THE BINDING OF FATES
AN: Bridge Chapter. I own nothing. The Chapter's title song from Metallica's Ride the Lightning album resonated with me when I was coming up with the overarching theme to this story. It embodies this story's twist on 'The Forest Again' chapter in JKR's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
RECAP: Our Immortal Heroes must rearm themselves as they are dumped into Harry's summer before Year Two. Garrick Ollivander mandates them to acquire rare materials to salvage Harry's Phoenix Core to convert it into magical Bracers, weapons which channels magic slightly differently than regular wands. Needing help, they hoodwink Nymphadora Tonks into being their Clan Witch to facilitate them going on Ranging missions in search of components. Their reputation increases abroad as they thwart plots brought about by an Eastern European Cartel called Purity of Blood.
Now, they must watch over their shoulder from Hit Wizards while still trying to find and completely destroy Voldemort's scattered Horcruxes; including the one left beyond the veil. Follows Canon up to Deathly Hallows Chapter 34: The Forest Again and HBO/ G.R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones Season 6
CHAPTER 28
FADE TO BLACK
"What's wrong?" Jon asked as Harry came back into the garage.
"I don't know. I..." Harry shook his head, frustrated. "Where is this going?"
"What are you talking about, her?" Jon nodded upstairs.
Harry nodded.
"Matters of the heart... I only know one simple rule. Time is precious. You do not know what the future holds. But in your situation..." Jon opened his arms wide to his sides and let them fall, helpless.
"I know. I'm an anomaly. I kinda know what the future holds. I changed the rules...she's... confusing, confused, or doing something... weird." Harry pulled Jon into the storage room. He came really close and spoke in a low tone. "She's driving me nuts, intentionally. Then she feels bad afterwards. Then I feel weird because I'm always staring and she feels weird because I look so young... it's a hot mess."
"Hm. I wonder, did you know you were doing something with your magic just now?" Jon pointed at the chalk circle.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"You were casting a spell on her, literally," Jon said. "Something about you had her ready to strike, or flee. After the bout. Her facial expression.. she looked ready to fight, or flustered... heated," Jon said, shrugging. "Or maybe she was blushing. I do not know," Jon laughed.
I was thinking of ... being eighteen... of being able to actually be with her... as in, 'man and woman' together.
Was there a thing as 'wild' magic to influence attraction, or sexual intent?
"Do you think, that she likes me? As in, likes likes me," Harry asked quietly.
"Hm. She, is interested in you. And I think she wants you all to herself, possessive. But, apart from that, who knows? Does she do things to make you believe differently?"
"Yes, she does," Harry replied, remembering all her stolen kisses. "That's the issue. I don't know about your world, but the age gap between us is a huge issue. How was it for you?"
"Once a girl has her first moon blood, she is of age and ready for marriage. Squires and lads of standing can be lawfully betrothed at the age of fifteen years. Apart from that, it is not uncommon for boys to have impregnated girls at our age."
"Damn, that's really young," Harry grimaced. "I don't actually mean doing that, I mean.. well," Harry blushed. "I mean, the issue is there being an 'us'. Being a couple. It's not going to happen."
Or it has to be one very, very well kept secret.
Jon hefted a barrel of nogtail urine unto his shoulder and stacked it on top another. Harry had to admit he was impressed at that feat of strength. Jon thought a moment, facing the barrel he just stacked against the wall. He spoke solemnly, not even turning around.
"Harry, our mission is the reason why we are here. You must protect your housemates from what you told me; a future of being possessed by the Evil Wizard. My role is to support you, for I am the Sword of the Light. You have to accept the possibility that you may not be able to engage with meaningful relations with milady, at this moment, or even as you get older. She may even enter relations with another man, and yet your task remains. What she does with her love life, does not change what you must do."
"Everything, you just said... is ... exactly it. I... just don't know if I could just, ignore her or let her go. I get all," Harry scrubbed his hair in frustration, "Barmy around her."
"You have her under your spell?" Jon asked. "Or does she have you under hers?" he chuckled.
"She thinks I do. And, I'm not sure, I think I am doing something, something that triggers her namesake curse to pop up. You don't know how it is when we're alone. She gets very, very, touchy-feely."
"I noticed," Jon grinned. "She has been named well."
Harry just grumbled under his breath. "Maybe this is all some weird twist- Life having a joke at my expense."
