Notes: Here we go. Finally got this bad boy uploaded. As some of you have noticed (and commented already) this chapter was a bit late due to a mix-up at the time of correcting (an older version was corrected instead and it was too late by the time we realized it).
For future reference if there is ever a time when I am unable to upload a chapter in time, I will likely write a small note on my profile (seriously guys it's literally a click away, it's not that hard to check, I thought we already went over this). I won't upload an author's note in place of a new chapter because that would be misleading and it will piss off a large number of you (and it would likely piss me off too if I was a reader). So in the future if a chapter is late and there's no explanation for it, then something probably happened and I likely have no access to the internet, or simply am unable to do so for whatever reason.
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(ARC)
To Guest:
As I've mentioned previously (and also above) if a chapter is late I'll leave a note in my profile or just say so beforehand. No need to send a message so as to "remind me".
Also, it's funny you mention it, but I've never actually forgotten to upload a chapter. At most there was this one time the chapter was late because the page failed to upload it, even though I thought it actually did.
Anyways, thanks for reviewing.
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Chapter 49: A (Surprisingly) Bad Person
…..
"Did you hear? It looks like Professor Kuja has left the school." Lee Jordan said with hushed tones during dinner that night. "They say that's why this week's preparation class was cancelled."
"Does anybody know why? Umbridge couldn't have sacked him." Hermione said with a frown. "He might be a bit odd, but he's a brilliant teacher. Not to mention that sacking him now could cause an international scandal."
"Nobody knows, but apparently, Umbridge didn't know either. Colin passed by her this afternoon and she sounded furious. They say he might get sacked when he returns, well if he returns." The older teen said.
"She can't do that, can she? I mean, I wouldn't go up against someone with a ruddy dragon as a familiar." Ron said. "It would be bloody fantastic to watch, though. Can you imagine?"
Harry grinned at the thought of a certain toad becoming dragon food.
"What about Zidane, has anyone seen him? Maybe he knows where the Professor went." Hermione suggested, though Lee shook his head.
"According to Katie, he has no idea."
"Where is the bloke anyways, I thought he'd be with Neville." The redhead said, then turning to get said boy's attention from across the table. "Oi, Neville! Have you seen Zidane?"
The teen frowned, a thick book sitting on the table besides him as he ate. "Not since this morning. Maybe he already went to bed. He looked pretty tired."
"That´s strange." Hermione muttered quietly under her breath.
"Anyways, I'll see you guys later." Lee said, but then whispered quietly between them. "Fred and George have been planning something."
Harry waited for the older teen to be out of earshot before turning to Hermione questioningly. "So what was that about?"
"I was just thinking." Hermione said with a shake of her head. "Why should Zidane be so tired if he doesn't even have to prepare for OWLs."
"I know, it's so bloody unfair." Ron said but Hermione rolled her eyes.
"I mean, he should be having a lot more free time, so then, why would he so tired?" The bushy haired girl said. "I mean, not to be rude, but he isn't really a very…academical person, is he?"
"Do you think he might be up to something?" Ron asked. "The bloke might just be practicing Quidditch, you know. You saw his flying, it could use a little practice."
"I suppose you're right." Hermione said. "Professor Kuja is more important right now. I'm particularly interested in what happened during your last lesson, Harry. It looks like Professor Kuja left afterwards."
"He said he had to leave for some business transactions since Umbridge is monitoring everything, but I really don't think that's just it. You should have seen him after he went through my memories. He looked really bothered by something before he ended the lesson."
"You mean besides the fact that you dream of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?" Ron asked, and Harry nodded.
"I think he knows something about my dreams. More than he's letting on, at least." Harry said.
"But, what parts are we talking about exactly? Can you remember what made him react like that?" Hermione asked.
"I think it was when I showed him the glowing red orb in Voldemort's possession. It was right before that dream with the giant tree and the dragon played." Harry said. "You don't think they could both be related somehow, right?"
"Well we already agreed that the orb isn't the Order's secret weapon. I also think we can overlook that dream of yours even though Snape said it isn't a dream. I just can't figure out how it fits with the whole picture." Hermione said, deep in thought. "I thought that perhaps Professor Kuja was part of the Order and that maybe that's why Dumbledore called him, but since he told you he isn't then there's also the chance that he is affiliated with them somehow. I see no reason why he would lie about it, after all. Professor Kuja is also apparently a businessman, so perhaps he has some information that is useful to the Order. Perhaps he left to get in contact with them since it is impossible to do it here under Umbridge's watchful eye."
"I suppose that makes sense. I just wish we had some way to reach the Order as well." Harry said. He really wished he could speak to Sirius. His godfather would likely love the distraction, being stuck in his old family house and all.
"You know we can't send owls, and that the floo network is being watched." Hermione said. "If things get really serious, I suppose we could talk to Professor McGonagall, or Professor Snape, but still, the Order must be busy enough now that Dumbledore is gone. I don't think they would listen to us unless it was an emergency."
"I know, it's just…" Harry began, but was unable to find the words.
How exactly was he supposed to express the frustration that was growing everyday inside of him? Dumbledore was gone because of him. He had just finally managed to surpass Professor Kuja's test only to have the man disappear on him as well. OWLs were coming on, and then there was also the chance that he was being secretly watched. He mentioned it to both Ron and Hermione, but after some careful thinking on Hermione's part, she had simply blamed paranoia, saying that it would be redundant to have someone watching if there were already Order members amongst the staff, and even then, it would be impossible to watch someone for so long without being noticed by the student body or the rest of the staff.
And worst of all, he now had another lesson with Snape waiting for him and he was sure that the man would find out about his latest progress into the Department of Mysteries. With so many things going on, he had simply found it impossible to clear his thoughts before bed.
