201 CHAPTER {297-299}

****AN-OWL'S-LAMENT? (I)****

(A/N: This Chapter is inspired from a Fanfic called 'Hedwig Slightly Unhinged'. I would recommend all of you to check it out)

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~~Malfoy Manor~~

Hedwig turned her head when her pet human arrived to mingle with the other stupid two-leggers… They would obviously disagree and say it was the other way around, but she was a smart bird, so she knew she was right. Bah! What did the stupid two-leggers even know, in the first place?

After all, she could eat bacon from any plate she wanted, she could fly anywhere and anytime she wanted, and finally, she could shit anywhere she wanted, and she didn't even have to clean her own shit…

Hedwig was rarely impressed by anything these days and while she would admit that her standards were ridiculously high, her human had still managed to impress her, which was not an ordinary feat… Hadrian was different. She knew it the moment she saw him for the first time, but he wasn't anything impressive at that time.

Yes, he was more driven and morally ambiguous, but that wasn't much in her books. However, everything changed during his 14th birthday. At first, she had thought that her human might have killed himself by messing up the Ritual or something, but in reality, he ended up awakening his dormant X-Gene, or whatever it meant.

Stupid two-leggers and their stupid ape-like terms…

Hedwig flew down from her ledge and landed in front of her human… Her human simply smiled at her and held up some bacon for her with his Magic. Yes, the bacon was obviously one of the reasons why she liked him. She snatched all the bacon from the air one by one before preening herself, hoping to get some attention.

Hedwig wasn't disappointed when the Rainbow Girl with her multiple faces reached out to her and started to pet her. Hedwig hooted in appreciation as she allowed the human to bask in her floofy glory. "She is looking mighty pleased with herself" The Rainbow Girl quipped, but Hedwig didn't mind since it was the truth.

When she was finally satisfied with the petting, Hedwig made her way toward the Dog Man and grabbed some bacon from his place before he could stop her and she flew away. "Oi!" The Dog Man screamed in protest, but she simply threw him a mocking look, daring him to do anything as she flew back to her perch.

The Dog Man continued to glare at her as she slowly nibbled on the bacon… "Just ask Alef to bring you some more bacon. I am sure that he would be happy to help" Her human spoke up and the Dog Man slumped down in defeat. It was still astounding to see how easily her human could deal with the adult two-leggers.

"By the way, I was wondering if you could help me with something, Sirius" The Snobbish One spoke up when she was finally done with her breakfast.

The Dog Man gave her a wary look. "Yeah, what do you need?" The Dog Man asked.

"I was wondering if you could withdraw some gold from the Malfoy vaults on my behalf?" The Snobbish One asked. They were round, smooth and shiny, so Hedwig could see the appeal. Hedwig knew that the two-leggers were also obsessed with those things, but they were obsessed with them for the completely wrong reasons.

"How much are you talking about?" The Dog Man asked curiously.

"Ten thousand Galleons" The Snobbish One answered, making the Rainbow Girl spit her pumpkin juice while the Dog Man simply shook his head.

"You can't authorize that much amount on your own" The Dog Man pointed out, completely ignoring everyone's reaction. The Snobbish One nodded her head in agreement.

"Yes, I know. Leave Lucius to me. We would need the gold when the Goblins seize our vaults" The Snobbish One spoke before she paused and looked at everyone at the table. "I suggest all of you to do the same but don't try to empty your vaults or anything. The Goblins might get suspicious" The Snobbish One declared.

"Uhh, Harry? Have you done something we should be worried about?" The Concoction Maker asked. Hedwig didn't like the Concoction maker much because her Concoctions smelled horrible, but she was willing to forgive such slights because the woman was the birth mother of the Rainbow Girl.

After all, Hedwig liked the Rainbow Girl. Her ever-changing hair and lack of balance were entertaining…

"Not yet, but I am planning to do something which should have been done a long ago" Her human answered in a casual tone. "Even though some of you would call it foolish" He added after a small pause when he noticed the looks he was getting from the Snobbish One and Dog Man.

"Does it have something to do with the Goblins?" The Battle Seeker asked, looking excited.

"Yes, it does" Her human answered with a nod, but before anyone could protest, he raised his hand in the air to stop anyone from speaking. "I know all of you are probably displeased with this course of action, but it needs to be done and I have already made up my mind" Her human finished in a firm tone and even though it looked like some wanted to protest, nobody said anything.

