AN: Okay, so things are going to get big and complicated from here on out, and I'll start expanding the Harry Potter world with my own original creations. I hope they're up to snuff, and of course that you all enjoy what I write. This chapter wasn't the easiest bit to write, as it's a bit of a bridge chapter, connecting what happens before with what's going to happen afterwards. Things are going to get messy, and if there are any of you that have read the Harry Potter books and know a little something about law, then I would love your help and advice on how to go about writing out everything that's going to happen; from court appearances, to the media battles, to the social side of things, to the tension that'll be raised a few knots, and so on and so forth. I hope I make it work, but please, if you know something that'll kick my backside and punt me in the right direction, I would love you long time, yo!
Beta'd by: NIX'S WARDEN
Chapter 6 – Harry the Necromancer
"Big bro, what do you think of what Mum and Dad said?" Rose spoke up as she and Brian went upstairs to bed, leaving their parents downstairs.
"I dunno." Brian answered. "I mean, Mum and Dad must have done some pretty nasty stuff to set up that trap of theirs, but at least it was for a good cause, and it did stop Voldemort at least."
"Not that." Rose shook her head. "What do you think about Harry... our brother?"
"I don't know about that either." Brian answered. "Mum and Dad are really scared about it all, but... it's been, like, eleven years since then, yeah? You'd think that if Voldemort was going to do something, he'd have done it by now, wouldn't he? I mean, he would have done something as a little kid, when no one was really watching him, instead of after he got to Hogwarts and everyone was trying to be chums with him, wouldn't he?"
"That... that makes sense." Rose agreed hesitantly. "But bringing the dead back to life is supposed to be impossible, even I know that."
"Magic is supposed to be impossible." Brian replied. "And I didn't say Harry was alive. Maybe he's like those moving paintings, or the mirrors that talk back to you, like a... a..."
"An AI?" Rose guessed. "You mean he's a golem or something?"
"Yeah, that." Brian agreed.
"Would he still be our brother then?" Rose asked.
"I dunno." Brian shrugged. "Probably not legally. You know that the first thing that Dad's going to do is cast him out of the family and strip him of the Potter name." He paused. "I can't believe we're actually the Potter family though, it feels weird not calling myself an Evans."
"What sort of person do you think he is?" Rose questioned, getting her an odd look from Brian.
"You're really thinking a lot about this, aren't you?" He said. "But, again, I don't know. I mean, it's not like we've ever met the guy, and all we know about him is what anyone knows really. If it was me, though, and I found out about this stuff, I'd probably be angry, really angry."
"Do you think he won't like us?" Rose persisted.
"He might, I guess, or he might not. I mean, it's not like he knows us, and he might think we're just like Mum and Dad." Brian answered. "Mum does always say not to judge a book by its cover though, and... I think I'd like to give the guy a chance, just one, and see what he's like." He then frowned at Rose. "Where are all these questions coming from anyway?"
Rose looked down, like she'd been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Still, she answered her brother.
"I met someone today, and at first I thought I'd bumped into you. He said his name was Harry Ritter, and I'm wondering if he's actually Harry Potter. You know, our brother?" She explained.
Brian blinked in surprise. "Huh, really? It would be one hell of a 'coincidence' if he was here just when Mum and Dad were found out."
"You think he's the one who found us and got Madam Bones here?" Rose asked.
"Doubt it." Brian answered her. "He's, what, exactly the same age as me? I don't think he'd have the means to do that."
"But if he had found out or believed something wasn't quite right..." Rose prompted him.
Brian shrugged. "Then he might have tried to point someone – perhaps someone like Madam Bones – in that direction, and she, or someone else, found us."
"So it could have been him?" Rose pressed.
"Well, yeah, it could, but it also might not have been." Brian answered. "Though, if it is him, I wonder why he didn't just confront Mum and Dad straight away." He shrugged. "Why don't you tell me about him? If it really was Harry, it's best to know as much as possible before doing anything."
