0:00

Right, just so everybody knows,

0:03

I haven't actually read chapter 113

0:06

yet.

0:08

I've been advised by the people who

0:10

come and listen to the recordings of this live

0:12

on Discord – come join us, by the way – that

0:15

there is something at the end of this chapter that

0:18

I am supposed to respond to. I

0:21

have no idea what this is. But

0:24

I haven't read this chapter and I am reading

0:26

it live for you right now.

0:29

I will be recording it all

0:32

and also whatever

0:34

happens at the end. Enjoy.

0:39

Chapter 113 Final Exam The

0:45

gibbous moon riding higher

0:48

than the cloudless sky, The

0:50

stars and wash of the Milky

0:52

Way visible in all their majesty

0:55

within the darkness,

0:57

All these illuminated

1:00

thirty-seven skull masks

1:02

gleaming above black robes, And

1:05

the darker-clad Lord Voldemort

1:07

whose eyes shone red.

1:11

Welcome, my

1:14

Death Eaters, spoke

1:17

Lord Voldemort's voice, smooth

1:20

and high and

1:22

terrible.

1:24

No, do not look

1:27

at me, you fools, eyes

1:30

upon the Potter-child.

1:33

Ten years

1:36

it has been, ten years

1:38

since we last met, Yet

1:42

you answer my call

1:45

as though it were yesterday.

1:49

The dark Lord Voldemort came

1:52

near to one hooded figure, tapped

1:55

fingers upon the mask.

5:59

are too much folly

6:02

for me to credit, Mr.

6:04

Sallow. I suppose

6:08

you came to prefer your laziness

6:11

to my mastery, McNair?"

6:15

The Death Eater who'd spoken was

6:18

suddenly surrounded by a blue

6:20

haze.

6:21

He spun, slashed his wand

6:23

at the Dark Lord, and cried, Ivar

6:26

the Kadamala!

6:28

Voldemort simply tilted to

6:30

one side in mid-air, dodging

6:32

the green bolt.

6:35

Ivar the Kadamala!

6:37

cried the Death Eater. His

6:39

hand that didn't hold a wand was

6:41

making other gestures, further

6:43

colours and layers building up in his shielding

6:46

haze with each gesture completed.

6:49

Help me, my brothers, if

6:51

we all!

6:53

The Death Eater fell in

6:55

seven flaming pieces to

6:58

the ground, chunks of flesh

7:00

with the quarter-rized edges still

7:03

glowing.

7:05

Eyes and wands

7:08

on Harry Potter, all of you,

7:11

Voldemort repeated, his voice

7:13

low and dangerous.

7:16

And McNair acted

7:18

in sheer stupidity just

7:20

then, for I command

7:23

your marks, as I

7:26

always shall. I

7:30

am immortal."

7:32

The

7:35

Master,

7:36

said another robe, the girl

7:38

upon the altar, is she to serve

7:41

us for a dark revel? She

7:43

seems unworthy of such a joyous

7:45

occasion. I could find

7:47

better, Master, if you give me

7:50

leave for just a short time. No,

7:52

Mr. Friendly,

7:56

said Voldemort, sounding rather

7:58

amused.

7:59

little witch you see upon

8:02

the altar is none other

8:04

than a mighty

8:07

Granger." What?

8:12

cried one of the black robes, and then, I'm

8:15

sorry, master. I'm sorry. I

8:18

beg your…

8:19

Crucio!

8:22

This screaming only lasted

8:24

a few seconds, and Voldemort

8:26

had performed it as though it were perfunctory.

8:31

Afterward, Voldemort's voice returns

8:33

to low amusement.

8:36

I have resurrected

8:39

this mudblood through the

8:41

darkest of magics for

8:44

my own purposes.

8:48

You shall not offer her the

8:50

slightest trouble, any of

8:53

you. You're

8:54

better off dead than if I learned

8:57

my little experiment came

8:59

to harm at your hands.

9:02

This

9:03

order is absolute,

9:04

regardless of

9:07

other circumstances, even

9:09

if she escapes, let us say.

9:13

A cold high laugh, as if

9:15

at some joke that nobody else

9:17

understood. Master!

9:21

One of the robes said in a faltering voice,

9:23

distorted by his skull mask,

9:26

Master,

9:27

please, I would never

9:30

defy you. I'm obedient,

9:32

as you see. But, Master,

9:35

I beg you, let me return.

9:37

The better to serve you later.

9:40

I came here in haste. Forsaken?

