Chapter 27: The reveal. A long time coming
Thank you to the person who pointed out my mistakes in the previous chapter. One it is Augustus Rookwood not Rockwood. Second the man dying twice was an error as he was killed by Arcturus Black in the Death Chamber. Please ignore him trying to attack Miwa from behind and dying when Harry snapped his fingers.
The Battle continues with a few surprises
The battle within the Ministry, if one could call it that—or could be more accurately described as a warzone—had renewed itself after Voldemort's arrival. All hell broke loose when the Death Eaters heard the Dark lord's orders, and they got their second wind and were now fighting harder than before. The chaos of battle intensified as all manner of spells were being thrown.
Speaking of battle, Harry and Voldemort were locked in a furious one, as their spells were a blur, with both of them fighting for dominance over the other. The waves of power coming off them, along with the sheer level of anger and hatred in the air, were frightening, to say the least. No one dared to intervene, as they could tell from the power and animosity surrounding them that this was personal. If that weren't enough, the ground beneath them started to shake from the amount of power being released.
Harry had no idea how long he and Voldemort had been dueling, but it was painfully clear that he was vastly more powerful than their previous duel in the graveyard. He was aware that, similar to Bellatrix and a couple members of his inner circle, he had also absorbed the magical cores from other individuals. Evidence by the amount of magic rolling off him. Harry literally felt like he was in hell as his body had a handful of cuts, bruises, and broken bones. Already, the healing ritual he performed was working overtime in trying to heal his injuries. Most others would be dead or wanting to run away, but he was not like most people. No, he would fight until he couldn't fight anymore. Until every one of his bones were smashed or destroyed, and if every drop of his blood boiled away, he would fight until the bitter end. But for now, he would need to be patient and bide his time because little did Voldemort know that this was only part of his plan. The final part will occur soon. Very soon.
Quickly rolling under a darker variation of the blood-boiling curse, Harry retaliated with a wide fire lash and a fiery purple energy orb. He enhanced the last spell with the elemental powers of wind and earth. Voldemort blocked the spell with a conjured shield. But the people behind him weren't so fortunate, as the resulting impact had killed them. Harry wanted this to happen, as he got rid of some of Voldemort's men and weakened his shield. Voldemort's shield was finally blown apart when the enhanced energy orb collided, sending him skidding back. From the crunching sound Harry heard, it was obvious that some of Voldemort's bones had been broken.
Harry took advantage of his adversary's brief pause and followed his attack with the mage blast and an expulso curse. Both spells connected with Voldemort breaking a few more of his bones, singeing his robes, and creating a deep burning gash on his left side.
"What now, Tom? Is that the best you can do?!" Harry shouted. All over, his muscles hurt; he was heavily sweating and panting, trying to regain his breath. The rituals he performed may have increased his stamina and strengthened his body and magical core, ensuring that it replenished quicker and didn't drain as fast. But didn't alleviate the pain he was in nor curve his exhaustion.
Voldemort's fury was something to behold as he bellowed at the top of his lungs. His anger and rage became wild, and it definitely showed his spell work as the intensity of his spells increased in speed and power. Everyone stopped to watch the duel between them; they were torn between being amazed and fearful—mostly fearful. If anything, a good majority of them looked ready to run away, not wishing to be caught in the crossfire.
To overcome Voldemort's dark and brutally aggressive dueling style, Harry fought calmly and strategically, using creativity and ingenuity to match his opponent's raw power. He made his dueling style indistinguishable and the magic he was using unreadable. Thus enabling him to fight Voldemort on equal footing. Hours and hours of dueling practices and reviewing his grandfather, uncle, and father's memories of Voldemort's dueling skills and overall style helped. But he was especially grateful for the last two times they dueled as it taught him much. Voldemort's dueling style hadn't changed much since their duel in the graveyard two years ago.
Harry smirked after deflecting a nasty purple spell away. Voldemort's power may have increased, but Harry could see the foundation of his adversary's style. For it was based on brutal aggression, overreliance on power and force, and complete domination. The smirk on Harry's tired face annoyed Voldemort.
"Here you are, Potter. Facing a wizard whose power surpasses that of Dumbledore and Grindelwald at their peaks, and all you do is smile," Voldemort icily said. "Does it not bother you to know that you will soon be reunited with your parents in the afterlife? To be the last of your accursed family?"
Harry's smirk grew into a big smile. "Your arrogance continues to astound me, Tom. It is so sad to see you are incapable of seeing past your own arrogance and mistakes," Harry stepped forward, wiping the blood and sweat off the side of his face. "Salazar Slytherin himself would be severely disappointed in how weak you are."
"Weak? You dare call me weak when I have you on the threshold of death?! Voldemort roared. "I have more power than you could ever know! I who has traveled the length and breadth of this world and discovered long-forgotten pieces of magic. It was I who has conquered death by achieving immortality."
"All the power you have will never change the fact that you are still the same sixteen-ear-old power-hungry child I met all those years ago. You are nothing," Harry said in a calm, cold voice. "In the times we've come into contact with one another, you have failed to kill me. And just so you know, I will not be dying today."
"That is where you are wrong," Voldemort sharply retorted. "You made a grave mistake in making me come here. Once I have the prophecy, you're through." Harry then did something that caught Voldemort off guard.
Harry laughed. "Always with the glass half full, aren't you? Bringing you here was only part of the plan, as we have yet to arrive at the finale." He then reached into his pocket and pulled out the light blue orb. "As for the prophecy. You want it so bad? Here, take it," chucking the prophecy over to Voldemort, who summoned it to his hand with a wave of his wand.
"No! Harry, what have you done?!" A familiar voice cried.
Everyone turned to the source to see a disgruntled and fearful Albus Dumbledore appear from one of the floo terminals. Voldemort smiled at the aged wizard's mortified expression. It was like the sweetest piece of candy he had ever tasted. "You're too late, Dumbledore. The prophecy is now mine," he triumphantly said.
Albus' blue eyes were crossed between anger and fear at the prophecy in Voldemort's hand before narrowing on Harry. The anger in his blue eyes overtook his fear. "Do you not realize what you have done? You have ruined everything!"
