Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any other references mentioned in this fanfic.
Hey everyone, no time for question this time. I just finished updating the list of skills and editing this long ass chapter.
I smashed my thumb installing my new home workout machine so the amount I'm able to type is limited.
This is the last of the official Summer arc.
I say official because part of the second book takes place during summer too.
Anyways enjoy.
Chapter 23
From the start I knew that taking over London wouldn't be the same as taking over Hampstead. Talking in terms of complexity, London eclipsed Hampstead many times over.
Unlike Hampstead where I had the luxury to pick and choose what industry I wanted to take over first, the steps I needed to take and secure a bustling metropolis like London had to be as well thought out as possible.
And it wasn't just size I had to worry about. Hampstead's lack of wizarding population was one of the reasons why I could get away with many of the things I did. London on the other hand contained the largest magical community in the United Kingdoms. For this reason, the Ministry had countless on the clock Aurors monitoring the city to make sure that no magical accidentally exposed themselves to the world.
So again, if I wanted to accomplish my goal, every step had to be made with the outmost precision. For this reason, I had been laying the groundwork since February. I had devoted a majority of my time and earnings in order to take control of London's infrastructure.
Transportation, road work, energy, communication, and my favorite waste management.
Why waste?
While it was often overlooked and looked down upon, it could be said it was perfect for convert operations. The garbage trucks themselves were built like a tank yet completely invisible to the public. They could discreetly collect and carry a large number of material and no one would bat an eye, perfect for the disposing of bodies or drug deliveries. Another thing, one had to consider is all of the valuable things people tend to throw out carelessly, like card numbers, bills, important documents, etc.
In a way I suppose the old saying held true, one man's trash is another man's treasure.
Either way, the point is that I was able to take control of the very foundations that made up London.
If I didn't have at least this much, then going against the five big families of London's underground would have been nearly impossible.
Standing in front of the large, stone, three-story building I once again checked that this was where the signal from my tracker was coming from.
I was dressed in my Doctor persona, hiding under the invisibility cloak.
'At least now I have some idea how they were able to find me,' I thought as I inspected the large transparent bubble that covered the building. A magical ward, a weak one at that, just powerful enough to alert those inside of intruders and remain undetected by the magical law enforcements.
Honestly, I was expecting at least one or two of the big crime families to have magical ties.
Seeing as I couldn't use magic outside of my safe zones because of the Trace I was left with only one option.
'Hermes. Jinx. If you would be so kind as to open the front door.'
'It will be done.'
'Finally, some fun!'
The two spirits became intangible, passing through the ward with ease.
(Francis Kingsberry)
"So, this is the so called 'Alice' that buffoon Gerald was boasting about," said a sharply dressed man as he held up one of the deceptive looking pill.
From the rumors that Francis had heard, it was the newest hot drug among the wealthy, with a single pill costing over 100 Pounds.
When he heard the news, he had even gone so far as to offer Gerald, a small-time crook from Hampstead, that arrogantly believed himself to be a crime boss, the chance to join him. Yet despite his generous offer, the man had rebuffed him and even refused to give him his source. After hearing of his intention to expand his business into London, Francis new he had to get rid of him before he could grow to be a problem.
He didn't fear retribution from whoever had been supplying him the drugs since his own backer had reassured him that they would take care of any unexpected problems.
Picking up one of the pill bottles from the open crate he looked around the room with a smirk. Glancing at one of the armed men around him he tossed it to him, "What say you Harry, feel like following the white rabbit?"
The man caught the bottle and shook it around experimentally before tossing it back, "I'll stick to cigarettes."
Catching it again Francis shrugged, "Suit yourself."
He could begin selling them as soon as his labs found out its components and how to make more. Until then he would need to keep them in secure location.
Just as he was about to place the lid back on the crate, he saw something hidden among the bottles.
Grabbing it with his hand he held it up to his face, "A roach?"
It looked just like a roach if it was not for the fact it was made of metal and had a red blinking light on its head.
His face distorted into fury as it only took him a second to realize what it was, a tracker. "Bullocks!"
Just as he was about to crush it, it suddenly sprang to life. "Whaa!" Francis screamed in surprise as he dropped it on the floor. The other men jumping back too, startled more from the sudden action than by the actual bug.
The roach didn't waste any time as it tried to scuttle away with impressive speed.
"Quick! Step on it, its tracking our location," Francis ordered grabbing the nearest person and pushing them forward.
The men quickly rushed forward intent on stomping it, but the roach was able to weave between their attacks with surprising easy as it made its way up the stairs.
It managed to squeeze under the basement door which was then thrown open by gangsters.
The charging men however soon came to sudden halt as they finally took notice of their surroundings.
It was horrific scene that chilled them to the bone.
The walls and furniture were splattered with a crimson liquid that dripped to the floor into large pools. Body parts that looked to have been ripped off were thrown around the room carelessly, the bodies of their comrades barely recognizable among the gore. The very air made them want to gag as the smell of blood and released bowls assaulted their noses.
Yet it was something else that froze them in place.
