Consuming Shadows
Chapter Seven
As Harry stalked through the endless hallways, one persistent question kept returning.
'Who asked them to look after me?' Gema and Hawthorne's conversation was a distant memory, something shrouded in distant voices and confusion. Harry could barely remember what had happened during his last trip in Underfall save for the medicine-loaded gun that had blasted a round of "health" into his shoulder. As he made his way down a stairwell, he could still hear Gema's soft-spoken question, "She asked us to look after him, so why are you sending him back?"
Harry paused on the steps, one hand rubbing his throbbing brow. There was a tendril of pain that seemed to lurk always. It existed just beneath the boiling irritation that was his Curse Mark, a smarting pain that refused to fade. He would have chalked it up to the Dark Lord, though Harry knew it wasn't him – in the last few nights, Harry's dreams have been Voldemort free.
"…why are you sending him back?" Harry groaned and sat on the steps, head buried between his hands. Why did he keep going back to that one statement? The way she had said it, like he had a choice? Stay in Underfall or in the Realm of the Wakeful? "She asked us to look after him…"
"Harry, mate?" Verdant irises, clouded over, brightened and Harry's gaze rose. Ron was standing on the bottom of the stairwell, one hand resting passively on the railing. Ginny was beside him, worry etched on her face. Harry offered a half-assed wave and then Ron was taking the steps three-at-a-time as he continued, "Oy, what's wrong? Your Mark? Or a nightmare?"
Harry waved off the question. "A headache, Ron. That's all."
"Then why are you sitting in the stairwell?"
"Because it's better than being in a room filled with screaming people?"
The siblings blinked at that admission and then Ron chuckled. "Yeah, definitely better."
He let Ron and Ginny drag him to his feet. Harry trailed behind them, Curse Mark a livid red that harbored a dull, irritating pain beneath. Harry combed his bangs over it, eyes narrowed in thought as Gema's face, mint-green eyes wide with worry, popped into his mind. Hawthorne and his bloody-midnight hair crept into his thoughts. Who were those people, anyway?
'And why the bloody hell did they known my name?' Harry found himself being ushered into the kitchen where Molly, Merlin bless her, was cooking an enormous breakfast. The ravenette was mildly surprised to see Dumbledore sitting at the table with a cup of coffee in his hands, Fred and George sitting down the table from him with a book tucked between them. 'How did they know my name? Who asked them to look after me? I don't get it…'
Harry sat and accepted breakfast with a grateful smile, his mind shifting to his aunt and cousin as he bit into the scrambled eggs. He wondered if the others had told Dumbledore that Petunia and Dudley would be going with him to pick up his school supplies or if they kept that to themselves. It wouldn't be all that surprising, really. Harry reached over and grabbed a glass of orange juice, sipping happily as it as his Headmaster watched him in silence.
When Harry was returning to his eggs, the man finally asked, "How are you feeling, Harry?"
Before he could answer, a steady hand landed on his shoulder. Harry twisted in his seat, a wide smile spreading across his face as Remus's kind face smiled down at him. Sirius was just behind the wolf, pants hanging low and shirtless. He swung an arm around the fully dressed Remus, a sharp smile spreading across his face when he caught Harry staring.
"I prefer to sleep naked, but Moony tends to have a lot to say about that," Sirius plopped down in the seat next to Harry and dragged a plate of food towards himself without looking what was on it. Remus sighed. Harry stared, slack-jawed, at the two men before him as Remus turned to him and placed a finger under his jaw. The werewolf closed Harry's mouth as he said, "You have food in there, Harry. Chew and then gawk. Have you been settling well?"
Harry chewed, swallowed and then said, "Yeah, about as well as can be expected. You?"
"Better, now," Remus placed some fruit, toast, and yogurt onto his own plate with a glass of milk on the side. Harry eyed the massive amount of egg on Sirius's plate, the food the man in question was scowling at, as Remus continued, "Now that this place is cleaner than before, my senses aren't as irritable. All that dust was wreaking havoc on my body."
"You mean it was Sirius wreaking havoc –" Fred called out only to be silenced seconds after by his mother and a well-placed frying pan. Hermione, who was walking into the room, stopped and stared with a slack jaw. Remus, for his part, was looking embarrassed. Then Harry turned to him, voice incredulous as he demanded, "And what was all that stuff about you and my aunt almost getting fresh with one another!"
Remus held his hands up, eyes wide. "Blame Siri for that. He was the one who drugged her!"
On Harry's other side, Sirius muttered, "Even after all these years, she has a wicked arm. Merlin, my head still hurts…"
Harry recalled, with clarity, his aunt hurling a vase at Sirius. He also recalled how it hit him perfectly in the back of the head, the vase shattering into hundreds of tiny pieces moments before his godfather's face got acquainted with his aunt's floor. The ravenette couldn't stop the snort that escaped or the way his lips quirked, a smile threatening to emerge.
He wondered how Vernon would take the broken vase. His smile slid off his face, then, and he turned to Dumbledore as he said, "I'd like to send an owl to my aunt sometime today. We left the house in quite a mess and my uncle can be a bit…overzealous about such things."