Jon didn't respond, just continued working. A couple barrels later he spoke up. "Ginevra also makes me feel the same way- a sick twisted joke of life. Every time I see her, I think of Ygritte. Other than the physical similarities, I can sense a fire within her, something about her personality, which reminds me too often of the love I have lost, the ..." Jon rubbed his eyes. "It is the thing I have regretted most, partially the reason I could not spar with milady. I cannot, and will not, strike, or even bear arms against a female I care for."
"Mate, that's how it should be," Harry said. "And this is training. Not real fighting."
Harry and Jon did more unloading. After a few minutes Jon spoke again.
"I drew my bow on Ygritte. She was ready and willing to kill our men. Tell me, Harry, if Tonks were to be cursed or magicked into attempted murder upon mistress Hermione, Ron, or even me, would you stop her if it meant that you must take her life?"
"No! I would find another way, something!"
"I..." Jon hesitated. "Did not. I drew, and I shot her. It haunts me. I will lay down my life as a shield to protect, if I was in the same situation, but I cannot strike Tonks, or bear arms against her. Do you understand?" Jon said quietly.
"Mate, defending yourself or someone else is completely different than that situation. You can't just let someone attack you because she's a girl. With your ability, you could probably stop her without ...really hurting her."
Jon said nothing.
"You have the Sleep Curse! The Aegis!"
Jon shrugged.
"You're serious about this, aren't you," Harry argued.
"I will..." Jon folded his arms. "...have to come to these terms myself. My feelings also do not change what we must do. I just know that, since Ygritte, I could not bear to strike at a familiar female face," Jon reinforced. "The nightmares still remind me."
Harry was starting to understand. It was a psychological issue Jon needed to deal with. He would let him deal with it in his own way. With an unsaid agreement, both lads stopped conversing and offloaded everything that did not need to be taken to Hogwarts.
"Tonks?" Harry knocked on her bedroom door an hour later.
"Yes?" she called out from inside.
"Finished with the moving. We're leaving," Harry said.
"Hold on," she replied from inside. The door opened partially and she watched him from inside. Harry just looked at her, a respectful distance away from the door. Tonks folded her arms in her plush white bathrobe. They said nothing.
"How's the knee?" Harry asked.
"It is much better, actually."
"That's good," Harry nodded. "Well, bye." He turned to leave.
"Hey!" she called him. Harry stopped.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for helping me. I- I-" Tonks rubbed her face. "I don't know why I do some of the things..." she tucked her hair behind her ear, not looking at him.
"It's okay," said Harry.
"It.. isn't. I don't know. I... wouldn't like someone to..." she trailed off. "This is so... weird."
"I think I know what you mean," Harry felt a sensation like a sinking stone in his stomach. He didn't like the tone, nor the direction this conversation was going. He'd rather have these weird, and random glimpses of Tonks being completely flirtatious. It wasn't right, but he wanted her to do her thing. "But weird is good. I like..." Harry smiled guiltily.
"You do huh?" Tonks lips curled in a slight smile. "Of course you do." Her expression changed and she was contemplative once more. "I don't know why I do it, but, I think..."
NO NO NO!
A possessive fire, white hot with magic, surged through his chest, his heart, he wasn't going to let whatever this was, go down like that. He just wasn't. He might as well find a cure for Lycanthropy and invite Remus to live in this house. Every logical thing Jon just said, went out the door.
Harry gently pushed open her door. He tentatively took her hand. "Hey... its cool. Just be... yourself, I like you just the way you are. Everything will work out."
Tonks looked at his hands. Every boy who was interested in her before liked her because she could manipulate her proportions, or some relative aspect of her metamorph ability. Around Harry she never felt like she had to be somebody else. In fact, the one time she did change her appearance to kiss him at the lake, she got the impression that he wasn't even that interested.
"Even if I looked like this?" Tonks appearance changed, and she subtly turned into a younger version of herself. She became shorter by a couple inches, her cheeks fattened a bit and her bathrobe fell a little more loose on her body.
Harry was now slightly taller than her, which felt weird. He liked Tonks as she was. He touched her cheek, pushing the hair that fell back behind her ear.
"You were pretty then, but you are just as pretty or even more so now," Harry said truthfully.
"This was how I was on my sweet sixteen," Tonks said, coming closer. Harry could sense another 'Nymphadora moment' kicking in.
Harry found sudden inspiration. The Diablo Core wand was made with threstral bone, and had an uncanny response to his magic. "Change back to how you are," Harry ordered softly. She did. "Close your eyes."
