151- James' worries
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HARRY'S POV
While Harry had fun in the Ball, he really enjoyed going back to routine, especially that three days after New Year he finished one of his projects- the magical energy container or MEC.
The new MEC isn't that different from the old one.
In fact, it only has two additional abilities.
1) it now has main MEC and secondary MECs, with the secondary MECs being put far away and still able to transfer the magical energy from near them with minimal loss.
2) it can be improved on any time that is needed, and by adding in the creation of the actual metal box the intent of connecting it to the secondary MECs each upgrade will happen at the same time on all the MECs, though it will take more magic.
After he finished making the main one and a couple of secondary ones, Harry just let FACT do the rest, by the end of the week he will have Remus put one in every magical location in Britain, making the game expand.
Another thing that he finished was sixth year of medical studies, and while he knew that after that he will have many Eastern books about the body to read, it still felt like an incredible accomplishment.
Thinking that, Harry smiled as he moved to his next project - creating a soul jar.
GEORGE'S POV
"Before we begin the first tournament of Turbo dueling, we have a happy announcement to make." George said as he thought about the new Harry told him just a day before.
"From this weekend onward, card dueling and Turbo dueling will be able to be played anywhere in Britain!" The applause was greater then he ever heard, some of the audience members even looked relieved.
"Now, for the opening game we have two of the champions of the Triwizards tournament!"
As George saw the tournament he couldn't help but once more feel pride, they are about to change the wizarding world.
JAMES' POV
While other people were having a good time, James was going through everything they bought and any one they gave money to for the last 20 years for what seemed to be the thousand time since he got the news his bank account is getting emptied.
Yes, they did seem to spend more money then any other Potter has, at least since 13 years ago, but with the money they got from the defeat of Voldemort they should be only spending a little bit more then what they were earning, no where near enough for their vault to be downgraded.
But it sees like it did, and worse, since then he's been to the vault once a month, and each time he saw the gold was considerably less.
If it would have been anyone else, he would have thought or accusing them of theft, but the only thing good you can about the gold diggers named goblins was that they aren't thieves.
They might cheat you, they might con you, but they would never steal money.
He offered to pay the goblins 500 Galleons to investigate who took the money, but they refused, even when he raised it to 5000 they refused, which told him one thing, who ever takes it make sure the goblins profit from it, a lot.
As he turned his eyes away from the papers, he thought of another problem he has, Sirius leaving the house.
Finding out the truth about Padfoot truly made James feel younger and older at the same time.
Younger because his best friend didn't betray them! He wasn't wrong in having that man as a brother in all but blood!
Yet, at the same time, it was like all his mistakes, the ones he put the blame on Sirius, came back to hunt him.
He let his best friend rot in the closest thing to hell on earth for twelve years! He let his wife and the old headmaster give his child away! When that said child came back and was sorted to Slytherin he was cast away, which was only a few weeks after his adoptive parents, who James was so grateful to, were killed in an accident.
He wasn't just a bad friend, he was a bad father, but he didn't want to stay that way, he wanted to change.
Which is why he made sure Padfoot gets better, that he didn't leave the house before he can convince the ministry the man isn't guilty.
Of course, he didn't think about how it felt to Sirius.
He thought of him as the old Sirius, the one who hasn't lived stuck in hell for more then a decade, the one who didn't probably have claustrophobia.
Remus on the other hand, that man thought about it all.
So he came while James was at work, talked for what seemed like 35 minutes with the man according to what his house elf Vicki told him, out of which, 30 were at the library, and then they disappeared, living a note about traveling the muggle way.
James felt like everything was falling under him.
He didn't have any of his friends, one of his sons probably hated him, and the Potter legacy is about to be ruined.
For the third time since Sirius left, James cried.
152- SOC
HARRY'S POV
After having Remus put every magic container around Britain, and the twins made the announcement about card dueling being available all around Britain, more then half of the children in Hogwarts that had younger siblings, and some that didn't, came to the twins the next few days to buy a duel disk and beginner decks
Apparently, at the time of summer holidays all the students talked about the game and their wish to play it enough times for the children and some of the parents to be interested in playing, and with the disks and decks being cheap (costs 6 Galleons all together) many people ordered them for themselves.
As for the brooms, they also were sold like cupcakes, though for a different reason all together.
The reason was that while the brooms used a little bit more magic to use when not playing the game, they reached the same speed as professional brooms yet cost 3/4 the price of the cheapest broom in the world.
How? Simple, it has to do with how they were made.
With every Turbo brooms being made by a machine instead by hand, the only costs are the material from which it was made.
There was no paying for workers to carve each rune on the broom, no magical core being used, and most importantly, no mistakes.
