LAST TIME
Harry tore the wrapper off one of them before popping it in his mouth.
'Almond and caramel.' Harry chucked the wrapper into the bin near his feet. 'Not bad.'
Taking his seat atop the cushioned stool, Harry picked the jute bag, weighing it in his palm.
"Tenacitas Augeo," Harry jabbed his hand at the bag. The bag glowed with a blue hue.
'The material is strengthened so its integrity will hold,' Harry tugged the bag from both ends. 'Now, for the extension charm.'
"Amplio Saccum," Harry waved his hand at the bag. But nothing happened. There was no glimmer or shift in the fabric.
"Amplio Saccum," Harry repeated more forcefully. Still, no glow came or no part of the fabric moved.
Harry frowned and turned the bag, putting his hand in it.
To his amazement, his hand sank into the bag, much deeper than Harry had expected. His fingers met the bottom of the bag when it was elbow-deep in.
'Well, I did it,' Harry glanced at the clock again. 'And I still got two hours to pass. Fuck.'
Ch.8 Power of Infinity
31st October 2005
The Tower of London, England
The orange glow of the sky burst through the gaps in the green leaves. Huge stone walls loomed in the distance, right next to the shining water of the Thames.
A glow fell across Harry's face.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" The Ancient One stepped out of a portal, next to him.
Harry eyed the crowd around through the falling golden sparks of the collapsing portal.
"I don't think it is going to be beautiful for long enough," Harry watched a couple drift past them, hand in hand with their daughter. "Today's Halloween."
"Halloween," The Ancient One dusted the spot next to Harry. "It is the day your parents died."
"Amongst other things," Harry gnawed at his lip. "Something bad always happens on Halloween."
"Does it though?" The Ancient One asked. "You and your friend Ron befriended Hermione on Halloween, didn't you? It was the start of a beautiful friendship. And if I might be so bold… a family."
Harry closed his eyes and nodded.
A young Hermione's terrified face flashed in front of his eyes as the troll loomed over her.
"What do we have here today?" He looked toward the Tower of London. "Some creature about to come through?"
"The veil between Earth and the realm of the dead is at its thinnest every Halloween," The Ancient One folded her palms on her lap. "Sometimes, spirits— and yes, creatures come through. This is one of the hotspots where it happens."
Harry glanced toward the English castle in the distance. The towers cast long, dark shadows against the setting sun.
'I guess the rumors of it being haunted are not unfounded,' Harry watched the tourists milling around, taking photographs or roaming.
"I will set up a repelling spell," Harry stood up. "It will clear the area before anything bad happens."
The Ancient One cleared her throat. "That won't be necessary, Mr. Potter."
A veil of magic rose from her hands and a stinging breeze ruffled through the area. The hairs on Harry's arms stood up.
'Did I leave the gas stove on at home?' A thought flashed through his head. He frowned. 'No, I am sure I didn't. This is not me.'
"What was that?" Harry eyed the tourists who had abruptly turned and were hurrying away.
"The repelling spell you were about to perform," a smile tugged at the Ancient One's lips. "I am sure you recognized its symptoms."
"What you did was not a repelling spell," Harry's gaze drifted toward the horde of tourists streaming out of the castle. "It was at least not the one I've learned."
"Half-credit, Mr. Potter," The Ancient One turned to look at him. "I didn't perform the repelling spell. But it was the same repelling spell you've learned."
Harry tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
"There was already a dormant enchantment around this place," The Ancient One gently rose from her spot. "An enchantment placed by sorcerers like you and me years ago, for this exact purpose. We usually have these around every hotspot."
"That's brilliant," Harry scrunched his eyebrows. "But how do you make an enchantment dormant— how do you shut it off when not needed?"
A smirk tugged at the Ancient One's lips. "You know where you would find the answer to that, Mr. Potter."
"Right," Harry sighed. "Which book do I have to read now?"
"Find it yourself, Mr. Potter," she glanced at him with a knowing look. "I have found that sometimes in the pursuit of something, we tend to learn more than what we seek."
'That probably means I should begin searching for it,' Harry's jaw twitched. 'Whenever she gets cryptic, is it something she probably has seen in the Time Stone.'
"Fair enough," Harry coughed. "So, where around here are the spirits coming through? We could begin to set up enchantments, that is, if there aren't dormant ones ready to be switched on."
"Could be anywhere," she shrugged. "They will start appearing all around the tower of London once darkness falls. Fortunately, the enchantments will ensure that they remain within the tower."
