Godfather Owl: Guardian of Batman

Cedric stood with a smile, casually wiping his bloodstained hands.

Not that it made a difference—the blood wouldn't come off.

Fred's lifeless body collapsed to the floor with a dull thud.

The faint smile on his face lingered, the same forced smile he'd given Hermione to comfort her just moments before.

Cedric drew his wand and turned his attention to the dazed Professor Snape.

With a flick of his wand, a venomous snake materialized, lunging directly at Snape's throat.

A blood-curdling scream echoed through the hall as Hermione watched in horror.

Snape's face turned deathly pale, and his black eyes widened in shock. The serpent's fangs sank deep into his neck.

Moments later, his eyes, once so full of intensity, dulled and emptied.

Snape fell sideways from his chair, lifeless.

"It doesn't break the rules, does it?" Cedric asked, smiling at Ares. "After all, I've already won."

"Of course not," Ares replied, his gaze complex as he regarded Cedric. "You've finally made it to this point, child."

"What I promised you, I will deliver."

Ares raised his wand and drew a silver thread of memory from his temple.

The thread twisted in midair before plunging into Cedric's mind.

"So, this is the knowledge of the War God…" Cedric murmured in awe. "I never thought it would feel this good."

Hermione sat frozen, staring blankly as Cedric murdered Fred and Snape. Her mind was an empty void.

"Hh… hh…"

She tried to speak, but the words came out as strange, choked sounds.

She had lost the ability to form words.

Then, without warning, a hand clamped down on her arm.

She turned to see Neville, pale as a ghost.

Tears streamed down his round face, but his grip on her arm didn't falter.

For the first time, Hermione realized just how strong Neville truly was.

She was pinned against the table as Malfoy drew his wand, seemingly ready to strike her down.

"Not like this," Cedric interjected suddenly. "I promised someone I'd kill him first, then Hermione."

"And now, he's here."

"Perfect timing—I'd like him to witness my coronation."

As his words hung in the air, Bruce appeared in the hall.

He took in the scene—Hermione pinned down, Fred and Snape dead—and immediately drew the Elder Wand.

With a swift motion, he cast a spell that sent Neville and Malfoy flying, freeing Hermione.

"Are you alright, Hermione?" Bruce asked as he placed himself protectively in front of her.

"I'm fine, Bruce," Hermione said, massaging her arm. "But how did you get into the hall?"

The banquet wasn't over.

"Because…"

"Because I allowed him in," Cedric interrupted, now standing at the head of the table. His gaze was icy as it swept over Bruce and Hermione.

"At this critical moment, the last person I wanted absent was Bruce Wayne."

"Or should I say—"

"The Batman of the Prime Universe!"

Cedric spread his arms wide as an inexplicable power filled the hall, swirling around him and merging into his body.

"Magnificent!" Cedric groaned, his voice trembling with ecstasy.

In the blink of an eye, his appearance transformed.

He now wore a black combat suit emblazoned with the iconic bat symbol—Batman's armor.

"Rejoice, Bruce Wayne," Cedric declared, his voice echoing with an unsettling chill.

"You've just witnessed the birth of the fastest, strongest, and darkest Batman!"

"I…" Bruce began to speak, but Cedric was upon him in an instant.

With a single punch to Bruce's abdomen, Cedric sent him crumpling to the floor.

"Gah—!"

Blood poured from Bruce's mouth as pain wracked his body, his insides feeling as though they'd been torn apart.

"I promised I'd kill you first, then Hermione. I've kept my word."

Cedric's eyes were alight with a frenzy of violence and hatred.

"Bruce, I envy you. I hate you."

"Why should you, born into the Prime Universe, be destined for light and hope, while I must endure eternal darkness?"

Boom—

Cedric's next punch sent Bruce crashing into the wall before collapsing to the ground.

"But now, everything has changed."

Cedric approached Bruce slowly, placing a boot on his hand to pin him down.

"From this moment on, I am the strongest being in this world."

"And you, an intruder from another world—"

"Will disappear forever!"

Despite the blood dripping from his lips, Bruce raised his head defiantly.

"Is that so?" he rasped. "Cedric, you really shouldn't have let me into this hall."

"If you hadn't, your reign wouldn't be so short-lived."

Cedric's expression darkened.

"What do you mean?" he demanded.

"Exactly what I said."

Bruce flashed a triumphant grin.

"See you yesterday, Cedric."

With those words, Bruce's body began to fade away.

Cedric's eyes widened in shock.

An illusion spell?

Cedric knew Bruce had the ability to create illusions.

But he had been vigilant against such tricks, especially after gaining the War God's prize. By now, Bruce's illusions should have been ineffective.

When had he been deceived?

Unless—

Realization dawned on Cedric like a lightning strike.

---

Earlier That Day

After leaving the Hufflepuff common room and his tense conversation with Cedric, Bruce returned to his hidden base beneath Hogwarts.

"It worked," Bruce told Kathoom. "Cedric's state is fluctuating—sometimes he's himself, other times he's more like… Batman. But that gave me an opening."

"Well done, Master Wayne!" Kathoom encouraged.

"Let's talk about your end," Bruce shot back. "Did you see what I needed you to see?"

While Bruce had confronted Cedric, Kathoom had been tasked with uncovering the truth behind the mysterious disappearances and bizarre events plaguing Hogwarts.

Kathoom's appearance had changed significantly.

He now wore the Hellbat Armor, though modified to resemble an owl. The armor amplified his already sharp senses to extraordinary levels, allowing him to detect phenomena invisible to the naked eye.

"Strictly speaking, I didn't see it clearly," Kathoom admitted. "But just as your wand disappeared, I caught a flicker of blue light."

