Arch Mage, the Path of Magic Chapter 26 (Patreon)

Hey friends and fans, Kairomaru is here with another chapter of Arch Mage, the Path of Magic! Harry returns to Hogwarts and his friends once more. Third Year is coming to a close, soon enough. But before that, Harry has a trip to plan out and take! Now, if he can only do it and not get caught! Kek! Meanwhile, a certain Dark Lord is making his way back towards Britain, but finds a certain someone along the way. What will Voldemort do in his current situation?

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So, without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 26 – Visit Abroad, A Rat Found

The Hogwarts Express rolled into Hogsmeade Station as a light snow fell.

As the students began to disembark, careful to watch their step on the slick stone of the station, they began to head for the carriages that pulled themselves to be taken back up to the castle.

“Whoa!” Astoria squeaked as she slipped, only to be caught by Daphne.

“Careful, Tori.” Daphne held her sister’s hand as they continued walking more carefully.

Harry grinned and with a clap of his hands, the snow and ice vanished from the station entirely. “There we are, much safer.”

All of the Hogwarts students blinked at the suddenly clear and dry stone floor before turning to look at Harry and his friends.

“Thanks Harrikins!” Fred and George called out from the crowd, the Twins waving energetically to Harry.

“Thanks, Potter!”

“Thank you, Harry!”

“Good lookin’ out, mate!”

Harry took the thanks with a small smile and a nod to the people as the students now easily made their way to the carriages.

“The Thestrals are nice.” Luna commented as she went to gently pet the air where a horse would normally be attached to the carriage.

Hermione, Daphne, Astoria, and Tracy all looked confused about what Luna was doing.

“Thestrals?” Hermione asked, not having heard of such a thing before.

“Aren’t they supposed to be rare?” Tracy had some vague knowledge about the creatures, but only because she’d flipped ahead in the Monster Book of Monsters while bored one evening.

Harry’s eyes barely glowed, but his Mage Sight spell definitely showed magic in a vague horse-shape right where Luna was petting. “Huh, selective invisibility? That’s neat.”

Astoria, ever curious, walked over and placed her hand on the same spot as Luna. “Oh!” She gasped in surprise. “Daphne! There is something here! It feels kind of leathery though…” She petted the invisible Thestral with Luna for a few moments.

The group took turns petting the invisible Magical horse before entering the carriage. Hermione was planning to look up Thestrals in the library later to learn more about them. Luna only smiled at getting to show her friends the invisible creature that only she could freely see.

When the students got back into the castle and headed for the Great Hall for the return feast, Harry was briefly stopped by Professor McGonagall.

“Yes, Professor?” Harry couldn’t think of why the Deputy Headmistress would be stopping him. He’d only just gotten back to Hogwarts, after all.

“Ten points to Ravenclaw, for looking after your fellow students, Mr. Potter.” The normally stern Witch gave Harry a small smile and a nod before waving him along.

Harry could only smile a bit as he entered the Great Hall. He’d only cleared the snow and ice because Astoria had slipped and the chances of someone else doing so were high. But it was nice to be acknowledged for doing good, even if he was going to technically be doing something ‘bad’ soon enough.

-Friday ~Afternoon ~ Care of Magical Creatures-

The Third Years had moved on from the Puffskeins to a larger Magical Creature in their second semester. It was another, somewhat common, Magical pet too.

“Bark!” The Crup (a type of Magical dog) barked happily at Harry, wagging its forked tails and eagerly eyeing the ball that Harry was levitating just above his hand.

“You want it? Want it?” Harry made the ball bounce in the air.

The Crup hopped up and down twice, eager to get the ball again.

“Go get it!” Harry threw the ball, adding a bit of Magic to make it go further, and watched the Crup that he was taking care of race after the tossed ball.

Just a few moments later and the Crup was running back towards Harry with the ball in its mouth. When it got right in front of Harry, it dropped the ball at his feet and eagerly looked up at the teen again with its tongue hanging out the side of its muzzle.

“Treat.” Harry took a treat from a small cup, Hagrid having given one to each student, and tossed the treat in the air. The Crup hopped upward and snatched the treat out of the air, landing back on its feet easily. “Good boy.” He petted the Crup, the Magical dog’s forked tails wagging even more.

