A/N: This story got a new title, I hope it didn't confuse anyone. The summary is still the same for moment. I'm still trying to re-work it.

Chapter Seven:

The explosion was so loud all their ears popped. Heat washed over Harry's body and his magic came to life without him consciously calling it. A shield wrapped around his skin, protecting it from the searing fire that was engulfing him. Everything moved in slow motion before Harry's wide eyes.

Zack grabbed Cloud and covered him with his body as the floor underneath the two collapsed. Rude grabbed Reno to protect him and Harry was able to reach out, latching onto them both. As soon as he touched them, the magical shield expanded and covered the Turk's protectively. The floor underneath their feet crumbled and they fell, landing hard on the debris below. The ceiling collapsed on their heads but the shield saved all three of their lives.

Harry was trembling hard, his breath coming in short gasps. He could still feel Rude and Reno and he clenched them harder in each hand. The debris lay on top of him but couldn't touch his skin because of the shield. Harry tried to call out but inhaled dust and started to cough. He lay as still as he could in the sudden darkness, hoping someone would come dig them out before his magic was used up. Creating and maintaining three shields was extremely hard. He wasn't even sure how he was doing it.

Just as Harry was sure he was losing control, that his magic was giving up and they would be crushed, a tiny ray of light touched his eye. It was dim and silver; moonlight, he realized. Harry was positive he heard Cloud's voice and moment later the debris was being thrown from his body. Zack was ripping the destroyed inn away from him, looking majestic in the moonlight as he used his raw strength to free the teen.

"Harry!" Cloud's voice pierced his mind and Harry flickered his glowing eyes to his brother. He didn't dare move or speak, afraid that the shield would fall before Zack could free Reno and Rude. The Solider was already working to dig them out as Cloud knelt at his head.

Cloud was covered in dirt and his head was bleeding badly. His skin was red in places and Harry realized they were burns. Zack had used his body to shield Cloud from the debris but it hadn't been enough to protect them from the explosion. Even so, if Zack hadn't been there, if the First Class hadn't reacted so quickly, Cloud would be dead right now. If Harry's magic hadn't come alive on its own, Harry and the Turks would be dead now too.

"Partner?"

Harry heard Reno's voice and turned his head, seeing him free from the debris. He was bruised but didn't look badly hurt. Zack was helping Rude out of the mess and Harry noticed the Soldier was cut up and burned badly too. This didn't stop Zack from freeing Rude and making sure he was okay. Rude was burned but awake and alert.

Relieved everyone was okay, Harry finally let go of his magic. It faded away and he felt weak and slightly nauseas. A hand fell on his shoulder and Harry turned to Cloud.

"Cloud…?"

But the blonde wasn't looking at him. His eyes were turned skyward, a horrified look on his face. Harry glanced up to the sky and his heart froze. A skull with a snake coming from its mouth hung above them, giving off the silver light he had mistaken for the moon.

Harry couldn't move as his memory suddenly returned to him. He knew that mark; the dark mark. Cloud's whispered voice reached his ears.

"The snake in the skull… it was hanging over your parent's bodies when we found you. It was how I knew where to look."

Harry's eyes slid closed as a terrible memory overwhelmed him.

Cloud almost screamed when Harry passed out next to him. But his brother was still breathing so he managed to stay in control. There was no way Harry and the Turks could have survived the explosion. The only reason Cloud had was because Zack had protected him. Harry must have used his magic to save the three and it left him weak and drained. Sirens were blaring as the first respondents of Kalm began to arrive on the scene.

Zack whipped around. "Reno, Rude, get out of here!" he ordered and tossed them both a Cure Materia. "We don't want the officials knowing Shinra Turks are here."

"Right," Rude nodded. Reno glanced at Harry, who was being held protectively by his brother.

"Don't worry," Zack said. "He's in street clothes. Far as anyone's concerned, he's a civilian I helped dig out. Now get outta here!"

Rude and Reno nodded. Reno stopped long enough to check Harry's pulse before hurrying into the dark after his partner. Emergency medical teams arrived and Cloud flagged them down. They bundled up his brother and rushed him to the hospital but when they tried to convince Cloud to go too, he shook his head.

"I have people to help," he insisted and hurried to join Zack. Together the two worked tirelessly into the night, trying to find as many people as they could.

