After all the talking in the headmaster's office, Harry went to the Gryffindor common room, while the rest of the group prepared for what might happen that night. Henry (Harry) didn't want to say anything about who would be putting Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire, because he knew everyone trusted Alastor Moody too much. The old man, blind in one eye and missing a limb, believed in and trusted very few people, but most of those around him trusted him because of that very paranoia. Therefore, it would be a little hard to believe that someone else had magically disguised themselves as the man.
Then, after lunch was over, it was announced that the process of putting the names in the Goblet of Fire would begin. Many went to watch, while others wrote their names and put them in the magical vessel, hoping to be selected. Fred and George got big beards for trying to throw their names in and using aging potions.
Many laughed at them.
Finally, when night fell and all the students were in their rooms, Henry (Harry) positioned himself near the entrance with his invisibility cloak activated. Around the room were also Albus, James, Sirius, Remus, and Lily, all wearing invisibility cloaks, but Henry knew only his would work properly. Barty Crouch Jr. possessed Alastor's magical eye, so he could easily see through everyone else's invisibility cloaks. For that very reason, Harry positioned himself to one side of the entrance.
So much time passed, perhaps two hours, before footsteps were heard, footsteps accompanied by the sound of wood scraping against the floorboards. Harry was the exception; he recognized it as the walking stick Moody frequently used. When Barty, transformed into Moody, entered the room, Harry felt Lily gasp slightly while Sirius and James murmured a confused "What?" Albus remained silent, but he was surprised, especially when the disguised figure pulled out a piece of paper, but stopped with his hand raised as the magical eye spun around.
"Shit!" exclaiming, Barty ran toward the exit, casting Protego against Albus's Petrificus Totalus attack. Seeing this, everyone threw their invisibility cloaks aside as they cast spells simultaneously.
"Damn it," gritting his teeth, Barty flicked his wand quickly to block the incoming spells. He grinned when he could and saw the exit of the room in front of him. But, as he celebrated in his mind, he was lifted off the floor, his arms pressed to his body and his legs pressed together tightly.
Space seemed to ripple as Harry revealed himself to everyone, his hand raised toward Barty Crouch. And before anyone could get close to him, he cast his Anti-Magic Field, causing the Polyjuice Potion's effects to vanish. The prosthetic leg fell away as a normal leg appeared, the face changed as the body grew thinner.
"How are you on this beautiful night, Bartemius Crouch Jr.?" Harry smiled somewhat coldly as he looked at the man, who could only watch from his position as Harry's magic held him suspended in mid-air.
"Barty Jr.!" James exclaimed, surprised and angry.
"Now I understand..." Albus said seriously, looking at the man. "Polyjuice Potion. No one would suspect Alastor of sipping from his flask every moment... every hour... every day. This is worrying, especially given how dangerously perfect his plan has been. Until now, at least."
"Where's Moody?!" Sirius stepped forward and demanded, looking at Barty.
"He can't talk, Sirius. Just wait a bit," Harry said before setting Barty aside and bringing his hand down with a bit of force, causing Barty to hit the floor hard.
Letting out a grunt, Barty tried to get up, but was restrained by Albus, who conjured ropes and tied him up tightly.
"I'll leave him to you guys," Harry said as he turned away.
"Aren't you staying?" James asked.
"No. I already know his reasons. Although someone should go where Moody should be. The real one should be under the Imperius Curse inside his trunk."
"Thanks for the information," Albus said before facing Barty Crouch Jr.
Harry simply nodded before leaving. He had nothing more to do that night and preferred to go to bed, especially since everything was already settled. There was no chance of escape with Albus, particularly since one of his friends had been attacked.
Lily frowned slightly as she watched Harry's back. Despite how friendly he seemed, she felt he acted rather coldly about many things. It was as if he didn't care about what happened in many situations.
...
The next day, everything had been resolved, at least to some extent. Barty Crouch Jr. had been imprisoned for the time being, awaiting his trial, which would at least mean Azkaban or a Dementor's kiss. Moody had been released and was also recovering. And Harry Potter's name wouldn't appear in the Goblet of Fire.
With almost everything resolved, Lily was waiting for Henry (Harry) on the shore of the large lake. She didn't know why he had asked for her help to enter the lake. Or at least, that she should keep watch on the shore so he wouldn't be disturbed, but he'd already been at the bottom for over an hour. Just as she was starting to worry, Harry's head appeared in the distance before she saw Henry's (Harry's) hands hover above the water's surface, as if it were solid ground. Then his feet touched the water before he started walking toward her.
"Thanks for keeping watch," Harry replied with a small smile.
"Did you really need me here?"
"It's better than going in and having someone see me come out and worry... Although, I could feel that look of yours when you think no one's watching. So, this might be a good place to ask: What's bothering you?"
Lily looked surprised; she hadn't known he'd noticed her gaze had alerted him.
"I've noticed... that you don't seem to care about many things. Usually, when something like what happened with Moody occurs, you'd be surprised or worried, especially about the use of an Unforgivable. And I understand that you've been through this, and that you know a lot of magic, but I feel like that's not the only reason you're acting this way."
