Hey friends and fans, Kairomaru is here with another chapter of Arch Mage, the Path of Magic! A busy, yet fun, summer has begun for Harry and his friends and family. Harry and Daphne continue to work on a cure for Lycanthropy together. Hermione and her family go on a summer trip to France, where Fleur and Hermione can meet up and explore parts of magical France together and perhaps figure out their feelings for one another (or Hermione can, since Fleur has made her feelings quite clear). But youthful bravado has gotten Harry attention from others out in the world. Voldemort is slinking about in the shadows further delving into his vile necromantic magics as well. All of that while a growing rift puts Dumbledore and Fudge’s Ministry at odds with one another.
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Chapter 49 – Methods, Masteries, Maladies, Malice
The summer sun was warm in Paris as Fleur and Hermione had a day out together in the magical district of the city: Place Cachée. It was located in the 9th arrondissement of the city. It had been designated as a historic magical place by the French Ministry of Magic. The two had accessed the magical district through a magical bronze statue in the Montmartre district of the city, and through the Phoenix Arch. The statue to access Place Cachée was located at the juncture of Rue Richer and Rue Girardon. Both streets and Boulevard Voltaire were part of Place Cachée and therefore the location of many wizarding shops, restaurants, and homes.
“It’s very colorful.” Hermione smiled at the vibrant colors on display in the magical district of Paris. Looking around, she noticed that the whole area spread out in different streets, rather than the intersecting alleys off of Diagon Alley in London.
“There’s plenty to explore as well.” Fleur smiled at Hermione as she pointed out the various streets. “Rue Cachée, Rue Malabête, Rue du Carcohl, Rue du Furstemberg, Allée Vation, Rue Girardon, Rue Richer, and Boulevard Voltaire.” She named the streets, pointing out the ones that they could see at the moment.
Hermione beamed as Fleur gently took her hand and entwined their fingers as they walked down the street together. Both were wearing lovely sundresses suitable for the summer weather and the two witches turned more than a few heads as they explored various shops. Hermione, fluent in French, overheard more than a few compliments from male passerby and blushed cutely, not used to hearing such things from anyone but Harry…at least not in the context of being desirable.
“Do not worry about them, mon chéri.” Fleur grinned at Hermione’s pink cheeks. “You do look very lovely though~” Her entrancing blue eyes looked Hermione up and down, making the other girl fidget slightly, even as a smile spread across her face.
“You’re very lovey yourself, Fleur.” Hermione returned the compliment, her warm brown eyes taking in Fleur in the light sundress that flowed around her whenever the summer breeze caressed them.
Fleur leaned in and place a soft little kiss on Hermione’s lips. “Merci.”
Hermione smiled, a soft and warm giggle escaping her and making Fleur smile. “Come on.” She took Fleur’s hand again and the two continued on their sightseeing/shopping date.
It was a little surprising—at least to Hermione—when one of the clothing shops they stopped to window shop at held bikinis and other more modern swimwear compared to the things she’d seen in Magical Britain. Fleur let out a thoughtful hum as she looked at a rather skimpy black bikini that would show off plenty of her gorgeous body. Fleur glanced over at Hermione, catching her eye, and let a little smile cross her lips.
“Would you like to see me in this, Hermione~?” Fleur asked with a teasing lilt.
“Yes.” Hermione answered before nearly slapping her free hand over her mouth, her eyes wide in disbelief at what she’d just blurted out. “I…I mean…”
Fleur’s beautiful laughter stopped Hermione from stuttering or babbling in embarrassment. “I’m flattered, mon chéri.” She pointed to another bikini on display, this one a slightly more conservative cut. “I’d like to see you in that~”
Hermione looked at the navy-blue bikini and thought it was a little risqué for her…though the way that Fleur genuinely wanted to see her in it made butterflies flutter about her tummy. “W-Well…should we go in?” She decided to be a little bold on this date with Fleur as she opened the door and pulled Fleur inside the shop with their entwined hands.
A polite greeting to the witch running the shop and the two young women quickly found sets of the bikinis on display. Moving over to the changing rooms, Fleur and Hermione entered separate stalls and began to change into the swimwear. Fleur, never having any reason to lack confidence in her body, changed easily without any nervousness. She looked at her naked body in the mirror and ran her hands over her curves before gently cupping her large tits, having enjoyed Hermione’s eyes on them a few times since their date had started. Putting the black bikini top on, a simple Tying Charm had the strings behind her neck and her back secure and she adjusted the black cloth to ensure coverage and support of her girls. With ease, Fleur slipped the black bikini bottoms up her long legs and felt the cloth practically cup her ass…or the half of her lovely cheeks that it bothered covering.
“Very nice…” Fleur approved of the little black bikini as she looked at her reflection. “Certainly shows off my assets~” She turned and saw the way her ass was temptingly displayed, the bottoms weren’t a thong…but her cheeks were still prominently shown off while everything that needed to be covered was kept covered.
Stepping out of the changing room, Fleur looked at the one that Hermione had entered, only to see Hermione step out a few seconds later in the navy-blue bikini. Both girls admired each there, Hermione drinking in Fleur’s almost bare body while Fleur’s eyes roamed all of Hermione’s exposed skin.