In response, Harry only smiled. "More like I ruined your grand plan for me, Dumbledore." He continued when Dumbledore did a double-take. "Oh, yes. I know all about your plan. How you made it easy for someone to overhear your interview with Sybill Trelawney in your brother's pub that night sixteen years ago. How you set a lot of us—me and my parents—up to die to ensure your plan was a success. Why you sent me to those magic-hating muggles. The reason why you took such an interest in me. And why you knowingly and purposefully did nothing to stop Voldemort the first time he came to power and after he regained his body in the graveyard. You wanted a weapon. Someone to clean up a mistake you created."
"It didn't matter how many innocents died so long as your plan succeeded. You were so hell-bent on ensuring that the wizarding world recognized you as the greatest wizard of all time that you were willing to betray, manipulate, and kill hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent witches and wizards. For Merlin-sake, did that during the Great War with your boy toy, Gellert Grindelwald. To add insult to injury, you did it again during the last time this wanker first rose to power," jabbing a thumb at Voldemort, who put the prophecy in the pocket of his robe.
"Enough!" Dumbledore ordered. "I forbid you from saying any more," quickly drawing his wand.
"For once, I agree," said Voldemort in a cold voice. "While I appreciate the prophecy Potter. You must die for your transgressions against me."
"Oh, I don't think so," someone else's voice rang throughout the Atrium. Voldemort was barely able to dodge an incoming string of spells consisting of sectumsempra, blood-boiling, organ liquefying, and a few other dark and dangerous spells. He was momentarily shocked and then narrowed his eyes in anger as the person appeared beside Potter.
"So it appears I should have paid more attention to the rumors surrounding you. You finally show your true colors, Severus. After everything I have done to bring you up in my ranks, you reveal yourself to be a traitor to my cause. My only question is, why?"
"You arrogant, overblown, self-important fool," Severus coolly said, his lips forming a sneer. "Did you really think I would stay loyal to you after finding out how you betrayed me? You had my wife Seleana and Uncle Octavius killed. To salt the wounds of the number of people you took from me. You killed my sister, Lily. My best friend," venom dripped down his voice. "If you want to kill my son, then you will need to get through me first!"
"Son?!" Albus and Voldemort cried in unison, completely scandalized by what Severus said. Whatever they might have been thinking was immediately thrown out the window by what they just heard. Severus was Harry's father. Harry is Severus's son.
Rather than reply, Severus launched a series of spells at Voldemort while Harry defended against a handful of spells from Dumbledore. After a bout of trading spells, Harry managed to tag Dumbledore with an ancient, powerful truth spell from the depths of the Ravenclaw library and a spell from the Black family library. By combining these two spells, it didn't matter how skilled at occlumency or tight-lipped Dumbledore was. He couldn't overcome their power and was forced to speak the truth. "I do not know how you discovered about my past with Gellert or figured out my plan, but for the greater good, you must die. Yes, I set your parents up to die like so many others. After all, you are all nothing but sheep that need to do what I say. By right, I am the greatest wizard since Merlin and deserve to be recognized as the leader of the wizarding world."
Albus' eyebrows vanished as his eyes widened after realizing what he just said. Why did he just say that? No one was supposed to know about these things.
"What did you do to me," Dumbledore demanded, his eyes set ablaze.
"What the matter, old man? They say the truth will set you free," Harry replied with a grin. A small chuckle escaped his lips. "Since telling the truth is so difficult for you, I think you could use some help. Courtesy from both the House of Black and House of Ravenclaw."
Albus was more infuriated than he had ever been in his entire life as Harry had cursed him. Despite his best efforts to remove the spells and remain quiet, he couldn't do either. Meanwhile, Severus continued his duel against Voldemort. He blocked an incoming killing curse with the anti-killing gauntlet on his left arm. Voldemort snarled as he was absolutely pissed. Snape had been working against him all along and never suspected a thing. He only pretended to be loyal to him.
"Another time, Severus. The next time we meet, you will suffer more than anyone and share the same fate as your wife and uncle," Voldemort hissed. He signaled his troops, telling them it was time to leave. He conjured a thick cloud of black smoke and apparated out of the Ministry.
"We'll see," replied Severus, who took out a handful of Death Eaters with the blasting curse when they tried to portkey away. He then turned to go help his son, who was in a fierce duel with a furious Albus Dumbledore. The old man had spilled some of his darkest secrets for everyone to hear. "You look like you could use some help," conjuring a shield to deflect an incoming explosion curse.
"The thought did cross my mind," said a tired Harry. He was still tired and in pain from his duel with Tom not seven minutes ago. "Look at it this way. We can mark this as one of those father and son activities."
Severus didn't reply as he had to dodge a cutting curse that would have taken his head off. "Fight now. Talk later," said Severus when Harry transfigured the two fire missiles into a pair of tigers. This is where Dumbledore excelled at the most. Battle Transfigurations.
After vanishing the tigers, he grew annoyed at the two and upped his game by unleashing a series of ancient battle spells that forced Harry and Severus on the defensive. Luckily, similar to Voldemort, they became very familiar with Dumbledore's dueling style thanks to the memories of Charlus and Arcturus and what they got from Grindelwald. Know thy enemy. Knowledge is power. Neither of them left a gap in their defenses or weakness to exploit that wasn't protected by the other and were only receiving a minimum number of injuries. Not too long later, Miwa and Arcturus joined the battle, telling Harry to back off for a while to catch his breath. Four minutes later, he jumped back into battle after most of his injuries were healed, his full power was restored, and he regained his wits.
For over an hour, the four fought together against Dumbledore. The old geezer may have preferred Battle Transfiguration and Alchemy, but he was also a High-ranking master of Battle Charms and had an extensive repertoire of spells in his arsenal. That's not including having decades of magical experience. Severus and Miwa were sent back several feet after getting hit with a powerful shockwave spell.
"You bastard!" Arcturus hissed after glancing at the two, though he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw they were still alive. "I have waited a long time for this. You fucked with the wrong families and will pay for crossing the Blacks and Potters."
"No, uncle. Go take care of the others," said Harry after banishing a set of spells back at Dumbledore and conjuring a thick cloud of smoke. His green orbs glowed with fire. "This is my fight."
"But Harry—"
"Grandfather, Harry is not a child anymore," Sirius cut across. "He must be allowed to fight his own battles."
Grudgingly and very reluctantly, Arcturus agreed with his grandson before beaming a look of pride at Harry. "Charlus, Dorea. If you two are watching or can even hear me, then I want two of you to know that your grandson has become one hell of a man. And that I am very fortunate to have him in my family," Arcturus mentally said as he went to help Sirius, Amelia, and Alex tend to the heavily injured Severus and Miwa.
