A/N Managed to get this chapter published in less than a week and I am very proud of myself. I don't think there are any reviews that I need to answer. So without further ado I give you chapter 4.
Everywhere I looked there was darkness. I don't remember how I got here. What is this place? I tried to move around but there was no ground or wall to feel. I tried to stay calm but I heard a hissing noise coming from behind me. I couldn't move . . . I was paralyzed with fear. The hissing grew louder and louder until I turned my head and saw nothing. Something cold touched the back of my spine. I will have you . . . your body shall be mine. You will pay just as your family did. I will rise again. There is nothing that will stop me. I swallowed my fear and turned once more only to see dark crimson eyes and a sinister smile.
In the real world
I woke up rolling off a bench and clutching my head as my scar throbbed. It wasn't the worst pain I had been through but it was up there. I cried and shook as the pain slowly faded to nothing. I was too terrified to get up from my place on the floor, as ridiculous as it sounded I thought that maybe I'd be safe if I didn't move. What was that thing? It was too vile to be human, it was even worse than the feeling I got from that mage. What did it say about my family? Is that thing the reason that they're dead? I felt like I was back inside the cupboard just waiting to die.
Then I felt a hand on my back. I saw Berserker looking down at me with concern written across her face. All the cold left my body because of her. I wiped away the tears and stood up. "I had a nightmare . . . I think. We should go and get some food . . . but we don't have any money. Damn it, I forgot to grab the Dursleys money before we made a run for it. That's alright we can just steal what we need for now." I started to ramble through everything that we would need at first until she put the notebook in my face. Harry I do not need to eat. You provide an unlimited amount of magic to me. "Alright, but we still need to get something for me. Stay here and keep an eye out. If someone shows up come and get me so that we can make a run for it."
She turned invisible and I made my way further into the church. Through a stroke of luck I managed to find a washer and drier in the basement as well as a shower room. A clock on the wall said that it was around 5 in the morning so that should mean I have plenty of time. I stripped and threw the clothes I had into the machine. With that done I stepped into the shower and washed myself. I wasn't too surprised seeing a stream of red go down the drain. I scrubbed plenty of dried blood off of my body and washed my hair. I was certain that this was the first real time I had been able to clean myself. The shower had a calming effect on me but I still turned it off and stepped out. I grabbed a towel off of a nearby rack and dried myself off.
I switched the clothes over to the drier and sat with my back against the machine. That nightmare felt real, more real than any other I've had. The more I thought about it the colder my body became and my scar started to throb lightly. What if it wasn't a nightmare though? And if it wasn't a nightmare what was it? I shook my head and tried to take my mind off of it. So I glanced at the shower and thought back to all of the dried blood that was washed off. Wouldn't someone normally be worried if they were approached by someone covered in blood? It was all over me when we talked to Sheska but she didn't seem to notice. Is it possible that my magic makes it to where people without it can't really notice me? I was pulled out of my thoughts by the ding of the drier.
It didn't take me long to get redressed and back to the main area of the church. I couldn't see Berserker but I knew she was beside the door. "Fran we should head out before someone comes here." She let out a grunt but stayed invisible. The air was still cold and the sun had yet to rise so there weren't many people out. My mind went back to the idea that I couldn't be noticed. Obviously people could see me but I don't think they fully 'see' me. The nurse at school looked over my body and didn't see a single scar when I have at least a few dozen on my back alone. She knew I was there but she couldn't see me at all, instead she saw what she wanted to see. "Fran is there any kind of magic that makes someone invisible without making them invisible?" I heard her scribbling in the notebook but I still couldn't see it until it was in my hands.
My knowledge of magic and spells is next to nonexistent but I believe wizards have a spell called the notice-me-not charm. It doesn't make them invisible but it is hard to notice their presence. I nodded at the information. "I think my magic has been doing this on its own for a while now. Sheska didn't even notice that I was covered in blood yesterday. It's the same with everyone that we passed on the way to the church." I only heard a grunt in reply so I assume she was agreeing with me. "I want to test this theory out, even if it isn't that charm it could be something similar. Plus, if it works the same way our lives are going to be very easy from here on out."
It took us about half an hour to find a grocery store that was open for business. If I go through with this plan of mine I'm going to be a criminal from this day onward. No, I don't have the right to be worried about that. Fran's strength is tied to my magic and my magic is constantly being drained by this pathetic body. This is the fastest way to help her out. I walked into the store trying not to be noticed by anyone inside on the chance that I was entirely wrong. I took a basket and filled it with canned goods, several bottles of water, and a pocket knife. Now came the hard part . . . I walked at a snail's pace to the doors while a cashier was watching. They didn't give me a glance as the doors opened and I stepped outside.
