The Magic within

by lola9525

Harry was so fed up with his luck. It had been two years since the end of the war and his departure from Britain, and now he had to face dead people! ones that could apparently think semi cognitively! Well, at least the alive dudes were hot. Though he could do without the random attempts to kill him. Again.((WILL BE SLASH/YAOI DON'T LIKE DON'T READ!)) "Secret" pairing. not seb.

5. Chapter 5

The Magic Within

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the evil within, I make no money off of this etc. etc. Alright let's get to the point here. Last chapter was, SO hard for me to write. I have never been in such a position, so I am attempting to write as best I can without falling into stereotypes as is a major pitfall and I've seen it happen way too often. So I will try to stay away from the typical overdone sexual abuse survivor reactions. I am going for someone who has fought to be strong not in spite of but because of it. Harry is someone who has fought so hard to be strong, not for himself but for the people he cared for. Part of the therapy was him learning to be strong for himself. Ruvik on the other hand, became strong simply for himself. And possibly the memory of Laura but he is someone who faced Isolation and near hatred from his father. Someone he respected and almost looked up to, even with his faults and his foolish belief in the scandalous church. So with the story line I have set up, Ruvik is someone who became strong to overcome and achieve validation and revenge, while Harry became strong to overcome and truly get better. And yes, there will be flashbacks, not explicit, but for both Ruvik and Harry they will both have flashbacks. I have seen people mistakenly state that years after it's all over, they can look back and be unaffected. And yes, that scenario may be possible for some, but most people if they remember what happened to them, even years after it was over and it was all forgotten, they are still haunted by the fear, the feelings of uselessness, of violation and weakness. Violation like that is a trauma, and for many it causes PTSD, which by the name itself is Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder. Key word: Trauma. You don't need war to have PTSD, though Harry has been through War as well. Sexual violation and abuse, child abuse and anything of the like is a very painful topic, but It unfortunately is a reality still. It happens. And I got way off topic my apologies but I will make clear now: I DO NOT CONDONE THE HARM OF CHILDREN IN ANY WAY, ESPECIALLY IN SUCH A DISGUSTING MANNER. I DO NOT CONDONE RAPE IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM, AND IF YOU TRY TO SAY BECAUSE I WROTE ABOUT IT I CONDONE IT YOU WILL BE REPORTED.

Now that that's out of the way for the- Believed- inevitable hate, let's move on with the story yes?

"Ruvik talking"

'Ruvik thinking'

"Normal speech"

'Normal though'

'Harry thinking from now on'

"Parseltongue"- Yes i'm bringing the parseltongue back. He may not use it in this chapter but it is here for reference anyway.

BEGIN!

Harry felt like shit. Not only had this mansion contained so many traps and pitfalls and friggin tripwire crusher traps, as well as SO, MANY, MUERTOS, at one point they found themselves in a sunflower field, then they found a barn. They were then seemingly transported inside the barn, to see a boy and a girl playing what looked like tag. Harry recognized the boy, even if it looked different than what he had seen before. Ruvik. He looked, so young, so happy. Then the barn caught fire. The girl,- 'Laura, it has to be, Ruvik's journal said he was going to play with Laura in the barn,'- Helped Ruvik escape through a window, but could not escape herself, having caught fire. Even as he knew it was futile, Harry rushed forward, trying to help without a second thought. Unfortunately the girl was truly just a memory, and passed right through him. The flames burning the girl seemed to turn to blood droplets, forming a silhouette that picked Laura up and seemed to cradle her before melting away with what sounded like a mournful cry that stabbed at Harry's heart. Sebastian and Harry worked together, Harry trying as best he could to put the fires nearby out while Sebastian worked on getting them out, moving the platform into the right position so they could escape. Once they were out they were back in the mansion, in a bedroom. Harry checked it thoroughly, before warding the room and suggesting they get some rest.

"We're no good to anyone if we're running on empty. I have some breakfast bars if you want one?" He offered. Sebastian sighed.

"It's better than nothing. Thanks."

Once they ate, and drank some water they had on them in small canteens, Sebastian took the bed, despite numerous protests from him that the bed was big enough for two, but Harry insisted.

