Author's Note: Thank you so very much for all the reviews and love you showed to my fic. Previous chapter gained an astounding number of 22 reviews, last time that happened was when I had released chapter 02 of Innovator, almost a year ago! I read all the reviews at least 10 times in the last two weeks, and trust me I am thankful to each and everyone of you. You made my week, and gave me motivation to write more for people who are actually reading my work!
Next four chapters, and my super secret Discord server (Beware: Loads of Smut. Yeah, porn, lol š), check the Ending note.
Hearty thanks and congratulations to our first seven members of Guildmaster tier: Camo, I am Lord Dems, Stormf0x, RyanMK666, Lyrical, Tyler and HadesReynes.
"I am Talking."
'I am Thinking'
Spells
Saving a life may take seconds of bravery, but its impact lasts a lifetime.
~Anonymous
INNOVATOR
-Dev Sagittarius Black
~~Chapter 34: The Second Task~~
.
"For the last time, Dumbledoreā¦" Narcissa gritted her teeth, exasperated, as she glared at the old man. "Where is my son?!"
It had been almost a week since her son's disappearance, and she was getting anxious to know where he was or if he was alright. She knew that the latter was less likely to happen, but her motherly instincts didn't want to lose hope just yet. She had asked the Slytherin prefect who was employed by her and had even gone as far as to personally search for her son throughout Hogwarts.
Unfortunately, Draco had not been found anywhere inside the castle. Not on the publicly known locations at least.
"You will have to wait, Narcissa," The old man tried to placate her only for her to bristle in anger. "I have summoned Severus; he says that he has some information regarding young Mr. Malfoy that he would like to share with all of us. Ah! Here he is."
At that exact moment, someone knocked twice on his door.
"Come in, Severus!"
The potions master entered the office and took a look at the scene that unfolded before him. He internally winced at the frigid atmosphere of the room, and just a simple look was enough to tell him as to exactly why the Headmaster had asked him to come as soon as possible.
"I hope that I am not intruding, Headmaster."
"Of course not, Severus. Rather, I would say that you have arrived at the most appropriate moment." Dumbledore sighed, "Narcissa here has been trying to find her son for the last week; she has been unable to do so, and now she wants to know where he is. I was hoping that you would shed some light on it."
Snape looked at the distraught woman and said powerlessly, "Your son is at Malfoy Manor. No, don't speak; listen first." He halted her, "Somehow your son's involvement in the recent attack came out, and there were more than a few students who were willing to dirty their hands for the meager taste of revenge. Apparently the Dark Lord's spy heard about it and warned Lucius, who personally came to take Draco back to the manor."
"But Lucius wasn'tāahā¦" Dumbledore nodded. "Through one of the hidden pathways, I suppose?"
"Indeed."
The old man nodded. "And since when have you known about this, Severus?"
"A while." Snape shrugged, "Draco showed me the letter that Lucius had sent him; and before you ask, it was indeed his father's handwriting as well as magic. Therefore, feeling that it was the right course of action, I helped the boy escape through the passage."
"Severusā"
"He would have died here, Albus." The professor shook his head, "I don't care what your thoughts are about the Malfoy Lord, but I am pretty sure that at least he wouldn't kill his own son and would rather keep him safe; safer than the place with little vengeful children." He looked at Narcissa with something akin to pity, "Children are vicious creatures with the curse of unbound imagination, Narcissa, and vengeful children even more so. Fortunately, all the ones who live inside the castle have the ultimate weapon within the reach of their hand."
There was a small silence, almost crushing, in the room before Narcissa broke down crying. The two men looked at the pitiful sight of the weeping mother with nothing but sorrow in their hearts. The woman had tried so hard to keep herself and her son safe from the Dark Lord, only for her husband to waltz in and take him away at the last possible moment.
After a few minutes, the former Black stopped crying; she wiped her eyes and looked straight at Dumbledore with no emotion, "I am leaving."
