Harry Potter The Master of Death
- Thread starter Ryuugi
- Start date
Lucy, I'm home!
_________________________________________________________________
As the conflagration bloomed in the depths of the sea, several things happened at once.
First of all, the sudden eruption of flames didnÆt just bolster his own spark, but all every piece of Fiendfyre in the area. Ten cubic meters could fit a lot of things and while heÆd done his best to limit to presence of the other flames, there was only so much he could do with all the æfishÆ swimming through the depths. As such, the eruption of flames consisted of both his flames and the opposing ones, intermingled to the point that there was nothing to separate either of them. With the majority of the flames now existing with that volume, the controller of the fire depended completely on who managed to take control of the flames.
Second of all, always one to kill two birds with one stone if he could, Harry had placed his fish close to the giants before setting off the bomb and the resulting explosion had killed nearly all of them, which meant he had one less thing to worry about.
Sadly, due to the third thing that had happened, he wasnÆt in much of a position to be satisfied with himself, because he was almost falling over in pain. Amassing its power, the Fiendfyre once more attempted to drive a wedge into his mind. As he was prepared for the attack this time, it wasnÆt anywhere near as bad as it had been last timeùbut there was only so pleasant having a malicious, sentient fire shoved into your head could get, prepared or not.
Worse, he had no choice but to multitask, splitting his concentration further. Whether or not he could have pushed the Fiendfyre back out of his mind if he focused on itùand he honestly wasnÆt sure he could have without severing his connection to it completely and risking it trying to eat him and the shipùit wouldnÆt have helped him in the slightest. It would have just taken over the sphere of flames outside and come back more powerful than ever to simply crush him again.
If he wanted to win, he had to win on both fronts.
So he bolstered his own fire, inside and outside.
Inside his mind, he fed the flames false thoughts as quickly as he could produce them, along with scattered memories that he deemed unimportant, adding fuel to the fire that was the only defense his mind had.
Outside, he tried to spread his control, taking advantage of the intermingling of the flames. He spread in a way differently from the Fiendfyreùless like and army and more like a disease. He infected a specific area, made it his completely, and then divided, rather than trying to crush his enemies with pure force. He continued to try and subtly turn the fire against itself and make its power his own, knowing he had no chance in a blatant battle of power against power.
Yet, anyway.
As he made progress on the Outside, the Fiendfyre tried to shift its concentration and stomp out his creations, but Harry didnÆt let it. When it took off the pressure, he expanded the fire within him outside the limits of his mind, attacking the Fiendfyre when it didnÆt expect it and doing the same thing on that end while merely trying to retain control of the areas he had taken in the sea.
Whenever the flames tried to focus somewhere specific, Harry attack them from the other side, never letting it regain its bearings.
When it tried to spread out its will, Harry made powerful attacks from one end or another, giving ground when he thought it was unimportant for the simple goal of forcing the Fiendfyre to spread itself too thinly.
The Fiendfyre was strong, dangerous, and smarter than most people thoughtùbut it wasnÆt good at accepting minor defeats and falling back for greater victories. It could wait for a chance, if it had too, but it preferred to crush others beneath its power. In the end, it just didnÆt have the patience.
Harry did. Auror work involved a lot of waiting. The final take down of a dark wizard could happen fast, but putting together evidence, questioning witnesses and suspects, and all the myriad of things one had to do to get to that point could take days or weeks.
So he patiently took his opponent apart, covering his weaknesses and attacking it where it was weak and he was strong. Creating openings where there werenÆt any to exploit, putting it in a bad position, and taking it off guard. Pushing forward, falling back, but never letting the tide shift completely against himùthatÆs how he won.
And just like that, he took control. As soon as he had dominance over the majority of the Fiendfyre, he wielded it against the rest, carefully but quickly turning the rest of it to his will, until his will was all that was left. To him, there were no minor threats or things that could be dismissedùhe snuffed out every last spark of opposition or potential opposition.
The pain in his head was long gone when he straightened, brushing himself off needlessly.
ôIÆm okay,ö He said, knowing without looking that he was the target of worried glances. ôI just had toùô
The wood of the boat creaked, as if some enormous force had seized it and was attempting to crush it. It struggled for a moment, valiantly attempting to continue its ascent, but the force simply dragged it downwards. It didnÆt stop there, though, and the force increased until Harry suspected the boat was going to break long before it reached the bottom of the sea.
Of course, water would start flooding in long before that happened and once they were in the water, nothing would keep the giantÆs master from simply crushing them to death. Harry could just Apparate away, but the people on the boat couldnÆt.
But that was probably the idea.
Harry took a slow, deep breath, and lowered his gaze, looking back down at the ocean floor.
ôYouÆve officially made an annoyance of yourself,ö He commented quietly. ôThat was a mistake. You should have quit while you werenÆt dead.ö
_________________________________________________________________
As the conflagration bloomed in the depths of the sea, several things happened at once.
First of all, the sudden eruption of flames didnÆt just bolster his own spark, but all every piece of Fiendfyre in the area. Ten cubic meters could fit a lot of things and while heÆd done his best to limit to presence of the other flames, there was only so much he could do with all the æfishÆ swimming through the depths. As such, the eruption of flames consisted of both his flames and the opposing ones, intermingled to the point that there was nothing to separate either of them. With the majority of the flames now existing with that volume, the controller of the fire depended completely on who managed to take control of the flames.
Second of all, always one to kill two birds with one stone if he could, Harry had placed his fish close to the giants before setting off the bomb and the resulting explosion had killed nearly all of them, which meant he had one less thing to worry about.
Sadly, due to the third thing that had happened, he wasnÆt in much of a position to be satisfied with himself, because he was almost falling over in pain. Amassing its power, the Fiendfyre once more attempted to drive a wedge into his mind. As he was prepared for the attack this time, it wasnÆt anywhere near as bad as it had been last timeùbut there was only so pleasant having a malicious, sentient fire shoved into your head could get, prepared or not.
Worse, he had no choice but to multitask, splitting his concentration further. Whether or not he could have pushed the Fiendfyre back out of his mind if he focused on itùand he honestly wasnÆt sure he could have without severing his connection to it completely and risking it trying to eat him and the shipùit wouldnÆt have helped him in the slightest. It would have just taken over the sphere of flames outside and come back more powerful than ever to simply crush him again.
If he wanted to win, he had to win on both fronts.
So he bolstered his own fire, inside and outside.
Inside his mind, he fed the flames false thoughts as quickly as he could produce them, along with scattered memories that he deemed unimportant, adding fuel to the fire that was the only defense his mind had.
Outside, he tried to spread his control, taking advantage of the intermingling of the flames. He spread in a way differently from the Fiendfyreùless like and army and more like a disease. He infected a specific area, made it his completely, and then divided, rather than trying to crush his enemies with pure force. He continued to try and subtly turn the fire against itself and make its power his own, knowing he had no chance in a blatant battle of power against power.
