CHAPTER 8: Halloween Hunters
On the morning off, Harry woke up, knowing immediately that it was the 31st. There was a general feeling that rolled with the Death Holiday telling Harry that once again he would be sitting in dark corners contemplating everything that had happened and everything that could of happened. He'd build another shrine in his trunk and he would reflect but at the same time he had classes to attend.
In the spirit of things Harry morphed his untamed black hair into a shaggy, flat mass that covered his head in a presentable yet chaotic way. He became the black-armband-wearing ball of sadness he always was when it came to this time of year. He dressed in black t-shirt and pants with his already black coat/cloak over top and made his way down the stairs and out the door.
People watched him go and were surprised by the sudden turn of events. Harry had always been the most light hearted about things, unless someone ticked him off, but then it was the person's own damn fault. To see him in such serious darkness was scarier that pissing him off. The chances of him blowing something up seemed much more likely now then ever.
Dante and Draco had adorned black armbands and shirts as well, but they seemed only to be resisting the dress code than really morning compared to Harry. Before he even stepped foot into the Great Hall people had heard of his unusual way. The teachers were a buzz when they saw the rumors were true. While the students didn't have a clue as to why he was acting in that fashion, the teachers knew exactly what was going on.
Harry sat down quietly, ignoring all other outside annoyances and looked to the ceiling as the owls flew in. There was Hedwig, three black envelopes in her beak. She landed before Harry and the boy took the letters and the small packages she brought in.
He had been wondering how his family would send their contributions to his shrine. He left without eating, Draco and Dante leaving him to his own accord for the first time since they'd arrived at Hogwarts.
The students watched him go, a few who were old enough to understand explaining to the more infuriating of the younger ones. The younger ones spread it around until the whole school knew that today was the day Harry Potter's parents were killed.
Harry left the school to find peace in the forest. While the whole school seemed to know his name, know what he stood for, they didn't seem to know a thing about what he'd suffered for it. He made his way into the heart of the forest and set a pile of twigs and leaves in a small pile. Concentrating, Harry waved his hand at the pile so it molded together and rose from the ground shifting and changing it's shape till it formed and elegant table with intricate carvings in the orange, red and gold of the leaves and the brown of the sticks.
From the small package Sirius and Remus had sent him, Harry drew out pictures of his parents was well as a few mementos saved from their time. A broken snitch that could only flap one wing, the same one James stole during his final year as seeker, a stage toy Lily had made for Harry, and their wedding rings. As an Auror and the wife of the most sought after man in the wizarding world, Lily and James had charmed their rings to with stand anything.
Harry set them before the picture so that the bands lay atop each other and smiled. He said a few words and let himself touch up the shrine. He had never been taken to his parents graves, so he had no idea what it would be like to stand over them, really visit with them, well as close to visit as he could get to them.
He imagined that it would be something like this, only instead of lilies he picked from the edge of the forest placed before it, there would be conjured Lilies that lasted as long as the silver spun petals and gold steamed flowers he'd transfigure stood shinning. He imagined he'd cry, something he wasn't willing to admit, but with everything that had happed it was only fare to believe.
Once Harry had finished, he made his way up to the castle in time for the warning bell to ring. He summoned his stuff, not caring about being discreet. His magic levels were already off the charts, it would be expected that he'd have excess magic. He made his way through classes, ignoring the sympathetic looks he got from teachers and students alike. In all his classes he allowed himself a bit of leniency with his restraint resulting in his blowing his feather through the roof during Charms.
He was sure that if it had been anyone else there would have been laughter, but around him it was just awe. He forced himself to repair the roof with a less than perfect touch that Flitwick prided him on, despite the shoddy craftsmanship.
They were leaving Charms when Ron and Hermione caught him up. "That was wicked mate." Ron laughed making Harry smile for the first time that day. Dante smiled at Ron around Hermione. Draco winked at Harry and started laughing himself. Harry kept the smile on his face his hair puffing up some.
As they were walking down the stairs however, Harry's hair stood on end when he heard what Blaise was saying.
"That slutty girl, she'd put out for anyone, even a teacher if it meant the difference between and 'A' and an 'A+'. I bet the Fake would just about do anyone too! Just to feel like he was normal, or like he belonged at all."