“Is…is it too much?” Hermione asked after pulling her gaze from Fleur’s body and looking into her girlfriend’s eyes. She fidgeted a little, swaying slightly side to side as so much of her slightly pale skin was shown off.
“You’re gorgeous, Hermione.” Fleur told her with affection and warmth. She and Harry would absolutely make sure that Hermione knew just how beautiful they found her, no matter what anyone else said.
Hermione smiled at the genuine compliment and preened just a little under Fleur’s gaze. “You’re beautiful too, Fleur.” She once more looked over Fleur’s almost bare body, only to squeak cutely when Fleur suddenly turned around, her long silvery-blonde hair dancing through the air as she showed off the back to Hermione. “Oh…wow…” Hermione breathed out, seeing almost half of Fleur’s amazing ass on display right in front of her.
Fleur looked over her shoulder with a sexy grin. “Glad you enjoy the view, mon chéri.” She ran her hands over her ass and even bounced on her heels once to make it jiggle for Hermione’s viewing pleasure. “I can’t wait to take you to my favorite beach~”
“Your favorite beach?” Hermione asked a few seconds later after pulling her eyes away from Fleur’s bottom.
“Mhmm…” Fleur nodded as she turned back around and closed the distance between them, pulling Hermione into a gentle hug, their bodies flush against each other, letting both young women enjoy the softness of their skin meeting and their curves pressing together. “…it’s a topless beach~” She purred into Hermione’s ear quietly.
Hermione let out the cutest little gasp at that. “F-Fleur…” She almost whined, even as her arms wrapped around Fleur’s waist.
Fleur returned the hug, her arms going around Hermione. “Do you not want to?” She’d happily take Hermione to a different beach if her girlfriend wasn’t ready for a topless beach yet.
“I…well, I wouldn’t mind…I think.” Hermione admitted as she pulled back enough to look Fleur in the eyes, warm brown meeting loving blue.
The two shared a kiss without thinking about it and smiled lovingly at each other once their lips separated.
“Then let’s purchase these and continue our date.” Fleur said with a grin as she softly took hold of Hermione’s shoulders and turned her around, playfully pushing her towards the changing room. “Oh my~” She hummed out as she got to see Hermione’s nice butt held in the thin navy-blue bikini bottom.
Hermione blushed cutely, but copied Fleur from before as she ran her hands over her bikini-covered bottom and then bounced once on her heels.
Fleur let out a purr at Hermione copying her teasing. “You’re a vision, mon chéri.” Her girlfriend certainly had a nice ass, her bottom jiggling quite alluringly.
“Thank you.” Hermione practically dove into the changing room with a bright blush on her face, her heart hammering in her chest at how bold she was being. ‘Being with Fleur like this is making me so…naughty.’ And yet, she found that she rather liked it and the confidence it gave her in her body.
Once Fleur and Hermione had changed back into their sundresses, they purchased the new bikinis and then headed outside to continue their date through Place Cachée.
-Daphne’s Potions Lab-
“Hmm… It’s stable.” Harry said as he swirled his completed potion around in the glass flask. The orange-red potion was his second attempt at his recipe…the first having failed to hold the magic within and thinned into a useless, off-colored liquid that smelled strange. “That’s a good start.”
Daphne had a flask of her own potion; her recipe having only needed minor tweaking compared to Harry’s larger adjustments. The light yellow-orange potion within the flask was reminiscent of the faint light of sunrise. “We have them, but how exactly do we test them? The full moon is only a week away already.”
Harry thought about that for a moment. It wasn’t like they could test it on lab rats or something. “I do know a werewolf…but it seems wrong to ask him to be a test subject when we’re not fully certain of the effects of these potions.”
“That would be incredibly rude and dangerous.” Daphne said with a flat expression at the idea of asking someone to become a test subject like that. “But how to test them out to make sure they have the effect that we want?”
“Well…Lycanthropy has some similarities to the Blood Malediction from what I understand of it.” Harry murmured as he thought of the magical properties of the two curses. “Let’s see…” He looked towards a cage on the table and unlocked the door with barely a thought and it swung open under his magic. Just a minute later and a rat floated out of the cage. Harry gently floated the animal above his palm and gently petted it to calm it down. “Let’s try it this way.”
Daphne looked at Harry warily as he leaned close to the floating rat and began to whisper something under his breath to the rat. “Harry…what are you doing?”
Harry set the rat on the table and Daphne noticed that it wasn’t moving, just sitting on the table as if waiting for something. It was only a minute later when the rat let out a loud squeak and its body twitched and began to morph, doubling the rodent’s size as it squeaked and shrieked in pain while looking almost ragged and feral.
“HARRY?! WHAT DID YOU DO?!” Daphne cried out in shock as she saw the rat change so violently.
“I gave the rat a curse of transformation.” Harry explained, giving her a reassuring smile. “I had to learn about Maledictions to remove the Blood Malediction from you and your family. This is just an application of that.”
Daphne took a long steadying breath, her heart rate slowly returning to normal. Having suffered through the Blood Malediction, she obviously had a bit of trauma upon seeing a Malediction cast right in front of her. “Please, Harry, warn me before you cast a Malediction again.”
