Chapter 4 growing up part 3
I don't own Harry Potter
Harry and Dudley age 9 year 2005
Lotus POV
At an early age, she learned the ways of battle and hunting. Her creator made her for combat and companionship. Even when she was a mere collection of bones, she heard his wish.
She could remember her conception, in detail. Every bone that made up her body, carried his wishes. They were the foundation of her consciousness.
The scroll bound her together, his dreams gained thought and feeling. It was the key to making her more than an animated construct. Her skeletal body absorbed his written dreams.
Finally, when he held her and willed her to live, magic gave her a pulse. The three steps gifted her with life and granted her a purpose. She would serve her master and protect him for all time. He was her father and magic her mother.
She awoke from her musing when Harry walked into the kitchen. Currently she was longing on her favorite perch. The chandelier, it was sturdier than her Harry's relatives gave it credit for. After two years it held her faithfully.
He opened the fridge for a snack. There were no bones in it, so she quickly lost interest. She gave a halfhearted hiss, to get his attention. He looked up at her.
She saw him raise an eyebrow and tried to copy the gesture. Her body wasn't built for such gestures, so she settled for jumping down. Lotus kept her wings folded.
Her wings had grown with her. The last time she spread them Petunia had thrown a fit. It didn't endear her to the matron, when her talons sunk into the wood table. Luckily, Harry was always handy at repairing any damage she accidently committed.
"Lotus, do you want to watch Dudley and I enchant some belts. I'm trying to make mine grant higher intelligence. We can't really tell if it's working or not." She cocked her head at her human. It sounded boring, but she couldn't hunt until night.
She leapt up on Harry's shoulders, mindful not to hurt him with her talons. Lotus knew, she would get all the use out of them tonight.
When she was situated, she wrapped her long tail around his shoulder for more balance. She stretched her wings then shut them back. The absent pops felt good.
They entered the small shop, behind the house. Once they passed a collection of stones, the sounds of metal screeching could be heard. Dudley held a small power drill. He was carving symbols in the metal buckle.
The drill barely touched the metal, as he patiently carved scribbles that only the boys recognized. She watched sparks fly dispassionately. Once they were finished, Dudley put on the belt.
"Well only one way to test it." Dudley said. Harry put on the belt and walked over to a 20kilo weight. He lifted it one handed a few times.
"Plus, five in strength?" Harry asked.
"No, 10 actually. If we got the circle and pattern right. Have you figured out a way to measure intelligence?" Dudley asked.
Lotus perked up. How would they measure something like intelligence? Would they put a belt on a rat, then try and teach it math? She hissed silently.
Harry looked at her with a cross expression. She forgot he knew her hisses. He could speak with her properly, when he wanted to. If only his accent was better.
She let out a long-complicated series of hisses. "You could always test and see if it increases the number of spells, you can use. Isn't that how intelligence works in your games." Lotus said.
"What did she say Harry?" Dudley said. He knew rightly that she wasn't dumb. Like cats, mice, and snakes, deliciously crunchy the lot of them.
"She has a good point. I should make a projectile spell. The test can be how many times, we can use the spell, with and without my belt." Harry said.
"Ok, we have no projectile spells. What are you going to use?" Dudley said.
Her Harry scratched his head. She decided to nudge the process along. Taking a chilly breath, a blue beam of fire struck the ground, leaving behind a trail of ice.
"Well, I guess we know her vote." Harry said.
Dudley chuckled. "Are you sure, I don't think that was clear?" Dudley said.
Lotus leapt off him, when they pulled a straw dummy out of a closet. She watched him put it against a wall. He placed a hand on his wrist and pointed at the straw man.
Lotus didn't know what the big deal was. She could breathe her cold flames since birth. Looking on she felt his magic condense in his hand, as a blue sphere appeared. His eyes opened and for a second they turned the same blue as her ghostly eyes.
The ball fired like a bullet. It slammed into the strawman and through the wall. "Boys, what was that? You better not be doing anything dangerous in my shop." The Patron of the house, who my Harry refers to as Uncle Vernon, poked his head through the new window.
