A/N:Time for the next chapter of this story! I look forward to your remarks on this chapter, sorry it's taken nearly a year. I've meant to catch up on this fanfic. Izaya will NOT be taking part in the war, he will merely be watching it all from the sidelines. It's about time another character got in on the action with Harry. Who better than Remus, the traitor? :D
Oh, and Ron might die soon, too, maybe making up for how he treated Izaya. All in favor of who you want me to kill off next, please vote in the new profile poll I'll be setting up. Shizaya is the pairing for this fanfic, by the way.
"You'd kill just for that...?" Batman
"Oh, yes, Batman...I would kill for revenge. Every time I look at this, I see my beloved Nora begging to be freed." Mr. Freeze, Batman the Animated Series. RIP Michael Ansara.
Chapter 35 The war begins, or how Izaya's game really expands into the future
Izaya Orihara had always been a twisted, corrupted person, even as a child. The Dursleys, god rest their souls in hell and wherever they may be burning now, had been partially responsible for that. He thanked them for convincing him that magic was trash and that the wizards were idiots who had doomed all of society by dragging their war into the Muggle world.
If only they could keep their prying noses out of his life, then he wouldn't need to go around explaining himself to idiots like Fred and George and even...what would he do about Remus Lupin, and Ginny, and Tonks...if those idiots got word that he was still alive...well, about that.
Izaya had some special gifts sent for some of his worst enemies...like the lovely traitor Peter Pettigrew. He was planning on sending that rat to a muggle prison. He wouldn't hurt him in his rat form, as Izaya didn't plan on hurting animals. He actually kind of liked rats, they were like him, treacherous, deceitful, smart, cunning and hated by idiots simply for existing.
Voldemort...oh, he was going to have fun killing him. As for Malfoy, well dear Draco was probably going to die. He was going to avenge his father. The time was fast approaching when he would have to appear before those idiots and declare their world was fast over. Now, how to best destroy the wizards...?
He played with his chess board, idly. He had thought this over multiple times. Perhaps the best strategy was to let Dumbledore and Voldemort destroy each other while he just watched from the sidelines. Ah, but that would ruin the whole point of coming in to see the look on those idiots' faces once they realized just what they'd done to their precious savior.
They had destroyed his sanity, his life, and he would not let them do that again. He would make them pay for what they had done to him. No longer would they be allowed to screw with innocent children. He would not let them get away with their crimes. Not anymore.
He sighed as he spun his pawn around on his chessboard. He had received a message from both Sirius and the werewolf, both asking him to meet with them. He suspected that the werewolf man was attracted to Izaya's sadism and thirst for power.
The man, Fenrir, seemed reliable enough. He seemed to dislike Voldemort and wizards in general, though only time would tell.
Though for some reason, Sirius had asked Remus to come and see Izaya, telling him that he was alive.
Izaya had been shocked that Sirius hadn't come and asked him first, but like godson, like godfather, he supposed, as he got up, prepared for Remus and Sirius to come.
Like usual, he had also arranged for Shizuo to come meet with them, in case anything went wrong. Shizuo had become unusually protective of him lately. Izaya had found it not irritating, but in a strange way, amazing. He liked the monster lately.
It bothered him, showing such weakness.
He was stronger than that protozoan, so why was he letting in others again?
Izaya knew he would have to kill Dumbledore with his own two hands. He didn't mind that prospect. It was the idea, the thought of meeting with people who hadn't bothered to be there for him when he'd needed them most that hurt.
He could recall being thrilled to learn he had a godfather and a friend of his father's. They could talk about so much. Except...that happiness had faded to sadness and disappointment. Almost every time Izaya had sent him (Remus) a letter asking for him to remove him from the Dursleys, he had been poorly received, with Remus often sending nothing in return or a reprimand, telling him that Dumbledore had told him that he was to stay there for his own good.
"Those wizards will pay..." Izaya remarked, his eyes flashing as he threw the pawn in the air. A knock on his door interrupted him.
"Come in," He said lightly.
It was Shizuo. Shizuo came in, looking annoyed.
