AN: Joe Lawyer + Beta = Epicness! I'd like to say thank you to all of you out there that offered to beta this chapter and many of you offered to do so full time. If you sent a PM about becoming my beta and didn't get a response it was because I got so many. My inbox was flooded with them. So thank you all for the offered help, it means a lot. And once again I have no idea when the next chapter will be up, if it gets to be to long of a wait check out my profile.
Long, luscious blonde hair hung down to her shapely hips. Full pouty red lips that begged to be chewed on. Blue eyes so intense that they seemed to do the impossible and pulled attention away from their owner's valley of creamy white cleavage. All of this put together and so much more was what made up Vega Royce, the fifth-year Slytherin that was sitting across from Harry Potter.
Harry, a boy who could be described as being just as beautiful as the young lady seated before him, felt as if his heart had been ripped out by the stunning creature. If he had understood the words that passed those oh so tempting lips correctly, then the soul who had controlled this body before him may have very well done the unthinkable.
"I see that you're surprised," she reckoned, mistaking his inaction as a good thing, spurring her to continue. "I know when you signed the contract; my mother stated that you would have to work off a portion of your debt to us before we took care of your family. But, it took little effort on my part to sway her decision."
And there it was, all the confirmation he needed. The sick thing that ruled this body before him, had struck a deal with the devil. He had put a hit out on his own family. The monster had loathed them, the perfect family, so much that he wished for the death of two outstanding people, James and Lily Potter. Why the thought crossed his mind he wasn't sure, but at that moment he felt disgusted with himself when he realized that if he was forced to choose between them both - to pick who would live between his mother and father - that there would be no hesitation, Lily would be the one to live.
But worse than the thought that he could so easily choose for his father to die, was the fact that his parents weren't the only ones that were in danger. 'Ivy... Iris...' The thought of these two names were what saved Harry's mind from snapping. His sisters' names were what redirected the crippling fear that had been overwhelming him seconds ago to anger so intense that it made his head spin and feel sick to his stomach.
Crossing the distance between them Harry came to a stop after pushing his way in between her legs. At first Vega mistake his actions as sexual and the intensity in his eyes as lust, but as his hand rose shakily up to wrapped around her neck she came to the sudden realization that pleasures of the flesh were the last thing on his mind.
"You're going to tell me everything," Harry ordered in a whisper that held all of his anger and flowed with a power that begged for a release. Vega, who had never been ordered or threatened by anyone in the entirety of her life, had chills running down her spine as a result of his actions. "And if you lie or leave one thing out that I should know about..." he let his words trail off as he tightened his grip around her neck.
Ignoring the thrill of excitement that had suddenly overcome her, Vega glared unflinchingly in to the boy's jewel-like eyes. "Who the fuck do you think you are to touch-" She halted in her words as he flexed his hand digging his nails into her dainty neck drawing small beads of blood that trickled down disappearing into her collar and cleavage leaving behind trails of blood stained skin.
Pulling the flustered, wide eyed girl in close he placed his lips softly to her ear mistaking the shudder that traveled through her body as one inspired solely by fear. Had someone walked in at that moment and had failed to see the placement of his hand, they could have easily mistaken the scene unfolding before them as intimate or even one purely of passion.
"Did I not make myself clear?" He whispered to her in a voice that screamed of insanity, unintentionally grazing the lobe of her ear with his teeth. "I have no problem showing you a world of pain that even the most twisted of demons would run from in fear."
Vega's emotions were a maelstrom as she felt him rip into her skin. Never before had anyone sans her mother had the nerve to raise a hand to her, let alone hold her the way the redhead was now; she had killed for lesser offences in the past. Once she had blinded a man, robbing him of the use of his right eye for the remainder of his days, just for glancing at her in a way she didn't like. She was the heiress to the Royce family, a modern day princess and future queen of her family's empire. She would be shown the respect she deserved and all would learn to fear her name, more so than even her family name of Royce.
She knew all this to be fact, and yet, never before had she felt more alive than she did now, trapped in his grasp with no way of escaping. Not that she wanted an escape she realized. There was something about having the power she had held since the day of her birth, ripped away from her as it was now that made her core heat up unlike it had ever before. She had never felt so frail and weak as she did at this moment. How she wished he would take a step back, allowing her to rub her now quivering thighs together, to be able to ease her growing need even just a fraction.
"Y-you won't harm me," she gasped defiantly. The words had barely left her lips when his hand flashed out catching her across the cheek; she released a small whimper that was a mixture of pain and pleasure as her head snapped violently to the side. It took her a second to fight off the dizziness that accompanied the blow he gave her, but she managed to look up and glare into his eyes once again, uncaring of how her cheek now held an angry red welt on it or that a new trail of blood was escaping the corner of her mouth.
Harry made to speak, but as he opened his mouth the blonde he was abusing took the chance to spit in his face and mouth. As the sweetness of her saliva mixed with the metallic flavor of her blood on the surface of his tongue, he knew it was time to up the stakes.
Vega became excited when she saw him reach into his closed robes her mind that was a flurry of different emotions was over taken by lust, but as he pulled his hand out what she saw made her stomach feel as if it had dropped through the floor. In his hand was a deadly looking green handled knife. For the first time since he had started interrogating her she felt her lust die away only to be replaced by soul crushing fear.
"One. Last. Chance." With each word he would tap her uninjured cheek with the knife, each time getting closer to her sapphire colored eye. "If I don't get answers this time," he pressed the tip of the knife to the rim of her eye. "Well, we'll just have to see, won't we?" He asked giving her a cruel smirk.
Defiant to the end she sneered at him to cover the fear that was coursing through her. "I'll tell you on one condition," she spat.
"Why should I agree to anything you say? I could just cut the answer out of you if I wanted."
"Because without me, you'll never save your darling family," she said in a mocking voice. Her forced sneer easily becoming a gleeful smile. "And think about it like this, my mother knows I've come to you to talk about what's taking place tonight. If I were to disappear, she'll call off the hit, but only long enough for her to find you."
"When she discovers why you hurt me and believe me she would find out, she would make you watch as she destroyed your family," Vega laughed as his grip on her throat loosened. "I can see it now, all the pain they would go through. It wouldn't surprise me if she were to break the long-standing tradition of keeping away from the sex trades." Leaning down she placed her lips to his ear in the same fashion he had her; "Your mother and sisters are all very beautiful. I bet they'd fetch a hefty sum."
Harry had no way of knowing if what she said held any truth to it, but he was happy he hadn't followed his first instinct and had just killed her. "What's your deal?" He asked through gritted teeth.
The smile that crossed her pretty face was the type he had only ever seen before on the faces of the sickest of individuals. Bellatrix, Greyback, and the Carrows had all worn that same smile as they fought in the Battle of Hogwarts.
"I'll make it possible for you to stop the hit on your family, keep quiet about how you treated little ole' me, and will make sure there are never any future attempts on your family's lives through the Royce family."
The last part of the deal was more than enough for him to take any deal she was offering, no matter the cost. If war was to break out again and her family sided with Voldemort he wouldn't have to worry about them aiming at his family. "What is it that you want of me - the price for doing so much for one who harmed you as I have?"
"As I'm sure you know, even if you do succeed in putting a stop to what's waiting to get at them, you'll still owe a years worth of servitude to my mother. A full year that if she calls on you, you must come and obey any order given to you."
