Thank you to everyone who reviewed, and to everyone who responded to my question!
It's almost six in the morning here right now and the sun is just barely coming up over the horizon. Hopefully you lot have an appreciation for my updating at such an early hour.
Wow. Just wow. Nearly all of you had something to say regarding my question on your thoughts of pairings.
There was quite the divide between those of you who thought I should or shouldn't include romance, and whether or not the pairing, if there is one, should be male/male or male/female. For the most part, the arguments for or against certain genders were unanimous.
Many of you prefer male/male pairings, or believe that Harry would work better with a male Avenger than another character, or were concerned about the female character options being limited.
Those of you who showed a preference for a male/female pairing, were more concerned with me falling into overdone plot-devices, saying that this particular area of crossoverdom tends to revolve almost exclusively around male/male pairings, with very few instances of Harry being with a woman.
There was, however, one person who mentioned that because Harry is more animalistic, that it would be more realistic to pair Harry with a female, as homosexuality is uncommon in the animal kingdom. To this person (I'm sorry I can't recall your name), I have to say that homosexual behavior has been noted and documented in over 1,500 various animal species, ranging from primates, to worms.
Beyond that, there were two major concerns regarding a male/male pairing as opposed to a male/female one. These issues are, in my opinion, interconnected. There were a few of you who expressed concern about Harry being made 'girly' or a 'wuss' if paired with a male, with the assumption of him being the submissive partner, and there were a couple of you who expressed your dislike for male/male pairings as a result of the often unrealistic representations of such relationships by people who are not gay males themselves, and thus have little knowledge of how such relationships actually work.
I'm gonna go on a bit of a rant about these issues, so bear with me.
First off, I've put a lot of effort into developing Harry's character. This Harry started out self-conscious and a bit of a loner, was thrown into the influences of the water panther's instincts, and has slowly grown stronger and more confident, and will continue to do so. By the time we hit crossover, Harry will be independent, but comfortable working in a team, and willing to depend on others. I'm not going to change him into a woman with a penis if I pair him with a man. Relationships always alter a person's character and motives, but they don't suddenly make you into someone else. This Harry will not become completely different just because of a relationship.
Besides that, my self-given title of Mr. Hate, is fully indicative of my actual gender. I'm a man. Plain and simple. I'm also bisexual, and have been with men and women throughout my time, and so I have a much better understanding of a male/male relationship, having experienced such myself, than, say, a teenaged girl writing a male/male story. That isn't to say that the girl in question won't write a wonderful and compelling tale, but realism comes best from actual experience, something that a girl wouldn't have in regards to this situation.
Because of my own experiences, realism isn't a real concern here. Beyond that, going back to the worry of Harry being made 'girly'; this brings to mind a bit of a stigma that has always bothered me. There is always a sort of preconception that a man who willingly 'takes it' is less of a man than the one 'giving it', so to speak. I've always hated this notion, because it's a lot like when you say all women are bad drivers, or even the more positive, all Asians are smart. It's not true, by any stretch of the imagination.
Firstly, most gay relationships don't have a cut and dry 'bottom' and 'top'. In most cases, the two people switch off, at least occasionally. Yes, most people have a preference for whether or not they want to be the aggressor or the submissive party, but this is something that can easily change with the mood. Beyond that, there are such things as submissive tops, and aggressive bottoms. It's not black and white, there's a lot of variation.
Secondly, submissive in the bedroom, doesn't mean jack outside of it. A lot of those same men who liked to be tied to a bed and given no control, are very controlling in other areas of their lives, and will be the one most likely to take the lead outside of that private environment. You can rarely tell who is in what position and has what preferences just by looking at a couple. That big muscly dude with the beard and equally muscly and tattooed lover probably don't conform to your idea of submissive and aggressive, and you will never know for sure, because private time is just that; private.
If I choose to put Harry with a man, it doesn't mean he'll be the 'bottom' or the 'top', or a switcher, or even that you'll know about it. I don't plan on writing sex scenes, and, if I do, I won't put them here.
