THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
Chapter 15
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to their respective owners.
AN: We are drawing to the end of the first arc, and will soon be starting the next one, probably in the next chapter. This was supposed to be the introductory arc, the second one will be Harry growing into his powers and his trials, and the last will probably be full of him kicking ass.
-TRNT-
Shevaun watched the battle below her in awe. Along with her at the Astronomy Tower were Harry's friends, except for Neville who they had yet to locate. They had all been waiting in the kitchens for Harry to come back when the alarm sounded. Hermione immediately recognized it as the wards collapsing, which could only mean that someone from outside the castle had destroyed them. They were all aware of the power that was required to do so, or atleast a very good idea what would be required. At first they had assumed that maybe it was the ministry coming to take back the castle, but that thought had disappeared when they had a voice declaring that the castle was under attack and that all students should go back to their dormitories.
Harry had come back then telling them that the castle was under attack and that they should stay there with the elves untill he came back for them once he was done helping the professors to fight. When they asked him about the basilisk, he simply told them that it was dead, as was Tom Riddle. And then he had disappeared again, only leaving wisps of golden smoke in his wake. Despite his orders for them to stay put, neither one of them was about to listen.
Shevaun had asked the girls if they knew of any place where they could see what was happening outside without leaving the castle itself and they had told her about the Astronomy tower. Casting on all of them an invisibility spell, the four left the kitchens and walked through the hallways of Hogwarts, carefully making sure not to run into any of the other panicking students. By the time they reached the Astronomy tower, the battle below had already began. Thanks to the ball of light above, they could clearly see what was happening and they couldn't help but be in awe of what they were seeing.
The students had to reevaluate their opinions of the three Professors as they watched them almost effortlessly hold back an army while systematically thinning them. However, despite the show of power and skill, there was just too many of them and they were slowly but steadily closing the distance. No matter how much the professors killed, it would still not be enough and it was only a matter of time before the three were overwhelmed.
"I will not be held captive in this castle again." Hermione declared.
"I don't plan on it either." Daphne agreed. She may not have been thrown in the dungeons but she might as well have been. The last few minutes before Shevaun had showed up reminded her of that fact, and looking at Tracey, she could tell that the diminutive girl wasn't thrilled with the idea either.
"Don't worry, even if the teachers lose, we won't be captives." Shevaun assured them, her eyes trained on the fight below. It was fascinating to say the least. "Harry wouldn't allow us to be captured."
"He has left us to be captured before." Hermione pointed out.
"That was because he didn't know what was happening here." Shevaun told them. "Harry may not be generally heroic but he would never abandon his friends. He will come for us."
"So when did he find out?" Tracey asked.
"Today actually." She replied. "After we were captured by Black and his lot_"
"You were captured by the Dark Lord?" Daphne gasped along with the others.
"I said, Black." Shevaun said. "Sirius Black, not Voldy."
"But Black is the Dark Lord's right hand man."
"Not from what I saw. Apparently he is Harry's godfather, as a matter of fact it was Harry who helped him to escape from prison." She shrugged. "Anyway, they told us of what has been happening over here and right after that, Harry decided to come here and get you lot, even with the threat of fighting a basilisk."
The others were silent as they let that sink in. The truth was that the Harry they remembered was a lazy guy who wouldn't do anything unless he had no other option or it would benefit him greatly. The fact that he would willingly risk his life for them even after he had ghosted them without a second thought was a little hard to relate with what they remembered of him. Though it was very clear that had it not been for him, they'd still be living under Tom Riddle's rule. Then again, the professors below were being overwhelmed, and it was looking like they just might change captors.
"Where is he though?" Hermione asked.
"I don't know." Shevaun sighed, pulling her phone from her pocket. It had blacked out the moment they crossed the wards and she was sure Harry's had as well. "I just wish I had a way of contacting him."
They could only watch as Voldemort's army drew closer to the castle. If something did change, they were gonna have to find a way out of the castle if they didn't want to be captured by the Dark Lord. And then something did change, certain figures had arrived on brooms and they were attacking the invaders. Soon the battle field became even more chaotic than before as the figures on the brooms landed and engaged Voldemort's army. The pressure on the three professors reduced tremendously, even as five others broke off from the main fight and approached the three professors.