When the smoke cleared, Harry and Dumbledore locked eyes as they squared off like a pair of dragons ready to brawl. The tension in the air was palpable, and everyone was frozen where they stood. "Your grand plan has fallen apart, Dumbledore."
"Not yet, Harry," Dumbledore heatedly retorted. "You know too much and have grown far too powerful for my liking. You were supposed to be my weapon. But you have disrupted my plans several times, and I can no longer have that. For the greater good of the wizarding world, you must die."
"Then I hate to burst your bubble, but there's something you need to know. . ." The small smile on his face let Dumbledore know that he was going to enjoy what happened next. "By the authority of the Magus Council, you are under arrest for high treason against the magical world, colluding with Gellert Grindelwald, the murder of thousands of witches and wizards, breaking the Statue of Secrecy, attempting to take over the wizarding world, espionage, etc." Pulling out a second item from his pocket, which was his badge.
"No!" Dumbledore shouted. It couldn't be. Harry could not be a Magus. He refused to believe it to be true. Faster than what most could see, his wand was a blur as a giant fire missile left his wand. "Fawkes!"
"You go nowhere," conjuring a large amount of water to block the fiery missile and throwing a palladium box he got from his watch at the phoenix that had just flamed in. Quickly summoning the box back to him after it captured Fawkes. "You will no longer be bound to servitude," he said, putting the box in his watch, much to Dumbledore's mounting anger.
"By the ancient laws, I, Harry James Potter, hereby challenge Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore to an honor duel. His crimes are the slaughter of thousands of individuals in the magical and muggle world, disrupting the magical balance of the magical world by committing several heinous taboos, the creation of two Dark Lords, collaborating with Gellert Grindelwald, help orchestrate two magical wars so that he may gain power." Magic heard him and responded by enveloping Dumbledore in a blinding red glow and forming a giant impenetrable shield around them so no wizard or witch could intervene.
"The only way you are getting out of here is if you kill me, and that is not going to happen without a fight." Harry declared.
"So be it," Dumbledore scornfully said.
In a fraction of a second, what several would call the fiercest duel they had ever witnessed began in earnest. Harry and Albus' spells were like a blur and extremely deadly. Explosions raged, the air around the Atrium grew thin, and the ground shook violently. The power the two generated made everyone ghostly pale, and none dared to look away. "Fiendfyre Duo!" Harry yelled in parseltongue. From the tip of his wand emerged a Genesis dragon and a tiger. Using these flames with the added effects of parseltongue made them even more powerful than the stand flames of fiendfyre.
Dumbledore had to take a few steps back when the two large fiery best neared him. He thrust both his hands forward and waved his wand in a complex, intricate pattern to keep the beast from sinking their fangs into him. The fire behind his blue eyes glowed the same way Harry's would whenever he would use an incredible amount of magic. It may have been difficult and taken a minute or two, but he finally got the flames to respond to him and sent them back.
Harry, in return, gave a diagonal slash of his wand, dispelling the flames, and was prepared to attack again, but the water from the Fountain of Magical Brethren rose up, wrapping Harry in a cocoon. It was obvious that Dumbledore was trying to drown him, but he must've forgotten one crucial detail. Like him, Harry was also a water elemental and had mastered it. He made an X with his arms over his chest, building up his magic before breaking it, and the water cocoon exploded, freeing him.
"Did you forget Dumbledore? I am also a water elemental," said Harry, who aimed his wand at the floor, making the water rise and take the form of a hydra. The six heads roared and rushed forward. When Dumbledore transfigured the water-hydra into a big cloud of deep mist that blanketed the area, blocking everyone's vision. Harry then seized the opportunity by twisting his wand to the right, making the tip of his wand glow orange, raising the temperature of the mist. A series of small but powerful explosions happened when he snapped his fingers, and Dumbledore was sent back, where he landed hard on his back.
However, despite his injuries and loss of hearing, he got back up and retaliated with a few high-powered spells that sent Harry back when he tried running forward with a new spell on the tip of his tongue. Mentally cursing himself for making a foolish choice, Harry struggled back to his feet while clutching his stomach and panting. Some of his ribs had been broken when he got hit by those spells. He recognized them from his libraries and from what Master Giichi taught him. They would cause one a significant amount of pain if they ever got hit. Fortunately for him, he wasn't the only one reeling in pain and exhaustion as Dumbledore felt every bit of his age and then some.
Both duelists wielded incredible magical power and knew their duel would be anything but easy. It will all come down to a battle of stamina. Who will hit their limit first? And who wanted it more.
"What's the matter, Dumbledore? You look weary," Harry tauntingly said. "I know that because of your old age, you cannot move like you used to."
Albus's blue eyes became slit, and he took in a couple of deep breaths. "You disrespectful brat!" Albus snarled. "I should have killed you a long time ago!"
"Your mistake," Harry chuckled. Harry certainly knew how to poke the man's buttons. "Then again, you've certainly made quite a number of them."
The battle between them resumed, with the two furiously trading spells to see who would win. All concepts of morality have long been squashed as the two battled at the highest levels they could, trying to gain an advantage over the other. On the outside of the shield, Severus was silently praying that his son would prevail. As much as he wanted to intervene, he couldn't because he was still recuperating from his injuries and was magically drained.
"Come on, Harry. You can do this," Severus muttered. The minute the shield came down, if Harry was somehow defeated, then he would kill Dumbledore himself or die trying.
So far, the duel between Harry and Dumbledore was a stalemate, with neither side gaining an advantage or managing to land a decisive blow. Until Dumbledore hit Harry in the right leg with a powerful bone-shattering spell and caused a wide gash on his left side. From that point, Harry was now on the defensive with Dumbledore using his extensive knowledge and experience to slowly gain ground over him. Harry had the advantage of raw power and better magical control, but Dumbledore's knowledge and experience started to give him the edge.
If he wanted to survive tonight, then he would have to come up with a strategy quickly. Then, with a wide swipe of his wand, dark purple flames emerged, and massive explosions were happening everywhere. He followed it up by firing a dark purple spell he got from the Slytherin grimoire. Harry, though, was far from done as he wouldn't give up and launched several ancient battle and highly destructive spells. Even used the dark blue and black flames of the netherworld on Dumbledore. The flames rose with frightening speed and power, making Dumbledore fall back into a defensive position, trying to regain control of the duel.
