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ACT3CH26 - Diabolica
🕑 Added 2023-11-15 13:49:17 +0000 UTCBack in Ananta Shesha’s Lair, Harry had read a book about Emotive Magic and its effect on standard spellcasting. It was there that he had found out that apart from the standard ‘Duo’, ‘Maxima’ or the rarer and exceedingly dangerous ‘Horribilis’ suffixes, there was a fourth suffix, one that was redacted from the pages of wizarding history. A suffix so powerful and so twisted, that it could only unleash destruction of indefinite magnitudes.
Diabolica.
The tome had actually gone ahead to describe it in further detail.
Each and every thing in this Universe has a good extreme, and a bad. Magic, for its many wonders, is no different. The ‘Diabolica’ suffix twists a spell, any spell, into its darkest, most offensive variant. It inverts the very nature of every enchantment, twisting it, contorting it into a facsimile that only serves the purpose of destruction, and malice. That which defends becomes that which offends. That which protects becomes a destroyer.
Do not ever use it against a friend, the book had claimed. Do not ever perform it unless you wish to kill someone with it. Think twice before you cast it, and ponder thrice before you combine it with an offensive spell.
And now Sue Li, a student, and not a Death Eater, had cast that spell in the middle of the classroom. How someone like her had come across that suffix, or what idiot had shown it to her, and not warned about the dangers of using it, much less with an offensive element like fire of all things, he had no idea. It couldn’t have been something she had read off in a textbook, because any spell or its derivative that followed Hecate’s Principles was instantly dismissed from the standard list of magical spells deemed ‘safe’ to teach by the Ministry according to the Revision in 1866.
Gosh! He sounded like a nerd. And this time he didn’t even have Hermione to blame it on.
He was already jumping into action, wand in hand, as Sue Li’s wand practically exploded into blazes of light, and giant crimson flame spewed out of it, hissing like an angry serpent. He felt somewhat elated when Fleur’s ward held it back, only for that elation to turn into acute horror, realising that both girls were inside the warded area. And he couldn’t drop the ward and let the flames explode outward, not unless everyone else was safe.
There was no time to issue orders to try to get everyone to safety. So Harry improvised.
“BACK!” He yelled, calling into his magic as an invisible wall squeezed into existence from all sides, the barricade pushing everyone backwards against everyone else, falling and tumbling into each other but nevertheless, safe from harm. Meanwhile, fire was leaping out of Li’s wand and rushing outward, Fleur’s ward working overdrive to contain it as the flames crawled upward five feet, ten feet, fifteen feet — with Sue Li standing in the middle of it, like a wavering silhouette that might as well have been an illusion. Something arose from within it, a tentacle of living flame, and dashed towards Daphne, clashing against her hastily raised shield. The collision shattered her defence, and sent her flying all the way to the edge of the duelling platform. Her back hit against the invisible ward, and she slumped down to the ground.
“SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING!” yelled Susan.
Harry saw red.
With a flick of his wand, the ward dispersed, and the flames exploded outward. But it allowed him to do the next bit.
“Accio Sue Li.”
The girl’s body was pulled away by the sudden pull of his summoning charm, and her body flew across the air, before Ernie Macmillan and Terry Boot caught her. She was unconscious, and unmoving, and her left hand was absolutely blackened, scorched from the flames. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed that Daphne was still slumped, although she was trying to push herself up, only to slump back to the ground. That hit from earlier had to have heavily bruised her back, possibly injured a rib or two.
She needed immediate medical attention.
Harry quickly flicked his wand again, and levitated Daphne towards Ron who deftly caught her.
“Get them to the Hospital Wing!” He yelled. He needed to take care of this issue instantly, and there was only one way to achieve that.
“GLACIUS MAXIMA!”
A spiralling harpoon of winter exploded out of his wand with an arctic gale howl. It met the flames head-on, forming a thick, hissing blanket of mist, before more of itself overwhelmed the flames and took over the terrain. The floor around him turned white as jagged lines appeared, giving the appearance that it was made of glass, which had suddenly shattered. The fracture lines didn’t stop, and instead raced towards the crimson flames, curbing their power and suppressing them with extreme prejudice. The very air turned frigid, the pressure instantly dropping, covering the room with mist.
But the flames did not die down.
Instead, his spell just pissed them off something fierce.
