Hey, Everyone! This chapter continues the Scavenger Hunt, but things are coming to a head in that regard. Enjoy!
Chapter 16: The Holidays, pt. 3
(Dec. 24, the Alps)
High in the Alps, overlooking a mountain pass, was a large gothic castle. Inside, the renowned warlock Vincent van Ghoul sat comfortably next to a roaring fire, sipping a glass of red wine. He always came to his retreat here in the Alps during the winter holidays to escape all the chaos back home in the States. Ever since his wife passed on several years ago, he preferred to be alone with his memories at this time of year, bringing only a single house-elf retainer with him.
He nearly dropped his glass in surprise when the wards informed him of the arrival of two wizards entering the courtyard through the front gates. Who would dare to disturb him here? Only the Dark, the insane, or the desperate. Taking up his staff, he went to greet them in the entry hall.
Even with warming charms, the Death Eaters Aiden Avery and Theodore Nott Sr. could feel the biting chill of the mountain winds as they approached the front door of Castle Van Ghoul.
"Some 'mighty warlock'!", Nott scoffed. "Those wards were pathetic!"
"Don't be a fool, Theo!", Avery warned. "Van Ghoul is no one to be trifled with. Did it not occur to you that the wards were only intended to alert him to the approach of intruders, rather than keep them out?" The unlocked door creaked like the lid of the coffin of a vampire in a cheesy B-movie when he pushed it open.
"By all means enter, gentlemen", a voice called from the darkness before them. "And do close the door behind you? It is quite cold outside."
"Mr. Van Ghoul, I presume?", Avery called out amicably. The sound of wood striking stone was heard and a light appeared, illuminating the hall. The light shone from the staff of the tall, late middle-aged man wearing the ornate robes of a Master Warlock. He appeared to be standing at ease, but any experienced wizard duelist could tell he was prepared to strike or react instantly. Sparks flew from the staff to ignite lanterns in sconces along the walls.
"Indeed. And who might you gentlemen be, and why do you disturb my solitude on this of all nights?"
"I am Lord Avery. My companion is Lord Nott", Avery replied, prepared to unholster his wand with a flick of his wrist. "We have come seeking the Chest of Demons for the Dark Lord. Surrender it and we will be on our way in peace, for our master does not wish your death if it can be avoided. You are one of very few that he respects."
"Does he?", Vincent said in a bemused tone. "Unfortunately, you are too late, by several years. The Chest of Demons and its contents were destroyed by a greater power; to prevent it from ever falling into the wrong hands."
"IMPOSSIBLE!", Nott exclaimed, pointing his wand at the smiling warlock. "YOU'RE LYING!"
"Am I?", Van Ghoul grinned, then raised his staff. "I swear upon my life and magick that I have spoken the truth; the Chest of Demons has been destroyed. So mote it be!"
There was a flash as Magick accepted the oath. Then Vincent slammed down his staff, causing a magical tremor and shockwave that knocked the two Death Eaters back on their asses!
"Now", Vincent said dismissively, "please leave the way you came. I'm in no mood for company, nor for cleaning up a mess. Besides, someone needs to give your 'Dark Lord' the bad news. I do hope, for your sakes, that Voldemort has become more merciful to his minions by now."
xxXXxx
Crabbe and Goyle Sr. were still seething at what had happened to them in San Francisco as they were being treated by Narcissa and Snape. Being punished for their failure by the Dark Lord was one thing. But the humiliation and indignity of what they suffered at the hands of those bloody muggles on what should have been a simple mission was simply outrageous! And it all started because of that bloody old Chinese wizard ….
(Flashback)
The two Death Eaters quietly scoffed. Notice-Me-Not charms and penetrating the "Top Secret" Section 13 in San Francisco had been child's play, and a few compulsions on grunts to get through security here and there. Muggles were so simple and stupid. The infiltrators were nearly to the vault containing the relics they sought when an odd quartet came around the corner in front of them. One was a large, powerfully built Japanese man who could easily have been a sumo. The smallest was a 12 y/o Chinese girl in an orange hoody who seemed to be excitedly re-hashing the action of some 'mission' they had just returned from. The Chinese man in his 30's was just rolling his eyes and telling the girl to calm down while the stick-thin old man remained silent. That is until his eyes snapped open and he held up his arms to stop the others.
