The Bloody Ashikabi

by Arawn D. Draven

When the Dursleys go to Japan, Dudley accidentally activates a security in MBI's locals that kill them. Now, what will MBI and Karasuba do with the child they found when they checked the Dursleys' car? Rated M for mention of torture and child abuse, and future language and gore. There will be some Dumbledore, Potters, and some Weasley Alive!Potters [DISCONTINUED]

26. Chapter 26-Happy reunions, or not

Hello everyone, here is the last chapter of the Bloody Ashikabi! (the last, as in the last one I have finished at the moment, the story is still far from finished, don't worry)!

Anyway, this chapter was quite hard to write, as will the next ones, since I am not entirely certain I managed to make the characters' actions believable. I guess it will come down to whether or not you, my dear readers, think so.

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I don't own Harry Potter or Sekirei

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25

Happy reunions, or not

The first thing that Homura had thought upon seeing the castle of Hogwarts for the first time was: BIG. Even if the building lacked the refinement that could be seen in traditional Japanese castles, it most certainly made up for it by being the very definition of a fortress. Its' large frame towered above everything around it, as if it had been dropped where it now stood by some forgotten God. Several towers stretched high in the air, while the main building could easily have housed several large gyms by itself. It was MASSIVE, built to be sturdy and last for countless years, to protect the students it housed in its' halls.

The castle's grounds were also far bigger than she had expected, stretching for miles around it, covering the Forbidden Forest, the wizard village of Hogsmeade, and housing countless sentient or semi-sentient creatures, although she wasn't in any hurry to meet any of them. From what she had learnt through the books Harry had purchased for her, or that she had bought herself, most magical creatures tended to be either completely inoffensive for the average human, or incredibly deadly. And from what she knew of Britain, most of the creatures found in the wilderness belonged to the "unpleasant" category.

Next to her, Takami was looking around, and eventually blew a cloud of smoke, looking very unhappy. Homura could understand her, she herself wasn't exactly feeling very happy or forgiving at the moment, and the total lack of any security measures told her volumes of how competent whoever was charged of the Tournament's security was. She was even afraid of asking if there was someone charged with the security, given what she had heard, and what she had learnt from Harry's explanations, was that British wizards sadly lacked common sense. Of course, there was still the possibility of some form of invisible wards, but she seriously doubted that such a thing had been implemented, given that they had been walking up to the castle for several minutes, and had yet to see anyone stopping them.

"Ne, Harry-chan, what's that?" asked Karasuba, pointing at the edge of the forest.

Looking to where she was pointing, Homura blinked when she realized that a horse…thing was staring at them with wide, milky white eyes. It looked like some kind of black, skeletal horse, with, oddly enough, chiropteran wings folded on the sides of its' body. The entire creature was rather eerie, and Homura didn't know if she should feel creeped out by its' appearance, or pity it, for it was clearly not eating enough.

"That's a Thestral. Do you see it, Takami?" asked Harry.

"Of course I see it." huffed the scientist. "I may not have the same eyesight as you, but I'm not blind."

"Seeing it has nothing to do with being blind or not, Takami. If I were to show this Thestral to any of the students inside Hogwarts, they would likely ask me why I'm showing them empty air. Only people who have seen someone die can actually see them, and this, coupled with their creepy appearance, gives them a rather bad reputation. Most witches and wizards think that they are bad omens because of that."

Takami seemed to still at that, and Homura could see the scientist give Harry a grief-filled stare. She knew that the geneticist still loathed herself for taking whatever of Harry's innocence had been left at the time when she had sent him to rescue Musubi and Kaho, but they both knew that even if the Incident hadn't happened, that he would have still killed someone sooner or later. It was obvious that Karasuba would not have let her at the time protégé live without teaching him how to kill people, and considering how things had turned out, Homura was even willing to believe that Harry wasn't as bad as he would have been, had he not gone to Kamikura Island. If he hadn't killed those men, it was likely that Karasuba would have made sure to make him into another psychopath like her. Even now, despite looking and acting as if he was normal, Homura knew that her Ashikabi was nowhere near normal.

She was brought out of her musings when she realized that the Thestral from before was slowly making its' way towards them, and that an entire herd of the creatures was following it. Most of them were staring unblinkingly at the group, although by the way they seemed to be looking, they were specifically staring at both Harry and Karasuba.

"Go ahead, Takami, Homura. We won't be long." said Harry, as Karasuba was already taking steps towards the herd, grinning like a loon. Homura had no idea what the Black Sekirei was thinking, and she was not stupid enough to want to know, the least she knew about her psychopathic senior's thoughts, the better. Besides, given what she knew of Albus Dumbledore, she would rather avoid leaving Takami alone with the man, as she did not trust the old wizard one bit.

-Break-

Harry watched as Karasuba petted the Thestrals, who, for some reason, seemed to be utterly fascinated with the grey-haired Sekirei. Then again, if they were related in some way to death, then they couldn't not notice that the Black Sekirei was almost cloaked in death. Even if she had murdered a lot less people than before since she had become his Sekirei, the amount of people she had sent to an early grave was staggering, and would be enough to fill several cemeteries on its' own. In fact, he himself could be called a mass-murderer, as the number of his victims could be counted in dozens, even though said amount paled next to the hundreds of corpses littering Karasuba's road.

A slight nip made him look down. A young Thestral was bumping his (or hers, he wasn't really sure) head against his hands, as if asking to be petted. The gesture strangely reminded him of Rin, whom they had left in Japan, although the skeletal-looking creatures had little in common with the Bakeneko. With a sigh, he petted the animal, which made it give out a surprising purr-like noise, its' wings fluttering at its' sides, and its' tail swinging back and forth. It felt surprisingly good to be able to connect to an animal, even if said animal was quite creepy-looking by normal standards, although Harry rather liked their appearance, since he had a tendency to be slightly, if not completely morbid sometimes.

Looking back at the Black Sekirei, he was surprised to see her smiling far more naturally than what he was used to. Then again, she had never really been able to interact with animals, as most seemed to sense her nature as a predator and a killer, making them flee before she could even touch them. Even Rin avoided Karasuba like the plague, and she was far more intelligent than average, non-magical animals. He watched as her fingers softly touched the leather-like skin of the adult Thestrals, a bit surprised by how accepting the herd was, as he had read that while they could be domesticated, the ominous-looking creatures hardly took to people they had never met, and never so fast. Then again, with Karasuba having being surrounded by death for a long time, perhaps they thought she was like them?

While he and Karasuba were petting the Thestrals, who seemed to relish in the attention, Akitsu stood a few feet away, not wishing to approach the sickly-looking creatures more than she already had. He was fine with it, as their aspect was quite creepy, and while he knew that the brunette would never let looks alone dictate her actions towards a living creature, she was still liable to feel unnerved every now and then, even if she barely showed it. The sickly aspect of the Thestrals was something she apparently didn't like too much, as while neither he or Karasuba were creeped out by the reptilian horses, the Ice Sekirei did not have the same taste as them when it came to things.

As he petted the Thestrals, he kept his attention focused on the bond with Homura, who had just entered the castle, with Takami apparently stopping a fight between a blonde teen whom he recognized as the son of Lucius Malfoy, an "Imperiused" Death Eater, and, to his surprise, his biological sister, who had seemingly ended up in Slytherin. He had read about it of course, but it was a surprise for him to see it confirmed, since all those born in the Potter family had ended in Gryffindor for at least seven generations. Granted, Dorea Potter, his grandmother, had been a Slytherin, but she had been a Black, so it wasn't really surprising. He wasn't one to promote the "all those born in the X family will end in this House" attitude seen in some of the old families, but considering how the parents of those same families tended to push their children towards the House they themselves had been in, it was rare to see someone ending in another House.

Seeing that things were going to go South very soon, he called Karasuba, the Black Sekirei grinning in anticipation as they left the herd, and started walking towards the castle at a rapid pace. While Harry was confident Homura would be able to protect Takami in most situations, he didn't trust the people inside the castle one bit, especially considering that most were mere pawns of Albus Dumbledore, or listened to the old man. He loathed the old wizard, both due to his own experiences and to Tom's memories. What kind of "caring" teacher sent back a student begging them to not send them back home? The man's carelessness had been one of the reasons Tom had started delving into the Dark Arts, as he was the one person the, at the time young man, had idolized. To be so blatantly ignored, disregarded had hardened him, made him twisted and cruel, when he could still have been redeemed had the old man cared.

