A/N: I'm sitting here, drinking a chocolate milkshake... made MY way (with about two shots of Kailua added to the blender as well as a shot of coffee liqueur or raspberry flavoring or both, depending on your mood) and getting a slight, faint buzz. It makes for incredibly interesting typing, to say the least. Anywho, glad you liked the last chapter and I'm actually probably going to upload what I have of The Lesser of Two Evils (in twenty page increments- THEY ARE NOT CHAPTERS!) because of the response I got. So, people, your persistence paid off! YAY. Oh, does anyone want me to continue Just Like You? It was supposed to be a one shot, but... you know me, I can't be happy unless I have three or four storylines running through my head. Anyway, this will be a bit more than thirty chapters. I think it'll wind up being ten chapters more, at the most (hopefully!) We're nearing the end, people!!!
Oh, and my dad's a Navy captain to all who liked the SEALS. I work at the pools on the Navy base as a lifeguard and one of my jobs is to teach the buds guys (buds is the program for training SEALS; it's basic underwater demolition scuba training) how to swim if they can't swim. I had help writing the story. One of my friends gave me the idea. So, Chief Cassidy, thanks!!!! (He's one of the SEAL instructors)
Athenakitty.... Shhhhh. You aren't supposed to know that! SHE doesn't even know that and isn't going to figure it out for a while, at least! She won't know until after the rescue!
Chapter 30
At five a.m., they woke, refreshed from the accelerated sleep to join Alanna and the other three on the now seven mile run. The made their way to the Quidditch pitch, where Alanna stood in the center, stretching. They joined her as Xander Apparated next to them, yawning. Severus and James were the last to arrive, both looking half asleep. Harry snickered at the sight of his dad still in his pajamas, running shoes thrown on hastily. With a murmur, James was attired in running clothes. The elder Potter blinked, his mind unable to process how his clothes had been changed. Two minutes later, Cdr. George joined them, as well as the six members of the SEAL team.
After another ten minutes of stretching and waking up, they took off for the Forbidden Forest, following their newly established route of seven miles. Forty five minutes later, they were back at Hogwarts, completed thirty minutes of calisthenics, and then the four adults left to prepare for classes, leaving Harry and Draco awake and with nothing to do for the next four hours. Harry ran back to his dorms and reappeared five minutes later with Isis and the two winged Unicorns flying around him. Draco summoned his dragons, and they stared at each other.
"Hmmm, I wonder what to do?" Harry asked slyly, walking back into the Forbidden forest, Draco hot on his heels and their zoo not far behind.
"Harry, where are we going?" Draco asked, curious.
"You'll see. It's a perfect relief for sore muscles, and some other things."
Hmmm.
After a sedate ten minute walk, they arrived at the hot spring. Draco stopped dead in his tracks. "But, we don't have our swim trunks..." he trailed off, confused. Harry cast warming spells on their menagerie of animals and the dragons and Isis went off to hunt, and the two winged unicorns trotted into the undergrowth, grazing contentedly.
Harry grinned and waited. "OH!!!" Draco yelled, getting it. He hurriedly stripped down and hopped into the steaming water. Harry quickly followed suit and they curled up together, letting the soothing water relieve the sore and aching muscles. They soaked for a half hour, talking and resting, before both of them got a little restless with the warm water and naked closeness.
Talking turned to kissing and kissing turned into full fledged making out. Harry moaned loudly as Draco's hands fisted in his hair, trailing kisses down his neck and latching onto a pebbly nipple. Ginny Apparated into the clearing at that moment, ready to enjoy a dip before her morning class. She took one look at the two in the water and Apparated away, slightly scarred from seeing her brothers sliding against each other, obviously enjoying the hot spring. I'm NEVER using that spring again, she vowed, knowing EXACTLY what was in that water.
Back at the spring, Harry lifted his head. "Hey, is someone there?" he asked, confused and sure he had heard something. Seeing no one, he went back to driving his soul mate insane. Two hours and ten different positions later, they stepped out of the water, shivering slightly from the frigid air. They instantly dried and called for their pets telepathically who all flocked to them, ready to go back to the castle.
They walked back through the frozen undergrowth and made their way back to the castle, their arms wrapped around each other as they enjoyed the walk and trekking through the snow. On a whim, Harry lay down on a snow drift and made a snow angel. Draco just stared at him as if he'd lost his mind.
"What?" Harry asked, his eyes shining. "I love making snow angels!" He stood up, careful not to destroy it and walked over to Draco. "You make one."
"No!" Draco protested certain that Harry had gone insane. "I am not getting snow in my hair!"
"Fine. Be that way," Harry pouted, walking off.
Draco rolled his eyes but, when Harry was out of eyesight, he flopped down into the snow, making not just one but seven snow angels.
He caught up to a grinning Harry and shrugged. "What?"
"I felt that." Harry smirked.
"Shit." Draco blushed furiously.
"It was cute!" Harry snickered.
