The Intelligent Potter

An: If you would like to read the latest chapters of TIP a bit early, please check this story out on webnovel!

An2: That said, I hope you enjoy this chapter to come. After so much of Dumbledore, Sirius, Arcturus, and all the a.d.u.l.ts doing a lot of fighting, it is FINALLY Harry's turn to see a little bit of action.

*** Present

It was not at all okay.

Rather, it was quite the opposite, it was Lord Voldemort himself. For the first time since that night in the graveyard, he was not completely covered by The Darkness, but there was no mistaking the snakelike features and the red eyes.

Voldemort was just standing there, taking in the view as if he hadn't seen the castle in decades, even though he had stood on these very grounds, and killed the Headmaster of this very school, not even one year ago.

Then their eyes met, and Harry could not make out what Voldemort was thinking at all. He was not the deranged psychopath or the determined mass murderer that Harry was familiar with.

His eyes were unfathomable. Dull. Dead.

"You," Harry uttered with utter hatred.

If Harry had looked down at Voldemort's mouth, he would have noticed that the man was trying to speak.

Alas, he did not.

Instead, he drew out the Elder Wand, and funneled all of his considerable magic through the magic-magnifying wand and conjured the largest piece of elemental magic that he could muster.

A truly fearsome snake of fire rocketed towards Voldemort.

Harry's enemy managed to counter the elemental magic fairly well, deflecting it away with a wall of air, but somehow he seemed a lot weaker than Harry had ever seen him before.

The two wizards battled. One more willingly than the other

Tom had very little fight left in him, and he could barely keep up with the extremely high rate of casting which the younger combattant was maintaining.

In the heat of the battle, as he was trying to land something, anything, on the man he still thought was a Dark Lord, Harry did not notice that they were absolutely no spells being sent back at him, as Tom was only deflecting Harry's spells, and countering his elemental magic with magic of his own.

Harry did notice, however, that Voldemort was not using the powers of The Darkness.

"Am I so little to you," he said with anger, "That you refuse to even use your real power?"

"No," Tom scratched out, but before he could explain himself, he was flying backwards, as Harry landed a vicious expulsion spell on him in triumph.

Tom stopped himself in midair and pulled himself out of the way of Harry's next attack, and sent a stunning spell at his opponent with stunning speed and accuracy.

Having left himself open in his haste to hit Voldemort, Harry had left himself open to attack, and the very first spell which Tom sent his way hit its mark.

And nothing happened.

Harry blinked.

Tom blinked.

Then they both got back into the fight, and Tom realised that none of his spells would harm the young Potter.

'It must be the powers of Dumbledore's wards,' he realised, 'They let me in, but they won't let me harm any of the other inhabitants… but if the wards haven't accepted me as a Hogwarts student, then why would they possibly let me in?'

The words of Albus Dumbledore floated to his mind unwillingly.

"Help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it."

Tom sighed, continuing to fight almost on autopilot, as Harry tired out and the gap between the skills of the two wizards became more obvious.

Even in death, Dumbledore was always extending an olive branch to every person.

There was a lull in the battle, as Harry gasped for air, and Tom just stood there, waiting for the young Potter, who was glaring at him with hate in his eyes.

"Harry," Tom started, unsure of how to address the boy he had wanted to kill for well over a decade.

"Don't you dare speak the name my parents gave me, you monster," Harry hissed and started fighting again.

He ran at Tom, who let the boy get near, and then Harry pulled out the Sword of Potter and swung straight at the man he thought to be his mortal enemy. He knew that The Darkness was the real threat, but defeating it was just part of the huge duty put on his shoulders.

This was the man that he really hated. Defeating Voldemort was personal.

Spells flew in every which direction. Tom was sure that they had been spotted already, and that there would be reinforcements for the child he was fighting very soon.

With a roar, Tom summoned a gust of wind so large it threw Harry at a wall. The young Potter was saved by Hogwarts just before he hit the wall, as Tom had been anticipating.

He put his hand to the floor and transmuted the stone of the castle to shackle Harry's wrists.

The young Potter was finally subdued. His hands were tied, and Tom regretfully plucked the wand from his hand.

"Do your worst," Harry said, glaring at Tom.

"I did not come here to fight you Harry," Tom scratched out.

"Don't say my name!" Harry roared at him.

"Fine," Tom sighed, "Mr Potter, I did not come all this way to fight you."

"Came here to die, Voldemort?" Harry spat back.

"That is not ideal," Tom admitted, "But it would be a fair bit better than the alternative."

Harry blinked. He was still angry - furious - but this conversation was not going at all as he had imagined.

"Step away from Harry," a cold voice said from behind Tom's head.

"I hope I can prove to you that I am not here to fight," Tom said, and then raised his hands above his head and stepped away from Harry.

And then, Arcturus was next to Harry, and with a single movement, he removed the bindings from Harry, sacrificing all of the transmuted stone to remove the restraints, leaving a small portion of the wall gouged out.

Tom on the other hand was shackled by Iliad, in the blink of an eye.

A knee to the stomach brought him to his knees.

Tom hacked up blood.

"I'm not here to fight," Tom gasped out.

"Give me one reason I shouldn't kill you where you stand," Iliad said before backhanding Tom across the face, "Oh, I'm sorry, Give me one reason I shouldn't kill you where you COWER."

*** End of Chapter