Chương 45: Chapter 45
Harry dressed and turned to look at Daphne who seemed to be sitting on a couch, crying silently, rocking back and forth. Such behaviour was very unusual for the girl who always controlled her emotions. He could understand why, as he would be in terrible danger if Voldemort and the Death Eaters were truly involved. He only hoped that since he had destroyed all of Voldemort's Horcruxes, the man might have disappeared, but he held out little hope. He went to his fiancée and gave her a tight hug as he slowly rubbed her back.
"Don't worry, Daph" he said soothingly. "I'll be very careful. You've placed a tracking charm on me as well. In case I get lost, you can find me. I'll come back to you safe and sound, okay?"
Just then, they heard an eagle's shriek. They looked out of a window and saw that there was lightning and thunder in the sky, though thankfully no rain. Daphne started crying harder, as it was Aquila's warning about danger.
Harry sighed. This did not help matters. He knew that tonight, he had to face his destiny as Aquila had informed him of it.
FLASHBACK
Harry was flying with Aquila in a storm and was quite enjoying himself. The third task was tomorrow and with all the training he had been doing, it was very tiring.
"I sense danger, little one" said Aquila.
Harry soared above the clouds and maintained a steady altitude. "What do you mean?" he asked the thunderbird.
"Your destiny will be marked by how you handle this test, Harry. Tomorrow will decide your fate. If you win, it will be a dawn of a new era; all creatures have sensed it. But if you lose, we'll lose everything, Harry. The future of the magical world depends on you. You are the epicenter of change. You are our saviour. You, little one, are the Lightning Lord, the one who is blessed my Magic herself" said Aquila.
"Lightning Lord? Blessed by magic?" asked Harry bewildered. "What are you talking about buddy?"
"Listen to me Harry" said Aquila patiently. "You were born for much bigger things, not just to defeat that bad wizard who killed your parents. All magical creatures have sensed a change approaching, and we know that you will be the one to decide our fate. You are the Lord of Lightning, the saviour of magic. You must win tomorrow, Harry. Everything depends on it. You must win. Forget about everything else for now. Don't try to escape your destiny, as it would always come back with greater force than before if you try to avoid it. Accept it, and fulfill the wishes of Magic herself."
Harry stayed silent, gliding over the clouds. He dived sharply and came back up. He needed to think.
After several minutes, Harry transformed back into himself landed on Aquila's back. Rain lashed harder than ever and lightning flashed brightly and thunder could be heard. Harry brought his arms sideways and let out powerful bolts of lightning from his fingertips and screamed as a lightning bolt impacted his body.
The Lightning Lord was about to take a step that would define his life and the lives around him forever.
END FLASHBACK
"Look, you know I have to do this. I have to face him Daphne" he said softly.
Daphne looked at him with red eyes. "What if I don't want you to?" she whimpered. "What if I just want you to live a full life without any of this to deal with?"
Harry smiled and stroked her dark blonde hair with his fingers. "It can't be helped" he whispered, hugging her close. "I will come back to you. But if I don't, I want you to live a happy life. Don't worry about upsetting my memory; know that I would always love you even if you are with someone else. I've willed most of my fortune and properties to you. In case of the worst, please take care of Sirius and Amelia for me."
Daphne immediately pushed back grabbed his face. Her eyes glowed and she snarled. "You look here, Potter. I will not accept anyone else, ever. There is only one person for me, and that is you. No one else can come close to you and what we share. You better come back from this task triumphant, or else you'll have company in Death's realm. Promise me that you will come back to me safe and sound!"
"Daphne" began Harry in worry.
"PROMISE ME, DAMN IT!" screamed Daphne and a vase in the corner shattered.
Harry looked into her eyes and saw worry and sheer fright in them. He also saw the immense love she had for him. He let in envelop him as he grabbed her and kissed her passionately. They sat there for more than an hour, kissing each other as they felt their volatile emotions get back under control.
Harry placed his forehead against hers and looked into her eyes. "I promise" he said softly but firmly. "I've trained for this moment since I was seven years old. I won't let anyone take you away from me, beat Voldemort or Dumbledore. I promise that I'll come back to you safe and sound."
