Harry's thoughts were trained on everything he knew. It was cold, but the ground under his paws was unbearably hot. He could feel his wings flutter and ripple with the muscles concealed under his still sleek fur. Something was different. Something else was alive.
And that was when he saw his next and final trial. Standing in front of him, blue eyes twinkling with that damned twinkle that Harry came to despise, was Albus Dumbledore.
A/N: ooooo so the trials are coming to an end(to clarify, Harry has been dead for a little over a week and a half now, the date's July 30th.) The main question is, what is at the end of the trials? Well, that will be answered in this chapter. As well as a confrontation that may change the course of the story for better or for worse. Also, I apologize if anything about an animal that appears here is incorrect. I don't have much experience with these animals yet, mainly focusing on larger birds of prey, cats, and dogs. If you do catch something, please tell me so I can fix it and learn what's right about it!
*=This is still an insult between animals, it is mainly focused to the big cat species, meaning as it says, a domestic cat. Much smaller and weaker than the Big Cats.
Harry broke into a snarl as he saw the man that made his life a living hell. He could feel Stephanie's claws dig into the fur on his back, but it did not matter to him. The fury that he tried to contain was suddenly pressed down upon.
"Now Harry, stop this nonsense about mates and the dark side. You belong to the Light, and you will marry Ginny Weasley." Harry could feel the compulsion spell bearing down on him, trying to force him to the ground in submission. He growled, trying to fight it off. "Stop resisting my boy, it's for the greater good."
'This is your last trial Harry! Stay strong!' Willow's voice was clear in his head, but the compulsion spells broke through it. Harry's snarl wavered as they pressed him down. He shifted his weight, trying to find his footing before he totally reached the ground. He had seen this before, with Fenrir and Remus. Both of them alphas, but Fenrir had so much more power. He had seen how hard Remus fought, but in the end lost. He had become beta though, and found it a fair trade. But the pain, Harry thought that it would crush him like a twig
"Come now my boy. You won't want to fight it do you? Just bow down."
'No…'
"Harry!"
"That is an order boy!" The compulsion spell seemed even stronger, pain flowing with it now. Harry could feel the cruciatus curse that was added to it. It bared down on him harsher than anything. Not even the visions he got from Tom back in fifth year were this painful.
'I…can't…' He shut his eyes tightly, the snarl coming back full force. He knew the feeling of what was going on now as images flashed through his mind. Willow's memories. Dumbledore had done the same to her. He had forced her to the light side. Forced her out of the one place she could call home. He could feel his muscle's aching past the memories that flashed through him as he tried to stay up, he was pretty sure that his bones were cracking too. But he kept fighting. 'Willow. This is what you wanted me to learn. You meant for this to happen.' Slowly, shakily, Harry began to get his footing once more, the snarl on his lips becoming more apparent as a growl escaped him, his wings spreading out to their full length, widening the tunnel like it was made of nothing but air. Stephanie's claws stopped gripping so hard, and where they had broken the skin healed over quickly. 'All that he has caused…all the pain, the torture, what he has made of Magical Creatures. I know what you wanted me to do now Willow!'
"You will listen to me boy!"
"I. Won't!" With a final yowl, Harry found his right footing, standing tall and proud. His tail was held as high as his head, his claws ready to tear into anything that crossed him. All signs of weariness and tiredness were gone from the leopard now. The spells had broken fully, not even a trace of them left around Harry. "You may have the light side curled around your fingers Dumbledore, but you will never have me! I am the Prince of the Winged Cats, Mate to Severus Snape, and proud father to Calix Lucius Potter-Snape. I am the protector of Stephanie, and second-in-command of the Dark Army." The power rolled off of Harry in waves. This wasn't the broken boy who was slowly healing. This was the true heir to Fira. "Your reign is OVER Dumbledore. You may have tried to get rid of Willow, but what you have done gave me the chance to take my birthright. And when the time comes, I will be the one to defeat you!" With a deafening screech, he leapt at the man, cutting right through the mirage and took off running. He could feel his heart racing, his blood felt as if it were on fire. He kept going though. Stephanie clung to his back, fearful of falling off with the speed that Harry was racing. The tunnels were verging off into separate ones now, but Harry kept his senses on the one he knew would lead him to what he wanted.