Rant done, it should be said that a number of you, on the other hand, are quite happy with the thought of no pairing at all, and are concerned that a romance would take away from the overall plot and story that you have thus far come to enjoy.
There was, however, a common theme to many of the review responses to my question. The majority of you seem to have a lot of faith in my writing abilities, and were clear in your belief that you will continue to enjoy the story no matter what direction I choose to go, regardless of personal preferences, so long as that direction isn't forced.
You guys rock, I hope you know that.
Going back to your concerns, lot of the arguments made sense. Unfortunately, those of you who expressed concern about limited female options, are, mostly, correct, though you seem to forget that there are more options than you think. For instance, many of you thought the choice would come between Natasha, Pepper, or Maria Hill. However, there is still Darcy, and Jane, if I wanted to break up her and Thor, and there is also the Asgardian, Sif. Beyond that, there are still HP girls to consider. Harry could be paired with Daphne, Luna, or some other, not-so-well-known character. Then, of course, there is the possibility of my including more of the Marvel-verse than just the Avengers, which would mean any of the female mutants could be an option.
Now, aside from that, there are the males, of course, but, once again, I could choose to go a more, less-done way than you usually see in this particular area of fanon. I could, once again, pair him off with someone who is not an Avenger, like any of the warriors three, or one of Loki's kids (if I include them), or Nick Fury, or, going into Marvel-verse again, any number of male mutants, or even Peter Parker; who would be close to Harry in age.
Then, of course, you have to consider my ability to make OC's. I've actually been considering making a female character to be added onto the Avengers team, because Natasha being the only woman in a group of men has always made the whole thing seem a bit sexist to me.
There are a lot more options to consider than just the Avengers and the main players in the Avengers movie.
As for the worry about the romance overtaking the story, I admit, that's part of the reason I've been a bit worried about including a pairing thus far. However, I think my fear of a romance overtaking the story would help me to avoid just that, because I would be more likely to downplay any such thing in order to avoid that.
That said, I still haven't decided anything, and so, I think we will just see where my typing fingers take us.
Thank you all, once again, for your reviews, and your answers.
Now, onto the chapter.
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"Are you ready to go?"
"Yes."
"Yea."
"I think we're good."
"Remember, it will feel uncomfortable. You might lose your balance when we land, and you might feel nauseas. Did you eat anything?"
"No."
"You told us not to."
"Good. Hopefully you won't throw up then." Harry smiled in a way that was meant to be reassuring, but probably looked more like a grimace. None of the three smiled back.
He studied them as they grabbed hold of the golden ring. This was Seamus' family. They were muggles, all of them. His mother had been a witch, but she had left years ago the teen had told him. So he had only his father and stepmother, and his half sister. The boy's Irish heritage obviously came from his father, with his broad form and reddish brown hair. His stepmum was small and petite with short brown hair, and his sister looked like a miniature female version of the Gryffindor, though with darker locks.
This would be the ninth family, aside from the Dursleys, who Harry would be transporting to Bogdon. The others had all settled in well enough, or so it seemed, though he knew that none of them felt the castle was home. The elves had done their best to make everyone comfortable and welcome, and had made sure they all had regular meals; whether they ate in the dining hall or their own private rooms.
"Alright. You all ready?" They each nodded, all gripping tightly to the ring and their luggage, Harry himself holding onto a few bags for them. "Okay. Here we go. Gringotts." The world spun and they were all hooked through a twisting tunnel and spat back out into the snow. Harry only just managed to stay on his feet, having slowly grown used to portkey travel with the many times he had done it lately. He still wobbled dangerously and flailed his arms to stay upright though. The only one of Seamus' family who managed to remain upright was his stepmother. She wobbled and blinked rapidly, looking a bit ill. HIs father was flopped backwards in the snow and his sister was on her hands and knees looking rather close to ridding herself of whatever was in her stomach, despite not eating.
