previously in chapter 1
"Bombarda!" he shouted, thrusting his wand forward. A small explosion erupted near the creature's side, blasting a section of the forest floor and sending shards of wood and dirt flying into the air. The blast tore at the Acromantula's armored body, leaving scorched marks across its glossy exoskeleton. It staggered, momentarily disoriented by the force of the explosion. But Grey wasn't done. With a swift circular motion of his wand, he cast "Immobulus!"
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Chapter 10
The spell struck the Acromantula, freezing it in place mid-lunge. Its massive body stiffened, its legs stuck in the air, its venomous fangs inches from Grey's face. The forest held its breath for a moment, the silence broken only by the heavy thrum of his heartbeat. But the Acromantula's paralysis wouldn't last long. Grey quickly maneuvered around the frozen creature, his eyes scanning for a weak point. Spotting the vulnerable underside of the Acromantula's body, he raised his wand. With another precise flick, "Diffindo!"
The spell struck true. The cutting charm sliced through the soft underbelly, spilling dark ichor onto the forest floor. The Acromantula let out one final, ear-splitting screech before collapsing, its legs curling inward as death claimed it.
Grey stepped back, breathing heavily, but he was scanning the area for any more threats. That's when he heard it—a faint rustling, followed by more skittering. He turned slowly and muttered under his breath, "Acromantula travel in groups." As if on cue, several more Acromantulas appeared from the shadows, their eyes gleaming in the dark. At least five of them. Grey groaned, "Well, shit."
The first of the new spiders charged, its legs thundering across the forest floor. Grey reacted instantly, dodging to the side as the massive creature crashed into the tree where he had stood a moment before. Bark splintered and cracked under the impact, the tree groaning as it leaned, destabilized.
Grey wasted no time, slashing his wand again. "Diffindo!" Another leg was severed, but this time, Grey was forced to dodge the retaliating strike of another Acromantula that came from his blind spot. The massive creature nearly clipped him with its front pincers, but Grey rolled across the dirt, coming up in a crouch. "Depulso!" He cast the spell again, sending one of the creatures flying back into the others, tangling them momentarily in a mess of legs and bodies. But they were relentless, recovering quickly as they scuttled towards him, their fangs clicking menacingly.
Two of the creatures attacked simultaneously, pincers snapping toward him from opposite sides. Grey ducked low, barely avoiding being impaled, and jabbed his wand upward. "Bombarda!" The explosion rocked the ground, sending dirt and debris flying. One Acromantula's body was blasted to pieces, while the other staggered back, injured but not out. But they kept coming.
Grey moved swiftly, using his spells to keep the creatures at bay, but the onslaught was relentless. He was outnumbered, and the forest around him became a battlefield. Trees splintered and collapsed under the force of the explosions, the ground was torn apart by spells and scurrying legs, and the air was thick with the acrid smell of venom and burnt wood.
"Immobulus!" he shouted again, freezing another Acromantula mid-strike. But just as he immobilized one, another lunged at him from behind. He spun, firing off a quick "Depulso!" sending it flying into a nearby tree. The crack of its body slamming into the trunk echoed through the forest, but still, they came.
Grey's breath was ragged, his heart pounding in his chest. He knew he couldn't keep this up forever. One more spell, one more move, and he could win—but he had to be precise. As the last two Acromantulas lunged at him in a coordinated attack, Grey stood his ground. Timing it perfectly, he swung his wand in a wide arc. "Bombarda Maxima!"
The explosion was larger than any before. The shockwave tore through the forest, obliterating the last two creatures in a fiery blast. Trees were uprooted, and the ground shook violently, leaving a smoldering crater where the Acromantulas once stood. Grey stood alone amidst the destruction, his chest heaving, his body tense and alert. The forest was still now, eerily quiet once again. He wiped a hand across his brow, smearing dirt and blood, and glanced around warily. "Damn spiders," he muttered as he got to work extracting the poison from the Acromantula.
He then continued, finding some rare mushrooms and other ingredients, including a dead unicorn, which confused him as to what killed such pure creature, but gray wasnt a saint, so he took the unicorns blood and its hair as well as some flesh, but he left the dark forest once he found a hoof print. Apparently, centaurs guarded this forest, but this wasn't the end of his trip to the dark forest.
[ some time later ]
Grey would periodically return to hunt and gather ingredients, allowing him to discover that casting spells under pressure was a great teacher. He mastered many difficult spells, such as Protego, a shielding charm, and Expulso, which caused a violent explosion. This became his favorite spell so far. In fact, he went so regularly that he had to invent a potion to make himself invisible, though he was still trying to develop a permanent version of it.
[ Name: Invisibility Potion ]
[ Grade: Medium ]
[ Description: This potion, created with a level 3 Potion-Creation skill, grants the user near-perfect invisibility for up to 1 hour, with 200% effectiveness in concealing their presence from sight. Brewed using boomslang skin, bat wings, snake fangs, and Lethe River water, the potion bends light around the drinker, rendering them completely undetectable to the naked eye. No permanent effects. ]
[ Deterioration-Rate: 100%, the freshness of the potion ]
With this potion, Grey felt comfortable leaving Hogwarts and sneaking around the Forbidden Forest, but that wasn't his biggest asset. He also obtained more permanent effects, such as the Wiggenweld potion, which enhanced his healing abilities, accelerating the recovery of minor injuries and cuts by 200%, meaning he healed faster than usual so most minor wounds disappear on their own. He also managed to brew another permanent Troll's Might potion, which tripled his physical strength, making him stronger than the average adult. He focused on other aspects of his body as well. For example, his most recent success in potion development, which was a lucky catch at this point, yielded remarkable results.
[ Name: Arcane Elixir ]
[ Grade: Medium ]
[ Description: This potion, created with a level 3 Potion-Creation skill, temporarily enhances the magical potency of the drinker. The elixir increases the power of spells and magical abilities by 200% for up to 2 hours. Crafted using powdered griffin claw, essence of mandrake root, and thestrals hair, this potion boosts the drinker's magical aura, allowing for stronger and more effective spellcasting. No permanent effects. ]
[ Deterioration-Rate: 0%, the freshness of the potion ]
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A/N: As I mentioned before, I do have a plot in mind, with the main antagonist, protagonist, and female lead all figured out. I am also slowly developing the storyline as I go, which means certain parts of the Harry Potter story will be left out entirely (you'll see in the next couple of chapters) or even have some plot points from the original series completely reversed or everted, like some giant snake (which is easier to do in the HP series than in the MCU). Unfortunately, this means that some of your favorite scenes might be left out or won't happen at all, but I will try to keep some of the fun elements from the original story, since that's what most of you came to see. so take this as a warning.
P.S.: The reason I'm doing this is to avoid creating an exact copy of Harry Potter with just the characters replaced. Also, I haven't read the books— I feel like I didn't make that clear. I'm strictly a movie guy.
P.S.: Another note, I will have other universes in this story. They won't exactly be mixed together, but rather, there will be doors leading to the HP universe. This is a big part of the plot and will significantly affect both the HP world and Gray, as well as the female lead. I'll make sure each world gives Gray something he needs, which you'll come to find out. I MIGHT BE BITING MORE THAN I CAN CHEW