Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any other fandom I manage to squeeze in this story.
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Lightning Dragon's Roar
A Harry Potter Fanfiction
By Zero Rewind
© 2015
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Chapter 39: Dire News
"I still don't understand why—" Clark protested for the fifth time, staring at me incredulously.
Clark and I were currently sitting in my apartment above the Talon.
Well, more like, I was sitting in bed, while Clark looked at me worriedly as he paced around my apartment.
My wounds were still bleeding freely, but with an abundance of Blood Replenishing Potion, I had easily bought myself plenty of time to get myself healed up.
"Look." I said, slowly disinfecting each cut, before grabbing a jar of Murtlap essence. "Just get me what I asked for. Electricity seems to heal me much more effectively than the general mundane methods, outside of magical remedies— and even then, my method seems to have more advantages."
I gingerly began to smear the Murtlap essence over my multiple wounds, hoping I wouldn't trigger a major pain response as I did so.
Nope, it hurt like hell even if I was being as gentle as silk.
Once I was done, I waved my wand at the duffel bag. Five Franklins— hundred dollars, if you didn't understand the US lingo like I did— floated out of the bag, settling in front of Clark's face.
"Use this to buy what I asked for." I said, watching him grasp the bills. "Keep the rest."
"What?" Clark sputtered out. "No, I can't take your money, Harry."
"Sure you can." I answered easily, wincing a bit as I leaned back on my bed. "You did this for me; so consider it like you would Fairy Tail's job requests! This is simple payment for services rendered."
"But..." Clark made a final, weak attempt.
"Stop making me waste any more effort." I said with a tone of finality. "Please."
Clark opened his mouth, and closed it before speeding out of the room. Thank god.
I sighed in tiredness, trying as best as I can as to close up my wounds.
I applied pressure to my thigh, in order to keep the blood loss to a minimum. I mean, I had enough Blood Replenishing Potion to last a while, but was it really wise to try my luck like that?
After several minutes of heaving, grunting, pressing down on my thigh, and general sensations of intense pain, I was greeted by the feel of whooshing wind.
I turned to see that Clark was standing there, holding a large sack in his hands.
He placed the sack on the bedside with a soft thud, and pulled out a black, rectangular shaped box which read 'Duralast' in red, bold letters. He followed up by pulling out a pair of wires.
"Sweet! Thanks, Clark." I smiled and winced in pain right after, the effort to move feeling positively monumental. "Could you hook the wires up to it? I can't seem to get my limbs to move right."
I hated asking for help, like this; but I had no choice in the matter.
"Right, sure. I'll do it." Clark nodded and fiddled with the wires, hooking them up to the battery, and handing the other ends to me.
With a quick word of thanks, I gratefully grabbed hold of the wires and made to bite.
"So how exactly does this wo—" Clark was saying and stopped as I bit on the copper ends. I tasted the tangy copper as the electric current exited the battery with a strong vibrancy.
I ate it up hungrily, forcing the energy into my stomach, giving my body some much needed fuel. I slowly felt my excruciating pain lessening to a more manageable throb— which was still painful, by the way— as the electric energy sped up my metabolism exponentially, and thus my self-regeneration.
I stopped to take a deep breath, before absorbing more of the battery's energy. I glanced at Clark, who was staring at my slowly closing wounds in wonderment. He watched in amazement as the flesh knitted itself right back together.
I continued in this fashion for the next minute, before the flow of power cut off. Dismayed, I took the wire out of my mouth.
"Empty." I said slowly, checking myself for injuries.
Good. It seemed that many of my injuries were gone. I gave my thigh a critical look. The bullet hole was gone, but the skin was bright red. It was likely still healing.
I chanced a poke, and took in a sharp, surprised breath at the stinging pain.
The pain was worth it, though, because I now knew that there was actual substance beyond the skin. I wondered how painful it would have been to have the hole in my thigh remain even after having fully recovered.
"Are you okay?" Clark asked, still looking quite worried..
"Y-Yeah." I answered, taking a deep breath and making to stand. My thigh still hurt quite a bit, but I managed to stand up, regardless. "Looks like I've healed a little."
