Beta: none

Ner words in this chapter: 2,143

"Talking"

Dream/Memory/Letter/Journal/Book/Newspaper

Time change/Date of time

Change of POV

Chapter III

–The Believer–

Saturday, 7 April 2012

JF's POV

"He called you brother."

Jack looked up from the window towards North by his side.

"Harry… Banshee was turned before the new century." North nodded, sitting by his side. "It took some work for him to start seeing me with his eyes… he… this sweater was his gift to me."

"Vhy?"

"Because neither of us ever gets Christmas gifts." Jack replied and leaned against the windowsill, looking outside. "He was here with me on one of the times I tried to barge in… I didn't pass the Yetis, but he has a cloak to go invisible so he entered."

"Couple yearz ago?" Jack nodded, a sad smile showing on his face. "He did that?"

"He does anything I suggest as long as it makes me happy."

"Can you azk for him to ztop hurting zhildren?"

"He's not the one hurting children." Jack argued. "He's forced to do it… by Man in the Moon."

"How so?" Jack looked up at Tooth.

"When children are close to a worst death scenery he feels a pull. It eats at his insides growing more as the child grows weaker… I once made a child weak during a snow day. She was in her PJs out in the road with her brother. He was crying, rivers down his face as he approached the girl. He asked forgiveness over and over again as he touched her."

"Carla?" North asked, making the big two turn towards him.

"Yes." Jack agreed.

"Zo, he really vaz here in my office vhen I found out of her death…" North put a hand on his belly. "Ztill, zhe could've gotten a doctor. Zhe…"

"Sandy understood." Jack argued. "Harry knows the moment he feels their death is imminent exactly how they'll die. And it isn't fun and games. Carla, the girl, would die in a coma in less than a week coughing blood. Because I had put her there, so – technically – I killer her, not Harry."

Tooth hid her mouth with her hands.

"And we've been blaming him for the deaths…"

"He killed his family when he woke up." Jack put in. "Man in the Moon didn't have much time to turn him so he hurried up."

"And created a monster." Bunny snarled.

Jack stood and glared at Bunny.

"You created the monster. You and North and Tooth!"

"I'm not the one who kills people by touch!"

"You left him. Me? I was an immortal at 14, so I understand the neglect. You wouldn't keep coming for a child that would never grow up. But never attend a child since he was a baby?"

Jack stood from the windowsill as the Guardians gaped. He approached the location where they did Sandy's ceremony. Harry had stored Sandy's sand. Could Harry had known that this was in Pitch's plan?

"You call Banshee Harry. Harry what?" Tooth asked.

"Potter. Harry James Potter." Jack replied.

"Where does he live?"

Jack looked down at his teeth that he'd hid in hoodie's pocket and turned around to show it to the others.

"In Pitch's Lair."

"Wha… how…?"

"Harry was found by Pitch when he was awakened. The amount of pain of a believer called Pitch. Of a Pitch's believer."

"That'z vhere Pitch found the fear. From Banzhee…" North put in.

"Who best but someone that has to reap the death and anger from children?" Jack argued. "You call feel their happiness. Harry's forced to feel their worse. He never complains. He plays and laughs with me. He became my friend. He became my brother. And while I don't approve of Pitch's doing… I can't fight Harry."

"Fight Harry?"

"Harry and Pitch are lovers."

Jack looked down at his memory case.

"Then we only have to make Harry see reason. Make him understand that Pitch doesn't love him." Jack looked at Bunny. "We still have hope. Tomorrow is Easter day."

–WSM–

Jack put Sophie in her bed. He looked down at her sadly, before he pulled her hair out of her eyes.

"Harry'll never get the ability to do that."

Jack jumped and turned to find Pitch against a corner of the room, looking at the child in the bed.

"How… how's him?"

"I finally managed to take enough fear from him to make his skin return to normal." The Nightmare King replied with a sneer. "Have you seen it? your memories?"

Jack shook his head.

"Didn't feel right."

Pitch appeared at his side and grabbed the memory case and, before Jack could force him to return it, the memory was activated. He gasped on his feet when he finally returned. He looked up towards Pitch in fear.

"I'm no Tooth Fairy. I can hardly give you a memory back without it turning painful." The Bogeyman commented, before he turned around to leave.

"Why did you do it?"

"Harry likes you." Pitch's eyes glanced back from the darkness. From the empty shadows. "Yet, Man in the Moon is turning you against him."

"I'm not…"

"Then join me, Jack. What's better than Ice and Dark?"

"I don't want them to fear me."

Pitch showed up before him.

"With a centre of Fun is no wonder." Jack's eyes grew. "Come on, Jack, Harry has known it since he first met you."

–WSM–

Sunday, 8 April 2012

HJP's POV

Harry looked up puzzled as he woke up to find Jack picking him up.

"Jack?"

"Come on." Harry was dragged out of bed, out the Lair and all the way up, until finally Harry shivered at the cold air of spring. "It's time for some egg hunting."

"Egg hunting? Jack, Pitch has already destroyed them all." Harry argued, as he yawned.

"Come on… it'll be fun."

Harry frowned confused at him, until he found Jack had taken him to his lake. Harry glanced at Jack that had grabbed a basket out of apparently nowhere and put it on Harry's hand. With one made of ice on his hands Jack stood with his back towards Harry.

"So… how many eggs are we speaking about?" Harry asked uncertain.

"Bunny said he hid 10 eggs around my lake, ready?"

"Powers?" Harry wondered.

"No summoning." Jack argued.

"Then no wind."

"Deal."