"So, flea, who the hell did you invite?" Shizuo said.
"My godfather and an old friend. Unfortunately, they might not be very supportive," Izaya stated, spinning around in his chair. "At least you had loving parents."
"True. I can't imagine what it was like to have no parents," Shizuo muttered, "Flea, I've really underestimated you and misjudged you this whole time."
"I tried telling you, Shizu-chan." Izaya said, folding his arms, "But you know how stubborn you can be."
"Yeah," Shizuo remarked, flopping down on Izaya's couch, a cigarette still dangling from his lips. "When are they getting here?"
"Probably about now," Izaya remarked, checking his watch.
Suddenly, Izaya's window was opened as Sirius came in, grinning. Lupin apparated in a second later, bewildered and confused.
"Sirius, couldn't you just apparate?" Lupin asked. His mouth fell open as he took in his surroundings and then his eyes narrowed. "Hey, where's Harry?"
Izaya smirked and lifted his hand up lazily, as a greeting. "Hello there, Lupin-kun. Been a long time, hmm?"
Lupin stared from Izaya to Sirius. "Who the hell's this?"
"How rude. Can't you recognize your friend's son?" Izaya remarked, flipping his pawn in the air. "...You are Remus Lupin, wizard and husband of Nymphadora Tonks, and member of the Order of the Phoenix. You taught in third year at Hogwarts. You're a werewolf, too."
"The fuck? Werewolves exist, flea?" Shizuo said.
Lupin couldn't speak for a few moments. He just stared from Sirius to Izaya, trying to look for any trace of Harry Potter in the smirking, cynical-looking man before him. "You can't be Harry. Harry has magic."
"I destroyed my magic," Izaya replied.
"The scar-"
"Is not necessary, and was taken care of. Trust me, I covered that up."
"Your eyes-"
"I had lots of plastic surgery done to make myself look Asian. No harmful side effects. They have some good magical surgery to use to alter your facial features permanently. I used some of those. But these...I used regular eye surgery for them. Now I don't need glasses." Izaya remarked sardonically.
"...I see," Sirius said, "That makes sense. You're definitely Slytherin material."
"Mind telling me who the fuck these people are, flea?" Shizuo demanded.
"Harry, we've missed you so much. You have to come back home, with us." Lupin said insistently, staring at Izaya as though he were nothing more than a petulant child who needed to be taught a lesson.
Izaya rolled his eyes and simply sipped some of his coffee before he spoke. "...Don't ever use that name in my presence. Harry Potter died a long time ago."
"Harry-"
"He said not to use that name, didn't you hear him?" Shizuo demanded. Upon seeing Shizuo's fists cracking, the man faltered.
"...Well, uh...who are you?" Lupin said, too afraid of this new Harry to sit anywhere.
"...Izaya Orihara at your service, a mere Muggle, free from the chains of wizardry. Do sit down and explain yourselves. More importantly, explain to me why you saw fit to leave me alone at the Dursleys all the time." Izaya said through gritted teeth.
Shizuo could see that Izaya hated these people, and for good reason. They seemed quite clueless.
"This is Shizu-chan. If I wanted to, he could break every bone in your body." Izaya said cheerily.
He smirked upon seeing Lupin falter.
"Uh...is that so? Well, then...on to news. I hear you've been...living as a Muggle. Don't you miss magic? The Burrow could always hear from you..."
Izaya set his cup down with a loud crash, still smiling. "...Excuse me? Did I say I at any point desired to return to those traitors? And I am someone else now, please do not associate me with Harry Potter."
"Harry, look. I can accept you having another name, but you choosing to hurt all of those who cared for you is unacceptable. I'm sure they can all explain themselves to you." Remus said, in what he thought was a convincing tone.
Shizuo knew when Izaya was pissed off. This was one of those times.
The informant pulled out his switchblade, letting it gleam in the light of the lampshade. The two before him instantly paled.
"Harry...put the weapon away. We can talk at the Burrow, we don't have to talk here-"
But Izaya had heard enough. He stood up, frowning at them both.
