I do not own Harry Potter, only the OC
Hello guys, Badger here. I feel like I'm going to murder my flatmate. This chapter was supposed to be released yesterday, but my flatmate decided to play video games and rage late at night, keeping me up until the early hours, so I had no sleep and couldn't concentrate and couldn't stare at a computer screen for longer than five minutes. It wouldn't be so bad, but he does this. EVERY. FUCKING. NIGHT.
Anyway, how are you lot doing? I'd like to apologise that it's been a while since the last chapter for this story. I hit major writers block for this chapter. I had the beginning and end all thought out and written, but I was drawing blanks on the middle portion. In all honesty, I feel like the middle part of this chapter isn't my best work. I fear I lost the plot a little bit. But I hope it's fine. Again, I am sorry about the long wait. I'll see you at the end.
Chapter 6
A Family Of Red Heads
Voldemort sneered, as he watched Nagini eat the twitching corpse of Goyle Snr. He had a blood tracking potion brewed, in hopes of finding Harry Potter. The potion told him he was at, what Muggles called a Nightclub. He sent some of his men to find him, only for them to return, saying that Dumbledore had got to Harry first. His rage led him to kill Goyle. At least Nagini was being fed. He paced back and forth in his throne room, thinking. Voldemort was hoping to find Harry first, but maybe this could still work in his favour. If he could approach the boy when he was alone, perhaps Voldemort use his power of manipulation. It was possible Harry had some resentment towards his family, if he remembered that night and perhaps, he could use that to bend Harry to his will. This could work. Time and patience was the key to this game. And he was going to win.
…
Lupin felt out of breath, as he helped carry some equipment into Grimmauld Place. He didn't realise just how much was included with band equipment. Ace and Ghost couldn't help but chuckle, as they saw him put the box down, when they entered the living area.
"We did try to warn you that the box was heavy" Ace commented, placing his box down, his guitar over his shoulder
"Don't you guys have a spell or something to make things weightless" Hound smirked to himself
"Yes…and I feel stupid for not using it" Remus muttered, just as Sirius and Aiden entered the room
"Oh hey, you're back" Sirius said, before looking at all the boxes "This is a lot of stuff"
"It's mostly band equipment" Lightning shrugged, before a thought came to him "Speaking of which, is there a room we can use, to practice our shit?"
"There's an old duelling room that is no longer used" Sirius replied "I'm sure it will be big enough for you to use"
"Can I come watch you guys practice?" Aiden asked "I'd love to see you guys play"
"Sure, if you don't mind loud metal music" Lightning smiled
Aiden smiled back, but this quickly dropped, when the door opened and Dumbledore entered, followed by James and Lily, who looked slightly surprised at the amount of boxes.
"Ah, you're back" Dumbledore smiled, noticing Hound and Ghost "I'm guessing these are your friends"
"Well done for noticing" Ghost replied, before looking at James and Lily "And I'm guessing these are the dear and loving parents who give up their children when they don't live up to others expectations"
"Hey, you can't talk to use like that" James replied, his tone stern with warning "We love Harry and always have"
"His name is Lightning" Hound said, looking at his nails "and you clearly didn't love him, seeing as you sent him away, just because you thought he didn't have magic…try to justify it all you want, but it doesn't excuse what you done"
"Now, now, there's no need to fight amongst one another" Dumbledore said calmly, as he removed three letters, turning to Lighting, Ace and Aila "I'm glad you're back, because I have something for you three…you may have been living in the Muggle world for years, but you have magical blood in your veins…"
"Dumbledore, you can't be serious!" Remus exclaimed, seeing the letters in his hands "Hogwarts letters…you want them to go to Hogwarts?"
"Why not?" Dumbledore shrugged "They are of magical origin, they need some kind of magical education and considering recent events…"
Dumbledore was cut off, when someone started laughing. Everyone looked to Lighting, who was chuckling softly. However, his laugh got louder, until it turned to a loud, full on, belly laugh. He didn't care if he looked insane, he just continued laughing, leaving a few occupants in the room a little uncomfortable. It went on for a few seconds, until he calmed down, wiping a tear from his eye.