His hand gripped the hilt of his nodachi tightly. He was aware that killing the British's most emblematic figure would land him in a world of trouble, but he wasn't sure that he would be able to refrain from doing so when faced with the bastard. His hatred of the man had never diminished, in fact it had only grown over the years, when he had witnessed how completely inept he was, yet despite his incompetence he still clung to his positions of power, when any reasonable person would have realized that it was time for them to retire.

A feeling of anticipation trickled through the bond, and he glanced at Karasuba, who gave him an unrepentant, bloodthirsty grin. Of course, his oldest Sekirei wouldn't mind if he killed the old goat-fucker, since it would likely allow her to have fun slaughtering the British wizards and witches. Truth be told, if he listened to himself, there would most likely be a bloodbath, but since Homura and Takami wouldn't approve, he refrained. That, and the knowledge that killing off too much magic users would be enough to risk having trouble following him. While he didn't fear mundane people, magic users were terribly underhanded and vicious when they wanted to, one only had to look at the history of a few of the oldest families to know about the poisonings, underhanded schemes, or political maneuvering they had used to crush their enemies. He had no wish to paint a target on his back, as while he didn't mind dying, he knew that his Sekirei would sacrifice themselves before letting anything happen to him, even Karasuba, and he couldn't bear the thought of losing a single one of them.

Still, he would freely admit that he was so going to keep the memories of Takami bitch-slapping Dumbledore in a pensieve to watch them again and again.

-Break-

The silence was deafening, as those present stared in complete shock at the young man who claimed to be Harry Potter. Several things were ringing alarm bells in the heads of those who had enough detachment to actually observe the newcomer, things that made his claim to be the lost Boy-Who-Lived quite shaky. For one, everyone knew that Harry Potter was fourteen, yet he looked like he was in his late teens, perhaps seventeen or eighteen, quite a few years older than who he claimed to be. Then, there was the fact that his hair was a different color than the inky black it was supposed to be, and he wore it long. The Wizardry World had few men willing to have long hair, as most found it made them look more effeminate, one of the notable exceptions being Lucius Malfoy. Although some rumors circulated about the Malfoy Lord that made the reason behind his effeminate looks quite obvious. Finally, the mismatched eyes glaring at the staff were not of the good color. While one was indeed a deep green, the other was a deep purple, a color that reminded a few of those who knew her of Bellatrix Lestrange.

The first one to react was Lily Potter, who stormed towards the newcomer, her wand out and sparks angrily erupting from its' tip. Those present winced at the obvious anger she was showing, as most knew not to antagonize the redhead, lest they wished to be faced with a witch that made most grown men quake in their robes.

"How DARE you claim to be my son?! You don't look anything like James or me, and you are too old! Does it amuse you to toy with my family's feelings?! ANSWER ME!"

She would have stepped closer to the impostor claiming to be her son had she not suddenly found herself with a blade at her throat, courtesy of the sadistically grinning woman, while the woman with the scandalously revealing dress had suddenly stepped forward, a wand having suddenly appeared in her hand, pointing straight at her face.

The temperature suddenly started to drop, until her breath came out in clouds, while she stared, dumbfounded, at the weapons placed inches away from her skin. While earlier the brown-haired woman had seemed almost sleepy, her eyes had now narrowed down to slits, staring her down with incredible anger, as if Lily had somehow greatly offended her.

When she spoke, her voice was a mere whisper, but the threat in her words was far, far too real.

"Do not threaten Harry-sama."

The phrase was short, but managed to convey just how serious the young woman was, and Lily found herself shivering, although she tried to convince herself it was because of the sudden drop in temperature. Lily was no stranger to dangerous witches, she had seen her fair share in her life, especially so during the war, and fortunately, many of the most formidable witches she knew were on the Light's side. However, she knew of a fair few Dark Witches, and the one above them all, Bellatrix Lestrange, was eerily similar in her absolute devotion to her master to the woman with a wand at her face. And the one holding a blade at her neck was even more similar to the insane witch, what with the similar sadistic grins and confident gait.

Seeing that tension was quickly rising, Dumbledore stepped forward, a grandfatherly smile on his face.

"Now, now, perhaps we could take this to my office?" offered the old man. "I do believe that we are disturbing the students."

For a moment, Lily saw the young man who claimed to be her son glare at the Headmaster with utter hatred, startling her by how different his face looked when he did so. And then his hateful expression was replaced with a blank mask, too fast for those who hadn't been paying close attention to notice the flash of anger that had shown on his face.

"Fine by me." Said the Muggle woman, who blew a cloud of smoke out of her mouth, looking as if she was expecting the upcoming discussion to be anything but pleasant.

All eyes turned to look at "Harry", as well as the women by his side, who had yet to move, still having their wand and blade pointed at Lily. The fire the first woman had created had disappeared at this point, meaning that they were the only two being openly hostile, and from what Lily could gather from their attitudes, it would be quite hard to calm them down. The brunette, from what the Potter Matriarch had been able to piece together, had an obsession with the man claiming to be her son, almost on par with the one Bellatrix Lestrange had had with Voldemort. Given what had happened earlier, she was almost certain she had made an enemy out of her, and if she was anything like the Dark Witch, then she could hold a grudge for a long time.

The other woman though, actually scared her. If the brunette showed loyalty on par with Bellatrix's, the swordswoman seemed to show the same bloodthirsty, and insane nature, which made her all the more dangerous. The dress-wearing woman might be reasonable, the skirt-wearing one not very much so. In fact, if the impression she was getting was right, then she might start a fight in the middle of the entrance to the Great Hall simply for the fun of it

Several tenses moments later, the wand aimed at her suddenly disappeared, the brunette woman having stepped back behind "Harry", resuming her earlier position, with nothing showing that moments earlier she had been threatening her. The blade stuck next to her throat, however, didn't move.

"Karasuba." Said the young man, looking at the now named woman with something akin to irritation. "Not now."

For several moments, their gazes met, and Lily was stupefied by what seemed to be communicated between the pair. This kind of silent communication was something even she, after all her years of marriage with James, still struggled with. For people so young to be able to communicate so well without a need for words meant that they were very familiar with each other's thoughts patterns, and trusted each other's judgment. What kind of relationship did they have, for them to trust each other that much?

Eventually, the woman grinned, and withdrew her blade, sheathing it with an ease that spoke of long practice as she gazed at "Harry" with predatory eyes as she licked her lips.

"Well then," the scientist's voice seemed to break the silence, "lead the way, Dumbledore."

-Break-

Dumbledore's office was what one would expect for the working place of a man dubbed as "the second coming of Merlin", and hailed as a prodigy, who knew more magic than half the British magical population put together. Libraries were everywhere, filled to the brim with books on every subject of magic one could think of, and what little space was not invaded by books was taken by shelves covered in odd contraptions that spun, whistled, or did just about anything one could think of. Although when Harry looked around, he had to refrain from just killing the old man where he stood, for he recognized quite a few of the odd silver contraptions on one of the shelves, and they were designed specifically to monitor a person keyed to them. Given that he highly doubted the old wizard kept tabs on random people, and that the contraptions weren't working, he was led to believe they had been used to monitor him, of all people.

A wave of unaltered hatred swept through him, as he glared at the back of the man who was currently heading to his throne-like chair. So, not only had the fool dumped him with people who wanted nothing to do with him in the first place, cast Blood Wards around the house without even properly understanding what he was doing, bound a large part of his magic, but he had also been monitoring him? He was fortunate that none of the contraptions he had seen could give detailed reports, merely general ideas of a person's state, or he would have killed the old man on the spot, damn the consequences, for it would have meant he had known about Harry's life at the Dursleys, but had done nothing. As it was, all he could gather from the no-longer working contraptions was Harry's general health, level of magic, and location.

