Harry looked back at the smirking face of Andre. The rest of the study group stood behind him confidently as his friends screamed in agony behind them, and to make matters worse, the portal was forming, and he had no idea how to get through the barrier to stop them.
'Merlin,'He thought frantically.'There has to be something I can do.'
"Harry,"Merlin replied, his voice heavy. "They're right. You don't have enough magic to pierce the barrier. To get through, you need to channel more magic that you've ever done before. I… don't know if you can even survive the attempt, much less control, and focus the magic."
Harry glared at the smirking face of Andre as Merlin spoke, doing his best to not let his friend's screams get to him.'There's not much point in surviving if Morgan comes through, is there? Tell me what I have to do,'he thought back, his decision made.
"The same as before,"Merlin replied, but there was a noticeable hesitation in his voice this time."You're right at the source of the magic, so it will be much easier for you to draw it in, but it's going to hurt like nothing you've ever felt before, but no matter what, don't release it until I tell you."
'What spell am I supposed to use?'Harry thought, wondering what would work best against a barrier of pure magic.
"You've moved beyond the need for incantations and wand waving,"Merlin explained."Those are training tools meant to teach young wizards how to direct their magic to achieve the results they want. Picture what you need in your mind, a force of magic capable of piercing the barrier. You'll need to overload the barrier. After that, it should collapse."
'Should?'Harry thought back, hoping for something more concrete to go on.
"Should,"Merlin repeated."There are no guarantees with Morgan. She has been planning this for a very, very long time, and this is a scenario she would have undoubtedly planned for."
Harry nodded, taking a few deep breaths to prepare himself before drawing magic within himself.
Andre frowned, looking at Harry, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. Something had changed in Potter, but he didn't know what. "Whatever you're planning, it's not going to work," he said confidently. "What is happening today is inevitable. It's time you accepted that."
Harry ignored Andre's words, blocking out all the outside distractions as he continued to draw magic within himself. He had already exceeded the amount he'd used to kill the giant acromantula in the forest, and could feel the strain of containing so much magic.
Being so close to a highly concentrated source of magic made it easier for him to draw in the magic, but he also had to be careful. The large influx of magic in his pathways could easily rupture them if he took in the magic too fast.
It felt like threading a needle, carefully balancing how much magic he used with how much strain his body could take.
"Potter, what are you doing?" Andre demanded, his eyes fixated on the first year. He couldn't be sure. His eyes possibly playing tricks on him, but he could see a very faint white glow around Potter. "Answer me!" He shouted as Potter continued to ignore him.
Harry clenched his teeth as the pain steadily increased, feeling sharp, stabbing pains in his arms and chest as he continued to draw magic within himself.'Now Merlin?'Harry thought desperately, not sure him much longer he could last.
"Not yet,"Merlin thought back regretfully."You need to hold on a little longer."
Harry mentally nodded, his arms and chest feeling like they were on fire as the pain slowly spread down to his legs.'I can't… take… much more,'he thought back, the pain magnifying with each passing second.'Turn… off… pain,'he thought back.
"I can't,"Merlin replied regretfully."Without the pain, I can't tell how much magic you've drawn in. Too little, and it won't work, too much and it will kill you outright."
Harry groaned audibly. The intensity of the pain was almost unbearable at this point as he struggled to hold on, relying on Merlin's voice to keep him grounded.
Andre looked at Potter, incensed that he was being ignored, but also feeling a gnawing worry at the back of his mind. He had seen what Potter was capable of first hand, and the look of concentration on his face, the way his limbs trembled as he stood there. He was up to something.
"Where are your friends?" Andre taunted, trying to break Harry's concentration. "Did you leave them behind… or are they already dead?" He sneered maliciously. "That's a pity. After all the trouble you and your ilk caused us, I was hoping to do it myself. I guess I'll just have to settle for you."
'Now Merlin?'Harry thought again, his eyes burning with anger as he struggling to maintain his concentration while ignoring Andre's taunts.
"Not yet,"Merlin repeated.
