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Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 60: The First
Harry moved all five men together before delving into their minds.
"Urgg…" he groaned after several minutes of exploration.
"Anything good?" V asked.
"You were right. They put a bounty on me. Ten thousand galleons for my capture."
"Hey, that is nothing to be ashamed of. It's a good price," V commented.
Harry pointed at the men on the ground, one by one. "Bounty hunter, hit wizard, some foreigner, a shopkeeper from Knockturn Alley… they have nothing useful." He named who each of the men was until he stopped at the last one. "This one is actually a Death Eater."
"Which one?"
"His name is Noah Macnair, the son of Walden Macnair, who works as an executioner for the Ministry. From what I have seen in his mind… this one is as bad as his father, if not worse," Harry said with an expression of disgust.
"Macnair was already a low-ranking individual in the organization. He was not part of my inner circle, so… I assume that his son doesn't know anything interesting. Is that right?"
Harry shook his head. "No, not really. He thought that capturing me would help him gain the favor of the Dark Lord. You know how that works."
"Yes, I do," the hat responded. "So, what are you going to do with them?"
"They won't wake up for at least one more hour. I'll just erase their most recent memories. They will not even know I was here," Harry responded.
"And what about the Death Eater? Are you also going to leave him be?" V asked.
Harry glanced at the masked young man. "You don't mean… are you seriously suggesting th—"
"That you should kill him? Yes, that is exactly what I am suggesting. He is your enemy, and that is not going to change. Leave him be, and you are giving him another chance to go after you or those you are trying so hard to protect."
"He is not even conscious! He is not a threat," Harry complained.
"And this is why I say that you are naive, Harry," V spoke in a somber tone. "You have spent thousands of years inside a fake world, but you never got a chance to properly mature while you were in there."
"It just feels wrong… if he was at least attacking me, it would be different," Harry said.
"He was about to attack you just a few minutes ago. The only reason he didn't was that he never got the chance."
"I know that, V. But wouldn't this make me the bad guy?" Harry felt extremely conflicted. On one hand, he understood that V was not wrong. Death Eaters were his enemy, and given the chance, they would kill him and everyone he cared about.
This was a war, one that Harry was trying his best to end before it got too bloody. However, it was kind of ironic that to do that… he would need to be the one to get blood on his hands.
"I am not going to insist on this, Harry. I know you have a kind heart." V then said. "But I will tell you that if you are not willing to get your hands dirty, it would be best if you forget about facing the Dark Lord. Just leave the country and hide in some distant corner of the world. You can take the redhead girl with you if you want to. Eventually, the other 'me' may realize that the prophecy is no longer in effect and stop looking for you…"
Harry clenched his fists. "I'm not running away, V."
"Do it then," the hat said. "Prove that you have what it takes to be the lone soldier that you are trying to be. That you can actually fight this war by yourself and win."
Harry was truly struggling now.
"This man carries the soul brand. He will always be tied to the Dark Lord. This means that he could always be a danger to you and the people you care about. He is not strong enough to kill you, but what if he goes after someone else? He is also an irredeemable monster like his father. You saw what was in his mind, right?"
Harry flinched. "Did you also…?"
"We are connected, remember?" V said. "When you delved into his mind, I also got a few glimpses. I saw the terrible things he did to those Muggle girls…"
"That's enough, V. I don't want t—"
"Maybe next time he will do the same to your friend Hermione. Or perhaps to the innocent Luna."
"V…" Harry was getting furious. His magic began reacting to his emotions.
Black swirls of magic moved around him.
"Maybe he will capture Ginny instead, and then he wi—"
"Enough!" Harry didn't even need to point at the Death Eater. His magic manifested as a sharp, dark blade and immediately severed his head, leaving a deep gash on the wall.
Harry's eyes widened as he realized what he had done.
"I… I killed him." He felt sick.
"You did what you had to do," V said. "Now you are truly ready."
"But… what if I end up becoming something worse than what I am trying to end?" Harry couldn't help but wonder.
"Did you enjoy killing that guy?" V simply asked.
"Of course not!" Harry shouted.
"Good, then you are fine. As long as you don't start enjoying others' suffering, then you are not like them. And I don't believe you ever will."
Harry sighed. He didn't say it, but he felt glad to hear those words.
"Now, make sure not to forget to erase the memories of the others. Unless you want to cut their heads… that would work as well."
"Obliviate!" Harry immediately called upon the memory charm.
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