'Downright abusive, actually,' Harry was already pushing himself away from the table, food half-eaten. He needed to get a pen and some paper. He heard Remus call out to him, though he knew Hermione was following him out of the room. As he started making his way up the stairs, the curly-haired witched said, "You don't think he'd do anything to your aunt, do you?"
Harry paused at the landing, turning to look down at the teenager behind him. "I wouldn't put it past him, Hermione. If I'm not there…"
He shook his head. "I just need to send a letter to see if everything's okay."
"I have some paper in my room, pens too," Hermione offered and took the lead, her hand catching his with gentle care. Harry let the bushy-haired teen lead him to her room, one she had all to herself. When they entered, she left the door cracked open, "That's one of Molly's rules. If any of the boys are in a room with the girls, the door must be open. Precautions, she said."
Harry understand the logic behind that. "Though I don't think she should worry about me."
"Does she know?" Hermione mused as she grabbed some loose-leaf, ruled paper out of her backpack. She tossed that onto the desk as she began fishing for her pens. "How many people are aware of your preferences, Harry? Not even Ron knows."
"Because he'd freak out," Harry made his way to the desk, plopping down in the seat as she set out a serious of pens. He ran his fingers over them, marveling at the smooth, pencil-thin barrels that were muggle equipment. He pulled the cap off one pen, letting the sleek instrument twirl between his fingers as he said, "As much as I care, and as much as I value our friendship, he wouldn't understand. I'm abnormal, as far as that area of life goes. Cho showed me as such."
"Harry," Hermione's hand landed on his shoulder, light, and adoring. He turned in his seat, green irises clashing with hers as she said, "You are not abnormal, Harry James Potter. There's nothing wrong with being attracted by power. Cho wasn't strong enough for your taste. She was…"
"Her Core wasn't a match to Harry's," the teens looked to see Remus standing in the doorway, a thoughtful frown at home on his face. Amber eyes regarded them evenly, a light of understanding dawning in the werewolf's eyes. "I understand why you haven't told Ron. It took me years before I told James or Sirius, though Lily had always known. I never did tell Peter, though…"
Remus stepped into the room and closed the door behind himself. He sat on the edge of the bed, hands between his knees, as he said, "Certain types of magically-imbued individuals find a partner in life-based off a person's Core and the magic they wield, though personality does play a large part. Makes romance a bit difficult. However, I can't but help but wonder how that's possible…"
Harry stared. Hermione was standing next to him, hand on his shoulder, as Remus stared the ravenette down with a darker hue in his eyes. It was the wolf inside Remus, Harry realized. Moony was right there, just beneath Remus's skin. Swallowing, Harry looked between his ex-Professor and his best friend as a tendril of unease curled through his stomach.
"What's not possible?" Hermione finally dared whisper.
Remus's gaze turned to her. "Core compatibility is a trait among beasts or those who have bestial blood in their veins. Hagrid and I are the best examples, one of us being a half-breed and the other being infected by a werewolf."
"You didn't bite me, though," Harry pointed out, more confused now than before. Remus hummed in agreement before adding, "That's right. In your second year, I came close to it. I hadn't, though. Siri stopped me. Snape, too. Yet I also know Lily was a muggleborn witch and James was a wizard without any creature inheritance in his bloodline…"
"She asked to look after him, so why are you sending him away?" Harry closed his eyes as those words came to his mind, once again forcing themselves into the middle of his thoughts. He took a deep breath and leveled an uneasy look on Remus as Gema's ghostly voice whispered in his mind, "Why are you sending him back? She asked us to look after him…"
"Have you heard of a place called Underfall?"
Remus's gaze snapped to him with such ferocity that Harry recoiled in shock, the amber in his eyes flaring with such force that Harry knew could only be attributed to a full moon. Only it was nearing a new moon, which was reason enough for Harry to yelp when he found the werewolf slamming into him second's after. In a rush of movement, the three of them were on the ground with Remus caging them there.
As Hermione's mouth opened, Remus slapped a hand across her lips. "Where did you hear about Underfall?"
The voice that spoke wasn't the smooth honey he associated with Remus. It was dark and rough, gravel-thick like a man who hadn't spoken in many years. Harry's heart pounded, his eyes wide as he stared up at his ex-Professor with a new sense of understanding. When Harry didn't respond, a hand fisted in his hand and forced him to bear his throat. A hot breath ghosted the underside of his ear as Moony growled, "How do you know about that place, pup?"
Hermione whimpered. Harry's mind was hurtling through countless passages, the danger of the situation suddenly crisp and too-clear. He tilted his head to the side, rubbing his cheek against the wolf's as he murmured, "Sometimes, when I'm sleeping, I catch glimpses of it. I don't know how it happens, only that it does."
When sharp teeth nipped his ear, Harry forced his body to go still. Hermione's eyes were wide and glassy, her hand trembling when she grabbed his. Harry could sense the terror coming from her in waves, could sense how it unsettled the wolf above them as Harry pressed, "You're scaring one of your pups, Moony. Is that what you want? Do you want to frighten us?"