"Narcissaā"
"Don't 'Narcissa' me, Dumbledore." She glared at him through tear-filled eyes. "The only reason I had even bothered to stay here was because of my son and his safety under your protection. Which of course he clearly didn't want or felt. So there is absolutely no need for me to stay here either."
"And where do you think you will be going?" He interjected. "Back to your manor? Where both your husband and Voldemort would be waiting for you to come just so they could punish you for your 'betrayal'?"
"No." She shook her head. "I will do something even betterā¦..I shall leave this country and go to a place where the flames of this war wouldn't be able to reach me anymore. And I have a few people who are still loyal enough to me, to make the arrangements so that I could ensure my son's safety from afar."
The Great Hall was abuzz with excitement. Students from the three schools sat together under the transparent ceiling as they made speculations regarding the second task, which was to take place in a few hours near the Black Lake.
They knew that it had something to do with the Black Lake only because it had been off limits for about a week, and the Weasley twins, the infamous pranksters of Hogwarts, had told everyone that they had seen platforms as well as the new invention from Harry Potter being set up near the lake.
"Still not going to tell us what this is all about?" Blaise asked his friend as the two entered the hall. "You know I am your best friend, right?"
"Yes, you are, and no, I am not going to tell you." Harry shrugged, ignoring the topic completely again.
"C'mon, it's my best friend right!" The Italian heir whined.
"There's no such thing, dumbass." He shook his head and instead searched for his friends. Surprisingly enough, he only found Marietta, who was sitting at the Ravenclaw table by herself. The two swiftly occupied the seats beside her, and started lading the plate with the mouthwatering food items that the Hogwarts elves had prepared for them.
"So, how are you doing, Mari? And where are others?" Blaise asked her, he knew about Fleur being in the carriage as she might be preparing for the task but he had no idea about Cho.
"You mean, Cho?" Marietta asked, smirking, "I haven't been able to find her either. I don't know why, but I think this is all because of the task. Diggory had asked for her as well before he stormed somewhere else."
Harry nodded. "That's a possibility."
"And just so you know," She looked at Harry, "Your dear 'best-friend' here has been asking everyone what the task is, or maybe what it contains." She continued.
"Yeah, I know. He's been bugging me since yesterday." The innovator shook his head. "I need to change my password to the suite soon."
"HEY!" Blaise poked him. "I am right here; you know that? I can hear you two. And, by the way, I was just excited. Isn't it exciting to know something others don't? But this guy just won't spill his secrets!"
"I don't know why you're so hell bent on learning it," Harry shrugged. "The task will start in a few hours, and you will get to see for yourself what it is. Just have some damn patience, idiot."
Marietta smiled at the Italian guy but didn't say anything to Harry. She knew that there was a reason Blaise was acting like thisāsomething to do with his secret girlfriend Fleur Delacour, whom the innovvator didn't know about.
She found it sweet that the guy was going to lengths to help his girlfriend anyway he could, but if Fleur was as smart as she seemed to be, then Marietta assumed the French champion already knew about the task and would have prepared months ago.
Harry looked towards the Gryffindor table and frowned when he noticed that neither his brother nor his two friends were there at the table. Which was surprising because neither of them really missed breakfast.
With Alan, he could understand that hunger was probably not that high on his list right now considering that it was the time for the second task and he was the only one who didn't have the egg that would give him the clue for it.
He had tried to help his brother by suggesting the Gillyweed and sending a good batch of said plant to his brother's night table through Dobby. Still knowing a small clue and knowing the entire thing were two different things. Granger was probably helping him, which explained her absence.
What surprised him was the absence of Ronald Weasley, because as far as he knew, the boy never skipped any meal, much less the morning one. That meant the boy had been asked by Dumbledore to help Alan with the task.
He sighed. That wasn't a good thing. Alan and Ron hadn't talked with each other ever since that day in the hospital wing. But if it was indeed the youngest male Weasley who had been asked by the old man then it meant that there was no one else willing to do it for his brother.
Harry picked up his goblet and took a sip. The sweet and sour flavour of the freshly squeezed orange juice caressed his taste buds. He knew that he would have to finish his breakfast soon if he wanted to successfully help everyone who was related to the second task. He was about to take another sip of his drink when he was interrupted by someone.
