~ *~* ~ *~* ~ *~* ~ *~* ~ CHAPTER XXVIII ~ *~* ~ *~* ~ *~* ~ *~* ~
"Avada Kedavra..."
A flash of green...
A scream...
The world was still, everyone frozen as they watched. Harry clawed his way out, breaking free when Aldeztaile's body was lifted enough, and ran for Legolas. He was still breathing, just rapidly and his eyes wide in shock as he stared at the 6ft long black blade that absorbed all light. It crackled with the remnants of the Killing curse before that too was absorbed.
"That was rude." Mors growls, flicking his scythe deftly once and slamming the butt into the floor and leaning on it, arms crossed and a fierce glare in his visible eye.
"Who the fuck are you!?"
"I go by many names, I have many faces, I'm seen and yet unseen. I am always beside you, I walk with you, follow you and lead you. Sometimes I save your like an Angel, other times I push you right into harms way. I have no beginning and I have no end. I am always constant..." He purrs out, lips pulling into a terrifying grin as his mortal form flickers out of sight for a second as his voice echoes around them, through them, in them:
~I~AM~DEATH!~
Everyone gasps at the rattle of power deep in the marrow of their bones, in the essence of their souls. And they knew nothing but fear and the iciness of death set deep inside.
"In other words, I am Honesta Mors, I believe you have threatened to kill me twice already for 'ruining your precious weapon,' was it?" Mors muses, cocking his head to the side. "So rude, you know..."
"He tried to kill Legolas, Papa... He's mine..." Harry snarls, eyes laser focused and unblinking in their unholy glow. He is crouched protectively over his Alpha, who in turn is slowly getting over his shock. "He killed Aldez!"
"Very well... I will allow you your pound of flesh as long as you leave his soul intact... I know you can be very vicious when you are pushed..." He agrees and pushes off his scythe, grabbing it. "But now, I fight..."
He moved too fast to be seen, he sliced through 150 people in one swing and they collapse dead, shock and horror on their faces as he collects their souls.
"1,258 down... too many more to go..." He sighs and spins his blade. This awakens the others and they rush in, never faltering.
The war began in earnest. There was no longer time to dive in and out. That had been too close and Aldeztaile had been gutted before she could really level the playing field. Harry was pissed off for her death as well. She was this weird snaky mommy he never asked for, but enjoyed having.
"You killed my snake..." Harry snarls, pulling out the Elder wand and twirling it. "You tried to kill my mate..." He stalks forward, eyes blazing like purple hellfire, "You set up not only my parents but many others to be killed for your personal gain... For these crimes, your life is forfeit and I will collect..."
"You are a Devi! You cannot possibly attack me, you're very nature makes you weak, pathetic!" Dumbledore cackles out, ignoring the slowly creeping terror filling him. "Your kind is meant to be ruled! You crave the command of an Alpha and I shall be the one to have you!"
Harry glares at him, holds the Wand before his face and smirks when Dumbledore realizes it is the Elder Wand. He calmly flicks it and it grows with each twirl until it stands taller than him, 12 holes where the elderberry knots had been. Suddenly 12 orbs of light shot at the staff, anyone who did not get out of the way in time, got smashed in the face with one of the 12 Devi Treasures. Fire, Water Earth and Air locked into the staff in the center with a space between them. Light and Dark took the top and bottom, with a space clear beside them as well. The 6 main elementals were locked in and Harry could feel the Elder Wand, now staff, pulse with unparalleled power, but still there were six more to go. The Nature and Lightning orbs lock into place beside the Earth and Wind Orbs while Nether and Comic settle beside Light and Dark. The last ones to the party are Sound and Astral, taking their places by Water and Fire.
Once all Twelve settled and locked, the dark coloring of the Elder wand flashes into a shade of gray that changes colors from white to black as it is moved, a 3 and half foot black blade grows from the top of the staff, etched with blood red runes around the silver like edge as a golden gear with a Plato Axis sitting in the center, surrounding an hourglass that ran infinitely with black sand. Harry sneers at Dumbledore as he takes the weapon in hand, the Cloak appearing around his shoulders, tattered and frayed like Death's Robe, visible for now with the odd ghoul like face racing across the impossibly soft material. As for the Stone, it sat in the gear on the Scythe, glowing with power as Dumbledore seems to finally understand what he is seeing.