"I kick something awful and I move around in my sleep a lot. You're fine, I've slept on worse than a wooden floor or a sofa." And that was that. Well, not really but Sebastian got tired very quickly, and fell asleep in the middle of trying to explain that he didn't care about getting kicked. Harry sighed, going to lay down on the sofa with a blanket he had in his pouch, curling up tightly after setting up silencing charms around himself. He hadn't had a nightmare in years, but better safe than sorry.

He had been correct, and he woke up with a shrill scream, thankfully contained in his spell so as not to give Sebastian a heart attack. He sat up,then curled to put his head between his knees, rocking and sobbing softly. In his nightmare he'd been eight years old again, his uncle had just decided to up the punishments and he had first broken out the belt, buckle end. He had relived it, remembered how he had been punished worse because he had screamed. Then he'd been ten, when Vernon had decided to violate him for the first time. Apparently Petunia hadn't been putting out, so instead of "Wasting money on a whore" he'd made Harry into his personal whore.

Of course, if he tried it after Harry had turned eleven and gone to Hogwarts, Harry had made it clear that he didn't care if he went to jail if Vernon did that to him again he would've killed him and been done with it. Vernon hadn't touched him like that again, and the physical beatings had for the most part stopped by the time Harry had been sixteen and Vernon had been killed in a crossfire fight he'd been near by coincidence. Entrail-expelling Curse. Not pretty, but Thinking about Vernon's death made the memories easier to release, to remember the breathing exercises his therapist had taught him. He got up quietly, going to his bag in the corner and pulling out a water bottle and a wash cloth. He dampened it, then wiped down his face and neck as best he could. Once the sweat was cleaned off for the most part he stood up, then turned around to find Ruvik behind him again. He jerked backwards, hitting the wall. Ruvik got close to him again, looking Harry in the eyes. Harry could've sworn Ruvik's eyes were glowing.

"Harry." said man shivered at the tone Ruvik used. It gave him a sense of thinly veiled danger and tension.

"You, you have been there. My prison. Did it bring back memories? Oh Little Harry, how did you do it? How did you keep from destroying the one who did that to you? Was it fear that stayed your hand? Or strength? I've been told I was wrong to kill them, that I should have reported them to the police and been done with it. That they would have faced justice. But I know the truth. They would have bought their way out, brought me back from whatever hellhole orphanage I was sent to. I got my revenge. Why didn't you?" He questioned, 'and why does it make me so angry to know that you did not feel that liberation?' Ruvik thought in aggravation.

Harry shuddered.

"I-I c-couldn't do it. I wanted to, once I learned what I could do, but by that time I had p-people who d-depended on me, a-and I was scared of l-losing them if I went through with it. They were the first people to be nice to me, I didn't want to lose that. When, he died, it, wasn't pretty. He was hit with a curse that made his intestines go everywhere. It, I hate saying it but it did, make me feel better, to know that he couldn't hurt me or anyone else like that again. A-and maybe i'm just as fucked up as you, but I, I still have people who care. Who see me for me, and not what i've done, what i've accomplished or what i've been through. They, I never told them everything but, they guessed. Luna, she always seemed to just, know. Ruvik… Why are you doing all of this? What is the point? Why are you so fixated on Leslie?" He asked. Not once had he looked away from Ruvik's eyes, though he hadn't noticed him coming closer until he was literally centimeters away from his face.

Ruvik chuckled.

"You are the single most interesting person i've ever met aside from Leslie. I am doing all of this because they betrayed me. They stole my research, took it and put their name on it like I was nothing, then they had me killed and my brain used as a center for STEM. I was able to manipulate everyone that came in, that was sent in. Eventually I managed to manifest myself in the real world for a time, drawing in Mobius once they heard their precious hospital was being attacked. They sent someone in, someone they had as a spy in the police force. You've met. One Nicole Kidman. Her orders are to find Leslie and return with him. However, I need Leslie. Leslie's brainwaves are the only ones compatible with my own. If I can exit this place inside Leslie, I can get my revenge on them. On all of them. The leader of Mobius is using STEM research as his own personal immortalizer, but he has no idea how close I am to turning it into his greatest nightmare." Ruvik paused, head tilting slightly as if he were hearing something.

