章 36: Blood Feud
7 Advanced chapters on Patreon: Fiction Haven
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When Harry disappeared from the pitch, leaving everyone wondering where he went; Lily, Bella, and Fleur were naturally worried. They hadn't been asleep when Harry declared he would end everything in the Third Task. They didn't understand it at that time, but now his disappearance made everything clear.
Bella immediately rushed to Dumbledore as Lily interrogated him. Fleur also left the pitch and rushed to the judge's seat. She didn't care about the tournament anymore. Heck, she had stopped caring since Harry's domination in the First Task. Being bombarded with questions from the three agitated women, Dumbledore wanted to run. He didn't have the answer to their questions and didn't want to lose his nuts.
"Why are you staying silent? Do you want me to castrate you, huh?"
"Lily, we can't be bothered with an old man's willy. He doesn't even use it. He won't feel a change."
"Professor Dumbledore, please tell me Harry is safe."
The only saving grace was Fleur who maintained her manner in such a situation. Dumbledore smiled kindly at the young witch.
"If he is not, I have to burn you. My Veela fire should do a thing or two to you even if you are the great Dumbledore."
Scratch that! The trio was batshit insane.
After some begging from the poor headmaster, the women finally calmed down. Dumbledore's fellow headmaster, Madame Maxime pitied him but secretly cheered for Fleur. She was her first student to ever threaten the Supreme Mugwump although, admittedly, it was not something proper to brag about.
"I don't know where Harry is. The Ministry is the one taking care of the Portkey. You should be asking them about it."
"And where are they?"
Lily and Bella glared at Ludo and Percy, causing them to raise their arms in fright. They were already begging for their lives before the witches said anything. The scene would have been amusing if not for the tense atmosphere. The audience could tell something had gone wrong. Considering who the victim of the malfunction was, their heart beat uncomfortably.
"We can only wait, Lily. Let's trust Harry."
"I do! But that doesn't mean I will—"
"The Ministry was ambushed! Minister Potter is nowhere in sight!"
Lily's tirade was interrupted by an Auror running towards Bella.
"The Death Eaters! They got the Minister!"
Everyone gasped in terror. Hushed whispers turned into a panic screaming. Dumbledore had to silence the audience to prevent chaos from happening. The audience was in shambles. The news struck fear in their heart. How could they feel safe if the safest place in Great Britain had been breached? They feared their country might have fallen.
Although still worried about Harry, Bella questioned the news bearer calmly. The bloke was so shocked by what he had seen at the Ministry that he kept stuttering. A scowl marred Bella's face at the end of the session. Unfortunately, she had to leave for the Ministry office. Even though there was nothing to do but investigate, her presence was required. She needed to figure out where James had gone.
"Merlin's soggy pants! Fuck all of this! We never have it easy, do we?" Bella cursed.
Before Lily could tell Bella to attend to her job and leave everything to her, the audience gasped.
"Look! It's Lord Peverell!"
Lily, Bella, and Fleur turned to the pitch and found Harry standing there. He didn't come back alone. Harry brought two people whom the audience knew. One of them was James the Minister and the other was the traitorous rat, Peter Pettigrew. Hushed murmurs filled the stadium. Everyone was wondering what happened.
"When I activated the Portkey on this cup, I found myself in a misty cemetery. Two figures greeted me there," Harry intoned, kicking Pettigrew's body. "One is the traitorous Peter Pettigrew." Then, he held Voldemort's levitating head in his hand. "And the other one is the bald bastard, Voldemort"
Everyone gasped in shock. The quick-witted ones immediately threw questions at Harry, asking if he had killed the Dark Lord. Those people were looking at the presented head in excitement. Their eyes twinkled reverently as they landed on Harry.
"With relish, they revealed to me how they have sacrificed the Minister for the return of the Dark Lord," Harry gestured toward James' levitating body beside him. "Naturally, I repaid them for what they did." Harry sneered. "Behold! This is the head of the nonce you fear. So conceited he was that he didn't think I could cut his head. And I did!"
The audience roared in approval. No one thought this was a stunt.
"However, with deep regret, I have to tell you that Voldemort is not yet dead. The cockroach bastard is still out there. However, fear not! The only thing he is good at is running away. The next time we meet, Voldemort shall perish for good."
The audience became louder and Harry had to raise a hand to calm them down.
