Disclaimer: Usually I write out a very specific disclaimer explaining exactly what it is I don't own but I find myself not really interested in doing so this time as it is very tedious. Suffice it to say I own nothing that was created by anyone else and I am not making any money off of this story or any of the other stories I have written.
AN: This story is self-beta'd; so there may be occasional grammatical or spelling errors that crop up every now and then and for those I apologize in advance.
Chapter 45: and Fire Rained from the Heavens in his Fury
No one started worrying about Taliesin's tardiness until after the first hour had passed and even then they merely assumed that something had come up to prevent him from joining them right away. When a second hour passed and he still hadn't shown up a number of individuals began to get antsy but they still believed that he'd only been delayed for a moment and would show up any minute. After five hours had gone by without any sign of Taliesin and they'd had no luck in contacting Wolfstar in order to find out what was going on, they were forced to admit that something had gone wrong and Taliesin wasn't going to show.
An hour and ten minutes later, Une interrupted their furious planning session and told them that Treize had been going to try and get Taliesin out and since he had not contacted her at the appointed time it meant that he'd failed. Une went on to explain, in great detail, exactly what Quinze had been planning to do as Treize had revealed to her during their earlier conversation. Heero felt no satisfaction in knowing he'd guessed correctly earlier when he had figured out that Quinze was going to use Taliesin and the Epyon to destroy Earth.
It was about that time that reports came in of a small nuclear warhead taking out a large portion of the Sanc Kingdom and on the video screen Relena bowed her head knowing she owed her life and the lives of her subjects to Taliesin because if not for his warning, thousands of lives would have been lost in the bombing.
The news that a second warhead had been spotted heading towards the Winner Estate in Saudi Arabia was met with panic by those up in Scotland as all five of the Gundam pilots were currently on the estate along with the Maganac Corps, the U.P.F. leaders, and all of Quatre's recently released sisters. And while Taliesin had warded property not long after he'd returned to the Estate in the wake of the New Edwards Base Mission, there was no guarantee that the wards would hold up under a nuclear assault. Time was of the essence and all five of the Gundams pilots didn't hesitate to rush towards their suits only for Haddock and Brian, in Arcticstar and Brimstar, to beat them to the punch as the two Gundams showed up out of the blue and shielded the estate with their combined Planet Defensers while Arcticstar shot the missile out of the sky well before it could fully enter the atmosphere let alone detonate.
There was a backlash of radiation released but it was no where near as severe as it would have been if the warhead had actually hit its target and it was high enough up in the atmosphere that it would dissipate fairly quickly and pose very little hazard to those living within a five thousand mile radius of the Winner Estate or the Earth.
When the two pilots landed, they explained that they'd been monitoring the situation up with Taliesin through their laptops and found that Wolfstar had left them a backdoor into White Fang's mainframe and had found the order to bomb the estate along with the Sanc Kingdom. They'd already been in route to the Winner Estate to grab extra supplies from the Freedom Force's stores to help feed the sudden influx of evacuees from the Sanc Kingdom and there hadn't been time to send word ahead because the missile had already been launched.
It had been a very close call for the mismatched and ragtag family because the five teens never would have made it to their suits in time and they knew it. Quatre ordered the entire estate to be evacuated and arrangements were made for everyone to be moved up to Hogwarts immediately since Hogwarts was still unplottable by muggle means if one didn't have the coordinates or a way to track one of the suits already on the grounds. Gathering up Harry's snake friends was made easy thanks to a prerecorded parseltongue message that Harry had given to Quatre that told the snakes an emergency had occurred and their lives depended upon them getting into the transport crates as quickly as possible.
Heero and Duo were both startled when Relena and Hilde tackled them the moment they walked into the castle; both young ladies having been frightened by the fact that they'd almost lost them forever. That neither pilot protested the open display of affection, Heero even going so far as to wrap his arms around Relena in return as he pressed a kiss to her temple (something he never would have done under normal circumstances), spoke of how rattled the pilots had been over the close shave.
It was Quatre that comforted a distraught Dorothy who'd been trying to be strong since the moment Taliesin had walked willingly into White Fang's hands. She even confessed to the sympathetic and empathetic blonde how guilty she'd been feeling about what had happened the last time she and Taliesin had been alone and how she'd been so confused but that the fear that she'd never see him again was slowly killing her inside.
By that time, it had nearly been twenty-nine hours since they'd last heard from Taliesin and the mood had turned grim and tension was high as they all began to fear the worst. Just when it appeared as if there was no hope, Brian burst into the Great Hall where everyone had sitting morosely to report that the Libra was in complete chaos. That had everyone crowding around the only two laptops with a connection to the White Fang's battleship (not counting the ones down in the Command Center where not everyone could access them) as they read report after report of two separate factions fighting all over the ship, a demon slashing its way through the floors, wide spread system failures occurring on all levels of the ship, and a mass exodus of suits carrying those fleeing what had rapidly been recognized as certain destruction.
