Harry Potter, No More!
Disclaimer: SEE FIRST CHAPTER
Plot: What happens when all that a hero sees is death, destruction and dismay everywhere he goes? Easy: he looks to the heavens and he decrees two words: NO MORE! But what happens when Harry decides on this course of action?
Author's Information: Well, here it is, ladies and gents: my last story of 2013 and also the winner of my 'Dark Den' poll and I feel I should inform you of how I'm doing this: three little words…How…I…choose! In other words, this comes from my imagination and my creativity and, if you don't like it, then don't read it and wind up spoiling it for those who enjoy my work.
Dedication: I'd like to dedicate this story to everyone who voted on the poll – even those who didn't vote for this one – and especially to my good friends T-TrainorTurkeyT, StormyFireDragon, Loki Palmer and Winged Seer Wolf: my recommended reads…are any written by those authors, though I also recommend the story Harry Potter and the Grim Heritage by shinobikarasu; an amazing read and a well-written adventure.
Harry/Hermione
Neville/Luna
Other Pairings TBC
Normal Speech
'Thought'
'Telepathy'
/Parseltongue/
Review Answers:
I'm not going to respond to the reviews, but I would like to thank EVERYONE who has reviewed this story and a big thanks to everyone that encouraged me to continue: now, enjoy the finale of No More!
With that, the two Flamed out of the way and made their way down to the Great Hall, leaving Dumbledore horrified as he considered what he had just seen.
He just knew he wasn't going to survive this…
But he had to try…
Chapter 10: It Is The Privilege of Lesser Men To Light The Flame…Whatever The Cost
Sixteen Years;
It seemed like such a long time and yet it was no time at all, but for Harry, who watched and waited while the loyal members of his army kept the spectators for his final battle at bay, it wasn't a passage of time: it was a countdown.
A countdown that had started on the night where a deranged megalomaniac with no follow through on his plans and a self-induced hate of those who were higher up than him had decided to murder an innocent baby and failed.
The countdown's clock had only increased its ticking down to zero with each and every dark moment in his life: from being left with the Dursleys and losing out on the idea of family to being treated as the social outcast and the black sheep wherever he tried to make friends. When he'd gone to Hogwarts for the first time and met with Ron Weasley, Harry had never considered how the boy's greed and envy would one day cause him to pay the ultimate price.
No, instead, he'd let the countdown slow down as he'd thought he'd finally found friends and people who liked him for who he was, but that thought had been cast aside with the realisation of how the world only saw the Boy-Who-Lived and nothing else.
Meeting Voldemort again had restarted the countdown clock as had discovering a dark gift that the world looked on as something evil: the truth about Sirius as far as the rest of the world were concerned had also increased the countdown.
Even now, Harry could hear the threat he'd made on that infamous day of discovery: 'I hope he finds me, cause when he does, I'm going to be ready; when he does, I'm going to kill him!'
'If it hadn't been for what happened later in the year,' Harry thought to himself, his back to the doors to the Great Hall while he waited for Dumbledore to turn up, 'I may have done it…even if I was meant to be good, there was no way I'd let a traitor escape…or I wouldn't if Dead Man and Dumblefuck's plans for shit to happen had not stopped me!'
Clenching his fists, Harry considered how quick the countdown clock had increased when the school had turned on him, believing him to be a cheat in the Tournament and how, at the centre of this circle, there was more than just an enemy causing all this: it was his best friend and yet, like an idiot, Harry had forgiven him.
Since then, he'd never had a chance to slow down the countdown: Voldemort's return, Cedric's death, Umbitch's torture sessions, Snape's mind rape sessions, Sirius' death. All these things had kept the clock counting down and down, moving to the inevitable point.
The point where, like Harry had done all those weeks and months back on the Astronomy Tower, the Emperor of Magic just had one thing left to say to the world:
"Tick, tock, goes the clock, and all the years they fly. Tick, tock, and all too soon, you and I must die…and now you'll see what I have meant every time I have said the words…No More!"
The sound of the doors opening behind him made Harry smile as he rose from where he'd been kneeling, preparing himself for everything that was to come; craning his neck, the Emperor of Magic turned and, with a cold laugh, he exclaimed, "About time you got here…we almost started the party without you."