He helped them both up, and made sure they were alright, and then led them into the castle. The little girl shivered in the cold and then sighed once they were inside, the warming spells the elves kept up making it feel like walking into a building with the heater turned up. Bogdon Stronghold was located in one of those parts of the world that snowed more of the year than not, and which was cold even when it didn't. The highest temperature of the year, in the middle of summer, was something around 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit). It was always cold. For Harry, whose accidental nature made unbothered by extreme temperatures, it was nothing, but for a normal person, like the members of Seamus' family, it was unpleasant. The cold had been the one complaint he had gotten from those here thus far, though they were only subjected to it if they ventured outside.
"Kreacher!" A pop had the elf appearing, and the muggles stared at him with wide eyes, not unlike the way they had stared at the goblins when the twins had brought them to him at the bank.
"Yes master?"
"Could you please escort these people to some of the empty rooms, close together, as usual."
"Yes sir." Kreacher waved at them to follow him, only the barest hint of a sneer on his face, and they did so with a look at Harry who gave them a nod and a smile. He watched them walk off a bit, and then turned away to go looking for his family. Vernon often hid away in his room, though Harry sometimes caught the big man exploring, and Dudley could be anywhere, but he was usually able to find his Aunt, who had taken up the habit of reading in the library. She understood well enough that she could never be a real part of the magical world, but she seemed to enjoy learning about it all the same. Her past bitterness had faded more and more with time, and Harry had a feeling that his bringing her to such a magical place and allowing her access to such knowledge had something to do with that.
He had begun moving the keeper's books into the smaller library in the dungeons, his own room right next door to it; having been fashioned from renovating one of the smaller storerooms. The room and bathroom were smaller than most of the other quarters, but he was happy with it. His only rule for the people he had brought here was that they were to remain on the ground floor and up only, and he had warded the dungeons extensively to ensure they listened. Or rather, he had had the elves do it, and he had added various protection runes and a muggle-repelling charm. It wasn't the safest bit of work, hardly Fort Knox, but no one magical enough to get past the repel charm had bothered trying to disobey the rule yet anyways.
Sure enough, he found his Aunt sitting in the main Library in a comfortable chair, and a large book in hand. The cover was plain black, with no writing, and he didn't recognize it. That didn't mean much though, since he hadn't looked into the books in the main library much, although he planned to do so later on so he could make a catalogue of them like he had done with the Keeper's books. He flopped down into a seat near her, and she closed her book with a smile to look up at him.
"Hello Harry. Back again?" He nodded.
"Just for the day. I'll be leaving before dinner. I want to make it back to the school then so I can make it to the great hall. The more meals I spend there the less suspicious people get about not seeing me the rest of the time." She nodded, her grin a bit wider. He had learned not long after bringing them here that his Aunt appreciated honesty very much. Like him, she didn't like to be left in the dark. Harry wondered if his mother had been the same way or not. Perhaps it was something they had inherited from one of his grandparents.
"Ah. So you'll still eat lunch with us then?"
"Yea."
"Good." He smiled sheepishly.
"Sorry. I'd come around more if I could..."
"It's alright. I quite understand."
"What are you reading?" He asked, deciding to change the subject before they devolved into one of those awkward silences that seemed to always happen when he spoke with the woman. They had been getting better, being able to go into longer and longer conversations before it got to that point, but it always ended up that way.
"Hmm? Oh. I wasn't reading at all actually, just looking at pictures." Harry perked up.
"Pictures?" She nodded.
"Yes. It's an album; belonged to my mother. There's some photos in here of me and your mother when we were young. I saved it when we left home but I hadn't been able to bring myself to look at it until now." She ran a hand across the cover and Harry bit his lip.
"I... Can I...?"
"Hmm? Oh! Yes of course!" She shifted her chair closer to him and he scooted to the edge of his own seat. They were close enough now that their knees almost touched and she spread the album open and out so that it lay half across her own leg and half across his. "Here. This one is us, when we were just little ones." The photo was old and frayed at the edges with the colors duller than a more modern picture. In it were two little girls, both smiling, and one with red hair that was vibrant even in the dull photo. They were just shy of toddlers, and dressed in the sort of frilly dresses one was likely to put a child in for pictures. His Aunt was grinning in the picture, showing off several missing teeth, but his mother scowled at the camera, her bottom lip jutting out in a pout that made him chuckle. "She never did care to have her picture taken." His Aunt commented.