"Shit."
.
The rest of the day flew by, Harry and Draco quickly getting back into the school mindset. In Experimental Potions, Draco and Harry brought the second Potions book by Salazar Slytherin and spent the hour and a half brewing different potions from the book.
After class, Severus confiscated the book, claiming that he needed to look through it for research purposes. Harry just grinned and handed it over.
Once again after class, they held a Quidditch practice, with Cdr. George training them at night. They used the accelerated sleep again, too tired to wonder about possible repercussions of using it too often. Once again they were up at five a.m., running, working out, and training for war.
The next day went as quickly as the previous. Alanna, with Harry's suggestions started teaching some of the arcane forms of Martial Arts to the Wandless and Elemental class, turning the Room of Requirement into a dojo, and introduced various weapons that the students could pick and keep the very first lesson. Harry hefted his twin crescent blades, twirling them around and getting a feel for them before conjuring a full sized punching bag and slicing it to ribbons.
Draco, having already had fencing lessons, grabbed a scimitar, slashing it expertly. He and Harry faced off jokingly, circling each other and feinting, trying to draw the other into attacking. The other students hastily got out of the way, wary of the flashing blades and eager to receive their own weapons.
"You know, Potter, you're outmatched. Give up now," Draco mock growled, slashing downward, trying to take off his soul mate's head at the shoulder.
"Hey, I beat you the last time we did this. First blood, remember?" Harry countered, parrying with both blades upturned, before spinning and lashing out with his foot.
Draco sidestepped, retracting his enormous crescent shaped sword and parrying the double attack Harry dealt him. "You tripped the last time, which was the only way you hit me, if I'm not mistaken," Draco smirked, cursing as he tried to parry the double slash yet again. "Damn it Harry, quit swinging at me!"
"That's enough!" Alanna yelled, dropping the assorted staves, bows, daggers, and other weapons and separating the two demigods. "When will you two stop horsing around and take this seriously?" she snapped, exasperated.
Harry rolled his eyes behind her back. Someone's in a right state, he muttered mentally, shaking his head.
Draco stared at her with a calculating look. She's been off for almost a week now, over reacting and crying and laughing, all at really weird times. Do you think she's snapped? Has the pressure gotten to her?
Harry cringed, imagining a homicidal, psychotic Alanna on a killing rampage. I sure as hell hope not. She's scary enough sane. Insane, I'm more scared of her than Clautius.
Thanks for the vote of confidence, Alanna said dourly, breaking into their thoughts. I really appreciate you wondering about my mental stability.
You're the one crying at the drop of a hat one minute and laughing insanely the next, interspersed with an incredibly short temper, Harry shot back, his patience wearing thin.
Well excuse me for having an off week!!! She snapped back. If I didn't love you two so much, I'd kick you outta class for that remark!
Harry blushed and ducked his head. I'm sorry you're feeling off, but we were worried. Both of us know people who are mentally off, and uncontrollable mood swings is the first sign you're losing it.
Thank you for that free psychoanalysis, Dr. Freud, she snapped irritably. Now, I want you out of my class!
Draco pouted. You don't love us any more? he asked playfully.
Draco, Harry warned, dragging him from the classroom. She loves us so much she's giving us a chance to escape before she kills us!
I HEARD THAT!!! She yelled from inside the Room of Requirement. Harry ran, dragging Draco behind him.
The rest of the week passed by quickly as essays, class work and after school study groups fit into the schedule along with Quidditch practice and training for the rescue. Saturday, everyone woke early for the match against Durmstrung, knowing it was their only competition in the tournament.
The whole team trooped into the Entrance Hall and, at Madam Hooch's signal, Apparated straight into Durmstrung, a feat that had never been performed before in the history of the school. Alarms sounded, teachers rushed in, covered in magical armor, and students lined the hallways, wands at the ready.
Harry cocked an eyebrow. "We come in peace," he said slowly and clearly. "We come to play Quidditch. No attack."
Draco snickered, his icy mask completely destroyed. "Potter, what are you on?" he wondered aloud.
Hopefully, you, by the end of the day, Harry shot back, enjoying seeing his soul mate choke.
Would you leave the foreplay at home? Ginny wondered, causing the rest of the team to break out into giggles, completely confusing the Durmstrung students and teachers.
Where's the fun in that? Draco wondered. The team only laughed harder, to everyone's confusion.
"Vhat is so funny?" the headmaster of the school asked, walking down the steps. "And, hov, may I ask, did you Apparate into our school grounds?"
"We just did it," Harry explained. "It just happened. And, what's so funny is that we came here to play Quidditch and everyone looked like they would attack us. It was surreal."
"Oh." The headmaster of Durmstrung seemed to accept the answer. He let out a brief command in Russian, and everyone stood down, wands at their sides. The Quidditch team trooped out, heads held high and they filed down to the Pitch, the Hogwarts team following them with a bit of suspicion.
