AN: Okay, I tried to write an emotional bit in this chapter, I don't know if it worked, but I hope it did. Comments on that would be wonderful. I'm exploring my characters and development more in this story than I did my original attempt at writing (Fate's Gamble) so that's proving a little difficult at the moment, but I hope I get better. Oh, for those who played on the PlayStation One, there should be enough evidence in this chapter to suggest what first inspired me to add the necromancy aspect to the story, so cyber-cookies to you who can see that. Apart from that... I hope you enjoy it is all I can really say.
Beta'd by: NIX'S WARDEN
Chapter 8 – Last Days of Summer
"He's at Hogwarts." Sirius Black murmured to himself once again, staring at the Daily Prophet in his hand.
"He's at Hogwarts." He repeated, his gaze not leaving the picture on the front page.
"He's at Hogwarts." Once again came from his mouth as he glared daggers at the rat sat on the red-haired boy's shoulder.
CLANK!
An echoing noise that any of the rational prisoners in Azkaban Prison would recognise – meaning very few – resounded throughout the structure. Sirius Black didn't pay much attention to this, too busy repeating the same phrase over and over again while staring at the paper.
However, when the sound of footsteps reached his ears, the man managed to pull himself together enough to see who it was. This wasn't normal, and that is what caught his attention, the only time anyone with feet came here was to either add a new prisoner, remove their dead body, or at the yearly inspection, as even the food was delivered by dementors.
The echoing footsteps came closer, a small group from the sound of it. Sirius wondered what they were here for, it wasn't often a new person was incarcerated in this particular section of the prison, and he hadn't heard the rattling 'voices' of the dementors, which always got louder when someone died, the damned things probably trying to suck up the soul before it faded away or something.
He was taken by surprise when the group stopped in front of his cell.
Amelia Bones, he remembered her from the war with Voldemort, Edgar's sister. From what little he'd heard since he'd been confined in Azkaban, she'd replaced Crouch as head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. With her were a handful of cloaked people, Unspeakables? Why had she brought Unspeakables with her instead of Aurors?
"Sirius Black?" Amelia spoke clearly to him, her eyes narrowed as she took note of how sharp his eyes were, how much of his sanity he'd managed to retain while in Azkaban.
"Yeah, it's me, Amy." Sirius languidly replied. "What're you doing here?"
"I'm here to take you to a holding cell, some inconsistencies have turned up regarding your imprisonment." She told him, but that was as good as useless. Of course if she was coming to him it was regarding him and his imprisonment, 'inconsistencies' was about as vague as you could get too.
"What sort of inconsistencies?" He asked her in reply.
"You'll find out soon enough." Amelia's eyes focused on the newspaper in his cell, one that had come out only the day before news about the Potters being alive had been reported. "Do you have anything you wish to say or a reasonable request?"
Sirius' mind was racing. If he truly was getting out of here, Peter wasn't likely to hang around where he could be seen. If that happened, his chances of catching the rat became virtually nil. However, could he trust the rat's location to Amelia, would she even believe him?
Amelia watched as Sirius picked up the newspaper and threw it through the bars and at her feet.
"The rat on the boy's shoulder, it's an unregistered animagus, Peter Pettigrew by name." Sirius' eyes focused intently on Amelia's. "Don't let him get away!"
Amelia returned Sirius' gaze with a her own iron resolve. "I won't."
xxxxx
Harry looked over the structure that his Herakles golems had just about finished building. It was fairly large, but relatively simple too. There was a large, square courtyard which was surrounded on three sides by buildings. Immediately in front of him was a two story building, which had a total of eight generous sized bedrooms, not overly massive, but definitely a home with enough space.
On Harry's left was a general storehouse, which they'd probably end up using as some sort of attic or loft equivalent, and another building, which had two rooms in it, one set up for rituals and one as a potions workshop. On Harry's right was an outhouse, and an incomplete shell of a building which had no specific purpose yet, which the golems would be finished constructing within hours at most.
Harry tilted his head curiously to the side, looking at a grinning Isis who had quite a firm grip on his arm.
"Any particular reason you wanted me to come here right now?" He asked her.
Isis looked down at him with wide, soulful eyes – that would probably have been more effective looking up at him – and pouted. "Can't I spend time with my favouritest person ever?" She childishly asked him.
"Of course you can, but the fact I can feel anticipation from Reinforce kind of makes me a little suspicious." Harry responded dryly.