Care of Magical Creatures had quickly become a favorite for many of the Third Year students that took it. The first semester they’d gotten to take care of Puffskeins and trim their magical fur for Potions ingredients. Now this semester they got to learn about Crups and play with the Magical dogs while doing so. Hagrid was overjoyed with how well the students were taking to his various classes and the huge man always had a warm smile on his face nowadays.

‘This is the last class of the day, so tonight, after curfew, I should head out.’ Harry thought to himself as he tossed the ball again and watched the Crup run after it.

He’d not told anyone that he would be gone, just that he would be busy this weekend with one of his projects. That had gotten a small pout from Astoria and Luna, but the rest of his friends were well-aware of his habit of getting lost in his extracurricular studies and projects.

-Hogwarts ~ Ravenclaw Tower ~ Night-

A window opened and closed without a sound for seemingly no reason. A puff of mist the only indication that something was hanging in the air unseen. A moment later and without any real sound, whatever it was flew away from the tower and towards Hogsmeade.

Harry, invisible and silenced, flew his Firebolt towards Hogsmeade and the various shops it held. He’d be making use of one of their fireplaces to Floo to London, which would cut several hours off his trip. He just needed to find a shop that was either so busy no one would notice his invisible form leaving, or one that was so dead that no one would be around to take notice.

Harry didn’t even land when he reached Hogsmeade, staying a safe height in the air as he flew along the main street and looked at each of the shops one by one. “That should work.” Harry said to himself quietly, his body silenced, but not his voice. He flew towards Tomes and Scrolls, the specialist bookstore, since the lights were still on, indicating that the store was still open. He landed and touched the door while still invisible and silenced. With a simple spell he silenced the door and the little bell above it.

The front door of Tomes and Scrolls opened without a sound, even as the small bell above moved. Without sound, the owner, who was currently stocking some merchandise on the opposite side of the shop behind some shelves, never noticed. Harry moved towards the fireplace not too far from the door, took a pinch of Floo Powder and tossed it into the small flames. The orange flame flared up and turned green a second later and Harry quickly stepped into them.

“Leaky Cauldron.” Harry said clearly and in a short flash of green fire he vanished.

“Hm?” The owner of Tomes and Scrolls poked his head out from behind the shelves he was stocking. Not seeing anything or anyone, he pulled out his wand and gave it a swish through the air. “Revelio.” The spell spread out across the shop, but nothing came up. “Huh, could’ve sworn I heard something.” The Wizard shook his head and returned to what he was doing.

-Leaky Cauldron ~ London-

The crackling orange flames in the fireplace turned green and flared up. Strangely, no one emerged from them, and the fire quickly returned to normal.

Tom, the barkeep, and one of the Patrons at the bar both looked oddly at the fireplace.

“Did someone mess up their Floo travel?” Tom wondered, having seen that on a few occasions.

“No telling where they ended up if that’s the case.” The Witch at the bar shook her head before taking a pull of her drink. “Let’s hope they’re okay.”

“Aye, that’s about all that we can do for them.” Tom agreed as he refilled the Witch’s drink and then took the Sickle that she handed him in payment.

Neither of them, nor any of the other patrons, noticed the backdoor open as if someone was heading for the brick entrance to Diagon Alley.

Harry mounted his Firebolt in the small little back area of the Leakey Cauldron and then flew off into the sky. He made sure that he was over the city, even taking a little time to admire London at night, before he cast a spell in front of his proof to divert the wind and then rocketed off towards his destination.

“Just need to cross the Channel and then head south/southeast.” Harry grinned as he could already imagine the look on Fleur’s face when he showed up.

-Beauxbatons Academy of Magic ~ Saturday Morning-

Fleur enjoyed the soft morning songs of the Wood Nymphs that serenaded the students of Beauxbatons as they ate. Her breakfast, like most others, was rather simple. Toasted bread with butter or jam, a nice pastry still hot from baking, some hot tea, and a nice chilled orange juice. Rather typical or traditional for a French breakfast all in all.

An increase in the volume of chatter and murmuring going on in the Dining Chamber caught Fleur’s attention and she looked in the direction the noise was coming from to see what the commotion was about. A male student in the standard pale blue robes, looking to be around a Third Year or so, given his height and build, was walking through the Dining Chamber with a broom over his shoulder, the twigs pointing behind the boy as he held the ash handle.