Harry nodded along as if he knew of this all already, but on the inside he couldn't believe the idiocy of his former self. The contract, or at least how she was telling it, was made in a way that if they asked him to do something then he had no choice, it was either do it, or... What were the consequences if he didn't follow their demands? He would have to find out.
"What I gain is that during that years time you will also obey me." Harry didn't know what to say to that, all he knew was that roughing her up the way he had was going to bite him in the ass now. "Whatever I ask! You do!"
Harry was silent as he thought over her offer, trying to find a way to get what he wanted without having to sign away his freedom to one more person. "Why don't you just call your people off instead of making me go stop them?" He asked stalling for time.
"People," she repeated looking bored with his question. "There's only one person there, the handler."
Harry gave her a puzzled look as he mouthed the word 'handler'. "I thought you said that there were going to be a group of people getting through the wards."
"I said no such thing," Vega sighed as she examined her nails. Had Harry not been worried out of his mind for his family, he would have freaked out at the sight of the blooded beauty looking at her nails as if she always looked as she did now. "It's impossible for a human to bypass the wards at your home without being detected. Knowing this we searched for any way to break them without alerting ourselves to your father and mother. Then it came to us, the Potters have some of the strongest ward stones ever created, like many of the old families do. And that was our way in."
Harry found himself wishing he could lash out with the knife that was still present in his hand, at the girl before him as she spoke of killing his loved ones. "Go on!"
"The Potter's wards and many of the other old families were made in a time before the founders rose to power. A time when brooms had yet to take to the skies, Portkeys were an unheard of thing, and the first bout of intentional apparition hadn't even taken place." As she spoke she became more and more engrossed into the story she was telling. She loved seeing the redhead squirm as he waited for her to finish. "As a result they were only aware of those creatures they had come into contact with. Leaving a wide margin of, as of that time, undiscovered dark beings that could slip through those unsurpassable wards without anyone being any the wiser."
"But that was then and this is now," he shot back sneering. "I'm sure they've taken care to cover any of these new dark creatures crossing the wards."
"Oh, they have," she replied smiling brightly. "Your family and all the others who have the same type of wards have refused to change them for the fact that the methods used to create them have long since been forgotten, not to mention they easily outclass what is taught and used now."
"So instead of changing them, they've added on to those same ancient wards. Most families, yours included, added a simple rune that alerts any that are connected to them of the presence of any creature that gives off an energy that is classified as dark." Harry knew that this was where the part about his family's safety came in to play, just by the way Vega leaned forward and the hungry look in her eyes. "This works for all dark creatures with the exception of one. It has been rated a level five dark creature by the Ministry, the same rating given to Dragons, Chimaera, Nunda, and even Basilisk."
"Enough theatrics," Harry snapped. The more she talked the more worried he became. "Just tell me what I'm going to be up against!"
"Fine," she smiled, happy to have gotten to him. "We have four lethifolds ready to attack as soon as night falls."
Harry felt numb at those words. He knew all about Lethifolds, the original Hermione had seen to it. They were creatures that looked like a living breathing cloak that lived only for the taste of human flesh. It was said that most spells passed right through them, while the only known ways to fight them off were the patronus charm, other dark creatures, and high-level spells that Harry had no way of knowing yet.
He was pulled from his musing by Vega taking him gently by the chin and forcing him to make eye contact with her. "There, there, no need to mar that pretty little face of yours with such a grim look," she chided. As she spoke she continued to tighten her hold on him until her nails broke the skin. "You won't have to fight them, just kill the handler and your family will be safe once more."
Harry glared at her trying to figure out what her angle in this was. "Why do you want me to kill one of your men? Wouldn't your mother be upset if she knew you had him killed off?"
Vega's gloating smile gave way to a scowl. "No one will miss that... freak!" She spat, the disgust in her voice took Harry by surprise. "My mother will have no qualms about my involvement in his disposal."
Harry scoffed at her before a smile made its way to his lips, unintentionally causing her nails to dig further into his skin. "What could he possibly have done to make people like you and your mother hate him so?"
"I don't know his name, but those that know of him, call him by the nickname, Necro."
"Necro," Harry repeated cautiously, the mental picture of his family being turned into inferi popping into his head making him feel sick. "Like necromancer, those who raise the dead?"
Vega fixed him with a look of bewilderment, surprised that the muggle hating boy would know of such a word. "Isn't that the term used by muggles who like to play pretend witch and wizard? You know what, it doesn't matter," she said cutting off his reply, letting his chin go. "And no it doesn't stand for necromancer, it stands for necrophiliac." Harry's eyes widened as he realized the implications of the man's nickname. "He wasn't even supposed to know about the job, but just happened to overhear us discussing it. When he found out that Lily Potter was to meet her end he begged, and I do mean begged, to be allowed to carry out the job."
"But that's not important," she said drawing his attention away from the twisted man who literally wanted his mother's body. Reaching into her pocket she withdrew a shiny blue stone covered in strange looking runes "To reach him you will need this, it will give you access to the wards set up just outside the Potter's own, a couple of feet inside the tree line. Without this, you wouldn't even be able to see him or the beasts he has with him."
Harry eyed the stone then glanced at the girl holding it, "What's to stop me from simply taking the stone from you?"
Vega gave him a knowing smile that said she had known what his question would be before he had even asked it. "Just give it up, there's no way out of this," she told him smugly sliding the palm sized rock back into her pocket. Seeing that he still looked defiant she decided to end any ideas he had brewing. "If you hurt me, my mother will find out and hurt your family in return. If you take the stone to try and stop Necro, I'll just inform my mother of what happened here today. If you try and leave here without agreeing to my terms I'll send Necro a message letting him know to go ahead and unleash the Lethifolds. No matter what plan you come up with, there's always a counter to it. We've been doing business like this for generations; do you really think there's anything you can think of doing that we don't already have contingencies in place for?"
Harry could think of at least one plan involving his time tuner, which was in his workout bag upstairs inside the Room of Requirement, but there was still a chance the Royce's would continue to aim for his family. He didn't want to sign himself over to a second person, but what choice did he have? In the past he had vowed to always do what he must to protect his family - and now he would. At least now he wouldn't have to worry about people going through them to get at the rest of the Potters.
"Alright, I'll do it," he said cringing when she squealed like a school girl. With a start he realized that she was a school girl. "You give me the stone, and make sure that no Royce or any who work for you will ever go after my family again, and in return I'll obey you for a year's time."
Vega's tinkling laughter bounced off the stone walls of the abandoned classroom. "Cam, to me now," she called out at the same time she clapped her hands.
A loud pop announced the arrival of an old, bare chested house elf that from the look of its muscled physique seemed to be on the elf equivalent of steroids. "Mistress Vega has called for Cam." Croaked the elf, bowing to his master.
"Bring me Potter's contract and the required tool to make changes to it," she ordered the elf, who bowed once more before popping away. Harry set back and watched as she conjured a mirror to examine her face. Shaking her head she tsks'd sending him an annoyed look. "You of all people should know better than to mess with perfection."
Harry went to put his knife away as the vain girl tended to her injuries using her wand when her hand shot out catching his wrist. "Keep it out; I'm sure I'll be able to find something for you to do with it."