"AI-YA!"
"Sensei?", the big man queried.
"Uncle has…the willies", the old man said ominously, pulling out his preserved lizard and pufferfish. "There is dark magick here."
"Are you sure, Uncle? OW!", the younger man asked, getting a 'dope-slap' from his elder.
"Uncle is always sure! Uncle is never wrong! Yu-Mo-Gui-Gwai-Di-Fai-Di-Zao!", he chanted, and a beam of chi-magick shot from the lizard and struck the hidden wizards, dissolving the charms hiding them! "SEE, JACKIIIIE! UNCLE WAS RIGHT! DARK WIZARDS!"
Jackie quickly tripped an alarm while the big man pulled a nearby door off its hinges and stepped in front of the others just as several curses struck the door-shield.
"JADE!", Jackie yelled, as the girl dashed out and ran down the hallway at the two Death Eaters, zig-zagging and jumping to avoid their spell-fire to baseball-slide between them and sweep their feet out from under them, knocking them to the ground! She punched Crabbe in the nose as he tried to get up, but was then suddenly yanked away by Jackie, who also kicked Goyle in the face before running down the hall to safety with his niece, repeating "bad-day, bad-day, bad-day!", over and over and armed muggles arrived and began shooting at them! The two "superior, pureblood wizards" had to fight for their lives against mere muggles, enduring multiple injuries, to find an opening to use their portkey to escape empty-handed!
(End flackback)
xxXXxx
Seamus Finnigan's holiday with his family in Ulster Ireland was…. complicated. It was difficult to convince his mother that Harry Potter was in fact telling the truth and that Minister Fudge was vilifying him out of fear. But what truly opened her to the possibility was showing her the DADA text provided by Ministry appointed "Professor" Umbridge, and explaining just how useless the class was under her.
Seamus had taken to exploring the nearby castle ruins during the previous summer by himself. His father often proudly declared the Finnigan Clan as descendants of the great Cu Chullain himself, and the ruins were rumored to have been his stronghold after he defeated the banshee. Seamus was sure it was all total bullocks, o' course. Sure his mum was a pureblood witch, but there was nothin' else special about his family besides her, himself, and his magical siblings.
It was still a good and fanciful story though, and Seamus almost believed it when he came across the statue of a large hound-like gargoyle apparently standing guard over an ancient spear and shield. He could imagine it as the legendary "Hound of Ulster" watching over the Spear and Shield until the Heir of Cu Chullain took them up to fight against evil once again, as the legends say.
He was entering the ruins now, just before sunset, for a little peace from the chaos of home with all his younger siblings and extended family visiting. Yes, it was cold, but luckily there had not been much snow lately. So the ruins were just peaceful and qui…
"Come on! How hard can it be?"
"The claw of the statue is holding it down tight, you bloody git! It won't budge!"
"Then just blast the bloody statue! The Dark Lord wants that spear!"
Sneaking a peek from cover, Seamus saw three men in Death Eater robes and masks at the gargoyle statue, attempting to wrest the spear from its stony grip! His mind raced, he was on the verge of panic, when a faint wailing sound grew louder.
With the sun setting, the shadows of the ruins were long and dark. The wailing grew in intensity until even the Death Eaters noticed. A spectral form emerged from the shadows and shrieked at them….a banshee! She rushed them, forcing the three to scatter, hurling curses at her.
"NONE SHALL CLAIM THE SPEAR OF MY ENEMY!", the banshee screamed as she chased them. "HIS POWERS SHALL NEVER HARM ME AGAIN!"
Seamus approached the statue once the way was clear, equally confused and awed by all that was happening. He touched the spear, and it seemed to gleam and sparkle briefly…
"Enough!", the lead Death Eater barked angrily. "Petrificus Totalus Spiritus!"
The banshee suddenly went stiff and still, and the dark wizards turned toward the statue once again. "Hey! Who're you, brat?! Get away from there!"
Seamus turned, his wand out, ready to fight despite his fear and disadvantage in numbers, just as the sun dipped below the horizon. A loud cracking sound came from behind him, then crumbling stone and a bone-chilling howl! Seamus turned with wide eyes to see the gar-beast had come to snarling flesh & blood life!