"Okay." Rose agreed. "Well, he called himself Harry Ritter, and he looked a little bit like you, but not, like, he had this streak of silver in his hair, and..."
The two eventually went to Brian's room to finish that conversation, Rose telling her older brother everything she could think of about 'Harry Ritter', all while their parents discussed, made, and dismissed various plans regarding what to do now that their secret was out.
xxxxx
The next morning, if one was to look, they would find an Ancient Belkan array appear on a rooftop, before suddenly being filled with a small group of people. Of course, given that it was barely dawn, there really wasn't many people out and about at all, and none of them in a position to see this happening.
"Summon: Beelzebub the Swarm." Harry said, before said golems suddenly appeared around him.
With a mental command, they scattered, heading out to keep an eye on everything, like a massive number of security cameras or something. With them, Harry would be able to keep track of the Potters and react to whatever they decided to do now that their secret was known.
After he'd sent them out, the group wandered off to a park they'd seen the previous day, where they decided to relax. Harry took a seat on a bench and began to page through his Tome of Shadows, looking at some of the things that had been added, but that he had yet to read.
Loki took a seat on the bench next to Harry's, or it would be more accurate to say that he laid across it. While he was like this, he took out a notebook of some sort, which he proceeded to write in. Harry's eyes flickered over to it curiously, but he didn't ask what it was, Loki would let him know if and when he wanted to do so.
Isis laid across the same bench Harry was sat on, with her head on his lap. Bast had settled on the unicorn's stomach in cat form, and the two of them seemed to be enjoying playing around with a cat toy, with Isis twitching it about the place while Bast batted a paw at it.
Reinforce, instead of sitting down, stood several feet away. She had her eyes closed as she listened to the dawn chorus, before gently adding her own voice to the mix, singing along with the birds. Her actions gained her a soft smile from Harry, as well as a shake of the head from Loki, and a huffed breath from Isis.
Harry frowned at some of the things he was seeing through his swarms' eyes.
"It looks like Lily and James hit the alcohol pretty hard last night." He commented out loud. "There's bottles everywhere, and they're passed out in the front room."
"You managed to sneak one in the house?" Loki asked, surprised, as they hadn't quite worked out how to get the golems inside without tripping certain wards.
"No." Harry replied. "They forgot to close the curtains, I'm looking through the window."
Loki chuckled. "Of course."
"If you aren't going doing anything until they wake up, you could always finish your homework." Reinforce called out, stopping her singing for a moment. "I know you've done most of it, but didn't Flitwick and Mcgonagall both give you those extra credit additions?"
"They did." Harry responded. "I'm having a little trouble with the Charms stuff though, I can't find a reference to 'Advanced Biological-Magical Hybrid Charms and how they were used in Ancient Cultures' in my Tome at all, and I'm thinking that this is something of an obscure branch of magic.
"I can carry a message to Beth and Septima if you want, one of those two may know something." Loki offered.
Harry snorted and rolled his eyes. "You just want to flirt with them, don't you? I swear, if you or they were serious about it, your relationship would be considered rather creepy and weird."
Loki raised an eyebrow and looked over to Harry. "Oh, and I suppose your 'relationship' with Reinforce and Isis isn't weird? Your oh so 'platonic' relationship?" He replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm and suggestion.
Interestingly enough, Reinforce blushed bright red at that, and some of her thoughts began to leak over to Harry, who also started to turn red.
"Mind out of the gutter, Loki." Harry growled.
"Hey, you started it." The raven shot back, earning a huff from his master.
"I don't mind a non-platonic relationship with my precious master." Isis called out, loud and clear.
Harry sighed, thankful that there wasn't anyone in the park to hear the provocatively dressed unicorn's comment. He didn't reply, deciding to simply settle down and get on with what he'd already been doing. The others followed his lead, each of them relaxing in their own way as they waited for something to happen.
xxxxx
"Let's see where they're going." Harry murmured when things in the Potter/Evans house began to actually happen.