Harry glanced at the sky which had begun to darken, only the last vestiges of sunlight visible.
"Let's get going then," Harry pulled his cloak tighter around himself.
"We are not going together," she declared. "It is a big castle, Mr. Potter. We would need to split up. If you need help, send sparks up in the air. I will come to your aid."
"What if I face muggles?" Harry eyed a guard in the distance who was still standing at his spot. "There would be guards here."
"I am also a muggle, as you put it, Mr. Potter," the Ancient One gave him a look over her shoulder. "But, yes. If you do come across a guard, stick to normal secrecy-maintaining methods. But do try not to be spotted. Shouldn't be hard with the cloak you wear."
"Right," Harry tugged at his invisibility cloak. "Anything last-minute advice you wanna tell me?"
"You will be fine," she offered him a smile. "Try not to destroy the castle though. Spirit banishing spells should work well enough. If not, use this."
The Ancient One removed an ancient-looking metal torch from within her robes.
"The Torch of Tuoni," Harry whispered as bright red flames sprung on the head of the torch.
"Indeed," She handed Harry the torch. "It will help you see spirits easily and harm them if needed. Good luck, Mr. Potter."
The Ancient One opened a portal and stepped through, vanishing from the scene.
"Right," Harry frowned at the red flames in the torch before waving it. The flames vanished and Harry stowed the torch into the expanded pouch at his hip. "Better get going."
Harry pulled the hood of his cloak up, turning invisible. Then, Harry twisted, the world whirling around him.
A sharp crack pierced through the air, startling the guard and the last few people who were leaving the tower.
Harry quietly walked past them.
By now, the lights had come on, lighting the castle up. The glow in the sky was dimming to darkness, the dusk giving way to night.
Harry looked around for signs of ghosts but found none in the vicinity.
'Probably too soon,' Harry continued to walk forward. 'Night has barely fallen. I could probably sightsee till then. It is not like I have anything else to do.'
He passed by another set of guards standing guard near the bell tower.
A cool breeze tugged at his robes as he neared a tower. Striding forward, Harry read the inscription written for tourists.
'The Bloody Tower,' Harry read with a grimace. 'That means many probably died here. And thus, more spirits would come back here.'
Walking around, Harry found himself staring at exactly what he had been looking for.
A dozen pearly white translucent men, wearing armor lingered under the entrance of spiked metal grates. Some had arrows sticking out from their torsos, while others seemed to have died of fatal wounds.
'They look exactly like the ghosts at Hogwarts.' A knife seemed to twist under Harry's chest. He moved his hand, making a fiery red six-pointed star in the air.
One of the ghosts floated forward toward the glowing runes, drawing the attention of his companions.
Harry thrust his palm through the center and the star went spinning toward the ghosts.
The ghosts were pulled into the star, their bodies turning to white fog. Screams rang out through the silence of the night.
Harry watched as the star sucked in the white mist completely. The screams ceased once the air cleared.
Harry waved his hand and the construct dissolved in a shower of red sparks.
"Did you see that, Beckwith?" A heavy voice rang from behind Harry. "I can swear there were red sparks!"
Harry turned to see a guard standing a few feet away, pointing toward the gate.
"The sparks concern you?" Another guard, Beckwith, ran up to the first. "There were screams. And they were coming from here."
"I see no one here though," the guard craned his neck.
"Should we call the police?" Beckwith asked.
Harry cursed under his breath. Calling the police would be a bad idea.
He silently shuffled closer to the muggle guards.
"Confundo." The guards' eyes glazed over. "It was a stray animal. There were no screams. Return to your posts."
Harry retreated while the guards blinked.
"It was probably some animal, I reckon," the first guard said. "Let's just go back to our posts, Beckwith."
"Of course," Beckwith nodded in agreement and the guards walked away.
'That's one thing done,' Harry exhaled softly. 'Next time I will just erect a silencing charm.'
Shaking his head, Harry strode through the gate of the bloody tower, keeping an eye out for ghosts.
The shadows clung to the walls, darkening as he passed through the hallways. But there was no one around, no guards or muggles at least.
The castle seemed eerily silent.
A stray light bulb flickered in the hallway, making Harry jump.
"Bloody hell," Harry muttered, shoving his hand in his pouch.
Removing the Torch of Tuoni, Harry gripped it tightly. Flames sprung on its tip, casting a blood-red glow all around him.
In the red glow, Harry could make out a dark, shadowy figure on the right wall of the corridor. A shadow, like that of an invisible dog.