"That's amazing." Clark said, circling me as best as he could and giving me a critical gaze. "I've never seen anyone heal that fast. Well, aside from..."
"You?" I finished for him. He chanced a smile.
"Yeah."
I went to the pantry, and pulled out a bag of chips. It was something I'd bought the day before as a quick snack.
"You have a—" WHOOSH. "—Bowl?"
Clark already stood in front of me, bowl in hand.
"Heh, that's pretty handy. If anything, you would be the best butler on the planet." I said, lips quirked in amusement.
"Right."
"I'm not kidding." I said as I filled up the bowl with a grin and handed it to Clark.
"What about you?" He asked as he sat down on a nearby couch and began to munch.
I answered by grabbing a handful of chips right from the bag. I took a bite of the salted chips, savoring the taste for a long moment, before swallowing.
The next few minutes were spent in a companionable silence. My mind wandered to the events of today.
After we had made our great escape from that facility, we were treated to a pitched battle against both Luthorcorp guards, as well as the military.
The thought made me frown. The US military was involved in this mess? How deep did this go?
The following was true, though: the meteor infected were unsafe as long as they lived on US soil.
After we had escaped and recovered a little, I made the observation to Anne and her fellow meteor infected.
Their reactions ranged from sad, to enraged, to indifferent.
Some had completely lost their previous cheer, while others merely nodded grimly, having expected such an outcome.
In the end, it was Anne that promised to protect them all.
The weird part? I actually believed that she could— and would— do it! Not twenty minutes before, she had been trying to kill me.
To be fair, she was alone, cornered, with no way out. For all she knew, I could have been a different method of capture employed by Luthorcorp.
It made sense why she would think that way; the guards already knew they could not directly overpower her, so the obvious plan would be to send in someone to gain her trust, before stabbing her in the back, so to speak.
My jaw clenched in anger at the thought. What had they done to her if my simple proclamation of rescue merited such a deadly response?
I shook my head, and went back to eating my food.
I had to put this set of events behind me, and go home. As much as I wanted to help Anne and the meteor infected out, I had my own responsibilities to attend to.
Who knows what could have happened, in all that time?
So, all I needed to do was heal up, and—
"Potter." I heard Snape's voice.
No rest for the wicked, I supposed.
"What the!" Clark exclaimed as an eerily familiar silver doe entered my apartment, filling it with bright light.
I regarded the creature with interest, and paid close attention to it.
This was Professor Snape's Patronus; I remembered seeing it appear to us during the so called Tri-Battle. Dumbledore had received Snape's warning from it.
What was it doing here?
"Where have you been for the past few months? No matter." The voice seemed quite irritated, in typical Snape fashion.
"I assume you sent this missive to Dumbledore, but it will no longer reach him."
What did he mean by that ominous statement?
"Dumbledore was trying to find a way to render the Dark Lord mortal once more." The doe dutifully continued, completely unaware of my reaction to Snape's usage of past tense.
"He came to me." Snape hesitated, as if not quite finding the right words to say. "His entire right arm was completely rotted from both outside, and inside. It was a curse; a powerful curse on a ring. He said it was a Horcrux, and that there were only four of them left."
"I managed to slow the course of his curse, but by then it was too late. The damage had been too great, and there was no time to devise a countercurse." Severus sounded pained as he admitted this.
"He lived for three whole months, after that, before succumbing to the curse. I am… Sorry."
The doe waited a moment, before speaking once more, this time in a more methodic manner. More machine-like.
"The Order is in disarray. The Dark Lord has put a Taboo on his name. If you speak it, protective enchantments around you will fail, and his followers will Apparate to your location. The Ministry is already in his grasp— Amelia Bones was the first to go. Many of the Aurors died that day, people like Rufus Scrimgeour." I blinked, recognizing that first name as the witch at my trial.
Susan's aunt was dead, and the Ministry was already down? How did this happen?
Why didn't the Goblins here say anything about it? Maybe they simply didn't care about foreign affairs, considering that they lived in the United States, and not Great Britain.
