Welcome, welcome one and all to another chapter of Bad Moon Rising, in which we see Harry fight against the reincarnation of one of India's greatest heroes and find out what's going to happen for Samhain.
Chapter edited by Politically Problematic Prose Pundit
On with the show!
Harry Potter, Hogwarts dueling arena.
Sweat dripped down from Harry's forehead as Kedeer approached him slowly. Harry didn't know if it was from his own nervousness or the intense heat coming off of the man. He didn't know who Karna was, but he was willing to bet that Surya was either a god of volcanoes or the sun, and he was leaning more toward the sun thanks to the man's golden armor. Harry's knees bent as he watched Kedeer approach, the wet sand around him quickly drying out but not melting. While Kedeer radiated heat, it wasn't hot enough to melt the sand, which probably meant he could maybe withstand it for a few moments. So, with that in mind, he took a deep breath and called on his most gentle domain, swift death, and felt his ears pop as the black lines bloomed across the man in a way that made him frown.
Other than Kedeer's head, there wasn't a single spot on his body. There were lines, sure, but they ran along the seams of Kedeer's armor that were fused to his flesh like some type of carapace. As he raised his wand, trying to figure out what the lines upon the armor seams meant, his opponent tilted his head and spoke.
"Are you waiting for me to make the first move?" Kedeer asked before nodding, "So be it," he said before raising his golden trident and sending a burst of scorching flames at Harry. In a panic, Harry flicked his wand, and a wall of marble shot up between him and Kedeer, only for the trident to pierce through it like it was made out of butter, leaving long and oozing trails of molten stone in the weapon's wake. Harry is forced to jump aside as Kedeer kicked one of the larger chunks of stone at him, but never one to not capitalize on an opportunity, Harry whips his wand around, catching the large stone in a summoning charm before twisting his wand back and forth, causing the stone to spin as it transfigured into iron spears that flung themselves at his opponent.
Kedeer doesn't move, nor does his face show any surprise as, with a swing of his trident, he knocks aside a few of the missiles before the rest bounce harmlessly off the golden armor that was fused to his skin, leaving not a scratch. Kedeer charges again and swings the bladed tips of the trident at Harry, who jumps back just in time to avoid the haft of the weapon colliding with his ribs. He could feel the heat coming off the weapon as it passed him, like a wave of heat from a roaring furnace. Harry snaps his wand forward before firing off a freezing charm right at Kedeer's face, but the spell fizzles before it even reaches him.
The man was on Harry like a sunburn, not letting up for a moment as Kedeer tried to gore with his trident, causing Harry to spin and juke around the attack before flourishing his wand at the floor, turning the ground beneath him to a quagmire and watching as Kedeer's eyes widen for a moment as he sinks, just before it hardens to stone, allowing Harry to gain some distance from golden warrior. As the stone begins to redden and melt around the man's thighs, Harry takes a deep breath. He needs to figure out how to hurt this guy, the only obvious spot is his head, which Kedeer would protect. Then there was the fact the guy was melting stone, but not iron or sand. "There has to be a cap to how hot this guy can go, or else he would have melted the iron spears as well," Harry thinks to himself with a frown as Kedeer pulls himself from the molten stone.
"So, you harass and entrap your opponents with transfiguration to create an opening or to give yourself breathing room, rudimentary but effective," Kedeer says in a flat, bored tone as he stands back on solid ground.
"Oh, wow, you want a biscuit for figuring that out? How about a gold star?" Harry snarks back, trying to buy a bit more time to think. What he needed was a metal that could withstand the heat, yet hard enough that it wouldn't blunt or bend if he hit Kedeer's armor. Harry's first thought was tungsten, but that was a cost and a half to conjure or transfigure thanks to the density of it.
Then a thought hit Harry: a metal he considered for the first task but didn't use because it wasn't heavy enough to weigh down the wings of a dragon like he planned, and Harry smiles as Kedeer charges once more.
The heat once again came in waves like the summer sun as Harry drew up his wand like a conductor of an orchestra, "Protege, o metalli Titanum!" Harry cries and with a flick and twist of his wand the sand rises from the ground and shifts itself into eight silver shields that encircle him before he stabs his wand forward, sending four out to form a wall between him and Kedeer.
"Silver will not save you, child, no matter how sacred it is to your mother," Kedeer states flatly before he drives his trident into one of the shields intent on melting right through them. But to his surprise, his blow does nothing to the metal, it doesn't bend nor does it melt under the condensed heat of his weapon, all it does is send sparks into the air as they collide.