"Your detective friend is waking soon. Before I go, think on this:

Who Is the true Monster here?

Me?

Or the ones who made me this way?"

Then Ruvik kissed him. Out of the blue. No reason, no warning, just, up and kissed him. All thoughts in Harry's brain ground to an immediate halt. Ruvik's lips were soft, yet there was a fine gritty feel to them as well, almost like… like smeared ashes. There was no movement, just the pressing of Ruvik's lips against his own. Harry blinked twice, then Ruvik was gone and he was left leaning against a wall, Face slowly turning a bright shade of Ruby red, with the phantom feel of ashy lips against his own while Sebastian groaned and shifted before sitting up and stretching. Sebastian grouched as he scratched his chin and looked around, noticing Harry against the wall. He was about to say something when Harry slid to the floor on his bum in a dead faint. Sebastian rushed over, made sure he was alright, then rolled his eyes and picked him up, putting him on the bed and tucking him in.

"Jeez. wonder what that was all about? He was all, red in the face like he was embarrassed. And why was he leaning on the wall? Ugh I will never understand anything here will I?" He groaned, moving to his bag and canteen to take a drink and eat some of the last of his Jerky. He didn't eat all of it, but damn was he hungry.

**Small time skip because how do you write someone waiting for another to wake up?**

Harry Groaned, sitting up slowly and rubbing his eyes.

"My head…" He ruffled his sleep mussed hair, looking around and seeing Sebastian going through their supplies of Ammo.

"We need to restock soon?" He asked. Sebastian looked up at him, smiling ruely.

"Unfortunately so. Looks like if we don't find some right away we won't beshit outta luck, but we'd better find some soon cuz this is ridiculous. How the hell are we gonna get outta this mess? What does He even want?!" Sebastian growled.

"To get out." Harry surprised even himself with that answer. Sebastian looked confused.

"What? Get out of what?"

"Here. This isn't real. We're inside a world, fabricated by a machine and Ruvik's mind. I, I found some papers about it while I was with Leslie." He lied. "I thought you'd figured it out already, that's why I didn't say anything. The machine, STEM, it was, a project. An experiment on the human mind, meant to be able to see inside the mind, to find out what was wrong with them and figure out if they could fix it. At least, that was what anybody looking into it saw. They experimented on patients, mental hospital and asylum patients. They removed their brains. Once the STEM machine became operable, most if not all of the patients who were used in the experiments with it lost what little sanity they had left once they came out. Mobius, that's, the company that funded STEM with patients… They betrayed Ruvik, killed him and stuck his brain into STEM as a, a grounding unit of sorts. They used it to make their leader immortal, using the lives of the patients lost inside STEM to fuel his own. Ruvik just wants to get out, to get revenge on the ones who killed him. He said so himself. And, I don't blame him. Not after all i've seen. Do I like his methods? No fucking way. Do I understand his motives? Absolutely." He blinked twice, sighing and running a hand down his face. "Sorry. The shit i've seen has run me ragged." Sebastian sighed.

"I'm not gonna ask, cuz it's clearly something that upsets you pretty badly, but you better be able to keep on surviving. You may be able to understand the methods of this dude but don't go all psychopath on me." His tone was teasing. Harry laughed.

"I survived a magical war with werewolves and vampires, I think I can handle a bunch of undead people and monsters without losing my shit. Anyway, let's go alright? The sooner we find Joseph and Leslie may be the sooner we can get out of here." The-Man-Who-Prevailed went to the door, undoing his wards and unlocking it. He peeked out, looking both ways before he opened it properly. Sebastian came over and handed him his bag, which he strapped onto his back. Once they were out of the room they walked down the hall, but when they went through the door they were somewhere completely different. They looked at each other, then the door they came through- which was now gone as if it had never been there. They looked at each other in concern, then continued down the hallway. It looked like an asylum, with isolation rooms, rooms with beds that had straps on them, trolleys with old rusted syringes and scalpels, old bottles of medicine and bags of blood. Abandoned gurneys littered the hall, and as the two carefully made it down the hallway, checking each of the rooms and finding ammo and some medkits, not a single Muertos came at them. They reached a room that looked like a research room, in the middle was what looked like tubs attached to a big mechanism. Harry gasped, moving over to one quickly. The man in the tub looked like a scientist, though he looked withered and old, and was very much dead. That wasn't what had Harry staring though. On the lip of the man's pocket was a very familiar emblem. A phoenix in mid burning, it's tail forming the letters OoTP wreathed in flames. Harry gave a surprised, disbelieving laugh. That was the symbol Luna had designed for the order of the phoenix during the war. Sebastian came over.