'A Stygian Dreadbeast,' Harry recognized. 'They lurk in the shadows and attack unsuspecting prey. Thank Merlin I checked.'
Harry jabbed the Torch into the shadow of the dog, and a howl pierced the air.
The shadow moved away before leaping out of the wall.
Harry watched the shadow shaped into a mass of darkness— a black spectral hound with the face of a wolf. A spiked tail snapped behind it, piercing imaginary victims.
The hound stared at the flames of the torch and growled. The shadows in the corridor darkened, crawling toward the hound.
'He cannot sense me,' Harry realized. 'It only sees the torch.'
With a jab, an arc of red flames rushed at the hound. But the Dreadbeast was fast. It leaped away from the flames, running away from the torch.
'Can't have that.'
With a twist of Harry's wrists, golden ropes wrapped around the hound's legs, trapping it in place.
The Stygian Dreadbeast growled loudly, thrashing in its restraints.
Flames enveloped the hound leaving behind a small pile of black ash that began to dissolve into dark vapors.
Harry hissed as he felt the Torch's heat sting him through the metal handle.
Transferring the torch to his other hand, Harry glanced around and extinguished the torch, continuing ahead.
The first floor looked no different than the previous one.
Two ghostly guards floated in the hallway, guarding a set of locked doors. A dagger was embedded in one's chest while the other's head was floating an inch above his neck.
'He would've easily become a part of the headless hunt that Nick wanted.' Harry thought with amusement. 'Silencio.'
A bubble of magic rose, covering the area while Harry drew the circle of banishment in the air.
The star flew toward the ghosts, dissolving them into white vapors. Their screams rang through the bubble.
Once they disappeared, sounds rose from behind the locked doors.
'Alohomora.'
The huge iron lock and the chains fell away. The door creaked open.
Two young boys, pearly white and nearly translucent floated near the walls, a line running across their throats.
'They look no older than ten or eleven,' Harry winced.
The two boys looked up sharply at the opening door and scooted behind. The older of the two stood in front of the other, covering him with his body.
"Who's there?" He asked loudly.
Harry chose to quietly banish them back to the realm of the dead. He closed his eyes allowing their terrified screams to pass as they were sucked into the vortex, like the others.
The other rooms on the floor were fairly inconspicuous. Harry found a few ghosts and another Dreadbeast, all of whom were disposed of with a little effort.
'Another floor done,' Harry smiled to himself. 'Now the next one.'
Walking up the stairs, Harry found himself staring into the dead, pearly-white eyes of an armored knight atop a horse that was halfway through the flooring. The knight's head was partially decapitated, hanging to his neck by a thin piece of flesh.
A sharp pang went through Harry's chest.
Tears clawed at his eyes.
'Nearly Headless Nick. Ghost of the Gryffindor house.'
Harry slowly removed his hood, becoming visible.
Nick jumped, his horse rising with him.
"Goodness, I didn't see you there!" Nick exclaimed loudly.
Harry smiled. "Sir Nicholas, it is… really good to see you."
"You know of me! Yes, it is indeed I, Sir Nicholas De Mimsy-Popington!" He beamed. "But I am dead."
"You are," Harry confirmed.
"How do you know me, young one?" Nick's head lolled to the side completely. "It has got to be years since I died."
"I… just do," Harry smiled, ignoring the sharp twist beneath his ribs. "I am here to return you to the afterlife, Sir Nicholas."
"That would be wonderful," Nick righted his head. "The dead should stay dead, after all."
"Indeed," Harry croaked. "It was good talking to you."
"You too, kind sir," a ghost of a smile tugged at Nick's lips.
Harry drew the circle of banishment in the air and nodded at Nick before thrusting the circle forward.
Nick waved to Harry just before he dissolved into white vapors, being banished back to the realm of the dead. There were no screams this time.
Just silence.
"Goodbye, Nick," Harry muttered, a single tear slipping down his cheek. "Goodbye."
31st October 2005
The Tower of London, England
The night of Halloween seemed to be going on forever. Minutes bled into hours as the night stretched on.
A few strays of moonlight peeked past the dark clouds. Thunder rumbled occasionally through the night sky.
For the past four hours, Harry had been wandering through the Tower of London. On the way, Harry had banished over a hundred ghosts and prevented a few monsters from killing him.
Now, minutes before midnight, Harry stood a few feet away from the entrance of the White Tower, the center of the whole fortress.