In the middle of the room, seating in a large leather seat seemingly without a care in the world was a man clad in black wearing a leather plague mask. On his shoulder was a large raven with sinister red eyes while a black cat with canary yellow eyes looked at them sharply from his lap.
The metallic roach they were following had made it to the stranger leg, where it climbed into a pants hole and disappeared from view.
An invisible pressure kept them in place as if a knife had been pressed against their throats, making even a single sound an impossible task.
(Charles)
[A skill has been created through a special action.]
[Intimidate] (Passive/Active) LV 1 EXP: 13.3%
Description: You can emit an invisible aura that can terrify others. Those already scared of you become more wary. Those intimidated by you will receive debuffs when going against you. The level of intimidation depends on how well the subject knows you.
Effect: Successfully intimidated opponents have their stats reduced by 10% while fighting you.
Cost: 0 MP
Hmm, looking at the description this skill could very well be a double edge sword. I would have to make sure I didn't raise suspicions in the future.
Looking at the frozen men I raised a hand, 'Hermes take care of them?'
Hermes flapped his wings once sending a volley of razor sharp feathers that shredded their bodies to ribbons.
+25 EXP
+25 EXP
+35 EXP…
Only one man was spared, the leader who was fell to the ground with a terrified face.
[Francis Kingsberry] LV 6
Description: The leader of the Spades, a criminal firm that deals with the smuggling and selling of illegal items. He controls most of the docks and has a number of connections reaching as far as the local law enforcements. Francis is the son of Frederick Kingsberry, a squib belonging to the infamous Kingsberry wizarding family…
According to Daphne, the Kingsberry were a recent magical family extending only three generations back yet were somehow able to claim the top position when it came to smuggling. Something that really irked her seeing as her own family had been in the business since before the 10th century.
It made sense in a way, that the most successful criminal empire had ties to both sides.
Daphne wanted to do something similar by befriending Tracy and using her families shipping industry.
With that being said, I would need to take care of the rest of the Kingsberry family before they became a problem. Seeing as I didn't have the power or leverage to keep them under control yet that left me with only one option, to get rid of them completely.
Looking at the terrified man, I changed my mind of killing him. If he already knew of the magical world then it would save me the trouble of having to explain.
Luckily, I still had plenty of hypno-pollen and parasite bombs in my inventory.
(Flitwick)
The small professor held his head as he tried to make sense of what his friend had just told him.
Looking over at Oswald who had a calm expression, no doubt due to having more time to digest the information, Flitwick let out a long sigh, "I don't suppose you could have made some mistake. Maybe the results were accidentally mixed up with anoth-"
"There was no mistake," Oswald said firmly.
What they were discussing were the results from Charles ancestry test.
"But this should be impossible," the smaller man protested.
"I personally handled every step, and these are the results. I'm equally as surprised," Oswald said pointing at the pieces of parchment scattered on the coffee table.
Charles Bell Ancestry
50% Human
12.5% Giant
12% Siren
3.5% Dragon
22% Unknown
The giant part didn't come too much as a surprise, as Flitwick was almost expecting it, but the others baffled him.
Sirens, a type of merpeople that could be found in Greece, a distant cousin of the Merrows found in Scotland and Ireland. They were said to be exceptional beautiful with angelic singing voices capable of placing others into a trance like state. And although he had never met one in person on account of their rarity, he did know that there were some half-siren half-wizards out in the world.
What he couldn't wrap his mind around was the dragon part. As far as he knew it was impossible to breed dragons outside of their species. Even if you forgot about the glaring anatomical problem, dragons choose their mate through dominance so it was unlikely that anything but another dragon could survive the- ahem encounter.
"What this?" Flitwick asked indicating the line that was labeled 'Unknown'?
Oswald shook his head, "I'm not entirely sure either. It didn't match up to any of the magical signature in our data base."
"How is that possible?"
"It's not so strange, new creatures are being discovered every day," he explained before adopting a serious expression, "however, there's another reason why I left it blank?"
"Why?"
"The magical signature… it was similar to that given off by dementors," the Oswald revealed.
Flitwick narrowed his eyes and said in a menacing tone, "Just what are you insinuating?"
The larger man held his hands up in a placating manner, "Calm down Filius. What I meant is that the spells I used picked up an abnormal amount of dark magic in Charles."
"What does this mean?" the small wizard asked out loud in frustration.
"…I have a theory, though you might not like it," Oswald began hesitantly.
The professor looked up in confusion, "You do?"
With a nod the man stood up and retrieved a ledger from a nearby bookshelf and placed it on the table for his friend to look at. "What do you know of the Phoenix Clan, Filius?"
"I'm afraid not much other than rumors. A bunch of madmen that were eventually killed off."
"Then let me fill you in. They were a fanatical group that originated in China during the Tang Dynasty almost fourteen centuries ago, at one point having control of the entire eastern continent of Asia. Its founder was the infamous Empress Wu Zetian, a powerful sorceress who had climbed her way up to the throne using all manner of atrocities. She made them for one purpose, to help her attain the very power that the phoenix was known for, immortality. Even after her death the clan persisted in its search. They were a type that believed that the end justified the means no matter how immoral they were. When it was found out that the Phoenix Clan was experimenting on the children of the other Three Clans, they banded together and swore an oath to destroy the Phoenix Clan. Even though they were defeated, all of this was happening during Grindelwald's rein, so it isn't a stretch to think some could have slipped away in the confusion."
