Plot Bunnies: Story 1 - Untitled

Hi all, 

Here’s the first of my story ideas. I am posting this first instead of the Naruto chapter, which will be out tomorrow.

I'll make these chapters public so everyone can read them, and then post them on fanfiction at some point.

These plot bunnies' chapters will not have a fixed number of words, but they will always be at least three thousand words long.

This is a Harry Potter "after the war fic," in which he decides to pursue a career in Quidditch. However, he is dealing with a number of issues outside of the game as a result of his actions the night Voldemort attacked the castle. This chapter shows what happens when Harry confronts Voldemort after he wakes up from being killed. It draws inspiration from Kaze no Stigma, one of my all-time favourite anime that is sadly underappreciated.

Chapter 1: The Wind Spirit King’s Vengeance.

The conversation was reaching its conclusion, and the two individuals were about to go their separate ways.

"Harry, do not feel sorry for the dead. Pity the living, especially those who live without love. By returning, you may ensure that fewer lives are lost, and fewer families are torn apart. If that seems like a worthy goal to you, we will say goodbye for now."

Dumbledore’s words caused a smile to appear on Harry’s face. All of the doubt, fear, and confusion vanished from his face, leaving only supreme confidence.

“Truer words have never been said,” Harry said, sounding more like an adult. “I’m not just going to kill Voldemort, but all of his followers as well. I’m not going to give them a chance to hurt anyone else ever again.”

Dumbledore's eyes widened in surprise at Harry's change in demeanour, sensing an unexpected turn of events.

Harry regarded Dumbledore with a mix of affection and disappointment. "I understand why you had to manipulate events in this way, even though there are so many other ways you could have done it and not cause so much harm."

Dumbledore didn’t say anything.

Taking a step closer, Harry's gaze bore into Dumbledore's. "You were mistaken about one thing. I was aware of my connection to the Horcrux long before today. I knew that my sacrifice was essential to rendering Voldemort mortal."

Dumbledore's curiosity piqued. "How did you come by this knowledge?"

“"Do you think I willingly offered myself to Voldemort in the clearing solely for that purpose?"

Harry recited a portion of the prophecy. “And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…” 

“The unknown power was love, my boy.”

Harry chuckled softly. "Perhaps, but I believe the prophecy alluded to something else. Now that I have purged myself of the Horcrux, I can unleash my true power against Voldemort."

Dumbledore reached out a hand to him imploringly. "Harry, what do you mean? Tell me.”

Harry shook his head and took a step back. Dumbledore's ears heard Harry's voice loud and clear, despite the fact that a bright mist was descending, obscuring his figure.

"It must be infuriating to be left in the dark. Now you know how it feels. Rest assured; I have everything under control. Find peace in your next great adventure, Dumbledore, for I will handle the rest."

The next instant, Harry was back in the clearing. He lay on his back with his eyes closed. The scent of the forest filled his nostrils, and the ground beneath him felt unyielding. Every muscle throbbed in protest; the Killing Curse's remnants were still visible as a brutal imprint on his skin.

A soft breeze tousled his hair. “I’m glad you've returned. I feared you might not come back. I feel like our connection is now complete.”

Harry could feel the raw power coursing through him, a rush of energy that threatened to overwhelm his senses. As he lay there, grappling with the intensity of it all, he knew that time was of the essence. The hostile environment around him served as a stark reminder of the imminent dangers he faced.

"Allow me to guide you in harnessing this power," a calm and reassuring voice, broke through the tumult within Harry. "It’s not a force to be controlled but a force to be embraced, to work not against you, but alongside you."

Harry took his advice, and the power within him began to settle. 

“Examine him. Confirm if he's dead.” A cold voice spoke.

A woman seized him, her touch surprisingly gentle, as she examined his face and chest for signs of life. Harry's eyes snapped open to meet Narcissa Malfoy's stunned expression. 

Narcissa came close to screaming. Harry's eyes, once emerald green, now gleamed a chilling azure blue, devoid of warmth. Silently, he pressed a finger to his lips, a gesture unseen by the others around them. His calm demeanour amidst the presence of Voldemort and his Death Eaters unnerved her. Why did he look so unbothered by his current situation?

Narcissa felt a cool sensation in her ear, followed by a faint voice. “If you value your life, flee now. Your precious son is at the castle.”

“Well, is he alive?” Voldemort's voice hissed with impatience.

Narcissa remained silent, her gaze fixed on Harry. In a single breath’s time, she made her decision. Without looking back, she dashed into the trees, ignoring her sister's cries for her to return. The wind whipped around her, tugging at her robes as she raced through the forest, fear clawing at her chest. A sense of impending doom settled in her bones, a premonition of imminent change. There was no time to warn her husband; he would have to look out for himself.