"NO! How the hell are you the Master!? Impossible, it is too much power for you to handle!"
"Because Papa Mors chose me..." Harry snarls, swinging the blade, missing Dumbledore by a hair's width, but the wave of flames that followed nearly engulfed the man.
Dumbledore cast every water and dirt spell he knew to put out the flames, his robes almost useless against them. He was not prepared for a Devi at full power! And even then, the brat should not be this powerful! His very nature as a Devi makes him weak!
"It's sadly funny how you do not seem to understand the level of 'You done goofed' seem to be in." Harry growls darkly.
"No... You don't seem to understand that I am superior!" Albus cackles and fires several spells, that Harry quickly blocks and smacks away, but one spell over shoots him and heads for Legolas.
Said Elf growls and shines a brilliant blue, the spell vanishing within the aura before several arrows fire out at the older wizard.
"You will not get the drop on me again, you old nanny goat!" Legolas snarls, moving so he is behind Harry, bow at the ready and several plants moving at his will to keep others away from the three of them.
Meanwhile Mors is humming 'If you're happy and you know it' as he makes his way through the throgs of people, only taking those on his shit list while the others shiver in fright at his presence. Haldir and the Elves are keeping anyone for them Order from fleeing as the Ents pick up and toss them this way and that. Arwen and Eowyn are back to back, their blades slicing through flesh as the group of Goblins keep them protected with shields and barriers. Aragorn snarls as he impales another enemy wizard on his blade, smirking at them before he pulls back and ducks a spell aimed at his head.
"That was rude..." Tom snarls and suddenly a Naga pounces on the wizard and tears into him with relish. Shadows spear through the masses, engulfing others before their corpse are dropped from the sky where a black shadow in the shape of a Raven hovers. Vampires take advantage of the shade to drink their fill and to do as much damage. Werewolves and Centaurs raced at groups of Magicals and either ran them over or attacked with brutal strength. Boromir and Faramir were guarding the school gates with Elrond and a battalion of Elves. Galadriel was a graceful, but deadly whirlwind beauty, Bellatrix at her side, cackling away as she attacked anyone who came too close. He can see the Weasley Twins in Creature form, the Tengu demons cackled as they summoned deadly winds and bolts of lightning.
It was pure chaos. He is amused to see a Nubian Warrior trouncing more wizards even as a massive Cerberus pup was running amok with the Half Giant riding his back. He passed a group running away from a short woman who swung a chainsaw of all things, while cackling like an escaped Insane Asylum patient. It reminded him of Chaos when she was particularly bored.
Mors makes his way back to Harry, smirking as his son and the Elvin prince keep the old coot busy as he calmly heals the damage and revives Aldeztaile.
§How rude! Striking a lady while she is not looking!§
"Indeed, he was very rude, but look how your Hatchling avenges you..." Mors coos and Aldez cannot help but his along with him. "Now then, come here, my dear, I need to fix your eyes so everyone who poses a threat to our little Hadrian will suffer under your beautiful stare... grant me a grand gift for reviving you..."
§As my Hatchling's Sire demands, oh Ancient Death Fang One...§ She hisses with delight as she brings her head down. She feels him touch her face and freeze her in place. She cannot describe the sensation of having someone's hand reach into her eyes, without the searing pain such an action would normally bring, and feel them rearrange not only the physical nerves o f her eyes but the magical connections as well until her eyes flash a Green/Yellow of the Killing curse shade and her killing gaze color.
"And one more gift.." he turns as Peeves flies up with a legion of ghosts, ghouls and poltergeists Behind him are four familiar souls. "Right on time, Puck."
"Of course, Master Death!" Peeves, or Puck, says, bowing and grinning evilly. "Long have I waited to finally set these miscreant in their place. How I've longed to hurt these pissants and relish in their cries... How dare they harm my home and her wards! I will not STAND FOR IT!" He screeches, diving head first into group and grabbing a few Order members and hoisting them into the air, while stealing their magic, to manifest a slightly more solid form and then dropping their near magicless arses to their deaths.
"Oh dear... we need to wake them..." Helga giggles softly, her tone dark and filled with malice, a steep contrast to her almost motherly smile.