"I hope you are not planning to leave me behind" The Battle Seeker asked excitedly.

"Same here" The Cruel One spoke up for the first time after she managed to swallow her protest. Now, she was simply looking excited beyond measure. "Now, I am looking forward to skinning some of those little buggers" The Cruel One started to cackle after that, making some on the table uncomfortable with her excitement.

Her human gave the woman an amused look. "I am sure they are going to love you" Her human said before turning toward the Battle Seeker. "I don't know, Jacky. If you join me then there is a chance that they might seize your Family vaults" Her Human said, but the Battle Seeker didn't look amused at his words.

"They can still do that. I am a member of Lost Garden. That is already a known fact. I have arrest warrants in my name. Bulgaria is even offering rewards if someone manages to capture me and deliver me to the Bulgarian Ministry" The Battle Seeker pointed out with a huff.

"Don't worry, I will have a chat with my parents and tell them to withdraw some gold before they seize our vaults. We can always reclaim the vaults afterwards" The Battle Seeker explained with an assured look on her face.

Her human seemed to think for a moment before nodding his head. "You do that" Her human said before looking around the table. "We might make enemies with the Goblins and ICW at the start, but when we are done, the Wizarding World will call us Heroes" Her human declared with a grin on his face as he stood up from the table and left.

This is what Hedwig loved about her human… He was not scared to challenge the World or their pesky system to get his point across or get what he wanted… Now only if all versions of her human in the Multiverse could be like her human in this world…

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****A-FRIENDSHIP-CHERISHED (I)****

"Hello Albus, how are you?" Gellert asked as he stepped into the cell where his old friend was being kept. Albus used to visit him when he was imprisoned in Nurmengard, so he thought that maybe, he should return the favor. He might be willing to kill Albus, but he still considered the man a friend.

"So, you finally decided to pay me a visit, old friend?" Albus asked with a faint smile on his face as he slowly turned around to face his old friend. There was nothing in the cell to keep him occupied, so he usually meditated while revisiting his old memories, wondering what he should have done differently.

"I have been meaning to pay you a visit, but I have been busy with everything going on" Gellert answered as he pulled out his Wand and Conjured a chair for himself. Albus didn't miss the fact that Gellert was still using his old Wand, which meant Harry was probably in possession of the Elder Wand.

"Oh. Tell me" Albus asked eagerly. All of his meals were delivered by House Elves, but none of them ever appeared in front of a chart. So, Albus was well and truly confined in the cell with no means to gather information or the goings of the world. A part of him was afraid that it was probably too late.

Gellert gave him an excited look as he began to speak. "My friend, a lot has happened in the past few days. Did you know that there is a secret organization called the Royal Mages, whose sole objective is to protect the Royal Bloodline?" Gellert revealed and Albus had to admit, he knew nothing about such a group.

"Fascinating and they have been functioning for centuries, right?" Albus asked, looking equally excited and after getting a nod from Gellert, his excitement only seemed to increase. "Truly fascinating" Albus muttered gleefully.

"Then you will hate to know that they decided to mess with Harry and he decided to mess back with them. Unfortunately for them, they bit off more than they could chew" Gellert revealed gleefully. He might care about his old friend, but that didn't mean that he wasn't going to make his life miserable.

Albus lost all of his excitement. "...I see" Albus mumbled with a pained look on his face. "Are they dead? Did Harry kill all the Royals?" Albus asked in a fearful tone, already fearing the answer. With Harry aware of the Horcruxes, Voldemort would lose, eventually, and with Voldemort gone, there would be nothing to stop Harry.

"Surprisingly, no" Gellert answered with a shake of his head and when he noticed the askance look on Albus' face, he decided to elaborate with a smirk on his face. "The leader of the Royal Mages is smart. She knew when to cut her losses, so she surrendered and cut a deal with Harry" Gellert explained in a slow tone.

"And as for the Royals, they are still alive, but if they decide to mess with Harry, then they won't be for long" Gellert revealed with a smile on his face.

For a moment Albus didn't know what to say… "I see… Then you must be really happy. Isn't this what you wanted? The Muggles living under us?" Albus asked solemnly, but Gellert gave him an annoyed look.

"Don't act like you are a saint, Albus. You also wanted to enslave them" Gellert pointed out with a sneer, but he ignored the rest of the questions since a part of him was glad with what Harry was doing. Now, only if Harry had any desire to take over the world.