"Harry Potterā¦"
"Hello, Petrovia." He turned to appraise her. "How may I help you today?"
He distinctly noticed the anger in her eyes that was being projected at him, and the fact that she had approached the table all alone; there wasn't a single one of her lackeys that usually surrounded her, which clearly meant that she wanted to talk in private.
"Can I speak with you?" She narrowed her eyes at the ones around him. "Alone, if possible."
"Harryā"
"Not now, Blaise. I think this talk is needed." He shook his head and then looked back at her. "Lead the way, Petrovia."
They ignored the students and the professors who looked on as the two left the hall together. On his way, he looked back towards the Slytherin table and saw Daphne looking at them as well, the girl was frowning when she noticed them together. He gave a small smile and shook his head; there was no need for her to worry about him meeting Petrovia.
Not anymore.
They reached a small alcove near the stairs, and Harry immediately felt an area-specific privacy bubble that had been perfectly casted around them.
"So, what brought this on?" He asked her, even though he knew exactly why she was here.
"I would like to know the reason behind your refusal," she frowned. "Were you busy or something? Because I am quite sure that I had asked both Karkaroff and your Headmaster to make you my partner for the second task."
"You did." He nodded. "But that wasn't enough to make me change my mind. If I had to, then I would rather become my brother's partner for the task than yours." He shrugged, "And let's make one thing very clear, Petrovia, I don't want to be your partner. Neither in the task nor otherwise. This...foolish bet that you have with Beaufort, it's useless, and over."
"The bet was between me and Beaufort, Harry." She pointed out, "It's for us to decide when it is over. But pray tell me why is it useless?"
"Because the thing you bet on should be yours in the first place," he narrowed his eyes. "And as far as I remember, I was never either of yours to begin with. So, I would ask you to stop with all these stupid games. I don't like you sending people to my doorstep; I don't like you asking for me to be your partner in the task, and I definitely don't want to be with you just so you could win a bet."
Ashley appraised the younger mage with narrowed eyes; she knew that the boy was clearly rejecting her. But that didn't mean he was telling the complete truth, and she wanted to know why she had been rejected by him after all these months.
"It's Greengrass, isn't it? You like her, and you want to be with her, eh?" She accused him.
Harry didn't say anything at that, but his demeanour changed immediately, something that she noticed immediately. He seemed more rigid, protective, and his eyes spoke volumes about the power that he was restraining within himself.
"That girl doesn't deserve a man like you, Harry. And you don't deserve a girl like her either; you deserve a woman. Someone who knows how to handle the attention seekers around you, the political aspirants that would want to latch at your arms, and how to manage everything else in your life, including you." She smiled.
"And what makes you think that you are the one?" He fired back.
"Quite simple, actualy." She smiled and stepped a bit closer to him. "A man of your standing deserves a lady in the living room, a chef in the kitchen, and a whore in the bedroom. And trust me when I say thisā¦" She placed her hand on his chest, right above where she could feel the violent thumping of his heart. "I fulfill all the conditions."
"I don't know about the first two, but I am quite sure you will be able to fulfill the last one." He replied, and the change was almost instantaneous.
The narrowing of eyes, stiffening of her posture, and most of all, the venomous glare that had been hidden just beneath the surface of false beauty and adoration came back to the forefront.
"You don't know what you are doing, Potter." She hissed, "You will regret crossing me. I canā"
"And here come the threats." He smirked. "You see, Petrovia, you are following the traditional route that is usually followed by people like you. People who think they are all high and mighty and deserve nothing but the best. And they would do anything to possess the item that took their breath away."
Harry gently held the hand that was on his chest, and with a firm grip, he detached it from his shirt, pushing her away from him to create a small gap between their bodies.
"First comes the question, then comes the seduction, and lastly comes corruption," he smiled. "It's a pattern that has been used by many and will be used by many more in the coming future. And it's not your fault that you follow it; no, it's the fault of those who bent over backwards to please you, to appease your tastes that made you deluded enough to think you can use the same move every time, and for everyone."
