Seeing the dead-serious look on Harry's face, the Grand Collector immediately knew he wasn't joking.
Harry really did have a video of Mephisto.
That realization made the Grand Collector's excitement spike. Something this valuable—no matter the cost—he had to have it. Even if it meant paying a price painful enough to make his heart bleed.
But as a seasoned collector, haggling was practically carved into his bones.
He put on a troubled expression, knitted his brows, and spoke with a tone dripping with helplessness. "Sorcerer Supreme, you know what this is. This is dirt on a powerful dimensional demon-god."
"If it gets spread around, it will absolutely draw Mephisto's hostility. That's not something just anyone can withstand…"
After that, the Grand Collector launched into an endless monologue—Mephisto's terrifying strength, the dimensional turbulence it might trigger, the chain of consequences that could follow, each more catastrophic than the last. He spoke as if every word were reason itself, clearly trying to push the price down.
Harry stayed calm, unmoved, listening quietly the whole time.
Only when the Grand Collector finally ran out of breath did Harry part his lips, speaking in the flattest tone imaginable.
"So do you want it or not? If not, I'll sell it to someone else."
With that, Harry turned and walked out.
The Grand Collector's face stiffened. He hurried after him, stepping in front of Harry to stop him, forcing a grin.
"I want it, I want it! Of course I want it. That was my fault—pure reflex, you know? Can't help trying to bargain."
"Fine. I'll give you the highest price. Mephisto's video is mine. No matter what."
…
A dimensional demon-god's "little video" was guaranteed hot merchandise.
Harry sold it to the Grand Collector for an outrageous price. After that, he and Tony wandered through other shops in the Crossroads of Infinity, buying all kinds of random odds and ends, before opening another portal and returning to Earth.
Harry stayed in the multiverse for a few more days. But he'd been away too long, and he needed to return to the wizarding world.
He could now influence the Chaos Origin—barely, slightly—and even exert limited control over the timing of his crossings. But that didn't mean he could stay gone forever. There was still a limit.
So, after finishing the levitation runes carved across a mountain peak—just shy of the moment he planned to lift it into the air—Harry opened a portal and stepped through.
In an instant, the world around him washed out, then snapped back into color, reassembling at blinding speed.
The strange distortions vanished.
Harry was standing in front of his bedroom door.
He raised a hand, gently pushed it open, and went inside.
The last time he'd left the wizarding world, he'd just finished dinner with the Dursleys. He was supposed to go to his room and sleep.
Perfect timing.
He'd been busy for months in the multiverse, and whether at home or at Kamar-Taj, he hadn't truly been able to rest.
Now exhaustion hit him like a tide. His legs went soft, and he dropped straight onto the bed—falling into a deep, steady sleep almost immediately.
…
The next morning, the first sunlight slipped through the window and spilled across Harry's room.
He woke slowly, still half-asleep, and wandered downstairs, only to be met by the warm smell of food.
The Dursleys were already seated neatly at the table, utensils set aside. No one had started eating. They were clearly waiting for him.
During breakfast, Aunt Petunia suddenly seemed to remember something. She took out a letter, handed it to Harry, and smiled.
"This just arrived. I think it's from one of your friends."
Harry lifted a brow, took the envelope, and opened it.
Inside was Ron's familiar, slightly messy handwriting:
"Dear Harry,
You know I've got a little sister. She's a huge fan of yours.
Lately, she's been pestering me every single day, insisting I invite you to come stay with us.
Sorry—Ginny's been relentless, and I couldn't say no anymore, so I'm sending you an invitation early.
Oh, and I invited Hermione too.
Mum makes amazing pumpkin pasties. I guarantee you'll love them.
In one week, I'll come pick you up. Be ready!
Ron"
Harry finished the letter and couldn't help raising his eyebrow again.
He remembered Ginny.
She was nothing like her loud, rough-and-tumble brothers—she was delicate and strikingly pretty.
She had vivid red hair, very similar to Wanda's, with fine features, fair skin, and a scatter of cute freckles. She carried that bright, youthful energy—playful and innocent.
The first time Harry met her, he'd felt something strange.
Back then, he couldn't make sense of it—until he met Wanda. Only then did he understand.
That sensation came from the subtle entanglement of fate's threads.
Just as Wanda's affinity with chaos magic was absurdly high—an almost impossible level of compatibility, making her a perfect candidate to become his companion—
Ginny Weasley also matched him in a certain way with unusual intensity, as if it were written into destiny itself, binding her future tightly to his.
And that made Harry uneasy.
With his eye for talent, he could tell at a glance: Ginny was gifted, sure… but compared to Wanda, she still fell short.
So why would his fate be entangled with Ginny's?
Why was that connection so strong?
Unless…
A faintly awkward expression flashed across Harry's face.