"So, what are you saying?" Flitwick questioned, his mind not liking the implications.
"I'm saying that there's a chance that Charles could be one of their experiments."
Flitwick was stunned.
"I know it must be difficult to hear with your connection with the boy, but please keep an open mind. The Phoenix Clan were masters of alchemy, which they used to breed new magical creatures. In fact, it has been recently found out that the chimera and manticore were both their creations," the large man paused to make sure his friend was paying attention, "This would at least explain the diversity of magical signatures found in his ancestry test."
"I can't believe this," the teacher muttered as he clenched his hands. He recalled the smiling face of his favorite student joyfully laughing with his fellow Ravenclaws.
Oswald stood up and placed a hand on the smaller man, "Of course this is all a theory but the reason why I told you was so that you could understand the dangers of letting this information get out. If the Three Clans were ever to get wind of this, I'm afraid Charles would be placed in a dangerous position."
"I-I-I-" the part-goblin wizard looked at his friend asking for help.
"Don't worry, I'll make the appropriate adjustments to the ancestry test," the man said kindly, "If you or Charles should ever need my help don't hesitate to ask?"
Flitwick slumped in his seat mentally exhausted, "Thank you Oswald, I appreciate everything you done."
"No Filius, thank you," the larger wizard said with a smile.
(Orphanage)
Hmm, could the fake tooth have been too weak to show up on any of the scans. It had been a pain to create a tooth out of a dragon horn and then implanted it into my gums.
Charles Bell Ancestry Test
50% Human
25% Giant
25% Siren
Either way it wouldn't be hard to prove either claim. With my [Singing] skill I could mimic a siren's alluring song and I was already stronger than most humans.
[Singing] (Passive) LV 15 EXP: 0.03%
Description: Allows you to sing more beautifully. Your normal voice has a charming quality that subconsciously causes those who hear it to find you more attractive.
Effect: You are able to change the pitch of your voice to sound like anyone else.
Effect: You can place tiny creatures under your control while singing.
It was only strong enough to attracting birds and insects, but I was sure it would get more powerful in future.
At that moment Hermes flew in through the window.
"Seeing as you're back so soon, I take it you were able to find their locations."
He bobbed his head.
"Good, then we attack tonight."
(Factory)
Taking a seat in my leather chair I opened my territory menu.
Faction: 13 Ravens
Number of members: 5
Buildings: 1 Base, 28 Gas Stations, 3 Convenience Stores, 8 Pharmacy, 20 Clothing Store, 12 Restaurants, 8 Grocery Store, Church, 40 minor bases, 1 Potions Shop.
Facilities: Potion Factory, Artifact Enchanter
Financial Balance: 45,023,302
Military Strength: 78 Metal Dolls, 18 Mannequin Dolls, 40 Snatch Bears, 200 Metal Spiders
Features:
Mana Production: 300 MP per minute.
Mana Storage: 5,000/5,000 MP
Tonight, I would make my presence known to the world.
[Strategy Mode Initiated.]
-Scene Change-
"Dad, Mary and I skipped rope today and I even reached 100!"
"That's amazing darling. Honey can you pass the salt," a large man with a huge handlebar mustache asked as he dug into the large stake. Around him were two identical looking children around the age of nine eagerly telling him what they had done that day.
A modestly dressed woman passed him the salt and opened to say something before the doorbell rang.
Ding-Dong!
The man glanced up to see the maid already going to the entrance.
"Who is it?" he asked when he heard the door open.
When he didn't receive an answer, he used a napkin to wipe his mouth and began to stand up before being stopped by the sudden entrance of a strange man wearing a crow mask dressed in black leather.
Immediately he was on guard when he saw the man flanked by three more identically dressed men. He wasn't the only one as the two girls screamed in fright and ducked under the table. Even the woman had a startled expression as she slowly inched closer to her husband.
Seeing his family's reaction, the man was justifiably livid. Clenching his fist, he hollered, "Who are you!? What are you doing in my home!?"
'Where the hell is the security?' he absently thought, internally cursing himself for leaving his gun in his study.
The bird masked men said nothing adding to their eeriness.
Still the man didn't take his eyes from them as he grabbed his stake knife firmly in one hand.
The lights suddenly flickered, momentarily plunging the room into darkness.
When they came back on the men had disappeared almost as if they had never been there in the first place.
However, the reason for that became clear as they appeared on either side of him.
His wife shrieked at their sudden appearance and caused his instincts to flare up, plunging the knife into the stomach of the nearest one.
The reaction he got was not what he expected as the mysterious intruder didn't show any indication that he had been injured at all.
The last thing he saw was the crow masked man reaching a leather clad hand toward him.
He wasn't the only person getting unexpected visits as similar events were happening all over London.
-Scene Change-
"What's taking them so bloody long?!"
A man yelled honking his car horn at the heavy traffic.
"Was there some type of accident?"