"Indeed... I will do it since it was one of my spells that laid them to rest." Salazar says, nodding his head as he strokes his beard.
"Damn I wish I were flesh and blood again, the rush of battle..." Godric sighs sadly. "But when you were laid to rest, I chose to die and join you... perhaps I should have listened and allowed Tarian to burn my body and renew me with his burn days..."
"You were grieving, Godric, and we did not blame you then. We certainly will not do so now... Lord Death, how can we serve you beyond the obvious army?" She asks, waving at the mass of Ghosts who were mimicking their Ardan counterparts in passing through the battling Armies, killing only the enemy when they saw their allies back away in shock before turning to next living being with nothing more than a nod of acknowledgment
"I believe, Ms. Hogwarts can be of assistance.. after all she has over 1000 years worth of built up magic, pulse she sits in the heart of a Knot. If you will be so kind, Ms. Hogwarts?" Mors asks, smiling softly, like an indulgent father, but it was tinged with malicious humor, which the four Founders felt echoed in their souls.
"With pleasure, Lord Harry's Daddy!" Hogwarts appears in her persona form, chirping happily and suddenly the ground shakes causing everyone to pause as four stone crypts appear and slide open. "Gone from life to sleep eternal. Flesh and blood long gone, bones pure and white reduced to ash and dust. Souls of the Four gone to rest, come to me at your best... Mothers and Fathers, love infinite and grand. Please hear my plea and make your stand. Hear me, your daughter of your blood, sweat and tears, the daughter of stone and mortar, rise once more! Dust to bone. Bone to flesh, Flesh to Life... So I say it..."
~So~mote~it~be!~
Out of the crypts rose four Magicals, two of whom were Creatures. Their spirits jumping into the reanimated flesh and took their first breath of life in nearly 1000 years.
"What utter nonsense is this!?" Bellows the woman dressed in gold and black viking attire, her hair braided back with a wreath of her favorite flowers. Startling many to look at her in shock and confusion, which was quickly turning to awe and fear.
"Mommy!" Hogwarts hugs Helga and the four gasp. "Meanie former Headmaster did a lot of bad things while you were sleeping! Look!" She opens their connection to her and they gasp as centuries of memories flood them, Death adding in a number of others to give them better understanding and the two males, both bellow in rage.
"How dare he disgrace my House's name and Honor! Where is my Grandson, daughter mine!?"
"Over there..." She points to where Harry is on the offensive, the skill and speed he moves with the scythe is impressive to the Gryffindor Lord as his mate and their sisters in all but blood watch impressed. "We need extra help. The baddies need to be killed so Lord Harry's Daddy can help Mother Magic re-balance the world and all who live in it. But if that meanie goat man gets his icky hands on Harry, we are all going to die, gone forever and never to return..."
"Don't worry, we will help... Head Elf, my war hammer!" Helga Hufflepuff bellows her command and as soon as her old weapon is in hand, she lets out a war cry and dives into the fray. Rowena shakes her head, changing her dress into leather armor not unlike an Amazon's, a sword appearing in her hand with a shield, courtesy of the Head House Elf, both of Greek make and runs after her best friend and lover.
Godric blinks when Mors hands him his sword.
"Careful it's been empowered with Basilisk venom and Mordorian Orc and Uruk-hai blood. So do be careful with the blade. A single nick can kill you." Mors says and the redhead nods.
"Many thanks... Who are you?"
"Oh come now, you are one of the sons of my favored line... surely you are not that dense?" Mors purrs. "But then again, a lot of your family's history was lost when you were orphaned as a boy..."
"Lord Death!?" the other man gasps, dropping into a deep bow. As a practitioner of Necromancy, he knows who this is and is both awed and terrified.
"Salazar, you look as handsome as ever... the other son of my favored line... I believe this belongs to you..." Mors waves at the House Elf, who holds up a gnarled staff with a Blood Stone at the top. "Now then, you are on borrowed time. For every death you make, you can stay awake that much longer... 3,349 down, still too many to go... Aldez, time to level the playing field."
The snake rose and let out a horrible screeching hiss as her eyes shown with an unholy light and everyone who was against Harry and his people collapsed dead when they caught sight of her, not even the trick of looking at a reflection saved them.
"Shall we, my love?" Godric asks as he magics his old armor into place.
