I rolled for every combat situation in this chapter. These were the rolls, unadjusted without modifiers. Sappho and Vernon both got a natural 20 and Harry got a natural 1. Bad luck for Harry.
12 20 3 11 12 16 9 4 13 4 16 12 1 20
Harry rushed to the window. Sappho stood in the middle of a flower patch in their back lawn, her feet surrounded by trampled blue flowers- Agapanthus he believed Dumbledore had called them. She had a grey coat wrapped around her chest to cover her prior nudity, one he thought was likely from Arabella Figg, his neighbour. He suppose she must have summoned it- a quick glance to the side confirmed this with a fragment of clothing still stuck on the fence.
She had a ball of pink light clutched in her fist and still made his heart tingle when he looked at her. He averted his eyes quickly to try and avoid those feelings, though it made his heart hurt. She then threw the ball of light at the house- it smashed into the magical smoke barrier hard, forcing it right back to the window. A clump of smoke smashed off from outside and rolled all over the table. He grabbed a knife in the meantime and put it into his pocket.
'I will break your damn wards. I will smash them down. Damn you!' she screeched, summoning up more magic. His lover clearly needed some time to cool down.
In the meantime he would get his family out of the way of their spat. He turned around to his invisible cousin. Dudley. He brushed away some of the smoke that had surrounded him. He then grasped him tightly and pulled him up onto one shoulder. It hurt carrying his extra weight on his broken leg but he seemed to have lost no strength going back in time despite his smaller frame and even this weak could support his weight. Magic. It was ok for now, though a sudden jar might yank it all apart.
He started hobbling towards the door. He tried to undo it but it was locked. Probably Sappho's spells. He leaned against the door, trying to ignore the sounds and lights of Sappho trying to break the barrier. Thinking, he spoke to the unconscious Dudley who was drooling on his shoulder. It was better than speaking to a wall at least.
'Dudley. What should I do? I can't get through the door and escape. I can't fight her, I love her-' There was another boom, and more smoke flew in, '-I can't raise my hand against her. But she wants to do stuff to me. I've heard of the Greeks, I know from class that they liked buggering children.' the room flashed bright red again, another huge boom came from the window, 'She probably wants to do the same. And I want that now. I really want her. I want her to use me-' Sappho shouted at him from afar 'You burnt me Harry, you burnt me, how could you!' And sent another blast at him. '-however she wants. But I know it's a really bad idea and I feel sick and hurt at the idea and from the love potion and I'm going to hate myself more when it wears off. But I can't say no,' There was a crinkling sound, like glass bending inwards and cracking, '-to her.'
'I shurred her.' slurred Dudley. He glanced at him. Clumps of him were now visible despite the invisibility spell. His face mostly, some of his arms. He didn't remember classes perfectly but he knew most spells didn't wear off this fast.
'You showed her what?' He asked, thinking. Was it because she was outside the house? Did her spells depend on range?
'Tee-her.' The arts teacher from earlier he supposed who Dudley had humiliating himself in front. 'She weren nish.' Or maybe that smoke? The spells had been smashing it into the house. Perhaps it countered Sappho's magic? She had magical alcohol then in that candy? He should ask her about that sometime. He flicked a clump of smoke up to his hand.
'Bottoms up' He mashed it into Dudley's face. Dudley's translucent face appeared before him, big and bulbous and red. It was slowly becoming more visible and he seemed to be waking up more.
'She wasn't nice to me after the song. She didn't even look at me, wouldn't talk to me. She talked to others. She betrayed me. I showed her.'
Harry flicked another foot full of magical white smoke up to his hand and then stopped. He looked at Dudley.
'You hurt her? You hurt the woman you loved? How?' It hurt him to think about hurting Sappho. He instead tried to think of hurting... McGonagall. Yes, he imagined he was in love with McGonagall and wanted to hit her. He scooped up a handful of the magic smoke stuff and rubbed it over the door handle. It gave a little more now. He tried to ignore Sappho's shouts and the booms in the background and focus on Dudley. She was impressively powerful and it was pretty great for her that she could smash down a barrier that Voldemort couldn't. He should ask her to teach him sometime.
'I copied her handwriting and sent romantic love letters to all of those bastards she was cheating on me with. The school gave them all detentions for pranking her. Showed them.'
'You are really messed up and so is the school.'
Dudley weakly punched his shoulder. Maybe he shouldn't have said that? He needed information from him.
'Shut up.'
'No. Tell me more.'
'Don't wanna. You're mean. Sappho was nice. You're just a freak.'
Harry paused and rubbed his forehead, stressed. Sappho the very nice one was outside sending blasts of ruby through the house every few seconds. The barrier outside looked more frail with each passing second and the kitchen floor looked a bit like a cloud now with how much of the barrier had fragmented and fallen on the floor. He had to ignore this and bargain with a petulant and evil child. He drew in a deep breath and spoke.
'I'm sorry Dudley. I was just jealous of how smart and clever you were. I want to be less freaky and more like you.' Above Dudley's head the successful diplomacy sign flashed.