Last night he had finally made it past the door and into a dimly lit room as high and wide as a church with rows and rows of dusty shelves. Small and dusty spheres lay on these shelves, each appearing to be made of glass and glowing with the faintest of light.
He'd been ecstatic when he woke up, that is, until he realized the implications of what he'd seen.
"I have to go, or I'll give Snape yet another reason to hate me." Harry said with a defeated sigh. Merlin knew Snape would jinx him if he was late again.
The walk to Snape's office was a long and lonely one. Or at least, that's how he thought it would be. He never would have expected to see Cho beckoning him from the other side of the Entrance Hall. He internally debated for a moment whether he should follow, but surely enough, the idea of spending if just a few more minutes away from Snape won out in the end.
"Are you okay?" Harry asked as the girl stood rather awkwardly to the side of the giant hourglasses that displayed their house point. Not surprisingly, Gryffindor's was now nearly empty. "Umbridge hasn't been asking you about the DA, has she?"
"Oh no, it's just…well, I just wanted to say…I never thought Marietta would do such a thing, Harry." The girl said hurriedly.
"Yeah well…" Harry said moodily. He still felt a bit angered by the betrayal. Cho could have chosen her friends more wisely, as well. 'At least Marietta is still in the Hospital Wing.'
"She's a lovely person, really." Cho said. "She just made a mistake."
Harry looked at her incredulously.
Was she bloody serious?
"A mistake?! She sold us out! She sold you out, as well!" Harry said, his anger rising slightly.
"Well, we all got away, didn't we?" Cho said pleadingly. "You know her mom works in the Ministry. It's difficult for her-"
"Ron's dad work in the Ministry too, and the last time I checked, he didn't have 'sneak' written across his face!"
"That was a really horrible trick of Hermione Granger's." Cho said furiously. "She should have told us that she jinxed the list!"
"I think it was a brilliant idea. "Harry said coldly. He wouldn't accept anyone bad-mouth his friends, not even Cho.
"Oh yes, I forgot. If it was darling Hermione's idea-" The raven haired girl said, her face flushed while her eyes looked bright with fury.
"Don't start crying again." Harry said warningly.
"I wasn't going to!" Cho replied furiously.
"Yeah well, good." Harry said, his frustration reaching it limit. "I have enough to cope with already!"
"Go and cope with it then!" Cho shouted before turning on her heel and stalking off.
….
'Awkward.' Was the first thing Zidane thought to himself as he witnessed the fight between Harry and Cho. At times like these he really hated being a fly on the wall. 'Still, I'm supposed to be guarding him, so I suppose that I don't have much of a choice.'
Irritation really seemed to pour out of the teen as he headed towards the Dungeons where Snape's office was. Thankfully, it was that same irritation that made Harry less likely to notice him. Just because he was invisible, that didn't mean that he was inaudible, or untouchable. Harry's loud and angry footsteps did a splendid job at covering his own tracks. Moving around like he was walking on eggshells got really old after a while, and these old castles really produced an awful echo that made sneaking around even more difficult.
"You're late." Snape said, a sneer adorning his face when they finally reached the man's office.
'Geez Sev, learn to read the mood, why don't you?' Zidane thought to himself with sarcasm as he slipped inside the room just as the greasy haired man closed the door.
"Have you been practicing?" The man's cold voice asked.
"Yes." Harry replied, though the lack of eye contact made it clear to the blonde that this was likely a lie. Not to mention that Zidane knew for a fact that Harry had been having those dreams again. They slept in the same dorm, how couldn't he notice?
"We'll soon find out, won't we?" Snape said smoothly. "Pull out your wand, Potter."
With a sigh, Zidane went to find himself a seat behind Snape's desk. The desk itself seemed to be mostly unoccupied except for this peculiar basin with silvery stuff inside. For a moment he thought it looked a bit familiar to him, but the teen just shrugged it off and decided to take a seat. This was going to take a while and he might as well be comfortable.
He didn't think Snape was a bad teacher, per say. He was right in the sense that Voldemort obviously wouldn't just give Harry a chance to prepare during a real battle, but at the same time there was really no need to act like such a prick. Snape's animosity towards Harry was clearly shown in the way the older man taught, and when dealing with angsty teens, acting like that wasn't exactly the way to go if you wanted results. It really made him wonder if Dumbledore was really right in the head to actually propose such an arrangement. He also wondered what kind of leverage the old wizard had over the moody potions master, because clearly, Snape wasn't doing this on his own free will.
Zidane had only been to a few of these classes before, seeing as he only just begun to follow Harry around recently. He had no idea if Snape knew that he followed Harry to these lessons, but he didn't really care much. It wasn't like he was being disruptive, so Snape had no reason to complain.
He was still unsure of his own relationship with the rest of the Order, considering the row they had some time ago. He liked to believe that they were all over that, but considering the lack of communication, even with the Order members in Howarts, things had gotten pretty awkward. He didn't even have his so called 'boss' around, so he wasn't even sure if he was doing this job of his right. So for now all he could really do was make sure that Harry didn't get in too much trouble or possibly killed. It was frustrating to say the least.
'And it's not like I can just approach Snape or McGonagall and ask them how the last meeting was, not with Umbridge around at least.' Zidane thought, his hand supporting his head as he looked at the lesson that was about to begin.
He kinda wished that Kuja was back, that way he wouldn't have to babysit Harry. If that were the case, he'd have the entire night off, and maybe with some luck he'd even be able to sneak out of the castle and head over to the Three Broomsticks, or rather, the Hog's Head since the latter didn't really mind selling some of the stronger spirits to 'minors'.
'Though technically I am 17.' Zidane thought to himself before realizing that he started ranting again. 'Well maybe if this weren't so boring.'
