The Prince-Who-Lived
Chapter Forty-eight
The hospital area was apparently one inside the Alfaerus house, so Harry was temporarily lost until he ran into the honey-blonde Winter, Raleigh's wife, and begged the directions out of her. She gladly sent him on his way before returning to her work, and Harry darted downstairs only to stumble upon Koreol, frowning and staring upstairs without focus. Harry paused, feeling a little awkward.
"Um, sir? Are you looking for someone?" Harry asked quietly.
Koreol blinked and slid his eyes down to focus on Harry, much to Harry's discomfort. After a moment, he spoke, "I was wondering where Andrew and Alan had gotten off to. I need to speak to them."
Harry tilted his head. "I'm just heading to look for them. Neville said … Alan would be at the shoreline, or talking with Andrew. He didn't say where."
Koreol was completely still, so Harry couldn't get an idea of what he thought, but if he didn't move again soon, Harry was going to have to snap his fingers or something. However, Koreol focused again just as Harry was considering following through and Harry froze for a long moment, unable to think.
"Please go check the trail to the shore. Go out the front door, around the building. Off to the right, there is a trail through the woods. Follow it, keeping an eye out through the trees. I believe there is a small fall of trees off the left halfway along. Check there, and then along the shores. I'll be keeping an eye on you. If they are doing anything but talking, do not interrupt, just wait. I will check on you."
When Koreol looked away, Harry had a hideous headache, and he could feel his shields as though they were half shredded. Irritably, Harry growled, "Next time just ask. I feel like you took a strimmer to my head, you numbskull." Harry bit his lip immediately but didn't take it back. Koreol merely blinked.
"The last time I saw you, you're shields were not a rival to Alan's. My apologies. Did you catch where I was telling you about?"
"Yeah …" Harry offered. "What the Hell was that?"
"An attempt at subtle compulsion, merely to ensure you remembered and did not get distracted. It would have faded upon completion." He tilted his head, curious. "However, I can indeed see what you see. Why did that stick and the compulsion not?"
"I …" Harry blinked. "I don't think I really fought, but … I know I can break the Imperius, and I don't like being manipulated." He really didn't like this. If this was typical, he could see why people didn't like vampires at least. They were awfully arrogant and high-handed.
"Ah." Koreol nodded. "Alright then. Please go seek them out. Andrew … is at a bit of a tremulous point as a young vampire, and I don't believe Alan has taken my warnings seriously. I will come find you when I have checked the buildings unless you find them first."
"Er," Harry blinked, "how does that work?"
Koreol grinned tightly. "I will explain later, or Alan will. Please, go look."
Harry nodded slowly, and hoped this didn't turn out like his talk with Dumbledore did. He still hadn't met with the old man, although he didn't blame him for the initial postponement. He couldn't have planned losing his position to Umbitch. He wasn't even sure he wanted to bother with the talk anymore. He finished trotting down the stairs as Koreol left for the back halls, and jogged out the door he remembered being indicated, and around to the right of the building. Once he got to the trees, the trail was easily identifiable. Harry had to admit he couldn't have been given better directions, at least. However, it appeared to be a long trail, and the trees made for a shadowed mess of underbrush. Trying to find someone was going to be a challenge.
After ten minutes, Harry suddenly stopped without knowing why. He couldn't remember what had stopped him until he heard someone's irritated voice. It sounded vaguely like Alan, and Harry looked to both sides, and then settled on the left. Koreol had said there was a spot to check off the left, but this couldn't be halfway, could it?
It also wasn't much of a trail. Weeds whipped against his legs, making him grateful for having worn jeans despite the heat. At least once he ran into a spider web before he found a stacked pile of logs, taller than his head. It was clearly Alan on the other side, swearing up a storm. The pile was quite long, so Harry simply clambered up to the top and looked down before blinking in surprise, unsure. This … wasn't looking good.
"Andrew, get a fucking grip. We've been over this; don't you dare get any closer." Alan snapped. "God, Andrew, what the Hell got into your head?" Alan was leaning back against a weatherworn log at the bottom that made an effective seat. His shirt, button up and formerly crisp white and ironed, had several spots on it and was wrinkled and open. A hickey was forming, bright red on his collarbone. It didn't look like a bite mark, not from what Harry could see. He felt a blush forming and wasn't sure what to think. Alan was quite happily dating Luna, so what the Hell was going on?
Andrew had stepped back to where Alan had pushed him, and sullenly watched Alan button up his shirt with brisk fingers. "Sorry." He mumbled. "It's just … frustrating."
Alan snapped a glare at him. "Merlin, Mary, and Mordred, Andrew, this is not news. For some reason you can't keep a hold of yourself. Koreol would have your hide for this. I thought he was teaching you self-control?"
Andrew growled back. "My self-control is fine! You're just being a goddamn tease!"
