Harry Potter and The Demonic War

by Aldrek

Harry Potter has been missing for 17 years. And last year, another war started. In a parrallel universe, demons attacked and angels came to ask wizards around the world to take part in the conflict to prevent the demons from winning and move on to Earth. A year later, the Soldiers returns and amongst them, a mysterious green-eyed young man. More inside.

10. Chapter Nine : It's Hard To Be Normal

DISCLAIMER : I do not own Harry Potter or any work referenced in this story.

Chapter Ten : It's Hard To Be Normal...

Harry felt something push his right leg and groaned in his half slumber. When the push got more insistent, he groaned louder.

" 'eave me 'lone, he mumbled."

He heard a feminine giggle followed by yet another tug on his leg.

" 'ive more minutes Dawn..."

He could heard a voice say something but could not discern what it said. When no one tried to wake him again, he thought that he could back to sleep. Until he felt a wave of cold water soak his head.

He awoke gasping for air, looking disheveled. He had his eyes wide open and his vision was blurry for a moment. He felt a slight headache, but otherwise he was fine.

Harry stood still for a moment until the memories of last night came back to him. The lovely dinner with the whole family, the delicious cake Duncan had bake, the first glass of Firewhiskey he had with his friend when everyone had left to go to sleep. Then the second glass. Followed by another bottle. Running in their underwears in the garden. Wait, what ?

"Good morning sunshine, said Tracey while she held her phone."

He saw a bright flash and tried to cover his face with his hand but to no avail.

"The fuck is going on, he asked as he furrowed his brows."

"You drunkards passed out in the living room, explained Annabelle with her hands on her hips."

Harry looked around him, and indeed, it did look like they had a little party. A dozen bottles were spread across the living room, on the coffee tables, on the floor. One was still in Duncan's arms as he kept snoring away. The Greengrass patriarch was sprawled on a couch, hugging an empty bottle of Tequila. The bastard let Harry sleep on an armchair.

"Ah."

"Ah indeed, said Daphne with the same tone of voice and posture as her mother. Now get up ! We've got to wake Dad."

"Don't bother, sighed Annabelle. He sleeps like a log when he's in that state. During our honeymoon, we went for some drinks in a bar and when we got back to the hotel, I couldn't wake him until three in the afternoon."

"Oh, exclaimed Harry as he jumped up staggering a bit. I've got a technique."

"Then, please. By all means."

He groggily made his way to the couch then tapped his foot on the ground repeatedly. It was a rythm of some sort. The ladies looked at each other, confused as to what was going on. Then Harry opened his mouth.

"Oh, you can search, far and wide-"

He barely had the time to finish the first line of the song before Duncan raised up like a vampire and still half asleep joined in the singing.

"You can drink the whole town dry, shouted the older wizard with a drowsy voice."

"But you'll never find a beer so brown...As the one we drink in our hometown !"

"He's all yours, mumbled Harry as he got away to get a shower."

"You will have to teach me that, shouted Annabelle."

"Not so loud, cried Duncan as he gripped his head. God damn it."

Harry felt like a different man after a hot shower. His headache had receded, but he still had the usual feeling of stiffness caused by a night of heavy drinking and passing out on an armchair.

He went downstairs to join the others for breakfast. It was almost noon and the only reason no one woke them up earlier was that nobody was awake before that. Who would wake up that early on the first day of holidays ?

In the dining room, the whole household was eating breakfast happily. Except for Duncan who had his head in his hands, trying to munch some toasts.

"Look who's here, greeted Tracey. We thought you fell asleep in the shower."

"I didn't take that long, argued Harry as he sat down in an empty chair. Will you pass me the coffee pot ?"

"Here, she replied as she gave him the precious drink. I wish we could eat together at Hogwarts too..."

"Well, began Harry as he poured himself a large mug of coffee. Albus told me that he wanted to do something about that next year. He'll have to speak with the board of Governors first, but it shouldn't pose any problems. He intend to make a proper common room for all the Houses too. So we won't have to use the old classroom anymore."

"Why the change of heart, asked Daphne. He never did anything to prevent conflicts before."

"A lot can change in ten years, replied Harry. We all learned that sometimes, it's necessary to change things and look past our differences for the Greater Good as he would say. Most people think that Slytherins are Dark and Gryffindors are Light, but when you fight actual Demons side by side with people from all horizons, it give some perspective about what you believed to be true."

He took a sip of his mug and sighed in satisfaction. The little pleasures in life.

"You have to stop doing that, said Daphne as she shook her head."

"What, he asked with an eyebrow raised. Drinking coffee ?"

"No, you idiot ! Dropping life lessons like it's nothing and then go back to what you were doing ! How do you expect us to react ?"