"Whoever said it was silver?" Harry asks with a cheeky grin just before banishing the shields directly into Kedeer's face, sending the man flying backwards as Harry begins his offensive. Charging forward, the remaining four shields follow him, and with a flick of his wand Harry tries to capture Kedeer inside a sphere of silvery metal but with a burst of fire, the man throws himself to the right avoiding his fate. Harry grits his teeth as his magic core burns painfully at that trick. While titanium wasn't a hard metal to conjure, it was a hell of a metal to manipulate into a liquid form like tungsten was. Harry changes strategies and forces the stubborn metal into javelins. Titanium couldn't hold an edge to save one's life, he had found that out while testing it out last year before the first task, but give it a point and it would stay no matter what you threw it against.
Harry launches the javelins at Kedeer who had just landed in a roll before knocking two of the javelins from the air with his trident and blocking a third one with his arm as the other six slam against his armor fruitlessly, much to Harry's frustration. Harry quickly brings forth two of his shields before changing their shape into giant circular saws and spins them at high speed before launching one at Kedeer. The man sees it coming and brings up his trident to stop the saw, making the man slide back a few feet before Harry finally makes it to him and jumps to Kedeer's right before banishing the second saw blade at his head, but the reincarnation tilts his trident up and uses one saw blade to intercept the other, knocking both away and into the wall just behind the two combatants as Harry lands and shoots off like an arrow from a bow and lands a punch right across Kedeer's jaw.
And does nothing but jerk the man's head to the side.
Harry wasn't as strong as other demigods thanks to his life at The Dursleys, and even now, with a far better life, with all the food he could eat and all the training Scáthach has put him through, he would never be able to be as strong as other demigods thanks to the damage done to him when he was younger. With the Hunt, he had an equalizer. It could give him the boost needed to fight on par with other demigods, but without it, he was just as strong as he would ever possibly get.
There is also something else Harry doesn't anticipate when he punches Kedeer in the face, and that is just how much it would burn. It felt as if Harry touched a hot griddle that had been left on the burners of a hob for hours. He could feel his skin bubble and cook as he landed the punch. Kedeer looks back at Harry with something glinting in his red eyes as he swings his trident and the haft catches Harry in the ribs, breaking one and sending the boy-who-lived flying across the dueling pit and rolling across the floor.
"A fine attempt, child, but your blows lack the strength that your magic has," Kedeer points out as he watches Harry stand back up on shaky feet.
"Yeah, no shit, buddy," Harry snaps at Kedeer as the man stands still and allows Harry to get back to his feet without pressing the advantage. Harry quickly heals his broken rib before looking down at the blistered and raw flesh of his hand with a hiss of pain. Burns were complicated to heal even without the fire being cursed and weren't covered in Defense Against the Dark Arts or during NEWT classes, so Harry does the best he can do by conjuring a bandage around his hand.
Kedeer doesn't move from his spot, as if he is giving him a moment to breathe, which is fine with Harry as he would use the time to his advantage. Harry flicks his wand backwards, recalling the javelins and shields to his side. What he was about to do was going to put some strain on his magical core and was gonna suck, but his current strategy wasn't working, so now he had to get creative.
Harry takes a deep breath through his nose and exhales out of his mouth, digging deep within himself. He may be cut off from the Hunt, but it isn't the only domain he can access, and as Harry's eyes reflect the silver of the full moon he raises his wand once more. The shields and saw blades of titanium begin to twist and shape themselves to his will and wrap around his body, a cuirass to protect his front and ribs. Gauntlets, vambraces, and pauldrons, so when next he punches Kedeer, he'll feel it and Harry won't burn his hands. Next was the greaves and sabatons so he could kick his opponent in the head. And lastly, a bascinet, much like the knights of old to protect his face, with thick leather in between it all just in case it got too hot.
His transfiguration was followed by a litany of charms:
Cushioning charm and sticking charm inside the helmet.
Freezing charms to keep the metal ice-cold in the face of the heat.
The flame-freezing charm adds another layer of protection over himself.
Then the featherweight charm and unbreakable charm on the armor before finally creating a long spear for his weapon, the point a meter long with a rondel at the base mounted on a two-meter shaft, before stuffing his wand inside the bracer of his armor.
Kedeer hadn't moved an inch as Harry armed and armored himself, the blank look on his face never wavering as Harry applied his charms, but when Harry created his weapon the man began to walk toward him once more.
"Are you ready, child?" Kedeer asks in his flat tone of voice, as Harry, with a burning core and chilled breath, answers him back.
"Let's Hunt!" Harry calls out, as the moon charges the sun.
Dueling stands.
