*San Francisco*May 20*
Harry knocked on the door of the small flat where Scathach, Cath for friends, decided to place her martial arts academy this century, in San Francisco's China town.
Without bothering to wait for his friend to open the door, Harry entered, carefully removing his jacket and shoes, as the floor was wooden and he wouldn't need them during what would be his fight of the week.
Moving to the floor of the dojo, he transmuted his left arm into a pole, being mindful to keep the articulation for mobility. Enlarging the macahuitl from his waist, he settled into a stance that would allow him to use both to their magical potential.
He blocked a staff with his arm, delivering a fast counter with his other weapon, but Scathach dodged at the last second by ducking under it and delivering a palm to his stomach, making him stagger backwards.
"Your stance is all wrong, you let your bones take the brunt of my palm, I saw the energy from my staff stop at your shoulder," the flaming redhead scolded her student, "You were supposed to let it move to the other side."
"Hard when the arm that takes the hit is all metal," Harry changed his stance some, his knees further apart, "but then, this was supposed to be a reunion, not a lesson"
"I am the teacher of Cuchulain, master of warriors; every fight with me is a lesson," they traded a blurry of blows, Harry coming out worse, yet he still managed to land three solid blows.
"Except when you're trying to get laid with me or get me laid with Nicte" Another exchange, Harry parried and blocked with his left, trying get a finisher with his right.
"Hey, best threesome ever, right? You were a bit drunk on tequila though," Harry glared at her, making her smirk and sweep his feet from under him.
Harry jumped over her legs, delivering a kick to her hips, which she blocked with her forearm, "She's been trying for a repeat performance, and it gets annoying when she tries to make me a contortionist."
"Just say the word and I can open a dojo in Yucatan, I could teach combat at that school you went to," a blade lock had them inches from each other's faces, but Scathach's dropped, "Please Harry, I love Nick and Perry, but they let my appearance go to their heads."
"And I could make you look older," Harry disengaged and tried to hit her on the side with his wooden weapon, "And I always come to you as a friend visiting without asking for something."
The Shadow dodged and knocked him to the floor with a kick, putting the tip of her staff on Harry's neck so he couldn't move his head, "So, what do you say? Want me to move to Mexico?"
"Talk to my wife, she makes decisions when it comes to residents," He smirked, "And you let your guard down," Harry tried to use his legs, still free, to flip Scathach and put his own weapon at her throat.
"I'm never off guard," she answered as she locked her legs around his hips and continued the roll so she was still on top of him, smirking at his glaring face, one knee on Harry's hip, the other on his metallic arm, "I win"
"This is why I prefer chess with you" he had no chance of winning a fight against Scathach, her experience and strength were too much for Harry to handle, but she was not good for the three steps ahead games that Harry always played, and she ended up with only pawns and a tower to defend her king.
Not to say she didn't beat him, in fact she won two out of five games, but he preferred that to the complete defeat that he would receive when he fought against her with swords or fists.
That was why he usually spared and/or dueled against Miztli, who was on his level and was planning on becoming part of the national magical defense force, the AMM.
"So, what brings you here before the Christmas visit?" the redhead helped Harry stand up, watching in festination as he changed his left arm back into its normal prosthetic shape, "I thought you whole house was going to Europe."
"No, we were going to Chicago and New York, a two week visit, good knows we have enough money," Harry tapped a combination on his arm, a backpack popping out not a second later, "Fancy some fruit?"
Kaan and Itzmin jumped out the bag not a second after Harry opened it, Hedwig coming out seconds later and settling on Harry's shoulder, looking approvingly at Scathach.
"Give me an apple if you have one," she caught a red one that was thrown her way.
"Anyway, I came because I got mail from Nick saying that he needed me here for something important, and that you would be needed too," a container of spicy dried mangos came out of the backpack, "want to drop in on them for some stew?"
"Yeah, Perry makes great stew," yet Harry knew her, and he knew that she was wondering why she would be needed.
*That evening*Fleming Residence*
"Alright, the silence wards are up, should hold for at least all night," Harry took a swig of the beer in front of him, "We all know it wasn't you that sent me that mail Nicholas."
"True, somehow the Man With The Hook got into my computer and summoned you here," Nicholas was drinking tea rather than alcohol, as was Perenelle, and Scathach was drinking whiskey.
"Fucking hell, I told you I did not want to get involved in YOUR prophecy," he really hated fate, destiny, whatever the hell moved strings up, or down, there, "At least tell me I get live past my hundred and have two children."
The lights flickered, "Yes you do" Harry and Scathach reacted to the voice by slamming their respective weapon towards where it came from, "Now, what way is that to greet an old friend, then again, it is the first time you meet me, Harry Potter, though I have seen you at your best, your worst."
"One reason, give me one reason not to shoot the spell that's begging to come out" the macahuitl hummed.
"I'll do you one better," the shrouded man confidently moved the wooden instrument of dead away from his body, "Catalina Camila and Octavio Daniel, I suppose you know what I'm talking about."
"So I do live, still, unless you give me the guarantee right now I will still shoot"
"I could, but that interferes with the prophecy, the Old Man needs you to wing it until you meet him, so, unless you want all you love to be enslaved, I suggest you follow the path that awaits you," and then he was gone.
"I really want to kill something right about now," Harry bottomed the bottle of beer in one swig, taking another from his bag of surprises.
"With you on that, please tell me this will end soon," Scathach started drinking directly from her whiskey flask, not bothering with the mineral water offered.
