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"I am Talking."
'I am Thinking'
Spells
When love blossoms amid the ruins of war, it shines brighter than any victory.
~Anonymous
INNOVATOR
-Dev Sagittarius Black
~~Chapter 28: End of the Battles~~
.
"Harry Potter…." Voldemort smiled. "The famous innovator of our country…"
"Tom Marvolo Riddle," Harry replied, "The infamous Dark Lord who was defeated by a one-year-old."
Voldemort ignored the jibe with practiced ease and continued as if nothing had happened, "Believe it or not, Potter, but you have a powerful presence, something that I had correctly assumed when we first met all those years ago."
Dumbledore looked between the two titans, a bit confused regarding what his former student was saying. He knew that Tom and Harry had a face-off back in Alan's first year when he was protecting the Philosopher's stone so that he could lure out Tom and send his spirit to Lady Achlys.
But he didn't know that the two had talked. As far as he was told, the two faced off, and Harry had defeated Quirinus. But before he could do anything worse, Tom broke the connection he had with the turbanator professor and escaped in his spirit form.
"I never denied that, Tom. You were always correct about that," Harry shot back at his nemesis. "But you were wrong about us being the same. We aren't."
"Ah, but you are mistaken, elder Potter; we are more similar than you would like to admit," The Dark Lord said as if he were about to preach the intricacies of their personalities. "Both of us want change. We know we are born for more than what the world perceives us to be, and both of us have a thirst for revenge that is heavily suppressed by the rules and regulations of our world…do I need to say more, Harry?"
"Don't listen to him, Harry!" Dumbledore shouted at Harry, who just glared at the Headmaster, surprising him momentarily. The boy then looked back at Lord Snakeface who raised his nonexistent eyebrow.
"Your words are as effective as they were before, Voldemort." Harry sniffed, "Almost useless. Because both of us know that you are nothing more than a blind man following a dream, motivated by ideals that are as hollow as you. I might not like the Headmaster and many things in this world, but that doesn't mean I am willing to follow a man who destroys families just because they aren't following him."
"They were powerless; you aren't." Voldemort smiled. "Always remember this, Potter; in the end, there is only power, and those who are too weak to seek it."
"And what about those who aren't powerful?" Harry inquired, "Ones who used to be powerful, and yet they aren't anymore? What about them?"
"They will always be suppressed by the ones who hold power over them. Just like our kind has been suppressed by filthy muggles, even though we have the power of changing reality itself with nothing but the snap of our fingers." Voldemort snapped his fingers to prove his point, and a lava pit was created around him, which vanished with another snap.
"Power comes with responsibility, Tom, something that you failed to realize." Harry shook his head. "Having power doesn't give you the right to make decisions for others; it's up to them to decide. And no matter how much you hate it, our current life is way better than the one you're hoping for by doing all this."
"And yet, it is the powerful who write history and determine the path on which a civilisation prospered." He countered, "If one has enough power, then they could not only battle but also change their fates according to them. You and I are living examples of that, Harry."
"You don't know how small both of us are when it comes to reality-changing existences, Voldemort. In fact, you wouldn't even live long enough to realize the mistakes that you made in your aspirations to fight your destiny."
"I don't think you of all people have to worry about that, Potter," The Dark Lord smirked, "I am Lord Voldemort. The wizard who has surpassed the pesky boundaries of life and death that a mortal suffers from. You, Dumbledore, the ICW mage council, and even your guildmasters are leagues away from achieving what is already mine."
"Self-delusion in the face of unpleasant facts is a folly of human nature, Tom." Dumbledore sighed, "You are so deluded regarding your own self that you have forgotten to perceive what is right in front of you."
"What I don't perceive is what you gain from all this, Headmaster." Tom narrowed his eyes. "You have lived past your prime; even a man as foolish as yourself would have realized that you cannot save everyone and definitely couldn't stop me. So what do you really accomplish by meddling in my plans?"
"All I could have hoped for was to somehow get you off the path of self destruction that you have chosen for yourself. Alas, I think I failed." The veteran wizard pointed his wand at Voldemort, which was immediately followed by Harry.