Harry reeled around and swept Zabini's feet from under him braking one as he went, as Dante landed a crushing punch to his face, braking his nose. Draco obliterated the other Slytharins memories of the incident then gave Zabini a good kick in the balls. "See, I really don't want them!" He snapped. By that time Hermione had run off.
Harry and Dante took off after her, Dante in the lead as they rocketed past Ron who had started chasing the girl as soon as she'd made a run for it.
Draco stayed behind to finish off the ego inflated Slytharin.
"HERMIONE!" Dante pounded on the door of the girls bathroom. "Come on Hermione. They're just stuck up Pureblood filth, they only say such things to make themselves feel better about interbreeding." Harry cried joining his friend in battering down the door. Ron caught them up and panted out "We know that stuff they said wasn't true! No one would believe it!"
Still they got no response.
Harry backed up and sat down on the opposite wall. "I'm waiting for you Hermione." He called. Dante sat down with him saying "We're not going anywhere without you!" Ron plopped down beside them but didn't say anything. She knew he was there.
The three sat their four twenty minutes before Draco joined them in their silent wait. Ten minutes later however, the growling of Dante and Ron's stomachs combined was too much for Harry and Draco and the two burst out laughing. "HEY!" Dante cried, smacking Harry upside the head. Ron glared pointedly at Draco before taking a swipe at the boy as well.
"We can't leave her, but if I don't get some food I'm going to eat Harry." Dante stated seriously, making Harry blanch. "What is this fascination with eating me?" Harry cried. "Yeah! Why don't you ever want to eat me?" Draco put in. Dante raised and eyebrow. "Not that I don't mind, I'm just curious." Draco said holding his hands up as if to defend himself from the young werewolf. "You smell funny." Dante answered Draco.
A few seconds of silence then Harry and Ron burst out laughing and a small smile crept its way up Dante's face. "WHAT?!" Draco asked disbelieving. "Yeah, you have this sort of unappetizing stench that hangs about you. I think you can blame your father." Suddenly Dante gasped and covered his nose. "Speaking of orders!" He cried. "It wasn't me!" Ron exclaimed causing the others to laugh before, after a couple more minutes, Harry and Draco caught onto the scent. Ron caught it only a few moments before the troll rounded the corner.
"Places!" Harry shouted. He grabbed Ron and blended with the shadows pulling the red head out of the line of fire as Dante and Draco took up their stances.
When they troll made it's way to the bathroom, Dante shot off a warning shot, causing the troll to turn his attention onto them. Dante lifted his daggers from his boots as Draco transfigured a strong sword from one of the suits of armor, ignoring the affronted grunt the hallway décor gave him before it turned into an elongated steal sword with a ribbed grip that had once been the shoulder plates.
Harry took the excess steal from Draco's transfiguration, transfigured them into a clip and loaded the gun he carried. He liked the guns, they gave a feeling of power, one he'd learned from his uncle after the man had plaid a game of Russian Rulet with Harry's head instead of his own.
Draco lunged forward, slicing the troll's legs immobilizing it, as well as knocking it to the ground. Dante lunged for the eyes blinding it as Harry shot off a couple rounds into its arms, rendering its club useless. Harry took a few more, well placed shots at its strong hide and managed to make it cry out in pain. The thing was thrashing violently as they all took sides. Hermione poked her head out during this point, only to see a huge grayish fist hurtling at her. Dante took a dive and caught the blow, knocking Hermione over but protecting her from the flailing arms. His face was bruising fast and his arm hung limply at his side, as he took up his second dagger in the same hand as the first.
He keep the fist way from them while waiting for and opening to rush Hermione out of the line of fire. Harry squeezed another round into the thing's shoulders, severing the tendons giving Dante just the chance he needed. Draco had cut up the back of it's legs, so that the feet rest lazily on the floor while the hips flailed helplessly. Harry clambered onto it's back only to be thrown of when the thing bucked under him. He hit the wall hard, his own face turning a purple to Dante's. Draco plunged his word into the troll's back. Ripping wildly into the hid he severed the tendons all the way up the spin, knocking out the trolls nerves one by one. Harry launched himself up and shot a pair of bullets into the back of the troll's head, effectively killing it, slowly, painfully, but completely.