'I knew it.' said Dudley, smiling, his fat face looking a bit like a pig's after you fed it an apple.
'Please, tell me why you showed your teacher what was what. Teach me like you taught her.'
'She betrayed me. Left me for those others. You can't have that can you? A man-' Harry tried to avoid snorting at this 'deserves respect from his woman, deserves her not playing with everyone who comes close.'
Jealousy. He could work with that, even though what Dudley had done was really messed up. People did hurt their partners because of jealousy, even ones they really loved. If... Mcgonagall had been playing in the dungeons with Snape among the potion fumes and dark columns he would feel really betrayed. Angry even. If Sappho didn't love him enough, if she left him for someone else and he never got to kiss those lips, if she kissed someone else...
His hand, which had been resting on the door knob jerked down. The door flew open. Harry looked at his hand. Held inside it, tightly clenched, was the door knob, ripped physically off the door with the lock. His pulse was racing and he felt mad.
As he started dragging Dudley towards In the corner of his vision a message popped up. Potenz Entrigelt: Hausliche Gewalt. The screen in front of him with all those weird images focused in on one of the images he hadn't been able to decipher. It was one of a woman speaking to a man while shaking his shoulders. The Potenz message then flew towards that image, getting smaller as it flew across the screen, and vanished into it.
He looked at the words next to that image. Terrorisieren on the left, and on the right the word Sclammblut- the same as that weak looking version of him back in Hogwarts whose arm he had smashed off and who he guessed was now lying unconscious and bleeding within his or her statue body.
When he looked at that word, Sclammblut, a small box popped up above it saying 6000-2000=Tierwesen There was a little green tick next to it and a red cross. He flicked his eyes over the other symbols. There were a lot of muggels, some sclammbluts, a small number of tierwesens, and one halbblut next to what he could now see was a man riding a broom. Maybe it was some sort of grading system? He could... terrorize people with jealousy as well as a sclammblutt, but if he pressed the tick he could terrorize them as well as a tierwesen at the cost of 2000 points?
He started at the tick for a second or so and it flashed. The label next to it transformed into Tierwesen. He flicked his eyes around a bit more and soon at the cost of another 4000 points he was a halbblut in terrorisiren. He'd go all in.
Distracted by the screen Harry didn't hear or see Vernon running down the stairs, shotgun in hand. They collided and were sent into a sprawl. Harry heard a horrific crack as the break in his leg returned, twisting out to an awkward angle. Agony shot through him making his vision shake and his whole body burn. When he opened his eyes again Vernon was up on his feet, less shakey pointing the shotgun at his face.
'What did you do you freak? What are you doing.'
Harry couldn't focus. Agony was filling his body and his leg was at such a horrible angle. He could feel it, hot waves of pain with every heart beat.
'I... err'
Vernon jabbed the shotgun at his face.
'Speak up, what did you do to Dudley this time? What are those sounds from the kitchen?'
He had to get through this. He had to so he could meet Sappho again. He couldn't die here. He had to hold Sappho one last time. The thought of that strengthened him a little but a fresh wave of agony overwhelmed it. He still couldn't get it together.
'I err... woman.'
Vernon placed his foot on Harry's chest and pressed his shotgun to Harry's burnt face. The touch sent fresh agony through him. Then he spoke through gritted teeth, voice angry and brooking no disobedience.
'WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SON YOU FREAK!'
Erfolg: Terrorisieren flashed above Vernon's head. He could feel it too, the urge to comply with him, to give him anything he wanted. Emotionally his hate for their violence had shifted to fear that left him little desire to retaliate. But two could play at that game.
He pulled himself up onto his elbows, pushing past the pain and spoke, trying to be as angry and terrorizing as he could be.
'That woman, one of Voldemort's damn servants who you let into our house, is trying to kill us. She cursed your son with magic, yes magic, because you failed as a father. Now you will take me out away from here with your son through the front door or so help me god I will take that shotgun and shove it up your rear. You want freak? I will given you FREAK.'
As he said freak he smashed his fist to the floor and a wave of magical force flew out from his fist. The large and expensive television screen visible in the living room fell off its stand. Every picture frame of their lawn, their happy family without Harry, and of Vernon's job cracked and flew to the floor which was cracking in lines away from his fist. Vernon's shotgun was yanked from his hands and tossed to the side. Vernon himself had been pushed back to the wooden stairs, thrown onto his rear. Petunia was standing at the top of the stairs pressed to the wall looking terrified.
Vernon nodded. 'Yes. You're right. I'm sorry. I'll take you out of here. What do you need?'
Harry sat there shocked as the Erfolg floated above Vernon's head. Was this what it felt like, to use a 'Potenz' on a person? He had played Vernon as easily as Dumbledore had played him, as easily as Sappho had. His musings were interrupted by another booming shock of ruby magic. A river of smoke flooded the room and a horrible cracking sound rung through the house.
'Ready or not, here I come.' Came Sappho's pained voice. He guessed they'd play hide and seek.