"It's such a pleasure to disappoint you one last time before your death, Dumbledore." The Dark Lord wasn't smiling. "I feel... almost privileged... that I am against you and the famous Dragon Slayer himself. What a day to remember."
Harry narrowed his eyes at the Dark Lord, who, even though he seemed lax, was alert enough to pick up the fight the moment it started. "Then maybe we should start the show; I am sure you are dying for our attention."
'Confringo-Diffindo-Bombarda!' Harry thought as he sent the three spells non-verbally while Dumbledore took on the job of protecting both of them.
Voldemort flicked his wand to create a shield. "Such a shame that you choose to oppress me yet again, Harry Potter. I had such high hopes for someone as intelligent as you."
And with that, the battle between the three magical powerhouses of Britain began.
On the other side of the battle, the one that was going inside Hogwarts, Lucius Malfoy, ran through the magical staircases as he approached the floor where his dear wife still resided, according to their son's last letter.
And even though he knew that she couldn't be saved anymore, he had to give it to her that she already knew what would happen to her if they somehow caught her, which is why she had changed her temporary residence in the castle at the last minute.
Instead of her VIP suite that was on the fifth-floor corridor, Narcissa Malfoy now lived in classroom 6B on the sixth floor. An abandoned classroom that had been transformed to give her a temporary residence just for one day.
As he moved through the stairs, his mind went back to organising the events that took place in the last hour. Everything had gone perfectly if he wanted to be honest with himself. There wasn't a single point throughout the planned attack where he regretted anything. Yes, the reinforcements had been a bit of a surprise, but that got covered when they engaged with the group he commanded.
His son had opened the secret door the moment they had received the signal, then his team had been divided as they went their separate ways. Half of them went towards the common rooms to torture and kill the mudbloods, as well as instill the fear of his lord's name in their impressionable young minds, while the other half engaged the professors to stall for time.
Lucius was in the latter group as he led the attack against the professors before he took an opportunity to sneak away and fulfil the purpose of his visit—to torture his wife Narcissa before he forced her to reveal the location of his master's artefact and take them both to Malfoy Manor.
After that, the plan was quite simple. They were to bargain Narcissa's freedom with Dumbledore for the prophecy that was hidden in the Department of Mysteries. Lucius was quite sure that the old fool would fall for it and would try to save Narcissa in return for the prophecy.
By now, he was sure that the first group would've at least decimated the mudbloods in all four houses, which meant that the only task left was for him to get his wife, torture the artefact's location, and take them both to Malfoy Manor through the secret door that his son had opened.
Easy.
Unfortunately, what the great Lord Malfoy, lord of the most noble house of Malfoys, had failed to predict was the presence of someone who would entirely derail his vengeful plans against his wife and the school. And this was the person who he should've been aware of before he made the attempt to sneak away, because this guy had been watching Lucius the entire time.
"LUCY-LUCY-LUCY, ARE YOU SNEAKING?! LUCY-LUCY-LUCY, ARE YOU PEEKING?!"
The awesomest poltergeist ever...
"Peeves…" Lucius stopped to look at the poltergeist, who was jumping around in front of him with a bucket full of dungbombs in his arms.
Something that didn't look good for the elder Malfoy.
"THAT'S RIGHT! IT'S ME, LUCY!" Peeves cackled loudly as he floated closer to Lucius. "Your good ole bestie! What a shame that you came and didn't even meet me! I had waited so long for you!"
"We were never best friends or even acquaintances, you bloody half-ghost. You were a nightmare for me back then!" Lucius shouted at the poltergeist, who just laughed harder. "Now get out of my way before I curse you again. I hope you remember what happened last time you decided to stop my way in my sixth year."
"Ah…." Peeves sighed, floating languidly as if he were lost in the memories. "How could Peeves ever forget the first time Lucy got his balls?" No-No Peeves never forgets! Peeves is a good boy; he remembers EVERYTHING!"
"Then I hope you realize that it can happen again. Therefore, it'd be better to just move away when you can't do anything to stop me." Lucius glared at the giggling ghost.
"Lucy-Lucy-Lucy! Peeves shrieked in laughter. "This is why you are Peevesey's best friend! Because Lucy is the only one who never makes Peevesy feel that he is dumb. Instead, Lucy accompanies Peevesy in being dumb together!"
