34 Chapter 34
Lily Potter was experiencing the third worst day in her thirty-three years of life.
The first was when she'd lost her family for the first time, the day it had all fallen apart. The day when she and James were tortured to insanity, leaving behind their children to fend for themselves.
The second was the day when Harry had declared her a stranger, breaking her hope-filled heart into a million little pieces. It was the day that had started her life of misery for the years and years to come, knowing her son hated her. Knowing Harry hated her.
And here was the third, the day when it may all fall apart once again. The day when she might lose everything.
Just when her life was looking up again, fate went and did what it does best; screw her over.
Now here she was; knowing Jacob was currently being prepared for a ritual, and she may not be able to stop him from dying. Knowing she was fighting the second most powerful Dark Lord of the millennium alongside her husband, risking to abandon her children once again to die a worthless death.
And yet, the most painful knowledge that bit her to the core; knowing Harry was being hunted—most likely already kidnapped, and on his way here—and there was nothing she could do about it. Her son, who'd transformed her colorless life into literal heaven for the past few months, may be fighting for his life, waiting for his mother's help that will never come.
It tortured her mind in ways that she cannot possibly describe...or actually, she very well can.
It grinded upon her mind like a constant Cruciatus.
Yet, the only thing she could do was fight on for now. Save those that can be saved, and pray that her children came out of this accursed night safe and sound.
But first, she must survive and come back alive, if she actually wished to see them again.
And for that, Grindelwald must go.
Her Occlumency extracted the whirlwind of chaotic emotions from within her, supplying it to strengthen her intent and will, and thus strengthening her magic.
Lightning was unpredictable, unstoppable, and utterly, utterly uncontrollable. Powerful in its might, destructive to the core; controlling it was just as easy as controlling one's past.
The trick wasn't to control it, Lily knew, it was to unleash it. Direct it, give it a target, and see the magic bloom.
Understanding an element's nature was the first true step in mastering elemental Magic. And thankfully for Lily, she knew this quite well too.
Thus, as she fed her turbulent bundle of emotions to her magic, her element became as clear to her senses as her this fading day, and she once again started giving form to a bolt of powerful magic.
"Scrimgeour's down!" The Minister's sudden yell created a ripple upon her Occlumency. "Cover your backs! He's here!"
Up ahead, Grindelwald emerged from the shadows in front of her stunned eyes, the darkness draining out from his body to gather around his arm like a demon taking form—turning into a burning whip—the whip around his wand tip, while the spike originating from his entire arm.
His new target? James.
'No!'
But there was nothing anyone else could do. Bella was tied up battling the patchwork of elemental spirits, alongside Moody and the Minister, struggling to end the monster as a shadow of mundane explosive spells and elemental Magic hit the monster.
Ahead, James created a quick Protego, barely managing to stop the whip as it struck at him. Yet, the whip was rapidly eating through the shield's surface like a thirsty snake, digging through the blue shield as easily as a hot knife through butter. But the final nail that popped his defense came not from the front, but from the back, as multiple strands of shadows lashed at his unprotected side.
'No, no, no, this can't be happening! I need more time!'
Yet soon, James Potter was held up in a net of spindly shadow arms, his shield dissipating, helpless and defenseless.
A fear deeply rooted into her psyche reared its ugly head, and Lily hastily decided to let go of her element to simply battle the Dark Lord spell to spell.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, spells started assaulting the Dark Lord from the side. Practiced and powerful spells, with a speed and accuracy only a level 6 Dueler can cast with.
Yet, without turning, the Dark Lord simply held up a finger, forming multiple force shields—small and spherical—into existence that collided with the spells mid-air.
Chuckling, the Dark Lord glanced sideways. "Did you truly think I didn't see you creeping here like a thief? Impressive Disillusionment, I must say though."
Air rippled as Alice Longbottom showed her face to the world, her eyes nervous but plotting.
"Now," The Dark Lord made a shoo-ing motion. "Kindly begone."
Alice held up her wand, crouching down, yet there was nothing she could do as an invisible force pushed her away, throwing her down on her arse.
