The crowd in the stadium roared in approval as Vicky caught the quaffle just as it looked like it was going to go through one of the hoops.
"Gryffindor fans can breathe easy now that their Keeper has caught the bludger." Luna said breezily through the magnifier.
"Not the bludger. It's the quaffle!" McGonagall hissed from Luna's side.
"Is it?" Luna seemed genuinely surprised.
"Yes, I'm sure, Miss Lovegood." McGonagall said with gritted teeth.
"Oh my! I must be under the influence of Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. Forgive me, Professor."
Harry held on to his side as laughter broke through despite his best efforts. Luna's shenanigans were quite the treat during the game. He suspected Professor McGonagall enjoyed Luna's commentary style, so she kept her as the commentator despite her quirks.
The scoreboard had barely moved despite half an hour into the game. Both teams were showing their best game so far by defending their goalposts steadfastly throughout the game. The results could be seen on the scoreboard, where Gryffindor scored 20 while Ravenclaw scored 10. The Chasers and Beaters were at their peak performance, showing off their skills in a spectacular display of rapid attacks and defence that kept the crowd on edge. The Keepers of both teams also displayed grit in keeping up with the fast pace of the game and secured the goalposts with utmost dedication.
This left the pressure on the Seekers of the two teams.
Unfortunately for Harry and the Ravenclaw Seeker, the snitch was nowhere to be found. It had disappeared in the midst of the game. It was last seen hiding behind Gryffindor's goalpost.
Harry continued to keep an eye out for the little ball of gold throughout the length of the stadium, but to no avail. The blasted thing was out of range from everyone's perception.
For Ravenclaw, this was a good thing. It was in their interest to prolong the game until they scored more points. On the other hand, it was in Gryffindor's interest to catch the snitch as fast as possible and end the game in their favour since they were leading in points.
Harry turned abruptly with his broom when he saw a glint of gold in the distance. When he arrived at the spot, he found it was just a chocolate wrap reflecting light.
As he was about to turn away disappointedly, the glittering chocolate wrap was blown away as the snitch jumped from underneath it. Harry was left gaping as the snitch accelerated away. He chased after it abruptly, evading the bludgers and players that came in between.
"Oh, look! Harry Potter has seen the snitch." Luna chirped.
The one time he wanted Luna to say something else, she let him down. If the Ravenclaw seeker hadn't noticed him chasing the snitch, he definitely did now. This only made Harry fly aggressively in pursuit of the little gold ball.
The snitch was not ready to give up despite Harry's aggressive pursuit. The little troublemaker flew through the hoops of Ravenclaw side, forcing Harry to weave through them at breakneck speed. He heard a loud yelp followed by something breaking, but his eyes didn't leave the snitch.
The snitch took an abrupt turn, followed by a steep dive towards the ground. Harry closely followed, and only then did he see Ravenclaw seeker had his broom in two pieces and was falling straight towards the ground.
Harry pulled back slightly, caught the guy on his arm, and gently dropped him to the ground before quickly continuing the chase to the crowd's roar. The snitch again took a hasty turn to the left, which Harry followed, only to see Katie coming towards him at full speed with the quaffle in her hand. Harry pulled his broom sharply so that he managed to give room for Katie while chasing after the troublesome snitch.
'I've got you.' Harry thought as he closed the gap on the snitch.
The snitch tried to veer off from the path again, but this time, Harry correctly read its movements. He turned in the same direction before the snitch and gained the distance in a short time before reaching out and plucking the snitch with his trusted fingers. The gold ball beat its wings tiredly against his fingers, but his grip was solid.
The entire stand erupted in cheer as the game came to an end, with Gryffindor clinching a decisive victory and, therefore, the Quidditch Cup. Harry let out a whoop of joy just before his teammates surrounded him and hugged him.
"You're crying!" Harry shouted at Katie as she hugged him.
"Don't be silly." Katie shouted back, tears of joy rolling down her cheeks.
The euphoria of victory was therapeutic. It was felt keenly when Katie received the Quidditch Cup from McGonagall and she brought the cup to Gryffindor common room for celebration. It was one of those days where the dark stain gripping their world was forgotten, and Gryffindor house celebrated long into the night like no tomorrow.
