INNOVATOR - Dev_Sagittarius_Black - Harry Potter (2024)

Chapter 1: Meetings

Chapter Text

"I am Talking."

'I am Thinking'

Spells

Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity,

not a threat.

~Steve Jobs

INNOVATOR

-Dev Sagittarius Black

~~Chapter 1: Meetings~~

Asimple fifteen year old boy looked around the corridor as he moved towards the staircase leading to the courtyard he was supposed to be five minutes ago. He was tired and was busy but somehow his house head had convinced him to attend the welcoming ceremony of Hogwarts.

This boy happened to be a prodigy who had won many awards in his short tenure of five years at Hogwarts, he was on the list of top fifteen celebrities in wizarding world and top five in Wizarding Britain. Why?

Because this boy also happened to be a genius amongst the geniuses, with a total of thirty-nine patents to his name in five years, he was one of the foremost wizarding prodigies and had been bestowed the title of The youngest Innovator in the last five-hundred years.

This boy was also the elder brother to a redhead brat who was christened with the title The Boy-who-Lived for supposedly defeating the darkest wizard in a century when only one year old. Total load of gobsh*te really.

Safe to say, this boy had more than enough reasons to be pissed off but currently, there was only one, namely the words of his teacher that asked him to be present in their school's courtyard with the rest of the students for welcoming other two schools.

'As if the two schools won't enter if I wasn't present to show my face along with the rest of the sheep' He didn't sigh just yet but he was this close to sighing.

If it wasn't for his head of house he'd have never even shown his face unless they somehow crossed in the Hogwarts hallways, which he really hoped they didn't.

Why were other schools visiting again? Ah, yes that tournament. THE Triwizard Tournament which had been postponed last year was now being held in his fifth year.

Why was it cancelled? Simple really, because of Harry Potter, who was the only one smart enough to note that the professor who had been teaching them was a total nutter for drinking Polyjuice right in front of everybody.

All Harry had to do was note the time gap in Moody's swig, then measure the bottle's size and amount of liquid he might be taking in each swig, multiply it by….well yeah, long story short, Harry suspected that this guy was an impostor and came to two conclusions what might be the reason behind it.

A. This guy was asked by Dumbledore or the original Alastor Moody to impersonate him for some reason or..

B. This guy had some nefarious plans in place and was here for his own gains.

Just one look at the Marauder's Map he got from Weasley twins for helping them out with five simple pranks, confirmed that it's definitely not the first option, why? Because neither Moody nor Dumbledore would ever ask a dead deranged Death Eater to teach in place of the person who caught said death eater in the first place.

Long story short, Harry reported his findings straight to Amelia Bones because he didn't trust Dumbledore enough to do it. So, the whole tournament got postponed.

Moody was rescued from his seven compartment traveller's trunk, Barty Crouch senior was sent to Azkaban while his son was given The Dementor's kiss right before his eyes. Painful? Obviously.

Harry had been given Order of Dragon, the sixth highest wizardry award in Britain after the three Merlins and one two Arthurs, he hadn't wanted to go to that function but his manager was a nagging whine-

The mage's line of thought was broken as all of a sudden he heard doors behind him open and a hand grabbed the back of his collar as he was pulled back into the room,

Harry narrowed his eyes as he flicked his wrist and took the precautionary stance. His fifteen inches long wand is made from an infusion of two different woods and three cores flicked out from his wrist holster

"Who is it?"

Not a single sound answered his question. Not even a single squeak of a person or the sound caused due to pulling benches on the floor….absolutely nothing.

"Lumos Maxima!''

The floating ball of what light emerged from his beautiful wand and bathed the complete room in its light. Harry narrowed his eyes as he took in his surroundings.

Wooden benches littered the entirety of this room, all of them thrown haphazardly around the place.

There was the teacher's desk and chair at the front of the room with a moving blackboard behind it and a fine layer of dust settled on everything, which meant it had been some time since this room had last felt broom on its surfaces.

But that was not what caught his eye. It was his kidnapper, who was standing a few feet away from him, smiling a bit shyly and was that blush?

…..yes, yes it was.

Bleach blonde hairs fell in luscious waves down her shoulders and reached her waist, skin as smooth and pale as the finest marbles, pink cupid bow shaped lips along with crystal blue eyes bordered with long eyelashes.

The epitome of beauty who could have easily beaten a Veela and might have given even Aphrodite a run for her money was standing right in front of him. And she was looking at him as she smiled a mischievous grin.

"Already pulling young boys in empty classrooms? The year just started, wait a few months before your yearly transgressions…Greengrass."

"Harry!" Greengrass said as she tried to be intimidating by placing her hands on her waist

"How many times have I told you to call me by my name? It's Daphne. D-A-P-H-N-E, Daphne. Call me by my name." Daphne frowned but Harry could easily see her smile.

"What do you want, Greengrass? I'm already late to somewhere I don't even want to go. Tell me so I can leave that place as soon as I can." Harry asked her tiredly because he somehow had an inkling as to what the girl might ask.

"Oh so you want to leave that place but not this one? Do you like it here Harry? Is that some improvement that I am seeing?" Daphne giggled a bit when she saw him releasing both, his wand back into the holster and a tired sigh.

"Repeating myself even though I don't want to, what do you want now?" Harry was getting a bit irritated now because this girl was simply delaying him uselessly now and wasn't she supposed to be present in the courtyard with the rest of the students to welcome the schools?

"You already know what I want Harry, it's been three long years Mr Potter, three complete years since the first time I asked you to be my friend and one year since I asked you out. You still haven't responded to either of those proposals, it's bad manners to make a lady wait, don't you know that?" Daphne asked him as she took a step closer to where he was, smiling softly.

"I have already told you my answer to both questions, Greengrass. Every single time you pulled me into one of these'' He waved his arm dismissively to show the dark room "I told you each time, that I am not interested in any relationship of any kind, I don't have time for any of them."

"I don't know why you are always so busy. You are famous, you are rich, you are at the top of our year, what more do you want in your teenage years?" The girl sighed in frustration "By the way you do have that lovestruck Zabini in your friendlist, why can't you include me?"

"Blaise is my roommate too, you aren't and about my goals, they are much bigger than you can currently imagine. Also, this time letmeask you something, Greengrass." Harry said with narrowed eyes.

"I am partially afraid of you. I don't know what goes in your brain." Harry told her.

"I don't know why you behave this friendly, this bubbly and this cheerful around me while you are so cold, emotionless and almost the splitting image of what one would expect from a pureblood heiress of an Ancient and Noble House. Why live a dual life? And which one is real?"

Daphne simply gave a small smile as she regarded the boy "This is the real me Harry, I am free of all the restraints whenever I am alone with you." She then looked to the side.

"The one on the outside that the rest of the world sees is just a simple mask, a barrier to ward off the unworthy and the ones that expect something from me. This real me is only known by family and friends."

"And why me? I am neither your family nor your friend." Harry asked her with a confused frown.

"Well, that's because you are special Harry, you are special to me. You have something that others in our school don't, can you guess what it is?" She took another step closer.

"Yeah, a functioning brain." Harry replied sarcastically.

Daphne's tinkling laughter filled the room and Harry frowned because somewhere he felt that he liked it a bit before clamping down pn his occlumency shields and mentally shaking his head to remove those ridiculous thoughts 'Maybe I should take a bath after this…'

"Yes Harry that you do, you have the best brain in our entire year in fact I bet that you have the best brain in the entire student population of Hogwarts and that's one of the reasons why I like yo-"

"Shut up Greengrass." Harry growled, silencing her immediately.

"Don't complete that sentence. I don't know what you saw in me but if you see anything good, you are blind and if you think that I might behave like the rest of the male population that's dancing on your fingertips then you are delusional too."

"But Harry I never said-"

"No, wait. This has gone on more than long enough, let me finish it now." Harry took a deep breath as he looked straight in those open innocent crystal blue eyes, he couldn't believe he was going to say this but he knew that he had to.

To protect her and keep himself focused, he had to do it. He needed to do it.

"You are really beautiful Greengrass. The best looking girl I have ever met and the best one I'll probably ever meet. You have hordes of boys vying for your attention."

"Choose the best one out of them, go out with him and have fun with your life. Mine is messed up and…" he took a deep breath as he turned from that girl and towards the door.

"I don't want you in my life. You will never be in my life, not in any way except as my first benefactor's daughter. So it'd be good if you ended this useless charade and instead enjoyed the life you have been blessed with."

And with that the emerald eyed mage snapped his fingers to open the doors as he stepped out of the room and went away without ever noticing the hurt look in Daphne's eyes as she witnessed his departure.

Daphne wiped her eyes with the back of her hand as she walked back into the room and sat on the same chair she had been waiting for his arrival on.

The girl took another deep breath and swallowed the small lump in her throat that she got after every rejection.

Yes, every, this was nothing new for her but this time his words had changed. and it hurt her to remember them. Her eyes flashed as she remembered the first time they met in Diagon Alley.

"Dad, I want an Ice-cream."

Eight year old Daphne Greengrass was visiting Diagon Alley for the third time today, well it wasn't her real third time because she had visited the alley many times with her mother and sister and her father and her grandma and her Uncle and her….yeah, many times.

But this was the third time that she had accompanied her father to his workplace in the ministry and then the Lord's chamber. In her father's words she was a big girl now and needed to understand a bit about the mechanisms of running a family and a house as ancient and noble as theirs.

But the work day had ended and now they were leaving and little Daphne wanted her favourite Ice-cream, she might share it with her sister if that little brat asked herpolitely….duh who was she kidding, Daphne knew she'd give everything away for Astoria, she was too adorable.

"But you didn't help me much and you also poked fun at Lord Malfoy's son when I told you not to, why should I give you an ice-cream treat?" Lord Greengrass grinned mischievously even as he changed route and started walking towards Florean Fortesque's Ice-Creame shop.

"Well, Draco deserved that, he was making fun of Tracey's new glasses." Daphne said and crossed her arms as she cutely puffed her cheek. Lord Greengrass simply laughed and nodded.

The elder Greengrass knew that Malfoy's brat deserved it and hoped that little Malfoy didn't follow his father's footsteps, somehow it seemed like his hope was in vain.

They entered the shop and looked around the counter to locate Mr Fortesque or one of his assistants but they weren't able to find any of them, that's when they heard him.

"Welcome to Florean Fortesque's Ice-cream shop Lord Greengrass, how may I help you?"

Both the Greengrasses looked down to see a small boy with messy black hairs, crooked glasses and the brightest of green eyes looked up at them with a wide smile.

"Hello little man" The elder Grengrass began "May we know your name and exactly why you are working in place of Mr Fortesque or his assistants? Where are they for that matter?"

"Greetings to you too Lord Greengrass, I am Harry and I help around the shops in Diagon alley in my free time, Mr Fortesque is currently unavailable due to personal reasons and I was actually at the back when you came." Harry replied before shrugging his little shoulders.

"I don't know where the rest of the assistants are but I wasn't able to find them. Still, you can trust me completely, I have memorised the price list and have practised making each of the ice-creams at least twice and Mr Fortesque trusts me too."

Lord Greengrass was still a bit sceptical but if the owner trusted the boy and he was getting what he wanted he didn't see what was wrong anyways.

"Well, I don't want anything but my little girl does. Florean usually knows what to give her but now since he isn't here…" The eldest wizard in that shop started going through the list of ice-creams available.

"Wait, let me help you out then." Harry said and stared at Daphne right into her eyes making the girl a bit awkward.

After that he started making the magical cones then rounding the ice-cream scoops as he heaped the cold delicacy one-above-the-other before sprinkling it with sweetened sugar powder and presenting the ice-cream after wrapping it in a tissue paper to Daphne.

"Try it, I am sure you'll like it." Harry told her and she frowned at that, how could he simply say that without even knowing what she likes? Maybe her thoughts were being broadcasted because he simply laughed and placed the blue coloured ice-cream with silver sprinkles in her hand as he went off to make another one.

Daphne hadn't liked it, she had loved it instead. So much that in fact she had insisted on buying a whole bucket. When her father asked Harry as to which one he had made out of the list so they could remember its name, the boy simply gave a sheepish smile and told them that he hadn't named it yet.

At first Lord Greengrass had assumed the boy forgot its name and was too ashamed to admit it so was making excuses but then a single conversation regarding the boy with Florean told him that Harry was telling the truth.

Harry was indeed the creator of twelve different ice-cream flavours and a potion which when mixed with the flavours doesn't let the ice-cream melt. The boy was said to be a genius and regarded as a prodigy by many shopkeepers in Diagon Alley.

That had been her first meeting with the youngest innovator of Britain who would then go on to innovate and invent many things ranging from simple things like Ice cream flavours to complex ones like Eye-cure potions.

Getting his name inscribed in Britain's golden pages of History as the best, the finest and the youngest Innovator of all times. Clear to say that Harry never had to work in Diagon Alley shops after winning both his titles and the awards, one of them being Order of Merlin II Class.

But more than that, Daphne should have cherished their first meeting, she would have if only she had known that it might be the last time she'd get to see that bright, tension and stress-free smile on his face, that it would be the last time she would hear his laughter that could light up even the most depressed person…

…that it would be the last time she would see him relaxed and without a mask, the last time that he'd be so carefree…

Daphne had tried meeting with Harry many times after that but everytime she asked Mr Fortesque he told her that Harry was unavailable and after a few months, she got the news that Harry had stopped coming to Diagon Alley altogether.

In fact, it was just before her first year at Hogwarts that she met the boy wonder, when he was again working at Madam Malkin's Robes for all occasions.

Harry was sitting there on a simple wooden chair with a notepad in front of him and was completely concentrating on whatever it was that he was doing, she had so wanted to go and say 'Hello' to him.

But her position as an heiress prevented her from approaching anyone herself….also, he looked too busy and completely concentrated with whatever he was doing on that notepad with a muggle writing instrument made of wood and something called Grey-fight.

So, she left him completely and instead went on with her business of getting her new Hogwarts robes tailored for herself.

Six months later, Madam Malkin released a completely new fashion line which changed Britain's Wizarding fashion sense completely and helped step into the new era. Name of that fashion line? Why, The En-lightning of course.

Their third encounter was more memorable though….

.

.

.

But before Daphne could have lapsed herself into that encounter, the door again opened and a friendly face peeked in.

"Hey dream girl, your adonis just went past me y'know. Were you able to have a chat with him?" Tracey asked as she skipped into the room and went towards the chair her friend was occupying.

"I did."

Tracey narrowed her eyes at that "And let me guess, he rejected you again? Is it October yet? No wait, you'll try again and only get what…rejection?" Tracey's snark was piercing but she knew Daphne won't be affected.

It was frustrating actually, watching her friend get rejected again and again by the same guy as he went on with his work while her friend went off to her dreamland. Then Tracey had to work on bringing the girl back to her usual self.

"Seriously Daphne, what do you even see in that arrogant good for nothing big-brained nerd? I bet if he ever got the chance then he'd literally experiment on girls to learn what we are and how to understand us. But as of now, that guy is an idiot y'know."

Daphne just frowned at that "It's not like that Tracey, Harry is considerate and he-"

"Is nothing more than a conceited, selfish, walking-talking load of bullcrap who is too full of himself to note about others. Honestly Daphne you are so hot that almost all the boys are head-over-heels for you except him." Her voice was getting higher steadily.

"You can literally get any boy as your boyfriend yet you run after the one who has rejected you, what five times already?" Tracey threw her hands in the air.

Daphne shook her head "You are wrong Tracey, Harry is neither conceited nor selfish. He isn't any of the vile things you screamed that he is. He is scared, he is tired, he is frustrated with everything and he is a lot more. But nothing bad, everything good.''

"I don't see him 'good' in any way y'know." Tracey said as she frowned and crossed her arms.

"That's because you don't know him yet, you will once you like him." Daphne said, looking towards the door.

"Then pray, tell me?"

"I wish I could, but I can't…..I simply can't tell you how he is special."

"Yet, you will keep on pursuing this useless journey won't you?" Tracey asked the bleach blonde with narrowed eyes.

Daphne gave a small smile that frustrated Tracey more before she just gave up, took Daphne's hand in hers and started moving towards the Hogwarts courtyard to stand with the rest of the school so that they could welcome other schools visiting them.

Ten metres away in a room that was two rooms away from the ones the girls had occupied, a boy growled in frustration as he punched the nearby wall and dismissed the listening charm he put on the door when he left.

"Why don't you understand Greengrass? For Merlin's sake, why are you purposefully being stubborn? Just listen to me one damn time!"

Both the Slytherin girls reached the courtyard and surprisingly enough the schools were yet to arrive. Do mind the sarcasm.

Hogwarts was trying its level best to look presentable and welcoming, this is why each of the students had been asked to be at their best with clean uniforms and everything. Each of the houses were divided and students were standing in equal rows and columns.

They greeted the Head of their Hogwarts House who was standing in front of the Slytherin mob wearing his brand new Black shirt with Black pants and a black vest that was complimenting his billowing black outer robe with black embroidery, completing this person's colourful attire was his black shoes.

"Psst…Daphne, look" Tracey told her and nodded towards their left where their housemate Pansy Parkinson was coming from. Unfortunately, Pansy had the smirk which resembled a cat that got the juiciest canary.

"What happened, Pansy? You look like you just had the time of your week y'know." Tracey asked the pug-faced Slytherin girl who gave an even wider smirk as she nodded before pointing in the direction where she came from.

"Can you see what's going on there?" Pansy asked them.

"Yeah, Elder Potter and Dumb-as-dork are discussing something there's nothing new about them y'know." Tracey said as she waved her hand dismissively.

"But oh yes there is, I was just listening to what the two were talking about, alright? Look closely girls, who among the two looks frustrated and who is as calm as a gentle breeze?"

Daphne frowned because what she was witnessing was a bit of a bizarre thing to happen. Usually it's the headmaster who frustrates and tires everyone, their own head of Hogwarts house was in fact a prime example of people troubled by the Headmaster's serene and eccentric attitude."

But here,Dumbledore was the one who looked kind of frustrated while Harry, or as Tracey said, the elder Potter was looking as calm as a gentle breeze 'How much patience and wit would one need so that he could frustrate the one who frustrated them all?'

"Dumbledore looks frustrated while Potter looks calm. I'd say that the headmaster wants something from the Ravenclaw's Royal King while the boy is completely ignoring his request." Daphne spoke out loud.

"No sh*t, really?" Pansy exclaimed in sarcasm but immediately winced knowing full well what was coming.

"I might have become too civil with you if you were able to forget who you are standing and became sarcastic with. Maybe I should remind you who I am again in the common room." Daphne's eyes narrowed and she was satisfied when she saw Pansy gulp down her fear.

"I-I don't think that would be necessary Daphne, I'll mind my tongue from now on, yo-you don't have to worry about that." Pansy shook her head and tried to think of another topic, why was she here again? Oh yes.

"And well, the headmaster is trying to convince the elder Potter to stand next to him and his brother when the schools arrive." Pansy told them.

"Something related to both power and intellect present in Britain and together bringing more prestige to both Hogwarts and England as a whole. Potter's simply refuting all of Dumbledore's tries." Pansy giggled before sighing.

"Oh, how cool he is. Just look at him Daphne, one of the tallest guys in our year with a really good physique, those wavy rich ebony locks, his soul piercing bright green eyes and of course how can I forget his pink bow-like lips?"

Pansy couldn't notice the glare she was receiving from Daphne because the girl was busy making doe eyes towards Harry who they noticed just got free from his discussion with Dumbledore who simply threw his metaphorical hands in the air and left Harry who moved towards the group of Ravenclaws and stood beside a dark skinned boy named Blaise Zabini.

"Yeah, yeah we know about your not so little crush on the elder Potter y'know." Tracey smirked and tried to joke as she knew Daphne was restraining herself because she couldn't claim Harry publicly unless he accepted her.

"Not just me Tracey, I bet seventy percent of Hogwarts's Female population would love to be with him, in fact I am sure even Daphne won't mind a guy as freaking hot as him to be with her, right Daphne?"

'Oh you don't even know Pansy how much I'd like that' Daphne thought as she shook her head in a negative manner and sneered. "In his dreams maybe, there's no guy who is worthy enough to have me with him."

Pansy just shrugged her shoulders "Of course Daphne and all these girls are lucky that we both aren't their competition."

"I mean you are obviouslyyouwhile I am really sure that if it wasn't for my Marriage contract with Draco, elder Potter wouldn't have even left me alone unless we had visited all the known broom closets." The pug-faced girl smirked.

Tracey's eyes widened as she looked towards her best friend and grabbed the witch's hand that had already gone towards her wand 'No Daphne, not here, you can't do that publicly and clearly not for this reason' She prayed and tried to convey the message with her eyes.

Daphne sighed and nodded in understanding, for now she'll simply ignore the Parkinson heiress and focus on the task at hand, she was sure that Panss would provide her with many…opportunities in future.

That's when they heard someone exclaim "Hey, look at the sky, what are those?" Everyone started looking towards where the boy had pointed as Dumbledore and Gryffindor Potter moved towards the front of the courtyard to welcome the first school that had reached.

Ending Note-A new fanfic out of my notes, innovator, genius Harry who is for some reason, cold. This time it's not WBWL and he is an year older than his brother.

Here's thelink to my super private serveron discord where I'll keep on updating new chapters, sneak peeks, Character designs, where you are free to talk and ask things regarding my fanfics:

Its a newly launched server...

Beware: Lots of p*rn 😁

https://discord.gg/Gcbcv4dxGx
Name: 𝕯𝖊𝖛 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐'𝖘 𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊

It's a new fic so do tell me if you like the first chapter or not, I've quite a few things planned for it. Constructive criticism is also appreciated.

With Regards

Dev Black

Chapter 2: Arrivals and Guests

Chapter Text

"I am Talking."

'I am thinking'

Spells

"Foreign Language."

Fame is a poison, most would drink happily,

despite the warning of a slow and miserable death.

~Atticus

INNOVATOR

-Dev Sagittarius Black

~~Chapter 2: Arrivals and Guests~~

"Can you believe it Harry? We have so many people from the two schools, I am so excited!"

"I wonder, How those students from Beauxbatons handling the cold? You'd think they'd have brought more woollen clothes considering they knew that it was going to be October end when they'd join us."

"Did you see those girls from Durmstrang though? I mean, yeah Beauxbatons ones are cute and all but the ones from Durmstrang really know how to make blood red and furs looks sexy, don't you think so-"

"Shut Up Blaise, can't you see that I am trying to read a book here?" Harry muttered and frowned at the next equation in his new arithmancy book, a gift for him from professor Vector, their arithmancy professor.

"I can see that, what I can't see is exactly why would you read a freaking book on a day like this? On a day when Hogwarts is paying host to two other big and famous magical schools from different countries?" Blaise asked him, astonished.

"I mean, can't you see the number of students and the opportunities of intermingling our cultures? Aren't you the least bit excited to know about different cultures and witness this once-in-a-lifetime event with your own two eyes?!" The Italian boy asked with frustration, lacing his voice.

Harry frowned a bit as he looked towards the giant doors through which the two schools were supposed to enter the Great Hall. He could admit to himself at least that, yes, he was a little bit…intrigued, as to how other schools functioned and if there was anything he could utilise from their school to improve his own?

But to waste thirty whole minutes waiting for the two schools to enter the Great Hall was a frustrating thing to do and he would rather think about his new pet project or solve one of these unsolvable mysteries in Arithmancy.

Like really? Unsolvable? Overstatement of the month, he only had to spend like a day on them and they'd break in front of him like putty, but it was also possible that it was just because it was him and others weren't as intelligent or anything?

Harry's thought process was broken as the large doors opened and students wearing light-blue uniforms came inside along with a really tall woman with shoulder length hair wearing expensive clothing and jewels adorned her rather long fingers.

The Beauxbaton students seemed to be quite good with acrobatics because the girls were able to move in tune with the music played by the boy band that was marching behind them.

In the end an ethereally beautiful girl came forward and spun on her heels before bowing gracefully. It was as if her body was made for this purpose and the small smile she gave told Harry she knew the effect she was having on her audience.

Beside him Blaise had an open mouth and saucer-wide eyes, Harry was sure that if it was humanly possible then by now, Blaise's eyes would be out of their sockets.

Harry could have left his best and only friend to bear the shame of drooling when watching a girl but he wasn't that evil.

It totally didn't have to do with the fact that there were reporters present around the Great Hall and he was sure that they'd find some way of defaming him along with the Zabini heir.

That's why he pinched Blaise's arms beneath their Housemate's view "Snap yourself out of it Zabini, you are shaming yourself as well as your house you dumbhead. That did snap Blaise out of it as he winced but nodded and thanked Harry for helping him out there.

"You didn't have to pinch me so hard you know." The foreign born boy said as he frowned and looked forward as the boys from Beauxbaton sat at the Gryffindor table while the girls joined the Ravenclaw one.

Durmstrang entered after that and they put up a great show with their staffs that gave off sparks and left black marks on the stone floor as they moved forward 'Filch is for sure supporting Beauxbatons now'

Durmstrang chose to display their skills in handling swords, spears and staffs as they put up an intricate show with twelve students holding the weapons while five students played the large drum and three others did the light show.

The Durmstrang High-Master, Igor Karakarof, a tall man with a goatee and weak jawline, led his entourage as he walked towards the teachers table with his star student Victor Krum by his side while two students followed them as guards.

After that, the girls and boys split off. The boys joined Slytherin table and Harry saw Malfoy give a smug smirk towards his little blood-relative-with-unfortunately-same-parents as the world famous seeker Victor Krum sat beside the blonde headed snot nosed daddy's boy. While the girls obviously joined the puffs.

"That girl has got to be a Veela, there's no other way all the boys would suddenly start drooling looking at her."

Harry heard the voice that was delivered with thinly laced sneer and followed it to his year-mate Lisa Turpin who was glaring daggers down the table towards a certain blonde beauty who happened to be the main acrobat in Beauxbatons team.

Both Harry and Blaise ignored the girl, she was just jealous because she wanted to be the best one out there in both beauty and brains but sadly for her, that title was already with a certain blonde haired slytherin ice-queen.

"Welcome! Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry…." Dumbledore began and Harry simply took his book out and began reading again, he knew what was going to be announced so he didn't bother much.

Dumbledore had called him in the office at the start of the term to tell him about the Triwizard tournament and he had a really weird request. A request that many would beg to fulfill, so naturally what Harry did was…

~~Flashback- four months ago~~

"So, do you understand what I am requesting Mr Potter?" The old headmaster peered at the young boy behind his half-moon spectacles.

"I do, Professor but unfortunately you're not understanding my dilemma." Harry was actually confused now. "How can you even think that there is no one more competent than me to be Hogwarts school champion?"

"I am still a fifth year student and even though the exams have been cancelled it's still our OWL year and then the fact that there are so many more competent seventh years like Caius Warrington, Cedric Diggory and Angelina Johnson." Harry frowned.

"Ah yes, they are better than their peers but let's not lie to each other Mr Potter, we both know that you are head and shoulders above the entire student populace of Hogwarts and probably Durmstrang and Beauxbatons as well."

"Are you forgetting your last request, professor? You were the one to entrust me with such a time consuming and infernally difficult task and now you want me to play childish games, who do you think I am, headmaster? Your personal superhero?"

Dumbledore blinked in shock before smiling "We both know that we can't be heroes even if we both are almost always seen that way."

"I don't know what you are talking about, professor." Harry frowned before continuing "Also, this discussion is finished, if you don't have anything else to say, I'd like to go back to my studies."

"Mr Potter." Dumbledore stopped Harry as he was about to step out of the office.

"I am not forcing you into the tournament Mr Potter, you have your free will but with you as our champion our chances at winning this increases twenty folds at the very least. So, do think about it."

"And my argument still stands, headmaster. Which one is more important? This tournament or the lives of people of Britain? Choose one headmaster, because like you said, we both know we aren't heroes and so we both also know that I am not going to go through with all of your requests."

Dumbledore just looked at the boy standing there before shaking his head in resignation, "I never wanted this to happen to you Harry, and I was just trying to-"

"Save it headmaster, I know what you did was for good but since I am involved in this now, I'll try to find the best way to eliminate the threat and save as many as I can. But you want me to play tournaments now? Not gonna happen."

Dumbledore nodded his head as he watched Harry leave his office. As much as he wanted to fault the boy, he knew that the elder Potter was indeed correct.

Sometimes, in their arguments Dumbledore wondered if the boy saw through all his machinations and simply choose to ignore them in favour of getting things done his way?

Well, who cares, as long as his primary request gets fulfilled, Dumbledore could easily die as a happy old man.

~~Flashback ends~~

Dumbledore didn't say anything after that and Harry never gave a second thought to his decision of NOT participating in the stupid Tournament. Why should he? He had work, real work to do and time was his enemy, for now at least.

"-with that thing out of the way, let our feast begin!" Dumbledore announced and all of a sudden all of the tables were filled with food. It was powerful wandless magic, yes. But it was not Dumbledore who did it. It was elvish magic. Dumbledore was only the signaller.

"Is he here? I've read that he was here at Hogwarts. Which year was he in?"

"Don't know, Don't remember I'm more focused on his brother. Where is he? Can you see him?"

"You'd think that this school would have enough brain to advertise their star pupil first just so that they could show off."

"I wonder if he'd like to be my friend?''

"Just Friend? I thought you, out of all the girls, would want him in your bed at the first chance."

"I won't mind that's for sure, but he is still not over eighteen and I don't want to go to the prison…."

Seventeen year old Fleur Delacour heard all this and was intrigued as to who they were talking about. Actually, she knew who but there were two of them which led to her current confusion.

First was The famed Boy-Who-Lived, the one who vanquished the worst dark lord in a century when he was just a year old babe. There were many stories but Fleur Delacour knew that he was nothing more than a pompous brat who got famous due to some accident or fluke.

Next was the youngest Innovator of Britain in the past five-hundred years. This boy had been a rising sensational genius in many countries with his intellect surpassing all of the magical population born in the last five hundred years.

Harry Potter's name had first come in international newspapers when a simple twelve year old boy had crafted the first elixir to neutralise complete blindness. It was like a miracle, a blind man could see again!

It was the cure many of the aurors, hitwizards, potioneers, spell crafters, alchemists, Curse Breakers and Dragon Handlers needed. It was tested publicly on twenty-five wizards and witches before it was officially patented.

And became the young Innovator's first step to success.

After that, things went on like cream from fresh milk and as they say 'The rest is history', in this case it was indeed his-story.

New inventions, improving the old ratty ones, things actually required by the general wizarding populace. And all of this of course paved, THE Harry Potter's path to richness, fame and popularity.

Within a year, Harry Potter had turned the young boy of twelve had started things with just Four hundred Galleons and he entered his thirteenth year with a grand total of Nine million galleons, and still counting.

Harry Potter's fame and popularity had only increased after that, with invitations to various ministry balls from different nations, international quidditch matches, Duelling rings. Newspaper articles on front pages of many prestigious newspapers and everything.

It was one such ball hosted by the French Ministry where Fleur had met the secluded guy standing beside the barman with a glass of water in his hand and a horde of witches vying for his attention.

Unfortunately it was also the one where she had met the boy wonder's younger brother. But let's not ruin the mood now and focus on the present rather than dawdle in the past 'But where is he?'

"Harry Potter?"

Harry frowned a bit when another girl called his name 'This time it sounds Bulgarian' he thought as he turned to the source "Yes?"

A drop dead gorgeous girl wearing Durmstrang's Blood red uniform with padded furs, though her uniform looked a bit more stylish than others, she had long raven black shoulder length hair framing her diamond shaped face. Violet eyes, long eyelashes and a perfect hourglass figure combine them with her accented voice and you have the perfect goddess to please.

But currently that girl was looking at Harry with a quirked eyebrow and a small smirk when he didn't get up and make room for her as if he didn't recognise her.

"How may I help you ? Or are you planning on simply standing there as I finish my dinner?" Harry asked as he quirked his left eyebrow.

"You don't recognise me? Is this some weird way of yours to charm me?" The girl asked him and gave another amused smirk.

"So one just needs to ignore you to impress you? And you call my way weird." Harry laughed internally when he saw her eyebrow twitch a little. "Well, if that's true, then no, I am not trying to impress you at all because I don't know who you are." And he turned back towards his dinner.

"My aren't you an interesting one? This is the first time I've seen a guy completely throw off Ashley's charm."

Harry groaned as a new voice joined the conversation but did his best to ignore them both. Lamb chops are far more delicious and definitely worthy of more attention than simple-minded girls with beautiful faces and I-am-better-than-you personality.

"Why am I not surprised to see you of all people here Beaufort? Although I was hoping you'd stay at your place rather than join us here, afterall, this tournament isn't a place for our under 18 princess pageant winner is it?" Ashley sniffed in disdain while Beaufort scoffed.

"You are forgetting that I was also the winner of the under 15 bracket in the European Duelling ring while you were busy parading your beauty that year." Beaufort made a disgusted face. "All I know is, I beat you once, I'll beat you twice."

"Let's see who beats who in every competition this year." Ashley smirked and looked towards Harry who was still eating his Lamb chops and busy ignoring both the girls who's banter was being watched by everyone sitting in their vicinity.

It looked as if sparks flew between the two other worldly beautiful girls as they accepted each other's challenge before turning around and moving separate ways leaving the boys and girls completely stunned.

.

.

.

"Harry?"

"Hmmm?"

"You are one lucky bastard, you know that right?"

Harry frowned as he looked at Blaise before quirking his left eyebrow as if to ask 'What'?

Blaise suddenly got two strong urges, one to do a facepalm, second to smash Harry's head on the wooden table. He obviously chose the first one because he was sure the second one was both stupid and impossible.

"The one from Durmstrang is Ashley Petrovia and the one from Beauxbatons is Angelique Beaufort. I am surprised that you don't know them but at the same time I am not surprised because how little you read the celebrity section in newspapers." Blaise sighed before shaking his head.

"I don't know what you mean." Harry simply shrugged his shoulders "If you are not gonna tell then let me finish my dinner in peace."

"Ashley was the previous winner of the under 18 International beauty Pageant while Angelique is the current one. Reverse the position and you have them switched, Ashley is the current winner of the under 18 duelling ring while Angelique was the winner of the under 15 duelling ring." Blaise explained to his roommate.

"Okay, and? Why should I care who or what they are? To me they are both visiting students who are here to compete for a useless tournament."

Blaise' eyebrow twitched as he looked towards his dense roommate 'Maybe I should have gone with the second option instead even if I'd been dead a moment later'

"Both the girls are fiercely competitive, it has always been like that when Angelique defeated Ashley in their first under 15 duelling ring. But the point is, this competition as well as you, my dear friend are their targets now." The dark skinned Ravenclaw told his former roommate who simply frowned.

"Let them try their luck in the tournament, because they aren't winning me." The innovator shrugged and pulled out his book again to better utilise his time than waste it on useless banter and gossip. He'll try to forget this girls-information as soon as he visits his mindscape tonight.

Harry was about to take another bite when he felt someone's glare, he turned his gaze around the hall and caught her, only because she hastily looked away.

~Five minutes earlier ~

'STAB'

Tracey flinched as she saw her friend stab that small piece of steak extra violently. They had been sitting with all of the students having a peaceful dinner. And then that incident happened.

Both of them saw the two girls approach Harry's table and somehow Tracey knew that they were interested in the young innovator.

Unfortunately, Daphne was far more perceptive than the auburn haired Slytherin and so, she knew as well.

And then came the rumours. Hogwarts rumour mill was exceptionally well organised and word spread faster than Professor Mcgonagall could transform to and revert back from her animagus form.

'Two of the most beautiful girls had approached Harry and are now after him.'

That was what someone told them. Trace looked at Daphne cutting the steak as she glared at both the girls and sighed 'It's going to be one of those nights again….'

"Invenire"

The portrait of Marcus the Manipulator bowed low as it opened the room for the only person it'd ever respect. Harry looked around at the empty fifth floor corridor, the corridor was known as the 'Special privilege corridor'.

This was the only corridor where there were personal suites and were only given to important guests staying over for a night or two at Hogwarts. This corridor was also used as a place for VIPs during war times.

Considering they were in peace times now and they were a wizarding school with portkeys and apparition powers, all of the other personal suites except Harry's were empty 'Used to be empty' Harry frowned when he saw two doors with new nameplates on them.

This was weird, were there VIPs in the new schools? Maybe The rooms were given to Karakaroff and Madam Maxime? But then he went near the two doors and sighed as he read their new tenant's names:

'Angelique Beaufort'

While it's neighbouring one read:

'Ashley Petrovia'

These were the names on the nameplates 'Hopefully they won't come knocking over on mine' he thought as he went to his own suite.

Looking around he sighed as he witnessed the clutter and disorganisation in his suite. Thick tomes were stacked and kept near the centre table. Charts and Diagrams were lining the bulletin boards. Models of his side projects were strewn across the floor where he had been crafting them.

Then there were parchments and pens strewn all over the place. He didn't mind that though. Random ideas needed to be written and having to walk over for a sheet of paper and writing instruments was a waste of both time and knowledge.

Well, he did have an exceptionally good care-taker.

"Dobby."

There was a soft pop sound behind him "Master Harry Potter Sir, called Dobby? What can Dobby do for his Master?"

"I see you are still unable to clear out of your third person speech. Maybe I should work on a better potion treatment for elves." Harry thought out loud, making Dobby's eyes widen.

"No Master, your potion is working really well, Dobby is sure that Great master's work will be more fruitful if Master does what needs to be done to the potion." Dobby nodded. "And master shouldn't worry about happy Dobby because Master already works too much."

"I am still not working hard enough to finish my tasks though, I need to finish them soon or each of the deaths occurring due to him will be on my hands." The innovator said as he removed his outer robes and gave it to his elf.

"Master worries too much, master should sleep instead of worrying." Dobby bobbed his head as he went on to clean the general mess in his master's suite while Harry went to his work station and pulled out the tome A guide to the bonds in matter by Alexander Lammarcks.

Harry knew the workload was too much and that Dumbledore had told him he'll get all the help he needed but, he also knew that he was the one who had to do it or else things would come crashing down on the entirety of the British population.

The boy still remembered the day when Dumbledore called him into the headmaster's office last year.

~~ Flashback- One year ago, Dumbledore's office~~

"So do you understand the severity of this situation Mr Potter?" The aged headmaster peered at the boy through his half moon spectacles.

"I-I don't know what to say, headmaster. That brat was supposed to kill him, not me. It was his 'miracle' not mine."

"And Alan will. He is the boy that has the power to finally get rid of Tom., but he can't do it without your help." Dumbledore sighed as he looked at the pensieve "This wasn't supposed to be like this, but you were the one who caught Crouch Jr, you were the one who defeated Tom's attempts in your second and third year too."

"We need someone with your geniusness on our side, you remember the prophecy right Harry?" Dumbledore asked him and then focused entirely on the boy "...He will have the power the Dark Lord knows not…"

"So you think, this is the power he knows not? The power to end him once and for all? My, as you call it, geniusness?" The youngest mage was incredulous, how delusional did one had to be to even get such a weird idea in the first place?

But Dumbledore shook his head in negative " Not your geniusness Harry, your brain. It has the power to look for answers where no one else can. The way you are able to link everyone's problems and come up with ingenious solutions is simply mind boggling."

"I had never, in my hundred years, seen such a young brilliant mind at work. And this is why I am requesting you to help me and your brother in this almost impossible task." The headmaster looked really equal to his age now.

And then, Dumbledore said those final words "Please Mr Potter, please Harry. Help us all….Help us in killing Voldemort once and for all, I am begging you."

Harry frowned but he couldn't deny it now. This was indeed a necessity even though this would most likely increase his workload a hundred fold, "What should I do?"

Dumbledore opened his book rack and pulled out a leather bound tome. He looked at the book first and contemplated something for a minute before sighing as he forwarded it to Harry.

"Magike Moste Evile….Why are you giving me a book on dark arts Professor?"

"This book…it's the only one that I have in which there's a mention of something that I'd like you to work upon. Read the first paragraph on page sixty-seven for me please." Dumbledore asked Harry as he opened the side drawer of his table.

"Of the Horcrux, wickedest of magical inventions, we shall not speak nor give direction…What is this professor?" Harry was completely clueless as to why his headmaster would want him to read about such a vile subject.

"I hope that you still remember this diary Harry?" Dumbledore asked him as he forwarded a battered black diary with a big hole in its centre.

And oh yes he did, he remembered that evil contraption alright.

After all, it was he who destroyed it in the first place…

~~Flashback ends~~

And that was the start of his current year-long journey into Horcruxes, methods of immortality and how to track as well as destroy them.

Harry knew he had lots of work to do and he was really thankful that he had been recruited by the three powerful guilds, at least the guild library had more on his current mission than what was available to the general public.

The publicly visible guild, Alchemists as well as the invisible guild, The Mors guild, had tomes regarding Horcruxes. But none of them talked about how to track them or remove the curse without completely destroying the vessel.

The boy went towards his personal Pensieve cabinet, it was time to revise the notes and his past experiments.

"-ter Sir?...Potter Sir?...Master Potter Sir?"

Harry cracked open his eye as light seeped through his eyelashes and entered via his lens into his eyes 'Is that a black pool of nothingness? Am I finally in the blackhole's liquid core?'

"Master Potter Sir?"

'Dobby? What's he doing in the core of a black-hole?' Harry frowned before suddenly last night's memories came crashing down on him.

"Master Harry Potter Sir?"

"Yes Dobby, I am not sleeping anymore, what happened?" Harry asked as he sat upright and rubbed the crust from his eyes.

"Master Potter slept on table again, why he working late even though Dobby tells Master Potter sir not to? What should Dobby do with…"

Harry ignored the hyperactive elf who butchered english more than normal when upset or stressed 'Looks like I slept while reading Theory of relativity and its physical application linked with transfigurations'

The boy looked towards the supposed black-hole and his right eyebrow gave a twitch 'And it seems I spilled the ink on my table…'

"What do you want, Dobby?" Harry asked, stifling a yawn.

"There's a certain missy waiting for Master Potter outside Master's door." Dobby bobbed his head before looking at Harry with his saucer-wide eyes.

"Whoever it is, if it's a student, tell them that I am busy and won't meet with her." Harry waved off as he pulled his wand to freshen up.

"Dobby already tried Master but missy insists that she has to ask something from master and will go only when Master hears her request." Dobby squeaked out, making Harry groan.

The youngest innovator hated the public with contempt…and it was Sunday Morning too…shouldn't he like, get a break or something from the public? Soon his manager would come for their weekly routines.

"Tell them to wait outside then, don't let them inside." Harry went off towards the loo to freshen up for the day.

Checking himself in the body-length mirror hanging on the wall, Harry gave a nod of self-satisfaction before moving towards the door and opening it, only to stop mid-stride.

"What do you want?"

"My-my Mr Potter, one might assume you don't want to see such a friendly face on a good morning like this."

"Well, it was one but then you showed up on my doorstep…Miss Petrovia…was it?" Harry knew what her name was but he also knew that giving her too much importance would just cause him more headache.

"Well, at least I don't have to introduce myself again today." Ashley smirked before grabbing Harry's hand and pulling him towards herself.

"Hopefully you aren't as busy as you seem to be Mr Potter, cause I have lots to talk with you today and my friends will like to meet you too." Ashley grinned as she started pulling Harry towards the staircase but was surprised when Harry pulled his hand back.

"Let me get one thing clear Miss Petrovia, I hate public interactions and you are simply intruding because I am more busy than I seem to be. So it'd be better if you told me what you want to talk about and tell your friends that unfortunately I can't meet them today or hopefully, ever."

Harry glared at the tall bulgarian girl who had an absolutely baffled expression on her face. Never in her memory had someone dared to deny her what she had wanted and….this young boy was doing that right into her own damn face!

"So, it would seem Mr Potter, but here, I got something for you." Petrovia passed a piece of parchment towards the boy who read it once before wandlessly burning the paper in anger.

"An interesting piece of magic Mr-"

"Stop with this nonsense and this will be the first and last time. Now, where to start with our tour Miss Petrovia?" Harry spat the word tour because that was what that parchment had told him to give her.

Petrovia laughed aloud before moving to grab Harry's hand which he removed just in time and glared at the girl when she raised her eyebrow.

"You know, many boys would kill to be in your situation, walking with me, showing me around….going to deserted corridors with me…imagine what a golden chance you've got on your hands Harry." Petrovia giggled as they neared the doors to the great hall.

"Of course many boys would indeed kill to be in my situation, but that's not because of you, it's because they'll be able to be me, live my life, walk like me, attend the functionsI attend and meet the legendsI am able to meet." Harry looked at her with disgust clear in his eyes.

"Not because a new girl won some beauty contest and is now wanting a tour of an old castle, if you want to be someone, be someone big enough that they can't ever think of replacing you."

"Quiet arrogant of you, won't you say?" Petrovia asked him with a bit of her anger lacing her tone as Harry had just undermined her strengths completely.

"It's not arrogance if you can back it up." Harry shrugged before smirking at his company "And if you still think it's arrogance, well it does shows the difference between us now, doesn't it?"

Harry pushed open the doors to the Great Hall and his eyes flicked involuntarily towards the Slytherin House table, the place where he would usually find Daphne with her own little court.

Unfortunately, the ice-queen and her chief advisor were yet to grace the Great Hall, which made Harry frown a little bit as usual, Daphne was up and would usually give him a discreet smile which he didn't like at all. Really, that girl was too reckless and stubborn.

'Maybe I was a bit harsh yesterday, should I apologise to her then?' Harry took his seat beside Blaise who was looking at him as if he was god incarnate.

"What?" Harry asked the boy, annoyance dripping from his tone.

"I must admit, I should've seen that coming. So you and Ashley huh? When did that happen?" Blaise grinned as he bumped his shoulders with Harry who had stopped cutting his omelette.

"What are you talking about?"

Harry asked the boy a little too calmly which Blaise should have taken as a warning bell, but considering the facts that Harry was almost always calm or sarcastic and that their friendship had deteriorated since the time Harry had to move out of the Ravenclaw dorms for his personal safety in their third year.

Well, Blaise wasn't up-to-date with Harry's moods now and so he continued nonchalantly "Well, I mean you are Harry and Ashley is clearly interested in you and well..you know." The italian heir to Zabini house trailed off wiggling his eyebrows and making hand-signs.

"So, when are you introducing your best mate to your girlfriend? Also, can you put up some good words for me please, maybe ask her if she or her friends would want to come to my place in Italy this Christmas?"

Harry looked at his only friend and sighed, he looked like a kid on christmas eve and Harry hated to be the grinch, but what his friend's messed up brain was cooking up was, in one word, abysmal.

"No one is dating, you dumbhead. Petrovia somehow got her request signed by her High-master and our headmaster about me giving her a tour around Hogwarts with some useless excuses of knowing Hogwarts better than others and my room being close to hers." Harry muttered while glaring at his plate.

"So…it's not what I thought it to be…" Blaise sighed before shrugging "Well, at least you are lucky, I mean, many boys would kill to be in your situation right?"

Harry looked at his friend, then he went forward and put his hand behind Blaise's head while simultaneously removing his friend's breakfast before…

"What are you dooiiinnnn- 'WHAAAMMM'

…smashing the boy's head on the table.

'Idiots…that is what my entire generation is full of…' Harry thought before he went back to his food as the entire great hall looked at him with saucer wide eyes.

Ending note- And there you have it fellas, second chapt of INNOVATOR. Do tell me if you like it or not, I am waiting.

Here's the link to my super private server on discord where I'll keep on updating new chapters, sneak peeks, Character designs, where you are free to talk and ask things regarding my fanfics:

Its a newly launched server...

Beware: Lots of p*rn 😁😂

https://discord.gg/Gcbcv4dxGx

Name: 𝕯𝖊𝖛 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐'𝖘 𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊

It's a new fic so do tell me if you like the second chapter or not, I've quite a few things planned for it. Constructive criticism is also appreciated.

With Regards

Dev Black

Chapter 3: The Key to Winning

Chapter Text

"I am Talking."

'I am thinking'

Spells

"French"

Too much work and too much energy kill a man

just as effectively as too much assorted vice

or too much drink.

~Rudyard Kipling

INNOVATOR

-Dev Sagittarius Black

~~Chapter 3: The Key to Winning~~

‘Knock Knock’

“Come in Harry!”

Harry rolled his eyes when he heard that obnoxiously cheerful voice and entered the office.

“How are you Harry, and how are your projects coming along? Is there anything we should know about?” Was the greeting Harry received when he entered the office and sat on the offered chair.

“Headmaster, last I checked, I was still attending the classes and hadn’t beaten any blonde haired brat with Daddy complex or any red-haired brat with hero complex either. So, may I know why I was summoned now?” Harry looked straight at the headmaster who sighed.

“It was so much better before.” Dumbledore muttered as he looked at the innovator.

“You mean back when I did what you wanted and was the shy little boy always responding ‘yes sir’?” Harry’s eyes narrowed at the headmaster who looked down in shame. “Let’s not go down that road headmaster. Tell me, how can I help you now?”

Dumbledore rubbed his eyes, he was getting too old for these things. Why can’t he just die already? “Harry, today is the beginning of the Triwizard tournament and I wanted to know if your decision regarding participating in the tournament has changed or not?” The aged headmaster asked cautiously yet his voice was laced with undefeatable hope.

“No, it didn’t. I am sorry headmaster but my workload has not lessened, not even a bit. Therefore, I am not participating.” Harry told the headmaster, before looking at Fawkes who immediately came and sat on his shoulder.

“How are you Fawkes?” Harry asked the ancient intelligent bird who trilled in response.

“He likes you.” Dumbledore began as he looked at how his bonded familiar was comfortably sitting on Harry’s shoulder.

“I like him too, he’s a good friend.” Harry nodded before standing up as Fawkes flew up and took his place back on his perch “If that is all headmaster…”

Dumbledore looked at the boy in front of him “I really wanted you to join this tournament Harry, not only because you would have been the best candidate but also because it would have taken your attention from other things that have kept you busy lately.”

“Thank you for your love and care, headmaster, but your care is what led me into this situation. So if you would, please don’t care about me anymore, I'd really appreciate it.” With that, Harry moved towards the door before stopping.

“Also headmaster, could you do something for me?”

“Anything my boy, if it’s within my power then it shall be done.” Dumbledore smiled benevolently at the teenager standing in front of him.

“Then stop signing the requests of any foreign student who wants me to show her around due to her own spoiled need for attention.” He said and with that the innovator moved out of the headmaster's office.

Dumbledore looked sadly at the boy’s retreating figure before sighing, if only he could rewind time and stop his past self from involving such a young boy in the affairs of grown-ups.

‘Well, there was also the benefit of Tom’s work being un-done at an exponential rate, I am sure that by year’s end Harry would have found out about all of the Horcruxes on his own’

When Dumbledore had asked Harry for help regarding Voldemort and his source of immortality, he had never thought that the boy would leave all of his other works and completely focus on such a long and tedious process for the good.

After all the boy had shown to be quite selfish with his time and focused solely on his profitable works, therefore giving undivided attention to a work that was without any recognition or profit was not something Dumbledore suspected that Harry would do, but it seems he was wrong, Harry has given his full attention to finding and destroying the horcruxes so that Tom Riddle could be killed one day.

‘Still, it would’ve been good if he enjoyed a few of his teenage tendencies’ Dumbledore mused as he leaned back in his chair and looked at the growing pile of letters that he had yet to respond to.

The headmaster picked the first one and hummed ‘ So, Lord Greengrass wants some help with his…wait wasn’t there a rumour regarding Lord Greengrass’s daughter and Harry? ’

Blue eyes started twinkling full-flash as a new plan started forming in the already messed up brain of the aged warlock.

“Five points to Ravenclaw, excellent answer Harry!” Flitwick squeaked before jumping down the pile of books he was previously standing on.

“Now, for practising these two spells, I would like to pair the class up, no-wait. Headmaster Dumbledore has decided to show that we at Hogwarts follow ‘Unity in Diversity’ or Inter-house unity, therefore I'll announce the pairs for you.” Flitwick said as he pulled out a parchment and started announcing the names.

“Anthony Goldstein and Pansy Parkinson.”

“Su Li and Vincent Crabbe.”

.

.

.

Harry was dreading this, why was his name not coming any sooner? He looked towards the charms master ‘ Come on you dimwit, announce my name already and don’t do what I think you’re going- ’

“Harry Potter and Daphne Greengrass.”

‘ -to do…DAMNT! ’ Harry cursed mentally as he looked towards Daphne who was not even looking in his direction right now ‘ Sure, go and become the ice queen… ’ He looked at Blaise who was sitting beside him and giving him a subtle, according to him, thumbs up while grinning like a lunatic.

Harry stood up from his seat and went towards Daphne’s “Davis.”

Tracey looked up and shrugged “You’ll have to wait y’know. I still haven’t gotten my partner yet. Wait, that didn’t sound right y’know.”

“-and Trace Davis.”

Tracey blinked when she heard her name, then she looked towards Harry who was looking at her with a raised eyebrow as if saying ‘ Are you moving out or not? ’

Tracey nodded and slowly got up, looking for any empty seats because she didn’t know which one she had to go for, as she was kind of busy being a bitch for a really good reason.

“Mandy Brocklehurst.” Harry said as he slid in the seat beside Daphne.

“Huh?”

“That’s where you’ve to go.” The innovator told her when she blinked owlishly at him.

“I-I know, I am no dumb y’know. Also, don’t you dare hurt Daphne, I’ll find you and kill you in your sleep with itching powder. You won’t even know what ha-errr…..I’ll leave!!” Tracey squeaked the last part and left in a hurry.

Harry frowned at that oddball behaviour and looked to his side and witnessed Daphne immediately looking away and started observing the weather out of the adjacent window.

Harry sighed, this was going to be a long day. He just hoped that whatever the reason was, Dumbledore wouldn't curse him with this fate in all other classes they shared with the Slytherins.

“-And that’s how you do it. Now everyone, take a vase from the nearby cupboard and start practising. Chop Chop!!” Flitwick said before jumping down from his small tower of books and waddling with his long legs.

Harry raised his hand to call the dwarf professor, “Professor?”

“Yes Mr. Potter?”

“I already know both the spells. Can I take my leave after I show them to you?”

Flitwick came running towards the green eyed mage, his eyes shining with excitement “You do? Show me Harry!”

Harry summoned a vase from the cupboard and kept it on the table. He knew everyone in the class was looking at him right now, but it was expected.

“ Confractus .” Cracks appeared on the vase before it broke into five pieces.

Harry smirked as he pointed his wand again and muttered “ Reparo .” And everyone witnessed the vase jumping back and becoming a perfect one again, there wasn’t even a single crack on it that could’ve told anyone that this vase was broken into five pieces a few moments ago.

“Excellent! Excellent! Ten Points to Ravenclaw! As perfect as ever Harry!” Flitwick smiled proudly at his star student, he was so happy that Harry Potter was in his house.

“So, can I leave Professor?” Harry asked him again who looked towards Daphne instead, which worried Harry.

“Miss Greengrass, can you perform both the spells too?”

Daphne looked up from the vase, then she looked towards Harry and a small glint came in her blue eyes. Harry immediately understood it and narrowed his eyes.

“No professor, this is my first time.” The ice queen said with perfect innocence on her cute face.

“Well, that settles it then, Harry, you'll have to help your partner here so that she could learn the spells and do them as flawlessly as you.” Flitwick bobbed his head before moving towards the second desk.

“Greengrass..” Harry growled as he looked at the girl who blinked as innocently as possible showing her large baby blue eyes, she then proceeded to point her wand at the vase and muttered “ Confractus .”

Both of them watched as the vase broke and Greengrass gave him an impish grin at that.

“Can you believe it Harry, I still can’t!” Blase whined as the duo sat for lunch in the great hall. He had been paired with Gregory Goyle...and he didn't like it one bit, which was the reason for his continuous whining ever since they had finished their charms class.

“Why are there so many people here?” Harry asked his friend who was crying but suspiciously enough, no tears were coming out of his eyes.

“Can’t you see the large goblet with that roaring blue flames and an age line around it? I think that might be a possible reason.” Blaise’s sarcasm was too thick to not be noticed by Harry who’s eyebrow twitched.

“I mean, exactly what’s so exciting about a goblet that everyone's waiting for while they stare at all the participants? The selection is during dinner time anyways.” Harry muttered as he grabbed a few things for his meal.

“No idea Harry, I am not gawking at….” And Blaise trailed off as he looked towards the door now along with the entirety of the great hall, why?

Fleur Delacour entered the hall and looked around at all the faces that were now looking at her, boys with glazed eyes and a wide smile while the girls were either confused or angry because, well, their boyfriends couldn’t control themselves.

The Veela ignored everyone and instead decided to entertain herself with a small lunch, but before that, there was something else that needed to be done, she clenched the parchment that had her name on it and started moving towards the goblet.

Placing her name in it, Fleur smiled as the goblet accepted the parchment, after this she started moving towards the Ravenclaw table to have some dinner when her eyes fell on a familiar face among the sea full of glazed eyes.

“‘Arry Potter?”

Harry nodded his head “Miss Delacour, it’s nice to meet you again.” He said and forwarded his hand for a formal greeting.

“Ah, I theenk eet’z been quite zome time, so long that I don’t remember ‘ow you look like, is the seat next to you empty?” Fleur asked but from her elf asserted tone she didn't really consider it a question. Harry simply shrugged his shoulders as Fleur sat beside him.

"I think you've also forgotten that I can easily converse in French." Harry said with an almost perfect French accent and smirked when he saw Fleur's face light up like the Christmas tree.

"Oui, I guess we need to re-acquaint ourselves again, no?" Fleur smiled and started preparing her plate.

Before either of them could've said another word there was a small cough behind them.

Harry turned to see who it was and froze, his left eyebrow started twitching because he had a feeling that this was not going to end well for him.

"Greengrass."

"This is our OWL year Potter and I need an O+ in charms theory and practical, also I'll need extra credit in it to get my charms mastery." Daphne said and prepared herself to break the news.

"Good, aim higher. Thanks for all that extra info even though I am sure I didn't ask for it." Harry answered and was about to turn back when she stopped him again.

"Professor Flitwick is really busy these days and seeing as you're the best student in charms, he has assigned you to help me with my project for extra credit." There she said it.

Harry blinked a bit before laughing out loud "Nice one Greengrass, I didn't know you had a funny bone in you."

The boy looked at her as if he was waiting for her to laugh and then say 'GOT YOU!' And maybe he was, but sadly it didn't happen.

"You're not joking. You're serious aren't you?" He asked her, shock evident on his face.

"As serious as I could be, yes. So, do tell me the times when you can spend an hour with me, in the library of course or if you want some other place? I have some ideas I'd like to discuss with you." Daphne said and nodded her head as if it was the most obvious thing.

“And exactly why do you think I will help you in the first place?” Harry asked her with a quirked eyebrow.

“Why Potter, don’t you have a good heart for those who are in need?” Daphne smirked but then her smirk fell when she saw that Harry wasn’t even amused by her small joke ‘ And then they say I don’t have a funny bone in me ’

“Professor Flitwick has agreed to give you equal amounts of extra credits as well as permission to leave the class whenever you want, if you already know and can perform the spell that he taught on that particular day.”

Daphne told him and did an internal victory jig when she saw Harry’s expression change from irritated to interested. This was good, this meant that he was considering taking her offer.

“You managed to get him to agree to that?”

“Of course I did, there was just one condition, that you’ll actively help me with my project. Just that.” Daphne nodded her head and looked expectedly towards the boy who was contemplating the offer.

“Deal, meet me today in the library, no other place, one hour after the classes end.” Harry could easily see Daphne’s face light up like a christmas tree behind her ice-queen persona.

To be honest, he still didn’t know why she was doing this and what her plans regarding him were but the fact was, he had agreed.

And why not? Harry knew the classwork that was given to the seventh years and he was sure that he knew almost all the charms spells. Therefore, this means that he’ll have a boat-load of free time out of which only one hour is to be given to the annoying girl.

Even then he’ll only have to help her, it never means that he couldn’t just get her to be more busy with her ‘project’ and finish up a few of his own, so technically it was a win-win type of situation for him. Well, that’s what Harry thought anyway.

They returned to their lunch as Daphne left them with Tracey in tow. The brown haired girl knew that Daphne had done this especially for Harry, she didn’t know how her friend had pulled it off and convinced Flitwick but she knew her friend had done well.

“ahem ahem”

Harry sighed and his fingers twitched to curse the next person who’d poke them like this. Still he turned along with his entourage to see a….miserable sight.

“Yes Alan? Now what do you want?” Harry asked with a raised eyebrow at the boy-who-lived and his redhead friend who was standing close to him. Unfortunately, neither of them heard Harry. Why?

“He-Hello Fleur, how’re you?” Alan stammered with glazed eyes while his best mate was looking at the french Veela with stars in his eyes, quite literally.

“Meester Potter.” Fleur greeted and looked towards the things that mattered more, like her lunch with one of her few male friends… one that she hoped would evolve into more than just a friend. But Fleur knew that she wouldn’t be too disheartened if the boy chose his career over her.

“How are you? Ca-can you sit with us for lunch?” Alan asked the gorgeous woman that had stolen the hearts of half of the great hall with just her looks. The other half was obviously made up of angry girls who were glaring at their boyfriends and then the french beauty.

“I am sorry, Meester Potter, but I ‘ave already started my meal for the noon with someone. And eet eez bad manners to leave your meal and your friend unattended, therefore I weel ‘ave to decline your generous offer.”

Even a dunderhead could notice the sarcasm that the french witch had laced her last words with. It was a good thing that neither Ron nor Alan were in control of their emotions. Therefore the two dunderheads nodded and left the group.

Harry knew that soon enough they’ll come to realise what had happened and then they’ll start cursing him again. It didn’t matter to him though, because both his younger brother and his friend had learned the lesson to never mess with him in Harry’s second year.

The rest of the lunch went off without a hitch, which Harry was really thankful for. Considering the fact that Harry was wary of the two girls that were supposedly after him, he was trying his level best to actively avoid both of them.

“Thank you Harry, for the wonderful lunch, I’m glad to have such a great friend. You remember Gabby? My younger sister? She was asking about you.” Fleur said as they were about to part ways again.

“Ah yes, the cute little girl running havoc in the ball and then hiding behind Mrs Delacour, right? Say hello to her from my side.” Harry then waved Fleur off. He then immediately turned towards a still dazed Blaise and bonked him on the back of his head.

“Snap out of it Blaise, you were embarrassing both of us while we were with Fleur, I don’t know how many times I’ve had to apologise to her on your behalf.” Harry grumbled as the duo went towards the Transfiguration classroom for their double class with the puffs.

“I can’t really help it Harry, she’s just so wonderfully beautiful. I don’t know how you are able to control yourself when she’s literally sitting beside you and talking with you.” Blaise muttered as he thought about it before stopping suddenly.

“I can because I have a sense of morality and strong willpower, her aura doesn’t even faze me unlike you who starts drooling the moment she enters your field of- wait, why did you stop?” Harry had already moved a few steps ahead and turned to see Blaise looking at him with saucer wide eyes.

“All of that or..” Blaise said and took a step back because he knew what was coming. “Or maybe you’re gay?”

“...”

“I mean it’s cool man, I don’t judge and well, yeah it’s alright I am completely fine with it.” Blaise was still taking a step back slowly because he knew Harry’s I-am-annoyed-and-it’s-because-of-you face. Yep, and he didn’t want to go to madam Pomfrey today.

“...”

“You’ll be my friend and i’ll always support you. Now, I know I am handsome and all but please, I don’t swing that way. I can help you with any other one you like though…how about-?”

“Defodio!” Harry’s eyes had turned white as he started moving towards Blaise with his wand in his hand and an almost visible aura of raw magic around him.

“-ACK! Harry, wait. I can agree to it but I really don't swing that way mate, this is not how you convince me to do… that. ” Blaise said and saw Harry’s clench his teeth as he started running towards the Italian heir.

“Diffindo! Stand still you bloody monkey! I will kill you!!” Harry growled as he saw Blaise dodge that curse too and then watched as the curse struck the stone castle.

They were just lucky that they were still in a relatively less crowded corridor therefore there was no collateral damage, but…

“Flipendo!”

Harry moved out of his personal suite right as it was time to meet Daphne in the library for her extra credit project, it would be too boring for him therefore he had decided to take a book of his own in his satchel to read while Daphne finished up with the basic plotline.

“Harry?”

Said boy stooped right when his name was called. He turned around to look for the source and groaned when he saw her, coming straight towards him with a large cheshire cat grin on her face.

“Hello Harry! Where are we going today?”

“Beaufort. To what do I owe this pleasure?” Harry asked the girl who raised her eyebrow at the level of sarcasm he was throwing at her.

“Either you are really bad at hiding your disdain or you are just too arrogant to try hiding it at all. Either way, it was quite rude to ask me a question in such a way.” Angelique said and walked up to the boy who was now looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

“And either way, you still haven’t answered me, yet.”

“Technically speaking, I had asked you a question before you asked me, therefore shouldn’t you be the one answering me first?” The french beauty smirked as she stood near Harry.

“Library, now what about you?”

“Same.”

“...”

“What?”

“Nothing…” Harry said and blinked again “Just that, you are going to the Library, I was waiting for the world to break apart.” Harry answered and shrugged before pushing his hands in his pant pockets and moving towards the said bookhouse.

“Ha-ha, very funny Harry, I might not be the youngest Innovator but that doesn’t mean I am not the winner of the under 15 duelling ring and I am in the top five of my class, so it would be nice of you to not underestimate me.” And with that she joined Harry on his way to the Library.

Daphne was sitting on a corner table looking at all the things she had prepared for her time with her Harry. Yes, her Harry. There was no way she’d lose him to one of those…those ugly bitches who had just arrived and were already after him like hungry wolves.

‘ Books check. Ink-pot check. Quills check. Parchment Check. Alright so, everything is ready…now where are you…Harry?… ’

Daphne had smiled when she saw Harry enter the Library, but her smile immediately dropped when she saw exactly who was with him and what she was doing. Her confused state slowly gave way to anger and then to annoyance.

Harry on the other hand looked around for Daphne and easily spotted her sitting near the right corner of the library with a few books around her along with the necessary items.

The boy immediately turned towards the still blabbering Beaufort who had been going on and on about how Beauxbatons Castle was much more like a palace and how it was more suitable for magic unlike the dreary Hogwarts castle that was cold and uninhabitable.

Harry could have simply told her to shut up and mind her own business but that would have made her angry which in turn would have made this walk even more troubling than it already was, this is why Harry simply ignored the girl.

Also it wasn’t like he loved Hogwarts so much that he had to defend the old castle’s honor. He had better things to do than that and therefore simply avoided the topic as a whole and focused on much more important matters like ‘How to deal with Greengrass and her new plan’ for example.

“This is as far as we could go, I came here for a specific reason which I’d like to attend to.” Harry said and turned to Daphne who was, for some reason, glaring at something behind him, he completely ignored his travel companion’s confused goodbye and instead focused more on what he’ll say when he reached Daphne.

“Greengrass.” Harry said in a matter of greeting as he took the empty seat beside the ice queen of Slytherin.

Surprisingly enough, the girl didn’t say anything, instead she chose to ignore him completely and flick her wand casting a small privacy ward around them so that neither Madam Pince nor other noises could interrupt them.

Harry looked at her and asked “So, are there any ideas that you’d like to work on or are you still in the beginning stages?”

Instead of saying anything, Daphne simply forwarded a piece of parchment towards her helper which surprised him even more because he was half expecting the girl to immediately break out of her ice princess persona when she finished with the privacy ward.

Harry shrugged his shoulders at that and took the parchment, maybe she wasn’t going to do it just yet? Well, it was good enough for him right? Right.

.

~~ Project Ideas~~

Portable Portraits

Gas Lamps

Owl Pathways

Movable Trunks

Portable Screens

Self replenishing Quills

Smaller Soundbox

Device for continuous supply of breathable air

Flying chair

.

Harry read the list and noted that a few ideas had been stricken from the list, which meant that they were either already done or she figured out that they couldn’t be done yet. He could’ve told her that he could help her make any of these ideas into reality, but in the end it was her choice, not his.

“So, these are the project ideas that we’re working with right? Which one do you want to work with? Tell me a bit about them so I could help you with which one would be more possible.” Harry told her and frowned when she didn’t move.

Instead she looked at him with a side-eye look and looked the other side with a small ‘hmph’.

Harry’s left eyebrow twitched as he looked at the girl who was adamantly looking away from him,”Greengrass?”

Another ‘Hmph’ came from the said girl who was still looking to the other side.

“What now? You don’t want to work on your project or something?” The boy asked her and saw her turn a bit as she gave a slow nod.

“I do, why else would I call you?” She muttered slowly before turning her head again.

Harry frowned at that, "Then why are you being s dramatic?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

While Daphne’s eyes narrowed as she turned and immediately punched the boy’s upper shoulder before wincing ‘ Where is that fat layer that’s supposed to be present? It felt like I punched a brick wall or something’

Still she continued verbally “Why did you come with her? Don’t you know that she’s after you?” Daphne asked and crossed her arms under her developing breasts as she puffed her cheeks and frowned.

‘ This look always worked against dad, he stll falls for it even though he’s seen it a million times on mom’s, mine and Tori’s face ’ Daphne thought and continued looking straight ahead.

“With who?” Harry was actually getting confused now? What did this girl want from him? At first she was angry, now she is asking weird questions.

“With…with that girl, who else.” Daphne muttered and nodded towards where Angelique was sitting and reading a book while making doe-eyes towards Harry crumbling Daphne’s resolve to not curse her.

“Beaufort? She lives near my room and was coincidentally coming towards Library, that’s why she accompanied me.” Harry shrugged.

“She lives near your room?” Daphne asked, completely shocked because this was news to her. She didn’t know there was someone else living on the fifth floor’s VIP corridor ‘ Well…technically, she’s a celebrity too… but wait, that means Ashley might be living near Harry too…Damn… ’

“Yeah and she was coming out of her room when I came out of mine, from there she accompanied me.” Harry told her before frowning as he realised that he was actually explaining himself but he had no idea why.

“So this was an accidental meeting?” Daphne asked him even though she knew quite well that it might be not so accidental as Angelique Beaufort might’ve known that Harry would be meeting ‘her’ in the library today.

“Yes, what else would it be?” Harry asked the girl who rapidly shook her head, her long blonde hair swaying a bit due to the rapid movement.

“Nothing nothing, all’s good Harry. How are you?” She asked with the biggest puppy dog eyes trying to look as innocent as possible but Harry was still suspicious of her.

“Why were you upset Greengrass?” The boy asked with narrowed eyes, making the girl beside him shrink a bit as she gave a nervous laugh and pushed a few hair strands behind her ear.

“Uh…err…nothing Harry, I was just worried that she might be after you and that she might be waiting for you and would try to force you into something you don’t want to do.” Daphne said nodding sagely before looking at the book in front of her and trying her level best to ignore Harry’s penetrating gaze.

“Greengrass..”

“I told you Harry, that’s what I was worried about, there’s nothing else.” She said before making a hurt expression as she kept her right hand on her breast where her heart was “Don’t you trust me Harry? Why Harry?”

“Greengrass…”

“What have I done wrong? Why are you so cruel to me Harry? Why do you-”

“Greengrass listen….”

“-hate me so much Harry? I didn't even disturb you today. No wait, does this meeting count as disturbing? I guess it does. But you were the one who-” She even faked a small sniff as she looked down.

“Greengrass will you listen to me?!”

“called this meeting, I thought you wanted to help me Harry, but I guess it wasn’t the same fore you, I guess I shouldn’t have forced you-EEEP!!” Daphne was shocked when Harry grabbed her elbows and turned her towards him.

“Try listening to what others say, it’s a good habit, try to inculcate it. I was saying that you’ve been reading the preface for the past fifteen minutes, which means you haven’t been reading anything. Now I am here and I’ll help you, so shut up and work on better things than reading the preface.”

And with that he turned to his own satchel from which he pulled his book and parchment completely ignoring the dumbfounded Daphne who had yet to blink.

Her mind had frozen the moment she registered the fact that Harry’s face was mere centimetres apart. Her cheeks were red and her mind was still in the moment where Harry was looking straight into her eyes.

“Are you going to work or not?” Harry asked the girl who was still looking at him with a small shocked expression on her face.

“Eh? What..Oh yeah! Work!”

And with that Daphne immediately turned and started writing from the book, her mind was still locked on that moment but she couldn’t let that one moment hold her from her work as well as many more moments like that, she was determined to make things happen and she won’t rest till she had accomplished both of her goals.

Harry for his part simply gave a tired sigh before muttering a small prayer to Merlin so that the old mage, wherever he was, could give the young one enough strength and patience to deal with the hyperactive blonde girl beside him for one whole year.

“Harry! Harry!! Here, I’ve saved a seat for you!”

Harry looked at his only friend who was also his former roommate waving excitedly as he patted a seat beside himself.

“So, what did I miss?” Harry asked the boy as he came in and took the seat beside the excited boy who was looking at the goblet of fire.

“Nothing much, the goblet is taking it’s time. I think it’s enjoying all the attention, maybe it’s been feeling lonely for all these years when it wasn’t ignited?” Blaise said with complete seriousness before laughing when he saw Harry’s I-hate-you-but-still-tolerating-you face ‘ Today’s 'Annoy Harry' quota...Check’

“So none of the champions have been announced?” Harry asked him, as he looked around at all the faces waiting with barely contained excitement and anticipation, there was a separate table with ‘NEWS’ written on it, several of the national and international journalists were sitting there.

“No, I had already summoned and told Dobby to call you before that could’ve happened. What were you doing anyways? You did know it was the night to announce champion names right?”

Harry shrugged as he cracked his knuckles “Waiting for it seemed weird, I decided to finish some work by the time it would spew out names. Hell if it wasn’t for you and Dobby, I wouldn’t have even be here right now.”

“You just work too much, you do need to rest and chill every now and then.” Blaise shook his head as he patted Harry’s head like a guardian pats a small child.

“Yeah well, I like my work and I already don’t get enough time as it is, also, I don't know why but I have a bad feeling about all of this.”

“Bad feeling? What do you-”

That was when the goblet of fire flared up and Dumbledore nodded, taking a step further towards the Goblet.

“Looks like the goblet has finally decided and is going to tell us the names of said champions. The champions will have to proceed to the antechamber next to the great hall after being selected.” Just as he had said it, the blue flames turned red and shot up a foot high before throwing a slip of paper.

Dumbledore deftly caught it and smiled “The Champion for Durmstrang is….ASHLEY PETROVIA!”

Hogwarts boomed with claps as everyone cheered for the famous duelist who stood up from her seat and thanked her peers before nodding towards Karakaroff who gave a toothy grin and congratulated Ashley as she moved towards the antechamber.

The cheers died down and the photographers sat while the reporters started writing furiously about the first champion that had been selected.

Soon enough, the flames turned red again and with another flare, threw another piece of parchment which was caught by Dumbledore who nodded his head as he read the name on it.

“The champion for Beauxbatons is…FLEUR DELACOUR!”

The cheers were a bit less this time but still, everyone was cheering for the beautiful french veela who stood up from her seat and floated towards the antechamber as her headmistress congratulated her.

Fleur smiled when she saw Harry give her a respectful nod while she completely ignored the girls who were crying at not being selected to represent Beauxbatons.

Slowly the cheers died down again and the entirety of Hogwarts sat with bated breath as everyone knew that it was time for their champion’s name to be announced by the goblet.

The goblet didn’t take long as it flared once more, bright red flames leapt up from the goblet as a piece of paper was spewed from it that was once again caught by Dumbledore, honestly it could’ve been any other professor but Dumbledore was standing closest to the Goblet.

“The Hogwarts champion is…CEDRIC DIGGORY!”

Again the Hogwarts great hall boomed with cheers for the said golden badger from Hufflepuff who blushed at all the attention he was receiving, he thanked his peers who were cheering the loudest before moving towards the antechamber to join his fellow champions.

It was a long cheer this time but slowly it died down as Dumbledore cleared his throat and placed his wand on his throat with an activated Sonorus .

“Yes-yes, I am sure we are all happy and excited for our champions and we want nothing more than to congratulate them as well as celebrate the night with them, but right now the judges need to talk to our champions and tell them-”

Dumbledore stopped as the flames in the goblet flared up again giving an angry red colour as a piece of parchment was thrown from the Goblet.

Yet again, it was Dumbledore who caught the half burned piece of parchment, he read the name on it and frowned before searching the crowd of students, his eyes landed on Harry and stopped there.

Harry’s eyes widened as he saw Dumbledore look at him with a frown on his face, he saw the aged headmaster open his mouth to announce the name and only one word crossed his mind.

‘ sh*t!!!! ’

Ending note- And there you have it fellas, third chapter of INNOVATOR. Do tell me if you like it or not, I am waiting.

Here's the link to my super private server on discord where I'll keep on updating new chapters, sneak peeks, Character designs, where you are free to talk and ask things regarding my fanfics:

Its a relatively newly launched server...

Beware: Lots of p*rn 😁😂

https://discord.gg/Gcbcv4dxGx

Name: 𝕯𝖊𝖛 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐'𝖘 𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊

It's a new fic so do tell me if you like the second chapter or not, I've quite a few things planned for it.

Only constructive criticism is also appreciated, no flames needed.

Thank you for reading and reviewing,

With Regards,

Dev Black

Chapter 4: Twisting Champions

Chapter Text

"I am Talking."

'I am Thinking'

Spells

"French"

Fame is a fickle friend Harry,

Celebrity is as celebrity does...

~Gilderoy Lockhart

(Character from HP Series)

INNOVATOR

-Dev Sagittarius Black

~~Chapter 4: Twisting Champions~~

.

"ALANDALE POTTER!" Dumbledore announced, shaking his head as he searched the great hall for the younger Potter boy who was currently sitting at the Gryffindor table with his two best friends.

Harry's eyes widened and he looked around for his younger brother who was currently sitting on the other side of the great hall among a sea of red and gold. At first he wondered if by chance Dumbledore had announced the wrong name because the headmaster was looking at him moments ago.

But then the innovator remembered all of the times when his younger brother had gotten himself into trouble due to either his own mistakes or those of his two best friends, all those year end mischief and what not came to the fore-front of his mind and he was quite surprised to note that Harry was the one who had to save the brat's ass every single time.

This time too, it seems Harry will have to be the one who will have to help his bratty little brother so that he could crawl out of this sticky mess he had somehow gotten himself in.

Alandale Potter stood up from his seat at the Gryffindor table, shock evident on his face when he noticed that every single person was looking at him with wide eyes, the teachers, students from other schools, people from ministry, the news reporters, in fact the entirety of Hogwarts was looking at him with eyes the size of saucers.

"Al-Alan?" Hermione called from beside him which shook the boy and brought him back to his senses, trying to measure the consequences of this moment and how much he'll have to suffer or how much he would be able to enjoy later.

"Mr Potter, proceed to the antechamber." Dumbledore's voice rang throughout the walls of the great hall crashing almost everyone's shock as they came to the same conclusion.

That an underaged boy was selected to be a champion, and he was now going to the antechamber where the rest of the champions will be told about the tournament.

Alan slowly moved towards the door that was beside the great hall and was leading towards the antechamber. He didn't even notice the jealousy, anger, and all the other negative emotions that were rolling off of everyone in the great hall.

Harry noted that there were three people that were really angry with the boy-who-lived right now.

First one, was none other than the Boy-who-lived's best mate who was right now glaring at his empty plate all the while clenching his fist. Harry was sure that the boy was probably going to pester Alan and that his little brother will have to give-up on one of his friends today.

The second person Harry saw absolutely glaring at the door was Gryffindor House's senior most Quidditch Player Angelina Johnson. Well, Harry could pity her, she had tried her level best for Gryffindor for all these years and this year she would've been declared the captain of the Quidditch team because the former captain passed out last year.

The opportunity was taken from her and all she got as a consolation was the triwizard tournament, in which she can't participate because she wasn't selected and yet a brat three years younger from her own house was going to become the champion no. Yes, not a good thing to happen at all.

Unsurprisingly, the third person that was really angry with the youngest Potter was none other than the Potions Master Severus Snape.

Well, he was always angry but Harry could almost hear the greasy professor's thoughts about the boy. It would most likely be going to be along the lines of 'You Potters are always a nuisance to be around' and 'You are arrogant, just like your father who didn't know what he was going to do'.

Ah well, Harry couldn't care less about what his younger brother went through. It would probably wake that brat up to the reality that nothing ever happened in this accursed world like one wished.

Alan would most likely die in the first few hours if he had to face the real world and that was being generous considering his intelligence and common sense or lack thereof.

The great hall broke into innumerous shouts once Alan had closed the door behind him. It started as a buzz and within moments evolved into the shouting match that the great hall was right now.

Every person was shouting, the students were blaming Alan, the teachers were worried for him. Dumbledore was busy answering Amelia Bones, Madam Maxime, and Karkaroff all at once.

The reporters were writing furiously for their newspapers while the politicians and students were fighting amongst themselves trying to find the correct method that could've fooled the goblet.

Most violent of them all were the sweet and caring Hufflepuffs. Professor Sprout was muttering curses that was making Professor Flitwick red as he had never heard such a colourful language from one of his sweetest colleagues. Hufflepuff house as one was of course cursing the Boy-who-lived.

"Harry?"

"Mhmm?"

"Are you going to do something?" Blaise asked his best friend who was sitting next to him and reading a small book on Arithmancy. He was sure that the guy was fully aware of everything that was going around, yet it was surprising that he wasn't saying a single thing to anyone and no ne was bothering him.

Well, no one bothering him was kind of a given thing. What with how he had treated everyone in their house and all the other houses as well as how Harry had treated his own brother.

Blaise knew that everyone was rather scared of Harry Potter now and were hesitant in bringing Harry's name along with his brother's. Especially since the time that Harry had made it completely clear that he was not at all on friendly terms with his brother.

"What do you mean? Should I do something?" Harry asked while reading the number theory of one of the most popular prime numbers, 1729, that was described by an Indian mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan and was now known as the Hardy-Ramanujan number.

"You have to do something regarding Alan, Harry. I mean I know that the boy isn't a good brother and that he might not appreciate your help. Still the boy is your brother, your blood. I mean, I know that you two don't talk with each other and that Alan needs to mind his manners and what not." Blaise was trying to find words that would help him in this situation.

Harry gave a small sigh and looked towards his Ravenclaw friend "Okay and what do you think I should do? Stand up for him? Make everyone believe that Alandale does not have enough brain cells to outwit the Goblet of Fire or remind them that they were stupid enough to completely ignore the boy's past year performances and were giving him way too much credit for something that he couldn't do even in his wildest dreams?"

Blaise was about to respond when another voice cut-in their conversation "Butyoucan, right?"

Both the boys turned to look at the seventh year Ravenclaw that was sitting just a few seats away from them "What did you say Davies?" Harry asked him and frowned at the boy who completely ignored the innovator's reaction and instead carried on with his explanation.

"I said that maybe you're right, that Alandale Potter is indeed dumb and could never put his name in the Goblet of Fire. But everyone knows that there is another Potter." Davis smirked as he looked at Harry, mistakenly taking the boy's frown to be that of confusion instead of anger.

"You, Harry Potter. And everyone knows that you are the sharpest tool in the shed. The genius Potter who could solve any problem and who invents new things every other month. I am damn sure that finding a way around Dumbledore's age line wouldn't even make you sweat." Everyone was listening to Davies which gave the boy a boost of confidence.

Harry was now openly glaring at the boy as he could clearly see what the boy was trying to do here. The Ravenclaw Quidditch captain was taking their own rivalry to new lengths by bringing his name in all of this hogwash.

It was indeed true that Harry could easily find his way around Dumbledore's stupid age limit. Hell he had already found about five solid ways through which the age limit could easily be breached and underage witches and wizards could put their names in the Goblet.

But that didn't mean that he was the one who did it or would ever do it for anyone much less his own brother that was more like a bloody fool in his eyes than a relative.

"Be careful Davies, I don't like the way you're saying this because it seems that you're intentionally implying something which I haven't and wouldn't do, for anyone." Harry said, looking at the boy and his friends.

"Why not Potter? Dumbledore announced that this tournament was closed because of its high death toll and the entirety of Hogwarts knows that you and your brother are not on good terms. What better way to get rid of your brother without eve-AACCHHHKK..URGGHLLGH!" Davies stopped his rant as something constricted his windpipe, there wasn't any physical contract but it was clear to anyone who was looking that there was indeed something that was choking the elder Ravenclaw that was forcing the boy to turn a sickly shade of red, which with time was slowly turning to purple.

"You can cry all you want Davies, you can cry to your friends who are spitting at you behind your back, your parents who want to disown you, your teachers who want to expel you. You can cry all you want to anyone who is unfortunate enough to listen to you." Harry said, pointing his wand towards the boy and pushing more magic in it.

"But never ever try to call me a kinslayer. If I ever hear you saying that I'd stoop so low as to kill my own brother through these uselessly stupid tactics that your addled brain came up with….I will make you pay for it and no one here will be able to save you. Mark my words." with that Harry released his hold on the boy's throat who immediately started taking huge gulps of fresh oxygen, his face also started to regain its original colour which was an ugly shade of purple just a few moments ago.

Everyone at the table was watching the interaction with saucer wide eyes, they knew that the elder Potter was always on the opposite end of his House's Quidditch captain but this? It wasn't natural.

This was barbaric, savage and idiotic. To threaten a boy two years his senior and was also commanding ten other members, this might not end well for any regular boy. But then, Harry wasn't a regular guy either.

"Ha-Harry Potter Sir?"

Everyone at the Ravenclaw table looked at the small squeaky voice that came behind Harry. There was a small elf dressed in a large pillowcase, wringing his hands together and watching Harry with fearful and nervous eyes.

"Yes?"

"Professo' Alby bes calling you in antechamber." The elf said looking towards the antechamber. Harry frowned at that, still he nodded and moved towards the antechamber after giving one last glare at the still gasping form of one Roger Davies.

Daphne looked at Harry's retreating back, the boy seemed quite angry and she didn't know why. She was sure that he was also the reason why everyone was surrounding the Davies boy and was looking fearfully towards Harry's retreating form.

She didn't know what her future husband had done and that's why she wanted to know. She had to know. Why? Well, duh. Because it was about 'her' Harry.

The ice queen looked towards her trusted comrade who blinked owlishly at her, "Try to get to your sources and find out what exactly happened at the Ravenclaw table to make him so angry."

Tracey opened her mouth in an 'O' as she understood before nodding her head furiously, "I'll get on it tonight, you'll know everything by tomorrow morning."

Daphne nodded her head and then looked towards the now extinguished Goblet of Fire. There were a few teachers on the table that were either discussing the events that had happened in the past fifteen minutes or were trying to calm the students.

Dumbledore, McGonagall, and other heads of house, along with the ministry employees had already gone to the antechamber, probably to figure out how in Merlin's name Alandale Potter's name came out of the Goblet as the Fourth Champion.

Though Daphne was pretty sure that right now, the 'responsible' adults in the antechamber were most probably bickering like children. She imagined Dumbledore running towards the younger Potter screaming 'ALAN! DID YOU PUT YOUR NAME IN THE GOBLET OF FIRE?!'

Funny thing was that the headmaster was usually calm and should or would ask this in a calm way, that's why imagining him like a ravaging old bull running towards an already scared boy was making her laugh. Like who in their right minds would ever do that, right? Right.

Daphne then looked towards the other corner of their house table and saw Draco Malfoy glaring at the door which led them to the antechamber. She could almost hear that guy's thoughts of 'How did Potter get his name in that Goblet?' or 'What will father say?'

Daphne was sure that Malfoy would most likely milk this opportunity to intensify his bullying of his self-proclaimed rival 'Well, it will be interesting to watch and at least this year won't be boring…'

Harry woke up the next day, only to find his friend in his living room, sleeping on the couch, one of his legs was on the floor, and he was having a sheet over him.

"Dobby?" There was a soft 'POP' as the elf stood beside Harry and greeted the boy as well as gave him a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.

"What is that lump doing over there?" Harry asked as he took a small sip.

Dobby looked towards the said lump and laughed a bit "Master Blaise came here last night when Master Potter was in his workroom, he was a wee bit worried for Master's health as Master Potter was quite angry last night. Dobby asked Master Blaise if he should call the great master Harry Potter but Master Blaise denied saying 'Right now, Harry needs to work to focus his anger and energy on something else'."

Harry nodded and told the elf to return back to his work before moving towards the sleeping form of his friend and flicking his forehead.

"Blaise. Wake up."

Blaise woke up with a groan and rubbed his eyes to remove the crust from his eyes as he looked around the room he was in before last night's memories crashed on him and he remembered what he had come to ask in the first place.

"What happened in that antechamber Harry? Why did they call you?" Blaise asked as he moved to the side of the couch so that Harry could sit on one end.

"Nothing much, Karakaroff had said something about this being a ploy of the Potter brothers to make their name. Dumbledore had denied it of course, because he knew I would never do something like this when I could've simply agreed when he was begging me to join the tournament."

"Wait! Professor Dumbledore wasbeggingyou to enter this tournament? Like legally?" Blaise asked, shock clearly etched on his face.

Harry just shrugged "Not outright groveling, but yeah, repeated requests, consider it as borderline begging." He said, taking a sip from the juice.

"Anyways, the gist is, I have to find out what happened with the goblet and if possible find the culprit, which I really don't want to as it will only increase my workload. While the brat will remain as the fourth champion and represent Hogwarts."

"WHAT?! That's preposterous! Why do you have to play the auror while that good for nothing braggart gets to enjoy all the benefits of being a champion?"

Harry smirked at Blaise's anger as he leaned back on the couch "I am the most capable person who could do it other than the headmaster and well he's kinda busy. Also, you really think that Potter junior will have 'fun'?"

Harry saw Blaise's confused expression and smirked "The students of Hogwarts are angry with him, I wouldn't be surprised if they started betting on how soon he'd lose or be killed, then add the fact that he's not really good with people other than his two friends and you've got the perfect atmosphere for torture, especially with Professor Sprout, didn't know she had a mean streak."

Blaise laughed at that before looking towards his best friend "Wait, are you okay with people betting on your brother's death?"

Harry thought for sometime before shrugging "I have always saved his ass because it's my duty to save it till I can. Doesn't mean I'll stop people from betting on stupid things, hell I might make some galleons myself with this betting thing going on." He said and the two boys laughed again.

"Well, you did save him every year when that brat somehow ended up in a sticky situation every time at year's-"

"Let's not talk about it, Zabini; you know I don't want to." Harry muttered as he finished his orange juice and got up from the couch "Now, off you go, we still have classes today."

Blaise nodded and left the VIP suite through the portrait hole.

"Master Greengrass Sir?"

Lord Greengrass looked up from the report he was reading, it was from one of his businesses that had been doing rather well lately. He was actually doing this as a side project, which was to help a certain young friend of his that was still studying in Hogwarts and was currently in his fifth year.

"Yes Maisy?"

"Maisy be bringing the book Masters asked, where should Maisy be keeping it?"

Lord Greengrass took the book from Maisy's thin hands and placed it on his desk. He knew he would read it after he had finished off this paper-work. The elf vanished with an almost silent 'POP'

Cygnus Greengrass still remembered the day he had first met the intriguing brother of the famed Boy-who-lived. Of course, back then he didn't know that the boy who was selling ice-cream was related to that pompous brat, but..well yeah.