"I don't know, he replied a bit confused. You can do anything you want about what I tell you. I'm not some kind of guide. What do you expect me to do ? I don't want my drink to get cold."

"You know, said Astoria as she stared at her phone and scrolled trhough the photos she had taken. You're cute when you sleep."

"Thank you Tori, he said with a little smile. I'm sure you're adorable too."

"Isn't he a little too old for you, Astoria, teased Tracey. I mean, he's technically 27, you know ?"

"Come on, replied Harry with a laugh. Can't two people compliment each others without any ulterior motives ?"

"I guess, said Daphne. It's just not that common. When I was in my magical school, the one before Hogwarts, I made the mistake to tell one of the boys in my class that he had an handsome face. He figured that it meant that I was interested in him and kept pestering me to be his girlfriend."

"Ah yes, said Annabelle. That Zacharias Smith. I had to contact his parents. The boy would not understand that no means no."

"Yeah, I see what you mean, sighed Harry. Casual conversations and a few kind words don't mean that someone is interested in you. It's being nice. You wouldn't believe the problems we had at the beggining of the War."

"Such as ?"

"Well, I wasn't there when this one happened. I was... Busy. But Albus told me about it. As much as I love my homeworld, and to flaunt his merits, I'm forced to admit that not everyone was nice. One of the nobles had set his sight on an American witch. He had helped her in battle a few hours before and he assumed that she would just accept his offer to share his bed for the night. She tried to refuse politely but this arrogant piece of shit wouldn't hear any of it. So he tried to force her. Albus had to step in to calm the situation. In the end, he had to knock him unconscious."

"Woaw, said Astoria. I never imagined that someone would try something like that next to a bunch of Angels."

"Yeah, sighed the young warrior. The old goat-"

He stopped dead in his tracks and turned to Duncan.

"Duncan ?"

The wizard groaned as an answer.

"Where is the goat ?"

The women at the table looked at them with confusion. The goat ? What the hell were they talking about this time ?

At this exact moment, they heard a loud bleat coming from the hallway and saw a goat running past the dining room.

"Never mind, said Harry as he got up. Found it."

"Why is this animal in my house, cried out Annabelle. You better explain yourselves !"

"Just a minute, shouted back Harry as he ran after the four legged catastrophe."

Thanks to his incredible natural speed, he caught it in an insant and carried it in his strong arms. The goat seemed to have just woken up and had panicked when she realised that she was in a place she had never seen.

Harry was whispering soothing words in the ear of the terrified animal, trying to calm it down. When it didn't work, he sighed and leaned forward. The others never heard what he said, but could feel the wave of calming energy from where they were sitting. It was as if all of their worries had disappeared for a moment, washed away to be replaced by the image of a smiling Harry, scratching the head of the goat. Even Duncan seemed to look a little better thanks to the soothing aura the young warrioir exhuded.

"How did you do that, asked Tracey with a wide eyes."

"Elvish words have power behind them, he explained. So I talked to her, I guess. I'll bring her back where she belong now. I believe we took her from the farm in the next village so I'll be right back."

Taking advantage that they were too stunned to ask any more questions, Harry ran away to bring the unfortunate animal back home.

Once outside, he used his Enhancement magic on his legs to run to his destination faster. The familiar white runic circle appeared around his legs and he took off at an alarming speed.

Once he arrived at the edge of the forest, he cancelled his spell. It would have been hard to explain why he was able to run as fast as a car on an highway. He spotted the road that lead to the village and began walking on the sides of it. A few minutes later he could see the outskirt of the small town and the picket fence of the enclosure from the farm.

Harry looked around him to be sure that no one could see him and dropped the poor goat inside.

"You live a good life now, he said as he affectionately scratched the animal's head."

The goat bleated and took off.

Harry turned around and began walking back to the manor while stretching his arms. Believe it or not, carrying a goat over two kilometers put a strain on you.

He smoked a cigarette on the way back and banished the ashes as he went. It was one thing to pollute his body with this shit, but a whole different matter to do the same with nature.

Once he got back to the gates of the house, he took a deep breath. Duncan and him had really pushed it since they got reunited yesterday, and he was expecting a strict admonition from his friend's wife, Soldiers or not.

He entered the house by the door he used yesterday to smoke and where Daphne joined him. He could almost smell the incoming doom.

As soon as Harry entered the dining room, his instinct screamed at him to run for his life. Instead, he "bravely" decided to take the scolding like a man.

"Sit, ordered Annabelle as she pointed down to a chair next to his brother in arms."

His cheeks burning, he sat down without a fuss and braced himself.