"Lupin, I thought you would be willing to at least hear me out and respect your friend's son's decision to be someone else. But you still insist on seeing me for someone I am not. I am Izaya Orihara, a muggle. No longer a wizard. I will not ask again, for you to call me Izaya, and for you to stop trying to convince me to be someone I'm not."
"Harry-"
"Izaya." Izaya spat.
"...Remus," Sirius said in warning.
"Fine, then, Izaya," Remus said coldly, startling Izaya, "James would have been ashamed of you for being a Muggle. He always wanted his son to follow in his footsteps and be a hero, not be a coward hiding out in the Muggle world. People are dying, and you can stop all of it, yet you sit here, having a good time. Do you realize what hardships you've caused us? Dumbledore said it, you're the only one who can defeat You-Know-Who. Please, understand. It's been hard on all of us."
Izaya rolled his eyes but said nothing.
Shizuo's fists tightened around the glass he was holding, instantly shattering it into pieces as the pieces flew on the floor. "I'm gonna go clean this up," He mumbled, walking casually over to the sink, and grabbing a piece of a towel and starting to wipe it up.
"...Please, listen to me. I know you hate us now, but all I'm asking for is for you to come home. The Weasleys are devastated. Ginny wants to see you so badly. Dumbledore cares about you. Please, listen to us. We're sorry for what we did. We love you-"
At this point, Izaya's lips twitched. He started to smile.
Lupin smiled in relief.
Then, Izaya started to chuckle, and before he knew it, he stood up and started to laugh, laugh hysterically, holding his sides, as his maniacal laughter echoed around the room. Shizuo looked at him in concern, Sirius also.
Remus watched on in bewilderment, startled by his best friend's son showing such off behavior. What had happened to him?
"...I'm sorry. Your comment was full of such bullshit that I think I nearly laughed myself to death. You're wrong on so many levels, Remus-san." He said coldly, losing any informality he may have had. "...That isn't my home, it never was. You all intended to use me, to make me be a little puppet. Ginny is only upset because she never got to have her little doll awarded to her. I know. You intended for me to be used to make children for the Weasleys, and then you wanted to either sterilize me, or make me a vegetable."
"Harry-" Remus began.
Shizuo came back, his fists tightening even more. He was growing irritated, both with these assholes and with the flea's changing emotions. 'Who the fuck do they think they are, dictating the flea's life like that? IF anyone had used me like that, I would have killed them. Kill...kill...kill..'
Izaya smirked. "What? Are you sincerely upset for how you abandoned me at the Dursleys, year after year? You know, you could have come saved me at any time, Remus. You weren't imprisoned by idiotic wizards. Yet you chose not to. That's called child neglect. That's punishable by jail time."
"...Harry, don't misunderstand. Dumbledore said you were safe there. No matter how they hurt you, they were your family."
Shizuo had heard just about enough, as his veins throbbed on his temples, and he slammed his fist hard, down on a chair, silencing Remus.
"...Will you shut the hell up, you bastard? You're so full of crap you make the flea look honest and trustworthy! What do you know about Izaya, hmm? You're making excuses for being a shitty person. That pisses me off. I hate when people can't stay true to their promises, and especially to a kid." He lifted up the table, swinging it around as a warning.
"...Wait just a moment." Remus cried, weakly, "I wanted to know why you chose to not contact us-"
"I chose to not contact you? Don't kid yourself, Remus. You've always been eating out of Dumbledore's hands. You trusted an old man more than your own friend's son. You didn't bother to adopt an orphaned son because you didn't care about upholding promises. All you cared about was tracking down Pettigrew, am I wrong? To that end did you abandon me for nearly 13 years and then you show up, looking for Sirius. Not a word to me about my parents. Not a word asking about how I was doing, how I was faring with my relatives. You only showed up when it was convenient for you." Izaya spat coldly, pointing his knife at Remus.
"...But Harry-"
"Enough, Remus," Sirius snapped, "I told you to call him Izaya. He's had enough of our world. Can't you respect that?"
