Summary: After OotP, not HBP or DH compliant. In which Harry Potter defects, Voldemort gets a heart, Dumbledore isn't as nice as you'd think, the War ends (but not in the way you'd expect), and everybody's in love. A Harry-goes-dark story with a twist
Pairings: George/Fred/Harry (Seme/Seme/Uke), Hermione/Ginny, Neville/Luna, Draco/Blaise, Remus/Tonks, Lucius/Narcissa, one-sided Ron/Hermione.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, unfortunately. J.K. gets all the credit for her lovely stories.
Warnings: This will have SLASH pairings which means there will be guys on guys and girls on girls. There will be a THREESOME (yey!). There will be mentions of manipulation and child abuse. There will be bashing of various characters, including Albus Dumbledore. Swearing will appear in abundance, and there will be some mature content (which means sex people). There will be some spoilers from HBP and DH mostly the stuff concerning Voldemort and Dumbledore's pasts. You have been warned, and if anything above isn't to your interests, I suggest you don't try to read this story.
Author's Note: Yes this story really did start because I was listening to Riot by Three Days Grace and thinking about how much the song would fit Harry if he got out from under Dumbledore's thumb. I hope you enjoy minna.
"Talking" / 'Thinking' / Letter/writing / (Parseltonuge)
More Than It Seems
Chapter One: Riot
If you feel so empty
So used up, so let down
If you feel so angry
So ripped off so stepped on
You're not the only one
Refusing to back down
You're not the only one
So get up
Let's start a riot, a riot
Let's start a riot
Let's start a riot, a riot
Let's start a riot
If you feel so filthy
So dirty so fucked up
If you feel so walked on
So painful so pissed off
You're not the only one
Refusing to go down
You're not the only one
So get up
Let's start a riot, a riot
Let's start a riot
Let's start a riot, a riot
Let's start a riot
If you feel so empty
So used up, so let down
If you feel so angry
Just get up
Let's start a riot, a riot
Let's start a riot
Let's start a riot, a riot
Let's start a riot (Riot, by Three Days Grace)
July 30th, 1996, 11:45 PM
Privet Drive, Surrey, England
Harry Potter sighed as he looked out of his small bedroom window into the dark cloudy night outside. This had to be one of the strangest birthdays he'd had since his 11th one; and that was saying something since that was when he'd found out he was wizard. Although he was Harry Potter; he should be used to strange things happening to him, whether they were on his birthday or not. His mind went back to what had started this whole mess, which had happened earlier that morning.
-Flashback-
Harry had just gotten up and finished dressing for the day when a medium sized owl had swooped in through the window, landing on his bedpost. When Harry just stared at it, the bird hooted indignantly and held out a leg as if to say 'hurry up and take this letter off, you dimwit!' Harry snapped out of his daze quickly enough and hurried to take the thick bundle off the bird that had then flown to Hedwig's cage for a drink and some food. Harry watched it fly, a bit bemused by the whole scene, before shaking his head and sitting on his bed to examine the letter.
The envelope was as thick and heavy as Hogwarts' was; although he could tell this wasn't from his beloved school. Harry Potter was written on the front in a small, tidy script written from dark blue ink, unlike the large loopy emerald green letters of Hogwarts. He turned the letter over and raised an eyebrow at the seal; it was a shield that had two griffins facing each other on it with a spear and a lance crossed behind them. Below the animals there was a thick bar that had the motto: Audaces Fortuna Iuvat in thin curly letters. Harry knew enough Latin to translate it into Fortune favors the bold(1).
He could recognize it as a family crest – he knew enough about history to do that – but he wasn't sure whose it was. It was pressed onto the opening of the envelope in dark red wax, like he'd been told in primary school nobles did back in the olden days with their letters. So the person who sent this probably was a wizard (they did keep to the old ways; quills and parchment were a testament to that!) from a pureblood family. But the only pureblood he talked to on a regular basis was Ron, and the red-head had never used a seal on any of his letters.
Harry sighed and figured that he could only find out answers by opening the letter. He carefully pried under the dry wax and lifted the opening to find thick sheets of paper buried within the envelope. He decided to forgo elegance and dumped them onto his bed, but was surprised when a small note fell out on top of the parchment. It was about the size of the index cards Hermione was always using to organize her notes and there was black, spidery handwriting on it. He picked it up and read it closely.
