Before the commotion could start again, Dumbledore spoke, "It's an excellent idea. It's been a while since I've dueled, and a little practice would help me shake off the rust. I'm curious to see how far you've come with the advice I've given you."
Harry thought Dumbledore was a genius. This way, he could mask the fact that he didn't know all his skills; when he surprised him in the duel, the others wouldn't get suspicious.
Before he could respond, a burst of noise broke the silence. "Harry Potter!" Mrs. Weasley's shout was unmistakable. "Harry, that's Dumbledore!" Even Sirius, as supportive of his godson as he was, couldn't believe he had challenged a wizard of Dumbledore's calibre to a duel.
Moody, on the other hand, seemed intrigued. His eye twinkled almost as brightly as the headmaster's. He was curious about how this new Potter would fare. Would he be all show and no substance, like so many young people who think they are more than they really are? Alastor had seen plenty of those when training Auror recruits. Or was he something more?
"Excellent, Professor, we can begin whenever you're ready."
"Sirius, if you could lead the way…" The Animagus quickly stood up, following the headmaster's orders. He motioned for everyone to follow, opened the kitchen door, and led them outside.
Without going back upstairs, he headed straight for another door nearby, flung it open, and led everyone inside.
For a moment, Harry and the Order members were enveloped in darkness before a trio of glowing spheres soared into the air, illuminating the new room. The Order of the Phoenix had entered a very spacious hall. It was carved from solid rock, but unlike the kitchen, it had no proper floor. The ground was pure rock, with all the unevenness that entailed. The surface wasn't smooth; here and there, small ridges and bumps rose a few inches high.
The room was far larger than it appeared from the outside. It was thousands of feet long and hundreds of feet high. It was so vast that several Quidditch fields like the one at Hogwarts could fit inside, with room to spare. Scattered around were numerous training dummies, and on one side were chairs arranged like bleachers. They were high enough off the ground to provide a clear view of the entire field, allowing spectators to watch duels without missing a thing.
"Fascinating!" Moody muttered in his gruff tone, "I didn't know you had such a large dueling hall, Sirius. Could I borrow it for some training sessions?"
"Of course, Mad-Eye." The Animagus replied, "I might even join you."
"Well, Headmaster, are you ready?" Harry quickly pulled the Elder Wand from his pocket and cast a swift illusion on it. It was intricate enough to fool Moody's eye but not so complex that it took too long to complete. He didn't want to duel with his Holly wand. Though he would use a lot of wandless magic, the wand would still be necessary in some situations, and he couldn't risk it not responding properly.
Completing the illusion, he drew out the wand just as the professor responded, "Of course, my boy. Are you sure we need this much space?"
Indeed, with a quick flick of his wand, the young wizard had banished all the dummies to a corner, clearing the dueling area completely. "Trust me, Professor, this might not even be enough," he said, ignoring the gasps of shock from the other witches and wizards at the display of non-verbal magic. If they were amazed by that, what would happen in a few moments? Their jaw would probably hit the floor!
"Alastor, would you care to be the referee?"
"Certainly, Albus, with great pleasure! What rules will you follow?"
"Anything goes except the Unforgivables, what do you say, Headmaster?" added Harry, already formulating some ideas.
To the shock of the onlookers, Albus nodded. "So be it!" affirmed the retired Auror.
Moody ensured the two wizards stood properly facing each other, bowed following the appropriate etiquette, and gave the signal to start: "Begin!"
Break
Harry had hated fighting before Dora's death. Well, "hate" was a strong word, but he certainly didn't like it. He preferred resolving conflicts peacefully, only resorting to force if absolutely necessary.
Despite this, the thought of taking a life disgusted him deeply. Though he knew he would eventually have to end Tom Riddle's existence, the reality of what that entailed hadn't fully settled in his mind.
When Dora died, everything changed. Harry learned the hard way that if he didn't end his enemies, it would be his loved ones who suffered. Countless times he had cursed himself, thinking that if he had killed Bellatrix in the Department of Mysteries, Dora would still be alive.
Training and fighting far more than he had ever done before, Harry discovered that he actually enjoyed combat. In battle, he thrived.