"As if you have to ask, I want to be awake to see the aftermath before we return to our eternal sleep." Salazar says and slams his staff into the floor, the ground bursting open as Inferi rise up around him, ready to do his bidding.
"We shall start then... rest assured, Lord Death, we will not waste this chance." Godric says and then charges into the fray with his mate and his Inferi on his heels...
Harry snarls as he spins, ducking a grab for his head as well as four spells, tossing a shield towards his Alpha, who fired three arrows kissing distance from him at Dumbledore while spinning the scythe and nearly cleaving him in three if the old bastard hadn't been quick to transfigure some walls between them. It seemed the old bastard had finally stopped gloating that he was superior, too busy trying to dance away from the mated pair. Legolas was a very young and fit Elf, he trained hard and had over 1,500 years worth of battle experience. He was also a quick study and had learned wandless magic in the 7 months he was at the school.
Harry being 17, a newly made adult and having gotten his final Magical growth spurt, was very powerful, too powerful. They had youth and stamina on their side, which was proving a problem for Dumbledore's 151 years. He was old, his body growing weak and frail, though his magic remained strong and impressive, but not nearly enough to be on par with the likes of Merlin, Morgana and Mordred. He lacked the needed power, the needed talent and training. Perhaps in another lifetime, where he did not allow jealousy and hatred poison him, he might have been exactly as he claimed. But sadly, he was not and never will be.
Hadrian on the other hand had the power, tenfold, he also had a heart of pure love and compassion, a mind of a King and he had been trained for the power and position. He grew into it naturally and it showed with the sheer loyalty he showed to his allies and they him. Leading up to this moment, Harry fostered true loyalty and compassion with meetings and gatherings, his brilliant ideas to share festivals and celebrations from not only the past and the present, but also from various cultures and religions helped to boost not only their magics, but it reconnected the Leylines to those of the Heavens and thus gave the Gods the power to grow stronger, to aid now.
Hadrian does not realize that he is being watched and protected by more than just his Patron God, he is guarded by Chaos and blessed by Magic. The others adding their own aid by helping Hadrian's people survive and defeat their enemies. Creatures feel a wholeness they have not felt in some centuries and even Hogwarts hummed with new magics not given to her by her students. Hadrian would be in for a shock when this is over and done with, he would be crowned the new Queen of all that is Magic, the Voice of the Gods to the mortals and mortals Voice to the Gods. His children would usher in the Golden Peace of the Magical age until the time that Death cuts his string and allows him to rest eternal in the Halls of the Divine.
Chaos smirks and keeps doing what they do best, cackling when their brother tries to spot them, but is distracted with taking down more of these diseased miscreants Another cackle sounds when Hadrian slams his scythe into the ground and a new player rises from the ground.
Dumbledore stumbles back a half scream in his throat as he watches the newest corpse rise and slowly become human once more. He shakes his head, eyes wide and his voice hardly above a rasp as he stares.
"Arianna..."
"Albus." She sneers, her blue eyes glowing like Divine flames as her magic, which had been brought back came back as well, roiled out of her like fierce tsunami waves.
"I've missed you-"
"Cut the bullshit... You hated Abe and me for being born! Abe because he was smarter and hardly needed to study, where you struggled to memorize simple facts! You hated me for being more powerful! You hired those boys to attack me, I know you did because they told me as they hurt me! But because I was so shattered and had become an Obscurial, I couldn't say anything to mum or da! Abe figured it out, that was why he insisted on leaving Hogwarts to take care of me! He wanted to keep me safe, to find me help, but then you had to start that fight! Gellert may not have been a good man, but he didn't want me getting hurt! You claimed I was like your daughter, well you murdered me! I was facing Gellert and Abe had dropped his wand, the Killing Curse could only come from one person... and that was YOU!" She roars angrily, her magic amplifying her voice so all heard her.
"I would never-"
"Don't fucking lie, brother..." she spits out the word like it's something most foul, "The dead see things that the living cannot. I saw all the things you've said and done, the people you've lied to and manipulated, those you had murdered! I saw you corrupt an innocent child, who was clearly being abused and you did nothing for him! You twisted him around and and around until he became a monster and then used him to get rid of those who refused to follow you blindly! You're so called Greater Good means the eradication of all things that make us Magical! Letting the Muggles know about us will lead to the Witch Hunts again, but this time they have highly advanced technology to track us down without trouble, can drop horrific weapons that can kill millions in a matter of seconds! You stole Lordships,vaults and more from your victims!"
