CHAPTER {206-208}
****NEW-THREATS-ON-HORIZON (II)****
~~Larimer Square, Denver~~
A woman walked up to an old nineteenth-century apartment building and unlocked the door with her key. The woman entered the building with a soft smile marring her face and went to greet the old couple sitting on the porch. "How is it going Mr. & Mrs. Bakes?" The woman asked with a smile only to receive a jovial greeting from the elderly couple.
"Just feeding the pigeons, Agatha, if you were a couple of decades older then I would have offered you to join us boring people" The elderly man offered with a hearty laugh, making the woman now known as Agatha smirk at the man before she gave the elder couple a wave before she decided to move on and collect her mails from the mailbox, which was inscribed with her apartment number.
She found a couple of letters and a small note in her mailbox…
'Hey, Agatha, I am in your apartment with Alan. Don't fucking cast anything at us'
Agatha scowled before she tossed the note in the bin. Thanks to the note, her disappointment was immeasurable and her day was ruined. Her current lifestyle wasn't anything to write home about, but she was happy with it, and to be honest, she loved her current lifestyle, but she wasn't sure if should be able to keep her current lifestyle or not.
With a grumpy look on her face, she started to climb her stairs and after arriving in front of her apartment, she found the front door unlocked, which wasn't surprising, especially with the note she found… 'Of course, my door's unlocked. Just my fucking luck' Agatha grumbled internally as she entered her apartment before closing the door behind her.
"Agatha, we are in the kitchen" A voice called out and Agatha groaned before she took off her coat and tossed it in the air. The coat made its way to the coat hanger on its own as Agatha was already making her way toward the kitchen…
"Hi" One of the men greeted her with a sheepish look on his face.
"Here you go, have a drink" The man dressed in the floral shirt offered a beer bottle to Agatha, but she didn't look impressed in the slightest.
"It seems you two have already helped yourselves with my fridge" Agatha deadpanned at her guests.
"I told you she wouldn't like us rummaging through her stuff" The first man pointed out warily, but the man dressed in the floral shirt didn't look concerned.
"It's just her fridge… I wasn't rummaging through her panty drawer" The man dressed in the floral shirt defended himself.
"That's even worse!" The first man exclaimed in horror.
"Thank you, Alan. At least not everyone I know is a disgusting pervert" Agatha scowled as she opened her beer bottle with a simple flick of her finger.
"That's your loss" The man in the floral shirt shrugged at the man now known as Alan. "You have no idea what you are missing… The stuff she keeps in there is really kinky" He admitted without a hint of shame on his face, in fact, he looked really proud of his actions.
"What do you want, Merlin?" Agatha decided to cut in before the man now recognized as Merlin could literally air her dirty laundry. Yes, she did have some really kinky underwear if they could be really called underwear in the first place in her panty drawer, but a woman had needs and just like any other woman, she also loved to dress scantily even though it was in the confines of her apartment.
"I am hurt, Agatha… It has been quite some time since we met, so I decided to arrange a get-together…" Merlin offered cheerfully, but once again, Agatha didn't look amused.
"Cut the crap, Merlin. What the fuck do you want?" Agatha snapped at the man. Merlin seemed to frown before he seemed to slump down in his seat while muttering about 'unfun' friends.
"Fine. If you want to get down to business, then let's talk business" Merlin admitted before taking a large swig from his bottle. "Alright, what do you know about Harry Potter?" Merlin asked, without beating around the bush any more.
Both Agatha and Alan frowned at his question before they gave each other a look. "He is the kid who survived the Killing Curse, didn't he?" Agatha asked with an unsure look on her face. With how back-dated and discriminatory the Wizarding kind tended to be, they tried to avoid and ignore the Wizarding community. They were so annoying that magicians from all over the world tended to avoid the Wizarding community like a plague.
Alas, Harry Potter was pretty well-known in the whole Magical community as he survived the Killing Curse… As a governess, Agatha wanted to adopt the child and raise him as her own, but getting involved with Wizarding kind only brought irritation, headaches, along with a list of murder-worthy annoyances… While it really bothered her to leave the kid, she eventually forgot about it since he really wasn't worth all the troubles that would probably come along with him.
"Yes, that's the guy" Merlin nodded his head.
"What about him? I clearly remember we decided never to get involved with the Wizarding community after the Grindelwald fiasco" Alan pointed out thoroughly.
"Yes, we did, but there is much more at stake than the Wizarding world… If we don't do anything now then it would be too late to stop him before he damages the delicate balance" Merlin explained in a grave tone.
