Ceasefire

Chapter 45. Ceasefire

Dumbledore snapped awake and pushed himself off the podium against which he had been leaning while unconscious. His mind was heavy as he tried to clear off the drowsiness that had bound him so abruptly.

He didn't know what happened. He was giving his speech one moment and—

In a blink of an eye, the Elder Wand materialised in his hand and he stood dead alert, peering around carefully for the threat.

But he found nothing except his groggy students and the staff. As he began to relax slowly, his eyes suddenly widened in abject horror, realising that the wards around Hogwarts were gone. Completely gone. As if they had never been there before.

Not wasting a single instant, he brought the Elder Wand above his head with a flourish and raised the wards once again before anything unsavoury could creep into the castle. Usually, he would have needed hours if not days to bring back the ancient wards to their full capacity, but with the Death Stick in his hand nothing was impossible. Magic coursed through him, the exact amount of magic needed to power the wards, and Hogwarts was safe under the shelter of one of the strongest wards once again.

As soon as the work was done, the Elder Wand disappeared with his single mental command and was discreetly replaced by his normal wand.

He failed to notice the incredulous stare of the green-eyed boy.

With the most important task taken care of, he proceeded to calm the crowd.

He was made aware of the panicked whispers as they rose in volume, as they coalesced into one collective distressed noise. It was only a second later that the combined whispers turned into questions, demanding answers. And soon, all eyes were upon him.

"Worry not, children. We haven't been attacked. It was the wards that malfunctioned, prompting a flare of intense magical waves that caused the mass blackouts. Be at peace, the problem has been taken care of. You're not in any danger." He announced loudly with a calmness he wasn't feeling, assuaging their fears while his own grew. He lied to prevent mass hysteria and put on a benign smile. He knew that the wards broke after whatever happened that had caused them all to lose consciousness. If it really had been just the wards then he would have felt it before anyone else since he was connected to it. But lies had to be spoken to placate little children. Now was not the time for everyone to lose their minds and run like headless chickens.

His words had an immediate effect and everyone relaxed, slumping into their seats and staring at him with clear relief. If it was a normal school, then mere words wouldn't have stopped the students from freaking out. But Hogwarts was anything but normal, and it wasn't the first time that a strange event had occurred.

Unlike them, the guests were still wary, but not wary enough to leave the castle as if it was a plague.

From there, Dumbledore continued his speech, finishing it shortly, and offered the guests the freedom to roam the castle and the grounds as they pleased. He also added that there would be an important announcement about the tournament during dinner. So everyone's attendance was strictly required.

~xXxXx~

Eos wore a fake smile as she walked out of the castle with the students who decided to head back instead of taking up Dumbledore's offer of exploring Hogwarts.

Her sensual gait, her soft voice, everything was the same, and yet Fleur noticed the change in her behaviour instantly.

"Madam, are you alright? You look a little pale. Paler than usual." She asked with a worried frown.

Eos froze momentarily before resuming her walk. "I'm fine, Fleur."

The Veela didn't believe her for a second, easily seeing through her, spotting how tense she was. Taking her teacher's arm, she gave it a squeeze. Her blue eyes met hers, trying to convey that she was there for her and that she could tell her anything.

Eos' fake smile turned a little true and she squeezed back. "Nothing for you to worry about, dear. I was just forced to face the demons of my past when everyone blacked out."

"Bad dream while you were unconscious? I see. Forget about the past, madam, just focus on the present. There's no use fearing or reminiscing about something that has already happened." Fleur smiled reassuringly.

"I'll try, Fleur." She said with warmth. "I'll try."

After getting into the carriage and then into her room, she stumbled towards her bed and collapsed on it face first. Heaving a sigh, she shut her eyes and tried to forget the powerlessness that she had felt when the boy swung his sword towards her.

Her heart had raced. Her body had stilled. Her own magic had screamed in fright when his heavy presence soaked her thoroughly.

She had never felt like that before. Like a small rabbit before a cruel hyena.