Yet, anyway.
As he made progress on the Outside, the Fiendfyre tried to shift its concentration and stomp out his creations, but Harry didnÆt let it. When it took off the pressure, he expanded the fire within him outside the limits of his mind, attacking the Fiendfyre when it didnÆt expect it and doing the same thing on that end while merely trying to retain control of the areas he had taken in the sea.
Whenever the flames tried to focus somewhere specific, Harry attack them from the other side, never letting it regain its bearings.
When it tried to spread out its will, Harry made powerful attacks from one end or another, giving ground when he thought it was unimportant for the simple goal of forcing the Fiendfyre to spread itself too thinly.
The Fiendfyre was strong, dangerous, and smarter than most people thoughtùbut it wasnÆt good at accepting minor defeats and falling back for greater victories. It could wait for a chance, if it had too, but it preferred to crush others beneath its power. In the end, it just didnÆt have the patience.
Harry did. Auror work involved a lot of waiting. The final take down of a dark wizard could happen fast, but putting together evidence, questioning witnesses and suspects, and all the myriad of things one had to do to get to that point could take days or weeks.
So he patiently took his opponent apart, covering his weaknesses and attacking it where it was weak and he was strong. Creating openings where there werenÆt any to exploit, putting it in a bad position, and taking it off guard. Pushing forward, falling back, but never letting the tide shift completely against himùthatÆs how he won.
And just like that, he took control. As soon as he had dominance over the majority of the Fiendfyre, he wielded it against the rest, carefully but quickly turning the rest of it to his will, until his will was all that was left. To him, there were no minor threats or things that could be dismissedùhe snuffed out every last spark of opposition or potential opposition.
The pain in his head was long gone when he straightened, brushing himself off needlessly.
ôIÆm okay,ö He said, knowing without looking that he was the target of worried glances. ôI just had toùô
The wood of the boat creaked, as if some enormous force had seized it and was attempting to crush it. It struggled for a moment, valiantly attempting to continue its ascent, but the force simply dragged it downwards. It didnÆt stop there, though, and the force increased until Harry suspected the boat was going to break long before it reached the bottom of the sea.
Of course, water would start flooding in long before that happened and once they were in the water, nothing would keep the giantÆs master from simply crushing them to death. Harry could just Apparate away, but the people on the boat couldnÆt.
But that was probably the idea.
Harry took a slow, deep breath, and lowered his gaze, looking back down at the ocean floor.
ôYouÆve officially made an annoyance of yourself,ö He commented quietly. ôThat was a mistake. You should have quit while you werenÆt dead.ö
He closed his eyes and commanded the Fiendfyre to move.
No, that was inaccurate. He didnÆt command it to move; he moved. The Fiendfyre was no longer anything but an extension of his mind, body, and will. He didnÆt tell it to riseùhe lifted himself from the depths, put his thousand scattered pieces together and wrapped himself around the ship. The creaking stopped immediately as the flames kept the water at bay with their heat, vaporizing it on contact.
And yet, the same flames that did all of that merely glimmered across the hull of the ship, setting it aflame and yet not burning it.
Within his smaller body, Harry Apparated to stand upon his ship, quietly striding through the hellish flames without being burnt, his eyes piercing easily through the flames as he tried to find his enemy. He shifted his jaw slightly in displeasure as he had no more luck this time then he had before.
Fine, then. HeÆd just have to burn down everything until he found him.
With a sweep of his wand, the water separated into its composing elements, resulting in another explosion. Now having a bit more fire to play with, he gave his silent command, knowing without question that he would not be disobeyed.
The flames on and around the ship writhed and convulsed for a moment, quickly shaping themselves into the forms he wished. The Fiendfyre preferred the forms of great predators and beasts, both magical and mundane, but that not what he wanted, nor the one he had his flames adopt.
Instead, they grew into the shapes of men and women. Roman Legionaries and Greek Hoplites, mixed among random warriors he recalled from memory. Persian Immortals were scattered among Medieval Knights and Japanese Samurai. He sculpted a small and varied army of warriors from a history that had not yet occurred from memory and flame. Their faces were all but featureless as he didnÆt bother to define them, but they still stood, as proud as any army that had ever existed.
Or perhaps that was just him. He tried his best not to allow his power to go to his head as heÆd seen so many dark wizards do, but it was hard not to feel a little professional satisfaction after dragging an army out of the sands of time, if only in image. He even made a point of making their armors historically accurate, though that was largely due to Hermione pointing out mistakes he had made in the past.
He look a moment to look at them then and nodded.
ôBurn it all,ö He said, not to them but to the voice that he knew would surely be listening. ôUntil thereÆs nothing but slag and ash.ö
The flame warriors jumped off the boat as one falling like stones in the water. And yet, as weightless as flames, they landed silently on the oceans floor and quickly began to spread throughout the city. With a Fiendfyre army, conventional tactics were largely unnecessary except in special occasions, so Harry had them scatter immediately and spread throughout the giantÆs city, setting everything they touched ablaze.
Shouts erupted quickly as the wicked flames spread, making metals grow brightly even as they began to melt within the fires that had engulfed them. As the exteriors of the towers melted, they revealed the treasures held inside, serving as further fuel for his armies. As the towers, molten metal slid down the sides, dripping to the ground and spreading out into puddles on the bottom of the sea, the heat of the liquefied buildings setting aflame anything they touched. And as they did, the shapeless flames quivered before rising in simulacra of men, forming ranks upon the slagged remnants of the destroyed buildings.
Again and again, they destroyedùand from that destruction, created an even greater force. They burnt through the sea, taking nothing and leaving nothing behind.
But even so, his opponent did not show his face. Harry knew there was a limit to every manÆs restraint, but even with the giantÆs city being erased before him, there was no reaction.
And then, he noticed them.
Harry lifted his head, turning it once to the right and once to the left, spotting the figures at the edge of his vision. They were far awayùtoo far for him to see properlyùbut they were definitely there. Leagues away, they were nothing but speckled dots in the distant, drawing attention only due to the havoc of their battle and the scattered, random lights intermixed within them.
For a moment of simple, blind reaction, he was prepared to set his flames upon them, but his rational mind made him hesitate as he realized the obvious.
The people in the distance were fighting each other. Presumably, at least some of them were giants, but there could easily be some other faction involved, whether it was an uprising, a civil war, or an invasion.
Harry pursed his lips for a moment before chuckling.