Daphne had calmed down a lot too. She smirked and said "I know you will. I have the utmost confidence in you. Let's show the world who we really are. Let's show them that we are not to be trifled with."
Harry smirked too. He then looked at his watch. They still had more than two hours to go. "There is something I wanted to ask you to do if you're willing" he said seriously.
"What is it?" asked Daphne.
"I know that we're not married yet, but in my mind, there is no doubt about you being my future wife. Since that is the case, I was wondering if you would like to take your place as the Lady of the Most Ancient and Noble Houses of Potter, Gryffindor and Slytherin" said Harry.
"Now?" asked Daphne surprised. "But how can I be the Lady when we're not yet married?"
"It's complicated" said Harry. "Since there has never been such a case before when there has a Lord and not a Lady, it has never been attempted. You would have taken your oath once we were married, but if the family magic accepts you, I want you to take it now. I trust you, Daphne. And I truly, deeply love you. There is no doubt in my mind that you're my closest family. It doesn't matter if you're still my fiancée and not yet my wife. Even if there is a slight chance of it working, I want you to wear those family rings with pride. You're the most important person in the world to me, and I want our family to reflect that. What do you say?" he asked, with passion burning in his words.
Daphne looked into his emerald green eyes and nodded. "Alright" she said. "I'll do it."
Harry helped her up and the room changed. In front of them was a wall with three crests – Potter, Gryffindor and Slytherin. Daphne stood inside a ritual circle, just as Harry muttered something and his Potter ring flashed.
Daphne found herself surrounded by a red and silver aura. She could feel the magic of the Potter family testing her, checking if she was worthy. For several minutes, they stood in silence as the aura swirled around her. After what seemed like an eternity, the red and silver aura surrounded her body and she smiled.
"I, Daphne Elizabeth Greengrass" she began, "wife-to-be of the Lord of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter, eldest daughter of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Greengrass, do solemnly swear by wearing this ring to uphold the values and traditions of the Potter family. As Lady Potter, I swear to do my utmost best to love and cherish my future husband and our family and bring glory to the House of Potter. This I swear, so mote it be!" she said.
The red and silver aura swirled around her at a fast rate and seeped into her skin. Daphne seemed to be glowing in a silver light until finally, a ring appeared on her right ring finger. She looked at it and saw it was the ring of the Lady of the House of Potter. It was a platinum band with a large feminine cut red diamond, with the crest clearly displayed on it. "Born to conquer" she whispered, which was the Potter family motto.
Daphne looked at Harry, who had tears in his eyes. She went over to him and wiped the tears away. "I really am family now" she whispered. "We may not be married yet, but according to the family and legally, I'm the Lady Potter. I will carry your name without any hesitation, Harry. I'm proud to do so."
She stepped back into the ritual circle and did the same for the Gryffindor and Slytherin families as well. They too accepted her and the family rings appeared. She closed her eyes as she felt the wards around Hogwarts.
"You really did it" whispered Harry. "You did it all for me". He was really touched that she had been willing to go through with it, as it had never been done before. She had been willing to try, just for him.
He immediately went over to her and kissed her. After a minute, they broke apart. "Welcome to the family, Lady Potter-Gryffindor-Slytherin" said Harry.
Harry had suddenly gained his confidence back. He had Daphne by his side. He could do it. He would be victorious. He was Hadrian Potter. He would win. He would always win.
HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP
Harry and Daphne sat quietly at the Ravenclaw table for the evening feast. After finishing a light meal, Harry closed his eyes. After several minutes, Dumbledore got up to speak. "Ladies and Gentlemen, the time has finally come. Tonight, you will witness the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament. Everyone please make your way to the stadium. Champions, please follow Mr Bagman."
Harry and Daphne got up and followed Mr Bagman. They were soon followed by Sirius and Amelia, both who had stony expressions on their faces. They left the castle and headed for the entrance of the maze, where the prime seats were located. The stadium was in a semi-circular shape, again with many enormous mirrors affixed every few feet so that people could monitor the champion's progress. It was turning dark now, so lightning charms were activated, bathing the stadium in bright light.