Zidane glared at the silvery swirling mess inside the basin in front of him as if it were its fault that he was there. It was a childish thing to do, but seeing as he was invisible, he didn't really care. The door was suddenly opened with loud bang, changing his glare into a look of surprise. This was, after all, the first time one of these lessons was interrupted like that.
"Professor Snape, sir!" The intruder said, revealing himself to be none other than Draco Malfoy. The platinum blonde boy looked around before realizing that he'd caught his Head of House in what was probably a bad time. "Oh, sorry."
Zidane blinked. Well there was a face he hadn't seen in a while. He hadn't really had to deal with Malfoy since Mog, or rather, Madeen showed him off. He supposed that even if Malfoy had probably passed off the whole encounter as a dream, some of the residual fear had somehow stayed. Basically, Malfoy was so scared of him that he didn't even consciously know it.
'Good.' Zidane thought to himself. 'I was sick of dealing with him anyways.'
Eidolons knew that he hated dealing with rich, self-absorbed brats.
"It's alright Draco. Potter is just here for some remedial Potions." Snape said, lowering his wand.
'Ouch.' The genome thought as he saw the look of absolute glee that flew across the Slytherin's face. Harry looked absolutely furious.
"Well, Draco, what is it?" Snape asked, ignoring the previous exchange.
"It's Professor Umbridge sir, she needs your help." Malfoy said, and Zidane really hoped that it was because she had just found the Sniffler he put in her office. "They've found Montague, sir, he's turned up jammed inside a toilet on the fourth floor."
Zidane rolled his eyes. 'Magic Schools.'
"How did he get in there?" Snape asked, or rather, demanded.
"I don't know sir, he's a bit confused." Malfoy replied.
"Very well, very well." Snape said before turning to Harry. "We shall resume this lesson tomorrow evening, Potter."
The bat-like man swept out of the room. Malfoy followed after his Head of House as well, but not before turning towards the raven haired teen and mouthing 'Remedial Potions?' at him.
'Ouch.' Zidane thought once more. While Malfoy didn't bother him any longer, it looked like he still had a field day with Harry.
The Boy-Who-Lived angrily stuffed his wand back into his robes and then walked towards the door as well. Zidane took it as his cue to quietly get up and follow, a small smile forming on his lips. It looked like he might just be getting the night off like he wanted.
Harry made to the door but then suddenly stopped, bringing the blonde's own thoughts to a complete halt.
'What the-?' Zidane thought, wondering why Harry wasn't simply going through the door.
The teen then turned around to face the office, which rung even more alarms in his head.
'Harry what are you doing?' Zidane desperately wanted to say, but instead was forced to keep it as a thought.
The teen had taken a couple of steps towards where he stood, and for a moment Zidane thought that he'd been found out, that is, until Harry stopped in front of this strange basin that sat on top of Snape's desk. He'd been careful to avoid it since he took a seat behind the desk. After all, if there was one thing he came to learn about wizards was that they had some pretty messed up stuff, so it was always best to keep his hands to himself.
It looked like Harry had a different idea, however.
'Harry stop!' Zidane thought desperately as he saw the teen plunge his head inside like it was the most normal thing to do. 'Oh gods, what should I do? I mean, it looked like he knew what he was doing, so he probably isn't drowning, but still. What if it's dangerous? If that thing doesn't kill him, then Snape will once he comes back.'
Zidane thought about just grabbing the teen and pulling him out, but then rejected the idea. He had no idea what the basin was supposed to do, so what is pulling Harry out just made things worse?
'Wait, didn't Dumbledore have one of these things in his office?' The blonde thought desperately. If Dumbledore had one in his office then it couldn't be all that bad.
But then there was also the matter of his cover. He wouldn't be able to follow Harry around anymore if he became aware of his presence. His being there the night Dumbledore left could be easily passed off as him being an Order member on duty, but if he got found out now, there was no denying the fact that he was specifically tailing Harry.
As if Harry wasn't paranoid enough.
'Wait, maybe I don't have to pull him out myself. I could simply suggest that he should leave before Snape comes back.' Zidane thought, recalling that trick Kuja used all the time.
It was like talking to another person through their minds, but instead of actual words, you simply sent in images or suggestions, or at least that's how Kuja had explained it. The idea was simple enough, but could he really manage it? After all, Kuja was the expert on this, not him. He'd never tried it before because it sounded too much like subtle mind control and he generally preferred to stay out of people's heads.
'Well, here goes nothing.' The blonde thought, his brow furrowing in concentration as he attempted to reach Harry mentally.
And then everything went wrong.
It started with a weak pull towards the basin, and then, before he could even comprehend what was happening, he was already being dragged into the magical object, its gravity-like pull too strong for him to struggle against. It was like fishing for trout only to be pulled under by a whale.
'What the hell is this?' Zidane thought, somewhat shaken as he looked around at his strange new surroundings. He definitely wasn't in Snape's office anymore. 'What the hell happened? Where am I?'
The sound of scratching quills suddenly brought him out of his thoughts and into high alert, his tail was bristled to its fullest. Without thinking, he immediately took cover, only to look down and realize that he was still thankfully invisible.
'That was too close.' The genome thought with a sigh of relief.
Now that he actually looked around, he realized that the place looked familiar. Stone walls with a high enchanted ceiling; it was clearly the Great Hall, only the house tables had been replaced with several smaller desks. It was strange to see the place like this. It was even stranger when he realized that the usual boisterous sounds that could be heard here had been completely replaced by the scratching of several quills.
'What's going on here?' Zidane thought as he looked at the students questioningly. They were all bending over, writing on these rolls of parchment. Where they taking some kind of test?
Taking a closer look at the students, the genome then realized that he didn't recognize any of them. Sure the castle was a big place, but he was sure that he should have at least been able to recognize the faces of at least some of the students. Looking at the front of the room, Zidane had to do a double take. Flitwick was in the front of the room, only he looked much younger.