Harry watched in awe and trepidation as the flames formed spinning torrents, entwining around each other like vines, contorting and twisting into strange shapes. He remembered the attack back in Diagon Alley, when even a Protego cast using the ‘Horribilis’ suffix had ended the fight within seconds. And the worst part? He had done so with a superficial understanding of the suffix back then. And this one, was supposed to be infinitely stronger than that.
Flicking his wand in complex motions, he willed the frost on the floor to explode upward, changing from mere white lines to genuine sheets of ice. The freeze extended, stretching upwards like a wall of frost, erupting out of the ground with violent force, shielding the students that were behind it, trapping himself inside his domain of ice with the sentient, angry flames and whatever it was they were forging themselves into.
And as he stood there, his mind was brilliantly lit up by the demonic power coursing through the flames. Just being in their presence burned something within him, and some part of him screamed out in joy that it did. The coldness of Death within him snarled and spat and rushed in to cut the feeling down, while his robes and cloak flapped and danced in the gale. The fury before him grew and swelled and burned, forming two pairs of hindlimbs, an immense, hulking, elemental form with a gigantic head with a pair of tusks that could’ve been mistaken for curved spears. A tail erupted from the back end, and a titanic boar, easily spanning ten feet in height, and far more in length, stood facing him, inside his domain of ice.
Just its presence was enough to make the ice melt.
“MERLIN!” yelled someone that sounded like Justin, but Harry couldn’t be sure. “What is that thing?”
The crowd was panicking, and Harry couldn’t blame them. They were inside a room, with a large cage of frost with a fire demon inside it, ready to charge at him. But instead, it looked at him with its crimson eyes, and Harry sensed loosely contained wrath in them.
“GATEBREAKER!”
The sound reverberated through the entire room, freezing every single person within, including Harry. It took a moment for him to realise that yes, this demonic antithesis of a Patronus was indeed talking, or rather, thinking out loud.
At him.
“HARBINGER!” It bellowed. “CUSTODIAN OF THE EVERLASTING NIGHT!”
This broke all conventional logic. Diabolica or not, such a thing was impossible. The boar was a construct crafted out of fire, hysteria, energy and most importantly, malice. It was an Abstract existence that was brought forth into the Real with the sole purpose to destroy.
It was not supposed to have any degree of sapience, or recognize Harry at all.
“DIE NOW! WHILE YOU STILL CAN!”
Ironically, it was those ominous words that made everything else make sense. He finally had an inkling of what he was facing. The power behind the boar, the raw malicious energy that empowered such Dark magic — it was similar to the kind that possessed Kreacher. It thought Harry was an abomination, possibly from his nature as Death’s Vessel, one that had no right to exist and needed to be erased from the world before it was too late. It was much like Ignotus who held certain notions about how Death’s Vessel should act, and had reacted strongly when Harry had chosen to be free rather than be bound to anything. This, unless he was horribly wrong, was an equally extreme facet of magic, that wanted to end the possibility of Death’s Avatar fulfilling his role, and annihilating Magic for ever.
Because having one of the most dangerous Dark wizards in recent history, his army, and a corrupted Ministry after his life clearly wasn’t enough.
The Lar had been forced to restrain itself because of Sirius’s commands, but nothing such held this thing back.
Or did it?
Harry closed his eyes in frustration, before opening them wide.
“Ron. Ernie.” It was not a yell or a cry, but somehow, his voice carried over the sound of the roaring flames. “Get Sue and Daphne to the Hospital Wing. Everyone else, follow them and get outside this room.”
Students began to rush out —
“WITHOUT. PANICKING.”
“Harry,” cried Hermione, who clearly needed further directions. “I’m not—”
“There’s no way—” Susan began at the same time.
“Enough!” said Harry, shutting both of them down at the same time. “Leave. And close the door after you.” He hesitated for a moment, before saying. “And it’d be nice if someone informs any of the other Professors to come for help.”
“But Harry —” began Hermione.
“Let him be, Hermione,” said Ron, still holding Daphne in his arms. “He has it under control. We need to go now.”
“I — I’ll get Flitwick!” said Hermione, as she rushed right after him.
But Susan would not still not move.
“SUSAN!” Harry began angrily.
“I’m not leaving you to fight it alone,” said Susan, proving yet again why she could’ve been a Gryffindor and not a Hufflepuff.
