Luminescent
Part Five
Water Works

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Duh. The Lugovalos family, however, is mine. They're weird and strange and they ocassionaly scare me, but they are mine. Ish.

Warning: As I've stated in every other chapter, this is SLASH! Phyrrus is too possessive of Harry for it to be anything else. Although, if you're interested, when the idea started, it wasn't supposed to be. In fact, this entire story was supposed to be about River and Rayne. Clearly they all had other ideas.

Author's Note: Lookie! I'm not dead! I am in the midst of school and going crazy with homework, and I'm sorry about updates, but I did warn you I wouldn't be able to update often. In fact, I wasn't going to update until Thanksgiving because that's my first real break, but I had a few mintues tonight and figured, "Why the hell not?" So. . . here's a special update just for my adoring readers. But the warning is still out there. This is probably going to be the last update for quite some time. Mostly because I don't have any of it to spare. Sadly. My workload sucks. But c'est le vie.

Just so everyone knows, I AM ON LIVEJOURNAL! My name there is the same as only the space is an underscore. I have things for Pyrotechnics on LJ that are not on here. They are various side stories and other things. One of them (wife swap) I'm currently attempting to expound on to turn it into something for but that may not be anytime soon. I'm working on Luminescent instead of it. Hee hee. So go take a look at that. And please, enjoy it.

This chapter has, indeed, been beta'd (THANK YOU PRINCESSXXMOONXX! YOU'RE AMAZING!) and been sitting on my computer. However, I haven't even looked at it. I can't even find the brain power to write these days. How annoying. Grr. . . But I am (slowly but surely) working my way through year five. Which is another reason I don't update as much. I can write or update, and I can't update without material to update. So. . . I generally write.

To crazy for this: No fears of abandonment, I just have lots of work. That's the story of my life, really. So while I will be slow in updating, I will be doing it. Just not as often as I'd like.

To AquaRias: Man, you made me feel special! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Good OC's are hard to come by, but don't write (haha, I made a funny. . .) but don't write them off automatically, ne? There's some really good authors buried under a load of crap. I know of a few OCs I've just fallen in love with over the years. But I'm glad you think mine are good!

To Lady Bit
And
To everyone hating Umbridge: Or, as Phyrrus calls her, Umbitch. Don't worry, she'll get hers. Two words (and a slight teaser here): Grandma Lugovalos. Mwahahaha!

To Everyone: I'm glad you're enjoying the story, check out my LiveJournal Account, and. . . do me another, teeny favor, if you'd please.
Enjoy chapter five.
oOooOo

"I suppose you two are done for the night. Come here." Umbridge beckoned them forward, taking Harry's hand first. "It just hasn't sunk in yet," she tsked, slapping his hand away. Harry bit back a grimace. It might have only been cut into once, but it was still a little red and sore. Phyrrus held his out next, and Harry frowned at the heavy red weals that marred the back of Phyrrus' tanned skin.

"You seem to take to it much better," Umbridge exalted. "Good. I'll see you both tomorrow night."

Harry looked at his bonded as they left, but Phyrrus shook his head. gesturing to the door. He would talk to Harry after they got a bit further away. Halfway to Gryffindor tower, Harry finally grabbed Phyrrus' marred hand. "What happened?" He demanded. "Why is it worse on you than me?"

"Those quills cut into you with each line," Phyrrus admitted softly, watching Harry's face bloom in horror.

"But why didn't mine--" Phyrrus gave Harry his opposite hand, revealing marks just as red as the first set, but in Harry's neat writing. "Oh, Phyrrus," Harry took the hand, pressing a kiss to it as tears filled his eyes and spilled over. Pressing Phyrrus hand to the salty wetness, he rubbed the injured limb against his face.

"Harry, you know I would do anything for you."

"Oh, Phyrrus, why did you hurt yourself?" Harry continued to press soft kisses to the other's hand. "I could have taken it."

"I know that. But. . . I didn't want you to. You've already been hurt so much. I couldn't bear to let you go through this pain."