"The boy is insane," Ozwalt says as he leans on the front of the stands and watches the young man charging at Kedeer with a spear in hand.
"Hmm, maybe, but he did create that silver that Kedeer could not outright melt," Makoshi says, tapping her golden fan to her lips as the two clash in a shower of sparks and blazing heat. The boy, while interesting, hadn't impressed her yet. His feat with the silver aside, he had shown her that he was fast, and that's it. Even when he had the drop on Ken and landed a hit, all it did was move Ken's head, which wasn't all that impressive as both she and Shi could do that easily.
"It is called titanium, Tomoe, and It is rather impressive that the boy was able to transfigure it. I know a few good Aurors who wouldn't have been able to do that," Olezka says, his Russian accent light in his voice, as he sits a few seats over from her, watching the fight through dark sunglasses while holding on to the two wands Shi had passed to him after he disarmed the other two students.
Makoshi hums softly at his words as she watches Harry and Kedeer engage in combat. The boy is quick on his feet, spinning and dancing around Kedeer while trying to strike at his head. But Kedeer was well aware of the weakness in Kavach without the Kundal and with his strength and speed it became quite the challenge to land a hit on him. The boy was surprisingly well-versed with his weapon of choice. Even with how little it did against Kedeer's armor, he was at least as good as Shi when she was monkeying around in combat and not taking her opponent seriously. The boy could barely block any strike from Kedeer without being sent flying backward and made an effort to always be on the offensive, striking at the reincarnation of Karna before the boy danced out of the way of Kedeer's swings.
The boy showed either a tactical mind or very sharp instincts in how he was dealing with Kedeer's heat. A metal that had a high melting point combined with a whole host of charms to either minimize the heat or absorb it. This was in the same line of thought as how she dealt with it; laying down the foundation of her temple before setting up a law to make the oppressive heat be filtered up and out instead of around Kedeer. The boy and Kedeer exchange a few more strikes before Kedeer finally disarms the boy, sending his spear flying away before the boy does the foolish thing and leaps at the reincarnation, his hand reaching for something behind his back as he does.
"What the hell does the kid think a pig sticker is gonna-'' Ozwalt begins to say as the boy pulls some type of silver dagger out and stabs into Kedeer's armor, but instead of a shower of sparks that both Makoshi and the rest of her guard was expecting, it was a shower of blood. Kedeer's blood. Makoshi's eyes widened at the sight. In all her years of working with Kedeer, she has never once seen the man bleed from someone striking his armor. Both Ozwalt and Shi gape at the sight as Olezka's eyebrows raise above his sunglasses in surprise, and Kedeer lashes out with a kick, catching the boy in the side and sending him rocketing across the arena before crashing onto the ground.
The boy pushes himself off the ground with shaky arms as Kedeer looks down at the wound inflicted upon him with wide shocked eyes, "So, that's why the lines are there," the boy says, and even from the stands, Makoshi could hear the grin in his tone.
"Guess I need to treat you like a fresh kill and skin the armor off of you, huh?" Harry says as he stands, blade in hand as he bends his knees once more to charge again.
"Harry! Stop!" The girl, Miss Granger, calls out to him, but Harry doesn't even turn to look at her, too focused on the fight before him with glee that Makoshi doesn't doubt that's there. Miss Granger finally turns to Makoshi in the stands with angry eyes, "Call him off, now!" She tries to order Makoshi, who snaps her fan open to hide the lower half of her face and ignores her as Harry charges Kedeer again.
"Are you listening to me!?" Miss Granger shouts as Mister Weasley's eyes flick between Miss Granger and the fight. "You need to call off your guard, now!" Miss Granger says with a sense of urgency and desperation before storming up the steps and over to where Makoshi sat watching Kedeer using his reach to keep Harry out of range. Hermione storms up to Makoshi, reaching out to grab her, to shake her, to do something to grab her attention but before she can even touch her her arm is twisted painfully behind her back as Shi grabs her fuzzy hair and gives it a yank backwards.
"Ah, ah, tour guide, no touching the prissy princess," Shi says as she continues to twist Hermione's arm causing the girl to scream out in pain.
"Hermione!" Ron yells, catching Harry's attention.
"Let her go!" Harry roars before Kedeer's trident smashes into him, sending him skidding across the sand, but before Harry can stand back up or even move or for anyone to do a thing, the shadows begin to gather.
Makoshi's head snaps towards Shi and Hermione, her eyes widening as she screams, "Shi! Watch out!" just in time for the Queen of the castle to show herself, arm cocked back and as she turns her head to see the shadows take form, she is backhanded. The closed fist meets her nose with a crunch, sending the girl flying backwards and crashing through the railings of the stands before slamming into the wall just beyond; landing in a heap on the floor.