The two grinned at each other over their shoulders and then run off to look for the eggs. Harry had no idea why he was doing this. Why was Jack doing this? Why wasn't he hurrying about helping his Guardians?

"There you go." Harry picked one and put on the basket.

He run towards the next hiding and next. Finally, he and Jack joined together to look at the number of eggs they had, playfully joking between each other.

"I told you, Mate, nothing like a good old hunt to reconcile the siblings."

Harry frowned, his eyes growing. The basket fell from his hand and he turned. Ten feet away against a tree was a two-foot-tall Bunny.

"Bunny…" Jack called. "He believes in you."

Betrayed appeared in Harry's heart, who turned towards Jack with tears threatening to appear on his eyes.

"What are you doing?"

"You said so. The children need a little fear. Not too much, but still they need it. There's no hope… without fear of lost."

Harry turned around to leave, only to get himself a bunch of fur. He looked up and found Bunny.

"Calm down, Mate. I know I'm huge… but I don't hurt children…"

"I'm not a child since I was 15-month-old." Harry snarled before he pushed Bunny away. "There's no Easter Bunny! There's no Tooth Fairy… there's no Santa Claus."

Harry turned on the spot and apparated.

–WSM–

JF's POV

Jack stayed quiet, watching the disappeared place of Harry.

"Why did we use our lost eggs that Pitch didn't destroy on the hunt anyway?" Bunny asked. "What's the point of making the Banshee see me?"

"Harry vaz never fully turned." North put in. "Vaz he, Jack?"

Jack shook his head.

"You're saying that he kills children…" Tooth asked, uncertain.

"Is most likely a side-effect. Pitch has to know that Harry didn't receive a full turn. He's taking advantage. He…"

"He isn't." Jack argued. "The amount of pain that Harry accumulates when he touches the children… it leaves him catatonic if done too much. I've seen Pitch take it away. Even to Pitch, who lives in fear, it is too much. Still, he takes it."

"You're speaking as if Pitch cared for the boy, Ankle Biter."

Jack looked up towards North, who understood.

"Just trust me. Harry is the key to bring back hope."

–WSM–

HJP's POV

Harry sat in a corner, hugging his legs as Jimmy Bennet spoke to a rabbit plushy. The last light… with him and Pitch won. And Man in the Moon lost. Harry closed his eyes as the boy started losing hope. He couldn't help but wonder. Was this what he wanted? Death and despair?

Harry picked his wand and pointed at the plush, which started moving and playing around. The plush shaped into the big Bunny massive form and then to the Sandman. Just as Harry was trying to picture Santa – magic seeing wasn't actually seeing – to shape the plush, he found the boy's eyes stuck on him.

"You're a magician…"

"Wizard." Harry argued, only to frown. "You can see me?" the boy nodded. "You… you believe in me?"

Another nod and then they heard the sound of Santa's sleigh.

"That's…"

"Santa Claus."

"He's real as well?"

"And Bunny and the Tooth Fairy… and Jack Frost."

The grow of the boy's eyes made Harry fell like he was only doing worse. Pitch was still out there. Pitch…

Harry left through the window to see the Guardians leave the sleigh, weak. They were losing their powers… he had done worse to Jimmy. Now Pitch…

"Harry… you didn't…" a woman in green feathers immediately asked.

Harry closed his eyes, before he looked at Santa as Jimmy followed him on foot.

"No, no… Merlin made me believe in you." the boy argued.

Harry tensed. Merlin…

Harry jumped into his broom and flew into the nightmares. He couldn't have a believer. Not now… not for the next several years. It was too soon. Too early!

Pitch pulled him towards himself and hugged him with one arm, as Harry cried.

–WSM–

JF's POV

Harry made Jimmy believe?

Jack looked at Harry as he joined Pitch, tears obviously all over his face. Jack run towards the sleight. There were two lights on the Globe that North had there.

"Harry believes…" he whispered.

Jack looked up towards his friend and brother as the moon started shinning on him, turning his skin into a skeleton like figure. Pitch didn't hide him this time and Jack heard Jimmy shriek in fear.

Jack finally understood what had been on Harry's plan all along.

Harry had fully intended on letting Pitch win.

"Jack, I'm scared."

Jack froze and turned towards Jimmy, who was looking back. Harry had not only made him believe again… he had made him Believe!

"Hey, hey… it's okay. Let's just have a little game, okay?"

Jack grabbed his staff and looked at Harry, besides Pitch.

"But Merlin is…"

"Merlin just need a good snowball to the middle of his forehead."

Jack heard the Guardians gasp and look at him as Jack made a ball appear and threw at Harry. Harry easily avoided it, only to be stuck by the second. The teenager gasped and looked at the boy by Jack's side.

Jack stayed still as Pitch's eyes grew and turned towards Harry.

Harry was believed and not for his killings.

Harry knew his own centre true heart. And he had hid it from everyone. Pitch and Jack included.

Jack made a second snowball appear.

"Hey! Merlin… your side of the snowball war zone looks a little empty on ammo!" Jimmy shouted.

Jack snickered and grabbed another snowball, throwing at a Nightmare.

–WSM–

HJP's POV

"Harry, no!" Pitch warned.

Harry sighed.

"Maybe, Jacky, but your war zone looks a little dead on their feet!" he shouted back and Jack grinned back. It was his famous smile that made you smile… "Hey, Jimmy, want to join the Bogeyman? He might be scary, but he can throw some great snowballs."

"Really?" Jimmy asked.

"But of course." Harry agreed.

"What are you doing?" Pitch snarled.

Harry looked up towards the moon and the towards his lover.

"Making you win the war."

(TBC)

Next chapter: The Guardian's Failure

~Isys