"What can your swarm see?" Loki asked, suddenly attentive and focused.
"Lily is packing things up and shrinking them." Harry told him, his eyes flickering as he mentally cycled through the views his swarm could see. "James is saying something to Brian and Rose, though I can't say what as his back is to the window. Oh, he's finished and is heading out the door now."
"They're already moving?" Reinforce asked with a frown. "They were only found out yesterday, what sort of plans could they have made so far, especially if they were drunk?"
"James has apparated away." Harry spoke up. "Let's see if any of my swarm can see hi- there he is, at the Canadian Ministry."
"Can Beelzebub follow him in there?" Isis asked. "Wouldn't there be wards to stop spying going on?"
"Only in certain places." Loki answered her. "Private offices, record halls, cells for prisoners, and courtrooms are the main ones. Beelzebub can at least follow him through most of the Ministry."
"And I am following him." Harry added. "It's times like this that I'm glad Beelzebub doesn't make a buzzing noise like a regular insect does, and that it's actually smart enough to stay out of sight."
"Keep an eye on him then, let's see where he's going. I have my suspicions, but... I'd like to have them confirmed." Loki said.
Harry was silent for a short while as he watched James through his swarm, also keeping an eye on Lily, Rose, and Brian too.
"Magical Transport." Harry said, when he saw where James had gone. "I'm trying to read the form he's filling out... International Portkey, and to Britain as well."
"This is all going rather quickly all of a sudden." Reinforce frowned.
"If he's doing this legally, it'll take a minimum of three days for the portkey to be authorised." Loki said. "Crossing borders isn't something done at the drop of a hat after all." He paused as everyone gave him a deadpan look, reminding him just what they did, and fairly frequently at that. "Okay, crossing borders is something you should be more careful about at least."
"As I have Japanese and British citizenship, I can jump between the two legally." Harry muttered. "And our time here in Canada is registered as a holiday, so I've covered all of our bases." He pointed out.
"Oh?" Harry sat up, chuckling. "It seems James is trying to bribe- sorry, emphasise his need – to the worker at the desk."
"Is it working?" Loki asked. "And can Beelzebub record things?"
"The desk attendant isn't completely shutting him down, and yes." Harry replied.
"A regular worker wouldn't earn much in the Ministry, so I can understand trying to get a bit extra into your pocket, but I can't imagine the higher ups would be too happy with them." Reinforce commented.
"The attendant is female, and - I really can't believe I'm saying this - James Potter seems to be quite the charmer." Harry's expression as he said that last bit made it look like he'd just swallowed a lemon.
A few minutes passed with Harry conveying what was going on with James and the attendant. While that was going on, he had an extra two wasps fly into the Ministry and meet up with the one watching the pair of them.
"He's finished." Harry said. "They'll have that portkey tomorrow. The desk attendant slipped his form into a small pile from two days ago, a group of businessmen apparently." He paused, a slightly evil grin appearing on his face. "I wonder what Lily would make of her Husband's method of persuasion."
"Probably not too mcuh if it's an isolated event like this, and they really seem to want to get back to Britain." Loki said. "However... is it possible to keep some of your swarm out and keeping an eye on him at all times?"
"No." Harry frowned. "It's either all of them or none of them. If I wanted to do something like that, I'd have to create a new golem to follow him and record what he gets up to, maybe add a rune array to it that'll drain ambient mana to recharge itself with. Something the size and simplicity of an insect wouldn't take much to maintain it."
"How long would it take you to create something like that?" Loki asked intently.
"Hmm, from the same metal I make my golems from? Too long. From another material... oh, I have an idea." Harry said, catching sight of a spider web on a nearby tree.
Loki watched as Harry checked over the spider, his curiosity rising, especially as Harry then looked over at the three dead insects caught in its web.
"It looks like this particular spider is perfect, and it's already dead so I don't have to kill it myself." Harry murmured, though he was clearly audible.
