Awake And Alive
Chapter 4
Three weeks into Scáthach and Harry's new routine, something or more precisely, someone, came by to disturb it. But not just anyone, the goddess Morrigan in person, was sitting in Grimmauld Place's sitting room just a bit before noon after he had just come back from a visit to Andromeda's house to see Teddy. The silent tension between his lover and the goddess was so thick that it could have been cut with a knife. Not knowing what to say to ease the tension, Harry blurted out loud the first thing that came to mind
«Whatever it is, I didn't do it!»
Surprisingly, it seemed to, if not remove the tension entirely, bring it down to a much more manageable level. Both women had a good chuckle at his words, which was something Harry took as a good sign. He didn't want a fight on his hands in the middle of the neighborhood. He knew exactly what his lover could do and his past life's memories told him that the other goddess wasn't someone to cross and take lightly. As Manannan Mac Lir, he was now quite strong and mighty, but he wasn't even in the top ten of the most powerful beings in the world. Lugh was the most powerful of the Tuatha Dé, eclipsing even their king, Dagda. That is if they were still alive. The ancient Gaelic gods weren't as unified as other pantheons. Many of his kinsmen were more inclined to do their own thing than to obey the Dadga's orders.
The dark haired deity got up and literally strutted over to him before stopping a few centimeters short of his personal bubble. With her smoky and seductive tone of voice, she then told him
«Well well well, colour me impressed. You really did it. Welcome back, Manannan. You have been greatly missed. Now, if I remember right, It seems that I had promised you a reward if you were to succeed in claiming back your ancient strength…»
At those words, the previously lessened tension came back with a vengeance. It didn't take a genius to guess what kind of reward she had in mind, what with all the signals she was sending him. But now Harry was in a bind. If he took the Morrigan on her offer, Scáthach would confiscate his manhood at the very least. It was not something he wanted to test or experience, since he knew damn well that she was able to back up her threat. But if he denied his fellow goddess, the Queen of his pantheon at that, she might take offence and make his now immortal life quite miserable. And if she was offended enough, she might even take it out on his future progeny! All in all, Harry felt that he was now stuck between a rock and a hard place. And quite frankly, Harry didn't want to go look for another woman to take to his bed. Scáthach was more than enough for him. So after bracing himself, he told his fellow deity in the most conciliatory and polite tone that he could manage
«Please, don't be offended, but I don't wish to sleep with you. I will be the first to admit that you are sinfully beautiful, but I don't want to jeopardize a possible long term relationship for a simple fling. If Scáthach and I weren't in a serious relationship, I would have taken you up on your offer in a heartbeat. But that's not the case at the moment. I simply refuse to deliberately hurt her like that.»
The Morrigan tilted her head to the side like a curious bird, observing this new incarnation of the Man of the Sea with keen eyes. Not many men could even think of refusing her and that this young man managed to do so while being so frank was impressive if somewhat vexing. But well, at least he had good taste and he was not ruled by his libido. The Witch of Dun Scaith was a warrior without peer. It wasn't dishonorable to lose such a man to her. Deciding to be gracious about it since the boy, no her fellow god, had been nothing but honest and polite, she shrugged her shoulders and answered
«Suit yourself then. Do keep me in mind for the future if you and Scáthach ever part ways.»
Then the goddess vanished as if she had never been there in the first place after offering him a last saucy wink. After making sure she was truly gone, Harry looked at his lover and, after releasing a loud and very relieved sigh, he said,
«Well, that was awkward…»
Even if Harry had wanted to say more, he would have been cut off by the fact that his lady friend suddenly decided to jump him. Being ill prepared for such a thing, Harry crashed on the floor, back first. Before he could do anything else, Scáthach had straddled him before fiercely claiming his lips with her own, after grabbing his head between her hands. After a few more happily reciprocated scorching kisses, she curled herself up in his arms, her head underneath his chin. In a tone of voice he never heard from her, low, somewhat insecure but awed all the same
« You told her «no». You refused the goddess Morrigan. For me. You turned down the chance of bedding the Phantom Queen for a prior agreement made with a mere immortal.»
