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(Enchanting Melodies) Chapter 439: Resolute Inaugurations
🕑 Added 2025-03-09 14:00:15 +0000 UTCChapter 439: Resolute Inaugurations
18 June 1995, Hogwarts
Harry walked calmly near the Hogwarts grounds, enjoying the rare sunny day in Scotland. The castle stood tall behind him, its familiar silhouette against the bright blue sky. The Black Lake sparkled under the sunlight, rippling gently as the giant squid lazily stirred beneath the surface. A light breeze carried the scent of grass and wildflowers, mixing with the distant chatter of students lounging by the shore or cheering near the Quidditch pitch, as an impromptu match took place. Huh, Harry hadn’t really thought about the sport in a while. He never particularly liked it but for some reason, most of the country was obsessed with it. As if agreeing with him, the stadium was half-full and there wasn’t even an official match or anything. It was that good of a day.
Even the Forbidden Forest looked less ominous than usual. For once, everything felt peaceful, like Hogwarts was just a school again, not the centre of an oncoming storm. The poor fools had no idea what was coming for them.
Looking at the finished arena, guarded by the ICW, Harry suppressed a sneer. This was a living representation of what was to come. Three days. That was all he had left and the suddenness of it all surprised even him. It was coming. Ragnarök was coming, and despite his worries, he was as prepared as he was going to be.
Thousands of years of planning, Harry’s entire life, seemed to converge into this moment, a single day, a single battle, and that was terrifying, to say the least. Even without knowing that his and Daphne’s fates were completely up in the air, even without knowing the sheer scale of the concept, the idea would have unsettled anyone.
Unfortunately, the scales were beyond what most people understood. Without even meaning to, he muttered, “Only ash will remain, the final scene. A silent world, cold and unforgivingly serene.”
He felt the sheer power of these words, the responsibilities that they brought on his shoulders. Not a lot of people were sensitive to magic enough to know when words of power have been spoken, but Harry was one of them. Well, his Arcane Hearing was a bit of a cheat, essentially amplifying the words on an otherworldly level.
It was also something that Daphne was somewhat sensitive to as well, something that she learned during her lessons Lily, “What was that?”
The blonde was giving him an inquisitive look. Harry had forgotten that blood magic needed a very good intuition for magic in case anything went wrong. It was a good idea to avoid overspending or underspending for a certain effect, apparently. The logic was sound, but the field of magic never really appealed to him. Maybe he was a bit too selfish or jaded, but something built on the idea of sacrifices and deals just didn’t feel as solid as just coming up with the magic himself. It was more of a personal preference anyway, and weirdly enough, Daphne was quickly mastering the field, especially after combining it with her family magic as well. Harry had no idea that a combination of druidism and blood magic could be this unsettling.
Still, he gave Daphne a sympathetic look, “Nothing. I just said a part of Ragnarök’s prophecy.”
She tilted her head cutely, “You know what, you never really told it to me explicitly, just the general gist of it.”
Now that he thought about it, she was right, “It’s not a big deal. The beginning is just saying that a final battle between the Light and Dark would take place when the World Serpent died, that there would be a hero and that would somehow decide the future somehow. That the whole thing is just a way to wipe the slate clean and start anew, you know how prophecies are, they’re so vague, and most of it has either happened or will surely happen anyway.”
“Except for the passages you just said,” she replied.
Harry suppressed the urge to sigh. When did Daphne learn to see through him so easily? He put a smile on his face and answered, “It’s the only part I’m unsure about, the only part that’s up for interpretation.”
And he wasn’t kidding, the entire thing was pretty much entirely deciphered. Harry was the prophecy’s hero, born of Lily’s broken marriage vows, having killed her husband, with a legacy in ash and dust, what remained of Godric Hollows. Death and Fate have obviously been playing a role in the prophecy, setting up pieces long before he had ever been born. The World Serpent was dead and the war between the Light and Dark was among them. No matter what happened, a new era would be born. Most of the prophecy was fulfilled already, except these two verses. Two verses which could mean anything, really.
Daphne hit him, “Stop overthinking things, Harry. You’ve done everything you could.”
He smiled back at her and nodded, “I suppose I did.”
