Harry Potter and the Were-Squid

Chapter 7 Chinks in the Armor

Larry was tired and frustrated. He had spent all night trying to figure out who was manipulating time and to what purpose. He was no closer to figuring out what was coming than when he showed up in this dimension. Larry stood up and walked away from the piles of papers and books strewn about his desk.

There had to be some evidence, some sort of trail. Even the shadows hadn't revealed anything. Larry picked up a flower encased in a crystal he was using as paperweight. He had made this because the flower reminded him. It reminded him of what was waiting for him and what he needed to get back to. He placed the crystal back on his desk and something caught his eye in the refraction of the light. He looked at the wall behind the fireplace and ran his hand across the stone. He hurried back to his desk. Throwing open one of the drawers, he pulled out the ruby glasses and quickly put them on.

"Bugger me!" he exclaimed as he walked toward the wall. Through the glasses Larry could see a barrier between the dimensions and the fact that there were small spider web-like cracks radiating out from the floor to the ceiling. Larry took off the glasses, pinched the bridge of his nose, and sighed. Someone, or something more like, was testing the Hogwarts wards. This version of Hogwarts had never been through the demon wars like Larry's version of Hogwarts had. That meant that this place had none of the warning alarms set in place.

Larry hefted the Axe and melded into the shadows by the cracks. Following the cracks between dimensions was relatively easy. Larry melded from on dimension to another until he had finally reached the origination point of the cracks. He slid out of the shadows and found himself in a tranquil garden. He knew what and who this meant … Gaia. Larry strode to the center of the glade and looked around as if he was trying to decide. After a few minutes he hefted the Axe of Woe and swung it as hard as he could at one of the towering trees.

"STOP!" a powerful voice called out, stopping Larry's momentum in mid-swing. The owner of the voice was a beautiful woman with long flowing robes that did little to cover the woman's attributes.

Larry smirked and shouldered his Axe. "I knew that would bring you out. What are you playing at?"

"What do you mean?" the goddess asked innocently.

"Don't play with me, Gaia," Larry growled. "I had enough of your meddling in my dimension. What are your plans here?"

"Why do you always assume the worst of me?" Gaia asked in a hurt voice.

"Please, Gaia, you play with people and their emotions because it amuses you and your brothers and sisters," Larry said. "Now you have manipulated me to this dimension and engineered this emergency, and I want to know why."

"Larry, why do you assume that all the world's problems have to be solved by you?" Gaia asked as she laid back on a rock. "Why do you just relax and enjoy this dimension?" she continued, looking at Larry provocatively.

"Save it sweetheart, goddess or no, you couldn't handle me. Now, tell me what the hell is going on and how to fix it so I can get back to my life."

Gaia huffed and stood up, "Don't you mean your wife?"

"Same thing." Larry shrugged. "Again, what is going on?"

Gaia looked at Larry and smiled. "It looks like I chose wisely. This world we are in right now is dimension prime. The further you go out from this dimension the more distorted things become. Someone is attempting to bring all of the dimensions into one."

"But why would they do that? The resulting world would be unlivable," Larry protested.

"Can you think of no person or being that would wish the total destruction of all creation? A trans-dimensional reset if you will."

A look of understanding crossed Larry's wolf-like features. "NO! It can't be. Aconite defeated him … destroyed him."

Gaia shook her head. "That was just one of the meetings between the Talisman of Light and the Scion of Darkness. Sometimes the Light prevails, as it did with Aconite, and sometime the Dark wins out. But neither side is ever destroyed. That's what your friend is trying to do."

"He is no friend of mine," Larry protested.

"Nevertheless he is trying to bring all the dimensions into convergence to force one last meeting between the Talisman and the Scion."

"So who is the Talisman this time?" Larry asked. "The last time it was Aconite … Hey, hold on a tick. If Aconite was the Talisman that means that I was …"

"The Scion," Gaia finished his sentence.

"What does that mean now?" Larry stood and started to pace. "Am I to be the Scion again?" He looked at Gaia who was smiling. "Well, I won't do it, lady," Larry spat. "You can find yourself another vessel of the Elder Ones!"

"Relax child," Gaia purred. "You are not the chosen Scion. I have spent too much time and effort getting you married to have you die now."

"Then why the bloody hell am I here?" Larry asked, slumping back onto a moss-covered rock.

"You are here because it has been foretold that 'The emptied vessel and defeated Scion shall lead the Talisman.'"

"So who is this Talisman?"

"Think, Larry. Is there no one you have come in contact with in this dimension who carries with him the qualities of goodness, perseverance, loyalty, and bravery?"

"You sound like you're describing … Holy bald-headed jumped up Jesus Palomino! You're talking about Harry?"

"He would seem to fit the bill, wouldn't he?" Gaia asked. "And why not? He has already proven his worth as a Talisman once."

"But he is just so … angsty." Larry protested. "Why can't it just be an innocent twelve-year-old demigod? Like the last time?"

"We don't get to choose our champions; we just make do with what have."

"Well, what if what we have is utter rubbish?" Larry asked dejectedly.

Gaia stood up and walked past Larry, patting him on the cheek in the process. "I am sure you will work it out. You're quite resourceful," she said as she disappeared into the growing mist.

Larry looked around and felt himself being drawn back along the line he followed to get here. He sighed and took his Axe from his back …

"Bugger me."

-OOO-

Larry slid from the shadows in a alley across from the Aurors' station in Hogsmeade. He waited till he was sure the station would be empty, except Harry who was always the last to leave the station. While he was waiting, he looked down at the device on his wrist and sighed. He missed her. It seems like they had spent more of their union apart than they had together. Now he was stuck here babysitting Harry Potter because he was the next Talisman of Light. Larry watched the last few Aurors leave the small office. He sighed and moved across the street to the office door. He watched Harry through the window as he was working.

"I guess looks can be deceiving," he said aloud to no one right before catching a glimpse of his wolfish features and flashing eyes in the window's reflection.

"Well … not every time." He smirked as he wrenched the door open and ploughed into the office ready to lead the Talisman into his destiny.