"You seem in a good mood," Leon said as he and Harry walked along the corridor. They were heading to one of the classrooms that Slughorn had arranged for students to use to discuss their Potions Projects; Tracey had sent him a text that she had a few ideas that might help with their latest assignment and Harry wanted to see what she'd come up with. "Should I get the cup to test your urine for drugs?"

"I'm not on drugs," Harry said dryly.

"Are you sure? Luna could have slipped you some."

Harry though merely scoffed. "Luna would never allow anyone to take drugs. She says that they screw up the emotional response too much. Make people's feelings 'taste like spoiled mustard', quote unquote."

Leon shuddered at that. "Okay, fair enough, she would know." He shrugged… or the equivalent of a shrug that a 4 legged pokemon could give. "Just odd then that you see in such a good mood."

"You make it sound like-" Harry stopped.

"What?"

"I just realized no matter what I say you will find some way to turn it into an insult so it is better if I just keep my trap shut."

"Which only proves my point!" Leon said in victory.

"Fine fine," his trainer finally admitted. "I'm in a rare good mood. Sue me."

"I don't want to sue you I want to celebrate!" Leon began to actually prance around Harry's legs as he continued down the hall, getting odd looks from the occasional student they passed. "I mean, do you realize how great it is to see you doing something OTHER than moping."

That made Harry wince. "Listen… I know you and the gang and everyone are worried about me. And I am trying harder to look on the… well, I can't call it the brighter side of things because honestly that feels like it would be impossible for me. Let's say the less bitter side of things."

"Dr. Linda helping?" Leon asked; she had insisted that Harry not bring his Pokemon in for their sessions as they were supposed to be private. Even from them.

"There might be times where you need to discuss them," Dr. Linda had told him. "I know it is hard to believe but Pokemon can cause just as many frustrations and problems as humans can. I've known of trainers that become jealous of their Pokemon being able to compete in single competitions far better than when given commands. Or angry because their Pokemon aren't developing as quickly as they should. I wrote an entire scholarly paper once about how even one of the best trainers out there today had issues early on with his Charizard refusing to obey him…" The psychiatrist had smiled at that in amusement before continuing. "Pokemon are wonderful creatures that give us happiness… but they can also cause us stress and pain-"

She hadn't gotten to finish as in that moment a tall man with black hair dressed in a suit Harry was pretty sure cost more than Remus' house burst in.

"Ah, hello Doctor. I'm afraid you and whatever bloated dough ball with self esteem issues will need to cut things short-" the intruder had paused when he spotted Harry, smirking slightly. "Never mind I see you are trying something a bit younger. Good for you, sometimes it is fun to get veal rather than a well aged steak. Sadly though I need to speak with you."

"Giratina, I'm in the middle of things," Dr. Linda had said, causing Harry's brow to furrow at that.

"This one? Oh, I'm sure it isn't that big of a deal!"

"A deranged Spiritomb who already killed my parents, chopped off my hand, and forced me to kill several of my professors against my will wants to eat my soul and wear my skin like a dive suit," Harry had told the intruder bluntly.

The dark haired man had blinked at that. "…yes but I'm having problems with Dialga! And then there is the detective… oh and Maze figured out that people think Phione are cute so THAT is a whole deal…" The dark haired intruder tossed Harry a wad of Unova bills. "Here, go by yourself some hair gel. That mop could use it…"

Harry frowned. "Yes and no?" he finally said with a shrug.

"So what exactly has you so happy?" Leon asked. "Or at least less moody and angry."

"I'd be insulted but honestly I see your point," Harry admitted. "I have been an utter pill." He smiled softly. "Honestly? I'm just in a good mood. Things are… things are going good this year, all things considered." He rolled his left hand about as he searched for the right words to explain what he was feeling. "I guess the thing of it is… ever since I came to Avalon I've kind of been in this weird place where I bounce for one major event to the next, barely able to breathe. First year was getting you and Ludwig and Bulma and dealing with learning about Pokemon for the first time. Second you I knew Voldemort was out there and then all the students getting petrified. Third year was Sirius, Four was that fucking tournament…" He paused, chuckling.