Remus's face reddened. "I CANNOT ACCEPT JAMES POTTER'S SON BECOMING A MUGGLE AND ABANDONING OUR WORLD WHEN IT NEEDS HIM MOST! YOU HAVE TO DEFEAT VOLDEMORT, THAT'S YOUR DESTINY AND YOU CAN'T CHANGE IT, HARRY! SNAP OUT OF THIS STATE. YOU ARE THE CHOSEN ONE. I TAUGHT YOU THE PATRONUS FOR A REASON, NOT SO YOU COULD WASTE IT PLAYING SOME SILLY FANTASY-"
WHAM.
At that instant, Shizuo's fist collided with Remus's jaw, causing the werewolf to fly backwards and hit the wall, hard. The werewolf had never felt such intense pain before, he could feel some of his teeth coming out as blood seeped out of his mouth.
Shizuo approached, the angry beast hovering over the other, as he picked him up, glaring at him. "...I think I've met someone I despise more than the damned flea. Listening to you talk about the flea like that...are ya such a self-centered jackass that ya can't even bother to listen to what the freakin' flea has to say, huh? You had a commitment, right? You were supposed to take him in and raise him. Decent people don't abandon children. Only a scumbag does that. And for that, I say I'm going to beat the shit out of you until you apologize to Izaya."
"...There's nothing...to apologize for..." Lupin said.
WHAM.
Shizuo punched Remus in the gut, and a crack could be heard as his ribs were twisted.
"...What did you say? I think I'm gonna call you a wolf bastard. What did you say, wolf bastard? Did I hear an apology for the flea after abandoning him? Because decent people don't abandon kids and leave them with monsters who hurt them! Don't you have any decency in your body!" Shizuo roared.
Remus looked afraid now as he stuttered. "Look...you don't know anything...Harry has to...it's his destiny."
WHACK.
Remus was whacked over the head by a chair. Blood streamed from his forehead as Shizuo continued to punch and kick him.
"What kind of sick bastard sentences a child to go and fight after an enemy they can't? You're sick!"
"...I think I've done enough to you. You won't be moving for weeks, not even in your werewolf form. Do you know...where I punched you?"
Remus shook his head, too bruised to even speak.
"...I punched you...in all the places that the flea showed me he has bruises from, from that horrendous world of yours. All the hell you put him through is now what you're feeling, you coward! Izaya has been able to live a life of peace for years, and now you show up threatening to take away the only peace he has left?" Shizuo roared. "THE ONLY PERSON WHO GETS TO MAKE HIS LIFE HELL IS ME. YOU GOT THAT?"
Remus trembled in fear.
Izaya clapped.
"Very good, Shizu-chan. We can send him back to the hospital, Sirius. Do perform a memory-wiping spell on this piece of shit here."
"But, Izaya-" Sirius began.
"He does not care about me. You were mistaken. You care, but he does not. He's not worth anything in my eyes. I want you to take him away and never tell him anything about me again. I do not want to see hide nor hair of him again. Remus Lupin is as good as dead in my eyes." Izaya spat.
Shizuo dropped Remus, who passed out from blood loss, and stormed over to Sirius.
"Fucking coward. You're a fucking coward, too. Why didn't you stand up for your own godson?" He growled.
Sirius trembled. "He went too far! Keeping Harry safe is my biggest priority...but I think what Izaya's father would want is for him to be safe...right?"
Izaya smiled. "Farewell, godfather...our meeting is over. The next time I see Remus Lupin, he'll be a dead man." He waved his knife in the air as a warning.
Sirius nodded, shakily, before he and Remus vanished, wiping the blood off the floor with a simple spell.
"What cowards. Flea, do you really want to deal with these assholes?"
Izaya shook his head. "Trust me, my meeting with the next werewolf should be...fun. He also hates Remus."
"I see. Aren't you afraid they'll try and make you like them?" Shizuo asked.
"They have an honor code, unlike the wizards." Izaya said, smirking. "That should send the message across. That I want nothing to do with wizards."
From Seiji's room, Mika listened to the recorded message of Shizuo beating the snot out of a wizard and smiled.
"Those disgusting wizards won't come near me or Seiji-kun. I won't let them." She muttered. "Good luck, Izaya."