Authors Note: Hello all! Here's chapter 2, there are some minor differences between reality and this story in this chapter. Since there's already magic and an alien symbiote involved, however, I trust it won't be too much of a distraction for those who are able to notice what precisely those differences are. Although no one has asked this question, I want to talk about it, so thank you TotallyRealPersonWhoAskedAboutThis92. The title of the story is a reference to a few things, stylistically it's a cross between the title style of Venom comics and the Harry Potter books. Lethal Injection is a reference to, obviously, a lethal injection, but also to the title of the first ever Venom solo series 'Lethal Protector.' Not to mention that Venom has been 'injected' into the Harry Potter universe and the consequences will be quite lethal to many people. As for why I decided to make it so Harry can't cook: that's actually a fanon invention, in the books and movies the closest he gets is being asked to "watch the bacon" which is quite a long way from being forced to cook every meal. Not to mention he's hopeless at cooking during the Horcrux hunt. Also, in case anyone is wondering, the reason why "we" is always capitalised for Venom and Harry it's because, given that they are a gestalt entity, "we" for them is the same as "I" for a normal person. Meaning it has to be capitalised. In any case, onward!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Venom.
Harry and Dumbledore appeared on the doorstep of No. 4 Privet Drive with an almost inaudible popping sound. Harry couldn't help but wonder why Dumbledore's apparition was so much quieter than his own.
Probably because he's better at it than you. Venom offered, mock-scornfully.
That would make sense. Harry agreed placidly, ignoring his Other's attempt at irritating him. He had already learned that Venom enjoyed pushing his buttons.
Only because I can't push anyone else's. Besides, you're never a smart-arse to anyone, and I have to get my fix somehow.
It's rude to listen in on people's thoughts you know.
Weak, Harry, you'll have to do better than that. Their silent conversation was disrupted by Dumbledore's firm knocking upon the Dursley's door. Moments later, the sound of heavy footsteps approached from the other side of the door before it was wrenched open, and Vernon Dursley's purple face and bushy moustache appeared in the gap. It was a surprisingly intact face, given that the last time Harry had seen it he had slammed it into several walls and the floor of the Dursley's kitchen.
I guess magic must be able to heal a broken face. Venom offered the obvious solution to his host's unasked question, causing Harry to nod slightly in agreement. Uncle Vernon, meanwhile, had seen Dumbledore's rather eclectic attire and Harry's small hand grasped in the headmaster's own gnarled one, prompting a vein to begin throbbing violently in his left temple.
Despite his obvious rage, Vernon's voice was quiet, although oddly strained, as he spoke; "Ah, you found the… dear boy." He offered a very unconvincing smile to the pair, but didn't move to open the door further, or move out of what little space there was to enter the house.
"Indeed." Dumbledore's voice remained genial, but his eyes were hard behind his half-moon spectacles. "Perhaps you could stand aside so we may enter?" As he spoke, Harry noticed Dumbledore's long and knobbly wand had somehow appeared in his hand, despite the aged sorcerer making no visible movement to draw it. Vernon's face rapidly paled as he practically leapt aside, clearly more afraid of the wand than unwilling to allow Harry back into his home.
Looks like someone already had a bit of a chat with the Dursleys. Venom did little to try and disguise the glee in his deep voice.
Let's hope it was a memorable one. Harry thought back, with equal satisfaction. As often as Uncle Vernon bullied him, it was nice to finally see the man as the one cowed for a change, particularly at something so seemingly insignificant as a length of knotted wood. Once inside the Dursley home, Dumbledore swiftly ushered Harry and -through a piercing stare that brooked no argument- Uncle Vernon into the sitting room, where Aunt Petunia and Dudley already sat nervously. Once they were all inside, Dumbledore conjured himself another chair and directed Harry to sit in one of the pre-existing ones. Harry was amused to watch all three Dursleys jump at the appearance of Dumbledore's chair, but did his best to hide his grin while they squeezed themselves together on the sofa opposite.
"As you can see," Dumbledore began, raking his eyes across the people huddled together before him; "I was able to find and retrieve young Harry. However, after speaking with him, it has come to my attention that he is very unhappy with his living conditions here." Uncle Vernon made a move as if he wanted to stand and start yelling, but Dumbledore silenced him with a glance, light flashing in a surprisingly menacing fashion off his half-moon spectacles. Face now turning an unpleasant shade of greenish white, Uncle Vernon swiftly subsided back into the depths of the sofa. "I share Harry's opinion, and if he is to remain here, which I'm sure you all recall is very firmly within your best interests, then there will have to be changes made."
Piercing stares seemed to be something of a specialty for Dumbledore, and none of the Dursleys were a match for the intensity of his twinkling-blue-eyes. Seemingly satisfied that the Dursleys had been sufficiently cowed, the aged wizard began his list: "Firstly, Harry will not be given a greater share of chores than his cousin. Secondly, Harry will be given birthday presents." Uncle Vernon made again to speak but Dumbledore continued as if he hadn't noticed; "Any expense incurred is, I'm sure, far less than the cost to you should Harry cease to live here, and far less than Harry deserves. Thirdly, Harry will be moved into the spare bedroom, I trust I need not explain the reasoning behind this. And, finally, if I should hear of any mistreatment of Harry by you or any members of your family," he stared particularly hard at Uncle Vernon and Dudley, "then I will remove Harry from your home and place him with a wizarding family. At which point, I will, of course, have to give a statement to the wizarding press as to exactly why I felt the need to remove him and where he was living previously. Do we understand each other?" It was clear from Dumbledore's tone that there was only one answer to the question.
Damn! Did you hear Dumbledore just threatening them? He must have been really pissed about how they've been treating you! I like him already. Vicious glee seemed to be becoming something of a default for Venom.
The Dursleys looked as if they had all been force-fed a fistful of Sherbet Lemons, but as one they chorused: "Yes, we understand." Harry could see the blood vessel in Uncle Vernon's temple threatening to burst as it throbbed more violently than he had ever seen before, worse even than the time he caught Harry reading a fantasy book about wizards. If not for his fear of Dumbledore, Harry was sure the man would've been tearing chunks out of his moustache.
"Excellent." Dumbledore smiled, all trace of the hardened warlock disappearing behind his usual grand-fatherly demeanor. "Now, Harry, I would like you to have this." So saying, he held out a small length of chain with an odd symbol hanging from it, a triangle, within which was a circle, both bisected by a single vertical line. "If you have any need to contact me, you may simply hold this and say 'I wish to speak to Professor Dumbledore' and I will be in touch as soon as possible. Otherwise I shall be by for the first of our monthly lessons in a week, good night." Once Harry had accepted the necklace and placed it around his neck, Dumbledore nodded politely to the Dursleys, and swept from the room. Moments later they heard the front door open, then close, and then they were alone in No. 4 Privet Drive once more.
Immediately, Uncle Vernon advanced upon Harry, face its trademarked purple and fists clenched in rage, "HOW DARE YOU, BOY!? HOW DARE YOU TELL THAT, THAT MAN WE MISTREATED YOU!? WE FED YOU, CLOTHED YOU, HOUSED YOU! WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT?" His hands came up and began to tear great chunks from his walrus moustache as they had clearly been itching to do since Dumbledore and Harry first arrived outside the front door.
"New clothes? Toys? A proper bedroom? Not to be forced to do all the chores while your whale of a son does nothing? Protection from that whale's bullying?" Harry responded bitingly, completely unfazed by his uncle's anger. Now that he had Venom, he had nothing to fear from the small minded man's infantile fits of apoplectic fury. For a moment, Harry actually thought his uncle would try to hit him and he could feel Venom coiling inside him in preparation to cover him, but then the man seemed to deflate.
"We thought we could stomp that unnaturalness out of you. Save you from whatever wickedness your kind dabbles in. I still think we could've succeeded if we'd been stricter with you, but I can see it's too late now." Uncle Vernon seemed to crumple in on himself slightly, seeming much smaller, despite his immense girth. "Go. Go to Dudley's second bedroom, it's yours now. No Dudley! No arguments!" Dudley had begun to protest at his father's words, but Uncle Vernon would brook no dissention. The fury in his eyes quickly cowed his son into silent compliance, although it didn't stop the boy from glaring at Harry as if the smaller boy had somehow planned this.
With no reason to disobey his uncle's order, and, in fact, a very good reason to go somewhere the Dursleys couldn't interrupt: Harry left the room. As they walked from the silent sitting room, Venom muttered: Huh, that was certainly unexpected.
Tell me about it. Harry agreed fervently as he climbed the stairs to his new bedroom. My bedroom, that's going to take some getting used to. Harry thought to himself as he traipsed up the stairs. Upon arriving, he found a small bed had been placed in one corner of the room, with worn, but intact, sheets placed upon it. He went to sit on the bed, but turned back to lock the door first. It wouldn't do for the Dursleys to walk in and see what he was doing, he doubted any threats from Dumbledore would be enough to dissuade them should they find him talking to an alien who looked like a demon and appeared to be generated from his own body.
"We need to have a talk," Harry began, "if I'm going to let you stay, I need to know more about you, and about us."
"Wow, Harry, giving me 'the Talk' already? I had no idea your feelings for me were so serious." Venom teased.
"Please be serious Venom, this is important."
"Alright, alright." The symbiote's voice was heavy with false aggravation, but Harry could feel his Other's throbbing amusement in his mind. "My species are known as the Klyntar. We survive by bonding with a host organism, at least when we're in an oxygen rich atmosphere, because we lack a respiratory system to sustain us outside of a vacuum. We feed upon the chemical Phenylethylamine; found in the brains of myriad species, including yours in case you're wondering. If you don't find enough to sustain me, then I'll have to start snacking on your organs, but I can quickly heal them once We find some food. As well as any other injury or illness you might contract."
Harry was more than a little disturbed by the idea of Venom 'snacking' on his organs, but -before he could voice any of his complaints- the symbiote continued. "In return, I greatly augment your strength, speed, and durability, along with my shapeshifting and camouflage abilities. Not to mention you get the honour of my company."
Harry couldn't quite suppress a snort at 'honour' but ignored Venom's false indignation to ask a question of his new companion; "Camouflage?"
"Yes, Harry, it means I can change colour to blend in with my surroundings."
"I know what camouflage means, Venom!" Harry began indignantly, only to stop at feeling the symbiote's amusement at having gotten a rise out of his host. Rolling his eyes, he gestured for Venom to continue.
"As I was saying: I can change colour, shape, and texture, so you'll never need to wear actual clothes again. I can be any outfit We desire. Also, We can be functionally invisible if I match the colours of our surroundings, although that won't work very well if We're standing in the middle of a room, only if We're against something."
"Wait, you're saying you want me to go starkers?" Harry wasn't sure whether he was more shocked or horrified at the idea, but he was certain it wasn't one he liked.
"No," Venom corrected, "I'm saying you should just wear me instead. That way I can always augment your abilities somewhat, and you don't have to worry about tearing or otherwise damaging your clothes. Not to mention I'll be able to transform us into Venom faster in an emergency."