"What?"

"I just realized that for how much bad that Tournament brought my way in the end the rest of the year was honestly a blast. Gary, Iris, Fleur, Wally, Viktor, Cedric… made some really good friends. And Jasmine…" he smiled as he thought of his girlfriend and how things were beginning to get back to somewhat normal with her even if he was still in a weird place when it came to the rest of the Kenways, "…just odd to think that a Tournament was probably my favorite year so far at Hogwarts." He shook his head, stopped and moving to lean against one of the walls in the hallway, under a portrait of some man long dead trying to teach Ursarings how to juggle (he was willing to bet it didn't end well). "But after that was my fifth year and… yeah, that was no fun.

"But this year I've been all tense and waiting for the other shoe to drop yet… it never has. I mean we're almost at the Solstice and nothing horrible has happened. Well… to me. Horrible things have happened but not to me. I've just… had a normal school year." He shrugged. "I know it can't last but it's nice to not be constantly batted around by fate and destiny, you know?"

"Yeah, I do, because I'm with you when you get batted!" Leon teased. "You know there is no other place I'd want to be, right?"

"Of course, mate, of course," Harry said, placing his hand on his starter's head and itching between his ears. "Come on, let's not leave Tracey waiting." He shoved himself away from the wall and the two of them continued down the hallway and to the class room, Harry knocking on the door before entering. "Tracey?"

Looking back he'd realized that he'd fucking jinxed himself royally.

The attack came from the left, striking him full on. Harry bellowed in pain as the Ice Beam struck him in the side, slamming him into the wall and keeping him stuck in place. He shivered against the cold, the Beam ending so that he was left caked in ice from knee to shoulder, his jacket doing little to protect him from the chill. Leon tried to move to defend him only for the starter to be hit too, screaming in agony at the frigid blast made his leaves wilt and sapped his strength until he could barely breathe.

Harry growled and twisted his head only for an Ice Shard to explode against his temple, slicing open his forehead and causing warm sticky blood to gush down the side of his face and into his left eye as he turned and stared at the smirking forms of Tracey Davis and Daphne Greengrass.

"Oh Potter," Daphne said with a lazy sigh, her Vanilluxe floating around her, "you really do disappoint. I told Tracey here that you wouldn't be foolish enough to fall for her ruse but he proved me wrong."

"I knew you were stupid enough to bumble into this mess. Thanks, by the way… Daph owes me a Coke." She walked over and patted him on the cheek before lashing out, backhanding him. "You filthy little beast. It made my skin crawl having to sit so close to you. Act like you were anything more than a cute little pet that knew how to talk and mix things. I had to scrub in the shower after every class just to get the stink off!"

Daphne pulled Tracey away from Harry. "Sorry, she gets like that Potter." She flashed a smile that promised that there would be no good times coming to Harry. "Me? I like to take things slow. See… Tracey wants to kill you for all you've done to disgrace our house. I on the other hand would much rather make this last. That's why I had you tell your friends you'd be gone for a few hours… no one will bat an eye with how long it takes for you to get back and when they realize you aren't? Heh… well, you'll be long gone."

"Our Lord is paying quite a bounty on your head," Tracey said, walking over to Leon and kneeling down, tugging on one of his leaves and causing the starter to whimper in pain. "But only on you. Nothing about your Pokemon. I think I'll start with the ears first-"

"Are you really this stupid?" Harry growled out.

"Pardon?" Tracey asked, intrigued. "I think you should look in the mirror before you call me stupid-"

She never got to finish as at that point Ludwig appeared, dropping his Invisibility Cloak ability and firing a blast of flames at Daphne, forcing her to leap back, crying out in shock. The ghost type then formed a Shadow Ball in his arms and let it fly, striking the Vanilluxe and causing it to scream in agony, falling to the floor… and then begin to flicker in and out, revealing a decidedly DIFFERENT Pokemon as it tried to maintain its shape and form.

