Bane

Special thanks to Miriam1 for stepping into Frau's shoes. We are still feeling our way around each other when it comes to editing so please bear with us.

Disclaimer: See chapter 1. Copperwind is my OOC.

Remember this story is rated "M" for the Tayledras' free love life style. We won't go too graphic but the suggestion is there.

As always: Reviews are welcomed, flames are not.

:mindspeech. . . :

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Chapter 11

Home.

The young green-eyed mage was finally back in his own ekele and it felt great to be home. His things were just where he had left them.

This was his ekele, even though it was attached to his parents'. It was still his private area, and it felt great.

He never thought he would be able to say the word and know it was true. He was finally home. Growing up with the Dursleys, he never once considered that house as home.

'Cera's a treasure,' he mused as he stripped out of his traveling clothes.

The young female hertasi had kept his room clean and on the table ready for him was his favorite snacks. His bathing items were sitting on the futon with fresh clothing.

The hertasi, in many ways, were like the house elves in the Wizarding World, however, the lizard folk had more free will then their counter parts. Firefox sighed sadly as he thought of Dobby and Winky.

Hedwig and Godric were perched on a limb outside that over-looked his bed, asleep. They had weathered the crisis admirably. Firefox knew he couldn't have made it without their help.

With that thought, Firefox decided to take Cera's subtle hint and headed for the hot springs to soak away the last of the stink of Sanctuary off of him. Well don't get him wrong, he loved Sanctuary, just not as a patient. Besides, the travel to and from Sanctuary on the back of a dyheli isn't the most comfortable way to travel.

He popped over to his parents' ekele, letting them know where he was heading but ignored his father's hurried: "Be home for dinner."

Firefox knew Cera would let the other hertasi know where he was heading. Sometimes, Firefox thought they could be worse than house elves in their need to serve others.

One another thing he was well aware of was that there was no much thing as privacy in a Vale.

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The hot springs were a cascading water fall with connecting pools of hot goodness running down one of the hills on the other side of the Vale. It was a focal point for the denizens that lived and/or visited. At the top pool where the hot water exited its underground stream was the hottest and as the water cascaded downward, the pools became cooler until it reached the lake below.

It was a work of marvel and artistry created by Darian when he went for his mastery. He had diverted one of the underway streams to flow near the Heart-stone. Its residual heat caused the stream to turn into hot steam, forcing it up into the hillside until it exited forming the cascade fall.

Firefox liked the pool high up where the water was the hottest which made only those that loved and could stand the heat went there.

The lowest pool was the coolest and largest as well as the closest to the lake. It was the favorite for the younger crowd around his age. He still went there to hang out with his friends. The spring-fed lake below the fall was nice but could be quite chilly, depending on the season. Many will now decide to use the private bathing areas in their living quarters, now that the season was changing for winter weather.

Stripping down, Firefox slipped into the pool. Clothing was very optional in the pools. Many outsiders still wore something to cover themselves in these pools. It had taken several months to get used to the free forming life style that the Tayledras embraced when he was younger. Now it didn't bother him. What is, is.

"I see that you have escaped," came voice of young female scout named Copperwind, as she swam over. He smiled as he made room for her on the underwater bench. They were about the same age and had a "friends with benefits" style friendship, as did most older teens his age.

Although Firefox was sexual active, thanks to the Trayledras' free life-style and Silverfox's talks, the young mage was very careful with his liaisons. He knew that he was returning to Hogwarts when the Star-eyed willed it, so to form a permanent attachment just wasn't in the plans.

"Ahh. It was a pain. You'd think I tangled with a cold drake queen the way they carried on," he complained, as he sank further into the hot water.

"I think they would have preferred it, if you had. Demons! Of all the creatures out there…" she shuddered before holding up a sponge and changed the subject. "Need a back scrub?" She gave him a playful smirk.

Firefox smiled. It was a shame that they couldn't take this very far, at the moment. He was still recovering and had been forbidden to overdo. It was too bad, really. He and Copperwind had some really fun times over the past year.

The best thing about living in the Vale: he didn't have to worry about the Boy-Who-Lived fan-girls here. As Harry Potter, he was still trying to figure out if he liked girls or boys. However, now he liked living in the Vale as Firefox. He didn't have to worry about anyone running to the Daily Prophet for a "kiss and tell" expo.

Another thing that he didn't have to worry about was Molly Weasley, or worse, Dumbledore hovering over him. That woman was a shrew, in every sense of the word, when it came adult activities. It boggled that mind as this was a woman who gave birth to seven children. Can we say hypocrite?

