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"I am Talking."
'I am Thinking'
Spells
The only person you should compete with is the person you were yesterday.
~Dr. Prem Jagyasi
INNOVATOR
-Dev Sagittarius Black
~~Chapter 25: Training Times Up!~~
.
He hated it.
Giant towers, pointed turrets, stone walls and floors, magical staircases, corridors clubbed with various paintings and all of their eyes watching his every move, judging him. Yes, Lucius Malfoy absolutely loathed the old castle that was Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He never wanted to spend even a single moment here that wasn't absolutely necessary for his goals.
Unfortunately, this trip had been one of the most important ones that he had made in the last few years. His son and wife were being held captive by Dumbledore. He needed to free them and smuggle the priceless artifact that his master needed. Lucius saw this as an absolute opportunity to redeem his name in his lord's eyes, and regain the respect of the Inner Circle.
Lucius knew that his foolishness had cost his lord the first artifact, which he had gifted to the Malfoys as a sign of trust and kinship. Ergo, this was a blessing in disguise and there was no way in seven hells that he would miss a chance this precious to regain their nobility in the eyes of the Dark Lord.
"What a long route, eh Lucius?" Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic, chuckled as they followed the bulky, and brutish, half-breed groundskeeper with a platoon of aurors for their security. "Makes me wish to call Albus to the gates instead. Alas, he's much older and it'd be quite impolite to make him rush all the way from his office to meet us."
"Indeed, Cornelius," Lucius gave a buttery smile, "Also, as we have already seen today, I am quite sure that our esteemed Headmaster is quite busy managing the tournament, and guests, as it is. It would be quite rude of us to push his limits deliberately, considering he has been nothing but hospitable and agreeable to our presence and suggestions regarding the tournament."
"Of course-of course!" The Minister boomed, "Albus is a good friend of mine, and no sane person would have faulted our suggestions anyways. They were precise and largely helpful, especially since you and Lord Black helped the Ministry with funding for all those sheets and showballs."
Lucius frowned a bit at the mention of the Black of the Blacks. Sirius Black had been surprisingly forthcoming with the donations when the ancient lords had been asked to donate for the tournament. It was, after all, a pride for Britain, as well as all those who had graduated from Hogwarts, to have a tournament of international value and prestige be re-started in the school.
Sirius Black, the white sheep of the darkest house of Britain, a house that was known far and wide for its cruelty and prejudice, was the one who donated the most. Along with that, he took the podium in the Wizengamot to publicly launch another one of the many innovations of the unofficial prince of Britain: The Showballs.
The Showballs were actually based on muggle projectors. Except that instead of showing a saved clip, it showed the things as it happened in real time. The trick was something in the arithmetical calculation which, when merged with magical channels that were placed on the contestants, showed everything that happened with them. Which was then projected on a strong white sheet that came together with the Showballs.
The price of one showball was somewhere close to five-thousand galleons, but the Black lord had been quite merciful on the budget and had decided to 'donate' four showballs to Hogwarts and a few in all the prominent locations in Britain like Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. Quite a brilliant move in Lucius' honest opinion, he had to begrudgingly respect Sirius Black's mind in business.
The 'donations' of showballs would pave the way for every citizen of the wizarding world to get a glimpse of something that they previously hadn't been allowed to. And yet they would be either at Hogwarts or public locations, which meant that the rich lords who wanted to view things in private would have to buy a showball for their family. And the advertisement? It wouldn't be needed as the Showballs themselves would be a sensation among the wizarding population.
"Lucius?"
Lucius blinked his eyes to clear out the business related haze that had clouded his mind and looked at the Minister, "Ah yes! Pardon me, Cornelius," He spoke with faux sincerity, "I was a bit lost while thinking about all the changes that my good relative, Sirius and his godson Harry have brought for our world under your guidance. It warms my heart when I look at all these developments that will assuredly take us quite ahead in the future."
Cornelius, the ever-blind and pompous man laughed boisterously at that, "Of course-Of course!" He chuckled, "Lord Black and Mr. Potter have been nothing but the best when it comes to helping our nation, makes me want to give them both another award for their services."
"I am sure they would be quite honored to receive it from you, Minister," Lucius tried his best to gulp down the disgust when he thought about the elder Potter, "But that will have to wait for now, right? Now, if I may ask, why did you call me out?"
"Oh that! Ah, I just remembered that you had told me about wanting to visit your son–Draco, that's him right?" He waited for Lucius to nod once, "Well, since we're leaving now, I think it would be prudent of you to meet him now. Meanwhile, I'll take one more visit towards the Black Lake to check-in on the preparations again. You can meet us there and we'll be off towards the Ministry, what do you say?"
"Sounds like a plan, Minister," Lucius smiled, "I apologize for the wait, I will try to finish my business with Draco as soon as I can and join you near the lake."
Fudge waved him off, "Think nothing of it, take as much time as you want to, Lucius, to a man nothing is more important than his family. We'll be there for you near the lake." And with that the Minister asked Hagrid to take him and his guards toward the Black Lake instead of the gates. Lucius, on the other hand, took a detour towards the VIP suites where his wife was being kept by Dumbledore according to one of her letters.