"Now see here you silly girl-"
"I will not be silenced! I have waited more than 100 years to finally tell you to shut the fuck up, kindly pack your bags and walk off the nearest cliff with a rock tied to your fucking neck!" She screams, her magic lashing out and slapping her so called brother in the face. "You will be the end of all that magic! Right now you are stealing magic form your precious Order even as they are being mowed down by these strangers and these, as you say, 'filthy beasts!' You planned horrific accidents and duels so you can claim every seat on the Wizengamont so no one can ever oppose you ever again! You selected the Omega heirs of prominent families, of great power and influence, others of very wealthy families for your harem! You planned to use the Xerxes Binding on all of them!"
"I said ENOUGH!" Dumbledore roars and fires a blast of Fiendfyre at his sister.
Harry jumps before her, wrapping her tight under his robes to keep her protected, he screams as the flames eat at his wings and through his armor, but as quick as they came they are gone. He falls into Arianna, who holds tries to heal the damage even as Legolas lunges with the speed and deadly grace of a panther on the hunt. She panics because her magic does not seem to be working.
"Hush, sweet one..." she looks at Nubia who had somehow gotten through the barrier. She blinks confused. "Come now, Mr. Potter, after I've sung your praises, this is how you repay me, by proving me a liar?"
"Pro'ess'r?" He mumbles as he feels his back being healed and slowly sits up as he lets his wings grow to full size and twitch, shedding the damaged and dead feathers as new one s grow in their place. "Where is he?"
"About to get eateds by your boy toy..." She points at where Legolas had managed to pin Dumbledore against the barrier and was about to take a bite out of the old man's throat. "Go stop him from turning into Hannibal Lecter."
"Please do not joke about my Alpha being a cannibal..." Harry whines, but with a single beat of his wings he is across the area and pulling Legolas off of Dumbledore.
"..." Arianna stares hard at the woman.
"Staring problem?"
"You are not what you appear to be..."
"Of course not!" She smiles brightly before she stands up as the Potters pop up beside her. "Time to end this little party. 150,999 down..."
"One to go..." Mors says as he appears behind her. "Hello Chaos..."
"Hello, big brother..." She purrs as she checks out one of her finest works of 'art' with a proud grin on her face. "Now the Council can get pissy at me."
"Indeed... time to shed this form..."
"Have fun with that, bro, I'm gonna go find Ani." She walks off as if she didn't just reveal herself while Lily and James follow with Arianna behind Mors, who slowly transitions back into Death, a Death Clock appearing with Albus's name and is quickly emptying.
Harry croons and coos until his Alpha has let go of his prey, snarling low and bestial, impressive for a non animalistic Creature. The Alpha spits a vicious curse and Harry moans sweetly, wet at the promise of violence in his tone. Shaking off his horny Omega, he glares at Albus and his crystal wings began to change to black and ultraviolet with lances of Avada Green. They are hypnotically beautiful and oh so deadly in their display of power and vengeance. Harry himself, without his glamours and his eyes still glowing ultraviolet on black, appears like a Death Angel. Harry grips his scythe and it seems to grow bigger as two more blades burst from its shaft, both as menacing as the first and the gears begin spinning rapidly, counting down the minutes, seconds, milliseconds he has to live!
"For your crimes against not only our person, but those of so many others, your life is forfeit For attempting to subvert and bind the Our person to your whims, your life is forfeit For the murders of many innocent lives, personal or through other means, your life is forfeit For the theft of many Bloodlines, your life is forfeit.. For trying to murder Our Alpha, your soul is forfeit..." Harry snarls out and before Dumbledore can react or plead with him, the scythe is swung down.
One bald stabs right through his skull, the second into his heart and the last where his crotch was. The shockwave of power that shoots out of Dumbledore shakes the world around them and then there is a flash of light and when they can see again, the miasma that clings to the world is gone. It was so reminiscent of Sauron's defeat, that Harry thought for one hysterical moment that someone Sauron and Dumbledore were one and the same or somehow Horcruxes for each other. He begins laughing until he sobbing and wailing. Legolas grabs his mate close and rocks him as Harry grieves for the lives he was forced to allow to end, to mourn for his family properly and for having to kill so many in two years.