Since it was still daylight, it was an unwritten rule that the pools are considered public. If you want to tryst, take it somewhere private. Even if they were so high up on the hillside, it was still open and in public. After the sun has set, the rules change.

So the pair enjoyed each other's teasing and flirting, as at the moment, they had the pool to themselves. Because of the heat, they really couldn't stay in for too long, anyways. Besides the hertasi will signal if anyone was coming, plus they would make sure that snacks and fresh towels would be ready if they needed.

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Firefox found himself back at his parents' ekele sometime later, fresh and relaxed. He liked the youngscout. She reminded Firefox of a certain blonde Ravenclaw he once knew. His thoughts turned back to the afternoon in the hot pool. Her hands on his skin…

"Had fun, I see," Firesong teased and broke into Firefox's musing. The older mage's voice came the from common room as he looked up from book he was reading. "Cera was upset. She left you a plate of food up in your ekele, which you didn't touch. You still need to eat more to rebuild your strength."

The young mage blushed as he turned to head for the causeway to his own ekele in the next tree. "Yes sir."

According to everything he had been taught, Tayledras consider food as fuel. A mage of Firesong's and Firefox's strength will never be fat; working magic like they do will not allow it.

Firefox shuddered as he remembered being starved in his past life. In doing so, the Dursleys almost succeed in their promise when they took him in. His magic had been severely stunted by the time he came to Hogwarts, and it was doubtful that he would've even reached his full potential.

"So what are you reading?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Rereading," came the answer. "I had Starfall send over some of journals that recorded some of Vanyel's exploits. If you are going to emulate him, I need to be prepared. If my hair hadn't already turned white since I was a child, I would swear you are giving them to me."

"Father!"

Firesong's laughter followed Firefox as he escaped up into his ekele.

There was another thing that Firefox wasn't too worried about at the moment, and that was being punished for that crazy stunt. He wasn't in trouble for protecting Sanctuary or even saving Kieryn. It was expected to protect their home.

Everyone was more upset that he did it alone without backup.

Silverfox and Firesong had told him that he was being punished enough by him being on medical leave until he healed. They wouldn't allow him to do any magical exercises until the healers gave him clear bill of health. Until then, it was clear he was going to be bored out of his mind with nothing to do. The worse sort of punishment, in his opinion.

The young green-eyed mage stopped at the entrance of his lofty bedroom to stare at the huge cream and orange cat pretending to be a furry throw.

Sleepy blue eyes peered at Firefox and gave a flick of his orange and brick-red striped tail. :About time you showed up. I was getting a little bored.:

Firefox shouted, "Father!" as he stood gazing at the firecat. "Come quick!"

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That night, Firefox stood on the balcony of his ekele, staring up at the half moon. His parents had already left to get some sleep, leaving their son alone with his new teacher.

'A firecat. I had been gifted a firecat for a teacher,' was the only thought running through his mind.

A firecat was an avatar for V'kandis, the Sunlord. Like Companions, they helped those that the gods deemed worthy of help. So far, Firefox knew that there were only two present at the moment, Alta, who was assigned to Firesong's friend, who was also a priest to the Sunlord and current Karsite ambassdor. The other was with Solaris, the current Son of the Sun in Karse.

So why did he have one as a teacher? And why him, of all people?

:I told you, Harry: the firecat explained, with a flick of his tail in amusement.. :It was deemed that you willneed help when you return. V'kandis and the Star-eyed both decided that you will need more support when you return.:

"But why you? I know that firecats are the souls of former Karsite priests. You are not one of them."

:I know. That will be your first history lesson tomorrow. Your fathers may want to join in on it. Their peoples are very much involved in it: the firecat commented as he stretched out on the futon behind him.

"But why you? Why not one of the others?"

:They have already been re-incarnated. I was still serving my penance. Besides, I am the logical one to send. I know more about Hogwarts than any one. It was, at one time, my home.:

"So what do I call you? Salazar Slytherin?"

:You may call me either Salazar, or Sal, or even Teacher. Whatever you do, you will do it with respect. Now it's late, and your lessons start tomorrow. So you need to get to sleep, Harry. You are still recovering from magical exhaustion as well as channel overload.:

Firefox sighed, "Move over. This is my bed, after all."

This was something he definitely needed to get used to. However. . .

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I hope everyone has a safe and joyous time during the new year and that you stayed warm as it's freezing where I live.

Miriam1 has chapter 12 in her hot little hands and is currently going through it. So when it'll be posted is still up in the air.

Please, can I ask that you guys stop sending condolences? If you wish to, please pm me? I really do appreciate them and thank everyone for them but they are getting a bit much.

Until next time. – GF