Harry Potter had been a fairly interesting boy to meet, he was like someone who you could meet once, just once. And yet you'd want to meet him again and again and of course again.

The first time in Florean Fortesque's shop was an accidental meet-up, after that he had seen the boy working in most of the shops in Diagon Alley, doing everything from menial jobs like cleaning the shop with a mop to designing new things.

Cygnus knew that the boy would one day be a brilliant guy and he'd definitely be successful. One thing that he didn't know was the boy's last name, he had tried asking about him in the alley and none of the shopkeepers knew it. They just knew him as Harry or Little Harry.

Therefore, it was quite a surprise when his daughter wrote her first letter from Hogwarts detailing her trip and everything, but most of all, about Harry 'Potter', who happened to be the same boy that had served her ice-cream.

What was even more surprising was the fact that Harry Potter was not your everyday guy, he wasn't even a 'loser-with-nothing-but-his-name' like the boy-who-lived was spewing in the newspapers back then. Why?

Because as soon as Harry reached Hogwarts and got access to the Library, a bunch ofhelpfulteachers and a few older students who were actually ready to help him.

Well, the boy merged his practical experience from the Diagon and muggle world with his theoretical geniusness and started creating brilliant things.

The boy wasn't inventing new things, mostly what Harry Potter did was improving old things so well that people almost forgot about the previous version of said things and saw the utility of the improved versions really fast.

The things that the boy was bringing were well thought out and worked well with the Wizarding population's love for laziness. Some of the things he brought were quite useful for everyone like:

1. The Hundred Pocket Scholar's satchel.

2. The ever flame.

3. Self reading charm.

4. Infinity Quills, although he did introduce fountain pens after that. Still Infinity quills were appreciated a lot more.

A few things were more useable for specific population and were made with the fact that they were to be used only by the targeted population, like:

1. The Money cards for members of rich houses.

2. Cash Counters for shopkeepers.

3. Mail checks for aurors and most of the ministry workers.

But there were some things that he had created, which were used by a huge number of people and were almost considered revolutionary, they were:

mail boxes, used by almost everyone in the wizarding world that could buy them, were faster, more secure and more private for everyone who used them.

2. The fashion line called 'En-lightning' which was sponsored and released by Madam Malkins, it had completely changed the fashion sese of wizarding Britain and was considered to be a giant leap after hundred years.

Other than that there were a few small things that were created by Harry Potter that although famous, were just for fun and weren't that popular, the ice-cream that Lord Greengrass' daughters loved were among those things.

But every once in a while, there was something that could be considered a milestone discovery. Something that completely revolutionised everything throughout the whole goddamn world. Something that would almost topple the world economy and would force many brilliant minds to submission.

Something like the wheel, or fire, or Newton's Laws of Motion and Gravitation or Darwin's Theory of Evolution and survival of the fittest. These were discoveries that had changed the course of evolution and brought about wide scale change in the world.

Creation of these things could easily topple the statistical genius chart and place the creator at the top of all the magazines, newspapers, guids and almost every relevant place. Harry Potter had done that and that was the thing that had given him the title of 'Innovator: The most brilliant mind in half a millenia'

This was the thing for which Harry Potter and his 'agent' had knocked on Lord Cygnus Greengrass' door for the first time.

And boy was Cygnus happy that the boy had chosen him for such a lucrative deal. He had taken no time in reading the papers and signing the deal all those years ago in this very same study of Greengrass Manor.

Cygnus looked up at the wall behind his chair and smiled. There it was, a framed newspaper cutting which had the article regarding Harry Potter's 'Marvelous' invention on its front page.

!Harry Potter gives another boon to the Magical World!

~Avo Forger

Yes yes yes! My dear readers, you read that right. Harry Potter, the youngest inventor who, with his inventions has helped a wide range of population, has created one of the best life-giving potions that could restore your eye-sight.

Any person, who has spectacles, has poor eyesight or lost their eyesight due to any kind of disease or disorder can get their perfectly normal eyesight back with the help of this potion.

Not only that, the Potion even works on people who have almost lost their eyesight. Therefore, people who have lost their eyesight due to old-age or due to some magical illness like the Dragon pox.

There isn't any need for spectacles or monocles anymore and anyone with magical or mundane illness can get a completely perfect vision as long as they have their eyes and there isn't any severe damage to the eye.

Unfortunately, since Harry Potter is still in Hogwarts and isn't interested in giving a personal interview, we at the prophet contacted his agent and his prime benefactor to get more knowledge on this latest invention of our youngest 'Innovator'.

"I think this is one of the best things that has happened to Wizard-kind, after Quidditch and pranks of course (laughs). Jokes aside, I absolutely believe that this single invention of Harry's was what the healthcare system needed.

Everyone knows that eyes are one of the most important parts and the blessing of vision was, is and will be cherished by humanity till it ends. Therefore, to bring back vision, is like giving hope to someone who has completely lost it.

I am absolutely proud of my godson and really think that James and Lily, wherever they are, are proud of him too as well as give their full love and support to the brilliant kid. I just wish he was more out-going, I really want to spoil my godson and teach him that there are 'other' things (Most likely, pranks) to do besides studying and creating mind-boggling, world changing revolutionary artefacts."

Lord Sirius Orion Black

Lord of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Black

(Harry Potter's public agent)

"I am proud of the fact that I was able to help for such a noble cause. I mean, can you imagine the extent of its usage? All the aurors, hitwizards, potioneers and many others who have unfortunately lost their eyesight due to some accidental mishap.

This will be like a boon to everyone who has any kind of eye issue anywhere in the whole world. We have already started up with the production centers in almost all the Greengrass Potions factories around the world.

I am delighted to be part of this revolution and I urge my fellow members in Wizengamot as well as my fellow countrymen to accept this boon given to us by Harry Potter with open arms. Because this is all for the wellness of Britain."

Lord Cygnus Gerald Greengrass

Lord of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Greengrass

On asking a few more questions, both the Lords have confirmed that the live experiments on the fifteen wizards were actually successful with zero morbidity or mortality cases among them.

This is actually a boon for everyone and I for one, would urge my readers as well as citizens of Great Britain to be part of the journey and welcome these changes with open arms, for the world we knew is finally changing for the better under the guidance of a thirteen year old boy named 'Harry James Potter'.

The product has been released under the name: The Eye of Horus, its contents and procedure is currently a closely guarded secret though. The healers at Saint Mungos are being trained on how to apply this potion correctly to attain best results.

Surprisingly enough, there were still a few people who were not happy with Heir Potter's revolutionary innovation; they sent their comments via mail. We at Daily Prophet have completely ignored the mails because they are nothing more than false accusations and we pride ourselves in publishing only what's absolute truth, not baseless accusations and lies.

For more information on The Eye of Horus…. Pg: 4

For more information on Harry Potter and his innovations till date…. Pg: 5-6

For more information on the experiment that was done… Pg: 7

Lord Greengrass smiled at that article once more before picking up his Infinity Quill and started filling the paper-work while dreaming about the times he'd be able to share another Harry Potter discovery with the world.

Afterall, it was indeed a profitable venture for him and his family to support the Potter heir in successfully starting 'Potter Industries'.

Harry was returning from his Arithmancy class alongside Blaise when he saw some form of commotion near the school yard.

"A moment please." Harry said to Blaise as he moved towards the open yard and saw a guy giving other Hogwarts students a few badges. He moved towards the boy and looked at the badge with a small frown.

"What's this Smith?"

The blonde puff, looked towards the stoic boy and pushed a badge in the boy's open hand "Here Potter, put this on your uniform, Malfoy has been giving these for free, there are a few more badges before the box is emptied."

Harry looked at the yellow coloured badge with Diggory's face on it saying 'Support Cedric Diggory - The real Hogwarts Champion' "No one is wearing it though."

Smith nodded as he gave another one the same badge. "Well, we are going to support Cedric by wearing this together tomorrow. Also-" Smith pointed his wand at the badge in Harry's hand and flicked it.

Harry saw the colours in the badge swirl before becoming an ugly shade of green, Alandale's face was on the badge and the words had changed from 'Support Cedric Diggory- The Real Hogwarts Champion' to 'Potter Stinks'

"This is a hidden part that will be displayed once everyone wears their badges, don't tell it to anyone yet. This is done to show that we are standing against Potter and we don't support the cheater." Smith then flicked his wand again and returned to distributing the badges.

The bonde hufflepuff completely missed how the Potter heir's eyes had darkened when he read the two words 'Potter Stinks'. Still, Harry gave a small grin as he pushed the badge in his outer robe pocket and returned to the point where Blaise was waiting for him.

"Harry, what was all that about?"

"Nothing, let's go, just don't take the 'Support Cedric Diggory' badges that are being offered by Malfoy and his gang of like minded cheap toads."

Harry had said this with complete seriousness and was confused when his friend started laughing even though the boy was nodding his head in agreement, what made it even more funnier for Blaise was the fact that the genius boy wasn't even trying to be funny here.

Rest of the day was like usual and soon enough it was time to retire to their dorms. Harry chose this time to return to his own room that had been cleaned by his faithful elf.

The boy then closed the door behind him and moved towards his work table. He cleared it all with a simple wave of his wand before placing the badge on it.

The badge was still Yellow with Diggory's face on it and 'Support Cedric Diggory' written on it.

Harry didn't have a problem with that, hell he didn't support any champion but if it was ever asked from him then he'd definitely choose the stronger contestant.

And when you have a dumb, pompous, arrogant, barely passing fourth year boy with below average scores and absolutely no talent except being good at Quidditch and getting above average marks in DADA Practicals on one hand.

While a hardworking seventh year student with six Os in OWLs and was one of the top three in his batch as well as being exceptional at Quidditch and ECAs.

Well, the choice was obvious wasn't it?

This was what had troubled Harry the most. He had to praise Malfoy for coming up with such a brilliant charm. But the problem was not with the charm. Problem was with the words.

Harry snapped his fingers as he pushed a bit of his magic in the badge and it did the same thing again. The colours swirled a bit before turning an ugly shade of green with the youngest Potter's face on it along with the words 'Potter Stinks' over it.

This was the problem. Malfoy, in a bout of genius-ness, found a way to bully hisrival, what the blonde haired peaco*ck forgot was the fact that instead of using Alandle Potter's complete name, he had used just the Surname.

Which also happened to be the surname of a certain fifth year Innovator as well as the name of a family that was almost two thousand years old.

A family that had brave soldiers, artisans, warlocks, craftsmen, Mages and of course businessmen. A family that had been one of the founding families of Great Britain and had been modelling the nation, supporting it in war times, going as far as to reduce their numbers to a mere two, both of which were teenage students and one was a complete failure.

Harry wasn't angry at Malfoy, no angry was a small word to depict the wide range of emotions that he was feeling in regards to the blonde brat. The boy had, in a bout of petty rivalry, defamed one of the Most Ancient and Most Noble houses of the world.

Malfoy had straightaway spat on Harry's ancestors as well as the boy with just this small prank. And this was not something to be taken lightly. Harry knew that if it was done by someone who was legally an adult in the eyes of law then he would have simply sued the person and their family.

But considering the fact that the current minister for magic was basically a Malfoy family puppet as well as the fact that this will be discarded as a harmless prank, Harry knew that the law method would simply end up being too time consuming and useless in the long run.

Therefore Harry decided to counterfire this childishprankwith a prank of his own. He knew that he could simply grab the boy and beat him to a pulp. He had done that before and had made it completely clear to that brat, that he was heads and shoulders above Malfoy and that whatever the brat did could never in seven hells harm him in any way whatsoever.

But, right now he was feeling a bit more vindictive. He needed to do something that would remind the boy who he was targeting, even if it was accidental. Something that would tell the boy his blunder everytime he thought about doing something idiotic again.

Harry pulled out his rune carving kit and set to work on that badge. It was time to teach a certain brat some good lessons.

Ending Note:And there you have it fellas, fourth chapter of INNOVATOR. Do tell me if you like it or not, I am waiting.

Here's thelink to my super private serveron discord where I'll keep on updating new chapters, sneak peeks, Character designs, where you are free to talk and ask things regarding my fanfics:

Its a relatively newly launched server...

Beware: Lots of NSFW stuff (Yeah p*rn 😁😂)

https://discord.gg/Gcbcv4dxGx
Name: 𝕯𝖊𝖛 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐'𝖘 𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊

It's a new fic so do tell me if you like the fourth chapter or not, I've quite a few things planned for it. Constructive criticism is also appreciated, flames aren't.

Thank you for reading and reviewing,

With Regards

Dev Black

Chapter 5: Payback

Chapter Text

Author Out!

"I am Talking."

'I am Thinking'

"French."

Spells

Revenge is sweet and not fattening.

~Alfred Hitchco*ck

Innovator

-Dev Sagittarius Black

~~Chapter 5: Payback~~

.

The day started out as normal as anyone could expect it to be. It was almost the weekend and the students who were thirteen or older were happy that next weekend they would finally be able to leave the castle and enjoy a day in Hogsmeade.

Harry Potter, the resident Innovator of Britain was currently giving final touches to the badge that he had procured from one of his classmates yesterday, he was impressed with the runic circuit that was in the badge and it was definitely not the work of some random guy who was in fourth year.

Harry's money was on the fact that Draco Malfoy had probably paid a seventh year to do this for him.

But there was no puzzle in this world that Harry couldn't crack with a bit of sharp wit and a lot of intellect. Therefore Harry had worked on the badge for quite some time and changed a few things. Unfortunately whoever had built the thing, had kept the master control of the circuit to themselves.

Therefore, an easy solution was to add an extra one in his badge, the extra one was made by Harry and only he could turn it off. Finally cleaning it up Harry gave a last flick to the badge and gave a small smile of satisfaction when the colours swirled this time.

"'arry, are you going to wear that badge too?"

Harry turned towards the female companion he had somehow acquired for today's breakfast and nodded his head in agreement.

"It's already there, just I've decided to disillusion it till it's the right time." Harry told her as he grabbed her hand and made her feel the outer edges of the badge.

Fleur nodded in understanding, "It's always good to support your school champion, I would have loved it if people from Beauxbatons supported me the same way." There was an underlining of wistfulness in her tone.

"Oh trust me, you wouldn't want your people to support youthisway. The person who has launched this would rather die a hundred times than praise a puff. This is just his way of distributing the badges for another prank on my younger brother." Harry told her, confusing her even more.

"Just wait and watch, the badges weren't given for free just to support Diggory. Malfoy has something up his sleeves that he'll reveal only when everyone is in attendance."

"And you know about that already? I didn't know you were buddy-buddy with Malfoy of all people."

Harry immediately looked behind him and saw Blaise standing, his face just a few inches away from Harry's, scaring the green eyed boy a bit.

"Since when have you been standing here?!" Harry asked the Italian heir who gave a small shrug and took a seat beside him, "Just arrived, decided to surprise you, how was it?" Blaise grinned and started piling his plate "Oh and hello Fleur."

That was another thing that Harry noted. Blaise was this close to Fleur and he wasn't a stuttering-drooling mess. There was definitely something off with his only companion and Harry knew that he'd definitely ask about it later.

"Your surprise was so good that if you do something like that again, I'll blast your brain out the back of your skull." Harry told the guy calmly before continuing with his breakfast.

This was when Harry saw Alandale enter the great hall and pause at what he was seeing. The entirety of Hogwarts, almost everyone was wearing a yellow colored badge that said 'Support Cedric Diggory'

Alan looked towards his house table where his own housemates were sitting along with his two best friends, they too were wearing the badges. The boy-who-lived sniffed in their direction 'What a good example of a family who supports their own' he was about to move out and eat in the kitchen when someone called his name from behind.

Alan turned only to stop and glare at his enemy "Malfoy."

"How are you Potter? I hope you like the new accessories my father decided to give to all the students, you know, to support our champion." Malfoy told him and laughed with his merry gang of misfits, knowing full well that the entirety of Hogwarts, including the staff, was watching them.

Harry was watching the scene unfold from afar. He knew that Malfoy was probably taunting the youngest champion right now and knowing his brother's brash behaviour, Harry was sure that the guy would fall for it hook, line, and sinker.

But that was alright with Harry. Malfoy could do anything he wished to his brother and Harry couldn't care less, as long as his brother wasn't in 'mortal danger' and Harry's powers as heir apparent of the houses remained dormant. It only activated when his brother was gravely wounded and might die.

That's how Harry had seen it for the last three years anyways. After Harry had taken the heirship of Houses Potter and Peverell, something which had not been easily digested by the boy-who-lived and his caretaker, Harry had saved the ungrateful brat's whiny ass seven times already.

At first Harry had been confused, he had been going to the Ravenclaws dorms when the troll had been announced but for some reason this ring was pulling him in the opposite direction. He traced it only to find that the focus point was a girl's bathroom where his brother and his friend were engaging the troll in combat.

After that, Harry had taken the heir's guide from his agent and Godfather - Sirius Black, as he was the only person Harry could've gone to regarding such things. That's when his godfather had taught him one major rule known as 'The Bond of Life'.

It was a really simple thing, if there was any member of a house who is in mortal danger from an enemy, their family magic would immediately notify the head of house, going as far as to give out the location if the magic is traced properly.

Now since there was no Potter or Peverell head of house, it was the heir apparent who got the pings.

Which was a headache considering the fact that his brother got stuck into weirdest situations that one could imagine and Harry had then been forced to help his brother.

Why not let that ungrateful brat die? Well, the problem was Harry wasn't the head of houses Potter and Peverell, which means he didn't have the power to kick the brat out of the houses. It also meant that he didn't have complete control over the family magic which literallyforcedhim to reach the location the pings were coming from and then he had to save his brother.

Later on, Sirius had revealed that since the number of members in the family was less than five, the family magic was doing its best to keep all of its members alive and safe so that the family could one day grow along with the strength of the family magic.

There was a reason that even after all that in-breeding The Blacks were once the most powerful family in England. After all, they were the largest and oldest active wizarding family.

Harry watched as Draco took his wand out and noticed that the professors who were early were still not doing anything, they were clearly angry at Alan but this was just ignoring their duties.

Malfoy then placed his wand on the badge and sent a pulse of his magic in it which activated the hidden thing.

Immediately, every badge throughout the great hall began swirling the colours. The swirling stopped as soon as it had started but now the badge was green instead of yellow.

And the words weren't 'Support- Cedric Diggory' they were 'Potter Stinks' with Alan's face on them.

No one except a few knew about this hidden feature of the badge, therefore the reaction took a few seconds, but it did come. The Slytherins and Puffs started laughing out loud along with half of Gryffindors and a majority of Claws.

The professors didn't know what to do, but they were sure that the noise from the great hall would soon bring more students and professors, so they started to try their level best in calming the students.

"Harry, did you know about this?" Blaise asked him when he saw Harry pointing his wand towards the disillusioned badge he was wearing, assuming that his friend was about to remove the disillusionment now.

"Yeah, I did. But there's one more thing that's about to happen… now." with that Harry sent a pulse of magic through his badge which activated the additional rune circuit that Harry had made and merged with his badge.

Draco was laughing at his nemesis' enraged face, his face was almost as red as his hair and Draco was having the time of his life doing this in front of everything. But just as Alandale Potter pulled out his wand, something else happened.

The swirling green colour on his badge was the first change that he noticed. Draco didn't know what was happening because this was not in the previous tests that he had conducted with Warrington's help, the person who had built the circuit in the first place.

The colours swirled and now the badge showed seven different colours in a swirl, the words ...Draco paused at that, the words weren't 'Potter Stinks', no the words were 'Daddy's little mess' and Draco's crying face was there in place of Alandale's. Oddly enough it was a baby Draco with soiled nappies.

Entire hall paused at this new change and was surprised that after Draco's badge, all the other badges changed and a similar thing formed on it.

"POTTER! WHAT IS THIS NONSENSE!" Draco screams as he looks at the badge that was still showing his crying face.

"I don't know Malfoy, these are your badges after all." Alandale gasped out amid the laughs. This was getting funnier every time he looked at the bright rainbow coloured badges around him.

Harry then removed the disillusion from his badge and proudly showed it off to others. Almost immediately the great hall was again booming with laughter, there was no one, not a single person who wasn't laughing right now.

Draco pointed his wand and pushed another small pulse of magic in the badge, trying to revert it. But the problem was that instead of reverting back to either of its previous messages, the badge gave out a loud wail. As if the baby Draco in it was crying out loud.

And immediately all the other badges followed it and started wailing. The great hall by this moment was a cacophony of different noises like, the laughter from the residents, the wailing from the badges, the professors shouting to maintain order in the hall.

"Harry, tell me you did this." Blaise begged as he held his stomach, tears of laughter were pooling in his eyes as he was banging the table hard.

"Who do you think could have done this? I don't know what you're talking about, I am too busy with my projects to care about such childish pranks." Harry was also laughing at all the mess but his eyes widened when Blaise turned towards him and jumped on him to hug him.

"THANK YOU HARRY! YOU ARE THE-"

"GET OFF ME YOU-"

"-BEST PERSON I HAVE EVER-"

"-MORON! I'LL KILL YOU, YOU STUPID-"

"-MET! THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST PRANKS-"

"-DUNDERHEADED IDIOT! GET OFF ME THIS INSTANT!"

"-IN THE HISTORY OF HOGWARTS!"

Blaise was hugging Harry, hanging on as tightly as he could, while Harry was pushing the boy as far away from as he could, that wasn't much considering that they were sitting and there wasn't much space on the bench.

Fleur ended up just laughing at all this havoc and watching the two boys.

"Ah, so that's why you didn't like Hogwarts at first." Cho Chang was sitting near the black lake, beneath the large oak tree with her new friend Fleur Delacour.

Fleur's friendship had been accidental, they had been sharing meals together for a few days and engaged in small conversations. Cho noticed that surprisingly enough such a wonderful girl didn't have any friends therefore, the asian girl made up her mind to befriend the French Triwizard Champion.

"Oui, but oo said I like 'ogwarts now?" Fleur asked the Ravenclaw with a frown on her face.

"Well, you might not like it before, but now you like Harry right? And he's from Hogwarts. I'm sure you will start liking Hogwarts more once you start spending more time with him." Cho said before sitting up straight.

"Tell me Fleur, how did Harry propose to you? I'm actually surprised he did something like that, I always thought that the guy was too much of a taskmaster and didn't want anything to do with relationships of any kind."

Fleur started laughing at Cho's question before shaking her head in denial when Cho got a confused frown on her face.

"I am not een relationsheep with 'arry. I just knew 'im from one of ze balls zat was conducted by the Ministere de la Magie, or ou Ministry and we became friends zat day, I've even exchanged a few letters wiz 'im over the months." Fleur told Cho who nodded in understanding before giving out a small sigh.

"If only the boy was as receptive to the female population as the public is to his innovations, he could have easily built a harem of witches by now, you wouldn't believe the number of posters I have seen in Quidditch lockers and Dorm rooms with him as the model and the number of propositions and marriage proposals he has rejected to date… 'in the name work'."

Cho told her and was surprised when her small wrist watch gave a chime with the words 'Starting in ten minutes' written on it. Fleur saw that too and asked her what's starting in ten minutes while the Ravenclaw girl started standing up and dusting her skirt.

"My extra potions class." Cho told her with a small mischievous smile on her face, knowing full well what Fleur would ask next.

"I thought your potions professor wasn't that happy with regular classes, I am actually impressed that he's giving extra Potions lessons." Fleur told the girl, making her laugh out loud.

"No Miss Delacour, you're wrong. This extra potions class isn't conducted by Professor Snape. It's conducted by Professor Potter."

"Professor…Potter? What do you-"

"Let's walk, I'll explain it to you on the way, I need to get to the lessons too, you know." Cho said, forwarding her hand towards Fleur who took it and together they started moving towards the Ravenclaw Common room.

"In our second year, there was a time when our then defence professor, Professor Quirinus Quirrell was injured due to some circ*mstances and Professor Snape ended up substituting for him for a week." Cho started explaining.

"But since the professor felt he was being overworked, he gave all of us a really hard project to finish in one week, which would give him ample time to focus on Defence." She told the veela as they crossed a few students loitering near the entrance hall of Hogwarts.

"Well, there was a small argument between Harry's friend Blaise and another boy in our year regarding a few ingredients in the potion."

"Blaise was going with Harry's logic and the boy was adamantly bent on throwing the book writer's logic in the argument, soon enough the argument escalated and the entirety of our house was involved in it, some taking Blaise's side while the others took the other boy's side." Cho said as they crossed the first floor staircase.

"It was a new project so our seniors were also confused and they had their own potions project works to focus on. In the end we called Harry and insisted he take up the debate platform in our common room and explain his logic to us."

"You have a debate platform in your common room?" Fleur asked her, completely surprised that they had something like this."

Cho gave a proud smile and nodded as she continued the story, "Well, Harry's logic was far superior and that was clear once he had explained it. It was then that Roger Davies, who was in fourth year at that time, challenged Harry's logic, and if you'll excuse my language, he got his ass handed to him by our Harry."

"Roger got pissed off at that and started throwing off Potions, Charms and other spells from the fourth year curriculum. Hoping that this would discourage Harry, we were outraged at that and were about to start another fight when Harry surprised us all by answering all of Davies' questions in a way better than that of the professors, after that the house begged him to teach a weekly class where he solved their doubts and that's how-"

"I became Professor Potter. Isn't that right Cho?"

Cho stopped and the duo turned, only to find Harry standing behind them with a raised eyebrow. She blushed knowing full well that Harry didn't like anyone talking about him like this.

"Hello 'arry!" Fleur greeted him while Harry dipped his head in greeting before focusing his attention on his rosy red housemate.

"Err..Hello Harry, how are you?"

"Don't you 'How are you' me, Cho." He said with narrowed eyes making the girl flinch a bit before she straightened her shoulders and looked in eyes "Yeah well, Fleur was curious so I told that story. It's not like I was talking bad about you or spreading rumors."

Harry just narrowed his eyes to slits making the girl take a step back. She didn't want to risk the boy's infamous wrath. It was one of the foremost rules in Hogwarts that was taught not only to the Ravenclaws but to all the first years of all the houses.

The only person who was still dumb enough to not understand it was Roger Davies who had made it his life's mission to humiliate Harry any way he could. To date he had been unsuccessful at every point, yet he was still trying to come up with new ideas.

As for Harry, he couldn't care less.

The trio entered the common room, Fleur was a bit hesitant at first, a common room is something that is personal to a house and she was not a student from Ravenclaw house… heck she wasn't even a student from this school.

But Harry had just shrugged his shoulders saying that all are welcomed and with that Fleur had entered the sacred room of the intelligent and witty for a lecture from Professor Potter.

"Late again…"

Daphne Greengrass, fifteen year old fifth year student of Hogwarts, was currently sitting in one of the many corners in the school's library. She had occupied one of the empty tables, there were books and parchments around her on the table.

She was now waiting while looking at her watch, waiting for her crus…future husba…err, friend? Yeah, she was waiting for her wayward friend who was supposed to arrive about forty-five minutes ago to help her with the side project.

But this was the third time this week when he hadn't shown up on time and she had ended up waiting for him, and this time she was pissed enough to do something which she had wanted to do for a long time.

…Actually, she had the perfect excuse to do it now.

"Let's do it Daphne, at best he'll try to say no. But I am sure you can make him agree to it." with that little personal pep talk, she stood up and started walking towards the innovator's room on the fifth floor.

"Master Potter Sir?"

Green eyes looked up from the tome they had been fixed on for the past two hours, it was a potion tome that he had requested from his guild and the last date to return the book was tomorrow, which was why he was busy trying to find the answers to his year long project.

"Yes Dobby?" Harry asked the hyperactive elf who was hesitating, his master had specifically told him to only rouse him when there was something serious. At first he wasn't going to disturb his master, but somehow the Slytherin girl convinced him that this was way more important.

"Th-There's a missy waiting for master Potter." He bobbed his head before looking at Harry with his saucer wide eyes.

"And that was so important that you disturbed me even when I told you not to?" Harry asked the elf who nodded his head "Yes Master, she says it's really urgent and master will be free soon, that she won't take much time."

Harry sighed a bit, he didn't know who it was this time but it seems it was urgent work, "If they're a professor then welcome them inside and if they're a student then keep them out. I'll be there in a few minutes."

Harry was about to go back to his reading when he noticed that the elf was hesitating a bit.

"What is it Dobby? Did you do something you shouldn't have?" The innovator asked his elf with narrowed eyes and got a nervous smile in return that didn't relax his mind one bit.

"Do-Dobby might've been con-convinced by that missy. Missy saying that it'll be easier and faster so less time consuming if she met you inside your suite…so.."

"..."

"Mas..Master?"

"Run Dobby."

"Yes Master."

Popwith that Dobby vanished to do what he was doing while Harry jumped out of his work table and ran towards the living room where there was a girl waiting for him, and he had no idea who it was and what they might take away from him.

"Greengrass."

Daphne turned her head from the huge blackboard that was standing in a corner, there were too many weird equations written on it. She was able to understand a few equations and runes that were there on the board, like the equation of magical equality and the small runes like sowilo, but other than that it was all gibberish to her.

No wonder her Harry was so smart, he was in fifth year and still he was heads and shoulders above their classmates. Hell she was sure her beloved was way above seventh years too, he was in guilds after all and the youngest person to be invited to a guild.

"Hey Harry!" She gave a huge grin and started walking towards him, stopping just a few feet away with raised arms and closed eyes, as if she was going to hug someone.

After a few seconds, she opened one eye and looked at Harry who was now standing a few feet away from her, hands folded over his chest and a confused frown on his face as if asking her 'What are you doing?'

Daphne blushed a bit as she opened her other eye and let her arms drop down by her side, "You were supposed to come close and hug me." She muttered, as if that might explain her weirdness…

"And…why would I do that?"

…instead it confused him even more.

"Well…because that's what couples do." Daphne said pouting before turning towards the couch "It's obvious that out of all these tomes you have here, none are romance novels. A pity really." She tutted as she took her seat on the couch.

That broke Harry out of his confusion and he went ahead to stand in front of her "Why are you here Greengrass." He focused on more important matters and kept the useless ones like 'hugs' and 'romance novels' to the side.

"Hmm? Ah that….yeah wait." She stood up and it was then that she noted, she was three inches shorter than her Harry 'Perfect height for kissing you…' she thought with a small amount of giddiness.

Placing her hand on her waist like she had seen her mother do with her father, she pointed her finger towards Harry and tried to glare at him "You have forgotten another visit! It was third time this week!"

Harry just looked at her wordlessly.

"I am holding up my end of our deal here but you aren't. You promised me, one houreveryday yet you've missed it thrice this week." Daphne was waving her fingers at Harry who was just looking at her.

He had indeed forgotten the meet-up as he had been a tad bit busy with the project and the book he had been issued for the week. At first Daphne hadn't complained so he had assumed that she might've found something else to do while he was busy. It seems like he was wrong.

"It's been two weeks Harry and even though I have selected a few projects I need your help, either you come there or.."

"Or?"

Daphne blushed a bit "O-Or….I am willing to spend some alone time here with you, that way you will be free to do whatever you want and I-"

"No. Not allowed." Harry shook his head in denial, as his brain immediately supplied images that Daphne might do if they were alone in any room, let alone his own.

Daphne gave a small pout complete with puppy dog eyes but dropped it when she saw that Harry wasn't budging on the topic. Well, she was here for some other reason anyways, speaking of which.

"So, what do you have to say for your bouts of tardiness?" She asked him.

"I'll try to be more punctual and come daily from now on, now can you leave?"

Harry was surprised when she shook her head in denial and pointed a dainty finger in his direction "That's in the future, what about your crimes in the past?"

"Crimes? I didn't commi–"

"Yes! Crimes! You didn't hold your end of the deal thrice, made me waste three hours of my day just waiting for you. I kept on waiting, looking towards the library door whenever someone came. You don't understand how much have I-"

"Alright alright, stop being dramatic, what do you want, I have to go to that detention I got for 'choking Davies to death' soon and I don't have much time." Harry told her tiredly.

The smile which Daphne gave him was something that would send chills down Harry's neck whenever he thought about it from then on. This was the smile of a cat who got the juiciest of the canaries and was proud of that fact, only a hundred times more frightening.

'Why do I feel like I made a mistake?' Harry thought before looking towards his closed window 'And is it just me or is it suddenly colder in here?'

Closing the door behind her Daphne gave a proud smile before shrugging off the invisible soot off of her shoulders, she was proud of what she had done? Of course she was. Will she do it again? Hell yeah!

And with that she gave a self satisfactory smile before humming a tune to herself as she traversed the empty corridor skipping with excitement, she'd later thank her lucky stars that no one saw the skipping-humming and smiling side of 'The Ice Queen' of Hogwarts.

Harry for his part was still confused as to why he had agreed tothat. But…'Ugh….Damnit! let's see how it goes' he physically shook his head to get those thoughts out of his head and went back to his tome, he'll think about this later.

Alandale Potter was leaving the quidditch locker room, he still had no idea why everyone was angry with him. He had tried to explain it to anyone who could listen that it wasn't him who put his name in the Goblet of Fire, but for some reason no one believed him.

Even worse was the fact that his best friends Ron and Hermione weren't believing him and he didn't like that, not at all. They had been through thick and thin together, they should understand that he would never lie to them, not even in his dreams.

During the first four-five days he was sad and had tried to talk with them, but they had completely ignored him, going as far as to badmouth him behind his back. After that Alan had decided that he wouldn't go after them anymore.

Alan was sure that they would come back once he wins this tournament and becomes the triwizard champion. And everything will go back to normal after that, he might end up having a few more fans but that's good right? Right.

There haven't been any new stories and he hadn't been in the papers after his first year when he had joined Hogwarts 'Oh, I will love to show those newspapers to Mr I-am-better-than-you Potter, then we'll see who has more fans'

That's why Alan was now completely alone, the teachers didn't believe him, the students hated him, the other schools looked at him as if he was nothing but garbage and his family- Harry and Sirius hadn't talked to him in years.

So, he usually spent his time in the kitchen or in the Gryffindor dorms. The only good thing out of all this was that he could skip classes so he didn't have to deal with any of the professors, especially Snape and Sprout, who was proving that she could be worse than Snape if she wanted to.

The only other thing that he did to pass his time was either sign the fan letters that he got from his fans around the world or play quidditch- the game of gods, in his opinion at least.

That's what he had been doing lately, one might wonder why he wasn't training for the triwizard tournament. Well, there was a reason that the tournament was being conducted under Dumbledore's authority.

Alan was sure that the headmaster won't let them undergo any harmful tasks and even if others will have to do it, he was sure that either his luck or the headmaster himself would intervene before anything drastic could happen. That's why he was chilling more than usual, considering he didn't have to worry about classes anymore.

"Alandale?"

Alandale turned to look at the person who had called him, his eyes widened when he recognised them.

"YOU!"

Harry was writing in his notes, his complete attention was on said notes, he didn't have much time as he needed to finish up reading fifty more pages before he could take a break and try to comprehend-

'PING!'

The small buzz on his right hand spoiled the sentence he was writing, he ignored it and was about to write again when his finger started buzzing again. Harry stopped writing and ordered his family magic to reveal the heir's ring that was present on his index finger of the right hand.

The ruby red Potter heir ring materialised, making him groan. It wasn't the ring that made him groan though. No, it was the red glow that was coming from the ring and the continuous series of mental pings that told him what had happened.

"Brilliant! What new mess have you gotten yourself stuck in this time Alan?" Harry says as he starts moving towards the main door of his suite and traces the magic which will ultimately lead him to Alan's current location.

"Hopefully you're not in one of your end-of-the-year messes already."

Ending Note: And there you have it fellas, fifth chapter of INNOVATOR. Do tell me if you like it or not, I am waiting.

Here's thelink to my super private server on discord where I'll keep on updating new chapter's sneak peeks, Character designs, where you are free to talk and ask things regarding my fanfics, as I am most active there:

Its a relatively newly launched server...Beware: Lots of NSFW stuff (Yeah p*rn 😁😂)

https://discord.gg/Gcbcv4dxGx
Name: 𝕯𝖊𝖛 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐'𝖘 𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊

It's a new fic so do tell me if you like the fifth chapter or not, I've quite a few things planned for it. Constructive criticism is appreciated, flames aren't.

Thank you for reading and reviewing,

With Regards

Dev Black

Chapter 6: Hogsmeade

Chapter Text

Author Out!

"I am Talking."

'I am Thinking'

"French."

Spells

Revenge is best served cold.

~Eugene Sue

Innovator

-Dev Sagittarius Black

~~Chapter 6: Hogsmeade~~

.

"Hey look, it's Harry!"

"Where is he going though? He seems to be in a hurry to go somewhere."

"Who knows? I wouldn't want him to come after me with that look on his face."

Harry ignored all of these murmurs that were going on around him as he followed his brother's bond through the heir ring. He didn't know what was going on but one thing was sure, his brother was fatally wounded because the pings were getting stronger and out of control.

Running out of the giant wooden doors of Hogwarts, Harry rushed out towards the black lake and was actually surprised when the 'pull' took him in front of the whomping willow.

"The Shrieking Shack." Harry says as he starts walking towards the magical tree, pulling his wand out, the innovator pushes his magic through the wooden knot on the tree's trunk which stops the movement of its black leafless branches.

Harry then looks at the roots of the tree and thinks about all the situations that his brother might have ended up in to be able to get to the Shrieking shack of all places. He still remembered the first time Sirius had taken him and Alandale and told him how to access, enter and exit the shrieking shack and the history behind its name.

Both Harry and Alan had decided that day itself to never enter the Shack unless actually important. 'And since you are here Alandale, this means that sh*t is really serious' Harry takes a deep breath before lighting his wand with a smallLumosand sliding down the rock and soil pathway so that he could enter the Shack's secret room that was built for his dead uncle.

"I am sorry Alandale, but your life is something that only my master can take. I am here only for your blood."

Brown eyes gleamed in the dim light of the setting sun rays that were entering the room through the broken window and a silver blade shone before it sunk in the smooth flesh of the aforementioned Potter boy's upper arm and fresh warm dark red blood oozed out from the newly created wound.

Peter Pettigrew smiled in satisfaction at the clean cut that he had made on his target's arm. He was proud of the fact that his master had chosen him for this mission and not the dumb witch who was currently pampering him.

Although he was pretty sure that he was chosen because that dumb witch might've killed the boy rather than just take a vial of blood as was ordered by their master. Peter was still proud of the fact that he was about to finish the mission so easily, he was sure his master would grant him promotion in his ranks.

'WHAAAAM!'

Pettigrew's eyes widened as he looked at the now broken door that was dangling from its hinges. Peter wasn't scared of the door, he was scared of the person who had broken that door.

Harry Potter was standing there, holding his wand and glaring at the form of Peter Pettigrew who was holding a small glass vial and a dagger, going to get some blood from the rather large wound on Alandale Potter's upper arm.

"Ha-Haarryy..Ho-How…aa-aree y-you?" Pettigrew stuttered as his memory supplied the incident that had happened three years ago in this same shrieking shack. The moment when Harry and Sirius had held him at their mercy.

That was the first time Wormtail had witnessed the terrifying powers which the boy held, he had fought two of the most feared death eaters alone while Sirius had fought a transformed Remus Lupin; it was a miracle that he had been able to escape and survive all these years on his own.

But seeing the same boy in the same place… it brought back the nightmares, the horrific moment in his life when Wormtail had lost all hope to live and was sure that it was his last day on earth.

"I don't care how you escaped last time, but miracles don't happen twice. You'll die this time!" Harry glared at the quivering rat before turning to his side "Expecto Patronum."

The boy watched as thick silvery-white vapour rapidly poured out from the end of his wand and started forming a shape, the long tail formed first followed closely by the limbs and the rosette filed body which took a feline shape. The last to form was the head and the patronus' fierce white eyes with dark pupils.

Harry looked at the representation of his soul and the majestic member of the feline family, the black panther glared back at its master before dipping its head in respect and standing alert for his orders.

While this was happening, Wormtail knew that his time was close. Last time he had been lucky to have Greyback and Dolohov with him along with a transformed Lupin who hadn't taken his potion. This time he was all alone and he was sure that he would not survive the Potter's wrath.

So, the rat focused on escaping the shack as soon as he finished his job, he pressed the wound on the unconscious boy-who-lived's arm and watched as blood started pouring in the vial. He pressed it tighter so that the vial could be filled with as much blood as possible, time was of essence here.

After giving the order, Harry watched as his patronus ran outside the shack and towards the person it was meant to go for.

The green eyed mage then turned towards the snivelling man who was putting the stopper on a glass vial that contained a dark red fluid 'Alandale's blood' Harry thought angrily as he looked at his fallen sibling who was still unconscious and was bleeding profusely.

"WORMTAILExpulso!" Harry screamed and saw his spell impact the rat animagus who was thrown back into the wall behind him.

"Ha-agh..Harry, please try-try to liste-"

"CONFRINGO! REDUCTO!" Harry wasn't listening to anything anymore, last time he had made that mistake and ended up losing Remus Lupin to this rat's and his friend's hands, this time? No chance.

Peter dodged the upcoming curse and shrank to his animagus form, he knew that he was no match for the boy more than that he had no idea exactly who Harry had called with his Panther patronus 'Hopefully not him' he thought as he dodged the organ expelling curse and ran under one of the broken benches.

Harry's eyes were glowing with pure unadulterated power as he searched for the rat's presence. His body was glowing at specific points through his white shirt and Hogwarts robes, he knew that removing his clothes would give him more room and easier movement along with easy access to all those runes he had made on his body but this was most certainly not the time for that.

He spotted the rat running towards the bench and screamed another blasting hex. Harry knew the rat was still alive. How? Because there wasn't any dead body or splattered blood. And Harry won't rest till he has seen the rat's dead body.

Wormtail ran through the old thrown piano and towards the broken window, if only he could run through the window, he'd finally be able to escape the monster that was after him.

"Ha-Harr…Harrryy?"

Harry looked down at Alandale's groaning form, his brother was slowly coming back to consciousness, Harry had no idea how Wormtail had managed to grab hold of his brother and bring him all the way from Hogwarts to the Shrieking Shack, but he wasn't going to interrogate the rat right now.

Right now, he knew that if his brother woke up then all he would do was become a hindrance and Wormtail might be able to run away again, and that…was not an option "Stupefy." Harry stunned his brother again and started looking for the rat again.

"Accio rat!" Harry called out only for three random rats to come screaming at him, he cancelled the spell and watched them scurry away.

"Come out you damn coward! Come out like the time you killed Remus! Come out like the time you killed my parents!" Harry screamed out "COME OUT AND TAKE YOUR DEATH!" The boy fired a random Bombarda at one of the cupboards and was surprised when he heard a surprised squeak from beneath the rumble.

But before he could do anything, one of the closed windows was smashed open and a mangy black mutt which looked more like a grimm came inside the room through the broken window.

"Sirius, the rat is still inside this room." Harry told him and saw the dog look at his stunned brother who was still bleeding, then look back at Harry and bark.

"Wormtail did that, he has Alandale's blood. I just stunned him for obvious reasons." Harry shrugged when he saw Sirius morph back and move towards Alandale to heal him. The innovator then turned back at the pile that was once a cupboard, though he knew that the rat might've escaped by now.

Wormtail was shocked as he saw one of his former friends jump in through the broken window 'Damnit, there are two of them now, I need to escape soon now' the rat knew that Harry would never let him run away from the doorway as he was the one standing guard, there was only one way now….Wormtail looked at the broken window and knew that he'll have to take the risk or die today.

Harry was looking around the room, hoping to hear even a simple creak that would alert him of the rat's presence, he knew that the rat can't use his portkey at the moment because he was in his animagus form and would need to revert back to his human self to be able to use the portkey 'As if I would let him do that'

Wormtail knew that he couldn't take Alandale hostage like he did last time, as Sirius was with the weaker Potter right now, and Harry wasn't going to listen to him anymore, hell the rat was pretty damn sure that the younger monster would shoot him first then ask things later.

So, first the rat tried to sneak closer to the broken window as much as he could, he was about one meter away from the window and knew that since he was too small and the mirror was too high for him, he'd need to morph back to be able to jump out of the broken window.

Harry knew that the rat would try to escape from one of the smaller openings, that's why he was swiftly conjuring bricks in all of the small openings, that's when something unexpected happened.

The closet, closest to the broken window, fell forward, Harry stepped back to avoid it and was surprised to see Wormtail standing there, fear clearly etched on his ugly face. Before Harry could comprehend, the rat threw a surprisingly strong stunner at him and jumped out of the window.

Well, more like 'tried' to jump out of the window really, because while Harry had dodged the stunner, he fired an Organ expelling curse and Sirius had fired a expulsion hex at the rat animagus.

The rat was lucky enough to dodge the organ expelling curse but the bombarding hex hit him straight in his back, literally throwing the Pettigrew seven to eight metres in the air before he landed with a crunch and rolled a few more.

The hole in the shack was big enough for a grown man to pass through easily which both Harry and Sirius did.

The duo started moving out towards the prone form of Wormtail who was taking shallow breaths, there were glass pieces that were embedded in his skin and his clothes as well as his face was ripped due to the broken window, Harry was sure that the rat might've also broken a few bones.

Wormtail took hold of his bearings as he coughed out some blood and looked at his approaching demise that was walking towards him in the form of Harry Potter and Sirius Black. He knew he would die here today, still he tried one last attempt at morphing again because his job was still not accomplished.

Harry saw the balding dirty man morph back into his rat form and run towards the forest. Both of them started running towards the rat and firing hexes and curses at him who was doing an expert job of running in a zig-zag manner to avoid being hit with their spells.

"Sirius, hit a blasting hex at the ground just next to the rat, I'll hit him with the cutting curse after that." Harry said and prepared the cutting hex as Sirius nodded his head and took aim to blast the ground near the rat.

The rat was now going down the slope and was near the forest line when Sirius' blasting curse struck the ground, unfortunately instead of going to the rat's side as they had planned, it struck just behind him launching the rat meters above the ground and towards the forbidden forest.

Wormtail hit a thorny bush before the momentum propelled him to be thrown on a stone and tumble down the ground before hitting the thick roots of a big tree. His vision was darkening and he knew that he wouldn't live any longer, he also knew that he can't run or survive the portkey either, therefore he did the only thing he could do.

Wormtail groaned a bit as he slowly removed his outer coat that was torn and bloodied, he placed the vial containing Alandale Potter's blood in one of its pockets, he was thankful that the mad witch had already charmed the vial to be unbreakable cause he knew that he wouldn't have been able to charm the vial now and it wouldn't have survived this journey.

Wormtail heard the crunch of twigs and leaves from behind the tree, he knew that his time was coming to an end, so he pulled out the small piece of wood that was the portkey to Riddle manor and placed it inside the overcoat before activating it. The coat swirled in itself and vanished with a small 'pop' sound.

Peter knew that the sound was enough for both Harry and Sirius to reach him, he knew he was going to die now but he was satisfied. He knew that what he did was wrong, hell he knew that he had been doing wrong since the time he had joined the dark side but there was no turning back now, this was his path, the path he had chosen and he was ready to face the consequences.

"Pettigrew."

Wormtail looked up and saw two wands pointed right in his face as both Harry and Sirius looked down at him with nothing but cold fury, their eyes were emotionless but he knew, he knew that they were angry, really angry…almost livid. And there was nothing more they wanted to do than to kill him.

"Can't kill me can you?" Wormtail choked a laugh "You don't have what it takes to kill someone while looking in their eyes. You don't have the guts to do it, I feel pity for Remus and James, to think that their friends can't even take their so-called revenge….sad really." He chuckled.

The two men looked at each other before looking at the rat animagus and sighing "We aren't afraid or hesitating Wormtail, we were just deciding something, which your statements helped us decide."

"What?" The ever clueless rat animagus asked Harry whose eyes got a manac glint in them.

"How much should we torture you before we killing your pitiful existence."

"You think we were a bit too harsh with him?" Sirius asked Harry as they were walking back towards the Shrieking Shack.

Harry looked behind him at Wormtail's body…or whatever was left of the rat as the Thestrals were busy tearing into his flesh "No, he got what he deserved."

Sirius shrugged and flicked his wand to clean both his and Harry's clothes "What now? What about Alandale?"

"Mydearmorally 'good' brother won't be able to stomach the fact that we killed someone even if he deserved it more than anything. So, we just tell him that Wormtail escaped like last time and leave it at that, the rat has been dead for the general population for more than a decade so no one would care anyways." Harry said as they climbed the slope.

Sirius thought about this for a moment before shrugging his shoulders, "Works for me." Then the Lord of House Black stopped walking and turned towards the point where he knew Wormtail had been killed before he looked at the sky.

"I hope you three were watching this and are happy with our decision, I know I shouldn't have let Harry kill but we know it's not his first time and he deserved to take the revenge too. So, I hope you won't be too angry with us. Oh and you better torture that rat if you ever meet him up there."

"I am sure they will Padfoot." Harry said as he looked at the sky and whispered "I am sure they will."

"Witty."

"No."

"Intelligence."

"No"

"Invention?"

"Not correct, it's clear you don't know the password Miss Greengrass."

Daphne growled in frustration and stomped her right foot as she glared at the portrait with her bright blue eyes. Here she was wearing her best outfit for her date…well notdatedate but yeah, the date that she somehow got out of Harry as his punishment for making her wait in the library and this guardian portrait wasn't even opening.

"I am telling you, I was in there with him and he didn't curse me even once! That means he permits my entry right? That has to mean something!" Daphne said as she tried her puppy dog eyes again.

"I am sure Mr Potter allowed that, but for future entries you should've at least asked him the password. Also, I am a portrait Miss Greengrass, those don't work on me." the portrait of Marcus the Manipulator smiled in a condescending manner at the young heiress who muttered something about 'eyes working on portraits' and 'not being cute enough anymore'

"But how many do you think have been in there and came out completely safe and sound?" Daphne said and saw the portrait thinking a bit.

"You're right, there haven't been any student visitors except Mr Zabini but-ah well, you don't have to wait anymore, Miss Greengrass because-" The portrait started opening "-Mr Potter is here."

Daphne took a step back and looked at the newly arrived Potter heir from his tips to his toes before scrunching her face "Eww…yuck."

Harry frowned at the reaction and her presence on his door "What?"

"You're going to wearthisto our first da-I mean our first outing?" Daphne asked him, pointing at what Harry was wearing.

Harry checked himself: a shirt, jeans, sneakers and his sweater which he usually wore. He couldn't see anything wrong with his current outfit, "This is what I wear everyday."

"Exactly! That's my point!" Daphne said as she grabbed Harry's shoulder and forcefully turned him around "These are your everyday clothes and we are going out today, I mean for work purposes of course, still you need to think about your public image. Yes, your public image will obviously be ruined if you wear this."

"I don't care about my public image and I don't think people will think anything less or more if I start dressing up. This is a work trip to help you with your side project, clothes don't matter." Harry said and was about to move towards the great hall when Daphne grabbed his wrist and stopped him.

"Of course it does!" She said and started pulling him back into his suite "We need you to be perfect to look the part."

"Stop manhandling me, woman! And what part?" Harry cried as Daphne pulled him back into his suite.

"Woman?! From which side do I look like a woman to you?! I am a girl, thank you very much." The Greengrass heiress said out loud, carefully ignoring his question regarding his 'part' in looking like they were on a date. She wasn't dumb enough to say that out loud.

Harry enters the courtyard and starts moving towards Blaise who was standing with Fleur Delacour, Cho Chang and Marietta Edgecombe near one of the thestral drawn carriages. The innovator looks at Daphne and notices that she was not her usual self now, instead she had her usual 'public' self now, even her perfect stoic 'ice-queen' mask.

Daphne on the other hand was searching for her best friend who was going to accompany Astoria and her friends because Daphne was finally going on a 'date', she spotted the girl right away.

It wasn't difficult either considering that Tracey was looking straight at her and once she noticed that she had Daphne's attention, the auburn haired girl gave not-so-subtle wink and a thumbs-up making Daphne blush a bit, which she hid with a small cough.

Though Daphne had also noticed her little sister Astoria looking at her and glaring at Harry, the ice queen sighed knowing full well that she'll soon be facing the 'wrath' of Astoria 'Tori' Greengrass for not being with her when it was her first 'official' Hogsmeade trip.

"Wow Harry, I didn't know you had these in your closet, you look really handsome, many girls will look out for you today." Cho said as she looked at Harry completely missing the way Daphne's eyes flashed at that before noticing her "And you look beautiful too Dahne, I can call you Daphne right?"

Daphne agreed and they greeted others that were present there before they sat in the thestral drawn carriages and started moving towards the magical village. The seating arrangement was such that Harry was sandwiched between Daphne and Fleur.

"I must say though, you did something which no one has been able to do to date." Blaise said looking at Daphne who raised her right eyebrow at the Italian boy's statement.

"This is the first time that Harry has left his hell hole and is going to Hogsmeade. I applaud you for doing something that no one, not even I have been able to do." Blaise said and grinned when Daphne acknowledged this with a single nod before looking at Harry.

"You haven't visited Hogsmeade even once?" She asked the stoic boy who was looking at his Blaise..well more like glaring at the boy, still he shook his head in denial.

"Which means this is your first visit to Hogsmeade right?" Daphne again asked him and saw the boy nod his head in agreement and this…made her grin mischievously. Something that scared Harry for some reason.

Stepping down the carriage, the group looked around the village once before deciding the shops that they wanted to visit. They were about to move when they heard an unwelcome voice greet them.

"So the veela did get someone, huh? What a shame she's into girls, she'd have made a good concubine someday." Draco Malfoy drawled as he moved towards Harry's group with Pansy hanging on his arm and his two lackeys behind him along with Millicent Bulstrode.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Blaise asked the blonde ponce who sneered in his direction.

"Learn when to speak Zabini, it's a shame that someone who betrayed family tradition like you is allowed to breathe the same air as us Malfoys." Draco drawled before eying Fleur again, "The offer still stands Delacour, you can leave that pathetic group you call friends and join a real man like me."

Before Fleur could retort, Cho came to her friend's defence "A real man who can't even pee without his bodyguards, some real man you are Malfoy, now piss off and don't disturb us anymore."

Draco glared at Cho "Looks like last week's victory and your new friend circle has gone to your head Chang, it seems we need to show you your reality again. I think all of that falling head first during snitch chasing has finally roughed up your brain too much."

Pansy started laughing out loud along with others near her, she was about to throw her own two cents when she noticed something….or someone.

Daphne Greengrass was standing at the back of the group, she didn't know that the ice-queen was with them. They had noticed the group only when they were about to leave so they had assumed that Greengrass was here to ask something from Harry Potter regarding the new side project he was helping her with. But it seems they were wrong.

Daphne Greengrass was here and unfortunately for Pansy, the ice queen was glaring daggers at her and her boyfriend, which meant that Daphne was getting pissed. And a pissed off Daphne is not something that Pansy would ever like to know again. Not again. Never again.

So Pansy did the only logical thing that she could do and tightened her hold on Draco's arm who was still laughing at his lame joke "I think we should go Draco, I don't want them to waste our entire day like this." She said out loud before leaning in.

"We made a mistake Draco, Greengrass is with this group and so is Harry Potter, I think we should move away." Pansy whispered in Draco's ear as subtly as she could.

Malfoy didn't care one bit about Greengrass, after all he was a Malfoy and they were on par with the Greengrasses almost everywhere whether it be Wizengamot or wealth. He was sure he and his father could take down Cygnus Greengrass any day and live to tell the tale.

But Harry Potter was another matter altogether. The boy had influence, power, and almost infinite wealth that was growing as he breathed.

The boy was the heir to the Potter and Peverell fortune and future Lord of Houses Potter and Peverell, but all of it paled in comparison to the magical prowess and power that he held. Draco had only seen 'it' once, and had been at the receiving end of the boy's ire, but he had stayed clear of the boy's after that one encounter in his third year.

And he prayed to whichever deity that was listening, to help him stay far away from anything involving the eldest Potter. Even his father, Lord Lucius Malfoy, stayed clear of the boy's field of wrath and had always instructed Draco to do the same.

Draco Malfoy still remembered his father's words when he had summoned him in his study and told him that in this entire world, there were two people whom he should never challenge in any way, one was their Dark Lord and the other was Harry James Potter. His father never considered Albus Dumblefore to be a threat but Harry Potter? Most definitely.

Draco didn't like it though, not one bit. He knew that Potter wasn't that special and he knew that he could fight the boy if push came to shove. So for now, the young Malfoy was just waiting for an opportunity to push the Potter heir and show his father that the innovator was not as dangerous as he had made it sound.

"Yes you're right, Pans, we shouldn't waste our time here any more." Malfoy said as he sneered one last time in Cho's direction before turning towards the village and swaggering away, leaving his group to follow behind him.

Pansy looked at Daphne and bowed her head "I am sorry Daphne, I didn't know you were with Chang and Delacour. I am really sorry, please forgive me and.." Pansy looked up, fear clearly etched on her pug face "Please don't bring us in front of 'The Council' tonight." She said before scurrying off.

The group looked at the running form of Pansy Parkinson as they replayed what the pug face Slytherin had said again and again before coming to the same conclusion and laughing out loud.

"So it was you who scared the Slytherins, eh Daphne?" Cho said as she put an arm around the Slytherin girl's neck.

"I must say, eet was indeed quite funny, it seems like we'll get along quite well Mees Greengrass." Fleur said and grabbed Daphne's arm.

"This deserves a treat! All hail Daphne Greengrass, the one who protects us from Malfoy!" Blaise proclaimed loudly and the girls laughed as they agreed, pulling Daphne along in the direction of the three Broomsticks.

Harry looked at this whole show from behind the group before he shrugged his shoulders and followed them, it wasn't like he had anywhere else he could go right now either.

The group entered the Three Broomsticks chatting happily about anything and everything. They chose one of the many booths to sit around but just as they had settled, Daphne stood up confusing all others including Harry.

"Thank you for your company, I really want to extend our stay with you but Harry and I came here for a specific reason, right Harry?" She asked the boy who nodded his head, because as far as he knew they were here so he could help her buy a few things for her project.

But his agreement wasn't seen like that by others. Blaise, Cho and Marieta's eyes widened and Fleur smiled happily that one of the few men she considered her friend was finally venturing into the next phase of his life and coming out of his previous gloomy one.

"So, since Harry can only give me three hours due to his busy schedule, I would like to utilise every minute that I could. Hope you understand?" Daphne asked the three plasting a fake smile on her face which she usually used to look innocent and friendly.

"Yes yes, we understand Daphne. Go Harry, spend your time with her and finish up what you 'came here to do'. I wish you all the very best." Cho said as she smiled brightly at the confused Potter heir.

"And don't forget to tell me the details later Harry!" Blaise grinned before he got a bonk on the back of his head by a pissed off Fleur who was muttering something involving words 'men', 'pig' and 'dumb'.

But again just as they were about to move out, Daphne gave a mischievous grin that only Harry saw before she cleared her throat and gave a bright smile to others in the group "Thank you so much for helping me with this and understanding. Though I am sure that since Harry has already visited Hogsmeade, he can agree to another outing, this time a friend-outing. Right?"

The girls were confused for only a few seconds but everything came clear when Daphne gave a small wink. That was all the signal they needed to start pestering for another trip, this time with them as a group. Harry was trying his best to deny them but one boy against three girls? Definitely more difficult than it seemed.

In the end Daphne bent down to Harry's ear and whispered that her 'three hours' time starts only when they are the only ones together, which means the time that he was wasting here will never be counted in those three hours.

After that, Harry had no choice left but to agree to another Hogsmeade outing, just so they would leave him and he could finish up his 'three hour punishment' as soon as possible.

The duo left their friends and Harry started moving towards one of the small empty booths that was in the corner of the populated pub with Daphne in tow. Unfortunately, before they could have reached their destination, someone bumped into Harry.

"Ah hello Harry…I am quite surprised to see you here, I was of the opinion that you never visited this village?" Angelique Beaufort said as she scanned Harry, her friends behind her doing the same as they mde doe eyes at the Innovator.

"Yes, I don't. This time is the only exception." Harry said as he took a step back and made way for Angelique to pass through, he frowned when the French beauty didn't even move.

Angelique raised one of her eyebrows as she came a bit closer to Harry who was openly frowning at the foreign diva "Oh really? Then you should join me Harry. I am quite new here, you can show me around this village."

Daphne glared at the French cow who was hogging up her 'Harry time' as well as blatantly flirting with her beloved. That was not allowed, only she had the permission to do that with her Harry.

"I am new to this village myself Beaufort, therefore I am sure that I'm not the person you want as your tour guide." Harry said and was about to go to the booth when Angelique placed her hand on his chest, stopping him.

"Oh? Then you should definitely join us, Harry." She purred as she invaded his personal space making Daphne livid "I am sure we would have quite the fun time exploring the village." Harry made a face at that and grabbed her hand before removing it and glaring at the Beaufort girl.

"I am quite a busy person, Beaufort, I am sure there are more than a handful people who might be interested in that. Unfortunately, I am not one of them, now if you'll excuse me." Harry scoffed and surprisingly enough grabbed Daphne's hand as he pushed past the shocked French beauty.

Daphne was definitely surprised by the fact that Harry held her hand and pulled her along with him, she knew that the boy didn't do this and this might be something that he did impulsively, still she was delighted with how thin had turned out. They ordered fish and chips as well as two glasses of butterbeer and settled comfortably into the small booth.

Daphne was about to start a general topic to divert Harry's attention away from the incident when she watched something that made her narrow her eyes.

Angelique Beaufort stood up from her table and left for the washroom. Daphne still remembered how that girl had invaded Harry's personal space and tried to take him away from their first date. Usually, Daphne didn't bother doing things this way, but this time she was not going to simply sit by and let it happen, this time she'll fight for her right.

"Please excuse me Harry, I have to go to the washroom." Daphne told him and without waiting for his response, left the booth clenching her fists as she pictured the ways she'll teach the pompous girl some good lessons.

Daphne joined Harry after some time, she had already healed her hands and was definitely satisfied with her punishment. She was sure that Angelique would retaliate, but that was fine with her. She can take that brat any day.

But for now, Daphne knew that Angelique had understood the lesson quite well. Which was good enough in her books 'Ah..what a good day' she thought and was about to sit when another delicious idea formed in her mind and she decided to plop down quite close to Harry.

Harry frowned at Daphne's new position but before he could tell her to shift away, the girl opened her purse and pulled out a small notepad with a pen and started writing while speaking about her plans. Completely ignoring the minimal distance between them.

So Harry decides to shift a bit away from her, just so he could make some room between them, but it was as if Daphne was waiting for him to do this, shifts towards him and ends up sitting really close to the innovator, their legs practically touching. All the while telling him about using some rune to make an activation password.

Harry is about to move away from her when Daphne leans in and whispers while looking at him with a small smirk on her face "If you ever try to do that again I will forget about both of our public images and sit on your lap."

Just as Harry is going to refute her, they watch Angelique Beaufort limping out of the washroom door trying to conceal her bruises and move towards the table where her friends were sitting. The group of girls saw her like this and ran to help her while the pub descended into hushed voices.

Harry watches as the entire pub slowly quiets down while the cause of this silence turns to look at him before glaring at his companion. The boy was surprised to see that his companion was glaring just as hard back, if not harder.

When the French gaggle of girls had left the pub and the establishment had resumed its usual hubbub of voices, Harry asked Daphne what that was all about. Daphne simply smiled before shrugging her shoulders and said "Nothing for you to worry about, so where was I? Ah yes..the activation charm that I've thought…"

Harry was about to ask the girl more but ultimately decides that it's better to focus on the thing that he actually came to do than to discuss pointless things with her, so he starts focusing on Daphne's plans that she was drawing in the notepad.

Daphne on the other hand looked at Harry and gave a soft smile. This is how it should have been from the start. Harry and her against the world and no one to interfere. She gave herself a mental pat on a successfully executed plan that was allowing her to sit this close with Harry without him complaining about it 'What a good day indeed…'

"I still can't believe that these English women would resort to violence like this."

"Not all, I am sure that she was the only one with such barbaric ideas crawling inside her head."

"To surprise someone when they are all alone, what a cheap trick. Shame on her!"

"But we can't just let her get away with this can we? We need to teach her that we aren't to be messed with, right Angel?"

Angelique was moving back towards her carriage with her friends. They were on the way back and she had told them all that had happened inside that washroom.

"I will crush her. I so want to slap her, way harder than she had slapped me. But there's just one problem." Angelique grumbled.

"What?" One of her closest friends asked her.

"Greengrass did it when Harry wasn't able to see it. But if I do something, I'll end up ruining my image and by extension my chances with him. Therefore losing him to Petrova or Greengrass, which is completely unacceptable." She growled, clenching her fists in frustration.

"Then we just need to corner her somehow. When she'll be all alone and at our mercy." The same girl replied, forcing Angelique to glare at her "I know that you dumbass, I want to know the 'how' part."

"I can help you with that."

The entire entourage stopped midway and turned to look in the direction where the voice came from. Angelique narrowed her eyes at the blonde haired boy that was standing a few feet away beneath one of the trees with two big burly boys behind him who looked like the end results of a cross between Gorilla and human. Yuck.

"Malfoi, right? Drakey Malfoi?" The french diva asked him as he swaggered towards her group.

Draco was about to sneer at her but controlled himself, he needed them for his own goals "Malfoy, Draco Malfoy." He said and forwarded his hand forward before grabbing Angelique's hand and kissing her knuckles.

"What did you mean by your earlier statement? Why would you help me? Because as far as I know, you are in the same house as that Greengrass girl." Angelique narrowed her eyes at him "Is this some elaborate ploy of yours to destroy my reputation?"

Draco smirked at her before shaking his head in denial "No, not a ploy. I will help you get your revenge today itself."

"Why? What do you want from me?" Angelique was still dubious of the Malfoy heir's true intentions and she wanted to understand things as much as possible before taking any step.

"I have my own reasons to help you and I don't need anything special from you. But let's say, I'll call this a favour and ask something of equal importance in the near or distant future."

Angelique thought for sometime before telling him to swear on it. After the oaths were done, Angelique asked him "So what's the plan?"

After a long time, Draco Malfoy was finally smiling, unfortunately, his smile was not friendly, not friendly at all.

Ending Note: And there you have it fellas, sixth chapter of INNOVATOR. Do tell me if you like it or if something is missing, I am waiting.

Here's thelink to my super private serveron discord where I'll keep on updating new chapter's sneak peeks, Character designs, where you are free to talk and ask things regarding my fanfics, as I am most active there:

Its a relatively newly launched server...Beware: Lots of NSFW stuff (Yeah p*rn 😁😂)

https://discord.gg/Gcbcv4dxGx
Name: 𝕯𝖊𝖛 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐'𝖘 𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊

It's a new fic so do tell me if you like the sixth chapter or not, I've quite a few things planned for it. Constructive criticism is also appreciated.

Thank you for reading and reviewing,

With Regards

Dev Black

Chapter 7: The Fire of Elimination

Chapter Text

Author Out!

"I am Talking."

'I am Thinking'

Spells

"French"

Challenge yourself; it's the only path which leads to growth.

~Morgan Freeman

Innovator

-Dev Sagittarius Black

~~Chapter 7: The Fire of Elimination~~

.

Harry turned the page on his calendar as he sipped his glass of orange juice, the same orange juice that Dobby prepared for him every morning. 'November Twenty-fourth…the day is here'

Harry took a deep breath, feeling the early morning air refresh his consciousness and rejuvenate every fiber of his being. He looked through his bedroom window and smiled at the open expanse of land ahead of him. He liked this view, it showed him the forbidden forest as well as the black lake.

"Well, time to start the day then." Harry muttered and finished his orange juice before picking up his towel and going to his bathroom to start the day.

.

"Aren't you excited Harry?"

Harry looked up fromThe Prophetand was shocked at what he saw. His friend was smiling like a lunatic at him, that was not uncommon. What was uncommon was the fact that he was wearing gold and black pinstripe pants and a T-shirt with 'Go Cedric!' written on it in bold. along with a Honey Badger hat.

"What is this Blaise?"

Zabini looked at what Harry was pointing at and grinned again "I look good in this, don't I? Of course I do. This is my way of cheering for the Hogwarts Champion." Blaise said and started filling his plate with eggs and bacon.

'Alright…I officially don't know you now. If anyone ever asks, that's what I will say.' Harry made up his mind as he closed his eyes and tried to forget the horrifying image.

Soon enough other students came and sat around them, filling the hall with excited whispers and talks about what to expect and how there was a large stadium that had been built, probably for the first task.

Harry tried to ignore the usual hubbub that had increased ten fold due to the big occasion that day: The First task of Triwizard Tournament…..well, more like Tetrawizard Tournament now, he mused to himself with a wry grin

The group, consisting of Cho Chang, Harry Potter, Blaise Zabini, and Marietta Edgecomb took their seats in the third row. Harry could see that the students had all decided to go casual and had either painted their faces or wore something to signify the champion they supported.

Not so surprisingly enough, he could only see Diggory's, Petrovia's and Delacour's supporters. There weren't any who were supporting his foolish younger brother. In fact if he heard it right, Draco Malfoy was running a bet as to whether Alandale Potter would be dead within the first five or ten minutes.

Harry couldn't care any more. He should technically stop Malfoy but one thing he had made clear to his sibling when he had first rescued him all those years ago was that he would never interfere in Alan's stuff unless and until his duty pressured him into saving the brat's life.

'Hopefully you don't do something even more moronic than what you've done before' Harry thought and took a deep breath to control his haywire emotions and thoughts. They won't make the students do something like fight a nundu or a dragon, right? They are just students after all.

This thought made him wonder how many could fight a magical creature of that caliber. He knew that if push came to shove then Dumbledore or Moody could probably defeat them whereas McGonagall, Flitwick, and Snape could hold the creatures for some time.

'What about me?' Harry frowned at that thought, what about him? Would he be able to kill or subdue a creature that powerful? 'Well, I did slay Slytherin's basilisk in my third year, when Alan opened the chamber to save the Weasley girl.' Harry thought for sometime before shrugging 'Yeah, I could. I wasn't that powerful two years ago and I hadn't done those rituals either'

A shame that he wouldn't get to test his new strength anytime soon. Or so he thought….

Soon enough the stadium was packed, students and staff from all three schools were here. He could see the Slytherins still sitting together with the students from Durmstrang, Beauxbatons had chosen their seats near the champions entryway which was close to Ravenclaw house.

There were three separate areas that were made, one for the judges, one for the news reporters and another one which was empty at the moment. There was also the healer's tent on the exit gateway which will likely be used the most today.

Everyone was excited, the stadium was literally vibrating with excitement. Students wanted to see what the first task would be and how their favorite champions fair against their adversaries, they had high hopes for their school champions.

Cho was somewhat torn between supporting Cedric–their school champion– or Fleur, who was swiftly becoming one of her closest friends; they had recently been spending most of their free time together, something that didn't sit well with Marietta as she felt that her best friend would soon leave her.

Harry noticed the judges arrival followed swiftly by the one who was going to be the commentator for the tournament: Ludo Bagman. The judges took their seats while Ludo waved his hand at the audience, 'This one's a show pony for sure…He just wants all the attention on himself'

Bagman took the mic and cleared his throat once before taking a deep breath and switching it on, "Good morning HOGWARTS! Welcome to the…"

"So, they just have to sneak around a mother dragon and take the golden egg, easy enough." Harry muttered, watching the dragon handlers transfigure stone into eggs and placing one golden egg at the front.

Then the dragon handlers went around and placed special runic crystals around the arena and activated it. The public saw the crystals emit a ray of white light into each other before each of the crystals slowly started releasing a translucent film that was slowly encompassing the audience, it began from the arena and slowly reached till the very end of the stadium.

Harry knew that this was the security runes which would protect the audience. He knew that if there was a large dome then the dragon would be trapped which would have been detrimental, therefore it was better to trap the audience in the security bubble.

Soon enough they saw the cannon placed on top of the champion's entry gate fire in the air and Bagman announced the name of the first champion, Cedric Diggory.

Harry facepalmed when he saw the piss poor performance that Cedric did. At first Cedric tried theDisillusionmentcharm but it failed because his dragon had a better sense of smell. Then the guy transformed the rock he was hiding behind into a Labrador dog and distracted the dragon with it.

Harry had to commend Diggory on his excellent transfiguration skills and ability to think in the moment, though he winced when he saw that the dragon did burn half of Diggory's face and torso when he was running away with the golden egg. Still, win's a win nonetheless and the Hogwarts crowd agreed with his sentiments.

Next to compete was Ashley Petrovia, the Durmstrang Champion. She was wearing her special dueling robes that gave her room to move around and breathe freely, another eye-catching thing about her dress was that it was showing off her generous curves, which was definitely being appreciated by the male part of the audience.

Petrovia stepped in the arena and glared at the majestic member of the draconian family that she was supposed to steal form. She then turned to look at the stadium and noticed Harry sitting with his friends.

Their eyes met and Petrovia winked at him before giving a small smirk when she noticed his sneer, completely missing a certain blue eyed blonde girl's glare. She then searched for her french counterpart and smirked at her enraged face before finally focusing on her challenge. Taking a deep breath she started with her plan.

"Harry, I must say you are a damn lucky guy." Blaise grinned from his side as he ogled Petrovia's figure.

"I am sure you are saying this because you don't know what it actually feels like to be at the center of this." The innovator muttered as he focused on the competition ahead.

"Yeah sure." Blaise said before looking at Cho "Oh woe me, three girls like me and they are all super hot, oh whatever will I do?!" He faux cried earning a laugh from the asian girl and a slap on the back of his head from the innovator.

They watched as the second champion started firing spells after spells at the dragon who roared in anger, Petrovia's aim was perfect from years of dueling practice as she took the dragon's eyes out with the curse. After this it was almost a cake walk for her, almost.

The mother dragon's enhanced senses worked well for her along with her spell resistant dragon hide. So Petrovia struggled a bit as she had to dodge the dragon's fire a few times. Still, the girl got her hands on the golden egg, though she did end up breaking half the transfigured eggs which, Harry presumed, might force the judges to take a few points.

The crowd cheered loudly, including the boys from other schools, as Ashley bowed to her audience. She then gave one last wink to Harry before exiting the arena and entering the healer tent.

"They are all doing quite well, aren't they?"

Harry hummed in response, his mind was a whirlwind of thoughts right now. Between the two matches that they had witnessed there was a major difference aside from the fact that Ashley's method was more flashy than Cedric's disillusionment and transfiguration one.

The difference wasn't much, but it was there. If only one had the keen eye to see it. Harry looked as the dragon handlers slowly tried to control the dragon and take her away as well as the cleaning crew cleared the destroyed eggs and brought a new one.

'Confidence' Harry concluded 'There was a major difference in confidence when fighting the dragon, Petrovia was way more confident than Cedric who was frightened when he entered the arena' Harry narrowed his eyes as he glared at the back of Karkaroff's head 'It's as if she already knew her 'unknown' challenge'

Harry heard the cannon go off again and the third participant came out, Fleur Delacour. The French champion's entry was followed by thunderous cheers from the Beauxbatons contingent as well as the boys who now had glazed eyes.

Harry shook his head, muttering pity and looked at his friend. Surprisingly enough Blaise was still sane and cheering for Fleur in his normal self, lacking the glazed look that almost the entirety of male population was possessing.

"I am impressed Blaise, how come you aren't drooling like before?" Harry asked his friend who grinned before pulling out a locket from under his Tee.

"I was embarrassed because of all of my encounters with Fleur, so I wrote to my mom and she gave me this pendant. It's enchanted to control my mind and not let Fleur's or any veela's allure affect me that badly." The Italian heir explained. Harry looked at the pendant with some interest before shrugging and focusing on the match.

"So it blocks out the allure completely?" Harry asked him.

"No, the pull is still there but it's more like a buzz at the back of my head and not a full on attack on my mind. I can always ignore the buzz and be normal." Blaise shrugged before focusing on the match.

It seemed like Fleur too knew about the competition beforehand because other than the normal anxiety of facing such a majestic and dangerous species, Harry couldn't see even an ounce of fear in her baby blue eyes. Instead the twin orbs were entirely focused and oozing with confidence as well as determination.

The competition began and Fleur immediately hid behind one of the closest boulders, the crowd was silent to notice what their favorite champion would do now. It was then Fleur placed her wand's tip on her mouth and muttered some spell.

Sadly, the runic bubble over them prevented the voice from traveling through to the other side, which meant that the contestants couldn't hear Bagman or the audience and vice versa.

Weirdly enough, Fleur started speaking or if Bagman's commentary was to be trusted, she was singing something now. At first it felt like the dragon wasn't being affected and Harry assumed that herPlan Afailed miserably, but the young veela kept on going and soon enough the audience noted that the dragon's head was drooping.

Cho cheered loudly when the mother Dragon fell to the ground and Fleur came out. The young veela then cautiously stepped over to the place where the eggs were kept and was about to pick her egg when the large dragon snored, releasing a torrent of hot flames that caught the end of her skirt.

The audience laughed a bit as Fleur usedAquamentito douse the flames and skip over to the healer's tent. Before going she looked towards Harry and his group and waved her thanks.

From her performance, Harry concluded that the Beauxbatons as well as Durmstrang institutes already told their champions about the danger, which meant that Hogwarts was the only one playing 'fair' in this tournament, which was stupid.

"Now the only one left is Alandale Potter." Cho said before looking at Harry "How are you feeling Harry? Nervous? Anxious? Terri-"

"Bored."

"-fied wait..what? Bored?" Cho asked him, flabbergasted.

"Yeah, all of the real champions have competed and each showed their talent in specific fields like Transfiguration, Dueling and Charms. Unfortunately my sibling only has one useful talent and I doubt that he could ever defeat a dragon in it." Harry said but then focused his attention on Alandale.

Harry knew that Alandale hadn't prepared one bit for the upcoming task ergo he was actually surprised to see that Alandale had a proud look on his face when he entered 'Did someone tell him about the upcoming challenge beforehand? Is Diggory the only one who was foolish enough to trust the other schools?'

But that wasn't the cause, they learnt that quite soon because as soon as the black horned dragon came in the the youngest Potter's field of vision he did the first thing that came to his mind, which was to yelp and hide behind a boulder.

Harry clenched his fist as he tried to control the ring's pings that were alerting him regularly that a member of his house was in need. He could see that damnit! Hell the entirety of Hogwarts could see that Alandale Potter wasn't faring well against the mother dragon.

Alan's robes were torn and burned, he had already tried the minimum number of spells that he knew which were completely useless against the thick magic resistant hide of the dragon. His face was bloodied and the audience already knew that the boy-who-lived had sprained his leg and dislocated his left shoulder.

Harry knew that Alandale wasn't weak in magic but a strong core was useless if you didn't know how to utilize it. And that was the same thing that was happening there, in front of their eyes as the fourth champion was smacked once again and crashed on one of the rune stones that were placed inside the arena.

This is when Alan gave up his attempts and the competition altogether, he had been screaming at the top of his lungs for Dumbledore to help him, for any of his teachers to come and stop him. But none of them moved, he had assumed that as long as Dumbledore was there, he would always be protected and this tournament would be an easy pass to glory.

'It definitely didn't go that way, did it? All I did the last few days was fly around and get smacked by Pettigrew who ran away after that!' Alan's eyes widened as a plan formed in his head. He summoned the last of his magic and pointed it to where he assumed the Gryffindor tower was before crying "ACCIO NIMBUS!"

The public watched as Alandale did his summoning before hiding behind the boulder again. Some were laughing at the supposed strongest wizard of his generation while others were pitying the boy who was getting pummeled to the ground.

"Don't you think the judges should stop the task now? It's quite clear that Potter is hanging by a thread." Marietta spoke out her thoughts.

"They can't, not until either the champion loses consciousness or gives up voluntarily." Blaise explained.

"Well, Potter should give up then. It's not like he's winning anything by enraging the dragon more and more, who in their right minds would throw hexes at one of the strongest nesting mother dragons?" Cho facepalmed but none of them said anything to Harry who was looking at this entire match with his cold emotionless eyes.

"Harry, what are you thinking?"

~~Flashback Begins~~

November 1st, Harry's suite.

"Master Potter Sir?"

Harry looked up from the chart that he was drawing on his work table to locate the different coordinates that were suitable for the ritual that he'd be performing on this year's winter solstice.

"Yes Dobby, what happened?"

"Master, the headmaster is outside and is asking for master, what should Dobby do?"

Harry frowned at that, and he looked at the wall clock that he had placed in his workshop 'It's almost midnight, what is he doing here at this ungodly hour?' he looked at Dobby and nodded "Tell him to make himself at home, I'll be there in a minute."

Dobby snapped his fingers and left the room with a small 'pop'.

Harry entered the room and saw Dumbledore looking at the various charts that were hanging across the room and the large blackboard that was loaded with arithmancy equations and runes.

"Headmaster."

Dumbledore turned from his musings and gave a small smile at the aloof boy who was looking at him with nothing but curiosity in his emerald eyes, "Hello Harry, I hope I didn't disturb you?" he smiled.

"Actually, you did." Harry said and walked towards where Dumbledore was. "Even if you are welcomed at any time, may I ask what was so important as to why you chose midnight to meet me?" He asked and saw Dumbldore's smile strain a bit.

"And here I thought I was the headmaster who could do anything I wanted at any time I wished." He said before pulling out a packet of yellow candies and forwarding it towards Harry "Lemon drop?"

"No, thank you." Harry frowned. "And I would like to know the cause of your visit sir because as you can notice, I have other works too besides being your genius prodigy that you showcase every now and then."

"Oh C'mon, I only did that at the Ministry ball once. And don't tell me you didn't like the attention you got from that one statement." Dumbledore chuckled when he saw Harry look to the other side.

"Well, as it happens." The aged wizard began, "Both Alastor and Severus have come up empty on their search to find the culprit for young Alan's entry in the tournament."

Harry hummed thoughtfully.

"But we have come to a safe conclusion that whoever it is, wants to harm Alan in some way. Therefore I have a small request, Harry."

And that's when Harry got an idea as to exactly 'why' Dumbledore was here in his suite at this ungodly hour.

"I want you to-"

"No."

"-train, what?" Dumbledore asked the perplexed.

"You heard me, the answer is 'No'." Harry said and turned towards his workshop, "Now, if you don't have anything else for me. I'd like to go back to work as soon as possible."

"But you didn't even hear my request, Harry." Dumbledore was still shocked as to why the boy denied it without even listening to his proposal.

"You want me to train your golden boy because you can't be seen training him and none of the teachers want to do anything with that spoiled boy all thanks to his behavior. You came to my suite at night because you are busy during the day and you didn't summon me to your office because you suspect that someone within the organizers is responsible for this mishap."

Dumbledore, despite the situation, gave a small smile, "That's very astute of you Harry and yes everything you said is true. But I didn't come here just for you to train young Alan, for some reason I had already suspected that you'd deny it on principle."

Harry stopped and turned towards Dumbledore, confusion clearly etched on his face "What's the other reason professor?"

Dumbledore gave an enigmatic smile, his blue eyes twinkling madly "What do you know about 'The rule of Loco Parentis'?"

~~Flashback Ends~~

"Nothing." Harry said and they watched as a broom came flying in, dropping right in front of Alandale Potter who immediately grabbed it and rode out of the stadium with the dragon following him closely.

"Well, that's neat." Blaise whistled as they saw Alandale fly out of the stadium, "What do we do now?"

No one said anything. Harry's eyes met Dumbledore's; it was clear that the headmaster was waiting for the boy to respond to his request. Harry on the other hand didn't want to do anything like that, therefore he denied it immediately.

No one knew what was going on or what was happening between the fourth champion and the dragon. The dragon handlers who had occupied the third table around the arena were leaving with their equipment to search for the dragon and make sure nothing happened to either the champion or his challenge.

Ten minutes passed and the audience were getting restless, there were confused murmurs going around the stadium. A few Slytherins were openly laughing and Malfoy was proclaiming to anyone who would listen that Potter might be dead by now.

"When did he join?" Blaise asked Harry, "He wasn't there for the first three matches and Parkinson was saving a seat for him the entire time."

"No idea." Harry looked at Malfoy who coincidentally looked back at him, though what surprised the innovator was the fact that instead of the usual fear, Malfoy was smirking. Which didn't mean anything good for him.

To everyone's surprise, the fourth champion came back and was now flying straight towards the golden egg. Though he wasn't alone. The dragon was still chasing him and by the looks of it, the dragon was even more angry than before. She was relentlessly spouting off flames and burning down everything and anything that came in contact with it.

Alandale was screaming for his life now, his face was bloodied and his clothes were full of dust, no one had any idea as to what happened when he had left the arena fifteen minutes ago. The dragon was bleeding from her right eye and left leg, which was quite surprising too.

That is when the situation worsened even more. The dragon sucked in a deep breath and blew a torrent of flames at her target, Alandale tried to dodge it but unfortunately he wasn't quick enough, ergo his broom caught on fire.

The boy-who-lived then jumped off the broom because he knew that he won't be able to handle it anymore, unfortunately he fell on a large boulder that was six feet below him and rolled down the boulder on the transfigured eggs that have been kept to confuse the dragoness. The dragoness saw this happening and roared.

Although people were excited for the first task, they quickly understood that staying there any longer would mean dying miserably and painfully and none of them wanted that. Ergo the students screamed when the Dragon bellowed a huge torrent of flames at the wooden benches and even though they were protected by the shield. Commotion ensued.

The judges stood up and Dumbledore called the dragon handlers only to notice that the handlers had gone in search of the Horntail and were probably still searching for the dragon around the castle grounds.

Dumbledore tried to control the commotion but even the cannon blasts weren't helping. Instead the cannon blasts were making the entire situation worse which Dumbledore understood and stopped. Maxime and Karkaroff started handling their students and trying to control the mob so that they could ensure the safety of their students.

The horntail was absolutely livid and therefore smashing her tail wherever she could as well as scratching the barrier that was protecting the crowd, spewing reed hot flames at the barrier. And even though the barrier was still there, it was slowly weakening under constant active onslaught of the dragon, which was frightening the students screaming behind it.

Dumbledore cast the Patronus charm and watched as his Phoenix patronus went in search of the dragon handlers so that they could be summoned here sooner and control the horntail. Madam Pomfrey came out along with two more seventh years and they safely pulled the barely conscious Alandale Potter back into the healing tent.

"Harry Let's go!" Blaise screamed and pulled Harry who nodded and flicked his wand out to protect his friends so that they could safely leave the arena. They were about to move out of the benches and leave the stadium entirely when a huge tail full of thick black horns slammed on the shield which cracked with a thunderous boom.

The entire group screamed and they knew that the next attack would be on them and they would die immediately. They saw the horntail's bloodshot eyes glare at the crack in the shield and they saw the horntail sucked air to blast them all with searing hot flames. They saw the horntail open her mouth and a crimson glow came from her gullet.

They closed their eyes and held each other knowing full well that this was the last moment and next they open their eyes, it will be in the afterlife.

"Ignis Praesidium!"*

Harry glared at the dragon as he held the brightly glowing golden shield that was protecting his friends from the dragon's fire. The dragon noticed this and increased the intensity of the flame, pressurizing Harry to force more of his magic through the wand.

"MOVE OUT! RUN!" Harry screamed and felt his friend's tight grasp on his shoulders lessen as they opened their eyes and realized that they were still alive.

"Ha-HARRY!" Cho screamed only for said boy to push her away.

"I'll follow back soon, run as fast as you can while I distract this dragon!" He told them.

"But Har-"

"RUN! NOW!"

And they ran. Leaving everything behind, with just one focus in their mind: To reach the castle gate as soon as possible because their friend was quite literally sacrificing himself to save their lives.

Harry on the other hand felt that the heat as well as power of the flames was receding. He had seen the dragons that were less ferocious like the Welsh Green and the Swedish Short snout maintain their onslaught for far longer. This meant that the dragon wasn't slowing down because it was out of breath….it had noticed his friends running from behind the shield.

And sure enough as soon as the fiery blast ended, Harry saw that the dragon had already fixed his glare on his friend circle that was receding. He didn't know why the dragoness was targeting his friends but he won't let her harm them anyways.

"Bombarda!" Harry cried and watched as his blasting curse smashed against the Horntail's belly, making her groan a bit before she glared at him.

"I am not letting you kill others, you want a fight? Fight someone who is your equal." Harry growled before dodging through the shield, he had done his job and the dragon had already chosen him as her target. Which meant he needed to either flee or fight. Looking at the friend circle that was still running away, flight wasn't an option.

"HARRY!" Dumbledore called out to the boy who was running towards the front benches of the arena, the headmaster had an idea as to what the boy was going to do and he most certainly did NOT approve of such reckless ideas.

"HELP ME INSTEAD OF SCREAMING MY NAME!" Harry screamed back and dodged another tail strike over the remnants of the shield over his head. He knew that two-three more strikes and another part of the shield would crumble.

"You should run away Harry, I will distract the dragon. I am most certainly more suited for such tasks than someone as important for the future as you." Dumbledore told him, rushing to help the boy.

"Yeah sure, handle the present first. Think about your stupid future vision later!" He cried before turning to the pit of the arena and jumping into it. He needed to keep the horntail within the arena, that way he'd have more room as well as it'd be far easier for others to escape.

Harry glared at the dragoness while he noticed that his headmaster was also descending down the staircase and would soon be joining him in the arena. This meant that he'd have more backup to fight the mythical creature till the dragon handlers arrived and controlled her.

"Depulso! Stupefy! Confringo! Bombarda!" Harry sent four hexes in a chain to both get the dragon's attention as well as to harm her so that he could subdue her more easily.

The majestic dragoness turned towards the boy who was now standing in the middle of the arena, her black scales glinting maliciously in the sunlight, her crimson eyes glaring at her target who had mocked her again and again.

She swished her tail that was full of black thorns which were powerful enough to smash boulders to dust and raising her neck towards the sky, she gave out a ferocious roar that would have frightened her enemies before throwing her wings open and shooting up in the air. Only one thought in her addled mind: Revenge!

Harry cracked his neck and bent down a bit, he touched his right shoulder and muttered the phrase to activate the rune there. The rune activated, giving an eldritch glow to his shoulder as vines of magic crept down his wand arm in torrents of unadulterated power.

The boy glared at the majestic yet angry creature, his green eyes glowing. The boy slowly gave a maniacal grin as he felt his 'Rune of Potentia' activate and its suppressed power flow into his wand arm, "Let's see how far I've come."

Ending Note: And there you have it fellas, seventh chapter of INNOVATOR. Do tell me if you like it or if something was missing, I am waiting.

Here's thelink to my super private serveron discord where I'll keep on updating new chapter's sneak peeks, Character designs, where you are free to talk and ask things regarding my fanfics, as I am most active there:

Its a relatively newly launched server...Beware: Lots of NSFW stuff (Yeah p*rn 😁😂)

https://discord.gg/Gcbcv4dxGx
Name: 𝕯𝖊𝖛 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐'𝖘 𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊

It's a new fic so do tell me if you like the seventh chapter or not, I've quite a few things planned for it. Constructive criticism is appreciated, flames aren't.

*Spell Used:Ignis Praesidium:The Shield of Fire.

Action:Protects the caster and the subjects from elemental attacks of any kind. Can take any shape or form, Highly taxing on magic.

Thank you for reading and reviewing,

With Regards

Dev Black

Chapter 8: Lair of the Dragons

Chapter Text

Author Out!

"I am Talking."

'I am Thinking'

Spells

"French"

One of the hardest battles of life is when you have to decide whether to run away or fight back harder.