The fight that followed seemed to be even more ferocious than the initial one, even when the professors were joined by two others. And then a large black dog that made the students behind Shevaun gasp joined the fray. But even that wasn't enough, they watched in silence as the attackers were defeated along with Dumbledore. They held their breath as the headmaster was beaten, it was too late now to escape, but then just as they thought everything was over, Harry appeared and...
"Bloody hell!" She exclaimed along with the others. Both at Harry's appearance and what he had just done, Voldemort fell down leaving Harry standing there with barely any clothes on him, bruises covering his entire body and in his hand, he was holding the Dark Lord's spinal cord in his hand.
Harry looked up at the Astronomy tower, as if he could sense where they were. He threw the spine down and disappeared, only to appear right next to her the next instant. She immediately threw herself at him, engulfing him in a tight hug. She pulled back however when he winced.
"Oh, I'm so sorry." She apologized, stepping back.
"Its fine." Harry said. "I'll be all good in no time."
She hugged him again, this time being gentle. "I've never been so happy to see your ugly mug, you idiot."
Harry chuckled, though he winced again and stopped, whatever he had been doing must have been serious.
"Are you guys alright?" The others nodded at his question before he frowned. "Where is Neville?"
"We don't know." It was Daphne who answered. "They took him to Riddle's office about a week ago and no one has seen him again."
Harry sighed.
"I'm sure he will turn up." He turned to Shevaun. "I need to get some rest and recover, unfortunately I don't have enough juice to take the both of us right now."
"Go." She told him. "I'll stay here and help the others find your friend. You can come back for us later."
He nodded before he looked at the smallest of the group. "Are you okay, Tracey?"
"I'm fine, Harry." The small girl said with a smile. "Your girlfriend arrived just in time."
"My girlfriend?" He raised an eyebrow at Shevaun who raised eyebrow back in challenge. "Right, I'll see you guys later."
And with that he was gone leaving the girls behind. With the knowledge that Harry was okay, Shevaun looked back at the battlefield. It seemed that all the attackers, atleast those that had been still alive had escaped when their master died. Some older students had come out of the castle and were helping the professors and any that were still alive. However, she could see that there were alot of dead people, especially on the side of the invaders. Magical Britain was already with a low population, and after tonight, it will be even more so. One thing was for certain though, the magical world will not be the same again after this, if there will be a magical world at all.
"Well, we should...oh, are you guys alright?" She asked with a smirk, looking at Hermione and Daphne. "You're looking a little flushed."
If anything, the two girls blushed harder. Harry had discarded the coat he had worn earlier that day and he was left in only a Tshirt and a pair of trousers. After his fight, there was barely any of that left on his body which meant that he had a great deal of skin on display. Well toned and muscular skin that had certainly caught the attention of the two girls that were already into their puberty.
Now Harry was very good looking, Shevaun knew this as more than half the students at school lusted after him, and he had grown even more so over the break and he hadn't even hit puberty yet. She wondered how it would affect him, for someone with his power, it was certainly going to be an interesting experience, and as she was his closest friend, she called dibs on him, and looked forward to navigating it with him.
-TRNT-
Appearing in his room at the Haldane mansion, Harry barely managed to switch what was left of his clothes with more comfortable wear before he fell on his bed and fell asleep almost immediately. Hours later, he woke up and immediately jumped to his feet. He had been lying on a stone floor, a distinct contrast to the ridiculously comfortable bed he had been sleeping in moments ago.
"Hello, Mr. Potter."
Harry whirled around at the feminine voice and came face to face with a bald headed woman in orange robes. Even as he idly noted the scars on the woman's head, he could feel the power rolling off her, and just like Dumbledore, she practically screamed age despite not looking even half as old as Harry's former headmaster. He got in a stance, wand pointed directly at the mystery monk.
"I see you're in possession of the The wand." The woman commented just as Harry's last thought registered in his head.