"The blood you left on the quill. . ."

"Yes."

Harry wrapped his arms around his bonded, shaking his head and pulling the taller down for a deep kiss. "I'm not the damsel in distress," Harry told his boyfriend gently. "And, though it is appreciated most of the time, you don't have to save me."

Phyrrus glanced at the writing on his hand and shook his head. "If something happened to you, I would never forgive myself. Forgive me, Harry, for simply doing what my heart demands."

Harry clung to Phyrrus tighter, and Phyrrus held Harry in return, burying his face in the black locks before him and breathing in Harry's scent. It didn't matter what Harry could and couldn't handle, if Phyrrus could prevent any sort of pain whatsoever, then he would do everything in his power to do so. Harry wasn't exactly innocent, but if there was one person that deserved to be protected, at least in Phyrrus' mind, it was Harry.

Harry finally moved, returning to Gryffindor tower, changing, and crawling into bed next to Phyrrus, still holding his bonded's hand and pressed soft kisses to it every once in a while. Phyrrus wrapped his arms around Harry, holding him close. They still had detention for the rest of the week. Phyrrus would do whatever it took to keep Harry from feeling the pain of that quill.
oOooOo

River and Rayne didn't have Umbridge until Wednesday morning, but Phyrrus was sure they had figured out what happened at detention. His hands were still sore, and he had been forced to wear the bandages and fingerless leather gloves he wore while fighting to keep anyone from asking too many questions. When they did ask, Phyrrus told them he had just been out training and had cracked his hands a bit. Harry said nothing to the lie, knowing that when Phyrrus cracked his hands he did wrap them similarly, but River and Rayne watched their older brother a little more closely. Cyrrus said nothing about it, just frowned at his cousin and returned to his food. Harry had a feeling Phyrrus wasn't fooling any of his family.

When River and Rayne did have Umbridge, Harry told them both to be careful and to mind the teacher. Looks exchanged between the twins, and both nodded resolutely. Harry didn't ask for specification, deciding that it could be read as agreement and that pushing was probably a bad idea. Watching their retreating backs, Phyrrus felt an uneasy feeling enter his belly. He just hoped they minded Harry's warning.

River and Rayne smirked at each other. "You know what she did to Phyrrus and Harry, right?" River asked her sister in twinspeak, adding their sign for toad at the end to specify who "she" was.

"How do you want to get her back?" Rayne asked, raising an eyebrow.

"First things first. If we're going to do something, we aren't going to get caught." River's hand went to her hair, pulling out the jewel toned purple ribbon she always wore in there. Rayne nodded, repeating the gesture with her pink one, and the two hid them in their bags. Tugging out her wand, River whispered a spell, then waited for Rayne to repeat the gesture. Their eyes darkened or lightened to match in color, and they soon formed two dimples instead of only one. It was one of the few twin spells that allowed twins of the same gender to look exactly alike.

They were going to send Umbridge in circles of misery for what she did to their brother, that much was sure. By the time the two stepped into the classroom, not even the classmates they had known for two years could tell them apart. Several satisfied murmurs passed through the crowd. Umbridge swept in moments later, smirking. "Good morning, class."

Most of the class muttered back a half hearted reply, but it was the little twins who sat up straight and smiled brightly. "Good morning, Ms. Toad-lady!" They looked so innocent a judge would have jailed them on pure principle.

"Who said that?" Umbridge roared, looking around the giggling class. "Someone tell me right now!"

"Said what, Ms. Toad-lady?" One twin called out.

Umbridge's head snapped towards them. "Which of you said that?"

"I didn't say anything!" Both chorused at once, tilting their heads. A few of the students nearly snickered. River and Rayne even sounded alike at the point. Usually Rayne's voice was a tiny bit higher, so people could usually tell when they were both talking. Now they blended together so perfectly it was impossible to tell which had replied.

"Which of you called me toad-lady?" She snapped, approaching the small girls.

Both of them burst into tears. "Toad-lady wants to eat us!" They wailed, hugging each other and sobbing. Umbridge halted upon seeing their tears, shifting uncomfortably.