Harry let one hand rise from her hips, since when she had been snogging the life out of him he had instinctively held her like that. He moved it to her hair and started to caress her long crimson tresses slowly and methodically. He has learned from experience that she loved it when he was combing it with his fingers. It always relaxed her. Then after mulling over his words, he told her
«I'm a man of my word, love. And I'm not certain that I'm the type of man to enjoy polygamy. Why would I go look elsewhere when I already have you? Like I've told the Phantom Queen earlier, I won't throw away a long term relationship for a fling that won't lead anywhere. It would be very stupid of me to do that.»
There was no more talking after that. The Witch of Dun Scaith straightened herself a bit, only to sensually remove her top, leaving her with only a lacy black bra for him to feast his eyes upon. Harry wasn't exactly sure when or how Scáthach had gotten her hands on modern lingerie, but he sure as hell wasn't complaining! Not one bit! After tossing said top somewhere else, her hands hurriedly went to his belt and Harry finally got the hint. There wouldn't be anymore talking for a good long while.
Four rounds of fantastic and breathtaking sex later, the lovers were satiated for now. They were now waiting for their very late midday meal while being only half dressed. Scáthach was only wearing Harry's shirt, which was only covering her down to mid thigh. And the young man was only wearing his boxers while trying to put on a ratty wife beater shirt. The eldery House elf had given them exasperated looks when they stumbled into the kitchen while barely dressed, but he had stopped himself from commenting. Harry was grateful for his servant's discretion, otherwise things would have been very awkward. What was he supposed to do when his lady love jumped him like that? Tell her no? He might have a near mastery over Manannan's powers by now, but dealing with a divine libido was a whole different kettle of fish!
In the end, the lovers got dressed and decided to keep exploring London and its suburbs. Harry eventually convinced his lady love to go see a movie after feeding the ducks in the ponds at Hyde Park got dull. Thankfully, Scáthach wasn't interested in watching romantic comedies, so the Man of the Sea didn't need to «suffer» through what Seamus and Dean had called «Chick flicks». A good action movie was rather interesting for both of them. Harry and Scáthach kept walking randomly all over the city even after the movie ended, not caring about the fact that night was falling. They had nothing else to do and the Wizarding enclave held little interest for either of them. Sure, Harry would eventually have to face the music and go visit Gringotts to get into his account. And sooner or later, he would likely stumble upon a friendly acquaintance or an old friend. It wasn't that Harry didn't want to see them, it was just that he likely could no longer empathize with them.
He was now a deity and even having lived his previous life as a mortal, living the regular life of a middle-class worker and married man… even with the additions of a house, future children and pets, was entirely anathema to him. Before finding out that he was the reincarnation of Manannan Mac Lir, it would have likely been his dream life. But now? He wanted more from his life, much more. He might give it a try in a few decades, but now? No. Just no. He wanted to travel the world, explore new places and try new things. Maybe even have a new adventure or two. So far he hadn't felt the need to go back to his duties, but he was keeping an eye on it. Scáthach and he might eventually go see what Tír na nÓg and the various other otherworldly realms looked like in this modern era. But right now, he would have to deal with the stranger who had sat down at their table. The Celtic couple had recently stopped for a pint at a pub with a nice looking outdoor terrace.
Their intruder was a young man about their physical age, if not a bit older. But in the Supernatural world, physical age was rather misleading. He had perfectly coiffed blond hair, blue eyes and was dressed in tasty but clearly expensive clothes. And it was clear that this person wasn't human. Not with the carefully suppressed power they could feel rolling under his skin. But for all the stranger's strength compared to the mortals milling around, Harry didn't feel threatened. Deciding to take the initiative, the reborn Celtic god spoke
«Yes? Can I help you?»
There was the feeling of a subtle use of magic, something akin to any number of privacy spells or perhaps a Muggle-Repelling charm, then the well dressed stranger spoke clearly and politely, while clearly and carefully choosing his words
«Actually my good sir, I think you can. You see, my family and I are, let's say, responsible for this country's security in regards to the supernatural world. These last few weeks, we have felt the sudden awakening of several ancient and powerful… let's call them… beings, for the moment. You see, they haven't interacted with the world for a very long time and my family and I are concerned that they might… get a little bit overboard and upset the current, and very delicate, peace. I approached you and your lady friend tonight because your… energy, let's say, seems similar to those beings, and it is my sworn duty to ask you about your immediate goals.»
