Author: Black Knight

Category: action/adventure/romance

Rating: R, Harry and the gang are all teenagers now, and will be acting accordingly.
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J.K. Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Spoilers: first 4 books of Canon.

Authors notes: When I started this chapter, I only had one review on the first two chapter, now that's pathetic, don't be afraid to give me constructive criticism, ok?

All hail Queens of H/G, all the shower/towel scenes are dedicated to you!

Chapter 3-Blood coven

Never is someone more dangerous than when they welcome death

With a final stroke of his eagle feather quill, Harry finishes his potions assignment (List the magical properties of the various organs of a Hibridian Black, and there use in potions) before placing the parchment in his trunk (he waited for the ink to dry) and heading for the shower.

After cleaning up, he feels genuinely thankful to uncle Vernon for the first time in, well, ever.

Vernon had made Harry work in Grunnings, his drill making company, as someone who placed large boxes full of power tools and drill bits onto wooden pallets and wrapped them in cling film, he was paid less then minimum wage, and forced to work longer hours than Vernon, but all the manual labor did him good.

He stopped being the thin, pale boy with broken glasses (he had some new ones made when he went for an optical appointment on the company medical plan) and turned into the lightly tanned young man with a body the girl who lived in number 2 Privet drive loved to watch whenever Harry de-weeded the garden.

They even bought him some cloths that fit, saying "It wouldn't look good to have a scruffy urchin working in MY firm!", and that was that, his summer had become more pleasant than he had thought it ever could be, especially after what had happened last year.

Last year, Cedric Diggory had been killed, the first casualty of the new war, Voldemort had risen again, Hermione and Ron had become an item (she kissed him right after kissing Harry on the cheek, and told him how she felt, making him tell her, two minutes of mush, and they've been together ever since).

He was happy for them, even though he knew it meant they would be spending more time with each other and less with him, he couldn't help but be happy for them (and relived that Hermione did something about it, maybe now he won't be involved in so many arguments).

Rubbing his tired eyes, he removes his glasses, turns out his torch and falls asleep almost as soon as his head hits the pillow.

*

Bright red eyes, the shade of blood, shine in the flickering green light coming from the chandelier, a monstrous creation of silver and gold, holding countless candles above the long wooden table, uncomfortable looking stone chairs placed in rows along it.

Most of the chairs are empty, but scattered along the table are afew people, draped in dark cloaks and white masks, each looking towards the head of the table, where the tall, thin, snake faced form of Voldemort sits.

"The Thunderer's powers should be wakening soon, my lord"

"That is not good enough Malfoy, I ordered you, all of you, to ensure that he does not see the morn of his fifteenth birthday, it is the night before, and he is still alive, you have failed me, Crucio!"

The chair falls backwards as Lucius Malfoy screams and writhes in agony.

"My lord, you know that we cannot touch him whilst he resides with those muggle relatives of his, and the home of that muggle loving fool of Arthur Weasley has been enchanted so that if any one of us arrives within the town it is in, the ministry shall be informed, and Auror's shall be sent"

"I do not care for your excuses Avery, I wish to see results, and for we have other business to attend to" hisses Voldemort "Due to your constant failures, I have been forced to hire some extra help to dispose of Potter, I have called the assassins of the blood coven"

"M-my lord, you cannot be serious!"

"I assure you Lucius, I can and I am"

"B-but the cost"

"A human sacrifice to their 'blood god', I am well aware of the cost, are you trying to tell me that you cannot find some random muggle for me to use as payment? Or, are you more afraid of the blood coven than you are of me"

"N-no my lord"

"Crucio!"

Lucius Malfoy's screams of pain echo in Harry Potters mind, forcing him to wake up from his nightmare.

*

Waking up to a light room, Harry is momentarily confused, until he wakes up fully and realizes that it's half seven, the time he usually gets up, the only indication that he was having a nightmare the faint throb in his scar.

"Oh god, not another one" mutter Harry, causing Hedwig to give a quizzical hoot

"I'm ok girl, don't worry" says Harry reassuringly, as he kneads his scar with the knuckles of his right hand.

'I have got to tell Dumbledore about this'

"Feel up to a delivery girl?" asks Harry

Hedwig give the owl version of 'of course' (she hoots)

"Just let me write it"

After pulling a quill, some parchment and an ink bottle out of his trunk, where he'd put them after finishing his homework, he starts to write a short, yet detailed, letter to Dumbledore about what he can remember about his dream.