The turned the page, and on the next two were more pictures, smaller ones now. On the first of the two pages were three baby pictures, even duller in color than the one in front. One held a tiny baby in a dress that looked up curiously at the camera, the tiny lick of red hair on the top of the otherwise bald head proving it to be his mother. Her green eyes looked darker than they really were in the picture; almost brown.
The one below it was his Aunt. She wasn't looking at the camera at all, but was rather more concerned with the teddy bear in her tiny hands that was larger than her head. The baby had a fuller head of hair than his mother had as a babe, though brown in color, and was focused intently on trying to fit as much of the little bear's paw in her mouth as she could.
The third was the both of them again, looking at each other, with the baby-Aunt Petunia grabbing onto her sister's nose and making the baby-Lily scrunch her face up in an annoyed manner. Harry grinned. "We were always close when we were little. Our parents had us one right after the other. I was born first, right on schedule, but Lily was two months early, so we were only seven months apart. Mum used to tell me that people thought we were twins because I was so small. Oh that's her there. Her and your grandfather." She pointed to the next page, and Harry's eyes glued themselves to it.
It was a wedding photograph, with his grandmother in a beautiful white dress and her hair done up in curls, his grandfather beside her in a suit with an arm around his wife. He studied them, having never before seen a picture of either. He could see where his mother got her hair from. His grandmother's hair was a fiery red that looked unnatural in its' vibrancy, but wasn't. Her eyes were a warm brown and she was so very beautiful; gorgeous even. She looked out from the photograph with a wonderfully joyous smile, one hand holding a bouquet of blue and white flowers and the other resting on her flat stomach in a way that suggested their reason for marrying. She leaned into his grandfather easily, her head on his shoulder, as he was notably taller than her, and the blush on her cheeks telling of her love for him.
He looked at his grandfather then, suspicions curling inside him about his heritage at the sight of the slender man. His suit was proper and well done, and he looked down at his wife in the picture with eyes that looked green, though the fade of the photo made it difficult to tell. His hair was cut short and slicked back, and was a sharp blonde. He had a strong jaw, broad shoulders that should have looked odd atop his thin form, and long limbs. He looked remarkably similar to Lucius Malfoy in regards to his facial features, and Harry was certain the man must be some close relation to the pureblood.
"What were their names?" He found himself asking, still staring at the picture.
"Cain and Samantha Evans. I don't remember Mum's maiden name, I think it started with an 'S' though." Samantha was such a plain name for such a beautiful woman, Harry thought. Cain was a bit old-fashioned though, enough to make him more suspicious. The man must be a Malfoy, some way or another.
"How did they meet? Do you know?" He wasn't sure why he asked, but curiosity burned at him. He wanted so badly to know about his family, his heritage, where it was he had come from. His Aunt smiled indulgently at him and nodded.
"Mum told me they met at a club. Not the sort you see nowadays mind you, but the old kind. She used to sing at one, while people ate and drank and the like, and she said the first time she saw him he came into the place to have a drink at the bar. She got up to sing and he watched her, and didn't take his eyes off her all the while. There was a dance floor there, and when the next band came up after her, she said he came up and asked her to dance. She used to get lots of offers back then, with as pretty as she was. Mum said she always turned them down though, and did the same to him. He came back the next day and asked again, and he kept on asking every day she worked there until she said yes." Harry smiled.
He could imagine it in his head, his grandmother, young and beautiful, dressed and glammed up on an old stage and singing, and his grandfather, watching from the bar, drink in hand, mesmerized with all the other blokes who had likely been interested in her back then. If he had really been a Malfoy, as Harry suspected, it probably would have been the first time he had ever had anyone say no to him about anything.
"It sounds like a fairytale." He commented. His Aunt nodded.
"It was, or so she always said. I remember watching them sometimes, when we were little. They were so in love." Her voice sounded sad, wistful, and Harry caught on to it.
"What happened?"