"Uuum, good boy?", Seamus said. The beast seemed to smile, licked his face, then leapt off the pedestal to charge at the shocked Death Eaters, barking like a monstrous hound! Despite the chaos of the nearby brawl, Seamus was drawn to the spear and shield, both of which now looked newly forged! He felt….compelled to pick them up…..
And the armor of Cu Chullain formed over his clothes! The Spear looked like a thunderbolt in his hand! And the mighty Shield seemed to weigh less than nothing on his other arm. He flicked his wrist, and his wand appeared in that hand! His magick, that had been so discordant all his life, was now humming in perfect harmony. And an ancient voice rang in his head…
He who takes up the spear and shield of Manhood on this day will become the most renowned of all the warriors of Ireland, and his enemies will shudder at the thunder of his charge
"Flipendo!"
The gar-beast yelped as the knockback jinx threw him violently back toward Seamus. It got up, shook its head to clear it, then growled at its assailants. Seamus stepped up beside it.
"You all right there, lad?", the young wizard asked. The beast snorted as if in the affirmative. "Can yeh still fight?" It growled in response.
"Hand over the Spear, boy!", the lead Death Eater sneered. "Or you and the gargoyle are dead!"
"Never! 'Tis mine by birthright as a descendant of Cu Chullain!"
"Then DIE! Avada Kedavra!"
Seamus batted the 'unblockable' killing curse aside with the ancient shield then hurled the Spear at the ground in front of the three dark wizards. It exploded like an artillery shell, throwing them back violently! The Spear returned to Seamus' hand instantly. The Death Eaters got up slowly, groaning in pain from the shockwave and shrapnel, then froze in fear as the fearsome gar-beast barreled toward them barking ferociously. Too injured to fight, they apparated away.
The gar-beast stopped, snorted in satisfaction, then trotted back to Seamus; head-butting and licking the young wizard affectionately.
"All Right-all right there, boy!", Seamus laughed. "You really helped me out there and you like me. I guess I have ta take you ho…?"
"NO! THIS CANNOT BE! I'LL DESTROY YOU!", the banshee shrieked, screaming at him. It was unbearably painful to his ears, bringing Seamus to his knees; until the gar-beast intervened, charging the wailing spirit. The snarling, barking beast distracted her long enough for Seamus to throw the Spear….
"NNNNNOOOOOOoooooooo…..!", the banshee's scream faded from existence as she did when the Spear skewered her through the chest, right between her shapely breasts.
"Thank you again, boy", Seamus said to his new friend. "Looks like I've got a tale ta tell and a lot of explainin' ta do when we get home."
xxXXxx
(Egyptian coast of the Mediterranean Sea)
The muggles had no idea of the true magnitude of what they had uncovered just of the coast of Alexandria, buried under centuries of sand and silt. Yes, it was a previously undiscovered annex of the Great Library of Alexandria; a storehouse for newly arrived items, they did know that. But in the shock and awe of such "an unprecedented archeological find" they failed to grasp the gold mine of arcane knowledge it held.
But Death Eaters Amycus and Alecto Carrow knew. A muggle press-release photo from within the structure itself showed what appeared to be an ancient copy of the Book of Skelos, containing knowledge of black magicks that had been deliberately erased from history for centuries! It was this that the Dark Lord had sent them and the vampire Xevon to retrieve.
"Stay here on the boat, Sister", Amycus ordered. "Our new friend and I will dive down for our prize. The muggles already determined that the building interior is preserved by some kind of air-pocket."
"I'll be ready to make a quick escape for us", Alecto grinned.
"Let's get moving", Xevon urged. "We don't have all night."
With that, the vampire dove in. Amycus cast the Bubblehead charm on himself and followed. Lighting the way with Lumos on his wand, they swam down to the recently uncovered ruins. They found and entered the submerged entrance, then came up, breaking the surface of the pool that had once been a solid floor.
"The air is stale, but breathable", the wizard stated, looking about.
"Doesn't matter to me", Xevon huffed. Being a vampire, he didn't need to breathe. Why his Queen ordered him to accompany these two he did not know, but he knew better than to question her orders.