Worst of all though were the disturbing reports of the Epyon overloading and overheating as it slowly and steadily sank through the four levels that had been directly beneath the hanger that it had been housed in.
Of the various video feeds they were able to pull from the security cameras (from those that were still working), the most alarming ones were of the Epyon glowing ominously as it slowly melted through the floor beneath it and the ones of Wolfstar cutting and slashing with teeth and claws in his wolf form as he moved with single-minded purpose (his various weapons still magically locked). Those watching only wished they knew which suit Taliesin was currently inside of; the rampaging Wolfstar or what they believed was the soon to be self-destructing Epyon. Several silent tears slipped down Dorothy's face as she pressed her hands to her mouth when Haddock pulled up the earlier footage from the hanger bay of the Epyon suit and they witnessed an unconscious Taliesin being maneuvered into the formidable suit less than two hours earlier.
Relena, Noin, Zechs, Sally Po, and Quatre had to leave at that point to attend an emergency meeting that had been called by the new E.S.S.C. to deal with the current crisis. Trowa, Takoda, and a hundred U.P.F. soldiers went with them to provide security for the meeting in the event that White Fang attempted to attack the meeting location. Shortly after they left, satellite networks around the world began streaming live footage of what was happening just outside of Earth's atmosphere; the fleeing mobile suits and the sparking and shifting of the Libra as the White Fang's battleship took damage due to the multiple battles being waged inside of it. Those remaining behind at Hogwarts split their attention between watching Wolfstar, the Epyon, the bridge of the Libra where Quinze was still having seizures, and the external satellite feeds.
As they watched, Epyon breached the outer hull of the Libra and the vacuum of space began sucking and pulling at everything and everyone as the pressurized environment of the ship was compromised. Not even Epyon escaped from the great rush of air being sucked out of the ship though its passing only did more damage to the hull of the ship. Inside of the ship, the fighting stopped as the spacecraft shifted and groaned ominously in response to the extensive damage done by the Epyon while all over the ship emergency doors slammed shut in an effort to seal off the damaged portion of the ship. White Fang soldiers were now ignoring Treize's men who ignored them in turn as everyone scrambled to board the nearest shuttle or mobile suit as they sought to escape the floundering battleship.
About the same time, the camera circuit that had been following Wolfstar showed the sentient suit crashing to a halt outside of a row of cells and reverting to suit form. Wolfstar then smashed through the doors one at a time and pulled out the prisoner or prisoners inside and promptly stuffed them into his cockpit. Duo let out a hysterical giggle when they heard Professor G yelling obscenities at the suit's pilot over the manhandling; the long haired pilot thinking it a grand prank since there was no pilot inside of the suit. Une (who was watching from the back of the group in pure shock over the revelations she'd learned since being dragged along for the ride during the evacuation) gave a cry of shock and relief when Treize and another soldier were also rescued alongside the five Gundam scientists (she'd been convinced that the man she loved would be left behind to die simply because of who he was).
Outside of the spaceship, still glowing ominously, the Epyon began shifting; its Gundanium armor melting and reforming as the suit converted into its alternate form of what was supposed to be a two-headed dragon. To the shock of those watching the suit also began swelling and growing as the new shape took form and for a brief moment it looked as if the entire suit was going to explode. Blinding light then engulfed the suit for what seemed like an eternity but was in actuality no more than ten or fifteen seconds. When the light finally faded, in place of the former Epyon suit there stood a monstrous three headed hound that looked far more life-like than it had a right to. Sound erupted across the satellite feeds that were recording the emergence of the new formidable canine as said creature raised its three heads and let out a trio of feral howls that were filled with pure rage.
"The guardian's ire has been provoked and his fury shall know no bounds," Obduro stated solemnly drawing everyone's attention away from the scene playing out in front of them.
"Guardian? What guardian?" Wufei asked with a frown.
"Cerberus belonged to Hades and guarded the gates of the Underworld," Obduro replied as he pawed the ground with a hoof and shifted his hindquarters nervously. "The three-headed beast is purported to be the forefather of grims, hellhounds, barghests, black shucks, cŵn annwn, and wargs.* Loyal only to his master, Cerberus and all of his children have always inspired fear and fueled endless nightmares since before the dawn of the first centaur herd."