Before she could go into any, of what he was sure were going to be unpleasant details involving him and his knife, Cam reappeared holding a snow white piece of parchment and what looked to be a thin black bone that had been sharpened to a point. Handing over what his mistress had called him for Cam once again bowed. His nose dragging against the floor as he popped away without standing up.
Harry followed the now healed Vega over to a desk of her choosing. Before laying down the contract she gave a wave of her wand clearing away the dust that had been covering it. He groaned internally when he saw her use the bone to write without the use of ink. 'Damn, blood quills were bad enough,' he thought disdainfully as he eyed the bone that had now taken on a faint blue glow.
With a jolt Harry realized he could now inspect the contract, leaning forward he started reading. Blurring through it all, he had been happy for a small second before becoming upset at what all he would have to do. It appeared that he wasn't going to be their human house elf and forced to do menial chores, but would be more of a hired thug and thief, and if the occasion called for it, an executioner.
For just a second, Harry had the strangest feeling when he realized that it wasn't that he minded that he would be expected to kill. The only problem he had was that they could ask him to kill anyone, even a small child. He knew he would die before he took the life of an innocent child, but he did wonder if it was a choice between him ending a good person's life or his family dying, how would he feel after he killed that person. Giving his head the smallest of shakes, he turned his attention back to what the contract detailed.
He knew that for any of those three types of jobs a child would be the best to execute them, for the simple fact that people tended to over look and ignore children, whereas an adult would draw attention. But what had Harry puzzled was how the old Harry had gained enough recognition from a crime family like the Royces that they wanted him - an eleven-year-old boy working for them.
Standing up Vega took a step back from the desk and the contract sitting on it, holding out the bone-quill for Harry to take. "Read it over and sign it."
Taking the offered bone Harry took his time reading over the entire contract a second time. Seeing that he hadn't missed anything during his first read through and that the parts she had added were all in order he gave her one last look to see her smiling at him like the devil. Sighing, he cursed his own stupidity for what he was about to do as he pushed the bone to the parchment.
As the bone flowed across the contract a faint green glow appeared from under his fingers that slowly spread to the rest of the bone. It was at this time that he realized there was something pulling on his magic. The bone-quill was using his magic to bind him to the contract and his word.
No sooner had he finished with his signature did Vega attempt to push him aside, but the part of Harry that knew she was going to abuse the hell out of their agreement, refused to budge. Vega glared venomously at him for his refusal to move, without warning her knee slammed into his groin doubling him over making him gasp in pain. Reaching down she gave him a light pat on the cheek as she walked by him.
With Harry no longer obstacle she picked up the contract giving it a fond look, not unlike one given to a child from its mother. It was a certainty, she was going to enjoy the next year.
Rolling up the parchment she placed it in her pocket then turned to the heavily breathing boy who had both hands clasped to his still throbbing private parts, his knife laying on the floor beside him all but forgotten. "Oh," she cooed in a baby's voice, "did I hurt you?" Walking up to him she once again took him by the chin. "They say the best way to forget about a certain pain, is to replace it with another."
Harry only had enough time to brace himself before she tore into him.
Drawing back the same hand that had been holding him by the chin, she lashed out with her hand in a claw like manner, digging deep cuts into the side of his face. Stumbling slightly, Harry gritted his teeth as he balanced himself.
He had to deal with this. To protect his family from the old Harry's actions, he had to take this beating and many others that he knew he would receive over the next year. Partly this was his current selves fault. Had he gained a better control over his emotions before now he may have never attacked the girl that was now doing the same to him. But if he was truly honest with himself, he was astonished he hadn't killed her straight away.
Pulling her wand Vega pointed it right between his eyes smiling at him from behind the long thin piece of wood. "Diavoil Atingere!" Harry was only just able to process that the spell she had used wasn't Latin, before his entire world gave way to pain. James, Lily, Ivy, and even Iris all disappeared in the wake of the spells effects. Had he been able to move, had any sort of control over his body; to be able to force it to do something other than jerk and spasm, he would have taken his own life.
When the spell was finally lifted Harry found himself on the floor, his head lying in a puddle of his own slimy sickness. As the putrid smell filled his nose he let out a painful dry heave, but his body's reaction came up with nothing. He was thankful there was nothing left in his stomach that could escape. He felt that even the smallest of things at the moment could push him over the edge and the thought of throwing up seemed as much a torture as the spell he had been hit with.
'What the hell was it that she used on me,' he thought as he struggled to get away from the floor and the spilled contents of his stomach. It was as he reached his knees that Vega walked up to him stopping just before stepping into his vomit.
"Well, well," she smiled down at him, dipping the toe of her shoe into the sickness. "I'm impressed - not only did you take the 'devil's touch' in silence, you refrained from soiling yourself. Both of which are a first for me to witness." Taking her toe she raked it through his puke flinging onto the front of his robes.
"Let this be a lesson to you," she said crossing the last of the distance between them. Grabbing him by his vomit mattered hair, she forced him to stare at her with his still sharp eyes, "If you ever touch me again, and don't have my permission, you can go ahead and count yourself amongst the deceased."
"The stone," Harry muttered weakly, grabbing for the pocket he saw her place it in earlier. "Give me the stone."
Vega stared at the determined boy as he struggled to reach for her pocket in which the ward access stone was held, a look that asked if she had underestimated him on her face. For a fleeting second she wondered if she had made a critical mistake - questioning if she had made the wrong person her enemy on this day, but quickly shook it off as nothing more than the part of her that had lusted for him before, rearing its head once more.
Not that he was anywhere near as attractive now as he was when she had first led him into the room. His chin and right cheek now were both covered in deep bloody scratches. His long beautiful hair was now coated in a thick layer of sickness that had matted it together. His smell, a mix of vomit and sweat, where it had been an oh so tantalizing scent to the point of mouth watering. But the worst was his once tanned skin. Now his body was covered in dark purple spots, the same way the whites of his eyes were now marred by splotches of red, both signs of ruptured blood vessels caused by the Romanian torture curse she had exposed him too. Thankfully, all the damage she had done was reversible. After all, what good would he be to her if he wasn't pretty anymore?
"I guess you have earned it," she admitted pulling the stone out of her pocket, dropping it carelessly into his hand. "You're lucky, considering the state you're in. The main rune stone connected to the one you hold now, will not only keep what happens inside those wards a secret from anyone outside them, but are also what's keeping the Lethifolds restrained."
She watched in amusement as he gave the stone a squeeze before placing it in his robes. When he reached for the knife she quickly grabbed it giving it an appraising look. Noticing that he was glaring at her she tossed it at him.
"It's a little before one o'clock now," she informed him as she used her wand to disappear any trace of puke from her shoes. "I suggest you get a move on, the way you are now it may take you some time to kill Necro." And with those parting words she turned and left him there, kneeling on the floor and covered in his own sickness.
Many things passed through his mind after she had left; mainly he was plotting ways to get away with killing her. He'd be counting the days until the contract expired. When it did he was going to make the bitch pay for what she had done to him. He didn't often embrace the new level of anger he had gained since coming to this world, but now was different. Now it was sharpening him for what he must do, giving him the strength to stand.
His anger was directed as much at himself as it was for the daughter of Royce. True she had gotten the better of him, but had he had some control over his poisonous anger, his situation would be nowhere near as bad as it was at the moment.