"A tease?" Alan snapped. "How am I teasing you? Are you upset I've been going to Hogwarts? Are you upset I'm only here for three days? What's the tease? I haven't promised you anything, Andrew! I thought we were friends!"
"Apparently not!" Andrew growled. "You're all glowing because you've got Harry and Neville here, and the first people you greet back here are Eli and Luce! You barely noticed me get back up during that fight, all distracted by Neville-"
"Neville?" Alan gaped. "If you're going to get on my case about ignoring you, I'd have thought you'd bring up Harry. He is, after all, my best friend!"
"Harry isn't the problem! Harry's fine; everyone else is just getting in the way!" Andrew yelled. "And you let them!"
Alan's eyes flashed. "Getting in the way?" He stated blandly. "You do not own me, Andrew. My friends are my friends; you will not tell me who I can be friends with."
Harry shrank from that quiet tone. It was a Slytherin rage; be wary when they yell, and head for the hills when their voice goes quiet and even, because you just raised Holy Hell. Quickly, Harry considered his options and decided to be a Gryffindor.
"Alan, Andrew, what are you two doing down here?" Harry asked carefully. Andrew didn't even look at him; Harry got the eerie feeling he'd known he was there all along. Alan looked up and frowned, his eyes lightening out of his rage.
"Harry. How'd you find us down here?"
"Neville told me you'd headed down to the shore." Harry answered honestly, and then flinched as something faintly reminiscent of Koreol's interference swept through him.
"Do you always take Neville's word for everything?" Andrew snapped.
Harry determinedly remained calm. "Well, yeah." Harry offered. "He's my brother, and Alan had invited me along earlier anyways. Neville's just going to hang out with Eli and the others."
Alan was also frowning, but at Andrew, not Harry. It seemed he was as clueless as Harry was as to what was wrong with him. Cautiously, Harry offered, "You didn't have any problem with meeting Neville before."
Alan was looking curiously at Harry now, but Andrew's eyes snapped and started glowing.
"Don't you start meddling, Harry. I trust you, but it only goes so far."
Harry turned to face him dead on. "When have I ever infringed upon that, Andrew?" His voice was stubbornly calm; inside, he was praying like Hell for Koreol to get his ass out here and get Andrew back in line.
Andrew was frowning, thinking. Alan let out a deep breath, and lightly offered, "Let's just head back. We can check out the beach later, right? I'm sure everyone is missing us."
Andrew snapped. Harry didn't see, didn't feel what happened until he was rolling down the logs and cradling a broken arm. His upper arm was burning like mad; it felt like Andrew had thrown him with one hand. Either way, he was lying at the bottom of the logs, and all he could see was Andrew on top of Alan, and Alan screamed. Harry panicked before Koreol appeared out of thin air and fisted his hand firmly in Andrew's hair.
"Let. – Go." He growled.
Nothing appeared to happen for a moment, and then Koreol flung Andrew into the pile of trees with enough force to splinter the wood. Andrew rolled limply down it, and then swiftly picked himself up and got onto his knees, his head lowered. Koreol helped Alan up, and then walked over to stare down at Harry.
"Are you alright?" He asked. Harry noticed his eyes were glowing white, but dismissed it to shake his head.
"My arm got broken." Harry tried to sit up and hissed through his teeth. "I just don't have any luck this summer." He awkwardly tried to sit back, breathing carefully, trying to ignore the full-body ache coming on. Being thrown into a pile of wood was a new feeling he didn't like, about equal to the fun of crashing his broom full force – something he'd only done once and never again. Koreol easily lifted him up and helped him sit on the log. Alan stumbled over and sat next to him, blood brilliant against his white shirt, from the slowly closing bite mark on his neck. Harry glanced at it, curiously.
"He bit you?" Harry asked softly.
Alan nodded slowly, watching Koreol look down at them with careful eyes. "Yeah … I don't know what's gone wrong, he's never acted like this before, not even a hint of it."
Koreol turned away and stalked over to Andrew. He growled out something Harry didn't understand, and Andrew answered in kind, his voice soft, thin, and subservient. Koreol's tone grew angry, and then he dismissed him with a curt gesture, and, in English once more, "Get out of my sight. Wait for me in my rooms."
"Yes, Master." Andrew quietly answered, and then stood, his head still bowed.
"Run." Koreol shortly ordered.
Andrew didn't hesitate, and lightly bounded over the pile of trees and was gone before Harry could blink. Koreol turned back around, still angry.
"Alan, I told you over and over again to be wary of this. You didn't listen."
Alan turned away, and Harry turned a sceptical look. Alan hadn't listened to something this dangerous?
"He never pushed me." Alan defended.
"He never had to." Koreol snapped. "You practically rolled over for him every time he asked. I'm surprised you haven't had sex with him already; thank God for that, or this would have been even worse to weather."
Harry blanched. Okay, that was being curt with a vengeance.
Alan's chin went up and he blushed even as he snapped back, "I'm not interested in that, and it never came up again when I made it clear."