Harry grimaced, realizing what he’d accidentally put Daphne through. “Sorry about that, Daphne.” He used his Bind spell on the transformed rat to keep it in place, then he walked over to Daphne and gently pulled her into a warm hug.
“I’ll be alright, Harry.” Daphne said softly as she returned the hug, snuggling into his embrace as she calmed down. “Love you.”
“Love you too.” Harry said back as he gently squeezed Daphne closer, just holding her and whispering soft words of comfort.
A few minutes later and Daphne had calmed down after the unexpected sight of a Malediction being cast. Looking over the motionless transformed rat, Daphne compared it to pictures of werewolves she’d seen in books. Harry placed his potion down on the table and motioned for Daphne to do the same.
“So, which potion should we try first?” Daphne asked after setting the flask with her new potion in it on the table. “Mine or yours?”
“Given the size of the rat, each flask should have at least a few dozen doses, so we can try it out at various points during the curse’s effect.” Harry said as he looked at the immobilized rat. “I think my potion should cancel the Malediction I placed on it.” He looked at Daphne with a smile. “May I borrow a dropper?”
Daphne playfully rolled her eyes. “I suppose you can.” She reached over to a drawer and pulled out a dropper before handing it over to Harry. “Give me a moment and I should be able to get a recommended dosage.” She pulled out her wand and cast a Diagnostic Charm. “Hmm, okay…” Daphne wrote down the information she got back. “Your curse on it is VERY morally bankrupt, Harry.”
Harry nodded while watching Daphne write down a note on a spare piece of parchment. “I know it is. All Maledictions are by their design.”
“Going by its weight, a proper dose of either potion should be about five drops.” Daphne said after she stopped writing, having used the rat’s weight and the ingredients of both potions to get a safe dosage.
“Alright then, five drops it is.” Harry put the dropper into the flask containing his new potion and collected a good amount. “Swallow this, little fella.” He put the end of the dropper to the rat’s mouth and lightly squeezed the bulb. As each drop touched the rat’s mouth the creature, nearly feral as it was now, swallowed all five drops. “And let’s unbind you.” The transformed rat shrieked and ran the length of the table…only to be snatched up by Harry’s magic and placed back where it started.
“Squeeeaaakkk!” The transformed rat screeched out before it fell to the table and went still.
Harry blinked as he started taking notes. “No change in size…still transformed and feral-acting.”
Daphne was writing in her own notes. “Subject calms down after twenty seconds. Exhibits normal rat behavior after taking dosage of potion. Hypothesize that it’s regained its lucidity.” That was the normal effect of the Wolfsbane Potion and their potions were based off of it, so the effect persisting—and without having to be taken for a full seven days before the transformation—was a major success in improving the original potion.
The two observed the transformed rat as it lay still for the next hour without seeing any changes, even when Harry looked at the rat with his Mage Sight spell. To pass the time, they talked about this morning’s Daily Prophet edition…more specifically a certain story on the second page.
“Did you see that Fudge is still insisting that Dumbledore is a liar?” Harry asked Daphne as he briefly looked away from the rat.
“I did.” Daphne said after she finished writing another note in her notebook. “You’d think your eyewitness testimony would work, but Fudge went out of his way to give you the Order of Merlin as fast as possible and no journalists or newspapers that would ask questions was invited.”
Harry raised an eyebrow at that. “Really? I didn’t notice while I was there getting the Order of Merlin.”
Daphne shrugged at that, she’d only noticed because her father had pointed it out this morning. “According to my dad, Fudge is trying to bury Dumbledore’s version of the incident and make it look like you were attacked by some random group of dark wizards and witches.”
“And no one at the Prophet or the Ministry thought it might be a good idea to figure out for sure…or at least prepare, in case of?” Harry knew many witches and wizards lacked some common sense, but this seemed like willful ignorance.
“Fudge has more than a few ‘yes men’ in his administration.” Daphne said, repeating what she’d heard her mother say once before.
Harry recalled something that Tonks had mentioned before about a ‘toad-like woman’ that was one of Fudge’s most ardent supporters. “Nym says that Fudge has one annoying, toad-faced sycophant that runs about the Ministry ‘ensuring order’, which seems to mean reprimanding anyone that speaks ill of the Minister.”
Daphne broke out into a giggle at the description. “Tonks isn’t the type to fear a reprimand, so I guess she doesn’t care what this ‘toad-faced’ person has to say.”
Both of them laughed at bit at just how accurate that was for Tonks.
“It’s about time.” Harry said as he knew the cycle of the Transformation Malediction that he’d placed on the rodent.
Daphne and Harry watched as the rat let out a whine-like squeak as its body began to shrink and return to normal. Once the transformation had reverted, the rat immediately fell asleep on the table.
“So it’ll transform again in one hour?” Daphne asked for confirmation.
“It will.” Harry confirmed with a short nod. “I wonder why it didn’t work?” He asked while thoughtfully looking at his potion. “Everything I used and measured should have made the potion capable of dispelling curses and spells afflicting a living creature.”
Daphne hummed thoughtfully, wondering why Harry’s potion hadn’t worked to end the effect of the Malediction. “Is it perhaps because the Malediction attaches to the body and magic of the victim in a way different from a standard spell or curse?”
Harry noted that idea down. “I suppose it’s possible. Much like Lycanthropy, a Malediction is a curse unlike other types in how it affects the body of the afflicted.”