"Potterā¦"
"Save it, Petrovia." Harry snapped his fingers and canceled the privacy bubble around them. "I have gone through a lot of things; I will go through a lot more. And in my dreams, in my vision, and in my future, the family I have doesn't have you in it I already have someone else for me, and I think she is far more suited than a just a girl who claims to be a woman, and is a whore in the bedroom. Quit this stupidity of yours, and go back to being the deluded queen of the demented."
Petrovia glared at him, her fists clenched in anger when she realized that Potter was going to leave her like that and there was nothing she could do. She knew the cause of this blatant rejection; her ugly face came to the Durmstrang champion's mind, and she swore to make the younger witch pay for it.
"Oh, and Petrovia?" Harry turned to look at her. "I think Beaufort went after her to take revenge as well, and right now she is nothing more than a simple girl who is being used by her. So, make your choices wisely, or you shall suffer not only her but my wrath too. And trust me when I say this, you can never do anything to me that I can't return a hundred times worse."
And with that, Harry left the alcove as well as the fuming champion behind him. He hoped that the Bulgarian witch got the message and would not come after him or Daphne again. But he knew that it was a fool's hope to even presume that was a possibility.
Petrovia wasn't built up like a forgive and forget person, and he could see himself facing her in the near or distant future.
The wooden platform was set on the shore of the Black Lake, and an excited crowd consisting of students as well as professors from the three schools, news reporters, and ministry employees stood on the shores, waiting for the second task to finally begin.
Each of the four champions had been called by Ludo Bagman, who had explained to them what they had to do to win the second task.
A personāsomeone close to themāhad been taken as a hostage by the mermen who lived in the black lake, and the champions had one hour to not only locate but also bring their hostages back. The one who did first would, obviously, score more points.
A large screen had been placed on the shore along with the Showball above it. Each of the four champions had been marked by the tracker, and the timer had been set to one minute per champion, which meant that each of them would get fifteen minutes of screen time on the screen throughout the one hour time period.
Similar screens had been placed on all of the prominent locations of Wizarding Britain, like the Diagon Alley, Ministry for Magic, Hogsmeade, and a few more, in selected manors who had ordered the Showballs in advance so that they could view the tasks within the comfort and coziniess of their own warm homes.
There was a small thing that hadn't been told to anyone, not even Sirius. It was the fact that Harry had the master control of all the Showballs that had been created, which meant that he could switch the Showball screens, turn them off or on, and do whatever he wanted to with the little runic spheres.
Which technically meant that he controlled what the wizarding population in all the prominent locations, and families would witness through his invetion. And thus he controlled their perceptions, their opinions, and their voices, so he could change it the moment he wanted with none the wiser.
"Are the champions ready? Are the judges ready? Perfect!" Bagman's magically amplified voice echoed through the area. "Are we ready to witness the second task?!"
A combined shout of a really loud 'YES!' was received from the excited populace who waited with bated breaths near the docks.
"BEGIN!" Bagman shouted and launched three red sparks in the air.
The champions immediately started to work on their preparations; Fleur, Ashley and Cedric used the Bubble Head charm before diving into the lake while Alan pulled out a large packet of Gillyweed, mentally thanking Harry for helping him, and started chewing the slightly bitter plant.
From the opposite side of the lake, a place where no one was present, Harry placed a small green ball in his mouth. He used a small sticking charm to specifically stick the ball to the roof of his palate and removed his clothes, revealing his finely carved muscular physique that would have shamed Adonis and would have left several witches as a drooling mess.
"Alright, little brotherā¦" he sighed. "Here goes nothing."
And with that, he jumped into the cold waters of the lake. Harry sighed when he felt his 'Thousand-days-oxygen' ball activate inside the waters of the lake as a small bubble formed around his lips while his nose got blocked immediately.
He tested it by taking a few deep breaths and sighed in relief when he felt the device working perfectly.