Lord Potter,
We at Gringotts express our sincerest apologies for the loss of your Godfather, a Lord Sirius O. Black. We would like to inform you that his will reading will be taking place on August 2nd at 11:00 AM sharp. If you cannot make it because of certain circumstances, please inform us by owl so we can make other arrangements.
This letter was a delayed post that was to be sent to you the morning of July 30th, the day before your sixteenth birthday. The sender was a Lily Potter nee Evans, who was urgent about you receiving this letter should anything happen to herself or to her husband. Since there haven't been any changes we have sent it as promised.
Thank you for your time and we will see you on August 2nd,
The Gringotts staff
Harry just gaped at the small note, unable to comprehend that he had a letter from his mother - his mother – in his lap. The news about Sirius' will reading completely flew over his head as his eyes shifted slowly to the thick bundle of parchments on his bed. He hesitantly reached out a hand and picked it up, weighing the parchment in his hand as he just stared at it.
The letter was made of the same creamy parchment as the envelope, and was folded inwards so none of the script could be seen. Harry unfolded it to reveal a long piece of parchment covered with the same tidy blue script that he had seen on the envelope. With it there was another, thicker, sheet of parchment, but Harry ignored that for now, focusing fully on the letter itself. He took a deep breath (he was going to read a letter written by his mother) and started to read:
Dear Harry,
If you're reading this letter than I must assume James and I are dead. I wrote this since we live in times of war, and I couldn't be sure I would be alive to tell you this one day. I asked the Goblins to send this close to your sixteenth birthday for numerous reasons; you'd be a bit more mature (as mature as 16 year olds can be), and 16 is the age for an incoming of Magical Inheritance.
Since I'm not sure how much you'll know about Magical Inheritance (MI from now on; it's too long to write out and your mother is a lazy woman), I'll just give you a brief overview. MI is usually on a wizard or witch's 16th birthday. This is when your magic starts to grow and mature; during your sixth year you might find your magic will be a little hard to control as it adjusts. Your body will also undergo physical changes so it can channel the magic properly. Usually Wizard's magic stops growing so rapidly when they reach 17, which is why Wizard's are considered adults after they reach that age. Some exceptionally powerful wizards (such as Albus, Grindelwald, the Founders, and Voldemort) are an exception to this rule, as their magic continues to grow a lot even after they reach 17.
Now, during MI many pureblood heirs receive a creature inheritance. Most pureblooded families have bred in creature blood to "purify" the bloodlines; such as the Malfoy's with their Veela blood and the Zabini's with their Siren blood. Luckily for you, the Potter family doesn't have any known creature blood running through its veins. Unfortunately, your mother does.
You see, Harry, I was adopted into the Evans family. I had no idea until my 16th birthday when one night I went to bed with agonizing pain running through my body and the next morning I woke up……different. See, apparently my real mother and father had had a one night stand; my mother didn't want any children, so she sent me to a human orphanage. I was officially adopted by the Evans family, and my adopted parent's never told me. On the morning after my 16th birthday I was visited by my mother's best friend who explained to me about what I was.
You and I Harry are both Fae beings. (2)
The Fae are often regarded as a myth in the Wizarding World; James told me that when I asked about them in my 7th year. They disappeared centuries ago into the shadows of Ireland and Scotland, never to be seen or heard of again. They have been in hiding for the last 200 years, and have yet to come out of it.
So you, my darling boy, are half-Fae, since I am a full-blooded one. However it doesn't really matter how much blood you have; you'll still get all of the Fae characteristics and abilities, which is quite nice, if I say so myself. Since you don't know much about our people (I very much doubt, even if you are interested in learning, that you could have found out much), I will tell you some. I got into contact with one of my friends and asked her to come after your MI so that they could explain things better to you. You should expect them to arrive sometime soon.
