SORRY FOR HOW LONG IT TOOK
Please excuse all errors.
.-.
Harry ran a finger over the fresh wound on his hand.
I must not tell lies.
He found it a worthless thing to be engraved in his flesh. But at the same time cared not to stop it. It was a mild annoyance at best.
"Harry?" Hermione blinked walking into the room. "Are you going home for Christmas?"
"Home?" Harry hummed thoughtfully hiding his hand discreetly.
Many thoughts flashed through his mind as he contemplated her words.
"Yes." He smiled eerily. "Home."
.-.
"This is the place then?" Harry hummed thoughtfully looking over the trees.
The forest was absolutely beautiful. It was also old. Very old. Old and gnarled with aging dark trees that twisted every which way. Under-bush filled the space between the trees and large thorn bushes outlined it. It was dark enough you could not see any farther then a few feet in. After that the shadows took over and no one was safe.
"Yes." The man beside Harry said. "Bought it five hundred years ago I did. Well, perhaps bought is the wrong word. Some 'gallant' Light knight wished to burn it to the ground after he discovered Dark Creatures called it home. I struck him down before he could strike the flint. Layered the area in wards. Haven't bothered to update them but it's well protected and to the ministry it is under my name. They think it naught but a normal forest."
"And the muggles?" Harry questioned glancing at the small village half a mile away.
"They can see it. But like the wards of Hogwarts, none enter. They may approach but suddenly draw back. The very, very few who make it past the wards…well they don't leave. It helps keep the others away."
"It's perfect." Harry smirked. "I want it."
The man sighed and handed over a rolled up piece of parchment.
"I, Lord Nicholas Flammel, turn over the Enchanted Forest to One Lord Harry Potter."
A snap of magic pulsed and the deed was suddenly in Harry's hand.
"Enchanted Forest?" Harry asked.
"Could think of nothing better." The man shrugged. "Rename it if you wish. Now, consider the debt between us fulfilled. One forest for the return of my stone four years ago."
The man apparated with a sharp crack leaving Harry gazing at his new property. Eyes peered right back at him. He smiled.
.-.
"Back so soon Harry?" Dumbledore asked pleasantly as he entered the office.
Harry sat in one of his chairs flipping through a book. Dumbledore took this in stride and took a seat behind his desk.
"I needed to return for the solstice." Harry remarked.
"May I ask why?"
"I need use of Hogwart's wards."
Dumbledore raised a brow. Harry snapped the book shut and tossed it behind him. It floated back to the shelf.
"On the solstice I will experience a …hmm, how to put it. I will experience an emancipation in a way."
"Emancipation?" Dumbledore blinked.
"From my human restraints."
Dumbledore stared wide eyed.
"So soon."
"Yes. Not a full awakening, but more then a few blocks will snap. I need to be hidden away behind the wards of Hogwarts so that I don't alert every magical person in Britain. They will still feel it but they will not be able to find me and such."
Dumbledore contemplated it silently. Harry stood and moved back to the shelves encircling the room. He ran his finger over a framed picture of Dumbledore in his youth next to a tall blonde. The people in the picture smiled back.
"Madame Umbridge will be here." Dumbledore finally answered.
"Distract her for a night then." Harry dismissed with a flap of his hand.
He turned back to the man and reached in his satchel. He pulled out a beautiful goblin crafted Harp he had bought a few years back. He handed it to a surprised Dumbledore.
"What is this for?"
"Happy Christmas." Harry shrugged.
"How did you know I could play the harp?"
"I know you have the same skill with a harp that I have with a violin." Harry answered, eyes half lidded and a smirk on his face. "I also know you gave it up when Grindelwald was defeated."
Dumbledore just gazed at the harp.
"Play me off." Harry said casually.
Dumbledore slowly lifted the harp, running aged fingers over the strings. The melody released was sweet. For a man who had not played the instrument in fifty years, Dumbledore was exceptionally talented. Harry took note though, that the song was full of emotion. Emotion like regret and sorrow.
.-.
Harry sat in the ruin circle whistling softly to himself, a soft tune of parting and age. He didn't know what it was exactly but the whistle sounded nice even without his own emotions to contribute to the tone.
"The moon has almost reached its apex."
"You should not be here Frienze." Harry said simply at the interruption.
"I have warned my kin away." Frienze shrugged. "And the other creatures have left the area.
"You still should not be here." Harry said. "My powers shall hurt you if they can reach you."
"I only need to step twenty feet to the left and I shall be fully encompassed by the castle's wards. The castle knows what you are doing and she has encircled you to prevent harm to everything else."
"Hmm."
