Incandescence
Part Fourteen
Bugs
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, and I am only a medium for the Lugovaloses. By the way, I think Leon stole my last dime. If you see him, could you have him return it? I'm in dire need of some chiklets (which I also don't own, or I'd be chewing them).
Warning: This, like the rest of the story and prequel, is slash. If this is news to you, you clearly haven't been paying much attention to the story and have bene too busy reading my author's notes.
Author's Note: (Speak of the devil. . .) Well, it's getting closer to the end of year four, and I'm kind of surprised that it's gone so fast (dodges readers that wanted faster updates). I'll admit that year five is not ready to go up yet, but that's okay because there's still a few more chapters of this left, and then my poor beta needs some time to get year three edited (poor girl is overworked). This chapter is edited, thanks to my amazing beta (that doesn't complain that I've overworked her), PrincessXXMoonXX. She's the best.
I promise year five is in the process, but of all the books, that had to be my least favorite, so I'm not always keen on revisiting. Fear not, though. I do have a decent chunk done and am doing my best to stay ahead of the game. Some of you that offered me a few nibblets of ideas will probably see some things you recognize come year five as comedy relief. All though. . .well, River, Rayne, and Umbridge. Enough said. Forgive my rambling, I'm still in shock year four is almost over. It's been written for some time, but. . . posting it makes it so. . . final. Wow.
But on to other things. Thank you so much for all the reviews. 175 reviews for a story so laden with OCs I'm amazed anyone is still reading. Kind of funny since Pyrotechnics started as a whim of a plot bunny that refused to die (hm. . . sounds like Harry, doesn't it. . .).
To 2693: Okay, so this year won't have much in the way of love sessions. I have trouble reconciling the fact that Harry and Phyrrus are fourteen and I'm. . . well past that. It's the whole. . . underage thing, I suppose. But this chapter should be nice. Don't worry, though, year five should be. . . to your liking. Winks.
To She Who Cannot Be Turned: I don't think I ever actually stated it, though it was alluded. River and Rayne really did dress up as Harry. I meant to go add a little cameo about it, but never did, and I might turn it into a short (short) story for later. And, just a hint for later, you'll get to see Leon in action at the end, which gives you something a tad bittersweet, seeing how you like Leon so much but it'll mean the fics pretty well oever. Sorry. Grin.
To Everyone: Thank you so much for your reviews. They just. . . boggle my mind sometimes. You're all amazing and I feel so happy that my fic has such high opinions. I hope to keep it that way! Mou. . . I'm tearing up just thinking about it. Meh, must be hormones. But thank you all so much! I love the reviews, and all the people that have added me to various favorites and alerts and C2s and everything else. Thank you all for making this fic so popular.
I hope you all really like the next chapter.
oOooOo
River and Rayne were in a corner of the common room, rapidly speaking a language only the two of them knew and no one else wanted to hazard a guess at. Phyrrus rolled his eyes. "They're up to something," He muttered, frowning.
"Can you understand them?" Hermione blinked, looking at the twins. "I didn't think anyone other than the other twin could understand twin language."
"For the most part, no." Phyrrus shrugged. "Whatever gabble they feel like speaking is as complex as English. And probably has twice as many words. But they only use that language for secrets and plotting. Since they shouldn't have any secrets, at current, they're plotting. I just don't know what."
"Great." Hermione groaned. "I have a bad feeling about this."
"You should. The last time they were this intent on a conversation in their own language, we had the FBI on our doorstep asking about a nuclear weapon. They were about five, at that point. And the time before that, when they were about three, the CIA showed up to demand they stop hacking into the radio frequency and replacing all the transmitters their agents were using with transistors radios." Phyrrus sighed.
"Were those the worst incidents?" Draco finally ventured.
"No," Cyrrus groaned. "The worst one was when they rerouted the president's plane to land on the airstrip in our backyard--Uncle Montague does the crop dusting, see. The secret service was convinced we were terrorists, and when the twins went out to meet the plane the secret service nearly had heart-attacks because they thought the two of them were hostages. And then the FBI showed up again, demanded not only to know why the twins knew how to build a heat-seeking missile, but also why they were posting the directions on the internet, and then, as though that were enough already, they managed to tune back into the CIA frequency, turned the monitor in the main office on and started running a feed of porn straight into the computer."