Facing his enemies and devising the perfect strategy to defeat them was like a balm for his soul. For a few moments, his focus would shift away from his grief and onto the duel.
But after each fight, that bit of excitement would fade, and everything would return to its dull, grey state. Harry hadn't dueled since traveling back in time, and facing the headmaster seemed like the perfect way to break the ice.
Maybe he would give him a challenge? It had been years since anyone had lasted long enough against him to satisfy his desire to dive into the fray.
"Come at me with the intent to kill, Professor!" Harry exclaimed, locking eyes with him.
For long moments, the two wizards studied each other intently, both poised and ready to spring or dodge. A palpable tension built between them before snapping abruptly. As soon as the younger wizard let his wand drop into his pocket, everything began.
Focusing a bit of magic into his legs, Harry leaped forward. Like a blur, he crossed the thirty-plus feet separating him from the other wizard in less than a second, moving at a speed no human could match. His fist, glowing slightly with magic, was raised, ready to smash the headmaster into the ground.
It was Fawkes who saved his companion, teleporting him away in a golden flame just before the magically enhanced punch could turn him into a smear of blood and remains on the rocky floor. With a roar, Harry's fist, now devoid of its target, struck the ground. The rock shattered, leaving behind a crater more than seven feet deep. The spectators were in shock.
Harry leaped into the air, spinning in mid-air in a pirouette worthy of the most renowned artistic competitions, dodging the beam of silver-white energy that erupted from the headmaster's wand. Upon impact, the rock fragmented, leaving behind a deep trench several feet long.
"That's more like it, Professor!" Harry exclaimed. His eyes seemed to sparkle with joy as he landed on his toes, bouncing as if made of rubber. His gaze snapped toward Dumbledore just as he struck the ground hard with his foot.
Immediately, a tremor rippled through the room as the rock began to rise like the surface of a lake in rapid agitation.
The rapid ripples raced toward the headmaster before the ground was reformed by a titanic explosion. Harry was sent flying backward several feet as the shockwave hit him like a battering ram. Unperturbed, he didn't allow himself to touch the ground before springing back to his feet like an elastic band.
With overwhelming force, the young wizard spread his arms as a small glow began to emanate from his skin. A vast amount of magic poured out of his body, accompanied by a particular sound—the grinding of rock against rock.
Two stone columns, each over three meters tall and as wide as several men standing together, rose from the floor beside the young wizard. They immediately merged and deformed, taking the shape of a masterful transfiguration. Professor McGonagall, watching from the stands, was particularly impressed.
Two tall knights mounted on stone horses and wielding lances of the same material now towered over the battlefield. "Go!" roared Harry, gesturing towards Dumbledore with a wave of his hand.
With a terrifying roar, the two constructs began a deadly charge. They wielded their lances like seasoned knights, moving in unison to take down the headmaster.
"They won't be much of an inconvenience for him," Harry thought. "But they'll give me the opening I need…"
Two well-placed blasting curses reduced the gigantic constructs to shards. However, as they exploded, the two raised a large cloud of rock dust, which was perfect for Harry's plan.
With a flick of his wand, Dumbledore cleared the dust to find that the scene had changed. A massive ring of fire surrounded him. Countless creatures made of living flame seemed to be born within it, ready to pounce on him.
One of these, the largest, appeared to have a massive crown on its head. Between its two horns was a platform. On this platform, Harry stood, staring at the headmaster before clapping his hands once.
Immediately, the creatures leapt into the circle, ready to reduce the headmaster to a pile of ash. In response, the great phoenix leapt in front of the headmaster. A powerful cry and a cocoon of golden flames enveloped him and his companion, strong enough that the creatures crashed into it and extinguished themselves.
"Thanks for the help, Fawkes!" the old man exclaimed. "Now leave this to me..." As soon as the shield fell, a massive jet of water, as wide as a river, surged from the man's wand.
The few remaining creatures were instantly obliterated, while Harry quickly jumped in front of the torrent.
Standing firm like a marble pillar, he addressed the headmaster, "Impressive, Professor Dumbledore. But..." With a roar of determination, he reached out to the water jet just before it could overwhelm him. Seizing control from the elder wizard, he redirected the torrent upwards, making it curve like an L before it arched back and rushed towards a stunned professor.