Isis sat up, Bast going from her chest to her lap, and everyone looked at Harry was he brought out ink and a paper clip. To their surprise, Harry straightened the paper clip out and then jabbed it into his finger, drawing blood, which he then mixed with the ink.
He then, as carefully as he could, began to draw absolutely tiny runes onto the insects. It took him a while, but thankfully no one seemed to be coming to the park, and all the Potters were doing were clearing out all of the stuff in their house. Oh, James did go to Gringotts, though what he did in there Harry didn't know, as his swarm couldn't get in without tripping a dozen wards, at least. However, he assumed it was something to do with transferring their money back to their London vault.
"Almost done." Harry muttered, after he was done drawing tiny runes onto the dead insects, and dried the ink with a quick blast of heat. He then jabbed his finger again, this time getting quite a bit more blood out of himself. He soaked the insects in his life fluid, and even poured a few drops down their throats, before pushing just a tiny amount of magic into them.
"Woah!" Harry called out, falling backwards. "Spiders see things rather differently to my wasps."
"Harry, what did you just do?" Isis asked, clueless about what sort of magic he'd just used.
He looked guilty for a moment, before answering. "It's a very minor bit of necromancy, nothing illegal though. I, basically, made zombie insects that I can use as my eyes and ears in places. The bit that really makes it necromancy, instead of an animation technique, is all of the blood I used. That facilitated the creation of a very crude, very basic magic core, with which they can sustain their own bodies, so long as they consume something."
"Any reason you chose the word 'consume' out of all of the possibilities?" Loki asked, but it was Rein who answered him.
"It doesn't matter what they eat." She said. "Matter will be broken down into energy, rather efficiently too, and it even gives them a limited degree of regeneration, as they can transform matter into the substances their bodies are made of to patch themselves up. Calling them 'zombie insects' is actually pretty accurate."
"That sounds nasty..." Loki commented, before becoming silent for a moment.
"Harry." Loki began slowly. "Did you use some of this branch of necromancy when creating your Vritra the Serpent golem from the basilisk's skeleton?"
"I did." Harry admitted.
"That does explain a few things regarding how unique that golem is compared to the others." Loki nodded. "I had thought it was just because it was made from an organic material instead of metal."
"You're not... angry that I used necromancy, are you?" Harry asked hesitantly.
"Angry? No." Loki answered him. "What you did to Isis, Bast, and Myself could technically be called a form of necromancy, and as you are the product of necromancy yourself, I haven't got anything against it. What makes you different to the Potters is that you are actually being responsible for what you've done, and not abandoning things and running away."
He paused for a moment. "I won't say I'm not surprised though. I knew you read up on a lot of 'forbidden', old, and partially forgotten magic, but I didn't think you'd put too much of it into practise. We'll have to have a chat later, see just how far you've gone with them, but I don't have a problem with you actually doing it, so long as you know what you are doing."
"Question." Isis piped up. "Just how durable are those zombie bugs, and can they get through wards?"
Harry turned to her and answered. "They're not as durable as metal, as they are, after all, insects, though they are the slightest bit tougher than they were in life. As for wards, the only ones they will trip are pest wards, and maybe not even that, depending on how the ward has been set up. Even then, knowing there's a magical pest somewhere in the house and finding it – especially if it's intelligent enough to stay hidden – is no easy task."
"Why the hell do people not use these things if that's the case?" Loki asked. "They'd be so damn useful during a war, or even as a means of keeping tabs on suspects, or the like."
"Well, necromancy does have a rather bad reputation." Harry admitted. "There's not many who really look into it either, and then there are those that are 'skittish' about using dead bodies for magic. On top of that, insects just aren't all that intimidating, are they?"
"The way you use them, they are." Loki shot back at him. "Can you imagine just how bloody terrifying you would be with even a single hive of bees under your control, or a massive number of ants, or, heck, even butterflies could be turned into a monstrous army of flying zombie critters."