Tracey, Daphne and Astoria were all at the doorstep, trying their best to be sneaky. The attempt was completely ruined, as they kept trying to push each others to have a better view.

The matriarch sat down in front of them and joined her hands in front of her mouth.

"Can you imagine my reaction when I woke up this morning, and realised that my husband was not in bed with me. Even worse, when he decided to get drunk with his friend, trash the living room, bring a goat, and pass out on the couch rather than go to bed !"

If Harry had a deathwish, he could have added running in their underwears in the garden to the list but wisely decided to shut up.

"I get it, she continued. You two are close friends, you fought together for ten years. You went through Hell and back. But it doesn't mean that you can do whatever you want in this house ! You live here Duncan, but so do Astoria, Daphne and I. We've got Tracey living with us as a guest, act like it."

"Maybe you guys could check with a Mind Healer, she suggested. To deal with... Whatever problems you guys have."

"We don't need a Mind Healer, denied Harry."

"Yeah, added Duncan. We need time, comfort, and booze. A lot of booze. And Harry needs a woman."

"I don't need a woman, denied Harry once again through gritted teeth. I'm perfectly fine on my own."

"Even you don't believe that, breathed Duncan."

"Why don't you give it a try, asked Annabelle. The Mind Healers, I mean. I can get you in contact with a lot of them at St. Mungo."

"Don't bother, replied Duncan. What could they do ? Are they trained to deal with people who actually went "through Hell and back", as you said ?"

Annabelle put a hand over mouth when she heard that. The girls, still gathered at the doorstep looked at each others with wide eyes.

"You mean..."

"How do you think we closed the Doors of Hell ? Asking nicely ?"

"So you too, she said with a shaken voice. Actually went in Hell ?"

"I held back the reinforcement in front of the Doors, explained Duncan. But Harry went inside to close them."

"Enough, interjected the young man. It's not the point. We're fine on our own, it will just take us some time to adapt to civilisation once more. In the mean time, we'll try our best to... Not trash your living room again."

"And I promise that I'll sleep in our bed next time, swore Duncan."

Annabelle's expression had softened greatly when she heard them. Her husband, the man she loved and married, the father of their beautiful daughters, had changed. He was still the happy go lucky man she met, but there was a sadness in his eyes that never seemed to go away now. She was not really that pissed to be honest. She just wanted them to learn their lesson.

While Duncan had his family to support him, and slowly heal him from the mental wounds he had suffered, the young man in front of her didn't. Sure, he had friends. He had brothers and sisters in arms. But his family...

"Fine, she ended up saying. You guys can go and clean your mess."

They got up and walked out of the room, glaring at he group of young woman trying to look inconspicuous. Seeing that it was pointless, Astoria smugly stood up.

"So, she began. What did you boys learned of your mistakes ?"

"Don't piss your wife off, said Duncan."

"Don't bring a goat and make it drink, said Harry at the same time."

Realising his mistake, the young Soldier coughed.

"What he said, he ended up saying."

Once they had cleaned the room (without magic as a punishment) they gathered around for lunch.

They were busy eating the main course, when Harry put down his cutlery and swallowed his mouthful of lamb chop.

"I wanted to thank you, he began. About letting us hold the party here. It means a lot."

"It's alright, she waved him off. You have to celebrate your return."

He shook his head and wiped his mouth with his towel.

"It may be no big deal for you, he said with warm smile. But for us, it is. So thank you once again."

"Consider this my thanks for saving Daphne's life."

The young woman blushed a bit when her mother remembered her about the attack. The sessions with the Mind Healer from St. Mungo had done a great job and she no longer had nightmares about Trolls chasing her down. Actually, the reason she blushed was become she had an "interesting" dream about her raven haired savior two days ago. Not that she would admit it, of course. You can't control what happens in your dreams, right ?

"I was not alone, answered Harry humbly. But I'm sure Albus appreciate the gesture too."

On the other side of the table, the three young women were discussing among themselves.

"I feel like I'm back to being twelve, said Tracey with a sigh. The "grown ups" are talking between themselves."

"I know, exclaimed Astoria. What's the next step ? Are they going to put a smaller table on the side and ask us to sit there on our own ?"

She sighed and pulled out her phone. Normally, Annabelle would have rebuked her for using her phone while they were sitting together, but the "adults" were in a heated argument about the colour of the table clothes for the party.

She mechanically started to scroll down her huge list of photos and videos until she stumbled on the video she took when they were trying to wake Harry up. The look on his face when her mother hit him with an Aguamenti on the face. Priceless. She tapped her screen and began to watch the video.

"Do you girls know what he said here, she asked to her sister and her best friend. Just before Mum drop the water on his face."

