Brother in Arms

by SteamGeek01

After travelling to the UK for a hunt in Surrey for a change; Ticci Toby discovers a small child living under the stairs of Number 4 Privet Drive but there is more to this child than meets the eye. A CreepyPasta and Harry Potter crossover. Now has side-story for extra works that couldn't make it into the main story or reader based suggestions.

38. Chapter 38, Of His Own Choosing

Chapter 38, Of his own choosing.

"Word" – Speech.

'Word' – Thought.

"Word" – Slender Speech.

#Word# - Texts, messages, phone calls and on-screen words. Will have speech marks if words are being spoken at the same time as they appear on-screen.

~Word~ - Written words.

$"Word"$ - Parseltongue.

Disclaimer, Harry Potter is the creative property of J.K Rowling and the studio that produced the films.

Any CreepyPastas mentioned in this fic will have their creators stated in the endnotes.

I also have no ownership of any brands, games, franchises or shows mentioned in this fic.

Any persons mentioned outside of the stories that this fic is based on, that I haven't stated are a reference, are purely fictional. I do not condone killing unless it is justified, i.e. hunting animals for food or as a last resort in defence. Any similarities to any persons mentioned are purely coincidental unless it is in reference then I will have stated where the reference was from if it is overly obscure at the end.

Locations in which the kills are chosen are selected by online generators and I zoom in to see what's near there on google maps. All kill scenes that I write that did not occur in the Harry Potter book series are not based on any real-life events.

Author's note.

'munches on popcorn'

Hi again, how was the wait?

I think it's safe to say that I love cliffhangers at this point.

So, let's see how many reviews I got this time.

ChaosDragon25;

Are you aware, that I am aware, that I knew exactly what I was doing when I decided on that chapter title?

I also may or may not have giggled a little when typing it.

Also, I think you win the award for 'Earliest Review Ever!' on this fic so... I dunno... congrats, and what not. Just under 30 mins since the chapter went up... ok then.

MyraZinshu;

No prob.

Erm... I really want to try that now. But yeah, I think I know just what to write for that to happen.

Thank you.

.549;

Yay! Puns!

Never apologise for a pun, they shall weed out the weak.

Thank you, I should be able to keep up with the pace, yes.

YingYangWriter;

Yep, and I have no idea if I will ever write Toby on valium again.

Sorry to disappoint but I think that too much of a good thing can turn it bad.

Masky deserves all the cheesecake in this chapter, and cigarettes, and a massage, and a spa-day.

So, do you think I did well with Fudge in this chapter? In the book, he is a very cowardly person that cares more about his image and reputation than doing any actual work, so I hope that I did well.

Dumbledore's manipulative actions are starting to come into the light and, as the lyrics go, 'Karma's gonna come collect your debt!'

I'll be checking it out later, still need to buy the game but I've never had enough money before now to do so.

Erm... Jeff's actually in the infirmary the now... who have you got on your couch?

Oh wait, hold on, I gotta check something...

...

Ok, right, I've erm... well, you're in an EXTRAS chapter, the erm... sixth one...

Matt (Guest);

'sighs'

RE-READ THE BLOODY PROLOGUE!

I've had that thing planned since I started this thing, and I constantly get asked, 'What letter?' so go re-read the prologue and pay attention!

Lunarwolf11021;

Hehehe, I loved that scene with Toby as well.

And I'm glad that you liked how I changed the Sirius rescue.

Though I am surprised that no one has mentioned the flower crown.

Sweet Smilie;

Ok, those first sentences after I translated them do nothing to make me think you are not on drugs.

Yeah, Isaac's head was hurting real bad after trying to go through the time-travel stuff.

It's Toby, find out how many explosives you would need, and triple it!

I have no idea why people drink other than it's fun to disorientate ourselves from time to time.

I... erm... sorry but I had a little trouble understanding what you meant by the end.

I think it's about Dumbledore trying something to make it so that Isaac is forced to move back to the UK or something and trying to get him back under his control.

Rosie and rai the kitsune;

Hehe, Toby on valium was amazing to write.

Eh, no prob. I prefer using my phone when using as well.

Also, when I read the review on my email account, it had censored the word 'Valium'.

Apparently, that counts as a swear. For some reason?

Dark Ravie;

Thanks, glad that you like it.

Thunder-Death;

Thank you, writing Toby while he was high on valium was a privilege and I truly have no idea if I'll ever write another scene with him like that.

Glad that you liked the HP part, I've been planning what happens there for a while now.

Well... actually I'm procrastinating writing this chapter by answering the reviews because I'm still working things through in my head.

I really do hope that you enjoy this.

Ceresama;

Thank you,

Hope that the waiting is worth it.

Future-Forgotten;

Yeah, not a lot have, plus it's the only other area of fiction that I'm decently knowledgeable about (Three guesses for what the first is).

If you've spent the last few days reading my stuff then I can only apologise for the earlier works before DP decided that she'd take pity on me.

Thank you, I'll take top three anyday.

Well, I hope that the waiting was worth it.

Ok then, that's that handled.