ôI see. It seems you have other problems, too.ö He shook his head ruefully. ôYouÆre just having a bad day, arenÆt you? HmàletÆs see if I canÆt make it worse.ö
No, that was inaccurate. He didnÆt command it to move; he moved. The Fiendfyre was no longer anything but an extension of his mind, body, and will. He didnÆt tell it to riseùhe lifted himself from the depths, put his thousand scattered pieces together and wrapped himself around the ship. The creaking stopped immediately as the flames kept the water at bay with their heat, vaporizing it on contact.
And yet, the same flames that did all of that merely glimmered across the hull of the ship, setting it aflame and yet not burning it.
Within his smaller body, Harry Apparated to stand upon his ship, quietly striding through the hellish flames without being burnt, his eyes piercing easily through the flames as he tried to find his enemy. He shifted his jaw slightly in displeasure as he had no more luck this time then he had before.
Fine, then. HeÆd just have to burn down everything until he found him.
With a sweep of his wand, the water separated into its composing elements, resulting in another explosion. Now having a bit more fire to play with, he gave his silent command, knowing without question that he would not be disobeyed.
The flames on and around the ship writhed and convulsed for a moment, quickly shaping themselves into the forms he wished. The Fiendfyre preferred the forms of great predators and beasts, both magical and mundane, but that not what he wanted, nor the one he had his flames adopt.
Instead, they grew into the shapes of men and women. Roman Legionaries and Greek Hoplites, mixed among random warriors he recalled from memory. Persian Immortals were scattered among Medieval Knights and Japanese Samurai. He sculpted a small and varied army of warriors from a history that had not yet occurred from memory and flame. Their faces were all but featureless as he didnÆt bother to define them, but they still stood, as proud as any army that had ever existed.
Or perhaps that was just him. He tried his best not to allow his power to go to his head as heÆd seen so many dark wizards do, but it was hard not to feel a little professional satisfaction after dragging an army out of the sands of time, if only in image. He even made a point of making their armors historically accurate, though that was largely due to Hermione pointing out mistakes he had made in the past.
He look a moment to look at them then and nodded.
ôBurn it all,ö He said, not to them but to the voice that he knew would surely be listening. ôUntil thereÆs nothing but slag and ash.ö
The flame warriors jumped off the boat as one falling like stones in the water. And yet, as weightless as flames, they landed silently on the oceans floor and quickly began to spread throughout the city. With a Fiendfyre army, conventional tactics were largely unnecessary except in special occasions, so Harry had them scatter immediately and spread throughout the giantÆs city, setting everything they touched ablaze.
Shouts erupted quickly as the wicked flames spread, making metals grow brightly even as they began to melt within the fires that had engulfed them. As the exteriors of the towers melted, they revealed the treasures held inside, serving as further fuel for his armies. As the towers, molten metal slid down the sides, dripping to the ground and spreading out into puddles on the bottom of the sea, the heat of the liquefied buildings setting aflame anything they touched. And as they did, the shapeless flames quivered before rising in simulacra of men, forming ranks upon the slagged remnants of the destroyed buildings.
Again and again, they destroyedùand from that destruction, created an even greater force. They burnt through the sea, taking nothing and leaving nothing behind.
But even so, his opponent did not show his face. Harry knew there was a limit to every manÆs restraint, but even with the giantÆs city being erased before him, there was no reaction.
And then, he noticed them.
Harry lifted his head, turning it once to the right and once to the left, spotting the figures at the edge of his vision. They were far awayùtoo far for him to see properlyùbut they were definitely there. Leagues away, they were nothing but speckled dots in the distant, drawing attention only due to the havoc of their battle and the scattered, random lights intermixed within them.
For a moment of simple, blind reaction, he was prepared to set his flames upon them, but his rational mind made him hesitate as he realized the obvious.
The people in the distance were fighting each other. Presumably, at least some of them were giants, but there could easily be some other faction involved, whether it was an uprising, a civil war, or an invasion.
Harry pursed his lips for a moment before chuckling.
ôI see. It seems you have other problems, too.ö He shook his head ruefully. ôYouÆre just having a bad day, arenÆt you? HmàletÆs see if I canÆt make it worse.ö
Flying towards the battle to see what was going on, his flames adorning and following him, he arrived to witness a colorful scene. Varied giants fought creatures of all shapes and sizes. A Troll was fighting a giant that had no head while a small flock of what looked like mermaids were trying to claw the eyes out of a giant fish. A woman with blueish skin, fins, and gills was dueling with an aristocratic looking giant with swords, darting around him quickly to avoid the wide sweeps of his sword while a dwarfish man was wielding a sword three times his side was fending off a creature with the teeth and body of a shark but the arms and head of a man. Hippocampi fought with giant seahorses, fish-cats hunted among the deeps for swimming birds, and Krakens waged war with sea monsters.
The two strangest looking armies Harry had ever seen clashed and waged war as the giantÆs underwater city continued to burn. No one seemed to notice or, if they did, care, focused completely on destroying the enemies that had appeared before them.
Harry pondered it all, pausing for a moment to take it all in. The strangeness of the scene now before him was enough to warrant a raised eyebrow even from him.
But then he raised both of his hands high above his head and he filled the space above the battle with clouds of fire. Twisted lengths of wicked flames wound up and up from the depths of the sea, scattering groups and ending fights as combatants and allies alike broke apart in an attempt to dodge the flames as they rose and gathered above them.
For a moment, everything was silent in the depths of the sea. Harry scanned the stilled warriors as they shrank and sank away from the flames. From right to left, he judged them, before making a decision and focusing on one in particular.
He couldnÆt be sure who this other army wasùthough he was kind of guessing they were fairies or something here to rescue those other prisonersùbut as the saying went, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Until that enemy was dead, of course, in which case things could easily break down quickly.
But at least for now, they wanted to get rid of these giants and he wanted to get rid of these giants. That was enough for him to decide whose side he was on. Still, with his æalliesÆ running around, heÆd have to be a bit more precise with his attacks, he supposed.
Dropping his left hand quickly, he pointed two fingers at an importantùas in, he had decorations on his armorùlooking giant. From the burning clouds slide a bright streak of flame, hot to the point of being pure white, and struck him high in the chest. It had moved fast; not as fast as the lightning it resembled, perhaps, but as quick as any arrow. Skin, cloth, and hair caught fire instantly and the Giant began to scream, a high pitched noise to make up for the lack of thunder, breaking both the silence and stillness of the gathered armies.
The fairies gathered, sending up a battle cry, their moral and bloodlust doubled in the face of the unnatural aid, and threw themselves head first back into the fray. On the other hand, as the targets of the strange attack, the giants panicked. Some scattered in fear while others gathered into groups in the hopes of protecting themselves.
It was the later Harry focused on. Wiggling the fingers of his right hand like he was typing on a computer, drops of fire began to rain from the clouds, falling down on the largest group. They tried to move away from the flames, only to be pushed back by the fairies advance, trapping them with their backs to the wall of fire. Soon, the fire soldiers heÆd left behind would finish destroying the city and come to his aid, and this battle would be all but over.
