Chapter 11

Cormac McLaggen finished his final class for the day and yawned. He felt very tired after all his classes. The corridor was full of students as he walked out. His shoulder bumped against the others' shoulders as he returned to Gryffindor Tower. He felt hands on him and before he knew it, an awful smell erupted around him. A small explosion sound filled the corridor and all the students jumped away from McLaggen as he was hit with several Dungbombs. "Gross!" Cormac groaned as the other students held their noses tight with their fingers and ran away from him. Ignoring their cries of disgust, McLaggen ran the rest of the way to Gryffindor Tower and practically shouted the password to the Fat Lady. The portrait swung open and McLaggen ran up to his dormitory, ripped his clothing off, and ran into a shower.

The smell was nauseating. He stood there frantically rubbing his body with scented soap and shampoo trying to get rid of the smell. His feet began to ache from standing so long in the shower, his fingers started to wrinkle under the water and his skin felt raw. He was in the shower for nearly two hours getting the smell off of his body. When he finally stepped out, the smell assaulted him again as he forgot about his clothes. Holding his breath he knocked everything out of his pants and robes before throwing them into a laundry basket. He took his wand and did every freshening spell he knew as well as opening the many windows so the smell could wafer out. In his frantic mood to get rid of the spell, he didn't notice a letter that was stuffed in his pants' pocket. When he did notice it, which was after a half an hour of cleaning the air, he opened it and frowned in anger. It was a short note reading:

This is only the beginning. We know everything.

Blaise looked for Draco the moment the letter arrived. It was a week after their dates with the Potter twins and neither of them have talked with either boy since. It was the afternoon and Blaise found Draco leaving his final class. "It's here!" Blaise smiled.

"Come on," Draco said. They made their way back to the Slytherin common room. There was a table in the corner where they wouldn't be interrupted.

"It feels like a long letter," Blaise said.

"Your mother must have gotten plenty of information on Cormac then," Draco smirked.

"Of course she did," Blaise said. "My mother never disappoints. She always looks out for me, and since Harry is my friend, and brother to my boyfriend, she is only more than glad to help."

They shared a smile as Blaise unrolled his mother's letter, which was longer than any essay either boys have ever written.

Blaise,

After consideration of what you asked I've decided to do what you asked. You, however, owe me. This Cormac McLaggen boy has a nasty history, a history that I am glad you never had to deal with. That said use this information well. You are almost of age and so I expect you to choose the correct decision of what you are going to do with this information. You're almost a man now, so I will not be telling you how to live your life.

I've met Cormac's mother, who is named Eileen, out shopping for clothes in Diagon Alley. She is a pretty woman, fairly tall with wiry hair and a slightly curvy figure. Naturally she is dull compared to me, but alone she can get a man's attention for a second or two. There was a set of dress robes that we both wanted. We talked a bit, exchanged names, and soon we both started talking about our sons. She seemed a bit sheltered about what she told me, keeping to safe subjects like how he is doing in Hogwarts and one or two of his outings with his uncle. We continued to talk after we exited the shop and had tea together. We got along swimmingly, she seemed like a nice girl, and so I've asked her to meet again which she accepted. We met again for tea two days later and talked some more. I could tell from her body language that her son and husband had a strained relationship as she barely talked about them together. It was always either separate or, if they are together, they are with Cormac's uncle.

It took several visits to get her to open up about Cormac's relationship with his father. To put it simply it is very strained, though when I learned the true events, it is sickening. Eileen started dropping hints early on, it seemed that she was desperate to tell anyone what happened. The first thing I've learned was that Cormac's father, Julio McLaggen, had a temper. She admitted that never a day went by without hearing Julio yelling, be it at her, at Cormac, or at anyone who sets off his extremely short temper. I asked her immediately if Julio was physical, and Eileen hesitated before saying that Julio has never hit her, suggesting that he only hits Cormac. This was proven true a couple of weeks later when Eileen confessed to me the last time she saw Julio hit his son, it was over a dinner argument and he punched Cormac in the stomach. The argument was over some article of clothing that Cormac wears but his mother and father didn't know about. I had her over tea at our home one day, this was after knowing each other for a month and visiting each other frequently. We've became surprisingly fast friends and poor Eli confessed to me that through everything she wanted her son to be happy, a wish that goes against everything Julio stands for.

