Wow, almost 1700 reviews, I am totally psyched! It feels like a long time ago, I started writing this story, and it just exploded. I feel like I've been growing as a writer with every chapter I've been releasing. I've already re-read my own writing, and I can definitely say that my own style has changed; simply compared the first few chapters to my latest ones, and you'll see.

Anyway...

Quick lesson:

A Death Curse is a spell used by a wizard in his/her dying moments, and it's considered as an extremely powerful spell, since the wizard uses the rest of their life force to cast a spell with disastrous effect to their enemies.

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 53: Beastly Situations

Something was off.

Daphne and I had flown for at least a few hours, away from London. Daphne took the wise precaution of casting the Disillusionment Charm on us, something I was grateful for. I needed to heal up, rest and regroup.

We kept talking to each other every few minutes, at least to make sure that we didn't stray off from each other, since we were both invisible to each other.

We found a wooded area in between the cities, likely kept that way by some environmentalist group that's against deforestation or whatnot. I couldn't quite bring myself to care about the reason, but was glad that we had a place to hide.

Why?

It was wooded, and that meant we could hide out here for a while, away from any prying eyes. No one would willingly wander around in this small, useless forest. Most would honestly stay at home, go to restaurants or clubs, so it really was a good place to hide, all things considered.

"Come on." I said, so she could hear me. I pulled out my wand and cancelled the Disillusionment Charm on myself. A few seconds later, Daphne's form shimmered into existence next to mine.

I lead the way, landing in the forest, Daphne following closely. I dismounted the broom, shrinking it with a flick of my wand and placing it in my mokeskin pouch.

"What are we doing here?" Daphne asked curiously.

"I bought a nice camping tent a while ago in Metropolis." I explained, pulling out the tent in question. "We just have to find a big enough space to set it up…"

It took a few minutes, since I didn't want to cut trees down to open room. The noise would alert the population, which was probably not really good, right now.

I placed the disassembled tent— a pile of folded up fabric, stakes and ropes— in the space I found, took a few steps back, and clearly said. "Guild Hall."

Instantly, the tent began to rise, the stakes driving themselves into the ground, the ropes fastening around the stakes and onto the tent's 'pillars'. The whole thing took about fifteen seconds.

"You know any protective enchantments?" I prompted my companion.

"Nothing overly extravagant. I can disillusion and silence the entire tent." Daphne said.

"Good enough." I winced slightly, the pain in my wrist getting a little annoying. "Do it."

I made sure to remember where the entrance was, as Daphne flicked her wand at the tent and murmured a few incantations. Gradually, as the light from Daphne's wand washed over the tent, it looked as if it was fading; blending into the environment around it like a chameleon.

It had worked.

"That should keep anyone from seeing or hearing us when we're inside." Daphne said. "Still, if they bump into the tent there's nothing we can do."

"It's better than nothing." I smiled, and took the blue eyed woman's hand, leading her into the tent. It was just as I remembered it when I had purchased it over a week ago— honestly felt like ages ago, after all of the things that had occurred.

"Welcome to my Guild House." I was careful not to say the password, unsure if this contraption would close on us. I assumed that would kill us.

To my embarrassment, I had forgotten to ask the clerk that particular question, as the possible situation never crossed my mind. I could hopefully assume that it wouldn't react to the password if I was inside of it— a built in failsafe, in short.

But with my luck, I'd end up dead.

Daphne looked around the place, before sitting on one of the chairs that came with the tent. She relaxed into the chair, sighing in relief.

I sat in the chair next to her, and we mostly took the time to rest up, neither of saying a word. It was half an hour later that we resumed the conversation.

"So this is your Guild's headquarters?" Daphne asked curiously, standing up and stretching.

"Yeah. For now, anyway." I smiled.

"Why even make a Guild?" She asked, not unkindly. "What's the point of it?"

I took a few moments to answer that question, as I had never really thought of why I wanted to form a Guild. I didn't like psychoanalyzing myself, much.

