Consort of Destined Death Chapter 11

Swamp water splashed with each step of Torrent’s hooves, as the spectral steed raced across the shallow lakes of Liurnia, dodging the oversized creatures that infested the swamps all the while. They eventually reached the edge of the wetlands, as dry and land and tall trees greeted them after hours of moistened travel, but they didn’t stop there.

Millicent’s arms wrapped tight around him, and Harry tried not to pay attention to the way her body hugged his own. The feel of her breasts against his back, her chin on his shoulder, or even her thick thighs pressing against his own. It was a feeling he could get lost in, having the beautiful redhead riding along with him.

But Caria Manor, and the next site of grace, awaited them. After deciding to accept Ranni’s invitation, Harry had decided to make haste in order to get there early. He had his own obligations at Hogwarts, and wanted to be able to easily travel between Caria Manor and Hogwarts leisurely in the coming weeks.

The massive manor belonging to the Carian Royal Family came into view then as they left the forest they were traveling through. It was more of a fortress than an actual home, not as big as Stormveil or Hogwarts, but still intimidating in its own right. Constructed out of stone and built on multiple levels upon a slope, it would be a nightmare for any army to take by force.

And sure enough, as he got closer Harry could spot what remained of past battlefields where armies had tried and failed to take the manor. If one wasn’t deterred by the soldiers lining the manor’s walls, then the graveyard of assailants would be sure to do it.

As Harry rode closer to the main gate, he couldn’t help but notice the two trolls wearing ornate Carian armor which stood intimidatingly at the entrance to the manor. He approached cautiously, slowing Torrent’s pace as Millicent looked over his shoulder curiously.

“Umm… Hello?” He called out as they got near.

“Greetings.” One of the trolls looked down at him through the slits in his helm. “For what reason doth thou approach Caria Manor?”

He swallowed down his hesitation. “I’m Harry Potter, and with me is Millicent. We were invited to attend the upcoming festival by Moongrum, on behalf of Princess Ranni.”

The two trolls looked at each other before nodding. “I am Brol, and at my side is Grol.”

“We dutifully serve Princess Ranni and the Carian Royal Family.” Grol continued. “If you bring any harm to Princess Ranni during your time here, Tarnished, then you will have to deal with us.”

“I assure you, we don’t want to harm Princess Ranni.” Harry assured them, while Millicent nodded frantically behind him.

“Excellent.” Grol seemed pleased by his answer. “Although Brol has a… Question he would like thou to answer first.”

Brol nodded. “Tell us, Tarnished, what is the best way to put down a rampaging starbeast?”

“Err…” Harry blinked in confusion, casting a look over at Millicent only to see she looked just as confused as he did. He wondered if this was some sort of test, or maybe even riddle, in which case he didn’t even know what a rampaging starbeast was. The closest creature he could imagine would be a bull—and he had only ever seen muggles use red fabrics to distract them in cartoons on the Dursley’s television.

“You… distract it?” He guessed.

The two trolls looked at one another before shrugging. “That’s as good an answer as any, I suppose. Thou may enter, Tarnished.”

A tap of his foot in the stirrup, and Torrent silently moved forward through the manor’s entrance and into its courtyard, finding a bustling and overgrown area waiting for them inside. Over the large area stood stone walkways and ramparts, overlapping the courtyard so that any attackers who breached the manor’s main entrance would find themselves targeted by archers in every direction.

Carian knights, ordinary soldiers of Liurnia, and merchants of all kinds filled the space, and no one spared him and Millicent a second glance as they dismounted before dismissing Torrent. He realized then that Caria manor wasn’t just a home for Ranni’s family, but more akin to a village that housed a decent sized population.

He sometimes wondered just where and how the population of the Lands Between lived, and in that moment he finally got his answer. People had migrated to the safest places they could find, whether it be the Academy of Raya Lucaria, Caria Manor, or the Leyndell Royal Capital. Everywhere else was simply too dangerous for normal people, leaving those brave enough—or stupid—to roam the rest of the land outside of the few safe settlements.

