HP: god of potions

Chapter 57

The ghostly brothers hovered nearby, spectating with ghoulish excitement like decaying fans at a gruesome sport. Septimus raised his sword to strike the Slave Girl, but as she turned to face him, his resolve faltered. Their eyes locked. "Una? It can't be…" he murmured in disbelief. "Septimus?!" she gasped. Before he could react, a surge of fire erupted from Mormo's fingertips, aimed directly at him. Septimus swung his sword, striking Mormo, but she barely flinched. The battle erupted, chaos unfolding as Una, terrified, bolted toward the exit.

Yvaine strained to see the skirmish from her position near the table, while Lamia worked calmly in the shadows, her intentions unclear. Tristan remained rooted in place, watching helplessly as Septimus was struck across the face by Mormo's flaming hand. The burn smoked and sizzled, forcing him to drop his sword. Una, fleeing, stopped abruptly as her eyes met Tristan's. "Tristan?" she called hesitantly. Shielding himself in fear, he backed away, but she grabbed his hands gently, lowering them. "Tristan, I'm your mother," she said, her voice trembling with urgency.

As the realization dawned on Tristan, they embraced tightly. Meanwhile, Septimus attacked Mormo again, only to find himself engulfed in flames. His burnt hands and smoldering shirt forced him to retreat momentarily, patting desperately at the fire. At the entrance, Una implored Tristan with desperation. "I can't!" he exclaimed, his fear overtaking him. "You can, and you must!" she cried. "If you truly love her, go!" Septimus, shirt still alight, charged Mormo once more, impaling her swiftly with his sword. She crumpled to the ground, lifeless.

Una shook Tristan, her urgency unrelenting. "I know my brother. He won't save her, Tristan. He only cares for the stone. If he knew what she truly was, he'd eat her heart without hesitation." Tristan's face contorted in panic as her words sunk in. In the witches' lair, a final, hopeful vision played out: Yvaine and Tristan embraced joyfully, while Septimus held his stone. But the mood shifted abruptly as a sinister grin crossed Septimus's face. He turned on the pair, shoving Yvaine to the ground and raising a dagger to strike her. Reality returned to a haunted Tristan, who found courage in his mother's words: "Be the man that I know you are." Embracing her, he raised his sword and charged into the scene unnoticed, his resolve solidified.

The ghosts shifted their gaze from Septimus and Mormo to Lamia, who smiled coldly, holding a clay doll in her hand. Septimus, still recovering from the flames on his shirt, prepared to face her, but Lamia snapped the doll's arm. His sword clattered to the ground as his arm fell uselessly by his side. With a sly smirk, Lamia held the doll over a channel of water, ignoring his desperate pleas. "Let's put those flames out, shall we?" she said, dropping the doll into the water. Septimus rose, floating helplessly, his movements sluggish and heavy, until life left him. Seconds later, he appeared among the ghosts, dripping wet and coughing as his brothers laughed uproariously. 

"Youth, beauty... It all seems meaningless now," she murmured, cutting Yvaine free. The star rushed into Tristan's arms, glowing brighter as they embraced. Lamia, filled with resignation, admitted, "What use was her heart to me when it was broken?" Suddenly, the lair darkened as Lamia sealed the windows and retrieved her knife. A low rumble filled the air as the entire building began to shake violently. The witches looked up just as the ceiling was torn apart by sheer force. A figure descended through the debris, landing with an earth-shattering thud, striking a superhero pose amidst the swirling dust. As it settled, the imposing figure of Gray emerged, his expression calm yet confident.

Rachel's voice broke through the tension. "That was your plan? To dig with your bare hands?" she asked dryly, her tone laden with disbelief. Gray cracked his neck casually, smirking. "Please, I just wanted to see what I could do with my newfound strength," he replied, his voice filled with amusement. He paused, surveying the room as the dust fully cleared. The witches glared at him, their faces twisted in anger and shock. Lamia's voice was the first to break the silence, dripping with both fear and fury. "It's him. He is the one I told you about. He's here to steal the star's heart!"

