Story inspired heavily by 'Cruel To be Kind', '12 Steps To Omnipotence', 'Rise of an Empire' and a million and one other fanfics. If you see stuff and think that it's similar to another fanfic. it's probably because we read the same story and I liked that plot line or idea.
BEWARE this is a 'Gary Stu, wish fulfillment, power fantasy type story.
Thank you for reading!
Enjoy
Chapter 21
Year 7, Day 297: Harry Potter Universe, June 1996
I couldn't help but flinch as a wayward bit of spit almost landed all the way on me as we were all crowded into professor McGonagall's office.
"….inconsiderate, reckless, danger seeking, uncouth, troublemaking…."
We had already been here for twenty minutes. It didn't take long at all for the elves to find Sirius who was at a meeting at a pub with some ministry officials or some other such good folks he was sweet talking.
He and Remus arrived about five minutes ago. The two were of course always seen together having long reconciled now and if the rumors were true Remus was officially employed as his body guard.
It made sense to me that the 'Order' would start to take extra precautions for their most valuable pieces. Sirius was their most official tool outside of Dumbledore, his family name, excessive wealth and Wizengamot access was for now keeping the balance against Voldemort's agents in the ministry.
Things had gotten more hectic after the Voldemort broke out his crew from Azkaban. With reinforcements it only took two months, probably time for his Deatheaters to recover from their almost decade and a half stay in prison, for things to start escalating once again.
The low level scum started to get emboldened again and certain folks in the ministry either quit or went conveniently missing.
Admittedly the 'Light' side gave as good as it got in return stepping up arrests, raids and fighting for every appointment not only in the ministry but across all of the British wizarding societal strata.
Folks, families and business were getting caught up on either side of the conflict whether they wanted to or not. The merchant oriented families and guilds were particularly displeased with the whole thing on either side of the fence after all it's all fun and games until it starts to hurt your own purse.
And once in a while I would have my little side interfere out of the left field with copious amounts of bribes and threats to nominate certain folks into jobs just to shake things up.
This of course brought undue attention from both but it was really only Voldemort's forces that I needed to worry about. The harassment of my ventures had also increased but for now my security forces were handling it.
The memory of the New Year's Crucifixion was still working as a deterrent.
Still that was neither here nor there and it will all be dealt with soon enough.
The moment the two bachelors entered her office, the interim-headmaster switched her ire directly to them with a well-practiced from ages past "YOU TWO SIT! NOW!" scolding command.
Of course as it usually happens in these situations no matter what age and stage in life you are when confronted with an old teacher and symbol of authority people tend to revert to the mindset of that period of their lives and fall back into old habits.
So the two early forty year old men merely took a seat and received the verbal ramming as if they were still young troublemaking Gryffindor's just caught enacting their latest prank.
I really don't blame McGonagall for unleashing into both Potter's group and his two guardians. I can see how all the stress of this school year and everything else going on finally caught up to her.
As she finished her well-deserved emotional rant, we could all tell that the old lady immediately regretted letting loose as her demeanor instantly changed from seeing all of our shocked expressions.
Though before she could continue and most likely apologize for her outburst of emotions and inner thoughts my own head of house interfered with a gentle cough to get everyone's attention.
"Right, well I have to say that I second everything our interim-headmaster has said. It was a stupid, reckless and needlessly dangerous plan Mr. Potter." The diminutive professor said to the group. "You are very lucky Darrow stopped you or you might have just walked into a deadly trap." He paused for a moment and turned to the head of the Lions. "Though Minerva, I sincerely doubt that Sirius and Remus would have agreed less condoned this action had they known." He finished diplomatically giving an out for everyone involved.
Luckly the two gentlemen saw the situation for what it was and took it.
"Yes of course!" Sirius said as both men nodded. "I would never in a million years. Honestly Harry what were you thinking?" he said switching gears to his godson. "I'm perfectly fine and I almost never travel alone now. I know the dangers it's why I have Remus by my side." To which the skinny werewolf nodded in agreement.
Being put on the spot I could see the guilt and shame building up, threatening to overwhelm The-Boy-Who-Lived though there was also a mix of confusion as he tried to answer.