He looked at the wand in his hand in confusion. It wasn't his wand, as his had infact been destroyed during his fight with Loki as Harry had been trying to summon Thor. The wand in his hand was about fifteen inches, dark but had a smooth, unadorned shaft and a handle formed from two conjoined spheres. Harry knew the wand, he seen it a couple of times but he knew who the owner was and was therefore wondering why on earth he was holding Albus Dumbledore's wand.
"No need to be alarmed, Harry Potter." The woman said, her hands crossed behind her back. "I mean you no harm."
"You kidnapped me." Harry stated, even as he stood straight, deciding to play along for now. "How?"
The Haldane mansion was one of the most protected places in the world, through both magic and technology, not to mention the small army that guards it. The fact that this woman not only managed to get in and kidnap him but without waking him as well showed just how dangerous she was.
"I did not kidnap you, atleast not in the normal sense of the word." She replied. "Your body_" She gestured with her hand and the world shifted around them and they found themselves in Harry's bedroom. "Is lying in your bed as we speak and will remain so untill you return to it."
Harry stared at his sleeping form with a raised eyebrow, it was a bizarre experience especially as he could see that he was in the very same clothes his body was wearing. However, now that he could see his body, he realized that his current form was not entirely solid, and while he was standing on the floor, it probably wasn't required. And with a single thought, he started floating off the ground, looking around in amazement before he shot towards his body, hoping that he will get to reoccupy it. However just before he made contact, the world shifted again and they were back in the dungeon-like room they had been in earlier.
"You cannot return to your body unless I say so, I have full control of this version of the Astral plane." The woman said easily. "I guess in a sense, I have indeed kidnapped you."
"What do you want from me?" Harry asked as he floated back to the ground, there was no use trying to escape right now, but that didn't mean he had given up completely.
"My name, or atleast what most people call me is The Ancient One." The woman said. "And I am the Sorcerer Supreme." She waited as if to see if Harry recognized the title before continuing. "Basically, my role is to act as the primary protector of Earth against all magical and mystical threats."
"Is that so?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow. "I take it magical Britain isn't part of your jurisdiction then? Or were you not aware that they were in need of your protection?"
"I was aware of Loki's actions in England." The woman said, her tone flat just like before. "My intervention however wasn't necessary, and had I gotten involved, things would have ended on a completely different note. Besides, I had complete faith in you that you would solve it."
Harry just gave her flat stare for a couple of seconds which she returned easily enough. "What do you want from me?"
"This is called the Eye of Agamotto." The Ancient one said, gesturing at a weird looking necklace hanging around her neck. "It allows me to catch glimpses of the future, and you, Mr. Potter plays a major role in those glimpses. There are decisions you make that not only affect those around you, but the entire universe as a whole. Decisions that infact determine the fate of the entire multiverse."
Harry just kept staring at her and the woman smiled.
"You don't believe me." It wasn't a question. "How about I show you."
She made a gesture and the 'Eye' opened, revealing a glowing green gem with in. The gem pulsed and, and when Harry blinked, he found himself standing above in the sky over a frozen city, it was half destroyed but there were still a few buildings standing which Harry recognized as New York, he blinked again and he was in space? and was staring down on earth, or what should have been earth only with some ridiculously large humanoid shape growing out of it while destroying it in the process. He blinked again and he was before what appeared to be a large city and just like the other visions before, it was being destroyed by a giant fire shaped humanoid.
Vision after vision passed by Harry's eyes, he saw earth being split in half, decomposing or even being swallowed by beings that were unbelievably large, he saw demons roaming the earth, killing and doing all sorts of things, every single vision he saw had earth or the universe suffering or going through destruction. Not once did he see himself though, he caught a glimpse of Ranulph fighting, he saw wizards and even at some point Thor and Loki alongside other people, he thought he even saw Angels, but throughout the entire time, there was no sign of him.
And then they were back. Harry was frowning as he tried to process what he had just witnessed. He had felt present, in every vision, he felt like he had been there in person, watching. If it had been an illusion, then it was one hell of an illusion.
"Do you believe me now?" The woman asked, pulling him from his thoughts.
"Not exactly." Harry finally said. "What decisions could I have possibly made that they all led to such."
"I don't know." The woman said. "You do not appear in the future. Not ten years from now, twenty, five, a month, tomorrow or even the next minute. I can not see you no matter how I try."