Draco, what is going on here? Harry thought, looking around as they were marched to the Quidditch pitch. A small, one story building stood on the edge of the field, and there were no stands or even an announcer's booth.
I dunno, Harry. This sucks! No wonder they didn't bring anyone to cheer; they don't even have stands!
Well, you all know the drill. They're going to cheat, so give as good as you get. Don't start illegal moves until they do, and have fun. Harry finished his spiel, grinning. They stood on the ground, waiting for the game to start. Madam Hooch conjured a nice fluffy arm chair and sat down on the sidelines, waving a Hogwart's pennant.
The students from Hogwarts arrived, Apparated in by Alanna and Xander, who looked around and, seeing the lack of suitable seats, happily conjured two enormous bleachers, one on each side of the field. The entirety of Hogwarts trooped into the stands, carrying posters and pennants, ready to cheer on their team.
The disgruntled headmaster of Durmstrung spat something at one of the teachers and the teacher ran off, returning thirty seconds later with half the student body, who trooped into the stands silently, holding hastily made pennants and posters supporting the Durmstrung players.
Harry snickered quietly. "I wonder what they threatened them with to get them out here."
"Service to the Dark Lord?" Ginny wondered. "No, that'll be their reward for cheering..."
"Don't even joke about it," Draco growled. "I recognize half of them as Death Eaters, because my father hosted the last Revel. They were all at my house, torturing the hell out of the Muggles captured and held for entertainment purposes."
"Oh." Ginny looked abashed.
"All right, people, could we get started?" Harry asked wearily. "I want to get this over with."
They mounted their brooms, flying to the field. The official Referee was already in place, holding the struggling Snitch in one hand, and the Bludgers in the other. The Quaffle sat in his lap. He sat there, bored, waiting for the two teams to make their way to the Pitch.
Finally, they swooped in, taking their places. "All set?" the bored Referee asked. The two teams nodded. "Captains, shake hands." Draco and Harry shook the Durmstrung captain's hand quickly and they took their places. With enthusiastic applause from the Hogwarts fans, the Snitch and Bludgers were released in rapid succession. The Referee tossed up the Quaffle, and the game was on. He quickly ducked out of the way as the two teams shot into motion, remembering what had happened last time. Harry, Draco and Ginny zipped through the air, their coordination and flying even better than before now that they were soul bound and blood bound.
WOW, Draco thought, his body unconsciously using Harry's memories and skills to mirror his soul mate in flight, the both of them dodging and weaving their way to the Durmstrung goals. The Beaters slammed a Bludger at Ginny, who was carrying the Quaffle, and she dodged to avoid it, throwing the Quaffle for all she was worth at the left goal. The Keeper blocked it with ease, sending the ball out to his Chasers.
They've gotten better, Ginny thought worriedly. MUCH better!
So have we, Draco reminded her as he stole the Quaffle yet again, slanting upwards before diving in a corkscrew to pass to Harry who easily put it in the goal for the first ten points scored.
Ten minutes later, Blaise and Seamus had disabled two Chasers and took shots at the Keeper for Durmstrung, trying to knock the sallow, burly youth from his broom. Professor Snape and Lily, now four months pregnant, watched from the sidelines, actively cheering for his Slytherins. "GO ON!!!" he screamed furiously from his seat. "KNOCK HIM ON HIS ARSE!!!!!!!" Alanna and Xander quickly took up the chant, screaming for the Hogwarts players to use every trick they knew to win.
Did Professor Snape just give us permission to cheat? Blaise asked. Seamus grinned and saluted the Potions Professor, eager, for once, to follow the Potion Master's orders. They renewed their attack on the Durmstrung Keeper, pelting him with the Bludgers. The Referee just yawned and checked his watch.
From her position in goal, Emily groaned as the Durmstrung Chasers yet again pelted down the field, intent on getting past her. "Bloody hell you aren't," she muttered, as she knocked the reserve chaser from his broom and, swinging sideways from her broom caught the Quaffle. She handed off to Harry while upside down, pulling herself upright only after he had cleared the congestion from the goals. "Bloody bastards." Thirty seconds later, they were back again, and she stopped them once more, handing off to Ginny. Keep them up there, would ya? she begged.
Aww, you getting tired? Ginny teased, shooting towards the Durmstrung goal only for the Quaffle to be caught yet again and brought back down the field. Draco intercepted it and scored quickly, bringing the score to thirty - ten, Hogwarts. The game grew progressively rougher as Durmstrung, once they realized that they couldn't beat Hogwart's skill, decided to take out as many players as possible.
Emily took a Bludger to the head, and Harry caught her as she fell to the ground, unconscious. Madam Pomfrey held her as he quickly healed her head injury, but she didn't wake up right away. Play was halted as Ron zoomed onto the field, taking her place in goal. He held on valiantly, saving far more than he let through, but it wasn't enough. Durmstrung caught up to Hogwarts and the score was tied, fifty to fifty in less than ten minutes.