Isis huffed, spinning Harry around slightly until he was face to face with her. She then proceeded to draw Harry into a tight embrace, pressing her chest against his, 'accidentally' letting her leg get between his and press against his rather personal area.
Harry stiffened up, not entirely sure how to deal with what was happening. He knew, as did anyone with eyes, that Isis was rather... attracted to him, and her devotion to him was frankly scary, but he didn't know how to really handle that, especially given how he didn't know how he felt himself.
As any any straight teenager with hormones, he found Isis physically desirable, just the same he found Bast attractive, or Nanoha, Fate, Hayate, even Signum and more. It was something he couldn't help, his attention was simply caught by the numerous attractive females he knew.
On a more emotional level, he was at least somewhat fond of Isis, though to what degree was uncertain. He felt responsible for her, as he was the one who made her what she currently was. True, he had saved her life in the process, but it had been he that had changed her without even trying to see if she would even want that, there simply hadn't been enough time for that.
With his hormones, it was difficult to say whether he truly 'loved' Isis to any degree romantically, and to what level he liked her like that. On top of that, Reinforce's emotions and thoughts influenced Harry's due to their link, and separating what was Reinforce and what was Harry was no easy task, even he couldn't tell if he was ever completely successful.
That link also meant that it was nigh impossible for Harry to really have a stable relationship with someone other than the Unison Device, as the two of them were bound so tightly that they needed to make decisions together, and often existed in one body, even if not as one being.
"Isis..." Harry murmured.
Isis didn't respond verbally, but her hold on Harry did tighten. She leaned forwards, onto Harry, who fell backwards with her laid on top of him. Isis' leg that wasn't between his own was drawn up against Harry's on the outside, essentially trapping one of his own.
"Isis..." Harry tried again.
He stopped when Isis' arms gripped him even tighter than before, the unicorn familiar seemingly trying to fuse her body to Harry's, she was that tight against him. He could feel every contour and curve of her body as it was pressed against his. He could feel her warm breath on his neck, as his head was tucked against her shoulder.
Then he felt a droplet of liquid.
A tear.
"Master." Isis whispered. "Harry. I'm right here, and I always will be. Whatever you want me to do, I will do without question. I will kill for you, I don't care. If you are a god, I am your most loyal angel. If you are a demon, I am your worshipper. If you ask me to prostrate myself naked at your feet, I would. If you wished me to rip out my own fingernails, dig out my own heart, tear open my own throat, you have just to say. I would do all these things because you are everything to me. I... I want you, master, won't you accept me?"
Her voice shook at the end of her short monologue, and Harry could feel tears starting to dampen his shirt.
He brought up his arms and wrapped them around his first familiar. His throat was tight, and he didn't know what he should say. He felt Reinforce worry as she felt his emotions through their link, but he asked her to give him a little time to work through things right then... but he also said that they would need to talk later, and soon.
"Isis." Harry managed to get out her name once more. "I don't really know what to say. That level of blind devotion, it scares me. I don't need sycophants, I don't need willing slaves. When I turned you into a familiar, I only meant to save your life, that was what was important to me, and it still is."
She mumbled something unintelligible into his hair.
"If... if you really want to stay with me, of course you can, don't ever think you can't." He continued. "I just... I don't know what I feel. You know what teenage boys are like, what with their hormones and everything." He awkwardly tried to inject a little levity into things to lighten them.
"If that's what you want, then take me." Isis replied. "You can screw me however you want, in whatever position you want, as much as you want, as-"
"Stop!" Harry interrupted her. "Please, stop. I don't want to do that, I don't want to use you like that. You're too important to me to just make you into my personal toy, okay? Please, think of yourself. I know you put me first, you think of what I want and what would keep me safe, but what do you want, what would make you happy?"
"I want to please you." Isis replied immediately. "I want to make you happy."
She took a deep, shuddering breath.
"I remember being a unicorn." She told him. "I remember how one day was much like any other. Unicorns may be magical and intelligent, but they're much like any other animal. They eat, they sleep, and they breed. I remember the fear I felt when I was hurt, I remember being on the edge of death." She hugged him tighter again. "And, most of all, I remember you."
She sniffled slightly. "You were my saviour, my light in the darkness, the one who could have asked any price from me, and you didn't. You were content simply with saving me, and if I had wanted to wander off and do my own thing, you'd have let me, you'd have helped me."
"So you decided to give up any semblance of free will and become like this?" Harry had to ask.