DP, the beta who has to put up with my very weird subject titles whenever I email her the next chapter, how you doing?

I'm doing really good SG. How is it going for you across the pond? It's raining in my part of the US.

How's it going for me?

I've finished my first ever work week.

MY LEGS HURT!

But, I'm getting money for this, so it's good.

That being said, since I do have a job now I might, just might, miss an upload once or twice in the future while I get used to working from 7:30 in the morning until well into the afternoon.

I have around a 10-hour shift, so I'm going to do my best to still work on the story but I'm sorry in advance if I ever miss any.

Ok, that's everything, I can no longer stall any further.

Here's the next chapter, enjoy.

SteamGeek01.

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"Erm... guys... we might have a problem..."

It was those words that got Toby to look up.

"What's wrong?" he asked, thinking back to what Ben had said.

His eyes went a little wider when he remembered who Ben had said the letter from.

"Apparently, 'Due to unfortunate circumstances, students are being sent home earlier than planned.

Apologies in advance for any scheduling conflicts that may have arisen because of this,'

Signed, the lady that can turn into a cat," Ben finished.

Toby took the letter from Ben's hands and read it over.

"Want to come with us to go get him?" he asked.

Ben smiled widely and ran to go get his coat while Toby went to find Masky and show him the letter.

They would have some things to say to Isaac when he got back.

(X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X) (X)

Ron Weasley walked alone through the streets of Hogsmeade.

His hands were stuffed as deep in his pockets as he could manage, and he glowered at the ground as he walked.

A rattling in a nearby alleyway got his attention.

He paused for a moment, looking down the dark space.

He thought about leaving it for a moment, that it was more of the stupid thing that Isaac would have stuck his nose in and gotten into another adventure.

He bristled at the thought of his ex-friend and looked down the alleyway again.

If that jumped up idiot could handle himself in a mess, then he could too!

He set off down the alley.

"Hello?" he called.

A rather short, balding, man with mottled grey skin jumped and turned to face him...

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Isaac and Hermione had gotten let out of The Hospital Wing that morning and, thankfully, it seemed that everyone had either forgotten about or never knew of their parts in the whole thing.

No one asked them any questions other than what they thought had happened.

Isaac, in more than one way, was thankful for the calm they had been presented with and he and Hermione decided not to go with the masses to the final Hogsmeade visit.

Instead, they took the chance to lounge outside under a tree.

Hermione was sitting in the shade of a tree, reading to relax instead of the near-frantic revision she had been doing all year. She had handed in the time-turner earlier that day; not keen on going through another year like that.

Isaac was ankle deep in the water, shoes and socks on the grass with his trousers rolled up, as he skimmed stones across the rippling water that had thawed out overnight.

"Eight," he counted on that last one, "You sure that you don't want to try?" he held out one of the flat stones in his hand.

Hermione shook her head, "Dad showed me how to, but I never got into it,"

Isaac shrugged and threw another, letting his shoulders drop when a tentacle of the Great Squid rose and stopped it from breaking into double digits.

He turned back to the shore as a large pair of footsteps could be heard making their way over.

"Hi, Hagrid!" he called over, winding back his arm for another throw.

"Lo'," he said in reply, raising a hand to block out the sun and count Isaac's latest throw, "How's the two of you handlin' things?"

"Pretty good," Isaac said, bending down to look through the water for more stones, "How have you been?"

He threw another stone as Hagrid talked.

"Been out all night celebrating! Beaky got himself free before that ruddy executioner could've gotten to him," Hagrid said excitedly, "Course that news about Sirius does tend teh put a wee bit o' a damper on things, but, yeh've got to take the victories when they come,"

"Amen to that," Isaac said, standing up as he found another stone to throw and began rubbing some of the grit away.

He was half paying attention to what Hagrid was saying when he nearly dropped the stone.

"Wait, what about Professor Lupin?"

"Oh, said that he didn' take a bite out of any hippogriff in those there woods," Hagrid said, pointing at the Forbidden Forest, "Wait... did you two not..."

"We know he's a werewolf," Isaac said, shaking the last bits off the stone.

"Shouldn't be surprised, now the whole school knows, mind you," Hagrid said, "Macnair let it slip to some o' the Slytherin's this morning at breakfast. He's up in his office the now, packing an' all,"

"He's leaving?" Isaac asked, letting the stone fall away from his grip.

"Resigned first thing this morning," Hagrid said, "Says that he can't risk it happening again..."

Before Hagrid had finished speaking Isaac was out of the water and running up to the castle.

He tore through the deserted halls with ease until he came to Professor Lupin's classroom.

Before he had time to knock on the door it was opened to Professor Lupin's weary face.

"I saw you coming," he said, standing aside and letting Isaac see the Marauders Map lying on the desk.

Isaac walked into the office and looked around.

The tank that had once contained a Grindylow was now empty, the room was bare of any trinkets that the man owned, any pictures around the room had been packed away and a large suitcase with a folded up suit on display.

"I was kinda hoping that Hagrid was wrong," Isaac said.

Professor Lupin gave a half-smile.