"I don't know." He answered softly and a bit confused. "I really don't know." His hands were now rubbing the side of his head where his temples were. "I keep having these dreams, no these visions, for weeks now. I can feel everything, hear it, smell it just like it was with Mr. Weasley except it was you this time. I could feel HIM torturing you and I knew what he wanted, how to make it stop." He paused for briefly. "He wants the Prophecy and…and I felt compelled to get it so he would stop hurting you. I don't want to lose you." Harry finished.
Its times like these that reminded me these weren't just characters anymore but real, living, breathing people.
"Harry" Sirius said all fatherly. "I promise you I'm not going anywhere and we are taking all the precautions we can."
As touching as this quasi father son moment was I really wanted to speed things up a bit I also had places to go and people to see.
"Excuse me." I interrupt the bonding moment. "It seems to me like someone is messing with Harry's mind."
"Yes Voldemort." The boy interrupts.
"Sure the pretender" I say and continue before we start this whole argument again. "Still it's obvious you need to be taught the mind arts specifically Occlumency so that you may guard yourself from unwanted visitors and dreams."
"I have!" He eagerly says. "I've practiced a few times with professor Snape. The Headmaster insisted he teach me."
I just roll my eyes long and hard so everyone can see.
"Well it's obviously not working and I would guess from his blunt attempt of Legillimency on myself that he essentially invaded your mind and asked you to defend without any proper instructions? And I would also wager that you failed in all attempts."
"Uh, well yes." Potter said embarrassedly. I know he did not want to bring up the one time he briefly turned the spell back on the professor and saw the bully that his dad was.
"Well you need a new teacher." I said as if it wasn't obvious to anyone involved. "Luckily for you there is a very well-known and powerful wizard who is a master of the mind arts that so happens to have a lot of free time." I said turning to the two guardians. "I have a feeling the Headmaster's inquiry will take the whole summer, perhaps he can better use that time to impart some of his skills to Harry, though I know I and the rest of the students will be very jea-"
Before I could finish my planned thoughts to try and get Harry some real training before he inevitably finds himself in a situation where lady luck leaves him the head of Ravenclaw interrupts me.
"I'm sorry Darrow but did you just say professor Snape tried to use Legillimency on you…a student?" He asked in a serious tone that left no questions about his feelings on the matter.
Surprised I looked at the now stern and cold looking Flitwick and simply and slowly answered "...Yes..."
Professor McGonagall's fury was instant.
"HE DID WHAT!?"
Scene Break
Year 7, Day 305: Shameless Universe, January 2026
He breathed in a controlled and methodical manner as to dampen the small knot in his chest that indicated the anxiousness he was feeling wasn't quite subdued yet.
His inner ego felt a little bit hurt since as a duelist he took pride in being able to control his emotions especially when under pressure otherwise he wouldn't have lasted so long in the game.
In his slightly over fifty years of life he had done many things, had ups and downs, travelled the world chasing his dream, competing and living for the thrill, so to speak.
Sure he had done it maybe a half a decade to a decade more than it would be considered reasonable by polite society and especially by his family, he had always been the 'free spirited' one out of the clan but eventually he had conceded to his advancing age and decided to slow down, after all he felt like he had seen it all.
It's why he took the duel master position for his mysterious American employer, it would provide a good transition and a nice vacation in England plus he'd already done teaching stints to family and friends, it was all that and the boatload of money it paid, he would have been stupid not to take it.
Dueling didn't actually pay that much unless you reached the very top and had sponsorships.
Then Darrow turned out to be an absolute monster with a wand. He was sure the boy wasn't normal, his stamina, strength, speed and casting ability were ridiculous, the magic pretty much rolled off the boy. He literally crushed the Southern France under 17 Tournament.
Of course the hard headed tall boy didn't want to continue on the dueling path so he was of a mind to leave his engagement and return to Sweden but eventually he was convinced to stay and continue the training.
Darrow wanted to learn how to fight multiple opponents. Curiosity and another small fortune thrown his way made him stay.
It was around this time that he started to notice the expansive business dealings and gathering of 'odd' individuals around his mysterious employer.
Cato the imposing German mind master, the old man always made him a bit uneasy, teaching Darrow his art. Nick the werewolf, officially Darrow's bodyguard yet spent most of his time doing tasks that Michael himself should have been doing.
Andreas got along well with Nick. He had no problem with the werewolf as long as he kept the curse under control, though he did make it a point to learn when all the full moons were and to stay away those nights.