Frienze sighed and tossed his head before retreating. Harry gazed up at the moon from the break in the tree tops. The beautiful silver orb hovered directly above him. Harry felt his magic start to flow along with the magic in the earth around him. Slowly it gathered and built until wisps started to become visible to the naked eyes. Colors blossomed in the wisps of smoke and sparkles and elements that swirled about his rune circle, gently brushing against him almost welcomingly.
Suddenly as if a signal had gone off the magic vanished. Harry just waited. With a sudden silent scream the magic burst forth again, exploding every which way around him, half at him. Harry's own magic leapt and tore through his body.
Harry was quite aware of his screams mixing in the chaos of sound and activity of the magic. It was painful. Very painful. More painful then anything he'd ever felt. The magic tore at his very being changing and testing and looking. Like it was trying to learn everything about him but at the same time change him and see if he was worthy. The magic tugged and shoved and pulled and then with a final snap, it vanished, leaving the clearing in an eerie silence.
Harry was left panting in a destroyed and used circle. Lying on the ground he felt the cool soil beneath his body. He felt the magic of the earth below him. He opened his eyes, realizing he had at some point closed them.
When he had the strength he sat up and gazed about. Looking down at his hands he smiled. There was no visible change. No one would think anything different, but gods it was. Harry could feel it. Before he had had an almost impossible grip on magic compared to other magic users. But now, now he felt like a child suddenly realizing that there was more to the world then their backyard. He could feel everything and he knew.
Harry started to laugh. He laughed until his sides hurt and his voice rasped, until he started to choke up blood from a dry throat and still he laughed.
He finally felt alive.
.-.
"Harry?"
Harry turned to peer at his godfather. The man was staring at him, as if confused, head tilted to the side.
"Harry?" He questioned again.
"Yes Sirius?"
"What?" Sirius frowned. "No, you're Harry."
"Yes, I am."
"But…" Sirius frowned again reaching over to run a hand over his pale cheek.
Then he leaned over and sniffed Harry. Harry felt the man's magic rise with the actions and run gently over him, prodding him cautiously.
"You're Harry." He confirmed but still appeared confused. "But you're not."
"I had a bit of a change a few days past." Harry smiled easily.
"Oh. Okay." Sirius nodded. "Now come see Tonks! She's fat, fat, fat!"
He gave a laugh like a happy child and scrambled off calling Tonk's name.
"Excuse him." Remus whispered from his spot on the chair. "He is still changed because of Azkaban."
"I have always known so." Harry shrugged. "And I have always known he shall not recover. But you shall look after him."
"He is my mate. No matter how damaged he may be he is mine."
Harry smiled at Remus who took a swig of his tea. The man peered at him with wide amber eyes and hesitated. Harry took a seat on a chair and waited for the questions.
"I think…" Remus started slowly. "That you have many reasons for everything."
"I do."
"Do you have a reason for all the people you've slept with?"
Harry raised a brow. Remus blushed.
"I can smell it." He admitted. "On you. On them."
"There is a reason." Harry smiled easily. "Did you know that when you reach an orgasm your magic rises? Did you know that Sex magic is technically a dark cleansing ritual? Sex Magik calls forth your magic to rise up and rush through the body as you orgasm. It will destroy all foreign magic in you. But it also leaks out of the body. I use it to call up my magic and my partner's does the same in response. I can then leech off their magic as it leaks out and consume it as my own. To someone such as myself all dark magic is a pleasant treat. To have such a tasty thing so readily available? I can hardly resist. Especially with people with dark cores."
"The Weasely's?" Remus blinked. "They have dark cores?"
"No. Not them. But Bill works destroying dark magic and such for a living. It attaches itself to him at times leaving small parasitic spots. When his own magic rose in orgasm to cleanse him I took the magic it repelled for myself. And Charlie works with dragons. They are creatures of the Dark."
"Could you not have done it another way?"
"I could have. But I didn't do it for them, and I do like to enjoy myself." Harry smirked accepting a cup of tea from Remus. "Now I hear Sirius breaking things in the kitchen. You'd best go check he does not hurt the child in your …"
"Call her our wife."
"Your wife. Go."
Remus went leaving Harry to sip his tea as he enjoyed the feel of the dark magic enriched house.
.-.
"Harry." Noir moaned, eyes glazed over as he gazed at Harry.
Harry smirked at him and noted the same glazed look in Maen's eyes.
"I can feel it." Noir purred. "Your magic, it's so much thicker, so much stronger, so much darker. Gods."
He let out this moan that said he was lost to the intoxication of such heavy dark magic. It was rapture to the vampire. Maen let out a low steady release of breath and shifted beneath the same feel, pupils dilating slightly. Harry took a moment to revel how much he could tease them, control them, with just letting his magic flow through the air.
"Aren't you glad you're on my side?" Harry tittered.
.-.
End of Chapter 47.