With a determined growl and a swift flick of his wand, Dumbledore ended the spell, staring at his student with genuine admiration.
Harry wasted no time. He charged forward, fist poised to strike, ready to knock the man down again. However, the headmaster anticipated his move.
With a wave of his wand, a metal cube appeared at his feet. Another flick and it transformed.
Charging rapidly towards Harry was an armoured figure, much like the many suits of armour that dotted Hogwarts. It wielded a massive double-edged sword, and its sealed helmet concealed any hint of what lay within.
Harry knew he could dismantle it quickly, but he wanted to enjoy himself. In a blur, the same blade he used to decapitate Nagini materialized in his hands.
Gripping it with both hands, the young wizard charged at the armour. With a mighty clang, the two blades met in a shower of sparks. For a few moments, the two combatants exchanged a flurry of thrusts and slashes, moving at lightning speed, so much so that the onlookers could barely follow the clash of the blades.
Harry quickly found an opening in the armour's guard and, slipping his blade through, swiftly bifurcated it at the chest. With a tremendous crash of metal, the animation that kept the metallic creature alive vanished.
Meanwhile, the headmaster was not idle. Harry heard the end of a long incantation muttered by the elder man before the tip of his wand glowed with an intense golden light.
Immediately, a beam of the same colour shot forward, but Harry's senses didn't warn him to avoid it. It wasn't aimed directly at him but at a point a few feet above his head.
"What the..." Harry muttered as the beam, reaching the designated spot, compressed into a small sphere of incandescent golden light.
Before Harry could even think of escaping, the sphere split. Six beams of light exploded from it, embedding themselves in the floor around Harry, forming a large cage with a spherical top.
"Fascinating," Harry murmured. "But useless if it leaves me so much space to get out." Indeed, though the beams might have been four inches thick, they didn't nearly cover all the air around him, leaving ample gaps for him to escape.
With a quick movement, Harry prepared to dash out, only to be thrown back as if he had hit an invisible barrier. "What the hell..." he muttered.
He pointed his finger at the space between two beams and fired a quick bluish spell, which rebounded and narrowly missed hitting him.
"Alright," he said, a hint of amusement on his face. "The support points of the spell must be those beams. If I destroy one, the whole thing should come down."
Grabbing the blade with both hands, he began to channel a significant amount of magic into it. Immediately, the edge of the sword began to glow with its own light as Harry raised it and brought it down with a loud battle cry, ready to cleave one of the pillars in two.
There was a terrible noise, followed by an intense crack. For a moment, it seemed as if the blade had bent on itself, like it was made of a soft substance, before a good half of it broke off with a crash and flew towards Harry's neck like a dart. Had he been a normal man, his head would have separated from his body in a spray of blood. But he was no ordinary man.
As quick as lightning, he tilted his head to the side, letting the blade pass a millimeter from his neck, feeling its heat as it sliced through the air beside his throat.
"Damn," he murmured. "That strike was powerful enough to cut a large building in two! Yet this cage withstood it without a scratch. Looks like I'll need to bring out the big guns."
Making his now unusable weapon vanish, he resolutely fixed his gaze on the headmaster, visible through the gap between two beams.
"Do you surrender, my boy?" The headmaster's question seemed redundant, as if even he didn't expect an affirmative answer. "I'm sorry, Professor, but... I never surrender!"
Harry shouted the last part of his sentence as he let go of all the masks concealing his true level of magical power. Immediately, a halo of silvery light exploded around him like a mantle, stopped only by the golden cage that contained the countless tendrils.
Outside, no one could feel the unleashed magic, but the mere sight of it in such an explicit manifestation left them astounded. There was only one thought crossing everyone's mind, well, everyone except the headmaster: "How can a fifteen-year-old have so much power?"
In a flash, Harry withdrew all the magic inside himself, letting it diffuse into his own body. Immediately, he began to glow faintly. His eyes shone like beacons, his mouth seemed to emit a soft glow, as did his nose and ears. Even his hair seemed more luxuriant than ever, shooting off in all directions.
The wizard raised his fist. It began to glow, as if wrapped in a silvery film. He paused for a moment as a thought crossed his mind.
"This punch... is powerful enough to vaporize the entirety of London, leaving a crater in its place. Let's see if this cage can contain it."