"Did I say something funny?" Dumbledore asked, displeased at being laughed at
"Oh yes" Lightning grinned "You really think we're going to Hogwarts…we've had no kind of magical education, we'll be way behind everyone else, we'd have no idea what we're even doing"
"Not to mention, these two stick out like a sore thumb" Aila commented, gesturing to Ace and Lightning
"Also, we're living a wonderful life in the muggle world and we wouldn't have it any other way" Ace added, folding his arms "We don't need magic to have a good time"
"But having an education is one of the greatest privileges for a magical child" Lily spoke up "And Hogwarts is the best place to do that…Aiden, tell Harry how great it is"
"There's no point, they've already made a decision" Aiden shrugged "And like them, I won't be going back to Hogwarts"
"WHAT!" James and Lily yelled turning to face Aiden
"What do you mean, you aren't returning?" James asked "You need to complete all seven years, young man"
"I don't need to do anything" Aiden spat "Quite a few students drop out of Hogwarts after completing their Owls…I can always have private tutors to take my Newt exams"
"That may be true Aiden" Dumbledore said "But that's not your decision to make, your parents are you guardian, if they say you need to complete your education, then you will have to do so"
Whilst all this was going on, The Outcasts were watching this back and forth, like it was a tennis match. All of them had an amused look on there face, as they wall waited to see what was going to happen next. Ace was wishing he had a bag of popcorn with them, so they could have a snack whilst watching the whole ordeal play out.
"Umm, sorry to burst that bubble Dumbledore, but that's not true either" Sirius smirked "Depending on how things go, at the Ministry, James and Lily won't be his guardian any longer…if things go well, Aiden will be emancipated by the end of the week"
"WHAT!" Lily screeched, bursting the eardrums of everyone inside the room, as she turned to Aiden "You're claiming for emancipation…you can't do that, you're not of age yet…why would you do such a thing"
"Because I love my brother" Aiden replied, not feeling intimidated, or scared, of his mothers rage in front of him "You separated us years ago and you're not going to do the same thing again…so if Lightning isn't going to Hogwarts then I'm not going either!"
"You're what!" Another voice exclaimed
Everyone turned to see the Weasley Family, along with Hermione, in the doorway. Aiden wasn't sure when they got here, but he noticed the shocked looks of his friends. He sighed, knowing how difficult it was going to be when he explained everything to them. Ace's eyes widened at the amount of people in the doorway and leaned towards Lightning, who also looked quite surprised at the sight.
"Am I high, or is there a massive brood of red heads standing in that doorway?" He asked
"I can see them too" Lightning smiled "It's not just you"
"Ok, good, seeing as they popped out of nowhere, I feared I must've have taken something" Ace replied, just as the lone brunette approached Aiden
"You're not returning to Hogwarts?" She asked "How can you not return?"
"You heard why Hermione" Aiden sighed "I love Hogwarts, I love magic, but I have spent so long separated from my brother, but now, we are together again and I'm not about to leave him for most of the year, after we've finally reunited…I can take private tutors if I need to, but I'm staying with my brother here"
Hermione and the Weasleys looked to the Outcasts, and they looked surprised, upon noticing Lightning, noting the green eyes and scar. Hermione however, looked completely shocked, her eyes widening in mild recognition. She felt like she had seen them somewhere before, but couldn't quite place where.
"You're his brother?" Hermione asked
"That's correct" Lightning nodded, as he looked at Hermione and the younger red heads "I'm guessing you're his friends…I hope you've been keeping him out of trouble"
"Please, he practically finds himself in it…we all do" The youngest red head male scoffed "Of course, it's not his fault, but Hermione often helps us out of it"
"I knew there was something I liked about you" James grinned at Aiden "If you find yourself in trouble all the time, we'll definitely get along just fine"
"I know what you're thinking" Aila spoke up "And now, he won't be helping you and Hound beat up that hotel manager that refused to pay us"
"Fine, whatever" James sighed, picking up his box "Can we just put our instruments in the duelling room now please?"
"You play instruments?" twin brothers asked in unison
"We're a band" Ghost spoke up, taking a few magazines that featured them on the cover and handed magazines to them "If you're interested, take a look through those, I've already highlighted every page that mentions us"
Everyone looked on surprised, as Sirius led them to the duelling room, with Aiden following after them. Ace however, stopped beside the youngest in the family, a girl with long red hair and looked towards her.
"Nice necklace" He grinned, making her blush a little, as he followed after the rest
…
James held Lily, as she cried in his arms. After Aiden had left the room, following after Lightning and his friends, she had broken down. James was expecting this. She looked close to tears when Aiden said he wasn't going to return to Hogwarts and was claiming emancipation. The harsh tone in his voice didn't help either.
"It's okay Lily" James said, soothingly "We can counter the emancipation, everything will be fine"
"There's no point" Lily sniffed "We're considered criminals by many, they'll allow the emancipation in a heartbeat…I feel like we're losing our children James…I hoped that when we got Harry back, things would go back to normal, but that's not going to happen is it?"