"As for you." The Dark Lord turned to James, a hand suddenly wreathed in green flames heading for his throat.
Screaming in defiance, Lily launched her half-formed lightning through the air. Yet, even she knew it was weak and slow, not at the level she usually produced. While her Lightning may not travel at the speed of an actual lightning strike—not even close—it was still multiple times faster than any spell, once released.
The attack that headed for the Dark Lord might as well be moving at the pace of a disarming charm.
Elements need specific emotions to power them, and lightning did not appreciate her panic.
Grindelwald must've sensed the weak power inside it, for he simply extended a hand and launched a powerful vanishing charm, whisking her lightning out of existence; into nothingness and everything.
'You can do that!?'
Her bewildered curiosity was drowned out under James' groan.
Lily recognised the green hue on Grindelwald's palm—holding onto his victim's throat—as the Death element. Something so rare and unexplored that Lily was stuck between panic, despair, and frightened curiosity.
But as her husband's face started withering quickly, panic and despair won out. She didn't even know when she began casting, but spells rapidly flew through the air towards the idly standing Dark Lord.
Yet, just like before, the man simply intercepted them with accurately placed force shields.
Just when the realization of her worst fears coming true started dawning upon her—the nightmares that always started with James dying first, followed by her children—a different set of spells suddenly assaulted the Dark Lord, this time from behind.
Yet, Lily knew it was all for nothing even before the Dark Lord held up his infuriating little finger again. Only half-a-dozen elemental users working together could hope to resist Grindelwald, there was sim—!?
Shock spread through her when the Dark Lord whirled around urgently, throwing her husband's body away. And she turned just in time to witness their new ally's spells blasting straight through the elemental shields, heading for Grindelwald.
The Dark Lord held up his wand in haste, creating a much stronger force shield that covered his entire body in a spherical dome, forcing the spells to splash upon his shield uselessly, wreathing it under flames but doing no true damage.
Lily was even more surprised to sense the spells were simply mundane ones, not marred with even the tiniest bit of element.
Yet, the Dark Lord seemed more serious now than he'd been in the entire fight against them.
'Did Dumbledore...?'
Only then did her eyes finally fall upon the tall figure rapidly making his way towards them, emerald green eyes—more vibrant than hers, she'd always believed—flickering to her briefly before shifting back to the Dark Lord.
Yet, that single glance was enough for Lily to read the unshakeable determination that glinted in his eyes. Cold, occluded eyes, barely hiding the grim rage and stubborn intensity—as if they knew exactly what they were getting into, knew how utterly useless this may prove to be, yet stood their ground all the same.
And as Lily Potter took in the figure of her son running towards the Dark Lord with reckless abandon, all her panic and despair fled like it were never there. Occlumency once again controlled the whirlpool of emotions, and her wand glinted with powerful electricity.
She no longer panicked...for she cannot afford to. Not now.
James may be her love, but Harry was her life.
No...he was more than her life.
The Dark Lord wasn't content waiting for her however, swishing his wand at Harry.
Had her mind not been so focused, her heart would've leapt to her throat as two gigantic hands broke out from the earth at Harry's side, shaking the ground underneath.
Even so, her heart did leap to her throat a little when—like a professional acrobat—Harry jumped up towards the mud hands, twisting mid-air to slip through their thick fingers, never looking back.
Shadows lashed at him next, bubbling under the darkness of the night as they tried trapping her son. She didn't quite understand how—as her own eyes hadn't registered them until the spindly strands had attacked—but Harry was somehow fast enough to conjure a rope of fire—its end attached to his wand—that burnt the shadows apart like they were made of paper.
'They're almost equal in power.' An absent part of her mind noted. 'Hell, Harry might even be stronger!'
Snarling, the Dark Lord now focused all his attention upon his foe, and the elemental serpent—without its caster's constant magic supply—weakened considerably.
Mounds of earth separated themselves from the ground, coming to life in the form of large golems. Two quick Bombardas and the stone wall—that had divided the two battlefields till now—cracked apart, crumbling down into pieces that went flying for Harry.
