Chapter 158: The Infernal Gate
Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 158: The Infernal Gate
Harry carefully positioned the small vial at the precise center of the intricate pentagram etched onto the stone platform.
"What exactly is that vial for?" Sebastian inquired, his curiosity piqued as he examined it closely. Despite his extensive experience as a Potion Master, he found himself unable to identify its contents.
"It's not a potion. This vial contains a fragment of a soul," Harry explained matter-of-factly.
"A soul?" Selene's expression twisted with horror.
"There's a soul inside that thing?" Daphne's voice trembled with unease.
"To be precise, it's merely a fragment," Harry clarified, his brow furrowing in concentration.
He intended to utilize this fragment of Voldemort's soul to attempt to locate the other Horcruxes...should they also exist in this reality.
However, Harry had doubts about the efficacy of this plan. Given that this fragment originated from a different timeline, it might have no connection whatsoever to the fragments present in this world. Nevertheless, he felt compelled to try.
At least that was the plan, but now he had to use it.
He could not let that girl die when he had a method to save her, even if it cost him an opportunity.
"So, you intend to use that to lure the demon here?" Sebastian deduced.
"There are few offerings more enticing to demons than human souls. Even a fragment is considered a delicacy. To demons, human souls are akin to the most exquisite feast imaginable," Harry explained solemnly.
"May I dare ask whose soul this is?" Sebastian inquired cautiously.
"Let's just say it belonged to a deeply malevolent individual, deserving of such a fate... and worse," Harry replied cryptically, stopping further inquiries.
For a moment, he wondered how would they react if they knew who this soul belonged to.
Without waiting for further questioning, Harry drew a deep cut across his left wrist with a swift, practiced motion. Crimson blood welled up and cascaded onto the stone surface.
"Harry!" Daphne cried out in alarm, moving to intervene, but she was held back by her mother's firm grip.
"Let him, Daphne. He seems to know what he is doing." Selene was somewhat taken aback by seeing Harry cut himself without making a sound of complaint.
"He didn't even flinch…." She whispered.
Harry dropped the knife and stopped the bleeding with a potion when he was starting to feel dizzy.
His blood flooded the crevices on the stone platform, forming the figure of a magical circle with a pentagram inside.
"Deitzen dizut." Harry started to speak in an ancient tongue.
"Prezioa ordaindu da…"
"What language is that?" Daphne whispered, her voice barely audible amidst the charged atmosphere.
"Shh, be quiet. Don't interrupt him now." Her father cut her off. He may not know anything about demonology, but he had a feeling that something very bad could occur if he was interrupted at this point.
As Harry's blood began to bubble and froth as if boiling, the runes inscribed on the stone platform shimmered with an ominous red glow.
"Zatoz…" Harry's voice grew louder, infused with urgency.
"KONTRATUA BETE!"
The mist coming out from the boiling blood became thicker and thicker until it turned back into a red liquid and formed a circular shape that stood floating in the air.
The liquid looked almost like blood, but they could all tell it was something else…something not from this world.
"
"The gate is open," Harry declared, his gaze fixed upon the ethereal portal that materialized within Astoria's bedroom.
At that moment, the vial containing Voldemort's soul began to levitate, drawn by an invisible force.
Harry had his wand ready already. A wisp of pure white light formed at the tip of the wand.
The surface of the gate rippled and three strange fingers emerged from it.
Daphne and her mother gasped in horror at the sight of the inhuman appendages, their minds recoiling from the unnatural sight.
The hand, with its crimson, leathery skin, and elongated claws, extended tentatively at first, then swiftly lunged for the vial.
Harry acted immediately and poked at the hand with his wand. As the white light made contact with the red skin, the creature on the other side of the gate let out a shrieking sound that pierced their ears and immediately retracted the hand back to where it came from.
"W-was that…was that a …" Sebastian was unable to keep his calm. He was truly scared….he had never seen something like this before.
"A demon, yes…but not the one we need. That one tried to get greedy and went for the vial. We will need to wait a bit now…" Said Harry before glancing at Astoria.
The young girl had not moved or made a noise the entire time.
"Let us hope she can last a bit more…" Harry muttered.
They continued to stay in the room without moving from there for thirty minutes.
It was only then that the gate reacted again.
Another hand came thought. This one was very different from the previous one.
This hand had smooth dark skin and five human-looking fingers.
Harry grinned.
"This is the one…looks like we got lucky."
"But this is…" Selene, along with her husband and daughter stared in disbelief at the creature coming out of the infernal gate.
Not because it was hideous or monstrous, but because of how human it looked.
"This is a demon?!" Daphne found it hard to believe.
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