"Let me see, said Tracey as she leaned forward and placed her ear next to the speaker."

She narrowed her eyes in concentration. It was one of those stupid mindless acts you did sometimes, like turning down the radio in order to spot a parking place easier.

"I think... Five more minutes Dawn."

"Dawn, asked Astoria with an eyebrow raised. Who's that ? His girlfriend ?"

"I'm not sure, replied Daphne as she shook her head. All we know is that she is or was an Angel, she was around a lot when he was a kid and he had a crush on her. He always seems to avoid the subject when we mention her."

"Yeah, added Tracey. Something must have happened. We don't know why, but he don't talk about it. We're not going to force him. I doubt they were a couple though. I mean, she's an Angel and he's... Well he's Harry ! The guy passed out drunk on the couch !"

"I don't know, replied Astoria. My relationship-sense is tingling."

"Cut the crap, said Daphne as she rolled her eyes."

"Look, said Tracey as she jerked her head towards the other group. They're done."

"Astoria, said Annabelle. Your phone. Not on the table."

"Yes mum, replied the teenager as she pocketed her device."

Harry took a sip from his glass of wine and smacked his lips. He was not really into wines, but even he had to admit that it was a good one.

"Do you always plan a party this carefully in your world, he ended up asking. 'Cause that's a lot of trouble..."

"What do you mean, replied Annabelle with her head tilted. Of course we plan a party carefully. Especially since there is going to be around two hundred people !"

When Duncan had told her the number of expected guest, she almost fell off her chair. She knew there would be a lot of people, but two hundred and thirty...

"I get it, said Harry. But I've never done that before so I'm kinda confused."

"You never went to a party before, asked Astoria with wide eyes. No way !"

"Harry not attending a party, snorted Duncan. Oh, sweetie. You should have seen what we got up to during our time off in the War."

"Yeah, added the green eyed Soldier. Dwarves sure knew how to have fun..."

He sighed and looked at his glass sadly.

"We'll honour their memory, said Duncan. We'll show everyone that there's no party like a dwarf party."

"Dwarves, asked Tracey. Like in the fantasy books ?"

"I could spend the entire afternoon talking about them, replied Harry with a smile. Sadly, none of them are left. The last one gave his life in the last battle."

"What's a dwarf party like, asked Astoria."

The two Soldiers look at each others and grinned wildly.

"You can't describe it, said Duncan. You have to be there !"

"True, agreed Harry. Everyone is singing. Badly. People are dancing on the tables, You can't take two steps before one of them put a mug of beer in your hand... You remember the song I used to wake your dad ? Well, It's your father's favorite. Those songs are like a rallying cry. When you hear a Dwarven song, you know shit's about to get real."

"You have to do something about your language young man, admonished Annabelle."

"Sorry, replied the said young man sheepishly. Anyway, you will see at the party."

Once lunch was over, Harry retreated to his room to take a nap. However, once he was laying on his bed, sleep seemed to avoid him. After a couple of minutes of tossing and turning, he finally gave up and laid on his back.

With a sigh, he began to stare at the ceiling. Absentmindedly, he reached for his necklace. Realising what he was holding, he took of the piece off jewelry and looked at it lovingly. It was a small silver locket, with a matching chain. However, it wasn't the locket that was precious but what was inside.

During his travels and the War, he gathered a lot of riches, enough to let him leave like a king here. But he would gladly trade all of them for this necklace and the oddly shaped cloth package in his trunk.

"I wonder if you would be ashamed of what I've become now, he asked out loud. Would you still love me if you were here ?"

Unfortunately, only silence was his answer.

He fell asleep shortly after, unaware of the small tear that he shed just before slumber claimed him.

The following day, Harry woke up at his usual time. Dawn. He took advantage of the forest to train hard. He had skipped training yesterday, and he felt as if he had let down Ved'hel. When he came back home, it was already eight, which made the fact that Duncan was already awake very surprising.

"I didn't think you'd already be up and about, said Harry when he dropped in a chair next to his friend."

"You're not the only one who needs to train you know, replied the older wizard. Voldemort is still alive. Even worse, he's being trained by Lucifer. Eventually, we'll have to fight once again. But this time, we will not let them have their way."

Harry nodded, determined to prevent another world to fall against the Legions of Hell.

"Any news about his whereabouts or any of his plans ?"

"None that I'm aware of. Albus have his entire spy network on full alert, but no luck this far. There have been some rumors that he was in Albania but it was a bust."

The young warrior sighed in resignation.

"I guess we'll have to wait for him to make a move. I hate this situation. At least during the War it was straightforward."

"I see what you mean, agreed Duncan. It was us against them. But now, we have to prevent another Demonic War before it even begins."

