Chapter 356: The Lonely Mountain
If you want to support me check out my patréon at https://www.patréon.com/athassprkr
I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions of them so you can read up to 20 chapters ahead as a bonus.
I would like to thank my beta, Awdyr, for his help in this chapter.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
8 April 1995, Hogsmeade
Harry entered the Three Broomsticks disguised as Eddie Carmichael and couldn't help but feel slightly nostalgic at the sight. The familiar warmth hit him the moment he stepped inside, though the place seemed a little quieter and darker than he remembered. The smell of butterbeer was still there, and Madam Rosmerta was still taking orders as if there wasn't a war out there.
To be fair, there were signs of the difficult times. There were fewer customers there, and no young students had snuck out of the castle to arrive. The atmosphere was a bit more subdued than it used to be. As far as he could tell, Hogsmeade wasn't one of the places that the Lycans attacked. Lily obviously didn't want the people coming after her in case there were any children around. Getting the fighting to happen far away from Hogwarts was the right decision but that didn't mean that people didn't suffer. Students lost their parents, their siblings, their friends in the attacks all over the nation, caught in the crossfire of a pissing contest between a mad monster and an insane witch.
Even now, that Harry had tricked both Lily and Voldemort into an unofficial ceasefire, people were waiting for the shoe to drop, or simply just properly mourned their losses. He could see it in the corner of the Three Broomsticks, men and women just drinking their sorrow away. It all just felt so meaningless. This was a fight between an insane man who tore apart his own soul in fear of Death and a woman who was prepared to sacrifice her own son for power. Both of them thought that they knew better. Both of them thought that they could bring a new age of peace and prosperity to Magical Britain.
That was exactly what made them so dangerous, the sheer confidence in themselves being right. It made them ignore the consequences of their actions, justifying them as necessary sacrifices, unwilling to realize that it was all meaningless, in the end, that if anything, they were making things far worse.
If there was something Harry learned in this life, it would be that no one ever thought themselves to be the villain of their stories, and that had to be the most tragic thing in human nature.
His thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice speaking up from behind him, "I know you said that you'd find a disguise, but how the hell did you convince Carmichael of all people to keep quiet about this?"
Daphne Greengrass, his girlfriend – and wasn't that weird to think that – was obviously teasing him, but she did have a point. Harry didn't really care enough to learn about Eddie Carmichael, but he knew that he was a pretty proud guy, enough that he'd find the idea of someone impersonating him to be very unsettling. And combining that with his frankly rash behaviour, the Ravenclaw would have made a fuss, at the very least.
"I gave him a pretty generous deal and assured him that I would protect his family in the meantime. His parents died, which was why he isn't in the castle right now, and I saw that he was in a bit of a hard spot, so I offered to help him."
The blonde's eyes narrowed, "There's something more to it."
Harry rolled his eyes, "I might have used Geass paper to make sure he wouldn't blab. Not that he had anything to blab about; he doesn't even know that I'm still alive, and the contract will only be active until the task is over. After that, he's free to do whatever he wants."
Daphne looked like she wanted to protest, and Harry didn't really blame her on that front. Magically enforced contracts were a big taboo in Britain. They were illegal in most of Europe, even, because of how easily they could be misused. Many families lost their fortunes, or even found themselves enslaved by being forced to sign a magical contract.
They were pretty popular in the Middle Ages until some idiot activated a loophole in some hidden magical document that wiped out over a dozen ancient pureblood families. Ever since then, magically enforced contracts have been illegal and often considered very distasteful. Harry using one just to make sure that Eddie wouldn't make a nuisance of himself, was a bit over the top. The only reason she wasn't fully blowing up at him was probably because of the contract's temporary nature and the fact that Harry did his best to avoid putting Eddie in a position where breaking the contract was even possible.
He probably shouldn't have sprung everything at her like this. Harry had done his best in the previous few days to not burden the blonde with his problems and just snuck around Greengrass Manor to hang out with her. Even her parents didn't know that he was still alive, and he wanted to keep it that way. He did trust her mother, but there was no doubt in his mind that her father would sell him out for a second if it profited him. Hell, the man practically jumped at the chance of sending his daughter to Greece, hoping that she would make more connections that he could exploit afterwards.
All in all, the previous few days were pretty relaxing, even if he didn't manage to replicate the weird Black family feat that made their Metamorphmagi undetectable. To be fair, he only got a single sample of the transformation and if it wasn't for the Elder Wand, he wouldn't have been able to get such a pure one. It was funny that, in another world, people had fought wars for the stick, but Harry was using it as a sampling method. The indignation most of them would feel at the idea couldn't help but make him smile in amusement. To be fair, almost all of the magic stored inside was gone. If it wasn't for his Arcane Hearing, it would have been nothing more than a normal wand. Thankfully, Harry learned to manipulate the wand's intrinsic properties to absorb magic in general, not just passively from its wielder, and store it, as well as how to release it in a large sweep.
In the end, absorbing the magic gave him a perfect sample of Tonks' ability, and while replicating it was doable, it was also tedious. He had to cast a counter of the spell right afterwards in a very specific pattern, in a way that negated only the excess magic, but not the magic itself. Tonks did it without even noticing every time she changed her appearance. Even when casting any other spell, she had to do the same to avoid any interaction between the magic and her transformed form. So, that meant that Harry would either have to make dozens if not hundreds of calculations with every spell, or he could enchant something to do it for him. A lot of Alchemy and Enchanting later, he had a small necklace that mimicked the effect.
