training would make challenges in school seem few and far between." The man said, taking a seat.
"I know, master. I am just disappointed that is all. I have listened to my father and mother speak to Justin about the greatness of Hogwarts, but I feel as if it is so substandard. The only people worth their socks are Professor Flitwick and Professor Robbards, the Auror. However, I couldn't convince them to teach me more. Flitwick gave me some useful dueling tips that were elementary, but still good. I feel as if that was the extent of what I actually learned inside the classroom and that was after hours." The boy said, his frustration taking a new level.
The man placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, "As my apprentice I have told you patience must come. When you are seventeen, and you reach your majority your power will be unprecedented. Your wandless magic will be incredible. If I had a time turner to roll back the clocks and work on wandless magic like you do, I think my power would double, if not triple. You, however, have me, and I will make sure that you reach your full potential."
Taking a deep breath the boy sighed, "Thank you, Master Grindelwald. I will do my best to make you proud…"
Shaking his head from the memories of years passed, Harry took a deep breath as he prepared tea for his master. He had been dodging everyone, including his friends since the first task. Many people were in awe with his performance, and some thought, of course, that it was just more to add to the thought that he was a rising Dark Lord. He had no care or thought for those people though.
He had been working extra hard on his inventions, and already discovered the second task to the Triwizard tournament after an easy observation of the egg. It had been a ridiculous clue, and Harry was annoyed by the simplicity of it. They were going to take a hostage, probably Penny, and keep her under Black Lake with the merpeople for an hour. However, Harry had already snuck around the whole thing and placed dozens of undetectable tracking enchantments on Penny when they were in the common room, and she was none the wiser yet.
Even Justin had been practically silenced by the green-eyed wizard. Sure, they trained every day, but the conversation was terse. Justin really wanted to know who Harry's mentor was, but the boy was too tight lipped about it, saying that it no longer mattered, and the world would know when Harry felt they needed to. Even the Potter's were annoying Dumbledore to try and get answers from him or their son, but neither spoke a word of it. Harry did note though, that Dumbledore was trying to be much kinder to him these days, and even offered him an exemption for the Yule Ball recently. Harry considered taking it, but Grindelwald had already expressed his opinion on the matter, "Sometimes, you have to be a show pony, especially if you wish to live in the spotlight one day."
So that is what Harry planned to do. He was unsure about his date, and thankfully the boys in the school were being pretty reasonable. Cedric had asked Penelope to the Yule Ball with a little bit of prodding from Harry, and Herbert Fleet was taking Heidi Macavoy. That meant that Harry could take anyone he wanted too, and there would be no fall out with the rest of the females in the group, because they already had dates. He was undecided on what was going to be his plan of action, but he was trying to keep all possibilities open.
Serving the tea to Gellert the man raised his glass, "To my apprentice becoming a master of the magical arts. Your show of power was most impressive, and I commend you on your quick thinking. Even I did not predict that the fast involvement of the dragon handlers was going to go so wrong."
Harry nodded carefully as he took a sip at his drink, "What did you do to the dragon exactly?"
"Draught of Rage. It was easy enough. I had one of the keepers under the imperius curse and had them slip it into the creature's water supply. I knew no cage would keep the creature down. I also knew when you burnt the beast into a crisp there would be no proof, and seeing that no one died, I will gladly say the task was a resounding success. The look on old Albus' face was worth every bit of effort." The man said with a chuckle.
Harry snorted, "Was it when I summoned the shield, or when the fire came into play?"
This caused the man to actually laugh, "His jaw only unhinged a bit when you summoned the shield, but when you summoned the fire I thought my old friend would have a heart attack on the spot. There was no hiding who your teacher was after that."
Harry grinned, "He tried to follow me tonight. I am aware that he is tracking my whereabouts at all times now. I believe he wishes to confront you."
Gellert grunted, "The day will come, but not anytime soon. We must put more things in motion before Albus and I have any confrontation. I do not wish to kill the man, but I will do as I must to defend myself. How did he try to follow you?"
"A very good disillusionment charm. If I wasn't so paranoid he would've followed me here. I did a few apparition jumps however to lose his trail. I suspect he may have been able to follow my first two, but by the time I performed a fifth apparition there was no way." Harry said confidently.
