Hi guys, I'm glad to see that more people are getting into the story. I would like to explain a method of my writing, I tend to do chapters focused on one group or single characters. So if you see a Lucas, or Harry, or Weasley centric chapter that's just the way I do it. Someone brought up a question that I am going to address so that no one lingers on it anymore, What are Alchemists in this story? WAIT AND SEE! Muahahahh-ack! cough wheeze
Disclaimer - I do not own the Potter that is Harry!
-Chapter 5: Catching Up-
Sweat was starting to bead up on his forehead as he counted the number of enemies still standing, 'one, two, three...eight total, I can do this,' thought the green eyed man as he stepped into his fighting stance. The first target charged in directly, his weapon prepped to strike downward. Harry easily avoided the blow and severed his enemies head. He pivoted on his heel when he sensed two more attacks coming, with no movement or sound what-so-ever, he vanished and reappeared behind the warriors. A flick of his wrist produced his wand in his left hand and he sent their bodies into several pieces with a quick, "Reducto." A white hot pain shot through his left wrist, causing him to drop his wand, a fourth attacker han landed a heavy strike while he was dealing with the previous two. He managed to parry the second blow and dispatch the bastard with a quick thrust to the heart. Breathing was getting harder and there was no doubt his left wrist was broken, if not shattered, he winced at the thought of having to suck down Skele-grow. As the final four began their assault, he held up his hand, "Stop." All four practice dummies halted immediately and went limp, "Only four, I can't seem to concentrate." He vanished his rapier and lifted his wand from the floor.
"Dobby's going to go bat-shit-crazy when he sees that you broke your wrist again," came Lucas' voice from the doorway, "Trying to beat your personal record?" He stepped up to a dummy and checked the magic numbers on it's control panel, "It's on level ten, what's wrong with you?" his eyes going to Harry's heaving form, "you shouldn't even be trying till number five and six."
"The commander can do eight on level ten," he replied with a slight bit of irritation in his voice, "You can do five on level ten, and normally I can do six. I just can't concentrate!"
The alchemist looked at him like he had grown another head, "The commander can down seven on level ten? Did she tell you that?" His partner nodded in response, "good lord you know she blows things out of proportion! Next thing you know she'll have you chasing down those Crumpled Horn Snork-a-thingies." Lucas picked up one of the arms Harry had blown off a dummy, "Got a little carried away huh? Takes a lot to dismember these things."
"Are you here for a reason?" grunted the green eyed man as he draped his workout towel over his bare shoulder, "or are you just going to analyze everything I do all day?"
Lucas shrugged, "I just came to work out, I'm usually up way before you," he gave his partner a sideways glance, "something bothering you? Nightmares again?" His eyes narrowed when he recieved no response, "a certian someone we had no buisness saving?"
Harry froze at the door to the enormous gym, "So should I ignore her?" a heavy sigh was all he recieved in response
'Something's going to have to be done about this,' thought the alchemist as he stepped up to the punching bag and began his routine, 'and soon, before he gets me killed.'
Harry threw open his huge double doors, "Meddling bastard," he mumbled and thew his towel against the wall. Forgetting his wrist he jerked his top drawer open and let out a howl of pain.
There was a small pop to his right then a blur of green, "Oh Harry Potter is hurt again!" cried Dobby in horror, "I is always telling him that he is working too hard, but he is never listening." Two large bottles appeared beside the little elf as he began to tend to his master, "Dobby is only trying to take care of Harry Potter."
"Dobby, really I'm fi-" he was quickly levetated to his bed before he could finish, "honestly Dobby!"
"I is not hearing of it," retorted the elf as he handed Harry a glass of skele-grow, "if you is not listening to Dobby, then Dobby is not listening to Harry Potter." He crossed his arms as Harry eyed the clear liquid, "It's not going to be drinking itself, Harry Potter."
With a sigh of resignation he downed the horrible liquid, "Oh god, that's horrid." He gave a glance around his room, then he realized that he had seen no signs of life in the house besides Lucas, "Dobby is everyone still asleep?"
Thankfully Dobby had brightened exponentially after taking care of his master, "Oh no," he replied with a shake of the head, "Mr. and Ms. Weazie is in the kitchen. Bill Weazie is pacing in his room while Fluer Weazie is watching him. Fred and George Weazie is unconcious, they is trying to break a window last night, Harry Potter's house is not liking that. Ginny Weazie is tied to her bed, she is trying to sneak around the house and Winky is catching her. The other Weazies is downstairs in the kitchen as well, with Mr. and Ms. Granger." He gave a large grin, "Harry Potter's 'Mione is still sleeping quietly, she is up very late last night."
"Doing what?" questioned Harry
Dobby began to wring out his hands, "She is asking Harry Potter all kinds of questions, but Harry Potter is not there, it is a bit odd. Like why he is not coming to see them or to write them. She is asking Harry Potter lots of things, Dobby is not remembering them all." He gave a small bow, "Dobby is needing to go fix breakfast now, Harry Potter is to rest."
'I suppose I should go release Ginny and wake Fred and George,' He thought. With a slight awkwardness he ambled out of his large bed and stepped into the shower, then with even more difficulty he managed into a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. As he closed the doors to his room and started down the hallway he bumped into Lucas, "'lo Lucas."
Lucas gave a nod, "Going to wake up the twins?"