Finally, without missing a beat, he used the same spell Voldemort used on him in the graveyard. An ancient and powerful spell. The long and heavily condensed blast of deep blue and black stream of energy shot straight at Dumbledore with lightning speed. Adding some parseltongue magic to make the blast more powerful.
"You like power and studying ancient magic so much?" Harry inquired before shouting. "Then have your fill! Straight from the House of Slytherin!"
Dumbledore was struggling to maintain his shield against the highly dark and dangerous stream Harry unleashed. For the life of him, he realized his shield would break indefinitely as his magic was dropping fast. Merlin, he felt weak in his bones. Harry then reversed the direction of the long torrent of energy back to himself, condensing it to let the power build. Then, in a second, he released a cataclysmic explosive shockwave, pushing Dumbledore hard onto his back, the people watching the duel and shattering all the windows.
In spite of his weakened state, Harry managed to stay on his feet, albeit with some difficulty since his legs felt like they were made of jelly. 'Naga, Dayvee. You guys ready?'
'Let's do it!' The two said together.
Synchronizing their magics together, Harry began chanting. "गेन्बु। भवन्तौ द्वौ ये जादुईजगत्जलं शासन्ति। अहं हैड्रियन जेम्स् पोटरः एतेन भवतः अधिकारस्य अधीनतां कृत्वा भवतः शक्तिं दापयामि। अहं भवन्तौ प्रार्थयामि यत् भवतः शक्तिं प्रयोक्तुं मम अनुमतिं ददातु यथा अहं शक्नोमि मायाजगति एतावत् दुःखं दुःखं च आनयन्तं पुरुषं पराजयतु।." (Genbu. The two of you who rule the water of the magical world. I, Hadrian James Potter, do hereby submit myself to your authority and claim your power. I beseech the two of you to allow me to use your power so I can defeat the man who has brought so much pain and suffering to the magical world.)
A blinding flash of green-black light enveloped and grew brighter as Harry continued chanting. "अहमेव उत्तिष्ठामि! अहमेव जगतः दुष्टतायाः कृते सर्वं नष्टम्। माया जगतः एतावता दुःखं जनयितुं उत्तरदायीं जितुम् शक्तिं मयि प्रवर्तय, तस्य पराजयं च अनुमन्यताम्। प्रतिवदतु अस्य मनुष्यस्य दुष्टतायाः जगतः शुद्धिं कर्तुं मम दृढनिश्चयाय इच्छायाश्च कृते।भवतः संयमान् त्यजन्तु यथा वयं मिलित्वा विजयं प्राप्नुमः।गच्छ स्वर्गीय अतिचालनम्!" (I am the one who shall rise! I am the one who has lost everything to the evil of this world. Instill in me the power to conquer the one responsible for causing the magical world so much pain and allow me to defeat him. Respond to my determination and desire to purge the world of this man's evil. Set aside your restraints so that together, we may win. Go heavenly overdrive!)
The green-black aura had reached its peak and began to dissipate after Harry finished the chant. Standing there was a newly empowered Harry in a black warrior uniform with dark green streaks, a shell on his back, and his skin covered in black scales. A bewildered Albus was frozen to stillness. Yet when his eyes snapped wide upon realization of what had just happened, Harry teleported in front of him and delivered a hard punch to his stomach. He followed this up by delivering a couple of quick jabs to his face. Dumbledore coughed up a large amount of blood; he could barely defend himself against Harry's brutal muggle combat attacks. Then, with a spinning back kick, he was sent to the ground with his breastbone crushed and a broken jaw.
The spell he shot at Harry bounced off Harry's shell, and to his great surprise, the boy used the disarming spell to deprive him of his prized wand. The wand he won from Gellert so many years ago flew into Harry's hand.
"Give me back—" Dumbledore did not get to finish his sentence.
"Not likely," Harry talked over him. Lips formed a wide smile as he now had the Elder Wand. He waved his new wand in an intricate pattern and started chanting in parseltongue. These spells he was about to use were centuries old and extremely powerful. The old parseltongue mages would use them to bring down an entire army. "Bring forth the ancient snakes that roam the netherworld and attack thy enemy with your mighty powers."
The ground violently shook, beginning to tear apart as the power surrounding the two—the ministry atrium—increased exponentially. This was a very dangerous action, yet it needed to be done. Two fiery black creatures emerged when the ground ripped apart, releasing a fierce, ear-destroying roar. A basilisk and a hydra. They bared their fangs and launched themselves at a defenseless Dumbledore, who attempted a wandless shield yet screamed in agony as the basilisk wrapped itself around him and sank its fangs into his arm, tearing it off. Soon, the multiheaded snake did the same, sinking its fangs into Dumbledore's body. The pain from the fiery black beasts was unlike anything Albus had ever felt before. It was pain beyond imagination. The most excruciating pain he had ever felt in his entire 117 years of life.
Unfortunately, this was only the beginning as Harry reverted back to normal and walked over with a determined expression, his eyes glowing green. "Since you find muggles so fascinating. . .then maybe you should be like them."
He waved his wand in the most complicated pattern with jabs, slashes, and waves over Dumbledore's person while chanting something in ancient Sumerian. The desired effect was happening as Dumbledore screamed in agony as something inside of him was violently being ripped apart. Then, in a split second, Dumbledore's chest glowed white, and out came his magical core, emitting dark and negative energy. Pure evil.
Dumbledore felt empty as he watched in utter disbelief. His magical core was gone. He would no longer be able to do magic. Harry tossed the core straight into the air, and it exploded, removing the shield around them. The magic extracted from him faded into nothingness. At long last, Albus Dumbledore was a squib.
"That makes it easier for me to do this!" He sent hundreds of thousands of lightning bolts from his left hand at Dumbledore when the fiery beasts faded away.
Dumbledore screamed in perpetual agony as thousands of volts were being pumped into his body. The force of the lightning sent him crashing into the wall, and he fell unconscious. Harry fell to his knees, heavily panting, flickering between consciousness and unconsciousness. "Commander Taymore. . .he's all yours," his lungs burned, and all the adrenaline he had begun to fade away, making him aware of the pain he was in.