*****
"Harry, I can't thank you enough for this. It's so hard, you know… to find a fully matured Acromantula. Oh, the things I could do with its venom…" Slughorn coughed to regain his bearings, "… of course, I'll be respectful to Hagrid's feelings. It must be painful to lose a… a pet despite its monstrous size."
Slughorn looked rather pale, and Harry found the reason why. He followed the Potion Master's look to find Aragog's carcass near a small hill near Hagrid's hut.
"Well, that's Aragog." Said Harry as they paused to stare at the massive Acromantula lying lifeless on the hill.
"Are you sure it is dead?" Slughorn asked in a whisper, looking somewhat afraid his voice might awaken the massive spider.
"You have nothing to worry about professor. Aragog is dead. Hagrid had to drag him out of the Forbidden Forest lest his family consume him whole as per their custom."
"There is a family of Acromantula living in the Forbidden Forest!" Slughorn asked with surprise.
Seeing Harry nod, Slughorn looked rather worried.
"I always thought those were just strange rumours, you know. These beasts are unreasonable monsters. They will threaten every life in the forest and drain it dry of anything worth preserving." Slughorn warned.
"They'll be taken care of shortly." said Harry.
"Ah! Thought ahead of everyone, have you." Slughorn looked at him with a proud glint in his eyes.
"They're a risk not worth tolerating considering the current situation and their proximity to the school. Riddle can be persuasive with such beasts and use them against our detriment."
"Right, you are, Harry. May I ask how you plan on doing so? A nest of mature Acromantulas is not to be underestimated. Their senses are sharp, and their speed is deadly." Slughorn warned gently.
"There is nothing to worry about, professor. I have been developing a version of the Draught of Living Death in vapour form for some time."
"Truly? How far along are you in this task?"
"Oh, I completed it a month ago."
"What! Why haven't you come forward with this to me, my boy? Do you know what you've done? This is a discovery that'll take the field of Potions by storm! You're most certainly assured several acclamations from the most respected Potion Masters from around the world for your work." Slughorn looked ready to jump up and down in joy.
"Ah, I didn't want the knowledge to get out, considering the state of war now, sir. After all, the use of such knowledge might give Riddle an edge." Harry pointed out.
"Ah!" Slughorn's eyes dimmed before nodding with a look of understanding, "You're right, Harry. Such knowledge could negatively impact the war efforts of the Ministry should it fall into the wrong hands. You can trust me to keep this a secret."
"I know I can trust you, sir." Harry smiled at the gentle professor, "That's why I told you, and I know your love for potions. I'll be most happy to share the process with you, and I'll be honoured to hear your opinion, Professor."
Slughorn perked up at that, and he was back to his jubilant self, excitedly talking about all the different methods he could use to study the process and look for room for more improvement. They talked and talked all the way to the hill, where they stopped their conversation out of respect for the dead. Hagrid was understandably grieving the loss of his oldest friend. Harry helped Hagrid dig a massive grave for Aragog while Professor Slughorn 'prepared' the body.
Hagrid was initially reluctant to harvest the venom from the lifeless body of his friend. But Slughorn's gift of one of the older bottles of Firewhisky smoothed over any ruffled feathers. They spent the night in Hagrid's hut, sharing a couple of bottles of Firewhisky and Hagrid's own homegrown mead. Stories were told, and songs were sung that night, with Harry keeping his wits until the two men were peacefully snoring away in their seats.
Harry drained a couple of pepper-up potions and purged the influence of Firewhisky from his body. He took out a two-way mirror and contacted the mercenaries.
"It's time. Meet me at the spot." Harry said through the mirror before he cut off the connection.
He swiftly changed into his animagus form and ran out of Hagrid's hut straight into the heart of the Forbidden Forest.
He ran with all his might until finally, he reached the pipeline that came out of Slytherin's Chamber. Just as he shifted to his human form, several figures apparated into the spot. He knew only Christoph Shmidt, a hired hit-wizard serving the Flamels.
"So, what do you need, Herr Potter?" Shmidt asked.
"I need your men to maintain a perimeter around the ward that I create and ensure no Acromantula escape." Harry removed several canisters from his mokeskin pouch, "After I deploy these canisters, the Acromantula nest will be put to sleep. After I vent the area of the gas, I want you and your men to gather as many of them as you can grab and meet me here."