"I guess that makes sense," Harry was still reluctant, "but don't you have any weaknesses or anything? What if you fall asleep while I'm in class or something, and then I'm just standing there naked?"
"Sounds in the 4000 to 6000 Hz range are extremely harmful to me, they destabilise the telepathic matrix my species utilise to maintain our physical forms and bond with our hosts. I'm also very vulnerable to fire. I will not, however, fall asleep on you. I require less sleep than you, so if you're awake I certainly will be." Venom's voice was practically a hiss when he spoke of the harmful effects of sound and fire, obviously far too familiar with them for his liking.
"Sound and fire? That's not good! Especially since I'm guessing magic can very easily produce both." Harry sounded more than a little perturbed at discovering his partner was not, in fact, invincible.
"Hey, did you miss the long list of awesome powers I give you?" Venom sounded almost affronted that Harry had chosen to focus on his weaknesses rather than his strengths. "But," he conceded "it would be a good idea for us to figure out some way to counter them as quickly as possible."
"I'm sure there's some sort of magic to try and counter fire, after all everyone was trying to burn witches back in the middle ages. So, it'd make sense they'd have some way around that." Harry was overcome by the brilliance of his idea, glad to have found a solution to their problem so quickly and easily.
"Yes," Venom said slowly, considering the proposition; "but whatever magic they have is probably designed to work on the person casting it, We have no way of knowing whether that would work to protect me too." Harry deflated as Venom pointed out the obvious flaw in his suggestion: perhaps his idea had not been as perfect as he'd first thought. "I suggest We focus on learning to counter fire indirectly, such as by putting it out with water. If We're able to learn how to surround ourselves in an orb of water, or something like that, then We'd never have to worry about fire!" Harry wasn't sure whether Venom sounded more excited about having a solution to the fire problem, or by the prospect of fighting from within a giant orb of water, but it was clear the symbiote was quite taken with it's suggestion.
Harry was about to nod in agreement, before a small piece of information fluttered up from the depths of his memory to stymie this suggestion too: "But doesn't sound travel much better through water? I saw something about it on a whale documentary once when the Dursleys were out for Dudley's birthday, it's how whales communicate across the ocean."
"Why the fuck were you watching a documentary about whales? You're only ten!" Venom asked incredulously wondering at his host's odd taste in entertainment, and also not wanting to accept that his 'orb of water' idea wasn't going to work.
"I was too surprised to see Dudley on the telly to think to change the channel." Harry shot back, causing Venom to hiss out a short laugh.
"I suppose you're right in any case, water's less than ideal. Any other ideas?"
"Maybe there are spells that work to counter sound as well? I know it's not perfect, because We'll have to learn water spells and sound suppression magic, but it's better that than having such easily exploitable weaknesses."
"Sounds good to me, Harry. One small problem though."
"What?"
"Do you have any idea how to learn any of this?"
"Ah. No. No I do not." Harry had to admit, running a sheepish hand through his messy ebony hair. He took a moment to try and think through the rather large obstacle Venom had pointed out, but his mind had started to become slow and unresponsive with fatigue. Eventually, he suggested: "We could try asking Dumbledore?"
"I don't know. I wouldn't want to make him too suspicious, especially since there's no guarantee he'd actually be willing to teach us." Venom's reluctance was clear to see, even on his alien features. Assuming one could look past the seemingly innumerable dagger like fangs lining his jaws that is.
"Maybe we could find some books? It's not like it's forbidden, is it?" Harry suggested after a few moments silent contemplation.
"No, but where do you propose we find books on magic? I doubt the library has anything."
"There must be somewhere to buy magic books, how else would everyone get them?"
"I suppose, and We can probably ask Dumbledore about that."
"So, what do We do until our first lesson?" Harry was asking mostly rhetorically, but Venom had an answer regardless.
"We practice what We can already: our physical abilities." The symbiote said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "We're going to need to be in top fighting form, particularly since We still need to feed. Not to mention We need to figure out a way to stop the disappearances from being traced back to us."
"Disappearances?" Harry was reasonably sure he knew what Venom was talking about, but asked anyway in the hope that he might be mistaken.
"Unless you want the authorities to find a series of headless bodies, yes." The symbiote's voice was far too calm for someone discussing disposing of human corpses.
"Does the chemical have to come from human brains?" Harry asked, desperate for some way to postpone human decapitations: it was far from an enjoyable experience in his -thankfully limited- experience.
"Hypothetically, no, I suppose. We could eat the brains of other creatures, but it would need to be something big." Clearly, the symbiote was less than enthusiastic about this proposed alternative.
"Would deer work? We could practice our skills at the same time; hunting them down and killing them." Harry was more than a touch pleased with himself for his brilliant suggestion.
"Alright," Venom groaned with a long suffering sigh that hissed between his dagger-like fangs, "but, if We find someone doing something evil, like attempting murder, then We get to eat them?"
"Yes, Venom, then We eat them." Harry agreed wearily, fervently hoping that they would find no such person. Harry blinked and found it a surprising struggle to force his eyes back open, he was suddenly feeling more tired than he could ever remember in his life, the events of the day finally catching up with him. The room seemed to sway before him as his eyelids weighed heavily on his itching eyes, his mind felt even slower and clumsier than before, and his hands and feet seemed to be moving through water; sluggish and oddly unresponsive to his commands. Distantly, Harry felt Venom's tendril disappearing as he pulled off his clothes with fumbling fingers, leaving them in a heap on the floor, and slipped into bed. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.
Albus Dumbledore seated himself heavily in the ornate chair behind his imposing desk, turning it so he could gaze out over the starlit grounds of Hogwarts. The pale luminance of the full moon was reflected by the icy waters of the Great Lake, lighting the willows that dotted its banks with a solemn silver radiance. The elderly sorcerer's mind was far from the beauty of the school he was so honoured to call his home, however, it was instead focused on a dark haired boy with piercing eyes. In many ways, the boy reminded him of the pale boy he had met in a muggle orphanage so many long years ago, but, in many others, the two could not be more different. Where Tom had been cold and calculating, Harry was fiery and a little brash. Where Tom had coveted power, used it to oppress and punish his former tormentors, Harry had used it to protect himself and escape.
Still, the boy's attempted manipulation, for Dumbledore had spent far too many years teaching young witches and wizards to fail to recognise the boy's request to learn occlumency for what it was, was worrying. It was precisely the sort of thing young Tom Riddle might have attempted, but, at the same time, he couldn't help think James Potter would've been more than willing to do the same. The only difference being that James would have sought to learn to better his pranks, and Tom to increase his power and control. To what end would Harry turn his knowledge? Unfortunately it was a question without answer, only time would tell whether Harry's interest in mind magic was for good or ill, particularly when combined with his obvious love for combat magic.
Although that could easily be chalked up to his mother, who had been a duelling champion before being forced into hiding by Voldemort. Dumbledore could remember more than one pureblood ending up in the hospital wing for disparaging her 'inferior' birth. Alas, the prophecy, that damned prophecy, weighed heavily on his tired mind: And the Dark Lord shall mark him as his equal, it said, but what did that mean? An equal in power? Conviction? Evil? Could Harry Potter be destined to be the new Lord Voldemort? An equal to that monster in depravity as well as strength? From his perch, Fawkes let out a soothing snatch of Phoenix song, the melody serving as a balm to his wariness and weariness both.
"Thank you, old friend." Dumbledore told the phoenix, gratefully. All that could be done was to wait and see: that was a large part of why he had agreed to the boy's request to learn Occlumency. Not to mention the boy would someday have to face Lord Voldemort, a little training before the boy knew to recognise it would not go awry. Particularly when there were new threats to consider, as well as old. Dumbledore's piercing blue gaze drifted to the sealed cupboard, wherein dwelt the creature. It was intelligent, that much he knew. Jameson's ramblings after the creature had been separated from him were almost incomprehensible, but the creature's will had been easily discernible.
"It needs to feed!" The man had whispered, huddled and shaking on the ground. "So hungry. So ravenous! It's going to devour us all. It's going to bring more! I saw them. I saw them in my head, an endless tide of multicoloured monsters, all hungering. It's going to find them and bring them back here!" Dumbledore had been forced to stun the man for his own safety, so disturbed had his rantings become. He'd had to remove the memories as well, no Muggle could be allowed to see and know what that man had known. This way Jameson could live a normal life rather than being haunted by an alien monster, left shaking in a mental asylum until the end of his days.
With a flick of his wand, Dumbledore sealed the entrance to his office. It wouldn't do for anyone else to discover what Lucius Malfoy had- and there was another worry for the endless list: Malfoy. Even in his time as a student the man had been problematic, always scheming and manipulating, his drawling voice inciting more violence than Dumbledore cared to recall. Violence both directed at the drawling boy, and toward those he and his lackeys derided as being of 'lesser stock.' The boy and his compatriots had been common victims of Lily's righteous temper, despite being several years older than the fiery witch. Dumbledore had suspected the man of supporting Voldemort before he even left Hogwarts, doubtless introduced to him through his father, perhaps when Abraxas Malfoy had been hosting the monster. Indeed, the aged headmaster could think of few individuals he would less liked to have discovered the alien creature, even if the man had only seen it, and not learned anything of its powers.
The man was smart enough to know the creature was dangerous; both from how it had been contained, and from Moody's reaction when he and Dumbledore had returned from the pensieve. Alas, there was nothing he could do directly to combat the threat posed by Malfoy's ill-gotten knowledge, and, at least, Dumbledore was fairly certain Lucius would be unwilling to share his discovery with anyone. The man was far too fond of hoarding knowledge and power to part with his unique information, particularly when he did not yet know it's true worth. All Dumbledore could do was to try and ensure the man did not learn enough to be able to discern just how valuable his unfortunate discovery was, particularly if his plan to draw out Voldemort was a success.
With another flick of his wand, Dumbledore summoned the creature's stasis bubble from within the cabinet. Once it was hanging over his desk once more, Dumbledore settled deeper into his chair watching the silver alien flow around and around, questing, searching for some way out of it's invisible prison. For a moment he considered attempting to enter the creature's mind, but how to do so when it seemed to have no eyes? The only possible solution would be to allow the creature to bond with a new host, but that would require allowing the monster another attempt to complete it's mission. Far too great a risk to be borne.
With a sigh Dumbledore settled back into his chair, resigning himself to another night of fruitless study as he attempted to puzzle out the mysteries of the monster he had found. The only useful information he had been able to glean from Jameson before he had obliviated the man had been the creature's name. A most apt name at that, for if the creature was ever made known to the wider wizarding world it would doubtless result in the creature's namesake, a monster of this magnitude would indeed spark a Riot. One that would consume the order he had so carefully nurtured in the wizarding world ever since his fateful battle with his lost love, Gellert. An order that Tom Riddle had already sought to destroy once, and this alien creature threatened to banish forever.
