Unknown Prophecy

Chapter 7

Harry rubbed his palm across the rock to wipe off the excess dirt and chips. He checked his progress before continuing. Hour after hour, he painstakingly carved dozens of runes into the Runic Loadstone that would keep his enchantments from unraveling. Once done, he checked it over and nodded happily.

All around him, the wind was whipping fiercely over his bare skin. His clothes flapped as his skin numbed from the cold. High up in the French Alps, the mountains around him were all topped with snow, even though it wasn’t winter. Though it was annoying to work in, the snow would ultimately help keep people away from the vault he was creating. It had taken him hours of flying around the mountain range while invisible to find the perfect spot. The area he chose was far off the beaten path where no muggle was dumb enough to venture. Magicals had no reason to venture that way either. The treacherous mountains, the unforgiving cold, and the ever-present dangers of avalanches and rockslides were all enough to keep people from exploring that deep into the range.

Once he found a shallow cave with an opening that was little more than a slit in the rock, he immediately got to work. Using Voldemort’s knowledge of how he created his cave, Harry expanded the inside until it was roughly ten times the size of Hogwarts’ Great Hall. He felt that was more than big enough for what he planned. When that was done, he went to work creating the entrance that included a door that would only open using Potter's blood. If non-Potter blood was used in an attempt to open the vault, ten-foot-long, needle-sharp spikes would erupt from the hidden, stone door. Needless to say, it would not end well for any would-be thieves. After that, he chose the correct size of rock and began carving runes into it. Finishing up the last one, he wiped it clean and examined it. Happy with the outcome, Harry moved it inside the cave and drilled a hole deep into the mountain at the middlemost point. He then connected the cave and the entrance to the stone before burying it. Then with a wave of his wand, the hole completely fixed itself.

Over the coming years, Harry planned on adding more and more protections to the cave, but for the moment, only a few were necessary. Anti-Apparition and Portkey Charms were the first to be added. He, of course, added an exception for him. There was no way he would fly over the mountains every time he needed to visit the vault. There was one charm he absolutely had to have on it. Stepping out of the cave, he watched as the stone door closed behind him. Holding his wand as if he were the maestro of an orchestra, he began waving it around the air, chanting the very long and intricate incantation. As the minutes passed, he could feel the charm pulling an obscene amount of magic from his body. He could see why so few witches and wizards could successfully cast the charm. Even though it was very cold, sweat beaded on his forehead. “... abscondat in anima mea!” Harry finished and snapped his wand to the side, breaking the flow of magic. A deep rumble echoed over the mountain as the ground beneath his feet trembled. Small rocks and dirt rolled down the mountain slope until finally, the rumbling stopped. Harry took a few steps backward until it appeared that the mountain had swallowed the stone door. He took a step forward and a large boulder split apart, revealing his door again. Stepping back, the door sank back into the mountain. Harry smiled as his body shivered. The sweat on his forehead was making his body very cold. To him, it was worth it. There were few things more secure than the Fidelius Charm.

Walking forward, the door presented itself again, and Harry walked through. He then spent the next few hours transferring his vast wealth into the cave. Gold, art, and other treasures were stashed in there until he could access his Gringotts vault. Harry then pulled a box from his pocket. Inside were the Horcruxes that he procured a few days ago. Harry waved his wand and a pedestal formed from the stone ground. He placed the box on top of it and left the cave. As the door disappeared, Harry vanished from view.

He smiled happily once he was back in his warm workshop. He wasn’t happy with the cave’s security by a long shot, but it was good enough until he could accomplish the next part of his plan. It would be both dangerous and exhilarating.

Unknown Prophecy

One of the biggest problems facing Harry once he integrated himself back into society was the British government. More accurately, his problems would be with Dumbledore and Fudge trying to pull him in different directions. While Fudge himself wasn’t particularly a bad guy, he often surrounded himself with terrible people that had too much influence on his decision-making. He also cared too much about keeping the position of Minister of Magic. Dumbledore was in a league of his own. Harry had little doubt that he would attempt to get him under his thumb immediately. The likeliest scenario was him being placed with the Weasleys where he could be watched. Harry wasn’t having any of that, but sadly, no matter how rich, powerful, or famous he was, they would never let an underage boy live on his own. At the moment, there was little that Harry could do about it. He was a British citizen and didn’t have any family living outside of the isles. He was fucked … unless, of course, he found a way to get himself blood adopted by someone living outside of Britain. Then he could get himself a dual citizenship. Once that happened, neither the Minister nor Dumbledore could force him to live with anyone he didn’t want to.