9:43

Master, with

9:45

so many of us being gone, others

9:48

will wonder. They'll mark

9:50

the absences. Who has

9:52

disappeared? Soon there

9:55

shall be no alibi I can offer.

9:58

A cold high.

9:59

I laugh. Ha!

10:03

Mr. White, the

10:05

most delinquent of my

10:08

servants, I have

10:10

not yet decided if you

10:12

will survive your punishment. I

10:16

have less need of you than I once

10:18

did, Mr. White. In

10:22

two days' time, the

10:24

Death Eaters shall walk

10:26

openly.

10:27

My powers have

10:30

increased,

10:30

and I have just

10:32

this day disposed

10:33

of Dumbledore.

10:37

More gasps of shock arose

10:40

from the Death Eaters. Voldemort

10:43

paid them no heed.

10:45

Tomorrow, I shall

10:48

slay Bones, Crouch,

10:50

Moody, and Scrimjaw

10:53

if they have not fled. The

10:56

rest of you shall go into the Ministry

10:58

and the Wisengumot, and cast

11:01

Imperious Curses as I direct

11:03

you.

11:04

We are finished

11:08

waiting.

11:09

By tomorrow's nightfall,

11:12

I shall have declared myself

11:16

Lord Ruler of

11:19

Britain.

11:22

One takes of breath rose

11:24

from the gathered masks, but

11:27

one figure was laughing.

11:31

You find me amusing,

11:34

Mr. Grimm?

11:37

Apologies, master, said

11:40

the rote figure who had laughed, his

11:42

wand perfectly level upon where

11:45

Harry stood.

11:47

I was glad to hear you had dispatched

11:49

Dumbledore. I fled

11:51

from Britain, in cowardly fear of

11:54

him, having lost faith in your

11:56

return.

11:58

within

12:00

the graveyard.

12:04

Your candor earns you

12:07

my mercy,

12:07

Mr. Grim. I was

12:10

surprised to see you here tonight.

12:13

You are more competent

12:15

than I suspected, but

12:18

before we turn our attention

12:21

to happier matters,

12:24

there is a certain affair to which

12:26

we must attend. Tell

12:29

me, Mr. Grim, if the boy who lived

12:33

swore an oath to you, might you

12:38

trust him? Master,

12:41

I

12:42

don't understand,

12:45

said Mr. Grim. While

12:48

an or two of the other Death Eaters turned

12:50

their masks toward Voldemort before

12:52

quickly fixing the skull gaze on

12:55

Harry.

12:57

Answer me,

13:00

Voldemort hissed.

13:02

This is not a trick, Mr.

13:04

Grim, and you will

13:07

answer truthfully or bear

13:10

the consequences. You

13:12

knew the boys

13:14

for bears. Did you not?

13:18

Knew them for straightforward folk.

13:21

If the boy freely

13:23

chose to swear

13:24

you an oath, even

13:27

knowing you for a Death Eater, might

13:31

you trust in his

13:33

words? Answer

13:36

me.

13:37

I…

13:39

yes, Master.

13:42

I suppose I might. Good,

13:46

Voldemort said coldly. The

13:49

potential for trust must exist

13:52

to be sacrificed, and

13:55

for the ponder of the unbreakable

13:58

vow. Which

14:00

of you shall sacrifice

14:02

their magic? It shall

14:05

be quite the long

14:07

vow, much longer than

14:09

usual. Much magic

14:12

shall be required for that."

14:16

Voldemort smiled

14:18

his awful smile.

14:21

Mr. White shall

14:23

do.

14:26

No,

14:27

please, Master, I

14:30

beg you, I served you

14:32

better than any, as best I

14:34

could. Crucio!

14:38

said Voldemort, and Mr.

14:41

White screamed through his mask's

14:43

distortion for what seemed like a full

14:46

minute.

14:47

Be grateful if I leave

14:50

you your life. Now

14:53

approach the boy, Mr.

14:55

Grim, Mr. White,

14:59

from behind him, you idiot.

15:02

You must not block the other's

15:04

wands. And

15:06

the rest of you, you must

15:09

fire if

15:10

Harry Potter tries to run,

15:13

even if it means striking at your

15:15

fellow death-eaters.

15:18

Mr. White took time to

15:20

approach, the black robes

15:23

seeming to shake, even as

15:25

Mr. Grim moved smoothly

15:27

into position.

15:30

What is to be the vow, Master?

15:33

came the voice of Mr. Grim.