"Remind me why we can't just tell everyone of what's coming ? It would be easier."

"Because, answered Duncan. You know we would follow you to the end of the world. Any of us would. But the people here, don't know you. The real you. You're just the Boy-Who-Lived here. You're supposed to have killed Voldemort. They take his death for granted. If you tell them that he's not, they'd have a hard time believing you. We have to build a power base first. Hence the fact that we're keeping it under wrap."

"Let's hope that we can do that before it's too late, said Harry ominously."

Silence fell over the discussion. Both were deep in thoughts. Duncan was worried that people would call them crazy, that the War had made them insane. He knew that sometimes, people preferred to bury their head in the sand rather than see the truth.

Harry had a different problem. He was afraid that he would have to kill other people. He had done it already, but the prospect of having to kill someone, even to save a lot of lives still left a bitter taste in his mouth. He would do it, but he would not like it. Not one bit.

"Hey, called Duncan to pull them both out of their thoughts. Wanna spar ?"

"You call it sparring, asked Harry sarcastically."

"No need to be snarky, replied the older wizard. I need a few pointers. I haven't trained with my spear since we left."

"We can't have that, said the black haired warrior with a smirk. Come on. I'll make a decent warrior out of you yet."

An hour later, the rest of the household had woken up. Annabelle feared that the two men had another spent another night drinking when she realised that her husband was not in the bed with her. Fortunately (for them), she found the living room empty. She was beginning to worry when the three girls came rushing from upstairs, apparently just out of bed.

"Harry and Dad are fighting in the garden, screamed Astoria as she rushed towards her mother."

"WHAT ?"

"We saw them through the window, explained Tracey. They're fighting with spears and all !"

Not missing a beat, they began running through the house and were outside soon.

When they turned around the corner, they stopped dead in their tracks. Duncan had foregone his black shoes for combat boots, his hair tied in a ponytail. He wasn't even wearing robes, just a plain shirt, a pair of pants and a black leather jacket.

He was holding a jet black spear with both hands, its glinting blade pointed downward in his opponent's direction. His knees were bend a little, one foot slightly turned on the outside.

A few meters in front of him, Harry was in his usual outfit, holding a similar weapon. His stance was different though. He held his spear on his right side with both hands, almost completely vertically and his weapon's tip was facing behind him.

They rushed at each other quickly, then Duncan striked first. He slid his front foot forward and tried to stab Harry right in the chest, without a single moment of hesitation. The strike made him lean forward and the girls screamed in horror.

They're fright was unjustified though. Just as the strike was about to land, Harry swinged his spear forward. The shaft striked Duncan's spearhead, deflecting the blow and burrying the spear in the ground. Using the momentum he earned from his parry, Harry swatted the spear of his opponent away. This move leaved his opponent wide open for his next attack. The young warrior turned on himself and hit Duncan in the guts with the blunt end of his weapon, effectively ending the fight.

With a loud groan, Duncan fell on his back.

"Your back foot was not in the right position, said Harry in a cold voice. It needs to be in a 60 degrees angle not 90. You loose a bit of range otherwise. Remember that the Devil is in details"

"It won't happen again, replied Duncan as he held his now aching belly."

"What is going on here, asked a confused Annabelle."

"Good morning ladies, replied Harry with a smile. Just a friendly spar. We were done anyway."

The young warrior walked torwards his friend and helped him back up. Duncan smiled and nodded in thanks.

"You... I can't even... The girls told me you were fighting !"

"Oh no, answered Duncan. If we were fighting for real, I wouldn't be here anymore."

"Don't sell yourself short, said Harry. You've come a long way since you started. You're doing good. For a human."

"So you too were just training ? With real weapons ?"

"You don't truly know how to fight until you fear for your life, said Harry. It's one thing to train with wooden weapons, but you don't have the same drive to deflect a blow as when it could potentially kill you."

"Let's get breakfast, interrupted Duncan. We can talk while we eat."

"So you do that often, asked Daphne once they were sitted. Sparring, I mean."

"We used to do that almost everyday, replied Duncan as he looked to his partner."

Harry nodded, a mouthful of bacon. He was famished, don't be too hard on him.

"And Harry taught you how to fight, asked Daphne." She was curious to know if her father knew the Lilta-va Paltha.

"He tries to. I'm never going to be a prodigy, but I'm a decent fighter now."

"He is, added the green eyed young man. He would have lasted longer if you hadn't screamed. Even I got startled."

"Did you teach him your special style of fighting, asked Daphne once more."

Duncan recoiled when he heard her. He looked almost shocked to hear the question.

