HELLO READERS!
It's the Undercover Operative here, delivering to you my FIFTIETH addition to the Lost Files pages.
It's been a long journey to get this far, but with all your support I've made it to what's perhaps the biggest of my current goals in life (Which is actually kinda sad now I think about it) at the moment (It's even sadder that this ranks higher than the whole 'Falling in love and starting a family' dream of mine).
I'd just like to thank two people especially for their help in getting me this far.
DZ2, dude... It was because of you that I really started getting into writing fanfiction, with your 'Charmed Harry Challenge' catching my eye as it did. I'd love to say that my 50th Chapter was dedicated to you, but it's not so... yeah. Be happy though, because the entirety of the Lost Files is in fact dedicated to you, as you're the one that gave me that push to even start it, going as far as to hit upon the jackpot of the name that is 'Lost Files'.
And secondly, Daniel (Compbrain). I know sometimes I don't act like it, but you've really been a good influence to me over the past however long we've been talking for. So thank you, for all you've done, for letting me bounce ideas of you at ass o'clock in the morning and being completely stubborn about the stupidest things because I felt like it. I'd love to say this chapter was in fact dedicated to you, but like with DZ2 it's not, but my next story will be dedicated to you. Pinky promise.
Now... I'd love to tell you all who my 50th chapter is dedicated to, but since I don't actually know that myself, I'll have to get back to you all on that one...
So anyway, sit back and relax. And I hope you enjoy my fiftieth update.
Sean out...
Harry stuck his head out the door and looked around cautiously.
The baby-headed Death Eater was screaming and banging into things, toppling grandfather clocks and overturning desks, bawling and confused, while the glass-fronted cabinet that Harry now suspected had contained Time-Turners continued to fall, shatter, and repair itself on the wall behind them.
"He's never gonna notice us," he muttered over his shoulder to Neville, "C'mon… keep close behind me".
They crept out of the office and back towards the door into the black hallway, which now seemed completely empty, of both Death Eaters and allies. They walked a few steps forwards into the room, only for the door of the Time Room to swing shut behind them, the loud bang making Harry wince in pain. As the walls began to rotate again, he realised his head injury must be a lot worse than he'd first believed, the moving of the walls making him clamp his eyes shut and clench his jaw before he threw up dizzily.
When Neville nudged his shoulder, Harry opened his eyes and looked around again, biting back a curse as he realised Hermione's crosses had faded.
"So… which way d'you reckon we go?" Harry asked quietly, both of them jumping in fright as a door clicked open to their right, Harry's wand snapping up to point into the dark room beyond the door. "That one, I guess," he mumbled after exchanging an uncertain look with Neville.
Edging forward, Harry stuck his head into the dark room, flicking his wand and casting a weak lumos so he didn't attract anyone's attention as he slowly stepped into the room. Jerking back as he saw movement, he mentally kicked himself as the movement jumped back as well, revealing it to be a large mirror in the middle of the small room.
"It's fine Neville," he declared as he increased the power of his lumos charm, stepping into the room further, "You can come-" bang "-in," he finished weakly as he turned to stare at the blank wall.
"Neville? Cool name".
Harry spun around again, his wand snapping up to aim at the tall teenager standing not to far away from him. "Whoa! That's a wand," the teenager blurted as he stepped back instantly, hands raising defensively as Harry stepped back himself, his mouth falling open slightly as he realised that teenager was standing inside the mirror.
"Hi," the teenager greeted, waving his hand awkwardly, "You're new".
When Harry only stared at the handsome teenager dumbly, the boy frowned hesitantly as he scratched at his bare stomach. Eyes widening in shock suddenly, the teenager fell over his own feet as he scrambled towards the bed Harry could see in the distance of the reflection. "Sorry!" the teenager called out, picking up the white shirt on the floor, "I was sleeping when you came in. I wasn't exactly expecting company, I mean they never give me company these days, it's always 'Do this' or 'Do that', there's never a 'Hello Stiles, how are you feeling today?' with these people," he rambled out as he pulled the shirt on.
"What's a Stiles?" Harry blurted before he could stop himself.
"I am. I'm a Stiles," the teenager introduced, raising his hand to shake Harry's only to freeze and blink down at their hands and then the glass of the mirror that was separating them. "Nice to meet you," he offered as he just pretended to shake his hand, 'Stiles' paused for a moment, staring at him expectantly, "This is where you say your name," he pointed out slowly.
