Catcher
A/N: Hey again, thanks for all the reviews.
As I am adding a new type of speech I better clarify things a bit.
"Speech" is normal English or Common.
'Speech' is communication in the mind. More specifically between Harry and Matt across their link.
"Speech" is still communication in the mind but the subtle difference will be for telepathy.
New; "Speech" is Leprano language, so the language of cats.
Soon; "Speech" is for Elvish, a bit self explanatory really, I don't know how to speak Elvish like some seem to be able to do in some stories so I will have to make do with that. I didn't use it in the earlier chapter as the Elves have never been in the same place as humans so the clash didn't matter then.
Thanks; Any questions about anything? Feel free to leave questions in the review and if I think it can be answered I will endeavour to answer it in email or in an A/N so keep an eye out.
Chapter 19; Blown Cover
Paris
This had gotten way too far out of hand as far as Harry was concerned. He didn't blame the Elves or Matt for that fact. Whilst the Elves would never normally go against his order, they would if they thought that his life was in danger, so seeing the threats from the Order they were ready for the order that came from Matt. And as Matt was their senior, being a lord, they followed instantly, unfortunately with their normally horrendously accurate shots.
Matt on the other hand knew that these people were good, but it touched Harry that he was being so protective of him. He knew what these people had said about Harry and wouldn't stand for it. In Kristoshia the punishment for insulting a member of the Solem's or their closest friends was a capital punishment.
But even so, Harry couldn't let this worlds only defence against Voldermort be halved in one attack, especially as that would put Harry as a definite evil and alienate his crew.
He didn't know if Matt had been recognised but didn't think so. He would have to save the prats.
In the very short time that it took the arrows to fly Harry changed into his alternate form and as his front paws hit the ground sent out a massive shock of heat that incinerated the arrows not half a foot from their targets. The Elves weren't daft enough to fire again, but they did reload before the Order of the Phoenix members had had time to recover from the attack or from the blast of heat.
A few members closest to the fiery form that was Harry struggled to douse the flames licking up from the edges of their robes where Harry had not controlled the blast carefully enough in his haste.
"What the hell is Solem's cat doing here?" Shouted an enraged Alastor Moody. "The cat's Potter!"
Before anyone could think of anything else the order felt themselves being slammed backwards by a wall of magic as their magically cores forced apparition onto them. They came back to reality to the horrid feeling of forced apparition that many had never even known could be done, to the stunned faces of the Hogwarts students.
"Return to the ship!" Harry ordered the Elves, "Return the ship to Hogwarts Lake. Matt, we better get back to Hogwarts, you'll have to tell them that I disappeared after we left with Snape and that you had left for Hogwarts after you dropped Snape off at Atlantis. I will join the Leprano in the forest and as soon as you can, bring Albus and whoever he trusts to see me."
Hogwarts
Ten minutes later Matt strolled, supposedly obliviously, into the Great Hall of Hogwarts.
"Ah, Professor Solem, The Headmaster wishes to see you, I believe he is in his office with the Order members."
"Thank you Minerva."
Two minutes of walking led Matt to the office but he was faced with the Gargoyle, not having been in the school long enough to know the password he was at a loss.
'Harry? I don't feel like playing with this excuse for a guard dog!' he grinded out across the link, still not in a good mood after the Order's treatment of Harry. The prospect of walking into a room with them wasn't helping to calm him down.
Harry laughed back. 'Use your staff, imagine it being forced aside. I am sure my magic can shift it, if that don't work just blow it apart. I am sure that will shut Albus up. It's one of his little games.'
Matt reached over his head to the staff that was hidden on his back with enough enchantments on it to make it invisible unless in Matt or Harry hands and also impossible to be touched by anyone other than those two without their permission.
He held it out to the Gargoyle, lightly touching the tip to the chest of the stone statue. It actually blinked slightly at the contact. Matt smirked. If it was sentient that made it all the easier. He used Harry's magic to flare out his own Aura as well as pushing magic through the Staff forcing the beast to step aside. It actually took surprising little effort but more magic than was possible for anyone of weaker powers. The ancient stone statue snapped to the side, obviously sensing that it could get worse than this.
Matt walked past and as an afterthought sent a small reminder to make it close behind him. He sheathed the staff back into its holder. And walked into the office, not bothering to knock.
The room had been magically enlarged to allow the full order to fit inside. There was a lot of talking going on, most probably arguments involving Harry. Matt caught the words 'Arrogant' and 'Powerful' as well as 'Dangerous' and even an 'Evil' before the inevitable silence occurred at his entrance.
Albus was uncharacteristically surprised at the Professors entrance, obviously the Gargoyle had, in its fright, forgotten to warn the Headmaster of letting the man past. That and in fact the power wave had temporarily scrambled the warning spells set up on the staircase.
