Mystique Soldier Ch.20 (Patreon)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Chapter 20- A Beginning and An End

AN: Boom! Finally out. Beta'd by Sedition, who deserves a huge share of credit for the chap's quality. 

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[You Have Entered: Hufflepuff Dungeon] (𝗟𝘃𝗹 1)

[Temporary Immortality Granted: Revival System Activated]

It was a well-lit room, live torches sticking from the wall, lighting the corners of a room as massive as the Great Hall. A brazier was crackling with live fire towards the opposite end, warming the entire place. And in between the brazier and Harry stood a group of two dozen Hogwarts students, all motionless apart from an occasional head tilt.

Much smaller than him, they stood scattered around the room randomly; some staring at the wall like puppets, some gazing at each other with a dead look in their eyes, though everyone bar none clutching their wands; their only possession, as far as Harry’s eyes could see.

‘Observe’

Arkum Sylus

Age: 11

Level: 11

‘As expected.’

They seemed not to notice him as he approached them, his own wand in his palm; ready to start reaping through the dungeon dwellers.

From the little that he’d read about dungeons in RPG games, his job wasn’t to make new friends here.

Harry Potter

Age: 11

Race: Wizard

Level: 46 (4620/4700)

Mana: 820/820

Health: 610/610

Stamina: 560/560

Stats

Strength: 47 (15)

Speed: 49 (15)

Dexterity: 49 (15)

Vitality: 48 (15)

Endurance: 43 (15)

Intelligence: 67 (15)

Wisdom: 56 (15)

Points: 28

‘Just eighty XP away.’ His lips curled up.

It seems he was about to become the owner of two new perks tonight.

But first, he’ll need to clear the room as efficiently as possible. It was time to let loose for the first time in two months.

[Gamer’s Mind: Activated]

With feather-light steps, he started making his way towards one of the solitary puppets at the left-most corner of the room, away from the rest.

Interestingly enough, the target seemed entirely ignorant about his presence until Harry managed to sneak up about three meters behind it. Then, as if a switch was pressed, the boy spun around with a wand in his hand, dead eyes suddenly gaining light.

Too late.

"’Vada K’davra!" Harry whispered, his intent filling with traces of his immense hatred, unsuppressed by the Gamer’s mind.

The green flash was out before he’d finished speaking, downing the boy instantly.

Ignoring the multiple rings of notification, he continued with his current strategy—picking off the isolated students one by one.

By the time he was done clearing off the low-hanging fruits—about ten or so—his mind had already calculated through several conclusions. One, these beings cannot detect him unless he was in their range, which was 5 meters. Second, if they did detect him, everyone around their vicinity seemed to magically become aware of his presence, so it was quite easy for a chain reaction to occur.

Thankfully the main bulk of his opponents—about fifteen—remained undisturbed by the time he was done.

Third, the amount of XP he received for killing seemed to have changed. The general formula that Harry deduced quickly was XP=Level of opponent x 10.

Fourth….these zombies were no match for him.

No longer caring about being careful and cautious, he unleashed himself upon his numerous foes.

There were fifteen of them—all slow and clumsy—and before they could properly coordinate their numbers—if they were capable—Harry tore through their ranks like a phantom wraith, his wand flashing green in one hand and a transfigured knife—shearing through throats—in the other. By the time their dead eyes gained light, Harry had already deported over half of them to Jesus.

….Or wherever these dungeon creatures went after dying.

Of course, Harry also couldn't keep casting the Killing Curse indefinitely, running into the same problem of the spell losing power and intent through repetition.

But his opponents were weak enough that he didn’t need to keep up his most optimal speed, giving him a perfect opportunity to level up his other spells.

The remaining eight that still stood alive acted individually—showing no signs of being aware about their teammates. They traced their wands through the air slowly and cautiously, hollering out their spells with careful but loud incantations.

By the time a trio of spells finally headed towards him—the first attack from his opponents—Harry’s knife had already drank blood from four more throats, while his wand—now casting slower—managed to land a perfect Diffindo upon the eyes of a fifth one.

The remaining three were so utterly incompetent that Harry let himself come to a halt—absently dodging the three spells with minimal movements—deciding to polish his magical repertoire.

He didn’t cast this time, waiting for his opponents to form their spells, before finally swishing his wand, tracing the correct wand movements of Protego through the air.

He did not know how strong his magic was, but the pale blue shield that materialized in front of him managed to stop all the three spells with seemingly no trouble.

A combination of Diffindo-Reducto-Incendio later, the last of his opponents burnt away into motes of light.

‘Well…that was easy.’ Snorting, Harry let go of the Gamer’s Mind skill, allowing the warmth and familiar satisfaction of killing helpless enemies to run free within him.

He closed his eyes, simply concentrating on the rush of hot blood coursing through his veins, feeling a slight pang as it slowly subdued.

Sighing, he focused back to the present, finally opening his notifs. Out of the numerous messages, two stood out to his eyes for their glowing status.

[Proceed to Round 2?]: Yes/No

[Automatic proceedings to Round 2 in]: 4:39 Minutes

‘Ah, so the first level isn’t complete yet?’ His eyebrows rose up.

It would seem he must make haste with his perk selections.

[You Leveled Up]: Lvl 47

[Speed Threshold reached (50): Perk Unlocked]-

Choose one of the three options presented:

Pro Runner: When running, User’s movement speed increased by 10%.

Sprinter (1/10): When sprinting, User’s movement speed increased by 25%.

• Skill duration: 5 seconds
• Skill cooldown: 1 minute

Explosive Dash (Active): User can burst out in explosive speed to cover a short distance. Speed increased by 50% every dash.

• Skill duration: Instant
• Skill cooldown: 5 seconds

Note: One Dash is equal to User’s two strides.

His lips curved in a slight smile, excitement pushing away the remaining traces of loss.

The options presented were different than before, he quickly realized. Instead of granting fixed stats per level, they seemed to increase his stats when doing something specific.

Abstaining from deciding just yet, Harry scrolled down through his notifications further.

[Dexterity Threshold reached (50): Perk Unlocked]-

Choose one of the three options presented:

Flexible as Rubber:  User will be able to manipulate his body to an unnatural degree, achieving rubber-like flexibility.

Inhuman Acrobat: User shall become capable of performing incredibly complex gymnastics, achieving super-human balance.

Hawkeye: Weapons shall auto-aim at any target in a hundred meters range as directed by the User's eyes.

Harry rubbed his chin, eyes going back to the speed perks.

All three perks seemed to hold a unique advantage, while also having some sort of fault or limit. Out of them all, the Explosive Dash seemed to give the biggest increment to speed, yet it was limited in range and cannot be used continuously…which meant his momentum would come to a halt with each ‘Dash’.

Sprinter looked to be the most useless of the three, but it held a lot of potential considering it was merely on its first level out of ten. And knowing how well Super Soldier had turned out to be, Harry was willing to bet the perk will show its advantage eventually.

The only Perk that did not seem to have any caveat was Pro Runner, yet it was also the weakest of the three in terms of increment.

Not having a firm decision in mind, and with the clock ticking away one second at a time, Harry thought back to his recent fight…

‘Which perk would’ve been the most useful to me?’

…All three of them

The answer did not help calm his mind one bit.

‘Why can’t I have all three of them?’ Harry frowned, feeling vaguely irritated.

The idea of possessing all the perks shot a sweet spike of warmth in his heart, and he couldn’t help but desire them even more.

All the perks could help him in one way or the other…why can’t the system just give them to him!?

He knew why, of course. The system never gave anything for free, and he would need to earn them to gain them.

‘…One day.’

With the clock ticking away, Harry made a quick decision and selected Pro Runner, ignoring the dark pit of angst that brewed in his stomach as he watched the other two options disappear away.

It was the least uncertain Perk—with no true risks to speak of. And considering he hadn’t quite consolidated his strength yet, he wasn’t in a position to take risks right now.

‘…One day.’

The second one was a touch more easy to select. While Hawkeye made his heart jump in muffled excitement, it couldn’t stand against the simple question; what perk would be the most useful for him to clear this dungeon?

[Perk Selected: Inhuman Acrobat]

Harry’s main defense against spells was his ability to dodge. When the Dungeon grew in difficulty—as it no doubt would—it would be his ability to dodge spells that would help him the most. His aim was almost perfect in an enclosed space like this, and while Flexible as Rubber promised some fun, Inhuman Acrobat was the least risky—yet quite rewarding—choice, when it came to clearing the dungeons.

Of course, this conclusion was based on the assumption that the next round will take place in this very room…

Thankfully, as the countdown finally trickled down to 0, he remained where he was.

He had no more time to see the rest of his notifications, and he felt no need to either.

His enemies materialized around him soon, and not just humans either.

The ground beneath him cracked apart, splintering away to create massive crevices which birthed out thick green vines and thorny branches—along with plants that he’d only ever seen the pictures of in Herbology—jutting from the ground like camel humps, looping in and out of the floor and walls. In no time, the entire Dungeon room had turned into a forest of vines, plants, and half-formed branches.

They didn’t come out quietly either; shaking the entire dungeon room as if struck by a magnitude 9 earthquake, sending everyone sprawling upon the ground…except Harry.

For a split second Harry had trouble understanding why the kids were falling over such soft vibrations…then he realized it wasn’t the vibrations that were soft, it was his sense of balance that seemed to have grown multiple folds.

[Gamer’s Mind: Activated]

Never one to miss such an unexpected gift, Harry tore towards his fallen enemies, his wand raising up to aim at one….

…before being forced away as a green vine suddenly leapt out from a wall. Thick and thorny, with jaded green mucus glinting off of its edges, the vine snapped at him with inhuman speed.

And yet, Harry found himself vaulting over the vine with barely any effort, instinctively knowing what to do.

Inhuman Acrobat: User shall become capable of performing incredibly complex gymnastics, achieving super-human balance.

Become capable of performing incredibly complex gymnastics…

‘So it did not simply enhance my body, but also gave me instinctive knowledge on how to use it?’