If he had never accidentally crossed into the multiverse, never been chosen by the power of the Chaos Origin—then along the original timeline, would Ginny have become someone extremely important in his life?
Even… his wife?
Only that could explain it—why Ginny's fate would intertwine with his so closely, in a way even Wanda couldn't surpass.
The moment that thought landed, Harry raised a hand and covered his face.
For a second, he honestly didn't know what kind of expression he was supposed to use when looking at Ginny anymore.
…
Over the next week, Harry continued researching magic.
Thanks to the massive store of knowledge he'd taken from Mephisto, his skill in many fields leapt forward—soul magic, fire magic, and more—though his progress in soul magic was the most dramatic.
Using Kamar-Taj's soul-magic system as a foundation, and weaving in the essence of Mephisto's soul techniques, Harry successfully created an entirely new hypnosis spell.
Once cast on an enemy, it could seize their consciousness instantly and bend it to the caster's will.
If Harry wanted, he could stroll into almost any world and become the "main character" of that world's story as easily as breathing.
Of course, Harry had nothing but contempt for that kind of thing. He was a righteous Sorcerer Supreme. How could he possibly do something like that?
His second major breakthrough was in time magic.
Even without using the Time Stone, he still couldn't truly stop time—but he could accelerate himself.
That was thanks to a new world Harry had been observing recently, a place with a technique called Innate Time Control, a spell that accelerated the user's personal time flow.
Harry replicated Innate Time Control with ease using chaos magic. In a normal state, it let him triple his own time flow—and that multiplier was still rising quickly.
After thinking about his current physical capabilities, Harry figured Gwen would probably love that spell.
Night fell.
Harry was fully focused, using the projection Hedwig displayed across his retina to run calculations and refine Innate Time Control.
Suddenly, a faint buzzing sound came from outside the window, breaking the quiet of the night.
Harry lifted his brow and pushed the window open.
Sure enough, a teal-green car came streaking through the sky like a bird, stopping steadily right beside the window.
Ron leaned out from the back window, while his twin brothers, Fred and George, sat in front and grinned at Harry.
"So? What do you think, Harry?" Ron patted the door smugly.
Harry quietly used the Borrowing System to notify the Dursleys that he was heading out. Then he flicked his hand, pulling a flying cloak out from where it had been merged into his body, tossing it over his shoulders with a grin.
"Yeah. Not bad. Still missing just a little something."
As he spoke, he lifted off and slipped into the car.
Ron watched that whole smooth sequence with open envy and blurted out, "Oh, Harry—you're unreal. You're always messing around with the coolest stuff."
Then, from Ron's side, an urgent voice suddenly protested.
"Ron, move! I want to be with Harry!"
Immediately after, a small girl shoved hard against Ron's shoulder, forcing her way over and planting herself right next to Harry.
That delicate, adorable face belonged to none other than Ginny Weasley.
Ginny had already been Harry's fan, and over the past year, she'd heard nonstop about his unprecedented achievements. Her admiration had only intensified—crossing the line into full-blown, irrational devotion.
If it were the old Ginny, she would've been nervous around Harry, sure, but she wouldn't have lost control.
But as her feelings kept growing, her attitude had become more and more feverish. Now that she finally saw him, she simply shoved Ron aside and lunged at Harry.
"Ah—Harry! I'm hugging the real Harry!"
Ginny squealed again and again.
Harry only felt a tiny person clinging tightly to him, a light, clean herbal scent washing over him.
He tried to soothe her while shooting a helpless look at Ron, hoping Ron would pry her off.
Seeing his little sister throw herself at his best friend like that, Ron looked a bit jealous, but he could only spread his hands.
"Sorry, Harry, I can't help. Ginny's your superfan. Just… let her hug you for a bit."
In the end, Harry signed Ginny's hat and gave her some multiverse candy, and that finally calmed her down.
Even so, Ginny still clung to Harry's arm like it was a lifeline. Her wide, shining eyes stayed locked on him without blinking.
Harry felt helpless—but he didn't stop her. He didn't hate the feeling.
And as he delved deeper into time magic, his sense of fate had grown sharper.
Now, with Ginny this close, Harry could feel it even more clearly—their destinies weaving together in the near future.
There was no doubt about it.
On the predetermined timeline, Ginny really was his wife.
Maybe because of that intertwined fate, Harry suddenly found Ginny far more familiar than before. The look in his eyes softened.
And right then, the car pulled up in front of Hermione's house.
Hermione happened to be stepping out the door. Through the window, she saw the scene inside the car.
Oh, hell no.
Who was that little girl?
Why was she hugging Harry that intimately—and why was she gazing at him like that? (Hermione's POV)
Furious, Hermione screamed in her head:
"No. I was here first!"
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