As if they had been actors in a play and those words had been their cue; the suspended scene in space burst into motion as several things happened at once. Inside of the Libra on the bridge of the damaged spaceship Quinze woke from his unconsciousness with a scream of fury; his body floundering from the physical trauma inflicted upon him through the damage heaped upon his mind during the battle with Harry. The first words out of his mouth were orders to attack and destroy the former Epyon suit. On the prison level, Wolfstar (his passengers now secure or as secure as they could be considering there were seven fully grown men stuffed into the suit) began once more tearing his way through the ship using his claws to cut a path to the nearest exit.
Thousands of mobile dolls (that weren't even supposed to exist) poured from hidden hangers in the belly of the Libra and flooded the area. Outside of the ship, thousands of mobile suits turned and aimed their weapons towards where the former Epyon suit was hovering, their pilots loyal White Fang members that felt heartened by the sudden return of their venerable leader. The ship itself began powering up its many beam canons as it prepared to blast the feral looking suit.
Time stood still for one brief moment as thousands of deadly blasts of pure energy were launched towards the seemingly helpless three headed suit and no one dared to breathe as they helplessly watched what they were certain would be the death of the last mage. And then the heavens exploded with fire as two of the three snarling heads spat out great gouts of white hot flames that seared through everything it touched; including the beam fire from the Libra's weapons. The life-like creature began moving just seconds later at a speed far greater than should have been possible as it pounced upon the suits that had dared fire upon it; teeth and claws biting, slashing, and clawing as it cut wide swaths through the mobile suits.
Like the battle for dominance between Harry and Wolfstar around twenty-seven hours earlier, the battle between the three headed beast and the brigade of mobile suits and dolls was brutal; the feral suit completely decimating close to ten thousand suits and dolls over the course of the next eighteen hours.
The raging hound then turned on the damaged battle ship and the outer most two heads once again spat out great gouts of flame; flames that burned bright and hot despite the fact that there was no oxygen in space to fuel them. The flames, like the magic that fueled them, played by their own rules though and in a matter of mere minutes the great battleship of the White Fang was engulfed in relentless flames. The explosion that followed sent out shock-waves that rocked everything in its path with the exception of the various planets and moons that experienced sudden harsh storms that cropped up from out of nowhere and lasted but for an instant before they dissipated once more.
The wreckage strewn about Earth's orbit would burn above the earth for nearly a week before the frigid vacuum of space finally doused the magical flames and more than a few bits of debris would eventually be pulled into Earth's atmosphere to crash harmlessly into the ocean where they'd be collected by salvagers and treasure hunters and sold as souvenirs.
There were only a handful of surviving soldiers, most of them having been those that followed Treize and had chosen to flee either out into space or down onto Earth instead of attempting to battle the vengeful hellhound that had risen from the molten remains of the Epyon. Included in that group were the five scientists, Kratz Shelby, Treize Khushrenada, and the sentient suit Wolfstar. The living suit dropped down in Crystal Valley just mere seconds before the Libra detonated (Wolfstar having to fight his way clear of the suits that had been attacking Epyon) and the seven former prisoners were unceremoniously dumped out onto the ground the moment the suit touched down before the suit transformed back into its wolf form and howled mournfully towards the heavens.
About that time those who'd been watching the unfolding battle poured out onto the grounds, Heero, Duo, Wufei, Dorothy, Brian, and Haddock rushing towards the sentient suit in the hopes of finding out what had happened to Taliesin. Both the rescued prisoners and the group from the castle were sent diving for cover a half an hour later as the huge three-headed hound that had once been the suit Epyon crashed onto the castle grounds. Picking themselves up off the ground, the small group cautiously made their way to the edge of the huge crater only to scramble backwards when the hound's three heads rose above the rim and the two outer heads snarled out a warning as they swung wildly back and forth.
A wave of extreme heat poured forth from the huge metal hound making everyone back further away least they get burned. The beast seemed feral, a menacing air clinging to it as the two active heads swayed from side to side as if searching for a threat. It was therefore a bit of a shock when Wolfstar crept across the ground on his belly until he reached the rim of crater the larger suit turned beast had made upon impact and whined submissively. Both hound heads dropped down to inspect the wolf and Heero and Duo both tensed as they feared that Wolfstar was about to become a snack (though how a mechanical three-headed hound could eat a mechanical wolf was a bit of a mystery).
To everyone's surprise the two heads merely nudged the wolf playfully as the third head turned to face the group of humans hovering uncertainly in the background. The most notable thing about the third and middle head of the giant hound was that it was vaguely reptilian in appearance and far more life-like than the two outer heads. It was also smaller and slimmer than the two outer heads, making it appear almost feminine when compared to the other heads.
Jewel like eyes, one green and one blue, blinked languidly as the dainty (if large) head slowly stretched out towards where Heero and the others were nervously watching the former mobile suit with trepidation. After a long moment of tense inspection the third head dropped down and deposited an unmoving form on the ground practically at Heero's feet before all three heads retreated back into the crater out of sight.
