Chapter 337: Chapter 337: "The Calm Before the Storm"
The Quidditch Cup victory had been a fleeting moment of joy, quickly swept away by the tidal wave of exam preparations that engulfed Hogwarts. The castle, typically alive with laughter and chatter, now buzzed with a different kind of energy—tense, frantic, and unrelenting. Students hunched over stacks of parchment, their eyes darting between worn textbooks and hastily scribbled notes. The library overflowed with desperate study groups, and even the Great Hall, usually a place of respite, had transformed into a makeshift study hall during meals.
Harry Potter, however, had no intention of joining the hordes of panicked students in their last-minute cramming. He had spent the year steadily helping his classmates, answering questions and guiding them through tricky subjects. But now, with the NEWTs looming, he found himself under siege. Every corridor became a gauntlet of frantic questions, every meal interrupted by urgent pleas for help.
"Harry! Just one more question about Switching Spells—"
"Potter! Can you explain this part about antidotes—"
"Harry, please! The Charms practical is tomorrow—"
The constant demands began to wear on Harry's nerves. While he sympathized with their stress, he couldn't spend every waking moment tutoring the entire seventh year. It was too much. After the second day of this siege, Harry decided enough was enough. He began employing his considerable stealth skills not against dark wizards, but against his own classmates. The Room of Requirement, various hidden passages, and even the Chamber of Secrets became his refuges.
He had already completed his revision weeks ago and was more than prepared for his NEWTs. What he needed now was space to think—a quiet place to clear his mind and escape the chaos of Hogwarts.
---
The solitude gave Harry the time and clarity he needed to reflect on the year's battles. In the quiet, he could meditate, focus, and absorb the skills and experiences he had gained.
This year had been a whirlwind of conflict and growth. From skirmishes with vampires to the high-stakes raid on Grindelwald's fortress, every battle had honed Harry's skills and deepened his understanding of what it meant to be both a warrior and a Knight. He had faced dark wizards, magical beasts, and even his own doubts, emerging stronger with each challenge.
Surprisingly, Harry felt himself on the verge of a breakthrough. Each day, he recognized how close he was to transcending his current Knight level and achieving something he had only read about in ancient texts: becoming a Great Knight.
The strain within him was like a bowstring drawn taut, awaiting its final release. Yet, he was stuck. The last step—the one that would elevate him to the rank of Great Knight—remained just out of reach. It wasn't a matter of skill or knowledge but the absence of a worthy opponent. From experience, Harry knew that he needed one final, high-stakes battle—an all-or-nothing confrontation that would push him past his limits.
And he knew such a battle was coming.
Harry didn't know how events at the Department of Mysteries would unfold, but he felt the confrontation approaching like a storm on the horizon. In the original timeline, it had been the canon Harry's vision of Sirius being tortured that lured him to the Ministry. But this time, there were no visions, no dreams, no warnings. With the absence of the soul fragment tethering them to Voldemort, neither he nor Charles had been plagued by mental intrusions.
Yet Harry knew the battle would still happen. The universe, in its strange way, had a tendency to correct itself, ensuring that certain events occurred regardless of the changes made to the timeline. It was a truth he had come to understand over the years: the will of the world was like a current, sweeping everything along its predetermined path. No matter how much he prepared or how many precautions he took, the confrontation at the Ministry would come to pass. It was a fixed point in time.
If his instincts weren't enough, intelligence from various sources confirmed his suspicions. Arcturus had heard whispers that the Dark Alliance was planning "something big," and all signs pointed to the Ministry of Magic. Harry had no doubt the prophecy was at the center of it all.
He had warned Sirius and Amelia, urging them to prepare for what was coming. The two were quietly mobilizing their most trusted Aurors for the inevitable confrontation.
"Keep the Order out of it for now," Harry had advised Sirius during a brief meeting. "There are too many loose lips. Mundungus Fletcher alone could compromise everything."
Sirius had reluctantly agreed. While the Order's resources could be valuable, the risk of information leaks was too great.
---
Meanwhile, Dumbledore's silence was telling. The headmaster had barely spoken to Harry since their last confrontation, instead focusing all his efforts on Charles.
Through careful observation and snippets of gossip from the ever-active Hogwarts rumor mill, Harry learned that Dumbledore was devoting significant time to training his younger brother. Knowing his own time was limited, the headmaster was intent on preparing Charles properly.
It was a stark contrast to the cryptic and vague guidance the canon Harry had received in his own timeline. There were no riddles or half-truths for Charles. Without the influence of Voldemort's Horcrux clouding his mind, Charles was being shaped into a capable and well-rounded wizard—a true successor to the fight against darkness, not a sacrificial pawn.
