Chapter 204: Sudden Changes and sudden invitations

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 204: Sudden Changes and sudden invitations

"Test number 9…"

Another wooden dummy shattered into smithereens.

"Those are magically enhanced to be extremely resistant to damage…"

Punching the non-reinforced ones was like hitting tofu. However, the reinforced ones required him to use at least two-thirds of his strength.

Knowing from personal experience just how resistant those dummies were, he estimated that his physical power had increased by around tenfold from what it was previously.

"That explains all the broken furniture..."

There was probably a more accurate way of calculating this that involved arithmancy or advanced calculus, but he could not do that to save his life.

Harry had always been more the type who learns by doing instead of studying the theory behind it.

He glanced down at his knuckles. They had a few minor scratches but nothing serious, considering the force of the impact just now.

"Enhanced strength, tougher skin, and reinforced bones… those were the effects of the ritual I did, but that ritual failed and these results are much more potent than the ones I expected."

Had the ritual succeeded, he would have… perhaps two or three times more strength.

His eyes had also improved drastically, and he never had the chance to even begin that ritual.

"Morgana claimed the ritual failed because I already had the effects of a previous one in my body."

He knew for a fact that no ritual had ever been performed prior on his current body, meaning… it was something else.

But the current evidence doesn't lie. He did have something lying dormant inside him, without his knowledge.

And whatever that was… it appears to have become awake by the ritual...

"That is a bit unsettling." Harry examined his body once more.

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The next school week was a difficult one.

Harry had to put a lot of work into controlling his newfound strength and avoid breaking things. It could be considered a miracle already that his wand had survived this long.

He spent his free time practicing with delicate objects like eggs and thin pieces of glass. By the end of the week, Harry was… at least confident he wouldn't hurt people by accident.

"What?! You are not coming home for Christmas?" Lily stared at her son with shock.

"I want to stay in the castle. There are some things I'm working on."

The truth is that he wanted to stay and perform some more tests on his changes and Howarts is a much better place for that than his house.

After a few days of using his magic in class, he noticed that it felt a bit different. His spells would come out with more potency than he intended.

For most wizards, this would not be a huge deal, but for someone specialized in a branch of magic that requires having complete control over your own magic… it was a problem. And something he needed to work on.

He had not informed his parents about this surge of power he had recently acquired because then he would need to also inform them about the ritual he performed.

"And what are you working on? I know you don't have much homework for the break," said Lily.

Since he could not tell the truth, he came up with an excuse and told her that his batch of magical alloy was close to completion and that he needed to stay and keep an eye on it.

This was a half-truth at least. That batch should be ready in January, and it would be a good idea to visit his workshop with some regularity.

He did promise to visit for Christmas Eve, which helped in making her less upset.

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After leaving his mother's office, he went to the Main Hall for some breakfast. It was a bit later, but there were still plenty of students there.

He saw his sister, along with Ginny, Luna, and Astoria, sitting at their usual spot at the Gryffindor table.

"Harry, where have you been? The time for breakfast is almost over," Lyra told him as he sat down.

A plate appeared in front of him. The elves already knew what he liked, so he didn't even need to ask.

"Thanks." He took a few bites and then looked at Lyra. "I had to talk with Mom," Harry told her.

"About what?" Lyra asked.

"About me staying in the castle during the Christmas break."

"You want to stay here? Why?"

"Ask Mom later. I explained it to her." He did not feel like repeating himself.

"That's too bad…" Ginny joined their conversation. "I was hoping that you could give me a few more flying lessons during the break."

Harry glanced towards the redhead girl. "I heard from Lyra that you have been doing a great job. Sorry, I haven't seen any of your games yet."

"It's okay… I know you are busy." She looked a bit down.

"Tell you what, I can give you a few more lessons after the break, and I promise to go watch your first game of the year," Harry told her.

Ginny had a beaming smile on her face now. "Really?!"

"Cough, cough… excuse me…"

They all looked up to see who it was and most of them were surprised to find none other than Pansy Parkinson, standing in front of their table, looking at Harry with her intense black eyes.

"Harry, may I have a moment of your time?" She requested politely.

He put down the fork and stared at the black-haired Slytherin.

She had been quieter than usual this year, so it was very rare for her to approach him out of the blue now.

"What can I do for you, Pansy?"

"I was wondering… if you are not busy this afternoon… would you accompany me to Hogsmeade?"

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