Almost fifty minutes later the rat awoke, drank some of the water that Daphne and Harry had provided before nibbling on the peanuts and sunflower seeds next to the small dish of water. Ten minutes later and the rat screeched as it transformed again, it’s body twisting and bulking up until it was nearly twice it’s normal size and had wild and ragged fur again. Harry instantly immobilized the rat again and Daphne approached it with an eye dropper filled with her potion.
“Just five drops, little one.” Daphne fed the transformed rat five drops of her potion and then stepped back, taking up her notebook to record the reaction.
Once Harry released the transformed rat, it scurried around, running into the ward that Harry had set up on the table. After about thirty seconds, the frantic and feral actions stopped as the still transformed rat panted and crawled its way over to the water to drink. The sight of the huge transformed rat returning to acting like a normal rat was a good sign that Daphne’s potion also returned those violently transformed back to lucidity without the seven day potion regime necessary to do so that the Wolfsbane Potion required.
“Subject shows a return to normal behavior at the thirty second mark.” Harry noted down along with Daphne. “Both potions have vastly improved upon the Wolfsbane Potion’s time of effect.”
“Still no changes in size nor reversion of transformation.” Daphne wrote down into her own notebook. “The test curse, much like Lycanthropy, seems unaffected by either potion once the transformation has taken effect.”
Harry considered that for a moment. “Well, Wolfsbane does have to be taken for the seven days before the full moon… Perhaps we should give the potions to the rat shortly before its scheduled change?”
Daphne nodded at that idea. “Since the Wolfsbane Potion was the initial base, that seems like the best option to try next.”
The two watched on for any change between the effect of Daphne’s potion compared to Harry’s while the rat remained transformed. At the one hour mark, the rat returned to normal and then lay on the table exhausted form the transformation. The rodent napped for almost forty-five minutes before it woke up and drank some water. Harry immobilized the rat and fed it five drops of his potion five minutes before it was due to change again. Both Daphne and Harry watched on as the time ticked down.
“No change…” Harry smiled as the time of the transformation came and the rat didn’t have a violent transformation.
Daphne looked a bit closer as the rat had gone still. “Something’s happening.”
Harry used his Mage Sight spell to check the magic within the rat and blinked in surprise. “That Malediction is…slow?” The curse was still within the rat, but it was taking effect at a much slower pace this time around.
The rat’s transformation began, but this time the creature didn’t freak out and only seemed to have some mild discomfort as its body slowly shifted over the course of about three minutes until it was fully transformed once more.
“Subject’s transformation was slowed and caused less pain.” Daphne noted down the change that giving Harry’s potion to the rat ahead of the transformation had produced.
“The subject remained lucid throughout the transformation had after, no loss of agency or mental faculties.” Harry wrote into his notebook. “The Malediction was slowed in its activation, hinting that the potion’s effect of dispelling curses and magic afflicting the being in question does work.”
The hour of transformation was spent with Daphne and Harry closely watching the transformed rat for any signs of side-effects from the potion. There didn’t appear to be any and Harry even kept an eye on the magic the entire time. The large transformed rat was just acting like a normal rat. Once it returned to its normal state, going through it slowly and with much less pain or discomfort again, Harry smiled at the partial success.
Daphne hugged Harry for his potion having the effect that he’d sought to create. “Even if it’s not a cure…maintaining their lucidity and having a much easier transformation would be a great boon for werewolves. Not to mention only having to buy ONE dose of a potion instead of eight doses of a much more expensive potion.
“I’m just glad that it works…even if it’s not a true cure.” Harry hugged Daphne back. “I’ll test it on other more common spells and curses and see if it dispels them from a living creature.”
Five minutes before the rat’s next transformation, Daphne gave it another dose of her potion. Harry and Daphne took up their notebooks and prepared to write down their observations. The time came for the transformation…and nothing happened. Harry immediately used his Mage Sight spell and saw the magic of the Malediction glowing within the rat, trying to transform it…but something was preventing it from doing so.
“The Malediction is still there…it’s actively trying to fulfil its purpose, but the potion seems to be preventing the transformation.” Harry said as he rapidly wrote down what he was witnessing with his Mage Sight.
“Preventing the transformation?” Daphne wrote down what she was seeing, the rat didn’t even tense up or start writhing around. It seemed to be wary, clearly knowing that something about its condition was ‘off’ even though nothing about it physically changed. “It wasn’t what I was going for, but it’s a massive success over the Wolfsbane Potion!”
The entire hour that the rat should’ve been transformed passed without incident. Harry watched the entire time as the Malediction he’d placed remained active but was unable to fulfill its purpose. Noting that observation down and sharing it with Daphne saw the two shooting ideas back and forth about how to improve their potions into an actual cure for Lycanthropy.
“Maybe if I used an Occamy egg?” Daphne looked over her recipe notes. “That would massively increase the price though.”
Harry hummed thoughtfully. “We’d have to brew a bunch of test batches with more variations of the recipe and then test each one. While money wouldn’t be much of an issue since Sirius will happily sponsor us, it would take a lot of time.” That wasn’t a deal breaker for either of them though. Both were hard working and patient enough to search and test and refine their recipes until they reached the goal.
