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The only mammal in the world capable of true flight is the bat. The largest of them weigh between 1.2 and 1.3 kilograms, yet their wingspans can reach up to 1.7 meters.
But what if a human had wings? How large would their wingspan need to be to achieve flight?
Or, how thick would their chest muscles have to be to provide enough power to flap those wings?
The answer: roughly 1.2 meters of chest muscle and a wingspan exceeding 15 meters.
And that's just the baseline. As body weight increases, these numbers would grow exponentially—eventually reaching absurd proportions.
Especially when weight is no longer measured in kilograms, but in tons.
At this moment, Harry, in his Thunderstorm Dragon form, is a perfect example of this. His body crackles with arcs of lightning, stretching an impressive 23 meters (77 feet) in length, with a wingspan of 46 meters. His serpentine form mirrors that of an adult Thunderstorm Dragon, the same size that Thor himself will one day reach.
An adult Thunderstorm Dragon weighs around 40 to 50 tons, placing it in the mid-range among dragons. It's nowhere near the massive fire dragons—like the Soviet Iron Belly or Hagrid's Norbert, both of which push the 100-ton mark. And yet, Harry is still only in his juvenile stage.
By normal physics, these flying magical creatures shouldn't be able to fly. Even the relatively lightweight Thunderstorm Dragon shouldn't be capable of lifting itself off the ground. A 40-meter wingspan simply cannot generate enough lift to move such a heavy body.
But magical creatures defy logic because their bodies contain an inherent magic that ignores the laws of physics. With just a gentle flap of their wings, they can summon winds far stronger than the force they exert. Many even passively generate anti-gravity effects similar to the Levitation Charm. When they will themselves to fly, Newton's invisible coffin lid lifts them into the air.
But that only applies to magical creatures.
Animagus transformations, though miraculous, are not quite that miraculous.
If one transforms into a regular animal, their body fully adapts to that creature's natural structure. A person who becomes a bird will have a bird's anatomy—once they grow accustomed to it, they can flap their wings and take off. Ordinary animals evolve in accordance with the laws of physics; their bodies function as intended.
However, if a magical creature loses or only partially retains its supernatural abilities, reality becomes a heavy shackle that binds them to the ground.
And Harry is currently experiencing just that.
"Isn't the Storm Dragon supposed to fly using an anti-gravity membrane? And the Thunderbird relies on storms and lightning-driven propulsion? The Thunderstorm Dragon has both an anti-gravity field and storm-based thrust—so why the hell can't I get off the ground?!"
"This is complete bullshit!"
Harry cursed internally as his wings smashed into the mountainside, sending massive rocks flying. When he opened his mouth, all that came out was a deafening dragon's roar—far too loud for human speech. Even if he wanted to hurl more insults, no one would understand them.
"I have breath attacks! I can even generate my own electricity! But somehow, they took away the most basic ability to fly?!"
"I know that an Animagus transformation into a magical creature is incomplete—hell, even using the Philosopher's Stone doesn't make it perfect—but turning me into a flightless dragon?!"
Grinding his teeth in frustration, Harry lashed his tail against the mountain beneath him, causing it to rumble and collapse in an avalanche of shattered stone.
Whether as compensation or due to the involvement of Awakened magic in the transformation process, Harry's dragon body was physically superior to that of a real Thunderstorm Dragon. The species was already synonymous with sheer speed—Thor, despite being young, could barely graze the lower limits of an adult Thunderbird's speed, maintaining a Mach 20 cruising velocity for six hours straight without resting. In terms of endurance, he far surpassed the Thunderbird.
This was due to the Storm Dragon's flight-enhancing traits, which allowed it to nearly ignore its own weight, keeping it suspended in an almost weightless state.
"But I need to actually get off the ground! What's the point of all this raw power?!"
After realizing that his supposed agility build had somehow turned into a brute strength and endurance build, Harry found his patience wearing thin.
