I do not own anything from the harry potter universe, unfortunately.
"Normal Talking"
'Thoughts'
"Parseltongue"
So Harry and Jones sat at the table in the Library just basking in the temporary silence. Daphne, Hermione, and Susan sat on either side of Harry just looking between the two adoptive siblings.
"So, is this how you feel whenever this kind of stuff happens to me?" Harry asked looking towards Hermione who sighed and nodded.
"More or less," Hermione said.
"Wow... this is weird," Harry said.
"Yup, you're not the only one who can have weird shite happen to them," Jones said with a grin and Harry raised his hands in surrender.
"Hey, I am more than willing to spread the luck. But it's still a lot to take in, I mean you met Death. The actual Grim Reaper and he gave you a job." Harry said shaking his head at the situation it truly was a unique experience to have this sort of strange happening to someone else.
"Yup."
"And you ate pizza? In Chicago?" Harry continued and Jones just nodded again. Harry couldn't help but laugh at that.
"He gave me a way to summon him but I will need some things. You destroyed the Gaunt ring already right?" Jones asked and Harry nodded.
"Did it leave something behind?" She asked and again Harry nodded.
"Dobby!" Harry called and the elf popped next to him.
"Master Harrys be needing Dobby?"
"Yes, the Gemstone I gave you to store the one from the ring can you bring it to me please," Harry asked and Dobby quickly popped away and reappeared with a small cloth pouch. Harry took it and thanked Dobby before she popped away again.
"Here it is," Harry said sliding the pouch across the table Jones grabbed it pulling at the strings opened it, and dumped the stone on her hand. As soon as the small black stone touched her palm she could feel it. A sort of whispy chill just like with the Wand when she took it from Dumbledore.
"It's amazing two pieces of The Deathly Hallows and Dumbledore had one for who knows how many years," Daphne said as Jones took out the Elder wand and placed the two Hallows next to each other.
"And now the cloak," Jones said and Hermione handed it over, She grabbed it when Jones had asked for it.
"All three Hallows together make one the master of Death," Susan said these three objects might be some of the most legendary relics in all of Europe right up there with Excalibur.
"Yeah, I think I will just summon him one little time and never try again," Jones said.
"So now we need to draw Vahlkiel out and find a way to hold him so Jones can summon Death," Hermione said and Daphne spoke up.
"Why not just summon Death now? Have him here and ready to go?" The blonde witch asked but Jones quickly shook her head.
"No, I have to summon Death when we have the Vahlkiel that's what he said. I'd rather not screw this up as I don't think even Harry will have enough firepower to deal with Vahlkiel if I mess up." Jones said as she stared at the legendary artifacts on the table.
"I have a few summoning spells and spells that can hold him Umbra Serpentis for instance," Harry suggested.
"But he can just shift his form, right? He could slip out of your hold, we need something like a cage a temporary seal." Jones said as she began to go through all the spells she knew to see if something could work.
"Ah!" Susan suddenly shouted and jumped up surprising everyone. Before they could ask what was wrong she shot out of the room slightly off-center as she was still getting used to her leg. It was a minute before she came back and her Necronomicon in her hands as she flipped through the pages. She placed the open tome on the table and pushed it so everyone could see.
"What about this?" She asked as the group looked over and read the title of the entry.
"Ouroboros Constriction?" Hermione read and Susan nodded.
"Yeah, it's a sealing spell of sorts that uses the skeleton of a snake. It's not meant to be permanent and the bigger the snake the bigger the seal will be." Susan said as Daphne traced her fingers over some lines reading it.
"It says you'll have to prepare the skeleton first how long will this take?" Daphne asked and Susan quickly counted in her head.
"With your help Daphne we can get it done in a day or two maybe longer depending on how big of a serpent we can get our hands on."
"How about a Basilisk-sized one?" Harry suggested and Susan's eyes widened then she grinned.
"It'd probably take some time but with a skeleton that powerful we'd be able to hold Vahlkiel for at least a few minutes."
"Will that be enough time?" Hermione wondered and Jones nodded.