"Really? I seriously doubt that… How old is he now? Fifteen? Sixteen?" Agatha asked with a scoff.
"Yes, I know how it sounds, but you have to trust me on this… He is nothing like the rest of the Wizarding kind and not only that, he also knows sorcery" Merlin revealed, trying to get them on board with his self-given mission.
"Sorcery? Then we can always have a chat with the Ancient One before we try anything on our own" Alan suggested. Since Sorcery was involved, the Ancient One probably knew about Harry Potter.
"Okay… It is not a bad place to start from" Merlin admitted before nodding his head.
"If she gives us a straight answer in the first place" Agatha pointed out bitterly, but even she had to admit, it was a good starting point. So, simply nodded her head in agreement and Merlin stood up with a grin on his face with the intention of opening a portal, but before he could do that, a portal opened inside their room and the Ancient One stepped through, surprising the three of them…
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****NEW-THREATS-ON-HORIZON (III)****
"Looks like we won't need to visit Kamar Taj" Merlin mumbled unhappily as he stared at the new arrival with some wariness as she took a seat instead of greeting them or saying anything. Merlin glanced toward Alan and Agatha from the corner of his eyes, only to find that they were also on guard.
"Now… Now… There is no need to feel on guard. Weren't you planning to pay me a visit?" The Ancient One asked in a polite tone, but Merlin, Agatha, and Alan didn't seem to lower their guard. Not that The Ancient One cared about that… To be honest, she didn't consider any of them to be a threat to her on their own or combined.
Merlin realized that it would be a waste of time to argue with her and they were planning to pay her a visit, so it was probably alright… So, after giving Alan and Agatha a meaningful look, he returned to his seat. "Is there anything I can offer you?" Merlin asked the Ancient One, trying to play the host even though it wasn't his house.
"A cup of tea and a packet of chips would be nice" The Ancient One admitted with a nod of her head.
"Uh… Agatha is very poor at hosting anyone, so she only keeps beer" Merlin revealed with a frown as he opened the fridge with a wave of his hand.
"I am not a freak of nature, so like any other normal person I don't keep tea or coffee in the fridge" Agatha snapped at Merlin before she turned toward the Ancient One and gave her an apologetic look. "I am sorry, I don't have any tea as I am a coffee person" Agatha apologized.
"A pity" The Ancient One mumbled looking saddened before she produced a cup of tea and a packet of chips with a snap of her fingers. She grabbed the cup and took a small sip from it. "So, what do you guys wanted to ask me?" The Ancient One asked with a small smile on her face.
"Don't you already know?" Alan asked with a frown before turning toward his friends, only to find them frowning too. It was obvious that the Ancient One was playing with them for whatever reason.
"Humor me" The Ancient One answered without giving away anything.
Alan once again glanced toward his friends before Merlin decided to take the lead. "What can you tell us about Harry Potter?" Merlin asked without beating around the bush.
"What do you want to know?" The Ancient One asked as she took another sip from her tea cup, looking completely unbothered by their line of questioning. Thanks to the Eye of Agamotto, she already knew what they were up to, but she still decided to make them work for it.
"He knows Sorcery" Merlin stated. It wasn't a question as he knew that the Ancient One kept track of everyone who knew Sorcery.
"Yes, I taught him… He is the best student I ever had, have…" The Ancient One answered with a subtle frown before she tore her chips packet and started to munch on a couple of potato chips. Merlin gave Agatha and Alan a look before he decided to ask the next question. It was pretty obvious that the Ancient One was going to make them work for all the information.
"Then you must be aware of his recent actions?" Merlin asked with a hint of outrage in his voice.
"Yes, but before you say anything, I don't care about the hundred people he killed" The Ancient One answered coolly. "A hundred people don't matter in the grand scheme and they didn't need to die… My student did give them a choice to surrender and he spared every single one who surrendered even though some of them were Death Eaters" The Ancient One finished and thanks to her words, all three of them looked outraged.
"How can you say something like that? Aren't you a protector of humanity or something!!?" Alan asked, looking outraged, unable to stop himself from snapping at the bald woman seated in front of him.
"Yes, but let me make something clear for you. There are nearly 6 billion humans on this planet and I am not a world cop, I am not beholden to protect them all and it is not my duty. My duty is to protect humanity as a whole, so as long as there isn't going to be worldwide nuclear warfare, I am not going to step in" The Ancient One explained in a cold tone.