Grimly, Dumbledore settled himself in for another sleepless night of examination, he could not allow this creature to be unleashed upon the world, nor could he afford to destroy it. Not until he was able to figure out an effective way to destroy them, preferably without sacrificing their host. His inquiries had swiftly yielded the location of the second half of the ruined spaceship that had crashed on the Hogwarts grounds, but with the news had come the revelation that no alien creatures had been discovered aboard.
The disappearance of the other creatures was worrying, and infuriating. Dumbledore had no way to ascertain what, precisely, had happened to Riot's companions. Perhaps they had fallen out of the ship and burned up harmlessly in the atmosphere? Or, perchance, had they fallen out once the ship was close enough to ground for them to survive the fall? If they had not been destroyed, where were they now? Were the beasts still trapped within their containment tanks? Or had one or more of them managed to escape and bond with a host? In some ways that would almost be preferable, at least if the creatures had found hosts they would swiftly reveal themselves by their trail of destruction. But what if the creatures had been found by someone?
Dumbledore could think of several organisations that could cause untold destruction should one of the aliens fall into their possession. The Department of Mysteries for one, the followers of Voldemort to name another, and if Voldemort himself were ever to learn of the creatures? A shudder overtook Dumbledore as the thought of Lord Voldemort with the physical power of the aliens to augment his formidable magical abilities swept through his mind. He would be all but unstoppable. Tearing himself from his increasingly morbid contemplations, Dumbledore decided that, perhaps, he should contact his old friend Nicolas? His matchless experience and knowledge could provide some new insight on the issue of the alien creature, and it would be best to go over the plan surrounding the Sorcerer's Stone once more.
Harry awoke the next morning to Uncle Vernon's face, far, far too close to his own, with a horribly enormous smile stretching across it. It almost looked as if it had been carved into the obese man's face, the smile was so wide, and it made Harry exceedingly nervous. The smile didn't look happy, it looked completely insane.
Do you think everything that happened last night has finally caused him to snap? He silently asked his Other as he did his best to back away from his uncle's smile.
Your guess is as good as mine, it's not like he can hurt us anyway. Venom seemed unperturbed by Vernon's apparent insanity.
I guess, doesn't stop it being really creepy though. Venom only grunted in agreement as Uncle Vernon began to speak.
"Wake up, Harry my boy, we just won a grand prize draw, and we've decided to take a holiday to the Valley of the Kings celebrate!" Uncle Vernon's horrible cheer was as evident in his voice as in his rictus smile, and the very sound made Harry's skin crawl. Although he supposed that could have just been Venom shifting.
"I guess you're leaving me with Mrs. Figg then, are you?" Harry didn't have to work too hard to sound dejected, as much as he disliked the Dursleys, an extended stay with Mrs. Figg was almost certainly worse.
Uncle Vernon guffawed violently, it sounded as if he was in the process of being stabbed to death in a back alley, "Of course not, my boy!" He boomed, "you need to pack! You're coming with us after all!" Now Harry knew there was something wrong, Uncle Vernon was acting happy, and the Dursleys were planning to take Harry on holiday with them. This was about as far from normal as he could possibly imagine, and that was including the fact that he was a wizard bonded with a symbiotic brain-eating alien.
"Uh… When are we leaving, Uncle Vernon?" Harry asked slowly, still off-balance from the unexpected circumstances of his awakening, and the brevity of his sleep.
"15 minutes, Harry, so you'd better pack quick!" Then he guffawed violently again, before clapping Harry on the back and stomping out of the room, rictus grin still firmly in place on his fat face.
Glancing out the window, Harry could just see the first golden fingers of dawn beginning to poke through the darkness. He couldn't imagine Dudley would be happy about being awoken before daybreak, especially on his birthday. Resigning himself to a long car-trip with a tired and irate Dudley, Harry began to collect his few belongings into a bag, preparing himself for whatever awaited on this impromptu trip.
Do you not think this is more than a bit weird? Venom asked unexpectedly as Harry was attempting to stuff some of his clothes into the ratty rucksack he used for school.
What do you mean?
Your uncle just woke us up before dawn and told us everyone is going on an unexpected holiday to the Valley of the Kings. That doesn't strike you as a little odd? Not to mention the psychotic smile he had plastered on his face. Venom's voice sounded tense, despite his earlier assurances that Vernon was essentially harmless.
I mean, yeah, it's strange, Harry conceded, but I honestly think yesterday might just have been too much for him. I think he might have snapped. It would certainly explain the smile, and disturbing laughter.
And you're saying your uncle having lost his mind isn't something We should be concerned about? The incredulity was readily apparent in Venom's tone.
Like you said, it's not as if he could do anything to us, is it? Besides, you saw how scared he was of Dumbledore, he'd never try anything against us if he thought Dumbledore would turn him into a toad or something. Harry offered with a shrug.
I suppose not. Venom said, somewhat mollified by Harry's explanation. Now, why don't I do the packing? It'll be a lot faster. Without waiting for a reply Venom covered Harry faster than he could blink, clothing him in a pair of dark jeans, a black t-shirt, and white trainers. An instant later, symbiote tendrils erupted from his new outfit and snagged every item Harry had yet to throw into his bag before swiftly placing them inside and closing the zipper. The tendrils then grasped the bag and brought it flying to Harry's outstretched hand.
Nice! Harry thought, impressed.
Thank you, thank you. Venom replied, with mock pomposity.
A minute later, the duo were standing in the Dursley's sitting room, where they found a pale and slightly scared looking Petunia sitting stiffly in an armchair drinking tea. Clearly, she found Vernon's behaviour as unsettling as Harry and Venom did. Harry nodded to her as he entered, and she inclined her head stiffly in return. She was obviously uncomfortable, although whether it was with Harry's now revealed magic or her husband's behaviour, Harry didn't know. It was several minutes before Uncle Vernon and Dudley came stomping down the stairs, Dudley rubbing furiously at his bloodshot eyes, and Uncle Vernon still bearing his manic grin. Harry could tell Dudley was still nowhere near awake -having probably stayed up late last night blowing up aliens on his computer- but he knew as soon as he was coherent enough, the tantrum would begin.
"Everyone into the car!" Vernon boomed with the same insane joviality that had marked him since Harry had awoken. Slowly, tiredly, Aunt Petunia, Harry, and Dudley all shuffled their way out to the car, blinking in the dawn light and rubbing their hands together to stave off the early morning chill. Uncle Vernon, meanwhile, strolled out to the car as if nothing could make him happier, cheerfully carrying all their bags and depositing them in the boot, even whistling a cheery air as he slammed the boot closed and climbed into the driver's seat. Moments later, they were out of the driveway trundling down the deserted morning streets toward Heathrow.
Uncle Vernon's horrible cheer hadn't abated, but he made no effort at conversation as they drove, he didn't even rant about the neighbour with his sprinklers on. The other occupants of the car were also silent, although from a mix of tiredness, fear, and confusion, rather than whatever manic glee had overtaken the Dursley patriarch. Dudley had thankfully drifted off against the car door within moments of entering the car, so they were at least spared his whines about the early hour of their awakening for a little while. Harry doubted traveling to the Valley of the Kings was very high on Dudley's list of desires, so it was unlikely the explanation for his rousing at the crack of dawn would do anything to mollify him. Their luck held until they were within sight of the airport, when Dudley finally woke up.
"Why do we have to be up so early?" Dudley wailed, screwing up his face and pretending to cry. "I haven't even had breakfast yet!" He said this last as if talking about the brutal murder of a kennel full of puppies.
"Not to worry, son!" Uncle Vernon boomed heartily, "We'll be able to get plenty to eat at the airport while we wait for our flight!"
"When exactly is our flight, Uncle Vernon?" Harry asked, quietly.
"No idea!" Uncle Vernon responded cheerily, "We'll find out when we buy the tickets at the airport!" The other occupants of the car exchanged distressed looks hearing this, even Dudley seemed to realise that something was seriously wrong with his father.
Yeahhh… Venom said slowly, he's definitely lost his marbles.
"We don't even know when we're leaving!?" Dudley was outraged. "Why couldn't we have woken up later then!? Why couldn't I have had some breakfast!?"
For the first time, Uncle Vernon's manic cheer seemed to crack a little bit, "No arguments!" The horrible smile stayed firmly ensconced upon his face as he said "We're all going to have a wonderful holiday together in the valley! Think of it as our chance to make-up for all the years we spent trying to rid Harry of his… gifts."
Ok, now I'm nervous, Harry thought, Uncle Vernon just described magic as a 'gift' there's definitely something wrong here.
Oh so NOW you think there's something going on? Venom did little to conceal his infuriating smugness.
I thought there was something going on earlier, I just didn't think it was anything to be worried about. Harry objected.
I guess what I said earlier is still true, even if he is planning on trying something it's not as if he has any hope of actually harming us. Venom admitted.
So… just go with it then?
Sure, who knows? It could be fun. Shrugging, Harry followed the Dursleys into Heathrow.
Once inside, Uncle Vernon quickly made his way over to an airline desk and spoke to the tired looking woman sitting behind the desk. "Four tickets on your next flight to Luxor, please." His awful good cheer was still firmly in place, and the woman looked as disturbed by it as Harry felt.
"Luxor? Of course, Sir." The woman began typing away swiftly on her keyboard, staring intently at the monitor of her computer. After a few moments, she looked back up with a professionally blank smile upon her face, "Our next available flight with four free seats would be in four hours, Sir. Would that be acceptable?"
"Perfectly, perfectly!" Uncle Vernon assured her jovially as he handed over his credit card.
"Um, Vernon, dear." Aunt Petunia started hesitantly, as if afraid her husband would suddenly snap at the slightest provocation, "Why are we going to Luxor specifically? Why not go to one of the larger cities?"
"I've heard they have the most wonderful tombs in the valley, dear, and Luxor is the closest." Vernon assured her with the same unbalanced cheer he had been displaying all day. "I thought the boys might like to see it." Here he gave Aunt Petunia a meaningful look, his rictus smile disappearing for an instant for the first time since he had woken them all.
So whatever he's planned has something to do with these tombs. Harry mused.
What do you think? Planning on trying to push us into a trap pit or something? Venom offered.
No! Of course not, I may not like Uncle Vernon, but he's not a murderer. He wouldn't try to kill a child, especially not his own nephew. Harry was horrified Venom could even think that.
Then what do you think his plan is? Venom asked, somewhat surprised by Harry's vehemence.
Venom, this is the guy that thought he could somehow stamp the magic out of me by insisting it didn't exist every time I mentioned something that could possibly be construed as magic. I really don't think We're going to be able to figure out anything going on inside his head.
Construed? Where the fuck did you learn the word 'construed?' Venom was momentarily side-tracked.
One of the only places I could hide from Dudley was in the library, so I ended up reading a lot. Harry explained.
Anyway, it seems like you're right. All we can do is wait and see, I suppose. Venom gave a resigned sigh as the pair tuned back into the conversation outside of their shared head.