'I don't want power, I don't want Judgment or Loyalty or any of that! I want what was taken away from me too easily.' His heart rate, the same that had stayed still since his entry to the tunnels, sped up as he came closer to the light at the end of the tunnels. His lungs screamed for a breath that wouldn't, couldn't come. 'I want my friends back.' His muscles were screaming at him to stop. 'I want my mother back.' His claws scraped against the rough floor as his paws made their short meetings with the earth. 'I want Calix.' His wings were keeping Stephanie on his back, shielding her from the harsh light. 'I want my mate!'
"I want my old life back!" He yowled, leaping out of the tunnels. As he did, something snapped. He fell to the ground, Stephanie falling from his back and landing a few feet away before scrambling back over to him. He writhed in pain as the snapping sound became louder.
'Harry, you have passed the trials. You are now known to your ancestors as Prince of the Winged Cats, Prongslet. The nine trials now reflect your nine lives. The start of your new journey is beginning. Remember the prophecy, for it shall be what makes you strong!' Harry vaguely became aware of the pain disappearing, as his eyesight faded to black, and he fell into nothingness.
"Today's the day!"
Severus glared at the bouncing person he dared to call his godson. Yet another week had passed since his little mate's death, and things were going back to normal. Except for him. Everyone else seemed as if they had moved on, like Harry's death was just a casualty of war.
'Traitors.'
"Come on Uncle Sev you gotta let me come! I want to prove I can still fight!" Draco pressed. He knew that Tom was going to give him a chance to prove his loyalty once again, maybe this was the test. He desperately wanted it to be. What better than a raid led by his Uncle? He would be kept strictly in line then. He also had a few new spells he wanted to try out.
The Potion's master glanced over Draco, seeing the hunger in his godson's eyes to prove himself. The silver color alight with fire. Severus finally realized that it was more than wanting to prove himself. Draco wanted to get revenge for his father. His godson would never just jump into things without reason or thinking, and this was no exception.
"I'll think about it." Severus promised. Draco smiled and nodded before walking away. Severus sighed as he did. The mission was a dangerous one, he didn't want to put his godson in danger.
'But you'll put Lily in danger?' A voice in the back of his mind asked. He had decided when he first received the order from Tom that Lily, Sirius and Remus would be coming with him. He knew they would want this as much as he did. Harry was Lily's son and Sirius and Remus' cub.
'It's been four weeks. They're all back to almost normal…' He could feel a growl rise in his throat. His leopard and raven forms were not happy.
"I trust you know what will happen, right?" Out of the corner of his eye, Severus could see Tear. The hawk was perched right next to the sleeping Hedwig, Vipera curled up on his back. Something she could not do with Hedwig, but the hawk made it easy. "He killed the prince. It's an offence that is unforgivable."
"I know."
"He was your mate."
"I know!" Severus snapped. He knew what the hawk was getting at. "And when the time comes, I will be the one to killed that manipulating bastard." Tear nodded. "And it won't do you good to hide in that form for much longer…Salazar…" And with that simple sentence, Severus left the three animals to go and gather the Death Eaters for the raid.
"Are you sure you have enough people for this?" Severus had gathered everyone he needed for the raid and was now being questioned by Tom. Without Harry, the Dark Lord took Severus back as his second-in-command. He couldn't lose another by poor judgment again.
~spacespacespacespace~
"I have Lily, The Mutt and Wolf, the Terror twins, Draco, Hermione, Blaise, Luna, Neville, Mother, and Narcissa. It's plenty. The Lestrange twins and Bella are on standby with Tear, Vipera, Bill, Charlie, and Nagini. Nothing will go wrong here." Severus explained. He had thought of all of this far ahead of time. He knew who would come, who wouldn't, and who would be on standby as back up. The Potion's Master didn't want to risk losing anyone else. "Just….please, keep Calix safe, and Alice- for Draco of course."
"Of course." Tom glanced over to the two children. Alice was fast asleep on the couch for her mid-day nap, while Calix was playing with Hedwig and Marvolo. The kitten moved his tail around on the ground, red eyes gleaming with mischief everytime Calix came close to catching it. Hedwig supervised, making sure the kit's claws came nowhere near the young winged prince while also making sure Alice didn't fall off of the couch in her sleep.
