Hello, everyone, and thank you for joining us to read 'Chapter 4: Hunting' in my crossover fanfiction "Of Wizards and Demons: Hogsmeade's Devil Hunter". I would like to thank everyone for your patience, as I know I take forever to update. Did you like the preview of 'Chapter 4: Hunting'? I've bolded the .-^_^-. Thing so you know when the material from Preview ends.
I rate this chapter as T for "Teen" due to some swearing. C'mon, it's Dante and Nero; you can't expect them to be on their best behavior for the entire story!
Thanks to DevinePhoenix, HolyDragoon, Random Person 94, Wei Tzu, Jason M. Lee, Frenzi99, NoctisLuCa, Luv2LuvnLaff, batripe, Victoriousvillian, Lost Reasons, DarkKnightOfShadows, Lia Silverclaw, kuroyukihime2, catlover123456789, Tigerwulf, Lady Gondiel, astrakage, LadyoftheDrow, AliesEve, as they have either Favorited, Subscription Alert+'ed, and/or Reviewed since Chapter 3. And yes, I do try to keep track of that.
The Patronus Vote was won by Eadha Ohn, upon whose suggestion I elaborated. ^_^ You'll see it when you read it.
Also, if you don't sign in but leave a question in your review, I won't be able to answer you. Sorry, "L". But thanks for the heads up on that error, L; it does look better. As of right now, I'm looking for a good Beta for this fic-PM if interested!
The usual disclaimer of "I don't own them" applies to Devil May Cry and Harry Potter.
.-^_^-.
The strangest song got stuck in my head as Nero and I navigated the Forbidden Forest. Over the river and through the woods, to Grandmother's house we go. I'm pretty sure I heard it on a children's program when Patty commandeered my TV at some point. At least I wasn't singing it aloud; Kid would think I lost my friggin' mind. For that matter, I would think I lost my friggin' mind.
At about five yards inside the treeline, Nero rolled up the sleeve that covered his Devil Bringer. I was glad to see that the arm's glow had recovered during our trip into town. We were pretty quiet as we wandered further into the forest. Between enhanced sight from our Devil blood and the Kid's Devil Bringer painting the ancient trees an eerie blue, the deep shadows and tree roots weren't a problem for either of us.
"I was thinking," Nero spoke softly in the near silent gloom, "Dementors act kinda like a Mephisto. Do you think tearing away their cloaks will leave them venerable like a Mephisto?"
I shook my head, the corners of my lips twitching upward. "I've tried that before, and I wouldn't recommend it. Tearing off their cloaks just pisses off Dementors. They're already going to be plenty pissed at us for killing some of their numbers."
Nero nodded his understanding, and we continued onward toward the heart of the forest. About ten minutes passed before either of us spoke again.
"Damn it!" I slapped my palm to my forehead. "I forgot to ask Gramps about that ancestry spell!"
The Kid arched one of his pale brows as he regarded my Stance of Utmost Annoyance. That particular stance consists of my feet being a little further apart than my shoulder width, knees straight, hips pushed forward, my torso leaning back, head tilted back at approximate twenty degrees, and one fist loosely propped on a hip while the other was pressed dramatically to my forehead. I take this pose when very annoyed during a non-life-threatening situation, and it has a tendency to annoy onlookers.
He shifted his eyes to survey our surroundings, enormous trees and underbrush, before his blue eyes fell on me again. "Do I even want to know, Old Man?"
I sighed, dragging my hand down my face, and resumed a more natural pose. "I wanted to check your ancestry, Kid. There's this spell my gramps told me about that will reveal the person's family, living and dead. It can track back a couple millennia if there's enough ink and parchment."
His eyebrows drew close together as his lips tugged downward. "What does it matter? I have all I need as it is. Kyrie and Credo are my family, have been as long as I can remember."
"It's part curiosity, part yearning for family myself." I shrugged off the implication of the second part. "If Virge or I had kids unknowingly, I want to find out as soon as possible. Besides, you saw how happy it made Gramps, and that was just the possibility that you could be his great-grandson."
The Kid shifted his weight, scowling into the nearby shadows. "Let's just concentrate on the task at hand. I don't want to be out here all night if we don't have to be." With that, he took the lead in our wanderings.
