He looked up through the tall buildings, the skyscrapers that had been here even before his parents were born, and he frowned. These Americans, he thought, trying to make a new sky?
Indeed, past all the blinding lights, he couldn't even look up far enough to see past some of these buildings, and, even if he could, he would be blinded by the lights that made all the buildings here look like a boorish Christmas tree. Americans, he thought again with a shake of his head.
It wasn't that he disliked New York- far from it, many of the wizards and witches here were very perceptive of his plight, and their own- it was that, well, simply, it scared him, somehow. He'd been in London, of course, but never to the center, and, even if he had, New York City was simply built like this from almost square one! It was… bigger, he guessed. He sighed, and then looked sidelong at his companion. She smiled lightly at him, skin looking unnatural him; he was very used to her being, well… darker. Parvati gave him a wink and laughed lightly.
He smiled back, but it was only half as bright as hers had been. He unconsciously rubbed at where his scar would have been, if not for the illusions that made them both seem like different people. He knew that polyjuice was better, but, hell, neither had the ingredients or skill to craft it. He missed Hermione…
Well, really, he missed them all, and the ache in his head and his heart didn't let up, even as he led his lover along their winding way.
Harry Potter was celebrating his birthday today. He was pretty sure that he was twenty-seven, but neither of them were really sure. They'd lost track, as it were.
Harry sighed, and hitched Oathbreaker farther up his arm; most people only think the strange man had scratched his arms, if the New Yorkers had even noticed at all.
Smoke. That's what he remembered: Smoke.
There were other things, yes; the screams, the curses, the burning fire that tried to lick at his skin. It had already hungrily devoured the building he was in, and if he didn't know better, he would have sworn it was fiendfyre. Shaking his head, he spared a look around, and his initial observation held true: everything was on bloody fire. Lovely. He grabbed his wand, which had fallen next to him, and then quickly cleared a way for him to escape. The wooden beams only held for a moment- he dove through the hole just before it collapsed, and ended up patting out the flames on his cloak.
Looking around, he ducked a cursed aimed at his head, and then cast a quick hex at his attacker, who obligingly crumpled to the ground. With a scream, another came at him, blindfiring curses that managed to cut down two death eaters who weren't looking out. Harry cried, "Bombarda Maxima," and the Death Eater crumpled under the weight of gravity. He smiled grimly. Usually, that wasn't an anti-personnel spell.
He dove behind a fallen archway, and blasted at another death eater. Luna joined him, occasionally killing any enemies too close. She sighed. "Moody's dead, and so are Crevich, Cho Chang, and Durst. We can't stay here, Harry! We've lost!"
Harry looked at Lovegood for a moment. Of all the people he knew who were still alive from the Battle of Hogwarts, she had seemed to change the least. She still wore all her strange garments, although she had forgone the radish earrings. Her eyes still held that luminous quality, although they seemed more focused now. He realized that they were fighting in what passed for her hometown, and he looked around as Ottery St. Catchpole burned around them. The Burrow wasn't far from here, either, he realized.
Not that there were any Weasleys to inhabit it; Arthur had died a few minutes before hand; Ron, Fred and Bill had been killed at Hogwarts, and George and Molly had died at the battle of London. Percy was killed when the Ministry was overrun, and no one knew where Charlie was.
"Yeah," he agreed with the blonde, and quickly cast the spell that sent the grinning Jokers' Head high into the air, signaling everyone to get to the Portkey nearby- Apparation had been blocked a while ago. He grabbed Luna by the hand, and they took off running.
A squad of death eaters came at them from a side street, and Luna screamed "Confringo!" The spreading fireball caught three of them, and Harry grinned as they ran around like beheaded chickens. On fire. Luna gave him a smile.
The portkey was about a quarter mile from where they had started- they linked up with Kingsley Shacklebolt and former Auror Thomas Dendaal. The object, a large red telephone booth, sat nonchalantly at a street corner.
They had planned it all so well, and now upwards of fifty or more of his allies, his friends, lay dead and dying, and they were going to leave them here to rot! A few muggles ran down the opposite street, screaming and crying. They ran into another squad of the death eaters, and they screamed no more.
Harry was already ushering people through the portal- he fired off a quick Avada Kedavra that killed some sod outright. He was pushing Dendaal through when he shuddered and fell forward, still giving off a green glow.
Come on… come on, he thought. Faster, we have no time!
He looked around, and realized that there were only about a dozen or so of his fighters left. He cried out, and they came closer to the exit. Then, one by one, they came for the portkey. Dean Thomas cried out in pain as a Crucio hit him, but Harry and Luna picked him up and threw him bodily through the door. Behind them, there came a thunderous crash, loud enough to drown out every wizard there. Luna's already wide eyes grew still, as she watched her home, spiraled tower and everything she knew, come crashing down in a crescendo of fire. Her Father was in there, he knew. "Luna!"
He dived to knock her out of the way of an intended curse, but he couldn't- no, there was no time!
He saw the Patil twins, or what was left of them- Parvati cradled her sister to her, stroking her twins hair as tears rolled down her face. Padma was dead. He roughly grabbed her by the shoulders, despite her protests, heaving her bodily into the booth. She gave him a final look before disappearing.
