Chapter 8

Info: I don't know if you had already noticed, but I like going back and forth to different times in my stories, so at times it might be a bit confusing, sorry.

(Female speaking)-Snake - Demeter
(Younger Male Speaking)-Dragon - Dionysus
(Older Male Speaking)-Phoenix - Ares

Four days after the dream-

Green eyes stared back at three pairs of identical amber eyes. No one said a thing, no one made a move, and all was quiet. The silence was almost deafening, but no one was willing to be the first to make any noise of sorts. Harry continued to stare at the three creatures, the three creatures sent to drive him nuts and make his life a living hell. The silence was closing in on him, and he couldn't take it any longer.

"What do you want?" The three creatures flinched, startled. They weren't expecting Harry to yell at them. Of course, neither was Harry. When they had settled again on top of the coffee table, glaring at him and without words or thoughts, they told him what they needed. It was…disturbing. He could feel their every feeling. Groaning, Harry went toward the kitchen and assembled a bowl of fruit and brought it back to the small group. He watched them devour the food placed in front of them. Harry had never seen a snake swallow a piece of fruit but he could honestly say that it was quite…odd. When they had their fill of the fruit, they curled into a small, strange pile and fell asleep.

When it seemed as if they were all sound asleep, Harry walked out of the room and into the back yard where Petunia's garden was. Choosing the tree as the perfect spot, Harry walked over to lay under it. The grass was moist and cool, and it poked him in his back and dampened his clothes, which were still the same cloths that he wore in the dream--thing. Harry stared through the branches of the tree; with the sunlight playing through the leaves of the tree it was an almost hypnotic sight. The light filtered in and out of the branches and leaves as a passing breeze moved them slightly to and fro. Harry didn't know if he fell asleep or not, it was as if he was in a simultaneous state of awareness and sleep. His thoughts drifted to Demeter, Dionysus, and Ares.

They irritated the hell out of him, since after the 'dream' he had; they had been hovering over him and watching him. It was most disturbing, especially with their latest tactics of protecting him.

It had started to really get on his nerves, and two hours ago, he lost his cool.

"GET OUT!" Harry pointed towards the door of the loo, "WILL YOU GET THE BLOODY HELL OUT!"

Harry felt their answer; they still weren't able to mind speak with him, and he couldn't wait until they did. Feeling their answers and other emotions was just plain creepy. This time, their answer was less than pleasing. They didn't want to leave him. They were supposed to be guarding him, and guard him they would.

"GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT! I CAN VERY WELL USE THE BLOODY LOO WITHOUT YOU WATCHING! OUT!"

The three creatures flew out of the bathroom, the snake draped over the shoulders of the dragon, and the door slammed shut behind them of its own accord. Apparently, they could do small bits of magic undetected by the ministry. Growling, Harry thought of ways to get rid of his supposed guardians.

They annoyed Harry to no end, and he had ventured outside and settled under the tree to escape their company.

Harry didn't know how long he had been there, lying and just staring at the sky through the trees leaves. He was completely unaware of his surroundings. He didn't even notice when Demeter, Dionysus, and Ares came out from the house. Dionysus and Ares were sitting on one of the branches of the tree, and on the other side of the tree was Demeter. They all had their heads faced towards the setting sun, and all were in their human form.

Over three miles away, in the middle of a cavern set deep into the earth sat a large, silver bowl engraved with writings, drawings covering its rim. The water inside of it shimmered as the images of Harry and his guardians faded and disappeared, leaving behind nothing but the still, clear blue liquid. The persons that surrounded the bowl were dressed in robes that were so white they seemed to glow in the darkness of the cavern. The hoods were left up and covered their faces so that their appearances remained hidden. Their plans required secrets, and many of those secrets were kept even from the other group members.Each of them departed the room using a different a technique. The first, a woman, lifted her hands; the room cooled slowly, and her body became transparent, her profile a soft, smoky white. After a few moments, she became one with the wind, and she disappeared from the chambers in a final wisp of white air.

Another woman stepped away from the group; she held her hands in front of her, too, and her soft white skin slowly turned to a murky brown. She began to literally crumble, the room became humid as vines from the earth pulled her into its embrace, and soon all that was left of her was a scatter of dirt where she once stood.

Next, a man walked toward the darkest parts of the cavern. With each step his image grew darker, his robes changing with him, until he had reached the shadows. By this time, his person was darker than night. He looked like the muggle equivalent of death, with billowing black robes and a body that was just as black. When he took the final step into the darkest shadows, he became them and then vanished.

The last man stepped into the tiny ray of sunlight that managed to creep into the cavern. His transformation was the most spectacular. He and his robes seemed to soak up the sunlight until he was glowing as bright as the sun. He held his arms out to his side and tilted his head up, smiling, the light radiating off of him and filling the cavern. Still, his skin seemed to drink in the light, growing brighter. Suddenly, with a single blinding flash, he was gone.

The four arrived in a muggle home only five away from Harry's, each arriving in the same fashion they had left. Once the last of the group had arrived, they went to prepare for the coming of their new charge.