Giving a resigned sigh, Harry pushed himself the rest of the way off the floor hating himself for whimpering as he did so. Pocketing his knife, he shuffled slowly to the door using the desks to stand upright and when there wasn't one for him to use then the wall to walk. It was going to be a long trip up to the seventh floor...
Harry had just reached the staircase in the entrance hall when he heard his name being called out and what sounded like a herd of people coming his way. Cursing his luck, he turned to see all those who had been in the bathroom during his fight with the troll, along with Daphne, heading his way. When they saw the state that he was in, their hurried pace turned into a full out run.
Letting out a groan that had nothing to do with the pain he was experiencing, Harry pulled on the banister trying and failing to run away from those coming to help him.
"You ran your mouth to her, didn't you?" Blaise commented as he came up next to him, putting Harry's arm around his shoulder in an attempt to help the injured boy in walking. "You just couldn't hold your tongue, could you?"
Harry was going to speak, but was cut off by Angelina giving orders to the twins. "Fred, George, help carry him. We need to get him to the infirmary!"
"Yes to the help, no to the infirmary," Harry said, resigned to the group finding out more about him than he intended to tell anyone. He had never been in as much pain as he was right now. The spell she had used on him had cut through him in a way that even Voldemort's cruciatus hadn't achieved. The thought of Riddle getting a hold of that spell made Harry's already weak knees, more so.
"But-" Started Alicia only to be cut off by Harry.
"I'm not going," he snapped surprising them all with the exception of Blaise, he had become used to such outbursts back before the fight with the troll. Since then he had been in better sprits, until today that was. "You two," he said to the twins who had taken him from Blaise, "take me to the seventh floor. Once we get there I'll answer some of your questions."
The group looked to each other, silently trying to figure out what course of action to take. His pain making him snappy, Harry broke the quiet that had fallen amongst them. "If you want, you can all think it over while I crawl up there. All I ask is that you lay me down here, I don't much feel like falling at the moment."
It appeared that he had chosen his words correctly, helping them make up their minds, for at that moment the twins started leading him upstairs with the others following closely behind. When they reached the top floor he had the twins walk him back and forth in front of the tapestry of Barnabas teaching a group of trolls how to dance as he thought of his workout room. When the door appeared Harry ignored the gasp of surprise, motioning the group forward.
Paying the group of fascinated students little mind, Harry untangled himself from the twins and stumbled over to one of the many benches placed around the track and where he had placed his bag earlier that day. Grabbing his mokeskin pouch from his things, he pulled out the black rune covered trunk that he now knew his old self had went through the Royce family to obtain.
The group surrounded him in a loose circle as his trunk cut into his palm, searching for blood to verify his identity. It was as he was doing so that Harry caught a glance of his hand and how it appeared to have dark splotches all over it, disappearing up into his robes. Pulling back on the sleeves of his school robes his eyes doubled in size at what he saw. Acting quickly, he started throwing his top layers off onto the floor and when he had finished he along with all the others gasped at the state his body was in. All over his chest and stomach - both of which were showing the early signs of a well-trained body - were covered in the same sickly looking dark marks as his hands and arms were.
"Bloody hell," he muttered, realizing why they had wanted to take him to Madam Pomfrey. Thinking he needed a mirror one appeared next to him on the bench, picking it up he examined his face and eyes both of which were as bad as the rest of him.
"Harry," Cho said softly, taking a seat next to him. Reaching out she lightly ran a finger over one of the dark marks on his chest. "What happened to you? All Blaise said to anyone was that you had gone off with Vega Royce. That's not true is it?"
Harry grimaced at the look of concern she was wearing for him. Running a hand tiredly through his hair only to flinch at the pain it caused him to do so. He wasn't sure how to proceed when it came to those around him. They were all people who he could call his closest friends and he knew he could trust them, but to lay so much on them so soon would be in his mind, ill fated.
"Mate, I know Vega and her family are powerful, but we saw you take out a full grown troll with ease," Fred stated looking as worried as all the others did. "How could she have done this to you?"
Harry made to speak, but Daphne who had been silent until now spoke over him sending an accusing glare his way. "What does he mean you took on a troll, and why would you go off with a Royce?" Her voice held just a hint more emotion then what was normal for the girl and yet her tone sounded almost dead compared to how she was right after his wreck.
"I don't have time to deal with your mood swings at the moment Daphne," he said, giving a long dragged out sigh. He was more than a little resentful of his best friend at the moment and didn't feel that he owed her an explanation. Daphne was angry with his answer, but chose to stay quiet for now. Wanting to make sure her friend would be okay was the more important thing at the moment.
Not paying attention to what he was doing Harry tossed the mirror carelessly over his shoulder before he opened his trunk to the compartment that held potions, not noticing when the mirror disappeared before hitting the ground. Taking out the inventory list that was exclusive to the potions he had stored in the trunk, he quickly searched it from top to bottom. With the exception of a few vials of pepper up potion and a small container of yellow paste that when rubbed into the skin eased soreness, there was nothing in the trunk that would be of use to him.
Katie seeing what he was holding walked forward and took the container from him. "Here, let me help you with that," she offered setting the paste between her legs, holding it with her knees. Dipping her fingers into the yellow substance she placed some on the palm of her hand before using the other to gently rub it into his back.
Harry, who had been on the verge of objecting to the attention, saying he hadn't the time to sit around for something as insignificant as a healing salve, was halted from speaking when he felt the nasty looking medicine take effect. It didn't come anywhere near stopping the pain, but it did succeed in dulling it by a small fraction. Having his pain eased a little was enough to clear his head and let him think clearly. He had to kill a man; a full grown wizard who had been chosen by the Royces to work for them. He would need to be as close to perfect as he could be if he wanted a chance of winning and surviving.
Cho was happy to see the paste helping her crush with his pain, but when she saw the way he was leaning into Katie's touch and the victorious look her brunette friend was sending her; she felt her anger and jealousy rise. Leaning around the now moaning boy, Cho dipped her fingers into the yellow medicine before taking to rubbing it into his chest and stomach. She was thrilled when his moaning increased as she moved her hand over his torso. The fact she could help ease his pain made her feel as if she wasn't useless to him, it was only a bonus that she got to piss Katie off and feel up the beautiful boy she had felt her feelings only increase for over the last few months at the same time.
Fred and George seeing the boy's treatment at the hands of the second years looked to each other and started communicating in a way only magical twins were capable of. Having come to a silent agreement they pulled up their shirts and took out their wands as one.
Angelina and Alicia, along with the rest of the group, had their attention torn away from the threesome - in what was rapidly becoming an erotic moment - to see the twins hopping up and down in place holding their lightly freckled middles moaning in pain.
Coming down from the pain induced high, Fred quickly made his way over to stand in front of Angelina holding his shirt up exposing a sore looking red spot just above his belt buckle. Next to them George had done the exact same thing to Alicia who looked as confused as Angelina did.
Giving their most charming smiles the two Weasleys said in unison, "We'll have some of what he's having!"
The two third year girls couldn't believe the nerve of the boys they had somehow come to find themselves liking over the past three years. Alicia, not knowing what else to do, scoffed at her twin. Rolling her eyes she made her way around George and over to Harry. Angelina made to follow her sister in all but blood, but not before she made sure to smack both twins where they had been hit by the other's stinging charm.
"Harry," Alicia called softly, gaining his attention at the same time Fred and George's twin screams of pain pierced the air. "What happened to you?"
