HellHounds Are Not Emo II
07
ISDH
HANE
Harry awoke in a bed, with Verdaim curled under his left ear. The Room was small, neat, and covered in dragons. It was like someone had cast expansion charms or runes in a closet, and shoved a mini-Hagrid inside. If you have not guessed, Harry was in Charlie's room. It was Aurther's idea. Molly was opposed, but with Charlie not even in England…
That and Ron was uneasy about sleeping where the drake could snack on him.
Hermione then was offered Bill's Room, but Ginny had asked her to share...She needed the 'Sister-time'.
As Harry dressed for the day… trews, undershirt, vest, knee high boots, leaving his 'Robes'/Jacket for when he was to leave for the Alley. As his left Boot 'clicked' into place, he nudged the sleeping dragon.
She just burrowed deeper into the pillows. $cold.$ came the grumble, $Sleep!$
$Okay.$ Harry stood, grinning as he thought he knew his little beast's triggers. $I just have to eat by myself.$
$Food!$ the snake-like head popped up from under the covers. $Why didn't you say so?$ Verdain exploded from her 'pillow-cave' to perch on his shoulder, her stone pouch hanging from her tail.
As the door closed behind him, the bed remade itself. All dirty laundry was hampered, shunted to the laundry room, and prepared for washing.
Ron was hunched over his breakfast, scowling at his sister.
"What's got Ron's grungies in a roll?" Harry sat across from the twins.
"Mom is taking him to get robes and to collect things we missed." Fred spoke the full sentence.
"And Ginny is going with you to see Ollivander…" George opened, but Ron just glowered.
HANE
After a quick but filling breakfast, the Weasleys plus Hermione and Harry stood just outside the backgate to the Leaky Cauldron. With a grip on Ron's ear, Molly was off to do her shopping. The twins slipped away to talk about deals in large yet inexpensive supplies…
Ginny and Harry Walked Hermione to 'Flourish and Blotts' Bookstore, before continuing onto Ollivanders.
Once they were both in the door, the wily craft master locked the door, engaging the runes that protected his Craft, his Secrets, and the work he was about to undertake…
Ginny was first…
First there was the class of focus… and she would wield a wand… single wood with two cores…
Her Wood would need to channel high powered heavy loads… in quick bursts. Her Magic type was; sight sensor… she could see things that Harry himself could not. He had to 'focus-link' to his magic to see what she was looking at.
An Ebony shaft jumped to her hand… as two cores glowed… Fwooper feather entwined with hydra-heartstring.
Total cost; 24GG.
Harry added to that a Deluxe Wand Care Kit and a Wand holster/bracer of the highest level. A hit-witches Bracer. Harry paid in full. 38GG.
Harry's turn…
Focus test; wand/ too weak, Orb; out of focus, Bracers … jammed the flow. Staff was too large, needing both hands…
Then Lucious Malfoy 'rushed' quickly past the front of the shop, his snake-headed cane glinting in the afternoon sun. 'Cane-Scepter' … Shaft and body; Black Thorn… Core: Grand Hydra Heartstring entwined with a Gryphon pinion feather and Cave Toad tongue. The power of the Hydra, the control of the Gryphon… the stability of the Toad…
Capped in Goblin Silver clutching a ruby dodecahedron.
Cave Toads like little Trevor live 50 to 85 years. At about ten years of age, their diet grows to include rats and small birds... At twenty, small dogs and cats… at thirty , goats… at forty, human children… Those like Trevor that were taken as pets and familiars learn that there are some foods you do not eat.
Cost 275GG
A deluxe care kit was thrown in free.
Harry had to write a draft for his 'wand', as the sceptre had shrunk to a 12 & ¾ inches silver capped blackthorn shaft, unbending. A flick of his wrist, and the 'wand' was tucked into the holster he received from Miss Ipswitch.
The two of them exited the shop into a mid-afternoon day, and Harry thought about the small witch he met in the States… and found himself leading a confused Ginny into Knockturn alley. Shortly they were before a door he recognized. With a smile and a wave, he led the witchling inside.
"Be right there, dearies!" Odds and ends lined the shelves, each weirder than the one before it.
"You Got a new wand, before coming to see me?" The two youths spun to see Lady Ipswitch step out of the shadows. "How did your gifts do?"
"Oscar was a hit." Harry smiled at the Yankee Witch. "The Girl forgave me almost immediately. The Owl still has me on her shit list. I was hoping you had something I could use to unruffle her feathers."
"Breed?"
"Snowy." Ginny answered. "The Witch told me about it. This Bum shows up at her door, rings the bell, Muggle house, and shifts to his dog form. When she opens the door, he pounces on said witch, washing her face with his tongue. Her Father break's the scene, only for the dog to get to know him. When the Dog had his nose where no human should… the Owl made herself known. The dog crawled twenty feet on his belly to grovel before the bird."
