Harry stood in the open courtyard of Slytherin Castle, the night breeze whispering through the high towers. The moonlight shimmered faintly on the mirror he'd set up—large enough for him to see any shape he took. He inhaled deeply, focusing his will as his body began to shift once again.
Bones thinned, skin rippled, and a familiar sensation of constriction wrapped around him. When the transformation ended, Harry slithered forward—and immediately frowned.
Where he had expected the long, regal body of a king cobra or perhaps the massive coils of a python, he saw instead a small bush viper—its body barely three feet in length, covered in sleek black scales that gleamed faintly under the moonlight. His eyes—now narrow and reptilian—shone with a sharp, venomous glow.
"So much for majestic…" he hissed to himself in Parseltongue, the sound almost musical in his new throat.
Still, disappointment faded quickly into curiosity. He began to slither across the courtyard stones, feeling every vibration through the ground. His new senses were… remarkable. The faintest tremor of air, the warmth of a mouse deep in the grass fifty feet away—everything was alive to him.
Harry coiled once, then sprang forward. The small body moved with lightning speed, faster than he could have imagined. His movements were quiet, precise—deadly.
The bush viper form, though small, had something neither wolf nor eagle could boast: stealth. No one would ever expect an unassuming little snake to be him.
He stopped in front of the mirror again, flicking his tongue.
"Not what I expected," he murmured. "But useful. Very useful."
He turned, slithering swiftly across the grass, weaving between stones and roots. Each motion grew smoother, more natural, more instinctive. The cold night air brushed against his scales as he practiced striking, coiling, and slithering faster than the eye could follow.
Harry even bit a loose piece of wood—his venom hissing faintly on contact—and watched it dissolve in seconds. A grin curled through his serpentine thoughts.
"Oh yes… definitely useful."
By the time he transformed back, his magic pulsing with the rush of power, Harry knew this wasn't a failure at all—it was evolution.
[New Form Acquired: Bush Viper (Snake)]
Speed: +25% (while slithering)
Stealth: +40%
Venom: Neurotoxic
Size Limitation: 3 ft length
Passive Ability Unlocked: Thermal Sense (Basic)
Harry smiled faintly, stretching his hands as the moonlight reflected in his eyes.
"Small or not," he whispered, "you'll have your moment."
Harry stood in the center of the courtyard, the wind around him humming with raw, untamed energy. His heart thudded in anticipation — the notification from the system was still glowing faintly before his eyes:
[Astral Gate – Lv. 1]
He raised his hand, focusing his will. A circle of light shimmered into existence above his head — pale blue and swirling like liquid starlight. The air around him vibrated, reality itself bending and twisting as the circle widened into a spiraling gate.
Then, with a pulse of magic, the portal pulled him upward in a flash of blue light.
The world froze.
Everything — the trees, the wind, even the clouds — stood perfectly still. Harry was suspended in midair, surrounded by a silent, unmoving world of glass. Time itself had stopped.
Below him, Slytherin Castle gleamed like a miniature model beneath the moonlight. He could see miles in every direction — forests, lakes, towns — each frozen in place, shimmering faintly under a pale blue hue.
"Incredible…" he whispered, the sound echoing softly in the still world.
He willed himself forward, and his body glided — not walking, not flying, but slipping through reality itself. It was as though he moved without resistance, passing through the air like thought.
Every movement was effortless. Every motion instant. He soared over the forest, crossed a river, and turned sharply toward a distant hill — all within moments.
Then, when he wanted to stop, instinct took over. He raised his hand again, and another swirling circle of light appeared before him — this one pulsing downward. With a final rush, he dropped through the portal and landed gently on the castle's training ground.
The blue ring collapsed behind him in a soundless ripple of energy.
To an observer, it would have looked as if Harry had vanished and reappeared in the blink of an eye. But for him, he had traveled through a world where time held no sway.
He stood there, catching his breath, his mind racing with possibilities.
"Five kilometers," he muttered. "That's the limit for now. But if I can increase it…"
A grin tugged at his lips.
"Then distance won't mean anything anymore."