Daphne tapped her quill onto the page of her notebook as she mentally went through her recipe again and again, looking for any ingredients she could switch with something more potent…only to constantly run into the wall of ‘cost’ each time. ‘The entire point of this is to make the potion more affordable than Wolfsbane Potion. If it becomes more expensive, then none of the werewolves that’re forced into poverty because of their cursed affliction will be able to get the cure even if it is available.’
“Hmm, the Malediction was active…but incapable of carrying out its function for the entire hour.” Harry mused to himself, thinking aloud as he often did when stumped by a task. “But an active curse that’s not causing its effect is in a nebulous state…”
Both of them continued to ponder on ways to progress their research into a Lycanthropy cure until it was almost time for the rat’s next transformation. It was only as Daphne was preparing to administer another dosage, this time with six drops, that Harry interrupted with an idea.
“What if we mix them?” Harry asked looking between his potion and Daphne’s. “Three drops of yours and two drops of mine? Then we can observe the effects.”
“That shouldn’t cause any issues, that I can think of…” Daphne couldn’t know one-hundred percent, of course…that’s why they were testing their potions on a Malediction cursed rat instead of a werewolf. “Let’s try it.”
The rat was then given a dose containing three drops of Daphne’s potion followed by two drops of Harry’s potion. They waited and watched and as the time came, the transformation didn’t take effect right away. Harry watched the magic within and recorded what he saw.
“The Malediction is moving slowly…it seems that it can still make changes this time.” Harry noted the weakening of the effect of Daphne’s potion with only three drops compared to five.
“It’s fur is becoming shaggy and ragged…but there are no changes to the body.” Daphne wrote down her observation into her notebook. “Time taken to transform, four minutes.”
Indeed, the rat now had more fur, but otherwise it merely laid on the table as if waiting for the transformation to pass. The animal’s instincts proved to be accurate as before the hour was up, the transformation reversed, leaving the rat normal again.
Harry, having watched with his Mage Sight spell, had interest clearly shining in his eyes. “Transformation time was shortened by nine minutes, and it took four minutes to fully transform at the beginning of the hour. That cuts the total time of transformation by eleven minutes.”
“We’re going to need more rats for testing.” Daphne said as she finished writing her observations. “We’ve already burned up most of the day with just one rat.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem.” Harry agreed while knowing they could buy plenty of rats from the Magical Menagerie in Diagon Alley.
-Ministère des Affaires Magiques de la France ~ July 7th-
Fleur was confident in herself as she sat in an examination room within the French Ministry of Magic. Her scheduled Mastery Exam was about to begin and she knew the first part would be a lengthy written test going over all the aspects of Charms Theory that Beauxbatons covered and advanced material that wasn’t taught at the school. It was one of the many reasons that most recent graduates like her took on multi-year apprenticeships to prepare first. Fleur, however, wasn’t intimidated in the slightest. She’d pushed herself, studied ahead every single year that she was in Beauxbatons, and she’d learned quite a few insights into practical casting as well after learning from Harry. Her interpretation of magic and how far it had taken her spellcasting already should make earning her Mastery an almost foregone conclusion.
“Miss Delacour, very nice to meet you.” A kindly older witch greeted Fleur as she entered the examination room. “I’ll be one of your examiners today.” She explained while setting down the stacks of parchment that made up the written exam. “This first part will be testing your knowledge of Charms and Charms Theory.”
“Thank you for making the time, ma’am.” Fleur gave the older witch a lovely smile before looking at the stack of parchments. It was quite the stack, but a Mastery was an achievement that many never attained in their lives, so the requirements to earn one were expected to be difficult.
The older witch nodded approvingly at Fleur’s politeness. “You may only use this quill to write with during the examination.” She handed Fleur a simple-looking white-feathered quill with a metallic band around the part of the quill that was held while writing. “It will ensure that you cannot cheat. I will also be watching as you take the exam.” With that the older witch conjured herself a comfortable chair with a wave of her wand and then sat down so that she could watch Fleur easily. “You may begin, Miss Delacour.”
Fleur picked up the quill and took the first sheet of parchment from the stack. ‘It seems they start with the simplest questions.’ She thought to herself as she easily answered the first question about the classification of Charms that moved objects without touching them.
-Ministry of Magic ~ London-
At the same time that Fleur was beginning her Charms Mastery exam, Daphne and Harry were sitting for their Potions O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s in their attempt to earn their Masteries. Daphne was a little nervous, but having Harry with her, even if they would be separated in one way or another during the exam itself, was doing wonders to ease her nerves.
“You’ll do amazing, Daphne.” Harry assured her with a smile as he held her hand, gently running his thumb over the back to soothe her.
“I know,” Daphne let out a slow exhale as she composed herself. “But I honestly would’ve never thought I’d be getting my O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s early, much less attempting a Mastery before fifth year. If someone had told me I’d be doing this back in first year, then I’d have called them mental.”
Harry smiled at her. “Well, it’s only ONE O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. right now…” He teased her lightly.
Daphne made sure Harry saw her roll her eyes at him. “Yes, yes, ‘Mr. I won’t have any exams to sit by the end of fifth year’…”
The little smile on Daphne’s lips made Harry smile too. Joking and playful teasing to calm Daphne’s nerves was something simple that he was happy to do. “I mean…I’ll still have to sit for Care of Magical Creatures, and Astronomy, and Transfiguration, and History of Magic, and Herbology.”