"Let me explain. First, you think for a moment that my paranoia wouldn't have me keep a hidden ace up my sleeve?" Harry sneered. "I've had Ludwig following me around for months now, only going back into his ball when Hedwig is available to tail me. Next-" He paused as Ludwig fired a blast at Tracey, forcing her to scramble back before the Fire/Ghost began to work on dethawing Leon. "-there is you. Tracey is an inch taller, Daphne only wears rosewater and ivory perfumes so that lavender shit you have on would make her gag, Tracey fucking hates Coca Cola, and my senses are enhanced to the point that I can hear your fucking hearts beating like war drums and smell your scents... and how wrong they are."

Tensing his muscles Harry roared, shattering the ice that held him and his mask of humanity at the same time. His lips curled back to reveal his fangs as he lifted up his left hand, revealing the talons that had once been his fingers. The two girls trembled just as the "Vanilluxe" finally lost the battle with keeping its form, the illusion it had cast breaking apart to reveal a Mr. Rime… and causing "Tracey" and "Daphne" to be revealed to be a pair of 4th year Slytherins who now coward on the floor, eyes wide with fright now that they no longer had full control of the situation.

"Here's a tip," Harry growled, his voice lower and harsher, shoulders tense as he flexed his recently gained muscles. "Don't swing at the beast if you can't take it down in the first strike." He narrowed his eyes as he glanced at Leon, who was shivering now, before looking back at the girls. "I never make that mistake!"

"Wait!" one of them cried out but it was too late. Harry already leapt forward, focusing first on the Mr. Rime as it was the most dangerous of his foes. The Pokémon raised up a Barrier attack to try and defend itself but Harry slipped into the Speaker's Realm just long enough to get Ludwig to fire a Shadow Ball that tore through the Psychic Type's mental walls and leave it trembling and vulnerable. Another blast knocked it ass over head.

This allowed Harry to storm towards them, grabbing one of his attackers by the ankle and lift her easily in the air so that her head was off the ground, causing her to sway back and forth. With his other hand he sent out Dobby who with a mental command went over to help Leon so that Ludwig could keep an eye on Mr. Rime and make sure he didn't try anything stupid.

"Now, you might be wondering why I am using my left hand instead of my right. I mean, this one is just flesh and blood and bone. All I can really do is squeeze your ankle-" He did just that and the girl howled, "-to make it hurt. I can't snap it like a twig with my right. But when your friend decides to finally rush me like she's preparing to do-" He snapped around and backhanded the other Slytherin student, causing her to whip around in an almost comedic fashion before falling to the ground in a heap, "-it will hurt a lot more when I knock her down."

"Please… we just-"

"What? Thought it would be okay to attack me? To try and kill my starter? To offer me up to fucking VOLDEMORT!" Harry let her drop down and it was only because he'd only been holding her an inch off the ground that the bonk she got didn't send her to the land of slumber as well. But before she could even think of scrambling away Harry was kneeling down beside her, hand wrapping around her throat. The 4th year struggle, still able to breathe but it made clear with the way Harry gripped her neck that if she wiggled about too much she'd only end up hurting herself. "What would you have done if I begged for mercy? Laughed? Giggled and taunted me? But now that the shoe is on the other foot…"

"It… it was just a prank!" the student whimpered.

That… was the wrong thing to say.

"A prank?" Harry whispered, narrowing his eyes as his entire body trembled with rage. "You think this is a fucking joke!?" He lifted her up and slammed her head against the floor, rattling her.

"Please," her friend slurred, lying on the ground and rubbing her jaw. She froze up when Harry snapped his head in her direction but after a few moments she mustered some strength. "It was just a pr… we were just having some fun."

"You tried to kill my starter."

"He… he wouldn't have gotten hurt. Poppy can heal him."

"You coated him in fucking ice and were going to tear him apart leaf by leaf!" Harry roared.

The second 4th year shook her head. "But his ability would have helped him."

"…what?"

"Winterguard! It protects against ice attacks!"

Harry stared at the 4th year, wondering if he'd heard her right.

"…what?" he finally said.

"The… Winterguard ability?" The 4th year said nervously, the confidence she'd shown only a few minutes ago evaporating and leaving her staring at Harry with nervous dread. "The… the one that protects a Grass Type from ice attacks?"