"Should I ask what happened after that?" Ginny grinned, clearly enjoying the story.
"They made the monitor explode and ended up getting their parents, brother, and I drug off to jail with them until Uncle Leon could bail us out three days later." Cyrrus groaned. "I was just visiting. Mom never let me live it down. We were just lucky Uncle Leon managed to convince them we weren't actually attempting to commit treason."
"Why did they do that anyway?"
"They got bored." Phyrrus grunted, burying his face in his book.
"What?" Hermione choked.
"Tell me about it." Cyrrus moaned, covering his face. "Which is going to happen soon if Madame Pince doesn't expand the library."
"Shit." Phyrrus closed the book over his face. "I want to be graduated when they get bored here."
"I want to be long dead." Cyrrus grunted.
"They're trying to figure out how to re-animate a corpse," Phyrrus commented blithely, watching his brother pale. "Trust me, being alive is better."
"Dammit," Cyrrus hissed. He looked imploringly upwards. "Why me?"
"Boom!" River cried, and Rayne nodded in agreement, snapping the heavy book closed.
"Doma heas na shor," River smirked, waving at the group. Phyrrus refused to look up. "We're going to bed!"
"Don't you dare sneak out!"
"Not part of the plan, Phyrrus!" The little twins waved, skipping off. Phyrrus and Cyrrus could only wonder what hell the two were going to create.
oOooOo
Harry tossed and turned, trying to sleep, but he rapidly discovered he was failing miserably, even in the safety of Phyrrus' arms. Sighing, he gave up, slipping out of their bed and making his way to the moonlit window seat. Pulling out a picture of his parents, Harry traced their faces with his finger before turning to look at the sky, sighing as he thought about everything happening that year. A soft rustle alerted him to someone moving, but strong arms wrapping around his torso let him know it was Phyrrus gripping him tightly, warming his slightly shaking form.
"Are you all right, Harry?" Phyrrus breathed into his ear, pressing a kiss to the appendage.
"I don't know." Harry admitted. "What if I'm not strong enough for the next task? What if I fail? What if I die?"
Phyrrus didn't say anything, just sifted Harry to slid into the seat behind him, pulled Harry back to rest against his chest. "I can't tell you what to think, Harry. And I can't tell you that you'll be strong enough." Phyrrus held the smaller closer. "I can't tell you that it will all be all right, because I don't know that for sure. But no matter what, I will be with you."
"I know. I don't doubt you. But. . . Phyrrus. . . I can't fail. I'm the boy-who-lived. I'm not allowed to fail."
"Harry. . ." Phyrrus sighed. He knew it was true. Harry was an icon. A legend. If Harry fell, allowed someone else to win, then he wouldn't be seen as strong enough to hold his own in a fight. He couldn't be the Harry Potter, because he wasn't strong enough. He would be mocked and ridiculed, and people would loose hope. "When I first started Martial Arts, everyone expected me to be the strongest because of my Uncle Leon. I was better than a lot of the kids my age, but when I was put up against the older children, I failed over and over because I wasn't good enough. The students that defeated me told me I was worthless and should quit before I brought more shame to Uncle Leon with my pathetic attempts."
"But you didn't."
"I wanted to. But Dad told me that I could give up--and let everyone else win--or I could get back to my feet. Even though I couldn't beat them at that level, I would get better. And I would defeat them then. Dad was a squib, you know? People made fun of him a lot because the rest of the family is magical, and all he could do was use shadows. They told him he would never be as good as his brothers, and that he, too, would fail.
"I never understood why he didn't think he had something to prove to them. Why he could be so content with who he was. I was so angry. But Dad told me that he had read a quote by Confucius once. 'Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.' I realized, then, that even if I did fall, if I stood back up and did it again, I would not fail. So I continued with martial arts. And just before I moved out of the country. . . I beat every one of those assholes that used to make fun of me."
Harry smiled, turning to press a kiss to Phyrrus' shoulder, shaking his head. "And yet, for me, it is not quite the same. But even if I fail to the general populace because I am not the legend they want, I will not fail to myself."
"You're amazing," Phyrrus said softly, smiling.
"Do you think my parents would be proud of me?" Harry turned to look at his boyfriend. "Do you think they would like what I've become?"