Then he let it fly.
His fist smashed into one of the six beams. For a moment, it offered a tiny resistance, making Harry think it might hold; but it did not. After a brief resistance, Harry's fist cut through the beam like it was made of butter, severing it cleanly.
Immediately, with a series of thinning creaks, an intricate network of cracks enveloped the entire cage before it was reduced to a powder of golden sparks.
No longer contained, Harry's magic exploded in all directions. It was so vast that it enveloped the entire hall in a gentle silvery glow as Harry set his eyes on the headmaster.
What followed was a pure beatdown. Harry moved at inconceivable speeds, flickering countless times around the headmaster. Barrages of charms, jinxes, curses, and hexes seemed to erupt from every part of the boy's body, hurtling with extreme speed towards an increasingly desperate professor.
His shields and counterspells were futile; his frantic dodges were in vain; even Fawkes' efforts to teleport him continually were of no use.
After several minutes, the professor decided to unleash his final trump card. With an explosion, he quickly released all the magic he could muster.
He began to glow with golden light as an intensely bright cloak of magic enveloped him, drawing Harry's attention. Stopping in front of the headmaster, a few feet away, the boy prepared himself. "Give it your all, Professor!" he encouraged before being interrupted by a shift in the air.
Everyone could feel it, the sensation of being prey in the presence of a predator. Harry hadn't felt that sense of helplessness in twelve years.
A gigantic smile split his face as he sensed that the old man would give him a true challenge.
Where the headmaster had stood, now a gigantic pillar of golden light took his place. It extended from the floor to the ceiling and was as wide as a house. The pillar vibrated intensely, like a giant phone ringing. Even the ground and ceiling trembled in unison with it.
From it emanated an intense energy, sending golden sparks scattering throughout the hall. An immense pressure seemed to weigh on everyone's shoulders.
With an intense hiss, the pillar disintegrated, leaving behind an impressive sight.
Where the headmaster had been now stood a gigantic figure made entirely of golden light. It was as tall as a multi-story building. It resembled an angel. A long tunic hung down its body, and a long sword was sheathed at its side. Two pairs of wings extended from its back, with a wingspan over sixty feet.
Its face was radiant, but its most intense feature was its eyes. They seemed like two miniature suns, shining with light that ranged from gold to a sparkling blue. The light they emitted was so intense that looking directly at them would literally burn the observer's retinas. The pressure that had weighed down on everyone vanished instantly, surely nullified by the headmaster's control.
Harry knew what he was witnessing, and he doubted that, as strong as he was, he could stand against it in this form. "Extraordinary!" he exclaimed, enhancing his voice so that the onlookers could hear it with extreme clarity. "This is the highest manifestation of magical power that a wizard or witch can exert!"
"Or at least of those known," he added mentally, then continued speaking.
"The Avatar! It takes an immense amount of magical power to bring it out. The only other wizard known to have achieved this was Merlin himself."
Everyone looked at Dumbledore as if he were a god. Even Harry took a moment to study the powerful presence of his opponent. He doubted that the headmaster had unleashed it against Voldemort during the first wizarding war; otherwise, there would have been testimonies.
Never before had he seen something so fascinating and powerful hurled against him, and it thrilled him in a way he hadn't felt in years.
"I bet she hasn't used this spell since her famous duel with Grindelwald in 1945," Harry continued. "Or maybe not even Grindelwald forced her to bring it out?"
"I admit, not even Gellert pushed me as you're doing today, my boy," the headmaster's voice was powerful and reassuring, like that of a benevolent god. It echoed through the hall like a trumpet blast: "This is the first time I'm using my avatar in combat. But I'm sure you still have more surprises in store. Impress me again, my boy!"
With a mighty battle cry, the headmaster unsheathed his sword, a deafening ring accompanying the gesture.
"Sirius!" Harry called out quickly, "Do you mind if I temporarily make a hole in the ceiling of this hall?"
"No, Harry..." his godfather's voice trembled, but his godson managed to catch it: "What do you want to..."
His voice was completely drowned out by a thunderous roar. A hole the size of a house opened up in the high ceiling, showing the sky for a brief moment. A blinding light replaced it instantly, illuminating the entire hall. An epic lightning bolt struck the ground. Before it hit, something flashed and grabbed it. It was Harry's hand.