"It has to be, unfortunately Death was a bit reclusive with how I would summon him. He said that I should gather the artifacts and call upon him when the time is right."
"That's it? No incantation, no ritual?" Daphne asked.
"Not that he told me he was very mysterious," Jones said and they sat in silence for a moment. The girls looked between Jones and Harry and could tell that they needed a moment. So with quiet excuses they left and only Harry and Megan were left in the room. Harry tapped his fingers and Jones sighed.
"I'm sorry." They both said at the same time, they stumbled a bit before Jones began.
"You were right Harry I was taking stupid risks and trying to keep it a secret didn't help," Jones said and Harry nodded.
"I do understand what you were doing Megan I was just worried."
"Yeah, it's nice to have someone worry about me again. I promise that I'll be more careful but I can't just stop that would be a boon for Riddle, not us." Jones said and Harry sighed.
"Demona," Harry called and his hound appeared in a swirl of dark smoke and hellish sparks. She huffed and nudged Harry who patted her large snout.
"While the Demon is hunting you I think it would be better if Demona sticks with you for now. I have one more thing I need to complete for my Grimoire after that the first thing I am teaching all of you is how to summon a Hellhound of your own." Harry said and Jones smirked as Demona padded over to her.
"Mine's going to be bigger than yours." She joked and Demona huffed again blowing hot air into the Jones's face as she laughed.
"So you deal with the Demon and I keep working on Riddle," Harry said.
"Yup, two fronts if Riddle wins it's bad if Vahlkiel wins it's worse. Once Susan and Daphne finish up getting your Basilisk skeleton ready we take care of the Primordial Demon then take out his master." Jones said and Harry chuckled.
"Sounds so simple."
"In war, a lot of things that turn the tide are rather simple, just difficult to execute." The two sat in silence for a moment before Harry stood up.
"Well, then I have no time to waste make sure that no one goes to the training yard. I want to do this on my own." Harry said and Jones nodded as she got up as well but not before gathering the Deathly Hallows. Harry went to his room and retrieved his Grimoire.
"Alright Grindelwald let's see what the last step is," Harry said and made his way down to the training yard. This was the final thing he had to do to master this book and be able to teach not just Jones but everyone he loves some of his magic. Once he reached the training yard he flipped through his Grimoire passing every spell he's learned up until that point. Every obscure piece of Arcane knowledge.
Until he reached the final pages passing through those he arrived at the final ritual.
The final step of a journey can be one of two experiences. Pure relief and accomplishment, or the single hardest final step you take. Magic is no different for years scores of Witches and Wizards have fought for control either over the society they live in or the magic that courses through their veins. I have taught you how to control and guide magic and use it in ways that no one else could know. Now you will have to relinquish all control.
Okay, that was new, even his most recently learned spell the true form of Fiendfyre needed some direction. This would be the first time that anything from Grindelwald required him to let go in such a way.
It seems odd I know but to wield magic and truly understand it you must understand that you can never truly control it. You can train you can master every spell ever conceived on this world since the dawn of Man. But in the end, there is no true master of magic, and for this final ritual that is what you must embrace. Beyond the instruction on how to enact this ritual I can tell you no more about it. It is an experiance that you must take alone and something that is to only be shared within your family and no other. Even if I wanted to explain what is about to occur there is no human terminology that could come close. The only advice I can give is this, let go.
This is both simple yet difficult but once this is complete the Grimoire will recognize you as a true Grindelwald and you may teach those who you see fit. This is the last of my legacy for you to take, good luck.
Harry read that and was a bit confused. There was no description of what the ritual would do. There were instructions but no details of its effect it was quite literally a surrender of all control and a leap of faith. But Harry didn't get this far just to stop this was the last thing he needed to do. So taking a look at the ritual he brandished his wand and started to use magic to draw the required magic circle on the ground. He followed the directions it was a circle with several geometrical designs mixed with flowing lines all bordered with runes that he didn't recognize.
The whole circle was then surrounded by a six-pointed star and on each tip of the star, an additional smaller circle was placed. In those circles, singular runes were drawn and after a few careful minutes, Harry was confident that he had drawn the circle to perfection. He had made it a point to draw it around himself as he began to read the next step.