At the same time, blackened lightning spewed out from the Dark Lord's wand, becoming a magnificent thunderbird that zapped through the air, joining the other attacks to launch an entire armada of spells—each feat worthy of awe from even the most experienced of Aurors.
Awe and fear.
At normal times, Lily imagined that this would be enough for her to break down into despair. Even she could never hope to survive such an attack. At least, without the option to Disapparate away.
For some reason however, her heart was utterly calm, completely convinced that Harry would survive. Some unexplainable—and irrational—feeling of surety that her son would come out on top.
And he did. For he wasn't alone.
Two flaming dragons rose up to the sky behind him, clashing against the thunderbird in a collision of fire and lightning, while Harry himself stepped forth with his wand extended.
"Defodio!" He roared aloud, wand tip pointing at the nearest golem.
A flash of light...and the golem fell apart in two neatly cut pieces.
Then came a wave of flooding water from behind Harry, rising up to catch all the rocketing stones in their wet grasp. The water didn't stop the stone, instead guiding them all away from Harry gently.
And Harry moved on.
The Dark Lord stopped his assault, silently watching the boy. Just when he opened his mouth however—no doubt to spew more of his bullshit—Lily finally released her power.
A bolt of lightning, as thick as her arm— stronger than she'd ever formed—blasted off towards the Dark Lord, who—at the very last second—turtled behind his translucent yellow shield.
When the incredible, air-splitting boom—that shook their entire world—finally subsided, the Dark Lord was revealed to be on his knees, the yellow shield barely holding on, and looking more translucent than ever.
That remained only until Harry suddenly surged forward, getting close and personal, and lay in a heavy punch straight into the Dark Lord's jaw.
There was no magic to sense here, no warning incoming. The yellow shield fell apart and the Dark Lord squawked like a confused pigeon. But right when he was about to eat a naked fist to his mouth, shadows surged forward from the dark night itself, combining to encase his head under a sheen of matte black mask that made Harry's fist go right through his head, as if hitting smoke.
Harry came to a bewildered halt, but the Dark Lord had already backed away, the black mask dropping to show a bloodied mouth, as if the punch did land.
Grindelwald turned slight, and spat out a tooth. "You hit like a truck, boy. Not that I've ever known. Until now."
Then, with a tilted head, he asked, "Would you like to join me?"
But Harry wasn't looking. Completely unconcerned, he picked James up on his shoulders and carried him back, leaving a confused Dark Lord behind.
Behind them, the elemental monster finally broke apart under the combined might of Bella, Moody, and Minister Bones, dissipating back into the air in the form of pure magic.
Harry placed James down on a safe spot, and quickly came beside her.
"Lil—"
She gave him no chance to speak. Even as exhausted as she was, she threw her arms around his neck and released all her worries, relief—and a bundle of emotions that she couldn't quite recognize but made her heart feel on fire—in the form of peppering kisses all over his face, never wanting to let go.
A part of her was sure he would push her away now, so when he opened his mouth—to protest, no doubt—she shut him up with a final kiss.
She didn't know what made her do it exactly, but at that moment, feeling the surrealism of the situation, mixing in with the relief at Harry being safe, made her feel like she'd never felt before.
And she simply let go, sagging under the protective arms of her son as they enclosed around her in acceptance.
"I'm glad you're safe." Harry whispered against her lips, holding her body as it slowly lost strength.
Only then did the thought of the rest of her family enter her mind.
'Jacob! James!'
Like a bucket of cold water splashing upon her face, she jerked straight up.
"We have to save the others." She managed to get out.
Harry pointed beside them, and Lily turned to see James' body being treated by Alice.
'Oh'. She'd forgotten Harry brought him back. The weakness in her body extended to her mind; tired and sleepy as it was.
Then she remembered her other son again.
"Jacob!" She exclaimed, pushing herself back on feet. "Voldemort...we need to stop..."
Harry pointed again.
Only then did her eyes takein the rest of the world. Bella, Moody, and Bones had come to stand beside them, solemn and grim in their visage, their shoulders slumped in defeat.