He was so angry he didn't notice as he was boxed in by four identical black vans.
The two van to either side of him suddenly burst into action as two nondescriptive people jumped out of the car.
The one on his right side threw a handful of black powder at his face through the open car window, instantly knocking him out before he could even let out a shout of alarm.
The van door opened and while one of the two kidnappers pushed the man inside, the other got into the now unoccupied driver's seat.
The previously heavy traffic disappeared in an instant.
-Scene Change-
A hotel door was kicked in as two masked men carrying guns burst into the room, causing the two occupants to shout in surprise.
On the bed, man and a woman hurriedly tried to cover themselves with the bed sheets.
-Scene Change-
The shipping dock was strangely quiet as the lack of moonlight added to the eerie atmosphere.
Those out patrolling couldn't help but feel a shiver run down their spine, as a thin fog seemed to be coming in from the water's edge.
"What was that?!" a young man said in alarm as he shown his flashlight on an empty shipping container.
His partner approached him, "What, you see something?"
"I think I saw something scurry by?"
"Ah, it's probably just a rat or something. Stop being a pansy," the older man scolded.
"Y-yeah. It was probably just a rat."
The two didn't notice the dozens of reflective eyes looking at them from the top of the containers.
(Factory)
[London Docks successfully under control.]
[The Ruling Force of West London, Bulldogs, has surrendered.]
[You obtained 79,388 Experience Points for your victory.]
[You acquire Loot.]
I dismissed the string of notifications as I saw my territory rapidly expand on the map.
While I could have done things more peacefully by talking things out or even offering deals, that would have defeated the point I was trying to make. I didn't want them to get the wrong impression and think they were my equals. If they didn't want to be erased from the face of this world than they better learn to obey without question.
With 60% of London already under my control I figured it was time to strike the next place.
(Scotland)
Jinx and Hermes stood just outside of the ward's range, staring at the large manor sitting a distance away.
The hell spirit licked her lips, her eyes penetrating the house's exterior to see all the inhabitants inside.
Hermes looked equally as excited, ready to add the Kingsberry's family fortune to his growing collection of priceless artifacts.
A voice suddenly appeared in their head, "Begin the operation."
That was all the two spirits needed to hear as they passed through the wards with ease.
From a distance one could see as the light in the manor were snuffed out one by one before blood curling screams could be heard.
-Skip-
A week had passed since I accomplished my goal of taking over London.
I've successfully placed all the gangs leader's and top members under my control using a combination of hypno-pollen and bug bombs. Should they ever think of betraying me or ignoring my orders I wouldn't hesitate to blow them up. I also made it abundantly clear that their families would shortly follow.
You needed to end the bloodline to stop any revenge killing after all, that was just common sense.
On the magical side, things were more hectic than usual as a new tragedy hit the headlines. Apparently the entire Kingsberry family had been found one early morning in vegetative states with their souls missing. Law enforcement were currently puzzled, but that didn't stop the magical community from coming up with their own theories from rouge dementor to family curse.
Public opinion was divided, with some purebloods going out of their way to say 'good riddance' to what they considered unclean upstarts. Some mourned them as the Kingsberry Family had been vital during the fight against Voldemort, transporting supplies to Light Families in hiding, while also offering to smuggling others abroad. Goes to show that just because you're a criminal doesn't mean your evil.
Personally, other than having to divide manpower to sort through their large collection of merchandise it didn't affect me in the slightest.
"How's the fit?" an elderly man said behind me, tightening the strap on my padded vest.
I looked myself in the full-length mirror and had to admit the tailor did an amazing job.
The uniform for each dueling contested had to be the same to promote a sense of fairness, but that didn't mean they couldn't add their own flare to it. Flitwick had taken me to his old tailor that used to make his own uniforms when he was a duelist.
"It perfect," I replied tugging on the silver white gloves. The black slacks and thin white jacket were formfitting enough to highlight my lean build while also offering me a freedom of movement. The vest that went on top of the jacket was a dark blue color to symbolize my connection to Ravenclaw. Though seeing as this was all being paid with Hogwarts funds, I decided to pay my respects by having the school's emblem embroidered on the back of the vest. All in all, I cut a dashing figure that reminded me of my fencing days.
Flitwick also pipped up as he clapped his hands, "Amazing work as usual, Thomas."
The old man scoffed, "You were cutting it pretty close Filius, the junior tournament is tomorrow."
I ignored the two as I made a mental note to add sewing to my list of necessary skills.
(Daphne)
"Gambling is a dangerous pastime, Daphne."
Ignoring her cousin jibbing the pureblood heiress walked into the betting shop.
A goblin in bookie clothes sat behind a counter with an iron fence counting money. Above him was a chalk board with the date of future sport events.
"I want to know the odds for the Junior Dueling Tournament," she demanded.
The bookie grunted but complied as he pushed a parchment with the listings.
She quickly scanned the list until she landed on a familiar name.
Charles Bell: Odds 30/1
That was to be expected. Charles was supposed to be muggle-born with only one year of schooling under his belt, so it made sense that others had very low opinions of him.
She however knew for a fact that he was stronger than he led others to believe.
