The Hybrid
Chapter 5
"You know Zack, as good as that smells, why don't you let anyone else cook?" Seri asked, watching from the kitchen table as Zack expertly prepared spaghetti and meatballs for the family. Said kitchen was actually his own privet kitchen, attached to his bedroom, that no one was allowed to touch during his absence, except maybe Selene.
"I love to cook, it's so fun. It's like potions, there are a billion different outcomes, depending on the way you mix things," James said, adding a touch of parsley like his mother had thought him.
Seri, having been reading through his books, looked astounded. "How can you compare cooking to potions of all things?" she demanded.
"It's more or less the same thing. Of course, in potions there is that small possibility of adding the wrong ingredient and getting blown to hell, but that is why we have Snape, the cauldron damper," Zack said with a grin.
Seri rolled her eyes. Trust her brother to be able to play the part of both the bookworm, and the smart ass. "You really shouldn't crack on you head of house like that. How would he feel if he heard you talking about him like that?" Siri asked.
Zack grinned. "He probably kill me on the spot, but this is why I crack on him with in the walls of my own home. In my house, I am untouchable," said Zack.
Seri started to yell at him, when their sensitive ears picked up a loud pounding on the front door of the mansion. The screaming and screeching of the two babies in the house shortly followed this. "What the hell?" Zack asked, looking at his watch. It was just past 7, meaning the sun had set over an hour ago. No normal person would come near the Corvin property after dark. "Stay here," Zack ordered, leaving the room and locking the door behind him. The last thing anyone needed was Seri grating on everyone's nerves if there was a problem.
Zack beat his father to the door by at least a minute, and was very surprised that, when he opened the door, that he was nearly crushed by a pale, bleeding man being supported by another man. The bleeding man was ill dressed, with graying hair and half vacant brown eyes. His robes, frayed and threadbare, were splattered with blood. Zack noticed multiple punctures in his robes around his chest area.
The second man, this one slightly more filled out, was covered in the other's blood. His jet black hair, which had at some point been held back tightly by an elastic band, fell into his face, making his blue eyes seem more wild and worried then they really were. The first man, Zack could tell, was a werewolf, a non-Lycan. Zack couldn't pick anything off of the second man.
"Shot. Silver bullets, 5 of them," the werewolf breathed, his breath coming in short gasps. If the silver bullets weren't removed from his body quickly, it would kill him.
"What happened?" Michael demanded, jumping from the second story, to land next the werewolf. His was starting to convulse and his eyes were rolled into the back of his head.
"He's a werewolf, non-Lycan. Multiple bullet wounds to the chest I think. He said silver, 5 of them," Zack responded.
Michael nodded, lifting the werewolf out of the human's arms. "Tell Darius to sweep the property for hunters. He is to kill any he finds," Michael ordered. Zack nodded, leaving the human standing the middle of the room, covered in blood.
Zack had only just reached the end of the front stairs when Darius's lithe form landed in front of him. Darius was a very old Vampire, and one of the original Death Dealers. He was one of the ones to train Selene when she had first taken interest. "Sweep the grounds for Hunters. Kill any you find, and report back," Zack ordered. The old vampire nodded, his blond hair flowing behind him as he moved across the grounds at inhuman speeds.
Zack reentered the house, and found the human still standing where he'd left him. "Are you injured?" Zack asked. The man shook his head, no. Zack was going to question the man further, when there was a yell, and the sound of splitting wood. Seri had figured out that she was locked in Zack's small kitchen. "Come on, I'll set you up in a room for now, until my father gets back word on your friend," said Zack, pulling the man up the nearest staircase.
"What are you people?" the man finally muttered, as Zack dragged him towards the nearest warded guest bedroom. It would make sure that no Vampires tried the human out as a midnight snack.
Zack was surprised. To normal people, most of the people in the Mansion seemed normal enough. It would take another of the same species, or someone trained in finding Vampires of Werewolves to spot them out. A person like this was normally a Hunter, and was killed upon contact, but this human may have been able to tell a difference because he's lived around people with 'curses' as most called them. Personally, Zack thought of his Vycanism as more of a gift.
"Umm…I can't really answer that. I'm sure my dad will tell you everything you need to know when he sees you. For now, be happy that you won't be Vampire chow for the time being." This was obviously the wrong thing to say, as the man stiffened considerably, his eyes darting around wildly. "I was kidding," Zack tossed in as an after thought. The man didn't look any different.
They came to a plain door at the far end of the second floor. It was warded against everything from fleas to Vampires, the man would be perfectly safe. "Just chill here for a bit. A man named Michael will feel the signature I left behind, and talk to you about you friend," said Zack moving to close the door, leaving the man inside. At the last second the man jumped at the door.