Uncle Vernon was ushering his family toward security, tickets clutched tightly in one ham-like fist. Harry quickly hefted his bag and set off after them, even if he was certain his Uncle wouldn't try to directly kill him, he wouldn't put it past the man to 'accidentally' lose him in the hustle and bustle of Heathrow.
They walked through the sparse security with little issue, despite Dudley's constant complaints, and, once within the airport proper, immediately headed toward the restaurant which served the greatest array of unhealthy foods for the male Dursleys to stuff their faces with. Aunt Petunia, for her part, merely picked at her food, throwing concerned looks at her husband, and surprisingly at Harry. Although that might have been a result of his eating as much as Dudley. Venom had assured him that the intense and omnipresent hunger was completely normal for a host, but Aunt Petunia had no way of knowing that, so it was understandable she would be unsettled by Harry's suddenly voracious appetite. Once the group had finished gorging themselves, they walked to their gate to wait the three hours until they could board their flight to Luxor.
"This is boring!" Dudley moaned, a full five minutes after they had sat down. Harry had to admit he was impressed with the other boy's restraint: he had expected him to start complaining within the first 50 seconds. Perhaps he was more unsettled by his father's strange behaviour than Harry had thought?
"Tell you what Diddums," Aunt Petunia began quickly, obviously trying to stave off a full meltdown in the middle of the terminal. "Why don't I take you to visit the shops and we can buy you some nice presents to keep you occupied. How does that sound, Popkiss?" Dudley screwed his face up, as if in great pain. Harry knew enough to recognise his cousin was thinking.
"Oh, all right then." He finally agreed, still looking surly, but somewhat mollified by the prospect of his parents buying him even more things he could break or discard within a week of receiving them. With that potential crisis averted, Aunt Petunia and Dudley set off to peruse the airport's many shops leaving Harry alone with Uncle Vernon, who still bore his manic grin. Harry wondered idly how the man's face was not in agony from holding the smile so long, particularly when it wasn't an expression often found under the man's moustache. What's more, he was staring at Harry intently with his piggy little eyes, a disturbing glint in the depths of his pupils. It made Harry uneasy.
"So," Harry said eventually, desperate for anything to try and break the exceedingly awkward silence that had grown up between him and his uncle. "I think I'm just going to go to the loo, I'll be back in a minute." So saying, he quickly got to his feet and made his way toward the sign marking the entrance to the men's toilets. Even if he didn't particularly need to go, it was better than being alone with his Uncle and the man's dubious sanity. Entering the toilet, he found he was the only occupant, other than a tall and scruffy looking man with an untidy beard; it looked less as if had deliberately grown it, than as if he simply hadn't bothered to shave his face in a few days.
The man's eyes were bloodshot, and even from across the room Harry could smell the reek of cheap whiskey wafting from him. He had clearly indulged in more than a little of the duty free alcohol on offer in the airport. As soon as he entered, the man's eyes fixed on him, although they drifted slightly every few seconds as the man struggled to force his alcohol addled eyes to obey his commands. Something about the way the man was standing set off instant alarm bells in Harry's head, it was strangely similar to how Dudley stood when he was about to lash out at him, but different somehow. For a moment, Harry considered turning around and walking back out of the bathroom, but then he heard the sound of another boy from outside the bathroom.
"Pleaaase, Mum? Can't I just go into the men's on my own instead? I don't want to go into the girl's toilet!" The boy couldn't be older than 5 from the sound of his voice, and Harry immediately decided to stay, just to make sure the man didn't try anything when alone with the younger boy. Mind made up, he walked past the man toward the urinals at the other end of the bathroom, but, just as he passed between the man and the first of the cubicles, he felt an arm fasten tight around his neck and he was yanked into the nearest stall. The smell of whiskey became overpowering as the man pressed himself tight against Harry in the tiny space of the cubicle, his hand clamped firmly over Harry's mouth, preventing any noise.
"You're going to be a good little boy and take this, for being such a little tease. You know you want it, you all do really!" The man hissed into Harry's ear, his voice slurring as a result of his drunkenness. Harry felt the panic growing inside him, he knew what was about to happen and he struggled desperately against the man's grip, trying to free himself and get away from the monster holding him. To Harry's surprise, he tore the man's arm away from his throat with ease, feeling more than hearing the bones in his assailant's arm snapping under his grip and the man's hand slamming into the wall hard enough to leave a hole in the plaster. Harry stared at his hands in disbelief for a moment before a familiar and very welcome voice made him realise precisely what had happened.
So, Harry, this man counts as 'bad,' right? Venom asked casually, although Harry could tell he was doing his best to soothe his host's terror-induced panic.
Venom! Harry almost sobbed in relief as he remembered his companion, Yes! He thought viciously once he had regained a measure of self control, Eat Him.
In an instant, Harry's clothes shifted and darkened, turning black with silvery veins and covering his entire body as he grew a full fourteen-inches, leaving his would-be assailant pinned against the side of the stall by his massive back. Harry felt Venom do something he couldn't explain, despite sharing a body, and suddenly he was facing the back wall, Venom having somehow shifted their body around in place without turning. The man's eyes widened in horror as he saw exactly what his victim had suddenly transformed into. He began struggling frantically, trying to escape from the monster that filled up the tiny cubicle. His arm, bent at nearly ninety degrees from just below his elbow, flapped uselessly against the wall as he tried to free himself from Venom's grip.
Leaning forward, Venom spoke, "And what, exactly, were you planning to do with us, little man?"
"I-I, oh God, please someone help me!" The man sobbed, redoubling his attempts to escape at seeing Venom's fang filled maw.
"Why would God want to help a despicable piece of subhuman slime like you?" Venom scoffed cruelly. "We would love to make you suffer as all your victims have, but We wouldn't want to traumatise that little boy who's going to come in here any second. So, We're just going to eat you."
"Eat-" The man began, before screaming as Venom's mouth opened horribly wide. A sickening groaning and crunching of splintering bone echoed through the room, and a moment later Harry stepped out of the cubicle, leaving behind no sign the man had ever even been there. He was still breathing hard, and despite himself he could feel tears pricking at the corners of his eyes, if he didn't have Venom-
Hey, Venom interrupted his thoughts sternly, you do have me. You will always have me, We will never be separated. No one will ever hurt us, I promise. Venom's voice still held it's ominous quality, but Harry could hear the symbiote was trying his best to be comforting, and that, more than anything else, helped him start to calm down. He had someone who cared about him now, someone who would be with him, always, to protect him. No, better yet, to help him protect himself.
Thanks, Venom. Harry told his symbiotic Other gratefully, once he had calmed himself. Before he could say more, the 5 year old that had precipitated the altercation between Harry and the would-be rapist wandered into the bathroom. The boy was small, as was to be expected, with mousy blonde hair and wide brown eyes, giving him a permanently surprised expression. His most prominent feature, however, was an extraordinarily prominent cleft chin, it stuck out so far it almost looked as if his face had grown buttocks.
Wow, Venom said after a moment. That kid isn't cute at all. Couldn't the child we just saved at least have the decency to be adorable? Whether it was Venom's blunt remark or the remaining stress after his ordeal, Harry didn't know, but he burst out laughing. He tried desperately to contain himself; but the sensation was too much, he doubled over clutching his aching stomach as he laughed and laughed uncontrollably. Harry could feel something of the terror and panic leaving him through his laughter; it wasn't really mirth, but it was a release, a release he desperately needed. For his part, the big-chinned boy stared at Harry as if he had lost his mind, before shrugging slightly and walking into one of the other stalls, giving the apparently insane laughing boy a wide berth as he did so. Once he had managed to regain control of himself, Harry walked over to the sink and washed his hands under the scalding hot water, as if the heat could scour his memories as well as his reddening skin.
So, Harry, are people just really awful? Or do you have the worst luck in history? I mean, We've only been together a day and We've already been attacked by human traffickers and a pedophile. Harry gave off a soft laugh, appreciating Venom's attempt at cheering him up.
I think I just have terrible luck, Venom, hopefully being attacked won't become a habit for us. Venom gave a laugh of his own.
Wouldn't count on that Harry, between your luck and your apparent 'saving people thing,' We're probably never going to have problems finding people to snack on.
I suppose that is one positive to the situation at least. Harry admitted ruefully as he finished washing his hands and crossed over to the paper towels. Within moments he had completed his ablutions and exited the toilet, heading toward his Uncle. He was unsurprised to find the portly man hadn't moved during his short absence, content to bury his face behind his newspaper. Harry was surprised, however, to find that his aunt and cousin had returned, the latter clasping a set of expensive looking toys in his fat hands. His aunt was leaning close to his uncle, and it was obvious the two were having a hushed and vehement conversation of some sort or another, although Harry was too far away to hear anything. Upon catching sight of him, Aunt Petunia immediately straightened, as if feeling guilty at being caught in her clandestine conference. Whatever they had been talking about, it was not something they wanted him to overhear.
What's the betting they were talking about us? Venom asked sardonically.
That's a fool's bet and you know it, Venom, besides, you're in my head, what could you possibly bet? Harry was honestly curious.
Well… Before Venom could continue, however, Uncle Vernon had folded his newspaper and beckoned Harry toward him, his disturbing grin firmly affixed beneath his walrus moustache.
"Ah, Harry," his uncle began, "so good you could join us."
"I was only in the toilet, Uncle Vernon." Harry said slowly, still unsettled by his uncle's new pleasant demeanor.
"I know that, Harry." The pleasant demeanor slipped for a moment, before reasserting itself. "Now come sit down next to us, we have a bit of a wait before our flight leaves." He chortled as if he had made some excellent joke. Harry resisted the urge to question why, if they had a long wait, it was so imperative he sit next to his family? It was fairly obvious that his Uncle's grasp on sanity was tenuous at best at present, and it probably wasn't worth the trouble of risking tipping him off the edge. Settling himself down into the uncomfortable plastic seat, Harry contented himself to wait the hours remaining until he and the Dursleys could board their flight to Luxor. Harry was more than used to having to pass the hours with little stimulation inside his cupboard, so doing so in a bustling airport was practically a pleasure, particularly with Venom's rather colourful commentary.
Ooh how about that girl? The symbiote asked enthusiastically, indicating a pretty blonde teenager, who's prodigious bust strained the fabric of her violently pink t-shirt, with a mental prod. She looks delicious!
Venom, what did I say about eating innocent people? Harry was already growing tired of this argument.
Who said I was talking about her brain, Harry? Harry's cheeks flushed immediately as he understood what Venom was insinuating. Young he may have been, but he had recently begun to notice girls in a way quite different from how he had previously, and he had heard enough to realise, roughly, what Venom was hinting at.
Venom! He hissed internally, only prompting the symbiote to snicker.
What? Am I corrupting your poor innocent ears, Harry?
Shut up, or I'll not steal any of Dudley's chocolate during the flight. Venom had been quick to discover the presence of Phenylethylamine in chocolate, and Harry had been just as quick to discover his bonded's weakness for the sweet.
You're a very cruel boy, young Mr. Potter. Venom sulked.