“What is your wife doing, Lucius?” Voldemort demanded.

“I don't know,” Lucius stuttered, forgetting to address Voldemort properly amidst his shock and confusion.

"Yet again, your family is a disappointment," Voldemort said, raising his wand to curse him.

“My Lord!” Bellatrix screamed and pointed to the boy.

Harry Potter stood up from the ground and dusted himself off, looking completely unaffected. Voldemort's grip on his wand tightened, a mix of emotions swirling within him—shock, uncertainty, and perhaps even a hint of fear creeping into his demeanour.

The sudden resurrection of the boy sent ripples of unease through Voldemort's followers, who exchanged wary glances, unsure of how to react. Bellatrix, however, remained unfazed, her twisted joy at the prospect of Harry's suffering even more evident in her expression.

Harry ignored the wands pointing at him. “She’s running for her life. Smart woman. Unlike the rest of you, she is going to survive.”

“What nonsense are you speaking about?” Voldemort's eyes gleamed with malice. “You may have survived another Killing Curse, but that is only one of many ways to die.”

“That is true,” Harry said, nodding. "I find it surprising that you keep using it. If you had used a curse to destroy my body, I wouldn’t be standing here."

“What?” Voldemort’s eyes narrowed.

Bellatrix's mocking laughter filled the air. “Is wee little Potter feeling brave because he managed to survive again?”

Before anyone could react, a swift, translucent blade of wind sliced through the air, separating Bellatrix's head from her shoulders in one swift, brutal motion, and her body crumpled on the ground. Her head rolled across the ground before coming to a halt at Voldemort's feet, the gloating expression permanently etched on her face.

Voldemort, enraged, kicked the head away. His best lieutenant had been killed in an instant.

Chaos descended on the clearing, the clamour of voices demanding Harry's death echoing throughout the night. The first curse pierced the air, triggering a chain reaction in which Death Eaters unleashed a barrage of dark magic on the young wizard. The once tranquil surroundings erupted into a frenzy of illuminated flashes as spells collided and clashed in the darkness.

Harry yawned, bored, as they vented their rage on him. A translucent barrier stood before him, and the curses splashed harmlessly against it, unable to penetrate its defences.

“Stop!” Voldemort ordered. 

His followers ceased attacking. There were looks of fear on their faces as they looked at the boy. Harry's display of power had unnerved them. 

Harry noticed Lucius Malfoy's eyes darting around and smirked. Lucius' survival instincts had kicked in, and he was planning to flee like his wife. Too bad for him. Nobody else was leaving this clearing alive.

“Was that wandless magic?” Voldemort asked.

“I suppose you could call it that,” Harry replied.

"You have never shown such ability before.”

“There are so many inexplicable things in the world.” 

“Stop delaying, laddie. I demand that you serve your end of the bargain and get rid of that bastard.”

A whisper in Harry's ear spurred him into action. His eyes glowed an electric blue, and he unleashed a torrent of elemental magic, the very air around them bending to his will. A strong breeze blew across the clearing. Then a second. A third. The sound of the wind changed as it picked up speed—no longer a whisper but a howling symphony that filled the clearing. The branches in the trees creaked and groaned in protest, swaying wildly with the force of the gusts. 

The Death Eaters looked around, feeling the violence of the wind tugging at their clothes. They had looks of incomprehension on their faces.

“Elemental magic?” Voldemort flicked his wand, and a barrier formed around him, cocooning him in a pocket of calm. “You are full of surprises, boy.”

Voldemort smirked as he noticed a shape slithering silently through the grass. Nagini lunged forward to bite Harry, but a gust of wind picked her up and carried her into the air. She hissed, trying to break free, but the wind had her in its iron grip.

“Say goodbye to your last Horcrux,” Harry said.

“No!” Voldemort's furious roar echoed through the clearing, his wand slashing through the air with menacing intent. 

A searing stream of fire erupted from the tip of his wand, a lethal blaze hurtling towards Harry at breakneck speed. 

Something unexpected occurred.

The scorching inferno seemed to falter, its fiery momentum abruptly stumbling and wavering, as if the flames themselves realised their own futility. With a flicker and a gasp, the fire dissipated into nothingness, evaporating before it could ever reach Harry, as if it had never truly existed in the first place.