She had thought that she finally became free after killing her husband and escaping her prison. But for the first time in her life, she felt entrapped by fear. She had experienced the fleeting kiss of death as it passed her by.

It was so overpowering that she was even forced to question whether killing Tom and running away from home had been a good decision. A part of her wistfully seeked the gilded cage where she had never feared for her life. Where she had been loved and protected by her husband.

Shaking her head off the disturbing thoughts, she focussed on the problem. And as she reviewed the encounter in her mind, she realised a couple of things.

First, he was most probably Harry Potter. That was easy to conclude since she had met the Creator once, and the boy looked quite similar to the man.

Second, the boy could be in cohort with the Creator, after all, how else was he to know of her existence? Only her dead husband, dead Peter Pettigrew, and the Creator knew of her. Meaning, it must be the Creator who was playing his games. This was a major revelation. And a major concern.

Third, she was totally fucked. The hate in his voice had been overwhelming when he uttered the name 'Voldemort'. Knowing her husband, she was sure that he was the reason for it. That he must have screwed up royally. And now she had to pay instead of him. She would have to clear up the misconception that she was Voldemort.

She was not.

She was Eos Blanc!

As she thought of solutions, she might have tried to seduce him and bed him only to kill him during sex, but the boy was easily more powerful than her. And the one rule she followed with all her heart was 'never get into bed with someone stronger than you'. That was an easy way to get betrayed while getting pleasured. So, that way was a no-go if she didn't want to end up like her husband.

She was quite disappointed actually, that the boy was treating her as his enemy. It was such a waste. She had never seen someone so beautiful as him. Someone even more perfect than Fleur. Her body had tingled when their eyes had met for the first time in the Great Hall. Her mouth had watered at the image of him pistoning into her cunt while his mouth latched onto her large breast. She could imagine his hands manhandling her body as he kissed her and fed her his saliva, as he dug his fingers into her soft flesh.

She shuddered and rubbed her thighs, sinking her face into the pillow with a moan.

What she wouldn't give to fuck him, but alas it was never going to be more than a dream. He saw her as an enemy. And she saw him as someone powerful enough to betray her. There would be no sweet fucking between them. The risks were just too high. And one thing she absolutely didn't like was the risks. Unlike her husband, she didn't have any grand plans. All she ever wanted was a peaceful life where she could be free to do anything. Where she was free to go anywhere. Where she was free to fuck anyone. Where she was just free.

Unfortunately, it seemed she might have to face some dangerous situations anyway before her life could get back on track.

How bothersome.

~xXxXx~

Harry was waylaid by Iris and Daphne as he began moving towards the group of French students that were leaving the castle.

"Stop right there, Harry. Clear your head first before you make a mess." Daphne hissed inconspicuously in his ear, linking their arms and ushering him into an empty classroom with Iris fast on their heels.

"What?" He grumbled as his sister hurriedly closed the door behind them before their friends could follow them in, and put up privacy charms to be on the safer side.

Daphne flicked her wand and a giant globe of white light lay suspended over their heads, illuminating the entire classroom, and bathing them in a cool light.

"Is she really Voldemort?" Iris questioned curiously, not as scared as she should have been by that. Then again, the woman had been easily bested by her brother. So, there was no real reason to fear her.

The question caused Harry to clam up as he thought about how to answer it truthfully. "As you already know, Voldemort was parted into two by the Creator, and the male half was killed by the female one. So, technically, yes, she is Voldemort. The last remaining Voldemort."

"And what about un-technically?" asked Daphne, peering at him carefully, her arms crossed under her chest.

He sighed and shook his head. "I don't know what she is exactly. She was created years after the conclusion of the war that supposedly ended Voldemort. So, she should be a new being. But since she was created from half of Voldemort's soul, she should be considered Voldemort too."

"Oh? What exactly constitutes a self then? An interesting question whose answer we'll never know." Daphne muttered in intrigue, plopping down on a nearby bench, crossing her leg over her knee, not really expecting an answer from him.