"I want to place a bet on Charles Bell," she said placing 20 Gallons on the counter.
The impatient looking goblin took the money and returned with a ticket stub.
"Ah, now everything makes sense," Nicholas said with an amused voice.
She pretended to not have heard him.
"Since you seem so confident in his victory, then perhaps I should bet on him too?"
This time she couldn't help but glare at him.
(Wales)
The venue for the All England Wizarding Dueling Competition was as one would except large.
Hundreds of wizards from all over the country and abroad had gathered for this yearly event. The tournament would take place over three days. The first day would be dedicated to the underage division since there weren't that many participants. Preliminary for the adult division would be held on the second day. The third day was for the finals.
Another thing to note was that unlike many of the fencing tournaments that I had attended in the past, the actual competition was being held in an open field with many of the structures having been brought over. This was both a precaution to avoid drawing muggle attention as well as showing consideration to duelist who specialized in transfiguration.
The stage was 46ft long and 6ft wide covered with a purple canvas. Tall wooden stands had been set up around the ring in a 'C' shape to give spectators a better view of the matches. Protective wards had been set up before hand to stop stray spells from hitting the audience.
Currently I was in line, listening to the referee going over the rules.
My eyes scanned the stands and I was able to pick out a few familiar faces from the crowd. I saw my fellow housemates huddled together holding up a colorful banner with my name on it. A distance away I spotted Daphne accompanied by a small girl that had to be Astoria and a young-looking man that I wager was the cousin she always complained about. However, what I was not expecting to see were Neville and Draco with their respective families.
After he was done the group of 32 was split in half depending on what number they had been assigned.
Ironically, I was given the number 13, meaning the 7th match.
Taking a seat with the rest of the odd numbers in the stands I watched as the first two participants took the stage.
"Is this your first time?" a delicate-looking blonde boy in a silver uniform said next to me. From the school insignia on his chest and slight French accent I could conclude that he was from Beauxbatons.
Not surprising since some wizarding children chose to study abroad.
I nodded, "Yeah."
"Well there's no need to worry, it's not that hard," he said with a smile showing his full teeth before sticking out his hand, "I'm Luis Gardner."
"Charles Bell," I introduced myself shaking his hand, "If I'm not mistaken, you're last year's winner, correct?"
"Haha, you have a good eye," he praised while puffing his chest.
"Hmm, the only reason he won was because I decided not to enter," an arrogant sounding girl in red declared helping herself to the other seat next to me.
Luis didn't look offended rather his smile grew wider, "Ah my lovely Claire, I missed you in last year's competition. I thought I would die from not seeing your beautiful face for an entire year."
Claire as she was introduced rolled her eyes at his antics before turning a scrutinizing eye at me, "Hogwart's huh? That wimpy school that doesn't even teach students how to fight properly."
Well she's not wrong.
Before I could say anything Luis butted in, "Don't mind her, she's from Durmstrang, her sense of humor died in the cold long ago."
I shrugged, "It's kind of true though, that's why I entered the tournament, to get some real experience."
Any further talk was halted as the first match started.
(Oswald)
"I'm glad that you could make it," Flitwick greeted his friend.
"It's a given since it's your student were talking about. I'm curious to see what you taught him," the older looking gentleman said taking a seat next to him. In reality, he was there to collect data on Charles abilities.
Looking down at the stage he could see the boy in question talking amicably with the other competitors.
(Stage)
Walking up to the stage I took a moment to observe my opponent.
Rory Buchanan LV 63
That was around the average level for fifth year students.
After conquering London my level had risen to 50. Though just because he was a higher level didn't necessarily mean he was stronger as I had proven countless times before.
We bowed to each other and held out wands at the ready waiting for the referee to give the signal.
"Begin!"
I had no intention of showing any mercy as I sent a stunner at the boy's chest. The speed and power behind my spells were several degrees stronger than normal thanks to all the passive skills that combined together.
The result was that the boy was launched backwards with such force that he ended up crashing into the stands before he could utter his first syllable.
"Point to Charles Bell!" the refer announced.
Most matches rarely went past one minute unless both duelists were extremely skilled.
Relaxing my stance, I waited as a medical team on standby went to wake the boy.
(Claire)
"He's not bad," the girl said with narrowed eyes.
Luis nodded with a smile, "Yes, he's pretty quick on the draw and his spell carries a lot of power."
"He's smart in not showing all of his tricks and ending his matches as fast as possible," she added.
"Looks like this will be fun tournament after all."
(Skip)
Casually blocking a stunner aimed my way I responded by sending a disarming charm at the girl that couldn't have been much older than me.
She was able to set up a shield just in time, but the force of the spells still caused her to stumble back.
This time I sent three stunners at her in quick succession all aimed at different body parts.
She was able to dodge the first one aimed at her feet by side stepping it but that was the only one as the other two hit her in the stomach and face respectively.
As she crumbled to the floor unmoving the referee announced the verdict
"Match goes to Charles Bell."
I bowed to her even as she was being carried away with a broken nose by the medical staff and walked off the stage.
Going to take a seat on the bench I saw Luis shaking his head.