'What. The. Hell.' Zidane thought, clearly disturbed as the man walked down the hall to monitor the students.
He was so disturbed that he even forgot to move out of the way until it was too late. Zidane braced himself, expecting the sudden crash and then having the entire Hall turn to face them in surprise…only it never happened; younger Professor Flitwick simply seemed to phase through him like a ghost, leaving Zidane's jaw hanging. The blonde then decided to tentatively poke the nearest student only to have his finger just phase through. Was he the ghost here and not Flitwick?
It was then that he came to a sudden realization.
'Are these memories?' The blonde thought as he looked around once more.
Since he was looking at a younger version of his professor and he couldn't seem to interact with anyone, was he actually just seeing someone else's memories? Was that what the basin did? Was that silvery swirling mass inside just memories?
'Wait a minute, this was in Snape's office, so does that mean these are his?' Zidane thought before looking around. His gaze then fell on a particular student; pale skin, greasy hair, hook-like nose. 'OH MY GODS'
Before he even knew it, the teen was already looking at the teenage version of a certain moody potions master. The teen looked to be quite busy, his nose hovering just inches over the parchment as he frantically wrote on it.
'This is so bizarre.' The blonde thought, his eyes then landing on another teen sitting a short distance away. 'Harry?'
The cyan-eyed genome moved towards the teen with curiosity. Why was Harry taking an examination here? These were Snape's memories, so how was that even possible? Zidane looked to the side and saw yet another Harry; this one was walking around the halls, his eyes landing on several other students.
'Wait.' Zidane said, shaking his head as he looked back at the seated Harry.
Realization struck once again. The messy hair was the same, and so was the mouth, eyebrows, and face build, but there were some key differences; his eyes were hazel, unlike Harry's emerald colored orbs, his nose was slightly longer, and most notorious was the lack of a lightning-shaped scar on the teen's forehead.
The Harry lookalike turned to face another teen who gave him a thumbs-up. It was with yet another surprise that Zidane realized that this was a younger Sirius. He looked so much more young and healthy, not to mention handsome, that he nearly hadn't recognized the man, but then again, wizard prison wouldn't exactly do any favors for the skin so he supposed that it was to be expected.
Looking back at Harry, Zidane noticed that the teen was looking at yet another familiar face. Brown hair and a peaky complexion, there were already a few faint scars on the teen's face.
'Woah, Lupin?' The blonde thought, he kind of had a hard time picturing what a younger Lupin would have looked like seeing as the werewolf always kind of acted like an old man.
Zidane's gaze once again landed on the Harry lookalike. 'Wait then does that mean he's Harry's… dad?'
The concept seemed so strange to him. He supposed that to anybody else, it wouldn't really be that strange, but to him, a person who knew little in the ways of blood relations, it was almost baffling. The closest he ever had to a parent was Baku, and even then, the man had always been more of a leader than an actual father. They never played ball together or talk about liking girls, like he heard fathers did with their sons. Garland didn't count either, not by a long shot, actually. All the man had ever really done was give him life so he could massacre the people of Gaia.
In other words, he'd take Baku over Garland any day.
Zidane heard Flitwick announcing the end of the exam as he summoned back the answer sheets from the students. From where he stood, he could just barely make out Harry's dad, James if his memory served, crossing out the 'L.E' he had apparently written on his test paper, before packing his things and regrouping with his friends as they left the hall.
The genome saw Harry look longingly at his father's group before looking back at Snape. Harry knew he was in Snape's memories, at least. Zidane supposed that it meant that they'd have to stick close to the greasy haired teen.
"Did you like question ten, Moony?" The blonde heard Sirius say as they emerged into the Entrance Hall.
"Loved it." Lupin said with clear sarcasm in his voice. "Give five signs that identify the werewolf. Excellent question."
"D'you think you managed to get all the signs?" James said in mock concern. Zidane found himself walking closer to Harry and his father's group if only because it was a lot more interesting than following Snape.
"I think I did." Lupin said seriously. "One: he's sitting on my chair. Two: he's wearing my clothes. Three: his name's Remus Lupin."
The small group all laughed with exception to the small, pointed nosed, mousy-haired boy that accompanied them. Zidane had originally not paid him any mind seeing as he didn't recognize him.
"I got the snout shape, the pupils of the eyes, and the tuft tail, but I couldn't think of what else-" The shy looking boy said anxiously.
"How thick are you Wormtail? You run around with a Werewolf once a month-" James interrupted with impatience, before Lupin cut in.
"Keep your voice down." The werewolf implored, though Zidane was too busy recalling where he had heard the name Wormtail before.
'Wait a minute. Sirius told me stories about the Marauders before.' The teen thought, trying to recall what Sirius told me. Realization hit him like a thunder spell. 'That boy, Wormtail… he's Peter Pettigrew…he's the man that betrayed Harry's parents!"
Zidane's expression darkened as he looked at the teen in a new light. To think that boy would grow up to betray his friends like that. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that it was this man's fault that Harry had grown up without his parents.
The teen shook his head to get rid of the dark thoughts that went through his head. There was nothing he could do now. And unfortunately, killing off that poor excuse of a human being wouldn't bring Harry's parents back.
The blonde looked around, seeing as they were now headed towards the lake. It was a pleasant day and thus there were many students loitering about. That much hadn't changed, at least. Snape still had his nose stuck in those exam papers from earlier. It made him wonder if he had a set destination in mind, and he was just absently walking without a fixed idea of where he was going.
"Well I think it was a piece of cake." Sirius said casually. "I'll be surprised if I don't get an 'Outstanding'."
"Me too." James said, before pulling out a struggling Golden Snitch from his pocket.
"Where did you get that?" Sirius asked with curiosity.