~R-kade

Innovator

-Dev Sagittarius Black

~~Chapter 8: Lair of the Dragons~~

.

"Harry, get away from the dragon!" Dumbledore cried as he was descending the stairs as fast as he could to help the boy fight the dragoness. He had already assigned the house heads to ensure that the students reached the castle safely.

The dragoness descended straight towards the innovator, her maw wide open and ready to burn the boy to crisps. Harry raised his blackthorn wand and created the same golden shield again, he crouched low, ready to dodge her claws as well as trying to stay mindful of the tail.

Harry groaned a bit when the red fire smashed on his shield, he could see the dragon's tail coming from the sides and dodged the spiked menace by dropping flat to the ground level.

The dragon stopped the onslaught and instead flipped back mid-air, her wide wings helping her stabilize her gigantic form as she prepared for another blast. All of a sudden she was struck by a huge boulder that was shot from the side. She glared at the old wizard who was now standing in the arena.

"I am not letting you wreck any more chaos inside my school," Dumbledore announced, his cheerful happy grandfather demeanor all but gone.

"Headmaster, will you take defense or offense?" Harry asked as he released the mage's shield that he had created.

"I was hoping to send you back into the castle Harry, this is not safe anymore and I want you to stay-"

"With all due respect sir, I have slayed a basilisk whose stare could kill you all alone while I was way too weak. This dragon doesn't compare to that." He said before focusing on said creature, "Now, defense or offense?"

Dumbledore sighed, he knew that the boy was too stubborn for his own good. He also knew that the boy was still a teenager and therefore didn't understand the gravity of this situation. Still, another thing that the aged headmaster knew was that the boy wouldn't budge at all, "Defense."

Harry nodded and switched his mind to go full-on offensive, "Let's finish this dragon then.

"Daphne, where are you going?!" Tracey screamed out.

"Harry is there, I saw him protect his friends and jump into the arena Tracey! I am sure he is still in there, all alone against the dragon!" Daphne cried trying her best to dislodge her friend's grasp on her wrist.

"He is Harry Potter and Dumbledore is STILL IN THERE!" Tracey tried to pull her friend towards the castle, "I am sure they'll be alright!"

But Daphne shook her head "No, he needs my help! I will help him, I have to help him!" And with that, Daphne managed to free herself, and she immediately ran back towards the stadium.

"DAPHNE!"

But the girl didn't hear as she zig-zagged through the incoming mob of 700 students to reach the stadium as swiftly as she could. Unfortunately, just as she crossed the cobblestone pathway and was halfway towards the stadium, there were three huge roars from the same direction.

The crowd screamed out loud, everyone leaving everything behind as they ran towards the safety of the castle. The professors tried their best to usher everyone inside and the dragon handlers rushed towards the stadium behind a bright phoenix patronus.

The ground trembled as fire burst out from the edge of the Forbidden Forest, scaring the students, and turning them as white as sheets, but it was nothing compared to what happened next.

Three huge dragons with their jaws wide open and their wings spread meters apart dashed out of the forbidden woods flying towards heaven as they glared at the mortals screaming and crying beneath them. They paused their flight, their bodies suspended mid-air as they glared at the mages with their black beady eyes.

Each and everyone was gobsmacked, they couldn't comprehend what had happened and how they were now standing completely helpless against three humongous mythical dragons that could easily level towns and cities if they wanted while the fourth and most dangerous one was still in the arena.

The three dragons sucked in a huge amount of air as they opened their maws and released a barrage of the hottest flames that had ever been recorded into the air. The crowd shrieked for someone to save their lives as the dragons were now completely free and were coming to get their revenge on their captivators.

Inside the arena, both Dumbledore and Harry heard the combined roars, they looked at each other, shock apparent on their faces. "Wasn't that the roar of those other dragons?" Harry asked him.

"Apparently, it was. But it was too loud to be from their current dwelling."

"You know you aren't making this situation any easier by telling that." Harry snarked back before throwing another conjunctivitis curse at the distracted dragon's eye.

Both of them were hidden behind two huge boulders, Dumbledore had transfigured their surrounding rocks into a variety of animals to distract the dragoness while Harry was controlling chains made of pure magic to bind her snout or smack her, as in when needed.

They heard the roars once again and looked behind the boulders to see the jet of dragon fire that was so high it was almost as if it was about to pierce the skies and bring down the heavens on the mortal plane.

"Harry I-"

"I can manage it here headmaster, or stall it till this one doesn't join the others out there," Harry told him and just to prove his point,t Harry increased the force of his golden chains on the dragoness who groaned in mild pain as the chains smacked her and burned her wings a bit.

Dumbledore was still skeptical about the idea, but then Harry touched his left shoulder and muttered something, the other shoulder glowed similar to his right one and copied the right one by sending vines made up of raw magic down the boy's left arm.

"The strongest she might be but she has already lost half of her strength and I am double my original. Still think I need your help professor?" Harry asked the headmaster who stayed silent, observing the boy.

"It seems you have undergone a few runic advancements all by yourself Harry," Dumbledore said as he eyed the boy's arms and eyes that were glowing more white than green now.

"Look around yourself, it's just me in this arena now but the same can't be said for others out there, each second you waste here is a life lost there, headmaster," Harry said and watched Dumbledore still frowning in thought.

"I can always use the cloak to hide if things go out of hand." This seemed to work as the headmaster nodded his head and rushed outside the stadium to safeguard others while leaving Harry to face the angry Hungarian Horntail all alone. Still, on his way out he flicked his wand and conjured another set of creatures to keep the Horntail distracted.

"Fawkes!"

There was a shrill cry and a blinding flash of light accompanied by the sound of a thousand birds singing together. As soon as Dumbledore's familiar came into view, he took Dumbledore and vanished with the same bright flare while Harry focused completely on the Horntail and began his barrage, now there was no one he should hide his powers from.

.

"Merlin…" Dumbledore said as he arrived outside the stadium in a bright flash, he had no words to describe what he was seeing or comprehend how it came to this.

Outside the arena, it was total chaos as students as well as adult witches and wizards who had arrived to watch the first task were running around like headless chickens. There was no one who stopped to check who they were running with or running over.

The first thing Dumbledore noticed was that the dragon handlers were already trying to calm down the Welsh Green near the forbidden forest by lulling her back to sleep as her movements were a bit more sluggish than the other two.

He saw his professors McGonagall, Flitwick, Snape and Moody bravely battle the Swedish Short-Snout head-on near the Castle's main gate.

McGonagall was using her battle transfiguration skills to change her surroundings so that the dragon could be controlled, Moody was the one holding offense while both Flitwick and Snape were defending the two professors.

That only left…

Dumbledore looked towards the black lake and saw the angry Chinese Fireball trying her level best to burn down the Durmstrang ship, one of her eyes was still bleeding while the other was like an awakened inferno as she released continuous torrents of fire.

He noticed that Karkaroff and his two professors were trying their level best to defend their ship from the angry dragoness, but they were failing miserably. By the looks of it, the professors were already on their last breaths and would soon give up.

"Fawkes, take me to the ship." He commanded the phoenix who immediately followed suit, there was no time to waste and the phoenix knew that much. He was even ready to fight alongside his long-time friend and help him wherever possible. There were lives at stake and time was of essence.

"Fulgur Telum!"*

Fifteen arrows, their tips made entirely of lightning while electricity circled down their bodies were launched towards the airborne dragoness. The Horntail, bleeding from her neck and right hind limb was protecting her left wing from further harm.

She tried to dodge the arrows but they were very fast and wide in range, she cried in pain when three of them struck her right-wing while two got struck on her belly where the thick scales were chopped off from the previous attack.

The horntail screamed as the lightning desensitized her wing muscles which caused her to fall straight down. She furiously flapped her damaged left wing but it didn't do much apart from slowing her down a bit.

Harry glared at the dragoness while he took a few deep breaths, the last attack was quite taxing on his magical reserves. He knew that he still had three more runes to activate but he wanted to save their energy as much as he could.

The dragon slowly twisted on the ground, flapping her wings as she shook off the temporary tetany caused by the arrows. She looked at her enemy–for that was what the human was to her–and growled as she saw the beast inside him.

Harry saw the dragoness raise her head and prepare another fiery blast. He smirked at her, he knew he was going to do something which could be considered foolish or miraculous, depending on the perspective.

Tapping both his shoulders again, he released the second out of three seal levels on his shoulder runes and watched as the pulsating magical vines on his arms thickened and turned golden leaving their previous silver color.

The mage held his blackthorn wand with both hands and prepared for the incoming inferno. He saw the dragoness open her maw and Harry was shocked to notice a blue glow emit from her gullet.

The dragon was livid now, she just wanted to end everything. She wanted to kill them all just like they had killed her unborn babies. It was not her normal flame that the dragons used to hunt or protect, this was the flame that made the Hungarian Horntails one of the most vicious species of dragons.

The flame that was feared by flame that made her species the only one capable of leveling down cities and kingdoms. The flame which the legends remembered as; The Fire of Elimination- The fire that eliminated everything.

Harry noticed the blue fire swirl in her maw increasing rapidly in size before she pulled her head back and pushed it out. Forwarding his wand towards the whirlpool of blue flames he screamed "INFINITUS SANCTUARIUM!"*

A golden beam launched from the tip of his ornate wand and collided with the whirlpool of the ferocious fire of elimination. The two eldritch forces clashed full force and a small ball of golden light started forming at the point of collision, growing large as the powers kept clashing.

Both the parties pushed to their very last end, groaning at the immense heat and strength it was taking to maintain the clash of powers. Still, neither of the duo planned to back down, going as far as to roar at their enemy on the other end and push more forcefully.

In the end, it was the dragon that lost its breath first and ended her onslaught. She watched the wizard who had fallen on one knee to maintain the huge golden ball that had contained almost all of her destructive flames in it. She started sucking in another deep breath to fight the wizard.

Harry saw the Horntail sucking in another breath, he knew that he would have to unlock the last level of his seal to be able to stand another barrage of the vicious inferno, ergo instead of doing that he did something else entirely.

"FORESS APERIRE!"* Harry screamed out loud and released the blue flames that he had trapped within his infinity sanctum. He watched as the ball blasted open and released all of the flames in one go, covering the dragoness entirely and demolishing part of the stadium that was behind her with a loud sound that reverberated through the Hogwarts grounds.

Harry huffed as he fell on his knees, and looked at the amount of destruction his spell had caused. There was no noise and everything was eerily silent as the entire arena burned around him. He looked ahead and saw the blue flames still burning, he smiled at that…victory at last.

That's when there was a thundering roar from the still-burning flames, the roar itself was so loud that the grounds beneath trembled under the fury of the ancient being. Harry's eyes widened as the humongous figure of the charcoal black dragoness emerged from the flames, her eyes completely black while her scales and skin melted from her body due to the intense heat she was suffering.

The dragon flapped her still-burning wings, her mind was now completely addled and she just wanted to destroy everything. She was not sane or in control of her actions anymore as her instincts took control of her body and she launched herself towards the boy.

Harry tried to dodge the beast but he was still recovering from his previous battle, ergo the dragon hit him straight in his stomach and started flying towards the skies as fast as she could.

Outside, the entirety of Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang watched gobsmacked as the charcoal black dragoness, still burning with blue flames launched Harry about two hundred feet in the sky before flicking him with her snout, forcing the boy to launch even further in the sky.

Harry screamed in pain at the burns that her melting skin and scales had caused on his clothes before positioning himself mid-air. He saw the dragon's now black beady eyes glare at him with nothing but pure malice.

The innovator groaned as he pushed his shoulder runes once more and gasped as the last level was released. The now thin golden vines branching down his arms suddenly thickened and turned pure black and his eyes started glowing completely silver.

The dragon was beneath him now, he changed his falling trajectory and launched himself towards the dragoness as he aimed his wand at the airborne creature's open maw that was much to his dismay, glowing blue again.

"Fiendfyre!"

Dumbledore watched along with the entirety of Hogwarts populace, completely flabbergasted as Harry who was still airborne pointed his wand at the burning dragon's open maw and summoned the hellish flames on earth.

Everyone was at a complete loss of words, they had just witnessed the last dragon, a Chinese fireball finally succumb to Dumbledore's barrage of spells as the dragon handler chained her again. And now this?!

Harry, on the other hand, had only one goal in his mind and to accomplish that, he summoned the flames from hell and pushed the controlled inferno down the dragon's open maw and into her gullet. He had to kill her, in any way possible.

The Horntail's black eyes widened at the continuously forced supply of flames inside her. She tried to close her maw but the muscles in her jaw had already burned along with half of her throat.

Harry watched as the dragon's eyes swelled for a moment before fire burst out of the eye sockets, still, he continued to push the flames inside her fully intent on burning her entirely from the insides.

Finally, he noticed that the dragon's wings fell limp and she stopped convulsing, knowing full well that the dragon's brain had melted and that she was ultimately dead. He severed his magic supply to the flames and focused entirely on overpowering the flames of hell so that they wouldn't win and destroy the Hogwarts grounds.

Dumbledore watched as Harry finally severed the continuous supply of fiendfyre, he knew that the boy would now be battling in a clash of wills to dominate the hellish flames completely ignoring the fact that he was descending at an alarming rate.

"Fawkes!"

The phoenix disappeared and reappeared seventy feet from the ground, he grabbed the falling boy's shoulders and watched as the last fire in the dragon's eye sockets flickered out of existence.

The mythical bird then flamed out and reappeared on the grassy ground beneath them as the charred corpse of the once mighty dragoness fell back into the pit of the arena with a huge crash as dust flew inside it from the violent impact.

Hogwarts was silent, nothing could be heard for some time except the clanking of chains around the three dragons that were still alive and bound. The most ferocious dragon, the mighty Horntail was finally dead, executed by a mere teenager. No one would have believed it if it wasn't for the fact that they had just witnessed the event live.

Harry groaned a bit before gasping for breath and lying on the grassy ground beneath him. He muttered the reverse phrase and gave a tired sigh as he felt the runes on his shoulders finally deactivated and his body returned to normal.

Dumbledore's phoenix was still watching over him and started crying in the burn wound that he had received from the dragon's melting scales when she tackled him two hundred feet into the sky.

"My good deed…" he muttered "..for the decade."

Blue eyes slowly opened as their owner tried to focus on the white ceiling that was present in its field of vision. The patient groaned and looked around, trying and failing miserably in clearing their blurry vision or suppressing the throbbing headache that was rattling their brain.

A small painful groan originated from their vocal cords which was enough to garner the matron's attention, she immediately rushed to her patient's aid and started her work to help them.

"Take it easy, Miss Greengrass. You had quite more than a few wounds when you came under my care and I am sure some of them are still healing." Poppy Pomfrey, the matron of the Hogwarts Hospital wing told her.

"Ho-how.." But Daphne paused as her throat burned, she tried to moisten it but to no avail. It was as if dragging her feet through dry burning desert sand which was devoid of any form of moisture.

"Here, this will help." Daphne took the potion in her hand and gulped it down in one go, sighing in relief as the potion's healing properties immediately started working their magic on her vocal cords.

"How am I here?" She asked the matron who was now finished with her check-up and was preparing the potions that were to be administered to the young girl.

"I don't know the 'how' part, Miss Greengrass, I only know that you were found by a few of your housemates and your friend near the forbidden forest. I have no idea how or why you were there in the first place, that's something I and a few aurors would like to know." The matron said.

"The–The Forbidden Forest?" she asked, shock apparent on her face.

"Yes and not in a good condition either. What is the last thing that you remember, Miss Greengrass?"

Daphne frowned as she tried to focus her mind. The last thing? What was the last thing that she was doing? She tried to concentrate on whatever her memory was supplying her "I-I was with Tracey and we were going to watch the first task."

Pomfrey frowned at that, "The first task you say?"

Daphne nodded "Yes, then we saw the dragons. An-And the fights…Petrovia, Diggory, Delacour..and Potter…?"

Pomfrey hummed in agreement, "Yes, anything else that you remember dear?"

"Yes. There was some commotion…Potter's dragon had lost control and started damaging everything inside the stadium. I remember running out of the stadium with Tracey and.."

"And? What else do you remember?" The medi-witch asked her patient.

"And…" Daphne looked at the old matron, completely confused, "I don't remember anything after that."

"I see." Pomfrey frowned at the Greengrass heiress, this wasn't good. It was clear that someone had wiped her memories of the event and that was never a good sign. "Drink these and take some rest, Miss Greengrass, your body needs as much rest as it can get while I floo your parents and tell them that you're conscious again."

Daphne bobbed her head slowly and was about to pick the potions when she asked the matron about how long she had been unconscious and when they actually found her.

"It's the Twenty-eighth of November dear, you have been unconscious for nearly two days. And your friends found you shortly after the dragons were subdued." The matron then left the room and went to floo the Greengrasses as well as the headmaster.

Winds rustled the tall trees as the stars twinkled in the pitch-black sky. It was a cloudless night in the small village of Little Hangleton, on the outskirts of England. It was a peaceful night for the residents of the village. Though, the same could not be said about those who were living in the manor above the hill.

The dilapidated manor stood tall on a hill, overlooking the village. Some of its windows were broken while the roof was missing a few tiles. The paint was peeling off the walls and ivy wines were crawling all over its face. The manor was damp, derelict and of course unoccupied, according to the general populace.

It was eerily silent as the manor was itself shrouded in a pale mist that snaked around its walls and crawled alongside the dead bushes and trees. The dark windows seemed to be filled with shadows that could play tricks on someone's mind.

Inside the manor, there was a single window that had some form of light flickering through the broken glass. Three people were standing around a high-back leather chair that had a big serpent wrapped around it.

"Bella…I presume that you have succeeded in assembling all the ingredients that are required?" A voice rasped out in the silence of the room.

"Yes my lord, everything is prepared. We will begin the moment you are ready." Said the woman who was standing to the right of her lord and master.

"Then we must not prolong it anymore." The voice came again from behind the chair.

"As you say, master," Bella said her beautiful angular face dampened due to her maniacal smile as she went forward and picked up a bundle of clothes.

They entered the graveyard that was in the backyard of the Riddle Manor. Among the stone graves, there was a patch of land that was devoid of anything but rough barren land. There was a large cauldron simmering in the center of a pentagon.

"Hold him for some time." Bella delivered the bundle of clothes to one of the two men with her.

Lucius Malfoy was looking fearfully at the bundle of clothes. He was not afraid of anything more than the person within the bundle of clothes and the witch who was cackling as she brought out the ingredients for the rituals they were about to conduct.

"Bone of father, unknowingly given, you will revive your son." Bellatrix chanted as she dropped the burning bone in the simmering cauldron.

"Lucius?" The witch turned to look at Malfoy senior, a hint of madness in her purple eyes as she forwarded her hand, giggling a bit. He hesitated a bit, his instincts of self-preservation screaming at him to run away and never come back to this haunted, cursed place ever again. Still, he stepped towards the mentally unstable witch and forwarded his hand.

"Flesh of the servant, willingly given, you will revive your master." And with that Bellatrix pulled out a silver dagger, swiftly chopping off Malfoy senior's left hand. Said man screamed in pain while the third person shuddered, still holding the bundle of clothes.

"Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken, you will resurrect your foe." The violet-eyed witch opened the vial of blood that had been delivered to her and poured the crimson fluid in the cauldron, watching as the simmering liquid turned a violent shade of red before going back to its former pale white.

"Soul of the bearer willingly sacrificed, you will strengthen your being." They watched as a large serpent came in, hissing at the cauldron, the serpent looked once at the small bundle before jumping inside the cauldron. There were loud hissing sounds from the cauldron before soon they died.

"My lord?" She asked him.

"Proceed."

Bellatrix nodded as she took the bundle and slowly removed the clothes. That was when Lucius noticed the ugliest creature that he had ever had the misfortune of witnessing.

The babe, if that was what it was, had an adult's head devoid of any hair along with sickly pale skin. The limbs on the other hand were as if skin was sticking to the bones. The face didn't have any nose, instead, there were two small slits to define the nostrils.

"My lord." Bellatrix said before dropping the creature in the simmering hot cauldron, "The dark lord shall rise again!"

They watched as the creature screamed in pain because the cauldron had caught on fire. The three stepped back as an indistinguishable blob originated from the cauldron, slowly taking humanoid shapes.

Long limbs formed first before the spine cracked and straightened along with wide shoulders and chest. Soon enough the entirety of the human physique was formed and the being floated mid-air before he descended outside the cauldron and stepped on the barren land that looked even more dead than before.

The being was sickly pale and thin, there was not even a single hair on his body. He slowly raised his hands and touched his head before taking a deep breath through his snake-like nostrils, it was as if he was relishing the newfound power that was bubbling within his new body that was far superior to any mortal's body.

"Robe me."

Bellatrix ran to take the long black robe made of acromantula silk and clothed her master who hummed in satisfaction, "My wand."

A long, pale yew wand with a phoenix's tail feather as the core was presented to him by Lucius. Voldemort opened his blood-red eyes and grabbed his wand, relishing at the immense surge of power that welcomed him after more than a decade of separation. He was already feeling decades younger.

Slowly a grin crawled on his serpentine face as he pointed his wand towards the sky, "Morsmordre."

Harry grumbled as his concentration was broken once more. He looked towards the living room of his suite where the sound had come from which was responsible for the interruption. He knew that it wasn't Dobby, not again at least. The elf was hyperactive, yes. But even he wasn't reckless enough to disturb him like this.

Harry stood up from his work table and walked towards the living room, ignoring all the news articles that had been written to announce his victory over the mad dragon and naming him as the 'Dragon Slayer' along with the numerous thank you letters and gifts from parents who were thanking him for doing what he did.

Honestly, he didn't do it for any of them, he just wanted to distract the dragon enough for his friends to run away and just see where that took him. The ministries wanted to give him their prizes while the Goblins wanted to meet with him regarding the dragon's carcass that was now his according to 'The Right of Conquest'.

The innovator pushed all the distracting and irritating thoughts to the side as his eyes fell on the black scroll that was kept on his table. He was confused as to why this came now of all times. It wasn't like he had taken any book or requested answers and his visit was still a month away.

Harry opened the scroll and was shocked to see the content in it:

.

~Anubis~

Your presence has been requested by The Guild.

You have been given two days to report your presence to the guild. Your arrival is expected as soon as possible.

Any delay in answering the summon will be met harshly.

~Sit Somnus Mortuus~

.

Harry read the scroll once more before looking at the still crackling fire and frowning, "What happened now?"

Ending Note: And there you have it fellas, eighth chapter of INNOVATOR. Do tell me if you like it or if I am missing something, I am waiting.

Here's thelink to my super private serveron discord where I'll keep on updating new chapter's sneak peeks, Character designs, where you are free to talk and ask things regarding my fanfics, as I am most active there:

Its a relatively newly launched server...Beware: Lots of NSFW stuff (Yeah p*rn 😁😂)

https://discord.gg/Gcbcv4dxGx
Name:𝕯𝖊𝖛 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐'𝖘 𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊

It's a new fic so do tell me if you like the eighth chapter or not, I've quite a few things planned for it. Constructive criticism is also appreciated.

*Spell Used: Fulgur Telum

Action: Arrows made of lightning. Number depends on the caster.

INFINITUS SANCTUARIUM

Action: Opens a temporary storage portal. Caster can store any element in it. Cannot be used for more than five minutes, caster might even lose the element stored if not used or released immediately.

FORESS APERIRE

Action: Releases the element trapped in the Infinity Sanctum. Direction and force depends on the caster.

Thank you for reading and reviewing,

With Regards

Dev Black

Chapter 9: Call of the Ancients

Chapter Text

Author Out!

"I am talking."

'I am Thinking'

Spells

"French."

Our duty is to be useful, not according to our desires but according to our Powers.

~Henri Frederic Amiel

Innovator

-Dev Sagittarius Black

~~Chapter 9: Call of the Ancients~~

.

News of the debacle spread around the world like wildfire. Each and every user of the magical arts who was connected with the world or was mentally stable enough to know about the incident was talking about it.

'Demolition of the Dragons' they called it. And even though, there were 4 dragons as well as three other groups that had subdued their dragons. The only one who was getting his name around the globe was Harry Potter, The Dragon Slayer or as he was being referred to, 'The One True Champion'.

Every newspaper, every magazine, and almost the entirety of ICW…every single person knew the name Harry Potter now. Adults who were crossing one hundred and seventy to kids who were just starting to learn the letters knew the name Harry Potter, the Dragon Slayer.

And it was a big feat. To slay a dragon as ferocious as Horntail and a nestling mother dragon at that. The best thing was, he was all alone, the news reporters conveniently forgot that the dragoness was tired and wounded because of her earlier match with the youngest Potter and that the elder Potter had some help in the beginning stages thanks to Dumbledore.

To them, a single hero coming out of the crowd and saving the entire population of Hogwarts and Hogsmeade from a mad and angry dragoness was something out of legends and their stories were doing their level best to squeeze out every last drop of juicy news from the incident.

It was after all something that might happen only once in a lifetime as the last time this had happened was in the 1400s when John the Brave had killed an old dragon all alone and buried it beneath the mountain the dragon was living in.

The British, Russian, and French Ministries were continuously hounding Sirius trying to ascertain the dates Harry would be free. All three countries needed to know when they could bestow their awards upon the young man who had saved so many lives.

Sirius for his part was having the time of his life. Using the political techniques drilled into him by Orion and Arcturus Black he was using Harry's name and fame to get his godson the best deals that he could get his hands on. Signing those deals with beautiful witches was just a side bonus and said witches falling for his roguish looks and humor was not his fault. Nope, never his fault.

To date, said manager had been able to attend quite a few parties hosted around the world and had already signed deals for more than a few million galleons for the elder Potter. Harry Potter's name would soon be in the top ten richest and most famous wizards in the world.

The best response, according to Sirius, had come from the Goblin nation where the warrior race of the Goblins was impressed with the feats of one Harry James Potter and therefore had offered him the honor of becoming the first goblin friend in the last four hundred years. Along with the Golden Axe award known as 'The Axe of Gnathrax', founder of the goblin race and the first king of the Goblins.

The world at large was still recovering from the stunt that had been pulled by one Harry James Potter or as he was being known these days- The Dragon Slayer.

"...Point is, that even though it wasn't what Harry himself wanted, he is now the youngest Dragon Slayer in recorded history. Slaying the strongest and the fiercest of all dragons- The Hungarian Horntail at a mere age of fifteen. He was so powerful, flying up-"

"Blaise..shut up." Harry grumbled as he buttered his toast.

"Huh? But Harry, I haven't even reached the best part of the article yet!" The Italian heir complained, "The flight scene as you killed the dragon withFiendfyreis described in detail. They made it look as if you're a fabled hero who is here to save the village…Actually that's kinda accurate too."

Harry glared at the boy and he immediately backed down, still he couldn't remove the smirk on his face and Harry knew that. It had been three days now and still the bloody newspapers had his face on the front page. Wasn't there anything else of importance going on?

"Bonjour 'arry, Blaise."

Blaise waved his hand while Harry grumbled his good morning.

"What has the mighty 'one-true-champion' down?" Marietta asked him, trying to keep a straight face as both Blaise and Fleur laughed while Harry face-palmed.

"Honestly, all these cringe titles are giving me headaches now. I really want to kill these writers who are doing nothing more than writing made-up stories about me." Harry grumbled.

"Oh don't kill them yet dearie, you can simply do what they want and get them off their backs."

The group as whole turned to the new member, "Rita, the one person who I didn't want to see anytime soon."

Rita laughed before she patted Harry's arm, "Love you too sweetheart, still the charmer I see." She smiled as she bent down and picked up a cherry from the offered fruit bowl on the Ravenclaw table.

"Is it that time already?" He asked the woman wearing the bright green robes and a ton of make-up.

"Yep, why else would I be here?" She said, "Mr Black is meeting with the headmaster regarding a few things and told me to go ahead. He'll join us at the designated location."

Harry nodded before standing up, "Let's get this over with as soon as possible, I have a meeting with the headmaster too."

"Where are you going, Harry?" Blaise asked his friend who shrugged, "Sirius says that giving an interview to one newspaper would shut the others up and they'll stop badgering us for a while."

Blaise made an 'o' in understanding before he pointed at Skeeter who was standing a few meters away from them, "Are you sure she is the right person for that?" He asked, "You know after the last time…"

Harry smirked at his innocent friend, "Oh yes…this time she won't print anything that's not wanted. Sirius has ensured that." And with that the boy went for his interview.

Alandale Henry Potter, the boy-who-lived and the fourth champion of the Triwizard tournament was sitting in his hospital bed, glaring at the wall in front of him. The empty bedside table taunting him of his failure to accomplish the task.

It had been two days, two days since the blasted first task, the thing that was supposed to bring him back as a forgotten true hero had instead turned the tables and become his worst nightmare. Something which he can't get rid of, even if he wanted to.

Alandale was angry. Really angry. He was angry at everyone, Dumbledore, the tournament, the blasted goblet, his friends, Malfoy, his house but most of all he was angry at his brother. Ron had just left to get some snacks from the great hall as Madam Pomfrey wasn't willing to let him leave the hospital wing for the next two days.

'Fleur is winning with forty-five points, followed by Krum at forty-two and Diggory at forty-one' Alandale thought of the points that Ron told him had been announced the next day in the great hall, when he had been unconscious.

'And Alandale Potter….'failed' to acquire the egg, therefore he gets 'zero' points' That wasn't true, he had been awarded mercy points but they had been deducted almost immediately because his antics had caused all the mayhem andendangeredeveryone's lives.

And then there was his brother, Harry Potter. The boy who was now known as the 'youngest dragon slayer' and the 'one true champion'. Instead of throwing the boy in prison for killing such a rare species of Dragon, the entire world was clapping and praising him. Alan hated that and he hated his brother for making this look so easy.

Alandale Potter was the boy-who-lived, the savior of the entire wizarding world. The boy who had defeated the darkest wizard in history just months after he was born. Everything had been going good for him.

The redhead didn't remember much of his formative years, the only thing that he did was that sometime when he was about 3-4 years old, his mother had disappeared along with his brother. It had been a shock to find his mother three days later outside the door in a coffin.

They told him that the world had grieved at her loss. As for himself, he had been given to the Weasleys and Dumbledore had called off the search for his brother, presuming that he was dead too.

Things had gone great till he turned eleven. People around the world loved him, he had a good family that loved him, he had a roof and good food and of course he was very popular. Then he had stepped inside Hogwarts and everything had come crashing when he saw that his brother was not only alive but also doing quite well for himself.

After that, it was as if he had gone down the hill while Harry rose steadily to fame. Going as far as to getOrder of Merlin(s)and Invitations from international guilds. The boy was given one complete suite to himself while Alan had to share a room with four other boys, three of which hated him now.

"All will come to realize it soon." He muttered to himself, "Everyone will soon learn that I am not someone who they should have made fun of."

For now, he knew that he should focus more on the second task. He knew the date thanks to Ron, but he had no idea what the task entailed. He knew he'll have to find that soon or end up being under-prepared like he had been in the first task."

.

"Harry."

Said boy looked around the office that he had entered. It was still the same. The same trinkets, the same portraits of previous headmasters, things strewn across in a haphazard yet strangely organized way.

And of course, the same person sitting behind the table, peering at him with his half moon spectacles, his blue eyes twinkling madly, 'Of course he is happy.'

"Headmaster." Harry muttered and before Dumbledore would have offered, denied the bowl full of bright yellow candies, "I am here to request a leave sir."

Dumbledore frowned at that, "Oh? What happened to Harry? Everything alright?"

Harry showed him the summon that he had received from theNecromancersGuild. He saw Dumbledore's expression change from confusion to understanding to trepidation before finally resignation crept on the old man's face. Harry knew that the man couldn't refuse him now because refusing the summon was equivalent to declaring yourself as an enemy to the guild.

And getting one of the big guilds as your enemies is most certainly not something you would want in your bucket list. Much less the scariest of the big three.

"I see." Dumbledore sighed. "Perhaps you have some idea as to why they are summoning you so soon?"

"Unfortunately, this time I don't have any idea sir. But I have to leave tomorrow. I can't delay it anymore than that." Harry shrugged, he could already hear the next request that was about to come.

"I am hoping that you might take this as a chance to seek help regarding our project?" Dumbledore asked him, he knew that the guilds were ancient storehouses of knowledge. Knowledge that can actually change the shape of the world if used in the wrong way.

"I won't make any promises that they'll help me, but I'll definitely try." Harry agreed, "Be sure professor that their chances of helping us are far lesser than them ignoring us. After all, the guild-master has a way of dealing with things that benefit the guild more than the members themselves. She might not compromise the entire guild by helping us."

"The guild masters do tend to be like that." Dumbledore gave a wry smile, remembering his days in the Transfiguration guild when he was an apprentice there and had to work hard under the guild master and the experts.

Harry looked at Dumbledore before he raised his eyebrow as if to silently ask the man whether he was going to sign on the scroll or not. Dumbledore immediately did just that as he signed a small note before making it official with the Hogwarts stamp.

Moving out of the Headmaster's office, Harry straightaway went to the office of the head of his house. He needed the goblin professor's signatures and then he would immediately be off to the Guild.

Draco Malfoy, son of Lord Lucius Abraxas Malfoy and Lady Narcissa Cassieopia Malfoy nee Black. Was sitting in the living room as he read the headlines of the paper. It had been three days since that accursed prank that had turned into an accident and all Malfoy knew was that there was a prison cell in Azkaban with his name on it.

Draco still didn't know how things turned out the way they did. His work was to simply create enough commotion and panic so that people would start running like headless chicken. After that it was Angelique and Higggs' job to capture both of their targets, namely Daphne Greengrass and Harry Potter.

All he had planned that time was to simply mix a small dreamless sleep draught in the dragon handler's drink who was guarding the dragons in the cage. Then he was supposed to wait till the man fell asleep. After that he had to go and open one, just one of the dragon's cage and be gone from the place as the dragon started wreaking havoc which would have made people run away in panic.

But that plan backfired spectacularly. He had waited for the guard to fall asleep and then he had opened the doors of the Swedish Short Snout. After that he had decided to go to the first task so that he could have a perfect alibi if the investigations reached him.

Unfortunately, he hadn't taken account of the fact that the dragons weren't called the strongest creatures in existence just because of their durable scales, flight and their ability to breath fire so hot that it could melt stone. They were called the most dangerous because of something that other creatures didn't have: The ability to think and decide their benefits.

Since there was no one and Draco had left the area as soon as the Short Snout's cage was opened, the youngest Malfoy didn't have any solid proof but he knew that somehow the dragoness he had freed had gone ahead and freed the other two before launching a combined attack. This had also resulted in the death of the guard who was the first human they saw after attaining their freedom.

The horntail's madness was also not something that either of them could have accounted for. The dragoness had gone mad because of something Alandale had done to her and therefore instead of leaving the stadium like they had predicted him to do, Harry Potter had chosen to fight the dragoness head-on.

And what a battle it was. Draco, in all of his fourteen years of existence, had never seen anything like that. His entire philosophy on the boy named Harry Potter changed then and there. Flying hundreds of feet in the air on a flying dragon and having enough strength to literally roast the dragon from inside? That….was what true power was and the person wielding it was the literal powerhouse.

It was not normal. To have that much power in the hands of a teenager was not a normal thing at all. Draco had always respected power. That was how he had been raised by his father who had always taught him that there were only two kinds of people in this world.

One, those who had that kind of power and second, those who were too weak to handle that kind of power. Draco knew that the Dark Lord was the type of person who held that kind of power. And till date, he had not found another one who could ever hold that much strength in him.

But now he did. And he didn't know what to do with that kind of information.

Harry Potter for a lack of better words was always someone who was better than him and had the ego as well as attitude that would have given his grandfather and father a run for their money. He was intelligent and quite famous because of his inventions. But that's where all the things ended.

The youngest Malfoy had presumed that Potter always had a stick up his bottom only because he was famous, rich and had good connections. It was true that his father had told him to stay away from the boy and that the boy was a freaking Monster with a capital 'M'. But he had not realized how much his father's words rang true.

The boy was indeed a monster. A freaking beast who was on a thin leash. The beast was happy and satisfied right now, he was busy and had work therefore the beast never showed his true face. But what if at some point the work finishes and the beast is left to his devices? What if at some point the beast finally snaps and decides to kill everyone inside the castle?

'No….Potter won't do that. He has friends too..there was Zabini and that Chinese Chang who always buzzed around the group a-and there was that French Veela too. Fleur…Potter will take care of them…he won't attack us, he doesn't have the guts to do it' Draco thought but then his memory supplied Potter's livid face as the boy mercilessly killed the dragoness.

He was not ashamed to admit it. After that display of power Draco Malfoy was absolutely terrified of the elder Potter. He had always been on guard whenever Potter was in the room because of his father's warning but now? Now he didn't want to be in the room instead. He just wanted to run as far away as possible from the Monster, the beast named Harry Potter.

'And to think I had been plotting against him the whole time and I am the one responsible for Potter's battle against the dragons…..' Draco really wished he hadn't smirked at Potter when the boy had looked at him when the First task was about to end. The Malfoy heir knew that there was no way that Potter would be able to trace the attack to him and that he was safe where he was.

Still..there was this lingering doubt that he was forgetting something and that something was vital for his survival. Vital for his survival because for some reason he knew that he would be crossing wands with the beast soon and that his fate won't be much better than that dragoness who was nothing more than a roasted carcass now.

Harry Potter moved out of the castle gates. He looked around at the cold scenic beauty that was around Hogwarts. The snow-clad mountains, the frozen black lake and the soft snow on the canopy of the forbidden forest, it was as if the whole picture was out of an artist's imagination.

The innovator trudged the cobblestone path to get out of the ward line that prevented any form of portkeys or apparitions unless you had permissions to do so from the headmaster. There was a small sensation as he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand and the general comfort of home leave his consciousness. This meant that he was finally out of the ward line.

Harry pulled out the black scroll once more and held it tightly in his right hand, "Domus Mortuorum."

And with a large 'POP' Harry Potter was sucked into a vortex of inky blackness.

.

Daphne rubbed her temples once more, she could already feel the headache that was about to come. She looked around her room, it was the same as before. The same old canopy, the same pastel green walls and cream coloured ceiling. The same paintings that she drew on the wall when she was no more than six years old. All of her stuffed toys occupied the other half of her queen size bed.

Yes, her room at Greengrass Manor still looked like it always did. And yes, she still didn't like it here.

Her parents had been worried at first when Madam Pomfre had told them the condition she was found in after that they had been shocked when Pomfrey told them that someone had probably trampled her memories and obliviated her to forget the last few hours before she was found.

Her father had filed a complaint and an investigation was started shortly after that. The first person who had been interrogated was her friend Tracey who said that Daphne was completely fine till they were sitting in the stadium. But then just as they entered the castle, she started running back towards the stadium.

On asking Tracey had looked at her for a short time before answering that she had gone in search of Harry Potter who was fighting the dragoness inside the arena. Daphne had blushed beet red because she was sure that it was something that she would have done voluntarily. Still, her parent's knowing smile wasn't something she wanted to see anytime soon.

On her mother's advice, her father had taken her home to rest and recover from the ordeal. She had wanted to meet Harry at least once but unfortunately she hadn't been allowed to leave. Their house elf had been sent to gather her belongings from her dorm room while she had used the floo in the hospital wing to leave Hogwarts.

Now, she was feeling many things at once. But three things stood up from the rest of her emotions: Tired, Curious and Bored. Tired because of the whole ordeal as well as her occlumency practices that her mother was helping her with.

Bored because there was nothing to do right now. Thankfully, their elf had also brought her research paper over the project that she and Harry were working on. And since she didn't have anything else to work on, she decided to use her family library and work on her project instead.

Now, her last emotion was because of a single thing. Who had wiped her memory? And why? The first person who's name had come to her mind when the auror had asked for anyone who might try to harm her was Draco Malfoy. He had tried to harm her before too and it didn't matter that it was in their second year. Next was Pansy Parkinson for obvious reasons.

But the third person who came to her mind was someone who she had recently slapped in Hogsmeade. The French diva, Angelique Beaufort. She didn't know why but Angelique was someone who seemed capable of doing something like this.

Still, as she was a famous personality as well as a foreigner, the aurors couldn't do anything against her unless they had an arrest warrant or had solid proof against her.

All Daphne could do…was wait.

Black mountains. As if made from charcoal and dead ash surrounded it. Overhead, the skies had black clouds with lightning streaking through them every now and then.

There on a floating plateau, on the black soil stood a large castle made entirely of black granite. Its walls gleamed in the small amount of moonlight that streaked through the small pores in the dark clouds. Its large towers and turrets all had an ethereal golden glow to them along with a few shadowy figures that floated around the castle which gave a mist-like appearance.

The entire ground beneath the floating plateau was covered with many marked and unmarked graves. There were graves of all types and for as far as one could see, they could only see graves which also gave the place a unique name,The Valley of the Dead.

A small cyclone formed in the black sand at the front gates of the castle and out of the cyclone stepped a boy. Wearing clothes that would have suited someone of a royal heritage or someone who was attending a function of the highest order.

A white button down shirt accompanied with black trousers and shiny black shoes. Thick arms covered in a raven black coat that had various gold and silver trinkets on it along with a series of medals on the right chest that showed his rank.

The boy peered down at his clothes before smirking, the magic of the guild was still working even after all these years. He grabbed the golden chain of his long black capelet with the guild's symbol on the back and red on the insides. He gave it a small tug and saw a pedestal arise from the ground in front.

Harry placed the black scroll that had been used to summon him. He saw the scroll get absorbed in the pedestal before he placed his hand on the pedestal to confirm his identity.

A large lion, made entirely of the ethereal energy that surrounded the guild jumped from the ground beneath him, it was the spirit of the guide who was assigned to him by the guild. The lion moved around him as the beast seized him for any signs of weakness.

This was the last test that everyone who wanted to become an apprentice had to give. After a series of tasks and your ability to solve them, the guild gave you a spirit animal that would judge you every time you stepped on the guild's land. If the spirit animal didn't find you up to the mark, you'd end up becoming one of the graves beneath the plateau.

To think they were all the graves of aspiring apprentices who had failed this test. It was both terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. Terrifying because they died because they failed and exhilarating because he had passed it.

The beast, finding its partner to still be as good as they had first met, stopped moving and instead gave his mortal a small lick before placing its large body behind him and sitting on the ground. The feline gave a loud roar before he glared at the main doors, commanding them to open for his partner.

"Welcome to the Necromancer's Guild, commander Anubis. Master of the third Hallow of Death." A booming voice came from the statue of the grim reaper that was floating in the entrance hall welcoming him as he entered the hallowed halls of the guild.

Harry's guardian spirit walked beside him as he traversed towards the deeper sections of the castle. He saw a few familiar faces that were in the guild, they were either practicing something or learning or were apprenticing under one of the guild masters. They immediately bowed once they noticed his rank and didn't get up till he left.

The innovator knew that he was a master in the guild too. But that was not because he had finished his mastery or was officially a necromancer. No, it was more because of the fact that he owned one of the legendary hallows of Death that were given to his ancestor Ignotus Peverell by Death itself.

The Necromancer's guild was started in the thirteenth century by the three brothers. And therefore the descendants of said brothers always had a special place in the hallowed halls. Being the owner of the third hallow was a bonus point.

Therefore as Harry was both, a descendant as well as the owner of the cloak. He was immediately given the rank of a commander and the title of Anubis who was the Egyptian god of the death.

Likewise, if the other two owners of the hallows ever joined the guild and proved their ownership they would also be given title of the gods and rank of the commander. It depended mostly on the spirits that surrounded the guild, they were the major connection the guild had with its patron entity who decided how things went around in the guild.

It was the same entity that had met Harry in a state of lucid dream when he had passed the final test and gave him the name along with something akin to a boon. The entity had told him that one day Harry would know how to use the boon and what to do to attain it. Till date, the boy was as clueless as before.

Harry or as he was known in the guild–Anubis, stepped inside the arched gateway and started moving down the stone stairs. He knew that the person who he was supposed to meet was waiting for him at the lowest level of the castle.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, Harry entered what looked like a chamber made of bones.

The entire chamber was filled with skulls of different sizes, it had a large bookshelf on the far right while torches illuminated the scribbles done on the skulls as well as the walls. Harry ignored all of that as his focus zeroed down on a single woman that was sitting cross-legged among a pile of scrolls.

Said woman smiled when she sensed the familiar presence approaching her, "Welcome Anubis, I see you found my summon safe and sound."

The guardian spirit vanished in a small show of gasses and twinkling green lights as Harry went down on one knee and bowed to the strongest woman in the entire world who was also the Guildmaster of one of the most powerful international guilds and the only one who was capable of hoisting the spirit of the most powerful entity till she wanted.

"Rise Anubis, for there are many things that we have to discuss. Our family is in need of your services now. It's time you are shown the path to achieve your goal and accomplish the value of your life.

Ending Note: And there you have it fellas, ninth chapter of INNOVATOR. Do tell me if you like it or if it was missing something, I am waiting.

Here's thelink to my super private serveron discord where I'll keep on updating new chapter's sneak peeks, Character designs, where you are free to talk and ask things regarding my fanfics, as I am most active there:

Its a relatively newly launched server...Beware: Lots of NSFW stuff (Yeah p*rn 😁😂)

https://discord.gg/Gcbcv4dxGx
Name:𝕯𝖊𝖛 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐'𝖘 𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊

It's a new fic so do tell me if you like the ninth chapter or not, I've quite a few things planned for it. Constructive criticism is also appreciated.

Thank you for reading and reviewing,

With Regards

Dev Black

Chapter 10: The Stone of Renascence

Chapter Text

Author Out!

"I am talking."

'I am Thinking'

Spells

"French."

You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.~

Abraham Lincoln

INNOVATOR

-Dev Sagittarius Black

~~Chapter 10: The Stone of Renascence~~

.

Harry released a tired breath as he re-entered his suite. He was thankful for the fact that he had not met any familiar faces on his way to his sanctuary. After the news he had heard he was sure that any of the familiar faces he had witnessed would have made him feel useless and helpless even more than he already was.

'Pop'

"Master Harry Potter sir is back, how was the trip Harry Potter sir?" Dobby asked the innovator who looked at Dobby with steeled expressions, "Dobby…I will be in my work-lab and no one, unless it's one of the professors or headmaster, is allowed to enter or meet me." He told the diminutive creature.

"And if there is someone who really wants to meet me, ask them the reason. If you think that their reason is just enough, then ask them to wait and if they are just here for chit-chat, tell them that I am busy and won't be able to meet them anytime soon."

The seriousness in his master's voice made Dobby gulp. This was not how his master usually was. He was serious, yes, but not like this. "Ye-yes master. Dobby will see to it that no one disturbs master's work. Where should Dobby keep the food? As Dobby thinks Master won't be having food in the great hall anymore."

Harry frowned a bit before pointing it towards his workroom, "In there." And with that Harry moved towards his room to get changed.

He needed to report this to Dumbledore as soon as possible. The headmaster might be an old manipulative coot but he was better for the survival of the wizarding community and Harry was sure that he will need the Grand Sorcerer's help soon. 'I will need to report to Sirius too. I can't attend those stupid functions he had been signing me off too.'

'Knock Knock'

"Come in Harry."

Harry controlled his mind, it won't do any good to walk in with his emotions on his sleeves. Still it was really hell to control his aggression and anxiousness that he had felt ever since he learned about it. He opened the door and stepped inside, stopping momentarily when he saw his first benefactor, Lord Greengrass sitting on the opposite chair.

"Headmaster, Lord Greengrass." Harry greeted both the senior wizards.

"Harry, I am afraid you will have to wait for a few minutes. Lord Greengrass here is just about to leave for his work." Dumbledore smiled at him and Harry knew that the headmaster was using this as a way to escape Lord Greengrass.

"Please Headmaster. Don't end your meeting with Lord Greengrass just because I came. I can always come back later." Harry knew he was supposed to hurry but the news could wait for the small amusem*nt he got as he watched Dumbledore squirm.

"Are you sure Harry?" Dumbledore asked him quite smoothly, and even though his eyes showed nothing but general curiosity Harry knew that the man was tired and looking for any way to get rid of the Greengrass head.

"Yes sir, I am very sure." Harry smirked at the way Dumbledore was spluttering, he was about to leave the room when Lord Greengrass stopped him.

"Ah, no Harry. I am sure that Dumbledore understands the reason for my visit." He sighed and turned to look at Dumbledore, "And I hope you will do something about it soon because I don't want to come here again with this issue."

Dumbledore nodded and with a simple bow, to the headmaster Lord Greengrass left the room.

"Come Harry, take a seat. Lemon drops?" The headmaster offered the boy a bowl full of lemon drops and the innovator politely declined, "This is not a casual meeting headmaster. And I think," Harry pulled out a small vial that had a shiny silver thread slowly floating inside it, "That you'll need to bring out your pensieve for this one."

Dumbledore's cheerful demeanour immediately fell and he gave a small hum as he flicked the elder wand and opened the pensieve cabinet. Harry watched as the largepensievecame out from inside the wall cabinet, its runes shining as the gaseous liquid floated inside it.

"Come Harry." Dumbledore moved towards the magical device, and emptied the small vial that was given to him by Harry. "After you." He said to the boy who denied, "No sir, I think this time you should be the only one to go inside. The message is for you, not me."

Dumbledore frowned at that but gave a single nod and with a deep breath dived inside the pensieve.

Dumbledore looked around the large chamber that he had been sent into. It was still the same, just like the last time when he had visited the chamber all those years ago.

The same black walls, the same haunted appearance, the bones lying around. Honestly, he is still glad that he wasn't called to join the guild and instead all he had to do was visit the guild. That was also only because he had to register his name and magical signature as the master of one of the beacons of Death's powers.

"Welcome to the guild again, Albus."

Dumbledore immediately turned towards the voice and stiffened, 'The enlightened one…' There she was again, the master of the Guild and one of the most powerful mages alive. No one knew how old she was or when she joined the guild. Only that she has been here for a long time and every member in the guild calls her 'The Enlightened one'.

Not so surprisingly, she looked the same as she did in the fifties when he had visited the guild for the first time.

Surprisingly enough, she was sitting on the black throne that was embedded with various jewels. And her eyes were zeroed in on his own self. It was as if she knew just where he would be standing when she sent this memory.

"I have not sent my memory for fun purposes, child, the world is in need of young Anubis' services now. Because if not for him, the entire world would go down the hell hole and none of you would survive." She said, her black eyes glinting as she rubbed her bald head that was full of various symbols in red and black.

"You might be wondering why I sent this memory to you." She gave a feral grin, "That's because, I have a task for you. But before that, I would like you to come with me." And with that she got up and left the chamber, the entire scene shifting with her.

Dumbledore noticed that this time they were in a room with a huge black ball with green spots swirling in the centre of the room, smoky tendrils moving around it as it slowly floated in the exact centre of the room. Rotating from west to east.

'The world chamber' Dumbledore thought as the enlightened one moved towards the rotating ball of darkness. "I am assuming you know what this is?" She asked him again and this time turned to look straight at him again. This was as if she knew where he would be, even though this memory was made some time ago.

"Yes, this is one of the three eternal spheres that show our world to us. There is a simple thing that one needs to know before studying the sphere." The enlightened one said and turned to the sphere as she placed her hands around it, not on it. Making sure to never touch the sphere.

"This is not only a replica of our mother earth, this is the exact same replica of mother earth and her domains." The woman said and smiled as she watched the sphere rotate with a small amount of insanity seeping in her eyes.

Dumbledore frowned at that, he knew that the woman wouldn't say anything useless. Her words were carefully constructed bridges between deep meanings and mortal understanding. Still he couldn't get the meaning of the sentence behind her words, 'the exact replica of mother earth…'

"Don't worry about the meaning behind my words child." She said, looking at him with a small smile, "You'll understand them soon enough." And with that she gently moved away from the rotating sphere, "Watch the sphere Albus and compare it with what little knowledge the mortal mind has about the planet we live in."

And Dumbledore did. The headmaster followed her words to the tee as he looked at the sphere and tried to imagine their home planet beside the ball. Same shape, same size, same rotation…Slowly the image started to fit the one that was spinning in front of him.

Dumbledore's eyes widened a bit as the realisation hit him, 'The 'exact' replica of mother earth….' And this realisation made his mind explode with a multitude of thoughts.

This sphere, this ball of darkness…it wasn't called The Eternal Sphere for nothing. The sphere wasn't the earth's replica…it was earth herself. In all of its glory and grandeur. Which meant that anything that happened anywhere on the planet would directly be shown here.

But why was it black and green and why were the green spots not looking like the continents? Instead they all looked far away from each other.

"Yes child, this is the model of Earth that is linked with mother nature herself. Now you might be wondering why am I telling and showing you all this, right?" She carefully started collecting the tendrils of black smoke that were writhing around the planet.

"The three spheres, each have a different purpose and a different name. This one shows us the balance between the land of living and the land of the dead and helps us in protecting the balance so that neither the dead breach the border nor the living enters the land of all ends." She said and swirled the collected smoke in her palm.

"But recently, someone successfully breached the borders and re-entered the land of the living when he should have remained dead and passed onto the next adventure." The Guildmaster turned to look at him, her smile gone and in its place was an angry glare that forced Dumbledore to take a step back even though he knew it was a memory and not real.

"Your wayward disciple, Tom Marvolo Riddle has successfully re-entered the land of the living." For a few moments Dumbledore's brain stopped working. Its activity died down and it was as if this was all a really bad nightmare that would end soon. At Least he wished that it would end soon.

"Wh-What?!" Dumbledore gasped out loud as he finally registered the words…."Voldemort…he's back?"

The enlightened one gave a hum of acknowledgement as she snapped her fingers and Dumbledore watched the smoke that she had collected rise out of her palm and turn to form a smoky screen.

There Dumbledore and the Guildmaster watched as Bellatrix LeStrange worked through the ritual. He watched as Lucius Malfoy's left hand was chopped and dropped in the cauldron. His eyes widened in shock when the crazy woman took the disfigured baby in her arms from none other than Draco Malfoy's hands, the poor boy was shivering with fright.

'Is this why Lucius took his son out of Hogwarts on the same day when the Dragons were released? He said that Narcissa was worried about her son and therefore wanted him with her for at least one week…at that time I had assumed that it was nothing more than a mother's love for her child but…this? Lucius took Draco out of Hogwarts to witness this?' Dumbledore didn't know if he should pity the younger Malfoy more or be angry at the elder one.

Finally Dumbledore witnessed the grotesque form of Voldemort that rose from the cauldron and took shape in front of his eyes. Tom Riddle was indeed back. And this…was not good news, not at all.

"When a soul breaches the border and re-enters the land of the living, they leave a small tear in the border that protects both the realms. The tear is small right now but it'll soon grow large as the time passes and once the tear is large enough for one entire soul to pass through it….the entire throng of the cursed dead spirits will re-enter the forbidden world."

Dumbledore looked at the woman completely dumbfounded, not knowing what to say. His thought process had stopped and now all he could do was imagine the utter chaos that the cursed spirits would do if they ever managed to breach the border successfully. The world would cry tears of blood and fire.

"I don't think Tom Riddle knows or understands the consequences of his actions." She said as she snapped her fingers again and the smoke screen disappeared. "There are spirits that are far more powerful than you or him. People and creatures who have the powers to bend the base of all creations, cursed for an eternity to bear the pain and atone for their crimes in the realm of the dead."

She gave a small sigh as she turned to look at the old man who was still trying to digest the information that was given to him, "The dead must stay dead, Albus. That's the way the circle of life works and one simply doesn't break the circle for their personal benefits or the dead will bring down the entire creation to its knees."

The enlightened one then came and stood right in front of the only wizard, her glare penetrating through his skull even though she was a memory, "I have summoned Anubis today and he'll likely be here in two days. He is the only one who could stop the creation from tearing apart. Though right now, my little warrior is weak, he has the will and the strength but he does not have the necessary power. He is not suited for such a task at the moment."

Dumbledore knew what was about to come, "He needs your help Albus." There it was, "You will have to help my little warrior to become who he should be, to become who he must. It is time for you to pay the price for the help that the spirit of death has been giving you all these years."

The master of the Guild looked at his right arm, the place where he kept the Elder wand and smiled as if she knew exactly where the wand was, "It is time…for the first hallow to change its allegiances once more."

Dumbledore stepped out of the pensieve, his head going through his thoughts a mile a minute. There were a million things going on and a billion results if anything shifted from the exact current base of operations.

The enlightened one had given him two tasks right now. And he, for all his genius brain power, could not fault her for either of them or find anything that could serve as a better alternative than the options she gave.

The old headmaster saw his student still sitting in one of the visitor chairs, his hand in a blur as he wrote something on a piece of parchment. "Harry?" He asked the boy who looked up, "Oh, you are back, professor. I am assuming you know about the fact then?"

Albus nodded and took his seat, he looked at his hand that was still shivering and he knew that it would take some time before he could finally get his nerves under control, "I don't know if she told you everything or not, therefore I won't be able to tell you what she told me. I am assuming she gave you some work to do?"

"Yes professor," Harry said and stood up from the chair, "I have to leave on an excursion soon. I have been told that I will be accompanying you somewhere?"

Dumbledore tried to collect his thoughts as he imagined the damage one idiot's action has already done and the extent it will do. He knew he was not suitable enough and that his time as the frontline fighter had gone long ago. Ergo, the only thing he could do now, was to protect and prepare the younger generation for a war that might wipe the world.

"Yes Harry, You will be accompanying me on this journey, I was still doubtful about the location but now I am sure we'll find it there." The chief warlock told him, "We will be leaving within fifteen minutes. Wear something comfortable but with protective enchantments so that it could protect you from the harm and danger."

Harry gave a solemn nod and left the office. The Guildmaster had told him that Voldemort is back and the prophecy regarding Voldemort and Alandale is now active. Right now, snake-face might be recruiting to reach the grand army numbers he once had.

And all Harry was doing was to go on blind missions that might kill or grievously injure one of the two members that were going on this mission. Harry knew that Dumbledore and the Guildmaster were hiding something because she had expressly told himnotto view the memory and only to let Dumbledore be the only watcher.

'She did say that she'll tell me when I visit her again on the twenty-first'Harry thought as he turned the corner towards his suite.

Ashley looked at her reflection and gave herself a proud smirk. She was proud of the fact that she was a champion and was representing her school. She was also proud of the fact that she had done really well in the task and she was also proud of the fact that her image as the Dueling Champion and the Triwizard Champion had ensured her name in golden letters in world history.

Still, there was one thing that was missing her 'ideal' world dream; A person who could rival her level of arrogance and back it with his work. Someone who had both the wits to charm anyone and the tongue to humiliate them within a moment's notice. And there was indeed someone who could do it.

Ashley peppered her face with another light dusting of the foundation glow that perfectly blended with her skin tone, 'Harry Potter.' The only person who she could say was actually made for her. Unfortunately her prime competitor, Angelique, was after the young man too. Which made this challenge even sweeter when she'd win it in the end.

Harry Potter was an enigma. Something that Ashley fully intended to solve one day, the boy had killed the fiercest dragon in existence single handedly just five days ago and then had gone to some sort of tour of his own.

But according to the elf that had told her about his absence, the Potter heir was supposed to come back to Hogwarts today. She knew that Harry Potter along with the majority of the three schools were still uninformed about the special event that was to take place on Yule this year.

Which meant that she could easily use her knowledge to ask the Potter heir before Angelique or other girls could. Ergo cementing her place by his side and removing the confusion that other girls might have regarding a possible relationship with said Innovator.

Ashley smirked at herself before giving her reflection a seductive wink,'Tonight, I'll visit him in his quarters, it's time he learns something better than just book knowledge.'

Dumbledore sighed when Severus finally left his office. The day was slowly seeping him off his strength. Unfortunately, he knew that this was nothing and that there are many more tiring things to do. The aged headmaster looked at the wand that was placed on his office table.

The eighteen inch long beaded wand. The death-stick or the First hallow of Death. The wand had a long history written in blood. Legends said that each of the hollows had a unique ability of hiding themselves from the world and then resurface when it was time for another event that would change the reality of the world.

The wand of Destiny was no different than its fellow beacons of eldritch powers.

Dumbledore grabbed the wand and again felt the surge of power that rejuvenated each and every fibre of his hundred and fifteen year old physical self. He knew that he had to train himself for years to finally control the power that this wand held and not let it overwhelm his mind so much that he lost control and destroyed every beautiful thing that his eyes fell upon.

He only wished that Harry would be able to control the corrupting powers of the wand better than him and would be able to gain the wands' mastery sooner than Dumbledore did because the boy had much more important and tougher challenges ahead.

"I feel it's time to finally leave." Dumbledore whispered to himself and with that he picked up his wand before leaving the office. It was not the time to think about consequences, he had some searching to do and two tasks to perform. He just can't let his thoughts control him anymore.

The headmaster saw that the boy was waiting for him in the entrance hall. His back leaned on the stone wall as he seemed to be deep in thoughts of his own. It was quite understandable, the boy had just been told that the person he had been working to defeat for the past five months now, is back and will attack the wizarding world the moment he gets his sufficient strength.

"Shall we leave Mr Potter?" Dumbledore called out, formally breaking the said boy off of his thoughts.

"Yes headmaster." Harry said, and together two of the strongest wizards in Hogwarts started moving towards the school grounds, completely ignoring the students who were looking at the unlikely pair of mages going out together.

Moving out of the Hogwarts protection area, Dumbledore lent his arm towards Harry who raised an eyebrow.

"The location that I will be taking you, is a place which you haven't visited before." Dumbledore told him, "Therefore it will be prudent of us to take you with side-along apparition. Don't worry I have enough practice that I won't splinch you," The old man smiled.

Harry ignored the old man's attempt at humour, right now he was not in any mood to laugh anyways. So, instead he held the headmaster's arm and took a deep breath to compose himself.

"One should never forget to smile Mr Potter," The headmaster said, "For one never knows when it might be the last time," And with that, the duo were whisked off with a small 'pop' sound.

'Pop'

Two men, one tall with a long white beard and another short with the most piercing green eyes that had ever been seen suddenly came into existence. The shorter of the two stumbled a bit, as if trying to get his bearings.

"What's this place, professor?" Harry asked as he looked around, trying to familiarise himself with his surroundings.

They were standing in a patch of land that had huge numbers of wild plants growing at an uncontrolled rate. A few metres from them was a dilapidated shack that was half-hidden amongst a tangle of trunks. It seemed to him a very strange location to choose for a house or to leave the trees growing nearby, blocking all light and the view of the valley below.

Harry wondered whether it was still inhabited; its walls were mossy and so many tiles had fallen off the roof that the rafters were visible in places. Nettles grew all around it, their tips reaching the windows, which were tiny and thick with grime.

"That," Dumbledore began as he stepped out of the patch of wild plants and into the small clearing beside it, "is the ancestral home of one of the most notoriously dark families that ever set its foot on British soil: The Gaunts."

For a second Harry doubted that anyone could even assume 'that' as an ancestral home but then the name 'Gaunt' stopped him. He had read about that family, one of the earliest families said to be descended from Salazar Slytherin and the only English family other than the Blacks that could speak to Snakes.

But there were two things that stood out more than others; The Gaunt Madness, something that the entire family suffered from before dying and another lesser known fact that Tom Marvolo Riddle or as he wanted to be known, Lord Voldemort was half Gaunt.

"So, this is his ancestral home." Harry said, his tone more of a declaration than of a query.

"Kind of, yes." Dumbledore confirmed and flicked his wand, throwing a powerful stunner at the dilapidated shack.

Harry was about to stop the old man but then his eyes widened when all of a sudden, a thick blue shield materialised absorbing the beam of pure magic before disappearing as soon as it came.

"What was that?" Harry asked the elder wizard who just muttered something under his breath.

"Tom has left this home for more than five decades Harry, still the locals have not destroyed the building. It's not because they didn't want to. It's more like Tom's protective enchantments have stopped anyone, even the Ministry, from coming near the shack."

Harry wasn't going to lie, he was astounded by the sheer power that Riddle's magical skills showed. To not come to a place for five whole decades and still have the enchantments strong enough to repel muggle and magical force alike is nothing short of an accomplishment.

Meanwhile, Dumbledore flicked his wand again and sent a purple beam of light this time, unfortunately just like last time, the shield came and absorbed the spell before disappearing.

"It seems," The headmaster said, "That we will have to wait here for some time so that I can work on this protective enchantment first." And with that he began his work while Harry decided to quietly observe him.

It took Dumbledore about thirty-five minutes to crack the basic rune circuit that was powering the shield. After he was done, they saw the shield come into existence once more before flickering a bit and vanishing.

Dumbledore again sent a small stunner and both the mages watched with satisfaction as the spell traversed the area between the wand and the shack without being absorbed by the shield. Though shockingly enough, the spell didn't hit the shack at all because a snake jumped out of the bushes when the spell was a few metres away from the door and took the spell head-on.

"Snakes." Harry muttered.

"Yes, the Gaunts took pride in their abilities in the field of parselmagic. Therefore I had assumed that they might have used it to command a group of snakes that would protect their shack from anyone that wasn't pure of blood or muggles in general." Dumbledore told him before taking a step forwards towards the shack.

"Be careful Harry, these Snakes are probably venomous in nature." Dumbledore said as he stunned another snake that was hissing, "I will not be able to protect you from every single one of them."

Just then five glowing beams of red passed Dumbledore's side and hit five different snakes, immediately stunning the slithering reptiles that were waiting to attack the wizards.

"Speak for yourself, professor." Harry said and joined Dumbledore as the duo started moving towards the shack, stunning as many snakes as they could, protecting themselves while guarding the other one when needed.

They reached the front of the Gaunt shack, and Harry winced at the pitiable condition of the building. He looked at the dead snake skin that was hanging on the front door.

Dumbledore flicked his wand at the door, "Inspicere*" The elder wand's tip glowed a vibrant shade of red, screaming about the dangerous hexes that might be sewed in the door to protect it from invaders.

"Why was Riddle protecting this dilapidated building with such ferociousness?" Harry asked the older wizard.

"I had always assumed that Tom was a person who valued worldly possessions more than anything and that he might've used artefacts of greater magical integrity as his sources to reach immortality." Dumbledore answered, "To hide such artefacts, he might've used places that were of great attachment to him, no matter the emotions behind such attachments be Happiness, Sadness or Anger."

"Therefore, I had assumed that he might've used his maternal home as another place to hide one such artefact." The chief warlock added as he raised his wand once more, "And with the number of enchantments around this place, I can safely say that I was right."

The two mages then started working on removing the numerous hexes that were placed on the door. Not so surprisingly, the hexes weren't that dangerous. It could be assumed that they were placed by a sixteen year old boy who didn't know much about hexing and wasn't as knowledgeable as the dark lord he currently was.

Still, the amount of hexes were tiring. If a group of hundred muggles had somehow breached the compulsion charms and breached the first boundary successfully, then only 5-10 might've been able to successfully enter the shack and that too after suffering a lot of curses and body altering hexes.

The door was opened and the two men observed the insides of the shack. And it was then a wave of compulsion hit both of them, telling them to leave the place immediately. The two ignored it as they knew it was likely another protective enchantment that Riddle had used to safeguard his container.

The house seemed worse on the inside than it was on the outside. The walls were mossy with black marks on them and paint peeling off in the corners. There were a few items in the room that looked like they had seen better days centuries ago.

Worst of all was the floor that was completely rotten. The floor-boards were soiled and were littered with dead animal bones as well as excreta. Both Dumbledore and Harry immediately activated theirBubbleheadcharm to protect their smell buds from being bombarded with the putrid smell.

But just as the two were about to step inside the shack, the hairs on the back of the neck rose and they immediately took a step back as their senses were bombarded with a feeling of imminent danger.

"You felt it too Harry?" Dumbledore asked the boy who gave a single nod in response.

"I think that the threshold is also cursed, sir." The innovator said, "We will have to remove the curse first."

Dumbledore hummed before flicking his wand towards the broken roof of the shack, "You are able to discern a threat purely based on your magical sensation at such a young age is nothing short of astonishing Harry." The wand tip glowed blue and he pointed it towards the floor next, "But you must still learn how to distinguish the level of threat." And this time the tip glowed a vibrant shade of red.

"Because it's not the threshold that's cursed," Dumbledore sighed and looked at Harry, "It's the entire floor of the house."

After another ten minutes, Dumbledore finally found the curse that was applied on the floor. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't something that could have been done by a sixteen year old Tom Riddle, therefore he assumed that this was the work of the curse on the object that was holding the horcrux and that somehow the curse had encompassed the entirety of the floor-board in its range.

After this, it was only a matter of time when the location of the curse was found. Harry used his mage sight that activating any of hisRune of Potentiagave. His pupils turned silver and the green was pushed to the circumference.

The mage sight was a power consuming ability that could not be gained. It was something that the magic user was born with. Still, one should have a bigger than average magical core to activate it, much less use it for more than 2 minutes. This is where Harry'sRune of Potentiacame into effect.

The location of the cursed object was easy enough to find as it had the maximum amount of degeneration around it. Harry confirmed it once again with the help of his mage sight. The entirety of the floor was covered in a dark mist, but the mist around the two floor-boards in the farther right corner had dark grey almost black mist.

Dumbledore nodded and told the boy to step back. He pointed his wand at the two floor-boards, "Bombarda!"

The muddy orange beam of light flew from the death-stick and hit the centre of the floor-boards accurately. Harry watched as with a loud boom, the two floorboards were destroyed along with a sizable chunk of the mossy corner wall.

Amidst the dust and rotten debris, the two mages noticed a black box sitting right under the point where Dumbledore's curse had hit the floorboards. The wave of compulsion charm strengthened and both the mages applied their occulomency shields to protect their minds.

Harry had to crinkle his eyes because his mage sight showed that the black wasn't just painted black. But the object inside it was so evil that it had a pitch-black hue around it with black tendrils made of pure magic leaping on and off from the box.

"Wingardium Leviosa." Harry muttered and felt his magic grab the cursed vessel from afar. He knew better than to use the Summoning charm when dealing with objects that could rot anything they touch.

Harry brought the box out of the shack and placed it on the ground. He saw a small area around the box immediately turned dry and got a few cracks. The boy still wondered what the cursed object might be that Voldemort used to house his soul, he knew that Dumbledore would tell him soon.

Dumbledore pulled out a brown leather bag from his pocket. The bag had many runes engraved on it, which led Harry to believe that the bag was one of the container bags used by curse breakers when they find a heavily cursed object and have to transport it.

The innovator immediately released a deep breath when Dumbledore closed the strap of the bag ultimately sealing the container and the cursed energy inside it. The pressure on his mind and magic that he had been ignoring all this time ended abruptly. His magic finally stopped lashing out and his mental shields relaxed as the threat ended.

"What do we do now, professor?" Harry asked the headmaster as he looked up from the bag, only to find the death-stick pointed right in his face.

"Headmaster?" He asked, looking into Dumbledore's twinkling sapphires.

But it wasn't the twinkling sapphires of the happy old headmaster that greeted him. It was the cold hard eyes of the old warlock who was feared around the world for his immense prowess in magic, the person who had gone toe-to-toe with and ultimately defeated one of the most powerful dark lords in history that stared back.

"Prepare, Harry Potter." Dumbledore announced, his voice grave with an undertone of anger, "Because I am challenging you….to a fight."

'...What the f*ck?!'

IMPORTANT NOTE:My ongoing ficPalliationhas finished and I'll publish it's last chapter onNovember 25th, 2023.What does this mean forInnovatorreaders? This means that I currently have only one ongoing fanfic (Innovator) and I will relentlessly write it so that I could finish it asap, because this one is next in the line to finish. Now, why did I tell you that and simply not do it?

Because I am bringing my oldReview-Chapter proportionality back in the game. It's simple really, the more reviews I get, the faster you get a chapter. I wasn't going to do this, I swear that, but I am disheartened by the lack of reviews I received in the previous 4-5 chapters.

A simple 'Good work Dev' is more than enough to tell me that you did appreciate my writing and that is truly my biggest motivator cause I don't want anything else other than giving you quality chapters. Hope you will see my reason, thank you.

Ending Note: And there you have it fellas, tenth chapter of INNOVATOR. Do tell me if you like it or is it was missing something, I am waiting.

Here's thelink to my super private server on discord where I'll keep on updating new chapters, sneak peeks, all the character sketches are uploaded, where you are free to talk and ask things regarding my fanfics, as I am most active there:

Its a relatively newly launched server...Beware: Lots of NSFW stuff (Yeah p*rn 😁😂)

https://discord.gg/Gcbcv4dxGx
Name:𝕯𝖊𝖛 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐'𝖘 𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊

It's a new fic so do tell me if you like the ninth chapter or not, I've quite a few things planned for it. Constructive criticism is also appreciated.

*Spells used in this chapter:

Inspicere:Works to detect the nature of magic on an object, it gives a Red glow for 'danger' and a Blue glow for 'safe'. It's vague, so can't tell the level of danger.

Thank you for reading and reviewing,

With Regards

Dev Black

Chapter 11: A Change of Allegiance

Chapter Text

Author Out!

"I am talking."

'I am Thinking'

Spells

"French."

It's an unfortunate fact that we can secure peace only by preparing for war.

~John F. Kennedy

INNOVATOR

-Dev Sagittarius Black

~~Chapter 11: A Change of Allegiance~~

.

Harry looked at the aged headmaster, who was peering down at him from his half-moon spectacles. His face was devoid of all emotions, including the twinkling blue eyes and the ever-present grandfatherly smile, as if it were made of stone, and instead of the person being the jovial headmaster, it was a killer who was about to commit another crime in cold blood.

"Wh-what? Headmaster? What are you saying?" Harry asked the man. His eyes were wide, not knowing what to do anymore. The person who had accompanied him till now, the one who had made sure that he remained safe, had just challenged him to a battle. What should he say?

It wasn't like he should just say, 'Yeah sure Old-bones, bring it on!' And start firing the curses at the strongest man in the entirety of the wizarding world…or should he? No, Harry shook his head. This might not even 'be' the Dumbledore he knew and came with. This might be someone whose mind was under the effects of whatever curse Voldemort's rotten mind had placed on the artefact in the box.

They had taken precautions, and Dumbledore was using the best curse holder that could be found out there, but they were talking about Voldemort's Horcrux here. It wasn't just a simple wannabe dark lord; this was one of the darkest mages in history. Merlin knows what kind of curse or curses his rotten mind would have cooked up as a method to protect the soul piece.

"You heard me right, Harry." Dumbledore said as he started walking backwards, either not caring about the fact that his back was facing his to-be opponent or he was just too sure about his skills in handling someone who was as powerful as Harry Potter. "I am challenging you to a wizarding battle, or, if you prefer a safer term– Wizarding Duel."

Dumbledore finally stopped walking and turned to face Harry. He stood about ten metres from the young innovator, who was still looking shell-shocked at the person who had invited him on this quest. His brain was working really hard to find some sort of reason—any damn reason—so that he could know exactly why the greatest mage alive was challenging him to a duel all of a sudden.

"Are you going to begin, or are you afraid, Harry Potter?" Dumbledore asked him, and even though Harry could feel a slight hint of amusem*nt in his tone, the old mage himself didn't even twitch a muscle on his face.

"I don't understand it, Professor," Harry blurted. "Why are you doing this? Why all of a sudden?" He asked the Supreme Mugwump, who didn't say a thing except look at him with cold blue eyes.

"The war is coming, Harry," Dumbledore began. "People will look at you, and you'll probably be in the center of it all along with your younger brother Alan." Harry scoffed at that. As much as he knew the brat, he was sure that the redhead idiot would try to run as far away from any war as possible.

But he didn't say that out loud, and Dumbledore continued.

"I know that out of the two, you are way more capable of protecting everyone than him." Dumbledore told him, "But Voldemort and the prophecy won't see it that way." He looked to the side. The sun was starting to set in the sky; it was probably another few hours before complete darkness.

"Tom can only be defeated by your brother's magic, but till he is ready and fully prepared, you, my dear boy, will have to fight Voldemort and protect everyone, which includes you, your loved ones, your brother, and the people of Britain." Dumbledore said this and looked at Harry with something akin to pity in his old eyes.

Harry didn't know what he had expected when he asked the question, but this was most certainly not on the list of expected answers.

"So…" Harry began, "You mean to tell me that…that I'll have to become the bloody 'hero' that my brother has been prancing about pretending to be? Is that what you are saying, headmaster? To be the damn guardian and to protect that lazy brat till he finally gets enough balls and decides to die by Voldemort's hands?!" Unknowingly, Harry's voice had been raised a few octaves by the time he was finishing up.

Dumbledore gave a tired sigh. "Please try not to fall towards the crass tongue in my presence, Harry; it doesn't suit a young and healthy mind such as yours." And before Harry could retort about language, Dumbledore continued, "And no, I am not telling you to become the, as you so eloquently put it, 'hero'. No, instead, I just want you to be ready enough when it's time to protect your loved ones and be strong enough so that you don't hesitate when others need your protection."

"It's one and the same thing, Dumbledore." Harry said, "I'll be crowned a hero either way. Something, which we both know that I don't want. I can never have the empathy and things required to be a hero, and I never will be."

"You don't need 'things' to be a hero, Harry, and I never said that you had to be one." Dumbledore argued, "I just said that Alandale isn't ready yet, and Tom won't leave either of you alive because to him, you two are like his failures, something that he would want to rectify as soon as he could."

"Respectfully, sir, I don't think I am that high on Tom Riddle's hit list, at least not yet." Harry countered, "And you have been protecting the cherished 'boy-who-lived' for the last ten years of his life; I am really sure that one way or another you'll be able to protect him till Riddle dies."

'And this is a way of ensuring the same thing, Harry,' Dumbledore thought, but didn't say it out loud, knowing full well that the boy won't like being put in the job of a guardian, even though the heir's ring and his duty as the future lord of Houses Potter and Peverell have and will force him to protect his younger brother.

"I don't have any words for you, Harry." Dumbledore flicked his right hand and grasped the beaded, rough texture of the Deathstick that sprung from the wand holster. "I am here to not only test you but also to see whether you'll be able to bear the weight of your responsibilities, which will be forced on you sooner than you think."

"Professor, what are you talking-" But Harry wasn't able to complete his words as he dodged a bright red cutting hex that just went through the point where his neck was a few moments ago.

Harry's eyes widened, and he flicked his Blackthorn wand out before screaming a quick Protego and watching a Bludgeoner and a Bone Breaker smash on the blue translucent shield. It was clear that Albus Dumbledore wasn't in the mood to hold back his punches, and that was more terrifying than he had initially thought it to be.

'But if you really want it, professor…..' Harry smirked as he removed the shield and dodged the shield breaker. 'Then I won't hold back my punches either….let's see who gives up first.'

"Bombarda Maxima!"

Deep inside the ancient castle of Hogwarts, there was a room on the fifth-floor corridor; it was specifically given to guests who were in the castle for some time and were international celebrities.

It was offered to all the VIPs, but it mostly depended on whether they wanted to stay in the rooms or whether they would rather go back to their own homes or find another place for their temporary residence.

One such room was given to the French beauty queen, Angelique Beaufort, who was furiously pacing around the suite's lounge area. A clear expression of panic evident on her beautiful face.

'I knew I shouldn't have listened to her... This is way too much for me.' Beaufort thought as she paced in the living room. 'The plan was perfect; it was so simple that even a troll would have been able to execute it with perfection!'

'Then how the hell did we f*ck it up so badly that I am hiding from the aurors that are patrolling the castle!' Angelique looked at her suite's door; she had been doing that quite a lot lately.

Every time there was a knock or someone called out her name, panic seemed to grasp her heart; her body went cold, and her heartbeat pounded in her ears. Her mind only focused on one thing: It might be the damn Aurors, and they were here to arrest her!

Granted, she was very relieved when the actual perpetrator of the whole plan, Draco effing Malfoy, had gone home. This meant that the little boy wouldn't be able to snitch on her if the aurors got a little too much for the snot-nosed prick.

But that didn't mean she was completely off the grid yet. There were still the two gorilla-human hybrids that followed him, and then there was her extra-large circle of friends, friends who would stab her in the back if they could get away with it or if it saved their own hides.

And everything—every little thing that she was suffering was because of that one prick! That freaking dumb troglodyte! Angelique cursed Tracey Davis one more time; she didn't even know how many times she had cursed the spectacled girl. But even a million would have been less for the mess that girl had unknowingly pushed her into.

The plan had been really simple: Malfoy was supposed to open the gates of the dragon handler that was keeping watch on the dragons, and she was supposed to wait in the forbidden forest for that dragon to cause mayhem.

One of Angelique's friends was positioned just behind the Greengrass heiress, and she was supposed to take advantage of the mayhem and put the Greengrass heiress under Imperius, ordering her to move towards the Forbidden Forest.

Everything had gone smoothly to that point. Angelique had been waiting in the forbidden forest along with a few of her friends; unfortunately, instead of one, there were three dragons that were sprouting fire and wreaking havoc on Hogwarts grounds, but it was not her concern; it was Dumbledore's, and so she ignored it as they were safely in the safer area of the forest.

Greengrass had reached them under the effects of the imperius. It was clear to her that Greengrass was desperately fighting the curse because her friend, who had cast it, was struggling really hard to control the heiress' strong willpower.

Angelique had taken her victim's wand away and bound and gagged her. Only then had her friend released Daphne from the curse. And now it was time for the main dish.

They had their fun, beating the Greengrass heiress and torturing her. It was supposed to be a simple bully lesson; it was supposed to tell that little girl exactly who she had been messing with and that she should learn her place from now on.

Then one of her friends—Camille—suggested that why not remove a few parts from the heiress' memories? It would have been perfect. The Greengrass girl would've scratched her eyes out, trying her level best to remember exactly what they would have done with her during those removed parts.

While Angelique and their friends would have made up gruesome stories and kept the girl always on edge, it would have served as excellent blackmail material, too! The bitch would have left Harry all alone and would have been forced to keep her mouth shut, or they would have spread rumours about her'supposed' torture in the rumour mills.

But it certainly didn't go as they had planned it to. Camille was the one who was most skilled in anything related to mind arts, ergo it was decided that she'd be the one to do the honors. And Camille didn't have any problem with that either.

Therefore, Camille pulled out her wand, and even though Greengrass was trying to get rid of the constraints, the French girl easily placed the wand in Greengrass' face and muttered the spell.

And that's when everything went to hell.

Greengrass' friend, the one who was almost always with the girl, was looking for her. Apparently, Greengrass was with the girl when the imperius had taken effect, and the girl had been looking out for her friend ever since that time.

Camille got scared because Davis' voice was way closer to their position. It seemed like any moment now, Davis would catch them wiping her best friend's memories. And that was unacceptable.

Still, the damage was done because, due to her shock and fear at being discovered, Camille accidentally poured more magic into her spell. Result? Even she didn't know how much she had wiped from Greengrass's memories. The girl, on the other hand, fell to the ground, pasty white froth coming out of her mouth as she started shaking violently, her eyes rolling back in her skull.

This had scared the group; they didn't know what or how much damage they had done to the heiress, and so they did the only logical thing that came to their minds: they ran away, leaving the twitching form of Daphne Greengrass behind them.

Later on, Angelique came to know that Greengrass was found soon after that by Davis and that she had been taken to the hospital. Two days following that had been literal hell for her because Daphne was comatose, her magic was fluctuating quite violently, and Angelique was worried that when the heiress returned, she would alert the authorities, and then her whole career would have come crashing around her.

Thankfully, that didn't happen.

Still, Lord Greengrass had already filed a complaint, and his position within the British Ministry had led to a huge battalion of aurors in the castle who were now investigating the case. And that..was not a good thing—not a good thing at all.

Angelique just prayed to whoever would listen that the investigators close the case. They never get their paws on her. She was even willing to leave Harry Potter and the stupid challenge. The boy was really good, but it was definitely not worth the price that she would have to pay if her name came up in the investigations.

The French diva sat on the sofa and pulled out a piece of parchment. She dipped her quill and started writing a letter to the only person who would be able to save her from all this. She was ready to pay them anything they wanted. But she doubted that they would agree; she just hoped that they would.

Harry panted as he looked at his opponent. The elderly man, who was standing behind a shield, had a slightly burned beard. Dumbledore was also panting; he didn't know how Harry was holding up because right now he was firing spells that could not be countered by a mere teenager.

This gave more credit to The Enlightened One's words about Harry being way ahead in his battle prowess than the ones his age. He knew that the enlightened one had told him to test the boy to see whether he was ready for the responsibilities or not. But even he didn't know that the young boy would not only be able to match him in his prowess but also force him on the defensive.

Granted, Dumbledore hadn't used any power-consuming spells yet. In fact, he hadn't used anything that would have given trouble to anyone who was beyond Auror level. But so hadn't Harry.

The innovator had yet to activate his runes that Dumbledore had seen him activate when he was fighting the dragoness. Which meant the boy had put him on the defensive through sheer skill. It was impressive, and Dumbledore could have stopped the test right here, but this only proved one of the three reasons for this impromptu match.

There were still two more things that needed to be tested. Which meant it was time to increase the level of their fight.

"You have been doing quite well for yourself, Harry." Dumbledore commented and looked at the boy, who didn't say anything. "But I am getting quite bored of the mundane spells that we have exchanged."

Harry's eyes widened a bit; he knew that Dumbledore wasn't putting up his hundred percent, but calling the landscape-changing battle 'mundane' was still too much. He was on his last blows, and it was through sheer dumb luck that he had been able to push the warlock on his defensive.

If this battle moved any further, Harry knew he'd have to activate his runes sooner than he had imagined to activate them in the future.

The innovator saw Dumbledore take his stance, and the golden mage shield disappeared as the headmaster pointed his wand at the boy again.

"Apovoli Organon!"*

Harry's eyes widened at the dark curse that he dodged narrowly. Dumbledore used dark magic. It was almost unheard of. Harry knew he wasn't prude or dumb enough to think that Dumbledore was a miracle man who only used safe spells. Still, it was almost surreal to see the mage preach about good faith and greater good using spells like organ-expelling curses.

This was getting more serious than Harry liked.

"Calcitrare!" Harry cried, and he saw the old man just casually flick it away.

"Really Harry?" Dumbledore smiled. "A punching hex? This is more like you are disrespecting my capabilities. Try to get more serious next time, or I might just incapacitate you."

Harry gritted his teeth; he hadn't wanted to do this. This always left a bad aftertaste in his magic, and it took about five days for even a single of the reservoirs to fill completely. Still, Dumbledore's condescending tone didn't leave many choices for him.

"You'll regret saying that, Professor," Harry gritted. "Calcitare-Ignis Flagellum-Avis-Mutare Mortus!" Harry screamed the spell chain and panted a bit. He really needed to activate his runes now, 'Petrificus Totalus' He sent the nonverbal Petrificus hidden in the spell chain.

Dumbledore dodged the punching hex again. "Protego." The flame whip splashed on his shield and broke it. Still, it did the job: "Ventus Maxima!"

Harry gritted his teeth when the overly strong gust of wind washed over him. His flock of eagles with steel beaks were thrown away. The innovator tapped both his shoulders to activate hisRune of Potentia. He felt his magical core being pumped with magic as thick silver vines spread down his arms, and everything slowed down a bit.

"Draco Ignem!"*

Dumbledore's eyes widened as he noticed Harry finally activate the runes. He knew that the boy's magic would have been boosted several times now. The warlock knew that there was more to it than just increasing someone's magic, but he didn't know the other factors that well.

"Ignis Praesidium"* The golden shield formed in front of him to take out the draconic flames that Harry had released.

Dumbledore made a wide circle with his wand and transfigured all the rocks around him into a pack of wolves before sending them towards Harry.

"Fodre Foraminis."* Harry flicked his wand in a wide arc and saw the ground in front of him tear up as it swallowed the pack of wolves. He grunted at the strain it put on his core; it was still nothing compared to the dragoness, and his body wasn't perfect right now, and the runes were only half-filled with magic.

Harry closed the earth again and immediately dodged two bombarding hexes that were aimed at his head. The spells would have killed him if it weren't for his enhanced eye sight, which was not only making everything slow but also increasing his perception.

"Fulgur Telum''* Harry threw fifteen arrows made of lightning towards the warlock, who immediately conjured five rows of thick granite slabs to block the arrows.

There was a loud, booming sound, and Dumbledore grunted. The arrows had hit the granite slabs, and for some reason or another, instead of being stuck there, they had bombarded the slabs. He hastily conjured up ten more slabs because the first five had been damaged.

Harry took this to his advantage and fired three blasting hexes at the ground around Dumbledore's position. "Serpensortia!" Harry cried out as he conjured seven snakes and released them towards the headmaster.

This was his moment; he could almost feel the victory. Only one last step: "Mutare Mortus." The snakes got steel fangs, and their scales hardened as they rushed towards Dumbledore.

'If only I was a parselmouth like Alandale,' Harry thought, but shook his head. He was trying to focus on the large cloud of dust that had formed in front of him due to all the basting hexes and the sulphur-coated lightning arrows that blasted on contact.

There wasn't any sound coming from inside the dust, but Harry knew better than everyone to not become delusional or overconfident in a duel. Especially not the one with someone like Dumbledore.

"What happen-UGH! WHAT THE-" Harry screamed and looked behind him. There was one wolf that had attacked him. The wolf looked exactly the same as the pack of wolves Dumbledore had created a while ago. It seemed that Dumbledore had created one wolf behind Harry and had already silenced it with magic.

"Diffindo'' Harry chopped the wolf's head off its body and saw it roll down his leg. 'To think that Dumbledore could be this specific with a target that was metres away from him and minutes before the attack actually happened'

But his momentary loss of attention had cost him as he suddenly heard Dumbledore's voice from behind him: "Exercitus Mortuorum."

A huge wave of compressive magic swept through the rubble formed from the granite slabs, arrows, and stones. The tonne of crap started floating a foot above the ground and started accumulating in five different places.

Harry's eyes widened as a skeleton hand came up from one of the accumulated spots, followed by its body as the rubble got shaped and attached like the skeleton's armour, a coat of golden aura filling the armoured warrior's body. It stood up from the destroyed rubble, its hollow eye sockets glowing golden with malice as it glared at him with contempt.

"sh*t…" Harry muttered as he witnessed similar skeleton warriors emerge from other rubbles too. Soon enough, there were five armoured skeletons standing in front of him, glaring at him with a sword made of sharp arrowheads in their hands.

Dumbledore emerged from the dust; his clothes were torn at places, and there was black soot all over him. There were even a few bite marks that were oozing blood, which told Harry that his steel-fang snakes had been successful in injuring the headmaster.

Still, the old man was smiling at him. Even with a bloodied face and a singed, dirty beard, the old man was smiling at Harry. This wasn't a smile of happiness; this was a smile of excitement. Excitement to finally see your enemy down. It was exciting to finally see that your enemy can't win and that he'll soon be nothing more than an unconscious body.

"What's this, headmaster?" Harry asked him as he tried to get his bearings, "You are delving into necromancy now?"

"It's not necromancy, Harry." Dumbledore countered as he sat on the ground in a lotus position, "It's advanced-level battle transfiguration; I am not surprised that you haven't heard of this yet." The warlock smiled as he closed his eyes and focused his magic, strengthening the skeletons. "But now... you will."

As soon as Dumbledore said that, a thick, almost palpable, aura of golden magic emanated from him. It was clear to Harry that the old man was now concentrating so that he could keep up with powering the magically constructed skeletons. It was also clear because immediately after that, the skeletons charged at him, their swords raised high and their golden eyes flashing with rage.