One educated werewolf with a good head on his shoulders on payroll he understood, the risk overall was pretty low especially when they could afford the wolfsbane potion but then Nick started hiring his werewolf friends and Andreas thought for sure their absentee employer would throw a fit.
Instead Michael just eagerly encouraged it, not something any pureblood would ever do though he probably should have expected it considering Darrow had never shown any inclinations of pureblood superiority or discrimination against werewolves.
Then there was the ridiculous amount of money the Miercuri's spent.
Andreas's own family had been quite well off. It's why he was able to pursue his dueling career for so long. There was always a cushion to fall back onto.
His older brother took over the enchantment shop him and his siblings worked in their youth from their father. His younger sister had joined her husband's potion shop. All of his cousins and extended family worked in their parent's business or had started their own.
Overall the clan was doing well and if he ever needed money to supplement his adventuring lifestyle there was always worked lined up for him, someone always needed help with this or that.
Because of this he was not ignorant of economic matters and good business practices something which the Miercuri's didn't seem to practice at the rate they were spending.
He had been roped into helping Nick often enough, buying things, following up on deals, artifacts and people, especially when he was back in Europe while Darrow was at school.
He didn't mind it of course especially when he had the chance to work with Irma, he quite enjoyed the company of the she-wolf but he had also started paying attention to the business dealings of the family.
It was obvious that they had stupid money and were ignorant in its management or his mysterious employer was planning something. Even so it was not proper for him to comment on their monetary situation, it simply wasn't done in good society.
And when he thought he had reached the end of his term with the Miercuri's the World Cup incident happened and Michael offered him a spot on the security team as a trainer along with another irresponsible amount of money.
He accepted this time mostly out of curiosity so see how it would be to build an organization from the ground up though he was also curious to see what sort of people the Miercuri's would hire.
He shouldn't have been surprised when it was werewolves again, the brothers Craig and Greg and he knew from their dueling sessions with Darrow but there were other wolves from all walks of life in Nick's pack that were attracted to the team.
He had found the work quite enjoyable, especially working with the old Aurors and experiencing things from the muggle side with the muggle trainers.
Then the Voldemort pretender attacked Darrow at school and things heated up considerably. Suddenly the security team was put to the test.
The attack on the farms, the loss of life, having to recruit some friends and acquaintances to boost their numbers and of course the New Year's Crucifixion event had been hard hitting events, foreboding that things were changing in England.
He hadn't participated in the New Year's operations, he hadn't been asked or even told about it but it was basically an open secret among the wolves in the security team.
The pack had retaliated, brutally and it was all done with the blessing, encouragement and direction of Michael Miercuri.
Andreas had wanted to confront Michael about it but stopped himself when he realized he didn't really know Michael that well. He felt like he knew Darrow and Nick but Michael he barely saw the man in all the years he'd worked for him.
The bigger problem was the he wasn't even sure how he felt about the whole thing in the first place. Ironic a man in his fifties not being able to make up his mind on whether this was right or not but that was really the problem.
He wasn't the hard headed man he was in his youth. He'd seen things, he'd done things himself, he'd seen justice and injustice being served to those who both deserved it and who didn't. He'd seen innocents trampled by the strong.
He knew there were shades of gray in between black and white.
Overall he wasn't even sure why he'd stayed after everything that happened. It is one thing to stay for money it's another to put your life on the line.
Maybe it was the growing attraction to Irma or the camaraderie he felt to his team or the caring feelings for Darrow as his pupil or maybe it was the simple feeling that everything Michael was doing was building up to something, his curiosity pushing him to find out.
Yet none of the adventures or experiences in his fifty years of life had prepared him for what the father & son duo had just put him through today.
He paused for a moment unsure what to ask next of his two employers sitting across from him in the luxurious living room of the 'Hills Manor' dubbed uncreatively for being in Beverly Hills, United States of America.
Not that he minded being there, he quite liked America he'd visited both magical and muggle sides a few times but that was all in the past, he just never quite expected he would visit it again, specially not 30 years in the future and … a different reality.
"And these deities from your reality…your universe they are hunting you for Darrow's powers?" Michael nodded.
"Yes, though not to worry, as I've said they are stuck there, only Darrow has the power to traverse the universes otherwise they wouldn't be after us or we would already be dead. So you can see why we can never return we would very much like to stay alive." Michael finished with a sly smile.