Alexander, Jack, and two others ran to the unconscious Dumbledore and slapped magical suppression cuffs on him. Meanwhile, Arcturus and Severus teleported next to the heavily injured and exhausted Harry, helping him to his feet. Severus looked at his son with pride as tears ran down his eyes. "Well done, Harry."
"I'll say, boy. You were brilliant. Words cannot describe how proud I am of you," said Arcturus.
"Thanks. Now, can we get out of here?" Harry asked with a faint smile. "My body hurts like hell, my head is pounding, and I have no energy to deal with the press."
"You also want to inquire about how the others—more importantly, Daphne is doing," Miwa chuckled, giving him a cheeky smile. "Way to go, little brother." Harry rolled his eyes at what she said.
"Thanks, partner."
Then, in the blink of an eye, Arcturus and Severus teleported Harry to St. Mungo's for treatment. Upon arriving in the receptionist area, one of the healers on night duty sat in her chair, looking over her files. She was startled by the new arrival and even more surprised at the state of the youngest wizard, who looked like he'd been through the fires of hell and back. She could tell this was going to be a long night, for several other individuals were brought in a couple of hours. Lord Black only briefly described what happened before, demanding she get a Healer to treat his nephew. The witch did so without hesitation and told them that someone would be waiting for them on the fourth floor in the extensive care ward.
Once again, the two teleported where they happened in the ward area of the fourth floor just as a male Healer emerged from a nearby room. Quickly, the wizard ushered them inside the room where another person was lying in a bed surrounded by their parents and a healing chamber. The Greengrasses, specifically Daphne's eyes, widened at the state Harry was in. She tried to get up, but Roxanne kept her from leaving the bed. The healer opened the chamber door, conjured a chair, and a bubble charm around most of Harry's face before having the two adult wizards put him in. When done, he poured the light blue potion inside after placing a couple strands of Harry's hair in the cauldron. A second after the door was shut, the potions rose until the chamber was filled entirely.
The Battle has ended
(0^0)
Once his injuries had been completely healed, Voldemort ordered everyone to leave his throne room. As soon as everyone was gone and the doors were closed, he pulled the prophecy out from his pocket. Finally, he would hear its contents entirely. Months he had waited. . . Months he had planned. Despite setbacks, he would at long last hear the rest of the prophecy.
Only to his great surprise, he heard someone else's voice instead of that useless Trelawney. "Did you really think I would give you the prophecy, Tom? I destroyed the thing four years ago." His blood boiled at the sound of Potter's voice. "You are a disgrace to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Slytherin and have fallen victim to your own greed. Thanks for falling into our trap." With a loud bang, the prophecy exploded, sending Voldemort crashing into the wall as thousands of volts ran through his body, his right eye gone, and the side of his face was on fire.
Anger and rage soared through Voldemort's being as she yelled to the heavens from the pain, Potter outmaneuvering him again, and that the real prophecy had been destroyed.
So many things were running through his mind. Severus had betrayed him and is the father of Harry Potter. Potter had orchestrated a Slytherin plot to have him come to the Ministry in person and had outmaneuvered him. These and several other things were running through his mind. They will pay. He swore by Merlin's and Salazar's magic that they would all die by his hands.
(0^0)
The potion, combined with his accelerated healing factor, had completely healed Harry of his injuries within two hours. When the Healer opened the door, he told Harry to sit in the bed so he could run a few diagnostic spells on him.
"All right, he should be fine. He has no lasting injuries, but I would like to keep him here overnight for observation. If everything checks out, he should be free to go in the morning," said the Healer.
Just then, an excited Sirius burst into the room. "You did it, Harry! You defeated Albus Dumbledore in a duel!" An exuberant Sirius cheered at his godson's accomplishment, acting like a teenager. "All of the witnesses are speaking with the Daily Prophet and the International Press reporters, sharing what happened in the atrium." He could already tell the reporters would be having a field day delivering the morning news.
Sirius would have continued but got hit with a stinging hex from his grandfather. "Calm down, mutt," Arcturus ordered. "The boy just got out of the healing chamber and is exhausted. There will be time to celebrate later. But for now, Hadrian needs to sleep. Am I understood?" Giving Sirius a pointed look that said he meant it.
"Crystal," responded a still cheerful Sirius. Sobering up a little, he added, "you should also be aware that there were a few reporters outside. What do you want to do with them?"
"Leave them to me," Arcturus grunted in annoyance. Already dealing with a headache brewing in the back of his head. He didn't want to deal with the people from the media so soon. His eyes snapped open in realization. "How are Nymphadora and Lupin doing?"
"They're both resting in a room two doors down to the right." As soon as he said that, Arcturus left the room, likely to go check on them himself.
"You really fought and won a duel against Dumbledore?" Daphne asked, still trying to wrap her mind around it.
"Yeah. . ." Harry nodded his head. "Look, I'll fill you in on what happened later. For now, I just want to sleep." He reached into his watch and pulled out the palladium box he used on Fawkes.
The phoenix was still inside. "I'm sorry I had to trap you inside. But I couldn't allow Dumbledore to escape," he said with a sad smile. He liked Fawkes and never desired to harm him. Tossing the box onto the floor, the thing expanded, and the phoenix flew out and landed on the nightstand next to him. "You are no longer bound to him, nor will you remain a slave. You're free."
Fawkes trilled happily, hopping onto Harry's shoulder and nuzzling the side of his face affectionately. He was very thankful to the boy who freed him. He jumped off and gave the young wizard a respectful bow and final trill before fire-traveling away.
Harry then closed his eyes and was out like a light in a few minutes. The adults soon left the room to let the two sleep for the night.
Hours later, when the sun started to rise, Daphne's eyelids opened, and she turned to the left to see that her boyfriend was still fast asleep. Not that she blamed him, of course, since he faced off against several Death Eaters, Voldemort, and Dumbledore last night. That would exhaust anyone. Plus, after showing up in such an injured state, he unnerved her to no end, as he looked like he had been through a dozen wars.
"Morning Sapphire," Harry's eyes started to open. "How are you feeling?"
Daphne rolled her eyes. Leave it to Harry to worry about someone else before himself. "I should be asking you that. I'm fine. You looked like you'd been through hell and back when you showed up," she halfheartedly joked.
"So you really defeated Dumbledore?" She inquired.