Tonks gave him a look, as if saying 'no funny stuff'. Harry drew his Diablo wand and summoned magic from within, a glamour with expertise fueled by actually living through his previous life.
Harry grew. His vision turned blurry. He looked down at Tonks passive face, her lips upturned as if she awaited a kiss. His hands were blistered and he had plenty healed spell burns on his arms. He was wearing the dirty clothes he escaped Gringotts bank with.
"Open your eyes," he commanded, his voice deeper.
Tonks did, and she stared. She looked up into his green eyes, and spotted the angry lightning shaped scar on his forehead. Harry's face was angular, more weary, his eyes were colder, as if he was perpetually tired. His jaw and brow were harder, more defined. His shoulders weren't muscular by any standard, but he was lean, and square.
"This was how I was a couple months before I turned eighteen," Harry said, intentionally not telling her that he never even reached the ripe old age of eighteen. "A lot of things were going on. None of the girls were 'crawling all over me'."
"You look really-" handsome "-tall," Tonks exchanged before she let that slip.
"Five foot eleven isn't that tall," Harry shrugged. Tonks smiled. She looked at his hands in consternation.
"You were an Auror or something? Look at the spell feedback scars on your fingers and hands!" she touched his hands tenderly.
"Not really," Harry said, opening his palms. There were blisters and magical scars every where.
"Your scar also looks angry."
"Yeah it was," Harry said. "I was angry," Harry muttered under his breath. Too much stuff was going wrong, too many people were dying because of him.
"And what's with the scorch marks in the clothes... You look like you were in a fight," she said. "All heroic and stuff."
"Just broke out from robbing Gringotts actually," Harry twinkled. Tonks laughed at his joke. The laughter faded and they just stared at each other.
"What are you waiting on, Casanova?" Tonks asked softly.
"Hm?"
"When you tell a girl close her eyes, usually you're supposed to kiss her," Tonks whispered, leaning into him. Harry wrapped his hands at the small of her back, taking her in an firm embrace. She grabbed the back of his hair and kissed him. At this height and size, she fit perfectly. Harry knew that this is who he really was, but this was just a glamour, a facade. Now, he was only a kid. When the kiss was ended, he reluctantly let the glamour fade with a sparkle of magic.
"I'm sorry," Harry said as he returned to his younger self. "This is who I am, now. The changes are happening already: I'm taking care of myself better, I'm stronger, wiser, more willing to learn and accepting of life, in general. I want to be happy. Before, all I wanted was to have parents, a family. I always held a sort of a grudge, that my parents were taken away from me. I didn't think of actually... how should I say it, enjoying life. Now I do. I hope you understand, and could... bear with me for while." Harry thought his speech was sappy, and corny. He was genuinely surprised that Tonks smiled at him.
"Having parents as a kid is important, and totally understandable. I'm glad we had this talk. It makes me understand you a bit more. Not the Gringotts bit, you're too much of a White Wizard to do anything that dark."
"You'd be surprised."
Tonks sighed. "Now that I definitely know what to expect, maybe..." Tonks bit her lip. "You better get going then," she cut herself off, backing off into her room. "Bye, Harry."
"Later," Harry said. Well, Jon's speech went right out the fucking window. Here he was, initially trying to sorta stop whatever was happening between them, but in the heat of the moment, he intensified it.
Good job, Potter, great job indeed.
"So, you've been awfully quiet since we left." Jon was helping to unload the goods at the base of the tower at the back of Hogwarts.
"Mmhm," Harry said. He was standing on the back of the Abraxan cart. He hefted a crate and heaved it towards Jon. He caught it, then stacked it on a sturdy pallet at the base of the exterior staircase to the tower.
"Are you going to make me ask? How did it go?"
"Um, depends on how you look at it." Harry hefted another box.
"What does that mean?" Jon caught it easily.
"She was trying to, um, straighten things out. But I changed her mind," Harry admitted. "Last three." He tossed a smaller crate.
"What did you do?" Jon caught the box.
"I showed her what I really look like, before, you know."
"By the gods," Jon muttered. "That is a magic spell?"
"Yeah, it's called a glamour. But it isn't permanent. The threstral hair for the bracer and the wingbone for the wand really ties in nicely with my magic. The whole 'Master of Death' business. I gave her a glimpse of when I was seventeen."
"You stroked the fire, instead of buried it," Jon sighed. "You are a trouble magnet. I thought you said a relationship couldn't work."