'Darrow was a God!' Now that had been a hell of a revelation.
Darrow was a god and the gods existed, or at least some of them did, simple as that, like telling someone they just read it in the papers, not front page but in the back with the local announcements sections.
He of course didn't believe it first but then they took him reality hopping to the past, present and future. Places with no magic where neither he nor anyone he's ever known existed. Places where the earth was young and the dinosaurs reigned supreme and places where the dead roamed.
"Really sorry about lying to you coach." Darrow said "But I did really need to learn magic and dad was just too busy setting things ups to train me properly." Michael only nodded in return as he refilled the three glasses with some very expensive Cognac.
"And once I got a hang of it you can see why I didn't want to continue with tournament, didn't think it would be fair to everyone else." Darrow said shrugging.
Andreas couldn't help but smile at the young man yet couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. He had been very proud of his achievement with Darrow but now the question became how much of it was it nature and how much nurture.
Letting a big sigh out, in the end he thought it best not to too think too much about it.
"Yes well, I understand given the situation and I haven't said it yet but I'm sorry about your mother." He said and turned to Michael. "Angry gods or not, no child should lose their mother."
Andreas saw Michael's eyes turn sad, nodded then took a sip of the lightly colored caramel elixir. Both he and Darrow followed suit and let the silence sit for a moment.
"I do have to ask again" The duel master stopped and hesitated for a moment "…if it's so dangerous in the new reality you want to create this empire…why not choose an easier one, surely there must be others?"
This time Michael took the lead.
"There are others, yes, though not quite meeting all the requirements for Darrow to grow, to evolve into his true divine nature." Michael said with conviction. "All high technology realities are inherently dangerous and not many are open to worshipping deities, it's really the combination of high tech yet low societal development with a preset system of polytheistic belief that we can use for our own benefit."
"By hijacking it and installing Darrow as the local deity, essentially cheating your way to the top…still seems like unnecessary risk." Andreas finished for the slightly younger man.
Michael slyly smiled once again and leaned back in his seat.
"You know that is almost exactly what Cato said as well."
"Yes, it's all that but it's also the reality I feel is the right one and we need to pick one, searching and researching is not exactly easy to do." Darrow remarked in an almost clipped tone to his father.
"Of course." Michael said 'leaning back into' the conversation. "Divine instincts, and all that." He finished almost dismissively.
Andreas thought there may be some points of contentions between father and son but thought best not to push on the matter.
"This is a lot." Andreas finally said. "Can I have some time to think about it?" He asked Michael.
"As I mentioned at the beginning, we will need an answer today, you can take the time you need to think however we will not be leaving this reality until you make a decision."
"If you would like we can leave you alone for a while or drop you off somewhere so you can think." Darrow chimed in.
"And not to worry if you decide not to take the offer it will be like today never happened." Michael added.
Andreas agreed and asked to be left alone for an hour and when the father & son pair returned he stood and hesitantly told them his decision.
"I will keep your secrets and support your plans, in our reality at least…even with the upcoming muggle technological changes and the strife it will bring I'm…I'm not sure I can just leave my family. I'm not sure I can simply leave my reality simply like that." He said and let out a big sigh though his posture straightened and he felt more relaxed now that he got it all out.
"If that's not sufficient then go ahead, make me forget. I will not resist." He said turning to Darrow.
Naturally he assumed Darrow would be the one to change his memories since he was training with Cato, frankly he had no idea of Michael's capabilities if he really thought about it.
Surprisingly Michael didn't say anything but also looked at Darrow for his cue.
The stare down lasted only a moment before Darrow smiled. "That's alright coach, that won't be necessary."
"Your commitment for now is enough." Michael interceded.
"We still have to do some tweaking so it's harder for you to spill the secret but you have some time before having to commit to moving to the new universe. It will be at least a few years before we present the option to the wider pack." He paused briefly.
"Now then let's talk details. Nick and Claire are swamped with…"
As Michael droned on Andreas felt relieved and a bit excited.
He didn't want to leave his family but part of him also couldn't help but want to be part of Darrow's plans, after all it's not every day you get to help a God build an empire.