"No. Last night was a wake-up call. Too close an encounter.

What if I had bitten one of you? Gotten into the castle?" he broke off and shook his head.

"As much as I can try to avoid it, accidents happen. And an accident with me has far greater consequences than someone ending up under the care of Madam Pomfrey for a few days,"

"But you're so cool!" Isaac said, "The best one so far!"

Professor Lupin gained a little colour in his cheeks as he put the final pieces of his wardrobe into the suitcase.

"I take it that you hadn't had too many good teachers for this subject then?" he asked as he closed the latches on that compartment.

"Well... the first one tried to kill me and had Voldemort's head on the back of his, the second was an utter moron and fraud who tried to wipe mine and Ron's memories, so... yeah, not the best," Isaac said, watching a set of footprints on the map as the wandered through the halls of Hogwarts on their own...

Isaac rubbed his eyes as it almost seemed like his vision narrowed and went slightly clouded around the edges.

He looked up when he felt a gentle hand being placed on his shoulder.

"You've been put through so much," Professor Lupin said, looking down at him as Isaac resisted the urge to roll his shoulder to remove the hand, "Much more than you should ever have been asked to bear,"

He removed the hand and Isaac rolled it when he was preoccupied with emptying the drawers of the desk to get rid of the tingling sensation.

Professor Lupin paused as he moved past the desk again.

"And... seeing as I'm no longer your teacher," he picked the map up off the desk, "I don't feel guilty about giving this back to you," he handed Isaac the map.

"I daresay that James would have been disappointed if his child didn't end up with one of the trophies from that era," he said with a smile.

Isaac looked up at him, a puzzled expression on his face.

Professor Lupin smiled.

"Do you remember how I told you that your Father, Sirius, and Peter became animagi to help me through the nights?"

Isaac nodded.

"Your father could turn into a stag," Professor Lupin told him, "And, therefore, he was Prongs though it took Sirius a week, and half a dozen hexes from James, to stop calling him any number of Santa Claus' reindeer, Rudolph being the primary one,"

Isaac snorted in laughter as Lupin went on.

"Peter became Wormtail, that one pretty self-explanatory.

I was Moony, also fairly easy to understand why. And Sirius..."

"You wrote the map!" Isaac exclaimed and Professor Lupin smiled, "Messyrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs! You were my dad and his friends..." he broke off as he stood a little higher and his shoulders dropped slightly as a memory of him returning to the Mansion after the plane ride came to him, "Moony... Padfoot... I remember you,"

Lupin frowned at him for a moment, before something long gone started to light up in his eyes.

"Back when I first went home, they had decided that I apparently had to get the full kid experience as quick as I could, to make up for lost time. And that included getting two stuffed animals.

A cream wolf, and a black dog. And I called them..."

"Moony and Padfoot," Lupin finished with a smile and small puff of laughter, "The mind works in many ways.

But, for now, I think that it's safe to say..." he flicked his wand at the suitcase, the last few things tucked themselves in and the front swung shut, "Mischief Managed,"

A soft knocking came from the door.

"Your carriage is here," Professor Dumbledore said, standing just in the frame.

Professor Lupin smiled once more at Isaac before picking up the empty Grindylow tank and his suitcase.

He nodded to Professor Dumbledore as the old wizard moved out of the way to let him pass.

When Dumbledore looked back into the room he found Isaac looking out of one of the windows and out onto the grounds.

"It's such a nice day out that one would think it would be better to spend it in the shade of a tree and enjoying the breeze, wouldn't you say so?" he said, coming into the room.

"Yes Professor," Isaac said, turning and smiling at the man, relaxing his body as he walked past the man and towards the door, "Professor?"

Dumbledore paused at the now empty desk and turned to look at Isaac.

"When... when we were walking back through the tunnel, back to Hogwarts from the Shack, Sirius... he mentioned a letter,"

Isaac looked up at the man.

"He said... that my Father had sent a letter to you, about the change in secret keepers.

Did you... ever get that letter?"

Dumbledore looked Isaac in the eye.

"No, I am afraid that I did not," he said serenely, "I fear that if I perhaps did, then quite a bit would be different,"

Isaac nodded.

"Yes, sir, things would have been different," he said before walking down the stairs.

It was when Isaac reached the doors to the classroom that he glanced back as he exited the doors.

Dumbledore was standing at the small landing that was just outside of the office.

As he left the room, one thought was going through Isaac's mind. Over and over...

'Liar,'

Dumbledore was lying, and Isaac knew that he was. Every nerve in his body told him that he was.

How he knew, he didn't know how... but he knew.

Isaac rounded the corner, thinking about what reasons that Dumbledore could have for lying about the letter.

"Oh! Have you lost your shoes as well?"

Isaac jumped as a dreamy voice broke through his train of thought.

He turned for the source of the noise and found a girl with a slightly dazed look on her face, and when he looked down he found that yes, he was not wearing any shoes.

His bare feet seemed to catch up at that point and started to get cold and when he looked over at the girl... yep, she wasn't wearing shoes either.

"Erm... no, I've just left them by the lake," Isaac said, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb.

