Harry, along with the three others, arrived at Hartland, near the western coast, the salty wind carrying the scent of the sea. The sound of waves crashing against jagged rocks echoed beneath the massive cliffs, and in the distance, a faint glow of magical lights marked the hidden harbor where the Midnight Auction would soon begin.
[Location Updated: Hartland Docks – Midnight Auction Site]
All four of them were fully prepared.
Each man wore dragon-hide armor beneath their cloaks—lightweight but strong enough to stop minor curses and even physical strikes. Harry, however, wore something far more fearsome: his Dementor Cloak draped over his armor. The torn shadows rippled like they had a life of their own, giving Harry a menacing, supernatural presence even before the fight began.
They gathered behind a cluster of sea-beaten boulders, quietly finalizing their plan.
Harry opened his inventory and took out nine bottles—small, moss-green vials sealed with a rune-etched lid. He handed three to each of his companions: David, Joseph, and Charles.
"These are Draughts of Strangling Green," Harry explained in a low voice.
"If you twist the lid"—he demonstrated the motion—"the seeds inside will drop into the brew and activate it instantly. Throw it into a crowd or at a group of guards. The vines will trap anything in reach. No mercy. No escape."
David grinned fiercely.
Joseph cracked his knuckles, eager.
Charles gave a sharp nod, gripping the potions tightly.
Their eyes gleamed, adrenaline surging through their veins.
The Midnight Auction was filled with pure-blood lords, high-ranking criminals, black-market traffickers… people who had ruined countless lives for profit. The fight ahead would not be small. It would not be clean.
It would be war.
Harry could almost feel the tension radiating from the cliffs. Ships were docked below—a dozen at least—with masked figures unloading cages containing magical creatures, and worse… humans.
He clenched his gloved hand once, and the hood of his cloak lowered slightly, shadows expanding like wings.
"Tonight," Harry whispered, his voice cold and unwavering,
"we end them."
David chuckled darkly.
"Let's give them hell, Lord Slytherin."
Harry checked his skills quickly:
[Active Skills Prepared]
[Skin Changer] – Lv. 3 (Wolf, Eagle, Snake)
[Shadow Veil] – Lv. 10
[Death Ward] – Lv. 8
[Soul Drain] – Lv. 13
[Bone Spear] – Lv. 8
[Wraith Flight] – Lv. 13
[Wind Step] – Lv. 12
[Poison Mist] – Lv. 9
[Fireball] – Lv. 11
[Water Shield] – Lv. 9
[Astral Gate] – Lv. 1
Harry pulled up his hood. The Dementor Cloak responded automatically.
[Dementor Aura: Passive Fear Effect – Enabled]
"Remember the plan," Harry said quietly.
"We stick to the objectives."
[Quest: Midnight Auction – Infiltration Phase]
Objective 1: Negotiate with the Aurors (Complete)
Objective 2: Enter the auction without alerting hostiles
Objective 3: Locate kidnapped beings
Objective 4: Capture Lord Celtigar (Dead or Alive)
Bonus Objective: Escape from Aurors
Charles: "Understood."
Joseph: "We follow your lead."
David: "Let's end this."
Harry had already scouted the coastline the previous night with Cassia and Jason. Under the cover of darkness, they had found a weakness in the layered anti-Apparition, anti-Portkey, and anti-Invisibility wards — a hairline fracture in the magical dome protecting the harbor. It was barely wide enough to let a rat through… but it was all they needed.
Now, tonight, the Midnight Auction was alive.
Figures in richly embroidered cloaks arrived one by one, stepping from swirling green flames into the shadows of the old dock. Cages rattled with frightened magical creatures inside them. The scent of fear and salt air mingled in the wind.
[Warding Bypass Achieved: Entry Allowed]
+20% Infiltration Success
Harry tightened his grip on the straps of his armor beneath the Dementor Cloak. This was no time for hesitation.
He turned to David, Joseph, and Charles. All three were disguised under enchanted hoods and enchanted masks shaped like serpents.
"You know the plan," Harry murmured quietly, his voice magically altered into an unsettling, serpentine timbre. "Split. Search. Do not engage unless necessary."
The three nodded sharply and cast Disillusionment Charms over themselves.
[Spell Cast: Disillusionment]
Duration: 30 minutes
Detection Risk: Low
They faded into shimmering outlines, then vanished fully under the night sky.
Now all eyes were on Lord Slytherin.
Harry didn't speak. He didn't need to.