Feeling a soft feeling on his arm, he looked to see that Akitsu had grabbed his arm and dragged it so that it rested in her cleavage, not looking at all bothered by what most women would see as an incredibly intimate action. She had obviously felt his state of mind, and was trying to calm him down, although she was doing so in typical Akitsu fashion. She knew he liked her breasts, as he often rested his head on them whenever they were cuddling or spending time together in the bathroom or after sex, and she probably thought that the feeling would help him calm down. She was mildly successful at least, as he no longer felt the urge to gut the old bastard sitting behind his desk.

Looking around the office, he also noticed the perch of a crimson and golden bird, who was staring at him with unnervingly sharp eyes. He really hoped that the phoenix wouldn't try singing, as he had little doubt that the famed effects of its' song would affect Karasuba, and probably himself, quite badly. He held no illusion that he was a bad person, since he had murdered, maimed, or in a few cases, tortured more than a few people. There was no way that he'd be able to not react to the effects of the song, and that would open a can of worms he'd rather avoid opening for the moment.

Aside from his group, Dumbledore, and the Potters, were present Severus Snape, the man openly sneering at him, while Minerva McGonagall was standing next to the seated Headmaster. A part of his mind, fed with Tom's memories, noticed that the old man had only invited his most trusted pawns aside from his group, showing that he was trying to gather information.

"Now then, do please sit. While we need to verify your claims, there is no need to remain standing." Smiled the elderly wizard.

Takami made to seat herself, but before she could do so, he grabbed her arm. At her questioning look, he quickly shook his head, taking out his wand and waving it, transfiguring the chairs Dumbledore had summoned into comfortable armchairs, while at the same time getting rid of the spells woven into them. It seemed that while he no longer tried the trick on Hermione, he had no qualms using it on an unknown party.

Once he nodded to Takami, the scientist seated herself, while he sank in one of the other armchairs. Instead of using them, however, Akitsu sat herself on one of the armrests of his own seat, while Karasuba took the other. This made the eyes of several of the people present narrow, especially Lily's and McGonagall's, who seemed to think he was some kind of sexist pig. Then again, both women had spent most of their lives in a society where the morals were stuck somewhere in the nineteenth century at best, meaning that they saw almost any display of female flesh as obscene.

"Now then, since everyone is now seated, perhaps we could get to the bottom of this matter. Lemon drop?" jovially asked the Headmaster, gesturing to a bowl full of yellow sweets.

Said sweets, Harry happened to know thanks to a discreet analysis made by Hermione, were in fact soaked in a mixture of calming draughts and mild compulsion potions. It wasn't quite a violation of privacy, as there was no "true" truth serum in them, but an unsuspecting student would undoubtedly be tempted to be completely honest with the old man, even if there were things they didn't want to say.

"No, thank you. I'd rather get this done as quickly as possible, I am a very busy woman, and I would rather get back to work as soon as possible."

Dumbledore nodded, before taking one of the sweets and plopping into his mouth. He then leant forward, his face serious.

"Very well. I hope you understand that claiming you are Harry Potter will not be enough to convince us that you are indeed James and Lily's son, especially since you look nothing like either of your supposed parents. Do you have any proof that you are indeed who you claim to be?"

Harry glared at the old man, his mismatched eyes showing a bare glimpse of the hatred he truly felt. It wouldn't do to have the old coot on his back, trying to convince him to act for his "Greater Good", which would undoubtedly happen if he indeed proved he was their "Boy-Who-Lived". On the other hand, the Goblins had helped him understand the Goblet of Fire far better than most, and unfortunately, he had no choice but to participate in the Tournament unless he wanted to die.

It was quite sad that the Goblins, who had only examined the Goblet once or twice, knew more about its' workings than the wizards, who had been the one to create it. It showed that as a whole, the British magic users tended to not bother understanding how something worked, so long as it worked how they wanted, and that they understood its' limits. The Goblet did not merely choose a name based on criteria such as magical strength or intellect, it could also link someone's magical signature to them no matter how much said signature had been changed or dampened. In fact, so long as it had a magical signature to use, it would create a binding contract with the person, no matter the name set on the paper it spat out. Someone could have done just about anything to change their magic signature, yet the Goblet would still be able to determine it was their own and bind them. The Goblins had explained it supported the notion of what the Humans called the Akashic Record, a place where everything, past, present and future, was written. Somehow, the wizards had found a way to have the Goblet connect to that Record, creating the ultimate tool to bind someone, no matter where or how powerful they were. It was truly saddening that an artifact that could potentially be gravely misused was used as a mere judge of character for a competition that nobody outside of Europe cared for.

Back to the matter at hand, it meant that the faint hope he had held that his disowned status and changed name would be enough to allow him to reject the contract of the Goblet was void, and that he had to compete.

Taking out his wand, he waved it once.

"I swear on my life and magic that I was born Harry James Potter, so mote it be."

A brief flash of light illuminated the room, showing that the oath had taken effect. Waving his wand once again, a book started floating, and Lily Potter gasped, looking at him with wide, tear-filled eyes.

"H-Harry?" she choked, looking unable to believe that her son was indeed sitting feet away from her.

She was not the only who seemed shocked, her husband was looking at Harry with something akin to stupefaction, while the others' reactions were more subdued. McGonagall only widened her eyes, while Snape looked like he had swallowed something particularly nasty. Dumbledore, for his part was smiling grandfatherly and his eyes were twinkling in a manner that made Harry want to punch him.

"HARRY!" shrieked the redhead, launching herself at him, only for him to quickly lean out of the way, making her miss him and close her arms on empty air. "Harry?" she asked, looking back at the young man who had avoided her hug.

"It's Mr. Minaka to you, Lady Potter." He drawled, his eyes glaring at the older woman with open contempt and hatred, making her flinch and tear up.

"Harry! Show some respect to your mother!" scowled his biological father, only to earn himself a sneer.

"I'll start showing either of you respect the day it freezes in Hell, you imbecile!" he hissed, his anger finally getting the better of him. "Respect? Why should I respect either of you, when you abandoned me?"

"We didn't abandon you!" hastily denied Lily, looking hurt by his anger. "We only wanted to keep you safe!"

"By leaving him with people who hated him? You have a funny notion of "safe", Lady Potter." Scowled Takami, taking a deep breath of her cigarette.

Lily Potter turned to glare at the scientist. He had no idea of what was going through the redhead's head, but she obviously didn't like Takami, although why she didn't like the scientist was a mystery to him.

'She's jealous, Harry-chan.' Crowed the mental voice of the Black Sekirei. 'Poor Lily Potter thinks Takami is the one who raised you, so she feels threatened as a mother.' She snickered.

"Who are you, anyway? And what is your relationship with my son?"

Her voice was cold, and perhaps she expected the geneticist to feel frightened or cower, since Lily Potter had a reputation as a very dangerous witch in the British magical society. She had no idea that Takami Sahashi was far, far more terrifying that she could ever be, and this, without even being able to use magic. More importantly, the redhead had nothing on a pissed Miya, which was something the scientist had more than a little experience with, meaning that her attempts to be intimidating were less than likely to work on the Japanese woman.

A cough from Dumbledore interrupted what would certainly have been a very scathing retort from Takami.

"Indeed, perhaps introductions are in order. You have already met your parents, James and Lily Potter." Smiled Dumbledore, making Harry's brows twitch. He hated the old man's smile, and would have given anything to be able to wipe it from his face, preferably by the means of a good old punch to the face. Unfortunately, for the moment he couldn't afford to do so, but he consoled himself with the knowledge that he would be able to pay the old coot back tenfold during the Tasks.

"Next, we have Minerva McGonagall, Hogwarts' Deputy Headmistress, the Head of House Gryffindor, and our Transfiguration teacher. She is also a very close friend to your parents."

The stern-looking witch gave him a rather weak smile, showing that she was still rather unsure of what to make of his reappearance.

"And finally we have Severus Snape, the Head of House Slytherin, and our Potions' teacher."