After finishing the short and to the point letter, and sending it off with Hedwig, he sets out a white cotton shirt and some black trousers before changing into a bathrobe and heading for a shower.

*

An undeterminable time later, Harry emerges from the bathroom in nothing but a fluffy white towel wrapped around his waist, hair dripping wet and sticking even more than usual.

His glasses are so steamed up, he doesn't notice that both his hand and the knob of his bedroom door are glowing a pale blue, but he does notice the shock of static that jumps from his hand to the door, which makes Harry yell in both pain and shock.

"BOY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Vernon's furious voice echo's from down the stairs

"NOTHING UNCLE VERNON" Harry shouts back

"THEN BE QUIET!" Dudley silently mimics his father, making his multiple chins his multiple chins wobble.

"Ok!" says Harry as he glared at his cousin

"GET READY NOW BOY! YOUR STARTING WORK EARLY TODAY! THERE'S A BIG SHIPMENT COMING IN THIS MORNING AND YOUR HELPING"

Harry wasn't surprised by this, Vernon had made him go into work early every day this week, and took any wage he was meant to earn for his keep, and deliveries always came on a Monday, and the biggest was usually the last Monday of the month.

*

Harry climbs the stairs up to his room later that day feeling exhausted, he'd just spent ten hours non-stop unloading pallets full of the raw materials, was covered in dust and sweat, and to top it all off, he had kept getting shocked from any metal he touched all day, which made moving the 400 or so 25Kg boxes of drill bits a real pain in the ass.

He quickly jumps in the shower, and scrubs away the worst of the days grime. Hoping out, feeling 10 pounds lighter, he changes into a white T-shirt and s pair of jeans, and head down to the kitchen.

The usual sounds fill the kitchen, the small TV's on full volume, as Dudley's favorite show is on, Dudley himself is gobbling down as much food as possible, sitting at his side of the table, and looking even bigger than he did that morning, if such a thing was possible, before giving off one tremendous belch that causes the plates drying by the sink to rattle.

Naturally, Petunia doesn't say anything about his manners, or lack thereof.

Sitting himself down at the table, Harry's finds the usual, two leaves of lettuce and a slice of cucumber, which he finished quickly before heading back up to his room.

*

A circular clearing, surrounded by unfamiliar tree's that seem to glow with an inner green light, whilst simultaneously failing to illuminate anything, and making the shadows look solid.

Thirteen young looking, tall women stand at the edge of the clearing, their outfits making them look like some sort of erotic carrion bat from hell, black leather and red silk, revealing more of their creamy, pale flesh than it covers.

"You called us?" the eldest of the women, her too-perfect face looking no older than twenty five, her question directed towards the center of the circle, next to a stone alter with curious coppery brown stains on it, where the tall, thin, snakelike figure of Voldemort stands proud.

"I did"

"What do you require of the blood coven" asks the youngest of the group, a mere girl, no older than 9, in a melodic voice like the plucked strings of a finely tuned harp.

"I have a problem I wish for you to solve"

"We do not solve problems" the elder again, in a voice like a choir of songbirds

"I think you may be interested by this, the problem is a person, a wizard"

"Powerful?" asks a blonde, twin swords strapped to her back

"Yes"

"Young?" asks the girl again, playing with a blade sharp enough to slice the wind

"Still a mere boy"

"How old exactly?" the eldest again

"Fifteen, today"

"Young, but old enough" says the other blond, with a grin at her fellows

Murmurs of agreement from all but the nine year old, who has the good grace to try and not look confused.

"Are we agreed?" asks a silver haired young woman, rubbing a hand over her swollen stomach to calm the baby within it.

"Yes, we are, your problem shall be solved, but not without cost"

"I knew we could find an arrangement, Wormtail, bring the squib"

The fat, balding form of Peter Pettigrew walks into the clearing, dragging an unconscious man behind him by the back of his shirt.

"The normal cost, I believe, one human male, good physical condition, still alive, he's merely stunned"

"All blood is equal, place him on the alter, make sure he's strapped down, and awaken him, then you may leave"

he was placed, spread eagle, onto the alter, his arms and legs chained by thick metal shackles.

After a muttered 'enervate' Wormtail and Voldemort Apparate away from the clearing, the echoing screams of pain from the squib as he's carved like a Christmas turkey by the sirens of the blood coven.

Sorry it took so long, but I was trying to make this chapter longer than the others, and I wanted to introduce the blood coven, I'll start n the next chapter if I get enough reviews on this one, merry Christmas all.