Instead of answering, he showed her the Elder Wand; much to her surprise, he was holding Dumbledore's wand, and she no doubt believed that he had defeated him. From there, Harry spent up to an hour telling her about the duel in great detail. She was positively stunned and at a loss for words. He revealed himself as a Magus; Dumbledore no longer had his magic and would soon be brought to trial before the entire ICW. Where his crimes will finally be revealed. Getting out of bed, she stood up a bit stiff, walked over to her boyfriend, and gave him a quick peck on the lips.
"You did great. Finally, he will get his punishment. . . One that he has long deserved." Harry gave a small laugh at what she said.
"Seriously? That's my reward? I defeat one of the most powerful wizards in the wizarding world, and all I get is a peck on the lips?" He asked in a faux scandalized tone.
Daphne rolled her eyes again. "Make some room, you big tiger. And please try to keep your hormones in check. We don't want the Healers to think we were doing anything we weren't supposed to," she huskily replied.
Moving over a little so she could get it, he wrapped his arms around her when she got in the bed. "I'm pretty sure your hormones are stronger than mine. You often like to take advantage of your innocent boyfriend."
Daphne laughed. "Innocent, my foot. And if I remember correctly, I believe your urges are as strong as mine—sometimes stronger. Besides, you're the one who will have a physical reaction if you fail to keep your hormones under control."
Smirking, he kissed behind her ear the way he knew she enjoyed. "You are a damn minx," he said, feeling her rear pressed up against his waist. She smiled and then turned to face him. They then shared a short yet passionate kiss.
She gently pushed away when he thrust forward. "Uh-uh, boy. There will be no funny business until we're out of here. You'll just have to hold it in and deal with cuddling and kissing only."
"Apologies. But it is so hard to keep myself under control when a beautiful woman such as yourself is pressed up against me like this. Especially if she was the one to start the teasing." The two of them laughed.
"Well, you, young man, will just have to behave yourself and let this beautiful woman take care of her recently healed strong and handsome boyfriend. Unless you want me to leave you alone in a bed cold and alone," she playfully threatened.
"I will do my best to behave," he kissed her.
Their time together only lasted briefly when Dora, Sarah, and Roxanne entered the room with a healer in front of them. Dora gave the two a mischievous smile while Sarah and Roxanne covered their amusements by disapprovingly shaking their heads.
Daphne was the first to be examined. When she was done, the Healer moved to Harry. "You're clean, young man," she said after performing some diagnostic spells on him. "However, I do recommend that you refrain from overexerting yourself for a few days."
"Can do. The only thing I want to do is relax."
"How bad is it outside?" Harry asked when the Healer left.
"Dozens of photographers and reporters are waiting outside the building," Dora informed. "Old Arcturus had the foresight to have a couple of Aurors stationed at the entrance to prevent them from entering. However, a few were arrested when they tried to enter. All in all, they're very eager to question you about what happened in the Ministry."
"Damn vultures," Harry muttered. "Has there been any mention of the ones who lost their lives last night?"
"No, not yet. Though I estimate that it will come either later today or tomorrow morning. Kings, Amelia, and Rufus are also being assaulted with questions from the reporters. They've got their work cut out for them at the Ministry." From what she knew, the Aurors and other Ministry employees had been taking a head count of the number of people who had died and survived, cleaning up the dead bodies, clearing the fallen debris, and trying to repair all of the damage that had been done. She was thankful that she wasn't part of the cleanup. "So about your promise. . . You said I could stay at your villa in Italy for thirteen days, remember?"
"I am a man of my word. You can spend thirteen days at the villa," acknowledging her request with a smile.
"Can I bring Remus with me?"
Harry grunted at the question as he suspected that would come up. "Go ahead. The wards have already been altered. Just let me know when you will be going."
"Yes!" Dora exclaimed. Pumping her fist into the air. "I am so putting in a request for my vacation when I get to the Ministry today. Thanks, Harry."
"Yeah, yeah. Now, let's get out of here. As much as I abhor this, those reporters will not back off until they hear about what happened last night."
Before heading into the lobby, Harry checked on Miwa and Remus. After confirming they were all right and ready to leave. They headed toward the entrance, where a large crowd of people was being kept back by a half dozen Aurors. The moment they saw them, the reporters and photographers immediately bombarded them with flashes of light, taking pictures and asking questions.
"All right, all right, I'll take a couple of questions," Harry raised a hand.
"Mr. Potter," a familiar reporter from the Daily Prophet spoke up. "Tanya Jackson, reporter from the Daily Prophet. According to several eyewitnesses, you and a handful of Hogwarts students took part in the battle last night in the Ministry, were a part of the plan to bring You-Know-Who there, have declared yourself to be a Magus, that Severus Snape is your father and your duel against Albus Dumbledore. Can you explain what led to those events?"
She wasted no time in getting down to business. "It begins and ends with Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Voldemort," ignoring the gasps from some of the reporters and continued, "aka Tom Marvolo Riddle, and the prophecy created by Sybill Trelawney. The current Hogwarts Divination professor," he began. "Sixteen years ago, Voldemort and his Death Eaters were waging war against Magical Britain and Ireland in the name of blood supremacy. The movement is built upon a lie, as he never cared about blood superiority. He desired to rule the world, which made him unhappy in his youth, and he slaughtered hundreds, if not thousands, of innocents. Them being purebloods, half-bloods, muggleborns, muggles. Men, women, and children. Anyone he perceives as lower than him. The people who serve under him are only expendable pawns, and he would not think twice about killing or sacrificing if it meant achieving his goal, which is world domination."
"Sixteen years ago, Albus Dumbledore led a resistance group known as the Order of Phoenix, whom several others, including my birth parents and godfather Sirius Black, had joined to help fight against Voldemort. However, little did they know that they were only being used as chess pieces to clean up Dumbledore's mistake. Dumbledore was the one who introduced Tom to the Wizarding world when he was still the Transfigurations professor and kept tabs on him. He all but knew about Tom's heritage and that he despised muggles with a passion, yet did nothing. Kind of funny how Dumbledore knew about Voldemort's true heritage and never came forward with this information. Instead of bringing such valuable information to the Aurors and ICW, he stayed quiet and allowed Voldemort and his army to run free, offering little resistance."
"During the war, on a wet night, he met the would-be Divination's professor Sybill Trelawney in his brother Aberforth's pub. There, she went into a trance and foretold of how a child born at the end of July would defeat Voldemort. However, that is where things get really interesting."