Of course, he needed someone that wouldn’t try to control him. Years ago, when making his plans, he spent time researching those that betrayed him as much as possible. He needed to know their weaknesses and wanted to know their motivations. There were those like Ron who were rotten to the core and probably did it out of jealousy or for gain. Then there were those like Molly who probably followed Dumbledore’s orders no matter what. There were some that Harry could never figure out, like Hermione and Fleur. There didn’t appear to be any spells or potions used on them to alter their behavior. It was possible that they truly believed they were doing the right thing. Harry remained unsure though. Being disabled and in hiding made it difficult to spy on those who remained in Britain. Harry did, however, also spy on his betrayers’ loved ones. That was when he found the perfect candidate to fix his little problem.

It wasn’t long after Gabrielle Delacour finally left home after graduating from school that Fleur’s mother left her father. Her motivations were pretty clear. She was tired of being a stay-at-home wife and craved adventure. At least, that was what she told everyone who had asked. Harry knew that after she had left her husband, she moved from rich man to rich man, leeching money off of them while living a lavish lifestyle. None were good enough for her to stay with them for long, however.

After some more research, Harry figured that she finally gave in to her baser desires. Veela were creatures of fire. They were passionate, sexual, and absolutely craved freedom. Perhaps that was why Fleur had turned against him. Maybe it broke up the monotony of being a housewife. Maybe the thought of murdering someone excited her. Harry certainly didn’t know, nor did he care. One way or another, he would have his revenge against all of them, and as far as he was concerned, their loved ones were fair game as well. Harry wasn’t a complete psycho, however. Children would obviously be spared from his schemes, so that meant Gabrielle was safe. Fleur’s mother and father though …

Harry didn’t give two shits about Apolline’s apparent sluttiness. She could fuck every man in France for all he cared. The only thing he cared about was what use she was to him. In this case, she was of great use. She wanted freedom and the means to do whatever she wanted. Harry needed someone to help him become a French citizen. Perhaps they could scratch each other’s backs. There was also the bonus of him being able to keep a close eye on Fleur. Back when he was a kid, he didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to her. He remembered that she was snobby and acted as though she lived a high-class life despite her family being quaint. Maybe that was a sign of things to come. Harry would pay more attention to everyone this time.

Unfortunately, Mr. Delacour was in the way, and while Harry wasn’t keen on killing someone that hadn’t wronged him, there were less messy ways to get rid of him. In the meantime, Harry needed to get on the Delacours’ radar. He would make sure to do that very soon.

Unknown Prophecy

Northern Sweden was very lovely, Harry thought as he meticulously created a hole in the powerful wards protecting the Swedish Dragon Reservation. Using his Mage Sight, he made sure not to damage the wards since they had an alarm attached to them. Opening a large hole wasn’t easy, but it was doable. He was at the far end of the reservation where the Dragon Handlers rarely if ever went. Only those who maintained the wards would visit the back area, and since the wards appeared to be at maximum power, Harry suspected that they had visited less than a couple of months ago. That was good news since they were unlikely to come back any time soon. The bad news was that the wards were quite powerful and hard to work with. They had to be to keep the dragons within from escaping.

More than an hour later, Harry put away his wand and easily slipped through the massive hole that he had created. By then the sun was just beginning to rise again. Due to them being so far north, during the summer the sun never actually set. It just hung there low on the horizon. Harry needed to hurry. He did not want to get spotted messing with the dragons. It was still early enough that most of the Dragon Handlers weren’t awake. There was only one or two keeping an eye on the place during the late night hours. Using an invisibility spell, he also used a spell to mask his scent as he trekked through the reservation. It wasn’t long before he saw his first dragon. Unfortunately, it was only a juvenile. Moving on, he continued searching until he spotted exactly what he was looking for … a fully grown, female Swedish Short-Snout. Harry took a moment to stand there and gaze at it.

