Edited 05/02/2020
When he killed the troll, he absorbed its essence and minced the rest into a slurry. The teachers didn't arrive in time to see the last of the troll's body slide down the drain. Mincing troll bones was easier than he thought. Even Hermione was so focused on the troll's empty skin, she didn't notice the bloody soup sliding passed her feet.
Subterfuge was the deadliest weapon in Harry's arsenal. He'd use it well and in this case, he'd watch and study before he struck.
Hermione POV
She was worried about Harry and herself. Hermione searched the library's history section for any mention of a white light, or those green balls. She remembered the feel of his hand. Behind the magic and the white light healing her, there was steel. His hand felt as she imagined the terminator's hand would, warm skin covering unforgiving steel.
Then there was the confidence. She'd seen boys acting cocky and showing false bravado. This wasn't the same. It wasn't bragging or showing off. It was like her dad squishing a spider in her room. To her it was very brave, to him it was no big deal.
After the troll incident Harry was scaring her. When she turned her head, she saw him watching. He waited outside when she went to the loo and stayed with her in the library. She was sure he thought he was being protective, but it was getting creepy.
McGonagall said the school was safe, so it was right. There was no reason to have Harry watch her constantly. Christmas was on its way and she'd be leaving soon when she woke up from her bed to see Harry. He placed a finger to his lips. His eyes weren't just green they glowed in the dark. It was weird not magical weird she'd read about magical quirks. This was just Harry weird.
When she saw those glowing eyes, she thought back to when he kissed her. Those powerful arms wrapped around her and she felt safe. That was before the change in Harry.
"Why are you here Harry? This is the girl's dorm." Hermione said. It was true and no matter how powerful Harry might be, the rules were the rules. Harry raised an eyebrow and gave a half smile. It made her stomach feel weird.
"I took a break from studying." Harry said with a smirk. That's right he didn't sleep, Hermione shook the fogginess from her head and glared at him. If she didn't set boundaries now, then Harry wouldn't respect them later.
"No Harry this is the girl's dorm that means you can't come in. I don't want to see you in here again or waiting on me when I go to the loo." The smirk left his face and Hermione was scared he'd turn violent. Instead, he sat on her bed and his green eyes dimmed slightly.
"You're my first friend Hermione. Do you remember that?" How could she forget? That didn't mean he could follow her around and smother her.
"Yes Harry, I know I'm your best friend." Hermione said.
"Hermione, you would have died if I hadn't decided to wait on you in the loo. You're so fragile a mere beast like a troll could kill you. It's a bit early but I have a Christmas gift for you. You like books, right?" Hermione rolled her eyes at the goofy smile that appeared on his face. She wasn't going to forget the stalking.
Harry pulled ten volumes of books from a bag on his hip. She eyed it conspiratorially.
"Where did you get that Harry?" Hermione asked. She could already imagine all the books she'd be able to carry with her if she had one.
"Don't get greedy Hermione. I'm giving you secret knowledge that can make you powerful. The least you can do is be thankful. From what I can tell the other guy is only selling the first three volumes and keeping the last seven to himself." Harry said. She was confused what did any of this mean?"
"Study them Hermione, they'll make you less fragile." She wanted to protest but he was gone. He'd vanished like a shadow leaving her only with his present.
…
Christmas break arrived, and Harry found Filtch harvesting several plants highly saturated with essence. The older man moved releasing a green glow. Harry watched him carefully. Filtch manipulated the plants into partially refining and storing essence. Harry analyzed the magic quickly realizing it was an offshoot of puppetry. Filtch took control of the plants and ordered them to cultivate. But there were plants that he did not control. They also stored their own essence.
Harry decided to mark this spot and encourage Ron's brothers to prank it. Filtch was at the second rank of refinery. It only took the old man three months. What was interesting was the man's appearance. Filtch was growing younger.
After withdrawing his own cultivation base, he decided to take Filtch's magic to a new level. Harry traveled far into the forest near where the Uranus tribe resided. This area was known for the fierce wild boars, hordes of pixies, and massive deer. Wolves prowled the night and ancient creatures still lived.
It was here that Harry placed his strings on an elder yew. After a slight battle of wills Harry was able to dominate the tree and direct it. Harry forced the ancient tree to cultivate. Filtch had his plants merely store essence. Harry would have the tree store and refine qi. The great tree barely had the consciousness power to support such a venture until it produced qi.
After the great yew was a success Harry moved on to other great trees. He found colossal oaks, pines, and cedars. The deer consumed the acorns adding qi to their bodies. The wolves ate the deer absorbing their qi. Then the centaurs killed the wolves and took their pelts. In a few days the qi economy was created.
With the amount of qi flowing through the forest the essence became purer. When summer came, and the insects fed off the plants and the birds fed upon them, the birds would carry their qi further south. The qi would mutate them even as they spread their richer essence through the world. In total the world's essence would become many times purer in the next few years.