"No, no, my dear Charles, don't you know a girl's face is something that must remain untouched."
I smirked, "She might be a girl, but she's also a duelist. It'd be disrespecting her if I didn't take the match seriously."
"Well said," Claire clapped, seeming to agree with what I said.
"Charles, you'll never get a girlfriend like that," Luis declared
I gave Claire a questioning look, "He's kind of playboy, isn't he?"
"You have no idea," she huffed.
Luis puffed out his chest, "It's not moi's fault if he is popular with the ladies."
All too quickly the preliminaries ended with only eight of us left. After assigning us new numbers we were given half an hour to rest before the semi-finals started.
"Looks like we'll be going against each other next round," Claire stated looking at me in the eye.
"So, it would appear," I confirmed.
"And I get to fight the winner in the finals," Luis added.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," a tall slender boy butted in unannounced.
"I take it my next opponent, Alexander Douglas," Luis said with a smile.
"Watch yourself," the boy warned before waltzing off.
That was supposedly the boy that Oswald had warned me about, the pupil of Professor Flitwick's old rival Vincent.
From what I had seen he was a pretty good duelist, though if he was good enough to beat Luis was still up to debate.
After that we parted ways.
I could see Terry and the rest of the Ravenclaws coming to meet me.
"Charles! You made it to the semi-finals!" Terry said excitedly.
"You better win after we came all this way," Padma announced.
"I'll try my best," I replied.
Although we had been in constant contact through the mirrors it was still nice to catch up in person.
A large number of vendors had already set up shop a distance away where people could buy souvenirs and refreshments. I even saw a number of my photos already being sold at some stalls. Got to admit, they worked fast.
We took our time visiting each stall and discussing our future trip to muggle London.
"A boy I know at the orphanage works at a movie theater and he was able to get us some free tickets," I told them, conveniently leaving out that I owned the movie theater.
"Wow, so what movie is it?" Terry asked eating some candy floss.
"It's called 'Alien', they'll be screening the entire trilogy all day."
"It's not another romance film is it?" Michael questioned through a mouth full of roasted meat.
I shook my head, "No, it's science fiction. It focuses on space exploration and the dangers that come with it."
"Great, I love astrology," Anthony said excitedly holding up a baked potato on a stick.
I was curious to see how they would react when they found out what the movie was actually about.
"So, where's Hermione?" Lisa asked out of nowhere trying on a pair of glasses that caused her eyes to change color.
"I was going to ask that too," Padma agreed, handing Sui Lee a hat with bright pink feathers, "Didn't you say that you two lived next to each other. For sure I thought she would be here to cheer you on."
I nodded, "She wanted to, but her parents are both muggles. She didn't know what to expect from a dueling competition and was afraid they wouldn't be as accepting if they found out the magical world wasn't as safe as she led them to believe. I don't think she's even told them about the troll incident yet."
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. I doubt my parents would be happy if they found I was almost squashed by a troll too," Terry said.
"One of the reasons why I was even able to get permission to enter this tournament was because I manage to convince Ms. Emily that it would allow me to better defend myself," I explained, "sadly she couldn't come since she's busy with the other kids at the orphanage."
"Wait then how did you get here?" Mandy questioned.
"I came with Professor Flitwick; he's the advisor of the dueling club after all."
Before anything else could be said I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around to see Daphne standing behind me.
"Surprised to see me," she asked with a smug smile.
I tried to act surprised, but I knew she had been following us for some time, "Pleasantly surprised."
"You appear to be the only one," she said offhandedly, referring to the rest of the Ravenclaws who couldn't hid their guarded looks.
"Oh, don't mind them, they'll warm up eventually," I told her, "but it seems some introductions are in order."
"Huh?"
I pointed behind her where a little girl and a young man were making their way to us.
I saw her turn around and curse under her breath, "Damn, I thought I lost them."
"You shouldn't run ahead like that Daphne, you could get lost," the man said with a teasing voice.
The girl had a particularly impish face as she ran up to me, "Are you Charles Bell?"
Smiling at her I nodded, "Indeed I am."
"I'm Astoria Greengrass," she introduced herself with a curtsey before briefly throwing an evil look at Daphne, "Did you know my sister talks about you in her sleep?"
"Oh really?" I looked at the blonde heiress who was quickly turning red, from anger or embarrassment was anyone's guess.
Astoria proved to be smarter than she appeared as she quickly hid behind her cousin.
"Hello, it's a pleasure to finally meet you, I'm Nicholas Greengrass," he said sticking his hand out.
I shook it heartedly, "Charles Bell."
Nicholas Greengrass LV 122
"I must say it is quite a feat for a muggle-born to make it to the semi-finals on his first try, let alone after only having one year of attending a magic school, I can certainly see why my cousin holds you in such high regards," he said with a well-practiced smile.
"I intend to do more than just enter the semi-finals," I smirked back.
-Skip-
"The match goes to Jamison Faux!" the referee announced loudly causing the crowd to cheer. "Next contestants take your place now!"
Getting up on stage, I couldn't help the rising feeling of excitement.