Three unfamiliar young women—two with astonishing beauty that would've, at normal times, made her jealous at their connection with Harry—stood beside them, their eyes grimly staring forward—just like the others.
And then she realized...Grindelwald was gone, now standing back besides the cauldron. And in front of him, with slits for nose and completely pale, stood a man of unnatural features, slowly caressing his bald skull with a gratified moan.
"Voldemort is back." Minister Bones verbalized all of their fears in a depressed whisper. "Oh Merlin, he is back."
"We've failed."
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Jacob Potter blinked his eyes open, squinting at the bright light glaring upon his face. 'Where...?'
Blinking to clear his bleary eyes, he tried peering past the glare of the fire—which was now discomforting to his eyes—but found only a dirty old cauldron staring back at him.
Trying to sit up failed as well, bringing him to a horrible realization as he found himself unable to move.
'I've been kidnapped.'
Thick ropes were wrapped around his hands and legs, while he laid upon the ground sideways.
'I've been bloody kidnapped.'
He tried struggling free of his bonds but gave up halfway, losing all will.
'Of course, I'm kidnapped. Only this remained in the list of things that could go wrong in the life of Jacob Potter.'
Absently, he tried to remember the last thing….
He was fighting those...Death Eaters? Alliance members? He couldn't quite know, considering he didn't get a chance to see his assailants before he was taken down.
'Just bloody perfect.' He sneered.
It was a painful reminder. What he'd thought was his chance to shine turned out to be another recent example of utter embarrassment for him.
He thought back to his dreams; the childish imaginations that he would let himself indulge each night before sleep…
'Well…I guess, welcome to reality Jacob.' He chuckled silently, heart hollow and cold, and mind completely drained of fucks to give.
'My wand..?' A sudden thought startled him.
Scowling, he maneuvered his arms to pat his pockets, but found nothing; his wand missing.
'What now?'
He didn't need to wonder for long however, as his bonds suddenly vanished and a pair of smooth hands manhandled him around to force his face up.
He wished they hadn't. Wished he'd lived on in ignorance a little while longer. For the unnaturally pale face that greeted his eyes would fuel his nightmares for the rest of his life.
With a face as pale as milk, a nose as flat as a snake's, and scarlet eyes as bright as blood; the smiling visage of Voldemort stared down at him with unmatched triumph and glee.
"Jacob Potter..." The newly risen Dark Lord hissed, voice smooth as silk. "The-Boy-Who-Lived..."
The moment their eyes met however, Voldemort froze in place, staring perplexed as if encountering a puzzle. Like a dam slowly bursting from the pressure, the red eyes became more and more livid by the second.
"You're not the one I marked." The words were snarled out absently, a confused note inside them.
Yet, the moment they were verbalized, the Dark Lord's anger exploded. "You're not the boy who lived that day!"
Enraged, he whirled around. "Sirius! I trust you have an explanation for this?"
"M-my lord?"
"Crucio!"
Jacob flinched as the man's painful howls filled up the air.
"Where is he!? Where is the boy!?" The Dark Lord snarled, before suddenly, in a malicious tone that sent shivers down Jacob's spine, he purred. "Ah...there you are."
Only then did Jacob realize that he was free. Scrambling to his feet, he turned around quickly, but came to a stop as his eyes took in the apocalyptic scene.
The once whole quidditch pitch was now a barren land riddled with cracks and splinters.
Yet, Jacob dismissed it a second later, his eyes finding his family while his mind scrambled to process what the monster had just revealed.
"The green-eyed little whelp...I remember you well. Harry Potter, was it? The-Boy-Who-Lived... it's time to die."
Now Jacob understood.
As his eyes pinned upon his green-eyed twin, holding onto their mother like Jacob never had, he finally understood.
But oh how he wished he hadn't. How he wished his entire world hadn't come to the brink of collapse…
Something that he'd always taken for granted, something that had become his identity...was now being taken away from him.
And what does one become, when their identity is taken away? Who was he now, if not The-Boy-Who-Lived? Who exactly was Jacob Potter!?
