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HP - Chapter 426: Get Serious
🕑 Added 2024-12-25 07:17:51 +0000 UTCDisclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
“Dialogue”
‘Thoughts’
-Author notes-
Chapter 426: Get Serious
“By Merlin! What did I just see?” Professor Flitwick stared in disbelief at the shore of the lake, where Harry stood facing Voldemort. All around them lay the remains of the once-terrifying and seemingly invincible army.
“That can’t be Harry Potter,” McGonagall said, her brows furrowed in confusion.
“Of course, it’s Potter. I told you he wasn’t what you thought,” Snape responded curtly.
“But he cannot be James’ son. Someone so young should not be able to wield magic in such a way,” McGonagall protested. "Did you not see how he killed that giant?!"
“And an adult wizard could do that?” Flitwick shook his head. “Honestly, as much as I admire the Headmaster, even he could not come close to what we just witnessed. There is something more to Harry Potter. I believe we are missing a great deal of context here, and we can only speculate.”
“The Headmaster believed he was the only one who could defeat the Dark Lord,” Snape remarked. He did not believe it was possible, no matter how much Dumbledore assured him. But now that he had seen what Harry was truly capable of... the Dark Lord he had feared for half his life, did not seem that threatening anymore.
McGonagall seemed to realize something, recalling Dumbledore’s mentions of a mysterious benefactor who had been aiding them in the war against Voldemort but whose identity he refused to reveal.
'If it was Harry Potter, it would make sense… no one would have believed him' she thought.
Viktor Krum let out a chuckle. “I knew he was something else, but this is a bit much. I mean...did you see that?.”
“How can someone be…” Cedric trailed off, still trying to process what he had seen. “How is that possible?”
Fleur, meanwhile, was too preoccupied with her little sister to pay attention to anything else.
“No! Let me go. I need to save her,” she cried, struggling against Madame Maxime’s grip.
“Calm down, Fleur,” Madame Maxime urged. “Your sister is safer down there than up here. We can get her out once this is over.”
McGonagall approached the panicked girl. “Your Headmistress is correct. The charm placed on her should keep her alive for at least three more hours, and the merfolk will keep her safe. I am more worried about Neville and Lyra, who have completely disappeared.” Her mind was not able to process that battle, so she rather focused on doing her job as Vice-Headmistress and making sure that everyone in there was safe and sound.
Snape overheard the comment about Neville and Lyra but chose to remain silent despite knowing that Nevill was perfectly fine, watching from the stands and he was sure that before coming here, Harry had left his sister in a safe place. Right now, revealing the truth about the tournament would only raise more questions he wasn’t ready to answer.
Back at the audience stands, Luna was shouting with excitement.
“Did you see that? The giant went bahom and fell down!”
“Yes, Pudding… I did see that...” Xeno said nervously, hoping his daughter’s fascination with violence didn’t translate to future ambitions of becoming an Auror or Hit Wizard.
“Wow… I can’t believe he took them all out by himself,” Lily murmured, baffled. Even knowing her son’s past, it was hard to comprehend such overwhelming power.
“Are we going to be okay? I mean, he can win, right?” Neville asked. He didn't understand that much of what was going on, but at least it seemed hat they were going to be okay.
The audience was so focused on the battle that, so far, no one had begun to question why there were two Harry Potter since Neville was still under the effects of Polyjuice Potion.
“Voldemort is still there, and those vampires…” James glanced at the dozen or so vampires stationed around the stands. Harry had not attacked them, and they had not moved from their positions. “Let’s not declare victory just yet.”
“Don’t concern yourself with those,” Daphne interjected. “Or the one with the umbrella. They’re just here to keep an eye on us.”
“Keep an eye on us? What do you mean?” James asked.
“I mean they’re not part of Voldemort’s army or that other Vampire Lord’s forces,” Daphne replied.
James wasn’t entirely satisfied with her answer, but now wasn’t the time for questions. He hoped for answers from his son once this ordeal was over.
At the shore, Harry stood tall in front of Voldemort.
“You finally show yourself…” Voldemort growled, gripping his wand so tightly that the wood began to crack. “Now I will sh-”
A powerful gust of wind interrupted him as someone else appeared next to Harry.
Voldemort was not the only one who had lost his army that day. A furious Vampire Lord, Sebastian, glared at Harry with bloodshot eyes.
“You finally come down… now die!”
Sebastian launched a straight punch at Harry’s face. The move seemed simple, but it carried an unimaginable amount of energy.
Harry had not forgotten about this adversary and was prepared. His most potent protection spell activated just in time, forming a shimmering barrier. The punch struck it with such force that a shockwave reverberated through the area, sending Harry flying toward the lake.
Harry’s shield acted like a protective bubble, bouncing several times on the dark waters like a skipping stone. He stopped himself just before reaching the audience platforms, floating above the water with a levitation charm.
“That’s the power of an Ancient Vampire Lord…” Harry muttered, examining the damage. Several runes on his shield had vanished, indicating that a single punch had nearly overwhelmed his defenses. “That’s no joke…”
Without the shield, his body would have been pulverized. He had been avoiding this individual so far, but now there was no delaying this any longer. He had to face Sebastian before he could get Voldemort.
“I’ll have to get serious too…” Harry murmured as the nine Arkstone Jewels embedded in his robes began to glow with an eerie blue light.
“Libero.”