"Here it is! The Book of Skelos! The Dark Lord will be pleased", Amycus announced in awe as he lifted the dark tome from the plinth on which it rested. He quickly put it in the pouch he'd brought, as holding it made him feel….afraid…and unworthy. "And now, to cover our trail, and rob these filthy muggles of their precious discovery! Bombarda maxima!"
He blasted the ceiling, and it started to cave in, water gushing inside as the air-pocket ruptured!
A few minutes later, a boat with three dark figures was speeding away from the area under cover of darkness.
xxXXxx
(Potter Island)
Duncan and Fleur had just spent much of the day swimming and sun-bathing in the nude on a secluded little beach on the north side of the island, as well as making love in the surf. Now—dressed again in board shorts and a skimpy bikini respectively—they were enjoying a leisurely flight, skimming the canopy of trees heading back toward the cove, where some of the local merfolk were frolicking with the human visitors. Even Dudley was a bit flustered as a young mermaid flirted shamelessly with him in the shallows, fondling his family jewels beneath the surface! He was actually considering giving in to the charms of the lovely creature, especially since she was topless and stacked for her age!
"Argh!", Sirius from the deck of the Pegasus in a very bad pirate impression.
"You are the worst pirate I've ever seen!", giggled Rita, the auburn haired curvaceous mer-MILF from nearby in the water.
"Ah, but you have heard of me!", he laughed flirtatiously in reply, getting a few chuckles from the others at the reference.
Gabrielle was playing with a few of the merchildren when one got pinched by a crab he was teasing. He managed to shake it off painfully, but not before it had drawn blood from his hand. The children went to get it healed, but the damage was done.
(Cue "Jaws: the Revenge" extended theme)
Out beyond the cove, the predator cruised effortlessly through the water. Fearless, relentless, unstoppable. It was the master if its domain, and it knew it. And now it caught the scent of its favorite prey. It picked up speed.
Long ago, the predator was no different from others of its kind. Until it happened upon an injured creature that had the tail of a fish and the upper body of a human. With no others around, the feast was his alone. Afterward, he felt….stronger…faster…and he seemed to perceive and understand the world around him better. Weeks later, he happened upon another of the creatures, this one healthy but also alone. Hungry, he attacked! Again, after feeding he realized he was stronger, faster, smarter, and slightly bigger! He then realized feeding on those strange creatures was the cause; and he wanted more!
For years he has hunted and killed at will, all manner of sea creatures and any land creatures unlucky enough to cross his path, and feeding on merfolk at every opportunity. He was now far bigger than any member of his species had ever been. He was known and feared by every pod from Rio to the coast of Maine. Ah, this island. He has hunted here before, but it has been some time. He slipped quietly into the cove, following the scent of blood and the sounds of activity.
One moment, the cove was full of fun and joyful activity, the next a scream of terror rang out and all the merfolk surged toward the shore!
"IT'S THE DEVOURER! OUT OF THE WATER!", were the screams as the merfolk flopped and clawed desperately up onto the beach to the confusion of the humans, until they saw the huge triangular fin cutting the surface of the water; an enormous shark! Merfolk often had to fend off sharks and other predators, but this was a monster; easily 18 feet or more and faster than anything Margaret had ever seen in the water.
With its intended prey all up on the sand, the predator thrashed in frustration, then it calmed as it sensed something near the large, wooden human thing anchored in the cove; the impulses of a racing heartbeat, hiding behind the object. If the shark could smile, the grin would cold and cruel as he streaked forward like a torpedo.
The first scream had not been heard until the predator was almost passing the Pegasus before, so Rita had been cut off from the beach. Her only hope had been to hide behind the preserved ship, as she was un-armed and knew her stinger would have little effect on this monster of the deep. Her fear was realized into full terror when the Devourer surged around the bow of the ship, headed straight for her! She dove beneath the keel of the ship at the last moment, the massive shark streaking right over her. She could hear the razor-sharp teeth snap shut on where she had just been!
"Someone help me!", she screamed when she surfaced on the other side of the ship. Then she turned to see the fin and tail cutting the surface as the beast raced toward her….And a huge black dog dropped from above to clamp down on its tail just in front of the fins with razor-sharp fangs!
The predator had his prey now! It had been lucky to dodge his first pass but there would be no escape from this lunge!... PAIN! ... WHAT?!
