Ch 9: Battle of the department of Mystery (Part 1)

For the battle ahead and what it may bring beware,

The shadows loom and danger is in the air.

The stakes are high, the risks are great,

And the price of failure may be our fate.

Things happen in the heat of battle, it's true,

But we must be prepared and know what to do.

Act fast and with courage, or guilt will eat you up,

And haunt you forever, like a bitter cup.

- by soul painter

Mike looked down at the piece of parchment in his hands, a feeling of unease creeping over him. The message was ominous, the words on the parchment seeming to pulse with an otherworldly energy. As he read the words, he could feel a shiver run down his spine, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end.

What made the parchment even more unsettling was the way it had appeared in his robe's pocket, seemingly out of nowhere. Mike was certain that his pockets had been empty when he had teleported out of Hogwarts, so the sudden appearance of the parchment was both mysterious and alarming.

And the mention of "soul painter" at the end caused him the greatest concern. Who could this mysterious figure be? Was it perhaps a reference to the nine soul canvases that hung suspended in the void?

Mike couldn't help but wonder if he was the one being referenced in the message, given that he had given the name "soul canvas" to those blank canvases himself. The idea that someone else had knowledge of his secret power filled him with a sense of dread.

Mike pondered the idea that the mysterious paper could have come from the future. Was it possible that a future version of himself had sent the message to his present self?

After pondering for a moment, he concluded that this was the most logical explanation. After all, he possessed the power of the Time-Turner, though it couldn't be used that way.

But who could guarantee that he wouldn't be able to do so in the future? Mike pondered the thought as he examined the paper closely, trying to discern any clues or hidden messages.

Perhaps in the future, the abilities he derived from the soul canvases were enhanced, or the soul canvases themselves had evolved.

Refocusing on the content, he pondered which "battle" it referred to.

Based on the timing of the paper's appearance, it could be a warning about the "battle of the department of mystery"

He pondered deeply, wondering what happened in the battle that motivated his future self to send such a warning.

"Did someone die in the battle? Or, was someone gravely injured?" He pondered with a solemn expression.

Then, as his eyes fell on the phrase "guilt will eat you up," his mind raced with a plethora of possibilities. What actions or inactions could he have taken in the future that would cause such intense feelings of regret?

Was his future self urging him to participate in the "battle of the department of Mystery" ?

He couldn't be sure, but it seemed plausible. Perhaps his future self was warning him of the consequences of not participating in the battle. Or maybe there was something he needed to do specifically in the battle to avoid feeling guilt in the future.

While hesitating, Mike's gaze fixated on the words "fast" and "courage". He muttered to himself, "Fast... Courage..." before pausing with a sudden realization. "Oh no."

"I hope I'm not too late," he muttered before teleporting out of the room.

...

As Mike teleported into the time room, his eyes scanned the area, taking in the sight of Harry, Hermione, and Neville engaged in a fierce battle with four death eaters. Spells flew in every direction, and the air was thick with tension and danger.

The death eaters were caught off guard by Mike's sudden arrival, and their initial shock allowed Harry and his friends to gain the upper hand. However, their moment of advantage was short-lived as the death eaters quickly regained their composure and launched a counterattack.

"Mike, what are you doing here?" Harry yelled, trying to be heard over the noise of spells flying and curses being shouted.

Before Mike could even answer, his eyes began to glow with a bright blue light, indicating that his future prediction ability had activated.

(In a split second, he saw a sickly green light heading straight towards him. Mike's instincts kicked in, and he dodged to the side with lightning-fast reflexes.

But his relief was short-lived as he turned to see Hermione, who had been fending off a death eater, hit with a killing curse from behind. She fell to the ground, lifeless.

Harry's grief and anger were palpable as he unleashed a wave of magic that destroyed the nearby furniture. His friends rushed to his side to console him, while Mike stood back, feeling a deep sense of guilt and regret wash over him.)

As his vision of the immediate future ended, Mike sighed with relief.

Without responding to Harry's enquiry, Mike flew into action. He quickly raised his wand and unleashed four stunning spells in quick succession, each one hitting a Death Eater with a bright flash of red light. The Death Eaters crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

All except one, who had managed to deflect Mike's spell and was now leveling his wand at him. Mike's eyes narrowed in concentration as he deftly dodged the Killing Curse that came hurtling towards him. He spun in the air and fired another stunning spell, which hit the Death Eater square in the chest.