Isis chuckled, but she was still crying. "You idiot. 'Giving up any semblance of free will?' Is that really true if I choose to submit myself to you? Is it not my choice to make a decision to obey you? When you give a command, I can decide whether to follow it myself, and I will!"
"I see." Harry replied, not sure what to say to that.
Isis moved about on top of him until her face, eyes red from crying, her complexion blotchy, hovered above his own.
It was one of the most beautiful things he'd ever seen.
"I don't think you do." Isis shook her head, her hair falling around her and over them both. "Your eyes are always on Reinforce- don't try and deny it. I know you look at me as well, but it's different, and I don't want it to be. I know Reinforce will try and avoid such a relationship, she doesn't think she's worth it, she thinks she's caused too much damage, too much death and destruction, for her to have such a thing. I don't want you to be hurt, Harry."
"Isis..." Harry trailed off. "Neither of us are currently at our best. How about... how about you, me, and Rein talk things out later? If we just bottle things up, we'll only end up hurting ourselves, and it hurts me to see you like that, so please, dry those tears. I can't see the future, and I don't know what will happen, but this isn't going to do anything for anyone."
"You'll talk with us?" Isis asked. "You'll listen to us?"
"I will." Harry agreed. "Does this work for you?"
Isis pulled herself up slightly, smiling a bit. "It's a start." She said. "But first, while we're like this..."
She trailed off, a hint of her old mischievousness returning to her, making Harry wonder what she was planning.
He found out a moment later as she came down and pressed her lips against his, and when his jaw went slack in surprise, she forced her tongue into his mouth. She moaned into his mouth, and her leg rubbed against his manhood which was reacting to the situation he found himself in.
Harry wriggled slightly, but she clamped down on him.
It didn't look like she planned to let him go any time soon.
xxxxx
"Happy Birthday!"
Harry jumped in surprise when he walked into his newly constructed house.
After a rather intense 'make out' session with Isis, Harry and her managed to tidy themselves up a bit, though both still looked a little dishevelled. Judging by the faces he could see, though, only Reinforce and Loki seemed to have any idea what had just been going on.
"Oh, yeah, today's my birthday, isn't it?" Harry said.
"Really, you forgot it was your birthday?" One askance voice spoke up from the small crowd. "And here we went to so much effort to be here." It continued melodramatically.
"Beth?" Harry looked surprised to see one of his professors there. "I didn't know you were coming to Japan."
Bathsheba Babbling shrugged, gesturing to Septima Vector next to her. "Me and Sep sent you a letter asking if you wanted to visit again, but it seems Loki got hold of it and asked if we wanted to come and celebrate your birthday. As you can see, we accepted."
"Hey." Septima waved at Harry.
"Hello." Harry responded, though his eyes drifted up and to the right, to Reinforce.
~ Later... you, me, and Isis really should talk some things out, okay? ~ He telepathically spoke to her.
~ Okay, Harry, but for now, just enjoy the day. ~ She replied in the same manner.
~ Will do. ~ He responded.
Harry settled into things with little difficulty. It started with a large, buffet style lunch, with everyone mingling together. Beth seemed a little smug when she found out that Fate, Nanoha, and Hayate were the three transfers that Hogwarts were getting and that Harry knew them.
Septima seemed to enjoy talking with Lindy, though both her and Beth also spent a lot of time around Loki, making Harry wonder if some sort of affection was developing between them. Loki did shoot him a mock glare when he saw Harry's eyes glimmering with amusement when looking his way.
Arf, in human form, did enjoy all of the delicious food that had been laid out, and seemed to have taken Bast under her wing somewhat. The cat familiar, when she wasn't focusing on Harry and any potential threats to him, did seem to have shining eyes when she looked at the canine familiar, and Harry was sure he heard her refer to Arf as 'sempai' at one point.
The Wolkenritter were talking with a few others, and did speak with Harry for a while too. It was easy to see that they were rather uncomfortable with being so far away from Hayate for so much of the year, but the fact Zafira at least was going with her, as her pet, calmed them a bit, as did the fact that Harry, Fate, Arf, and Nanoha would also be there.
They had considered taking Yuuno along, as Nanoha's pet, but as he was now so high up in the Infinite Library, he couldn't really just take months off at a time in order to do so. He would, however, stay in contact and be available if he was ever needed, he just wouldn't be there himself.