Snape sneered at him, and he merely returned a blank stare at the man. He knew everything there was to know about the man's infatuation with his biological mother, as well as his rivalry with James Potter, and quite frankly he was disappointed by the man. Sure, to have the woman you loved choose your nemesis over yourself hurt, but even if it did hurt, said choice had been partially due to Snape's own mistakes, yet the man was still very bitter about it, and clung to his old crush like a limpet. If he had manned up and bothered to work on himself, both on his appearance (i.e his greasy hair), and on his behavior, there was little doubt that he would have found a woman to love him. He wasn't ugly, more odd and severe-looking, but such looks did attract some women, and he could have had a satisfying love life instead of living in the past had he truly tried to.

"As for me, I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts." Smiled the old man.

He pointedly ignored him, since he was well aware of that fact. As they looked at the women at his side expectantly, he waited for them to introduce themselves.

"I'm Takami Sahashi. I'm here in place of Harry's guardian, since he's very busy and can't leave his work."

"Karasuba." Grinned the Black Sekirei, licking her lips and grinning at the way the people present seemed to scowl at her, especially Lily Potter and McGonagall.

"Homura." Waved the Fire Sekirei, looking a bit uncomfortable. She had never been one to like awkward atmospheres, so it was understandable.

As all eyes fell on her, Akitsu didn't seem very interested in introducing herself, although she made a point to hug his arm to her chest, a rather possessive gesture that made Lily Potter scowl even harder, while James Potter could only gape at the action. It took Harry nudging her to have her introduce herself, in a very soft voice.

"Ah…Akitsu."

Dumbledore seemed to be deep in thought, staring at them, before finally speaking.

"Now then, since you have proven yourself to be our Boy-Who-Lived, there-"

"One moment." He cut, garnering surprised looks from the assembled magic users. "You will stop using that asinine title when you speak about me, right now." He ordered. "I don't give a fuck about what the idiots of your society came up with, but I did not defeat Voldemort."

"Nonsense!" smiled Dumbledore, "I can assure you-"

"I don't care about what you can assure me, Dumbledore. A toddler vanquishing a trained wizard is a ridiculous idea, and even if it did happen, it was more than likely an accident, not something I consciously did, or the work of a higher power. It only serves to prove how pitiful British wizards are when they praise a toddler for doing what they have been unable to, and it is not as if they actually tried to get rid of him anyway." Dryly said Harry.

He felt a vindictive pleasure at seeing the very brief flash of anger in the eyes of the Headmaster, knowing that the man was far too used to get what he wanted to tolerate being cut off when he was speaking. People like him were so used to others listening to them that they took anyone cutting them off as a personal attack, a blow to their pride.

Get used to it, asshole, I don't give a shit about what you say.

"Very well." Finally sighed the old man, looking disappointedly at him.

He had to resist the urge to laugh at the pitiful attempt of guilt-tripping him. Akitsu was far, far better at it, although it could be because each time she tried to guilt-trip him, she was always, for a reason or another, only in her underwear, and trying to convince him to do things he really wanted to do anyway. Dumbledore had none of those factors for him, in fact his tentative was actually having the opposite effect, in comforting him in his opinion of the old bastard.

"As I said, now that you have proven you are indeed who you claimed to be, you will have to be Sorted and placed in one of Hogwarts' four Houses, but I am sure that the House you end in will be lucky to have you."

"No." was the short reply.

"Very good. Now…" started the Headmaster, only to blink owlishly. "Excuse me?"

"I said: "No". I am not enrolling in your school, not now, not ever." Said Harry, crossing his arms over his chest.

Even if he didn't already have his NEWTs, he would never have even considered enrolling in a school where the Headmaster had made more life-endangering mistakes than he had any right to. That wasn't even considering the fact that Harry highly suspected Dumbledore, as well-meaning as he could be, to have deliberately tried to manipulate his upbringing. There was no reason for him to put blocks on his magic after all, and given his infatuation with the notion of "Greater Good", he didn't put it past the old man to have wanted him to grow up unloved, if only so that he would look up to him when it would have been time for him to go to Hogwarts. What better way to raise a martyr than to have him grow up in an environment that would favor the development of a self-sacrificing personality?

"B-but every Potter has gone to Hogwarts, it's tradition!" spluttered James Potter, looking aghast. "You could get on Gryffindor's Quidditch team, like I did when I was a student!"

"First off, I don't care about a stupid tradition like that. Just because my ancestors went to a school doesn't mean I want to do the same, especially considering how badly run Hogwarts is at the moment."

He was satisfied to see Dumbledore open his mouth to protest, while McGonagall seemed to redden in indignation. He didn't let them cut him off however, as he looked at James Potter coldly, the man seemingly about to get a stroke from shock.

"Second, even if by some miracle you managed to have me Sorted, I'm pretty sure that I'm not dumb enough to qualify for Gryffindor. I'd probably make a good Ravenclaw or Slytherin, maybe a Hufflepuff if you stretch it, but there is no way I'd be a Gryffindor. And lastly, I have never had the faintest interest in Quidditch. In fact, I do believe I have never even ridden a broom."

It was true. He hardly saw the use of Quidditch, since any physical activity he required, he achieved by training in martial arts and in swordsmanship. He didn't feel the need to ride a broom either, not when he could jump over most buildings by himself, and, now that he could use his energy wings, he could even fly without the assistance of any kind of contraption. So why would he care about a sport like Quidditch?

It was clear his words had deeply shocked the Potters, as James looked like he had just been hit very hard in the family jewels, not surprising since he was a Quidditch fanatic, and had probably believed that Harry would be one as well. His tone also seemed to have hurt Lily Potter, not that he really cared. The woman had abandoned him, and even if Dumbledore had been the one responsible for her lack of information, she could easily have insisted had she wished to, or even threatened the old man to bring things before the Ministry. If it came down to it, he was pretty sure that she could have threatened the old man to take the matter before the Wizenmagot. Dumbledore had valued his image far too much at the time to allow her to do that, so he would have had to tell her the truth, or at least given her proof that he was alright. Then again, he might also simply have fabricated his proof anyway.

"I am afraid, Harry, that as a minor, you have to be enrolled in a school. Furthermore, with the Tournament, you have to be enrolled in one of the schools participating." Said Dumbledore, looking genuinely remorseful.

He probably expected his little act to get some sympathy from Harry, not that it would work. Instead of the grudging acceptation he was no doubt expecting, Harry just laughed at his face, while Karasuba chuckled darkly, confusing the magic users.

"That's a lie, and you know it, Dumbledore. There has never been a fourth Champion in the history of the Tournament, so there is nothing in the rules about me having to be enrolled in one of the three schools supposed to participate. Even if it was the case, I certainly wouldn't choose Hogwarts, I'd rather be in Beauxbatons, at the very least they have competent teachers."

"Hogwarts is one of the premiere schools of magic in the world!" scowled McGonagall, looking rather angry at his dismissal of Hogwarts' status.

"Was. It's rather pitiful that you aren't aware of it, but from what I heard you British have always been an isolationist bunch, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you aren't aware of it. Out of the fifty-one magical schools listed by the ICW, Hogwarts is in forty-fifth position for the quality of its' education. The last time it was even in the top ten was over forty years ago. Several of the teachers here are laughing stocks in their fields, yet you still claim that the education offered here is the best money can buy.

Oh, and before I forget: I am not a minor, Dumbledore. I am emancipated, and a legal adult by the laws of the ICW. So don't go getting any ideas of using the law to have me enroll here, it won't work."

Now that seemed to surprise the people present. Dumbledore looked like he could not believe it, after all most of his plans for Harry had probably relied on the fact that he would be a minor, and as thus, malleable. He had probably never expected that when he finally met the one he was convinced was the subject of the Prophecy, that he would be a legal adult, and thus, immune to whatever manipulations he could make.

"That's impossible!" said Lily, looking distressed. "The only ways to be considered an adult are either to be of age, to be the last of an old family, or to have your NEWTs! You aren't of age, and you aren't the last of an old family. You can't have your NEWTs either, you're too young!"

It was a very smug Harry who looked at the woman who had abandoned him, and slowly spoke, savoring each word rolling off his tongue.

"I have had my NEWTs since I was eleven."