Grimly, Harry, Draco and Ginny dominated the Quaffle, scoring twelve times in the next ten minutes. They refused to let the Quaffle past the midline, keeping Durmstrung on the defensive for almost half an hour, scoring over and over and over again. The Durmstrung Beaters slammed the Bludger at Ginny, knocking her from her broom and breaking three of her ribs. Draco caught her and surreptitiously healed her, running his hands over her side. She grinned her thanks to him and grabbed the Quaffle, viciously slamming it through the far right hoop.
Thirty minutes later, James still had not caught the Snitch. He battled fiercely with the Durmstrung Seeker, going head to head trying to catch the damnable tiny ball. Dad, the score is 340 to 120. Wait, we just scored another one; 350 to 120. You don't have to catch the Snitch- we're still going to win. Don't kill yourself over the stupid thing, Harry thought wryly.
James only pressed harder, shooting past the other Seeker and pulling alongside the flitting golden ball. He quickly snagged a wing, ending the game 500 to 120. The Durmstrung Captain grabbed a Beater's bat and swung it hard, hitting a nearby Bludger right into Harry's surprised face. Harry didn't even have time to throw up a hand or shield as the ball smashed into him, and he knew no more.
Harry slowly awoke, his head throbbing. "What happened?" he asked slowly, opening his eyes. He stared at the white walls of Hogwart's Infirmary. A low groan answered his question. Cautiously, he sat up, his head spinning slightly. He looked over and gaped. Draco lay in the bed next to him, his left eye bruised as well as his right cheekbone, his lip bloody, and his Quidditch robes torn and filthy.
"What the hell happened to you?" Harry muttered, running a hand through his hair. He winced and saw stars. "What the hell happened to me?"
Madame Pomfrey bustled in, followed by Lily, James Alanna, Xander, Severus and Remus. "Hey, Harry, how're you feeling?" James asked quietly, his damp hair soaking the collar of his robes.
"What happened?" Harry asked, confused. "Why does my head hurt and why does Draco look like shit?"
"Harry! Language!" Madam Pomfrey snapped.
"What do you remember?" Lily asked, concerned.
"I remember winning, but after that it's blank." Harry grimaced, holding his head.
"The Durmstrang captain slammed you in the face with a Bludger, and then Draco jumped him," Severus said with pride. "He took on the entire Quidditch team and won, no magic needed!"
Draco groaned and opened his eyes. "Hey, Harry," he said quietly, grinning painfully at his soul mate. "How're you feeling?"
"Well, my head feels about the same your face must feel. Heal each other?" Harry asked, his hand glowing.
"Sure, why not. But, I'm proud of my injuries. I won," he said quietly.
"I heard. Good for you." Harry's hand glowed, as did Draco's and they healed each other with little fanfare.
"How long have I been out?" Harry asked a minute later.
"Only about a half an hour. He hit you really hard." Draco gently caressed the side of Harry's face. "How do you feel now?"
"Much better. The little flashy lights that appeared in front of my eyes whenever I moved are gone," Harry answered honestly.
"Good. Do you want to get up?" Draco asked lightly, rolling off his bed and standing up. He extended his hand and Harry took it gratefully, pulling himself to his feet. They walked out the door, pushing past the six people who had crowded into the Hospital Wing to make sure Harry was all right, and continued walking.
"Wait!! I need you here for observation!!!" Madam Pomfrey yelled after them. They only walked faster.
Lily, James, Severus, Remus, Alanna and Xander followed them quickly as they walked down the hallway, Apparating in mid step to the Chamber of Secrets. There, the party was in full swing, with everyone lounging about, playing pool, and listening to really loud music.
"We're CHAMPIONS!!!!" Emily shrieked, swinging Draco around and hugging him. "Well, of our division," she amended. "But, STILL!!" Draco laughed, hugging her in return.
"That we are. Oh wow, this is incredible!!!" he yelled giddily. "One more game and Rome doesn't even care about playing!"
Eric, Seamus, Blaise, Goyle and Ginny were drinking something that looked potent, and they poured Harry and Draco glasses. Lily grabbed the glass, sniffing it. "Did you have to drink Suicides?" she asked wearily, massaging her temples. Neville simply raised his glass over by the Pool tables, where he and Luna were challenging one another. Dudley, Susan Bones, Hannah Abbot and Vincent Crabbe were playing pool at the other table in teams.
"It's either that or Long Island Iced Tea," Eric offered her a little unsteadily, holding out his own drink. Severus snickered and poured himself a drink happily, mixing one for Remus as well.
"Here you go, Wolf boy," he said with a snicker. "I think this tasted a hell of a lot better than the Wolfsbane Potion I force down your throat every month."
"Oh, that's wonderful. You know, Severus, you should quit working here and simply mix drinks for a living," Remus teased. "You would make an assload of money."