"Please, don't leave me in here," he cried out desperately. Seeing him now, up close, Zack had to figure that his first impression of the man was slightly off. While dressed in slightly better robes than those that the Werewolf had warn, his previous fullness was found to be false. He was just as gaunt and pale and skinny as the Werewolf, if not more so. He also held shadows in his eyes reflecting misery that Zack had never seen in a man before. Zack really couldn't help the piteous emotions that swam over him.
"Alright, you don't have to stay in here," Zack responded, cracking at the sight of the man's brokenness. "Come on." Zack returned to the stairs, continuing up another flight, where he and Seri spent most of their time. The door to Zack's kitchenette was splintered and cracked, but seemed to still be whole, on the outside. The inside was probably much worse.
Cracking the door open, Zack was attacked by Seri's lithe form. "Zachary Corvin! What did mom and dad tell you about locking me in rooms? The house could have started burning down, and I would have been trapped!" Seri yelled, straddling her brother and poking him in the chest for emphasis.
Zack shoved the younger girl off of him, jumping back to his feet. "That, my dear Serenity, is why we have windows," Zack responded, sweeping over to where his spaghetti and noodles were simmering quietly. The noodles were done, but the sauce needed a few more minutes to simmer, so Zack busied himself straining the noodles, and separating it all out onto 6 plates. When that task was completed, the young Master Chef checked the sauce again, finding it to fit his needs. A little sloppier than he'd meant to, Zack spooned some of the sauce over the noodles, and topped it all with Parmesan, completing the dish. Setting a plate in front of the human and Seri, Zack took two others, leaving them both with Selene, who was in the nursery next to Seri's room on the other side of the hall. Selene would make sure Michael ate the food he was given, if only to keep up his energy. Michael had a dangerous habit of skipping meals.
The other two plates were shared between the enthusiastic Kitala and himself, Kitala pouncing on the Meatballs immediately. "You know, I'm going to die of lack of protein if you keep stealing my meat," Zack commented, making the human look up.
"More food for me," Kitala shot back between a mouth full of meatballs. Out of the corner of his eyes, Zack saw the man jump, but didn't comment.
Seri took it as her queue to start up conversation. "So, what's your name?" she asked the human, who was sucking down the spaghetti like he hadn't eaten in weeks. Actually, Zack wouldn't have been surprised if he hadn't.
"Sirius," he grunted, taking another mouthful of food. It was quickly washed down with a glass of water.
"That's cool! You're named after the Dog Star, aren't you? I wish I had a cool name," Seri growled. She, like most girls her age, didn't care for her name, thinking it too formal.
The human looked up at her, slowing his eating to study her. It seemed only then that he realized he was in a room with two kids. Of course Zack and Seri were slightly more mature than normal, but they were still kids. He opened his mouth to say something, when there was a chime that only Zack and Serenity could hear.
"I'll be right back," said Zack, leaving Kitala to demolish his meal, or what was left of it. He was more concerned about the chime that had echoed through the house. There was no doubt that everyone had heard it, and that they all knew that there were intruders on the premises.
On the main stairway, he was nearly run over by Selene. "Zack! There are intruders on the grounds, wizards! Take the Twins and Seri and be on guard. Do not let anyone except Michael or my self into your rooms! Go, now!" Selene ordered, jumping back down the stairs.
Zack didn't hesitate and returned to the floor where he, Seri, and the twins roomed. Mandy, the twin's part time babysitter, was no longer in the nursery, probably having been called into defense, like the rest of the Manor. Nath and Nat, as Zack had nicknamed them, were both slumbering quietly. Lifting the still very small babies into his arms, Zack practically flew into the kitchenette, where Seri was trying in vain to spark a conversation with Sirius.
"Seri, open the door to my room, and lock the door to the main hallway!" Zack ordered, kicking the kitchenette door closed. Seri nodded and executed the order, Kitala on her shoulder for the ride. Zack ushered Sirius into the room, and allowed Seri to lock the door behind him.
"Zack, what's going on?" Seri asked, her voice shaking slightly. Zack's hands were shaking slightly as well. The only time either of the two had heard the whistled alarm was when the Manor had been attacked when they were younger, causing the bulk of the scars littering Zack's body.
Zack shrugged his shoulders. "My best guess is that there was a group following Sirius and the Werewolf," said Zack, motioning to Sirius. It was rather difficult, seeing as the now awake baby Vycans were fussing in Zack's arm. Seeing her brother's distress, Seri took Nathan from Zack, leaving him to hold only Nat.
"Zack, I'm scared," Seri said finally, holding Nathan tightly.