15:37

Ah, yes,

15:40

Voldemort said. The

15:42

Dark Lord went on pacing behind

15:45

the semicircle of death-eaters.

15:47

Today, though I

15:50

hardly expect even you to

15:52

believe me, today we are

15:54

doing Marlin's work,

15:57

my death-eaters.

15:59

Before us

16:02

stands a great

16:05

danger, who in his

16:07

blundering folly has

16:10

been prophesied to wreck

16:12

destruction such as

16:14

even I can scarcely

16:17

imagine. The

16:19

boy who lived, the

16:22

boy who frightens the

16:24

mangers, the cattle

16:26

who believe they own this world

16:29

should have been more worried when

16:31

they saw that.

16:32

Useless,

16:35

all of them.

16:37

Forgive me, said one

16:40

black robe in a halting voice.

16:43

Master, surely

16:45

if that is so, Master,

16:50

why don't we just kill

16:52

him right away?

16:55

Voldemort laughed,

16:57

a strange, bitter

16:59

laugh. When he spoke

17:01

on, his high voice was precise.

17:05

Here

17:06

is the oath's intent,

17:09

Mr. Grim, Mr.

17:12

White, Harry Potter.

17:15

Listen well, and comprehend

17:17

the vow that must be sworn,

17:20

for its intent is

17:22

also binding, and

17:25

you three must share

17:27

an understanding of its meaning. You

17:31

will swear, Harry Potter,

17:34

not to destroy the world,

17:38

to take no risks when

17:40

it comes to not destroying

17:43

the world. This

17:45

vow may not force

17:48

you into any positive

17:50

action. On account of that,

17:53

this vow does not force

17:56

your hand to any

17:59

stupidity.

17:59

Do

18:01

you understand that,

18:04

Mr. Grimm, Mr. White? We

18:09

are dealing with a prophecy of

18:11

destruction, a prophecy.

18:16

They can fulfill themselves

18:19

in twisted ways. We

18:21

must be cautious that this

18:24

vow itself does

18:26

not bring that prophecy

18:28

about.

18:31

We

18:32

dare not let this

18:34

vow force Harry

18:37

Potter to stand idly

18:39

after some disaster is already

18:42

set in motion by his hand, because

18:45

he must take some lesser

18:47

risk if he tries to

18:49

stop it.

18:50

Nor must the vow force

18:52

him to choose a risk of truly

18:56

vast destruction over

18:58

a certainty of lesser

19:00

destruction. But

19:04

all Harry Potter's foolishness,

19:08

Voldemort's voice cloned,

19:11

all his recklessness,

19:15

all his grandiose schemes

19:17

and good intentions.

19:22

He shall not risk

19:24

them leading to disaster.

19:29

He shall not gamble

19:31

with the Earth's fate. No

19:35

researches that might lead

19:37

to catastrophe. No unbinding

19:41

of seals. No

19:43

opening of gates.

19:46

Voldemort's voice lowered again.

19:49

Unless this very

19:52

vow itself is somehow

19:54

leading into the destruction of the

19:57

world, in which case,

19:59

Harry Potter. Harry Potter, you

20:01

must ignore it in that

20:04

particular regard. You

20:07

will not trust yourself

20:09

alone in making such

20:12

a determination. You

20:14

must confide honestly and

20:17

fully in your trusted friend,

20:19

and see if

20:22

that one agrees. Which

20:26

is this vows meaning

20:28

and intent? Its forces

20:31

only such acts as Harry Potter

20:33

might choose himself, having

20:35

learned

20:36

that he is a prophesied

20:39

instrument of destruction,

20:40

for the capacity

20:42

for choice must also exist

20:45

to be sacrificed. Do

20:48

you understand, Mr. White?

20:53

I...I

20:54

think so. Oh!

20:57

Master,

20:59

please do not let

21:01

the vow be so long.

21:03

Silence,

21:03

fool! You

21:06

do a more useful thing this

21:08

day than you have ever

21:11

done.

21:13

Mr. Grimm?

21:15

I think, Master,

21:18

that it must be repeated

21:20

to me.

21:22

Voldemort smiled that too

21:24

wide smile and said it all

21:27

again, using different words.

21:31

And

21:33

now,

21:34

Voldemort said coldly, Harry

21:37

Potter, you

21:40

will keep your wand low

21:42

and permit Mr. Grimm to touch

21:45

his wand to yours, and

21:48

you will speak such words as

21:51

I direct you. If

21:53

Harry Potter speaks any other word,

21:56

then cut him down the rest

21:58

of you.