When Moony pulled back, now sitting on their hips, Harry was surprised at the subtle changes on this man's body. The ears were the first thing Harry noted – they were pointed at the tips, like an elf yet not the same. The amber in the eyes was molten, alive and burning. When the hand silencing Hermione withdrew, sharp claws grazed her lips with utmost care.
"No," Moony rumbled after a moment. "That is not what we want."
Harry squeezed Hermione's hand, offering silent comfort as he said, "You do know about that place, then. About –"
"Do not speak its name," Moony snarled, amber eyes flashing. Harry snapped his mouth shut. In a breath of a moment, Moony was off them and pacing the floor. His movements were swifter, his hair curling a tad more at the ends as he said, "We know of that place. Anyone who dreams awake knows. It is a curse. A nightmare one cannot awaken from. It will haunt all who escape."
The amber was steadily turning brown, the claws retracting. Harry stood, slow, and helped Hermione to her feet as Remus murmured, "It is where lycanthropy originated, Harry. It is where the spirit wolf and mankind made their first contact. I apologize for Moony. He can get…"
"Temperamental?"
"Yes," Remus offered an empty smile. "He had the same reaction when Lily asked about…"
Now Remus's gaze was on him and Harry had a distinct feeling he might have let something slip he shouldn't have. Remus circled them, amber-brown eyes sweeping across his body as he finally said, "What are the odds that the very place Lily asked us about is the same you would? What is the probability of that happening?
"When you sleep," Remus paused, then. Harry met the curious stare, then. His mind was whirling, and then he latched onto a train of thought as he interrupted Remus as the man opened his mouth with a hint of suspicion in his eyes. "You said Moony was a spirit, right?"
"Yes, but –"
Harry waved the words off, voice lower as he said, "Well, maybe this has something to do with the Dark Lord! Dumbledore said Voldemort was a spirit for a long time, Remus! Maybe this place, the one I've seen in my dreams, are from the Dark Lord. Maybe, when I'm asleep, I'm glimpsing the place where his soul had escaped to until it was strong enough to return to our world!"
'I'm bullshitting this like a drug-induced insomniac,' Harry knew Remus was considering the words as Harry spoke them, could tell he was internally talking to Moony about it. He watched as Remus's lips pressed into a thin line, a sign he was ready to combat what Harry was saying, so the ravenette said, "Think about it, Remus! For the last few years, I've been able to pick up on what the Dark Lord's doing. I know when he's near. So maybe the night he tried to kill me, when he destroyed himself, the Killing Curse backfired and sent him to that place. The mark on my forehead, it's a link between Voldemort, me and Underfall. You said it yourself. Anything that escapes from that place is haunted by it. I'm just the victim getting caught in the backfire."
'Bullshit piled upon more bullshit! Please buy it, Remus! Bite into the ploy!'
After a moment, Remus closed his eyes. "That does make sense. It would explain everything…"
Harry watched him carefully, oblivious to how Hermione was staring at him. His attention was focused wholly on the man across from him, on silently willing the wolf and the man to eat his theory and accept it. When Remus relaxed, the stress and worry in his eyes fading, Harry nearly whooped with joy. Instead he caught Remus by his forearm, voice low as he asked, "Can we keep this between us three? I don't want the others worrying about what this could mean…"
Remus settled a hand on his head, brown-amber eyes kind. "That'd be for the best, for now."
Harry knew that meant 'we'll have to tell them eventually, but I'll leave the details to you' even as Remus excused himself from the room. Harry sank onto the edge of the bed, suddenly feeling far more light now than he had moments before. He still felt Hermione's gaze on him, could feel her dissecting him piece-by-pice the longer he refused to look at her.
Then, after a moment of silence, she spoke.
"What the hell is going on, Harry?"
He looked over at her, at the worry shining in her eyes. Harry knew Remus knew he would tell her because what didn't Hermione know about him. Sighing, Harry turned to face her fully. He met her gaze, not quite sure how to put anything he'd been through into words.
So he began the only way he knew how.
He started from the beginning.
Author's Note
How shit, talk about one hell of a chapter!
So much happens here, so much is hinted at. So much lies. Sort of. Remus and Moony can be downright scary, though. I wasn't expecting the entire 'werewolf springs to the front and demands answers' when I was writing this. It happened on its own. My brain knows how to push things forward, how to make connections. Even if Harry isn't being entirely honest. Underfall has been mentioned once again, though not in the way any of us were likely thinking.
Though I have to give Harry his due for being able to pull that explanation of utter bullshit from his ass. I don't think I'd be able to do something like in such a short span of time, let alone without the notice. So the next chapter, Harry will explain "what's going on" to Hermione. Because, honestly, what doesn't she know? She's the brightest witch of Harry's generation for a reason.
Anything could happen. The question is - what do all of you think will happen. What truths will be revealed and what will Harry keep to himself?
Let me know what you think!
Until next time, my darlings!