"Any questions?" Harry looked expectantly at the men, but they remained silent like a rock.
"Good. Let's begin."
Harry started off with a ward which trapped the Acromantula nest within a boundary enforced by magical energy while the mercenaries spread out across the edge of the wards. He started deploying the canisters inside the region using runes to set off the canisters to spill their contents onto the forest floor. Some good use of wind spells saw the gas spread far and wide across the area.
Pretty soon, the bubble of energy covering the forest area was not filled with potion fumes that put all creatures to sleep. A couple of Acromantula tried to claw their way out of the energy barrier, but they were put down for good unceremoniously by the mercenaries.
"All right, Herr Potter. How will you take away the potion fumes? Or do you want all of us to go in with the bubblehead charm and let the wind take care of the fumes?" Shmidt asked curiously with no judgment in his tone.
"I prefer not to leave evidence if possible." said Harry.
Taking a few steps forward, Harry raised his wand and concentrated his magic to wipe out any evidence of the potion.
"Locus Sigillum."
A circular tear in space was formed inside the barrier, which began sucking in the air, which also removed the fumes from the canisters. After holding the spell for half an hour, Harry cancelled the spell.
"Now, you may use the bubblehead charm." said Harry after cancelling the barrier.
He also called for Dobby and Kreacher to lead an army of elves under his employ to gather all the Acromantula silk from the nest and move it to Potter Manor.
Harry waited patiently until the mercenaries returned with sleeping Acromantulas under body-bind spells.
"This is all we could carry." said Shmidt.
Harry could see an emotion on the German mercenary's face for the first time. It was one of revulsion.
"That's it then. You may drop them and be on your way."
Without saying another word, the mercenaries apparated away after the dropped the captured Acromantulas at his feet. Harry summoned a rope and turned it into a portkey before wrapping it around all the captured Acromatulas. He sent them away to a safe location before turning his sights on the nest.
Once again, he raised a barrier before setting the whole place under a blazing inferno. The Acromantula nest burned in the darkness of the night, and Harry shielded from prying eyes what was happening under the most advanced wards.
With that, the threat from Acromantula nest and his connection with them were severed permanently. At the same time, he also gained a couple of healthy Acromantula and a lifetime supply of quality Acromantula silk. It was one of the most productive nights he ever had. With that happy thought, he retired to the castle and spent the rest of the night sleeping comfortably in bed.
*****
An excerpt from The Field of Fire by Ernst Eckhart.
The fall of France, Spain and Portugal by 1664 solidified the hold of the Scottish Empire over Western Europe. While the Empire laboured to hold the vast lands they conquered within four years, King Titus was heartily waging a fierce campaign against the last major power in Central Europe.
After King Titus was coronated as the King of Germany, any illusions of peace or armistice between the Holy Roman Empire and the Scottish Empire were disregarded. House Habsburg and House Targaryen were in deadlocks, fighting for total control over Europe. The only way the war would end was with a decisive defeat of either one of the empires.
House Habsburg was not alone in their struggle against the Targaryen push into Central Europe. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth also joined in combating the relentless assault of King Titus, Princesses Graine and Rhianna Targaryen.
Two long years of campaign against Central European powers saw Poland and the Holy Roman Empire constantly on the back foot. But both nations put up a valiant fight, with more troops joining the frontlines each passing year in a desperate struggle to preserve the integrity of their nations.
King Titus preferred a methodical conquest of all German-speaking lands. Therefore, he took his time to capture cities, towns, and villages. Unlike the other Targaryen princes waging wars in Europe, King Titus showed no hurry in gobbling up enemy territory.
The reason for this strategy became evident when war broke out between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy Roman Empire. The Mediterranean suddenly engulfed in flames of war was the last blow the flailing economy of the Holy Roman Empire could take as they fractured from within with a starving and hopeless populace. The tenuous hold of House Hapsburg on their empire crumbled, with many local aristocrats swearing allegiance to the House of the Dragon in exchange for securing their posts and protecting their lands from the ravages of war.
The Ottoman Empire had long desired the opening of trade routes into Central Europe, but the Holy Roman Empire and the Commonwealth stood in their way of further expansion into the Balkans and Western Europe.
