Summary: Azkabam escapees, politicians, dementors, divided loyalties, difficult questions and, soul mates? Things are getting complicated. Mentions of slash & 3soms. Violence and some language.
HevenSentHellBroken: I am unspeakably proud of myself
Holysinner5527: Yup, thats Gat
realdarkangel: Why thank you
Firehedgehog: Cheers.
Warning: one f-bomd in this chapter
Dementor Attack
"I am confused."
As Harry was focused on maintaining the liquid umbrella that kept the rain off them, the Gryffindors and Huffelpuffs were focused on the Quidditch game, the Slytherins were trying to pretend that they weren't there and Tracy was glued to Hermione, Hazel's statement passed without comment. Julian smiled at him but said nothing, suggesting that he hadn't actually listened.
He tugged on a likely looking sleeve and tried again.
"Flare, I'm confused. Why are we here?"
Flare tipped his head and considered this, nose wrinkled in a way that made him look like a confused puppy.
"I think it's because our friends dragged us alone to see the match, or possibly just to make us suffer, and now we can't leave without getting soaked."
Hazel considered this, looking with clear dislike at the heavy rain.
"We could take Harry with us."
Indigo snorted.
"Yeah, good luck with that. He's got a new trick and he's not going anywhere until he's got it absolutely perfect."
They considered the umbrella that covered them like some strange mushroom, shielding them from the worst of the weather, and the ripples that spread from every raindrop that hit it.
"That will take him ages." predicted Hazel morosely.
"To bloody true." snapped Yuki, glaring at the sodden benches of the stands. "When do we learn to transfigure water into something dry?"
"When you're studying for a Mastery."
Millicent's dark proclamation was greeted with moody silence, even as the Gryffindors cheered another goal and the Huffelpuffs howled in fury as the Twins hounded their Seeker.
"How long do you think it will be before Diggory escapes the Twins long enough to catch the snitch?" asked Flare.
"Slightly longer than it takes the Huffelpuff chasers to get their act together and get the quaffle." Predicted Millicent.
The three ladies of the Gryffindor team swooped over head, the quaffle flying between them at a speed that made it hard to keep track off even when everyone wasn't half blinded by rain.
"We're going to be here for hours!" wailed Hazel.
"You don't say." hissed Indigo. The near silent blaze of bicthy-ness was ignored; they all knew he hated rain.
"You should try to enjoy the game." said Julian, pulling his attention away from the game for a few seconds to turn a serene smile on Hazel. "Come, admire the skill of their flight. Do they not move as though they were born with wings?"
Within a few minutes Hazel was as hypnotised as the rest.
The Slytherins spared them a few, 'you're so sweet I'm getting cavities just thinking about you' looks and returned to their privet sink holes of misery.
Then Flare frowned.
"Is it just me, or is it getting colder?"
They felt the aching misery of dementors nearby moments later.
Xxxxxxxxx
Kingsley Shacklebolt was swearing violently and with get inventiveness.
This wasn't just to vent his feelings, no matter how healthily the mind healers kept saying it was, focusing on the rage helped keep the effects of the dementors at bay. It was the only defence those without Occlumency had against the cold.
There had been twelve aurors at the match, but only seven of them had managed to get angry in time. Fortunately Dumbledore and Snape were strong in Occlumency, and a few of the other teachers and the older students were holding it together well enough to pick up the slack.
The dementors had to be driven off. Now.
A scream of raw, animal fury tore through the air, and a twisting comet of orangey gold magic and rage shot from the stands that the students huddled in, towards the dementors.
Kingsley got the sudden, awful feeling that the dementors might be the lesser problem here. Then his training kicked in and he charged after the out of control kid.
Xxxxxxxxxxx
The collapse of their rain shelter snapped the Hit Squad out of their dementor induced stupor. Harry, his attention split between dementors, Neville's sudden departure and maintaining the flow of magic had released the least important aspect, and drenched them all.
"So much for staying dry then." quipped Jackie weakly.
"What just happened to Neville?" asked Susan, who had been sitting next to the brunet, in a dazed tone.
"The aurors are after him." snapped Ron, ignoring them both in favour of more pressing matters.
Indigo hissed a word that made Percy blush.
"We must stop them." murmured Harry, biting his lip. "If they get between him and the dementors…"
The trio bolted, running straight across other students in their haste. The more warlike members of the Hit Squad charged straight after them.
"The aurors-"
"Distraction?"
"Stunners!"
"Fire?"
"In this rain?"
"Quiet! Anyone who can handle them hit the dementors. Indigo, Neville. Everyone else, deal with the aurors. Is that clear?"
When Harry used that tone of voice everything was clear.
Xxxxxxxxxxxx
Complete and utter homicidal fury is a mountain, and on this mountain there are many little ledges of sanity, points at which the hands are steady, the voice is even and the manner is calm. Points at which only a tiny glint in the eyes betrays the fury within and the destruction to come.