The Fae are a race of incredibly beautiful people with extreme elemental magic. They have a deep connection with the elements and are naturals at wandless and soundless magic. There are 10 key elements that a Fae can be connected to (Fire, Earth, Air, Water, Lightning, Shadow, Light, Metal, Wood, and Ice). Usually Fae are attuned to anywhere from 3 to 6 elements, although they can have more. During the night of MI the Gods/Goddesses of all 10 elements will speak to you while your body undergoes the physical and magical changes. They will choose which elements you will have control over and there will be tattoos to show your attunement of those elements on your body when you wake up. We do have wings; the colors vary from Fae to Fae, but they are usually large enough to wrap around your body and covered with feathers like a hawks are. They can be retracted into your body with only thin scars to show for it. The Fae also have Aura and Magic sight (sensing the Personality/Intentions/Magic Power of a person, and seeing Magic in its true form) and are able to shape-shift (Not Metamorphmagic; it's a lot like an Animagus transformation, except you can do it with more animals).
That's not everything (certainly not!) but I'm sure you'll be seeing one of my old friends soon who will tell you more. I also included your birth certificate in here, so be sure to keep that close to you. I wish I could have added a family tree, but I don't think it would have fit into an envelope this small. However there should be one in the Potter Family Vaults, if you're interested.
Anyhow, I suppose I must stop writing now as you are getting quite impatient about waiting for your dinner. Your father and I both want you to know that we love you so, so much Harry, and we're proud of you no matter what kind of man you are today. Please be careful, and watch out for yourself; I don't want you joining us until you're as old as Albus, you hear young man!
With all my love,
Lily Potter nee Evans
October 15th, 1981
-End Flashback-
Harry had been in a daze for the rest of the day, barely noticing Dudley's taunts or Petunia's disdain. He had been rightfully shocked at the fact that, not only was his mother adopted but she wasn't quite human as well. Although the adopted bit cleared some things up; he'd always wondered how someone like Petunia could be related to his mum, who had been beautiful and kind. But to think that his mother was a bloody Fairy of all creatures……he knew enough mythology to connect Fae to Faerie or Fairy. It boggled his mind to know that not only did these creatures exist, but he was a part of their race.
After he'd gotten over the initial shock (which had lasted until around 7 o'clock that evening) he'd begun thinking. The first thing that had come to mind was if his father had known about it or not, and if he did, then did Sirius and Remus know as well? And if they did, why didn't they tell him about it?
And then another thought had slapped him over the head; did Dumbledore know? And if he did, then why send him to Petunia's when they weren't even blood related? Blood wards couldn't work with adopted relatives as far as Harry knew; you had to be blood related. So, assuming Dumbledore didn't know, then how did he even raise the wards to begin with?
More and more questions had swirled around his brain until Harry could hardly think anymore. He'd tried to settle down, but the question did Dumbledore know stayed and he wasn't sure how to answer that. He wasn't sure about any of this really.
And so here he was, waiting for midnight to come and bring the pain that inheritance would offer. Thoughts and questions of Dumbledore, Sirius, Lupin, and even Snape swirled around his brain and Harry didn't know if he even wanted them answered. The truth always had a way of making you wish people had continued to lie to you. He had learned that after Sirius' death.
Harry sighed and turned away from the bright red numbers (11:51) to stare at the ceiling. Sirius' death had taught him a lot of things. It seemed that the death of someone so close to you had more of an effect than someone not so close, such as Cedric. Cedric's death had only changed a small part of Harry, while Sirius'……well it had changed much more. His summer had turned into something good for the first time in his life; he now had time to think things out before facing those he loved.
He had started out easy. His thoughts had swirled around Ron and Hermione, his two best friends. Harry was well aware that Ron got jealous of him a lot, though he didn't know what the red-head was jealous about. If Ron wanted the fame and the money he could have it, for all Harry could care. Ron was a good and caring friend, but he clung to his prejudices and had never seen the world as anything more than black and white or good and evil. Harry had been like that also, but now he was starting to see how stupid and close-minded he'd been and the lines in between – the shades of gray – had started to become clearer for him. He wasn't sure if he could ever make Ron see those lines, but he had to try. He wasn't willing to lose his closest friend.
Hermione was another issue altogether. Harry had faith in Hermione; she had never abandoned him, never left him. Her loyalty to Harry overrode the loyalty to her books and authority figures such as Dumbledore. He could count on Hermione to follow him through.
Lupin was another person like this. Harry was the last link to Lupin's childhood friends, the friends that had accepted him despite what he was. He was also a part of the werewolf's pack. Plus Lupin was both a Light Wizard and a werewolf; Harry was sure the man understood about shades of gray.
