Harry slowly walked back to the Great Hall, his mind still. He was just so sick of everything, he knew Ron was prone to jealousy, but he never thought he could go this far. What hit him the hardest was MrsWeasley, he thought she accepted him into their family, she treated him like another son… but to betray him like that… Well Harry was just done with everyone, he was so glad to be leaving. When he first received his Hogwarts letter he was filled with wonder and excitement, but the Wizarding World has brought nothing but misery.
Crowley looked up when he heard footsteps, immediately becoming concerned when he saw the blank expression on his son's face. "Is something wrong?"
"Let's just get out of here." Harry said, avoiding looking at anyone as he walked by to stand next to his father.
"Are you sure?" Crowley placed a hand on Harry's shoulder to try and catch his gaze, but frowned when all Harry did was shake his head and say "Please."
Crowley gave a concerned sigh, "Alright," he paused to place his other hand on Harry's things. And with a rush of wind, Harry and Crowley where gone. Dumbledore could only place his head in his hands pitifully as all of his plans were ruined, while the rest of the Great Hall erupted into chaos around him.
Harry was standing in the middle of the great hall one moment, then standing in a large foyer of a fancy mansion the next. Harry blinked as he looked around, surprised to having been transported so rapidly. He looked over to his father, raising an eyebrow inquisitively. "I thought that people couldn't apparate in Hogwarts…"
"That wasn't apparition, love. I'll teach you later." Was his father's reply as he smiled. "But first…" He turned around, motioning to the two men that stepped out of the shadows at the gesture.
"Harry; this is Marcus and Julian. They work for me…" Harry nodded at the two. Julian nodded back, averting his eyes respectfully. Marcus looked Harry over, making Harry shift on his feet nervously. After a few seconds, Marcus met Harry's eyes, a slow devious smile sliding across his face. Crowley cleared his throat pointedly.
"Marcus, take Harry's things to his room… NOW." Crowley barked the last word angrily, causing Marcus to jump and glance at Crowley resentfully. But he did as he was ordered, grabbing Harry's truck with one hand, then grabbing his broom and birdcage with the other, taking it up the large staircase like it was weightless.
"And clean out the dog pens when you're done!" Crowley snapped, right before Marcus disappeared through the upstairs threshold. A short pause in his steps was the only confirmation that he heard, angrily stomping when his steps resumed.
Harry just blinked, slightly amused, before turning to his father expectantly.
"Right then, off to business…" Crowley said, "First off; I suppose you have some questions. And I owe you an explanation, don't I?" Crowley placed a hand on Harry's shoulder leading him through a hallway and into his office, motioning Julian off as he made to follow.
"Alright… before we start I uh… have to tell you something." Crowley closed the door behind them, motioning for Harry to take a seat.
Harry did, feeling uncomfortable in such a nice room while wearing Dudley's castoffs, but he forced himself to relax, adjusting in his seat and readying himself for a long conversation.
"Uh I'm not sure how to exactly say this but uh… I'm uh… not exactly human." Crowley hedged, wary of his son's reaction.
"Wha—" Harry gaped, not sure if it was supposed to be a joke or not. "Are— are you serious?"
"Er… yeah. I'm— I'm a demon." Crowley tensed in anticipation for what was sure to be a huge outburst, but could only gape, stupefied, as Harry gave an underwhelming, "Oh."
"Oh? You— Well that was— I didn't expect— " Crowley floundered, relieved when Harry continued.
"Is that why Dumbledore didn't like you? Why he said I would be an abomination? Is— is he right? Am I some kind of monster?" Seeing that his son was starting to panic, Crowley quickly stood up, going around the desk to sit by his son on the sofa, placing an arm around his shoulder.
"Calm down. I'll explain everything." Crowley sighed "First of all, yes. That's why… but you are not an abomination. You are my son, the greatest thing that has ever happened to me— even if I haven't been able to be there with you."
