NOVEL NEXT 22 More To Do
Harry thought about repairing everything he had stored in his inventory from the Room of Lost Things, then shrugged. He discarded all of the broken student desks and ignored the crashing sounds around him as he did so. He chose a nice dresser inside his inventory and it had the option to open it and look inside. He did so and found some nice jewellery, clothing, and an old book.
The extra items were automatically sorted and he kept the dresser. Now that he knew there were actually things inside the things he had collected, he started opening and checking everything that had that option. He also looked at the info boxes and anything older or seemingly of value, he took out, repaired it if needed it, and stored it again. It wasn't like he needed the money; but, free things were free and he wasn't going to pass up such a great opportunity.
Harry stopped his sorting when he finally came across the famous Ravenclaw diadem. It looked identical to the one the statue in the common room wore, so he knew it was genuine from both that and Voldemort's magical knowledge. It had also been tainted by dark magic and had been turned into a horcrux. Thanks to Voldemort's memories, he also knew how to undo it. Well, in a fashion.
He pointed the Elder Wand at two discarded student desks and transfigured them into rats and immobilized them. With several swipes of the wand at the stone floor, several runes and markings appeared as well as two circles that were side by side. It was a basic power transference circle, similar to the enchantments that Voldemort had used initially.
Since the horcrux wanted to infect the host when the object was worn or used, Harry placed the diadem in one circle and placed one immobilized rat with it and made sure that the two things had touched with a sticking charm. He placed the other rat into the other circle as the sacrifice and cast a basic spell to charge the magic circle. The horcrux slipped right into the 'living' rat and only tendrils were left from the diadem that connected them.
The rat started squeaking incessantly, even immobilized, so Harry cast the spell Voldemort used to create a horcrux on the possessed rat as a conjured dagger went through the top of the other rat's head. This seemed to work as intended and the last tendrils slipped from the diadem and the horcrux piece of soul entered the possessed rat completely.
Harry silenced the loud squealing rat and the spirit of Voldemort screamed as its new host died by the same conjured dagger that had killed the sacrificial rat. With a swipe of his wand at the floor, he vanished both dead rats and dispelled the dagger. He picked up the diadem to examine it and was pleased to see that it still retained its initial magic. He didn't bother putting it on, though. It wasn't his to do that with. He was surprised that he wasn't offered to make a copy of it, though.
You do not have the magical knowledge or access to the spells used to create the original item.
That makes sense, since it was a thousand years ago and any books from then would probably be dust by now. Harry thought. Thanks for letting me know.
With the proof that the altered horcrux creation ritual had worked and the 'innocent' life used had ensured a full possession using the already existing soul piece, the other horcruxes only needed to be gathered together and the same process could be done to them. Since Harry knew the killed rats weren't real, he had no worries at all that the altered ritual would split his own soul.
Harry looked at the floor again and swiped his wand at it to erase the ritual circles. He could apparate out of the room to get the horcruxes, so that part wasn't a problem. Trying to apparate back inside if the room disappeared with him not inside to keep it stable, might cause him to vanish into nothingness if he tried. That was not a good thing to tempt fate with, not with his Luck stat so low and locked.
He turned to the broken and damaged student desks and thought about transfiguring them into something useful. He wasn't sure what, though. With his current magical power, he could just create whatever he wanted anyways, it just took a lot more magic points to make it permanent. Then again, having an actual solid object to start with would cut the cost down and give him a solid base to work from.
Harry chuckled about using cheaper magic spells with his enormously high magic regeneration rate. He could probably continuously cast a high cost spell and never notice the magical drain. Instead of transfiguring the desks, he repaired them all and set them up like they would be inside a classroom. He looked around the gigantic room that really was larger than the Quiddich pitch and thought that it was quite empty to still be called a Room of Lost Things.
So, Harry dumped all of the sherry bottles from his inventory onto the desks and repaired them if they needed it. He left them there and filled the desks with broken quills, broken and half-filled ink bottles, and torn parchments. He repaired them all and refilled the ink before he stored the quills, ink bottles, and fixed parchments.
If he could get permission from Professor Flitwick, he could open a little shop outside Ravenclaw Tower and sell school supplies for half of the cost of what new ones sold for. He could even hire a few people to run it for him, since it was all profit and didn't cost him anything. He would need to find someone trustworthy, though.
Harry chuckled as he immediately thought about Eliza, the only seventh year student he had bothered to learn the name of. She could use the free money as well and he could also give her free school supplies. He left the room and already thought about an item exchange program. If students brought broken things to the shop, they would get an additional discount from the half price, so his stock would almost replenish itself.