Neither Thunderbirds, Storm Dragons, nor Thunderstorm Dragons had bodies built for melee combat. Even if he had titanic strength, swinging his wings around like giant slaps was still far less effective than a well-placed punch with half the force.
Harry was even beginning to doubt whether his second-stage Animagus transformation had given him the ability to fly at all. Forget about flying fast—could he even get airborne?
The warm sunlight made his dragon scales heat up slightly. The rainwater left behind by the storm began evaporating under the scorching sun. After a long period of silence, Harry was forced to accept the cruel reality: his flight-enhancing magic was gone. He could no longer negate his own weight through anti-gravity, nor could he summon strong enough winds to lift himself. While he still retained his natural lightning generation and storm-cloud summoning effects, they weren't enough to get him off the ground.
"Maybe I should study physics? If I could turn myself into a superconductor and use Earth's magnetic field to levitate… no, that's a dumb idea. Unless I can lay down some tracks, there's no way this multi-ton body is going anywhere."
"Uh…"
Just as he was about to give up and shift back into his human form to take a plane home, Harry suddenly paused.
"If I remember correctly… planes can fly even when they weigh several hundred tons, right? And my wings aren't much smaller than an aircraft's—plus, I have two pairs. Sure, my center of gravity is all wrong, but…"
"…Brute force solves everything, doesn't it?"
Harry's use of traditional Animagus transformation differed from the methods employed by the wizards of Uagadou. Uagadou's shapeshifters could take on hybrid forms—half-human, half-beast—allowing them to retain some spellcasting abilities while benefiting from their animal form's physical enhancements.
Their magic worked through a unique system of battle rune imprints, enabling them to cast spells even in transformed states. Harry, however, lacked these battle runes. While he could still harness magical energy in dragon form, he couldn't use standard wizarding spells. His available abilities were limited to those within the Thunderstorm Dragon's natural skill set.
For example, his plasma breath—a highly destructive attack that generated thousands of degrees of heat—was comparable to Fiendfyre, one of the most feared Dark Arts spells. Nearly nothing could withstand it.
Even specially designed repulsion shields meant to block plasma weaponry were no match for the sheer volume of a dragon's breath attack. When magic and technology clashed, magic often held the upper hand in sheer power.
"Though I shouldn't use a fully developed Awakener magic rune set just yet… a single rune… I should be able to handle that much, right?"
Unlike before, when he had no proper guidance in Awakener magic, the power of Awakener runes he had been using was severely limited—like a bone broken in multiple places. Now, he could wield the full force of these runes, but his body had yet to fully recover. Until then, he couldn't withstand the immense burden that a complete rune set would place on him.
Otherwise, why do you think Awakeners are all practically demigods? To wield immense power, one must have an equally formidable body as its vessel.
'Strun' (Storm)
"No, this won't work. My control isn't precise enough. This thing is only good for blowing others away, not myself..."
The mountain peak was instantly sheared down by over a meter, but the fierce winds did little to aid in actual flight. Awakener runes were undeniably powerful, yet that very power made them crude and unwieldy. Fine control required either an exceptional natural talent or rigorous training.
'Dah' (Push)
A loud crash echoed through the mountains as Harry's massive dragon form smashed headfirst into solid rock, embedding itself over ten meters deep. He spat out a mouthful of dirt and broken stone, grumbling as he pulled himself free. Clearly, that idea wasn't going to work either.
Ever since reading the tombstone that recorded the complete rune lexicon, the number of runes he could use had increased dramatically. However, most of them were still unfamiliar, requiring careful experimentation.
'Viing' (Wing)
"Tsk—damn, that hurts... It's reshaping my body? I can't endure this yet."
In terms of sheer physical resilience, his dragon form was actually weaker than his real body. The transformation required a fully awakened physique to withstand the strain of altering his body structure, something he currently lacked. While this rune might have been able to lift his massive frame into the air, it was far beyond his capabilities for now.