“I get it, you prat. Ruining my joke.” Daphne said with a little sniff of faked disdain.
“Miss Greengrass, Mr. Potter?” A wizard that looked close to Sirius’s age smiled at the two from the doorway to the room they’d have their written exam in. “We’re ready for you now.”
Harry and Daphne stood up from their chairs and followed the wizard inside, finding two desks set up with a mobile screen set up between them to prevent those sitting at either desk for being able to see each other. The potential to cheat with another person around was clearly being taken into account for these exams. Once both of them sat at one of the desks, the wizard examiner placed two small stacks of parchment on both desks.
“You two are sitting for your O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. equivalency exams. I’m sure it’s obvious, but the stack of parchment on your desks right now is the O.W.L. Exam. This is the same one that we used this year at Hogwarts, so passing it will qualify you for an O.W.L in the subject of Potions, so long as your practical exam score is also of passing grade quality.” The examiner told the two with a pleasant air about him. “We will, of course, be providing you with the Anti-Cheating Quills and the desk are also enchanted to let us know if you’re cheating some other manner.” The stern expression he gave Daphne and Harry made it clear that if they cheated they’d be tossed out then and there.
“Yes, sir.” Daphne nodded in understanding.
Harry gave a single nod to the older wizard. “Yes, sir.”
The wizard examiner was back to smiles now. “Then you may begin when ready.” He moved to sit at a desk set up in front of the room, giving him clear view of both Harry and Daphne as they took their O.W.L. exams.
‘Seems simple enough to start.’ Harry mused as the first question on the exam was about cauldron material in relation to potion making.
Daphne easily answered the first question with a list of examples before moving onto the second. ‘What are all the standard classifications of potions ingredients? Anyone pursuing a career as a Potioneer would’ve had this memorized by fifth year, surely.’
Two hours later and the time for the exam was up. Daphne and Harry’s exams were taken and set on the desk at the front of the classroom by the older wizard examiner. The screen between them was banished to the side of the room with a wave of the examiner’s wand and with two loops and a sharp swish, two long wooden tables floated over from the opposite side of the room, each with a full potion lab already set up on it.
“You have two hours to brew a successful Draught of Peace.” The examiner explained the practical test for their O.W.L. exam. “It’s a fairly common potion during the exams for fifth year students. It should only take you ninety minutes to brew; however we do allow a full two hours incase a mistake is made early on and you need to restart the potion. While I doubt either of you needs the reminder, I will still say this; a potion and a poison may be a mere breath apart—until you consume the wrong one.” With the, rather ominous, warning given, the examiner nodded to both Harry and Daphne. “You may begin.”
While Daphne and Harry started—first ensuring that all of the tools and implements were clean with various spells—the examiner sat at the desk and began to grade their written exams while keeping a sharp eye on their brewing. It was clear the examiner was a Potions Master himself as he easily kept track of both Harry and Daphne’s work even while grading their exams.
-Voldemort’s Safehouse-
“Peter Pettigrew…your master calls you. Come back to my side.” Voldemort said as he stood before the ritual circle made of blood and Wormtail’s hair. This wouldn’t be the same undead that his other Death Eaters had been made into, but that was fine, as Voldemort wanted to try other things after experiencing what Harry Potter was capable of in the graveyard. “I call you forth.”
The chill in the air didn’t grow stronger, as expected, rather it grew fainter, as if the spirit he was trying to bring forth was fleeing from the ritual and the call of Voldemort. Narrowing his red eyes, Voldemort strengthened his magic that he was pouring into the ritual. Wormtail’s fear of him was clearly making this more difficult as the spirit fled from the one that killed him. With a slight hiss, the ritual circle glowed an eerie reddish-purple and a wail was heard.
“AAAUUUGGHH!!!” The wailing spirit became visible within the center of the ritual circle. It only had a vaguely human-shape, but the whispery voice was clearly Peter Pettigrew’s. “N-No… Master, pl-please release me…”
Voldemort flexed his magic and the spirit of Wormtail shuddered. “Silence, you coward.” He hissed out, applying pressure through the ritual onto the spirit. “I told you that I would recall you to my side. I still have use of you.”
Peter’s spirit wavered and seemed to whimper in a whispery voice. “M-Master, please… I d-don’t want… It h-hurts…”
“You will feel no pain soon enough you sniveling lout.” Voldemort silenced Peter’s whimpers and begging with a sharp hiss. The vaguely human-shaped spirit was compressed and drawn into Voldemort’s hand, becoming a ball of faint blue-white light that looked almost like mist under moonlight. The wailing grew louder, though was muffled as Voldemort kept it in spherical form with his magic. Walking away from the ritual circle, Voldemort approached a large, rectangular wooden box and with barely a wave of his hand had the lid open to reveal the contents within: a desiccated husk of a corpse that look almost mummified, whether from improper burial or sheer age was unknown. “You’ll be of use and I’ll no longer have to listen to your pitiful whimpering. Be grateful that Lord Voldemort has given you this opportunity, Wormtail.” With those final harsh words said, Voldemort placed his palm on the chest of the corpse, forcing the spirit of Peter Pettigrew into it.
