Fates Chew Toy

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros, I'm just playing in their sandbox. The only thing I own are my OC's.

Alex had always hated the heat, which was surprising given that he was born and raised in Tampa, Florida where the temperatures tended to climb above 90 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer, not counting the humidity which made it feel 10 to 15 degrees hotter. Vietnam's average temperature wasn't that much different, but the humidity was higher, especially when you're slogging through the muck around rice paddys and in the jungle.

Alex had joined the Green Berets at the age of 18. His mother hadn't wanted him to join the military after his father had been killed at the battle of Chosin Reservoir, or as it was better known amongst the American forces there, "The Frozen Chosin". His doing so caused a bit of a rift between him and his mom, but he felt it was his duty. After all, his dad had been his hero. After a time, his mom was able to live with his choices and he understood that she only wanted him to be safe.

His decision to join the Green Berets, a member of the U.S. Special Forces, was influenced by their motto: "De Oppresso Liber", meaning "To Free the Oppressed". He had always felt that everyone should be treated equally under the law. Unfortunately, the Army couldn't operate inside the borders of the United States.

Alex was feeling the heat now as they took a rather varied route to their destination, the Viet Cong were known for laying booby traps along known trails which made following the same path the height of stupidity. His Operational Detachment Alpha, or ODA, was out on a humanitarian aide mission or, as it was better known as, a "Win the hearts and minds" mission. This one was to make contact with several villages throughout the Da Nang province to try and convince them to report any sightings of the Viet Cong in the area while also giving the villagers medical attention. The problem that his unit was aware of that the 'higher higher's' didn't seem to get was that it was possible that some of the villagers themselves were Viet Cong.

But, orders were orders and, being Green Berets, they would fulfill those orders to the best of their abilities. And it was because of those orders and his faith in the Green Beret motto, that Alex would endure the hated heat and soldier on. His unit kept the proper interval between each soldier, minimizing the chance of a grenade or automatic fire from the enemy's AK-47 rifles from taking out more than a few of them, made conversation impossible unless they wanted to shout. Not only was that against Standard Operating Procedure, but also common sense. Instead, they kept all their senses on high alert for any signs of an ambush or any one of the numerous vicious booby traps that the enemy were famous for.

They, themselves, tended to use the AKM or Type 56 rifles which was similar to the AK-47 in order to try and deceive the enemy, not because the M-16 sucked. Alex actually preferred the AKM and had practiced with it until he was an expert shot as well as being able to strip, clean, and reassemble it blindfolded. After all, it was his job as one of the two weapons sergeants to take care of their ordnance, whatever they used.

It was mid-afternoon when they finally emerged from the jungle to the outlying rice paddys of the village they had been aiming for. Some of the villagers looked at them askance, but most simply ignored them feeling that if they pretended that the Americans weren't there, they couldn't be accused of colluding with them.

Captain Wilkins, their CO, went forward to find and speak to the village elder for permission to treat his people and, hopefully, get some intel on the enemy. While he was doing that the rest of the unit spread out to keep watch out for any sign of the enemy, both from the jungle and from the village itself. You didn't get into the Green Berets by being stupid.

"Hey Iceman", you sure sweat a lot for a white boy from Florida!" Joked David Washington, also known as 'David from Detroit' or 'DD' for short, using Alex's nickname. David was a dark skinned man a few years older than Alex and one of the medical specialists. He was also one of Alex's best friends.

"Hell DD, I sweat like this back in Tampa. At least there I could get me some ice cold sweet tea."

"Never could understand how you southerners could ruin good tea with sugar." Remarked Aaron Goldberg, AKA "Rabbi", who hailed from Pittsburgh.

"And ah cain't see how y'all can drink tea without it!" Said Billy Joe "don't call me BJ" Baker, one of the communications sergeants.

"Can the chatter and keep alert guys." Thomas "Top" Jenkins, the team sergeant mildly admonished them. He was rather easy going but a thorough professional while in the bush. He wouldn't have said anything, but they hadn't secured the village yet and didn't want his guys to get complacent.

"Copy that Top." Alex said, scanning the jungle for any signs the enemy might be around, such as foliage that moved against the wind, the noise of the insects suddenly stopping, or birds calling out warnings of possible predators approaching.