"I was young and foolish-" Albus began to speak, but Gellert cut him off with a scoff.

"You can give as many excuses as you want, but that is not going to change the truth. If it wasn't for Aberforth then you would have joined me and we would be already ruling the world. There would have been no Voldemort. No Voldemort means no Hadrian Potter" Gellert gushed out while glaring at the old man.

Albus opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out of his mouth. Maybe, his old friend was right… If Aberforth had never arrived on that fateful day, then the three-way duel would have never happened, Arianne would have been alive, and he would have joined Gellert's campaign.

However, he couldn't live his life thinking about what-ifs… Arianna might have died that day, but her death managed to open his eyes, otherwise, he would have become a monster not very different from either Gellert or Voldemort. "Maybe, I was never meant to join you" Albus pointed out.

Gellert hummed at those words. "Probably…" Gellert agreed. The world have been a very different place today if Albus had joined him. "Recently, I faced Voldemort. He wasn't anything you made him to be. He is dangerous, I wouldn't disagree. He has too much power but no finesse" Gellert revealed.

Albus perked up at the revelation. "Truly? You have faced him?" Albus asked, eager to know how his friend fared against the man.

"Yes. Would you like to watch the memory?" Gellert offered. There was nothing his old friend would be able to do with the memory since Harry didn't have any plans to let him go. Albus was going to die whether he liked it or not. Either Harry was going to kill him here, or wherever Harry fancied. That much was certain to Gellert.

"Do you have a Pensieve?" Albus asked, but Gellert simply shook his head.

"I am afraid that we would have to do this old way. I hope you are still good in Mind Arts" Gellert said with a smile, earning a smile from his friend.

Albus was always gifted when it came to Mind Arts. He was already better than Gellert when they were young, and he had only improved since then. "Well… It is not going to be easy without a Wand" Albus mused aloud as he stared straight into Gellert's eyes. Gellert felt the probe against his Shields and allowed the man to enter.

Gellert decided that maybe he should visit his friend from time to time so that they could catch up like they did in the good old days…

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****A-FRIENDSHIP-CHERISHED (II)****

"Jacky, before you visit your parents, there was something I wanted to give you" Harry said, earning his friend's attention. The said friend raised her brows at him, looking excited, which wasn't surprising since he rarely gave gifts. "Come, walk with me" Harry said as he gestured her to follow him.

"Are we going somewhere?" Jacklyn asked, quickly catching up to him.

"Not really. I just wanted to get away from the others" Harry answered with a shrug. "So, are you excited to meet your parents?" Harry asked.

Jacklyn groaned instead of answering him right away. "You shouldn't be asking that" Jacklyn huffed. "Dad isn't happy with me, as expected" Jacklyn revealed drily.

"Well, he loves you" Harry pointed out helpfully, earning a dirty look from Jacklyn. "That is why I am staying clear from him" Harry mused aloud.

"Easy for you to say… I wonder if you are going to act like this if I brought them here" Jacklyn wondered with a thoughtful look on her face.

Harry stopped and turned around to give her a look. "You wouldn't dare" Harry warned, but Jacklyn simply smiled at him sweetly. "Right?" Harry ended up asking in an unsure tone.

After letting Harry stew for the next few moments, Jacklyn slowly shook her head. "They are going to be a lot more trouble than they are worth for. However, I might end up bringing my mother" Jacklyn answered with a thoughtful look on her face. Unlike her father, her mother was quite proud of her.

"As long as she doesn't bring any of her friends" Harry mumbled in a low tone as he resumed walking. He still remembered her cougar like friends and like a smart man, he wanted to keep his distance from them. Tonks and his Mom were enough for him for the time being.

"Is little Harry uncomfortable around older women?" Jacklyn asked playfully as she ruffled his hair. "Don't worry, I am going to keep you safe from the cougars" Jacklyn cooed, earning a dirty look from Harry as he swatted away her hand. With a wave of his hand, he fixed his hair and threw her another glare.

"I can protect myself, thank you very much" Harry huffed in annoyance. "And don't mess with the hair" Harry warned her, but Jacklyn simply snorted.

"Mess with your hair? Your hair is already a fucking mess!" Jacklyn started to laugh, ignoring the fact that Harry's eyebrows were starting to twitch.

|She got you there, son| Lily quipped, sounding amused.

|Not you too, Mom| Harry groaned internally before deciding to ignore both his Mom and Jacklyn make fun of his hair.