"That isn't an ability. At all."

"But… it has to be…" the 4th year currently not being gripped by Harry stammered out. "It protects Grass Type Pokemon so they can't be hurt by Ice moves! It… it's an ability!"

"NO IT ISN'T YOU LITTLE IDIOT!" Harry roared.

The two fourth years looked at him… and broke down sobbing.

And in that moment Harry snapped out of his rage and remembered that he wasn't fighting Nocturne Agents. This wasn't Regulus Black or Lucius Malfoy. These were just two 14 year old girls, barely teenagers honestly. Girls who had clearly made a massive mistake. And while part of him mentally screamed that he couldn't trust them as they still might attack, that this might be all a trick, the way they were now whimpering and cowering told him that such a belief simply wasn't true. They were girls still and they'd made a horrible mistake-

His eyes narrowed.

"We need to have a little talk," Harry said coolly.

~MC~MC~MC~

"We could always go up to the Gryffindor Tower and bug them to bring out Weasley," Daphne said with a shrug.

Tracey, who was currently tearing apart her bed for the fifth time, shot a glare at her friend. "Just because you want an excuse to see Ron-"

"Not the Weasley I was talking about," Daphne said with a shrug before she registered what Tracey was hinting at. "Hold on for just a moment… what do you think Ronald and my relationship just is? Because we are Potion Partners… that is all."

"Love Potion maybe," Tracey teased before her smile fell and she lifted up her sheets giving them a shake before huffing in annoyance.

"I am not interesting in Ronald Weasley!" Daphne said. "Why would I be?"

"Because he's built like a fucking brick wall?" Tracey asked. "Other than Potter he's the most muscular of all the Gryffindors… and probably the whole school too. I know what you like, Daph: you like your women curvy-" Tracey, who had been kneeling on her bed to check in the space between the mattress and the wall, gave her ass a shake earning a roll of her eyes from Daphne, "and your men to be muscular and tough. Ron fits that build."

"He's also as dumb as a stump," Daphne said.

"Please, we both know that isn't true!" Tracey snapped back. "You told me just last week he had some good ideas for your Potion Project. He just needs to be guided and that makes him perfect for you. Nothing you love more than a project."

"Speaking from experience?"

"I didn't even know bisexual was a thing till I met you," Tracey teased.

Daphne didn't respond to that, merely folding her arms over her chest. "Anyway… I was suggesting we get GINNY Weasley to help."

"What would she do?" Tracey asked with a smirk. "Hijack a military satellite and force the government to find my phone?"

"I was going to suggest her turning on the GPS but hey, if you want to get all Lovegood-"

"Don't EVEN tease about that!" Tracey snapped, her best friend in the entire world (and considering what they did sometimes when they had the dorm room all to themselves far more than merely a 'gal pal') chuckling at getting a rise out of her. "But yeah," Tracey finally admitted, rubbing the back of her head, "maybe we should go see if Ginny can help out."

"Besides, haven't you ever wanted to see what the Gryffindor Common Room looks like?" Daphne asked.

"I assume it's a war zone of old pizza boxes, crusty underwear, and blasted holes that have been patched over with duct tape," Tracey wagered just as the door to the dorm room opened and Millie hurried in, looking about with wide eyes before looking onto the two of them.

"Thank Arceus!" She ran over and grabbed the two, yanking them by their wrists towards the door. "Come on!"

"What is going on?" Daphne asked in a huff, annoyed that Millie was trying to dislocate her shoulder.

"You need to get down to the common room, now," Millie said, refusing to stop pulling them towards the door. And considering Millie's strength it was rather easy for her to do so. "I already sent Neville a message but he's clear on the other side of the castle… you two might be able to calm him down before someone gets hurt."

"What is going on?" Daphne repeated as Millie yanked them onto the teleporter, the world swirling about the two… before they were greeted to the sight of the entire Slytherin Common Room staring daggers at Harry Potter as he paced up and down in front of the gathered students. They weren't happy, everyone could see that… but Tracey and Daphne could taste the fear and worry in the air that kept the Slytherins from doing anything more than glowering at him.

