Chapter 152: "Progress, Plans and Rituals"

After the dueling tournament concluded successfully, Harry enjoyed several days with his family on the pristine beaches of the French coast. He insisted that everyone take a break from their usual routines, emphasizing the importance of relaxing together. With the shadow of an impending war looming, Harry believed it was crucial to cherish these peaceful moments.

Once their vacation ended and they returned from France, Harry felt reenergized and ready to resume his studies. Given the formidable strengths of Voldemort and Dumbledore, which he had learned about through Voldemort's memories, Harry knew he had a long way to go to match their power. He resolved to use his time effectively, planning to rest only after all threats had been addressed.

Harry also contemplated the inexplicable victory of the original Harry from the books over a far more experienced and powerful Voldemort. Determined not to rely on such uncertain outcomes, Harry was committed to thorough preparation for his own encounter.

He had recently paused his studies in Healing and Warding, having reached a proficiency near the master level—adequate for practical application but not yet sufficient for teaching or acing master-level exams.

For now, this knowledge was sufficient. Harry's immediate concern was preparing for the upcoming war. With Voldemort, his Death Eaters, and various dark creatures on the horizon, mastering Defense Against the Dark Arts (DADA) became his priority. His journeys into Voldemort's memories had underscored the scale of the dark forces among Voldemort's allies, affirming his focus on DADA.

While considering additional subjects to study, Harry remained undecided. The complexity of advancing in Potions—requiring significantly more time and effort at higher levels—made it less appealing. His expertise in Charms and Transfiguration, honed through dueling, was adequate for current demands. Thus, his plan was to focus exclusively on DADA to arm himself for future challenges.

Harry's knight training had hit a frustrating bottleneck. Despite consistent practice with the Knight Breathing method and swordplay, he had made only modest progress—just a 10% improvement over the past year, leaving him at about 60% of the way to becoming a true knight. His efforts, including battling acromantulas in the Forbidden Forest, were no longer challenging enough to give him quick progress.

Realizing he needed a genuinely life-threatening challenge to advance, Harry considered several daunting options—werewolf colonies, giants, vampires. However, he felt unprepared to confront them solely with his sword skills; although he could handle them easily magically, that fight wouldn't aid his knight training.

After evaluating all possibilities, Harry chose to target the Inferi-infested cave from which Regulus Black had once retrieved Voldemort's Horcrux. Although Inferi were generally weak, their numbers in a confined space might offer the significant challenge he needed to overcome his training bottleneck.

Armed with the cave's location from Voldemort's memories—and with Kreacher available to guide him to the location if necessary—Harry prepared thoroughly, studying Inferi to fully understand the risks involved. He was determined not to underestimate the dangers of facing a horde of Inferi.

In the days leading up to his cave expedition, Harry also began advanced studies in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Focusing particularly on Inferi, creatures akin to zombies, unbothered by pain, their only notable weakness being fire. However, since Harry planned to rely solely on his swordsmanship to enhance his knight training, he anticipated a challenging confrontation. As he delved deep into a large tome on dark creatures, the Ravenclaw diadem resting on his head to enhance his comprehension.

During this intense period of study, Mira returned from an important mission he had assigned upon their return from France. This task was crucial, and her success was a pivotal moment.

Mira entered, carrying a large, ancient-looking tome and placed it heavily on Harry's study table.

"Master Harry, I have retrieved the book you requested. Vardey assisted me," she announced, her eyes gleaming with a mixture of pride and accomplishment.

Harry examined the tome's cover, which read 'Arcanum Rituales.' This book was crucial; it held the knowledge his grandmother Euphemia had used to perform the ritual that had partially vanquished Voldemort, aiming to protect her grandsons. After his encounter with Quirrel at Hogwarts, where Quirrel had disintegrated upon touching him, Harry's urgency to understand this protective magic had intensified, particularly to verify if his brother Charles was also safeguarded by it.

Curious, Harry inquired, "Where did you find this? Was it hidden at Godric's Hollow?"

Mira shook her head, "No, Master Harry. It was in the possession of the bad guy whiskers."

Harry instantly knew she was referring to Dumbledore. He was amused yet frustrated by how much of his family's belongings ended up with the old wizard.

"How many items from the Potter family has that old guy borrowed and never returned? I'll need to visit his office soon and take a look around. Perhaps I'll discover more items belonging to my family," Harry mused, his tone a mix of determination and annoyance. "Excellent work, Mira. Please extend my thanks to Vardey for me."

As Mira nodded and left the room, Harry turned his attention back to the tome. Eager to uncover its secrets, he knew the process might be lengthy as the book lacked an index. Still, the potential to discover useful rituals was worth the meticulous search.

He began leafing through 'Arcanum Rituales,' his interest piqued by each new ritual he uncovered. One particularly caught his eye—a protective ritual that would curse his own blood if used in any dark magic without his consent. This spell ensured that any unauthorized use would backfire disastrously, a perfect countermeasure against potential threats like Voldemort's resurrection or any blood curse that might target him.

He placed bookmarks on pages containing rituals that warranted further investigation and noted to discuss them with Arcturus and Cordelia, his trusted mentors, to ensure there were no harmful side effects.

Finally, Harry found the section detailing the ritual used by his grandmother, Euphemia Potter. Named the 'Guardian's Sacrifice,'. This ritual was crafted to provide an unyielding shield of protection through the self-sacrifice of one's life force. It required the caster to inscribe protective runes around the space occupied by the ones to be safeguarded—in this case, Harry and his brother Charles.

The purpose of the ritual was to activate a dome of magical protection, which would spring to life upon the caster's sacrifice. This dome was not just a barrier but a dynamic shield that would adapt and respond to any direct magical attack, particularly from the individuals inferred as a threat during the sacrifice. Once activated, the protection was formidable, designed to last until the threat was completely neutralized or destroyed. This meant that as long as the threat lived, in any form, the protection continued to exist.

Understanding this, Harry realized that both he and Charles were still under the ongoing protection from Voldemort, as prescribed by the ritual, due to Voldemort's lingering presence in the world through his Horcruxes. This insight was crucial for Harry, affirming the lasting effectiveness of his grandmother's magic and the enduring safety it provided him and his brother against their marked enemy.

After learning what he needed, he just continued leafing through 'Arcanum Rituales' to search for any other useful rituals when stumbled across the Animagus ritual, which again piqued his interest.