"I think your parents would be amazed with you." Phyrrus' golden eyes seemed to glow. "I think they would be in awe of the person you've become, and they would tell you to walk with your head held high because you are their son and they are so proud of you. And that they always will be. They wouldn't care if you failed the rest of the world as long as you didn't fail yourself."
"I'm glad." Harry sighed, leaning back into his boyfriend, and smiling when Phyrrus lifted him easily and carried him back to bed, curling up next to him and pressing a kiss to his temple before cuddling against his back, breathing evening out as the other boy meditated his way to sleep. Harry smiled, eyes also drifting shut, and peace overtaking his senses as a phoenix song lulled him to sleep.
oOooOo
River and Rayne looked rather pleased with themselves as they entered the Great Hall with a couple of strange canisters while wearing gas masks. Harry and his friends all exchanged nervous looks. "What is that for?" Ginny finally ventured as the little twins smirked happily.
"Vengeance," River answered as Rayne nodded. The little girls traded dark looks, drifting around the Great Hall with--seemingly--no pattern. Tiny feet carried them from table to table and the two traded glances and nods at each other from time to time, making everyone in the school wonder what in the hell they were doing.
"Now, Rayne!" River screamed, jumping at a Ravenclaw, who stared in bemusement as the two little girls attacked his hair. At least until River got in a hearty thump, which made the boy curse in pain. The little twins ignored the outburst, and the boy nearly screamed as he felt little legs scrabbled down his neck, into his robes, and disappear as the critter reached the table.
River readied her spray can and nodded, both of them letting lose a stream of. . . something. . . before snatching whatever it was up in what appeared to be Harry's golden egg and running from the hall.
Everyone in the hall looked at each other for a moment before Draco announced, quite clearly, "This cannot end well." Phyrrus and Cyrrus groaned as Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged Looks. Harry barely stopped Phyrrus from slamming his head onto the table, pressing a kiss to his boyfriend's lips as they heard the twins cackling from somewhere in the castle.
"This is not going to end well," Phyrrus groaned as the teachers paled. For Phyrrus to say that usually meant the twin terrors were about to let loose a new batch of chaos.
"Please don't get me arrested," Cyrrus pleaded in a mantra at the Slytherin table, curled up in a fetal position under the table.
"Have they ever gotten you arrested before?" One of the Slytherins joked. A single indigo eye peeked out, paranoia evident.
"Yes." Cyrrus stated flatly, and returned to his mantra. "More than once."
Harry glanced at his boyfriend, who shook his head. "It involved three chickens, a wood chipper, and Gradnma's turkey fryer. And explosives."
"I don't want to know," Harry finally managed, wondering what the twins had been fed to make them so. . . weird.
He wasn't sure he cared to find out.
oOooOo
The rest of the day was spent with Harry's entire group of friends jumpy and paranoid about what River and Rayne were doing since no one had seen them all day, and Harry was even more nervous when he was called from class to join the other champions at the Quidditch pitch. Harry nearly breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe their last task would be Quidditch! He knew it was far fetched, but he could dream, at least. Something easy would be so nice, and it would make him feel better.
The moment he saw the hedges, he should have known better. He should have known better. Cedric's jaw dropped at the sight of the ruined Quidditch pitch, but Hagrid laughed merrily. "You'll 'ave it back nex' year," He told them, grinning. His beetle black eyes sparkled in mirth.
"But. . . the hedges," Cedric choked, staring at the foot-tall bushes.
"Yeah, jus' give me a few more months and we'll 'ave ourselves a right obstacle course fer ya," Hagrid agreed, making Harry wonder what was going to be in the obstacle course.
"Are you giving away surprises again, Hagrid?" Dumbledore's voice was merry and bright, eyes twinkling.
"O' course not, sir!" Hagrid backed away after giving Harry a brief grin, and Harry felt his stomach drop. He didn't want to know about the hedges, he really, really didn't.
"Good, good. Now that we're all here," Dumbledore glanced around to see Karkaroff, Maxime, Percy, and Bagman, "I think I should explain."
"The final task will be an obstacle course," Dumbledore told them, blue eyes shining. "You will have to reach the Triwizard Cup in the center to win, and the paths will be most dangerous. Please remember to study, and do not forget you are exempt from exams. The day after exams have been completed, we will have the final task. Do not forget that this is most dangerous. I trust you will all do your best?"