"Daddy died. I was maybe six or so. He worked in a factory then, and there was an accident. After that it was just the three of us for awhile, until your mother made friends with that boy. Sev something or other. Then she was always off with him, and it was just Mum and me, until she passed too. I had just turned eighteen then. I remember being so angry with your mother, because she wasn't there. I screamed at her when she came for the funeral. Mum had been sick, you see, and I was always taking care of her while Lily was off at that school of hers and then getting married. I felt cheated I suppose." Harry looked back down at the picture. "I understand now that she was fighting that evil wizard of yours, but at the time... I just thought she had abandoned us for magic."
For the first time, the silence that followed wasn't awkward, and when they finally broke it, they spent the next hour just looking at pictures and talking, and Harry finally learned more about his family, even if he was left with so many questions. At least now he had faces and names to match to some of the people he imagined in his mind, and he understood his Aunt a little better.
He just wished he knew more.
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Harry settled into Gryffindor tower that night with a sigh. He was sleeping here again, because of the feeling that currently permeated the Keeper's tower.
He had brought the fake locket to Severus, and the man had, in fact, recognized the initials on it. Regulus Arcturus Black had been a death eater, and Sirius' brother. He would have been Harry's uncle, if he had lived. He hadn't though, so far as anyone knew. Severus had been very disconcerted about the knowledge regarding the horcruxes, and it had only been the taking of an anti-nausea potion that had kept him from emptying his stomach upon learning about it. They had discussed the topic at length afterwards, and then let it go. Until Harry had more information from Dumbledore, there was very little he and the potion master could do.
Still, the knowledge of who it was that had left the fake locket and betrayed the Dark Lord somehow made this all the more personal to Harry. His uncle, who Sirius had always believed bad and evil and talked down upon had been a man with good enough morals to give his life for the sake of having a hand in Voldemort's death. He was another member of Harry's family to add to that list, along with Sirius, and his Mum, and even James Potter. And knowing who it had been had led to Harry recalling some of Kreacher's past mutterings. The elf, in the same breath as calling Sirius a blood traitor had also compared him to his younger sibling.
This remembrance had led him to calling on the elf, and asking if he knew anything of what his old master had done, and learning that he had. Regulus had in fact left the real locket with Kreacher, asking him to destroy it, and the elf had been unable to. At one point, one of the seedier members of the Order had tried to steal it, and the old elf had hidden it away. He willingly handed it over to Harry when the teen promised he would find a way to destroy it so that Kreacher's last order from his old master could be fulfilled.
Now the thing was hidden away in the Keeper's tower, locked in a small box with all manner of curses on it and several of the twins' locks, a couple of them being custom order ones. Harry had been right when he thought a horcrux would feel evil.
It felt more than evil. It felt toxic. There was no smell, but Harry would compare it to one. To the smell of something dead and rotting and left to fester in a pile of filth, worse even than the scent of the Inferi. It was like a cloud of noxious gas hung around it just waiting for some poor fool to breathe it in and die. There was no real smell or look or anything to it that suggested this, but Harry could feel it. In his bones and his magic and his soul. He could feel the blackness of it.
He couldn't sleep in the Keeper's tower with the feeling of the thing hanging around the place like a cloud. There was a fear in his heart at the very thought, as though the artifact would somehow infect his very dreams make him rot too.
He shuddered and rolled over, trying to push the thoughts away and sleep.
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The next two weeks brought with them great stress for Harry. He had suffered through more meetings with Dumbledore, including the man telling him he was dying, the headmaster having done back to the place where the cave was, or rather to the orphanage, and finding another horcrux. He had already broken it, a black stone set into a gaudy ring, and had left the ring itself, now free of evil, in Harry's possession for whatever reason. The teen wasn't sure why, but the blackening of the headmaster's hand, and the ill look to his face made him decide not to question it too greatly. The ring was now hidden away in his trunk.
During the weekends he brought eleven more families over, and he had only this next weekend with which to bring the last of them, Voldemort planning his attack for the last week of the year. This of course, presented an entirely new issue, that being Draco not having completely fixed the vanishing cabinet, and being on the verge of a mental breakdown as a result.
"I just don't know what to do anymore. I've tried everything, and I've nearly got it, but the cabinet just won't make the connection, and if this doesn't work then all the plans we've been making will be for nothing." Harry sighed.