"Roger Top." DD confirmed. The other two giving the top sergeant similar acknowledgements.

After about 15 minutes Chief Warrant Officer, Brian "Lt" Davis came up and talked to Top, but they were close enough for Alex to overhear what was being said. "The elder welcomed the opportunity for us to check on his people so let's get that started. He also told me that there has been no sighting of the Cong for over a week, but I want OP's on the cardinal points."

"Roger Lt. Alright guys, you heard the man. DD, you and Belch start checking out the villagers. Billie, you and Rabbi will take the north, Iceman and Stonewall east, Kool-aid and Flower Child south, then me and Bubblegum will take the west."

Alex was resigned to his nickname of Iceman, it being a bit of a joke since his unit knew that he hated the heat, and he tended to sweat the most. But, when the shit hit the fan, he became focused and methodical, appearing almost emotionless and a man you didn't want to mess with either with small arms or hand to hand. "Iceman" narrowly edged out the nickname they almost gave him of "Blade", given his love of, and skill with, many types of edged weaponry. Plus the fact that he tended to carry at least four knives on him at any one time.

Wade "Stonewall" Jackson got his nickname the same way. One, in reference to his last name, a la General Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson of the Civil War era. And two, his build resembling a brick wall. Most people who didn't know him would assume that he was just a dumb grunt, but nothing could be further from the truth. The man actually had an IQ of over 150 and spoke 7 languages.

Belch was a swarthy Italian from New York by the name of Donovan Esposito who got his nickname from having the loudest, lengthiest, and smelliest burps any of them had ever heard. But he had a heart of gold, especially with children. He always seemed to have candy stashed in his pockets to give to any kids they came across.

Walter "Kool-aid" Kincaid, was the head communications sergeant who got his nickname from all of the grape Kool-aid his wife would send him. He'd been in a great mood lately with the letter his wife had sent him along with the last batch of Kool-aid. It appeared that his last leave home after his first tour had been productive with him and his wife now expecting.

Juan "Flower Child" Flores was a Latino from Dana Point, California. He'd surfed there before the sport became popular and joined the military at the age of 22. He was one of the older sergeants in the unit other than Top and was the other ordnance sergeant for the team.

Kevin "Bubblegum" Fisher, another dark skinned man was the other communications sergeant and was from Butte, Montana, who'd gotten his moniker by always having Double Bubble chewing gum on him.

Everyone quickly found a spot to set up and watch their assigned quarter, trying to make sure they had cover or, failing that, at least concealment. Everything was relatively quiet, even the sound of children playing was subdued. Alex and Wade talked quietly while scanning the jungle for any signs of the enemy, their weapons at the ready.

While of different specialties, each member of the ODA had training that overlapped. Each person knew at least one language other than English, knew demolitions, and were cross trained so that they could cover for each other. Alex always like to be teamed up with Wade. They would usually spend the time speaking in Spanish, one of the three languages that Alex could speak other than English. They could both speak in French, but not where any Vietnamese national could hear since they still had issues left over from the French occupation. For fun, they would switch to Latin or German.

It had been over an hour staying in the same spot hiding behind the large baskets, both Alex and Wade switching off scanning different sections of the jungle to stay sharp. The pair knew that, unless extensive medical help was needed, the two medics would be done soon. If someone did require more indepth care, they would be encouraged to travel to the nearest MASH unit. After the medics had finished checking the villagers and leaving some medicines, mainly aspirin, antibiotics, and sulfa for wounds, they packed up and left, heading for the next village on their tour.

They'd be out in the bush for 12 or so days if they were able to get to every village they'd been ordered to check on. The nights were the worst, biting insects of all types and they knew that to use the GI issued insect repellent was a strict no-go. The scent of the liquid could be smelt and any change in the environment could be detected by the Cong, which could be a literal death sentence. Fortunately, they had learned that there was a natural plant that grows rather prolifically in the jungle that would keep the insects away and wouldn't smell any different that the rest of the jungle.