It didn't take them long to figure out that it could only be Taliesin that the hound had spat out onto the ground and Heero was kneeling beside the unmoving figure in an instant. The blue eyed teen wasted no time in removing the helmet from Taliesin's head to reveal the wizard's pale, bruised, and bloodstained face. Relief washed through those present when it was instantly obvious that Taliesin was still alive if more than a little changed and obviously wounded. Heero quickly gathered his limp body into his arms (a feat no where near as easy as it had once been) and took off running in the direction of the castle where he knew help could be found in the form of Iria Winner.
Against all odds, Taliesin had not only wiped out the threat that White Fang represented for both Earth and the Colonies but he had come home as promised.
It was the complete absence of pain that finally woke Harry. His entire world had revolved around pain for who knew exactly how long that the complete absence of pain immediately cut through the fog of sleep that had engulfed him at some point. He didn't open his eyes right away because while it was a relief not to be in pain it was also confusing since the last thing he remembered was excruciating pain.
As he lay there with his eyes closed, Harry noted that instead of the cold, hard floor of a prison cell he was lying on a soft mattress beneath a pile of soft warm blankets. His next discovery was that his hands and feet were no longer bound and that his body had not been flooded with a paralyzing poison to prevent him from moving. Finally, the scent of warm chocolate mixed with the mustiness of snake scales instead of the chill staleness of an artificial life support system had Harry suspecting that he was no longer being held prisoner out in space.
Upon finally opening his eyes, he was greeted with the familiar blurry red canopy of his bed in Gryffindor Tower. His heart ached at the welcome sight and a slight smile curved his lips as he'd feared he'd never again see his home let alone sleep in his bed. The shifting weight of something sliding across his chest drew Harry's eyes downward where they were met by a pair of beady black eyes set in a black scaled face with just a few hints of paler tan scales around the mouth and chin as a snake slipped out from beneath the blankets. The venomous cobra rose up and flared its hood as it slithered forward so that it was practically nose to nose with Harry.
"You are a troublesome nestling, speaker," Seth declared after a moment.
"Hello to you too, Seth," Harry hissed back with an undertone of sarcasm.
The snake glared at him for a moment before it shook its head and disappeared back beneath the covers muttering about unrepentant brats. Harry snorted and let another smile touch his lips as he stretched languidly, relishing in the lack of pain. He pushed back the covers and slowly sat up, feeling a lingering weakness in his muscles that told him that he'd been out for at least a couple of days. He'd barely gotten up on his elbows before there was an arm sliding under his back and a hand on his elbow helping him to sit up and he was a bit startled to find Wufei on the other end of that hand; he hadn't realized that there was anyone else in the room with him.
"I'm glad to see you awake, Taliesin," Wufei stated as he sat down on the bed facing Harry once the wizard was comfortably propped upright. "We were starting to get a bit worried."
"How did I get back here? When did I get back here? I am here, right? I mean this isn't some drug induced dream or some cruel joke, right?" Harry asked in rapid fire succession even as he accepted his glasses from his brother as Wufei handed them to him (his things having been retrieved from the desert when his brothers had collected Quatre's sisters).
"You are really here; this is not a dream or a hallucination. As to how and when… well you brought yourself home about eight days ago. What happened up there, Taliesin?"
"It got to the point where I had begun to fear that I'd never find my way back home," Harry confessed as he sat back against the headboard and closed his eyes as he reached down to run his hand down Seth's back as the cobra shifted so that he was curled up beside Harry's hip beneath the covers. After a few minutes, he opened his eyes and continued, "As for what happened…? I don't know; everything is all jumbled up and twisted around in my mind. The last thing I clearly remember was being woken up by Treize who said he'd made a mistake before he tried to help me escape. After that all I remember is pain."
"You aren't in any pain right now are you?"
"No. It was the lack of pain that woke me up and it is a bit disorienting to find myself back home when I don't remember how I got here. Can you tell me what happened after I last spoke to you guys?"
"I can but first I'd like to have Iria look you over and make certain that you've recovered; you were unconscious and covered in blood and bruises when we found you."
"Why is Iria at Hogwarts?"
"It's a long story but the short answer is that she's been keeping an eye on you while you recovered. I'll give you the full story later," Wufei evasively replied as he rose from his perch on Harry's bed. "I'll be back with Iria and probably a few other familiar faces in a few minutes. Would you like me to bring you anything to eat or drink?"
"Some tea would be nice," Harry allowed after a moment.
"I'll bring some with me when I return, then."