“Ahh, you must be the Tarnished Ranni mentioned.” Harry turned to see what could only be described as an half-man, half-werewolf heading towards him. He was heavily armored and extremely tall, and carried a massive greatsword on his back, but for some reason appeared friendly. “The name’s Blaidd, loyal shadow to Princess Ranni. It’s good to see you here, as Ranni could always use more loyal men in her service.”

“Fluffy!” Millicent exclaimed, her eyes wide with excitement, seemingly not intimidated by Blaidd in the least.

“Yes, I suppose it’s best to be well groomed when in the vicinity of the Princess.” Blaidd chuckled, running a hand through his recently groomed fur.

“When exactly can we meet with Ranni?” Harry asked.

“I’m afraid the next audience you can get will be during the festival.” Blaidd rubbed his chin. “In the meantime, I can show the two of you to your quarters. That is… if you want separate living arrangements, of course.”

He looked at Millicent, and she looked back at him with wide eyes before quickly looking away.

“Separate!” They exclaimed simultaneously.

Blaidd chuckled.

/////

Harry walked into one of the many Hogwarts courtyards to find it was packed with students, all of which seemed to have their attention on one specific sight.

“C-Can you go to the ball with me?”

“Non. Not if you were ze only boy in zis school.”

The Beauxbatons Champion didn’t give the boy a second look as he slinked away with his ears burning, turning her nose up in distaste as the courtyard goers laughed at his misfortune.

The Hogwarts courtyard outside the Great Hall had seemingly formed two groups. One was a literal line of boys desperate to get Fleur Delacour’s attention, and to ask her to accompany them to the Yule Ball. The other was a vicious crowd who laughed and mocked every boy she turned down, led by Draco Malfoy and his goons.

The next boy, a Ravenclaw sixth-year, stepped up and tried to put on a confident smile. “I was thinking, perhaps—”

“Non.”

He wilted and walked away in a daze, laughter following in his wake. A Slytherin stepped up next, clearing his throat with forced grandeur.

“Ms. Delacour,” He began elegantly , “I’d be honored if you—”

She gave him a long, slow once-over that made him visibly shrink. “Next.”

Ouch. Even Harry winced in sympathy, despite the boy being a Slytherin. The courtyard burst into laughter nonetheless.

Fleur, seemingly unbothered, checked her nails. Another boy approached then, and she shut him down with a single raised eyebrow. Several tried to make jokes or use muggle pickup lines, none of which so much as made her smile. One boy even tried reciting poetry, only for Fleur to interrupt him.

“Please.” She said slowly, as if lecturing a dimwit. “Never do zat again. Next.”

The laughter grew louder as the crowd grew in size, and Harry realized that some of the rejected students were joining the crowd of vicious onlookers to try and feel better about themselves. Among them were Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were practically doubled over, and Harry realized they too must have asked Fleur out.

He was about to slip away before the whole thing became unbearable when he heard a familiar voice shout then. “Oi! Lemme through! C’mon, move!”

Oh no. He saw a flash of red hair as Ron forced his way to the front of the line, literally shoving his way forward to get to Fleur.

Fleur’s eyes narrowed dangerously, while Malfoy grinned like Christmas had come early.

Fleur turned, eyes narrowing at the sudden intrusion, and Harry could feel the temperature in the courtyard drop several degrees.

Ron stopped in front of her, panting lightly, his face flush. He smoothed his robes and attempted what he must have thought was a charming grin.

“H-Hi.” He stuttered.

Fleur glared, seeming to be especially irritated by the redhead’s presence. Ron swallowed hard, gathering his courage.

“I-I was wondering…” He stuttered out, as the crowd desperately held onto its breath. “I mean—well—I was thinking, y-you know, s-since the Yule Ball is coming up, t-that maybe you’d like to g-go with me?”

The courtyard was silent with anticipation, as Fleur stared Ron down before her lips curved in a sharp, disdainful representation of a smile. Malfoy’s face was red as he desperately tried to contain his laughter, and the Slytherins around him were little different.

“With you?” She echoed coldly.

Ron nodded frantically, seemingly misinterpreting the situation to think she genuinely was thinking it over.

Fleur tilted her head in a way that made even Harry’s stomach twist.