The predator thrashed about to get a look at whatever had a grip on its tail. A furry, four-leg land creature?! With another big thrash, he slammed the creature into the wooden side of the ship, forcing it to release him.
"Sirius!", Rita cried, swimming to the stunned animagus while the shark circled away. She held his head above water to keep him from drowning. She tried to take him toward shore, but the Devourer had turned to head toward them again. There was no escape for either of them.
Now the predator was angry! It was one thing for prey to frustrate him, but that land creature had injured him! That was an affront that could not stand! Both will die to sate his hunger and sooth his ego. There was no possible way they could reach safety. No escape from his wrath. His jaws of razor-sharp teeth opened and extended slightly forward for the attack. Order up: one mermaid, side-order of dog.
Something smashed down on him from above, driving him all the way to the bottom and slamming his jaws painfully shut on nothing! He felt the water temperature rising as he shook his head to clear it, then he saw his assailant; a two-leg land creature. But this one was strange in that it seemed to have a long, finless tail and for a moment it looked like it had wings. But there was something else. This two-leg was not wearing any equipment to help it breath, yet it had the gall to angrily stare down the predator without any fear!
Duncan glared at the shark below him. He saw the unnatural intelligence in its eyes. This was no ordinary mako shark. The size alone was proof of that, but this thing was smart; too smart for a mundane creature. He could sense the rage of the creature at being denied its prey. In his peripheral vision, Duncan saw Rita taking the still stunned Sirius toward shore. Good. Harry would not be losing anyone today. He kept his eyes on the shark and headed toward the surface as he began to feel the need for air. But the shark had other ideas.
The shark rushed toward him, jaws gaping wide to bite. Duncan spun in place, back-fisting the pointed snout with his left, then slamming a punch into its gills with his right in one continuous move. Once again in pain, the predator was forced to back off to assess the situation, enabling Duncan to reach the surface.
"Are you all right, Mon Cher?", Fleur asked in concern while flying above.
"I'm fine, Fleur", he gasped back. "Where is it?"
Fleur looked around until she saw and pointed…., "Zhere! Eet ees moving very fast!"
The beast was charging toward Duncan at full speed, dorsal fin cutting the surface so fast as to send spray in the air. Fleur began to throw fireballs at it from the air to little effect. When Duncan breathed a stream of flames at it, burning the fin, the shark went deeper beneath the surface but stayed its course! The mermaid and dog were nearly to shore now and the only thing in the way was this annoying land creature; no more games! Duncan took a deep breath and submerged to meet the threat.
The shark was coming at the speed of a torpedo, and Duncan stared it down fearlessly. The beast was now apparently too mad to think at this point. Just as it was about to strike, Duncan twisted to the side just enough to avoid the snapping jaws of razor-teeth and take hold to grapple with the thing, clawing it savagely! It continued to swim forward, thrashing in rage and pain, smelling its own blood in the water. They crashed into a sandbar not far from shore, enabling Duncan to stand over his thrashing, snapping opponent.
"I don't care what you are, this ends now!", Duncan snarled, jamming his clawed left hand into the shark's back just in front of the fin to take firm hold of the thing's spinal column and his right hand into it's head just behind the eyes! The thing rattled violently for a moment, then lay still. Duncan then lifted the whole thing over his head from where he gripped it with a roar of victory that echoed across the island. Then he threw it bodily onto the beach. The merfolk were shocked silent. Could the deadliest enemy to mer-kind since the mythical Scylla truly be… dead?
Duncan waded ashore, where Fleur landed to join him, while the adults examined the shark to make sure it was dead. "What is that thing, Mom?"
"It looks like a shortfin mako shark", Margaret replied. "Except that it's way bigger than the species is supposed to get. I mean, it must be between 18 to 20 feet long! The biggest on record was 13 ½ feet."
"It was way too smart as well", Duncan added. "I could see it in the eyes. It was calculating; it planned and strategized. That is not normal."
"It is the Great Devourer", Rita told them from her spot on the sand nearby. "He has been a demon to our kind for years in these seas; attacking and feeding on us virtually at will. Any who tried to fight…. were devoured."
"That might explain it", Remus said.