The mist-like spirit disappeared into the husk of a corpse and nothing happened for a long moment. Then the corpse twitched and the empty eye sockets glowed with an eerie glow of purple light. Sickening sounds of dry flesh and skin cracking were heard as the hands of the corpse rose up to take hold of the edges of the simple coffin and sit upright. Slowly, and with the same cracking sounds, the corpse stood up from the wooden box and looked towards Voldemort with its empty, glowing eye sockets.
“In Servetium Redigo.” Voldemort intoned and on the corpse’s forward a glyph appeared with the same faint purple glow. All across the desiccated body, previously unnoticeable glyphs appeared as they glowed with the faint light. Now that the new undead was enslaved to Voldemort’s will, he could begin using it. “Kill.” He gave it a one-word order while pointing to a magically bound Hag that he’d had snatched from Knockturn Alley.
The bound and silenced Hag could only watch as the undead…thing…approached her without a sound, the desiccated corpse kneeled down and grabbed her throat with its bony hands. The hag’s eyes widened, her wart-covered skin going pallid just from touching the undead. Without having to fight a struggling victim, the undead dug its bony fingers into her neck, blood flowing freely form the wounds until the creature tore the Hag’s throat out entirely, killing her as it had been ordered.
Voldemort watched on without care. He’d taken so many lives by this point that he felt nothing from watching others die. But as the Hag died, the Dark Lord had the tiniest hint of a smirk cross his lips as the blood spilled flowed against gravity and up the arms of the undead. The Hag’s body began to shrivel up and the husk of a corpse began to fill out a bit, becoming less dry as its muscles and skin were seemingly rejuvenated, though still skeletal like an emaciated person. The glow of the eye sockets was replaced with new eyes, though they were oddly black with no visible iris or pupil. By the time the Hag’s corpse was little more than a newly desiccated husk itself, the undead now looked like a horrifically emaciated person, completely bald, all of its bones clearly visible through its skin, and with a distinct smell of rot about it.
“Good.” Voldemort said as he saw his newest undead fulfill its order, along with seeing the magic it possessed to drain its victims of life. “Kill any living thing that doesn’t bare my mark within this place and in the surrounding area.”
The new undead let out a rattling breath, incapable of speech, and nodded slowly before it turned its head sharply, an odd popping sound coming from its neck, and then scrambled across the floor. The squeaking of a rat was heard for a brief instant before it was silenced. The blood of the creature seemed to sink into the skin of the undead as its body shriveled up. The only thing that survived was the fur which grotesquely seemed to crawl up the hand of the undead creature and settle upon its pallid flesh, becoming a part of it. With the rat killed, the undead staggered off and up the stone stairs to fulfill Voldemort’s orders.
Voldemort only smiled darkly at his newest undead as it disappeared through the door at the top of the stairs. “Perhaps Wormtail’s affinity for rats has carried over to this one.” He mused coldly, almost amused by the idea of some small trace of Peter Pettigrew emerging from the undead his spirit had animated. “Let’s see what it becomes before I decide whether or not to make more.”
There was plenty more to do still. Voldemort refused to be the lesser wizard to Harry Potter and would delve into magics the likes of which the world hadn’t seen in centuries to do so. Horrors from ages long past would rise under his command and he’d use them to take everything that Harry Potter cared about away, just out of sheer hatred and spite for the younger wizard.
“I will prove that not even prophecy can stop Lord Voldemort.” Voldemort hissed out hatefully, his red eyes practically glowing.
-Late Evening-
There was much celebration as Daphne and Harry returned to the Greengrass Home with certificates confirming their earned O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s in Potions. But what meant far more were the plaques in each of their hands and the new Symbol of Mastery that each of them had pinned to their robes over their left breast.
“I’m so proud of you, honey.” Layla Greengrass hugged her daughter warmly, pouring her love and pride for her daughter into the embrace. “Not even a fifth year yet and already a Potions Master!”
“Second youngest in Magical Britain’s history!” Cyrus hugged his daughter and wife—since Layla wouldn’t let Daphne go yet—as he leaned down slightly to kiss the top of Daphne’s head.
Harry could only smile as Daphne basked in the praise and love from her family, Astoria even joining the group hug to congratulate her big sister. He was slightly amused that Daphne, being just slightly older than him, had achieved the goal of taking Snape’s accomplishment of ‘Youngest Potions Master’ from him, but not having gotten her—playfully stated—goal of beating him to the Mastery and being the youngest in history.
“This’ll be front page news in the Prophet tomorrow!” Sirius declared as he threw his arm over Harry’s shoulder and pulled him into a side-hug with a bright laugh.
Andromeda lightly coughed to remind Sirius that they were indoors and he needed to keep his voice at a reasonable level. “We’re all incredibly proud of both of them. But there’s no need to bellow so loudly in someone else’s home, Sirius.”
Astoria pulled back from the hug to smile at Harry. “What about Fleur?”
“We’re all invited to come to her home tomorrow to celebrate her Charms Mastery.” Harry revealed that Fleur had also earned her own Mastery today. “Apparently, as soon as Marius and Apolline saw her plaque and Symbol of Mastery, they Floo-ed everyone in their family to come to the Delacour home and celebrate Fleur’s accomplishment. Aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, distant relations, Veela Enclave members, friends of the family…just everyone. So, their home is a bit overflowing today.”