However, the Continental War offered them a unique opportunity to invade Europe further, as the Western Catholic Kingdoms had fallen to the Scottish Empire. Since war broke out in Europe, the Ottoman Empire had been preparing to wage war to secure their interests in the region. But they were patient and chose to watch rather than interfere immediately. Only when Russia fell into civil war and the Holy Roman Empire was invaded by the Targaryens, they decided to make their ambitions known.
So, on the eve of March 3 1665, the Ottoman Empire crossed into Hungary, starting the age-old war between the sons of Abraham.
The weakened state of the Holy Roman Empire made it easier for the Ottoman army to march virtually uncontested further into Habsburg lands. Wild tales of atrocities by the Ottoman army reached Vienna and Rome, making the two centres of power panic. All the powers that be that moved the cogs in the wheel of the successor of the old Roman Empire were left with nothing but fear of the imminent destruction of the centre of the Christian faith.
King Titus saw the opportunity for what it was. Being a pragmatic man, he used the age-old fears and conflicts that existed between Christians and Muslims to his advantage. He sent negotiators to Rome as the Ottoman invasion gained ground rapidly in Vienna. Rome was expected to be the next target after Vienna fell to the Ottoman expansion. The pressure mounted on Rome once the Commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania surrendered to Princess Graine.
Rome was forced to choose the lesser of two evils and made peace with the Scottish Crown.
On September 5 1665, King Titus and Princess Rhianna Targaryen flew their dragons Moonfyre and Moonburn into Rome. It is said the bells tolled for a whole hour across Rome as the reigning monarch of Scotland landed inside the grounds of Quirinal Palace, the official residence of the Pope. The skies of Rome were filled with the airships of the Royal Fleet of Scotland.
It was in the Quirinal Palace that the Holy Roman Emperor and the Papal states signed the declaration of surrender to King Titus Targaryen. Before the ink dried on the document, the banners of House Targaryen flew across Rome and the Holy Roman Empire.
Following the treaty signed, the Pope declared the line of Targaryen kings to be declared Archangel Michael's favoured kin. King Hadrian Targaryen was declared a saint and years later modified it to reflect the Valyrian faith's claim that first Targaryen was an angel who took human form.
But war seldom stopped in King Titus' gaze. As the last great power in Europe fell under his command, King Titus now faced a new enemy – the Ottoman Empire. He gathered his two steadfast friends, Princess Graine and Rhianna and their army to wreak havoc on the invading Ottoman Army outside Vienna. The Ottoman troops that were engaged in the siege of Vienna suddenly found themselves facing the formidable army and massive dragons of the most powerful Empire the world had ever seen. Within a month, all the gains the Ottoman Empire amassed outside their natural borders were seized by King Titus. The Ottoman army faced dragonfire and it was then the Turkish empire learned that they were not ready to face the might of the dragon and survive to tell the tale.
In the following years, the Ottoman Empire would shrink in land size as King Titus chased the Ottoman Empire out of Europe all the way to Constantinople. The fall of Constantinople was the last blow that shattered Ottoman supremacy in Europe and the beginning of the end of Ottoman supremacy in the eastern seas.
Ships bearing dragon banners sailed into the Mediterranean Sea, the Ionian Sea, and the Aegean Sea. The arrival of the Targaryen fleet was followed by the dragons settling in Austria, the Papal states, Hungary and many other cities, all the way to Greece and finally Constantinople. With the fall of Constantinople, the Ottoman Empire was forced to sign a peace treaty that forced them to swear off any claims to Europe.
In Russia, the civil war that broke out from the rise of the Ministry of Magic of Russia delivered half of the vast kingdom into the hands of the Scottish Empire. The rest tried to stay in defiance of Targaryen rule until 1669. Still, the constant flux of political games created the absence of strong leadership until the Ministry of Russia decided to join the Scottish Empire.
Thus, King Titus was crowned the Emperor of Europe, ending the Continental War in 1670 with no more enemy states in Europe.
However, if Titus dreamed of European conquest, his son, who was born to Princess Rhianna, dreamed of the conquest of Asia.
When his time came to ascend the Scottish throne, Hadrian the Stormdragon would become the whirlwind that'd bring Asia's old and ancient states to their knees. His ambition was great, and that greatness made him the favourite of King Titus, who also saw the inevitability of a Targaryen-ruled world.
AN:
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