"What?"
"Peeves has to tell you two things, Lucy…" The poltergeist floated up, "Should Peeves be a bad boy and tell you both? Nononononono….Peeves is a good boy, so you only get to hear one~!"
Lucius didn't say anything, but he firmly believed that the prankster ghost was definitely up to something. And that was not a good thought—not when he had a mission to complete. And what a shame it would be if he ended up missing his precious time because he got engaged by Peeves of all things.
"Peeves is a strong boy, Lucy... He never got hit by Lucy's curse that time~" Peeves sang and floated around the elder Malfoy, "Peeves is a good actor, isn't he? Such a good actor! Maybe he should ask the Headmaster to make him a professor too! A professor of acting! Professor Peeves!"
'That wasn't scary' Lucius shook his head; he had been worried for nothing. Peeves was just being an idiot, and there was nothing new about it. "Alright, Peeves—"
"PROFESSOR PEEVES!"
" —if you are done, I will just take my leave. Both of us know that you still can't do anything to stop me other than throw those dungbombs at me. And I am not a Hogwarts student anymore; I know curses that will really hurt you if you even try to do that."
Surprisingly, instead of floating away or screaming in panic, Peeves just laughed harder, "These dungbombs, Lucy?! Lucy being dumb again!" The poltergeist cackled merrily, "These dungbombs aren't for you, Lucy! Peeves just found these, and they will be used against ickle firsties."
"Alright then, you can go there while I can be on my way." The elder Malfoy sighed, but then, before he could even move, he was stopped by the poltergeist again.
"Would Lucy not like to hear the second thing that Peeves had to say?"
"What is it?"
"Dumb Lucy was pranked by Peeves again!" The poltergeist chuckled loudly. "He was told by someone to stop you if you ever reached this floor! And Peeves succeeded! Now I will finally get a full batch of Zonko's products!"
Lucius blinked at that. Someone had the galls to make a deal with Peeves of all things?! And for what? A fucking batch of Zonko's products?! Who would even be crazy enough to do that in the first place? The number of people who could even talk civilly to the lunatic half-ghost could be counted on one hand.
Unfortunately, none of them seemed like a good option for Lucius.
"...and who made this deal with you?"
"That would be me."
The Malfoy lord blinked in shock when he was forcefully turned, only to come face-to-face with an angry Sirius Black.
The next few seconds passed quite quickly for Lucius as he got punched hard in the face by Black, who, for some reason, had a bubblehead charm around his nose and mouth. The reason for this was explained quite brutally to him as Peeves floated above and turned the bucket full of dungbombs on him.
Lucius flicked his wand and tried to shield himself from the incoming barrage, but he was a bit dizzy from Black's punch, who then proceeded to not only punch him once more but also snatch his wand away.
The last thing Lucius remembered was multiple dungbombs falling on and around him, their putrid smell, and the lurid flashes of lights created from the explosives as Peeves cackled like a possessed man while Sirius glared at him from behind a translucent shield.
The battlefield was absolutely devastated by the impact of the landscape changing magical forces between the three mages that were. There wasn't a single area in the center of the village that hadn't been changed by either of the three wizards.
Most of the minor fights going around the village had ceased as everyone watched the one that was going into the middle. People of both parties wanted to jump in the fray and help their leaders, but they knew that they would be nothing more than a hindrance to their own leaders instead.
"Headmaster, I think I know how we could defeat him," Harry told the man beside him, who looked at the boy as their wands spat spells repeatedly to counter the destructive ones coming their way.
"What will I have to do?" Dumbledore asked Harry, who just smirked.
"I will follow the path of deceit." At Dumbledore's look of confusion, Harry explained more. "It's something I learned in the..Guild. We will attack him from both sides to overwhelm him. But to do that, I will have to sneak around him."
"That's not possible! Tom is a formidable opponent, and he is always aware of what is happening around him. Even if you disillusion yourself, he'll be able to sense you and your magic."
"Not if I do something else." Harry smirked again and began attacking Voldemort with renewed vigor. "I will handle him for a few seconds; just create a huge ball of water."
