AN: A big thanks to DarkDarius, Fabian Hunter, Dusk Ado II, The Glass Angel, wow, Verona-mira and killroy225 for the reviews and also thanks for the follows and favorites.
I'm sorry that this chapter was delayed but the characters just wouldn't cooperate!
I'm not completely satisfied with how it turned out but I have left you stalling for the next chapter too long so here it is.
I got some questions from some people if I would write details in the slash department and I can promise you that I won't write any lemons at all. The only slash that is going to happen in this story is the mention of it as well as the occasionally kiss. I suck at writing romance and this story won't concentrate on it. And I will warn you if any more than the mention of slash happens in the story. The only slash pairing that will occur is Alex/Cross. I hope this explained any questions you could/would have in regards of the slash in the story.
Here is the next chapter.
Pairing: Alex/Cross in Harry Potter is the canon pairings.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or [Prototype] they belong to their rightful owners.
Warning: This story will be bloody, violent. It will also contain Slash and scenes up to M-Rating (blood, gore, swearing and so forth). So if you don't like it it's a nice little thing called back button. My grammar?
Humanity's Choice
Chapter 2 – Of Toads and Predators
Cross was sitting at the teachers table, waiting for the feast to begin. It was the 1 of September which meant that the students would arrive that day. He was sitting beside Albus Dumbledore with Severus Snape on his other side. On Snape's other side was the new DADA teacher sitting.
McGonagall was waiting for the children outside of the great hall. Alex was somewhere on the grounds. Probably in the forbidden forest then he needed to eat before the feast began. They didn't want him to go on a rampage because he became too hungry.
Cross wasn't that worried about it. It would have to take more than a little hunger for Alex to go on a killing spree. It was mostly to placate Dumbledore that Alex fed so often as once a day. Then because he had a real need to do it so often. Alex usually only ate if he used up his biomass. But the headmaster became nervous if Alex didn't eat regularly.
"Where is Mercer?" The question came from the black clad potions master.
"Eating." was the simple replay. Cross glanced at Snape from the corner of his eye. The man was frowning. It was no secret that the man disliked Alex. He could stand Commander Cross but just barely.
Just as Cross looked at the double doors in front of him they opened and the older students started to trickle in. He was able to see Potter, Weasley and Granger among the students as they sat down at the Gryffindor table.
Soon everyone was seated and they were only waiting on the first year students and McGonagall.
It didn't take long for the first years to walk through the doors and still no trace of Alex. Cross grumbled irritably. He hoped that the virus hadn't gotten in trouble with the centaurs.
Suddenly started the hat on the stool to sing, Cross had actually heard the song once. So it came as a chock to even him that the song wasn't the same.
In the times of old when I was new
And Hogwarts barely started
The founders of our noble school
Thought never to be parted:
United by a common goal,
They had the selfsame yearning,
To make the world's best magic school
And pass along their learning.
'Together we will build and teach!'
The four good friends decided
And never did they dream that they
Might someday be divided,
For were there such friends anywhere
As Slytherin and Gryffindor?
Unless it was the second pair
Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?
So how could it have gone so wrong?
How could such friendships fail?
Why, I was there and so can tell
The whole sad, sorry tale.
Said Slytherin, 'We´ll teach just those
Whose ancestry is purest.'
Said Ravenclaw, 'We´ll teach just those whose
Intelligence is surest.'
Said Gryffindor, 'We´ll teach all those with brave deeds to their name,'
Said Hufflepuff, 'I´ll teach the lot,
And treat them just the same.'
These differences caused little strife
When first they came to light,
For each of the four founders had
A house in which they might
Take only those they wanted, so,
For instance, Slytherin
Took only pure-blood wizards
Of great cunning, just like him,
And only those of sharpest mind
Were taught by Ravenclaw
While the bravest and the boldest
Went to daring Gryffindor.
Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest,
And taught them all she knew.
Thus the houses and their founders
Retained friendships firm and true.
So Hogwarts worked in harmony
For several happy years,
But then discord crept among us
Feeding on our faults and fears.
The houses that, like pillars four,
Had once held up our school,
Now turned upon each other and,
Divided, sought to rule.
And for a while it seemed the school
Must meet an early end,
What with dueling and with fighting
And the clash of friend on friend
And at last there came a morning
When old Slytherin departed
And thought the fighting then died out
He left us quiet downhearted.
And never since the founders four
Were whittled down to three
Have the houses been united
As they once were meant to be.
And now the Sorting Hat is here
And you all know the score:
I sort you into houses
Because that is what I'm for,
But this year I´ll go further,
Listen closely to my song:
Thought condemned I am to split you
Still I worry that it's wrong,
Though I must fulfill my duty
And must quarter every year
Still I wonder whether Sorting
May not bring the end I fear.
Oh, know the perils, read the signs,
The warning history shows,
For our Hogwarts is in danger
From external, deadly foes
And we must unite inside her
Or we'll crumble from within
I have told you, I have warned you…
Let the Sorting now begin.