But Harry and his friends weren't taking any chances. They had already fired a barrage of spells at the remaining Death Eater, and he was hit with a Petrification Curse just as Mike's stunning spell hit him. The Death Eater fell to the ground, frozen in place.

Mike landed on the ground, panting from the rush of adrenaline. His heart was racing as he surveyed the scene before him. Four Death Eaters lay on the ground, unconscious, while Harry, Hermione, and Neville stood frozen, staring at him in shock.

"Mike, what are you doing here?" Harry asked, breaking the silence. "How did you come here?"

Mike grinned, feeling a rush of excitement at knocking the death eaters out. "I teleported here, of course," he said, trying to sound nonchalant.

Neville's eyes widened in amazement. "You just apparated here. That's incredible!"

Mike shrugged modestly. "I learned the apparition spell myself. But right now, we need to focus on finding the others."

"Yes, you are right," Harry realised as they ran to the office on the right side of the time chamber.

As they entered the office, a flash of red light came their way. Mike's reflexes were quick as he flew up to avoid the spell, while Harry, Hermione, and Neville quickly separated to take on the attackers.

Mike wasted no time in returning fire, unleashing two stunning spells in quick succession that sent the attackers tumbling to the ground.

Harry was quick to react, firing a body bind jinx at the nearest attacker, while Hermione and Neville unleashed stunning spells at the other.

The attacker targeted by Harry was too quick and moved out of the way before the spell could hit him, but the other was not so lucky. Three spells hit him simultaneously, sending him flying backward towards the shelf containing the Time-Turners.

As the attacker collided with the shelf, a loud crack echoed through the room, and the shelf began to wobble dangerously. Harry and his friends quickly realized the danger they were in and made a hasty retreat to the other side of the room.

The other death eater's wand ignited with a bright green light as he aimed a killing curse at Mike, who was closest to him. Mike's foresight kicked in, and as the vision ended, he smoothly glided to his left while simultaneously firing a stunner at the death eater. The curse missed its target, but before the death eater could fire another curse, he was hit by a petrification curse that Hermione threw at him. The death eater froze in place, his wand clattering to the ground as he toppled over like a statue.

Mike followed Harry and his friends into the next room. The time room was weird, but this room was even more bizarre. The walls were lined with glass tanks filled with brains. The brains were suspended in a cloudy green fluid, and they pulsated as if they were alive.

Mike shuddered at the sight and tried to focus on the task at hand. As they entered the room, they heard a groan coming from one of the corners. They rushed to investigate and found Ron and Ginny lying on the ground.

"We were attacked by a group of death eaters," Ron replied groggily, "they caught us off guard."

Luna, who was sitting next to them, looked up and showed a bleeding mouth. "I tried to fend them off, but they overpowered us," she said.

Suddenly, a group of death eaters emerged from behind one of the brain tanks. Mike acted quickly and fired a stunning spell at the first one, while Harry and his friends followed suit.

As they made a run for the next room, the death eaters chased after them. Spells flew left and right, hitting the walls and shattering the glass tanks, causing the brains inside to spill out.

Mike, Harry, and his friends tried their best to fend off the attackers, but they were outnumbered. They had to retreat and take cover behind a large brain tank. As they caught their breath, they realized that they were surrounded.

"We're trapped," Ginny said, fear in her voice.

...

Author's Note: I know, some won't like the meddling nature of Mike as well as his hero(ish) behaviour of saving others.

But, think about for a moment. Harry Potter as a person wasn't very powerful, but the name 'Harry Potter' had a very deterrent effect on Voldemort. Voldemort's obsession with killing Harry which led to his downfall. If by chance, Harry dies or changes, this may bring disastrous effect on the Wizarding war to follow.

Voldy was very powerful, as shown in the movie, he alone ripped apart the shield that numerous wizards and witches weaved around hogwarts at the start of the final battle.

People like Dumbledore and Voldemort were on another level in terms power and magic.

So, if Harry dies or changes and after Dumbledore's death, Voldemort would be unrestrained which would bring disastrous consequences.