For a moment, the spectators saw something they could never have imagined. Harry stood tall and proud, his arm extended, gripping the powerful bolt of lightning in his fingers. A cylinder several meters long, glowing with blinding light, containing millions, if not billions, of volts.
If Harry wasn't protecting himself with all his magical power, he would have been turned into a pile of ash on the rocky floor. But even with his power, he couldn't hold on for long, not with such force in his grasp. The lightning he held was far more powerful than normal lightning, attracted by magic. Instantly, the boy flung his arm forward, hurling the bolt at the headmaster wrapped in his avatar, like a javelin.
Instead of leaving a monstrous hole in him, the giant construct's sword fell, intercepting the lightning on its edge. With a flick of his arm, the headmaster sent the bolt flying, crashing into the ground on the opposite side of the spectators, creating a crater hundreds of feet deep.
"Extraordinary," Harry thought again, staring at the headmaster with his mouth slightly open. "He shrugged off the most powerful lightning I can use in this form as if it were a minor annoyance. But I won't give up, I want to try something else."
For the second time during the duel, his fist was covered in a silvery glow, as he channelled enough energy to vaporize the entire London area. "Professor..." he yelled, looking him in the eyes, "...I'm coming!"
Raising his fist, he kicked off the ground hard enough to launch himself several meters into the air, ready to meet the rapid punch the headmaster was delivering to counter him with his free hand. The two blows met with a thunderous crash. For a moment, a shockwave that seemed to bend the air itself enveloped them.
It seemed they were evenly matched, but that wasn't the case. Harry felt like he had hit the side of a giant mountain. With blinding pain and a loud crack, he felt his wrist break like a fragile twig against a massive trunk. The force was such that the boy was sent flying back, instantly crossing the hundreds of meters separating him from the wall, crashing into it, leaving an impression in the wall and floor.
For a moment, he succumbed to the immense pain coursing through his body as dozens of bones broke. But he would never give up, never! With an explosion of magical energy, he instantly healed every injury he had sustained, leaping out of the new crater that dotted the hall. A vast silvery glow rose from him and grew... and grew... and grew.
If the pillar that had appeared with the release of the headmaster's avatar was large, the one Harry was wielding now was immense. It wasn't golden but manifested in various colours. From white to black, from the colour of fire to that of lightning. A blaze of shimmering lights that enveloped the entire hall.
If the headmaster's aura made it vibrate, this one seemed to shake the very foundations of the world. It seemed to rise from the floor and vanish into the ceiling, as if what was visible was only a small part of it. A devastating pressure descended everywhere. The headmaster, using the power of his avatar, tried to mitigate it. His effort was not as effective. Despite taking most of it, the remaining pressure was still three times that previously exerted by him.
Suddenly, silence fell. Everything that had been shaking and trembling stopped instantly. The immense pressure weighing on everyone's hearts ceased to exist. A cloud of darkness seemed to swallow the entire hall, followed by a blinding flash that wiped it out completely; what remained could only have come from legend.
If Professor Dumbledore's avatar appeared like an angel, Harry's was like a vengeful god ready to reap his victims like a field of ripe grain. The figure was even taller than the headmaster's. His face was made of living rock, constantly changing. The material sizzled as it continuously assumed different forms. The eye sockets gave way to two completely opposite eyes. The right contained a globe of flames, ranging from a dark orange at its edges to a blinding white at its core. The eye itself seemed to float in a background of molten lava. The left eye, however, was a globe of crystalline ice, with countless shades of emerald and sapphire. It too seemed to float in a pool of pure water, appearing almost transparent.
His hair was made of pure wind. Strands of solidified air constantly in motion, writhing like angry snakes. His body, too, was made of rock, this time sparkling. This material appeared as pure transparent diamond, revealing within a labyrinth of veins through which pure water flowed down to the limbs. He also had a pair of wings on his shoulders, made of fire and wind. The giant wingspan of living flame had windy strands twisting and weaving through it in a truly spectacular design. Lightning bolts constantly danced through his hair and along his entire body. First, they would move away, then return, as if attracted by gravity itself.