"Good Evening Professor, I am glad you could join us at such late notice. How did you gain entrance?" Albus was obviously intrigued by this.
"I am the Defence Teacher am I not? Shouldn't it be obvious that I can get past a simple pass-worded guard?" He ignored Harry silent laughter, the lie had gotten him off the hook with the members but probably not the Headmaster, it would have taken much more than one defence teacher to get past that statue. "Why have you called me here? I have only just returned, the journey back isn't entirely without effort." Matt was royalty for a reason.
"There has been an attack on Paris," the Headmaster filled the defence teacher in on most of the details but left out a few more important things not realising that Matt already knew them through Harry. "What I want to know is why Mr. Potter turned into your familiar."
"It sounds like he was saving your life, and to think that you are trying to kill him." He sounded as nonchalant as you could actually get. Thoroughly enjoying the scene after these men had threatened his best friend. "My Familiar makes his own choice, he can come and go as he pleases. He left my side shortly before I left to return here."
"Do you know where he is now? He must be caught and brought to justice." Moody stepped in.
Matt decided to be annoying for a little longer. "Who? Mr. Potter or my familiar?"
Moody bristled in anger. "Tell me where he is or I will arrest you for aiding Potter."
"You assume I know him, and that my familiar is he?"
Moody had obvious lost his temper as a curse flew at Matt unexpectedly, most of the room turned to see the effect but was only given the sight of a shield bouncing the spell away to the ceiling.
'Thanks Harry!' without the staff in his hand or time to channel the power without touching it Matt couldn't have stopped the curse. Harry was obvious listening wholeheartedly to the situation.
"I would prefer it if you could keep this civil gentlemen." Said the Headmaster.
Matt had gotten bored of this argument by now and decided that it was time to end it, he used his own telepathic abilities to find the headmasters mind. Though shielded he managed to get the mans attention and in the shifting around as people found sits again he silently asked for the headmaster to lower his barriers briefly. After they dropped hesitantly he asked the headmaster that if he wanted more information to meet him at the entrance hall at midnight along with only those he truly trusted and he would show him what he knew.
The headmaster quickly agreed and Matt was rewarded with a slight nod.
The meeting quickly ended after that. With Matt remaining oblivious to their attempts to connect his familiar with Harry. Harry laughed for most of the time before leaving just as the meeting ended to set up his own meeting for later that night.
The Forbidden Forest
Matt led the party of Albus Dumbledore's most trusted Order of the Phoenix members down the well worn path of the Forbidden forest.
The party consisted of Matt and Albus Dumbledore followed closely by Arthur Weasley, Minerva McGonagle, Alastor Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt and finally Nymphadora Tonks for once surprisingly less than clumsy.
It was more than ten minutes before sound off to the side of the path stopped the more sensitive and trained amongst them. The path had opened up into a clearing so that the path was now twice as wide as it was before, but as the path had been only three feet across before it still wasn't that wide and the Party was still walking single file.
Six wands were instantly in their owners hands as the Order members turned to the emerging shape. Matt himself turned a bit more leisurely, being able to sense Harry nearby, even if this wasn't an ally he was safe with Harry around.
Out of the shadows prowled a black leopard with a wide black wingspan curled tight to its back. A Leprano that Matt recognised out of the five that had come through with them as Harry's mentor in all things Leprano, Arturo.
"Potter!" Both Moody and Shacklebolt reacted in the same way, mistaking this feline as the one that had spent time in the castle. Both threw curses, the stunning charms just flew off into the trees as the form dodged both beams of light.
"Actually, he isn't Harry Potter!" Harry appeared behind them but Matt wasn't fooled and neither was Albus as neither reacted. The other five however shot stunners at the figure which on impact disappeared in a glimmer of light. An illusion.
"I am!" They all spun around again to see Harry Potter standing with his hand petting Arturo's head. Something that whilst, as felines, they liked did not allow many to do. Another round of shouted "Stupify"s was yelled into the night and then silence as nothing came from the six wands. This time the Headmaster had also shot a curse.
The looked at Harry Potter who had six small balls of red light flying around his raised hand.
"Come now, we didn't come to fight," spoke Matt, as he spoke another four Leprano walked from the woods as the tension rose. Each of the Members of the Order now stood face to face with a single Lepra apart from the Headmaster. Two of the four sat on the ground on their hunches like Arturo. One was in black panther form like Arturo and the other was in full shifted form. Flames lighting up the darkness of the woods. The other two, again one black and one fully shifted lay fully on the ground, with their tails swishing across the ground and their heads raised off the ground in a pose not unlike the Sphinx in Egypt.