Harry snapped his fingers. Dozens of razor-sharp wind blades appeared in a quick whirlwind, slicing through the air with deadly precision. In a breathtaking display, Nagini's body became the canvas for this onslaught, each wind blade bisecting her body into a multitude of disjointed parts. A deluge of blood and flesh cascaded down upon the clearing, yet not a single speck touched Harry, as if he were shielded by an invisible barrier.

A scream rent through the air. A dark cloud appeared, its shape eerily familiar, before vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.

"Now you are mortal, Tom," Harry declared. "Before I deal with you, let's rid ourselves of your lackeys."

Before Voldemort or his followers could react, a powerful gust of wind blew through the clearing, knocking the Death Eaters off their feet and leaving only the Dark Lord sheltered by his protective barrier. A powerful downdraft followed, pounding the hapless followers into the ground with unrelenting force, crushing their bodies under the wind's overwhelming power. Their existence was extinguished in an instant, their once formidable adversaries rendered ineffective by nature's unforgiving might.

Silence followed in the wake of the violent aftermath.

Voldemort's mind reeled in disbelief as he struggled to process the unfolding chaos. Mere moments ago, he stood at the pinnacle of power, his dominance unchallenged And yet, in a cruel twist of fate, his most despised adversary, the boy he had dismissed as weak and unworthy, emerged transformed before him. A bewildering display of wandless elemental magic that defied all logic and reason had replaced the once predictable narrative of their conflict. 

The clearing lay in ruins, his fallen Death Eaters all dead. Voldemort, once consumed by arrogance and hubris, now faced the harsh reality of his own mortality, his invincibility shattered by the unexpected turn of events.

“Something is not right,” Voldemort hissed. "Where did this sudden power come from? It's not natural."

A sly smile played at the corners of Harry's lips. "You're right about that. I suppose I can enlighten you before you die. Tell me, where did you acquire the ability to fly?"

Voldemort’s eyes narrowed. Where was the boy going with this?

"You performed a ritual, didn't you? It's how you gained many of your abilities. Rituals demand sacrifice, but that's of no concern to you. Whether it's sacrificing a part of yourself or someone else, you believe the ends justify the means."

Voldemort's eyes widened in realisation.

"Have you realised your mistake?" Harry asked. "You sacrificed several wind elementals in your insatiable quest for power. But they are an exceedingly rare and endangered species. Your actions caused their numbers to dwindle to less than half a dozen. This incident awakened the Wind Spirit King, and his fury knew no bounds."

"I have never heard of such a spirit," Voldemort snapped.

"Of course not. You consider all magical creatures, or spirits in this case, beneath you. So, you don’t consider them a threat. Your death was foretold long before the prophecy and I came along. The Wind Spirit King was resolute in seeking vengeance."

"Then why didn't he exact his revenge sooner?" Voldemort demanded.

"Because he couldn't manifest his true power in this world by himself," Harry explained. "He needed to form a contract with a human—a vessel capable of channelling his powers. Who would have thought that I was the only one in the world who met the criteria? It makes for a poetic sense of justice. Two of your victims are uniting to ensure your downfall."

A translucent apparition appeared in front of Voldemort, coalescing into a distorted representation of a face. It opened its mouth and spoke. 

"Hey, you ignorant fool. Do you have any idea how long I've waited for this day? I'm going to enjoy this."

Voldemort lashed out with his wand, sending a cutting curse at the apparition. It caused a small ripple along its surface, but otherwise left it unscathed. "If you possessed this power before today, why wait until now to use it?"

"It's simple. I couldn't access the power with your Horcrux lodged in my head."

Voldemort let out an enraged scream.

Harry chuckled. "Surprised? If only you hadn't attempted to kill me and had kept me alive, then you still would have had a Horcrux to anchor you to this world. Well, hindsight is a cruel mistress, and fate certainly has a twisted sense of humour."

Voldemort's eyes blazed with fury as he unleashed a barrage of spells at Harry, his wand cutting through the air with deadly precision. Bolts of green, red, and yellow light shot forth—each one designed to bring about Harry's downfall. The power of his magic created a spectacle of light and sound that was both mesmerising and terrifying. 

But it had no effect on Harry. All of Voldemort’s spells splashed harmlessly against the barrier, his dark magic unable to penetrate the powerful shield. The wind element was a formidable ally, shielding Harry from harm and deflecting all attacks with ease.

The apparition grinned malevolently. “It’s useless, boy. Your magic is powerless against the might of the wind element. Continue to struggle if you wish, but your efforts are in vain. I relish the taste of your despair in the air.”