"Of course not." Koreol sneered. "You just let him have everything else. You knew when he offered he'd tell me; I know how often you let him give you that pleasure, even if you never reciprocated. It's how I knew we would have this problem, and while that in and of itself is not an issue, the fact that you neglected to acknowledge the dangers of it is what I object to. I told you, last year, and the year before."
Alan finally hung his head, his face bright red, unable to look at either Harry or Koreol. For Harry, he really didn't think he needed to be hearing this, but he was here, and he wasn't going to twitch wrong with Koreol so furious. There were times even Gryffindors could tell they needed to sit down and shut up, and Koreol was powerful and angry – and that isn't something to be messed with.
Alan murmured something Harry couldn't hear, and Koreol snapped, "What was that, Alan? More excuses?"
"I'd thought it would have faded with me gone for so long in between." Alan repeated louder.
"True, had he fed off another. He hasn't, not exclusively. One, or two. A boy he dated last year, and then Luce when he was curious. However, he never fed off either more then twice. The boy left him; Luce was too disturbed. That left you. You should have guessed when he visited during Christmas; made a point of it, in fact."
"He never had any such issue when Harry walked in during him feeding." Alan offered.
Harry didn't answer that. Remembering that made him remember the possessive look Andrew had had, that Alan had been too bleary to notice during that exchange.
Koreol glanced between them and then asked, blandly, "Did Harry do anything to interrupt or stop him?" Alan looked carefully at Harry, and Harry shrugged.
"I was too startled, and it wasn't like it looked like Alan was in danger." Harry offered, and then he elaborated, "And Andrew managed something like hypnosis so that the door was shut behind me. I … I knew Alan had given Andrew blood before, so it wasn't like I assumed he didn't have permission or anything."
Koreol nodded. "Harry is no threat to him, and Andrew would have noted that. Did you also let him give you another blow job while you where there?"
Alan looked up, his face brilliant with his blush and as good an answer as if he'd spoken. Koreol didn't wait,
"So what, exactly, gave you the idea this wouldn't have happened?"
"He was my friend!" Alan shouted. "One of my only good friends; I thought I could trust him with everything, and I didn't want to make him think I didn't, alright? I know I shouldn't have, you think I haven't noticed? I knew it was dangerous, and I forgot. I'm just a stupid child, stop telling me I should have known! I didn't! I can't know everything; I can't get everything right!" Alan had burst to his feet, and now, Harry was quite certain he didn't know he was crying. He was, however, quite sure he wasn't just pissed off at himself about Andrew. He had a feeling Alan would be angry with himself for the Department of Mysteries for months, and Koreol probably wouldn't think of that. Indeed, Koreol was looking ready to blow up at Alan and treat him like he had Andrew, and that didn't need to happen. Shifting his arm convinced him standing would be stupider than what he was currently planning, so instead he simply spoke up clearly and strongly, as he'd been told to when reading a speech in class.
"Has Alan ever been exposed to a young vampire other than Andrew?" Harry asked clearly. Both Koreol and Alan looked at him, and Harry met both their eyes. "I know he hasn't, or he would have mentioned it, probably. If he doesn't have any example of what to expect, how should he know to treat Andrew differently? You are veritable pillar of self-control, Koreol; why should he expect anything different from Andrew? You've been drilling that into his head for years with probably firmer techniques than any of the rest of us experience. Why should simply growing up make Andrew forget, make him jump him and try to control him? And you forget that Alan is no different in age than Andrew. Fifteen, sixteen …" Harry shrugged. "When my godfather was sixteen he ran away from home. When he and his friends were fifteen they illegally became animagi. Rules mean nothing to kids our age. You haven't been anywhere near this young for centuries, I bet. You seem to have forgotten that. Just as Andrew was getting unruly, so was Alan." Harry stubbornly raised his chin and looked at Koreol's shoulder – he needed to make a point, but he'd sooner tell Voldemort to go fuck himself in person than look Koreol in the face right now. "I think the lesson's been learned, unless Andrew's going to do something like that again. Alan's under enough stress, or have you forgotten he's also dealing with Voldemort?"
Alan inhaled sharply, and Koreol sought and met Harry's eyes. He looked a little peeved, but considering what he'd just thrown at him, Harry was actually feeling he was doing pretty well.
"Alan has not met another vampire Andrew's age. Typically they are raised apart from humans, thus I, also, have not recently had to deal with this problem in such an uncontrolled situation. I surmise I had forgotten that Alan would similarly be in the same mindset as Andrew," Koreol glanced over at Alan, "although I should have guessed." He added dryly. "Heaven witness, Velorian was a Hell of a lot worse than either of them at that age. And I know of Alan's outside challenge as well." Koreol shrugged and turned his glare back on Alan. "Do not make a habit of ignoring my advice, Alan. I shall claim your injuries and your friend's as enough of a punishment. You can return on your own, Alan, and think this through. I will go ahead with Harry so as to return him to the healers. Go."
