Young Celestial Wizard [Celestial Grimoire, Harry Potter]

"Impossible," she whispered. "You're supposed to be dead."

Harry glanced at Merula, who was staring at Rakepick in utter disbelief that the professor had tried to use the Cruciatus Curse on her. Then he looked back at Rakepick and shrugged.

"Dead? Really?" Harry said with a slight smirk. "I'm the Boy-Who-Lived, Professor. Killing Curses don't exactly work on me. You'd think someone would have mentioned that in your research."

He brushed some dust off his robes casually. "I have to say, your Cruciatus Curse needs work too. I've felt worse pain from stubbing my toe."

Rakepick's shock was quickly replaced by a deep frown. She gripped her wand tighter and took a step back.

"Are you working for 'R'?" Harry asked directly.

"I am not!" Rakepick snapped. "I work for no one but myself!"

She flicked her wand without warning, sending a jet of bloody red light straight at Harry. At the same time, dark clouds of mist began covering her body as she started to fly into the air at incredible speed.

Harry didn't even bother moving. "Seriously? After the Killing Curse failed, you thought a random hex would work better?"

One of the True Dragon Spirit's scales in Harry's Heaven began to shine as white clouds of World Power poured into it. The scale appeared directly in front of Harry to block all of Rakepick's curses thanks to its magic resistance.

But then everything seemed to dissolve around Harry as time turned back nearly three seconds.

This was all just what his Inner Eye had shown him would happen.

Harry sighed and flames roared from his feet as he stepped toward Rakepick. Within less than a quarter of a second, he had already reached her and used Mantis Style, pressing the acupuncture points on her body to completely disable her arms and legs before she could even think to resist at all.

Rakepick let out a surprised grunt as her wand clattered to the ground. She followed immediately after, unable to stand on her own feet.

Harry placed one foot on her throat and stared down at her.

"What was the point of betraying us?" he asked. "Did you think you could escape after killing me? You think that Dumbledore, the greatest wizard in the world, or the Flamels, two immortals, would let you live a good life if you murdered their student?"

Rakepick struggled to speak with Harry's foot on her throat. "You... don't understand... the treasure..."

"Was this a smart decision?" Harry continued, ignoring her attempts to justify herself. "Really? Even if you somehow managed to kill all of us, what then? You'd have to explain to the entire wizarding world why five students died under your supervision. You'd have Aurors, Hit Wizards, and probably the entire Ministry hunting you down."

Bill had managed to shake off the curse effects and was staring at Harry in amazement. "Harry! You're alive!"

"Obviously," Harry replied without taking his eyes off Rakepick. "Our dear professor here seems to have trouble with basic observation skills."

Bill was still dumbstruck. "How did you survive the Killing Curse? Again?"

"Trade secret," Harry said simply.

Harry pressed his foot down slightly harder on Rakepick's throat, making her wheeze. The Death Flames he'd used earlier had absorbed most of his emotions, leaving him feeling oddly detached about the whole situation. But slowly, anger was starting to build up inside him again.

"Let me ask you one more time," Harry said. "Are you working for 'R' or not?"

Rakepick glared up at him defiantly, even with his foot on her throat.

Harry reached into his enchanted pouch and pulled out a small vial of clear liquid. "Veritaserum. Three drops should be enough to get some honest answers out of you."

Rakepick actually started laughing, which was pretty disturbing considering her current position. "You think I'm some amateur? I know Occlumency, you foolish boy! You can't force me to say anything I don't want to say!"

Harry paused for a moment, considering this. She was right, of course. If she was skilled enough at Occlumency, she could resist the truth serum. And given that she'd been working with Jacob and Pettigrew on these vaults, she probably had some serious mental defenses.

After a moment of thought, Harry put the bottle away.

"You know what?" Harry said, stepping on her throat a little harder. "You're absolutely right. Veritaserum won't work on someone with your... skills."

He held up one finger, and it slowly began crackling with bright blue lightning. He wasn't going to risk using Soul Resonance Mist inside of a Cursed Vault, not after what happened last time he did just that.

Rakepick's eyes widened and her face went pale. "You wouldn't dare-"

Harry pressed his electrified finger against her shoulder.

Lightning coursed through Rakepick's body, and she let out a strangled scream that was cut short by Harry's foot on her throat. Her entire body convulsed as the electrical energy tore through her nervous system.

Charlotte shifted uncomfortably. Bill's face was grim, but he didn't say anything to stop Harry. Merula was watching with a strange expression, looking both disturbed and satisfied at the same time.