"Just how many females do you serve, boy?"
"In an always shifting order, two witches, the lovely owl, and a mini-drake." He tapped his breast pocket, causing Verdeim to slither out and coil about his neck.
$Food.$ the black and green winged lizard hooted.
Ginny snorted, "Nothing but gullet." She ran her finger along from the brow to the wing point.
The Drake crooned.
Ipswitch snickered. "And you already Face the Darkness…" She nodded, before wandering into the gloom. She returned with a Staff that was one walking accessory, two parts perch. A 'T' with cups at either end, topped with a 'half-moon' dip. Verdeim scuttled along Harry's arm, to weave herself into the half-moon hollow. A traveling perch for both his winged ladies. "If you survive until Summer, come to me when you leave school." A flip of her Hand… "Be Gone. I have spoken." She returned to the Gloom of her Shop.
Molly caught them exiting Knockturn Alley. "Must you …" She began to rev up to ranting at the Lad.
"Mum Weasley." Harry sighed, "Have you met Grimjowle? I will introduce you when we get back to the Burrow. Your pups are Safe in my Company. As Long as I am Welcome at the Burrow, Nothing, and I mean Nothing will Touch a single red hair on you or your Family. They would have to Kill me first, and you do not know how hard that is to do." He draped his arm over his 'little sister', $And that would open a whole other crock of slugs$
Ginny coughed. "Are we finished, Mum?"
"Just have Ron's Dress Robes…"
Hooking his free arm's thumb in his vest sleeve, "Well… I owe a year or two back gifts to Ron." Turning his Head to the lad, "Madam Malkin's Finest or whatever your Mum can dig up. Then We are even."
Ron's eyes grew large as he looked at the second-hand robes that were in the carpet bag at his mother's feet, in Horror, before looking at his Mate. "Malkin's please."
HAME
Ollivander exited the floo, completely ignoring the Headmaster and Potions Master in his rush to greet Fawkes. "The Children were by this Morning. Neither were selected by your Feathers." His words were for the Morninglord only. "Do you want your …" the bird turned away from the wandcrafter. "So they are for Others." He bowed shallowly from the waist. "Thank you for your gifts." Only now did the Master of his craft turn to the Humans in the room. "I hope you can spare me a drink, Albus." he stumbled to a chair that was not there a second ago.
"Let me guess." Sneered Snape as he swept to the globe that held the hidden booze, pouring three glasses. "Potter." A flick of his wand and two of the glasses landed before the two elders, as he returned to his post before the desk, only this time a wicker chair joined the scene. "Tell us of his Greatness." He had ment it sarcastically.
"First the Weasley Lass." a shaky sip, "Ebony shaft, 12 ¼ inches, enclosing a Fwooper feather entwined with a hydra heartstring. It could have been my imagination, but she was hissing at it when it was done. The little dragon was intrigued."
"Dragon?" Snape perked up.
"Yes." Albus turned his glass in his palm. "Potter and Hagrid have mini-drakes. I have just finished filing the paperwork for the rights to breed them on the grounds." Looking at his 'Dark' Potions Master. "I have been warned. If any drake disappears, or dies of 'causes other than natural', Potter will hold you personally responsible."
"What gives him the Right…"
"Because He, and only He, has access." Albus hissed. "You heard about the After-party at the Quidditch Match?"
"Yes. Some fools, just blowing off steam." Snape sipped, slumping in his chair.
"Rumor has it; that the dead Death Eaters, some Twenty plus, were because Potter was involved." Ollivander sipped his drink.
Snape snapped upright. "Dead? There were Twenty Dead, and Potter walks free?"
"Only because those Potter personally faced, were threatening the family of the French Ministries answer to our Director of the MLE." Albus sighed, "And he never drew his wand. Just ripped the man's throat out. McNair died the way he lived."
"So you are going to allow that Murder to just roam these halls freely?" Snape snapped.
"No." Albus leaned back,threading his fingers together, "I asked Director Bones to loan us the Senior Class of the Auror Academy, and a few others for Security this year. Moody and Bones agreed to place a ringer on him on the train. The rest of the class will join us on the first of October. If Potter steps out of bounds for any reason, I will shut him down, and shut him down hard. Same goes for those of your House who go looking for trouble."
Snape grumbled into his glass.
"I will see that you get first access to any shed skin and egg shell." Albus offered an olive branch.
HANE
A persistent knocking drew Lupin to the front door. Drawing himself up, and muttering a few phrases about his service to the House Black, He opened the door…
And found a disgruntled white owl perched on the side-rail. "Hedwig. We were hoping to see you. Please allow me to welcome you to House Black." the Lycan offered the owl his arm, and she hopped onto his wrist. He carried her into the house and down to the kitchen where the dog wizard was mashing his morning mush. "Padfoot, did you finish your letter to the cub?"