Fleur caught a few murmurs of ‘Firebolt’ from some of the other students and wondered if the boy was just showing off the new and expensive broom. ‘Regardless, he should know that brooms are not allowed in the Dining Chamber. One of the Professors will surely be having words with him soon.’ She wasn’t expecting the boy to suddenly turn and start walking her way, the blue student hat resting atop his dark hair hid his eyes from view, which shouldn’t have been possible given that all students were fitted for a hat that was the correct size.

“Miss Delacour?” The boy asked as he stopped in front of where Fleur was sitting. His French had a noticeable accent to it and Fleur had to wonder why it sounded somewhat familiar.

“Yes?” Fleur looked at the boy curiously.

“Might I join you for breakfast, my friend?” The brim of the hat was tipped up a little, revealing emerald green eyes that were all too familiar to Fleur.

Fleur started, visibly flinching in her seat, as her enchanting blue eyes widened in shock. “Harry?!” She barely hushed herself before blurting out her visitor’s name. “H-How? When? Why?”

“Good morning, Fleur.” Harry greeted her with a wide smile on his face. “In order? I flew. Last night. And because I wanted to see you and get the tour of Beauxbatons that you offered.” He sat down across from her and started making a breakfast identical to Fleur’s on his own plate.

Fleur covered her face with her hands and let out a long sigh. This also hid the fact that there was a tinge of pink on her cheeks from Harry admitting that he’d clearly left Hogwarts and had flown for hours on end to get here, just to see her. “I was expecting a visit following proper protocol, you know?”

“I figured as much.” Harry nodded as he picked up his buttered bread. “But that wouldn’t have been as much fun.” He grinned at her, seeing Fleur’s eyes peeking at him from between her fingers.

“Put your broom away before a Professor comes over.” Fleur instructed Harry as she eyed the Firebolt. “Brooms aren’t allowed in the Dining Chamber.”

“Ah, I wondered why everyone was looking at me like that, even though I copied the uniform perfectly.” Harry mentioned after swallowing his food.

It turned out to be too late though as a polite cough came from behind Harry. “Monsieur? A word, please?”

Harry turned and looked up to see a Wizard looking at him with a somewhat flat expression. He couldn’t be called anything but handsome, with wavy blonde hair, brown eyes, a clear and blemish-free complexion, and wearing a smart set of robes that looked rather pricey and perfectly tailored.

“Professor.” Harry gave the man a good sheepish look, despite not feeling sheepish in the slightest.

“Your name, Monsieur?” The Professor asked, looking between Harry and the Firebolt, obviously having come over to enforce the rules.

“Aubert. Alain Aubert, sir.” Harry answered promptly, surprising Fleur a bit. It was a common enough first name and surname to not arouse suspicion in Beauxbatons.

“Monsieur Aubert, surely you know that brooms are not permitted in the Dining Chamber?” The Professor asked rhetorically.

Harry lowered his head slightly, seeming to be chastised. “S-Sorry, Professor. I received it for Christmas and was hoping to show Miss Delacour.”

The Professor looked between Harry and Fleur before closing his eyes and uttering under his breath. “Merde…” It wasn’t uncommon at Beauxbatons for male students to try and impress their Veela classmates in whatever way they could. “I will let you off with a warning this once.” The Professor pulled out his wand and tapped the Firebolt, shrinking it down to about ten centimeters in size. “Put this in your pocket for now and it will return to normal size at the end of the day.” He gave the boy a small break, remembering his student years at Beauxbatons and his first crush on one of his own Veela classmates. It was also Saturday, and the single broom in the Dining Chamber was hardly a massive breach of the rules. “Do not let this happen again, Monsieur Aubert.”

“Yes, Professor, thank you, sir.” Harry nodded his head and put the shrunken broom in his pocket.

The Professor nodded and then walked back towards the table for the staff.

Fleur let out a sigh as she looked at Harry with the tiniest of grins gracing her lips. “The fact that you just pulled that off is almost amazing, Harry.”

Harry turned back to face her and gave her a smile. “Why thank you, Fleur.”