"Oh, that's always good," the dreamy-voiced girl said, "It's always better to know where things are when you're looking for them, the nargles are never that considerate whenever they take something of mine,"

Isaac blinked and screwed his face slightly in confusion.

"The what-les?"

"Nargles," the girl said, "Tricky little things, like to be mischievous," she pointed up to where a pair of red trainers were tied to a rafter on the ceiling.

Isaac frowned even deeper as he looked at the slightly swinging belongings.

"Ok... give me a moment..." he backed up and looked around the corridor.

"Alright,"

He took off at a run towards one of the stone walls, reaching up and grabbing the stone ledge where a window was situated.

He pulled himself up and spun around on the balls of his feet and looked up at the beam that was just above his head upon which, halfway across, were a dangling pair of shoes.

He reached up and pulled himself up onto the pillar before walking across and sitting down.

"Give me a few more seconds," he called down.

After fiddling with the knot for a few moments they came undone and he let them drop down to the mildly amused looking girl.

Isaac looked around for a way down.

"Would you mind opening that door?" he pointed to one on the opposite end of the wall.

The girl didn't take her eyes off of him until she reached the door and opened it out wide for him.

"Thank you," Isaac said.

He got up carefully and moved closer to the wall.

He crouched down and pushed himself off, grabbing onto the mirrored alcove on the other side, before he dropped down onto the door frame.

He took a quick step onto the door as it swung shut and used the door handle as a step before dusting himself off.

"You know," he said as the girl looked at him curiously, "That hurts a lot less when you've got shoes on," he shuffled on the tips of his toes.

"Thank you," the girl said, "You're rather an odd one, aren't you?"

"That's one way to put it," Isaac said cheerily as he made his way back towards the lake to get his shoes...

... and rinse off his feet from the dirt on the floor and any scrapes that he had gotten in his little free-run.

"Oof!" Isaac staggered a bit as a man walked into him.

"Watch where you're going!" Macnair growled down at him, "Oh, it's you. Gone to see that half-breed off, have you?" he sneered.

The man looked like he was on the verge of spitting down on Isaac as he walked away, cackling, and...

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Isaac started a bit as he sat up a little straighter in the chair, his head bumping against the glass of the train window.

"You ok?" Hermione asked, her face incredibly pale.

"Yeah, just... must've zoned out or dozed off," Isaac muttered.

"I don't blame you, after what happened I've been feeling a bit off as well," Hermione said, holding Crookshanks in her hands, "Are you alright? You look a bit peaky,"

Isaac wiped his face with his hand.

"Yeah just... give me a moment, need the loo," he said getting up.

He staggered a little as he walked out of the compartment and down the corridor to the toilets.

He locked the door behind him with shaky hands and made his way over to the sink.

He grasped the cool porcelain and looked at his ashen complexion in the reflection.

He wiped the small sheen of sweat that had started forming on his forehead and looked down at his hands.

Red waves, burns, rippled over his fingers and palms.

Isaac winced as they started to sting and he ducked them under the cold water tap to cool them down.

He turned the tap off and flicked his hands into the sink to get the majority of the water away before drying them on the back of his trouser leg.

"What the hell did I do?" he asked himself as he looked into his reflection.

Everything seemed to shake for a moment and...

Isaac winced and clutched his head as his knees buckled slightly.

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That evening.

Having got his shoes back from Hermione they were sat down at the Gryffindor table for what was almost the final time that year.

Hermione was sat not too far away from him, chatting happily to Ginny Weasley.

The two had been getting along fairly well since after Ginny's first year, and whenever Isaac was out at Quidditch practice he normally found Ginny working next to Hermione and asking for help whenever she was confused to needed a double-check on how to spell something.

Further down the table, a good couple of rows from them sat Ron.

The moody teen had scoffed at Isaac telling him that Pettigrew had actually been Scabbers, and how Sirius was innocent, before the lanky ginger had gone to Hogsmeade and now he had started avoiding them more than he had been before.

Many were chatting happily around them and Isaac was finally glad that the year was going to be over and he would be going home soon.

Soon that was exactly what everyone started talking about, what they would be doing when they all went home.

"I know exactly what's going to happen," Isaac said, "Most are going to be out working, Sally's going to run down the stairs at like eighty kilometres an hour, Ben's going to ask if I've seen a dragon yet, then I'll be told of Toby's latest mess that gave M... Tim a migraine.

And Brian won't say anything," he finished.

"Me mam'll have made a..."

Seamus was cut off when a loud clanging came from the table at the top of the room.

For some reason, Dumbledore had allowed the members of the committee to stay for a night and search the grounds until they were sure that Buckbeak was nowhere to be found.

Now, Macnair was standing on the table and pointing at Hagrid furiously.

"I know you let him go!" he spat, his voice sounding throughout the now quiet Hall.

"Mr Macnair," Dumbledore said, standing as well though nowhere near as disruptive, "If you continue to threaten my staff, then I shall have to ask you to leave. As you are aware, from being there yourself, Hagrid was present when Buckbeak escaped. I would suggest that you either sit down peacefully or remove yourself from the Hall,"

Macnair looked furiously at Dumbledore and Hagrid.