Dumbledore waved his wand in an arc, summoning a large amount of water in front of him while Harry charged it with electricity as Voldemort fended off the skeleton soldiers that the innovator had created.
"Murus Ignis!" Voldemort flicked his wand at the incoming attack. The ground was turned to fire and raised fifty metres in the air. The giant water ball collided with a loud sound as the air around them was filled with hissing noises from the steam that emerged from the collision.
When Voldemort vanished the wall, he was a bit surprised to only see Dumbledore, who was already conjuring up golems with thick barbed wires around their fists.
"Where are you, Potter?!" The Dark Lord muttered as he tried to sense Harry's magic, but shockingly enough, there wasn't a single trace of Harry. He didn't get enough time as his former headmaster sent the golems while levitating the rubble around him to make a giant construct that joined the two golems.
"Bombarda Maxima, Inspiratione Inais!" The bombarding and the hex of void struck the magical construct, which disintegrated immediately. But Voldemort had to take to the skies when the golems were about to strike him.
Unfortunately, Harry was already up there, waiting for him. "Draco Ignem." The Draconian flames descended on the Dark Lord, who conjured the Shield of Fire to defend himself from it while forcing himself to create a mage shield to take down Dumbledore's barrage of cutting, blasting, and shredding hexes.
The momentary lapse in concentration where the trapped Dark Lord had to focus on defending himself from Dumbledore's continuously high-powered hexes caused him to lose concentration over Harry, who flicked his wand and converted Voldemort's acromantula silk robe to lead.
Tom's eyes widened in surprise when, all of a sudden, he couldn't move his arms and started to fall to the ground due to the sudden added weight of lead. He grunted in exertion as he released more of his magic to keep himself from falling down.
Both Dumbledore and Harry took this momentary lapse as if it were Merlin's gift to them. Harry immediately launched into a frenzy of high-powered bludgeoning and blasting hexes, as well as organ liquefiers, while Dumbledore turned the two golems and some of the land below Voldemort into quicksand.
The Dark Lord snapped his fingers and reverted his robe back to its former condition. But even his Shield of Fire wasn't able to defend against Harry's barrage for long, which caused him to take more than a few of those spells head-on.
"You have been quite cunning…..elder Potter," Voldemort sneered. He looked at the quicksand that was pulling him inside as Dumbledore continued to rain spells on him from the side while Potter glared at him from up above.
The Dark Lord knew that he was low on magic from fighting the two mages together for so long, and now, even though his body had started the process of passive regeneration, his organs had already been affected by Harry's curses, which were quite painful to deal with.
"You can just admit that I was smarter than you; there is no shame in that. The world already proclaims me as the best mind alive." Harry smirked at the downed Dark Lord, who just glared at him. He knew he could join Dumbledore, and together they would be able to defeat Voldemort.
But it would be all for naught because he also knew that Voldemort couldn't be killed yet, and as for the battle, Both of them knew that it was already over.
The Dark Lord, Voldemort, had been defeated.
"I must say that you were way better than what I had expected from you, but the best? That's not something you, or anyone else except I, could ever achieve." Voldemort smirked. "I had told Dumbledore that I always get what I want, and even if you two have defeated me, you have lost something that will haunt you more than this small victory."
"What do you mean?" Harry frowned at the ominous message, but Voldemort just smirked and pushed his shield towards Dumbledore before blasting it outwards, once more forcing the world into a bright flash of light.
Those who were near the blast dove down or put up a shield to save themselves from the magical blast. When the light subsided and they slowly moved out of their covers, the only thing they saw was a huge crater in the middle of Hogsmeade and no sign of the quicksand or the Dark Lord who was trapped in it.
The Death Eaters who were left started to apparate back once they saw that their master had been defeated. They left the ones who had died and rushed to their own safety as the defenders of Hogsmeade started to immediately gang up on them.
"You held up for quite some time, professor." Harry told him as he joined the panting Headmaster, who was taking huge gulps of air.
"Harry…we-we don't have….enough time," Dumbledore told him. "There are…Death-Death Eaters inside Hogwarts... We need to go there."
"I tried doing that when I came, sir, but the gates wouldn't open." Harry frowned even as the two started moving towards the school.