The emotional overload affects everyone and they are soon laughing and crying in equal measure. Death taps his scythe twice and the souls to be paid are sucked into the Plato Axis on his scythe and he bows as he vanishes, trusting his sister to keep everything calm while he works on judging and cataloging his gifts...
Harry takes a breath and begins humming. The song is toneless at first but as the Ents begin humming and the Creatures followed by the humans they are soon singing an ancient spell, so old there is no beginning for it. The earth humans with them, the Leylines pulse in time and it feels... otherworldly.
The song carries along the wind, through the earth and dances across the oceans. The whole of Terra is singing and as it sings, the Heavens open and rain, pure and cleansing falls and washes away pain, fatigue and sin. The taint of decay and suffering are washed away as magic thrums through them, filling them until they are lulled to sleep. The only ones left standing are the reanimated dead and they begin carrying everyone back into the castle, Hogwarts arranging herself to allow everyone to be close by, but still offer some privacy. She goes down to the chamber where she speaks with the children and those left to guard them. They soon are back in the man castle most returned to their families and those who were orphaned this day were allowed to grieve, but Hogwarts promised that they would find them new families who will love and care for them.
The children of those who were loyal to Dumbledore were kept imprisoned for now, the underage children would be sent to healers to try and undo the conditioning and brainwashing they were born and raised into, the older ones would be rehabilitated and put on probation, if they slipped, depending on the level of severity they would be sent to Azkaban, have their memories wiped and their cores bound and kicked out into the Muggle world, to never return, or they will face a Tribunal and executed. The Dementors kept a steady patrol, fearing angering the Omega who bested such a powerful Wizard in such a rather anti climatic way.
Many thought the same, Dumbledore had been the Lord of the Light, the Defeater of Grindelwald. He was heralded as being as powerful as Merlin, that he was Merlin reincarnated. He was the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamont and the Supreme Mugwump of the ICW! Even the Minister of Magic deferred to him. He was almost a god among men! But then again that was what he wanted them to believe and if what they heard Arianna Dumbledore correctly, what she implied and did not say either because of how horrific it was or because it was simply too much to say at once, he damn near became one. So to see his body laying out where it was pinned into the ground outside of the gates, by Harry's Scythe, the beast of a weapon that it was. Eyes focused where Harry had been, mouth opened in shock and terror right before he was ended.
Was it really that simple? This God among men, so easily felled?! Why hadn't they done this sooner? Now that they can think and see clearly, it was so obvious and they had all been blind fools. Harry was right, they needed to change, needed to correct the mistakes of the past. History was taught to show us not only our greatest achievements, but also our worst mistakes. History is taught to uphold tradition, but to also invite new ideas, to accept that change is happens at any time and any place. History teaches them their mistakes so that they can learn from them and avoid making the same mistakes again. But History also teaches that History is written by the victors and not always the whole truth.
Now they wonder what History will say about them in 500 years, 1000 years from now. Will it tell the truth, that they grew stagnant, comfortable and lazy, allowed others to think for them, to spoon feed them bullshit and they ate it up because it was dressed up prettily with colorful lies and sprinkled with half truths. Would the future Magicals know that they foolishly put their faith in a man, who at the very beginning caused these three terrible wars back to back to back all in the bid to rule over all Magicals. That this man had nearly brought to to ruin and death? Would it tell of the young baby, prophesied to defeat a Dark Lord, but instead vanished for 16 years and returned to them a man, a powerful, but compassionate man, who had a vision of the Olde Ways resurrected, but allowing room for the New to help bring the peoples together?
They will never now because they will be dead long before that comes to pass, perhaps the Creatures might know since many live longer than the average 300 years of a Witch or Wizard. Whatever History decides, they will know the truth and are happy to finally see not only the whole picture, but the whole gallery a well. For now, they will grieve, they will mourn and they will repent. Tomorrow they will wake to a new dawn and begin anew, this time they will get it right, this time they will leave a footnote to be proud of!
