Harry stared at the portal grimly, barely hanging onto consciousness after the last hit he took. With the reformation of the barrier, the portal was protected again, making his job that much more difficult.
To make matters worse, Andre was on the outside of the barrier this time, a thick tendril of magic connected to his back, massively increasing the power of his spells.
"It's Morgan's doing,"Merlin explained."She's directing her magic through him, and as the portal gets larger, his power will increase to match.
'We aren't going to last much longer,'Harry thought, watching one of the last few goblin fall to the ground, and how the professors continued to lose ground against Andre's attacks.
Andre's spell had become so powerful they were tearing through the professor's shields like tissue paper, not even providing a token defense against his onslaught anymore.
'How long?'Harry thought. He needed to get back on his feet. He needed to get back into the fight.
"…Harry,"Merlin replied somberly, not sure how much the boy had left in him. He had been ridging the edge of magical exhaustion since the start of the battle inside the school, and his injuries were piling up faster than he could patch him up.
'I know… I know,'Harry thought back, needed to push forward despite all his injuries.'You can't heal me anymore, I get that. I just… I need to get back on my feet. I need to try. One last time Merlin.'
He could see his friends looking at him from their hiding place and had to shake his head, stopping them from coming towards him. If Andre saw them… He didn't even want to think about what he would do to them.
Professor Flitwick was the next to fall, screaming out in agony as Andre cut his leg off just below the knee with a high-powered cutting curse, sending him tumbling to the ground.
"Alright, Harry,"Merlin relented, knowing they couldn't put this off any longer. They had to make their last stand.
Harry blinked as his pain suddenly vanished, and his vision cleared.
"Harry, you need to listen to me carefully,"Merlin instructed."What you're about to do is as dangerous as it gets. There's a good chance you'll blow yourself up before the battle's even finished…. And after… I just don't know,"he admitted.
'Tell me what to do,'Harry thought, staring at Sally, Oliver, and Wayne with renewed determination. They had been screaming the entire time, and he couldn't ignore it any longer. He had to act, even if he didn't survive it.
"Pull the magic inside yourself like you did before,"Merlin instructed, impressing on him the seriousness of his words."You won't be able to feel the pain this time, but it's still there. Remember that. The longer you do this, the worse it will be. You're going to feel powerful, more so than you have ever felt before. Don't let that power go to your head. Remember that you have a job to do, and above all, you are running out of time."
Harry nodded his head, drawing the magic inside himself as Merlin instructed.
Albus winced as he hit the ground hard. He had never fought a battle like this before. In the end, it had always come down to skill over power. Ingenuity over force, but not this time.
Egwu was like a force of nature, tearing through his shield spells like they were nothing, brute forcing common spells to yield devastating results.
He cast a glance at Severus, bleeding profusely from a wound on the side of his head, his wand arm a mangled mess. Thankfully, he was out cold and didn't feel any of it, but with the amount of blood he'd lost, there was a good chance he wouldn't survive the day, regardless of the outcome.
The same could be said for Filius. He had lost a leg in the battle, but seemed to have stopped the bleeding, but he was pale, and his breathing shallow, barely hanging onto consciousness himself
He looked around, realizing he was alone on the battlefield. The goblins were dead or too injured to continue fighting. He couldn't tell which.
"It's over, Professor," Andre said, kneeling down in front of him. "I spared them, you know," he said, glancing at Flitwick and Snape. "I didn't want it to come to this, Professor Flitwick was always good to us."
"Do you consider this any of this a mercy?" Albus asked, looking around at all the bodies littering the battlefield.
"You don't understand," Andre said, shaking his head as some of his frustration leaked through. "It's Potter. He's twisted everything around. He's not the good guy. We are," he insisted, gesturing to the rest of the study group behind the barrier.
Albus looked past the barrier, at the three first years screaming in agony. Throughout his long life he'd been forced to take lives. He had to for the greater good, but even he had his limits, and torture was one of the lines he had never been willing to cross.
"And them?" Albus asked, gesturing to the three first-year students screaming in agony. "What has Harry twisted about that? He said you took them, that you did this to them."
Andre looked away, unable to meet Dumbledore's eyes. "They're in pain. I acknowledge that, but there won't be any permanent harm. You have my word on that. It was a necessary sacrifice."
"For what?" Albus questioned, trying to make sense of it. "What could justify this madness?"
"The new golden age of magic," Andre said, pulling Albus's wand from his limp fingers, and putting it in his pocket. "Rest now. We'll explain everything to you when it's over."