I took off like a bat out of hell down the street with Fran following right behind me. We hopped into an alley and looked at the food. I was right; whether it's a notice-me-not charm or something else no one will pay attention to me. I can survive with this. For the first time in my life I thought that I could win no matter what came my way. I took out a can of apples and handed it over to Fran. "Could you open this for me?" She nodded and pulled off the top like it was nothing. Note to self, never under any circumstance should I piss her off for real. I ate them straight out of the can and licked the inside clean. It wasn't as good as the food at the café but it would do for now.
After I threw the can in a dumpster I downed one of the water bottles and instantly felt better. I looked at my hands and grinned like a savage animal. I thought I was going to have to dodge the police in order to make sure I wasn't sent back to the Dursleys. But this is a sure fire ticket to quick recovery. "Alright, Fran I need you to get me onto the roof of a tall building. I'm gonna practice that disappearing thing I used against that mage." She wrote, How will you practice it? "I'm going to jump off of it. If I can heal third degree burns in a few seconds I should be able to do the same to broken bones now that I have some energy in my body. Besides, if you're that concerned you could just catch me." She nodded her head and we were off.
It wasn't hard to find an apartment tall enough to do damage if it didn't work, though now that we were here I was nervous. I can shrug off a shit ton of pain but it still hurts. I breathed in deeply and exhaled. I need to find a way to master this thing. If I don't then Fran could end up in real trouble with those mages. I walked over to the ledge and looked down; this is going to hurt if I fail. I hopped off and felt the wind blow past my body in an instant. I'm on the roof I'm on the roof I'm on the roof, fuck. Just before I slammed into the pavement Fran grabbed me and jumped back to the roof. I cursed myself and did it again but got the same result. Two more times, five, ten, and fifteen more. No matter what I did it wouldn't work.
Why isn't it working? I'm in danger and I don't want to get hurt so why isn't it working? That's when it hit me, I'm not in any danger and I have nothing to be afraid of. The pain will eventually disappear on its own, Fran will catch me if I can't do it, and there is no one here I'm running from. The two times I've pulled this off I was going through I variety of emotions but they were all strong. Once more I stepped onto the ledge but this time I closed my eyes and focused. I focused on what she looked like bound in those chains. The rage that I felt towards those mages for hurting her, the desperation to save her, the worthlessness at being able to do nothing, and the pulse that I felt right before grabbing her and running away.
That pulse was still there but it was very faint. I centered on that and felt it grow stronger and louder. Soon I felt it pulsing through my body in a rhythm similar to my heartbeat. I stepped off the ledge and focused on that alone, there was nothing else in the world other than that pulse; until I felt one coming closer to me. It was larger than mine by a long shot and it caught me. That was when I felt my body being pulled through something. When I opened my eyes I was staring at the sky with my back flat against the roof. I turned and saw Fran with a bright, happy, smile staring at me. "I knew I'd pull it off eventually."
She helped me up but I winced as a sharp pain shot through my arm. I looked and saw that the shirt had a very dark stain on the sleeve. Rolling it up, we saw a large gash starting at my elbow and going halfway to my wrist. It was healing faster than I'd ever seen. I think the food is already affecting my body. Though I wanted to cheer for my victory I was hit by a wave of exhaustion and I fell to the ground.
Inside Harry's head
Just like this morning I found myself in a dark void surrounded by nothing. I still tried to move around but I couldn't tell if I was successful. And just like before I heard the hissing but this time it was clearer. You are showing progress. Become a strong vessel for my power boy. There is no escape from me. His eyes and smile appeared just like before but I wasn't scared. For some reason deep inside my head my rage took over. One day soon king of darkness I will overthrow you. And you will pay for all that you have taken from me. Those words came out of my mouth but they weren't words. They were hisses just like his.
He faded away into the void and I was alone in the darkness. I closed my eyes and felt for the pulse once more . . . there it is. I spun around and came face to face with another version of me. His hair was darker and longer, he was taller and more tanned, but more than anything he had red eyes. However, unlike the other's eyes this person looked kind . . . no that's wrong, he's sad. Have you _ for me? _ not. "I can't understand you. What are you saying?"