ā
Nothing was clear, the water was murky, light wasn't even penetrating the layers, and the fact that he had to remove his spectacles made this even more of a disadvantage for him.
Alan tried to look around for any clue as to where the mermaid colony was so that he could rescue Ron of all people. It was actually funny that out of all the available ones out there, Ronald Weasley had been asked to be his hostage.
The boy who had been a jealous git ever since his name came out of the cup, and then there was that big show of petty anger in the hospital wing. Honestly, the memories that he watched in his mindscape, had even proved how detrimental Ron's involvement was to his life, but he had failed to notice it back then.
'And now no one wants to do anything with me because of how I treated them' He heaved a mental sigh and flashed another Lumos ahead of him so that the path became a bit more clearer.
It was then that he witnessed bright flashes of light, as if there was a spell-fight going on somewhere, and then there was a piercing scream. It was dull, but it was there, which meant that someone had encountered something in the waters and was probably fighting it right now.
Without giving it another thought, Alan rushed in the direction where the flashes were coming from; he was surprised to see that it was none other than his fellow champion, Fleur Delacour, who was fighting a horde of grindylows that were continuously attacking her.
He would have liked to say that the quarter-veela was faring well, but that would be a lie because she didn't look like she would survive even a minute more. She was injured, the water around her red, and was slowly swimming away, flinging spells that were sometimes hitting but mostly missing the targeted sea deviants.
And the Grindylows were, of course, ganging up on her.
"Stupefy!" Alan screamed, flicking his wand at the Grindylow that was sneaking up on her, probably to rupture that thin translucent bubble that she had on her face.
The targeted creature shrieked as it was attacked from behind and fell back to the floor of the lake. It was a small victory because his stunt got the immediate attention of the others who were attacking Fleur.
'You want some of this too, eh?' Alan smirked. 'Time to put Harry's spellbook to useā¦'
By the time Harry reached the point of disturbance, it was a bit late. And he knew that when he saw Alan protecting an injured barely conscious Fleur behind him as he fought the pack of Grindylows that was slowly but surely advancing on them. There were also tints of red in the water around them, which meant either one or both had been stupid enough to get injured.
He cursed for being correct with his hunch; the mermen did target the lone Veela champion who was powerless in the waters, and if he knew anything about the rivalry, then he knew Fleur's sister was currently in more danger than any of the other hostages.
Harry flicked his wand to switch the Showballs to remove Alan and Fleur for some time, he knew that the public will keep on watching the other two champions instead. Then he swam towards the redhead, shooting a few grindylows on his way with cutting hexes as he reached the two.
"Alan!" The innovator called out as he sent two more bone breakers, which hit the sternums of two of the infernal creatures, killing them instantly.
"Harry? What are you doing here?!" The boy-who-lived asked, shocked to find his brother with him.
"I came here because I was worried either you or Fleur would be struck down here, and look, I was right!" He pointed towards the barely conscious and bleeding Veela, who was somehow only surviving because of the bubblehead charm around her face. Harry encircled his arm around her waist to keep her with him.
"I was fine, but then I saw Fleur fighting these..whatever they areā"
"Grindylows. Nasty freaks." Harry replied.
"Yeah, them." He nodded. "For some reason they really wanted to hurt Fleur, and I know you would say that I should have just ignored and gone forward, butā¦well, she looked like she needed help."
Harry nodded. "Yes, she did. If you hadn't arrived in time, they would have kidnapped her too, along with her sister, who's still trapped down there."
"What do youā"
"No time for questions." The elder Potter interrupted him. "Now, do you know where the colony is?"
Alan shook his head in negative.
"Damn it." He sighed, "How were you going to find your hostage then? Sheer dumb luck like always?"
"NoāI mean, yeah, I guess? It wasn't just luck." Alan replied, a bit affronted. "I thought I would get some hints, or maybe follow one of the other champions. I mean, they do know whereā"
"Smart but foolish at the same time." Harry admonished him, "Each of the champions knows that you don't know the exact location, and if you haven't realized it already, then let me tell you this is a competition between three of the most prestigious magical schools in the world. There's no way in hell that another champion would've let you accompany them to the colony."