Without looking up, the dark(as in hair colour) wizard grumbled, "Almost. I will have it finished by the time you have an owl to deliver it."
Bark!
The reaction was amusing as the dog-wizard's head snapped up to lock eyes with the bird, just before he fell off the bench, to crack his head on the flagstone floor.
The House Elf, hiding in the shadows, cackled.
"Ow!" the lanky lord scrambled to his feet. "Where did you get an owl this early?"
"This is Hedwig. The Cub's owl. Judging by her expression she is working overtime to prove her worth to him." His yellow eyes turned to look at the Elf, snickering in the corner. "Kearcher, can we get a table perch please." Lupin eased onto the bench across from where Black had been sitting. A twisted silver perch depicting a Snake, dieing in the raptor's claws, once Hedwig had hopped from Lupin's wrist to the gaudy tableware.
"Kreacher. As this is for the 'soon to be' Master of the House. Can we get fresh ink, house parchment, and quills." Sirius paused, "Please and thank you."
The Elf schlepped out to get the requested items.
"Why the long face?"
"The Pup." the Wizard sighed. "He does not need me."
"As Uncle 'pa-foo'. No." Lupin poured a cup of cold tea into a cracked mug. "But as the Last Scion of Black to the Last Scion of Potter." He sipped, made a face, and tapped his cup with his wand, whispering the incantation for the blood-boiling curse. Another sip, and a nod. "Unless you want old man Albus teaching him about his duties as a Lord and Peer of the Realm."
"Damn you Moony!" some steel returned to the displaced lord's spine. He frowned, "Ah Moony? Am I getting my days wrong… or are you going Wolf?"
"The Full Moon is a few days out." the rumbled wizard sighed. "Moony senses our Alpha has come…"
The Elf delivered the letter writing tray the Mistress used. These letters were for the new Master. He had prepared his own scroll…
HANE
The burrow family room, after just before Dinner… the Family was waiting for Aurther to get off work.
Three Gingers were 'Locked in Battle' against a 'Gold-Fevered Dragon'.
The Center of the Family Room had been cleared of everything, down to the flagstone slab. A perfect cubit radius Circle was carved into the flat smooth stone, each player had picked ten stones/shinies and placed them in the Circle. Then they played a quick 'rock-paper-scissors' to find their placements, with the twins opposing each other. (Ginny put her foot down.)
Ginny had won the right for First shot/break… but the mass absorbed the power of her shot. She fished her shooter out, and the turn passed to Fred.
Fred banked his shooter off two stones as his shooter spun to a stop… and his two targets stopped a thumbs width from the ring. He reclaimed his shooter, as Verdeim lined up her shot.
Resting her chin just short of the gouged Circle, her favored shooter chambered between the horn-bumps on her head, her hindquarters, clenched, her tail coiled up over her spine, resting at her wing-point, before … snapping forward, driving her shooter square into the center mass of the 'Shinies'. The explosive crack of rock on rock echoed around the room, and three sparkly shinies rolled into the gouged ring of the Circle.
Now comes the tricky part. Did she recall her Shooter, and pass her turn, keeping only the three? Or did she risk one of her shines to try to knock others, including her own Shooter, from the Circle. She stood on her hide legs, stretching to her full height. The Humans had Ruled that her leaving the Ground counted as her passing her turn. She chittered to herself, as she danced back and forth, her neck craning to find the right angle…
$Rotate!$ Ginny translating the squeeks, hisses, and chirps of the 'Tiny Terror'. Verdeim danced to the left, as the whole Circle moved about a foot to their left. $White!$ Fred handed his white alabaster marble to the drake as she took her firing position… and knocked four more stone spheres from the Circle, but lost her Alabaster and her shooter was almost dead center of the Circle.
She chittered again as she danced…
Ron looked up from the Chessboard between himself and Harry, to notice the non-Ginger was watching the floor show. "Is she that good?"
"That sack of stones?" Harry pointed to the Rat-skin sack dropped next to the Circle, "Those she won from your Brothers, the other morning when all they gave her was a shooter. She has yet to open her shinies from the store." Harry spoke softly. "This is her building her hoard. I am thinking of taking her to the Gobstone club at Hogwarts. Even debating putting Gold on her." He looked at the Board beside him, "C1-E3" as the Bishop eased out of the Home Row onto the board, he turned back to the floor-show.
Just then, a White form ghosted into the room, and draped herself lightly over his shoulder. Taking the three scrolls from the owl, he scratched her behind the 'left horn', and looked at the scrolls in his lap.
SOB to HJP
Lupin ~ Potter
Master Needed!
Harry ripped into the third scroll.
'Master.
Kreature Failed. Old. dregs of Magic.
House Fallen.'
"Dobby!"
When the little guy had arrived… Harry shoved the letter at the small guy.