Harry grunted as he was violently pulled out from his concentrated state of mind by Death. The entity stood a few meters away from him, its entire self shrouded in a misty, charcoal black cloak that revealed only the bottom half of his pale white face.
"Why did you pull me away?" Asked the Innovator, "I could feel it inside me, a few more minutes and I would have been able to get a hang of it."
"For that very same reason, Anubis," The mismatched voice said, "We don't need you to feel my power inside you. I will be inside you, my presence is enough to locate that. You need to feel my power around you, inside other creatures. You need to search for my presence in others and manipulate it with my presence inside you to control that creature."
"...what?"
Death paused for a second and then snapped its fingers, a small black raven popped in existence. The raven flapped around the two before it settled calmly on the entity's extended finger.
"Can you search for my presence, my power inside this little bird?"
Harry closed his eyes and concentrated on the feeling that he got around death– utter emptiness and desolation. He tried to locate the exact source of the feeling that he received and somehow he saw himself.
"Stop there, child." Death commanded and Harry immediately stopped, "Gently move out from where you are. Step back. Remember the feeling and try to trace it elsewhere, not inside you."
Harry followed the entity's words and moved away from his current mental surroundings while getting the feel of the power that he had been following, with that he slowly pulled back and tried to ignore the power that was pulling him inside. Instead, he searched for the power elsewhere around his mental space. It was quite a difficult task, considering the fact that he had two sources of said power and yet he had to find a smaller, hidden source inside a bird.
He searched for the next thirty minutes before his face lit up as he finally discovered the small amount of the power of Death inside the little bird that was a few meters away from him.
"Yes, good job, Anubis," Death praised his apprentice, "Now, connect with the power. Form a bond between yourself and my presence inside the bird. This way you'll be able to merge your consciousness inside the bird, form a bond and hold it."
Harry followed the entity's words to the tee, he traced the presence of Death inside the bird and then forced the bird to recognise the much greater presence inside him. That way, he dominated the presence inside the bird and, after a small battle, completely controlled the bird. Thankfully, his consciousness wasn't split. Instead the bird felt like another limb, something he could feel and control but it wasn't needed for involuntary movements.
He commanded the bird to come and sit on his shoulder, and just like that the bird flew from its vantage point and sat on Harry's shoulder.
"I am quite surprised that you're able to completely control a creature within two hours, Anubis," The entity announced, "Now, since you've successfully controlled one of my children, it's time for you to learn how to control more. Both in size and in numbers. Open your eyes."
The Innovator opened his eyes and widened in surprise when he saw the enormous amount of birds and animals that were present in front of him. There were a plethora of different creatures; from flocks of ravens to herds of thestrals and packs of werewolves. There were even a few that he didn't know existed on his planet.
"You'll spend your time learning how to control my presence and power inside these creatures," Death told him as he took a step back from the astonished boy, "Once you learn to successfully switch the control, dominate any presence within a minute, and learn how to manage multiple creatures at once, this exercise will be completed."
Harry looked at the large group of animals before he closed his eyes as he went back to his mental space while the bird on his shoulder launched itself into the air and flew towards the assembled creatures.
Death watched as his apprentice ascended to the depths of the soul realm. It had been four months since they began. Harry had been an exceptional student as the boy had worked to the core and back. At first the multiversal entity wasn't in the mood to teach the boy finer arts of control and manipulation. The plan had been much simpler: train the boy's magic to be strong enough so that without any ritual it could hold Death's presence for one minute. Yet when Dramox reported the boy's rapid progress, so much that even his emotionless Artelean commander was impressed with the human, it was quite obvious that the entity had to keep a special eye on the mortal.
And it wouldn't deny it, the boy had impressed the Being of All Ends. Never in its timeless existence had it come face-to-face with a human mortal that had impressed it so much. The boy was resilient, had patience, and was perseverant. There was nothing in the boy that spoke about anything other than pure dedication to a cause that he was willing to sacrifice his life for.
Earlier, when it had scanned the mortal's past, there were quite more than a few moments of arrogance, a huge ego, and a boat-load of aggression inside him. They weren't unjust, any human who had that much power and influence was bound to be egotistical and have a stick up his arse. But that didn't mean it was good to be someone like that. Yet, the cause was just, and therefore the multiversal being had decided to form a connection with the boy for the time being.
Now though? The boy was definitely way more powerful than what he had been. He had more knowledge, better control over his own magic, and also controlled the three most powerful weapons that a mortal could wield. And yet the boy wasn't arrogant anymore. It didn't matter why the boy wasn't arrogant, for the entity already knew the reason. It was the fact that the power hadn't corrupted him yet which impressed the god of all ends.
'Well….only time shall tell what the fates have in store for you, Anubis' Death thought as it saw a thestral's mind being dominated by the innovator's mental prowess, 'Until then, I will keep on training you to be strong enough to not only survive, but also win this and the upcoming war that you'll face.'