'Grab your shotgun, stuff the end with that smoke, it can hurt her. Together we have to get Dudley to the front lawn. Petunia, run away as fast as you can.'
He turned back to Vernon. His shotgun was smoked up and he had Dudley and was going to pick up him. He grasped Vernon's arm and came to his feet on his good leg. The other was pulsating with pain and yes he could see a bloody bone sticking out. Maybe he could use the smoke to fix it? He threw a handful of smoke at his leg. It bounced off ineffectively. Maybe not. It was good he was used to the sight of blood. It looked a bit like Sappho's red light too.
They soon reached the front lawn. He gestured to Vernon to lean him against the wall and gestured to him to go against the other wall. 'Ambush' He said. Vernon nodded, putting Dudley down to the wall. 'Nobody, no matter how pretty, is going to smash up my house.' Harry pumped a fist. 'Yay capitalism.' Vernon frowned at him. 'It's not about money, it's about showing others you care about yourself. Now shush.' Harry went silent, complying with him. Petunia, not wanting to abandon her family and apparently not terrorized enough was standing with a letter cutting knife by her husband.
They waited. As they did, Harry saw a rosy red flash up above him. There was Sappho, coming down from the roof. She had changed her attire- she now wore some bronze armor, held a bronze shield, and had a long spear strapped to her hand which must be guided by magic because she also held her wand. She was coming at Vernon.
Harry yelled out to him and Vernon moved his shotgun up to fire. She twisted her spear expertly at him and knocked the shotgun away. The white mist jumped to her spear and started to singe the end though some even faster effect instantly incinerated the shotgun.
Petunia stabbed with the knife which Harry saw was wreathed in smoke. She managed to score a hit on Sappho's chest, but the armor, apparently designed for this, popped off her chest and was slowly consumed by the smoke. Petunia's knife was consumed by the flames.
It was Harry's time. Do or die. He imagined Sappho with Draco, their bodies entwinned passionately. He imagined her abandoning him, that red hair being lost from him forever. He imagined the pair of them spitting in his face.
His bad leg and the weakness of his desire to actually hurt the beautiful amazing person he loved based on a silly hypothetical scenario (I mean, it was fairly obvious she was into girls, Hermione would have been a much better choice) tripped him up. He collapsed to the floor and was incapacitated by his agony.
Shortly after he was woken up. Vernon and Petunia were glancing around, paralysed by what looked like a spell. He was bound by magical ropes and Sappho was leaning over him. His leg was surprisingly ok despite the agony. He glanced at it and saw that it was bound into a proper angle by some cloth.
'I fixed that for you. Also, don't worry, I've forgiven you. I realize I came on a bit strong. Years trapped in Elysium do that to you. It's full of type A personality male heroes.' Sappho said.
She was dressed in her green skirt again and was waving her soft, shapely arms above him. She had a new perfume now. It smelt just like a broomstick. He lost himself in her scent and found himself reaching to touch her. He pulled back somehow, some great effort.
'I appreciate it but I... don't want to be a girl, and I... shouldn't sleep with you, I want to but I know I shouldn't. I feel sick about what I'm doing. I can't do it.'
'Aphrodite can fix that. I can ask her to change your mental gender and orientation.'
'I like being a guy though.'
'I saw what they did to you. That was part of how I forgive you. Your face was burnt, your leg broken. You are covered in scratches from plants which I know because I changed your clothes.' He saw he was wearing a green tunic now. 'And I have no idea what you did to make you so depressed but I am definitely blaming them. I don't think you're mentally fit to choose your fate, so I'll make it better for you.' She seemed pretty certain. He doubted he could make much headway against that.
'I guess. So, what are you up to now.'
'I'm trying to work out how your mother's protections work. Hurt a lot. Sensing the magic around it.'
'You're very open with what you're doing.'
'As I said, gods like honestly. Plus it helps to guide you.'
'Guide me?'
'Along a path. I chose what information I revealed. I was hoping if you did try something you'd try to get me to break my oaths to the gods or get me to attack you or something- I could deal with those. I didn't expect you to be so masochistic though it's not a huge issue- in time I can repair any damage to this shell. I'm here to help you now though.' He had to try again to stop her.
'If you want to help me, don't change me. Don't force me.'
She looked into his eyes, hers glowing red, her hands paused, wand out. 'In time every mother's love must yield to the passion of love.' She pointed her wand at him. 'Imperio'
Harry felt the overwhelming pull of the woman's magic fill his mind. He might have resisted but why resist someone you loved? She spoke to him, in her soft seductive voice and he obeyed.
'I hate my mother. I reject her utterly. She never helped me and was never any good to me. I detest my mother.'
Harry felt something snap inside of him, something fundamental. He also felt a deep desire and warmth inside him for this kind and wonderful woman.
Sappho then pulled red light onto her fingers from nothing and sent a pulse of energy through him. He shuddered as it ran through him, filling him to his toes. As she did large red letters flashed in front of his eyes:
SPEILER DEAKTIVIERT. VIDEOSEQUENZ ARABELLA FINCH.
Thanks to Dracos, any other reviewers are appreciated as always.