*!*!*

Harry sniffed, angry at how cold it was. His feet were frozen and walking was painful. His whole body was shivering and tense. Next to him, his mother clutched his hand, dragging her young son after her. She was grim faced and holding up a hand to keep her long hair out of her eyes.

"Why can't we use magic?" Harry whined for the thousandth time. "It's freezing! Why are we in these mountains?"

"Hush!" Lily ordered. She lifted Harry into her arms and the boy snuggled closer to her warm chest.

"Why is this happening?" a scared voice asked. Harry looked over and saw Hermione being carried by her father. She was on the verge of tears.

"We just have to get to the village," James called, shouting over the sound of the wind. "There's a muggle village at the base of these mountains. If we can make it there, we can hide!"

"Hide from what?" Harry demanded.

The little boy got his answer a moment later when the sound of wizards apparating echoed around them. He could not see their faces, only black silhouettes holding them at wand point. James was screaming, his face red from anger and cold, but Harry couldn't hear any of the words. All he could hear was the wind howling in his ears and then Hermione's screams as the wizards attacked her mother. Monica Granger fell to the ground, her lifeless eyes staring at the gray sky.

Lily began to run and Harry clutched her tightly. They didn't get far before being overwhelmed by the evil wizards. The woman shielded her son with her body and collapsed on top of him, dead. Harry froze, unable to move as he stared in horror. From far away he heard his father's pained screams and then silence.

In the sky a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth shone down on the carnage cruelly.

*!*!*

When Harry woke up he was alone in a hospital. It was completely dark and took a moment for his eyes to adjust. He held a hand close to his face and didn't see any glow on his fingertips, meaning he had been out for a while if his eyes were back to normal. Harry carefully sat up, noticing he was stiff and slightly sore but not hurt. He leaned forward to grab the medical chart at the foot of his bed, wondering where Cloud was. He remembered seeing his brother after the building collapsed but the fact that he wasn't with him now worried Harry.

Harry flipped through the chart, reading the doctor's notes. "Exhausted… probably suffering from shock… gave a light sedative and cast two cures… expected to be released in the morning." Harry set the paper down in surprise. "A building fell on top of me and I'm expected to be released in the morning?" he asked in disbelief. Maybe Cloud was right; maybe he was stronger than he thought.

"A building fell on me and I didn't even need a Cure."

Harry nearly jumped out of his skin as he jerked his head to the right. Reno was sitting near the window, which had its curtains drawn so no light seeped in. He was practically invisible in his dark suit and Harry had missed him sitting there because he didn't move. He needed to pay more attention. Being caught unaware like that wasn't okay for a Turk.

"Reno!" Harry took a deep breath to calm his surprise. "Are you okay? Where are the others?"

Reno slid forward and stood by Harry's bed, his face unnaturally serious. "Rude is fine. Strife is in the next room over. Nothing wrong with him a few cures can't fix. Fair is fine and still out with the local guys investigating."

"Do we know what happened?"

"Someone blew up the inn and killed a lot of people."

"The Death Eaters."

Reno frowned and Harry was becoming uncomfortable with how serious he was. He had never seen Reno go so long without cracking a dirty joke or swearing.

"Why do you say that?"

Harry leaned back in surprise. He remembered the dark mark but realized Reno didn't know that. "Well who else would it be? Avalanche doesn't leave floating skulls in the sky and they were the only other terrorist group in town, right?"

The redhead shrugged. "Rude and I are going to gather some info—"

"I'll come," Harry said quickly, tossing the sheets away. "Where are my clothes?" He was dressed in a hospital gown.

"No, you're staying here," Reno ordered. "I only came to make sure you weren't dead. Rude's waiting for me."

"But I can help!"

"Not right now. This ain't a training mission anymore, yo. You'll only slow us down and we need ta be fast."

Harry relaxed slightly. He was unhappy with the decision but the fact that Reno was starting to talk like his usual self helped calm him.

"Fine. Just be careful, okay? These guys dropped a building on us; who knows what else they're capable of?"

Reno smirked and Harry felt relieved to see the familiar face. Reno acting serious had freaked him out more than the actual attack.

"As if I need some idiot kid telling me what to do."

Without warning, Reno darted forward and pressed their lips together. Harry pulled back in surprise but Reno's hand wound around his head and held him place. Harry gasped slightly and Reno took the opportunity to swipe his tongue gently over his lips. He was softer than Harry would have guessed but in a pleasant way.