"Potter… Harry. Come back to Britain. We need you, now more than ever." The doe said, before disappearing, leaving me and Clark alone in my apartment again.
I stared at the empty spot the doe stood in. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't concentrate.
How many had died while I was just screwing around in Smallville? Was Sirius alive? Was Daphne? They didn't answer my message; only Severus.
Did he simply dispell my Patronus when he received my message, or had it reached them?
"Harry..." Clark's voice tore through my reverie. I turned to the man, eyes still wide in shock. "Are you okay?"
"Fine." I heard myself say as I tried to control my breathing in order to calm myself down. "Yeah. I'm fine. I have to go."
"No." Clark shook his head. "You need to rest."
"Rest? Are you insane?" I blurted out, feeling anger suffuse into my being. I went for Erebus, which was lying on a nearby table, but Clark blurred there first, stopping me dead in my tracks.
"I mean it, Harry." Clark insisted, looking as anxious as I felt. "I can't let you go while you're still not at a hundred percent. You're going to get yourself killed!"
"Get out of my way, Clark." I almost snarled, pushing him out of the way. "My friends and family are in trouble! You expect me to just leave them to their fates?"
Clark blurred into action. I felt my feet swept up from underneath me, and fell on my side. The impact rattled my bones, as well as my head. I felt dizzy and nauseated.
I tried pulling onto my Lightning, but it didn't come to my call.
I closed my eyes. The world around me was dizzying.
"You see?" Clark's angrily stern voice tore through my haze. "You can barely move. Your body's still committed to the healing process; you can't just assume you're already ready to fight, just because you got a little power from the battery!"
"So?" I challenged, trying and failing to get back up. "Am I supposed to just sit here and wait while everyone gets slaughtered?"
"I won't let you stop me." I tried to get back up again to no avail. It was as if my strength had been completely sapped by something.
"Better to heal up and go, than to go there and die because you weren't ready." Clark said quietly, before turning away. "You're free to make your own choice, though. I'm not going to stop you if you want to leave right now."
He rushed out of the apartment in a blur, leaving me to stew in silence. With great effort, and considerable strain, I managed to get back on my feet.
§He's got a point, you know.§ Balthazar piped up.
§You, too?§ I hissed out, a little in shock. §What am I supposed to do? Just leave them there? Sirius, the Weasleys, Dudley, the Greengrasses, and all of my friends? I don't even know if they're even still alive!§
"All the better reason to use your brain, boy." I heard Erebus admonish as the black Falchion vibrated on the table with slight irritation. "Resting will increase the chances of you rescuing whoever it is you wish to rescue. If you go on a battlefield with one foot firmly in the grave, how can you expect to win the war?"
I opened my mouth to retort, but the words died in my mouth.
Erebus, Balthazar, and Clark; they were all right.
I sat down on the couch, and smashed my fist into the cushion next to me.
"Damn it!" I cursed loudly, and started taking deep breaths in an attempt to center myself again.
I felt agitated, angry, and scared at the same time.
They were right. I could not even muster up the concentration it takes to do simple tasks such as walking. How would I be able to help Sirius and Daphne like that?
The simple answer was that I wouldn't be able to do anything.
Right now, I was a liability in a fight, and I didn't really know how long it would take for me to heal.
The feeling of vertigo that had suddenly overtaken me had faded into nothingness, leaving only clarity in my head. If Clark could cause such a disruption in my senses by simply tripping me, it was no wonder he was so adamant on keeping me here.
I slowly got back up from the couch, and took a few, shaky steps forward.
No dizziness; it seemed I was capable of slow, everyday motions, for now.
I sighed, and moved to put the bag that Clark had brought with him aside. It was still heavy. Curious, I opened the bag, only to see another battery.
I felt a little guilty about yelling at the man, now.
"I'm sorry, Clark." I said to no one in particular, and began to unbox the battery, before plugging the wires into it, and sucking all the electric energy out, funneling it to my own reserves.
It was as if a very small burden had been lifted from my body. I hadn't even noticed how sluggish, and slow my body was.