Harry remained silent for a few moments, staring ahead at the end of the great lake and the enormous hills that surrounded it.
"I guess it's because of the life I've had," Harry replied, his expression softening slightly, causing his eyebrows to lift a little.
"My parents died when Voldemort invaded the house. Pettegrew, that rat, had given away the secret. My father died fighting that parasite, while my mother died begging for my life and saving me in the process thanks to her sacrifice. Because of all this, I ended up living with Petunia and Vernon, who hated magic."
"It wasn't a pleasant childhood. And when I first went to Hogwarts, I thought I might finally be freer. But that turned out to be another kind of annoying life," Harry said, finishing with a wry, irritated laugh.
Lily looked at him sadly as she listened. Her sister had never been a good person, and she still didn't get too close to her, even now that they were both grown women. They simply couldn't stand each other.
"It wasn't a pleasant childhood. And when I first went to Hogwarts, I thought I might finally be freer. But that turned out to be another kind of annoying life," Harry said, finishing with a wry, irritated laugh.
Lily looked at him sadly as she listened. Her sister had never been a good person, and she still didn't get too close, even now that they were both grown women. They simply couldn't stand each other.
"In my first year, I encountered a troll, we got into trouble over the Philosopher's Stone, and I ended up fighting Quirrell and Voldemort's spirit, where I only managed to kill the former by sheer luck."
"In my second year, the Basilisk incident happened, where I almost died if it weren't for Fawkes. In my third year, I met Sirius, who had escaped from Azkaban, where he'd spent years after being framed for the deaths of several Muggles while chasing the rat. And of course, I can't forget the Dementors, who made me relive and see the moment of your death right in front of me."
"Finally, it was in my fourth year that I gave up on the students and most of the teachers. I realized that no one would help me, so I studied more, researched things, and met people who are now my girlfriend, a friend who's like a little brother to me, and others."
"It was an abrupt change, but one I embraced wholeheartedly. And in a short time, I had become a powerful and famous person." "Because of my achievements," Harry finished, sighing heavily as he closed his eyes.
"I gained fame, freedom, knowledge, and great power, but I'd lost so much in my life."
"Many things stopped mattering to me because they ceased to be important in my life, Lily."
"Dark Lords? I could destroy them into oblivion. Lords of noble houses? I could crush them in political power and money, no problem. Magic? I learned many kinds of magic, from forbidden to the most common. Knowledge? Well, I managed to discover what we call the Information Dimension, which was responsible for making all magic work."
"There came a point where I was at the top and had everything... so nothing worried me."
"That... is kind of sad," Lily couldn't help but say as she looked at the ground.
"Yeah... I realized that when I got here, when I saw Hermione and Daphne," Harry chuckled sadly, remembering those two special people.
"Hermione? And Daphne... the eldest daughter of Greengrass?" Lily asked, surprised.
"There came a point where I was at the top and had everything... so nothing worried me."
"That... is kind of sad," Lily couldn't help but say as she stared at the ground.
"Yeah... I realized that when I got here, when I saw Hermione and Daphne," Harry chuckled sadly, remembering those two special people.
"Hermione? And Daphne... the eldest daughter of Greengrass?" Lily asked, surprised.
"Hermione? And Daphne... the eldest daughter of Greengrass?" "Yes..." Harry nodded and said slowly, "I hadn't realized it, but at some point I managed to win their hearts. I didn't notice. And when I made the decision to leave everything behind, it was too late. I'd left the position of Headmaster of Aeternum to Hermione and my position as Supreme Mugwump to Daphne... they were the best."
"But why did you want to get away from everything?!"
A troubled look crossed Harry's face for a second before it returned to normal. He glanced at Lily before smiling slightly, but a flicker of sadness was visible in his expression.
He pointed ahead before turning his head in the direction he was pointing.
"Do you see those hills?"
"Yes..."
"I can destroy them with a single spell. The Explosive Charm manipulates hydrogen and oxygen on a small scale, using magical power, of course. I've expanded that range to create a spell that only falls short against a nuclear weapon, and even that's not by a very wide margin."
"One day, while I was in my office, I realized I was too powerful for the world. People would come to me seeking power or knowledge. I realized that, in a short time, people would stop feeling fear and worry when I was around. And that kind of world, it's one I hated."
"I gave a certain stability to the new world that had now blended together. Magic and science together. But the world had to solve its own problems. I shouldn't be on top, doing everything, and I didn't entirely like it either."
And what he didn't say was that he was afraid of what might happen in his world if he continued with his more complicated research. A world where everyone lived happily, where everyone had a stable, well-paying job. A world where there was no suffering...
That kind of utopia made him feel afraid for some reason. He didn't know what caused it, but when he understood that it might be possible to reach such a point, something inside him practically screamed for him to stop.
And without fully realizing it, it was the best decision.
"I see..." Lily nodded, understanding this Harry Potter a little, but not completely. But she did know that he had had a sad life. And that caused her heart ache.
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