It was now down to four- him, Luna, a man named Dolcrus, and Padma's still body. Harry and Dolcrus gently placed it in a portal, and shared a grim nod before Dolcrus and the corpse disappeared.
"Come on, Luna!" She turned to him, smiling sadly, and it was horrible. He knew what she was going to do before she even raised her wand.
"Stuepefy!" The blast caught him full in the chest, blasting him back through the portkey. Before he went away, he saw her turn, almost as if the world had come to a crawl. She deftly side-stepped a curse, and killed it's caster. She was screaming…
And then he was through, crying into the arms of someone- anyone- because he knew that he had just seen another of his old friends die.
Harry blinked. He hurriedly wiped his ears, although he was sure that there weren't any tears there. Parvati gave him a look, and then placed a hand over his.
"Catchpole?"
He nodded, not saying a word.
Her smile saddened, and she said, "You saved me."
"I didn't save that many others, though," said Harry, still stubbornly holding on to his guilt.
"And neither did anyone else," she chided gently. "Maybe just this one was enough?"
Harry grinned. "Well, she most certainly is." Then, he pulled her close, and captured her lips in a kiss, letting the city continue to writhe and form around them.
The mass of humanity in the club swayed and crashed like the waves of the great ocean next to them, the muggles alternately lolloping about or throwing themselves against each other, the lights blinking at least three or so times a second, blinding everyone who was stupid enough to look. The music pounded with the intensity of dragon fire, and he grabbed Parvati with a mischievous grin. Taking his wand out, he pointed it at the speaker nearest them, muttering a small spell that went through to where the DJ spun his records. Abruptly, the music changed from screaming death metal to the more mellow sounds of The Police- Harry had always preferred them. Message in a Bottle rang out over the sullen cries of the crowd, while the DJ desperately tried to change the song.
Harry and Parvati, meanwhile, danced to Stings' voice, alternating between holding the other close, and spinning in place, smiles on their faces. By now, a few of the muggles had decided to make the best of it, grabbing partners and joining in on the dance. Harry was glad they went here instead of a usual dance club. He could never understand the Americans fixation on rap. To his ear, it just sounded like really bad poetry set to some techno music.
Parvati moved against him, letting her hand trail across his chest, enjoying the effect it still had on him. They kissed again. When it broke away, Harry quickly looked to the side- something was wrong.
Too late.
"DOWN!" He pulled Parvati down under him, hitting the floor as the wall to the club blew up in a horrendous spectacle. Body parts flew past them, blood and screams from the muggles. Green light danced above, striking many before they could reach an exit. God, thought Harry, It's Godric's all over again!
Death Eaters- he was sure of it, although he wasn't sure how they got past the nation-wide anti-apparation cover the Americans had set up after Voldemort had taken over England. Muggle transports? He sprung into a crouch, and sent a quick stunner at them, keeping low. It wouldn't do to jump head first into something he didn't know about. Parvati had taken cover behind some of the debris, casting a quick fireball at the approaching enemies. He counted at least seven, maybe nine, possibly more if they were in reserves.
Someone was firing a gun, and Harry remembered that they were quite well into gang territory. Somehow, the choice between a bullet in the head and an Avada Kedavra anywhere wasn't a choice he wanted to make. He hopped over to Parvati, grabbing her arm. "Time to go!"
Together, they took off, bullets whistling by as the muggles fought against the wizards. Parvati blasted back behind her shoulder, and a Death Eater screamed as he caught it full blast, only to be hit by a few bullets from the obliging gangers. Despite the muggles best efforts, the wizards were advancing, blasting apart defenders and debris indiscriminately.
The two escapees made their way up, through falling bodies and pieces of the cracking ceiling. The building was falling apart, and Harry did not want to be caught under several tons of concrete. He levitated a large concrete block, large enough to cover both him and Parvati, and sent it speeding in the opposite direction. The death eaters blasted at the obvious target as the lovers made their escape.
The bullets had died down, most of the gangers deciding that this new threat wasn't what they wanted to be involved in. After the concrete was blasted to so much rubble, the dark wizards took off to find the two.
Suppressing a laugh, Harry led Parvati down the wending back alleys, leading a merry dance that the two were well familiar with. It was, after all, the way they had escaped from the Dark Lord's Minions on more than one occasion. And, really, Harry couldn't help but laugh. Eventually, he knew, one of them would grow slow, make a misstep, or let their guard slip. And then, poof, no more Harry Potter, Boy-Who-Fucked-Up.
They heard the tramp of booted feet, and the mournful wails of police sirens combined with the screams of fire trucks and the ambulances that converged on the scene. His grin returned. The muggles would shield them from suspicion, if anything. Part of another Gang war, he thought smugly.
They didn't know the way around here very well, and soon found themselves lost in the maze of back alleys and uncleaned streets. This was deep into Hell's Kitchen proper, where they still were run by gangs and the corrupt. A perfect place for the fugitives to slip into.