Before I tell you about the truly horrid things that went down in the McLaggen household, let me first tell you more about Mr. McLaggen whom I've met on several occasions. The first of which was when Eli invited me to dinner with them and Julio's brother's Tiberius McLaggen, I am sure you know much about him Blaise. Their home was quite lovely. It was on the small side but still very eloquent. They had a couple of house-elves who served us our food before disappearing. I have arrived early and conversed with Eli and Tiberius until Julio McLaggen came home from work with the Ministry. He was a big man. Tall and broad with wiry hair and a cleft chin and broken nose. His face had a hint of red from it, he joked that it was from being angry all the time. Looking at the pictures I could easily tell that while their son Cormac gotten his father's largeness and hair, he inherited his mother's beauty. Personality wise, however, I cannot say but only guess (You know how I am at asserting men's personality and wealth, my dear). Dinner was quant. The food was good, the wine was better, and the company was interesting. Eli and I talked with no trouble, it was like one of our tea dates only with wine and some firewhiskey here and there as well as Tiberius's interjection every now and then. Julio was a quiet man at most times, he just sat and watched, his eyes shifting between his wife and older brother before settling on me. Myself being a good guest said, "I've heard that you work in the Ministry Julio, what type of work do you do?"

"Honest work," Julio said, his voice was deep but I could see his eyes shifting to his brother as he said that. "Nothing fancy like some lot."

"Come now brother it isn't bad," Tiberius chuckled. "Not all of us can grow to be best friends with the Minister by accident. How should I know that they've chose Rufus?"

"You don't," Julio said shortly.

Sensing the hostility, mostly on Julio's part, between them I turned the conversation to our sons. "I heard that your son is trying out for the Quidditch team for Gryffindor," I said.

"He should be on there already, but yes," Julio said. "Going to be a Keeper like me."

"But I thought their captain was already Keeper, at least according to what my son has told me," I've said.

Julio gave a loud snort. "That Potter boy? They only gave him the position because of his fame. My son is a better Keeper, I've made sure of it. Night and day we were out there practicing. I've thrown quaffles as hard as I could and he had to block them all."

"Please don't remind me of those days," Eli said cautiously.

"Broken bones make men tough," Julio said. "Makes them ready to live with their wives. What about your son, Zabini? I heard that he isn't on the Quidditch team."

"He isn't, and please call me Delilah," I said. "Blaise has interests that stray from playing Quidditch, though he loves watching them."

"Really? What interest does he have?" Tiberius asked me.

"For one," I said, "He is actually a skilled pianist. Though, that is natural since he takes after me in many aspects."

"He plays music," Julio grunted.

"Yes he does," I said. "Though he is also an accomplished potioneer. He recently got an 'Outstanding' on his Potions O.W.L.s."

"Congratulations, I'm sure you're very proud," Tiberius said.

"I am," I said. "I practically raised him myself."

"Wonder why," Julio grunted. "No offense Delilah, but I've heard the stories."

"Of my seven husbands?" I chuckled. "And their disappearances?"

"Exactly."

"Well, I can reinsure you that I am not a murderer," I laughed politely, taking another sip of my wine. My company laughed politely along with me. "I've had seven husbands, and most of them died on me. The first by a surprise case of dragon-pox, a few by old age, and one by accidently eating moonseed. It is pure bad luck that follows me, nothing more."

"Well, Delilah, you have my sympathies," Tiberius said, raising a glass. "I am sure that all of us here have suffered misfortunes."

"Some more than others," Julio grumbled under his breath, but the other two ignored him.

"Anyway Delilah, you have to tell me since you've hinted at it last time, but is your son dating anyone?" Eli leaned forward.

"Yes, does he have a girlfriend?" Julio asked.

"A girlfriend? No, my son doesn't like girls that way," I said. "Actually, he set his sights on one of the Potter twins; the Quidditch captain who's Keeper."

"So your son's a poof. …That's nice," Julio said sarcastically.

"Julio!"

"I said nothing wrong," Julio said. "Just repeating what she told us. Her son's a faggot like ours."

"Julio really to use such language—"

"It is okay Tiberius, I am sure he means no insult," I smiled. "Julio, is there something wrong with my son liking boys?"