Fleur playfully rolled her eyes at him. “Finish your breakfast and I’ll give you the tour.”

Harry grinned and ate quickly.

-Beauxbatons Gardens ~ Later-

Harry and Fleur walked through the vast decorative gardens hand-in-hand without thinking about it at all. The pair were just enjoying their time together as Fleur showed Harry all of the best spots of Beauxbatons with a beautiful smile on her face. The two of them stopped in front of a fountain and Fleur turned to Harry to explain why this particular fountain was noteworthy.

“This fountain is called the Flamel Fountain.” Fleur said with a cute grin. “Any guesses why?”

“Nicholas Flamel paid to have it constructed?” Harry knew that one of Beauxbatons most famous Alumni was Nicholas Flamel, supposedly the only Alchemist to ever reach the zenith of the Alchemic Arts and complete the ‘Magnum Opus’ by creating a Philosopher’s Stone.

Fleur laughed brightly, but nodded to Harry all the same. “Nicholas and Perenelle, but yes, that is why this fountain exists.” She let go of Harry’s hand and cupped her hands in the water of the fountain. Raising her hands up, she showed Harry the crystal clear water. “It is said that this water has some healing and beautification properties.”

Harry eyed the water with interest and activated his Mage Sight spell to look at the liquid. ‘There’s some Magic in it, but not a lot. If it truly has any such properties, they’d be absolutely miniscule at best.’ He looked at Fleur after turning off his Mage Sight spell. “So, the rumors of Beauxbatons being partially funded by Alchemist Gold is true then?”

“Perhaps it is…perhaps not.” Fleur gave him a mischievous smile as she let the water fall from her hands back into the fountain.

“Well, I don’t know how much this water would be able to heal, but I doubt it can do anything to improve your looks, Fleur. You’re already beautiful.” Harry shrugged as he watched the water of the fountain.

Fleur nearly snorted at the line, but seeing Harry not looking at her to gauge her reaction, she realized that he was honestly complimenting her for no other reason than that he believed what he’d said. “Thank you, Harry.” She accepted his compliment with grace and a soft smile on her lips.

“For what?” Harry looked over at her and Fleur nearly burst into giggles at the genuine confusion she saw on his face.

“Don’t worry about it.” Fleur shook her head, her long silvery-blonde hair swaying from the motion. She caught Harry’s eyes following her long hair and a little flutter appeared in her heart. ‘I guess Harry likes long hair on me.’ It was a good thing she never planned to cut her hair short then. “So…” Fleur took Harry’s hand back in hers and led him away from the Flamel Fountain. “You said you flew here on your broom. But that must’ve taken all night?”

Harry shook his head. “Just a little over five hours from London. The Firebolt can reach speeds of two-hundred-forty-two kilometers per hour. I just used a spell to divert the wind for comfort and it wasn’t a bad ride.”

Fleur hummed thoughtfully at the information. “And when did you arrive at Beauxbatons?”

“A bit after four in the morning, local time.” Harry said without much concern. “I made myself a cozy little cabin to take a nap in with some Transfiguration.”

“That means you only got five hours of sleep at the most.” Fleur looked at Harry carefully. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

Harry gave her a smile for her concern. “It’s not a problem, Fleur. A single night of short sleep won’t kill me.”

Fleur looked unsure, so Harry changed the subject.

“In your letters you’ve mentioned having to work on your magical control to deal with your sudden growth in power. Has that been working out well?” Harry asked as they took a right turn along the path and headed for the back of the gardens.

“Yes, thankfully.” Fleur said with a relieved sigh. “I’ve finally regained my control back to what it used to be.” She’d honestly been worried that she’d accidentally hurt someone by overpowering a spell without meaning too.

Harry breathed a small sigh of relief as well from hearing that. He did feel responsible for Fleur’s situation. She’d have never had a chance to be bathed in Primal Fire if he hadn’t conjured it and used it against her in their Duel. “So… How’s the increased power then?” He shot her a little smirk.

“Amazing.” Fleur gave him a flirtatious smile in return, just to tease him. “I wouldn’t have thought to get this magically powerful until next year at the earliest, maybe not even until after I graduated.”

Harry laughed a bit. “Well, if you ever want another power boost, just let me know.”