Harry blasted the first skeleton with a bombarding hex, but then he had to dodge the attack from the second one, and by the time he looked at the first one's destroyed torso, the skeleton was already up and running towards him.

'This is surely going to be a long-drawn battle,' Harry thought as he conjured a metal shirl to block the sword of the second skeleton before kicking the head of the third one. He winced when he felt one of the swords graze his left leg.

The innovator knew that if this continued, he'd be at a disadvantage because he was battling five different constructs made of pure magic that were nigh indestructible, all thanks to the titan of magic that was meditating and controlling them, just a few metres away from him. He knew that if he had to win, he'd need to think of something sooner.

And that's when an idea came to his mind. It was risky, that was for sure. But it was better than nothing. He just hoped that he would be able to finish it before his opponent noticed it. Harry sliced two skeletons from their lumbar regions and watched as they fell. He looked at the fifth skeleton that was watching him and standing guard over Dumbledore's meditating form.

'Time to do what I do best….let's see if you can counter this Innovator' Harry smirked and ran back towards the bushes that were about three metres from the meditating headmaster.

Daphne Greengrass, the heiress to the Ancient and Noble House of Greengrass, was sitting on her bed. She was still recovering; well, that's what they told the school anyway.

The truth was, she had recovered from the ordeal before she came home with her father. The problem was just with her memories now. She didn't know what had happened after she had gone to search for Harry.

Madam Pomfrey had checked her vitals, and everything was still safe. Which meant that no one had tried to take advantage of her prone form. Daphne was quite relieved by that news. But her father didn't want to stop there. He wanted the tormentors to suffer and was doing everything he could to catch the perpetrators.

Tori was at Hogwarts, and she was her only source of information these days. Daphne knew, from her sister's latest letter, that Harry wasn't in Hogwarts anymore. It was quite frustrating that she couldn't contact Harry. She had tried to contact the boy before leaving Hogwarts, but he had been recuperating from his own ordeal, and then her father hadn't even let her leave his field of vision.

After that, the letters she had sent had been unanswered, though she knew it was more because he was probably busy and wasn't at Hogwarts. Still, it was quite frustrating. More because there was some kind of event going to happen for couples in Hogwarts. Something that was supposed to bolster the school's relations with each other and help interschool harmony.

The Greengrass heiress knew that it was some kind of ball because she had been asked in the pre-school year mail from the headmistress to bring a ball gown with herself. But they hadn't announced the date yet. And Daphne was hoping that the date wouldn't fall on some day when she'd be 'recuperating' at the Greengrass Manor.

Her only fear was that Harry would be asked out by someone, and he'd end up taking her to the ball. Daphne would be missing a perfect opportunity for some close time with her…best-friend, yes, let's go with that for now.

She was musing some more when there was tapping at her window sill. Daphne looked at the ornate window in her room and was surprised to see an unfamiliar owl with a letter tied to its leg. She opened the window and placed some owl treats as well as a bowl of water for the avian. She then removed the letter, and her eyes widened when she saw exactly who had sent her the letter.

Harry was on his last breath as he glared at the last skeleton warrior. There were far too many cuts on his body. He was low on magic, and he was trying his level best to survive this fight now.

Thankfully, it wasn't just him who was panting from exertion. The innovator looked at the headmaster, and even though there weren't any visible signs, the boy knew that the old warlock was also running thin on energy.

They had been fighting for the past hour; Dumbledore's golden aura had receded, and there were sweat beads on his face. The last skeleton warrior who had been guarding Dumbedore was finally standing against him; its body had already been broken far too many times and would not survive another blow.

Harry gathers the last bits of his magic as he prepares for one more hit, "Inspiratione Inanis."*

The black spell with a swirling grey mass around the length left his wand and smashed on the skeleton's broken armor. The last skeleton's mouth opened in a silent scream before it was demolished to dust, just like the ones before it

Harry fell on his knees and panted. He looked at the meditating form of Dumbledore and saw that he was coming back too. So, the boy made one last effort and slowly finished up the plan that he had been working on for the last hour.

Dumbledore released a deep breath as his eyes opened, and he looked at the demolished landscape through his own two eyes instead of the skeletons that he had been controlling with his magic.

He looked at the boy that he had been fighting against, and there was pride in his eyes. The boy had already surpassed his expectations and had achieved two of the three goals that he had wanted for the boy. It was a sad thing that the innovator had been able to defeat him, but it wasn't unexpected.

In fact, quite the opposite; Dumbledore had already expected it. He was far stronger, far more experienced, and definitely had a larger arsenal of spells than a fifteen-year-old teenager, no matter who they were.

Still, this fifteen-year-old teenager had successfully proved his worth. And also the fact that he was ready for what was about to come. Overall, Dumbledore could consider this impromptu test a success.

"I see that you are finally at your limits, Harry." The headmaster said this as he stood up from his sitting position. "Unfortunately, we both know that I am still not defeated. Which means I have won this small battle of ours."

"It's time for you to accept your defeat." Dumbledore said and pointed his wand at the boy; he would simply stun the Potter heir and take him back to Hogwarts, leaving him under the care of his trusted healer.

But just as he was about to fire the stunner, something happened. Harry started laughing. It started as a small chuckle at first, but then it turned into full-blown laughter. Dumbledore thought that the boy was laughing to hide his anger; he was probably angry because he lost. It was a natural reaction, of course; after all, the boy had been undefeated to date.

In a way, it was a good thing that he was getting the taste of defeat; this might make him more down-to-earth and probably more open to other ideas as well.

Harry pulled the last bits of his magic; his runes were completely depleted. There was nothing in the two shoulder runes, and he didn't want to use the thigh or the solar plexus ones for such a simple battle.

Therefore, he emptied both his reservoirs; the black vines of magic shrank down from being thick vines to threads, then disappeared altogether. He released all of it with a strong pulse: "ACTIVATE!"

Dumbledore's eyes widened in shock when, all of a sudden, the ground beneath him started to shake violently. Six spots made exactly three metres away from him started glowing light blue, and a golden thread of magic connected the six runic patterns, forming a hexagon with the patterns on the corners and him at the centre.

"Harry? What's this?" Dumbledore asked the boy who was standing near the first runic diagram. He felt his magic weaken and drain rapidly from him. It was being sucked away from him and was instead powering the circuit beneath him.

Harry gave a proud smirk as he pointed his wand at Dumbledore. "This is the end of our battle, professor."

"What?" Dumbledore tried to move out of the hexagon, but he couldn't even move his legs; instead, his legs started to hurt as if they were being whipped. He tried to force his willpower and tried to apparate out, but that didn't happen, and the pain in his legs made him fall on his knees as he groaned.

He knew that he had lost. "How?"

Harry didn't reply; instead, he flicked his wand at the prone form of his headmaster, "Expelliarmus."

Dumbledore watched as the bright red jet of magic hit him squarely. His grasp on the elder wand loosened along with his connection to the death stick, and the wand flew towards Harry. Its new master deftly caught the first hallow of death.

The wand had changed its allegiance once more after nearly forty-five long years. Dumbledore smiled, Harry had not only passed all three tests; he had also surpassed him. The future looked a lot brighter.

And yes, it was time to tell the enlightened one that Albus Dumbledore had completed the job given to him by the Guildmaster.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Omake

(Idea given byOriginEyeOrion649in the reviews)

Footfalls came from outside his cell. He frowned at that, this was rare. It wasn't a guard, that much he was sure about. And he hadn't had visitors in a long while. Which meant that something had happened, something that someone needed his help with.

The former dark lord and current prisoner, Gellert Grindelwald, gave a toothy grin at the line of thought, this was a good occasion, they needed his help which meant he could use this to get something from them.

The dark lord immediately straightened up in his cell and waited for the person to appear; he was surprised when none other than his old friend and lover came into his view. So, the great Albus Dumbledore wanted something from him? The day couldn't be any better.

"How are you, Gellert?" Dumbledore asked him as he stood with folded hands in front of the cell.

"As well as I could be, Albus," Gellert sneered, "But I do wonder how the great sorcerer and defeater of Dark Lord Grindelwald came to see me after all these years?"

Dumbledore smiled, "I came to inform you about something."

"What? That you are stuck and finally need my help again?" Grindelwald laughed,"I knew it, you couldn't do everything back then and you couldn't do everything now either. Tell me what you need my expertise on and I will help, mind you it's not free," He smirked.

Dumbledore frowned a bit, "Your help? Why would I need that?"

"That's what you are here for, right? You want my assistance with something that you are stuck with."

"Ah, I apologise if my unexpected visit gave you that impression," Dumbledore smiled, "But no, I am here for a different reason. Perhaps you would like to know more about our unfinished quest that took away our youthful years?"

Grindelwald frowned a bit, he remembered the quest alright, both of them were running after the Hallows and wanted to become the Master of Death, he even had the Deathstick after years of searching the wand. Something, which he lost to the man standing there in front of his eyes.

"What about it?"

Dumbledore smiled,"You see, I was able to search all the items. In fact, I possessed all of them at one point or another, though never together."

Grindelwald's eyes widened, "What? Yo-You know where they are?"

Dumbledore's smile was threateningly close to becoming a smug grin, "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do know where they are."

"Really?!" Grindelwald cried, "Al-Albus, reunite them! Take me when that happens! I want to see it!"

Dumbledore couldn't hold it any longer as he chuckled, "I don't have them."

Grindelwald's joy came to a halt, "What?"

"Yes, they are in possession of Harry Potter, I am helping him."

"Whaaatttt?!" Grindelwald held his head, "WHY WOULD YOU DO SOMETHING SO STUPID?!"

"Why, for the 'Greater Good', of course." Dumbledore laughed as he left the cell.

"ALBUS PERCIVAL WUFRIC BRIAN DUMBLEDOOOREEEEE, YOU f*ckING BASTARD!" Grindelwald's voice boomed through the corridors of the castle.

Dumbledore laughed harder.

Ending Note: And there you have it fellas, eleventh chapter of INNOVATOR. Do tell me if you like it or if it missed something, I am waiting.

Here's thelink to my super private server on discord where I'll keep on updating new chapters, sneak peeks, All the Character sketches, where you are free to talk and ask things regarding my fanfics, as I am most active there:

Its a relatively newly launched server...Beware: Lots of NSFW stuff (Yeah p*rn 😁😂)

https://discord.gg/Gcbcv4dxGx
Name:𝕯𝖊𝖛 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐'𝖘 𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊

It's a new fic so do tell me if you like the eleventh chapter or not, I've quite a few things planned for it. Only constructive criticism is appreciated.

*Spells used in this chapter:

Canon Spells:(I don't think I need to tell their actions)

Bombarda Maxima, Avis, Petrificius Totalus, Protego, Serpensortia, Diffindo, Expelliarmus.

My spells:

Apovoli Organon:Organ Expelling curse.

Calcitrare:Punching hex.

Ignis Flagellum:Flame whip.

Mutare Mortus:Deadly mutations. Gives temporary mutations to something.

Ventus Maxima:Wind spell from canon, just maximized.

Draco Ignem:Fire of a Draconian species (Dragon).

Ignis Praesidium:Shield of Fire.

Fodre Foraminis:Pit from Hell. Opens a deep trench in the ground to swallow someone above the trench.

Fulgur Telum:Arrows made of lightning, the number depends on the caster.

Exercitus Mortuorum:Army of the Dead.

Inspiritione Inanis:The Blast of Void. Crumbles anything o dust. Average wizard can only use it twice.

Thank you for reading and reviewing, Can we hit for more reviews this time? :-D

With Regards

Dev Black

Chapter 12: Whispers of a Snake

Chapter Text

Author out!

"I am Talking."

'I am Thinking'

Spells

§Parseltongue§

Information is the resolution of uncertainty.

~Claude Shannon

INNOVATOR

-Dev Sagittarius Black

~~Chapter 12: Whispers of a Snake~~

.

Sirius Black sighed a bit as he finished up with the seventh letter that he had to pen. Honestly, this was the one side of work that he didn't like at all. Not one bit. Give him a million parties to attend, a billion women, and a trillion deals, and he'd succeed through every last one of them.

But letters? A big fat NO.

But, well…it wasn't like he took up the job just for the fun in it, right? He had enjoyed the pros of being the P.A., it was time to suffer the cons too. Something that he had been doing for the last two days.

After Harry had returned from his healing process, which was quite fast if he was being honest, the boy had immediately told him that he was way too busy with the pending work. The only award functions he had even agreed to go to were the ones held by the goblins and the French as well as Bulgarian ministries.

Other than that, the innovator had straight-away told Sirius that he will have to attend the functions in his stead.

And Sirius had! Yes, he had attended all of those 'extra' functions, worked with the big players and successfully got his 'employer' in the top order of the British Noble houses. He was hella proud of that too, he had used all of his negotiating skills and Black family charm drilled into him by his grandfather and father to get the results he wanted.

' I am sure dear mother would be rolling in her grave when she realizes that I used all of her teachings to help a 'dirty' half-blood instead of helping The Blacks. ' Sirius smirked at that line of thought, before he quickly sobered up.

The Lord of House Black melted the wax and then put the signet ring of the Reagent of House Potter on it, before placing it in the 'Mail-Checks' that his godson had made. There was a small flash of green light and when Sirius opened the wooden box again, he smiled because true to its purpose, the letter wasn't there.

It was one of Harry's most useful inventions, The Mail-Checks or 'Instant mail delivery service'. You just needed three boxes of these: One for Family and Friends, One for Work related mails, and the last one was discard boxes.

The wooden boxes had a rune circuit in it that would immediately scan the address of the other mail-check box, and the mail would be delivered within five minutes. The most effective, and the fastest, mail delivery service in the whole world. The last box was used for discarding your spam mails or letters that were of no use to you.

These were linked to the Stationery House where the parchment was cleaned, refined, and re-used. It was then supplied to stationery shops around Britain where it would be sold again. This had drastically reduced the price of parchment as well as the ingredients that were used to make it.

Sirius smiled as he poured a glass of Ogden's finest. The day had been a tiring one. He just hoped that tomorrow would be one of the easy ones, though he heavily doubted it. Even though Harry hadn't created any new contraptions, the old ones were continuously being used and his new reputation as 'The Dragon Slayer' was only making the sales boom.

If he kept the modesty aside, Sirius thought that with the negotiating and manipulating skills of a Black, the backing of seven of the richest and most powerful houses on the globe, and Harry's mind-boggling brain and ability of creation, they might just become one of –if not the –the very best and strongest people on the globe soon.

' If only he used his fame to a few fit witches that threw themselves at him, ' Sirius thought as he moved to his room, ' Well, I'll teach him how to do it one day'

Harry looked at the destruction around him, this wasn't what he had planned to do when he had left the castle with the headmaster. In fact, this was the absolute last thing he had expected to do.

To even think that the great Albus Dumbledore would challenge him to a battle just after he came back from the guild. And when they were on a mission? It was both a shocking thought and a believable nightmare.

But, that still didn't answer one thing: Why was the headmaster smiling?

Yep, the person who had just lost the duel. The strongest mage in current times, and the only one who had defeated the Dark Lord Grindelwald, was smiling at the teenager who had just defeated him. The fact that the old man was smiling, even after defeat, not only made Harry curious, but also wary of what the old man's intentions were regarding their duel.

"You've won the duel Harry," Dumbledore began, "I am quite happy that you've defeated me." He said, his glasses askew on his hooked nose, "Can you please release me now? It's quite uncomfortable for my old knees to sustain my weight for this long."

Harry frowned at that, the headmaster was admitting that he was happy at being defeated by a teenager? What was this? Some sappy 'Teacher being proud of his student' sh*t? He prayed not, it would be awkward if Harry told the old man that he was never his teacher and that he should be ashamed at losing, not proud.

"Only when you answer my questions, sir." Harry told him.

"Sometimes, the answers to the most difficult mysteries are within our grasp, Harry,” Dumbledore smiled, “One just needs the right time, and the right sight to understand it.”

Harry frowned at that, his mind already working optimally as it methodically dissected his old headmaster's words. According to the old man, Harry already knew the answer to his query. He was either overlooking something, ignoring something, or categorizing something really important as a trivial matter. Or it wasn’t the right time.

Which meant that Dumbledore wasn’t going to give him a straight answer anyways. The innovator groaned at that, he'd had to fight with his life on the line. Even though he knew that the headmaster wouldn't have actually killed him. But that would mean that he fought for naught.

“So, since you aren’t giving me straight answers right now, what do you think we should do?” Harry asked the old man who gestured towards the runic array that had trapped him. “I think we should start with you ending the supply of this runic array so that I could free myself. However I am quite surprised that you were not only able to make a complete Hexagonal-array, but also one that was powerful enough to bind me with what little magic you had.”

Harry smirked as he flicked his wand at the primary circuit and deactivated it. The golden line broke off in a small magical outburst of sparkles, and the five other arrays around Dumbledore also vanished into nothingness.

“If our duel had occurred somewhere else, I would have failed long ago, sir.” Harry told him as Dumbledore slowly got up.

“Oh?”

“Yes sir, this array was able to trap someone like you only because I hadn’t powered it,” He said and saw Dumbledore’s face fall into confusion, “I only started the primary circuit with my magic which charged the master-control of the array. After that, I linked the array with the ambient magic of the shack, the trees around it, and nature.”

Dumbledore would not be ashamed to admit that he was indeed surprised that a young boy like Harry had been able to do that, and that too amid a duel with himself. He was by no means in his prime, but that didn’t mean he was weak. And playing with wards amid battle is a big risk to oneself.

One mistake and one might end up becoming a thin layer of red paste on the ground.

“How did you know that the place had enough magic to sustain the ward scheme?” Dumbledore asked as the duo started moving towards the point where they had come from. This time when the warlock looked at Harry, he was surprised to see the one look on the boy’s face that he had not seen for almost two decades.

Disappointment.

Albus Dumbledore was many things and he might have disappointed more than a handful of people in his century old life, but never had this look been thrown his way by a teenager. And it most certainly never asked him, ‘Are you dumb?’

“Err…Harry?”

Harry shook his head and picked up the pace. Then he smirked at Dumbledore, “Sometimes, the answers to the most difficult mysteries are within our grasp, Professor, one just needs the right time, and the right sight, to understand it.”

And with that, Harry gave the headmaster his wand who laughed jovially before the duo apparated back to Hogwarts. Madam Pomfrey was definitely going to have a field day with them.

Well, that was not a good thought.

Harry Potter entered his suite again. It had been two days of pure torture with the matron. She had completely refused to give him any reprieve from the potions that were administered to him thrice daily. He still grimaced at their tastes.

The potions used in the hospitals neither smelled nor tasted good.

He had tried experimenting with many health potions, but had only succeeded in improving the potency of eight potions, and the taste of even less. And out of those, only one was a health related potion. He just couldn’t alter all the potions, even if he tried neutral ingredients like the muggle flowers that have absolutely no magical properties.

Well, at least he was happy that Dumbledore also suffered with him. The headmaster was worse than what he had shown. Harry wouldn't have been able to defeat him outright without activating at least two more Runes of Potentia, but that didn’t mean that the headmaster was as strong as he had assumed.

In fact, to Harry’s eyes, the old man’s health had only deteriorated in the past two days. Which was weird because they were being treated by Madam Pomfrey. Still, the old man looked more and more tired and weary. It was as if he had suddenly aged ten more years in a span of two days.

Harry smirked at the fact that Dumbledore’s shiny, meter long beard was now only a foot long. He took pride in the fact that his flame whip had singed half the beard, and the headmaster had to chop the other half so that it didn’t look weird. He won’t deny that he is really excited to see the reaction of Hogwarts’ populace regarding the change in length.

There was a small ‘pop,’ and Harry was greeted by his enthusiastic personal elf who was really happy to see him again, as apparent by the way he was hugging Harry’s legs.

“Master is back! Dobby knew that Dobby’s master would be back soon,” The diminutive creature whispered, his eyes full of unshed tears. Harry gave the little being small pats on his back and a soft smile, which relieved the elf as he slowly disengaged from the young mage’s lower limbs.

“How has it been, Dobby?” Harry asked as he moved towards the bathroom. He really needed something relaxing now, and there was nothing that could supplement a long, drawn out bath.

“Master’s suite was peaceful, there were only three important visitors in the last two days, sir.” The elf told him.

“Who were they? And what was the purpose of their visit?” Harry asked him as he removed his upper vest and dropped it in the elf-washbucket.

“Master’s dogfather, Sirius Black, came to tell Master about a few celebrations that were being done in Master's honor and their dates. The letters are on Master’s work-table,” Dobby answered as Harry nodded, “Then there was Master’s friend, Blaise Zabini, who came to check on Master, and tell Master that something important was going to happen soon and to beware.”

Harry frowned at that, something important and to beware? Blaise pre-cautioning him? That was unheard of. This wasn’t the Blaise he knew. This meant that something really serious was going to happen, and it might, somehow, pull him in the chaos that would unfold.

“Did he tell you what the important thing was?”

Dobby shook his head, and Harry made a mental note to ask his friend about it whenever they would meet next.

“And the third?”

“That would be Master’s other friend, Miss Ashley. She visited Master’s suite two days ago. The cause is unknown, but probably related to future bonds.” Dobby said as bluntly as he could and saw Harry's forehead crinkle in a frown.

“Petrovia? Why would she want to visit me?” Harry thought out loud before his mind caught the meaning of Dobby’s last sentence. “Dobby..what did you say about bonds?” He asked the elf and looked at the bath-tub that was half-way full.

Dobby bobbed his head as he prepared the bath, “Miss Petrovia was wearing clothes that were more revealing than she usually wears, and there was a distinct taste to her magic that told Dobby about Miss Petrovia’s nature of visit. And the tasteful magic would have worked wonders on Master, or any male like Master.”

Harry knew what the elf was saying and he was proud of the fact that Dobby was trained enough to use better words than simply ‘sex’ and ‘f*ck’ to describe what Pertrovia wanted. Still, what confused him was the question ‘why?’. Why did Petrovia want that? And what good would she gain from it, other than winning some sort of competition between her and Beaufort?

The innovator shook his head, ridding his mind of such insidious thoughts. This was not the place for these kinds of thoughts. His bath was ready and he would deal with all other things later.

“Dobby, was there any mail from Daphne Greengrass?” He asked the elf, who for some reason gave a mysterious smile and bobbed his head in agreement, “All of your mails have been placed in their respective drawers, Master. Master’s lady’s mail is also there.”

And with that the git smirked as he snapped his fingers and vanished with a small ‘pop’, leaving his master who grumbled at his own elf’s cheekiness. Greengrass had somehow charmed the little creature into believing that she was going to become future Lady Potter, and surprisingly enough, the elf had readily accepted that.

Deep inside the heart of a floating building that overlooked a valley full of graves, there was a chamber that was full of black crystals, scrolls, tomes, and a stone throne with many runic letters carved into it, several of which were glowing.

The chamber was currently occupied by a feminine figure who sat on the throne, seemingly in some sort of trance. The woman’s closed eyes snapped open, and she looked at the crystal ball that she had been holding for the last few hours.

She smiled in satisfaction and snapped her fingers. The crystal ball vanished in a puff of black smoke and she stood up from the runic chair. The runes on the chair went back to normal rose, their magic receding back into their depths.

“Persephone,” She called out and felt her spirit guardian, the one who had been with her since the time she joined the guild, centuries ago, materialized in front of her eyes.

“I would like you to tell Drauma that the plan has been initiated.” The Enlightened One said, “Albus Dumbuldore has relinquished his command over the Wand of Destiny, and it is now in possession of Anubis. It is time that we begin stage two.”

The large, ethereal Raven’s gray eyes glowed as it received the message, and, with a mighty squawk, it flew towards the mouth of the chamber with the intent of accomplishing its task.

The Enlightened One sighed as she watched the raven fly away. It was time to prepare herself for a few meetings so that they could accomplish the harmony that would be needed to survive this mission.

It was time for The Triumvirate to convene again, and join their forces to save the world from the destruction that Tom Riddle had unknowingly brought upon this world. She just hoped that the other two great guilds would look past their own might and see the importance of the task at hand, as there was no other organization that could help them in this task.

After all was said and done, they would put their demands in front of the ICW, there was nothing that the organization could do if the order was passed by The Triumvirate.

‘ It all depends on you Anubis…You have to be strong for what is coming. ’

Dumbledore sighed as he looked at the wand in his hand. It was the one that he had been utilizing for almost half a century. The wand that he had won from his once close friend. A friend, who had been his companion in their first grand venture: The attainment of The Deathly Hallows.

Dumbledore considered himself lucky that he had, indeed, acquired each of the three Hallows at some point of time. Unfortunately, he hadn’t been able to assemble them together.

The knotted, eighteen-inch wand, gifted to Antioch Peverell, was the first Hallow that he had gained the allegiance of. After that, he got the second one in the form of the Eternal Cloak of Invisibility from James Potter during the last wizarding war.

Dumbledore released a bit of his magic on his right drawer to open it. He then pulled the drawer out and looked inside at the small black box with the Slytherin sigil inscribed on it.

He had the third one, The Stone of Renaissance, or The Resurrection Stone, which was bestowed upon the second brother, Cadmus. He immediately closed the drawer and released his magic, locking the stone away once more.

But none of them were his anymore.

The Cloak was given back to its rightful owner, Harry Potter, during his second year at Hogwarts. The metal around the Stone held the curse of Entropy, and the entire thing was a cursed object of the darkest kind. Finally, his trusted wand, which had served him for almost half a century, had accepted Harry Potter as its true master.

The Wand of Destiny was still in his possession, but it was quite clear that it had shifted its allegiance to the younger wizard. This became apparent when he had been unable to cast even the simplest of spells with the ease and fluency he had possessed a few days ago.

Add to that the matter of the deterioration of his health, it was quite apparent that the wand had been supporting him with its magic. Dumbledore knew that he could easily cross hundred-and-fifty on his own magic, but then he would have had to accept retirement from all of his active roles a decade ago.

The Wand’s ambient magic had mixed with his own and had given him much more power than he actually had. Something that he had used for the welfare of the wizarding world in the last two decades.

And now, it was time to hand over the firebeau to the next man who would take his place. The person who would guide the wizarding world, lead it with his intellect and perseverance, and change their ways with his vision, the person who would fill his shoes and assert his control over the reigns of all the wizarding governments one day–Harry James Potter.

There was a gentle knock on the door and the headmaster sighed when he felt who it might be. He had called the boy to explain the wand and the finer details to him. The Enlightened One had asked Dumbledore to keep the wand in his possession and only give it to him when the time was right.

But Dumbledore believed that Harry needed to know these things beforehand. It wasn’t the guildmaster who knew the mental strength one needed to handle the whispers of the corrupted wand, it was Dumbledore, and he would hate to see someone like Harry succumb to the allure of the cruel Hallow. The Wand’s history was drenched in the blood of its wielders.

“Come in, Harry.”

However, when the doors to his office opened, Dumbledore was shocked to see the person standing there. Shocked because he hadn’t expected him to come to his office anytime soon.

“Lord Greengrass..? Is everything alright?”

Cygnus didn’t need to answer it because the emotion on his face answered it for him. He was smirking, and that rarely meant anything good.

Sapphire eyes glared at the door that was in front of them. Their owner wanted nothing more than to blast the stupid door to smithereens, but the person behind it was their prey and they would rather see their prey begging for her life than take it away.

The door opened and the person inside froze immediately, her mind blanked out as her worst nightmare came true in the form of the person who was standing outside her door.

Daphne Greengrass.

“He-hello Daph-”

Daphne simply kicked the door open and entered Angelique Beaufort’s room. She had been in Hogwarts for less than five minutes and was already standing in her nemesis’ room. All because of one reason–The letter that was clutched in her hand, penned by Angelique Beaufort to Daphne Greengrass.

“You have some explaining to do, Beaufort. Convince me why I shouldn’t just give this letter to the authorities and have you arrested for your crimes, like you should be,” Daphne said as she sat on the sofa and glared at the prone form of her prey.

.

“Are you really sure about it, Cygnus?” Dumbledore asked once more.

The blonde nodded, “Yes headmaster, I am as sure about this as I could be.”

Dumbledore hummed and leaned back in his chair. At first he had thought that it might be some bad news, what with the way the young lord was smirking when he entered, but his worries for naught.

It was, in fact, quite the opposite. Cygnus’ request was profitable for the school, and he didn’t know why he should deny it. Unfortunately, there was still a question that gnawed at his mind.

“Why are you doing this Cygnus? What changed between today and your last visit from two days ago?” Dumbledore asked the man who smiled back, as if his request wasn’t that big.

“I just don’t want to press charges, Professor. Is that so hard to believe?” He asked the aged warlock who narrowed his eyes.

“When you were the one who wanted nothing more than to ‘capture the perpetrators and torture them’ just two days ago and now, all of a sudden, you don’t want to press charges anymore and want to pull back the aurors? Yes, it is very hard to believe.”

Cygnus cursed the old man’s tendencies of digging the earth till he either reached gold or coal. “Well, I don’t want you to think that I am doing it of my own choice. Because let me tell you headmaster, I still want all of that to happen. My daughter, Daphne, however, thinks that whatever has happened won’t ever happen again and she will make sure of it.”

“She knows something about this whole case, then?”

“Probably, but your guess is as good as mine,” Cygnus sighed before he got up, “Unless you have anything else to say, Headmaster, I’d much rather visit my daughters before I leave for the DMLE to pull back the case. Do I have your permission to visit my daughter?”

Dumbledore nodded and allowed the Verdant of the Greengrasses to leave his office. His own self sinking back into his chair, thinking about the reasons for the Greengrasses latest act. He knew that Cygnus wasn’t a foolish man, and the same went for his daughter. He hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting the young heiress, but her name had been circulating the rumor mills for some time.

The Greengrasses were, in a word, opportunists. People who won’t do anything without an ulterior motive, and even then won’t do anything till the right opportunity arises. Sometimes their behavior scarcely reminded him of the old Wizengamot politicians like the Lords Arcturus Black and Charlus Potter.

Ergo, he was sure that Cygnus Greengrass didn’t tell him everything. He had purposefully hid the identity of the perpetrators, and whether he, or his daughter, knew them or not. This meant that there would be some form of change that will be seen tonight’s dinner onwards. And he will have to be extra vigilant to notice it.

Again, there was a knock on the door, and this time Dumbledore checked the sensor rune plate that was placed beneath the welcome mat on his threshold. He smiled.

“Come in, Harry.”

Harry entered the room and took the seat that was offered to him. He just raised his eyebrow when Dumbledore offered him lemon drops. The headmaster chuckled a bit as he placed the bowl of his favorite sweets down on the table.

“How are you, Harry?”

Harry frowned at that, he had assumed this was an important meeting and not a get-together. It’s not like he hadn’t met he headmaster just a few hours ago when they had been released from the hospital wing

“Indulge me Harry, even if you don’t want to,” Dumbledore repeated his question.

“I am good, a bit stiff in the back, but I think it’ll go away by tonight or tomorrow morning, why?” Harry asked.

“Do you feel any change in your magic? Anything that you feel is new?”

The boy frowned at that. Anything new? No, everything felt alright to him. In fact, everything felt really good, better than how he had been all his life. It was as if there was a small illness in him and now it was cured, even though he knew that there was absolutely nothing wrong with his body.

Wait….what if that was the wrong thing?

“I feel good headmaster,” Harry began, “It’s as if I am recharged, and somehow my body has cured some sort of illness that I had. Though, I am pretty sure that I was perfectly fine before we went under Madam Pomfrey’s tender care.”

Dumbledore smiled at Harry’s choice of diction for the renowned healer’s practices when healing her patients, but he knew that there were far more important matters that needed to be answered.

“Yes, the ‘cure’ as you put it. Have you tried to feel it?” The warlock pressed, “Did you try to discover the reason behind why you are suddenly feeling healthier and far more energetic than normal?”

Harry shook his head.

“Have you ever read the Tales of Beedle the Bard, Harry?” Dumbledore asked him as he placed a small worn out book on the table.

“I have, sir,” Harry nodded, “The Tale of Three Brothers is quite a mysterious as well as popular one in the Wizarding World. The most powerful wand, the stone to raise the dead, and the cloak that renders you invisible to Death itself, quite a fascinating tale, I must say.”

Dumbledore hummed in agreement as his eyes focused on the boy, “And what do you think of the objects Harry? Do you believe they were really given to The Peverell brothers by Death?”

Harry shook his head, “No, the actual tale is quite different. It was turned into a children's tale by Beedle the Bard about three centuries ago, so as to prevent dark wizards from gaining the knowledge of such artifacts that had boundless powers confined in them.”

Dumbledore nodded, he understood that Harry knew of the actual story behind the three Hallows. The story that very few in this land knew or could speak of. It was a closely guarded secret of the Necromancers Guild, and anyone who was found telling it to someone not of the guild was immediately killed.

Dumbledore pressed a rune on the underside of his desk and immediately activated the silencing ward around his table. The room was locked and all the portraits were forced into slumber by the magic of the ward, their curtains shutting closed.

“Then you must also know where the Hallows currently are, considering you have one of them.”

Harry nodded, “The Potters have had the third Hallow, or the Invisibility Cloak, for generations. You are the current wielder of the first Hallow and the Resurrection Stone is missing.”

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair as he peered at Harry, neither confirming nor denying anything. He knew that the Guild kept a close eye on the Hallows and where they were. Whenever one of them got a new master, the Guild would then call the person, and explain the Hallow to them as well as how to control their minds and not give into the allure of the Hallows.

“You are partially correct, Harry,” He told the boy, “The third Hallow is with you, but the first one isn’t with me anymore. I am just the keeper of the Hallow.”

“What?”

Dumbledore nodded as he looked at the flabbergasted expression on the Innovator’s face, “I lost it’s allegiance the same way I had gained it, with a duel. So the one who owns the Deathstick, isn’t me. It’s the person who defeated me,” Dumbledore flicked his wand arm and kept the Elder Wand on the table.

Harry’s eyes widened when he processed the information and looked at the Wand of Destiny that was placed in front of his eyes. His mind only uttered one word, ‘ sh*t… ’

The door to the VIP suite of Angelique Beaufort opened and out stepped the Greengrass heiress, a smug smile on her face. She looked behind at the weeping mess that was Angelique before she closed the door and started moving towards the staircase.

Daphne had been furious when she had received the letter from the French diva. In fact, the girl’s audacity had shocked the Greengrass heiress to the core.

The girl had told her that it was all planned and they had only planned to have some fun, nothing serious as evident by her intact virginity and scar-less body. But then one thing led to another and they had ended up wiping her memory.

She had begged the heiress to dismiss the case and call off the aurors because the girl was afraid of her career, rightfully so, as sooner or later the aurors would have caught her, and no amount of political clout could have saved her from what Lord Greengrass would have done.

Therefore, the girl was justifiably scared and had begged for forgiveness, willing to give Daphne an oath to never harm her, and would consider this as a huge favor. Daphne on the other hand had been furious, absolutely livid, and her father had been the same.

They would have stormed through the Hogwarts gates two days ago and punished the bint themselves if it wasn’t for the cool head of her mother, Elizabeth Greengrass. Daphne’s mother had stopped both of them and made them think this situation through with a much cooler head.

That's why Daphne was currently here, walking toward the staircase with a signed bond from Angelique Beaufort to serve Daphne Greengrass, personally, until the next year, and become an agent for House Greengrass for the next twenty years, working relentlessly for the benefit of the Noble house.

Angelique had put up an impetuous fight and threatened Daphne, but the heiress had simply told her that her father was in Dumbledore’s office with the letter still in his pocket. And the Lord’s ring would tell him of the threat on a member of his house which, as much as she knew, wouldn’t end well for the French diva or her life.

That had been the final straw and Angelique had signed her life away to the Greengrasses. Daphne was proud to have someone as socially powerful as an international celebrity under her thumb. It was also a side-benefit that Angelique had been the best duelist when she was Daphne’s age, and even now she ranked fourth internationally.

‘ If only the girl was as good with her mind as she was with her wand, ’ Daphne sighed and looked at her father, who had waited for her near the stairwell. ‘ Well, good for me, she will train me in dueling now. ’

“By the look on your face I am assuming she signed?” Cygnus asked his daughter who smirked and gave him the bond parchment.

“Did you expect anything else from me, father?” She snarked back and they laughed. It was true that she had entered the situation unexpectedly, and for the worse, but she had come out of it gaining a good….servant, for herself and her family.

“I have already met Tori. She was worried about you, you know.” He told her as he patted her cheek, “Go tell her that you’re fine, alright?”

Daphne nodded and, with a last parting hug, Cygnus left her. Angelique got what she rightfully deserved, and now the Greengrass heiress was waiting for the one person who had been the mastermind behind all of this.

Draco Malfoy will get what he rightfully deserved, and the later he receives his due, the more her revenge would be sweeter.

Daphne looked back towards the way she had come from, she debated whether she should go and greet her Harry or not. But then she decided against it, they’ll meet in the great hall soon anyways.

The manor was cold and dreary, it looked lavish and like something that only a select few individuals would possess, which meant Nagrrish was currently in a posh pureblood home. It was so different from the one where he had come from. His place, which was in shambles right now, was once a beautiful place with a lush green forest and ambient magic that helped the last fifteen generations of his family.

Nagrrish looked over at his guide and gave what others of his species would take as a relieved sigh. He had been locomoting relentlessly for the last two days and was dead tired, but he had a task, and he would do everything to fulfill it. After all, his whole family’s sacrifice depended on this task.

It was really unfortunate that his entire family was dead now. He had seen the two wizards come and kill almost every member of his immediate and extended family. The fact that Nagrrish was alive was actually a miracle, and the result of a good distraction.

Nagrrish had been the youngest, and smallest, member of his family, not more than seven inches. Therefore, it was easier for him to hide in the tall grasses and run away from the two mages who had destroyed him home.

And that’s why, his family had sacrificed themselves to save him. They had a task to accomplish and that was now entrusted on young Nagrrish’s shoulders….or on his body, as he didn’t have shoulders.

Yes, Naggrish was one of the many snakes that had infested the area near the Gaunt Shack. And he had been slithering for the two days, hiding from the muggles and doing everything to follow the magical sense that was leading him towards his master, the very same who resided in this giant manor.

He had just reached the lush green garden a few minutes ago. He had been making plans on how to infiltrate the manor and reach his master when he had been spotted by his guide. The very same who was currently walking beside him.

Apparently their master had felt Nagrrish enter the place and had sent her to help him. Nagrrish couldn’t help but wonder at his master’s strength and power. To sense a small being like him all the way from inside the tower was like searching a needle in the haystack. Even if he was sure that his master had only sensed the part of familiar magic that had invaded the manor, it was impressive nonetheless.

The door to one of the rooms opened and Nagrrish slithered inside, followed by the crazy lady who had been leading him this whole time. She gave him shivers and not of the pleasant nature.

“My Lord, I found him.” Bellatrix said and bowed in front of the green and silver throne that her lord was currently occupying, “He was hiding in the bushes, looking towards the window,” She pointed at the open window.

Voldemort’s red eyes focused on Nagrrish and he beckoned the snake forward, “I can sense my magic inside you. That is what alerted your presence to me, otherwise, you would have been dead a long time ago.”

Nagrrish knew that already, he was a smart snake. After all, it wasn’t an easy task to come to this place all the way from his birth place. There were a lot of villages that the two-legs infested.

§ What brings you here my friend? I am assuming that the presence of my magic inside you is because I entrusted you or someone in your previous generation with some specific task? §

Nagrrish nodded and bowed, his master was a true speaker, the first that he had witnessed. There was only a story in his family, that his forefather, who had been entrusted with the task of protection, was the only one who had heard him speak, and Nagrrish felt elated that he was the second snake to hear their master speak their tongue.

§ Yes master, you had instructed a member of my previous generation to protect a certain artifact to their last breath, and to tell you if someone took it away§

Voldemort frowned at that, he remembered all of his horcruxes; Nagini was used to make him whole, one was with the Malfoys, one was with Bella, one was at Hogwarts in the hidden room, and he had lost one to Regulus Black. The man had already been punished for that. He knew that none of these had been protected by snakes.

There was only one that was left and his red eyes widened when he remembered what it was.

§ Tell me about it… §

And so, Nagrrish did just that. He told him how they were visited by two really strong and powerful wizards, they came and killed everyone in his family. Then they destroyed a part of the shack and removed something from it.

He also told him that for some reason, the two started fighting among themselves and traded deadly spells that changed the landscape around them. But since it was getting riskier to stay there, Nagrrish left the duo and followed the magic which would take him to his master.

The dark lord knew the treasure that had been kept there and he knew that someone had meddled with it. He just didn’t know who was strong enough to survive all the traps that were placed there, or who would even know of that place.

There was only one person that came to his mind when he thought of that.

“Albus Dumbledore,” He growled in anger before he flicked his wand and unleashed destruction in the room that he had been sitting in. Bellatrix was both scared and amazed at how easily her lord was wielding the force of destruction, and how fearlessly he was demolishing everything.

It was time to look after his soul pieces once more, it seemed that they were not safe anymore. Maybe he should relocate them once again.

Ending note: And there you have it fellas, twelfth chapter of INNOVATOR. Do tell me if you like it or if it missed something, I am waiting.

Here's the link to my super private server on discord where I'll keep on updating new chapters, sneak peeks, All the Character sketches, where you are free to talk and ask things regarding my fanfics, as I am most active there:

Its a relatively newly launched server...Beware: Lots of NSFW stuff (Yeah p*rn 😁😂)

https://discord.gg/Gcbcv4dxGx
Name:𝕯𝖊𝖛 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐'𝖘 𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊

It's a new fic so do tell me if you like the twelfth chapter or not, I've quite a few things planned for it.

Thank you for reading and reviewing,

With Regards

Dev Black

Chapter 13: Friends from the Past

Chapter Text

Author out!

"I am Talking."

'I am Thinking'

Spells

In war, prepare for peace; in peace, prepare for war.

~Sun Tzu (The Art of War)

INNOVATOR

-Dev Sagittarius Black

~~Chapter 13: Friends from the Past~~

.

The boy released a deep breath, and his eyes focused on the way he was moving through to reach the great hall. His body moved on autopilot as he had traversed the same path for years. His mind, however, was full of a myriad of thoughts that were taking their toll on him.

What had the Enlightened One planned for him? Why did she ask Dumbledore to forsake his control over the Deathstick? Why was he supposed to master control over two Hallows? And what was the need to give him such tools of destruction?

Dumbledore had told him all about the whispers of the wand. The first Hallow wasn't called Deathstick for nothing. The wand's history was drenched in the blood of its wielders. Neither the headmaster, nor the Enlightened One had any idea exactly why the Deathstick killed its wielders with the passage of time.

There were theories, of course, the most prominent being that the wand was actually looking for a Peverell master because only someone of Peverell blood would be able to unlock the true power of the Wand of Destiny.

Harry already knew that the Deathly Hallows were cursed objects. They were said to be merchants of death, artifacts of immeasurable power but insidious in nature. Each of the Hallows had a different whisper that came with it.

The Invisibility Cloak, for example, had theAllure of Protection. Its inherent magic was ingrained to hide the wielder from everything. It was said to be a part of Death's own cloak, and Death couldn't be stopped by any barrier that was crafted from the hands of a mortal.

One might think that there was nothing wrong with an allure that gives you protection. And they might be right too, until they came to know that the whispers made the wielder think that nothing in the world could ever harm them.

Like they were safe from everything. It was as if there was nothing, magical or mundane, that could touch them, and it was nigh impossible to harm them. This one thing led the users to be more chaotic in nature, and if someone succumbed to its madness, then they were bound to be brash, chaotic, and arrogant.

Something that had been proven detrimental to human lives.

Similarly, the Elder Wand also had an allure of its own. The Enlightened One said that it was known as theAllure of Annihilation.

The allure made the wielder think that they were invincible, their name was unconquerable, and their power was indestructible. It whispered the power of destruction, and their magic was ingrained with the sole purpose of utter annihilation. Something that had been seen by almost all of its previous welders who fell for the Allure of Annihilation.

It was said to be the onlyuntamedallure, as the wand had been unable to pass from one generation to another without blood spilled in its name. Unlike the Cloak of Invisibility that had witnessed several generations of Potters and probably Peverells before them, the Resurrection Stone, the whereabouts of which were still unknown, was once an heirloom of the Ancient House of Gaunt, who originated from the Peverells.

The same couldn't be said for the Deathstick, the wand that was now in his control. Dumbledore still kept the wand, but the wand had declared itself almost dead for its previous wielder. The magic from the wand was now sluggish for him, as if it were being forced from the tool of destruction.

Dumbledore had told Harry the ways to ignore the whispers, and how the Enlightened One had helped the headmaster conquer it when he had first entered the Guild all those years ago. The complete process was something that he couldn't share. Ergo, all the headmaster had told him was how to halt his descent into madness.

Harry sighed when he noticed the large doors of the Great Hall. It would definitely take him some time, and he knew that there was no way that he would be able to control the wand until he went back to the guild on December Twentieth. That's when she called him and would likely teach him how to conquer the Wand of Destiny.

The innovator didn't know exactly what he had expected when he joined the great hall. Whatever it was, it certainly wasn't every eye in the great hall being trained at him. This time, he actually wondered what it was about, for, as far as he remembered, he hadn't done anything to get his name in the papers, or through the rumor mill for that matter.

He ignored the stares and made his way toward his house table, swiftly taking his seat between Blaise and Fleur.

"How's it going, mate?" Blaise asked him, and Harry shrugged in response. He had told his friends that he was out of Hogwarts because of some guild work. It was partially true, as it was his primary reason for all that had happened in the last few days, and when Madam Pomfrey asked him whether he would like to tell his friends or his brother that he was here, he had declined.

He wanted some peace of mind and time to think about everything thoroughly. The last few days had been a rollercoaster of emotions, work, and action. He was honestly quite tired and wanted some rest. He didn't know exactly when he would get the time to sleep peacefully, and he didn't want to waste the little he had been bestowed with.

"Hogwarts missed you; you have been quite scarce lately." Marrietta said it from his opposite end.

"Hopefully, I'll be here now. I had a few busy days." Harry told her as they began to eat. The stares slowly receded as the students realized that Harry was a normal guy and not some lost species of Crumple-horned Snorkack.

The group idly chatted among themselves. Harry learned about the classes that had happened and the homework he had to finish. Unfortunately, being a top-class guild member of the scariest and most powerful guild, the first innovator in five hundred years, and the eighth richest man in Britain obviously didn't mean he could get a reprieve from his homework.

The other new thing he learned was that Cho was being officially courted by Cedric Diggory to become his intended. Therefore, she spent most of her time with the Hogwarts Champion. Speaking of which, he came to know that his brother had made himself scarce these past few days.

He only came to eat his meals and attend a few classes that were really important, like Transfiguration, Charms, and CoMC. Alandale had even stopped flying, and no one knew where the boy spent his days.

That was something that made Harry frown. He knew his brother was an idiot. His last few adventures at the end of every year proved that more than anything, but that didn't mean that his brother was a recluse. And this behavior was quite concerning, if not a bit worrying. Maybe he could stop his brother and talk to him sometime? Maybe.

There was nothing he could do if the idiot decided to keep being a stubborn brat, but if there was something troubling him, the least Harry could do was ask once. It wasn't like he would coddle the boy; this was just a simple concern.

Half-way through his meal, his eyes fell on the Slytherin table, and he saw the one person he didn't expect to see anytime soon.

Daphne Greengrass.

She was sitting there, looking picture perfect as she conversed with her sister and her friend, who sat on either side. The girl didn't look like she was cursed, tortured, or suffered trauma of any kind, as was told to him. Instead, she looked like she was having the time of her life, which was quite the opposite of what he had expected.

It was then that the doors to the great hall opened again, and the hall went silent. This time Harry couldn't help but feel smug about it because, this time, it was him who could be held responsible for the silence that presided over the great hall.

Albus Dumbledore gave a genial smile as he went towards the teacher's table and took his seat in the center. Some of the teachers were also shocked, as they hadn't seen Dumbledore like this since he came back from his expedition.

Dumbledore was as nonchalant as ever as he filled his plate with roasted chicken and mashed potatoes and proceeded to devour them. Completely ignoring the agape faces of students and teachers alike.

"Pro-Professor?" The astronomy professor Aurora Sinistra called him.

"Yes Aurora? How may I help you today?"

"I-what happened to your beard, sir? I mean, it's not as long as it…" She trailed off, and Dumbledore chuckled as his eyes fell on Harry.

"Someone helpfully pointed out that it had been some time since I had groomed my beard, dear," He told her, "and I quite like the change it brings as I don't have to comb it again and again." He smiled when the staff table and the nearby students laughed, and with that, the news dissipated.

"Blaise?" Harry asked his Italian friend who was busy chatting with Fleur. The boy turned to look at him with a confused frown but that same happy-go-lucky smile.

"Yeah, Harry?"

"Dobby told me that you came to warn me about something?" The innovator asked him, "Though you didn't exactly tell him what you came to warm me for."

Blaise frowned at first before he made a silent 'o' as realization hit him and he gave a sheepish chuckle, "Err, yeah. It wasn't something for the elf's ears, you know."

Harry shrugged, "He knows almost everything about me and is quite trusted, next time if I am not there, you can tell him."

Blaise nodded but then he looked around himself and leaned a bit closer, "So, the thing I came to warn you about," He whispered conspiratorially, as if it was a big secret that might cause World War III, Harry still decided to indulge his wayward friend.

"It's not common knowledge at the moment, but Fleur is one of the Triwizard Champs, you know, so they got to know this before other students and she told me," He again checked around himself.

"Told you what exactly?" Harry frowned.

"The Triwizard Tournament has always has a certain function that's held on yule, everyone is supposed to participate in it," Blaise whispered, "It's called-"

It was precisely at this moment when McGonagall tapped her goblet and gained the attention of every student and teacher present in the great hall.

"I would like to have your attention and complete silence for the next few minutes," She said as she stood up from her chair, "I am quite sure some of you already know that, but there are still many who are completely unaware of the upcoming celebrations that the Triwizard Tournament brings with itself."

The transfiguration mistress looked at every one of them and said, "The first task successfully ended a few days ago, and finally our healer, Madam Pomfrey, has finally declared that we have successfully been healed from the events of the first task."

"This is why it is time for us to welcome the next event, which will take place on Yule." She smiled at everyone, which was a rarity in itself, "I would like everyone, who is a fourth year or older, to join us for the Yule Ball."

Moments after it was announced, the great hall was buzzing with excited whispers. The wizards had pained faces as they looked at the witches, who were giggling and huddled together in groups.

Blaise tapped on Harry's shoulder to get his attention, as the boy was busy ignoring the girls that had suddenly taken an interest in him, "Harry?"

"Yes, I am listening."

"The Yule Ball."

"What?" Harry looked at his friend who gave a cheeky grin.

"That's what I was warning you about, ah well, looks like you aren't safe anymore," Blaise grinned and went back to his food.

'You little piece of...' Harry glared at the Italian boy before giving him a hard poke in the ribs, and completely ignored the boy when he glared at Harry, 'Serves him right for being cheeky'

One thing was sure: the next few days were going to be quite exciting for the young mages.

"CRUCIO!"

Red eyes glared at the form of Lucius Malfoy as the man screamed his eyes out. His wife and son were both in the chamber, and they watched as their husband and father was being punished for the blunder that had cost their lord a part of his soul.

The curse was carried for another minute, and Lucius Malfoy was released to calm himself before he could be put under the curse again. This was his fourth one, and Voldemort wanted to see how long the Malfoy Lord could last before he succumbed to either unconsciousness or insanity.

Bellatrix cackled loudly and even kicked Malfoy once. Much to her displeasure, the man was already in too much pain to be affected by her kick. She kicked him again for that.

"Bellatrix," Voldemort called his loyal servant, "I am sure you would like to warm your magic once more, am I not?"

Bellatrix excitedly bobbed her head, as if she had just been waiting to do so. She even flicked her wand out, which was spurting out violent sparks from the other end.

Voldemort hummed, "You can take our prisoner and teach him the fault in his ways in the dungeons. Make sure to remind him that a gift from Lord Voldemort isn't an artifact to be toyed with just for the satisfaction of one's ego."

Bellatrix's eyes gleamed at the prospect. She practically vibrated with excitement as she levitated the prone form of Lucius Malfoy and started moving towards the dungeons of the Malfoy manor.

Voldemort was pleased to notice that the other two Malfoys stayed where they were. They weren't running off to beg Bellatrix so that she wouldn't torture one of their own to insanity like she had done with the Longbottoms.

"Narcissa," Voldemort whispered as new plans started forming in his head, "Your husband made a grave mistake by losing the gift that I had entrusted him with, and I would have liked to punish the fool myself."

Narcissa waited for the Dark Lord to finish; she knew that he wouldn't have singled her out if it wasn't for something that he required of her. And she was afraid of that. What pained her more was that the screams started again; this time they were muffled, but Narcissa knew that the pain behind them was still the same, if not more.

"I am quite sure that you want to check on your husband now; go on. I won't stop you," Voldemort was pleased to see that Narcissa didn't move even an inch. "Your resolution to our cause impresses me, Narcissa, if only your husband was as sincere as you are."

Narcissa bowed her head. There were three reasons for her not running after Lucius when the Dark Lord gave her permission. First, she couldn't leave Draco alone with the Dark Lord; second, she knew that Bellatrix wouldn't stop as her sister never listened to anyone other than the Dark Lord himself; and lastly, Lucius deserved what he received. If it wasn't for her foolish husband, she wouldn't be playing hostess to a psychopath.

"Tell me, Narcissa, what do you think you should do to salvage the mistake of your husband?" Voldemort asked her as he beckoned the woman forward.

"Anything you wish, My Lord," Narcissa bowed. "It will be done."

The Dark Lord hummed thoughtfully before his face split with a small grin, and his red eyes glinted in the darkness of the room, "Then I'll ask you to leave young Malfoy with me. I have a task for him."

Narcissa flinched at that. She had been expecting this; in fact, she knew that there would come a time when her son would join his father and kiss the Dark Lord's arse. But to hear it from the Dark Lord, and that too so soon. It made her bones shudder.

"My-My Lord?" She asked the Dark Lord and immediately looked down when she saw his smile disappear.

"Yes, Narcissa, didn't you just say you'd do anything to salvage your House? I am just asking for heir Malfoy to do three tasks for me; for his inclusion in the inner circle, I thought you would be more thankful for my mercy."

Narcissa immediately nodded, "It is generous of you, My Lord; of course Draco will do anything you ask of him," She told him.

Voldemort hummed again before he looked at the Malfoy heir, whose eyes were glinting like galleons, "Draco Malfoy, come here. I have my first task for you now." He then looked at Narcissa and said, "And Narcissa, you are free to leave now. Make sure to check on Bella and prevent her from going further than necessary. She can be a little too…aggressive in her approach."

Narcissa bowed once before she left the throne room; her mind a whirlwind of emotions. She didn't know what she should do to protect her son; she cursed Lucius again, her plans to protect their son until he reached majority got foiled because of her husband's foolishness.

The Lady of the house knew that there was no one who could save their son now. And that Lord Voldemort would probably give the young boy an impossible task, which he would probably fail and end up losing his life.

That was when Narcissa stopped. There was someone; he might not help her completely, but there were chances that he would do his level best to help her protect her son. She just didn't know how to face the man after all these years, but she knew that she had to try. If only for the betterment of her son's future.

With that thought in her mind, Narcissa Malfoy went to her room in the manor. She had a letter to write to someone.

The black sand rose from the ground and swirled in the air, slowly rising to form a small tornado. A person stepped out from the tornado and looked at the black castle in front of him.

His wrinkled gray eyes took in the black castle made of granite. His aged fingers left his long white beard, and he snapped them to get rid of the black soot from his olive green robes. The man looked overhead at the thundering clouds and shook his head. He was already missing the bright sun that shone over his abode.

The geriartic man moved towards the entrance of the castle, which was being guarded by a statue of the Grim Reaper. He placed the black scroll that he had received a week ago in the bowl of murky red water that was offered to him.

The scroll dissolved, and immediately the gatekeeper guardian's eyes glowed green as he placed the bowl on the aisle beside him and bowed towards the elderly visitor.

"Welcome Master Atticus Wenlock, Highmaster of the Arithmancer Guild," It looked up and turned towards the inside of the guild, "Please, Master Wenlock, follow me to meet her."

Wenlock nodded and started following the statue of the grim reaper with the eerie glow in its eyes. He tried not to look at the skulls and the blood runes that were drawn on the walls of the entrance hallway. No matter how many times he visited them, the Necromancer Guild still gave him the chills.

No wonder it was also the strongest of the top three guilds on Earth.

The reaper stood to the side of a stairwell and forwarded his hand towards the descending stairs, "She is waiting for you at the end of these stairs, Master Wenlock."

Atticus didn't say anything and instead started his descent down the stairwell. He knew that the journey would be somewhat tiring, and since he was just a few minutes from the required time, he was sure that the other one would already be down there.

He reached the end of the stairwell and saw the stone archway that would lead him to her chamber. Deciding to get over whatever it was that she had requested his presence for, he joined her in the chamber.

"And here comes the Man who knows Infinity," The Enlightened One said as she looked towards the newest arrival and stood up from her chair, "Welcome, Master Wenlock. I hope we find you in good health?" She asked him with a disarming smile.

Atticus looked at the woman and nodded. "Thank you. I am sorry for the delay, I was held up due to some work."

"As if we were free."

The scathing reply from the other occupant didn't go unnoticed, and Atticus visibly bristled at the young woman who was sitting beside the Enlightened One. Well known as the Lady of a Thousand Lives, Mistress Perenelle Flamel, the Guildmaster of the Alchemist Guild which was the third of the top three strongest guilds on earth.

"I never thought that I would ever see that plastic-coated face of yours again, Perenelle," Atticus grumbled as he took the only seat left at the round table, "How I wish Nicholas hadn't taken his retirement for another thousand years."

"As if you'd ever have the privilege of a thousand-year-long life, Atticus." Perenelle rolled her eyes and looked at the Enlightened One who was smiling at the both of them as if they were her children. Technically, both of them were young when they joined their respective guilds, and she was already the Guildmaster by that time. She had even helped by guiding the two of them and their guilds to achieve the position they now sat in.

It was one of the major reasons why they respected her, and why they had answered her call. Usually, they would have sent a representative instead of leaving their guilds and coming here by themselves. But she had specifically requested that they join her for this important meeting. Ergo, neither of them had been able to refuse her.

"So, what is this important thing that you have requested our presence for, Lady Achlys?"

The Enlightened One's demeanor immediately changed; her smile dropped, and her eyes got as cold as shards of ice.

"The ancient prophecy of destruction is now in its final stages, and I request your help in its successful completion," Achlys said, looking at the shocked faces of her fellow Guildmasters.

"The Ancient Prophecy of Destruction?" Perenelle asked, "Are you sure this is the one? Because the prophecy proclaims the descent of madness on earth."

Achlys nodded, "Yes, I am sure that this is the ancient prophecy, and almost everything is going just like the cursed words told by the seer Cassandra."

"But what is the proof, or even a glimpse, of what is happening?" Atticus asked them, his mind going a mile a minute.

"The wizard known as Lord Voldemort has returned." Achlys announced without any preamble; it just wasn't her way to mix words when the context was way more important.

"Voldemort? Wasn't he a wraith that was hovering over the planes of life just to persist a moment longer?" Perenelle asked the Enlightened One, her brows crinkling in confusion. Albus Dumbledore, her husband's student and friend, had asked for their stone to lure and finish Voldemort a few years ago. How was the Dark Lord still alive?

"Yes, he was. But he regained a much stronger human form a few weeks ago, and since then, he has been working relentlessly to amass his forces," Achlys told them, "His forces are of no consequence to us, but his presence on earth is."

"What do you mean? If you are worried that the demented thing could even dream of coming after either one of our guilds, then he has another thing coming for him. Even powerful Dark Lords like Herpo-the-Foul, Emerik-the-Evil, and Gellert Grindelwald chose their lives and didn't attack us."

"It's not the attack that worries me, Master Atticus; it's the duration of his stay on earth," She whispered.

"But how could his…wait…" He looked at Perenelle and asked, "Didn't you say that the heathen was a wraith? Barely living and escaping his demise by a fool's breath?"

Perenelle agreed, "Yes, a few years ago, Headmaster Dumbledore of Hogwarts asked us for our Stone; it was supposed to lure the Dark Lord out, and then he was supposed to bind the wraith so that it couldn't cause any more destruction." She looked at Achlys, "I am assuming he was supposed to transport the trapped wraith to you?"

Achlys didn't say anything and instead looked at Atticus, whose face had turned as white as a sheet. She could feel his mental gears working and knew that he would reach the correct answer any moment now.

"The Crevice in Creation…" Atticus muttered and looked at Achlys, who nodded once, "The revival of Voldemort's human form has created a Crevice in Creation, right? The spirits of all the demented humans that are trapped in the Land of Death will come through the Crevice and cause…"

"A descent of madness…" Perenelle whispered, her eyes wide as she took in the information, "And this could only be stopped by killing Voldemort and sending his soul to the realm of death, and we have to do that before the Crevice grows big enough for the billions of souls on the other side to enter through, right?" She had read the same tomes that the other two had read and knew exactly what would happen if the infamous Crevice in Creation formed in the Space-Time continuity.

Especially if the Crevice wasn't closed as soon as possible by the death of the one who's act led to the formation of the Crevice. That person was also mentioned in the tomes as 'The Beginner' or 'The Harbinger of Damnation'.

Achlys just gave another nod and watched as both the Guildmasters slumped in their seats, "This is why you said that his stay on earth is more dangerous than his forces," Atticus said, and again she hummed.

"Merlin…to even think that something like that will happen," Perenelle whispered, her body shaking like a leaf as she imagined the army.

All of the demented souls since the time of creation that had not attained a peaceful afterlife were said to be trapped in a dimension called 'The Land of Death'. Each soul there was either a Dark Lord, a mercenary, a serial killer, or a terrorist, and each one of them had lived a life of cruelty. They were said to be punished in that land until they reached purity and attained peace.

They were rightfully referred to as 'The Army of Damnation'. Fortunately, Perenelle had never seen them, nor did she wish to. But they had heard tales. Tales of what the Army of Damnation would do if even one of them managed to find their way to the Land of Living.

'And here, the entire army was going to come through the Crevice' Perenelle thought as she rubbed her forehead, "How much time do we have before the Army of Damnation descends in the Land of the Living?"

Achlys frowned as she tried to think about it, "He came back two weeks ago, so even though I can't tell you the exact time, I can say that we have about seven months to prevent this."

"Less than a year!" Atticus grumbled as he slammed the table, "How fast is that Crevice increasing in size?!"

No one said anything as the two Guildmasters pondered over what they had just learned before Atticus asked, "Did you send summons to other four? We will need their help along with the ICW's Mage council to fend off the army," He told her, "I admit, we are the strongest. But even we are not strong enough to defend entire earth, we will need all the help we can get."

Achlys shook her head, "I had only requested the presence and approval of the two of you," She raised her hand to stop Perenelle, "Once the two of you agreed,wecould have sent the summons asThe Triumvirate, a summon that none of the other four or The ICW would be able to ignore or postpone."

Perenelle hummed in approval, "This seems like the better choice, especially considering the bad history between the Health and the Creatures guilds, I am sure they would be less than savoury to work with each other towards a common goal."

"Then the two of them could piss off to their filthy little piss holes!" Wenlock slammed his fist on the table, "We are talking about the Ancient Prophecy of Destruction here, an army that could destroy a continent if not the entirety of creation. They will have to put their measly arrogance where the sun doesn't shine or Merlin help me from kicking the troglodytes out of the Union!"

"Calm down Atticus," Achlys peaced out, "I am quite sure that they will see the importance of the matters at hand and will do the needful."

Said Guildmaster grumbled some more before he took a deep breath, it wouldn't do well if he lost his composure and mental prowess in such crucial times, "I am assuming that his return is the reason our Eternal Sphere has been unbalanced for some time?" He asked her, "For that matter, who else knows of this Crevice?"

The Enlightened One nodded, "The previous user of the First Hallow of my Master, Albus Dumbledore," She said, looking at Perenelle, "I told him, and he is already taking steps to prevent another rise of Voldemort; he will be managing the threat that is the Dark Lord, and we have to ensure that the bigger threat doesn't come to completion."

Perenelle hummed, but Atticus' mind caught something that she missed: "Previous user of the Deathstick, you say?" He asked Achlys, who smiled at him, "Where is the wand now?"

"With the one who is going to fulfill the prophecy in our favor, and stop this destruction," She leaned forward and smiled with something akin to pride: "Harry Potter."

Voldemort watched the young Malfoy heir move towards the doors. The boy had been given his first task; it wasn't impossible—quite the opposite, in fact. Considering it was a simple retrieval mission.

Draco Malfoy had been asked to retrieve his fifth Horcrux, the diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw, from the Room of Requirement. He was sure that the boy would be able to bring the Horcrux during the Yule holidays. It was important to do so, as there was a chance that Dumbledore might be after his other Horcruxes too. Especially since it was right under the old man's crooked nose.

He had already lost four of the six he had made, and he knew that his damaged soul wouldn't be able to handle another fracture to make another one. There were only two of his soul containers left now: the cup of Helga Hufflepuff that was in the LeStrange Vault and the diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw.

If only Lucius hadn't been foolish enough to give away his first Horcrux. His diary held exactly half of his soul and was the strongest Horcrux that he had made. The same couldn't be said for others, as they were halves of their previous halves. If he had absorbed the soul in the diary instead of the one in Nagini, he would have regained half of his true power.

'Well, my current power isn't something to be laughed at either..and if everything goes as planned, then I'll have my another one of my Horcruxes with me soon,' Voldemort thought gleefully.

The Dark Lord knew that he would have to safeguard his left out Horcruxes. He was only worried about the Diadem because the cup was in LeStrange vault in Gringotts, a place that was guarded by the Goblin nation and the littler nutters would never let anyone who doesn't have connections to the LeStranges to even go near the vault, much less enter it.

And Voldemort knew that the three LeStranges were his devout followers who would do anything he asked of them, therefore as far as he was concerned, the cup was currently the safest it could ever be.

The door to the throne room opened, and the Dark Lord looked at his most loyal servant as they entered. There was insanity in her eyes, and she was really trying her best not to smile. But the Dark Lord could feel that she was really excited, as if she had just attained salvation after years of torture.

Which, in her cruel and twisted way, she had.

"I am assuming that Narcissa was successful in saving her husband from insanity," Voldemort asked her.

"Barely My Lord, Cissy didn't even say anything till he lost his consciousness," Bellatrix answered, "I am sure that there is no love lost between the Malfoys, and she would probably kill her own husband if it saved her and her son."

"Then we must make sure to save young Malfoy until it's needed; we can't have your sister risking our cause. Not until we are strong enough to wage another war for our rights and to teach the mudbloods the error in their ways."

Bellatrix's violet eyes gleamed in excitement when she heard her Lord's declaration of justice. For it was just that—a declaration. Something that has been started and won't be stopped until they have achieved it.

"What are we going to do now, My Lord?" The crazy woman asked him.

"I think our friends have been denied their rightful freedom for far too long," Voldemort stood up from his throne and started moving towards the door. "It's time, Lord Voldemort, offers freedom to those who have stayed loyal to him through the years. Tell the spy that we have in Hogwarts not to answer the next call; it won't do us any good if he shows his face for the time being."

Bellatrix nodded and skipped behind the Dark Lord as they moved out of the Malfoy manor. The duo then trespassed the ward line, and her master made a portkey. They held it as they were whisked into a swirl of robes.

Voldemort looked at the horizon; he didn't feel the chills that came due to the northern winds. They were of no consequence to him, as he had long ago shed anything that could affect a mortal, and halt their progression to power. His new body was way above the limits of a mere human, something for which he was thankful.

"What do you see, Bella?"

Bellatrix looked at the horizon and saw the small shack that the ferryman lived in. He was the man who was responsible for taking officials from the ministry to and from the island.

"I will stun the man, My Lord; that's how I escaped last time when Crouch came to visit me; it will be easier that way," Bellatrix said, and she was about to do that when Voldemort's voice stopped her.

"Bella, I am way above the bounds suffered by mere mortals," His voice was as smooth as silk. "Take my hand; this way I will be able to guide you to greatness."

With nary a thought, Bellatrix made the same mistake that she had made all those years ago when she attended the first meeting of the Pureblood movement: she offered herself to Lord Voldemort. She took his hand, and Voldemort gave a cruel smirk before he launched both of them into the air and started flying towards the prison. Half of his body was covered in smoke as he propelled himself and Bellatrix with his magic.

The two reached the lone island that hosted the wizarding prison, Azkaban. Voldemort could see his previous supporters floating around the building, swooping in and out of the cells as the inmates cried in agony. It was time to rebuild his forces, and that's why he was here.

Today he would free his servants and revive the pact with the Dementors. It was time for Lord Voldemort to rise again.

'It is time for another declaration of war…' Voldemort thought as he launched himself towards the gates of the cruelest prison on earth: The Azkaban.

Ending Note: And there you have it fellas, thirteenth chapter of INNOVATOR. Do tell me if you like it or if it missed something, I am waiting.

Here's thelink to my super private server on discord where I'll keep on updating new chapters, sneak peeks, All the Character sketches are uploaded there. And you are free to talk and ask me things regarding my fanfics, as I am most active there:

Its a relatively newly launched server...Beware: Lots of NSFW stuff (Yeah p*rn 😁😂)

https://discord.gg/Gcbcv4dxGx
Name:𝕯𝖊𝖛 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐'𝖘 𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊

It's a new fic so do tell me if you like the thirteenth chapter or if it missed something, I've quite a few things planned for it. Constructive criticism is welcomed, Flames aren't.

Thank you for reading and reviewing,

With Regards

Dev Black

Chapter 14: A Declaration of War

Chapter Text

"I am Talking."

'I am Thinking'

Spells

§Parseltongue§

Good Sir, Life should be big, not long.

~Movie Quote; Anand (1971)

INNOVATOR

-Dev Sagittarius Black

~~Chapter 14: A Declaration of War~~

.

The first thing that Harry noticed when he entered the Great Hall was the apparent lack of usual hubbub that was found behind the doors of the Hogwarts' food corner. It was completely different from how it had been for the last week.

Harry had been quite busy for the last week. He was actively working on the project that he got from Dumbledore and the potion part was finished. The only thing left was the spell creation which he was going to start today.

Other than that, his last week had been a hell for him because of all the brand endorsem*nts and parties he had to attend. They were the ones where sending Sirius as his representative would have been detrimental for the business.

Therefore, his week had been a circle of political parties, followed by work, then classes, half-of-which were boring and useless to him, and then fall on the bed or the couch or the work table, whichever was closer.

Surprisingly enough, Greengrass hadn't bothered him at all. The Greengrass he knew before would have at least visited him once after she came back, but it had been a week since she came and all she had done was look at him during their shared classes or in the corridors and usually once or twice in the great hall.

Something that for some reason bothered him more than it should have. He knew that Greengrass was doing well for herself, he had seen her in classes and the girl was surprisingly way more competent with the wand than he would have given her credit for, though he conceded that it's very much possible he was simply biased, considering how she usually behaved around him.

But this new development was quite…surprising and Harry found himself both curious and worried regarding the Greengrass heiress, someone who was slowly holding more and more space in his mind.

On the other hand, Harry had been running away from the girls who had made it their mission to ask him for the Yule Ball. It seemed that what Blaise had said held some merit as he became very aware of quite a number of girls staring at him expectantly as they journeyed through the corridors of the castle.

At first, it was the simple stares when he entered a room or traversed through a hallway, the girls would simply stop talking, or they would deliberately start focusing on other things. Then when it became painfully obvious that he wasn't going to ask them out, more than a few girls stopped their affection, but some couraged up to ask him out instead.

And that wasn't just from Hogwarts. It was from all the three schools. Ashley for one was quite a relentless woman when she had set her mind on something. Shockingly enough, Beaufort kept a really long distance from him and would either ignore him completely or immediately leave from the room if he entered. Harry didn't know the reason behind it, but he was happy with the development.

Blaise had said that he was lucky that he was being asked out by girls, obviously other boys thought so too.

Then Harry had reminded him that he was going with Fleur, so there wasn't anything he could say. Yeah, it was mean of him to pull that over him because he knew that they were going as friends, and that Fleur was happy that at least someone would be able to handle her allure, even if it's with a charmed pendant.

Davies had been the only one who had been capable of asking her without becoming a drooling mess, but Cho had told her friend about Davies beforehand, so that hadn't worked out well for the Captain of Ravenclaw Quidditch team.

Speaking of the Quidditch team, Cho was already going with Diggory. Something that was obvious, but was sweet too in Harry's opinion. Even a blind man could see that the two were obviously harboring really strong feelings for each other. And that they would probably be engaged soon, and married once Cho graduated.

Harry took his seat at the Ravenclaw table and immediately felt the somber mood that was around him. He looked towards the staff table and noticed that Dumbledore and most of the Hogwarts' professors weren't there either.

It was clear that something major had happened.

"Blaise?" He called out his friend who had his eyes glued to the newspaper just like the rest of the great hall.

"G'morning Harry," The Zabini heir greeted him as he absentmindedly buttered his toast.

"Morning to you too, are you alright?"

Blaise shook his head and forwarded him the paper, "Take a look, you won't like what's in the news."

Harry frowned at that and took the day'sDaily Prophet. There was a photograph of a destroyed building that was on an isle in a thundering sea, and the headline made his blood run cold.

!AZKABAN PRISON–RAVAGED!

-Joseph Goldstien

.

Yes my dear readers, you read that absolutely correctly. The unbreakable, unbeatable, and unconquerable wizarding prison, Azkaban, has been ravaged again! And this time, there was a mass breakout. A total of NINE prisoners have escaped the prison's high security cells, and are now roaming freely in the country.

All of these prisoners are reputed Death Eaters who were found guilty during the previous wizarding war, and were given life imprisonment because of that. This morning, the convicts, along with the Dementors, escaped the prison and are currently being searched for throughout the country.

They are all just as dangerous as the former Azkaban escapee, Bellatrix LeStrange, who escaped from the prison three years ago by killing four guards and a squib. She is still on the run and has not yet been captured.

According to one of the active guards on duty, Guard Jang, they had noticed that something was suspicious when the guards that were previously on-post didn't report for the change of shift. Guard Jang along with other guards then reached the prison and were shocked to see a chunk of the prison's top floors, as well as the dementors, all gone.

The guards and the Warden, who were in the prison, were later discovered by Guard Jang and his comrades in a veritable ocean of blood on the starting three levels of the prison, with a random guard's dead body on every other corner.

No one had any idea as to how long the prison had been unsupervised, but it was clear from the state of the bodies that the attack had occurred dead in the night.

The escapees are some of the most dangerous and highly guarded convicts due to the plethora of crimes under their names. Therefore, they were being held at the highest security cells at the topmost floor of the prison fortress. They are:

Antonin Dolohov

Augustus Rookwood

Armand Rosier

Corvus Yaxley

Gibbon

Travers

Mulciber II

Rodolphhus LeStrange

Rabastan LeStrange

The nine are reportedly missing and the Ministry has already deployed aurors to search for these deranged convicts and bring them to justice. A battalion of trained aurors has already been dispatched to the prison to prevent any more escapes from Azkaban.

Our Minister for Magic chose The Prophet for delivering his word of caution to Britain's magical community;

"We find ourselves, most unfortunately, in the same position we were two and a half years ago when the murderer Bellatrix LeStrange escaped. It is the opinion of the Ministry that the two breakouts are related. An escape of this magnitude suggests outside help, and we must remember that LeStrange, as the first person ever to break out of Azkaban, would be ideally placed for others to follow in her footsteps.

We think it likely that these individuals, who include LeStrange's husband, Rodolphus, and brother-in-law, Rabastan, have rallied around her as their leader. We are, however, doing all we can to round up the criminals and beg the magical community to remain alert and cautious. On no account should any of these individuals be approached. Rest assured, we will soon have all of them including LeStrange herself behind the bars along with the dementors."

~ Minister Cornelius Oswald Fudge

British Minister for Magic

Who is the mastermind behind these attacks? What do they want? Will Britain face another war?

We at the Prophet are continuously trying to get in contact with other members but we have largely been unsuccessful. But you don't have to worry as our reporters around the nation are continuously working to provide us with any snippet of information that could be used in favor of the Ministry. We also urge the citizens of our nation to stay alert, be cautious, to not step out of your homes alone, especially at night.

For more regarding the Azkaban prison…..page-4

For more on the escapee Death Eaters and their crimes….page-5 and page-6

For more on Bellatrix LeStrange and her previous escape…page-9

Harry read the news twice more before his mind finally registered what this incident actually was. This was nothing short of a declaration of war from the person who was currently sitting somewhere and was gaining more and more strength as they breathed.

He looked back at the teachers' table and knew that the reason professor Dumbledore wasn't here was because the man would probably be working on stopping Voldemort's advancement that had proved detrimental to Wizarding Britain.

"Who do you think is after this, Harry?" Marietta asked the innovator who didn't voice his thoughts.

"Who else, it's LeStrange of course, that woman took her time to get her strength back and planned this escape to get her comrades back," Blaise spat, "Poor Neville was shaking like a leaf before Madam Pomfrey took him to the hospital, he will likely stay in his dorm today."

"Yeah, but what about the dementors? Why would they help…"

Harry tuned Marietta's voice out as the duo along with Fleur indulged in a discussion of what and what not. Something that he didn't need to waste his mind on. His mind was focused on other matters as it is.

Neville Longbottom, heir to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Longbottom, was their classmate who had suffered the loss of both his parents at the hands of four of the most notorious Death Eaters when the Dark Lord had been defeated.

The Longbottom boy's parents were still in St Mungo's permanent damage ward, and though Harry wouldn't tell the boy to give him false hope, he had been working on a cure for the Longbottoms for some time. It was in the beginning stages and would likely be finished by the time they entered their sixth year.

'If we enter our Sixth year..' Harry thought. His mind was going a-mile-a-minute as he tried to think of a few things that needed to be done. His mental list, which used to be completely planned, had been a complete wreck for the last two weeks.

Harry looked toward the Gryffindor table and sighed when he saw that Ronald Weasley was sitting there with Granger, Finnigan, and Thomas. There was no sign of his brother, and it didn't seem like his former friends were missing him too much either.

He needed to contact his brother too. There were a few things that had been worrying the innovator, and a few of them included his brother. Don't get him wrong, there was no love lost between the two Potters. But still, it was his duty to ensure that his younger sibling, and a member of his House, was okay at the very least.

Alandale Potter, even as a brat, was the last of his family. And in the end, there was no stronger attachment and no thicker bond than that of Blood and Family.

When he thought about it, the last time Harry had even seen Alandale was two days ago. The boy had come to have dinner. His appearance was no better than haggard, sunken eyes, pale skin, and his hair had lost the usual red vibrance it used to have, instead, it was more like a dull matte burgundy color, and Harry could swear the boy looked thinner than he had a few weeks ago.

Unfortunately, the boy had entered, finished his dinner while he sat at the corner of Gryffindor table as fast as he could, and then left the hall just as soon as he came. Harry had even tried asking about the boy, subtly of course, only to learn that the Gryffindors had destroyed his belongings in his dorm following his defeat in the first task, and that the boy had not been seen in the tower ever since.

The only person who had some sort of contact with the boy was the youngest Weasley male who had been paired up with him in the few classes he actually attended. Other than that, even the Weasey boy had no idea where Alandale slept or where he went off to.

Harry did, but the innovator was sure that his brother wasn't actually foolish enough to go tothatplace ever again. Well, he certainly hoped that his brother wasn't foolish enough, still, it was probably a delusive contentment on his part.

'Looks like we are all set' Dumbledore thought as he looked around the room that he had been given for what he was going to do. This was also a necessary step in his opinion, something which he should've done a few weeks ago, and had planned to do in a few weeks.

But the recent works of Voldemort with the mass breakout, because he was sure it was Voldemort who did that, had pushed his hand forward and now here he was, sitting at the head table as he waited for people to join him.

They would be confused, no doubt. There might be some who might not want to stand by his side again, and it was completely fine with him. After all, not everyone has the same will after twenty years. All he could do was wait and watch, to see how many would actually join him, and how many would need more convincing.

There was a knock on the door and Dumbledore turned to look at the man who had graciously provided the place, he dipped his head as the man took his seat at Dumbledore's left, his right was already booked by his long time colleague and friend, Minerva McGonagall. The headmaster knew that the Transfiguration mistress would definitely join again.

There was a green flare and the sound of someone arriving in the house. Dumbledore smiled when the person entered the room and greeted the two men before him.

"Good Evening to you too, Dedalus," Dumbledore greeted their first member of the day, "I hope my letter found you in good health? Good," He motioned towards one of the seats, "Please take one of the seats, we are waiting for others to join us too before we start."

Dedalus clearly had questions and so will many others who would join them today. Dumbldore would divulge the news at the exact moment and people would only know what they have to know. This time, he won't be taking risks like Pettigrew, no, this time he would do it the correct way.

No risks, no more pains, no poor planning, and absolutely no bloodshed from his side. After all, he neither has the allegiance of the Wand of Destiny nor did he have his previous strength. If push came to shove, Dumbledore was pretty sure that Tom would win it this time.

And then there would be no one who he would be afraid of. Which meant the lives of hundreds of students at Hogwarts, and thousands of magicals outside of it, would be in danger. Something that Dumbledore couldn't risk. Not now.

The arrivals kept joining them in the room and took their seats, they even started talking among themselves. Questions like 'What is happening?', 'Did you read the news?', 'Who could be behind it?', 'Are the dark ages coming again?', and 'Are we going to start it again?' frequented around the table.

But Dumbledore didn't say anything. His mind was busy on something or, more accurately, someone else. The Boy-Who-Lived, Alandale Potter.

Dumbledore didn't know what the boy's problem was. The boy was a horcrux, that much was quite clear. But what wasn't clear, was the boy's apparent lack of talent in any of the fields that he participated in.

At first, Dumbledore had wanted to drop the boy at his muggle relatives' home. The wizarding homes weren't safe for the 'boy-who-lived', and the ones he knew were already suffering from irreparable loss. But then, he remembered how Petunia Dursley was as a person and even his own professor told him that the family was the worst sort of Muggles.

Dumbledore debated it and, at that moment, he decided to take care of things himself. The boy would have suffered some at the hands of the Dursleys, but at least he would have grown away from the Wizarding World. Therefore, it was a strong probability that he wouldn't have turned out the way he did.

Unfortunately, Dumbledore went through with the second plan and asked his loyal friends, the Weasleys, to take him. He was happy that the boy had a happy childhood, and that he was sure that at least one Potter would turn out well.

But that didn't happen.

Alandale Potter ended up getting an overly inflated ego because of all the stories, fan-mail, and the youngest two Weasley kids who idolized him in his own mind. On the other hand, the elder Potter who he–and the entire world–had presumed dead, arrived at Hogwarts one year before Alandale did.

Dumbledore would admit it unabashedly, he was in one word 'shocked'. He was shocked when his deputy had announced the name 'Potter, Harry' and he was even more shocked when his eyes fell on the thin, lanky, bespectacled boy wearing cheap first hand Hogwarts robes.

Harry Potter was the same Harry-the-Little of Diagon Alley. The same boy who he might have crossed paths with a hundred times. He remembered the boy quite well, and he knew that anyone who would have visited the alley more than twice would have seen him working in one of the numerous shops around the alley.

The boy was said to be a prodigy, improving anything that caught his fancy, the boy was also said to be a recluse; so much so that he never gave his last name to anyone in the five years that he had worked around the alley.

Just Harry.

This is why all the shopkeepers in Diagon Alley referred to him as Little Harry or Harry the Little, a moniker that the boy didn't like once he came to learn what it actually meant. Dumbledore didn't remember that he had any interaction with the boy, it wasn't needed either. The boy prioritized his work more than anything, and Dumbldore didn't want to disrupt the concentration of a young mind.

'And now, I am the one responsible for taking away his youth…' Dumbledore thought somberly. He wouldn't lie, he would forever curse himself for what he did to the Potter heir, and the way he was responsible for pulling the boy in the mess that was Horcruxes and Voldemort. Still, he was thankful for it because Harry's input had proved very much helpful and had accelerated the tak manifold.

The Warlock looked at the table that was finally full, every member who was alive, and could join, was here. They were anxious, their minds full with queries, queries that would be answered soon. But before that, it was time to begin.

Dumbledore stood from his chair, "Welcome everyone," He began, "I am happy to see that all of us are here tonight, and very thankful that you answered my call with such urgency." The assembled members acquiesced as they waited for him.

"Unfortunately, the reason that has each of us under the same roof again is not as wonderful as the occasion. I wish that our reunion didn't have to occur because of such a daunting task and a sad cause."

"What happened, Albus?" Marian Dolby, a muggleborn witch, and fellow member, asked him, "Are we here because of the breakout? Do you know something about it other than whatThe Prophetis spewing?"

Dumbledore nodded, "Yes Marian, the breakout is one of the reasons why we are assembled again, but I am afraid that I will have to ask all of you to give an oath that whatever we discuss here tonight won't leave this room."

Hushed silence welcomed his words. He looked at the members and saw them hesitate. It was normal too, how could they simply join something after two decades, and then give an oath first thing in the meeting? It was understandable, but the oaths were necessary because the information was too sensitive to be passed outright now.

"Albus?" Minerva looked at him, confusion and trepidation clear in her eyes.

"It's important, my friend, or I wouldn't have asked for it in the first place," Dumbledore told her, his tone was serious which was quite unlike her jovial boss that she had been working with.

"If it's troubling to you all," Sirius began from Dumbledore's left, "Then, I'll go first." The Black of the Blacks gave his oath to not divulge anything that will be discussed in the room until the end of this particular meeting.

Seeing someone as strong and as powerful as Sirius take the oath, the rest of the members caved in and slowly, one-by-one they gave their oaths of secrecy too. Dumbldore hummed once as Emelline Vance, the last witch, gave her oath.

"I am sure most of us present here are curious as to why we had to assemble here tonight after all these years since we were disbanded," His blue eyes watched the faces as some of them agreed while others chose silence.

"There is no easy way to break this heart wrenching news, therefore, I will go with the easiest way possible," Dumbledore took a deep breath, "I am restarting the Order of the Phoenix because, I can say this with complete certainty, that…." He looked at every face, "...The Dark Lord, better known as Lord Voldemort, is back."

There was silence for three whole seconds before the room fell under a cacophony of loud voices.

A week had passed since Azkaban breakout, and the date for his next visit to the guild was coming closer. He had been working non-stop for the last month. Ever since the first task, his body had been in a constant state of exertion, something that was slowly taking toll on his mental prowess.

Harry knew that there was no one else who could do the work that he was doing. Literally no one. He had scoured through a plethora of old and new texts, both from the Hogwarts Library, and the Guild Bibliothecas. There was progress in the secret project that the headmaster had given him but it was slow, and quite frustrating.

At times, he had thought about throwing it all to the winds and simply telling the headmaster that it couldn't be done, to give-up on the boy and to forget that he ever existed. But then his mind would bring the handful of memories that he had of the person and those would stop him from doing what he just thought.

The only good thing was, hisRunes of Potentiawere now filled again. They took much less time to fill this time, it was as if there was another force that was slowly filling the runes and egging the process to completion. He knew it was the Deathstick's magic that was now slowly getting mixed with his own. It would take another two-three months along with guidance from the Guildmaster to completely conquer the Wand of Destiny.

Right now, Harry had just moved out from his Transfiguration lesson and cursed himself for losing his brother again. It was getting quite tough and surprisingly enough, his brother had become really sneaky. Harry cursed himself for forgetting the map, it would have proved to be extremely helpful right now.

The problem wasn't following his brother, it was not alerting him. The past week had been tedious, and Harry had noticed that somehow the boy got a feeling that he was being followed, and he got the feeling everytime. Then he would change the path and go somewhere else like the Courtyard or some other open place.

Talking to him proved as useful as talking to a bull. Alandale hadn't uttered a single word, preferring to use grunts as an intelligent method of communication instead of the wonderful English language.

Now following the boy would have been an easy task, especially since by now Harry had roughly got an idea as to where the boy was going every time he went missing, but he still needed to check it before he took any action over that.

But there was also this daunting task of avoiding females. Usually Cho, Marietta or Fleur, whoever was with him, was enough to stall the upcoming members of the opposite gender and halt their questions of asking him to the Ball.

Harry had tried to fend off the girls, but it was a daunting task. Something that doesn't ease when his, supposed, best friend would tease him about it.

Blaise had, for obvious reasons–only to him, had taken to learning the names of all the girls that asked him out. And then the git would tease him about the girls during their shared classes. Things like who asked them out, and what they said, and whether they are going with their new yule partner or still waiting for Harry to say yes to them.

Harry hadn't. He knew that his work was much more important than balls. And since he had already attended more than a few balls and award ceremonies for his 'feat' with the dragoness, a children's ball to celebrate the happiness of indulging in frivolous celebration wasn't something he was actually excited about.

He felt himself to be quite lucky that the three girls who had shown signs of interest in him had been unable to meet him. Greengrass and Petrovia had tried a few times but his instructions to Dobby had been quite clear and his friend hadn't allowed the girls in his suite. The diminutive creature had been quite adamant that no one, no matter who they were, should be able to approach him without an actual reason.

Surprisingly enough, Dobby had reported many girls except the craziest one: Angelique Beaufort. In fact, as far as Harry had learned from Fleur during one of their dinner talks, the French diva had decided to attend the ball with Roger Davies. Something that the boy was extremely happy about, so much that he was borderline gloating about it.

Thankfully, the boy had enough sense to not throw the fact in Harry's face, knowing full well that he might lose both his reputation and his date if the innovator just asked the French diva even once.

But Harry was quite thankful for this, in fact, the Yule Ball was the least of his worries. He knew both the girls and knew that none would stay silent for a long time. If he had to place his bet, then he would place it on the one that he had known for a few years.

Harry had just turned the corner when all of a sudden a door opened behind him, and just as he flicked his wand, someone grabbed him by the collar and pulled him. If he wanted to, he could have easily resisted it, but this time he didn't. He knew that this meeting had been on hold for sometime and he didn't want to postpone it any more than it already had.

The inside was a lot cramped, his kidnaper was standing with her body almost pressed with his own. The door was snapped shut and his vision was plundered into darkness. The smell of old brooms and moldy racks wafted around him. But so did the lavender fragrance that he was quite familiar with.

Especially since before the first task, he had been helping her with her extra-credit charms project.

"A broom cupboard, Greengrass?" Harry asked her, "What happened to the classroom?" He flicked his wand and the space was bathed with light from the tip of his wand. The light showed the girl who was standing just half-a-foot away from him.

Her eyes were squinted, probably because their lenses had adapted for the low light that was present in the dark cupboard. And Harry took the time to closely see the girl. This wasn't the first time that he had seen her this close, in fact he was quite sure that the only time he had visited Hogsmeade, Greengrass had manipulated his time in the village and was practically sitting in his lap.

"Missing the room already, Harry? You could have pulled me into one, you know, I am sure I wouldn't have minded." Daphne immediately replied with a small smile.