Interesting.

It was more than interesting, and without Gamer’s Mind he would’ve taken a proper shot at experimenting with it.

As it was however, it simply provided Harry with another means of clearing the dungeon. And he did so with style and grace.

The new opponents—twenty in total—were much more aware of their surroundings than the last batch. They made sure to not get in the middle of vines, pushing themselves away.

Harry didn’t give them a chance to do more.

Jumping, spinning, and whirling through the air, he slipped past the jungle of vines and attacking branches with unmatched balance and grace. However, the very best of his perk’s abilities wasn’t just the knowledge of acrobatics or enhanced athleticism, it was the absurdly advanced sense of balance that came with it, enabling him to shoot spells not just whilst running, but even when spinning through the air upside down in a summersault.

"Diffindo!–Flippendo–Incendio!" He cast the spells with quick and practiced wand movements, not stopping his forward momentum.

And his opponents never saw it coming.

Fueled with his murderous intent, the spells were much more effective than normal. The severing charm accurately sliced through the jugular of an opponent, spraying a shower of hot blood through the pseudo-forest. Flippendo blasted away another opponent, slamming him into his own allies. The fallen ones received no time to recover before they were hidden behind a curtain of red hot flames that engulfed them in its fiery embrace.

He was sure that this batch was much more competent than the previous one; the way their eyes tracked his figure—struggling but never letting go; the way they spread out to close on him from all sides—even as their allies died; the way their wands swished through the air with practiced surety….

Indeed, they were a level above his previous opponents. Yet, as he tore through them like a whirlwind of spells and knives, they might as well have been handicapped patients.

Harry always forgot how incredibly fast he was compared to normal humans…especially children. Add in the new speed perk, and he was simply a flickering image of red flashes and sharp steel, cutting through his opponents one by one.

Moving at a speed of almost 45 miles per hour—with the attacking vines and branches doing nothing save for providing him with a cover—he was too fast for a bunch of 11 year olds, real or not.

By the time the first wave of spells was launched by his opponents—he was moving so fast through the jungle, his path so unpredictable that he did not even need to dodge—Harry had already taken the lives of a dozen firsties, shearing through their numbers like cutting unwanted weeds.

There was simply no contest here. Even limiting his casting by performing careful wand movements and incantations, he was still on an entirely different tier than them.

Soon, the last of their numbers fell, and a muted sense of satisfaction spread through him as the familiar ding of level up hit his ears.

[Gamer’s Mind: Deactivated]

‘Status’

Harry Potter

Age: 11

Race: Wizard

Level: 48 (220/4900)

Mana: 520/880

Health: 650/650

Stamina: 523/600

Stats

Strength: 49 (15)

Speed: 51 (15)

Dexterity: 51 (15)

Vitality: 50 (15)

Endurance: 45 (15)

Intelligence: 73 (15)

Wisdom: 62 (15)

Points: 32

[Proceed to Final Round?]: Yes/No

[Automatic proceedings to Final Round in]- 4:43 Minutes

Taking a knee, he let his eyes feast upon his new status. It was a little surprising to see how quickly his Int and Wis were leaving the rest behind. But considering he now received 3 points per level for both the stats, it wasn’t surprising.

He scrolled up his notifs, ready to choose his new Perk, this time for Vitality.

[Vitality Threshold reached (50): Perk Unlocked]-

Choose one of the three options presented:

Enhanced Healing (Passive): Allows User to regenerate 3 health per hour for every stat in vitality.

Second-life (Active): When Health reaches 0, User shall recover 10% of total Health.

• Skill duration: Instant
• Skill cooldown: 1 year

Rapid Regeneration (Active): Allows User to regenerate 10 Health per hour for every stat in Vitality.

• Skill duration: 1 hour
• Skill cooldown: 1 day

The first thought in his mind was to simply select Second-life and be done with it. It followed the principle of his other two selections; choosing lower risk Perks. The Second-life guaranteed a fool-proof option of flipping off death with impunity to live for another day.

And to Harry, his survival was the highest priority.

Yet, his eyes simply couldn’t drop from the first perk.

‘It will permanently triple my Health regen.’ He couldn’t help but take a deep breath.

His natural healing—that came from the Gamer’s body—was already an overpowered ability. In just ten hours, he could heal from the most fatal of injuries, recovering all of his health one point at a time. That time was cut in half when sleeping, taking merely 5 hours to go from 0 to hero.

…A healthy hero, that is.

If he added the Enhanced Healing on top of that? He will need a little more than three hours to recover all his health.

And just 1.6 hours when sleeping.

Before his mind could come up with whispers of caution and overthinking, he selected the Perk with no further preamble.

Once again, he had to watch with bitter sadness as the other two options disappeared away into nothingness.

‘Well…no point in regrets now.’

With that thought in mind, Harry clicked yes on the twinkling system message and proceeded for the final round.

The current room seemed to slowly melt away in front of his eyes. Everything from the floor, the walls, the numerous plant life and the jungle of vines, even the fireplace, all started to vaporize away in smoke, before transforming into something completely new.

The walls melted down to form trees around him, the floor turned to mud and soil, with a single dusty road cutting through the newly formed garden.

There was a gate made of ivy standing in the middle, covered in bristles, vines and thorns, that started glowing with an unnatural energy—pale misty white in color.

[Check Point Reached]

‘Nice.’

Only five opponents were present this time—three boys and two girls—standing under the shade of a bright sun which Harry did not believe to be real.

The five that stood with unfocused eyes seemed to suddenly come alive; straightening their spines and looking around with visible emotions.

‘Observe’

Theseus Scamander

Age: 11

Level: 15

Newt Scamander

Age: 11

Level: 15

Suddenly the five gave a startled laugh, their voices synchronizing together as one.

“This feels…different.” One of the girls said, staring at her hands in awe. “I am…alive but not?”

Then the five spoke together again. “Is it all me? Am I the only one?”

Harry frowned, eying the five warily. ‘Were they alive? They sure act like it. Why are they being so…unnatural then?’

Then they looked up, five sets of eyes falling upon him.

Their eyes turned kind and warm, just a hint of regret showing along their faces.

“Please come forth, child.” The five kids spoke as one again, not raising their wands. “I know we’re about to kill each other but that is no reason for rudeness.”

Then they paused, turning to glance at each other with slight frowns. “Though I’ll have to get used to this first. I have never taken form as five different entities, you understand? That seems more like Salazar’s field of expertise. Or Rowena. That girl was always a touch too curious for her own good. Even then, I rather doubt she would have any experience in this.”

It didn’t take long for Harry to place their names upon the Slytherin and Ravenclaw founders. In his quest to find their secret rooms, he’d done his own self-study.

A little.

“You’re…Hufflepuff?” Harry asked, feeling strange at saying the words.

“You may call me Helga, dear.” The five figures gave a deep bow.

Right….so his System could also produce spirits of the dead. Good to know.

He scanned the rest of the garden, eyes flickering around the bushes to see if this was all a trap…

He didn’t believe so, but it never hurt to check.

“You’re a cautious one, aren’t you?” One of the girls spoke this time.

She was strikingly beautiful, Harry noted absently. With a sophisticated jawline and high-cheekbones, she had a royal, aristocratic look. Raven-black locks of hair cascaded down her shoulders like an elegant waterfall. And all this beauty was topped by a warm pair of eyes that smiled at him kindly.

‘Observe’

Nymphadora Tonks

Age: 11

Level: 15

‘What.’ His eyebrows shot up.

No, surely not. That clumsy, pink haired girl looked nothing like this. Not even close...

“And handsome too.” The girl sighed, a teasing grin on her face. “What year are you in? Third? Fourth?”

Then she cocked her head to the side, frowning. “Is Hogwarts even the same anymore? Salazar always believed our descendants would tear the castle apart to build their own thing.”

She gave a sudden flinch, jerking back. “Oww…it seems my…creator…does not like me talking too much. But I am nothing if not stubborn…hehe…go ahead and kill me, child. I won’t raise a wand.”

Harry stood stock still, mouth opening ajar slightly.

‘Surely a trap….?’

But no, for the next moment all five figures threw down their wands. They spasmed for a second, clutching their throats, before going still again—though not dead.

“G-go ahead, Child.” The five hissed out.

Grunting, Harry raised his wand, still a little incredulous but never one to deny a freebie.

“Before you kill…” The girl, fake-Nymphadora, whispered out.

‘Oh here we go…’ Harry sighed. ‘Here comes the punchline.’

Blessedly, his predictions proved wrong this time.

“Will you tell me your name?” was the question asked instead.

Harry blinked, truly confused about the entity. He couldn’t even begin to predict her thoughts as of this moment.

Nonetheless, he saw no need to hide his name. “Harry. Harry Potter.”

She gave a jerky nod, showing her throat.

That was all the signs that he needed. Killing Curses fell upon the defenseless figures the next second, downing them one by one without fail.

“I may not be as lax the next time, Harry.” The last figure still standing—Nymphadora’s—warned a second before her death. “And never expect this from the other three.”

“…Thank you.” Harry inclined his head…and repaid her with a Killing Curse.

As the last body disappeared away in motes of light, a welcome message twinkled in front of his eyes.

[Hufflepuff Dungeon Cleared: Level 1]

[Proceed to Level 2?]: Yes/No

[Automatic proceedings to Level 2 in]- 14:43 Minutes

With a satisfied sigh, Harry sat down on the naked ground, feeling relieved and whole.

‘What a wonderful day.’ Sure the last bit was a little weird, and felt a touch sad for Hufflepuff now, but it wasn’t enough to ruin the wonderful sense of progress and strength that filled his body.

Absently, he started scanning his notifs, still riding the satisfaction of a productive day.

…Well, night.

[Auto Loot Collection: Activated]

[Loot Collected]-

• Magic Potions x4
• Health Potions x2
• Sickles x45
• Galleons x5
• Emerald Sigils x1

His eyes stared at the four items uncomprehendingly for a second, before a wide smile split his cheeks apart.