Harry awoke slowly and sat up, confused. He was alone in his room, or so it seemed until he felt someone pet his hair and he gasps seeing his mother smiling at him.
"Mum?"
"Hello sweetheart.. did you sleep well?" she asks, fussing a bit with his hair and the bedding.
"I- I'm fine... but your-"
"Lord Mors allowed your mother and I to come back..." He turns to see his father in the doorway and behind him is Legolas, his Alpha is half mummified in bandages, but looks so pleased with himself as he carries a tray with soup and bread. "He said that for every death we get to linger longer in the living world, but by next Samhain we must return to the Land of the Dead. Look at you, so beautiful!"
"Dad!" He hugs his father when he gets close enough.
"Ah, my grandson you are finally awake!" A loud voice calls and Harry stares at a big, not only in height, but in muscle mass as well, man with long wild red hair and the Potter features he sees in his dad's face and in his own glamoured one. His eyes are a bright hazel, almost liquid gold. He has a neat scar slashed through his left eye that does not ruin his rugged good looks.
"For goodness sake! Hush, you blowhard!" a man behind him hisses and when he moves, Harry has to wonder if they were twins, the man has long black hair and the same Avada Green eyes he and his mother have. "Hello, my grandson, I am Salazar Slytherin. The loudmouth, is Godric Gryffindor and these lovely ladies behind me are..."
"We can introduce ourselves, thank you." a brunette woman says with a prim sniff and Salazar chuckles and allows them forward. "I am Rowena Ravenclaw, a pleasure. My Grandson, Severus has told me so much of you these last few days as we awaited you to awaken."
"Hello, dearie, are you in pain, feel sick? Do I need to fix you up a potion or two? Sorry, I'm Helga Hufflepuff! My Neville has grown up well and I thank you for igniting the proud Badge r in him! He's a wily one! Ohh, too bad you have such a fine young man or I'd suggest you marry my Neville.." the blond woman fusses and coos as she comes to examine him.
"No thank you, ma'am. Neville is a good friend and I do not want to get on the wrong side of Luna Lovegood, you never want to piss off a Seer, there is no telling what creative ways she can end me." Harry tells her.
"This is true... smart boy." She nods after a moments pause. She doesn't disagree, heck she likes the sweet girl, so special and delicate, but loyal and fierce when needed. Her grandson couldn't have a better choice other than Hadrian if he tried.
"Ahem... I would like to feed my mate please..." Legolas says and they all move and allow him near said mate and he sets the tray on his lap, kissing him softly and pressing their brows together. "I was worried... It's been so long since you've given into magical exhaustion. Severus said your core was practically empty..."
"Papa Mors had to use a living Host to do half of what he did... Oh my god, I have to revive Aldez!"
§My Hatchling summons me?§ She asks and Harry bursts into watery laughter as she slithers up and around him.
§I'm so sorry! Are you alright-§
§Be at ease, my Hatchling, I am well. I was very annoyed to be killed so easily, the nasty goat man is lucky his meat is rotten or I'd gobble him up! But the Ancient Death Fang One brought me back and healed my wounds. He has gifted me new eyes and has tied my life to yours. When it is time for you to go to the Eternal Sleep, I too shall go. I will be here to help raise your Hatchlings, teach them to be good proper snakes and how to hunt and attract good mates!§
§You will do no such thing, Aldeztaile!§ Harry yells, face hot with embarrassment and parental rage over children who have not been conceived yet.
§You will have to forgive her, my grandson, she is always meddling and trying to mother someone.§ Salazar laughs and Harry shakes his head.
"Be that as it may, when I have my children, I will be the one to teach them what they need to know, you can help sometimes, but I do not trust you to not teach them unnecessary! Like how to attract mates!"
"Shall I skin you now or later, Aldeztaile?" Legolas growls in Elvish as he glares at the snake,w ho gulps, sensing the deadly aura around him.
Harry tells him to calm down, which he does after he gets a promise that Aldeztaile will behave or else. They all sit and chat for a while, discussing what needs to be changed, how to change it and move forward. They talk until Harry is half dozing in his soup and Legolas cleans up leaving him in the care of his parents and ancestors as he goes to inform the school that he is finally awake. He will also speak to his father about remaining permanently on Terra, though he will visit Arda as often as he can. However, there was something else he wanted to talk about...