Albus was about to retort, but his words died on his lips as something caught his attention. A flash of light. He along with Andre turned to look, their jaws dropping open in shock.
Harry got to his feet, white light streaming out of every pore of his body, even shining through his torn clothing.
His control was atrocious, leaking out magic almost as fast as he was taking in, but the effect was awe-inspiring, making him look several times more powerful than he actually was.
"Potter," Andre drawled, finding his words as he stood to greet the thorn in his side. He could feel Celestia's magic flowing through him, protecting him, empowering him.
He saw Potter's tactic for what it was, a trick. He wasn't strong enough to stop him, no one was, not anymore. It was just a foolish attempt to intimidate him, one that was doomed to failure.
"You're too late Harry. Celestia will be here soon. Stop now, and I may spare your life," Andre said, his confidence growing by the second.
Harry said nothing, slowly raising his palm. Without warning, a surge of raw magic exploded forward, crackling with power as it shot across the field.
Andre's eyes widened as the surge of magic barreled towards him. In a panic, he crossed his arms in front of his face to protect himself, but it wasn't needed. A wall of magic formed in front of him, protecting him from the attack.
"See?!" Andre crowed, cracking a smile as he hid his own surprise. "Even now Celestia protects me! You're on the wrong side of history, Potter!"
"You're wrong about her, you know?" Harry spoke quietly. "She doesn't care about you, or anyone else, only escaping her prison. Look around you," he demanded. "If she's as good as you say she is, why would she allow so much death and destruction? Why would she allow children to be tortured?" He asked, looking meaningfully at Sally, Wayne, and Oliver.
"You're good, very good," Andre drawled as they circled each other. "Such a way with words, always able to twist the story to suit your purposes," he sneered. "But why don't you tell the truth for once?"
"And what truth is that?" Harry asked, seeing the madness in his eyes, and wondering if there was even any point in reasoning with him at this point.
"Your friends will be fine. When Celestia arrives, she will heal them all," Andre said, his voice taking on a fanatical edge as he glanced at the portal.
"And what about the ones that are already dead?" Harry demanded. "Is she going to bring them back to life?" He asked sarcastically. "Is that what she told you? She'll just wave her hand and fix everything?" he asked. "She can't. No one can bring back the dead, and she has manipulated you from the very beginning."
"Lies!" Andre snarled, sending a blast of lightning from his fingertips.
Harry was ready for the attack, sidestepping it as he surged forward, directing magic into his limbs as he put on a burst of speed, applying iron skin to his full body.
'Incredible,'he couldn't help but think, feeling invincible as the raw magic surged through his body.
"Careful Harry,"Merlin warned."Don't confuse your inability to feel pain with true power."
'Right,'Harry thought back, mentally grounding himself again as he raised his fists, throwing a sharp jab at Andre's face.
He could see the surprise on Andre's face as he moved to dodge the attack, but wasn't fast enough. His punch clipped the side of his head, leaving him wide open for the uppercut that caught him under his chin, and sent him sprawling to the ground.
Andre growled, spitting out a glob of blood, already feeling his injuries healing. He sent a silent thanks to Celestia as he got back to his feet, surging forward as he aimed a punch for Harry's stomach.
Harry was quick to react, lowering his forearms to shield his stomach, but the attack was still enough to push him back, making him realize Andre was also strengthening his attacks with Morgan's magic.
He took another step back as he raised his arm, sending a super heated jet of fire at Andre. Predictably, another wall of magic appeared, blocking his attack, but he could see it buckle under the force of his magic.
"You need to hurry,"Merlin urged."Not even physical attacks are going to work for much longer."
'Then I better make the most of it,'Harry thought back, dodging Andre's next spell, and slamming his leg into Andre's side with a well-placed kick.
Hermione watched, her eyes wide as the battle raged on between Harry and Andre. She could see how Andre was so strong, the thick cord of magic tethering him to the portal made it obvious, but she couldn't for the life of her understand where Harry's power came from.
He didn't look like an eleven-year-old boy, not with the ethereal light pouring out of his every pore. He looked more like a warrior angel sent from heaven.
He moved faster than she had ever seen him move before, magical energy rolling off him in waves as he fought against Andre. There wasn't a single wasted movement in his attacks, switching from magical to physical attacks seamlessly as he traded blow after blow with Andre.
