Here's the twenty sixth chapter, folks!

* Review Response:
Thunder Dragon (guest), kazikamikaze24, thank you for your reviews, folks!

* AN: This chapter hasn't been beta-read.

Disclaimer: "Harry Potter" and "Mahou Shoujou Lyrical Nanoha" belong to their respective owners. No profit is being made. The same goes for any other media that might be used as the sources of ideas and inspiration.

"speaking"
"telepathy"
「Devices speaking」
'thinking'
"spells"

Additional Disclaimer: The authors of this story in no way approve murder as a solution to interpersonal conflicts.

Power of Eclipse
Chapter XXVI: Fall

"Mr. Potter." Professor Sprout said, looking at him sternly. "You can't just decide and skip classes. This is a school and you have to keep your attendance up." Harry remained rather unaffected by this and was giving his Head of the House an annoyed look.

"DADA is a complete waste of time while that man plays being a teacher for the sake of stroking his own ego. I refuse to waste my time on it." He said. "I'd learn way more about defense through self-study." Especially since he did have the training routines made for him by Signum and Zafira, and those were much more suited to his talents than wizarding Magic. And he, of course, had Zero with him.

"I'm sorry that you feel that way." The Herbology Professor said diplomatically while still giving her student her best 'I'm very disappointed in you' look. "But the school rules clearly state that all able students have to attend the classes according to their timetables. And you are clearly not under Madam Pomfrey's care at the moment."

"I would have been attending the class if there was anything useful I could learn from it." Harry repeated, causing the witch to sigh heavily.

"Is it really so, Mr. Potter?" She finally asked after several long moments of silence. "I'm sure you're exaggerating. The Headmaster would never hire anyone that incompetent to teach."

"Do you want a recording or something?" The green-eyed youth asked back, without really thinking about what Professor Sprout - or other members of Hogwarts staff - might think about his Device and its capabilities. Thankfully for him, that wouldn't come up, not now at least.

"Yes, that would be good." His Head of the House said. "I'll ask your classmates to share their memories of Professor Lockhart's classes. Albus has a pensieve I can use to review those." And with that the witch turned around and walked away, leaving Harry alone for the time being.

Nothing much came out of that investigation in the end.

Well, Lockhart did get a reprimand for not teaching his class properly, but it was just a simple reprimand and it seemed to have no real effect on how the man behaved in the class. If anything, it made things even worse as now Lockhart would occasionally rant about a lack of appreciation for the great lessons he was trying to teach.

Except he still wasn't actually teaching anything. All his students were doing was reading passages from his books and reenacting the most 'epic' scenes. With Lockhart always playing himself while some unlucky student got to be this Magical beast or that. And that was it. There was no actual spellwork anywhere in sight, and not even any useful advice on how one should act around these beasts.

And, of course, Harry was forced to attend this mess and his attempts to tell the staff that it was still a complete waste of his time were summarily ignored. It was quite annoying and Harry found himself frequenting the Forbidden Forest in order to vent.

Things with the investigation into his ancestry weren't going all that well either. The Gringotts' goblins were working dutifully, but their success was very limited over the past couple of weeks. Indeed, despite their best efforts, they've managed to trace the Jeremiah bloodline only two generations further into the past.

Even that much was achieved mostly by luck when subcontracted goblin clans on the continent found in their German archives a single document signed by Harry's ancestors. It was a deed to a house and a small plot of land South-West of Dresden they sold to a local goblin clan in the early 1800s. According to the accompanying note left by a manager overseeing the deal, the young man and his wife were selling the land because they were going to emigrate to the Netherlands. Maybe they even went there, but some forty years later their children were living on British soil instead.

Given the apparent lack of other records, it was possible that no more information about his ancestors from the 'Jeremiah' side will be uncovered by the goblins. Still, the TSAB people behind this investigation were willing to give it some more time in case any new leads were found, so Harry wasn't being recalled to Mid-Childa just yet.

In other news, during their latest mission, the Forwards of the Riot Force 6 had picked up an orphaned girl. This girl, Vivio, was currently living with the Captains Takamachi and Testarossa at the Long Arch and - according to . Yagami - would likely be soon adopted by them.

When Harry showed the attached photo to Zero, she immediately noted that Vivio was likely a descendant of the Sägebrecht royal bloodline from Belka. Probably of someone closely related to the Sankt Kaiser Olivie herself too, given their surprisingly-similar appearance.

This actually made Harry wonder just how many descendants of Belkan royal families were still around on the Administered worlds.

~/ *** \~

October had dragged on for far longer than Harry would've liked, no thanks to being forced to attend Lockhart's classes, but eventually it came to a close. And then it was Halloween time. The castle had been extensively decorated and the staff had prepared a number of holiday festivities for the students, but Harry wasn't particularly interested in any of that. He definitely was looking forward to the feast, though.