With the End of Days being so close, they had arranged for everyone they were close to, to move to Marinakis’ manor in Greece. Its wards were impressive, to say the least, given the fact that it withstood the destruction of Mount Olympus, even when it was so close to the school.
That list included Daphne’s sister and parents, Arcturus Black – who had grumbled about not being an invalid and wanting to fight in the war – Blaise, Tracy and her family, Angelina Johnson and her family, the Delacour family, and any Lycans under the age of seventeen – there were surprisingly few of them. Sure, Dumbledore and Grindelwald would eventually break through it, but the former headmaster of Olympus Academy was there to hold the wards in case that happened, which would take them days at the very least to break. Harry still didn’t fully like the man, especially given the way he was so easily prepared to sacrifice his own son to attack the Olympians, something that ended up causing the Death of dozens of students, since Dumbledore and Grindelwald were already planning on destroying Mount Olympus.
“You don’t have to do this, you know,” he uttered without even thinking. He regretted it the moment it came out of his mouth. It was something that was constantly on his mind, the sheer idea that Daphne would endanger herself so, just to give him an advantage in the final battle.
As he expected, the smile on Daphne’s face turned into a neutral expression, “It was your plan, Harry.”
He shook his head, “And it’s a stupid plan.”
“No, it’s not. Look Vlad has already arranged for everything and has taken a big risk to set things up. I finished my preparations yesterday and you even looked over everything. You know that it’s a good plan, so why are you backing out now?”
Harry didn’t have a proper answer to that, not in a way that wouldn’t make Daphne mad. He knew that she was competent, that she was a brilliant witch who had proven herself under pressure, especially in the Labyrinth during the previous task of the tournament. However, war was a very different thing, and she would deal with enemies that were beyond her. Anything could go wrong and given the future knowledge he got from the kids; he wasn’t exactly being enthusiastic about putting her in so much danger.
Instead of saying any of that, he took a deep breath, “I know it’s not rational, but I just don’t like the idea of you being in danger.”
“Do you think you’re the only one with feelings, Harry? What do you think I feel when I think about you having to fight Dumbledore and Grindelwald with barely any backup? But I’m sucking it up because you said it yourself that there was no other way. You know perfectly well that I’m going to be involved whether you like it or not, and you used that fact to make sure I’m as prepared as possible. You’re not happy and guess what, I’m not happy either. I’m terrified, Harry. I’m terrified that in three days, I’ll find myself staring at a corpse who saved the world. Sure, I’m afraid of dying too, but the idea of you leaving me alone is what’s really keeping me up at night. Even if we didn’t know for sure that I’d end up being involved in some way, I wouldn’t be able to sit aside and watch you do it on your own.”
Harry was struck silent. He hadn’t seen this side of Daphne. He could see the tears in her red eyes as she finally let out everything that she’d been keeping in. Without hesitation, Harry just brought her into a hug, she sobbed into his shoulder, “Promise that you won’t leave me alone, Harry.”
Fully knowing that he couldn’t guarantee anything, he whispered in her ear, “I promise that we’ll both end up alright. I’m sorry, I didn’t know how much you were keeping in.”
The blonde giggled, “No offence, Harry, but you’re a bit of an idiot when it comes to feelings. You’re getting better though, even if you have a long road ahead of you.”
“Hey,” he protested, “Progress is progress.”
They stayed there, hugging for what seemed like an eternity. Daphne had calmed down by then, and Harry asked one last time, “Are you sure about the plan? I can figure something out, you know.”
“Yes, I’m sure and if you ask one more time, I’m going to hit you.”
Harry chuckled, “Fine, I won’t ask again.”
They walked and sat down near the Black Lake. He heard Daphne mutter, “It’s such a beautiful day.”
“Yes, it is. I suppose it would be a crime to waste it.”
As if the world was listening, a voice spoke up behind him, “Oi, Harry, there you are.”
Harry turned to yell at whoever was interrupting them, only to roll his eyes when he saw Perseus giving them an amused smile, “You’re an asshole, Perseus.”
The other boy grinned, “Of course, I am.”