An additional detail that characterized him were the two long swords at his sides. On the right, a blade with a completely white scabbard, its hilt shining with the brightest light, like a small sun. Even from inside the sheath, bursts of light seemed to escape, indicating that the blade too must shine. The sword on his left had a sheath darker than night. Its hilt seemed made of darkness itself, absorbing all surrounding light.
"This, Professor, is my avatar," Harry's voice was like a rumble of thunder, powerful as fire and smooth as water. "I call it the Elemental Fury. I think you understand why."
"I knew you wouldn't disappoint me, my boy. Show me what you can do!"
Harry didn't bother drawing the blades of his avatar. He doubted the headmaster would give him too much trouble in this form. One moment he was on the other side of the hall, the next he was burying a diamond fist, covered in lightning, into Dumbledore's abdomen.
The golden avatar was sent flying, crashing into a wall and falling heavily. With a series of crashes, the giant construct managed to rise, spreading its wings and taking to the air. Harry repeated the move, preparing to meet the headmaster in another powerful clash.
The angelic avatar raised its sword and brought it down, ready to split the Elemental Fury in two. In response, Harry raised his left hand, catching the blade mid-air. For a moment, nothing happened, the air and ground still trembling from the blows exchanged by these two giants, before the golden blade began to crack. Rapidly, the part in contact with Harry's fingers began to crumble, reducing to dust.
For the first time, the younger wizard saw shock in the older one's eyes. He couldn't let him recover. The duel had lasted long enough. With a swift punch, he sent the angelic creature crashing through the floor, then a powerful axe kick shattered its guard. With a final well-placed crescent kick, he struck its head, feeling something definitively break in the headmaster's avatar.
Harry was sure that blow wouldn't kill the man but would destroy the construct. Indeed, the latter exploded in a massive burst of golden sparks, leaving a rather dishevelled and battered Professor Dumbledore at the bottom of the crater.
With a quick wave of his hand, Harry levitated him, then gently placed his right hand on the headmaster's head. His palm seemed to vibrate with golden light, instantly healing all of Dumbledore's injuries.
Lowering him gently to the ground, with a snap of his fingers, he let his avatar disperse into an ocean of multicoloured sparks, before landing in front of the headmaster. A swift Expelliarmus and Harry was holding Dumbledore's wand between his fingers; a blur and he was pressing his own wand against the man's heart and his own to his temple.
"Do you surrender, Professor?" he asked, loud enough for all the spectators to hear clearly.
"Of course, my boy, you have truly, as they say, surpassed your master. My heartfelt congratulations! You have indeed made me proud today."
Harry shook the headmaster's hand, pretending to return his wand. Instead, he pocketed it, just as he had agreed with the wise wizard in his office.
"You humble me, Professor... I worked so hard, and these are the results." Turning to the astonished onlookers, he added, "So, do you think I can join the Order now?"
Author's Notes
And that's another chapter done!
Undoubtedly, my longest chapter yet, almost 5k words!
I love writing battle scenes, and I hope it shows! A few words about this chapter. I apologize if some parts defy the laws of physics or break reality in peculiar ways. I'm not an expert in these fields, so I can't guarantee perfection.
I know some things are illogical, like Harry holding a lightning bolt or the lightning on his avatar being attracted by gravity, but let's chalk it up to magic and move on.
Let me know what you think of the fight!
I actually had other scenes planned for the end of this chapter, but the duel ended up being much longer than expected, so I'll save them for the next one!
As you've probably gathered from this chapter, the battles are going to be much more intense than in the original series. Just so you know, Harry didn't go all out during the duel; he still has many things to show. Even with his avatar, we've only scratched the surface. As for Dumbledore, he could have done more if the battlefield had allowed it.
I'll also let you know that Voldemort will be much stronger than Dumbledore and will give Harry a real challenge! I can't wait to get to their first showdown.
Other characters will also be more powerful, especially the Death Eaters and those on the dark side.
And even though all the Horcruxes are destroyed, don't think Tom will be defeated quickly; we have a long way to go!
A huge thank you to all of you who follow, favourite, and review! I'm receiving incredible feedback from you all, much more than I ever expected in such a short time! Thank you so much!
Regards from Landar!