Fleur felt her body twitch and lightly tremble from the offer. Phantom pleasure passed through her form as vivid memories of the ecstasy that she’d experienced while bathed in the Primal Fire resurfaced. She lightly bit her lip to stifle a moan even as she felt her body heat up. Harry, thankfully, hadn’t noticed her reaction as he was once more taking in the sights of Beauxbatons. ‘Thank goodness for small mercies.’ Fleur thought as she got herself under control. “I just got my control back to where it should be, Harry; I’d like to keep it that way for now.”

“Sure thing, Fleur.” Harry knew that the loss of her control had been a point of concern for Fleur, so her declining the offer made sense. His offer had been mostly in jest anyway. “You mentioned a bow and arrow made of Veela Fire though…” His eyes were alight with curiosity. “Any chance I could see that?”

Fleur couldn’t help but laugh, a beautiful sound that made Harry smile, as she gently squeezed his hand. “I should’ve known you’d ask eventually.” Harry’s never-ending curiosity about Magic was one of his most notable (and attractive) traits, after all. She smiled and walked a little faster, pulling Harry along behind her.

-Outskirts of Beauxbatons-

Far away from the beautiful chateau and its immaculate gardens, Fleur had Harry stand in a certain spot before she walked several meters away from him. She faced away from Beauxbatons as well and then conjured her Veela Fire into her left hand. The orange-red flames with a purple tint to the edges had changed noticeably, now being an almost even mix of orange-yellow and purple in color.

Harry’s focus only increased as he watched the flames take the shape of a bow. It wasn’t perfect, but it was clearly a bow, and Fleur had mentioned that with her constant practice on control that the flame construct had also been refined and improved over time.

With a grin at Harry, Fleur reached for the bow with her right hand and her fingers grasped the magical flames. She pulled them back and an arrow of Veela Fire was created along with a bowstring of the same flames. Fleur took a second to aim before she released her fire arrow and it flew through the air for a considerable distance (at least the range of a real war bow, if not a little further) before the flames lost their cohesion and dispersed.

Harry’s mind was engaged now as he quickly began to puzzle out what he’d seen. After taking into account how easily Fleur had managed to manipulate and form her Veela Fire, Harry felt like he had to ask his friend something specific. “Fleur…”

“Yes, Harry?” Fleur smiled at him, her fire bow still in her left hand.

“What is Magic to you?” Harry asked, wondering if Fleur already had her own personal Interpretation of Magic.

Fleur looked a little confused by the question. “Magic is Magic, isn’t it? Many Magical Scholars have professed theories over the ages, but none have come to a consensus that makes sense to explain Magic as a whole.”

“But what is Magic to you?” Harry emphasized the last part this time.

“Emotion, primal, complex, the echoes of mind, body, and soul.” Fleur answered after a long moment to think about it.

Harry rolled Fleur’s words over in his mind a few times. “How did you come to that answer?”

Fleur closed her eyes and thought about why she answered the way that she did. What brought her to her answer to Harry’s question. Her core almost seemed to pulse with heat and she realized exactly when she’d had this epiphany, even though she’d never expressed it in words before now. “Since I touched the Flame of Creation.” Her blue eyes opened and she looked into Harry’s emerald green.

‘So touching the Primal Fire and being filled with the essence of fire gave her an epiphany.’ Harry could almost liken it to the enlightenment that many sought through meditation and understanding. “I like your Interpretation of Magic, Fleur.” He smiled brightly at his friend.

“Thank you, Harry.” Fleur smiled back at him, a warm laughter in her voice.

“Perhaps you should think more about your interpretation as you continue your Magical study in the future.” Harry suggested, wanting to lead Fleur to her path of understanding Magic and see where she’d take it through her own interpretation.

Fleur nodded, already looking thoughtful about her new interpretation of what Magic was to her. “I’ll do that, Harry. Perhaps I’ll come to another epiphany by doing so.” She gave him a warm grin.

“You want to ride my broom?” Harry offered with a smile. Many people at Hogwarts had nearly begged to ride his Firebolt as soon as they’d seen it. Everyone wanted to experience a top-of-the-line broom firsthand. Cho had even jokingly offered a kiss if he’d let her test fly his Firebolt, something they’d both gotten a chuckle out of, though Hermione had been less than amused if her eyeroll had been any indication.