"Thanks." Harry said, taking a deep breath, slightly overwhelmed. He had always wanted to hear words like that, and to finally hear them was…incredible.
"So, what does that make me? Half-demon? Am I still a Wizard?" Harry continued after a moment.
"You are something called a Cambion. Half-demon, half-human. In your case, the human side of you has magic."
Crowley gave a soft, proud smile to his son "It is amazing you have magic actually, in most cases the demon blood overwhelms the magic, basically feeding on the magic to make a stronger-than-normal Cambion, in the end leaving the Cambion without magic. Your magic must be incredibly strong…"
Crowley chuckled, amused. "In fact, the last Cambion with magic…" he trailed off, giving his son a mischievous smile "Do you want to take a guess, love? I guarantee you've heard of him."
"Uhhh—" Harry drew out, feeling embarrassed. He should really study more…
"Merlin… His name was Merlin."
Harry's eyes nearly burst out of his head, causing Crowley to laugh unashamedly at the comical expression.
"I have a book around here somewhere." Crowley snapped his fingers, and a second later a knock arrived at the door. Harry turned on his seat to see Julian looking in, facing Crowley curiously. "Ah Julian, fetch The Book of Demons from the library, would you?"
"Of course." He agreed, closing the door as he left.
Crowley sighed, before getting up to grab himself a drink from a bar cart Harry only now noticed. He watched curiously as Crowley shifted through various crystal decanters, making a soft noise as he found the one he was looking for. Crowley smiled as he noticed his son looking as he poured the drink into a glass "Craig, my favorite."
Crowley leaned against his desk, sighing in pleasure as he took a small sip from the glass. "Ever have alcohol?" He questioned his son, smirking when Harry shook his head negatively. "We'll have to change that some time then, eh? Only the good stuff though, not some frumpy teenage drink."
Crowley chuckled as Harry just stared at him wide-eyed, "Demons and Cambions have a higher-alcohol tolerance, so I'm not worried about you getting hurt." He explained, him and Harry sharing a smile.
Harry jumped as a knock sounded unexpectedly on the door, both him and Crowley looking towards the sound. Crowley gave a short, "Come in Julian." The door was pushed open, Julian walking over to Crowley, handing him a large leather-bound book, before leaving the room just as quickly as he appeared, closing the door softly behind him.
"He's a quiet one." Crowley smirked "Which is why he's my favorite."
Harry laughed, causing Crowley to smile wider at the happy sound. Crowley handed the book to his son, chuckling as Harry almost dropped it from the unexpected weight. "Page 232."
Harry read the cover, tracing the engraved words., Liber fieri Dæmoniorum. After spending a moment admiring the aged leather, he opened the book and flipped to the correct page, careful to not rip the old paper.
Cambion, or a half-demon is born from the union of a human and a demon.
Harry skimmed the page, swearing he would read the rest later, slowing when he came upon what he was looking for.
The most famous of Cambion births is that of the great wizard Merlin, who was born of an Incubi and a Nun.
Harry shook his head as he read the passage out loud, still incredulous.
"His mother was a Witch, her family sent her to a convent when she started showing signs of Magic, thinking she had sold her soul… the Bishop refused to let her get schooling, they locked her away…" Harry read, feeling sympathy but the poor girl who was treated so horribly for something she had no control over, like he was.
"Years later, in an act or rebellion, she took a lover from outside the town, not knowing he was possessed by a demon. Later, the demon was cast back to hell by the church… she ran away, knowing that the church would want to kill her baby… months later she gave birth to a boy who she named… Merlin." Harry finished, looking to his father.
"He wasn't the first… But he was one of the best." Crowley added, taking a long drink from his glass.
Sorry this took a while, I've had trouble on how I was going to write this chapter. I'm a bit of a perfectionist so I was like 'Does this sound good? Wait does this flow well…? Etc, etc…' Lol I already have some of the next chapter planned out so I hopefully this one won't take too long.