"The idea was always in the back of my mind; to find others who will band together with me when the need arises." I started, but it didn't feel enough.

"The world needs it." I simply added. Daphne raised an eyebrow at the comment.

"It's just, these days, places are becoming less and less safe, and we all need an organization, something to fight against the malicious forces." I tried to explain, faint images of the horrors I had witnessed coming to the forefront of my mind. I banished those thoughts away.

"Isn't that what Dumbledore's Order was for?" Daphne asked curiously. "To fight against V's forces?"

"That's true. The Order of the Phoenix does help a lot." I nodded. "But I'm talking about something else. Something bigger than That Fucker."

Daphne gave an amused smile, which I returned.

"The world is a big place, Daphne." I said tiredly, rubbing at my cracked left wrist, the appendage flaring in pain. "It gets even bigger when you take the Nevernever into account. Mutants created by rocks from outer space, Demons from Hell, True Mages, Red Court vampires, the Winter Court, the Summer Court… The world is getting stranger; more and more brutal and bloodthirsty. Until a week ago, people were disappearing by the droves due to the machinations of the Red Court, and we put a stop to it… But that Lord of Outer Night had me beaten. If it wasn't for Clark, we would be in a very different situation."

"Tom Riddle is a threat, sure." I said, my eyes staring intensely at the tent's wall. "But, if faced against the likes of Mab or Lilith, I would have no trouble making peace with the insane wizard."

Daphne gave me a sharp look, as if she hadn't expected me to say such a thing.

"I've done it before." I said. "He, Dumbledore and I teamed up to fight against Lilith at the battle at Azkaban."

"I still don't understand…" Daphne said. "Why would you ally yourself with your parents' killer?"

I stayed silent for a few moments, thinking of how to answer her affronted question.

"I'll put it this way." I said, grabbing a bottle of water from my mokeskin pouch. "I grabbed onto the accumulated Lightning of the clouds above Azkaban, and brought it all down on Lilith in one strike. She either avoided it, or took it head on with barely any damage to show for it the next time we met."

"Compared to Vergil, she was absolutely nothing." I continued, my mind replaying that scene again. "He easily defeated her and absorbed her soul within seconds of breaking her control over him."

"And compared to Mundus." I continued when it looked like she was going to ask questions. "Vergil was absolutely nothing. Dante was absolutely nothing. I was absolutely nothing. The Devil King, already weakened by being outside of his demesne, pretty much trounced the whole lot of us without even trying. If I hadn't surprised him with my attack, I would likely be dead. I was extremely lucky to have lived through the experience with all of my limbs intact."

"But you killed a dragon, Harry." Daphne pointed out.

"Yes, a half-starved, withered husk of a dragon that lived the majority of its life in captivity." I gently corrected, pondering her words.

I had noticed a shift in my powers ever since I regained enough presence of mind to examine my own energy. It was as if it had shifted. Something changed when I had fought that dragon, but I wasn't sure what.

"But you still killed it." Daphne insisted.

Wait. I killed the Ukrainian Ironbelly. Something changed about my energy levels. Could it be?

I got off the chair, and calmly walked outside. Daphne made a startled noise.

"Where are you going?" She asked, but I didn't answer. "Harry!"

I pushed the tent flap open, and walked a few steps outside, making sure to remember how to get back in. Daphne popped out of thin air, from the position of the tent as well, following me until I stopped around thirty feet from the tent.

"Harry—" I held up a hand.

"I killed a dragon." I said slowly, my voice carrying the power of a half forgotten memory. "Killing a dragon means… But isn't that just…"

It ultimately rested on my own belief in the origin of my power, didn't it?

I could feel it. There was definitely something there, but it was out of my grasp; as if it was locked away in a vault.

I closed my eyes and breathed out two words.

"Dragon Force."

Two words, seemingly benign, echoed through the forest with a sudden, powerful pressure that permeated my immediate surroundings. Daphne cringed at the pressure, taking a few steps back in apprehension.