Cyrus and Elizabeth Greengrass came forward and hugged Harry and wished him luck. They went and sat back in their seats, but Sirius, Amelia and Daphne remained.
"Tracking charm?" whispered Harry.
"Check" said Daphne. "Wands?" she asked.
"Check" said Harry.
"Armour?" she asked.
"Check"
"Potions kit?" she asked.
"Check" he said patting the belt he had worn. He didn't want to go in there without a few important potions like pepper up. They had checked the rules and it was allowed. But by judging the other three champions, they hadn't thought of it.
"Pocket knife?" she asked.
"Check"
Harry then closed his eyes and started remembering all the spells he had leant and about magical creatures and how to defeat them. Fifteen minutes later, the stands were full, and the live broadcast began. The crystals were surrounding the champions now, though staying invisible. The four champions appeared on the large mirrors. Millions of witches and wizards around the world were watching the final task of the very popular Triwizard Tournament.
The Triwizard Emergency Squad came over to the champions and said "We'll be patrolling the perimeter of the maze and monitoring your progress. If you run into any trouble and wish to be rescued, send red sparks into the air, understood? If you are in a life-threatening situation, we'll be there immediately to rescue you."
Mr Bagman pointed his wand to this throat and began. "Sonorous. Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament! This task is very straightforward – it's a maze, filled with different traps, wards, spells and magical creatures. The Triwizard Cup is at the center of the maze, and the champion who reaches for it first will win the Tournament, earning him or her eternal glory and 5000 galleons! The Cup is a portkey to the stage over there. So once any one of them touches the cup, they will be transported out of the maze and be declared the winner!" he said as the crowd cheered.
"Let me remind you how the points currently stand – in fourth place is Miss Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons Academy with 63 points! In third place is Mr Victor Krum of Durmstrang Institute with 81 points!" he said and the crowd roared in approval for their respective champions.
"In second place we have Mr Cedric Diggory of Hogwarts School with 82 points!" he shouted as the crowd screamed.
"And finally, in first place, we have Mr Hadrian Potter with a full 100 points!" he shouted, and the noise from the audience was deafening.
Harry turned and gave Daphne a hug and kiss. Sirius and Amelia hugged him as well as he went to the entrance to the maze.
"On my mark, Mr Potter" said Bagman. "Three . . . two . . . one . . ."
He let out a cannon blast from the tip of his wand and Harry calmly entered the maze. He turned to look at Daphne. She blew a kiss at him and he smiled back. He was prepared, and now, it was time to finish it.
"Lumos" thought Harry and the tip of his wand illuminated. He walked down the path in front of him until he reached a fork. Harry stopped and closed his eyes. He extended his senses and also used the wards around Hogwarts to give him an accurate picture of which way he was supposed to go. He knew that picking the shortest way possible would involve meeting all the traps, but he didn't care. He had to reach the cup first.
He took a right there and moved about, occasionally turning directions. He heard another blast – Cedric was in the maze.
Just when he turned, he sensed another presence in front of him. A ten-foot long Blast-Ended Skrewt was edging closer to him, releasing flames from behind. Harry immediately used the same technique he had used in the first task. He levitated the Skrewt, blasted it with cold water, froze it, and dumped it in a hole in the ground. He then proceeded forward, without a care in the world, when he heard another blast – Victor was in the maze.
Harry walked forward, idly wondering why he didn't encounter anything else when suddenly, he felt that he had triggered a ward. Indeed, he could sense the ward and in front of him, a whole bunch of a hundred Cornish pixies were present, restrained behind a ward. If he had taken a step further, they would have been unleashed on him. He searched for the ward trigger and disabled it easily. He then stepped forward and passed the pixies without being attacked.
He heard another blast – Fleur had also entered the maze. The audience would now be focussing all their attention on them now. He took several turns, where there were wards preventing him access, but he disabled all of them without an issue; he had extensively studied about warding from the Potter library. The Potters considered themselves master warders, and he didn't want that talent to disappear from the family anytime soon.
