"… Harry," Hagrid said, looming over the boy as thunder roared in the background. "You are a…"
The half-giant couldn't finish his words, though.
There was a blur.
A glitch.
Then, the entire Key timeline ceased to exist.
With a screeching hiss, Herpo the Foul appeared in another timeline, a green-hued trail coming out of him as he used his authority as a Harry Potter Bubble's unique existence.
In the very next moment, Darth Vader appeared right next to him, defying all logic.
Dark Cosmos, a condensed Mystery born out of a distorted fusion of Cosmic Force with Vader's Anger, imparted a multitude of abilities to him.
No matter where Vader went, the Force, in all its forms, went with him.
And with that came the ability of Supreme Vergence Scatter — the blown-out-of-proportion ability to access the World Between Worlds, letting him step into any timeline within any Bubble at his mere whim.
"You cannot run, wizard," the Inquisitor said, his armor letting out light sparks as it experienced a malfunction. "All you can do… is surrender. Kneel and…"
Herpo the Foul growled out another hiss, his feet landing on earth.
The earth, in a hundred-mile radius, sank.
A HUM echoed out of Herpo as he raised his Staff high, the eyes of the wooden Basilisk's head on it snapping open.
Primeval Parselscript —
Herpo the Foul was a master of Soul Magic.
That wouldn't work against a soulless creature, though.
The one who called himself Darth Vader? He didn't even have a body, per se. Under the armor, there was flesh, Herpo the Foul could sense. But it only acted as an anchor, tethering the vast… VAST… Force that the Inquisitor actually was.
So, neither Physical nor Spiritual attacks would do anything against Darth Vader, Herpo the Foul knew.
Also, using Magic was pointless, given that the Inquisitor could nullify all Magic, Life, and Spirit-based laws by casting that immense Force Field instantly.
But Herpo the Foul had always known his Bubble's weakness; his weakness.
He had always imagined this day — coming face to face with an Outsider!
How could he not have prepared a way out, then? How could he not have created a way to use his abilities without using Magic? How could he not have crafted trump cards, like Bas, who could let him tap into the Ancient Magical Script, despite the Bubble not having it anymore?!
Bas hissed.
And, from its wooden, slitted eyes, a pulse originated, covering the entire planet instantly.
— Soul Vision!
…
"Annie? My goodness… You look so… grown up!"
Anakin looked up and found her walking toward him, with a bright, wide smile on her face.
"… Padme? You… You…"
He couldn't think of words.
He lifted his hands and looked at them; skin, flesh, bones, and blood.
Anakin blinked several times, but he failed to recall how he had arrived here.
"Annie… Anakin?"
Slowly, he looked up and found her standing in front of him. Close.
It was like a dream, Anakin felt, with no beginning. And if it had an end, he… didn't want it to reach that point. Ever.
Why?
Why did he even think of an end?
"Anakin…" Padme stepped closer and touched his cheeks. "Are you alright?"
A tear streamed down Anakin's cheek as he put his hand over hers, looking into her eyes and seeing his face… so clear.
"Yes…" he said, his voice breaking. "Yes… Yes, I am."
…
Herpo the Foul looked on as Darth Vader stood in place, seemingly petrified.
Then, just as he was about to lift the Basilisk Staff once more, the Inquisitor… moved.
Vader, abandoning his attack form, lifted his left hand and looked at it, as if he could see the flesh he had once possessed.
On the other side, Herpo's slitted eyes widened so much that they almost looked human.
"… You…" the Legendary Wizard asked, shocked beyond measure. "… Why?"
It was clear that Darth Vader had voluntarily let himself fall into the illusion instead of breaking it right away.
The Soul Vision Herpo the Foul had cast using Primeval Parselscript wasn't the same as the one his Avatar had cast against that Yellow Warlock's slave.
Only one moment had passed for Herpo the Foul.
One moment for him to make up his mind if he wanted to finish the Inquisitor or… take another route to handle this situation.
Meanwhile, over a hundred years had passed for Darth Vader!
For the Inquisitor to break the illusion halfway meant that he had always known that it had been an illusion. Otherwise, it didn't matter if another thousand, or tens of thousands of years had passed, he could have never broken the illusion, not without external help.
And that truly shocked Herpo the Foul.
It shocked him enough that he asked the same question again. "… Why?"
Darth Vader kept looking at his left hand, while his right hand, wielding the lightsaber, shook. Then, slowly, he drew a deep breath and let his left hand fall, his head lifting as his gaze fell upon the wizard.
He knew what Herpo the Foul was asking.
It wasn't why he had let himself fall into the illusion.
It was… why he had claimed that he did not mourn for anyone.
A gust of wind came rushing in and lifted Vader's black cloak, making it flutter like a banner.
Then, slowly, the High Sith of the Star Wars Bubble pointed his lightsaber towards the High Wizard of the Harry Potter Bubble.
Dark Cosmos —
"You…" Darth Vader said, breathing in and out. "… missed your chance."
Then, even as Herpo the Foul sensed the doom coming and let his existence manifest in a hundred timelines to negate the attack, the Inquisitor assumed a simple stance and… hacked.
— Probability Annihilation!
The laser of Vader's lightsaber broke apart into a million tiny pieces before vanishing into thin air.
Behind Herpo the Foul, there were countless transparent projections of his, each occupying a timeline.
Suddenly, tiny, bloody specks appeared on those projections, all landing right on their chests.
"… Cough!" Blood came pouring out of Herpo the Foul's mouth. He looked down and found… a scorched hole… going straight through his chest. "… Jo… Jormungandr!"
Sensing a disturbance in Force, Vader looked up.
In the next moment, the World Serpent opened its fanged mouth and…
… devoured the entire planet — eradicating another timeline!