"Nicked it." James said casually as he proceeded to play with the thing by letting it loose and catching it again. In a way it reminded him of a cat playing with a cornered mouse. Wormtail looked in awe, and even Zidane had to admit that he had a decent set of reflexes.
'Not as good as mine though.' The genome thought with pride.
The foursome all sat under a beech tree; the same tree that he'd taken to sleeping on whenever he was in the particular mood for a nap outside. Snape had settled himself on the grass down in the shadow of a dense clump of bushes, while Harry sat in between both groups, probably so he could keep his eye on both. Zidane decided to move slightly closer to Harry, seeing as the teen apparently knew what he was doing.
The blonde looked at the younger version of Snape, and then nearly slapped himself. With all the excitement, he'd forgotten that they were still in Snape's memories and that the potions master would be back any moment now. He needed to get moving.
'Alright, how did Kuja say this worked?' The teen thought, concentration high so that his plan would work. 'Okay here we go.'
Zidane looked at the teen before him, squinting as he attempted to make the connection. The teen on the other hand, simply watched his father continue to play with the Snitch, making each catch more spectacular than the last.
'Why isn't it working?' The blonde thought in frustration. He just couldn't seem to make the link to Harry's mind, which was strange seeing as he didn't have any problems before. Now, it was just like trying to swim in quicksand. No matter how much he tried, he just couldn't seem to advance.
With a mental groan, Zidane plopped himself on the soft grass as a sign of surrender. A bit farther away Harry's dad continued to entertain his audience, which at this point consisted entirely of Wormtail. Lupin had opted to read a book while Sirius simply looked bored, yet handsomely so. He was actually kind of surprised that he could pull off that look.
Despite the physical similarities, Zidane couldn't help but notice just how different father and son were personality-wise. After a few minutes it became clear that Harry hadn't inherited his father's modesty, or lack thereof. Even now, Harry's father continued to entertain the man that would one day betray him. Wormtail would in turn reciprocate with cheers and applauses. It had been at least five minutes now and still, James appeared to enjoy every second of it.
Zidane raised a brow, noticing how the teen also seemed overly obsessed about his hair. He'd occasionally fidget it before glancing towards the lake shore. Following the teen's line of sight, the genome smirked. A rather large group of girls gathered there, soaking their feet in the water. Apparently Potter Senior was also more of a ladies-man than his son.
'It's a real shame, James. I think we would have gotten along famously.' Zidane thought as he looked at the messy haired teen. Eidolons knew he'd done stupider stuff to get girls.
"Put that away, will you?" Sirius said, finally snapping. "Before Wormtail wets himself with excitement, that is."
Said boy turned slightly pink, but James grinned.
"If it bothers you." The teen said, putting away the Snitch. Zidane had the strangest sense of Déjà vu as he recalled a similar scenario, only with him and Blank.
"I´m bored." Sirius whined.
"If you're bored you can test me in Transfiguration." Lupin said, handing the teen his book.
Sirius snorted in response. "I don't need to look at that rubbish, I know it all."
"This'll liven you up, Padfoot. Look who is it." James said quietly.
Sirius's head turned while he stood very still, not unlike a dog that just scented a rabbit.
"Excellent." He said softly. "Snivellus."
Zidane turned to look at where both teen were looking, only to see that Snape was on the move again. Somehow, he got the impression that something quite awful was about to happen, or as Blank would aptly put it; 'Shit was about to go down'.
"All right, Snivellus?" James said loudly.
Snape reacted so fast that Zidane had the impression that this was almost a routine. Dropping his bag, Snape reached for his wand. It had been halfway in the air when James shouted.
"Expelliarmus!" The teen said, making Zidane frown.
Snape's wand flew out of his hand and fell behind him, eliciting a bark-like laughter from Sirius.
"Impedimenta!" James followed through and by now there was a crowd gathering near the teens, many looking apprehensive while other looked entertained.
Snape was now panting on the ground, James and Sirius advancing towards him like wolves. Pettigrew stayed on the sidelines, a hungry look on his face as he edged closer to get a closer look.
"How did the exam go, Snivelly?" James asked with a mocking tone.
"I was watching him, his nose was touching the parchment." Sirius said viciously. "They'll be great grease marks all over it. They won't be able to read a word."
Many people surrounding the teens laughed. Snape clearly wasn't the most popular of students. Said teen was still trying to get up, but unfortunately, the jinx still held him in place as if tied by invisible ropes.
"You- wait." Snape said, panting. As he looked up, Zidane saw what he could only describe as pure loathing towards James. "You- just wait."
"Wait for what?" Sirius said coolly. "What are you going to do, wipe your nose on us?"
Snape let out a stream of swear words that made even the genome surprised. He didn't think he'd ever heard Snape swear, though these circumstances were understandable. The Marauders had crossed the fine line between a harmless prank and downright bullying.
"Watch your mouth." James said coldly. "Scourgify!"
Bubbles began to come out of Snape's mouth and Zidane had to remind himself that this was a memory just so he wouldn't go up there and punch James in the face himself. Looking towards Harry, he bit his lip as he saw the shell-shocked look on his face. Clearly, he never expected something like this from the man he looked up to.
"Leave him ALONE!" A voice called and genome realized that it was one of those girls that was at the lake's shore earlier. She had long red hair and startling emerald eyes. She looked somewhat familiar, though he couldn't quite figure out why.
"All right, Evans?" Potter Senior said, and Zidane noticed something else in the way he said it. He sounded more pleasant and mature, not all that different from how he must sound when flirting. It didn't take long to piece things together; the way he kept looking towards the lake while showing off, the way he was acting now. It was clear that James had a crush on this girl; everything he did was to get her attention.
'Then, all of this was to get her attention?' The blonde thought. He really wanted to slap himself in the face now.
"What's he done to you? Leave him alone!" The girl said, and the genome could tell there was a clear look of dislike directed at James.