He kicked his chair out of the way and walked down and out of the Hall.

Isaac's eyes narrowed as he watched the man walked down the far side of the wall, many watching the man now.

Just as he reached the entrance he turned and faced Dumbledore again.

"I'll find what he's done with the beast," he pointed in Hagrid's direction, "You mark my word,"

With that he turned and left, his boots echoing as he rounded a corner out of sight and up the stairs.

Isaac's hand clenched under the table and people were too preoccupied with chatter amongst themselves to notice the brief flare of blue and green light.

(X) Time Skip (X)

Walden Macnair threw his cloak onto the chair as he stormed into the temporary room that had been set up for him.

His situation had not improved in the slightest as his search for the hippogriff had yielded no results.

His rage at the injustice of not being able to complete his job had caused the portraits outside to temporarily relocate themselves at night as his angry shouts kept them awake.

Plus the man's general disposition was unnerving to be around and even his co-workers tended to avoid him.

He glanced over to the sharpening stone he had set up to sharpen the blade of his axe, it's low grind as it rubbed down the surface so it was free of any defections filled the room with a grating noise that was oddly relaxing to him.

He threw open the door that led to the barely used bedroom and made his way over to a small cabinet in the corner.

He reached under and pulled out a glass and a large jar containing a sloshing amber liquid.

Macnair poured himself a generous helping from the jar and left the stopper off.

He knocked back that cup full with practised ease and filled another, the amber liquid running down his chin after missing his mouth with the second.

Macnair shook his head as he turned the glass over in his fingers.

With a sudden fit of rage, he threw the glass as hard as he could at the wall.

Glass exploded all over the room, the little liquid left running streaks down the wall.

He picked up the jar and took a swig straight from the bottle before jamming the stopper back down and letting it fall back onto the table.

"Damn the bastard!" Macnair growled, rubbing his brow.

"Oh, he thinks he's a smart one, doesn't he?" he scoffed, "Leavin' the chain loose and... and... bastard!"

He debated picking up the jar again but left it sitting on the table.

He preferred the silence there was now.

"I'll get him up on his wee tricks," Macnair said, spitting out a large build up from his throat onto the floor, "I'll get him and his beastie!

First, I'll cut the fucking pony's legs off. Fry up its wings and feed it to the overgrown bag of shite,"

Macnair gave a low, cruel, laugh as he planned out his fun.

He sat on the bed, miming out the ways that he would slice the beast's stomach open, and took in the silence of the room.

Silence...

"Fucking... useless, cheap!" he broke off as he realised that the grinding of his blade should still be going on.

"Last time I trust something of Fletcher's to actually work," he grumbled to himself as he got up with a slight stagger.

He kicked the door open again and made his way to the small sitting room.

He stumbled as he stood on something.

He crouched down to find the enchanted grind-stone sitting on the floor.

"Useless... piece off..."

He broke off as he looked up when he reached the table.

He had taken his wand out to re-enchant the stupid thing to sharpen his blade, but...

It wasn't there.

The blade that had once sat upon the table top was missing.

Macnair spun around, whipping his wand around as he heard something behind him move.

"Who's there?" he slurred out, the drink taking its hold.

Another sound of movement, like a cloak swishing through the air, sounded behind him and he collided painfully with the table in his haste to turn back around.

He gave a brief gasp of pain as he turned into the room.

"Stupify!" he said, aiming for anything.

The spell hit the cushion on the armchair.

"Stupify!" he cried again, this time hitting the stone windowsill.

This went on for three more times until he was certain that he would have hit something by now.

"Tsk-tsk-tsk..."

Macnair spun as he searched for the source of the speaker.

"Missed me,"

Macnair looked up.

There, sitting in the rafters, was a crouched figure.

A pair of eyes glared down at him through a pair of blue-tinted lens and the person's face was obscured by a facemask that had a solid grey bar across the black fabric that covered their mouth.

He raised his wand again but the figure had dropped down, grabbing onto the beam of the ceiling, and kicked out hard against him.

One foot kicked the wand out of his hand, the other landed square in his chest.

Macnair was forced back, the air rushing out of his lungs and struggling to get back in. Just as he scrambled back to his feet as the figure dropped down.

He picked up a lamp on the table and swung it at the person.

The person dodged with ease, ducked under the second swing, before he charged at Macnair.

The taller and older man hadn't prepared himself for such a move and found himself back on the ground.

He reached for his wand which lay close by and when he got back to his feet the figure grabbed his arm, keeping the wand pointed away towards the ceiling.

Macnair growled at the smaller and, judging on his height and the grunt he had made when he had attempted to kick the masked figure, younger boy before him.

Macnair tried to angle the wand to point down at the boy...

"W-wha- AARGH!" Macnair dropped his wand before he started clawing at the blue and green flames that had started up around the boy's hands and, subsequently, his torso and arm.

He scrambled to his feet as he tried to fan out the flames, falling backwards again as he lost his footing.