ôOh?ö A smooth voice said from his side. ôPerhaps I should thank you for the aid?ö
Harry blinked and turned his head. Floating to his left was quite possibly the most beautiful woman heÆd ever seen. Her hair was white and her eyes a cold, cold blue and they stood out like sapphires against her white skin. He wasnÆt completely sure how her skin managed to look with against that hair or while she was wearing armor that looked like it had been carved from a glacier or something, but it did. Even with most of her body covered by its thick plates, her face alone made him think of muses and goddesses. If he was a poet or an artist, heÆd have been inspired.
He wasnÆt though, so he just raised his eyebrow again, chalked it up as another strange occurrence, and snorted.
ôNoticed that did you? HowÆd you notice me?ö He asked, drawing back the hood of his cloak. ôIÆm usually pretty confident in my ability to go unnoticed when I want to, but youÆre the second one to pick up on me today. Could I be getting rusty in my old age, perhaps?ö
The fairies began to successfully push back the group, driving them into the flames. Their screams rose up like a chorus as they began to die, but he paid them little mind.
ôI wouldnÆt know, though I do not believe anyone else knows youÆre here yet. I assume the city burning down was your doing?ö She asked, casual as if this was just another day for her.
ôYes, well,ö Harry adjusted his glasses. ôA number of things happened and I got rather cross at them. There were few prisoners I stole away before I destroyed them allùI believe a few of them are yours.ö
ôHm?ö She sounded it amused, but there was an undertone ofàsomething. He wasnÆt sure what. ôThen it seems I owe you a favor.ö
Harry shrugged and returned most his attention to the battle as she did the same.
But he couldnÆt keep from wondering, even after heÆd done so.
ôWho are you, exactly, my lady?ö He asked politely, and felt without looking that she was smiling at the question.
ôI am called the Morrigan, the Queen of SamhainÆs Seat. And who are you, sea-burner?ö
Harry opened his mouth to reply when he felt the sea begin to churn.
ôHold that thought,ö He said, starting to smile. ôI have to kill someone.ö
Found you, he thought, as a shape began to form.
The two strangest looking armies Harry had ever seen clashed and waged war as the giantÆs underwater city continued to burn. No one seemed to notice or, if they did, care, focused completely on destroying the enemies that had appeared before them.
Harry pondered it all, pausing for a moment to take it all in. The strangeness of the scene now before him was enough to warrant a raised eyebrow even from him.
But then he raised both of his hands high above his head and he filled the space above the battle with clouds of fire. Twisted lengths of wicked flames wound up and up from the depths of the sea, scattering groups and ending fights as combatants and allies alike broke apart in an attempt to dodge the flames as they rose and gathered above them.
For a moment, everything was silent in the depths of the sea. Harry scanned the stilled warriors as they shrank and sank away from the flames. From right to left, he judged them, before making a decision and focusing on one in particular.
He couldnÆt be sure who this other army wasùthough he was kind of guessing they were fairies or something here to rescue those other prisonersùbut as the saying went, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Until that enemy was dead, of course, in which case things could easily break down quickly.
But at least for now, they wanted to get rid of these giants and he wanted to get rid of these giants. That was enough for him to decide whose side he was on. Still, with his æalliesÆ running around, heÆd have to be a bit more precise with his attacks, he supposed.
Dropping his left hand quickly, he pointed two fingers at an importantùas in, he had decorations on his armorùlooking giant. From the burning clouds slide a bright streak of flame, hot to the point of being pure white, and struck him high in the chest. It had moved fast; not as fast as the lightning it resembled, perhaps, but as quick as any arrow. Skin, cloth, and hair caught fire instantly and the Giant began to scream, a high pitched noise to make up for the lack of thunder, breaking both the silence and stillness of the gathered armies.
The fairies gathered, sending up a battle cry, their moral and bloodlust doubled in the face of the unnatural aid, and threw themselves head first back into the fray. On the other hand, as the targets of the strange attack, the giants panicked. Some scattered in fear while others gathered into groups in the hopes of protecting themselves.
It was the later Harry focused on. Wiggling the fingers of his right hand like he was typing on a computer, drops of fire began to rain from the clouds, falling down on the largest group. They tried to move away from the flames, only to be pushed back by the fairies advance, trapping them with their backs to the wall of fire. Soon, the fire soldiers heÆd left behind would finish destroying the city and come to his aid, and this battle would be all but over.
ôOh?ö A smooth voice said from his side. ôPerhaps I should thank you for the aid?ö
Harry blinked and turned his head. Floating to his left was quite possibly the most beautiful woman heÆd ever seen. Her hair was white and her eyes a cold, cold blue and they stood out like sapphires against her white skin. He wasnÆt completely sure how her skin managed to look with against that hair or while she was wearing armor that looked like it had been carved from a glacier or something, but it did. Even with most of her body covered by its thick plates, her face alone made him think of muses and goddesses. If he was a poet or an artist, heÆd have been inspired.
He wasnÆt though, so he just raised his eyebrow again, chalked it up as another strange occurrence, and snorted.
ôNoticed that did you? HowÆd you notice me?ö He asked, drawing back the hood of his cloak. ôIÆm usually pretty confident in my ability to go unnoticed when I want to, but youÆre the second one to pick up on me today. Could I be getting rusty in my old age, perhaps?ö
The fairies began to successfully push back the group, driving them into the flames. Their screams rose up like a chorus as they began to die, but he paid them little mind.
ôI wouldnÆt know, though I do not believe anyone else knows youÆre here yet. I assume the city burning down was your doing?ö She asked, casual as if this was just another day for her.
ôYes, well,ö Harry adjusted his glasses. ôA number of things happened and I got rather cross at them. There were few prisoners I stole away before I destroyed them allùI believe a few of them are yours.ö
ôHm?ö She sounded it amused, but there was an undertone ofàsomething. He wasnÆt sure what. ôThen it seems I owe you a favor.ö
Harry shrugged and returned most his attention to the battle as she did the same.
But he couldnÆt keep from wondering, even after heÆd done so.
ôWho are you, exactly, my lady?ö He asked politely, and felt without looking that she was smiling at the question.
ôI am called the Morrigan, the Queen of SamhainÆs Seat. And who are you, sea-burner?ö
Harry opened his mouth to reply when he felt the sea begin to churn.
ôHold that thought,ö He said, starting to smile. ôI have to kill someone.ö
Found you, he thought, as a shape began to form.