Alan, similarly to Andrew's obedience, glanced back at Harry, and then walked around the wood to a trail through the trees, his hand moving up to finger the mark left from the bite. Koreol watched him go and then looked down at Harry. A small smile was faintly in the corner of his mouth.
"You have a large amount of spirit, child. It is good for you your point was sound." Harry swallowed hard, feeling his nerves return and make his stomach writhe. 'Spirit' was one way to phrase blind obstinacy. "If you would permit me to pick you up so as to return you to the house, it would be easiest on your arm."
Harry nodded carefully, and let him do so, surprised that it didn't bother him to allow Koreol so close when he'd been so freaking scary earlier. Maybe he was just inured to it because he had no illusions that Koreol could kill him just as easily from a distance as from nearby - it wasn't like he was increasing his risk any. Koreol wouldn't hurt him after trying to calm Alan down, right? Not moving his arm sounded grand. He was feeling the bruise easily enough that he didn't need to start feeling the broken bone.
Abruptly, he felt the tight press of apparation and his eyes were assaulted with brilliant white, a stark contrast to the shade in the forest. A woman yelped loudly and managed to say something rude without using a single bad word. When he could see again, he found Mellisande standing beside a woman with dark brown hair who was the same height as Koreol. Upon noticing him, Mellisande's mouth twitched.
"Harry, child. How did you manage to land yourself back in here in less than a half hour?"
Harry blinked, and answered curtly, "I'm a Gryffindor, what can I say?"
The second woman snorted. "From what Alan says that's actually a succinct answer. Koreol, kindly put the boy down. What happened, hm?"
"You remember I warned you of Andrew potentially blowing up?" Koreol coldly answered. "Well, it should be taken care of now."
"If that's the case, what happened to Alan?" The second woman firmly asked. Mellisande was casting a diagnostic spell. Her impressed whistle preceded Koreol's answer,
"Alan is walking home to think about his recent choices." He was clearly dismissing her. "How is his arm?"
"It's a pretty thorough break, but it shouldn't be too bad. What did he do?" She asked Harry.
"Far as I can figure out, he grabbed me by the arm and threw me into the piled logs." Harry shrugged. "I couldn't really tell at the time."
Mellisande hummed again. "Autumn, get me the bruise balm, would you? I'm not gonna want to use both spells. Also, get me the Cure-all as well. There's several splinters …"'
Harry just sighed and swallowed, trying not to listen too hard to what they were saying. Koreol stood off to the side to patiently wait out the healing, and Autumn returned, setting a large squat bottle with a screw on lid on the table, and measuring a dose of another potion into a cup. "I'll presume you want a single dose of Cure-all?"
"Yes," Mellisande answered, "after I heal this. Autumn, take a look at this and tell me where you'd start?"
Harry tuned the very technical discussion of the state of his bone out, and wondered where everyone was. Chances are, nobody was thinking he'd managed to get stuck back in the hospital wing yet. Sirius and Neville would be quite impressed; so would James, if he could get over the fact that Harry wasn't his perfect son. His mother would kill him.
His arm abruptly went numb, and then he started to feel a deep ache in the muscle. Autumn quickly stood up and smiled, offering him the cup full of potion. "Here you go, drink this and that should feel much better, including the rest of your little bruises. After that, we'll just put the balm on your arm and whatever part you landed on, but you'll still have a colourful bruise or two or three for the next two days, and you should be careful about what sort of exercise you use that arm for." She grinned. "Which simply means that whatever tomfoolery you get up to should mainly use your right arm, not your left, although the worst that will happen is that you'll end up very very sore." Mellisande brushed some surprisingly warm ointment onto his arm, which quickly soothed away the soreness of the pressure on the severe bruise. However, it was greatly helped when he drank the potion, and Harry was once more free of the hospital wing, balm on his upper left arm, most of his back, and upper right thigh as well. The soreness that had begun to plague his right arm had faded after he drank the potion.
He immediately went downstairs to meet up with Alan, but Koreol was already there. Whatever they were discussing, Alan wasn't looking up at him, simply nodding his head without speaking. Harry slowed, and then stopped at the bottom of the stairs, out of hearing range, waiting for them to finish. Abruptly, he could hear Koreol clearly.
"I understand, and hope you also understand better now, Alan. Your friend is eager to speak with you at the stairs. I must deal with Andrew. You will see him when you see him, and not a moment sooner, Alan. Do not ask."
"Yes sir." Alan responded quietly. A moment after Koreol left, he spoke up again, "You wanna come down, or do you want me to come up there, Harry?"
"Down works." Harry answered lightly, suiting his words by half-running, half-falling down the stairs in a series of quick steps. Level with Alan, Harry gave him a weak smile. "So, am I going to get that vampire explanation yet?"
Alan shrugged listlessly. "I suppose."
"Hey, you don't have to." Harry shot. "I'm just curious."
"No, I should have told you a while ago."