“It’s an order!” He snapped. “I’m the professor —”
“I refuse!” She yelled. “Don’t mind me. Just… fight it. And win.”
“Damn it!” Harry cursed, but just for safety, he raised several other blocks of hoarfrost between her and himself, keeping her from entering the battlefield, and also making sure she’d get a chance to escape through the door just in case the demon came for her. Either way, he wouldn’t have to hold himself back and keep things under control any longer. The walls of the classroom was warded by powerful magic and empowered by the Hogwarts wards, and Diabolica or not, chances of this demon getting out his domain of ice, and then breaking out of the door into the castle outside was little.
And if it did, well… he would most likely be already dead, so why matter?
“Sorry,” he said loudly. “I kind of like living, so you’ll have to give up on your plan. I've got too much to do to just drop dead.”
“FOOL!” Its tone was condemning, and unless he was wrong, it was lined with pity. “YOU WILL ONLY WISH YOU WERE DEAD!”
“No rest for the wicked,” said Harry, and flicked his wand a second time, sending a wave of pure winter at the elemental being. It met its fiery skin and erupted in an explosion of mist, before the beast belched out even more flames at him, making him have to cast the freezing spell again.
This won’t work, he told himself. Glacius Maxima was powerful, and with his Death-empowered affinity, it was significantly more dangerous in his hands. But even so, Maxima was a suffix that stayed within the domains of the Real.
It would not, could not resist the Abstract and come out victorious.
For that to happen, something else was needed. Something in the same league.
Briefly, he considered using Death Energy. It would no doubt end things for good, but what such a potent concentration would do to this class was difficult to imagine. Not to mention the Hogwarts wards might also see its effect was debilitating and dangerous to the castle and act out in weird ways.
The other option was to cast his own Diabolica to outdo this one. Trouble was, he had never cast the spell before, and although he was reasonably certain he could cast it, had no idea what form it would take.
Time to find out.
He whipped his wand in a familiar, complex movement, and the tip of his wand was instantly encased in a thick, white light. It was no different than an overpowered Lumos charm, but in terms of energy, not even a hundred Lumos charms could come halfway close to it.
And then it doubled in size.
Again.
And then again, the mote of light expanded, swelling as it doubled with each passing heartbeat, until a spinning ball of pure energy the size of his fist, glowing with all the power of the sun. His eyes burned in their sockets like living coals, magic and power rushing through him in torrents unbelievable. It was more strength than he had ever experienced at any point of time. Even when he had faced Ananta-Shesha in combat, the power he had channelled was barely a fraction of what he was feeling right now. Harry felt the condensed orb of power wanting to surge out of him, felt the malice festering within, and knew that it wanted to escape his ironclad will. It brought with it a feeling of euphoria that made the wand in his hand sing in ecstasy. He could hear the startled gasps of the students around, as well as the grunting of the mad, demonic beast that was now rushing at him, but couldn’t bring himself to care.
Flipping his wand to hold it in reverse-grip, Harry impaled it down into the frozen floor, hissing loudly in Parseltongue.
“GLACIUS DIABOLICA!”
What happened after was a nasty surprise.
For the boar.
The first thing to erupt out of the frosty floor were two giant, reptilian wings, their hide replaced by hoarfrost and rime.
The body followed next, a massive, four-legged form. Skeletal, reminding him of a thestral, but invariably thicker and far more draconic, ending in trunk-like legs and gleaming claws that tore into the floor.
The long neck and head came next, a demented thing with protrusions all over it. Serrated ridges ran down its back, as the ice-drake let out a hiss, its slit-like pupils regarding its antithesis with a cold malice.
“FRAGMENT OF MYSELF!” roared the boar. “WHY WOULD YOU ANSWER THE ABOMINATION?”
The ice-drake’s only response was a malevolent screech, before rushing to meet its antithesis in a deafening explosion of ice and fire.
The two elementals fought a war of dominance that simply overshadowed everything else. The drake coiled its tail around the boar’s head, while the latter tried to impale the serpentine creature’s neck with its tusks. Clawed limbs met thick hooves, and talons and fur clashed against each other, fire and ice facing each other like a battering ram that erupted whirlwinds around them. The elementals snapped and bit and ripped and growled, tore open each other but did not give up.