"Harry," Dumbledore replied, looking upon the Emperor almost literally standing atop the fallen rubble of Hogwarts, the bodies of those who'd fallen to him gathered around the mountain, thankfully covered by sheets that hid their identities. "Just stop this: please, just think! You don't have to do this anymore; Tom is dead, you're safe…we can work something out!"
"Oh, how to shut him up?" asked Harry, sighing deeply as he kicked a loose stone aside, "I know: memory lane, old man: there was a time when this young, bright, eager-for-potential young man asked you about reasons for avoiding death and why his enemies targeted him. He asked you for answers, this young man, and you just turned him away with the excuse of oh sorry, Harry, you're not ready to know."
"It was a mistake," Dumbledore agreed, his eyes on the king of the mountain, "But we can work something out, Harry: please! Just stop, just let go: you're killing innocent people!"
"Nobody's innocent," Harry hissed, the words making the temperature in the room drop several degrees as he hissed, "And now, after all this time, you still think me mad: but look at me now, Albus: king of the wasteland!"
"Yes Harry," Dumbledore agreed, his voice strained by sorrow as he added, "You are a king now, a ruler of many and a commander of great power: you're brilliant; you're stone cold brilliant, you are, I swear, you really are. But you could be so much more. You could be beautiful. With a mind like that, we could travel the world. It would be my honour; 'Cause you don't need to own the universe, just see it. To have the privilege of seeing the whole of time and space and magic: that's ownership enough."
"And in the meantime, you'd try and find a way to kill me," Harry added, waggling his finger like he was scolding a naughty child, "Sorry, Albus, but that's not what's going to happen. Because don't you get it? You did this to me: with your words and your prophecies and your false senses of trust: you were nothing more than a puppet-master using an innocent student in your sick and twisted game of chess. And you didn't care who got in your way because, in the end, it was all for the Greater Good!"
"I did…I was only trying to help," Dumbledore gasped, his hand moving to his wand as he knew there was clearly only one way to bring Harry around, "I…my duty has always been to this school and its students."
"That sounds familiar," Harry laughed, looking to where Lucius Malfoy was watching amongst the spectators, "But I can prove you're wrong with just one word: Cedric?"
Rising from behind the mountain, Cedric Diggory stood by his Lord and Master, his eyes fixed on Dumbledore and his teeth bared with a bloodlust that no human could match.
"You led me to my death by letting Harry remain alone in the Tournament," Cedric explained, his voice as cold as death as he hissed, "And think about everyone else you failed to protect while insisting that this was Harry's fault: after all, I only see Fred and George Weasley here amongst us: who was meant to be watching them?"
"And the Tonks family," added Harry, looking over to Remus, who just nodded in silent agreement, "They were part of your biggest band of sheep, the Order of the Phoenix…and now they're all dead! And since we're talking Order members, let me re-introduce you to the biggest two failings of your time, Albus: Mum, Dad?"
Lily and James now stood with Harry, much to the horror of Dumbledore while the young Emperor then added, "You trusted a coward, old man, over their best friend? That was your biggest mistake, but it didn't matter because it was all for the Greater Good; well, as I've said for a long time now, I only have one thing to say regarding your Greater Good: NO MORE!"
"Then," Dumbledore sighed, watching as Harry moved down off the mountain, "It seems that only one of us will leave here alive, Harry."
"Perhaps you're right," Harry agreed, flexing his fingers while his right hand held onto the Elder Wand, "Now it ends, Dumbledore: now it ends!"
A bolt of black lightning announced the start of the battle, Dumbledore easily deflecting it, though he was stunned slightly by the amount of power held by Harry. Returning fire, quite literally, Dumbledore summoned a torrent of water from the air around them and sent it flying to Harry, who just smirked as he flamed out of the way, reappearing on top of the mountain where, with several gestures from the Elder Wand, he sent the rubble flying towards Dumbledore.
The shield that Dumbledore had created seemed to crack slightly under the pressure of Harry's magic: however, as he looked through, Dumbledore went for an opportunity, casting Fiendfyre upon Harry and his ilk.
"Pathetic," Harry snarled, summoning an equally-powerful surge of his own water that he charged with the black lightning and, without much effort, he managed to cut through the Fiendfyre and leave Dumbledore reeling, "You've lost old man! All your plans, all your tricks and all your manipulations and you forget the biggest point of all: I know you. You've never really killed a student and you won't start now, whereas I have no such problems as my recent murder spree has proven!"