Uncle Vernon looked behind himself to see a ball of ice in the middle of the yard. "I'm going to assume you didn't know, I was out here mowing." Uncle Vernon said.
He looked over at the rocks, that encircled the shop. "Ah, so you figured out how to make the shop silent. What would have happened, if the two of you got hurt? Lotus there might have been able to call for help. But she might not have been here. The two of you would call for help. We wouldn't be able to hear you, and one or both of you could die. From now on when you are going to work in the shop. Tell Petunia or I and make certain to check in every other hour." Uncle Vernon said. It was times like this, that she remembered her Harry was still a hatchling himself.
"Now what were you boys doing that led to this hole in the shop." He looked down at what remained of the strawman. "Never mind, you wanted to weaponize ice." Uncle Vernon said.
"No uncle, well that was the means to our goal, but it wasn't our aim. We wanted to see how many times we could use a spell like that, without getting tired. This belt buckle is supposed to increase intelligence. But the only way to objectively test that was to." Uncle Vernon raised a hand to stop Harry.
"You wanted to test your limit and determine if your product increased your limit. Though, I don't recommend testing your products on yourself. I can't see it getting, so out of hand, if you can ice proof this wall, for the test." Uncle Vernon said. Her Harry fixed the wall just by waving his hand. An impressive display.
The rest of the day, was all about them making complicated pictures and having her breathe her fire upon them. Hours later night had arrived, Harry and Dudley managed to fire five balls of ice each, before exhaustion. With the belt on they found they could launch six.
With the night, she flew up to the roof. Her hunting time had arrived. She licked her chops.
Lotus had a body fully made of bone, but she could digest meat as well. Her prey tonight was a particularly juicy Kneazle. It was a large cat. Two feet in length and one and a half high.
The cat prowled the night, unmindful of the ruler of this territory. Lotus glided from power line to power line. The canvas like skin that connected her flight bones made no sound.
This kneazle had avoided her interest in the past. The kneazle's name was Agatha as she recalled. Before now, Agatha had been full of kittens. Now the kittens were gone, weened and given away.
She knew where the cat was going. Agatha had a tom cat, that she went to around this time. It was a shame that death was on the wing.
Lotus sloped her wings in a downward glide. Her talons were open. This time no cars were passing by, there would be no witnesses. There was a low whistle sound from her descent. It was the sound of her talons opened and cutting the wind.
Later Lotus enjoyed her meal. The Organs were nice and chewy, but the bones crunched the way she liked. There would be nothing left of the cat when she finished. The cat lady across the street would think Agatha ran away.
Harry POV
War had to be Harry's favorite game. Uncle Vernon was in his favorite chair and watched their set up closely. The sheer number of miniatures, they marched into battle was impressive.
All but a single unit was autonomous now. That unit was the general. They were representations of Harry and Dudley. If they were destroyed then the opposing side won.
On Harry's side, he was confident in his dark army. Shamans were his captains. They led his armored cavalry into battle. They could launch small projectiles from their staves. When troops fell they could repair them as skeletal troops. He had 100 captains, who led 10 cavalry units each. The next rung in command, would be the death lords. 10 of the most heavily armored and enchanted units he could make. Their plate armor was a work of art. With each one, he painted the symbols by hand, to increase strength and intelligence. They were armed with a sword staff that killed a unit and resurrect them as an animated undead. The number of troops they resurrect increases their enchantments affects.
Finally, there was his general. He wore plate armor made from Lotus's shed scales. His armor was the most heavily enchanted. Lotus's scales reacted well to enchantment and naturally boosted the effect. The three-foot-long dragon gave her shedding scales happily. He was armed with a massive tower shield, and a staff sword that had a clamor on the end.
She was no longer allowed in the battle. It was an unfair advantage and Harry freely admitted, that their armies couldn't take her combined.
The last time ,they tried using both armies against her, well she spun once and her tail bashed them to bits. Dudley sat on the floor, with his gleaming troops.