Deciding to be facetious since he was also a trickster god, Harry told his mysterious interlocutor, tongue in cheek
«I am afraid that I must apologize sir. But my goals, immediate or long-term, are not the business of a stranger. But, if you think there is a risk that the Statute of Secrecy will be broken, then I suggest you head over to the Ministry of Magic and speak with an employee from the Improper Use of Magic Office. After all, we are speaking about a possible breach of one of our most important international laws, no? Or maybe it's a job for the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes instead?»
The face that the as yet unnamed blue eyed blond man made was absolutely priceless and Harry would remember it for a long time to come. The guy looked like he had bitten into an exceptionally sour lemon. So whoever he was, the man in front of him must have had previous dealings with the local magical government, maybe even during the Fudge administration. He pitied the guy, really. But not enough to not make fun of him since he was wide open. All's fair in love and war and all that jazz.
Ruval Phenex had to get a grip on his fraying temper. Of all the awakened Celtic gods now running around Great Britain and Ireland, why would he stumble upon the only one trying to disguise himself as a Wizard? And the Phenex heir knew the other man in front of him was a deity. Even though the black-haired and young looking man was artfully suppressing his power, it ran on a totally different wavelength than any other beings. And once you knew exactly what to look for, it was rather easy to spot the difference for those at his level or beyond. Deciding that being subtle wasn't working and rather irritated by the wild goose chase he and his Peerage had gone through recently, the soon to be Ultimate-class Devil then went for a more direct approach. Ruval flared a bit of his power to get his point across, which had the effect of grabbing the attention of the beautiful redhead sitting near the god, before he spoke to them in a very serious tone
«I am Ruval Phenex, Heir to the House of Phenex, one of the Seventy-Two Pillars of the Underworld. I am a Devil and my House are the supernatural wardens of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. You and your paramour are currently trespassing on our territory. You will answer my questions to my entire satisfaction or the both of you will find yourself summarily expelled with no possibility of ever coming back before the night is over!»
Harry let out an exaggerated impressed whistle at the speech/threat and the blatant show of power, which didn't do anything good for Ruval's fraying temper if the flames showing in the other man's eyes and his gritted teeth were anything to go by. But after an amused chuckle, the Man of the Sea told the pureblood Devil bluntly
«Well, if your family is now responsible for this country's security against supernatural threats, let me tell you frankly that you all did a rather shite job. Depending on when the Phenex family took the job, somebody should have stepped in when Voldemort started his campaign of terror in the late seventies. Or at least when he came back in the mid nineties. It would have saved a lot of innocent lives. I thought that the Devils were no longer what they had been before the Crusades?»
Ruval cringed visibly at hearing those specific reprimands. He had advocated loud and clear back then, to receive permission to step in during the so-called Dark Lord's periods of activity. He had been more than powerful and skilled enough to stop the warlock and his henchmen in their tracks, with minimal collateral damage. But he had been firmly denied at every turn. And acting without permission would have put his entire House into very deep trouble.
The Yondai Maous felt that to meddle directly in the affairs of Wizards had a significant chance of inciting either Heaven and/or the Grigori to do the same and it could have led to a war by proxy. The Underworld couldn't afford another large scale armed conflict at the time, not with the likes of the Old Satan Faction and other irritants still causing the occasional spot of trouble. And their society had indeed changed for the better, but not as fast or as much as many of the progressives had wished. Devils were a very long lived race after all, so it stood to reason that they would also socially evolve slowly.
Then Ruval realized that he was being distracted into a variety of other topics by his quarry and judging by his amused smile and twinkling green eyes, the deity knew exactly what he was doing and felt absolutely no shame in his actions. Ruval's first instinct was to lash out with a deliberate amount of violence and fire to redeem his wounded pride, but his reason soon beat back his initial impulsiveness. The Phenex heir knew he was no slouch in combat, but he wasn't on Lord Lucifer's level. He couldn't pick a fight with a god and hoped to have any chance of winning. And to put the final nail in the coffin on that particular idea, a fight of that level would incur a lot of collateral damage and would put the Humans under his care at great risk. Thus he did his best to not let his emotions get the better of him.