"Well, it's more along the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean…" James said, eliciting a round of laughter from the students nearby, all except Lily and Lupin, who was apparently focused on his book. Zidane was honestly surprised that, being the more reasonable one, Lupin wasn't doing anything to stop James.
"You think you're funny but you are just an arrogant, bullying toerag, Potter. Leave him alone." This girl, Evans, said.
"I will if you go out with me, Evans." James said quickly and he couldn't help but roll his eyes. Of all the ways you could woo a woman, bullying another teen into submission and ridicule certainly wasn't the way to go.
"I would rather go out with the giant squid." The redhead said in what could be described as barely contained anger.
"Bad luck, Prongs." Sirius said briskly before turning to look at Snape. "Oi!"
Zidane turned to look quickly, alarms going off in his head. Snape's younger version had just recovered from the jinx and pointed his wand at James. There was a flash of light, and suddenly, James had a gash on the side of his face, spattering his robes with fresh blood. James instantly whirled about, and a flash of light later left Snape hanging upside-down in the air, his robes falling over his head, revealing skinny, pale legs and a pair of greying underpants.
'Shit.' The genome thought, despite the cheer and laughter that filled the air. Close by Harry seemed to mirror his own expression.
That spell Snape used had felt like some pretty dark stuff. Had it been directed towards the neck and not the face, James would have probably bled out. They had used many spells that hurled people backwards or disarmed wizards during the DA meetings, but seeing this reminded him just how deadly spells were.
"Let him down." Evans repeated. Her expression was absolutely livid.
"Certainly." James said, and with a jerk of his wand, Snape fell down to the ground. Disentangling himself from his robes, the teen got up quickly with his wand pointed, only this time, Sirius was the one to react. A 'petrificus totalis' later left Snape kneeling on the ground, as rigid as a board, from what appeared to be this world's equivalent of the petrification ailment.
"LEAVE HIM ALONE." The girl repeated again, only now she had her own wand out, leaving James and Sirius suddenly looking wary.
"Ah, Evans, don't make me hex you." James said earnestly.
"Take the curse off of him, then!" The redhead repeated.
With a sigh, the messy-haired teen muttered the counter-curse, eyeing Snape as he struggled to get up. "There you go. You were lucky Evans was here, Snivellus."
"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!" Snape said, and Zidane was surprised to see the hurt look on her face.
"Fine. I won't bother you in the future. And I'd wash your pants if I were you, Snivellus." The girl said. The blonde realized then that despite her words, she was clearly hurt by Snape's words. Too hurt for them to have been simple acquaintances. Could these two have been friends at some point?
"Apologize to Evans!" James roared, pointing his wand at Snape once more.
"I don't want you to make him apologize!" The redhead snapped, looking at the teen. "You're as bad as he is!"
"What?! I'd NEVER call you a you-know-what!" Potter senior said in defense.
"Messing up your hair just because you think you look cool looking like you just got off your broomstick, showing off with that stupid Snitch, walking down corridors and hexing anyone that annoys you just because you can." The girl began, though Zidane was far more interested in something else to care. The way her eyes seemed to burn while she shouted; he was sure that he saw those same eyes somewhere. Looking towards Harry, his own cyan orbs suddenly widened.
'No fucking way.' Zidane thought, looking at the girl in a new light.
"I'm surprised you broom can even get off the ground with that fat head on it. You make me SICK!" The redhead said before turning on her heel and leaving.
"Evans! Hey Evans!" James shouted, but the girl didn't turn back.
Zidane shook his head, following the girl slightly as she was joined by a group of her friends. He needed to confirm this.
A girl with two ponytails approached; a look of concern on her face. "Are you alright, Lily?"
The blonde's eyes widened. His suspicions were right. 'This girl…she's Lily Potter. She's Harry's mom.'
"Who want me to see me take of Snivelly's pants?" Zidane heard James call out, followed by a round of raucous laughter.
Whether James had removed Snape's underpants would forever be a mystery to him. More pressing was the realization that he and Harry were not alone anymore.
"Having fun?" A cold voice said, trembling with fury.
'Oh crap.' Zidane cursed, seeing the figure of Snape, the adult Snape, with Harry's arm in his iron grip.
There was a sudden movement and the two were now gone. It was then that the genome felt his body rise into the air whilst simultaneously being sucked through a hole, as if dragged by an invisible, irresistible current. The summer's day disappeared before his eyes, the sounds vanishing along with it. It was a strange feeling to say the least. Then with a swooping sensation, his feet met the cold stone floor and the blonde instinctively landed in a crouch. The jars lining the walls and the basin still sitting on Snape's desk made his location quite clear.
"So, have you been enjoying yourself, Potter." The Potion Master snapped. Harry winced, his face scrunching up in pain as Snape tightened his grip.
"N-no." Harry said, eyes wide as he tried to free his arm.
Zidane had never seen the man look so angry before. His teeth were bared, his lips were shaking. His usually cold eyes were blazing with fury in a way reminiscent of how a younger Snape had looked at James.
"Amusing man your father, wasn't he? Snape said, shaking Harry so hard the teen's glasses slipped down his nose.
"I-I didn't." Harry began but was thrown down onto the ground harshly by Snape's hand.
The blonde mentally cursed. He didn't want to reveal himself but Snape wasn't thinking clearly. He'd never seen the bat-like man like this, so there was no telling what to expect. As long as magic wasn't used, it would be fine, right?
"You will not repeat what you saw to anybody!" Snape bellowed, making even his tail bristle slightly.
"No," Harry began, getting to his feet as quickly as possible to get away from the man's wrath. "No, of course I won´t-"
"Get out, get out! I don't want to see you in this office ever again!" Snape shouted as he pulled out his wand.