His words caused several reactions. Snape and Dumbledore seemed to pale, before exchanging a worried glance, while McGonagall was left gaping in shock, the stern witch seemingly unable to believe his claims. However, the most interesting reactions he got were from the Potters, as while James seemed torn between pride and shame, probably at the fact that he had missed what he considered was an important part of the life of his son, Lily was glowing with pride, although it was clear that she had some trouble believing him. After all, she, who was supposed to be the "brightest witch of her generation", had not gotten her NEWTs before she was seventeen.

A cough from Dumbledore broke the silence, the old man's smile no longer reaching his eyes as he leant forwards, peering at Harry closely.

"A bold claim, Harry. However, I hope that you will understand I will need proof of this, as otherwise I will have to follow the law and enroll you at Hogwarts."

He felt his irritation flare at the old man's words. Of course he had proof that he had completed his NEWTs, who did Dumbledore take him for? A child lying to make himself look good? Just because the old man had to deal with talentless people for most of his life, didn't mean that he was lying!

A wave of his wand later, and a perfect replica of his NEWTs result appeared on the old man's desk, with Dumbledore taking it and studying it closely. He was fortunate to have thought he would such a document here in Britain, as he was not too keen in sending the document by owl. He was not stupid, Dumbledore would simply vanish the thing and claim he hadn't received it, and would then try to force him to attend Hogwarts. Considering what he suspected the old man of, he really wouldn't put it past him to try such a thing.

-Break-

Despite not showing it, Albus Dumbledore was starting to panic as he read the document handed to him by the boy, now a young man, who should have been his weapon to defeat Voldemort. Unlike what he had expected, this Harry Potter, or Minaka, as he wanted to be called, was certainly not someone he could see as malleable, in fact it seemed as if he was quite decided to oppose him, at least his attitude suggested so. This in itself was something of a setback, as he couldn't afford to have Harry opposing him, since it would divide the Light between his supporters and the Boy-Who-Lived's own. Had he had the time for it, he knew he would have eventually succeeded, as he had brought people to see his point of view for decades now, while Harry was still too young to properly understand the world of politics, however if he was indeed a legal adult then there was nothing he could do to force the boy to stay at Hogwarts for more than a year. He held no illusions that going to Fudge to have him push forward a law to keep him in Britain would definitively alienate himself to the young man, and he couldn't afford that, but it might come down to that if he couldn't convince him to stay.

However, his main worry was not having Harry to side with him, no. When he had first laid eyes on the confident young man now sitting in his office, he was strongly reminded of a younger Tom Riddle, one who apparently already had several followers if the women next to him were any indication. To make things worse, one had shown a disturbingly high level of loyalty for the teen, and the other, with her sadistic grin and barely hidden bloodlust, was eerily similar to Bellatrix Lestrange. Worse, he had caught a glimpse of the mostly faded lightning bolt scar. It should not have been so faded, unless something had happened to the Horcrux inside it, and he highly doubted that anyone had recognized it for what it was. This meant, as chilling as the possibility sounded, that the soul piece stuck inside was now possessing Harry, or at the very least influencing him. He had been trying to make eye contact with the teen since the beginning of the meeting, but for the moment he hadn't managed to do so, and as such couldn't use Legilimency to determine what had happened. He was tempted to use it on the women by his side, but he'd rather confirm his suspicions by reading only Harry's mind.

Said suspicions were only heightened when he learnt that Harry had his NEWTs, especially so since he claimed to have gotten them at an age where his magical core shouldn't be mature or powerful enough to cast the spells required to pass them exams. Even with the block on his magic removed, something he had discreetly confirmed by checking the wards on their way to his office, Harry simply couldn't have been powerful enough under normal circumstances to even attempt his NEWTs. The final piece, the one that finished confirming his suspicions, were the impossibly high grades he had gotten in every exam, grades that even a student like Lily Potter couldn't hope to achieve. It was simply impossible for the Boy-Who-Lived to have gotten this kind of grades without cheating, which was highly unlikely given how strict the examiners were in ensuring the students couldn't cheat, or if he had used the knowledge of a man rumored to know more magic than even himself, also styled as the worst Dark Lord in the last two centuries.

Glancing at the teen, he steeled himself, knowing that he would have to be very careful in his interactions with him. First, he would need to ascertain exactly what had happened to him, if Voldemort was possessing him, or if he was merely being influenced. Looking at Fawkes, he already knew how to check that. The next step would be to find a way to either break the influence of the Horcrux, or to, sadly, remove it altogether by Obliviating Harry. He was skilled enough in the use of the spell that he was confident he would be able to only remove the parts of his memories that needed to tempered with, and with some Legilimency he should be able to modify the teen's personality enough so that he would no longer oppose him. Of course, said option was only for the worst case scenario, but he felt that it was better to resort to such an extreme measure than have a second Voldemort roaming free. His former student had proven to be an extremely gifted wizard, and he had no doubt that if left to his own devices, Harry, if he was indeed possessed, would be far worse than his original had been. For one, he already had the reputation of the Boy-Who-Lived for him, and he knew how to use such a thing to his advantage.

He would need to be very careful, and to keep a keen eye on each of Harry's action. He had already failed in stopping the rise of a Dark Lord, he would not allow another to rise on his watch, no matter it would cost him.

For now, though, the best he could do was try to not antagonize the Boy-Who-Lived too much. He could not afford another scandal, as it would undoubtedly cost him his place as Headmaster, and he could not afford such a thing. Hogwarts was where the future generations of wizards and witches were raised, a place where he could guide them to a path firmly in the Light. For the Greater Good, he had to keep his job, even if it meant going against the law.

"Indeed, it appears you did not lie." He finally admitted.

"But how can that be possible?" asked Lily Potter, who was looking quite proud, but at the same time very curious. "I thought that seventh-years spells required more power and control than any first year could ever have, never mind how gifted or intelligent they were?"

"Maybe Harry-chan is simply that powerful?" piped in Karasuba, her grin never leaving her face.

"Indeed, I remember someone saying that he had about as much power as a sixth year when he was seven. I guess that does make him powerful." Mused the Sahashi woman, looking pensive.

"A sixth year? At seven?" Lily's voice was getting higher by the second, not very surprising since she was learning her son had by all means been far too powerful too young. There was a reason why young witches and wizards weren't as powerful as their elders, namely their lack of control on their magic.

If a first year lost control of his magic, he or she could dread at best blasting someone a few feet away. A sixth year, though, with their increased magical power, would not blast someone away, the sheer strength of their uncontrolled magic would literally rip them apart. There had been instances, few as they were, where a magical child had simply died in an explosion caused by their magic, unable as they were to control the strength of the blast.

By all means, Harry should be dead, with that much power at such a young age. All it would have taken was a single burst of uncontrolled accidental magic to kill him. It made his background even shadier, something he wasn't sure he liked. If Harry was indeed as powerful as he supposedly was, then without the control of his magic he should have been dead, as sad as it sounded. While he would like to believe it was the work of higher powers ensuring the Chosen One was still alive to fulfill the Prophecy, given his doubts on Harry's Horcrux made these claims even more worrying.

For the moment, though, he would have to make sure that Harry stayed where he could easily reach him. There was no other way to make sure his suspicions were only that, suspicions, and to ensure that he understood his role in the upcoming war with Voldemort.

-Break-

Harry didn't like the look Dumbledore was giving him. The man was eyeing him like he was a ticking time bomb, and it grated on his nerves, especially so since he loathed the man. He had no idea why the old fool was giving him the penetrating stare, but he hoped for his sake that he would stop before he decided enough was enough, and simply killed the Headmaster.

"Very well." Finally sighed the elder wizard, "You will not need to enroll at Hogwarts."

Silencing the Potters, who had looked about to protest, his eyes bore into Harry's, who could feel a slight mental probe testing his defenses, that is until he roughly blasted it away, making Dumbledore flinch slightly, though not enough so for it to be noticeable to an untrained eye. What irked Harry though, was that without someone else backing him up, he could not accuse the old man of trying to rape his mind, since Dumbledore had far too much support in the country for any legal process to be brought to court with so little evidence.