The lock cracked.

I felt a shift in my power and body, as something primal began to overtake my mind. I felt my skin shifting around, morphing with an unexpected tingle that was spreading over my face and chest. I touched my cheek; it felt like the scales on my right arm, except rougher; tougher.

There was a slight sheen of blue, too; likely the light reflecting off of the scales that had grown on my face.

There was so much raw power! With this, I could slaughter anything I wanted. I grinned, idly realizing that my teeth had all become canines. I smelled someone sweating behind me, and turned sharply to see Daphne, who was giving me a wary gaze.

Was this apprehension? Fear? I took a step forward, before realizing what I was doing, and scrunching my eyes shut.

I grabbed at my head. This power was wild, and hard to keep under my heel.

"End." I said with as much force as I could, and my body began to revert to its normal state. The wild, animalistic thoughts permeating my mind were gone, replaced by the calmness of the rational mind of a human.

I felt at my face. Fingers brushed against soft, warm skin, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

I panted, the sudden exhaustion causing my recently sustained injuries to flare uncomfortably in protest.

"Harry…" Daphne said slowly, as if not wanting to startle me. "What was that?"

I took a few deep breaths, eying the girl.

"Something I unlocked." I said slowly. "A new power, but it's…"

"Uncontrollable?" She cut in, shivering slightly. "For a second, you looked like… Forget it."

"Like who?"

"Just let it be." She said and went back into the tent.

She didn't need to tell me.

I must have looked like Tristan during one of his rampages. The Orochi Blood Riot, Erebus had called it.

I closed my eyes and centered my energy, and my thoughts, taking another set of deep breaths.

"I did not expect such a devastating loss of control." I said, a little perturbed. "The power has always at my grasp, but this is something different. It warped my mind to that of an animal. I won't be touching it until I'm ready."

"Good." Daphne said, and buried me in a strong hug. "Just don't go crazy, okay? I've already lost…"

"I won't." I said, hugging her back. "I promise."

We stayed that way for a few moments, until I drew back.

"Come on, we have to heal up as quickly as we can." She said, dragging me back into the tent. "Don't forget, we're going to Hogwarts, next."

It took a few tries, as we didn't exactly remember where the entrance was, but we slid through the flap, leading in the tent's main room. I sat down in one of the chairs, before pulling out the necessary healing items; Blood Replenishing Potion, Skele-Gro, Essence of Dittany, Essence of Murtlap, and burn paste.

"My, my. Planning to open your own apothecary, Harry?" Daphne smiled.

"Something like that." I smiled back, and the she went to work, showing me how much of an idiot I was by pointing out my mistakes when trying to heal up the wounds on my left arm.

"Murtlap Essence is good for most cases, but this is solved by a simple spell; not worth the use of such a valuable healing compound." Daphne gave the covered up scarring tissue a look of annoyance.

"So? It worked, didn't it?" I challenged.

"It was about as effective as starting a small campfire using Fiendfyre." Daphne smirked. "It will get the job done, but the energy wasted in the process is beyond ridiculous."

I opened my mouth, shut it, and nodded.

It was a valid point. Conserving resources was something I should focus on; that's what I thought I was doing, when I was using the Murtlap Essence. Instead of using a spell to heal myself, I would use a healing agent.

"The Murtlap Essence speeds up the body's self-healing, which will tire you out further than a simple healing charm would have." Daphne pointed out. "But, still, at least you managed a decent enough job of it."

She waved her wand over my cracked wrist.

"Hmm… A small vial of Skele-Gro should fix that." Daphne said, measuring a precise amount in a small vial and handing it to me. I downed it in one gulp, the familiar taste still making me gag, despite all the times I had taken such a concoction.

"Not your first time taking it, eh?" Daphne smiled.

"Nope." I said, grimacing. "Lockhart accidentally Vanished the bones in my arm in my second year while he was pretending to heal the broken bone."