Yes, it would have been better to have tameable hair, but he liked his hair as it was. It was wild and untameable… He liked it that way and since he could morph himself like Tonks, he could easily change it if he ever felt like it. Maybe, he should ask Tonks for an opinion.

"Are you done?" Harry asked Jacklyn with a bland look on his face. Now, the two of them were quite far from the populated part of Manor, so he simply decided to get this over with, so he could start working on something else.

"Yeah, I am done" Jacklyn nodded her head. "For now" She added in an amused tone after a small pause, earning an eye roll from Harry. However, instead of saying anything to her, he simply pulled out the Elder Wand and held it out. Jacklyn stared at the Wand for a moment before giving Harry a questioning look.

"Disarm me" Harry ordered, instead of elaborating. Jacklyn would have her answers as soon as the Wand was in her possession. At first, he wanted to hand over the Elder Wand to Gellert, but soon he ended up changing his mind. He wanted Jacklyn to gain a fearsome reputation for herself and for that, she needed an edge.

The Elder Wand or the Deathstick was going to be that edge… The Elder Wand wasn't infallible as it was proven throughout the ages, but if there was an unbeatable Wand then the Deathstick was the closest thing to it, especially now that Hela had removed the Curses from it.

Jacklyn would be able to use the Wand to its full potential without losing herself in a power trip.

"Is that the Elder Wand?" Jacklyn asked in complete awe. While she had never seen the Elder Wand, she knew the story and she knew that the story was real. After all, Harry was already in possession of the Resurrection Stone. "You want me to disarm you?" Jacklyn asked with a gulp.

"Yes" Harry confirmed with a nod of his head.

"Why?" Jacklyn asked, giving him a confused look. She would have expected him to keep the Wand with the intention of becoming the Master of Death.

"I don't need it" Harry answered simply. He didn't want to tell her about Hela or anything. The Deathstick was a powerful tool and becoming the Master of Death wasn't appealing to him since he knew that it was nothing but a hoax created by Hela to create conflict.

"Alright… If you are sure" Jacklyn mumbled with an unsure look on her face as she slowly pulled out her Wand and cast the Disarming Charm at Harry. He didn't even try to defend himself and as soon as the Spell connected, the Elder Wand slipped out of his hand and sailed toward Jacklyn, who was waiting to catch it.

Harry felt the connection slip, but he didn't mind… The Wand was going to be a lot more useful in the hands of someone like Jacklyn. The said girl caught the Wand and moments later, her eyes grew wide when memories started to flash inside her mind. Jacklyn blinked due to the sudden rush of memories and lost her footing when she stumbled back.

Harry quickly rushed to catch her and helped her to keep standing… It took a few seconds, but her Magic finally started to calm down. "Wow…" Jacklyn breathed out, looking gobsmacked. Jacklyn could feel the rush of Magic… Her Magic was raging like a storm, but at the same time it was calm.

Now that the Elder Wand was in her possession, she could understand why the Elder Wand was considered unbeatable… "You are feeling the rush, right? Like you can take over the world?" Harry asked as he let her go.

Jacklyn gave him a look before returning her gaze to the legendary Wand in her hand. "Yes" Jacklyn breathed out. "Is that how everyone felt when they received the Wand?" Jacklyn asked curiously. She had heard people say that a Wand cannot make a Wixen stronger or weaker, and while she agreed, it wasn't true, at least not completely.

The Elder Wand was different… There was so much power just waiting to be released…

"More or less" Harry admitted with a smile. "However, that Wand is not infallible. That Wand is powerful… It is probably the strongest Magical focus in existence-" Harry paused as it was a lie. There were stronger Magical Foci out there, but Jacklyn didn't need to know that. The Elder Wand was the strongest Magical Focus on Earth, so it wasn't a complete lie, Harry guessed.

"-But it is not unbeatable" Jacklyn finished for Harry, earning a smile from him. "I know. I know. The rush is still there, but it is starting to calm down" Jacklyn added after a moment.

"Good" Harry nodded. "Jacky, I want you to get used to the Wand. Get used to its power. Knowing your limits is never a bad thing" Harry suggested, making Jacklyn nod her head with a determined look on her face.

"Thank you for this Harry. I promise that I won't disappoint you" Jacklyn said in a determined tone. After that, she pulled Harry into a hug and she finally let him go when he started to complain. She gave him a grin and ruffled his hair much to his displeasure before she opened a Portal and stepped through…

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