Harry's mind had turned to Dumbledore around mid-summer, and had stayed there for many long weeks. He and Dumbledore had a complicated relationship and it had taken him a lot of time to work out what he felt for the man. Dumbledore was a person that someone could either love or hate. Harry had been manipulated by Dumbledore; he could see it, looking back with his new enlightenment. Dumbledore had placed him in this hellhole with people who regularly neglected and abused him, all in the name of the greater good. Dumbledore had kept things from him that could have possibly saved Sirius.
And yet Dumbledore was the person who had pulled him out of the Dursley's, to introduce him to the wizarding world. Dumbledore had given him Hogwarts as a home.
He knew he couldn't trust the Headmaster, and was dead set against some of his methods and ideas. Love was all well and good but it wouldn't do much good to a dead Harry. He could understand Dumbledore's reasons for trying to protect Harry's innocence. However he was damn pissed at the man for keeping such important information from him that could have saved lives.
He hadn't been able to fully explain his relationship to Dumbledore so he had put the man aside to study his relationship to the next major force in his life: Voldemort.
He hated what the man had done to him, and to others. He hated the fact that it was largely thanks to Voldemort that he had grown up as an orphan and sent to the Dursley's. And yet, like Dumbledore, he could understand the man's reasoning for some of the actions. He'd spent the last year or so in Voldemort's head. He would bet his Firebolt that he knew more about the man's inner workings than nearly everyone else in the world. Voldemort had grown up neglected, bullied, and unloved, much like Harry had. The people who had abused him were Muggles, and Harry could easily see why the man would hate them. It didn't excuse his actions, but Harry could understand in a way. As for the death of his parent's……they had been enemies in a war. Hating Voldemort for killing his enemies was hypocritical when the Light side had destroyed just as many families during the war.
Voldemort's ideals, if not his methods, were something Harry could work with also. Separating from the Muggle world sounded like a damn fine idea to him; Muggles, despite what Dumbledore believed, would be neither forgiving nor welcoming to the Wizarding World. Harry didn't believe in the "purity" of Purebloods; he was well aware that inbreeding caused more problems than it solved. It was something Muggles had worked out long ago, making him wonder how long it had been since the Wizarding World had evolved.
Pulling out of his musings, Harry's eyes drifted back to the clock and started when he read 11:59. It was only a minute until the supposed Inheritance, and he wasn't quite sure what to expect. His mother had said it would be painful, and had commented on how she had woken up "different". Harry desperately hoped he didn't wake up too different, otherwise Vernon would probably kick him around for the display of freakishness.
Harry counted down the seconds and absently wondered if he was going somewhere soon. Usually he left the Dursley's after his birthday, but he wouldn't be surprised if Dumbledore kept him here for the entire holiday. 'It wouldn't do for his weapon to get rebellious now would it? Send him to the abusive relatives for the summer, that'll clean him up' he thought bitterly. He still was angry over the fact that Dumbledore sent him here knowing what happened to him each summer. He'd confessed the day before term ended, desperate to get away from his unloving relatives so he could settle his grief in peace. But Dumbledore had only patted him on his head and said it was for his protection.
10……9……8……7……6……
Harry had decided only a week before that he wasn't going to join sides. Dumbledore and Voldemort were both too much alike; ruling people and lives so they could win this god-be-damned war. Harry didn't care about the rules of warfare that the two leaders had set down between them. He just wanted everything to be over, so the people wouldn't have to cower in fear anymore, so that the children wouldn't have to grow up knowing about death and darkness. He was going to end this war once and for all, as soon as he could, and in any way that he could. Perhaps if one of the Leaders showed actual interest in the welfare of the people, he would join sides. Until then neither of the men could have him.
5……4……3……2……1……
At precisely midnight, July 31st, 1996 Harry Potter collapsed onto his hard lumpy bed, screaming hellfire. What felt like sharp swords were shoving into his skin and an unbearable heat was spreading under his skin. He could feel the muscles in his back bulging horribly and his bones were shifting and cracking. He convulsed like he was being put under Crucio once again, his mouth open in a now silent scream. After the torture went on for what felt like hours it finally softened and then halted, leaving Harry covered in his own blood, breathing harshly as he tried to re-cover from the pain. He passed out soon afterwards, not noticing any of the new changes he had just gone through.