"They won't be missed," Andre said from behind the barrier. "I can promise you that. People like you, like them," he said, the disgust clear in his voice. "They won't have a place in the world we're going to build."
Harry glared at Andre furiously, teeth clenched as he felt the excruciating pain of the excess magic strain his magical pathways.'Now Merlin?'He thought. His arm visibly shaking.
"Now,"Merlin finally replied.
Harry lifted his wand, straining as he do so, his muscles spasming and jerking uncontrollably as he struggled to hold on. He griped his forearm with his other hand, steadying his aim as he prepared to let loose his magic.
"Oh, are you going to try for another spell?" Andre asked, chuckling darkly. "Well, go right ahead and try," he taunted before seeing the look in Harry's eyes.
His confident smile fell from his face as a burst of light exploded from Harry's wand, forming a pillar of tightly condensed magic. It rapidly picking up speed, crackles of energy flowing around it as it slammed heavily into the barrier with a loud gong.
His eyes widened in shock, watching as the barrier visibly shuddered, flickering as the onslaught of Harry's attack went on, and on. The light of Harry's spell getting so bright that he had to shield his eyes.
"No.. It's not possible," he said, shaking his head in disbelief as Harry's spell, whatever it was, continued to smash into the barrier, watching it visibly weaken and buckle before finally flickering out completely.
Harry dropped to his knees with an agonized scream, the powerful discharge of magic wreaking havoc on both his body, and magical pathways. He looked down at his arm, seeing dark black lines running down it, then at his wand, a wisp of smoke at the end.
"You burned out your magical pathways, a lot of them,"Merlin explained."But it worked."
Harry staggered to his feet, rushing towards his friends. He turned his wand into its dagger form as he ran. He could see them more clearly now. The study group had them tied to posts, with multiple runes carved into them.
He just had to cut them free and get them away from the study group. Then he could deal with the portal. Pushing himself harder, he sent a burst of magic to his legs, grimacing with pain as he did so, having to use his enhanced perception to dodge their volley of spells as he rapidly closed the distance.
He dodged to the right, narrowly avoiding Andre's spell, then to the left as he avoided a spell from Talbott. He didn't have time to think, relying fully on his instincts as he sprang high into the air, aiding by his magic as he avoided spells from both Beatrice and Elspeth as he flew through the air.
He hit the ground hard, turning it into a roll as he veered to his left, feeling the crackle of magic fly past him as he narrowly avoiding another spell from Andre. The hairs on his arm standing on end as the spell missed him by millimeters.
He cursed mentally as the study group continued to rain spell fire on him. They didn't even care if they hit him. Their goal was obvious: keep him busy until the portal opened.
Taking a risk, he glanced at the portal. It was still small, but growing, thin tendrils of magic connected it to both his friends, and the study group, maintaining the integrity of the ritual while the well of magic under their feet powered the ritual.
His eyes widened, dodging to the right just in time to avoid a spell from Lucian that threw him off target. He considered pouring more magic into his legs, and increasing his speed to get past them, but dismissed the idea.
They already knew what his goal was, and the extra speed wouldn't give him the time he needed to free his friends. It would only wear him out faster.
"You've got some impressive tricks, Potter," Andre called out. "I'll give you that, but you're not going to beat us, not today. We've waited too long for someone like you to screw it up for us!"
Harry ignored Andre's jabs. He was just trying to throw him off his game, get him distracted so they could get a spell past his guard, but he knew he couldn't keep running around like this, or dodge their spells forever. Sooner or later they were going to land a hit, and it would only go downhill from there.
Thinking back to Merlin's fight, he remembered how the ancient wizard apparated around the battlefield, but it was never something he attempted himself. He couldn't take the risk of splinching himself.
He glanced at Sally, an uneasy look in his eyes as she continued to scream agony. Her hair slowly turning gray as the ritual took its toll on her.
He turned quickly, changing targets, this time running towards Talbott, his closest opponent. He could see the Ravenclaw's eyes widen as he got closer, sending out a series of spells in a panic as he quickly closed the gap between them.
