Feral Felicis Part 4

A.N. Okay. I can explain. I was intending on making a triumphant return to the story, and fan fiction in general during a break in various projects in 2018 by finishing off 'Beauty and the Beasts' and moving on to 'Homecoming'. I had gotten most of the story written, and then… my apartment got robbed, and my laptop stolen. The timing, and all other things going on, just knocked any and all wind out of my sails for this story.

But, you gotta pick yourself up, and here I am.

I may have put this in a previous AN, or it was in the mostly-written, not backed up chapter on my old laptop, but I am going to be skipping scenes that remain largely unchanged by Harry's presence unless required by the story (ie key exhibitionary scenes). Please forgive any sudden time jumps, followed by someone summarizing off-screen action. haha.

I am open to adopting the story to someone else if they want to pick it up and run with it, FYI.

Sunnydale High

Harry was walking along the quad, killing time until classes were let out, when he saw a dark haired boy leading a meek looking blonde girl out of a storage room. Harry was no stranger to what teenagers could or would do in a quiet corner of school, but the tableau before him was not a happy one. It caused his sense for trouble to ping.

Waiting for the teens to put more distance between themselves and the room, be slipped in to snoop around. There was bits of broken glass on the floor, but it was brushed out of the way, as though someone had hurriedly attempted to clean up. But what really got his attention, was the jar with a glowing, green fluid at the bottom. He gave it a quick sniff, picking up traces of smells he recalled from a dank dungeon he once called a classroom.

A check of his watch showed him it was just after 2 p.m.

'No passengers, I should have no trouble apparating to L.A.' He grabbed the jar and conjured a lid to keep the residue within during transit. 'Besides, how much could I possibly miss.'

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Los Angeles - Hole in the Wall Apothecary

Geoffrey looked up from the slide he was examining with a grin.

"I must admit, Mr. Potter, you are brining me more and more interesting things every time you walk in." He tapped the jar Harry had handed him a few hours ago. "This potion, here, would likely get you the attention of a number of Master Potioneers. Where did you find it?"

Harry turned a worried gaze on the older Apothecary. "In a muggle high school."

Geoffrey's grin dropped like a stone. "Then you have a rogue wizard or witch hiding in that school. That potion is a mix of Strengthening Solution and Draught of Rage. In a Wizard, it would be on par with anabolic steroids."

Harry dreaded having to ask. "And in a muggle?"
Geoffrey removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "Did you ever read 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?'"

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Sunnydale High - Library

Harry had not stopped running since he popped back into the storage room he had found the potion. He had little time before the sun set, and he had to inform the others about what he had found.

The sight he beheld when he entered the Library gave him pause. The dark haired teen from earlier was there. His exposed skin bulging with visible veins as he tore the door off of the book cage.

"Looks like we found our potioneer," Harry muttered to himself, drawing his wand. "Stupefy!"

The teen flew back from were he stood, crashing through the central table. Harry waved his wand again, this time restoring the door of the book cage. Once done, he put away his wand and approached the worried looking bass player.

"You alright, Oz?"

"Think I can safely say I'm doing better than Pete," Oz said, with actual emotion in his tone.

"Where are the others?"

Before Oz could answer, Harry heard the sound of wooden debris moving around. He looked toward the remains of the busted table, to see Pete stumbling to his feet. Still bulging at the seams from his potion.

"Shook off a stunner? That's just not fair," whined Harry.

When the enraged Pete charged at Harry, there was no time to draw his wand back out. It was all he could do to fight back hand-to-hand. He was thankful for his magically assisted durability, because he did not know have much technique beyond 'Don't ball your thumb inside your fist, and fight dirty.'

He was grappling with the teen, when the door opened, revealing Giles, Willow, Buffy and the meek looking blonde that was with Pete earlier.

"Help," Harry wheezed out, as he struggled against Pete's iron-like grasp.

Buffy pulled the tranq-gun from behind the counter and lined up her shot, but as she pulled the trigger, the meek blonde cried out and shoved the gun just enough that the dart struck Giles.

"Right," Giles muttered bitterly, "Just brilliant." The Watcher quickly collapsed to the ground.

Harry groaned, and gambled on a head-butt to Pete. It did not go well. Before he could clear his vision, he felt himself temporarily airborne, then hitting something that sounded a lot like Willow. Before everything went black, he heard Buffy shout, "Stay with them, in case he doubles back!"

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Later

Harry stirred awake with a grinning Faith looking down on him.

"HP, we need to teach you how to fight."

Harry groans. "But if we do that, what will you get to do?"

Faith looks over toward a quiet Buffy. "He must be concussed. He's talking crazy."

Buffy remained solemn as she joined the group by counter. Faith assisted Harry in sitting up.

"Where are Pete and, I'm guessing, his girlfriend," Harry asked.

"Both dead," Buffy sighed. "By the time I tracked Pete down, he had already killed Debbie." Buffy shook her head in despair. "He was out of control."

"He was out of his mind on a potion. I don't know how he made it, but the Apothecary in L.A. said in a muggle, it would go full Jekyll-and-Hyde in just a few doses."

Harry looked around the rest of the room. Willow was seated in a chair, holding an ice pack to her head. Giles was still out of it, but someone had at least pulled the dart out of his back, and set him in a slightly more dignified position. Werewolf-Oz was watching Willow from the cage.

"All things considered," Harry stated, "It could have been far worse."

"That's for sure," Fait agreed. "At least with you here, we only had to deal with one beastie." Faith looked over to the cage. "No offense, Oz."

It seemed a testament to Oz's focus on Willow that he didn't even acknowledge Faith's words.

"Is every Tuesday going to end like this, around here?" Harry smiled as everyone looked at him. "I may need to stock up on more first-aid potions.

— End Chapter 14