"It shouldn't take long, expect about 12 hours." Severus told him. Tom nodded, he expected Severus to work quickly with this. The group he had seemed ready to go, Lily especially. Her eyes blazed with a fire that Tom recognized. He had seen it in Harry during the boy's first raid. There was a twinge of gratefulness that the boy at least got it from his mother. The Weasley twins didn't seem the least bit bothered that their brother had died, instead they seemed like they were back in school, just waiting to do their next prank. Draco was bristling next to Hermione and Blaise, Tom vaguely wondered if he wanted revenge more for his father or Harry, or both equally. Hermione was leaning lightly against her boyfriend, her wand held tightly in her hand. Only Eileen and Narcissa seemed calm. Even Nagini wasn't her usual self, instead she was sparing with Vipera nearby. A spell kept them far from the children as the venom and fangs clashed. Bill was leaning against the wall, his eyes closed as Charlie sat on the floor against his legs, speaking softly to what Tom hoped wasn't a baby Horntail.
"You all seem ready for this. Are you sure?" Tom asked.
"Yes. I have to do this. I can't just mope around doing nothing. Besides, wasn't it you who said I was going to lead this? I had to be ready." Severus explained. It was the truth. He was completely ready for this. For the revenge he wanted so badly. He could almost hear his leopard side purring at the thought of tearing Dumbledore to shreds for his lost mate. He soon turned his eyes to the group too before nodding. "Let's go!" There were the familiar pops! Of apparation, before the manor was silent once more.
spacespacesapcespace~
The group soon appeared in the all too familiar marshy area. They were close to the burrow. Severus wondered if he should have left the twins behind before pushing away the slight worry. They would fight with them, he could tell by the glares they sent to what could be seen of the house.
"No one fire any spells yet. Wait until you have a clear shot of someone." His voice was low, the others could hear him though. Eileen was the only one of them without a wand, and soon in her place stood a beautiful white tiger. It was already decided that it would be easier for her to fight in her animagus form with a collar similar to the one Severus had given Harry for Christmas with the same protection spells that Tom had on Nagini.
"Look Gred, I think I could get a clear shot from here, don't you?" George asked, pointing to something hidden from the others' view.
"Of course Forge, Anyone could hit that big head of his." Fred sneered, causing the younger ones of the group to shudder with slight fear.
A small amount of pride flashed through Severus. 'At least those two learned one thing in my classes…even if it's just how to scare the younger years.' He thought. "Quiet, both of you. Either attack or get back over here." He hissed. The twins shared a glance before raising their wands.
"Reducto!" They yelled. The explosion that followed was enough to startle everyone.
"What was that?"
"Death Eaters!" The exclamations that came set everyone into action. Springing out of hiding, the raid begun in full swing.
"Harry? Harry wake up!" As the leopard came out of unconsciousness, the first thing he noticed was the black lion cub shaking his shoulder, her teeth pulling lightly on his ear as she tried to get him to wake up. Stephanie had been trying for the better part of an hour without success to get her protector to respond to her. Finally, as claws began to scrape at his back, Harry grumbled.
"Steph, stop." He rolled over, trapping the small cub under him. He could hear a muffled giggle as the smaller's head popped out from under his. "I'm awake…." His eyes opened fully as what he just said registered in his mind. His ears listened closely for something he thought wouldn't be there, but soon heard it. Two steady heartbeats, four lungs that required oxygen, blood roaring through the pulse point at their necks. After taking a testing breath, Harry leapt up on unsteady paws and looked around.
He was back as Lake Mingo.
"It's so amazing isn't it! The lake's huge!" Stephanie laughed. Harry stared for a second, before laughing too. It was full of amazement, relief, disbelief, and happiness.
"I'm alive…I'm alive!" He yowled in triumph. Looking around, there was no sign of any other blood, and all the scents were stale. 'No scent of death….The others alive still!' He gathered Stephanie in his paws, rolling around and laughing with the little lioness. "But that means…The others!" He got up, sitting back on his haunches as he wondered what could've happened. "They must've gone back…"
"Hey Harry, look!" Stephanie padded a few feet away to a twisted and broken tree. Fur was tangled up in the mangled branches. Harry padded closer, recognizing the fur.