"I honestly don't know, but we need to get the kids ready," Nicholas said with finality, and everyone knew that he was already working on a plan.
*Five days later*May 25*
Nick, Perry and Harry insisted on taking Josh and Sophie for a picnic at the Golden Gate Park, the twins, since Sophie had no work on Thursday and Josh had to follow Nick's order, agreed, and soon the four, with Harry riding his bike, were on the Land Rover that the Flemings owned.
Three hours long of sitting, eating, talking and laughing, until the adults nodded to each other, and then it all turned serious.
"How to put this in simple terms?" Josh and Sophie shared a quick look, both with a question in their eyes.
"I'll do it Nick, can't be harder than the volunteering I've been doing since I graduated," Harry leaned forward, "Have either of you ever seen something in the news, especially in the world news, that seems inexplicable, like the wall that appeared on the bridge of a navy frigate or something like that?"
"Well, there was this time when mom and dad took us to Seattle and it rained lightning on a clear day," Josh said, not knowing why they were asked something like that.
"And when we went to some Apache grounds and there was this huge circle carved into the ground," Sophie added, looking at the three faces in front of her.
"You live in a world where things are possible now that they were not ten years ago, you can talk to someone in France at the click of a button, hear ten times as many music in devices as many times smaller, science is discovering things that we never thought existed.
"What was called magic in the middle ages is now regarded as common knowledge, things you are expected to know before you start your higher education, but there are still things that are unexplainable, the two you just described are not even the tip of the iceberg.
"Nicholas and Perenlle Flamel, Merlin Ambrosius, Buddha, Mahomet, Saladin, Gilgamesh, all really lived, some of them never truly died, living on as ghosts, or simply doing something that no one really thought possible.
"I am what is known as a wizard, I am a mage of the Mexican Magical world, I am a recognized alchemist by the University, and you, Josh and Sophie Newman, hit the genetic jackpot, and somehow, even though you have the brightest of auras, the strongest I've felt, you were never trained.
"But in front of you, you have one of the best rune users in the world, you have the most powerful human and her less powerful husband willing to teach you, all you need to do, is choose whether you want your life changed forever, or if you want to keep your normality, I can make you forget this entire conversation."
A whole silent conversation went through the minds of Josh and Sophie in that instant, Josh wanting nothing more than call the police and get the nut jobs in prison, and Sophie wanted to at least get some proof that the man was not talking complete bullshit.
In the end Sophie managed to wriggle an agreement with Josh; the two would ask for proof, and if it was just a trick of cards then they would call the police, but otherwise they would discuss it overnight.
"Can you prove that you can actually cast spells?" Sophie and Josh both went to grab their cellphone.
"Ok, nothing I haven't done a lot of times before, let's show you something simple, see what you think," Harry snapped his fingers loudly, a flame engulfing his whole hand, only to go out a second later, "That's the simplest I can do with alchemy, watch the arm," another snap of his fingers, but this time lighting arched between his hand and metal prosthetics, transforming the whole thing into a sword.
"Unfortunately, children, Harry had to lose his arm for him to be able to do that, you could learn to control the elements, or bend the laws of physics, depends on what you have an attitude for," Perry patted the twins reassuringly, making them pick their jaws up from the floor.
"The first thing though, should you chose to accept what we are offering, is awakening the potential within you, and for that we would need the permission of your guardian," Nick explained.
"Our Aunt said we could make all our decisions during the summer, and mom and dad said the same," Sophie said, Josh nodding in agreement.
"Yeah, they said something about wanting us to be independent from early on," the male twin continued.
"Then there are five ways we can do this," Harry started speaking again, "One of them is only legal in Africa, the other only in the Australian continent, I don't know where we can find a vampires willingly given blood, and I doubt we have an ancient that knows how to do it handy."
"Surely you can't be suggesting we do it the long way," Nick complained, "It will take until the end of the week."
"Do you want them to start learning as soon they are awoken? This is the only way that is not likely to leave them in a coma or death," Harry turned to the two stunned children.
"What I am suggesting is that I draw thirty five runes both on you and on a ritual altar with the express purpose of awakening your hidden potential, and before you start shouting for help, I swear on my oaths as a doctor, and on my health and magic, that I will do you no harm."
A flash of light, the binding of the promise Harry just made, made the children agree reluctantly.
They would be able to use their auras before May came to a close
*May 29*
"The ritual is as follows," Josh and Sophie were lying on the floor, Sophie wearing sport clothes and Josh only his swimming trunks, "Normally I would only draw on your body, since the ritual is supposed to destroy a block on magic, however," the two were already covered in runes.
"Since you do not suffer from that, but from lack of magic maturation, the runes on the floor, matching those on your body, will force your aura to become accessible, with some unpleasant side effects," Harry sent them a serious look, "I would suggest ingesting only liquids, your stomach will be unable to process anything but that for twenty four hours."
"Be ready children, Harry will start the ritual now," Perry stepped out from the room, leaving them on their own.
"Hold each other's hands if you need to, and try not to shout," Light engulfed the twins as Hary started the ritual, and they felt the air of their lungs go out.
Two hours later, they awoke, Harry was offering some kind of beverage to them, and feeling their dry throats, they were more than willing to accept the liquid.
"It's a nutritional potion, I'll give you twenty of them, drink one every two hours," Harry handed Sophie a box with the vials, "That's ten each, stay here tomorrow after you get off work, I'll start your training."