The man nodded his head up and down slowly, "Good. Good. Albus was always very accomplished with the disillusionment charm. I know he greatly desired your family's Cloak of Invisibility though to study it, and if he has done that then it is possible he has gotten even better."
Saying nothing to this, Harry knew the man had more to say, "But we have other things to discuss. You know the second task will be under the lake, and that they will be taking your friend Penelope Clearwater, but I have a few other things I would like to discuss with you."
Harry perked up at this, hoping he was going to get some insight into his future. Grindelwald looked at the boy with his magical blue eye carefully, "I have seen a great struggle ahead for you. The Death Eaters are about to become more and more agitated as they begin to sense the rise of their former master. I recommend getting in touch somehow with the head of your father's department. Madame Bones is infamous for her reputation of fairness. I believe she will hear you out, and help you if she can. It wouldn't hurt your family's budding alliance with the Bones family as your brother continues to pursue a relationship with their heir."
"How would you suggest I do this master?" Harry asked curiously.
"An opportunity will become apparent soon." The man said, closing his eyes now.
Silence overcame the two and then he said, "The French Veela that you are friendly with. I believe you should take her to the ball. She is still available, and I think hoping for your invitation. I told you my relations with the Veela were good, and that they fought by my side in the Great war. I would like you to continue these good relations. If this war becomes prolonged then you will want a door to communicate with the Veela tribes. This girl could be your door. Between her owing you a life debt, and her own formidable power for an average witch, I believe she could be a great ally to you."
Harry had considered asking Fleur or Aimee, but he didn't want Fleur to feel inclined to say yes just because he saved her life. She had been one of the few that had not changed the way she looked at him after the first task, and his master was right that she was formidable.
"Very well, master." Harry said evenly.
The man nodded his head looking out towards the window, "You will crush these fools in the dueling tournament tomorrow. I will be upset with you if any of them hit you with a single curse. Most of them are terrified of you, and I fully expect you to take advantage of it. Your young brother as well. It would be best to set high goals for him in order to make sure he pushes himself as hard as he is capable of."
Harry bowed his head, "Yes, master."
"I sense trouble coming in this second task. Remain vigilant my young apprentice, and return to your room to get some rest. You will want a few hours before your matches." Grindelwald said calmly.
Harry rose to his feet, and bowed respectfully to the man as he departed the cabin. He took his broom and apparated to the edge of the Hogwarts wards, and flew back onto the grounds. He saw a familiar old man standing below Ravenclaw tower with a massive red bird flying around him. Harry knew the man could see him, and he also suspected he was being summoned.
He swiftly brought the broom down to the grounds and Dumbledore said with a careful voice, "Late evening, Harry?"
"Not as late as usual, but we do have big events to handle today with the dueling tasks." The young man returned calmly.
"I wish to see my old friend."
"Impossible right now." Harry returned stubbornly.
"I don't know what he promises you, Harry, but I can tell you from experience-"
"He promised me one thing, headmaster, and it has already come to pass." The boy said fiercely.
Dumbledore looked puzzled at Harry, but the boy spat, "He promised to make me the most powerful wizard I could possibly be, and that I would never have to fear any witch or wizard. Look at me, Dumbledore, do you really believe any witch or wizard in Britain could take me on single handedly."
The challenge was there, and they both knew it. Harry was claiming that he could take on Dumbledore, and the man merely stared at the boy, "Such a craving for power is unnatural, Harry."
"Coming from the man carrying the Death Stick, that's pretty rich." Harry said back defensively, "Besides, I don't crave power. I only wanted to be able to protect myself, and be able to prove to my family that it was a mistake to write me off. I have done that, and if I was some Dark Lord, I would've struck them down, but instead I made peace with them, and we are a family again. That must count for something in that brain of yours."
The disrespect was evident, and Dumbledore looked slightly cross, "I never accused you of being a Dark Lord."
"Perhaps not, but I can see the fear in some of the looks you give me. Anytime I do something unusual you are wondering if I am going to become like Tom."
"Gellert instructed you in Voldemort's past?" Dumbledore asked, surprised.