Scene Break
Year 7, Day 297: Harry Potter Universe, July 1996
"Maybe we shouldn't risk it…wait until the baby is born.' Claire said nervously while placing her hands on her very protruding belly.
At almost eight months the chest-nut brown haired woman was showing clearly with all the signs that accompanied her condition though she carried them in an almost effortless and glowing manner.
That is of course if she wasn't about to watch her husband undergo an experimental procedure from their Godly employer.
Me.
"It's best if we know now." Nick said from inside the cage he was in. "If this works think how much less of a risk we will have to be around baby Haley…around anyone really." He trailed off. "Besides Darrow won't let anything bad happen." He continued turning towards me.
"That's right." I confirmed. "My healing abilities are far above anything wizards can muster and if Nick does transform and go berserk the cage will hold him. Between the three of us nothing should go wrong." I finished referencing the other man in the room, Cato.
Claire looked at Nick's hopeful eyes and then reluctantly nodded in agreement.
"Good." Cato said. "Let's get on with this. Nick please have a seat." He instructed which the werewolf followed sitting on the plain chair in the middle of the cage. "I will lead you through some breathing exercises to relax your mind and prevent you from fighting Darrow too much. Now close your eyes and follow the sound of my voice."
Even though I sounded confident to Claire I can't say in good faith that I was 100% sure it would work. After all changing the werewolf curse was no small feat.
Truthfully, as a God I could probably cure it, forcefully remove it or something, I'm sure I could eventually brute force it if needed but I didn't want that.
I wanted to control the curse. Well more like change it to allow those cursed control over their minds and transformations.
There were simply too many advantages to be had if they could control their curse. The enhanced senses, strength, the raw aggression and physicality that came with the transformation, the pure intimidation factor were worth it in my opinion.
Plus I want my magical werewolf army!
I know, I know there's not nearly enough of them to become an army and they won't really matter when we are talking about space battles with highly advanced technological ships but I still thought it was worth it for the cool visual factor.
As a god emperor I would control magical werewolves and any of my opponents who would dare claim godhood wouldn't.
That's a straight win in the argument of which being is divine or not.
I set myself on a chair in front of him closed my eyes and listened carefully, trying to focus my mind while gathering my power as Cato finished the exercises.
"Excellent Nick, now I want you to take another breath, open your eyes and look straight on."
I followed Cato's instructions as well and opened my eyes.
Our gazes met, connecting I sensed Nick's unconscious shields, the barriers in his mind were about as welcoming and accepting as they will ever be so I delved right in.
"Legilimens!"
Nick's Occlumency was usually good enough to keep strays from wondering in unnoticed and steal anything but overall it would never have withstood some purposefully breaking in let alone someone like Me, Voldemort or even Snape.
The reason why I wanted him relaxed with his 'shields' down as much as possible was because I was going deep, very deep.
This was no mere mindscape exploration to steal some meager memories this was going down to the source, the emotional level that made up the self, the id, the ego, the reflection of one's soul.
I had spent quite a long time reading about the werewolf curse going over tomes, journals, books and theory on it. I delved into all I could find in the restricted section as well as anything I could buy about the werewolves and the curse.
The famous "Howling Moon" by Ronald Plindenburry delving into the origins of the curse linking it to some ancient Greek tragedy about a lover's quarrel so terrible the soul is crying in pain at the moon. There was also "Blood Curses and how to protect yourself!" by Filistine Fester renowned mediwitch for her healing abilities who argues that the curse infests your blood like a parasite, changing it adding it's magic to it or the controversial "The Beast Within" by Atticus Finley exploring the idea of repressed emotions powering the magic.
Those and a thousand and one other books, papers, theories and if I was to say that I was the first one to link all three of mind, blood and soul to the curse I would be lying through my teeth.
There were plenty of wizards that have tried all manner of things, linking treatments with each category and various combinations.
They either all failed or had minimal success.
Where they failed I would succeed because unlike them I could feel magic, I could breathe magic, and I could see magic.
I was magic! I was a God!
And as a God I could interact with a mortal's mind, body and soul on a level that ordinary wizards could never dream to.
No spells or rituals required for me. I would simply will myself into every crevice of his mind, every cell of his body and directly touch his soul.
As I moved deeper into his mind, memories, emotions, thoughts ran past me with ever increasing speed. And avalanche of musical color in circulating streams against the backdrop of a dark void.