21:59

as possible," came

22:02

the thirty-four-fold chorus.

22:06

Harry was chilled and shivering,

22:09

and not only because he was naked in the

22:11

night. He didn't

22:13

understand why Voldemort was

22:15

not just killing him.

22:19

There seemed to be only a single

22:21

line leading into the future, and

22:24

it was Voldemort's chosen

22:26

line, and Harry

22:29

did not know what came

22:31

after this.

22:34

"'Mr. White,'

22:37

said Voldemort, "'touch

22:39

your wand to Harry Potter's

22:42

hand, and repeat

22:44

these words. "'Magic

22:49

that flows in me, bind

22:53

this vow.'"

22:56

Mr. White spoke those

22:58

words. Even through

23:00

the distortion effect of his mask, it

23:02

sounded as though his heart were breaking.

23:07

Behind Voldemort, the obelisks

23:09

chanted, a language that

23:11

Harry did not know. Three times,

23:15

they repeated their words, then

23:17

fell silent. "'Mr.

23:20

Grimm,'

23:23

said Voldemort,

23:25

"'think of the reasons

23:27

why you might trust this boy,

23:30

if he had given this oath

23:33

freely. "'Think

23:35

of that potential for trust,

23:38

and sacrifice

23:41

it as you say.'" "'By

23:43

my trust

23:44

that I hold for you,' said

23:46

Mr. Grimm,

23:50

"'me you held.'"

23:55

And then it was Harry

23:57

Potter's turn to repeat Lord

23:59

Voldemort's What's words, and

24:02

Harry did so.

24:04

I vow, I vow, Harry said,

24:07

his voice shook, but he spoke,

24:09

that I shall not, that I shall

24:14

not,

24:20

by any act of mine,

24:22

destroy the world. By

24:25

any act of mine,

24:28

destroy the world,

24:30

I shall take no chances,

24:34

I shall take no chances,

24:37

in not destroying the

24:39

world, in not

24:42

destroying the world.

24:45

If my hand is forced,

24:48

if my hand is forced, I

24:52

may take the course,

24:54

I may take the course

24:57

of lesser destruction

25:00

over greater destruction.

25:02

Of lesser destruction over

25:05

greater destruction,

25:07

unless it seems to me that

25:10

this vow itself, unless

25:13

it seems to me that this

25:16

vow itself,

25:18

leads to the world's end,

25:21

leads to the world's end, and the

25:24

friend, and the friend, in whom I have

25:27

confided honestly,

25:29

in whom I have confided

25:36

honestly, agrees

25:39

that this is so, agrees

25:43

that this is so,

25:45

by my own free

25:48

will, by my

25:51

own free will,

25:53

Harry could feel it, as

25:55

the right was invoked, the

25:57

shining chords of power wrapping

26:00

around his wand and Mr. Grimm's

26:02

wand, wrapping around

26:05

his hand where Mr. White's wand

26:08

touched it, wrapping

26:10

around himself on

26:12

some disturbingly abstract

26:15

level. Harry

26:18

could feel himself invoking

26:21

his power of free choice,

26:24

and he knew that his next words

26:27

would sacrifice it, that

26:30

this was absolutely

26:32

the last chance to turn back.

26:36

"'So shall

26:38

it be,'

26:41

said the coldly precise voice

26:44

of Lord Voldemort.

26:47

"'So

26:48

shall it

26:50

be,'

26:52

Harry repeated, and

26:55

he knew in that moment that

26:57

the content of the vow was no

26:59

longer something he could decide

27:02

whether or not to do. It

27:04

was simply the way in which his

27:06

body and mind would move.

27:10

It was not a vow he could break, even

27:12

by sacrificing his life in the process.

27:17

Like water flowing downhill,

27:19

or a calculator summing numbers,

27:23

it was just a thing

27:25

Harry Potter would

27:27

do.'

27:29

"'Did the vow take,

27:32

Mr. White?'

27:35

Mr. White sounded like he

27:37

was weeping.

27:39

"'Yes,

27:40

Master, I have

27:42

lost so much. Please,

27:47

I have been punished enough.'

27:51

"'Return to your

27:53

places,'

27:55

said Voldemort. "'Good.

27:57

All I have

27:57

to do is to get rid of your hands and your feet.

27:59

on the Potter child, prepare

28:03

to fire the instant he tries

28:05

to flee, or raise his wand,

28:07

or speak any

28:09

word."

28:11

The Dark Lord floated high

28:13

in the air, the black-clad figure

28:16

overlooking the graveyard. Again,

28:19

he held a gun in his left hand, and

28:22

his wand in his right.