"Oh, I think I remember that." Daphne laughed softly. It was a beautiful noise, relaxing me more than the potions managed. "That arm was the floppiest thing I ever saw."

"Heh." I said, watching Daphne quickly cast a few spells on herself. Her small scrapes and bruises healed up before my eyes with ease. "Anyway, what else?"

"Blood Replenishing Potion." She said, pointing at the appropriate potion. "A few sips ought to do it."

I gave her a kiss, complied, and went to the sleeping area, lying on my back.

"Thanks, Daph. I'm going to rest for a while." I said, yawning as the world around me flickered, evidence of my losing consciousness. "Wake me up when— when— Hogwarts—"

I quickly succumbed, and woke up later, to the feeling of Daphne's annoying nudging. My eyes felt heavy, but I managed to open them.

"I'm up." I said, pushing her hand away in slight irritation. "Did I even get five minutes of sleep?"

"Five hours, actually." She said wryly. "I managed to rest a bit, myself."

"Five hours." I repeated incredulously, propping myself up. It felt like I had barely closed my eyes.

I could feel a headache building, so I grabbed my mokeskin pouch, and pulled a headache cure from it, downing the potion in one gulp. As expected, the headache faded into nothingness.

I got up to my feet, the smell of my sweaty body making me grimace in distaste. I relieved myself of my clothes, Daphne watching me the whole time, gave them a few, quick waves with my wand— no, my actual magic wand, you dolts— and the clothes were cleaned and folded in a neat pile by the tent's shower.

I placed the wand over the pile, and went in the shower. I fiddled with the temperature knob until the water was just right, and I began to clean myself with gusto, the refreshing water rushing over my body waking me up.

A few minutes later, I dried myself off with a quick charm, and stretched my muscles, working out all the kinks in my arms, neck and back. I went to the pile of clothes and put them on quietly, Daphne still watching me from her spot on her own makeshift bed.

She was already dressed in her combat clothes; they looked a little worn, but that was to be expected. Even mine looked like they'd been through the wringer, and I hadn't even owned them for a week.

I ran my hand through my hair, and addressed the golden blonde haired woman.

"Has there been any word?" I asked, my hand moving to the back of my neck.

"Before I woke you up," Daphne started. "Professor Snape sent a Patronus saying that V opened up Dumbledore's tomb and took his wand, after news of the Gringotts' five-hour war."

"His wand? What's so important about Dumbledore's wand?" I repeated dumbly, quirking my lip. "They called it the five-hour war, huh?"

"Yes." Daphne shared a small smile with me, before frowning. "I'm not sure what the Headmaster's wand is capable of, but Professor Snape seemed quite agitated by this turn of events."

Wordlessly, I waved my wand, and the Resurrection Stone flew to me. I caught it with ease, turned the stone thrice, and called out "Dumbledore."

Just like before, Dumbledore's figure appeared before me, looking a little displeased with me. I guessed he was spending time with his family or something; maybe pissing off whoever was in charge by offering them lemon drops.

I almost grinned mischievously at the thought.

"Harry." Dumbledore said. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"That Fucker grabbed your wand from your tomb." I stated without preamble.

There was a long silence.

"Ah." Dumbledore nodded.

"That's it?" I sputtered out. "Just 'ah'? What's so important about that wand?"

"Tell me, Harry." Albus spoke. "Have you read 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard', particularly the Tale of the Three Brothers?"

The book title sounded familiar, but I couldn't really remember reading anything like that.

"No. Daphne, ever read 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard'?" I denied, before turning to Daphne.

Her eyes unfocused a tad, evidence of her searching through her memories for the answer to my question. She paled.

"The wand that He took is… that wand? The Elder Wand? It exists?" She said in shock, even though she could not see or hear Dumbledore like I could.

"I'm afraid so." Dumbledore said, looking straight at me.