"You will, however, need to reside on Hogwarts' grounds." Added the old man, his eyes regaining their twinkling after he was momentarily shaken.

"Ne, Harry-chan, can I-" started to ask Karasuba, only to be cut off by a look from Harry.

"No."

His tone was cold, and with good reason. Dumbledore knew the rules, as did he, as he hadn't wanted to participate without at least knowing the rules of the Tournament, and there was indeed a clause that stated that all Champions were to reside on the grounds of the school hosting the Tournament. He didn't like the idea, as it would put him in a place where Dumbledore had plenty of sway and people who could help him in his plans, as well as potential spies. However, he wasn't about to have a house constructed on the grounds simply because he didn't want to reside in the castle.

Besides, he actually owned the castle, not that the old fool knew it, and he intended to take possession of his inheritance if it allowed him to make Dumbledore miserable. For the moment though, he would need to lay low, well as low as he could, since he was bound to attract attention anyway, both due to his fame, as well as his looks.

"Fine." He spat, his harsh tone making the Potters flinch and the others frown. "So, where will we be staying?" he asked, glaring at Dumbledore.

"Mister Potter!" scowled McGonagall, making him look at her.

He was surprised that she hadn't said much so far, as he had expected her to take Dumbledore's side from the start. Oh, she had reacted when he had criticized Hogwarts, but it was probably more out of pride in the institution she worked for, more than out of support for the old coot. It seemed that the wake-up call Hermione had given her had made her reconsider her priorities, if only a little, which was already a start.

"Show some respect to your elders!" continued the witch, unaware of his thoughts.

The fact that she had said to respect his elders, and not Dumbledore in particular, was also a good sign. While he knew that she would probably never get completely over her worship of Dumbledore if the old fool didn't do something monumentally stupid, if she was at least willing to not support him by sheer reflex then it was already a victory for him. Still, he was going to make it clear to her, as well to everyone present, of what he thought of Dumbledore

"McGonagall-san," he started, making the woman blink at the odd, for her, form of address, "I will not show respect to someone who has not earned it from me. The only thing Dumbledore has earned from me at the moment, is my anger.

Not only has he convinced my birth parents to leave me to him, he left me with people who wanted nothing to do with me, under Wards he cast without even understanding them, and then didn't even bother to check on me.

Because of his actions, I have never had a childhood, and grew up believing I was a worthless freak abandoned by his parents because they didn't want him. If I hadn't met Takami and Karasuba, I would most likely have gone mad, killed myself, or gotten killed by my own relatives. Therefore, do not expect me to show him the slightest amount of respect.

After all," he grinned, in a way that was eerily similar to Karasuba, "he is still alive. He should be happy with that."

There was a heavy silence at his words, as the Potters digested his words, and glared at Dumbledore, Lily's hand already inching inside her robes to grab her wand, while McGonagall had gone rather pale, a hand in front of her mouth which had opened in shock. Snape's reaction was more subdued, as his sneer lessened slightly, his eyes gauging him, evaluating him and trying to see if his words were genuine or a lie. Finally, Dumbledore had gone ashen, and looked about to say something when a trill broke the silence.

The reactions to the phoenix's song were diverse: the Potters seemed to calm down somewhat, as did McGonagall, and, to Harry's surprise, Dumbledore. He had expected the effects of the famed phoenix song to have more effect on the old man, especially considering he was a manipulative bastard. He could see Takami sitting straighter, as if some of the huge burden she shouldered as chief scientist for MBI had been lifted, while Homura's bond sent a brief flicker of pure peace through her bond, as did Akitsu. Karasuba, for her part, had her hands on her ears and was gritting her teeth in pain, while he felt as if daggers were stabbing his brain, and he hissed in pain.

"Shut up, you fucking annoyance!" he growled towards the bird, effectively making it stop, although it gave a last, sad trill as it looked at him.

However, his reaction, and Karasuba's, had not gone unnoticed by Dumbledore and the Potters, who were looking at him in shock and horror. It was a well-known fact that a phoenix's song lifted the spirit of those with a pure heart, and caused pain to those who were evil and wicked. Of course, said definition was flimsy at best, as it implied that Good and Evil were concepts set in stone, which was completely wrong. Very few things were truly evil or good, and one could commit great sins under the pretense of acting for the common good, allowing them to stay unaffected so long as they did not do something purely Evil, like murdering someone in cold blood. It certainly explained why Dumbledore hadn't flinched violently due to the song of his feathered companion, since the old man's excuse was that he was acting for the "Greater Good", and obviously believed that what he did was not evil.

"Harry…"asked James Potter, looking like he had just received the biggest shock of his life, "You're Dark?"

He had to refrain from bursting out laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of the statement, at how ironic it was. He, of course, had killed people when he had been hired to, or when he had had to. But how could the Potter Patriarch judge him? He, at the very least, had never abandoned a child, his own flesh and blood, and basically listened to someone who had told them time after time that he was fine, without even getting a single proof of the truth of the statement. He had, from what Harry had heard from Hermione, ostracized his own daughter, because she had ended in Slytherin instead of one of the other Houses. How could a man so idiotic feel as if he had a right to judge his actions?

"What does it matter to you anyway?" he snapped, feeling himself growing too annoyed to care about restraint.

"Harry James Potter!" thundered the older man, standing up with his wand in his hand. "You and I are going to have a discussion when we get home, young man! I will not have a child of mine go Dark, not under my watch! The Potters are a Light family, and they'll damn well stay Light!"

"Good thing that I'm no longer a Potter, then!" he snarled, feeling himself grow steadily more annoyed with the older man. Next to him, Akitsu had tensed, ready to act at moment's notice, the air temperature lowering slightly around her.

"Of course you're a Potter!" scowled Lily. "Even if you were adopted by legal means in the Muggle world, magical law prevails over muggle law, which means that you are still a Potter."

"Sorry to have to disappoint you, but Harry actually disowned himself when he was eleven." Cut Takami, the woman looking at the redhead with cold eyes. "The Goblins were more than happy to oblige him. And from what I've picked up of magical law, this does, in fact, cut his ties with your family."

Had he not been so irritated, Harry would have laughed at the crushed expressions of the Potters. He didn't know what they had been expecting, but after everything he had gone through, he wasn't about to be a "good boy" and simply smile and accept going back to them, not when they were people he wanted nothing to do with.

"Harry, my boy, there was no need to do such a thing!" scowled Dumbledore, only to find a blade inches away from one of his eyes, a blade held by a Harry would had dropped any pretenses of politeness.

He had more than enough of beating around the bush and entertaining the senile old fool that had ruined his childhood, and actually thought he could speak to him like he was supposed to listen to his every word. Leaking some of his magical power, he was pleased to see that the aged wizard seemed rather startled, not at all used to be attacked in his own office, and by someone he probably thought was mostly harmless until then.

"Listen, you old goat fucker, and listen well. I am not in the mood to deal with your stupidity, not now, and probably not ever. So shut the fuck up, until I'm actually talking to you, unless you want to find yourself missing some of your fingers. And that is if I am feeling merciful, which, given your actions so far, is very unlikely.

So, before I get fed up with your shit, kindly tell me what I need to know about the Tournament, where we are staying, and don't try to say a single word not related to those topics, else I'll make sure you'll regret it, and I'll ask someone else. At the very least, I won't feel the need to gut them like pigs for what they did. Was that clear enough, or do you need me to spell it for you, old fool?"

-Break-

As he watched the group leave with the Potters, Dumbledore finally let go of the sigh he had been repressing since Harry's outburst, knowing what was coming next.

"I told you, Albus! I told you that you'd regret leaving him with these Muggles!" scowled McGonagall. "What can have happened to him, to make him like…like this?!"

He opened his mouth to speak, however the witch was not yet finished with her rant, as she paced angrily in front of his desk.

"Did you see him? He is nothing like the happy baby he was when you left him there! You saw yourself, how he reacted to Fawkes' song! And the way he parades these…women around, the way he has them dress…Albus, you have to do something about this! They can't stay here!"

"Minerva," he tried to placate his Transfiguration teacher," You have seen yourself how he reacts to the slightest perceived slight. Should I try to act, I will only drive him away. For the moment, we must wait for him to open himself, only then will we be able to help him.