"NO!" the guy dropped the scroll, like it carried Splattegroit. "Master!" Dobby grabbed the human's hand and vanished. The owl and two scrolls landed on the bench.
Molly burst into the room. "What Happened?"
Ginny picked up the open scroll, and read it. "Harry was called away on House Business." She looked at the two unopened scrolls, "I would bet my favorite shooter, that it is House Black Business."
$Done!$ Verdeim buggled.
Ginny looked at the black mini-dragon with neon venom green racing stripes, "This is my favorite shooter. Where is yours?" She held up her shooter that she was using.
The drake looked smug, $Pocket. Brown with red sparklies.$
"The ruby chipped?" Ginny dug into the rat-sack, before drawing out a sandstone and ruby studded sphere. Placing it beside the sack of stones, Ginny nodded, and extended a forefinger, "Deal." They shook on it.
HANE
Harry landed on his Back on a rough wooden table between two surprised wizards, with Dobby standing on his chest.
"Pup." Sirius looked at his oldest friend. "Not what I was expecting for dinner. I thought you said something about 'shepherd's pie'?"
Lupin was transfixed by the sight and smell of his Cub.
Harry rolled to his Feet, crouching so that he was almost eye level with the Lycan. He called on Grimjowel, and flared his eyes. Instantly Lupin's chin hit the table as he whined. Harry reached out to stroke the peppered hair, and felt the tension bleed off and out of the wizard.
"Dobby, in my Rucksack. I have a gift for each of them. Then tell Mum Weasley I am bringing two guests to Dinner." Harry eased off the table, his eyes never leaving the Lycan crouched across from him. "Padfoot. I think this is a House of Black?"
"Had you read my scroll…" the Black began.
"Sorry, but the third scroll was more important."
"Third scroll?"
"Kreatcher!" the Command in Harry's voice shook the Wards, a bundle appeared at his feet. Tearing his eyes from the wolf in human form, Harry placed his hand on the Elf's head, and sent his Magic into the small body. "You Serve." and spasm washed over the two of them.
Kreatcher started crying, as Dobby gathered the old Elf and vanished. A minute later Dobby returned alone. "Kreature Sleep the Night. Should be better by Dawn." two items were left on the table. As the Elf vanished.
Black looked at the items on the table… a muggle shoe shine kit and a black studded collar with a tag. Reading the tag, Black snorted. "I am not wearing that."
"Sorry." Harry reached under his ascot, "I just thought you wanted one like the one I wear." Flashed the Dogo's collar. "I needed a little something seeing as my base form is illegal on the Street. Going to have to get a tag for them to call the DMLE if I am ever picked up on the street. I am already registered."
"How long are you going to leave him like that?" Black put the collar in a pocket.
"Just a couple of minutes more. Is he a Beta or a Gamma?" Harry turned to look at the man sitting with his chin on the table. "His Wolf is too strong to be an Omega, but his time without an Alpha has taken its toll on him. My canine form drove to sprawl before me. The question is not where he stands with me, but where he stands with you. Is he above you, or below you."
"Why is he…" Sirius began.
"He spent eight, nine months in my presence this last year. Pa was his Alpha. I went from being his cub, to a young Alpha in need of a Pack. He has needed his pack since that night in '81. And then I was not there when he needed me, and you are little better than a puppy, right now. Next Moon, we will go hunting with Grandfather and the Gruncles."
Lupin moaned as he coiled under himself.
"Grandfather? You mean Charles? Fleamont?"
"The Brothers Three." Harry placed his hand on the Wall, and reached for the Wards. At first, they stiffened, before flooding over him like an ice cold river. They tasted him, his Blood, his Magic, his Power…
As the Wards accepted him as 'Guest' they lost the 'iciness'...
As they accepted him as a Black-kin, the 'River' became a pond...
As they accepted him as 'Black', the Pool was warm as bathwater…
As they ranked him… the Wardstone Matrix awoke, and began to 'nurse' off his core. His Magic redirected the draw to the 'Outland'.
The House Creaked as the 'hands of time' on the house turned back. The beams tightened, the mortar sealed, and Rot began to wash away. The House would always be 'Dark', but by the Full Moon of September, everything that could run…
"What in Morgana's Magnificent Mams was That!" Black looked a bit panicked.
"The Wards." Harry stumbled from the wall. "They like the Taste of the Potter, or as they call me, 'The Black-Potter'. On your feet wolf!." Lupin was suddenly standing, as Harry tucked the kit up his sleeve, before grabbing both Wizards and 'Pulling'.
HANE
The Neighborhood around #12 Grimmauld Park suddenly became not so friendly to certain members of the Muggle Society. Over the next three months, no less than six drug 'kitchen's, four child trafficking hubs, and three drug based brothels were raided.
The Wizarding world had nothing to do with it...