"But that means I won't be able to reach the mermaid colony, and I would lose the second task as well." The boy replied sullenly.
"Not necessarily."
"What do you mean? I don't think Iā" But Alan stopped when Harry pointed in the direction in which he came from.
At first it wasn't visible, and the lack of his own glasses didn't help matters either, but slowly he could see a faint, glowing, translucent form of something that floated towards them. It took him a few minutes to realize exactly who it was.
"Myrtle?"
"Potter." She sniffed before she looked at Harry with a small smile, "I only came because Harry agreed to spend an hour with me tonight, right Harry?" She blushed. Was it possible for ghosts to blush? Alan didn't know, but he looked at his brother, who shrugged.
"Myrtle, I want you to guide him towards where the colony is while I will carry Delacour back to the platform." He told her, "It's dangerous for a bleeding veela to remain in enemy territory."
"Okay, Harry." She giggled. "Buutā¦.do you promise to visit me tonight? I have really missed talking to you, you know." She looked at his shirtless form and bit her lip, her hand reached forwards softly tracing the indentations of his abs as she blushed harder. "Maybe we could go to the prefects bathroom, and I could watch you take a bath there?"
Harry smiled a bit hesitatingly at the girl's wayward imagination; he knew that it wasn't her fault that she was trapped as a teenage ghost, but that didn't mean it made it any good to be hit on by someone who had been dead for almost half a century.
"Uhh..we'll see about that later." He adjusted his grip on Fleur's body. "For now, just stay a few feet away from him so that you aren't visible on the showball's screen and guide him towards the colony, okay? I'll join you guys after leaving her with Pomfrey."
"Okay Harry!" She giggled.
"Alright, Harry." He replied, and the two started moving towards the mermaid colony. Harry flicked his wand to activate Alan's showball once more before he left with Fleur.
The screen that had been placed near the dockyard showed three champions, each in a different area of the lake, swimming towards what they assumed was the mermaid colony. The fourth champion, Fleur, wasn't being shown on the screen which worried not only the students but also her headmistress and other judges who were watching the task.
Therefore, it was quite a shock when all of a sudden the water surface broke and half naked Harry Potter of all people came out of the black lake with the unconscious yet very much bleeding veela in his arms.
A few witches bit their bottom lip when they noticed how mouthwatering the handsome boy's chiseled frame looked as he swam towards the docks, his muscles bulging in an enchanting display of strength and vigour. They couldn't help but be drawn towards the wet and scarred physique of the emerald eyed stud.
"Somebody help!" Harry announced amid all the camera flashes from the reporters. "I need someone to take her from me; I have to get back down there."
His alarmed voice broke them from their stupefied trance, and almost immediately the professors as well as the students who were on the shore jumped in the lake to take the unconscious Veela from him.
"Harry, what happened down there?" Dumbledore asked him and was quite surprised when the boy glared at him.
"You underestimated the severity of the feud between veelas and merpeople, Headmaster." He spat. "Because of that, Fleur was attacked, and now her sister's life is in grave danger. Treat her, and when she wakes up, tell her not to worry because I will bring her sister back safely."
And with that, Harry dove down in the lake once more, ignoring the reporters who were shouting his name from above. He had to save Gabriele because he knew that there was no way that the mermen would let go of such a rare opportunity.
He knew that if it was anyone else, then the mermen wouldn't have batted their eyelashes, but right now they had a veela, and if his assumptions were correct, then they knew they had already lost one thanks to his and Alan's messing with their plans.
He just hoped that it wasn't too late by the time he reached the colony.
ā
By the time Harry did reach the sunken dwelling of the merpeople, he was actually surprised to see that out of four, there were only two hostages, along with his brother, who looked like he had been waiting for some time.
Other spots, which he presumed were used by Cho and Petrovia's friend, were empty. Which meant that the two champions had already taken their hostages and were probably on their way back to the docks.