His back hit the door out of the room as he tried to smother the flames that were searing his skin.

"Hey!"

He looked up at the person.

They were now holding the blade of his axe in his hands.

Macnair cried out and raised his hands as the person swung the blade.

He screamed out in anguished pain as the blade impacted across his face; from above his left eye to the bottom right of his jaw.

The door behind him gave way and he stumbled back.

Through blood-drenched eyes, he looked back at the figure for one last time as he started running towards Macnair.

The person leapt up and kicked hard on Macnair's chest again as he collided with the bannister of the staircase and he was pushed over.

Walden Macnair felt the air whip past him as he toppled over in the air, turning over just in time to see...

With a sickening thud he collided hard against the ground, the bade being forced a few inches further, and his spine bending until it snapped and his body flopped to the ground. A pool of blood forming at a steady pace around him.

Isaac looked down from the top of the stairs as he saw a growing red mark appear around the crumpled figure stories below him and...

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Isaac staggered as the train carriage rocked to the side and he fell slightly as his knees buckled.

Breathing heavily, he got back to the sink and turned the taps on.

He cupped his hand under the stream of water and crouched over the sink as he brought his hands to his face.

The sensation brought feeling back to him and he shook his head as he wiped the last few remains of water away.

He turned the taps off and made his way back to the compartment just in time for Hermione to sit back down.

"You've got a letter," she said, holding out a...

"How... ok, is that owl a newborn or something?" Isaac asked as he looked at the tennis-ball sized lump in Hermione's hands; thankful for the distraction from the fact that he felt like he was going to throw up.

Isaac gave a quick huff of laughter as he caught sight of the letter that was far too big for it to be carrying.

He released the owl of its burden and flicked the letter open.

"Hey! He got my name right," Isaac said as he sat back down, "That's good, good," he nodded.

"Who?" Hermione asked, stroking the owl.

"Sirius," Isaac said with a forced chuckle.

He read the letter out loud to Hermione.

How he was in hiding with Buckbeak.

How he had sent the Firebolt.

"Told you so," Hermione said triumphantly.

Isaac rolled his eyes and scoffed at her before returning to the letter.

"He's said sorry for scaring the hell out of me as a Grim throughout the school year, how nice of him,"

Isaac turned the letter over to show Hermione.

"Oh, hold on... there's a p.s." he said, taking the letter back, "Oh..."

"What is it?" Hermione asked him.

"Well... erm... I thought your friend might like to keep this owl, as it's my fault he no longer has a rat," Isaac read out the message on the back of the letter.

"Oh..." Hermione said.

"Well... I think sod him," Isaac said, "You want to keep him?"

"Me?" Hermione asked, looking down at the furry lump that bobbled around in her hands, "But I... if it's for Ron..."

"What he won't know, can't hurt him," Isaac said, "Plus I think he'd probably tell me to 'Get stuffed' if I tried to talk to him about taking the owl,"

Hermione frowned and looked down at the owl.

"I guess I'll have to keep him then," she said.

She paused for a moment before holding the small owl out to Crookshanks.

"Definitely an owl?" she asked.

Crookshanks sniffed the owl before curling back up on the cushion and resting.

"Good enough for me," Hermione said.

Isaac smiled as he folded the letter away and awaited the arrival of the sweets trolley.

When the trolley came Isaac ended up buying a few boxes more than he needed of Bertie Botts Beans.

He had just emptied a small handful into his mouth to avoid having to talk, his head shaking slightly as the taste of tuna, mushroom and leek soup, chicken, asparagus, three different kinds of mint, strawberry chocolates, and what he thought might have been cardboard was not the best combination that he had ever had.

He gagged slightly as a knocking came from the door.

He looked up to see a confused pair of Slytherins at the door.

He nodded, trying not to spit up the beans, and Draco and Blaise came into the compartment.

"You alright?" Blaise asked the now pale-red Isaac.

Frowning heavily, his face screwed from the unpleasurable taste, Isaac managed to swallow the beans.

"Peachy," he coughed, "Wish I could say the same about the taste," he broke off into a series of small coughs, "How's you?"

"Pansy's insufferable," Draco said, "Since the hippogriff got away she's been moody about how Dumbledore plotted the whole thing,"

Isaac gave an over-exaggerated frown and offered the Beans around.

"Tripe," Blaise said, passing the box to Draco, "So, did any of you hear about what happened?"

Macnair's crumpled body flashed before Isaac's eyes.

"Apparently someone fell to their death," Hermione said, declining the box of beans from a sour-faced Draco who had gotten lemon.

"I heard," Draco paused for a cough, "That someone had been stabbed, what did you hear?" he asked Isaac.

Isaac paused for a moment, trying to think of something to say that wouldn't place him as the one behind it all.

"Pretty much the same, but that both of what you two said had happened," he said, fiddling with the box.

He closed his eyes and savoured the taste as salted caramel drowned out everything else.

"Oww!" he jolted forward.

The train had rocked again and his head had banged against the window.

As he rubbed his head Draco caught sight of the small owl that was nestled in Hermione's lap.

"When did you get an owl?" he asked.