And as they engaged each other, Harry’s mind was bombarded with images and sensations, none of which he could really comprehend, except that he was directly brushing against the consciousness of that entity on the other side. As its fire clashed against his ice, he received a snapshot of that entity’s core identity, its quintessential self.
For one second, no more than that, he understood the boar, what it was doing, what it wanted, what it planned, and why it was trying to take him out of the equation and…
And then that moment vanished. As did the knowledge, except for one thing. Somehow, Harry held on to a few crumbling fragments of insight.
He bared his teeth in anger and defiance, nearly falling to one knee to maintain a Protego, as powerful winds erupted from the centre, buffeting against his shield and the frost walls that protected Susan. If this continued, things would go out of control. Oh for Merlin’s sake, things were already spinning out of control. He needed to end this here and now. He had decided against using Death energy, but the more this continued, the more he was beginning to doubt his decision.
Dispersing the Protego, he held the wand up, and pointing at the boar, committed to his last spell, this one in Parseltongue, just to amplify its effect.
“Mors Dissolutum.”
It was the most recent addition to the Mors series of spells derived from Death energy. Working on the principle of Vanishment, it disintegrated pure magic into motes of a tiny form of itself, instead of just deleting the magic entirely. It was weaker and way less potent than Mors Exesa, but it acted over a wider area, and could neutralise any magical flux to zero within a couple of seconds. With the ice-drake restraining the boar, it would be easy to dissolve them both without causing any lasting damage to the enchantments of the room.
The beam of pale, greyish light hit the massive boar, tearing a piece out of it, leaving a gaping hole where there was once fire. And even with the rest of it burning crimson, the hole remained unfulfilled.
“YOU CANNOT WIN, GATEBREAKER!” The boar growled, as more and more of Harry’s spells tore holes into its fiery flesh. “ THE SCALES WILL BE BALANCED.”
“Oh, I know,” said Harry, grinning like a loon. “But that doesn’t mean I cannot delay the inevitable.”
He did not know why he chose to say it, or what the words meant. But he knew, and truly believed, in that one moment, that he and that boar— or whatever was commanding it, had come to a conclusion and acted upon it. This wouldn’t be the last time they would interact, and somehow, Luna’s dunamancy was deeply connected to whatever this was.
“Now BEGONE!” He said, unleashing consecutive bursts of the spell that tore through the boar’s fiery form like bullets, until it gasped and dissipated into dust.
That just left the ice-drake.
For a moment, Harry wondered if he was going to have to fight his own creation, but instead, the creature just tilted its long, narrow neck, and hissed, in what could only be Parseltongue.
“It’s only the first.”
Harry blinked, flabbergasted. “I…. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Having impressed him with its cryptic response, the ice-drake instantly shattered into the ice it was conjured out of. Harry waited for at least five more seconds for something to happen, but when it didn’t, he exhaled, and took a step back, sighing.
“Is… is it over?” asked Susan.
“Yes,” said Harry. “I think so.” He raised his wand in her direction, and with a flick of his wand, the frost sprawling all across the room began to melt and vanish. Soon, the room was as good as new.
Only with a slight addition.
“Look,” said Susan, pointing at the place where the two elementals had just fought. Peering at him, like he was the odd one out there, while crawling on the floor was a lizard.
No, a pair of them.
“Is that —” Susan began.
“Yes.”
“Are those—”
“Yes.”
About ten feet long and three feet in diameter at its thickest, one of the monstrous abominations had crimson and metallic scales with ridges extending from its back. Its six legs ended in paws with sharp claws that shone with a bright red sheen, and its eyes glowed as flakes of ember exited its maw. The other one looked exactly the same, only its scales looked like green-blue ice crystals, and it exhaled cusps of tick, freezing mist-breath from its nostrils.
“Salamanders,” breathed Harry. “A fire-type and a frost-type. Poetic, eh?”
“Are you crazy?” asked Susan. “Salamanders aren’t supposed to be that huge.”
“And a conjured elemental isn’t supposed to talk to me either,” said Harry dryly. “But there you go. Besides,” he turned around at the salamanders. “It matches their origins. Fire Salamanders are born through magical flames when they manage to conquer what seeks to extinguish it.”
“And the icy one?”
“Similar, only with magical ice, I imagine.”
“I didn’t even know that Frost salamanders existed.”