"Do you want help? I could take a look at it."
"What could you do?" The blonde snapped. They were in the halls, walking towards the great hall for lunch. The other Slytherins had run off, and Harry had found himself left with Draco, the stress of the current situation clearly getting to the Malfoy heir. Harry tried to keep his tone pleasant in spite of his minor irritation.
"Well, I could see if the problem has anything to do with runes. I'm good with them, and it is a complicated magical artifact. I'm not exactly a master, but it would be better than leaving you to figure it out on your own, wouldn't it?" Draco flushed with guilt.
"Right. Sorry. I just-"
"Yea."
"Yea." The blonde sighed. "Alright. I'll show it to you, if you want." Harry nodded.
"After lunch then?"
"Sure."
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Harry had never entered the part of the room of requirement dedicated to hiding things. Not once. For all the times he had used the room, he had always had other places to hide things, and so there had never been a need.
It was incredible. There were all sorts of things. Piles and piles of mundane objects like quills and parchment, and then stranger things, like a twitching golden owl cage and an odd statue that looked like little more than a creeping blob. There was furniture of all shapes and sizes, and books. Stacks upon stacks upon stacks of books that had the teen's fingers itching to grab onto. The place was filled to the brim with every manner of magic, all kinds twisting and swirling around one another and making Harry dizzy.
Then of course there was the vanishing cabinet itself. A tall intricately carved thing that looked to be a hundred years old and made from a wood so dark it was nearly black. It was pretty really, the sort of thing you would expect to see in the mansion of some sort of royalty or aristocrat that sat unused in some corner somewhere collecting dust. Harry ran a hand along the front, the wood smooth, either with age or because of the craftsmanship, and did his best to focus on the magic that came from it rather than the magic that came from the room and its' other holdings.
Draco watched him silently, his hands twisting nervously together and his feet shuffling a bit. The magic of the cabinet was darker than 'normal' magic, but not by much. Harry compared it to a darker shade of grey. He hummed to himself and opened it up, stroking every inch of the interior in the search for runes. He found some, eventually, in the center of the back and had to use a magnification charm on his fake glasses, and then a lumos, in order to see them clearly. The ones here were small, and well done, and he eyed each one carefully.
Most of them were fine, the forms clearly defined; carved into the wood as they were. But there were a couple that had worn down with time, and while they hadn't yet lost their power, they were weaker than they should be. Harry reached into his leather jacket, and pulled out the dagger that Draco had sent him for Christmas.
"I gave you that."
"You did." Harry pulled it from the sheath.
"I didn't know you kept it on you."
"I've always got it. Moody says it's good to have a backup weapon of some sort, in-case you lose your wand or have it taken, and he's right. It's a fine blade, besides." Draco said no more, though Harry was certain that if ever a silence could feel smug...
He dug the blade carefully and deliberately into the wood, re-carving the runes with delicate precision. The dagger was really too big to have been meant for such work, but Harry was very careful. It was slow going, for the simple reason that he wanted to make no mistakes, and nearly ten minutes had gone by when he was done. He put a hand to them and pumped in a small bit of magic once he finished, and the markings glowed a soft blue in response and then faded. He smiled, pleased with himself.
"Is it fixed?" Draco asked impatiently.
"Not yet. There should be more runes somewhere."
There was. Harry found more runes on the back of the thing, and he fixed those the same way as the ones on the inside. They were damaged the same way, through wear, but he was confused. Such a thing should have made the connection weaker, and the travel between one cabinet and the next more uncomfortable, but it did not explain why it had ceased working entirely. Draco watched him in a mixture of amusement and worry as he studied the inside, exploring the top and bottom of the opening extensively, and then standing on a box to look at the top of the cabinet itself. There was nothing. Harry stood back and bit his lip in thought, looking at the cabinet as a whole.
It was just as beautiful on his second study as it had been on his first. There were intricate carvings along the edging of some sort of twisting plantlife, and the designs spread from the top down all the edges to the legs of the thing that held the bottom a bit up from the ground like a low table. The bottom!