"Something wrong? I find the whole thing down-right disgusting," Julio said. "They contribute nothing to our community at all! We're already small enough, we don't need their disgusting fairy ways making us shrink even more! No offense to your son, but homosexuals are disgusting abominations that should be locked in Azkaban. That or spelled to be the correct way. And if that doesn't word, they could always use the heavy hand." He waved his enormously gorilla-like hand for emphasis. "That's why our son's not a fag anymore. Hard hitting! Watch. Your son will just bring another fairy to your home and my son will bring in a beautiful wife. That's what I've drilled into him, you see, wives! He has to get one."

"I see…" I said, my dinner already spoiled. I looked down at it, but instead just took another sip of wine. Eli and Tiberius looked extremely nervous, as they should be. The man just insulted my son as well as their guest. Though by the way his head stated to turn red, I can safely guess that he either didn't notice or cared. "Your feelings are yours, Julio, as much as my feelings are mine," I said. "If my son does indeed bring home a boy that he said he wants to marry, I will be all the happy for him. As for the… procreation problem you've brought up, there are potions to fix that I believe, or at least there are potions in development, I only heard about it in passing, so really in the case of procreation there is virtually no difference. But, in order not to spoil dinner, can we agree to drop this talk of sexuality?"

"Fine. Not to spoil dinner," Julio said. His face was like a ruby now, a gorilla-faced ruby that glared at me with the intensity of the sun. I must commend Eli for her patience and forgiveness; this man would not last a single hour as my husband.

After this rather awkward conversation, Tiberius began telling us about his outings with the Minister. They were very enjoyable, but not as much as dear Julio's expressions. He did not laugh with myself and Eli, no he looked downright furious, a silent rage building inside him that only grew and grew with each bout of laughter from the three of us. It was at that time that I realized that Julio McLaggen, aside of suffering from a short temper, also seemed to have an inferiority complex with his brother. It makes sense. After all, his brother is a very successful and influential man who has a close relationship with the Minister of Magic; while Julio is… well… to use his words, an honest worker. We've retired to their drawing room after dinner where I've had a rather weak whiskey (thought Julio swore it was the strongest money could buy) and conversation inevitably turned back to our sons.

Julio seemed to have drank a bit too much this night (he kept having a drink whenever he felt rather inferior to his brother while Tiberius was telling us his adventures). His face was redder than when I first met the man, he swayed a bit as he walked, and when he talked there was a very slight slur of words. "I wanna talk about your son again," He said. "Blaise, right?"

"Correct," I said.

"You sure that you can't find him a nice girl? From your picture, he seems like a very good-looking boy," he said (I've showed them the picture from that gala we've went to during the summer). "I'm sure the girls are all over him. Why can't he just pick one of those?"

"I've raised my son to be a respectable man who choose very carefully," I've said.

"Funny, coming from you," he joked.

I gave him a small, tight smile. "I can assure you that I've felt for each of my husbands. I am a woman followed by tragedy when it comes to love."

"Tragedy that graces you with beautiful looks, Delilah," Tiberius flirted. I smiled nicely at him.

"Still… it has to be annoying, right? Knowing you'll never really get a girl in your family, unless the fairy acts like one," Julio said.

I've looked at Eli to see that she was just nursing her glass, keeping tight-lipped. It seems his drunken muses are a common trope in the household. Tiberius, bless his soul, tried to help. "Hey now, I'm sure that you don't mean it that way Julio," he said.

"I said nothing wrong," Julio insisted. "If her son is determined to be a poof, might as well bring a girly-looking fairy home. Not that our son's going to do that. I've told him to bring home a wife."

"Julio…" Eli began before stopping herself.

The feeling in the room was disastrous. It was as if Eli and Tiberius were walking on eggshells not to cause Julio to yell. I've looked outside and seen that it was quite late. I stood up and said, "It has been a very eventful night. Thank you very much Eli and Julio to invite me to your home. Tiberius, it was wonderful to meet you."

"We must meet again Delilah," Tiberius said standing. "Perhaps I could introduce you to Rufus? I am sure that he would love to meet a woman like you."

I laughed and said, "Me meeting the Minister? I am just a humble single-mother, Tiberius, but I will hold you on meeting up on a later date. Eli, I will see you tomorrow at the café. Goodnight everyone."