He didn't doubt Voldemort's words for a second. Of course not. How could he? When the Dark Lord simply confirmed Jacob's biggest nightmare. Something that had always been in the back of his mind, brewing in silence but too heavy to verbalize.
But now he found it only too natural.
The fact that his biggest nightmare was now his reality…it was all so very unsurprising.
His life had been one wrought with misery anyway...why not just go all-in and destroy even the little semblance of meaning that had still remained? Seemed like something his fate would do.
His thoughts—stuck in a constant downward spiral—fell to the bottom thoroughly when another horrifying realization took form within his mind.
'This is the reason why mum and dad always preferred him...because they knew.'
James and Lily had always held Harry in a special position, putting him upon a pedestal that Jacob believed he didn't deserve.
But now that he knew the truth, now that he knew the reason, Jacob realised that Harry did deserve it...after all, he was quite special. Unlike him.
And his parents knew. They knew...and they didn't tell.
They knew... they'd always known. But now? So did he.
The reason why they always preferred Harry over him, the reason why Jacob was always their last priority, the reason why they never tried to understand him, why they always held him an arm's length away...Jacob now knew all of that and more.
This day was turning out to be the one where Potter family's darkest secrets slowly come to light. And Jacob was beginning to enjoy it...
Because for the first time in his life, he realized he no longer cared. He no longer cared about his name, no longer cared about being perfect, no longer cared about being better...no longer cared about his family.
'If they wish to treat me like a stranger? A stranger I shall be. To them and to the rest of the world.'
He wasn't the Boy-Who-Lived now. He was simply...Jacob.
"Now now Tom, before you indulge..." Grindelwald's mocking voice broke into Jacob's mind—brewing within him a new idea. "We must settle this little business of our...old partnership."
The other Dark Lord tugged his sleeves up, showing something that seemed to visibly surprise Voldemort.
And anyone who can surprise Voldemort was great in Jacob's book.
"…How?" The Dark Lord whispered, his thoughts discernible.
"What?" Grindelwald scoffed. "You think you're the only Parselmouth in this world, child?"
A tense silence seemed to encompass the destroyed pitch as the two behemoths stared at each other.
Then, slowly—as if comforting a snake—Grindelwald extended his arm, his head tilted. "Would you care to join again, Tom? No oaths, no bonds this time. Simply two Lords working for our own goals. For what we feel is right."
With his pale face glinting ominously under the fire's rays, the Dark Lord stared down the older one silently.
Then, with a dramatically slow yet graceful motion of his wand, he chuckled. "What I think, Grindelwald..."
It happened faster than Jacob's eyes could follow. One moment they faced each other down, the next Grindelwald leaped away from the green flames that suddenly gushed out from Voldemort's bone-white wand in a straight path, getting too close to Jacob—who scrambled away quickly, stuck between awe and panic—melting the old cauldron in a scant few seconds.
"…Is that no two Lords can exist together." Voldemort hissed, his wand curling up to point at himself. "And I am, and always have been, your one true merciful Dark Lord."
There was a darkness in Grindelwald's eyes now. Darkness with the same malicious glint as Voldemort. "So be it, child. Your death will be regrettable… but for the Greater Good, I must do what is right."
The spectators of the confrontation suddenly backed away like scared rats. Jacob could even see his dearest brother forcefully dragging Lily and Aunt Bella towards the stadium's entrance—his face a sculpture of cold composure, showing no hints of the rage that bubbled within him at the newly risen Dark Lord.
Before the two behemoths could truly tear the place apart however, a sudden flash of fire announced the arrival of a bespectacled wizard, dressed in startling shades of white and grey, a fiery bird perched upon his shoulder.
"Madam Bones, I apologize for the delay." The Supreme Mugwump announced himself, bowing slightly at the Minister. "Your Patronus reached me far too late, I'm afraid. I won't say no to one of those excellent cards, if Mrs. Potter would let me have one."
With that, Dumbledore turned to the two suddenly cautious Dark Lords, peering at them from above his spects. "Tom, Gellert...you should not have come here. Leave."
Then, his wand raised to point at the sky—startling the two Dark Lords—and a beam of pure white flew towards the sky, hitting something invisible.