"Oh... well... since Owl Mail is faster than the Post Office I thought I would save up throughout the year and get one," Hermione said.

Isaac gave her a subtle nod in response to her cover story.

"Oh, so what's his name?" Blaise asked as the small owl flew up towards Hedwig's cage to see the larger owl.

Hedwig ruffled her feathers and clicked her beak disapprovingly at the overly-excited ball of feathers that had landed next to her cage.

"Hmm..." Hermione tapped her chin as she thought, "I was thinking of 'Archimedes'," she decided.

The little owl fluttered back down to her and landed on Hermione's outstretched arm.

"So, would you like to be called that, Archimedes?" she asked the little owl.

Archimedes chittered happily and danced around on Hermione's palm.

"That is odd one little owl," Draco said with a slight laugh.

There came another knock at the door.

"Everything alright?" George asked, sliding the door open enough for him to lean in. Fred just behind him.

"Yeah," Isaac said, "Just catching up, want to join?"

The twins looked at the company in the compartment.

"Alright then," they said, moving into the compartment and closing the door behind them, "Exploding snap?"

"Do they always talk like that?" Draco asked, leaning over to Isaac as Fred sat down next to him and George next to Blaise and Hermione.

"So," George said, passing out the cards, "Anyone planning on going to the Quidditch World Cup this summer?"

"Father will be getting tickets through work," Draco said, shuffling through his hand.

"Maybe, I dunno," Blaise said, looking through his cards.

"There's a Quidditch World Cup?" Isaac asked.

"Do you get the Daily Prophet?" Draco asked.

"No," Isaac said, "It'd be a little costly to get it to America,"

"Keep forgetting you live there," George said, tossing a card down onto the empty seat they were using as a table.

"I'll send you a paper that'll tell you how to get tickets when I get home," Draco said, gingerly putting a card down.

That turned out to be the right move since when Hermione placed her card on the pile it blew up and they restarted the game.

Draco and Blaise stayed for a couple of games before heading back to their compartment to get changed for travelling home.

The twins stayed for another game before leaving to do the same.

"Oh, guys," Isaac called to them as they stood, "Before you go..." he rustled around with a few sheets of parchment in his trunk.

"Here," Isaac gave Fred a few pages, "That toffee recipe I told you about," he said with a wink.

Fred gave him a toothy grin.

"Cheers for that," he said, "Probably keep Mum happy since we'll be too busy to actually annoy anyone,"

As he and George left Isaac felt a slight shiver make its way through the cabin.

He had enjoyed having the twins there, for a moment he was able to forget about his...

"I'll give you some privacy," Isaac said, leaving the compartment so that Hermione could change in peace.

While he was outside the compartment he tried to get his breathing back under control.

Had... had he snapped?

He... he didn't remember much of it, just the moment when he had killed Macnair.

He didn't remember getting into the room, or how he had gotten back, or what he'd been doing before he woke on the train.

Hermione knocked on the glass to let him know she was done and the two of them swapped places to change.

Isaac hesitated when it came to knocking on the glass for a moment.

What if he blacked out again, what if...

He shook his head, like trying to clear himself from a daze.

He winced as a long strand of hair caught him in the eye. Somehow it had looped over his glasses just to stab him.

He knocked on the glass as he brushed his hair out of his face and Hermione came back in, pulling Crookshanks onto her lap, and looking out the window.

"Isaac... can... can I ask you something?" she said slowly.

Isaac's heart skipped a beat and he looked over at Hermione.

"Y-yeah," he said, stuttering slightly.

"Isaac, I'll understand if you don't want to talk about it," Hermione said, "But... what happened..."

Isaac's heart skipped again.

"... when you were eight? Did they... ever find him?"

Isaac almost collapsed then and there out of relief.

"I'm sorry, it's just..." Hermione started. Evidently, some of that relief had been taken the wrong way.

"I-it's fine," Isaac said, waving his hand to stop her, "But, erm... no, they never found him, he's... he's still out there, somewhere... ticking along..."

Hermione nodded.

"I... I just thought that... this would have been... harder on you," she said.

A loud whistling broke through the air, causing the two of them to jump, as the train started slowing down.

"And we're home," Hermione said softly.

"Speak for yourself," Isaac snorted, "I've still got an ocean to cross,"

Hermione couldn't help but burst out in laughter as the train came to a stop.

Isaac broke out in a smile too, it felt like he hadn't done such a thing in ages.

As Hermione replaced Crookshanks back in his basket Isaac looked out the window as the train slowed to a stop.

A patch of blonde hair and green clothes caught his eye and he did a double take to look out on the platform.

"What is it?" Hermione asked as Isaac twisted in his seat to look out the window.

"Thought I saw Ben," Isaac said, craning his neck as he tried to look out again.

Hermione smiled at her friend as he nearly fell off of the seats when he overstretched.

"Well, I think that Ben would appreciate you in one piece," she said as Isaac picked himself up.

He stuck his tongue out at her, his cheeks burning slightly, as she laughed some more and the two of them wrestled their trunks down.

