Harry Potter and the Deep Freeze

The Eternal Dome

The morning broke with a strange, crystalline stillness. Inside the dome, Hogwarts and Hogsmeade were alive with activity, the golden hues of autumn undisturbed. But outside the shimmering barrier, the frost had begun its relentless spread.

Harry stood on the Astronomy Tower, looking out over the boundary of the dome. The enchanted wards glowed faintly, their energy humming in a steady rhythm that pulsed through the air.

"Eternal," Harry murmured, his breath visible in the cold. The dome wasn't just a temporary measure anymore—it had been stabilized, reinforced, and imbued with layers of magic so intricate and ancient that it was no longer bound by time.

The dome would hold. Forever, if it had to.

A Gift from the Goblins

The key to the dome's permanence had been Grintok's final contribution. Harry and Percy had met with the goblin leader the night before in the depths of Gringotts, where Grintok had presented them with a glowing crystal the size of a Quaffle.

"This," Grintok had explained, holding the crystal reverently, "is an Eternity Core. Goblin magic forged this from the very essence of the earth's magic. It can anchor your dome to the foundations of the world itself."

Harry had stared at the crystal, its light pulsing faintly in time with his heartbeat. "Will it really make the dome last forever?"

Grintok's sharp teeth gleamed in a satisfied smile. "As long as the earth exists, so will your dome. No frost, no storm, no force of man or magic will break it."

The ritual to fuse the Eternity Core with the dome had been complex, requiring Harry, Percy, and the goblins to channel their combined magic into the wards. By the end of it, the dome had grown brighter, its hum deepening into a steady, eternal rhythm.

Testing the Eternity Core

As Harry descended the tower that morning, he found Grintok waiting for him near the edge of the dome. The goblin had brought a small team of warders to inspect the barrier.

"It's holding perfectly," Grintok said, running his long fingers along the glowing stake that marked the dome's perimeter. "Stronger than even I expected."

Neville and Luna joined them moments later, their faces flushed from the cold.

"The plants are thriving," Neville reported, a note of relief in his voice. "Even the Frostbane Ferns are doing better than before. Whatever you did to the dome, it's working."

Luna tilted her head, her gaze fixed on the barrier. "It feels... peaceful," she said softly. "Like the dome is alive. Watching over us."

Harry exchanged a glance with Grintok, who nodded thoughtfully. "The Eternity Core doesn't just strengthen the wards. It connects them to the natural magic of the land. In a way, it is alive."

A New Beginning

By midday, the news of the dome's permanence had spread. People in Hogsmeade and Hogwarts moved with a renewed sense of hope, their fears of the coming freeze tempered by the knowledge that their sanctuary would endure.

Percy met Harry in the Great Hall, where a group of goblins, witches, and wizards had gathered to discuss the next steps.

"We need to focus on expansion," Percy said, spreading a map of the dome across the table. "Now that we know the dome will hold, we can start building additional facilities—more housing, storage, maybe even workshops for crafting enchanted tools."

Harry nodded, his gaze fixed on the map. "The Apparition point is secure, and the hospital and greenhouses are fully operational. If we expand the farmland and creature habitats, we'll be ready for anything."

Grintok tapped the map with a long finger. "The goblins can handle the construction. But you'll need to recruit more people to sustain this. The dome is eternal, but the people inside it are not."

A Promise for the Future

That evening, as the sun set over the dome, Harry stood at the edge of the Black Lake. The surface of the water shimmered in the twilight, the barrier casting a faint glow across the landscape.

Percy joined him, a quiet smile on his face. "It's incredible, isn't it? Knowing that this will last forever."

Harry nodded, his gaze distant. "It's comforting. But it's also... overwhelming. We've built something that will outlive all of us."

"That's the point," Percy said. "This isn't just about surviving the freeze. It's about creating a future—for everyone who comes after us."

Harry turned to face him, his expression resolute. "Then we'll make sure it's a future worth living for."

Percy clapped a hand on Harry's shoulder. "We will. Together."

As the first stars appeared in the sky, Harry felt a rare sense of peace. The dome was eternal, a beacon of hope in a frozen world.

And no matter what came next, they would face it together.