Panting they turned to each other, smiles on their faces. Hermione was clutching at Dante with all her will power, trying to mesh with the werewolf. Bloody and aching, the three first years led the two stunned year mates back to the common room. Just as their splattered trench coats whipped around the corner, the teachers happened upon the troll, drawn by all the noise.
McGonagell screamed, Quirll fainted and Snape turned away. The brutal carnage left of the once mighty mountain troll barely resembled the creature. If they hadn't known that it was a mountain troll they were looking fore, they would have mistaken the lump of warm flesh as the remains of a Dragon's feast, or maybe meat the house elves had to leave before giving to the threstrals. The steaming blood spilled from the creature staining the stone in its sticky warmth, pouring over the corridor like a blanket of red water. The teachers picked up the hems of their robes and made their way closer, attempting to ignore the gut wrenching stench that arouse from the pile of flesh.
"Who ever did this was an expert killer." Snape muttered, examining the way the beast had met its ends. "The way he took down the troll was perfection. They stopped it from moving, by cutting it's legs here." Snape pointed for the benefit of the less experienced in the art of dissection and anatomy or just plain observation. "The next thing to go was the eyes," He pointed to where the red sockets sat gapping out, the remains of the tattered eyes hanging from the lids' still attached in the killers hastiness. "Leaving the troll sightless, it's less likely to move, its other sensory lacking more than it sight already was." Snape walked around the troll. " They immobilized its arms next, with what look likes a very focused and powerful Reducto. That forced it to drop its club." He pointed to the large wooden bat at the side of the hall.
"It looks like they cut the tendons next, stopping all movement by the arms and legs, insuring that they would be useless. They cut up the spin next, severing the nerves, killing the thing slowly, and guaranteeing the success of the kill." Snape ran a ghost hand along the exposed back. "Then another shot to the head, killing it for good and a second for safety." He gestured at the small holes in the back of the grayish skull.
"There must have been more than one. One on swords, one distracting the limbs and another immobilizing the creature bit by bit, taking it down like a…" He stuttered out realizing why the attack method was so familiar. "Like a pack of wolves."
Silence.
MeanwhileHarry and Dante sprawled out as Draco applied healing balm to their faces and backs. Harry sat up with a wince and turned to Dante handing him a pillow. Dante stuffed as much as he could of the fluffy thing into his mouth and bit down hard. Harry reached around and popped Dante's shoulder back into place as the werewolf let loose a howl, muffled into the pillow.
Spitting the thing out, Dante rotated his arm, wincing as it clicked around in his joint. Draco was tending to Hermione and Ron, both of whom were in shock. "Told you we'd protect you." Harry laughed as the three boys took up their "just-finished-kicking-major-ass-and-now-posing-for-photos" pose, as named by Sirius and Evangeline.
Hermione smiled and fainted as Ron nodded simply and staggered up to the dorms.
Dante lifted Hermione up and walked over to the stairs to the girl's dorms. As a potion baby, spells regarding gender couldn't quiet sense his own genetic structure. Therefore the stairs didn't turn into a slide, as they normally would have, but remained firm for the boy to walk the girl up to her room.
In their own dorms, Harry and Draco waited for Dante before heading into their trunks. They always cleaned up, vigorously after a magical creature kill. There was no telling what the body was caring or what could have entered the body after dealing with a creature with magical blood. After half hour showers they sent their bloody robes through a thorough cleaning and climbed into beds, exhausted.
CHAPTER 9: New and Old
Flaxen hair was in his face when he awoke. Blowing it away, Harry saw that he'd somehow made his way into Draco's bed again that night. It was a common occurrence at the safe house that Harry would end up in the blonde's bed. Nightmares would drive him there when merely mutilating himself no longer worked. He guessed seeing such carnage, even if it had been their own kill, had dredged up old memories. When the hair landed on his face again Harry took his own head out from under Draco's to find that, instead of him crawling into Draco's bed, the boy had slipped into his.
