How did John discover Harry and the others were in trouble? It's quite a tale, so let's condense it. After escaping the spider's lair, John was alerted by the howling of wolves. Investigating the source, he encountered a werewolf. Just as the werewolf prepared to attack, Buckbeak, who was miraculously alive, intervened. "Strike, but harm not those who show respect," Buckbeak seemed to declare, fending off the werewolf with a powerful swipe of its paw, sending the creature fleeing without John needing to fire a single shot.
Puzzled by Buckbeak's unexpected survival, John's attention was soon captured by dementors swarming the skies. A flare shot into the air, its brilliance impossible to ignore. Riding Buckbeak, John flew towards the source, initially curious about the identity of the signaler. However, as the dementors converged on Hermione, John's hesitation vanished, and he drew his sword. After all, what kind of knight would he be without his sword, especially with such a noble steed beneath him?
Thus, a dramatic descent from the heavens ensued.
[Ding, challenge task triggered: Expel the dementor, receive +2 to any stat]
"If you're going to be this picky, don't expect any blessings," John muttered, stepping onto the lake's shore with his new shoes, looking skyward with a mix of annoyance and resignation. The system this school year was proving to be quite the challenge, offering little beyond the standard Hogwarts tasks and the quest to maintain top rank. And now, a challenge task without any reward? The system's generosity was waning.
John refocused on the battle. Fire spells could only make the dementors flinch; they did little actual damage. It seemed as if Rufus Scrimgeour had unleashed all of Azkaban's dementors upon them. Glancing around, John spotted two bodies by the bank and, nearby, Harry and Hermione. Confusion struck him. Wasn't Harry lying there? Could there be a double? The situation was perplexing, but the immediate threat of the dementors demanded John's full attention. He summoned his Patronus, a majestic albatross, to fend off the dark creatures.
As Harry's stag Patronus faded, he watched in awe as John made a dramatic entrance. "John, be careful!" Hermione shouted, spotting a dementor closing in on him. The albatross Patronus swiftly dispatched the threat.
However, the dementors, undeterred, shifted their focus to Sirius. John, seeing the danger, intervened with his Patronus, protecting both Sirius and Harry, whose true identity he still questioned. As the dementors turned their attention back to John, Hermione, and Harry prepared to counterattack. But Harry's strength was waning; the sheer number of dementors was overwhelming.
Landing by the lake, John found himself surrounded. Recognized by some of the dementors, they attempted to drain his soul. Unwilling to hold back, John unleashed the Soul Eater Curse. Black silk threads sprang from the ring on his finger, ensnaring an approaching dementor and eliciting a chilling scream. The dementors, recognizing the threat, attempted to destroy John, fearing the power he wielded.
One by one, the dementors were bound and devoured by the curse. Hermione watched in disbelief as the dark creatures were subdued by the black threads. John, like a dark weaver, spun the threads into a tangled web of curses. Souls hovered nearby, but John had no time to dwell on them.
Suddenly, a crisp crack echoed. John's expression turned to horror as he noticed the widening crack on his black ring. In the next moment, the ring was covered in fractures. As the curse's power grew, the ring could no longer contain it, threatening to unleash an uncontrollable force. The ring shattered and exploded, its fragments scattering in all directions. Amidst the chaos, the black gem continued its relentless absorption. John sensed the impending danger as the silver ring morphed into a hand, seizing the black gemstone with an iron grip. The six magical power crystals were operating at their maximum capacity, their surging energies forming a cage in a desperate attempt to contain the curse. With the original container destroyed, John had no choice but to transfer the curse into the Limited Gauntlet temporarily. On the gauntlet, black tendrils resembling thin nerves sprouted, weaving a complex pattern. The curse, now unbound, surged from his palms uncontrollably. "Damn it, not now!" John cursed under his breath, as he intensified the power of his magical gauntlet in an effort to contain the curse. The six crystals glowed with a deep purple hue, signaling their struggle against the unexpected turn of events. The curse seemed to possess a will of its own, its violent fluctuations beyond control.
The dementors, sensing the turmoil, ceased their assault and fled. The black tendrils lashed out, tearing through their ethereal forms. Terrified, the dementors soared towards the sky, seeking escape. Despite their efforts, nearly twenty were consumed by the curse.
"Great!" Hermione exclaimed, her voice tinged with surprise. Noticing John's focus, she urged, "John, we need to go."