"What does that mean?"
"It means that unlike other people, your role or place in the future is not set in stone, it is always changing, and that all depends on the decisions you make." She replied. "It is a burden you unfortunately have to carry, and I wanted you to know as early as possible so that you think carefully on any decisions you make from here on."
Harry's smile did not have any humor. "If it is a hero you're looking for, then you're looking in the wrong place."
"I don't need you to be a hero, Mr. Potter." She shook her head. "I just want you to know that your decisions don't just affect you, that's all. And if there comes a time when you'd like some help on making such decisions, you can come and find me."
"How exactly do I tell what decisions are supposed to be...of the most effect?"
"But that is the beauty of it, Harry...you can't." And with that, his vision went black.
When he opened his eyes again, he was back in his body and was lying on his bed. In his hand was a small piece of paper with an address written on it.
177A Bleecker Street
-TRNT-
Harry silently arrived at the Astronomy tower and immediately pulled his coat closer to his body as a shiver went through him. It was early morning here, he hadn't bothered to check what time it had been back at the mansion. Still disturbed from his spiritual meeting with the 'Sorcerer Supreme', he had showered swiftly and put on some clothes, a pair of Jean's with a blue and white long-sleeved shirt, along with a thick coat, before leaving very fast. He did not want to speak with Ranulph, especially given the fact that he had dragged the mage's daughter off to fight, moments after the man had just asked him to protect her.
Looking over the destroyed grounds, Harry couldn't help but grimace at what he saw. While the bodies had been removed, there was no doubt to anyone that would look that this was a former battlefield. He could still feel the lingering effects of destruction magic in the air, it hung over the castle like a dark cloud or a wet blanket, and he did not want to experience that feeling for longer than neccessary.
Thinking back on the battle, he couldn't help but remember the Sorcerer Supreme's words, had this all been caused as a result of his decision? If he had agreed to Loki's terms, the god wouldn't have resurrected Voldemort, and this battle would never have happened. Harry could also bet on the fact that the Asgardian had a hand in the young Tom Riddle's waking up as well though he couldn't imagine how Loki had been involved in that. What he did know however was that Voldemort wouldn't have been strong enough to resurrect by himself this soon, and it was all because Loki wanted to punish Harry.
Harry's decision to run away from England certainly was a catalyst to all that happened here. There was no doubt about that, that lent credibility to the woman's story, in this case atleast. However, if Harry hadn't left England, he wouldn't have met Shevaun which led to her father and then he wouldn't have found out more about what he was. He was certainly stronger now than he would have been had he remained in England, serving under Loki no less. Loki wanted chaos, and with Harry under his command, he would have certainly caused quite a lot, probably even more so than he had.
Either way, Harry did not regret running away. It may have led to suffering for a lot of people but if he got another chance to decide, he was pretty sure he wouldn't choose any differently. Like he had told the woman, he was no hero, and if confronted with a decision that either benefited the world or him, Harry would pick himself first, there wasn't even a single doubt in his mind about that.
As he descended from the tower, he couldn't help but think back on his life before he had joined Hogwarts. Back then he was a ghost, he lived for himself and no one bothered him. As a matter of fact, nobody even remembered him unless he wanted them to. He didn't have the fate of the universe balancing on his decisions, and all he did was eat and sleep for the better part of the day. Those were simpler days, and quite honestly, he actually missed that life.
The halls were empty as Harry navigated them, all the students had probably gone back home as soon as they got the chance. Parents had been worried for their kids, and had probably been waiting for the battle to end just so they can get them. Then again, it is possible that most parents had been part of the battle as well given that the purebloods were in complete support for Voldemort. More than half of the students were likely orphans, the muggleborns' parents were probably even unaware of what had been transpiring with their kids.
It wasn't long before he arrived at the kitchens, hoping to find the others there. When he entered, he found that one side of the kitchens had been cleared and three beds had been put there. One had Daphne and Tracey, the other had Shevaun and Hermione while another one had Neville. The house elves and the other muggleborns were nowhere to be seen.