The Death Eaters were closing in on them; they could hear their shouts and their curses, some magical, some simply induced by rage. Harry and Parvati were the very last of the English Resistance that wasn't counted for, Harry was sure.
With a crack of thunder, lightning split the sky, and the clouds rent asunder to deliver their somber burden. The rain splashed down with a ferocity best saved for giants and dragons, quickly forming puddles in the potholes that no one ever bothered to fix. Harry wiped rain water off of his glasses, and admired the way Parvatis' hair looked damp.
Then, the balcony above them exploded, and they were off again, running, always running. Green curses filled the air, leaving a sizzling afterimage as they passed near them. He pulled them into a side alley, but his hopes came crashing down when he saw the wall ahead of them. Dauntless, his lover aimed a powerful spell at it to destroy the brick wall, but it bounced off and upwards, into one of the buildings on their side.
"Damnit, we're trapped!" He looked around, but realized that the American dark wizards had done their homework, and quickly, at that. This was a blind alley, blocked off on each side by powerful warding spells. The Death Eaters had them cornered. "Damnit," he repeated. He pulled Parvati closer, catching her in a deep kiss that left them both breathless. "Goodbye, Parvati. I love you."
"Love you too, Harry," she said. "See you on the other side?"
He grinned, looking at where the first of the Death Eaters were poking their heads around the corners. "Definitely," he said, sending a curse that sent them scurrying.
They stood, side by side, waiting for them. Harry counted maybe six left, too many for them to take on by themselves. He cried out, "Oathbreaker!" And the chain that had attached itself to him came out, shining in the half-light as he spun it, round and round above his head. This gave their assailants pause, but they came at them again, still no one saying a word. The pair raised their wands, each prepared to sell their lives dearly.
The Death Eaters were spread out in a line that covered the entirety of the alleyway, wands out and pointing at the duo, the last of Free Britain. As one, they began the curse. "AVADA-"
"Confringo!" The conflagration spread over them in an instant, setting all six dark wizards up like torches. They screamed and ran about, falling to the ground or out into the street, hoping futilely that the rain could put out the magical fires. Within a minute, the last had stopped twitching. Harry and Parvati looked to where the inferno had sprung, a rusted catwalk above them, seeing, briefly, two tired, luminous eyes staring back at them. Then, she turned and ran back along the walkway, blonde hair flying behind her in the rain and the dark.
Harry reached out, hand clasping at where she had been, almost as if he could grasp her again. "Luna," he said softly, and her name fell from his lips like a prayer.
The room was sparse, barely a bed and a nightstand, but neither of them cared. They lolled together, naked and relieved, Parvati tracing the chain of tattoos that Oathbreaker took when it was not in physical form. They were both different, now, after these long years of fighting, running, hiding.
Harry's arms were more defined and muscled, from his long years of using Oathbreaker and the weapons thereof. There was a long scar on his left cheek, from where a werewolf had come too close with its teeth, but had reached with its claws. His right hand was a nasty red, from when the skin had been burned off in a fire- it always gave off a faint heat. His face was leaner, not prone to laughter like it used to, and seemed to prefer to pull itself into a frown.
Parvati, on the other hand, seemed to be much less changed on the outside- She had a few scars, obviously, but who didn't? She also had a slight limp, from when a healing didn't go properly for her broken shin, but it didn't slow her too much. Harry couldn't recall all the times when she was bleeding internally because she was on the wrong end of a crushing curse. Every single rib had to have been broken at least twice on her, and some up to seven. Gone was the girl who giggled with Lavender Brown- of course, gone was Lavender Brown, along with everyone else- now, Harry only saw grim determination in her eyes, and a cold fire. He had seen her kill at least two dozen men unflinchingly, and he knew that that was why she was here with him right now. That, and her knack for dodging bad things aimed at her.
He was looking out the window from where he lay, seeing the city through rain speckled glass. "I know she was there, Par."
Parvati sighed, and came off of tracing his tattoo. "I know, Love, I know. But we don't know that for sure."
"But what if it was-?"
"And what if it wasn't? I know you want it to be her, and, Hell, so do I. But don't get your hopes up- I'm sure half the girls in this city are blonde in some way. We do have some allies here, you know."
Harry sighed, shaking his head. 'Allies'. Not 'Friends', no, none of those anymore. Just people that owe them a favor, or were willing to shelter them a night, or had goals similar to their own. Just two magi against the world, was all. "I know, Love, I know. But I'm not going to give up hope."
Parvati giggled lightly. "I never said you would, Harry."
He paused for a moment. "You know that I love you, right?"
"Of course I do! And I love you too!"
"Luna isn't a part of my life anymore, Par. I loved her once, but I love you now. Only you."
She laughed again at him, pushing him back on the bed. "You think I hadn't guessed that already? I know, past is past, leave it at that. Now c'mon, you. Escaping certain death has made me horny."
The rain beat down on the window outside, falling on the roof and the manifold charms that protected and hid the lovers and their moans of ecstasy, the lights falling dark as the moon rose and tried to shine through the clouds. And outside, under a lip that protected her from some of the rain, a pair of bright, luminous eyes gazed sadly over at them, and then turned away, ever vigilant, ever watchful.