"Heaven's, no ! Even if I had the potential, I should have started to learning during my childhood. it's not as simple."

"You could have left us a message, said Annabelle. We were worried."

"Sorry, apologized the young warrior. We'll do it next time."

"Is there any more surprise we should expect from you two, asked Annabelle."

"I don't think so, replied Duncan. Look, we're sorry. We gave you a lot of trouble. It's just a question of getting used to... That. Spending time together normally."

"And I'm really grateful that you let me stay here, added Harry. I don't have anywhere to go. I'll try to find a house before summer."

"Right, said Annabelle. You're technically homeless. We'll figure it out."

"Aren't you scared, asked Astoria. I mean, not having a home would terrify me."

"Not really, shrugged the young man. I'm used to it. I lived on the road for a long time and during the War, we mostly used temporary camps. We had an HQ as they called it, but we were mostly on the field."

They kept eating happily, making small talks. Once they were done, they left the dishes on the table for the house elves to pick up. Harry had yet to see a single one of them since he got here for the holidays.

After breakfast, Daphne and Tracey decided to help Harry with his studies. The young warrior was still catching up on wand-magic and had a lot of questions. Mostly how which spells worked. They were seated in the living room, half a dozen books laying on the table.

"So, if I were to summarize, he said. Incantations and wands movements are not essentials for most spells, but they act as an amplifier for your magic ?"

"That's the gist of it, nodded Tracey. They help your magic flow and thus enable you to cast spell easier. It's like a mnemonic for your magic."

"Doesn't your kind of magic work the same way, asked Daphne."

"Yes and no, he replied. Okay, let me show you."

He got up and held his palm upward. A bright orange runic array appeared out of nowhere and floated above his hand, spinning slowly.

"This, he said as he looked at the young women. Is the spell we call "Flame spear". It's one of the easiest spell I know. As you can guess, it's a fire spell, hence the orange color of the circle. It's a Tier One spell, so it only have one layer of runes. Each and every single rune you see is required to cast the spell. if you forget one, it will probably just fizzle out of existence or if you really fuck it up, you could create a small explosion. Magic is a volatile substance after all."

Harry closed his palm and the runic circle disappeared as it came.

"Most people start by remembering the runes one by one. It's an efficient technique, but it takes time. However, if your magic is powerful enough, you can make an imprint of the spell directly in your core. But to do that you have to hold the spell long enough for your magic to "learn" it. Of course, the more powerful the spell, the longer and harder it is for you to imprint it.

So the most commonly used technique to cast spells is by the means of an Incantation, just like your magic. Each rune have a name, and by learning the chant, you know which rune come first, which come second and so on..."

The two girls nodded as he went through his explanation. It was a bit offsetting to get your head around the fact that somewhere, some people used an entirely different magic system. As if it wasn't difficult enough to get your head around the fact that magic existed in the first place.

"I wanted to know something for a while now, began Daphne. I saw you fight using a lot of different weapons. And you make them appear and disappear out of nowhere. Is it a spell too ?"

Harry shook his head.

"No, he explained. It's a specific power of the War Domain. It's called The Arsenal. You become able to use it by killing your first weapon-wielding foe in battle. Once you do, you obtain the weapon he or she was wielding as well as his or her armour. It's then stored in a personal pocket of existence. It's quite similar to your right of conquest here, except only for weaponry."

"That's sick, called out Tracey. A personal space just for your weapons ? So cool !"

"Well, replied Harry. It was not created to be cool, you know. Angels and Demons have been fighting since their creations by God and the Devil. Or so I'm told. And weapons created in Heavens are particularly powerful against Demons and vice versa. So they both created their Arsenal to store away the enemy's weapons. They can't control their production, but at least, it prevents the opposite side from just picking up the weapon of a fallen fighter."

He took a thoughtful expression and leaned forward.

"But to be honest, he said in a whisper. If they didn't wanted it to look cool, they could have done without the flashes of light and all."

The girls chuckled at the revelation. It was a bit surreal to laugh about Angels wanting to look stylish, but hey. Who doesn't like to look bad-ass ?

"Now that we had a good laugh, said Daphne after she calmed herself. Let's get back to work. Your Cheering Charms are still abysmal."

"Yes ma'am."

Later that day, after a copious meal, Harry was in his usual spot in the garden to smoke a quick one. He was silently enjoying the slightly warmer than usual weather when he heard footsteps coming from behind the glass door. He didn't even have to turn around to know who it was.

"Hey, said Daphne. Just a quick heads up, we're going out tonight to eat dinner in a restaurant in London. Everyone's taking a nap right now."

"Okay, thanks for warning me."

When she didn't leave for a couple of seconds, he finally turned around.