"What do you mean, Moony?", Sirius asked, having recovered and changed back.
"It was probably once just an ordinary mako, until it began feeding on merfolk, probably by chance at first", the werewolf postulated. "The merfolk being inherently magical beings, feeding on them gave this one great power and intelligence, and it also became addicted to magical prey."
"Well, it's dead now, so your people are safe", Harry said to the merfolk, and a cheer went up as Duncan cut the tooth-filled jaws out.
"This will make a great souvenir", Duncan grinned. "Looks like we're adding shark steaks to the menu for Christmas dinner tonight. The pod is welcome to join us. I think devouring the Devourer is poetic justice, don't you?"
xXx
(At the treehouse, late that night)
"Fleur, are you all right?", Duncan asked with genuine concern, snaking his arms around his naked mate from behind.
"I am fine, Mon Amour. Why do you ask?", she couldn't help the nervous edge in her voice.
"Well, that potion you just took? It looked like you really didn't want to take it; like you were practically forcing it down, then you clutched your stomach", Duncan slid his hand to gently caress the region in question. "Are you sure you're OK? Is there something wrong?"
Fleur sighed once more. She could hear the loving concern in his voice, and knew that he wasn't going to let it go. Besides, he deserved to know.
"Non, Duncan, nozhing is wrong", she assured, turning to embrace him, laying her head on his shoulder. "I am more zhan fine. It is… 'ow you say? Complicated. And everything to do with being veela, as I am."
"Tell me, Fleur", he said gently. "You know I'm here for you and will never judge you."
"Eet ees a…misconception, zhat veela follow zhe same heritage model zhat say, those with giant blood, do.*sigh* Zhere are only two states of being a Veela, Duncan; either full 'pure' Veela or a half. Zhere ees no real difference between either state biologically. Zhe main difference ees 'pure' veela are zhe children of a veela who 'as found her 'perfect partner'. If a veela 'as not, her children will be 'half-Veela'; like my maman, sister, and myself. A pure-born will have full access to all zheir Veela powers and control once she matures. She can change at will, not just when greatly angered or afraid. While half-Veela can learn such control, it usually takes years. A pure-born just instinctively knows."
Duncan nodded, indicating understanding. "So…our children will be considered 'pure-born' veela?"
"Zhe girls, oui", she confirmed. "Just as 'Pure Veela' are only born from a perfect match, so too are zhe rare male children. Boys are always half-veela and mostly favor zheir fazher. And while zhey have no allure, zhey will be extremely handsome. But since a perfect match happens so rarely, we Veela treasure and celebrate such births. Even more so because zheir births ensure zhat we will continue to exist as a species."
"Ok…. But what does all that have to do with that potion?"
"Well, being Veela…is not as easy as some like to think, Duncan. The jealousy of ozher witches, zhe effects of our allure on most men….eet is not easy to bear. But zhere is more. Veela, normally, have very low fertility. We have great difficulty conceiving a child. Eet is very rare for zhere to be more zhan one child born to each Veela."
"Explaining why your sister is so precious to you; so few Veela have siblings", Duncan smiled, planting a kiss on her forehead.
"Oui, zhat is true", she smiled fondly. "Anyway, as a result, our numbers slowly decline with each generation."
"Fleur", he asked softly, gently cupping her cheek in his hand and looking lovingly into her azure-blue eyes, "are you saying we might have trouble having children?"
"*giggle!*Non, Duncan. Remember I said 'normally'. But a Veela who finds her perfect match, such as us(she interlaces her fingers with his, gripping tightly), her fertility vastly increases; sometimes to zhe point zhat it is 'arder not to get pregnant. Rest assured, Mon Amour", she looked and smiled at him lovingly, "we will have many, many children, you and I. Many daughters for you to spoil, and even a few sons."
Duncan breathed easily as what felt like bands that had been gripping his heart fell away. He then deduced the truth. "So that potion…"
"Was a powerful contraceptive draft, oui. I can almost feel how fertile I am when we are together, my sweet Duncan. Zhat draft would last a normal woman a year. Zhat is my third such draft since we started being….intimate~", Fleur giggled a little, remembering a few passionate nights with him in his quarters in Hogwarts since the night they bonded as mates. "You burn it out of me very quickly, Mon Amour~."