Lucius stalked the carefully cleaned and well maintained fifth floor corridor of Hogwarts, he had asked one of the Slytherin prefects that he found roaming around about the whereabouts of his son, Draco. Unfortunately the prefect had said that classes were going on and therefore it was quite possible that his son was still studying gibberish in one of the many rooms of the old castle.
He saw the doors, most of them were locked with no name on the golden plaques, the first name he saw was of the French diva that resided in Hogwarts: Angelique Beaufort. Next to her, another door had the name of the Durmstrang champion and current under-eighteen Dueling champion: Ashley Petrovia.
He took a few more steps and froze when he read the name on the door that was a few feet from him. The door was being guarded by an old painting of a middle-aged man in a pointed hat and dark green robes. Lucius didn't know the name of the man in the painting, because he didn't need to. He had not stopped to check the old and–in his opinion–stupid portrait, no. He had stopped involuntarily because of the name on that was above the painting. The name that told him about the owner of that particular suite: Harry J. Potter.
The Malfoy lord tried to control his panic and forced his legs to move. Not wanting to stay all alone for even one moment when the child-monster could very well be just a few feet from him. He was thankful for the vow that he had somehow managed to get the boy to make all those years ago, that didn't mean he would like to deliberately risk his life.
Thankfully, his wife's room was finally in his view and, without any further ado, he knocked on it. The door clicked after a few minutes and opened for him. It was good to see that the woman was using her brain for once and had locked the door when she was so close to the beast, not that he had any love lost for her; it would just be bad for his reputation if his wife suddenly vanished without a trace.
"Lucius."
The cold greeting he received from Narcissa didn't bother him. His wife had always been quite distant from him, it was not a secret to either of them that they were only being tolerated by the other one for public reputation and nothing more. Therefore he simply took the offered seat as his wife began preparing a cup of tea for him.
"I am not here for pleasantries, Narcissa," He told her even when he knew that she'd do whatever she wished to, "I can't take you or Draco with me, not with Dumbledore looking over and under me everytime I say or do something."
"I did say we aren't allowed to leave, didn't I?" Narcissa smirked at him, it was all going according to her and Dumbledore's plans. "Dumbledore has expressly told me to use Hogwarts facilities as long as I wished to, but if I am going to leave the castle's premises then I and all of my belongings will be searched thoroughly. Same for Draco."
"Yes-yes, I know that," The elder Malfoy waved her off, "But I am here with Cornelius, his presence will allow us to go out of the castle without an issue. I am quite sure even that old, paranoid fool would be hard pressed to check us."
Narcissa hummed as she flicked her wand to warm the water in the kettle, "So, now you only need the Dark Lord's artifact, right?"
"For now, yes," Lucius nodded and leaned back in his chair, "I will take it with me and present it to our lord, he'll be happy with our work and will probably reinstate house Malfoy as whole in his Inner Circle once more. After that, I will write a letter to you and Draco and you two will be able to leave the castle without anything barring you."
"Indeed, that sounds like a good plan." Narcissa said as she placed a tray with one cup, a plate of biscuits and a kettle on the tea-table in between them. "I will leave this castle first, Draco can come when it's time for the school year to end. That way we won't be rousing anymore suspicion from Dumbledore. Merlin knows he has become paranoid enough."
"NO!" Lucius barked and saw Narcissa flinch in shock. The Malfoy lord tried to control himself and reached for the cup that was on the table.
"It's not for you."
"What?"
"You said you weren't here for pleasantries," Narcissa shrugged, "Tea comes under that. I brewed this one for myself."
"Then what about me?!" Lucius glared at the woman who poured herself a cup full of tea and dainty picked the cup.
"Well, we have all the ingredients," She said pointing towards the corner where a few utensils and ingredients were placed neatly, "I am quite sure you can actually brew one for yourself."
"Narcissa…." The Malfoy patriarch pursed his lips as his cold gray eyes threw daggers at the blonde woman who smirked in self satisfaction, completely ignoring her husband as she sipped the hot brew in her cup.
"Where is the artifact?" Lucius demanded as he stood from his seat, "I need it, and then I'll leave. You have to make sure that Draco leaves with you before this weekend. Neither one of you is allowed to stay here after the coming Friday."
"Why?"
"Just do as I say, you will be grateful," Lucius shook his head, "Now, where is the artifact?"
Narcissa narrowed her eyes, the paranoia that her husband was showing was something that she had rarely seen in his eyes. There was something fishy, something was going to happen on the coming Saturday which he wasn't telling her.
"Before that, I have a small query of my own," Narcissa took a small sip from her cup, "I would like to know why neither you, nor the Dark Lord used the 'secret spy' that you have in the castle to bring that artifact. I am quite sure that Dumbledore doesn't know about the spy's identity. So, it would have been quite obvious to use her, don't you think so?"
Lucius frowned at that, "Her? Who are you talking about? The spy we have is a male," He waved his hand dismissively, "And right now he is under even more scrutiny than us or I wouldn't have even bothered to step in this dreadful castle's grounds." He sniffed disdainfully as if the mere thought of the ancient castle was nauseating.