Shaking himself out of the momentary bliss he had obtained at the hands of the two girls, Harry downed two vials of pepper up potion before he slid on the long sleeved dress shirt that was a part of his school uniform back on, not bothering to refasten it. "In the past, I wasn't the best person in the world," he stated, as he dug through his bag for his invisibility robe. Finding it, he slid it on where it disappeared from view.
Katie, Cho, Alicia, Angelina, Daphne, and Blaise all recognized what he had just put on, but chose not to bring it up. The two older third year girls were just pleased the twins had failed to see what the younger redhead had. If the twins were to get a hold of something like that, the consequences would shake the very foundation of Hogwarts.
Grabbing his vomit covered robes he had been wearing before; he started transferring his knives and the ward access stone into the non-visible one he was now wearing. "The mistakes I made back then are catching up to me now. Vega has dirt on me that has me placed well under her thumb." He had chosen to go as close to the truth as he could without giving them anything more. Hopefully, nothing would come back to bite him in the ass after having done so.
Hearing this, the group of Gryffindors and Ravenclaws exchanged looks of worry. It was never good news to be on any of the Royce's radar and from the way their friend looked after just one meeting they couldn't help but wonder what she had on him that would allow her to put him in this kind of shape.
Cho and Katie both inched closer to him trying to give him some type of comfort from their closeness. Not caring that his looks weren't what they normally were, nor of the smell of sweat and sickness coming off him. They just wanted to help in any way they could.
"Where are you going now?" Blaise, like all the rest had noticed how Harry looked to be preparing himself for something. "You look like you're about to go do something incredibly stupid."
"That's private," Harry answered earning upset looks all around. Checking his mokeskin pouch, he was relieved to see that his time turner was where he had last left it. Closing the pouch he placed it around his neck before throwing his bag in his trunk, shrinking it all down and placing it in his pocket.
Standing up he gave them each a firm look that had them all squirming from the intensity in his damaged eyes. He did this knowing that if a person displays dominance over others they're more susceptible to listening to what you have to say and less likely to disobey your orders.
"I'm leaving the school grounds and don't know when I'll be back." A few made to ask once again where he was going, but he cut them off before they had a chance to start. "Not a one of you will tell anyone that I have left, or about the state that I'm in and how you found me. If you can keep quiet, I'll tell you more about this room and see if I can't teach you all a bit about defense and dueling."
"About that," George said, looking around the room that could compete with the Great Hall in size, "I've never seen this room in all the times I've looked over the map." He failed to bring up that the injured boy had yet to return said map to him and his brother. He didn't think pointing something like that out while he looked like he did would earn him any points with the two irritable chasers.
"It's unplotable," Harry told him as he made for the door. It was the only entrance and exit to the Room of Requirement at the moment.
Between the pepper up potions he had taken and the paste the girls had given him, Harry was able to move a lot easier than he had before, though from the waist down there wasn't any difference and it still caused him a great deal of pain to move. Each step he took toward the exit - the others following behind him without question - caused him as much pain as it had before.
Despite the great amount of pain he was in Harry easily managed to beat the others to the exit. By the time the group had reached him he was already holding the door open for them, motioning for them to pick up their pace.
"Come on, I've already wasted enough time as it is." The group complied with his request; his tone had taken on a deadly feel to it that had all of them trying to not piss the hurt boy off. The cause of his sudden tone change was the fact that Harry was preparing himself mentally for what it was he had to do.
As the group crossed the threshold of the magically created room, Harry snapped the door shut behind them. They all watched in silent fascination as the large wooden door slowly melted into the stone wall, leaving behind nothing that would indicate what secrets the empty stretch of wall hid inside.
"Harry if you won't tell us where you're goi-" Cho started, turning away from the blank span of wall to where she had last seen him, only to stop speaking when she found no one there. The others too had noticed the absence of the long haired boy, spurring them all to go searching for him.
S2ndC
Harry groaned as he came out of his apparition with a small pop, landing a ways down the dirt road that led to his family home from the town of Godric's Hollow. He had been worried that had he apparated too close to his house that someone may hear him or somehow detect his presence, which was the reason behind his apparition destination.
Grimacing, he knelt down, bouncing on the balls of his feet in an attempt to loosen up the muscles in his legs. He quickly found his actions to be futile and gave up on any relief from his pains and took off running down the road to the Potter family home, making sure as he did so that the hood of his invisibility robe stayed up. It would be true to his luck as of late that his hood would fall at his time of need and reveal himself to not only Necro, but to his family as well.
When his family home came into view, Harry slowed to a jog making sure that each time his foot connected with the ground they did so as lightly as he could manage. As he moved along the long, wooden fence he searched the house for any sign of activity from inside, hoping that he would get lucky and his mother and sisters would be away somewhere for the time being.
Pulling out his wand and the sapphire color handled knife, his vision was assaulted at once by the blindingly bright colors of the Potter wards. They were a multitude of swirling bolts of energy that managed to somehow look as powerful as a tsunami while at the same time look as calm as a babbling brook. The energy domed over the Potter property stopping just outside the tree line that boxed in three fourths of the property.
Stepping into the woods, he crept along, being sure to watch out for any sign of the second set of wards belonging to Necro, while also attempting to see if his family was anywhere in their massive back yard. The only sound around him was that of his gentle steps breaking twigs and crushing leaves. The further in he went the more the silence bothered him. Normally at this time of day you could hear all types of animals in the woods playing, whether it was the playful songs sung by the many different birds that occupied the woods, or the sound of squirrels crashing through the leaves playing with one another.
He had covered all of one side of the forest and was moving on to the part that faced the back of the house when off in the distance he saw a large dome made up of black violent light. Crouching low he edged his way to the glowing black wards, being sure to watch the ground and the surrounding area for any type of extra magical security that his knife would help alert him to.
As he inched closer to the Royce family's ward, he could see a man that was colorfully dressed in bright orange robes, standing in front of a strange pin that appeared to be made solely from the same black energy as the wards were made up of. The male was of normal height and weight, and had a fine layer of stubble on both his jaw and head. His beady eyes were a dull green color that seemed to mock Harry's own emerald like ones as they darted around rapidly trying to take in everything at once.
Harry felt his mouth dry out and his palms turn sweaty as he looked past the walking traffic cone and caught sight of the four shroud looking creatures floating no more than an inch off the ground inside of their energy pin. They were as black as midnight and had he not known before hand what he would face, could have mistaken them for a set of robes that a violent wind had caught.
What surprised him most about them though were the speed with which they were moving with. The pin they were trapped in was so small and yet the way they moved over one another without hindering one another made him happy that he wouldn't have to face them. If they were to get out in the open there would be little to no chance he would get away from them.
Just as he was about to cross into the black dome he stopped where he was, examining the layout inside the surprisingly empty area. Besides the pin and the man standing in front of it there was only a head sized stone that looked almost identical to the one in his pocket, jagged edges and all.
Taking care not to make any noise Harry crossed over into the ward, and felt his heart stop as he did. For as soon as his beloved cloak passed through the dark energy of the dome it started to flicker, turning him visible and invisible before settling on visible, turning the robe as black as the ward he was standing in was and revealing himself to the Royce family handler.