The water churned before him, bending the light in odd ways as it twisted and moved. Currents and streams appeared, strong enough to be clear against the ocean around it as they flowed past, though, and around each other. Salt broke off from the sea water, gathering together subtly at first but growing more and more obvious by the second, forming grainy bones that stretched for what seemed like miles. The water that flowed around him darkened like the surface of a swamp, growing filthy and dark until his figure was obvious against the rest of the ocean, though as he moved his bones peaked through, as if the rest of his body was a bit slow to follow his motions. Twisted knots of some kind of luminous seaweed grew like moss over his head and his eye sockets filled with hundreds of dull, glassy orbs, as if heÆd slain a thousand animals, plucked out their eyes, and taken them as his own. As he set his feet upon the seafloor and stood tall, the distant light of the surface that seemed to hover around his head like a crown of like made him seem like Atlas, carrying the sky on his shoulders.
ôMorrigan,ö The same voice as early murmured, now a thousand times louder. As his lips parted, Harry could see his teeth, formed of salt like the rest of his bones, but odd in their shapes. It was as if he hadnÆt been able to decide what creatures mouth to imitate; shark teeth here, human ones there, and a number of blunt formation that could have belonged to any of a thousand fish. ôYou are a fool to come here, where my power is a law unto itself. You should have stayed hidden beyond the ninth wave as you have for so long.ö
ôAnd you are as arrogant as ever, Conand,ö Morrigan murmured, amusement lacing every word. ôAnd yet, here you are. Your city has been burnt away, your army has been broken, and for the first time in over two hundred years, you have been forced to retake your form. We both know you found not have made yourself so vulnerable if you did not think us a threat to your throne.ö
She cast him a sidelong glance at that, lips twitching briefly upwards as she spoke. Harry nodded minuscule at her words, understanding her. His throne, whatever it did, was important to himùenough so that he made himself vulnerable to external attack just to protect it.
Conand growled, a sound that seemed to shake the ocean around them and the dead orbs in his sockets almost seemed to come alive with hatred.
ôSuch a pity for you then, that I am here now. Your powers have grown, Morrigan, and you have many allies now, but even still you have not the forces to stop me long enough to find what you seekùô
ôInteresting. IÆll take that bet,ö Harry butted in, removing the hood of his cloak and smiling slightly. Tilting his head at his newfound ally, he mused aloud. ôIÆll wager my life that I can keep you preoccupied more long enough for my dear friend here to find what sheÆs after.ö
ôFirestarteràö Conand snarled. ôEven now you interfere!? Leave now and IÆll let you keep your entrails!ö
ôMmm, well, thatÆs certainly a tempting offer butàIÆm afraid I simply must decline. You see, Lord Conand, there are things that are simply beyond forgiveness. Whether you know why or not, after what you and your people have done I can no longer simply live and let live when I have a chance to stop you permanently.ö His eyes drifted to Morrigan. ôGo along then. IÆll handle things here.ö
She gave a somewhat wicked grin and bowed her headùand then she was gone, like sheÆd been a shadow and someone had turned on the lights. It wasnÆt apparition, maybe not even a form of teleportation, but something elseà
Interesting.
He shook his head of the thought as Conand spoke, angrier than ever and maybe just a little afraid. They had the advantage now and everyone knew it. The only way for Conand to salvage this situation was to kill them all and that seemed to be his intention.
ôHandle me? Youàhandle me?ö He spat. ôYou think you can? I tower over you like I tower over the rest of these pathetic little insects.ö
ôOho?ö Harry lifted an eyebrow. ôAre we going to make this some sort of juvenile measuring contest, then? Because if we are, I have to sayàö
The fires burning in the deep answered their MasterÆs wordless call, forms falling away as they abandoned their fights, returning to shapeless flame as they gathered into serpentine rivers of fire, burning away any groups of Giants unlucky enough to be caught in their paths before merging upon Harry and engulfing him completely. The mass of fire shifted into an almost perfect sphere as the last of its pieces joined the whole, before extensions grew, formless at first, but quickly growing distinct, shaping fingers and hands to go with arms, boots at the end of feet, the outlines of eyes, a mouth, and a nose, which came together to form a rough, burning figure. The fire giant stood unhindered by the water, fearsome and mighty as its fell light cut through the darkness.
It also stood a full head taller than its opponent.
ôàMine's bigger,ö He finished, smiling amusedly.
ôMorrigan,ö The same voice as early murmured, now a thousand times louder. As his lips parted, Harry could see his teeth, formed of salt like the rest of his bones, but odd in their shapes. It was as if he hadnÆt been able to decide what creatures mouth to imitate; shark teeth here, human ones there, and a number of blunt formation that could have belonged to any of a thousand fish. ôYou are a fool to come here, where my power is a law unto itself. You should have stayed hidden beyond the ninth wave as you have for so long.ö
ôAnd you are as arrogant as ever, Conand,ö Morrigan murmured, amusement lacing every word. ôAnd yet, here you are. Your city has been burnt away, your army has been broken, and for the first time in over two hundred years, you have been forced to retake your form. We both know you found not have made yourself so vulnerable if you did not think us a threat to your throne.ö
She cast him a sidelong glance at that, lips twitching briefly upwards as she spoke. Harry nodded minuscule at her words, understanding her. His throne, whatever it did, was important to himùenough so that he made himself vulnerable to external attack just to protect it.
Conand growled, a sound that seemed to shake the ocean around them and the dead orbs in his sockets almost seemed to come alive with hatred.
ôSuch a pity for you then, that I am here now. Your powers have grown, Morrigan, and you have many allies now, but even still you have not the forces to stop me long enough to find what you seekùô
ôInteresting. IÆll take that bet,ö Harry butted in, removing the hood of his cloak and smiling slightly. Tilting his head at his newfound ally, he mused aloud. ôIÆll wager my life that I can keep you preoccupied more long enough for my dear friend here to find what sheÆs after.ö
ôFirestarteràö Conand snarled. ôEven now you interfere!? Leave now and IÆll let you keep your entrails!ö
ôMmm, well, thatÆs certainly a tempting offer butàIÆm afraid I simply must decline. You see, Lord Conand, there are things that are simply beyond forgiveness. Whether you know why or not, after what you and your people have done I can no longer simply live and let live when I have a chance to stop you permanently.ö His eyes drifted to Morrigan. ôGo along then. IÆll handle things here.ö
She gave a somewhat wicked grin and bowed her headùand then she was gone, like sheÆd been a shadow and someone had turned on the lights. It wasnÆt apparition, maybe not even a form of teleportation, but something elseà
Interesting.
He shook his head of the thought as Conand spoke, angrier than ever and maybe just a little afraid. They had the advantage now and everyone knew it. The only way for Conand to salvage this situation was to kill them all and that seemed to be his intention.