Probably helped that Harry had released every Pokemon he had save for his Zygarde… and if Tracey had to guess she'd say that the Pokeball he was currently fingering held the legendary Beast of Slytherin.

"Ah, hello Tracey," Harry said suddenly, snapping his head in her direction. There was something rather chilling in how he moved, unlike a man at all and more like a beast. He smiled and Tracey caught sight of his fangs, realizing that right now even if he was talking it was the monster that was currently in charge. "I found your phone." He reached into his pocket and pulled out her phone, tossing it to her. She barely managed to not bobble it but even with it back in her hands she didn't feel better at all. In fact looking at the two 4th years that were currently shivering on the floor between the rest of House Slytherin and the enraged Gryffindor she had a bad feeling she knew just who had taken her phone.

A quick look at her messages confirmed that fear.

"Aw hell," she muttered.

"Yeah," Harry said dryly in agreement before he began to pace once more. "Now, is that everyone? Because we don't want to do this twice. And by that I mean you. You don't want me to do this twice. Because I'm already in a piss poor mood and having to repeat myself isn't going to help!"

"This is… really bad, isn't it?" Millie whispered.

"Longbottom is coming?"

"Yeah."

Tracey swallowed. "Tell him to bring Lovegood. She might be the only one that can talk him the fuck down."

All the Slytherins had heard rumors of just how different Harry Potter had become over the last few years. The whispers that he'd undergone some mythical rituals that had turned him into something far more than human. Most had waved it off as Gryffindor bragging, seeing him only as the firstie who had managed to get on his House's Gauntlet team early and who was Lily Potter's son and thus worshiped by those that had sided against Voldemort. Even when he'd let glimpses of his true self appear, of the beast he kept locked away, they'd believed him to not be as bad as the rumors claimed.

Then 6th year had come and the changes couldn't be fully denied. Harry was taller, muscular, didn't need his glasses... and there was an edge to him. He'd grown moody and grumpy in his 5th year after that girl had tried to kill herself but honestly even the Slytherins hadn't cared about him raging at the teachers. Half the professors were incompetent and only the truly brain addled like Draco tolerated Umbridge; tolerated, not liked. Even Draco had been disgusted by her, seeing her as a brown nosing toady trying to get into his father's good graces. But this year there was something else… something predatory that he wasn't so much hiding as trying to contain. If years before he had dealt with trying to keep himself looking human this year he tried to hide he was actually a monster.

There was a difference.

But even then the Slytherins had grown lax. They had seen Draco slowly trying to get back to the ways things had once been. They saw Potter move about the halls and slowly begun to relax. He would smile. He would greet them. He would act like a normal student. One of them. So they had forgotten the monster that was in the cage and begun to think of him as just Harry Potter again.

And now he was pacing up and down their common room flanked by a team of powerful Pokemon ready to go into a violent frenzy if someone said the wrong word.

"Fuck," Daphne murmured.

"I don't want to be here," Harry said, his tone breathless like he'd just gone for a run. He was breathing hard, clearly struggling with the Pokemon instinct to attack and fight. "I just wanted to work on my fucking Potions project. But you lot… oh, you lot can't ever let me have a second of peace, can you?" He looked down at the two girls who'd remained on the floor. "Tell them what you did."

They remained silent.

"TELL THEM!" Harry roared.

"Hey Potter!" One of the Seventh Years snarled, stepping forward and balling his hand into a fist. "You don't get to talk to our house like that-"

"I will talk to people who attack me and nearly kill my starter however I want," Harry snarled before he unleashed… something… that made them all flinch. It wasn't visible and Tracey would be hard pressed to put it into words but all she knew was that it had come from Harry and it made her want to duck her head and meekly allow him to do as he wished. 'Submit', as horrid as that word was for this situation, was the only one that fit her feelings in that moment.

Clearly the Seventh Year agreed because he quickly backed down, taking a step back and weakly glaring at Harry, his only response.