His body shrank. Bones cracked inward without pain. Scales rippled across skin that moments ago looked human. In seconds, an elegant black bush-viper coiled where the wizard stood — obsidian scales glinting under torchlight, eyes twin emerald flames.
[Skill Activated: Shapeshifter(Lv.1) – Snake]
Stealth: +70%
Movement Speed: +55%
He slithered forward with fluid silence, disappearing into a crack between empty crates.
Behind him, David exhaled in disbelief.
"He's got two Animagus forms…" he whispered. "Maybe more."
Joseph nodded, unable to take his eyes off the dark gap where Harry vanished.
"Only a soul with innumerable faces could do that," he muttered. "What monster… or miracle… are we following?"
No more hesitation remained.
The three masked infiltrators split off in different directions:
David: toward the cages lined along the docks
Joseph: toward the old warehouse where screams echoed
Charles: toward the pier entrance to track incoming pureblood traffickers
This operation demanded precision. A single misstep… and everything collapsed.
[Objective Updated]
Infiltrate the Auction Grounds — Ongoing
0/3 Key Areas Investigated
Far below the moonlight, the serpent shifted through shadows faster than any broom. Harry's tongue flicked, tasting the air — and the scent of fear, greed, and dark magic guided him straight toward the heart of the Midnight Auction.
The hunt had begun.
As a three-foot bush viper coiled low among the wild grass, Harry was invisible to every wizard around him. No one on the dock would see a small serpent — certainly not in the middle of highly illegal international trade.
He flicked his tongue twice.
The air was thick with fear.
[Observe Passive Triggered]
Emotional State Detected: Terror, Panic, Despair
Guards patrolled in pairs — hired muscle carrying heavy crossbows and enchanted spears. Some wore the emblem of foreign mercenary guilds. Others bore the signature silver cuffs of private pure-blood security forces.
And the buyers…
Wizards and witches draped in fine cloaks, jewels glittering like greed manifested. Harry overheard every whispered negotiation as he slithered past crates and shadowed cargo stacks.
"Payment is only half tonight," a Frenchman hissed in accented English.
"We give the rest once the creatures arrive in Marseille."
"That is the Celtigar guarantee," a hooded guard responded smugly.
"Delivery always comes on time."
Harry's scaled body tensed. The half-payment model — he remembered McNair's interrogation.
Lord Celtigar controlled everything.
Ships filled the harbor — at least fifteen large vessels anchored silently, sails lowered, runes glowing faintly along their hulls. Harry realized at once:
These ships weren't brought by buyers.
They belonged to Celtigar.
That meant every creature bought tonight would be shipped away by dawn… unless the auction was stopped completely.
He continued deeper.
Four goblins were chained together like livestock — wrists shackled with runic iron, anti-magic manacles locking their jaws to prevent biting. One of them spotted Harry in snake form but wisely said nothing. Goblins respected serpents — especially venomous ones.
Then Harry froze.
His tongue tasted flame.
Huge flame.
He slowly slipped under a tarp and emerged into the sight of something monstrous and magnificent.
A young dragon, still growing into the full length of its scales, bound by reinforced chains and a suffocating metal muzzle. Its wings trembled in restrained fury. Every time it struggled, the chains sparked with fiery enchantments.
Its golden eyes were wide — wild — angry.
[Observe Activated]
Species: Welsh Green (Juvenile)
Condition: Sedated | High-danger Potential
Estimated Price: 100,000 Galleons
Threat Level: Very High
Harry's heart hammered against his tiny serpent chest.
This wasn't just trading — this was war against the free magical world. The Midnight Auction dealt in weapons — living weapons. wizard supremacy was expanding into smuggling entire species.
This quest wasn't just a rescue.
It was the first blow in something far larger.
A soft, familiar pulse thrummed in Harry's vision:
[Quest Progress]
Target Creatures Identified: 12 / 50
Key Asset Located: Dragon
Optional Objective Updated: Prevent Dragon Export
Harry coiled tighter, forcing himself calm.
There's still time.
He tasted the air again. A new scent.
Perfume. Wealth. Cruelty masked in elegance.
A robed wizard approached the dragon with five elite guards. His cloak bore a silver sigil shaped like a three-clawed mark.
Lord Celtigar.
[Observe Failed]
Reason: Target's Mental Resistance Too High
The man examined the dragon like livestock. "Ensure this one is kept sedated," Celtigar said to his men. "It will be shipped to Russia first light."
Harry's scales bristled.
Not if I have anything to say about it.
And he intended to say a lot — in fire, poison, and blood.
Harry slithered away from the dragon's enclosure and made sure no one was watching. In the shadow of a cargo crane, his small serpent body expanded, bones cracking and reshaping seamlessly into feathers and wings.