That was all. The next instant, it was gone.

But it was enough.

This confirmed that the inexplicable occurrences were caused by an external force—one moving far too fast to be detected.

Speed.

Bruce's thoughts turned to a particular Dark Batman he had once encountered.

"I know what you're thinking," Kathoom said. "The Red Death. Or maybe the Flash, or some other speedster, right?"

"But here's the problem, Bruce. There's something you need to understand."

"To be a speedster, you need the Speed Force. And in the Harry Potter universe, there's no Speed Force."

"The Speed Force only exists in DC's universe. Outside it, any speedster becomes just another ordinary person."

Kathoom sighed, disappointed.

If the Speed Force were involved, so many things would make sense.

Why did Bruce appear at the far end of the corridor when trying to enter the Great Hall?

Why did Hermione vanish in front of him?

How did the Elder Wand suddenly appear in Cedric's hand?

A speedster, moving faster than perception, could explain it all. To the untrained eye, it would seem as though objects or people disappeared in an instant.

Even the defeats of Hogwarts' greatest figures—Rowena Ravenclaw, Godric Gryffindor, Albus Dumbledore, and Snape—could be explained.

They weren't killed outright. They were thrown into the Speed Force dimension.

Snape's earlier comment about wandering the castle for a hundred years was further evidence.

The Speed Force dimension mimics familiar environments, trapping victims in an endless loop. Time inside the Speed Force doesn't flow normally—a second outside could feel like years inside.

It all fit perfectly.

Except for one glaring problem.

There was no Speed Force.

"That's a shame," Kathoom muttered.

But Bruce's expression brightened.

"Kathoom," Bruce said, "don't you see? This simplifies everything."

"We don't need to figure out multiple problems anymore. We just need to answer one question:"

"Is it possible for the Speed Force to exist in the Harry Potter world?"

Bruce leaned forward, pressing two fingers to Kathoom's head.

"Think, Kathoom. Think!"

He tapped rhythmically, as though massaging Kathoom's mind—or performing some arcane ritual to spark a revelation.

"Ow! Ow! Stop!" Kathoom squawked, flapping his wings frantically.

Then suddenly, his eyes widened in realization.

"I've got it!" Kathoom exclaimed. "It's possible! The Speed Force can exist here!"

---

Bruce carried Hermione out of Hogwarts, past the Black Lake, and onto the familiar stone bridge.

For the first time in days, Bruce allowed himself to relax.

"It's over," Bruce said softly as he set Hermione down.

Hermione stared at him in disbelief. "What do you mean? Cedric is killing people as we speak!"

"And his speed… we can't stop him!"

"Don't worry."

Bruce gazed back at Hogwarts, now shrouded in darkness. The castle loomed like a beast curled in slumber, its lights extinguished.

Inside, countless students and teachers slept peacefully, oblivious to the monster among them.

"Cedric claims to have been crowned," Bruce said. "He could kill everyone in the castle in a heartbeat."

"But he can't. I made sure of it."

Bruce smiled faintly. "If he wants to kill anyone, he has to kill Hermione first. And to kill Hermione, he has to kill me."

And killing him? That was impossible.

Bruce turned to Hermione, his gaze steady.

"Many have died. But I promise you, Hermione—I will reverse all of this."

"No tragedy will stand. That's my vow to you."

Hermione shook her head, overwhelmed. "I don't understand! Bruce, you—"

"I have to go."

Bruce ruffled Hermione's hair, further disheveling her already wild curls.

"Cedric is waking up. I'm running out of time."

"Bruce—"

Before she could finish, Bruce and Kathoom vanished.

The next instant, Cedric appeared before her, his fury palpable.

"Where is Bruce?" Cedric growled, his tone murderous.

"I don't know."

Hermione's voice trembled. For once, she spoke the truth.

---

The Multiversal Corridor

Bruce and Kathoom floated in a kaleidoscopic expanse, gazing at the Harry Potter universe from afar.

"So the Speed Force really manifested here?" Bruce asked.

"It did," Kathoom confirmed softly. "All because of the new player—the pursuer."

Bruce nodded, murmuring a name unfamiliar yet ominous.

"Savitar…"

This time, Barbatos's enforcer was none other than Savitar—the self-proclaimed god of speed, a time remnant of Barry Allen himself.

Savitar's presence explained the flash of blue Kathoom had seen.

"The Harry Potter world originally had no Speed Force," Kathoom said. "But then, neither did the DC universe."

"The Speed Force wasn't naturally occurring. It was created by Barry Allen."

"The moment he created it, the Speed Force existed across all timelines—past, present, and future."

Kathoom recited a line from the comics, cryptic yet profound:

"When Barry Allen runs, he creates a kinetic barrier between the present and the time barrier."

"The Speed Force is electrical energy present in every dimension, universe, and era, connecting with every part of physical reality."

"It contains all the knowledge of every possible time and space."

"Barry is the Speed Force. The Speed Force is Barry.""

Bruce nodded grimly.

"When Savitar first arrived in this world, he likely lost his Speed Force abilities," Kathoom continued. "But he found a way to recreate it, bringing the Speed Force into existence here."

With the Speed Force's arrival, past, present, and future in the Harry Potter world were rewritten to include it.

"That's why Cedric now truly is—as he says—the fastest, strongest, and darkest Batman," Kathoom said.

He had the Speed Force of the god of speed, the divine knowledge of the War God, and Batman's unparalleled intellect.

And above all, he had embraced despair and darkness.

"But so what?" Kathoom grinned wickedly. "Bruce, it's time."

"Let's turn the tables."

---

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