Trail of Secrets

Chapter 21

Unconsciously, Harry's features shifted, his hair going from the color of blood to Auburn, his paper white skin becoming a lightly tanned.

"You don't have to do that," Bellatrix said softly.

"It's been a long time Bella."

Her purple eyes flicked away before focusing on him again, "Yes, it has."

His arms crossed over his chest, "What do you need?"

She inclined her head. "I deserve that." She stepped forward, "Can we go for a walk? Maybe talk, I know you haven't really seen the city we've created here."

Harry stood there, part of him wanted to say no, but that was just the pain that she had inflicted upon him all those years ago speaking. He had grown since then.

"Sure."

XX –

The two walked down the streets of TírnanÓg, Harry's eyes roaming over the tall circular towers and squat buildings that lined either side of the street. With spatial expansion magic, they could fit a lot of buildings in the city by making the physical structures small, while creating their own dimension on the inside.

Children ran down the street, showing off their powers to one another.

A little blonde girl with pointed ears giggled as she floated out of the way of a boy with brown hair and yellow eyes trying to snag her with vines.

The boy withdrew the vines back into the earth as he drew closer to them, his eyes brightening and a wide smile spreading across his face as he saw Bellatrix.

"Hi Auntie Bellatrix," the boy chirped with an excited wave.

A warm smile split Bellatrix's face, "Hello Romulus, are you and Sophie having fun?"

Romulus nodded eagerly, but a frown slipped onto his features, "Yeah, but she keeps dodging my plants."

"Well don't give up," she winked. "Because then Sophie wins. You don't want that do you?"

Determination filled the child's golden eyes, "No," he sprinted down the street at an impressive speed.

"You know them?"

"Romulus is the child of my sister Narcissa and Remus Lupin. Sophie is the second child of my sister Andromeda." She looked at Harry, "You know, it's thanks to you Narcissa and Remus were able to get together."

"How so?"

Bella's eyes swept along the buildings around them, "I didn't realize until after we parted ways…"

"Is that what you call it."

She ignored him, "Just how much you have affected the magical world with the technology you've reverse engineered." She looked at him, "Why didn't you ever tell me you worked for the unspeakable's for a while?"

Harry shook his head, "I was only there for a month or two, just enough time to get the backing to introduce technology that would help our people," he looked at her, "besides would it have made a difference?"

"It might have," she said before clearing her throat, "Anyways, one of the things the unspeakable's introduced was a way to change the curse of the werewolf. After the changes were implemented, people begin seeing werewolves as just another form of mutation, this allowed Narcissa and Remus to be together."

A smile crossed her face again, "Romulus is a credit to the family, a werewolf with the ability to manipulate plant life."

"I'm happy for you, I really am," he cleared his throat, "What about Sophie?"

"While Nymphadora is a shapeshifter, Sophie is an air elemental." She stepped forward, "I know my family was against it, but I personally believe the introduction of mutants into magical society really made our people stronger," she looked up at the sky, "that along with living in such a magically enriched environment took us from barely a few thousand to a thriving species."

She looked into his eyes, "I know I made a mistake all those years ago by walking away from you," she took his hand, "I'm wondering if we could start over."

XX –

"Neither," Zero said, his eyes narrowing.

Herpo's lips poked out, "Don't be like that I was hoping we could be friends."

"Enough of this," Lucius pushed past Herpo, his eyes boring into Kenji's.

"Submit," he commanded his voice laced with power.

Kenji rocked back a shudder running through his body as he fought the compulsion.

Lucius took a step forward. He was tired of waiting for Herpo to keep up his end of the bargain. He wanted his wife and to be done with this deranged waste of a human being, "I said submit," he bellowed.

Kenji's knees bent, sweat ran down his brow like rain.

Lucius's lips curled into a smile, soon his wife would be returned to him and they could be a family again.

Kenji shook his head. These people came into his home. Now they're trying to make him submit. He thrust his will against the force that pushed down on his body. It's time these people learned the error of their ways.

"Do you know what my abilities are?" He rasped.

Herpo stepped forward, an eager light in his golden eyes, "The manipulation of biological matter, I have to admit, I am very eager to see it."

Kenji flicked his fingers, Lucius Malfoy exploded in bloody chunks that froze in midair. Curling his fingers, the blood and tissue floated towards him, merging with his body.

Herpo glanced at where Lucius had been. All that remained was a thin layer of bloody mist on the wall behind where he had been standing. He shrugged, "At least now I don't have to bring back his wife."

He turned back to Kenji, "Your ability is impressive, I think it's exactly what I need." He took a step forward, a curved Persian style sword appearing in his hand.

Kenji frowned, his flesh rippling like water, "You want my ability?"

"Yes, unfortunately I am dying," he reached up pulling back his hood to reveal his emaciated skull. Grey skin clung to it like plastic wrap and the golden eyes were almost hidden in the darkness of his sunken sockets.

Kenji took a step back.

"I know," Herpo began showing way too many teeth, "it's not a pretty sight." He ran a hand over his bald scalp smoothing down the few sprigs of white hair that were there.

Kenji's body took on the texture of rock, he grew to seven feet. With a roar that shook dust free of the tunnel he charged forward, each step sending a shudder through the ground.

Herpo cackled, "That's it, make this interesting."

Kenji swiped at him, his fingers extending into gleaming points that shot at him from multiple angles.