Deal with it, Gooey. Despite his words, Harry couldn't stop the smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
Gooey? Really? Come now, Harry, I expect better from you than that. Venom's voice was equally amused.
Don't make me break out the 'P' word.
You wouldn't dare!
Watch me. The highly amusing exchange was interrupted, much to the annoyance of both participants, by Dudley's resumed whining.
"Muuum! How long until our flight leaves? It's boring, sitting here doing nothing!" The young boy's high pitched whinging pierced the hustle and bustle of the airport terminal, and more than one head turned to glare reproachfully at Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia for failing to control their obese offspring's onerous outburst.
"We have to wait for our plane to be ready, Dinky Diddy Dums." Aunt Petunia informed her enormous son, her tone sweet enough to make Harry want to retch. A young girl, with bushy brown hair, sitting across from them gave a slight snort at hearing Dudley's nickname, prompting the fat boy to shoot her a glare. The girl ducked her head slightly, more to hide her smile than in response to Dudley's look, but Harry managed to catch her eye and give her a slight wink prompting her to dissolve into a fit of giggles. Harry noted, idly, that she had slightly larger than average front teeth, although they did little to detract from her overall cuteness. Frowning slightly, Harry shook his head, where had that thought come from?
Aww, that's nice, little Harry is growing up. Venom teased.
Shut up. Was Harry's mature riposte.
Dudley, meanwhile, had not ceased his complaints: "Why couldn't we have got a flight that left sooner?" He moaned.
"This was the earliest flight they had, Diddums." The girl across from them suppressed another giggle with apparent difficulty. Dudley tried to shoot her another glare, but was now being smothered in a hug by his mother and couldn't quite force his fat features to the expression. Before the highly amusing interaction could continue any further, the girl's parents, a tall serious-looking dark-haired man with square spectacles and a bushy-brown-haired woman of average height, appeared to collect their daughter and take her aboard their flight. Glancing at the board nearby, Harry saw that the plane currently docked at their gate was bound for the south of France. As her parents drew her away, the girl gave Harry a shy wave goodbye which he happily returned, despite Dudley's sneer.
Once his mother had released him, Dudley decided to try and get some revenge on his smug cousin for joining in his humiliation. Balling up a meaty fist, he sent it crashing toward his cousin's ribs as he had so many times before. The fist impacted with a dull thud, followed immediately by a high-pitched yelp of pain. It wasn't Harry who cried out, however, and Dudley was left cradling his aching hand after it impacted his cousin's suddenly iron-hard torso. Dudley could feel tears pricking at the corners of his eyes, although from rage or pain he wasn't quite sure.
How dare his weakling of a cousin hurt him when all he was trying to do was punch him in the ribs, completely unprovoked? The worst of it was he couldn't even ask his parents to get his cousin in trouble, because that would involve admitting to Harry that he had somehow managed to hurt him, something Dudley's juvenile pride would never permit. He contented himself with glaring hotly at his -now even more smug-looking- cousin, and trying to figure out some other way to get his revenge if physical violence wouldn't work. Harry, for his part, simply ignored Dudley's antics and settled himself down to wait the few hours remaining until they boarded their flight.
So the hours passed, with Harry sitting quietly and conversing with Venom. Dudley complaining and, whenever he forgot what had happened last time, trying to hit Harry. Uncle Vernon working his way steadily through a series of newspapers, and Aunt Petunia alternating between pandering to her spoilt son, and using her abnormally-long neck to spy on everyone else in the terminal.
Finally, after what seemed, even to Harry, like an eternity, the call finally came for their flight to board, and the group levered themselves to their feet, with some requiring far more levering than the others. Uncle Vernon had spared no expense, so the quartet found themselves settled into the comfortable business class seats far sooner than any of them had really expected.
Harry wondered, idly, just how big that money prize his uncle had won was, Uncle Vernon was normally quite cheap for anything that didn't involve spoiling his son, or would visibly show how much wealthier he was than his neighbours. The three Dursleys sat together, leaving Harry alone in the aisle seat across from them. The seats next to him were swiftly filled by a young couple who gazed unceasingly into each other's eyes in a manner both Harry and Venom found somewhat nauseating.
Glancing over at Aunt Petunia, and seeing her squished between her massive son on one side and her even more enormous husband on the other, Harry decided that on second thought the couple weren't so bad. Harry didn't particularly care about them in any case, he was too excited about his first time ever on a plane. The Dursleys had never before taken him with them on any of their vacations, instead leaving him with Mrs. Figg. He was enraptured by the pre-flight announcements, including the one that stated this flight was a non-smoking one, despite the displeasure it seemed to elicit from his fellow passengers.
Within a few short minutes, he was craning his head past the lovestruck couple to watch the city of London fall away beneath him, quickly surpassing even the view from the top of the building he had climbed with Venom. Harry stared avidly out the window as the land turned into ocean and buildings were replaced with sun-kissed waves, only ceasing when the clouds finally obscured his view completely. The pilot made a brief announcement stating the flight would take approximately 5 hours and 40 minutes, so Harry and Venom settled themselves in to another few hours of waiting. He hoped this valley they were going to see was worth all the trouble they had gone through just to get to Luxor, for that matter where-the-hell even was Luxor, anyway?
It's in Egypt, Harry. Venom told him matter-of-factly.
"What?" Harry asked aloud, too surprised by Venom's answer to remember to ask silently. The couple next to him broke their staring contest long enough to give him odd looks in response to his unexpected outburst. How do you know where Luxor is?
You were told about it three years ago during geography class. I have access to all of your memories, even the ones you can't consciously recall.
Really!? That's incredible! That means I'll never have to study for another test! Harry was ecstatic at this latest revelation.
Seriously? You've just learned you have an eidetic memory now, and the first thing you think of is that you don't need to study?
Hey, give me a break, school is a big part of my life right now.
In any case: Luxor was the site of the Valley of the Kings, an area where many powerful pharaohs were buried from the 16th to 11th centuries BC, it's about 6 hours south of Cairo down the Nile.
Egypt's where all the mummies come from, right? Aren't they supposed to reaminate and murder people who desecrate their tombs or something?
That's what they wanted the people to believe, Harry, I highly doubt that's true.
I guess. Harry visibly deflated at the thought he wouldn't get to see an actual mummy trying to kill Dudley..
If it makes you feel any better, a reanimated mummy would probably murder you if they did exist, so it's probably for the best that they don't.
You're terrible at comforting people, Venom.
I'm trying, I really don't think you're being fair Venom's mock hurt was almost believable, and despite himself Harry could feel a smile tugging at the corner of his lips at the symbiote's antics.
Ok, I'll try to be a little more PHARaoh. Harry's hand abruptly came up to smack his forehead, surprising him so much he simply stared at it for several seconds before placing it back in his lap. Venom?
You deserved that facepalm, Harry. That pun was awful. Harry considered arguing the point, but eventually just shrugged, it had been a particularly cringe-worthy pun after all.
Wait, Venom, if you can recall all of my memories, does that mean you can recall the memories of your previous hosts too? Harry was enthused with the idea that he could see the memories of alien beings.
Yes, but my memory of them isn't eidetic like our memory. Venom said in a tone of voice that clearly demonstrated this was supposed to make sense.
What? That makes no sense.
Our memory is eidetic because it is a product of my manipulation of your brain: I physically call up the pathways in your brain that hold the required memory, and, since those are actual physical pathways I can maintain, they never atrophy. Previous hosts, on the other hand, are only stored within my memory which, like yours without my help, is fallible. If I had someone like me to police my brain and maintain my memory the way I maintain yours, then my memory would also be eidetic, but, alas, I do not.
But wait, if you have complete access to all of my memories, why do you ever have to ask where I learned stuff?
Just because I can access all of your memories doesn't mean I want to trawl through all of them every time I want to know something, Harry. It's much easier to just ask you, if I can. Venom explained in a condescending tone.
Alright, alright, I was only asking. Harry mentally muttered back.
Do you think we could get this couple to ask for new seats by having you hold your half of our conversation aloud? Venom asked abruptly.
Why would We do that?
Venom gave the mental equivalent of a shrug, Because it would be fun?
Shelve that one for now, maybe if they start snogging or something. Fortunately, the couple did not quite go that far during the brief flight, contenting themselves with soppy conversation and lovestruck staring into each other's eyes.
Despite the less than ideal neighbours, the flight to Luxor passed in relative peace for the duo, with Harry once again staring intently out the window as the city came into view beneath them. The city spread out along the bank of the mighty Nile, a sprawling mix of more modern construction and ancient ruins, which had doubtless been breathtaking in their day, one area in particular took up a massive section of the centre of the city. The area of ruins was even greater than the airport that was rapidly coming into view as the plane continued it's descent toward the city.
Forget the Valley of the Kings, I want to explore that. Venom sounded very impressed in-spite of himself.
Me too… Harry responded thoughtfully. They stared at the ruined complex for several minutes more, until the plane started to come in for a landing at the main runway of the large airport complex. The landing was smooth enough, and, after a long and infuriating wait for everyone to shuffle their way off the plane, Harry finally got to breath his first of the air of a country other than that of his birth. The stiflingly hot air hit Harry almost like a physical blow as he stepped out of the plane, the blaze of the sun an almost tangible pressure beating down on his skin. All around the sun bleached buildings gleamed in the harsh light of the desert sun. Harry could practically feel the moisture evaporating off of him, if he wasn't careful it would be very easy to become dehydrated in this arid environment.
You know, brains are full of moisture… Venom began hopefully.
No, Venom, no brains unless it's justified. Harry reminded his partner sternly.
Well, it was just a suggestion. Venom huffed. Ignoring his symbiote's juvenile antics, and musing idly on the ridiculous nature of an actual child calling an alien-being juvenile, Harry hefted his bag and followed after his family. Dudley had begun complaining the instant he realised just how hot it was outside, and both he and Uncle Vernon were already soaked with sweat, although much of the moisture was evaporating as quickly as it appeared. Even Aunt Petunia, who's bony body had always seemed impervious to even the most sweltering of summer heatwaves, was glistening with sweat from head-to-foot.
All three Dursleys sighed audibly when they entered the cooler air of the airport, and even Venom had to admit that it was a relief to be out of the scorching heat of the desert day. The atmosphere inside the airport was similar to that of Heathrow: lots of tired and stressed people rushing about, only made worse by the lingering heat from the outside. Uncle Vernon guided the small, and already sweaty, group toward a line of desks which lead from the terminal into the rest of the airport, clutching his and Harry's passports in his fat fist. Aunt Petunia followed closely behind her husband, clasping her obese son's hand in one of her bony ones, and his and her passports in the other. They waited in line for one of the tired looking officials, he must have been used to the heat because, unlike almost every other person in the terminal, he was not soaked with sweat.