Just as he took another bend, he felt oppressive coldness envelop him. Bad memories started to appear in his mind, as he saw two dementors in front of him, inching closer. Harry pointed his wand at the dementors, thought about Daphne and how much he loved her and mentally said "Expecto Patronum"
The enormous silver thunderbird shot out of his wand and attacked the dementors, driving them away. He proceeded further, but after disabling an illusionary ward, he suddenly found himself in front of a bridge, with a large water body below it. But what was below the bridge wasn't only water - there was a River Troll in it, guarding the bridge.
Harry smirked. He could only imagine how easy it was to trick the creature. He scanned the water, and to his delight, he found a large fish which he summoned. He took out his potions kit, and coated the fish with a Shrinking Solution and added a low powered Impediment jinx to ensure a time delayed reaction. Once done, he pointed his wand at the fish and mentally said "Compulso"
He then walked to the bridge and levitated the fish in front of the grunting twelve-foot long river Troll. The troll, being very stupid immediately felt compelled to eat the fish. Once it was done, a few seconds later, there was a pop, and the twelve-foot troll was only three feet in height. Harry smirked as he crossed the bridge.
He crossed another section and tuned to find, to his surprise, a thestral. Harry slowly approached it, and the thestral made a sound and bowed deeply to Harry. He too bowed back, went forward to pet it and moved on. That was an odd creature to have in a maze, he thought. But to those who could not see the creature . . .
He stopped for a second and closed his eyes to sense what was going on. He was very close to the cup; he could sense it. The other champions were still far away, dealing with the various wards and creatures. He couldn't blame them for struggling to break down the wards. Only due to his advanced knowledge and relentless studying in the subject had allowed him to break them that easily. Well, that and his ability to sense magic helped as well, which only trained wizards like Albus Dumbledore were proficient with, though the Headmaster was better at it than Harry currently was.
He turned and could see the dim blue light of the Triwizard Cup ahead. But this time, he was interrupted by a Sphinx.
It had a body of that of a lion, but the head was that of a woman. The sphinx bowed to Harry as he approached. "Greeting to the Lord of Lightning; it is an honour to finally meet you, oh great one" she said.
"Greetings to you as well, Milady" said Harry bowing to her. "And please don't use such words to describe me; I don't think I deserve them" he said, smiling softly.
"Oh, but you do" said the sphinx. "We have waited for the Lightning Lord for hundreds of years and you're finally here. You're very near to your goal, my Lord. The quickest way is past me" she said smiling.
"Then, by all means, please let me hear your riddle" he said smiling.
The sphinx's smile widened.
"First think of the person who lives in disguise,
Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies.
Next, tell me what's always the last thing to mend,
The middle of middle and end of the end?
And finally give me the sound often heard
During the search for a hard-to-find word.
Now string them together, and answer me this,
Which creature would you be unwilling to kiss?"
Harry smiled slightly. "A spider" he said softly.
"Very good, my Lord" said the sphinx happily. "I didn't even have to repeat myself. Please go ahead. May you always succeed in your endeavours and have the blessings of Magic."
"Thank you, Milady" he said, bowing to her and walked to the cup which was at a distance.
When he was but a hundred yards from the cup, he sensed something to his left. He turned and saw an Acromantula rushing towards him. It was about to try to attack him so he pointed his wand at it and thought "Reducto!"
The Reductor curse cut off a few of the spider's legs, but it still came forward, along with five more of its companions, surrounding him. He had to think fast, or he would be spider food in a matter of seconds. Harry rotated his wand over his head and rotated it in a clockwise direction. A fire whip appeared, and Harry lashed it against the Acromantulas, cutting off all their legs in half.
"Bloody spiders" he muttered, idly wondering why he was feeling like he was going to fail at this task, as though it was futile. Futile . . .
Harry reinforced his Occlumency and sharply turned to face the opposite direction. He narrowed his eyes when he saw a small creature shriek softly. In front of him was a shiny, round rock. Harry rolled his eyes as a scarlet stunner left his wand and impacted the creature which was crouching, attempting to disguise itself as a rock. It was a Pogrebin, a small Russian demon. It would follow humans, hiding in their shadow, ensuring the victim would feel a great sense of futility. It was then that the creature would strike in an attempt to devour its prey. The demon wasn't a threat as a stunner would be effective, though some preferred kicking it, much to Harry's annoyance.