Harry was half dozing when his room was invaded about twenty minutes later and the sudden influx of voices had Harry smiling as he drank in the warming sight of his friends and family. Tears pricked at the back of his eyes and he was having trouble swallowing under the swell of emotion that filled him. He remembered feeling as if he'd never see them again and the pain of nearly losing them yet again had hurt worse than the physical pain he'd been in. His eyes sought out his brothers first and his smile fell a bit when he noticed Quatre and Trowa were missing. When he noticed that there were several other faces missing that he would have expected to be among those present his smile disappeared completely as the hated voice of Quinze whispered through his mind.
"You think you were so clever asking for the Winner whores to be released in exchange for turning yourself in, don't you? Shall I let you in on a secret? You made it far easier to destroy more than half of that wretched family; including the family heir. I personally launched the warhead that wiped out the Winner Estate on Earth after Treize nearly ruined all of my plans in his attempt to set you free."
"No…" Harry croaked out desperately as he fisted his hands in the covers pooled around his waist. His unexpected cry cut through the noise in the room as everyone stopped talking and turned to him with puzzled expressions. Shaking slightly, Harry shook his head and begged, "He was lying… he had to be lying… please tell me he was lying… please?"
"Tell you who was lying, Taliesin?" Heero inquired as broke away from the crowd that had gathered at the foot of Harry's bed and dropped down beside Harry.
"Quinze… he said… bombed estate… Quatre…? Trowa…?"
"Quatre, Trowa, and several of da others are attendin' an E.S.S.C. conference," Duo answered as he bounced down on the bed, annoying Seth in the process (though the snake only hissed in irritation). "There was an emergency meetin' called nine days ago and Sally, Relena, and Quatre needed ta be there as part of da Coalition while da others went ta watch over them and protect all of da delegates and world leaders in case White Fang tried launchin' another attack."
"Thank Merlin… I didn't want to believe him at the time but when I didn't see them… I feared the worst."
"Here, budge up people, let me get in there," Iria ordered as she finally arrived and found her way blocked by far more warm bodies than she expected. She smiled warmly at Harry as she finally reached his side and Harry soon found himself wrapped up in a hug that he self consciously allowed. "How are you feeling? Wufei said you had told him that you weren't feeling any pain… is that true?"
"I'm feeling great now that I know Quinze lied about attacking the Winner Estate and I'm not in any pain."
"They did attack the Winner Estate," Heero corrected making Harry snap his head around to pin Heero with his mismatched eyes. "Brian and Haddock learned of the attack thanks to Wolfstar leaving them a backdoor into White Fang's mainframe and they arrived in time to prevent the missile from hitting the estate. They also dropped one on the Sanc Kingdom as you'd warned but we'd already evacuated the entire country due to the threat level."
"Go ahead and take your shirt off, Taliesin, I want to check on your wings; they had looked pretty roughed up and ragged when you first arrived."
"I expect they'll go through another shed cycle if they haven't already," Harry stated as he moved to the edge of the bed to give himself enough room as he slipped off the shirt as requested, sighing when he caught sight of the wealth of fading bruises littering his chest, stomach, and arms. A frown formed on his face when he saw the faded scars on his left side where he'd been shot during his captivity when he'd fully expected to find a half healed wounds instead. That had him glancing at his hands for a moment as well because there was something off about them but he couldn't quite pin down what it was.
The moment they were free, Harry swept his wings out to either side and shook them before pulling them forward so he could inspect them, frowning even more when that same feeling that there was something off about them cropped up but he passed it off as the condition he found them in. They still looked rather dull and ragged, especially those scales that had been damaged when that one nurse had torn the tape off his scales (not that he remembered that bit at the moment) with his right wing looking slightly worse due to the scarring from the four gunshot wounds. "They're feeling just the slightest bit itchy so I imagine I'll shed here in a day or two."
"You've actually shed twice already in the time you've been home and they look ten times better than they did when you first arrived. And you're certain there's no lingering pain in your right wing? What happened to your wings to get them into such a state?"
"They bound them with tape and I doubt they were very gentle when they removed it at some point but I can't recall exactly when that happened except that it was after Treize tried to get me out. Getting shot didn't help… have I mentioned how much I hate being shot?"
"They hit you with standard bullets or did they use a beam weapon?" Heero asked with a wince as he recalled exactly how much Harry hated getting shot.
"Bullets, but thankfully they all passed through without doing much damage; most of them hit my right wing while another two hit me on the left side of my stomach when I couldn't twist far enough out f the way. I cleaned them out as best I could and took a few potions to numb the pain and deal with the damage but I'm surprised it didn't take longer for them to heal," Harry replied before he bit his lip and glanced nervously at everyone who was listening in on the conversation. "Um… Iria, I was going to ask Trowa but since he's not here and you'll probably have a better idea…"
"What is it Taliesin?" Iria inquired as she poked and prodded at his wings for a moment before she turned his head to one side and inspected his left temple.