“Oh my, Harry~” Fleur tittered at the phrasing. “Aren’t you still a bit young to be offering girls a ride on your broom?”

“Phrasing…” Harry exhaled before letting out a chuckle. “No wonder you and Nym get along so well.”

It was true. Tonks and Fleur had been exchanging letters since shortly after she and Harry had started. The Veela and the Metamorphmagus both had plenty of similar stories of people (usually boys) wanting them for their bodies. Both had gone through some annoying things from their peers growing up and going to school. Boys lusted after them for their looks or what they could ‘offer’ in the bedroom. Girls resented them or were jealous of what they had and how the guys around them acted. Fleur had sympathized and empathized with Tonks, and she could admit that she’d had it a bit easier at Beauxbatons thanks to a percentage of the students also being Veela. They watched out for each other after all.

There was no other Metamorphmagus in Britain or in Europe (as far as anyone knew at any rate). So, Tonks had been forced to deal with the ignorance and pettiness alone for the most part. Thankfully, she’d always been a social butterfly and had some real friends to help her out. Aside from crass jokes from the less mature boys in school, by her Fourth Year, Tonks hadn’t had to deal with any bullying attempts by her peers.

The fact that almost a dozen would-be bullies had been sent to the Hospital Wing from one injury or another over the course of Tonks’s Third Year may have also had something to do with that. But Tonks promised that she didn’t do anything…and the would-be bullies knew better than to contradict her.

“For now, I’d love to try out your Firebolt, Harry.” Fleur accepted his offer with a smile. Harry brought out the shrunken broom and returned it to its regular size with just a thought and a small flex of his Magic. Fleur took the Firebolt and mounted it before looking over at Harry again. She kissed his cheek and saw Harry’s eyes widen a bit in surprise. “Once you’re a bit older, perhaps then I’ll ride your broom, Harry!” Fleur was off like a shot a second later, her beautiful laughter trailing behind her.

Harry could only chuckle to himself a few seconds later. “I’m starting to think that I attract rather forward older girls.” He wouldn’t complain about that, of course. Sirius had raised him, after all.

-Brunn ~ Austria-

It was a dark night as a Wizard in a black cloak entered the small town in Austria. He hadn’t been planning to come here, but he felt a connection and followed it. The Wizards and Witches around this area seemed to live in their hidden homes forming small groups around the town and doing what they could to pass as Muggles when they needed to. But that didn’t fool the cloaked Wizard. Not that he much cared one way or another. Right now, only the thought of finding the connection he felt mattered.

A simple Alohomora had unlocked the front door of the Magical home he was breaking into. He swept through the front room without a sound and made his way up the stairs. He followed the feeling, the connection growing stronger. He opened the bedroom door and saw the Wizard that lived here sleeping soundly in his bed.

“Avada Kedavra!” The Wizard cast the Killing Curse without a second of hesitation. A bright green light filled the room for an instant and the Wizard that lived there still looked like he was sleeping, but he was no more. “Now, for you.” Voldemort hissed and focused on the connection that was at its strongest since he’d first felt it.

A loud and panicked squeaking and shrieking came from downstairs.

Voldemort practically glided down the stairs in his possessed body. And found a rat flailing on the kitchen floor. A light form his stolen wand and the rat grotesquely writhed and grew before a pudgy man with a rat-like face laid on the floor clutching his forearm.

“Get up, Wormtail.” Voldemort hissed at the thrashing man, canceling his connection to the Dark Mark branded upon the traitor’s flesh.

“M-Ma-Master!” Peter Pettigrew, also know as Wormtail, crawled across the floor and prostrated himself before Voldemort, as if he was about to kiss the hem of the Dark Lord’s robes.

He received a kick in the face for his efforts.

“Silence, you sniveling coward!” Voldemort bit out coldly. Wormtail shut up instantly, even stopping his pained whimpers. “I should kill you here and now, Wormtail. You and all the others who abandoned me to save your own skins!” The angry hissed made Peter shrivel up in fear. “Even when whispers surely reached you of my presence, you stayed hidden! You did not return to your Master’s side to offer your aid!”