"Did you know him?"

Harry shook his head.

"No, I didn't. I know that symbol though. You remember the girl I said Leslie reminded me of? She designed that symbol during the war. I never thought I'd see a scientist with the Order's emblem. Weird." He took the clip, putting it in his pocket. He didn't know why, but it felt right to have it with him. Probably because it reminded him of what he still had. Of those that were still with him. He sighed, moving to the other side of the room. He frowned, seeing something move by one of the modems. He pulled out his gun.

"Who's there?"

Hands came up, pasty white.

"Please don't shoot!"

It was Jimenez. The doctor stood up slowly.

"Please, don't shoot me."

Harry glared, but put his gun away. He still had his wand if Jimenez tried anything fishy. Jimenez came over to them.

"I was just seeing if this smaller STEM operator would be able to get us all out of this place. I'm having trouble with the system however, it shouldn't take me long to figure it out." Harry growled.

"Bullshit! If you had figured out how to use it before we showed up you would've left without a second thought! Betrayed us just like you betrayed Him." Jimenez paled, while Sebastian looked between the two,mildly confused but on Harry's side nonetheless.

"H-how do you-?"

"Know about how you betrayed Ruvik?" Jimenez couldn't have gone paler if he wanted to.

"Easy. He told me. He doesn't hide what he wants, I may not like what he's done but at least he isn't a liar and a traitor. You knew from the beginning who Ruvik was. You said you didn't know what was happening but you always have. You have almost gotten us killed on multiple occasions, all because you didn't give us the facts from the beginning! You didn't want to find Leslie because he's your patient you want to use him too. He's Ruvik's ticket out of here and you wanted to prevent that, because you're a coward who can't face the repercussions of your actions! You didn't want to face the revenge of the one you wronged, who you betrayed. You know something? I can't stand traitors. You remind me of a man, whose life I saved because if he died my godfather wouldn't have gotten justice. He didn't anyway because that same coward who got my parents murdered and my godfather imprisoned wrongly ran the fuck away. You know what they called him? Wormtail. He was a rat, a coward, a snivelling little TRAITOR!" He practically growled.

He had gotten bad vibes about Jimenez from the start, learning about his betrayal and having Ruvik murdered? That was just the proof he needed to justify that feeling. Sebastian touched his shoulder, making him flinch away and for a brief moment Sebastian saw fear in Harry's eyes before it disappeared behind relief. Harry frowned, looking away from either of them. "I'm not sorry for what I said, but I am sorry I lost my temper like that. It's, been a long time since i've gotten that angry about anything."Sebastian was still concerned, but he was smart enough to figure that the topic of betrayal was a very personal painful subject, as Harry had said the last Traitor he knew had gotten his parents killed. He would've lost his temper like that too if it had been him in Harry's shoes, but he would've punched Jimenez and been done with it, rather than blowing up verbally.

He figured that made Harry the one with more control really.

"Hey, you're fine. I don't blame you for losing your temper. Look, we may not like him but he does have the same goal we do, getting out of here." Harry frowned, but didn't argue as Sebastian moved to talk to Jimenez, though Harry did in fact go back over to the tubs to examine the people inside of them. Once he came back to the scientist who had had the pin, out of sight of the other two, he sat down, not caring that his pants were now soaked. He gave a growling sigh, gripping his hair and roughly ruffling it. He sighed, wrapping his arms around his knees and resting his head on them. He hated this, he was slipping back. He couldn't afford to slip back.

