Session 3: Just Setting Out

Dudley's POV

It had been several weeks since the crazy old man showed up. Several weeks since they gained a bowling alley in the shed. Several weeks since his mum started drinking again. Several weeks since he learnt that magic and gods and stuff was real. Several weeks of watching as Potter and Mum avoided each other like the plague, but made sure to go through the others room when they weren't around.

Dudley knew what they were after. Potter was after information about that weirdo's school. Mum was looking to see if Potter had found any information. It was kind of funny in a way, and best of all they both kept bribing Dudley with snacks so he wont tell the other. Dudley had never had so much chocolate since Halloween. Or Easter. Or his birthday or any other big event. Even then this was more chocolate.

Currently however Dudley was trying to decide on two things. How to get Mum to teach him magic. And if he should tell Potter how to find out about that school.

Getting Mum to teach him magic would be hard. She was so upset about anything weird, and she spent so much time lately drunk or hungover. The only reason the chores were still getting done is that some invisible thing would do them. Everything from cleaning the house, making dinner and even helping Dudley with his homework...that was a weird experience that Dudley didn't want to go through again. Seriously he couldn't see it, it made no noise and it only communicated through writing...it was just weird.

So Dudley couldn't just bring it up to his mum, that'd just make her upset. Dad didn't seem to know any magic either. This was so unfair! Mum could do magic. Potter was apparently something right out of an RPG like Final Fantasy and would probably be learning magic as well. This wasn't fair!

Dudley's only comfort was that fact that Potter was an idiot, he hadn't even realized how to find out about that stupid school. Dudley wouldn't even tell him anything, not unless Potter did something for him first. It'd have to be big too.

After waking up several hours later from what can only be called a chocolate coma, Dudley had an idea.

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Harry's POV

Harry couldn't believe he was wasting his time here, with Dudley of all people. Well Harry could believe it, he just didn't like it. Dudley was looking at him, a look on his face that may have been an attempt at confidence, but just made the other boy look vaguely sick. He was sitting on his computer chair, a stuffed bear on his lap, that he was stroking for some weird reason. And to complete whatever look Dudley was going for, chocolate was smudged all across his face.

'Well, well we meet again Mr Potter,' he said in a high pitched voice, honestly it sounded like cats were screaming for death.

Harry rolled his eyes, he wasn't in the mood for whatever stupid games his cousin was up to. 'What do you want Dudley?'

'I think you know exactly want I want Mr Potter,' Dudley said, still in that creepy voice before he started giggling.

'Er look Dudley, I already gave you all of the chocolate I have. I don't have any more okay,' how did his cousin even go through it all so fast?

Dudley shook his head, 'no. Mr Potter I don't want something so mun...mun...' he furrowed his brow, trying to think of the word. 'Mun...mun...mundane! No I want something else instead. I want to learn magic, and you will teach me!' he declared with a loud shout.

Harry sighed, of course his cousin was wasting his time with something so stupid. 'Dudley,' he began slowly. Talk slowly and use simple words, that is how to make Dudley understand something. 'I don't know magic.'

The effect was pretty funny. Dudley seemed to wilt, throwing his teddy bear to the side. 'Aww come on!,' he whined. 'I had a plan, it was awesome and I was going to tell you how to find out about that stupid school and that weird old guy!' What what? 'and you would teach me magic. It was awesome!'

Wait Dudley knew how to find out about the school and Albus? 'You know how to find out about the school?' he asked, getting his hopes up that Dudley. Dudley of all people might know something useful.

'Yeah it's easy,' Dudley moaned. 'You're so dumb. You just find some weirdoes who know about magic and stuff and make them tell you.'

Harry sighed, of course. Of course Dudley will have nothing actually helpful to say. 'If I knew of anyone who could tell me don't you think I'd ask?'

'What about those Amber Fraternity guys who keep trying to sacrifice you to their god for some stupid reason?' Dudley asked, already bored of the conversation and turning on his computer.

Harry was about to refuse. Those crazy guys tried to sacrifice him after all. They were nutjobs who believed in gods and magi and rituals and that sounded exactly like something that made sense. Harry wasn't sure what was worse, that he would have to go back into the woods and find these crazy bastards so he could go to school. Or the fact that Dudley Dursley of all people had come up with a semi-intelligent thought. And now Harry would have to figure out how to teach Dudley magic.

...

The Last Brother's POV

The Last Brother was in the Sacrificial Hall where all of the Amber Fraternity's rituals and magicks were done. Currently he was scrubbing down the stone alter, he had been doing this for the last hour but the blood would just not come out. He was being punished for letting that kid get away yet again. Of course everyone just selectively ignored the fact that the kid was supposed to have been tied up, The Last Brother was out getting important supplies and this was the twelfth time the kid had escaped one way or another.

The Great Olidammara was surely laughing at all of them.

'Don't even know why we need the stupid brat,' he muttered to himself still furiously scrubbing at the blood that wouldn't come out. 'There's that old lady down the street, no one would even know. But noooo it has to be that stupid kid. and I get blamed every time he escapes, stupid brat. Stupid First Brother. Stupid blood. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.' he ranted, throwing his brush to the side, ignoring the smashing of glass.

The Last Brother fell back, leaning against a stone pillar and grabbed a bottle of blood wine, taking a swig from it. The stuff was horrible but it beat being sober. 'Olidammara. Please just give me something,' he whined. 'I don't want this anymore, the hazing, the insults, the chores. It's just no fun,' he took another swig, downing the rest of the bottle.

With a sigh he threw the bottle to the side and ignored the smashing of glass that never came. 'Huh?' he looked up and saw the bottle lying near the alter, pouring wine everywhere. 'Wait wasn't it...oh no. Oh no. Oh no. This is bad,' he scrambled to his feet and hurriedly ran for the door. However the stone doors would not open, they wouldn't even budge.