Claire Botch LV 98
She had the highest level among all the participants, so I expected a decent fight.
"Contestants bow."
I did so before getting into a combat stance.
"Begin!"
I held back from making the first move, wanting to see how powerful a fully trained witch actually was.
She didn't disappoint as she began attacking once she figured that I wasn't.
A blue beam of light exited the end of her wand at a speed that would surprise most.
I didn't take my eyes off her as I stepped a few inches to the left in order to dodge it, still refusing to attack.
With my enhanced eyesight I could see her narrow her eyes from the other end of the stage.
We locked eyes before she sent a wordless jinx at my feet.
I casually took three steps back and waited.
She sent a volley of different spells, all coming from different angles, said silently to further confuse me.
I danced between the spells fired, blatantly showing off my excellent foot work.
The crowd would cheer whenever I dodged a particular close spell as if I was matador.
(Clare)
'Tch, the kids fast, I'll give him that,' she thought as she sent a curse aimed at his left arm only for him to move it out of the way at the last second.
'Why isn't he attacking?' she asked herself after the third time she feigned an opening only for him to ignore it.
She had fought fast opponents before but somehow this felt different, she just couldn't put her finger on it.
He was predicting her every move almost as if he knew what she was going to do be she did.
'Fine, then let's see how you handle this,' she thought.
"Avis," she shouted causing a flurry of brightly colored canaries to fly at the golden eyed boy who finally stopped dodging.
(Charles)
So, she decided to change up her fighting style to try and confuse me. Smart but it was already too late, I had gotten a good enough impression of her abilities for [Intuition] to activate.
[Intuition] (Passive) LV 6 EXP: 3.34%
Description: A sense that allows you to foresee the future and understand the phenomenon. The more familiar you are with an experience the more likely you are able to predict its events.
Effect: Allows you to see 1 second into the future.
Time came to a crawl as I saw a phantom version of her get into a lower stance. The tip of her wand did a half moon motion before jabbing at the air, the spell had no color but the force behind it could be seen from the ripple it left in the air. Seeing its trajectory, I concluded that it wasn't aimed at me but rather the flock of birds. Why? To create a diversion. For what? From the position of her forward leg, height of her wand arm, and twisting of her waist I was able to deduce the rest of her plan.
Time resumed back to normal.
"Imobulious," I called out freezing the birds in midair before they could get close.
As predicted, the blasting curse hit them dead center, causing them to explode into a cloud of smoke and feathers that momentarily blocked our view of each other.
I flicked my wand left and right sending out two spells on either side of the smokescreen before ducking my head to avoid the disarm charm that came straight through it.
The two bright rays of light I sent traveled along a curved trajectory before blasting Claire off her feet and off the stage.
"Point to Charles Bell!"
The audience roared in excitement, probably because it was the most visually stunning match, they had seen all day.
Deciding to show my appreciation I smiled and waved at them. It was always good to get the crowd on your side.
The spell was a simple knockback jinx so after dusting herself off she got right back on stage.
I smiled when I saw her get into a defensive stance a lot more cautious of me.
The referee looked at us to make sure we were ready after getting a nod from both of us he started the second round.
This time I decided to go on the offensive.
"Aguamenti," I shouted causing a jet of highly pressured water to shoot at her.
She managed to set up a shield charm in time, but I saw her arm begin to tremble.
Just when it looked like she was going to break I stopped my attack.
I could see the confusion in her face, but I simply bend down and touched the tip of my wand to the wet ground, "Gicel."
The trail of water on the floor froze instantly with huge ice spikes jutting out of the ground transforming it into hazardous terrain.
Pointing my wand up to the sky I caused several of these spikes to float in the air before aiming them in her direction.
It was a little showy for my taste, but the crowd seemed to be enjoying it. I see several photographers on the side snapping photos while the commentators rapidly tried to explain my choice of spells.
I could hear Claire curse under breath before hurriedly bracing herself.
There was tense moment between us as neither one of us moved before I sent the first ice spike at her.
She calmly waited for the spike to get withing range before shattering it with a swipe of her wand. Despite the seemingly unbeatable odds placed against her she didn't appear to want to back down.
I complied with her wishes as I sent another spike then another and another, steadily increasing their speed.
'Come on, it shouldn't be this easy,' I thought as I watched her struggle to dodge two spikes coming from opposite sides.
(Clare)
'Fuck this kid,' she thought angrily as she shattered two more spikes only to roll out of the way from a third.
She couldn't let this go on any longer, she was steadily growing more tired as time went on. If this continued, she wouldn't have any energy leftover for the finals even if she managed to win this match.
'Fine. Two can play this game.'
(Charles)
[Sense Danger.]
Long ingrained instinct caused me to leap backward just as two green vines tried to wrap themselves around my ankles. Looking at the direction they were coming from I saw several more sprout from the grass on either side of the stage.
I had to give her credit; she was fast on her feet.
Momentarily halting my attack, I used my free hand to call one of the countless ice spikes still floating in the air. Tapping it with my wand I transformed it into a short sword and gave it a few experimental swings.
Not as good as my rapier but it would do.