"Aren't you going to do the same, he asked."

Daphne shook her head, her ponytail swinging behind her.

"Nah, don't feel like it."

He shrugged then got back to his cigarette until he finished it.

"You're sure you want to spend your afternoon like that, he asked as he banished his smoke with a swish of his wand."

"Of course I do, she replied. Who wouldn't ? Compared to you, our lives seems so boring. And you still haven't began to tell me about your journey."

"Fine, he finally agreed with a sigh. Where was I already ?"

"You had met Segis Gerlain and you told me about the Dance of Blades."

"Right... So after a few days, I wanted to leave. I had set out to discover the world and so far, I only saw one city. Segis was confident that I would be able to fend off for myself. I was an able fighter, even without magic or so he thought, and I had a Warg. So he wrote a recommandation to the Merchant Guild. You see, the roads were not safe in Ulcide. You could be attacked by wild animals, monsters, and bandits. So the traders and peddlers created an institution called the Merchant Guild. They were responsible of providing the caravans and other shipments with capable guards to escort them. I talked with some of the members and it's a really tough job. You have to deal with angry merchants who want to be first on the list, find capable mercenaries, argue about the pay with said mercenaries, plan a route for the caravans and all this stuff.

So when I arrived, the lady at the counter asked me if I was lost or looking for my parents. I gave her the recommandation. I swear to God, I've never seen someone's eyebrows rise this high. In her defense, it was understandable. Even if you were considered an adult around twelve or thirteen, who would believe that a ten year old would be a proper caravan guard. So she asked me if I was ready to prove that I was indeed capable enough. I agreed. She asked one of the mercenary, this huge bulky dude if he wanted to test me. The guy laughed at her and told her to... Well to do something improper involving her mouth and his genitals."

He rubbed his neck with his hand.

"So I did something really stupid. I threw a rock at him. It was silly. I'm sure he barely felt it, with his armour and all. But it angered him alright. His colleagues were trying to calm him down, saying that I was just a kid and all that. The blockhead just pushed them away. I was scared to be honest. He had this huge great axe and all. But in the end, he was all bark and no bites. It took me five seconds. Dodged his blow, jumped and hit him on the head with the flat of my blade. After that no one bothered asking me any question."

"Did you have the Arsenal back then ?"

"No, I didn't. The sword I used was one Ved'hel gave me. It was a Elven made short sword. Very well balanced and sharp as a Deathclaw's tooth. Unfortunately, it got destroyed later on."

"What's a Deathclaw ? A monster ?"

"No, It's a kind of Demon. Demons can have multiple forms and but they each are more dangerous than the last. Dusk told me that there are as many types of Demons as there are different way of being evil."

"What do they look like ? The Deathclaws, I mean."

"They are huge, around the size of a Troll. They're covered with scales and spikes. They've got those huge, well, claws. And of course, a jaw that would put any shark to shame. And their breath... Pray you never have to meet one of them."

He shuddered slightly. If it was for comedy purposes or genuine disgust, Daphne could not tell. Maybe both ?

"Anyway, after that I joined my first job as a mercenary. The merchant was not impressed that the Guild had assigned a kid to his caravan but the other guards told him how I had knocked out the other guy in no time. It was a relatively calm trip. It took a while for the horses to calm down when they first saw Quickfang, but we managed. We were attacked once during the journey. It was a pack of goblins and we made short work of them. When we arrived in Sanetharn, the town we were supposed to deliver the shipment, we reported to the Guild outpost and got paid.

It was not that much, but enough for me to rent a room for a couple of nights. The trip had lasted three days and we were tired. Once again, I had trouble with Quickfang at the entrance of the city. Fortunately, my fellow mercenaries and the merchant vouched for my furry friend.

Two days later, I was back at the Guild and accepted another contract. I did this for a few times, going from town to town, meeting new people each time. I even saw the sea for the first time. It was beautiful, with the sunset and all.

Then one day, I accepted a contract that would require me to escort a caravan to a country called Jahlla. It was almost two months of travel and we will have to go through the Sea of Sand. Which is basically a huge desert that separated the continent in two.

My birthday was the day after we left the town. The group consisted of the merchant we were supposed to escort, his wife and his daughter. She was eleven years old like me and she was utterly terrified to go through the Sea of Sand. Beside them, there were three other guards. I already knew one of them, Saamil. He was born in Jahlla and knew the way and the region pretty well. We decided to make him the team leader.

He was a tall guy, almost two heads taller than I am right now. Black skin, almond eyes. A very kind soul. He had a smile that would brighten up a room in an instant. Anyway, we departed and for a few days nothing happened. We celebrated my birthday and those who didn't knew me were shocked to learn that I was only eleven. I always looked older than I was. But a couple of days later, we got attacked by bandits and..."