"I see…" Lucius' answer both sated her curiosity and gave her new opportunities at the same time. At first, when Draco had told her that the Greengrass heiress had snatched the artifact from him, she had been quite sure that the 'spy' was the elder Greengrass sister. It would've been quite perfect, as the Greengrass heiress was everything the Dark Lord would want in a spy. And a politically inclined opportunistic house, like the Greengrasses, would've done anything to survive the upcoming war.
But she had been wrong. Daphne Greengrass wasn't the 'spy' as the spy was actually a male. Which meant that the Greengrass girl had–in a moment of sheer dumb luck–stumbled upon the Dark Lord's prized possession, which she probably still had with her. All the while, said Lord was going antsy waiting to actually get his hands on the artifact.
'Oh well….I had written 'that' on the assumption that the Dark Lord already had the artifact and only wanted to punish Draco, Lucius, and I. It seems like he is really desperate for it while Greengrass would be pissing herself as she didn't know about the artifact and what he would do to get it back..it seems like I don't even have to do anything except maybe report this recent finding to Dumbledore'
Still, she flicked her wand and summoned a brown leather bag from inside the spare room in the suite, "Here, don't open the bag here. The artifact's aura is quite intoxicating and dangerous," She offered the leather protected bag to her husband who snatched it from her.
"Don't tell me what to do and what not to." He turned to leave but stopped a bit before he reached for the door, "Leave the castle before the weekend and, until that time, keep the door closed. Don't open it unless it's Draco or Severus."
And with that, Lucius closed the door and left the woman alone. Narcissa on the other hand frowned at her husband's parting words. She didn't know why he was acting the way he was, but one thing was for sure: something was going to happen on the coming weekend, something big. And it was quite possible that the lives of everyone inside the castle would be put to danger.
"But what could it be?" Narcissa asked no one in particular as she flicked her wand once more to lock the door. The former member of House Black decided that she'd tell Dumbledore about the possible looming threat, and then it'd be up to the Headmaster to figure out what to do. For now, she needed to check on Adrian Dolce, the Slytherin House Prefect whom she had asked to keep an eye on the stunned form of her son so that the boy didn't end up meeting his father which would have disrupted her plans.
"Close your eyes, Anubis," Death told him and he obeyed, "Feel the power within you, the one that I gave you when we made contact for the first time. Remember that power? Remember my gifts that you had returned? Feel them within you. And once you do, call them out. Ask them to materialize in your hand."
Harry did as he was told. It had been eight months since he had started training with the multiversal entity. Half the time had passed learning how to control the various creatures that held a piece of the entity's power within them. It was important for the mortal to understand the limits of controlling the immortal.
Now, eight more months were left and Death was teaching him the extent of his gifts, the hallows, and how to control them. The three whispers, one in each of the instruments that the all consuming entity had gifted almost a millennia ago to the three brothers who had successfully conducted the necromantic ritual. It was time to control the whispers and become what Beedle's tale said to be a person known as Master of Death.
In actuality, no one could ever master Death. It was literally impossible, if one considered the flaw in the logic. An entity as powerful and all consuming as Death, one that has an infinite existence in the multiverse, how could a mortal even dream of mastering it? No, they can't. The Master of Death was actually just a person who had mastered the whispers of the Instruments of Death.
Harry found the source of the three hallows and asked them to materialize in front of him. He could feel three different presences that connected to something within himself. The Innovator opened his eyes to see the three hallows: The Deathstick, The Resurrection Stone, and The Invisibility Cloak floating in front of him.
"The three objects that the Peverell brothers asked of me, I gave them what they wanted but didn't tell them how to control the objects. Ultimately, two of the three ended up falling prey to the whispers and gave up their gifts of mortality," Death told him in its disfigured voice.
"The last one, your ancestor, was intelligent, as well as sensible, enough to slowly discover the whisper by himself. Then he proceeded to perform the summoning ritual once more where he asked my help so that he could control the whispers. In return, I asked him to do something for me so that I could not only be remembered but also be able to connect with the mortal planes whenever someone needed my help."
"When not 'if'?" Harry asked, "And why would you even want to help us in the first place?"
"You know who I am, don't you, Anubis? You know that I can foresee the future at any given moment and can accurately predict everything?" Death's voice was full of amusement, "I had already known that there would be a time when the mortal servant of Fate, Cassandra's, prophecy would come true. And when it did, then the ones under my jurisdiction would be unleashed on the mortal realm without anyone strong enough to send them back or even know how to do it. That's why I took these steps."
"Is that how the Necromancers Guild was established?" Harry asked the entity who nodded, "So the guild was established by my ancestor because you already knew that Cassandra's prophecy would come true one day?"
"Indeed, Anubis," Death gave a small grin that was visible beneath the hood, "And then I gave him the head and neck wear that could be used to contact me. Before passing away, Ignotus handpicked a young woman and taught her all that he knew about me, my powers and how to contact me, as well as sustain my presence in her mortal body. I think you know who he picked."