As soon as I closed the door behind me the yelling began. It was Julio, and he was yelling, and swearing, quite loudly at his wife. I tried my best to walk away normally and when I've returned home it was not soon enough. Eli and I met for tea the next day and it was then that she told me everything involving Julio and Cormac. She was crying the entire way, it was a hard sight, seeing her cry like that. Such a small and fragile-looking woman who looked lost and trapped.

"I love him Delilah, I can't leave him I love him. But that is not the man I married," she tearfully confessed. "When we were dating he was kind, he was sweet, he and Tiberius got along—I don't know what changed."

I summoned a tissue-box and gave it to her. She blew her nose too loudly and sniffled. "He hates our son," she said. "He and Cormac will protest otherwise but I know that Julio hates him. He hates him for having a close relationship with Tiberius, and he hates him for being gay. Julio's an old-fashioned type of man. He believes that 'men should be men and women should be woman.' Obviously, in his eyes, homosexuals go against this. When Cormac was born, Julio had this long plan for him. He would grow to be a strong man like him, he would bring home a wife on his last year at Hogwarts and be the successful breadwinner for the family while the wife stays home. Cormac was raised believing this. I had no job at the time, and I still don't, so it was hard for me to prove him otherwise. I am so thankful that Tiberius swooped the boy and showed him the outside world enough time that the idea didn't stay in his head. But Julio kept insisting. Cormac's going to bring home a girlfriend on his final year at Hogwarts, and that girl is going to become his wife.

"When Cormac came out when he was fourteen… neither of us slept. Julio didn't yell at Cormac, he didn't scream or shot. He just stared at him and said 'My son isn't a filthy abomination. You're going to bring home a wife in your final year.' That was the only time I yelled at Julio. I yelled and I screamed at him as Cormac cried. But Julio was having none of that. He… he smacked Cormac's head and said, 'My son isn't going to be an abomination. Man up.' Those Quidditch practices he gave Cormac? Julio was throwing the ball too roughly, too fast for Cormac. He always did. He broke Cormac's arms and legs that way, on separate occasions. As he grew older I saw that my son was… he wasn't acting the way he is. He tried to show me confidence, tried to be the man Julio wanted him to be, but I could see through him. No my son was hurting, and I can't do anything about it. I mean I couldn't divorce Julio! I still love him, and what would divorcing Julio do to Tiberius's job? He's been our saving grace this entire time! Sometimes… sometimes I think I've married the wrong McLaggen. He kept hitting Cormac, hurting my son whenever he suspected his 'fairyness' was showing. When I found Cormac's shirts that he was hiding, I guessed that that was his way of rebelling against Julio, his way of… his way of showing Julio that he isn't going to follow him. I tried to hide them the best I could, but Julio found them and… he punched Cormac until his entire chest was black and blue."

She was crying openly by now, she kept reaching for tissue after tissue to dry her eyes only to rewet them with more tears.

"I'm a failure of a mother! I just know it! He—he was hurting, is hurting and—and I did nothing!"

"There, there, this is not your fault," I said.

"Not my fault? My son is broken! He is obsessed to find a wife or else Julio will—oh god! You should have seen him the night before Hogwarts started. He was trembling and crying in his room about finding a wife. I should have stopped it but I didn't, it's my fault as much as Julio's!" she yelled out.

Not knowing what to do I just leaned forward and held her hand as she cried. I must admit that I was horrid to find out how Julio treated his son, but after meeting the man I was not surprised. He's brash, violent, temperamental, and extremely old-fashioned. His anger seemed to be on a hair-trigger and any mention of his son not doing what he wanted sets it off. I comforted Eli and reinsured her that Cormac's upbringing was not her fault, and that it could have been a lot worse if it wasn't for Tiberius. When she finished crying, which took some time, she looked at me and whispered, "Everything my son does is for Julio. I'm scared that he doesn't have any ambitions of his own."

"I am sure that he does," I said. "For one, doesn't he have that collection of transparent shirts?"

"Those are more for rebelling against Julio," Eli said. "I'm talking about the future. His dreams; his aspirations. All of them were Julio's… and mine. I don't know if Cormac has any of his own. I just want the best for my son but… I don't know what that is."

"Neither do any parent," I said. "It is not the parent's job to tell the child what to do in the future, but just to guide them and hope that they find their way." I hope that you remember this Blaise, for it is true.

"But Cormac tells us nothing," Eli said. "He's… everything he likes he hides form us. I don't even know how to talk to him anymore."