The red eyed me touched my face and spoke in a soft, clear voice, "You must hurry. You have to take me back." I was confused but before I could ask him anything I was pulled back by something.
Back to the real world
I woke up to my scar throbbing once more but it was tolerable. Fran was looking down at me with my head in her lap. "Sorry about that, I guess using magic takes a toll on the body." She glanced at her notebook and scribbled something quickly. You looked like you were in a lot of pain and you were hissing like a snake in your sleep. Are you sure that you're fine? I shook my head and stayed where I was. "I don't know what that thing was but somewhere in my heart I know it wasn't a dream. A part of me is absolutely terrified of that monster but another part hates it so much that it isn't scared at all. There was also another version of me in the dream. He needed my help but I couldn't do anything."
Neither one of us had an answer to what was happening to me but sitting around and doing nothing wasn't going to solve anything. I stood up and stretched my limbs. Taking a glance at my arm I saw I had a new scar to add to my collection. I have to get this under control or it might injure Fran the next time I use it. I glanced at the road below and thought about what to do next. "Hey Fran, I think we should head over to the library. I doubt there is anything on real magic in there but it's better than sitting in here doing nothing." She nodded in agreement and we made our way there. About halfway through our walk a thought finally hit me. "Fran, what are we supposed to do with the food?" She just kept walking so I hoped she had a plan.
Once the library came into view she took the food from me and jumped onto the roof. When she came back down she gave me the book, There isn't an entrance to the roof so we can keep out supplies there for now as long as we're careful. I laughed and took her hand. "You know you really are amazing right? If it weren't for you I'd probably be dead right now." I said that with a smile but she knew as well as I did that it was true. We went inside together but Sheska wasn't at the front desk so we went to the back and got to work. "Alright look for anything that describes an energy that pulses through the body. If you find anything that seems real or helpful bring it over here."
I covered the left side of the building while she covered the right. Images of an even smaller kid hiding behind shelves with a book in his lap played in my mind. It was a mixture of nostalgia and anticipation as I grabbed book after book, hoping that one of them might give me a decent answer as to better control my magic. I returned to the table we used yesterday with a mountain of books and was shortly joined by Fran who had only found two. With a small chuckle I started to read through everything that was here. After an hour I slammed my head into the table and let out a frustrated growl.
"The only thing in here that comes close to what I'm looking for is chi but none of those books can help me because my magic activates when my emotions are running wild. Everything here says that you need to reign in your emotions and reach a calm state of mind but that's impossible for me. God damn this to hell. I have never been this pissed off in a library." I took a glance at Fran and saw her chuckling to herself. "Oh so my misery is funny now." Amidst her chuckling she wrote something else, I have not seen you act like a child before. It is quite a refreshing sight if I do say so myself. I'm glad that they didn't take everything from you. You and me both.
I sat up and looked at a nearby clock that read 5:35. I told Fran to relax and started putting the books away on my own. It wasn't a long process but during my task I noticed a girl sitting in the floor reading The Hobbit, I walked past her "The Silmarillion is better." I mumbled to myself. She looked up at me in surprise but went back to her book without a word. I kept walking and didn't look back at the familiar kid. When I got done I went to the table to get Fran but instead I saw her and Sheska chatting.
I grabbed a chair and sat behind her without being noticed. "Hey Sheska when did you get here?" I laughed as she jumped up in fright. She was clutching her chest and tried to control her breathing.
"I . . . only got here a . . . few minutes ago. My niece wanted to come to the library but her parents are working today so I offered to chaperon. To be honest she doesn't need it, she's absolutely brilliant and I'm sure you'd love her. If you wait a minute I am sure I can bring her over here." Her smile was so inviting but I could only smile grimly in return.
"I'm sorry Sheska, maybe some other time. Me and Fran need to get going but I'd love to see you again. I'm sure that I could meet your niece next time." I turned away from her and made my way for the exit. I really am sorry but I can't get you mixed up in this. It's bad enough that I put Fran in this position but I won't let you and your family be dragged down with me. Maybe when I'm stronger we could be better friends but for now . . . I'm sorry. In no time I was out the door and on the street with Fran right behind me. You're worried for them aren't you? "I can't let something happen to people like her. She's a kind and caring person through and through. Could we really risk letting her get hurt over something as selfish as friendship?"
Friends stay together so that they can overcome challenges together. "That may be true but until we can protect ourselves we can't risk getting close to anyone." Fran smiled sadly at me and offered her hand. I took it and walked to the nearby alley, once we were away from prying eyes I felt a pull and we were dragged away by my magic.