Harry walked over to Neville's bed. The boy was thin, and pale as a ghost, if it wasn't for the steady rising and falling of his chest, as well as Harry's enhanced hearing that picked up the faint beating of his heart, he would have thought he was dead. He watched the other boy, wondering what had been done to him and if he had also gone through the same experience as the muggleborns whom he had seen in the kitchens.
"He won't wake up." Harry was aware that Daphne had been awake when he entered and so wasn't startled to hear her voice. "His situation may be even worse than the muggleborns."
"Where did you find him?" Harry asked without even turning around.
"In the headmaster's office." Daphne replied, shifting on the bed. "Your friend thinks that Riddle tried to do to him what he had done with the muggleborns but failed. Instead, he ended up turning him into the very state his parents used to be in."
And speaking of Neville's parents, no one had mentioned them during the meeting at Sirius's place, they probably hadn't recovered completely yet which meant that they were still at St. Mungo's when Voldemort's Death Eaters attacked it on Christmas eve.
Turning around, Harry got his first good look at Daphne since he had come back to England. The girl had grown quite a bit, maybe not as much as Harry, but she had grown way more than she should have in a few months. As a matter of fact she looked to be in fourth year rather than second year. And she had grown quite pretty too, though it was a bit shadowed by the bugs around her eyes... Harry frowned, wondering where that thought had come from.
"Are you okay?" The girl asked on seeing Harry's frown.
"Yeah." He said. "What about you, did you get any sleep?"
"Not really." She shook her head. "I just keep thinking back on what would have happened to us if your friend hadn't showed up when she did."
Shuddering, she wrapped her arms around her waist as if to ward off the cold and Harry wondered what to do. She looked like she was in desperate need of comforting, but Harry didn't know where to begin, he hadn't exactly been close to her, certainly not as close as he was with Shevaun.
Thankfully, Tracey seemed to have been woken by Daphne's voice. She brought her thin arms up and wrapped them around d her friend from behind. Resting her chin on the bigger girl's shoulder, the brunette whispered in her ear, though Harry heard it just fine.
"Hey, everything is going to be okay. You protected us, long enough for Shevaun to arrive, against more powerful and skilled students no less." She said. "You're very strong Daph, and because of you nothing happened to us. We are alive and very safe, besides, Harry is here, do you really want to appear weak infront of some stinking boy?"
"Hey!" Harry protested even though he wasn't really offended.
It did the trick though and Daphne snorted before she started outright laughing, Tracey joining her not much later. Harry found himself smiling as well, he could imagine what had probably almost happened given the little knowledge he had so far of what had been happening here under Riddle's rule.
"Hey keep it down!" It seemed the girl's laughter had woken up Shevaun. "We are trying to sleep here."
"Quiet!" Hermione snapped sleepily next to Shevaun. "In trying to sleep."
"Wha... are you being serious right now?!"
"Good morning Shevaun, Hermione." Harry greeted them and Hermione groaned as she covered her head with the blankets while Shevaun just glared. "Have you been holed up here the entire time?"
When Shevaun just continued glaring, Daphne, now looking more like herself answered for her. "After finding Neville, we came back here as we didn't know where to go. The house elves were happy enough to get us beds and things to cover ourselves."
"And what happened to the other students that were here."
"They were there when we came back but weren't when I woke up." She answered. "Maybe they were taken to the hospital wing or St. Mungo's?"
"St. Mungo's was destroyed by Death Eaters on Christmas eve."
"What?!" It was Hermione who exclaimed, sitting up in the bed.
"Oh, bloody hell." Shevaun grumbled as she covered her head with her pillow.
"But...Neville's parents were there!" Hermione said, worry clear on her face.
"Well from what I heard, people were already aware that the Dark Lord had risen again and the Death Eaters had escaped even before he made his move to take over the ministry." Harry started. "Dumbledore's allies must have expected the Dark Lord or his death Eaters to try and finish what they started on Halloween so they had probably gotten them out already."
"But you don't know for certain."
"No, I'll just have to ask Black when I see him." Harry replied. "And speaking of which, I'll back in a few."
Harry left the kitchens and headed towards the hospital wing. He was hoping that he was right, Neville had already gone through too much and it would be a shame to wake up only to find that his parents were dead. That is if he is able to wake up at all.