Makoshi's hand quickly flies to the small dagger in her sash as Ozwalt and Olezka both reach for their respective weapons, but the woman who had formed from shadows is quicker as she steps in front of Makoshi and swiftly kicks her hand away from her weapon and a blood red spear finds its way to the hollow of her throat.
"Enough," Scáthach speaks with the authority of a queen, her words echoing around the chamber freezing everyone in place as copies of her weapon appear around the guests of her castle; all pointing at vitals.
"While I do not mind the Greaca fighting a strong opponent, I do, however, draw the line at putting hands on any of the other children that call this castle home," Scáthach speaks as Shi begins to pick herself up while cursing up a storm in her native tongue. "Now, you can either stand down or I will put you down," she says, her blood-red eyes glowing with power as the silence of death fills the dueling hall.
Slowly, Makoshi and her guards move their hands away from their weapons before standing straight and raising their hands as a gesture of surrender. "Wise move," Scáthach says as she turns her head to look at Harry picking himself off of the floor. "Greaca, are you alright?" she asks softly as Harry stands up on his feet before pulling his helmet off.
"Just fucking peachy," Harry curses angrily and with a scowl toward Scáthach, "Thanks for saving Hermione, but did you have to interrupt the fight? It was just getting good," he says, gesturing to Kedeer who was surrounded by copies of Scáthach's weapon. Hermione turns to him with wide eyes and a shocked face, as if she couldn't comprehend what just came out of Harry's mouth.
Scáthach chuckles before removing her spear from Makoshi's throat, "You can't win this fight, Greaca, your opponent is currently beyond you," she says plainly with a hint of amusement in her voice as she watches Harry tuck away his blade and pull out his wand before he starts to reapply the charms on his makeshift armor.
"Yeah, yeah, figured that out when none of my spears could scratch his armor," Harry says dismissively as everyone who wasn't Scáthach turns to look at the boy with various looks of shock, disbelief, and amusement. "Hey, Teacher?" Harry calls out and watches as Scáthach raises her brow in question. "Do you think you can give me the Hunt back? Pretty sure I could use it right now," he says only to watch as his teacher sighs at the question.
"I can't, Greaca, The Hunt will return on its own with time, but I can not undo the block I put between you and it," Scáthach admits causing both Hermione and Makoshi to turn and look at the Goddess of Dún Scáth.
"Are you saying the boy has been fighting without the main blessing of his mother?" Makoshi asks, now openly surprised and looking between Scáthach and Harry.
Scáthach turns back to Makoshi with a slight smile as Harry curses at his teacher's answer, "The boy is quite skilled for one so young, thanks in part to the reasons that drive him forward," She informs the surprise visitor to her castle.
"You're forgetting I also have a really good teacher!" Harry yells out before turning back to Kedeer who hasn't moved at all, and looking at Harry with burning eyes and a small smirk.
Scáthach smiles at Harry's comment. "Are you sure about this, Greaca? There is no victory in this fight for you, not even if you had the Hunt," Scáthach says back and watches as Harry slips back on the silver helmet that hid his smirk.
"Then you don't mind if I give it the old Hogwarts try, do you?" Harry says and his grin can be heard by everyone inside the dueling chamber as his eyes begin to glow silver.
Scáthach sighed. With a snap of her fingers, she dismissed the copies of her weapon from around the guests, allowing Shi to finally stand up while clutching her bleeding and broken nose and looking at Scáthach warily. "So be it, Greaca. Just remember that I told you so after you wake up," Scáthach tells her student and shakes her head in amusement.
Harry tucks his wand away once more before gasping his knife. "You ready, banana boy?" Harry asks as he bends his knees and watches as Kedeer throws his head back and lets out a laugh.
"To know that you have no hope, to know that you will lose, and yet still, you bare your blade at me?" Kedeer asks with a smile growing on his face. "Simply marvelous," he says with a shake of his head as his trident vanishes in a flare of fire just before an intense light and heat begin to radiate off the man and his golden armor. "So, in respect for your courage and will that would match any one of my brothers, I will fight you as if you were Lady Makoshi," he says as his eyes begin to glow like the sun itself as the sand beneath his feet begins to melt. "So come, son of Artemis, son of the moon, and show me your heart!" Kedeer shouts.