He ran his finger through his hair and rubbed his neck. It was the first milestone in his journeys. Up until now, it was all sunshine and rainbows, but this attack was the first difficult memory he had.

"It went badly, asked Daphne with a comforting hand on his shoulder."

"You can say that. There were a lot of them. Some ran away but in the end we found eight bodies. You know, as much as it pains me to admit it, it's one thing to kill animals and monsters to defend yourself, but killing humans ? The same specie that you are ? I kept repeating myself that they were bad people, that they attacked us first and we only defended ourselves, but still... If you don't defend yourself, who knows what they'll do to you, but the other option is not appealing either. So you're here, you've got your sword in your hands, your palms are sweaty, knees weak..."

Daphne had this urge to sing the rest of the lyrics but refrained to do so. She had to purse her lips to keep her mouth shut and Harry noticed it.

"What's wrong, he asked with his head cocked to the side."

"Nothing, she replied defensively. Just for your information, you somewhat quoted a song from an artist called Eminem. His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy. There's vomit on his shirt already..."

The young warrior nodded.

"Ah, I see. Did he experience something similar too ?"

"No, It's about something else."

He lit up another cigarette and sighed.

"You should stop, you know ? It's bad for your health and it smells like shit."

"Woah, he replied sarcastically. Thank you ! I'm never going to smoke again now. It was just what I needed."

"No need to be an asshole about it, she said. I'm just trying to help."

"Well, I'm doing fine considering... Anyway. We couldn't outrun them with the caravan so we had to fight. We managed to push them back and the rest fleed. I had nightmares for days on end."

Harry blew a drag of smoke.

"When we arrived in the Sea of Sand, I was stunned speechless. First of all, it was scorching hot. Like the sun was actively trying to burn us. There were absolutely no clouds in the sky, just an endless blue sky. There was nothing else but sand and dunes as far as the eyes could see.

The wheels of the carriage kept getting stuck as we went and sand kept creeping in our boots and clothes. At night, we were forced to lit a bonfire to keep from dying of hypothermia. Deserts are crazy like that. Burning hot during the day, cold as fuck during the night. It really takes a toll on you. I kid you not, when we finally set foot in Jahlla, my arms and my neck were just covered in sunburns, and I was aching to take a bath so badly...

One week in this desert and I was already considering quitting the mercenary job. Thankfully, the pay was really good this time or I might actually have done that. Actually, it was so good that I managed to hire a Water Mage in Jahlla to cast a spell that would keep me from burning alive on the trip back. It took me almost half of my pay though. Meh, worth it.

We celebrated the success of the mission with the others and said our farewell to Saamil who decided to stay here for a bit, see his parents, maybe date a girl... That night I also learned that the merchant had decided to make the trip by land and not by sea because he didn't want to pay the amount required to book a ship. So we cheered to stingy merchants and cursed them at the same time."

Harry stretched his arms and legs. He had talked a lot without realising it, and his mouth was dried out.

"It's really incredible that you've experienced all that so young, said Daphne with astonishment. So incredible that I almost can't believe you."

"You don't have to, he replied with a shrug. I know that parents here are more protective of their children than they were back in Ulcide."

The young man stood up and helped his friend to her feet.

"We should go wake the others now, he said with anticipation. I can't wait to finally visit London."

The blond woman went for her pocket to grab her phone and looked at the time.

"Damn it, she exclaimed. 4 PM already ?"

"I did ask you if that's how you wanted to spend your afternoon. Come on."

Their trip to London was, in Harry's opinion, marvelous. They had to stop every so often to let him gawk at the buildings, the shops, the cars... Duncan told his family and Tracey that the towns in Ulcide were way smaller than the ones in this world. Even the capital of a powerful country had at most 200 000 inhabitants, whereas London alone had more people living in it that an entire kingdom.

In the end, they arrived right on time for their reservation at the restaurant, even though they had left early. For the fist time of his life, Harry ate pizza. He liked his first one so much that he ordered a second one. When they left, they took a quick stroll around town. When they were ready to leave, they entered an alleyway to apparate back home.

AN : Yeah boiiiii. How are you guys doing ? I'm sorry for the wait. I had a really busy month and could hardly find any time to write. Another chapter, another part of Harry's life unveiled. Thanks to keyblademeister88 and Dragonhitter for your reviews, your guys are awesome. Tell me what you thought about this chapter in the reviews, I really enjoy reading them.

The song Harry sang to wake Duncan up is from the Lord of the Ring. It's called the Green Dragon.

I'm going to start writing the next chapter right away. See you in a week.