"I am sure that time will fix this Eli," I said.

"I just don't want to lose him Delilah," Eli said. I comforted her again and she thanked me for listening to her woes.

As I said, I've met with Julio only a couple of times after meeting him for dinner. Once was at a recital the Ministry held that doubled as another warning sessions against Death Eaters.

Tiberius invited me and the four of us shared a table with the Minister himself and the Auror Kingsley Shaklebolt. Julio said nothing to me, but from his sharp looks I could tell that he still held a great dislike for me. When I talked about you and your potential love life with the older Potter twin, everyone was impressed (especially the Minister) but Julio just glared daggers at me and muttered something under his breath that nobody but I noticed. I've tried to gain some more information about Cormac from the Minister and Tiberius, hopefully something that might hint at the awful things Eli confessed to me, but it seems that they've hid it well. The abuse was a family matter, so it stayed in the family.

Tiberius gotten a letter from Cormac, which infuriated Julio, he shown me this when we were alone at the table. It was about Cormac's encounter with Harry Potter. He first stated that he acted confidently in front of his friends, but the rest of the letter must stay between them. Cormac feels complete regret. He wanted to keep things slow, they were to just try on clothes during their first date (those transparent clothing which somehow holds a sexual appeal. You must explain those to me this Christmas when you and Draco come home). But quite quickly he found out that Harry could get into heats and that he accidently went too far too fast. "Stupid teenagers doing stupid things," Tiberius sighed, and frankly I agree with him. You've read the book I've gave you about heats and the side effects it has on men who activates them, accidently or not. Cormac's letter was nothing but regret and worriment. Worry about what would happen if Julio finds out, and regret that he ruined all his changes with a boy he seemed to have a serious crush on. The letter made me pine for Cormac and wanted to help the poor boy get out of this situation, but now I am being bias, am I? But I am sorry to say Blaise, that this is the truth you are dealing with.

Cormac McLaggen is a product of child abuse based on sexuality and interests. His disastrous first date with Harry Potter was just that, a disastrous date. He accidently set off the boy's heat (which I am both impressed and surprised to see that Harry is one of those. They are extremely rare Blaise, and must be handle with caution unless the heat entraps you. That is, of course, if the older brother is like the younger), and fell to a lustful spell that coupled with his anxious obsession to find a female wife. From the letter, he regrets his actions to the strongest degree and is utterly lost on what to do. Tiberius gave him the advice of telling Harry Potter the truth and apologize to him, but I now fear of what you and Draco will do now that you hold information that is supposed to be a familial matter.

I hope, and trust, that you and Draco will pick the right decision, a decision that I refuse to tell you based on my trust of you Blaise. This is all the information that I can gather about the sorry case of Cormac McLaggen and his family's broken, terrible secret. The rest is up for you and Draco to decide. And before you make that decision, please think of the feelings and mental states of all individuals involved.

I know that you will make the right decision.

Love,

Your mother.

Draco and Blaise looked at each other. They looked down at the letter again and reread it a couple of times over, absorbing every fact, memorizing every detail. Finally they looked up and Draco said, "It seems that McLaggen is a simple abuse case with many things to hide."

"Things that would kill him if his friends and family were to learn about his true self," Blaise said.

"Your mother is warning us against our plan, you know," Draco said.

"I know."

"But I'm not backing down. What is that saying? 'All is fair in love and war.' And right now, I am at war with Cormac McLaggen," Draco said. Blaise gave an approving nod. "It doesn't matter if he activated Harry's heat. He's in the wrong anyway! Harry is mine; it was supposed to be me who activated his head."

"Cormac did a terrible thing," Blaise said. "And I think it's time to pay him a visit."

They've made their way to the Great Hall for dinner. The hall was already filled with students eating so nobody paid them any mind or sense as the two Slytherins came in. They sat down at their usual places at the Slytherin Table and smiled at the Potter Twins when they saw that they were staring at them. Draco pulled out a small roll of parchment and wrote a small note telling McLaggen to meet them after dinner in the courtyard outside the entrance hall. They ate their dinner with an enthusiastic glee at the thought of confronting Cormac. Finally, Draco thought, the moron will leave Harry alone.