Spinning Herpo brought his sword up in an underhand strike cleaving through the black tentacle -like things that shot towards him.

He stared at them as they drop to the ground, "Those weren't anything biological."

The tentacles retracted, his fingers regenerating. He slowly clinched his hand into a fist, small sparks shooting between his knuckles as his rock like skin ground together.

Herpo cocked his head to the side, "Interesting you can manipulate iron."

Saying nothing, Kenji reached out with his powers lifting half the skulls he had been sitting on into the air. Concentrating, they became thousands of bone needles. Pushing his hand forward, he sent them hurtling at the thing before him.

Herpo raised his sword. With the force of will, he changed it into a long staff with a curved blade at the top. With a grin, he spun the staff, knocking the needles in all directions.

Capitalizing on his opponent's moment of distraction, Kenji once again reached out with his power intent on manipulating Herpo's flesh.

Ice washed over his senses.

Gritting his teeth, he pushed through it. With a twist of his will, he tried to take control of Herpo's body. An unknown force pushed against him, black energy crackling around the short figure.

With a deep frown on his features, Kenji lowered his hand.

"What are you?"

Herpo stopped spinning his staff, tapping it on the stone beside him.

"A fledgling god who needs your body to achieve his destiny."

A slime green algae like substance burst from the stone beneath Herpo's feet. Tentacles rose up from the sludge to wrap around Herpo, steam rising off his body wherever they touched.

Herpo half screamed half laughed as large chunks of flesh fell off his body. Black blood poured from the new wounds, causing the algae to pulse as it ate the nutrients.

"Yes, yes, your body is perfect!"

Suddenly, the algae shuddered, curling and becoming a dark brown.

Herpo shook his body, causing it to crumble into a pile at his feet.

He cocked his head to the side, a mad grin on his now bare skull, "Oh no, was it something it ate?"

Kenji took a step back, fear sending shivers down his spine.

He had never fought anyone like this. No matter what he did the man seemed to shrug it off. His mind raced, he tried to think of somewhere he could go. Someone he could call for help. He came up with no one, murders he committed in his past had isolated everyone he ever knew.

His hand curled into a fist, it didn't matter, he would not roll over and die.

His body lurched forward, collapsing into hundreds of rats.

Herpo clapped his hands together the bare-bones making a clicking that echoed around the room, "Yes, that's it. Make me work for it."

With a force of will, he lifted himself six inches off the ground. Rotating in midair to face back the way he'd come. He shot forward, his cloak billowing around him as he dashed down the tunnel.

XX –

Kenji sprinted down the tunnel as hundreds of rats, seeing multiple points of view through his rodent eyes. He winced as Herpo took out one of his bodies. He picked up speed.

It didn't matter how many bodies Herpo took out, in the end all it would require was a touch and he could shape another into almost anything, but he had to survive first.

Swerving left, he dove into the water bubbles floating up all around him as he kicked his paws to get deeper and further away.

XX –

Herpo walked back down the tunnel he came with Lucius, his skeletal feet clicking on the concrete, his tattered cloak whipping out behind him. Bright yellow orbs of light rotated in his sockets as he watched the rats.

Flicking his hand forward, a ball of black energy shot from his palm disintegrating one of the rodents.

A sigh escaped his mouth, which was an impressive feat since he didn't have any lungs.

This had been fun, but he lost more energy than he anticipated, it was time to end this.

Kneeling down, he placed his bony hand on the ground.

Black lightning exploded from his fingertips, snaking down the tunnel to pierce every rodent within reach. As it pierced the rodent, the energy would increase using the vitality stored within the animal to jump farther down the tunnel.

Pale smoke along with the scent of burnt hair and charred flesh filled the tunnel obscuring everything about Herpo except for the glowing orbs that were his eyes.

XX –

Kenji's body spasmed again, as the rest of the rats that made up his previous form were destroyed. His small pause latched onto the sides of the drainage tunnel. He pulled himself out of the water, his tiny chest heaving. He shook the water off his furry body, his black eyes darting around.

He was miles away from his previous position, he should be safe now.

Black lightning struck his form, wrapping around him and hoisting him into the air. Slowly he rotated to face the skeletal form of Herpo.

The gold energy in his eye sockets flared, "This has been fun, but I have other things I need to do." With those words, the amulet dangling in the center of Herpo's rib cage flared. Herpo's body transformed into black lightning that flowed into Kenji's rodent body.

Unseen or felt by Herpo, Kenji's soul fled his form following a pull to somewhere unknown. He hoped deep within himself that wherever he was going someone could help him stop the monster he had just seen.

He glanced back at his body. Watching it grow and change. He turned forward, shooting down the tunnel as a luminescent white blur. Hopefully warning someone would make up for the horrors he had done in his past.

XX –

Bellatrix stared at Harry, nerves roiling in her stomach. She had known all those years ago that she made a mistake, she tried other relationships before, but none of them felt the same.

Harry opened his mouth and Bellatrix clenched her hands together.

He lurched forward, his eyes shining white.

Straightening up, he stared at Bellatrix, a bit of panic in his eyes.

Unclasping her hands, she reached forward, "What's wrong?"

Harry's eyes hardened thin streams of power swirled around his body, "We need to see the wizarding counsel, now!"

"Why?"

"Herpo the foul has found the body he needs to use his full power. We need to prepare everyone."

"How do you know?"

"I have just taken in Kenji's soul. I absorbed the knowledge he had, I felt him die."