And, just like he had been expecting, the feast was great!

Especially since it didn't get oh-so-impolitely interrupted by some turban-wearing arsehole announcing that a troll had found its way inside the castle. Not that Harry would have minded a fight with a troll - or with some other big and mean Magical creature - right now. Being on a drug to help manage the mental effects of his Eclipse Factor didn't mean he was actually immune to those. He wasn't, not at all, and his visits into the Forbidden Forest to vent his frustrations and keep his lust for battle in check by fighting local beasts were a proof of that.

Perhaps, he should sneak out of the castle and go hunt a few Acromantula later tonight? The giant spiders were quite satisfying for him to fight. And the weather was still warm enough that at least some of them haven't gone into hibernation yet.

Unfortunately for him, those plans weren't meant to become a reality. Not tonight, at any rate: less than an hour after Hufflepuffs returned to their common room after the feast, Professor Sprout called an emergency House meeting.

Apparently, during the Halloween feast someone had petrified Filch's cat with Dark Magic and left a very ominous message - written in blood, thankfully, chicken - on a wall next to the crime scene. And the staff was concerned that this might not be just a tasteless prank and the perpetrator might target the students next. So, to ensure the students' safety, the Heads of Houses will be guarding the dormitories at night for the next couple of days, after which more-permanent security measures will be put in place.

That certainly put a lid on Harry's plans to sneak out of the castle tonight.

And until this mess was dealt with - or he was recalled to Mid-Childa, whichever came first - he'll need to be extra careful with how he dealt with the downsides of his Eclipse Factor as his usual methods of venturing into the Forbidden Forest and fighting the wildlife there just became a lot more complicated to use.

The next few days saw pretty much everyone being on edge as they were expecting the mysterious Dark Arts user to strike again. Even Slytherins were feeling uneasy despite, supposedly, being far down the list of possible targets.

It didn't stop a few of the more callous 'snakes' from running a betting pool on who is going to get petrified next. Not many were willing to place any bets, though, and Professor McGonnagal quickly shut them down once she learned about this whole thing.

Meanwhile, no new mysterious attacks have taken place.

Maybe the petrification of Mrs. Norris and the writing on the wall were just a cruel prank that went way too far, and whoever did it was too scared and too ashamed to reveal themselves. Or, perhaps, the upgraded wards, stronger enforcement of curfew and increased alertness of Hogwarts' staff made it too hard for the perpetrator to carry out their next attack.

Or they could simply be waiting for the right moment to claim their next victim.

Either way, everything seemed to be quiet for now. So, when the Headmaster announced that some of the 'emergency' policies will be lifted a week after the attack on Mrs. Norris, students and staff alike welcomed it. Even if things weren't back to normal, a chance to relax even a little bit was what everyone needed: living in the constant state of high alertness was not easy.

With the most restrictive policies canceled, Quidditch teams went back to training for their games, and several clubs resumed their activities. And even the formation of a new club was announced. The one focused on the 'art' of dueling. Most students were quite eager to attend its first meeting, and even Harry was mildly interested: while he saw no use in posturing that formal dueling had aplenty, a chance to 'legally' fight others was not something that he'd want to miss.

Too bad, Lockhart was one of the teachers running the club. If it weren't for the fact that Snape was the other, the young Eclipse Driver would've walked away from the club before the meeting even started. Despite the many issues he had with Snape, Harry wasn't going to deny that the man was competent when it came to Magic.

Thus, he decided to give the dueling club at least a tiny benefit of doubt and stay for the first meeting. Of course, if it proved to be a waste of his time, he would not return.

Well, the demonstration duel between the Professors proved to be quite entertaining as Snape effortlessly wiped the floor with Lockhart. The latter tried to play it like he allowed the Potions Master to win, but pretty much everyone who saw that 'duel' could tell that the blonde buffoon just didn't know how to use his wand properly. Unlike his opponent.

Once the demonstration was over, the students were told to split into pairs and practice the Disarming Charm, which had been shown by the Professors earlier.

Harry ended up partnering with Neville Longbottom from Gryffindor for the exercise.

Unfortunately, the said boy was really scared of him and that made his already legendary-poor casting become even worse. Not that Harry himself was doing much better when it came to wanded Magic thanks to his Eclipse Factor and how it interfered with non-Eclipse spells.

Before they could actually get to casting the spells, though, Professor Snape decided that they could use different partners instead:

"No, no, this won't do, Potter. We can't have a savage like you terrorizing Mr. Longbottom." The Potions Master said. "Get yourself here so that we can put you against a properly-trained wizard." Grumbling under his breath, Harry nevertheless did as instructed. Draco Malfoy, the said 'properly-trained' wizard, wasn't exactly thrilled with being made Harry's partner either and was giving his Head of the House a look full of betrayal. The blonde clearly remembered the rumors surrounding the Eclipse Driver. Such as him killing Professor Quirrell and sending several other students to St. Mungo's at the end of the previous year.