It is best that we wait, to see how things go. From what I have gathered, it is the first time that Harry actually meets his peers. Meeting other people will be good for him, and hopefully he will make friends. I do believe that mister Weasley will be overjoyed to help him get accustomed to Hogwarts. Young Ginevra might also want to meet her hero, and I am sure he will not turn away from an honest offer of friendship."

Granted, he hoped that the youngest Weasley would eventually grow to be more than a friend to Harry, since should they find themselves in a relationship, the Weasleys would be able to get some money from the Potters, money they needed, and it would also ensure that Harry was firmly on the Light's side. Of course, he was not a fool, and had seen how the Akitsu woman clung to Harry's arm, as well as the fact that she had a body that would make most men, or hormonal teenagers, drool. While he himself did not feel at all attracted by the female form, he had learnt to distinguish what made a woman attractive to a man, and he had to admit that each of the women that had accompanied Harry to his office had been beautiful in their own way.

However, their closeness was something he hoped he would be able to use to have Harry see things his way. Human relationships were always something he had been able to exploit to his profit, and while he didn't want to draw a rift between Harry and these women, if it was to keep the Chosen One in Britain, then he would have no choice. For the Greater Good, Harry Potter had to stay in Britain, and fulfill the Prophecy.

-Break-

The atmosphere was rather awkward, Lily Potter mused, as she glanced at her son walking behind her. She had dreamt, many, many times, of the time she would see him again, of how she would hug the living daylights out of him, ruffle his raven hair and look into eyes that were so similar to her own. She had not expected her son to be so different from what she had pictured. Being James' son, and looking like his father, albeit with her eyes, when he was a baby, she had expected to deal with a fourteen-years old lookalike of her husband. What she had not expected, was to meet a young man in his late teens physically, with hair the color of ash, and mismatched eyes. Nor had she expected her son to show up with several women, one of which was currently hugging one of his arms to her rather large bosom.

Harry was absolutely nothing like she had envisioned, not only physically, but even in his behavior. When she had thought he would be rather insecure and awkward, like most teens at the difficult period of their lives, Harry seemed to be very confident and self-assured, something that even bordered on arrogance. He was also quite aggressive, but then again he seemed to be aware of Dumbledore's role in taking him away and leaving him with her sister. His anger towards James and her hurt though, with how mature he acted, she had hoped that he would have understood that the only reason they had agreed to part with him was that they feared for his safety.

The faint sound of a chain shifting for the umpteenth time made her greet her teeth as she glanced at the brunette hugging her son. Even if Harry was mature for his age, and looked a few years older than he actually was, didn't mean that this…scarlet woman could simply prey on him like that! She had no idea of who she was to Harry, but there was little doubt in her mind that whoever she was, she had used her womanly charms to seduce her son. At his age, after all, all boys were hopeless perverts, even those who did not show it. Any woman with a body like the one the brunette had, and who knew how to use it, could get anything they wanted from a teenage boy. The way Akitsu was clinging to her son was something that as a mother, she heartily disapproved of, since Harry was much too young to be in a relationship with a woman who was at the very least a decade his senior. Who knew what she had already done her son? For all she knew, Akitsu was a woman only after Harry's money. She knew very well that Harry had a vault at Gringotts with money donated from people who had no family left after the war, but wanted to show their thanks to the Boy-Who-Lived, so even if he technically no longer had a claim to the Potter fortune (something she hoped James would be able to remedy to in the next Wizenmagot session), he was still a very rich wizard.

She didn't like Karasuba and Takami either. The first was a dead ringer for Bellatrix Lestrange with her behavior and almost permanent unhinged grin, and the last thing she wanted was for a woman like her to be able to influence her son. At the very least, she hoped that she would be able to convince Harry to get rid of her, for his own good if not to make her happy. Women like her very rarely led peaceful or happy lives, and she didn't want him to be involved in whatever conflict the grey-haired witch would no doubt attract.

Takami…Well her reasons for not liking the woman were rather selfish, as she was obviously close to Harry, in a way that she wished she herself would be. It was visible to anyone that she acted as something of a mother figure to him, and it hurt her deeply to see someone else have such a relationship with her son, when she could not even talk to him without having him glaring at her. The fact that she was still quite beautiful, even despite being slightly older than herself, as well as very intelligent from what she had gathered, only served to reinforce the image of someone that resembled her usurping what she saw as her place in her son's life. Even if James and her had made the mistake of giving him to Dumbledore, it did not change the fact that she cared very much for Harry. She had not spent a happy decade when he was away, even if it had been made bearable by her other children's presence, allowing her to distract herself from the feeling of emptiness she felt each time she gazed at a photo of Harry, or each time she heard speaking about him.

"So, uh…" started James, bringing her out of her musings, as he tried to start a conversation with Harry. "What do you think of Hogwarts?" he lamely finished, and she had to refrain from sighing. Her husband had never been one to find the good words in awkward situations, she distinctly remembered the excuse he had come up when his mother had walked on them having sex. Screaming that he had transfigured a replica of her to try and learn how to please her was definitively not what she would think of as a good excuse to explain what Euphemia had seen.

"Lord Potter," started Harry, making the both of them cringe, "For your sake, and the sake of my sanity, please avoid trying to make meaningless conversation. I do not want to explain to the Aurors that I had to kill you because you wouldn't shut up."

"Harry!" she scowled, stopping to turn and look at her son. "Don't say things like that! You can't joke about killing people!"

For a moment, the young wizard blinked, looking honestly confused, before a dark chuckle escaped his lips, and when he met her gaze, she almost took a step back in fear. Where so far his eyes had reflected his emotions, they were now dull, dead, showing nothing but an endless void that threatened to suck her in, and she had to refrain from taking a step back in fear, fear that her own son would hurt her. Whatever she had been thinking about saying died on her lips as she realized that Harry had not been joking, that he really would have killed James in he felt annoyed enough.

She felt a part of herself writhe in agony at the realization that her son was broken, twisted in a way that made him see the world in a completely different light than most people did. And it was all due to their fault, for being too trusting of Dumbledore, and not pushing the old man harder for news of their son. Had they insisted, instead of blindly trusting him, then perhaps her son would still be normal, and not a broken shell of a person. All she had wanted to do was protect him, to have him grow away from the dangers he would undoubtedly have faced had he stayed to live with them, to keep him away from the assassination attempts aimed at his life.

Despite an almost irrepressible urge to cry, to hug her son and ask for his forgiveness again and again, she forced herself to keep a brave façade. She would have to discuss things with James later, but there was no doubt in her mind that Harry needed to see a Mind Healer, the sooner the better. However, she was not blind enough to not see that anything she, James, or anyone he didn't trust for that matter, told him would be ignored, for the simple reason that he distrusted everyone but a select few.

The uncomfortable silence was broken when Takami sighed, and looked at them with irritation.

"Alright, this is going nowhere. Harry, you go ahead with Akitsu and Lord Potter, I have things to discuss with Lady Potter."

Harry turned to look at her with a questioning look, before shrugging and resuming his walking, causing James to hurry after him and Akitsu, who had followed Harry and was still clinging to his arm tightly.

Only once the trio had left, did Takami turn and look at her.

"So, where can we have a private conversation in this place?"

-Break-

Eventually, Lily led the trio of women, Takami, Karasuba, and Homura, to a deserted classroom she had more or less claimed for herself since there were so many unused classrooms in the castle. It wasn't anything fancy, but she had decorated it slightly, transfiguring the desks into comfortable furniture and making the once dusty classroom look like a woman's room.

She sunk into an armchair, inwardly sighing in relief at the soft feeling, while motioning for the three women to sit on some of the sofas or armchairs left. As they sat down, she eyed their posture. Takami was sat rather nonchalantly, sinking into her armchair with delight, although she was still very dignified. Homura, for her part, was still looking very tense, and sat ramrod straight, almost as if she expected Lily to attack her. Finally, Karasuba, unlike her companions, had adopted a completely relaxed posture, one of her arms dangling behind the sofa she was now lounging on, the other behind her head, while she had flung her legs over the border of the sofa.