Harry dodged and weaved through the spells, letting them fly past him. He couldn't afford to slow down or stop as the rest of the study group figured out his plan. He held out his arm, catching Talbott on the neck and shoulders with a clothesline, sending him flipping through the air before landing heavily on the ground, the wind knocked out of him.
Turning again, Harry made a beeline to his friends, only to curse mentally when a combined series of spell from Ismelda, Andre, and Beatrice forced him to change course again.
He could see out of the corner of his eye the portal had grown larger, now the size of a snitch. Time was running out. The portal's rate of growth would only increase as it got larger, and the damage his friends suffered would become permanent.
Talbott was on the ground groaning in pain, but slowly getting to his feet. Harry turned again, this time aiming for Andre. He hoped by taking out the leader they would hesitate, creating the opening he needed to save his friends.
A smirk made its way onto Andre's face as he saw Harry barreling towards him. The first year was fast, faster than any wizard had the right to be, but he accepted the challenge none the less, eager to finally take him down once and for all. "Bombarda! Bombarda! Bombarda!" He shouted, sending a trio of explosion curses at Harry.
He aimed two at his sides, and one lower, aiming for the ground in front of him.'Predictable,'he thought smugly as Harry jumped into the air to avoid the hole in the ground, but leaving him unable to dodge for the split second he was in the air.
"Flipendo!" Ismelda shouted just as Harry jumped into the air, aiming the knock back jinx for Harry's midsection, using the opening Andre created for her.
Harry knew he made a mistake as soon as he jumped into the air, seeing Ismelda's spell bearing down on him. He crossed his arms in front of his chest to take the brunt of the attack, using hardening for added protection, but as the spell struck him he realized it wasn't enough.
The curse slammed into him with the force of a wrecking ball, flinging him backwards, and sending him crashing into the trunk of a tree, causing it to splinter on impact. He fell to the ground heavily, grimacing in pain as he landed.
Harry quickly rolled to the side, his instincts saving him as a cutting curse hit the ground where his head had been just moments ago. He scrambled to his hands and knees, dodging a barrage of spells, and adding more magic to his hardening technique to protect him from the spells he couldn't avoid.
Even with hardening, the concussive force of the spells were enough to leave bruises on his arms and chest as they whittled away at the layers of magic protecting him from their attacks.
He could see the satisfied smirk on Andre's face as their spell fire increased, more of their spells hitting their mark, but there was nothing he could do about it.
They were on him the second he dove out of the way, forming a semi-circle around him as they reined down spell after spell on him from multiple angles, making it even more difficult to dodge them.
Harry grit his teeth, getting up on one knee as he held his arms out in front of him, thinking of a shield as he willed his magic through his undamaged magical pathways.
A curved dome of white light formed in front of him catching the study group's curses and finally giving him some breathing room, but it was taking all his concentration just to keep the shield up, the force of their combined spells keeping him pinned to the ground.
He hissed in pain as a cutting curse slipped past the edge of his shield, leaving behind a cut on his shoulder. His blood quickly soaked into his sleeve, dripping down his arm as he put everything he had into his shield to reinforce it.
He tried to stand, but the study group only increased their rate of fire when he did, forcing him back down again.
A Bombarda curse exploded beside him, sending dirt and rocks flying into the air as the study group moved further apart, widening their semicircle around him.
With no other choice, Harry widened his shield to match, giving himself more cover at the cost of weakening his shield's strength as the study group continued their relentless attack, attempted to sneak their spells past the edges of his shield.
Andre grinned inwardly. He could feel it. Victory was almost his. After months of Potter undermining him, making him look foolish, buzzing around like an annoying gnat, just out of reach, he finally had him right where he wanted him.
"Don't let up!" he shouted a warning to his friends. "If we give him an opening he'll get away!"
Lucian nodded savagely, having no intention of stopping. He still had to pay Potter back for what he did to him in the last time they met in forest. He could see Potter's shield wavering as blood dripped down his arm, and knew he couldn't keep this up for much longer.