Darkness was surrounding him.
Harry knew his eyes were open, and yet it was still so dark. It made him panic for a second until he remembered the part of his mother's letter that had mentioned the meeting with the Gods and Goddesses of the Elements. Was this what this was? But why was he alone?
"Harry Potter," a voice boomed, and Harry nearly sighed in relief. At least there was someone here. "We have gathered here to choose the Elements you are attuned to, as a child of the Gods. Do you consent to this?"
Harry raised an eyebrow, "I didn't know I had a choice."
A lighter voice than the first one laughed and said, "Ombra will like this one. He's snappy."
The first voice chuckled, "Yes he is that Aria. Anyway; Harry Potter," the voice turned serious again; "you shall always have a choice in your life, and the paths that you choose to follow. I ask once more; do you consent to this?"
Harry hesitated before saying in a firm voice, "Yes."
The room was suddenly filled with a bright, white light that illuminated every corner. He blinked, trying to adjust his eyes to the sudden light and raised an eyebrow when he saw he was surrounded by a circle of seats, all of them filled with people.
Harry stared; he couldn't help it. The people surrounding him were the strangest looking beings he'd ever seen, even after his years at Hogwarts.
Directly in front of him there was a woman with pure white hair who had a delicate, swirling pattern drawn around her silver-grey eyes like a mask. She had petite, delicate features and was wearing a sleeveless, full-length icy blue dress. A pair of light silver fairy wings sprouted from between her shoulder-blades.
"Harry Potter," the woman said, and Harry noticed that her voice was as cold as her face, "I am Ghiaccio, the Goddess of the Ice. Welcome to The Temple."
Harry blinked and put a hand to his forehead. Half of him hadn't believed that this would be happening, and yet here he was with a strange looking woman. He opened his eyes and took a look around the room, his gaze drawn immediately to the strange looking people seated around him.
Next to Ghiaccio there was a woman with heel length golden hair and laughing sky blue eyes. A large brown Eagle rested on her shoulder. Her white dress was also sleeveless, revealing deep golden skin, and went to her knees. A pair of large angel-like, cream-colored wings sprouted from in between her shoulder-blades.
The woman noticed his staring and nodded to him, smiling in a way that light up her entire face before saying, "I am Aria, the Goddess of the Air."
Harry nodded to her, still somewhat shocked and shifted his gaze yet again. Next to the Air Goddess there was a man with crimson red hair and sparking amber eyes. His skin was darkly tanned, and he was dressed in a sleeveless top and loose, Arabian styled pants, both made out of red silky looking fabric. Out of his back there were two large wings that looked like they were made from real flames. The man grinned, revealing one golden tooth in his lower canines.
"Fuoco, the God of Fire," he said, snapping his thin fingers and making a flame hover above his hand.
The man next to Fuoco (who Harry had stared at for several minutes after the fire trick) looked completely dark next to his bright companion. The man had long, blue-black hair and narrow charcoal gray eyes. His clothing was made of baggy pants and a long-sleeved shirt that were colored in blacks and dark grays. Between his shoulders was a pair of charcoal gray bat-like wings. The man gave a smirk and said in a deep, dark voice, "Ombra, God of the Shadows."
Harry remembered Aria mentioning Ombra would like his snappiness, but he wasn't so sure. The Shadow God reminded him too much of Snape, who disliked his cheek. He dipped his head to the man and turned yet again, determined to see everyone in the room before they started anything.
Next to Ombra was a woman with warm crystal blue eyes and wavy blue-green hair that fell around her shoulders in glossy curls. She was dressed in a calf length layered blue skirt and a loose shirt with flowing sleeves of the same color. Her feathered, tall wings were also a dark blue color. When Harry's eyes turned on her, the woman smiled mysteriously and nodded her head.
"My name is Aqua, young one, and I am the Goddess of the Water," she said serenly. Harry blinked at her before turning away to the next god.
The next person in line was a woman with chin length dark brown hair and large leaf green eyes. She wore a sleeveless dark green top and a long, flowing skirt made of the same color and material. Her feet were bare and she had a pair of leafy wings sprouting from her back. The woman inclined her hair and said, "Terra, Goddess of the Earth."