Five seconds later, Harry released the Chi Lightning.

Rakepick gasped desperately for air as her entire body twitched from the electrical shock.

Sadly she could barely get a proper breath with his foot still on her throat.

"That could've been a lot worse," Harry said gently. "Now, are you associated with 'R'?"

The lightning began to sheath his clenched hand as his anger was still building up more inside him even now. How dare she try to use his friends as dragon bait? How dare she leave Charlotte's brother trapped in a portrait for who knows how long?

How dare she try to kill me?

Rakepick's voice came out as a hoarse whisper. "R... R is too powerful to be opposed! I may just be a part of the organization, but you can't escape their wrath!"

Harry's eyes narrowed. So she was working for them after all.

"A part of the organization?" Harry repeated. "So you admit you're working for them?"

Rakepick's breathing was still labored. "You... you don't understand what you're dealing with. R has resources, connections, power beyond anything you can imagine. They've been planning this for years, decades even!"

Charlotte's face had gone white. "You've been working for the people who threatened to kill my friends and forced my brother to work for them?"

"Your brother was always expendable," Rakepick wheezed. "Just like all of you! R doesn't care about a few students getting hurt if it means achieving their goals."

Harry felt his anger spike higher. The cold detachment from the Death Flames was wearing off completely now, replaced by a burning fury that made his chi start to heat up.

"What goals?" Harry demanded. "What does R actually want?"

But Rakepick just started laughing. "You think I'd tell you anything useful? You're just children playing-"

She vanished.

Harry's eyes narrowed as he stared at the empty space where she'd been sitting. So she could somehow apparate even with her arms and feet utterly disabled? Rakepick was indeed skilled...

Actually, it was possible to apparate from within the Cursed Vault? So all that nonsense about them not being able to leave so easily was just that... nonsense.

Not that it mattered. This was just a vision from his Inner Eye.

Harry grasped Rakepick by the throat and squeezed down tightly before she could even think about laughing.

"You're not escaping that easily," he whispered. Then he pressed the Fengchi acupoint at the base of her skull with one finger, and her body went limp immediately.

Charlotte looked confused. "Harry, why didn't you question her further? She might have told us more about R!"

Harry sighed and slung Rakepick's unconscious body over his shoulder. "I could tell that she was about to disapparate away. We couldn't risk that happening." He gave Charlotte a meaningful look. "My... instincts told me that."

Charlotte's eyes widened slightly as she caught the hint about his Inner Eye. She was the only one who knew about that ability among those present.

"Oh. Right. Your instincts."

She nodded in understanding.

Harry nudged Charlotte gently. "It's time we freed your brother."

Charlotte's face lit up with anticipation, and she quickly ran toward the central painting, raising her leg to step through the painted door. Harry followed, still carrying Rakepick over his shoulder since he wasn't risking her disappearing on him. Merula and Bill came along right behind them.

Once they entered the painting, they arrived in a small room utterly full of portraits covering every wall. In the center stood a tall column covered in windows behind which shone a warm, golden light.

And on one portrait near the back wall was a young man with brown hair wearing a brown trenchcoat and red shirt. He was banging on the portrait surface and shouting:

"Charlotte! The column! Open the column! You can trust me!"

Charlotte was almost unable to speak from excitement. Her voice came out as barely a whisper. "Jacob..."

She quickly ran to touch the central column.

The moment her fingers made contact, brilliant light shone from all the windows. The portrait containing Jacob began to glow, and suddenly he was released, falling to the ground in a crouch.

Charlotte was utterly ecstatic. "Jacob! Jacob, you're here!" She rushed at him, throwing her arms around him in the biggest hug she could manage. "You're really here!"

"What took you so long?" Jacob teased as he hugged her back.

"Very funny." Charlotte rolled her eyes even as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Jacob's expression softened immediately. "I'm just joking, Charlotte." He pulled back slightly to look at her face. "I know it must've been difficult."

Releasing him from the hug, Charlotte looked him up and down, taking in every detail of his appearance. "You haven't changed at all."

"Well," Jacob shrugged with a wry smile, "I've been trapped in a portrait for years..."

Harry was interested in that detail. Jacob was somehow still fully cognizant despite spending so many years in that portrait. Beatrice was unable to speak and getting worse pretty quickly in comparison. Maybe it was related to willpower? Jacob still looked around seventeen years old, but he should've been much older by now if time had passed normally for him.