"All of you." Dumbledore addressed, giving a small glance at the audience. "You are free to leave. The wards are no more."
The two Dark Lords seemed to bristle at his tone.
"Ah, Albus! Finally here to save your little wizards?" Grindelwald chuckled, bitterness hidden under his biting tone. "How does it feel to use a stolen wand, I wonder?"
Dumbledore tilted his head. "Quite comforting, though I must admit my dislike for its rather hard handle."
Another tense silence ensued, broken only by the cracks of disapparitions as the background wizards left one by one.
"You old men may have your lovers spat." Voldemort stepped back, sneering. "I will be taking my leave."
He halted for a brief second, shooting a glance at Harry. "Count your days, Potter. We shall meet soon."
Then he disappeared away with the softest of cracks, leaving his Death Eaters behind to scramble after him.
Grindelwald chuckled, shaking his head. "Well, we are all tired. I believe a break is in order."
Smirking at the gathered English wizards, he gave a short bow. "You all fought wonderfully. And I extend a warm welcome, should anyone wish to join me. Even should you need protection from Voldemort; I take care of my own."
The last was aimed at Harry, who opened his mouth to reply but was beaten by another woman—of course his brother would've another woman—at his side. "You should stop lying! It doesn't suit you."
Eyebrows shooting up, Grindelwald squinted past the low light. "Stella? I…I'm glad you live. I hadn't held hopes, after watching the boy fight. Though you seem to have made your decision."
Sighing, the last remaining Dark Lord turned away. "I believe that shall be all for today."
Minister Bones suddenly stepped forward beside Dumbledore. "We can take him down, Albus! Together, it won't even be a challenge!"
But Dumbledore simply held an arm up. "Patience, my dear Minister. It is not the time yet."
Just as the Dark Lord prepared to Disapparate however, Jacob's mind settled upon a sudden, reckless decision right on the spot, and he found himself screaming, "Wait!"
Grindelwald stopped, glancing back. "Oh? Something to say, little one?"
'This is a bad decision! This is a bad decision! Abort! Mission abort!' A small, logical part of him screamed.
And yet, Jacob found his legs quickly making for the Dark Lord, his will firm. For the first time in his life, Jacob knew exactly what to do. He had no identity….so he must make one.
'And if this turns out to be the biggest mistake of your life?' The logical part asked.
Well...he had nothing to lose anymore. So why would it matter?
There was nothing more to think as he soon found himself standing in front of Grindelwald. The weight behind the Dark Lord's gaze was heavy and judging, yet Jacob stood tall and unshaking.
"I'm coming with you." He announced, only to cringe at the shaky crack in his voice.
Well, not quite as unshaking then….
"Jacob, no!" Came the screams from behind, and not a single one either. But Jacob found his heart hollow for them, not able to summon even the slightest bit of anger at their hypocrisy.
The Dark Lord on the other hand, simply stayed still, staring at him as if gazing at an interesting bug. "Are you absolutely sure, child?"
Only one voice managed to break through the group, a voice that had always seemed so strong and knowing, a voice he'd come to love and hate….his father's voice, marred with an audible crack.
"…Jacob…please son…"
Teeth gritting, he forced himself to look behind him, at his father's withered face, marred with strange black lines around his throat that seemed to be growing quickly.
"…James, don't stress yourself please!" Alice's voice yelled in the background, "You're only making this worse!...Lily, hold him back….shit! He's going fast, someone make him relax! But don't use magic!..."
Jacob heard no more. For if he did, he knew he might change his decision.
"Yes."
Grindelwald smiled, extending his arm.
Jacob took one last glance behind him; at the sad face of Dumbledore, the angry and judging faces of people he knew and loved, the breathless and gasping face of his father….and finally at the cold, composed face of his twin….or was that a bit of regret he saw? But no, how could his perfect brother, with his perfect life, understand the little old Jacob?
'No one can.'
And he took the Dark Lord's hand.
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AN: And the World Cup arc is finally over! Let me know your thoughts! Also, I know its a day late but hope the wait was worth it!