Another fifteen minutes passed before our breath fogged in the suddenly frigid air. "Angry thoughts!" I shouted as a hint to Nero. We both drew our guns, Ebony and Ivory securely cradled in my hands and Blue Rose in Nero's human hand. A bold Dementor rushed from our front; the Kid held his dual-barrel pistol to his Devil Bringer then fired with a Charge Shot level 1. The Dementor reeled from the demonically charged bullet while two of its kin joined the fray. Gunslinger Style. I opened fire in with both my guns, one at each new target in what I call 'Twosome Time'.
The soul-sucking fiends wasted no time closing in on us. Nero holstered Blue Rose and unsheathed Red Queen to hold the sword in a steady two-handed grip in front of himself. I quickly put my back to his, returning Ebony and Ivory to their holsters and pulling my shotgun, Coyote-A, from under my coat. The trio of Dementors circled us loosely. With the large firearm braced against my shoulder, I fired a potent Charge Shot of my own; the red energy bullets tore into the happy-thought-munchers like scattershot to anything else.
The two Dementors closest to me wheeled around and away, while the one nearest the Kid tried to swoop in. The Kid revved Red Queen into Exceed, the propellant ignited red-hot along the blade, and the Kid lunged forward to strike at the enemy. Surprisingly enough, his fiery blade cut into the shriveled flesh even as the Dementor tried to feed from the Kid's emotions. It flung itself back in a momentary retreat.
Our backs met again as the Mesphisto-wannabes began to circle us again. "Nero," I breathed his name in utter seriousness, "when I step back, you better duck down." I felt the movement of his shoulders when he nodded. The Dementors made to attack en masse. I stepped back just as I told the Kid I would, nearly knocking him down in the process, and he dropped into a crouch near my feet. I twirled Coyote-A in a move I call 'Fireworks'; the shotgun was treated as if it were nunchaku and fired into all three monsters repeatedly.
I took advantage of the temporary breathing room 'Fireworks' afforded us by holstering Coyote-A and whipping Lucifer onto my shoulder. I had walls of spectral blades acting as layered walls in a fort. Nero and I had enough room to maneuver with our swords and such within our barrier. For good measure, I flung a few extra spectral swords at each Dementor.
Nero regarded the defensive measure from his crouch. "Not bad, Old Man. But they just have to wait us out until the energy dies down."
"Tch," I waved for him to stand, which he did. "Kid, these guys can't get too close to us without going Boom. Now is a great time to practice Yamato's Summon Sword technique. I want to teach you how to use Yamato to the fullest. That means you've got to learn all its techniques." I pointed to Nero's Devil Bringer, "Draw Yamato."
Nero scowled at the command, but a flash of blue light later and my brother's sword was held loosely in my maybe-nephew's Demonic grip. His brow wrinkled as he stared at the katana. "So," the sword tilted to a different angle, "Yamato can do more than Red Queen?"
I snorted in an almost amused manner. "Hand it over, and I'll show you. Sometimes, Kid, you have to be shown what something can do to know that it can be done. Other times, the Devil Arm will lend you knowledge. Yamato is obviously of the former category." With a dejected sigh, the Kid passed Yamato to my waiting hand.
The Dementors circled as close to the red spectral swords as they dared, which was closer than I would have liked. The chill caused by the creatures turned my forearms to gooseflesh and the hairs at the back of my neck to stand on end. I could feel them trying to get past my mental barriers of rage; I saw how Nero was already drooping during the wait.
I took the stance of a samurai to draw Yamato from its sheath. My left hand held the scabbard near the sword's guard while my right hand firmly grasped the hilt. A soft thrust from my left thumb against the guard pushed the blade out by an inch. I performed a move known as nukitsuke, which consists of drawing the sword and slashing in the same motion, flicking possible blood from the blade, and re-sheathing the weapon. Using Yamato in that technique caused an energy crescent to whip out and strike one of the circling Dementors, cutting into the grotesque flesh and lopping off its arm.
The Dementor wailed in agony as it backed up. The other two circled a little more cautiously.
I turned to Nero. "Now you try." I made sure he had the proper grip on the scabbard and handle. I'm pleased to say the Kid picked up the smaller details well from watching me just once.