Merlin, Alan, and Agatha were left completely speechless at those words… Now, Agatha would admit that she wasn't always a nice woman and she had done some really horrible stuff in the past, but she never dismissed her own actions so casually. Even when she instigated the Salem Witch Hunt in her misguided attempt to toughen the Magicians, she never shrugged off the wrong things she did.
"So, you are going to protect your wayward student?" Agatha asked as she wanted to know if the Ancient One was going to get involved or not. If she jumped in to protect her student, then it would be a waste to go after him.
"No, if he faces any form of retaliation from the people all over the world for his actions, then I would say that he simply brought it on himself. He might be my student, but his actions are his own. For that, if he faces dire consequences then he has earned them" The Ancient One admitted coldly before taking another sip from her tea cup.
"Though, I hope nobody comes back running to me if they realize that they bit more than they could chew" The Ancient One added, looking somewhat amused.
"So… Is there an easy way we can beat him?" Merlin asked curiously. He didn't expect the Ancient One to give him an answer, but he still had to try.
"I am not going to protect him, but that doesn't mean I am going to help you three…" The Ancient One started with a smile on her face. "Though, a piece of advice, leave him be" The Ancient One advised as she took a couple of chips and started to munch on them.
Merlin frowned and gave her a narrowed look. "Sorry, that is not going to happen. His actions are already causing waves around the world and if he left to his devices then he would kill more. If we don't do anything, then he will soon break the balance" Merlin pointed with a scowl.
Instead of answering, the Ancient One simply hummed noncommittally. "That might be, but you mistake me for someone who cares…" The Ancient One scoffed. "Well, I gave you my advice. Following it is up to you and while I do care for him to a certain extent, I wouldn't be peeved if you do kill him" The Ancient One said before she stood up and her snacks disappeared from the table.
Moments later, a portal opened behind her and she entered the portal while waving at the trio… "She wasn't being serious, was she?" Alan asked. Yes, Harry Potter might be bad news, but that didn't mean he wanted to kill a child.
"I think she was, but we didn't get to learn anything from her. We already knew that he knew Sorcery" Agatha griped unhappily, only for Merlin to shake his head.
"No… That isn't true. We got to learn that he learned Sorcery from the Ancient One, not some random Master of Mystic Arts. That isn't much but we can be certain that his Sorcery is going to be top-notch on top of all the Spell he knows" Merlin explained with a sigh.
"That wasn't all though… I think she doesn't believe we can beat him and she made it clear that she isn't going to protect him, which means, she either doesn't care about him or he is strong enough to take care of himself" Alan pointed out with a thoughtful look on his face and after some time, Merlin nodded his head.
"From what I know she can see the future, right?" Agatha asked in an unsure tone. "Then how can she not be sure?" She asked with a frown. From what she had seen, the Ancient One could clearly see the future.
"Future sight is fickle as future is ever-changing" Merlin nodded thoughtfully. "So, she may not be sure about the victor or there might be a number of possible futures and she doesn't know which one is going to come true?" Merlin suggested.
"...What you said is quite possible…" Alan nodded his head in agreement after thinking for a bit.
"Alright. So, let work with that assumption for the time being" Agatha agreed before nodding her head. "So, what do we do now?" She asked. It was true that she loved her current lifestyle, but that didn't mean she was going to let a murderer of that scale walk around only for him to escalate.
"First of all, we don't know much about him. So, I say we collect information before we finally make our move" Merlin explained as it was the only option they had. Unlike the Ancient One, Merlin didn't have future sight, he only had clairvoyance which allowed him to see a single location at a time anywhere around the world, but it wasn't all-powerful as his clairvoyance couldn't see through the Fidelius Charm…
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****DARK-LORD-VOLDEMORT? (I)****
~~Greengrass Manor~~
Cyrus Greengrass finally returned from the emergency Wizengamot meeting, looking pale and he immediately went to get himself a strong drink. With trembling hands, he poured the drink into the glass, and as soon as he was done, he chugged it down in one go… He was expecting the drink to help, but it didn't. His hands were still trembling.
"Cyrus, are you alright?" Angelica Greengrass, his wife asked with a hint of concern in her voice. "What happened in the meeting?" She asked as her concern for him increased when she saw him pour another drink for himself.
"My damn stupidity happened!" Cyrus snarled in anger as he tried to down the second glass in one go, but he was stopped by a worried Angelica.
"Talk to me, Cyrus, please…" The woman pleaded and after a grunt, Cyrus finally placed down the look in defeat.
"Gellert Grindelwald attacked Hogwarts along with his followers who escaped Nurmengard along with him" Cyrus revealed and Angelica nodded her head in understanding before she sat beside her husband. It was obvious that she loved her husband, so it wasn't surprising that she was worried about him after seeing him like this.