Even the best rune masters make mistakes in carving runes, and those that work in the broom industry usually aren't even that.
But machines don't make mistakes, and even if there is one small mistake, they detach it quickly and melt the metal the broom is made of before making it again.
With the game taking flight like crazy, it isn't surprising that two weeks after the announcement there was an article about it in the Daily Prophet.
"IS THE TIME TO PLAY QUIDDITCH HAS PASS? THE NEW GAME THAT EVERYONE PLAY."
By Rita Skeeter
If you have a child at Hogwarts, you must have heard about the game that was invented there last year.
The game, called 'monster card dueling' or 'card dueling' for short, was invented by the twins Fred and George Weasley, who were at the time in the middle of their fifth year, created a game that quickly became the main thing students play at the school...
The article continued in that manner, telling about its evolution, the tournaments and the prices of the products, making the next day of school at breakfast the most chaotic breakfast anyone has ever seen at Hogwarts, as mountains of letters came for the twins with orders.
Even their mother, according to the twins, has sent them a letter.
Though she seemed to be pissed they haven't told her they were making a business, she only knew they made a game and sold some cards as a way to make back the money they waisted by making it, it hasn't crossed her mind they are doing more.
With all the new people dueling, the magical energy they now manage to secure a day is enough to create hundreds of runes if Harry had enough mental power and belief, instead, Harry, who knew he is about to need even more AI in the future and was unwilling to waste three days every time he needs a new one, created an AI whose purpose is to create more AI who follows the same rooms that GAI follows.
After finishing it, Harry could really focus his mind about the task in hand- move a soul to a soul container.
The thing is, once you understand that souls are made from magic, memory and belief, you would think it is easy, make the container like the MEC right? Wrong!
While magic is part of the soul.
The main part of it once you reach a certain part of like is your memories and beliefs, more so on the third stage of magic, when those things start to affect your ability to do magic.
In fact, it is almost impossible to do any sorts of soul magics on unwilling third stage.
Almost.
An interesting side affect to being a soul without its intended body, especially when the soul is split, is that it weakens your defense.
Think about it like that.
The body you are born with is a natural defense for your soul and Occlumency is about defending one mind, even the best Occlumency can be breached, and now let it defend 7 minds...
It was why no one except of Voldemort ever made more then one horcrux, not because it twists your mind, there are plenty of people who have twisted minds to do it still, but that it weakens your defenses.
Having one horcrux might not be hard on the mind of a third stage magical person, but having more? No wonder in the books OG Harry could look into Voldemort's mind.
As for the body being the natural defense, this was one of the things the mummification ritual solved, partially of course.
By making a container that is meant for your soul you create the closest thing possible to a natural body.
Of course, Harry had two soul parts in a body not made for them.
Making the soul container (SOC) took about a month, making ready only a week before the second task, as it was still close to what MEC is, only a few changes from the mummifying ritual, and, of course, Harry added a few defenses.
The two major defenses were that things can only come in and out of the SOC only with the permission of Harry, making any soul that come in trapped, yet, at the same time, souls and magical energy that are outside are unable to come in.
The other major defense was that the SOC had levels inside of it, eight, to be exact, and each level was made so it is unable to be accessed by other levels without Harry's permission.
Once Harry prepared that, the next test was happening inside his mind, where one part of the soul was smashed by ice, while the other was stuck at the Occlumency shield which was the closest to the surface.
If Harry had to explain how each of them looked he have said that the one that was probably from the diary looked like a dwarf 16 years old Tom, like half the size of the man.
The other one looked like Voldemort's face, the one without a nose, only on a baby's body.
Of course, it was understood, the one that came from the diary had 50% of Voldemort's soul while the other 1.5%, in fact, even having it take the look of a baby showed how Voldemort kept advancing all the time, otherwise, it would have looked like an eyeball.
They also looked to be watching each other with longing and disdain, as if they were disgusted with the other yet still wanted to become one.
But Harry didn't came inside his mind to study them, Well he did, but not in this state, he is about to study those souls in their original form.
"Obliviate!" Harry cast his spell on the diary piece, and saw, for first time how this magic affect the souls, and he had to say, it was incredible and horrifying.
The body looked like it was losing shape, as the things that used to define who it is disappeared, so was him.
It started small with Tom, his robe losing their color green, and then his entire body losing color as well, his hair disappearing, and little by little everything that made him atom disappeared until all that was left was magical energy being held together by something Harry couldn't define, maybe it was a small thread of belief every person gets from their parents as he is conceived, maybe it was something else.