To be fair, the tournament checked for magical artefacts, so, he would need to deal with that later. Maybe he'd swallow the necklace or something. He would figure something out… probably.
Daphne was going to say something only for McGonagall to enter the room. The Headmistress looked tired. That was the first thought that entered his head. Her sharp gaze hadn't lost its edge, but there was a weariness in the way she carried herself as if the weight of running the school had finally started to show. Her robes were as immaculate as ever, but her movements seemed just a bit slower, her lips pressed in a thin line. It wasn't like her to look this... worn down. She had every right to look tired; she had to essentially take care of a school and the international delegation, while acting as the only person allowed to enter or leave Hogwarts due to the wards she activated.
Now that he thought about it, Harry and Daphne's participation in the tournament just pushed more work onto her already overwhelming responsibilities and he couldn't help but feel bad about that, "Ah, Mr. Carmichael, Ms. Greengrass, I was afraid I would have had to look for one of you. First, I would like to say how sorry I was when I heard of your parents' passing, Mr. Carmichael. I will not lie and say that we were close, but they were still former students of mine. And Ms. Greengrass, I never got to tell you that I'm sorry for the loss of Harry Potter. It's always horrible to have a student pass away on your watch and I know that the of you were quite close. I'm glad you're both doing well. I understand that both of you wish to enter this task in particular for your own reasons."
Harry spoke up, "I just need to have June free for my OWLS. I have to take them to have custody over my sisters, so I thought I'd get through the task now instead of having to do it in the middle of my exams."
That froze the headmistress a bit. Harry had asked Eddie to send her a letter asking to enter the task, but he didn't really say a reason that was the case. It was his prerogative as a member of the delegation that didn't enter any of the tasks before him. He could ask to be put forward and would be prioritized if he hadn't competed in any other task. Considering that everyone that was still with the delegation had participated in the duelling tournament, 'Eddie' and Daphne would have to compete.
The blonde followed his lead, "My mum said that it would be a good idea to have a change in scenery."
The woman also remained speechless before speaking up once more, "Those are some valid reasons, of course, but you didn't need to justify yourselves to me. I assume that you're all packed up, as I requested."
They both nodded and gestured towards the two trunks next to them, and the headmistress continued, "Excellent. I have arranged for an International Portkey to take us there. So, let's be on our way."
"No dragon this time, professor," Harry asked cheekily.
"I'm afraid not, Mr. Carmichael," she answered dryly, levitating their trunks with a twitch of her wand and motioning them to follow her.
Harry and Daphne shared a look before doing as the woman said. They found themselves in front of a nice big stick. She held it out to the both of them and they grabbed it.
The familiar tug behind Harry's navel was instant and sharp as if a hook had latched onto him, yanking him forward. He felt his feet leave the ground, the world around him spinning into a blur of colour and wind. Daphne's hand tightened slightly on the Portkey as they were pulled through the magical vortex, their bodies weightless but still being propelled forward at a dizzying speed. It wasn't long, just a few seconds, but it always felt like much longer—like being caught in a whirlpool and thrown to shore. And then, just as suddenly, they slammed back into solid ground.
It was a bit rougher than he expected, probably due to it being an international trip. He was about to comment only to freeze at the sight before him. He barely noticed McGonagall giving them a small smile in their shock, "Welcome to the Olympus Magical Academy."
The academy was beautiful, sure. It stood like a grand Greek palace, all white marble columns and intricate carvings, with expansive courtyards filled with lush greenery and statues of ancient magical figures. But that was about what he expected.
However, none of that compared to the sight of the mountain behind it—the true marvel. Towering endlessly into the sky, the mountain stretched so high that it seemed to merge with the heavens themselves. There was no visible peak, just an awe-inspiring expanse of rock and mist, as if the mountain were infinite, disappearing into the clouds. It felt like the academy was cradled at the very base of eternity.
McGonagall cleared her throat, "They don't call it the Olympus Academy for no reason."
Olympus, one of the most historically significant locations, was a place that the ancient Greeks considered to be the home of the gods themselves and he could see why. It was a place probably filled with as many secrets as Hogwarts, maybe even more.
Yes, coming here was the right call. This was definitely going to be fun.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
AN: Finally, I'm getting started with the Sixth task. I really like Greek Mythology, so expect me to play around with it as much as possible. Norse and Greek were always my favourites. To be honest, I wrote this chapter in a hurry. I know I've said that a lot in the last few days, but for some reason, I found myself having to juggle around a dozen problems at once, both in my personal life and work, so I barely had time to write during my break. Everything should settle down either by the next chapter or the one after. Hopefully, at least. Again, please let me know if you find any issues, since I didn't have time to proofread it properly. As usual, I'm also open to any recommendations you have regarding this chapter or the next arc in general.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
If you want to support me check out my patréon at https://www.patréon.com/athassprkr
I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions of them so you can read up to 20 chapters ahead as a bonus.
Thank you guys for your support in these hard times.