"Huh? Oh! Uh, Harry! I'm- I'm Harry," he introduced stupidly, looking over his shoulder to the blank wall, guilt filling him as he realised that his friends were all out fighting for their lives without him.
Butterflies twisted in his stomach as Stiles beamed at him happily, instantly making him swear under his breath as he realised what was happening. This was not the time to develop some pathetic crush on someone because they smiled at him. It had ended badly when Cho Chang had done it, it had ended even worse when Cedric Diggory had done it, and Harry didn't want to know how badly this could end up.
"Harry? Harry?" Stiles called out, pulling him from his thoughts. "I asked you what you were doing here?" the other teen explained slowly, "There are no teenagers wandering around the Department of Ministries. It's like a no-fly zone for teenagers".
"You're a teenager," Harry countered, something tugging at his chest as he watched Stiles' face fall.
"I'm a 'Dark creature'," Stiles corrected bitterly, making air quotes on 'Dark creature', "If I was a teenager, then they wouldn't have kidnapped and tortured me. It doesn't matter that I'm not Dark or Evil, they just instantly assumed that because I'm part Trickster that I'm automatically the most darkest evilest of all dark evil things, and that I deserve this!" he exclaimed dramatically, his hands waving through the air as he gestured wildly. "I mean I know countless people that are darker and eviler than I am, because I'm not! Dark and Evil that is. I mean my father's the Sheriff for Talos' sake! Even if I were Dark and Evil then Dad would catch and kill me. Not literally, he'd just ground me or something, like for the rest of my life, he couldn't kill me, we're all we have left now". Stiles paused and shot the ground a devastated look, "And now I've been kidnapped, and he'll have no idea that I'm even still alive, that I'm not dead in a ditch somewhere".
Harry flinched as he stepped closer to the mirror, reaching out to press his hand against it, making Stiles blink back tears as he slowly copied him and held his palm against Harry's. "Who's your father? I… I can try send him a message?" Harry offered quietly, "Let him know where you are, maybe we could break you out?"
"You'd do that?" Stiles blurted, staring up into his eyes hopefully. "Wait, no!" he yelled, jerking away from Harry and backing up, "You can't. Dad's… he's a muggle, he only knows about magic because of Mom. If you told him, he'd come… he'd die, and I can't let that happen," he mumbled to himself.
"Okay, okay! I won't tell him," Harry promised as he watched Stiles beginning to panic, "Can… can I get you out? Just me?" he asked slowly, both his conscious whispering in his mind and his 'saving people thing' urging him to try help the teen.
Stiles stared at him for a moment before shaking his head slowly. "They killed my body," he confessed weakly, "I've ascended to my spiritual form. Even if you got me out of this pocket dimension, I'd still be one hundred percent Trickster, no body to return to, I wouldn't be able to go back to my Dad".
Harry faltered for a moment, unable to stop the pity that bubbled up into his chest from showing on his face. "You'll still be free right?" he blurted as frustration flashed across Stiles' face, knowing instinctively that the other teenager hated being pitied as much as Harry himself did, "You'll be able to watch over your dad even if he can't see you?"
Stiles blinked at him in confusion, a familiar thoughtful look Harry recognised instantly from Hermione slowly crossing his face. "I guess…" he mused hesitantly, "But to do that I'd have to get out of here," Stiles pointed out slowly, a hopeful look forming on his face as he stared up at Harry.
"How? How would you get out of here?" Harry asked quickly, what Hermione called his 'saving people thing' kicking in at full power. He could help Stiles, he needed to help Stiles. The Ministry of Magic was even worse than he thought if they could imprison a teenage boy simply because they were a magical creature. After all, they tried to assassinate Harry because they were afraid to admit that he was telling the truth, so it was disturbingly easy to believe that they'd do this.
"Uh… I don't suppose there's a door handle on that side of the mirror?" Stiles asked innocently.
Snorting before he could stop himself, Harry watched as Stiles flailed his hands about wildly and began pacing back and forth behind the glass. "I can't penetrate through the barrier with my abilities, and something tells me that your magic won't either," he explained, "So maybe… physical force?" he offered with a shrug.
"Physical force? Like a spell?" Harry clarified uncertainly, making Stiles pause and shoot him a 'really?' look.
"No," Stiles drawled out sarcastically, "Physical force. Like that chair over there," he deadpanned as he pointed past Harry. "Smash the mirror, it's the best thing I can think of right now".