“M-Master, no! I-I’m sorry! I had to flee! They searched for me the very night you disappeared!” Wormtail cried out for mercy that Voldemort simply wasn’t known to have.

“Crucio!” Red light struck the groveling Wormtail and the man howled in agony unlike anything else. “Your suffering means nothing to me! You cannot compare you cowardice and fear to the pain and torment I suffered! My Death Eaters abandoned me! The truly loyal that would not renounce me were betrayed by cowards and traitors to my cause!”

“Ma…Master…” Wormtail whimpered on the floor, still twitching from the Torture Curse. Had he the ability to think through his pain, Wormtail may have wondered why his Master looked so different from before, as if he wasn’t the same person. He may have also wondered about the unnaturalness that seemed to surround and exude from Voldemort as well. But he was in too much pain, and so he whimpered and begged for forgiveness instead.

Voldemort sneered down at the whimpering Wormtail. He wondered why the coward was in Austria of all countries and came to the only conclusion that he could. Austria was known to have a high percentage of English speakers among its population; and Wormtail, the nearly useless lout that he was, didn’t speak any other language. The cowardly Animagus ran as far as he’d felt safe and had clearly been living as a rat for years, stuffing his face and growing fat while Voldemort barely clung to life in the shadows and dark corners of the world.

The Dark Lord’s hand twitched while holding the wand of his possessed body. He was so very tempted to kill Wormtail here and now and be done with him for good.

“Master…please… Let me…make it up to you…” Wormtail begged pathetically through his tears and whimpers.

“Then prove you have some worth to Lord Voldemort!” Voldemort hissed coldly to the downed man. “Gather everything of value from this house and follow me. We’re going back to Britain. I will NOT be cast out by either Albus Dumbledore nor a mere child! They will all pay the price for standing in my way.”

Wormtail staggered to his feet after crawling across the floor for a few seconds. He quickly started collecting everything that could be useful for his Master as best as he could with the tremors still passing through his body from the Cruciatus Curse.

Voldemort left Wormtail to do the menial labor as he continued to plot his revenge and return to power. His delving into thew darkest of Magics had yielded him his Horcruxes and thereby secured his immortality. But he would never again trust others to be his Death Eaters so easily. His truly loyal, his Inner Circle, they would be brought back into the fold once he had the power to tear his way into Azkaban and free them. But the rest of his forces would be gathered a much different way this time. “I have no use for cowards and traitors.” His red eyes glared at Wormtail for a moment. “This time, my forces won’t have any will of their own. Only my will matters, and they shall fulfill it unerringly.”

There were many Dark Magics that Voldemort had learned in his years abroad after leaving Borgin’s and Burke’s. One such Branch of Magic would allow him to rebuild his forces with soldiers that could not betray him, could not run in fear, and would never be able to think of themselves before their Master.

“But first…” Voldemort clenched the left hand of his possessed body. It was slowly losing feeling and responsiveness day by day. “I need to do something about a body for myself.”

Thankfully, the same Dark Magics that would let him rebuild his forces, could also offer him a path to creating a better body for himself as well.

-End Chapter-

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Harry has gone abroad without permission! Kek!

You can’t contain his boundless curiosity!

He certainly surprised Fleur! But it was a nice surprise for the Veela, overall!

The two tour Beauxbatons and Harry gets to see a different Magical School other than Hogwarts for the first time. That’s certainly interesting!

Fleur shows Harry the results of her training after being bathed in Primal Fire and having her Magic Power significantly increased. Now that her control is back up to where it needs to be, some things have changed. Her Veela Fire has changed color and is noticeably more powerful. Not to mention her control has been refined and she can make fire constructs now. That’s kind of cool, huh? Not to mention she’s developed her own Interpretation of Magic!

A little metaphorical nudge from Harry and she should soon be on her own path of Magical understanding!

Voldemort is making his way across Europe and felt a pull from his Dark Mark that led him to finding Wormtail who’d been hiding in Austria for years. Unfortunately for the owner of the house that Wormtail was hiding in, Voldemort kills without a care. What Dark Magics is Voldemort plotting to use as he travels across Europe back to his homeland?

Will it affect the remainder of Harry’s Third Year, or will it be Fourth Year when things come to a head?

Keep reading to find out!

Until I get your reviews, later!