Harry thought for some time as he looked at the three objects that floated lazily in front of him. As far as he knew there had only been one Guildmaster in the Necromancers Guild. Which meant that if Ignotus Peverell was the actual founder and first Guildmaster, then the woman he chose would have been…
"Lady Achlys?" Harry asked, astonished, "She was the woman, right? I don't think there has ever been another person who could sustain your presence or come in contact with you whenever they wanted to."
"Well, there's you who will hold my presence until it's time for me to leave your body," Death said with a teasing smirk, "But yes, it was young Achlys who Ignotus took under his wing and taught everything that he knew. She has been the one to make contact with me since then."
"I didn't know that…."
"There are many things that happen in our unfortunate planes of existence, young one, and not even us deities, who have lived since the creation and will live until its eventual demise, know all that has, is, or will happen," The being came and stood near its apprentice, "All we can do is learn from our past, work on our present, and hope that our future is transformed for the better with every deed that we perform."
"Now, feel the Wand within you, channel its power through yourself. The Wand's power resonates more when it's connected with the natural conduits of magic. Similarly, the Stone's power is to be connected with the mind. The whispers can only be perceived and controlled by someone who has absolute control over their minds. And I think you already know how to control my Cloak, don't you, Anubis?"
Harry nodded his head and closed his eyes to focus on the wand and the stone. The natural conduits of magic in a human body are the hands, eyes, and tongue. Which would mean that if he could simply manipulate the power to these three sources, then he would get rid of the whispers that would eventually influence him. The Stone on the other hand was a bit more tricky, but the Innovator knew that he had the potential to eventually control the Hallows and their whispers.
Lucius Malfoy bowed in front of Lord Voldemort, he was absolutely giddy with excitement as he presented the leather bag that he had received from his wife. Truly, this was the first time that he felt something going the way it was supposed to go. He was quite sure that, by tomorrow, Narcissa would arrive with his son in tow, and then there would be no need for Draco to go to that wretched school.
'Well…Hogwarts will have half the student population by next week anyway,' The Malfoy lord thought, hiding his smirk. It wouldn't do for his lord to feel his excitement and happiness at such an important task. Happiness only builds overconfidence, and overconfidence can be quite fatal in his line of work.
There was also a small setback that he had yet to tell the Dark Lord, it was regarding his request to gain an audience with 'The Council'. Unfortunately, quite opposite to what his master had been expecting, he had been denied by the Council, as the Council didn't see anything fruitful in supporting Lord Voldemort once more. Last time, the hit had been bad enough and this time they didn't want to do anything regarding the Dark Lord, or his cause, unless he showed absolute promise.
'Well…that can be changed. The attack on Hogsmeade will be a strong enough statement to show their strength and ability to cause destruction to the Council and the rest of the world.' The blonde man thought, 'Then the Council of Paragons would be forced to accept them as a future partner and beneficiary.'
"Lucius?"
Said man looked up from the kneeling position that he was in. He had hoped to see utter joy on his master's face. He had hoped that his lord would praise him and his family, and announce that the Malfoys were reinstated in the prestigious inner circle. Instead, all Lucius could see was a complete blank face and red eyes that were glaring with all the hate, fury, and malice a human could throw at someone.
"M-My lord?" Lucius asked only to receive the leather bag that the Dark Lord held in his hand straight to his face.
"Open the bag."
The eldest Malfoy knew that there was something wrong with the bag or its content. Because even his lord wasn't insane enough to throw the item, that he had been demanding for over a month now, away. So, he did exactly what he had been ordered to do and opened the bag. He closed his eyes and fortified his mental shields to prevent the allure of the dark artifact. Shockingly enough, there wasn't any allure, aura, or even a remote trail of darkness from the bag. He pushed his hand inside and procured a small letter from the bag.
"Read it, Lucius."
Lord Voldemort,
By the time you read this, I will either be lost to the known world or will be completely protected by Albus Dumbledore. So, I would kindly ask you to not go through the trouble of sending my husband, or anyone else, to get me or my son. We aren't returning. The artifact that you treasured so much is already in your hands because Draco was assaulted the moment he held it and it was taken away from him.
I know that you are simply using this as a method to vent out your frustrations over Lucius' failure. We do not want to stand with, or against, you, but I know that if we had returned empty handed then you would have punished both of us. I am sure I would not like to be included in that, and I most certainly do not want Draco to be associated with it in any form , with this letter, I would like to tell you, and my husband, that we are breaking our connection with you and your army.
This is our last act regarding anything in the upcoming war. Your artifact that you cherished is not with us anymore. Draco has been absolutely terrified of that, he doesn't know that we aren't supporting you anymore, and I would like to keep it that way. I don't think it would be wise of you to send anyone looking for us either as we might not be at Hogwarts.
Yours truly,
Lady Narcissa Malfoy nee Black
Lucius trembled as he finished reading the letter that Narcissa had sent to the Dark Lord. He didn't know what the woman was thinking, or if she was even thinking at all. All he knew was that he would have to pay the price for his wife and son's absolute foolishness.
"Lucius….."