Harry let Ruval recompose himself in silence, with his amused smile not leaving his face. As amusing as it was to poke fun at the Devil in front of him, it was better to go easy on the lad. Scáthach even nudged him gently with her elbow and showed him a raised eyebrow and a tilt of the head toward their uninvited guest. That meant that she felt he had had enough fun at the Phenex's expense. He answered her with a sheepish smile and a small nod. He understood her point. But it didn't mean he had any intention of answering Ruval's questions. Oh no, it wouldn't be any fun! So with a quick application of Féth Fíada to cover their escape, Harry grabbed his lover by the waist and used the water in the air as a medium for teleportation. When Ruval managed to dispel the magical mist, his quarry was no longer in front of him, much to his frustration. It was only the fear of what his mother would do to him should she learn about it, that stopped him from using very colourful language out loud.
He sighed a bit but decided to cut his losses. He had met the god and while they hadn't spoken much, he was more or less certain that he meant no harm to the populace under the Phenex family's care. Ruval got up, adjusted his wrinkled clothes and decided to go back to his Queen, who was waiting for him nearby. Of course, the Phenex heir took care to dispel his magic around the table. It wouldn't do to make the Wizards suspicious after all. The young looking man made his way at a leisurely pace to a limousine parked nearby and once inside, his Queen asked him
«So, how did your meeting go, darling?»
Ruval let out an exhausted sigh and answered
«It could have gone better, my love, but it could have also been much worse. It was indeed a god, accompanied by a warrior woman of some sort. She was quite powerful or at the very least quite skilled. She only took a mild interest in my presence after I had flared my power to make sure the god took me seriously; but I am certain that she knew I was here the second I sat down. I think that this particular deity has been active for a much longer period than the others we met previously, since he had intimate knowledge of both modern Wizarding society and history. And he also had quite a way with words. With only a few sentences, he made me feel both angry and very shameful in quick succession. It seemed to amuse him quite a bit to have managed to get under my skin so easily.»
His Queen, a blue haired beauty, hummed a bit and then told him
«I think we should keep a careful eye on his eventual reappearance. Something tells me that we haven't seen the last of him. I'll have to do further research and see if the clues you gleaned can help us pin his identity.»
Ruval accepted her wisdom with a small hum, gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek then told their chauffeur
«To the Phenex train station, please. It's time to go home.»
Ruval was not looking forward to reporting his rather limited success to his father, but he would take his lumps like a man. Why, oh why did the gods of the Tuatha Dé Danann have to awaken after so long? Things were looking up before those nutters decided to wake up and cause trouble! At least he would likely see his sweet little sister again…It might also be a good idea to put Riser through some tortu… er… training… It might help deflate his big head a bit…
XxX
Scáthach and Harry rematerialized aboard Sguaba Tuinne, carefully hidden by Féth Fíada in the middle of the Irish sea. Harry loved the broader applications of what had been the Potter's Cloak of Invisibility. Once they were solid once more, Harry let out the sniggers he had swallowed back when interacting with Ruval Phenex before pulling their vanishing act. Oh it felt good to have tricked that uptight Devil like this. Even his lover allowed an amused smile to cross her lips. She wasn't a prankster, but Scáthach had to admit that getting under the skin of the Phenex whelp had been amusing.
After calming down, Harry stole a quick kiss from his beloved, who hummed in satisfaction, then sat down to enjoy the tranquil view of the starry sky. It wasn't long before she joined him, burrowing herself against him so he would put his arm around her. Which he did a few seconds later. It wasn't often that Scáthach felt the need to let a man treat her like she was a fragile flower. Harry was acutely aware of what she could do and didn't take her for granted. Of course, their relationship was new and they hadn't argued much yet, but she had a good feeling about them. Time would tell if she was right.