The kiss was over as quickly as it had started. Reno pulled back and slipped out the window without a word. Harry stared after him in confusion, his lips still tingling pleasantly. He lay back down, and a small smile stretched his cheeks. He had not seen that one coming. But, Harry admitted to himself, he wasn't disappointed.

*!*!*

Cloud and Harry were sitting in Cloud's hospital room, talking in whispers. Harry had cast a privacy charm around them before explaining his new memory. It was hard and he was glad Reno was nowhere to be found. The redhead would never let him hear the end of it if he caught Harry crying.

"So that's how your parents died," Cloud mused. "They were murdered with a spell that can kill in an instant and can't be traced. The villagers always assumed they froze to death because they weren't prepared for the harsh winter in the mountains."

"Even if they had done an autopsy, it would have revealed they died of natural causes," Harry pointed out. "They had no reason to think otherwise."

"I guess it's my turn to confess to you now," Cloud sighed. Harry looked up curiously. "The day I found you and Hermione in the woods was because I saw something in the sky. A skull with a snake through the mouth. It led me right to you."

Harry stared at him. "You saw a giant floating skull and thought, I should run towards it!" He snorted. "You just get dumber with age."

"Shut up."

"Do you think we should tell anyone?" Harry asked.

Cloud shook his head. "I don't think it's a good idea. It'll bring up too many questions about you and Hermione. And knowing the Turks, they'll start digging."

"And that could mean they'll find out about my magic. All they have to do is go home and ask about us. The locals would love to tell them all the stories they can about the weirdo kids who don't belong." Harry's voice was bitter.

"We'll keep this to ourselves then," Cloud decided. "It's not like there's anyway your parents' murder and this attack are connected."

Harry suddenly crossed his arms and scowled. "Damn it, I remember this huge part of my past but I still have no clue how old I am!"

Cloud laughed. "Guess you'll just have to keep being my sweet, innocent, darling little brother."

"What?" Harry demanded, shooting Cloud a confused look. "What did you just call me?"

"What?" Cloud shrugged, a teasing smile pulling at his lips. "There's no point in arguing anymore. I'm just more experienced and worldly than you."

"Is this because you kissed Zack?"

Cloud blanched. "How did you know?"

"I knew it!" Harry crowed. "You didn't tell me but I knew. You kept touching your lips and had a goofy smile for days! Why didn't you say anything?"

Cloud shrugged. "It didn't really end up meaning anything, I guess. It happened once and we never talked about it."

"I get that. Reno kissed me last night."

Cloud made a face. "I'm not okay with that."

"Why? I'm fine with you and Zack."

"Zack's a good person with morals and a sense of honor. Reno's… Reno."

"He's a good person underneath all the asshole."

Cloud wasn't convinced.

"It doesn't matter," Harry dismissed. "I don't know if it even meant anything. The same thing might happen to me. We won't talk about it and it'll just became a fond memory."

Cloud shrugged and lay back on the bed. "I guess we'll wait and see."

*!*!*

"You need to rest," Cloud tried to convince Zack. "We're heading back to Shinra now, you can calm down."

"I'll rest when the four of you are safe at HQ," Zack argued. "Until then, stay in the car and leave everything to me."

Zack hopped out of the moving vehicle and proceeded to use his enhanced speed to run alongside the car. It was an official Shinra issued black jeep with bullet proof sides and windows. Angeal had sent it as soon as he was told about the attack. Zack insisted the other four stay inside and protected while he ran alongside the vehicle, ready to strike anything that got too close.

"Don't worry," Harry whispered, leaning forward. "I've got him covered." He wiggled his fingers.

"You can do a shield now? You only did it once."

He shrugged. "I'm a fast learner."

"Thanks."

Harry leaned back and closed his eyes. He was still tired from protecting three people from the falling building and casting the shield on Zack, who was far away, was draining. Despite his body being worn-out, his mind was wide awake so he peered open an eye when Cloud asked Rude a question.

"Did you guys find anything?"

"Very little," Rude answered.

"Fuckers know how to cover their tracks," Reno muttered. "No one saw anything."

"How many people died?" Harry asked. Cloud looked surprised that he'd asked.

"Twenty-two were killed, seventeen injured," Rude answered. "We were not included in that number."

"It doesn't make any sense, yo," Reno said. "I get why Fair's alive. I get that he saved this kid, but what about us? How the freaking hell do we walk away from a building coming down on our heads?"

"We should not have survived," Rude agreed. "Let alone with no injuries to report."