'I didn't, I didn't mean anything by it,' he cried out. 'I was just sad and drunk it's cool, I'm fine. You don't need to do anything oh Great Olidammara,' he tried desperately, though he knew it was pointless. No one and nothing could stop Olidammara from his intended actions, nothing could change his course and so The Last Brother watched as the wine kept pouring out of the bottle, until the floor was covered in it. The wine kept rising, to his ankles, his knees, his waist, his neck and soon it filled the entire room.

The Last Brother tried to hold his breath, he tried to keep his mouth closed but it wasn't to last, he needed air. His lungs ached, his head was pounding, his heart was hammering so hard he felt like his ribs would break and eventually he gave in, he took one deep gasp, all air was gone from his lungs and the blood wine filled the empty space. As the Last Brother's consciousness faded he could hear faint laughter, as if the world's funniest joke was being told.

...

Harry's POV

Harry never liked the Amber Fraternity, which was understandable since they tried to sacrifice him to their god every now and then. Still he had to admit at least they were complete idiots, it made escaping them easy. Still they were something to be careful of, Harry had tried to get them arrested a few times but nothing ever came of it. He had previously assumed they had lots of money and influence but now that he knew about magic and gods...he would have to handle this carefully.

First things first how to handle this. They were all bigger and stronger than him so a fight wouldn't work, he could try and outsmart them but the best bet was probably to sneak a peek at their magical library, see if anything could be found in there.

Now that he had an idea, how to get in? The Amber Fraternity kept a manor like building near the edge of the Surrey Woods, a few blocks from the University. It was on a pretty quiet street all things considered and they never locked the backdoor. It was an easy way in. Sneak down to the basement, past their ritual room and have a peak at their library, if he went late then hopefully they would be asleep.

Harry grabbed his bag, packed a few sandwiches and started the trek to the Amber Fraternity's manor.

It was dark and the manor cast an eerie shadow across the street, honestly now that Harry thought about it it looked like the house from Monster House, it even had a similar yard with the trees lining the foot path and everything. 'Okay, In and out. Nice and easy,' he muttered quietly, trying to calm down his heart. Adrenaline was coursing through his veins right now, the impulse to do something stupid was there. To run, to fight, to explore. It was all there but Harry clamped down on it with all of his self control as he snuck through the backdoor.

The inside of the house was dark and snores could be heard coming from the main room, clearly the crazy cultists were passed out in there. Hopefully they hadn't just completed some foul ritual or something. Holding his breath Harry made his way not towards the main room but to the stairs leading to the basement. The quiet however was interrupted by a loud creak as he stepped on an old step.

'Huh? Wazzat?' a bleary voice called out from the main room. 'Brad dat you?'

'Er...yes?' Harry tried desperately. The sound of movement could be heard and stumbling footsteps.

'What ya sneaking around for bruh? You got a girl here?' the guy asked before crashing and cursing filled the night sky. 'Ah shit Chad didn't see you there. Brad brought a girl over.'

There was a moment of silence as Harry crept down the steps, praying the cultists would just go to sleep but knowing his luck was not that good. 'What the hell?' a different cultist shouted out, 'Brad ya brought a chick over? No way, how the hell did you get a girl dude?' he asked as several footsteps could be heard coming to the stairs. At this stage Harry gave up on being quiet, there was no way to keep from being hidden. He ran down the stairs, crashing into the stone doors below. He just needed to get into the ritual room, bar the doors and work something out.

'Hey brahs, he's running, bet he brought a fatty. Come on!' a voice yelled as the cultists started to run to the stairs now, shouting and laughing at who they thought was Brad.

Meanwhile Harry was struggling with the stone doors that would just not open. 'Come on, come on open please,' he hissed, begging for the doors to open. He couldn't be caught like this, he couldn't.

The light in the stairwell turned on. Harry looked up, seeing the half-naked cultists, standing there in nothing but their boxers. They looked down at him through bleary eyes. 'Hey guys,' one muttered out. 'Brad shrunk himself,' only to be smacked on the back of the head.

'Don't be stupid Tad, it's that Potter brat.' another snarked.

'Wait...so Brad doesn't have a girl over?' Tad asked slowly. 'Knew he couldn't pick up chicks.' The other cultists just nodded in agreement, all the while Harry was doing his best to open the doors, finally feeling a little give.

'Hey wait a,' Chad started to yell before wincing and putting his hand to his head, in obvious pain. 'God dammit it,' he hissed. 'Fucking hang over...where was I?' he looked at all of the others who just shrugged. Harry meanwhile felt the door give a bit more. 'Oh yeah dude. Don't we need that Potter kid for a ritual or something?'

'Oh yeah,' Tad murmured. 'Should we like...get him or something?'

However whatever the rest were about to say was interrupted as Harry finally managed to wrench the doors open and a literal wave of red liquid came pouring out of the ritual room, slamming him into the stairs and knocking the Amber Fraternity guys off of their feet, causing them to fall onto Harry. Harry's glasses were lost during this.

'Fuck, not cool bruh,' one of them muttered, as they tried and failed to get off of each other.

'Dude you're touching my ass!' one shouted out.

'It's the only action you'll get dude,' another shouted back.

Whatever stupid response was about to be made as wet, schlurping footsteps seemed to echo throughout the stairwell and the mad giggling of one who was not quite sane assaulted everyone's ears. 'I...have...done it,' Brad, The First Brother, giggled. 'Olidammara...has chosen...ME!''

'Awwww shit,' Tad sighed. 'Not again.'

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There you go. Chapter three, it involves a 'smart' Dudley. Cultist Frat boys and a cliff hanger!

What more could any of you want?