"Yea, and Ginny's gotten herself tied to the bed by Winky for trying to be a sneak," he replied
A mischevious grin crossed the Alchemist's face, "I think I'll wake the lovely Ginerva Weasley." Without another word he ran to the redheaded woman's door and burst it open. He gave her an appraising look from head to toe, causing Ginny to squirm uncomfortably, "I don't think rope suits you at all."
"Oh? I was getting quite fond of them, could you leave me for a bit?" she replied with a slight glare, "are you going to let me up or just stand there gawking?" She watched as he stepped up to the bed and began examining the ropes, but the angle caused it too look like he was eyeing her 'assets'. "See something you like?" she growled, remembering his comment from the night before, "because you sure are taking a good look! AND DO YOU EVER WEAR A SHIRT?"
"Acutally," he replied and reached into his workout pants pocket, retrieving his white gloves, "I was trying to figure out how to counter this blasted binding charm without turning you into pudding. As for the shirt thing, I just finished my morning training and was about to take a shower."
She blushed, "Oh, should we just call Winky?"
Lucas waved her question off, "Nah, I've got it, it's not as complex as some of the crap they can cast," he clapped his hands together and pressed them to the thick ropes, "don't move." In a flash of light the bindings turned into a woven blanket, "Voila!" he exclaimed with a grin, "Now why were you walking around our house in the middle of the night? You don't strike me as the kill you in your sleep type." She mumbled something as she bowed her head, flaming red hair shadowing her face, "Huh?" he questioned.
"I said I had to go to the loo!" she exclaimed with a glare, "I was just going in when Winky appeared and zapped me, I woke up in my bed, tied down. Now if you DON'T mind I would like to make it to the bathroom before I pee on myself."
This time Lucas turned red, "Oh I'm sorry, go ahead." He scratched the back of his head and made for the shower in his bathroom, 'Now to figure out what to do about this whole Harry situation,' he chuckled at his horrible pun as he tossed his gloves on the marble countertop and began to disrobe.
To say that breakfast was slightly subdued would be an understatement, even Ron was barely touching his food, "We're going to be splitting up," stated Harry as he took a bite of bacon, "Lucas will take the Grangers to their home to gather some clothing, I will accompany the Weasleys."
"Harry I need to see you..." stated the alchemist paused, "alone." When both men were in the hall he rounded on his partner, "What the hell are you doing?" he hissed, "we should drop them off and be done with it!"
"and leave them to the enemy?" replied Harry with a matching amount of disdain, "it's our fault they're in this mess!"
Lucas pushed his shoulder, "Bullshit! it's YOUR fault!"
"You would've just let her die!" he retorted with his own push, "letting her die would make us as bad as the enemy!"
"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?" shouted the alchemist, "It's like you're green all over again!" The look in Harry's eyes made him frown in confusion, five years and he'd never seen that look before. Pure unbridled defiance, he let out a loud sigh and glared at him,"You're aware that even though you outrank me I am well within my rights to remove you from leading this mission? You're operating miles outside the mission parameters."
Harry nodded, "I know that."
"And if I tried to pull this mission back under control you would fight me wouldn't you?" he questioned as he ran his hand through his hair
"You mean if you tried to abandon the Grangers?" quesioned the green eyed man, Lucas nodded, "yes, without a second thought."
The stare down was heating up, "Fine," grunted the flame alchemist, "you take full responsibility and it WILL be noted that I've protested this since the start of the mission."
"Understood," he replied not backing down
Lucas grinned in spite of the situation, "You think with your heart too much."
"And you act like you don't have one," retorted Harry in all seriousness, "could you really stand yourself, knowing that you left three good people to be killed by the enemy?"
"We should go, I'll take the Grangers," stated Lucas, ignoring the question, "can you handle all of the Weasleys?"
A frown came across Harry's features, "Why won't you answer the question?"
The alchemist rounded on him and gripped his shirt as his eyes flashed dangerously
-Flashback-
"But...but.." stammered a young man of twelve, tears in his eyes, "YOU CAN'T!"
"It's for the safety of the world," was the weak reply
"What about me?" questioned the child, "what's going to happen to me?"
The ancient man smiled gently and placed a hand on the boys head, "You will become the greatest Alchemist the world has ever seen."
"I'll never be as good as you," he replied quietly as his hand held the elderly man's own, "I hate all of them, they're the reason you've had to do this."
"You are more than I could have ever become, Lucas. So don't hate them, protect them, promise me," the voice was strained and desperate
The boy nodded, "I promise." He felt the hand lose all it's strength, "Master?" he questioned, "Master?" again no response, "DAD DON'T GO! PLEASE!"
-End Flashback-
"Good people are sacrificed all the time," he growled, a long dormant resentment boiling up in the back of his mind, "for the safety of the world." He turned and stormed into the kitchen, and sat down to his slightly cool breakfast, "We'll be leaving in an hour, be ready to go."
Meanwhile Harry was still leaning against the wall, 'In the back of his mind,' he thought, 'he still detests us.'
End Chapter 5
Read and Review - a bit more into the character of Lucas and Harry, I felt Lucas was about to fall into that "All Knowing," Mary Sue catagory. Also to show that Hermione isn't as over Harry as she is convincing herself she is. Finally some harmless flirting between Lucas/Ginny, still in the air though, I do have more characters to introduce in this story. All cannon though, no more OC's. Action will be picking back up in the next few chapters as will the drama.
Preview Chapter 6: Secrets