"In the middle of our fight, Voldemort summoned his goons. It was much to my surprise I found several familiar faces." Harry chuckled darkly. "Soon, the Aurors would declare the list of dead Family Heads. They were Death Eaters I killed in Little Hangleton. Don't feel bad for these families! They have been funding the mad bastard to make us suffer."
Harry raised his wand as the audience glared fiercely, recounting the sufferings they had to go through under Voldemort and his Death Eaters.
"I, Harry Ignotus James Peverell, Lord of the Noble and Ancient House of Peverell, declare a blood feud against the House of Lestrange and whoever may help them. I shall pardon those who leave their House or pledge their eternal allegiance to my House. So mote it be!"
Blood rushed to the tip of Harry's wand from his finger. It covered the tiny light at the end of his wand, turning it red. The red light shot into the sky and exploded, turning the sky temporarily haunting red. The action confirmed two things to the stunned audience. One, Harry was the true heir of House Peverell. Two, a bloodbath that had last occurred three centuries ago would make its reappearance.
…
The conclusion of the Triwizard Cup shook the entire world. Harry's victory was not the focus. His triumph against the resurrected Voldemort, his rescue of the Minister, and his declaration took all of the attention. They would normally call the man who declared Blood Feud a dimwit, but they supported Harry's declaration greatly.
Many of them offered to help Harry in the feud. They had suffered too much under the Death Eaters' terrors. Harry's confidence and showcase of power set their spirits alight. Therefore, when Harry refused their help, they were quite disappointed. They thought he was being conceited.
The Daily Prophet reported what happened at Little Hangleton as detailed as they could. They praised Harry greatly in his endeavour, going as far as hiring combat experts to analyse his fight. They also somehow had Harry's picture when he fought off Voldemort's Killing Curse with the Reductor Curse. Bella told him one of the Aurors leaked the extracted memory of a dying Death Eater for quick cash.
Thanks to the ancient Magical Oath, the Lestrange were freed from Azkaban to prepare for their Blood Feud. They had two weeks to recuperate and gather forces. During that period, no one was allowed to hamper them. The Ministry didn't even watch over them as their Magical Bind prevented them from hurting anyone.
While the world went abuzz thanks to his actions, Harry was spending his time at St Mungo, watching the prone body of one James Potter. He might not care about the man but still felt grateful for the man. Without James, after all, Harry would never meet Lily. He wanted to thank the man before it was too late.
"So, who will be your allies, Harry?"
"It will be me alone. I don't want to drag others in family matters."
"Yeah, no. The Lestrange brothers won't think that way. They might be the only ones left, but they will gather as many people as possible to fight you in the feud."
"Good."
"Harry…"
Lily was also with Harry in James' room. She was worried about James but not as much as she worried about the incoming blood feud. Harry's captivating smile failed to soothe her heart. Charlus watched the interaction between his mother and his brother in silence. Like Lily, he was also concerned about Harry.
James still hadn't woken up after a week of hospitalisation in Saint Mungo. The curse that hit him damaged his life force. The Healers said his life force was withering away each time they visited his room. Charlus didn't want to think about it, but he wouldn't be surprised if James ended up dying. Therefore, he didn't want to lose Harry too.
Charlus was not close enough to Harry to make them good siblings but had come to treasure him. After overcoming his fear of being replaced, he could only see Harry as a cool older brother whom everyone could only dream about but never get.
"Everything will be fine, Lils," Harry said softly. "Rather than worrying about me, why don't you pull Charlus out of the dark? He is old enough to handle the truth."
As his mother went silent, Charlus looked at her curiously. His mother was tense. Silence hung in the room for a few minutes before Lily spoke. At the end of the revelation, Charlus looked at Harry in amazement. With such power, no one would be surprised if Harry went dark after what he went through.
"Also, Harry stopped being your brother the moment he awakened his Peverell blood."
But the revelation wasn't done yet. Charlus was so focused on Lily that he didn't notice Harry's incredulous look.
"I won't stop you from considering him your brother, but I figure you should know this. I have been hooking up with Harry ever since."
It was a half-truth, but it didn't matter to Charlus.
"What the fuck!?"
How could he take the information calmly, knowing the person he considered his brother had been ploughing his mother?
クリエイターの想い 
Frona_Gorgophone
Frona_Gorgophone What'd you do if you were in Charles' shoes?
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