Harry didn’t either, but he decided not to reveal that tiny fact. Besides, the chances of Fire and Ice clashing against each other in the form of diabolical totems were so slim that it was practically hilarious. No doubt it was the main reason behind the unusually large size of the salamanders.
“I should go fetch Professor Scamander,” said Susan. “He’ll know what to do.”
That he would, Harry agreed. Though he’d not be surprised if these two ended up taking up residence with Hecate in the Chamber. If nothing else, his runespoor would get some neighbours to talk to.
Now only if he could survive the Inquisition that would follow. Really, there was no rest for the weary.
....
....
....
In the end, things hadn’t turned out to be as worse as he feared. Somewhere in between the hysteria, and supplying the prerequisites for casting that spell, Sue Li’s body had given up, and she had lost control, surrendering herself to oblivion. The malicious energy of the spell, now utterly free, had taken control over the flames to become the entity it had. How it had developed that form of sapience or felt the need to communicate with him was another matter altogether.
“I’m really, really sorry, Professor,” cried Sue Li, still lying down on her bed. Her right hand was still completely charred, and even after a single tear from Fawkes, it would be weeks before she would be able to use her hand properly again. Something about being affected by the curse of those flames that could potentially corrupt her magic and her soul.
“Miss Li,” said Albus Dumbledore. “I cannot impress upon you how dangerous your actions have been. The spell you cast should’ve killed you by all means. If not for Mr. Potter’s timely action —”
“I know,” she said sullenly. “It was stupid of me to just use a spell like that.”
“Then why did you?”
“Is it because of the rats?” asked Harry, who was standing behind Dumbledore.
Sue Li froze for a moment, before nodding slowly. “I— I have an intense phobia of rats.” Her expression promised that there was a lot more down there than just an irrational fear of rodents, but Harry decided not to press any further.
“I noticed you froze back then, but then you recovered, until they started duplicating.”
Sue Li looked at him like a deer in the headlights. “I — I have a history with that. About duplicating rats. I — When I saw it happen, I — I lost control. I wanted to burn it all, but it wasn’t working fast, so I — I just used the spell that I read a couple of days earlier.”
“And where did you find that spell?”
“From a book in the Hogwarts library.”
“Impossible,” said Dumbledore. “The Library shelves have been enchanted to hold nothing but standardised magic. Please do not lie to me, Miss Li.”
Li looked absolutely morose. “I — I’m sorry. I was— I found it in the Restricted Section.”
Harry couldn’t help but instantly look at Hermione, who was sitting on the opposite side of the bed. Madam Pomfrey had gotten her to help Li while she was away, attending Daphne’s injuries for the moment. Hearing Dumbledore’s question reminded him of the events back in his first year, when he had gone wandering into the Restricted section , looking for information on Nicholas Flamel. He still remembered that episode with that book that tried to gobble him up.
“And what were you doing in the Restricted section in the first place?” asked Dumbledore.
Sue looked stricken. “I — I was looking for a way to become stronger.”
Dumbledore narrowed his eyes. “And why’s that?”
Sue’s eyes flickered in Harry’s direction. “Because of him.”
Harry did a double take. “Me?”
Li looked conflicted. “It was… well, after that evening we saw you training. The way you moved, the way you parried, your reflexes and power… it was breathtaking. I — I felt like I was nothing. Useless. That everything that I had achieved as a duelist was only because the real competition wasn't even participating in it.”
Harry didn’t know what to think of it.
“And then we saw you in class. The way you explain things, the way you played with Malfoy. That patronus of yours… you’ve got power, Harry. So much power and so much skill. I just — I had read about rituals that can help boost your power and we thought you might have done something similar, since you weren’t anything, you know, special in class, in the last four years. We thought that maybe we could —”
“And who are we?” asked Harry.
Li bit her lips and turned towards Hermione, who looked down instantly.
“...Hermione?” Harry asked, incredulous.
“That was quite foolish of you, Miss Granger,” said Dumbledore with a hint of sternness. “Out of all the students in your year, you would be the last person I’d expect to be led around by your curiosity and your desires to that degree. Why would you even condone such foolishness, let alone take part in it?”