A pang of bitterness struck Harry as he thought of his canon counterpart. That Harry had been little more than a pawn, his fate sealed by a prophecy he hadn't even been aware of for much of his life. But Charles… Charles was different. Dumbledore was pouring real effort into him, teaching him advanced spells, strategies, and techniques, preparing him to confront the shadows head-on.
And yet, Harry couldn't shake an unsettling thought: Dumbledore might also be preparing Charles to face him.
Harry was no saint, and he knew it. He operated in shades of grey, far removed from the Light that Dumbledore held dear. It wasn't hard to imagine the headmaster fearing that once Voldemort was gone, Harry's power, methods, or ideology might pose a new challenge. If Dumbledore thought Charles would need to stop him, it would explain the intensity of the training.
The idea left a bitter taste in Harry's mouth. The thought of Charles—his own brother—being groomed to oppose him someday was disheartening, even cruel. But Harry forced the feeling aside. There were more immediate threats to focus on, and dwelling on hypotheticals wouldn't help anyone.
For now, he would let Dumbledore play his games and train Charles. When the time came, Harry would deal with whatever fate threw his way, just as he always had.
---
Soon, the examination period officially began. OWLs and NEWTs ran simultaneously over two intense weeks, transforming the castle into a pressure cooker of academic stress. Even the ghosts seemed to sense the tension, floating through walls more quietly than usual.
For Harry, however, the exams felt like an afterthought. He was confident in his mastery of the course material. What truly occupied his mind was the ticking clock of events outside Hogwarts' walls. Somewhere in the Ministry of Magic, the prophecy lay waiting—a lodestone drawing both Voldemort and destiny toward it.
The exact timing was uncertain, but Harry's instincts told him the confrontation would coincide with the exams. The universe would ensure it, and he would be ready when it did.
For now, though, he had a Transfiguration practical to attend. Even knights needed to pass their NEWTs, after all.
Chapter 338: Chapter 338: "The Last Peaceful Day"
Harry's final NEWT exam—Advanced Arithmancy—ended with more of a whimper than a bang. He had finished the intricate calculations with time to spare, handed in his parchment, and stepped out into the warm June sunshine feeling oddly unsettled. According to his hypothesis, something should have happened during the exams. With a significant number of Ministry officials present at Hogwarts to oversee them, it had seemed like the perfect opportunity for the universe to push events forward. Yet, the days had passed without incident, leaving Harry questioning his assumptions.
Perhaps he had been wrong. Maybe the universe wasn't as determined to maintain certain fixed events as he'd believed. Still, one opportunity remained: Charles had his History of Magic OWL tomorrow, the exam during which the original Harry had received Voldemort's false vision. Yet so far, all was peaceful.
"Stop looking for trouble," Harry muttered to himself, shaking his head. "No crisis is a good crisis."
With the weight of NEWTs finally lifted, Harry's friends were eager to enjoy their remaining days at Hogwarts. Roger organized an impromptu exploration of the castle's secret passages, while Cedric insisted on one last visit to the kitchens. Meanwhile, the Weasley twins were hard at work planning an elaborate series of farewell pranks that promised to leave the school buzzing long after their departure.
"Come on, Harry!" Alicia called, waving him over to where their group had gathered by the Black Lake. "We're making a list of all the places we have to visit before we leave!"
Harry joined them, watching as his friends debated the merits of various Hogwarts locations. The Room of Requirement received multiple votes, though Harry smiled to himself, knowing they'd barely scratched the surface of its capabilities. The Astronomy Tower at midnight made the list, along with the boathouse and even the girls' bathroom corridor from their third year.
"Remember when that troll nearly ate us?" Roger laughed, his voice tinged with nostalgia.
"Yeah," Harry replied with a smirk. "You all decided to become heroes to save little old me, who supposedly needed saving. In the end, I had to rush in to save your asses."
The group erupted into laughter, the sound carrying across the corridor.
As the day waned, Harry found himself beneath the shade of the ancient oak tree by the Black Lake, surrounded by his closest friends. Cedric leaned against the trunk, his relaxed grin a far cry from the stress he'd worn during exams. Roger sprawled on the grass, lazily tossing a Snitch back and forth between his hands. Fred and George sat nearby, demonstrating their latest prank inventions to Alicia and Angelina, their laughter bright and carefree. Reggy, ever the intellectual, was engrossed in a book, though he occasionally looked up to join the conversation. Elvinia and Arabella were deep in a spirited debate about their future careers, their voices blending with the gentle rustle of leaves.
Harry watched them all with a quiet smile. This was why he fought—for moments like this, for the peace and joy his friends could enjoy. The weight of the war and the battles ahead lingered at the edge of his thoughts, but he refused to let it overshadow the present. For now, he let himself enjoy the moment, basking in the laughter and camaraderie of the people he cared about most.