Severus Snape was just standing there, very still, looking at the group of dementors that had fled the enraged Neville to charge at the students. His wand was held loosely in one hand, his expression was one of quiet consideration, and all the students whose brains were still functioning in a semi-normal fashion were moving away from him as quickly as possible.
The dementors, nine of them in total, were not getting away, though that was due to the fact that the shadows cast by the stands had unexpectedly departed their normal positions and tangled the creatures in hair thin threads that, in cheerful defiance of logic, common sense and the laws of physics were holding the things down rather than any particular courage or lack of self preservation instincts.
"Professor Snape, I must ask you to release those creatures immediately."
The Head of Slytherin turned his head slightly and gave the foolish auror, who must have been a Gryffindor, a blank look. The man trembled as run like fuck instincts finally made themselves heard over a dazed need to follow the rules. He was saved from any further thought by a Stunner between the shoulder blades.
Severus watched dispassionately as Susan, her duty towards the preservation of her aunts minions done, ran past to do her duty towards helping her friends beat up authority figures. Then he turned back to the dementors.
He raised his wand slowly, and smiled.
Xxxxxxxx
Kingsley had never been more grateful for freak weather conditions. The hurricane was a terrifying and dangerous blessing; the fact that it had been created by a student, a thirteen year old was… Well, he'd worry about that later. Once the Ravenclaw girl had stopped singing that creepy freaky song that had the dementors not trapped in the wind fleeing her voice and those that were trapped unravelling like dropped balls of string. The song that made his bones ache.
Most of his squad were held captive or unconscious, the ball of rage – was that Longbotton in there?- appeared to be hypnotised by something.
He didn't normally follow the stun now, ask questions later school of thought-
A wand tip dug painfully into the side of his neck.
"I would rather not do this, Professor Shacklebolt, you are an extremely competent teacher and I respect that. But it is my sad duty to inform you that if you do not drop your wand this instant I shall be obliged to do something awful to you."
Kingsley dropped his wand. He had never actually believe Hermione Granger capably of living up to the rather fearsome reputation of her group, but then he had never actually been very good at profiling people.
Xxxxxxxx
The daemon-wraiths were fading, sent back to their own realm by biting winds and strange music. It was good. It was good.
Neville
Horrible things, evil things, back to your own world, you were never ment to walk the solid earth, this was never your place. Be gone.
Goku
What to destroy now? No attack on this form, no danger, no irritating screaming mortals, just the rain.
Shar
Just the voice, just him, the angel-devil with the tween-time sky trapped forever in his eyes. He had hurt them before, died and gone and left them alone in the cold, in the silence.
I know. I'm sorry.
Why had he left them? They had been happy.
Because I was killing you, did kill you brother mine, and I could not stand to let it happen again.
They could protect his form; he simply had to protect their mind.
Poison never truly goes out of fashion.
They could still it in his veins. They had done so before.
But it killed you beloved, you would have survived the mortals blade were I not draining you. Zeia's son could survive that and more.
They were twins, their power the same, their soul the same.
Never, you were always stronger than me. Always kinder then me, the precious right wing of my soul, the brightness I never had, the gentleness I couldn't keep, my other half, the honestly good person I could never be. We are reverse reflections, never the same.
Why speak so cruelly of his own being? He brought the sun, the light in the dark, the warmth in the cold, still shining so bright. He brought light and heat and star shine.
I bring fire. Fire is destruction. I burn people, even you.
Yes, but it was needed. Destruction created change and new growth.
Are you with me?
Yes.
Xxxxxxxxx
Harry had three aurors caught in a watery giant fish bowl, which Yuki had then frozen for him. The other members of the law enforcement agency were held at wand point, a safe distance from each other. Ron and Tracy had seen off the dementors, with some unexpected help from Dumbledore.
Neville and Indigo knelt in the dirt, wrapped in each other's arms, their magic, the colours of molten stone and fire shifting around them in a strange, semi-liquid dance. Neither moved.
"They're stuck." Said Dean softly, appearing at Harry's elbow without warning. "They have to regain balance to get out, but they can't get it. Once they balanced each other, they alone, but they aren't alone anymore, you see? Water must balance fire. Earth must balance air. Earth and fire alone, just doesn't work."
Harry glanced between the artist and his friends.
"What holds us together, when the ties break?"
"The same things that hold other people Harry, I doubt much will change." Dean tipped his head, and smiled slightly. "Go on, Ron looks for your guidance now, he'll only go if you take the first step."
The air near them was heated and almost dry, it smelt of hot stones and dry earth and fire.
Harry knelt, his chest against Indigos back, just as Ron mirrored the action. A hand on each others shoulders, calling on their power, a gentle push to enter the shared mind space that they could enter, had every right to enter, but somehow had never dared to do so.
Something clicked into place, then unravelled and turned to dust.
Someone was screaming.
It might have been him.
Next time:Repercussions