The official looked Uncle Vernon up and down for a moment, before reaching out his hand and saying: "Passports." His voice was slightly accented, and made it clear that it really wasn't a request. Uncle Vernon handed over the passports without a word, although his horrible rictus smile was still firmly affixed beneath his walrus moustache, and Aunt Petunia followed suit, although without the disturbing grin. The official flicked the passports open one at a time with a practiced wrist movement that spoke of long experience, he looked from the pictures to the family in front of him, before nodding to himself and stamping them swiftly. "Welcome to Luxor." Was his perfunctory dismissal as he waved them to continue into the rest of the airport.
Once past the desks they found themselves in a bustling atrium full of people of all nations and creeds, all rushing every which way. Harry was forced to stick close behind his uncle to avoid being borne off in the press of humanity all around. It took several minutes to win through the crush and back out into the harsh sunlight of the Egyptian day where, to Harry's surprise, they found a small green rental car waiting for them. Apparently, his uncle had done more than read newspapers during their long wait in Heathrow. Harry was grateful for the man's forethought: even if the heat wasn't great enough to actually harm the symbiote, it still made Venom uncomfortable. Uncle Vernon placed their bags into the boot of the sedan before clambering into the driver's seat, Aunt Petunia took the front passenger's seat, and Harry and Dudley squeezed into the back. Or at least, Dudley squeezed, Harry simply climbed in as he was not so overweight as to necessitate squeezing into the surprisingly spacious interior of the small car.
"All in?" The Dursley patriarch asked jovially the instant the doors had been pulled shut, he did not, however, wait for a response before revving the engine and pulling out of the airport parking lot and onto the road which lead to the city in the distance. The airport was located several miles away from the city, so Harry was able to watch the city growing larger and spreading further to either side as the car approached. He was immediately enraptured by the strange architecture he could see, even from a distance interspersed among the more modern steel and brick buildings were smoother, older, sandstone constructions which seemed to denote the city's potent combination of antiquity and modernity. Dudley, on the other hand, was less enraptured.
"I'm hungry!" The fat boy moaned, drawing out the 'u' into a protracted whine as he kicked sullenly at the back of his father's seat. "Can't we have some food before we go to see this stupid valley-thing?" In the front of the car, Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia exchanged concerned looks and Uncle Vernon flicked a glance down at his ostentatious watch.
So, whatever is making them nervous, it's time sensitive. Venom mused, having caught the pair's odd reactions.
It was Aunt Petunia who finally answered her son's entreaty: "We'll stop and get you some yummy snacks on our way through town, and then, once we've been to see the Valley, you can pick a dessert place to visit before dinner and another for after. How does that sound, Diddums?" Dudley considered the proposal, it seemed a laborious process for the young boy.
"Fine." He finally grumbled, "But I want big helpings at both desserts, and burgers for dinner."
"Of course, Popkiss." Aunt Petunia answered with a beatific smile at her spoilt offspring, doubtless thinking to herself what a wonderful boy he was. Harry only just managed to keep from rolling his eyes until she had turned back to face the road.
The journey through the city was as fascinating as Harry could have dreamed, even the stop to buy Dudley's snacks was a bewilderment of unfamiliar sweets, drinks, and foods, all labelled in unreadable, to Harry at least, Arabic script. The city itself was even more fascinating, although they didn't pass by the massive complex Harry had seen from the air, they did pass by a huge temple in the southern part of the city. The structure was enormous, covered with intricate carvings and reliefs, and it gleamed in the desert sun like a palace of gold flanked by statues of alien gods and monsters. Harry stared from the moment the building came into view until it finally faded into the distance behind the car, entranced by the magnificence of the structure.
To the right was the ever-winding water of the Nile, shining and glittering in the bright light of the late-evening sun, and slowly shading to gold as the sun crept toward the horizon. The view grew even more spectacular as they crossed over a bridge which spanned the mighty river, south of Luxor, and began to wind their way back up along the western bank of the river. Oddly, both Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia stared at Harry almost continuously while they crossed the bridge. It was as if they expected him to spontaneously combust or something. The sun was just reaching the western horizon when they finally turned away from the course of the river and into the desert. In the distance, Harry could see a series of high sand dunes and valleys which he presumed must hide the Valley of the Kings they had come so far to see.
None of which answered the question- "Uncle Vernon, why did we come so far to see the Valley of the Kings? What's so special about it?" In response to the query, so suddenly uttered into the otherwise unbroken silence of the car, Uncle Vernon's apparent insanity having long ago quietened his companions, the man jumped and jerked hard on the steering wheel in surprise. The car swerved violently and was only narrowly prevented from careening off into the sand by Uncle Vernon's frantic twisting of the wheel back in the opposite direction. The series of swift and unexpected maneuvers threw all the inhabitants of the car into their seatbelts. Aunt Petunia shrieked and Dudley gave a muffled cry of protest through his mouthful of chocolate as his sweets were scattered across the car by the wild weaving.
Once the car was back under control, and Aunt Petunia had released her white-knuckled death-grip on the edges of her seat, Uncle Vernon answered: "The reason is because the Valley is… uh" he paused, searching for the right word. "A very important and… um" he floundered once more.
Aunt Petunia jumped into save him "Mystical place!" She said the word 'mystical' with an odd expression, as if she were trying to smile whilst sucking on a lemon.
"Exactly!" Uncle Vernon agreed gratefully, "your Aunt and I thought it would be the perfect place to celebrate our new acceptance of your m-magic." Despite his words he stuttered slightly at saying 'magic,' still only just able to bring himself to say the dreaded syllables in Harry's presence.
Well, that's bullshit. Did you hear him stuttering at the end there? If he's accepted your magic I'm a- Venom's voice deteriorated into a gutteral series of snarls and hoots -and if my sire ever heard me say that they would've washed out my telepathic matrix with- another series of snarls, this time without the hoots. So, what do you think is actually going on here?
What's with the weird growling and hooting? Harry asked, confused.
Those are words that have no translation in your language. Venom explained, There is no parallel I could draw without extending the definition into an unwieldy mess, so I didn't bother translating them.
So you translate your thoughts for me? Harry had never considered that Venom might speak another language, although it seemed obvious in hindsight. Anyway, in answer to your question: I don't know, Venom. I suppose we'll just have to wait to find out. Worst comes to worst, Dumbledore will realise something is wrong and come get us. It's going to be fine. Harry reassured, although whom he was attempting to reassure was less than clear, even to him.
What makes you think Dumbledore will realise something is wrong? Venom seemed genuinely curious.
He figured out something was wrong last night, and he managed to find us in a random forest. I'm sure he won't have any more difficulty finding us here in Egypt, especially since he said he'd be keeping a closer eye on me after what happened yesterday.
That's true, I suppose. Despite the non-committal nature of his words, Venom sounded greatly relieved by Harry's reasoning.
So, since we have some time until we reach the valley, as Harry thought this he turned to gaze down the winding road toward the far off horizon: unbroken sand as far as the eye could see. Why don't you tell me a little about what it's like in space?
What? Why would I do something as stupid as that? Venom asked, astonished.
Oh, I mean, I thought- Harry began, more than a little hurt.
Why don't I just show you by feeding the memories into your brain, as if you were experiencing them in real time?
You did that on purpose, didn't you? Harry was not amused.
Might've done.
Just do it, you infuriating parasite.
PARASITE? Venom roared, so loudly that Harry was amazed the Dursleys couldn't hear him.
Yeah, you sit in my head, you eat my food, you deliberately act like an arsehole…
OOH! Venom seemed to forget his anger instantly, instead sounding suddenly ecstatic, You swore all on your own! They grow up so fast. Harry had the distinct impression Venom would've wiped a false tear away had he possessed his own body.
Laugh it up, Venom, are you going to show me the alien memories or not?
Abruptly, the car vanished and Harry found himself standing in an alien forest with strange brightly coloured plants all around. Iridescent purple vines fell in a thick tangle from the luminous blue-white canopy above, writhing and slithering over each other like a seething mass of violet serpents all around. Strange throaty calls rent the air, and the chittering and shuffling of alien creatures moving through the dense undergrowth bore down on him from all sides. Through the dense canopy he could just make out a trio of blazing lights in the sky that could only be triplet suns.
Looking down at his hands, Harry was more than a little surprised to find he had six of them, each the familiar silver-veined black smoothness of Venom and ending in a seven clawed hand. Harry felt an alien awareness fill his mind and felt his head jerking up to face off into the brush to his left, reminding him that he was, in fact, only viewing a memory from one of Venom's previous hosts. The awareness was nothing he could describe, it was neither sight, nor smell, nor hearing, taste, touch, or any other form of sensory information he had ever experienced. It was even unlike the strange sixth sense that often warned him of Dudley's incoming assaults. He could only assume that, whatever sense had alerted Venom's host, it was nothing any human possessed. What he saw next, however, quickly made him forget all such rationalisations and realisations, and if he had been able to work the creature's limbs, he would've sprinted in the opposite direction.
The beast that burst through the undergrowth was easily the most terrifying thing Harry had ever seen, standing well over five times his own height. Its head, or rather heads, brushed the bottom of the canopy far above. Each of the creature's four, six-eyed, heads glared down at Harry, jaws opening to reveal the lower set were each bifurcated and that a second, circular, set lay slightly deeper into the creature's mouth. Each set of jaws was filled with an array of sword-like teeth, and black acid dripped from the fangs in a constant hissing stream, standing out starkly against the creature's unsettling white scales. The creature gave a strange hissing roar, an array of huge crimson quills raising in a spiky forest along it's swelling necks, making the creature seem even more enormous.
A massive, three-clawed, hand reached down toward him as the heads spread out on long sinuous necks, surrounding Harry as the creature curled it's prodigious length around him. The creature's body was incredibly long and lithe, with eight earth-shakingly-powerful looking legs allowing it to flow along the ground with balletic grace. The creature's body ended in a long, heavily-muscled, tail covered in crimson quills similar to those on each of it's necks, and a line of prehensile tendrils ran from the junction of it's necks down it's back. Each questing and searching tendril moved constantly, as if mapping out the creature's surroundings by touch alone. Harry felt his body move as he reached out with four of his arms toward the monster… And began to scratch the point just behind the juncture of the creature's bifurcated jaws on each head while making a series of odd cooing growls from deep in his throat.
The creature gave a rumbling hissing purr as it's two furthest back left legs began to thump the ground repeatedly, each impact causing a shuddering reverberation that Harry could feel in the soles of his feet. The tail lashed through the air as the quills shuddered in obvious pleasure, and a long, barbed, tongue reached out to lick gently at Harry's face from the centre-left head as the creature nuzzled into his scratching.
Venom? Harry asked tentatively.
Yes, Harry?
What the hell is going on in this memory?
This host bonded with a- Venom made a series of chittering growls Harry hadn't a hope in hell of ever managing to reproduce -as a young cub. We called her "She-Who-Consumes-Your-Entrails-After-Using-Them-To-Pop-Off-Your-Head." It's one word in their language, and, in their culture, it was a sign of endearment to describe the brutal evisceration of one's enemies.
Wow, they really were alien.
No shit, Harry, they were aliens. It's kind of in the name.
Fuck you, Venom.
I'm flattered, but I'm not into creature's with independent respiratory systems. Venom joked.