“Because…” stammered Hermione, choking down a sob. “Because Harry’s growing distant from me, from everyone. Every single time I think I’m catching up with him, he just shows a different side of him that I just don’t recognize. The person I saw before the end of the last term was someone else. But this Harry is… someone else. It’s too great, too outstanding, and too quick. And I knew the Black family and the Greengrass family are dark, and so I thought —”
“That I was using rituals to enhance myself?” asked Harry, his eyes turned to slits.
Hermione cowered under his gaze.
He huffed, clenching his fists. “I don’t believe it!”
“Miss Granger, Miss Li,” said Dumbledore. “I cannot say how disappointed I am in both of you. Whether magically powerful or weak, that does not justify you entering the Restricted Section, and certainly not your desires to manipulate your natural magic in any way. Fifty points shall be taken from you, each, for such foolishness. I’m also suspending you from your Prefect positions until after the Christmas holidays.”
Harry looked at Dumbledore from the corner of his eyes. This was the first time he had seen the man act this strictly with any other student. Whatever it was about the spell, it had shaken Albus Dumbledore and stirred him into action.
Both Sue and Hermione hung their heads in shame.
“Now,” said Dumbledore. “I need you to answer me very truthfully. Where did you find this information? I know for a fact that the more dangerous spell books were removed sometime during the last war.”
“It was an old leather-bound volume, Professor,” said Hermione softly. “I — I knew it would be dangerous, but my gut told me that I’d find something in there, so I checked it out, and read through its pages. We were reading about enhancement rituals, but they were so dark and gory that we were just closing the book, when we came across that suffix, about how it could be used to amplify spells—”
“That wasn’t spell amplification, Hermione,” said Harry, before he realised that his words had come out far more cold than he had expected.
Hermione flinched.
“Go on,” said Dumbledore.
“I — we just read it, and copied down the instructions, and practised it a couple of times, but we couldn’t do it. I remembered how certain spells required certain mindsets, so we dropped it.”
Li nodded feverishly. “And then during the duel, when normal fire wasn’t working, I don’t know… I snapped, and I cast it. I — I didn’t think.”
“Yes,” said Dumbledore. “You certainly didn’t.”
Harry was growing worried now.
“The book,” said Dumbledore. “Do you remember its name?”
Both girls shook their heads.
“You read a book and you don’t remember its name?” asked Harry, surprised. “That’s very unlike you, Hermione.”
A brief look of puzzlement crossed Hermione’s face as she frowned. “It was…” The look blossomed to confusion as she concentrated, scrunching her face at her inability to remember it. “I… can’t seem to remember it. But I thought… I thought…”
Her voice trailed off and she grasped on her original thoughts.
Harry narrowed his eyes. He had seen Obscuration charms at work, to know what was happening. Li was shaking her head, nursing her temples with her left hand.
“I see,” said the Headmaster. “The author perhaps?”
Another shake.
“Was it crafted out of black leather, on the outside?”
“....Yes?” said Li, frowning.
“I see. You said you read about rituals from there. Perhaps you remember the feel of their pages? Was it parchment?”
Hermione was about to answer, but then she stopped herself. She exchanged a quick glance with Li.
“Miss Granger?”
Hermione shook her head. “No, it wasn’t parchment.”
“Can you describe the texture to me?”
Her lips strained. “It was… odd. Parched, and dry, but it wasn't like the parchment we use. It wasn’t vellum either. It was like…. Like…”
“Like dried human skin?”
Harry’s eyes widened in shock as he registered Dumbledore’s words. Given the looks the two girls were giving him, he had likely hit the jackpot too.
“Human skin?” asked Harry, flabbergasted. “A spell book written in human skin?”
Albus Dumbledore had closed his eyes, and just sat there, as if pondering over something extremely vital. And when he finally opened his eyes, something about his aura had changed. The dotty old man had left the room, and the one that had substituted for him was the wizard that had faced Gellert Grindelwald and the power of the Deathstick and won.
“Miss Li, Miss Granger,” said Albus Dumbledore. “As much as I dislike sharing this information, it is extremely crucial that you understand what it is you have brushed against recently. You see, not all magic is about intent. Yes, magic can be used for good and bad, and in most circumstances, the way it is used is what defines it. But —”
He paused, and glanced at Harry for a moment.
“Not all forms of magic are like that. There are powers that are utterly, unquestionably evil. Powers whose very natures are twisted, horrible, wrong and anyone that uses them get inescapably defiled by them. The power that Miss Li so unwittingly invoked in the classroom, was one such magic. If not for Mr. Potter, it could’ve done far, far worse than scorching her wand and draining her magic. It could have killed your entire class.”