ôHandle me? Youàhandle me?ö He spat. ôYou think you can? I tower over you like I tower over the rest of these pathetic little insects.ö
ôOho?ö Harry lifted an eyebrow. ôAre we going to make this some sort of juvenile measuring contest, then? Because if we are, I have to sayàö
The fires burning in the deep answered their MasterÆs wordless call, forms falling away as they abandoned their fights, returning to shapeless flame as they gathered into serpentine rivers of fire, burning away any groups of Giants unlucky enough to be caught in their paths before merging upon Harry and engulfing him completely. The mass of fire shifted into an almost perfect sphere as the last of its pieces joined the whole, before extensions grew, formless at first, but quickly growing distinct, shaping fingers and hands to go with arms, boots at the end of feet, the outlines of eyes, a mouth, and a nose, which came together to form a rough, burning figure. The fire giant stood unhindered by the water, fearsome and mighty as its fell light cut through the darkness.
It also stood a full head taller than its opponent.
ôàMine's bigger,ö He finished, smiling amusedly.
The fight began without another word, their differences quickly becoming apparent. Beneath the murky water that made up most of his form, Conand had some substance, if only in his salty bones. He also seemed to have an at least loosely defined shape around said bones. By contrast, the monster Harry had formed was completely composed of fire, thus lacking any actual solidityùit was just heat and light, in the end, after all. As a result of not having anything to define its form besides HarryÆs will, changing it was relatively simple.
On one hand, this meant Conand couldnÆt actually harm HarryÆs creation, as it lacked anything even resembling vital organs or anything else biological and gave Harry a definite advantage in versatility. On the other hand, HarryÆs creation was largely incapable of blocking physical attacks, most of which slid cleanly through it, if somewhat superheated and on fire.
It was interesting to watch, mused Harry, hiding patiently in the flames, waiting. The currents that made up most of his opponentÆs body acted as some type of wall, running too fast for his flames to penetrate down to his bonesùwhich was probably the point. It was also probably the reason Conand had formed his bones from salt, which isnÆt normally flammable; though, of course, Harry was of the professional opinion that everything burned, given sufficient effort. That didnÆt change the fact that his currents were preventing him from reaching said salt in the first place, however. Nonetheless, this was a waiting game and Conand was the one fighting against the clock. All he had to do was keep his attention on him and there probably wouldnÆt be any trouble.
Which seemed strange to him, in its own way. He was accustomed to troubleùfamiliar with it. It was weird to be without something that seemed to follow him everywhere.
He stroked his beard, pondering that for a moment, as a toweringùas in, literally the size of a towerùbroadsword emerged from the sand and stone beneath them and was quickly grasped by ConandÆs hand. The giant swung it through HarryÆs puppet, slicing neatly through the flames and Harry had too quickly lift himself from the stomach of his construct to near its heart to avoid the blow that would haveàwell, at that size, it wouldnÆt really have cut him. Liquefy might be a better term.
ôAh,ö Harry noted absently. ôAnd that would be the trouble.ö
Yes, he supposed that Conand would win if he could hit him with such a weapon; his flames wouldnÆt block such a thing and itÆd take them a long, long time to burn away that much stone. Just like heÆd win if the Morrigan found what she was looking for.
In that case, simply letting him continue to attack and waste time could be a dangerous idea; heÆd better take this seriously.
The humanoid shape dropped away, æmeltingÆ until it settled like a lake of fire on the sea floor, and Conand stumbled quickly back several steps to keep it from catching his feet before shifting his hold on his slowly burning sword and sweeping it quickly back and forth through the pool, like he was trying to clean the floor with a broom. Having none of it, the entire lake of fire tilted up and balanced entirely on its edge, like a coin made to stand on its side, before collapsing forward, trying to catch Conand with its fall.
With more agility then Harry would have expected from something his size, Conand leapt above the oncoming flames, a swish of his arms and a kick of his legs proving his skill in the water. From the ground, the flames pooled and shifted, rising up as a giant hand, long fingers reaching up towards the giant, who cut them off with a swipe of his enormous blade. The severed fingers twisted into the mouths of giant sharks even as the remains of the hand and forearm slide into the shape of a colossal squid. Long tentacles reached out with deft motions, trying to bind limbs tight, even as rows of jagged burning teeth raced towards ConandÆs eyesùbut the æskinÆ of his right arm bulged grotesquely, widening the tentacleÆs hold, before he literally pulled his bones and sword out of it. Even without anything coating it, the salty bones, twirled the blade expertly as Conand gave a disdainful snort, severing each tentacle in a single motion. As new water came rushing to remake the flesh of his arm, the giant swung the flat of his blade in an arc that blew away the shapes of the fangs before bringing it down on the squid with enough force to send it flying away in pieces in every direction.
Finding himself careening through the water end over end, it took Harry a moment to gather the focus needed to cast a Cushioning Charm on the quickly approaching wall and keep the impact from shattering his bones, though the sudden stop still hurt. Bouncing off it, he caught himself in the water and had just enough time to realize heÆd been blown clean out of his flames before then the water caught him. Coming around him like a vice, spots exploded across his vision as it tightened around his neck with enough force that Harry was pretty sure it would crush his neck out of shape if he didnÆt do something. He apparated quickly, not having time to locate the safety of his flames. As he reappeared he had just enough time to take a quick breath and catch sight of Conand before the water took a hold of him again.
It was enough.
All around Conand, the flames heÆd reduced to embers and sparks with relentless, sweeping blows gathered together quickly, their target decided, shaping themselves into ten thousand little knives and cutting through the water, stabbing into the currents of his body and trying to penetrate deeper despite the implacable resistance. They twisted and tugged, trying to grow barbs and claws to take ahold and give them leverage to sink deeper into the giant, to no avail.
It did, however, make a pretty amazing distraction and the moment the pressure eased off of him, Harry apparated back to the safety of his fires, taking complete control of them yet again. Splayed across the giantÆs hide, he made the spread, trying to cover his opponent from head to toe. If he could boil away all that water and keep him from drawing in anymoreù
He had only a second to realize something was wrong and it wasnÆt nearly enough. Conand drew away, skeleton stepping cleanly out of liquid flesh, and the black water that had made up his form folded outwards, bending so that the flames that had covered them were now contained neatly inside it, and the skeleton of salt curled the bones of its fingers at the sphere was the last thing Harry saw before blackened waters hid the world from his sight. More and more water piled atop them, drawing around the flames and trying to drown them. In the end, all the managed was to compress them, but it accomplished the same.
If he apparated out, heÆd be in the water, and with the amount of force Conand had caught him with last time, he wasnÆt sure heÆd have the presence of mind needed to apparate again. If he stayed in here, though, Conand would just compress the fire until he was sure he couldnÆt miss his target and that giant blade would splatter him.
ôAnything to say, Firestarter?ö Conand murmured over the black sphere.
