The Fall Of Darkness
by kittenvks
warnings: SLASH YAOI MALE MALE HOMOSEXUALITY! - can't get much clearer than that o.0 also, there will be a bit of angst, lots of fighting, laughing, flamers to the left.
disclaimer: I own nothing, especially not Harry Potter and co.
For Fiona Flame and the LuvlyLadyLexi :))
Chapter One: The Watcher
Harry sighed. The war was over, had been over for several years now. Yet, the battle wasn't won. They'd been allowed just enough time to bury their dead and fix the school but not nearly enough time to mourn. Too many Death Eaters had escaped after the war, Harry believed that the short time of peace they'd been given was just enough time for them to regroup, to begin again. Even though their Lord was dead, they did not back down in fear as most thought they had. Though, Harry had to give them credit, they were much more precise now- now, that they weren't focusing on him. It disheartened him greatly to see so many people dying and being attacked. Now, these strange new creatures had come into the light, something he'd never thought could have been a threat. Veelas.
Harry had dipped into Severus' Snape's pensieve again and again, trying to find something, anything, that would point to the rise of the Veela population. Fleur was the only Veela he'd known and she was the one that informed them what the winged beasts were, swooping and attacking with the remaining Death Eaters. She had called them unnatural Veelas, not like herself, they were not born that way. Every Veela they had come into contact with had been dangerous, vicious, except for Fleur. All they wanted, Hermione and Ron, was to get the beasts out of the way. While they were alluringly beatiful they were doing an outstanding job at protecting Death Eaters, making them harder to catch. They were also ticking up the death toll, and a Veela was a hard thing to kill. They seemed resistant to all the spells they had come up with so far. You had to catch them with their wings open and strike their body. Even then you had to hit them hard, and fast. They had a quick tail, and sharp talons, their wings would crush a man- they were nothing but beasts.
"Veela's spotted at the gates of Hogwarts!" someone was screaming, ripping Harry from his thoughts. He looked up to meet the ashen face of his two best friends. Veelas had yet to attack Hogwarts, neither had the Death Eaters, this was odd. Frightening. The wards should help, but Veelas were descended from Harpys and Sirens, they might be able to lure the children out.
"How many?" Hermione cried, grabbing her wand.
"Five, and you're not going to believe this- there are other Veelas fighting them off! Three of them, let's go!" The man, now identified as their fellow Auror, Williamson, said- Apparating. Harry, Ron and Hermione disapparated right behing him, appearing right outside the wards of Hogwarts. They all stood in shock, watching as a lone Veela whipped her tail around, cracking into the skulls of two other Veela- their brains splattering the team. She stood breathing heavily, starting toward them.
"Friend or foe?!" Hermione yelled, drawing her wand. The Veela seemed to come out of a trance and backed up, hands raised.
"Friend!" She called, "friend!"
Harry glanced away from where he stood with his fellow Aurors to see teachers he knew, and some he didn't, racing toward the gates- wands drawn as well.
"Who are you?" Hermione asked, peering at the cloaked Veela suspiciously.
"Friend!" The Veela cried, her cloaked head going down, "I mean you no harm- I only follow to protect the school and it's students!"
"LOWER YOUR WANDS!" McGonagall was yelling, waving her arms. Not one Auror obliged.
"I'm sorry," the Veela said, her voice sounding nervous now, "I am the watcher. I will return. I will not allow my capture, I must protect them. I'm sorry, goodbye." With a pop of disapparation, she was gone.
"BOLLOCKS!" Neville Longbottom, the Herbology teacher roared. He turned accusingly to the Aurors, "you ran her off!"
"RAN HER OFF? THAT'S A BLOODY VEELA!" Ron roared back.
"Not all Veelas are bad," Hermione said, looking around at the five dead Veelas laying in the dust and mud, "remember Fleur."
"What's going on?" Harry asked, trotting up to the professors.
"She's been stalking out here all week, she appeared to be no threat," McGonagall said, waving at where the cloaked Veela had just been, "occasionally she's joined by others, but only seems to talk to them for a moment before they leave. If you approach her slowly she'll let you get close enough to watch, if not she disapparates- gone. There's no telling when she'll be back. I do believe she's guarding the school, Mr. Potter."
Harry couldn't help but grin. Even in all the chaos, blood and death, Minerva McGonagall would always see him as she first had- a small boy, a student. Not Head Auror Potter, not Boy Who Lived Twice, not Savior or anything like that. Just Harry Potter. He loved her dearly for it.
"How come you never told us?" he asked, pouting a bit at her. She smiled fondly, gesturing to where the Veela stood,
"because I knew you would chase her off, Harry. You've always been a bit rash with your actions," the Headmistress replied.
"She's protecting us," Neville said firmly, unwavering with the belief in his voice, "she seems to be a part of a larger brood. They're very fast, very strong. We could be wrong though, she's never flown. Not once."
"A brood is a group of Veelas, like a family though not necessarily related." Hermione offered for Ron and Harry's sake.
"She's definitely Veela, did you not see that tail?" Ron asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Then maybe she's never *chosen* to fly." Professor Flitwick offered, finally speaking up. Williamson grumbled something about disgusting creatures and disapparated, causing Harry to scowl. That had been rude.
"She doesn't need to," Neville argued, "she just tore them to pieces, like nothing, with her tail."
"Veela wings are very sensitive. If she's already found her chosen- her soul mate, Ron- or even if she hasn't, the Veela considers itself worthless as a mate without it's wings." Hermione offered.
"Well," Harry said after thinking a bit, "maybe she knows something that could help us, fire call us if she comes back. We only want to talk to her." Ron huffed but nodded. Neville and McGonagall nodded, the rest of the teachers turning back to their school and classes.