It didn't take him long to arrive at the hospital wing. He may not have visited it that often while he was here but Harry sure he was one of the few people that knew nearly every nook and cranny of the castle. He entered the hospital and looked around. It had been divided into two parts, on side had eighteen beds all which had unconscious students, probably the muggleborns. The other side had people that had been hurt in the battle yesterday, he could see some he remembered had been present during the meeting with the Order.
He saw McGonagall on one bed, she was covered with blankets and was unconscious, next to her was Flitwick, the tiny professor in a similar state. There was also Moody, the rough looking war veteran looking like he wanted nothing more than to get out of here, though from what Harry had seen last night, the man had lost both his legs, it was likely that he may never walk again, atleast not with his normal human legs. Madam Pomfrey was working on him and she looked up upon Harry's entrance. She glared at him and Harry was wondering what he could have possibly done to garner the woman's ire.
"Mr. Potter, I'm glad that you're finally here. You sure took your time." She said as she approached. "Come on, Albus won't take any treatment without talking to you, as if whatever he has to say can't wait."
She led him to the very end of the hospital wing to a bed that was partly hidden by a curtain. She pulled back the curtain and Harry got a look at the headmaster. He looked frail, his face was pale and there was a sheen of sweat covering his skin and he looked like he was battling a high fever. An occasional shiver shook his frail form though he attempted a smile which came off more as a grimace when he saw them.
"Thank you, Poppy." The man said, his voice weak, his usually vibrant eyes were dull. "Can I have one last one if you don't mind?"
Madam Pomfrey grumbled but still handed him a vial which Albus caught with his shaking arm and downed in one single gulp. "That is the tenth one you have taken, Albus. I swear to Merlin I'm going to stun you if you ask for another."
"Don't worry yourself, I won't." Dumbledore replied jovially, the color back in his face and no longer looking like death warmed over. The potion, whatever it was called had done an admirable job. The man looked more alive and it seemed that he had regained some energy as he sat up in the bed. "Take a seat, Harry, there are a few things we need to talk about."
Harry sat on the bed which creaked slightly from his weight.
"I'd like to start by thanking you for saving my life, had you not arrived the moment you did, I'm afraid we wouldn't be having this conversation." Dumbledore said with a smile. "Unfortunately, despite what Poppy may believe, I'm not long for this world. My body is a little too old for the amount of punishment it took last night, im afraid this might be our last conversation."
As soon as Harry had seen Dumbledore, he had known immediately that the man was going to die. He couldn't explain how he did, he just knew, like a guy feeling, Dumbledore apparently knew as well, which was why he hadn't bothered with having Pomfrey waste time trying to heal him.
"I have made many mistakes throughout my entire life, especially when it came to you. Mistakes I wish I could have done differently, and because of those mistakes, I destroyed any chance I had of having a relationship with you. A relationship which would have been real useful especially when it came to fighting Voldemort." Dumbledore said. "And after today, you're going to have to face him by yourself. We both know he is not truly gone, with the prophecy tying the two of you together, it is inevitable that you will meet again."
He paused, and took a long breath.
"There is a way to stop it though, I wasn't sure at first but after meeting the young Tom Riddle, I'm very sure of what Voldemort did to ensure that he doesn't die." He continued. "There is a vile type of magic which allows someone to tear their soul into pieces, pieces you can place in an item and as long as that item is intact, one's soul will be tethered to the mortal realm."
Harry was frowning as he considered the man's words. He remembered the diary, it had felt familiar and evil when Harry picked it up. He didn't have it however when he came back from his fight with Loki which meant that he had dropped it during the action. He would have to go back for it after his talk with Dumbledore.
"How many do you think he made?"
"I can't say for certain. You should speak to Professor Slughorn as I believe he was the one to bring the idea to him." Dumbledore was beginning to get pale again. "Finding them might be marginally easier for you because I suspect that you might be one yourself."
"What?!"
"I can't say for certain, it would take an expert at soul magic to know for certain and unfortunately I'm not one. However, I believe that Voldemort had planned on making another horcrux that night on Halloween and when he was killed, another part of his soul lodged itself in your scar." He looked at Harry imploringly. "If it turns out that you're one though, I hope you can make the right decision."
