Harry Wayne and the Batman of Hogwarts

Chapter 30-The Coldest Night at Hogwarts

As Harry Wayne descended through the freezing night air, the full weight of what he was about to face settled into his chest like a stone. His bat wings, massive and as dark as the midnight sky, sliced through the chilling wind, each gust pushing against him, trying to drag him back. Yet he pressed forward, his resolve hardening with every beat of his wings. Hogwarts loomed ahead, but it didn't look like the castle he remembered—the towering silhouette, once a beacon of warmth and light, now stood as a dark, imposing shape against the black sky, its outlines blurred by a blanket of frost. It was as if the very life of the school had been drained away.

His heart pounded in his chest as his boots finally met the frozen ground, the hard, icy surface cracking under his weight. The steps leading up to the entrance were covered in a thick layer of snow that crunched beneath his feet with every step. The air was thick with an unnatural chill—far colder than the usual winter night air at Hogwarts. Harry's breath came out in sharp clouds of vapor, the cold biting at his skin as he moved forward, every step a reminder that something was horribly wrong.

The grounds were blanketed in a thick layer of snow, the towering spires of the castle now shrouded in a dense mist, and the usual sounds of life—the soft chatter of students, the rustle of the Forbidden Forest—were conspicuously absent. The silence pressed against him, a weight in the air that made his bones ache with dread. The moon, barely a sliver in the sky, cast a dim light over the snow-covered earth, making the landscape shimmer like a thousand diamonds scattered across the frozen ground.

As he approached the castle gates, Harry noticed the faint, eerie glow that emanated from inside. The gates themselves were slightly ajar, as if inviting him in, but there was something about the way they stood—too still, too silent—that filled him with foreboding. He hesitated for a moment, his mind racing. What's happened here? He pushed the thought aside and forced himself to step through.

The inside of the castle was worse than he could have imagined. The Great Hall, the very heart of Hogwarts, was eerily still, a frozen tomb of memories. The tables, once a place of laughter and shared stories, were now coated in thick layers of frost, and the enchanted candles that once hovered above were struggling to burn through the relentless chill. The warmth that had always filled the hall was gone, replaced with an almost suffocating cold that seemed to seep into every crack and crevice. There was no sign of life, no sound of conversation or movement. The once-vibrant banners hung limp, weighed down by frost.

But it was the students and professors that stole the breath from his chest. Hermione Kyle, Harvey Weasley, Ginny Weasley—each of them sat frozen at their respective tables, their eyes wide open, unblinking, their bodies rigid as if caught in some twisted moment of time. It wasn't just the physical stillness that unsettled Harry, but the emptiness in their eyes. They looked as though they had been trapped in a nightmare, suspended in time by some cruel force.

"No... not again," Harry whispered to himself, his voice barely audible over the pounding of his heart. He could feel the weight of it all—so many people, his friends, trapped in a frozen prison. The sight made his blood run cold.

A low groan echoed through the hall, and Harry snapped his head toward the sound. Near the entrance stood a familiar figure—Hagrid Pennyworth. But the giant was far from his usual jolly self. He stood hunched, as though the weight of the world had fallen upon his broad shoulders. His face was pale, his usually warm eyes wide with terror, and his thick coat, now soaked in snow, clung to his body. Despite the fear in his gaze, Hagrid's presence brought Harry a strange sense of relief. At least he's alive.

"Hagrid!" Harry rushed toward him, ignoring the freezing temperature. His voice came out desperate. "What happened? Why is everyone frozen? Where is everyone else?"

Hagrid looked down at him, his giant hand trembling as he placed it on Harry's shoulder. His voice was shaky, laden with grief. "It's Fridge, Harry. Cornelius Fridge. He's back—and he's brought the cold with him."

"Fridge?" Harry whispered, his blood running even colder at the mention of the name. He had thought the sorcerer was still back at the Leaky Cauldron, working on finding a cure for Marge. But now, the terror of his return flooded Harry's mind, and with it, the realization that whatever Fridge was doing, it was far worse than anything Harry had faced before.