I felt my balance slightly improve as the pain in my thigh almost completely disappeared, replaced with a strange feeling of stiffness in the affected area.
I checked the place where my bullet wound was, and saw flawless skin. I poked at it, and felt for the flesh underneath. Almost no pain at all. The wound was mostly healed, then.
Judging by the uncomfortable feeling of stiffness, I figured the healing process was at its final stages.
In the words of Madam Pomfrey, what I sorely needed was— ugh— bed rest.
I couldn't believe I just said that.
I grabbed Erebus off of the table, and grudgingly headed to my bed, placing the deadly blade on the nightstand. I pulled out my wand before kicking off my boots stripping to my boxers, and Vanished the bloodstains off of the bed.
A quick Scourgify, and I lied down, shivering as I pulled the cold covers over my body, before placing the wand on the nightstand, right next to Erebus.
I was acutely aware of the endless "tick, tock, tick, tock," coming from the clock in the kitchen. The sound was constant, almost soothing. I could already feel myself falling asleep; maybe I was more damaged than I cared to admit.
I wasn't sure what was waiting for me back in England, but I had to go back and set things right again.
I just hoped there was anybody left to come home to.
Oooooooooo
The first thing I became aware of was the comfortable feel of the mattress I lay on. It felt like I was sleeping on fluffy clouds. Then came the steady sound of the clock's ticks.
I began to toss and turn, feeling my awareness increase with every movement.
Eventually, I opened my eyes. Still not quite awake, I looked up at the bright ceiling, and scrunched my eyes shut again, the light a little strong for my tastes.
I shielded my face with my left hand, the cool scales jolting me awake. I opened my eyes, and looked at the armored limb for a very long moment.
Instantly, whatever euphoria I was experiencing evaporated as I sat up in my bed, a dark look on my face.
I sighed, and stepped off of the bed as Balthazar greeted me. I greeted the snake back with a tiny amount of affection.
I felt no pain, nor any stiffness coming from my right thigh. I poked at where the bullet wound used to be, and then at the same spot on my other thigh, receiving the exact same reaction.
Looks like I was back to a hundred percent, just like Clark wanted.
I let out a loud yawn, stretching my arms above my head. I felt and heard my joints cracking at the pressure, my muscles relaxing slightly after.
I bent to pick up the clothes I was wearing the day before. The pants were torn up rather badly, the same was true for the shirt. I sighed in irritation, before grabbing my holly and phoenix feather wand.
"Reparo." I incanted, pointing the wand at the damaged clothes. It took a few tries, but I managed to get them in working condition. I followed up with a quick Scourgify, before putting the garments on.
With another few waves of my wand, I had the living room cleared of all furniture.
I decided to run a quick test; just to make sure I was completely in control of my motor functions. I entered my fighting stance— nothing overly fancy, a modified boxer's stance, making sure to cover my face and ribs.
With my Lightning enhanced reflexes, I never found a need for anything better, seeing as I could react to any attack on my person.
I began with slow, steady punches and kicks, gradually increasing the speed as I began to channel Lightning into my body, until my attacks became too fast for the untrained eye, appearing to be a veritable blur of motion.
"Finally awake, are you?" I heard Erebus' voice as the sword rattled on the nightstand, stopping my test.
"Yeah." I nodded solemnly, walking to the sword, taking slow, deep breaths to slow down my heart rate. "You were right. I feel much better, now."
And it was true. Not one moment during that short practice session did I feel dizzy, weak, or otherwise without energy.
"Of course I'm right." Erebus said haughtily. "I'm the supreme ruler of the Dark Realm."
"Not very humble, though." I picked the dark blade up, swinging it around a couple of times.
"Hah! Humility is for the weak." Erebus replied immediately.
I waved my wand over my right arm, covering it with fresh bandages, before pocketing it.
"Right." My lips quirked upwards as I placed the sword, followed by any other essentials in the duffel bag, before putting my boots on, and exiting the apartment. I could hear the activity of the shop as I began moving down the staircase.