His cousin had taken the Paladin class as seriously as himself. Each knight wore white armor with scratched on runes. The runes were of Dudley's own making. He wouldn't even let Harry see his codex.
The mounted cavalry, were in a formation. The captains, wore heavier armor and huge tower shields along with maces. Above that were the holy warriors. They had metal wings, that were long and spindly. They moved more like spider legs. Holy warriors were armed with a single great sword. On the battle field, they were spinning tornados of death. Their swords often glowed with light, when they slashed. Only the best of Harry's troops could counter them. Then there was Dudley's avatar. He was mounted unlike the holy warrior. A staff sword in one hand and a claymore in the other. His wings were gold and his armor a mix of Lotus scales and metal smelted together. The armor may have originally been, a can of pepsi, but now it looked formidable. The runes were painted on just after it cooled. They glowed gold.
Harry positioned his forces, in a spear formation. He saw a point of weakness in Dudley's formation. It was a trap meant to encircle his forces. Harry turned the spear formation and angled it to ram into flank of the enclosure mid charge.
What happened next was utter chaos. With every knight that Dudley took out, the shaman or death knights resurrected them. The cavalry on Dudley's side were better armed for mounted battles. Harry's were built to kill the horses.
The holy warriors and the death lords carved trails through the battle field. Common knights were no match for either no matter the number. The death lords and their entourage met the holy warriors.
Wings of metal, couldn't pierce through the armor of the death lords, like it could the common knight or shaman. They were useful, to restrain the death lords for their clamors. Even so dozens of clawing skeletons were distracting.
2 of his death lords survived and 5 of Dudley's holy warriors survived, for the final confrontation. Harry's avatar walked through the battle field. He slew everything in his path and resurrected them as frozen undead. It was the curse from his sword staff.
By the time their avatars met up 1,500 of the troops, were fighting on Harry's side as undead. The five holy warriors worked as a shield for Dudley's avatar. Their clamors slew the bulk of the force. Light element blades sliced through the frozen undead. With every kill the holy warriors slowed down for a second.
Harry employed his avatar and speared one of the holy warriors. It transformed into a frozen undead. Instead of shedding its weapons and armor it kept them. It turned on its fellow holy warriors and gained a kill.
Dudley's avatar bisected it. His warhorse rode through the undead. Light shrouded the steed and it trampled the undead under foot.
Harry's avatar's mount was shrouded in pale lightning. Its every step froze the ground. It met the other avatar head on.
They passed twice. Each scored minor hits. Harry knew that distance was his. He struck the horse with his staff sword and the puppet bucked. Dudley's avatar leapt off and beheaded Harry's steed.
The two fell into a crowd of the undead. Dudley's clamor shredded them, as he fought to his feet. His wings worked over time decapitating and breaking the magic going to the undead.
Harry approached, from across the battle field. Dudley was the last unit. The horde of undead and the two remaining death lords, overwhelmed the last three holy warriors.
To Dudley, it didn't matter, his avatar kept a circle free of undead. His avatar watched Harry's approach. They would end it one on one. Dudley dropped his staff sword and placed both hands on his clamor.
Harry dropped his sword staff and unsheathed a long sword. He had to forge it using a puppet. Sparks flew off their weapons, as they blocked each other's blows.
Harry used his free hand, to cast ice balls at Dudley's avatar. The armor he wore had ice proof runes. Harry decided on an all-out attack. He ran with all his might.
When the massive blade slashed, he ducked and dodged. He was still faster. His armor was lighter. He leapt at a feint and dodged the real strike. This was it, his sword was seconds from decapitating Dudley.
"Boys it's time for dinner." Ante Petunia said. They dropped their toys, used a few repair spells to salvage what they could, and ran for the kitchen. It was steak night.
That's a rap
Well this was fun. I wanted to give Lotus some screen time. When we move to Hogwarts, she is going to have a ball eating everything she can in the forest.
I wanted to show that no matter how intense their games get, they will drop everything for dinner time.
They are experimenting with runes and enchanting items.