Is This Love - Chapter Seven - Someone Like Me

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So that took a day or so longer than I thought, but here's the ending of that cliffhanger! The changes I made to Chapters One and Two should make things a bit more exciting from the start, so I hope more people like it!

Thanks to my new watchers; I hope you continue to like what you read!

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The snarling sound from the nearby forest was the only warning the Gryffindors had before a man, dressed in ragged robes and snarling like a feral animal burst from the trees, charging at them. Few had any time to do anything before they were knocked aside; the ones behind Harry, who the man was charging at, started to run for the greenhouses or the castle in panic.

A quick Shield Charm sent the man flying back, and Harry backed up with Ron and Hermione for a few steps as the werewolf got up slowly, rubbing his head. His own fangs were bared slightly, and he wanted to charge forward to sink his teeth into the man's throat, to end the threat once and for all... but his body wouldn't let him. Despite his instincts, he wasn't sure how to follow the orders his new vampire body were sending to him, and so he raised his wand in an attempt to fight the new enemy off.

Then, just as the werewolf was getting to his feet again, his vision went red. Though he could still see the scene ahead of him, he could also see the inside of the castle. Students were scrambling out of his way, screaming in terror just as his classmates outside were, as whatever his view followed ran past them. There were emotions not his running through his head as well – the same fear as his, but mixed with excitement and exhilaration...

His sight returned to the present a few moments later, the red glow gone, and he faced the wolf-man again. There was a snarl, and the werewolf poised to leap at them...only to be knocked aside by an equally animalistic, familiar young man.

As the wolf rolled back, scrambling to regain his feet, Yuki stood straight again, snarling. The first thing Harry noticed about his pet was the collar glowing slightly around Yuki's throat. It seemed to be holding him in check, keeping him from completing the transformation that had already started. So far, Yuki looked wild, his body half-changed. His long hair was loose around his shoulders, parting on his head where a pair of fox ears had appeared. The slitted pupils of his eyes were more pronounced, and the color had changed from a gentle brown to an angry red. The boy's hands had grown, and his curled fingers ended in vicious-looking claws. Along with his hands, the rest of the transfer student's body had bulked up; he had grown from a small, almost frail young man to a perfect example of what Harry thought a physical god would look like.

Yuki turned to look at him briefly, fangs bared, and Harry almost took a step backward. Those eyes were vengeful, bloodthirsty – not a god, then...a demon. Before he could attempt to speak, however, the werewolf moved again, fight still in him.

Without a word to each other, Harry and Yuki lunged at the enemy. The wolf was coming at them, trying to find a way through their combined attack to strike at Harry alone, but there was nothing he could do. They moved as if commanded by a single mind, easily keeping him away. As the students around them managed to get to their feet and scattered, they herded the werewolf back toward the treeline, scoring minor hits on him to keep him at bay.

Finally, they were alone just at the edge of the forest, and Yuki caught the wolf around the throat, claws drawing thin lines of blood from the dirty skin.

"Who are you?" the half-demon growled viciously, shaking the man. "Who sent you?"

The words were straight from Harry's mind.

"The Dark Lord sent me...as a message," the man choked out, still struggling. A swift smack that left blood pouring down the increasingly pale face managed to get a response. "He wants the Potter boy..."

"Like we don't know that," Harry and Yuki said at the same time. "Why send a weakling like you?"

"He didn't say anything about a guard..." the man managed. "What the hell are you?"

"Very irritated," Yuki said with his teeth gritted. "Who sent you?"

Instead of replying, the man got up, backing into the trees slowly and glancing frantically behind him for a way to escape again.

"Oh no you don't," they both snarled, lunging at him.

Harry caught the man's arms, just in time for Yuki's clawed hands to swipe across his throat. The man choked, blood pouring from his jugular vein, and Harry tossed him aside disdainfully. The students around them started to stand slowly, watching as the werewolf struggled to breathe. He watched dispassionately, aware in the back of his head that part of him should have been horrified. He would have been in shock, or backing away from Yuki, who was examining the blood on his hands.

As professors started to run up to them, the demon turned to him, a fire burning in his already red eyes. "You. Explain what the hell is going on." The voice was deeper than Yuki's usual voice, and held a note of menace that the transfer student had never had before that moment. Yuki was advancing on him, blood still dripping from his claws, and Harry was on the verge of baring his fangs for attack when a familiar voice called out to them.

"Mr. Potter, Shiraishi-kun!" They both turned as Dumbledore approached. Around them, students were being herded away, and the healing werewolf was being held captive by the other teachers. The headmaster motioned them toward him, calling, "We'll talk more in my office."

Harry started to walk forward, but there was a growl as Yuki took a step forward, blocking him from moving. "I want an explanation right here, right now," he snarled. "Why am I like this, what the fuck is this collar for, and why did I almost kill someone for him?" The last word was spoken like a curse, and Harry started to reach up to push him aside, but another growl made him rethink the action.

"If you insist," Dumbledore said lightly. The students were being herded away, and soon, they were the only three still standing at the edge of the forest. "Yuki... you were sent here for more than one reason, to be honest," the old man said. "It was seen that you would be needed to provide aid to Harry here, obviously. However, your parents knew that this year would be the one that your powers would manifest properly. You needed to be in an environment where your powers could be controlled and brought to fruition. And the collar is a power limiter. It will keep you from exceeding what you could safely handle. It will also help you aid Harry this year, as you just saw."

"I didn't want to help him," the demon growled, tugging at the collar. "This...this thing made me do it. Get it off me."

"I'm afraid I can't do that. Harry is the only one who can remove that, and doing so now would have disastrous consequences. This is only the first of your transformations, Yuki, and to undergo them without this keeping you in check would likely result in your death and that of those around you. And in this way, you will find it easier to aid Harry, as you saw from this incident. It's for your own benefit as well as his. Yuki, your help is vital..."

"I thought I already said I didn't want to help," Yuki said, still menacing. "Or should I put it in stronger language? I am not going to help save your precious Harry's ass to fight whatever this Voldemort guy sends at him. Matter of fact..." Yuki started to stalk off in the direction of the lake and the entrance to the school, calling, "Fuck this. Fuck all of you. I'm going home."

No, you don't...

As the thought flashed through Harry's head, the collar around Yuki's throat began to glow. The fox demon stopped in his tracks, shaking, and managed to turn his head to stare at Harry with wide, enraged eyes.

"Ah...that's another property of the collar," Dumbledore said, moving to stand beside him. "Since you were the one to place the collar on him, and since you feed from him regularly, you will be able to...control him, in a way. At the very least, suggestions will influence his actions. You'll have to see what works best."

Harry nodded, and the motion was greeted with yet another vicious growl from the fox demon. As Dumbledore started to make his way back to the castle, humming merrily, Yuki started to return to Harry, claws at the ready. "I'm going to fucking kill you..."

"Stop," Harry said softly just before Yuki reached him. Again, the other boy froze, shaking, eyes livid. "Kneel." Slowly, as if Yuki was doing his best to resist, the demon knelt. Harry smiled, leaning over to run his hands through Yuki's long, loose hair, tickling the furry ears.

"Good pet," he murmured.

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