It required a mixture of Purgatory fire, Hellfire, and Fiendfyre. He began with Hell fire marking the lines with the crimson flame that he guided with his hands. Next with his wand, he summoned a whirl of Azure flame as it spun around and condensed into six spheres looking almost like stars and floated above the six outer circles. After that, he could feel the magic around him stirred strangely. It was like that moment when the wind picked up just before a storm hit.
An invisible vortex that only he could perceive began to slowly churn around him. With a little hesitance, he whipped his wand and the roaring head of his Fiendfyre Hydra came to life. He did as his Grimoire said and relinquished control and to his surprise each head roared before coiling around the circle and the runes within the main circle glowed that maddening yellow.
His heart hammered in his chest as the whirlwind that began now became a tornado the sand of the training yard spinning around him but nothing touched him or disturbed the circle he had drawn.
His senses were overtaken and an invisible force lifted him off the ground his immediate instinct was to resist but with great effort he didn't fight it. He floated in the air feeling more helpless than he had ever felt in a while. His wand was still in his hand but he didn't feel the same control that he had become accustomed to with magic.
The pure energy that he could call upon now raged around him. It made him feel like nothing more than a boat in the middle of an ocean during a hurricane. Flashes of light whirled around him as the thrum of magic became more and more apparent to him. Like a deep voice rumbling through a mountain pass.
It flicked around him over taking him then suddenly washing away and doing it over and over like crashing waves. He registered a new kaleidoscope of colors from beneath him and a sudden spiral of red, blue, and yellow enveloped him with a roar. They were soon joined by other colors greens, purples, white even hints of black like a sudden bolt of negative light shot through his vision.
He was falling or at least he thought he was or was he going further up? Harry was overtaken as this cyclone of pigments spun around him but he didn't blink he didn't do anything but allow the spectacle to pass with no interruption. Then it became quiet and black, not dark he could see himself but the world around him was just empty. The vivid colors and chaotic roar of magic were gone.
He blinked and when he opened his eyes he was not alone. He saw... well he saw himself. Hundreds of thousands perhaps even more some were older others were younger. Some looked strikingly different and others looked just like he did. He noticed something flashes of other people around them like mirages and again he recognized some of them. He recognized the mirages of Daphne, Susan, and Hermione. Glimpses of Megan Jones and all of his friends. But the different version seemed to orbit one of his other selves.
And the way his other selves looked often matched what the mirages looked like. Like one version of himself looked older and rugged like he had not seen proper civilization for years and around him mirages of Daphne and... Pansy? And Narcissa too all orbited him with flashes of Hermione as well.
Another looked like him if slightly taller and more muscular than he was now. With the Mirage of a girl he didn't recognize and what looked like a black wolf but not Demona and another mirage of a white Dragon around him.
But no matter which version of himself he saw they were all staring ahead at something and that was when something new appeared. A large being that Harry couldn't even begin to comprehend.
It was colossal no even bigger than that. It looked like it could hold the entire solar system in its hand like marbles. Its body was like it had made several galaxies and turned them into a robe that flowed off it. It was humanoid in a way but definitely not human. It had an angular but featureless face that had several whispy protrusions like glowing feathers made of stars.
It was sitting and in its lap a large sphere of light that shot flares of vibrant color that shot into the darkness. Some of its light spilled over the being legs and Harry saw how it flowed like a web of rivers into each of his versions and he followed one strand that led to him. His body felt heavy and he realized he wasn't breathing but he was suffocating either.
He felt hot tears run down his face as he looked back up. The being was so uncaring did it even register its existence? What was he what was anyone compared to this? He could have a million guesses as to what this being was but he also knew deep in some deep part of his soul that he'd be wrong. He could guess that this was magic personified or perhaps the creator of the universe but that was wrong.
How could anyone truly know what this being was? But Harry didn't need to know as the weight of his body began to lessen as he accepted he would never know. He could spend a thousand lifetimes guessing and theorizing and it would be for naught. He was small and insignificant to this being. But that's okay he didn't need to capture this being's attention he understood his place at the moment.
