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Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 108: Malfoy Manor
Morgan observed Harry as he sat on the ground and began to tap with his staff. The glow on the Crystal of Logres was becoming more intense, and she knew what this meant.
Harry was channeling a large amount of power from the surrounding area and concentrating it into the staff.
"Oi, be careful. We don't know who is inside that house, or if this is even the correct one." Morgan hoped that Harry wasn't about to bring down the entire manor and kill everyone inside before they could find out if that Dark Lord was here.
Harry smiled. Morgan hated to show it, but she had a soft heart.
"I have read quite a bit about modern wards and how they are typically set up."
Morgan raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't really call this modern…the Malfoys moved to Britain around six or seven hundred years ago. Long before the Ministry of Magic started working on limiting the use of deadly wards. These old wizard manors all have the old-school setup."
"Okay, it is modern from my perspective. The only protections I knew back during the Camelot era were a lot more direct. Like spell formations that could physically stop others from going inside whatever place you were trying to protect."
Morgan rolled her eyes. "Yes, I sometimes forget you are an old man when looking at that young face you have now."
"If we have to talk about who is older, then—"
"Careful there. I can punch hard enough to break boulders if I have to," Morgan warned him.
"But back on topic." Harry quickly recovered. "What I found out during my study was that all these wards depend on having a fully functional artifact called an 'arkstone.' A large crystal capable of storing magic and feeding it to the ward formation."
Morgan nodded. "And that is why it's always placed in the most secure room of the house."
"Indeed…the basement," Harry said while tapping the staff again.
On the third tap, the ground began to shake.
Just a soft vibration at first, but it quickly became violent enough that cracks started to appear on the hill.
Morgan used her magic to lift herself a few feet off the ground, but Harry remained seated, as if the earthquake was not affecting him at all.
Then…a fourth tap.
CRACK!
The ground shook even more, and the earth let out noises of protest as the rocks shifted their positions and rubbed against each other.
"That should be enough." Just as Harry said this, something changed in front of them.
A massive manor appeared before them.
"You broke down the wards," Morgan said.
"I broke the arkstone hidden beneath the house," Harry corrected her.
"To be fair, you also broke a large part of the manor as well…" Morgan pointed to the right side, which had completely collapsed, thanks to his violent approach.
Harry lifted the staff from the ground, and the shaking immediately stopped. However, the destruction he had caused did not go away, and the large cracks on the hill were going to remain there.
"The house has lost its protections, but I can detect many magical signatures inside." Harry glanced at Morgan. "You have seen the boy's memories, so you should be able to tell me if this is the correct household."
Morgan nodded. "No doubt about that. This is Malfoy Manor, where the Dark Lord has been hiding."
"I say no more hiding, then." Harry began to walk toward the massive property.
There was no need to unlock the gates, as the entire fence had completely collapsed by now. Harry passed by and continued, while Morgan followed right behind him.
She landed at his side and produced her own wand. "Be ready." Her tone and attitude completely changed.
Danger was approaching.
"Of course." Harry pointed his staff forward.
The door burst open, and someone rushed outside. "Bloody hell! Who is the—"
Black chains wrapped around the man and quickly brought him tumbling onto the ground.
Harry had no idea who this was, but he had been ready to deal with anyone who came out. Just in case, he had avoided using anything too lethal.
"Is it one of his followers?"
"He is wearing the same cloak as the ones we saw before," Morgan noted. "But no mask."
"There is some intense dark magic concentrated on his arm. No doubt, it must be one of those marks," Harry commented.
He was about to pull the man's cloak away to check for the presence of such a mark, but he changed his plan when he heard the sound of numerous steps getting closer.
"Why don't you go find out if their leader is here? I can take care of the followers," Morgan suggested.
Harry nodded. "I'll leave this to you, then." He was not concerned about Morgan, as he was completely confident that she could handle a few dark wizards and witches.
He applied a physical enhancing charm to his limbs and jumped onto the small roof covering the entrance porch before jumping once more, reaching the closest rooftop.
Morgan waited patiently for the group of Death Eaters to arrive.
Two very large individuals appeared next.
"Selwyn!" one of them said upon seeing the man whom Harry had wrapped in chains.
The other one turned to look at her. "What is this? A witch?"
"Oh, I am much more than a witch…" Morgan's amber eyes were glowing like lanterns.
She had a special talent for detecting people's emotions and nature. These men before her were dangerous and cruel murderers.
There was no reason to hold back....something that made her slightly excited.
"Okay…" She raised her wand and licked her lips. "Shall we play for a bit?"
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