Harry moved to grab at Alan's arm and was painfully reminded of his bruise as he tried to use his left arm. The motion aborted, Harry turned to use his right and stop Alan in place. "Is this just because Koreol's pushing you around?" Harry snapped. "Because I don't like that."
Alan's face was still cold. "Koreol does have authority over me, Harry. That was decided when I arrived here and he noticed that Andrew and I were of an age to each other; Andrew's a few weeks younger than me."
Harry blinked. He'd thought Andrew was older than them, personally, but that was probably because he was more mature due to his nature and 'training'.
Alan ran his hand through his hair, and grimaced. "Look, can we talk in my or your room?"
"My room." Harry decided. "Let's go. Can you talk while we walk, then?" Harry asked bitterly.
"Yeah," Alan answered. "Do you want me to start somewhere, or …"
"How about with Andrew?" Harry asked tentatively. "I don't understand how … how he's a vampire and yet … he's growing up with us, apparently."
"He was turned when he was a few months old." Alan offered. "I … Velorian said vampirism is more of a virus than a curse, I think. Babies make the virus part of their systems, but if you're older, it kinda takes over. Under the age of two, vampires are 'born' vampires, and can age normally. Over it, they're halted in place. A vampire is stronger if they're 'born' than if they're 'made'."
Harry nodded, and then looked sidelong at Alan. "Er, how did Velorian have Andrew? Velorian looks, well …" Alan looked at him curiously, and Harry hurriedly offered, "He doesn't look old enough to have a son Andrew's age!"
"Oh." Alan answered. "He isn't. He was fifteen when he sired Alan." Harry blinked at him, disbelieving. "It actually wasn't really his choice, although it wasn't like Bellatrix." Alan flushed for some reason and looked away. "A lady who was a, um, well some people really really like vampire bites, and so they kinda let a coven – a group of vampires – sorta 'own' them. Of those, women of good breeding, which, ironically," Alan laughed quietly, "to a vampire means muggleborn witches, are sometimes sent to bring strong pureblood lines into the coven, or simply a proven strong wizard. Well, Velorian was a typical fifteen-year-old boy, and his family is powerful and pureblood, so one of their younger women looked him up at a party, drugged him, and got herself pregnant with the help of a fertility charm. Normally, this would be ignored and probably never even noticed as he'd have just thought it a one night stand of spiked drinks with no consequences, but Koreol is honour bound as Velorian's guardian due to a favour he owed his father, and because of that, any vampire who wants to deal with Velorian has to answer to Koreol first – and Koreol picked up on the scheme. Since they didn't deal through him, and because Velorian was really hacked off about it, Koreol claimed rights to the child. There was a long, drawn out argument that resulted in Andrew being brought here and raised, but only after he'd been turned. Nine months later, I was brought into the area but Ginger wasn't sure she could raise me and neither was Regulus. Mellisande offered the help of the Alfaerus, as she knew they were already raising Andrew and the Fir's had children the same age." Alan smirked slightly. "And Mellisande also knew that Ginger had been eyeing her brother to boot."
Harry felt a little confused, but it was at least partially making sense. "Okay, so that's how that happened. Why did Koreol pick you over the other boys?"
Alan shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe because we were both effectively orphans." He pointed them further down the hall; they were almost at their rooms, and hadn't run into a soul. "Or maybe because Eli and Luce were very close as twins. Or even because I didn't have any parents freaking out about vampires. Not that Autumn is freaked about them, but whatever. I was chosen, and, honestly, me and Andrew do get along well. He's the only person who's been able to keep up with me aside from you and Neville." Alan blinked. "And Hermione. But Neville and Hermione are only knowledgeable, and Andrew is a vampire." Alan sighed. "You're as strong as me, Harry. I've never met anyone as strong as me before, aside from Dumbledore and Voldemort. I hate them. Nicholas is the only other person I've met who comes close, and he's probably about Hermione's strength, maybe a little more powerful."
"Wouldn't that make him Neville's strength?" Harry asked.
"Hermione's hit another growth spurt." Alan answered. "A magical one. She's edged him out by a hair and may still go further."
Harry nodded. That sounded fair. Hermione was quite powerful, with the wits to match. "Anyone else powering up?" Alan had a better handle on sensing people than he did; he had enough trouble with homework he didn't pry into his friends. How powerful people were didn't really matter to him.
"Ron's been moving slowly upwards; Ginny's still fairly solid, but she's got four years before her magic settles for good. Luna's saying she won't hit hers till midyear, and none of your or Neville's younger siblings are anywhere near solid. Then again, neither are we."
Harry nodded, and paused to pull open his door and bow Alan inside. They slipped in, and Harry collapsed on his bed, waving Alan down beside him. Smiling, Alan took him up on it, and rolled over.
"Alright, enough of the magic talk. Any other vampire questions?"
"I presume they can hide their teeth to stalk people better." Harry offered. Alan made a positive sound. "They can apparently stand sunlight."