On one hand, this meant Conand couldnÆt actually harm HarryÆs creation, as it lacked anything even resembling vital organs or anything else biological and gave Harry a definite advantage in versatility. On the other hand, HarryÆs creation was largely incapable of blocking physical attacks, most of which slid cleanly through it, if somewhat superheated and on fire.
It was interesting to watch, mused Harry, hiding patiently in the flames, waiting. The currents that made up most of his opponentÆs body acted as some type of wall, running too fast for his flames to penetrate down to his bonesùwhich was probably the point. It was also probably the reason Conand had formed his bones from salt, which isnÆt normally flammable; though, of course, Harry was of the professional opinion that everything burned, given sufficient effort. That didnÆt change the fact that his currents were preventing him from reaching said salt in the first place, however. Nonetheless, this was a waiting game and Conand was the one fighting against the clock. All he had to do was keep his attention on him and there probably wouldnÆt be any trouble.
Which seemed strange to him, in its own way. He was accustomed to troubleùfamiliar with it. It was weird to be without something that seemed to follow him everywhere.
He stroked his beard, pondering that for a moment, as a toweringùas in, literally the size of a towerùbroadsword emerged from the sand and stone beneath them and was quickly grasped by ConandÆs hand. The giant swung it through HarryÆs puppet, slicing neatly through the flames and Harry had too quickly lift himself from the stomach of his construct to near its heart to avoid the blow that would haveàwell, at that size, it wouldnÆt really have cut him. Liquefy might be a better term.
ôAh,ö Harry noted absently. ôAnd that would be the trouble.ö
Yes, he supposed that Conand would win if he could hit him with such a weapon; his flames wouldnÆt block such a thing and itÆd take them a long, long time to burn away that much stone. Just like heÆd win if the Morrigan found what she was looking for.
In that case, simply letting him continue to attack and waste time could be a dangerous idea; heÆd better take this seriously.
The humanoid shape dropped away, æmeltingÆ until it settled like a lake of fire on the sea floor, and Conand stumbled quickly back several steps to keep it from catching his feet before shifting his hold on his slowly burning sword and sweeping it quickly back and forth through the pool, like he was trying to clean the floor with a broom. Having none of it, the entire lake of fire tilted up and balanced entirely on its edge, like a coin made to stand on its side, before collapsing forward, trying to catch Conand with its fall.
With more agility then Harry would have expected from something his size, Conand leapt above the oncoming flames, a swish of his arms and a kick of his legs proving his skill in the water. From the ground, the flames pooled and shifted, rising up as a giant hand, long fingers reaching up towards the giant, who cut them off with a swipe of his enormous blade. The severed fingers twisted into the mouths of giant sharks even as the remains of the hand and forearm slide into the shape of a colossal squid. Long tentacles reached out with deft motions, trying to bind limbs tight, even as rows of jagged burning teeth raced towards ConandÆs eyesùbut the æskinÆ of his right arm bulged grotesquely, widening the tentacleÆs hold, before he literally pulled his bones and sword out of it. Even without anything coating it, the salty bones, twirled the blade expertly as Conand gave a disdainful snort, severing each tentacle in a single motion. As new water came rushing to remake the flesh of his arm, the giant swung the flat of his blade in an arc that blew away the shapes of the fangs before bringing it down on the squid with enough force to send it flying away in pieces in every direction.
Finding himself careening through the water end over end, it took Harry a moment to gather the focus needed to cast a Cushioning Charm on the quickly approaching wall and keep the impact from shattering his bones, though the sudden stop still hurt. Bouncing off it, he caught himself in the water and had just enough time to realize heÆd been blown clean out of his flames before then the water caught him. Coming around him like a vice, spots exploded across his vision as it tightened around his neck with enough force that Harry was pretty sure it would crush his neck out of shape if he didnÆt do something. He apparated quickly, not having time to locate the safety of his flames. As he reappeared he had just enough time to take a quick breath and catch sight of Conand before the water took a hold of him again.
It was enough.
All around Conand, the flames heÆd reduced to embers and sparks with relentless, sweeping blows gathered together quickly, their target decided, shaping themselves into ten thousand little knives and cutting through the water, stabbing into the currents of his body and trying to penetrate deeper despite the implacable resistance. They twisted and tugged, trying to grow barbs and claws to take ahold and give them leverage to sink deeper into the giant, to no avail.
It did, however, make a pretty amazing distraction and the moment the pressure eased off of him, Harry apparated back to the safety of his fires, taking complete control of them yet again. Splayed across the giantÆs hide, he made the spread, trying to cover his opponent from head to toe. If he could boil away all that water and keep him from drawing in anymoreù
He had only a second to realize something was wrong and it wasnÆt nearly enough. Conand drew away, skeleton stepping cleanly out of liquid flesh, and the black water that had made up his form folded outwards, bending so that the flames that had covered them were now contained neatly inside it, and the skeleton of salt curled the bones of its fingers at the sphere was the last thing Harry saw before blackened waters hid the world from his sight. More and more water piled atop them, drawing around the flames and trying to drown them. In the end, all the managed was to compress them, but it accomplished the same.
If he apparated out, heÆd be in the water, and with the amount of force Conand had caught him with last time, he wasnÆt sure heÆd have the presence of mind needed to apparate again. If he stayed in here, though, Conand would just compress the fire until he was sure he couldnÆt miss his target and that giant blade would splatter him.
ôAnything to say, Firestarter?ö Conand murmured over the black sphere.
Update Spree, part two.
_______________________________________________________________
XxXXxX
For a moment, everything was silent in the dark.
And then there was light.
It started as a pinprick—a candle flame against the shadows of the deep sea. But it grew, as if the darkness that tried to smother it had caught flame, burning the blackened waters as if they were but paper held above a flame. Its light spelt through the murky veil, dim at first, like a light covered in cloth, but growing steadily brighter.
The water Conand sought to compress shrank so suddenly that for a hesitating moment, he thought that it might have been getting consumed outright, but it only took a moment to realize the true reason—the resistance it had been facing had completely disappeared.
And yet, the light being emitted from within remained and he hadn’t felt that sudden displacement of water that had characterized his opponent’s sudden reappearances. Then…
The light within the sphere moved suddenly, sliding through—and out—of the pressurized water as if it were no different than moving through simple air, and Conand saw the reason behind what had happened. The old man that he had been fighting had changed, the layers and layers of fire around him having folded in upon themselves, over and over and over again, until they must have been all but flat against him—a second skin of light that made it seem as if he were a man carved out of a star. It burnt bright enough that it hurt to look at him and making out any specific features was all but impossible.
The water around him shifted and turned oddly, the heat constantly evaporating all that it touched and then superheating it even beyond that —just as it had the water under Conand’s control. The man within the flames did not even seem to notice, anything that resisted his movements burning cleanly away.