Currently at an unknown location
I pushed myself up only to see trees all around me and a small pond to my right. It looked oddly familiar but I didn't know why. I spotted Fran a few feet away so I ran up to her did a quick check up. "It looks like we're both fine this time. But I don't know where we are." We looked at each other and came to a silent agreement to look around. Nothing was out of the ordinary except for a fishing rod that was propped against a tree. Carved into the tree was a heart, inside it was J + L and above it was the word mischief. I felt a pang in my chest seeing it so I ignored it and continued on. We found a dirt path and followed it down for some time before coming to a small town.
Some of the people here were dressed in weird clothes and others were dressed normally. Most of the buildings housed families and a few were small shops that sold food and other supplies. It was quaint and peaceful, the perfect rural town for a family to live. A few kids ran past us and a couple of girls stared at Fran in awe. It was very different from what I had seen from most of my life. However, close to the edge of the town was a building that sent chills down my spine and awakened several old and dark nightmares. It was a sight that I knew would haunt me for years to come.
At the very end of this road was a house with its side blown clean off. The wood was black from decay and more than one crow was sitting on the roof. As I made my way forward I heard words from very old memories. Come on Lily, he's the son of a marauder. He'll be causing trouble before he steps into the school. Tears fell freely down my face but I didn't know why. I will not let you four turn him into the kind of bully that you used to be. You four were the worst of the worst. I walked past the open gate. He won't just have us influencing him Lily. You turned Prongs and me into entirely different people and we couldn't be happier. I stepped past the door and into the living room.
There were burn marks everywhere as well as destroyed furniture. Look Prongslette this is a picture of all the people that love ya. Well your cousin Nym isn't in here but I can get you one later. You're aunt Andromeda is bound to have something. I remembered riding a black dog through the house. I looked up to the stairs and felt all the warmth leave my body. It hurt me to keep going but I had to know. Lily he's here. Wormtail must have ratted us out. Take Harry and run now! She grabbed me and ran up the stairs before the door was opened and shouts were heard. I cried as she put me into a crib and talked to herself. Why won't it work? Why isn't the portkey working. She kept trying to do something but nothing happened so she kissed me on the head and drew a wand from her side.
Avada Kedavra! I heard a thud come from downstairs and slowly the stairs creaked. One moment there was silence and the next there was a deafening explosion. A shadow stepped into the room but Lily, my mother. Flicked her wand and shouted at the top of her lungs, Bombarda Maxima Forte! A brilliant blue light shot at the shadow but it swiped it at the wall and laughed as it was blown away. If you step aside now I will allow you to live. You do not have to die tonight. My mother could have saved herself but she just turned to me and said, Harry you are loved by so many. Never forget that my precious baby boy. You are loved more than anyone else and I will be watching over you forever. Have a wonderful life and make wonderful friends. Fall in love, don't get into too much trouble because Sirius will always encourage it, and above all else live. You may think this is your fault one day but I promise you that any good mother would do this for her son. Thank you for letting me know what it is to be a mother. Goodbye . . . Harry.
Are you done? My mother just stood there as he aimed his wand at her, What a waste of talent. There was a flash of green light and she collapsed . . . dead. The shadow came closer to me and now I could see him clearly. He had snow pale skin and red eyes like a snakes. To think that something so small could one day be my undoing. I take no pleasure in ending your life before you had a chance to grow but at least you shall have a painless death. He pointed his wand at me and everything went green.
Now I was in what used to be my room. All that was left was the crib and a nightstand in the far corner. I dragged my feet to it and looked inside. There was a blue blanket with the name Harry signed in. I picked it up and a picture fell out. There were five people in it: a woman with bright red hair and green eyes, to her right was a man with my messy black hair, behind him was a another man with black hair and a goofy grin, he had his arm around a man with brown hair and shaggy clothes, and the fifth was a smaller and slightly chubby man. I turned it around to see, The marauders and the whip.