He sighed again, closing his eyes briefly. He needed to calm down, and remember the mental exercises he had memorized for when he lost his temper and got angry or upset. He felt the water he sat in shift slightly, but considering he didn't hear the ragged sounds of a muertos and the smooth breathing of someone who sounded like a one time smoker he assumed it was Sebastian coming back over and allowed himself to relax. He had just begun to doze off when a hand carded itself through his hair. He flinched, but the hand stayed where it was, and continued it's soothing movements. Slowly Harry relaxed under the touch. It felt nice.

He had gotten used to not being touched because of his problems, the flashbacks and panic attacks. Back slaps, hugs, hell even handshakes were always hard. His coworkers had learned that if they were going to touch him let him know they were there first or let him make the first move unless they wanted to give him a panic attack.

They had always joked Harry was like a deer cornered by a car, but they had in fact taken the issue seriously and learned not to surprise touch him. If he was absorbed in something, a tap on whatever he was working on would usually get his attention. A light touch would get a flinch but not a panic attack. He'd long since gotten better about not having panic attacks, but His coworkers had continued to be careful with him, which he had always weirdly appreciated. They hadn't treated him like he was fragile, but neither had they pretended nothing was wrong. So having someone run their hand through his hair was a feeling he was unaccustomed to, but aside from the initial panic it felt nice.

He gave a content little noise, burying his face deeper into his crossed arms. He didn't want to open his eyes, but a familiar chuckle made him do so and jerk back. Ruvik sat next to him, and it had been his hand in Harry's hair.

"Comfortable Little One?"

Harry hissed at him, blushing heavily.

"I cannot believe you! You just, and you, you kissed me you son of a bitch! Why the fuck did you kiss me?! What the hell you don't just kiss someone like that you bloody wanker!"

Ruvik was taken aback, but he chuckled and smirked at him.

"I do not understand a word coming out of your lovely little mouth right now. Tell me Little One, Would you object to me showing that little Rat over there some of my memories? See if he breaks? I would find that quite amusing. You know, I find myself unable to see your memories, your thoughts. I find it quite… Frustrating."

Harry smirked.

"Mind shields. And uh, I was um. Yeah. language of snakes. Forgot. I, sometimes slip into it when i'm… flustered." He hated the fact that he was blushing.

Ruvik smirked.

"Oh? Did I fluster you Little One? Haha, I must admit. Watching you act so nervous and unsure is very, appealing." He drawled.

"That was an impressive display Little One, how you blew up at the good doctor. Very flattering that you'd get so upset on my behalf."

Harry's blush grew darker.

"Sh-shut up. I, I just really hate traitors, and he betrayed you in one of the worst possible ways. He as good as killed you himself. I still don't trust y-mmm!" Ruvik was fucking kissing him again! WTF?! Except, this time his mouth was moving. Harry quickly found himself pinned in the shallow water with Ruvik above him, kissing him rather soundly. He felt Ruvik nip his lip, which made him gasp. Ruvik took advantage, slipping his tongue inside Harry's warm mouth and tangling with his. The-man-who-had-experienced-all-of-five-kisses-one-of-which-was-just-described-as-wet was quickly becoming overwhelmed. The sensations he was experiencing were nothing like he had ever felt before and he couldn't help the moan that tore itself from his throat. The feeling of being dominated was entirely new to him, and he was quickly finding that he very much enjoyed it. He opened his eyes- that he hadn't realized had slipped closed- when he felt Ruvik pull away, allowing Harry to catch his breath.

"I should take you right now. But I won't because I don't feel like you trust me enough for that and i do not wish for either of us to lose to our memories." Ruvik ran the tip of his nose down the side of Harry's neck, before dragging his tongue up that same path. Harry couldn't help the small moan that slipped out. That felt weird, but nice. No one had ever done that to him before. Man was it just him or was his neck friggin sensitive?

"Harry-WHAT THE FUCK?!" Ruvik glared back at Sebastian, who had come back around the containment unit to see them. Harry flushed heavily, feeling absolutely mortified.

Sebastian stared, looking between the two. He then smacked his forehead.

"Ok. This explains, nothing and so much at the same time."

Fin. Aight another chapter out! Enjoy y'all I don't have much else to say here. XD. See y'all next chapter!

Good night lovelies~!

Lola~