Hagrid continued, his voice low and filled with sorrow. "I reckon I was lucky. I was out in the Forbidden Forest when it happened. Not close enough to the castle when he unleashed that curse. I saw it, though—a wave of ice, like the blast of a storm shooting out across the grounds. It froze everything in its path."

Harry's hands clenched into fists, his body trembling with anger. "So, everyone else is…" He couldn't finish the sentence. The thought of his friends—frozen, helpless, trapped—was too much to bear.

"Aye, frozen solid. All of 'em," Hagrid confirmed, his face filled with deep regret. "Fridge must've found some ancient cold based dark magic. I don't know how he did it, but the power he's unleashed is enough to freeze everything and everyone, to trap them in time."

Harry scanned the frozen faces of his friends. The hopelessness of the situation settled like a weight in his stomach. He could feel the chill creeping into his bones, but he couldn't stop now. Not when there was still a chance to save them.

"Is there a way to stop this?" Harry asked, his voice desperate. "How do I break this curse?"

Hagrid took a deep breath, his massive frame sagging beneath the weight of the words he was about to say. "The only way, Harry, is to face him. You have to defeat Fridge—take him down before the magic takes full hold of the castle. I reckon he's hiding in the Forbidden Forest. Find him, and end this."

Harry nodded without hesitation. His mind raced, his determination burning as bright as the flames of a phoenix. He ran towards his room, where his Bat gear lay waiting, the very tools he needed to fight this evil.

"The Belt of Chiroptera…" he murmured to himself, feeling a rush of confidence and power flood through his veins. He had found power within himself, but now, it was his only hope to be stronger than he had ever been before. He grabbed the dark leather belt from the table and fastened it around his waist. As he did, a familiar warmth spread through his body, the magic of the Bat coursing through him like a lifeline.

Next, Harry reached for the Shadow Cloak, an enchanted garment that allowed him to disappear from sight. The dark fabric rippled in his hands, almost alive with the power of invisibility. As he draped the cloak over his shoulders, the shadows deepened around him, hiding him from view.

But even with the Belt of Chiroptera and the Shadow Cloak, something was missing. Harry closed his eyes, reaching deep within himself to the well of Bat magic that had been dormant for too long. He could feel it—the dark power coursing through his veins, the wings of the Bat stretching and waiting to be unleashed. With a whispered incantation, he called upon it.

The air around him shimmered with energy, and a wave of heat washed over him. His back tingled as his massive bat wings erupted from his shoulders. They were dark and leathery, their span nearly twice his height, and as they beat against the air, the wind howled around him. His body was once again connected to the ancient magic, and he was ready.

"I won't let Hogwarts fall," Harry muttered under his breath, his voice steady. With a powerful leap, he surged into the air, his wings cutting through the frozen landscape as he soared toward the Forbidden Forest.

The Epic Battle in the Forbidden Forest

The moon hung low in the sky, casting long, haunting shadows across the Forbidden Forest. Harry Wayne's boots crunched against the frozen earth, each step pushing him further into the heart of the dark, mist-covered woods. The cold had become unbearable—his breath clouded in the air before disappearing into the void, the temperature so frigid it felt like the very atmosphere had been frozen solid.

His bat wings flapped with steady, rhythmic beats, lifting him higher above the ground as he glided through the frozen forest. The wind howled around him, but Harry's focus was unwavering. His eyes scanned the dense trees, his senses sharpened to a razor's edge. He could feel it—the unnatural pull of dark magic, the telltale signs of Fridge's presence. The sorcerer had to be close.

Suddenly, through the veil of mist, Harry saw a flicker of movement. A shape, tall and imposing, standing in the center of a clearing. Fridge. The man who had once been a master of ice magic and a harbinger of fear, was here—and he was waiting for Harry.

"Ah, the Bat finally arrives," Fridge's voice echoed through the trees, cool and mocking. He stood tall, cloaked in a robe that shimmered like frozen silk. His long fingers crackled with icy energy as he raised them high, calling forth a storm of snow that swirled around him. "You should have stayed in your cozy little castle, boy. You'll find no warmth here."