"I was being... pessimistic. Where there is a will... there is a way!" Harry grinned as he threw the last of the crates. "Here, the keys," he tossed them to Jon. Jon caught them and opened up the sturdy metal door to the workshop. Within minutes Harry levitated all the new goods inside. He removed all the rubbish and broken furniture from the room and piled it on the back of the massive cart. Dust swirled inside the workshop, agitated by the cold draft. The sun was already setting in this early winter season. After he was done, Harry hopped into the driver seat.
"Ok. I'm going to take this rubbish back to base, probably leave the cart in the barn too. I'll zip on back. Wait for me, Jon."
"Be quick. All this work has left me ravenous."
"Be back in ten minutes. Listen out for me, okay?" Harry took the reins of the threstral team. "Yah!" Harry shot up into the sky and banked hard towards the Clan base. Within ten minutes flat he had reversed the cart in the large barn, freed the threstrals, and slammed the heavy wooden doors shut. He felt eyes on him. He looked up at Tonks' window. She was there, alright, sipping a cup of what he presumed to be tea, watching him. He waved. She indicated that she saw him with a wave of her fingers, then allowed the window drapes to fall into place.
Harry wrapped his scarf around his nose and mouth, and jumped into the evening sky. Within three minutes he landed at the staircase leading to the tower. Snow was beginning to fall heavily. At the second knock Jon opened. Apparently he was handy with a broom and scoop, because the floor was devoid of debris and well swept.
"Good work. You weren't kidding about having this place cleaned up within the week."
"Let's go eat something, Harry of House Hollow."
"What -hold up. It's not brothers of the black down in the great hall, it's girls. We stink. We need to clean up."
A half an hour later Harry and Jon were clean, dressed in fresh uniforms and were heading down to dinner this cold Saturday evening. Most of their house mates were already seated.
"There you are!" Katie said as soon as he walked towards the table.
Harry smiled. He almost forgot about their Hogsmeade visit tomorrow. "Hey, yourself," Harry replied. Katie scooted closer on the bench towards Alicia, offering him the newly created spot.
"Haven't seen you since lunch yesterday," she whispered as he sat. "What have you two been up to?"
"Apprentice stuff," Harry said. "Just came back."
"You're not alone. Look who is back," Katie indicated the teacher's table. Auror Drinkwater had taken the first empty seat, and began muttering something out of the side of his mouth with Snape. Snape appeared to be regretting sitting next to an empty seat.
"Well, that's ...good, innit?" Harry whispered back to her.
"Not really. There are notices up. Word's out he's cancelled this weekend's trip. He advised Dumbledore that until Auror Scrimegour gives resources for extra protection at Hogsmeade, they weren't allowing us to leave until that business with the Chamber of the Blood thing, investigation, case, whatever you call it; is closed. These hard -ass types love to lock people up huh?" She tried to keep her voice buoyant, but Harry could tell she was disappointed.
"Chamber of Secrets," Harry corrected. "That's not fair," Harry agreed with her, even though he knew Drinkwater had reason to be vigilant. "Sucks, actually."
"And the timing! He couldn't have, like, took another week off?" Katie grumbled.
"Bastard," Harry agreed, eating. He felt horrible, because even though Katie was venting about the cancelled visit, Harry wasn't actually. As usual, he was thinking about Tonks. What would she think about him going on an innocent Hogsmeade visit with Katie?
"Hey Jon," Katie greeted the other boy.
"Mistress Katherine," Jon nodded, drinking his juice. He didn't spot Alexandria at the table. Neither Ginevra. Maybe those two were in the Library.
"You guys got through?" Katie made small talk.
"Yes. We went to South Hampton and acquired the main tools and so forth."
"South Hampton!? Main tools?"
"For our workshop," Jon offered. "Harry didn't tell you?"
Harry was surreptitiously doing a slash neck motion for only him to see, but Jon either ignored it or didn't know what it meant.
"No..." Katie raised an eyebrow. "But that's cool. It's not really my business," she shrugged. Harry didn't buy that nonchalant act one bit. He was pretty sure she was dying to find out what exactly they were doing.
"It's not supposed to be a general knowledge thing, there might be core materials and so on that can be volatile," Harry explained as he ate. "We don't want anyone blowing up stuff in there."
"I can keep it quiet," Katie reinforced. They continued eating in companionable silence. "So, ...you have any plans for tomorrow?"
Rest, and homework. My body aches from all this lifting.