"This prophecy. Do you know its contents? How many others know what it says? And what do you mean by interesting?" Ms. Jackson inquired.
"Yes, I know what the damn thing says, along with a handful of other individuals who will remain nameless. As I said, my parents joined Dumbledore's Order; however, my mum never trusted Dumbledore, and with good reasons. She was always wary of his directives and motives. Underestimating estimating a woman's, especially an expecting mother's, intuition is a grave mistake. As is their willingness to protect their children." There was a collection of laughs and nods of agreement with that sentiment. "You see when Dumbledore met Trelawney at the pub, he made it easy for someone to overhear part of the prophecy. Which he used to set my parents up to die."
Seeing that he had their attention, Harry pressed on. "Dumbledore usually meets with people applying for a job in his office where their security measures are in place to ensure absolute privacy. Why would he meet an applicant in a pub without any privacy measures unless he wanted someone to overhear their conversation? Does not sound suspicious?"
"That is indeed unorthodox. . ." Jackson agreed. "So this prophecy links you to You-Know-Who?"
"Yes and no," Harry answered. "There were two children born at the end of July. Myself and Neville Longbottom." Everyone's eyes went wide at what he said. "Yes, you heard me right. Neville Longbottom was born on the 30th of July, while I was born on the 31st, and our parents went into hiding. When Dumbledore heard the prophecy, he hatched a plan to kill our parents." He explained the events about how Dumbledore got his parents killed when they were under the Fidelius Charm, and their secret keeper was the deceased Peter Pettigrew, and why the Longbottoms' secret keeper gave them up in the first place. Dumbledore had confounded the man to give them up, resulting in Alice and Frank Longbottom being tortured into insanity and missing years of their son's life. When the subject of how Severus Snape became Harry's father?
Harry explained that when he was six, he used his grandfather's Magus wish to make it so that Severus would be his adoptive father and James's wish to have him attend Mahoutokoro. So he could get away from Dumbledore and his influence.
"Since then, I was raised by my adoptive father, Lord and Lady Stevenson, Lord Black, and Cassiopeia Black. None of them wanted me to be under Dumbledore's control, but that slowly started to change when he conspired with the Representative from Russia and a few others to send the children back to their native lands," Harry breathed. "From there, he orchestrated events that should have either been minimized or should have never happened. The Philosopher's Stone. The Chamber of Secrets. What happened with the Dementors. And what happened with the Triwizard Tournament. All those events that had endangered hundreds of people could have been avoided or reduced had he been more interested in doing his job rather than testing me."
Another reporter spoke up. "Why do you think he would go through all of this trouble?"
"Power," said Harry. "Dumbledore put on the persona of a whimsical, caring grandfather. But that is only a mask, as he is really a monster who desires power, control, and recognition. Similar to Voldemort, Dumbledore preys on the weakness of others. He uses weak-minded people to achieve his own goals, and once they are of no further use, he disposes of them. There's a reason why there are only thousands of witches and wizards worldwide and why many are not as skilled or powerful. It's all because of Dumbledore's quest to obtain power and his delusional grandeur of being recognized as the greatest wizard of all time. You can hear more about this at his trial before the ICW, which I think will be quite the spectacle.
"What about you being a Magus?" A reporter from the International Press inquired. "When did that start? Why would you join them?"
"I will only say that I joined them when I was thirteen years old. Any other questions revolving around me being a Magus will not be answered," Harry replied. In reality, he was ready to leave.
"Question for Miwa Kawada," someone in the crowd said. Miwa cautiously stepped forward, wondering what the person was going to ask. "Natalie Benfrost from Witch Weekly." Miwa mentally groaned. "You have been close to Harry Potter for years. What do you think about his current relationship with the heiress to the House of Greengrass? Given his status as the Lord of multiple Houses, do you think he would want to have an additional girlfriend?"
The minute she asked that question, Miwa and Daphne's eyes glowed as the two stared daggers at the woman. If looks could kill, then she would be dead. Taking in a deep breath. "I will admit that my relationship with Daphne was rocky at first. But after getting to know her and seeing the type of person and witch she is has impressed me. Therefore, I cannot think of a better person for him," Miwa answered and smiled subtly at Daphne, telling her that she meant every word.
"To your second question. No. Harry will not have another girlfriend, nor will he ever have romantic feelings for another woman."
"Why do you believe that?"
"Because I know Harry. He is more than just my best friend and rival. He is the closest thing I ever had to as a brother. I have seen the type of person he is firsthand. Passionate, honorable, loyal, and a hard worker. He will never forsake his principles or abandon the woman he loves for someone else." A small laugh left her mouth. "I would personally like to see someone try to come between them. Whoever is foolish enough to try had best be ready to deal with the consequences."
Daphne was also asked some questions about her relationship with Harry. What type of career she wanted after finishing her education? Her goals for the future? Her views on the current state of the magical Britain and Ireland in Britain? The current education system at Hogwarts? Etc. There were questions she did answer and some she didn't. For the next half-hour, they spent time answering questions before leaving.
Harry and Daphne teleported to the entrance of the Great Hall, where they took a deep breath and shared a look before opening the door and walking in. All the students and staff members were present, with more than half of them looking at the two while the others were glued to the projection screen while the morning news was being delivered. Several of the students could hardly believe what they heard. What with Harry defeating Albus Dumbledore in a duel. Voldemort appearing in the Ministry. The battle that took place last night. Professor Snape being Harry's adoptive father. And Dumbledore being arrested for several crimes. This was a lot to take in.
At the Gryffindor table, Hermione looked between Professor Snape and Harry Potter. Professor Snape, being Harry's father and Harry being his son, had almost made her brain stop working. She never would have expected something like that to come out. But strangely, that explained a lot. Why Professor Snape was more strict on him at first than any other student. Where Harry got his cold attitude from. Professor Snape had been his father all this time, and no one ever noticed or suspected a thing.
In addition, Harry dueled and somehow managed to defeat Albus Dumbledore! The greatest wizard in the world. Second only to Merlin himself, he removed his magic and had him arrested. What about those crimes he listed? There was no way they could be true. What was that about Harry being a Magus? What is a Magus anyway? These and several other questions ran through her mind. Oh, she felt a giant headache, ready to come on.
By the end of breakfast, Harry went to the owl podium and announced that he would send a missive for the students who requested he write them a letter of recommendation to come pick them up. After that, he and the professors left the Hall to return to their offices. Probably to finish finalizing grades or writing recommendation letters.