"Of course," Fleur snorted. "We shall bring our schools glory!"
Cedric and Krum nodded in agreement, leaving Harry to look on, feeling queasy. "I'll do my best," He vowed softly to himself. And he knew he would. But he was so nervous. He had so much yet to do, and he was so much younger than the others. Could he really handle a task that would probably take all their knowledge to complete?
oOooOo
Harry stumbled to bed, curling up next to his boyfriend with a sigh and his mind worked a mile a minute to figure out what he needed to know for the maze that he had to face at the end of the year. Dangerous creatures, spells he had never seen before, and facing the other champions all at once?
His mind was a blur of feelings and images that he wasn't sure he wanted to feel, leaving him dizzy and exhausted despite being wide awake. "Harry?" Phyrrus finally yawned at the boy's tossing and turning, reaching over to trap Harry in one place. "Are you all right?"
"Stress," Harry groaned, trying to shut his mind off. He didn't want to think anymore!
"How was your meeting? You came back late." Phyrrus cracked one gold eye to look at the smaller.
Harry shook his head. He hadn't come directly back after the meeting because he wanted to think. He needed to think. "It was fine. The last task is an obstacle course. I don't know if I can do it."
"You will, whether or not you can," Phyrrus pointed out, smiling. "But you sound awfully miserable."
"I just keep thinking about how I might fail. I'm too young to do this, I don't have the experience. I'm so stressed out, and I'm driving myself crazy because I can't look past my little pity bubble because I'm sure I'm not the only one having problems." Harry slammed his head into the pillow. "I'm a mess, arudo."
"I can see that," Phyrrus wrapped his arms around the other. "You are a mess. You want some help forgetting, just for a little bit?"
Harry considered the offer, then nodded. Phyrrus turned, hands sliding over Harry's shoulder, bringing the taller closer. "Then I'll just have to make you forget, at least for now," The teen whispered, making Harry shiver as his hot breath slid over Harry's ear. One large hand slid under Harry's neck, tilting his face back as Phyrrus drew him into a lingering kiss.
Harry moaned into the kiss, opening his mouth to Phyrrus' tongue, allowing the other to draw him into bliss. Hands twisted through his hair, petting and pulling him closer. Harry moaned and opened his mouth wider, encouraging the other to continue. One hand slid down, crossing Harry's stomach, and Harry tensed, giggling into the kiss, hands moving to Phyrrus' chest before sliding to his back to grip the tank-top Phyrrus slept in.
Phyrrus pulled back, smiling at the other, hand just crossing Harry's belly in a light caress. "Better?"
"What task?" Harry asked, breathless.
Phyrrus laughed, leaning back in to press another kiss to Harry's lips. He made to pull back, but Harry snaked a hand into his hair, pulling him in for a deeper kiss. Harry's other hand drifted under his shirt, gripping the skin of his back as he arched into Phyrrus' touch as the elder drew him nearer. Panting, Harry let Phyrrus go, eyes half lidded with lust. "Stop. Or we won't," Harry ordered, and Phyrrus, also panting, obeyed.
"You forget?"
Harry laughed, breathless, and kissed Phyrrus lightly, snuggling into him. "I love you, so much."
Phyrrus laughed, nuzzling the other lightly. "I love you, too." Harry sighed, curling closer as Phyrrus wrapped his arms around the lithe body before him, pressing a kiss to Harry's head, and both drifted off to sleep, wrapped in each other's arms.
oOooOo
As days turned into weeks, and the task grew closer, Harry found himself studying around the clock. He did his homework, then he studied with Hermione and the others, finding spells to give him an edge over the other champions, finding spells that might help him survive. He didn't care about a victory, he just didn't want anything to eat him. That would be bad.
"Harry?" Cedric's soft voice made him jump, clutching his heart. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you. This seat taken?"
Harry glanced at the empty seat, then shook his head. He had requested some time alone to worry himself out without Phyrrus hovering. His boyfriend could be such a mother hen, when it came down to it. "No. I was just. . . studying."
"I'm surprised Flame isn't around," Cedric admitted, and Harry nodded absently as Fleur and Krum appeared from the shadows. "Having a tough time, huh?"