As the hat stopped singing it became deathly quiet. Sometime while the hat had been singing had Cross leant forward on the table looking and listening to the hat intently.
When the silence had been going on for some time started McGonagall the sorting ceremony and slowly was the students sorted.
Some Time Earlier
Harry looked up at the teachers table when he, Ron and Hermione sat at down at their house table.
The first thing he noticed was that Hagrid wasn't there. He told the other two as much.
"He can't have left." said a slightly anxious Ron.
"Of course he hasn't." stated Harry.
"You don't think he's … hurt or anything, do you?" said an uneasy Hermione.
"No." said Harry hastily.
"But where is he then?"
Harry was quiet for a few seconds before he whispered quietly so the other at the Gryffindor table couldn't hear.
"Maybe he's not back yet. You know, from his mission. The thing he was doing over the summer for Dumbledore."
"Yeah … yeah, that'll be it." Said Ron reassured. But Hermione wasn't so sure. She bit her lip and looked intently at her empty plate.
Harry scanned the teachers table again and saw something that he first could swear was a pink toad. But when he looked closer could he see that it was the woman from his hearing.
"What is she doing here?" asked Harry aloud.
"Who Harry?" Asked Hermione and looked up, in the direction that Harry's eyes were looking.
"The woman in pink, her name is Umbridge. She was at my hearing at the ministry. She works for Fudge." Hissed Harry angrily, he didn't like her at all.
"She works for Fudge?" asked Hermione. "What on earth is she doing here then?" She scanned the staff table. Her eyes narrowed. "No, surely not …"
"What is it?" asked Ron impatiently.
"The only thing I can think about is that she would be our new DADA teacher." said Hermione.
"I hope not." said Harry grumpily.
"Who else? She is the only new teacher at the table." said Ron after he also had scanned the table.
"No, she isn't." said Hermione after she had looked at the staff table once more. "Look there in between Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape." She pointed at the man in question. "I didn't see him earlier because he has so dark clothes and Umbridge has those hideous pink ones."
It was first then Harry saw him. He had missed him earlier then he was more worried for Hagrid and pink stood out more than the black he wore. The man looked to be around his fifties. He wore clothes that looked to belong on someone with a high standing in the military.
Harry did a double take. He was clad like a muggle. The military clothes that he wore belonged to muggle military.
"Hermione, why does he wear clothes from the muggle military?" Asked Harry one of his best friends. She looked closer at the man. He seemed to be looking at the entrance of the hall. But the first years had already arrived so it can't have been because if them. He was waiting for something or someone.
"I don't know Harry. But I think that Dumbledore will explain his presence here." said Hermione. The man looked like he had been in a war. A little like Alastor Moody. But he didn't have the same sever injuries that the old auror had. He had the occasional scar but nothing like a missing eye or leg.
In just that moment started the hat to sing.
"Branched out a bit this year, hasn't it." said Ron with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, but why? I mean obviously he wants to warn us but for what?" asked Hermione thoughtfully.
"Can he be warning us about Voldermort?" asked Harry the other two thirds of the golden trio.
"It would be the most logical conclusion." said Hermione. "I wonder if it has ever given a warning before?" Hermione sounded a bit anxious.
"Indeed it has." came the answer from Nearly Headless Nick. "The hat feels honour-bound to give a warning whenever it feels…" But the ghost didn't get any further before McGonagall silenced everyone with a burning gaze. When everyone had fallen silent she started to call out the names of the first years.
When she was done stood Dumbledore up and beamed with twinkling eyes.
"To our newcomers welcome and to our old hands – welcome back. There is a time for speeches but this is not it. Tuck in!" Dumbledore's voice rang throughout the hall. Suddenly food appeared on the tables. Dumbledore sat down and started to fill his plate.
Harry, Ron and Hermione followed his example and started to take from the food on the tables.
Cross had a thoughtful face as he looked absentmindedly in front of himself, the last time that he could remember the hat to give a warning was in the beginning of the war with Grindelwald.
"By the looks of it that hat usually isn't that talkative." came a voice from behind the commander. He glanced at the person standing behind him.
"Oh yes, he talks quiet a lot that one. But it's a different song this year." Answered Cross, Alex casually.
Only Cross had noticed Alex yet. He was standing in the shadows that the floating candles created in the back of the great hall, making it impossible for others to see if him you didn't know he was there.
Alex snorted in answer and looked over the table Cross sat at.
"What's with the pink toad?" asked Alex as he saw Umbridge on the other side of Snape. As the woman had arrived that day Alex hadn't been able to meet her yet.
"The new defense against the dark arts teacher." answered Cross with a quirk of his lips in amusement at Alex's accurate description of the undersecretary.
Alex looked over the table again and recognized the ones in the staff that was members of the order of the phoenix. It was Dumbledore, Rubeus Hagrid, Severus Snape and Minerva McGonagall.