Harry shrugged. "I think the only time necromancy has been used in recent wizarding history is with inferi, which are animated human bodies. It's visually horrifying to fight your own species like that, especially if they're someone you know well."
"Ah, yes, psychological warfare." Loki nodded. "As I understand, Voldemort used that a lot during the last blood war. He also put his name under Taboo, making it so anyone that spoke it would nigh-instantly be attacked by his loyal little minions. He accepted creatures of fear such as dementors into his ranks. He performed a number hit and run attacks on his targets."
"Yes, yes." Isis waved Loki off. "Voldie was good at what he did, we know that, but I don't think that's a path our master wants to walk down."
"No, I don't." Harry agreed. "Minor bits of necromancy like this, I'm fine with, but I doubt I'll ever try and revive a sapient being, there's just so much that can go wrong, and it's not like anyone's ever been successful. Some of the catastrophic failures that have happened due to certain experiments are, to be blunt, terrible."
"Hmm." Loki began muttering something under his breath, as if he was working something out, before shaking his head and addressing Harry. "Well, if all of that's done, shall we get going? Unless, of course, you want to make more zombie insects? After all, the more the merrier, no?"
"That was a bad joke, Loki." Harry face-palmed. "As for more zombie bugs, I guess it couldn't hurt."
"Well then, let's get collecting then." Loki said, grinning at Isis, who everyone knew wasn't too fond of creepy crawlies.
xxxxx
"You know, when I mentioned a 'swarm' of bugs, I didn't quite mean it literally." Loki commented when Harry sent the last wave on their way.
"Oh, shut it, I only made six dozen in total." Harry replied, though there was an undercurrent of amusement in his voice.
"That's still plenty, and with that number around, it's likely that one or more of them are going to be discovered." Loki remarked cautiously.
"The risk is still minimal. It'd take someone looking very close indeed to see that their not completely normal bugs, and if one is destroyed beyond its ability to restore itself, the crude magical cores I gave them using my blood will go critical, causing their bodies to melt like acid." Harry told him.
"And that makes everything better." Loki rolled his eyes, not missing the identical looks of amusement on Harry's and Reinforce's faces.
"Yes, it does." Harry chuckled, before turning more serious. "The Potters are moving faster than I expected them to. I thought they would debate and argue for at least a day or two, dithering about regarding the issue first. However, we've just been given something of a golden opportunity."
"What opportunity is that?" Loki asked.
"We know where and when that portkey will go off." Harry answered. "Do you realise what that means?"
Loki frowned in concentration for a moment, before his eyes widened in understanding. "That's pure evil." He said. "They're going to want to try and build up their power base as soon as possible, but you're going to set journalists and reporters on them from the very moment they touch British soil."
"Yes, I want to keep them off-balance." Harry confirmed. "If I do that, then they'll have trouble building much of a case against me as one of Voldemort's horcruxes, and as I already have those backing me... Well, I can assure you, things aren't going to be too easy for them for a while."
"You should be a politician with thinking like that." Loki commented.
Harry shook his head. "No, I'd rather not have to smile at someone I want to stab, thank you very much. Also, as much as I have planned, this 'collision' with the Potters is going to be by no means easy. While I am the 'Boy-Who-Lived, I can quickly become vilified rather than revered."
"Is it really going to be that hard?" Isis asked, worried for her master.
"Yes, it is." Harry replied. "Remember, I am technically a magical creation, one brought to life, we believe, through necromancy. The stigma associated with that is going to be quite bad on its own, but if the Potters can get enough people to believe my soul truly is Voldemort's, then things become substantially harder."
"On the other hand, the Potters are also in a difficult position." Reinforce chimed in. "Their actions, while not directly illegal, caused a series of unfortunate events. Also, if they truly believe that Harry was Voldemort, and they fled regardless and didn't tell anyone, they become accessories to our 'crimes'."
"Of course, anything written in a law book is pretty much useless." Harry grumbled. "There are three things that matter to the Wizengamot; Standing, Influence, and Wealth. If I make a good enough showing, and present myself appropriately, that will sway them to my side more than mere facts would."
