A day had passed since Antonio had regained consciousness. The next day after he had regained consciousness was the day that had been decided for the funeral of Lord Bones.
Antonio had spent the entire day in the hospital, with Bellatrix Black and Amelia Bones as his constant companions. He had spent the day well in the company of Bellatrix and Amelia. He had laughed, joked, and maintained a happy facade in front of them. He wanted to help Amelia feel better and ease the grief and the burden that had fallen on her so suddenly. Though he himself was in a state of grief, he had suppressed those emotions of sadness and hurt, keeping them to himself.
Apart from them, there were a few visitors as well, mostly individuals belonging to Lord Bones' faction.
Lord Bones was dead, and Antonio, technically, had been a part of their faction. Given that Amelia Bones was quite young and was in full agreement with Antonio and supported him fully, most of the faction members had already deemed Antonio as the unofficial leader of their faction.
They were already looking towards him to decide their next course of action after such a great event that had happened. It goes without saying that his exaggerated display of strength and magical power had played the largest part in making them realize he was their best bet. In these uncertain and dangerous times, he gave them a feeling of security like no other.
Antonio had not been expecting such a role, but he was prepared for it. Given what Lord Bones had done for him, it was his own calling and moral responsibility to support the faction, especially in these unsure and turbulent times. Not to mention, it brought the added advantage that by leading the faction, he would have greater room for maneuver when making his moves in the future.
Apart from the visitors, he had received messages wishing him a healthy recovery from a number of people. Minerva had been among them, as had Aurora Sinistra. Aurora expressed that she wished to see him, but her grandfather would not allow her to leave the house. She was permitted to write a letter, but not to visit him in person. Even so, she expressed her hope that they could meet at Lord Bones' funeral, as she would be attending with her family.
The other thought that had occupied Antonio's mind during the brief moments he spent alone was the duel he had fought against Voldemort and his subsequent defeat. It had been a near death experience and had it not been for Lord Bones taking the curse meant for him, he would have surely died. Minerva too had played a role, though small, in saving him.
He had replayed the battle against the Dark Lord countless times in his mind, observing, analyzing, and studying the fight from every possible angle. From this, he reached several conclusions.
The first and most comforting conclusion was that he was not inherently weaker than the Dark Lord. Even with Voldemort powering himself through the runic formation, Antonio would have been able to fight him or at least hold him at bay for a while.
The second conclusion he reached concerned why he had been defeated. Not only had he been beaten, but he had been reduced to a state of such utter weakness that he could have been killed with ease.
Antonio concluded that his inexperience was the primary reason. Whether you call it a miscalculation, a misjudgment, or a mistake, he had failed to properly assess the strain on his own magical reserves while casting the spell to counter Voldemort's attack.
He had several ways to deal with that particular spell involving the fireballs, but he had chosen a high intensity counter spell to minimize collateral damage. That single spell had completely exhausted his magical reserves, leaving him vulnerable and defenseless. And this had been caused because of his inexperience.
The next conclusion he reached concerned Albus Dumbledore. That old man was overwhelmingly strong, and Antonio was grateful towards Dumbledore for his timely intervention and saving him. And whenever he would encounter the old man, he would surely thank Dumbledore about it.
If Antonio were to be honest, he was a bit shocked by the display of power from the old coot. He had never expected Dumbledore to be this formidable and powerful.
Yet, despite that display, a lingering doubt remained. The question in his mind was whether the strength Dumbledore had showcased was entirely his own, or if it was somehow dependent on the Elder Wand, one of the Deathly Hallows. How much of that power he had displayed was derived from the Deathstick?
His next conclusion was again about Albus Dumbledore. In front of the entire world, the old man had made his stance clear.
If his earlier announcement about killing Death Eaters had been dismissed as a mere diversionary tactic or a political statement, his actions yesterday had cleared all doubt for the rest of Wizarding Britain. However, they had not cleared the doubt for Antonio Olario.
Antonio had never believed that Dumbledore would side with the Dark Lord. That had never been a possibility. What Antonio worried about or contemplated were the manipulations behind Dumbledore's public stance. This blatant opposition to the Dark Lord had still not done away with the suspicions that lingered in his mind.
Then there was his final conclusion, that despite being very powerful, Antonio himself was still lacking. He was deficient in experience, in his magical reserves, and most likely in his range of spells as well.
He needed to expand his arsenal in every way that mattered. Although he did not yet have a specific or clear path ahead of him, several points had formed in his mind, and he would have to act on these priorities as a matter of urgency.
As Antonio left St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, his face was calm and composed, though a new layer of resolve was woven into his expression. He had survived a near-death ordeal, and he felt as though it had been a rebirth.
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