Once he realized that a sudden flash of light filled one side of his vision while the other went dark and just as suddenly he was back in the training yard.
He was lying down looking up at the sky as white clouds floated above. There was no magic chaotically spinning around him no rush of power. Just him in an empty circle he had drawn in the sand the magic he fused it with had ended there was no light of colors. Just Harry lying down and watching the clouds roll by.
"Darling?" He heard the voice of Daphne call him as Hermione and Susan approached him. He turned and saw them but he also saw something else like an aura around them. Hermione's was this gentle blue color like crystal clear and it flowed from her in gentle streams. Susan had this warm gold-orange color to her like a sunset. And Daphnes was this pink color with varying hues.
Harry began to notice more of these colorful streams around him. He realized that if he focused he could see the golden domes of his ancient wards and the modern wards that Saurfang had installed as well.
"Harry what happened to your eye!?" Hermione suddenly exclaimed and kneeled down to him, staring at his left eye intently. Her aura became agitated as he lifted his hand and noticed his aura that was green with hints of red and blue.
"Are you alright? Jones told us you were doing your last ritual but it all happened so quickly." Susan said and gently lifted him to sit.
"It was just a flash of light after you finished then you just were laying here," Daphne said concern on her face just like the others. He looked at them and smiled. He had seen so many different versions of himself but he wouldn't want to change a thing. He might've been small but not here in this world. In this world, he was loved and he wouldn't change a thing.
"I am fine. What's wrong with my eye?" Harry asked despite all these new things he was seeing he couldn't see himself obviously.
"Well, it's silver now," Daphne said and Herimone expertly conjured a mirror for him to look at. Harry noticed that when she did her aura flowed through her wand and began almost gold as it formed the mirror she made. Hermione then held up the Mirror and Harry looked at his eyes his right eye was still his regular emerald color but his left eye had become silver as silver he recognized. It was the same silver the Grindelwald had and Harry began to understand the man a bit more.
His deep love of freedom and not living in a hidden society. How he viewed magic as neither good nor bad. At first, Harry simply thought he was being a bit optimistic with his thinking. But after seeing what Harry had seen. How could you try to put magic into categories of good or evil? It didn't care just like how a tsunami doesn't care.
It also explained why Grindelwald was willing to go to war with the world not because he was a mad power-hungry maniac. But what was the reason for living your life in the shadows? Harry looked over picked up the Grimoire and flicked through it until he got to a rather simple spell. The Umbra spells to be specific and read some instructions.
The girl's eyes all widened as he did and Harry smiled.
"I take it you could hear me that time?" Harry asked and they nodded. He grinned then stood seeing all these flowing energies around him was a bit nauseating. He opened his grimoire again and the last blank page now had a bit of mirage-like letters written on it. It was more instruction just letting him know that his new sight would take a while to get used to but a trick to help would be blocking it until he got used to it.
"I can see things," Harry said, and Hermione the ever curious asked what he meant. "I think it's magic all around us like auras and when you made this mirror your aura shifted a bit," Harry said handing the mirror back to Hermione who vanished it.
"But anything else that is different?" Daphne asked using her hands looking for any abnormalities on his body.
"No, at least not that I can tell," Harry said and took a deep breath the sights from his new eye were becoming a bit overwhelming.
"Hermione, can you make me an eye patch please?" Harry asked and Hermione did so. Placing it over his he sighed in relief he could still see hints of color but not nearly as vivid or bright as before.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Daphne asked and Harry smiled and kissed her.
"Yes, I am but how about I teach you something yeah?" Harry said excited over the prospect of being able to teach his loves his magic.
"Is that alright you don't think you should take a break?" Susan asked though she just like the other two was excited at the prospect. Harry shook his head.
"No this has been put on hold long enough," Harry said and flipped his Grimoire to the first spells he began to learn. "We'll start at the beginning." He said and began to read the first instructions from his Grimoire to the girls. Inside both Jones and Sirius were looking at the group with small smiles.
"Feeling better?" Sirius asked and Jones scoffed.
"I was already fine old man... but thanks all the same." She responded and Sirius smirked at her.