Whatever the boy was going through was bad if he was sneaking into Harry's bed, especially with Dante right beside him. The werewolf teased them mercilessly about such things, not understanding the brotherly bond between them.
Harry slid out from under his friend and looked at him a bit worried. Then he spotted the calendar near Draco's head and flipped out. That morning was the morning of the first Qudditch game. Harry felt his stomach curled on itself. He scrambled around his bed slipping on stray clothes they'd stripped of the night before and fell on his face, waking Draco as he rushed to his feet and into the bathroom.
He smiled and cuddled into his bed only to rip out of it when he heard the sound of dry heaving. Dante was at the door before Draco had left his bed, having heard it to, not bothering with stealth, waking most of the boys. Dean and Shamus where too whipped to get out of their beds but Neville sidled over.
"Harry!" Draco slammed on the door when he found it locked.
"Harry James Potter I'm respecting you privacy but asserting my power as you brother by coming in anyway!" Draco hollered earning a small smile from Ron who had joined Neville at the door. With a nod from Draco, Dante snapped the lock on the door and pushed on it, breaking the magical locks as well, a nifty trick they'd all learned, however only Dante could do it without hurting himself physically.
Harry was inside splashing water on his face, soaking his baggy sleep shirt. Draco smiled at him from in the mirror. "Scared Scar-head?" He chuckled, his worry turning into mirth. Harry shot him a glare then followed him out. He looked out his window into the blue sky, seeing a couple clouds drifting through the endless expanse of blue. He'd always admired the sky. It was so open, so free and so changing. It could storm, angry with the world, attempting to wash it away and start anew. Other times it could simply cry for it, forgiving the earth and helping it grow. It could burry the land in cold snow, abandoning it, then warm it up with the tender rays of spring only to fry the crap out of it in the coming summer. Then fall would roll around and the earth would repent.
The sky controlled everything. The sky was power and Harry longed to dwell as close to the power as he could, even dabble in it if possible. He supposed that's way three out of his five forms were birds. As changing as the sky his animagius forms represented him.
Draco watched Harry as he stared out of the window at the sky. He'd always been a fan of the earth, strong enough to with hold the attacks on it by the sky and proud enough to repent when it had wronged. He supposed that's why he only had one bird form out of his four, while the others were all four-legged land-walkers. He loved to watch Harry light up like he was now, just looking into the vast beyond. Another reason Draco liked the earth, while it was big, there where limits, where as the sky seemed endless.
Sighing the blond pulled on a red t-shirt with Potter and the number seven in gold letters on the back. He laughed at Harry's expression when the boy turned a sour yet surprised face at the shirt.
"Dante and I made them. Sold enough to buy a broom." He laughed as Harry blushed and slipped into his robes for the game. They decided to skip the usual morning's practice for just relaxing and enjoying the thrill of the game to come, or in Harry's case, the dread.
Half the Gryffindor table was wearing the red and gold shirts, though the names and numbers varied so that each player had a large number of supporters. Ron had some how managed to get all three shirts, his brothers' and Harry's, on so they messed together in a blend of red and gold. "Hermione did it." He explained as Harry looked at him overwhelmed. Dante started laughing and smiled at the bushy haired girl, who blushed in response. Dante hugged her to her side and smiled down at her.
Harry left with the rest of the team, all of whom where amused by his brother's t-shirts, to the Quidditch field. The others hadn't changed yet as their uniforms where in the locker room, but Harry had changed in the dorms like he always did, with no one near to see him.
Harry was painfully aware of his body. Sometimes it was more of a problem to him than his eye. Though he was physically as strong as any other boy his size, he was painfully small and scrawny with scars mapping out old stories he never wanted to tell. To the day even Sirius didn't know the extent of the scars, and Harry vowed that no one would. So he had changed a head of time, not worried by the possibility of spilling food on them as he had refused to eat, for fear of it coming back up for a second viewing.
Harry waited for the team on the pitch, the hair, normally in front of his magical eye, tucked behind his ears so that he could see all of the pitch. While he could see fine without the removal of the hair, it made him feel better about it. He was scanning the pitch when he spotted the big black dog with a very familiar looking fox, and snake all three watching him with teasing looks. His magical eye saw them for who they were, not that he need the aid to recognize Padfoot, Sly, and Stealth. Remus Lupin made his way from behind the stands and his aunt walked around the corner carrying the small Evangeline, looking no older than seven in the witch's strong hold instead of her actual ten years of age. Harry ran over as soon as he saw his aunt smile.