John remained steadfast, aware that time was of the essence. Hermione, growing anxious, knew they could not afford any delays if they were to save Sirius. She reached out to John, but he rebuked her sharply, "Get out of here!"
Hermione hesitated, and in that moment, the black tendrils from John's hand shot towards her. She dodged swiftly, but the Time-Turner was struck, a crack forming on its surface. Sand began to leak from the hourglass, and John felt a disorienting sense of displacement, as if being torn from the fabric of time and space.
Without a second thought, John grasped the Time-Turner, removing it from around his neck. Holding the Time-Turner in one hand and the Soul Eater in the other, he said grimly, "Leave quickly, I'll handle this."
Hermione, usually composed, found herself at a loss. Harry, sensing the urgency, took charge. "Hermione, listen to John!" he said, pulling her away. Harry's resolve did not waver, even in the face of danger. He knew John would be alright, having seen him return safely to the school hospital before. Dumbledore's instructions to find John further reassured him that John would emerge unscathed.
As they made their escape, Harry spotted someone emerging from the bushes. He knew they couldn't risk being seen together, so he hurried Hermione away with a mix of urgency and determination.
Once alone, John could finally focus on the task at hand. The sensation of being peeled away from reality intensified as the sand from the Time-Turner melded with his being. The world around him flickered between day and night, a clear sign of time magic at work.
John found himself in the midst of a flashback, witnessing a scene of a dark-haired boy being bullied by his peers. A girl intervened, only to be rebuffed by the boy, leaving the scene in sadness. John couldn't dwell on the familiarity of the boy, as the pull of time magic whisked him away to another memory. This time, a handsome boy confronted Hagrid, expressing his concern for the school's safety. The scene shifted once more, revealing the same boy, now with a look of greed and longing as he caressed an ancient book.
Caught in the whirlwind of time and soul magic, John realized the gravity of wielding two of the most forbidden powers in the magical world. In his gaze, the cover of the book bore the title "Secrets of Cutting-Edge Black Magic." As he continued to observe, his vision shifted to a classroom where a male professor was teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. The lesson on boggarts was underway, and the class erupted into laughter when a freckled boy's boggart transformed into a desk. The teacher chuckled along with his students but suddenly paused and turned around. His eyes met John's. The professor seemed to want to say more, but before he could, John was pulled away once again.
This time, John found himself beside the lake, narrowly avoiding a tumble with a heap of snapping kelp. The experience was disorienting, but brief. It felt as though he was trapped in an endless vortex, with the Soul Eater Curse weaving its way through the Time-Turner, slipping between his fingertips. John realized with a sinking feeling that escape was impossible. "I need a powerful spell, something strong enough to break this cycle," he thought. However, John knew he lacked the magical strength required.
His gaze then fell upon a silver sword nearby, which, due to its proximity, had also been caught in the temporal chaos. With a determined expression, John prepared for what might be his final act. "Fred!" he heard George's voice call out after another temporal leap, amidst a cacophony of other sounds.
Fred's attention was drawn to a wall that had just exploded. Perhaps it was the adrenaline or the clarity that comes with facing one's end, but his vision sharpened. Debris flew towards him, carrying a deadly curse. Was this how he would die? In that critical moment, he spotted an unexpected figure. "John?" Fred uttered in disbelief.
Without hesitation, John released his grip. The Soul Eater Curse, no longer contained, swiftly enveloped the hourglass. In a matter of seconds, it consumed the hourglass and morphed into a ghastly human face. Without a second thought, John seized the Silver Wick sword. Gripping it with both hands, he thrust it into the spectral face with all his might.
The moment the sword made contact, all the magical energy suppressed within the super magic crystal was unleashed. The crystal shattered, and the sword's blade cracked, scattering silver fragments. Centered on John, a massive wave of magical energy burst forth in hues of purple, black, white, and gold, radiating outward in a spectacular explosion. Had it not been for the temporal force field, the blast could have engulfed the entire castle.
John, standing before Fred, was consumed by the explosion and vanished from sight. The curse that had been hurtling towards Fred was obliterated by the force of the blast, and he was merely knocked back by the residual magic.
_________
If you are tired of reading I also have this converted to an audio novel on my youtube
https://www.youtube.com/@NovelAudioForge/featured
Direct Link to playlist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_Hg-qsW4rM&list=PLKskshYG-OcPTR4-Nw7IWFEBZm07D8pBV&ab_channel=NovelAudioForge