"I lost count of the number of times they knocked me out by braining me in the back of the head and I'm having trouble remembering things after a certain point… do you think they might've done any lasting damage?"
"It probably wasn't the blows to the head that affected your memory, Taliesin," Iria softly replied as she pulled Harry's head down so she could check the base of his neck before turning his head sideways so she could examine the area behind and below the ear.
"Then why…?" Harry began to ask only furrow his brow as he reached up to finger his right temple as the ghost of a memory of sharp pain, burning acid, and endless blackness floated through his mind before vanishing into smoke. "Damn it… why can't I remember?"
"Try not to worry about it," Heero urged. "You'll either remember in time or you won't."
"I don't like my memories or my mind being messed with," Harry growled as Iria handed him back his shirt now that she was finished. Shaking off his frustration and his anger, Harry pulled on his shirt and glanced up at the young woman standing over him and asked, "What's the verdict doc?"
"You're still a stubborn brat," Duo quipped breaking the tension that had filled the room the moment Harry had started getting angry.
"While Duo is correct, I can honestly say that it looks like you've recovered quite nicely. So, I'll leave you to catch up with everyone and if you do end up feeling any pain later please let me know."
"Thanks, Iria."
The next few hours passed by fairly quickly as Harry caught up on everything he'd missed while he'd been sleeping off his injuries. At one point a pair of highly irritated phoenixes was dropped into his lap by Cathy; the two birds now fully fledged and nearly fully grown and both of them clamoring for attention. Once he managed to calm them down, Spera settled down in his lap while Spero perched on his shoulder and groomed his hair. After sharing his requested tea and a light lunch with the phoenixes, Harry ended up drifting off to sleep once more; his body and mind still recovering from his ordeal.
Harry woke with the dawn the next morning as both phoenixes trilled a greeting to the sun. He lay in bed listening to the two immature phoenixes attempting to sing for a few moments, just relishing the fact that he was home where he belonged. Once the two magical birds knew Harry was awake, they climbed up onto him and began begging for attention which in turn had Seth grumbling as the birds stepped on him a time or two. As he showered the two phoenixes with attention Harry realized that he was going to need to start seriously teaching them how to fly soon now that their flight feathers had finished growing in.
After spending nearly forty-five minutes spoiling both phoenixes and the snake, Harry slipped out of bed and shuffled into the bathroom to relieve his bladder and take a shower. He received a bit of a shock when he got a good look at himself in the mirror for the first time and noticed the magical growth spurt he'd been given. That was also the moment he realized that the charmed shirt he was wearing was no where near as loose as it had been previously and he snorted over his own cluelessness as the changes in his body were obvious now that he could see them. He was at least thankful that he no longer looked like a twelve year old but still put out that he could still be easily mistaken for a fifteen or sixteen year old.
Once in the shower, he lingered beneath the hot water for longer than he normally would, enjoying the soothing warmth as it loosened up muscles that had gone a bit stiff from spending so long in bed. The steam also eased the growing itchiness in his wings and he suspected they'd probably shed before the day was out due to how much they'd been itching since he'd woken up. Shutting off the water, Harry shook the water from his wings as he stepped out of the shower and reached for a towel. Whistling a jaunty tune, Harry wrapped the towel around his waist once he'd finished drying off and stepped back into his bedroom.
He was halfway across the room before he realized he wasn't alone in the room and he slowed to a stop and turned his head to the side to find Dorothy standing halfway between the door and the small table Harry had tucked in the corner of his room holding a breakfast tray in her hands. He wasn't certain if he should feel flattered because she couldn't seem to take her eyes off of him, embarrassed that he'd walked into the room wearing nothing but the towel, or exasperated because his own room had been invaded without his permission. When her eyes finally registered that Harry had stopped walking and flew up to his face, her face turned a lovely shade of pink the moment she realized he'd been watching her staring at him for close to five minutes.
"I thought you might like something for breakfast since you missed supper last night and knew that the two phoenixes usually eat about this time and so brought them some fruits and nuts too. I… um… I didn't know you were already awake and that you'd be… er…"
"Thank you, Miss Catal…"
"Dorothy."
"Er… beg your pardon?"
"Please, call me Dorothy, Taliesin," Dorothy insisted as she blushed again and averted her face as she quickly crossed the room and set the tray she was carrying on the table.
The butterflies in Harry's stomach stirred at the almost breathless way Dorothy said his name and he felt his wings shifting nervously before he stilled them. He allowed his eyes to track her for a moment until he realized what he was doing and he jerked his head around to face his wardrobe as he began walking once more as he replied, "As you wish, Dorothy." And if his mouth happened to caress her name as he spoke it out loud he'd be the last one to admit it.
"Is there… is there anything else I can get you?"
"No, thank you; we should be fine."