Necro was shocked at first to see a robed figure blinking in and out of existence, but as the flickering stopped revealing a person in a robe the same color as the darkest of nights, he felt a thrill run through him at the sight of a long strand of hair that was the same color red as blood spilt from a freshly cut wrist. It appeared he wouldn't need to go in search of someone to tide him over until he got what he truly wanted later tonight. Some entertainment had found its way to him.
"Hello young one," Necro said in an accented voiced that sounded like the wind. "What brings you to Necro this fine day?"
'Great, I get the type of freak that screws corpses and talks about himself in the third person,' Harry thought as he tucked both his hands into the sleeves of his now visible robe hiding his knife and wand from view. "Just thought I'd go for a stroll through the woods," he replied. The only part of him that Necro could see was the one long strand of hair that had escaped his hood and his white teeth bared in a predatory smirk.
"For some reason, I don't believe you," Necro chuckled, sticking his hand into his goldfish colored robes. "I find it more believable that you're here to spoil Necro's fun. You wouldn't try and do something like that... would you?"
"Unfortunately yes," Harry replied, barely catching the clenching of the man's jaw.
In an effort to get a better lay of the clearing they were in, Harry started to walk casually around on his side of the dome, being careful not to bring himself any closer to Necro than he already was. He couldn't explain why, but something told him getting any closer to the man before him would set him off, and he couldn't afford to fight this man head on. It was too risky and he didn't know enough about him to make any type of strategy against him. Rushing in would get him killed and the last thing he wanted was to become the sex doll to some crazed freak.
"I've been sent by Vega to put a stop on the hit on the Potters." This time Harry focused on Necro more intently than he had before, and was rewarded with the sight of the man twitching uncontrollably. "So, sorry about that," Harry apologized, his voice tinted with amusement.
"Where's your proof that Ms. Royce sent you?" Necro asked taking a hostile step forward. It was clear he didn't like the prospect of losing out on getting at Lily.
Reaching into his robes Harry skillfully stored his knife away at the same time he pulled the stone Vega had given him out. Holding it up, he smiled cockily at the now glaring man. "She gave me this."
Necro chewed on his tongue, glaring at the stone in the, what he was guessing was a boy's palm. He had been so close to tasting the perfect woman in the perfect way. Her beauty frozen and unmoving, not a single breath passing those rosy lips, no chance of her speaking and ruining the perfection that she was. Yes, her death would make her so much more than she ever was alive.
He needed this, why could they not see that? Why would the Royces take what he needed, what he craved, after having him come so close to claiming it? He would have it! No one would stop him from taking what was his by rights! But first, he had to take care of the pest before him.
Necro looked to the hooded figure letting out a deep, dramatic sigh that had Harry raising an eyebrow at the man. "It's too bad that you didn't show me that stone you had as soon as you showed up," he said as he shook his head. "If you had, I might not have killed you where you stood, and in the long run it would have saved the Potters from their fate." As he spoke he slowly pulled his hand out of his robe, his wand wrapped in his fist. "But then again some things are just meant to happen, don't you agree?"
"Of course." As the words left his mouth Harry was forced to roll to the left, diving out of the way of a purple light that shot from Necro's wand. Pushing through the pain that his body was in Harry rolled into a crouched position pointing his wand at his attacker's feet.
"Lacum!" Necro laughed when he saw the spell heading for the ground in front of him, but when the earth split open creating a pit that was deeper than he was tall he cursed as he fell in landing in a painful heap at the bottom.
Not wasting any time, Harry started doing the required wand movements for a spell he had learned solely to use in conjunction with his first spell. "Ardens Aquas!" From the tip of his wand burst forth a highly powerful stream of water. Aiming for the hole he had created he heard Necro scream as the enchanted water made contact with his skin. Arden Aquas, was a spell that created water that when it came into contact with anything would rise to scalding levels in temperature.
The pit was filling fast when a loud splashing sound reach Harry's ears. Seconds later Necro shot out of the pit standing on a circular plate of stone that he was using to levitate himself out of the pit with.
Harry was only just able to catch a glimpse of Necro's skin, which had turned an angry red from the water, before the man himself was above Harry's eye level.
Necro flipped backwards off his summoned stone, banishing it toward the cloaked boy as he did so. Summoning a wall of marble, Harry was able to stop the stone heading for him before copying Necro's actions and banishing his own summoned stone to where it would hit the necrophiliac just as he landed.
Necro seeing what Harry was doing twisted in midair, disappearing with a loud pop only to reappear right behind the cloaked person. Harry only had enough time for his eyes to widen as he realized that apparition was possible inside the black lighted wards, when he felt himself being lifted off his feet as a wave of energy slammed into his back sending him flying across the clearing and almost into the pit he had created earlier.
Necro smiled as the boy slammed into the ground, before speaking a spell out loud for the first time since their duel started. "Fulgur Agro!" A wall of bright purple lightening shot toward the still hooded figure as it tried to stand up, catching them in the side, cocooning the unidentified person in its energy.
"I admit, I underestimated you because of your obviously young age," Necro said, breathing heavily as he stepped over the rune stone in the middle of the clearing on his way to the downed person. "I'm going to enjoy what comes next," he exclaimed, with his wand still pointed at the cloaked figure, continuing to pour magic into the lightening based spell.
Harry withered in silent agony as Necro made his way toward him. The pain he was in was nowhere near as bad as what he had faced earlier in the day, or even some of the spells he had suffered through at the hands of death eaters, but after the abuse he had suffered at the hands of Vega there was barely any fight left in him.
As he arched his back trying to find a way to lessen the pain, he experienced a single moment of clear mindedness that allowed him some control of his body. Plunging his hands into his robe, he grabbed the same knife he had put away just minutes before and threw it with all his might, hoping it would sink into some part of the man.
Necro snorted as the knife flew toward him batting it away with a flick of his wand. The second it took him to do so would be all the time Harry would need to turn the tide of their fight in his favor.
Feeling the effects of the spell leave his body, Harry gritted his teeth painfully, his wand pointed steadily at the man with one thought running through his head. 'Haurientes Vinclis!' The same black chains shot from his wand that he had used on the Troll and just as they had with the giant creature, they moved too fast for Necro to do anything to stop their trajectory. As they wrapped around their mark, whipping into the man leaving whelps in his skin, the same deadly glow covered them as the last time Harry had used them, but this time they weren't trying to drain a fully grown mountain troll, but a human.
Necro felt all of his energy leave him at once. Stumbling backward he was only able to stay upright long enough to make his situation worse. Harry watched in sick fascination as the bound man fell onto the rune stone with a loud sickening crack.
Harry knew right away what had happened. The fall on to the jagged rune stone had snapped his spine. Letting out a deep breath, he collapsed onto his back where he closed his eyes trying to fight off his exhaustion.
As he laid there passing between the land of sleep and consciousness, many a thought passed through his tired mind. What was he going to do with the four rank five dark creatures he was now in possession of? How would he get them out of here now that their handler was dead? And was the man really dead? It was possible for someone to die from a broken back, but it was just as possible that he was still alive.
The thought of being trapped in his body with no way to move, communicate, feed himself, or even go to the bathroom scared Harry more than any torture. 'I'd rather be dead than face that,' he thought grimly. Turning his head, he opened his eyes to stare at the motionless body of the man named Necro, the chains still wrapped tightly around his body.