"Now, now, don't cry. I'm not going to eat you," She tried to soothe.

"We're not flies!" Both twins continued to wail. "Please don't eat us!"

"No one is getting eaten," Umbridge felt her temper creak. These little brats were acting up and she couldn't even really yell at them because yelling at a couple of small children really would have dropped her credibility. "Hush now, it's all right."

"No, we don't want ea-eaten!" They were still wailing, sobs making their small forms shake. They clung to each other, curling as far from Umbridge as they could in their seats.

"Hush, you two," One of the older girls went to their side. "It's okay. She won't eat you."

"She's scary looking and she tried to eat Phyphy and Riri!" They both sobbed. The girl could only assume Harry was Riri (where they'd gotten the name, she had no idea) and patted their heads.

"It's okay, I'm sure she's not nearly as scary as she looks," The girl soothed. If the twins were play-acting, they were doing a hell of a job.

"Why don't you take them out of class for a few moments and calm them?" Umbridge finally ordered, watching two of the girls gather them up and take them outside.

"Was that on purpose?" One hissed. As soon as she smirked, they knew which one was River, and the small girl shrugged, still making sobbing noises, which slowly tapered off.

"She hurt Phyrrus and Harry. She will pay," Both hissed as they pretended to quite crying. The first girl looked at her friend.

"I'm just glad my little sister can't act that well," She muttered, and the two led them back inside to discover everyone reading their books. River and Rayne sat demurely at their desks, staring at the cover of their textbooks.

"We already read this!" Both twins called, continuing to stare at the books.

"Have you now? The whole thing?"

"Uh huh. And Mommy got us next year's, so we read that too. But then we got bored, so we snatched Phyphy's and Riri's and read them too." Both nodded.

"And what did you think of them?"

"They suck," Both twins stated together, flatly.

Umbridge looked ready to rip out her hair. River and Rayne barely hid a smirk. "So should we practice now?"

"No! There is no practical work in this class!"

"But how can we use the spells if we don't practice?" River and Rayne asked innocently, looking at the teacher. "All our other teachers say practice makes perfect, and Mommy says you have to practice and practice and practice if you wanna get better."

"Practice is only necessary in other subjects."

"But Uncle Leon said that Defense Against the Dark Arts needed practicing most," Both twins argued, looking horribly confused. Umbridge was trying to control her temper, not wanting another melt down, and the two honestly looked like they didn't understand what she was telling them.

The rest of the class knew better.

"Is your Uncle Leon a ministry certified teacher?"

"We dunno," The two traded looks. "Does being in the military count? I don't think America has a ministry for that sort of thing."

"He was in the military?"

"Oh yeah," One of the boys nodded. "I remember you mentioning him last year. He's that creepy fox-mask guy, isn't he?"

"Uh huh! That's Uncle Leon. Reikatsuken Byakko." Both agreed. "But he said practice was important."

"Well he isn't here right now, is he?"

"He might be," Both shrugged. "He and Mr. Snape might be fuc–"

"We don't say that here, remember?" One of the girls clamped her hands over their mouths. "Remember why your mommy said you don't say that here?"

"Mmm mm mmmm–" The girl removed her hands. "Because it's a bad word an' people don't like it?" They asked, shrugging to each other.

"Right. Now, restate."

"He and Mr. Snape might be having sex right now, because I think Mr. Snape has a free period and Uncle Leon got in yesterday." Both obediently did as asked, and Umbridge found herself horrified at the thought of them being allowed to curse like that at home. Then again, this was a boarding school and they had the foulest mouthed child for an elder brother. She bit her lip, still not sure if she should punish them. They really didn't sound like they knew better.

"Well," Umbridge found she was losing her arguments. "He's not teaching, is he."

"Noooo," They held out the word like they were uncertain. "But. . . "

"No buts!" Umbridge had lost the last bit of her patience.