Severus glared at him. "I don't NEED the money, unlike you- wait, that's right. You've joined the ranks of the Idle Rich now, haven't you?" He downed his drink in three long gulps. "Damn good stuff. Who transfigured the booze?" he asked the students.
"No one!" Emily chirped. "Someone put an everfilling charm on the bottles last time so they were full again! We just took what we wanted!" Severus just laughed and poured himself another drink.
Lily pouted. "No fair!!!" she pretended to cry. "I can't cuz Baby won't like it!!"
James poured her a small glass of wine. "Here, Love, stick to one glass of this. It won't hurt."
Alanna and Xander Apparated in, followed by Ron, Hermione, and several others who quickly poured themselves drinks and joined the party. They didn't leave until the early hours of the morning.
The next morning, after many sobriety potions and then their run, Cdr. George pulled all of them into the Forbidden Forest again, an evil smirk on his face. "We've been working on this for almost three weeks now and it'll help you when you go into Clautius's realm," he announced as le led them to a cleared tract of land. A shimmery portal stood in front of them, and, in the distance to the left, Harry could see what looked to be a castle.
"Oh my- It's the Portal world!" Alanna exclaimed, staring around her is slight awe. "You are a genius!"
Ginny poked her head out of the shimmery portal. "Thank you."
"What??" Draco gasped, astounded. "Where does that go?"
"I'm currently in the Chamber of Secrets," Ginny said with a smirk.
"Sweet," Harry said with a smirk. "So, how does this work?"
Ginny stepped through fully, grinning. "All right, people. This is how it works. You start at the portal, and the goal is to get to the other portal in as little time as possible. There will be guards and roving demons all over the place. The point is to not be detected. If you kill them, it'll get you more points. Anyway, you have to get to the correct portal and go through. From there, your team will split up to find your targets. James, you, Alanna and Xander will find Remus. Severus, Draco and Harry will find Lily. Cdr. George will be monitoring your progress. Everyone understand?"
"Is this the real terrain that we'll be facing?" Harry asked quietly.
"Yes."
"All right, then, let's go then. How much time do we have?" Severus asked, doing the necessary mental calculations.
"As long as it takes. Just remember that every minute you take is a minute that the ones you love could be being hurt," Cdr. George warned.
Severus and James paled considerably. "Well, what are we waiting for??" James snapped, sounding suspiciously like Severus. "Let's go!!!" They stood next to the portal, waiting to begin.
"Now, the demons are as up to par with strength and abilities as you will face. You should be able to take them on." Cdr. George mentally ticked off the points he had to cover before sending them out. "The portals are ten miles due east from here, in which you'll split up, taking your respective portals. They actually dump you somewhere in the Forbidden Forest, where you'll continue, rescue your hostage, and get back here. Oh, and no magic. You have to deal with them using hand to hand combat or your weapons," he gestured to the weapons Alanna had given them in the Martial Arts class.
Severus smirked and dug a vial from his robes, smearing some on his family's swords and passing it around to the other demigods. "It's poison. Don't drink it, you fool," he snapped at James as he raised the vial to his lips. "Put it on your blade!" James rolled his eyes and smeared a liberal amount on the edges of his daggers. The rest of them quickly followed suit, tucking their weapons away into easily accessible yet not cumbersome places. They took off, jogging lightly, their minds irreversibly bound, directing each other over the rocky and foreign terrain. They used the trees as cover, ducking and trying to stay as invisible and unobtrusive as possible.
They continued running lightly for almost ten minutes before they met the first Demon patrol, seven demons of mixed sizes. Harry quickly slid up a tree, his eyes narrowed. Draco slid up next to him, shimmying through the branches. Alanna, James, Xander and Severus slid into other trees around the area, waiting.
They didn't have to wait long. Two of the demons, fire demons from the looks of it, slunk into the wooded area, sniffing the air. James threw two of his daggers at them and they slumped over, dead, before they knew what hit them. Three more burst up and stared at the two demons lying dead on the ground. Harry slid behind them, slitting their throats with ease.
Severus and Alanna quickly tracked down the remaining two and made short work of them as well. They continued on, running towards the portals, aware only that time was running out for their hostages.
Over the next hour and twenty minutes, they encountered four more bands of Demons, ranging in numbers. They either outright avoided them or dispatched them without being caught. By the time the reached the twelve portals, even Alanna and Harry were panting and gasping for breath. Alanna and Xander studied the portals quickly, reading the flowing script along the bottom and sides. Finally, they stepped back.
"Harry, Draco and Sev go through this one," Alanna said quietly, pointing to the portal furthest on the left. "We need to go through this one," she said, pointing to the portal three to the right, "first, and if we don't find him we have to search the others as well."
"All right, let's go," Harry said quietly and they split up, going their separate ways.
Harry, Draco and Severus quickly slid through the portal, and stepped out into a different world- at least, it felt that way. The sky was an intense purple blue, and a lush rainforest stretched as far as the eye could see, which, since they stood on the crest of a mountain, was pretty far. In the distance, an enormous spot of black marred the landscape, which Severus correctly assumed was Clautius's castle.