After lunch was over, and everyone had spent some time actually digesting what they'd eaten while they chatted for a while, it seemed that someone had the bright idea of bringing out the party games. It felt quite childish to Harry, but nevertheless, it was a rather enjoyable experience, and it also doubled up as something of a house warming party too.
Harry was amused when Hayate, and don't ask him how it happened, somehow ended up in a luminous green tutu, pink fairy wings, a blue wig, and ballet shoes, all while dangling from the ceiling. Of course, she wasn't the only one who ended up in similar situations, it seemed Beth and Septima had brought some magical tricks and pranks from Zonko's before coming to Japan.
Eventually, however, the games and fun petered out. Of course, by this time it was evening and time for supper, which everyone once more shared. Unlike dinner, the atmosphere was more relaxed, sleepy even, and there was a pleasant hum of conversation, nothing particularly loud.
Beth and Septima would be staying with Harry for a while before returning to Britain. Loki, as he had been the one to make arrangements, had gone out and bought basic furniture, crockery, and the like over the previous few days. If Harry spent a few hours etching some basic rune arrays around the house, that would give them lights, water, and waste disposal, which was the necessities.
After that, however, Harry was left with Reinforce and Isis, and he really didn't know how to handle the situation he found himself in. The three of them ended up behind the house, in a grassy field that was part of the parcel of land Harry had bought but didn't know what to do with yet.
While Harry was trying to get his thoughts in order, it was Reinforce who spoke first.
xxxxx
Reinforce was rather confused at present.
Earlier that day, she had joined Lindy and Harry's friends in preparing a birthday party surprise for him. It had been a lot of fun to decorate the house for the day, and with her knowledge of wizarding spells, there was quite a bit she could do that a regular, mundane party wouldn't be able to have.
Then, when Isis was supposed to bring Harry along, she had felt rapid changes in his emotional state, and even afterwards he seemed to be very unsure of himself, though there were trace amounts of nervousness and an undercurrent of guilt as well, which she couldn't make sense of.
Nevertheless, she didn't bring it up, and Harry had said that they would talk later.
The party was rather fun, in her opinion, but she constantly found her eyes seeking out Harry, while also mentally reaching for the bond they shared. It was a disquieting feeling when Harry was not happy, especially when she didn't know what the issue was, and it had almost physically hurt to pretend it wasn't there. She knew Harry was feeling the same way, as she could feel the echo of his side of their bond quite clearly.
Now, here she was. It was just her, her master, and Isis.
She shifted herself until she was next to Harry, leaning against him as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
"What's the matter, Harry?" She asked. "I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong."
"I don't really know how to explain things, but I can try." Harry replied. "I... I... Well, it's just that I-"
"What he's trying to say is that he loves you." Isis brusquely snapped.
"Wha-" Reinforce was taken aback at the blunt statement.
"Harry is in love with you." Isis reiterated. "It's not some childish crush, but genuine affection. He cares about you, about your well-being, your health, your happiness, and everything that makes you 'you'. Oh, and he finds you physically attractive too."
Reinforce, by this point, had blushed bright red. What made her realise the truth of the words, more than Isis' proclamation, was that as the unicorn spoke, she could feel Harry's emotions, and so knew them to be true. Harry, her most recent, and last, master found her both beautiful and desirable.
Her master was in love with her!
"The problem is that I like Harry, quite possibly even more than he likes you." Isis continued. "I want Harry, I want him badly, but he's only really focused on you, and I, obviously, am not you." She sighed. "I don't know what to do, and Harry suggested that us three come out here and talk things out, see what comes of it."
Reinforce found she couldn't speak for a short while, and when she could, she said the first thing that came into her head. "Wait! That can't be everything. I mean, I'm pretty sure Fate, Nanoha, and Hayate like you, and there's some girls at Hogwarts that have been eyeing you up, and-"
"Yes, they like him." Isis interrupted her. "They do not love him. Perhaps in time one or more of them could come to love Harry, but right now that's not the case. Oh, there's some crushes and definitely some fondness there, but... it's just not the same."
Harry slowly nodded his head in agreement.
"I can readily admit that the others are physically attractive, and more than that, they're personalities match their looks." He said. "Kindness, compassion, and everything else people wax poetically about, they have them, and whoever they end up with will be very lucky indeed. Still, while I am fond of them, it's nothing like what I feel for you, Rein, nowhere near as... intense."