[Skill Unlocked: Astral Gate – Lv. 1]
Type: Spatial/Temporal Manipulation
Effect: Opens a temporary astral portal to teleport across space within a 5 km radius.
Time Suspension: 1 second of real-world time per 60 seconds of astral travel
Range: 5 km radius
Cooldown: 1 hour
Magic Cost: 250 MP
Upgrade Bonus: Increased range, multi-passenger capacity
Harry stared up at the night sky, still glowing faintly from the magic he had invoked, and whispered with quiet satisfaction—
"Now this… this is freedom."
By morning, Harry's determination had paid off. The training ground outside Slytherin Castle was still glowing faintly blue from repeated portal bursts as he finished his last test. The air shimmered once more as a portal opened overhead, swirling like liquid starlight before pulling him up and dropping him gently a few hundred meters away.
A familiar chime echoed in his mind.
[Skill Leveled Up!]
Astral Gate – Lv. 3
Type: Spatial / Temporal Manipulation
Range: 10 km radius
Cooldown: 45 minutes
Magic Cost: 220 MP
Additional Function: Improved stability (reduced dizziness after travel)
Next Upgrade: Unlock Passenger Transport at Lv. 10
Harry smiled in satisfaction, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Each level made the transition smoother and faster. The portal now appeared instantly at his command — fluid and elegant, like an extension of his will.
"Ten kilometers," he muttered, watching the last ripples fade into the air. "Enough to cross cities… or disappear when I need to."
He looked up at the rising sun, its rays glinting against the silver towers of Slytherin Castle, and grinned.
"Not bad for a night's work."
Harry stretched, exhausted but content. With this power, travel—and escape—had just become trivial.
Harry stepped out of the Floo fireplace inside Zeus Hotel, brushing ash from his cloak. The scent of burning wood still clung faintly to him — a reminder of McNair Manor's fate.
The moment he appeared, Leora's fellow receptionist gasped softly.
"Lord Blackfyre… the Aurors came," she whispered. "Three of them — Amelia Bones herself, along with Alastor Moody and a trainee named Cassandra Vale. They were asking about you."
Harry raised a brow, but his expression stayed neutral. "And what did you tell them?"
"The truth," she said quickly, wringing her hands. "That you were at your manor, and that Leora had gone to visit her mother. They didn't look convinced, but… they couldn't prove anything."
Harry nodded, a faint smile tugging at the edge of his lips. "Good. The Ministry only moves when it smells blood — but it's too late for them now."
He left her with a calm nod and made his way through the quiet halls of the hotel. Inside one of the guest suites, the rescued muggle-born girls were resting. Each of them wore fresh robes, their hair clean, their faces no longer hollow with hunger. Still, their eyes betrayed exhaustion — the kind that couldn't be healed by potions alone.
Harry stood silently at the doorway for a moment. Healing takes time, he thought. All I can do is give them a place to start again.
Turning away, Harry headed to the back hall where the rescued house-elves were staying. They were being tended to by the hotel's own elves, given food, blankets, and proper rest — all under strict orders that none of them were to serve until fully recovered.
When Harry entered the staff room, Sam was already there, standing by the fireplace with a cup of tea. The older man's wolfish eyes softened when he saw Harry.
"You're planning something?" Sam said quietly.
Harry didn't answer immediately. Instead, he poured himself a tea, the silence stretching between them.
Finally, he said, "McNair's dead. The auction's next."
Sam let out a low whistle. "You really don't rest, do you?"
Harry smiled faintly, though there was no warmth in it. "I can rest when the cages are empty."
Sam nodded slowly, understanding the meaning behind the words — and the danger that was yet to come.
Harry folded the plan into his mind like a sealed letter and let it sit there, warm and dangerous. He would not bring Sam, Cassia, or Jason. They were not fighters—Sam's courage and Cassia and Jason's finesse at wards and artifacts were worth more than risking their lives in a blood-slick room full of aristocrats and monsters. This job needed people who moved like knives and thought in broken glass. People who had no illusions about glory, only survival and payment.
He called the three men who'd stood with him at McNair—David Whitehorn, Joseph Cook and Charles Lee who'd come from the docks. They met him in the back room of Keller's Curio, under the hum of a failing lantern.