‘Not only do I level up, I also get paid for clearing a dungeon!’ He chuckled, feeling a little lightheaded. 'Well done Dungeon. You've redeemed yourself.'

‘What’s the last one though?’

[Emerald Sigil]— In-Game Currency enabling User to access the System Market.

• Note: Reach Level 100 to unlock the System Market.

‘Well…that’s another reason to quickly level up.’ Harry grinned, not fully understanding the Market’s function, but knowing whatever it was, it was going to help him in the future.

Mana Potion (Common)

• Gives 100 Mana points to the User.

Convenient.

His newly gained loot was waiting for him in the inventory, taking 4 more spots beside the Marauders Map and his wand. Harry absently wondered if he should store his broom in here as well…being able to fly on demand could prove most useful.

Suddenly another thought broke through his mind. 'Wait, does this mean I might get some magical equipment as loot too? Those DnD games involved equipment as well, didn’t they? A Stat-enhancing shirt would be awesome.’

He browsed further, finally coming to the end of his notifs with spell level ups.

[Skill Leveled Up: Diffindo] Lvl 17

[Skill Leveled Up: Diffindo] Lvl 18

[Skill Leveled Up: Incendio] Lvl 18

[Skill Leveled Up: Incendio] Lvl 19

[Skill Leveled Up: Flippendo] Lvl 17

[Skill Leveled Up: Flippendo] Lvl 18

[Skill Leveled Up: Killing Curse] Lvl 40

….

…

Neat.

The list went on, but Harry didn’t bother to read further, the time ticking down to 3 minutes.

"Tempus."

1:26 Am.

Almost an hour. Goddammit.

He still had enough Stamina and Mana to give this level another sweep, but he had no intentions of diving to the second level without being in top notch form.

'Status'

Harry Potter

Age: 11

Race: Wizard

Level: 48 (1640/4900)

Mana: 400/880

Health: 650/650

Stamina: 519/600

Stats

Strength: 49 (15)

Speed: 51 (15)

Dexterity: 51 (15)

Vitality: 50 (15)

Endurance: 45 (15)

Intelligence: 73 (15)

Wisdom: 62 (15)

Points: 32

With a last sigh, he pressed 'No', and waited for the timer to tick down to 0.

In the meantime he contemplated on how to spend his free stat points.

His original plan was to wait for them to accumulate further, before pushing all his stats to 100 in one fell swoop and unlocking the next bundle of Perks.

And now he had enough points to push Int into the 100s….

‘No.’

One perk at a time wasn’t enough. If he decided to unlock his perks, he would do so only when he could push multiple stats to the next threshold. Hopefully that’ll keep away the sting of watching them disappear away.

The timer soon ticked down to 0, and smoky clouds slowly filled up his vision. When the mist finally cleared up, he found himself standing in front of Hogwarts kitchen's doors.

He returned to his dorm silently, using the map to avoid encountering Filch or his cat. By the time he changed clothes and threw his body upon the bed, it was already 2 am.

With a long yawn, Harry closed his eyes in satisfaction. ‘Today was a fulfilling day.’

And he couldn't wait to clear the next level of the dungeon.

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The next stage of the dueling tournament was scheduled to start a week before Halloween. Amidst his classes, homework, spell practice, quidditch training, and his family get-togethers with Rose and Lily, he was kept quite busy.

He did manage to sneak a couple of Dungeon visits, earning the Check-point for Level 2 room. The opponents weren’t any different than the level 1, the same dead zombies filling up the first round, followed by the semi-conscious kids in the 2nd room. The difference came in their spell mastery, level, and accuracy....and their age. 

Most were able to consistently launch spells, and his progress was much slower than before. The only reason he reached the check-point was due to his Inhuman Acrobat Perk, enabling him to dodge the spells with a new dynamic.

Still, the first two rounds were enough to level him up once again, unlocking his Strength Perk.

[Strength Threshold reached (50): Perk Unlocked]-

Choose one of the three options presented:

Melee Monster: User’s Strength increased by 10% when engaged in melee combat.

Herculean Strength: User’s Strength increased by 20% when lifting an object.

Power Punch (Active): User’s Strength increased by 100% when punching an opponent.

• Skill duration: 5 seconds
• Skill cooldown: 1 Minute

The Perks this time were much more straight-forward, and he didn’t feel so bad about choosing Melee Monster. Yeah, the others would’ve come in handy as well, but they were too specific to really twinge his greed.

Time quickly passed for Harry, and the day of the Round-of-32 was soon upon him; ready to tempt him with another juicy quest.

He may not have started this tournament with thoughts of winning, but he surely wanted to complete the ‘Terror with Wand’ quest series.

He had a feeling the final one was going to bring him another level or two.

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S.H.I.E.L.D Headquarters, USA

Standing in front of a full length mirror, Steve Rogers adjusted his tie ever so slightly, staring at his suited up figure with a critical gaze.

He had to admit...he cleaned up quite well for a man in his nineties.

His skin hadn’t grown wrinkly yet, his hair—though grey—showed no signs of balding with age. The only thing he would really complain about would be his inability to grow a healthy beard.

It wasn't often that Steve got the chance to dress up nowadays, not just for the fact that he had a certain image to maintain, but also because suits weren’t very practical should he need to engage an enemy unexpectedly.

But today was a special day, and some leeway can be taken.

It wasn't a date, of course—though that would've been undoubtedly more pleasant.

No, it was the day he'd arranged for his meeting with the Minister of magical Britain.

....And honestly? Any chance to feel young again was a welcome one, especially at his age.

A glance at his watch revealed that it was just a few minutes past quarter to six.

'Almost time.'

His men were supposed to be present at MACUSA headquarters by 6 o'clock sharp in the evening. Their job was simply to pick up Mr. Dumbledore and deliver him here.

It was a little more than four miles of distance between them and S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, so while in the same city, it still gave Steve some time to prepare and plan…

Or so he thought.

It happened suddenly, the quietest whoosh of fire unfurling behind him with silken softness. Had he been someone else—a little less experienced, a little less cautious…a little less Super Soldier—he would’ve surely been caught off-guard, distracted in his thoughts as he was.

As it were however, he found himself whirling around instantly, his hand heading towards his trusty sword while he crouched low, ready to pounce....

Only for it all to come to a freezing halt as his eyes finally fell upon the cause of such disturbance.

Startling deep blue eyes peered at him from above an ancient pair of spectacles. Glinting with a sharp intelligence—and no small amount of amusement—they stared at the crouching director of S.H.I.E.L.D. with a bemused look and a raised eyebrow.

Clearing his throat, Ares slowly pushed himself straight—the rush of adrenaline slowly subduing—while his eyes flickered around the room for further threats, finally clocking the fiery bird of otherworldly beauty flapping behind the mysterious warlock.

"Mr. Rogers." The old man—for he was the very definition of old—nodded in greeting, his bird disappearing away in another quiet gust of flames behind him. "Always a pleasure....or so I would've liked to say had this not been our second time meeting."

Taking a deep breath, Ares pushed back a wave of annoyance, absently brushing the newly created creases on his coat.

"Mr. Dumbledore." He finally nodded, pinning the fancy robed wizard under his eyes. "I take it you found our pre-arranged plans lacking?"

"Oh no such thing, I assure you." The old man's eyes twinkled like little stars as he started gliding towards Steve. "I simply do not relish meeting the American Ministry again. While I do tend to enjoy their gratitude in small doses, they have a habit of parading me around every time I visit."

Steve wanted to hold onto some animosity towards the man for ruining his perfectly ironed suit, but he found himself more curious—and dreading—to find how exactly the man entered his office.

"My sympathies." Steve nodded, and not completely as an empty gesture either. He did know a thing or two about fame after all. "Though the bird…if I remember correctly, you didn't have it the last time. A recent acquisition, I take it?"

While outwardly he posed his question with general curiosity, inside he was mulling over ways to dissect the bird—or, well, let his experts do it—and unearth every secret behind it.

The fact that English wizards may now have flaming turkeys that can bypass their American wards was not just a worrisome prospect, but also a massive breach in their security.

The American wizards hadn't skimped on these wards, Steve knew. After all, they'd formed a blood-signed magical bond to provide S.H.I.E.L.D. with the very best defenses in their capabilities. And their very best, they'd assured him and Howard, was more than enough to stall even the most powerful of wizards... namely, Dumbledore.

‘Well…that aged like ancient milk.’ Steve grouched.

Though he did believe the culprit to be the flaming turkey.

"Oh no, Fawkes has been my companion for quite a long time now." Dumbledore answered, smiling.

"Why did you not show it around the last time then?" Steve asked, frowning.

"Him.” The old warlock gently corrected. “And there was no need to.”

Steve grimaced. 'So a man who holds his cards close to his chest then.'

In other words, a dangerous man hiding behind unpredictability.

Yet, this wasn’t Steve’s first time dealing with such men.

He opened his mouth to grill the wizard further, but found himself unable to get a word out before being interrupted...

"Though you need not worry." The old man assured, seeming to understand his concerns. "There have only ever been five Phoenix sightings over the last two centuries. Forgive my arrogance, but I have no doubt that Fawkes is the only Phoenix you will see for the rest of your life.”

That was...almost reassuring. Still, ignoring this looming threat over empty reassurances was not something Steve would consider as smart.

But as the war-hardened warlock took a seat on the other side of his desk however, Steve’s mind came upon another realization…

‘He purposely chose his way of entry, and not just to casually reveal their weakness either...’

Was he mocking them?...No. Perhaps an offer of friendship then? Taking care of their problem before they even knew it was present…

But as he watched the absolute serenity in those wise old eyes, Steve realized he was facing a different breed of opponent altogether.

An opponent who can burn his hand to a crisp as easily as shake it in friendship.

'A threat hidden behind an offer of friendship.' He finally concluded.

Clearing his throat, Steve absently rubbed the pen-shaped miniature sword in his pocket.

It usually brought him comfort, knowing the gift of his late friend—and, as Howard had hailed it once, his greatest creation of the decade—rested close at hand, ready to leap to his defense.