Casting another series of powerful hexes and curses with his wand, Harry watched as the walls began to crumble, each brick falling down on Dumbledore while their spectators were left unharmed. From the rubble, Harry then summoned several powerful geysers of flame, ice and lightning to close in around Dumbledore, but the old man merely apparated aside, his eyes on Harry while his elder form was scarred and dishevelled from the blasts.
"Now we finish this the way we started it," Harry whispered, "Together."
"If that is what I must do," Dumbledore agreed, but his blood turned cold as Harry's next words cut through the silence and the pain.
"I wasn't talking to you!"
Realisation hit Dumbledore a little too late as, from around the room, curses, hexes and spells of all shapes, sizes and forms struck at the old man, causing an explosion of pure magic that rocked Hogwarts to her foundations, cracking the floor of the Great Hall where Dumbledore stood.
"You always wanted to last in this school," Harry hissed, stepping down from the mountain as he told the old man, "Now I'll make sure you do: because don't you get it yet, Albus? Everyone who's still alive in here has submitted to the true owner of the mantle of most powerful wizard and greatest of his age. The others are lying in dust and ditches around your school: now, all you have left is meagre magic while I have everything! I'm in control of the Ministry, I own Azkaban and I have the last few Death Eaters here at my command: what do you have?"
"What I've always had, Harry," Dumbledore replied, lifting the wand from his robe before he added, "You: and for what it's worth, I'm sorry: Avada Kedavra!"
The curse flew at Harry, but the darkness that had filled the Emperor reacted faster than the curse had chance to as it moved across Harry's body, devouring the curse and leaving Harry unchecked and unharmed.
"You're a fool, Dumbledore," Harry whispered, "And now everyone sees it: no-one will come to help you now. All you can do…is die!"
"Then kill me, Harry," Dumbledore insisted, rising from the ground as he added, "Let my blood be your first true blood of conquest: mark the occasion of your conquest with my death."
Harry lifted his wand, his magic rippling through the air around them, but, as he did so, a smile touched his lips before he laughed and, lowering the wand, he shook his head before he turned away, his voice echoing through the silence as he laughed, "No…that's too easy; sure, you're finally realising you've been beaten, but I don't think it sends the message. No; this time…it's my turn: revenge best served hot!"
"Harry…"
"The right to call me that name is no more yours, Dumbledore," Harry retorted, turning to face Dumbledore once again as he added, "I am now Emperor of all I survey and beyond and so, with regards to that, I'm going to make you watch, Dumbledore, as I take what you love so dearly and make you help me make it mine."
"How?"
With a cold smile, Harry shrugged before he added, "Oh…a little like this, I'd wager…"
He turned to face Dumbledore with his eyes glowing a bright shade of green; a shade so bright that it pierced the mind of Albus Dumbledore and, from inside his mind, Dumbledore screamed as he heard a commanding voice echo within his mind: "You shall serve Emperor Harry!"
While Dumbledore screamed within his own mind, Harry and the rest of his submissive subordinates watched with shock and amusement and other mixed emotions as the once great wizard shook and trembled before he fell still.
For a long moment, nothing happened but then, as a few wondered what would happen next, Dumbledore stood up, walked towards Harry and, as the young Emperor extended his hand, Dumbledore dropped onto one knee and, clasping the young man's hand, he asked in an almost monotone voice, "Order me to do what you will, my Emperor?"
"How did he do that?"
"What's happened to Dumbledore?"
"What will happen to us?"
"Be silent!" Harry exclaimed, summoning Dumbledore's golden throne before he sat atop the mountain once more, surveying the world around him as he explained, "Albus Dumbledore, your willingness to let yourself be killed is exactly what has led you to be defeated: but, as a friend of mine once said, death should be a release not a punishment. Now, with your help, and the aid of those willing to join my real army, we will remake the world anew and halt any further pureblood propaganda. Lives were destroyed and futures disbanded because one nutcase chose to create genocide, but I have not done this."
He indicated to Remus, Sirius, Cedric, James and Lily as he continued, "Even now I have the future heads of creature armies at my command and obedience and, with their help, we will make this world our own. The Empire starts here, in Britannia, with the fall of Hogwarts School as you once knew it."