He disillusioned himself and silenced his steps before he made his way back to his dorm room. He debated gathering the other horcruxes and decided he would do it from inside his silenced bed curtains, so the crack of apparition wouldn't alert anyone that he was leaving the castle so easily. He also had more potions to make for St. Mungo's and for Madam Pomfrey, who didn't ask where he had gotten them.
Fresh potions made so well was a high priority for healers and the hospital had even sent over a huge batch of ingredients with specific orders for the ones they used the most. Harry did it for free, too. He wasn't going to disappoint Amelia by charging for them after donating the first two batches, even if it cut into his spare time a little.
Maybe I could get Madam Pomfrey to have a classroom set aside as a brewing space? Harry asked himself as he answered the easy riddle at the eaglehead door to Ravenclaw Tower. It was about having four legs when born, two for most of their lives, and three when they were old. The answer was a man and Harry entered the quiet tower.
Everyone else was in bed and Harry went up to his dorm and entered his four poster bed after storing the expanded bag of his things from his belt. He briefly revealed a sleeping Padma and smiled at her happy face, then he made her invisible again and then concentrated on the Gaunt Shack.
Harry popped away and reappeared right inside the shack. It was just as dilapidated as Voldemort's memories and he used several spells to reveal the ones that had been used, in case they had changed or grew less powerful over the length of time they had been last cast or renewed. Most of them were quite faded and Harry easily dismissed them with a wave of the Elder Wand.
The Withering Curse on the ring was a nice touch, considering the thing housed a piece of Voldemort's soul. Anyone that didn't know about it would quickly succumb to it when they tried to wear the ring, which actually seemed stupid, now that Harry could look at it objectively. How would the horcrux take over the host if the host was dying from the curse?
Harry shook his head and recreated the modified ritual circle on the floor and used two rocks to transfigure them into rats. He set things up properly using levitation spells and didn't have to touch the ring, charged the magic circle with a basic spell, then cast the horcrux spell as he killed the second rat. The first rat that had the ring stuck to it and was now fully possessed, barely had time to screech as the withering curse took effect and killed the new host.
The second soul piece screamed and faded away and Harry vanished the two dead rats and left the circle. He had three more soul pieces to deal with before he was done and this place was far enough out of the way that no one was going to stumble onto it unless they were specifically looking for it.
The diary of Tom Riddle that was entrusted to Lucius Malfoy, would be moderately easy to get to. Helga Hufflepuff's enchanted cup that was entrusted to Voldemort's most valued Death Eater, Bellatrix Lestrange, might be a much harder thing to find if she couldn't remember where she had put the thing. Salazar Slytherin's locket would be the easiest, since that had been secreted into a hidden cave that was surrounded by various protections.
Harry decided the locket would be first and reached down to pick up the ring with the Deathly Hallows symbol on the front of it. When his fingers brushed against it before he picked it up, he received a notification.
Congratulations! The third Deathly Hallow has been found!
Inheritance cycle of the ancient Peverell Family completed with the acquisition of the Peverell Family Crest Ring. Do you wish to bond permanently to the fabled Resurrection Stone?
Harry froze when he read that. He had no idea why Voldemort had used such a powerful and ancient artifact to store his soul inside of it, then he realized it hadn't been inside the stone at all. It had been in the ring's band.
He couldn't have known what it was. Harry thought and slipped the ring onto his finger. Yes, bond permanently with the ring.
Initiating bonding process...
The Resurrection Stone's full capabilities have been unlocked. Completing bonding... done. Bond successful! Turn the ring three times about your finger in a clockwise direction to recall any spirit to the land of the living. Reverse this to dismiss the summoned spirit at any time.
Warning: Magic cost increases the longer a spirit is summoned. Eventually causes pain and anguish to the lingering spirit the longer the time of manifestation.
Current limit: Three days before damage is inflicted and magic cost increases.
Congratulations! You possess all three of the Deathly Hallows!
Special circumstances of being a distant relative successfully met!
You have earned the title: Master of Death.
Master of Death? Harry thought and then gasped when a deep bitter cold rolled down his spine and the next pop-up appeared.
Master of Death (Title): You are now the master of your fate. With the three Hallows at your command, each time that you die, you may choose to either move on to the next great adventure or choose to send another soul in your place and return to the land of the living. The Resurrection Stone has been modified and your summon spirit options have expanded by one.
I don't want to know what that new option is, do I? Harry asked in his mind, even though he somehow knew exactly what the new summon was going to be. It was just too obvious to not expect it.
Summon Spirit (Master of Death only): The Grim Reaper. You can manifest the embodiment of Death itself by creating it in spirit form. Has traditional look when summoned (skeleton body, Cloak of Concealment, Scythe of Soul Harvesting) and cannot be hurt by any means. Can only perform a single task each time it is summoned (task must be assigned immediately after summoning). Disperses automatically when assigned task is completed.