He tried to perform nukitsuke, but his first attempt resulted in a wave of displaced air. Not bad for a first try. I talked him through concentrating his energy in the strike similarly to his Charge Shot. His second go at nukitsuke formed a warbled spectral crescent that clipped a Dementor by sheer luck. A third try provided a thin-but-stable crescent with better accuracy, taking off a bony hand from another soul-sucker. The fourth was near perfect…except that the spectral crescent hit a tree limb that fell onto one of the injured Dementors. The Kid shrugged at my questioning raised eyebrow.
"Next move," I said, holding my hand out to receive the sheathed Yamato.
.-^_^-.
We continued like that for about an hour. I demonstrated each technique once or twice for the Kid to get the basics, and then talked him through performing those same techniques himself. I had to reset Lucifer's barrier of spectral blades maybe four times. The Dementors were slowly but surely being cut apart, their effect on Nero lessening as they grew weaker. Despite the damage each soul-sucking monstrosity took, none of the three were willing to leave us be. Just as well because we needed appropriate targets for the Kid to master Yamato.
After making Nero do another run-through of the attacks onto the Dementors, he and I killed them off with a Charge Shot to each fiend—one bullet from each gun in our usual arsenal. We holstered our guns, and I slung my arm across the Kid's shoulders, jerking to my side in a one-armed 'guy hug'. As expected, Nero shrugged out of my loose hold and move a little distance away. He acted out searching for more enemies in the dense forest, but I suspected he was just trying to collect his thoughts.
I will admit to the sappy, proud grin that stretched across my face. Where my father had made Virgil practice with Yamato until he discovered all of the sword's abilities on his own, I taught the Kid how to wield the weapon in way less time that it had taken my brother. It went by faster than when I tried to teach myself Yamato's moves before I even held the sword. Pop did have that rule that Virge and I were not allowed to practice with each other's inherited blade; he let us use similar substitutes instead.
My maybe-nephew finally turned to face me, a question evident in his eyes. The side of his mouth quirked up just a bit as he noted my expression. "Have we had enough male-bonding time, or can we go kill these bastards now?"
His cocky attitude transformed my former grin into a predatory one. "Just remember, Kid," I drawled, "those new techniques will be even stronger when you Trigger. But, Hells yes! Let's Rock!" I bolted from the clearing, Nero hot on my heels, towards where I thought I sensed more Dementors.
*.-^_^-.*
Apparently, my Dementor-detecting skills needed work. Instead of finding another group of soul-sucking fiends, we came a across a 'small' giant named Grawp. Of course, the Kid and I paused at the initial sight of the fella. And the fella paused at the sight of us…then swung one helluva club at us. I vaguely recalled the Deputy Headmistress mentioning an ally giant in the forest, something about being the half-brother to the groundskeeper, Rubeus Hagrid.
"Don't hurt him!" I shouted. Both Nero and Grawp gave me incredulous stares, with Nero not dropping his guard near the giant.
The Kid scoffed as he shuffled out of Grawp's immediate striking range. "What do you mean, 'don't hurt him'?" He held Blue Rose at the ready in his human hand.
"Big guy's part of the castle's defenses. Right, Grawp?" I moved into a seemingly casual stance, but I was ready to move if the sixteen feet of giant went on the offensive.
Grawp's club rested point down on the ground for the moment. The giant used his other hand to scratch his head in confusion. "Where Hagger?"
This time, I did the head-scratching. "Hagger? Oh, Hagrid!" I laughed lightly, amused by the situation. "He's probably with the school kids."
The giant narrowed his eyes at me. "Why you here?"
I watched as the big guy shifted his hold on the club. "Nero and I are killing Dementors. They're overpopulating, and that poses a threat to the school," I calmly explained.
Grawp still looked confused. "Dementies? You kill Dementies."
I nodded with an attempting-to-be-friendly smile. "Yep. Nero and I better get back to work, though. It was nice talking with you." The giant smiled with uneven yellowed teeth and waved as we walked away. Well, I walked away; Nero still hedged around Grawp's striking range. I paused next to a big sturdy tree to wait for the Kid to catch up. Grawp the 'small' giant lumbered deeper into the forest, apparently having lost interest in us. Just as well, I suppose.