Now he only needed to go down there, pull Gabrielle out, and make sure that Alan and his friend reach the docks. Easy, right?
Unfortunately, no.
There was a slight problem with that, and the problem could be surmised with just one word: Merpeople.
Alan was the only one conscious, and the three of them were surrounded by what Harry assumed to be at least twenty mermen, each grasping a metal or stone trident.
"Alan, what are you doing here?" He asked the boy, who looked a bit out of his place.
"I-I was trying to wait for youā¦" He admitted, "I mean, if you hadn't arrived for some reason, then I would have pulled Fleur's sister out with me."
"Good thing I am here then." Harry snapped his fingers, and the ropes holding Gabby snapped in two, releasing the girl from her binds. "Now, take Weasley straight up. I hope you remember the passage. Yes? Good. After thatā"
Harry stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder; the hand was cold and more like a skeleton. He looked back to see one of the mermen had approached them, brandishing his trident.
"May I help you?" He sarcastically asked what he assumed to be a soldier of the forces.
"Only champions take hostages," the merman replied in broken English. "You no champion, no hostage."
"The champion who was supposed to take this hostage is incapacitated and out of the task, and I have been sent by Dumbledore to bring her back." Harry said and removed the thick, bony hand from his shoulder. "Now back off and let me do my work."
"Dumbledore said no-thing to us, you lie." The merman argued, "You creating problems for yourself, wizard. Go away, we sparing your life."
"Harry? Isāis there a problem?" Alan asked him, holding Ron tightly so that the unconscious lanky redhead wouldn't sink to the bottom of the lake.
"No, Alan." Harry fully turned to look at the merman. "Everything's fine. I want you to take Weasley and swim to the docks; make sure to incapacitate any mermen or any other creature who tries to attack you. If necessary, feel free to kill them all, alright?"
"Butā"
"NOW!"
Alan abruptly closed his mouth and immediately started to swim towards where he knew docks were. He looked back to see his brother and the merman looking at him. He really didn't want to leave his brother like this, but there was nothing he could do right now.
Everyone, even the first years at Hogwarts, knew that the eldest Potter had a temper, and when he was angry, it was better to run away with your limbs attached than to confront the boy. At least that way his anger wouldn't be directed at you, and you will save yourself from visiting the hospital wing.
This thing had begun in Harry's second year and had repeatedly been tested by many of the older ones after that before it had been made a rule last year. Alan could only wonder how far along Harry had come since that time and how much stronger he was than when the rule had been made.
The innovator smiled when his brother, along with his brother's tracker showball and hostage, vanished from his field of vision. This meant that the two were at least a safe distance away from what was about to happen.
"Soā¦" His smile diminished. "You were saying something about sparing my life?"
A merman was a strong creature, classified as a XXX threat alone, and a horde of twenty could easily be classified as a XXXXX threat, especially considering the fact that they were in a mervillage of all places, which was a place where a merman was at his strongest.
Yet, for some weird reason, the merman in front of Harry felt something that he hadn't felt for the last thirty years since he had begun training to be a soldier.
Fear. Pure, unadulterated fear.
Ending Note: There it was, the thirty-fourth chapter of INNOVATOR. I am sorry for the lack of Haphne scene, but trust me the next chapter is literally called "A Night to Remember". It is one of the prime Haphne chapters of the story, so stay calm till next weekend, and you'll get to enjoy good fluffy Haphne from me.
Once more, all I ask of you is a simple word of encouragement for me. You don't know how much it pleased me in the last chapter, and the amount of motivation it gave to write more, and finish the story faster for you. Even a simple 'Good Work, Dev.' is appreciated, still..those who don't want to review, it's alright. I am glad that you liked my story enough to read this far. š
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(Remove the spaces and delete the '-', obviously) Link is also present on my profile.
To get access to the chapters, free sneak peeks and all the character sketches, you can also join my discord server:
Beware: Loads of NSFW (Yes, Porn, and lots of it. Lol) š
discord . gg / Gcbcv4dxGx (remove the spaces)
Name: Dev Black's Empire
Thanks!