Harry shook his head. Trust Greengrass to still try to indulge him in a banter. Sometimes he wondered how simple his life would have been if he wasn't the famed innovator. No guilds, no Voldemort, no Dumbledore, no hallows, no destinies to fulfill.

The most he would have been stressed about would be homework and dating, instead of rituals, saving lives, and fighting dark lords like he was right now. It would have been a simple and peaceful life, the normal school life of a student with homework, fun, and a beautiful girlfriend who had literally been throwing herself at him for years now. And was too stubborn to see to reason.

"What do you want, Greengrass? Can't get enough with one kidnapping moment in one year?" Harry asked her, even though he knew what the girl had on her mind.

"Can't help it," She smiled, "You don't give me any other way to get to talk to you because you're too busy avoiding me now," Her tone was accusatory and he knew that she was right.

"I've been busy, the last few weeks haven't been easy on my mind, even now I have work to do," He gave a tired sigh.

"Work-work-work," She grumbled, "Sometimes I think even a personification of work would have more free time than you." She shook her head in mock disappointment.

Harry didn't try to refute her statement, preferring to stay quiet instead as it always worked when he was with the Greengrass heiress. It was how it usually went between them anyways. Her doing her Daphne things and him doing his Harry things. Sometimes they even knew what the other one would do next, kind of like old lovers who had lived together for decades.

Instead, he called it a form of understanding.

"How are you?"

Harry blinked at that, that wasn't something he expected from the girl as it had never come between their conversations, "What?"

Daphne shook her head, her blonde hair slowly moving as she gave a tired sigh, "I know you Harry. I can say that I might be the one person who has seen you since before Hogwarts. Remember the ice-cream parlor? That was where we met,"

He did, he remembered all of their interactions, at times he even thought about them and sometimes he witnessed them in his dreams too. From the ice-cream parlor to the train to the Astronomy tower, everything. He easily blamed his eidetic memory for that, after all, there was no other reason he could remember them, right? Right.

"You always had a force inside you. I admired the way you seemed to tackle life and not let it give you any crap, it was both inspiring and mesmerizing," Daphne explained, "It was one of the main reasons that I wanted to be your friend and later..well, you know.." A faint dusting of pink appeared on her cheeks.

Harry frowned a bit, where was she going with this? This was quite an experience for him, mostly because he had never seen the girl both serious and serene at the same time. Yes, she had acted like a love-sick one at times when they were alone and a focused girl when they worked on her project in the library.

This was the first time she shared her thoughts and, for some reason, they scared him. He didn't know why he was afraid, or was he afraid really? He was more like an anxious boy, an anticipatory anxious boy. Something that was new to him because he had never been anxious when it came to the opposite gender.

"But these past few weeks, ever since I came back from my home, I haven't seen the boy I admired, respected, and adored. You still score well in classes, you still answer teachers, and you are still you, but for some reason, there was no conviction behind your actions," She murmured, "It was as if you were doing everything out of a sense of duty. Like it was a burden and not something you would do if you had been offered a choice to escape it all."

Harry frowned at that, true he hadn't been feeling much of a motivation lately, but was it that visible or was Daphne just too perceptive? He readily admitted that he had been stretched thin because of the number of things on his plate, and that he was trying his best to keep it all in so that it doesn't spill out and end up as a mess. Maybe it was taking more from him than he initially suspected?

"I don't know where you are going with this, Greengrass," Harry mumbled slowly, frowning at what he was feeling and how the girl in the closet was the reason behind it.

"I know that you don't share anything that goes on with you, and especially not with someone like me who had done nothing but almost forced you into doing things you would rather skip, still, I would like you to know that there are others, like Zabini and Delacour. They do worry about you and care for you."

Daphne slowly touched his shoulder and looked straight in his eyes, "And if you are okay with it, then I too am here. We might not be as smart or as genius as you, hell I am sure we might not even understand what's actually going on, but one thing is for sure," She gave a small encouraging smile, the same that did weird things to him which he tried to suppress, "We are here to listen to you, we will listen and who knows, we might suggest something that might help you even?"

Harry couldn't help but give a small smile which he quickly tried to hide, his mind still betrayed him by conjuring thoughts that had Daphne and Blaise helping him complete his project and kill Voldemort. It was a funny thought, something that would never become a reality but funny nonetheless.

Even though he had tried to suppress it as soon as it had appeared, Daphne did notice the small uplifting of his lips which made her grin with no small amount of pride, "So, are you going to tell me what happened or are you going to bottle it up, again?"

Harry shook his head, "There are many things, Greengrass-"

"Daphne."

Harry blinked at that, "What?"

"Use my name Harry, I want you to call me Daphne," She told him again, and Harry could see that these weren't like those times when the girl whined and threw childish tantrums, this time it was different.

"Don't push your luck so soon," Harry muttered and narrowed his eyes at her, she didn't deter and kept on looking straight in his emerald pools, as if the girl knew that it was time he started changing his methods little-by-little.

And maybe…just maybe, it indeed was time to slowly change. The world won't get any easier anytime soon and he knew that he would get even more busy as his days of relaxation were coming to an end. Therefore, maybe it was time to take the baby steps? He didn't know but he was willing to try for once in his life.

"Daphne…" Harry said tentatively and was rewarded with a small proud and encouraging smile from the girl, her eyes glistened in the dim light emanating from his wand and Harry couldn't stop the small relived smile that broke on his face. Still, he schooled it as soon as it came. Unfortunately, Daphne had already noticed it.

He then continued with his explanation, "They are all interconnected. You won't understand one unless you understand the other completely, and I am not going to endanger your life because of a moment of stupidity on my part," He released a tired sigh.

Daphne shook her head, "It won't harm me. There isn't anyone except Tracey who knows that I am quite fond of you. To everyone out there, I am the cold emotionless girl who they can only dream of surpassing one day, nothing less and nothing more," She told him before she smirked.

"Also, who is to say that I have been sitting idle all this time, hmm? I am already half-way through our project that we were working on and I even found a good…instructor of my own and they have already helped me quite a lot with dueling and teaching me how to protect myself."

"What?"

Daphne just gave a mysterious smile and shook her head, "No, I will only tell you when you tell me what's eating you from inside."

Harry sighed and shook his head. He knew he couldn't tell her about Voldemort, the wand and its whispers that were eating his mind, the horcruxes, and the ritual that he was going to attend in the guild on the Winter Solstice.

He couldn't tell her any of that, not unless he wanted Voldemort or his ilk chasing the girl and her loved ones.

"Since you won't tell me the cause, I want you to talk to one of your friends. Any of them will be glad to hear you," She smiled, "Just don't burn yourself out and be back to yourself as soon as you can."

Harry hummed in agreement, even when he knew that he wouldn't be able to tell his friends anything about it either, "I will," Still, maybe he should talk to them and just do normal chit-chat with Blaise like they did before all of this mess started? Probably a good idea too.

Once Daphne noticed that Harry had agreed to her words, her smile turned a bit mischievous as she placed her hand on his chest and leaned a bit closer to his face, "Now, it's time to discuss more important matters."

The Innovator raised his eyebrows at that, "More important matters?"

The Ice Queen bobbed her head as she narrowed her eyes and folded her hands under her bust, accentuating it a bit more than usual, "When are you going to ask me to the Yule Ball?"

Harry groaned as Daphne grinned victoriously.

Outside the Broom Cupboard, Tracey smiled when she heard her best friend's giggle. She still didn't know why her friend was adamant over the boy who didn't want to do anything with her or any other girl.

Still, even she could see the tension that was present between the two of them. Something that both of them either ignored or were oblivious to. Daphne actively chased after Harry, and Tracey had yet to see the boy spend as much time with any other girl as he did with Daphne.

Yes, he had female friends. But for some reason, she knew that this was different than that. Even if the boy tried to deny it, Tracey had seen him look at her best friend many times in the great hall and in their shared classes.

It was the reason why she allowed and sometimes went as far as to even help her friend with these, in her opinion, ridiculous, kidnapping and closure moments. Going as far as becoming a guard for both of them when they were locked in the broom cupboard behind her.

Tracey heard another giggle from within the cupboard and this one turned to become a full blown laughter. She grinned at her friend's obvious joy and could imagine Harry's faux groaning face, maybe not everything was bad in becoming a guard to her friend, she might tell these stories to their children one-day.

'Aunt Tracey would be the best and coolest auntie to little Potter-Greengrass minions…' She thought to herself and couldn't help but chuckle at that.

Dark brown eyes took in their surroundings as they checked the corridor once more. It had been quite a hassle for the last few days and he didn't know why he was suddenly the prime interest of his blood relative. So much, that his relative often ended up following him and had taken to looking at him during classes and dinner.

It would have been considered a sweet gesture. Only if Alandale Potter didn't know his brother Harry.

The boy had never once bothered with Alan's life, neither before, and definitely not during, their stay at Hogwarts. In fact, his brother had made it quite clear that as long as Alan stayed out of deadly crap, and didn't antagonize him purposefully, the elder Potter would leave the younger one to his own devices and never bother the redhead.

Then why now?! Why the sudden interest in his life? Why all these cloak and dagger games? Why follow him around? Going as far as to ask about him even?! What did Harry Potter want now? After spoiling his life! What more could he want?

Alan shook his head,thosethoughts were coming again, and he didn't want to let them inside his mind for any amount of time. They had been plaguing his dreams and The Whisperer had all but settled in his mind for some reason. Whispering insidious thoughts that were malicious in nature and highly dubious in understanding.

The boy-who-lived cleared his eyes when his mind started to feel heavy again and his vision started to blur, it was neither the right place nor the right time to let that happen. He looked around himself once more before he stepped inside the abandoned bathroom.

§Open§

The mirrors on the huge central sink collapsed inwards and, the next second, the large central sink began to move. The sink, in fact, sank, right out of sight, leaving a large pipe exposed, a pipe wide enough for a man to slide into.

§Stairs§

There was some noise from the open pipe and the walls rumbled a bit before stairs formed from the wall of the pipe, spiraling down towards the bottomless pit. Alan smirked at the structure before he stepped on the first stair and descended down the pipe. He flicked his wand and light flooded the endless darkness as the sink started to close.

Alan stepped down on the last level and extinguished the light of his wand. He moved towards the long pathway, his shoes clacking on regular intervals. He ignored the huge snake skin that was hanging by the doorway of the actual chamber.

§Open§ Alandale muttered once more and the large snakes twisted before the door opened and he stepped inside the actual chamber that was actually a lot cleaner than how he had witnessed it for the first time when he had entered with his brother to save Ginny.

Thoughts of his brother again made his mind heavy as his vision blurred for a second, he controlled himself again. Perhaps he needed rest? Maybe that would help his tired mind and body? It confused him a bit that he was almost always tired even when he hadn't done much work and his body ached as if he had worked a lot.

Alandale looked at the great bust that was used as a gateway to the king of the serpents. It was a good thing that no one knew that the Chamber had much more to it than just the King of the Serpents.

§Open§ He smiled when he remembered how Riddle had used a long drawn out pompous line to open the mouth of the bust, it was completely unnecessary because just a single word in Parseltongue would have done the same thing that the entire line did.

Alan was about to step inside the open mouth of the bust when almost immediately the hairs on the back of his neck stood out and he ducked, only for the bright red stunner to smash on the founder's bust.

"I don't know what's gotten into you Alan," Harry said as he removed his invisibility cloak, "But I am not letting you waste your life like this by going inside that," The innovator was surprised that his brother had side-stepped the stunner and was therefore frowning suspiciously at his brother's rigid back, his wand at the ready.

But however much Harry could have readied himself, he was absolutely horrified when his brother turned to look at him. Because it wasn't his brother's chocolate brown eyes that glared at him, no.

It was the blood red eyes of Dark Lord Voldemort.

Alandale Potter had succumbed to the horcrux in his scar, and now, Voldemort possessed the body of the youngest Potter.

Ending Note: And there you have it fellas, fourteenth chapter of INNOVATOR. Do tell me if you like it or if it missed something, I am waiting.

Here's thelink to my super private serveron discord where I'll keep on updating new chapters, sneak peeks,All the Character sketches are uploaded there. And you are free to talk and ask me things regarding my fanfics, as I am mostly active there:

Its a relatively newly launched server...Beware: Lots of NSFW stuff (Yeah p*rn 😁😂)

https://discord.gg/Gcbcv4dxGx
Name:𝕯𝖊𝖛 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐'𝖘 𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊

It's a new fic so do tell me if you like the fourteenth chapter or if it missed something, I've quite a few things planned for it. Constructive criticism is welcomed, Flames aren't.

Thank you for reading and reviewing,

With Regards

Dev Black

Chapter 15: A Battle of Wills

Chapter Text

This Chapter has been published to celebrate our first 500 member count on Discord!

"I am Talking."

'I am Thinking'

Spells

§Parseltongue§

Willpower is like a muscle, The more you challenge it, the stronger it becomes.

~Martin Ginis

INNOVATOR

-Dev Sagittarius Black

~~Chapter 15: A Battle of Wills~~

.

~~Flashback~~

"All will come to realize it soon," He muttered to himself, "Everyone will soon learn that I am not someone who they should have made fun of."

Alandale Potter moved towards the Gryffindor tower, he tried to ignore the whispers that followed him. The eyes that watched his every move. They were worse than the dragon's spiked tail or its sharp claws. He tried to ignore them all. He knew that they were fickle, and even though he hadn't done anything to deserve it, he was sure that the public didn't seem to share his views regarding the tournament or its participation.

Still, the whispers were annoying and were beginning to get him.

"...Why is he here now? Wasn't he satisfied with one shame?..."

"...What does this loser want now?..."

"...Did you hear, they say that he scored zero? That's worse than any participant in the tournament's history…"

Alandale's eyebrow twitched at that and he glared at the sixth year who had said it, unfortunately his glare didn't have any effect because the Hufflepuff glared back. Alandale averted his eyes, staring back at the ground as he kept moving.

"...What a disgrace to Hogwarts.."

"...Wouldn't it be better if he simply died in the first task?...It's a shame to be in the same house.."

Alan clenched his fist, his breathing hardened as it turned more forceful and he increased his pace. He needed to reach the Gryffindor tower soon, this was becoming hard to bear.

The whispers followed the Boy-Who-Lived, they were as relentless and as brutal as the people who were whispering them. Alan felt a bit heavy in the head, his speed was just a few notches short of full-on sprint.

"...only his brother had been the fourth-champion…"

Alan skidded to a halt, his head felt even more heavier when he heard that and he turned to glare at the three boys that were huddled near one of the alcoves.

"I know right!" The Ravenclaw one exclaimed, "Harry would have been a much better option, hell I am sure that he would have won more than any other champion, it would have been a matter of pride for us instead of what the Gryffindor Potter did."

Alandale's vision saw red at that. His brother was not only stealing his credit, but he had the gall to steal his leftover reputation too? He won't allow that, not at all!

His mind filled with insidious thoughts of torture, he wanted to hear the cries of the three boys, he wanted to watch them beg for his forgiveness. He wanted to cause them unimaginable pain..? What? No! This wasn't him, he wasn't some filthy Slytherin who tortured their fellow students. He was a Gryffindor, he was the Boy-Who-Lived for that matter.

'I need to work it out, my priorities are all messed up..I don't even know where to begin in the first place,' Alandale thought as he resumed his pace towards the Gryffindor tower, 'Maybe I should take some rest first, that bed in the hospital wing was really bad…maybe after that I could have some actual food and then my head would be clearer. Yes…sounds good'

But when Alan reached the portrait of the fat lady, the first thing he noticed was the pitiful eyes that the woman was throwing his way, he ignored them. It was possible that the woman had already learned of his defeat and was pitying him for that.

Well, he didn't need that. He was going to win the next task, and then he would show everyone that, even though it was an accident, he was no slouch and that he could easily pass the tasks too.

If only he had actually bothered to ask the guardian of the doorway as to why she looked at him that way, he would have learned to not step in the House of the Brave. The Gryffindors were brave, yes, but they were equally fickle too.

The entire house stood against him, the only person who stood with him was his friend Ron Weasley. And he had been silenced by everyone else who had accused him, then they broke the news of how they had destroyed all of his belongings. They had done the same in his second year too, but for some reason, this time it hurt him more.

The house as one had thrown him out of the tower with his trunk, which only contained his books and a few clothes along with a small album of his parents. They had said that they were Gryffindors, and it was called House of the Brave. Something that he wasn't and, therefore, there was no place for him among them.

This time he knew why it hurt him more. In second year, his ability had made him a house pariah, but this time, his action had made him a house-less individual at Hogwarts.

Alandale had taken his trunk and left the tower. That night he had taken residence in one of the empty rooms, he knew it was going to be a long night because sleep was the last thing on his mind.

~~Flashback Ends~~

Ever since that night, Alan's dreams had been plagued with visions of torture and pain. He wanted to torture every single one of the Gryffindors that had dared to kick him out of the tower. McGonagall's speech of 'Your house is your Family' seemed like a mockery of what had happened with him.

There were only three aims for him now, and they were etched in his mind crystal-clear: Triwizard Tournament, retribution from House Gryffindor, surpassing the Titan which was Harry Potter.

And Alandale Potter was willing to go to any length to see that all of his goals were achieved.

Not much later than his expulsion from the tower, the voice in his mind had started to whisper all sorts of methods as to what he should do to achieve those. There were copious amounts of torture mixed with some well thought out advices. In fact, there were times when he thought that his thoughts were not his own.

But that was ridiculous, right? Obviously it was. Granted that his mind, as well as his dreams, were sometimes filled with visions of unbound cruelty, but that was what the Gryffindor bastards and all those who had wronged him deserved anyways. So, he never gave it much thought.

It was on one such instance when his mind had offered him the suggestion that the safest place for him in the entirety of Hogwarts was the one place that no one else could reach except him. Not even his brother.

The Chamber of Secrets.

Things had changed a lot after that. It was a shock to discover the secret room that was in the mouth of Salazar Slytherin, there was also one that led out into the forbidden forest, a perk that he abused extensively.

There were times when he would go to bed completely drenched in sweat due to exercises and magic and would wake–up even more tired as if he had run a marathon while he was sleeping. He would attend all his important classes and used the perk of being a champion to drop out of the useless classes. Using that time to train himself in the chamber instead.

Surprisingly enough, McGonagall hadn't bothered him at all. She hadn't asked him anything about his current dwelling and hadn't treated him any better or worse than the usual students who attended Hogwarts. He suspected that none of the Gryffindors had told her what they had done to him and she was blissfully unaware of what had happened in her house.

Well, it wasn't like Alandale was going to complain. He was learning more and at a much faster rate than how he had learned magic for the last three years at Hogwart. The only drawback was that he was almost always tired and out of energy. And there was that damn headache and haziness that gnawed at his mind all the time.

It was the same thing everyday and he was just going to follow his daily routine when he had been forced to dodge the stunner that his brother shot at him. The last thing that the boy-who-lived saw when he turned to look at his brother was the dark haired teen's shocked face before.

After that, his vision had turned red and he had been pushed into slumber as his mind submitted to the other being that had gained control of the boy's body and magic.

"Hello, Harry Potter…"

Harry looked at his brother, or what would have been his brother, if it wasn't for that ugly smirk and the glowing red eyes that glared at him with malice. He didn't know exactly what had happened to the protections and he didn't know how, or how long Voldemort had been free.

But if the Dark Lord was able to gain control over Alandale's mind in such a short span, then he was sure that the control exceeds far more than it should have in the small amount of time….

Harry's eyes widened as slowly everything started to click in its place.

The Dark Lord had recently been reincarnated which meant increase in his magic, exactly when Alan had suffered defeat and probably weakening of his magic during the first task, his removal from Gryffindor tower, his haggard appearance, his skipping classes and staying in the Chamber of all places…everything made much more sense now.

"Voldemort," Harry looked at the man who was inhabiting his brother's body.

"It has been quite some time, has it not?" The Dark Lord said, "Still, I pride myself in knowing that you haven't forgotten about Lord Voldemort in your own little journey to power."

Harry frowned, "My journey to power?"

Voldemort laughed, even his laughter sounded cruel in Alan's voice, "Why yes, these days you are known as 'The Innovator', are you not?" He smiled, "It's one of your many powerful and strong titles, including the latest one, 'The Dragon Slayer'."

Harry grimaced at that, he didn't like that title at all, he didn't like others either, but that one irked him the most for some reason. The boy also knew that Voldemort was wrong, but it wasn't like Harry was going to correct the Dark Lord regarding his goals now, was it?

"How long have you been able to possess his body?"

Voldemort's smile decreased, "I would tell that to you but I am more curious as to why you aren't shocked by this unforeseen development? Did you already know about me…" His red eyes glinted in the dim light of the chamber, "...or maybe you already knew what exactly your brother was and still didn't do anything?"

Harry flinched at that, he knew what his brother was. All thanks to the headmaster, but it wasn't like he didn't do anything. In fact, he had been working on this thing since Dumbledore gave him the task at the end of last year.

Since then, Harry had stopped all his work and had been working on creating a method to kill the Horcrux and not the container. He had succeeded in making it half-way through. It was a dual eviction process, the potion that would provide defense to the body was ready but the ritual that would evict the body's curse wasn't ready yet.

Harry didn't say anything, and Voldemort took this as the innovator's agreement to his educated deduction. The Dark Lord inhaled deeply as he closed his eyes, it was as if the Dark Lord was preparing himself for something.

Harry felt, more than saw, the Chamber endure a sudden wave of magical aura as his brother's magic saturated the air around himself. Lord Voldemort opened his eyes which were glowing with unrestrained power, and flicked Alan's wand into existence as he looked at the young innovator with a cruel smile on his face.

"I already know what you want," He told him, "And that's something that I cannot provide. Not after all the work and the years I have put into it," He saw his opponent get ready, "Therefore, it's time to settle this once and for all."

Harry clenched his teeth, it was one thing to fight a dragon or any other beast, it was another thing to fight a Dark Lord, and it was a thing on a completely different level to fight a Dark Lord who was occupying the body of the person Harry was supposed to protect.

"Apovoli Organon!"

"Crucio!"

"My Lord, everyone is here. They are waiting for you,"

Red eyes looked up from the tome that they were previously focused on. Their master trained them on the newest arrival in the chamber, Bellatrix LeStrange.

"Did everyone answer the call, Bella?"

Bellatrix looked down in shame and shook her head, "No, My Lord, half of them didn't answer us. They are cowards, Master, cowards who are hiding behind their-"

Voldemort raised his finger to silence the deranged woman, he had already assumed that there wouldn't be many who would answer his call, not until he showed himself or they somehow learned that he was back again.

"Send them in, Bella," The Dark Lord said, "I would like to meet our less than loyal friends here tonight," He leaned back in his throne as Bellatrix bowed and left the room. Even though he was disgusted with what happened and those who had renounced his name, he knew that he still needed them.

Well, it was indeed time to strengthen his ranks once more. He would need to work on the weak again, punish the cowards and the betrayers, and secure allegiance from the filthy creatures that had helped him in the last war.

His true followers who stood by him were now recuperating from their feeble health status in Malfoy Manor's health room. Some of them were still unconscious and the Dark Lord assumed that it was possible some might not be able to survive the forced treatment, and would probably give away their lives before it was their time to stand by his side once more.

Slowly, one-by-one, men and women alike started to pour in through the door, their expressions changed the moment their eyes met his. Cowards. Voldemort didn't say anything, preferring to be patient until all of them were in the chamber.

One of them was bold enough to take a few steps in his direction, probably to greet him. But Voldemort immediately sent a silent stunner to the ground in front of him. The man stopped and looked at the Dark Lord with shock and no small amount of fear, the message was clear.

Forgiveness will have to be earned.

Once everyone was inside, Bellatrix stepped inside and closed the door, she then came and stood on his right, nursing Nagrrish who was looking at everything with awestruck eyes. Voldemort had kept the small snake with him in the memory of his long-time companion Nagini who gave up her life to strengthen his soul.

"Welcome, my friends. Fourteen years it's been, and yet, here you stand as if it were only yesterday, when we were about to celebrate our victory over the slum that Wizarding Britain has become," The Dark Lord stood from his throne, "I confess myself…disappointed when you were with me then and you are not with me now. Not one of you tried to find me…"

His followers flinched at that and Voldemort glared at each of their cowering faces, he had specifically told Bellatrix to not allow any one wear the masks. He wanted to see the pain and fear that they have.

"If not for Bellatrix, and Wormtail, who sacrificed his life for our cause. I am quite certain that none of you would be here, you would be enjoying your lives, spending galleons on your frivolous activities," He sneered.

"N-No my lord, I-"

"SILENCE!" Voldemort thundered, causing everyone to flinch, as he released his magic, saturating the air and suffocating his followers, "No one will speak unless spoken to," He pulled back his magic and saw a few of them gasp in relief.

Their weakness made his skin crawl with disgust. This was not the Death Eater army he had built all those years ago. These were pampered lords, too busy throwing galleons to even think about their goal.

"A few of our own choose to follow me and stand proudly for our cause, rather than renounce my name and hide," He sneered as he stepped down and started moving among his followers, "They will be rewarded. Never let it be said that Lord Voldemort didn't reward loyalty."

Bellatrix bowed her head, "My Lord is too benevolent."

Voldemort hummed, his face didn't show any expression, before he looked back at the assembled beings, "But if I reward loyalty, I must also ensure that the betrayers are punished," He turned to look at one of the slightly crookedly standing follower and smiled, "Even Lucius here, has learned the price of betrayal, I am sure you want to join our friend in the lesson?"

They turned to look at Lucius Malfoy and winced, the Malfoy Lord wasn't faring well. It seemed like there were silent tremors still raking through his admittedly crooked form. The thought didn't sit well with the rest of Voldemort's followers.

"What do you say, Amycus? What should I do?"

Amycus Carrow, who was standing in the second row, flinched as his master's face came close. He knew that the punishment was already decided, and that their Lord was just doing this to make it seem as if they had a choice. Still, he knew that not answering would not be tolerated either.

"You are correct, Amycus, not answering won't be tolerated," Voldemort hissed as he pointed his wand towards Carrow, "So, do tell me, what do you think I should do with the ones who renounced my name? The ones who believed that Lord Voldemot was dead? Do tell, how we should punish them."

"I-I never," Amycus began, "I never left your side My lord, if only I had heard even a single-"

"CRUCIO!"

Amycus Carrow's guttural scream reverberated through the walls of Malfoy Manor, and everyone knew that they would either have to offer something or they, too, would have to be on the receiving end of the curse.

One thing was clear to all of them…Forgiveness will have to be earned.

Harry Potter glared at the possessed form of his brother, the same one who was glaring back at him with equal ferociousness.

The chamber had been destroyed, the devastating spells that had been traded between the two wizards had seen to it. Both Voldemort and Harry were panting, their robes were soiled, and they sported a few cuts here and there where their opponent's spell had managed to nick them. Still, they were relentless and thinking of ways to gain the upper hand in the battle.

Harry had assumed that Voldemort's possession wasn't absolute. It was proved correct when, at times, the red hue in his brother's eyes decreased so much that the chocolate browns came back. Unfortunately, instances like these were momentary as Voldemort would regain control and the fight would resume.

Voldemort, on the other hand, had learned that Harry would not use extremely dangerous curses on his brother's body. The Potter heir had been fighting quite well. In fact, Voldemort had to admit it, Harry Potter was even gaining the upper hand in this fight. Though, it was mostly because the body was not under complete possession and, surprisingly enough, his host had started to actively fight him now.

The Dark Lord knew that it was only a matter of a few minutes before there would be another episode of struggle for the body, and he was sure that his opponent would immediately use this in his favor. However, he couldn't afford that, not after all the work he had done on this body to ensure his return to power.

He still wondered what his original soul was doing or where it was, there was not even a single rumor about it. The last time he had seen the original was three years ago in the third floor corridor, when he had come after the Philosopher's stone. He had tried to remove himself from the Potter boy's scar and join the original, but the bindings were tight and he had not been able to break them.

"You think you are winning this, Harry?" Voldemort taunted him, "You can't even use any other spell other than thegoodones Dumbledore taught you. Just one miss on your end and you'll be dead," He sneered in disgust.

"Well yes, but then we both know it would be hard not to miss considering your aiming has been atrocious." It wasn't really, Voldemort's aim had been quite accurate. But, every now and then, Harry had noticed a certain internal struggle over the body and that had resulted in the Dark Lord's curse missing the aim.

Voldemort glared at that and shot a Eye-ball gouging curse that Harry dodged and returned with a Temporary deafness of his one.

Harry knew that the Dark Lord was struggling to maintain his hold over Alan's body. He just needed to wait for the right opportunity and the battle would end in his favor. Well, he could always make the result fall in his favor.

"Fumos, Miasmaticus."

Thick smoke of dark green and black in color flew from the tip of his wand and started clouding the atmosphere around the two.

"You really think this will work out for you, Potter?" Voldemort sneered in his direction and easily sidestepped the incoming stunner, "Ventus"

The smokescreen was dispersed and Voldemort's eyes widened when he saw that Harry had taken the time to conjure a few creatures with steel around their maws and claws.

"Serpensortia!" Voldemort conjured four mature venomous snakes, §Destroy those animals§

The snakes took the command and slithered furiously towards Harry's creations who ran towards the snakes with equal ferocity.

"Calcitrare, Diffindo!"

"Protego"

The punching and slicing hex slammed on Tom's hastily conjured shield forcing the Dark Lord on a back-step, he immediately followed by three silent rope conjurations behind Harry.

Harry dodged the first two ropes that attacked him and tore the Chamber's stone ground in the third one's path to stop it.

"Bombarda Maxima!" Voldemort cried out, he felt a certain constriction in his chest but ignored it in favor of destroying Harry.

The innovator summoned one of the many snake statues in the chamber in the curse's path, "Ventus." The debris from the impact was blown towards Voldemort who conjured a thick wall of granite to take the impact.

'I have to win this, I can't let a mere teenager defeat me' Voldemort thought, "Confringo-Confundo-Draco Ignem!" He screamed the spell chain and coughed a bit of blood as the Draconian fire leapt from his wand towards the innovator who erected a fire shield.

Harry saw the fire splash on his golden shield, "Petrificus Totalus" The boy then dodged the Confundus and Blasting hexes sent at him.

Voldemort swatted the hex and frowned when his lungs constricted and he coughed more blood, he saw Harry busy dodging the hexes and immediately took the chance, "Avada Kedavra!"

"Expelliarmus!" Harry cried out and saw the two mystical forces collide head-on, there was a huge ball of golden light that formed where the two spells had collided. Harry grit his teeth and forced more and more of his will power and magic in the spell.

Voldemort was surprised when instead of attacking, a small golden sphere formed at the collision of the spells, but he smiled in glee when he saw the golden sphere of magic move towards Harry. He was sure that the boy would lose now and die. But that's when his chest constricted once more and he looked to see that his hands were turning blue.

What was happening? WHAT WAS POTTER DOING?!

The Dark Lord's eyes widened when he noticed that the momentary lapse in concentration had cost him heavily as the sphere was pushed more towards his side, he tried to force more magic in it but his body wasn't responding. It was slowly going lax and it pained to move.

He felt the control over his body slip again, 'No…no..not now, not after all this time, not again…noooooo', He tried his absolute best to regain control, but Alan's mind had regained consciousness and was fighting him now, the body wasn't responding either as the bluish discolouration spread more towards his upper arms and he felt the pain in his abdominal muscles.

Voldemort gasped for breath but he couldn't do anything as the golden sphere blasted out, throwing him towards one of the snake statues that got demolished on contact with Alandale's body.

Harry too fell back a few feet away on the ground due to the shockwave that thrummed throughout the chamber. He shook his head to rid himself off of the dizziness before standing up and pointing his wand toward the dusty clouds that rose from Alandale's impact on the snake statues.

There was no noise from Alandale's direction and Harry started walking towards it, his wand ready to counter any curse that the Dark Lord might throw at him. If only he had activated even one of his Rune of Potentia, the battle would have ended much sooner, still, he didn't do that because tomorrow was an important day and, for whatever reason, the Enlightened One had asked him to not use any of his runes until he was back in the guild.

The dust settled and Harry sighed in relief when he noticed that Alandale's eyes were closed, the boy's wand a meter away from him, floating in the dirty pool of water. He still bound the boy in tight ropes and petrified him before checking the boy's pulse.

It was there. It was quite feeble, but the pulse was still there, which meant Voldemort was defeated, not destroyed. Harry cursed himself for not having his primary project's ritual ready yet. The potion was ready but it wouldn't do much except stall the Dark Lord, if only he had the ritual ready, he would have been able to kill the horcrux right now, without killing the youngest Potter.

Albus Dumbledore sighed as he filled in another paper on ICW's request of monitoring dangerous potions, and the items required to brew them. His work as the Supreme Mugwump was a tiring one.

At first, he had been all too happy to take several of the positions, they offered him quite the position and the work wasn't that tedious either. Dare he say, he quite enjoyed the perks he received with his positions. But now, his concentration was needed elsewhere, and his body wasn't supporting him as it did when he had the Deathstick's allegiance.

Thinking of the wand, Dumbledore opened the drawer to his right and looked at the cursed stone that was slowly rotting his desk. Tomorrow was the day. Harry would be leaving for the Guild tomorrow, and he would be taking both the wand and the stone with him.

Dumbledore prayed to Merlin to keep the boy safe, he didn't know what ritual it was that the Guildmaster had planned for Harry, but it was quite clear, with the ingredients involved that it was going to be something big.

The wards in Dumbledore's office flared to life, and the headmaster gripped his original Ebony wand which he had started using after losing the Elder wand. The wards told him that two male wizards were dashing towards his office door. That never meant a good thing, especially not when it was nearly midnight.

The door slammed open and Dumbledore was shocked when he saw that it was none other than Harry who came inside. The boy's condition was even more shocking, he was sweating profusely, there were cuts on his body that were bleeding, and his robes were soiled and disheveled.

"Harry? What is this? What happened?" Another part of his mind noted that the wards had alerted him to two males and only Harry had entered his office, where was the other one?

Harry shook his head rapidly, "Not now headmaster, I will tell you everything but you'll have to wait at least five more minutes."

Dumbledore was shocked at the amount of panic in the boy's voice. He had never seen the boy in this condition. The boy had always had a cool head, always calculating and observing everything, therefore it was quite a disbelieving sight to have the boy in this state of mind.

"Professor, do I have permission to call my personal house-elf in your office?"

Dumbledore nodded.

"Dobby." There was a soft 'pop' and the diminutive elf stood in the headmaster's office, his eyes widened at the state his master was in. But before he could have said anything, Harry gave his orders.

"Dobby, go to my work lab, there will be a small trunk in a small alcove behind the portrait of Shri Srinivasa Ramanujan. Open the fourth compartment, it has potions under stasis. Bring the potion that is Pale Lilac in colour, now."

Dobby immediately popped away to bring the aforementioned potion. Dumbledore on the other hand was even more shocked, as, the moment Dobby left, Harry finally removed the Invisibility cloak and revealed the bound, petrified, and floating form of Alandale Potter.

"Harry? What is this?" Dumbledore asked the boy, "What happened to Alandale? And why does he look worse than you?"

"I will tell you everything, Headmaster, but time is of the essence. I need to perform the task before I could explain it to-Ah, thanks Dobby." Harry took the potion from the elf who had just popped back in the office.

The innovator then forcefully opened Alandale's mouth and poured half of the potion down the boy's throat before putting the stopper on the vial, he then pointed his wand at the youngest Potter, "Ennervate."

Reddish brown eyes snapped open and an ugly snarl formed on Alan's face which slowly went back as his eyes completely turned chocolate brown in colour, and their owner looked at the boy who stood in front of him. The boy's features weren't clear as everything looked hazy, his body suffering from excruciating pain. Still, for some reason, he knew who the boy was.

"Ha-Harry…?" Alan croaked out, his mind felt drowsy as his eyes felt heavy.

"Sleep Alan," Harry told him, and even though Alandale wanted to fight back, his body just didn't want to cooperate. Slowly, his eyes started drooping before they closed again and inky blackness enveloped his vision.

"Harry, was that..?" Dumbledore frowned when Harry raised his finger to stop him, the gesture wasn't nice but the Headmaster understood that some drastic event had happened, and, therefore, he gave the young innovator some leeway.

Harry snapped his fingers and there was another small 'pop' sound, this time coming from within his nose. The innovator then gave a relieved sigh as he took in fresh air once more, ever since he had used theMiasmaticuscurse in the Chamber. He had used a modified version of the bubblehead charm, and had covered the insides of his nostrils instead of half of his face.

That was done when he had cast theMiasma Cursein the chamber, the curse was meant to release harmful smoke and foul air that clogged the air, slowly affecting the person who inhaled it, causing them to suffer from lung infection.

It was a slow acting curse and was temporary in nature. It could be prevented easily by the use of bubblehead charm, just like Harry had protected himself.

Unfortunately, Voldemort had seen theFumosspell and had assumed that Harry had only released it to create a smokescreen. Therefore, instead of protecting himself, he had dissipated theMiasma cursein the air, something which Harry had subtly refuted with his wind spell when he threw the debris at Voldemort.

And to prevent suspicion, Harry had modified the Bubblehead charm to only be around the inside of his nostrils and not half of his face which would have easily given his plan away. This is why, the curse had affected Alandale's body when they were fighting while Harry was safe from it, thanks to his Bubblehead charm.

"Dobby, take this Draught of living death and put it back from where you picked it, also close the portrait," Harry told the elf who popped out again.

"You have some explaining to do, Harry." Dumbledore told the boy who nodded, he then levitated Alan on one of the spare couches in the office and removed the boy's binding.

"Voldemort had managed to possess Alan. I just fought the madman and knocked him unconscious. I was lucky that the possession wasn't complete, and that this was one of the small, broken pieces of his soul instead of the entire Dark Lord."

Dumbledore took in the information and was stumped for a few seconds, his own mind going blank before he shook his head, "Tell me everything."

A small cyclone formed in the black sand at the front gates of the black granite castle, and out of the cyclone stepped Harry Potter in his Guild attire. The medals on his chest proudly showing off his commander rank as the third highest member in the guild.

He clutched the black scroll in his right hand and the brown leather bag in his left. The bag contained the horcrux that he had acquired with Dumbledore's help from the shack near Little Hangleton.

Today was the day, December Twentieth, the night of the ritual that the Enlightened One had told him about. He didn't know the details. The only thing he knew was that it would be one of the strongest rituals in the last seven-hundred years.

The result of this ritual was unimaginable powers, something that, if the person failed to conquer, would immediately kill him and bind his soul in the Land of Death. This ritual was supposed to literally bring the multiversal entity and the Guild's patron god on earth.

Harry saw the pedestal rise from the ground in front of him and he placed the black scroll that had been used to summon him. He saw the scroll get absorbed in the pedestal before he placed his hand on the pedestal to confirm his identity.

Bowing to his ethereal guardian spirit, who confirmed his identity and bowed back, the duo made their way toward the Grim Reaper guard statues. The feline gave a loud roar before he glared at the main doors, commanding them to open for his partner.

"Welcome to the Necromancer's Guild, commander Anubis. Master of the first and third Hallow of Death." A booming voice came from the statue of the Reaper that was floating in the entrance hall welcoming him as he entered the hallowed halls of the guild.

Harry's guardian spirit walked beside him as he traversed towards the deeper sections of the castle, it was time to finally undergo the ritual.

It was time to conquer the power that he knows not.

Ending Note: And there you have it fellas, fifteenth chapter of INNOVATOR. Do tell me if you like it or if it missed something, I am waiting.

Here's thelink to my super private serveron discord where I'll keep on updating new chapters, sneak peeks,All the Character sketches are uploaded there.And you are free to talk and ask me things regarding my fanfics, as I am mostly active there:

Its a relatively newly launched server...Beware: Lots of NSFW stuff (Yeah p*rn 😁😂)

https://discord.gg/Gcbcv4dxGx
Name:𝕯𝖊𝖛 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐'𝖘 𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊

It's a new fic so do tell me if you like the fifteenth chapter or if it missed something, I've quite a few things planned for it. Constructive criticism is welcomed, Flames aren't.

Thank you for reading and reviewing,

With Regards

Dev Black

Chapter 16: The Prophecy of Destruction

Chapter Text

A very Happy and Fruitful new year to all my readers. May our lives prosper with unbound perfection and we achieve our fantasies and turn them into our legacies!

Cheers to 2024!

"I am Talking."

'I am Thinking'

Spells

One important key to Success, is Self Confidence,

and important key to Self Confidence, is Preparation.

~Arthur Ashe

INNOVATOR

-Dev Sagittarius Black

~~Chapter 16: The Prophecy of Destruction~~

.

His gray eyes flit around the room, looking warily at each and every corner that he passed. He had just arrived in Hogwarts, and he was already missing the safety of his home. Hogwarts wasn't as safe in his opinion as it was a few months ago, not with monsters like Harry Potter on the prowl.

Yes, Draco Malfoy was scared of the emerald-eyed mage, so much that he had made sure to step foot in Hogwarts, only when he had been assured that the beast had left due to some work. The Malfoy heir had immediately seen this as a chance to get in his lord's trusted ranks, and attain the safety that his mere presence provided.

The dark lord was scary, yes, but he had needs. Needs that could easily be fulfilled by having House Malfoy, and by extension, the heir of said house safe. But Potter? He had no such needs, hell Draco was quite sure that the boy was richer than half the houses in Britain.

"Crabbe, Goyle," Malfoy muttered, "The Dark Lord has ordered you two to stay close to me, and guard me from any harm and danger. I have had an important mission given to me, and I won't have you two messing it up for me, got it?"

The two boys grunted in unison, Draco knew that it was as best as he could get from the two boys. The idiots were somehow dumber than trolls, and slower than a filthy slug. The Malfoy heir sometimes wondered what heinous crimes their fathers could've done to bear these two as the future of their houses.

Malfoy shook his head, the door to the Slytherin common room was within sight now. He knew that he shouldn't take rest or anything, but he knew that he was here until the Yule Ball on Twenty-fifth, which was in five days.

'I should make my plans to retrieve what the Dark Lord has asked for,' Draco thought as he neared the blank wall that was the gate to Slytherin Common room, 'Finishing it up sooner would be better than to wait till the end of the Yule Ball'

"Superiority."

The wall shifted open and the trio stepped inside the Common room. Thankfully, the common room was mostly empty, which meant that he could easily reach his bed and get some well needed sleep.

He checked around once more and sighed when there was no sign of his nagging girlfriend. Don't get him wrong, Pansy was a good one if he had to be brutally honest. She had changed her looks, she was from a rich noble house that was just a single rank beneath his own, and the girl's loyalty was unwavering.

But sometimes, she was too demanding. It felt good to throw the fact that he had a girlfriend in the younger Potter boy's face and watch him go red with anger and green with jealousy, but those starting days were long gone. All he now had to deal with was an attention seeker as a girlfriend.

Something that he, more often than not, wanted to run away from.

"Good evening, Heir Malfoy. I see you have decided to grace us with your presence once more."

Draco was about to snap at the person who had decided to interrupt him, tell them that he didn't want any disturbances till it was absolutely necessary, but he didn't.

Why? Because Draco Malfoy recognised the voice quite well. It also helped that, in the entire castle, there was no one else who could turn a normal sentence into a praise with the thinnest hint of contempt and the perfect amount of sarcasm.

"Heiress Greengrass," Malfoy sneered, "How I wish to have met you sooner so that I could carve that haughtiness out of your face."

Surprisingly enough, instead of getting even a bit angry, as he had hoped she would, the girl smirked, "Oh? Well we have met now, Heir Malfoy. You wish to try what you just said?" There was a hint of dangerousness in the tone, something that Draco detected quite easily.

"I have better things to do than waste my time here," Malfoy spat, "I need some rest after the trip back to this hell hole called school." And with that Draco turned on his heel and started pacing towards the boys dorms, completely ignoring the tinkling laughter from the Greengrass heiress that mocked his power to take her down.

Yes, he knew she was strong. Stronger than many in his year, but maybe they were on equal footing if they crossed wands? He would like to think that much.

Still, it gave him a lot to think about. Beaufort had been silent after her last letter a few days ago when she had told him that the aurors had left the premises and Greengrass had pulled the case back. He wasn't foolish enough to think that the Greengrasses had forgiven the slight against their heiress, but maybe they were waiting for something to happen? Why else would they do what they did?

'Well, Beaufort did say she wanted to meet with me when I returned, something about discussing a few things in private' Malfoy thought as he opened the door to his dorm room, 'I'll call her tomorrow for the meeting after I am done retrieving 'it', maybe she knows more about what is happening'

Down in the Slytherin common room, Daphne Greengrass smirked when she saw the retreating form of Draco Malfoy. Her prey was finally here, and soon he would be between her fangs, she was quite sure about it.

"Come Tracey, we should get some sleep too. Tomorrow is Sunday, and I am not going to be up till ten, at least," Daphne moved towards the girls dorm.

"You are quite scary when you do that, y'know?" Tracey muttered as she fell in step with her.

"Do what?"

"The thing that you did with Malfoy just now. I don't know why you keep antagonizing him. He's an annoying brat, but that doesn't mean he is weak y'know," Tracey bit her lower lip.

"Ah, Trace, don't worry about me," Daphne waved her friend's concerns away, "If there is one person that couldn't touch me even if their life depended on it, it's Draco Malfoy."

"Why?" Tracey asked her, "Wait, do you know something about him?"

The only answer she got was Daphne's confident smile as the girl went inside the dorms.

Harry followed the statue of the Grim Reaper as they traversed through the serpentine corridors of the Guild, he knew that there was something really important that was going to happen tonight, something that the Guildmaster had been referring to for months.

"The Masters are waiting for you at the end of this," The reaper said, pointing towards the stairwell that led to the Guildmaster's chambers.

"The Masters? Who else is there?" Harry asked the reaper, but it stayed silent.

"Answer me, Reaper," Harry glared at the guard's statue, "Or are you forgetting who I am."

The statue bowed a bit, "I know who you are, Commander Anubis, Master of the First and Third Hallow of Death," The statue whispered in its eerie voice, "But the Guildmaster forbade me to tell anyone about anything related to the masters, you will have to go down to witness them, Commander."

'The Guildmaster has forbidden it? That's…' Harry looked at his Guardian Spirit who nodded towards the stairwell, the message clear, and so, the duo descended down the spiral stairwell.

Harry reached the end of the stairwell and entered the Guildmaster's chamber through the runic archway made of black granite and white ash, he was surprised to find two more individuals other than the Guildmaster.

"Greetings, Guildmaster, Master Atticus, and Master Flamel," Harry bent his knee to the three individuals who he respected more than any other, "I hope I am not intruding in something important that the Triumvirate was doing."

Harry knew he wasn't intruding, otherwise the Reaper wouldn't have allowed him to descend in the first place, still, it was the formalities that he had to follow.

"Anubis," Achlys' happy tune greeted him, "We were waiting for you, come, join us at the table," She called him towards the central round table.

Harry stood up, but before he could take a step forwards, warm hands engulfed him and his face was pushed in the motherly bosom of the one person who took him in when everyone else had announced his doubts on him, "Master Flamel," Harry greeted her.

"Oh c'mon Harry, what happened to calling me 'Grandlady'?' Perenelle smiled at the boy without releasing him, she could see a faint blush on his cheeks that made her giddy, it was always fun to tease Harry, she felt good when she saw the cold boy showing some emotions.

"Master Flamel, I was a child back then," Harry said as he extracted himself from the lady's tight embrace, "Also, you don't look like an old lady."

"That's because she used that daft potion again to get that plastic coated face of hers," Atticus grumbled from the table, "Nicholas was much better and more responsible with the stone than this foolish woman," He ignored the glare Perenelle sent his way and instead looked at Harry, "Thales," He greeted the boy.

"Master Atticus," Harry dipped his head, he carefully ignored the all too familiar barb-war between the two Guildmasters.

"Can't we do it without this grumpy old man?" Perenelle asked Achlys who laughed and denied her, and welcomed both Harry and the Flamel Lady at the Triumvirate's table.

"You think your meager brain could even think of the correct times and calculate the potency of the ritual?" Atticus challenged her, "Not everything can be done with faux beauty."

"Oh? How would you know if you never had it in the first place?" Perenelle threw back at the Arithmancer who bristled at the barb.

"Why you-"

"Guildmasters," Achlys broke the glare-war, "You aren't children anymore, kindly leave these follies of youth behind yourselves and focus on the important tasks that we all have gathered for."

Harry sighed in relief when the two grubled but agreed, it had been a long going barb-war between the two Guildmasters for as long as the innovator could remember. The seniors in the respective guilds said that they have been at odds for decades now and neither one of them wanted to let go of it first.

"Anubis, I am assuming you brought the artifact that I had asked for?" Achlys asked Harry who nodded and pulled out the leather pouch that had the artifact which had been retrieved from the shack by him and Dumbledore.

"Master Flamel, if you would?"

Perenelle opened the bag and everyone immediately winced at the dark energy that leapt out of the bag and raged war against their mental shields.

"Here, let me help you woman," Atticus levitated the black box out of the bag and carefully opened it, the power of compulsion strengthened ten-folds. Each of the members within the guild fortified their mental shield to maximum strengths.

Harry's eyes widened in shock when he saw the artifact that was inside the box they had retrieved. There it was, sitting on a gold band that was holding it, The second Hallow of death, The stone of Renaissance or, as it was known, The Resurrection stone.

"Are you ready for it?" Atticus asked the Enlightened One who nodded as she herself brought out a red crystal ball with blue wisps of smoke swirling around it.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

The green ray of death lept from Atticus' wand and hit the gold band that was holding the stone. There was an ear-piercing screech as the stone broke free from the band and black liquid poured out from the golden annulus. The putrid liquid stopped pouring out and instead started turning into smoke.

Harry was surprised when before the entire thing could turn into smoke, Achlys took the crystal she was holding and placed it over the liquid, her eyes turned green as she started chanting a soul-binder curse in the ancient tongue of Avalon.

The Crystal glowed green once before the smoke swirling around it turned from blue to charcoal black. Harry saw the smoke collected inside the crystal, it was trying to break-free from the curse. But the innovator knew that the cursed soul wouldn't be able to escape, because not only was the soul cursed with the soul-binder, the Crystal itself was protected by the spirit that resided within the crystal.

And true enough, Harry witnessed along with others as the wisps swirling around the red crystal started turning back to blue. The black wisps were there too, it was as if there was a duel going on between the spirit residing in the crystal and Voldemort's soul piece.

They waited with bated breaths as the quartet watched the ongoing duel between the two spirits, suddenly there was another glow, this time blue, and the wisps turned back to blue while Voldemort's soul piece floated in the crystal.

"Well, that was entertaining," Perenelle sighed in relief as The Enlightened One went away to put the Crystal back.

Harry looked at the broken ring, there was no more pressure on his mental shields and the golden annulus had rotted completely. But the Stone on the other hand, looked as new as he had seen in the books and scrolls that were present in the Guild's bibliotheca.

"Fascinating, isn't it Thales?" Atticus asked Harry, calling him with the name that was given to him in the Arithmancer's Guild.

"Yes sir, the stone is one of the things that have never been researched by anyone, not even by those that had Gaunt blood," Harry agreed, "I am quite sure that the same goes for the other two Hallows, as well."

"And rightfully so," Achlys said as she came back and looked at Atticus, "The stone was never meant to be researched by humans," She looked at Harry, "And same goes for the other two Hallows that are currently in your possession, Anubis. Something that we should talk about."

Harry nodded, "I have the Wand with me, Guildmaster," He pulled out said wand and placed it on the table, "I have no idea, and I won't pretend to understand, why you asked the Headmaster to give me his control over the Hallow, but I assume the reasons would be very important."

"And you assume right, Anubis," The Enlightened One's tone was serious, "There is an ancient prophecy of Destruction that was given by the infamous seer, Cassandra, seven centuries ago. The prophecy has become active now, and we are preparing for its eventual completion."

Harry frowned at that, "A prophecy that proclaims Destruction? From sevencenturiesago?" He asked the Guildmasters who nodded, "It's not my place to question the Triumvirate, but are we really sure that this is the prophecy that the seer foresaw?"

"Maybe you would be more agreeable once you listen to it yourself, Anubis," The Enlightened One looked at Perenelle and motioned her to recite the Prophecy of Destruction that all of the Seven Guilds knew about.

Perenelle took a deep breath, she concentrated her memory on the Prophecy given by Cassandra that spoke of a Descent of Madness, and then she recited it verbatim;

"The Army of Damnation shall unfurl its might,

The Seven Guilds face war, the Triumvirate guides the plight.

The Chosen One confronts the Possession of the Populace,

The Champion of Death may falter or usher in an age balance.

The Rift shall be opened wide, a gateway if never be closed,

Descent of Madness will reign unopposed.

The Beginner must be vanquished by the Chosen One,

Lest the world will be razed and burned…"

Silence ensued at Perenelle's words. Each one of them, except Harry, had known about the prophecy from the time they took their position as the Guildmaster. The ICW and the other guilds did the same. There was a reason Albus Dumbledore agreed to give up the Deathstick's allegiance readily. Being the Supreme Mugwump, he already knew about the prophecy.

"So this…" Harry trailed off as he looked at the Triumvirate, each of them nodded seriously. Telling him that the Prophecy was indeed true and now active.

"Is there any way to stop all of this?"

The door to the dark lord's throne room opened and Bellatrix skipped inside the chamber. She came to a halt in front of the throne-like chair that had its back towards the door, and bowed deeply.

"My Lord."

Voldemort looked up from the letter that he had received from the Vampires that had helped him in the last war, they didn't seem pleased with the fact that he had promised more to the werewolves and gave the Vampires what was left.

It was not because the Vampires were less useful, it was more because the Vampire Queen had refused to follow him as her lord. Not even a single Vampire captain had taken his mark, while the Werewolves didn't have the same problem.

The Vampires had free rein to work and were even allowed to mingle with the crowd, while the Werewolves were considered to be rambunctious beasts of prey that would lose all semblance of control the moment they got their maws around warm flesh.

"Bella, I hope that you are here with some good news?" Voldemort asked his most ardent follower as he turned his throne with just a simple twirl of his finger.

"Yes, My Lord, the news is good," Bellatrix agreed, "Amycus' bird came with pleasant news, My Lord. Fenris has agreed his support this time, he will gather his pack and join us as soon as the pack is gathered, the beast wants blood again master."

Voldemort hummed as he rubbed his chin in deep thought, "And what of the Giants? Any news regarding those overgrown trolls?"

Bellatrix cackled loudly at her lord's choice of diction before she immediately silenced herself and shook her head, "The Giants want more, My Lord, they are dubious of our victory this time considering…last time," She whispered softly.

Voldemort's jaws clenched, but the Dark Lord controlled his words and instead calmed himself with the help of his shields. It still irked him that despite being the best user of Mind Reading arts, his mental shields and temperament weren't as good as they used to be.

He attributed it to being reincarnated, the fractures in his soul hadn't helped the matters anymore than they had been. The one thing that he missed most after being reincarnated was the cool mind that he had before he had fractured his soul all those decades ago. The ill-effect was his tendency to lose control to meager matters that didn't seem to concern him once upon a time.

"They will get what they want, send Macnair to meet with their Gurg, Karkus, and see what exactly they want. If Karkus isn't willing, then the Giants will need to appoint a new Gurg sooner than they think," Voldemort announced before his red eyes focused on the woman in front of him, "Now, if there isn't anything of import, then I don't want to be disturbed for another five hours."

"There is one more thing, My Lord," Bellatrix said, "The ones that were released from Azkaban are healing quite slowly. I don't think that they are quite ready to fight yet. Gibbon and Travers aren't even recovering now."

Voldemort frowned at that, this wasn't good. It was quite expected for those who were released from Azkaban to take some time to heal, but not healing at all? That was something that he hadn't expected. Maybe the duo had suffered far more than the others? Maybe.

"Give them time to recover, Bellatrix," Voldemort ordered her, "Cater to their needs and see to it that they are ready to hold their wands in the coming weeks. You took about five months to recover from Azkaban before you started your search for my rebirth."

"But I didn't have anyone to look after me, My Lord," Bellatrix wasn't one to whine, but it certainly seemed like she was doing that, "And they have the best healing potions, a bed, the protection of the roof, and healthy meals."

"They also suffered the prison for more years than you did, Bella," Voldemort reminded her, "I am not undermining your efforts, you are after all one of my strongest and most powerful lieutenants, still, give them a few more weeks to regain their sense of self and hold their wands again. Rushing it won't help us in such matters."

Bellatrix bowed her head, "As you say, My Lord," The crazy woman then smiled once before she left the Dark Lord to his thoughts, something that he had been doing a lot lately. It was a good thing to finally retain a physical form for more than a week, without any ill-effects of possession. Still, the world was a chaotic place, and he was slowly rising back to his previous powers.

The only things that were in his way were his inner circle's recovery, and the support of a few creatures as well as the ministry. Then he will wage war once more, and, this time, destroy the Potters, Dumbledore, and anyone else who would dare stand against him and his path to victory.

The world will fear Lord Voldemort once again, "And this time it will be permanent," His red eyes gleamed with malice as he turned the throne again and went back to his work.

Harry looked at the way the entire Guild was working, there were all the available members working tirelessly on creating the runic circle, managing the rune stones, carving the ancient Egyptian tongue on the walls and floor of the ritual chamber. Everyone from the rank of Guild Member to the Archmaesters were working tirelessly for the grand ritual that they were about to participate in. Sadly, the only one who held Commander rank was Harry as he held all the three Hallows.

The Alchemists and the Arithmancers guild had also sent their Archmaesters to help with the rituals's procession and successful completion. Surprisingly enough, there were a few members who were wearing a blue uniform and were busy preparing a completely isolated corner that was just outside the Ritual chamber. They were working with potions and herbs along with a few rune casted stretchers.

"The health guild," Atticus muttered as he joined Harry in observing the preparations that were being done, "They are located on the poles of the planet, and monitor all the Health organizations that are running in all the countries in the world, they also have members within the W.H.O. to sync their work with the Muggle world."

"Highmaster," Harry dipped his head before he looked at the health guild maesters, "That does seem like a lot of work, if they are so important, how come they aren't in the Triumvirate?"

Atticus chuckled at that, "The Triumvirate isn't made on the basis of importance, Thales," he muttered, "It is made on the basis of your abilities to handle the calamitous forces of nature, something that can only be managed by the Alchemists, the Necromancy, and the Arithmancer Guilds."

Harry knew that there were seven other Guilds, they each managed an important aspect of world government. The Guilds were autonomous and only listened to the ICW and the Triumvirate.

They were each located in one of the seven continents: Arithmancers in Asia, Alchemists in Europe, Necromancy in Africa, Defense in North America, Transfigurations in South America, Wildlife or the Creatures in Australia, and lastly, Health in The Arctic and Antarctica.

The continent that they were present in was called the heart of that particular type of art. It also helped the fact that the Guild's latent magic seemed to increase the type of art in that continent.

"Thinking about the ritual, Thales?" Atticus asked the boy who was a part of Arithmancers guild and like a grandson to the old man, "You know Achlys won't let any harm befall on you, right? I will try my best too, and as much as I hate to admit it, Perenelle also has a good head on her shoulders and thinks about your safety more than I or Achlys do."

Harry shook his head, "I am thankful for your words, Highmaster, and I know that nothing will happen to me especially since I am in the care of three of the strongest and most powerful individuals on earth."

Atticus gave a rare smile at Harry's words, "I am glad that you think so, the ritual is being done for the first time in almost a millenia and, therefore, the last minute preparations are being checked again and again. No one wants to take any risks regarding this ritual, a single thing wrong and everything would end. The power you will be receiving is great, almost phenomenal, and said to be on the level of a literal god, but the sacrifices are almost the same, are you really sure you want to do it?"

Harry had thought about it, the Guildmaster had called him earlier today, after Voldemort's soul had been captured. She explained everything from the prophecy's words to the Crevice in Creation, the Army of Damnation, and the level of chaos that the army would cause.

Part of him wanted nothing more than to cause harm to everyone who had tortured him in his developmental years, to hurt them, and to finally give them the mercy of death only after they begged him for it. But that part was small, really small.

The people who had made him suffer weren't that many, not when compared to the billions of humans and creatures out there. He had asked the Guildmaster, as to how she was assured that it was only him who could fulfill the prophecy? There could be someone else, someone who would be much more suited for this.

"The moment you stepped in the Guild,itshowed me a glimpse of your destiny, and what would happen if you denied it."

That's what she had said, and that had been the end of discussion. The choice before him was to say 'No' to Higmaster Atticus right now and leave everything, but then the Crevice would open and he just couldn't bear losing the really small circle of people he cared for, or the happiness that he had shared with them.

Therefore, "Yes Highmaster, I am ready for the ritual," he agreed, and was pleased to see how Atticus sighed in relief, the old man was probably wondering what he would have to tell the other Guilds if Harry had denied.

Well, he shouldn't have worried, it wasn't like Harry would run away from his destiny anyways. He might be many things, but one thing that Harry Potter wasn't was a quitter or a loser. He didn't quit when he had been tortured all those years ago, he didn't quit when his mother was killed in front of his eyes, and he wouldn't quit even now.

Especially considering the safety of the entire world was at stake.

"Master Atticus?" Harry called the elderly man beside him, "I was going to approach you with this later in the year, but this is as good a time as any. I needed a favor from you that would help us all."

The highmaster frowned in confusion, "Speak freely, Thales, I am all ears."

"How would you go on constructing a spell or ritual that would remove the soul-piece from a living horcrux without having any harmful effects on the container?"

Atticus' eyes widened in shock when he heard the question, its particularity surprised him. There was only one query in his mind, "Who?"

"My brother, Alandale Potter."

Ending Note: And there you have it fellas, sixteenth chapter of INNOVATOR. Do tell me if you like it or if it missed something, I am waiting. Kudos to Camillus Seth for the prophecy.

Here's thelink to my super private serveron discord where I'll keep on updating new chapters, sneak peeks,All the Character sketches are uploaded there.And you are free to talk and ask me things regarding my fanfics, as I am mostly active there:

Its a relatively newly launched server...Beware: Lots of NSFW stuff (Yeah p*rn. Lots of it 😁😂)

https://discord.gg/Gcbcv4dxGx
Name:𝕯𝖊𝖛 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐'𝖘 𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊

It's a new fic so do tell me if you like the sixteenth chapter or if it missed something, I've quite a few things planned for it. Constructive criticism is welcomed, Flames aren't.

Thank you for reading and reviewing,

With Regards

Dev Black

Chapter 17: The Entity of All Ends

Chapter Text

"I am Talking."

'I am Thinking'

Spells

Death speaking

Life doesn't get easier or more forgiving,

We get stronger and more resilient.

~Steve Maraboli

INNOVATOR

-Dev Sagittarius Black

~~Chapter 17: The Entity of All Ends~~

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'The blessings of life sometimes seem to be much more dreadful than they actually are.'Achlys had lived on the mortal Plane of Life for more than seven centuries. It wasn't an accomplishment if one knew where to find the people who had lived for thousands of years.

People like them simply lose their identities, who they used to be, and, in its stead, take on new identities as they watch empires rise and fall. Sometimes they participate in the process; other times they simply sit back and let things happen as time and destiny make way for future generations.

And some simply get tired of living among the various civilizations, which forces them to move away and take the mountains. They might return to civilization one day, but that mostly depends on their mood and the circ*mstances that need them.

Achlys had never, in her seven hundred and thirty-four years, dreamt of leaving the lands and taking up hermitage. It simply wasn't what she wished for; there was a lot more to do, and there were many that needed her guidance so that the world could become a more habitable place for all.

And tonight, she was going to do one such thing. They had checked everything again and again; the Triumvirate, along with the health guild and the ICW, was supporting this. Everything was at stake now. And everyone knew that one small mishap would cost them everything.

"Master Atticus," Achlys called out to him as she stepped into the ritual chamber, "I am assuming that all the preparations have been done and we are ready for the summoning?"

"We can never be sure with this," he grumbled, "Still, right now, we are as prepared as we can be."

"That's all we can do, Master Wenlock," Achlys said with a serene smile. She looked around the ritual chamber, scanning for the most important person. She found the boy, together with Perenelle, as they stood near the head of the master control runestone that was charged with the magical power of the souls residing inThe Valley of the Dead, which was beneath the Guild.

"I hope he is ready for this too," She whispered to herself, "It won't do well for any of us if Anubis isn't ready for the dark days that are to come, and the power that he will receive to make them light."

"I had a talk with him; Thales is as ready as he could be. He might not want any of this on a personal level, but one thing that the boy understands the most is that he needs to do the right thing here. Besides you I wouldn't trust anyone else to have the sense of duty and the willpower to do what it takes."

Achlys gave another proud smile at that before she forwarded it towards Harry and Perenell, "Then, I think it is time for us to begin."

"Anubis, I am assuming that you successfully performed the pre-ritual preparations that were required of you."

"Yes, Guildmaster, I have cleaned myself completely and am as ready as I can be for the ritual," Harry told her.

"Are you really?" Perenelle asked him, "How are you feeling Harry?"

Harry shrugged and swallowed deeply, "I don't know," He answered honestly. "Scared, excited, and dreading the outcome as well as anticipating it, is it normal to feel that way?"

"It is," said Perenelle with a smile, and the other two agreed. "What you are doing is exceedingly brave, and I could not be any more proud of you than I already am." She gave him an encouraging smile, "What you are doing is for the betterment of all of the wizarding world, something that the entire world will be grateful for."

"I will make sure of it," Atticus grunted, "The ICW already knows about the ritual; your headmaster too. So if we successfully survive this war, I will make sure that each and every one of those bloody mongrels remembers you, and those sh*t stains know what you went through so they could breath fresh air again."

"Atticus!" Perenelle gasped, "Must you be so crass every time you open your mouth?!"

"You can leave if it doesn't suit your stupid taste, woman; it's not as if we asked you to stay.

"And who will take care of the elemental placement and fusion that will take place? You? Who can't even differentiate between gold and pyrite?" Perenelle scoffed at him.

"THAT WAS ONE TIME!" Wenlock thundered, "And I was half drunk; call it a folly of my youth."

"We both know what I will say now," Perenelle smirked and watched as the Arithmancer went a bit red, whether from embarrassment or from anger; she didn't know. But it was amusing nonetheless.

"Masters," Achlys said, breaking the glaring war between her two friends, "I think it would be better if we returned to our duties for the night. It's the Winter Solstice now, and the witching hour is to start in thirteen minutes."

The two grumbled a bit, and Harry noticed the fond smile that graced Achlys' face. The woman loved the two Guildmasters as her actual friends and children. Even when the two usually end up bickering if they stay in each other's company for longer than five minutes, sometimes it takes two minutes.

"Anubis, shed your clothing completely, and step in the center of the Summoning Circle," Achlys instructed him. "Masters, we should take our place and make sure that everything is ready for the witching hour."

Harry blushed hard as he looked at the members of the guild that were working inside the chamber. Some of them, like Archmaester Drauma, were checking everything once more while others were looking at him and the Guildmasters as they began their work.

The innovator gulped once to dissipate the bout of shyness and embarrassment that he was feeling. He then slowly started to peel off his clothing, which was a simple white robe and an inner vest that he had adorned after taking the bath to cleanse himself, which was required as the pre-ritual condition.

The Guildmasters went ahead and stood in their own runic circles that were made for each one of them with white ash on the black stone; Achlys stood in the transmission circle, Atticus in the conduction circle, and Perenelle in the fusion circle.

Achlys removed her own robe and wore the amethyst and amazonite head and neckwear that was used to form a link with the multiversal entity. Perenelle started instructing the members when and where to place which stones in the ritual, while Atticus performed the activation of the particular stones that were to start the ritual.

"Looking quite handsome, Harry," Perenelle laughed when the said boy blushed, "Don't worry, I am just teasing you, young man, but I can't say the same for some of our younger members."

Harry took a glance around the room and blushed even more when he noticed that the women were looking at him as if he were a juicy piece of meat. He gave pleading eyes to Perenelle, who laughed more before waving her hand.

"Must you be so vulgar, woman?" said Atticus, perfectly copying the way she had said it to him earlier, "You are scaring the poor boy."

"It's called lightening the atmosphere, Wenlock, something that I am sure you wouldn't understand." Perenelle bit back.

"Not now, Masters," Achlys stopped them, "And Anubis, don't feel any form of embarrassment. The eyes of death don't perceive the physical manifestation, merely the soul that has been in the realms for centuries; it won't judge you on the way you look, it will judge you on the way you lived. Our clothes are considered a barrier when we are in the presence of such an entity. Also, if it's any comfort, I don't think any young eye on you is less than appreciative; take it as a good conscience child."

Harry took a deep breath and focused his mind. He tried his best to release all the embarrassment, stress, and anxiety that he was feeling, and, in its stead, accumulated strength, power, and confidence. He squared his shoulders and relaxed his breathing before he gave a single nod and said, "I am ready."

"And so are we," Atticus announced from his right as he looked at his clock while pointing his wand at the master runestone of the ritual. "It's time, let's begin."

With that, he activated the stone, connecting it to the power of a thousand souls that came from The Valley of the Dead, and were circulating inside the guild.

The Guild members, Maesters, and Archmaesters, began the chant, and the first thing that Harry felt was a sudden rise in temperature around him. The magic thrummed around him as the runestones got activated and started channeling their power in the ritual.

Perenelle started muttering in Latin as she activated a plethora of metals around Harry. The activated metals started glowing eerily as they absorbed the power that was around them and utilized it to form a kind of golden barrier around the boy.

Achlys closed her eyes and started to meditate as she focused on her own work in the ritual. The Enlightened One slowly cut off all her senses that would connect her to the mortal world around her and started to forge a new pathway to her patron multiversal entity, Death.

"Perenelle, it's time for stage two; the hour begins in 1 minute!" Atticus commanded as he signaled the chanting Maesters and the Archmaesters to follow him into verse two.

"Harry, do you see the chalice in front of you?" Perenelle asked the boy, who looked at the golden chalice that was marked with runes inside it. "Pick it up and draw the 'ankh' on your palm with the ritual dagger that will be given to you; pour your blood into it; and fill the chalice until the runes turn red."

Harry took the golden dagger that Perenelle summoned from outside his ritual circle, and he only hesitated for a moment before he sliced his palm in the crude shape of the 'ankh' and winced when pain erupted from the ruptured area. Still, he placed his bleeding hand over the chalice and watched as his blood poured into it.

By the time the runes turned red, Harry started to feel dizzy with the blood loss, and the pain increased to almost unbearable levels as the boy grit his teeth and doubled over. Similarly, Achlys eyes scrunched tightly, and her jaws clenched as if she were experiencing Harry's pain too.

"Atticus! They are-"

"On It!" The Arithmancer said this and changed the activated rune stones. Perenelle, too, levitated a bowl of melting gold and carefully poured it around Harry's ritual circle. Once the annulus was formed, the gold glowed brightly before settling as a simple ring around Harry, periodically glowing every three seconds.

Harry gasped in relief, and Achlys sighed as both of them escaped from their labours.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Perenelle asked worriedly, and when Harry nodded, she shook her head. "Then release all of your magic in the chalice. Saturate it to the brim, until all the runes on it are activated; you have to use all yourRunes of Potentiafor this."

Harry remembered that the Guildmaster had asked him not to use hisRunes of Potentiaand now he understood why. Harry took the blood-filled chalice in his hands and started releasing all of his magic in it. His hair started moving in waves as if under a gentle breeze, and his eyes started glowing silver as he released his magic in the chalice.

"It's time," Atticus muttered, signaling for the members to bring forth each of the three hallows. They were placed in a box of black velvet and placed around Harry in a trigram. Said boy kept pouring more and more of his magic into it; already having drained two of hisRunes, he activated the third and fourth ones that were on his knees and kept filling the chalice.

"Proceed to stage three!" Atticus announced, and immediately the Maesters changed the chant as the castle started to tremble from the power that was circulating within it.

Suddenly Achlys stiffened, and a green aura started to originate from the woman's frail body. It swirled around her and kept flicking around the Enlightened One.

Perenelle immediately activated all the amazonite and amethyst crystals, and she started chanting hymns in Greek that powered the crystals around them.

Harry started to sweat profusely as he felt the lastRunein the center of his chest draining the last of its power inside the chalice, while said artifact didn't show a single sign of being activated. Fear gripped him as he was worried about the chalice. What if his magical power wasn't enough to activate the chalice? What if the entire ritual got botched just because he was incompetent?

Harry shook his head to rid himself of the insidious thoughts and forced almost every last drop of his magic into the chalice. His head was feeling dizzy now, and he could feel his body slowly going slack. Still, he kept filling the chalice and grunted when the last of his magic was poured into it.

No, he won't fail. He will survive the ritual; he will overcome the hurdle. Harry swallowed hard; there was only one way now. The boy screamed as he connected the last of his fleeting magic to his life force and started to pour it into the chalice.

"Oh no…" Perenelle gasped when she saw Harry's magic change from his usual silver to red. She knew that Harry had three levels of power within him, thanks to theRunes of Potentia, the silver was the primary level, the golden was the secondary level, and the black was the tertiary level.

Red meant that the boy had exhausted his reserves and was now using his life force to sustain them. She winced when the person she considered her son screamed in agony. A drop of tear rolled down her cheek as she saw the excruciating pain the boy was in.

She vowed, then and there, that, if the boy would accept it, she would give him her most cherished artifact, something that would help him live a happy and healthy life for a few centuries. She wanted him to accept the stone.

The moment Harry's life force entered the chalice, the chalice trembled a bit before blinding golden light bathed the entirety of the ritual chamber. Many were forced to shield their eyes from it.

Harry panted heavily as he cut off the connection and controlled himself so that he didn't fall face first on the stone ground beneath him. The Chalice glowed brightly, each of its runes activated and bathing the fluid inside it into a golden aura. Slowly turning the blood into something akin to liquid gold.

It was then that Harry noticed that it wasn't just the chalice that was floating; the three hallows of death were floating too, each of them rotating lazily on their own axis with a green aura around them.

Everyone was mesmerized by the power and grandeur of the ritual; the chamber was shaking violently, yet none of the Maesters stopped the chanting. Others were too enraptured, as they were probably witnessing an event that would never happen again.

Suddenly the entire chamber stopped shaking; it was again calm as always, and people would have assumed the ritual didn't succeed if not for the sudden dip in temperature around them. They started to tremble, and their breath came out as translucent vapors.

"Highmaster..?" One of them asked only to be silenced immediately by Atticus; the man didn't even look at the person because his eyes were now entirely fixed on Achlys. He knew what was coming.

Achlys slowly opened her eyes, but this time they weren't the usual black pupils that greeted everyone; no, her entire eye was glowing with an opaque green light that seemed to swirl in her with power. The Enlightened One opened her mouth to speak as her eyes focused on the panting and tired form of Harry Potter.

"So, we meet again…"

Harry looked at his Guildmaster and slowly straightened up. He knew that it wasn't the Guildmaster anymore; she was inside, yes. But this was not her. This voice belonged to their patron entity.

"Death," Harry greeted and ignored all the gasps around him. Everyone around him had stopped their chant, and was looking at the exchange with saucer-wide eyes.

"When you joined us, I told you that you would get a boon and that you would know how to attain it."

"I didn't do this for the boon; I did this because-"

"It was the right thing to do? Sure, you did."Death's voice was thick with sarcasm, "You never even wanted the powers, did you, Anubis? It never crossed your mind what you would be able to do with my powers."

Harry frowned at that. "No, it did. There was a thought of using your powers for my personal benefit," He told honestly, because there were moments when he thought of the utter majesty of the powers of death; he could simply end the lives of all of his childhood tormentors. The people who had made his life a living hell when he was a child.

"Then why didn't you?"

"Because I know I will get my chance soon, I will destroy all of them one day, but for that day to come. They need to survive the coming ones," He told the entity, completely honest with each of his words.

Achlys smiled.

"You are quite vicious, Anubis. But, just like the god that blessed you with his name, you are a thinker and have measured thoughts without being biased by the frivolous and trivial activities of mortality. But are you ready to accept my powers?"

"I am as ready as I could ever be," Harry said solemnly. "I know not to be affected by the allure of your power and to only use it when it is needed."

"That you might know, but I never said about the future, Anubis; I meant the past you lived in as Harry Potter."

Harry gulped. He knew that there were times where he had not done the right thing and chosen the easy route. But it wasn't his fault; he had to do and ignore certain things to survive. Survival was his priority back then, and it was hard to do so if he always did the right thing when he had no power to sustain the world on his own.

"Fret not, Anubis; if you fail, then I will leave."

"And what if I pass?" Harry asked the entity, who gave a sinister grin.

"We shall come to that,ifyou pass, Anubis. For now, though..."

Harry immediately stiffened when he felt a certain chill in his mind as Achlys closed her eyes and started moving her head frantically in every direction.

"What is happening to her?" Harry asked Atticus as they saw Achlys go through a rapid series of movements and then stop all movements with half-closed eyes.

"Your past is being read and judged," Atticus explained. "She never explained anything to us, but she did explain this one thing: 'The Entity of all Ends judges you from the beginning of your life'. So, I am assuming that is what is going on right now."

"You would be assuming correct…Atticus, son of House Wenlock,"The entity interrupted him. "And I have judged your past, Anubis."

Harry gulped; the tone of the entity was neutral, something that neither gave him hope nor did it deny its help.

"You have suffered a great loss, Anubis. No child, in any of the planes or dimensions, should go through what you have gone through. I am surprised you are still helping others and not simply going after your perpetrators to free their souls from the confines of mortality."

"I would have, but I have some other plans for them," Harry growled as he thought of his perpetrators. "Each of them will get their due; I won't leave any of them."

"While seeking revenge, one digs two graves—one for their enemies and one for themselves. Always keep that in mind."

Harry nodded. He knew that what he was planning for each of the ten families might come back to bite him in the ass later, but that was something that he could deal with by refining his plans once more.

"Now, your character and your past might not be true, but your motive has always been right, and the results of your labor have been utilized for the betterment of the world."The entity grinned again. "So tell me, Anubis, what do you need my powers for?"

And Harry told the entity everything, from the Ancient Prophecy of Destruction given seven centuries ago to the Crevice in Creation and the entire Army of Damnation that was about to come to the lands of the living in a few months.

"Hmmm….The death of Tom Marvolo is the way to seal the Crevice, but mind you, this needs to be donebeforethe Crevice becomes large enough to let even one of the punished ones pass through. Because if they do, then even Tom Marvolo's death won't be able to push the incoming army back."

"What?" Harry's eyes widened at that, "I thought Voldemort's death would seal the crevice."

"It will, yes."Death nodded, "But if, let's say, five souls entered the Land of the Living and then the Crevice was sealed, no more of the punished ones will enter the lands, but the ones who have already entered will have to be searched for until the ends of this planet and sent back to the realm forcefully."

Harry gulped at that. This would mean that if the Army of Damnation passed half-way through the Crevice, and then the Crevice was closed by killing Voldemort, then more souls wouldn't enter, but the ones that had entered would have to be tracked down and destroyed. A more tedious task, that's for sure.

"You will also need to train for at least one year to be able to use even a small amount of my powers."

"But we don't have that long a time," Harry told the entity, "The Crevice will be open in six months at most."

"You won't be able to use my powers in less than a year, chosen one; you will need to train your mortal self to use the powers of someone like me. Still plan on using my powers, Anubis?"

Harry gulped at that. He knew that the powers of Death were no joke; he knew that the entity wasn't kidding when it came to training in the usage of the powers of a multiversal entity. But he was determined to see this end; he pledged to himself that he would train every single moment from now on and live for only one goal: Voldemort's end and sealing the Crevice before the Army could come through it.

"I see you have made up your mind, Anubis."The entity smiled before its grin turned sinister. "Then all that is left is the sacrifice and the essence of the one I had to focus on."

Atticus immediately summoned the red crystal ball that was kept in the corner of the chamber; it was the same red crystal that had Voldemort's soul piece trapped inside it. He levitated it towards the entity that held the Crystal and frowned at it.

"There are two of my children inside it; which one?"

"The one with the darker aura," Harry said, "Is the soul piece of Voldemort or Tom Riddle."

The entity hummed and shook its head within Achlys body. "Why would mortals foolishly attempt to cheat me with these filthy tricks is beyond my understanding. One must understand that one simply cannot escape me forever, for I am the truth that everyone has to accept, one day or another."It looked at Perenelle and smiled when she stiffened. "One day, I will claim each and every single one of my wayward children. But for now…"

Death snapped its fingers, and the soul of Tom Riddle was pulled out of the crystal. It screamed when it felt the cold grasp of the entity and tried to free itself, but in the end, the entity didn't let it escape, and the soul piece vanished with a puff of black smoke.

Death hummed once more before it looked at Harry, "Now, what are you willing to sacrifice, Anubis?"The entity grinned, "Remember, the sacrifice must be of equal power to the powers bestowed upon you."

Harry bowed as he pointed to the four floating objects: "My magic, my blood, a small amount of my life force, and of course, your three gifts to mankind," He pointed to each of them, "They are all yours."

Death's eyes widened when it saw the Hallows that it had given to mankind. More to the three practitioners of its magic who had sacrificed a hundred souls each in its name to attain a single one of those artifacts.

The entity snapped its fingers once, and each of the artifacts vanished while the chalice was drained to the last drop and the now empty container fell to the ground.

"You will be the last one who will be able to use my gifts, Anubis. And with you, the gifts will also return to my realm."The entity snapped its fingers once again, and Harry screamed in pain when he felt something being burned in his back.

"And now it's time to forge the connection….I need a pathway of souls, for I cannot step into the mortal realms myself; the souls will have to act as my connection to you during the exchange."

The entity closed its eyes once more and muttered something. It was all silent, and everyone was looking around fearfully to see what was going to happen now. One could never be too careful with an insidious and conniving entity like Death.

"Let's see what you are made of, Anubis."

Some of them screamed, while others gasped in surprise and shock when they saw what the entity had done. Souls, the ones that were in the graves of The Valley of Dead, were coming out of the ceiling, the floor, and the walls of the chamber. They came into being and started floating in the chamber in a haphazard direction.

"Start the last phase!" Atticus screamed and activated the last stage of the runestones as all of the souls merged to form a bridge from Death to Harry.

Harry and Achlys, both screamed in pain when the transmission of Death began. The entire building shook, and cracks appeared in the floor and walls. Some of the members started to panic and ran away from the chamber when the shaking didn't stop.

Perenelle knew that the ritual wouldn't last long if the souls powering the Master Runestone were all consumed during the transmission. She released her magic and let it flow into the Master Runestone of the ritual to stabilize it long enough for the transmission to be completed.

"Perenelle, what are you doing!" Atticus screamed loudly, but Perenelle just looked at the ongoing transmission and the runestone. It only took a moment for Atticus to understand, and he too joined her as they started to fill the void that was left by the sudden lack of magic powering the ritual.

Other Archmasters and Masters also joined in stabilizing the master runestone and kept on chanting the last stages of the ritual hymns as everyone else ran out of the chamber because they knew that the ceiling was about to fall anytime now.

Suddenly there was a blast of magic from Harry that blinded them all for a few seconds. The backlash threw each one of the remaining ones to the periphery of the chamber, and the ceiling gave way as it fell.

Perenelle rubbed her forehead as she slowly got up from the floor. She shook her head to rid herself of the dizziness and looked around the chamber. The entire thing was destroyed; the ceiling had fallen down, and Perenell could see the shafts of morning light that were piercing the ever-present thunder clouds that were over the guild.

"HARRY!" She screamed when she remembered that the boy was in the center of the chamber when the ceiling had fallen. She got up hurriedly and winced when she felt the ache in her back and legs.

"Ventus Maxima!" The dust that was floating in the chamber and obscuring her vision was pushed away, and the living Flamel looked at the center of the chamber. She sighed in relief at what she saw.

Both Harry and Achlys were safe. They were both sleeping inside a translucent hemisphere that had protected both of them from the falling ceiling and kept both of them safe. She noticed that Harry's body was giving off a soft green and silver glow, while Achlys had aged almost a hundred years and was looking like nothing more than a shriveled corpse.

But both of them were breathing as their chests rose and fell in a slow rhythm. Perenelle saw Atticus grumble a bit and threaten the members of the health guild as they tried to help everyone who was injured. She smiled at the grumpy old man, without whom the ritual wouldn't have ended successfully.

Oh yes, the ritual was complete, and it was a success.

Draco Malfoy looked around himself once more; the corridor was empty. He internally cheered at being successful in fending off his two bodyguards and his needy girlfriend, who was starting to annoy him with all the Yule Ball talk.

Honestly, couldn't the girl see that he was busy doing an important task for the Dark Lord? Couldn't she understand that he wasn't interested in stupid balls? They had attended many grand balls during their childhood, so why go through all this fuss? Draco could never understand how her mind worked.

He shook his head as he tried to focus more on the task at hand. He checked around himself again before he started walking down the seventh-floor corridor, searching for the tapestry of a man trying to teach dance to a bunch of trolls.

According to the Dark Lord, this is where the door was, and he needed to get to the door to retrieve the artifact that his lord had tasked him to fetch.

The Malfoy heir still couldn't believe that his father was foolish enough to misplace such an important gift from the Dark Lord. Still, Draco took his father's downfall in stride because, if it wasn't for his father's failure regarding the prized artifact, then Draco knew he would have had to wait for a really long time to get the honor of being marked, and even longer to join the ranks of the Inner Circle.

"It seems like this is the place," Draco muttered when he saw the aforementioned tapestry. He turned to look at the large expanse of wall in front of him and checked the entire corridor once more to see if there was anyone following him.

No one. Not a single soul.

The Malfoy heir gave a satisfied nod as he started walking in front of the wall, thinking of a place to hide things. After the third round, Draco felt a shift in the air around him as the wall slowly started to morph into a huge door.

When the door was completely formed, Draco took one last look around the corridor to check for anyone before he finally opened the large doors and stepped inside the room.

What he saw took his breath away.

He was standing in a room the size of a large cathedral, whose high windows were sending shafts of light down upon what looked like a city with towering walls, built of what Draco knew must be objects hidden by generations of Hogwarts inhabitants.

There were pieces of broken furniture littered around the room and thousands upon thousands of books, parchments, and scrolls, no doubt banned, graffitied, or stolen. Chipped bottles of congealed potions, hats, jewels, several rusting swords, cloaks, and a bloodstained axe.

Draco shook his head again. This place was like a slum for artifacts. One might consider it a hidden gold mine, especially if they were either a Ravenclaw or a poor beggar living off of thrown pennies in the streets of Diagon.

Fortunately, Draco was neither. Therefore, he scrunched his face at the rotten, old, and moldy smell that wafted around him as he started to move deeper into the absolute town of useless artifacts. He knew where it was and the Malfoy heir wanted nothing more than to get it and move out of the room as fast as possible.

Draco searched for some time before he finally found it. Perched on top of a bust wearing a dusty old wig, Draco found the tarnished diadem that he had been tasked by the Dark Lord to retrieve.

The blonde winced when he felt the wave of compulsion that hit him, telling him to wear the Diadem, something that the Dark Lord had specifically warned him against. Draco strengthened his mental shields, and even then he knew that he would fall to the compulsion sooner if he didn't do something about it.

Cautiously, Draco raised his wand at the Diadem and said, "Wingardium Leviosa."The diadem trembled a bit before it was levitated from the bust and gently placed into the curse-resistant leather bag that his aunt Bellatrix had provided him with.

Even though he had not held the diadem, Draco could still feel the dark magic and power that rolled off of the artifact. He was just glad that it was all over now, and released his shields when he felt the compulsion being suppressed. Now all that was left to do was wait until after the Yule Ball for the holidays to begin and then take this back to the Dark Lord.

Draco gave a proud smile. He thought of how the Dark Lord would pat his back and praise him before giving him his second task. He could feel his excitement at the thought of being included in the Inner Circle so easily.

He opened the giant doors again and stepped out into the seventh-floor corridor. Unfortunately, in his small bout of happiness and excitement, the Malfoy heir had forgotten to check his surroundings. Something that he would curse himself for the rest of his measly stay at Hogwarts because, as soon as he stepped outside the room, the last thing he had saw was a bright flash of red, and his world turned black.

.

"Do you think he will be alright?" Angelique asked out loud as she placed her wand inside the holster and looked at the other girl.

Daphne smirked, "Oh, don't worry about that. I doubt that a simple fall would be that painful; after all, he has to be ready for what's coming for him later." The Greengrass heiress said with a small glint in her eyes, something that didn't settle well with the French diva.

"Please, Daphne, don't do anything that we both have to regret later," Beaufort begged the girl, "I didn't get away from cursing one heiress just to get caught for cursing another one."

"Then you won't have any qualms about taking Malfoy back into the room and tying him up, will you?" Daphne smirked at the French diva, who shook her head in disappointment.

"I just don't want either one of us to be caught; I don't care about what you do with Malfoy."

Daphne waved the other girl off, "Don't worry about useless things; take this freak inside, and I'll join you soon."

"I thought you would be joining?"

Daphne hummed, "I will. I am more interested in what he is hiding in that bag. I am assuming that the sole reason Malfoy came back yesterday was to get that thing, whatever it is."

"Suit yourself." Angelique flicked her wand at the prone form of Draco Malfoy and levitated him back inside the room, momentarily stopping when she saw the leather bag that was lying beside Malfoy. She knew she had seen similar markings before; just couldn't remember where.

Daphne picked up the leather bag and opened it. She winced at the wave of dark magic that erupted from within the bag and peered inside. Her eyes glazed over when the heavy wave of compulsive magic assaulted her mind as she looked at the artifact inside the bag.

"A Tiara…?"

Ending Note: And there you have it fellas, sixteenth chapter of INNOVATOR. Do tell me if you like it or if it missed something, I am waiting.

Here's thelink to my super private serveron discord where I'll keep on updating new chapters, sneak peeks,All the Character sketches are uploaded there.And you are free to talk and ask me things regarding my fanfics, as I am mostly active there:

Its a relatively newly launched server...Beware: Lots of NSFW stuff (Yeah p*rn. Lots of it 😁😂)

https://discord.gg/Gcbcv4dxGx
Name:𝕯𝖊𝖛 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐'𝖘 𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊

Thank you for reading and reviewing,

With Regards

Dev Black

Chapter 18: The Games we Play

Chapter Text

Here's the link to my super private serveron discord where I'll keep on updating new chapters, sneak peeks,All the character sketches are uploaded, where you are free to talk and ask me anything regarding my fanfics (as I am most active there):

Its a relatively newly launched server...

Beware: LoadsofNSFW(Yes, p*rn, and lots of it. 😂)

https://discord.gg/Gcbcv4dxGx
Name:𝕯𝖊𝖛 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐'𝖘 𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊

"I am Talking."

'I am Thinking'

Spells

The best protection any woman can have is Courage.

~Elizabeth Cady Staton

INNOVATOR

-Dev Sagittarius Black

~~Chapter 18: The Games we Play~~

.

"DAPHNE!"

Angelique ran out of the room's large doors and pushed Daphne so hard that said girl smashed into the stone wall behind her. There was an audible groan from the Greengrass heiress as she rubbed the back of her head, which had hit the wall behind her.

She shook her head as she got rid of the dizziness. Her glazed eyes returned back to their usual cerulean blue as she glared at the French girl with nothing short of pure fury.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING, BEAUFORT?!" Daphne screamed at her as she stood up and flicked her wand out.