Yet, today it brought him no such comfort. The warm assurance of safety was missing starkly.

What he did know however, was that he did not want Dumbledore—or his wizards—as their enemy. Ever since the old wizard took up the position of magical Britain’s Minister, their country had been growing at a breathtaking pace in martial capacity. He did not know the more intricate details about their society, but he did know that Britain was now considered the most powerful magical country; and not just in Europe either.

Taking a seat, with his eyes fixed upon the ancient wizard, Steve decided to just run with the flow and hope for the best.

"I would've offered tea but you have caught us completely unawares." He opened their first true talks, ringing the bell on his table that acted as a summons of sorts. "It would take some time to readjust the arrangements."

"I'm happy to wait," Dumbledore replied amicably, his eyes back to their twinkling state. "Though I don't suppose you have a bowl of those excellent sherbet lemons?"

Steve blinked. "Sorry?"

"Oh no need for apologies. I understand my admiration for them is not shared by eve–"

"No," Steve interrupted, frowning. "I mean, what are they exactly? Drink? Cocktail? I doubt I've ever heard of them."

"Hmm..." Dumbledore's eyes sharpened, seeming to peer through his soul with crushing judgment. "Not once, you say? Truly a sad affair. Perhaps you've heard of their American ancestors....lemon drops?"

Steve nodded slowly, uncertain and sure at the same time. "Yes, I believe I've heard of them. They're a sort of candy aren't they?"

"Indeed!" Dumbledore exclaimed, happy as a peach. “I will have a bowl of those, please. And any other American delicacy. Only sweets, please.”

“Very well.”

After ringing the summoning bell again, and re-ordering for…a bowl of Sherbet and whatever unique sweets they may have, Steve finally decided to broach the subject for today’s meeting.

He paused, his mouth open as he stared at the jolly old wizard with a suspicious gaze. “You probably also know why I wished to talk today, don’t you?”

"No.” The wizard chuckled. “You seem to have me at a disadvantage, I'm afraid."

"Well...I wanted to talk about a contracted agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.…Harry Dursley. Or so he named himself as. I believe you know him as…Harry Potter.”

Dumbledore’s twinkles gained a sharper edge. "Young Harry does indeed deserve all the talking about."

Steve gazed at the wizard cautiously, continuing a second later. “I don’t know if counselor Hawley informed you of this, but before joining your country, he was here as a contracted agent...and I would like him back. With his agreement of course.”

For the first time that evening, Steve felt he finally had the ancient wizard’s utmost attention…and he felt his hair stand up at the back of his neck.

Area had only ever met one man like the wizard before...Charles Xavier. Yet, even the mutant telepath did not have the sheer swirling power and authority that seemed to revolve around Dumbledore.

Dumbledore seemed like a more competent and dangerous version of Xavier.

And he didn't relish trying to convince him of Harry's return.

'Well.... at least these talks won't be boring.'

------------------------------------

The evening of 24th October found Harry and his group presenting themselves in the Great Hall. The Round of 32 held a special distinction in Hogwarts rumor mill, bringing all the contestants a slice of fame. And not just in Hogwarts either.

"You guys are so lucky, mate." Ron bemoaned miserably. "Fred was crowing about how the results of this tournament are going to be published in the Daily Prophet! Can you imagine that? I wish I was still in the tournament."

Harry looked up, cocking his head. “Did you say, Prophet?”

“Yeah mate, bloody crazy innit?”

He grunted, going back to ignoring the group. In his humblest opinion—an absurd thing, for he believed humility to be overrated—Daily Profit was a better suited name for that press.

"That has nothing to do with luck, Ron." Hermione snapped from beside them. "Harry and Andrea worked hard for this….”

Then came the biting remark.

“Unlike you. You can't expect results without giving it your all."

The boy huffed. "You’ll eat your words when I prove you wrong in the next one."

Their bickering continued as they walked through the Great Hall’s grand doors.

The entire hall was somehow expanded to be bigger than ever. The four house benches were reinstalled, though instead of being in 4 columns they were placed around the Dueling stage, boxing it in like a mini-stadium.

The Hufflepuff bench was placed in front of the entrance, with a gap in between to let the audience pass. To the left of the Stage was Slytherin’s bench, to the right was Gryffindor’s, and up ahead replacing the teachers table sat the Ravenclaws.

Teachers were gathered in front of their houses, guiding students to their places to avoid crowding. There must be over a hundred spectators already present when Harry entered, looking excited for some spectacular duels.

"You nervous?" Andrea bumped him lightly.

Harry quirked an eyebrow at her. "Indeed, can you not see me shaking in abject fear right now?”

He shook one hand limply in the air. Even his hand looked bored.

“Prat.” She bumped him again. “I can just never tell if you’re joking or not.”

He hummed.

“What? Is that it?” She stared at him incredulously. “A hum?”

Harry shrugged, unconcerned. His eyes did their ritualistic scanning of the Great Hall, though looking less for threat and more for a certain hellion.

"It’s just…all these people and stuff.” Andrea continued hesitatingly. “Doesn't look like fun to lose in front of them."

Harry hummed again, eyes still flickering through the Slytherins. “Are you nervous, Andrea?”

"A little." She whispered, coming close to him. "Dad's been really excited this whole month. He sent me a wand holster as a gift last night. Dragon-skin leather. I really don't wanna d-disappoint him, you know?"

Harry blinked, a little surprised; not just at Sirius being excited about the tournament—considering the venom he spewed over Dumbledore the last time—but also to hear Andrea stuttering a little.

The girl may not have the boundless energy and confidence of his twin, but she still rarely showed such uncertainty.

"I don't see why he would be disappointed." Hermione butted in. "You are one of the only few first years in round three. If he isn’t proud of you for making it this far, he never will be."

Andrea stared at the bushy girl in surprise, a small smile lighting her face up. "Thanks."

‘So this is how you comfort someone? By forming potentially wrong assumptions to make them feel better?’

After all, Hermione couldn’t know what Sirius thinks like, she’d never even met the man. Perhaps he would only be proud of Andrea if she wins the entire thing?

Harry frowned. ‘So people prefer lies over truth if it brings them some comfort. Would I need to lie to make people feel better someday?’

He thought back to all the conversations he’d had in the past; with Steve, Melinda, Maria, Kara…Natasha.

He’d always been blunt with them—blunt and true—uncaring of the reaction his words may elicit. Could there have been instances where lies would’ve been more preferable?

Perhaps when he’d informed Kara of having killed an innocent woman to cover his tracks…or when he’d bluntly stated how truly useless Romanoff’s combat sessions were in his opinion.

‘Should I have lied then?’

It was an interesting topic to ponder upon later.

They soon approached the main stage where a couple of senior students pointed them towards a separate table reserved specially for the 32 contestants.

"Good luck, mate." Ron patted his shoulder as they prepared to separate.

"Y-You can do this, Harry." Neville stuttered out with a shaky smile. He suddenly jerked upright, his eyes dipping down to his pocket. A second later, he removed his Remembral, which had taken a reddish hue.

The boy flushed, glancing at their female companion. "Oh! And you too Andrea. I'm s-sure you'll do well too."

"Gee guys, thanks for the support." Andrea muttered. "Feeling really loved over here."

After a panicked round of hearty wishes for Andrea, they separated from the group to join the remaining contestants. Their table was placed directly in front of the stage; just a small curved bench with exactly 32 wooden seats.

Most of the contestants were already present, which included all of his quidditch teammates save for Wood. The remaining few slowly trickled in and were quickly guided towards their bench.

The waiting must’ve been the worst part for Harry. While the others beside him prayed for some kind of delay, Harry simply wanted this to be over quickly.

Fortunately, he was soon joined by one of the only two people who could make this slightly more bearable for him.

"Brother!" The voice that called out had three very distinct characteristics; it was high-pitched, it was cheeky, and it was too damn excited.

Was it any surprise that he identified it instantly?

His midget twin smoothly slid to his other side with a very wide grin—its cheekiness matching her voice—in stark contrast to her friend who approached them with cautious steps.

"Potter." The Daphne girl greeted with a tight nod, radiating an aura of coldness as she came to a halt in front of him—blocking his view and demanding attention.

Irked, Harry gave the girl a half-lidded stare. “Do you, perhaps, think yourself more interesting than the duels?”

She stiffened up, her mouth slightly ajar. Thankfully she seemed to understand his words and got out of his vision—though not without giving him a withering glare. He didn’t care, his eyes back to searching around the stage for the other person who can make the wait more bearable.

Rose—who he’d expected to defend her friend—gave an uncharacteristic giggle for some reason, snuggling deeper in his side.

"Did you know Malfoy’s been training real hard since the last round?" His twin quipped, her soft fingers playing with his hair, massaging his scalp gently. "I think you gave the boy some...uhh, what did you call it? PSG?"

"P.T.S.D." Harry corrected.

"Yes, that!" She exclaimed, grinning. "I saw him murmuring spell incantations to himself in the corner yesterday."

"That's good." Harry commented in disinterest, before his eyes sharpened. "But I’m more curious to hear where you learnt to pronounce ‘Incantations’.”

Rose came to a sudden halt.

He could see the gears shifting in her head, her hands freezing up on his scalp, eyes widening slighting as she let the mask slip just a little.

Harry couldn’t hold back a snort. Watching her squirm was like watching a new Hydra recruit struggling to keep an emotionless face…

In normal words, pretty damn funny.

Rose pouted at him—at least as cute as a puppy. “We’re talking about Malfoy, not me! And I learnt it from a book. I’m not stupid, you know? I do too read...sometimes.”

He gave her a couple of patronizing head-pats, smiling indulgently. “I’m sure you do.”

She wrinkled her nose at him, but couldn’t keep the bashful little smile from emerging as she melted under his pats, rubbing her cheeks against his shoulder.

Beside them, Andrea burst out laughing. "Look at you two, getting all cozy. Anyway, Malfoy's gonna make a right fool of himself, isn't he? I'm so excited."