She could see Andre getting stronger by the second, some of his attacks slipping through Harry's guard, but he didn't so much as flinch when the hits landed, continuing on with his attacks regardless, somehow matching the terrifying strength of the Andre's attacks.
Harry glared at Andre as he landed heavily on the ground. His injuries were healing as fast as he could cause them, and it was only a matter of time before his magic negated his injuries entirely.
He pulled out his wand, transforming it into his dagger form as he thought about Merlin's battle with Morgan in his time. It seemed to have an effect then. He could only hope it would do the same for him now.
He could see the smirk on Andre's face, already sure of his victory as he moved in close.
Harry directed his magic to his feet, springing into the air, and over Andre's head, flipping over him as he sliced into Andre's back with his dagger.
Andre let out a surprised howl of pain, stopping abruptly, knowing immediately something was very wrong. His wound wasn't healing as fast as he should be. He looked back at the portal in confusion, trying to make sense of it, but he could still see the tendril of magic connecting him to the portal.
He looked back at Harry, expecting to see some kind of weapon in his hands, but they were both empty. "How?" He demanded, staring down Potter in confusion.
Harry mentally breathed a sigh of relief. Whatever magics his dagger was imbued with, it seemed to have an effect on Andre. Without answering, he surged forward, slashing at Andre's chest with the dagger, leaving a bloody cut behind.
Andre stumbled back, feeling a sharp pain in his chest this time. When he looked down, he could see a cut on his chest, going from his collarbone to his waist. He knew Potter caused it, but he still didn't understand how.
'No matter,'he thought, dismissing the pain. Despite making him bleed, the cut was shallow. Celestia's magic still offered some protection from his attacks, and his wounds were closing, just slower than before.
Feeling a renewed surge of power as the portal increased in size, Andre sent a blast of magic at Harry, catching him in the chest and sending him flying backwards.
Harry landed hard. The attack had come so quickly he didn't even see it coming. He got to his feet, but knew something was wrong. He ran a hand over his chest lightly, confirming a few of his ribs were broken, the rest of them likely cracked.
'I can't take another hit like that,'he thought, knowing that if even one of them pierced his heart or lungs, he would be dead.
He pulled more magic into himself; the light emanating from his body growing even brighter as the magic leaked out an even faster rate. The power increase was marginal at best, but he would need that and more to beat Andre.
"No more Harry,"Merlin warned."You'll blow yourself up long before Andre kills you at this rate."
Harry nodded, sprinting forward again, as he quickly closed the distance between himself and Andre, sliding around Andre's hastily cast spells, and ignoring the explosions around him.
When he got within striking distance, he spun on his heel, jumping into the air as he delivering a reverse kick to Andre's stomach, sending him skidding across the ground.
Andre gasped for breath as he came to a stop, hand on his chest. Harry's attack had knocked the wind out of him. He reached down, grimacing as his hand came away bloody, the kick opening his slowly healing wound all over again.
He couldn't help but wonder where Harry's new found power came from. It was far above what he should have been capable of with the ritual tome he stole.
As Potter ran forward to continue his attack, he kicked out his leg, trying to sweep Potter's feet from underneath him, but to his frustration Potter simply jumped over his leg, before delivering another kick to his chest, sending him skidding across the ground a second time.
Andre got back up to his feet, looking at Potter wearily, feeling his wounds healing, but far too slowly, the pain from his injuries radiating across his entire body.
He glanced back at the portal, seeing it had grown larger still.'Just a little longer,'he thought, knowing that he didn't have to beat Potter, just keep him busy long enough for Celestia to step through.
He sent blasts of magic through his fists in rapid succession at Potter, a grin forming on his face when one of them clipped Potter's shoulder, sending him tumbling to the ground.
Albus watched the fight, feelings of awe and jealousy coursing through him in equal measure as he was forced to watch the battle from the sidelines.
Andre had grown to be the more powerful of the two through his connection to the portal, but Harry had speed and agility on his side, leveling the playing field, at least for the moment.
Both boys were taking and delivering huge, debilitating blows that would have put lesser wizards out of the fight completely. The only difference was Andre's injuries were healing right before his eyes, while Harry's remained.
He could see Harry slowing down with each hit he took, the magical aura around him diminishing with each new injury. Andre would win the fight through attrition, he concluded, healing from injuries that Harry simply couldn't.
He longed to get back in the fight, but his wand was gone, stolen by Andre. He felt another stab of jealousy as he watched them. Even with all his years and experience, he couldn't use wandless magic with anywhere near the same proficiency of these two children.