We ventured through the foliage of ferns and other underbrush. Soon enough, the temperature dropped off again, and four Dementors swooped into the clearing we stood in. At least these buggers have been letting us fight in relatively open areas. Having to attack and defend around all these trees would be a pain.
I hummed my approval of Nero wielding Red Queen in his left hand and Yamato in his right. I decided to join him in using dual blades—Agni and Rudra were pulled out from under my coat. And yes, there is a small pocket dimension in there, but it only seems to work for weapons and demonic items for some reason. Agni puffed smoke contentedly while his brother, Rudra, made mini-tornadoes in excitement.
"What a glorious day for battle, Brother!" Rudra proclaimed.
Agni replied, "Indeed, my brother! For our master has taken us into battle with him!"
I lost my temper. "Shaddup!" With a mighty clank, I banged their little heads at their pommels together. "No talking, or you get left behind for the giant spiders to play with!" The Firestorm brothers fell silent at once.
Between the whirlwinds of billowing flames from Agni and Rudra, the Exceed gauge from Red Queen, and the phantom blades of Yamato, the four Dementors didn't last long. I went ahead and burned the ghastly remains for good measure. Sure, you wouldn't expect partially decayed chunks of soul-suckers to get up and reassemble themselves, but you would likely be dead pretty quick too from making such assumptions. Better safe than sorry, as they say.
I replaced Agni and Rudra in that odd pocket dimension my coat, retrieving Rebellion in the same motion. Nero and I continued our stroll in the forest. The Kid kept eyeing the back of my coat. After about five minutes of relative silence between us, he finally asked.
"How the hell do you do that?" The younger hunter stopped to take on an irritated pose. His eyes burned with a mix of mild annoyance and curiosity.
While I smirked knowingly, the rest of me said 'I don't know what you're talking about'. "Do what, Kid?"
He rolled his eyes at my obviously feigned ignorance. "Pull all different weapons out of nowhere! That trench coat is way too tight to hide those scimitars. Where do you store them?"
My smirk widened at his exasperation, and I know my eyes had the Dumbledore twinkle my mother's family is so well known for. "Apparently, one of the demonic powers I inherited from my father is the pocket dimension under my coat. I don't know how it works, and quite frankly, I don't care. It can hold all my equip-able weapons and various items I find along the way in my jobs. Pretty damn convenient if I do say so myself."
The Kid rolled his eyes again at my flippant tone. "Great," he muttered, then glared with pursed lips at his Devil Bringer. "I guess it works kinda like my arm." He startled into alertness as his breath fogged on the last couple words.
In a flash, I traded Rebellion for Nevan as Nero drew both his swords again. We stood back to back. So far, the latest Dementor threat had yet to appear between the trees. I strummed a cord on Nevan, and electrified bats few a circle in our immediate area. "Behold, Nevan Combo 2, also known a 'Tune Up'." I let fly another round of 'Tune Up'.
I would guess that Dementors aren't fond of demonic, electric bats because after two rounds of them, the soul-suckers entered our clearing. I picked 'Jam Session' at the cords of the demonic guitar, which unleashes hordes of bloodthirsty flying rodents. The bats created a temporary wall between us and the Dementors, enough that we could see just how many of our prey were present. I counted six, so the fight should be a little more fun than the last.
Nero kept to Red Queen and Yamato for his weapons. I switched Nevan from guitar to scythe at will, ravenous, electrified bats flying all the while. Even as I wrought carnage on the Dementors with Nevan's scythe, I kept a close watch on the Kid.
He was doing alright, but this many happy-thought-munchers at once were visibly taking its toll. His moves were slowing, almost sloppy, and his breathing was heavier than it was at just four enemies. I could see the cold sweat on his brow from a couple yards away. We'd moved further apart due to both our chose sets of weapons had longer reach, which was just as much a threat to each other as to our foes.
With a startled yelp, Nero tripped over a large tree root. I Triggered as I dove to protect his prone position. The Dementor that had swooped toward him got a face-full of Devil Triggered half-breed and gut full of scythe instead. The Kid struggled to his feet, bracing himself against the aged tree. The fall had apparently shattered whatever kind of emotional barrier he'd set, and the dull, almost non-existent glow of his Devil Bringer revealed just how much that weakened him. I heard him whimper a faint 'no'.