The twins burst into tears again. Umbridge resisted the urge to slam her head down on her desk. And things were going so well. . .
oOooOo

When Phyrrus was called out of class by a somewhat panicking Professor Sprout on behalf of a completely panicked Professor Umbridge, Harry (and McGonagall) thought it best if Harry followed. Exchanging looks with the transfigurations professor, Harry silently went to the Defense Against the Dark Arts Room. The moment he heard the twin wails, he immediately knew that River and Rayne were both faking. To him, who had heard real wailing from the two of them, it was obvious.

Phyrrus glanced over, raising an eyebrow. Harry nodded. "River! Rayne! Quite tormenting your teacher!" Phyrrus ordered, shoving the door open to see Umbridge as far from the little twins as possible, and most of the class hiding snickers.

"Toad-lady is going to eat us!" Both wailed. Phyrrus lifted River while Harry got a hold of Rayne, grateful that he didn't have to attempt to get a hold of them by himself.

"She is not going to eat you," Phyrrus finally sighed, taking them from the room. "I'm terribly sorry about this, Ms. Umbridge. I'm afraid they aren't particularly fond of you."

"That's an understatement," Harry muttered, heading towards the tower. Phyrrus said nothing, following Harry. When they arrived in Gryffindor tower, the rest of the students cleared out upon seeing the thunderous look on Phyrrus' face and the little twins' nervous gulp. Plopping the two on a couch, Phyrrus crossed his arms.

"Why did you do it?"

"We know what she did to you," River and Rayne dropped the spell, returning to normal and re-weaving the ribbons in their hair. "She had no right! You should tell someone! And she was real mean to Hermione too!"

"That doesn't excuse this!" Phyrrus roared. "I can take care of myself! I knew what I was doing when it happened! I didn't need you to try to defend me. The only thing you've done is proved yourselves immature and irresponsible. What if you two get detention? What will you do? What if she uses those quills on you? What will I do?"

Both of the twins flinched, eyes filling with real tears. They knew Phyrrus was furious, and Harry could tell it too. Normal he would step in, but this time, the twins really deserved it. "She hurt you!" River screamed, leaping to her feet.

Phyrrus slapped her soundly across the face. Harry gasped, though he could tell that Phyrrus had not hit her with his full strength. The black haired boy's jaw dropped in shocked surprise, green eyes growing wide. He had never seen Phyrrus raise a hand to either of his sisters before (though he supposed he must have at one point or another) but never since he had known Phyrrus had the larger lifted a hand to his sisters.

"Sit down, River," Phyrrus growled, golden eyes narrowing. "Now."

River did so immediately. Rayne said nothing, just put a hand to her cheek where Phyrrus had slapped her sister. Small sniffles passed her lips as she faced the ground, fighting to suppress her sobs. Phyrrus clenched his fists, flicking his wand and summoning four rolls of parchment, two quills, and two ink pots. "Now, you two are going to write a letter to Mom telling her what you did, then you will be writing a letter of apology to Ms. Umbridge. When they are done, I will read them before you send them. Do you understand?"

Both girls flinched and nodded, hurriedly picking up two rolls of parchment apiece. Phyrrus said nothing, just stormed up the stairs, Harry following quietly after. The girls followed him with their eyes, and Rayne looked ready to call out, but Phyrrus paused and turned, snapping his fingers at the parchment threateningly. Rayne flinched, returning to her work, and Phyrrus continued up the stairs. Throwing himself onto the bed, he covered his face with his hands.

"Phyrrus?" Harry soft voice made him turn.

"You probably think I'm a monster," Phyrrus finally told him, softly. "Lashing out at River like that."

"I've never seen you do it before, but I always figured you've gotten into fights with them. I've seen you both with the bruises." Harry sat down, reaching out to his boyfriend. "You really didn't hit her that hard, did you."

"Hard enough." Phyrrus sighed. "I'm glad no one else was down there. It won't bruise, but it'll probably feel like it did. I'm sorry I did that."

"Because you're really sorry, or because I saw?" Harry pressed on Phyrrus' shoulders, forcing the taller to look up at him.