Zidane took it as his cue to act. Seeing the jar sent magically hurtling towards Harry, the teen dashed forwards and batted it away with one of his daggers, making it shatter against a wall and allowing Harry to escape unharmed. Looking back, the blonde gave a sigh of relief, before turning to look at the surprised Potion Master.
"You!" The look of surprise on Snape's face morphed into one of fury again.
Seeing as there was no point in staying invisible, the teen disabled the spell that once covered him and raised both hands in a gesture of peace. Dagger always did say to try the peaceful approach first. He might as well give diplomacy a chance.
"Calm down, okay?" The teen said.
"Out. NOW!" The man said, sending another jar in his direction. Zidane decided to dodge this one.
"I'm sorry, okay? I had no idea what that thing was, or that it would make us see that." Zidane said, trying to placate the man.
"Potter knew very well what he was doing!" The man said, his voice shaking with anger. "He's just as arrogant and pigheaded like his father!"
Zidane grit his teeth, his mind going back to what he saw inside the basin. What James Potter had done was inexcusable, even if he did it because he was an idiot in love. He had seen the crushed look on Harry's face when he saw his role model, the one person everyone compared him to, behave like such a prick. Harry might have a hero-complex, and the inability to do as told, heck, he even had a pretty short temper, but Harry would never bully and ridicule another person just to seek attention.
"Harry is not like his father!" Zidane snapped back, angry that someone would insult the teen he considered a friend. "But you are too blind to see that. "Potter stole your girl so now you take it out on his son?"
The moment those words left his mouth, he regretted saying them. A curse was sent his way, one aimed for his head. Zidane moved to dodge, but the spell still managed to graze his cheek, leaving a shallow, but still bleeding, cut. What shocked him the most was the look of shock in Snape's now deathly white face. Had he not been so angry, he might have actually felt bad.
"W-who told you that!" Snape snarled, every word dripping with venom.
The blonde gave a sardonic laugh before wiping the blood off his face. To hell with diplomacy.
"No one did. I figured it out from what I saw. You called her a Mudblood without meaning to, and ended whatever you two had, and whatever it could have possibly been." Zidane surmised with a shake of his head. "All you ever do is think of him as a miniature version of the man who stole the love of your life; as the sum of your mistakes, but Harry isn't James Potter. He's a boy who never really knew his parents; a boy who grew up without loving relatives, and with all the weight of the world on his shoulders; a boy who up until tonight thought his parents were perfect role models."
Snape stood, his face still pale and his lips still trembling, while the storm that raged inside of him made him unable to speak. Using his desk for support, the man nearly dropped his wand from his now limp grasp.
"Harry is Lily Potter's son as well. He's her living legacy, so don't forget that." Zidane said, before glaring daggers at the man. "I don't care if you are an Order member or a Death Eater. If you lay your hands on Harry again, I won't hold back.
The blonde watched the man a bit, cyan orbs drilling through him, before he turned on his heel and walked towards the door. He regretted saying the harsh words that left the Potion Master in that state, he truly did. He had never seen the man look so broken and he never wanted to ever see it again. It reminded him to much of himself after finding out the truth of his origins.
But facing those harsh truths were the first step.
'You gotta pull yourself together Zidane, you nearly tranced back there.' The genome thought, running a hand though his hair with a sigh. Casting invisibility on himself once more, the teen made his way through the dark and cold corridors out of the dungeons. 'Now, to find Harry.'
….
The single full moon was shining brilliantly up in the sky, shedding its ghostly light on the blankets of snow that covered the seemingly abandoned structure. It was an old thing that had clearly seen better days, though somehow despite its dilapidated state, it still stood as a reminder of darker times.
The air around him shimmered as he and his mount once again became visible to the naked eye. His silver hair and pale skin made him look like something unearthly. His previous title of "Angel of Death" seemed more than fitting now as the reflected moonlight seemed to crown his head with a luminous halo. Under him, his mount gave a discontent snort, her pearly scales, though gem-like under the moon, were not fit for the cold weather.
"I know you dislike the cold, but it won't be long, Sylph." The man said, stroking the dragon's smooth scales as she pressed her head against him to indulge in his touch.
He dismounted the dragon and slowly walked towards the sealed metal hatch, his footsteps crunching over the pristine snow. At some point this place and the surrounding village had been abandoned by the humans during some "Great War" however, after the great tragedy that took place there, nobody remained to once again claim the forgotten land. Even the roads that had once led to this place were now overgrown with various forms of now frozen vegetation.
To any other person it would have seemed like this place had not seen anyone in decades, save for a couple of brave souls that sought the haunting charm of this place. However, the older genome was not fooled. He could feel the magic buzzing in the air, its intensity becoming stronger as he neared the large structure that must have been used at some point as a covert factory of sorts.
A sudden spike of magic alerted him of something invisible just up ahead.
'Probably a ward of some sort.' The man reasoned before taking out a small orb from inside his thick winter coat. Said orb began to glow a light blue as Kuja held it in his hand.
Just like the orbs he had outside of his Parisian mansion, this small artifact was capable of absorbing nearby magic, however, it worked in a more subtle way by weakening any magic surrounding it when activated, instead of creating a perimeter where all magic would be absorbed. When it came to wards, it wouldn't break them, nor give the caster any indication of an intrusion, but it would allow him to pass through freely. It was originally devised to allow him to move in and out of Hogwarts without having Dumbledore's intrusion in his private manners, however it was equally as effective now.
'Too bad it doesn't work with places protected by the Fildelius Charm.' Kuja thought. Indeed he would definitely enjoy giving the Order a small scare by showing up at one of their meetings uninvited.
The silver-haired genome motioned at Sylph to stay as he passed through the ward undeterred, the orb ceasing to glow as he put it back inside his inner coat pocket. Moving towards the side of the structure, he cast a silencing charm on the surrounding area before pulling the rusting corrugated iron apart with magic and creating an entrance large enough for him to comfortably walk through.