"All right, let's move," Harry hissed and they quickly slid into the undergrowth.
Spread out and take point positions, Severus tersely commanded.
It's too thick, Draco said worriedly. Take to the trees.
They scrabbled up the nearest trunk, and Harry had to calm a napping green viper, and reassured the frightened snake that they didn't mean any harm. They continued on, their traveling infinitely easier moving from limb to limb.
Alanna, James and Xander appeared in a drab, gray building, a demon standing in front of them, guarding the portal. James quickly dispatched him, and they slid cautiously out of the stone building. They were in some sort of training camp, a mix of demons and the occasional human being put through rigorous exercises. James turned around the side of the building, and ducked back into an alcove as a group of demons and three humans ran past. He stared at their retreating backs. Remus!! He said in disbelief. Remus is running with the demons!
Alanna's head whipped around and she stared at the runners as well. Well, this makes our job harder. All right, we have to swipe a few uniforms and get running as well. If that doesn't work, we blow the hell out of this place. Sound good?
I love it when you give orders like that, Xander smirked.
Leave the foreplay at home!! James snapped.
Xander muffled a snicker. They attracted two other demons over to the building and quickly killed them, taking the three uniforms they had and sliding into them. They walked back out purposefully, quickly blending into the mass of demons and Death Eaters. Now, to find him again, Xander determinedly opened his mind on the most basic of levels, searching until he located Remus again. Right, they're half a mile due west. Let's go! they quickly turned, heading in the direction Remus had taken.
After an hour of hiking, the three demigods arrived at the inky spot they had seen in a distance. Up close, the ebony stone castle loomed over them and Harry felt its iciness chill his very soul. Oh my God this feels bad, he trembled slightly.
Just think- this is only a simulation. How bad is the REAL thing going to be? Severus muttered, hugging himself.
They dispatched the guards and snuck in through a ground level window. After killing ten more demons around the castle, they finally found Lily in the west tower. "Hey! You found me," she chirped happily and stood up. "All right, let's go," she said eagerly. "I want to see how you did that and got through here!"
They walked back down quietly, slid back out the window, and hiked back to the portal without any mishap. They quickly stepped through and completed the ten mile hike back to the original portal. Ginny and Cdr. George stood in front of the portal, chatting quietly.
"You're the first group back," Ginny said brightly. "So, how many demons am I going to have to replace?" she asked wearily.
"Forty two," Severus smirked.
Alanna and Xander started jogging, James barely keeping up. Come on, you need to keep up! Alanna snapped.
Geez, I'm trying! James shot back, redoubling his efforts.
Quit fighting. We have more important things to worry about, Xander snapped. They quickly caught up with and passed Remus's group, and he locked eyes with James.
Remus, can you join our group? James asked his quietly.
Nope, I'm not supposed to help you at all.
Fine, make this difficult then.
The two groups entered an isolated area and James spun, throwing four daggers in an even spray. All found their targets and three demons and a human fell dead. Alanna pulled out her dochang, a long pole with a scythe like blade at the end and swung it, decapitating two in one strike. Xander swung his saber, taking out three more. Remus stood to the side, watching impassively as the automatons were destroyed.
"All right, then, let's go," he said brightly, walking past the panting demigods. They glared at him. "What?"
"Never mind." They quickly hiked back through the training camp and into the building that housed the portal. Just as they were stepping through, an alarm sounded.
"Oh shit!" Alanna gasped. "GO GO GO!" She shoved everyone through and dove through herself, just missing a curse blasted her way. They landed on the other side and she quickly destroyed the Veil, announcing their presence to everyone. Demons came flocking. Grimly, the three demigods and the Werewolf stood their ground.
"Whoops!" Harry said as an intense burst of magic flooded through him. "Alanna's been discovered." He, Draco and Severus Apparated back, appearing right next to the other four. "What do you say we torch them?" Harry asked Alanna conversationally.
"Sounds good." Harry and Draco conjoined their minds and magic, powering up. They could feel the ground trembling and stopped, afraid they'd take out the planet underneath them.
Harry, in the real situation, you two wouldn't stop, Xander said in awe. You could destroy them ALL with just a thought. Do it.
Gladly. Harry and Draco concentrated and the demons around them, five or six hundred of them, combusted instantly. The power swelled and rippled through them, leaking out form every pore. Whoa, power overload, they thought, the power not abating but growing with use. We have to leave, they thought frantically, Apparating to the mansion.
Smooth move, moron! Alanna snapped at Xander. Go on and do it, real smart!
I didn't think that their power would GROW like that! It was incredible! It felt like Mother but not like her... OH SHIT, you don't think she... Xander trailed off, panicking.
Oh HELL no!!! She promised!!! Alanna burst out furiously.
"What is going on???" James, Lily, Ginny, Severus and Cdr. George demanded.