He hadn’t really spent a lot of time with Perseus when he came with the Greek delegation. It wasn’t anything malicious or anything like that, but because the boy seemed to spend all his free time with Angelina Johnson. It wasn’t exactly surprising given that one of the kids he saw from the future was their daughter, but he completely underestimated how quickly these two bonded from just their time during the Sixth Task. Sure, there was a life debt between the two, which connected them on a fundamental level, but for it to turn into a romantic thing in just a few weeks at best was a bit on the fast side.
Nevertheless, Perseus had been completely adamant about getting the girl and her family to the safety of his father’s manor during the task. From a quick question, it was obvious that the older boy still hadn’t made up with his father, not yet. Harry didn’t expect that they would so easily. He had never really forgiven Lily for almost killing him in Durmstrang. Sure, he had gotten back at her almost immediately, but there was a form of hurt of having one’s parent try to hurt them, to betray their child so readily, that just never went away. Harry never considered Lily to be his mother, but her betrayal hurt him, a lot, in fact. He didn’t know the full details of the relationship between Perseus and his father, but it couldn’t have been worse than that between him and his mother before her death.
Anyway, Angelina left two days prior, and that meant that the water elemental was completely free to bother other people, specifically Daphne and Harry. They didn’t mind the company, really, but it got frustrating when they wanted to spend time alone. Sure, Perseus obviously knew that it was annoying, but he did it anyway, either to mess with them, because he missed Angelina, or because he was just bored.
It was most likely the latter.
However, when he looked at the boy's face he realized that something was wrong.
The usual lighthearted teasing felt forced, like a cover for something much heavier. Perseus hesitated for a second before sighing and stepping closer.
“Dumbledore wants to speak with you.”
Harry’s amusement vanished. “What?”
“He came to me after lunch and asked me to tell you to go see him. Alone.”
Harry exchanged a glance with Daphne. Her expression immediately hardened.
That didn’t make sense. Ever since Dumbledore had returned to Hogwarts, they had barely spoken. The man had spent the last few weeks avoiding direct confrontation, preferring to move pieces from the shadows. For him to suddenly request a private meeting—just three days before Ragnarök—was an aggressive move.
Daphne was the first to voice what Harry was already thinking. “It’s a trap.”
Perseus nodded. “Probably. But he wasn’t being subtle about it. If he was planning something, I’d expect him to use the ICW as a buffer, not just walk up to me and tell me to deliver a message.”
Harry stayed silent, thoughts racing. If Dumbledore had wanted to attack him, he would have made his move before now. Grindelwald's divination was probably getting weaker with every moment they approached Ragnarok, and the Champion of the Dark wouldn't have wanted to risk any of it. It would have been too risky for him.
No, this was something else. The former headmaster had played this game too long to make a reckless move this close to the final confrontation and that’s what worried him the most.
Daphne grabbed his wrist. “You’re not seriously considering going.”
He gave her a tight smile. “I think I have to. If I don't and he really wants to meet with me, he'll come with the full might of the ICW behind him, and I'll have to leave the castle. And you both know why I need to be here during the final task.”
Harry tapped his fingers against his knee, already running through contingencies. “I don’t think he’ll risk attacking me outright. Not three days before the last task. But the fact that he’s making the first move means he thinks he has something over me.”
Daphne’s grip tightened. “And do you think he does?”
Harry gave her a knowing look, "I think I have an idea. The fact that this is just after Vlad's plan is probably enough. Either way, I need to be sure.” Harry stood up, brushing off his robes. “Besides, what better way to plant the seeds of doubt between him and Grindelwald than a private conversation right before the storm?”
A small, sharp smile played on his lips. “I think it’s time Albus and I had one last talk.”
AN: Sorry if things felt a bit uneventful recently, but the pace should pick up from the next chapter. I felt like I wanted to write one last chapter with Harry and Daphne before all hell broke loose. I know that some of you will think that Harry meeting Dumbledore is foolish, but I thought it was fitting to have them have a conversation one last time before fighting. I might change my mind depending on your feedback, so, please let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions.
PS: I made a few changes in the previous chapters to clear things up a bit, since I think I made the ending a bit too confusing (the Vlad bit), so feel free to take a look at it.
Comments
Abe 7
Harry’s spidey senses are tingling. Very much looking forward to how dumbles is going to screw over Harry and what Harry comes up with at eleventh hour 😝
Ben
Honestly I do think a final conversation with Dumbledore is very fitting before it all kicks off