"No, I made time for us to go Hogsmeade, remember," Harry said. Katie smiled.
"Well, we came up with an idea. Hermione is trying to help," Katie said. "Remember the band thing we did for the Lake fight?"
"Yeah," Harry said. How could he forget?
"It sparked some interest in Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Even a couple of the Slytherins were interested when Alexandria and that Carrow girl talked about it. A music club. We want to put on a Christmas talent show, or something. Carols, or just simply any sort of music. I can play piano, and snare. Dean is fairly okay on the bass and strum guitar, but his real forte ...is kinda cool. Thomas," Katie called. Dean looked up from chatting with Michael Corner, from Ravenclaw. "Come and explain it to them."
"What, those two? Don't they have some Dark Wizards to capture or something?" Dean teased.
Jon and Harry grinned. "Nah. We're kind of on holiday mode this weekend," Harry shook his head.
"Full moon is when Dark Wizards are ripe for the picking," Jon added. "We catch them by the dozen." Jon and Harry connected without even looking.
"Right," Dean deadpanned. "Anyway. So, me, Hermione, and Justin and Corner, we have something in common, and I know you think it's that we're not from a wizard bloodline, but actually, we were working on getting ...um... avenues to allow our instruments to get amplified. We all play instruments, and we're accustomed to electricity and so on. Here, we can't use our amps and powered stuff because of magic interference and all that. Hermione looked up her knowledge club and is trying to figure out how some households could use both magic and electricity, and I think she's cracked it in a roundabout way."
"Smart girl," Michael Corner admitted.
"I learned sound-staging and setting up everything from my mom. That's what she does, a Sound engineer and instrumentalist. My stuff just came in off the train. Tomorrow I'll pick it up from Hagrid's."
Harry had to sift through that information and try to decipher what he was saying. "You want to have a rock band?"
"Knew you were a bright boy, Potter," Michael nodded.
"Well," Katie interrupted, "The muggleborns came up with that electrified idea, but the whole Christmas show is what the other houses want to get into, y'know mainly good cheer, Carols, falalalala la-la-la-la and all that good stuff, yeah?"
"Yeah..?" Harry agreed, unsure of the question. Jon frowned, not following at all.
"Ron and Hermione said they would come," Katie called. The two Gryffindors heard and looked across to the discussion. "Tomorrow we're on, right?"
"Yup! Are you two coming? I can play the flute, and a soprano in the choir at church!" Hermione asked Jon and Harry.
"Yeah, so do you want to come tomorrow? You two heroes play instruments, or can sing?" Katie asked.
"Either group, or both, we're not picky," Dean offered.
"Jon plays guitar," Harry volunteered immediately. Jon snarled, rubbing his long hair back from his face.
"Right on!" Michael said enthusiastically.
"Harry sings," Jon countered.
"I do not," Harry denied.
"Yeah we need another guitarist. You two got a 'boy band' thing going on with the long hair," Katie teased. "Was that intentional, by the way?"
"I can't sing," Harry repeated.
"We'll be there, miss Katie," Jon elbowed Harry in the ribs.
"Okay!" Harry rubbed that spot. "I'll come."
"Right. We've found an unused classroom that should be good for the choir. McGonagall and Vector gave us the okay for this little project," Katie beamed.
"Who came up with this idea?" Harry asked.
"Um, Alexandria. And I. And Hermione volunteered to help. Dean and Corner are more for the rock and rolling business. Shea from Slytherin seems interested. I think Montell Montague likes her so probably he's coming too," Katie admitted.
"Sounds cool," Harry nodded.
That night, in their dorms, Harry had to explain the concept of Christmas Carols and on the other side of the scale: what a Rock band was.
"I understand singing of praise and music that sounds pleasant to the ear, but this Rock band, it sounds like it contradicts everything I know about music."
"You'll see."
Harry and Jon showed up to the 'practice' late the next morning at the spare room on the third floor. This was the room Fluffy was in last year. They were greeted by Alexandria and Shea, who asked them if they knew any of the songs on the Carols list, and if they could play instruments.
"Guitar," Jon said softly. Alexandria smiled.
"You never said a thing! And you 'Arry?"
"I can't play anything, really," Harry said. "I'm here to support," Harry tucked his hands in his pockets.
"No problem. Come on, it'll be fun. Go and talk to Hermione, or Dean, Hermione sorta is the Choir master, Dean has the electric band thing in the next room-" she pointed at the massive cupboard that joined the main chamber to the secret room behind. "Through there."