Dinner moved quickly for them and Blaise and Draco were the first ones to get up and leave the Great Hall. They went into the courtyard and waited. It was a cloudy night but the moonlight peaked through every now and then. They waited in the middle of the courtyard, shuffling from foot to foot as they waited for their victim to appear. Blaise held the letter in his hand tightly as the doors opened ten minutes later and Cormac McLaggen appeared. "Where are you? Why'd you put dungbombs on me?"

"Hello McLaggen! We want to talk with you," Draco said.

"Malfoy? Is that you? What is Zabini doing here as well?" McLaggen said.

Draco smirked. "We want to talk with you, specifically we want you to stay away from Harry."

"Why would I do that? I have a crush on him," Cormac said.

"Because Cormac," Blaise said. "We know about your past. If you don't leave Harry alone, we'll let Daddy Julio McLaggen know about you and Harry."

Cormac stared at them, his skin growing pale. "You…"

"I mean, first he found your shirts… which caused you getting a bad licking didn't it?" Blaise asked, opening the letter. "Who knows how angry he'll be if he learns that you A) Wanted to date a boy and B) accidently set off this boy's heat! That would be for a nasty hurting, wouldn't it Draco?"

"It would Blaise," Draco nodded.

Cormac moved faster than either of them could see. He gripped Blaise by the throat and pushed him against the wall. "Don't you dare," He said tearfully, his face red. "Don't you even think about it."

"Why not Cormac?" Blaise gagged. "Afraid Daddy'll hit you hard for not finding a wife? Man you're pathetic."

Cormac felt a hand on his shoulder and was pushed, hard, away from Blaise and onto the floor. The shock of hitting the floor triggered something inside him and he broke down. He screamed incoherently as fat tears fell from his eyes and streaked across his red face. He stared at Draco and Blaise. "Fuck you!" he screamed. "Fuck you! You don't know how hard it is! Hiding myself from my dad! Hiding who I am from him! And during all of this—he insists—orders me to get a wife! Get a wife by the end of seventh year or I'm gone! Get a wife at the end of seventh year or I'm disinherited! You don't have fathers as bat-shit crazy as he is! You don't have fathers who constantly beat you and tell you that it is all part of being a man! You don't have SHIT to worry about!

"I fucked up! I know it! I fucked up with Harry! I trigged his FUCKING HEAT! BUT AT LEAST NOW I'M TRYING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! I'M TRYING TO TAKE FUCKING RESPONSIBILITY! … When I heard that Harry and that other guy joked about Harry being his wife I broke! I thought that this was my way out of my father's influence! I fucked up, I moved too fast, and now I'm trying to take responsibility! I'm trying to say sorry to Harry, but every time I get close I hear my father's voice again and I break down again! I just want to say sorry to Harry! I just want to explain—is that too fucking hard? I'm not a fucking monster—I just fucked up! And I'm trying to take fucking responsibility!"

Cormac looked hysterically his breathing was fast, his tears fell fully coating his red cheeks with salty water. He looked as if he was hyperventilating as he started coughing between his sad, loud, mournful cries. Draco and Blaise just stared at the boy in front of them and steeled their hearts until they became icy cold. Draco walked up to Cormac and patted him on the back. "It's okay, it's okay," he said. "I know exactly how to fix your problem."

"You do?" Cormac cried, looking up. He never looked so small and weak as he does so in this moment.

"Yeah… just pretend you're straight, get a girl, any girl, and show her to your father. Leave Harry alone. Harry isn't yours, he's mine. He is my boyfriend you see, we met first and I placed my claim on him first. This isn't about you Cormac, this is about Harry and me. This really isn't your story, is it? No, no I don't think so. You can cry and bitch all you want about your father, but you're not the only ones with bad fathers. So stay away from Harry. If you don't, your father will learn exactly how much of a 'fairy' you are," Draco said coldly.

He stood up and walked out of the courtyard and back into the castle. Blaise followed him. Cormac was soon alone, still curled on the floor. The winds picked up; the rain began but Cormac didn't move. Time flown as the castle's occupants went to their warm beds and dreamed sweet dreams. Somewhere in Gryffindor Tower Harry slept with James in their bed, both boys dreaming of their sweet dates with two Slytherins. Cormac McLaggen just cried. His tears mingled with the rain as his robes gotten soaked. He just cried and continued to cry until he felt any and all emotions drain his body, leaving him as a ghost in a shell.