Tall walls made of crates greeted him, though considering that the wood these were made of was not rotten despite the dampness of the building, these were probably brought in here recently. Furthermore there was a definite machine-like sound up ahead that was probably isolated from the outside by the wards he passed by.
Kuja cast 'float' on himself as he decided to take a closer look. It wouldn't do any good if the clicking of his heels alerted his prey. Movement immediately caught his eyes from one of the machines, not only from the assembly line that was running, but also from the hunched and cloaked being that was bent over it.
The genome narrowed his eyes. The being's movements were odd and its figure seemed too deformed to be considered human, with impossibly thin arms that seemed too long and disproportionate compared to the rest of its body. He could not see anything under the dirty-looking rags that made its hood, not with the limited supply of greenish light that seemed to be coming from enchanted baubles that floated about. At most he could make out the creature's extremities as being wrapped in bandage-like cloth, giving the entire being an appearance that was a cross between an eerie scarecrow and a stereotypical mummy.
Kuja wrinkled his nose in distaste. It wasn't any creature he'd ever encountered, though then again, he hadn't really spent so long on this world to consider himself an expert on all non-human species. Besides, he probably would have remembered encountering a creature as foul-looking as this.
The genome's eyes then focused on whatever it was that the creature was working at. Upon closer inspection, its movements seemed pretty simple and almost mechanic, leading him to believe that whatever it was they were making couldn't have been tremendously complex. In fact, from where he stood, whatever the creature was working on actually looked like junk, or at least that's what the oddly shaped pieces of what appeared to be scrap metal led him to believe.
'I need a closer look.' The man realized before making himself invisible. This was, of course, a neat trick he picked up from his dear brother, though he was still far from willing to admit that to his face.
Inching closer to the creatures, the man quickly came to realize that there were actually several of them, each working on individual tasks along the assembly line. There was something that continued to bother him, however. He could still not pinpoint where the large concentrations of magic were coming from. There were too many minor magical signals interfering.
The pale man frowned as he looked around. The building still looked too big from the outside for this to be all there was to it. From what he had learned from his limited time with these wizards was that things tended to be larger on the inside and not the other way around. Also, they tended to be quite quick to flee when startled. Apparition was really quite a cumbersome thing when hunting down prey.
Looking up at the rusty steel beams and the pitch black ceiling, the genome suddenly had an idea. He'd have to use up a bit of magic to keep himself in the air, however, he'd be able to get a good eagle's eye view from up there.
The man launched himself upwards silently, the magic around him exploding and dispersing. He managed to get a quick look at the rest of the facility; more crates piled up creating a messy labyrinth along with an assembly line that snaked about the building. Further back there were several small glowing specks of red, but it was too hard to tell what they were from here. He was about to head further ahead, but then suddenly he heard a metallic screech that was shortly followed by a sudden jolt of pain that blossomed from his side. Quickly turning to the side, he was greeted by a pair of glowing red orbs, staring intently towards him despite the invisibility that supposedly covered him.
A sudden surge of anger coursed through him, his magic stirring violently and mixing with killer intent; the very room seemed a lot darker and more oppressive than just seconds before. Kuja quietly brought up his hand, palm open, before abruptly closing it and throwing it downwards. As if suddenly grabbed by a large, invisible hand, the creature visibly struggled in the air, sharp, bloodstained blades like long fingers flailing about uselessly. However, just as Kuja closed his hand, the creature's thin frame was suddenly crushed, as if an enormous weight had suddenly come upon it from all directions and then slammed downwards, forming spider cracks in the concrete and making a small cloud of dust rise over the old floor.
Kuja descended slowly towards the remains of the creature, his body shimmering once more into view. Though he seemed calm enough, his façade was betrayed by the stormy atmosphere that surrounded him and the dark, predatory glimmer in his eyes. The creature's red robs flickered, its eyes still focused on Kuja even as the genome stood before it, heeled boot now resting over the remains of its head like a cat analyzing its prey and contemplating its fate before giving it the final blow.
"You're going to regret having done that." The silver-haired genome said, his melodic voice sounding actually bemused.
The creature thrashed about weakly, its limbs sounding mechanic as they moved, yet before it could do anything else, there was another pulse of magic in the air and Kuja slammed his foot down, his heel moving sideways as he pressed further down with the sole of his boot; a small, broken red orb about the size of a marble rolling out.
"Hmm." Kuja said, looking down at his boot like he had just stepped on a mere insect.
The creature did no move again.
"That's what I thought." The man said smugly.
The sound of blades tearing through the air made the man turn around while moving his head just slightly to the side. A thin trail of red suddenly appeared on his cheek as a single droplet of blood ran down his face.
"Have you all come to be defeated?" The elder genome said, looking around to see pairs of red orbs surrounding him. Taking off his thick, blood-soiled, winter coat in preparation, Kuja then set it over a nearby crate.
The large concentration of magic shifted like living mass as more and more of the creatures began to surround him. It suddenly became clear to him that what he had been feeling did not come from a single source, but rather a grand total of smaller signals. The creature he had just destroyed was merely a small worker, while what surrounded him now was the entire hive.
Wiping the blood away with his thumb, the genome then slowly brought it to his mouth and licked the coppery substance off, the corners of his mouth turning upwards in a smile that seemed more ferocious than friendly.
"It seems like the true show is about to begin, but don't worry, I'll be sure to give a stellar performance!"
White hot flames erupted around Kuja as the man rose from the ground. Around him, the creatures all jumped in at once to attack.
The battle had begun.
…
To be continued….
….
A/N: I'll try to sneak in an omake in the next chapter since I was a bit in a hurry with this one. See you guys next week!