"Severus and Ron!" His fur bristled. Did his mate fight the one who killed him? He guessed Severus must've won, if he had to fight Ron at one of the trials. Then again, he fought Dumbledore and the man was still alive. "Stephanie, the black fur belongs to my mate. His name's Severus. We gotta go find him!"
"Well where is he?" The lion cub demanded. She wanted to meet him! And Calix too. From what Harry said about them, they seemed nice enough. She wanted to meet the other two leopards and see what Calix's wings were like.
"Probably back in England."
"And we are where?"
"The States." Harry sighed. "And they have wards to stop apparation." His ears fell flat. Without apparation, how could they make it back to England in a short time?
Stephanie stared at the cat that was supposed to be her protector. "Harry…I think being in those tunnels has messed with your brain." She stated. "You're a Winged cat. Outside of wizarding laws!"
Harry blinked. "So?"
"So, fuck the State's magic and just apparate!" She yelled.
"Stephanie! Language!" Harry snapped back. The she-cat had a point though, he was outside of wizarding laws. Who's to say that he couldn't break through the barrier as well? "Let's see…the point where it hits land is near North Carolina, if I could bust through it there…" His claws worked expertly against the sandy shore as he drew out a plan. "If not there, then it should be weakest here, I could shatter it to pieces!" His voice turned to a yowl of hope as he spoke before scooping up Stephanie. "Hope you like flying!" Was the only warning he gave before tossing her on his back and taking flight. 'Hold on Severus, I'm coming home!'
Stephanie glanced down from her spot between the leopard's wings. She had known since her death what her magic was, it was water element. But up in the sky, she felt almost at home. The cub secretly wondered if she had been put in the wrong element. 'Magic is never wrong.' Her mother's words echoed. She looked at Harry, noticing the determination on her protector's face.
"Hold on tight!" He yowled before going into a deep dive. His wings pinned back as Stephanie dug her claws deep into his fur. He spread them back out, catching a slight updraft, just enough to give him more speed as magic propelled them forward even faster. 'I don't even know how much time has passed. It has to be more than a few hours though, or else I would've caught their scents. Probably more than a week as well.' Worry flashed in his eyes the more he thought of the time. 'I need to know!' His eyes lit up as he saw exactly what was needed. 'A newspaper! Brand new too. Now, let's hope muggles can at least get a date right…' He slowed enough to land lightly on his paws, going from a run down to a trot and then a slow walk as he glanced at the paper. 'July 31st! No! It can't be right!' "I couldn't have been dead for a whole month!" He blurted out. Stephanie glanced down at the paper.
"Woah, less time than me! It's been four years to the date for my death!" She exclaimed. Harry shook his head. It bothered him to even think of the she-cat dead. What bothered him more was the date though. Flashes of what could've happened went through his mind.
'What if the others did die? What if they didn't make it home?' His paws itched to get off of the ground again. Not caring if any muggles could see him, he did just that. Wings stretched out as far as they could, with one mighty flap of them he took to the sky. Doing another dive to gain speed, this time he wasted nothing precious and apparated.
He and Stephanie appeared once again close to the border, which rested on the sandy beach that connected the States to the Atlantic. Harry growled as the barrier of magic became visible, fully intent on stopping him. "Stephanie, I want your claws and teeth holding on as tight as they can ok? We're gonna drill our way through!" He yowled over the sound of the wind rushing over them. The little lion nodded, her teeth gripping his scruff harshly as her front and back claws dug into his back. She could feel blood welling up at the spots, but taking Harry's words to heart, held on tight. Reinforcing her grip with magic, Harry flew upwards, his intent was to take it at an angle when he spun. Flying higher and higher until he could almost rival a muggle plane, he stopped. With his wings held out carelessly, he fell into another dive, leaving just enough wingspan to put himself at an angle. "We got one shot at this….now!" He angled his wings correctly for the spin, remembering when Hedwig did this countless times when he and Ron would train her to avoid spells. He began to spin faster and faster, flattening his wings and gaining speed. Magic crackled around the two cats as they came closer to barrier before turning into a shattering sound.
They had broken through it mid-apparation.
"Yes!" They both mewed in triumph before with another crack of apparation, disappearing into the mid-morning light.
"Sectumsempra!"
"Protego!"