"There has been more activity around Diagon Alley lately suspected Death Eaters but none of them were marked," Sirius said turning serious for a moment.
"Any ideas why?"
"Best guess is that they are scouting for another attack even though they did enough damage with their last one. Most shops have closed up for the time being Ollivander has moved to Hogsmeade and moved his merchandise there as well. Hogsemede is also getting some Auror details and Amelia is making sure we can do the same with Hogwarts."
"So with Dumbledore out of the picture, it will actually be the safest place in all of Britain?" Jones joked mildly and Sirius nodded.
"Yup, McGonagall is even talking about having families hosted there for the time being since they have more than enough room. At least for the student's families."
"Daphne's folks and Hermione's parents are going to get here in a few days. Amelia is going to stay here too, good idea so now Riddle can't find them even with his Demon help." Jones said.
"And his other friends?" Sirius asked.
"Neville's grandmother is being stubborn and Tracey's parents have accepted as well so they'll be here too. Blaise's mother is a bit of a concern since she's been a true traditionalist and has a dubious string of coincidences under her belt. Luna's dad has declined for now and Pansy... well after her father was killed her mother took her and fled to France I believe." Jones answered as she watched Harry take on the role of teacher for his girlfriends.
"Until Riddle is taken out that might've been the smartest move she could've made. But there might be an uproar from other families if Amelia does house the student's families at Hogwarts. There is just nowhere to have everyone be safe."
"We make do with what we can, we just need to figure out where Riddle is hiding. Strike him directly after we deal with this demon."
"Where are you on that front?" Sirius asked.
"We have a plan I'll make a little trip to Gringotts and Harry can join me later, coming with?" Jones asked and Sirius nodded.
"Yeah right behind you," Sirius said as the pair got one last look at the group before turning for the main hall.
"Where are you off to?" Blaise asked as he passed them in the hall.
"Gringotts let Harry know to meet us there when he's ready," Jones said and Blaise nodded before catching up to Luna. It was a quick trip to Gringotts through Diagon Alley with Jones and Sirius being able to see firsthand the destruction wrought by the Deatheaters. Most of the shops had been fixed already but some needed to get replacement materials as the spell damage was too severe for simple mending charms.
"I still don't get the attack on Diagon Alley. They steal some stuff and attack some shops but nothing else?" Sirius wondered as they made their way to Gringotts.
"I am still under the impression that it was a power move. The Death Eaters flaunting the fact that they are powerful and nasty." Jones said but she understood where Sirius was coming from. Even her theory didn't make much sense since it resulted in nothing but bolstering Amelia's campaign to crack down on all Dark Mark holders and pushing for executions.
So why waste time with a pointless display of destruction? Jones scanned the crowd and saw mainly Aurors and civilians but no one stood out. That's when they passed by Olivanders and Jones couldn't help the flood of memories of her first time stepping through those doors. How she received her first wand and it brought a smile to her face.
Upon reaching Gringotts the two noticed an increase in security. Goblins dressed in full armor along with a section of Aurors stood guard at nearly every point. A few Witches and Wizards were standing in the lobby either speaking with accountants or waiting their turn to do so. Each accountant was flanked on either side by a security detail. Walking up to the receptionist he nodded at the two.
"Lord Black, Madam Jones how may I be of assistance?" The Goblin asked and Jones noticed the beastly visages of Crumpled Horn Snorkacks on either side of the receptionist desk.
"I was hoping to discuss some matters with my Godsons account manager Saurfang is he available?" Sirius asked and the receptionist narrowed his eyes as he suddenly pressed something and Jones and Sirius were flanked on either side by Goblins.
"What's going on?" Jones asked not expecting this kind of response.
"Forgive me but we must verify your Identities you are asking after one of our VIPs after all. Please present your blood for a test if you will." The Goblin said and Sirius shared a look with Jones before carefully drawing his wand and pricking his finger with a quick spell followed by Jones.
The Goblin held out a parchment and they both pressed against it. He took it back and examined it before nodding and waving the guards away.
"I am sorry about that, but we've had instances of people under Polyjuice trying to embezzle funds from open accounts. They have all been questioned before being turned over to the Aurors I assure you. I will notify Saurfang of your arrival will Lord Harry Potter be joining us?"