"Did you get anything from dad?" Rose captured his attention again. "He sent me a good luck card and promised to take us to some inner...ahh.. In-intercontinental Dueling Tournament this winter!"

Harry stilled, a frown forming on his face. "I received no such thing.”

"Wait, you didn't...?" Rose tilted her head up in surprise, before realization went through her eyes. "Oh! Your owl's late! Probably. Mine only came this morning, so you'll have to wait for some time me thinks. Oh hey, mum's here!"

The whiplash named Rosalia pointed towards the back, making Harry turn to glance. Surprised eyes took in the figure of his mother; dressed in black teacher’s robes, Lily was standing in front of the Gryffindor section, guiding students to their places.

It shouldn’t have been surprising of course, but she was usually so informal around him that sometimes he would forget she had her duties as a teacher to complete.

The Great Hall soon became silent, welcoming the arrival of four new teachers—including the Headmistress herself—in silence. The Headmistress took her place upon a separate table, alongside Snape and Flitwick, while Remus climbed the stage to address the whole room.

"Attention, everyone." The man waved at them. "Are all contestants present? Everyone knows why you’re here? No one took a forgetfulness potion to avoid the duels this time? Great.”

Laughter spread through the Ravenclaw section surrounding their third years as everyone turned to look at a bashful girl hiding her face away.

“Now, for those confused about the format, this will be an elimination round just like the rest, where the winners of each match shall proceed forward in the tournament. Furthermore, none of our contestants today know their opponents yet, so they must present themselves when I announce their names. And no, you cannot change, exchange, or bargain for a different opponent. With that said, let's begin round three of the Junior Dueling Tournament!"

The first names were soon announced, and the round opened with Cedric Diggory taking on Saskia Fawcett. Harry kept an observant eye upon the two, comparing their competence to the 2nd level Dungeon students.

'There are quite a few errors in this duel.' He noted idly, leaning into the soothing hands of Rose as she restarted her gentle massage. ‘The spell placement is basic at best, and while Diggory clearly tries to predict her next moves, they’re mostly just reacting to each other.’

Plus, Fawcett and Diggory made mistakes; plenty of them in fact. Sometimes their spells would be too wide, missing each other completely, or sometimes they’ll standstill, just staring at each other in rare moments of indecision, bringing brief lulls to the fight to catch their breath.

Basically, they were human. The Dungeon dwellers were not.

But while humans may not be as accurate, they were certainly more creative and strategic. A minute into their duel, and Cedric expertly boxed the girl against a corner, pushing her to the edge of the stage’s boundary and taking over the duel completely.

"Damn, that guy's scary." Andrea muttered. "I get chills every time I watch him fight."

Rose hummed absently, the intensity of her massage matching the tempo of the fight.

Finally, the girl was pushed back to the rune line that divided the stage from the spectators. She couldn't dance around the spells any longer and was forced to shield a stunner with Protego.

And once the shield was on, it never left. The girl practically cocooned herself behind it as Cedric maintained his impressive casting speed, not showing any signs of exhaustion.

Then, with a final chain of spells, it was over.

"Incendio–Descutio–Stupefy!"

A gust of fire stopped her from simply making a run for it, the second spell burst apart the shield like a popped balloon, and the third spell made the girl slump down unconscious.

Whispers of awe and admiration spread through the Great Hall as Remus announced the boy’s win. And they weren’t limited to the spectators either.

"Impressive, is he not, Rose?" Daphne commented. "I doubt any here could replicate that."

Her tone suggested hidden meaning behind her words, but Harry simply couldn't be bothered to decipher it.

What did surprise him a little was his sister’s unimpressed scoff. "I doubt he could've matched us two years ago. It's just a matter of time before we surpass his level. Well... at least me and Harry. Can't speak for others, can I?"

He couldn't remember ever hearing the subtle note of contempt and condescension in his sister's voice. He could easily believe she was the sister of Dorea Potter right now. It was a side of her that he hadn't known till now.

He didn't pay further attention to the matches, having already scouted all the opponents in last round. Closing his eyes, he melted back with a sigh, simply enjoying his sister’s ministrations until his name was finally called out.

"For our next contestants I welcome...Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy! Please, step on the stage."

Harry sighed, pushing himself up. ‘Even the Dungeons are better than this.’

At least Rose and Andrea seemed happy for him.

"Go and kick his arse, brother!" Rose cheered.

“That’s a guaranteed spot in the final sixteens!” Andrea exclaimed. “Don’t let that git get a shot at you, Har har!”

He blinked, giving the latter a strange glance before moving forward.

He climbed upon the stage, Draco Malfoy’s determined face greeting him. It was much better than the pompous arrogance he usually sported.

"Bow of respect." Remus instructed. "This time properly. Now start!"

The match was over as soon as it began.

His stunning spell now sat at lvl 42, making it his third fastest spell behind the Killing Curse and Cruciatus.

He still couldn’t launch it silently, but a single jab and a quiet hissing whisper was enough to shoot out the jet of red towards his opponent.

It may not be as fast as silent casting, but it was still too much for a 1st year to handle, no matter how prepared.

Draco could only look on—stunned as he was—as he was stunned.

Harry stopped, cocking his head. ‘What an interesting choice of words.’

The second match soon started but the outcome was the same. Harry stood upon the stage, unmoving, as the match started, letting Draco try one of the new spell’s he’d been learning.

“Expelliarmus!” The boy bellowed, slightest bit of hope lighting in his eyes….for a brief second.

It was almost comical to witness his face flopping down as Harry tilted his head slightly, letting the red flash whizz away behind him.

The next second Draco slumped down—stunned again—and the Great Hall stayed silent for a moment.

No one expected him to breeze through his fights, he was sure. And normally he would’ve tried to make it harder for himself, handicap his more advanced abilities to progress his weaker ones…

But the Dungeon’s reveal simply made that completely redundant. What could these mock duels do for him that the actual fights—with threats of death—can’t? And with its dwellers just being wizards, the Tournament had lost one of its main selling points for Harry.

The only reason he wasn’t simply blitzing his opponents now was to save that card for the final match…or whenever he may actually need it.

After clinching the 2-0 victory, Harry became the 9th person to qualify for the round of 16.

Rose too got a lucky draw and faced off against a 2nd year. And while her victory was more hard-fought than his, she never truly came close to losing.

She seemed to have some experience in dueling, outside of what Harry had taught her.

In the end his midget twin joined him after a relatively smooth 2-0 victory over Cecelia Reynolds, who was seen bawling her eyes out after the match.

Andrea became the third—and last—firstie to qualify for the round of 16 by defeating Jeremy Stretton after an incredibly rigorous tussle of wands; barely clenching a 2-1 lead over the senior student.

Daphne however, was not as lucky. Her opponent was a 3rd year student…Dorea Potter.

No one wanted to fight Dorea Potter, including the third years. There was a general dislike for her amongst the students, suppressed only by a healthy dose of fear.

Even the younger duelers—who’d never seen her in action before this tournament—did not wish to meet her on stage; for their elder sister seemed to have developed a bit of a reputation.

A reputation for being cruel. Very cruel. Not in the spells she used, but in the way she fought. She liked taunting her opponents before dominating them to the ground and rubbing her victory in her opponent's faces.

And unfortunately for the Greengrass girl, that reputation came out to be quite true.

The event also acted as an eye-opener for Andrea, who practically idolized the senior Potter.

To her credit, Daphne took her defeat, and the insults that followed, with a cool and calm composure, her ever-present icy glare promising retribution.

Harry doubted she'd ever deliver upon that promise though.

The third round soon ended and they dispersed for the night. The next round was scheduled to start tomorrow, giving just a day for the duelers to recover.

Thankfully—at least in Harry’s eyes—the round of sixteen was supposed to be held together in the same day as the quarter and semi-finals.

That night, the names of the final 16 contestants were plastered upon the house notice-boards for all to view.

Harry Potter vs Malcolm Preece

Rosalia Potter vs Cedric Diggory

Dorea Potter vs Cho Chang

Tamsin Applebee vs Andrea Black

Fred Weasley vs Helen Dawlish

George Weasley vs Adrian Pucey

Angelina Johnson vs Manoj Panditt

Alicia Spinnet vs Queenie Shacklebolt

Harry wasn't worried. He'd seen Preece fight, and while a strong contender, Harry was sure he wouldn’t be forced to rely upon his physical might.

No, his worry was reserved only for his twin. The midget was unfortunate enough to have drawn Diggory's name.

Hopefully the senior student wouldn’t do anything stupid.

Because Harry had just realized that his inventory could be a perfect hiding spot for a dead body.

….And he can always empty it in the dungeons.

------------------------------------

Early in the morning of 25th October—when the air was still crisp and chilly—a group of journalists and reporters presented themselves under the roof of Hogwarts castle, enjoying the hospitality of fine dining and even finer comforts.

Most of the students who saw them were able to put a name to their faces immediately, knowing them to be regular guests for events like this. Their job was simple; to record the upcoming duels and rank them from best to worst. That list would later be published in their bestselling issues, going from household to household and bringing them news of Britain’s future.

But all of this mattered little to one, Harry Potter. The only thing he cared about was the system prompt that greeted his eyes.

Quest [A Terror with Wand IV] in Progress!

• Qualify for the Quarter-finals ()
• Qualify for the Semi-finals ()
• Qualify for the finals ()
• Stay undefeated ()
• Win with 100% Health ()

The system was grouping up all the three rounds in one quest, so Harry expected a generous reward at the end of the day.

The participants of the tournament were summoned a few minutes before the Great Hall could fill up with spectators. All sixteen of them were gathered around Remus as he presented them with the option to quit. Harry stopped listening the moment the man brought up the ‘pressure of fame’ and ‘health is more important’ points, simply breathing in the fresh, electrifying morning air and feeling ready for a day of domination.

His midget twin stood beside him, her head resting upon his shoulder as she yawned. Andrea stood just ahead, a rare picture of solemnity on her face.