Wait, but what about the girl in the airport? Harry asked genuinely curious.
We share a mind, Harry, if you find someone attractive, so will I. At least physically. If We ever meet another 'female' symbiote, you'll probably find 'her' attractive too. If only Agony were here, god she'd look hot with a human host right now… Venom trailed off in a wondering tone.
Uh… Venom? Harry asked, somewhat hesitantly.
Sorry. Yes, Harry?
What do you mean 'female?'
Oh, my species is asexual. We don't technically have genders like your species does, we simply assume whichever one we feel best suits us, usually whatever gender our host is. Some of us have preferences though: I prefer to be male, and Agony prefers to be female, so we each tend to select male and female hosts respectively.
Really? That's actually very interesting, Venom.
Always the tone of surprise. Venom teased lightly. We've arrived at the valley, by the way. Pulling himself from his internal focus, Harry saw that they had indeed arrived at the valley, although, apart from a series of low stone walls and a few small groups of tourists still milling around the parking lot, Harry could see little of interest. The car had come to a stop, although, given that none of the Dursleys had exited the car so far, it couldn't have been more than a moment since it did so. Undoing his seatbelt, Harry opened the door and got out of the car, craning his neck and leaning forward to try and glimpse any of the tombs which were supposedly to be found in the valley. The sound of slamming doors behind him alerted him to the fact that the Dursleys had finally joined him outside the car, and, without a word, Uncle Vernon set off into the Valley, making purposefully for one of the furthest paths up into the hills on the opposite side of the Valley. This too was a surprise to Harry, he had expected Uncle Vernon to make for the closest path, to try and see the easiest tombs with the minimum amount of exercise: he had never been too fond of physical exertion after all.
Perhaps he's trying to postpone actually having to go into one of the tombs for as long as possible? Venom offered, somewhat doubtfully.
Maybe. Harry agreed, no more convinced than his partner. Regardless, the pair followed after their uncle into the Valley of the Kings.
Despite their unease, the journey was a fascinating one, as they walked Harry's Venom-augmented vision allowed him to pick out the tell-tale holes which denoted the entrances to tombs along the many paths leading up into the hills. He even noticed several which lacked paths entirely, and he wondered if that meant no-one else had yet noticed their presence in the Valley. By the time they finally reached the farthest flung of the paths into the hills, Harry had counted twenty-three unmarked tombs, and as they made their slow way up the path, hampered by Dudley's foot dragging and complaints, he noticed another less than a hundred-feet from the path. It was far better hidden than any other Harry had yet seen, and, even with his enhanced vision, it would've been impossible to see had the sun not been at the particular point of vanishing beneath the horizon that it was at that moment. Unlike with the other tombs, Harry couldn't resist pointing this one out to his uncle.
"Uncle Vernon," he began, causing his Uncle to whip around as if he had just been jabbed with a hot poker. "I think I see the entrance to an unmarked tomb over there, can we go and take a look?"
"WHY-" Uncle Vernon began, face-purpling, only to cut off mid-sentence. After several deep breaths he continued, in a markedly different tone: "-yes, that sounds like an excellent idea, Harry, lead the way." He gestured Harry forward with the same insane smile that had graced his features ever since he had awoken Harry that morning.
So, he's going out of way to be nice to us, even though he obviously hasn't changed how he feels about you. What do you think that means? Venom asked, his voice tinged with suspicion.
It could be innocent? Harry offered weakly, Maybe Dumbledore scared him so badly he's turning over a new leaf?
Yeah, and maybe Dudley is going to take up tap-dancing. Venom answered with a derisive snort as they reached the entrance to the tomb, now barely visible in the fading light. Peering inside, Harry was able to see that the hole opened into a deep dark chamber, extending a good twenty-feet down into blackness too great for even his enhanced-eyesight to pierce. Actually, if We transformed, you'd be able to see fine, it's just that I'm not a miracle worker and your human eyes are so-BEHIND YOU.
Even as Venom spoke Harry was spinning around, his sixth sense, augmented by Venom's own sensory capabilities, warning him of the incoming threat to his rear. He was just fast enough to see his Uncle's massive hand come crashing into his chest, surprising him so much that he lost his balance and, as he had been leaning precariously into the hole, fell into the darkened tomb. His body hit the ground with a dull thud, the impact cushioned by Venom so it felt no more extreme than falling out of bed onto soft carpet. Even before they hit the ground, Venom had transformed them into their monstrous form, so it was without difficulty that Harry saw his uncle leaning through the hole to call down to him.
"Boy! I have no doubt your freakishness-" he said the word with relish, clearly enjoying being able to finally speak his mind about magic once more after spending all day pretending to approve of it. "-Has allowed you to survive that fall unharmed, and, given time, you'll find a way out of this tomb. If that freak Dumbledore doesn't come and find you first. Neither of those will happen before my family and I are able to disappear, you monsters will never be able to find us! No matter what that old devil threatens us with!" And with that, he was gone. Harry could hear his heavy footfalls, along with those of Aunt Petunia and Dudley, fading away as they climbed back down the path and into the Valley.
"Huh…" Venom said after a moment, "Whatever I was expecting, it sure as fuck wasn't that."
Yeah… Harry spoke just as slowly. So, what do we do now?
"Uh, wait for Dumbledore to come get us, I suppose?" Venom offered questioningly. "We should probably use that necklace he gave us." Harry reached up for the necklace, Venom flowing away from his face and chest to allow access, only to find it missing from around his neck. Which is when he remembered that he had taken it off in order to sleep the night before and hadn't remembered to put it back on before they left in the morning.
"Ah." Harry said, as soon as he realised precisely what that meant. "Well, that's not good."
"No, no it is not." Venom agreed. "I suppose We'll just have to wait then. In the meantime, We can at least climb out of this tomb."
Don't you want to look around? Harry asked as they began to climb up the sheer stone wall of the chamber. He would've thought Venom would be just as interested as him to explore a previously unknown Egyptian tomb.
"Harry, even if I don't believe reanimated mummies are real, I do believe that you have the worst luck of any host I have ever had. If they exist, they will be in this tomb and they will do their absolute best to murder us if we look around. I know far better than to let us walk into whatever improbable and horrifying death trap is waiting for us down here." Harry almost disagreed, almost, but in the end he had to concede that Venom was most likely right. By the time they reached the entrance to the subterranean chamber, and climbed back out into the open air of the Valley, the sun had sunk completely beneath the horizon. It was only by the grace of Venom's superior vision that he was able to pick out the forms of the Dursleys stumbling their way across the Valley and toward their car in the distance. "You know," Venom began, after a few moments "We could catch up with them and force them to keep us with them?"
Do you want to? Harry asked, somewhat surprised at the symbiote's suggestion.
"FUCK NO! I hate those arseholes, I just thought you might, since they're your family and whatnot." Venom sounded almost embarrassed.
Aww, Venom, I didn't know you cared so much.
"Shut up, Harry." Venom griped good-naturedly. "So, since your family just abandoned you, do you want to become super edgy and insist everyone call you 'Hadrian' or 'Harrison' or something instead of 'Harry'?"
What? Harry asked, stunned at the stupidity of the question. No! Why would I do something like that? My name is Harry not whatever you just said. Just because my family sucks, doesn't mean I'm going to throw away part of my identity like a toddler throwing their toys out the pram. It's my name, it's always been mine, and I'm not going to change it for those arseholes. Harry paused for a moment, considering before he continued: Besides, that would just be really confusing since my legal name is 'Harry James Potter,' and telling people to call me something else would make it seem like it's actually something different.
"Wow, that's actually a surprisingly mature reaction, Harry." Venom said, after a few moments of silent contemplation.
Always the tone of surprise. Harry teased, throwing the symbiote's own words back at him, before the two settled down into a companionable silence. And so, they waited. Watching the Dusleys' slow progress through the valley and toward the shape of their car in the far off parking lot. When the figures finally reached their car and climbed in, the headlights scything out into the darkness and illuminating a great swath of the-now deserted-valley, Venom broke. "This is so BORING!" He roared, "When is Dumbledore going to get here? I'm sick of just standing around on this hill doing nothing!"
It's only been 15 minutes, Venom. Harry replied, somewhat reproachfully.
"Details." Venom dismissed the statement with a wave of their hand. "I want to do something more interesting."
Like what? And should We really still be transformed like this? What if Dumbledore arrives? Harry asked, concerned at what might happen if the aged headmaster were to discover his companion.
"Relax" Venom said easily, "I can move more than fast enough to disappear before Dumbledore notices me; and how about We have a little fun with the Dursleys as a parting gift? If We're lucky, We might even have time to go back into Luxor and explore those cool ruins." Harry turned his gaze to the Dursleys car, which had almost disappeared around the curve of one of the sand dunes.
What sort of fun did you have in mind?
Dudley Dursley was in two-minds about his parents' abandonment of his cousin. This was quite the achievement given that he could normally only just manage to muster up a single mind, and not a very functional one at that. On the one hand, he was glad that the annoying drain on his parents' attention and income had been removed, even if it had been a rather small one. On the other, however, even he wasn't quite comfortable with simply leaving his cousin in a hole in the desert. His father had assured him that the old man, Dumbledore he called him, would be there soon to collect Harry, and that his cousin would not come to any serious harm, but, still, it felt wrong. Turning to gaze through the rear window of the car, back toward the tomb where they had left his cousin, Dudley screamed. As loudly and piercingly as he ever had in his life. There, pressed against the glass, mere inches from his face, was a nightmarish visage. Huge white eyes set in a face as black as the surrounding night gazed back at him, set above an enormous mouth filled with a seemingly impossible number of razor-sharp fangs. Even as he watched a long, horribly dexterous, tongue emerged and licked across the creature's upper teeth.
"Dinky Diddy Dums!" His mother positively screeched from the front seat, "What's wrong, darling!?" Dudley turned to look at his mother, lip trembling as he pointed at the monstrous face.
"There's-there's some sort of m-monster outside!" He stuttered, heart pounding in fear so hard it seemed as if it would batter its way out through his chest. His mother, however, followed his pointing finger and only looked confused.
"What do you mean, Diddy? There's nothing outside." Stunned, Dudley turned back to look, and sure enough the face had disappeared as if it had never been there to begin with.
"But, but I saw…" Dudley trailed off weakly, trying to wrap his feeble mind around the apparent impossibility it was confronted with.
"It's alright, dear," his mother smiled indulgently at him. "It's been a long day, you probably just dozed off for a moment, there's nothing to be-" She broke off with a shriek, so loud that Uncle Vernon jumped, causing the car to swerve violently, and turned to look at her in shock. Aunt Petunia was pointing with a shaking hand out her window at… nothing at all. The darkness outside the window was broken only by the faint light of the moon and the countless stars far above.
"Petunia, dear, what is it?" Vernon asked, sounding extremely concerned.
"Like-like Dudley said," Petunia answered back, sounding shaken. "There's some sort of monster outside, I just saw it. It had it's face pressed up against the glass, right next to me."