"Because you saw." Phyrrus sighed, closing his eyes so he wouldn't have too look at Harry.

"Why did you hit her?"

"She needs to learn when to open her mouth. Unfortunately, I'm her brother, not her father. I can't react the same as a parent. She did deserve the hit. . . or just punishment, but I work with what I've got. I don't hit either of them often. . . but. . ."

"Phyrrus, they're your sisters. You're going to be frustrated with them. It's okay. I know that siblings hit each other when they're mad. I might not understand why, but I know it happens. Hell, you and Cyrrus have a knock down drag out fight over the last slice of pizza. I also know that you would never hit me. I'm not afraid of you." Harry smiled at his bonded, laying his forearms on either side of Phyrrus' head and leaning down to catch the red-head's lips with his own.

Phyrrus' arms wrapped around Harry, pulling him closer. Harry smirked, forcing Phyrrus to tilt his head slightly so Harry could deepen the kiss, and smiled against it. Phyrrus allowed his hands to drift under Harry's shirt, though he was mindful about where his hands were going, and Harry allowed his hands to tangle themselves in Phyrrus' hair. Harry smirked, moving his lips from his boyfriend's, kissing his way down the other's jawline and neck, nipping a little at the taller's collarbone.

"Harry, don't," Phyrrus panted, hands tightening at Harry's hips.

Harry pulled away, also panting. "Phyrrus?"

"If you do that," Phyrrus panted, forcing Harry to back up a bit, "Then I can't promise what I won't do."

"Sorry," Harry blushed. "I guess I got carried away too. I'm glad you stopped me."

Phyrrus flopped his head back, pulling Harry back to his lips to give him a light peck. "I know what you want, and I know what we can do. If we want any hope of this bond to be able to be broken, we have to watch how physical we get."

"I don't care about the bond being breakable," Harry hissed, eyes narrowing. "I care that I don't want to go too much until we're Joined because I want to have something left to give. If not, what's the point of being joined in the first place?"

"Tax breaks?" Phyrrus asked weakly, and found himself unable to dodge the smack Harry delivered to his head.

"Phyrrus, I'm serious. I know that Percy and Anders or Uncle Leon and Uncle Sev have probably. . . you know. . . but I just don't want to."

"They're also just a tiny bit older than us," Phyrrus pointed out. "And I respect that. I think it's amazing of you. And I appreciate it. That's why I let you know when I'm unbearably turned on." A smirk crossed his face.

"You're perverted."

"Thank you. Can we go back to making out?"

Harry sighed, but leaned back in obediently. Hey, he had needs to!
oOooOo

River and Rayne dutifully handed Phyrrus their letters the next morning at breakfast, and Phyrrus drew River in for a hug before waving his wand over her still-reddened cheek. She cuddled into his chest, sobbing apologies to him, and Rayne contented herself to stand and wait for her sister's tears to subside. Harry smiled. This was a side to Phyrrus he hadn't seen before, and he was glad to have gotten the chance.

Detention for Harry and Phyrrus was still going the same as usual, with Phyrrus refusing to allow the blood-quill to give more than a single line on Harry's hand before managing to get his own blood on the nib. Both of Phyrrus' hands slowly scarred with the lines they were writing, and Umbridge grew more and more annoyed when Harry's hand refused to take the scarring but Phyrrus' hand (the one he showed her) looked terrible. Well, truthfully, both his hands looked terrible, but Umbridge only saw the hand the lines Phyrrus was supposed to be writing was carved into.

"Harry," He was caught by Angelina moments later. "Would you care to explain why you have detention tomorrow?"

"Because Umbridge hates me?" Harry sighed. "Look, I know you were having Keeper tryouts, and I really wanted to be there, but I don't have much of a choice. You know she won't change it for me."

Angelina finally sighed. "I suppose there's no such luck of getting Phyrrus there, either?"