He knew a few parlor tricks, suitable for impressing young witches and wizards that didn't know any better, but for true battles, he had always relied on his wand.
His eyes flickered to the screaming children, and the portal growing larger by the second, feeling things he hadn't felt in a very long time, helplessness, and fear.
He winced as Andre landed a particularly vicious hit, sending Harry tumbling across the ground to land in an undignified heap, only for Harry to get back up again and continue the fight a moment later.
He couldn't help but think back on how he had chased the boy through Hogwarts upon their first meeting, how he had escaped by the skin of his teeth.
He had seen a glimmer then of what the boy would become with age, an experience, but he had never thought he would come this far in such a short amount of time, far exceeding even his own magical prowess in the process.
He knew in that moment should Harry survive, he would be a force to be reckoned with, not when he reached adulthood. It would be far sooner. The power he wielded would allow him to impose his will on all those around him far more effectively than any dark lord in the past, and followers would flock to him in droves.
He understood now that Harry could never be his apprentice, could never be made to understand his way was the right way. Harry would do what he wanted, and there would be very few that could even stand in his way.
Should they survive this, Harry would need to be stopped before he reached his full potential.
Andre grinned savagely as Harry fell to the ground again after his latest attack. He felt stronger than he'd even been before, and growing stronger by the second. Harry couldn't hold a candle to him, not anymore.
"It's over Potter, you've lost. Accept that and perhaps you can hold on to what little remains of your dignity," Andre smirked, unable to keep the smugness out of his voice as he gloated over his rival.
He watched as Harry got up on his hand and knees, struggling even to do that. As he attempted to stand, he viciously kicking him in the back, sending him sprawling back into the dirt.
"Harry, Harry, Harry," Andre tsked, shaking his head with amusement as Harry refused to stay down. "Just face it, you're finished. I will bring Celestia back, and there is nothing you or your ilk can do about it," he sneered, kicking him again and punting him across the field.
Harry rolled onto his stomach, trying to get his feet back under him as he landed. He knew he was in a bad way. Even though he couldn't feel the pain, he had too many cuts, broken bones, and torn muscles to think otherwise. He didn't have long before his body simply shut down.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Andre coming towards him, winding up for another kick. He knew he wouldn't be able to get up in time. He could only prepare himself and weather the hit.
He exhaled to prevent Andre from knocking the wind out of him and applied iron skin to his midsection.
Andre's kick sent him flying a moment later. He landing heavily on the ground, rolling across the dirt before finally coming to a stop.
He looked to one side, seeing Andre calmly walking towards him, then the other. The portal nearly fully formed and protected behind the barrier.
He could see Sally, Wayne, and Oliver's faces as they continued their never ending screams, their hair turning white as they began their transformation into the shriveled husks from Merlin's memories.
"It won't happen until the very end,"Merlin explained grimly."Morgan's learned from the last time. She won't risk her followers seeing the truth of her actions, not until she's escaped."
Harry looked back at Andre, seeing the smug self righteous expression on his face as he stepped closer, clearly taking his time to savor his victory. He prepared himself mentally, getting ready as he shakily pushed himself back on to his feet.
"Look at that," Andre said, a sly smile forming on his face. "You still have some fight left in you," he said seeing the tired expression on Harry's face as he raised his fists. "Let's see what I can do to beat that out of you."
Just when he was within striking distance, Andre heard a strange sound coming from the forest. He turned, a bemused expression on his face. "What now, Potter?" he called out. "Another one of your friends? Here to save the day?" He half taunted, half gloated. "What will it be this time? Perhaps a pack of werewolves? Maybe a contingent of house-elves?" He taunted.
Harry looked in the same direction, just as confused as Andre was, just in time to see a screaming Peeves flying towards Andre.
The appearance of the poltergeist was so surprising both of them froze, not sure what to think.
Peeves charged forward, shoving a fallen log at Andre and bowling him over, but Andre was quick to recover, banishing the log off of him as he stood back up glaring up at the ghost.
"You know what, Peeves?" Andre said, a furious expression on his face as he turned to face the poltergeist. "I've always hated you! You and your damn jokes!"
He sent out a blast of magic at the ghost, who just smiled at him mockingly. "Peeves never liked you either!" He crowed, ready to lob another log at Andre, only for the smile to slowly drop from his face as he looked down at himself in confusion, a sudden pained expression on his face.