Letting out a sigh that would have better suited a man Dumbledore's age, Harry pushed himself up into a sitting position. Pointing his wand into the air he gave a soft call of, "Accio Dagger!" Snatching the blade out of the air he pushed himself the rest of the way up and started for Necro, intent on making sure the man had left the land of the living and was no longer a threat to him or his family.
Harry had almost completely crossed the distance between himself and the hopefully dead body when he noticed something very strange. All around him the black energy of the wards looked as if they were fading into nothingness.
Alarmed by what he was seeing, he looked to the pin holding the Lethifolds to see the same thing happening to the field of energy holding them captive. Inside, the monstrous creatures were moving faster than ever, as they rammed their cloth-like bodies viciously into their prison's walls.
Searching for the cause of the ward's failure, Harry turned around, wildly looking to every corner of the clearing, but found nothing that could be the cause of his newest streak of bad luck. It wasn't until he nearly tripped over the motionless body of Necro that he realized what was happening.
The chains he had used on both the man laying before him and on the Troll were doing what they did best. Sucking all types of energy from whatever it was they were in contact with, and at the moment they were touching the rune stone. Not wasting time by using his wand or trying to pick up the figure before him, Harry sent the strongest kick he could into the man's body sending him flying off the stone. But his actions were for naught, for as soon as the chains lost contact with the stone they sucked the last remaining dregs of energy from it.
He thought he had succeeded for a second as the wards had gone back to their normal black glow. But just as he relaxed his shoulders did the energy flicker out to never work again. At the same time the wards died the lethifolds unleashed cries of victory at being set free.
The sight of the Lethifolds floating toward him kicked Harry's self preservation instincts into high gear. Using his wand he banished Necro's body into the group of oncoming creatures. He almost threw up a second time when the sounds of tearing flesh and snapping bone reached his ears, causing him to wonder how it was that Necro planned to stop the beasts from devouring his mother's body before he had the chance to... use it.
Seeing one of the four Lethifolds break off from the now for certain dead body, its robe-like body covered in Necro's blood, snapped Harry out of his musing and into action. "DEPRIMO! CONFRINGO! FERULA! DEFODIO! AVADA KEDAVRA!" He screamed, pouring as much magic as he could into each spell. Each spell cast tore into the earth, shaking the very ground Harry was standing on, rattling him to his bones and yet every spell passed through the creature like it wasn't even there. It wasn't until he saw the killing curse hit the creature without any effect that he realized he knew only one spell for sure that could stop the monster from advancing.
He searched his mind for his happiest moments, looking for anything that would serve him well. The first and most powerful memory that he came to was of a normal day, when both Ivy and Iris had been leaning against him on the couch as he read them a story, Lily in the kitchen as she hummed a pleasant tune in her off key singing voice. Feeling warmth spread through his chest, he raised his wand, calling out the needed incantation in a voice that was brimming with strength.
"Expecto Patronum!" As the silvery figure burst forth from his wand, Harry felt his excitement rise as it always did when he saw its shining light, but his excitement and even the pleasant feelings from his memory were replaced by shock and confusion. His patronus was no longer a stag, but a tall skeletal creature with wings as wide as Hagrid was tall. His patronus had turned into a Thestral.
The silvery light that shined from within Harry's patronus was felt by the lethifolds immediately. Letting out blood curdling screams that were unlike anything the Potter had ever heard, they turned to glide away. It was unfortunate for Harry that his shock had overwhelmed all other emotion, had he been able to hold the spell for just a few seconds longer the lethifolds would have been long gone, carried away by their impressive speed. But as it was, the breath taking protector faded away leaving Harry to face four enraged creatures.
Harry tried and tried to cast his new patronus again, but came up with barely a flash of the silvery protection. Panicking he resorted to trying any spell that crossed his mind that was even remotely defensive, but nothing stopped their advancement. Turning, he took off, weaving through the trees kicking up foliage as he ran, shooting spell after spell over his shoulder trying to kill the things threatening to eat him.
As he ran, pushing himself to his top speed, he had never been more thankful for all those hours spent running to the point of exhaustion and through the pain that accompanied such a strenuous routine. Had he not used the ROR as much as he had, there was no doubt in his mind that the creatures behind him would already be feasting on his corpse.
He was so focused on what was behind him that he failed to notice where he was going, leading to him not seeing the broken tree branch that he was rapidly approaching. He had just shot an overpowered piercing hex into what he thought was the head of one of the lethifolds when he felt his shins slam brutally into the fallen branch sending him flying into a pile on the forest floor and his wand out of his hand.
Knowing what would be on him in seconds, Harry slammed down on the part of his mind that was telling him to quit - that it was over and done with - that with his wand lost he was going to die on this day, and tried pushing himself up. But as he attempted to push off the ground, he glanced around hoping he might see his wand, he let out a gasp as pain shot through his wrist causing him to pitch forward once more onto the ground.
'God I'm pathetic,' he thought as a single chuckle escaped his lips. Looking over his shoulder from his downed position he knew it was over. One lethifold had broken away from the others, its speed far greater than the rest. Harry knew that in a matter of seconds he would have firsthand knowledge of what it was like to be eaten alive.
He always knew he'd die some kind of horrendous death. He had always figured it would be at the hands of some crazed death eater or from standing too close to Neville's cauldron during potions. But the thought of having his flesh torn from his bones, while still alive, was just too much for him. He hated to admit it, but he was frightened to death, so much so that he could swear the beat of his heart was shaking the forest floor.
It was as this thought crossed his mind that he realized it wasn't his imagination, the forest floor was in fact shaking. Before he could ponder over what could be the cause of the effect on the forest the lethifold was crossing over the very same branch he had tripped over. Not wanting to see what was going to happen to him he closed his eyes and waited.
He had expected to feel the sharp pain of razor sharp teeth tearing into him, to be the next and last things he would ever feel, but instead he had the sudden feeling of something very large and powerful standing over him before he bounced from the force of something landing around him. If this wasn't enough to shock him it was followed by a growl so menacing he felt it rattle his bones.
His eyes snapped open to see the largest dog he had ever seen standing over him protectively. As he took in the tufted tail, the longer than normal snout, and the eyes of the creature, Harry realized that this wasn't a giant dog, nor was it an abnormally large wolf, it was in fact a werewolf.
His head snapped upwards to look through the breaks in the tree tops, only to see the sun out, shining in full force. 'How is there a transformed werewolf during the daytime,' he wondered as he looked back to the being that had made the lethifold turn and flee.
Harry wasn't sure what to do at the moment. Yes, the wolf had saved him, but werewolves didn't have control when transformed. In the back of his mind a voice whispered to him that they weren't supposed to be able to change unless it was a full moon either, but here one was, all wolfed out, scaring flesh eating monsters away as beams of sun light shined through the tree tops hitting them both. He was unable to ponder over what was happening any further, for at that moment the wolf sprung after the now retreating cloak like creatures.
The wolf covered the ground between him and the lethifold in seconds. It was a disgustingly beautiful sight to behold that Harry somehow found mesmerizing. To sit there and watch as its powerful jaws tore through the living shrouds' bodies was something he would never forget. It was also gut wrenchingly frightening, if its teeth could do that to a lethifold, what could it do to him?
'I better get my wand,' he thought, eyeing the scene before him. He couldn't hit a lethifold with any spells he knew, but a werewolf was a different story. They were solid and very susceptible to a killing curse. He snorted as he realized that the werewolf, lethifolds, and himself were like the world's most bizarre game of Rochambeau.