"In certain doses, yeah. If they stay out too long, they start to feel sick and they get sunburns easily."
"Mellisande says they're flammable."
"Quite." Alan answered dryly. "A most amusing fact. And no worries about hurting Andrew during the duel, there are always precautions, and Koreol was present. He would have stepped in were Andrew in any danger."
"I'll presume they have reflections and no fears of holy water, garlic, or running water." Harry queried, trying to remember what he'd heard that wasn't outright ridiculous.
"Indeed. Although Andrew avoids garlic due to its strong flavour and smell. Running water would mostly be because vampires are dead weights in water, but because they're unnaturally strong, they can swim well enough and don't have any need to breathe."
"What about shapeshifting?"
"Wolf, owl, bat, and cat." Alan listed, and then shrugged. "But that takes a lot of practice and strength. Andrew can't do that yet. They get them in order of size, actually. They also can put power in a growl, dependant upon age. Andrew can cause a bit of a discomfort, but that's about it and it won't change until he's past a century. Koreol could make your ears bleed without much effort."
Harry sighed. "Vampires are scary creatures. Koreol had only minor difficulty with my Occlumency, in trying to get into my mind and use a compulsion."
"He did what?" Alan sat up abruptly. "That's out of line!"
"He was worried about you, Alan." Harry answered, "He also sorta apologized and it didn't stick, anyways. The information did, but not his compulsion." Harry touched his temple. "I felt a little worn, though."
"Appropriately enough." Alan offered, calming down slowly. "He's immensely powerful."
"I hadn't noticed." Harry drawled. Alan straightened, and then grabbed Harry's pillow and beat him with it.
"Knave! Show respect for your elders!"
"Some mouldy corpse shall not get my regard!" Harry cried, and rolled over his bed to grab the other pillow. "En garde!"
Alan hit back, and it dissolved into a pillow fight, that also sprouted various other accoutrements from around the room including blankets, conjured bean bags, and socks with conjured tennis balls inside. When someone knocked on the door, Harry, still hyped, shouted,
"Don't open the door! The legions of dust bunnies have us hostage and plan to take over the school!"
Whoever it was remained silent for a long moment, and then threw the door open and set off a burst of conjured blue butterflies. They flew through the room, and then detonated in puffs of blue air. Lily leaned against the doorframe and grinned.
"The butterflies should have taken care of those evil dust bunnies. What have you two been doing?"
Harry smiled goofily. "Um, pillow war?"
Lily shook her head, and then frowned. "And what on earth caused that bruise on your arm? Let me see that."
"Mum," Harry groaned, but obediently held out his arm. "Mellisande and Autumn already saw it. That was earlier, when I went to go find Alan. Andrew had a bit of a fit, and Koreol stepped in. I'm fine, I promise. It got broken, but Mellisande healed it. Go ask her if you don't believe me."
"You weren't otherwise hurt?"
"Er," Harry wondered if he could pull off saying no, but if she talked to Mellisande, she'd hear. And lying to her would not go over well. "Well, he kinda … threw me into a pile of logs." Harry murmured. "They checked everything, mum, and they're healers. Can't you trust them?"
Lily pursed her lips, but acquiesced. "Mellisande would know how to handle teenage boys, yes, and Autumn even more so. You're free of that now, Harry. Alan, are you also alright?"
"I'm fine ma'am." Alan answered shortly. Harry only just noticed that he must have cleaned his shirt while walking there, because it was pristine again. But wasn't blood hard to clean …
"Alan, are you wearing a glamour?" Lily asked curtly. Both Harry and Alan winced. Alan sent Harry a short glare, and then looked innocently at Lily. She wasn't fooled, and quickly cancelled it. When she saw the blood, she gasped. "Alan, what happened?"
Alan tried to push her off as she insisted on seeing his neck. "I'm fine, really." It was interesting to see Lily easily brush aside Alan's attempts, manoeuvring him so she could see in spite of the height difference. Eventually, Alan gave up and explained, "Andrew just bit me and wasn't clean about it. He was a little overwrought. It's healed, I swear, I just forgot to change my shirt."
Lily didn't let him go until she'd given the area a complete look over and sent several cleaning spells at his shirt, a few specific for blood. Harry was startled she knew them until she reminded him of how often he'd scraped something and bled on his clothes. Harry felt that made a lot of sense. She sent Alan immediately to his room to get changed, and he'd gone after throwing his hands in the air and hissing something not at all complimentary that Harry had taken mild offence at and made him to apologize for. Lily watched the unintelligible exchange with amusement. She finally smiled, and turned to Harry.
" I came to find you because I wanted to let you know that dinner will be in two hours or so."
"So early?" Harry asked.
Lily shrugged. "That's what they usually have. You can't be not hungry; you missed lunch completely. It was just after your duel when most everyone ate."
Harry blanched. "How long did that duel last?"
"Harry," Lily said with amusement. "You woke up at ten, remember?"