"What…what will you do with us, Emperor Potter?" asked Professor Flitwick.
Looking to the stout man, Harry sighed before he answered, "You, Filius, unlike Minerva, are loyal to the end: as are each and every one of you here and now. I know you may think me evil and consider me to be the devil incarnate, but how else was I going to show the world that it wasn't just purebloods who held the power? No; no more will we hear use of that foul M word or have those considered higher than others on the hierarchy; when all is said and done, the world shall be reborn and magic along with it. Any who oppose that motion, they are the ones who are truly evil: sometimes, to do what must be done, an unspeakable event must occur. But now, the wizarding world falls no more! After today, Hogwarts will be closed to be rebuilt and new teachers chosen and, when we're done, the world shall be a better place…for all involved."
"We fall…No More!" Exclaimed Hermione, cheering her lover's words before the rest of the school took up the cheer;
"No More! No More! No More…"
Harry Potter, No More!
19 Years Later…
The loud whistle of the Hogwarts Express echoed throughout Platform Nine and Three Quarters, sounding the start of the new year for most students, but amongst them, certain members were intent on seeing the sight that walked through the barrier and towards the train.
Emperor Harry James Potter, dressed in robes of regalia and holding a crest on his lapel that also marked him as the new Chancellor of the reborn Britannian International Academy for Magic and Mystery, walked towards the front of the train, the members of the wizarding world bowing their heads in acknowledgement while some also applauded the sight of the eleven-year-old boy at his side.
Sirius Hadrian Potter, Prince of the Magical Britannian Empire, walked to the train with his Father while, behind them, Hermione Jane Granger-Potter held their four-year-old daughter, Guinevere, though she preferred to be called Gwen, Maya Potter, in her arms, the Princess of Britannia giving polite waves and a glare that could only be beaten by her Father to those around her.
Much had changed in the years since that fated day in Hogwarts: after ensuring his domination of Britain, Harry used Dumbledore, his magic and his true power to organise talks and coexistence laws with other countries. This motion had surprised the world of Britannia and, when he'd been asked about it, Harry explained calmly that it was only Britannia that had wronged him.
He'd never seen the world and now, after talks, coexistence laws and the odd motion of aggressive negotiations, the world soon became one nation under the Britannian Empire with Harry assigning certain delegates , otherwise known as the Kings and Queens of their respected areas, to manage other parts with the Britannian homeland was Harry's and his alone.
When Hermione, who married Harry after they'd graduated from the new Hogwarts with the highest honours – and not just because he was the ruler of the world – announced that she was giving her lover an heir, it was the happiest day of their lives. Over time, Hermione also realised the logic of Harry's choice to go all out on Britannia, but ease off with the rest of the Empire and, within five years, she was back to the old Hermione that he knew and loved.
As for their friends, Harry put a smile on his face when he saw the results of their time together: waiting for him outside the respected compartment reserved for the Royal Family were Neville and Luna Longbottom as well as their twin girls Harriet Maia Longbottom and Rose Lily Longbottom, the two girls looking so different from one another that it was scary. They were also the year above the Prince, but Neville and Luna had agreed that they'd wait before Harry sent his son to the academy.
The one that really surprised Harry was the other couple waiting with the Longbottoms: Draco and Gabrielle Malfoy-Delacour, the young half-Veela giving a courteous bow to the Emperor as she saw him. When Harry had taken his conflicts to France, Beauxbatons had taken some convincing to aid him, but Fleur and Gabrielle had been two of those who'd agreed straightaway as payment for the debt owed from Harry's fourth year.
It had also been at that time that Fleur announced she was engaged to Bill Weasley while Gabrielle asked the Emperor's permission to visit her Yule Ball date and later pen-pal: when Harry had learned it was Draco, he'd laughed, but accepted her as a member of both his country and his people.
Gabrielle would go on to help other Veela who felt threatened by their respected allies/clientele for their abilities, though, when now-eleven-year old Marianne Narcissa Delacour was born, Draco had begged Harry to annul the girl's Allure as he didn't want any trouble when she was old enough. Aside from the Veela girl, Draco and Gabrielle also gave birth to a protégé of Harry's whom was later known as his godson, Adrian Drake Malfoy-Delacour, the young boy now entering his second year as well and, whenever the two adults visited the Citadel that Harry had transformed into a palace of true royalty and even renamed it Pendragon Isle, he was always polite and eager to learn from his Emperor godfather.