---
The next day dawned bright and clear, the kind of morning that made it easy to forget the shadows lurking just beyond the horizon. While Charles and the other fifth-years busied themselves with their final OWL exam—History of Magic—Harry and his friends lounged on the grassy slopes near the Black Lake. The stress of exams was finally behind them, and the mood was light. For a brief moment, it felt like any other carefree summer day at Hogwarts.
By midday, Fred and George were in the middle of demonstrating their latest invention—a color-changing candy that temporarily turned the eater's hair into rainbow-colored feathers. Laughter echoed across the grassy hill as Alicia tried one, her long hair suddenly transforming into a vibrant, feathery mane.
In the midst of the commotion, Harry felt the familiar buzz of the enchanted mirror in his pocket. His expression shifted, and he excused himself quietly, stepping away from the group and heading back into the castle. Finding an empty classroom, he pulled out the mirror and activated it.
Sirius's face appeared in the glass, his expression unusually serious.
"Harry, I need you at Black Castle," Sirius said, skipping any formalities. "Something's come up. We've got intel that needs your attention."
A knot formed in Harry's stomach. "What's going on?"
"I'll explain when you get here," Sirius replied. His tone left no room for argument. "Just come as soon as you can."
Harry nodded sharply, his mind already racing. "I'm on my way."
Without returning to his friends to make up an excuse—his thoughts were too scattered to think of one—Harry slipped away from the castle.
---
Harry apparated to the outskirts of Black Castle, the ancient family seat looming before him like a shadow against the evening sky. He moved swiftly inside, where Sirius and Arcturus were waiting in the study. The atmosphere was tense, the air thick with unease.
"What's going on?" Harry asked, though he already sensed this was bigger than the Ministry infiltration he'd been expecting.
Sirius gestured for him to sit. "We've got a problem. A big one."
Arcturus leaned forward, his sharp eyes fixed on Harry. "Our intelligence network has picked up unusual activity. Over the past few days, there's been a significant influx of dark creatures crossing into Britain—werewolves, vampires, giants. They're slipping through under the Ministry's nose—or worse, with the help of compromised officials who are deliberately looking the other way."
Sirius pointed to several glowing markers on a map spread across the table. "We've identified at least six major entry points. The numbers we're seeing…" He shook his head. "This isn't a raid or an infiltration. This is an invasion force."
Harry studied the map, his mind racing. This wasn't following the script he remembered. He had expected Voldemort to make a focused move on the prophecy, perhaps with Grindelwald's support. But this... this was preparation for full-scale magical war.
"How many are we talking about?" Harry asked, his voice steady despite the growing unease in his chest.
"Hundreds," Sirius said grimly. "Maybe more. And they're not just wandering aimlessly. They're gathering, Harry. This is coordinated."
Harry leaned over the map, tracing the markers with his finger. The dark creatures were converging on key locations, their movements deliberate and strategic. The Ministry, oblivious to the threat, was woefully unprepared.
"Do we know what they're planning?" Harry asked.
"Not yet," Arcturus admitted. "But it's clear the Dark Alliance is mobilizing. They've been too quiet for too long. This is their move."
Harry leaned back in his chair, his thoughts swirling. The calm he had felt earlier was gone, replaced by a growing sense of urgency. He had hoped to avoid a large-scale conflict, but it seemed that choice was no longer his to make.
"We need to act," Harry said firmly. "We can't sit back and wait. First, we need to figure out their target. If it's the Ministry, we'll need to call everyone up and prepare for a major battle."
Sirius nodded. "Agreed. I've already informed Amelia, and she's told her people to be ready. Once we have any clue what they're planning, we can move fast. Grandfather, can you handle the intel?"
Arcturus sighed, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "You're making this old man work again. I've fought in too many wars already. Let's hope this is the last one. I'll get my people digging. They'll bring us what we need."
With tasks assigned, Harry stayed at the castle, ready to act at a moment's notice. But as evening fell, the lack of updates from Arcturus's sources gnawed at him. The silence was unnerving, and Harry couldn't shake the feeling that something was already in motion—something he hadn't anticipated.
"I need to go back to Hogwarts," Harry said finally, breaking the tense quiet in the study. "If something's happening, I can't sit here waiting. I need to make sure nothing's gone wrong while I've been away."
Sirius nodded, though his expression was grim. "Be careful, Harry. If this is as big as it looks, we're all going to be in the thick of it soon."
Harry didn't reply. He simply turned and left the room, his mind already racing ahead to what might be waiting for him at Hogwarts. The storm was coming, and he needed to be ready.
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