Malfoy looked up to see his lord glaring at him, his long pale fingers caressing the yew wand that was glowing red on the tip, which was currently pointed at him. It was at this moment, Lucius knew he had fucked up.
"M-My Lord…Mas-Master….I-I am terribly sorry for the-"
"I am sure you are, Lucius," The Dark Lord smiled, "I want you to do something for me. And I am telling this to you now because I know you will not be able to remember it after a minute."
"My lord?"
"Our dearest Narcissa says that her son doesn't know of this transgression, correct?" Voldemort smiled at him, "I want you to write a letter, this time only to your son. Tell him about his treacherous mother and ask him to stay in the castle on the coming weekend. I have got another task for him. Something that will require his presence inside the castle at the time of the attack."
"R-Right away, My Lord," Lucius said and he was about to stand up when he was interrupted once more. Quite violently to be exact.
"CRUCIO!"
Harry slowly emerged from the deep meditation he had been in for the last month. He had taken a break every now and then, but a major part of his time had been spent on meditating.
Since he already had a good grasp on meditation from when he had practiced occlumency, as well as a good amount of concentration, it wasn't hard for him to fall back into meditation. He didn't have problem with projecting Death's entire form around him either. It was the part where he had to maintain the projection with a constant supply of his magic, as well as the absolute stillness of his body, that needed work.
They had started the final phase of his training when there had been three months left. Harry had to sense all of Death's energy inside and around him, then mold his magic to command the energy, which strengthened his internal link to the entity's piece which resided inside him. That would have pulled the entity from the multiversal plane onto the mortal plane of life.
The arrival of Death from inside him began as a chilling sensation deep inside his heart, which quickly spread to his thorax, abdomen, and limbs before finally his head. After which, the entity's piece surrounded Harry in a translucent projection with Harry at its center. The projection was maintained as long as Harry, himself, remained completely still and concentrated on directing all of Death's energy from his surroundings to maintain the bond that had pulled the entity to the mortal plane.
Basically, Harry was using everything that Death and Dramox had taught him over the last seven years to pull the entity from the multiversal nexus to Earth for a few seconds. He didn't know when, or why, Death wanted him to do this. The entity, however, had insisted that when the time came, Harry would know when and where to summon Death, as this would be the only way to finish the struggle of power that he would find himself in.
They had started this with a simple exercise of forming the bond and connecting the mortal's astral self with the immortal's. After a week of constant battle with his mind, Harry had finally managed that. The next step had been to infuse the bond with strong magic and use Death's presence, which was inside every living creature, to summon the entity and then maintain it.
Finally, after a month-long struggle, he had done it. He could now summon Death and maintain the translucent projection around him for about ten minutes. Which the reaper had deemed passable enough to do what he will have to do in the future.
"You have finally completed your training, Anubis, and in the shortest time possible," Death sounded a bit giddy as it came to stand beside the Innovator. "I believe congratulations are in order."
The moment felt a bit surreal to him. He looked toward the hourglasses and saw the last one was floating with about two months worth of black sand in the upper hemisphere. Once upon a time there had been seven, now there was only one. Seven long years he had put into learning the arts from Dramox and Death both. All those struggles, the fights and the moments of helplessness, came to the forefront of his mind.
"Thank you," He smiled at the entity whose face was still hidden beneath the hood.
"It was your determination and Dramox's work, Anubis," The entity shrugged, "I didn't have anything to do with it. Now, ask the question that you have had in your mind for some time and haven't asked."
Harry gave a small sheepish grin at that. Yes, there were quite a few questions that he'd had for quite some time now. He had dared not ask them due to the fear of causing unwanted offense to the entity who could've stopped the training and simply pushed him to the 'Land of Punishment'.
"I don't think it matters, I'll find the answer on my own someday."
"Your mind will continue to struggle unless it has attained peace from the turmoil of doubts, thoughts, and queries. Unless that happens, you won't be able to summon and hold me in the mortal planes," Death pointed out.
"But I've been able to do that just fine, in fact a moment ago you yourself congratulated me on finishing my training."
"And this isn't your plane or place of existence, Anubis," The entity smiled condescendingly, "This is my realm. My energy, as well as all the powers related to me, are much stronger here than they are on Earth. That is why you managed to complete your training."
Harry mulled over the words for sometime. It was true, to an extent, as he had himself noticed that the spells he used to form an army of dead soldiers had been way easier and forthcoming in the battle against Tandavam than they had been in his battle against Dumbledore.
"I have many questions," Harry began, "But most of all, I wanted to know why you chose to become Death? Was it your choice? Was it something thrust upon you? Or was it something that you were made for? Were you someone else before you took this role?"
The entity gave a crooked grin that looked a bit feral as it replied, "It's not something I chose, nor is it something I was made for. I believe it is something that was made for me. Something that no one else either wanted or had the patience and power to control. I wasn't any other being before my existence. Before becoming myself, what I had meant to be, I simply didn't exist."
"What do you mean?"