When the Great Hall finally started filling up, Remus quickly dismissed them, bidding them good luck.

They took their positions from yesterday, though with a relatively empty hall the participants had no one to talk to but themselves. He received several well wishes and hand-shakes—mostly from his quidditch teammates who’d grown rather familiar with him.

He didn’t mind though, especially the overly long and giggly handshake that he received from Angelina and Alicia, or the shy eyes-fluttering words-stuttering good luck from Cho Chang.

But while he himself did not mind, the midget beside him looked ready to arrange them a meeting with Merlin—may it be in Heaven or in hell.

By the time their judges arrived, the room was completely packed with people. From senior students, to non-participating/eliminated spectators, the Great Hall was filled to the brim. He could even see camera-carrying men and women, along with reporters and writers, taking various spots in the Hall to get a clear shot at the stage.

“Good morning to one and all present over here!” Remus started soon after everyone was settled. “This is going to be a long day, and I hope you’re all ready for it. There shall be three rounds today, and by the end we will get our two finalists. The day shall test our participants not only in their skill and knowledge, but also their magical reserves and resilience. Furthermore, each round will only have a thirty minute break in between for the participants to freshen up and get ready. There will no doubt be quite a few duelers suffering from magical exhaustion by the end of this day, and for those unfortunate ones we have prepared ample arrangements, so worry not. With that said, let's begin round four of the Junior Dueling Tournament!"

The day started with George Weasley taking on Adrian Pucey, and Harry submitted himself to another day of waiting and…waiting.

The Duel wasn’t boring in itself; with both George and Pucey having prior dueling knowledge. But while the opponents fought with skills worthy of 3rd years, it simply didn’t have any unique charm or innovative ideas to hold Harry’s attention.

Instead, his eyes tracked the figure of Tonks as she slipped through the crowd to approach their bench.

Harry found himself observing her face critically, trying to make some sort of connection between this bubbly pink-haired girl and the striking beauty who’d stolen her name in the dungeon.

…And he came up empty.

There was simply no connection to be made; not even one akin to a distant cousin. Tonks wasn't ugly by any means. She had a pretty face like Kara, and a body that showed clear hints of a very voluptuous figure hiding under those baggy Hogwarts robes, perhaps even to the level of Lily...but she wasn't the dungeon-Tonks. Pretty would be an insult to that girl. The breathtaking beauty that he'd seen could’ve matched even Natasha Romanoff...

Okay, maybe not, but almost.

All the same, Tonks wasn’t her. She cannot be her.

"Wotcher, Harry!" The girl greeted cheerfully, gently pushing Andrea aside. "A little room for me please! C'mon people, don't be mean to your young and beautiful senior. Promise I won't bite."

With some grumbling Andrea shifted aside.

"Tonks." Harry nodded at the girl, dismissing his earlier conundrum.

He was thinking too much about it. The dungeon must've messed up somehow.

The pink-haired girl glanced back at the rest of the participants, her eyes searching for someone….

"Hey Tamsin!" She suddenly called out, waving her hand high in the air.

She elbowed Harry, glancing at him from the corner of her eyes. "That's your other teammate. She's been a part of the senior league since last year. A fabulous dueler that Charlie somehow convinced to join."

"Why is she here then?" Harry asked, glancing back at the girl as well.

A cute dark-eyed girl stared back at them, her short-brown hairs curling in rolls, barely reaching past the shoulders.

Tamsin Applebee

Age: 13

Level: 23

The girl wilted under their combined gazes, looking nervous as a mouse, not at all the dangerous duelist Tonks made her out to be...

Then, with painful hesitation, she waved back at them once, before proceeding to ignore them completely.

"Aww, isn't she a little cutie?" Tonks cooed beside him. "Oh, and she's here cause she's still in third year. The senior league will only start after the winter holidays, so students below fourth year can participate in this one without their matches clashing."

"I see. And why are you here?"

"Oh, c'mon! Don't you want to see your young and beautiful senior?" She elbowed him again.

Harry looked her up and down with interest. "Are you offering to undress?"

His twin gasped at them, while Andrea seemed to choke on an invisible stream of water.

Tonks snorted, a teasing smile curving up on her face. "Oh my, does the Boy-Who-Lived want a striptease from his young and sexy senior?"

She wiggled her eyebrows.

"Indeed." Harry nodded seriously. "I do believe you have much to offer, but I’d rather confirm it with my own eyes.”

The smile was wiped off in an instant and she gaped at him incredulously.

"Ok, that was supposed to be a joke." The girl grouched, the pink in her hair gaining a reddish hue. "But you know what? I'll give you points for the delivery, you charming bast...ah, I mean…charming…boy?...Merlin it's so hard to censor yourself around kids."

"You don't need to. And frankly, it was a very bad attempt."

"I'm just not used to it, okay? I don't hang around with firsties too much."

"You should. Your immature jokes will find a bigger audience here."

"Hey! That was uncalled for!" She elbowed him harder this time, clearly intent on pushing him off his seat.

Unfortunately for her, she may as well have hit a solid wall, making her flinch back with a hiss. "Merlin's saggy bal—oh! I mean...Merlin’s saggy biscuits, Harry! What the hell are you made of?"

"He's just a big meanie." Rose quipped from the side.

He ignored the midget. "Superhuman strength and vitality."

"…What? Never mind.” She shook her head. “Look, the next match has started. This is why I came here."

"To see this match?" Harry asked, confused.

The current ongoing match was Fred Weasley vs Helen Dawlish. Harry couldn't see what was so important about this.

"No, dummy. I'm here to observe the final three rounds and scout for some more members." She replied absently, her attention on stage. "We're still two people short, remember? Me, you, Chang, Tamsin, and Eleanor. That's five. We need seven."

The match started with both contestants circling each other, hesitant to be the one to start. Fred broke the ceasefire and started the duel with a stunner.

Harry leaned back, relaxing. "Who do you think is gonna win?"

"Helen, no doubt." Tonks replied. "She's the daughter of an Auror, and was trained from a young age. Quite like your friend Andrea. The difference is, she's got a year up, so imagine a more experienced and skilled version of your friend. If I remember correctly, she was the only firstie that made it this far last year."

After just a few spell exchanges, he could easily see the girl was more dexterous and strategic. Fred may be a year older, but there was simply nothing he could do at the relentless chains of spells that the Auror's daughter launched at him. Almost the entire round was dominated by Helen while Fred hid behind a shield.

"The match is over, I believe.” Harry commented. "If someone shields more than half the spells they face, they automatically seem to lose."

Tonks hummed. "I guess that's true for lower students, but it's a horribly wrong way to judge everyone."

He turned to her in interest. "Why?"

"What I mean is, you don't dodge spells at my level. Blocking is the norm." Tonks explained patiently as Helen finally clinched the win. "At lower levels, your spells are slow and waaay less powerful. Plus you guys don't know a lot of spells so you just play shoot-shoot with each other. Like in one of those muggle action flicks."

The second round started between Helen and Lee, but he kept his ears on Tonks.

"At my level, you have to be wary of everything. You never know when the floor underneath your feet may turn to lava. There's a risk that the spell you just dodged may Transfigure the object behind you into some attack dog. Then you have to be aware of the spells that take effect instantly. And you get caught unaware once? You're done for. There's just too much to do, too much to look out for in every single second. So we just block, deflect, or neutralize the spell entirely. Everytime we could. Recognizing which spell is heading your way and then preparing the counter just in time is too difficult for many. Especially when the spells are near instantaneous. But that's dueling for you. Flitwick didn't become a dueling champion without being an absolute genius in calculating all of this very quickly. Me? I still have a long way to go."

Harry nodded slowly, his mind racing through the problems she’d listed.

After a while, he realized nothing really changed for him. He would still dodge and take the chance to attack rather than keep defending. His magical sensing was good enough to notice most of the spells, and he was sure he would soon be able to differentiate between attacks using just his senses.

So knowing when to vacate an area, or still dodge the ‘shoot-shoot’ spells, should be a piece of cake for him. And he was fast—and dexterous—enough to pull it off as well.

He didn’t receive any more time to ponder, as the next match announced was his.

“Good luck, partner.” Tonks patted his shoulder. “He’s a second year Hufflepuff. Not an easy opponent, but definitely your best option—unless you wish to fight your sister or friend.”

He waved her away, and the numerous other well wishes showered upon him. He just wanted to be done with it really.

He caught his mother's eyes as he climbed the stage. 'Good luck' she mouthed, a confident smile on her face. But Harry could see her worries behind the mask, even more so when her hands started curling her lock of red hairs around her fingers. It was her iconic 'I'm worried but can't show' gesture.

As he came to halt upon the stage however, his eyes fell upon a dark green tent built towards the opposite end.

“What’s that?” He asked Remus.

The man followed his eyes. “You’ll know in the next round. Now, are you ready, Harry? Need more time to prepare perhaps?”

Harry glanced at the man with a frown, shaking his head. “Let’s just start quickly, please.”

Remus chuckled, waving him forth. “Go on then.”

The man got down from the stage, calling for the pre-duel rituals.

They raised their wands up and bowed.

One curious thing about Preece was that the boy loved holding his wand with both hands.

In terms of skills, Preece was easily as good as Helen Dawlish. But for some truly unfathomable reason, the boy just wouldn’t stop hampering himself.

“Aaaand start!”

Harry’s predictions held true when the boy swished his wand up two-handedly, slower than Harry’s quick flick.

“Totalus!” The boy’s loud and clear bellow suppressed his own whispered ‘Stu’ and the two red flashes blasted off towards each other.

Yet, even from the first spell, it was clear to him—and the rest of the audience—that this fight was not well matched.

Harry’s Stunner flashed brighter and faster than his opponent’s Body-Bind, giving Preece just barely enough time to flinch away, but thoroughly stealing away the momentum.

The Totalus itself received just a brief—almost absent—side-step from its target, who was already in the process of casting his next Stunner.

It came as a surprise to Harry really. He knew he’d dominate most of his opponents if he let loose of course, but he hadn’t expected to thoroughly bully them to submission.