At over twenty feet, the dragon was an imposing figure to look at. Its silvery-blue skin was quite lovely, and Harry could see why it was so sought after. The dragon rumbled and snorted, sending out a small burst of blue flames from its nostrils. Harry’s mouth was suddenly dry. His far-fetched plan suddenly seemed way more stupid than before. Inhaling deeply, Harry exhaled and calmed his nerves. He quietly pulled out his broom and crept around the brush until he was facing the dragon’s broad back. Throwing a leg over the broomstick, he silently rose into the air. Hovering for a moment, he steeled his nerves and slowly eased his way over until he was right above the dragon’s back. Dropping down as low as he could without touching it, Harry took one last moment to calm his hammering heart. With that done, he slipped off of his broom and landed on the dragon’s back. Before the beast could even make a sound, Harry’s wand was pointed right at the back of its head.

“Imperio!” Harry said, using as much power as possible. Completely controlling a dragon using the Imperius Curse was a fool’s errand. Harry wasn’t foolish enough to think that he could. No, Harry just needed the curse to work long enough to plant some instructions into the beast’s mind. With that done, the dragon suddenly turned around and began lumbering toward the hole that he had created. Using its large strides, it wasn’t long before it crept right through the unseen hole. Holding onto his broom, Harry waved his wand and unraveled his work on the wards. They immediately snapped back to normal. Hopefully, no one would ever know that he was there. The dragon began flapping its wings and lifted off with Harry on its back. Within a couple of minutes, Harry was soaring above the mountains and brushing against the clouds, occasionally casting the Unforgivable at the dragon to keep him on course. He held tightly to his broom, just in case he fell or he needed to bail.

It wasn’t an overly long flight, but it was asshole-clenching nonetheless. The reason for taking the dragon was twofold. First, he wanted to continue making a name for himself. Harry always wanted his name to be in the papers. The more famous he was, the more untouchable he became, not to mention the more he could get away with. The second reason would be obvious once he accomplished the first part of his plan.

The journey from Northern Sweden to Northern Norway was only a few hours at the breakneck speed of the Swedish Short-Snout. Harry hoped that no one saw the dragon flying over. Thankfully, this part of the world wasn’t very populated. If they did see it, Harry guessed that the Obliviators would have a good time tracking everyone down. As he flew over the mountains and valleys, he kept his eyes peeled. The place he was looking for took its security very seriously. Those who visited had to agree to be Obliviated once they arrived so that they couldn’t pass on the location to anyone else. Even so, the general location was known to many. It was obviously in Northern Europe, either in or near the Arctic Circle. In his previous life, Harry had been able to narrow it down even more by paying off some less-than-scrupulous individuals. It was located in a valley in the county of Finnmark.

As he flew over the area, Harry activated his Mage Sight. It was in the fourth valley that he searched that he finally found what he was looking for. A massive dome of magic radiated out from a center point and covered the entire valley. He knew that if he didn’t have his Mage Sight activated, all he would see was an empty valley. Knowing that the wards would not be able to stop a dragon, he forced it to fly directly into it. As they passed through, Harry flared his powerful magic and drilled a hole into the Anti-Apparition and Portkey wards. Harry was met with a four-story castle in the distance and a sweeping valley filled with lakes and small rivers. In the largest lake that was close to the castle, Harry saw a familiar ship that was moored to its pier. There were students already swimming in the lake even though it was still early in the morning. It seemed that the students were taking advantage of the daylight that was only available during summer. Other students were flying around on their brooms, and some were even playing Quidditch. Harry found it strange that students were allowed to stay on the school’s grounds during summer. He quickly put that from his mind. He was there for two reasons. To further his name and to get rid of another Death Eater if possible. Nothing would get his name out there like defending Durmstrang Institute from a dragon attack.

Karkaroff would most definitely be there. He rarely left the grounds if he could help it. There were still fellow Death Eaters out there that wanted revenge on him. Harry guessed that snitching on everyone he knew wasn’t conducive to making friends. Who would have known?

With one last blast of the Imperius Curse, Harry held on as the dragon began diving from up high. Still invisible, he stood up the best he could and climbed on his broom. Kicking off, he flew away from the dragon and waited for his time to shine. Even from up in the air, he could hear the screams of the Durmstrang students as they noticed the massive beast barreling toward them. Harry’s eyes widened when the dragon let out a belch of blue flames and covered the ship with fire. Instantly, the sails were aflame as the dragon pulled out of his dive, still flying low. The students were swimming away from the burning ship while those in the air scattered on their brooms in every direction. The beast made a few more passes, hitting the ship with its powerful, fiery breath with every pass. Soon after, the entire ship was burning, sending plumes of smoke high into the air. Students did whatever they could to get out of the way of the dragon’s path. The dragon didn’t seem to care about them though. Instead, it made a beeline for the castle itself.