“Non.” The single word cracked like a whip, but Fleur wasn’t done. “Your robes do not fit, and you speak like your tongue is too beeg for your mouth. I would sooner attend ze ball with a flobberworm than with you. Don’t talk to me ever again, leetle boy.”

Ron’s ears went scarlet, his expression collapsing into stunned horror. The crowd exploded with laughter and jeers, as Fleur give a final distasteful sniff, before walking off. To the side, Malfoy was clapping in delight, before taunting Ron incessantly.

“Look at his face!” Malfoy laughed himself hoarse as he pointed at Ron. “She put Weasley in his place! She treated him worse than a troll! Hahaha!”

The old Harry would’ve rushed in to comfort his best friend, and to defend him from the Slytherins. But it had been Ron who ended their relationship, who chose to ostracize Harry and call him a liar. And so he didn’t have any sympathy for the redhead, and if anything felt a certain vindictive glee by watching him be humiliated.

He got what he deserved. Ron always wanted the spotlight, and with Fleur he tried to get it by being her date to the ball. Instead he got the opposite of what he wanted, the spotlight by humiliating himself in front of the entire school.

Seeing that the entertainment was over, the crowd began to disperse as Harry left the courtyard and made his way through the school’s many hallways as he headed towards the library. He still had to ask a girl to go to the Yule ball with him, and could only hope he would have better luck than Ron.

He turned a corner and came to a harsh stop then, finding himself suddenly looking into blue eyes that stared down at him with a strange intensity. Fleur Delacour stood in front of him, leaving the two of them standing alone in the hallway, as she scrutinized him closely with her beautiful eyes.

“ 'Arry Potter.” She began, saying his name like tasting it. “Would you like to go with me to ze ball?”

His mind stopped working for a moment, as he slowly digested her words. He hadn’t expected to run into Fleur, and would’ve never predicted her to ask him to the Yule ball. Harry had just witnessed her turn down scores of upper-year wizards after all, and didn’t know why she would even consider him in the first place.

They had barely spoken to each other, with most of their interactions being downright abysmal, and yet for some reason she wanted to be his date to the ball. She clearly had some sort of interest in him, as was made clear after the first task, and yet he couldn’t figure out just what it was she wanted. Maybe she really wants to get closer to me because of the tournament…

He shook his head, pushing those thoughts away. Harry didn’t want to assume the worst, and would give Fleur the benefit of the doubt in case she genuinely desired friendship with him. In the meantime, he could tell his silence was worrying her, as her expression became somewhat vulnerable while her legs shifted.

“Sorry, but I can’t.”

Her eyes widened in shock at his response. “Non?”

“I… Already have someone else that I’m going with.” He explained.

Her gaze narrowed in. “Ah… Is it ze redhead or ze blonde? I am sure zat they would not mind you going with me instead.”

He could feel the pressure of her magic against him then, the compulsion of her Veela allure pressing against his mind. She was frustrated, wanted him to submit to her demands, and he had to struggle against it otherwise his tongue would slip and he would accept. He had seen it happen too many times already, with Ron making a fool of himself because of it.

“I’m sorry Fleur, but you’ll have to find someone else.” He took a deep breath to try and control himself. “And please don’t use your magic on me like that again.”

In an instant, her Veela allure stopped trying to influence him. Her expression went still, and he moved around her before moving swiftly towards the library. Behind him, Fleur’s gaze burned into the back of his skull, all while he kept himself moving forward.

He eventually made his way into the library and past the rows of bookshelves, discreetly eyeing each tables’ occupant until he found the witch he was looking for. She sat with two other girls, both being brunettes with one being a younger Ravenclaw while the other was a Slytherin in her year.

Harry took a steadying breath before approaching, as the group of three soon noticed him. The youngest girl smiled mischievously at his approach, before waving his way. “Hi Harry!”

“Hey.”

“I’m Astoria, Daphne’s sister.” The Ravenclaw brunette introduced herself, before nudging the other girl. “And this is Tracey.”

“Potter.” The Slytherin brunette beside her greeted, her expression not changing.