It had been nearly two hours since he returned to Hogwarts, and Harry had just finished handing out the last of the recommendation letters to the sixth and seventh-year students and had started working through the fifth years. Already, no less than forty-three students had asked him questions about Severus adopting him, what a Magus was and why he joined, his duel with Albus Dumbledore and Voldemort, and about the prophecy. What happened at the Ministry seems to have increased his popularity among the female population. It didn't seem to matter that he was already in a happy relationship with Daphne. They just kept asking him if he would willing to date them. He took a breath at the sound of someone knocking at his door.
When he said they could come in, the Patil twins walked in. "Morning ladies, please sit. I have your letters ready." He reached into one of his desk drawers, pulled out two sealed envelopes, and handed them over.
"Thank you, Harry. Thank you for everything," said Parvati after quickly reading his comments and reviewing her scores in the different categories. She was applying for a summer internship as a fashion designer for a well-known company and hoped they would accept her.
"You're welcome, Parvati," giving a warm smile. "You should be proud. Both of you. You've worked hard and have earned these."
"Thank you, Harry," Padma put her letter in her bag. "I know you are probably tired of hearing this question, but I need to ask. Do you know when our O.W.L. results will arrive?" She took twelve O.W.L. exams, and Parvati took eleven.
"I, honestly, do not know. But if I had to guess, they should arrive between the middle of the third week or the start of the fourth week in July. Don't quote me, though. That is just what I assume," Harry replied, then added. "It all depends on how fast the people in the Ministry and ICW's W.E.A departments work."
"Look, just try to relax and enjoy your summer vacation. Ooh, Merlin knows a good number of people in this castle need one," releasing a breath.
"Amen to that," Parvati agreed. She and her sister left the office in a good mood.
By the time Harry was through handing out recommendation letters, it was a little after lunch began, and he was mentally exhausted. Instead of going to the Hall, he asked the house elves to bring him something to eat. He sat on the sofa in his office, watching the latest news report from the Daily Prophet. One of the reporters who arrived to question him at St. Mungo delivered the segment. He released the report Amelia gave him about the list of people who participated in the battle, those who were killed or injured, the ones who didn't survive, how the Hogwarts students who participated are being recommended for an Order of Merlin 2nd Class, and when Dumbledore's trial would be. The man's trial was scheduled for the 29th of this month.
(0^0)
Finally. At long last, the day was here. Albus Dumbledore's would be held at the main ICW building at eight a.m. and be streamed to every Wizengamot and every other citizen in the Wizarding world. There was already a sea of reporters being kept back by Aurors and ICW agents in front of the main gate of the building. The only people allowed inside first were those with special invitations, like the Representatives from the magical governments, ICW agents, witnesses, and other high-ranking individuals.
Trying to get inside was difficult as Harry and the others had to go through a giant crowd of people. Then, have their IDs and invitations verified by the guards posted outside before being allowed to proceed. When they entered the building's lobby, the group went to the elevator and took it down to the courtroom floor, where the trial would occur. Exiting the elevator shaft, they walked to the courtroom where most of the Representatives and their Ministers of Magic from their respective countries were already seated.
Arcturus, Amelia, Alex, Jack, Yoshi, Hayato, and Karai made sure that every ICW Representative, Minister of Magic, and Ministry received a copy of Dumbledore's crimes. Finding their seats in the visitor's section was easy, and Harry could see the mutinous looks on everyone's faces as they read through the files. The anger, rage, and scandalous looks on their faces were clear as day. Hell, a few of them looked ready to jump out of their seats, find Dumbledore, and curse him into the next millennium. Even the Supreme Mugwump looked ready to cancel the proceeding in favor of strangling the life out of Dumbledore. He never liked the man.
Soon, when everyone was seated, the reporters and photographers were near the entry points, the guards were against the walls with their wands out, and the crystals activated the man began. "Hello and good morning to everyone who could join us today either in person or are viewing this session from their home country. Today, we are here to preside over the trial of one Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore for multiple crimes against the Wizarding World and Muggle World." Turning to one of the corners.
"Agents bring the accused," Mr. Akingbade ordered. Within two minutes, a half dozen agents led by Lieutenant Burnett arrived with an angry and dreadfully pale Albus Dumbledore. The chained man looked like he had seen better days as he tried to say something and break away from the agents. However, it was in vain with a strong silencing charm, and the agents kept a firm grip on him. Reaching the center of the room, they shoved him into the waiting chair where the suppression cuffs were removed and the chair's chains wrapped around his wrists, arms, legs, chest, and forehead, keeping him secure. Babajide regarded the man with a look of disdain for a second before removing the silencing charm and reading out the charges.
"Albus Dumbledore. You are charged with High treason against the Wizarding and Muggle world. The deaths of thousands of witches, wizards, and muggles during the Great War. . ." he took in a deep breath and then listed all the names of the people who died during the war against Grindelwald and his forces. Many of them were high-ranking individuals and leaders. "Conspiring with Gellert Grindelwald to take over the Wizarding and Muggle worlds, the illegal possession of numerous family heirlooms and sacred treasures from different countries, breaching the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy by exposing magic to Adolf Hitler, aiding in the destruction of Pearl Harbor, aiding and funding both World War 2 and the Vietnam War, abusing your positions as Supreme Mugwump and Chief Warlock of magical Britain and Ireland, interfering in national and international security, multiple counts of child endangerment/neglect in your position as the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, aiding in the creation of Voldemort aka Tom Riddle and his war against the European continent, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of witches, wizards, and muggles. How do you plead?"
A/N: I wanted to finish this chapter before the first day of the new year ended. I apologize for making this available so late. The duel in the Ministry resumed with Harry dueling Voldemort, where he could more or less match the man despite his increased power. As expected, Albus Dumbledore appeared just when things were about to go to hell. Too bad for him. This was part of Harry's plan, as was giving Tom the fake prophecy. To both Albus and Voldemort's anger and surprise, they learn that Severus Snape is Harry's adoptive father.
Harry ends up facing Albus alone and, after a strenuous battle, wins the Elder Wand from him and removes his magic. Yes, people, Albus Dumbledore is now a squib. He's been arrested and will be brought before the ICW, where he will face justice for his crimes. At long last, the old meddling bastard will finally get what's coming to him.
Next Chapter: The Verdict. Vacation time