"Saving your life is what I am doing here, Greengrass," Beaufort sneered before she pointed at the diadem that had skittered away from the duo. "That is one of the most cursed objects I have had the misfortune of witnessing in my life."

Daphne frowned at her but looked at the Diadem, "That tiara?"

"It's a diadem," She said off-handedly before nodding, "And yes, that thing. I don't know what the curse on it is or what it does, but, I am sure the curse is extremely lethal."

"How can you be sure of it?" Daphne asked with narrowed eyes, "For all I know, you might want to take the diadem for yourself."

"Didn't you feel the cursed magic it released when you opened that bag?" Beaufort asked her, as she pointed to the leather bag that Daphne had pulled the diadem from, "I have seen that bag on an educational trip by our school. It is one of those heavy curse-resistant ones that are used by curse breakers to store cursed artifacts that they can't break immediately and have to carry with them. The artifacts within those could have curses of any level."

Daphne frowned at the diadem, she remembered the extreme amount of dark magic that had hit her when she had opened the bag, but other than that, she couldn't remember anything. The next thing she remembered was pain from hitting her head on the wall.

What had happened in between that time?

"How did you know that it was a heavy curse then?" She asked the French diva who shrugged in response.

"When I was levitating that prick inside, I felt the dark magic that was suddenly unleashed behind me," Angelique explained, "And then when I turned, you had this crazy look in your eyes as you held that diadem. It was as if you were admiring it for being something way more than that dirty looking piece of trash deserved. That's when I understood that it was the artifact's magic."

Daphne frowned at that, she didn't remember any of that. All she remembered was opening the bag and then pain when her head bashed against the wall.

"That's unusual," She said out loud, "I am usually quite strong against mental attacks." She looked at Angelique, "I am a grade three occlumens."

Angelique shrugged again, "It might be because you held the artifact quite close to yourself and the magic was unleashed quite abruptly. Maybe you'd fare well against a prepared attack and if the artifact was at the same distance from you as it was from me."

"Maybe.." Daphne trailed off as both the girls looked at each other before they sighed and turned to look at the diadem, "What do you suggest we should do about it?"

"Same thing that we were going to do before," Angelique gave a small grin, "Ask the sh*thead who was sneaking away with it what this artifact is and what it does."

Daphne smirked, she could work with that. It would give them more leeway considering the prat was roaming around with such an artifact in the first place.

"Alright then," Daphne agreed, "Open that bag and I'll levitate the artifact back inside it. We'll see what to do after we know what it is and why that idiot wanted it in the first place."

Angelique agreed and opened the bag as Daphne levitated the artifact inside the bag. Both the girls winced when the artifact's magic washed over them once again, reaching out to coerce them to wear it. This time they were prepared beforehand and strengthened their mental fortitude to maximum as they placed the artifact inside the bag and closed it.

"That was tough," Daphne sighed as she wiped her brow, " Let's go and get this over with."

Angelique nodded her head and the two started moving towards the prone form of Draco Malfoy that was inside the room of hidden things.

"Hey Beaufort?" Daphne called out the elder witch.

"Hmm?"

"You saved my life…why?" She asked her as they entered the room.

Beaufort frowned at the Slytherin girl, "I saved both of us, Greengrass, I had no idea what the cursed artifact could have done to us, so, it seemed kind of useless to get myself killed or maimed because I wanted you to suffer."

Daphne didn't say anything at that, she knew that the reason was quite sound. It was the first rule that they had been taught in Ancient Runes, 'Never touch a cursed artifact that you know nothing about', who knows, it was possible that she could've ended up being possessed and killed both Beaufort and Malfoy.

Not that the latter's death would have mattered much, but still.

The duo looked at the prone form of Draco Malfoy and couldn't help the malicious grin that threatened to split on their faces. Both had suffered the consequences of the stuck-up loinsh*t's schemes. Granted that Beaufort got what she rightfully deserved, but now it was time to dish some of what she'd had to deal with for the past month when the idiot was sucking his father's balls at his home.

"Did you remove his wand?" Daphne asked Angelique who shook her head, "Do that first then and tie him up, I'll lock the door so that no one disturbs us for some time."

Daphne turned to lock the door while Angelique set on removing Draco's wand and tying him up. What Daphne didn't know was that the room had already learned its user's intent of not wanting to be discovered and, therefore, had already turned the door invisible from the outside.

So now, even if anyone walked in front of the hidden door, all they would see and feel are strong stone walls. Nothing more and nothing less. No one would ever know or even suspect that two witches were viciously torturing the living sh*t out of a wizard behind said walls.

Daphne turned back and joined Angelique just as the French diva got up with a wand holster in her hand. The Greengrass heiress pointed her wand at Malfoy and whispered, "Ennervate."

They grinned at the mage as he shook his head and looked confused at the ropes that bound him.

Someone had indeed said it true that 'Revenge is a dish best served cold.'

Albus Dumbledore sighed as he sat in his office's all too familiar chair after the last few long and tiring days. He looked at the report that he had to file regarding the Wizengamot session held on Winter Solstice a few days ago. His quill scratched at the parchment as he filled in the details of the session that he had attended.

It wasn't that writing it was much work, the Chief Warlock had been doing it for forty years now and he knew that it was an hour's work at most. But it wasn't the work that was eating up his mind. It was the condition of two of his students that was making him restless.

Both the Potter brothers were said to be in a magical COMA; the elder one suffered that because of the ritual that he had undergone on the Winter Solstice, he was currently being watched over by the Health Guild as well as the Necromancy Guild.

The younger Potter on the hand had been force fed the Draught of Living Death, and was under a potion induced sleep because of that. The boy was currently resting in Hogwarts Hospital Wing under the care of the school's matron. Dumbledore knew that a simple Wiggenweld potion would easily reverse the effects of the Draught.

But curing the boy from his sleep meant putting the world at large under heavy risk of two different Dark Lords, with both pursuing the same goal. He was not weak but even he knew that stopping Voldemort would become impossible with Harry unavailable to help him with it.

Therefore, he let both the boys sleep and heal themselves. Harry will have to heal first and then cure Alandale too before the boy could be woken up from his draught induced sleep. This was the best solution for the time being. It wasn't like Dumbledore could do anything else either, all that the grand sorcerer could actually do right now was wait for the Potters to wake up one-by-one and hope that things didn't worsen by the time that happened.

There was a gentle knock on his office door. Dumbledore looked at the door in confusion, he didn't remember any meeting he was supposed to attend today. In fact, now that he thought about it, he had specifically asked Minerva to deal with any student or staff grievances for the day as he was quite busy with other more important work.

"Enter."

The person who entered his office was the last he had expected to see anytime soon, especially since they had left the school's hallowed halls decades ago and he was sure that she, out of all his former students, would never have bothered to grace these halls again unless absolutely necessary.

"I must admit, that I never expected to meet you anytime soon, Narcissa," Dumbledore greeted her, "Or do you prefer Lady Malfoy, now?" he asked the blonde woman who stood in his office, her head held high as she took in the office that she remembered visiting decades ago.

"Narcissa is fine, Headmaster," She told him as she pulled at the pashmina wool shawl wrapped around herself, "I hope I am not intruding into something important, Professor."

Dumbledore waved it off, "Just Wizengamot files, my dear, nothing of import." He offered her one of the chairs in front of him before forwarding her a bowl of his favorite sweets which Narcissa declined politely, trying to control her grimace at the atrociously sour candies that had been proffered.

"So, what may I help you with, Narcissa?" Dumbledore asked as he steepled his fingers in front of him and gave her a tight smile.

He received the same smile in return from the Malfoy matriarch.

"Since we both know that we are both busy people," She inclined her head, "I will skip the formalities, Headmaster, and would like to come straight to the reason for my visit."

Dumbledore nodded, "That would be appreciated, yes."

"Headmaster, as you well might know, the most precious relation that a mother has is with their children, someone who all the mothers around the world would do anything to protect."

Dumbledore nodded his head, yes. The most precious relation and the purest form of love was indeed between a mother and her child, no one, not even the gods had the power, or the right, to break the bond that a child shares with their mother.

"And like all mothers, I am also worried for my son," Narcissa told him as she leaned a bit forward, "The world is slowly turning unsafe, Headmaster, and I want to know that if there is someone who is safe from all of this, it's Draco."

Dumbledore knew what Narcissa was getting at, oh yes he understood the woman's not so subtle meaning about Voldemort and the impending doom that the dark wizard would one day bring upon the world, but he gave another one of his condescending smiles.

"Narcissa, I have said it time and again that all of my students are precious to me and that I will protect each one of them from any harm that befalls them inside these walls, Hogwarts is the safest place in all of Britain."

"And what of the harm that's waiting outside these walls, Professor?" Narcissa fired back, "What of the people who are waiting to get him the moment he steps outside the protection Hogwarts offers?"

"What people are we talking about, Narcissa?" Dumbledore gave a faux frown at the woman and internally smiled when the woman bristled, "I don't think there is anything out there that young Mr Malfoy should be afraid of."

Narcissa's lips thinned tightly as she raised her eyebrow, "I think we both understand it quite well the people that I am talking about, Headmaster. After all, it wouldn't do well for someone, especially with your positions, to be unaware of the ins and outs of our world, would it?"

Dumbledore smiled at the woman, "It wouldn't, yes, but I am quite sure that you aren't someone, as you said, with my positions. Therefore,Iwould like to know," He leaned on his desk and looked straight in her eyes, "How is it that Lady Malfoy knows something about the ins-and-outs of our world?"

Narcissa stiffened at that and cursed herself for her lack of caution. In her bid to successfully deal with Dumbledore, she had actually forgotten that she was dealing withDumbledore, the Supreme Mugwump, the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot for nearly four decades. Word play was like a second nature to him as he dealt with politicians every single day.

And now, she was trapped in his game.

"I am a Lady of an upstanding, and prominent, House that is working hard for the betterment of the country, Headmaster, I get to hear the snippets every now and then." She waved him off and was surprised when Dumbledore gave a disappointed sigh and leaned back in his chair, after all, she had expected him to prod more.

"Then I must say, Lady Malfoy, you either heard the wrong things or misunderstood the…snippets…as you put it," He gave another sigh as he picked his quill again, "There isn't any threat that you need to worry about, Britain is as safe as it had always been. Now, if there isn't anything else that's worrying you, I would very much like to finish this report and take a much needed break from my duties for the rest of the day."

Narcissa didn't like this. This wasn't what she had come all the way to this place after sneaking away from her sister's and husband's watchful eyes, "Headmaster, you aren't responding to me well. This is not what I had expected when I asked you for help."

"And I can say the same for you too, Lady Malfoy," Dumbledore said as he kept on scribbling in the report, "You want me to protect your son but you aren't telling me anything else. Yes, he will be as safe and as protected from harm and danger as all other students under this roof are. I don't understand what more you want from me."

Narcissa paused at that, so this was what he wanted. Information on the Dark Lord and his activities. 'You conniving old goat…' She thought before she shook her head, "I can't tell you much, Headmaster, I am not privy to everything that goes inside my house."

"I see," Dumbledore frowned, "Then I don't think there's anything-"

"But," Narcissa stopped him, "There's something that I can give you in return for the protection that I want for Draco."

"Lady Malfoy, I don't think you understand the gravity of this situation," Dumbledore rubbed his forehead, "There is no amount of gold, or anything else, that could be considered equivalent to what you are asking of me."

"I don't mean gold, Headmaster," Narcissa smiled, "I meant something else entirely. Something that would help us all in the long run."

"What is it?"

"You remember the diary that you accused Lucius of planting? The one that, according to you, re-opened the Chamber of Secrets?" Narcissa smirked, "The Dark Lord gave one such gift to my sister too, and, out of everyone that you have in your service, only I can bring it to you safe and sound."

Dumbledore's eyes widened at the implications, he had suspected that Tom would have given one of his horcruxes to Bellatrix as she was his most ardent supporter. To think that he would be able to get it so easily was like a gift from fate. But he knew that Narcissa would never give him the horcrux for free.

"Ah, I see you recognise the importance of the artifact then," Narcissa smiled at Dumbledore who nodded.

"Young Mr Malfoy will be protected within these walls, Narcissa," Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, "The only way I could think of protecting him is by not letting him leave the safety of the school's wards."

"Draco isn't as safe within these walls as you seem to think he is," She narrowed her eyes at him, "He sent me a letter recalling an incident a few days ago, I don't know if you know this or not, but my son was attacked within these 'safe' walls of Hogwarts."

"Pardon? Mr Malfoy was attacked?" Dumbledore frowned at that, "I apologize, Narcissa, but I wasn't privy to this information. Rest assured, I will look into this and the students will be sufficiently punished."

Narcissa waved off his apology, "I don't think they will, they weren't acting on their own anyways."

"Whatever do you mean?" Dumbledore frowned at her, curiosity and confusion shining on his face.

"Headmaster, my son is too naive to understand what he got himself into. And now he is paying for both his and his father's foolishness. You-know-who wants to punish Lucius for misplacing the gift and for that reason, he asked Draco to fetch something for him."

Dumbledore nodded to show that he understood what she said.

"Draco would have easily been successful with the retrieval as, according to him, he already had it. But his success would have derailed the Dark Lord's intent of punishing Draco and indirectly Lucius. Therefore, it's my assumption that he purposefully asked someone within Hogwarts to attack my son and take the artifact away, just so Draco could fail and be punished for it."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows at that, "Narcissa, are you implying that there is someone inside Hogwarts that is working for him?"

Narcissa bobbed her head, "I don't know their identity, Headmaster, but I know for a fact that there is indeed a spy here at Hogwarts. They are responsible for many things that have happened differently in the school."

Dumbledore clenched his fist at that, again someone had successfully invaded his school's security, and Tom was using them to manipulate things from the sidelines. Well, that quite explained Alandale's participation in the Tournament even after they had successfully apprehended Barty Crouch Jr. last year.

"This way, the Dark Lord will successfully get to show his displeasure and punish both Draco and Lucius, while at the same time get the artifact that he ordered Draco to retrieve from his spy." Narcissa reasoned out .

"Yes, yes…" Dumbledore agreed, "This could certainly be expected from someone like him, yes."

"And this is why I wanted protection for my son, Headmaster," The mother pleaded, "From both outside as well as inside forces that are working for the Dark Lord."

"I will try to protect young Mr Malfoy as well as I can. I will even ask a few members of my staff as well to keep an eye on him," The Chief Warlock assured her, "Though, it would certainly be more beneficial for us to somehow know the identity of the perpetrator within Hogwarts."

"I will see what I can do, professor. Also, as you might've already guessed, I don't want Draco to return home this year for self-explainable reasons," Narcissa told him, "So, do we have an accord?"

Dumbledore smiled at her, and this time it wasn't one of his tight-lipped ones. This time, it was the smile he used when he was happy with something, a smile that made his blue eyes twinkle madly, "Yes, Narcissa, I believe we do."

Daphne Greengrass released another deep breath as she furiously wiped the beads of perspiration that covered her forehead and rolled down her neck into her blouse. She was tired, confused and lost. But most of all, she was angry.

Angry with herself, angry with the world, angry with her dueling partner and teacher, angry with fate. She was angry with everything! Why couldn't the world be a simpler thing? Why did it have to be such a wreck? Why did Wizarding Britain have to be a confusing piece of dragon-dung that messed with each and every single one of its citizens? WHY?!

Daphne furiously slashed her wand at her opponent and glared at the bright purple ray of magic that leapt from her wand. She growled when her opponent ducked which caused the ray to smash harmlessly on the wall behind her.

"Calm down, Greengrass," Angelique scolded her, "You aren't doing either of us any favor by throwing a temper-tantrum."

"A temper tantrum?" Daphne growled, "A f*cking TEMPER TANTRUM YOU SAY?!"

"What do you think this is then?" Angelique narrowed her eyes, "You have been this way for three days now. I don't bloody care if you, or your angst, makes you do something idiotic, but right now you are dueling with me. I've been teaching you for nearly a month now, and this is the worst your aim has been in weeks. I won't let you spoil all of the work that I put in you. If you are angry, piss it on something else, not my work."

Daphne clenched her fist at Beaufort's words, she hated the girl for her past deeds but it was quite clear that the elder girl was right here, and Daphne didn't like that.

"What do you suggest I should do then?" Daphne shot back, "At the end of this year, you will leave Hogwarts and graduate from Beauxbatons, you will be free to do as you please, most likely you will return to your fashion modeling career that you had tried so hard to save."

"Of course I will, but my future isn't the thing that's eating you, is it?" Angelique started walking towards the utility table on the far end of the room, "It's yours that you are worried about."

"Mine and my family's," Daphne clarified, "I can't let any of them stay here and become a victim of the war that is brewing, hell I am quite sure that the moment Malfoy is able to leave for his home, the first thing he will do is report what we did to him and his 'task'."

"He probably will," Angelique agreed, "And that's why I am also as big of a target as you, Greengrass. This is why I said that this whole mess was a bad idea from the beginning," She picked up a pitcher of water from the table, and poured it in a glass before sipping it.

"And what good would have that done? He-who-must-not-be-named is back, he is protected within the wards of Malfoy manor, and he has already freed all the members of his inner circle while steadily gaining all those who once sided with him. The Ministry is completely unaware of all this, and the world at large is still celebrating his defeat from over a decade ago." Daphne sighed in frustration.

"It won't have painted us as huge targets, for one." Angelique shrugged out.

"Can you stop being selfish for once, Beaufort?" Daphne rubbed her forehead as she reached the table too and poured herself a glass of water, "And even if we didn't, then what? Me and my family might not be safe from him, but it's not like you or yours are either. He's a Dark Lord, Beaufort, do you really think he would have been satisfied once he had conquered Britain?"

Angelique didn't say anything. It wasn't like she didn't want to refute the girl, it was more like she simply couldn't refute the girl. Yes, Dark Lord Voldemort had been Britain's problem in the last war, but it wasn't like he was restricted with the boundaries on the map. She didn't know much about the last war, but even she knew that Voldemort had been a cause of worry in her country too.

And if not for the fluke surrounding Alandale Potter's victory over him, it wouldn't have taken long for him to become an actual threat to her nation.

Neither of them said anything for a while as they mulled over their own thoughts. The ordeal with Draco Malfoy had become way too much of a mess than either one of them had been ready for. They had threatened, tortured, and toyed with the Malfoy heir until the weak sh*t had spilled his guts about everything he knew, and that was why they were facing this messed up situation.

"You think he can help us?" Beaufort asked, "Your headmaster, Dumbledore. Isn't he the only one who You-Know-Who was afraid of last time?"

Daphne nodded, "Yes, he was. But it's Dumbledore we are talking about, what if he simply thought that we were the culprits and called aurors on us for possessing a dark artifact?"

"Then we tell them that it was Malfoy who was in possession of the artifact and that we retrieved it from him." Beaufort shrugged.

Daphne resisted the urge to facepalm at that, "If only you were as sharp with your mind as you are with your wand, Beaufort,' She sighed, "It would've done wonders for you."

"What do you mean?" Beaufort narrowed her eyes.

"Think about it, what will you say if Dumbledore asks you exactly what you did to get the artifact from Malfoy?"

Angelique opened her mouth to tell Daphne, but then she abruptly closed it with an audible snap.

"Exactly," Daphne sighed as she ran her hand through her hair, "We can't really tell the Headmaster that we were disillusioned and followed Malfoy to this room and then tortured him until he told us everything, can we? We need something else."

"What if we sent him an anonymous letter and the diadem with it? It won't come back to bite us that way." Angelique told her and frowned when she shook her head.

"We need something to safeguard us when Malfoy gets away from us and reports to You-Know-Who," Daphne reasoned, "We need Dumbledore's protection before that or we won't be safe fromhim."

"So, it's either the aurors or You-Know-Who for us," Angelique grumbled in frustration, "Absolutely no in-between!"

"Yes, we are stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea," Daphne sighed.

"The what..?"

"It's a phrase, Beaufort, The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, a Rock and Hard place, Well and the Ditch," Daphne shrugged, "Things like that, it means-"

"We don't have anywhere else to go, yes, I understand that. I am not dumb," She sneered, "Now instead of being a smartass, why don't you use that brain of yours to think of something that is actually beneficial for us?"

It was after a few minutes that Daphne tapped Angelique's arm. The irritated witch turned to glare at the Greengrass heiress but she stopped when the girl gave a small smile. This was the first time that she had seen Greengrass smile after the time they had interrogated Malfoy, and, as far as past records regarding her and this smile were concerned, this smile didn't mean anything good for her.

"What are you thinking, Greengrass?" She frowned suspiciously.

Daphne pointed at the other table that was placed in the corner on the far end of their dueling room that had the curse resistant leather bag and the artifact of their misery, she smirked.

"What do you think about working out a deal with the strongest wizard alive?"

Angelique gave an internal groan as she understood what Daphne was planning, 'Yes…definitely not a good smile at all', she shook her head tiredly as Daphne smirked at her, her brain already making up plans that might help her in accomplishing the deal.

Deep on the planes of anonymity, a place where no life existed and no soul haunted. A place where there was no concept of space or time. A place that was devoid of anything joyous, harmonious, enjoyable, satisfying, calming, or peaceful.

It wasn't just the brighter emotions that were absent. No, the darker shades of the emotional spectrum were absent as well. There were no signs of helplessness, frustrations, fear, guilt, anger, or misery.

It was just utter emptiness, nothing in the place. No concept of life and no concept of death. For that place was like a boundary that existed between both of the realms. It was the place that wasn't affected by the emotions and the beings of either realm, but it was a place that was like a barrier which separated both of them.

And in that barrier, in that boundary that separated the differences between Life and Death, there was a small rift.

A rift that couldn't be more than a few feet was rapidly increasing in length. Nothing much could be differentiated except the small hairline cleft that glowed with gray energy, there wasn't anything that was trying to stop the crack's increase in length either.

All of a sudden, there was some rumbling and the cleft opened up a bit, not much, just a bit. Darkness seemed to seep out of the crack but the light from the other side extinguished it as soon as it came out forcing the darkness to immediately be sucked back from where it came.

There was a growl that emanated from within the crevice.

And on closer look in the utter darkness of the other side, you could distinctly mark the presence of a pair of tiny red orbs that glared back at you with all the maliciousness that the world could ever offer.

The orbs were there, the presence was there. They were watching. Watching and waiting patiently for their turn. They were waiting patiently.

For the Crevice in Creation.

Ending Note: And there you have it fellas, eighteenth chapter of INNOVATOR. Do tell me if you like it or if it missed something, I am waiting.

Here's thelink to my super private serveron discord where I'll keep on updating new chapters, sneak peeks,All the Character sketches are uploaded there.And you are free to talk and ask me things regarding my fanfics, as I am mostly active there:

Its a relatively newly launched server...Beware: Lots of NSFW stuff (Yeah p*rn. Lots of it😁😂)

https://discord.gg/Gcbcv4dxGx
Name:𝕯𝖊𝖛 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐'𝖘 𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊

Thank you for reading and reviewing,

With Regards

Dev Black

Chapter 19: Two Sides of the Same Coin {Part-1}

Chapter Text

Here's the link tomy super private server on discord where I'll keep on updating new chapters and how to access more chapters, sneak peeks, All the character sketches are uploaded, where you are free to talk and ask me anything regarding my fanfics (as I am most active there):

Its a relatively newly launched server...

Beware: LoadsofNSFW(Yes, p*rn, and lots of it. 😂)

https://discord.gg/Gcbcv4dxGx
Name:𝕯𝖊𝖛 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐'𝖘 𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊

Warning:This chapter has asmall amount of tragedy, really small amount. And has achanged PoV(First person PoV). But it won't be a problem for an avid reader. But it won't be a problem for an avid reader. So, without any further ado, let me present youone of the best, and most wanted, chapters of Innovator.

"I am Talking."

'I am Thinking'

Spells

Nothing is ever lost to us as long as we remember it.

~ L.M. Montgomery

INNOVATOR

-Dev Sagittarius Black

~~Chapter 19: Two Sides of the Same Coin {Part-1}~~

.

I was floating.

For as long as I could remember.

Everything around me was living in a space that had no concept of gravity or anything like that. There were various objects floating around me. And so was I.

Moving around lazily, floating in the utter majesty that was around me. I didn't know what it was that was making me move or if I could move myself, all I knew was I was at peace.

More at peace than I had ever been in my fourteen years of active consciousness. I didn't know what it was that Harry had done, all I knew was that I was finally at peace.

No pain, no headaches, no haziness, nothing. Completely clear mind, clear of all the blemishes that life brought with itself, clear of all the promises that the living made, and clear of all the truths that one needed to survive. As clear as the fresh droplets of water that fall from the clouds, as clear as the morning dew that was present on leaves after a foggy night.

I was at peace.

And I didn't need anything else.

….but why are there objects around me? What do these objects mean? Why are they floating in the same place as me? What is this place, even? For that matter, why am I here?

The last thing that I remembered was…Harry…my brother, the person I hated more than anyone. For some reason he was fighting me, throwing curses at me. And then I remember waking up briefly before I gulped something that was in my mouth and then…then what?

Ah yes, then I came here. In this zero gravity trap space that was filled with many objects floating around me, just like I was floating around them. Were they people? Were they trapped here like me, or is this place some peaceful land? Did they see me as an object too? Which object did I look like?

A small milk-bottle floated beside me, I remembered this bottle, didn't I? Yes, yes I did. But where? Where have I seen this milk-bottle again? I grabbed the bottle to inspect it more closely, and the moment I did, the entire world changed around me.

I was standing in a room littered with stuffed toys, some were charmed to move and some lay still. There was a crib in front of me with a small baby in it. He was playing and drinking milk from the same milk bottle that I held in my hand, it looked a bit new though.

I could see the baby's innocent brown eyes widen to an excited gleam when a woman came into the room. Her softly bouncing red hair was a perfect match for the rat's nest that was on the babe's head. Her green eyes were not.

My eyes widened and I was about to dash towards a sofa so that I could hide myself from her, but then I decided to apologize to her, "Look, I am sorry, I don't know how I-" She completely ignored me and within a moment, she went right through me! As if I wasn't standing in front of her! I turned to look at her and found her leaning over the crib.

"Did you miss your mommy, Alan?" The woman cooed as she played with the baby, "Don't worry little one, mommy is here for you now, I just put your brother, Harry, to sleep. By the gods, your brother is a hyperactive one, he surely takes after his father and his gang of misfits," She made a face though I could see the sad smile that graced her features.

"James would have loved to play with you two. He always wanted two kids, one to become a world class duelist and the other to become a world class Quidditch Player of all things! Honestly!" She shook her head and laughed when the baby dropped the bottle and laughed at her antics, hitting her face with his tiny hands.

"I am sure that wherever your da-da is, he is watching over you and loving your laughter, just like he loved Harry's when the boy flew on his toy broom," She smiled at the baby before she moved his flaming red hair out of the way to leave a loving kiss on his forehead.

It was at that moment that I first saw the ugly red lightning bolt scar that was present on the babe's forehead and was glaring at me. I took an involuntary back-step at the amount of hatred that scar held against me.

And this scar made me realize that the baby was none other than me…or better, my past self. And the woman here was my mother, Lily Potter. The one I had lost at the tender age-

"Come, it's time for you to sleep too, little one." My mother cooed at me before she picked me up and started to sing a lullaby that I remembered from my dreams as we left the room. Again, she completely ignored my presence.

But why? What was this? Was I really invisible? But then how had she moved through me? Was this real even? Wait…was this a memory? Am I trapped in a weird pensieve?

The world changed again and I screamed a bit as I was blinded by light, when I opened my eyes, I was again back in the same realm that I had left from. The milk bottle was still in my hand.

"What was that..? A memory?"

No one answered. But I had to find answers, I had to learn more. What happened after that? I knew for a fact that my father had sacrificed himself and had protected me when I was just a few months old. So, that meant that the memory was after my father's sacrifice.

But my mother had said that the baby's brother, Harry, was a hyperactive one. Was she talking about the same Harry I knew? The boy that never even smiled? That Harry Potter?

I had to know more. I needed to learn more about all of this. What if this wasn't a memory but some sort of trick that my mind was playing on me? Or what if this was a trick that someone else was playing on my mind? Oh no..

I looked around to see anything that I could recall. Out of all the things, I saw a Teddy bear that was floating at some distance, its ear was patched with another piece of cloth, and there was some sort of stain around its right paw. I remembered that Teddy too, Mr. Puffy was his name, and he was my favorite toy. I used to cherish him for some reason, and always carried him wherever I went.

Though, I couldn't remember when or where I had lost Mr. Puffy. I pushed myself in his direction and grabbed Mr. Puffy. Again, the world around me was bathed in brilliant white light and I shielded my eyes to protect them.

The next moment when I opened my eyes, I was standing in another room. The things in my surroundings weren't that different, so I knew that it wasn't that far from my previous memory. That is, if it was indeed a memory and not some weird mind trick.

I looked at the boy that stood in front of me, he was a bit older than before but I knew that it was my past. He had messier red-locks than the previous one, but this time his eyes weren't as happy as the last time. They were curious and sad. I looked at Mr. Puffy who was being hugged tightly by the boy.

Why was I sad again? What had happened at this age?

The door behind me opened and an old woman wearing black robes came into the room, she was discussing something furiously with an older man, someone who I immediately recognised as Headmaster Dumbledore. He looked a lot younger physically, but he seemed like he was going through a lot, just like the old woman. Surprisingly, he wasn't wearing any of his flamboyant robes, his robes were pure black too.

"I still can't believe this," The old woman muttered, her voice full of grief, "Why would anyone do something like…this to us?" The disgust and pain in her voice surprised me a bit.

"It's my assumption, that they were the followers, or acquaintances, of Tom, Dorea," Dumbledore heaved a sigh and I realized that this old woman was my grandmother, "Things have changed a lot for us, especially since his apparent demise. There have been several good raids, but the dark neither forgets nor leaves us for long. It always comes back to get us at the worst possible time."

"But we already lost James and Charlus to the dark! My son sacrificed himself!" Dorea's eyes filled with tears, "What more could they want from us? Why her of all people? They could have taken me instead, I had lived my life…" She sobbed and Dumbledore offered her a handkerchief, "I had lived my life…"

"They took the ones that were inside the manor at that time, I am quite sure that had you two been here, they would have taken you and Alan both." The headmaster whispered, "Have some comfort that your grandson is safe."

"And what of my eldest grandson, Dumbledore?" Dorea cried, "What of Harry?! Do you have any idea where he is? Did he eat? Is he safe? Or…" She broke down again, "Or is he even alive?"

Dumbledore shook his head sadly, "We are trying our best, Dorea," He released another sigh, "The entirety of magical Britain is under lockdown, thirty search groups are after the boy and posters have been placed on every possible part of the nation, Harry will be with you soon."

I really didn't understand what she and the headmaster were talking about, but I had a faint idea. And that didn't bode well with me. If I was right about the time of this memory, then Harry had never been found. He had then been declared dead by the Ministry and a funeral had been held for him. An empty coffin had been laid beside the area where our parents' graves were in his honor, and I had cried loads that day.

And a few weeks after that, I had been declared the last Potter alive.

I noticed my younger self take a small step inside the room that the older mages came from, Mr. Puffy still in his arms, and I followed him.

"Alan!" My grandmother cried behind me, her puffy red eyes on my younger self as she took a step forward to pick me up but was immediately stopped by the headmaster.

"Dumbledore he is going in the room, he will-"

"He has to, Dorea," Dumbledore told her as his eyes followed my younger self too.

"He is too young, he won't understand what happened to her."

"Children have their own way of understanding things, dear," He whispered, "They may not be able to understand everything that a well established mind would, but that doesn't mean that a child couldn't perceive the emotions, the feeling, and the aura. On the contrary, a child's mind is more attuned to feel things than an adult's mind could ever achieve."

"What's that got to do with Alan seeing her?" Dorea muttered, her sadness slowly changing into anger as she pulled her hand out from his grasp.

"Everything," He told her, "Alan might not understand it completely, but he will know what has happened to his mother. He will know that she won't be there for him anymore, something that he needs to understand on his own, with his own mental strength."

I entered the room, it was a large room with multiple chandeliers and large glass windows. There were multiple chairs, all empty and well-prepared for an event of sorts. There were white and cream colored flowers that hung around in the room. I didn't know their names but the one place that I had seen these were photographs.

Photographs of a funeral home.

Which was quite correct since there was a partially closed coffin placed on a raised dais in front of the chairs. A coffin that had piqued my younger self's interest. My grandmother and the headmaster came behind me, they were discussing something related to 'Where Alan should be allocated for his safety'. I ignored them because I already knew that I had been sent to live with the Weasleys.

Instead, I followed my younger self who had reached the top of the dais and was peeking inside the coffin. And that's when I saw my mother. Her hair was as brilliant shade of red as ever, her skin wasn't pale, she wore one of her favorite long frocks. She looked as if she would give a small yawn and wake up any moment now. But I knew she wouldn't. I had been told later that she had left long before the time we had received her in that ugly box.

But apparently, my younger self thought that she was just sleeping. He leaned on the wooden box and touched her cheek, trying to shake her cold face.

"Mama, wake up…"

I screamed again as bright light flooded my vision. I closed my eyes and the next moment I opened them, I was back in that weird floating place, Mr. Puffy clutched tightly in my hand.

"What is this?! Who is doing this?!" I screamed as my vision blurred, "If this is some sort of weird fun for you, then let me tell you, IT IS NOT FUNNY!" I screamed as I wiped my eyes, trying to stem the tears that kept filling them.

"COME OUT YOU FREAK! COME OUT AND FACE ME!"

But nobody answered my call. Nothing moved, not even a single object changed its direction as I glared at everything around me, "f*ckING COWARD!" I screamed out of frustration. This memory had shaken me more than I had wanted to believe.

Maybe it was my frustration, maybe it was my tears, maybe it was the anger that I was feeling, or maybe it was my words. I didn't know which one did it but suddenly, I could see a white crack in the floating space a few meters above me. It was a small crack and the length of the cleft glowed a dull shade of black.

Like any precautionary person, I did the right thing and immediately flew to the crack. Yeah, sarcasm. It was a stupid idea, I knew it was a stupid idea, but I had to explore this oddity. I completely ignored the fact that nothing around me was simple and sane, and that everything, including my presence here, was an oddity.

I reached the crack and raised my hand to touch it before I stopped and took a proverbial back-step. The crack wasn't to be touched, I didn't know how I suddenly knew that, just that I did. The crack reeked of an evil magic. A strong evil magic that was on its other side and was trying to invade this space. Whatever this space was.

It was also the thing that was responsible for trapping me here, and was playing with me.

As an intelligent being, I should have avoided that crack and left it completely. Nothing good ever came from poking a weird crack that reeked of dark magic in an unknown place filled with floating objects.

But I was angry. Angry and frustrated both. And I knew that the crack was responsible for it, or more accurately, the being on the other side was responsible for it. So, what I actually did was scream at it, throwing my frustration at the crack and cursing it with all the words that I had learnt from living with the Weasley twins. They were excellent sources of creative curse words, by the way.

I threw everything at the cleft. I cursed at it, called it weak, a coward, a freak, and all such things. Challenged it to come out and fight me. I even threw Mr. Puffy at the crack and the teddy just bounced off of it. So, except for touching the crack, I had done everything.

And there was no change in the crack. The being on the other side hadn't said anything in response, it hadn't opened the crack either. In fact, the crack hadn't increased in size even. Which meant that all my methods had failed.

I was thinking of some ways to force the being to open the crack when a sudden thought entered my mind. What if it wasn't the being who could open it? After all, it was already trying to invade this place. If it could do it on his own, why would it trap me here in the first place? Which meant that the being needed me to open the crack. And that meant, I was the one who had the power to open the crack.

But the question was still the same. How? How to do that? How could I open the crack? And, if it wasn't my words, what had caused the crack to appear in the first place? Questions, questions. Now, normally, I would have been frustrated at the amount of thinking I was doing and the questions that didn't end.

But, for some reason, I was extremely patient, as if I was thinking about the weather and what dishes Mrs. Weasley would have prepared for lunch. It was as if I had all the time in the world and had no hurry at all. As if I was at complete peace, and knew that this was the place where I belonged.

I looked around myself, the floating objects still floated around me. I knew that these objects had been something close to me at some point of time, and that each of them held a memory of sorts. I had already witnessed two memories and…wait…!

I looked at Mr. Puffy and the milk bottle. The two objects that had shown me the memories within them…the memories that I had watched before this crack had appeared. Was that it? Were the memories the key to this crack? Will the crack open if I watch more? Should I do it? The answer was the same for all these queries.

Why not give it a try? And to test my weird theory, I left the crack alone and floated towards an ice-cream that was floating closest to me. I grabbed it and closed my eyes as bright light flooded my senses.

The location was different this time. I was standing in a cramped up room instead of the wide open areas of the Potter manor. But this time, I was more familiar with my surroundings. Why? Because it was the place where I had spent most of my developmental years, of course.

I was standing inside the kitchen of the Burrow.

My younger self was sitting on the couch and I could see myself bubbling with excitement, it was understandable too. I remembered why this day was special. This was the day when I was going to buy my first broom. The one thing that had been precious to me until I had joined Hogwarts and McGonagall had bought theNimbus 2000for me.

There was rapid thumping on the stairs and I looked in its direction, an excited gleam in my eyes as I sat there swaying my legs in anticipation. The side door which connected the kitchen with the living room opened to reveal Mrs. Weasley. She was in her mustard yellow dress with a flowery pattern and the green beret that she wore whenever she was going out.

"Don't run on the stairs, RON!" She screamed and then smiled at me, "Just a moment, Alan, I have to tell Bill that we'll be out for some time and will probably be late for lunch."

My younger self nodded his head, his attention already pulled towards the direction of the stairs where a younger Ron dashed through the door. Mrs. Weasley smiled at us as she left us to our chat while she went out to converse with Bill, and probably instruct him on certain things.

Soon enough, Mrs. Weasley was back and each of us picked a handful of floo powder. This wasn't my first time with the floo, yet Mrs. Weasley wanted both me and Ron to leave before she did. Maybe she was worried we might mess it up? Maybe.

The scene changed around me and soon I stood in the Diagon alley. It was the same as I always remembered it to be. It was my first time visiting the alley, or the first time which I could actually remember. Still, the amazement on my face was quite obvious.

Mrs. Weasley flicked her wand and cleaned us of the soot from the floo. She then bent and covered the angry red scar that was on my forehead with my hair. The moment my eyes landed on the scar, I took a step back before I remembered that this was actually a memory and nothing could harm me.

Still, it seemed as if the scar was glaring at me and wanted to kill me with everything it got. I remembered that in the first memory, I had the same reaction to the scar. As if there was something evil inside the scar and it was glaring at me. Yeah, not a good thought, I shook my head to rid myself of it.

I smiled at my younger self as both he and Ron grabbed Mrs. Weasley's hand on either side and peeped in every shop that we could. I remember wanting four pairs of eyes so that I could watch each and every thing at once and even then I was sure that four pairs of eyes wouldn't be enough.

The day went just as I had remembered it to be. First, Gringotts to get some money from my trust vault. Then we bought my first broom: aComet-260. It wasn't much, but it was my own personal broom. And that meant the world to me. So much that I even bought a broom polishing kit for it.

Then we went to the thrift shop where Mrs. Weasley checked out a few Hogwarts robes, probably for Charlie, and then a few books. She didn't buy much though, and I remember being confused as to why she was checking when she wasn't going to buy it in the first place.

Then Mrs. Weasley had gone to finish some of her errands that would get her a few galleons. She had left us with four sickles each for our ice-cream from Fortescue's. I followed my younger self and Ron as we each bought our favorite ice-cream and then took our seats on the chairs placed on the outside of the ice-cream parlor.

It was a sunny day and we were tired from all the walking. So, sue me for enjoying the ice-cream with my first friend who was my age. It was then that my younger self's eyes fell on the bundle of rags that was lying on the corner of the shop's less populated part of the outer area. Within a moment I realized that the bundle of rags was actually a human.

"Hey…" My younger self poked Ron, "What do you think he is doing here? And…and why is he wearing rags?"

Ron looked at the guy and shrugged, "Dunno mate, mum says the alley is home to all sorts of people, I reckon he's one of them," He said and went back to his ice-cream.

But I couldn't. The guy was lying face first in the dirt, his clothes were torn and bloodied. Hell I could still see dirt and caked blood on his thin and small body. The boy didn't look much older than my younger self, and I knew that back then I had thought that same thing.

My younger self got down from the chair and called out to the boy, he ignored Ron who was calling his name and instead poked the sleeping guy when he did not answer. The boy groaned a bit and slowly got up, by that time I could see Ron leaving his chair too and coming to stand beside Alan.

"Alan, what are you doing?" Ron whispered urgently in my ear, "You know what mum would say if she heard about this, she always told us to stay away from strangers."

"He's just a boy Ron, a heavily injured one at that. I don't think he can do much," Alan shrugged, "Plus, it's not like I am doing much for him."

"Why are you doing something in the first place?" Ron whispered angrily but young Alan ignored him as his eyes were focused on the boy that was now looking at both of them. When I noticed the boy's face, I took a step back in shock. This couldn't be possible. The boy could never, ever, EVER be the one person that came to my mind.

"Here, I thought you might be hungry," Apparently, younger Alan was a bit in shock too which was apparent from his tone. The boy on the other hand blinked at the offered ice-cream, his mind was probably still not able to comprehend that he was awake now. Still, the boy took the ice-cream and simply looked at it.

"Come Alan, you gave your ice-cream, I don't think you need to be any more closer to this…boy," Ron pulled younger Alan, "I don't know why you even wanted to go and poke him," He muttered as both of them returned to their seats.

"I don't know…" Younger Alan muttered, looking at the still stupefied boy who was looking at the ice-cream with an unblinking stare, "I just felt like I knew him, for some reason he reminded me of someone."

"Who couldthatremind you of?" Ron made a face, and for some reason, neither I, nor my younger self, liked the way he said 'that' to the boy.

"My…my brother, Harry."

Ron paused at that, he blinked and shook his head as if tired with life, "Alan, I don't know when you will finally accept it. You are the last Potter. Your brother Harry-"

"I KNOW!" Younger Alan said loudly, and blushed a bit when a few eyes turned towards him, he then glared at Ron and muttered in a much lower tone, "I know I am the last Potter and I know Harry was declared dead by the Ministry-" I saw the poor boy's eyes shot up at that, something which my younger self ignored in his rage, "-and you don't need to remind that to me everyday, Ron."

"Then maybe you should stop doing stunts like this, too," Ron grumbled before he looked at my younger self with something akin to reverence, "You are the Boy-Who-Lived, Alan! A literal celebrity, the most important person and most powerful of our age. One day you'll be as strong as Dumbledore, maybe more than him!"

I could see my younger self's eyes gleam and his chest puffed up a bit together with the small amount of arrogance that Ron's words caused. I knew I had trouble accepting the fact that I was the Boy-Who-Lived, but Ron and the other Weasleys, accompanied with all that fan mail and everything…I had accepted pretty quickly that I was indeed a celebrity.

"You shouldn't be seen mingling with people of…thatsort, you know," Ron muttered and sneakily eyed the poor looking boy in the corner. Ron was surprised to note that the boy was also staring at them.

"What do you mean by 'that' sort?" Younger Alan asked Ron, "This is the second time you used it."

"Well, you know..thatsort.." Ron shrugged and his eyes pointed towards the Knockturn alley, "That one's the place where people looking like him live, and that's not a place for any respectable person, much less the Boy-Who-Lived himself."

"You think he is from Knockturn?" Alan gasped in shock, even more when Ron nodded his head, "But-But he's just a boy, Ron, just like us! How could he be-" Younger Alan took a sly glance at the boy and leaned towards Ron to whisper quietly, "-How could he bebad?"

Ron just shrugged, and was about to answer, when he was interrupted by the poor boy who now stood near their table, "Are you Alandale Potter? The Boy-Who-Lived?"

Ron screamed in surprise, and almost fell off his chair, while Alan blinked at the boy's soft tone, "Yes, I am."

"Alan!' Ron cried, "Mum told us to not tell anyone who you were, did you forget that already?!" But I could see that my younger self wasn't even listening to Ron's indignant cries.

"What did you say about your brother?" The boy asked Alan and Ron, "Harry Potter? Is he dead?"

My younger self gave a defeated sigh and nodded, "Yes, no one was able to find Harry, he has been missing for about three years now. So, the Ministry declared him dead."

The poor boy's bright green eyes widened and filled with tears as if he was hurt, he dropped the ice-cream that he held until now, and rubbed his eyes furiously with his rags before he dashed out of the shop's outer area and ran towards Knockturn Alley. Completely ignoring Alan's cries of 'HEY' and 'WAIT!'

"Leave him, Alan" Ron told my younger self, "He can't hear you anyways, he's already on his way to where people like him live."

Younger Alan shook his head as he watched the poor boy's shaggy black hair disappear in the crowd, "I have to stop him, he looked as if my words had hurt him." He stood up and was about to follow the boy when Ron stopped him again, "Are you barking mad, Alan?! Can't you see he's going to Knockturn?! I just told you that 'NO' respectable wizard would ever go in that Alley! Much less the DAMNED BOY WHO LIVED!" His voice had increased in octaves and volume by the end of it.

Before I could have said anything, the last three words from my best mate had been heard by almost everyone near us and just like that the news of the Boy-Who-Lived's first public appearance had spread like wildfire.

I could see how almost everyone crowded the shop, greeting me, clicking photos, wanting my autograph. It had been the first and last day I had visited the Alley before Hogwarts, and the only day where I shied away from the people who thought of me as a god. Mrs. Weasley had been extremely furious with both of us and had grounded us for the next two months.

The Burrow had been protected more and was put under temporary fidelius so that none of Voldemort's followers could track our location. I had just had my first exposure with fame and then I had signed story books and fan mail for the next few years.

But all of that didn't matter to me now. The only thing that actually mattered was the fact that, back then, I had not been the last Potter. How could I say that? Why, of course, because my blood, my family, my brother, Harry Potter, was alive. He was weak, yes. But very much alive. As alive as me, Ron, and any of the Weasleys were.

And then I remembered that it was me who had just told him that he was already declared dead.

"….f*ck."

There was another flash of bright light and when I reopened my eyes, I was back in that weird floating space, the ice-cream still in my hand.

"But why didn't he say something?" I croaked, "Why did he run away? He could've told me that he was Harry and that he was alive. Then why?!" I screamed in frustration as I held my head, "For years I dealt with Mom's and his death. Then our grandma died when the death eaters destroyed Potter Manor. He could've just told me once and everything would be different now!"

My eyes were filling up again. I wiped the tears as memories of crying alone in bed, missing my family came to me. The action of wiping my tears reminded me that Harry wiped his tears like this too. And that made me tear-up more. Why was he in rags in the first place? Why did he look like he ran away, or was fighting someone? He looked worse than a beggar with all those torn clothes and cuts.

Why were there cuts in the first place?!

I screamed in frustration and clenched my fists. The questions never seemed to end. In fact, the more memories I watched, the more I questioned my reality and the life I had lived and known. Why couldn't things have been simpler?

It was then that I remembered my purpose of viewing the memory. And I looked at the crack, it was larger. And now the crack was open too. Not much, just a bit, but it was open. Which meant that my theory of my memories having the power to open the crack more was actually correct.

I looked once more at the crack and I could see the utter darkness that was on the other side along with the presence that was glaring at me from within the crack. I won't lie, I was a bit scared, and for a moment, I didn't want to open the crack anymore than I already had.

But that would mean being trapped here for Merlin knows how long. Floating in this place, no food, no hunger, no thirst , no joy, no friends….nothing. And that scared me even more. Therefore, with a new found motivation and the urge to get more answers to all of my questions, I started watching memories like crazy.

Not all of them were bad, some were good too. Like when I received my first training snitch, the time when Mrs. Weasley baked me a HUGE cake for my birthday, and my first trip to Hogwarts. There were a few sad ones too. All in all, it was a mixed bundle of memories.

And when I was doing it, I realized that the 'bad' memories increased the size of the crack while the 'good' memories decreased it. It was as if the creature behind it was feeding off of the bad memories while he was in pain whenever I watched a good one.

This gave me a dilemma as to what I should really do.

On one hand, I wanted to enjoy the good memories as watching too many bad memories was both exhausting and painful. But then, I knew that the creature was responsible for trapping me in this place and I'd have to defeat or destroy it to get rid of the creature and this trap. Which meant I had to watch bad memories continuously.

As soon as I had realized that, I also started sensing a weird aura around the objects. It wasn't something that I had felt earlier. But then, when I went to watch my mother's memory again, I felt as if the milk bottle was bubbling with joy and love. It was weird to feel the emotions outside my body that I used to feel inside me.

This development gave me an idea too as I waved my hand near the memories that I had witnessed. My eyes widened in surprise when I felt the exact emotions that each of these memories held.

Mr. Puffy held death and loneliness, the ice-cream held sadness, pride, and confusion while the snitch held freedom, joy, and happiness. After this, it was child's play to find the sad memories and watch them. I just waved my hand over the objects and, if they held a sad emotion, I grabbed it.

I went through a lot of sad memories, interspersed with one or two happy ones to help myself. I witnessed all of my formative years and how bad the fame had affected me. It wasn't something I wanted to accept. In my opinion, all of my works were justified and I blamed Dumbledore, the Weasleys, and the fan mail, as well as news reporters, for my actions.

But then, I witnessed a memory of Dumbledore in my second year. He had told me that it took him years to realize that he wasn't invincible and completely right in everything. He called it 'follies of youth'. He didn't go into explanation but he did say that human beings have a way to satisfy their ego and their 'self' by blaming their faults on the deeds of others.

The moment they start accepting their faults as a part of themselves, the world will change around them, and so too, will their own inner self, as it will become 'whole'. Complete with the marks of human mistakes and the realization that no one is completely 'good' or 'evil'.

He had told that to me in regard to my Parselmouth nature that had come to light, and everyone in the school, including myself, considering me a dark wizard. I had been unable to completely understand his words back then, but watching myself strut around, posing to cameras, and, overall, being an arrogant, selfish prat.

I felt both humiliated and ashamed of myself. And I had nothing, and no one, to blame except my own stupidity and eagerness to be a 'famous'celebrity. Merlin I hated that word now. It made my skin crawl with disgust.

My breaking points were the end of year memories when Harry had saved me again and again.

The first time was in my first year when he had followed Ron, Hermione, and I inside his invisibility cloak and had killed Quirrell. Second time when he had phoenix-traveled into The Chamber and killed the basilisk, getting grievously injured in the process.

And the third time was in my third year when Harry had protected me from Pettigrew, Bellatrix, and two other Death Eaters in the Shrieking Shack while Sirius had held back a transformed Lupin. This last memory had been too much for me as I witnessed how Harry had killed the two death eaters while Bellatrix and Pettigrew ran away.

I gasped when I returned from the memory. My head was splitting apart with a headache and my heart was beating really fast. I tried to control myself a bit. I knew that the one thing I needed right now was a really happy memory to calm down a bit.

My eyes fell on the floating Quidditch cup that gave off the feelings of accomplishment, victory, and freedom. I reached forward to hold it, just in time to suddenly get the feeling of 'DANGER' and 'DEATH'.

I flinched away from the house cup only for it to be obliterated by a purple curse that traversed the area where moments ago my hand was reaching for the cup.

"I don't think you will have any need for it anymore."

I flinched at the smooth voice behind me and immediately looked at the crack above me. It was wide open, and there was no darkness, or evil presence, from the creature that was on the other side. I turned to look behind me and took a step back in horror.

The Creature was free. He had successfully invaded this weird area.

"Hello, Alandale Potter," Red eyes gleamed with unadulterated hate as his face split from ear-to-ear in an ugly grin, "The Boy…Who Lived?"

I stood face-to-face with the creature who looked exactly like me, except that weird grin and the red eyes. He was me in every way. So much that if he closed his eyes and stopped grinning, it would be me standing there. But I knew it wasn't me. It had only taken my form to piss me off, and piss me off it did.

"Finally we meet after a…really long time…"

He wasn't me. He wasn't Alandale Henry Potter, brother to Harry James Potter and one of the two remaining Potters. No, he wasn't me. Instead, he was something much worse.

He was Lord Voldemort, and, right now, he stood in front of me in this weird place that he had trapped me in.

Ending Note: And there you have it fellas, nineteenth chapter of INNOVATOR. Do tell me if you like it or if it missed something, I am waiting.

Here's thelink to my super private server on discord where I'll keep on updating new chapters and how to access more chapters, sneak peeks, All the Character sketches are uploaded there.And you are free to talk and ask me things regarding my fanfics, as I am mostly active there:

Its a relatively newly launched server...Beware: Lots of NSFW stuff (Yeah p*rn. Lots of it😁😂)

https://discord.gg/Gcbcv4dxGx
Name:𝕯𝖊𝖛 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐'𝖘 𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊

Thank you for reading and reviewing, hope the changed PoV wasn't much of a hassle.

With Regards

Dev Black

Chapter 20: The Battle of Memories

Chapter Text

Here's the link tomy super private serveron discord where I'll keep on updating new chapters and how to access more chapters, sneak peeks,All the character sketches are uploaded, where you are free to talk and ask me anything regarding my fanfics (as I am most active there):

Its a relatively newly launched server...

Beware: LoadsofNSFW(Yes, p*rn, and lots of it. 😂)

https://discord.gg/Gcbcv4dxGx
Name:𝕯𝖊𝖛 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐'𝖘 𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊

"I am Talking."

'I am Thinking'

Spells

A Good life is a collection of Happy Memories.

~ Denis Waitley

INNOVATOR

-Dev Sagittarius Black

~~Chapter 20: The Battle of Memories~~

.

Alan glared at Voldemort, the one who had stolen his shape, his form, and his face. The glaring red eyes reminded him of the ugly scar that was on his head. The same that he had always felt was actually glaring at him, but he had always made that to be a ridiculous thought.

After all, magical or not, scars donotglare at you. Period.

"How I have longed to finally meet you one day, Alandale," Voldemort smiled at the boy, who grimaced at the familiarity the Dark Lord showed, "For years, I have been within you. Waiting for you to one day come here and free me from the binding of magic that was put on me by your father's sacrifice that day."

"You were bound inside me?" Alan asked horrified, "I thought it was you who had trapped me inside this weird place, and were forcefully showing me painful memories to cause me pain."

"No, Alandale," Voldemort shook his head, "You, yourself came to this 'weird' place, as you call it. I am surprised that you don't remember what happened before you came here. I am sure if you did, you would remember this place and why we are here."

"I do remember what happened, alright!" Alan cried indignantly, "I remember fighting Harry, I don't know why though. My body wasn't listening to me even though I was fighting to control it, and then suddenly there was pain…"Alan frowned as his memories started to clear a bit, "I am sure, somehow, I was screaming at myself to stop fighting Harry and then I think I woke up too?"

"Yes, we did," Voldemort smirked cruelly, "And then, Harry Potter forced the Draught of Living Death down your throat and then you came here, in this...'weird place'."

Alan hummed in thought before his eyes widened, "WAIT! WE?!" He shouted, "What do you mean by 'wedid'?! What is this weird place that Harry sent me to?"

But Voldemort just chuckled, something that didn't sit well with Alandale, "Oh, you innocent pig," the Dark Lord shook his head, "You don't know anything about your own self. Such a shame…such a shame indeed."

"Oi! Tell me what I don't know about myself, and answer the previous questions too!" Alan screamed at the being, whose laughter came to an abrupt halt.

"You can't force me to tell you anything, Alandale Potter. This is the place where we hold equal ground. You can't do much except request and hope that I'll acquiesce," the Dark Lord announced before he turned to look at the vast expanse of space that both the mages stood in, "And this 'weird place' as you so eloquently put it, is your own mindscape. The one place that can be called, 'The Powerhouse' of your sleeping body."

"And Harry sent me here while you were trapped here by my dad's magic?" The Boy-Who-Lived enquired.

"Yes, the sacrifice of James Potter gave you the amount of magic that was required to power the rune of protection,Sowilo, that has been stitched in your skin," Voldemort told him before he turned to face the boy, "That night, my one mistake caused a part of me to be trapped inside the rune. For the first few years I didn't know how or why I was there, trapped and alone. I tried to escape but the dome that you just cracked prevented me. Since then I have tried to break free from the binds."

Alan absorbed everything like sponge to water. He didn't understand much. Like for instance, why did Voldemort come after him when his father had to sacrifice himself? What was this 'Sowilo' rune? Did Harry have the same rune of protection or was he the only one with the rune? If yes, then why? How did Voldemort get trapped inside his scar of all places, and, this last one was concerning, "The memories I watched showed the scar, and I always felt as if someone was looking at me; was it..?"

"Was it me? Yes, Alandale, I've been inside that scar for almost all your life," Voldemort told him, "And yes, I saw everything in it. Your mother's death, your brother's first meeting in the Diagon, your first official meeting in Hogwarts. I even tried to break free of this bind and return to the Original One when he was here in Hogwarts. I didn't know who it was, but then, I felt that bond pulling me to him and I tried my best to free myself."

"So that was why my scar pained me everytime Quirrell turned his face away from me," Alan deduced, "Which means you saw the Diary, and the incident with Bellatrix and Pettigrew in third year too."

"Yes, Potter I saw everything that you saw, and I remember things from before the time you do," Voldemort told the boy, "But the question here isn't what I saw or what I know about you," He smiled, "The question is what I will do now that I have the opportunity to finally kill you and take control over this body of yours."

Alan immediately stiffened at that, "Take control of my body?"

"What else, Potter?" The Alan look-alike sneered, his red eyes filled with disgust, "You have wasted all your potential, Potter. It's about time that someone like me uses it and molds your body in a way that perfectly utilizes the ancient Potter and Peverell family Magicks. Your 'Good Boy' image will be used as a means to utterly destroy this filthy world that you hold close to yourself, as people close to you will die by your own hands."

Alan clenched his fist at Voldemort's words, "As if I will let you do that!" He screamed at the Dark Lord, "You will have to go through me to get control of this body, and I will be damned if I lose to a freak like you! I have defeated you once, and I will do it again!"

"And I have defeated you twice already, Boy!" Voldemort announced, his red eyes glaring dagger at the Boy-Who-Lived, "If it wasn't for that wretched brother of yours, you would have been dead many times by now. Twice by my own hands!"

Alan winced at Harry's name, he still had a lot of things to ask his brother about, and there were definitely one or two apologies that he owed to the eldest Potter. But that was for later. For now, he needed to defeat Voldemort, or at least keep the Dark Lord at bay so that he couldn't control his body.

"I see, you want to die in pain, and suffer my wrath instead of the painless, swift death that you were offered," Alan look-alike-Voldemort said and took his stance as he flicked a wand out, "Then so be it…"

Alan steeled his nerves as he glared at Voldemort, he knew that his opponent was probably the strongest he had ever faced, as it was Voldemort himself, and this time Harry could never come to save him. He flicked his hand too and was surprised when the same wand came out that was in Voldemort's hand.

'Alright…' Alan thought, 'It's time to defeat a psycho and stop him from killing me…easy enough' He dodged two red bolts of pure energy which dissipated in the space behind him, 'Or maybe not..'

"You still don't want me to give him the Wiggenweld Potion? The boy has been this way for about an hour now," The Matron of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry asked her employer, who stood by her side.

Dumbledore looked at Alan Potter's twitching form, which was in the secluded section of the Hospital wing. The boy had been shifted to the Hospital wing after his brother had left him in the Headmaster's office.

But it was today that Pomfrey had reported strange magical energy around the younger Potter, and he had immediately left his meeting with Bagman and the others who were in Hogwarts to finalize the preparations for the Yule Ball that was going to be held tomorrow.

"Yes, Poppy, I don't want you to give Alan the potion," Dumbledore told her somberly. He hadn't told her anything that day when Poppy had asked him exactly 'why' the youngest Potter had been given the Draught of Living Death. Only that it was for his and everyone's betterment. She was asked to just monitor him and take care of the boy until it was time to give him the antidote.

Poppy had made one hell of a ruckus when she had seen Alan's condition and Dumbledore was thankful that the Matron trusted him enough that she hadn't even suspected it when he had used a small bit of compulsion on her.

He hadn't wanted to do that, it made his skin crawl with disgust when he had to resort to those methods and play with the trust that his friends and employees had in him. But there was no other option. If he hadn't done that, then he was sure that Poppy wouldn't have relented in her inquisition. After all, he couldn't just tell her 'Oh, Alan got possessed by the piece of Voldemort's soul in his scar and fought his brother,' right? The compulsion charm helped there.

"But the boy is obviously in pain, Albus," Poppy was worried, "And his magic is fluctuating too much, it's as if the boy's magic is fighting to take control of something within his own body, I don't think I have ever seen anything like that."

'That's because there has never been a case like Alan Potter, Poppy' Dumbledore thought, but didn't say, "I am sure that whatever is ailing the boy, his magic is trying to heal him and…remove it."

"It would be much easier if you could tell me exactly what it is that the poor boy is suffering from," The medi-witch glared at Dumbledore, "Honestly, the way his facial muscles are switching from being tightly scrunched to immediate relaxation, it seems that the boy is suffering constant bouts of Cruciatus exposure, something that is absolutely impossible."

Dumbledore's eyes widened at that, he hadn't thought of the possibility that Voldemort might be torturing Alan's soul to get control of his body. And, now that he knew, he still couldn't do much because he was sure that Voldemort would immediately come out, and he didn't have enough power to stop the Dark Lord. Not with so many children around them, and not without Harry.

"I am sorry, Poppy," Dumbledore sighed as he turned from the boy, "I really wish I could.I need you to trust me on this, we have no other choice but to wait for the right time. If we want to save everyone, we will have to wait more."

"And when will your 'right time' come, Albus?" Pomfrey cried after him, "When will you give the boy the antidote to the Draught and rid him of his obvious suffering?"

"Hopefully soon," Dumbledore looked toward the snow covered grounds that were outside the Hospital wing, "Until then I want you to continue to take care of the boy, and report to me if anything else happens. Also, please tell me if his twitches stop. If they do not stop soon, then you should give him some pain relievers and some muscle relaxers."

Poppy shook her head tiredly, "I will see what I can do while you make him suffer like this."

"I am not doing this for my personal benefit, Poppy, you should know better than that," There was a hint of frustration in his voice, "I am not proud of what I am doing to the boy, so please do not take my reluctance as a sign of pleasure or satisfaction, I hate myself for doing this."

"Then why are you doing this?!" Pomfrey cried, "Just tell me what this boy is suffering from and let me give him the Wiggenweld potion. I'll do my best to heal him."

"He doesn't need a healer's magic, Poppy," Dumbledore sighed, "The thing he's suffering from can only be cured by two people."

"Who?"

"Either his brother, Harry, or Alandale will have to heal himself."

"But, didn't you say that Harry is out of Hogwarts for some Guild work?" Pomfrey asked him, as that was what she remembered the headmaster telling her and the other professors during their yearly meeting on the winter solstice.

"He is, and that is why I am telling you," Dumbledore took a deep breath as he made up his mind, "You cannot give Alan the Wiggenweld Potion unless the boy's health is in grave danger, and even then you will alert me and only do it in my presence. The only other person who can be present in my absence is Harry Potter, and no one else. Am I clear?" he asked sternly.

Poppy opened her mouth to give a harsh response and tell the headmaster that she was a healer first and his employee second, but the absolute resolution, and the force in his eyes, made her rethink her words. In the end, she paused to think about what he had said and then she gave her agreement reluctantly.

"Good, thank you for taking care of Alan, Poppy," Dumbledore turned to look back at the boy, his eyes softening slightly "You don't know how much you are helping him."

She wanted to tell him that she wasn't doing anything, and that it was because he wasn't telling her the complete truth. But she knew that the topic would end the same way, so she decided to just stay silent.

Pomfrey watched Dumbledore move toward the door when she got a random query, "Albus?" He turned. "It's the Yule Ball tomorrow, and Alan is a champion. Isn't he supposed to be present in the opening dance?"

Albus nodded, "Yes, he should be, but it's not a requirement as the Yule Ball was mostly started for other schools to mingle and share stories and laughs while enjoying a night of fun."

"But the traditions…"

"They are a way to give honor to the champion. It's not a requirement and since the Yule Ball isn't a 'task' of the tournament, Alan's magic will not be damaged if he stays out of it." And with that, Dumbledore bid her goodbye as he left the wing. Poppy turned to look at the boy, he had that relaxed expression again which meant that he wasn't suffering from the pain.

She covered his body in a blanket and measured his temperature which, strangely enough, was normal. After that, she left the room reactivating the alert charm that would alert her if there was any shift in his magic again.

Brown eyes glared at the form in front of them, at the dark lord who had taken his form and was glaring with equal anger and hatred back at him. There weren't any cuts on either of their bodies, no rupture of skin, poking of bones, no torn clothes or anything like that. Hell neither of them were breathing heavily either because there was no need to breathe in the first place.

And Alan knew why.

This weird place that he had thought he was trapped in by Voldemort, was actually his own mindscape and Voldemort was the one who was trapped here, right in his scar. This was the place where all of his memories were stored, which definitely told him why there were so many objects and why each they held a memory.

Apparently, there was something called occlumency? It was an Art of the Mind that made a barrier and a construct to organize one's mind and memories. And, since his mindscape was basically a freely floating space with all his memories spread out in forms of various objects, it was quite obvious that he was pants at this occlumency thing that Voldemort had gloated about.

"You know you won't win this, Potter," Voldemort sneered, "The control on your magic and body that you need has severely deteriorated because of my weeks of work on your magic. You are basically working on the left out part that I didn't have enough time to convert to mine."

"And you are forgetting that this is my body and my mind, Voldemort," Alan shouted, "You are but a weak part of the whole, you are nothing compared to me here." The redhead smirked when he saw the other one bristle at his words.

Alan knew that this scarmort was right, because even if there were no cuts or obvious signs of a duel, they had been fighting for hours now and whenever a spell landed on the other one, the pain was quite obvious.

So, even if he wasn't sweating or sporting cuts over his body, Alan knew that he was getting exhausted mentally and the exhaustion was shown in his movements and his magic. And then there was the pain that both of them suffered from.

The boy-who-lived knew that even if the Dark Lord wasn't showing it, he was still suffering from the pain. The spells that he had managed to land on his look-alike weren't weak. They were strong, and Alan could see that his enemy's mask of haughty indifference was breaking. Slowly, yes, but it was.

And now, he only needed to find a way to hasten the process. Preferably before his magic gave up and he lost the battle, and, with it, his life.

"I don't think that time, or magic, is in your favor, Potter," The Dark Lord grinned, "I am still in much better shape than you, and that's saying something since this is your own mindscape we are talking about."

Alan grit his teeth and sent another volley of stunners at Voldemort mixed with a blasting hex, "If only I had known that you were the one who made me do all those horrible things, I would've rather died than listen to your voice!"

His look-alike laughed at that, "I wish I had that kind of power before, idiot boy," He sneered, "I would have taken control of your body long ago if I had that much leeway with the bonds. Unfortunately, my power only started to increase recently, and when yours decreased to minimum levels after that horrible show you gave with the dragon," Alan flinched at that. "I was only able to start my work after that."

The dark lord smirked at the redhead, "So you can't blame me for anything you did before that. It was all you, Potter. You are inherently bad, and worse than your brother."

The reminder of Harry being better didn't make it any easier for Alan, but surprisingly he wasn't as affected by it as he had been before. He chalked it up to finally knowing how he had actually behaved with the boy, and about their accidental meeting in Diagon Alley, something that he still needed to talk to him about.

"Harry might be better than me," Alan growled, surprisingly not feeling shame on admitting the truth, "But that doesn't mean I am bad. It just means that I have to better myself."

"Tough words for someone who's going to die in a few minutes," Voldemort smirked cruelly before his red eyes gleamed and he raised his hand towards the floating milk bottle.

Alan was both confused and worried. Why would the dark lord summon the memory that was in the shape of his milk bottle? But then the boy was horrified when he saw that Voldemort grabbed the bottle and drenched it in his magic.

The bottle suddenly gained a dark, dirty green aura and Alan could feel the memory changing. He could feel the memory turning from a happy and joyous one to that of cruelty and nightmare. His eyes widened when he realized that Tom Riddle's magic had changed his actual happy memory of his mother and turned it into a nightmare.

"And now you shall suffer the pain that you never knew!" With that Voldemort threw the cursed bottle shaped memory towards Alan. The boy's eyes widened as he dodged the attack, he saw the psychopath summon another one of his happy memories and turn it before launching it too.

"What the-" Alan dodged it and looked behind himself when he saw the floating cursed memories. The Dark Lord had cursed his memories. He had destroyed his happy memories and his magic had turned them into ugly nightmares.

And Voldemort was slowly turning all of his happy memories into nightmares and launching them at Alan like bombs. The Boy-who-lived knew that if he got touched by even one of them, he'd be forced to watch the memory again and suffer the pain that came with it.

The younger redhead dodged two more memories, and was about to turn when something hit his leg. He looked at the green aura around his first quidditch memory. His eyes widened in shock as the memory blasted on contact and his vision turned white.

.

Outside the mindscape, Poppy sat beside the boy as she looked over her patient worriedly. The boy's magic had started to react even more violently and that wasn't a good thing. It had been hours since this strange thing had started and even now it still was going, in fact the pain, flinches, and the magical lashes were even more rapid and reckless now.

She checked his temperature and his pulse, both were steadily going higher. She opened his mouth and slowly poured the muscle relaxer to stop his muscles from spasming and his heart from beating so hard that the boy accidentally went into cardiac arrest.

The Matron tried to stabilize Alan's magic with her own but as soon as her magic connected with the boy's she was thrown back a few steps from the harsh backlash that she received. Alan's magic wasn't in the mood to be in contact with anyone else's right now, so she simply sat back on the stool as she kept on monitoring his status through the night.

Alan screamed in pain when he returned from the memory. It was horrible, Voldemort's magic had changed it so much that he knew he'd have nightmares of the fall he saw. Even though he knew that nothing like that happened in reality.

He heard Tom's laughter and the boy glared at him. 'This..this creature….' he screamed in frustration as he looked around and spotted the Birthday cake memory. He knew it was one of his happy memories so it wouldn't harm him.

Alan didn't notice that he had accidentally summoned the memory to himself from afar, something that he hadn't been able to do yet, as he grabbed it and threw it at his red eyed look-alike in frustration.

Voldemort stopped laughing when he saw the memory and immediately dodged it. He glared at Alan, "What do you think you'll achieve with that, Potter?" He sneered, "You think you have the power to do that for much longer? You are wrong! You are nothing but a weak and arrogant wizard who is trying to challenge the strongest wizard of all time. You should have just died easily when you had the chance."

Alan on the other hand was still reeling from the shock with the amount of fear that Tom showed when he had dodged the memory. He then remembered that each time the evil spirit grabbed a happy memory, there was some amount of pain that showed on his face which he tried to hide.

His brain was working really fast now as he thought about ways to utilize this small observation. Even now he could see that Voldemort winced when he grabbed the cake shaped memory and turned it into a nightmare.

This meant that since nightmares were a curse for him and a boon for Voldemort, the happy memories played the same role, only in reverse.

Alan grinned when he reached that conclusion, 'Alright Tom, it's time to actually begin the battle of memories…' The boy grinned as a plan started forming in his head. It was a foolish idea, and a very flawed plan. But it had a really small chance of working, and, right now, anything that worked against Voldemort would be classified as a boon in Alan's eyes.

What followed was a bizarre event where both specters started summoning and throwing object shaped memories at each other. Alan learned that he could summon as many as four happy memories at once and also that Voldemort was also heavily affected by happy memories if one managed to touch him.

Just like Alan, the Dark Lord would also be forced to relive a memory when it touched him and, despite the length of the memory, it would only be a momentary lapse during their battle, which meant that they would return almost immediately from the memory and start throwing it.

Unfortunately, the youngest Potter also realized three things. One, Voldemort could summon seven nightmares at once; two, converting a memory like the Dark Lord was doing was extremely painful and taxing on his magical strength, so he had to avoid doing that and instead focus on using his already happy memories; and three, he didn't have much strength left now.

Unfortunately his enemy had noticed the three things too if the grin that stretched across his face was any indication.

"Tired, are we?" Voldemort smiled, "I told you Potter, you are weak. And a weak person can never stand against a strong person."

"You aren't much better yourself, Tom," Alan grinned when Voldemort bristled angrily at the name, "We both know that you aren't as strong as you were when we started. I might be weak right now, but that's because you are holding my magic and using it against me."

"And soon you will lose your control over the meager amount of magic you still have," The Dark Lord's red eyes gleamed, "Once that happens, I will destroy you and the world shall fear my name once more."

Alan shook his head, he can't let that happen. He can't let Voldemort win. Not when the world was living peacefully. It would be an absolute nightmare for every single living being!

That's when Alan looked behind the dark lord and saw all the happy memories that were still floating behind the dark lord which had been thrown at him by Alan. He knew that a fairly similar amount of nightmares were floating behind him which he had dodged from Voldemort's side. The plan he was thinking of was a really stupid one, and now he knew that if he failed then there would be no one to save him, or the world.

But it was the only thing he could think of and he knew that he'd have to execute it to perfection, even a single miss wouldn't work in his favor.

Voldemort saw Alan summon two more happy memories and he shook his head tiredly, the boy was a persistent one that was for sure. But, according to the dark lord, persistence never helped you achieve your goal if it was too high for you. One should know when, and where, to stop.

"Foolish boy.." He muttered as he summoned three more nightmares and launched them at the boy. Unsurprisingly, the boy launched the happy memories too but surprisingly, the happy memories collided head-on with the nightmares causing all four of them to blast out as blinding white light filled the battle mindscape.

Alan sidestepped the third nightmare that was launched at him, it was time now. He shielded his eyes from the white light and grit his teeth as he raised his hand towards all the happy memories that were floating behind Tom and summoned them toward the point where the being stood.

Voldemort was just about to open his eyes when suddenly he was hit from many sides, he was confused just for a moment as to what had hit him like this. But immediately the magic of the happy memories coursed through him and Voldemort felt pain like he had never before. It was like his Cruciatus but increased many-fold and each of them pierced his very being.

When the light from the collision subsided and Alan opened his eyes, he saw the kneeling form of the Dark Lord. His eyes were closed in pain and he was screaming his voice out as each of the happy memories that floated behind him were attacking him now. The younger redhead knew that he couldn't miss now because if he did, there would be no chance to survive.

So, Alan grit his teeth at the fleeting amount of magic he had as he floated towards the dark lord. He knew that this would be his last attack, and, if it didn't kill Voldemort, then the psychopath would surely kill him and he wouldn't be able to stop it.

Scarmort opened his eyes when he felt someone touch his head, he glared at the boy even though unbearable amounts of pain was coursing through him, "This won't hold me for long, Potter. And I will make you rue the moment I free myself," He growled like a chained angry beast.

"I know you will, and that's why I plan to destroy you now," Alan started rotating his hand over his head and summoned all the happy memories that were floating in his mindscape. Every single one of them.

"I will make you pay for this, Potter!" Voldemort screamed, "I amtheDark Lord Voldemort. I am immortal, and the strongest wizard ever! And I. Will. Utterly. Destroy. You. Filthy. Potters. One Day!"

Alan glared at his look-alike as all the happy memories were about to collide with him, "Well, that day is not today, and, if even one of us Potters live, the day won't ever come." And with that the Boy-Who-Lived used every bit of his magic to pull the memories to him. He jumped away from the dark lord and escaped the violent impact that Voldemort's prone form suffered head-on.

The last thing Alan saw, as he was thrown back from the force of the blast, was Tom's screaming form crumbling before his eyes as black smoky wisps emanated from him, the dirty green aura around the milk-bottle memory slowly receding as the taint from Voldemort's magic disappeared along with the dark lord's departure from his mindscape.

'Well….that went well…' And with that Alan closed his eyes.

Inside the infirmary, Pomfrey woke up with a jolt when she felt the alert ward break into pieces from magical overload. She rushed to the room that held Alandale, and on her way she heard an ear piercing screech that momentarily halted her.

She threw the door open and gasped in shock at the condition of the room. All the beds were thrown away, the stools, chairs, and her own table were burnt to ash, and all the windows had shattered as their frames dangled from the window sills. There were even burn marks on the walls.

Poppy rushed towards the only patient in that room and was surprised when the bed beneath him was the only thing that withstood the carnage that had happened inside the room. She touched the boy's sweaty forehead and flinched at the scalding hot temperature that was emanating from him.

The healer calmed herself a bit and started to perform the charms and procedures that were needed to counter and control the boy's irregular symptoms, like the temperature that was slowly cooling down and calming his heartbeat.

Pomfrey also noticed that Alan was taking deep breaths and he had stopped twitching or scrunching his face in pain. This was a good thing, at least. But what worried her was the ruptured scar on his forehead, and the thick black liquid that had poured out of it and was slowly releasing wisps of black smoke.

She cleaned the ruptured area first, and was about to take a sample of the black liquid, when she noticed that it had completely vanished and the pillow beneath Alan's head that was dirty a moment ago was clean again.

Poppy knew that there was only one man who could answer her questions, and he had many to answer. But that was for later, she checked the time and sighed. It would be six in the morning soon, and today was the Yule Ball. She'd tell the headmaster about this later as he will be really busy today.

The Matron checked the boy's rapidly cooling temperature again. She frowned at the speed and then checked his pulse that was slowly going weak. This wasn't a good sign, not at all. Pomfrey opened the boy's eyelids and noticed that his pupils were dilated. She flicked her wand to check on his magic and her mind halted in shock.

"Oh no…"

Alandale Potter had used every bit of magic inside him and had succumbed to a magical Coma.

Ending Note: And there you have it fellas, twentieth chapter of INNOVATOR. Do tell me if you like it or if it missed something, I am waiting.

Here's thelink to my super private serveron discord where I'll keep on updating new chapters and how to access more chapters, sneak peeks,All the Character sketches are uploaded there.And you are free to talk and ask me things regarding my fanfics, as I am mostly active there:

Its a relatively newly launched server...Beware: Lots of NSFW stuff (Yeah p*rn. Lots of it😁😂)

https://discord.gg/Gcbcv4dxGx
Name:𝕯𝖊𝖛 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐'𝖘 𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊

Thank you for reading and reviewing, bookmark the fic to stay tuned for more awesome updates,

With Regards

Dev Black

Chapter 21: Two Sides of the Same Coin {Part-2}

Chapter Text

Here's the link tomy super private serveron discord where I'll keep on updating new chapters and how to access more chapters, sneak peeks,All the character sketches are uploaded, where you are free to talk and ask me anything regarding my fanfics (as I am most active there):

Its a relatively newly launched server...

Beware: LoadsofNSFW(Yes,p*rn, and lots of it. 😂)

https://discord.gg/Gcbcv4dxGx
Name:𝕯𝖊𝖛 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐'𝖘 𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊

"I am Talking."

'I am Thinking'

Spells

IMPORTANT NOTICE AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER. DON'T FORGET TO CHECK IT!

We stopped checking for monsters under the bed when we realised they were inside us.

~Joker

INNOVATOR

-Dev Sagittarius Black

~~Chapter 21: Two Sides of the Same Coin {Part-2}~~

.

The world around him swirled, his vision blurred in pain and anguish. The people around him vanished into the torrents of magic that revolved around him, creating a vortex that would slowly suck everything inside it until there was nothing left.

The pain had been excruciating, and there was no semblance of peace as everything was taken away from him. The boy that went through with this knew that it was needed, yes, but that didn't mean that going through with it was easy. All he could see were things that revolved on and on around him. He felt various emotions within him. Some were friendly and some not. Still, it was a whole new experience to have things the way they were.

For the first time in his life, his entire world was upside down. There was so much to explain, so much to do, and all he could see and feel was a sense of extreme disorientation that was eating him both inside and out. Something that was killing him and his energy, it was as though life was being sucked out of him as the avalanche of magic was thrust inside him by the multiversal entity.

To Harry Potter, there was no end to the excruciating pain that circulated within him, something that he knew would kill him if it didn't stop anytime soon. Maybe accepting death would be a better choice than going through with this, maybe he wasn't made for this, maybe his life was made to just be a simple inventor who tinkered with things. Not to host, and control, the powers of someone as powerful as Death itself.

Still, he persevered. There was nothing he would like to do more than to just leave it all and succumb to the pain that would eventually kill him. Dying wasn't an option, though, was it? He needed to live, needed to survive. He needed to go through with this pain, and come out of itrelativelyalive. While there were many who would like nothing more to see him dead, there were many more who depended on his survival.

Images flashed before his eyes, images of people that had been there for him when he had needed them the most. Of those who had made the situation a little more bearable, a little more livable, a little more hopeful. Even though they had not been there when he had given up on everything, they were there when he needed to feel things and to be human again.

Many faces flashed before his eyes. His godfather, Sirius, grinned at him. His best friend, Blaise, waved cheekily at him. Cho and Fleur were both giving him encouraging smiles, as if they were there for him whenever he needed them. Most prominently, he saw two people smiling, not at him…they were smilingwithhim, and their smiles gave him the needed strength to survive the maelstrom that was in and around him.

One was a blonde haired witch who was in his year. She looked at him as if he was her everything in this wretched world, as if she already knew he could do everything and had the utmost faith in him and his abilities.

The other was a redhead woman, a bit older than the blonde. Her green eyes sparkled with joy, and her smile lit up a thousand worlds. She was smiling with conviction, determination, and the belief of being the mother of a warrior, a survivor, and the one person who can, and will, achieve all his goals in his life. She was the mother of a monster, yes, but she smiled as if he was nothing short of an incarnation of god in her eyes.

And that gave him the strength to endure it all.

He screamed, grunted, and grit his teeth as the entire world shook around him and the ceiling cracked. The last of the transmission finished and immediately his mind felt as if it was being crushed and burned at a pyre at the same time while his vision blurred.

The last thing he was able to perceive through his hazy, fleeting vision was a translucent shield that formed around him as he lost himself to the inky blackness that filled his vision, his body falling to the ritual chamber's stone floor.

"Invenire."

The portrait of Marcus the Manipulator smirked as he looked at the visitor before bowing, "Finally, welcome to the suite," He said as the door to the VIP suite opened.

Just as she had stepped inside, there was a small 'pop' as the suite's loyal housekeeper popped in. He looked at the entrant and gave an excited grin, "Master Potter's Miss Greengrass is in Master's suite, how can Dobby help Master's Miss?" he queried, giving a small bow.

Daphne smiled at the elf, especially at his choice of diction. She remembered that it was just a few months ago that she had finally convinced the little guy that she was, indeed, Harry Potter's Miss, and that he should refer to her as such. It started as a small prank, but now, it was definitely one of the best pranks she had ever played, at least in her opinion.

"Hello Dobby," she greeted as she approached the elf. "How are you?"

"Dobby is fine, Master Potter's Miss. Dobby has been cleaning the suite and keeping it ready for when Master comes back." He proudly showed the spectacularly clean suite that would look perfect as a five-star hotel's VIP room. Not that Dobby knew about muggle hotels, to him this was the best he could do for the one person he adored and respected the most.

"I can see that you enjoy your work very much, the suite is really clean and well organized," Daphne praised him as he puffed his chest, "I am sure that Harry will be very happy when he returns."

Dobby bobbed his head rapidly, his ears flapping wildly before his green eyes noticed Daphne's dress and he blinked, "Miss Greengrass, may Dobby know why Miss is wearing a gown to Master's suite? And how did Miss convince Master to give the suite's password to her?"

Daphne was impressed by the fact that the elf had not only asked about her intentions in a subtle manner, but also asked it in such a way that it would seem like an obvious and general question to anyone who wasn't practiced with the pureblood laws.

"It's the Yule Ball today, Dobby," She told the elf as she smiled at him, "And I missed the person who I wanted to go to the ball with, so I came here," she walked toward one of the bookcases that were present in the room, "to the one place where I know he spends most of his time."

The loyal creature bobbed his head, "But I am sure Miss knows that Master Potter Sir isn't here. So, there is still no particular reason to visit the suite in Master's absence."

"Yes, there isn't," Daphne agreed, "but I asked him when we met, and he said that I could visit the suite whenever I wanted."

Dobby thought for some time, the expression was definitely strange on a hyperactive elf like him, but this elf wasn't the usual house elf that were found in wizarding homes. No, he was Dobby, a proud elf who worked for his master, Harry Potter, and he would do anything to make sure his master was safe from all harm and danger, no matter where, or who, it came from.

"Alright Miss. Since you have the password, Dobby is sure that Dobby's master trusted you," The diminutive creature bowed, "Call for Dobby if you need anything. Also, Master's bedroom and workshop are locked, so please, don't visit them in Master's absence." Daphne nodded her assent and, with that, the elf popped out into thin air.

The Ice Queen sighed as she looked around the suite. This didn't calm her at all. Her mind was still a wreck. At first, she had used this visit as an excuse to feel a bit closer to Harry on the day she wanted to be with him. She had even denied all the boys that had asked her to the ball and instead decided to go without a date. And that too for a short while, just for appearance sake.

But it was just that, an excuse.

Her real reason was that she still couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that the Dark Lord was back, and that she now held something that he was actively looking for. It had been an easy plan that she had thought of at first when she was throwing it in Beaufort's face. But now it seemed much more risky.

Getting to Dumbledore, giving him the cursed artifact and making him agree to protect her, her family, and Angelique was a really big thing that she wasn't sure Dumbledore would agree to. At best, they could expect him to protect her at Hogwarts, but what about her parents? What about her and her sister when they left Hogwarts and went back to the manor? What then?

There were a lot of questions, a lot of things that were on stake here. She didn't even know which option would be right and who would actually succeed this time. She really hoped that Voldemort would lose, but if, by some chance, he won, then she knew that Malfoy would whine to the Dark Lord, dooming her entire family.

Daphne violently shook her head to clear her mind,'Focus Daphne! Think! What would Harry do in this situation? What would he do to get out of this damn mess?!'

But at that moment, no idea except the one she had, came to her mind. Which meant that, one way or the other, she would have to talk to Dumbledore and make a deal with him. She just hoped that the artifact was priceless enough that Dumbledore would agree to her terms.

'But what about Harry? I don't think he even knows that Voldemort is back….' Daphne thought as she chewed on her lower lip, she knew that Harry was out for some guild work. He had told her that day when they had been in the closet and she had asked him for the ball.

"I won't be here on the day of the ball, Daphne, I don't think I'll be at Hogwarts for quite some time…"

That's what he had told her and Daphne knew that it would be impossible to contact him when he was in the guild. Which meant that she needed to somehow leave him a note or a message. And that too, in a place secret enough that only he could see and bold enough that hedoessee it when he comes back from the Guild.

'But where to find such a thing…?' The Greengrass heiress thought as she looked around the room for something that would fit her requirement. It was then that her eyes fell upon a piece of newspaper sticking out from between the two red leather bound books on the bookshelf.

Daphne gently pulled out the newspaper, it looked a bit old and was folded quite well, as if whoever had placed it here had deliberately folded it neatly to keep it here. She wondered why would Harry do so? Well, it was Harry, who knows why he did half of the things he did? But if the paper was kept safe and neatly folded, it meant that it was special for Harry, right? Obviously!

'Maybe Harry kept the article when his name came in the papers for the first time?' Daphne thought with a small bout of curiosity and excitement as she slowly opened the paper. Her eyes widened and her hands trembled as the piece of neatly folded paper fell from her hands. Written on the paper, in bold, was the one incident that had shook the very foundations of the Wizarding world half-a-decade ago. The thing that had gripped the entirety of Wizarding Britain with something akin to a terrifying and horrible nightmare.

"Massacre at the Morte Tower"

The young witch still remembered this event as if it was only yesterday when her father had called for a family meeting for the first time after the war. Her grandmother, her aunt, her mother, and herself had been there for him. Astoria hadn't been allowed as she was too small, and Daphne had only been allowed because she was ten and would join Hogwarts in a year.

Her father, the one person who had always been the most calm and collected man she had ever seen, the one person who was the strongest man she knew and the one who had single handedly protected them from the Dark and the Light side, even when her uncle had taken the mark, the one person who she had always looked up to and considered as her idol, was shaking in his boots. Her father was, in one word, terrified. He was afraid, and there was nothing that could ever make her forget that day. The day when the entire world learned that the prestigious Morte Tower of Britain had been ravaged! And it was a group, because it had to be a group, of wizards that had ravaged the Morte Tower. Why?

Because the alternative was a single man going on a rampage and killing ninety-two full-fledged Wizards single handedly, in a single night….and that….was more far more scary.

'Why did Harry keep this thing safe?'

(Note: The PoV changes from here. It's in First Person PoV now. Also, there is some gore and a little bit of 'Emotional Traum' ahead. I know you didn't expect it, but this is the side of Coin which shows Harry's past and explains why he is, the way he is. So,be prepared. Enjoy!)

Water dripped from the ceiling. Its sound echoing through the dark corridors in which I stood. I looked down at the iron bars that were in front of my eyes. I wasn't looking at the iron bars, but more at the two people that were behind them.

A pale faced woman sat in front of me, leaning against the dirty wall of the cell, her once vibrant red hair was now a dull shade of burgundy, clumped with the moisture permeating the cell and dirty because of the grime that was infesting it. She was slowly patting the head of a small child who was lying with his head in her lap. Her long fingers moved with expertise through the raven black locks that were equally dirty as the woman's. Both of them had thick handcuffs around their wrists that were supposed to suppress magic.

I knew who they were. I knew where I was. And I knew that I was here because of the ritual that I had gone through. What I didn't know was the 'why'. Why was I witnessing this? Why was I here? Why was I looking at my past self and my mother when we were in captivity? WHY?!

"Mom?" My younger self's voice broke the looming silence.

"Yes Harry?"

"Why are we here?" He asked her, "Why did they bring us here? What did we do?"

"Nothing sweetie," Lily tried to assure him, "We did nothing wrong. These…." She took a deep breath, trying to hold back her frustrations, "These…men are just angry that your dad was able to protect us and that your brother is famous."

I knew what mom meant but my younger self didn't, "But mom, didn't you and Gramma say that Dad did the right thing and that we should always be proud of it? And it's not Alan's fault that he's famous, right?"

Lily smiled at her eldest son, "You are absolutely correct, Harry," she sighed, "but I don't think these people will ever learn that. That's why they brought us here."

"But it's been a long time, and I want to go out," my younger self looked at the bars through which I was looking at him, "I don't know how Gramma is or if she's worried about us too….she'll be worried, right mom? I don't want her to be worried." He sniffed as his eyes started filling with tears, "And Alan too, I want to see him again, do you think he'll know that we haven't been with him for a…I don't even know how long it has been."

Mom pulled my younger self close and hugged him, "It's been a week, Sweetie, we have been here for seven days." She closed her eyes, and I could see she was trying to stem down the tears as she softly patted her son's back.

"How do you know that, mum?"

Lily hesitated for just a second, "The room they take me in," She told him, "That room has a clock and a calendar, so I know that it's been a week since we were brought here."

No one said anything for some time, but then my younger self asked, "Mom?" His voice was hesitant, "In..in the room…they don't touch you in a bad way, r-right?" He didn't want to look in her eyes as he knew that she would be shocked, and he was right too. I could see Mom's eyes widen in shock as her mouth gaped a bit.

"Ho-how do you even know what a 'bad touch' is, Harry?" Lily asked her four-year-old son.