"Are you certain? I could… I could help you feed the phoenixes. I helped Obduro take care of them while you were… while you were gone and while you were unconscious."
Harry paused in his search for clothes and glanced back over his shoulder to study Dorothy as she nervously shifted the various dishes on the tray she'd been carrying. If he didn't know any better, he'd say she was looking for any excuse to stay but he couldn't think of a single logical reason why she'd want to after what had happened the last time the two of them had been alone. Shaking his head, Harry returned to his search and soon picked out what he was going to wear for the day (having to dig into his stash of previously untouched clothes to find a pair of pants that would fit him now).
"I appreciate your offer, Dorothy, but I'm going to need to ask you to leave."
"But… why?" Dorothy asked in a startled voice as she twirled around to stare at Harry.
"I can't exactly go walking around in a towel all day," Harry dryly pointed out as he gestured to said towel which of course brought Dorothy's attention back to his current state of dress, or rather, lack thereof. "I do need to get dressed, if you don't mind; unless you wish to watch?"
Dorothy eeped and turned a dark shade of red and Harry couldn't help but notice how her eyes darkened with curiosity and desire as they lingered on his towel clad waist. It wasn't until Harry made as if to drop the towel that Dorothy tore her eyes away from his hips and glanced up to meet his mismatched gaze. He arched an eyebrow in response as she made absolutely no move to leave the room. When she started nibbling on her lip, Harry felt his stomach flip-flop as his eyes were drawn to her mouth and he could almost taste the chocolate and peppermint of the kisses they'd shared so long ago.
"Dorothy…? I do need to get dressed," Harry repeated as he tried to ignore the feelings she was stirring within him.
Harry fully expected the seventeen year old to dash out of the room but he wasn't really surprised when she just simply spun around in place. Huffing a bit, Harry grabbed his clothes and headed for the bathroom; despite his earlier blasé attitude about offering her a chance to watch him dress he wasn't about to change while she was in the room. As he pulled on his boxers and jeans, Harry wondered what she could possibly find so fascinating about him since he really didn't think he was anything special.
He was short (excessively so in his opinion despite the recent growth spurt), covered in scars, had wings, attracted trouble like it was going out of style, and was so far from sane it wasn't funny. Snorting, Harry shook his head and stepped back into his bedroom as he pulled on the long sleeve undershirt he'd picked out before affixing the Velcro strap that held the shirt in place across his back under his wings.
"I'm sorry, I should have given you a moment of privacy; I don't know what I was thinking," Dorothy stated the moment he stepped into the room.
"That's a shame," Harry muttered to Dorothy's confusion. He sighed as he walked over to the bed and collected the two phoenixes who'd begun making hungered cries the moment he reentered the room. Once he settled them down on the back of a chair, he grabbed the dish of grapes from the tray Dorothy had brought and sat down in the chair next to the birds and began tossing them grapes one at a time even as he clarified his earlier statement. "It would have been nice to know what exactly it is you wish from me. I just don't understand what it is about me that could possibly be so fascinating for an attractive and intelligent young woman such as yourself."
"What could…? Do you really think so little of yourself?"
Harry glanced up sharply at the incredulous tone in Dorothy's voice as she dropped down into the chair on the other side of the one the phoenixes were perched on and stared at him in disbelief. He rolled his eyes and snorted as he tossed yet another pair of grapes to the two birds, their beaks snagging the flying fruit out of the air with precision. While the two birds were mashing up their latest bite between their beaks, Harry took the opportunity to snag a scone from the tray Dorothy had brought and pulled a small piece off before tossing another pair of grapes when he heard a chorus of inquiring chirps from his charges.
"You're not going to answer me, are you?"
"I thought it was a rhetorical question," Harry evaded with a shrug.
"It wasn't and you knew it wasn't."
"Hnn."
"What is wrong with me? You've opened up to almost everyone else but you are so cold and distant when you're in the same room as I am; except for the few times I've managed to anger you. Is it because of what happened when I confronted you the last time?"
"I'm certain there is nothing wrong with you," Harry countered as he abandoned his muffin and rose from his seat to transfer Spero and Spera to his shoulders before collecting the bowl of grapes. "As I've said before; I will not saddle any woman with my broken self. Not only that but in case you haven't noticed; I'm trying to bring an entire world back from the brink of extinction and it would not be fair of me to enter a relationship knowing full well that my attention will be focused entirely on my duties for the duration of my lifetime. I thank you for your thoughtfulness in delivering breakfast, Miss Catalonia. If you will excuse me, I have evaded my responsibilities long enough."