Suddenly went the great hall silent and Alex saw that the tables was empty off food and the tableware had disappeared off the tables.
Dumbledore rose from his seat and started to give his speech. Alex tuned him out. He started to listen first when he told the student about the staff changes.
"…changes in the staff this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons; we are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." Alex noted that the applause were unenthusiastic and that three of the students at the Gryffindor table seemed worried.
"As you also can see we have two additional people at the table." Dumbledore had heard Alex when he started to talk to Cross. Mercer's voice was hard to mistake for someone else when it sounded as it did.
"They come from Blacklight and will be our security for the school this year. Their names are Commander Robert Cross and Alex Mercer." Alex couldn't help but grin at the ironic name for the squad the two men were a part of. He guessed that it made sense to name a unit that was created because of the Blacklight virus. Without the virus the squad wouldn't have existed today.
Alex could hear the bewildered murmur that spread throughout the hall among the students. He could hear the word muggle within most of the sentences. Alex looked at Umbridge that had a suspicious look trained at him and Cross. Alex grinned predatorily at her before he turned back to look at the students.
"Blimey!" hissed Ron quietly. "I didn't see him until now. Has he been standing there the whole time?" asked he his best friends and stared chocked at the man that was standing slightly behind the sitting older man.
"I don't think anyone did." said Hermione quietly.
"I hoped that we would get that man as our DADA teacher and not Umbridge." said Harry irritably.
Suddenly heard the trio a hem, hem and noticed that the hall had gone deathly quiet. They looked at the staff table.
"Did she just interrupt Professor Dumbledore?" asked Ron disbelievingly. Hermione and Harry nodded mutely at the same time.
The speech that followed had the most of them die of boredom.
When Umbridge was done and Dumbledore continued on his own speech continued the trio's conversation.
"It certainly was illuminating." stated Hermione quietly.
"Don't tell me you enjoyed that." Ron looked at Hermione as he talked.
"I said illuminating not enjoyable. It explained a lot." Said Hermione
"Did it?" asked Harry that almost though Umbridge's speech was more boring than Professor Binn's class.
"What did it explain?" asked Ron. Hermione looked at her two best friends before she answred.
"It means that the Ministry is interfering at Hogwarts."
Alex snorted quietly.
"If she thought she made her intentions at Hogwarts subtle with that speech she has to be dumber than I thought." Cross looked at Alex.
"To the students it is subtle enough and even to some of the staff. But you have been spending too much time around politicians." said Cross quietly. Alex grinned down at him. Alex knew what Cross really meant, that he had eaten too many politicians.
As the students rose to go to their dorms backed Alex up a step and Cross rose from his seat. They were just about to go to their rooms when an irritating sound came from behind them.
"Hem, hem, I was just wondering if you could answer some questions." Cross glanced behind him at the pink toad. He gave Alex a look that told him to stay.
"Of course." said Cross politely.
"Good, I was just wondering why muggles such as yourself is at Hogwarts."
"We are to guard the school and keep the students safe." stated Cross calmly.
"Yes, but you're muggles. Surely you can't expect yourself to be able to take on a wizard or witch?"
"Yes, I expect it and have already done it in USA." Umbridge would have continued to question them if it wasn't for Dumbledore.
"It has been a long day. Let the poor men go and rest. If you have any questions you can ask me." Umbridge turned around and gave the headmaster a once over before she huffed and stalked off.
Alex and Cross slipped away unnoticed and walked towards their rooms. The hallways were empty and so let them talk to each other freely.
"That woman spells trouble." stated Cross.
"Then lets us just kill her. It is easy enough." said Alex.
"All your ways to solve a problem is through violence." Cross sighed before he looked at the men beside him. "We can't. We have to stay low profile. "Alex growled irritably at Cross.
"I want to hunt humans." hissed Alex. They were both standing in their rooms now staring at each other. The portrait was closed and good was that. They didn't want anyone to know about Alex's diet.
"I know Alex. But you have to be patient." The Virus huffed and stalked away. Cross looked after him and wondered what the man would do. He probably went to the forest to vent some steam or get another meal. Alex was getting more and more aggressive and Cross hoped that prisoners would be delivered soon. Prisoners with the death sentence became more often than not a meal for Alex nowadays.
Cross sighed and went to bed. He had started to feel the tiredness creep up on him. Besides Alex could take care of himself.
Tell me what you think of this chapter. I'm really tired when I'm writing this and want to know how it turned out.
EDIT: now it's proofread. If you see any more mistakes so notify me about so can I fix it.
EDIT 2/1 - 13: I have tried to change a few sentences to make more sense. I'M SORRY! I haven't updated in a while and i'm sorry for it. My new years promise is to be better on posting chapters. You are all wonderful and I love the reviews, they give me motivation to continue to write(and a guilty conscience). I'm going to get the chapter out today or tomorrow.
Next Chapter: The Phoenix Order meets the new guards of Hogwarts and Harry stumbles on Mercer in the hallway and The Golden Trio discusses the new security.