The second the soul piece that used to be in the diary changed it's shape entirely, the soul piece that's been with Harry since the moment he came to this world was charging like crazy, using every bit of power it saved the last 13 years trying to reach what used to be a larger part of his soul.
Interested to see what would happen, Harry lowered the defenses.
The baby Voldemort reached the blob of energy and immediately fused with it.
The change was obvious.
What used to be a baby Voldemort now seemed to be a dwarf a.d.u.l.t Voldemort.
Yet before it could even say anything Harry casted another obliviate, returning the shape to a slightly larger blob of energy.
Guiding the blob little by little, it took Harry over an hour of magical manipulation to make it get into SOC.
Feeling that not only his mind finally entirely his for the first time since he was born, but that he managed to truly change how the story is supposed to end, Harry decided to take a brake.
153- church
SIRIUS' POV
Sirius was following his best friend, as he left in the middle of the night.
Now, Sirius wasn't the smartest Marauder, nor was he ever the most sane of them, especially after all those years with his best buddies- the Dementors.
Yet, even he can tell there is something wrong with Moony.
He didn't notice it immediately, not when his friend had him join on a quest against the headmaster's wishes, though he should have, Moony used to worship Dumbledore.
But, he thought, maybe the years changed him or maybe he just feel guilty that he left one of his best friends to rot in hell.
It was a few weeks latter, after their fourth book robbery that he noticed a second change, it was night, and they sat in a muggle bar and someone hit on Moony, only for him to flirt back!
Remus Lupin, the man who once told him he was never going to date nor fall in love, actually flirted with someone!
It was that night, as they slept in a hotel that Sirius ran a few spells to check if it was someone else in disguise, or if there was any spells that was affecting his friend, but no, it was all Moony.
When he asked later, his friend told him that he felt free for the first time in his life, knowing someone actually is about to create a cure for lycanthropy.
Sirius was willing to let his friends enjoy this feeling, even if he wasn't sure it would happen, after all, that was the reason the both of them are out in the world, traveling through Britain instead of Sirius being stuck at the Potter's home.
But now that? He could understand the will to keep moving everyday, he too didn't want to be in one place for too long, in case the Dementors would find him.
But leaving in the middle of the night every night for the last week? Sirius knew there was something his friends want telling him.
After 10 minutes of walking, Remus seemed to reach a small building with a cross on it and walked in.
Something about that place seemed familiar, and it took Sirius a few seconds to remember what as he walked in seeing Remus put his hands together.
It was Florence, one of the people he dated in sixth year who had a cross just like that.
He remembered her telling him about the muggle god, and about its faith and belief no body is born evil, or something like that.
'So that's the big secret? Remus believes in god?' Sirius can understand, no matter what, the muggle god isn't looked nicely on by the magical people, mostly because of the which hunts.
Although, Sirius isn't looked upon nicely be by magical people, so why the hell would he care?
'I will tell Remus he doesn't need to keep his faith a secret from me, I would never tell anyone.' With that, Sirius went back to the hotel, ready for some sleep.
REMUS' POV
As Remus felt Sirius leave he felt relived.
It took Remus a while to recognize he is being followed, and by the time he did, he was too close to the location he needed to be in to change it without being suspicious.
So, he didn't, he walked right into the church of the town used one of instant wards he knew how to cast to make it possible to sense who is around the location.
Remus didn't come into this place to pray, he came to put the last MEC his lord gave him.
It was his lord's plan to put the MECs inside churches, when asked why he said that each magical town is close to a muggle town, and that by putting it in a muggle town no one would notice.
And why a church? Because no muggle would destroy a church.
Using three quick spells, the floor of the church opened up, putting the MEC back in he closed the hole, making sure not to leave a sigh.
Getting out of the church, Remus couldn't help but sneer when looking at the cross.
They had no idea who is a real god, and that their church, like hundreds of them around Britain, now host a true divine item, one that his lord made.
Now he just need to convince Sirius he has faith in the muggle god...
154- the second task
HARRY'S POV
The day of the second task has arrived, and as he knew it would, his hostage was Luna.
Eating quick breakfast, Harry went toward the lake, where the seats that used to be where the first task happened now were, picking a small rock as he went.
As it seem he is one of the first to arrive, he sat on one of the chairs and listen to GAI read him medical books as he thought about Parseltongue, and Harry's ability with it.
He used to think he had the ability to talk with snakes because of the soul piece in him, and that once he extracted it he would lose it.
It was because of this that he led Dobby anywhere in the chamber of secrets, even the inheritance of Anastasia, so he would still be able to come in after it was over.
But, even after the soul piece was extracted, he could still talk to snakes.
What did it mean? Could it be he truly is Slytherin's descendent?