Makoshi, seeing what Kedeer was doing, quickly acted to contain the extreme heat the man was putting out. Her fan falls to the ground before she reaches into her sleeves and pulls out, of all things, paper tags with ink written on them before tossing them in the air. Her hands quickly form the Mudra of protection as the Kamifuda scatter across the dueling arena. The spectral Torii gates fall in the four cardinal directions and Makoshi begins to chant in her native tongue.
"O, Amaterasu, grant us your protection," Makoshi says as her eyes turn an icy blue and horns begin to sprout from her forehead as she calls on the divinity that flows through her veins.
"I'd rather show you yours!" Harry shouts before charging through the heat and light with a blade in hand at Kedeer, who charges at him in turn.
Thirty minutes later, at Hogwarts grounds, Tomoe Makoshi.
"Are you sure you're okay with it, Kedeer?" Makoshi asks while walking toward the front gates of Hogwarts, fanning herself to cool off on a balmy day.
"I am, Lady Makoshi. No need to trouble yourself over me," Kedeer says in a soft voice as he adjusts the cloak over his armored body and smiles a bit as Makoshi scoffs at his words. "The boy earned the scar upon me, so I will bear it with pride," he says.
"As you wish," Makoshi says, as she continues to fan herself. She and her guard were told, in no uncertain terms, that they were to leave the castle after Kedeer had knocked out the boy with a single strike and to not come back unless allowed by the Mistress of the castle. Albus had said nothing about a god residing in the school when they had their meeting, and she was understandably miffed about that. If Makoshi had known, she would have approached the situation with a bit more caution than just having Kedeer attack the boy.
"There are only ten mortals in this school that know of my true nature, and Albus had wanted to keep it a secret from all but eight of them," the Goddess had informed her, and to know Albus was playing his cards so close to his chest means he was planning something big and would no doubt bring her into the loop when he was reinstated at the ICW when that fool Fudge was removed from office. But for now, she would have to wait and trust in her old friend.
But still, the boy himself was impressive, more so now after accomplishing something that Makoshi had thought was impossible, and that wasn't even taking into consideration that the boy had accomplished it without the use of his mother's main domain. The boy's skill in his homeland magic was also something to note. He may not be on the level of Auror Moody or Albus himself, but from what she had seen and heard, that he was progressing rapidly toward their level of skill and control spoke a lot about the boy's drive to kill the snake when next they meet. If Makoshi doesn't meet the snake first, that is.
"Thoughts?" Makoshi asks her guards, knowing they would know what she meant.
"He's a few cans short of a six-pack, not a person who you want watching your back," Ozwalt says as he reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a flask before opening it and taking a swig of the alcohol hiding within.
"While I agree with Ozwalt, the boy showed a good grasp of Battle Magic which will only grow and be refined with time. Besides, you did try and recruit old Mad-Eye before me, so sanity isn't up there on the reasons for not considering him," Olezka says with a shrug, and for the most part, he was right. The ICE was charged with running into some of the worst types of battlefields and dark magic-infested hellholes the world over to complete their missions. Sanity wasn't something that survived over a long period in the ICE, and their turnover rate was the worst in the world because of it.
"Should have let me fight him," Shi grumbled from behind Makoshi. Shi was the newest and least disciplined of her guards, always itching for a fight or a test of strength she inherited from The Great Sage, Equal to Heaven. Makoshi found it endearing for now, so she allowed Shi to speak and act as she pleased so long as she still followed her orders.
"You were my first pick, Shi, but the boy has a dangerous artifact of this land in his possession and I did not know if he would have used it or not on you if you pushed him too hard too fast," Makoshi explains as they reach the gate that swings open for them. "Kedeer was the only one that I thought for sure it would not outright kill," she says before Shi scoffs at the very notion of a weapon from the western world being capable of ever harming her.
"Kedeer, what about you?" Makoshi asks, stopping right outside the gate to turn to the reincarnation of the son of Surya. She had won his loyalty some years ago when she had saved the small village in the mountains of northern India from which he lived from a witch who was after his blood to try and awaken an Asura. She had been using a type of magic that worked like a slow poison gas on the village, trying to kill all those who lived just to get to Kedeer. The man was eternally grateful for her help and swore in front of his gods to serve her in his current life to repay the debt he owed her. Makoshi had accepted and swore back to him her own pledge of never abusing his oath to her.
Kedeer was quiet for a long moment as he turned to look back at the castle that stood behind them, one hand raising to rub the spot of now-exposed mortal flesh, for Harry Potter had used a simple blade to carve off a large piece of the Kavacha, freeing Kedeer's left bicep and shoulder from the golden carapace in the final moments of their duel.