Harry felt like saying no duh, but figured it'd be best to keep his thoughts to himself for right now. He quickly turned to the next person, who turned out to be a man with silver-blue hair (which reminded Harry eerily of the Malfoy's) and large white-gold eyes. His pants were made in the same style as the Fire God's, but were colored a bright white and he wore no shirt. Out of his back sprouted large wings that looked like they were made from some kind of energy and shone a light gold. The man intoned his head and said, "Luce, God of Light."
Harry withheld a wince at the name that was so close to Lucius Malfoy's. It seemed ironic to him that the man's name would mean 'light' and yet he had sided with Voldemort, who was as dark as you could get. He pushed his thoughts away and turned to the next person (yet again), getting somewhat tired of turning all the time.
This person was a woman, and had extremely short light brown hair and hazel eyes. Her clothing was made mostly of light and dark brown, and was made from the same loose, Arabian style as the Fire and Shadow God's were. Her wings were like Aria's and were colored the same light brown as her hair. She swept into a low bow and bounced on her bare feet as she came up, saying, "I'm Legno, the Goddess of Wood."
Harry was surprised by her hyperness, as no one else had greeted him with such enthusiasm, but shrugged it off and turned to face the last two people.
The first man had dark copper-y hair and almond shaped metallic silver eyes. His clothes were made from a strange sort of material - it looked like cloth and yet shimmered like metal armor. Harry could see large swords on the man's back, and metal handbraces on his wrists. Out of his back sprouted large silver metal wings. The man smiled at him and said, "Metallo, God of Metal."
The second man was similar to the Light God in a way. His hair had less silver in it, and more blue which made him look a little more bizarre than the Gods before him had looked. His eyes were an icy light blue and he wore thin cream colored clothes. Out of his back sprouted a pair of wings that fizzled with energy. The man smiled and said, "Lampo, God of Lightning." Harry recognized it as the voice that had spoken to him when he first arrived.
The Temple was silent for a moment before Legno spoke up, "Ne, ne, Lampo-nii, we should speak to him, no?"
Lampo laughed and the tension seemed to relax a bit. Harry stared at all of them curiously and spoke, "How exactly is all of this going to happen?"
Fuoco stepped forward to speak, "You will give us ten drops of your blood and that will determine what elements you have the power, ability, or aptitude to wield. We will give you our marks and then you will wake up in your new body, ya."
"The only night all of us can access the Fae is when they are awakened," Aria explained quietly. "After that only those who are the Gods of their aligned elements can speak to them in dreams or visions. The rest of us can only watch over them."
Harry nodded and then asked hesitantly, "What were my mother's elements?"
Terra smiled and said, "Her main element was Earth, but she had power in Light, Air, and Wood as well. She was a talented woman."
Harry nodded, and was sad to realize that this was the most he knew about his mother other than she was smart and pretty. No one had ever bothered to tell him about his mum – there were tons of stories about his dad, but never anything about Lily Potter.
"Where should I put this blood?" he asked finally.
Ombra gestured towards a silver bowl outside of the circle, "Drop them in there and symbols will rise up to specify what elements you specialize in."
Harry nodded and walked over to the bowl, absently noting when the group of nine followed him. He picked up the silver knife resting beside the bowl and gave a shallow slash to his index finger, squeezing the small cut until ten drops of blood were inside the bowl. And then he waited.
Slowly a misty sign of a black crow rose out of the bowl, followed quickly by a golden hawk, a phoenix, a bolt of lightening, and an icicle.
Lampo sounded smug as he rattled off, "Your elements are, in this order, Shadow, Air, Fire, Lightening, and Ice. You are strongest in Shadow, but judging by the quick succession of the other four, you will be equal in power for your other elements. This means that you will speak to Ombra, Aria, Fuoco, me, and Ghiaccio a lot.
"Alright," Harry said with a sigh. Somehow he couldn't be surprised by his elements, even if he found it painfully ironic that he was a master over lightening. He turned to the deities and asked, "Now what?"
"Now, Harry Potter……" Lampo walked up to Harry and touched the lightening bolt on his forehead. "We awaken you."