"'Know thy enemy.' I know of his rise to power. I also know Grindelwald blames himself just as much as you for the rise of Voldemort."
Dumbledore bowed his head slightly at that, "It is true. Had I been more focused on my duties here at the school instead of driving back Gellert's forces, then I may have been able to interfere in his rise. By the time I returned, Tom had most of the school wrapped around his finger, and the seeds of control in many of his followers. His power was already reaching legendary status, and everyone respected the orphan who rose to such power. He disappeared, and I thought the young man had gone to the continent to make a name for himself. It was much to my surprise that he took a job at Borgin and Burkes before the name Tom Riddle finally disappeared. He would come back as Lord Voldemort with a massive following, and it was much too late to stop him."
"Gellert saw it all coming. It's why he let you win the duel. He knew you would need the Elder Wand to stop that madman from destroying the Wizarding World. If Voldemort had made his way to the continent then all would have been lost." Harry said carefully.
"Impossible. Gellert and I feared the battle between each other, and it lasted for hours. I dueled him to the point of exhaustion. He lost the Elder Wand to me fair and square." Dumbledore said, but Harry could tell he doubted it only slightly.
The young man shook his head, "Grindelwald was leveling small towns with his power, and your duel, while an incredible feat of magic, was not all he had. I have seen the man's strength, and he would've crushed you like a bug with the Elder Wand in his hand."
This seemed to have shaken the old man, and Harry sighed, "I swear to you he has no intentions but redemption, and I do appreciate your silence on the matter. You could've given me up immediately, but you didn't. Why?"
Dumbledore's eyes bore into Harry's and he sighed, "You remind me so much of him. When he was still young and uncorrupted. I did not want to make the same mistakes that I did so long ago. You have much good in you, and I see it in your interactions with your family, and your friends. You are unlike Tom and Gellert in so many ways, that I do not fear what you would do with a rise of power. Not today at least."
Harry and the old man held eyes for several moments, before the green-eyed boy nodded, "Good. You should know that my first goal...is to tear down Voldemort's house of cards, one suit at a time if I must."
"You will have my complete backing in that, as well as any wand and mind that the Order of the Phoenix can muster." Dumbledore said.
Harry grinned, "Who knows. We may all end up on a battlefield one day fighting for the same side."
This caused Dumbledore to smile for the first time of the evening, "That would indeed be a day for the History books."
Harry mounted his broom, and turned to face Ravenclaw tower, "Goodnight, Headmaster."
"Come on, Justin, you can't choose now to freeze." Harry muttered under his breath as he danced with Krum.
The duels had been going about as well as Harry predicted. Hogwarts vs. Durmstrang had been set up bracket style, and the day was coming to an end. Hogwarts would've made a more impressive showing, but the two Durmstrang champions were proving to be a thorn in their side. Alexia Volkov had annihilated Penny in the final eight, and Cedric had gone down to Viktor Krum. The way the matches were arranged, 4 champions could theoretically face each other at the end of the bracket, and that was exactly how things had turned out.
Krum and Justin were battling viciously in the middle of the circular arena to tumultuous applause. Harry had to give it to the surly Durmstrang champion; he packed quite a punch, and his stamina was clearly what was keeping him in the duel while facing his brother's speed. It didn't really matter though, because Justin looked completely focused, and had been since his first duel. Harry had rarely seen his brother look this sharp, and he had every confidence that the young man would come out on top.
Justin's face scrunched up in concentration as he ducked under a particularly nasty looking purple curse, and while Krum was mid-motion on a stunner, he hit him with a well-timed blaster straight to the chest, throwing the Quidditch star out of the circle violently.
The Hogwarts crowd erupted into cheers immediately over Justin's victory, who merely held his fist in the air. Many people had doubted Harry's appointment of the boy to co-captain, particularly those who did not see the young man take down Percy and Penny. Now he had just proved to everyone that he was worthy of the title of champion.
Justin jumped down from the stage, and Harry was waiting on the boy with a smile. Clearly the young man was feeling quite the high as he embraced his brother, yelling his excitement about advancing to the finals. Harry merely patted the boy roughly on the back of the head grinning at him, "That timing was beautiful. I saw you try to set it up a couple of times, and it was so well executed, I am not sure even I could have blocked it."