"I think," Kedeer says as he drops his hand and turns back to Makoshi with a slight smile, "that Harry Potter is someone you should keep your eye on, Lady Makoshi," he says, and for the Reincarnation of the Hero of Charity to say that, how was she to refuse?
Harry Potter, Saturday, October 27th eleven AM.
Harry sighs with a smile as he pulls on his jacket, looking forward to the Hogsmeade visit today and seeing Atalanta, Sirius, Lupin, and Dora again. Sirius promised him that all four would show up for a few hours as part of the Order to do patrols around the small township. While they didn't think any trouble was going to happen, it was better to be safe than sorry, as he put it.
The last few weeks have been oddly peaceful for Harry without the Hunt growling and prowling in his mind for its next meal. He was no longer jittery or on edge. Well, no more than normal. Thanks to the ADHD, he still couldn't sit still for the life of him or concentrate on any one thing. But he no longer got migraines from just eating in the Great Hall or hanging out in the common room. He found that most people were no longer wary to stand next to him for long periods and would actually approach him for things, like help with a tricky spell or homework from Defensive Arts. Harry would help where he could, he still didn't like being crowded or talking with people, but as long as they were polite he'd show them a trick or two.
However, the fact he had shown up with a black eye and a sunburn a week back after Kedeer had knocked his ass flat with a punch didn't help with his normal isolated way of life because everyone wanted to know what happened to him, so he told everyone who had asked that he messed up a charm before Hermione punched him in the eye over it and told him to tell everyone he ran into a doorknob for some reason.
Hermione was furious with him when she found out and chased him around the Gryffindor common room firing off stinging hexes at him as he laughed and dodged them.
Harry smiles at the memory of Ron being unable to stand up due to laughing himself into a fit as he watched the two, and Hermione's growing grin toward the end of their chase when the twins joined in and launched tickling curses at Hermione before Harry jumped to her defense as the room broke down into utter chaos. Harry's two best friends were going to join him later in the day due to them having to patrol the town as prefects before enjoying the day themselves, which was fine with him.
Harry, now dressed for the day and after checking if he had his wand and Serpent-Hunter with him, makes his way downstairs and almost to the Portrait Hole (the Fat Lady still hadn't forgiven him for knocking her over) only to stop when some called out to him.
"Oi, Pot-head, where are you off to all alone?" Delphini calls out from next to the fireplace where she had dragged a high-backed chair to read.
Harry turns to look back at her, his eyes trailing up over her legs as she crosses them, the skirt she wears shifting a bit with the action. Harry coughs when he realizes what he is doing before forcing himself to look at Delphini's darkly smirking face.
"I'm, ah, I'm going to Hogsmeade to visit my godfather," Harry says, stumbling over his words and cursing his hormones as Delphini looks away for a moment biting her lip, making one of her piercings glint in the light.
"Godfather," Delphini says slowly, before turning back to him. "Sirius Black, right? The mass murdering escaped convict?" she asks with a curious look on her face.
"Ah, yeah, though he didn't do the murdering bit," Harry says as he rubs the back of his head and slips his other hand into his jacket pocket to fiddle with Serpent-Hunter.
"Riiiiiight, he was framed or whatever," Delphini says as she taps her fingers against the arm of her chair for a moment with a thoughtful look on her face. "Would you mind if I tagged along? Always wanted to meet a convict," she says after a moment, looking over at Harry with a raised brow.
"He's not a convict," Harry says weakly before watching a sly smile bloom across Delphini's pretty face.
"Well, did he spend time in Azkaban?" Delphini asks, and Harry just nods, "Then he's a convict," she says cheekily before putting a bookmark on her page and snapping the book shut in a way that Hermione would have kittens over. "Give me a few to put this away and grab my coat?" she asks as she wiggles her book.
Harry opened his mouth to say no, to tell her it was a private visit, but all Delphini had to do was bat her big blue eyes at him and the words died in his mouth before he sighed. "Sure, just try to be, you know, not off-putting?" Harry asks before cringing at his own words and how they sounded.
"No promises Pot-head, but hey, at least I'm not a turn-off, right?" Delphini says before sending him a wink and jogging up the stairs, thankfully missing the blush that crept up Harry's neck at her words. True to her words, Delphini had met back up with Harry just a few moments later wearing a thin red and gold cloak before they both made their way down to the front entrance to Hogwarts. Thankfully, Harry had gotten control of his blush before she had shown back up.