Jon and Harry went into the sub room. A couple Ravenclaw seniors; Youri McQueen and Lewis Hillsborough, Dean Thomas, Michael Corner, Lee Jordan and surprisingly Penelope Clearwater were there. A Slytherin boy he didn't recognize was also there, un-boxing new equipment and helping assemble the drum set.
Jon's eyes grew wide at the gleaming black electric guitar Dean was holding. Penelope was standing behind a microphone stand, connecting signal cables to an electric amplifier.
Katie nudged Harry. "You made it!"
"I said I would, didn't I?" Harry accepted her quick hug.
Hermione rushed across. "Harry! Glad you could come! We kind of cracked a roundabout way to get small electrical appliances to work in Hogwarts. It's a Property and Blood Ward combination."
"A what?"
"It's pretty revolutionary if I say so myself," Hermione gushed, proud. "Rule no.1 Basically, the person needs to own the thing, as in, buy it, gifted. It can't be borrowed, stolen, etc. Rule no. 2, a drop of blood on the device and a simple warding ritual will protect it from other 'property' type magic, claiming it as 'property of the owner'. This blocks other outside interference, e.g. the presence of all the magic in this school. The reason why mixed families whose parents are not magical could use electricity is that because they 'own' their stuff, and we, the children, are sort of bound by that balance. You get it Harry? We sort of borrowed that muggle family dynamic, then rule three: it uses your magic as a power source. A brand new 'Tethering' spell, Penelope, Dean and I were working on. So far, Dean is really good at making it work. It substitutes the equipment's need for Alternating Current."
Hermione walked over to Penelope's microphone. "Testing, one two three!" Her voice was amplified through the amplifier. "And voila!"
"I think I got it," Harry said, even though he had no clue what she said. "The three of you came up with this Tethering spell?"
"The idea was Dean's, Penelope and I did the research. Dean put the work together, spell casting, technical know how, and theory. I convinced him to sign up at the Arithmancy Guild over the Holidays, so he could put it forward to the Seniors!" Hermione was really excited. "Can you imagine, we'd be bridging the gap! Another step forward in making Muggle relations the norm, rather than, a quandary!"
Jon was listening intently.
Harry was instantly on alert. He dragged her away from the others. "Hermione. Listen to me. You're right, this spell is revolutionary. But you have to be very careful. There are people who do not want the magical divide to be crossed. In fact, they are willing to ...disappear people that try," Harry warned quietly.
"What? Why?"
"Enemies of the blood?" Harry reminded her.
"Oh." Hermione's eyes widened. "Oh no!"
"You see?"
"We'll cancel the submission for now, maybe when things quiet down a bit and..." Hermione frowned, a troubled look across her face. "I overheard a Hufflepuff sixth year in the choir room talking, about muggle lovers bringing technology into the school, and how its a disgrace and all that. I paid him no mind, but now that you mention it... I'll tell the others to keep it quiet."
"A school project like this should be okay, but letting this out in this political climate might be a bit... too revolutionary," Harry grimaced.
"What political climate?" Hermione asked. She regarded him suspiciously for a couple seconds. Her tone lowered to a secretive whisper. "You know something we should?"
Ah. Another goof. Harry was about to make up another fib when Dean called out.
"Black!" Dean called. "You look like you've seen death itself. You like it? Wanna try?"
Jon was mesmerized by the sleek, black electric guitar in Dean's hands. It was shaped like a dual bladed battle axe, except, sexy, in it's own way.
"If you don't mind," Jon nodded.
"Come! I'll tether you." Dean drew his wand and plucked a hair from Jon's head. He wrapped it around a warding stake, and jacked it into the amplifier where the power cord should be. He cast a short spell in Latin and Jon felt a tweak of magic surge through his bracer. "Right! That should be it."
Jon plucked the strings tentatively, then started as the clear electric note came out the amplifier's grill.
"Play!" Dean encouraged him. Jon strummed and a harsh, aggressive sound emanated.
He began strumming a familiar tune played in the north. The synthetic strings and lack of a guitar hole was strange, but he liked it.
"Lewis. Play something for the man," Youri McQueen grumbled.
"How about Metallica?" Lewis Hillsborough nodded. "Lee, Penelope, do you know Fade to Black? Best track of that bloody good album from across the pond."
"That's rich," Harry chuckled at their choice of songs, satisfying the coincidence that he was known as the Lightning Comet and Jon as the Chevalier Noir Immortel. He sorta knew the song, from hearing it through the walls of Dudley's room above him.