"I felt the heat from the explosion. But when we were lying there, waiting for Fair to dig us out, the debris didn't touch me."

"There was exactly one inch between our skin and the wood. I cannot explain why it didn't touch us."

"Did either of you have a protect Materia?" Harry asked.

"Protect does not stop something from touching you," Rude explained. "It merely makes your skin and body harder to damage. You still get hit."

The rest of the ride was spent in contemplative silence. As soon as they arrived in the city, Zack joined them in the car. Cloud could see he was exhausted, but the Soldier refused to relax. He had been up for two nights straight, ever since the explosion. He helped save as many people as he could and then worked with the locals to retrieve as many bodies as possible. That was when Zack had forced Cloud to go to the hospital and get Cured. He hadn't minded Cloud helping with the rescue efforts but he wanted to protect the younger teen from the full horror of the massacre.

The car let them out at the front doors of Shinra where Angeal and Cissnei were waiting. Both hurried forward as the five climbed from the vehicle.

"We've been worried," Angeal stated, taking in his student's haggard appearance. "Is everyone alright?"

"We were cured at the hospital in Kalm," Zack assured. "Seph in his office?"

"Yes, he's waiting for you now."

"But—" Cloud hesitated before speaking. "Sir, Zack is exhausted. He needs to rest."

Angeal smiled kindly at him. "I can see that. After he delivers his report, I will personally make sure he returns home and gets some sleep."

"Tseng is waiting for you two," Cissnei told Rude and Reno. "Unless you need a nap before speaking to him?" She shot a playful wink towards Zack who stung his tongue out in return.

"Go back to your room," Rude ordered Harry. "Keep your PHS on. We'll call you when we're done."

Harry nodded. "Okay."

"Get some rest, Spike." Zack ruffled Cloud's hair.

*!*!*

It was well past curfew when Harry's phone rang. He grabbed it and looked at the caller ID. Rude was summoning him to Tseng's office and Harry slipped from his bunk as quietly as he could. He managed to leave without disturbing Cloud. The teen rubbed sleep from his eyes as he rode the elevator up to the Turk floor. All the offices were closed and locked except for Tseng's, located at the end of the hall. Harry knocked and waited to be called before entering.

Tseng, Cissnei, Rude, and Reno were situated around the room. They had obviously been talking for a while, judging by the empty drinks on the table. Harry saluted politely before relaxing, his hands stuck in his pockets.

"Reno and Rude have already told us everything they know," Tseng started without pleasantries. "I want to hear your side as well."

"Yes sir."

It was an easy lie for Harry because he didn't have to lie. Everything he said was true and matched Reno and Rude perfectly. The only part Harry didn't mention was the fact that the shield came from him. When he was done, Tseng was nodding but his attention was focused on his computer. Harry took a seat next to Reno.

"Fair submitted his report an hour ago," Tseng said. "Whatever phenomena happened to the three of you did not happen to him. He and the cadet were crushed by the building, the only thing saving them was Zack being a First Class."

"Damn it," Harry grumbled under his breath. "This mean I owe that idiot Soldier."

Reno smirked. "Don't worry, knowing Fair he'll say some shit like, just doing my job."

"That makes it worse."

Reno laughed.

"Though we have no concrete proof, I am confident in saying that this was the Death Eaters. Rude and Reno were unable to find anything about them other than the mark they left in the sky."

"How did they do that?" Harry asked. He knew the answer, of course, but he was curious to hear what the Turks thought.

"It was obviously holographic technology of some sort," Cissnei answered. "Though they took it with them when they vanished."

"Couldn't even find where they set it up, yo," Reno complained.

"Whoever these people are, they are professionals," Rude mused. "It will be difficult to track them."

"This will be your top priority," Tseng announced. "I want the two of you to use whatever means you need to find them."

"Yes sir."

"You got it, Boss."

Tseng turned to Harry. "Potter, even though we have learned very little about this new threat, what do you believe is the most important thing we have discovered?"

Harry frowned in thought. "They're not afraid of Soldiers," he finally said.

It might have been his imagination but Harry was sure he caught a glimpse of approval in Tseng's gaze.

"You will continue working with Reno and Rude," Tseng ordered. "Dismissed."

A/N: This chapter is the same length as the others but it feels a lot shorter when you actually read it. Sorry, it really should have gone with the last chapter. Another thing to fix in editing.

Please read and review, let me know what you think!