As they made their way to the carriages, Harry stopped for a moment to pet the undead-looking horses with a word of thanks to them, catching Delphini looking over at him with a sad, dark look on her face before she smooths it over with a smile. Harry shrugged the look off and chalked it up to her feeling sad about him being able to see the Thestrals before they both climbed into the carriage. Harry swiftly shut the door and knocked on the roof of the carriage to get them moving before anyone else tried to climb in with them and, thankfully, the Thestrals listened to him and took off down the stone path towards Hogsmeade.
Once inside and moving, Delphini pulled out her wand and quickly transfigured her stockings into something McGonagall would have kittens over before kicking up her feet on her side of the carriage and laying back. Harry, however, forced himself to look out of the small window to his left as he desperately tried not to stare at Delphini's now fishnet-wrapped legs; it was a challenge worthy of Herakles if someone would ask Harry at that moment.
"So, has anyone asked you to the Samhain Ball?" Delphini asked as she tucked her hands behind her head and turned to look at Harry as he scowled a bit.
The Samhain Ball, one of the biggest things happening at the school, has been on everyone's mind and lips since it was announced a few days ago by the Headmaster over dinner. He had informed the school that since the Yule Ball was such a big hit last year, Hogwarts would be throwing a far smaller and more informal dance this coming Halloween. Afternoon classes that day and morning classes the following day were going to be canceled so everyone, from the first years to the seventh years, could enjoy a night to relieve some stress and relax without worrying about classes in the morning. Harry had little to no desire to go to any dance at the school and was considering just hiding away in Gryffindor Tower to get away from it, but considering it was Teacher's idea to throw a ball, Harry knew he was going to be dragged to it one way or another.
"No, most people still think I'm crazy," Harry says, which is true and one of the only people he would want to go with couldn't be seen with him, which did nothing but piss him off. "What about you?" Harry asks without looking over at Delphini but watches her out of the corner of his eye.
"Oh, a few brave souls have found the courage to ask the daughter of the dark lord's best and greatest lieutenant out to the Samhain ball," Delphini says with a smirk that sent Harry's stomach coiling in anger and the want to hit a few brave souls.
"So, a bunch of Slytherins?" Harry asks as smoothly as he can, just to hear Delphini snort.
"Yeah, a few Ravenclaws as well, even, ah, fuck," Delphini says, snapping her fingers as she looked to trying to remember something, "what's his cunt? The guy I went to the Yule Ball with last year? Fuck, his name is on the tip of my tongue!" She says, sounding frustrated at not remembering the guy's name. Harry just shrugs, not remembering the guy's name either.
"Well, whatever his name is came up to me the other day saying if I knew you were one of our lord's chosen and not some low-born swat, I would have forgiven you sooner for your disrespectful actions during the Yule Ball," Delphini says in a mock of whoever she was talking about voice before rolling her eyes and snorting. "So, I did the same thing that I did to him during the Yule Ball," she says with a laugh as Harry chuckles with her.
"So why haven't you said yes to any of them?" Harry asks as the carriage gets closer to Hogsmeade.
"Well," Delphini says before rolling onto her side to look at Harry fully, "there's this super cute guy I like and I've been hoping he would ask me to it for the last few days, but he hasn't, sadly. So, I'm trying to give him a chance to ask very soon," She says with a smile at Harry as the boy himself frowns, suddenly feeling the urge to hunt the guy she was talking about down before punching him in the face. Harry was secretly hoping it was Blaise.
"Oh," Harry says, not looking over at Delphini as his face tightens with anger and jealousy. "Anyone I know?" he asks, hoping to find out and punch them.
Delphini and, unbeknownst to her, a certain goddess of love both sigh and think the same thing, "Why is it always the cute ones who are so thick-headed?"
Fifteen minutes later, The Three Broomsticks.
Harry takes the stairs three at a time with Delphini following after, still frowning. She had refused to tell him who she was hoping would ask her to the Samhain Ball. Delphini had rolled her eyes and gave him a look like Hermione normally did when he had missed something obvious while shaking her head. Harry swore to himself that he would find out who the guy was before they went back to Hogwarts, but for now, put it out of his mind as he walked down the hall on the second floor before opening the door marked S. Black; Private.
"Hey, Sirius," was about as far as he got before a silver Atalanta-shaped bullet slammed into him and knocked him to the floor with a cry of "Harry!" He laughs as he hugs Atalanta back before the sound of a camera going off can be heard. Harry turns to look at Sirius who was holding said camera to his face with a smile.
"Wotcher, Harry," Dora says from her spot on the couch with a smile on her face. "Seems the house cat found her favorite teddy bear again," the auror jokes before Atalanta pops her head back up to give Dora the finger, causing the other girl to chuckle before taking a swig from her mug of butterbeer before Atalanta stands up and helps Harry to his feet.