Both Li and Hermione looked absolutely shocked.
“But — but Harry cast something similar too,” said Hermione, and Harry winced, remembering that Susan was present inside the class and had seen him conjure the ice-drake. His only saving grace was that he had cast the spell in Parseltongue, which meant there was no way for her to determine the spell he had used. Unfortunately, that excuse would help little against Albus Dumbledore.
“And you can trust me to have a conversation with Mr. Potter about that later,” said the Headmaster, giving him a stern look that promised a most taxing conversation. “But Mr. Potter has also demonstrated substantial control over the spell, and his unique brand of thaumaturgy also renders him immune from most of its nefarious effects. You two, unfortunately, do not share that protection.”
Hermione frowned, but said nothing.
“Are— are you going to expel us?” asked Li, frightfully.
The Headmaster’s face turned solemn. “I’m not. However, I must impress upon you exactly how dangerous things could have turned out. And because of that, I must ask you to swear to never share what I am going to impart to you. The same goes for you too, Harry.”
Harry nodded, at which Dumbledore raised his wand — not the Deathstick, but his original wand, and began casting a most complicated spell around them. Mere moments later, an extremely complex ward manifested around them. Even to Harry whose ability at sensing had grown exponentially, thanks to his animagus form, the ward was possibly some of the most complex cloaking enchantments he had ever seen. Harry and the two girls swore the necessary oath that Dumbledore asked them to, before the Headmaster finally spoke again.
“The Dark Lord Ekrizdis, regarded as one of the darkest and most dangerous threats to wizardkind to ever exist, the one that created the island of Azkaban as well as the monstrosities that dwell within, is credited with the creation of three spellbooks, with each of them holding with them, spells of such power and malice that could wreck the world apart, and tear the Statute of Secrecy asunder. And unlike other dark wizards that seek power and greatness, Ekrizdis wanted to change the world, and have others follow him in his footsteps. So he left those books behind, creations that were sentient enough to seek unsuspecting souls that held the prerequisites for casting the evil curses within it. I myself, as well as every Headmaster before me, has made it our objective to ensure that none of those three books ever fall into the hands of the students, but somehow, somebody always gets their hands on those evil tomes, and the effects are not benign.”
“You’re telling me that there are evil books that go around seducing students into becoming dark witches and wizards?” asked Hermione incredulously.
“Dark magic is always seductive, Miss Granger,” said Dumbledore. “Hence, its appeal. It draws on your most primal desires, your greed, your lust, your envy and wrath. It searches for that darkness that exists in each and every one of us, and lures us to it. Most people do not have the capacity to digest that darkness and shirk away. But those few that do, those that are unfortunate enough to fall deeper into their lure, eventually become just as twisted, just as dark, as the magic contained in those pages.”
Li and Hermione looked at each other.
“This certainly does not mean that the two of you are going dark or anything so trite,” assured the old man. “But you must learn to control your emotions. You are a skilled duelist, Miss Li, and your dedication to your craft helped you reach there. Twisting yourself for power that is not yours is an insult to that dedication. Same for you, Miss Granger. Curiosity is something that I always respect, but even curiosity must be kept within limits, or else, you never know what you might find. Not everything you read in books is benign, as today’s experience must have surely taught you.”
“...Yes, sir.”
“Good,” said Dumbledore, standing up. “I will leave you to rest for now. And Mr. Potter, please follow me.”
And with that, Albus Dumbledore left the Hospital Wing, with a flustered Harry Potter shortly behind.
Comments
Phæ
Oh right, imperio'd Hermione. Well Sue Li at least deserves to be punished.... unless they've both been imperiused by Umbridge...
Phæ
Why is Sue Li not going to Azkaban? Genuinely, Hermione and Li deserve to be tried as adults for attempted mass murder and using a killing spell. To expel them would be a light punishment! Why is Dumbledore doing nothing? You say the dotty old man left, but he's still acting daft! The only silver lining from this is knowing that if Dumbledore did almost nothing to Hermione and Sue, then Dumbledore now has to actually do nothing to Harry. If Harry receives anything more than a slap on the wrist, then this Dumbledore is braindead.