Too bad there wasn't anything they could do about the rain, which in monsoon season was measured in feet rather than inches as the running joke went. Poncho's couldn't be used for the same reason that the GI issued insect repellent couldn't be. The sound of rain hitting a plastic poncho was much different than the sound of it hitting the rather large leaves around them. It was the reason that they tended to only bring the basics when on a mission, meaning a couple of changes of dry socks in plastic bags in their rucks.

The next two villages were much the same as the first one and they began to get an idea of the movement of the VC in this part of the Da Nang Province. Intelligence would gather all of the information from them as well as the other teams and put it together to try and figure out their base of operations. Then they would plan for a couple of companies of army regulars to assault the base following a strike by both artillery and air.

The fourth village was deserted as if they had all packed up and left in a hurry, taking everything they could with them. Checking out the area, they found no signs of the VC, not that they expected any. The assumption among the unit was that the village had been hit by the VC who had taken everything of value. The villagers, with nothing left and knowing that the VC could come back at any time demanding more tribute, probably left to set up in some other part of the province.

The fifth and second to the last village they were to contact before heading back to base came into sight on the ninth day of their patrol. Alex was at his proper interval, directly behind Captain Bob "Boss" Wilkins when he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

"Boss." He said in a low tone of voice designed not to carry very far. "Something's hinkey."

The Captain acted like nothing was wrong so as not to alert any possible enemy observers. It was one of the reasons that the CO would change spots in the line randomly even if the field manual said the CO was supposed to stay in the center. It prevented the enemy from knowing exactly who was in charge and take them out first. It was the same common sense rule as not saluting unless you were out on R&R or back at a main base, snipers tend to aim for people that were saluted.

"Anything concrete Iceman?" He asked in the same tone of voice.

"Nah, just the hairs on the back of my neck standing at attention. Something I can't point too, but we should be careful."

"Roger that Iceman, I'll spread the word up, you to the back."

"Copy that Boss."

Still walking as if they had nothing else to worry about, the word was spread. Each man became more alert in an unobtrusive manner, inconspicuously slipping the safeties off their weapons and eyeing the surrounding area for signs of movement. To the enemy that was possibly watching, they were just a bunch of stupid grunts on patrol.

Alex paid close attention to the village and what villagers he could see. They were tending their gardens like every other village they'd been to on this patrol. Other's seemed to be going about the daily chores their life called for. It wasn't until they were almost into the village that Alex noticed that the people tending the plants were doing so in a stiff manner, not the normal relaxed way they usually were. And that was when Alex realized what was making his hackles rise, there were no sounds of children , there were children visible alright, but the were just sitting around instead of playing whatever games they came up with.

Belch was on point, checking out the village, trying to see into the dark openings that could be hiding a whole platoon if they were friendly enough with one another, when he saw a barrel poke out of one of the open windows.

"DOWN!" He yelled, dropping to the damp ground just as a line of bullets traced the air where he'd been standing a second ago. Well trained, their unit dropped and began firing back where they could see the muzzle flashes. They were restrained in their defense because they weren't supposed to cause any civilian casualties, they were the good guys after all. So that made the use of grenades off limits for them. Not so much for the VC as one came arcing out of a doorway.

It was only by a twist of fate that it hit a fleeing villager in the shoulder and bounced back into the doorway of the hut before exploding, killing the villager and, quite possibly, the enemy that threw it. Alex dropped even before Belch had finished yelling, the air above his prone body now filled with the whizzing sound of bullets. They'd walked into the ambush, but fortunately for them, one of the Victor Charlie had jumped the gun so to speak and initiated the ambush before they were fully within it.

The civilians were running around trying to get out of the way as both sides fought. There was a bit of a lull in the firefight as several of the enemy was forced to reload, not having the trigger discipline that the ODA had. Taking the opportunity that presented itself, DD, Flower Child, and Bubblegum charged into the ambush while their friends covered them with their weapons.

More fire began to ping around them from the edge of the jungle to their right, either reinforcements or a blocking force set up in case the unit tried to run into the jungle.

Villagers were still running around trying to get out of the way, occasionally blocking the Green Berets line of sight. Alex noticed two civilian bodies on the ground unmoving, one was a child about five years old, and a young woman who was either his older sister or his mother. The splotches of red on the woman's torso and the way in which the two bodies lay, told Alex that the woman had tried to unsuccessfully protect the child from harm.