"What are you guys doing here?" he cried as Eva flew ten feet into Harry's arms. "HARRY!" She cried laughing happily. "Hey Eva, how's life at home? Did you get my letter?"
Eva nodded comically, her big midnight black eyes peering out at him from under her fringe of starry blond hair in such a childish manner Harry had to hug her again. Eva was the typical shorty, cute and adorable. Even Narcissa, famous for her tongue-lashings, found it hard to scold the girl when she turned that small, angelic face up at the right angle. Because of this unfair advantage, she was the worst troublemaker the world had ever seen.
Weary of this fact Harry set her down hugging his uncle and aunt. By the time they'd finished catching up, Remus explaining that they'd come to see how Harry did in his first game. Sirius stood on his back legs, his front paws on Harry's shoulder in a mock hug as Evangeline hung her father's snake form around her neck so the black and silver snake could see everything from the air. Narcissa herself cleaned her white paws in a dignified manner.
The team called to Harry and he quickly waved bye. The three took places in the teachers' stands as the students began filling up the stadium. Harry rejoined the team in the changing tent. He smiled when Wood's speech was interrupted by a loud cry of joy and screeching bang. Looking outside the team saw Dante launch himself after the flying Draco with a high jump into the stands to hug Remus and Bella. Harry laughed soon joined in by Fred and Gorge shortly followed by the rest of the team.
With time wasted Wood was unable to finish his speech and Harry climbed into the sky with his linger words of "I don't really know. Took a bludger to the head. Woke up in the hospital a week later." Ringing in her ears. He sighed and looked around the field at the faces, dotted in the crowds with their house colors.
He took of in a tight turn and swooped down low drawing the attention of the other team's seeker. He chased after Harry's air with a passion. Harry half listened to Lee and half listened to the rush of air alerting him to the other seekers position. He continued to search laughing at Lee's comments until a familiar pull came over him. He pulled the most amazing stop, halting almost the second the instinct hit him.
The Slytharin seeker swerved around him as Harry shot straight up into the air making a parallel line that by all rights should have had him slipping off the tail of his broom. Raising up his arm in long straight line, Harry brushed his fingers over the gold ball before he was slammed out of his upward rise, sending him spiraling back down to the earth. He caught himself mid-turn and shot back to the Slytharin seeker.
Lee was making fast commentary on the epic battle for the snitch now, the twenty points scored by Gryffindor left in the dust. When they scored again, Lee didn't even bother to announce the new score. Instead he picked up with the seekers.
"It appears Potter has inherited more than just his father's looks. This boy can fly! Both seekers are in a mad dash around the pitch for the snitch. Neither seems to be gaining any head, Potter because Higgs is pushing him off coarse and Higgs because he's slower than those Slinkers Professor Kettleburn showed us in COMC yesterday." The stands erupted in laughter.
Harry was about to make another dive for the snitch when he felt his broom wrench beneath his fingers. He spiraled backwards following the course of the jerk leaning so his weight tilted him in the direction of the snitch. Another wild jerk sent him spinning off coarse. With quick calculating Harry pulled up a read out of the pitch his eye sweeping the field quickly. Magical aura was being actively used by both Snape and Quirll. Neither was blinking.
Fleeing the jinx, Harry used the next jerk of the broom to race up till his back was in the center of the sun. Both men turned away from him. Closing his bad eye he closed down all his charts wanting to win fair and square. In the mean time Slytharin had caught up in points forcing Harry to catch the snitch before Higgs. He spotted it by sheer luck. He was letting his eyes wander, becoming more intoned with the winds around him when he heard the fluttering beets of the snitch's wigs against the goal post on the Slytharin end. He was so surprised he never moved out of the sun. Then he saw Higgs. Higgs saw the Snitch to. Before he could react, Harry was rocketing all the way across the field, air pushing him closer as they seemed to blow Higgs back.