James opened his mouth, then closed it again. He wanted to say things would turn back to normal but he wasn't sure himself. He could only hope.
…
That night, Hermione and Ginny were laying in their beds, once more sharing a room like they have done before. Neither of them were asleep. They were both busy thinking of the same thing, that was keeping them up.
"Are you asleep Hermione?" Ginny asked, after a moment of silence
"No" Hermione replied
"Are you thinking about Aiden's brother and his friends too?" Ginny asked
"They were…different" Hermione said "I know Sirius had warned your mum over the Floo that they would be, but I still didn't expect them to look like…that…"
"Well, Aila was normal…at least in terms of appearance" Ginny commented "Maybe we should ask her to hang out with us"
"I'd like that" Hermione smiled
"And I'll tell you something else" Ginny said "despite how different they look, Lightning and Ace were ridiculously good looking"
"Ginny" Hermione gasped
"Oh come on Hermione" Ginny said "Those two had a 'bad boy' feel to them and admit it, you liked what you saw"
"I have no idea what you're implying" Hermione replied turning round so her back was facing Ginny
Ginny couldn't help but smirk, as she turned, closing her eyes so she can get some sleep. Meanwhile, Hermione was blushing as she tried to fall asleep too. She wouldn't admit it, but Ginny was right. She wasn't sure why, but there was something about their 'bad boy' look she liked. Hopefully this was just a phase and it will pass soon.
…
Back inside his room, Aiden was tossing back and forth in his bed, as he had another dream:
He was stood in front of a small set of stairs, that seemed to lead up to a stage. He had a guitar around his shoulders and was dressed in the same clothes he was wearing in his first dream. Aiden grew more and more nervous, as the sound of screaming fans filled the air, wanting the band to come out and play. After a few moments, Lightning, Ace, Hound and Ghost appeared. Hound and Ghost gave him a smile, as they passed him, making their way onto the stage. Meanwhile Lightning and Ace stayed back for a second.
"Nervous brother?" Lightning asked
"A little" Aiden nodded, a little nervous
"It's your first gig, it's understandable" Lightning said, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder "And, as it's your first gig, remember to stay out here until we introduce you to the crowd, go it?"
Aiden nodded, to which Lightning smiled and made his way onto the stage. Ace, meanwhile, wrapped an arm around his shoulders, to give him a few reassuring words of his own.
"He's right you know" He said "It's understandable to be nervous…all of us were at our first gig…and that was in a small bar with a small amount of people…but you can do this…you've gotten good at the guitar and I think you'll be a great addition to the band"
Ace held out a fist and grinned, when Aiden bumped his own against it. Patting his shoulder, Ace made his way onto stage. As the crowd took a moment to quieten down, Aiden took a few moments, to steady his heartrate.
"Hello, you beautiful fucking people, how are you all?" Lightnings voice rang out, causing the crowd to cheer "Now, we have a surprise for you all tonight…tonight, we're introducing a brand new addition to our family, a new member of the band, who's my own brother of all people…I hope you give him the same amount of love and respect you've given us over the last few years…now, he is understandably nervous, so please give a round of applause for our newest member…PHOENIX!"
The crowd went wild, with many calling out his newly given name. Aiden closed his eyes and took a small breath, before walking up the stairs, towards the stage, being enveloped in a bright light.
It was that moment, where Aiden woke up. He placed his head in his hands, as he took a breath. This was his second dream that involved him being part of the Outcasts. Aiden was starting to wonder if they were dreams, or perhaps visions. They just seemed to real to be a dream. Once more, the thought made him happy. Being a part of his brothers band. Maybe he should ask Harry if they will teach him to play guitar. Even still, if this was just a dream, then perhaps he could make it happen.
…
And done. How was this chapter.
Reading through it, I definitely feel like I lost the plot during the middle. It just feels rushed and all over the place. No matter how many times I rewrote the whole middle portion, I just couldn't get it right, so I'm glad I moved on when I did. But hey, the end of this chapter does set up two things: The pairings in this story, which is Lightning x Hermione and Ace x Ginny and Aiden becoming a member of the Outcast band, with the stage name Phoenix. The name made sense considering his appearance and tattoos mentioned in whichever chapter it was, where he had his first dream.
Because I feel like I lost the plot on this chapter, I will take a short break before I write the next chapter for this story. Organise my thoughts, get some rest and work on other works, to boost my creativity.
Still, I hope you somewhat enjoyed and I will see you next time.
Badger Out