The huge structure loomed in the center of the whole fortress. The shadows it cast seemed sinister and unwelcoming as Harry neared it.
Frowning, Harry removed the Torch of Toulin from his pouch, igniting it.
The flames cackled to life, enveloping the whole surrounding in a red glow.
Within the shadows, Harry could make out figures. Several dark, blob-like figures swam in the shadows inching away from the light.
'Spirits of the restless dead,' Harry recognized. 'I need to burn them all at once. And make sure none gets away. And hope they haven't already killed some poor muggle guard.'
Glancing around, Harry began to draw runes in the air, keeping an eye on the swimming shadows. But none neared him.
The golden runes drifted away at his gesture, covering the area in a circular boundary before fading from view.
'They will not escape now. Time to burn them.'
"Blaze of Toulin," Harry pointed the flaming torch toward the shadows. "Burn the dead!"
A torrent of red flames spewed from the torch. Screeches filled the air and dark humanoid figures rose from the ground, drifting away from the flames.
The shadows bounced off Harry's boundary, much to Harry's satisfaction.
A few shadows rose, taking ghostly black faces, snarling at Harry.
"Oh no, you don't," Harry turned the torch toward the figures, drowning them in the inferno of red flames.
The heat began to itch on his face. Sweat began to drip down Harry's forehead. The torch became warmer in his hand with each passing second.
'Come on, die.' The metal of the torch began to sting his palm.
The screeches of the restless dead became thunderous. With every spirit consumed, the torch seemed to become hotter.
Harry felt like his hand was on fire.
When the last restless dead was killed, Harry dropped the torch to the ground, wringing his hand.
Barely seconds later, the amulet against his chest warmed up and the pain in his palm began to lessen. New skin stretched over the raw, burnt one, within seconds, making Harry sigh in relief
Taking a deep breath, Harry eyed the torch warily. Weak red embers still burned at its tip.
Harry pointed his arm at the torch and it rose in the air. Harry held his pouch open and levitated the torch in, unwilling to touch it.
'Seems like I need to make do with my spells now,' Harry grimaced. 'The torch is too hot to hold.'
Shaking his head, Harry walked through the entrance of the white tower.
The ground floor seemed empty, bar for a ghostly woman who had been weeping in the corner.
Climbing the stairs, Harry's vision turned white and he felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice-cold water on him. His teeth chattered.
He turned around to see a ghost floating down the steps without a care in the world.
'Why do they have to be so cold to pass through,' Harry drew the circle of banishment with a shivering hand. 'Getting burnt one moment and frozen the next is not something I prefer.'
With a gesture, the ghost was sucked down the vortex, a surprised yelp lingering in the air.
Shaking his head, Harry made his way up the stairs. The modern electrical lighting on the floors provided enough light for him to walk around and keep an eye on the shadows.
The rest of the first floor was empty.
So was the second floor.
The whole building was deserted. Devoid of ghosts and monsters. The only thing that lingered, reminding Harry that he was in a haunted place, was the unnatural cold in the air.
'This cannot be right,' Harry ran his fingers over the stone walls. 'There should be more ghosts or creatures. There were the restless dead lurking right outside.'
Harry's hand curled around the warm handle of the torch of Toulin within his pouch.
'It's still hot,' Harry took the torch out. 'Let's hope this works.'
Red flames sprung over the torch's tip, making the chill retreat.
"Point me, ghosts," Harry held the torch on the flat of his palm.
The artifact quivered for a moment but didn't move.
Extinguishing the torch, Harry shoved it back into the pouch with a huff.
Suddenly, the hairs on Harry's arms stood up.
Goosebumps erupted over his skin from the cold. His teeth chattered and his breath began to mist.
Harry looked around wildly, casting detection spells, all of which came up empty.
'Dementors,' Harry frowned. 'But it cannot be them. I would hear my mom.'
The air had turned icy. The electrical lights began to flicker.
And then, the castle shook.
"Shit," Harry cursed, stabilizing himself by holding the wall.
'Something bad has happened,' Harry got back to his feet once the tremor stopped and tugged down his hood. 'And it is not me. Which means that The Ancient One is in danger. I need to get to her.'
Twisting on his spot, the world faded into a swirl of darkness before he reappeared outside the white tower.
Harry's eyes widened as he spotted it.
A huge serpent with the face of an elephant towered over the buildings of the fortress. The tusks of the elephants glowed like hot coals in the night.
'That thing is bigger than Slytherin's Basilisk. And as tall as the dragon.'