Duncan blushed visibly through his scales. "I guess it must taste pretty nasty, then?"
"*sigh*Oui, but it's more zhen zhat", she replied with a subtle edge of frustration with herself. "My Veela instincts cry out to breed with you, Mon Amour, to bear you many children. But now is not zhe right time for many reasons, not zhe least of which is the issue of zhe coming war. Zhis is not zhe ideal time for any of us who will be fighting eet to get pregnant."
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense", he breathed. "I don't like it, but I can understand it. I was fine with waiting until we were legally married, but logically it is wiser to wait until we've helped Harry end that snake-faced prick and his ass-lickers for good."
Fleur burst out in chortling laughter. "You do so 'ave a wonderful way with words, Mon Cher! Very 'American'!"
"As a cartoon character I loved as a kid often said, 'I yam whot I yam'", he said in his best classic 'Popeye' voice with a smile. "I do hate that it could be a while before we can…. start our family, Fleur."
"I am not so sure about zhat", she winked. "We both know zhat 'Arry is more powerful zhan he realizes. And zhe Dark Lord is scrambling to regain his former strength. His only chance to win is to do so within zhe next year or so. Zhe longer zhis goes on, zhe more our forces will chip away at his power. Especially you, my Kaiju Prince. Voldemort still 'as no idea of who you really are or what you are capable of, no? 'Arry will beat 'im, and together we will all put an end to his minions and twisted ideology."
"Yet another thing I love about you, Fleur~", he smiled lovingly, giving her a chaste kiss on her lovely, full lips. "You have as much faith in my cousin as I do. He and Mom love you, too. So, just as your mom said to me when we finally met; welcome to the family, Fleur Delacour."
"Merci, Mon Amour~", Fleur purred, snuggling into his chest. Then she looked naughtily into his emerald eyes. "I did not drink that foul-tasting potion for nozhing, you know, Mon `Etalon~."
xXx
(Christmas morning)
"Ah! Bonjour, mon cher Fleur", Appoline grinned knowingly as her elder daughter entered the manor on Duncan's arm just as breakfast was about to be served. The others, notably the children, had been up for hours already opening their 'stocking' gifts. "Why so late, my Flower? Exchanging a more….intimate gift with your mate?"
"Maman", Fleur replied in French with a playful roll of her eyes, though the smiles on the couple's faces made it clear that they had indeed had 'breakfast-in-bed' that morning.
"Yes, good morning and Merry Christmas, you two", Margaret smirked. "What took you so long?"
"What do you think, Mom?", Duncan winked, totally nonplussed. Dudley groaned and face-planted on the breakfast table to the giggles and chuckles of the others. Even if it was weird, maybe he should have done it with that mermaid? Gabrielle actually chortled before stifling it with her hand over her mouth, both at the antics of her sister and brother-in-law and the reaction of Harry's muggle cousin.
Then the house-elves served breakfast and everyone dug in; coffee, tea, juices, eggs(benedict-style for Margaret and the Delacours), sausages, bacon, pineapple-cranberry muffins, hash-browns, and fiery-hot chili for Duncan and Fleur, who had developed a taste for her mate's version of the spicy American dish. The exchange of gifts would begin in earnest after breakfast.
With breakfast finished, they all gathered around the towering Christmas tree in the foyer to exchange the many gifts beneath the decorated branches. The gifts among the adults were all related to their interests or useful in some manner. The only one of special note was the collar given to Sirius by Margaret which when worn in his animagus form would protect him from the animagus counter-spell, thus giving him more freedom of movement while still a fugitive. Duncan got a laugh from everyone with the leash he gifted Sirius to go with it!
Hermione was ecstatic with all the books she was given, as well as other items to help her eternal thirst for knowledge. Fleur had given her a pair of glasses charmed to translate any language into English, while Harry gave her an enchanted quill that would take notes for her while she read.
Duncan received all manner of hot sauces, chili-peppers and spices, as well as a lot of Honeyduke's dark and milk chocolate of various flavors; caramel, cherry, orange, raspberry, even lime! "I can't wait to try each of these in my coffee!", he said with a smile.