"We have to talk to Mother NOW!" they snapped, Apparating.
Harry and Draco appeared in the foyer of the mansion and immediately dashed for their room. Damn, who knew that using your powers like this would make you so horny, Harry?? Draco gasped as Harry pinned him to the wall in the hallway, kissing him roughly. He hastily threaded his fingers through Harry's spikes, dissolving the hair gel with a thought and yanking his head closer, trying to devour him.
We have to get rid of the excess power somehow. Is there a problem with that? Harry asked, kissing his way down his soul mate's neck and collarbone, sucking and biting, leaving vivid red marks in his wake. Draco arched and purred, grinding his hips against Harry, who gasped and moaned in response. They tandem Apparated immediately, collapsing on their bed. Harry ran his hands through Draco's hair, making him purr with intensity.
"You like that, don't you," Harry hissed in Parseltongue, sucking in a particularly sensitive spot right below Draco's ear. Draco's insides turned into mush, and his mouth went dry. Desperately, he clamped his fingers to Harry's temples, seeking to merge their minds as one, complete and whole.
That is so sexy when you do that, Draco thought desperately, his thoughts hazing over from the unbridled lust rampaging through his body. He felt his mind melt into Harry's and they slid together mentally as well as physically.
You're mine, the thought came unbidden. Now and forever.
The next two weeks passed by quickly. They continued on their runs every morning, working their way up to twelve miles a day in a little over an hour and fifteen minutes. Every evening, they would practice sparring with the demons Ginny had created, focusing more on quickly killing them rather than trying to evade them, since Harry and Draco displayed their awesome powers that first day. Cdr. George was now more concerned, if they were to be discovered, that they could get themselves and the hostages out safely.
They held Quidditch practice seven times in two weeks, and realized that, no matter how hard they ran drills or scrimmaged, they weren't going to get any better. They were playing in top form.
Rome's students arrived that Saturday morning at nine o'clock, and hour and thirty minutes before the game was to start. They trooped into the Great Hall and helped themselves to breakfast, sitting at the Slytherin Tables next to Harry, Draco, Ginny and the other first string players, chatting animatedly.
"You know," Draco suggested before Harry could shut him up, "why don't you play up to your skills? League be damned, I want to see how good you really are."
"Well, we definitely aren't as good as your team, but who is?" the captain retorted, taking a bite of scrambled eggs. "But, yes, I think we can do that. What do you say, team?"
"Sure, why not?" their keeper offered wryly. "It's not like we have anything to lose, and you will be champions." A wave of assent went down the line of Rome's players.
Harry groaned. "You just had to say that, didn't you, Draco!" he accused. "You just had to jeopardize our chances!"
"Jeopardize what? We're going to take the championship, no questions asked. Where's they only ones who have won all our games. Durmstrung lost to us twice and they're second." Ginny smacked Harry upside the head. "So we'll still win."
"Fine, fine. Let's get on with playing then, shall we?" Harry asked.
"We still have an hour before the game, you dork," Seamus said with a laugh.
"Oh."
Twenty minutes later, Harry walked out of the Hall, unable to wait any longer for the game. He put on his Quidditch uniform in silence, waiting for the other players to show up. Draco walked in two minutes later, staring at Harry curiously. "Are you all right?" he asked softly.
"Yeah, I just want the game to be over," Harry sighed, his head in his hands.
"Why?" Draco asked, slightly confused.
"Because it'll be one less thing in the way before we get Sirius and Laurel. That's all I can think about," Harry explained, his face betraying his anxiety.
"Oh, Harry." Draco wrapped his arms around the other boy, holding him tightly.
"I just have a bad feeling about this, that's all. I feel like we should go now to get them, like something bad is going to happen very soon."
Draco just stared at him, his expression unreadable and Harry didn't even try to push it telepathically.
The rest of the team filed in to prepare for the game. As soon as they were dressed, Draco and Harry gave their customary speeches, psyching the team to play.
They sped out onto the field, and Harry and Draco shook the captain's hand eagerly while in midair. The Referee released the Snitch, Bludgers, and the Quaffle in rapid succession and Rome quickly sped forward, taking possession.
Ginny grinned. Now this is a real game! she said happily, sliding underneath the chaser with the Quaffle. Harry and Draco slid on either side, and, as one, crossed right in front of him, causing him to drop the Quaffle into Ginny's waiting hands. She sped off, amid curses from the other team, laughing the entire way to the goal. She feinted, and then dropped the Quaffle through the leftmost hoop, scoring.
On and on it went. Back and forth, they scored on each other, Hogwarts managing to remain in the lead by about thirty points. James and Rome's Seeker battled head to head, having seen and lost the Snitch four times in the last half hour alone. They were nearing the hour mark when they spotted it again, this time directly over the stands, hovering a foot over Lily's head.