Harry hesitated for a moment, but then he decided to answer it as honestly as possible, "I-I once heard Padfoot talk about it," The small kid didn't bother looking in his mom's eyes, "He was talking about protecting some woman who would have been touched in a…bad way by some men at a party, and I asked him what 'bad touch' meant."

"And Sirius told you?" Lily asked her son who nodded, "And my little boy somehow remembered it all?"

Harry frowned at that, "I am not a small boy mom," He pouted, making Lily smile, "And I remember everything."

Lily hugged her son again, "I am so happy that you have such an excellent memory, sweetie, I really am," she gave him a small forehead kiss, "But promise me, you won't ask such things from Sirius or anyone else. Only from your mom and grandma, alright? Sirius is a good man, but he sometimes forgets that you're still a young mind who remembers everything." She placated him and tried not to make him pout, even though he looked so cute when he did.

"And no," Lily continued, "The men don't touch your mom in a bad way, they are just…angry. And they use your mom as a…reprieve for that."

I now understood what she meant back then. They didn't touch her, but they did vent their anger and frustrations on her by cursing and torturing her. She just didn't want my younger self to know that she was in pain or suffering the aftereffects of cruciatus and other curses throughout her duration in this prison.

I never knew back then, but yes, my mom was a really strong woman. Enduring everything and not letting out a sob in front of her child so that he doesn't feel bad or uncomfortable. 'What a hero you were, Mom.'

"Will we be able to leave this place one day, Mom?" My younger self asked her again, this time looking in the eyes that were exactly the same shade as his own.

"Yes Sweetie," Lily took a deep, shuddering breath but smiled to show her strength, "Yes, one day you will be free and meet Alan again, and Dorea too. I am sure you would love to hear your Gramma's bedtime stories, right?" She patted his head and I could sense the broken tone of her voice.

The way she said it, the way she only said I would be free of the tower and meet Alan. I sighed. My mom already knew she wouldn't be able to leave the tower alive. She knew that it was the last time she had seen her youngest, and that one day it would be the last time she would see me too.

I was too young to notice it back then, I was too dumb to see that my mother had already left, and now all I had was the woman who was waiting for death to greet her and relieve her from the obvious pain that she was suffering from.

Soon footfalls were heard and I looked to the thick metal door on my right, it was the same one that our 'caretakers' used to come from. I looked back at my mom and saw her face pale. This wasn't what I had wanted to see, not at all. If my memory served me right, and it always did, then this was the seventh day here and the last time I had seen my mom.

This was the last time I was actually hugging her. Why was Death making me watch these trapped memories again?!

"Harry?" Lily asked her son, who was shivering in her arms. Probably from the fear of the footfalls that both of them had heard.

"Harry..Harry look at me, stop shivering Sweetie," Lily held her son close to comfort him and made him look into her eyes. For a moment everything stopped for her as she looked into the same emeralds that she herself possessed. They were so innocent, so full of life and so nervous.

"Harry, can you promise your momma something?" Mom asked my younger self who immediately nodded, "I want you to protect Alan. I want you to protect your brother and your grandma at all costs, alright?"

Younger Harry was a bit confused, "But I will protect them anyways," He told her, "I will protect you, and Alan, and Gramma Rea. I will protect everyone once we are released from here."

Lily held back her tears, "I know you will, my young man," they shared a small smile at the nickname she gave her son a few months ago, "But I want you to promise me. I want to make sure that you remember this promise, and keep it until the time comes when you can't keep it anymore."

Younger Harry was confused again at the tone of emergency in his mom's voice, even he could sense the panic and the restlessness, "Mo-mom? Is..Is everything alright?"

"Everything is perfectly fine, Sweetie," Lily lied, "I just want you to promise me that you'll be strong, I am not saying just strong in one field. I want you to be strong enough to protect your loved ones, to be strong enough to save all of us from falling to this fate ever again."

"Why would we fall to this fate again, Mom?" Harry asked her, "We will never be caught by surprise, we will lock the manor down and only-"

The sound of footfalls were increasing and so was the panic inside my mom. I could see the dread on her face, and I knew that she wasn't expecting herself to live anymore. She already knew that this would be her last day.

"Promise me Harry!" She screamed, "Promise me that you will be the strongest man, strong enough to always do the right thing. Promise me that you won't ever fall to corruption, to the taste of power, and promise me that you'll always protect your loved ones," Tears started to fall from her eyes as she shook her son, "Promise me!"

"I-I promise mom.." The scared little boy whispered and he was surprised when his mother pulled him into a bone crushing hug, just as a loud bang echoed in the corridor and they knew that their caretakers had arrived.

I saw the group of five men that had entered the corridor. I remembered each and every one of their faces, and why wouldn't I? After all, these were the faces that had been my motivation to become the strongest man for the next three years of my captivity in the Morte tower.

"Always remember, Harry," Lily whispered as she kissed her son's forehead, "Your mom loves you, and she will support you in everything." She smiled as her son nodded, "Always remember that your mom is with you. Because I will be. I will always be with you, watching over you, and encouraging you to do the right thing."

I saw the group of creatures that were the 'caretakers of the Morte tower' laugh at us. I even tried punching one of them, but I already knew that this was basically a memory and I was right because my hand just passed through his head. Then one of them, Josh, banged his baton on the bars to get our attention.

"It's time to end this sappy show you f*ckers are throwing." He sneered, "Get moving, mudblood, you know the deal." He gave a nasty grin that made me want to kill him all over again.

But neither Lily, nor Harry, moved out of the embrace. Lily was openly shedding tears now and hugging her son as if he was her lifeline, and Harry didn't want his mom to cry or worry about him.

"Can't you hear, you mindless bitch?!" Another man shouted as he opened the door of the cell, "Get your filthy ass moving, right now!"

Lily hugged her son tighter and gave him another kiss on his forehead, "Always remember that Momma is with you, Harry, and I will be proud of you no matter what you do, alright?"

Harry nodded, his face still in his mother's bosom, "I will make you proud, Mom." His muffled voice came, "I will be the best and make you proud of me, I will not let you down. Ever."

Lily patted her son and smiled, a last tear filled one, "I know you won't, you are my son after all." She gave him another hug and a forehead kiss as Harry hugged her tightly.

"Mark, what the f*ck are you waiting for?" Josh growled at the one who was standing in the cell's gateway, "Drag the bitch out o' the cell."

"At your order, sir!"

I saw Mark enter the cell and separate us, I witnessed how my mom cried and how my younger self tried to fight the guard as he pulled mom out of the cell. My younger self couldn't bear to lose her that time, so he jumped at Mark and that's when the guard gave a strong kick to his chest.

"HARRY!" Lily screamed as she watched her son being thrown back to the wall and fall on the ground, releasing a painful groan, "YOU….!" She screamed at Mark and pushed him down with surprising strength as she started punching and scratching the guard's face.

Other guards came and pulled her away from Mark who wiped his bloodied face and glared murderously at Lily, "You seem to forget where you are mudblood."

"And you seem to forget who you are up against," Lily spat on the ground, "Putting these handcuffs on me and pretending to be all powerful when three men are holding me back, what a shameful little freak you are!"

Mark just glared at her as he clenched his fists.

"As long as I live, no one touches my son. NO ONE!" Lily shouted at Mark as she tried to get free from the guards who were holding her, "Do not forget the deal!"

"Then maybe we should take care of that thing first," Mark growled and left the cell to go and stand near Josh, "Bring her, it's time to teach her some proper manners, let's see how resilient she is."

Lily gulped but her glare didn't recede one bit. As she was dragged out of her cell, she looked back at her son who was slowly opening his eyes again. Lily smiled at her son, her eyes filled with tears as the guards pulled her away.

I stood there as I watched all this happen again in front of my eyes. My blood boiled and I wanted nothing more than to kill these freaks. Torture them, make them scream and beg for their pesky lives as I chopped them away.

And I did. That one night when I was able to do all of it had been the most satisfying night for me.

I watched my younger self slowly get up from the floor and glare at the prison bars. I knew that I had heard all of it and at that time, only one thought was rapidly going inside my mind. 'I have to fulfill the promise I made..'

Mom had never returned that day. And somehow after the fourth day, I gave up hope that she ever would. Years later, I came to know that she had left me alone that day. They had transported her in a coffin with a letter that said that soon I would be sent that way too if Alandale Potter wasn't given to them.

But I hadn't been sent. No, I was too stubborn to just roll over and die. I had a promise to keep, people to protect, a goal to live for, and…a tower to annihilate.

The scene changed before my eyes as the world vanished and a new one appeared. I still didn't know why the merlin-be-damned Entity was making me watch these cursed memories once more but this time I stood in a darkened corner. Same tower, same corridor, same cell, and same prisoner.

The only thing that was different was the time.

I looked at my past self as he scraped lines on the wall behind him. The walls were full of those. These lines were the number of times they came to give me a tray of hard bread and a glass of water. I had somehow managed to get it from one of the patrolling guards that they were supposed to feed me once daily. Which meant that each time a tray of food was brought, a day had passed.

I didn't know at what age I was looking at myself right now, I had been in captivity for three years. So this could be any of my four, five or six-year-old self. But judging by my height and the number of lines, I would say either six or relatively close to it.

I heard footsteps from the corridor and decided to take a look to guess the time, so I left my younger self and stepped out of the cell. The iron bars passing through my translucent body. The footsteps were fast, which meant whoever it was, was either angry or in a hurry.

The door opened and I looked at the man who stepped inside. Guard Timothy, Tim for short. He had been one of the newest recruits for the tower, and the only one who actually talked to me every once in a while. He used to tell me how the outside world was and what day it was. Going as far as to give me his lunch once a month, and that was way more than I could have asked for.

But the expression on his face told me what day it was that Death was making me was the day I had been waiting for during the three years of my captivity.

The day I had been granted my sweet release.

"Harry, Harry!" Tim whispered loudly, calling the boy who was scrapping on the wall. He snapped his fingers and got the boy's attention, "Harry, come here. Come-come," The guard fumbled with his pocket and pulled out a long iron key, he opened the door of the cell and stepped inside.

"Harry, I will say this once, and you better remember it, alright?" Tim asked the boy as he bent down to his eye-level, "The guards on duty are celebrating the joining of a new member to 'The Council', so they are a bit busy with the festivities. We won't get another chance like this. I want you to stay as close to me as possible and watch my back, alright?"

"Tim?" The younger Harry asked in confusion, "What…what are we going to do?"

Tim smiled at the boy as he patted his head, "We are escaping."

The new member who joined that day had been none other than Lucius Malfoy. The one person who had successfully evaded me on the day I had made my return to the Morte tower. The one person who had been slippery enough to save himself and his son's hide from me even till now.

After that it was all just as I remembered. Tim and I had sneaked around the corners, escaping the random patrol guards and tip-toeing through the corridors as we slowly climbed our way out from the tower's dungeons. Tim had tried to alter my appearance and make me look older but the magic suppressing handcuffs prevented it, and unfortunately only the chief of the caretakers could open the cuffs without breaking them.

Still, everything hadn't been sunshine and daisies that night. And the same thing happened again, just as I remembered it.

Two drunk guards had decided to take a walk that night. They left the 'party room' and unfortunately we came face-to-face with them. Tim was fast enough to kill them both but he wasn't fast enough to stop one of them from raising the alarm.

After that, my helper removed his shirt and tied my frail self to his front and with his wand in his hand, he ran for the exit. Throwing blasting hexes at the guards that swarmed us, killing many and dodging their curses all the way to the first floor because the ground floor was sealed shut.

I didn't want to watch what happened next but I knew I had to. And I did.

I watched as Tim made a run for the window on the first floor and, holding me close, he jumped out of it, back first. The window glass shattered with a loud noise as he fell on the grassy ground that surrounded the tower.

Tim groaned in pain as he held my younger self close to his chest. Still, the man knew he didn't have any time, and that 'The Council' would kill them both if they got the chance. So, instead of waiting, he forced himself on his feet as he staggered to the ward line, killing the few guards that were around it.

"Harry, I want you to listen to me, and I won't-won't be…able to repeat, alright?" Tim panted as he untied my younger self and fell on his knees, both of us had cuts and bruises on ourselves but my only friend had shielded me from almost all of them as his body was literally bleeding from everywhere.

"TIM!" Harry screamed but said man just waved him off as he gulped for air.

"I want you to leave this place, listen carefully to what I say.." He took another gulp of air as he looked around himself, "Go to Diagon Alley and, once there, go to Gringotts, you know where Gringotts is? Ever been there?"

Harry shook his head.

"f*ck.." Tim cursed, "It's a big white building in the center of Diagon Alley, alright? You go inside and go to one of the goblin tellers. Do you know what goblins are or what they look like?"

The younger mage nodded rapidly, "I have seen pictures in my storybooks, they have a-"

"Good-good," Tim panted a bit more, "Go to one of the tellers and tell him you are Harry Potter and want to prove it. Then once you've done that-"

"Why would I want to prove myself? I am Harry Potter! I can simply go to Potter manor and-"

"There is no Potter Manor!" Tim growled, "Your manor was razed to the ground a year ago by 'The Council', there is nothing left there!"

"But…" Younger Harry's eyes filled with tears when he heard that, "What about Alan? What about Gramma Rea? What-what about our elves? What happened to them?"

Angry shouts could be heard from the tower's direction and Tim got a panicked look in his eyes as he held Harry close, "I don't know what happened to them. Alan Potter is safe but I am not sure about this 'Gramma Rea' or the Potter elves, the manor isn't there. That's why you go to Diagon Alley, alright? Go to Gringotts and prove you are Harry Potter, the goblins will protect you from 'The Council' as Gringotts is goblin territory and wizards can't do sh*t there."

Harry nodded his head rapidly as he took in everything, this was really important for him as he could hear the shouts getting louder.

"After you have proved yourself, ask Gringotts to call for Albus Dumbledore, can you remember that name?" Harry again bobbed his head, "Good, call for Albus Dumbledore and tell him everything. Okay? He is the only one who can protect you from 'The Council' right now."

"Shouldn't we go to the hospital first, you need to-"

"I don't need anything, Potter," Tim shook his head, "The only thing I need right now is for you to do just as I said. The moment you leave this place, The Council will be alerted and you will be hunted like a mad dog throughout the world. The hospital can't be trusted with protecting you, the only way is to go to Gringotts first, then call for Dumbledore, understand?"

Harry gulped at the conviction that was in Tim's eyes, he agreed, "Diagon Alley, Gringotts, Albus Dumbledore, got it."

"Good, now take this," Tim shoved his wand in Harry's hand and a few coins from his pocket, "Raise the wand facing the road."

"But Tim-"

"NOW POTTER!"

The voices were growing and I saw two men jump out of the ward line as they spotted us and shouted to the others that were following Tim and my younger self.

"DO IT!" Tim screamed again as he slowly staggered back to his full height. While younger Harry raised the wand facing the road and within seconds there was a loud bang as a double-decker bus in the most vibrant shade of purple stood near us.

The door opened and a thin lanky boy with numerous pimples stood in the doorway with a slightly tilted beanie on his head as he read from a slip in his hand, "Welcome to the Knight bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or-"

"Take the boy to Diagon," Tim growled at the conductor who's eyes widened at the man's condition. "Do not, under any circ*mstance, drop him at the Cauldron. Take him through the south-west entrance, the alley behind the dilapidated Victor manor, you know that one, eh?"

The boy with the beanie bobbed his head. "Well, get to the damn thing then, what the hell are you waiting fo'?! And do NOT leave him till he has entered the Diagon, here, keep the change," Tim tossed a galleon in the conductor's direction who deftly caught it.

"Now toss off, and do NOT STOP!"

I watched as Stan, the conductor, picked my crying and screaming self up as the door was closed and Tim prepared to fight the oncoming guards and prevent them from following the bus as it swiftly vanished into the night's air.

I knew what had happened after this. It had been just as Tim had told me to do that day. I had gone to Diagon, went through the wall of the dilapidated Victor manor and entered Diagon Alley through the South-west entrance. I had even spotted the large white building that was Gringotts.

Unfortunately, exhaustion had finally taken over my mind and body as the night's rush took its toll on my already malnourished and tired self, or was it the blood loss? Maybe both? Still, I had fallen unconscious on my way to Gringotts and someone must have picked me up from the road and placed me in the corner of an ice-cream parlor the next day, as the next thing I remembered was my brother, Alan, waking me up and giving me an ice-cream as he discussed with his friend how 'Harry Potter was dead'.

The world rotated around me once more. And this time I wondered when it would finally stop. I was getting tired of this. Tired and angry. Why was Death making me watch all of my worst memories again and again? Was this its way of mocking me? Why was it doing this?!

Still, I didn't get a response as suddenly I stood in the corridor once more. This time, it was lit on both sides with torches and I could hear shouts coming from behind the locked doors in front of me.

Unfortunately, I was still in the Tower, apparently for some reason Death was adamant that I watched all of my memories regarding the Tower. Even when I didn't want to. Though if I remember it right, the only time I visited the tower after I had left it, was when I was ten years old.

And, if I was only watchingmymemories, then this was the last time I had visited the Tower. It had also been the last night that the tower stood tall.

The door that had been locked a while ago slammed open and…yeah, my ten-year-old self walked through it. I was dressed in charcoal black. Everything from my shirt, pants, and the free movement armor on my torso to the utility belt on my waist that held potions, salves, and chewable herbs. My gloves with the poisoned daggers hidden inside them, my shoes. Everything was black.

The only two things that weren't black were the silver glare of my eyes, which was powered by myRunes of Potentia,and the blood that was splattered on my face, clothes, and the Deathwood wand that was in my right hand.

I still don't know how I could ever thank both the Flamels. It was only through sheer luck that I met Lady Flamel in Diagon Alley, where I was working as a part-time chore boy for all the shops there. She was in one of the recently opened cafes, and had been surprised when she saw a boy as young as me serve her.

She had loved the delicacy and, on asking, she came to know that it was actually one of my creations. After that, she called me to talk with me and offered me a place in her home if I wanted it. I told her that I wasn't someone she would want with her after she learned about me. Surprisingly enough, she didn't flinch away from me, and insisted that I should join her in her manor.

And then, as they say, the rest is history.

Slowly I opened up to her and she learned as much about me as I could tell about the tower. When asked, I told her that I want to kill Mark, Josh, and all the others that had caused me pain. I thought that she would be disgusted in me and would try to prevent me, but shockingly enough she wasn't. Instead, the Flamels introduced me to my two new Maesters, who would train me in Magical and Muggle combat for one year. The Flamels even helped me undergo the ritual that had saved my life countless times. The infamousRitual of Potentiahad been done under their tutelage.

And this…was the memory after I had finished my training in the Flamel manor. This was me, back to take my revenge. To avenge my mom's and guard Tim's deaths. To destroy the Morte Tower, once and for all.

I watched as I killed each and every guard that came my way. No one stood a chance. After a while, instead of facing me, they started running away from my very presence. Screaming things like 'Monster!' and 'The DEVIL!', begging me to spare their lives and that they hadn't done anything wrong. But I knew they did. They did wrong, they were part of what made me suffer in the dungeons of the Morte tower. I remembered their laughs and I could never forget their sneers as they taunted and spat at me, a curse of my memory, but I remembered everything. So I butchered them all. Through my wand or with my dagger in their skulls and hearts, I carved a blood-filled path to my goal.

No one survived that night. No one who had the 'Mark of The Council' survived that night. I killed a staggering ninety-four wizards that day. Blasting their bodies and severing their blood vessels as I walked through the mobs like a man possessed by the devil himself. I didn't count the number, but it was in the next day'sProphet.I had then proceeded to destroy the entire tower, and used all of myRunes of Potentiato torch the tower with the one curse that my Maester had taught me to use only when there was no other option left,Fiendfyre.

They called it 'Massacre at the Morte Tower'. An apt title, if I have ever heard one, because it was exactly that, a massacre. And I, a ten-year-old boy at that time, was the one who caused it.

I watched as my younger self went on a rampage and massacred the guards serving the Council like a monster, like the devil had been unleashed and was paying a bloody visit to his worst enemies.

It was when the last man, my worst enemy, Mark, whom I had tortured the most, was crawling away from me, begging me to spare his life and crying to the heavens as he left a bloody trail from his severed knees and praying to me to leave him alone, that I heard another pair of footsteps. I now knew who it was, but my younger self didn't. And that's why I missed the opportunity to kill him that day.

Lucius Malfoy had been awakened quite harshly as the ward tied to The Council's British Headquarters was blasted. He had rushed to see what had caused it and the sight made him retch.

And why shouldn't it? There I was, standing in a pool of blood that had filled the entire corridor, chopped and blasted bodies, and their parts, laid around me. All dead. My face, my clothes, everything was drenched in red, and there was a mad glint in my silver eyes as I pulled Mark by his hair and looked in Malfoy's pale gray ones before flicking my dagger out and severing Mark's head right before the Malfoy lord's eyes.

At that moment, Lucius Malfoy did the only thing that he could, and it was probably the smartest thing he ever did. He ran away. As fast as he could, he ran out of the tower and, since the wards were already destroyed, he used his portkey to vanish before I could get my hands on him. I knew that this would definitely come back to bite me in a few days.

And, like always, I was right.

The memory shifted again as the world around me started to swirl. I hoped that this had been the last torturous memory that Death would put me through. That there were no more memories that I had to go through again, to watch my miserable and pathetic life once more, to witness what made me, me.

There was a blinding flash of light and I cried out in pain as I shut my eyes and fell to my knees.

Ending Note: And there you have it fellas, twenty-first chapter of INNOVATOR. Do tell me if you like it or if it missed something, I am waiting.

Here's thelink to my super private serveron discord where I'll keep on updating new chapters and how to access more chapters, sneak peeks,All the Character sketches are uploaded there.And you are free to talk and ask me things regarding my fanfics, as I am mostly active there:

Its a relatively newly launched server...Beware: Lots of NSFW stuff (Yeah p*rn. Lots of it😁😂)

https://discord.gg/Gcbcv4dxGx
Name:𝕯𝖊𝖛 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐'𝖘 𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊

Thank you for reading and reviewing, bookmark the fic to stay tuned for more awesome updates,

! IMPORTANT NOTICE !

.

I would like to tell some of my readers who don't know, and remind those who have been with me through the months, thatI am actually a medico. Meaning I am studying tobecome a doctor, and this is mysecond last year. From the month of March till April-end (hopefully), I have myend-of-year final exams. Which mean,I won't be able to write and therefore publish Innovator chapters for two months: March and April.

Yes!I wil return in Mayand will continue Innovatorfrom the point I halted it. Right now, I havepre-planned the story till Chapter 29, and I am guessing that it will take me six more, which meanslast chapter of Innovator would be Thirty-fifth. I will return in the month of May and you won't even realise that I had undergone theexam-induced hiatus.

I will also bring with me,two of THE bestand as always, unique creations of mine:

1. A Castle of Flowers

2. Whispers in the Woods

Therefore, stay tuned for innovator and the two fics that arebetter than all of my previous creations,and yes it includesInnovator, Palliation, On a Snowy Evening and Silence of the Winters.

For now, allI need from you is your blessings and well-wishesso that I couldsuccessfully crack all of my upcoming examsand enter myfinal year of college. (Something I have been waiting for a long time now. lol)First exam is on March 2nd, 2024!

With these thoughts and good wishes,I would like to take my temporary farewell from you.

Would LOVE to see you in the month of May!

(NOTE: If you want to read the next three chapters, then you are free to check out the link where I have uploaded the story till Chapter 24. The Link is: https://linktr.ee/dev.s.black, Thank-you.)

With warmest regards, cookies and hugs,

Dev Sagittarius Black

🥰💐🤩

Chapter 22: And so it Begins

Chapter Text

Personalized author's Note: Hello there people! Yes, like I had promised, I have returned in May. (No need to applaud please, lol) Anyways, yeah I have returned and soon I will also publish the fics that I told you about three months ago. So, be prepared for some new and awesome fics!

To my well wishers, I have finally finished my exams and the result will arrive in a few days. Thank you so much for your well wishes and blessings, I am quite sure that I will ace the exams!

Here's the link tomy super private serveron discord where I'll keep on updating new chapters and how to access more chapters, sneak peeks,All the character sketches are uploaded, where you are free to talk and ask me anything regarding my fanfics (as I am most active there):

Its a relatively newly launched server...

Beware: LoadsofNSFW(Yes,p*rn, and lots of it.🤩😂)

https://discord.gg/Gcbcv4dxGx
Name:𝕯𝖊𝖛 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐'𝖘 𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊

"I am Talking."

'I am Thinking'

Spells

Justice is impartiality and only strangers are impartial.

~ George Bernard Shaw

INNOVATOR

-Dev Sagittarius Black

~~Chapter 22: And so it Begins~~

.

"Open your eyes, Harry Potter," A mismatched voice interrupted him, "It's time to wake-up."

Harry slowly opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was the plain grassless field of white that lay around him. There was no end to this field, it stretched as far as his vision could perceive.

Harry looked up and saw that the sky was actually charcoal black with what looked like colorful specks of swirling light dotting it, nothing else was there. No humans, no creatures, there was absolutely nothing except the charcoal black sky filled with the small dots of swirling lights and the plain field of white.

'But then, where did that voice come from?' Harry thought as he looked around himself.

"What happened next, Harry Potter?" The same mismatched voice, as if it were a mix of three or four humans, echoed around him once more.

"Who's there?" Harry asked as he flicked his hand, he was surprised when his loyal wand didn't come out, "Who is it and where am I? What is this place?"

The voice chuckled as if it was amused, "You don't remember me, Anubis? Such a shame."

And that made Harry's eyes widen in shock, "Death?"

"Indeed," The voice agreed, "Now, tell me Anubis, what happened next?"

"Where are you? What is this place?" Harry asked as he stood up and rapidly looked around himself as he remembered something, "Why did you make me watch those memories?!" He cried in anger.

"So many questions, Anubis," The entity seemed amused, "I will answer all of them, but I want you to answer me first."

"I don't know what you are talking about, and you have seen my life, you know everything already." Harry grumbled, "Why do you want me to tell you what happened next?"

"Answer me," This time, Harry couldn't sense any of the entity's previous amusem*nt, "What happened next?"

Harry made a face at that, but he knew that he had to answer, "What good will it do to hear my failures from my own mouth?"

"And what bad will it do to admit that you weren't ready for it?" The entity's chuckles echoed around him, even though Harry couldn't see it at all, "I want to hear it from you, Anubis, don't keep me waiting…"

Harry clenched his fists as he glared at the snow white ground beneath him, "Malfoy was prepared for it. I should have killed him then and there, never let him leave my sight."

"But you didn't, and you suffered from your choice," said Death, "I would say that you suffer from it even now, after all these years."

"Of course I do," Harry growled, "That lying, slippery freak threatened me. He forced me into making an unbreakable vow," Harry released his fist, "If not for the vow, I would have ended the Malfoy line long ago."

"I would love to hear this delightful tale, Anubis," The voice reverberated around him, "Do tell, how did a mortal who was absolutely terrified of you, so much that he ran away from you, force you into making a vow strong enough to protect himself and his kin for so long?"

"He had seen my face. He knew I worked in the alley back in those days, and he knew that I was on friendly terms with most of the shopkeepers in both the alleys, and why wouldn't I be? They helped me, took a homeless beggar boy who knew nothing and gave him a roof to sleep under and bread to fill his stomach with. Some of them even taught me my letters. So why wouldn't I respect them? It was quite obvious."

"And then? How did Malfoy use this to his advantage?" The entity pushed forward.

"He said that he would tell 'The Council' about my residence, and we both knew that they would hunt me down," Harry admitted as he glared daggers on the snowy-white ground beneath him.

"And what about that?" Asked Death, "You already had protection from the two who are still escaping me with an artifact of their creation. You know they would have been able to protect you for as long as you wanted to."

"Masters Flamel had already done too much for me, training me, helping me with the ritual, and teaching me everything about the branches that they could which would help me avenge the deaths, I could not-"

"Take their help anymore? We both know that she showered you with enough love to protect you even if you didn't need it. When will you stop lying to yourself, Anubis?" Death mocked him, making him sigh in frustration.

Harry frowned at that, he knew what Death said was true, "Why does it matter what I did in my past?" He paced a few steps, "I am not here for tales, I am here for the power to stop the apocalypse."

"And that will only come when you accept who you are, Anubis," The mismatched voice of the entity told him calmly, "One cannot wield my powers without being true to themselves first, and you aren't ready for them, yet."

"I am as true to myself as my goals need, I don't need someone who doesn't have a face to teach me about myself."

"This someone is the one who knows the price you've paid and the ones you still shall, if you do not face yourself," The multiversal being told the mortal, "The worst enemy isn't the one outside who points the wand, it's the one inside that prevents you from doing the same."

"Are you telling me I won't kill when I want to?"

"Oh no, you will, but that is not what I meant, Anubis," said Death, "I meant that you will suppress your inner self to do what is wanted. I, on the other hand, want you to reconcile and do what is needed, with no qualms against it and no regrets that bind you or your morals."

"And you don't think making that call was the right thing?"

"Right and wrong," The voice was amused again, "They are a matter of perspective, if I had to judge on that basis, then you keeping information from your brother about your living status was wrong, and you killing everyone in the Tower, just for the sake of revenge was wrong too."

"But they were the ones that had wronged us, they were the ones who were responsible for mom's and Tim's death, they-"

"Would have been punished for their crimes like every other mortal," Death interrupted him again, "Yet you choose to take your vengeance and free them off their mortal coils, yet you protected the ones in the alley by not killing Lucius Malfoy and going in hiding. Do you think they never did something that required punishment? Then why didn't you do what you wanted to and let fate do the rest? Biased much?"

"If there is someone who needs punishment, they will be punished when it's their time," Harry's eyes flared, "But I am not responsible for everyone and I am not the one who punishes them, I only have my reasons against those who wronged me. I will never harm a hair on someone who gave me a roof to live under and bread and water to keep myself alive."

There was silence for a moment and Harry couldn't hear anything. He didn't know if this was a good thing or a bad thing but he didn't utter another word. His reasons were laid out before the entity, now it depended on Death what it wanted to do with them. Punishing him for all the deaths he had caused or praising him for his morals, Harry knew that he would take them all in stride.

"What happened next, Anubis?' The entity asked him again, "What was your unbreakable vow to Lucius Malfoy and what did he vow in return?"

"I still don't know why you want to hear it from me," the mortal shook his head, "I vowed that neither I, nor my kin would kill him or his kin and he vowed the same in return. His vow also included that he hasn't told, and will never tell, anyone else that it was me who is responsible for the massacre at the Morte tower."

"And that is how," The immortal being concluded, "A mortal, a man who was very much afraid of you and what you could do, managed to manipulate you into an unbreakable vow that has protected him and will forever protect his offspring from the monster that he witnessed that night."

Harry didn't say anything. He knew that Lucius Malfoy had bested him that time. And he swore that it would be the last time that any Malfoy would ever outwit him. It was also quite obvious that Malfoy senior had made sure that his spawn never, ever tried to go off against Harry Potter or give him any chance to raise his wand against either of the Malfoys.

But Harry was patient. He had waited for three years to kill everyone in the Morte Tower. He could definitely wait a few more to destroy the Malfoys and the Council. He knew that one day he would get a chance, and that day… neither of the Malfoys would be able to save their hide from him.

"You are a rare one, Anubis," Death's voice was neutral, "Mortals like you are….amusing to watch over. No rules binding them, no sense of public justice or a 'righteous' moral code that works in favor of the mortals at large. You have your own code, make your own rules, give your own justice, forge your own path and most of all, you live by it. No regrets, no qualms, and no remorse."

Harry chose to remain silent throughout the entire ordeal.

"I want you to remember that, Anubis," The voice reverberated around him, "I want you to know what you chose and what you will gain. The path ahead of you isn't to be tread lightly. You will be tested with every step, every moment until it's your time to finally leave my realm."

"Your-your realm?" Harry looked around himself, shocked to hear that he stood in the forbidden realm of death. He looked up at all the swirling lights and down at the snow white ground that stretched for miles around him, "Am I dead?"

"No, you are still breathing," Death assured him, "Your mortal self is under the care of those who were asked to look over you while you joined me here, in my realm, to train and hone my powers."

Harry nodded before his eyes widened, "Wait…is that why you made me watch all those memories? To bring me here?"

"The path to the Realm of Death can only be forged by the ones who have shed their mortal selves forever. Only then can someone step inside the realm, and they remain here until they are purged of their sins and it's their time to rejoin the realm of the living," Death announced.

The multiversal being continued, "But, this one time there is a crevice between the realms which helped your arrival and survival through the path that you forged and I maintained so that your consciousness could arrive in my realms while your mortal self breathes."

"But isn't the path forged by the ones who died?" Harry asked in confusion, "And you said I am not dead. So when did I forge the path to the realm?"

"The path you forged was a path through the memories of death and destruction that you felt and saw," The mismatched voice replied and Harry could sense a small amount of pity in it.

"It was the reason you had to watch all of the memories where you witnessed death. And even if it was not strong enough to successfully transport your entire consciousness, the crevice and my protection helped you maintain the link long enough that you arrived here in one-piece and not scattered around the realm in pieces."

Harry winced at the visual representation that his brain conjured, being butchered and spread around wasn't something he wanted for himself. Nope, not at all. 'Well, that answers why I had to watch all the memories..but..' "What now?" The innovator asked the entity.

"Simple, you will get what you came here for in the first place."

"So, how are you going to train me?" The young mage asked again, "I mean, I don't see any training instruments or devices or anything. And to be honest, it's a bit weird that I can't see you while you train me, I mean, just mismatched voices."

"Mortals…" Death's voice was as if it was disappointed in Harry, "I am the embodiment of death, Anubis, I do not have a face, shape, size, or form. I don't even have a voice, what you're hearing is a combination of the energies that I am releasing. Energies of which you are receiving through our link and your consciousness is formulating for your own language so that you are able to understand my instructions."

"...that still doesn't make it any less weird," Harry muttered, "In fact, I think this makes it even weirder."

"Then it is a good thing that I won't be the one who will train you, the one who will has a shape, form, size, face, and voice of his own," The entity replied, "He will be the one who will train you for the coming years till you are capable enough to be trained by me."

"Wait..WHAT?!" Harry screamed aghast, "I don't think I can stay here for one year, much less years. My training and your powers will be useless if I am unable to utilize it to protect the world from the apocalypse that is coming in a few months."

"And here I thought you were the smartest mortal on the planet, is that not what they call you? The Innovator?" Death mocked him. Harry wanted to make a face but he controlled himself, "There is no measure of time here, Anubis. One leaves when they have finished what they started and they stay here until it is their time to move on."

"But I can't stay here like that, I am a living being, remember?" Harry asked him, "I can't stay here for years. I don't have that much time to live or train here, I need to go back within a few months."

"For the sake of your mortal mind, just so you don't lose your sanity here. I shall grant you a measure of your time here," There was a small snap heard around him and Harry saw seven gigantic hour-glasses appear over him, their top half filled with charcoal black sand.

"What're these?" Harry asked the entity, "What is the measurement of time for these hourglasses?

"Each of these hour-glasses represent one year in the realm," Death announced, "And after the first two years, at the end of each year you will be given a test. You shall move onto the next phase of your training only when you have successfully completed the test that was given to you."

"So, I am staying here for the next seven whole years?!" Harry asked, completely aghast as his mind conjured images of a devastated planet that was ravaged by the Army of Damnation that would arrive in the next six months.

"Seven years, yes. But not earth years," Death clarified, "Each one of the hour-glasses are set to a week on the earth where you came from."

"Which means that one year here equals one week on earth, right?" Harry asked out loud, "That means that it would be seven weeks on earth by the time I open my eyes."

"That is, if you are able to successfully survive the tests that will be given to you at the end of each year," The mismatched voice reverberated in amusem*nt, "And the one who trains you will definitely make you feel like your stay here is as bad as he could make it."

Harry narrowed his eyes at that, "I have experienced many things in the past and lived to tell the tale, I will survive this too. Just tell me who it is that will train me until I am strong enough to wield your powers."

"You will be trained by the commander of my realm, Dramox," the voice announced the name with pride, and Harry saw a slight shimmer in the air in front of him as long humanoid limbs covered in black and violet scales started to appear.

"The commander?"

"Indeed," Death told him, "For only a commander of Death may train a commander in death."

"In death?" The green eyed mage asked, a bit confused, "But I am not dead, I am alive, right?"

And then, for the first time Harry felt shivers travel down his spine as fear gripped his heart after a really long time. And it wasn't because the commander, Dramox, had almost finished being formed. No, it was because Death, the multiversal being of all ends, laughed.

And the laughter chilled his nerves. Harry even noticed that the laughter seemed to fade away as if the entity was leaving the two alone. But before Harry could completely feel the fading laughter, Death murmured two words that would forever remind Harry of his stay in the realm of Death.

"Memento Mori."

The entity left them alone.

The sand from the first hour-glass began pouring.

Dramox, Commander of the Realm had formed and his eyes were scanning Harry, judging his worth and measuring his strengths.

"So," said Harry, "Shall we begin?"

The night was cold as the winds from the north blew past the manor and the snow clad grounds surrounding it. There were a few creatures of the night that prowled near the forest. And though one might mistake them for wild beasts that were out on a hunt, they were actually guards that were guarding the manor and the man who was sitting deep inside its many chambers.

There was a gentle knock on the large mahogany wood doors.

"Enter."

Lucius Malfoy entered the large throne room, which used to be the ballroom of his manor. It was drastically different now. Not only because it had been changed to represent more of a king's court than a ballroom, but also because of the man that sat on the throne-like chair over the floating marble platform draped in red carpet.

"Master," Lucius muttered as he bowed to the Dark Lord and offered him the letter that Walden Macnair had sent him. "It's a report from Macnair regarding the giants."

Voldemort hummed as he wandlessly summoned the letter and kept it on the pile that had reports from his other.. friends, who were working tirelessly to represent him and his cause to the other groups that were out there, and trying their level best to gain more support against the current government that was infesting the glorified that was magical Britain.

"Anything else I can do for you, my lord?" Malfoy senior asked, not daring to look up from the floor and into the red glaring eyes of his master. He really hoped that there was nothing and that his lord would dismiss him soon. That way he could return to his warm bed and his glass of firewhiskey much sooner.

"Ah yes, I do," Voldemort said, as he sneered at the thoughts of the elder Malfoy, "I remember that I had assigned a task for heir Malfoy. A task, which was to be completed with his return from Hogwarts during the winter holidays. Something that began a week ago and yet I don't know anything regarding the mission or scion Malfoy."

Lucius gulped at that, Draco was late. And that was never a good thing in the Dark Lord's books. He knew about the task, it was an easy one. Something that he knew Draco would love to accomplish as soon as he could.

"I would like to know why scion Malfoy is taking his time regarding such a simple retrieval mission. Does he not know the cost of being late?" There was a dangerous undertone to the statement and Lucius knew better than to refute it.

"A few days ago Narcissa received a letter from Draco, Master," Lucius tried to sound stronger than he was feeling, "Dumbledore, for some unknown reason, has decided to keep my son in Hogwarts. He says that it's something regarding the tournament, and that no one is leaving Hogwarts after the Yule Ball that they conducted."

Voldemort growled in frustration, "Lucius, do you really think that Dumbledore of all people has that kind of control over the students? The parents who are waiting for their children would have rebelled by now if that were the case. Your son isn't coming on his own, and I think I know the reason."

Lucius' pale face turned white and he started to shiver a bit as the temperature dropped in the room, "I-I don't think that's the reason, My Lord," He trembled, "I think there is something else here because Draco was ab-absolutely ecstatic regarding the task, and I know he would have accomplished it by now."

"Then where is the artifact that I had asked for, Lucius?" Voldemort clenched his fingers into a fist as he tried to tone down his anger, "If there is anything that is preventing young scion Malfoy from successfully accomplishing the mission, then I think you or your wife should go and help him with it. Fetch him from under the old man's crooked nose."

"I-I will see to it, my lord," Lucius immediately agreed, "I will go right now and fetch Draco myself."

"No you won't."

"My Lord?" Lucius looked up at the Dark Lord who was glaring down at him, he immediately turned his face back to the ground.

"Send your wife for this, you on the other hand have another task. You are to train the new recruits," Tom said as he leaned back in his throne, "Bella is a good teacher, but sometimes she forgets that not everyone is as…dedicatedto our cause, or our methods, as she is. You will assist her in training the new recruits. Is that understood?"

"Yes, master," Lucius bowed once more, "I will tell Narcissa to fetch Draco and the artifact that you asked him to bring."

"Good," Voldemort muttered, "Now leave."

Malfoy senior didn't have to be told twice, he immediately left the throne room and went off in the direction of his wife's solar.

The dark lord, on the other hand, broke open the seal on the letter he had just received from Macnair and smiled. The giants had decided to support him once more. Yes, their demand for a larger territory was justified but once he had won, the entirety of British isles would come under his reign, which means giving a small part of the hunting grounds to the giants wasn't a problem.

'So now I have the support of the giants, dementors, and the acromantulas…hmmm…if only the Vampires and the mutts could see it that way too…' Voldemort thought about the werewolves, his blood boiled when he remembered how almost sixty percent of the population that was scattered across Europe had decided to either stay neutral or outright deny him the support.

His current werewolf army had only one pack, Greyback's. And his pack was also getting swayed by the majority, leading to the slow dwindling of his forces. Something that he knew would be fatal if he didn't do something quickly.

'And then there is that prophecy which Severus overheard, only it was incomplete…I need to hear the rest of the prophecy, nothing shall be allowed to stop me' Voldemort thought as he placed the letter back, 'I will take no chances this time, especially with my horcruxes are being targeted…if only Draco Malfoy had brought the diadem, I would have secured both of my remaining horcruxes.'

The Dark Lord stood up from his throne and manipulated the floating platform's magic to take him to the window that overlooked the small part of forest that came under Malfoy Manor's ward lines. He looked at the werewolves that stood on the perimeter. They weren't strong ones, but they were all he had for now.

He mentally made a list of tasks for himself, first was getting support from the rest of the werewolf packs and the Vampires. Then, he had to secure the horcrux that was in Hogwarts as he knew that the Goblins wouldn't let anyone touch the cup that was in the LeStrange vault. And lastly, he needed to know the prophecy in its entirety before his simultaneous attack on the Ministry and Hogwarts.

Tom knew he had tried to contact Alandale Potter through the minor link they somehow shared. He had tried to show him the pathway to the Department of Mysteries, where the prophecies were, but one night he woke up screaming in pain and since then, he had not been able to form a link with the boy.

So, there was no use of making him retrieve the prophecy through subtle means, the to-be conqueror of Britain knew that he needed to go through a more hands-on approach. Something that would make his statement clearer, and would help him accomplish all of his tasks with it.

Slowly a plan began to form in his mind, one he knew would make a statement strong enough to garner the support of the werewolves and vampires, as well as get his hands on the Prophecy. He was sure that Narcissa would fetch her son and his soul container yet tonight, so there was no particular need to worry about that.

"I cannot attack Hogwarts because of the wards…but Hogsmeade is fair play, isn't it?" Voldemort gave a cruel grin as he sat on his throne and turned it towards the table, which was full of parchments and a stack of tomes and eagle feather quills.

There was an attack that needed planning, and it had to be strong enough that the wayward creatures would never dare oppose him in the future. Yes he was back, and soon Britain would fall.

Draco Malfoy groaned as he sat on the leather sofa in the sparsely populated Slytherin common room. He rubbed his forehead, trying to soothe the ache that was eating his mind away. It was a good thing that the common room was almost empty due to the students leaving to spend the new year with their families, as they had been unable to spend Yule together due to the Ball.

The young heir knew that he would've been unable to deal with his housemates if they saw his current condition. What he didn't know was how things had gone so far awry. He still remembered the day as if it was yesterday, he had just acquired the artifact and was about to leave the room. Everything had been going so smoothly, and then within the span of a few moments everything fell apart. When he opened his eyes, he was tied, no wand, and both Daphne and Angelique stood over him. That was the moment when he knew that he was indeed, in less than eloquent terms, f*cked.

Soon enough everything came clear when he noticed the way both the girls worked. Why the Greengrasses had taken back their complaint, why Daphne Greengrass was back in Hogwarts, and why Angelique had told him to visit as soon as he could. Everything was clear.

And that was when he understood why the Greengrasses were a feared clan. And how they might have survived the last war by staying a neutral family without any losses on either side. It was as if someone removed the blindfold that he had over his eyes.

What followed was something he knew that he would never forget. They had poked and prodded him for hours. Made him swear oaths and what not regarding his knowledge and threatened to give him to the aurors or worse yet, freeze his family jewels.

One thing was clear, there was no way of escaping the torture session. In the end, he had to tell almost everything that he knew about the Dark Lord, the task, and the artifact that was in his possession.

Before he could go any further in his musings, the door to the common room was opened and everyone, who had decided to not spend the new year's eve with their families, stood to deliver their respects to the man who stood at the threshold. Though said man only had his eyes set on the person who he had been asked to fetch.

"Mr. Malfoy," Their head of house intoned, "I want you to follow me. Only you, your… friends, are not requested."

Draco immediately paled at that and began thinking about anything that he might have done, both voluntarily or involuntarily, to get a call from the head of his house during the winter holidays.

"I don't have all day, Mr. Malfoy," said the potions master, "I would prefer it if you didn't waste my time anymore than you already are wasting right now."

The blonde boy didn't need to be told twice as he followed his godfather, and head of house, out of the common room. He was fairly surprised that instead of his office, the potions master took the path towards the staircases.

"Where are we going?" Draco asked in confusion.

"Someone is here to meet you, they have requested your presence and the headmaster has seen it fit to adhere to their…requests," Snape sneered a bit, as if the thought of making him do extra work was almost revolting, "We are not going to meet the headmaster, so you don't need to think of the ridiculous number of ways you would have probably shamed both your birth and Hogwarts house."

"You don't need to tell me that," Draco shook his head, "Just tell me where we are going and who wants to meet me."

Snape stopped for a moment and it looked as if he was contemplating whether he should actually tell the boy or simply hex him for his impudence, in the end he relented and shook his head at the boy's arrogance and blamed it on his upbringing.

"We are moving toward the VIP suites that are on the fifth floor," The elder mage answered, "And, I think, it would be prudent if you meet your visitor instead of irritating me with nonsensical questions about their identity, which you will learn in the next few minutes."

'But-"

Snape immediately turned on his heel and glared at the younger wizard, "Do not test my patience, Mr. Malfoy. I am already against this as it is, but since the headmaster has deemed it fit, I don't want the matter to prolong anymore than it has to."

One thing that even the idiotic brain of Draco Malfoy comprehended easily was 'danger'. And right now, he knew that if he said another word, he would definitely regret the results. Ergo, he hastily nodded, and internally sighed in relief when his godfather started moving once more.

They went past the magical portraits and suits of armor that littered the castle's hallways as they stepped onto the fifth floor, which hosted the VIP suites, most of which were empty. The two mages stayed silent throughout the entire journey. Snape only spoke when he stood in front of a nameless door.

"I'll leave you here, she is waiting inside for you," Snape explained as he knocked twice and they heard a muffled 'enter' from behind the door, "You can either stay here in the suite or return back to the common room. If you do plan to return then use the floo that has been activated and return to my office, I'll escort you back to the common room, understood?"

"I don't need you to watch over me all the time," Draco glared at the man, "I can take care of myself well enough."

Snape glared down at the boy, "If only you actually could, I wouldn't have been forced to escort you from the common room, now would I?" He hissed, "Do you understand what you have to do if you don't want to stay here for the night?"

Draco didn't say anything, more like he didn't want to give the man the satisfaction of a verbal response after the way the man had been treating him throughout the journey. So he nodded and turned towards the door. The potions master didn't spend another moment as he swiftly turned on his heels and left the corridor as quickly as he could.

The Malfoy heir was curious as to who this person was that had been given a VIP suite at Hogwarts, and had successfully made Severus Snape escort a boy all the way from the dungeons. So he opened the door only to be surprised when he finally saw her long blonde locks as she stood with her back facing him.

"Mother?"

Ending note: And there you have it fellas, twenty-second chapter of INNOVATOR. Do tell me if you like it or if it missed something, I am waiting.

Here's thelink to my super private serveron discord where I'll keep on updating new chapters and how to access more chapters, sneak peeks,All the Character sketches are uploaded there. And you are free to talk and ask me things regarding my fanfics, as I am mostly active there:

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Name:𝕯𝖊𝖛 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐'𝖘 𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊

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With Regards

Dev Black

Chapter 23: The Divine Weapons

Chapter Text

Join my Discord server. This is where you can get the link to the site that-must-not-be-named and read ahead by three chapters. I've also shared all the character sketches and have a dedicated channel for the discussion of this fic.

Beware: Loads of NSFW (Yes, p*rn, and lots of it. 😂)

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Name: 𝕯𝖊𝖛 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐'𝖘 𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊

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"I am Talking."

'I am Thinking'

Spells

Every act of creation is first an act of destruction.

~Pablo Picasso

INNOVATOR

-Dev Sagittarius Black

~~Chapter 23: The Divine Weapons~~

.

'Dodge. Parry. Punch!'

"Yes!"

'Swipe'

'Duck….NOW KICK'

Dodge. Block. 'DAGGER! YESS!'

'Jump back. Bend. Ki-Oh f*ck!'

'SLAM!'

"f*cking Hell!" Harry groaned as he panted on the snow white ground that he laid upon, he dodged another strike from the corpse of a former assassin that was being controlled by Commander Dramox.

"Wait, wait," He tried, "WAI-f*ck! Wait! Time-out! Time-out!" he screamed as he dropped on the ground and raised his arms above his head.

Dramox made a face at that, "Very disappointing," He shook his violet, scale-clad horned head as his eyes analyzed Harry, "And here, I thought that this time you would be able to defeat the assas-"

Just then Harry rolled forward, blocked the assassin's dagger clad arms and kicked it exactly where its solar plexus should have been before he pushed his hand forward and blasted the summoned creature to smithereens.

"You were saying?"

Dramox didn't say anything. His violet eyes just gave a glance to where the assassin once stood before he swiped his hands, the entire construct that had been made for the mortal's practice was cleared.

"So, you went with the path of deceit," The Commander summarized, "Quite surprising. I had hoped that you'd choose the path of confrontation this time."

"I had planned for that," Harry shrugged, "But this was an assassin, direct confrontation has less chances of working against them. And deceit had the maximum output with the least usage of my energy."

"True. What other paths could you have taken to finish the target?" He asked the boy who frowned.

"I mean, all of the eleven paths would have reached the same conclusion. It was just that deceit worked well in this case. If it was a gladiator, I would have used confrontation. If it was a demon, then runes would have been best. And if it was another inferi army, then I would have roasted them withFiendfyre."

"And what if I had summoned a dog or a leech?" Dramox asked, amused with his…pupil's assessment skills. This was actually a new phase for the Artelean, this was the first time he was actively training a mortal human. Something that he had never done in the eons that he had served as the Commander of the Realm.

"Vampires need a tactical approach of dexterity, agility, and strength, while Werewolves need brute force and a well placed severing hex to their necks," The mage answered, "I would have gone with the seeker path for the Vampires and archer path for the Werewolves."

There was pindrop silence. Harry knew he was correct, so he didn't bother adding up anymore while Dramox thought about the possibilities and whether his first–and maybe only–pupil was ready for his first actual challenge or not.

Harry knew that he had done well. It had been almost two years for him in the realm. And after the first few rough weeks, he had settled as well as he could in a place where he didn't need food, water, sleep, or rest. It was quite an experience to just keep training all the time.

Since the need for food, water, and sleep was being fulfilled by his body, which was under the care of the Health and the Necromancers guilds, he didn't have to do any of those. This left him with plenty of time to practice, shape his body, and train himself. There were times when he almost wanted to give up, but then he remembered that there was no way that Dramox would let him live if he did.

The only way to leave the realms was to lose consciousness. And that had only happened once. Harry still remembered the day like it was only yesterday, despite the fact that it took place about one and half years ago.

That was the first time when he had almost 'slipped-out' of the realm through the crevice as his body had pulled his consciousness almost immediately. And that was also the first time when he had heard his mother.

Dramox said that it was impossible for him to hear his mother as this wasn't the Land of the Resting Souls where the souls rested. But he was sure that it was her and that she was watching over him. He was completely convinced that both his parents and his grandma, Dorea, were watching over him and were always supporting him, even though they didn't have any way of actually showing it.

The fact that they were, was enough for him. HIs loved ones were there. That was more of an encouragement than he needed to live through his training regime that was being overseen by the Artelean being who was the Commander of the realm.

And after that particular incident, Harry never looked back. He went continuously for two years. Cracking the skulls of every creature he faced, be it a human, a monster, or a demon. The Innovator never stopped even once as he forged his path through the bodies.

Dramox made him go through all sorts of things. Threw various creatures from the multitude of races on earth at him. Made him meditate to increase his concentration and connection with his inner self. He even imparted words of wisdom every now and then. They were rare, but they were there.

His mentor even taught him various torture methods that had been used by humans on humans. And a few that were used by demons on humans. They were either methods of punishment or used to extract information.

Personally, Harry preferred a method from each. For punishment he preferred the punishment to be delivered by the hands of those the culprits had harmed. And for information extraction? Well, let's just say that Harry now knew so many methods that there was nothing his victim wouldn't tell if Harry Potter set his mind to extracting it.

But what now? It was almost two years in the realm, two weeks of the outside time which meant it was the first week of January in his home world. Harry looked at the large hourglasses that were floating above him.

He still needed to thank Death for these, because there was no way his brain would have survived the time difference otherwise. One of the hourglasses had finished its work and had vanished, about one year ago. And it looked like the second one was about to join it sometime soon.

The Innovator remembered Death's words from when he had just entered the realm. The entity had told him that after the first two years, there would be a test for him at the end of each year. A test, which would determine whether he was capable enough to proceed to the next phase of his training.

There was a tinkling chime that echoed throughout the realm. Both Harry and Dramox looked towards the second hourglass as it finished pouring the black sand and then vanished. This signified the end of the innovator's second year in training.

"It seems that the moment of truth is finally here, Harry Potter," Dramox said in his usual calm yet bored demeanor, "I will admit that I am quite curious as to how you shall fare against the tests that the lord has prepared for you."

"And I am more than ready for these tests," Harry smirked, "So? What's my first test?"

"From today, at the end of every year, you shall be tested against three of the strongest weapons that any mortal has ever been able to wield," Dramox announced and he forwarded his hand to show the black and golden mist that was slowly taking shape.

"Today, you will face the weakest of the three, it's called,The Aatank!" The commander's announcement was punctuated by a gurgling loud roar that would have made any other mortal piss in their pants.

"Aatank?" asked Harry, "Do I get to know something about it, other than the name?"

"You are taking this quite well for someone who is about to face one of the strongest weapons that a mortal could wield. If you are thinking that this will be easy, then let me assure you that it will be one of the most terrifying and excruciatingly hard battles that you have ever fought."

"I am not saying that I will win," Harry shook his head, "But the problem is, I have to," The green eyed mage told his mentor, "Which means, either I win, or I lose the world and the reason I am doing everything for."

"And for that, I wish you all the luck that you have been granted, Harry Potter," said the Artelean, "Now each of the weapons have a weakness. As for Aatank, it's a weapon that is heavily based on blasts and brute power. Land is your enemy, as are the periodically released fireballs that it spits from its mouth. You will have to defeat the weapon into submission by chopping its body into several pieces so that Aatank is truly defeated once and for all."

Harry nodded and closed his eyes. He thought about all the faces that were close to him. His mom, Daphne, Blaise, Fleur, Sirius, Cho. His mom's voice echoed in his mind. Her love and support, the promise he had made her and how he intends to keep it until his very last breath.

The apprentice of Death released a deep breath as he opened his eyes and glared at his enemy. The third most powerful weapon that a mortal could wield: The Aatank….or as it was also known, Terror.

The twenty-foot-tall weapon snarled at Harry, flailing both of its thick muscular arms as it spat fire balls that blasted on contact with the ground.

Furious green eyes met the fiery golden ones.

It was time to defeat Terror.

"The boy's health hasn't shown any particular changes, headmaster," said the matron as she flicked her wand once more, causing the flickering lights over Alandale Potter's prone self to disappear.

"What do you think could be the reason?"

"I am not entirely sure, but it's my assumption that after his last episode with magic about a week ago–the night of the Ball. Alan's magic has stopped fighting and instead it has decided to work on healing the boy like it should. There have been absolutely no transpositions, and his magic is constantly working to keep his body in prime."

"That is a good thing," Dumbledore sighed, "We don't know what might have caused that mishap, or why, but it is good that his magic as well as his condition seem to be more stable now than it had been when he had been brought. Do you mind if I perform a few scans of my own, Poppy?"

The matron frowned a bit but shook her head, "Go ahead."

"I assure you, it will not take time," The chief warlock smiled as he pulled his wand out and began scanning Alan's scar. He suspected that Alan's magic had been fighting against the external possession, therefore he was quite worried. 'If what Poppy said is true, then the boy is either still struggling or Tom has taken control of his body'

The scans showed him a different result, he frowned and began the procedure once more. This time with more details, he needed to be sure that what he was perceiving was true.

Again, the scans showed the same thing; Alandale's body had only one soul in it. The scar was empty and there was minute amounts of dark magic left inside the boy's core. As if it was some sort of residue. The amount was much lower than the last time he had scanned the boy's core and scar.

There was only one conclusion with the results. And as much as Albus wanted to believe it, it was almost impossible to actually trust the fact that Alandale Potter, the boy who had been needed saving time and again by his elder brother.

The same brother who had left all of his work and was actually devising a ritual to successfully extract the horcrux from his brother without killing him. And was currently comatose under the care of two international guilds.

That Alandale Potter had somehow defeated and destroyed the horcrux that was residing inside him. It was a surreal statement. And a fool's hope to even think that it was possible, and yet the results said the same thing even after the fifth scan.

"Well….that is unprecedented," He muttered and left the hospital wing, leaving a confused healer in his wake.

Dumbledore entered his office and sighed. He was indeed getting too old for these things. Sadly, as long as Harry was in a coma, he couldn't think of anyone else that would be of any help in these situations.

Alan's case had taken a really weird turn, something that he hadn't known would have been possible. To tell the truth, he was still suspicious of the result that told him the boy had defeated and 'somehow' destroyed another one of Tom's horcruxes without any further involvement from anyone else.

He really needed Harry now. If only the boy was here, Dumbledore could have simply taken both of them to an empty field and revived Alandale. That way, if Tom's soul was the one residing in the boy, then Harry could have defeated him and, if it was actually Alan's soul, then the scans would have been much more accurate since they work way better on a conscious and awake person than a comatosed one.

There was a soft trill from the corner and he reached to pet the bird, "I know, my friend, I know. I am the one who has to make sure that everything is going in the correct direction, but sometimes I just wish I could get an easy retirement. Away from all of this hogwash."

He fed the bird a few seeds that he was fond of having, "Sadly, such is the weight of knowledge and power, one has to use them most responsibly or they just might end up wrecking the world around them, leaving a trail of chaos in their shadows."

The aged warlock moved to his chair and flicked open the drawer that once held the resurrection stone. This time, there was another leather bag that was placed in it, and it held another artifact but one with the same curse as that of the stone.

This was the Cup of Hufflepuff which his former student and current guest, Narcissa Malfoy, had used to barter a deal with him in return for her, and her son's, safety. Therefore, right now Hogwarts was the safe zone for her and her son. A place where the both of them could live and breathe the terror-free atmosphere that permeated their own home.

'If Harry's calculation is correct, and Tom had indeed split his soul into seven parts, then…' Dumbledore made a quick calculation, 'Harry destroyed the diary in Alan's second year, the stone was probably destroyed or used by the Necromancer's guild, Tom used the snake for his resurrection, I have the cup and I am unsure about Alan…so that leaves…' the old man's eyes widened when he reached the conclusion.

'Two more. And this includes the one that was in Hogwarts. The same one that was forcibly taken from Draco Malfoy by Tom's spy who is in Hogwarts, and is probably already in his possession…or maybe not?'

Claps resounded around him and Harry looked up from the last piece of the monster that he had chopped. True to Dramox's statement, Aatak was indeed one of the strongest foes that he had ever had to battle against.

The fact that the beast had arms as thick as old tree trunks combined and the power to spit fireballs that blasted on contact didn't help him. The innovator had been pushed to his extremes with this one. But then Harry had timed the periodical blasts, their trajectory, and how the gravity affected it.

Sometimes, instead of blasting right away, the fireballs diffused and turned into freaking landmines. That was when he remembered Dramox' second bit of advice of land being his enemy. Surprisingly enough, it only took him a week to finally chop the beast's right arm.

After that had been done, Harry saw the arm regenerate. But that wasn't a problem for the mage because now he had cracked the code. He knew how to finally defeat the Terror. And so, after four hours of that realization, here he stood.

Amid the torrents of magic that were released from the chopped pieces of the third most powerful weapon that a mortal could wield.

"That was quite a show," Dramox announced, his thick scale covered tail waved lazily behind him, "I was sure that you would take at least two more weeks to come to that conclusion."

"I will take that as a compliment from you."

"Don't. Compliments are sweet words you mortals use to hide your insecurities or when you need something from someone," The Artelean clarified, "I don't have the desire for either, I merely stated a fact."

Harry shook his head, he had thought that he was the one who was thick when it came to talking to someone, guess he was wrong. Well, it wasn't like he had anything to complain about, he was getting what he came here for and that was what mattered more. He could practically feel the difference between his current and past self, and it shook his mind as to how weak he had been.

Yes he was head and shoulders above the student population, and maybe the average wizarding population too, but right now, he was probably at par with titan-mages like Dumbledore. Something that he took pride in.

"This brings us to the most important part of this test."

"The start of my next phase of training?" Harry's sarcasm fell flat on the commander who shook his head.

"That will be done later, for now…" He waved his hand and all the pieces of the weapon that Harry had just destroyed started revolving around them, creating a tornado with the two beings at the epicenter of it all.

"Wh-What are you doing?" Asked the mage. He was worried that maybe his mentor was trying to bring the monster back to life. Fortunately, that wasn't the case and it was proven when Dramox snapped his fingers that sucked the golden energy that each of the pieces held.

The energy accumulated to form a huge golden ball that floated a head above Harry in a mesmerizing display of magical waves.

"What is this?" Asked the innovator.

"This is the true energy of the weapon, this is the weapon," His mentor answered, "It was given a shape and form for you to be able to combat and probably defeat, which you did. And now, this is yours."

"I see…wait-what?!" Harry asked him, surprised when he registered the last statement, "What do you mean this is mine?"

"Just what I said, Harry Potter," Dramox said slowly, as if speaking to a toddler, "You successfully defeated the weapon, now the weapon is yours to use as you have established your dominance over it."

"Really?"

"Indeed, but you will have to be cautious," Dramox told him as he released his hold on the glowing golden core of Aatank, which immediately started to descend towards Harry, "There are only three rules to using all of the divine weapons; First is, you have to specifically order them who you want dead and who you want to save."

Harry nodded as he watched the ball of light be slowly absorbed inside his chest, giving him a golden glow.

"Second is, you will not be able to use any of the divine weapons in the Realm of Death, it's useless to even try. And last, the most important rule, the weapons work on a 'number of defeats' basis, therefore, since you have only defeated it once, you can only use it once."

"So let me get this correct, I cannot use it here, I will have to give strict orders on who to kill and who to spare, and I only have one chance to use it, right?"

"Indeed. After the first use, the weapon will be free from its debt to you, and will return to its original place."

Harry bobbed his head, "Alright, that is not a bad deal, I can work with something like this. It will be a big help against Voldemort and his army," he said as he cracked his knuckles and grinned, "So, when am I getting my chance against other divine weapons?"

"First let us begin with the next phase of your training," announced the commander of the realm.

"By all means."

"Do you think she will agree to this?"

"I don't think so, she will probably laugh at us."

"But you were the one who said-"

"I said 'if' she agrees, we will have a really powerful ally which would help your cause," She answered, "I am not sure she will, she needs to get something out of it to even remotely consider it."

"Then why are we here, Beaufort?"

"Because she is our best shot, Greengrass," Beaufort bit back, "We are fortunate that Malfoy didn't run back to You-Know-Who this break. And both of us are stuck with the problem of making a deal with Dumbledore, she is the only one that I know could even remotely be of any help."

"Good point, I am just glad Pansy couldn't keep her mouth shut about how happy she was that her boyfriend was staying here with her for the holidays," Daphne replied as the two girls stood in front of the black-painted door with a golden plaque on it.

She knocked on it twice and patiently waited for the door to open. Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long to hear the 'click' as the resident of the suite opened the door.

"Oh my, this is certainly quite a surprise," She smiled, her dark red lips falling into a smirk as she welcomed her visitors inside. "So, what brings my two friends to my doorstep this evening?"

Ashley Petrovia would have to admit, what came next wasn't something that she had expected in her wildest dreams.

After some time, the three girls sat around the coffee table that was in Ashley's suite. Said girl frowned at her visitors as if analyzing how she should take the news and what to do about the new variable.

"So, let me get this straight, you mean to say that the man who terrorized Britain, and is said to be one of the strongest dark lords in history, is back and you two 'somehow' possess something that he wants, right?" Ashley inquired with the duo who agreed.

"And you want my help with-what again?"

"Why are you playing this game, Petrovia?" Angelique interrupted with an angry undertone, "We all know you are smart enough to understand our situation, and what we want. Why don't you just give us your response and be done with it."

"I am more curious as to how you, of all people, were dumb enough to be caught up in all this. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, you were never the sharpest tool in the shed anyway." Ashley smirked at the French diva who glared at her.

"Now, as for why I want to know something?" She shrugged, "I am bored, and there is nothing exciting to do until Harry returns from wherever he is."

Harry's name brought a fierce glint in Daphne's eyes, something that both the girls noticed. Ashley was a bit confused with the reaction because as far as she had seen, the Greengrass heiress was called the 'Ice Queen' by her fellow classmates. A person who never dated a boy, no matter who he was. And the only people she was seen associating with were her friend and her sister.

'Perhaps there is indeed more to the picture than I have been able to perceive,' Ashley thought as she put the knowledge for future use.

Angelique, on the other hand, knew full well the lengths Daphne would go to when Harry Potter was brought into the equation. The Greengrass heiress had yet to share the reasons as to why she was so fond of the eldest Potter, but one thing was clear: there was an entirely different side of Slytherin's ice queen when the Innovator's name was mentioned.

A side that she, Angelique Beaufort, had no desire to witness for an entire lifetime.

"I don't think any of this should consider the elder Potter, or his return from wherever he is," Daphne said in a clipped tone, "What we want from you is your brains on the matter at hand. I need a way to barter a deal with Dumbledore. Something that would keep us and our families safe from both the sides of war."

"And what I am waiting for, is the part where you tell me 'why' I should help you," The Durmstrang champion smiled, "As far as I am concerned, I am just a champion from a school that will win the Tournament, bring prestige to my school and my name, and then will be off to my career in a country which is far away from a soon-to-be war plagued one."

"You think that he will stay quiet once he takes over Britain?" Daphne sneered, "Sooner than you think, war will be at your borders too. He is a Dark Lord, there is nothing in the world that would satiate his thirst for power."

"Is this your attempt to get me to sign-up for your little 'girl-power-gang'?" Ashley laughed, "You really think I would fall for this stupid propaganda?" She laughed some more and wiped a fake tear.

"Oh you poor girl, let me tell you something," She took a deep breath, "Bulgaria is thousands of miles away from Britain, your dark lord will have to successfully conquer about twenty countries before he is even able to think of conquering Bulgaria, and I am really sure that the moment he steps foot out of his homeland, the ICW will consider him a threat and immediately discharge the Mage Task Force against him. He will be finished before he reaches Germany, much less Bulgaria."

There was pin-drop silence after Ashley finished her statement. Daphne frowned at the girl–no woman, because there was no way a simple girl could play with words like Petrovia was playing.

Daphne knew that what the Durmstrang champion had said was true, but this was something that she hadn't imagined that Petrovia would know of. It was indeed a mistake on her part, as she had assumed that Petrovia would be as easy to sway as Beaufort had been.

Daphne knew she shouldn't have painted both Beaufort and Petrovia with the same brush of negligence and stupidity, something that was probably going to become the reason for ending this fruitless talk.

"So you are assured of that fact, since you are enjoying immunity from you-know-who because of the distance and the ICW, right? What about your headmaster, it's a well known fact that he used to be a Death Eater under the Dark Lord's services." Daphne threw another attempt to sway Petrovia.

"Yes-yes, the Death Eater who gave names of several of his comrades, something that granted him a pardon from the ministry while giving him shame and death threats from said comrades," She smirked, "Karkaroff isn't a well-liked headmaster, and his position as the headmaster of the Institute gives his location. I won't be surprised if someday we come to know that someone infiltrated the institute and killed him, he probably deserves it anyway."

"Let's go Daphne, I told you she won't help us," Beaufort stood up from her seat, "She probably doesn't know how to do anything, anyway."

"Do what? A simple deal about protection for the artifact? Please, we both know that it would be harder for me to shoot a stunner than do that."

"Then why don't you?" Daphne asked, "If you are worried that we would snitch you in this then be assured-"

"Oh I know you won't. Your concern, even though noted, isn't needed, as we both know that your silence with my name is a given," Ashley said condescendingly.

"What is it that you need from us? And don't say nothing, there is always something that we need, something that we can't get ourselves. So tell me, Petrovia, what is your price?"

Ashley smirked at Daphne, this was refreshing. The world –as she knew it– was a droll existence. A place that she neither had to work for, nor work out. A smile here and a sway there, combined with some beautifully twisted thorns, would get anything she wanted. Things that she didn't get that way, were usually settled with money.

And no one refused money.

Her methods had worked perfectly. She always got what she wanted, always…except when it came to one person. The same man who had rebuffed her, time and again, for things that others would probably sell themselves for.

"I want information."

"Information?" Daphne frowned, "On what?"

"Not what, who. I want to know the lesser known things, things that others do not know about the one name that got a reaction even from one such as yourself, who is widely proclaimed as the 'Ice Queen'," Ashley leaned forward, she could see that the younger girl had reached the correct conclusion.

"Do you mean-"

"Yes, I want to know about Harry Potter," the Durmstrang champion smiled, "Everything that you know, and your relation with him."

It would have been fair to say that Daphne Greengrass and Angelique Beaufort left the room after some time. Their talk had been fruitless, as Ashley had been as much of a help as Peeves the poltergeist.

Worse was the fact that Ashley's words had ruined Daphne's mood even more, something that made Beaufort groan as she knew that the younger girl would probably vent out her frustrations by dueling against her. She really needed to know what was so important about one man that would completely turn a calculative mind like Daphne's into a nesting mother dragon.

'Just why couldn't my life be anything simple for once?!' Angelique thought as she followed Daphne up the staircases and towards the room of requirement.

"My Lord, he is here," Bellatrix announced as she went to open the door and allowed him inside.

The person who entered immediately gulped at the tense atmosphere of the throne room. He knew his family was made of stuck-up idiots, but to be this much of an idiot? How could they! Still, the man knew that he had to answer his lord, even if he was not the one who did anything wrong.

"Maste-"

"Crucio!"

Lucius Malfoy screamed in pain as he writhed on the carpeted floor of the throne room. He already knew that he would be on the receiving end of the Dark Lord's cruciatus, but knowing it beforehand most certainly did not mean that he was prepared for it.

Voldemort, on the other hand, glared at the writhing form of Malfoy senior as he poured more and more of his anger to strengthen the spell. He was at the end of his patience levels now. There was no way that he would leave the culprits unpunished.

Still, he relented a bit, not because he was suddenly feeling generous, or merlin be damned pitiful, over Lucius Malfoy no. He relented only because he needed news. He wanted to know why, exactly why a simple task of retrieval was taking so long.

He had sent Draco Malfoy before yule and the boy should have been here during the winter holidays. Now, January was coming to an end and he knew neither about the Malfoys nor anything about his horcrux that the boy was sent to retrieve.

"So Lucius, I presume you have something to tell us?" Voldemort sneered at the blonde man, who was panting for air, as he slowly got up from his prone position on the floor.

"Ye-Yes, My Lord," Malfoy gasped, "I have already sent letters to both Draco and Narcissa, day before yesterday regarding..regarding their delay."

"And what did they say?"

"My dearest sister, Cissy, says that Dumbledore suspects foul play in her presence at Hogwarts, and is therefore searching her and Draco's belongings every time they try to leave the school." Bellatrix chimed from his right, "She says that she is bartering a deal with the old fool to let her go."

"The old coot is too kind to do something like this, and even if he did, there are about ten secret passages that can take anyone out from Hogwarts," Voldemort growled, "You are telling me that neither Narcissa, Draco, nor anyone they know inside Hogwarts knows of these passages?"

"I-I asked them, My Lord," Lucius interrupted, "I even told them about the three that I knew of, but yesterday Narcissa's letter tells us that due to the tournament, there is additional security inside the castle. Each and every corridor, as well as the common room doors, are patrolled by aurors and hitwizards after the debacle of the first task."

Voldemort slammed his fist on the side table, making the things placed on it rattle before they fell, "I do not care how they do it! I have been waiting for a month now, there is no way your wife and son can be so incompetent as to not smuggle a simple artifact with them. And if their belongings are being inspected then tell them to send it with someone else, they can come after that."

"I will, My Lord," Lucius immediately agreed, "I will do my best to make sure that the artifact is brought to you by tomorrow. Cornelius is going to inspect the school to ensure that there is no hindrance in the conduction of the second task, which will be conducted in February. I will join him. There is no way that the old fool will even suspect Cornelius, or his entourage, of carrying something remotely dubious."

"Make sure that you do, Lucius," the Dark Lord hissed, "Or you know the price of failure."

Malfoy gulped and tried his best to show his agreement, "Indeed, My Lord," He bowed, "If there is nothing else, Master?"

"There is."

Lucius blinked at that, he had thought that he would be sent away with this, "Anything for you, Master."

"It has been some time since I had an audience," Voldemort hummed, "I have heard that you have been a loyal member of 'The Council' for more than half a decade now, is that true?"

"Indeed, Master," Lucius gulped, "Bu-but, is it wise to get involved with them? I-I don't think we have anything that they would be interested in…especially after the last time."

"Lucius…" Voldemort hissed in warning and smiled when the blonde Lord got the hint. He knew that if his lord had made up his mind, then there was no way that he could sway it anyways. Not unless he did what he wanted and saw the results himself.

"I am not asking you to teach me about the past, the past is not something we should dwell in," Voldemort added, "I want you to use your connections to garner an audience with the Council. Tell them that Lord Voldemort is back, and this time he intends to stay for another eternity to come."

"Understood, My Lord," Lucius bowed, "I will contact the Council's spokesperson, and will immediately let you know their response the moment it arrives."

With this, the Malfoy Lord left the throne room, his mind swirling with memories regarding the international organization and their past dealings with it.

'The Council of Paragons', or 'The Council' in general, was a small group of ten highly influential and ancient families. The Council had been founded about nine centuries ago for reasons still unknown to him. What is known is the fact that, together the members hold about ten percent of the total wealth of the world.

Each of the families are given an area that comes under their jurisdiction. They are shadow monarchs of those areas. And they are the highest level of authority that one could have in those areas.

For the world, they showed themselves to be normal humans who never did anything that would upset the law or the government, but Lucius knew that each of the ten families in the Council were like the law themselves, they did not need any rights or powers over anything. Not because they didn't want it, it was more because they didn't need it.

The Council was a shadow organization with maximum power that worked on international levels, no one knew the Council's real power, or how many people worked for them, but one thing was quite clear. If the council wanted something done, there was almost nothing that could ever stop it.

During the last war, when his lord was on the rise, the Council had contacted him. They had offered him a seat of power with their ranks, access to vast amounts of knowledge, man-power, and resources that one just couldn't get anywhere else.

In return, they would be getting absolute control over a country as prestigious as Great Britain, something that added a really powerful kingdom under their command. It wasn't a favor, more like a deal between The Council and the Dark Lord. The Morte Tower was also made to establish the Council's rule over Britain, and was supposed to act as his lord's headquarters.

Unfortunately, Lord Voldemort's defeat at the hands of a toddler wasn't something any of them had expected. The backlash had been immediate as the Council pulled back all of its funding, resources, and man-power. They even went on a hunt to decimate the one who had caused this.

That had been the reason why the Potters had been targeted almost a decade ago. The team had been sent to kidnap Alandale Potter. Unfortunately, the boy had been out with his grandmother, the late Lady Dorea Potter who had later died when The Council had razed the Potter Manor to finish everything that the Potters had.

Fortunately, the team didn't return empty handed, they knew the consequences of doing so. Therefore, that was the time when Lily and Harry Potter had been captured and placed in the Morte Tower as captives.

Dumbledore took precautions regarding the Boy-Who-Lived's safety, and sent him to live with the Weasleys under the Fidelius. That severely pushed back the Council's attempt for revenge on the youngest Potter.

Something that they delightfully took out on the elder one. After a few years, when his relation with the minister, and the ministry by extension, was solidified, he had applied to get an audience with the Council, whereby he had successfully integrated himself in the Council as they recognised his power within the ministry.

Unfortunately, it was the day of his joining that the Morte Tower had a feast in his honor, something that gave one of the traitor guards an opportunity to free Harry Potter from the cells. Something that the Council regretted almost four years later when said boy went on carnage and massacred ninety–four wizards, as well as torched the tower so that it could never be rebuilt again, not unless they wanted to spend a huge amount of gold.

Lucius still had nightmares regarding what he had witnessed that night. It was only through his intellect that he had not only managed to run away from the monster, but also safeguard his family to date. He still thanked his lucky stars, as, if not for that unbreakable vow, he was sure that the Malfoy line would have ended years ago.

The only drawback was that he wasn't allowed to tell anyone, including the Council, that it was Harry Potter who had killed everyone and destroyed the Morte Tower. Something that the Council didn't appreciate. In their view, Britain had been the most fruitless venture of theirs, something that they didn't wish to live through for a couple of centuries at the very least.

And now, his lord wanted an audience with them once more.

Lucius shook his head tiredly, there was nothing he could do to divert the Dark Lord's thoughts once he had set them to gain something. The elder Malfoy only wished that this time they would gain more than they lost.

When he looked back on his stay here, Harry knew that he had learned many things. Things that he knew weren't possible to learn in the Realm of the Living. Dramox had been a strict mentor, pushing him past his limits every single day. By now, he didn't know how many creatures he had slaughtered, he had stopped counting after his first twenty-thousand and that was two years ago.

It wasn't that the commander only taught him to kill creatures of earth. After the first few months, Harry learned that since Death was a multiversal entity, the plane in which he trained with Dramox, as well as the Realm of Death, was made up of creatures from different universes.

Something that he later learned the hard way, by facing many weird creatures from different earths and planets in different universes.

Last year, he had also defeated and gained the allegiance of the second strongest weapon that a mortal could wield:The Parmanuor, as it was also known, 'TheUnit of Existence, itself'.

After his battle with Aatank had ended, his Artelean commander had proceeded to teach him the art of flying. At first Harry had been skeptical, because the human body wasn't made for that sort of thing. The anatomy required was just not possible to be incorporated with the delights of avian nature.

His doubts had been followed by detailed explanation on the uniformity of magic and its usage in transforming your 'magical' self. He still hadn't been able to completely map this entire theory as Dramox only gave him the small part that was required.

The explanation had followed with a small example where the commander, complete with his heavy, purple scales and thick tail, had folded his huge, bat-like wings and floated as if he was made of helium and gave a display of incredible maneuverability in the air without the use of his wings.

After that, Harry had learned the art of flight, even though it took him a few months of constant struggle. Then, for the first time, he faced creatures and fought battles in air. It was definitely a lot easier than what he had done on land. Which gave rise to the question of 'Why hadn't Dramox taught this to him earlier?'

Answer? Dramox had shrugged and muttered the three magical words: 'You weren't ready'.

And although he had learned the art of flight, it had not been that efficient in his battle against the red monster that was Parmanu.

Facing Parmanu was like facing a living, breathing giant made of molten lava and had the power to shape shift anything into anything. Its biggest asset was its ability of self destruction. If one somehow got near enough, Parmanu would immediately turn itself into a self-destructing, angry beast and would blast every single thing in a predetermined periphery. Anything that came in contact with the heat was immediately turned to nothing. There was not even ashes left.

The four pairs of arms as well as its five glowing red eyes gave it the ultimate situational awareness, and it had the dexterity to dodge as well as fight back. It was a miracle that Harry had cracked the code of defeating the weapon after fighting with it continuously for only a month.

He had perfectly timed the weapon's self-destruct blast and had proceeded to force the weapon to fight at that exact same moment, something that had created instability in the Unit of Existence causing the blast to go inside itself. The energy hadn't found a way to be unleashed like usual, which had caused the weapon to be blasted from inside.

And that was how Harry gained the allegiance of the second most powerful weapon that a mortal could wield. Unfortunately, Dramox later told him, "Since Parmanu has a million different uses, being the Unit of Existence itself, if someone defeats it, they only gain the power of which they used to defeat it."

Therefore, since he had defeated Parmanu with its self-destructive power, Harry had the power to self-destruct himself once and destroy everything in a perimeter that he set. But like Parmanu, he would remain unharmed through it all. It was like carrying a bomb in himself that would protect him but would kill everyone in a set range.

There was a soft chime that made the Innovator sigh. It was the fourth one, and he opened his eyes just in time to see the fourth giant hourglass vanish. His fourth year had ended. Four long years, that was time he had spent in the Realm of Death.

In the real world, he assumed that it would probably be nearing the end of January. Which meant his physical body had been in a coma for a month now.

"Open your eyes, Harry Potter," Dramox announced, "It is time for you to face the most powerful weapon that a mortal can wield."

Harry slowly opened his eyes, he was as ready as he could be. This was the strongest weapon that he could wield, and he couldn't wait to see the landscape changing powers that this one would have.

"I am ready."

"Indeed, and so is the weapon," Dramox forwarded his hand, and the mortal mage followed it to witness a serene looking creature. He couldn't say that it was a monster, for once the weapon wasn't attacking him on sight.

The weapon was blue and black in color, it had several root-like branches sprouting from its head and moving upwards to form a hallow. Three glowing blue eyes, and a glowing blue heart in the center. Two pairs of arms and a pair of wings that sprouted from its back, depicting the weapon's ability to fly.

Despite the fact that Harry knew it was a weapon, the serene face and energy around it made it more like a benevolent being who was just waiting patiently.

"Wondering why it isn't attacking you on sight like the previous two?"

Harry nodded, "Yeah, it's like the weapon doesn't want to fight at all."

"And it won't unless you attack it first, this is the one weapon that you can't defeat. Not only you, there isn't anyone who can ever defeat it."

"What?!" exclaimed Harry, "Then why am I fighting it? How am I supposed to gain its allegiance?"

"You won't fight the weapon either, the only way to gain its allegiance is when the weapon decides that you have what it takes to have it in your arsenal. For this is not a normal weapon, Harry Potter, you will soon be going againstThe Tandavamor as it is also known, 'The Dance of Destruction'."

"The what? Dance?" Harry asked in confusion.

"Indeed, but not a simple dance that you might have thought," Dramox clarified, "The Dance of Destruction is exactly what it says. Everytime the weapon's legs hit the surface a new monster is born, and every new monster is more powerful than its predecessor."

Harry gulped when he looked at the blue and black weapon, now looking at it in a new light. This was indeed the most dangerous power that one could have. Creating monsters non-stop and each would be stronger than the one before. A terrifying power indeed.

"You will keep fighting monsters created by the Tandavam. And this shall go on until either you give-up and die or the weapon deems you worthy enough and blesses you with its allegiance."

"But there is no definite time for that?" Harry inquired from his mentor who shook his head.

"No, Tandavam judges everything that you have; your resilience, strength, abilities, will-power. There is absolutely nothing that escapes its judgment. It is even said that this is the only weapon that has the power to visualize your past, present, and future all at once. And once it comes to conclusion, the weapon then either decides to kill you or it heals you and grants you its allegiance."

"Do you have the power of Tandavam?"

"I do not," the Artelean answered, "I have never tested myself against the Tandavam. I have had neither the need nor the urge to face it. And therefore, I have yet to face it on my own. You have the choice of denying it too, neither me nor my master would force you to fight against a weapon as powerful and devastating as the Tandavam."

For a moment Harry wanted to agree. He already had two of the most powerful weapons, he had years of experience and had mastered a multitude of branches in various fields that a simple human, or any creature could not even dream of.

But that had been just a fool's thought that resided within him for a fleeting moment. The Innovator knew the risks of facing Tandavam, but the benefits were way beyond human comprehension. They were much more than what the earlier divine weapons gave him.

Having the allegiance of Tandavam was like having an entire army with you. An army that was made of unlimited creatures, each stronger than its predecessor. Something that would definitely help him, if, by some chance, he is unable to kill Voldemort in time and unable to close the Crevice of Creation.

The mortal, who was arguably the most powerful mortal on earth, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He released it as he thought about everything. Finally he opened his eyes, and instead of the usual emeralds, they were glowing silver. Meaning he had activated his Runes of Potentia.

Apparently Dramox sensed the change in his student too, "So I take it, you have made up your mind, then?"

"Beyond a doubt," Harry promised, "Let's see how it goes."

Ending Note: And there you have it twenty-third chapter of INNOVATOR. Do tell me if you like it or if it missed something, I am waiting.

Join my Discord server. This is where you can get the link to the site that-must-not-be-named and read ahead by three chapters. I've also shared all the character sketches and have a dedicated channel for the discussion of this fic.

Beware: Loads of NSFW (Yes, p*rn, and lots of it.😁😂)

Link: https://discord.gg/Gcbcv4dxGx
Name: 𝕯𝖊𝖛 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐'𝖘 𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊

Thank you for reading and reviewing, I tried to reply to all of them. Bookmark the fic to stay tuned for more awesome updates.

With Regards

Dev Black

Chapter 24: The Powers of Death

Chapter Text

Join my Discord server. This is where you can get the link to the site that-must-not-be-named and read ahead by three chapters. I've also shared all the character sketches and have a dedicated channel for the discussion of this fic.

Beware: Loads of NSFW (Yes, p*rn, and lots of it. 😂)

https://discord.gg/Gcbcv4dxGx
Name: 𝕯𝖊𝖛 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐'𝖘 𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊

Hearty thanks and congratulations to our first seven members of Guildmaster tier:Camo, I am Lord Dems, StormFox, RyanMK666, Lyrical, Tyler and HadesReynes.

"I am Talking."

'I am Thinking'

Spells

"The Voice."

There is no lie more pleasing than life, and no truth scarier than death.

~Dev Black.

INNOVATOR

-Dev Sagittarius Black

~~Chapter 24: The Powers of Death~~

.

Pain

Agonizing pain that knew no bounds coursed through his veins as he screamed to the heavens above. It was the first time he was feeling this much pain in his fifteen years of existence. Even counting the four years he had spent in the realm of death, this was the most he had suffered.

Harry opened his eyes, his vision was blurry and it took a moment before he realized that it was because he had been crying. Tears filled his eyes before they dropped on the white sand where he lay. The same white sand that was littered with the torn and blasted body parts of unknown and uncountable monsters.

There were spots where the ground had been eroded and blasted, spots where he could see the still burning body parts of the monsters that were scorched by theFiendfyre. And then there was the spot where the strongest weapon humanity could ever dream of possessing stood.

The weapon wasn't actually standing, it was continuously dancing. And it had been dancing for the last– the innovator checked the hourglass and groaned– for the last four months.

Tandavamwas like a weapon that knew no boundaries, nothing could stop it. Absolutely nothing. The weapon had started dancing about four months ago when the test had started, and the apprentice of Death hadn't even thought about what would follow when he had agreed to do the test for the sake of saving his world.

There was no going back now.

He had slain about a thousand creatures, they had started easy– mere goblins and the likes, then they went with lycans and other wild animals. Right now, what stood in front of him was a beast entirely made of lava and fire, definitely not something he had witnessed in his world….and there were at least fifty like this one waiting behind it.

It wasn't the number of beasts he had slain or the number he had to cut through that made him falter. It was the sheer impossibility of defeating Tandavam that halted him in his tracks. He had taken the challenge on the basis that he had defeated weapons likeAatankandParmanuin a month, but that was when they had a way to defeat them.

Tandavam on the other hand was like a being of unbound powers and energy that could continue to rain destruction for as long as it wished.

Harry had tried everything he had, all of the eleven paths from deceit to confrontation. All of his spells, from weak and light ones– such as stunners– to distract to ones likeFiendfyreandDraco Ignem. He had even experimented and learned that due to his stay in the realm of death, it was much easier to use the spells that had connection with death likeExercitus MortuorumandFodre Foraminis.

But nothing. Absolutely nothing had affected TheTandavam. The weapon had simply used the summoned creatures as a shield or flew up in the air to protect itself. And then when the attack from Harry stopped, it regained its position and began the dance again.

"You need to be patient, Harry Potter," Dramox's voice broke the sound that his labored breathing made, "You need to be patient with the Tandavam. There is nothing that your patience can't win."

"I don't have that much patience in me! Nor do I have that much time." Harry shouted back, "I tried, I did. But if the weapon wants to, won't it pull this fight for the remaining one and a half years that I have left?"

"It will. And not only one and a half, but you will have to fight Tandavam until the time it decides to join you or the time you decide to give-up and die."

"But-"

"I warned you, Harry Potter," Dramox growled, "I warned you why the weapon was the one that even I had never gone against. It wasn't the power that I lacked, Death knows that I can slay almost any monster that the weapon creates. No, it was the sheer patience that one needed to have and the time that one should be ready to give in a fight against the Tandavam. Something that I, as the commander, couldn't afford."

Harry stayed silent. This wasn't something he had thought about. Actually, there was nothing that he had thought about before taking this test except the fact that a weapon like Tandavam would give him the edge that he would need to use against his enemies.

The power of the weapon had been heavily alluring. Something that he should have been cautious against but he hadn't. And now he suffered the drawbacks of his decision.

'Was this how it goes? Fighting against something that would not stop for years?' Harry thought as he tried to push down the hopelessness that bubbled inside him. Something that was slowly becoming much more strenuous to do as reality hit him again and again.

'I had huge hopes for myself…this weapon shattered them all..' He released a deep breath 'This was not how it was supposed to go. If this carries on longer than I think, then even if I gain its allegiance it won't matter as it would be fruitless to return back to a dead world.'

"As if we would just roll over and die, Harry. Do you really think we would?"

'You don't have any other choice, Daphne,' He sighed, 'Voldemort's army and the Army of Damnation, both of them will destroy us all if I am..wait….what the-' He blinked as he rapidly looked around himself, "...Daphne?"

"I am here. And who said you'll fail? I know you will succeed, you will do everything just in time and save the world. Until then, we will hold the fort for you, Harry."

"Wait..how are you here? This is-"

"I've always been here, I've watched you alongside your parents."

"But this is the realm of Death! You aren't dead!"

But there wasn't any answer this time. Harry looked around himself, even now he couldn't see a single specter that would remotely look like a human female. 'What just happened? What was that?! This was just like when mom said she was with me…but this…Daphne is alive, right? RIGHT?!'

"I am alive. And we are waiting for you, Harry, everyone is,"Daphne's voice resonated around him again, "Come soon, Harry."