"The Question is how will they present their side?" Isis said, going over things in her head.
"Correction; how will James Potter present their side?" Loki chimed in. "Lily is a muggleborn, and while there won't be outright discrimination in a courtroom, such a thing will still count against her if she tries to present things herself."
"Yes, Loki's right." Harry admitted. "James Potter, as much as he was a bit of a 'rebellious' teenager – or so I've heard – is also a pureblood, with a Black for a mother, and he would have had to take etiquette lessons and the like as a child, simply so he doesn't embarrass the family at parties and other events."
"I see." Isis nodded. "So, if the Potters are moving that fast, shouldn't we head back and start building up our defence about now?" She asked. "We can put as many obstacles in their way as we can while we're at it."
"Yes, we should do that." Harry agreed. "Is everyone ready?"
He received several nods as everyone gathered around him.
"Then let's go!" He called, casting the Dimensional Transfer spell that would take them back to Britain.
xxxxx
"Have we got everything out of the attic, dear?" James called up the stairs to his wife.
"I think so." She called back. "There's so much here that I'd forgotten we even had! Do you remember when we were looking everywhere for that old tea set your mother adored? I found it tucked away in a corner up here, under goodness knows how much dust!"
"That's good, I'd hate to leave that behind." James shouted, while he levitated several chairs into a box before shrinking it.
Everything was utter chaos around the 'Evans' home right then. Magic made things so much easier, but it was still a lot of work that needed to be done. James was also wondering about the intelligence of doxies and other pests. Ever since they started packing thins away, the pest wards had been going off every now and then. It was like they knew the house would soon be abandoned, and they were already moving in to try and stake their claim.
"Rose, have you got all the plates and cutlery packed away yet?" The man of the house asked.
"Not quite yet, Dad." His daughter's voice echoed from the kitchen. "I need a box for all the glasses and tumblers though, they won't fit in here too."
"I'll conjure you one in a minute." He replied, before raising his voice so his son upstairs could hear him. "Brian, how's things going with you?"
"Slowly, Dad." Brian responded. "I have to keep track of whose stuff is going in which box and labelling everything. I think I found some old dolls that must have belonged to Rose in the back of the airing cupboard, shall I stick them in her box or the misc one?"
"Misc, you know your sister's never even looked at them. We can probably give them away to charity or something when we get back to Britain." James told his son.
James looked around at the now empty room, or at least empty aside from the packing boxes he'd conjured.
It felt really bare, but... for some reason, he wasn't too upset about leaving Canada behind. His true home always had been, and forever would be, Britain. If it wasn't for Voldemort's vessel still wandering around, he'd have returned there years ago.
If he'd done that, Sirius wouldn't be in Azkaban, Brian would be going to Hogwarts, the same, awesome school that James himself had gone to. If he was back in Britain, he might have been a Quidditch player, playing in the big leagues, but because he couldn't afford to be recognised, that opportunity had been denied to him.
It was all the fault of that damn Voldemort. Why couldn't he just die like a normal person? Why did he have to desecrate his son's body farther than he and Lily already had. It had been difficult enough making him into a magical bomb in the first place, and Lily even now was reluctant to destroy what had come from her own body.
Why must that bastard torment them so?
James swore that if it was the last thing he did, he would make sure that Voldemort died, and that he absolutely, bloody stayed dead this time. He would pay any price to make sure his family would live in a world without the dark tosser in it, and he would start by figuring out how Voldemort had taken control of his son's corpse, and destroying it!
A sound drew him away from his dark thoughts, and James saw a bug land on the windowsill, a regular, mundane bug.
In disgust, he hit the thing with a hex, blasting it apart and knocking it into the garden.
If he'd bothered to take a second look at the bug, he would have been both surprised and horrified to see the main body of the beetle regenerate from its fatal wounds, before returning to its vigil, watching over the patriarch of the Potter family.