Alex could feel his emotions roil at the sight, but he'd keep them under wraps until he could let himself feel the hurt and anger. They made it into the village proper, and began firing back at the enemy that was in the jungle, allowing the rest of the patrol to move into the village and it's questionable protection.

Alex had no sooner taken cover behind a wooden pull cart when a young boy of about ten ran by his position screaming. Out of the corner of his eye, Alex saw a VC grenade arcing through the air and knew that it would land near where the kid would be. Alex didn't even think about it, he stood and tackled the kid to the ground just as the grenade exploded.

It felt like he'd been kicked like he was God's own football. He was still laying on his right side and, even as dazed as he was, he could see that the boy was okay. He could barely hear the kid's screaming because of the muffled sounds and the ringing in his ears. Alex was relieved that the kid was okay, but couldn't move when he tried to get up and rejoin the firefight.

There's no pain. Shouldn't there be pain? Why can't I move? It was more of a concept than a thought. His head felt like it was filled with cotton and he was having a hard time breathing. Alex knew that the numbness he was feeling wasn't a good sign, probably indicating shock. He was having trouble breathing, but he could hear his heart beating, so that was good. And then he was starting to feel cold, which was an improvement from being hot in his opinion.

He could still hear the firefight raging, including the sound of more grenades exploding, both theirs and the VC's. He also recognized Wade's voice yelling "Medic!" It was getting harder to breathe when he felt himself be rolled over to see DD looking at him stony faced. When Alex's back was down, he coughed wetly, blood spotting DD's face and chest.

Aw shit, that ain't good. Again, more of a concept than a thought. DD began working on him, telling him that he'd be okay and to stay with him, to focus on the sound of his voice, but Alex found it harder and harder to do that. Breathing became a chore and his vision began to fade, along with the sound of DD's voice. His own heartbeat getting louder and louder in his ears before it got dark and his heartbeat faltered before it went silent.

It didn't stay like that for long, his heart beat picked up again, nice and strong. He also felt comfortable and he could move again, albeit sluggishly, but still. With what medical knowledge he had from training and talking with DD, he figured that he was doped to the gills with Morphine to cope with the pain of his wounds. His thought process seemed slow at the moment as well, so how long it took him to realize that he was probably in the hospital recuperating was an unknown. He considered the possibility that he was actually in a coma and was simply imagining being able to move. He was, after all, in a place that time seemed to have no meaning. He could still hear his heartbeat, which relaxed him and made him feel sleepy. Sleeping was good, sleep was always good.

Time passed and his mind cleared a little more, making it easier to think. He was pretty certain that he was in a coma since he'd come pretty close to dying in that unnamed village in Da Nang. He could occasionally pick up muffled sounds around him, sometimes what sounded like words, but he couldn't make them out. Sometimes he felt like he turned over, but decided that it was just a nurse changing the sheets. It was weird that he couldn't feel their hands though.

The thumping of his heart was still loud in his ears, but it was comforting. Alex could hear it, so it meant that he was still alive. He could tell the difference in pitch of the voices he was hearing now. One, female and louder, sounded a bit like his mother. She was probably waiting for him to wake up so she could ream him a new one for getting hurt. He wondered how she would take it if he went back for another tour, if he was cleared for duty. If not, maybe he could stay on as a stateside instructor. Doing that could possibly mollify her, he hoped.

Sometimes Alex felt like he was moving, other times like he was on a ship in rough seas rocking back and forth. Other times, everything was still and peaceful. He began to get excited when he started to be able to make out words. It had to mean that he was getting close to waking up! He recognized one word, Fabian, as a mans name. He didn't know anyone by that name, maybe it was a friend of his mothers. A possible boyfriend perhaps?

His mother had never re-married after his dads death, concentrating on raising him. Even after he'd joined the Army, she just told him she was too old to go out with anyone. Alex thought it was because of how much his mother had loved his father, that no one could take his place. Another word he heard that tickled his knowledge of mythology, was "phoenix".