That meant cursed portraits preserved people at the exact age they were when they got trapped… Was it possible for ancient wizards to still be alive in this world if this could be accomplished?

Jacob's voice brought Harry back to the present. "Thank you for not giving up on me, Charlotte."

Charlotte wiped her eyes. "I could never do that. You're my big brother."

Jacob smiled, but then looked slightly embarrassed. "You must've heard a lot of bad things about me, haven't you?"

He paused and looked around the room, finally noticing the other people present.

"Actually, wait... who are these people?"

Jacob looked toward Harry, Bill, and Merula with curiosity.

Charlotte quickly wiped away the last of her tears and gestured to each of them. "These are my friends. Harry, Bill, and... Merula." She said the last name with a slight frown, but didn't want to ruin her own mood by dwelling on their complicated relationship. "They helped me find you."

Bill nodded enthusiastically. "We've heard a lot about you!"

Jacob sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Yes, my little sister and I were just about to have a very long conversation about that..."

He paused mid-sentence as his eyes fell on the unconscious woman that Harry was carrying over his shoulder.

"Wait a second!" Jacob's voice turned sharp and angry.

"Isn't that Rakepick?! You've actually caught her?"

Harry nodded. "She used us as dragon bait, then planned to murder everyone once we'd served our purpose."

Jacob's face darkened with fury. "That witch! She left me trapped in that portrait for years! Do you know what it's like being stuck in a painting with nothing to do but think about all the ways you want to get revenge?"

Charlotte looked between her brother and the unconscious professor. "Jacob, what exactly happened when you were here with her?"

Jacob's expression became complicated. "It's... a long story. R forced me to work with her and that coward Pettigrew. They said they'd hurt you and our parents if I didn't cooperate." His hands clenched into fists. "I had no choice but to go along with their plan."

"So you were trying to protect us," Charlotte said softly.

"Of course I was!" Jacob's voice cracked slightly. "Everything I did was to keep you safe. But when we got here, Pettigrew ran away the moment he saw the dragon. Rakepick and I had to face it alone, and when I used Legilimency to open the door, the curse trapped me in that portrait."

Bill frowned. "And Rakepick just left you there?"

"Yes," Jacob said bitterly, before his eyes lit up with an idea. "Wait! We should wake her up and see what she knows about the treasure! We can't let Rakepick get it and hand it over to R!"

Waking up Rakepick was a bit risky since she'd already proven she was willing to kill students to get what she wanted. But Jacob did have a point, they needed information about what R was really after. And it wasn't like Rakepick could do anything as long as he paid attention.

"Fine," Harry nodded. "But I'm keeping a tight grip on her."

He set Rakepick down on the ground, making sure to maintain a firm hold on her arm.

Jacob pulled out his wand and pointed it at the unconscious professor.

"Rennervate!"

Rakepick gasped as her eyes shot open. She immediately tried to pull away, but Harry just tightened his grip on her arm.

"Let me go, you little-"

"Legilimens!" Jacob interrupted, pointing his wand directly at her face.

Rakepick's brows furrowed as Jacob invaded her mental space. Her mouth opened as if to scream, but no sound came out. Harry could see the strain on both their faces as an invisible mental war took place.

While he waited for the outcome, Harry found himself wondering what the point of these Cursed Vaults really were. People thought they contained treasures, but so far there had been nothing particularly valuable. Just a broken wand, some notes, and now this mysterious column that probably just contained more clues...

Maybe all these Cursed Vaults really were just decoys meant to hide the existence of the final and true Cursed Vault. It would make sense to create a bunch of fake treasure vaults to distract people from the real one.

But what treasure was worth hiding by doing all of this?

What could be so valuable that an entire organization would spend years setting up schemes and threatening students?

Harry didn't know, but he was starting to think it had to be something incredibly powerful. Something that would make whoever possessed it the most dangerous person in the wizarding world.

It was for the best such an item was in his own hands…

Jacob frowned slightly and stopped his Legilimency spell. At the same time, Harry put Rakepick back to unconsciousness with a quick poke to her pressure point before she could start swearing at everyone.

He looked at Jacob with an expectant expression. Charlotte, Bill, and Merula did the same.

Jacob sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Rakepick didn't manage to resist my Legilimency in the end. Her Occlumency wasn't as strong as she thought."

"What did you find out?" Charlotte asked eagerly.