“Daphne told us you two were friends.” Astoria grinned teasingly at her sister. “I guess it took Harry Potter of all people to melt that icy personality of hers.”

“Heh, I guess so.” Daphne eyed her sister irritably, and he knew it was better if they spoke alone. Otherwise he feared that she might actually curse Astoria. “Mind if I talk to Daphne alone?”

The two girls shared a knowing look before leaving them alone, and he had no doubt that they would be spying on their conversation.

“I’m surprised you’re not comforting Weasley.” Daphne spoke first, after a long moment.

She already heard about that? It had only been a few minutes since Fleur and Ron’s confrontation. He then realized that the notorious Hogwarts rumor mill would’ve spread what happened to Ron throughout the school in mere minutes.

“Saw the whole thing. Ron walked right into that one.”

“I suppose even Delacour is smart enough to not go to the ball with Weasley.” Her blue eyes shifted to him. “You’re lucky that I told my best friend and sister about our relationship before you approached me.”

“About that…” His collar suddenly felt tight as he cleared his throat in anticipation. “Ms. Greengrass, would you give me the pleasure of being your date to the ball?”

Her eye twitched, and she pinched her brow in annoyance before letting out a short breath. “What happened to keeping things discreet?”

He tried not to grimace. “I ran into Fleur on the way here, and she asked me to the ball. I told her I was going with someone else, and she guessed it was either you or Susan.”

“You actually turned her down?” Daphne looked shocked, her mouth partly agape for a brief moment before she snapped it closed. “Consider me surprised.”

He shrugged. “I figured I’d talk to you about it first.”

“Fine.” She let out a sigh, although he spotted red on her cheeks. “I’ll go with you to the ball, Harry, just make sure you wear some nice dress robes.”

/////

The ground shook from the marching steps of tens of thousands. They descended the mountain in a tidal wave, greater than ever with a numerical superiority that would plant the final stake in the rotting corpse that was the Golden Order. It was the mightiest force to set out since the dreaded Malenia’s own march that cut a swathe of destruction through the entire continent.

A small village burned behind him, one of the few still standing outside Leyndell’s outer walls within the confines of the Altus Plateau. It’s inhabitants either joined their cause or were put to the stake. In the background he could hear those who still believed the lies of the Two Fingers being skinned alive, their bodies hung upside down and burned as a warning to those who went against Volcano Manor.

“Inquisitor.” He turned to see Tanith approaching him, the intimidating form of her guardian Crucible Knight following closely behind.

“My Lady.” He bowed. “What doth thou require?”

“Our numbers have swelled considerably, but I wonder if it will be enough.” Tanith spoke bluntly. “Leyndell is strong, and has only grown stronger since we first besieged it. I do not know if the army we mustered will be able to break its outer wall, much less into the interior.”

“Then I will find more.” He stated simply.

Tanith had passively recruited as many into their ranks as possible, even going as far as to recruit Tarnished of all things. But in the end it wasn’t enough, and so more forceful methods had to be used. When rapists, murderers, and fellow blasphemers stopped arriving at Volcano Manor in droves seeking sanctuary, nearby villages would be sacked and their populations forcefully conscripted into service.

Tanith snorted. “You’ve already scraped the bottom of the barrel. What’s next, the bottom of your boots?”

“If that’s what is required.”

A rumbling noise made the both of them turn, as ranks of soldiers fell into disarray. Screams and cries of terror erupted from the men who had been forced into joining their ranks at what appeared then. The god-devouring serpent moved through their ranks, down the mountainside and down into the valley that their army would soon swell into. The massive serpent cared not for friend or foe, often bumping into—and even flattening—any unfortunate soul that got in its way.

“Our Lord waits for no one.” Tanith said fervently.

“Indeed.” Inquisitor Ghiza hefted his colossal wheel of iron, a torture weapon he still preferred to wield on the battlefield. He turned to his soldiers then, his personal torturers, being Lord Rykard’s most loyal servants. “Onto the next!”

Disclaimer: All Characters are over the Age of 18

A/N:

As per the last poll, Daphne will be Harry's date to the Yule Ball

This chapter’s ending is a hint at what is to come in the future. I also wanted to have at least some build up for the villains in this story