Yet, he didn't Really care who was his ancestor, what he did care about was whether or not Marcus had a soul piece in him.
Up until now he thought both of them had it, but if Marcus didn't have it, why did Dumbledore decided him to be the boy who lived?
"Excuse me?" A condescending voice woke him up from his thoughts. "You are sitting in one of the judges' spots." Looking up, he saw Percy Weasley.
"Oh, I'm sorry, but" Harry said and looked around, "I don't see any of the judges."
"Mr. Crouch is sick and I'm taking his spot." He raised he nose higher, as if it will stick better inside his boss' ass.
"Well... tell him we hope he feels better soon." Harry said politely.
"I will. Now, get up and go to the contesters' launching point.
Harry quickly went there, where he saw two of the other champions.
"Hey Harry, how are you?" Victor said while smiling.
"I'm fine, but is Fleur?"
"Oh Harry, they used my little sister as a hostage," Fleur said in panic "she might die!"
"Fleur," Victor said calmly. "Calm down, she won't die, they won't let it happen."
"Well," Harry said "if you are nervous, I do have a way to quickly reach them and finish the task."
"Really?" Fleur asked, eyes full of hope.
"I have to admit, I myself am intrigued."
"I know where the mermaid village is, and have a quick way to reach it, and best of all, it is taking a page out of our additional champion."
Understanding shined in their eyes.
Just wait until Potter is in the lake before doing anything.
A few minutes later Marcus reached the lake.
"Well, all our champions are ready for the second task, which will start on my whistle." Bagman said with a Sonorus on his voice "They have precisely an hour to recover what has been taken from them. On the count of three, then. One . . . two . . . three!"
Marcus stuffed something into his mouth and jumped toward the lake before Harry winked and the three of them together summoned a broom.
The three brooms reached the lake almost the same time, with the other two waiting for Harry's to come.
Harry activated the tracking he placed inside the leg bracelet and led the other two to the middle of the lake as Bagman talked about what was happening.
Reaching where twenty meters below was the mermaid village, Harry said "use your spells to breath underwater and go down." Before taking the rock he picked earlier, enlarging it, casting the Bubble-Head Charm, a warming charm, a shield charm and jumping toward the lake.
The Bubble-Head Charm is one of the most unique charms Harry had the pleasure to study.
It doesn't just create a bubble of air around your head, as that would only be working until the oxygen in the bubble run out.
No, the bubble has the unique ability to filter all the things around it and let only oxygen in.
Which is why it only works in places oxygen is, but so does every other magic that let you breath underwater.
Letting the rock drag him down to the place Luna is.
It took Harry three minutes to reach her.
Quickly cutting the ropes, Harry held her as he watched the two champions who became semi-friends with him reach each of their hostages, happy to see Victor looking at Granger with the best sneer one can do with a fish head, before he created a stream of air from each of his legs, throwing himself and Luna toward the outside world.
Reaching the outside world, Harry caught his broom as Luna woke up, before flying them toward the lakeside.
VICTOR'S POV
Looking at his date for the Yule Ball, Victor sneered.
He couldn't believe the judges thought she will be what he miss the most, though it could be his headmaster said it.
Looking down on his watch, he saw only 4 minutes have passed since the start of the competition and couldn't help but wonder if the next competition would be harder, and will Harry win it as quick as he managed to pass the first two.
Did he feel guilty about following Harry's method?
No, not at all.
First of all, they are friends, plus Harry is the one that told them about it.
And secondly, it is a known method of seekers to follow the opponent to catch the snitch.
Victor actually didn't care if he wins anymore, he got what he wanted by coming to this competition, people that looks at him as his own person and not just a quidditch star.
Looking at Fleur with her younger sister and back to his hostage, a sigh escape his fish face.
Well luckily it wasn't his younger sister that they used as a hostage, as they did use Fleur's, so he guess things could be worse, but he did hope no one make this into a love story.
FLEUR'S POV
'There is a Veela saying.' Fleur thought as she cut the ropes around Gabriel.
'Never touch my younger sister!'
Well maybe it is more of a Fleur saying, so what? It is still true.
She didn't know who was the 'absolute genius' that thought 'let's take them dates and friends for the other contestants, but for Fleur? Her younger sister', but he better hide.
'Luckily, Harry helped me.' She thought, her cheeks turning slightly red.
It was different from last task.
Last task they were exchanging ideas and his was the best one of them.
This time, he didn't talk to them at all beforehand.
It was only when Fleur was panicked that he decided to help, maybe costing him the win.
Sure he said he doesn't care about winning, but if he didn't want the fame he wouldn't have joined.
Taking her little sister, she saw Harry giving both Victor and her a look before shooting out of the water.