"Rumour has it you have a wolf on the grounds, Black," Lewis said, flicking switches on his distortion pedal. A disgusting growl came from his speaker as he ran his fingers down the fretboard. "Great familiar to have."
"I do. His name is Ghost." Jon did the same thing as Lewis, and a heavy squeal came forth from his amp speaker. Jon watched Harry, a glint in his eye.
"Where can I get one of these?" Jon said immediately, his mouth agape.
"I'll hook you up," Dean offered. "I'll talk to you after."
"Lee. Whenever you're ready," Penelope said. "I hate when practice is held back because the drummer always needs something tweaked, or the hi-hat needs a bit of polish."
"I hate when female Bassists think they're all that just because they can play with the big boys," Lee countered. He took the seat behind an acoustic drum set they found stashed away in an abandoned storage room in Hogwarts. He clicked a three count with the drumsticks.
"Youri, you know the lyrics?" Lewis said, beginning the intro.
"No. I played this before, but I don't sing. Lead guitarists don't sing. We fucking play," Youri said quietly. He joined in with Lewis when the dual guitars started. Penelope did as well on the bass guitar.
Jon was liking this. He was liking this a lot.
"What do I do?" Jon asked, adjusting the guitar strap over his shoulder and settling in with the heavy instrument.
"You'll jam with us. This same sequence of strumming I'm playing, you can back me up. Hop in, try not to suck. Potter. You know the lyrics?"
"I do."
"The verse is after this. Quickly- the mic!"
"I'm pants at singing," Harry took the mic.
"This song isn't really singing-" Lewis did a four count. "-'Life it seems' ...let's go!"
Harry sung/spoke into the mic.
"Life, it seems, will fade away..."
"Wow," Hermione said, hearing his voice. It was a bit high, but it was clean, and true.
"Drifting further, every day
Getting lost within myself
Nothing matters, no one else
I have lost the will to live
Simply nothing more to give
There is nothing more for me..."
Lee banged on the drums, beginning the crescendo for the chorus.
"I need the end to set me free."
"Alright!" Penelope came across to face Lee on the drums. Her hair came loose as both of them collaborated for the chorus. She spread her legs in a wide stance, holding the bass guitar askew as her hair bounced in time to the drums.
Harry realized that strong sage magic was at work here. Jon was doing pretty well, considering, as he played the main rift, even though he missed the notes sometimes. It didn't deter him, in fact, it gave the song the tragic twist it needed.
The lyrics were freaking Harry out, yet at the same time, therapeutic. He put his gut into the next verse. Jon was facing Lewis, watching the older boy's hands play the chorus. At the appropriate times Jon strummed hard, fitting in with uncanny precision in his role as dual rhythm guitar.
"Fuck!" Lewis encouraged Potter. "Put your gut in it! Next verse!"
"Things're not what they used to be
Missing one inside of me
Deathly loss, this can't be real
I cannot stand this hell I feel..."
Emptiness is filling me
To the point of agony
Growing darkness, taking dawn
"Black, watch! C! A5 -D5 Good! E5! Pedal, now!" Lewis instructed as he smashed the device by his foot. Jon tentatively pressed his as he mimicked his guitar partner.
"I was me, but now he's gone..."
Harry felt inside go hollow. The song was about him, before he walked into the Forbidden Forest. He took off the microphone and held on to the mic stand with the other hand for dear life. His scar was burning. His eyes began to surge with rage at his fucking useless sacrifice. He flung his neck forward, letting his long hair cover his face, before the Red came. He hunched over, hiding his face as he felt magic empower his voice. The air went still with an otherworldly pressure, merely a fraction compared to his summoning ritual, but heavy nonetheless.
"No one but me
Can save myself
But it's too late
Now I can't think
Think why I should even try?"
Penelope Clearwater, the straight A's bookworm of Ravenclaw and currently the focus of Hogwarts gossip, was going ape crazy facing Lee's drumset. Her hair was swinging crazily as she murdered that bass guitar.
"Yesterday seems as though
It never existed
DEATH greets me warm
Now I will just say goodbye...
Goodbye... "
Harry made sure and kept his head bowed with his hair thrown over his face. He remained eerily still as Youri took center stage next to him. Youri's fingers were fast as lightning over the cutaway frets. He wasn't sure if his rage was real, or it was just the memories the song brought out. Jon had stopped playing and was watching Harry, because his bracer began to pull at his magic. Jon grabbed Harry and put his back to the crowd, blocking them from seeing Harry's predicament. Youri, the lead guitarist, was showing off his skills front and center during the exit solo. He appeared to be quite the showman.