The spells flew as nighttime fell onto the marsh-turned-battlefield. More of the order had shown up, but not enough to make the Death Eaters rely on back up. Fred and George were currently helping Sirius and Remus against Moody and another Order member Severus had never met. Lily and Eileen, in animagus forms, were fighting against Molly, the woman casting spell after spell at them. Narcissa was nearby helping them.
"Severus watch out!" The man dodged a curse just as Blaise yelled at him, the Slytherin having problems of his own as two Ravenclaws dueled him and Hermione. The man glared at Percy as the Order member fired another curse at him. Shifting into his raven form, he flew above the Weasley before shifting again into his leopard form, expecting to land just in front of the redhead. Instead, he locked eyes with a fairly large honey badger. He backed away as claws slashed at his muzzle, hissing in fury. The badger pressed forward, eyes gleaming with hatred that grew with each step forward. He kept pushing Severus farther and farther away from the dueling witches and wizards before snapping his jaw shut around the leopard's paw.
Severus yowled as his paw was caught, his other front paw flashing forwards, catching in the badger's durable fur. Blood gushed from the wounds, causing Percy to release his grip and give the Potion's Master another chance at a well aimed swipe. This one caught the former Gryffindor's jaw, but not doing much damage. 'I forgot…their jaws are as durable as their fur!' Severus began to back away again as Percy went on the offensive. 'What is he trying to do?' The leopard kept his weight off of his right paw, fearing that the bones might have shattered when the badger bit down. The black fur was bristled, his tail looking twice it's size out of anger as the leopard hissed in warning again.
"You think that scares me kittypet*?" Percy spat. "Hiss all you want, you'll only succeed in scaring your little brat more!" Severus paused for a heartbeat. They had Calix? The heartbeat was all Percy needed though to recapture the injured paw in his jaws and give a sharp tug. The leopard actually screeched this time as a sickening tear was heard. The muscles in his paw ripped, amazingly it was the only thing besides the bone to break. No time was wasted as Severus lashed out once again at the badger, claws and teeth gleaming as they fought to gain a grip on the tough hide of the badger, soon trying to find where his claws had first met their mark. Unfortunately for him, the badger had released his paw and soon kept his neck guarded.
Back with the larger group of dueling pairs, the others were fairing a bit better. Blaise had managed to separate the two Ravenclaws, stunning one as Hermione took out the other. The pair stumbled backwards as a feline Lily slammed into them, tossed back with a jinx. She shook her head, blood coming from a gash on her forehead. "Lily, let me heal it before you go back to fighting!" Hermione ordered, making quick work of the cut. As she moved to heal the nick in the silver tabby's ear, Lily waved her tail to stop her.
"Leave it! It's nothing. Go back to fighting!" She yelled, leaping once again into the fight with a well aimed hex of her own. Fighting beside her best friend's mother seemed strange, but at least Eileen seemed as good a duelist as her son. Her eyes traveled to the three youngest of the group, glad to see they had taken her advice and got back into the fray. Draco was firing off ice element hexes and curses, freezing people in their tracks and leaving them open for attacks from the other two. Lily leaped back, dodging another hex and hissing, "What ever happened to never attacking a defenseless person?" before attacking once more.
"Oh please Lily, you're not defenseless! Far from it!" Eileen teased, swinging her wide stripped head around to snap at another Order member who dared to come closer to the pair. "Last time Severus talked about you he mentioned that you had eyes in the back of your head!"
"Yeah, the back! Not sides!" She fired a knockback jinx at Moody as he began to get the upper hand in his fight with the twins. "This is madness! We need back up!"
"No way!" Eileen protested.
"We can handle it!" Fred and George answered. The twins had finally recovered from their momentary lapse in concentration and began to fight fully again, each giving everything they had to the curses, even tossing a crucio here or there. It didn't phase them though as they did, fighting as if they were one person with two wands. It didn't matter who they fought, not even a blood relative. They had chosen their side in this war. They had chosen their youngest brother and protégé over the others. And they regretted nothing.
"Just be careful!" Lily snapped. Over the past eight months, she had become more of a mother to the small group of Gryffindors than ever. Of course she let Narcissa baby the Slytherins, although she did hold a soft spot for all of them. "Reducto!" She cracked the spell towards the marshy water, sending upward. "Draco! We need fog!"