Harry didn't flinch, his dark wings casting a shadow over the forest floor. "This ends tonight, Fridge. Whatever curse you've put on Hogwarts, it's over."

Fridge's lips curled into a cruel smile. "It's far from over. You think you can stop me? I have the power of the cold itself at my command. The magic of winter courses through me, and it's already too late for your precious castle. It's already frozen in time."

Without warning, Fridge raised both hands, and the ground beneath Harry's feet began to rumble. The air around him crackled with the intense pressure of magic building up. Harry's instincts screamed at him to take flight, but before he could move, the earth exploded in a burst of ice and snow. Towering pillars of frost shot up from the ground, surrounding Harry in a jagged cage of frozen spikes. The temperature plummeted, and the air became heavy with an unnatural chill. The blast sent a shiver through Harry's spine, but he steadied himself.

"You think this will stop me?" Harry growled, his voice determined. "I've faced worse than this."

He flapped his wings, sending gusts of wind that knocked several of the ice pillars to the side. The frost shattered like glass, but Fridge wasn't finished. His eyes glinted with cold malice, and with a sharp gesture, he summoned a massive wave of ice. The magic was like a living thing, twisting and coiling as it shot toward Harry in a deadly, serpentine motion. The Bat was quick to react. He shot into the air with a powerful flap, narrowly dodging the wave of ice that crashed into the ground where he had just been.

But Fridge was relentless. With another flick of his wrist, sharp icicles shot from the ground, aimed directly at Harry. The Bat twisted and turned in midair, using his wings to block some of the incoming projectiles. But some of them found their mark—one of the icicles grazed his shoulder, sending a shock of freezing pain through his body. Harry hissed but powered through it, summoning the dark Bat magic to his aid.

"Your tricks won't work on me, Fridge," Harry said, eyes glowing with the magic of his lineage. He raised his hands, and a dark mist enveloped his fingers as he summoned his shadowy power. Dark tendrils of magic shot toward Fridge, seeking to ensnare him, but the sorcerer was ready. With a swipe of his hand, he created a protective shield of ice, and the dark tendrils of magic shattered upon contact with the frozen barrier.

"You think your petty tricks can defeat me?" Fridge scoffed, his voice cold and cruel. "I am the master of winter. You are nothing but a frightened child playing with shadows."

Harry's eyes narrowed, the Bat magic flaring inside him. "Then you'll see just how far I've come."

With a roar, Harry surged forward, his wings beating the air with such force that the surrounding trees shook. The dark magic in his veins surged to the surface, and his body became a blur of motion as he struck at Fridge, aiming to break through the icy defenses.

Fridge countered with a flurry of ice storms—whirling winds filled with razor-sharp snowflakes, powerful enough to slice through metal. But Harry, his senses heightened by the Bat magic, evaded each attack, his wings cutting through the air with precision. He struck at Fridge, his fists glowing with dark energy as he unleashed a barrage of punches that caused the ground to tremble.

The battle raged on, each strike of ice and shadow more vicious than the last. Fridge summoned snowstorms that obscured Harry's vision, while Harry's dark tendrils of magic lashed out like whips, trying to ensnare his opponent. The Forbidden Forest was becoming a battleground, the very trees trembling with the power of their clash.

And then, it happened.

Fridge unleashed a massive blast of ice, a torrent of freezing cold that engulfed the entire clearing. Harry tried to dodge, but the speed of the attack was too much. The cold hit him like a sledgehammer, and before he could react, a massive sheet of ice enveloped him, encasing him in an unbreakable prison of frost. His wings were trapped, his arms pinned to his sides, and the cold seeped into his bones. He gasped as the freezing chill numbed his body, his breath coming in short, desperate gasps.

Fridge stepped forward, a smug smile on his lips. "Did you really think you could stop me? You are nothing but a boy playing at being a hero."

Harry's body trembled in the ice, but something inside him burned—a deep, unshakable resolve. He could feel the power of the Belt of Chiroptera at his waist, still glowing faintly. His heart pounded in his chest, and a surge of energy coursed through him. He focused on that energy, willing it to rise, to break free from the ice, from the cold that threatened to freeze him forever.