He was flat against his broom in a steep dive so closed to the ground he had to arch his back and push with his feet to straighten himself out. He was standing on the broom when it gave its wrench. He placed his feet accordingly just in time to go sailing. He was flying through the air, over five feet. He gave a final push before falling to the ground, hand clutched around his stomach.
The crowd gasped and jumped to its feet in collective unison, the gasp from the Slytharins coming from their expectation of carnage. Harry knelt down and coughed out the shinning gold ball and raised it high to startled laughter. The whole stands were in hysterics. Gryffindor had one by a great number of points. Harry was ushered off the field amidst gales of laughter and happy Gryffindor faces. Dante and his fathers hung back with Draco and his mother and aunt, uncle and cousin. Ron and Hermione stood beside them smiling.
Harry made his way from the crowd to his family and laughed when Sirius jumped him. "That has got to be the most hilarious catch in the history of Hogwarts." Ron laughed as Draco simply folded over himself with mirth. Hermione was beaming from next to Dante who was tucked neatly under his alpha's arm as the old wolf laughed with Draco, though not nearly as wildly.
"You're going to be the talk of the Quidditch world for years mate!" Bella laughed at her young friend as Evangeline jumped into Harry's arms making his scowl disappear. Laughing lightly she smiled up at Harry he black eyes connecting with his green ones. "I saw you connect up there. Is that really fair?" She giggled. Harry blushed. They started walking when Hagrid spotted them.
"Remus?" He asked. "Remus Lupin?" Remus smiled and rushed to Hagrid. "Hagrid, old friend."
"What are you doing here?" Hagrid cried happily.
"Came to see my favorite seeker in his first game." Remus ruffled Harry's hair as the boy moved Evangeline from one hip to the other in order to retaliate. She looked up at Hagrid with big dark eyes, as friendly and open as the man's owns.
He reached down and took the child from Harry.
"Hagrid! Don't you dare put my daughter on the hippogriff pen again!" Bella warned in her way of a friendly greeting as she made her way over from where she'd been talking to Ron and Hermione.
"Bella, this can't be you little gal." Hagrid smiled teasing the alumni. She smiled. "Don't let her fool you. She's a devious little thing." Hagrid looked down at Evangeline's wide smile and innocent eyes, her blond hair pooling about his arm, it's soft strands deterring any thoughts of malice behind her face from coming to mind.
They followed Hagrid into his backyard, enjoying tea as Harry played fetch with Padfoot and Sly. Draco joined in now and again when he wasn't listening to stories about his parents or running over to the lake were Eva was antagonizing the squid. Ron and Hermione introduced themselves to Remus and Bella, unconsciously to Sirius, Regulus and Narcissa as well. Remus seemed intent on holding his pup as much as he could, the separation becoming a bit much on both of them. Dante however, made sure he was sitting next to Hermione so that he could talk to her while in his father's arms.
"Are you going to tell him?" Draco asked Harry.
After lobbing the stick into the lake, where Padfoot and Sly had to work to get it from the squid, Harry turned to Draco.
"About the troll?"
"No, they don't need to know. We killed it cleanly and purified ourselves completely. No harm no foul." He sat down with the blond watching as their respective guardians attempted to get the squid to throw the stick through as series of yaps and barks.
"Are you going to tell them about the dog?" Draco asked after a while. Harry looked at the happy smile on Remus's face as he laughed at some old memory, stroking his lover's fur after the mutt had given up on the stick and sat beside him. "No, but I'll see if they know anything."
Reaching out with his wispy fingers, Harry slid through the adults barriers. The only person's he'd been unable to brake through was Snape's and Quirrl's. Snape was a master but Quirll was an oddity. He easily wormed his fingers through their minds looking. On a whim, after he'd finished the others, Harry went for Hagrid's. After a while of trudging through the messy heap the man called a mind, Harry found the dog. "The name is Fluffy." Harry started with a laugh. Draco looked at him incredulously.
"It belonged to Hagrid. He's used to help guard something. Something to do with Dumbeldore and a man named Nicolas Flamel. But his mind is so cluttered I can't find what it is." Harry explained. Draco nodded.
"Then we'll just have to look for Flamel."