Despite trying to hide it I could see that she was breathing hard, I doubt she would last much longer. If this was the best that England had to offer, then I was sorely disappointed.
The main reason why I had joined this contest in the first place was to get some experience fighting more skilled wizards but it was obvious now that it had been a mistake to expect much from an organized event. There was no rush, no sense of danger, like when I had fought the Death Paladin.
I needed to fight opponents that weren't afraid to put their lives on the line. The only problem was I didn't know where to find them.
Catching a glimpse of Daphne in the crowd got my thinking until a devilish idea began to form in my mind.
If I couldn't find them, then why not let them find me? I had a decent amount of power now, enough to defend myself against most threats.
With the prospect getting stronger in sight I suddenly lost all interest with my current opponent.
I would finish the match in one move
Getting into the Dragon's Clan signature fighting stance, I activated [True Martial Arts] and [Mana Reinforcement Technique]. Immediately I could feel my body get stronger and lighter as mana flowed through every inch of my body, coating it in a shining blue aura.
True Martial Arts (Passive/ Active) LV 15 EXP: 9.88%
Description: You have found the answer to what every Martial Artist in history has been looking for since they first learned to throw a punch. You are able to harness your lifeforce, Ki, and use it to enhance your abilities. Passively increases attack speed and power.
Effect: Passively increases bare-handed attack speed by 150%
Effect: Passively increases bare-handed attack power by 150%
Effect: Able to use Ki strikes when active.
Mana Reinforcement Technique (Active) LV: 3 EXP: 0.00%
A basic type of combat magic used to strengthen and increase their bodies' defenses. Members of the Three Clans are taught at a young age to sense the magic inside them and mold it throughout their bodies.
Increases STR by 14%
Increases DEX by 14%
Increases VIT by 14%
Increases VIT recovery rate by 14%
Increases stamina recovery rate by 14%
Cost: 48 per minute.
(Flitwick)
Gazing down at his student's form, Filius couldn't help but feel astonished.
As a champion duelist how could he not recognize the technique being used. It was China's famous Spirit Controlling Technique, a skill that was hardly seen outside of Asia or by anyone that didn't belong to one of the Three Clans.
His mind was filled with questions. When? Where? How?
It was obvious who had given him the technique, as there was only one person Filius knew that had deep enough interest in Charles as well as the means to acquire it.
Daphne Greengrass. But that only brought with it more questions.
He was so busy in his own musing he didn't notice his friend's look of excitement as he looked at the stage.
(Nicholas)
Flitwick wasn't the only one to have figured out the connection.
The young man looked at his cousin, the previous joyful mask completely forgotten and instead replaced with one of utmost seriousness.
As someone intimately involved with the Family's business, he had a fair knowledge of what items they carried. He knew for a fact that his Uncle had managed to collect a set of tomes from the famous Three Clans, which were kept in the family's personal treasury.
Items from the treasury were never to leave the manor for any reason.
Leaning down he placed a hand on Daphne's shoulders causing her to tense up. "I do hope you have a very good explanation for this Daphne. You can rest assured that I'll be informing both our parents about this."
"…"
(Charles)
This would be considered tipping my hand early, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle.
What was the point if things got too boring?
Why not shake things up a little, add a little chaos into the mix.
I think I had given Claire enough time.
I cast [Magic Weapon] on the ice sword and channeled a large amount of my magic into it causing it to shine.
"Blue Inferno!" I shouted for dramatic effect before slashing the air.
A crescent shaped wave of blue energy shot out of the blade destroying all the vines as it swept through the length of the stage.
Claire had managed to set up a shield charm, but it had no effect on the attack as it easily broke through and set her flying backwards until she crashed against the protective wards.
There was tense silence before the referee finally announced the verdict. "Winner of the match: Charles Bell."
Now then, let's see what the other contestants had to offer.
-Skip-
Apparently not much it turns out.
I had forgot to take into account the fact that most wizards weren't trained to do strenuous activities for long periods of time. With [Gamer's Body] any fatigue I had would disappear after ten minutes of rest, bringing me back to perfect condition, a benefit that the other contestants simply didn't have.
My next opponent out right forfeited the match as soon as I turned on my mana reinforcement.
Luis managed to win against Alexander and his next opponent but not without taking some damage. By the time we faced off in the final match he didn't have enough energy to block let alone dodge one of my attacks. In the end I won not because of my superior talent but because of my stamina.
Somehow, I felt cheated, increasing my disappointment even as I was being congratulated by the judges and had a large trophy presented to me. The flashing lights from the cameras was bothersome but I made sure to give them my most charming smile.
I think I'll challenge the Death Paladin after this.
A/N: Thanks for reading.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was longer than I thought since I tried to squeeze so much into it with a lot still being left out.
I know some of you might not like how short the duel was, but unfortunately most fights we've seen in the books and movies don't take very long. I want to stay true to that sense and not have it needlessly drawn out. I promise better fight scenes in the future.
I'll be working on Kenji so it might take some time for me to update this one.
In the meanwhile, I'll be given those interested the chance to design a new dungeon.
It's simple, pick a Hogwarts subject and design a dungeon that closely represents it.
Until next time.