Harry didn't wait for Dorothy to reply, making his way quickly out of the Gryffindor Tower and vanishing into one of the many unmarked secret passageways. As he walked, he absently continued to feed the two birds while his thoughts swirled around a certain amethyst eyed blonde. He was willing to admit that he found her attractive (now that she was no longer hung up on violence and conflict) and that he might have been willing to date her had he met her under different circumstances. The problem was that she'd come into his life after his world had been turned upside down and inside out at a time when he still had issues trusting people outside of his family.
In the beginning, he'd thought her rather cold and callous but he supposed that had been the image she'd chosen to project to the world in order to protect herself and he hadn't really wanted to see the real Dorothy. Then came the day she'd caught him off guard and she'd stolen a kiss from him and he hadn't been able to stop thinking about her for the most part ever since. Snorting, Harry shoved all thoughts of the confusing blonde out of his mind, or at least to the back of his mind, as he stepped out into the dungeons and made his way up to the entrance hall.
He paused just before stepping out of the shadows, using a low powered detection spell to make certain he was the only one there; he wanted a bit of time to himself right now. Finding the hall deserted, Harry slipped out of the stairwell and out the main door into the cool morning air. He couldn't resist shaking and stretching his wings out as a soft breeze rushed around him and he closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he thanked the gods for bringing him back home. A small smile slid onto his face as he opened his eyes and walked towards the cliff that overlooked the Black Lake.
He chuckled in amusement when both of the phoenixes perched on his shoulders mimicked his wing stretches and only ended up cuffing him and each other on the head. Lifting Spera down onto his left wrist, Harry gently bobbed her up and down until she began flapping her wings and for a brief instant she hovered before landing back on his arm with a startled chirp. Chuckling a second time, Harry scratched her on the back of her head, stroked her chest feathers and had her swap places with Spero so he could repeat the process with the slightly smaller male. He spent about an hour standing there overlooking the lake exercising the two phoenixes, enjoying their trills and chirps of pleasure as they hovered for longer and longer intervals (though still measured only in seconds).
The two fledglings eventually grew tired though and Harry settled them both back onto his shoulders as he headed back towards the castle. As he reached the main entrance of the castle, Harry hesitated a moment before he turned and headed in the direction of the clinic; concern for the children foremost in his mind as he couldn't recall if Wufei had said he'd gotten back within the five day limit or not. He hadn't even made it around the corner of the castle when he was nearly run over by a gigantic metal wolf.
The moment the sentient suit caught sight of Harry, it skidded to a stop and sent a happy bark that was more of a yip out over his external speakers before he suddenly dropped to his belly and covered his face as he whined pathetically. Harry sighed, immediately realizing that Wolfstar was still greatly affected by the thrashing Harry had given him during their short battle for dominance. Stepping up to the former Gundam, Harry dropped his hand on Wolfstar's nose and gave him a few reassuring pats before he used his wand to shrink the wolf down to a more manageable size (though it was close to half the size Harry usually let the wolf stay at when in his wolf form).
Wolfstar's anxieties soothed, Harry continued on his way with the wolf falling into step behind him. There was a spring in his step as he crossed the rocky ground and he couldn't help the grin that crept across his face over the knowledge that was well and truly home. Silly, certainly, since there'd been no doubt the moment he'd seen his brothers but a small part of him still feared that he was just dreaming. He firmly ignored the troubling loss of memory about what had happened after Treize (Khushrenada of all people!) had attempted to rescue him. In fact, Harry was perfectly content to pretend that his surrender to White Fang and everything that had happened afterwards had been nothing but a stress induced nightmare.
Unfortunately, fate is never fair and Harry came face to face with reality the moment he rounded the second corner of the castle and caught sight of the huge crater that he knew hadn't been there nearly two weeks earlier.
Notes:
* Hellhounds - rather than having the different cultural names for hellhounds all describe the same basic animal, I chose to have each one be cousins of sorts with Cerberus (the actual dog from the myths, not just any old three headed dog) as the father of them all. I won't be going into any detail about the different types of hellhounds as they aren't important to the story... they were just mentioned in passing and to show that there are more magical species of dogs out there other than crups, grims, and three-headed hellhounds.
AN: Another busy chapter… what with the demise of the White Fang, Harry's return to earth, and yet another tense and troublesome encounter between Harry and Dorothy.
The only point I think I need to make is in regards to the Epyon. The Epyon is nothing like Wolfstar aside from the fact that it has been altered by Harry's magic and it has a form of sentience. It will also not play that important of a part in future chapters, though it will be present, nor will he interact with the suit on the same level he does with Wolfstar. In fact, he never again flies inside of the Epyon (not like he does in Wolfstar). I can also safely say that Harry will not be bringing any other suits to life.
More information on why Epyon is different will come up in the next chapter and at least one other chapter…
Anyway, I think that covers everything… I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and the next chapter will be up sometime in the next week. ~ Jenn