Alex wondered if the man was a fellow mythology lover. The phoenix was the legendary immortal bird that would die by bursting into flames and then rising, reborn, from it's ashes. Alex felt that it was a pretty good metaphor for himself, if he could only come out of this damn coma. There was just something not right with their voices though, something to do with the way they pronounced the words. -

Alex woke to the sound of someone sobbing so loud that he could hear it over the sound of his heartbeat. He hoped that whoever that Fabian person was hadn't left his mother because she seemed to be spending all her time with him, waiting for him to wake up. He hoped that wasn't the case, he wanted his mom to be happy.

Nightmares.

Alex woke, the effects of his reliving the grenade going off that resulted in him being in this coma. That the little boy survived made it worth this interminable coma he found himself in. The light thrumming of his heartbeat helped him to relax and... something else. It sounded almost like a lullaby. That his mother would sing to him like when he was a child took away the stress and he fell back to sleep.

It started to feel like the walls were closing in on him, constraining him almost like they wanted to become a second skin. He'd never been claustrophobic, but it was really irritating. Every time he woke up, he felt more and more squeezed. He could still hear muffled voices, usually just his mom, but occasionally a male voice, and even a kid once. His mother was saying something about time while the male, probably a doctor, was saying something about health. The kid was just squealing and Alex wondered if it was a kid getting treated in a nearby room. Or, maybe, this one since he doubted that he was in a private room, the military being what it was and all. He really needed to wake up from this coma.

GAH! It felt like someone had wrapped him in a sheet and dipped it in rubber. He was in a fetal position, unable to stretch out like he wanted. He knew he could move because he could feel the rubber feeling walls pressing in on him. If he was imagining that he could move then he was done for because if he couldn't tell the difference between that and reality, he would be going insane.

Alex wasn't panicking, Alex didn't do panic. But his heartbeat had picked up and he could hear a female screaming loudly at the same time that he felt especially squished. It happened in a rhythm, over and over. Get squeezed, hear a scream, then relax. It didn't take long for him to start feeling like he was in a tube of toothpaste and being pushed out the end. Alex wondered if this was how all coma patients woke up. He'd never heard of those that did wake up describing it being like this though, unless they couldn't remember it.

Another squeeze and more yelling, his head now feeling like pork in a sausage press. Now his shoulders and he was sure they were going to be dislocated. Other parts of his body followed and suddenly he was free. But it was too loud, too bright! It was freezing and, for the first time in his life, he didn't like it. It was what the boomingly loud male voice said that brought Alex up short: "It's a boy!"

WAIT! Whaaatttt!

A/N: A short initial chapter, sorry. At least it wasn't my shortest intro chapter, that belongs to my first story The Unplanned Detour. But my first chapters tend to be ones that set the stage for the rest of the story. The chapters to this story may be the same length as this one, or may end up being the same length as those in Deathtouched.

I pondered, weak and weary, about whether to make this a gender bender story and have Alex be born a girl, but at the last minute decided to keep him a male. While it might be fun to have him figure out his attraction to girls AND boys (due to hormones) I already have two stories on here with female protagonists and I'm about to add 2 and 1/2 more from different stories. The ½ will be explained during the story itself.

The only thing up in the air at the moment is who I'm going to ship him with. The usual suspects? I tend to lean toward Hermione, Luna, or Daphne. I'd add in Ginny but I won't for a reason that will become evident in later chapters. I don't know if I'll keep it monogamous or not. I guess I'll wait and see what my characters do. If any reader has a suggestion, I'm willing to listen to it.

I don't plan on this becoming a harem story, but those of you who have read my other works will attest to the fact that the characters don't always follow the script I intend for them. Also, I'm not British, but I will try to add in British words and such to give it flavor. So, if you're British, please take it as a compliment and don't flame me for it. Suggestions are welcome.

I'm not sure how often I'll update this story, but I wanted to put this chapter out and see what happens. I'm thinking I'll post the first chapters to some of my other stories as well, for variety if nothing else.

So, until next time, Blessed Be!

Speaks With Spirits

P.S. I tried to post this under 'Movies' – Harry Potter, but there wasn't a listing for it. So, it is listed under 'Books' instead. Not that it really matters since my stories tend to only touch gently onto canon anyway.

Update: Currently working on Chapter 2. I know I listed several names in the summary, but I decided to only ship Aiden with two of the three. The clue in the summary should let y'all know at least one of them. ;-D.