"Right, so, are you sure this place is private? I heard there were things like listening charms and other spying spells in your world."

She nodded. She regularly cast spells to cleanse the room of any foreign magic, since she didn't trust Dumbledore anymore, and knew him well enough to know that he was not above spying on her if he thought it would help him regain her favor. She had even gone so far as to cast wards that would warn her if a house elf was present, since no ward to prevent the little beings from listening existed.

"You wanted to talk to me?" she asked, her voice carefully neutral. While she disliked Takami for the bond she had with her son, the woman herself was someone she could appreciate, and she had gone out of the way to discuss whatever subject she was about to broach in private. The least she could do was to be courteous.

"Yeah, I did. I left Harry with your husband because he'd definitively be against me telling you what I am about to, and even if I suspect Karasuba to tell him, if only to annoy him, at the moment I don't really care.

So, let me ask you: what do you know about Harry's childhood with the Dursleys?"

She winced. Truth be told, she had no idea, but knowing her sister, she doubted that Harry had been happy there. Even if she doubted that Petunia would intentionally mistreat him, she was not naïve enough to not realize that she would probably have hardly shown any love for Harry, and that she would have tried to poison his mind against anything magic.

"…Nothing. I wasn't even aware that he was sent there until the Daily Prophet printed an article about it."

"Why didn't you know?" asked Homura, the woman speaking for the first time in her presence. Her voice was oddly entrancing, but at the moment it was cold as steel, as she glared at her. "Why didn't you ask Dumbledore? You had a right to know, you were his parents!"

She almost snapped back in anger at the use of the past, she wanted to deny it, to correct the grey-haired woman, to say that she was still his mother, but she knew she had no right to do so, not when she had failed her son spectacularly.

"…We were too trusting, too naïve." She chuckled, her tone laced with self-loathing. "We were so used to trusting Dumbledore that we didn't question him, although now I know I definitively should have. What kind of mother am I, giving away my son like that and not even bothering to ask where he was?"

She felt her eyes burn as she tried to resist the tears, but ultimately she failed, and several tears trailed down her cheeks. It was just too much for her to bear, to see her son so cold, so broken, when he should have been running around with other teenagers, laughing and joking. She loathed showing weakness in front of the women that had usurped her place, those that had been there for Harry when she had not, but she wanted to know, she wanted to learn how he had grown up. Even if it was too late for her to be there, she wanted to know about everything in his life, everything that she had missed.

"..Tch, she's crying now, useless bitch. Takami, you sure I can't simply slice her up?" complained Karasuba, looking rather irritated.

"Karasuba, shut up." Growled the scientist, before looking back at her. "Well it's rather clear that you care about Harry, but you made a mistake in leaving him with Dumbledore. However, I'm not sure you understand exactly how much of a mistake it was, so I'm going to make sure things are clear: you don't have the slightest idea of what Harry has gone through when he was with the Dursleys."

"What do you mean?" she asked, terrified of the answer. Whatever had happened to make Harry as he was now, couldn't have been good, and she dreaded to learn what James and hers' mistake had cost their son.

For a moment, Takami only stared at her, her eyes hard and cold, making her want to fidget. If she had not been deathly concerned with her son's past, then she would have been fidgeting indeed, even if she was a grown witch. There was just something about the scientist that made her feel like she was a young girl scolded by an irate older woman.

Eventually, the grey-haired woman sighed, taking out another cigarette, and giving it to Homura, who lit it with a simple wave of her wand. Taking a deep breath, Takami leant back in her chair, her eyes lost in her memories.

"It would have been better if I had Harry's file with me, but I'll try to be as clear as possible. I met Harry seven years ago, when his relatives", she spat the word as if it was a curse," came to visit MBI tower. By the way, your sister, her husband and their son are just about the worst example of humans I have ever seen."

She winced. The last time she had spoken to her sister, it was at her and James' wedding, and Petunia had left the second the ceremony ended. Vernon had been absolutely horrid as well, looking around with a permanent sneer on his face, and showing nothing but contempt to just about any of the wizards or witches who had tried to engage a friendly conversation with him.

"Anyway, because their son, Dudley I believe his name was, decided to play with security, he basically triggered the tower's defense, killing himself, his parents, and several MBI employees because of his stupidity.

Now, my employer asked that one of Karasuba's colleagues and I check their car, in case something could be learnt about their background, since the company I work for is a pioneer in medical technology. We simply couldn't take the risk of having someone trying to steal sensible info.

Imagine my surprise when instead of recording devices, I find a terrified child hiding in the car, and acting as if he was expecting me to beat the shit out of him. The moment I told him that the Dursleys were dead, he fainted right then and there, so we took him with us to give him a physical check-up."

Lily gulped at the dangerous glint in Takami's eyes, the woman unconsciously gripping her cigarette tighter and destroying it with her grip. She didn't even seem to notice she was smoking nothing more than cigarette paper when she continued.

"I've seen a lot of things in my life, but I will never forget what I saw that day. He was so thin I could see his ribs, and there was not a single square centimeter of his skin without some kind of scar tissue or bruise on it. It was quite clear that he had been abused, if not outright tortured, for quite some time."

Lily couldn't believe her ears. Even if Petunia hated her, she wouldn't be so petty as to hurt her son, her own nephew, simply out of spite, right? Even if she hated her, the worst she would do was ignore Harry, right?

"And you want to know the real kicker?" growled Takami, glaring at her. "When I told him I wanted to help him, he asked me why I would want to, and I quote: "Want to help a freak? Freaks don't deserve help.""

The woman's tone had risen, and had become slightly high-pitched. Had Lily been less horrified and paid more attention to her surroundings, she would have noticed that the air around Homura was being distorted by the sheer heat emitted, or that Karasuba's grin had turned sadistic and bloodthirsty.

"Then there is the fact that Karasuba of all people took an interest in him." Growled the scientist, glaring at the swordswoman sprawled over the sofa. "The fact that she was pretty much the first person to show any interest in him made it so that he took a shine to her, as well, so we had to make arrangements with the Ministry to have her raise him. So far, it didn't work all that badly. Even if Harry is still completely broken by any society's standards, at the very least he doesn't try to kill people on a whim. However, I'm quite sure that any qualified psychologist would classify him as a borderline psychopath."

By now, Lily was ashen white, unable to believe what she was hearing. Her son had been abused, tortured even, if she was to believe Takami's words, by her own sister, his own Aunt? Why had Dumbledore done nothing? Even if he claimed he hadn't noticed, why didn't he notice her son being abused by the very people he had put Harry with?

"Before I leave, a word of advice, Lady Potter: don't try to force Harry to do anything, he hates that. I honestly don't think he'll ever forgive you, but you're free to try and mend the bridge with him. However, if it is possible, and that is a very big if, I suggest you leave him his space, and only interact with him when the occasion presents itself. If you try to spend more time with him, he'll clam up and you will never get anything from him."

"Why are you telling me this?" she whispered, still reeling from the shock of what she had heard. Even if her brain was still mostly trying to comprehend, trying to make sense of what she had been told, she was not stupid enough to not notice that the other woman didn't like her.

"Because as a mother, I know how it feels to make mistakes with your children. Admittedly, my own didn't have my own son hating me, but if there is one thing that I know, it's that Harry needs to make peace with his past, and you're a part of it. If he doesn't, well…" the scientist glanced at Karasuba, who merely grinned sadistically, "Kami help us all."

With those last words, Takami stood up, followed by her two companions, and left the room, leaving a still stunned Lily Potter to try and understand just what her and her husband's mistake had cost their son. It was fortunate that the room was silenced, or the students walking in some of the nearby corridors would have ran like Hell upon hearing the anguished cries of the Potter matriarch.

---

I understand that some will think that things went a bit fast, however now that Harry is at Hogwarts, I feel that Dumbledore didn't see the need to keep him for too long, or to try and convert him to his vision of how he should be. I also think that Takami telling Lily about Harry's past right off the bat, makes sense, since while she knows very well what her mistake caused Harry to experience, she also wants him to make peace with his past, and with his family.

Anyway, reviews and constructive criticism are welcome!