My wand was in my hand before I'd even really made the conscious connection. With a shout of "Expecto Patronum", opposite-colored mists billowed from the tip of my seldom-used wand. The blue mist solidified into a traditional Japanese dragon; long coils of scaled beast stretched thin and narrow, short yet strong legs to ravage that which it captured, while the fanged jaw snarled threateningly. It had a short mane of white fur and matching tufts on the back of each elbow and heel; its antler-like horns shined golden. The red mist formed the stockier European dragon, with a blunt snout, majestic wings, a whipping tail, and powerfully muscled legs. The red's underbelly glimmered white as bone, same as the ridges of horn adorning its triangular head. Each spectral beast was about as long as Virgil and I standing on each others shoulders, so pretty compact for dragons. Both dragons had eyes that matched the amulets my mother gave to Virgil and me—blood red that shined with fierce intent. Fueled by the memory of receiving our amulets and Mother's sweet face, the dragons both spewed jets of fire at the Dementors.
While most Patroni can only chase away Dementors, my dual-Patronus can land physical damage. Must be something to do with my Demonic heritage. Thanks, Pops, I thought somewhat sarcastically, somewhat proudly.
The Blue dragon snaked its way around one of our enemies and set all four of its three-clawed feet to mangle its prey, while those gleaming fangs were put to use in crushing the mummified head. The Blue Dragon's tail whipped and slashed at nearby Dementors. The Red Dragon leapt from target to target, carving its prey with sharpened talons, beating off offenders with wing strokes, and bashing anything that came too near with its crocodile-like tail. The remaining Dementors—a mighty number of two surviving when we'd started at six or more—fled for their pitiful existence.
Once the immediate area proved clear of threats, I turned toward Nero. The Kid had slumped to the tree's base. His eyes were glassy even as they trailed after the Dragon-Patroni. His face portrayed a numb blankness, so different from his usual vitality. The Devil Bringer hung limp at his side, barely giving the light of a glow-in-the-dark plastic star.
My dragons took to either side of me as I tucked my wand inside my sleeve, maintaining skin contact with the magically enhanced wood. I collected my maybe-nephew in my arms to carry him bridal-style, tucked close to my chest. Once I deemed him secure in my grasp, the trees whizzed by as I ran for the castle of Hogwarts. Where before that last fight Nero's Devil Bringer aided sight with its glow, now my Dragons alighted the path; one slithered mid-air before us while the other galloped behind with its wings folded to its body.
Acromantula scattered at our passing. Centaurs stared openly as we streaked by in a blur. Thestrals trailed behind us, obviously curious. The winged, skeletal horses fell back at the treeline, hesitant to leave the forest.
I was surprised at the sunlight that poured down onto us when we finally broke away from the dense woods. Even the dim light of evening—just before dusk, really—seemed so very bright after the gloom of the forest and Dementors. I didn't trust the Dementors to not sweep out after us, so I maintained my dual-Patronus right up to the castle's entryway. The Blue dragon entered the vestibule and coiled itself into the eastern corner to minimize its bulk. The Red followed me inside, its nimble tail catching the door handle and pulling it shut. They dissolved into mists and returned to my energy.
I stood in the small stone entryway, trying to regain my breath. My eyes unerringly slipped down to check on Nero. With one arm around his shoulders and the other under his knees, I held clutched him to my chest. His head rested a few inches above my heart, his knees almost touched my other pectoral, and his butt hung just high enough to not get kicked, however unintentionally, when I ran. The Devil Bringer pressed against my stomach and lay across his belly. His light blue eyes were clouded and unfocused, lost in the horrors that the Dementors awakened in him.
.-^_^-.
Ending Note:
Thank you for reading "Chapter 4: Hunting". Right now, Chapter 4 is the shortest of the chapters. I hope the action, such as it was, and the unveiling of Dante's Patronus makes up for the lack of length.
The action I left mostly undetailed because (A) I would try to be too technical about it and then it'd be just Blah Blah Blah; and (B) everyone has his or her own style of battle within the set parameters of Devil May Cry's gameplay, and every reader will envision the fights differently.
Okay, People! Tell me what you liked and what you didn't like! Review and give me feedback! You know, just hit that little button down there. Yes, that button.
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