"So wait, what's the deal with this wand— Elder, was it?" I said, feeling completely out of my depth here. "And please make it quick. This is really time sensitive."

"Suffice to say, that the wand I used to own is considered to be the most powerful wand in existence, called the Elder Wand. With it, the Resurrection Stone you currently hold, and the Cloak of Invisibility that belonged to your family, you would become the Master of Death."

Master of Death? My Cloak of Invisibility had something to do with Death?

"What, you mean like necromancy? I thought that was just a branch of magic." I asked curiously.

Erebus writhed in his sheath. "So it is true? The artifacts of Death itself are here on this mortal plane?"

"Indeed." Dumbledore said, not answering my question about necromancy.

If my Cloak was one of these artifacts, then why didn't Erebus detect it? Perhaps it was the Cloak's own nature that hid it from the senses of the Devil Arm. It made sense.

I decided it didn't really matter. I had to focus on my mission, and that was to find the Horcruxes, blow them up, and then kill Tom Riddle.

"Well, however interesting that sounds." I said. "I think I'll stick to being the Dragonslayer of Lightning. So, how much more powerful is He, now?"

"In my prime, I made it a point to test the limits of my acquired powers. With the Elder Wand, I was capable of increasing the effectiveness of my spells threefold." Dumbledore explained. "As for Tom… He was able to match me many times in my later years. I daresay he was at least my equal. His power would undoubtedly expand even further than it had before. You must defeat him before he masters the Elder Wand, or there is no hope."

I absorbed the information, and nodded seriously. "Thanks, old man."

"I would say it is my pleasure." Dumbledore outright glared; I did a double take. "But pulling me from the realm of the dead is quite painful, Harry. I would ask you to make use of the Resurrection Stone with great caution, if you require its power again."

"I'll—" I gulped. "I'll keep that in mind, Albus. Sorry."

"Good luck." The old dead wizard said, and faded from view.

"So That Fucker has the… Elder Wand." I said slowly, placing the Resurrection Stone in my mokeskin pouch and placing the pouch in one of my many cargo pockets. "You ready?"

"I am, but— what exactly are we doing?" Daphne replied as she followed me outside of the tent, cancelling her Silencing and Disillusionment spells. I said the password, and the tent began to disassemble and fold itself.

I glanced around the area. It was already night time, perfect for an infiltration mission.

"We're going to Hogwarts, of course. This is probably the best time to re-take the place." I said. "You know where the closest entrance to your Realm is, Erebus?"

"Hm, give me a moment." The sword clattered, before going silent. I waited.

"I can feel a strong collection of darkness about a mile to your right." Erebus said. "It is wise of you to have asked this of me."

"How come?" I replied curiously. "What would happen if I opened a Dark Rift right here?"

"Ah, you are laboring under the misconception that my Dark Realm encompasses all of the shadows on the Earth, and that my Rift simply opens a gateway to my realm. You are wrong." The dark blade explained. "The Dark Rift merely opens a Way into the Nevernever. If you were to open one here, I am sure you would reach a forest on the other side."

It was still really hard to grasp. In some ways, the Nevernever was really small, but in others, it was ridiculously huge. I honestly had no idea how large it all was. I could ask Mab, or something, but I would have to bargain with their lot.

That simply wasn't something I wished to do, at this time.

I heard the sound of a branch snapping, and instantly was on edge. I strained my ears, and my sense of smell, but there was nothing.

Night time was a good time for infiltration, but it was also a good time for an ambush. Did the Death Eaters already know where we are?

"Did you—" Daphne said, looking around as well.

"I heard it." I said, closed my eyes in concentration and reached out with a sliver of my power. It connected with the relatively fresh air (in comparison to the rest of the city). To the side, I could feel something; an animal, I thought as my power latched onto it.

An animal it definitely was. It was an alpha among alphas, an apex predator. It was aware of my attempts at scrying for it, merely sending me a mental image of a demonic wolf snarling in my face. The great beast lumbered forward into view, its body composed of powerful, gigantic muscle that took none of its speed away, instead enhancing it to frightening levels.