"It was later revealed that he had been working for Harry Potter all this time and not the way around…" Cyrus trailed off with a shuddering breath. Then he turned around to look at his wife and she saw genuine fear in his eyes. "He is strong, Angelica, he is insanely strong" He added and his whole body trembled as he recalled the horrific memory.
"He killed 50 people in an instant and he didn't even look fazed… It was like their deaths didn't mean anything to him" Cyrus finished before he rubbed his face. "The Ministry forces were crushed by him in an instant… Three hundred people, Angelica, three hundred people. He subdued three hundred people within a second with only the pressure of his raw Magic" Cyrus chuckled mirthfully.
"Oh…" Angelica mumbled as she didn't know what to say after such a revelation. "Do you think he holds a grudge against you for helping Lucius with his scheme?" Angelica asked, looking really worried. To be honest, she didn't want to believe what Cyrus was telling her. After all, Harry Potter was only 14 years old, he couldn't be that strong, right?
Though her husband clearly believed what he was saying and she knew that he didn't have a habit of lying…
"I know he does" Cyrus grimaced as he pulled out a letter from his robes with trembling hands and handed it over to his wife. "When I came out of the Wizengamot Chamber, I found it in my pocket" Cyrus explained with a grimace and from his voice, it was clear that he was scared as fuck.
Angelica cautiously opened the letter, and she was somewhat taken aback by the beautiful cursive handwriting…
/Cyrus Greengrass,
I would have written you a formal letter, but I believe we are past formalities, especially with your attempt to have me killed. Now, I am certain that you must be wondering who I am, but rest assured, everything will be revealed by the end of this letter.
Anyway, back to the topic at hand, you see, I don't take it kindly when someone tries to kill me… My usual response is to kill them and sometimes very painfully, but you Cyrus, you have placed me in a conundrum… That is why I have decided to invite you and your family for Christmas dinner, and after the dinner, I will decide what to do with you.
Now, I implore you to remember that you and your family's presence is mandatory… If for whatever reason, you fail to show up then I can assure you that you are not going to like what I am going to do to you and your wife… Now, now… No need to feel concerned, I am not going to cuck you, but I will have a chat with your wife about why having skin is a privilege and I am going to make you watch.
Well, I believe I have said enough… This letter will act as a Portkey, simply tap it with your Wand on the 25th before dinner and the Portkey will bring you to my temporary residence… I hope we can use this chance to put all the unpleasantries behind us and start anew…
Harry Potter,
Your Brief Enemy/
Angelica put down the letter with trembling hands and grabbed the whiskey bottle before chugging down a few gulps in one go. "What are we going to do, Cyrus?" Angelica asked in a trembling voice.
"I will take full responsibility for my actions. That is the least I can do and it was my fault to start with" Cyrus mumbled with a somber look on his face before he was engulfed in a tight hug by Angelica… "Don't worry, we will get through this" Cyrus assured her even though he wasn't sure himself, but it was the only thing he could do right now…
~~Malfoy Manor~~
Rita Skeeter was making her way through the massive halls of the Malfoy Manor with a hint of urgency in her steps. For whatever reason, Harry had decided to summon her at this godforsaken hour, so here she was… Though she was also excited to learn anything about the incident at Hogwarts. She knew that Harry was behind it, but she didn't know anything more than that as the Ministry was keeping everything hush-hush.
Anyway, Rita was smart enough to read between the lines, so it didn't take her long to realize that something really major must have happened at Hogwarts as she had never seen the Ministry trying so hard to keep something under wraps. Usually, they would shove things under the rug and come up with a nonsensical story for the public, but this time, they weren't doing anything like that. They were simply keeping a tight lid over the incident.
It was like they knew that they couldn't suppress the news of this incident, so they were doing their best to keep it under wraps as long as they could…
Rita finally arrived at the place where Harry told her he was going to be… "Ah… Rita, it is good to see that you are finally here" Harry greeted her with a smile on her face.
"You still owe me the interview you promised" Rita decided to remind him as she was quite cross with him for skipping the promise he made. Though she hoped that he didn't take that as an offense.
"I promised you an interview, didn't I?" Harry wondered aloud. "Sorry, with everything going on, I have been kind of busy, but I will give you an interview" Harry assured her with a nod of his head. "Now, as for the matter I called you…" Harry trailed off and Rita also started to wonder why he called if it was not for an interview.
"What do you feel about an interview with the big bad Dark Lord Voldemort?" Harry asked, and Rita practically choked at his words…
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