Chapter 18 - loose ends

Do you know what's the best thing about having an intuitive aptitude? It's when all the information you've studied just clicks. I just finished my Arithmancy study, and suddenly it all made sense—a moment of enlightenment that cleared up many unanswered questions.

It's an exhilarating feeling, almost like a sugar rush. Though it's not true enlightenment, I'm counting it as a win. 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 loose ends.

Looking at the haggard old man in front of me, I couldn't help but say, "Oh, how the mighty have fallen," with sarcasm. My words brought Dumbledore back to reality. He looked at me with barely concealed malice, his blue eyes reflecting a gaze reserved for a worst enemy, which, to be fair, is true.

I conjured a comfortable chair and sat across from him. "Dumbledore, my man, you've turned dark. How could you dabble in demonic magic? A trip to Azkaban would set you straight." My sarcasm was evident.

"Harry, you don't know what you've done. And do you think that just because I'll be sent to Azkaban, I'll die...?" He started his monologue, but I cut him off.

"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 based on you. With so little 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, attempting to sacrifice the children in the school for revenge. And I, the Chosen One, stopped you." My tone was so convincing I almost believed it myself.

I then continued: "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." This time, my tone was compassionate.

He finally snapped and attempted to attack me, only to be caught midair. This lapse in judgment was no coincidence; I'd been torturing him mentally using illusions through Hogwarts for some time. 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 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.

This old fool is crazy; the things he's done would scare the sh*t out of anyone. But 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. Looking at the panting old man before me, a grin spread on my face. His fear was palpable, 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..." 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 with a straight face, and the primal fear in his eyes was satisfying to watch.

Now he was of no use to me, so it was time to end this. I steadily approached him, a small knife appearing in my hand. He tried to resist, 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 undeserving of a wizard's death." My tone was slow and deliberate as I watched the light fade from his hate-filled eyes.

Haaaah, that's one enemy down, the rest will follow. I am inevitable. Uh, I think I got too into the role there.

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.

Next on my agenda is going after the Auror who tried to kill me yesterday. I went to the east wing on the third floor, where my sleeping prisoner lay in an abandoned classroom. I zapped him awake, and his reaction was hilarious. He jumped to his feet, 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 torture curse on him, and after a while, he started singing like a bird. 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.

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 want to find out.