It shouldn’t have been a surprise, really. With his growing magical senses, he was able to form an accurate guess for the level of his opponent’s spell. And his verdict? Barely touching the twenties. So he was fighting an opponent whose best spell barely touched half the level of his Stunner.

Indeed, there was nothing to be surprised about here.

There was nothing more to the fight. Preece may be better than Malfoy, but Harry dwarfed him too much for the duel to last for long.

It wasn’t really their fault either, considering he had over 2 years of experience and practice in using the Stunner and Levitation charm, having learned those ages ago when still under the clutches of Hydra.

The entire match barely lasted into its second minute, before Harry claimed another clean 2-0 win over yet another older opponent.

The only enjoyable thing about it came from the reception his performance received when his victory was declared. From the thunderous claps of the crowd, to the twinkling stars in midget’s eyes, and the shocked—and hungry—looks in Andrea and Tonks…

Truly, it did feel nice to be the subject of admiration, and Harry believed he could grow to like it even more than causing pain.

…Maybe.

As he finally retook his seat on the contestants’ bench, he was quickly surrounded by the three ladies.

“That was so-ooo-oo cool, brother!” His sweet midget sang, innocent watery eyes staring in his soul with adoration as she clutched at his arm. “…Will you teach me? Pretty please?”

“Yeah, what the hell partner?” Tonks elbowed him from the side. “You weren’t this fast against Davies. Not that I’m complaining, mind you. But we need a better idea of your skills with a stick soon. This just won’t do when you are in the senior league.”

“Where did you learn all that?” Andrea exclaimed in muted awe. “I was sure I was catching up to you! Damn it.”

Harry snorted, shaking his head.

He couldn’t answer any of their questions—neither was he going to—as the next match was soon announced between Andrea and Tamsin Applebee.

Harry wished Andrea good luck—not sharing Tonks’ awkwardness as the two headed to the stage.

She didn’t seem to know whom to cheer and simply kept quiet throughout the match. Harry knew Andrea wouldn’t be winning this fight of course, facing an opponent 10 levels higher than her as she was.

But even knowing so, it was a little sad to watch Tamsin Applebee absolutely demolish Andrea for a 2-0 victory. There was simply no contest whatsoever.

Tonks gave a subdued congrats to Tamsin, while Andrea looked to be on the verge of tears. Thankfully, while Harry himself was still trying to figure out the formula of comforting people, Andrea’s sadness was no match for Rose and Tonks’ goofy happy-go-lucky charm. In no time the three girls were seen giggling and laughing at things that were outside of Harry's comprehension…for now.

But one day…he will know. He will know everything. People had this ridiculous saying that it’s impossible to understand females…but Harry simply dismissed it as ignorant ramblings of less-talented insects.

After all, how can a Sage not understand something? That would be right mental.

No, Harry shall know everything there was to know about females….eventually.

Though hopefully that ‘eventually’ would come sooner rather than later.

The matches soon concluded, and he watched in real-time as the midget lost her cheer one duel at a time, a grim determination shining in her eyes.

And as her turn finally came, there was not a speck of the sheer joy and cheer her presence usually administered.

Harry didn’t like it.

It was like watching a beautiful flower losing its luster…or—for the softest corner of his cold heart—like the cutest, most enthusiastic, tongue-wagging puppy suddenly growing ill and quiet.

“Midget?” He beckoned as they stood up. “You’ll do fine. Just give your best performance and that should be more than enough.”

She glanced at him from the corner of her eyes. “To win?”

“No, of course not.” Her shoulders slumped, eyes staring at her shoes.

He stood in front of her, taking her morose little face in his palm. “To grow. Always do your best, and always try to surpass your previous self…do this and you will never stop progressing.”

She gave him a half-formed smile, nodding slightly. “Thanks.”

Then she was off, and he couldn’t help but doubt if he screwed up.

‘Should I have lied here?’ He frowned. ‘Did I just miss something? Sage, help me out quick.’

But no sudden wave of wisdom hit him, and he was left frowning.

“That was sweet of you.” Andrea whispered from the side.

Harry didn’t reply, his eyes on the duel as Remus gave it a start.

He never expected Rose to win of course, but his heart clenched in pain all the same when Diggory dominated the duel. She fared much better than he’d expected, actually managing to drag the fight for a full minute by dodging most of his spells…

‘She’s trying to imitate me.’ The realization hit. ‘But that’s foolish.’

And it was. She was clever enough to place her spells perfectly, small enough to make herself a tiny target, and quick enough to hang onto the fight with edges of her teeth…but she still wasn’t him.

And that became even clearer when she tried to side-step another Stunner, only to end up getting clipped on her shoulder and falling down, unconscious.

Harry winced, looking at his chest in irritation as a particularly harsh bite of pain seemed to register in his heart, stinging as bad as a bullet wound.

Remus quickly revived Rose, and the second match soon started. But this time it ended even quicker when Diggory suddenly bellowed. “Bombarda!”

The stage shook beneath the power of the spell, and down went the Midget, barely missing the main brunt of the spell as she toppled off of the stage. Remus came running to stop the fight, and he could see Lily quickly approaching Rose’ fallen body.

If there was a color to rage, it would be a combination of red and white. Or so Harry felt as a white volcano grew within his chest, flowing through his veins in a sheer uncontrollable stream.

“Woah, calm down Harry!” Tonks’ voice of caution was probably the only reason Diggory was alive.

[Gamer’s Mind: Activated]

Barely but surely, Harry managed to put a cold stop upon the scalding hot rage that bled into him like a tight ball of inferno, stopping his wand from launching a well-deserved Crucio upon Diggory.

The coldness of Gamer’s Mind brought the new kind of emotion to heel, allowing stark clarity to return to him.

Harry found himself blinking, feeling a little disturbed. When had he last felt such heightened emotions? Better yet, when was the last time he let his emotions control his actions?

He had been a second away from killing or torturing Diggory in front of hundreds of witnesses—both actions as illegal as the next, and likely to ruin all his plans and ambitions.

Closing his eyes, Harry took deep breaths as he approached his emotions.

He cared for the midget, that much was clear to him now. Cared enough to almost ruin his future.

That cannot happen. Ever.

His survival was his highest priority. And to ensure his survival, he must get stronger. And getting expelled from Hogwarts would set back his plans by a massive degree.

And yet, the memory of watching the impish body of his twin being thrown across the stage simply strengthened the illogical voice screaming for Diggory’s blood.

‘It will come.’ He comforted himself. ‘Be patient.’

He was a former Hydra assassin. There was no reason why he cannot satisfy both sides of him.

It was a good thing that Rose was soon declared well enough to not need the Hospital wing…but as she returned back to them like a broken toy, her eyes on her feet the entire time, Harry knew it did not matter.

‘Diggory is going to pay.’

There would be no person on earth who could find his body by the time Harry was done with it.

Thoughts of revenge left his mind as his midget twin finally bumbled her way towards them slowly.

She seemed to ignore the consolations of the other two girls, coming to stand before him as if ready to accept his judgement.

“I-I tried…” She whispered, trying to smile but failing, and simply turning away to hide the trails of tears.

[Gamer’s Mind: Deactivated]

The rage returned in all its fiery embrace, but was quickly drenched beneath the splinters of pain wrecking his chest as he saw her small figure becoming even smaller, shoulders slumped and shaking.

“I’m s-sorry.” She sniffed. “…I-I failed. I’m sorry.”

He didn’t resist as an alien urge made him surge forward and drag her in his arms, her tiny body fitting perfectly beneath his chin. He could feel her stiffen in surprise, before going completely limp when he pressed his lips to her forehead.

“You did well.”

When he released her, she seemed to sway on her feet—looking lightheaded—almost tripping down to the ground had he not caught her.

“T-thanks.” She mumbled in his heart.

But as his eyes fell upon Diggory—still standing on the stage—the rage returned in all its glory.

It was a curious thing; rage. He knew he was about to do something that would either throw him in prison—he would run, of course—or be expelled from Hogwarts. And yet, the rage simply didn’t care.

‘No!’

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he struggled to separate the sudden uncontrollable fire in his heart from the cold hard logic. Occlumency became his biggest friend here.

Gamer's Mind did not distinguish between rage and other emotions, but Occlumency…

Novice though he was, it helped him approach from a neutral point of view.

‘Rage…rage could be my downfall.' He concluded, occluding away the desire to act upon the rage and simply observing it like he would a target. 'I must first understand rage before I take any action under its influence.’

He remembered the incident with McLaggen then. He’d been in control, he knew. Oh he’d come close to losing it, lost as he was in the throes of passion and freedom…

But he’d been in control. Passion and freedom, whilst strong, weren’t enough to make him lose it. But rage...

Rage was dangerous. And Harry was only beginning to realize it.

He was glad that he discovered it of course. For it would now give him the chance of understanding it.

But understanding will only come if he doesn’t get conquered by it first.

There was a war brewing inside of him now—a war between rage and logic—and he didn’t quite remember the next few moments clearly. The entire world felt surreal, a blue curtain of unrealism. He knew Tonks and Andrea were trying to comfort them as well, he knew how delicate Rose’ body felt in his arms. He knew Remus called them all to gather inside the tent Harry had noticed earlier. He remembered leaving Rose as he started walking for his destination, cold and unfeeling and detached, the world still a dream to his senses, the inquiries and comforting pats from his fellow contestants falling upon deaf ears.

He remembered the speech Remus gave, about the tournament simply being a sport, graciously presenting the tent for the 8 duelists to use if they didn’t wish to face the crowd after a loss, or simply wished to calm their nerves.

He remembered all this…but the world only truly became alive to his senses again when Diggory joined them in the tent, and his elder sister went towards him laughing.

And that laughter almost proved his downfall, for the rage tried capitalizing upon how fucking annoying it sounded to his ears.

“Well done, you.” Were her exact words, providing nothing but fuel for the growing fire within him, suppressing his ability to occlude. “Taught her a good lesson. Perhaps she—and everyone else in this room—will now realize how pathetic it is to run around the stage like cowards. Seriously, someone needs to understand that there’s a reason dueling is spelled differently from dodging.”