Peeves's hand went to his chest, finding a hole as he slowly descended to the ground, not understanding what was happening. He was a ghost. He wasn't supposed to feel pain.
Harry could only stand there watching. He had never seen anything like it. What was happening shouldn't be possible.
"It's possible. Believe me, it is,"Merlin said quietly."Peeves is a being of magic. Your own dagger is capable of the same."
'What's going to happen to him?'Harry thought.
"It's a wound,"Merlin replied."A fatal one."
'Then he'll die?'Harry thought back, feeling the weight of another death on his shoulders.
"Worse,"Merlin replied, seeing little point in sugarcoating it."He's already rejected his opportunity to cross over. That path is forever denied to him. He will simply cease to be."
'How long?'Harry thought.
"Perhaps a few weeks at most. Egwu chose this attack for a purpose. He wanted the Poltergeist to suffer first,"Merlin answered.
Harry felt his resolve harden as he surged forward, feeling a swell of righteous fury. Andre's back was turned, still mocking Peeves as he lay on the ground, groaning in agony. He charged his fist with magic, coating it with the strongest layer of iron skin he could manage.
Andre heard Harry's footsteps a second too late. He turned to face him, but he wasn't fast enough, turning into a devastating right hook from Harry that sent him flying backwards and crashing through a tree, a loud crack filling the air as he sailed through it, sending him tumbling across the ground behind it.
He pushed himself on his hands and knees grimacing, feeling sharp pains radiating across his cheek where Harry punched him, and along his back where he crashed through the tree, aggravating his injuries.
He got back to his feet in time to see Harry rush towards him. He could see a glimmer of something in his hand, but couldn't make out what it was, but what he did notice was the murderous expression on his face.
He felt a tingle of fear go down his spine before ruthlessly crushing the emotion, reminding himself that Harry was nothing more than a fly to be swatted away compared to the power he now wielded.
He was faster than he was before, perhaps not as fast as Potter, but the gap was closing, and it would not be long before he surpassed him in that as well.
He could tell that whatever was in Harry's hand was trouble, and likely what he had used to cut him before. He couldn't let him land another hit with it.
He ducked his head, weaving to his side as Harry took a swipe at him, but in the brief moment he looked away, Harry landed a kick to his side, making him to stumble.
He grit his teeth, refusing to cry out in pain, resolving to take each hit with the same stoic expression Harry had, not giving him the satisfaction of seeing his pain.
He spun on his heel, swinging his arm around in a wild haymaker, attempting to take Harry's head off, but the difference in their techniques shone through as Harry raised his right forearm, blocking the punch before landing two rabbit punches with his left arm, one to the nose, and the other to his throat.
Andre fell to the ground, blood pouring from his ruined nose, and struggling to breathe after the hit to his throat, but he still had the presence of mind to kick out his leg, catching Potter in the shin, and giving him the breathing room he needed for his injuries to heal.
Harry continued his attack, jumping into the air and flipping over Andre's back as he got to his feet. Twisting in the air, he brought down his dagger on Andre's shoulder, cutting deeply into his back.
Andre let out a agonized scream as he felt a sharp pain in his back. He scrambled away, feeling the blood dripping down his back, the injury much slower to heal as he regarded Potter wearily.
They circled each other again, this time no words exchanged between them as they glared daggers at each other.
Harry lunged forward again, dropping down as he spun his leg out along the ground, taking Andre's feet out from under him as he increased his perception, making it feel as if time had slowed to a crawl as Andre hung in the air.
He slashed him again with his dagger, adding another deep cut to Andre's back before he fell to the ground with another pain filled scream.
"Did you see that?!"Merlin demanded.
'What?!'Harry thought back, annoyed at being interrupted. He couldn't afford to get distracted and allow Andre to land any more hits.
"The tendril of magic, it moved!"Merlin said."The same thing happened every time you slashed his back with the dagger!"
'So what?'Harry thought back, narrowly avoiding a retaliatory blast of magic from Andre as he dove to the side.
"Think!"Merlin insisted. "Morgan is watching! She doesn't want the dagger touching her magic!"
Realization dawned on Harry as he replayed the events in his own mind. Morgan recognized the dagger's magic from when she fought Merlin. She knew what it was capable of. She was afraid it could break the link between her and Andre.
With a renewed purpose, he refocused on the fight, finally seeing a weakness he could exploit.
Andre's grit his teeth as he traded blows back and forth with Harry. He was wearing him down. He knew it, clipping Harry's shoulders and forearms more and more as the difference in their speed continued to diminish, but something still fell off.