"Lumos!" Harry called softly, not wanting to draw the attention away from his attackers. When the beam of light appeared a few feet away, he willed himself up and went to grab it. By the time his wand was in hand, the wolf was surrounded by the tethered remains of the once fearsome creatures. Harry was careful to not approach the beast in a way that made it feel threatened as he approached his savior, it taking deep whiffs out of the air.
The wolf tensed as it breathed in the air in the direction Harry had come from and where the Royce employed wards had been set up. Its head snapped to Harry, fixing him with those yellow silted eyes. Harry not knowing what else to do raised his wand in a way that showed he didn't want to attack him, but that if he was forced to do so, he would have no qualms in doing so.
Harry jumped, almost cursing the werewolf when its body spasmed giving off the loud painful sound of bones snapping and muscles tearing. He watched as the creature went through what he was sure was an agonizing transformation that filled the air with the sound of cracking bones, and animalistic moans mixed with human cries of pain.
The thought of who the beast might be didn't cross Harry's mind until the wolf was back in its human form. Remus Lupin stood before him, glaring at the young Potter as his robes swayed in the light breeze that was flowing through the woods.
"Harry," Remus growled in his ruff voice. "What's going on here? Why are you out of school and in the woods behind your family's home with a group of extremely deadly, carnivorous creatures? Not to mention the fact that I can smell the life's blood of someone in these woods, a person I might add that I can smell on you!"
"I," Harry started only to stop once he realized he didn't know what to say. The truth would get him locked up in St. Mungo's for life, admitting anything about the Royce's would have in Azkaban in under an hour, and anything else would seem like a lie. "I heard a rumor around school that there was a hit on the family and-"
"DO NOT LIE HARRY!" Remus bellowed taking a step toward the young boy. Harry could once again see the wolf dancing inside the man's eyes; it was the same as the day he had caught him and Tonks hugging on the couch. The only difference being that this time smooth words weren't going to calm the man down. "You expect me to believe that you hear about an attack aimed at your family by the Royces, and you decide to go stop it by yourself without any type of help."
"And yes, Harry, I know the Royces are involved," Remus told him knowingly. Harry had foolishly let his surprise show on his face when the man mentioned the Royces. "The dead man I can smell is one of their more well known members. So what do you have to say for yourself?"
Harry just stared at him, suffering from a loss for words. Remus' look of rage slipped, giving way to disappointment for a fraction of a second, before turning back to that of a man holding back his personal demon. Shaking his head he turned and started heading in the direction that would lead him to the Potter's back yard.
Panicking Harry chased after him. "Where are you going," he called after him.
"I'm going up to the house to floo your parents," Remus answered with looking back at him. "It was a good thing that I had to come here today to fetch my Wolfsbane potion your mother made for me so I wouldn't lose control tonight."
"It's just a saving grace that I was the only one up there when I showed up. It wouldn't have mattered to any of the others why you were back here with those things; they would have risked everything to save you." Harry realized from his words that no one else was aware of what had taken place here. "The others aren't as well equipped to handle lethifolds as I am."
Harry's heart didn't know if it wanted to stop at his words or try and beat its way out of his chest. Reaching out he grabbed the fully grown man, surprising them both when he was able to jerk Remus around to face him.
"Please Remus," Harry pleaded with the man who had once been a father figure to him. "If you tell them, I'll never be allowed to see them again. It - this - was a mistake the old me made. The way you found me should be proof enough that I'm not the same person I once was."
"Did you have anything to do with what the lethifolds were doing here?" Remus asked, getting a nod from the boy who looked to be beyond ashamed with what was going on. Harry knew lying wouldn't work right now, that Remus could more than likely hear the beat of his heart and would know that he was telling untruths if he did. "Then as far as I'm concerned," he said violently knocking the boy's hand away as he turned his back on him and started walking away, "you don't deserve the right to be near them."
Harry watched Remus as he moved further away from him. He couldn't just let the man tell them, but what could he do to stop him? Reaching into his robe pocket he pulled out his wand, having put it away when he found out Remus was the werewolf.
"Remus," Harry called out stopping the man in his tracks. When he turned to look at his best friend's son his eyes had once again turned yellow. "I'm sorry, but I won't let you tell them."
Remus had been ready for the boy to attack, but was surprised when he lowered his wand and reached for a mokeskin pouch tied around his neck. He knew that giving the boy time to do whatever it was he was attempting to do was risky, but his curiosity got the better of him as he watched Harry pull a long golden chain from the pouch.
Realization flared in the wolf man's eyes. "The time turner stolen from Hogwarts," Remus exclaimed. "You're the one who-" His accusation was halted when the red light of a stunner flew out of thin air from just behind him, crumpling the werewolf to the ground.
The air from where the stunner had come from shimmered, before slowly a second Harry was revealed holding his wand aloft. Looking at the Harry who had just closed his mokeskin pouch the second one said, "Turn back one hour, stand where I'm at now and use a disillusion charm on yourself then cast a second separate illusion on yourself, hiding any remaining traces of your presence from his heightened senses."
As the other him disappeared the one that had stunned Remus turned his wand on the unconscious man once more. He stared at him for a time, thinking about what he was about to do, before taking a deep breath, hoping he had studied the spell he was about to attempt enough that he didn't turn his friend into a blundering mess like Lockhart. "Obliviate!"
He had thought that after he took care of Remus things would get easier, that all the bad had been taken care of, but of course he was wrong. As he spoke his spell, a second was cast at the same time. He only had enough time to make sure his spell had taken effect before both his wand and the time turner flew out of his hands. He was forced to watch as his beloved time traveling device smashed beyond repair against a tree.
Furious, he turned snarling to see who had cost him one of his most prized possessions only to pale when he saw who it was that held him at wand point. Standing at the edge of the woods, her wand tip glowing brightly with a spell waiting to be cast was Lily Potter. Her eyes that were so much like his own traveled over the scene before her. Remus laid out flat after having a memory charm used on him, the large torn pieces of the lethifolds scattered everywhere, and her son standing there in the middle of it all. She looked to him pleadingly, her eyes asking him to tell her what she was seeing was wrong.
"Harry," she sobbed, tears escaping over the rim of her eyes as she spoke his name. "What have you done?"
AN: Going into this chapter I wanted all Harry would be going through in it, to be a learning experience for him. So how did you like the Vega and Necro parts? I made the fight with Necro short because not all battles are long and dragged out, most are quick and over with before you can even blink. Hopefully you all won't hate for two consecutive chapters ending with cliffys - cliffies - asshole endings?
Now I just like to say the reason Harry's emotions were everywhere last chapter was he's not only dealing with his own emo-ness(and lets face it, canon Harry was so damn Emo and broody), now he has to deal with the old Harry's anger as well. And after having everything go so smoothly for him for so long, of course when things start going south he's going to be moody. If you don't like the Harry he is now or the one he's becoming then don't read this story!
Now just a heads up and most of you will more than likely hate this but lately while at work during my breaks I've been playing around with a second Harry Potter story. Now don't worry it's just something to do to pass the time. S2ndC has priority over all else and always will be. But I'm wondering if I get a few chapters of it finshed, would you like for me to post it? Just know that even if you say no that you don't want to see it, I'll still continue to write it.