"Face your partners!" Lockhart called from his spot on the dueling platform. "And bow!" Neither Harry nor Malfoy were much inclined to do that and thus barely inclined their heads while keeping their eyes trained on their opponent. "Wands at the ready!" Lockhart continued. "When I count to three, cast your Charms to disarm your opponents - only to disarm them, we don't want any accidents - one... two... three..."

Malfoy fired his spell on count 'two', but this haste did nothing for him as Harry dodged his surprise attack with little issue. His second stunner didn't fare any better. Frustrated, the blonde fired the Tarantallegra Jinx next. Harry dodged that one as well, and it ended up hitting someone in the 'crowd' instead.

That was far from the only incident with a student getting hit by various spells - it seemed that barely anyone remembered that they were supposed to use stunners - and a few even got hurt a little. Nothing really serious, thankfully.

"I think I'd better teach you how to block unfriendly spells." Lockhart said as he observed the aftermath of everyone casting whatever spells they wanted. "Let's have a volunteer pair join me on the platform." Several older students actually wanted to be a part of the chosen pair, but Professor Snape dashed their hopes:

"I believe it would be better if we have someone who doesn't know the Shielding Charm do the demonstration." He inserted smoothly. And judging by his bright smile, Lockhart liked this idea. "Malfoy, Potter, why don't you two do it?" The Potions Master 'asked' then.

"Yes, Professor." The blonde replied with a resigned sigh, but nevertheless proceeded to climb up onto the dueling platform. Harry also wasn't happy about being volunteered like that and it didn't look like had an option to refuse. So he too proceeded onto the platform.

"Now." Lockhart said as addressed Harry. "When Draco points his wand at you, you do this." He then raised his wand and tried to wave it in an over-the-top complicated manner. He didn't manage to finish his 'demonstration' before dropping his wand on the floor. "Whoops. My wand is a little overexcited."

The Eclipse Driver couldn't hold back an annoyed sigh: why did everyone insist that this man was fit to teach DADA? Or anything, really. And forced him to attend the class? With Lockhart as the teacher, it was an even bigger waste of time than History of Magic - and that class was taught by a ghost that droned endlessly about the Goblin Rebellions like a broken record.

"Your turn now." Lockhart said, apparently done with his 'explanation' of how one should cast the Shielding Charm. "Three. Two. One. Go!"

Harry quickly and silently summoned an Eclipse Shield in front of himself. He really didn't see much point in learning the wizarding Shielding Charm as it would be so much harder for him to cast, and he already had access to two superior alternatives. Three, if he were to count his Combat Protective Clothing as well.

Meanwhile, Malfoy cast his own spell.

"Serpensortia!" This definitely wasn't the Disarming Charm he was supposed to be using. It wasn't even an attack to shield against. Instead, this spell caused a long black snake to appear in a cloud of smoke, before falling heavily onto the floor. It didn't look pleased with being summoned like that and hissed angrily as it raised itself, ready to strike.

Then Lockhart went ahead and made things worse by hitting the snake with …some spell. It produced a loud bang and sent the reptile flying ten or so feet into the air, but didn't actually resolve the 'problem'. The snake was still there, and it was even angrier than before. And since Harry was the closest to it, it tried to attack him.

The Eclipse Driver responded with a quick Magical Bullet, nailing the angry serpent right on its head. That knocked the creature out and even singed its scales, but it wasn't powerful enough to actually kill it. Probably.

More importantly, though, at this point any lingering hopes Harry might have had about the Dueling club were gone. Coming here was a waste of his time: he wasn't going to learn anything actually useful here, nor it looked like he'd get to have a proper spar in order to deal with his Eclipse-induced battle-lust.

His decision made, Harry turned around and marched straight out of the Great Hall where the meeting of the Dueling club was taking place. He wasn't coming back there - assuming that the club even had another meeting after his disaster.

~/ *** \~

Two days after the Dueling club fiasco, Harry finally managed to sneak out into the Forbidden Forest for an afternoon of fighting the local beasts. It was just what he needed to unwind a little after the stressful couple of weeks he had just gone through.

Stepping inside the castle after his little hunt in the forest, he was about to head for the Hufflepuff dormitories when he remembered that he wanted to check out a particular book from the library. One that talked about the 'Muggle' warriors that interacted closely with the Magical world. He was hoping to find mentions of someone who could be a Jeremiah there - after all, how likely it was that a Belkan warrior-prince with incredible powers would not leave a mark on history after they somehow got stranded on Earth?