Jon was grateful for the distraction.
"Look at me!" He ordered as the music thundered about him. Watching the red glow this close was the scariest thing he had ever seen. "Fuck!" Jon grabbed him about the shoulders and pulled him behind Lee and the drum set.
"It just came to me..It's fucking Snape... the Ocular restorative!" Harry gritted.
"Keep them closed!" Jon ordered. Lee was still playing but shooting the both of them curious glances.
"He's... making me a pliable vessel, or something. For Him," Harry cursed.
"You said he was on the side of the Light."
The intricate guitar solo was over and the guitars were once again in sync, supporting the end of a drum and bass duet. Jon drew his Dragon Heartstring wand. Harry threw up his forearm, blocking his attempt at the sleep curse. Both their bracers touched.
The Phoenix core bracers glowed and Harry felt Fawkes' magic surge through him. Jon had to shield his face from the sudden bright light swelling from Harry's body. There was a blinding flash.
"Whoa!" Lee ended his part with a hi hat roll, sensing magic pouring out from the two of them. Penelope's bass continued for one more bar then her bass trailed off. Youri added a personal flair of intricate fretwork then slid his fingers down the fret, ending the song with a sudden palm mute.
There was a shout and a polite round of applause from the choir students who crammed into the small sub chamber.
"You two alright?" Lee asked, watching them intently.
Jon looked at Harry's face. Thankfully his eyes were back to normal, but the Hogwarts sweater and his pants were bleached white with magic. "Not this shit again," Harry laughed.
"Better that than-" Jon pointed at his own eyes. Harry dropped his voice.
"We have to get a book from Snape's cupboard. It has spells that could help Ollie- and..."
Katie and Hermione ran around the drum set that moment. "What happened? What's with your clothes!" Hermione demanded.
"You okay?" Katie asked. Hermione huffed. She was about to ask him the same thing.
"Never better," Harry said with a straight face. "Freak accident, nothing to worry about," Harry answered before Jon spout some Wizard of the Light nonsense. He was right, Jon abruptly closed his mouth next to him.
"Could be the tethering... it is experimental, after all," Hermione put her fingers to her chin in thought.
Penelope sauntered over, the bass guitar still strapped on her. "You were feeling that song, Potter. Did you break down at the end?"
"The Tethering magic was screwy," Harry fibbed.
"Oh. You were like, really emotional."
Harry shrugged.
"And for a first time; this Gryffindor Ravenclaw jam, collab, whatever you want to call it; was, surreal. We meshed well. I've played with Youri and Lewis before, but something about you... makes others do shit they wouldn't usually do," Penelope stated. "Look at my condition." Her hair and previously neat uniform was in a complete mess. "What is it with you two?" she asked seriously.
"Nothing. You were just enjoying yourself," Jon smiled. "I was too."
Harry thought about Tonks' weird behavior. The only wizard he knew who made others do things without actually doing anything was Dumbledore. He instilled a sense of doing selfless things for others that was really hard to ignore. Snape was a good example. How does once convince a wizard to risk being a spy on Death Eaters and The Dark Lord himself?
Jon told Harry before that he brought out the 'best' in others.
He was now questioning himself. Did he trigger other's latent magic?
Michael Ellewyn-Sare was a nobody the last time around. Harry meets him in Diagon alley and he turned Dark. Oliver was a good bloke before, but his bravery skyrocketed to an all time high in that duel. That weekend he had summoned him to protect the school. Tonks was relatively sane before, now that name curse seemed to pop up whenever they were alone. Even Jon's immunity to Fire and cold was something new he 'saw' in his future life. His hand was burned before, but after resurrection, he reported he saw visions of himself surviving Dragon Fire and Winters touch.
And little Gabrielle Delacour was apparently projecting or possessed by the Red Witch, according to Jon.
Was his presence making these changes happen?
"You changed the mind of a lot of the more, old fashioned students who were totally against the rock band. They said that they could appreciate what we're trying to do," Hermione beamed. "You two do change people," Hermione reinforced.
"I think people change for themselves," Harry said simply. "You guys continue. I have to go."
And snatch the Half Blood Prince's book.
AN: Thanks for reading. Until we meet again.
TDLN