"But I can't do this." Reinforce exclaimed. "I can't! After all of the people I've killed, after all the atrocities that I've committed, how can you think of me like that? Would you still do so if you knew that under previous masters I've personally tortured people into insanity, just to find out what they know, or simply to send a message to my master's enemies?"
Isis snorted. "You think that matters to any of us? I didn't know you before Harry saved my life, so I can't exactly comment on it. Harry probably knows what you've done in the past, but hell if he cares. Stop drowning in memories and actually live in the now, Reinforce, or you'll miss every chance that comes your way."
The three fell into silence after that, all three of them thinking similar yet different things. Eventually, however, Reinforce broke the silence.
"Do you really want me like that, Harry?" Her voice was soft and quiet, like the whisper of the wind. "Do you really want me as... as a 'girlfriend'?"
In response, Harry let his emotions flow through their bond and into Rein, who shivered slightly as his answer flooded her.
"I don't know what I want." He said. "I do know, though, that I really like you, Rein, and it just might well be in a way beyond friendship."
Reinforce curled up against Harry's side, despite being taller than him by quite a bit. "Really?"
"Really." He answered.
Isis gave a somewhat bitter smile and went to get to her feet. However, when she went to walk away, she yelped, having found a magical rope wrapped around her ankle. Reinforce, who had cast said spell, cast another, wrapping it around Isis' waist and pulling her on top of the the two of them.
"Wha- what are you doing?" Isis stuttered.
"Harry likes me, and I like Harry." Reinforce replied. "You like Harry, and... I think Harry likes you too." She continued, though her tone indicated she was a bit unsure of things.
"You don't mean to say you're happy with such an arrangement, do you?" Isis asked.
Reinforce frowned. "A part of me, a selfish part, wants Harry all to myself. Another part is jealous that you hold some of his attention. However, we're going to be together for a long time, especially if Harry shares my longevity like that Unspeakable claimed he would. If we didn't get along, me and you, then things would become rather unpleasant."
"So you're willing to share him with others, knowing that if you asked, Harry would choose only you?" Isis had to be sure.
"No, I won't share him with just anyone, it's difficult enough simply acknowledging that you and I both like him." Reinforce shook her head. "However, we can try and make things work. If it does happen, then it happens. If it doesn't, we'll have to work something new out."
"Don't I get a say in this?" Harry grumbled half-heartedly.
Isis looked at Harry with her unicorn version of the 'puppy dog eyes'. "D- do you really m-mean to say that you'll t-turn down two b-beautiful girls like this?"
Harry rolled his eyes. "Two beautiful girls? Yes. Two girls that I actually care about?" He sighed. "I think I can agree to try this out with you two."
"Yay!" Isis cried as she snuggled up close to him. "Love you too, Harry."
"It looks like we're sleeping under the stars tonight." Harry sighed. "Goodnight, you two, sleep well."
"Goodnight." Isis said.
"Goodnight." Reinforce echoed.
xxxxx
The next morning, when Harry awoke, he found himself sandwiched between the two females he'd gone to sleep with. It took him a little wriggling, but he managed to get out of there without waking either of them up.
Sighing in relief, as they'd had quite the tight grip on him, Harry looked to the side where there was an open patch of grass. As he looked there, a complex looking magical circle appeared there as he attempted to call his shade to his side. Thankfully, it worked on the first attempt, and his shade appeared inside the circle.
"Master." The shade greeted him.
"Please, report what you've seen." Harry told it.
"As you wish." The shade responded. "The man known as James Potter acts rather erratically, making it difficult to predict what he will do next. A constant since I started observing him, however, is his attempts to gather influence and political support. He spends little time at home, and his relationship with his wife and children is becoming strained."
"How much progress has he made with gathering support from the old families?" Harry asked.
"He has insinuated and suggested to many that not everything about you is as it seems." The shade replied. "The ones he has approached have been treating his words carefully, and with caution, but a spark has been lit in them. If left alone, they will gather together and request an investigation into his claims, and unfortunately I see no way for you to clear away the suspicion without simply having them assassinated."
"I won't do that." Harry frowned. "I'll only kill if I'm being attacked with lethal intent, or if my opponent has committed crimes that deserve a death sentence." He sighed. "Can you give me any names of those who are listening to James Potter's words, and an estimate of when things might come to a head?"
The shade listed what names it had heard, and Harry mentally noted them down so he could research them when he had an opportunity.
"As for a date and time, it's uncertain." The shade continued. "However, they plan to start things off no earlier than September first, a time I understand you will be unavailable due to being at school."