"She's no longer part of R," Jacob said. "She went rogue long ago in an attempt to seize the treasure for herself. That's why she was so desperate to get back here, she thought she could claim whatever's hidden in these vaults and use it for her own purposes."

Bill crossed his arms. "So she betrayed R and betrayed us. Lovely."

"And this treasure?" Harry prompted. "What is it exactly?"

Jacob's expression became frustrated. "That's the problem. Rakepick doesn't know what it really is. She's just certain that it has great power. There are only hints that R may know more about its true nature."

Harry felt a spike of annoyance. So they'd gone through all this trouble, fought a dragon, nearly died multiple times, and they still didn't know what they were actually looking for. This foolish woman was even willing to kill them because of rumors. What if the Cursed Vault were just an experiment and didn't contain any treasures? What was she planning to do to guard against Grandpa Dumbledore or the Flamels…?

Did she really not think that far ahead?

"So we're back to square one," Merula said flatly.

"Not exactly," Jacob shook his head. "At least now we know Rakepick was acting on her own. And we can turn her over to the Ministry to get her sentenced to Azkaban where she belongs."

Charlotte nodded. "That's something, at least. She can't hurt anyone else while she's in prison."

Jacob seemed reassured by this. "Good. That witch deserves whatever she gets." He paused and looked around the room. "I should probably get going soon. I need to track down R members and see what this treasure they're after truly is."

Harry blinked in surprise. "You're leaving? Already?"

"I have to," Jacob said firmly. "R is still out there, and they're not going to stop now If anything, they'll probably be more dangerous since the next vault is also the Final Vault!"

Charlotte's face fell. "But Jacob, we just got you back. Can't you stay for a little while? Just to catch up? I've been searching for you for years, and I-"

"Charlotte," Jacob interrupted. "I appreciate what you've done, really, but there's no time for sentiment. Don't you understand how important this is? We're talking about a treasure that an entire organization has been planning to acquire for decades!"

Charlotte's eyes filled with hurt. "But I'm your sister. I thought you'd want to know what I've been through, or at least-"

"We can catch up later," Jacob's expression softened slightly as he said that, but he seemed focused on something else entirely. "Right now, I need to focus on what really matters. This treasure could change everything, and R has hurt too many people already."

"…will I see you again?" Charlotte whispered.

"Of course," Jacob said. "We'll meet again soon. I promise."

He pulled out his wand and gave Charlotte one last hug. "Take care of yourself, little sister. And thank you for not giving up on me."

Before anyone could say anything else, Jacob disapparated on the spot with a soft pop.

The room fell silent.

Harry could have stopped him, his speed was more than enough to reach Jacob before he could complete the apparition. But he didn't want to do that to Charlotte's brother, even though she was very sad that Jacob had just left her like this.

Charlotte stared at the empty space where Jacob had been standing.

"I can't believe he just left like that," she muttered.

Bill put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "He'll be back, Charlotte. He's just trying to protect you."

"But what if something happens to him?" Charlotte's eyes were wet with unshed tears. "What if R captures him again? What if they hurt him?"

Harry wasn't all that happy with Jacob, if he had to be honest with himself. The guy could have at the very least stayed long enough to have a proper conversation with his little sister. But watching Jacob's behavior, Harry realized something troubling. Jacob seemed more excited about chasing the treasure than he was about seeing Charlotte again. Even after years trapped in a portrait, Jacob's first priority was still the Cursed Vaults mystery.

Harry had seen this kind of obsession in Rakepick's eyes just now when she talked about the treasure. The same single-minded focus that made people forget about everything else that should matter. Jacob wasn't evil, but the vaults had changed him.

They had made him selfish without him even realizing it.

Charlotte deserved better than a brother who would abandon her again for another treasure hunt.

But Harry couldn't force Jacob to be a better person.

All he could do was be there for Charlotte when she needed support.

"We just have to hope he doesn't do anything reckless," Harry said, glancing back toward where they'd last seen him. "We should head back now. Rakepick needs to be turned over to Dumbledore, and we'll have to explain everything that happened here."

Charlotte nodded reluctantly. "You're right. There's nothing more we can do here." She looked at the central column as she wiped her eyes, though the tears kept rolling down her cheeks because of Jacob's sudden departure. "We… we need to open this thing first. It probably contains the clues to the final vault..."

Everyone agreed, so she tapped her wand on the column. The golden light shone even brighter, and the glass windows simply vanished into thin air. In the middle of the light floated two objects:

A Merperson Trident, and a portrait of Hogwarts Castle.