With Potter out of the way, and Dumbledore gone from the castle, there was no one left to stand in their way.
"It's over," Ismelda said, wiping her brow as she saw the cracks forming in Harry's shield.
"Not till he's dead," Lucian said vindictively, sending a cutting curse through a newly formed gap in Harry's shield, watching with satisfaction as it struck his chest, sending him sprawling into the dirt with his shield finally flickering out.
Ismelda had an uneasy look on her face, but didn't stop Andre and Lucian as they leveled their wands at Potter, choosing to look away instead, only to gasp sharply as she heard a loud bang.
She looked around frantically, trying to pinpoint where the sound was coming from. "What was that?" She demanded.
Andre and Lucian stopped their attacks as well, looking sharply at the portal as they heard another loud bang, but still couldn't see anyone.
"I don't know," Andre replied. "One or two of Potter's friends might have got through. Lucian and I will finish Potter. The rest of you, find and eliminate them."
Just as they were about to move apart, a bright flash of light went off in front of their eyes, followed by another loud bang.
"Urgh," Talbott said, rubbing his eyes in pain, seeing spots. "Were those fireworks?" He demanded.
Before any of other others could respond, another firework went off, right in the middle of them this time, sending sparks and smoke up in their air as more and more of them went off at the same time.
The study group quickly scrambled apart, looking around frantically for their attacker, the loud bangs nearly deafening them before they heard a loud and familiar cackling fill the air.
"Peeves!" Andre growled, looking around for the troublesome poltergeist as he tried to remember the spell to drive him off.
"Peeves to the rescue!" Peeves crowed, continuing to lob fireworks at the study group as he appeared in front of them.
"Bombarda!" Lucian shouted, having enough of the poltergeist, only to growl in frustration as his spell harmlessly flew through him.
"Ooooh, scary!" Peeves taunted. "Doesn't work, dummies!" he shouted with glee, lobbing another firework at him.
Harry looked up, knowing that Peeves couldn't keep them distracted for long. He had to make every second count.
He sat up as Merlin stemmed his bleeding, remaining as quiet as he could as he sprinted towards his friends, using the loud explosions and bright flashes of light to his advantage.
He came to a stop in front of Sally, turning his wand back into a dagger as he cut into the thick ropes tying her to the post.
"Potter!" He heard a murderous shout from Andre as they realized what he was up to.
He redoubled his efforts, hacking at the ropes with his dagger, glancing over his shoulder. The study group was sprinting towards him, but weren't firing spells. He quickly realized why. They couldn't risk hitting Sally, Wayne, or Oliver and disrupt the ritual. It wasn't much, but it bought him a few more seconds.
Peeves, in a last ditch effort to buy Harry more time, set off all his remaining fireworks at once, loud bangs, sparks, explosions, and smoke filling the air.
Even Harry had to shield his eyes as he continued to hack away at the ropes, but his time was running out. The study group had made their way through the smoke and were running towards him again.
Finally the ropes snapped, and Harry pulled them off Sally, grabbing her under the arms as he dragged her out of the ritual circle.
Her screams stopped abruptly as she collapsed to the ground unmoving, but still breathing, while Wayne and Oliver's screams rose another octave as they took a larger brunt of the ritual.
He moved to Wayne next, ready to free him as well, or at least tried to, before he felt a heavy punch land on the side of his head. It spent him sprawling to the ground, seeing stars as he groaned in pain.
"Flippendo!" Andre shouted, throwing Potter out of the ritual circle before picking Sally up, and dragging her back to the post. "Incarcerous," he spat, tying her back to the post before turning his attention back to Potter as he struggled to get back to his feet, blood pouring from the wound he opened up on his head.
"Bombarda!" He shouted angrily, aiming for Potter's head, eager to see it explode like an overripe melon.
From this distance, and the way Potter was swaying, he knew the first year's luck had finally run out.'There would be no miraculous rescue this time,'he thought confidently, only to scream in frustration as a shield snapped into place, saving him at the last second.