The elephant's eyes were like rubies, glowing with red-purple light as they glared at a lone figure atop a nearby tower.
The Ancient One.
Her yellow robes fluttered in the wind while her hands moved through the air, weaving bright runes.
A bright pink flash of light brightened the sky, throwing the creature into a nearby tower.
With a deafening boom, the entire tower crumbled like a house of cards onto the creature. From the wreckage, a cloud of dust billowed into the night sky.
Harry watched as stone bricks rolled down the creature's scales onto the ground.
'Is it dead?' Harry tilted his head. 'But now we gotta deal with the muggles.'
The sound of cracking echoed into the night. The serpent shuddered, its head emerging through the small mountain of debris. Shaking its body wildly, the creature trumpeted, rising through the cloud of dust.
The temperatures seemed to plummet further and Harry's insides twisted into a knot.
With a crack, Harry appeared next to the Ancient One.
The Ancient One turned sharply toward him, her hand glowing with concentric runic circles.
"It's me!" Harry exclaimed, keeping an eye on the towering serpent which was looking around wildly. "How can I help?"
Up close, Harry could make out the features of the monster much more clearly.
Sharp spikes ran down its spine, while its trunk had strange markings all over it. White cement dust from the tower coated its black scales and face. Its tusks too had strange symbols carved over them.
The creature reared its trunk and spat a glob of black liquid at them.
With a twist of Harry's hand, the liquid turned to water, splashing harmlessly on the stones of the tower they stood on.
The serpentine elephant trumpeted loudly and slithered forward. In response, the Ancient One thrust her hands outward, conjuring an orange shield that stretched before them.
The monster slammed against the shield; Sparks cascaded like a shower over the tarmac below.
"We must kill it!" The Ancient One said urgently. "Use your most powerful spells. The Grote Slang is not something to be trifled with. And stay away from its poison and tusks."
As if hearing her, the Grote Slang reared back and slammed its glowing tusks into the shield.
With a thunderous bang, the shield shattered, sending the Ancient One stumbling
"Right," Harry said warily. "Confringo!"
The spell arced past the Ancient One, slamming into the trunk of the elephant.
A small cloud of fire rose over the elephant's face, but the creature shook its head and trumpeted loudly.
"Alright, now, how do you kill it?" Harry shouted.
Instead of replying, the Ancient One cast another spell at the Grote Slang.
Spirals of blue and purple energy wrapped around her arms and a veil of eldritch energy rose around the Grote Slang.
Harry could feel the magic prickle the hair on his skin.
The magic collapsed inward, drowning the creature whole. A trumpet echoed through the swirling magic as shards of mirrors began to appear around it, covering its scales.
'She's banishing it to the mirror dimension. It will be easier to fight it there.' Harry understood. 'And less destructive.'
Then, the energy surrounding the Grote Slang erupted like a bomb. The castle trembled and the sound of cracking glass filled the air.
"Shit," Harry muttered, holding onto a nearby ledge. "Bolts of Balthakk."
Dozens of lightning bolts shot toward the recovering Grote Slang, crackling down its scales.
The creature thrashed, a loud, pained trumpet erupting from its trunk. Drops of black poison dripped down to the tarmac, hissing and melting spots of cement into puddles.
Harry held the spell as the Ancient One began to chant something next to him.
The Grote Slang thrashed wildly, its tail slamming into another tower making cracks spider through its outer wall.
Bands of crimson energy formed around the creature, wrapping around the scales of the serpent.
"What are you doing?" Harry hissed. "It is a serpent. This is like wrapping a rope around a rope. A rope that will pull you off your feet."
"Not if I have a say in it," The Ancient One muttered, yanking the rope to her left.
Impossibly, the Grote Slang was pulled with the rope and flung into another tower, sending dust and debris raining.
"What?" Harry muttered.
"Cyttorak, Mr. Potter," The Ancient One replied. "I am sure you have experienced one of his spells."
"Of course," Harry grimaced. "How can I forget dozens of my bones breaking with a single spell?"
"Indeed," The Ancient One glanced past Harry's shoulders as the sounds of sirens rang in the distance. "But the fight is far from over."
The Grote Slang was thrashing past the debris already, rising back up.
"We cannot let the cops get here," Harry breathed. "We cannot get exposed."
The Ancient One nodded. "First, we need to kill the Grote Slang though. Keep it occupied. I am going to perform something rather… big to kill it. Don't let it disturb me"
"Right," Harry nodded. "Be quick please."