"On it!" The blonde froze the water before Blaise quickly unfroze it with a fire curse, the steam giving them some cover. "Regroup!" He yelled out. The raiding party came together in a tight circle, keeping the more injured toward the center. Lily only had the nick in her ear still. Blaise had multiple cuts on his wand arm, but all of them were small. George was the one to worry everyone. Before Draco and Blaise could give them the cover, he was hit with a nasty cutting hex. Fred was supporting most of his weight as Draco made his way over to them, worry apparent in his eyes. "George!" He wailed, helping Fred in supporting him.
"Don't worry Dray…it'll take more than this to kill me." George promised, kissing the younger's forehead lightly.
"Guys, where's Severus?" Lily looked around frantically. The others did as well, but the newly appointed leader was nowhere to be found.
"Last I saw, he was fighting Percy." Hermione told them. "They may have gotten separated from everyone." The thought reassured the group slightly. At least if they had gotten separated, Severus had a better chance of winning one-on-one. Meanwhile, their problems were just beginning as the steam slowly faded away. "Looks like we have to get back to fighting." Hermione looked over to the twins and Draco. "Get away from here, call for back up." She glared as Draco and Fred began to protest. "George can't fight like that! If he does he'll die! Go!" That silenced the two as Fred brought George and Draco closer before apparating away as a spell was fired into the group. The battle had picked up once more.
Tom paced in the large living room as the clock ticked. It was the only sound in the room, even the Dark Lord's footsteps were silent as he waited for any sign of either victory or defeat. He had finally gotten Calix to lie down for a nap as well. The only bad part about that, was now Hedwig was perched on his shoulder, the tug of being a familiar leading her to him. Something told him that it was due to his horcrux inside Harry that the blasted bird was even around-
He paused with the train of thought and his pacing. The horcrux, the last time one was destroyed- his diary- the pain that followed was worse than the cruciatus curse. He had felt the same pain soon before McGonagall's patronus had came with the news of Harry's death. Nagini had felt it too. "Nagini…explain the pain that happened before we got word of Harry's death, what was it like?"
The snake shuddered before replying. "Horrible. Like it felt a few years back after the diary was destroyed." Tom froze. So he didn't imagine it…
"My Lord…you don't think…" Bellatrix had caught onto what was being talked about after seeing Nagini shudder. "I mean, Harry was a horcrux but-"
Bill leapt to his feet from his spot next to Charlie, causing his younger brother to wake up from his nap. "The horcrux was destroyed, and to compensate for the lack of magic and soul from it-"
"-Harry was only under the pretense of death, like one under the Draught of Living Death, but in reality he was still alive!" Tom and Bellatrix both finished.
"It's a large risk, but if it's true…" Bill began muttering as Charlie looked up at him before yawning.
"If you don't get your arse back down here so I can sleep so help me I'll make sure you join Harry in the world of the dead." The dragon tamer grumbled. Bill glared down at his brother before sighing and returning to his spot. Charlie crawled onto his lap, laying his head against Bill's chest and shutting his eyes again.
"If it's true, Harry's alive. And he's probably looking for us." Bill murmured, relief taking over him. His youngest brother was alive! Hopefully…but no one dared linger on the thought that their theory may not be true. The sound of apparation caused everyone to be on alert. Even Charlie woke up enough to grab his wand. They calmed as familiar voices came into the room.
"Fred! What if we had spliced him?" Draco's growl rose an octave. Bellatrix stifled her laughter as she went to see what the fuss was about, before squeaking in horror. Between her nephew and one of his boyfriends, was the slightly smaller twin. He was covered in cuts and bruises, blood dripping into the hallway.
"Quickly! Get him in here!" Bellatrix ordered. "Rabastan! Take Alice and Calix out of here, they don't need to see this! Rodolphus, get healing potions!" She snapped at the twins before leading the three younger into the room. The Lestrange brothers dashed into action as Charlie and Bill took George from Fred and Draco, lying him down on the sofa. Draco was shaking with visible worry as Fred brought him closer.
"We just lost Harry a month ago…they can't have George too! They just can't!" He sobbed, burying his face in Fred's chest.