"HOW!?" He demanded, his anger and frustration reaching a fever pitch as Potter looked back at him, just as confused as he was.
"I think that's quite enough," Albus said, stepping into the clearing, followed by Flitwick, Snape, and the remaining squad of goblins.
The study group stared at the Professors, caught by surprise at their sudden appearance, but were quick to recover.
"Nothing has changed!" Andre shouted to his friends. "They don't stand a chance against us! We're stronger now than they'll ever be."
"Bombarda!" he shouted, sending an explosion curse flying at Dumbledore's head.
Dumbledore said nothing, waving his wand as a dove appeared in the curse's path, taking the spell before it struck him.
The study group was not far behind, sending their own curses flying at the newcomers as they spread out across the clearing.
"Harry," Ron said, rushing forward and pulling Harry back to his feet. "You alright?" He asked.
Harry nodded shakily. "I need to get to them," He said, nodding to his scholarship students, still screaming in agony.
"Harry, what happened to you?" Hermione asked in concern, seeing the dark lines running up and down his arms, along with his blood soaked clothes.
"There was a barrier," Harry explained. "I had to use a lot of magic to take it down. I need to get them out of there to stop the ritual," he said, pointing at his scholarship students.
"Well, we're not going to get a better chance than this," Draco said, looking around the clearing. "The Professor's and the goblins are keeping them busy, at least for now."
"Stay hidden," Harry told his friends. "You're no match for the study group now, but when I get our friends out of the ritual circle, I need you to get them as far away from here as you can."
"We're with you, Harry," Ron agreed, glancing at the battle taking place around them. It was brutal, with the goblins acting more like cannon fodder than any actual threat to the study group at this point.
It was both terrifying and inspiring all at the same time. The way the goblins laid down their lives fighting the battle, not a single one of them showing an ounce of fear as they fought on against impossible odds.
Harry darting forward. He had to cut Sally, Wayne, and Oliver free, knowing the fate that awaited them if he took much longer to free them.
Just as he was about to reach the ritual circle, he had to change direction, veering off at the last second and narrowly avoiding an explosion curse sent by Andre.
Even with Andre alongside Lucian dueling against Dumbledore and a handful of goblins, he still managed to keep an eye on him.
Harry continued to run, circling wide as he came at it from a different angle, only to be attacked by another spell, this time from Talbott.
He turned his focus to Beatrice and Elspeth, who were battling Flitwick and Snape. The professors were clearly the better duelists, but with the amount of power the third years put behind their spells, the battle was slowly turning in their favor.
He cast one last worried glance at his friends, promising himself he would get them out before making his way to Beatrice and Elspeth.
He weaved through their spells, using his enhanced perception to get close. He saw their eyes widen as they spotted him, directing all their spell fire at him as they ignored the professors attacks.
Harry dove out of the way, dodging both their spells, and a few stray ones from Flitwick and Snape as he crossed between them, closing the distance with Beatrice and Elspeth.
He went into a baseball slide as he got up next to them, sending them tumbling to the ground in a tangle of limbs.
He got back to his feet quickly as the thirds years groped for their wands all while, taking hits from Snape and Flitwick's spells, but even then they weren't taking much damage. All the magic flowing through the third years protecting them and blunting the force of the attacks.
Harry slammed his heel down on Beatrice's wand before she could reach it, snapping it in two, then delivered a sharp kick to her head for good measure, knocking her out cold.
He dove out of the way as Elspeth grasped her wand, leveled it at him as she let loose a cutting curse, her spell grazing his shoulder, and cutting a jagged line across his shirt before two jets of red light took her down.
Harry looked back at the professors as he finally had a chance to catch his breath.
"Are you alright, Mr. Potter?" Flitwick asked, the concern evident in his voice as he stepped forward, keeping a weary eye on the other battles going on around them.
"I'll be alright," Harry dismissed. "It's Oliver, Sally, and Wayne that need help."