As he was making his way towards the library, Harry suddenly hears a strange sound coming from a second-floor corridor. It was like something absolutely huge was dragging itself along the stone floor. Whatever that was, it certainly wasn't anything that the Eclipse Driver had ever run into inside the castle or within the Forbidden Forest before.

Curious, he went there to see what that mysterious thing wandering through the school was. He wasn't going there completely unprepared, though: he had brought out and engaged his Divider and reinforced his Combat Protective Clothing just in case the unknown entity proved to be hostile. Zero also was awake and ready to assist him as a Reactor Plug, should prove to be necessary.

And just after taking the first corner, Harry already found out what exactly was making those noises. It was a snake. A really, really big snake. He actually had no idea how large it was as he could only see little more than its head - which was currently facing away from him. Still, the snake was thicker than he was tall and would have no trouble swallowing a human whole.

The snake also heard him approaching and, after reversing a little, turned its head to look at him. And as soon as their eyes met, Harry was assaulted by a head-splitting headache as foreign Magic flooded into his body. This instantly broke eye contact, but whatever spell the beast had placed upon him was still active.

And it was rapidly working to shut his body down.

The Anti-Magic Field was trying to erode away this foreign Magic, but it was proving to be too much for it. Even after Harry Reacted with Zero to further boost his AMF and flooded his body with his remaining mana to flush away the intruding spell, the best he managed to achieve was weakening it a bit and slowing its progress down a little.

And in just a few short seconds, darkness claimed him.

A lone figure walked up to the defeated Eclipse Driver, completely unbothered by the giant serpent still present in the corridor. And why would they? They were Lord Voldemort - yes, Lord Voldemort and most definitely not 'Tom Marvolo Riddle' - the true and mighty heir of the Ancient and most Noble House of Slytherin. Even if they were currently and very temporarily possessing the body of that Weasley girl through his diary.

"So much for the great and mighty Harry Potter, taken down by Salazar's pet." Lord Voldemort said. "I guess, whatever had happened on that night when my future self failed to kill you was a fluke. Or, perhaps, something that the mudblood whore of your mother did."

Either way, despite all of the rumors surrounding the boy, he could see that the last Potter was anything really special after all. What a disappointment. It made him angry, and he was quick to take it out on the conveniently-petrified and unable to do anything Potter. Too bad, they had to settle for doing it the undignified Muggle way by kicking the brat in the ribs with as much force as their 'borrowed' body could muster - creatively cursing Potter would've been so much more satisfying, but doing that could give that meddlesome old goat Dumbledore clues about what really was going on. And that was an unacceptable risk.

Kicking Potter turned out to be a mistake, a painful one, though: the damn freak was wearing body armor!

Letting out a string of expletives that should never be heard from the lips of their 'host', Lord Voldemort did his best to control his temper and not curse Potter straight to Hell after all. The girl's foot throbbing with pain wasn't making that an easy task, though.

Quickly getting their emotions back under control, Lord Voldemort shot one last glance at the defeated nemesis of his future self before getting to work on leaving a message announcing his triumph to all of Hogwarts. Too bad they didn't have time to drain Potter's blood and turn it into enchanted ink - just imagine how much delicious despair that would've caused Dumbledore and the fools following him!

~/ *** \~

"-e up!" A voice cut through darkness as Harry's consciousness returned. "Wake up!"

"Mmmnngh." He finally 'replied' unintelligibly. "Wha… What happened?" He asked then. "Last thing I remember, we ran into some really big snake. Then it just knocked us out somehow." There was a pause, before Zero replied:

"I am not certain, but it appears that the beast possessed incredibly powerful Magic, cast from its eyes. Its exact nature eludes me, but it would've almost certainly killed you had it hit you at its full power. Even when weakened by our combined Anti-Magic Field, it still caused lasting full-body paralysis for you and cognitive shut down for both of us."

"I see…" Harry said. Then, after a moment, he added: "And thank you for saving me, Zero." Then he willed himself to open his eyes.

Even before his vision came into focus, he already knew with absolute certainty that he was in Hogwarts's Hospital Wing. The unmistakable 'hospital smell' in the air told him as much. Once he was finally able to see properly, Harry confirmed that he indeed was in Madam Pomfrey's domain. One thing did surprise him though: his bed was surrounded by drawn curtains - something that, as far as he knew, wasn't done normally.

Ignoring his body's protests the young Eclipse Driver sat up on his bed. With another bit of effort, he got out of the bed and hobbled out of his enclosed space, looking for someone to answer his questions.

He barely managed to make ten steps before the Hogwarts's Matron saw him.

"Mr. Potter? You're awake?!" She exclaimed, clearly surprised to see him up.

That's all, folks!
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