"Ah, bugger!" Harry groaned. "That's really going to make things difficult. I was hoping they'd want to start things off before then, but I suppose at least one of them is intelligent enough to take advantage of my young age. Okay, that aside, is there any news regarding James Potter and his attempt at obliviating Madam Bones?"
"He has received a warning, it has been added to his record, and he has paid his fine." The shade answered. "If it happens again, he will be put under investigation, and if found guilty will spend five years in Azkaban minimum security."
"So he has to tread carefully and not step on any toes." Harry muttered, mulling it over. "Still, him gathering support is worrying. If he can actually get an investigation started, it won't take them very long to find out that I'm not actually human, and I'd probably be classified as some form of undead. I need an escape route if that happens..."
"The Astral Plane should suffice, master." The shade spoke up when Harry trailed off.
"I'm not a spirit, I can't move between the two planes." Harry replied dryly.
The shade gave Harry what could be interpreted as a curious look. "Are you not a necromancer, with your Tiet unlocked?"
"My what?" Harry asked. "All I know about necromancy is what I've read in the few books I've managed to find on the subject, most of which are to do with the different methods of animating corpses and summoning or creating spirits, though a few have referenced the powerful healing abilities necromancy has."
"That is most unexpected." The shade replied. "Necromancy, at it's core, is not magic. Magic is the manipulation of mana, the energy of possibilities. Necromancy is the manipulation of Tiet, the energy of life. To unlock one's Tiet properly, you must die and be brought back, and it is clear to me that yours is unlocked and flowing free."
Harry frowned. "Do you know much else about necromancy? This is the first time I've heard of this 'Tiet' you mentioned."
"It is an Egyptian word." The Shade replied. "However, I know very little about the mortal applications of necromancy. I do know of two invocations, but they are so simple that any necromancer, even one who has not unlocked their Tiet, should know them."
"It seems I am lacking in the basics." Harry sighed. "Could you tell me what those two 'spells' are?"
"Spells are magical, invocations are necromantic." The shade corrected Harry. "As for the invocations themselves, the first is the Wraith-blade, where one projects their Tiet as a weapon. As I understand it, simply forcing your power into your hand whilst picturing a blade should be enough. It requires no focus, as Tiet is the energy of life, and flows in all living things."
Harry, hesitantly, did as the shade said. He felt around inside himself for his 'Tiet', not knowing exactly what it was, but knowing that it wasn't his mana. It took some time, but eventually he managed it, and when he forced it to flow from his mind while thinking 'sword', it manifested.
The sword that appeared was massive, obviously meant to be wielded with two hands. It was a flamberge style sword, with quite a broad blade, as wide as Harry's palm at the hilt. What was more unusual about it was that it appeared to be made out of some sort of cloudy grey glass or crystal, though it wasn't as reflective or 'shiny' as such substances would normally be.
"Is this right?" Harry asked, taking a few swings with the blade.
"It is." The shade replied. "As for the other invocation, it has been referred to as a 'shadow bolt' by necromancers of the past. Simply gather together Tiet into your hand, and then release it in the direction of you're target. It's not a particularly strong invocation, but it's usable."
Keeping his Wraith-blade manifested in his right hand, Harry began attempting to cast a shadow bolt with the other. Misty grey energy gathered there after a few moments of focus, easier now that he knew how to draw on his Tiet consciously, before his arm snapped straight and the ball of necromantic energy was fired at a tree.
The shadow bolt impacted the tree with a crack, a fairly substantial hole being blasted into it, but it was the other effect that Harry took note of. It seemed the tree was undergoing necrosis, which was only confirmed when he hit it with a few diagnostic spells.
"Beware of using more of your Tiet than you can safely generate, master." The shade warned. "It would not do for you to kill yourself through over-exertion."
"I'll do that." Harry replied, feeling a little tired. "You mentioned that I should be able to traverse the Astral Plane earlier, could you teach me that too?"
"I can." The shade replied. "Now, however, you should rest. While your Tiet is unlocked, it appears that you are unused to using it in any significant amounts."
"Thank you, you are dismissed." Harry said, waving a goodbye to his shade, which faded away to once again stalk James Potter's every footstep.
His eyes fell on the still sleeping forms of Reinforce and Isis as he let his Wraith-blade fade away.
"I need to get stronger, I won't let anyone hurt you." He muttered to himself.