Harry knew someone who was an expert at soul magic, someone who had apparently scanned him the night he was dropped at the Dursleys. If Dumbledore's theory was correct, then Ranulph should have detected another soul residing in his body. He was going to have a serious talk with the man.
"Are you asking me to commit suicide?" Harry asked, amusement clear in his voice. The idea that he would have to kill himself for Voldemort to die was just plain ridiculous that his mind didn't even entertain it for a even a second.
"Neither can live while the other survives." Dumbledore quoted the prophecy. The sheen of sweat had returned and he was shivering once again. "Your fates are tied, Harry, whether you like it or not. Whatever decision you make however will be yours and yours alone. But it will affect everyone, whether they know you or not. I learned that lesson the hard way... costing me nearly everyone I loved."
Dumbledore swallowed. He was shivering and laid back on the bed, his bleary eyes sought out Harry.
"My wand... take it... you're now its master." He said. "I wasn't... worthy of it and the power... it offered. Never really achieved it's full potential... I think... you're the rightful owner, use it well. Goodbye, Harry. And I'm truly sorry."
Dumbledore looked at Harry one last time before he turned back and looked at the ceiling. Closing his eyes, he let out a long breath and his chest didn't rise again. He stared at the man he used to admire, hate and fear at the same time. Seeing his face truly relaxed for probably the first time in his life, he couldn't help but understand the burden he had been carrying. Being the strongest person around, it was no surprise that the majority of responsibility had fallen on his shoulders. And if Harry wasn't careful, he just might end up in the same kind of position.
"He is gone, isn't he?" Madam Pomfrey said from next to Harry, lost in his thoughts, he hadn't even heard her arriving.
"Yes." He said simply. "You don't seem surprised."
"I am a healer, Mr. Potter, I can tell when someone has given up." She replied. "I could tell he was only clinging on so he may speak with you, I just hoped I could make his passing as painless as possible."
"I think you succeeded on that part." Harry assured her. "I'm sorry for your loss."
She just nodded and covered his face with the sheet as Harry silently left, but not before picking the wand he had been given from the stool next to the bed. With Dumbledore's death, things were going to change in the magical world, a lot of people had died in the last few days. Death Eaters had hunted down and killed a lot of people in their crusade of cleansing the magical world, mostly muggleborns and half-bloods. And then a marjory of those Death Eaters were killed last night. There was also the people who had been killed at St. Mungo's by rouge Death Eaters, in other words, the population of magical Britain had been halved in the course of two months, there was no recovering from that.
Whatever happened after this, Harry wanted no part of it. He wanted to get as far away as he could from the magical world. He had his life to live, and he planned on living it away from whatever responsibilities the magical world would no doubt try to lay on him.
The moment he stepped out of the hospital wing, Harry disappeared silently and reappeared again in Africa right on top of the runic circle he had drawn to summon Thor. He didn't have to look very far to find the diary, guided by the prickling in his scar. When he picked it up, he felt a kinship with it, and he could feel that it was emanating from his scar. Turns out Dumbledore was right about the soul fragment in his scar.
He was just about to teleport away when he heard a rustle behind him. He spun around, his newly acquired wand appearing in his wand without any prompting. He relaxed however when he saw who had actually managed to sneak up on him. It was a young girl, probably around five years old. She had tattoos across her arms and was looking at him with wide eyes.
"Whoa, you're fast." She said, her voice full of wonder as she looked at a screen infront of her that was coming from her watch. "And huge for apparently a twelve-year-old. Are all whites huge like you?"
Harry cocked his head to the side as he assessed the girl. "Hello, how are you?"
She walked around him, looking him up and down.
"You're a wizard, aren't you?" She asked when she stopped infront of him. "You're not going to cast any spells on me, are you?"
"No." Harry said. "What's your name?"
"My name is Shuri, Princess of Wakanda." She told him. "Yesterday, strange readings were recorded coming from here but when the Dora Milaje came to investigate, they found nothing. So I came to see for myself and here we are."
"And what have you found?" Harry asked, the girl was clearly smarter than her age.