Gray tilted his head, his expression puzzled. "The star's heart?" he echoed, his eyes scanning until they landed on Yvaine, who had dimmed in her human form. A flicker of interest crossed his face, only to fade as quickly as it appeared. Shrugging, he said dismissively, "Oh, she's sentient. I'm not interested, then." His nonchalance seemed to anger the witches further. Lamia raised her hand, her fingers trembling with fury as dark energy began to coalesce. Without another word, the witches launched their assault.

Mormo was the first to act, conjuring a bolt of green lightning. She hurled it at Gray with a sharp flick of her wrist, the energy crackling ominously as it tore through the air. It struck his chest directly, but instead of harm, the bolt dissipated upon contact, leaving Gray untouched. He raised an eyebrow, brushing his chest mockingly. "That's it? Was that supposed to tickle?" Mormo's eyes widened in disbelief as Lamia stepped forward, snarling. She swept her arms in a wide arc, summoning a massive inferno that surged toward Gray in a wave of blistering heat.

Gray didn't move as the flames engulfed him entirely, the fire raging wildly. For a moment, the witches allowed themselves to hope. Then, Gray stepped out of the inferno, his skin unscathed and his clothes barely singed. "Cute trick," he said, his voice laced with boredom.

Empusa let out a guttural shriek, slamming her staff into the ground. From the shadows, dozens of writhing tendrils erupted, each tipped with razor-sharp barbs. They lashed out, coiling around Gray's arms and legs, tightening with enough force to crush bones. Yet, as the tendrils strained against his body, they began to snap, unable to pierce or hold him. Gray flexed his arms, breaking free with a casual movement that sent the shattered remnants of the tendrils flying. "This is getting old," he muttered.

Lamia screamed in frustration, her eyes glowing as she summoned a barrage of arcane chains. The glowing crimson links hurtled toward Gray, binding his arms and legs in an attempt to immobilize him. The chains tightened, emitting sparks of dark energy. For a moment, Gray stood still, examining the bindings curiously. Then, with a simple shrug, the chains shattered, disintegrating into harmless shards of light. The witches stared, their faces a mixture of disbelief and terror.

"Well, either way, I wonder how I fare with my new strength," Gray said, cocking his fist. Before the witches could react, he slammed it into the ground. The resulting shockwave tore through the lair, sending the witches staggering. He sighed, growing visibly bored. "Alright, enough," he said, releasing a sudden pulse of energy. A blinding wave radiated outward, nullifying every trace of magic in the room.

Una gasped, clutching her chest. "My curse... it's broken!" she whispered in astonishment. The witches, however, fared far worse. Deprived of the magic sustaining their lives, they began to wither and dry up, their bodies collapsing into mummified husks. Lamia's voice was a dry rasp as she tried to speak, but her form crumbled into dust before she could utter another word.

Gray looked around at the aftermath, his expression neutral. "What is it with sorcerers and witches relying on magic to sustain their lives? All it takes is an anti-magic pulse, and poof, you're done," he said to himself. His gaze shifted to the others, who stared at him in stunned silence. "What?" he asked casually, turning toward Rachel. "So, where's the rift?"

Rachel sighed, shaking her head. "Not bad," she said, walking away. "Hey, what do you mean by that?" Gray called after her, following her deeper into the lair. The others—Septimus, Tristan, Una, and Yvaine—stood in stunned silence before Septimus finally voiced their collective confusion. "What the fuck just happened?"

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A/N:The next chapter shows Gray going back to the wizarding world, of course, after he empties the witch's layer. Also, yes, Gray has a moral line, so if the thing is sentient and not after his life or innocent, he won't kill it, no matter how valuable it is. After all, he already learned from his mistake in the ************.

PS: As I promised, the fourth year is going to have Gray at the center of attention, and a lot of lore will be revealed—not all of it, but a lot, like who his parents are, but don't get your hopes up, they arent the most overpowered or cool but the powers they left are overpowered. also you guys are getting two chapters because i just finished the fourth year.