Pain erupted in his forehead, stronger than anything he had felt from Voldemort. With a hefty scream Harry fell to his knees. He could feel hands touching him, and the pain increased with every touch. His magic roared around him as he writhed on the floor. Harry could hear words but he couldn't make sense of them; all he felt and saw and heard was pain until finally, finally he was allowed into the black deepness of unconsciousness.
When Harry woke up all he could think about was the pain. Every inch of him felt like it had been hammered repeatedly and he was sure if his hair could feel pain it would be hurting as well. He let out a whimper and slowly opened his eyes, wincing at the brightness invading the room. 'Bloody hell Mum wasn't lying when she said it would be painful' he thought, letting his eyes adjust to the bright light. 'What the hell did they do to me?'
He noticed that he must have been unconscious for most of the morning, as the sun was already over the house. Wondering why his relatives hadn't barged in to yell at him yet, Harry slowly sat up trying to ignore the migraine stabbing into his head as he did so. When he was finally somewhat upright he let out a sigh of relief.
After resting for a few minutes Harry shuffled out of his bed, wincing as pain exploded in his head and everything went dizzy for a moment. He could see the black edging his vision and hastily grabbed the edge of the bed, willing himself not to faint again. After a few minutes of being entirely motionless the pain faded somewhat and the room stopped spinning. Letting out another explosive sigh of relief, Harry made his way to the closet, where he had a full length, if somewhat cracked mirror that Dudley had broken sometime during his childhood.
Harry gaped as his full image came into the mirror. He'd been expecting changes, but not something to this……magnitude.
He was still short. That was the first thing he noticed, and with no little amount of annoyance. He knew he'd most likely always stand at 5'4", but it still pissed him off. The loose muscles he'd gained from long years of chores and Quidditch training had become more pronounced, rippling slightly beneath his golden skin. His hair was longer now, streaming past his waist to practically his knees, and he noticed that he had somehow gained dark red highlights. His face was narrower, the high cheekbones more pronounced and the dark eyebrows more arched. His bright green eyes, which had always been particularly vivid, now stood out even more and somehow seemed larger in his thinner face.
Of course, the strangest things were his wings.
Yes, that's right; wings. He had a pair of giant black feathered wings that, like his hair, had dark, almost crimson red highlights. They looked to be around eight feet altogether, and distinctly reminded Harry of angel's wings, despite their dark coloring. They folded out from between his shoulder blades, and stood about two feet above him, making Harry feel shorter than he already was.
"Damn, but you look fine," a voice said from the window and Harry whirled around, wings snapping out on instinct and his mouth set in a growl.
A woman with short, crazy wheat-blonde hair and laughing brown eyes held up her hands in mock surrender. Harry eyed her warily; no one should have been able to get inside the Dursley House without Dumbledore's permission. Perhaps this woman was a member of the Order? No……He took in her white short-sleeved shirt and tan khaki's. No wizard from the Order had such good fashion sense, not even Tonks.
"Who are you?" he asked lowly.
"Cassandra Flynn," she said easily. "A friend of your mother's."
A line from his letter swam up inside his mind: I'm sure you'll be seeing one of my old friends soon who will tell you more.' So this was the friend his mum had been talking about. Harry relaxed some, but he didn't let down his guard.
"What were my mother's elements?" he asked suspiciously. If Flynn really was her friend, she should know that.
"Earth, Light, Air, and Wood, although she was strongest in Earth," Flynn answered with grin. "She was a damn scary sight when she got mad; she was always making earthquakes with her anger, and then there were all those creepy vines……" the woman trailed off. "But that's enough of that. Lily told me to come to you on your 17th birthday if she was killed off. I'm supposed to tell ya about all the important stuff about our kind and answer any questions you might have. So, let's get to it!" she jumped on Harry's bed and say cross-legged, a wide grin stretching across her pretty face. "Whaddya wanna know kiddo?"
Harry suppressed the pain he felt at hearing the nickname - Sirius had always called him kiddo – and instead focused on what he wanted to know.
"Are there any laws against us?" he asked slowly, after some thought.
Flynn tipped her head to the side, "Well……we're not considered dark creatures, if that's what you're asking. Wizards regard us as a myth so they don't have any restrictions placed on us. One of the better parts of being ignored."