Bill couldn't resist quipping, "Well, I hope everyone's an excellent swimmer if that's the clue to the final vault..."

Harry smiled and said, "The portrait's probably a portkey back to Hogwarts."

Before they left, Harry quickly accepted the Endless Wallet offer and put it inside his charmed pouch.

At the same time, his green eyes darkened because of yet another offer!

[Refracted Husk – Darkest Dungeon] – Costs 300CP, 300CP available to spend.

After the Comet arrived those unfortunate enough to be bathed in its cosmic colors found themselves shattered, and refracted across time and space. But as overwhelming as the Comet's influence may be, there are still some who find the strength to fight its influence. You have resisted the worst of the Comet's influence. Caught between life and death, the lights you have seen have revealed many truths to you both great and terrible. As a result, while your mind may be more susceptible to trauma you'll find that enemies will always fail to escape your notice- no matter how well they hide, so long as they're close enough to be a threat you will see them. Additionally your encounters with otherworldly energy has made it easier for you to bleed and poison your enemies. Your innards have started to harden, granting you protection from attack but also slowing your movements considerably; your eyes glow with blue, eldritch light thanks to the crystal shards gestating inside of you, though they don't illuminate much.

With Abominable Transformation you can further your transformation. Your skin will form a rocky hide, blue light emerging from cracks in your cosmic armor. Your limbs may detach from your body, connected by tendrils of otherworldly light. Not only will this further increase your defenses, but the light you emit can be used offensively, altered to take on hues both splendorous and haunting and almost anything in between. Bathed in the ethereal glow your allies may find themselves more inclined towards heroism, their stress melting away as their body strengthens; or the light may reveal a previously unseen weakness in the enemy, possibly even causing them to go mad- if they are even susceptible to such a thing.

A small frown came to his lips as he went through the latest offer. This Comet didn't seem to be a good thing at all. His mind would become more susceptible to trauma? His movements would slow down because his innards would start to harden into crystal shards? Did Harry want to have his skin become a rocky hide or for his limbs to detach from his body?

No, he really did not!

Being able to detect hidden enemies was useful, but not worth turning himself into some kind of cosmic horror. Harry had worked hard to develop his strength in an orthodox manner, and he wasn't about to throw that away for what sounded like a cursed transformation.

Besides, he already had his Sharingan, Danger Sense, Fear Detection and Inner Eye for detecting threats. And his True Dragon Spirit gave him plenty of defensive options without needing to become some kind of crystal-infused monster.

Harry rejected the offer immediately.

Before they actually left, Charlotte crossed her arms and gave Harry a stern look.

"Harry Potter, don't think I've forgotten about your little stunt with playing dead!" she said. "It might've been for a valid reason, but you scared me to death! I thought you actually died!"

Bill nodded. "Charlotte's right, Harry. When I saw that green light hit you, I thought we'd lost you for good. My heart nearly stopped."

Harry looked down at his feet for a moment, though internally he wasn't sure what the big deal was. He'd made the correct decision since Rakepick had revealed her true motives and connections to R, information they never would have gotten so easily otherwise.

Playing dead was a classic survival technique. Harry had seen countless prey animals use the same strategy when he hunted them as an eagle, and he knew that the Snowdragon Mountain clan library had entire sections dedicated to techniques for suppressing all signs of life to gain advantages in combat or escape dangerous situations.

It wasn't his fault that Rakepick was a world-renowned Curse Breaker and probably skilled enough at Occlumency to resist Veritaserum.

The deception had been the easiest way to get the truth from her.

Still, Harry supposed he should have considered how his friends would feel. They would be upset about thinking he died, but they'd get over it pretty quickly, right? It wasn't as if he had actually died or anything.

"I'm sorry you were worried," Harry said. "I didn't think about how it would affect you both. I just wanted to get the truth from her, and I thought this was the easiest way."

Charlotte's expression softened slightly. "I understand why you did it, Harry. But next time, maybe give us a heads up? Or at least let us know you have a plan?"

"She's right," Bill added. "We're supposed to be working together here. Just try to be more considerate of our feelings, alright?"

Harry nodded. That seemed reasonable enough. "I can do that."

"Good," Charlotte smiled at him.

Harry adjusted his grip on the unconscious Rakepick. "Now let's get out of here and make sure she faces justice for what she's done."

Charlotte picked up the Merperson Trident as they all gathered around the portrait of Hogwarts, each reaching out to touch it simultaneously.