Harry's attacks were different now. He got in closer, moving around him as he targeted his back. Even though his injuries were healing faster, only lasting a few seconds at most, they still hurt.
Harry growled in frustration when Andre picked up on his strategy, shielding his back and refusing to take the openings he left in his defense to bait him.
Needing to switch up his tactics, he went to work on Andre's chest, going into a jab cross combination before landing a hook, using the dagger to leave a deep cut in his chest.
Andre stumbled back, falling to one knee as he fought through the pain. Potter was relentless, attacking him with everything he had, and even though his injuries healed almost instantly, he still felt the pain of being sliced open each and every time.
He threw his hand forward, shooting a jet of flame at his adversary, only for Harry to jump on his arm, spring boarding off it as he flipped over his head and landed behind him.
He screamed out in pain as Harry sliced into his back, slash after slash, with lighting quickness. He tried to turn and shield his back, only for Harry to kick him, sending him sprawling into the dirt.
Harry growled in frustration. Every time he tried to slice the tendril of Morgan's magic, it moved out of the way, just in time. He glanced at the portal as he continued to rain down blows on Andre's back, seeing the portal grow larger still. He was running out of time.
With no other choice left, he amped up his perception, far more than he'd ever done before, watching as his perception of time went from a crawl to almost a complete stop.
He could see every twitch and movement of the tendril. He feigned going to the left then, the right before he finally struck, finally slicing the tendril from Andre's back.
Time returned to normal as he watched the tendril wither away, leaving Andre unprotected.
Andre immediately felt the loss of Celestia's magic as the weight of his injuries fully hit him. He let out an agonized scream, rolling over onto his back as he gasped for breath, finding it suddenly difficult to breathe.
Harry looked down at Andre, feeling a surprising swell of pity as the seventh year aged rapidly before his eyes. Without Morgan's magic to empower him, he was withering away, his hair first graying, then turning a stark white as his skin shriveled, just as Morgan's acolytes had done in Merlin's time, as he slowly turned into a husk.
He could see the agony written all over his face as his breathing grew shallower. He looked down at his dagger, still dripping with Andre's blood, wondering if it was better to put him out of misery, or leave him to suffer the consequences of his actions.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimmer of movement. He spun on his heel, amping up his perception as he saw another tendril of magic flying towards Andre. He should have known Morgan wouldn't give up that easily.
He sliced the tendril with his dagger, watching as it too shriveled away, only for another one to appear from the portal and fly towards Andre again. Just as before, he sliced it before it could reach Andre, only for another two to appear this time.
Morgan needed Andre to finish the ritual and open the portal large enough for her to escape. He couldn't let that happen, no matter the cost.
He slashed his dagger to the right, cutting first one, then the other, only stopping the second tendril a few inches before it re-attached itself to Andre.
He looked back and forth between Andre and the portal as five more tendrils appeared, feeling the strain of maintaining his perception at this level for so long.
As the tendrils flew across the clearing, he turned back to face Andre, who looked back at him with sunken eyes. He couldn't speak anymore, only pained gasps escaping his lips, but Harry saw the pleading in his eyes, and knew what he was asking for.
He slammed the dagger down on Andre's chest, right over his heart, looking into Andre's pain-filled eyes as died in front of him. As the light left Andre's eyes, he looked up, seeing the tendrils stop and retreat back into the portal.
Harry turned away from Andre's body, narrowing his eyes as he continued staring at the portal. It was much slower than before, but was still getting larger.
"Is it over?" Ron asked, as he, Hermione, and Draco came out of their hiding place.
"No," Harry shook his head, just as Sally, Oliver, and Wayne's screams grew louder, followed shortly by the screams of the study group as Morgan used them as well to fuel the ritual and make up for losing Andre.
He could feel it, the power building as the portal reached its full size, and a face he was all too familiar with emerged from the portal.
***
Hi! Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed the new chapter. I know it ended in a cliff hanger again, but the next chapter will pick up where we left off. How are you feeling about the pacing of the story so far? Is the year end battle more drawn out than it should be?
I want the end of Harry's first year to have real, and lasting consequences for the wizarding world as a whole. I hope that came across in the last few chapters, and I hope you enjoy what I have planned next.
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 69, 70, 71, and 72 of Legacy of Merlin, along with some character portraits for Merlin, Morgan and Nimue, and an audio versions of the chapters.