"Your are on this murderers side?!" Asked Arthur Weasley.
"I knew there was something traitorous about you from the office earlier!" Shacklebolt also spat at Matt.
"Enough!" spat Harry not liking his friend being insulted any more then Matt liked to see Harry threatened. "If you are so unreasonable to attack someone that has posed you no threat than maybe you are beyond our help!"
"Yield Potter!" Shouted Moody. All six raised their wands again. In response the five Leprano snapped up to their feet and those not in full shift, instantly shifted to join their others in flaring their forms. The bright light forced the Order members to bring up their other hands to briefly shield their eyes from the sudden light.
"Stand down, my friends!" Harry shouted over the sudden roaring of flames and the crackle of lightning. He turned to the Order members. "Unfortunately it would not be wise for me to yield to you and end up in the Ministry, or dead. The trouble that would cause is unthinkable."
"You do not have a choice!" Shacklebolt answered.
Harry just shook his head and muttered, "So be it." He glanced at his hand and the still spinning six red balls turned translucent and then went clear, though still obviously there if looked at carefully by a distortion of light through them. Harry looked up sharply and before the Order members could react the clear orbs shot from Harry, their paths barely discernable as the moved through the few foot space at twice their normal speed. The only ones who reacted fast enough were the headmaster and Tonks who happened not only to be able to have slightly longer by the added distance of being on the end of the line but also knew a shield not needing a spoken incantation that would then be too slow. Unfortunately the spell relied on the user knowing exactly which spell had been used to power it and both thinking, justifiably, that it was their own stupefy's were taken by surprise when their shield had no effect and the disarming spell hit them alone with their four comrades.
Unknown to anyone of them, Harry had used his Catcher abilities to change the magic into the expelliarmus curse and also to change the spell light to clear to confuse his opponents. Harry simply waved his hand and the six flying wands flew to him. He pocketed them carefully. Wandlessly applying a sealing spell on his pocket to stop any of the members from stealing one back.
Now at the mercy of their believed betrayer and the five angered fiery forms, and now also their Defence Teacher who moved to stand next to his friend they were forced to listen.
Harry explained very little, saying basically that he had been gone in order to train his magic and to be able to help. That he had seen this impostor also and explain that it was a creature called a 'Danus' and that he had returned with the Elves and the Leprano as well as other wizards to aid in Voldermort's and this Danus' defeat. He also added for good measure that it had been him to find the traitor that was Snape and also that as his alternate form was a pure light, magically creature, he could not be evil.
"Now that I have talked it is time we find out about you." They all looked resolute not to say anything to that proposition.
"It wasn't a request." Matt couldn't help but laugh slightly. The six found themselves unable to move as a spell weaved its way around their feet and without their wands they had no way to tackle this now uncertain evil. Harry stepped up to his old Headmaster and a few feet in front of him shifted into his alternate form. He was in fact slightly larger then the other Leprano and soon had the headmaster's light blue eyes locked with his feline form's bright white eyes. His eyes flashed golden for a split second and the Headmaster reeled slightly as his mental barriers fell down instantly, he could even start to bring them up again. Harry's Leprano mind filled into the gaps in his old headmasters, seeking answers and showing one or two memories that would prove his innocence.
Taking the Lord Catcher's example the other five Lepra's stepped forward and sat just in front of their shaking opposites. Still slightly angered by these five humans violence towards their Lord they slammed into their victims minds with little or no warning or reverence. Soon seeking what they wished.
It took little more than ten minutes to accurately check their minds. Harry was the last finished as he had also to add his own memories to prove himself and also as Albus was older he had more life history to search for. Harry took great interest in learning and also absorbing the more unique spells that the man had used before in battles that Harry had not heard of.
When finished, Harry prowled back into the centre next to his mentor, Arturo and re-took his human form. He glanced around at the 'victims' and smirked at their collapsed figures in the dirt. He could feel all of them trying to rebuild their own mental barriers as fast as possible.
He petted Arturo softly and scratched his crown absently, his hand sinking into the felines flames unaffected. "What do you have for me Arturo?" his voice came out as a mixture of low purrs and growls but he linked his mind to Matt's so that his best friend could understand what was said.
"Alastor Moody is loyal to the Light and has often gone against the leader to stay loyal to it. He can be trusted, but he is paranoid. He shouldn't be a problem."
"Thank you friend."
"How about you Melica?" he turned to his right to speak to the farthest female Lepra.
"Arthur Weasley is also loyal to the light, he will fight any odds to defend his family. He is not however a strong fighter but knows of working of this worlds legal and governmental system." She paused, "There is worry for his youngest son, this man found magic books on evil subjects in his son, Ronald's bedroom, he believes it a consequence of his son being attacked in the Ministry last year. He thinks his son may turn to the Evil forces for revenge against you, but has not worded this to anyone."