Now Baldemort is back! And the Ministry's taken a massive hit, including losing both their head of Aurors and head of Hit-wizards. Everything has gone to shit and you'll be seeing the aftermath in the next chapter...along with some surprise smut. Or maybe not so surprising heh. Also, you've just got a first look at what Elemental magic will be like in this fic. You'll get a much closer look when Harry starts learning it.
Honestly, I don't know how this chapter will be received by you lot. I've come to realize that there's a massive disconnect between pat reon readers and you guys. Well...at least, some of you guys...those who've been complaining about the last chapter feeling like a filler, and nothing happening etc. Cause Ch.16 (31 & 32 here) is currently the most liked chapter for this story on Pat reon (yep, even above this one), though you wouldn't guess that from the response I received from quite a few of you.
One reason is probably cause a lot of you have been skimming past povs, thinking them irrelevant. I'm pretty sure I'll get at least a few 'Why did Jacob betray them! That came out of nowhere! Shitty writing! Shitty ending' Well, I'll say to give Ch.16 a good read again. Jacob is a 14 year old who's experienced the worst day of his life; from feeling insecure, to being shown off by Hermione (in his angsty mind at least), then being Kidnapped, and now feeling like his parents betrayed him as his greatest achievement in life wasn't even his...yeah, its pretty natural for an angsty impulsive teen to make a stupid decision when he feels like his entire world has shattered. And you'll know all this if you've actually read his povs.
In any case, let me know your thoughts on the chapter, and Harry vs Grindelwald as well. Did he seem more powerful all of a sudden? Do keep in mind that his raw power is around Grindelwald's level and he's a superhuman in physique, plus he had the support of Fleur, Apolline, Stella, and Lily—who actually landed the critical blow...all just so he could close the distance between them. So do not take this to mean Harry surpasses Grindelwald in anyway yet (unless you're talking physically, in which case Harry bullies old man Grindelwald to kingdom come).
Lastly, some rare review answering:
battousai222: Heh, thnx mate, appreciate it.
Palletboy2001: James' death is for the greater good my friend. He must go, to pave the path for a pairing everyone here is thirsty for lol.
InfinityMask: Yeah, it is annoying ik. And don't think he's going to turn into some badass dark Lord to oppose Harry now. Jacob is just a teen who's made a stupidly impulsive decision with not a second of logical thought, and his arc will have him maturing into someone more...respect worthy as a person, when he realises how fucked things truly are outside his bubble of hubris.
Matrix: So there seems to be a few of you who are very hung up upon this. Do let me remind you that in Canon Hermione (14-15 I think?) dated Krum (at least 18, probably 19) and no one raised a complaint. I really don't see why Harry (who's way above in mental maturity at least) banging Tonks (18 in this fic) is creating such a reaction. You'll probably hate the upcoming chapters even more cause Tonks is the second youngest in the pairing lol.
SKFF: Hehe now that this arc is over, the focus is going to shift on Harry's relationship as well as smut. Of course the plot will still progress and there's a war coming now, but the next arc isn't as dark as this.
Dayside: Let me know what you thought about this chapter then, in terms of power level.
ymrgf: Lol you're free to fuck off then.
CreepySnake: I don't want to come of as scathing mate but pls don't teach me how to handle 'critics'. I really couldn't care less how other authors take it. Too many authors have been bullied out of this site by dickheads being dickheads, and this is just my way of venting my frustration (which helps quite a bit for the peace of my mind), so if it doesn't concern you just ignore it and let me rant. Also, when I ask you to leave the story, I mean it completely. So if that's exactly what they do, you won't hear me complaining. I'll simply keep writing for the people who stick around.
Anyway, that was all for today. Till next time, have fun and take care!
My discord: discord .gg/9wpfysDGsz to discuss fics and chill.
My Pat reon: www. Pat reon com/ Robs511 (No spaces and a dot before com) for anyone who wants to read upto the next three chaps of all my fics.
P.S: Next chap's on 15th for MS, and next SOW chap will drop on 23rd if I don't face any delays with other stories. If there is a delay however, just look to my latest updated chapter and count 4 days since then. Peace!