"Yes he should be along shortly we just thought it was best to get our business started as soon as possible," Jones said and the receptionist nodded.
"Very good please have a seat and Saurfang will be with you momentarily." Sirius and Jones nodded and thanked the Goblin before sitting on one of the benches.
"Well glad to see they are being very careful," Sirius said and Jones nodded.
"Yeah, though it's kind of desperate isn't it? I mean Polyjuice of all things do they really think that that would work?" Jones said running through it in her mind.
"There a group of Pureblood radicals that view everyone else as lesser and stupid," Sirius said shrugging it off but Jones didn't. Even if what Sirius said is true Riddle was not so short-sighted or dumb. So either these incidents were done by desperate lords and ladies hoping to get some of their fortune back or they served some other purpose. Jones didn't get a chance to think on it long as Saurfang met them and quickly took them back into a meeting room.
"Lord Black, Madam Jones while I know that you are Family to Lord Potter I am afraid I cannot talk business with you without him present," Saurfang said as they took their seats.
"We know Saurfang and we hate to bother you but we are not interested in his accounts it is the Basilisk Skeleton. Have you rendered it down fully yet?" Jones asked and Saurfang nodded.
"Yes well the Skeleton is in the process of cleaning at the moment and most of the materials are being processed. Lord Potter as you know has gifted the meat to me but the skin and other organs are all his and are being stored safely." Saurfang informed.
"Wow, you work fast," Sirius said with a chuckle and Saurfang offered a toothless grin.
"Has the Bank been seeing much trouble, we've heard about the attempted thefts," Jones asked and Saurfang's grin turned to a sneer.
"Yes, not as much as you would expect but enough to warrant this increase in security."
"Have you increased Security throughout the Bank?" Jones asked.
"The interior of the Bank is largely the same we've only increased the security in the upper levels and the Lobby as that is the only way in or out."
"Are you sure?" Jones asked and Saurfang nodded firmly.
"Absolutely there is no other way into-" Saurfang's statement was cut off as a resounding boom thundered through the room and shook everything like an earthquake.
"What the bloody hell!?" Sirius said jumping to his feet along with the others. They quickly stormed out of the room and into the hall and were almost trampled by a squad of guards making their way to the Lobby. Saurfang grabbed one as he passed.
"What's going on!?" Saurfang demanded and the Guard growled in displeasure and anger.
"We're being attacked Death Eaters set off explosions in the Lobby we are under siege!" The Guard informed before running to rejoin his group. Saurfang growled as he re-entered his office.
"Saurfang do you have a Floo?" Sirius asked but the Goblin shook his head as he opened a secret door in the back of his office.
"No, we were supposed to get one installed within the week, there is an emergency Portkey until then one of my people will have informed the Ministry already," Saurfang said pulling the secret door open and revealing a set of Goblin Armor and a pair of goblin silver Battle Axes. Turning his back to it he held his arms out and the armor began to latch onto his body fastening themselves in place.
Once it was done he grabbed a helmet and placed it on and his two Axes. The helmet was styled in the visage of a beast but neither Jones nor Sirus could place it. Saurfang then rubbed the edges of his blades together and yellow sparks of electricity danced across the metal.
"Don't suppose you have a spare?" Sirius asked.
"Not in your size. Come, no one attacks my bank and lives." Saurfang said and marched past them. Sirius quickly followed after him and Jones did as well but not before looking back to the halls that lead deeper into the mine.
"Something doesn't feel right." She mumbled to herself and after a moment to clear her mind she conjured her Patronus in the form of a Golden Eagle. She hesitated but steeled herself as she spoke.
"Harry Gringotts is under attack... we'll need help I think it's a distraction." The Patronus flapped its wings before speeding away with her message. She looked down the Hall again and suddenly in a swirl of shadows Demona stood beside her.
"You sense something too huh?" Jones asked and got a huff in response as Demona looked to her and then bent down. Jones was a bit surprised but quickly grinned as she climbed onto the Hellhounds back.
"Let's go!"