Zack wrapped his arm around the younger girl's shoulder. This was the first time he could ever remember her admitting fear. It was kind of scary, as Seri had a lot of pride, and admitting fear dealt a huge blow. "No worries Ser, I'll protect you, and Nath and Nat. I am the big brother here, remember?" Zack asked. This earned him a smack in the head.
"I said I was scared, I never said anything about not being able to defend myself," Seri growled, pushing Zack's arm off of her. There was a loud crash seconds later, and Seri ducked behind Zack's only slightly larger form. Zack's sensitive ears picked up his mother's voice, yelling and being generally hostile. It was cut short by something, but Zack couldn't tell what.
"Seri, take Nat, Nathan, and Sirius, and hide. The back panel of my closet opens up to a small, stone room. It's secure by wards, hide in there, and don't come out until mom, dad, or I come and get you," Zack ordered, putting Natalie in Sirius's arms, and pulling his wand out from under his bed mattress.
Seri did as she was told, disappearing into the recesses of Zack's closet. Kitala, expanded into full form, was smoking out of her open mouth and nostrils. She, like Zack, was ready for battle. There were the loud thumps of heavy footsteps, and whispered words before Zack's bedroom door was blown open. He didn't wait to see who it was before firing a multitude of spells at the intruder, most of them well beyond his years.
The person, a man clad in black robes and a white mask, was shot backwards, unconscious. Stepping further into the hall, Zack came across a bloodbath. Wizards, all of them clad in black, were fighting Vampires and Lycans alike. Already the floors were littered with bodies from both sides. There were several more Lycan bodies than Vampire bodies, mostly because Vampires disintegrated upon death, and were generally less vulnerable than the Lycans anyway.
Everywhere, Zack could hear the bang of bullets and, without any hesitation, transformed into his most basic Vycan form. One of the positive things about being a Vycan was that Zack had more than one animal form. In all, Zack had four, Seri had 5 forms, and Michael had only the one, but it suited each of their needs nicely. Seri could turn into a Raven, house cat, wolf, owl, and poodle, and anywhere in-between, combining the forms to meet her needs. Zack could do more or less the same, his first form being that of a wolf, the next that of a cougar, a falcon, and his personal favorite, a mangrove snake. His most basic form, however, was a cross between a Wolf, Cougar and human.
It was the same transformation that occurred within Michael, and the easiest one for Zack to achieve. With Kit at his side, Zack set off to attacking the black robed men, taking them out strategically and quickly, never killing, but seriously injuring. Kitala had no such restraint, and either crippled or killed everything she came across. Of course, this was before they reached the first floor. Selene, whom Zack had heard be cut off earlier, was being held in the air by another one of the robed people.
Selene looked homicidal, her fangs out and ready to strike. Zack couldn't help himself, he launched himself at the robed creature, but before he could reach either, a shot rang out in his ears. He was blasted off course by the impact of a bullet to his chest, shooting in one side and out the other. Zack heard Selene's scream of rage as he hit one of the pillars supporting the stairs above. Dropping to his knees, Zack coughed up a mouthful of blood, struggling to breath. The bullet had most defiantly punctured his lung.
"Kit, help my mother," Zack wheezed, breaking into a coughing fit, his lungs trying to purge themselves. Kitala responded with a growl, growling pure fire at the robes figure. It's robes sparked, causing it to yell in outrage. Even in his damaged state, Zack could tell it wasn't human. Also, whatever it was, caused the old scar on his forehead, hidden by advanced magic, to tingle.
Zack's vision was starting to swim, and the last thing he saw before passing out was Kitala getting blasted through the French Doors by a wave of magic.
When Zack woke, it was to bright white. All around him, there was quiet, and a small, furry mass of heat lying in the junction of his arm and torso. It hurt to breath, and his head hurt and his right wrist was wrapped, but other than that, he felt fine. "Kit?" Zack breathed, pushing himself into sitting position.
There was a slight growl from Kitala, who had been peacefully sleeping only a few seconds before. While Kitala adjusted to being awake, Zack looked around the big white room. If he didn't know better, he would say he was in the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts, but he knew that that really wasn't possible.
"Damn it Zack, why do you have to be awake?" Kitala growled, yawning and sitting down on Zack's leg.
Zack didn't even acknowledge the question. "What happened? Where are mom, and dad, and Seri and the twins? Who were those people that attacked? What were the casualties?" Zack rushed, trying to make sense of the whirlpool of memories spinning around in his head.
"Zack, calm down before you hyperventilate. I don't know about anyone back at the Manor. Dumbledore and his people burst in a few minutes after you passed out and started shooting at everyone. I don't know how anyone is, all I know is that you nearly died, and one of Dumbledore's people recognized you, and brought you back to the school. It's been a few days, and the term has already started, so don't do anything stupid!" Kitala growled.