The Ancient One gave him a firm nod, retreating.
Harry took a deep breath, eyeing the Grote Slang rise from the cloud of dust, its eyes glaring down on him.
Moving his hands, Harry drew his spell.
"Fiery bolts of Yüyöu!"
Three beams of orange energy shot from Harry's fingers, exploding with a burst of fire over the Grote Slang's body.
The creature trumpeted in pain, its tail sending debris flying around.
As the fire vanished, the monster reared its trunk, spitting a glob of poison at Harry.
Before it could make it halfway toward him, Harry transfigured the poison into water with a wave of his hand.
The monster let out a shrill trumpet and sprang forward, its tusks pointing toward Harry.
"BOMBARDA MAXIMA!" The blasting curse tore through the left eye of Grote Slang in a spray of blood.
The monster screeched in pain, haphazardly slamming into a half-damaged tower.
The building shuddered and tilted to its left; stones pouring down from its crumbling walls. A groan rose from within and the tower slumped over with a crash.
The sirens in the distance grew louder.
Harry could hear the distinct sound of a helicopter.
"HOLD IT STILL!" The Ancient One shouted from behind.
The hair on Harry's neck stood up.
Without thinking, Harry thrust his hands out. "Chains of Krakkan! Bind my foe!"
Huge metal chains formed in the air, twisting around the Grote Slang, which began to thrash.
'Impedimenta. Impedimenta. Impedimenta.' Harry spelled quickly, praying it would work
The beast slowed down, moving almost in slow motion.
"NOW!" Harry yelled.
A spinning golden disc with triangular spikes flew over Harry's head arching toward the monster.
Harry knew what was going to happen before it did.
The disc hit the monster just below its head and a blinding bright blast of golden energy tore through the monster with a thunderous boom.
The ground under Harry's feet trembled, as a shockwave of power threw him on his back harshly.
His ears rang. His senses went numb. Spots danced over his eyelids.
"Mr. Potter! Mr. Potter" The Ancient One's face hovered above him.
Harry clutched his head, shaking it wildly.
Then, his senses cleared. A wave of energy rushed through his body, the Soul Stone working its magic.
His vision cleared. Where the Grote Slang was moments ago, now was a deep crater.
The wails of sirens and the thumping of the helicopter's rotor blades seemed louder than ever.
"Bloody hell," he breathed, staring at the crater. "What the bloody hell was that?"
A strong hand lifted him to his feet and he turned to look at the Ancient One.
Blood dripped from a thin scar on her cheek and her robes were torn or burnt in several places. A lump was forming over her head. Her breathing was ragged, her nose looking crooked.
"What the bloody hell happened to you?"
The Ancient One closed her eyes, shaking her head "What we just need is some time."
She brought her fingers together, her thumb, ring finger, and pinky touched together, and the middle fingers joined with each other. Maintaining the mudra, she crossed her forearms.
Slowly, the rings in the eye of Agamotto began to spin, revealing the glowing green stone within.
"You opened the eye," Harry glanced down at his amulet sitting against his chest.
A green mandala formed above the Ancient One's palm as spirals of discs of green energy encircled her forearm.
The amulet around Harry's neck heated up and glowed with an orange-golden energy.
The Ancient One turned her arm, and Harry felt goosebumps erupt over his arms.
The sirens stopped. The cloud of dust hung in the air. The breeze ceased to blow.
Harry could hear his own heart drum in his ears.
The Ancient One turned to him, her arm extending before she paused.
"You are not under the spell," she muttered, glancing at the amulet on his chest. "Of course."
"What's happening?" Harry blurted, knowing the answer.
The Ancient One gave him a grim smile in return. "I froze time, Mr. Potter. I stopped it in its entirety."
Harry nodded dumbly, glancing around for any sign of movement.
None occurred.
"This is— is wow," he breathed. "And I have traveled through time when I was thirteen. But this—"
Harry trailed off and the Ancient One offered him a weak smile, holding on to a nearby ledge.
"Wait, you're injured," Harry casted the healing charm over her wounds frantically. "What happened?"
The bleeding cuts over her body began to heal, and she sighed in relief.
"I… bargained for a spell," The Ancient One gave him a wry smile. "One of the most powerful spells in the Universe mentioned only in the Vishanti— The Sudarshana of Lord Vishnu."
"The Hindu god?" Harry blinked.