"The Realm of the Dead, the place where I reside and help the multiple worlds by creating a balance." It said, "At first glance, it seems like a dreary place full of suffering and misery. A place that no one would ever want to walk through. However, once you wander through the echoing caverns of shadowed valleys, you'll begin to perceive the intricate tapestries of my realm. The realm is not just about death, punishment, and suffering, but also about transition and the cyclical nature of existence. Every whispering soul tells a tale, and every silent specter holds a secret that no one has ever known and no one ever will. And that transition, that purity and patience, is what makes the Realm of Death, and me….it's owner as much as its protector and guardian."
Harry took some time to digest what the primordial being told him. It wasn't a lot, not for a mind that was able to work as efficiently as his. The Innovator had dissected the entire monologue into pieces, and had deliberately expanded them to extract the exact knowledge that the entity tried to impart.
"So, you are telling me that when you gained consciousness, you already had the powers and knew how to use them? Was the realm already made too? Or did you make it the way it is now?"
"The Realm of Death is nothing but a part of me, Anubis," said the being, "The Realm was not made by me or for me. It IS me. I am the Realm, and I am its ruler, protector, and guardian. I am what you see around yourself, and yet I am what you see in front of you. Past the boundaries of nothingness that separate the two realms, I am everywhere and everywhere is me. If something isn't living, it's dead. And if it's dead, then it's with me."
"What about those who have completed their punishment in your realm? Or what about those who didn't get a chance to do something wrong before they were taken away?" Harry inquired once more.
"There are three choices for them, they can either step in the cycle of reincarnation once more, wait for their loved ones to join them in the Land of Resting Souls, or simply decide to vanish from mine and the living Realms, the choice is with them. I do not guide or force them to make the choices, I am just the consequence of the wrong ones that they made," Death smirked at his young apprentice, "Why, Anubis? Are you worried that a few of your choices would lead you to my realm once more?"
Harry simply shrugged his shoulders, "I already know that I will come to your realm once everything is over and I die. It's inevitable. The things I have done, and will do. I don't think I deserve to leave without punishment either. But that's not why I wanted to know all these."
"Oh?" Death asked with feigned surprise, "Then why did you want to know about me and my Realm, child?"
Harry opened his mouth to say something before he shook his head and waved his hand, "Nevermind that. Nothing for you to worry about."
"Oh? But I am curious now. What could be the reason for a person as demotivated and unafraid of death and punishment as you to ask about the intricacies of my Realm and the cycle?"
Harry didn't reply to that. Yes, it was true, he wasn't worried about his death and punishment. After all, he had already seen the Realm and knew that one day Death would claim him. It will punish him for all the murders and cruelties that he has done and will do. Yes, they were all for a good cause, but that didn't mean that the ends justify the means.
In the metaphorical eyes of the multiversal entity, a murder was a murder. It didn't matter the who or the why behind it. An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind. There has to be someone who drops the weapon first and they will receive lesser punishment, but won't be scot-free.
He was worried for the people around him. Especially those who he had wanted to stay away from because he knew that if they involved themselves in his life, they would be equal participants in the punishments and there would be nothing he could do to stop their suffering.
"Maybe you could show the acknowledgement when they are alive instead of worrying when they died, child," Death said in a somber double-tone voice.
"Huh?"
"The people you are afraid for," It explained, "They will join my Realm one day, no matter what you do or don't do. Therefore, 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?"
Harry frowned at that. He had never thought of it that way. Truth be told, he had never given any thoughts to such an obscure topic at all. To him, he knew that he had lived a troubled life and his enemy wasn't an easy one, which meant that his life was bound to be full of hardships and a complete mess. There was also the possibility that one day he might die without finishing his life's goal of utterly destroying the old fuckers who were in 'The Council'.
It was because of this that he kept everyone at bay and never let anyone come closer to himself than necessity required. One of the major reasons was that he knew 'The Council' was still keeping tabs on him, granted the rich old ball-sacks couldn't do much now since he was one of the most powerful men in Britain, and one of the most influential personalities globally.
Still, he wouldn't put it past them to use those closest to him as leverage to pull him and make him their bitch. Something that he would never let happen again. This was the main reason why even his closest people like Blaise, Sirius, Cho, and Daphne weren't seen with him more than strictly necessary.
But after Death had his talk, the Innovator was definitely thinking of taking the risk and maybe allowing a few of them further inside his circle. It wasn't like they'll live forever. There were heavy chances that either they or him, most probably him, died by the time everything ended. And then he'd have to forever live or leave with the regret of a 'maybe' or a 'what if I had told them..'
"Alright, I got your point. I will consider your point to show my appreciation, and try to be a bit more open now," Harry told the entity, "I guess it's time that I start accepting them instead of just pushing them away."
"Indeed. I am glad you aren't arrogant enough to simply throw away my advice on human matters altogether. Though, I will also suggest to just take it at your own pace and not rush it out."
Harry nodded at that, he could do that. It would also be super awkward if he returned to them after this much time and started acting all chubby-tubby with them. He was quite sure that Blaise would have a small seizure and attack him if he saw his friend laughing and not glaring at him or one his stupid PJs.