Phyrrus gave a tired smile, looking pale. As the week had worn on, he had grown paler and paler, sleeping more often, and looking incredibly tired all the time. Truthfully, Harry was getting worried, but Phyrrus refused to go to the nurse, claiming there was nothing she could do. He also said he already knew what was wrong and was acting accordingly, but wouldn't tell Harry what it was. "Why would you want Phyrrus there?"

"We are down a keeper, and he does play that position," Angelina pointed out.

"Where'd you hear that?" Phyrrus raised his head tiredly.

"Your sisters, where else?" Angelina laughed slightly. "But I was hoping you'd try out?"

"I told you, I don't do that whole Quidditch thing," Phyrrus finally yawned.

"Why not? You play Quid! You do martial arts! Hell, you're so active, I'm surprised the castle doesn't shake half the day when you tap your foot in class!" Angelina crossed her arms. "That last bit was from Harry," She added belatedly.

"Thanks, Harry," Phyrrus pouted at the idea he was outed about shaking his foot almost constantly when he was sitting down. Harry paused to give Phyrrus a glance, and idly noticed Phyrrus wasn't shaking his foot. His brain gnawed on that as Harry hid his worry carefully. He had to make sure Phyrrus didn't feel it either.

"So, what about you trying out?" Angelina pressed.

"I'm still going to decline," Phyrrus held up a hand. "I don't want to play."

Angelina threw her hands up in exasperation, but didn't push it like Oliver had. "Can I at least convince you to come to practice so we can make an alternate team to practice against?" She finally begged. "It wouldn't be all the time, just sometimes."

"Do you think we could make a team from all the houses for that?" Harry asked, rubbing his chin. "Because I think I have an idea."

"Huh?"

"Well, if you're on a team, you couldn't play on it, but we'd get some people from all the other houses, and then all the teams would have people to practice with." Harry explained. "I think it'd be really fun."

"That would be fun," Phyrrus agreed, then grinned. "Maybe we could start a small Quid tournament too."

Angelina shrugged. "Whatever. But will you come at least help us out every now and then?"

"Yeah, sure," Phyrrus shrugged. "But I'm still not trying out."

"Fine," Angelina waved a bit before wandering off, clearly still annoyed with Harry, but accepting it.

"Phyrrus?" Harry pulled at his books, but paused when Phyrrus didn't reply. "Phyrrus?" When he didn't reply the second time, Harry spun, finding him slumped in his chair, even paler than before, body slack. Harry gulped, shaking him slightly, sending a questioning--and somewhat panicked--feeling along their bond. Phyrrus groggily opened his eyes, smiling.

"I'm fine."

"Don't you lie to me," Harry snapped, ready to knock the other across the face. "You passed out! If you won't go see the nurse, at least go talk to Uncle Sev!"

"Fine, help me up," Phyrrus sighed, allowing Harry to pull him from the chair and following the boy from the room, leaning heavily on him. He was pale and sweating by the time they reached the dungeons and knocked on Severus' door. Leon pulled it open, looking grumpy, but immediately helped Phyrrus inside when he nearly fell over.

"What happened to him?" Leon demanded, laying the tall teen on the couch.

Harry shook his head, opening his mouth to reply when Phyrrus spoke up. He told Leon about the detentions Umbridge was giving them, about tricking the quills, and the subsequent anemia--meaning he was rather low on blood. Severus, who had heard the explanation sighed and looked ready to slap Phyrrus upside the head. "And why didn't you come to us first thing instead of waiting until now?"

"Because who would believe me?" Phyrrus laughed. "But now I have proof!"

"You have been losing who knows how much blood to get us proof?" Leon did slap the teen upside the head. "Are you stupid, or do you just pretend to be? Let me see your hands."

Phyrrus was passively obedient, allowing Leon and Severus to poke and prod at him, as well as take pictures of the scars on his hands, and Severus finally forced a few potions down his throat. The teen passed out, but Harry could tell this was a healing trance instead of just unconsciousness. "Idiot nephew of mine," Leon muttered fondly. "And I suppose he refused the hospital wing?"

"Naturally. I keep pestering him, but I can't exactly carry him there, and Cyrrus hasn't said anything, so I thought it was at least somewhat normal."