“What the hell are those snot-nosed brats screaming about this time?” Karkaroff asked his second in command as they strolled down the Entrance Hall. He was just about to enjoy a late breakfast when the wards warned him of a breach just before he heard screaming coming from outside.

“I do not know, Igor. Perhaps another troll has come down from the mountain.”

Karkaroff sneered. If that was all they were screaming about then he would make them pay dearly for their cowardice. He kicked open the large, oak front doors violently with a bang. He was met with the sight of a majestic blue dragon only one hundred feet away. Its mouth was agape as flames danced in its mouth. The two men looked at each other and slammed the doors shut. They turned and ran as fast as humanly possible. They only got a few steps before a torrent of blue flames incinerated the door and covered them both with fire. Karkaroff was barely able to scream before his flesh sizzled and fell off of the bone. His body was completely ash only a few moments later.

The students’ eyes bugged out as a stream of fire was shot directly into their school. Alarms began going off and bells started chiming, but due to the isolationist mentality of those in charge, no one was coming to their rescue. Thankfully, very few people were in the castle, and the students that were still inside were on the upper floor, away from the fire. Unfortunately for them, when the fire bells began chiming, they found the first floor blocked. There was too much smoke and fire. That blocked practically all of their escape paths out of the castle. They had little choice but to make their way up to one of the towers. As soon as they did, they immediately wished that they hadn’t. A giant, blue dragon was circling the castle. Once it caught sight of them, the dragon roared and started flying toward them. Some of the smarter kids ran back into the castle, but a few were too petrified with fright to do anything. They stood there and watched as the dragon got closer before finally opening its maw.

A red bolt of magic hit the dragon directly on the side of the head, making it jerk to the side. Red sparks erupted as the spell hit the magic-resistant hide of the beast. The dragon pulled up, flapping its massive wings while hovering in the air. They looked to the side and saw a young boy sitting on a broom with a wand in hand. The dragon roared violently at the boy, but he didn’t bat an eyelash. Instead, he swung his wand and sent another spell directly at the dragon’s eyes. The dragon roared in pain as it turned its head away from the young attacker. When it opened its eyes again, it was clear that the dragon wasn’t happy. The boy smirked and spun around, flying off. The dragon immediately gave chase.

Now that he was in the thick of it, Harry was no longer nervous. In fact, it was just the opposite. Harry had never felt so alive. He laughed out loud as the dragon roared behind him. Looking over his shoulder, Harry saw the dragon flapping its wings as it desperately tried to keep up. It opened its mouth and fired. Harry pulled up at the last second, barely missing the jet of flames. Higher into the sky Harry rose with the beast nipping at his heels. He was pushing the limits of what his Comet 260 could achieve. When he felt the broom begin to shudder, he flipped around and dove back down. The dragon snapped at him with its jaws as he flew by. Again, Harry looked over his shoulder and saw the dragon gaining on him. It had tucked its wings tightly to its body and was in complete freefall. Streamlined, it was beginning to gain on Harry. Harry aimed his wand over his shoulder and fired off a few spells. The dragon swayed from side to side, dodging his spells while keeping its slitted eyes directly on its prey. Harry’s robe was flapping wildly behind him. When the dragon was only a few feet behind him, it opened its mouth, ready to swallow him whole.

Harry yanked up on the broom as hard as he could. The toes of his shoes skimmed the grass right before shooting straight up again. A thunderous boom had Harry looking over his shoulder. A massive cloud of dust and dirt met his gaze. He laughed loudly, swirling around and hovering. When the dust settled, the dragon was lying on the ground in serious pain. None of the students wanted to get close to the beast. Harry, on the other hand, had no problem dropping down with a conjured sword in hand. He drove the blade directly into the skull of the dragon. It gave off one last pitiful wail before the head went still. Everyone was completely silent as Harry wrenched the blade from its head and vanished it wandlessly. Harry stood there, heroically posing on top of the dead dragon for a moment before dropping a Portkey onto the dead beast. It vanished just as Harry flew off, waving to the crowd before disappearing as well.

Unknown Prophecy

“Ick!” Harry shuddered. His entire body felt slimy and disgusting after casting the necromantic spells required to animate a body. In the end, though, it was worth it. The dead dragon roared in rage as it jealously guarded its Master’s treasures. Leaving the cave, Harry went back home to continue planning for his future.