Harry now knew what that cold shiver down his spine was. He had literally gained the power over life and death, even his own. That had another thought pass through his mind and he doubted he would get a satisfactory answer if he asked. He had to know, however.
My title only applies to myself, even if I'm in a party, doesn't it? Harry asked.
The title affects only the Master of Death themselves. Others must face their death on their own terms, which are usually non-negotiable.
Harry knew he had a Gamer Body and was sure that when he pumped himself up with all of those stat points he had, there was not going to be a whole heck of a lot that was going to damage him or even harm him enough to actually kill him.
What if I never die? Harry asked.
Death is inevitable and absolute. You will not die of natural causes because of Gamer Body. The number of unnatural causes are too numerous to mention.
Oh. Harry thought and his mind immediately arrived at the right conclusion. He was only immortal if he actually avoided being killed. He would have to think things over and figure out how he was going to deal with things if he ever did actually die. Where was he going to get souls to send in his stead?
Number of Souls currently stored for exchange: 3 (pieces)
Harry's mouth dropped open at the notification. He didn't remember harvesting any... oh, the pieces of Voldemort that were shoved into the horcruxes. Apparently, when they were sheared off, they counted because they were now independent of the original soul, which meant he had three more pieces to gather and he could be killed up to six times before he would have to start summoning the Grim Reaper.
A smile appeared on Harry's face and he nodded to himself. He would look for the last three horcruxes and then he would try to track down the last bit of Voldemort's soul that was currently inside Quirinus Quirrell, assuming the man hadn't escaped or been killed trying to escape from Auror custody.
I should speak to Amelia tomorrow about that. Harry thought and closed his eyes. He decided to go after the locket first and knew exactly where the cave was as he disapparated from the Gaunt Shack to reappear right next to the tall stone basin with the locket hidden under the Maddening Potion.
The protections that Voldemort had set up to stop someone from doing that, meant nothing, just like the Hogwarts protections, because Harry's Gamer System let him use his abilities at any time and had no restrictions. He dispelled the obscure spell to stop a liquid from being removed from a container unless it was drunk and then split the water to see the fake locket on the bottom of the basin.
Harry sighed as he picked it up and opened it. He read the note inside and shook his head before he put the note back inside and stored the locket. The damn thing could be anywhere after all these years and that sucked, because it meant he couldn't harvest the soul piece trapped inside or gain Salazar Slytherin's locket in exchange.
He looked at the water around the basin and knew it was full of Inferi, or magically animated bodies. He didn't want to cast the Necromancy spells needed to dispel their magic, so he pointed the Elder Wand at the water and cast Fiendfyre. Since it had been created to destroy the Inferi and couldn't be put out by natural water, the roaring flames poured out of the wand and dozens of magical animals formed inside of it.
The water actually boiled as the Fiendfyre ravaged the bodies contained within it and it took almost half an hour before the last of the bodies was consumed and Harry ended the spell's effects. The fire-created animals had been diverse and interesting for Harry to watch as they ate their targets, which seemed to encourage them to act up and perform even more than they normally would.
Harry chuckled at that thought and then he remembered how Voldemort viewed such magic when he cast it to destroy Potter Manor and had killed Harry's grandparents, Fleamont and Euphemia Potter. He closed his eyes and thought about removing or deleting that magical memory, then changed his mind. It would give him a perspective that he would be a fool to ignore.
The magic was to perform as Voldemort had tasked it and that was it. There seemed to be no joy in seeing the magic work as intended, even if the target was horrible and had resulted in two deaths. Harry was divested from feelings of family just enough to look at the act objectively and he saw that Voldemort didn't really understand magic, even if he was a supposed master of it.
Harry shook his head and pushed the memory aside. He didn't really have the time to waste and examine Voldemort's flawed view of dominating everyone around him and only using magic to do so. There were so many other ways he could have used magic and he had wasted his talents by turning evil and corrupting others into his loyal followers.
Of course, Albus Dumbledore had been guilty of doing the exact same thing, only for the light side of the war. He had turned good and then corrupted others into his loyal followers as well. It wasn't something that Harry needed to worry about anymore, so he pushed those thoughts aside and looked at his watch.
I doubt I can get any useful information out of Bellatrix Lestrange or Lucius Malfoy before I have to be back in my bed to sleep. Harry thought with a sigh and vanished the water in the basin before he apparated out of the cave and back onto his bed. He cleaned himself with several spells before he switched his clothes with his pyjamas and laid down beside a still disillusioned Padma.
Harry dispelled it and chose the four hour sleep option from the drop down menu and fell right to sleep. He had another busy day tomorrow, even if it was a Sunday.