“Yay! Trip to France tomorrow!” Astoria cheered with a bright giggle.
Daphne pulled Astoria into a hug from behind and lightly squeezed her sister. “You still need to celebrate with us tonight, Tori!”
Astoria agreed with a laugh. “Mum and dad bought cake!”
“We did.” Layla confirmed with a soft laugh.
“We were confident that you’d both earn your Mastery.” Cyrus smiled proudly at Daphne and Harry.
Ted reached into the small bag he’d brought with him and pulled out a bottle of wine. “Andromeda and I thought it’d be nice to toast to the children’s success among the adults!” His smile was bright and quickly matched by Sirius, Cyrus, Layla, and Andromeda.
The Floo flared green and Hermione stepped out, taking an extra step as she wasn’t used to Floo travel. “Oh, am I late?” She asked as she saw everyone gathered together.
“Just in time, Hermione.” Harry assured her as his girlfriend nearly tackled him in a tight hug.
“I knew you could do it, Harry!” Hermione cheered as she pulled back just enough to beam at him.
Daphne pretended to look away. “What am I, chopped flobberworm?”
Hermione giggled as she went to give Daphne a hug too. “Of course not, you’re the second Youngest Potions Master in Britian! Congratulations, Daphne!”
“Had to add that ‘second’ in there, huh?” Daphne playfully teased as she returned the hug.
“That’s just how age works, love.” Harry said as he wrapped his arms around both Hermione and Daphne and hugged them both.
The Floo crackled with green fire again and Luna emerged from the flames with a warm smile on her face. “Congratulations, Harry! Congratulations, Daphne!” She was quickly hugging them both only a moment later. “Professor Snape might be a bit mad when we go back to school though.”
“Good.” Daphne and Harry said at the same time, then looked at each other before cracking up into bright laughter.
-Sosnovka ~ Russia-
A large man wearing a fur cloak looked at the issue of the Daily Prophet in his hands. It was a few days old now, but the front page news of Harry Potter gaining another Order of Merlin was prominent. That wasn’t what caught the man’s attention though…no, it was Harry’s short speech, quoted word for word.
“Practically demanding the Title of Grand Sorcerer…thinks he’s going to be the first Arch Mage.” The man snorted at the picture of Harry on the front page. “Little upstart is getting too big of an ego.” The bravado of a young man that Harry had displayed was more than a little grating to those that had gained achievements of their own, but had already had said achievements matched or exceeded by Harry Potter.
Maxim Volkov was a wizard that came from rather common roots. His family had never been rich or wealthy. They lived by their work and had no notable relatives or ancestors…until Maxim himself had come along. He’d been a prodigious talent from a young age and the top of his class every year at Koldovstoretz, the premiere magical school of Russia. He’d graduated with great things expected of him and had fulfilled all of those expectations with his knowledge, hard work, and magical skill. He’d earned Masteries in Transfiguration, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and had gained renown on the Professional Dueling Circuit. He’d earned the Title of Sorcerer at only twenty years old and then earned the High Sorcerer Title at twenty-eight. In the years since then, however, he’d never been able to achieve anything that would grant him the Grand Sorcerer Title from the International Confederation of Wizards, no matter how he tried.
Standing up from his seat, Maxim turned the newspaper to ash with barely a thought. He was tall and broad shouldered, standing at 191cm with thick, dark hair and a matching beard and mustache. Unlike many wizards, Maxim was rather well-muscled, ‘built strong’ as his father often said when he’d been growing up. The Russian wizard could not tolerate the bravado and arrogance he saw in Harry Potter through the Daily Prophet, and he was going to educate the younger man about why the Title of Grand Sorcerer and those beyond it weren’t to be thrown around so casually.
“It is obvious that he was given far too much praise growing up for him to speak like this, as if putting down all of us other High Sorcerers across the world.” Maxim said to himself with a scoff. He looked over to his fireplace, knowing he could get to a friend’s house that would help him get an international Portkey.
Harry had no idea of what or who was coming his way as he celebrated with his friends and continued his work on a cure for Lycanthropy with Daphne over the coming days.
-End Chapter-
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Progress is being made on a cure for Lycanthropy!
Wonder if Remus would be willing to try a potion or two during the full moon?
Masteries for our favorite witches…and Harry. Kek! Fleur earns her Charms Mastery while Harry and Daphne earn their Potions Masteries! Both girls gain the Title of Sorceress along with their new Masteries too!
The best part? Snape loses his life’s greatest achievement of being the Youngest Potions Master in Magical Britain’s History! HA!
But with good news comes bad news…
Voldemort is delving further into the necromantic arts, practically snatching Wormtail’s spirit from the beyond and stuffing it into a new type of undead that kills and drains life. What other horrors and abominations will Voldemort raise to bolster the strength of his forces?
There’s also the fact that another High Sorcerer takes Harry’s youthful bravado as an insult! Maxim is coming to pay Harry a ‘visit’…what might that lead to? Is Maxim the ONLY High Sorcerer that took Harry’s statement as an insult or challenge?
Keep reading to find out!
Until I get your reviews, later!