The Belt of Chiroptera began to glow brighter, the ancient magic within it waking up, responding to Harry's will. The icy prison began to crack. The frost splintered and shattered as fiery energy erupted from Harry's body.

In an instant, his bat wings exploded from the ice, their once-dark form now alight with searing fire. The flames surged around him like a storm, roaring with heat and power, turning the frozen landscape into a furnace. The cold that had imprisoned him melted away in an instant, and Harry shot into the sky, his wings beating with intense fury, leaving trails of fire in their wake.

Fridge's eyes widened in shock as Harry surged toward him, his fiery wings blazing with heat. "No! This cannot be!" he shouted, but it was too late.

Harry struck. The flames of his wings cut through the air like twin blades, slashing through Fridge's ice magic with ease. The ice walls that Fridge summoned crumbled under the heat, melting into puddles of water as Harry's fiery wings tore through them. The fire that enveloped Harry's form was a weapon of pure destruction, an unstoppable force that Fridge could no longer contain.

Fridge tried to summon more ice, but the heat was overwhelming. Every spell he cast was met with a wall of flame, his icy barriers evaporating into mist. The ground around them began to crack under the intensity of the heat. Harry's fiery wings glowed brighter, becoming more intense, more powerful, as he pressed the attack.

With a mighty roar, Harry dove toward Fridge, his fiery wings glowing like the sun. Fridge raised his hands, but the heat was too much for him to handle. The ice sorcerer's magic faltered, and before he could react, Harry's wings slammed into him, sending a shockwave of fire through the forest.

The flames consumed Fridge, his ice magic unable to withstand the inferno. With a final, anguished scream, Fridge collapsed to the ground, his body disintegrating under the heat as the fire consumed him.

Harry hovered above the clearing, his wings still alight with flames, casting a warm glow over the now-melting forest. The temperature had risen to a comfortable level, and the oppressive chill that had once filled the air had dissipated. Fridge was no more.

The Aftermath

The Forbidden Forest was quiet once more, save for the crackling of the last remnants of fire. Harry, his wings still burning with the last embers of the battle, hovered above the ground, catching his breath. The battle had been fierce, but he had prevailed.

He glanced down at the scorched earth below him, where Fridge had once stood. The trees around him had thawed, their branches no longer weighed down by the oppressive frost. The entire forest seemed to sigh in relief as the cold that had gripped it vanished, leaving nothing but the warmth of the fires Harry had summoned.

With a final glance toward the Forbidden Forest, Harry took off into the sky, his wings still glowing with the residual heat of the battle. He had faced the darkness and emerged victorious, but the road ahead was still long. The fight for Hogwarts was far from over—but for now, the Bat had triumphed.

And the cold was gone.

Return to Hogwarts

By the time Harry returned to Hogwarts, the night had grown calm. The icy grip that had once strangled the castle was gone. The frozen figures of his friends and fellow students began to thaw, and slowly, they began to stir, blinking as if waking from a deep sleep.

Hagrid stood at the entrance of the castle, his massive frame looming against the backdrop of the rising sun. His face was filled with pride as he watched Harry approach.

"Well done, Harry. You did it. Hogwarts is safe again."

Hermione, Harvey, and Ginny—each of them alive, safe, and thawed—rushed to him, their faces glowing with gratitude. Hermione hugged him tightly, followed by Harvey and Ginny, who each voiced their thanks.

"You're a hero, Harry," Ginny said, her smile shining with warmth.

Hagrid clapped Harry on the back, his enormous hand nearly knocking him over. "You've saved us all, lad. You've done good."

Harry smiled, exhausted but content. "I couldn't have done it without everyone here. Hogwarts... it's home."

And as the castle returned to life, filled once again with warmth, laughter, and joy, Harry knew that he had done what he had to do—and that no matter what the future held, Hogwarts would always be his home and that he, the Batman of Hogwarts, would always protect it!

To be continued…..

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