I walked through the coffee shop, recognizing a few faces I'd seen the day before— had it really been a few days since I've arrived here?
Speaking of faces, one of which, was Martha Kent's, who was standing behind the counter, giving me a strange look.
She beckoned me over without words. I gulped, and complied.
"Good afternoon." Mrs. Kent said politely, looking as if she was unsure of what to say.
Holy shit, it was already afternoon?
"How long have I been out?"
"You've been asleep for over a day." Martha said, looking a little pained. "I was going to call an ambulance if you stayed asleep like that."
"Did Mr. Kent tell you about me, and what I can do?" I asked her directly, not quite fond of beating around the bush. Her eyes went a little wide, and she stared past me, into the crowd of people frequenting the coffee shop.
I followed her gaze. She was not really looking at anyone in particular, so I assumed this was general paranoia rearing its ugly head in.
"They have no context to figure out what I'm talking about." I explained with an amused grin. "Not that any of them are even listening to a word I'm saying."
"Well—I…" Martha sighed, and glanced at my bandaged arm. "Yes. He did. I'm sorry for what happened to you."
"It's fine." I said dismissively. "I've had worse."
Well, I hadn't actually had worse, but it seemed like the right thing to say, at the time. Martha's features softened further at my words.
She opened her mouth to speak, but I beat her to it. I didn't want to hear her worried talk, her resemblance to my mother causing me a fair bit of agitation.
"It's all right." I insisted with a forced smile. "Don't worry about it."
"…" She gave me a long, frustrated look. "All right."
"Thank you." I said. "Do you know where Clark is, right now?"
"Right here." I heard his voice from right behind me, and jumped in quasi-terror. I turned to the man, who had a big, shit eating grin on his face.
Clark 1 – 0 Harry
"…Well played, Kent." I said a mix between irritated and impressed, before motioning to the outside. "Let's not waste time, and talk outside."
"Sure." He said, and moved ahead of me. I gave Martha a quick nod, before following the older teen. I shielded my eyes for a moment, the outside light a bit too bright for my tastes.
As my eyes adjusted, I joined Clark in a silent walk in the town, not quite sure on what to say. We passed a few diners, a pet shop, and a few thrift shops.
The town's people walked by Clark and I, completely unaware of the true dangers of the world we live in. I somewhat envied them for it.
Ignorance truly was bliss.
We kept walking for a few more minutes, until we hit up an empty street, away from prying eyes and eavesdroppers.
"I'm sorry." I said.
"What?" Clark asked. "Why?"
"Ah…" I scratched the back of my head, feeling embarrassed. "Well, I sort of went ballistic on you yesterday—"
"It's fine." He waved it off.
"—and I just wanted to…" I stopped for a moment to look at the man of steel. "What, just like that?"
"I heard the same message you did, Harry." Clark said gravely. "I don't know what that deer was, exactly, or how a man was speaking through it, but the message was clear. Your family and friends are in trouble."
I looked up for a moment.
"Yeah."
"And you have to go, now." Clark continued. It was a simple statement.
"Yeah. I feel well enough, now." I confirmed, clenching my bandaged fist.
Clark looked at me, as if piercing me with his gaze, before nodding.
"Did you just… X-ray me?" I asked slowly.
Clark flushed in embarrassment, and nodded.
"That's kind of… Gay, Clark. Is there something you want to tell me?" I said, fighting back a smirk as Clark stammered in horror at being found out. "Do you always peep on every guy like that, or am I special?"
"No!" Clark denied immediately. "I was just making sure you were all right."
"Right…" I said, finally grinning in amusement. "I'm just messing with you, mate."
Clark responded with an annoyed scowl.
Clark 1 – 1 Harry
"But yeah." My tone turned somber. "I have to go back to Britain."
My friend's scowl shifted into a grim look.
"You're going to fight them?" Clark asked hesitantly. "The evil magic users?"
"Yeah." I confirmed. "They've given me no choice. I don't even know who among my friends and family are still alive. I need to find them, and protect them at any cost."
"…" Clark merely stared at me in silence.
"Then, I'm coming with you."
Wait, what?