Lily! DUCK!! James yelled as they threw themselves into the stands. The snitch darted away, passing so close to Severus's head that it ruffled his hair. He threw himself to the ground as the two seekers whipped by him, chasing the elusive golden ball.
Twenty minutes later, they had lost it again. The score was 410 to 390, Hogwarts, and they had been playing for almost an hour and a half. Dad, not to pressure you, but we're getting really tired, so could you please catch the Snitch? Harry asked plaintively.
I can't bloody find it! James snapped from almost 500 feet up. Just then, it hovered next to Harry.
Dad! It's right next to my ear!!! Harry snapped.
Oh. Gangway!!!! James yelled, diving right next to his son. Harry threw himself out of the way, catching the Quaffle and hurling it into the nearest goal. The Keeper grimly blocked it, and threw it as hard as he could to the chasers. James pulled up from the dive, the other Seeker hot on his heels. He suddenly grabbed something from midair and started yelling. "I'VE GOT IT!!!!!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.
WE DID IT!!!! screamed Emily, diving towards James, Harry, Draco and Ginny. They boosted James onto their shoulders, congratulating each other profusely. The students and teachers spilled onto the field, cheering.
Harry and Draco flew to the other captain and shook his hand. "Hey, by the way, what's your name?" Harry asked, grinning.
"Anthony DeMassi, who are you?"
Harry raised an eyebrow. "Harry Potter."
Draco grinned slightly. "Draco Malfoy."
"REALLY?" The other captain grinned. "I never would have guessed that you two would be working together enough to get your team cohesive!"
"Some things changed over the summer," Draco said with a grin.
"Well, I couldn't have lost to a better team. How do you move so well together?" Anthony asked curiously.
Simple, Harry said mentally.
Anthony stared at him. That was telepathy.
Yes. Draco grinned.
Isn't that cheating?
Nope. It isn't magic per say. Harry snickered softly.
I see. We have the same connection, we just didn't use it.
You're Elementals? Draco was surprised.
It's in our curriculum.
Oh. they both shook their heads slightly. It was taken out of Hogwart's curriculum almost two hundred years ago, but we added it this past year when we got instructors.
Sounds good. We'll have to try it, playing with the link up. Most of us find it too invasive to keep open for very long.
You can keep shields up through it. Does our conversation feel invasive?
Anthony's eyes widened. Actually, no. How do you do that?
We have shields up, but still talk through them. You'll get the hang of it.
Considering that this is my last year, probably not. Thanks for the suggestion, though.
Well, Potter Manor is open to anyone who wants to learn. We'll be there all summer and it's easy enough to find.
Thanks, Harry!
Anthony and the rest of his team and classmates turned and walked to their coach, who was distributing portkeys. Anthon whispered something into his coach's ear and the coach looked up, grinning broadly. He said something in Italian, which Anthony replied to, and the coach walked over quickly.
"You are Harry Potter?" he asked in heavily accented English.
"Yes, I am." The Italian coach shook his hand eagerly.
"You can help us with the Elemental training?"
"Yes. You can come to Potter Manor over the summer and we'll help you."
"Thank you!!!" he said eagerly, shaking his hand again. "I must get my students back to school!" with that, the man turned and walked off.
"Weird," Harry said quietly. Draco could only agree.
As soon as they stepped foot in the school, they were surrounded by students and faculty alike. Professor McGonagall raised her voice above the din. "WE'RE HAVING A CELEBRATION IN THE GREAT HALL IN A HALF A HOUR!!!! EVERYONE BETTER BE THERE!!!!!"
Everyone did go to the party, and it lasted into the wee hours of the morning.
A/N: WHOOHOOO!!!!!! It's done, people!!! FINALLY!!!!!!! Anyway, I'm sorry for the delay. It's my fault entirely, as I could write eighteen pages for the other story, but didn't have the patience to write eighteen pages for this one. Don't worry, as the action will pick up next chapter. So, I'm thinking seven more chapters to go at the most for this one. Jesus Christ, it took 30 chapters and we're in February! What the hell am I writing??? And, now, a note from my lovely Beta. Never mind, I guess dragging her out of bed at 6 a.m. to write a review wasn't a good idea. ANNIE PUT DOWN THE FRYING PAN FOR GOD'S SAKE!!!!!!! She's going back to sleep. Anyway, read and review- or don't.
As for my other story, I'm not adding notes of any kind until the end. So, I'll answer reviews here as they seem to be from the same reader. To the lonely flaming flamer who wants just straight slash (OXYMOROM, PEOPLE!!!) and thinks Harry& Hermione& Draco is gross, sucks to be you. You KNOW JK Rowling is going to have her precious Hero hook up with a girl, be it Ginny or Lavender or Cho or Hermione (Yes, even SHE'S a possibility.) So, all of us slashers are going to be rather put out about it. To everyone else who said it rocks, thank you very much!!! (The other 32 reviews). I so appreciate the wonderful things you said, especially Chibichibi, goldenserpent, yuki kari, and everyone else. Thank you all!