"They won't." Charlie growled, immediately going back into what Bill called his Dragon Reserve Self. Working was Dragons was dangerous, but it came with it's perks. One of the better ones was becoming used to healing different cuts and gashes and bruises. Setting to work, he barked out more orders to the others as Tom watched on helplessly. He may have good strategies when it came to battles, but he left most healing things to Narcissa and Bellatrix. Even the familiars and animagus found ways to help. Tear was supervising, checking the potions as they were brought in and handing back the ones that wouldn't help. There was something familiar about the bird, but Tom could not figure it out. Hedwig kept her always tidy wing feathers against the smaller wounds, hoping to help clot them. Nagini and Vipera curled around whatever body part they had to in order to temporary slow the blood flow. It made Charlie's job easier as he began to heal the wounds and bandage them. Even little Marvolo did his part in helping to calm Draco, going into cute kitten mode and rubbing against the blonde's cheek while purring.
"Do they need back up?" Tom finally asked. Fred looked up and nodded. "Rabastan, Rodolphus, Nagini, Bella. You four go." As soon as they were gone, Tom took Nagini's place in helping Vipera. The black cobra watched as silent as the others as Charlie worked. The redhead's eyes were narrowed in concentration, every single movement fluent and without error. The only noise was the subtle click of his tongue when he wanted the two snakes the move, a sound that Tom recognized as the noise dragon tamers used with dragons they were close to. It wasn't parseltongue, but it was the closest thing anyone else could come to. Bill watched them closely as Charlie stopped, starting quizzically at one wound.
"Hedwig, I need you to block this one, Vipera, tighten up a bit." His voice was low enough not to be heard by Fred and Draco, even Tom had a hard time hearing it. Hedwig heard it crystal clear though, and moved over, gracefully laying one pure white wing over the wound. The four of them watched in horror as blood welled up between the feathers. "No…Vipera."
"I can't! I'll hurt him!"
"She said she'd hurt him if she tightened anymore." Tom's partial transformation of his vocal chords unfortunately gave his usually quiet voice enough volume to be heard by the others.
"W-what's going on?" Draco asked.
"It's nothing Draco, don't worry." Charlie grabbed his wand, trying to close the wound with a spell and getting even more frustrated when it didn't work. "Tear I need the healing salve." He opened the vial that was thrust into his hand and placed it around the wound, growling when once again, it didn't work. "What the bloody hell…" Charlie sat back, puzzled and slightly scared. Nothing was working. Not even Tear could find a reason as to why nothing worked. Seconds ticked by, each one bringing with it more fear and dread as a broken sob left Draco again. Fred was hugging the blonde tightly, his eyes shut in an attempt to keep the tears away. The only warning to what happened next that the others got, was a furious hiss, before Vipera struck, her fangs hitting the area at the wound and forcing it shut. "Vipera no! Your venom!"
"It will heal! Get the antidote made of my ancestor's scales!" Tom blinked before looking up as a flurry of feathers flew over him, grabbing a vial high up on a bookcase and breaking it over the wound as Vipera let go. Everyone watched with baited breath as the antivenom made it's advance on the snake's own venom. The wound was slowly healing as it did, sealing shut and leaving only the small wounds from Vipera's fangs. Tom's grip slowly became nonexistent as he and Hedwig listened for George's heartbeat to even out, which it soon did. Charlie breathed a sigh of relief, falling backwards to lie flat on the floor.
"Tear…how did you know what Vipera said?" Tom asked in a soft voice.
"I've always spoke to snakes, Tom. Where do you think you got it from?" Tom stared in shock at the hawk before shaking his head.
"Should've known…" He muttered. "So, anything else shocking gonna happen or will I actually get to wait for my first heart attack to happen at 100?"
"How's this for a shocker then, eh Tom? Give you that heart attack early." Everyone's eyes widened at the voice, turning their heads to the doorway. "By the way, you're a grandfather again."
There was no sound of a heart attack, only the calling of one name, and the fainting of one blonde Slytherin.
"Harry!"
A furious yowl came from the black leopard as he once again struggled away from the badger, standing on three shaking paws. The badger wasn't fairing any better, his tough hide finally gave under the leopard's teeth and claws, blood welling up from the many scratches and bite marks. Severus was cornered though, trapped in the hollow of a tree as the badger advanced forward once again. His good front paw lashed out feebly at Percy, barely being drawn back in time to avoid the same fate as his other paw. His magic wasn't doing good either, slowly draining from the strain of keeping him standing on his back paws. He knew it would be easier to transform back and just shoot the killing curse, but in his condition, something told him it would be a suicide mission.