He stopped in front of the Triwizard cup and paused. He closed his eyes and sensed what was going around him using the wards. Cedric was nearby, but he couldn't get here soon. Harry calmed down and reinforced his Occlumancy shields and ensured that his magic was calm. He took out his potions kit and took a swing of the pepper up potion. He knew that if he had to fight for his life, he would need it; he wasn't really tired after navigating the maze, but it was better to be prepared. Once done, he checked to ensure everything was alright and picked up the handle of the cup with his right hand, his wand gripped in his left. He felt the familiar jerk of the portkey behind his navel as he touched the cup. He had won the Triwizard Tournament. But now was the real test.
HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP
Outside, the audience were watching the champions closely when they entered the maze. "Oh look, it looks like Hadrian Potter has encountered a Blast-Ended Skrewt. His method to defeat them was ingenious in the first task, so is he, yes, he's frozen them and placed them in a pit on the ground. Hadrian Potter has crossed the first obstacle!" he shouted as the crowd roared.
The crowd watched as Krum faced an illusionary ward. Just then, Bagman shouted out. "Oh ho. Look at that. It looks like Hadrian Potter has encountered the Cornish pixies, and it seems there are over a hundred of them. What is this? What is he doing? He's moved ahead! He disabled the ward that would make the pixies attack him and just walked ahead like a king! Sweet Merlin, that boy is something!"
He commentated about the other champions' progress when the audience spotted something again. "It looks like Mr Potter has encountered the dementors. I really doubt it would be a problem as, yes; he's conjured a Patronus again. Hadrian Potter's Patronus takes the form of a thunderbird."
"Good lord, that boy sure knows a thing or two about warding and curse breaking" exclaimed Bagman, after Harry disabled another set of complex wards. The crowd roared. "How is a boy barely fifteen years old so talented? He uses silent casting all the time too, very impressive!"
When Harry got past the river troll, the crowd roared louder than ever. "DID YOU SEE THAT? AMAZING! It seems Hadrian Potter really did read the Triwizard rulebook as it says that you can take a standard potions kit and a shrinking solution would fall under that category. Merlin, he has a keen mind. No wonder he is in Ravenclaw" he said, getting a much louder cheer from the Ravenclaws.
"Oh my, he can see a thestral?" asked Bagman in disbelief. "A thestral is only seen by someone who has seen death. The only death Potter probably has seen might have been . . ." he left the sentence hanging, and there weren't many cheers this time. Remembering a man murdering your mother in front of your infant eyes was not a happy memory indeed.
When the audience heard the sphinx talk to Harry, many of them were confused. "Anyone has any idea what that sphinx is talking about? Lightning Lord? Waited for hundreds of years? What is going on here?" asked Bagman confused. Daphne smirked while Dumbledore narrowed his eyes.
When Harry was attacked by six Acromantulas at once, many people screamed. "Oh dear, one curse didn't seem to help! Oh wait, what is he doing? A fire whip! He cut off all the legs of the Acromantulas in one stroke. Good Lord, a better move than just using useless stunners. He's the closest to the cup!" yelled Bagman, and people cheered.
When Harry went to the cup and didn't pick it up, people started whispering. "What is Hadrian Potter doing?" asked Bagman confused. "Why is he standing there and not picking up the cup? What is this? What's going on?"
Just then, they saw Harry grab the handle of the cup. But instead of reappearing on the stage in front of the audience as planned, he landed on both feet in what looked like a graveyard. Surprisingly, the crystal was still transmitting; apparently, the one following Harry was grabbed by the portkey as well.
HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP
Suddenly, Harry saw jets of scarlet light coming towards him. Thanks to the drop of Vampire blood in the ritual, his reflexes were even more pronounced than ever, so he dodged every single one of them. He looked at the people in front of him. There were five Death Eaters, wearing their regalia and mask. Harry immediately started firing lethal curses at them. The ground in front of them became hot, as jets of light flew from several wands at the same time. It really was an impressive sight as Harry single-handedly battled five adult Death Eaters at once.