She laughed again, though not for long.

A mixture of anger and logic, Harry started moving towards the girl.

He knew all eyes were upon him now, but his own gaze was focused only upon one.

He could see her now. See her for what she was. The tense shoulders, the bated breaths, the restless eyes, but perhaps the most telling of all; her shaky hands that she tried to hide.

His mind worked in overdrive under the Occlumency, and Sage finally came to the forefront to help him understand, pushing down the rage from growing.

Out of all, hers were the only eyes not upon him, doing their very best to look everywhere but him.

“Do you know why everyone hates you, dear sister?” He asked, a calm cyclone of emotions—most that he simply couldn't recognise—whirling in his heart.

Her eyes flickered towards him just once, but that was enough to show him the exact range of her nervousness.

He took a step towards her and she whirled away, her wand starting to rise.

His hands came to clutch upon her shaky ones, holding them in place. "Do you know why no one likes you?"

“Harry—“ Diggory started but a wandless wave of his hand threw him on his arse.

“Because you try too hard.” He hissed, forcing her eyes to meet his. “And you fail…you fail to hide how much of a coward you are”

She opened her mouth to retort but before anyone could react—or think to react—his fingers closed around her slender neck, lifting her off from the ground completely, dangling her in the air; choking and gagging for breath as his hand tightened upon her neck.

The world was never more alive to him than then. He tasted the shock, desperation, and panic of the girl struggling in the air. The unbelieving eyes of the rest that only reacted when she started beating her legs.

“Harry, wha—“

“Somebody call the Professor!”

“He’s going to hurt he—“

Just when the panicked yells were about to leave the tent, his magic—untamed and uncontrollable—spread through the room in a wave of power.

They quietened down; everyone present struggled to stand.

He threw Dorea down, letting her desperate gulps of air be the only sound in the tent.

“To hide how much of a failure you are. You are jealous of us, aren’t you? The only one to live a normal life, the only one to not receive special attention...an insecure coward...it’s a wonder Lily and James even care about you. Truly, one could never be more…pathetic.”

Closing his eyes, he now tasted her fear and pain. Though he felt the pain was more from his words than any actual harm.

And not just her either…all of them. The fear and awe that permeated the tent, and the supplication as his magic dominated their worlds.

When he spoke again—his voice quiet and colder than ice, a hiss that sent shivers through the spines of all present—they listened without questions. “Do you know how long it will take me to kill you? Hmm? Dorea?"

He knelt beside his gasping sister, her eyes rolling in her sockets wildly.

“I will be doing us all a favor. We’ll be better off without you. A coward who puts down the weak to feel better about herself…hanging around cowards like yourself.”

He stood up, eyes shifting to Diggory and others, drinking in their fear and helplessness. “Do you realise how easily I can kill you all? You are nothing but vermin before me…and vermin you will remain forever. So heed my words as your laws. Touch a hair on my twin again…and I shall crush you…”

He brought down the entire might of his magic down upon the room. The wild, wandless kind that has always been present beside him, now stronger than ever. “As easily as that.”

And he simply reveled in their despair…

Then he turned to Diggory, the fear in his eyes a balm for Harry's sore heart. Dings of system notifs hit his ears but he had a lesson to deliver. He slowly stalked towards the boy, feeling nothing but contempt.

Unfortunately, he had to break his little educational lesson as he heard the steps approaching them.

Snarling, he turned back to the ones present. “Speak a word of what happened here, and I’ll show you all exactly what I was doing for half my life, away from here.”

A wave of wild magic erupted from his wand, dragging the whimpering body of Dorea in chains of air, placing her beside him on her two feet.

“Another tear and you die.”

The threat worked as well as expected, and with gritted teeth the girl forced herself to stop sobbing as Remus entered the tent again.

“Get ready duelers, your fifteen minutes are up. The firs—“ His words died a sudden death as his eyes fell upon the group of eight, scanning their faces with growing bewilderment.

Then, with eyebrows quickly climbing up to his hairline, he asked, “Alright…What happened here?”

No one replied. Some stared at each other, but an instinctive glance at Harry’s figure quietened them down.

“Dori?” Remus called out, stepping in the tent but not entering completely. “What happened…were you crying?”

Dorea shook her head vigorously.

Harry decided to throw the man a bone—even if it were a fake one. “She is still shocked about what happened with Rose.”

Remus took a deep breath, massaging his brows. “That was….yeah. That happens. There used to be a rule disallowing such spells from Junior dueling, but a decision was reached last year that removed its inclusion. And Mr. Diggory, I do not know what consequences you may face from the Potter family, if any, but I shall suggest restraint heading further. Now, our next duel is between Harry and Dorea, and I under—“

“I surrender!” Dorea pushed out the words, sounding overly enthusiastic.

Remus came to another halt, eyes starting to widen at her words, before understanding flashed within them.

Sighing, the man shook his head. “I understand. Though I must say this has never happened before. I know that you’re shocked, truly I do, but we have active healers on notice for any such incident.”

Taking a deep breath, the man went back to his register. “Anyway, the next fight is between Tamsin Applebee and Helen Dawl—“

“I-I would like to give up as well.” Tamsin was a second quicker than Dawlish. “I-m sorry.”

Remus didn’t even ask her the reason, simply rubbing his eyes and moving on. “Very well. The next is Queenie Shacklebolt against Adrian Puc—“

“Surrender!”

Now Remus scowled, head shooting up to stare at the girl. “And may I ask why, Miss Shacklebolt?”

“Dad said to never participate in duels you know you’re going to lose.”

He gave her one last hard look before sighing and turning away.

Mumbling something inaudible under his breath, the man then started again. “Diggory, Johnson, get ready in fiv—“

“I’m not dueling a murderer!”

Remus’ eyes flickered towards the girl, then to Diggory, then back to the girl, before finally falling upon his register. “The next one who surrenders shall be banned from participating ever again. Never had anyone ever made a mockery of the tournament with such shamelessness. I understand that you’re all in shock, but blowing things out of proportion is a cowardly thing. Our healers could save your life even if you lose half of your body. A single mishap should never make the students of Hogwarts lose faith in their school.”

He then turned his register, tearing a page away. “Quarter finals are now done, four opponents have surrendered, the rest four will fight. No excuses. None of you are powerful enough to truly kill your opponents, and none of you know enough magic to cast spells that cannot be healed. Cedric Diggory and Harry Potter, please present yourselves for the first semi-final match. You have one minute.”

And the man was gone, leaving behind a panicking Cedric who called after him helplessly.

Harry started laughing. Quietly at first, but growing in intensity until his dark laughter was the only thing the people in the tent could hear. “What a wonderful fate…”

“Harry…please.” Cedric whispered, hands conjoining at his front. “I didn’t do it on purpose, I would neve—“

But Harry was already out of the tent—the words nonsensical noises to his ears—as he headed towards the dueling stage.

He was just in time to catch Remus’ announcing their fight to the crowd. “And now, for our first semi-finals….Cedric Diggory and Harry Potter!”

The cameras were flashing more brightly than ever, the paparazzi and reporters all wishing to get a glimpse.

Harry had already climbed the stage by then, heading to the opposite end and waiting for his opponent.

Cedric came of course. But less to fight and more to convince Remus. Harry couldn’t hear their talks but Remus’ face remained unmoved. Only when an angry Cedric yelled ‘He is going to kill me!’ did Remus’ face shift.

“Don’t be ridiculous Mr. Diggory. There are hundreds of people in this room. Now, please. Both the opponents, raise your wands!”

There was nothing more Diggory could do without looking like an absolute fool before a very large audience…save for joining him on stage.

“The bow of respect!”

Harry gave a graceful bow to Diggory’s stiff nod.

“Start!”

Diggory didn’t try to fight him. Instead, he turned around to jump outside the runic border.

….And ate Harry’s hate filled Diffindo to the back of his head.

The boy slumped to the ground instantly, leaving trails of blood flowing down his head like a gushing waterfall.

Screams ensued, people panicked, and finally the medics ran in to help the boy’s rapidly expiring body.

Remus called the fight, ignoring the gasps and whispers filling up the Great Hall as Hogwarts became a beehive of activity.

Harry stood on the stage, uncaring. His eyes flickered around the room, and he could see the tears in Rose’ eyes. Yet, she didn’t look accusing or angry. If anything, the look reminded him of how Lily had stared at him when they’d first met.

When all was settled and done, Remus was forced to accept the surrender of Adrian Pucey and Helen Dawlish, instantly hailing Harry the winner.

Quest [A Terror with Wand IV] Completed!

• Qualify for the Quarter-finals (X)
• Qualify for the Semi-finals (X)
• Qualify for the finals (X)
• Stay undefeated (X)
• Win with 100% Health (X)
• Win the Tournament without reaching finals [Bonus] (X)

Rewards:

• 8 levels

No one knew why Harry laughed then, and no one ever will. All they knew was that a day that was supposed to be full of excitement and anticipation was suddenly cut off short. The abrupt end to the tournament spewed forth a dozen new rumors, but one thing everyone agreed was this; Cedric Diggory had been terrified of Harry Potter. Terrified enough to run away rather than face him in battle.

No one knew why of course, but the legend of the mysterious Harry Potter had now begun taking shape under the walls of Hogwarts.

And thus ended the first Junior Dueling Tournament of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the year of 1991.

It was about to go down in the annals of history, and no one could quite decide why.

------------------------------------

AN: Yep, an almost 16k chap. I'm fine, thnx. Just a little tipsy, drank one too many red bulls. You read that 'my world is going surreal' scene from Harry? Yeah, influenced by my current condition lol. 

Seriously tho, thnx for your patience. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, or it would be massive massive waste of 5 days.

There are a lot of things happening in this chap but I don't have the will to stay awake a second longer to discuss them. So pls let me know your thoughts below, and I'll see you lot in the next post.

Goodbye and take care!