'At least I would be with Harry…' He shook the thought away. He couldn't leave Calix without a parent. He had to fight it out. Not even his raven form could help him. His right paw would end up as his right wing, and a bird can't fly on one wing.
But a leopard sure as hell could fight on three legs.
He gave another angry hiss as the badger's claws connected with his chest fur, leaving small scratches as he backed away from the blow and shut his jaws around the badger's leg, shaking it furiously and copying something that he once saw the wolf do to another werewolf that dared to attack Lily. It seemed to work as he listened to the tear of muscles. Triumph flashed through his mind before he was brought back to reality by a well aimed blow to the head. He shook it off, pressing farther back against the tree.
"Look at this, seems Voldemort's about to lose another second-in-command, you're making this too easy!" Percy taunted. Severus wasn't taking the bait. He knew the badger was just waiting for a perfect shot at his neck or stomach. Keeping his back arched and head pulled back, he made sure to hide those weak spots. "What? Is the little kitty scared? Where's your little mate now? He can't save you!" Lightning flashed as Percy raised up on his back legs, front paw ready to deliver the last crushing blow. Just as he was brining the paw down though, a large roar stopped him and caused him to fall short, slamming down in the perfect position for Severus to use his hind legs and kick the Order member away. The strain on his front paw was too much though, and he fell to the side with the kick. His lungs screamed for breath as the badger advanced one more time. Lightning hit the sky again, this time, stopping the badger in his tracks.
Standing on a fallen log, head and tail held proudly, was the largest cat Percy had ever seen. The head and body shaped screamed leopard, but the half-mane told another story. The only thing that truly hinted at who it was, were the piercing green eyes, amber rings surrounding them as they glowed in the remaining darkness after the lightning, and the pitch black wings, the red tips dripping with real blood. "Leave my mate alone!" Came the hiss of warning as he sprang.
"No! You're supposed to be dead! Ron killed you!" The badger rolled with the leopard, locked in combat. Teeth clashed, claws slashed, and wings beat against the ground as they fought. Percy tried to gain the upper hand, but fell victim to Harry's quicker speed. The Order member was quickly weakening, while Harry was still light on his feet.
"You're forgetting one thing, Percy." The name was said with venom worse than that of Nagini's. "I'm the winged prince, and was a horcrux." Harry, still fresh for fighting, tossed the badger away, watching as he hit a tree. It stunned Percy long enough for Harry to leap at him again, claws pinning him to the ground. "Here's a little lesson." Harry stared right at Percy's hate filled eyes.
"I couldn't be touched so long as I was a horcrux, because the horcrux would die first, giving me another life. Unlike you." He snapped his jaws tightly around the badger's neck, squeezing until blood flooded his mouth, and the trashing of the animal under him stopped. Only when Percy was completely still did Harry let go, and look back at the hollow tree. Severus was staring wide eyed at the scene in front of him. There, not even 6 yards from him, was his supposed-to-be-dead mate. His blood covered, sleek furred, bright-eyed, mate. Slowly, almost dream like, he mate his way over to Harry, keeping his shattered paw off of the ground. He didn't stop until his nose could easily touch the other leopard's shoulder.
"Harry…" Words couldn't escape his throat as it tightened, holding back a sob.
"Sev…" Harry said softly. For the first time since he returned, he shifted. Severus did as well, and Harry smiled. At least one thing was the same, he was still shorter than his older mate. He couldn't wait any longer, and hugged the potion's master tightly, being wary of the injuries on the both of them.
"Harry…h-how…" Severus' voice was a mix of a broken sob and a cry of relief. His Harry was alive! He was here, he saved him, he was hugging him! "Do you know, how scared and lost I was…"
"I'm sorry Sev…If I could change the past I would, but I'm here." He soothed. "It's alright. I'm here. I'm not going away."
"No, you're not…because you're grounded for life." Harry laughed at Severus' serious tone before sobering again. He clutched tightly at the back of Severus' robes, burying his head in his mate's shoulder and kissing the crook of his neck lightly.
"I think I can deal with that after all of this excitement." Harry murmured. And for the first time since returning, he felt right at home.