Instead, he simply looked at the giant before him, expression impossible to see through the Fiendfyre mask.
It seems that one never becomes too old to make mistakes, he mused. And this entire battle had been nothing but one, prolonged mistake. He hadn’t used his tools properly, perhaps having been put off by having to face such a massive opponent. When faced with a giant problem, he had attempted to answer with a giant solution—enormous constructs of Fiendfyre, animated by his will—despite how ill equipped he was for such a tactic. Prior to this, Fiendfyre had been a last resort, his ‘only way to be sure’ to borrow an old muggle phrase. If it became necessary, he would use it and criminals would either run away or die; there were no fights of giant fire constructs or anything like that. This was his first time he had ever used it in such a manner.
And that was where he’d made his error—why would he willingly fight this way? Especially after it repeatedly proved not to work? Wasn’t it his policy to not be inefficient? To stick with small and simple approaches for greater results? Had he really been intimidated by an opponent just because he had been a few thousand times bigger than him?
No, that wasn’t the reason. His opponent had been big, but the real cause had been him—he had been arrogant. It had been nearly seventy years now since the last time he’d entered a battle that he wasn’t completely sure he could win and after Justin, he’d thought this would be no different. Justin had reminded him that he couldn’t just ignore matters and take things for granted, but when they’d fought, he hadn’t doubted for even a second who would be the winner. Just as he hadn’t in this fight, certain that his skill and power would see him through anything his opponent could bring at him—and even when someone had appeared before him, towering over the battlefield like a giant and taken away his ability to apparate freely, he hadn’t taken it seriously, not really. Not one to make the same mistake twice, he’d ensured the people he sought to protect were safe and couldn’t be harmed, but he hadn’t approached the problem as seriously as he should.
Instead of sticking with what he was best at, he allowed himself to be dragged into his opponents preferred form of combat, certain he could win a fight like this, even lacking any experience in the matter. If the him from a seventy years ago could see him now…After all those times he’d preached these lessons to the younger Aurors, you’d think they’d be carved into him by now.
But if he could still make mistakes, he could still learn from them as well, and he had. No giant movie monsters, this time, and no unfamiliar battles or fair fights. This may have been a trick he’d never used before, but it was his trick, the type he’d use, not something he’d allowed himself to be tricked, knowingly or not, into doing. Rather than spreading the Fiendfyre into larger and larger constructs, as if such things would mean anything with something that wasn’t even solid, spreading out the heat and the flames, he gathered them to himself; all that heat, all that power, contained an inch from his skin and tightly under his control.
This trick…Conand had shown it to him, in a way, when he’d tried to compress his flames. He’d shown him the way to victory and showed him his mistakes.
So Harry told him the last words he’d ever hear.
“Burn,†He said, lifting a finger.
_______________________________________________________________
XxXXxX
For a moment, everything was silent in the dark.
And then there was light.
It started as a pinprick—a candle flame against the shadows of the deep sea. But it grew, as if the darkness that tried to smother it had caught flame, burning the blackened waters as if they were but paper held above a flame. Its light spelt through the murky veil, dim at first, like a light covered in cloth, but growing steadily brighter.
The water Conand sought to compress shrank so suddenly that for a hesitating moment, he thought that it might have been getting consumed outright, but it only took a moment to realize the true reason—the resistance it had been facing had completely disappeared.
And yet, the light being emitted from within remained and he hadn’t felt that sudden displacement of water that had characterized his opponent’s sudden reappearances. Then…
The light within the sphere moved suddenly, sliding through—and out—of the pressurized water as if it were no different than moving through simple air, and Conand saw the reason behind what had happened. The old man that he had been fighting had changed, the layers and layers of fire around him having folded in upon themselves, over and over and over again, until they must have been all but flat against him—a second skin of light that made it seem as if he were a man carved out of a star. It burnt bright enough that it hurt to look at him and making out any specific features was all but impossible.
The water around him shifted and turned oddly, the heat constantly evaporating all that it touched and then superheating it even beyond that —just as it had the water under Conand’s control. The man within the flames did not even seem to notice, anything that resisted his movements burning cleanly away.
Instead, he simply looked at the giant before him, expression impossible to see through the Fiendfyre mask.
It seems that one never becomes too old to make mistakes, he mused. And this entire battle had been nothing but one, prolonged mistake. He hadn’t used his tools properly, perhaps having been put off by having to face such a massive opponent. When faced with a giant problem, he had attempted to answer with a giant solution—enormous constructs of Fiendfyre, animated by his will—despite how ill equipped he was for such a tactic. Prior to this, Fiendfyre had been a last resort, his ‘only way to be sure’ to borrow an old muggle phrase. If it became necessary, he would use it and criminals would either run away or die; there were no fights of giant fire constructs or anything like that. This was his first time he had ever used it in such a manner.
And that was where he’d made his error—why would he willingly fight this way? Especially after it repeatedly proved not to work? Wasn’t it his policy to not be inefficient? To stick with small and simple approaches for greater results? Had he really been intimidated by an opponent just because he had been a few thousand times bigger than him?
No, that wasn’t the reason. His opponent had been big, but the real cause had been him—he had been arrogant. It had been nearly seventy years now since the last time he’d entered a battle that he wasn’t completely sure he could win and after Justin, he’d thought this would be no different. Justin had reminded him that he couldn’t just ignore matters and take things for granted, but when they’d fought, he hadn’t doubted for even a second who would be the winner. Just as he hadn’t in this fight, certain that his skill and power would see him through anything his opponent could bring at him—and even when someone had appeared before him, towering over the battlefield like a giant and taken away his ability to apparate freely, he hadn’t taken it seriously, not really. Not one to make the same mistake twice, he’d ensured the people he sought to protect were safe and couldn’t be harmed, but he hadn’t approached the problem as seriously as he should.
Instead of sticking with what he was best at, he allowed himself to be dragged into his opponents preferred form of combat, certain he could win a fight like this, even lacking any experience in the matter. If the him from a seventy years ago could see him now…After all those times he’d preached these lessons to the younger Aurors, you’d think they’d be carved into him by now.
But if he could still make mistakes, he could still learn from them as well, and he had. No giant movie monsters, this time, and no unfamiliar battles or fair fights. This may have been a trick he’d never used before, but it was his trick, the type he’d use, not something he’d allowed himself to be tricked, knowingly or not, into doing. Rather than spreading the Fiendfyre into larger and larger constructs, as if such things would mean anything with something that wasn’t even solid, spreading out the heat and the flames, he gathered them to himself; all that heat, all that power, contained an inch from his skin and tightly under his control.
This trick…Conand had shown it to him, in a way, when he’d tried to compress his flames. He’d shown him the way to victory and showed him his mistakes.
So Harry told him the last words he’d ever hear.
“Burn,†He said, lifting a finger.