Voldemort, realising his spells were ineffective, switched tactics and summoned a massive serpent wreathed in flames. The fiery creature slithered towards Harry, igniting everything in its path. The trees, foliage, and air itself were consumed by the flames, creating a blazing inferno that threatened to engulf the entire forest. In the midst of the fiery chaos, Harry and Voldemort stood unharmed, the wind element creating a protective barrier around them that kept the flames at bay. 

The wind alerted Harry to a situation. Although he couldn’t see them, he could hear them clearly. A crowd of witches and wizards were pouring out of the castle, drawn by the spectacle unfolding in the forest. Curiosity, or perhaps stupid bravery, had replaced their fear, and they ran across the grounds, wands at the ready.

“Troublesome,” Harry muttered.

With a snap of his fingers, Harry extinguished the fire serpent, but Voldemort conjured two more in its place. The fiery creatures lunged at the barrier, temporarily obscuring Voldemort from Harry's sight. Seizing the opportunity, Voldemort took to the air, soaring above the flames.

Voldemort smirked as he surveyed the approaching witches and wizards. He flew towards them, planning on using them in his fight against Harry. If only he had thought more clearly in that moment, perhaps he would have chosen a different course of action.

“It’s Voldemort!” Professor McGonagall’s voice cut through the chaos. Screams erupted from the crowd.

In a swift motion, McGonagall conjured a massive trebuchet before her, a look of determination etched on her features. Flitwick followed suit, his wand twirling as he ignited the bolt with flames. With a resounding twang, the fiery projectile soared through the air towards Voldemort.

Voldemort reacted quickly, slashing his wand through the air. The bolt transformed into a massive serpent that crashed to the ground with a thud. The crowd gasped as the serpent hissed menacingly, its eyes locking onto the gathered students.

“Kill it!” Ron’s urgent command rang out, his voice resolute as he stood alongside Hermione, their expressions grim with determination.

“Perfect,” Voldemort hissed. Potter’s friends would make the perfect bait.

The students moved forward, casting spells at the serpent, but their efforts were futile because the creature ignored the magical barrage. It slithered closer, the threat imminent, until a massive blade of wind slashed through the air, separating the serpent's head from its body. The conjuration faded, leaving a stunned silence in its wake.

“It’s Harry!” Luna's voice cut through the tension, drawing everyone's attention skyward.

Harry floated in the air behind Voldemort, his eyes ablaze.

Before Voldemort could react, a strong force seized him, ripping his wand from his grasp and reducing it to shards. The Death Stick crumbled to nothing in an instant, leaving Voldemort helpless and enraged.

“No!” Voldemort screamed.

 “Harry!” Hermione stared up at him in disbelief. “What’s going on? What happened to you?”

Ron's mouth was hanging open, with an incredulous expression on his face. The rest of the crowd had similar expressions, unable to understand what they were witnessing.  He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, the dark wizard that inspired such terror in them, was being held helplessly in the air like he was nothing.

Professor McGonagall stepped forward, a tear slipping down her cheek. “Mr. Potter, is it finally over?”

Harry nodded solemnly. “I didn’t want any of you to witness this, but perhaps it is for the best. I will show you the end of Tom Marvolo Riddle, once and for all.”

“Let me go, Harry Potter,” Voldemort's voice echoed with desperation. “Together, we can conquer all. These mere insects are beneath us."

Voldemort abruptly plummeted through the air and crashed into the ground, his legs snapping beneath him. Harry followed Voldemort to the ground and released him from his hold. Voldemort crawled with his arms, trying to escape from Harry.

The apparition appeared in front of Voldemort. “Yes. Struggle. Suffer. Despair. My children who died at your hands demand no less from you.”

“I’m the Dark Lord,” Voldemort roared. “No one is better than me. Damn you, Potter. Just wait, I will—”

Voldemort’s head was cleaved from his body, ending his reign of terror in an instant. Silence fell over the onlookers, a mix of awe, reverence, and fear washing over them as they stared at Harry.

As Harry's eyes shifted back to their familiar emerald green, a wave of exhaustion washed over him.

“Voldy is dead!” Ron's exclamation broke the silence, and his arm rose triumphantly.

The jubilant cheers of the crowd filled the air, a cacophony of relief and triumph as Voldemort's reign of terror came to a decisive end. Harry's friends rushed towards him, enveloping him in heartfelt embraces, their expressions a mix of joy and gratitude. 

As he stood amongst his friends, basking in their support and love, Harry knew that a new chapter was beginning, one free from the shadow of the dark wizard that had plagued them for so long. It was finally over.

So, what do you think? This chapter took a lot of work, but I like how it turned out. I haven't decided yet if I will turn it into a story. I might post a few story ideas before doing a poll to choose one to continue writing.

Thanks for reading.