"Yes," She nodded. "Not many greater gods give away such spells, obviously. But Lord Vishnu, in his avatar of Krishna, helped found the Vishanti or so it is said. And me, being the Sorcerer Supreme, had the knowledge to use it. It doesn't come for free, of course."
"What did you give in return?" Harry narrowed his eyes.
"Not to worry," The Ancient One waved him off. "Lord Vishnu is much more benevolent than most elder gods and mystic principalities. I merely fought an Asura for him— a monster of the Indian Parthenon. It was a brutal fight, but I won. In return, he lent me the Sudarshana for one use."
"That's cool, I suppose," Harry glanced around. "And we are still frozen in time."
"We have all the time in the world here," The Ancient One smiled. "And absolute control over it."
With a swift motion, she extended her hand, flipping the mandala over her palm.
Time obeyed her command. The bricks ascended from the ground, soaring through the air to reconstruct the tower. The tarmac reshaped itself, causing the crater to vanish completely. Debris whirled around, reassembling to form the previously destroyed towers.
Miraculously, the fortress stood once more, as if nothing had occurred.
"You reversed time," Harry breathed. "Speaking of time—" Harry raised his own amulet, glancing at the glowing Time Stone around the Ancient One's neck. "I think I figured out how to work the Soul Stone."
"Truly?" The Ancient One blinked. "Show me."
Allowing the amulet to drop to his chest, Harry mirrored the gesture of the Ancient One. Bringing his hands together in a mudra, he then crossed his forearms before drawing them apart.
Gradually, the rings encircling his amulet began to spin, revealing the glowing orange stone within.
Harry could feel the pulsating power of the stone. Controlled, but waiting to be unleashed.
"Exactly like the Eye of Agamotto," the Ancient One smiled. "Of course. This must be the lost eye. I should've realized."
Harry knew what she was talking about— the twin eyes of Agamotto. The eye of knowledge and the eye of power.
Adorning the Ancient One's neck; and symbolizing her esteemed position as the Sorcerer Supreme, was the eye of knowledge. The eye that held the Time Stone.
"This is the eye of power," Harry fingered the chain of his amulet.
"Indeed," The Ancient One nodded. "I don't know how I missed it. I chalked the resemblance to be a coincidence. But apparently not."
Harry raised his arm slowly and tendrils of orange-golden power entwined around his arm.
Harry could feel the souls all around. Souls of the living. The spirits of the dead. And the monsters that had slipped through.
All frozen in time.
On its own, a glowing orange star mandala formed on his palm— the circle of banishment he had been using all night.
Harry focused on the spirits of the dead and the monsters.
Somehow, he knew he could do it.
With a twist of his arm, a shroud of magic spread over the whole fortress. Beside him, the Ancient One stiffened.
The ground under Harry's feet trembled slightly as Harry yanked on the spirits, banishing them back to the realm of death.
"What are you doing, Mr. Potter?" She questioned.
"I banished them all back," Harry breathed raggedly, sweat dripping down his forehead as the power receded to the spirals of magic around his arm. "The spirits and monsters."
Harry felt like he had developed a fever. His head throbbed and he wanted to throw up.
"That's impressive." The Ancient One commented. "And convenient."
Harry nodded feebly.
"How do you close it?" Harry prodded the amulet.
Almost in response to his query, the rings spun, concealing the Soul Stone within.
Suddenly, Harry felt worse than ever. He wavered unsteadily on his feet.
"That happens," the Ancient One grabbed him by his shoulder. "You'll get accustomed to it."
Harry nodded weakly, his eyes drooping.
"I am not feeling good," Harry murmured.
"Let's send you home," the Ancient One's voice rang and Harry found himself falling onto a soft bed.
He curled up, shivering. A moment later, his eyes drooped close, and he knew no more.
1st November 2005
Sanctuary II Spaceship, Unknown location
"Father," a figure kneeled in front of a throne of obsidian, his head bowed. "We've detected peculiar readings emanating from Earth – Midgard. A surge of formidable energy."
A pair of blue-yellow eyes snapped open.
"And how does that concern me, Corvus?" The voice reverberated through the ship.
"We suspect that it might be one of the six we seek, Father," Corvus rose to his feet.
"Or it could've been one of the gods," the man on the throne leaned forward, his golden armor gleaming in the light of a nearby star. "The divine take a deep interest in the backwater planet for reasons I never understood."
"It was an anomaly, sire," Corvus beseeched. "The presence of an Infinity Stone on that planet could explain the divine fascination."