"Oh."
"It was only about a half-hour, so it finished around eleven thirty – you took your time getting ready. After you woke again, you got yourself lost for three hours. It's shortly after three, now, and they said the food should be ready at five-thirty, six o'clock. I haven't seen my son since you did so well in that duel, what with your father storming off for another hare-brained reason."
Harry winced.
"Oh Harry." Lily sighed. "James just doesn't know what to do with you."
"I'm his son." Harry bit out. "He's supposed to be proud of my accomplishments, not fret because he doesn't understand. Not hate me because I challenge his ideas."
Lily didn't say anything more and simply pulled him into a warm hug. "You can't make him do anything, Harry. He will come around. I know he will. Severus has finally admitted you're a brilliant student with your own ideas and talent. He told me you're the best friend he could imagine his son having, because you are so loyal and true."
"I think he probably keeps calling me a Slytherin." Harry grumbled.
Lily laughed quietly. "Yes, he does keep saying that. Although lately he's been mentioning that Alan is acting like quite the Gryffindor as though it's a bad thing."
"It is." Harry grumbled, grateful Alan was out of the room. "He's got the wrong Gryffindor traits in play, though." Lily raised her eyebrows, and Harry quietly admitted, "I think he's still hating himself for the Ministry outing, and the injuries we got. I don't think it's gotten through to him that all of us followed him out of choice, not obligation or just because he asked."
"Harry, that is serious, but it's also understandable on a level." Lily pointed out. Harry frowned at her, and she put her finger to his lips. "I'm not saying it's right. But it was his idea, and he was the leader. As such, any casualties – that includes injury, Harry – are placed on his account. I know you were all in agreement with him, but it was his godfather you rescued, and as such, his mission. You did wonderfully in there, though, and Alan needs to remember that nothing permanent happened, and he did accomplish more than one goal that evening in the most effective way. You just remind him of that."
Harry nodded carefully, and then stepped around his mother to smile at Alan. Lily smiled as she watched them, and then called out, "Neville and the twins said to invite you two to go play Quidditch with them."
"Did the twins say that?" Alan called. "Word for word?"
Lily frowned. "Why would that matter? Yes, they issued the invitation but I don't recall the exact wording."
Alan grinned. "Oh, it does have meaning. Feel free to come watch."
Lily frowned, but followed. Harry glanced over at Alan curiously. "Why would that matter?"
"You'll see." Alan offered happily.
Harry frowned, but listened, waiting patiently for them to reach the Quidditch pitch behind the school hidden in a gully and guarded with heavy spells. Inside, several people were already on brooms, and Harry was surprised to see Geoffrey, Sirius, James, Lyall, and the older boy, Finnian, in addition to the twins and Neville. When Neville saw Harry and Alan approaching he immediately flew over to the stands and traded out with Nanna. Harry watched his sister mount her broom with glee and groaned. "Oh man."
"What?" Alan asked.
"Nanna and my father are playing."
"So?" Alan queried again, leading them to the broomshed.
"Big time competition, especially with my dad being moody."
"Maybe you two should be on the same team in this instance, then." Alan grinned.
Harry blinked, accepting the broom without looking at it too hard. Alan's grin only widened, and he took to the air. Harry mounted the broom and followed, taking a moment to realize Alan had given him a firebolt. Quickly he caught up to his friend, tailing him as he came up beside Geoffrey.
"What are we going to play, Jeff?"
Geoffrey grinned. "Quodditch, or Jousting?"
"Quodditch would be better." Alan offered. "Harry got himself roughed up a bit. Pillow war." He explained.
Geoffrey and the twins laughed; Harry felt a little miffed Alan was playing it up like he'd won – Harry had won that war, thank you very much – but it explained the injury without going into Andrew. There were several raised eyebrows but no questions, and Geoffrey blew a whistle he had around his neck.
"Right, we've got me and James, Eli, Luce and Nanna playing against Sirius, Lyall, Harry, Alan and Finnian. Its Quodditch, boys. Charm your shirts or hair or whatever – we're red. Your colours?"
Harry answered immediately, "Green." Alan elbowed him. "What?" Harry defended. "It's only because Sirius would look good with green hair, honest."
Alan rolled his eyes again and carefully used the colour-changing spell. Behind them, Lyall had already spelled Sirius' and her own hair, and Finnian had as well. Harry did his own and retreated to their set of goals, nearer the school. Strangely, Winter was down with a large basket full of quaffles nearby, and she moved into the middle of the stadium.
"On the count of three, one – two – three." She blew her whistle, and threw the ball into the air. Sirius snatched at it, and missed; James flew up and forward, and passed to Geoffrey who pitched it through the far goal. Harry felt completely lost.
"Alan, what's going on?"
"We're all Chasers, and whoever's nearest defends the goals or someone designates themselves." Alan quickly answered, then passed Harry the quaffle. "And that's not a quaffle."