Justin blushed, but before he could comment he was crushed from the side by Susan who was practically screaming with excitement. When the two finished their hug, Justin put both hands on the girl's face and asked, "I hope I am not too late to ask you to the Ball?"
The girl blushed, but nodded her head, unable to find words as she kissed the boy soundly to more whistles and cheers from the watching crowd. Harry shook his head at his brother's theatrics, and made brief eye contact with his next opponent. The Volkov girl may have been small, but she had proven her ferocity with her wand work. In the first task, the girl had barraged the dragon repeatedly with powerful stunners. She had been the only one to beat the dragon into submission. Admittedly her breed was tamer than most, but still, beating a magically resistant dragon in combat was impressive nonetheless. Even today she had used her size to her advantage, and was twirling around people's spells like a ballerina. Harry had already determined the most effective way to take her down however, and was just waiting for his turn. A small part of him wished that his brother would've gotten this particular opponent. He believed that she would've been a better test than the brutish power that Krum relied on. She also proved that her occlumency was a huge part of her dueling talent, because she hardly telegraphed anything. After he won, perhaps he could convince her to duel with him some other day.
His little brother punched him in the arm, drawing his focus back to the scene around him, "I will see you in the finals."
The young man smiled viciously, "Don't worry, when I win this they will just declare a Hogwarts Victory. Unless you protest, then I am sure they would allow us to face each other…"
This made the boy's smile falter briefly, and he coughed, "No, I think I am good. Good luck, Harry. Not that you need it."
That was the final thought as he was called to the stage by the impartial referee, Madame Maxime. The crowd quieted into a respectful silence as Harry took to the arena. He had hardly even toyed with the other Durmstrang competitors, having each of them down in under a minute. He knew he could do the same to this girl, but he wanted to test a different variety of skills with such a fast opponent.
The formal bowing process was completed quickly, and when the countdown finished she was on him in a flash. It took no time at all to realize her strategy was to take him down, straight out of the gate. It was a futile approach, but Harry respected the girl for at least coming up with a plan. It was clear most of his opponents didn't have a clue.
Harry's strategy was simply to deflect every single spell she threw. No shields. Only redirects and dodges. He could easily have thrown up a shield and lazily stood there as she tried to break through until she wore herself out, but this was a challenge. Redirecting this many spells individually would take a level of precision that he had rarely attempted, and she certainly had the speed to make him work for it.
Minutes passed, and Harry could already tell he was heaving for breath from the exertion of matching her every move. The Potter heir could not determine whether he had surprised or infuriated the girl with his strategy, because the crease in her brow never changed. Several more minutes passed, and he could tell the girl was wearing down, and her expression was going through variations of disbelief, frustration, and rage. He had finally broken her down. After reflecting a final spell back with so much power that the girl fell over, he had her wand in his hand in the blink of an eye.
The applause was polite in comparison to the cheers his brother had received, but he still held a hand in the air in recognition, and approached the girl offering his hand, "You are very fast. I would like to see you and my brother duel sometime. I think the two of you would be a good matchup."
The girl seemed to want to turn her nose at him at first, but took his hand instead, "You are beyond anything I have encountered before. To redirect my spells for so long...I would be agreeable to fight your brother. Perhaps a consolation prize as being the second-best duelist would make me feel better."
Harry gave the girl a grin, "After the holidays then. Good match."
With that the two separated, and the applause continued. Madame Maxime called Hogwarts the victors, and Harry met with his brother and held the boy's hand in the air signaling victory. Harry's eyes shifted to his parents in the stands, and they were whistling and cheering along with the other marauders creating quite a ruckus. He shook a few more hands of other Durmstrang duelists he had not faced as the craze began to die down. Krum even said that he looked forward to their quidditch match which would be taking place the following week. To Harry though, this was only another stepping stone to the next tasks.
(A/N) Obviously at the level we have seen Harry at, no student is powerful enough to challenge him regardless of how powerful he may be. There is recurring theme in this story that Harry is practically unchallenged. He will remain this way for a while, but not forever. I look forward to sharing this development with you, and if you want to read all the way through CHAPTER 19 TODAY, you can join me on Discord. Cheers everyone and see you in two weeks.
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