Nodding, Harry moved over to the chair by the desk and picked it up, holding it awkwardly as his attention was pulled to four glowing red gems inset into the top of the wall he'd entered through. "What're they?" he asked curiously, glancing over at a nervous looking Stiles.
"A timer," the pale boy admitted slowly, "When the fifth gem lights up at midnight, my mirror is moved back into the archives for five days of complete darkness and solitude. They're trying to break me," he confessed, his voice beginning to choke up. "I can't let them break me," he whispered to himself.
"Right, so I just smash the glass?" Harry blurted, realising that Stiles didn't have much longer before his mirror was moved.
"Sure?" the imprisoned teenager agreed awkwardly, "It's not exactly rocket science. Not that I understand rocket science either, I'm not Lydia," he babbled.
Tightening his grip on the chair, Harry stepped closer to the mirror and raised it, a startled yelp escaping his lips as pain burned through his scar. The chair falling from his hands, Harry himself fell to one knee, clutching at his head as Voldemort tried to force open the connection between them.
Fighting through the pain, Harry latched onto the chair as he heard the Dark Lord whispering in his mind, throwing himself forward and bringing the chair down upon the mirrored surface. Time seemed to stop for a second, before the world around him exploded and he was being thrown back into the wall, his head slamming into the stone bricks and his vision swimming.
"Harry? Harry!"
Pushing himself up with a groan, Harry rolled away from the wall and looked up at Stiles, only to freeze as the boy grinned at him coldly.
"It's a shame," Stiles purred, the boy somehow looking exactly like Harry, standing on the other side of the mirror, "You were so cute… and so gullible," he finished as Harry's mind finally caught up with the fact that he was now inside the mirror in Stiles' place.
"I can't believe you fell for that," Stiles continued, grinning wildly as he started inspecting Harry's body. "When I possessed Stiles, my old host, he fought me to the point that he developed split personalities. But you? You just spread your arms and let me in, I actually talked my way in, just like the old days," 'Stiles' murmured nostalgically.
"Stiles," Harry whispered, his mind otherwise blank as he stared at the Trickster inhabiting his body.
The Trickster… something told him that he should have expected this…
"No… Not Stiles," came the correction, "Stiles was strong, he left an imprint on my mind just as I left one on his, but I'm not Stiles," the Trickster admitted.
Before he could continue, the fifth red gem started glowing and Not-Stiles' hand rose to snap his fingers as he winked in Harry's direction.
"Harry?"
"Neville!" Not-Stiles exclaimed as a door appeared in the wall and it was blasted open to reveal Neville, Hermione, and Ginny standing there. "Ginny! Hermione!" Not-Stiles continued, "How did you get it open? You're not hurt, are you?" he questioned quickly as he rushed towards them, perfectly acting like Harry that even Harry himself would have been hard-pressed to notice the difference.
"HERMIONE!" Harry shouted, staggering towards the mirror and throwing himself at it, slamming his fists on the glass. "HERMIONE! IT'S NOT ME! HERMIONE!"
"We're fine, nothing permanent," Hermione assured Not-Stiles quickly, none of them apparently hearing Harry as Not-Stiles-Or-Harry pulled her into a hug. "We have to go, we can't hold the Death Eaters for long".
"We're too late, Voldemort's already here," Not-Stiles-Or-Harry blurted, "We need to find a way out of here".
"We figured out how to work the circle room," Ginny promised, "We were just waiting for you".
"WAIT!" Harry screamed, only Not-Stiles glancing towards him as the others hurried back into the main room where Harry could see Luna sitting over an unconscious Ron. "Who are you? What are you really?" he demanded as he glared at the smirking Trickster.
Not-Stiles twisted his face into a look of innocence, "Some people call me the Nogitsune, others call me Void. But them?" he asked as he hiked his thumb towards his friends, "To them I'm Harry Potter".
"No you're not," Harry hissed out as the Nogitsune made to close the door.
The Void grinned darkly at him, baring his teeth threateningly as Harry's emerald green eyes turned pitch black for a second. "I am now".
MIRROR
This idea is one of the rare ones that I'm posting that isn't based off a challenge!
So for those of you that don't know, the Nogitsune/Void/Stiles is the Big Bad of Teen Wolf season Three (Which I unfortunately haven't watched. It's nearly impossible to get Teen Wolf in NZ, and I had to spend more than I was happy with to just get season one). It's a Dark Trickster that feeds on chaos, strife, and pain, and possesses Stiles to wreak havoc upon Beacon Hills.
I don't own Harry Potter, OR, Teen Wolf.