Harry got various books, treats, a broom repair/maintenance kit, "French for Dummies"(from Gabrielle), bluray movies, and a cutting edge laptop with the battery pack etched with runes to enable it to run on magick. He also received a Holiday Card from Cho by owl that morning, which made him smile. He would have to send one in reply later.
Among her other gifts, Fleur received from Duncan a suit of kaiju-hide and mithril armor modified for her avian form and an Nth metal ring. When questioned, he simply stated, "I want you to be as protected as possible, My Love; like all my family and friends. You're as powerful as you are beautiful, Fleur. But you're not as invulnerable as I am. I couldn't bear it if you got hurt."
Jean-Pierre and Appoline beamed with approval, while Fleur passionately kissed her mate in thanks.
Dudley received a new smart-phone, a few books and manuals for the military academy he would be attending soon, and a debit card which would receive his monthly allowance from the family trust. He also received notice from the Surrey Juvenile Court that his case was suspended in light of the loss of his parents and the arrangements made by his new guardians.
Later that afternoon, while the family and guests were relaxing on the beach of the cove—where Sirius disappeared upon meeting a very flirty Rita at the water's edge!—Margaret's jewel amulet began to glow brightly. "Duncan", she called, worried.
"Uh-oh", Duncan sighed. "I hope nothing's wrong. He knows we're on vacation right, Mom?"
"When has something that mundane ever mattered to him, Duncan?", Margaret asked rhetorically.
"He who, Duncan?", Fleur asked, having noted the concern in his voice.
"You're about to find out along with everyone else, my Love", he replied defeatedly as his mother lifted her glowing amulet in her hand. The glow turned into an inverted cone of light projecting up about a foot from the gem and the image of a red, draconian face appeared in it.
"Maarrrgaret", the face purred deeply with affection.
"We're here, Belloc", Margaret said. "We're trying to have a restful Holiday. And it was going pretty well until now. Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing is wrong, my Love", Belloc answered in his deep, resonating voice. "Duncan is with you, is he not?"
"Yeah, Dad, I'm here", Duncan said stepping closer into view. "What's up?"
"Duncan", Belloc rumbled with pride. "I understand that you have taken a mate? And that she and her family are there on the Island?"
"Um..yeah, Dad. But how did you…?"
"Excellent! I shall be there tomorrow to meet them by high-sun."
With that, the image disappeared.
"Mon Cher, w-was th-that…?"
"Yup, my dad", Duncan sighed defeatedly. "Belloc, King of the Kaiju."
*THUD*Dudley fell to the sand while Appoline fainted into the arms of her husband.
xxXXxx
Author's notes: Up from the depths! 30 stories high! Oops, wrong fandom. LOL. Yup! Belloc finally makes an appearance next chapter!
Vincent van Ghoul and the Chest of Demons are obviously a reference to "The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo", while Crabbe & Goyle Sr. ran afoul of Jackie, Jade, Uncle, and Tohru while trying to infiltrate Section 13 to get the Talismans and Oni Masks from "Jackie Chan Adventures" and got their asses handed to them! LOL!
The Book of Skelos is from the Conan the Barbarian mythos, and the 'lost annex of the Library of Alexandria' is from an episode of "SeaQuest DSV".
Seamus being the heir to the legendary Irish hero Cu Chullain was inspired by an episode of Disney's "Gargoyles" in which Bronx helped a young man find his true destiny.
As for the Devourer; the short-fin mako is a relative of the great-white and considered by science as one of the few "smart" sharks. Makos are also among the fastest fish in the sea and possess a 'heat-exchange' feature to their circulatory system; cold blood is pumped through the hardest/fastest working muscles in the body, allowing the shark to maintain a body-temp slightly higher than the surrounding water. Only 4 other species share this anatomical feature. And using the theme from "Jaws: the Revenge"? It's just the best vesion of the theme IMHO, and the film itself get more hate than it deserves. As 'bad' as it is, it definitely did a lot to redeem the cinematic fiasco "Jaws 3-D" was!
The conversation between Duncan and Fleur about the contraceptive potion was inspired and closelt paraphrased from a similar one between Harry and Fleur in "Harry Potter and the Curse's Cure" by Dragonraptor.
Long reviews and suggestions are always welcome! Flames will be used to grill shark steaks! LOL!