"But that's impossible," Vernon reminded his wife gently, "we're in a moving car. Even if there was something out there, it would never be able to press it's face up against the glass like that."
"I, I suppose you're right." Petunia agreed, sounding markedly calmer at her husband's reassurance.
"Of course I am, Pet, it's just been a long da-AHHH." Vernon's face had gone whiter than the ice-cream Dudley had eaten earlier.
"What is it, Vernon?" Petunia asked her husband in a shocked voice.
"I just, it was Harry! He was outside! He had his face pressed against the glass!" Vernon's hands were shaking almost as badly as his voice, causing the car to weave slightly back and forth.
"But, Vernon, how could that be possible?" Petunia's voice was shaking now, "we left him in that tomb, even with his freakish magic he couldn't have got out of there this fast. Even if he had, how could he possibly outside the car? We're going 60 miles-an-hour!"
"That's it! We are stopping this car and making sure there's nothing there." Vernon slammed on the breaks, jerking Dudley forward into his seatbelt and setting the tires screeching on the dirt road. Almost before the car had come to a halt, Vernon was wrenching off his seatbelt and clambering out of the car. After a moment of hesitation, Petunia and Dudley joined him. Outside the car they were confronted by the barren desert, not a living thing to be seen. No monsters, no abandoned nephews, nothing. Only the endless expanse of sand glowing faintly in the moonlight. That was when they heard the click of the locks, and the car doors slamming. Turning back to the car, they saw a nightmarish figure crouched atop the small green sedan, it's seemingly impossible number of teeth bared in what could possibly considered a smile, albeit a horrifying one.
"Oops." The creature's terrifying smile spread even wider. "You weren't planning on using this car, were you?" It was only then that the Dursleys realised what the sounds they had heard had meant.
"Hey!" Dudley Dursley had many qualities, intelligence was not one of them. "You locked us out of our car!"
"Yep." The creature popped the 'p' insolently, unperturbed by Dudley's idiotic outrage. "Here, let me help you get back into it." So saying the creature hopped off the roof of the car and, without apparent effort, picked the car up so it was held high over the monster's head. All three Dursleys cowered before the creature as it hefted their car as easily as they would a pillow. "Do you think it'll open if I throw it hard enough?" The creature asked in a conversational tone and, before any of them could stop it, it acted on it's words: flinging the car far off into the distance. The small green sedan slammed into the soft sand, burying itself halfway into the ground with a crunching screech of crumpling metal. "Guess not." The creature said, as if talking to itself.
"But, but how will we get back to the city?" Vernon asked the creature pathetically. The creature's smile vanished, and, before their eyes, the face flowed away, leaving behind the emerald-green eyes and messy hair of 10 year-old Harry Potter.
"You'll be fine. I'm sure your freakishness-" the word was said with venom no child should ever be able to marshall "-will get you out of this." Without another word, the monstrous face flowed back over Harry's head, and, with an almighty leap, he vanished into the darkness of the night.
"So," Venom began conversationally as they bounded toward the dark band of the Nile and the lights of Luxor beyond it, "how good did that feel?"
You have no idea. Harry thought back with smug satisfaction.
"Is it ruin-exploration time now?" Venom asked hopefully.
It's ruin-exploration time. Harry confirmed with a mental grin.
Over two-thousand miles away, in the headmaster's office of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Albus Dumbledore's pleasant cup of tea with his exceedingly old friend, Nicolas Flamel, was interrupted when several of his silver instruments began to spin and shriek. For one who was familiar with the headmaster's office, it would've been a curious detail that all but one of these instruments were new editions to the room. So, naturally, Nicolas Flamel was quick to question their presence.
"What are these new devices, Albus? They're certainly very noisome, aren't they?" As he spoke he indicated the wailing contraptions with a wave of one frail hand, causing a faint rustling from his plain white robe.
"That they are, old friend, which is most concerning." Dumbledore agreed with his usual calm expression, although, for one who had known him as long as Flamel, the concern in the old wizard's eyes was plain. "These are a series of devices monitoring young Mr. Potter: I had reason to place a few more protective enchantments on him in the wake of recent events." As he spoke, he set his tea down on his ornate desk and stood to examine the devices, his wand appearing in his hand without any perceptible movement.
"Recent events?" Flamel asked in his faint voice.
"Indeed, last night young Harry disappeared from his aunt and uncle's home and somehow managed to apparate himself into the woods near Ottery St. Catchpole. I went to investigate when the device monitoring the wards around the Dursley home signalled they had stopped charging, as it meant Harry had left the area." As Dumbledore spoke, he continued to poke and prod at the devices which had now fallen, mercifully, silent. "Upon arriving, I found Mr. and Mrs. Dursley in a state of great distress, the former unconscious in the rubble of his kitchen with food spilled all over the floor. After repairing the damage and healing Mr. Dursley, I was able to discover that Harry had manifested some accidental magic after they became angry with him for stealing food in the middle of the night. I assumed he had merely over-reacted to their loving reprimand, and used a spell to ascertain his location. Upon discussing with him, however, I found that the Dursleys had been less than kind in their treatment of poor Harry, so I gave them a stern warning and placed the additional spells upon him to monitor his health, location, and proximity to the Dursleys." Seemingly satisfied with the readings from the new devices, Dumbledore turned to examine the one familiar device that had joined in the disruption, and his face became graver still.
"What is it, Albus?" Flamel asked, concerned to see such a grim expression on his normally kind-faced former-apprentice.
"This device is one I have monitoring Harry for proximity to dark creatures, I placed it on him as an infant because I was unsure as to whether the protections wrought by his mother's sacrifice would serve to fend off dark creatures as well as wizards. According to the readings, he must be near a creature of incredible power."
"Like a dragon you mean, Albus?" Flamel asked, growing concerned for the young boy's health. He had a somewhat looser sense of time than most, but even he knew the boy wouldn't be much more than a baby now, it couldn't have been more than a decade or two since Voldemort's fall.
"No, Nicolas, I'm afraid, whatever this creature is, it's something far more powerful than any dragon. I-" Abruptly, Dumbledore's face became ashen as he broke off his examination of the device and turned to stare at one of the new contraptions with an expression of dawning horror.
"What is it, Albus? What have you realised?" Flamel pushed himself to his feet and began a shuffling run toward his friend. Before he could reach him, however, Dumbledore had snatched up the dark-creature-detector and, after tapping it once with his wand, it glowed blue and he twisted out of existence. Reaching the devices, Flamel pulled out his own wand and cast a complicated series of charms on the device Dumbledore stared at during his revelation, and, when the readings materialised in front of him, he too became ashen. "Mon Dieu." He breathed, slipping into his native French for a moment. Pulling a small ring from a pocket of his robes, he tapped it, causing it too to glow blue and pull him from the room in a twisting vortex of swirling matter as he followed his friend into danger. In the now-empty headmaster's office, the ethereal map of Egypt continued to hang in the air, a faint pulsing light emitting from a point well down on the eastern bank of the Nile, rapidly approaching the imposing image of an enormous temple complex which glowed with a malevolent crimson light absent from the rest of the map. Emblazoned across the region were the words "Karnak Temple: Catacombs of the Fallen Gods"
"This place is awesome!" Venom's exuberant assessment echoed around the forest of columns surrounding them as they explored the ruins of the temple complex. Harry had noted the sign while they were bounding down the highway, apparently it was a common tourist stop, for it was labelled in Arabic and English: "Karnak Temple." In the low light, it would've been impossible for an ordinary human to make out anything beyond the vague outlines of the larger structures of the temple ruins, but, thanks to Venom, Harry was able to see even the most minute details of the carvings on every block. He had already been able to deduce that the Ancient Egyptians, in addition to being great builders -Venom had told, or rather reminded, him that the temple ruins dated back over 4000 years- held a great respect for their natural surroundings. The columns he and Venom were currently wandering through were artistic representations of giant plants, and the art carved into seemingly every surface emphasised the cycles of nature, growth and decay, life and death. "Bit morbid though, aren't they?" Venom interrupted Harry's internal musings.
What do you mean?
"Well, if your memories are correct, they spent as much time preparing to die as they did actually living their lives! What would you call that, if not morbid?"
Prior preparation and planning?
Venom huffed slightly "Doesn't stop it being morbid."
What has you so snippy? You were having a great time a minute ago.
"I have a bad feeling. My senses are going haywire, as if there's something really powerful nearby. And, given your luck, if my senses are right and there is something nearby, it's definitely going to try and kill us." Now that Venom mentioned it, Harry could feel a strange apprehension prickling at the edges of his awareness, it was strangely similar to the sense he got just before Dudley tried to hit him. Only much, much stronger.
Well, if something does come after us, We can always just run away. It's not like there's any shortage of space out here, and those walls we passed won't be any obstacle. We could easily lose whatever it is in the city if need be. Harry offered reassuringly.
"I suppose you're right, unless something happens to trap us here."
Now you're just being paranoid, what're the chances of anything like that happening? As Harry finished his mental statement, Venom was just walking in through the doorway of one of the larger buildings in the complex. In doing so, he placed one hand on the doorframe, trying to feel for vibrations to see if he could detect any movement that could pinpoint the nameless power that had his awareness prickling. The very instant Harry finished his sentence, a click broke the nighttime silence followed by the grinding of stone-upon-stone as the patch Venom was pressing against sunk away into the wall.
"Harry?"
Yes, Venom?
"I fucking hate you." Before Harry could respond, the ground gave way beneath them, pitching them into the darkness beneath the temple along with a deluge of sand.
Annnnnnd it's a cliffhanger! Because yes, I am evil. Don't worry though, the next installment will be coming soon after this. I hope. As always, please write in with any comments or constructive criticism. Also, if you're wondering why Harry has his little rant about not changing his name: it's because it's an irritatingly common and, to me at least, intensely uninteresting and unnecessary trope. Not to mention that whenever I read the whole "Don't call me Harry, call my by my real name" shtick it makes me think of a Robot Chicken skit about the Batman villain Two-Face. Just search "Robot Chicken We Drink Hot Chocolate Together" on YouTube and you'll find it, then you too can flash back to that and start giggling every time someone makes Harry change his name in a fit of angst.
I know this probably isn't something that bothers many other people, but I find it annoying so I decided to poke a little harmless fun at it in my story. If you're incredibly offended by this, by all means feel free to write me an angry review or PM defending how Harry changing his name is a fascinating and powerful narrative choice to make. Maybe I'll learn something and grow to appreciate it, who knows. Anyway, tangent over.
Fanfic Recommendation:
RuneMaster by Tigerman
This story follows Harry if he and Ron had decided to follow Hermione out of Trelawney's class in third year, and how a different elective could have changed the course of Harry's life, and the events of the books. I like this story because it does a good job exploring a field of magic so often ignored: Ancient Runes. It also features good character interactions and action sequences, and it features Luna prominently, and she's a favourite of mine. The story is complete so you can successfully binge the entire thing while waiting for the next chapter of Lethal Injection! (Which should be out in about a month)