"That is because Minerva rushed back when she—" He stopped when he saw something approaching them. The duo kept on moving towards it, and they were surprised when they saw that it was actually a dog patronus.
"That's…Sirius' patronus, sir." Harry told him, and the two stopped as the patronus reached them.
"Professor Dumbledore. Hogwarts is safe. We won." The patronus spoke in Sirius' voice. Then it ran around Harry twice, making the boy smile before it disappeared.
"Well…this means that the threat is over, right?" A new voice joined them, and Harry turned to look at the tall, dark-skinned auror in blue robes.
"Kingsley Shacklebolt, Mr. Potter, auror from DMLE," The man nodded at Harry, a nod that was full of respect for the power and utter majesty that the younger mage held.
"The DMLE has been quite generous by sending an auror to defend Hogsmeade from Voldemort, his Death Eaters, trolls, and a horde of Dementors." Harry told the man, and his words dripped with sarcasm.
"I don't think Kingsley here was sent by the DMLE, Harry," Dumbledore smiled as others trudged towards where they stood. "He was here on a stroll to enjoy the beautiful atmosphere that Hogsmeade once held. As were all of the others who defended the village today."
"Ah, that's even better," Harry sighed. "I am sure that the DMLE would send their aurors any minute now. Quite a quick response; I am surprised how we even have criminals with such an effective organization defending us."
"Potter." Moody barked at the boy, who shrugged but kept his silence. "Albus, now comes the tough part."
Dumbledore sighed as he looked around himself. Apart from a few shops, the village was destroyed. Broken and blasted shops, scorched paths, littered bodies of trolls, Death Eaters, civilians, and students alike.
It pained him to witness the destruction that one man's madness and a few honeyed words could cause to humanity. And then there was the attack on Hogwarts; he still had to check on all those who were touched by the evilness that trudged the halls behind his back. He just wished that, by some miracle, there would be no casualties among his staff or students.
"Harry?"
Harry froze a bit at the voice. Seven long years in the realm, yet he had only heard her once, when she had been his motivation against The Tandavam. Other than that, only her memories had been with him throughout his training in the Realm of Death.
The innovator turned to look at the battle-weary Greengrass heiress, who stood a few meters away from him. Her hair and clothes were soiled in dirt; he could even see a small concussion developing on her forehead. She was supported on one side by an equally weary Beaufort, while a tired Petrovia carried the unconscious form of his other Ravenclaw friend, Cho Chang.
Harry opened his mouth and saw how the Greengrass heiress was looking at him. Her crystal-blue eyes searched for something inside him with a hint of fear that she had lost what little she once had. A fear that could've been true if Harry had wanted to make it seem like that.
"Daphne…"
But he didn't.
He knew that she was the last person who deserved to lose even more of him than others. She was the only one, other than his godfather, who had placed the maximum amount of faith in him and his capabilities.
His thoughts were broken when, all of a sudden, Daphne left Angelique and fell into his arms. For a moment, he didn't do anything…more like he just couldn't do anything. This was the first time that Daphne had hugged him, and he had never initiated hugs with anyone other than his mother.
Harry's involuntary reaction to any form of physical contact was to push the person away. To tell them that they weren't wanted in his life and that they would never be appreciated. So it would be much better if they just left him alone and instead chose someone else who would return the affection.
But before that reaction could be initiated, something else happened.
"Maybe you could show the acknowledgement when they are alive instead of worrying when they died, child," Death's warm words echoed in his mind. "Instead of uselessly hating them, with their tenacity and desire to support you despite your rather rude and unwelcome behavior, why not show them that their work and support hasn't been unnoticed? Why not show them that you care about them when they are alive instead of crying for their souls when they die?"
These were the same words that the multiversal entity had told him when he asked it about the realm of death and what would happen to all those who were associated with him. At that time, he knew that he had decided to give them what they rightfully deserved.
'I think it's time to show you what you have deserved for always being there for me…' Harry thought as he slowly raised his arms and gently encircled the girl's waist before he softly placed them on the small of her back.
He hugged her back.
'Thanks for always being there for me….even in the realm of death. You might not know it now, but maybe someday I'll have enough courage in myself to tell you that if it wasn't for you that day, I would not have survived my battle against Tandavam…'
Tears fell down Daphne's eyes when she felt his strong arms encircle her protectively, as if to tell her that he would be here with her. That he wasn't going to leave her alone, not now or ever. That finally, after a month of suffering so much due to so many things, he was here to save her again.