Hmm…now that he thought about them, they weren't so bad. Maybe he could try to crack a joke too? Let's see…..
….
…
..
.
….maybe next time. Anyways, it was the intention that mattered, right? Right.
"Are you perhaps done with your abysmal attempt at discovering your humorous bone?" Death interjected and completely ignored the cringe that Harry gave at the stupid pun.
"Yes. And I don't think you should try it either," Harry frowned, "Hearing you makes me think Blaise, or even Daphne, has a better sense of humor."
"Then perhaps you would like it if you left the Realm and returned to your own world instead?"
The Innovator's green eyes brightened at that. Finally, it was time to return and he couldn't wait to do just that. "Tell me how to do it."
"It's quite simple, Anubis," Death smirked under its hood, "You just have to fight someone as your last test. If you win, then you can leave. If you don't then you will stay in my realm until we are done with your punishment."
Harry glared at the insidious being, "Who am I fighting now?"
The being started vanishing right before his eyes as laughter echoed through the pale white fields. There was a small sound like a 'snap,' and Harry turned to look at the latest arrival. His eyes widened when he saw exactly who he had to fight to be able to leave. This would probably be his toughest battle to date.
Jet black hair, six feet in height with broad shoulders and long legs. Green eyes glared at him from across the white fields as the man stood with the Deathstick in his right hand and a deathwood wand in his left.
"I have to fight…myself?!" Harry screamed at the form of Death who vanished completely while laughing at his expense.
"Oh and, Anubis?" Death's voice echoed around him once more, "Never forget the most important lesson I taught you."
"What?" Harry asked the being as the other Harry took to the air.
"Memento mori, Harry Potter….." Said the voice, "Memento Mori…"
Albus Dumbledore sighed as he rubbed his forehead tiredly. He looked at the wall clock that hung in his office and groaned internally. 'It's not even noon yet and I am already feeling lethargic…I am really getting too old for all this work now.' He thought as he signed another one of the many papers that had been stacked on his desk. This wasn't what he had imagined a Headmaster would do most of the time. He was a professor at heart and, as much as this job was important, it just wasn't what he wanted to do.
'Maybe I should retire and take up Minerva's position instead,' he smiled to himself, 'Hmm…probably after this upcoming war. Especially since there isn't anyone else who's strong enough to hold the fort except for me….not yet at least' he thought the last line as an aristocratically chiseled face with piercing emerald eyes and jet black hair came to his mind.
Yes, Harry would be the best person to take over if something ever happened to him during the war, but was the boy ready? Definitely not. The boy knew how to be a soldier and follow orders, but not how to lead. That wasn't a big problem for him, Dumbledore planned to teach Harry all he could about leading the Light after he left. Voldemort would definitely be in for a surprise when he witnessed Harry leading the Light instead of Alandale.
Thoughts about Voldemort returned the Warlock's mind to the present. It was Saturday and the students were currently enjoying a Hogsmeade weekend in the nearby village. That was where the good thoughts ended. Because then Narcissa's words came to his mind from when Lady Malfoy had told him that Lucius had indeed come for the artifact, and that Tom had planned something really big for the coming Saturday.
At first Dumbledore had been worried sick as to what Tom would do on Saturday, but then he remembered that it was a Hogsmeade weekend, and therefore it was very much possible that the Dark Lord would attack Hogsmeade to make a grand return. At first, Voldemort had been quite silent, something that had worried him because it wasn't like Tom to remain silent for this long after being resurrected.
But then he had sketched that to be because Tom might be busy gathering enough forces to make a flamboyant return. Something that the charismatic Tom Riddle Jr. had been well known for in his Hogwarts day, and later on as the Dark Lord Voldemort.
Narcissa's warning had been exceptionally helpful, as he had immediately asked all of the able members of the Order of the Phoenix to patrol different sections of Hogsmeade for Saturday. He had asked two members; Arthur Weasley and Emmeline Vance to guard the prophecy in the Department of Mysteries too so that Tom couldn't take this as an excuse to raid the department and take the prophecy instead.
Dumbledore knew that right now Hogsmeade was secretly in high-alert because of the warning issued by Narcissa and his orders. The members of the Order had been asked to move around, dressed up like civilians and pretend to enjoy the beauty of Hogsmeade which was decorated with a Valentine's theme. The students were completely unaware of the thestral carriages that were ready to take them back in a moment's notice or the tense mood of the village.
He really wished that Lucius had meant something else, and that Narcissa's warning about a possible attack on students was nothing but a hoax. He would gladly ask his healthy members to return and take a few days off to enjoy Valentine's week with their partners.
Dumbledore was about to pick up the next stack of papers from the larger stack that needed his signature, when all of a sudden there was a noise as the one-way floo to his office was activated and his brother, Aberforth's, panicked face came into view.
"ALBUS! WE NEED YOUR HELP! IT'S VOLDEMORT HIMSELF!"
Dumbledore cursed his bad luck when he heard that. He had prayed a bit too early.
Ending Note: And there you have it fellas, Twenty-fifth chapter of INNOVATOR. I would love to hear what you think of it in reviews.
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