"Yeah." Harry smiled at the other champions as they sat down at the small table, moving his books out of the way to offer them a little more space. "I have a lot to catch up on, I guess. Being friends with smart people helps, but it doesn't change my age."
"That's very true," Krum agreed, leaning forward. "We had an idea for you, though."
Harry tilted his head, raising an eyebrow. "Well?"
"What if we helped you out a bit? Just to make this a little more fair?" Fleur was the one to finally voice the idea, making Harry wonder what they were talking about.
"We couldn't help you in the maze, of course, but what if we helped you out with the studying part? It's easier if you have a teacher, and we know that the professors have enough to do with all their students here. We could just help tutor you, you know?" Cedric grinned at the youngest champion. "I mean, you're only fourteen, after all."
"Would you really?" Green eyes lit up in absolute happiness. "I've been driving myself crazy, trying to learn spells that you would have a hard time with, and even some that are just a little over my head, because I don't have a teacher. I can't tell anything about them, or what I'm doing wrong, or anything!"
"There is nothing in the rules that say we cannot help each other prepare for tasks," Fleur answered firmly. "If you would like our help, then we would be glad to give it."
oOooOo
Harry stared at the growing hedge. Hagrid's tender care was making it grow amazingly quickly, and Harry was having difficulty recognizing the Quidditch pitch through the heavy weeds that criss-crossed it in a complex maze. The help from the other champions was a relief, but the task seemed to be approaching far to quickly.
"Harry?" Phyrrus' voice made him turn. The red-head approached, smiling slightly. "Are you all right?"
Harry glanced at the pitch, feeling his stomach lurch, and frowned. "I'm not sure. Would you be?"
Phyrrus laughed at that. "No. Come on, you'll catch a cold in just your robes. Let's get back to the castle."
Harry blinked, startled, then realized that he was shivering. He had been so focused on the weeds that he hadn't noticed. "Yeah, sure," Harry took Phyrrus' hand, leaning into the larger's warmth, tucking himself into Phyrrus' side. "I guess I'm so nervous, I didn't notice."
"You should stop staring at the maze all the ti--" Phyrrus cut off, mid-sentence. Harry opened his mouth to speak, but Phyrrus held up a hand, frowning. He gestured to the woods, and Harry frowned at the moving bushes. Both boys crept closer, trying to find out what was in the forbidden forest, eyes narrowing in the dim light.
A figure leapt from the bushes, hair in complete disarray, panting wildly. "You have to get me to Dumbledore!"
Both boys jumped back, Phyrrus standing protectively in front of Harry before they recognized Bartimus Crouch. "What the hell?" Phyrrus relaxed his stance slightly. "What are you doing here, Mr. Crouch?"
"Need to talk to Albus!" Mr. Crouch snapped, eyes wild.
"All right, we'll take you to him," Harry soothed, giving his boyfriend a wide-eyed look.
"Now?"
"Yes, of course." Harry smiled gently and started to lead the man towards the castle. Phyrrus was standing protectively at the smaller's side, halting him in the entrance hall upon seeing his sisters.
"River, Rayne, would you go get the headmaster, please?" Phyrrus asked the girls, stopping Mr. Crouch where he stood.
Both paused, River hastily stuffing something--a suspiciously golden something--into her bag, and nodded to Rayne who took off running. The others stood in the hall, waiting for Dumbledore when Moody walked in. His good eye widen fractionally, and River's eyes narrowed, zeroing in on the man, her head tilting slightly to the side.
Moody offered a terrible smile, more grimace than smile, and turned to the boys. "I'll take him, if you please," Moody offered. "Dumbledore sent me to retrieve him."
River said nothing, just watched. It was very unlike her, Harry knew, but said nothing. A flicker of something passed her face, but she shook her head and turned towards the stairs Rayne had run up. Phyrrus passed Mr. Crouch off on Moody and he and Phyrrus made their way towards the Gryffindor common room, wondering what had happened to spook Mr. Crouch so terribly.
oOooOo
Leon stared out the window into the darkness, arms wrapped around his lover, face set in a stonily blank expression. Severus sighed. "There is nothing you can do." Severus told the man, turning to rest his head in the crook of Leon's shoulder. "You are needed here."