Harry takes her hand and stands back up before brushing himself off with a warm smile. "Seems like you two are getting along," Harry says suspiciously looking in between the Hunter and the Auror, who both shrug. Last Harry saw either of them they avoided each other as much as possible, staying out of each other's way in hopes of avoiding another fight between them.
"They broke bread over a large amount of fire whiskey and a board game, believe it or not," Lupin says from his chair by the fireplace as he was nursing a cuppa in hand. "Good to see you, old boy," the werewolf says.
"Good to see you too, Remus," Harry says softly before walking up to Sirius, who smiles as they both embrace.
"Saving the best for last?" Sirius says with a smirk as Harry scoffs before breaking their embrace and taking a step back.
"What are you talking about? The best smashed into me as soon as I took a step into the room," Harry says with a grin before looking over his shoulder to Atalanta who was wearing a matching grin.
Sirius quickly covers his heart, as though he is mortally wounded before stumbling back into his chair, "Oh! The pain! The horror! The heartbreak!" he exclaims as he turns his head and rests the forearm of the arm that was holding the camera over his forehead causing Harry to chuckle at his Dogfather's antics. "How could you wound me so, Harry, your own beloved godfather?" he asks weakly.
Harry snorts, "Easily," he says with a grin before he hears a giggle behind him that causes everyone in the room to turn and see Delphini leaning on the door jam with a smile on her face.
"I'm sorry, young lady, but this is a bit of a private meeting," Lupin says as he places his tea down before going to stand.
"Oh, ah, she's with me, Remus," Harry says quickly before nudging his head over to Delphini, stopping Remus from standing with a questioning look on his face.
"Sorry about the laugh, didn't mean anything by it, I swear," Delphini says as she pushes herself off the door jamb before walking into the room. "I've just never seen Pot-head here willing to interact with people and kid around with them outside Hermione and Ron. He's normally so grumpy with randos," Delphini says as she closes the door behind her and slips her hands into the pockets of her robe.
"Oi, I'm not grumpy all the time, Bubblegum," Harry says back with a frown as he looks at her.
"And that is exactly what someone who is perpetually grumpy would say, Pot-head," Delphini says with a grin and a wink before she walks up to a confused-looking Sirius whose eyes were flicking back and forth between the two teens, and he wasn't the only one in the room. As both Atalanta and Dora narrow their eyes at the girl and Lupin raises his brow at how they interacted with one another, Harry, on the other hand, just scoffs and rolls his eyes with a faint grin on his face.
Delphini stops in front of Sirius, as the man stands to greet her, with a grin before offering her hand to him. "So, you the infamous convict Sirius Black, nice to meet you, big fan of how you busted out of Azkaban," she says with a coiling smile.
"Oh, um, Thanks, I do try my hardest to impress, miss…," Sirius says as he takes Delphini's hand and shakes it, trailing off in hopes she would fill in the blank.
"Delphini," she introduces herself and waits for Sirius to smile and open his mouth to say something before she hits him with the rest. "Lestrange," Delphini says as her smile grows as Sirius' face goes from polite to gobsmacked to horrified. "How ya doing, cousin? Heard you were in the cell right across the way from my dear old mother," she says as Sirius drops his hand and looks at her with wide eyes.
Chapter done!
And one hell of a chapter it was, yes, Kedeer is a beast when it comes down to it. He holds only 1/5th of Karna's full power but that is more than enough to body 98% of all demi-gods without fail because Hindu demi-gods be broken as fuck. I mean, Karna was literally born with fucking plot armor in the form of his breastplate and earrings.
Anyway, we also got to see a bit of Eastern magic known as Onmyōdō, which Makoshi is a practitioner of. Onmyōdō is a magic that takes a bit of everything from Eastern religions and throws it all into a blender before hitting puree; it's mostly used for protection. But it doesn't need a wand to use, just paper seals called Kamifuda and a chant, the Mardu, or hand seals(think Naruto) aren't necessary but do help focus the magic when it needs to be strong.
But what Makoshi did was a really powerful version of a low-level protection spell that staves off a heatwave; she had to create Torii Gates, which are built to let the Kami(or gods) pass through and enter our world and the shrines.
The reason for the horns is simple, she's half fucking demon when she calls upon her divine core to help cast a spell, she becomes more demon-like, thankfully, the horns fade quickly when she isn't using them.
But, boy oh boy, it's time for Delphini to meet Sirius and the rest of her family, and yes, she was hoping for this from the start.
Should be a fun time.
Kingsaxcul, out.