"Why change the world like this Harry Potter? Aren't you losing your advantage?" Chinosis asked.
"Did you know I would do this?" Harry asked.
"The stars are right for a change Harry. I knew you would start a great change but how you would do it was immaterial. Why change things at all?" Chinosis asked.
"I have a friend in my year her name is Hermione Granger. She's weak, soft, and very mortal. I gave her all my knowledge on cultivation, but I've come to realize it's not enough. She isn't me and will probably stick to the books. Then, I thought about all the teachers and busy bodies who protect people like Hermione. If they had a cultivation base maybe they'd be able to protect her better." Harry said.
"There are many weak people who will use their new power to strike out. Many will suffer with this change to the world. Mars shines bright. The essence saturation in the world will increase." Chinosis said. Harry turned his head to the centauress seer. He took a step and appeared beside her.
Harry placed a hand on her coat feeling his hand dip beneath the thick fur. He walked around her brushing around her rump and coming back to her other side. His steps were so soft they didn't make an imprint in the snow.
"Mars was dim for fifty years. It's time for it to brighten. Let chaos return the world to balance." Harry said.
"There are many who still worship the gods. They will strike against the emergence of immortals. This will be a holy war and a war for survival." Chinosis said.
"Why are you helping me? What's in it for you?" Harry asked in a growl.
He watched the centauress for any hint of subterfuge.
"I want a particular future to happen between us. Through my work my kind will equal humans in the new world." Harry thought about killing her then and there. There could be no equal to humanity. He could sense the traces of god's blood in her body.
"Through you we can leave the taint of Uranus behind." Chinosis stated. Harry crossed his arms to his chest. Chinosis smiled at him before galloping away.
…
Harry spent the rest of the day cultivating in the forest. When the qi passed from tree to small mammals, purer essence leaked in the transaction. That purer essence was what Harry wanted. With twelve orbs of sever all, he pulled in more essence than ever before. With his increased consciousness power his pull was greater than ever.
In hours, he flew through the midpoint of refinery and reached the great circle. His refinery spun around, and his qi increased in strength. Waves of power flowed from his body melting the snow. Tiny bolts of bio energy flew from his body striking the ground. Harry opened his eyes as they glowed brighter than ever. Then he heard a cracking sound.
Harry felt himself reach the seventh rank of refinery. The qi in his body began to condense the time was coming. He'd prepare his qi and develop his first layer of foundry soon.
On his way back to the school, he saw a figure leave. It moved stealthily covering more ground than any mortal should. Harry hopped up into a nearby tree and watched the creature. The unicorn's consciousness revealed it to be its attacker. Harry kept track of the creature as it traveled through the forest.
There was a chance Harry realized it could be Filtch and he dared not use his sixth sense. This speed was comparable to a third rank at least. Harry wasn't prepared for a confrontation between qi experts yet. He wasn't sure if he could kill his own kind.
From tree to tree Harry moved with barely a noise. He kept his eyes on the creature below him. It moved as if with two minds. It would go in one direction then suddenly see something behind it and move the other. Harry could compare it to a two headed snake.
It quickly found a unicorn foal. The creature didn't hesitate to lunge at the animal. Harry tossed a rock catching the monster in the side of the head. The light throw sent Filtch reeling across the ground. The unicorn foal galloped away at top speed. The thing moved strangely. It acted more like a puppet than actual human puppets. It was sloppily controlled, possibly micromanaged.
Harry leapt to a new tree just as it turned the back of its head towards him. He felt in his pockets and counted five rocks.
The monster leapt on the trail and Harry shook his head. If this thing was Filtch then Harry had little to worry about. He reasoned the volume Filtch had was edited to ensure the qi expert never reached the author's level. That could explain the madness but not the hunger for unicorn blood.
Just before the monster leapt after the foal like a lion, Harry hit the back of Filtch's knee with a rock. The black clad creature cursed and grabbed its snow-white leg. Harry took his time to memorize the black clad creature's movements and compared them to the caretaker.
Harry concluded this wasn't Filtch. If it wasn't Filtch, then why did this humanoid move so quickly? What were the odds of a rogue cultivator coming here? Harry doubted unicorn blood was yet a stable in the English immortal's diet. Harry let himself drop to the ground without making a sound.
He dashed forward moving towards the creature's six. It whirled around pointing its wand before screaming out a spell. Harry tossed his next pebble hitting the wizard in his thumb joint. The wand fell just as the spell fired out. Harry seemed to phase out of reality as he dodged a stream of red light. Just as the spell passed over him, he dashed up to the wizard.
Harry smashed his fist into the creature's midsection feeling bones snap. In an instant, he caught up with the wizard's body for a follow up.
Before Harry could deliver the death blow the wizard popped out of existence. At the time, he didn't know that the anti-apparition wards ended near the centaur village.