Harry and Iris shared a knowing look, recalling Creator's lecture when they had met him in Tracey's mother's flat.

"Three things make up a being. A body. A mind. And a soul. A mind gives the being a sense of self, a body allows the self to interact with physical reality, and a soul is a unique energy that binds the mind to the body. Only the soul is permanent, the body and mind on the other hand are perishable." Harry explained softly, pushing his fingers through his hair.

Daphne stared at him in shock. "How do you know that?"

"Creator." He shrugged. And she accepted that with a slow nod, going through the words and realising that she was given the secret to one of the oldest mysteries of civilization.

Ignoring the thousands of questions that swarmed her head, she focussed on the current topic. "So, since her soul is the same as Voldemort's, she is Voldemort."

Unexpectedly, Harry shook his head. "No, we can't be sure. A soul is never meant to be cut in two. After death, the soul is cleaned, for lack of a better term, until it is blank, and then it's reincarnated without its sense of self, allowing it to create a new identity in its new life. In Voldemort's case, we didn't know how clean her soul was before she was given a mind and a sense of identity. We don't know how much of Voldemort she is."

"What did your 'Observe' Perk tell you?" Iris took a seat beside Daphne whose eyes were far away as she mulled over his words and got lost in her head, thinking about all her previous identities in uncountable previous lives.

"That she is both Voldemort and not. That she is Eos Blanc too." He groaned, pacing before them, frustrated that he didn't know how to progress further. What was he to do? If she wasn't Voldemort then was he still supposed to kill her because of the quest?

"But does it really matter? Even if she is Voldemort, she wasn't responsible for what happened before her time. She shouldn't pay for what her male counterpart did." Daphne offered thoughtfully, approaching it logically. "You're just making it too complex. You have seen and fought Voldemort before. And if he's already dead then she simply is not Voldemort."

Harry nodded reluctantly. "I'll try not to let my views of Voldemort colour my judgement."

Daphne dipped her head in agreement and stood up. "Good. Interrogate her after dinner. Give yourself some time to cool off. Honestly, jumping right on the head table and waving your sword was such a stupid Gryffindor move. You could have approached it in so many other better ways."

He smiled sheepishly at hearing that. "I know. But my instincts took over. And by the time I used my head, it was already too late. So, I just went with my instincts instead of covering it up."

Daphne rolled her eyes. "Try to be more level-headed next time. Now let's get out of here. Tori is sure to bug you to spill whatever 'secret talk' happened right now."

~xXxXx~

"Am I the only one who thinks that Frenchie is ogling Harry?" Astoria spoke up with a scrunched-up nose, nudging Harry's shoulder, who was sitting beside her, with her head.

Presently, they were seated at the Gryffindor table for dinner. Daphne and Tracey were there too, sitting beside Astoria, opting to join their friends instead of their housemates at the Slytherin table.

"I noticed too. Looks like Harry got himself an admirer." Tracey giggled.

"Ooh~ she is very beautiful." Harry commented, giving Fleur a friendly wave who offered him a shy smile in return.

"You have a girlfriend, mate. Behave." Neville smirked from across him, looking over his shoulder to glance at his friend's admirer. He blushed when he saw how pretty she was and snapped his head back. Hermione, beside him, gave him an annoyed look.

"I was rather thinking along the lines of making her a friend and understanding how different Beauxbatons is from Hogwarts than charming my way into her knickers. Get your mind out of the gutter, Nev." Harry smiled mirthfully, leaning across Astoria and planting a reassuring kiss on Daphne's cheek who had gotten used to his public displays of affection by now and didn't feel like melting into a puddle.

"You could have been a little less crass, you know." Iris grinned, pointing to Astoria and showing that they had a kid among them. Well, they too were kids themselves, not that they would accept it.