She wasn't sure how can he use basic spells to win, but it did turn her on.
155- other people's thoughts
LUDO'S POV
Ludo watched as Harry and the other two champions talked.
He watched as they sat on the brooms.
He watched as they all executed the same plans.
And he is really close to lose his mind!
Seriously, when he bet on the boy he thought 'With my help he will sure win.'
And then at the first task he refused his help!
Seeing the forth year boy on whom Ludo bet his and other people's entire life's saving go up against a freaking dragon was probably the scariest thing he has to watch his entire life- and he had to watch a jury decide if he goes to Azkaban!
It was at that second that Ludo regretted not putting his money on Marcus Potter, if someone could turn the odds is the one boy who survived the killing curse!
But then the boy went and somehow did it.
And in fact he did it easily.
Switching the egg with a rock at the same size, absolutely terrific!
Though some of the other judges thought it to be boring.
So what? Boring and quick are the best ways to win things!
Although, seeing the next two champions do the same thing, with Fleur using a little enchantment as an extra was kind of boring.
And Marcus' way of out flying a dragon was very heroic.
But Ludo didn't care, his bet was second place, and as long as he preform well at the next challenge he would be first place.
And then the boy went and did that.
'I mean, why would he help the other two? Doesn't he want to win?" Ludo thought at he watched the boy jump from his broom holding a big rock.
It took less then three minutes from his jump for a big splash of water to appear, with Harry and Luna coming up and less then a minute later the other two contesters showed up, leaving only the boy who lived in the water.
While he said how amazing all of them are and all to the audience, and even as he felt happy his bet was doing as good as he did, Ludo couldn't help but feel annoyed.
Two years of hard work, working with Barty every day, negotiating with the three schools, bringing dragons and negotiating with mermaids, and it took them 10 minutes to finish both tasks in the most boring ways possible? He really hoped the third task would be more interesting, as long as Harry wins of course.
BARTY'S POV
When the dark lord gives you a task you don't question it, never.
It doesn't matter if you understand it or not, you just do it.
Especially when it is about his resurrection.
Though, if it is only inside Barty's mind he might have to wonder, why put Potter into the tournament?
Yes, he understood the dark lord's need for the fresh blood of the Potter boy in the ritual, but Barty could have kidnapped him without the tournament, or even just slice the boy's hand by 'accident' and keep the knife.
That wasn't the biggest problem.
The problem was that boy's kicked out twin brother, who keeps not only out preform Marcus, but help the other two do it too.
He could understand him.
Wanting to show he isn't a failure, that kicking him out was a mistake.
Barty was like that once, joining the dark lord as a way to show his father what a mistake he did by making him feel worthless no matter what he did, before the dark lord showed him what true power was, and that his father is the worthless one.
Seriously, if Barty didn't have to stay incognito he would have convinced the boy to join the Death Eaters.
Actually, that has some merit, he can do it, and if he feels the boy is about to say anything to anyone he could always obliviate him.
After all, he knew the boy didn't have any Occlumency shields.
LILY'S POV
She didn't know what was worse, that her Marcus had to join the tournament or that he was last place.
She couldn't figure out how they scored the champions.
In the first task the other three assentingly used the same method, two of them with the same two spells, and they didn't even showed courage.
On the other hand, Marcus, her son, managed to outfly a dragon!
He should be first place!
And then came the second task.
As she was a school teacher, she can't help him directly in the tasks, she had to make an oath.
What she could do, is give a list of ways to breath underwater to her husband who could do with it whatever he wants.
She told James while winking, and apparently he didn't understand, because he hasn't brought anything to their son.
Instead, for what seemed like since the end of last year, James was too head deep in his problems, non of which she understood why it takes him so much time to get over.
She truly couldn't understand what's the difference between deep end vault and upper ones, even if they spend a little bit too much, the Potter family's money is old, it won't be suddenly over.
Nor can she understand why he suddenly cares for Harry, he was the one that demanded they kicked the boy out saying everyone who has been touched by Slytherin is evil, she truly didn't care much either way.
As for Sirius, yes, that was a mistake, a grave one, but it wasn't their fault, their memory has been messed with, not to mention the dog animagus forgave them.
Yes, James need to get over himself, and he need to do it quick, because if their son once more need help and he isn't there to help he will need to find a real comfy couch to sleep on, because the bed will be off limit.
Anyway, even without his father's help, Marcus seemed to be doing fine.
Having Neville give him gillyweed? Absolutely genius, though, it is extremely annoying that the other champions seem to be collaborating together, it is like they haven't learned the words 'fair play'.
What could she expect from a Durmstrang student, a Slytherin, and worse then all a French?