Do you know what's the best thing about having an intuitive aptitude? It's when all the information you've studied—old and new—just clicks.
I just finished studying the rest of my postgraduate-level Arithmancy, and suddenly it all made so much more sense—a moment of enlightenment that cleared up many unanswered questions in all different fields that use Arithmancy.
It's an exhilarating feeling, almost like a sugar rush. Though it's not true enlightenment, I'm counting it as a win because—true enlightenment in magic is rare and unpredictable—but now isn't the time to dwell on this; it's time to take the first step in my plan. But first, I've got to tie up loose ends.
I stood up, cast a few spells to tidy up the place, and walked out of the ROR heading towards the old classroom I stuffed Dumbledore in.
Looking at the haggard old man in front of me, I couldn't help but sarcastically say, "Oh, how the mighty have fallen."
My words brought the absent-minded Dumbledore back to reality. He looked really angry, mad, incensed even, and his eyes barely concealed the malice in them. His blue eyes reflected a gaze that he no doubt reserved for his worst enemy—which, to be fair—I kinda am.
I conjured a comfortable armchair and sat across from him. "Dumbledore, my man, you've turned dark. How could you dabble in demonic magic? Perhaps a trip to Azkaban would set you straight." The ridicule and sarcasm were clear to him, not just by my voice but because he told the old me something similar when he shipped him to Azkaban.
"Harry, you have no idea what you've done. And do you think that just because I'll be sent to Azkaban, I'll die? I am—?" He seemed to be starting a monologue, so I cut him off—I didn't want to hear it.
"Uh, I think you misunderstood something. You're not going anywhere but limbo. The Dumbledore who's going to Azkaban is a homunculus I'm creating that looks exactly like you. With little to no magic, the official story will be that Voldemort tricked you into wearing a cursed ring to save a little girl. The curse consumed your magic and drove you mad, and made you hate children. So, in a desperate effort to regain your magic, you devised a ritual attempting to sacrifice the children in the school for said ritual and as revenge too—two birds with one stone, as they say. And I, the Chosen One, stopped you." I told him in a tone so convincing that I almost believed it myself. No, really, I kinda slipped into the theatrics there a little.
He looked like he wanted to interject, but I ignored him and continued: "Still, while I've got you here, I want to ask: How does it feel to have your hard work destroyed by your own machinations? You wanted me either as a sacrificial hero or dead, and now here you are, plagued by a nasty curse that will consume your magic and a small part of your soul—just enough to send you into limbo. I don't envy you." And it was true; I did not envy him.
He finally snapped and jumped at me, attempting to attack me—like a barbarian—only to be caught and stopped mid-jump.
This lapse in judgment was no coincidence; I'd been torturing him mentally using illusions through Hogwarts since I imprisoned him here—a little payback for the old me—and the new Hogwarts was full of surprises.
I mean, what most people fail to remember or understand is that Hogwarts is not merely a castle; it's an artifact fortress with many, many abilities and features. And now, this artifact is a semi-divine one, and it's mine.
Anyway, back to the old coot—his mental defenses were strong, but anyone in his place would have cracked eventually.
I seized this moment to delve into his mind. He tried to resist, but I didn't give him the chance. I explored his mindscape, which he built to look like a library guarded by stone statues and magical creatures. His defenses didn't stand a chance, and I gathered everything I needed before leaving—which was basically a copy of everything he had in his mindscape.
This old fool is crazy; the things he's done would scare the sh*t out of anyone. But this whole mind-diving thing was worth it because he had what I wanted: books—a wealth of books. The libraries Grindelwald plundered from around the world were with him. The f**ker stole them from Grindelwald after their final battle, and now I had the location of where he stored them, as well as how to get there safely without triggering the protections he had placed.
Looking at the panting old man before me, a grin spread on my face. His fear was palpable; it was practically oozing off of him—dilated pupils, haggard and shaky breathing, trembling hands, and all the other telltales. And I understood why.
"You thought you could invade my mind while I'm in yours?" I asked, feigning curiosity.
"What are you? You are not Harry Potter; no human could possess a mind like that. That is not even a mindscape; it's... it's…" He struggled to describe what he'd seen. I decided to give him a scare.
"Oh, that's my mindscape. I decided to fashion it like limbo for fun, you know, after my trip there thanks to you. But hey, look at the bright side: now you know what limbo is like. Count yourself lucky for knowing your destination before arriving." I lied through my teeth with a straight face, and the primal fear in his eyes was satisfying to watch.
Now he was of no use to me anymore, so it was time to end this.
I steadily approached him, a small knife appearing in my hand. He tried to resist, squirming midair, but it was futile.
Almost in slow motion, I slashed his throat and looked into his eyes as he desperately tried to stop the bleeding with his hands.
"Die knowing that Harry Potter killed you Muggle-style because he deemed you unworthy of a wizard's death." My tone was slow and deliberate as I watched the light fade from his hate-filled eyes.
Now, people might think that this way of death means nothing—because at the end of the day, it's death—but to a wizard, it's the greatest insult. You see, wizards—no matter the origin—would consider this one of the most humiliating ways to die, even Muggle-borns who have lived for long enough in the wizarding world.
Now, some smart mouths will try and say, "Hey, that can't be true! They lived with normal people; their parents are normal people," and I would answer them by saying, "Exactly, 'normal people'." This whole thing started the moment they labeled *them* "normal people," "muggles," "no-majs," etc.
Anyway—I exhaled slowly, letting the calm settle for a little bit—that's one enemy down; the rest will soon follow.
I am inevitable…..
Hmm, I think I might have gotten too into the role there.
Sigh.
Some might wonder, "Why did you kill him?" Well, he'd die anyway, so why not satisfy my need for revenge while I can? I also needed to trap his soul for a while to study, and I can't do that if he didn't die by my hands. After I'm done, I'll be sending his soul to Death; she said she wanted it.
Now let's clean this up before checking what else I have on the agenda today…
xxx
Next on my agenda is going after the Auror who tried to kill me yesterday. I walked out and went to the east wing on the third floor, where my sleeping prisoner lay in one of the many abandoned classrooms.
I zapped him awake, and his reaction was hilarious. He jumped to his feet, searching for his wand while trying to comprehend what was happening. Without giving him time, I conjured a chair, sat, and asked, "Now, why don't you start talking and tell me why you tried to kill me?" I paused a little. "And don't try to blame the Death Eaters; you're not one of them."
He didn't talk, and I didn't have time for games. So, I cast a Crucio on him, and after a while, he started singing like a bird. Sure, I was going to take all the information from his head anyway, but that doesn't mean I can't be vindictive.
I extracted all the information he had, then stunned him and asked Dobby to drop him off in the DMLE's office with his confession tied to him.
It seems the British magical community is very insistent on making me go on a massacre. I mean, really, a new faction? What's gotten into these people?
Now, I'm on my way to the Dark Forest to check how the evolution of Hogwarts has affected it and the magical creatures inside. Especially with the influx of natural energy here, there are so many questions: Did the plants evolve? What about the animals? How much did this natural energy affect them? I'm starting to get excited about this.