Harry laid out the map he'd sketched from McNair's confession: the hidden docks, the schedule, the names McNair had spat out under the truth serum. The men listened, nodded, and counted coin quietly into their palms. They accepted.
Harry did one more thing. He sent a single, carefully worded message through channels only half-legal and entirely discreet: a call for oversight. The Midnight Auction needed to be interrupted and then pinned to the floor with law and force, not simply burned and forgotten.
He spent the night preparing: weapons cleaned, potions readied, masks bought that would make the party look like the very couriers who would be expected at the docks. He copied every scrap of McNair's story into his notebook.
A small note flickered in the corner of his vision as he finished the last line of his plan. It was almost polite in its timing.
[Quest: The Midnight Auction]
Type: Major Quest
Status: Active
Objectives:
Negotiate with the Aurors
Infiltrate the Midnight Auction undetected.
Rescue all magical creatures and prisoners.
Capture Lord Celtigar and all his subordinates alive.
Rewards:
+1,500 XP
+1,000 Galleons
+Reputation Increase (Auror Dept / Zeus Hotel)
+New Skill Unlock
+Rare Items
+Stat Increase: +5 INT | +3 CHA
Bonus Reward (All objectives complete):
+Unique Contact: Auror Dept Liaison
+Bonus XP: +500
+Rare Item: Auctioneer's Gavel (Immunity to compulsion and charm spells)
Harry sat quietly at the far corner of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, his spoon scraping the last of the melted ice cream from the bowl. He was waiting — not to be found, but to be noticed. When Cassandra Vale finally arrived, she froze for only a heartbeat before walking straight toward him.
"Lord Blackfyre," she greeted, voice taut. "You seem to have a habit of being wherever trouble brews."
Harry smiled faintly. "Then it's good that trouble usually deserves it."
Cassandra didn't sit right away, but after a moment she lowered herself into the opposite chair. "The Ministry wants answers," she said. "McNair's death is—"
"—none of your business," Harry interrupted calmly, setting down his spoon. "You have no proof, and I would advise you not to look for any. Because if you do, you'll waste your time and your department's reputation chasing ghosts."
Her eyes narrowed. "Are you admitting something, Lord Blackfyre?"
Harry chuckled. "No. I'm giving you a choice." He leaned forward, voice dropping to a conspiratorial murmur. "I know where the Midnight Auction will take place."
Cassandra froze. "You what?"
"I know the location," Harry continued. "The dock where they'll be gathering, the ships that will transport the victims, and even who's hosting it — Lord Celtigar himself. I can hand you the entire operation."
Cassandra's mind raced, but Harry raised a hand to silence her.
"But," he said quietly, "in exchange, the Ministry stops digging into McNair's death. Let him stay dead. The man was filth, and we both know it. His death saved you months of paperwork and spared a dozen innocents from his dungeons. Treat it as… divine justice."
Cassandra's jaw tightened. "You're blackmailing the Ministry."
"I'm offering a trade," Harry corrected, tone steady. "You want the auction shut down? You want the names of those funding it? You want a reason to arrest half the aristocrats who've been using your laws like shields? Then we have a deal. Otherwise, I'll handle it myself — and trust me, you won't like the cleanup."
The Auror said nothing for several long seconds. The street outside hummed with the bustle of Diagon Alley, and the scent of roasted nuts drifted past. Finally, Cassandra exhaled.
"Where?" she asked.
Harry smiled faintly. "The auction's in two nights and the location will be revealed after you talk with your superiors about my proposal."
Cassandra leaned back, her sharp gaze softening just slightly. "If you're lying—"
"I don't lie," Harry said simply
A faint chime appeared in his vision:
[Quest Updated: Midnight Auction]
Objective Added: Negotiate with the Auror Department (Completed)
Reward: +200 EXP | Reputation Increase with Cassandra Vale (+10)
Cassandra rose, still watching him. "You realize the Wizengamot won't let this slide forever."
Harry smiled. "Then I'll give them bigger problems to worry about."
As she turned to leave, the last of Harry's ice cream melted into the bowl, leaving only the silver glint of his spoon — and a faint echo of cold resolve in his green eyes.