"And what do you wish me to do?" The man asked. "If we were to assault Midgard, it would inevitably garner Asgard's notice. Such attention could jeopardize the success of our goal. Odin might be old, but he is formidable."
"Of course, father," Corvus bowed. "All I ask is for your approval to visit the planet and seek out the source of power myself. If I succeed, we will be taking a step further toward our goal."
"Indeed," the man's fingers drummed on the armrest of the obsidian throne. "Very well. Do not disappoint me, Corvus."
"Yes, father." Corvus Glaive said. "I will leave for Midgard at once."
AND… DONE! I hope you all liked the chapter!
So, as you can see, things are moving forward now, and as on every Halloween, the main plot BEGINS!
Whistles innocently.
And before you guys ask, Harry doesn't by any means have a good amount of control over the Soul Stone yet. This was a fluke in a way. A mere glimpse like Dr. Strange with the apple. ;)
Also, if you're wondering about the repelling spell, it was more like a weak compulsion than a full-fledged repulsion spell. That's why the guards stayed and the cops were coming.
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TheNamelessOne: Please approach me on discord/ PM me on FFN with a proper account. I cannot exactly guide you in my author's note mate.
Xros-xros: Actually, I have something very different planned for Wanda in this fic. Something that involves her not being Harry's love interest. So she won't be the pairing, I am afraid.
Exodus12345: The power levels are something I have designed for my own convenience. Also, as a writer, we do have lee-way with stuff like this. As for the love interest, it will not be Wanda is all I can say.
ShadowBladeSabre: Not exactly. It has infinite power but it can only do so much in a single shot. Also, its use depends on the user. Destructively, in a single shot, it should be capable of razing something like a solar system at full power imo if used to perfection. Anyhow, it is not something I plan to do anyway, so why worry?
Also, Harry's house is basically a whole floor instead of an apartment. Very big but not Stark big.
Oaab: Ohk, text wall. So, Harry's house is a whole floor in a building, akin to a condo and let's leave it to that. He lives in a building with a whole floor to himself. Imagine the rest. I am not gonna comment on the Nick/Pepper/Coulson/Rhodey hate speech. Tony is indeed an important character in the story.
The only people more powerful than Harry, who will be in the story are Odin, Ancient One, and Thanos (comparison without the stones for all Harry, Thanos, and Ancient One). Odin is in a league of his own despite whatever the MCU portrayed. He has the Odin force after all.
Tempest S: Training was important as a start, imo. Now, if you have read the chapter you will know that I shifted gears. His training will keep happening in the background but it would no longer be the forefront of the story going forward. I will occasionally do a scene or so to keep it on though.
Insanecoop: I plan my fic as a fic, not individual chapters. So if something feels unimportant, keep in mind that it might be setting up something bigger.
Ulttoanova: Unfortunately, you won't be seeing darkness manipulation in this fic. Forbidden art.
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That's all, thank you for your reviews!
A huge thanks to Mughil for betaing the chapter. He has written a note for you all below. Please check:
Beta's Note: As I (Mughil) am currently shifting houses, please excuse any possible errors in this chapter. I'll check it again in a few days and edit them.
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I have also created a discord server with the help of my two very good friends. I really hope to see you all there and have fun with you all. There, you can communicate with me, ask me questions regarding my fics, look at the character images, get sneak peeks, give your own theories, and even... wait, why should I tell you everything here? Come over and check it all out yourself!
Discord Server Invite Link: discord . gg / 4qfP3fxdQ4 [Remove the spaces please]
I would love it if you guys came to my server and interacted with me there. If you have some of your own theory or wish to see something in this fic as the journey progresses, you can tell it to me on the discord server!
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As of this moment, I have six main stories. They are:
1. The Rise of the Last Potter: My Novel length Harry Potter fic which is already 300k+ words long and it is a work in progress. Updated Regularly.
2. The Legend of the Son of Poseidon: A Novel Length Percy Jackson fic which is already 250k+ words long and it is a work in progress. Updated Regularly
3. Loved Ones Skipping Stones and Ice-cream: A fluffy Haphne one-shot. It is completed obviously.
4. SECRETS: Another romantic one-shot I published recently. Complete as well.
5. Agent Potter: The Wizard of W.A.N.D. - My spy!Harry fanfic which I implore you all to read!
6. Guardian of the Soul: Infinity Saga – My newest fic. An HP–MCU crossover. Novel length, in progress.
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Stay Happy! Stay Safe! Keep Smiling! Keep Reading!
HPfanfictioner66