"Sounds like Cyrrus, though," Leon muttered, shaking his head. "The two of them might notice something about the other, but until it becomes serious, they aren't going to share."

"Have experience?" Severus raised an eyebrow.

"Rather," Leon grumbled, clearly annoyed at whatever memory he was thinking about. "When they were both about five, Cyrrus waltzed into the house, looked at Mom, and said, 'I think Phyrrus broke his arm. We tried to wrap it, but he passed out." And then started back to the barn."

"What happened?" Harry gasped.

"Fell out of the hay loft," Leon rolled his eyes. "Well, no, that's not right entirely. They fell through the floor. Boarded it up themselves, and if Anders hadn't seen it three days later, we never would have noticed.

Harry rolled his eyes. That sounded like the two of them. "Are River and Rayne like that?"

"No, Phyrrus spoils them too much. Why?"

Harry told Leon about the fight Phyrrus had with River and Rayne, and the harsh slap the elder had delivered, as well as their punishment. Leon nodded in agreement with most of the story, but shrugged at the slap. "They're his sisters," Leon explained. "I beat up mine all the time. Me and Tiger Lily didn't get along so well."

"He's seven years older than they are!" Severus protested.

"You should have seen what Conner did to Tiger Lily, once. Didn't kill her, though he might as well have with the way Mom reacted. I wouldn't worry about it, they're siblings. Well, Cyrrus would have done it too, but he's a cousin. Anyway, it happens. It's not like he does this often. And he held back, otherwise we would have had some words."

"He fixed her this morning, too," Harry added, and Leon shrugged again.

"Then it's not an issue. River and Rayne are good kids, but they both need a good slap every now and then. Let it go, it's not a big deal. Just as long as Harry realizes that Phyrrus wouldn't strike him."

"I'm not worried. She really did deserve it." Harry sighed. "I've just never had real siblings, you know? Dudley doesn't count. So it was just a shock to see Phyrrus actually hit her. I know he's done it before, and I know they've hit back, since I've seen the bruises, but seeing it's always a little shocking."

Leon grinned. "One of my sisters brought home her boyfriend, who's an only child, and he saw Connor, Emma, Kelsey and Maia all getting into it and looked ready to pass out. They were in a fist fight in the front yard. Mom was out at the barn, and he said that Phoebe came running in and ripped them apart. . . then ripped them a new one. It was Alison, that's right. Anyway, Phoebe ripped them apart and beat the shit out of all of them. Alison couldn't get him back there for love or money and finally broke up with him. We were too violent, apparently."

"So does his temper come from his father?"

"Connor?" Leon smiled sadly, then shrugged. "Connor was pretty patient. But when he went off, there went the neighborhood. Half of it's from Chara, you know."

"That woman makes an earthquake look calm," Severus agreed, rolling his eyes. Harry nodded, noticing that Phyrrus had shivered slightly and curled up to his boyfriend.

"So, he'll be all right, now?" Harry asked, resting his head on Phyrrus' chest and comforting himself with the beating of the other's heart.

"He should be. How much longer will detention last?"

"Just tomorrow left," Harry admitted. "We had detention all week."

"No wonder he went off on his sisters. Kid was probably out of his mind with worry. Served them right. McGonagall still isn't sure who to take points from, since she has no clue which of them started the whole mess." Leon ruffled Harry's hair, then shooed him off Phyrrus. "I'm carrying this one back upstairs," Leon explained, conjuring a stretcher. "Come on. Bed time for you both."

"All right," Harry followed Leon from the room, relieved that Phyrrus was actually getting cared for by someone that knew how to help. Severus wouldn't go to anyone unless Phyrrus did, Harry knew, and that was a relief in itself. Although, Umbridge using illegal means on a minor who wasn't even a British citizen would probably have terrible consequences. Leon smirked to himself. He would have to. . . hypothetically. . . find out.

Fire burned in Leon's eyes. No one. . . No one hurt his nephew.
oOooOo