Harry blinked, and remembered abruptly that in Quodpot the quaffle exploded. He quickly threw it back to Alan. "You're crazy!"
Alan laughed and raced up the pitch. Harry sighed and chased after it. After all, it was all just a game.
IIII
Harry's arm was sore the next morning, but he felt it was certainly worth it to have tried out broom jousting, ill advised idea or not.
This morning he'd woken early – nine-thirty, amazingly enough – but since Alan was just as tired as he was, it wasn't like he was woken up. Breakfast had been surrounded by the laughter of the younger Alfaerus who weren't tuckered out by the stunts the older children hadn't been prevented from joining in. Harry was startled to hear that Neville had disappeared somewhere, and had left note that he probably would be absent all afternoon. Harry presumed he'd disappeared into the library. Neville was prone to that, and since Lily wasn't concerned, Harry didn't bother himself with it. Neville answered better to his godmother than Harry ever had. Even with Lily being his actual mother he didn't answer too well, much less to his godmother, Alice.
Alan had woken up roughly at the same time as Harry, and after finishing breakfast they delved through the library for books, and potentially finding Neville. When they didn't find him and bored of the books they'd gotten distracted with after a few hours, Alan took him to get into his swim trunks and they'd disappeared down the trail to wander the shoreline and swim. The Alfaerus had claimed an area as theirs, protected and shielded so that no one could see and the students couldn't leave the designated area. They spent most of the afternoon out there themselves, joined eventually by the adult males and the other boys. What followed was more ill-conceived games and tomfoolery that left everyone similarly sore and open to the ladies scolds and heavy sighs. Harry didn't care. He'd enjoyed himself more than he'd imagined.
However, Harry had noticed that Neville had not shown up at the swimming, and he hadn't heard from him all day either. However Neville did show up at supper, looking thoughtful. After the late meal was over, as the men hadn't gotten back until near to seven in the evening, Neville looked up and met Harry's eyes, shortly nodding upstairs. Harry excused himself to Alan and followed Neville into his room. His stuff was all ready to be packed – they were leaving tomorrow afternoon – but his bed had some half-folded clothes on it that Neville quickly finished up as Harry leaned against the far end of his sleigh bed.
"Where were you all day?" Harry asked pleasantly.
Neville answered, mildly distracted as he kept putting things away. "I was talking with Andrew, actually."
"Andrew?" Harry straightened. Andrew had been resentful of Neville when they'd gotten into a fight with him.
"Koreol suggested it would help both him and I, and he was right. Andrew recognizes his foolishness in lashing out, and he …" Neville nervously smoothed the shirt he was folding. "He helped a lot with how … how shy I've gotten. You haven't really noticed, Harry, but mum and Melanie …"
"You have been shy." Harry pointed out. "You never volunteered to answer during second term. You rarely spoke up."
"I was also touch shy." Neville offered quietly. "Especially with my mum and Melanie. It's half the reason I couldn't bring myself to make up with Hermione."
"Andrew helped?" Harry asked.
"Yeah. He helped a lot. He also …" Neville chewed his lip, and quietly said, "I never knew … Alan mentioned he thought it might be the case, but … you want to know why Velorian attacked Lucius? You remember your dad telling you about that." Harry nodded. The case had been in the news shortly after the fight in the Department of Mysteries. "Bellatrix had gone after him during the first war while he was visiting Lucius. Lucius hadn't stopped her, and then tried to Obliviate him, but Koreol broke it. That's why Velorian was so intent on bringing him down."
"Ah." Harry nodded slowly, and then gently put his hand on Neville's shoulder. Neville went still, and then put his hand over Harry's.
"Thanks." Neville said. "For understanding."
"And being stubborn enough to put my nose where it isn't welcome?" Harry offered lightly.
"That too. Even when it's already been bitten once." Neville answered surprisingly seriously, smiling still.
"So …" Harry started to ask, but Neville cut him off.
"I'm sure you don't want details, Harry, and if you still do I'm not sharing."
Harry blinked, remembered this was Andrew they were talking about, and then nodded sharply. "I'll take your word for that. Want to challenge Alan to a chess tournament to while away the evening?"
"Sure, but I'm not challenging Alan first. We'll talk everyone into drawing straws and laugh while Sirius and Geoffrey manage to fail miserably against each other."
Harry thought about it and nodded. "Sounds good. What if Geoffrey can actually play?"
"Then we'll laugh as he soundly trounces Sirius."
Harry put his arm around Neville's shoulders and laughed with him, pleased with Neville's turn around, pleased that Andrew was apparently pulling himself back together, and pleased that he was finally getting taller so he actually could put his arm on Neville's shoulders. Even if it was a stretch.
A/N: Here we go. The end of Salem, and next week ... the trip home. And more fun stuff. You know you want it...
Partial credit for the Vampire base idea goes to Miranda Flairgold. I rather elaborated upon the concept, but hers inspired it.
Fire & Napalm