"What the…" Harry blinked as he got up from the ground. The moment he did, the mighty beast that had struck him down and had been waiting patiently roared and charged with its group of almost fifty similar creatures.

Harry frowned when he remembered that his mom's voice had sounded right when he was about to slip out of the realm. And even when he had repeatedly told his trainer that it was his mom's voice, the commander had denied it again and again.

'So…what was that and what is this?' Harry dodged the club that smashed on the ground where he had been standing. If he hadn't then he would have turned into a bloody paste on the ground.

"Think about it later, Harry, right now you have a weapon to fight and a world to save. Remember what I told you in our last meeting?"Daphne's voice came again and Harry tried to focus hard on making some distance between himself and the beast that was attacking him as he tried to remember it.

"You always had a force inside you. I have always admired the way you seemed to tackle life and not–"

" –give a damn about it, yes. I remember." Harry mumbled before he flicked his wand at the beast's eyes and released the conjunctivitis curse.

"Yes, and it was both inspiring and mesmerizing. The Harry I see right now, has lost it. Find it inside yourself, I know it's in there just burdened with the load of saving the world."

"Something that I have to do, or this all would be–" Harry ducked under the club and shouted, "Bombarda Maxima!" The beast's head was cracked open as it blasted and Harry flew thirty feet from the ground just in time as it blasted, taking three more of its type.

"But what good would the load do, if it starts holding you back instead of pushing you forward?"Daphne asked, "What good would 'I have to save the world' do if there's no world to save because you got crushed under the load of 'I have to save the world'?"

Harry frowned at that, "Then what do you suggest I should do, eh? It's not like I have any other choice. Everything that I have done has been only because of that one reason in the first place."

"Fight for that reason later, Harry. Right now, you need to fight for yourself. Fight for what you think is worth fighting for, fight for your own survival, Blaise', Fleur's, mine, your godfather's and even Alandale's. Fight back with the same force that I have always admired,"The voice reverberated around him, "Fight foryourworld first, Harry. And the rest of the world will be saved."

Harry took Daphne's words in and clenched his fist as he glared at the beasts that had been conjured by Tandavam's dance. He didn't know where or how Daphne's voice was coming. But he knew that what she was saying was true. The world can only be saved by him surviving this.

And this time he didn't mean the world, no. This time he meanthisworld. The world that was worth fighting for, the world that was worth saving, and the world that he would willingly die for, if need be.

"Thanks Daphne," Harry smirked as he started to descend towards the beasts, "Thanks for always having my back when needed."

The voice didn't reply back but Harry knew that he didn't need the voice to reply either. There was something else that he had to do. Something that was much more important. Maybe if he successfully returned to earth just in time, then he would personally thank Daphne. Not only for this one time. But also for all the other times when he had been tormented by his inner demons at the end of each year in Hogwarts, and she found him and pulled him out of the deepest pits of self-deprecation that he dug himself into.

With these thoughts, Harry pointed his wand towards the beast that stood directly beneath him, and with renewed vigor and sense of fighting, he began his own dance of destruction.

Draco Malfoy, the scion of house Malfoy, sighed in disappointment as he returned from his mother's private suite that she had taken residence in for her temporary stay in Hogwarts. There was the Slytherin prefect, Dolce, who was walking a few steps behind him, he was guarding Draco from 'someone'. Who? Neither of them knew the answer to that. Dolce was just following orders.

He had so many expectations from his mother but sadly, all for naught. The woman simply wasn't doing what she had to do. At first when he had seen his mother in Hogwarts, he had been relieved that there was someone who was worried about him, someone who could pull him out of the mess he had made around himself in his moment of negligence for safety. Therefore, he had told her everything that had happened with him and the artifact.

His mother had promised that she would deal with the Greengrass-Beaufort duo and regain the artifact which would easily get them both in the 'good graces' of their lord, but for that to happen he wasn't supposed to talk about this to anyone, not even his father. And it wasn't like Draco didn't understand the real reason behind hiding this from his father. It was simple really, his father was in constant contact with The Dark Lord, which meant that their master would easily read his father's thoughts and would punish Lucius for his son's mistakes. Something that the younger Malfoy didn't want at all.

This was the reason why all of the mail that he and his mother had received from the Malfoy lord had been answered by his mother. Draco had withheld himself from answering the letters, as per the orders of his mother. But lately, the young boy had started to get second thoughts about this weird arrangement of theirs.

Granted his mother was a good woman and was worried about her family's safety. Hell he knew that the woman was doing all she could to keep herself, and her family, alive when the Dark Lord finally rose to prominence. However, the problem was a woman like Narcissa Malfoy, who had been trained in word-games and politics by a grand and noble ancient house such as the Blacks, had been unable to regain the artifact from a bitch like Greengrass.

It was shameful. Utterly so, in Draco's opinion.

Therefore, he really wanted to see what his father would do if he was in his place. Fortunately enough, he wouldn't have to wait as, thanks to his father's last letter, he knew that the Malfoy patriarch would soon be coming to Hogwarts with the minister to check-up on the preparations for the Tournament's second task. Something that he planned to exploit quite well.

Draco knew he would have to be cautious in using his words, just so he didn't end up telling his father about the missing artifact, and yet gain the answers as to how he should proceed from here. He would have usually left this job to his mother, but since he was already suspicious of her intentions, and ability, he couldn't trust her with something like this. Not anymore.

'I really need to think this through, can't have-'

"Stupefy!"

Draco's eyes widened and he ducked as he turned to look at the prefect who was guarding him, "What the f*ck Dolce!" He snarled, "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Dolce on the other hand narrowed his eyes at the person he had been guarding, "Doing what is necessary for my survival, Malfoy. Now stay still," And before Malfoy could have pulled his wand out, his vision turned black thanks to the two stunners that hit him on his chest.

The sound of flesh being torn was heard throughout the lands as the last creature was torn apart from the middle. Blood squirting from the straight line of torn flesh and ruptured muscles that had been a result of the mage's cutting curse, which had sliced the monster into two pieces.

Harry panted for air as he looked at the two halves of the dragonoid creature that fell separately on the bloodied floor beneath it. The Innovator then looked toward the weapon that was standing on the ground only a few meters from him; one leg raised in air, its four hands all in an intricate pose as if the entity had been paused in time while performing a mesmerizing step.

Yet both of them knew that the step would be more deadly than mesmerizing as the moment the weapon's leg tapped the ground, another creature would be reborn who would be stronger than the one Harry had just chopped in two.

The entity had paused the dance mid-step a while ago, and instead had decided to simply watch as its pursuer blasted, chopped, and utterly massacred its creations that found themselves in his way.

Now was the moment of truth. The Innovator had been fighting the creatures for eight months. Continuously on a rampage to kill and not-be-killed. Now was the first time in eight whole months that the innovator would be getting some rest. And now would also be the time when his decision would shape his future for the next sixteen months. As it was his decision that had led to eight months of constant fighting in the first place.

Harry looked at the entity, his green eyes meeting the being's glowing blue ones as he staggered towards it. The entity stood still, one of its legs raised and arms perfectly placed for a dance step that would start another sixteen months of death and destruction before it gave the mortal another breath to rest and decide the future for the next thirty-two months.

"I am not here to fight you," Harry rasped, "I know what I have done in the past and I think I now understand what the commander said when it mentioned to have patience when pursuing you."

The entity didn't move, it just stayed locked in that same pose as it analyzed the mortal who was finally speaking something other than the incantations to bring forth his magical spells.

"Daphne told me to fight for my world. To not give a damn about 'The World' or the consequences but to fight for myself and the ones I think it's worth fighting for. And to do that, I will need your support. Even if you don't want to support me, then just release me from this fight and I will stop pursuing you. I have no intentions of pursuing you till the end of time, for that would be detrimental to my world. Therefore…"

Harry released a deep breath as he dropped his wand and fell on his knees, "I surrender the fight to pursue you. Now you can either join me in my attempt to save the world from the Army of Damnation or you can end the fight and be gone forever, never to hear from me ever again. I leave the decision in your hands."

The weapon looked down at Harry and time seemed to pause as the two kept staring. It felt like an eternity passed between the two and they discussed a lot of things in that time. Yet, it had only been a few minutes of absolute stillness after which, the weapon finally decided to release its raised leg and gently placed it on the pale white ground beneath it.

The decision had been made. The mage had made the correct choice. And now it was time for the results.

Harry saw the weapon's blue eyes glow a bit before it seemed that the weapon actually smiled at him. Then, just like the two weapons before it, the most powerful weapon a mortal could wield turned to become a pulsating blue orb of energy and seeped inside Harry.

The battle was over. The decision had been made.

Harry Potter had successfully gained the allegiance ofThe Tandavam, strongest and most powerful weapon that a mortal could ever wield.

"I must say, I had expected you to prolong the fight with the way you had been so charged not a moment ago."

"You knew."

"I have known many things over the time that I've spent breathing between my people and punishing many others under the commands of Death, Harry Potter," said the commander, "You will have to be more specific as to what you are talking about."

Harry turned to look at his trainer and glared at him, "You knew that the way to gain Tandavam's allegiance was not to fight but to surrender, didn't you? And yet you didn't tell me about it."

"If I had known that it was that easy, do you not think that I would have gone against the strongest weapon myself?" Dramox threw back at Harry, "I told you everything I knew, Harry Potter. All of my thoughts and knowledge that I had regarding the weapon had been given to you, yet you sit there and accuse me of treachery with the responsibilities of my role as your trainer."

Harry frowned at that, he had assumed that Dramox actually knew the things and had deliberately not told the correct way, "Why did you tell me to be patient then? What did that mean?"

"Being patient is what one does when they are against an entity as powerful and all consuming as theTandavam, but being patient does not mean surrendering yourself to your enemy. You were told to be patient 'in fight'."

"And yet my decision of surrender was the key to winning its allegiance," Harry sighed and stood up from his kneeling position on the ground, his wand floated back into its holster.

"You cannot be any farther from the truth yet nearest to the result at the same time," Dramox muttered, "Yes, your decision to surrender had been what paused the Tandavam's dance of destruction. Yet it was not your surrender that made him ally itself with you."

"What do you mean?"

"Tandavam had analyzed everything, Harry Potter. Your past, your present, and your future until the point you will use it for your cause. It was not the surrender itself that changed Tandavam's decision, it was the motive behind the surrender that did it. For all I know, I can go against the Tandavam right now and yet I would lose if I surrendered. For my goals would be vastly different from the ones you had when you offered to quit the fight."

Harry frowned at that. If he had to actually believe what his trainer had just said– And it was hard not to– then the weapon had actually heard him and foreseen everything before it had decided to ally itself with his cause. But the words weren't his, were they? They were what his mind had conjured when he had listened to Daphne's voice.

"I also wanted to ask you something," Harry replied, "There was a time, remember when I had fallen and Tandavam had paused momentarily to give me some time?"

Dramox nodded, "It had stopped because it was against its rules to attack an enemy who wasn't fighting or is defenseless. In its eyes, you were defeated for those few moments."

"Yes, those," Harry carried on, "I had heard Daphne's voice. The same way I had heard my mother's. I mean, I can understand my mother's voice reaching me in the realm but I can't understand how Daphne's did as she's very much alive and does not know I am here, in the realm of death."

"Is this Daphne somehow closer to you? Someone who has helped you in your bad times on earth?" Dramox enquired.

"Ah..yes…somewhat," The innovator rubbed his chin, "I mean, I don't understand her sometimes, but she has stuck around with me since my first year. Somehow we always ended up together whenever I was feeling down– usually at the year's end. So, I don't know?"

"Yes, you do." Dramox interrupted and sighed when Harry gave a confused look, "I really would never be able to understand the complex creatures that humans are. They would go to the ends of the world for something they want to fight and care for, and yet they would deny its very existence when faced with it."

"I don't know what you mean, commander," Harry sighed, "I told you what you asked."

"Did you? I asked you a simple question of 'whether the girl was close to you and had uplifted you in your bad times'. A simple answer would be 'yes', and yet you went on to explain everything to me except giving me the correct answer."

"But it is the right answer!" Harry exclaimed, "Alright, yes! Yes, Daphne has seen me in my bad times. Found me whenever I was feeling low and uplifted my mood or pulled me out of my dilemma, and yes, she's somewhat close to me. Closer than most."

"Then you have your answer, Harry Potter, you just are facing trouble accepting it."

"Can you help me then?"

"I am an Artelean, not human," The commander shrugged, "Our ways of intimacy, relations, emotions, and copulations are way different from what you humans have."

"Co-Copulation!" Harry sputtered, "There's nothing like that between me and Daphne! You hear me? Absolutely NOTHING!"

"Sure."

"I am telling you-"

"I don't think you have to, Harry Potter," Dramox interrupted him once more, "And I don't want to hear your stories either, for our time here is short and it would better be utilized by you learning how to wield the powers that you have been, granted."

Harry took a deep breath and tried to push down the thoughts of Daphne Greengrass, failing at it as the seeds sown by Dramox had already germinated thanks to the Innovator's own suppressed thoughts and desires for the blonde heiress. Yet he focused himself and looked at his trainer once more.

"So, what are we going to do now? There's just four months left before this year ends," He said looking at the second last hourglass that was already on its way to finishing. After this, there was one more hourglass left, and once it was over. It would mark Harry's time to return back to the realm of the living.

"I have already taught you all that you needed to know, Harry Potter," Dramox admitted, "You have exceeded my expectations and I thank both you and my master for giving me the opportunity to relive my days as a trainer of the Artelean forces once more. You have been an excellent student, and would have been an even better commander had we been in the army."

Harry blinked owlishly at that, "I…ah..Thanks?"

"Take it as a fact and wear it with pride, it's not everyday that a human is ever considered to be strong enough to become a commander of the Artelean army in its prime," For the first time, Dramox smiled at Harry, "The rest of this year and the next would be spent by learning the arts and honing the power of my master, under my master's tutelage."

"So…this was it?" Harry asked, "This is as far as we were supposed to go?"

"Indeed. And I hope that there never comes a time when you have to meet me again, for it will be on the opposite side. Something that I would not wish upon you, or myself either," Dramox's body slowly started vanishing the way it had appeared when Harry had seen him for the first time all those years ago.

"Commander…Dramox, I can't thank you enough for all the training. I don't know how to thank you," Harry blinked back the moistness in his eyes when he realized that this might be the last time he was seeing the commander.

"Succeed in your goals and do not let anything hold you from achieving what you want," Dramox smiled, "I wish you fortune in your endeavors, may your lady luck shine upon you always, Harry Potter. Farewell."

And with that the commander vanished completely, leaving his apprentice as he stood alone in the pale white fields around him, and the light from a million galaxies falling on him.

"Attachment…" Death's mismatched voice broke Harry's lapse in concentration as the Innovator felt, more than saw, a 'form' behind him, "The illusion that keeps one away from reality."

Harry looked behind himself and saw a seven-foot tall figure standing behind him, wrapped in a charcoal black cloak with a hood that hid its face.

"Death?"

"Indeed," The voice had the same mismatched tone as before, but instead of echoing around him, it came from the being that stood in front, "It has been quite some time. I hope I find you in good health, Anubis."

"As good as I can be, considering I don't have to eat, sleep, or do anything that makes me feel like a living being."

"You can return to enjoy those frivolous passions of mortality quite soon, Anubis," Death said as it floated towards Harry, "For now we need your concentration, and mind, on the arts that I am about to impart unto you. Knowledge that neither you, nor anyone else, will be able to gain ever again. Something that you should keep in mind."

Harry nodded his head to show that he understood what Death was telling him. That the knowledge should die with him, not even his children must learn or even know about it.

"I can sense the improvement in yourself since the time I left you in the care of my commander," A grin formed beneath the hood, "Your magic is stronger, fiercer….more wild, and yet tamed at the same time…."

"I have felt the same thing," The Innovator admitted, "My magic is more attuned to how I am, I don't have to restrain it anymore to control it. It's freely flowing inside me, and yet I know that I am capable enough to not only control but also hone it with relative perfection."

"Indeed you can, and that is why I had told you to train under the eyes of Dramox," Death whispered, yet the words were quite clear, "Your magic, not you, is what will help me sustain in the living world. What you had earlier was brute force that you used to form a contact with me. It was like an untamed river; quite large in quantity and yet ferocious in nature."

Death smiled, "What you have right now, is a stream of magic that is flowing from the ocean inside you. You can easily monitor the flow, give it shape, twist it to your liking, and use the appropriate amount for anything without wasting a single drop from the ocean. You don't even need yourRunes of Potentianow, because you have absolute control over your power. You don't need channels anymore."

"I don't think I can remove theRunes, though," said Harry, "They are as much a part of me as I am of them."

"Oh you naive child," Death smiled, "You have the power to remove them whenever you want to, they don't control you anymore. They were nothing more than channels to help you control your power and unleash it in measured amounts, you have that power inside you now."

"What if I want to keep them?"

"Then it will be your choice to have a burden on yourself even if you don't need one," Death shrugged its shoulders. "They won't hinder you, but your magic won't be as easily available to you as it is right now."

Harry thought about it for some time, "Alright, I will remove them when I return back to my body."

"Good, we still have hope for you. Now, since my commander has trained you quite well and you are physically, as well as magically, ready for the next and most important phase of your training. I would like to still ask you one more time," The sinister grin formed once more under its hood, "Are you ready to control my powers, Anubis?"

Harry did what he always did when he was given a choice, or a task that he had to do at all cost. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and released it before opening his emerald pools once more, "I am."

"Good….now then, it's time to absolve your moralities, and teach you how to reunite with your real self," The grin under the hood widened, "It's time to teach you how to wield the powers of Death."

Ending Note: And there you have it Twenty-fourth chapter of INNOVATOR. Do tell me if you like it or if it missed something, I am waiting.

Join my Discord server. This is where you can get the link to the site that-must-not-be-named and read ahead by three chapters. I've also shared all the character sketches and have a dedicated channel for the discussion of this fic.

Beware: Loads of NSFW (Yes, p*rn, and lots of it.😁😂)

Link: https://discord.gg/Gcbcv4dxGx
Name: 𝕯𝖊𝖛 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐'𝖘 𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊

Thank you for reading and reviewing, I tried to reply to all of them. Bookmark the fic to stay tuned for more awesome updates.

With Regards

Dev Black

Chapter 25: Training Times Up!

Chapter Text

Join my Discord server. This is where you can get the link to the site that-must-not-be-named and read ahead by three chapters. I've also shared all the character sketches and have a dedicated channel for the discussion of this fic.

Beware: Loads of NSFW (Yes, p*rn, and lots of it. 😁😂)

https://discord.gg/Gcbcv4dxGx
Name: 𝕯𝖊𝖛 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐'𝖘 𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊

Hearty thanks and congratulations to our first seven members of Guildmaster tier:Camo, I am Lord Dems, StormFox, RyanMK666, Lyrical, Tyler and HadesReynes.

"I am Talking."

'I am Thinking'

Spells

The only person you should compete with is the person you were yesterday.

~Dr. Prem Jagyasi

INNOVATOR

-Dev Sagittarius Black

~~Chapter 25: Training Times Up!~~

.

He hated it.

Giant towers, pointed turrets, stone walls and floors, magical staircases, corridors clubbed with various paintings and all of their eyes watching his every move, judging him. Yes, Lucius Malfoy absolutely loathed the old castle that was Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He never wanted to spend even a single moment here that wasn't absolutely necessary for his goals.

Unfortunately, this trip had been one of the most important ones that he had made in the last few years. His son and wife were being held captive by Dumbledore. He needed to free them and smuggle the priceless artifact that his master needed. Lucius saw this as an absolute opportunity to redeem his name in his lord's eyes, and regain the respect of the Inner Circle.

Lucius knew that his foolishness had cost his lord the first artifact, which he had gifted to the Malfoys as a sign of trust and kinship. Ergo, this was a blessing in disguise and there was no way in seven hells that he would miss a chance this precious to regain their nobility in the eyes of the Dark Lord.

"What a long route, eh Lucius?" Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic, chuckled as they followed the bulky, and brutish, half-breed groundskeeper with a platoon of aurors for their security. "Makes me wish to call Albus to the gates instead. Alas, he's much older and it'd be quite impolite to make him rush all the way from his office to meet us."

"Indeed, Cornelius," Lucius gave a buttery smile, "Also, as we have already seen today, I am quite sure that our esteemed Headmaster is quite busy managing the tournament, and guests, as it is. It would be quite rude of us to push his limits deliberately, considering he has been nothing but hospitable and agreeable to our presence and suggestions regarding the tournament."

"Of course-of course!" The Minister boomed, "Albus is a good friend of mine, and no sane person would have faulted our suggestions anyways. They were precise and largely helpful, especially since you and Lord Black helped the Ministry with funding for all those sheets and showballs."

Lucius frowned a bit at the mention of the Black of the Blacks. Sirius Black had been surprisingly forthcoming with the donations when the ancient lords had been asked to donate for the tournament. It was, after all, a pride for Britain, as well as all those who had graduated from Hogwarts, to have a tournament of international value and prestige be re-started in the school.

Sirius Black, the white sheep of the darkest house of Britain, a house that was known far and wide for its cruelty and prejudice, was the one who donated the most. Along with that, he took the podium in the Wizengamot to publicly launch another one of the many innovations of the unofficial prince of Britain:The Showballs.

The Showballs were actually based on muggle projectors. Except that instead of showing a saved clip, it showed the things as it happened in real time. The trick was something in the arithmetical calculation which, when merged with magical channels that were placed on the contestants, showed everything that happened with them. Which was then projected on a strong white sheet that came together with the Showballs.

The price of one showball was somewhere close to five-thousand galleons, but the Black lord had been quite merciful on the budget and had decided to 'donate' four showballs to Hogwarts and a few in all the prominent locations in Britain like Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. Quite a brilliant move in Lucius' honest opinion, he had to begrudgingly respect Sirius Black's mind in business.

The 'donations' of showballs would pave the way for every citizen of the wizarding world to get a glimpse of something that they previously hadn't been allowed to. And yet they would be either at Hogwarts or public locations, which meant that the rich lords who wanted to view things in private would have to buy a showball for their family. And the advertisem*nt? It wouldn't be needed as the Showballs themselves would be a sensation among the wizarding population.

"Lucius?"

Lucius blinked his eyes to clear out the business related haze that had clouded his mind and looked at the Minister, "Ah yes! Pardon me, Cornelius," He spoke with faux sincerity, "I was a bit lost while thinking about all the changes that my good relative, Sirius and his godson Harry have brought for our world under your guidance. It warms my heart when I look at all these developments that will assuredly take us quite ahead in the future."

Cornelius, the ever-blind and pompous man laughed boisterously at that, "Of course-Of course!" He chuckled, "Lord Black and Mr. Potter have been nothing but the best when it comes to helping our nation, makes me want to give them both another award for their services."

"I am sure they would be quite honored to receive it from you, Minister," Lucius tried his best to gulp down the disgust when he thought about the elder Potter, "But that will have to wait for now, right? Now, if I may ask, why did you call me out?"

"Oh that! Ah, I just remembered that you had told me about wanting to visit your son–Draco, that's him right?" He waited for Lucius to nod once, "Well, since we're leaving now, I think it would be prudent of you to meet him now. Meanwhile, I'll take one more visit towards the Black Lake to check-in on the preparations again. You can meet us there and we'll be off towards the Ministry, what do you say?"

"Sounds like a plan, Minister," Lucius smiled, "I apologize for the wait, I will try to finish my business with Draco as soon as I can and join you near the lake."

Fudge waved him off, "Think nothing of it, take as much time as you want to, Lucius, to a man nothing is more important than his family. We'll be there for you near the lake." And with that the Minister asked Hagrid to take him and his guards toward the Black Lake instead of the gates. Lucius, on the other hand, took a detour towards the VIP suites where his wife was being kept by Dumbledore according to one of her letters.

Harry grunted as he was violently pulled out from his concentrated state of mind by Death. The entity stood a few meters away from him, its entire self shrouded in a misty, charcoal black cloak that revealed only the bottom half of his pale white face.

"Why did you pull me away?" Asked the Innovator, "I could feel it inside me, a few more minutes and I would have been able to get a hang of it."

"For that very same reason, Anubis," The mismatched voice said, "We don't need you to feel my power inside you. I will be inside you, my presence is enough to locate that. You need to feel my power around you, inside other creatures. You need to search for my presence in others and manipulate it with my presence inside you to control that creature."

"...what?"

Death paused for a second and then snapped its fingers, a small black raven popped in existence. The raven flapped around the two before it settled calmly on the entity's extended finger.

"Can you search for my presence, my power inside this little bird?"

Harry closed his eyes and concentrated on the feeling that he got around death– utter emptiness and desolation. He tried to locate the exact source of the feeling that he received and somehow he saw himself.

"Stop there, child." Death commanded and Harry immediately stopped, "Gently move out from where you are. Step back. Remember the feeling and try to trace it elsewhere, not inside you."

Harry followed the entity's words and moved away from his current mental surroundings while getting the feel of the power that he had been following, with that he slowly pulled back and tried to ignore the power that was pulling him inside. Instead, he searched for the power elsewhere around his mental space. It was quite a difficult task, considering the fact that he had two sources of said power and yet he had to find a smaller, hidden source inside a bird.

He searched for the next thirty minutes before his face lit up as he finally discovered the small amount of the power of Death inside the little bird that was a few meters away from him.

"Yes, good job, Anubis," Death praised his apprentice, "Now, connect with the power. Form a bond between yourself and my presence inside the bird. This way you'll be able to merge your consciousness inside the bird, form a bond and hold it."

Harry followed the entity's words to the tee, he traced the presence of Death inside the bird and then forced the bird to recognise the much greater presence inside him. That way, he dominated the presence inside the bird and, after a small battle, completely controlled the bird. Thankfully, his consciousness wasn't split. Instead the bird felt like another limb, something he could feel and control but it wasn't needed for involuntary movements.

He commanded the bird to come and sit on his shoulder, and just like that the bird flew from its vantage point and sat on Harry's shoulder.

"I am quite surprised that you're able to completely control a creature within two hours, Anubis," The entity announced, "Now, since you've successfully controlled one of my children, it's time for you to learn how to control more. Both in size and in numbers. Open your eyes."

The Innovator opened his eyes and widened in surprise when he saw the enormous amount of birds and animals that were present in front of him. There were a plethora of different creatures; from flocks of ravens to herds of thestrals and packs of werewolves. There were even a few that he didn't know existed on his planet.

"You'll spend your time learning how to control my presence and power inside these creatures," Death told him as he took a step back from the astonished boy, "Once you learn to successfully switch the control, dominate any presence within a minute, and learn how to manage multiple creatures at once, this exercise will be completed."

Harry looked at the large group of animals before he closed his eyes as he went back to his mental space while the bird on his shoulder launched itself into the air and flew towards the assembled creatures.

Death watched as his apprentice ascended to the depths of the soul realm. It had been four months since they began. Harry had been an exceptional student as the boy had worked to the core and back. At first the multiversal entity wasn't in the mood to teach the boy finer arts of control and manipulation. The plan had been much simpler: train the boy's magic to be strong enough so that without any ritual it could hold Death's presence for one minute. Yet when Dramox reported the boy's rapid progress, so much that even his emotionless Artelean commander was impressed with the human, it was quite obvious that the entity had to keep a special eye on the mortal.

And it wouldn't deny it, the boy had impressed the Being of All Ends. Never in its timeless existence had it come face-to-face with a human mortal that had impressed it so much. The boy was resilient, had patience, and was perseverant. There was nothing in the boy that spoke about anything other than pure dedication to a cause that he was willing to sacrifice his life for.

Earlier, when it had scanned the mortal's past, there were quite more than a few moments of arrogance, a huge ego, and a boat-load of aggression inside him. They weren't unjust, any human who had that much power and influence was bound to be egotistical and have a stick up his arse. But that didn't mean it was good to be someone like that. Yet, the cause was just, and therefore the multiversal being had decided to form a connection with the boy for the time being.

Now though? The boy was definitely way more powerful than what he had been. He had more knowledge, better control over his own magic, and also controlled the three most powerful weapons that a mortal could wield. And yet the boy wasn't arrogant anymore. It didn't matter why the boy wasn't arrogant, for the entity already knew the reason. It was the fact that the power hadn't corrupted him yet which impressed the god of all ends.

'Well….only time shall tell what the fates have in store for you, Anubis' Death thought as it saw a thestral's mind being dominated by the innovator's mental prowess, 'Until then, I will keep on training you to be strong enough to not only survive, but also win this and the upcoming war that you'll face.'

Lucius stalked the carefully cleaned and well maintained fifth floor corridor of Hogwarts, he had asked one of the Slytherin prefects that he found roaming around about the whereabouts of his son, Draco. Unfortunately the prefect had said that classes were going on and therefore it was quite possible that his son was still studying gibberish in one of the many rooms of the old castle.

He saw the doors, most of them were locked with no name on the golden plaques, the first name he saw was of the French diva that resided in Hogwarts: Angelique Beaufort. Next to her, another door had the name of the Durmstrang champion and current under-eighteen Dueling champion: Ashley Petrovia.

He took a few more steps and froze when he read the name on the door that was a few feet from him. The door was being guarded by an old painting of a middle-aged man in a pointed hat and dark green robes. Lucius didn't know the name of the man in the painting, because he didn't need to. He had not stopped to check the old and–in his opinion–stupid portrait, no. He had stopped involuntarily because of the name on that was above the painting. The name that told him about the owner of that particular suite: Harry J. Potter.

The Malfoy lord tried to control his panic and forced his legs to move. Not wanting to stay all alone for even one moment when the child-monster could very well be just a few feet from him. He was thankful for the vow that he had somehow managed to get the boy to make all those years ago, that didn't mean he would like to deliberately risk his life.

Thankfully, his wife's room was finally in his view and, without any further ado, he knocked on it. The door clicked after a few minutes and opened for him. It was good to see that the woman was using her brain for once and had locked the door when she was so close to the beast, not that he had any love lost for her; it would just be bad for his reputation if his wife suddenly vanished without a trace.

"Lucius."

The cold greeting he received from Narcissa didn't bother him. His wife had always been quite distant from him, it was not a secret to either of them that they were only being tolerated by the other one for public reputation and nothing more. Therefore he simply took the offered seat as his wife began preparing a cup of tea for him.

"I am not here for pleasantries, Narcissa," He told her even when he knew that she'd do whatever she wished to, "I can't take you or Draco with me, not with Dumbledore looking over and under me everytime I say or do something."

"I did say we aren't allowed to leave, didn't I?" Narcissa smirked at him, it was all going according to her and Dumbledore's plans. "Dumbledore has expressly told me to use Hogwarts facilities as long as I wished to, but if I am going to leave the castle's premises then I and all of my belongings will be searched thoroughly. Same for Draco."

"Yes-yes, I know that," The elder Malfoy waved her off, "But I am here with Cornelius, his presence will allow us to go out of the castle without an issue. I am quite sure even that old, paranoid fool would be hard pressed to check us."

Narcissa hummed as she flicked her wand to warm the water in the kettle, "So, now you only need the Dark Lord's artifact, right?"

"For now, yes," Lucius nodded and leaned back in his chair, "I will take it with me and present it to our lord, he'll be happy with our work and will probably reinstate house Malfoy as whole in his Inner Circle once more. After that, I will write a letter to you and Draco and you two will be able to leave the castle without anything barring you."

"Indeed, that sounds like a good plan." Narcissa said as she placed a tray with one cup, a plate of biscuits and a kettle on the tea-table in between them. "I will leave this castle first, Draco can come when it's time for the school year to end. That way we won't be rousing anymore suspicion from Dumbledore. Merlin knows he has become paranoid enough."

"NO!" Lucius barked and saw Narcissa flinch in shock. The Malfoy lord tried to control himself and reached for the cup that was on the table.

"It's not for you."

"What?"

"You said you weren't here for pleasantries," Narcissa shrugged, "Tea comes under that. I brewed this one for myself."

"Then what about me?!" Lucius glared at the woman who poured herself a cup full of tea and dainty picked the cup.

"Well, we have all the ingredients," She said pointing towards the corner where a few utensils and ingredients were placed neatly, "I am quite sure you can actually brew one for yourself."

"Narcissa…." The Malfoy patriarch pursed his lips as his cold gray eyes threw daggers at the blonde woman who smirked in self satisfaction, completely ignoring her husband as she sipped the hot brew in her cup.

"Where is the artifact?" Lucius demanded as he stood from his seat, "I need it, and then I'll leave. You have to make sure that Draco leaves with you before this weekend. Neither one of you is allowed to stay here after the coming Friday."

"Why?"

"Just do as I say, you will be grateful," Lucius shook his head, "Now, where is the artifact?"

Narcissa narrowed her eyes, the paranoia that her husband was showing was something that she had rarely seen in his eyes. There was something fishy, something was going to happen on the coming Saturday which he wasn't telling her.

"Before that, I have a small query of my own," Narcissa took a small sip from her cup, "I would like to know why neither you, nor the Dark Lord used the 'secret spy' that you have in the castle to bring that artifact. I am quite sure that Dumbledore doesn't know about the spy's identity. So, it would have been quite obvious to use her, don't you think so?"

Lucius frowned at that, "Her? Who are you talking about? The spy we have is a male," He waved his hand dismissively, "And right now he is under even more scrutiny than us or I wouldn't have even bothered to step in this dreadful castle's grounds." He sniffed disdainfully as if the mere thought of the ancient castle was nauseating.

"I see…" Lucius' answer both sated her curiosity and gave her new opportunities at the same time. At first, when Draco had told her that the Greengrass heiress had snatched the artifact from him, she had been quite sure that the 'spy' was the elder Greengrass sister. It would've been quite perfect, as the Greengrass heiress was everything the Dark Lord would want in a spy. And a politically inclined opportunistic house, like the Greengrasses, would've done anything to survive the upcoming war.

But she had been wrong. Daphne Greengrass wasn't the 'spy' as the spy was actually a male. Which meant that the Greengrass girl had–in a moment of sheer dumb luck–stumbled upon the Dark Lord's prized possession, which she probably still had with her. All the while, said Lord was going antsy waiting to actually get his hands on the artifact.

'Oh well….I had written 'that' on the assumption that the Dark Lord already had the artifact and only wanted to punish Draco, Lucius, and I. It seems like he is really desperate for it while Greengrass would be pissing herself as she didn't know about the artifact and what he would do to get it back..it seems like I don't even have to do anything except maybe report this recent finding to Dumbledore'

Still, she flicked her wand and summoned a brown leather bag from inside the spare room in the suite, "Here, don't open the bag here. The artifact's aura is quite intoxicating and dangerous," She offered the leather protected bag to her husband who snatched it from her.

"Don't tell me what to do and what not to." He turned to leave but stopped a bit before he reached for the door, "Leave the castle before the weekend and, until that time, keep the door closed. Don't open it unless it's Draco or Severus."

And with that, Lucius closed the door and left the woman alone. Narcissa on the other hand frowned at her husband's parting words. She didn't know why he was acting the way he was, but one thing was for sure: something was going to happen on the coming weekend, something big. And it was quite possible that the lives of everyone inside the castle would be put to danger.

"But what could it be?" Narcissa asked no one in particular as she flicked her wand once more to lock the door. The former member of House Black decided that she'd tell Dumbledore about the possible looming threat, and then it'd be up to the Headmaster to figure out what to do. For now, she needed to check on Adrian Dolce, the Slytherin House Prefect whom she had asked to keep an eye on the stunned form of her son so that the boy didn't end up meeting his father which would have disrupted her plans.

"Close your eyes, Anubis," Death told him and he obeyed, "Feel the power within you, the one that I gave you when we made contact for the first time. Remember that power? Remember my gifts that you had returned? Feel them within you. And once you do, call them out. Ask them to materialize in your hand."

Harry did as he was told. It had been eight months since he had started training with the multiversal entity. Half the time had passed learning how to control the various creatures that held a piece of the entity's power within them. It was important for the mortal to understand the limits of controlling the immortal.

Now, eight more months were left and Death was teaching him the extent of his gifts, the hallows, and how to control them. The three whispers, one in each of the instruments that the all consuming entity had gifted almost a millennia ago to the three brothers who had successfully conducted the necromantic ritual. It was time to control the whispers and become what Beedle's tale said to be a person known as Master of Death.

In actuality, no one could ever master Death. It was literally impossible, if one considered the flaw in the logic. An entity as powerful and all consuming as Death, one that has an infinite existence in the multiverse, how could a mortal even dream of mastering it? No, they can't. The Master of Death was actually just a person who had mastered the whispers of the Instruments of Death.

Harry found the source of the three hallows and asked them to materialize in front of him. He could feel three different presences that connected to something within himself. The Innovator opened his eyes to see the three hallows: The Deathstick, The Resurrection Stone, and The Invisibility Cloak floating in front of him.

"The three objects that the Peverell brothers asked of me, I gave them what they wanted but didn't tell them how to control the objects. Ultimately, two of the three ended up falling prey to the whispers and gave up their gifts of mortality," Death told him in its disfigured voice.

"The last one, your ancestor, was intelligent, as well as sensible, enough to slowly discover the whisper by himself. Then he proceeded to perform the summoning ritual once more where he asked my help so that he could control the whispers. In return, I asked him to do something for me so that I could not only be remembered but also be able to connect with the mortal planes whenever someone needed my help."

"When not 'if'?" Harry asked, "And why would you even want to help us in the first place?"

"You know who I am, don't you, Anubis? You know that I can foresee the future at any given moment and can accurately predict everything?" Death's voice was full of amusem*nt, "I had already known that there would be a time when the mortal servant of Fate, Cassandra's, prophecy would come true. And when it did, then the ones under my jurisdiction would be unleashed on the mortal realm without anyone strong enough to send them back or even know how to do it. That's why I took these steps."

"Is that how the Necromancers Guild was established?" Harry asked the entity who nodded, "So the guild was established by my ancestor because you already knew that Cassandra's prophecy would come true one day?"

"Indeed, Anubis," Death gave a small grin that was visible beneath the hood, "And then I gave him the head and neck wear that could be used to contact me. Before passing away, Ignotus handpicked a young woman and taught her all that he knew about me, my powers and how to contact me, as well as sustain my presence in her mortal body. I think you know who he picked."

Harry thought for some time as he looked at the three objects that floated lazily in front of him. As far as he knew there had only been one Guildmaster in the Necromancers Guild. Which meant that if Ignotus Peverell was the actual founder and first Guildmaster, then the woman he chose would have been…

"Lady Achlys?" Harry asked, astonished, "She was the woman, right? I don't think there has ever been another person who could sustain your presence or come in contact with you whenever they wanted to."

"Well, there's you who will hold my presence until it's time for me to leave your body," Death said with a teasing smirk, "But yes, it was young Achlys who Ignotus took under his wing and taught everything that he knew. She has been the one to make contact with me since then."

"I didn't know that…."

"There are many things that happen in our unfortunate planes of existence, young one, and not even us deities, who have lived since the creation and will live until its eventual demise, know all that has, is, or will happen," The being came and stood near its apprentice, "All we can do is learn from our past, work on our present, and hope that our future is transformed for the better with every deed that we perform."

"Now, feel the Wand within you, channel its power through yourself. The Wand's power resonates more when it's connected with the natural conduits of magic. Similarly, the Stone's power is to be connected with the mind. The whispers can only be perceived and controlled by someone who has absolute control over their minds. And I think you already know how to control my Cloak, don't you, Anubis?"

Harry nodded his head and closed his eyes to focus on the wand and the stone. The natural conduits of magic in a human body are the hands, eyes, and tongue. Which would mean that if he could simply manipulate the power to these three sources, then he would get rid of the whispers that would eventually influence him. The Stone on the other hand was a bit more tricky, but the Innovator knew that he had the potential to eventually control the Hallows and their whispers.

Lucius Malfoy bowed in front of Lord Voldemort, he was absolutely giddy with excitement as he presented the leather bag that he had received from his wife. Truly, this was the first time that he felt something going the way it was supposed to go. He was quite sure that, by tomorrow, Narcissa would arrive with his son in tow, and then there would be no need for Draco to go to that wretched school.

'Well…Hogwarts will have half the student population by next week anyway,' The Malfoy lord thought, hiding his smirk. It wouldn't do for his lord to feel his excitement and happiness at such an important task. Happiness only builds overconfidence, and overconfidence can be quite fatal in his line of work.

There was also a small setback that he had yet to tell the Dark Lord, it was regarding his request to gain an audience with 'The Council'. Unfortunately, quite opposite to what his master had been expecting, he had been denied by the Council, as the Council didn't see anything fruitful in supporting Lord Voldemort once more. Last time, the hit had been bad enough and this time they didn't want to do anything regarding the Dark Lord, or his cause, unless he showed absolute promise.

'Well…that can be changed. The attack on Hogsmeade will be a strong enough statement to show their strength and ability to cause destruction to the Council and the rest of the world.' The blonde man thought, 'Then the Council of Paragons would be forced to accept them as a future partner and beneficiary.'

"Lucius?"

Said man looked up from the kneeling position that he was in. He had hoped to see utter joy on his master's face. He had hoped that his lord would praise him and his family, and announce that the Malfoys were reinstated in the prestigious inner circle. Instead, all Lucius could see was a complete blank face and red eyes that were glaring with all the hate, fury, and malice a human could throw at someone.

"M-My lord?" Lucius asked only to receive the leather bag that the Dark Lord held in his hand straight to his face.

"Open the bag."

The eldest Malfoy knew that there was something wrong with the bag or its content. Because even his lord wasn't insane enough to throw the item, that he had been demanding for over a month now, away. So, he did exactly what he had been ordered to do and opened the bag. He closed his eyes and fortified his mental shields to prevent the allure of the dark artifact. Shockingly enough, there wasn't any allure, aura, or even a remote trail of darkness from the bag. He pushed his hand inside and procured a small letter from the bag.

"Read it, Lucius."

Lord Voldemort,

By the time you read this, I will either be lost to the known world or will be completely protected by Albus Dumbledore. So, I would kindly ask you to not go through the trouble of sending my husband, or anyone else, to get me or my son. We aren't returning. The artifact that you treasured so much is already in your hands because Draco was assaulted the moment he held it and it was taken away from him.

I know that you are simply using this as a method to vent out your frustrations over Lucius' failure. We do not want to stand with, or against, you, but I know that if we had returned empty handed then you would have punished both of us. I am sure I would not like to be included in that, and I most certainly do not want Draco to be associated with it in any form , with this letter, I would like to tell you, and my husband, that we are breaking our connection with you and your army.

This is our last act regarding anything in the upcoming war. Your artifact that you cherished is not with us anymore. Draco has been absolutely terrified of that, he doesn't know that we aren't supporting you anymore, and I would like to keep it that way. I don't think it would be wise of you to send anyone looking for us either as we might not be at Hogwarts.

Yours truly,

Lady Narcissa Malfoy nee Black

Lucius trembled as he finished reading the letter that Narcissa had sent to the Dark Lord. He didn't know what the woman was thinking, or if she was even thinking at all. All he knew was that he would have to pay the price for his wife and son's absolute foolishness.

"Lucius….."

Malfoy looked up to see his lord glaring at him, his long pale fingers caressing the yew wand that was glowing red on the tip, which was currently pointed at him. It was at this moment, Lucius knew he had f*cked up.

"M-My Lord…Mas-Master….I-I am terribly sorry for the-"

"I am sure you are, Lucius," The Dark Lord smiled, "I want you to do something for me. And I am telling this to you now because I know you will not be able to remember it after a minute."

"My lord?"

"Our dearest Narcissa says that her son doesn't know of this transgression, correct?" Voldemort smiled at him, "I want you to write a letter, this time only to your son. Tell him about his treacherous mother and ask him to stay in the castle on the coming weekend. I have got another task for him. Something that will require his presence inside the castle at the time of the attack."

"R-Right away, My Lord," Lucius said and he was about to stand up when he was interrupted once more. Quite violently to be exact.

"CRUCIO!"

Harry slowly emerged from the deep meditation he had been in for the last month. He had taken a break every now and then, but a major part of his time had been spent on meditating.

Since he already had a good grasp on meditation from when he had practiced occlumency, as well as a good amount of concentration, it wasn't hard for him to fall back into meditation. He didn't have problem with projecting Death's entire form around him either. It was the part where he had to maintain the projection with a constant supply of his magic, as well as the absolute stillness of his body, that needed work.

They had started the final phase of his training when there had been three months left. Harry had to sense all of Death's energy inside and around him, then mold his magic to command the energy, which strengthened his internal link to the entity's piece which resided inside him. That would have pulled the entity from the multiversal plane onto the mortal plane of life.

The arrival of Death from inside him began as a chilling sensation deep inside his heart, which quickly spread to his thorax, abdomen, and limbs before finally his head. After which, the entity's piece surrounded Harry in a translucent projection with Harry at its center. The projection was maintained as long as Harry, himself, remained completely still and concentrated on directing all of Death's energy from his surroundings to maintain the bond that had pulled the entity to the mortal plane.

Basically, Harry was using everything that Death and Dramox had taught him over the last seven years to pull the entity from the multiversal nexus to Earth for a few seconds. He didn't know when, or why, Death wanted him to do this. The entity, however, had insisted that when the time came, Harry would know when and where to summon Death, as this would be the only way to finish the struggle of power that he would find himself in.

They had started this with a simple exercise of forming the bond and connecting the mortal's astral self with the immortal's. After a week of constant battle with his mind, Harry had finally managed that. The next step had been to infuse the bond with strong magic and use Death's presence, which was inside every living creature, to summon the entity and then maintain it.

Finally, after a month-long struggle, he had done it. He could now summon Death and maintain the translucent projection around him for about ten minutes. Which the reaper had deemed passable enough to do what he will have to do in the future.

"You have finally completed your training, Anubis, and in the shortest time possible," Death sounded a bit giddy as it came to stand beside the Innovator. "I believe congratulations are in order."

The moment felt a bit surreal to him. He looked toward the hourglasses and saw the last one was floating with about two months worth of black sand in the upper hemisphere. Once upon a time there had been seven, now there was only one. Seven long years he had put into learning the arts from Dramox and Death both. All those struggles, the fights and the moments of helplessness, came to the forefront of his mind.

"Thank you," He smiled at the entity whose face was still hidden beneath the hood.

"It was your determination and Dramox's work, Anubis," The entity shrugged, "I didn't have anything to do with it. Now, ask the question that you have had in your mind for some time and haven't asked."

Harry gave a small sheepish grin at that. Yes, there were quite a few questions that he'd had for quite some time now. He had dared not ask them due to the fear of causing unwanted offense to the entity who could've stopped the training and simply pushed him to the 'Land of Punishment'.

"I don't think it matters, I'll find the answer on my own someday."

"Your mind will continue to struggle unless it has attained peace from the turmoil of doubts, thoughts, and queries. Unless that happens, you won't be able to summon and hold me in the mortal planes," Death pointed out.

"But I've been able to do that just fine, in fact a moment ago you yourself congratulated me on finishing my training."

"And this isn't your plane or place of existence, Anubis," The entity smiled condescendingly, "This is my realm. My energy, as well as all the powers related to me, are much stronger here than they are on Earth. That is why you managed to complete your training."

Harry mulled over the words for sometime. It was true, to an extent, as he had himself noticed that the spells he used to form an army of dead soldiers had been way easier and forthcoming in the battle againstTandavamthan they had been in his battle against Dumbledore.

"I have many questions," Harry began, "But most of all, I wanted to know why you chose to become Death? Was it your choice? Was it something thrust upon you? Or was it something that you were made for? Were you someone else before you took this role?"

The entity gave a crooked grin that looked a bit feral as it replied, "It's not something I chose, nor is it something I was made for. I believe it is something that was made for me. Something that no one else either wanted or had the patience and power to control. I wasn't any other being before my existence. Before becoming myself, what I had meant to be, I simply didn't exist."

"What do you mean?"

"The Realm of the Dead, the place where I reside and help the multiple worlds by creating a balance." It said, "At first glance, it seems like a dreary place full of suffering and misery. A place that no one would ever want to walk through. However, once you wander through the echoing caverns of shadowed valleys, you'll begin to perceive the intricate tapestries of my realm. The realm is not just about death, punishment, and suffering, but also about transition and the cyclical nature of existence. Every whispering soul tells a tale, and every silent specter holds a secret that no one has ever known and no one ever will. And that transition, that purity and patience, is what makes the Realm of Death, and me….it's owner as much as its protector and guardian."

Harry took some time to digest what the primordial being told him. It wasn't a lot, not for a mind that was able to work as efficiently as his. The Innovator had dissected the entire monologue into pieces, and had deliberately expanded them to extract the exact knowledge that the entity tried to impart.

"So, you are telling me that when you gained consciousness, you already had the powers and knew how to use them? Was the realm already made too? Or did you make it the way it is now?"

"The Realm of Death is nothing but a part of me, Anubis," said the being, "The Realm was not made by me or for me. It IS me. I am the Realm, and I am its ruler, protector, and guardian. I am what you see around yourself, and yet I am what you see in front of you. Past the boundaries of nothingness that separate the two realms, I am everywhere and everywhere is me. If something isn't living, it's dead. And if it's dead, then it's with me."

"What about those who have completed their punishment in your realm? Or what about those who didn't get a chance to do something wrong before they were taken away?" Harry inquired once more.

"There are three choices for them, they can either step in the cycle of reincarnation once more, wait for their loved ones to join them in theLand of Resting Souls,or simply decide to vanish from mine and the living Realms, the choice is with them. I do not guide or force them to make the choices, I am just the consequence of the wrong ones that they made," Death smirked at his young apprentice, "Why, Anubis? Are you worried that a few of your choices would lead you to my realm once more?"

Harry simply shrugged his shoulders, "I already know that I will come to your realm once everything is over and I die. It's inevitable. The things I have done, and will do. I don't think I deserve to leave without punishment either. But that's not why I wanted to know all these."

"Oh?" Death asked with feigned surprise, "Then why did you want to know about me and my Realm, child?"

Harry opened his mouth to say something before he shook his head and waved his hand, "Nevermind that. Nothing for you to worry about."

"Oh? But I am curious now. What could be the reason for a person as demotivated and unafraid of death and punishment as you to ask about the intricacies of my Realm and the cycle?"

Harry didn't reply to that. Yes, it was true, he wasn't worried about his death and punishment. After all, he had already seen the Realm and knew that one day Death would claim him. It will punish him for all the murders and cruelties that he has done and will do. Yes, they were all for a good cause, but that didn't mean that the ends justify the means.

In the metaphorical eyes of the multiversal entity, a murder was a murder. It didn't matter the who or the why behind it. An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind. There has to be someone who drops the weapon first and they will receive lesser punishment, but won't be scot-free.

He was worried for the people around him. Especially those who he had wanted to stay away from because he knew that if they involved themselves in his life, they would be equal participants in the punishments and there would be nothing he could do to stop their suffering.

"Maybe you could show the acknowledgement when they are alive instead of worrying when they died, child," Death said in a somber double-tone voice.

"Huh?"

"The people you are afraid for," It explained, "They will join my Realm one day, no matter what you do or don't do. Therefore, instead of uselessly hating them, with their tenacity and desire to support you despite your rather rude and unwelcome behavior, why not show them that their work and support hasn't been unnoticed? Why not show them that you care about them when they are alive, instead of crying for their souls when they die?"

Harry frowned at that. He had never thought of it that way. Truth be told, he had never given any thoughts to such an obscure topic at all. To him, he knew that he had lived a troubled life and his enemy wasn't an easy one, which meant that his life was bound to be full of hardships and a complete mess. There was also the possibility that one day he might die without finishing his life's goal of utterly destroying the old f*ckers who were in 'The Council'.

It was because of this that he kept everyone at bay and never let anyone come closer to himself than necessity required. One of the major reasons was that he knew 'The Council' was still keeping tabs on him, granted the rich old ball-sacks couldn't do much now since he was one of the most powerful men in Britain, and one of the most influential personalities globally.

Still, he wouldn't put it past them to use those closest to him as leverage to pull him and make him their bitch. Something that he would never let happen again. This was the main reason why even his closest people like Blaise, Sirius, Cho, and Daphne weren't seen with him more than strictly necessary.

But after Death had his talk, the Innovator was definitely thinking of taking the risk and maybe allowing a few of them further inside his circle. It wasn't like they'll live forever. There were heavy chances that either they or him, most probably him, died by the time everything ended. And then he'd have to forever live or leave with the regret of a 'maybe' or a 'what if I had told them..'

"Alright, I got your point. I will consider your point to show my appreciation, and try to be a bit more open now," Harry told the entity, "I guess it's time that I start accepting them instead of just pushing them away."

"Indeed. I am glad you aren't arrogant enough to simply throw away my advice on human matters altogether. Though, I will also suggest to just take it at your own pace and not rush it out."

Harry nodded at that, he could do that. It would also be super awkward if he returned to them after this much time and started acting all chubby-tubby with them. He was quite sure that Blaise would have a small seizure and attack him if he saw his friend laughing and not glaring at him or one his stupid PJs.

Hmm…now that he thought about them, they weren't so bad. Maybe he could try to crack a joke too? Let's see…..

….

…

..

.

….maybe next time. Anyways, it was the intention that mattered, right? Right.

"Are you perhaps done with your abysmal attempt at discovering your humorous bone?" Death interjected and completely ignored the cringe that Harry gave at the stupid pun.

"Yes. And I don't think you should try it either," Harry frowned, "Hearing you makes me think Blaise, or even Daphne, has a better sense of humor."

"Then perhaps you would like it if you left the Realm and returned to your own world instead?"

The Innovator's green eyes brightened at that. Finally, it was time to return and he couldn't wait to do just that. "Tell me how to do it."

"It's quite simple, Anubis," Death smirked under its hood, "You just have to fight someone as your last test. If you win, then you can leave. If you don't then you will stay in my realm until we are done with your punishment."

Harry glared at the insidious being, "Who am I fighting now?"

The being started vanishing right before his eyes as laughter echoed through the pale white fields. There was a small sound like a 'snap,' and Harry turned to look at the latest arrival. His eyes widened when he saw exactly who he had to fight to be able to leave. This would probably be his toughest battle to date.

Jet black hair, six feet in height with broad shoulders and long legs. Green eyes glared at him from across the white fields as the man stood with the Deathstick in his right hand and a deathwood wand in his left.

"I have to fight…myself?!" Harry screamed at the form of Death who vanished completely while laughing at his expense.

"Oh and, Anubis?" Death's voice echoed around him once more, "Never forget the most important lesson I taught you."

"What?" Harry asked the being as the other Harry took to the air.

"Memento mori, Harry Potter….." Said the voice, "Memento Mori…"

Albus Dumbledore sighed as he rubbed his forehead tiredly. He looked at the wall clock that hung in his office and groaned internally. 'It's not even noon yet and I am already feeling lethargic…I am really getting too old for all this work now.' He thought as he signed another one of the many papers that had been stacked on his desk. This wasn't what he had imagined a Headmaster would do most of the time. He was a professor at heart and, as much as this job was important, it just wasn't what he wanted to do.

'Maybe I should retire and take up Minerva's position instead,' he smiled to himself, 'Hmm…probably after this upcoming war. Especially since there isn't anyone else who's strong enough to hold the fort except for me….not yet at least' he thought the last line as an aristocratically chiseled face with piercing emerald eyes and jet black hair came to his mind.

Yes, Harry would be the best person to take over if something ever happened to him during the war, but was the boy ready? Definitely not. The boy knew how to be a soldier and follow orders, but not how to lead. That wasn't a big problem for him, Dumbledore planned to teach Harry all he could about leading the Light after he left. Voldemort would definitely be in for a surprise when he witnessed Harry leading the Light instead of Alandale.

Thoughts about Voldemort returned the Warlock's mind to the present. It was Saturday and the students were currently enjoying a Hogsmeade weekend in the nearby village. That was where the good thoughts ended. Because then Narcissa's words came to his mind from when Lady Malfoy had told him that Lucius had indeed come for the artifact, and that Tom had planned something really big for the coming Saturday.

At first Dumbledore had been worried sick as to what Tom would do on Saturday, but then he remembered that it was a Hogsmeade weekend, and therefore it was very much possible that the Dark Lord would attack Hogsmeade to make a grand return. At first, Voldemort had been quite silent, something that had worried him because it wasn't like Tom to remain silent for this long after being resurrected.

But then he had sketched that to be because Tom might be busy gathering enough forces to make a flamboyant return. Something that the charismatic Tom Riddle Jr. had been well known for in his Hogwarts day, and later on as the Dark Lord Voldemort.

Narcissa's warning had been exceptionally helpful, as he had immediately asked all of the able members of the Order of the Phoenix to patrol different sections of Hogsmeade for Saturday. He had asked two members; Arthur Weasley and Emmeline Vance to guard the prophecy in the Department of Mysteries too so that Tom couldn't take this as an excuse to raid the department and take the prophecy instead.

Dumbledore knew that right now Hogsmeade was secretly in high-alert because of the warning issued by Narcissa and his orders. The members of the Order had been asked to move around, dressed up like civilians and pretend to enjoy the beauty of Hogsmeade which was decorated with a Valentine's theme. The students were completely unaware of the thestral carriages that were ready to take them back in a moment's notice or the tense mood of the village.

He really wished that Lucius had meant something else, and that Narcissa's warning about a possible attack on students was nothing but a hoax. He would gladly ask his healthy members to return and take a few days off to enjoy Valentine's week with their partners.

Dumbledore was about to pick up the next stack of papers from the larger stack that needed his signature, when all of a sudden there was a noise as the one-way floo to his office was activated and his brother, Aberforth's, panicked face came into view.

"ALBUS! WE NEED YOUR HELP! IT'S VOLDEMORT HIMSELF!"

Dumbledore cursed his bad luck when he heard that. He had prayed a bit too early.

Ending Note: And there you have it Twenty-fifth chapter of INNOVATOR. Do tell me if you like it or if it missed something, I am waiting.

Join my Discord server. This is where you can get the link to the site that-must-not-be-named and read ahead by three chapters. I've also shared all the character sketches and have a dedicated channel for the discussion of this fic.

Beware: Loads of NSFW (Yes, p*rn, and lots of it.😁😂)

Link: https://discord.gg/Gcbcv4dxGx
Name: 𝕯𝖊𝖛 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐'𝖘 𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊

Thank you for reading and reviewing, I tried to reply to all of them. Bookmark the fic to stay tuned for more awesome updates.

With Regards

Dev Black

Chapter 26: The Battle of Hogsmeade

Chapter Text

Join my Discord server. This is where you can get the link to the site that-must-not-be-named and read ahead by three chapters. I've also shared all the character sketches and have a dedicated channel for the discussion of this fic.

Beware: Loads of NSFW (Yes, p*rn, and lots of it. 😁😂)

https://discord.gg/Gcbcv4dxGx
Name: 𝕯𝖊𝖛 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐'𝖘 𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊

Hearty thanks and congratulations to our first seven members of Guildmaster tier:Camo, I am Lord Dems, StormFox, RyanMK666, Lyrical, Tyler and HadesReynes.

"I am Talking."

'I am Thinking'

Spells

Note: For this chapter, Harry is Harry and the doppelganger is Harry*.

No battle was ever won according to plan, but no battle was ever without one.

~Dwight D. Eisenhower

INNOVATOR

-Dev Sagittarius Black

~~Chapter 26: The Battle of Hogsmeade~~

.

Hogsmeade village, the only surviving fully magical village in Britain, thrived during the school year due to galleons the Hogwarts students brought into the village, things were even better this year with the visiting students from foreign schools traversing the cobblestone pathways that criss-crossed through the village and led people to various magical shops.

The village was decorated with flowers, candles, and an assortment of beautiful accessories that increased its charm. Valentine's Day, which was just four days away, also increased the allure of visiting the village with the person you loved most.

Students as well as mages who had once been of that age, went hand-in-hand with their partners as they enjoyed the delightful atmosphere. There were also groups of friends that went around the village, laughing and enjoying the company of their companions.

Unfortunately, a place that nurtures love can easily become a place where hatred is born and bred. One only needed the right vision to look for it. And then, once perceived, they needed to prepare for the upcoming battle that would definitely take place on the magical grounds where the two forces of natural emotions would fight to seek victory.

Almost the entirety of The Order of Phoenix was actively patrolling the village under the orders of Albus Dumbledore. They had been instructed to stay alert at all times, knowing that the threat of Lord Voldemort and his army could come at any time and from any direction.

Their work had been divided into three basic parts; A part of the Order–the more powerful members and the younger members–were to confront the Dark Lord's forces. They were to distract the enemies so that the students and general populace could be taken to safety.

Another part was meant to become the defence unit, which would help the first part by safeguarding the students until they reached the carriages waiting for them. And finally, the last part—the members who were weaker—were to travel with the carriages so that the students went back to Hogwarts without any Death Eater-infested problems on the way.

Lastly, due to Hogsmeade being a relatively spread-out village with many entrances and exits, there were the shopkeepers who had been alerted to lock their stores and safeguard themselves, as well as all the unfortunate students and civilians who would probably be trapped inside the shops. They were to take all of them to the basem*nts and keep them as safe from harm as they could.

The preparations had been done and checked by the order members repeatedly. They didn't want any casualties in this upcoming war. Veteran members like Alastor Moody, Aberforth, and Albus Dumbledore knew that it was impossible to have zero casualties. Therefore, they were trying their best to keep it to a bare minimum.

And hopefully none of the departed would be students.

Unfortunately, despite all the preparations, there was still the matter of fate. It's something that no one knows completely, and it's the one thing that holds every secret until it's time to reveal the cards.

Voldemort looked down at the magical village of Hogsmeade.

There was chaos everywhere. Chaos that he had caused with the help of a handful of trained wizards and trolls. He sneered at the small group of wizards that stood against him. The order had always been a pain to deal with. Did they not know who he was? Did they learn absolutely nothing from their past?

He was the Dark Lord Voldemort….Cruelest and most feared Dark Lord for centuries and he took no prisoners. There was no need to be associated with filth any longer than absolutely necessary.

The Order members weren't a surprise to him; his spy in the school had already notified him about the old goat and his mudblood-loving fools preparing against his attack. Their plans were of no consequence really; there was no way that the old fool and his untrained idiots would be able to stop his Death Eaters, much less his entire army.

Therefore he chose to simply watch the destruction and mayhem caused by his followers.

All of this was rather tame, it wasn't exciting enough. Not when there was an absolutely delightful show going on right in front of his eyes, which included three witches, Mulciber, Avery, and two more of his new members.

Unfortunately, he only knew about one of the trio. Blue eyes, blonde hair, an angelic face with high cheekbones that was scrunched in concentration as the girl defended her companions…yes, the girl was definitely a Greengrass. Probably the eldest, as he knew that the youngest was quite weak, had fallen to the blood curse that the Greengrasses have suffered with for the last six centuries.

"Who are they?" Voldemort asked Rookwood, who stood beside him, waiting for his signal to begin the second stage of the attack.

"Daphne Greengrass, Angelique Beaufort, and Cho Chang, my lord," Rookwood bowed.

"Greengrass….wasn't her grandfather helping our cause? What happened to change that?"

"He died, master. And the current Lord of the Greengrasses, his son, isn't keen on helping our cause unless he believes you are truly back. No amount of persuasion had helped to sway him to our cause."

"Persuading someone is an art, Augustus," Voldemort smiled, "There are certain methods of getting someone to agree with you. You should switch tactics when you notice that your current one isn't working."

"I did, master." Rookwood hesitated a bit before adding, "Recently, Greengrass had been blessed by good fortune. Something that has clouded the far-sighted ability that the House is known for. I am sure that after today he will be more than willing to offer his support to our cause."

"Hmmm…do not forget to remind our friend of the price for refuting us the first time we went to him. He needs to understand the consequences of refuting Lord Voldemort."

"As you say, my lord."

"And what of Lucius? Did you hear from him?"

"Lucius is ready with twelve of our members, my lord." The former unspeakable told him, "He will start the second part of the attack the moment Albus Dumbledore joins us. His son has followed your instructions from the letter."

Voldemort smiled gleefully. Today, not only Hogsmeade, but Hogwarts will also pay a tribute of blood and tears to the Dark Lord. They will remember to fear him and his mark, which will be ingrained in their weak minds.

Harry glared at his counterpart. They had been fighting for three weeks now. And yet, the battle wasn't progressing any further. It only made the fact that both of them were absolutely the same glaringly obvious.

The person ahead of him was a perfect doppelganger of himself. Same jet black hair, same glowing emeralds—quite literally, the same athletic build. There was nothing that could separate the two of them on a physical level.

But that is where the similarities ended.

Behaviorally, the counterpart, made by the powers of Death, was far more cruel. He was also quite confident in his abilities since this was the realm of Death, a place made by his creator with the same energy that was circulating inside him.

And that confidence had now turned to overconfidence, as it was quite easily visible by the smirk on his face. He thought of himself as nigh unbeatable and extremely powerful. It was a just statement when it came to fights against others, but that didn't mean he had any advantage against himself.

"Still think you can win this battle, Harry?" Harry* sneered at his counterpart.

"I don't think so, duplicate," Harry smirked. "I know so. You are nothing but a cheap copy of myself. A mere specter made from my shadow.

"And that is where our similarities end. You are forgetting that you, as a human, are mortal. On the other hand, I, as a shadow, am immortal. You can't kill me; you can't defeat me. Hell, you can't even touch me in the realm of Death."

"Let's leave the gloating to the victor; you are my duplicate, and we both know I was never good at talking." Harry shrugged and raised his wand again.

"Harry Potter, we are both the same guy, are we not? Same power levels, same spells, same speed of thought processes, same knowledge about our abilities." The copy-mage smirked, "How do you plan to beat someone who is quite literally equal to you in all terms?"

"I won't know until I try harder." Harry smirked and summoned his magic once more: "Fiendfyre!"

"Fiendfyre!" Harry* announced and watched as the hellish flames were summoned once more on the pale white ground that was marred with scars from the battle of the two Potters.

Harry* looked on as his flames turned to take the form of a tiger and launched towards Harry's….wall? 'What the f*ck are you playing at, Harry?' The doppelganger thought as he saw his tiger crash in the firewall built by the original's Fiendfyre. After that the wall started to collapse in itself as it took the tiger with it.

Just then, Harry* jumped to his right. Moments later, a green jet of light traversed the area where his head was.

"Using the Assassin Path, eh Potter?" Harry* smirked and bent forwards to dodge another spell before he created a shield with his blackwood wand while shooting an organ-expelling curse with his elder wand.

Spellfire broke again as the death rays clashed between the two Harrys, each more deadly than its predecessor. But none of them managed to harm the other one, as the two maintained the Draconian shield while dodging or reverting the spells with the help of their elder wands.

'I need to somehow trap him where he is…there's got to be a strong enough way that would force him on defensive' Harry thought as he conjured a pack of wolves and lions, mutating their fangs to be of metal as the gang rushed towards the doppelganger, only to be met by three stone golems that were made from pieces of the white field beneath them.

Harry dodged the five lightning arrows that were launched at him as he tried to think of a way to defeat his counterpart….or himself?

The innovator's eyes widened with triumph when he reached this realization. Since the doppelganger was quite literally him in every aspect, he didn't need to defeat the doppleganger. No, he needed a way to defeat himself.

Which means he needed to try something that had been almost successful against him in the past and do it with far more precision so that he could succeed.

And when it came to that, there was no one better than the veteran warlock who was now the headmaster of Hogwarts. There was no one else who had forced him on his backfoot more than the old Titan of magic.

'I think this means that it's time to begin my 'Next great adventure, right?' Harry smirked, 'Right!'

When Dumbledore reached Hogsmeade, he saw an entirely different world than what he had expected to see.

It took the aged headmaster some time to reach the village, as he had to help the broken carriages and ensure the safety of the students that were on their way to Hogwarts. They had a Death Eater-infested problem on the way; it wasn't anything big, but it was time-consuming.

He had hoped that the situation wouldn't be that bad in Hogsmeade, but that couldn't be farther from the truth.

"Minerva!" He called for his deputy, who was rushing behind him, "Help Nymphadora first. She's closer to you, near Puddifoot's."

He saw his trusted deputy rush in the direction of the pink cafe that housed a few third and fourth years while junior auror Tonks defended the building against three Death Eaters. Minerva's presence would certainly aid the poor girl.

Once assured of the safety of those students, Dumbledore scanned the battlefield and joined Rosmerta and his brother Aberforth who were fighting against a troll and another masked bunch.

"Bombarda Maxima!"

Rosmerta dove while Aberforth turned to look as his brother joined the fray. The bombarding hex took down the troll's club as well as the shield that was protecting it.

"f*cking hell!" One of the Death Eaters screamed as he held his wand hand, "It's Dumbledore! RUN!"

"You are a fool if you think our master would leave us alive once he learned that we ran from this battle." The other masked one shouted as he shot a bonebreaker at Rosmerta.

"Rosemary, protect your patrons and the students from stray spells; Aberforth and I will handle the troll and the lot," Dumbledore ordered Madam Rosmerta, who went to do as had been asked of her while the Dumbledore brothers joined to fight their enemies.

Not so far from the battlefield, Lord Voldemort gave a nasty grin when he spotted both Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall on the battlefield fighting his army.

It was time to begin the second part of his attack. He raised his wand towards the sky and said, "Morsmordre."

His infamous mark: A green snake slithering through a huge skull floated in the sky. The signal had been sent; it was up to the Malfoys to execute the second part of the plan. And they better succeed in it, because if they failed, it would be their last mistake.

"Rookwood…" Voldemort muttered as he prepared to fly into the sky and confront his former professor: "Prepare the rest of our friends for the final part of the attack."

"As you wish, master." Rookwood bowed and vanished with a small 'pop' sound.

"Apovoli Organon!" "Avada Kedavra!"

Albus conjured a thick slab of granite while Aberforth summoned the Magus shield that blocked the organs expelling curse. "Ventus Maxima" Rosmerta threw the granite dust into the lumbering troll's face.

"Aquamenti Maxima! Albus, NOW!" Aberforth shouted as he summoned a huge amount of water on the Death Eaters.

Albus understood what his younger brother wanted to do: "Fulgur!"

The water that was conjured over the death eaters was charged with white hot lightning. Aberforth released the water, and the Dumbledore brothers shielded themselves as the death eaters got fried by the lightning summoned by Dumbledore.

They fell to the ground, still shaking from the aftershocks of the current that circulated within them. Unfortunately, this caused the troll to be free from their control, and it angrily launched towards the centurion wizards.

It met its end as dual Bombarda hexes smashed in his skull, leaving it nothing more than a thin paste on the ground as the children and others screamed while the troll fell on the ground with a loud thump.

"Rosmerta," Dumbledore announced, "Can you lead the students to safety? I think the passage beneath your shop that connects Hogwarts is still active, right? Good. Take the students and others with you. We will join you shortly afterwards."

Rosmerta agreed and rushed inside her shop to do as she was told.

"Aberforth, let's move towards Scrivenshafts." The headmaster told his brother only to stop when he saw the Dark Mark floating in the sky.

"Albus….leave Scrivenshafts to me, your opponent is coming for you." Aberforth couldn't help but shiver a bit when he saw the approaching form of Lord Voldemort. He knew that his brother was more than enough to handle him, but it still gave him chills to see the psychopath flying towards them like death approaching to reap their souls.

"Go!" Albus shouted at his brother, who hesitated a bit, looking between Voldemort and Scrivenshafts, where Shacklebolt and Moody were fighting two trolls and Voldemort's right-hand witch, Bellatrix Lestrange.

"GO ABERFORTH! Save them; I can handle him." Dumbledore pushed the last of his family away from him as he rushed to meet Voldemort in the middle of Hogsmeade.

Daphne dove under the purple hex as Angelique blasted the ground beneath Mulciber's feet, which caused a cloud of dust to surround them.

"Ventus!" Daphne shrieked as she dove under a skin-rotting hex that came from within the smoke. Avery and Mulciber vanished from the direction of the smoke and appeared right behind the two girls.

"BEHIND YOU!" Angelique screamed at Daphne as she dove under Avery's killing curse while shielding Daphne's back with a stone piece that she summoned from near the sidepath. The stone was blasted by Mulciber's curse.

The tired Slytherin stumbled forward from the impact towards a lying Cho who had fallen earlier, taking a Death Eater with her. Meanwhile, her French partner started throwing hexes at the three out of four Death Eaters that were still alive.

She tried to focus their attention on herself so that they would leave Daphne and the unconscious Cho alone.

Unfortunately, this meant that she had to fend off two of Voldemort's inner circle along with another Death Eater all alone. Something that cost her dearly, like a cutting curse, grazed her neck.

She immediately pressed her hand where it bled, but there was no time as two killing curses were launched at her while an organ expeller was launched towards Daphne.

At that moment, she knew that she wouldn't survive. There were two killing curses coming her way, and then there were three Death Eaters that were set to kill them. So she decided to protect Daphne instead, which would at least give the younger girl a chance to run away.

"Protego! Run Daphne!" Angelique screamed and internally smiled when she saw a blue shield form in front of the terrified Slytherin girl who looked at her. She closed her eyes, waiting for the killing curses to impact and death to reap her soul.

"Accio Stone!"

Angelique felt a relatively larger piece of stone swish right in front of her and be blasted to smithereens as the curses impacted it. Against hope, she looked towards her saviour and was surprised to see who came to save her.

"Quite a generous heart you got there, Beaufort. I didn't know you had it in yourself to worry about anyone else."

Angelique had never been more happy to see Ashley. The Durmstrang champion stood in front of her like a saviour, and she held a blue shield in front of them.

"Petr-Ashley…Thank-You…I-I don't-" Angelique stuttered as she tried to get a hold of her bearings. Before Angelique could say anything else, she felt hands envelope her from behind as weight fell on her shoulder and blonde hairs crawled into her field of vision.

Ashley smiled at her French rival, who was being hugged by the Greengrass girl. "Thank me later, Beaufort; for now, I think it's time to remove the kiddy gloves and give our dear friends in masks a show to last their lifetime. I'll drop the shield the moment you are ready."

The two blondes agreed and sprang to their feet. Their momentous meeting with death's touch had ignited a newfound companionship and trust between them, at least for their upcoming battle.

"Beaufort your defence is excellent; you are to defend us. I will be the attacker, and Greengrass will shift between the two," Angelique ordered as she dropped the shield and the trios faced each other. "Time to give these guys one hell of a show, girls."

Their enemies were definitely in for the wildest and bloodiest show of their soon-to-end lives.

The two titans of magic met midway. Voldemort slowly levitated down while Dumbledore glared at the descending Dark Lord. He knew that Voldemort was not someone to be played with; therefore, he needed to finish this as soon as he could. Or hold this battle long enough until his brother and other members could join him.

Thankfully, most of the younger years had already reached Hogwarts. The only ones left were the ones fighting alongside his Order members. He looked at Daphne Greengrass and her group near Honeydukes.

He could see the Durmstrang girl, whose request he had signed at the start of the year for a school tour with Harry, joining the Greengrass heiress in fighting the Death Eaters.

Similarly, he could see many more Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students engaging death eaters around the various shops and locations of Hogsmeade. He knew that they weren't ready for such a battle; yes, they were excellent students who had risked their lives to safeguard the ones that needed protection.

But that didn't make watching them fight for their lives any easier.

Especially when he saw bodies littered around the battlefield. Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, Durmstrang….he couldn't stop the drop of tear that rolled down his eyes and down his cheek. This wasn't what any of these young minds had expected when they woke up today and ventured excitedly for Hogsmeade.

This wasn't what he had wanted for any of these innocent lives that were plucked early from the world.

"Such a waste, isn't it?"

Dumbledore clenched his fist when he realised that his enemy stood behind him. Watching all this, he just wanted to kill the man behind him. Wanted to make him suffer for what he had done to all these innocent lives who didn't get to feel the energetic adulthood or the glorious old age.

Still, he knew that it was impossible to kill Voldemort. At least until the time they had destroyed all of his soul containers rendering him mortal once more. And that would have to wait until Harry joined him once more.

"It is a tragedy of your own design, Tom." Dumbledore turned to look at his wayward student, who stood a few meters from him, hands folded in front of him and a small smile on his face.

"Ah, I think you misunderstood me, Dumbledore." He sneered at the name, "I am saying that every drop of magical blood spilled, no matter the side, is a waste. We could just stop everything right this moment if you wanted to, and yet I know you won't."

"Why are you doing this, Tom?" Dumbledore asked patiently. "When will this war end? What is the reason?"

"You know quite well what I want, Dumbledore. I want us wizards to take our rightful place in our society, which is the highest. All others were made to live beneath us, and yet mindless fools like you insist on hiding."

"You are deluded if you think that you alone, with a group of brainwashed wizards and witches, could rule the continent, much less the world."

"That is because we have different views on how to actually use the powers gifted to us by mother magic," Voldemort sneered. "But you wouldn't understand that, professor; you love the filthy way too much to walk over them like you should've all those years ago."

"Our ideals are what shape us, Tom." Dumbledore flicked his wand out, and Voldemort did the same. "And I think now we are way too different to merge our ideals on how wizardkind should live."

The clash between the two magical powerhouses was unlike anything that anyone had witnessed before in their lives. Both of them knew what was at stake, and it was way more than their lives.

Voldemort was fighting for his reputation as well as making the grand statement that he had finally returned from his temporary leave. It was time to join the dark side and fulfill their goal of wizard supremacy.

Dumbledore, on the other hand, was fighting to protect all the lives that depended on his victory. He knew that if he somehow managed to defeat Voldemort, then the entire battle would change, and that too for a long time, as Tom would once again be afraid to face him head-on.

Voldemort waved his wand in a wide arc and conjured a bunch of snakes on the field that he sent towards Dumbledore, who immediately turned the snakes into long ropes with metals, which he threw back at the dark lord.

A conjured wall met the incoming attack, which was destroyed immediately as the ropes had sulfur on them that blasted on contact. He took this small trick from his impromptu battle against Harry near the Gaunt Shack.

The two traded spells submerged in arcane magic as the landscape changed around them. Jets of fire, lightning arrows, and thick earthen chains bind. The duel was as spectacular as the one Dumbledore had with Grindelwald nearly half a century ago.

"I must say, I am impressed that an old fool like you is still able to keep up with me, Dumbledore," Voldemort smirked as the two mages stopped for a breather.

Dumbledore ignored the barb, "What do you want, Tom? Why are you attacking the people of Hogsmeade today?!"

"I need something from you...professor," he said, giving a cruel smile. "And no matter what, I will have it before this battle ends."

"What do you want from me? If it's the-" But before Dumbledore could have completed his sentence, an eagle patronus swooped in front of him, and both of them waited for it to speak.

Professor Flitwick's squeaky voice came from the patronus' mouth: "Headmaster! Someone has opened a secret passage that allows Death Eaters inside Hogwarts! There are thirteen of them! Put the castle under lockdown; we are trying our best to save the students."

Voldemort laughed uproariously as the patronus disappeared, "I told you, Dumbledore, I will have what I want by the end of this battle. And Lord Voldemort always takes his word seriously."

Dumbledore glared at the mocking Dark Lord, who chuckled a few feet away from him. He didn't know who had allowed the Death Eaters inside Hogwarts, but that investigation was for a later date, and right now he had to decide what to do.

If he didn't go, the Death Eaters would definitely leave behind a lot of casualties that didn't deserve to die. But if he left to save them, Voldemort would be free to do as he wished, and he would definitely burn the entire village and all its current occupants down.

"Albus! We are done 'ere," Minerva shouted with Tonks in tow, about five meters from him. They were probably on their way to help him against Voldemort. "I will leave to 'elp Filius and Pomona at 'ogwarts as well as put the castle undah lockdown. Yeh take care of 'im!"

Dumbledore agreed with his deputy as she rushed in the direction of the school with Tonks in tow. "Expecto Patronum!" The Phoenix patronus formed mid-air; it looked at its creator for a moment before it soared in the east direction.

"Already calling for reinforcements? You really think that someone else could help you stop me?" Voldemort chuckled and raised his wand towards Dumbledore.

"You would be long defeated before that, Tom. Your pride and arrogance would lead you to your downfall."

And with that, the battle resumed.

Harry dodged another attack as his doppleganger launched lightning arrows at him. Both of them were mid-air and were trying their level best to get the upper hand on the other one.

There was a minute difference between the two, though, while Harry* was bent on attacking Harry and mistakenly took Harry's purely defensive approach as a success. The Innovator was trying to finely control six invisible ravens as they worked on carefully drawing the runes that he had used during his battle with Dumbledore on the ground.

"You really think that you can win this battle, Mr. Original? Harry* sneered at the innovator who conjured a flock of ravens and released it at the other Harry*.

"You are underestimating me, and that will be your downfall one day." Harry gritted as he momentarily lost control of one raven. It was easy to use the ravens for blunt jobs like attack and defence, but to control six invisible ravens to the point where they were making runes in the ground?

Yeah…a bit tougher than he wanted it to be. Still, he immediately regained control and continued from where he had stopped it.

"The way you are relying on defences, I really think that you've lost your hunger to live." Harry* shook his head in disappointment. "It's a shame. You were such a nice toy to play with; unfortunately, you just don't know how to use your own strengths."

"No one knows my strengths and weaknesses better than me," Harry said, narrowing his eyes. "You better remember it since you are me as well."

Harry* glared at the original and launched another volley of spells ranging from death rays to stasis spells. "I think you are unaware that this is my world. Which means, even though we are similar in power levels, I am better at controlling the energy than you."

Harry sighed when he felt that the entire rune system was active. He looked down and saw the rune circle, which was six meters in diameter. This was the same rune pattern that had trapped a powerhouse like Dumbledore, so the innovator knew that he could easily stop his doppleganger with it.

The only problem now was getting his doppleganger to step inside the rune circle without getting him to notice that there was something different about their surroundings.

Easy, right? He really wished it was because the only way he could actually see that happening was to tie his doppleganger and throw him in the rune circle.

"Well then," Harry began as an idea started forming in his head, "I think it's time to stop playing with you and actually start taking you seriously."

"Don't you think it's a little late for that, Original?" Harry* smirked as he looked at the nearly empty hourglass. "Just a few more weeks, and we'll be done. You will forever be bound in the realm, out of reach, and suffer the consequences of your failure. Knowing you could've turned the tables and yet you failed."

"Calcitrare-Ignis Flagellum-Avis-Mutare Mortus!" Harry screamed the spell chain out loud and sent a non-verbal, petrifying hex at his unsuspecting opponent.

Harry* conjured a shield to defend against the flame whip and the punching hex, "Fiendyre!" A serpent of fire formed, and it slithered towards Harry as it roasted the conjured birds.

Harry sent a nonverbalAquamenti Maximafrom his blackwood wand at the incoming fire serpent while he created a fire net with the same hellish flames from his elder wand and captured the serpent in it. He dropped to the ground and saw his doppelganger following suit.

'Good' Harry thought when he saw that the other one had mistakenly followed him to the ground and was closer to the rune circuit. Now all he needed to do was push him back so that he fell into the trap.

And for that, he had a small idea.

"Draco Ignem! Ventus Maxima!" Harry released the Draconian flames and extended them with the wind from his other wand at the same time. The fire that was supposed to light a hall was now strong and wild enough to light up the entire building as it rushed towards Harry*.

"Finally decided to come out and plah, did you? It doesn't matter; I am still way stronger than you in this realm." Harry* tutted and waved his wand, "Vocatio Fluminis." The spell was an ancient one and took quite an amount of power as it conjured a multi-layered wall of rocks, sand, and flowing water.

"Calcitrare Maxima!" Harry sent twelve punching hexes at him combined with an advanced shield breaker alongside, "Stupefy, Ignis Flagellum."

Harry* smirked when he saw the coming spells. He conjured the Mage shield, which took the three punching hexes, "You will have to try harder than this to-" His eyes widened when the mage shield broke into pieces, and he hastily conjured a simple shield while dodging the bright red stunner.

Unfortunately, this pushed him in the path of the rest of the punching hexes that collided on his face, caving it in quite brutally as Harry* was tossed back a few feet on the ground.

"You were never a bother for me," Harry said, shaking his head, "I was just busy with other things when you glotted about being superior."

"Wh-What?" The shadow panted as he slowly stood up once more. "What do you mean by other things?"

The innovator smirked at the slight panic he sensed from the shadow, "Enough said.Apovoli Organon, Ignis Flagellum Novem!" Harry unleashed the nine flame whips on the shadow. He didn't want the shadow to realize that he was slowly being pushed into the circuit.

"Dissendium, Magus Trahens!" Harry announced and witnessed with glee as the Shadow again pulled the Mage shield. This was the plan, as both of them knew the glaring fault in making a mage shield was that you could not move. You had to be stationary to work on it.

Harry conjured five wolves behind his doppleganger and unleashed them, 'Mutare Mortus.' The modification was done non-verbally. It was at this moment that Harry also conjured a small raven and overpowered it, taking over its consciousness easily.

He concealed the bird and sent it towards the Shadow who was hiding behind the mage shield. He felt the bird sit on the target's shoulder, and then the control slowly merged into said target.

It worked as his dear shadow didn't realise what had happened as he released a wide area of cutting hex to cut off the wolves heads.

"You are getting quite vicious, Original," Harry* narrowed his eyes. "I don't know what changed within you in these last moments of your life, but you have to remember that I am stronger than you. Hell, I am made from the same energies that are around us."

"Are you done, or do you need more time to throw your temper tantrum?" Harry sighed as if the mere thought of his shadow disappointed him. "I never knew I was such a drama queen."

"Drama Queen?! You think I am being dramatic right now?!" Harry* growled and raised his wand once more, "Draconum Ignis! Fiendfyre! Bombarda Maxima!"

Harry narrowed his eyes at the incoming spells, "Infinitus Sanctuarium." The infinite void pouch that he had used against the Horntail's flame formed again and sucked all the flame in it."

Unfortunately, the original had not contemplated the presence of a blasting hex in between the elemental spells. The blasting hex collided with his infinity pouch that had been formed and caused it to blast in between the two mages.

The energy that was released from the impact was strong enough to send both Harrys flying a few meters back. The original was the first to wake up, and he groaned as he slowly got up from his prone position. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw the shadow lying right in the rune circuit.

The innovator rushed towards the primary circuit, he summoned a small amount of magic in his wand and released it towards the circuit in a pulse, "ACTIVATE!"

The ground started to shake violently as six spots roughly three meters away from him started to glow light blue, and a golden thread of magic started connecting them.

Unfortunately, Harry* noticed it too, and he started laughing when he realised that this was the 'other thing' that the original one was talking about earlier.

"You were planning this the whole time?" Harry* laughed loudly, holding his stomach. "And here, I was worried it was something grand and unstoppable. This has proved your idiocy; you don't deserve to live, Mr. Innovator."

He slowly started to float upwards from the ground, laughing loudly when he saw that Harry was too shocked to say anything. The runes were stitched on the ground and were supposed to trap any wizard or witch. Unfortunately, what Harry had ignored was the fact that he, and by extension, his shadow, can fly.

But just as the doppelganger had floated a foot above the ground to mock Harry, he felt something change inside him. There was an external force that was slowly filling him from his shoulder. He didn't know what it was, and he tried to fight it back; unfortunately, the force had taken control over sixty percent of his body and was rapidly increasing.

"Wh-What's this?!" Harry* shrieked in shock, "What are you doing?! Why can't I move myself?!"

Finally, Harry smirked at his doppelganger and mentally pushed him into the trap. The moment he did, the golden circuit completed and the trap was activated, completely suppressing the prisoner's magic.

Harry gasped as he released the hold over the other one's body. He knew that he couldn't have used it in an actively ongoing battle because it took him a long time to slowly fill his shadow's body with his control, and even then, he couldn't hold him for more than five seconds.

It was enough to keep him in the trap, but not enough to defeat him completely.

Now he just watched as his doppleganger tried his level best to free himself, but the more he tried, the more his magic was sucked from him to strengthen the trap and cause him more pain.

"How did you control me?" Harry* asked, "I know that I am strong enough to resist your control if you start it. But your power was infused in me more than sixty percent…When did that happen?"

"I am surprised that you aren't asking how I was able to control you." Harry smirked at his trapped self.

"That's easy. I am made of the same energies that surround us; you have been trained to control the same energies, so I wasn't surprised that you were able to do it. I am more interested in knowing how you were able to infuse sixty percent inside me before I even realised it."

Harry made a thinking pose before he shrugged, "First, tell me, what will happen now? You are obviously defeated, and I don't have to stay here; will you be merged inside me or something?"

"I don't think so. I am a construct made of energies from this realm, I am not going to survive in the living realm, no matter how much you merge me into yourself. I think I will just disappear and cease to exist."

Harry nodded, "Alright then, I don't think I need to explain it to you since you are going to vanish anyway."

"What?! HEY! LISTEN HERE, YOU LITTLE-"

"Expelliarmus."

The two wands—Blackwood and Elder—That were also a copy of their originals were pulled out from the Shadow's hands and leapt into the original's who grabbed them both.

"I think someone deserves congratulations."

Harry smiled when he turned to meet Death, who stood behind him with a small grin beneath his hood.

"So, I passed?"

"You did. And right on time, because I think you should leave as soon as you can." Death told his apprentice, "Or else most of your friends would join us here in the realm."

"What?! What happened to them?"

"Nothing yet, but if you don't leave, they'll lose their lives."

It was at this moment that the trapped Harry started laughing loudly, "Ha! Take that, you dumb idiot! I am the reason you had to wait, and I will have the last laugh any–" He vanished without a single sound as Death snapped his fingers.

"There, all good. Now, close your eyes, Anubis; it's time for you to leave my realm."

Harry took a last look at the world that he had lived in for seven long years. He remembered all the things that he had suffered and learned, as well as the knowledge and weapons he had gained.

"Thank-you, Death." He whispered as he closed his eyes and heard death whisper his iconic words again: "Memento mori, Anubis..." He felt his consciousness lapse into the unknown as it was pulled out of the crack between the two realms.

The mortal had returned to his world after a seven-year journey in the immortal world of Death. And now it was time to make his enemies suffer for their crimes against him, against the innocent, and against humanity.

On a distant land, inside one of the most infamous and powerful guilds, there was a chamber that held the body of a young man. Several runes glowed around his body; each of them was made to monitor a specific function of the man's unconscious body.

Several members clad in blue rushed around the chamber as they monitored the progress. They had been told that the man would return any day now, and each moment was of utmost importance.

Slowly, the man's fingers twitched.

Then his hand clenched.

The runes glowed brightly.

His eyelids fluttered.

His breathing rate increased alarmingly.

A green aura started to form inside the pit of his stomach, which slowly encased his entire body.

The runes started to flash around him. The blue-clad members started to panic as they felt high levels of energy from within the man.

"He-He's coming! He's coming back!" One of them shouted with joy and terror.

The entire chamber shook loudly as the green aura was unleashed with a strong pulse of magic that sent the members flying into the chamber's wall.

Slowly, the eyelids fluttered more as the man clenched his fists once more.

Finally, he took a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes.

Twin emeralds slowly came into view as they scanned the chamber's ceiling and the destruction around them.

"HE HAS RETURNED! HARRY POTTER HAS RETURNED FROM THE REALM OF DEATH!" Someone shouted distantly as members rushed inside the chamber.

Harry took a look around himself and couldn't help but smile.

Yes….it was true…Harry Potter had indeed returned to the Land of the Living.

Ending Note:I'd like to have some reviews on this chapter, thank you.

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Name: 𝕯𝖊𝖛 𝕭𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖐'𝖘 𝕰𝖒𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖊

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