"Go get fucked, Iris. Unlike you prudes, I don't get excited over the simple word knickers. Hmph!" Astoria grumbled, glowering at the Frenchie who was not even looking at her and was giving dreamy looks to her Harry. Allowing Daphne to become Harry's girlfriend was one thing, but letting some foreign whore creep into her future husband's good graces was totally unacceptable.

A smack on her head from her elder sister made her shut her mouth and pout.

~xXxXx~

Eos sported a polite smile as she ate the dinner at the head table, partaking in small talks here and there with the professors. The number of times she had been praised for her flawless English was getting quite annoying. She kind of wanted to tell them that she was from here and was the wife of their boogeyman, Voldemort, to see their comical reactions. Really, people didn't understand how patronising they sound when they try to praise someone for that.

Expertly withdrawing from the conversation about which subject was most important, she stared at the boy who held her life in his palm. Her eyebrows rose as she caught her dear Fleur sending Harry Potter a shy smile.

'Really, Fleur? From the hundreds of eligible boys you could have chosen, you choose the one who can kill you with a snap of his fingers. Where's your fucking survival instinct?' She thought with a scowl, planning to have a chat with her student and stop her from pursuing that boy. While she could understand that he was the most beautiful, that still wasn't enough to commit suicide.

"I see you have spotted the rascal." The professor beside her whispered fondly. She was Alice Longbottom if she remembered correctly. One of the many women with whom she definitely shouldn't talk. After all, how could she keep a straight face knowing that her husband was the reason for Frank Longbottom's death? And James Potter's too. 'Thank you, Tom, for leaving so many problems for me.'

But somehow she kept her smile and laughed warmly. "Yes, my favourite student seemed to have gotten interested in him. Though I have to ask. Why did you call him a rascal? Is he some sort of playboy? You can hopefully understand my concern. Fleur is almost like my daughter."

Alice shook her head and chuckled, a blush blooming over her face. "No, nothing like that. He already has a girlfriend. I just call him 'rascal' in fondness due to his habit of flirting with me. Though it's all harmless and humorous. He does have a skewed sense of humour that way. You don't need to worry. Harry is a gentleman."

Eos just smiled and nodded, finding lies mixed with the truth in the woman's assurance.

She thought Harry Potter was anything but a gentleman with the way Alice Longbottom was talking about him. And she was almost sure that their flirting wasn't just harmless and for humour's sake.

Eos' smile turned sly as she glanced at the boy. It seemed that Harry Potter liked waving his sword in more than one way.

That was… interesting and so fucking hot. It shouldn't have been a difficult task for him to seduce the older woman with his extraordinary looks. But his decision to do that to someone like Alice Longbottom, who was his godmother, and even a mother in all but name, caused her to respect him some more.

She stared at the twins and saw how they interacted with each other. Her eyes widened. And her smile grew a little more.

Heh. The twins were fucking each other. She was ninety percent sure of her assumption after noting the way the redhead looked at her brother.

It seemed Harry Potter was very interesting.

Not that it changed how she was screwed. But it did make the dinner entertaining as she pondered who else the boy was fucking.

Not for the first time that day she wished he wasn't so powerful. Then she could have been able to have sex with him and experience the pretty boy's sword in another way. In a more intimate way. She silently groaned, wanting to scream at her luck. The one man she wanted to fuck the most was so out of reach.

~xXxXx~

After dinner, Dumbledore got onto his feet before the podium and caressed the side of the mystical goblet in which a beautiful blue flame was burning. Then he let his gaze wander over the students. And they were already silent, looking at him with bated breath, not needing him to call them to attention.

He smiled at their eagerness. "Children, this is the goblet of fire. An artefact that was used to select the participants for the previous Triwizard Tournaments. Usually, the participants would be chosen randomly to prevent favouritism. But this time there will be no randomness. Only the strongest and most able students will be allowed to participate in this difficult competition. Because while we'll try our best to not let any champions die as had happened before, there's still a possibility that we might fail. So, I warn you again, only enter your name if you are fully prepared for the consequences. There's never a reward without risk in life. And if someone says otherwise then they're lying. This tournament is not for the weak-hearted. Death is a possibility."