28:25

Better! Now

28:28

we shall kill the boy who

28:31

lived."

28:33

Mr. White staggered. Mr.

28:35

Grimm was laughing again, and

28:38

so were others.

28:41

I did not do that to

28:43

be funny, Voldemort

28:45

said coldly.

28:48

We are dealing with a

28:50

prophecy, fools! We

28:53

are snipping the threads of

28:55

destiny one by

28:58

one. Carefully,

29:01

carefully,

29:04

not knowing when we may

29:06

first encounter resistance.

29:10

This is the order

29:12

in which the next acts shall

29:15

be done. First, Harry

29:18

Potter shall be stunned.

29:20

Then, his limbs severed,

29:23

and the wounds quarterized.

29:26

Mr. Friendly and Mr.

29:29

Honor will examine him for

29:32

any trace of unusual magics.

29:35

One of you shall shoot the

29:37

boy many times with my

29:40

muggle weapon, and then, as many

29:42

of you as can,

29:44

shall strike him with the killing gas.

29:49

Only then will Mr.

29:51

Grimm crush his skull and

29:53

brains with the mundane substance

29:56

of a tombstone. I

29:58

shall very soon. verify his corpse,

30:02

then his corpse shall be burned

30:04

with fiend fire. Then

30:07

we will exorcise the

30:09

surrounding area in case he has

30:11

left a ghost. I

30:14

myself will guard

30:16

this place until six hours

30:19

have passed, for I do

30:21

not fully trust the wards I have

30:23

set up against time-looping, and

30:26

four of you shall search the

30:29

surroundings for signs of anything

30:32

noteworthy. Even

30:35

after that, we must remain

30:38

vigilant for any sign

30:40

of Harry Potter's

30:40

renewed presence, in

30:43

case

30:43

Dumbledore has left some

30:45

unimagined trick in

30:47

play. If

30:50

you can think of any trick

30:52

that I have missed in being

30:54

sure that Harry Potter's threat

30:57

has ended, speak now, and

31:00

I shall reward you handsomely.

31:05

Speak now, in Marlin's name."

31:09

There was stunned silence amid

31:11

the cemetery. No

31:13

one made to speak.

31:16

"'Hueseless,

31:18

the lot of you!'

31:20

Voldemort said with bitter scorn.

31:24

Now I shall

31:27

ask Harry Potter one final

31:29

question, and he is

31:31

to answer that question for

31:34

my ears alone in Parseltongue.

31:39

Strike the boy down at once

31:41

if he answers with anything

31:43

but hisses,

31:45

if he tries to speak one word

31:47

of human speech."

31:50

Then Voldemort hissed.

31:53

"'Power,

31:55

I know not. It

31:57

was said that I will not."

33:52

the

34:00

meaning that expression bore

34:02

among snakes, a promise

34:05

that whoever beheld the teeth was

34:07

to be consumed by them.

34:10

Waste not time in thoughts

34:13

of escape if you care

34:16

for those ones. You

34:19

have sixty seconds

34:23

to begin telling me something

34:25

I wish to know, and then

34:27

your death begins.

34:35

This is your final

34:38

exam. You have

34:40

sixty hours. Your

34:43

solution must at least allow

34:45

Harry to evade immediate death,

34:48

despite being naked, holding

34:50

only his wand, facing thirty-six

34:53

death-eaters plus the fully resurrected

34:56

Lord Voldemort.

34:58

Keep in mind the following.

35:00

1. Harry must succeed

35:03

via his own efforts. The

35:05

cavalry is not coming. Everyone

35:08

who might want to help Harry thinks

35:10

he is at a Quidditch game. 2. Harry

35:14

may only use capabilities the story

35:17

has already shown him to have. He

35:19

cannot develop wordless, wandless

35:21

legitimacy in the next sixty seconds. 3.

35:25

Voldemort is evil and cannot

35:28

be persuaded to be good. The Dark

35:30

Lord's utility function cannot be changed

35:32

by talking to him. 4. If

35:36

Harry raises his wand or speaks

35:38

in anything except Parseltongue, the

35:40

death-eaters will fire on him immediately. 5.

35:45

If the simplest timeline is otherwise

35:48

one where Harry dies, if Harry

35:51

cannot reach his time-turner without time-turned

35:53

help, then the time-turner will

35:56

not come into play. 6.

35:59

view

38:00

of Chapter 113 to submit one suggested solution.