They stayed the night aboard Manannan's coracle, safe from any kind of severe weather due to the protection spells imbued into the boat. They docked in Holyhead early the next morning and went to eat breakfast in a family oriented restaurant. Both had tried a few fast food restaurants, like McDonald's, but they weren't fans. Too greasy for their tastes. Oh, it would do in a pinch, but it wouldn't be their usual fare. Harry was contemplating what to do next when his senses told him that Luna and Hermione were both back where he could feel them. Strangely, he could tell that they were at the same place at this instant. Concentrating further, he could ironically pin them at Douglas, on the Isle of Man. Trying but failing to restrain a snort, he answered his lover's inquisitive gaze
«I just felt the life forces of two very good friends of mine appear. They are ironically on the Isle of Man.»
Seeing her confused gaze at the modern name of what was in fact his island, he told her the celt names.
«Its name back in the day was Mannin or perhaps Ellan Vannin if you prefer. It was my seat of power on Earth back in the old days.»
His lovely but bad-ass warrior princess made a sound of understanding and waited for him to continue, which he did a few seconds later
«Would you mind if we went to meet them? I really wish to see them again after so long and who knows? Maybe you three can become good friends? A few female friends might actually do you some good.»
Finished the young looking god with a teasing grin.
Scáthach huffed in good humour at her lover's jest, even if she dug her elbow in his ribs with a half strength blow as retaliation for his quip. His yelp of surprise and slight pain was music to her ears. She was not «girly» and did not do «Girl talk». She was a warrior, for gods' sake, not some simpering maiden. She knew her man was only teasing her, but still. She had a reputation to maintain. So after making sure he would hold his tongue about that particular subject, she told him
«Well, let's go meet them, then. Holyhead is nice, but I want to see more of your domain.»
And that was that. The Celtic couple made their way back to the docks and were quick to board Harry's coracle, which was currently disguised as a modern boat. All the while whistling a nameless tune that somehow made its way into his brain, he commanded the coracle to turn around, to hoist all the sails and to make way to the Isle of Man after plotting a course. He simply couldn't wait to see Hermione and Luna again. Something told him that they would both play a major role in Scáthach's and his future adventures.
Nearly fifty kilometres away from Holyhead, Luna Lovegood and Hermione Granger had come back from abroad and were currently heading to their shared flat in Douglas, on the Isle of Man. Days after Harry's departure to parts unknown, Hermione had booked a flight to Perth, Australia with the intent to go retrieve her parents. That was an odyssey and a half on its own. In the end, her parents had decided to stay in Australia for the time being while she went back to Britain. Hermione went back to her final year at Hogwarts with Ron and they made a go for a proper relationship. But without Harry to play the mediator between them when they were fighting, it wasn't the same. After a few weeks, they both came to the mutual conclusion that they were better as friends than as romantic partners. It was sad, but at least they had seen the truth before they made a more permanent commitment.
Hermione had visited the Isle of Man a few times with her parents before she went to Hogwarts and during her summer vacations and had always enjoyed the ambience. So after her graduation, she managed to find a flat in Douglas, the capital city of the isle. Then one day, Luna Lovegood walked back into her life and became her flatmate. Other than Ron and her, Luna was the only other person among Harry's circle of friends who knew that he was the reincarnation of Manannan Mac Lir and had gone to train in hope of recapturing his ancient strength. All of his other friends and surrogate family believed that he had left on a trip around the world to find himself. While Ginny had been sad to miss the chance to reignite what she and Harry had shared during his sixth year at Hogwarts, she understood that after everything he had lived through, he needed the chance to live his life without the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Not only did Luna fully believed Hermione about Harry's true nature, but she also wanted to talk the reborn Celtic god of the sea into letting her mount an expedition to either Avalon, Tír na nÓg or another of the Celtic Otherworlds to categorize their fauna and flora for an article in the Quibbler. Luna had also gone her own way after finishing her schooling for a time. As much as she loved her father, it was time for her to fly on her own wings so to speak. But something had guided her back to the Isle of Man and into Hermione's life after only a brief time abroad. And now, the same feeling brought her back towards the docks, even as they had just entered their home after an extended trip in Germany.