"Thank you, Melica, I will have to try to scan Ron's mind and see for myself." He knew perfectly well that Ron wanted revenge on Harry for leaving, for leading him to getting hurt in the ministry and for 'killing' Hermione's parents. "And you, Vellion?"
The youngest male with them responded in his usual chirpy, hyper voice, "She's just like our old teachers. Minerva McGonagle is boring. She has served the light for many years and is loyal, but I think probably just because she thinks that turning evil would break too many school rules. Sounds like your friend Hermione Granger." He snickered, a glanced into Harry's eyes also glinting. Harry and 'Vell' had become friends whilst Harry had been learning from Arturo and he was Harry's own age. Just sixteen and a half. "Interesting enough though, she believes you completely, she's a weak Empath. You wouldn't think it though."
"That is interesting, Thanks mate!" Harry pondered before turning to his right and to the two elders that had joined them. "Anything of interest Gaia?"
The male Elder looked extremely downcast. "It seems that young Lord Solem's enemies are now you own enemies. This man is not who he seems. I am afraid that Kingsley Shacklebolt is dead. This man is a spy from the dark forces of Kristoshia. It seems you now have three enemies on this world my Lord and friend."
Harry was shocked, he didn't think that the darkness from Kristoshia would spread so fast. Matt was turning very pale and sat leant on a tree. Melica moved to comfort him and snuggle up to his side, he flames just warm enough to give heat as she allowed Matt to stroke her side.
"What do you suggest, Elder Gaia?" Harry asked.
"I will leave this spy to you, I would suggest that he dies. I suggest we start to move more forces in. This mans mind showed me a build up of their forces in the rainforests of South America. We cannot waste time." His answer was sure and to the point.
"You are right as usual. He shall die, after I myself have searched his mind for their forces information. And I will allow the Phoenix's their chance at interrogation. You my friend, I ask a favour. Return to the Elven world and my City and inform them of this news and give them my request that they begin moving their forces to this world and ask this of the other Elders too."
"I will do as you ask willingly my friend. And I assure you we will have the armies moving as soon as possible. You will get your assistance."
"Thank you friend. Good travels."
The four remaining Leprano looked on in resignation. Things were happening so fast. Matt still sat in a slump. He had never gotten over the loss of his world. He would always have the awful memories of those years were many good people were slaughtered for no reason and he had watched his friends and family die around him. Harry knew he would have to help his friend but had other things to deal with first.
Fuelled by anger at what this one spy meant. He spun to face the man he now knew was not Shacklebolt. Silence fell over the struggling six as they looked into Harry's gleaming white eyes. Fury built around him and the night air cooled dramatically as the wind picked up. Leaves swirled as Harry raised his hand and threw it at the man. The elemental shove through the man backwards against the tree and the man was fixed against the wood ramrod straight. Surprise etched onto his face.
"You dare show yourselves here! You have one world, is that not enough. Flames licked at Harry as he slipped slightly into his alternate form. You might have one that world but this one is not for you taking!" Harry yelled over the wind. The remaining five realising their legs were free scrambled backwards away from the advancing Harry. "Who are you and what is your purpose here!"
The man spat out about half a minutes worth of a Kristoshian dialect that Harry didn't know but by Matt's response it wasn't pleasant.
Harry lashed out with his magic and the man tried fruitlessly to curl up in pain.
"Your kind will never belong here and I will see to that!" The man lost consciousness after Harry lashed out again.
It was Albus that managed to get his wits about him first, "Harry what have you done to Kingsley?" he sounded horrified.
"I have done nothing to Shacklebolt. This is a spy from another world. A murderer for a Darkness far worse than our own. Kingsley Shacklebolt is dead."
The silence at this announcement was only broken when the last Leprano spoke up. Harry visibly deflated as he turned to address the Elder he thought of as a surrogate Mother.
"Yes, what do you have, Elder Rosen?"
"I am afraid it is another shocking bit of news. Whilst she is in fact Nymphadora Tonks and one that rushed forwards when she saw you in Paris, she is still a spy." Harry darkened eyes turned to look at Tonks. She looked trapped and look pleadingly at Harry and then slightly at the other four member of the Order. Harry opened his Crysti senses. "She does not seem evil and does not carry the brand of a known evil. Who then is she a spy for Rosen?"
The older feline looked at Harry and then at Tonks. "She is a warrior bonded to a light creature. She is a member of the Order of the Zalot."
A/N: Bet you weren't expecting that one were you! Tell me what you think of my decisions on an Evil Ron, a dead Kingsley Shacklebolt and most importantly Tonks as a spy!