Isaac carried Crookshanks' basket for her as they got off the train while Hermione tucked Archimedes safely in her jacket pocket.

The small owl hooted happily at the comfy, warm, interior and soon settled down.

She took the wicker basket from Isaac and they made their way down the platform to find the nearest exit.

They waited their turn to use the barrier before leaning through, making it look like they had been chatting casually.

Once they were through the barrier they moved so they wouldn't block the next group and started looking around for...

Isaac paused for a moment.

Up ahead Tim was making polite chatter with an eager Mr Weasley while Brian and Mrs Weasley were keeping a lookout for their respective pickups.

But talking to Toby, with his back to him, was Ben.

Toby glanced past Ben and smiled.

He bent forward slightly and said something to Ben.

Even though he was facing away from him, Isaac could tell that Ben was frowning.

That changed, however, when Ben turned to see what Toby was talking about.

Isaac had started running over the second that he had seen Ben.

Ben's face cracked open in a wide smile and he started running to Isaac as well.

"Sup Specs!" Ben said gleefully as the two of them collided in a hug that threatened to topple them, "Wait until I tell you what... wait... when did this happen?" he cried, looking up at Isaac.

Isaac started laughing as Ben started ranting.

"No! No! No, no, no, no!" Ben said as Toby started walking over, noticing, and laughing as well, "No! I refuse to the shortest again!"

"You're still taller than Sally," Tim pointed out, taking the trunk from Isaac as he and Brian made their way over.

"She's eight! She doesn't count!" Ben said, turning back to Isaac.

"Are you ok?" he asked, tilting his head as he looked into Isaac's eyes.

Isaac stalled for a moment.

"Y-yeah, j-just l-looking forward t-to g-going home," Isaac said, closing his eyes after speaking and sighing.

He opened his eyes as Toby put a hand on his shoulder and pulled him a little closer.

"Then let's get you home," Toby said, "And you can tell me all about how you didn't have another school year that sounds like it could be a quest for a Dungeons and Dragons campaign,"

Isaac shrunk a little.

"Sorry,"

Toby sighed and rolled his eyes.

"See next year, I'm sending you a wiffle-ball-bat," he pointed at Hermione, "... and if at any point it looks like he's about to go off on another grand adventure, then you will have my permission to hit him around the head as many times as it takes for him to put the brakes on,"

Hermione, who had been off to the side looking around for her parents, went a little red in the face.

She nodded with a small smile playing on her lips as she heard her mother calling her before saying goodbye and making her exit.

"We'd better be going too," Tim said, frowning as the redhead that normally got along well with Isaac glared slightly in their direction while his mother was otherwise distracted.

Isaac nodded, picking up his trunk again.

"You alright?" Ben asked, stopping him with a hand on his wrist.

"Home first," Isaac said, jumping slightly at a horn from a nearby train.

Ben nodded and kept at his side as he took Hedwig's cage from its perch on the top of the trunk.

"Oh! By the way..." Ben said as they made their way through the crowds, "... Toby's now been officially labelled as a domestic terrorist,"

Isaac did a double-take as he looked at Ben, "What?"

"I'm not a terrorist," Toby almost whined, "I'm just... not allowed to be left alone when I'm on valium,"

"W... why was he on valium?" Isaac asked.

"Well, you see..."

"Enough," Tim said, not wanting to talk about Toby's classification following his little display in public.

"I'll show you when we get home," Ben said.

"You said you deleted it," Toby hissed.

"It's the internet, nothing ever gets deleted forever,"

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End notes.

Ok, that's another chapter done, and I'm feeling pretty good about it.

So, Isaac's getting a little closer now...

... and I'm not confirming anything... but I might have started writing down possible ways that he'll snap for when the time comes.

But, as usual, I'm happy with how I've done things this time.

Definitely starting to change some things, but there are still some things that I'm keeping the same.

Sorry that I missed my usual upload time, the website kept crashing when I tried to check the chapter before uploading.

But who to bring in this time...

So, I hope that you all enjoyed,

And I'll see you in the next one,

SteamGeek01.

Creepypastas in this fic.

Ticci Toby – Kastoway.

Masky / Hoodie / The Operator – Marble Hornets.

Eyeless Jack – Kiki H.

Laughing Jack – Snuffbomb.

Jeff the Killer – BanninK.

Ben Drowned – Jadusable.

Sally – Kiki H.

Slenderman – Victor Surge.

Smile dog – God knows.

Puppeteer – BleedingHeartworks.

Bloody Painter – Delucat.

Kagekao – GingaAkam.

Homicidal Liu – Vampirenote13.

Jason the ToyMaker – Krisantyl.

Jane the Killer – AngryDogDesigns.

Clockwork – Can't find the original creator. If you have any ideas on how to, then suggest them.

Candy Pop and Candy Cane – XXDirtyNightClownsXX.

Pianist – jill0mccloud.

The Pianist – This story didn't have a credit, if anyone knows then please tell me so I can fix this.

Pokemon Dead Channel – star-byte. (BRVR's story)

If any of these are wrong then please notify me of this so I can fix them.