It was a loup-garou, and it looked hungry.

"Well, it's not Death Eaters, just an uninvited puppy we have to get rid of." Daphne said warily.

"How hard could that be?" I asked a bit hollowly, remembering the nightmare at the end of my Third Year, when Remus had turned into a loup-garou and almost killed every last one of us, if it wasn't for Dumbledore's interference.

Nonetheless, the Lightning suffused into my whole being, supercharging my body beyond its normal limits, strengthening my muscles and enhancing my nerves to better my capability at detecting attacks— just in time for the loup-garou to decide he wanted to make mincemeat out me.

I planted my foot on the tree next to me and launched myself off to the side, the loup-garou tearing through the tree— and a couple of others behind it— with as much ease as a fully grown, well-fed dragon would. Daphne launched a salvo of invisible blades of wind, hacking and slashing at the monstrous creature.

The spells were well aimed, and they hit true, digging deep into the loup-garou's muscle and tendons all the way to the bone.

It definitely was painful to the beast, as it gave out an ear piercing howl of pain at the sensations it endured at Daphne's care. It wasn't enough; almost instantly, its wounds began to sizzle as the flesh repaired itself with a speed I couldn't even fathom, beating even Clark's recovery speeds.

Daphne and I shared a glance, before peppering the monster with Blades of Wind and Lightning, knocking it over and wounding it as much as we can in the hopes that our combined effort would bring it down once and for all.

The monster bled, and bled, and bled. Soon, the ground began to turn red with the loup-garou's blood.

However, it was all in vain, as the loup-garou simply weathered our blows, getting back up with no injuries to show for it. The being's regenerative capabilities were beyond anything I had ever seen; a repeat of my encounter with Remus's loup-garou form.

Back then, Hermione had landed a Bombarda on the creature's face, and that merely served to incapacitate it for about two seconds before it came barreling right back at us with increased anger; if it wasn't for the presence of Dementors and the untimely arrival of Albus Dumbledore…

"Is it just me, or have we been subjected to that stupid Chinese curse? Dark Lords, Death Eaters, Vampires, Dragons, Werewolves…" Daphne exclaimed, panting.

Chinese curse?

I wracked my brain. "May you live in interesting times?" I tried to recall, the effort of maintaining such an attack having winded me; even if I were at a hundred percent, I knew such a creature would still give me a hard time, no matter what.

"Exactly that." The sound of a palm lightly impacting a face was heard, though the woman never took her eyes off of the monstrous creature. "Do you have any inherited silver weapon on you?"

"Nope." I said, unsheathing Erebus. "But I have a Devil Arm, I think that might count. Right?"

"It does." Erebus said calmly. "Provided you can actually strike such a creature. As Emperor of Darkness I have the ability to wound beings of Darkness, though mindless beasts such as these rarely listen to reason even when shown who is superior."

The loup-garou howled a sort of war cry, and steamrolled its way toward us, knocking trees and such aside as if they were made of paper mache. I could feel the earth shaking beneath its massive paws, the bloodlust in the air, and the savage brutality it was about to inflict on us.

Instead of running away from it, I met its charge with my own.

"What are you doing!?" Daphne asked incredulously, but kept her magic ready.

I didn't answer, running towards the large monster, leaping over it and twisting above its head as I channeled Lightning and swung the blade at the monster's exposed neck. The loup-garou tried to grab at me with its powerful, wicked arms, but was shackled in place, with only a gust of wind as an explanation to the beast's sudden immobilization.

Not that it even mattered, I mused as the Falchion cut through the beast's neck, cleaving its head from its shoulders in a single move, blood spraying everywhere, drenching me in it as I dropped into a roll, dirt and leaves clinging to my clothes and as the momentum of the loup-garou's charge carried it forward a few more meters before it stopped completely, its muscles spasming after its death.

And I had just taken a shower, too.