True Awakeners could reshape their forms without learning Animagus transformations, but that was a privilege reserved for fully-fledged beings. Harry had inherited his mother's legacy, allowing him to barely step into the realm of the inhuman. However, he was still far from being a true demigod. Learning Animagus transformation was a crucial step in strengthening himself.
After dozens of failed attempts, and without access to full rune sets, Harry was left with one final option—one he had previously dismissed as unreliable.
'Mul' (Strength)
At that moment, his sleek dragon body gained a new, terrifying edge—pure, unadulterated muscle. The sharp ridges of his scales lifted ever so slightly, revealing sinewy muscle lines that pulsed with raw power. The once-agile Thunderstorm Dragon had now become a hulking brute, a monstrous being of pure strength.
Ordinary Thunderstorm Dragons were meant to glide gracefully across the skies, swift and elegant as blades of ice. But now? He resembled a weightlifter who could deadlift 300 kilograms.
Spreading his now-thicker wings, he gave them a mighty flap. The resulting shockwave triggered a landslide, sending boulders crashing down the mountainside. Buried beneath the debris, a vein of high-energy conductive crystal was exposed, its translucent surface gleaming ominously.
Then came the thunder. Electric arcs surged across Harry's muscular frame, dancing wildly along his body. Violent winds howled as the surrounding storm expanded outward.
With pure muscle.
With sheer brute force.
His wings, now pulsing with raw energy, beat with such force that they generated hurricane-level gusts. Even though his body structure defied aerodynamics, the overwhelming power of his enhanced muscles slowly pried him from the earth's grasp.
"Hetui!"
A searing-hot bolt of plasma spewed from his mouth, striking the mountain peak and leaving behind a boiling pit of molten rock. The recoil from the blast provided the final push he needed.
"I'M FINALLY FLYING!"
Suspended clumsily just ten meters above the peak, Harry let out a victorious roar—one unintelligible to human ears. After a few moments of stabilizing himself, he cautiously maneuvered away from the mountaintop, rising higher and higher until he hovered over a thousand meters above the ground.
"THIS... THIS IS THE POWER OF MUSCLES!"
"HAHAHAHA!"
His wild laughter echoed through the mountains. But before he could revel in his triumph for too long, his instincts screamed at him—something was wrong. He immediately adjusted his trajectory, gliding lower. The moment he landed, his massive dragon form contracted and shifted, morphing back into his human self. Without hesitation, he vanished from the spot.
Moments later, a group of robed wizards materialized on the very peak Harry had just occupied.
"There was a wild dragon here just now, wasn't there?"
Staring at the massive pool of bubbling lava, the lead wizard twitched uncomfortably.
"What kind of dragon is this? Spitting fire is one thing, but spitting lava?!"
"Good thing we got here late," another wizard muttered.
They exchanged uneasy glances, silently thankful for their timing.
"Report it. This is out of our jurisdiction. Let the magical creature department handle it. Danger level: Five. Let the professional dragon tamers deal with it. Alright, pack up! Put out that lava pool and let's get out of here before that thing comes back!"
"Understood, Captain!"
A few jets of water were conjured to extinguish the molten rock before the team quickly made their exit. Their meager salaries certainly weren't worth the risk of encountering a lava-spewing dragon.
Meanwhile, Harry had already returned to the rendezvous point. His Apparition skills weren't refined enough for frequent long-distance jumps, so the Durmstrang staff member who had transported him was still waiting.
The roaring engines of a Boeing 777 soon rumbled to life as Harry began his journey back. With Christmas less than two months away, it was time to shift focus. Now that he had settled his immediate concerns, preparations for the Warband had to begin.
The comrades he had selected from Hogwarts might not all be magical prodigies, but under his guidance, they would become the perfect warriors for his cause.
With Grindelwald's support, Project: Super Wizard, better known as the Astartes Initiative, was officially underway.
Borrowing resources from Grindelwald's Super Wizard Training Program, the once-empty Warband would soon be filled with warriors.
Their foundation was set. Now, it was time to forge their flesh and blood.
(End of Chapter)