He walked around the podium and stood in front of it, now unobscured to the students. He tried to meet everyone's gaze, allowing a dramatic silence to grow, allowing uneasiness to sprout within their guts. "But choosing the most abled or skilled people is nigh impossible. So, the goblet will choose students with the biggest magical core, or a mana pool instead. Because while it can't measure skills, it can note one's mana levels easily. And more often than not, people with bigger mana pools are stronger and more skilled.

"From tomorrow until Halloween, this goblet will stay here in the Great Hall. And anyone who fancies becoming a champion can write their name on a piece of parchment and place it in the goblet. The result will be announced on Halloween. I wish everyone the best of luck. Now, goodnight, and be off to bed. There had been enough excitement for the day."

~xXxXx~

At midnight, after convincing Iris to let him go alone, he teleported a hundred metres away from the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

Hagrid's Hut was behind him as he stood on the crest of a small hill, squinting down at the gentle slope that led towards the dark forest.

It was a black moonless night with heavy clouds barring the meagre shine of the stars. It was undeniably hard to see.

He pushed his hands into his pocket and strolled forward, descending the hill, thinking how easy it would be to get killed by 'Eos Blanc' if she went full-on crazy mode.

Since he didn't have the sword in his hand, he was stupidly weaker than her. If she decided to attack him, he would hardly get the time to even blink and summon his sword from the Inventory.

Currently, he was level 910. With his sword, it would turn level 10,920. Only 'slightly' stronger than Eos who was level 10,000. But when he enabled his [Rager] Skill, his powers would be doubled. And for ten precious seconds, his total accumulated power would become as potent as if he was level 21,840.

Now that was way stronger than Eos. It was the same trick he had used to cow her in the Great Hall. But it was all just a sham. In truth, he was just level 910 while she was level 10,000. She was more than ten times stronger than him. And it was frustrating. Debilitating to not have a way to reach her power by just himself. Once he levelled to 1000 he would hit the level cap and wouldn't be able to grow past it.

He needed a Class that had no level caps. Where he could continue levelling to eternity.

There's no class like that, Harry. Only once you become a God will allow you to have limitless power.

He heard Isis' voice in his head. And he nodded, simply hurrying towards the woman that stood before the gnarled leafless tree.

He wasn't going to lie.

He was kind of hoping that she would kill him and give him a valid reason to finish her off. If that really happened, then his mother would resurrect him, and he would be able to get his quest rewards after murdering the woman.

Stopping just a foot before her, he snapped his fingers and a sphere of white light floated over and hung against the branch of the tree, giving them enough light to see each other.

He wished she was ugly and wretched, so his lust wouldn't complicate matters. But she was incredibly gorgeous. He regretted saying that he considered her as beautiful as his own mother. Which was the highest compliment he could give to anyone.

She was wearing the same gown she had worn the entire day. It was black, tight around her chest, showing off her impressive bust, and snug enough around her waist to reveal her hourglass figure. Then there was her dark hair that cascaded behind her, framing her aristocratic pale face. And her eyes, oh her eyes, were the black pool of warm lust, captivating enough to get lost into.

He wished she wasn't one of the most entrancing things to ever exist. It seemed as if the Creator had made her body to be his kryptonite. He was just grateful that her hair wasn't red and her eyes weren't green. He didn't know what he would have done if that was the case.

"I'm Harry Potter. Thought I should finally introduce myself." He began, shaking off the lust that tried to steer him wrong.

"Eos Blanc." She smiled disarmingly, offering her hand.

He took it and marvelled at the softness of her skin. Looking into her eyes, he leaned forward and kissed it. "I can't say it was a pleasure to meet you, Eos."

She frowned at the sardonic tone he used at pronouncing her name. "Likewise. I can't say I enjoyed having a sword at my neck for our first meeting either."

"That was indeed the wrong thing to do. I apologise. My instincts got the better of me." He conceded, letting her hand drop to her side.

