Chapter - 60 : Shadows of the Past

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Loving the story so far? There's a whole world of magic and mystery waiting for you with over 85+ chapters still to come! By supporting my Patreon.

You not only get early access to new chapters but also exclusive content, behind-the-scenes insights, and special perks just for fans like you.

Join us on this enchanted journey and help shape the future of the tale. Your support makes all the difference—discover more and become part of the adventure today!

http//patreon.com/Kun_kanshi

(P).(A).(T).(R).(E).(O).(N)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Composed of a mass of soft, springy tendrils and vines that possess some sense of touch, Devil's Snare uses its creepers and tendrils to ensnare anyone who touches it…

Harry shifted in his uncomfortable wooden chair, then stuck his quill in the ink pot and continued writing.

The harder a person struggles against Devil's Snare, the faster and tighter it binds them, if they relax, it will not kill them as quickly.

Devil's Snare prefers a dark, damp environment and shrinks away from fire, so a well-placed flame spell will drive it away from its victims. However, Devil's Snare is most notorious for-

"Harry?"

The tentative call startled the teenager from his homework and to his aunt who was hovering in his doorway. "Yes?"

Petunia shifted uncomfortably under her nephew's inscrutable gaze. "We're going out to dinner."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Is that an invitation, Aunt?" A small smile quirked his lips when he noted the tension that suddenly tightened Petunia's shoulders. "Although I appreciate the offer, I'm afraid I can't, I've got a bit more work to do," he gestured to the books and parchments littering his desk.

Immediately the blonde woman relaxed. "If you're sure. We'll be back in a few hours, there's some leftover roast in the fridge if you get hungry."

"All right."

"All right," Petunia lingered in the doorway for a bit longer, but after several long seconds of silence she took the hint and left.

With her gone, Harry was able to continue working on his homework in peace, but he found himself unable to concentrate as the Dursley's bustled around downstairs, preparing to leave. What was taking them so long? There were only three of them, and he figured the Dursley men would be moving faster than ever if it meant getting to food quicker.

As the minutes dragged on, Harry felt himself growing more and more impatient, but he forced himself to remain in his seat and write out another three paragraphs on Devil's Snare and its uses in different potions, until finally, finally, the Dursley's all piled into the car to head off to some poor restaurant that would, in all likeliness, not be prepared for the appetites of both Dudley and Vernon. They'd empty their stock before they could even hope to satisfy them.

Harry made himself wait another five minutes before rising from his seat at his rickety desk and crossing the hall to the bathroom. It had only been a week since his return from his fourth year at Hogwarts (his worst to date) and he'd been impatiently waiting for a chance to be alone since. He had something he'd been desperate to try since the third task, but didn't dare attempt to do it at Hogwarts lest he be caught by a student or teacher. Today was the first time he'd been truly alone in a long time and he wasn't going to waste it.

Quickly, Harry stripped down to his pants and stared at himself in the large mirror. A large part of him was scared to go through with what he was about to do, but another part of him, a very smallpart, was kind of excited.

Before he could talk himself out of going through with this, Harry twisted the tap on the sink as cold as it could go and allowed it to run for a few seconds. What he had done in the graveyard had been with a wand, but because of the foolish underage magic laws he would have to do his experiment wandlessly, using the tap just made things a bit easier.

A sharp crack echoed throughout the bathroom as Harry easily snapped the faucet, sending a geyser of water spraying in wide arcs to the tile. Harry allowed the water to thoroughly drench him as he focused on his task. Ice, he thought, visualizing a vast frozen tundra. Snow. Cold.

The effects of his magic were gradual, barely even noticeable for a while. First the air grew colder, so cold Harry could see his breath misting in front of his face with each exhalation, the temperature steadily dropped and Harry felt the invigorating effects of the cold taking over. The water spewing from the faucet froze, falling to the ground with a musical tinkling sound. As the temperature in the bathroom reached subarctic and all warmth was leached from his body, he waited. But even after the floor had been carpeted in a thick layer of snow and the walls had been coated in ice, his skin remained the same pale shade it had been all of his life.

When it was confirmed that his current approach wasn't working, Harry moved on to Plan B. A plan he was still pretty leery about. If things went right all he would have to worry about was a warning from the Ministry for the use of underage magic, if things went wrong...well then Harry would wind up with a most likely permanent disability. But the chances of the latter were slim.

Hopefully.

Harry retrieved his wand from his discarded trousers and, after mentally preparing himself for his actions and whatever consequences they may warrant, pointed his wand at his hand and muttered, "Glacius."

Immediately, a strong torrent of ice shot from the tip of his wand, but instead of allowing the ice to harden and engulf his hand as it was supposed to, Harry absorbed the icy magic and forced it to flow directly into his hands. It didn't even take a ten seconds before the change he'd been both dreading and anticipating slowly crept up his hand and over the rest of his body.

Blue slowly inched its way from his fingertips, up his arm, down his chest, and across his face until he was blue from head to toe, his normally green irises were blood red, even brighter than Voldemort's, and odd half circles marked his forehead and the center of his chest as if they'd been carved into his skin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Loving the story so far? There's a whole world of magic and mystery waiting for you with over 85+ chapters still to come! By supporting my Patreon.

You not only get early access to new chapters but also exclusive content, behind-the-scenes insights, and special perks just for fans like you.

Join us on this enchanted journey and help shape the future of the tale. Your support makes all the difference—discover more and become part of the adventure today!

http//patreon.com/Kun_kanshi

(P).(A).(T).(R).(E).(O).(N)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~