The tale the two girls told had Tracey trembling with outrage and Daphne losing all signs of her Ice Princess persona as she was ready to tear them apart. The two little dimwits had stolen Tracey's phone and sent a text to Harry to lure him someplace isolated before they'd had their Mr. Rime (and it turned out it wasn't even THEIR Mr. Rime but one of their sister's Pokemon they'd asked to borrow for a day) use his psychic powers and mastery of illusions to disguise themselves as Tracey and Daphne and attack Harry. The girls cried as they said that they'd threatened to torture Harry and take him to Voldemort but it was just a silly prank and they would never have gone that far.

'Little fools,' Tracey thought in disgust. 'Using my face for their scheme…' She glanced at her best friend and knew that Daphne was already writing the message to her father about the 'disgrace done to the Greengrass name'. Whoever the girls' parents were (Tracey couldn't remember who the two were and frankly didn't care now to learn their names unless it was so she could curse them out) they would be in for a world of suffering and pain because of their little ruse.

The rest of the Slytherin house clearly was displeased with their actions as well but for a different reason: it wasn't cunning at all. The two fourth years had thrown themselves at Potter with false information, an ill-conceived plan, and no back up strategy if their plot should fail. It was moronic and pitiful and frankly made Tracey wonder how the two had gotten into Slytherin.

'I would have kept myself masked,' Tracey thought to herself. 'Or gone as students that Potter rarely interacts with. And it would have been a quick attack… a fast strike and then flee. Make him charge in thinking he'd been attacked only to look like the aggressor. Maybe turned him on the Ravenclaws… Slytherin too obvious. Or perhaps his own house…' It didn't matter that she was friendly with Harry it was in the nature of most Slytherins to plot such things. Daphne and her had spent many late nights talking about how they could overthrow their parents and take over their families; they'd never do it but it was something the girls discussed…

But this plot? It was weak and pathetic and frankly she didn't feel much sorrow for the two cringing 4th years.

"The only thing I want to know," Harry said once the two girls had finished, "is which one of you put them up to this."

"Us?" someone called out. "What the hell, Potter? We don't-"

"This was a stupid plan… but done but even stupider children. They didn't come up with it. Someone fed it to them." Harry glared at the Slytherins. "And if I have to tear apart your entire house-"

"No need for that, Mr. Potter."

Tracey released the breath she was holding as Prof Snape came in, Prof Slughorn only a step or two behind him.

"I believe we can handle this just fine," Snape said. "You need to get to Poppy to have her look over the frost burn you are suffering from."

"I'm fine," Harry said only for Snape to reach out and touching a red spot on his neck, causing Harry to hiss in pain.

"Quite," Snape said, grabbing Harry's arm. The young man snapped his head in Snape's direction but the Deputy Headmaster merely shot him a glare of his own. "Do you really want to push things farther than you already have?"

"…no sir," Harry growled out.

"Rest assure, Mr. Potter," Slughorn said, his normally jovial smile not present at all as he looked at the two fourth years; when he'd appeared they'd sagged in relief, thinking they were saved, but now where cowering again as they realized that their Head of House wasn't happy in the slightest with them, "I will get to the bottom of this. Though that does NOT excuse you from storming into the Slytherin Common rooms and threatening others."

"Detentions, I believe," Snape said sternly. "For all."

Tracey expected Harry to snap at Snape. To growl and rage. Instead he merely pressed his lips into a fine line and said in a soft voice, "No second chances."

Even if he didn't direct it at any of the Slytherins Tracey understood at once that was a message for all of them: this was their one warning, their freebie burned up. After this… Harry would show no mercy.

Snape tightened his grip on Harry's arm and pulled him from the Slytherin common room, his Pokemon following after him. As he left the students began to break up, finding their courage again to complain about Harry and what he'd done. How horrible it was and how they hoped he was punished. But there was fear there too… of what he could do next time.

Tracey paused, feeling a burning sensation on the back of her neck, and turned just in time to see Draco looking away, a smirk on his lips.

'Son of a bitch,' she murmured as she suspected the Prince of Slytherin had managed to trick them all.