"The only difference between humans and animals is that we humans know how to control our instincts." She quipped, crossing her arms under her breasts, and smirking as his gaze dropped to her bust momentarily.

"Agreed. Now let's get to the business right away. It is clear that neither of us like each other's company very much." He said sharply.

"Yes. Let's make this as brief as possible." She responded scaldingly.

"Have you killed anyone?" He started with the big question.

She gave him a disbelieving look. "What? Am I being judged or something?"

"Yes. Now answer the questions truthfully. If you lie, I'll know. And then I won't need to keep up this polite veneer." He replied nonchalantly. "So, did you kill anyone?"

"The only one I have killed is my husband. The real Voldemort . But I don't think you should have a problem with that." She shrugged indifferently, carefully hiding her fear.

He nodded to her immense relief. "I don't care that you killed him. Other than him?"

"No."

"Did you do anything that can be seen as 'evil' by the general population?" He questioned.

She rolled her eyes and leaned her back against the trunk of the tree. "Like fucking my sister? Or maybe my godmother?"

The stupefied look on his face was cute, she thought.

"How do you know that?" He uttered angrily, not correcting her that he wasn't fucking his godmother. At least not yet.

"I'm a good observer."

"Then keep your observation to yourself or I'll kill you."

"Hmm. If that's what you want, boy. Now as for your previous question. I might have engaged in numerous sexual acts. And I might have forgotten that some of them were as young as fifteen." She confessed, a niggle of apprehension seeping into her, making her think that this was it. This was the thing that would be the reason for her end.

A victorious smile came over his face. "Did you force them? Did you rape them?"

She scoffed, glowering at him. "Of course not. Have you seen my body? I'd never have to stoop so low to get some dicking. Everything was consensual."

And just like that, his grin vanished. "Fine then. I don't care if you're easy enough to let horny fifteen-year-olds into your bed if it was consensual."

"Jealous?" She grinned, stretching her arms above her head, letting her breasts pop out of her gown. She giggled at the hungry look as he stared at her big round perfect boobs.

Harry lost his breath as his eyes drank in the sight of her perky pale tits topped up with pink rosy areolas and nipples. They were bigger than even his mum's and aunt Alice's tits.

"Oops. Sorry about that. It was an accident." Eos smiled salaciously, pushing her breasts back into the gown and covering them up.

Harry gulped and ignored the urge to jump her and fuck her. "So, you're saying that you haven't done anything bad ever."

She shook her head and smirked. "As much as you want me to confess, I don't have anything for you. I'm a good, beautiful lady who likes peace and pretty boys."

He shot her a weird look and she couldn't help but giggle.

"Fine then. I'm sorry for trying to kill you. I won't come after you from now on. That is unless you finally do something to get my negative attention. Goodnight, Eos. For what it's worth, I'm deeply sorry." He bowed and spun around, deciding to walk someway before teleporting. He thought he needed a little walk to clear his head.

"What about my questions? I want to know why you think I'm Voldemort. I want to know if you know the Creator." She spoke up quickly.

And at the mention of Creator, he almost stumbled. He hadn't known that she was aware of him. He had always thought that only the male Voldemort knew of the Creator. Maybe the Dark Lord had shared the story of their origins with her. He truly hadn't expected him to reveal that to his sexy fucktoy. Then again, he shouldn't have assumed. He knew next to nothing about Eos. He had only seen her once in that dream sequence where the Creator made her from nothing and then proceeded to molest her to annoy Voldemort.

He decided to be a little more open-minded next time.

"I don't think I owe you any answers, Eos. But since I tried to kill you without any reason, I'll reveal that I know the Creator. The king of the multiverse." He said before walking away, leaving her behind.

~xXxXx~

Bonus Scene

In the headmaster's office, Dumbledore went through the memory again with the help of the Pensieve and found the epicentre of the magical wave that had caused everyone to lose consciousness.

As he came out of the Pensieve, he muttered "Harry Potter" with mixed emotions.