With a silent flap, he launched himself into the midnight wind.
[Shapeshifter (Lv.3): Eagle – Active]
Movement Speed: +200%
Vision: Enhanced Night Detection
The sea tasted cold and salty beneath him. Below, the black waters carried the reflections of anchored ships — dozens, maybe more — lined up in silent formation.
Harry swooped lower.
Decks patrolled only by sailors — grizzled men with worn boots and no magical equipment. No cages. No crates. No terrified screams or whimpers coming from below.
[Observe]
Creature Cargo: Absent
Magical Payload: None Detected
Status: Pre-Auction Preparation Complete
A gust of wind lifted him higher.
That meant the shipping would only begin after the auction concluded. Once money exchanged hands, the creatures would be marched aboard — fast, efficient, and without any escape routes.
And once they sailed out…
They would disappear forever.
With a sharp dive, Harry glided inland again, talons brushing rooftops before he landed inside the patch of tall grass he arranged with the others earlier.
Feathers rippled — then vanished — as he shifted back into his human form, Dementor Cloak masking him in the night.
David, Joseph, and Charles materialized one by one, their invisibility spells unraveling as they approached the meeting point.
Charles whispered first, excitement trembling in his voice,
"Lord Slytherin — we've found at least thirty cages. Goblins, house-elves, centaurs… and more locked beneath the main stage."
Joseph added in a grim tone,
"And the dragon is only one of four classified monsters: manticores, a kelpie, and a— I think they have a Phoenix egg."
Harry's jaw clenched.
David glanced around and lowered his voice.
"The guards are tight. Buyers are already gathering in the central pavilion. But no shipments have gone out yet. We will be killed if we got caught."
Harry nodded, eyes glowing faintly beneath his hood.
Everything was lining up.
Suddenly — a familiar blue notification flickered in his vision:
Harry looked at his team — loyal, determined, terrified.
"We strike only when the Aurors hit from the front," he said quietly. "When chaos breaks, we rescue the creatures and shut down these ships."
Joseph swallowed. "And what about Lord Celtigar?"
Harry smiled, cold as serpent-fang steel.
"Leave him to me."
The distant horn of a ship boomed through the bay.
Flames from torches lit the heart of the auction grounds.
Harry crouched behind a cluster of warped crates, the salty air of the western coast biting across his exposed fingers. Around him, the makeshift auction camp flickered with torchlight — nearly two hundred armed witches and wizards, smug collectors from different countries, corrupt handlers, and hired muscle pacing with their wands out.
His party men huddled close, breaths tense and shallow.
A familiar ding flickered in Harry's vision:
[Quest Update]
Objective: Await Auror Reinforcements
Status: …Still Pending…
But minutes turned to an hour.
Still nothing.
Harry slowly closed the notification with a sigh.
He couldn't wait anymore.
David leaned toward him, voice barely above a whisper.
"My Lord… there are two hundred of them. We're four. If we rush in—"
Harry's jaw clenched. He stared out at the caged horrors — a crushed goblin caravan, Hippogriffs bound with chains, and far at the center, the silhouette of a thrashing young dragon, muzzled and runed.
"What's the point of strength," Harry said coldly, "if we hide it when the innocent are begging for help?"
Joseph swallowed nervously.
"Then… what's the plan?"
Harry's eyes narrowed, a slow smile forming beneath the hood of his Dementor Cloak.
"We won't go in with wands blazing. I'll create chaos."
He lifted his hand, fingers curled like talons.
"When the signal comes — you three get the creatures out."
Charles blinked. "Signal? What are you going to do?"
Joseph asked next, even more terrified:
"D-did you bring some kind of secret weapon?"
Harry chuckled — soft and dangerous.
"Why bring a weapon…"
He pointed toward the towering enclosure at the center of the camp.
Inside, a mythic young dragon jerked violently, scales black-green under torchlight, blue fire leaking from within the muzzle.
"…when the enemy has already brought one?"
A thunderous heartbeat echoed in Harry's ears.
[Objective Updated: Free the Dragon]
Harry's stats glimmered briefly before his eyes:
His bones shifted — feathers erupted — the world swung wide.
An eagle now crouched where Lord Slytherin had been.
Harry met their eyes once, sharp and commanding.
Then he spread his wings.
Moonlight glinted across his talons.
And with a silent beat — he launched into the night sky.
Below, wand-tips scanned the ground, unaware.
Above, an eagle cut through the clouds — a shadow of vengeance.
The chaos was about to begin.