At that moment, no one else mattered to the girl. She didn't care that her school's Headmaster as well as a few students were watching; she didn't care about the civilians that stood around them; and she most definitely didn't care about her 'Ice Queen' persona that she had crafted carefully to keep everyone else at bay.
No. At that moment, the only thing that mattered was that Harry was here. He was with her. Her patience had finally worked out, and now both of them were safe.
"The purest form of magic that is present in every conscious creature…" Dumbledore smiled at the two. He was quite surprised to witness the turn of events regarding Harry's life. He had always assumed that the boy was an emotionless machine who just wanted to accomplish his goals.
'It seems like I was quite wrong regarding you, Harry…' Dumbledore thought in amusement. 'Hmm…perhaps I should tell Sirius that his godson isn't what we assumed him to be?...or maybe I should let him wallow a bit more.'
Before anyone could've said anything, several popping sounds came around them as aurors started to arrive at the scene. They looked at the damage that the magical village had suffered and at the lying dead bodies of the humans as well as the trolls.
"Albus." Kingsley nodded at the Headmaster before he left to handle the aurors with Moody in-tow. They knew that they would need to hide the fact that they were here under the orders of Albus Dumbledore and then halt the aurors long enough for the students to leave the place.
"I think all of us must depart from the village now." Dumbledore announced, getting everyone's attention. "I will stay back with a few of our defenders to answer the questions. Students, on the other hand, are requested to return to Hogwarts immediately. Ms Johnson, as the head girl, it's your responsibility to ensure that everyone returns back to the school and the injured find a place under Madam Pomfrey's care."
"Absolutely, sir." Angelina agreed before she started to gather the students, both from Hogwarts and other schools.
"I am glad that you have returned, Harry. Welcome back." Dumbledore smiled at the boy, who just nodded back. "Also, I think Ms. Greengrass was a bit too tired because I am quite sure she's not conscious anymore."
Harry blinked at that. He looked at the girl who was still hugging him and shook her a bit, only for her to loosen her grip and fall back into his arms limply.
"What the—" Harry muttered before he sighed. There was no way he was going to leave Daphne like this. But the other way was to carry her himself.
'Or I could just levitate her….' The insidious thought poked his mind before he shook it off. Yes, it would definitely be easier, but then, did he really want to do that? He knew that his old self wouldn't even think twice before doing just that.
But his current self, the one who had spent seven years in the Realm of Death, had learned a lot regarding life, attachments, bonds, and what not. The self that had given this a lot of thought didn't want to do that at all.
'Would it be too forward of me if I did that?' Harry thought to himself. 'What if I….'
"Oh, pour l'amour de Merlin, Potter!" Angelique threw her hands up in the air. "Just carry her to your hospital wing. Out of everyone here, you are the only one who seems capable of doing it anyway."
The French diva pointed to the rest of the Hogwarts students who were either injured or were too tired to carry themselves, much less another person.
This somehow solidified Harry's notions as well, because in the next moment, she saw him adjust his grip on Daphne's body as he lifted the girl in a bridal style before he took off in the direction of the school, leaving everyone behind.
"Lucky girl…"
Angelique looked at Ashley, who watched Harry's leaving form like everyone else. She knew that the Durmstrang champion still held feelings for the boy wonder, but for some reason she didn't want to correct her. She should have, if only for Daphne's sake. But then, she had seen how Harry held the girl close to himself.
The boy was slowly coming out of his shell and had already accepted Daphne, even if it was subconscious at the moment. There was no need for her to meddle with something like that. She was sure that if Ashley decided to bother him too much regarding a relationship or anything similar…then Harry himself would break her illusions.
For some reason, she wanted the rejection to be brutal…. 'Oh well, I would definitely sit back to enjoy the show... Maybe I should even try to get the front row seats. Would be fun.'
Ending note: Thank-you for not reviewing my story. Glad that I don't have to worry about reviews, flames and what not.
Also, the next three chapters and all the character sketches are available on my p -treon.
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