It was Hermione who spoke in a low but awed tone of voice, snapping Luna out of her trance, since she hadn't noticed that her friend had followed her
«It's him! Luna, it's… It's Harry! He's back! And he's coming… Somehow, I…I can feel it! He knows that we're here. I don't know how, but Harry will be here soon.»
Ten minutes later, a very thick mist rose from the sea without any prior warning and both witches could feel the sheer magical potency in it. For Hermione, the magical mist reminded her somehow of the feeling she would get when Harry, Ron and she would hide under Harry's invisibility cloak during their adventures at Hogwarts. It was one of Manannan's known abilities, Féth Fíada. He was truly here! Then from under the water near the free dock, burst out a very large coracle with a silvery white hull! Once the vessel had stabilized on top of the water and the dome over it had vanished, Luna and Hermione saw a tall and broad shouldered, black haired man jump onto the pier and walk around like he was the king of the sea. Then when he turned around, both young women saw his luminous, glasses free, emerald green eyes. But it was his smile that truly sold his identity to the two witches.
Neither Luna nor Hermione knew who had yelled his name in sheer joy first, but it didn't matter.
«HARRY!»
They raced toward their greatly missed friend, crashing bodily into him. Any lesser man would have fallen into the drink, but not Manannan Mac Lir. Proving his new strength, Harry had no difficulty grabbing both young women by their waists and twirling them around while laughing uproariously.
«Ah! My little moon and my own fountain of wisdom! I missed you both so much! It's so good to see you both again!»
Then he bent his head down and kissed the crown of both young women one after the other. Of course, Harry had seen that both of his lady friends had matured from late teenagers to beautiful young women during his absence. It was hard to miss, what with their now ample bosoms squashed into his torso during the hug and the sight of their developed hips… No, bad godly libido! Stay down! No perving on friends! After twirling them a bit longer, Harry finally put them down. Then he heard the voice of his lady love coming from the coracle
«So, these two are some of your old friends? Let me look at them.»
Scáthach had stepped on the pier and approached the happy reunion. It had been a long time since she saw a genuine friendship between a man and two women without any sexual overtones. She could see from her own eyes that while those three found themselves physically pleasing to the eye, they had no romantic spark toward each other so to speak. Or at least not yet. Pity. It would have been fun to beat back potential suitresses with her spears. Oh well, she was certain the time would come. The Witch of Dun Scaith wouldn't be sharing her man that easily.
While Luna and Hermione silently gaped at Scáthach's sudden appearance- they had no idea that Harry would bring someone with him! - they found themselves inexorably awed by her appearance and having to deal with a sudden feeling of inferiority regarding their own physical attributes. Proving that he was indeed both male and still very much clueless about the deep intricacies of a woman's psyche, Harry didn't recognize the first few salvos of a brand new kind of battle. With an eager smile, he released the waists of his close friends and went towards his lady love. In no time at all he grabbed her by the hips and stole a kiss from her before she could do anything about it. Of course, she got back at him right after by pinching a nerve cluster between his shoulder and neck, making him yelp in pain. While Hermione was blinking in incomprehension at seeing her oldest friend being that chummy with a woman who wasn't her, Luna snickered openly, glad to see that whoever had Harry's heart was able to tone down his new boisterous side.
«Scáthach, these are my friends, Luna Lovegood and Hermione Granger. The blonde one is Luna and the brunette currently imitating a fish is Hermione. Luna, Hermione, this is Scáthach, The Queen of the Land of Shadows, the Witch of Dun Scaith, Lord of Spirits and more importantly, my girlfriend.»
While Luna rolled with the punches that Harry was now a Celtic god reborn and his chosen paramour was an immortal woman who had trained many Celtic warriors who became legends in their own right, Hermione was much more skeptical. But she had learned to no longer impose her views and knowledge on anyone in hearing range. So while Hermione's greeting to the witch of Dun Scaith was gracious if a tad reserved, Luna went to shake her hand vigorously and ask her all sorts of questions. Like why her eyes were red, what kind of unusual creatures inhabited the Land of Shadows, how was the climate when she was younger, all sorts of things really. Harry watched this in silence, a twinkle in his eyes and a soft smile on his lips. It was good to be among his friends, old and new.