Deeper I pushed and deeper I went until I could see the light from with streams originated, approaching, getting bigger with each passing moment.
I blinked and suddenly I was standing in a void of white, empty of all things except the radiating miniature sun ensnared in black tendrils feeding a dark spot at the top, pulsating, threatening to get bigger.
I could feel its rhythm, I could feel its power, I could feel its warmth and I could feel its struggle against the 'corruption'.
I felt my fingers twitch, my senses tingling, my energy buzzing. I could reach out, mold it, change it, corrupt it if I want it.
It would fight me, I know it would, it was natural but I could overpower it, I was already so deep past its defense. But no, that's not what I was here to do. Nick trusted me and I was going to reward that trust.
I took a breath, metaphorically of course, closed my eyes, held it for a moment in concentration and released it.
"What is that?" a sudden voice said asked next to me and I couldn't help but smile.
My will be done. It worked.
"That, Nick, is a representation of your magic, your soul, your power. It is how you view it." I paused. "And how you view yourself."
Nicholas continued staring at it transfixed eyes unblinking in silence.
"I see." He finally said. "I understand. That is me." He said reaching his hand out.
The sun melted into a new shape while the black tendrils retreated into the dark blob of the curse molding into a new form.
It didn't take long to see what shape the sun was turning into.
In mere moments a mirror naked image of Nick stood in front of us, a reflection of having nothing else to hide.
The curse took its own form of an angry growling black wolf, a massive body overshadowing Nick's own with his salivating jaws biting deep into the base of his neck.
"How I view myself." The Nick's double whispered next to me said.
"Appropriate." I said getting his attention.
"How are you going to fix this Darrow?" he asked hesitantly. "I can feel it here so strongly. The wolf…it is deep inside…it's everywhere."
I smiled.
"We've already started." I said. "The first step is acceptance. The wolf is in you, it's a part of you so much so that it has changed your body and soul."
"You have to recognize those feelings, those emotions, the anger, the sadness, the rage, the excitement, the thrill, the hunger." I said more passionately. "You have to recognize the wolf, its needs and how you feel about it."
"Acceptance will bring you clarity of mind. It's why Fenrir Greyback is able to somewhat control himself when transformed."
"And become a savage beast like Fenrir? "Is that my fate?" he asked reluctantly.
"No, of course not. That is only the first step besides Fenrir for all his savage control is still a slave to the transformation. First you accept then you control." I said and paused.
"How? How can I control it? I tried, we all tried but the beast wins every time." He said pleadingly.
"That is why I'm here is it not?" I reply while approaching his double ensnared by the wolf. "You accept, you control and then you change it the same way it has changed you." As I reached it I held my hand out and felt the vibration of this form, buzzing against the skin of my avatar.
I felt excitement tingling down my spine. My energy wanted to interact with it to truly touch it soul to soul. I turned back to Nick's talking avatar.
"Do you trust me? Truly trust me?"
The man looked at me for a moment and nodded.
"Then become one, mind, body and soul." I gestured to the avatar behind me.
Nicholas slowly dropped his head, closed eyes and disappeared.
A sudden gasp along a snarling growl and I turn around seeing eyes full of recognition where there was none before.
The vibration of the energy intensifies and so do the jaws biting into Nick's neck. I feel my own energy and heartbeat rise in recognition.
The struggle for change started.
I waste no time. I hold out my right hand and a knife appears into it.
"Nicholas Lemington you have served me well for the past few years. You have been true, loyal and have committed to helping my cause for that you shall be rewarded!" I said with ever increasing intensity.
My energy buzzing, spiking my aura flaring blue.
"For that you shall be the first to receive my blessings!"
I held out my left hand and used the knife in my right to cut my wrist. The golden ichor or the gods that ran through my veins flowed out.
Both Nick and the Wolf stood transfixed for the moment at the three floating blobs of my blood.
'No, not gold.' I thought. 'That wouldn't do. Too much power. Silver, silver is right.'
"I grant you strength of mind and clarity of thought to recognize and accept yourself!" I continued with my voice now booming and blue aura flaring wildly.
One of the silver blobs flew into his forehead.
Instantly the wolf released his bite and howled with Nick throwing his head back and joining in the sound.
I felt giddy excitement flowing through me so I continued.
"I grant you strength of will and power! To help you control and change yourself!"