Snape shivered, glancing at the first year students silently. In all his years, he'd never heard screams quite like that. It even put the Crucio curse to shame. He looked back at Potter, seeing the ragged state he was in, surprising even himself with the kinship he suddenly felt towards the boy.
He doubted they would ever see eye to eye on much. With the complicated history he had with Potter's family, that wasn't likely to change anytime soon, but despite that, he felt a new level of respect for the boy, especially after the stories he heard about him today from students and professor alike, along with his performance on the battlefield he'd just witnessed.
"You seem to have all the answers today, Potter," Snape drawled. "What do you propose?"
"We need to get them out of the ritual circle, and then get them as far away from here as we can. They're the key to closing the portal. Without them, it all falls apart," Harry explained.
"We better hurry then," Flitwick replied. He could see Albus and the goblins he was fighting alongside losing ground against Lucian Bole and Andre Egwu, while Talbot Winger and Ismelda Murk battled the remaining contingent of goblins.
Harry nodded. "I'm going to make another break for the ritual circle. The goblins need the most help. Ismelda and Talbot are picking them off before they can get in range."
"We'll see to it," Flitwick promised, taking one last glance at Harry before he rushed off to join the goblins. "Good luck," he called over his shoulder as he ran.
Snape gave Harry a brief nod before following Flitwick, casting another worried glance at his first-year student, Sally Perks.
Harry took a breath to prepare himself, then pushed his magic into his limbs, and enhanced his senses, his perception of time slowing everything down to a crawl around him.
He dashed forward, putting everything he had into the burst of speed, hoping that with Beatrice and Elspeth out of the fight, it would give him the opening he needed to save his friends.
As he approached the ritual circle, he could see the portal had expanded, now the size of a quaffle, and getting larger with each passing second.
"It won't be much longer until it's fully formed,"Merlin warned."The portal's growth is only going to accelerate from here on out."
Harry glanced at Andre as he ran. He was busy with Dumbledore, who seemed to have pulled out all the stops with his latest attack, forcing both him and Lucian to focus all their attention on him.
He was surprised when Dumbledore caught his eye, giving him a slight nod as he ran past him.
He was just a few feet away now, and the study group hadn't noticed him.'Just a little further,'he thought desperately, pushing himself that much more as he closed in on the ritual circle.
Wayne was the closest. He would free him first, then get him to Hermione, Draco, and Ron. The cat would be out of the bag after that, but if the professors could keep the study group busy, he had a chance to free the others.
He could only hope his friends could get Wayne, Sally, and Oliver back to the castle, and they could hold off the study group long enough for the portal to collapse.
Harry's eyes widened, his plans coming to a screeching halt just when he got within arm's reach of the ritual circle.
Six tendrils of light shot out of the portal, latching onto each member of the study group as a wave of magic expanded outward, reforming the barrier.
Harry dug his heels in trying to stop, but it did no good. He was moving too fast and the ground was too soft. He slammed into the newly formed barrier, the energy crackling as it touched him, flinging him backwards. He screamed out in pain and shock as he sailed through the air, landing heavily on the ground.
He groaned, his vision blurry as he struggled to get to his feet again. He could just make out the forms of the study group, each of them pulled back behind the barrier by the tendrils of magic.
"Morgan,"Merlin said into his mind. She was the one behind it. The portal had opened enough for her to send her magic through.
Harry could feel it, even now in his injured state. Morgan's dark, and malignant magic seeping through the portal as the tide of the battle turned against them.
***
Hi! Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed the new chapter. This one is another action heavy chapter. What do you think so far? With Morgan adding her own magic to the fray and the portal almost fully formed Harry is going to have his work cut out for him.
If you can, please take the time to review, let me know what's working, what's not. It helps a lot with figuring out what I need to adjust or change to improve the story.
If you would like to support me and my writing, please consider visiting https://taplink.cc/jumpin for all the stories I'm currently working on and early access to chapters 68, 69, 70, and 71 of Legacy of Merlin, along with some character portraits for Merlin, Morgan and Nimue, and an audio versions of the chapters.