Outside the Empire's children and their times at Hogwarts, things weren't so warm: Remus had found Greyback, but when he did and the wolf Alpha had taken charge of his kinsmen, he'd died some years later from a silver poison fed to him by his own sire, Snape.
Harry's dark side had reared its head when he'd turned Snape's wolf into a new pelt for the palace lounge and sent him as a message to any anti-creature factions: mess with the Empire and risk death.
Lily and James, much to Harry's amazement, managed to give him the one thing he'd never had: a little brother who, like the children, was in his sixth year at the Academy and, when asked, Harry suggested following tradition and naming him after the Dad. And so, Remus James Potter was known and Harry had made a note to keep an eye on his little brother's antics at Hogwarts, especially since, two years before, Lily had lost James to an anti-Empire rebellion and nearly lost her mind in the process.
Sirius, on the other hand, seemed to disappear into darkness and, though odd reports suggested sightings, Harry was both saddened and a little relieved to know his godfather was still alive, but he'd never seen him since.
Finally, Cedric did what he should have done at Hogwarts and, with Harry's permission, he dated, engaged and married Cho, the two of them taking charge of Harry's Asian entourage while also giving Harry the honour of being godfather to their first-born dhampir son, Marcus Aurelius Diggory.
Yes, life had thrown mysteries and fun alike, but now, standing in front of the Hogwarts Express, Harry knew that it was all worth it;
"Now remember," Neville told his son as the parents said their final goodbyes, "No matter the house…"
"Make sure we stick together and have cousin Sirius as our leader," Harriet nodded, tucking a strand of her silver hair behind her ears while she added, "And don't let Uncle Harry get us in his office unless its good news."
"And you, young man," Draco added, looking at Adrian, who had inherited his Father and Grandfather's cold glare and blonde hair as well as violet eyes with a sparkle that suggested a possible Veela connection, "No abusing your gift: I asked your godfather to annul Mari's because I didn't want her getting hurt: don't make me annul yours."
"I won't, Dad," Adrian answered, taking his sister's hand, the young girl having a head of golden-blonde hair and eyes that were like teal, before he turned and, with a curt bow, he asked, "Can we still come for first day treats, godfather?"
"No later than 10am or you'll be in detention," Harry laughed, earning a chuckle from the others before he looked down at his own son, who like most Potter men had inherited his Dad's messy hair, though his – to Harry's surprise – wasn't jet-black, but a bright shade of almost holy-white, his eyes also holding an eerie golden glow to them.
"Dad," Sirius whispered, a little nervous as he asked, "What…what do I do if…if people only see…the Prince and not…me?"
"I'm the Chancellor," Harry reminded him, before he sighed and, adopting his calmer persona, he hugged his son warmly before he added, "Sirius Hadrian Potter, when I went to Hogwarts, people only ever saw the Boy-Who-Lived and I hated that. But, unlike me, you won't have a manipulative old man and a magpie trying to get their hands on you. If you don't like it, then you do something about it…"
"That doesn't involve turning them into shark bait with a wave of your hand like your Dad would have done," added Hermione, earning a sorrowful nod from Harry as his son had actually also inherited his power levels while his daughter had inherited her Mother's smarts and his courage.
"And remember," Harry then added, "If you're ever scared about where you're sorted, just ask the Hat to put you somewhere else: I was nearly a Slytherin after all."
With a nod, Sirius smiled at his Father before he led his friends onto the train, leaving Harry to stand before he added, "He'll be fine: no…he'll be amazing."
"How do you figure?" asked Draco, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with his friend and employer.
With a knowing smile, Harry waved off his son and his friends as the Hogwarts Express pulled out, his words addressing not only the others, but the path ahead as well;
"Great men are forged in fire, Drake: it is the privilege of lesser men to light the flames…whatever the cost."
Chapter 10 and the end is here: I apologise if my 'epilogue' upsets anyone, but I hope Harry's reasoning helps some understand; thanks for enjoying the story and I only hope that you continue to enjoy my work.
Til the next time;
DZ2
AN: Dumbledore's punishment was inspired by Code Geass: I just had to use that little bit for once;
AN 2: If any would like to continue the story's adventures as their own story, let me know, but this IS the end of MY story!