A second blob of silver flew into his stomach.
The wolf stopped its howl, shrunk in size and molded into a pelt with a wolf head as helmet its limbs wrapping around Nick's own like armor.
The avatar of his soul was now giving off a wild silver aura encompassing the black wolf pelt.
I couldn't help but react in kind and flared my own energy, bringing more and more of myself into his mind space, ecstasy coursing through my veins. My instincts demanding I finish the blessing.
"Lastly I grant you strength of blood and strength of love! So that you may pass down your blessings to your line, to those you truly love!" My voice boomed.
The last blob of silver shot into his heart and the dark wolf fur gradually turned silver.
As the last of the fur changed his aura exploded and I felt myself being pushed out of his mind. Not wanting to resist I let the push happen.
I blinked and we were back in the basement of my manor.
Nick was sprawled on the floor of the cage, what was left of it anyway. The thing had been blown apart as if and IED just exploded inside of it.
I turned to see Cato shielding Claire a few dozen feet behind me both hiding behind the house ward shields and sporting a strong Protego for good measure.
"Darrow! Nick!" they both said at the same time but before they could continue a loud growl took our attention.
I looked back to see the sprawling form of Nick regaining consciousness, while his body started to change, gaining mass ripping out of his clothes and fur.
Silver fur.
"Darrow! Nick!" the duo said again. I put my hand up to stall them as I eyed the changing form.
This was not any regular werewolf form, he was massive, and as he stood he looked to be over 8ft and stacked with muscles.
No skinny werewolf here.
He looked at us growled and let out a piercing howl. I could feel the tension from the two behind me but I knew I had succeeded.
"Nicholas, can you hear me?"
The wolf looked at me and growled out.
"Yes, I can." He looked at his arms and body in amazement.
"Nick is that really you?" Claire asked as she rushed over.
"Yes Claire! It's me! It's really me! I can control it." Then stopped. "No, not it." He said slowly. "I can control me."
As he said finished his words his form started to shrink and the silver fur to retreat.
"I can control myself. There is no difference between me and the wolf we are one." He said as he returned to his plainly diminutive human form.
"You did it! I can't believe you did it!" Claire said as she hugged his naked form.
"Was there any doubt? I am a god after all!" I responded full of myself.
I couldn't help it I was feeling very proud! I did after all do soul magic, turned a curse into a blessing and created a better werewolf, one to which I now had a connection I could feel it.
Yup, pat on the front and pat on the back for a job well done. Magical werewolf army here I come!
"Not to interrupt this wonderful moment." Cato said as he came up. "But Darrow would you care to explain why you cut your wrist and had a silver liquid shoot out of it and attack both Nick and Claire? That thing went right through the shields. Was it part of the ritual?"
I turned to him and blinked for a moment then looked at my left wrist. Sure enough there was a cut with a drop of golden ichor not silver slowly dripping.
I had to concentrate for the drop to be absorbed back by the wound and for it to heal. Usually this happened automatically.
This wasn't right.
For one I didn't bleed golden ichor, I bled good old fashioned red blood. I know because I've cut myself before when testing out my powers. Not only that but sometimes I wouldn't bleed at all. I would just kind of heal up without any blood loss whatsoever.
That told me that it was my perception of the injury that affected me. Basically did I will myself to bleed to show the injury as 'normal' in the same way I faked sweating when doing physical exercise.
Still I've never seen the golden ichor in my veins before now, though I hadn't tried to see it either.
And two the most important part is that the whole thing in Nick's mind was supposed to be…metaphorical. It wasn't supposed to affect me physically.
Nick, sure. He was the one being changed so it made sense but me, no.
No this wasn't right. What if I had done something else more momentous or symbolic like take my heart out and squeezed it over him or something.
"Of fuck!"
Everyone looked at me expectantly.
"I think I need to take it easier on the symbolism."
AN:
Hi folks, story isn't dead I'm just slow to upload. Initially I thought to do the summer and year 6 into one chapter but like always it kept growing and growing and extending so I thought to split it up to give some life to the story.
Let me know what you all think on the chapter. I keep reading and re-reading the reviews to scour them for ideas on what to include in the story.
Year 6 is the last year he spends in the HP universe. There are a couple of big events that need to happen for Darrow to make the move to StarGate.
Thank you for reading.