"I am not a. . . general grunt!" Leon cried in frustration. He needed to be out. . . spying. Looking at enemy movements. Doing what he did best. "I should be out there! I should be doing something!"
"Like me?" Severus rebuffed lightly, raising an eyebrow. "You are needed here. You are needed to watch over the castle where we cannot, and to find out who the spy here is. You know that."
"But I feel so useless! I can't even get a hint of who the spy could be, and Albus vouches for everyone in the castle! And so far, everyone's main suspect is you!"
"I could be," Severus offered, looking up at his lover, his black eyes unreadable. "How can you be so sure I'm not?"
"You are not that dense," Leon offered softly, cupping the other's face. "You and I both know that we are connected. That the bond between us has begun. I would know."
Severus nodded, leaning into Leon. "Who do you suspect?"
"Right now? I don't know. A portrait or ghost has the same chance as everyone else! Who could I suspect?"
"Have you found that media spy?" Severus finally asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Hm? No. I think that's been taken care of, and I have a feeling it involves River and Rayne."
"A feeling?"
"It's the feeling of River smiling at me and saying, 'Don't worry, Uncle Leon, we've caught the media bug.'"
"Why is that not comforting?"
"Because she and Rayne were wearing those shit-eating grins of theirs that clearly state they've done whatever they claim, but they shall now wreak havoc with it."
"And yet, that explains so much," Severus sighed. "Look, Leon, you will get no more done tonight. Come to bed. I shall find a suitable. . . distraction."
Leon blinked, eyebrows raising, then bent to kiss Severus lightly. "With pleasure."
Severus nearly smirked. Convincing Leon to go to bed wasn't nearly as hard as Grandma Lugovalos had made it sound.
oOooOo
Percy Weasely leaned over his lover, Anders Lugovalos, and pressed a kiss to the larger's lips. "Anders," Percy called, rolling on top of his lover, shifting slightly. "Time to get up."
Ander's eyes snapped open, hands reaching up to trap Percy against him. "It's not nice to tease a man first thing in the morning," Anders growled, rolling over to lean over Percy. Percy laughed, allowing Anders to love him, hands running over his body as they both found their pleasure.
Later that same morning found them both curled together, content if a little messy, Percy's red hair mixing with Ander's gold. "I have to get up," Percy grunted, tugging himself from Anders' tight embrace. "I have to go to work."
"Crouch hasn't been there in ages. What the hell are you going for?" Anders whined. "When your boss doesn't show up, and has been AWOL for three weeks, you shouldn't have to either."
"Anders Lugovalos," Percy snapped, levering himself off the bed. "Just because my boss is sick and you are being irresponsible doesn't mean I shouldn't go to work!"
"How am I being irresponsible?" Anders demanded, balefully glaring at his lover.
"Because you have a class that started half an hour ago," Percy sneered. Anders turned to look at the clock, then went white.
"Shit! I love you, baby," Anders called, dashing to the shower. Five minutes later he was dressed and out the door, pop-tart dangling from his mouth. Percy went to the door and pulled it open, smiling when Anders dashed back to press a kiss to his lips, then raced away to the university.
"Moron," Percy muttered fondly, heading back into their flat to gather his things for work before flooing out. Still, Anders did have a point. Mr. Crouch had not been into work for quite some time. Where could the man have gone? If he was ill, surely they would know. Someone would have told him. And if he had been fired, he would have been replaced. But no one had yet taken over the man's position, and all his things were still at his desk. So what could have possibly happened to him?
If Mr. Crouch had been more like Ludo Bagman, Percy would have simply passed it off as him being irresponsible. But Mr. Crouch always had things done days before they were due, and made sure every project was described step-by-step. Mr. Crouch did not simply skip three weeks of work and not tell anyone. Percy frowned and pulled out a quill. If he and Anders didn't know, maybe someone else would. Parchment and ink appeared, and Percy's neat hand writing began to fill the page.
Dear Uncle Leon, the letter read. I'm not sure what's going on here, but Mr. Crouch had been missing for three weeks. . .
Finishing the letter, Percy gave it to his owl. Now all that was left to do was wait for an answer.
Percy nearly sighed. As much as he hated to admit it, since it made him less than perfect, Percy despised waiting.
oOooOo