I don't know how long I sat there and cried. It could have been minutes or it could have been hours, either way I didn't stop until I couldn't make another tear. I still couldn't move . . . this is where my mom and dad died. No this is where they were murdered. Something in me snapped as my scar began to throb. That red eyed bastard killed them to get to me. They were good people and he killed them. He deserves to die . . . I will find him . . . I will kill him . . . I will make him-
Berserker had wrapped her arms around me. I looked at her and saw that she was worried . . . she was worried about me. I inched my hand to her head and stroked her hair. "I'm sorry Fran . . . I'm sorry for bringing you to this place. This is where my parents died." She held me tighter and refused to let go, though to be honest that was exactly what I needed from her. "He didn't want them dead, he only wanted to kill me . . . but they fought to keep me safe. My mom . . . my parents . . . they loved me Fran. They actually loved me. Even though I'm nothing but trouble, even though I'm nothing but a freak, they still loved me"
I had told myself that I remembered my mother's voice saying she loved when I was nothing more than a prisoner, but I didn't really believe it myself. A part of my mind and soul thought it was a pathetic lie I would say to myself in order to justify surviving. But it was true . . . I was loved. And there was something in the world that robbed me of that love. I won't forgive or forget, but for her sake I won't let it consume me. "Fran . . . thank you. Thank you for being here."
With Jason in his apartment
Jason woke up with one hell of a hangover but a simple potion took care of that real quick. A glance at his bed showed that he was alone and the files on his bed proved that yesterday wasn't just a bad dream. He yawned and took a seat at the counter. "Ruby, Sapphire, I'd like some eggs and toast." Two house elves appeared in front of the stove with cooking utensils.
"Sure thing boss. By the way, I did some digging on that family like you asked and there are plenty of crimes to get them for. That Vernon guy has been stealing from his company for years, not to mention he's done some under the table deals with a few not so legal organizations. As for his wife, that bitch has been blackmailing her neighbors for years. Oh, before I forget they have been skipping on a few of their taxes as well over the years. That's all I could dig up on such short notice." Replied Ruby with a bit of cockiness in her voice.
"Thank you for doing this, I'm sure this will go a long way toward making them pay." The house elves gave him his breakfast and he ate it with the manners of a starved wolf.
"Master, if you don't mind me asking, why did you want Ruby to find information on those muggles? Does it involve a case?" Inquired Sapphire.
"Yeah . . . the woman is Lily Potter's sister. From what I can gather Dumbledore left Harry there as a baby. Whatever the intension was behind that move Harry went through hell. They beat him, starved him, and refused to tell him his name until he was five. They made the kid think his name was Freak. I hope I can find him before he becomes like me." The two elves hugged their master and got to work cleaning up his mess.
Jason gave a wave of thanks and left to make the Dursley family pay for what they did to Harry. He went to Vernon's workplace and gave the higher ups the info about their stolen money. After that he made sure that a couple of government officials noticed that a certain family wasn't paying their taxes despite living a very good life. Jason also falsified a few documents that would get Marge Dursley arrested for sure. It would have been an impossible task to do in a short time without magic, but with a compulsion here and there it went by like a breeze.
He stayed out for a while and looked for Harry on foot but it wasn't getting him anywhere. No one would be able to notice him because of some spell used by some dumbass. Magical methods of finding him were out because someone finally managed to wizard-proof someone. Normally he would have Ruby or Sapphire drag him near the kid but that wasn't an option this time around because it was like all of Harry's magic was at the Dursley residence. Dante finally gave up for the day and sat on a bench before looking to the sky. He let out a sigh and apparated to the one place he didn't want to go.
Godric's Hollow
Jason waltzed through the small town just like he had done on every Halloween since the death of Lily and James. He had never met James but he had met Lily once and it impacted his life. She was a truly wonderful person and he had to take the news to her grave. It quickly became a slow and sorrow filled walk as he spotted the graveyard. He walked past a few dozen tombstones before stopping in front of two. Jason sat down and sighed. "Hello James . . . Lily. I don't know if you can hear me or not but I have some bad news." So he talked about everything that he discovered.
Once he was finished he felt empty. So far every child that he had found he had helped. To think that the only one that he failed to protect was the child of the woman that saved his sorry life. He chuckled dryly, "Although he did manage to escape from that hellhole. I'll find him I promise. It's the least that I can do." Dante stood up and left the graveyard depressed but more determined than ever.
He was about to apparate back to his home but stopped as a large surge of magic came from the Potter's old home. Jason let out an enraged growl before charging at the house. If someone was going to desecrate their home they were going to have hell to pay.
A/N This ends chapter four and another week of planning/writing. I would have published yesterday but I had to fill out applications for jobs, which I think we can all agree is annoying as hell. Plus I wasn't sure how I wanted to get Harry to test out his magic until Sunday. Hope you all stick around till the end of the story. Also remember to leave a review if you aren't sure about something, have seen a mistake in the fic, or simply want to give your opinion.