She sent her warning too late, for Zack was already on his feet. Under the bed was a set of his normal clothes, which he jumped into, and set off for the door of the empty Hospital Wing. Despite having been shot, and having no too few injuries, Zack walked as if nothing was wrong with him. Just as he neared the door, it burst open. A harassed looking Madam Pomfrey swept in, and stopped short, staring at Zack in pure shock.
"What are you doing out of bed? Get back into that bed right now young man! Don't make me get Dumbledore!" she shouted, trying to pull Zack back by his arm to the bed. He merely shrugged her off.
"Where are my parents? And my brother and sisters?" Zack demanded. In his weakened state, his Lycan side had a lot more sway over his actions, which cause his eyes to take on a silver glow, and his K-9s to extend slightly.
Pomfrey looked shocked at the fact that she couldn't get the 11 year old to budge. "I don't know what you're talking about. Your family wasn't in that house when we arrived, just a bunch of Vampires and Werewolves, all of whom have been disposed of properly," the woman huffed.
Zack saw red. "Excuse me?" he whispered, eyes turning full on from blue to silver. He could feel the base of his spine tingling, ready for transformation.
"All of the Vampires and Werewolves were unregistered, and have been taken to the Ministry for questioning. Just how did you get in on that group anyway, young man?" Pomfrey demanded, oblivious to the rage filled Vycan standing before her.
"My mother is a Vampire you dolt of a woman! Where is Dumbledore?" Zack demanded. Pomfrey, now paying attention because of Zack's previous statement, watched him fearfully.
"G-great hall!" she stuttered, watching as Zack stalked in the direction of the hall. Before he could get far, he was returned to his senses by Kitala's sharp claws in his neck.
The fox was just about as annoyed as Zack, but for a different reason. "You idiotic brain bug! Use your head! Those men that attacked, most of them were attacked by one of your own right? Isn't it possible that they went under transformation and they are what she was talking about? If I know your family, then they are in France right now, setting up a base of operations, just like they did when you were little. Chill out!" Kitala demanded.
Zack stared at the fox, dumbfounded. He'd never seen the Hybrid Fox use much sensible logic, but what she said was true. He highly doubted that his family would allow themselves to be caught by Wizards and probably had skipped over to France. The rest of the people at the Manor, most of them from out of the country, couldn't be touched by the Ministry as they were both Muggles and foreign.
Sliding down the wall of the corridor, Zack held his head in his hands. Suddenly he had a huge headache, and his breathing was coming in pants. He vaguely noted a large bloodstain on his previously white shirt. "You need to get back to the Hospital," said Kitala. Once again, her warning came too late, as Zack's eye rolled up into the back of his head, and he fainted.
(A/N: I don't really have anything to report. School is useless these next couple of days, I'm watching movies in every class. I'd love to get a head start on this story, but my laptop doesn't have a battery pack so I can't use it during class. Only 4 days left. I still haven't gotten my permit, I'm waiting till school gets out. I went over chapter 1 thru 4 and changed some things, so you my want to re-read. To anyone who is interested, I need a beta reader. Apparently my spelling is horrible, though my spell check has yet to catch anything. If you're interested send me an email at Thank you, I'm going to bed now…Crashes)
Review responses:
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Wytil: That sounds fun. My dad is a teacher and my mom doesn't work, so I've never had to do any kind of camp in the summer. This summer I'm going to the Keys for two weeks, and then to Pensacola with my grandfather's family for another week. Surfing and beach galore! My cousin warned me that my great-aunt might not let me surf. Somehow her grandson broke his leg surfing. I don't know how he managed that, but still. Going back to the original subject, I don't think my parents would let me go anywhere for 10 weeks unless it was college, and even then they'd be knocking on my door all the time. My grandparents aren't bad though, they'd let me go anywhere with only minimal reminders. I can't wait for the summer! Only 4 more school days!
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KittenRebecca: Two reasons why everyone has that birthday. One is that it is the end of the summer, everyone is taking his or her vacations, if you know what I mean. Also, all the preemies from Labor Day weekend are being born. I am a result of Labor Day weekend, or is it Memorial Day?
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Hpever: Thank you. As for the tornado thing, they didn't happen on the same day, they were about two weeks apart, on different sides of my school. I think one was to the North, and one was to the West, but don't quote me on that. I have no idea where tornado alley is, but I'd probably recognize it if you told me. I can't wait for my permit! I still haven't gotten it, too much school crap…
Shaldana Blackwater: Okay, I changed it, now leave me alone! AHHHHHHHHHH! Okay, now that that's out of my system. My computer won't allow me to do brat vocabulary. I have it on very strict setting for when I write paper, and I can't change it. That makes all my characters sound older as a result. It can't be helped. I'm treading carefully, trust me. You never know when you're going to step on a water moccasin.
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