The Death Eaters were good, but Harry was better. A blasting curse impacted one of them in the legs, tearing his body in two. Several seconds later, another Death Eater had a big hole in his chest and he fell down, dead. Harry conjured a fire whip again while dodging several curses, and cut off the necks of two Death Eaters at once. He was only battling one now. He sensed a snake coming close to him, and he turned to his right and fired a blasting curse. Unfortunately, that was a wrong move on his part. Ten Death Eaters materialised all around him, surrounding him in a tight circle, while the long snake was blasted to smithereens. Harry had partially turned to the right to kill the snake, and since Harry was duelling with his left hand, this gave a split second advantage to the Death Eaters, who were more than happy to use it.
"STUPEFY!" shouted ten voices at once. No matter how much Harry was talented, being surrounded in a tight circle when he was alone and fighting more than ten to one was a massive disadvantage; it was a known tactic used by many to kill off their opponents. But this time, they wanted Harry alive, and not dead. The basilisk hide armour might be able to handle stunners individually, but eleven powerful stunners at the same time at close range were enough to kill most witches and wizards. But Harry wasn't weak and the armour certainly helped. He dropped to the ground unconscious.
HP*LIGHTNING LORD*HP
Back at Hogwarts, there was utter chaos. When Harry was attacked by people in Death Eater robes, people screamed. "What in Merlin's name is going on here?" asked Bagman, his voice still enhanced. "Where is Mr Potter? He's under attack!"
Daphne and Amelia wasted no time. Amelia immediately took out a special piece of parchment and Daphne tapped her wand on it. Nothing!
"Damn it!" snarled Amelia. "They have put up wards around the place to ensure that all tracking charms are nullified! We need to find another way to track him"
Just then, they heard a bang, and so they looked at the large mirror. People all over were in awe as Harry battled five on one, throwing curses after curses at the Death Eaters. One by one, the attackers fell to the ground, dead, killed by Harry's wand. Just when there was only one Death Eater, ten of them Apparated around him and stunned him at the same time at close range. Harry fell to the ground unconscious.
Daphne's anger bubbled. Cyrus and Sirius were shouting at the Triwizard Committee while Amelia was mobilizing the Aurors hidden all over Hogwarts, much to Albus Dumbledore's anger and annoyance. No one noticed the small smile on Dumbledore's face. Cornelius Fudge was just bumbling about, not knowing what to do.
When she saw the Death Eaters pick up Harry, the tigress in Daphne couldn't handle it anymore. "RIDDLEEEEEEE!" she shouted in a primal scream of rage, close to a tiger's roar. People who were screaming turned to her and their jaws dropped at the sight of Daphne Greengrass standing, with her magic swirling around her.
"You want the coordinates?" said Daphne to Amelia. "You'll have them soon. There is more than one way to skin a kneazle."
And to everyone's shock, a ring appeared on her right ring finger. Many of them recognised what it was, as she touched and said "Potter Castle"
With that, Daphne Greengrass disappeared. Albus Dumbledore's jaw dropped. How did she leave the grounds using a portkey? That was impossible because only he, as the Headmaster of Hogwarts could create portkeys that could enter and leave the wards. Nothing else would work. How had she done that? He extended his senses and scanned the area and found the residual signature of a portkey. He would have to analyse it and change the wards later so that no one could use a portkey at Hogwarts except him. Was it something to do with Harry's status as Godric's heir?
Whatever she was up to, Daphne Greengrass had to be stopped. Harry had to die by Voldemort's hand so that Tom and his Death Eaters could be redeemed. He looked at the mirrors and cursed them again. There was no point in destroying them as there were too many of them. And there were millions of people watching what was going on at the graveyard. Anger bubbled in his gut as he recalled that Harry had murdered four Death Eaters. How could they be reformed if they were killed? Albus Dumbledore looked at the mirrors, curious to see what would happen now.
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