Harry nodded and after a moment's thought asked hesitantly, "My mother's family……"
"Doesn't expect anything from you," Flynn said calmly. "They would love it if you wanted to visit, but they don't expect you to leave your life here." Harry felt relieved. He wasn't sure what he would have done if his new-found family had insisted on him leaving his duties behind.
Sighing he thought of his next question and asked, "My mother said that the Fae have……Aura and Magic sight? Is there anything I need to do to activate it? Or to activate any of my elemental powers, for that matter?"
Flynn considered the question for a minute before answering, "No, they should develop in time. Right now your magic is getting used to the new gifts and magic you got from your key Gods; it'll take about a month for it to settle enough so that you can use your new powers. If you had a soul-bond it'd be easier, as then you could be grounded, but since you don't……"
"Wait," Harry cut in, panicked. "Fae don't have mates do they!"
Flynn laughed, "Of course not! Only Werewolves and Veela have designated mates! The rest of us are free to choose who we please. No, the soul-bond is a Fae ritual to bond spiritually, emotionally, and physically to the people that you choose as your life-long mate."
"People?" Harry asked, intrigued despite himself. "There can be more than one person?"
Flynn laughed again, "You're into threesomes Harry?" The boy blushed brightly and sputtered, which only made Flynn laugh harder. Wiping her eyes free of tears she continued, "Yes, there are some cases of a trio or even a quartet binding. It's very rare, but it has been done before."
Harry nodded, calm once more, and then asked with a wince, "How do I pull in……the wings?" he waved a hand at the large dark wings fluttering behind him. Flynn grinned.
"Concentrate and will them in. Your wings are a part of you; they'll listen to your commands," she instructed.
Harry gave her an odd look but closed his eyes and cleared his mind, concentrating. He gasped as he felt the wings forcibly making their way back into his body and fell to his knees. After a few minutes the pain of the transition subsided, and Harry could stand again. He glared at Flynn, who had the grace to look mildly apologetic.
"It gets better after you've done it a couple times," Flynn chirped happily. "Almost like sex!" Harry choked. God, how had his mother been friends with this person? She was so……cheery.
Harry sighed and tried to think if he had any more questions for the odd Fae before she had to leave. With a shrug he said to her, "Is there any way to call you if I have any more questions?"
Flynn considered and then said, "Do you have some paper?" Harry hurriedly ripped off a piece of paper from an old, empty journal sitting on the shelves. Flynn scribbled down something with a broken, dull pencil and then handed the sheet to Harry. He looked down to see a phone number written clearly. "That's my number. If you have any questions, or you need some help call me." Harry looked up to see Flynn looking strangely serious. But then the moment was gone and she was happy and cheerful once more. With a, "See you kiddo!" she jumped out the window and was gone. Harry hurried to the windowpane and raised an eyebrow when he saw that Flynn was flying on golden-brown wings away from his house.
Harry sighed and rubbed his head; his headache had decreased somewhat but he still felt shaky and ill from the pain of MI. He carefully made his way to his bed and slid onto it, resting a hand over his eyes to block out the bright sunlight streaming into his room.
Even as he was slipping into sleep Harry had the feeling that this was going to be a very long summer.
Author's Note: This is just something I'm writing on the side, much like WA. Right now MTU and AIT have most of my focus, so the updates for MTIS will take much longer. But since most of it was written already, I couldn't help but post it……Please review.
The Gods & Goddesses of the Elements – Names
Ombra: Shadow in Italian
Aria: Air in Italian
Terra: Earth in Italian
Fuoco: Fire in Italian
Lampo: Lightning in Italian
Luce: Light in Italian
Metallo: Metal in Italian
Legno: Wood in Italian
Ghiaccio: Ice in Italian
Aqua: Water in Italian
(1) I absolutely love this saying for the Potter family – it fits a Gryffindor family so well don't you think? You'll probably see more of it in any HP stories I do, as I use it often when doing things with Potters.
(2) Yes, this is so overdone – Lily being something other than a Muggleborn that is. However I wanted a creature Harry, and Lily is fun to play with.
Edit (3.18.08): I added in the Water Goddess - trust Unwritten to forget one of the four major elements for elemental gods...I remember Ice but I forget Water, dear Jesus I feel stupid...