"You were part of what happened here. The energy you used to teleport here is similar to what was recorded." She looked at him with large eyes. "Will you be willing to tell me about it?"
He was about to answer when something suddenly leaped from the trees and right at Harry. For a second he thought it was some kind of animal but as it got closer, he realized that it was a man in a cat-like suit. Despite how fast the figure was moving, Harry had no trouble dodging to the side. Claws dug into the ground as the figure stopped its momentum.
Harry had gotten in a fighting stance but before either figures could react, Shuri stepped between them and pointed her left hand that was suddenly encased in a glowing gauntlet at the black figure.
"Brother, stop!" She barked, her small voice high pitched. "He is my friend."
Harry found himself raising an eyebrow, he had barely exchanged a dozen words with her and she was calling him her friend?
The figure didn't listen and jumped over her towards Harry just as the gauntlet shot electricity at it. The man inside the suit grunted and fell down on his back as he spasmed. By the time the electricity had stopped affecting him, Harry had dissapeared.
Shuri glared at her brother. "Now you have chased him away."
-TRNT-
Harry appeared on the Astronomy tower once again. He hadn't in his wildest dreams ever expected to have any contact with Wakanda, let alone the two royals he had just met. Of course he knew about Wakanda, the only place in the world that had vibranium. It was rumored to be the most technologically advanced nation on earth though nobody knew for certain. He wasn't about to fight with its prince though, and that was why he had left, not to mention he really wasn't in a fighting mood despite having fully recovered from the punishment he had received from Loki.
Going back to the kitchens, he found the girls waiting for him. The three students had their property with them along with Neville's.
"About bloody time." Shevaun said. "Where the hell have you been?"
"I was talking to Dumbledore." Harry answered. "So, are you ready to go back?"
"Yeah, but you're going to first take these ones to their homes first."
"Oh, am I cab now?" He raised an eyebrow.
"You should consider yourself lucky to even do that much." Shevaun replied. "Now hurry up, I'm very hungry."
The others just looked on at the interaction with surprise. This was not like the Harry they remembered at all.
Rolling his eyes, Harry looked at the students. "Well, who is going first?"
"That would be me." Hermione said before hugging the others and heaving her trunk towards Harry.
He picked it up without any trouble and asked her to hold onto her arm before they both disappeared. He appeared in the sitting room of her parents' home. Said parents were there and jumped at their appearance before they engulfed their daughter in a tight hug. The girl was crying while they tried to comfort her. Feeling like he was intruding, Harry disappeared silently without any of them noticing.
Next he took Tracey and Daphne to Daphne's place. Luckily, the house was still standing and her parents just like Hermione's were there, this time he didn't wait to see their reaction, especially given that the two were pointing their wands at the group that had suddenly appeared in their living group.
"How did you even know where to take them?" Shevaun asked.
"I don't know, I just did." He shrugged. "Well, what about him?" Harry asked gesturing at Neville.
"We are taking him with us." Shevaun said. "I'm going to ask father to help him."
"Okay." Harry said and lifted the unresponsive boy from the bed. Shevaun picked up Neville's trunk and placed her hand on his shoulder. Harry took a deep breath before they disappeared and reappeared in Harry's bedroom.
He stumbled slightly, breathing heavily from the amount of power he had just used but straightened and gently placed the boy on his bed. He stood up and turned around only to come face to face with Ranulph. The man did not look happy, and his dark eyes were glaring at him.
"Hello, Harry." He said, voice hard and cold. "We need to talk."
-TRNT-
AN: Well, this chapter turned out nothing like I had expected at all.
As you can see, Harry may have changed a bit but some things are still the same. He is no hero and doesn't consider himself as such, he prefers to be by himself, and despite saving his former friends, he doesn't give them much thought, Shevaun on the other hand however...
On the other hand, Shevaun is too years older than Harry which means she is already experiencing puberty, and Harry will be hitting his soon. Now I'm not very good at writing romance, and it be a central part in this story, but it should be interesting navigating puberty along with those two.
I believe the Ancient one wouldn't have gotten involved because she was aware that she wasn't needed, just like with Loki's invasion in 'Avengers'. However, she will play a central rule in the future.