Harry kneeled down and put a hand underneath to feel along the bottom of the cabinet. Sure enough, his fingers grazed across the rough indentation of some carvings. He lay down on his back and shimmied underneath, reapplying the magnification and the lumos. The runes here were in even worse shape than the others. The wear and tear was more intense, as though the others had been maintained while these forgotten, and there were two runes that had been almost entirely wiped away.
It took Harry a minute of study to ensure that he knew what runes they were before he dared to begin the repair, shifting about a bit on the uncomfortable stone floor and sneezing as dust got in his nose. It took him longer than before; being even more slow going since he not only had to carve deeper but also had a very limited space within which to move his arm. Nearly half an hour later he was finally done, and groaned as he shifted out and popped his arms and back.
Draco had, at some point, moved to sitting on the floor, and he looked up at Harry questioningly. The teen smiled at him, and then kneeled down to apply the needed magic to jumpstart the thing. All the runes glowed now, and the inside shifted in such a way that it now looked as though there were another set of doors inside. He waved a hand at it with a grin, and the Malfoy heir stood and went over to crack open a door and peek through. He closed it and then the main doors and smiled at Harry in a sort of bittersweet way.
"It works! Thank you." Harry shrugged.
"Whatever you did to fix it made it possible. If there had been other things wrong with it then just repairing the runes wouldn't have worked." The blonde nodded and looked back at the cabinet, grin leaving his face.
"They can get in now." His voice was dead, numb almost. "All I have to do is send word."
"No. Severus has to send word."
"... Right."
"Feel better now that you don't have to worry about it?"
"Not really... I mean..."
"Yea."
"Yea." They both shifted awkwardly. "I... Thank you Harry." The teen shrugged.
"It was nothing, anyone who knows a bit of runes could have-"
"Not for that." Harry stopped. "For... Well, for everything else." Harry stared at him a moment, and then nodded.
"You're welcome." The blonde rubbed an arm, looking uncomfortable.
"I... I should probably go tell Sev about this." Harry nodded.
"Okay." Draco nodded and then shuffled towards the door without another word. Harry watched him go and listened to the door as it closed after him.
He sighed to himself, and looked over at the books. A grin found its' way onto his face as he moved towards them. There could be all kinds of knowledge in those. He bumped a table as he passed with a bust with a tiara on it. He cursed and caught the bust as it wobbled before it was able to fall. All the motion dislodged the tiara slightly, making it lay diagonally across the face rather than perfectly atop the head.
He sighed, glad he had kept the bust from falling. It looked pretty old, and there was no telling how much it was worth. He reached a hand out to right the tiara and froze, hand barely an inch from it. His eyes widened with panic and he jerked backwards away from it, tripping and scrambling for balance. Several other things fell around him with thumps and crashes as he lay sprawled on the ground. The bust wobbled and fell, shattering into many pieces while the tiara landed on the edge of the table.
It rolled and fell off and then roll around and around in a circle until it settled with a ringing like a spun coin. He barely noticed the rest of the chaos, his eyes fixed upon the tiara. It was a pretty thing, with diamonds and little sapphires all along the crown of it, the thing itself a shining silvery metal. But the feeling of evil and death that he had felt from it once he had been close enough proved to him that its' appearance belied its' true nature.
Harry had just, entirely by accident, stumbled upon another of Voldemort's horcruxes.
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The discovery of the horcrux, while bothersome, was a boon. Harry now had possession of two of Voldemort's supposed six horcruxes, and only need find a way in which to destroy them. The ring was no longer a horcrux, having been destroyed somehow by Dumbledore, and the headmaster had confessed that he believed the diary Harry had destroyed in his second year had been another. That left only two to go. The problem would be figuring out what they were, and then finding and getting hold of them.
He could work for that during this next year. He had memories in his mind of the Dark Lord's life, books of lost knowledge at his disposal, Frode the portrait with his ability to look at things outside the box, and a (relatively) stress-free environment within to work. He could figure it out. Certainly.
Still, right now he had other things to worry about. This year had possessed only normal, end of the year exams, so there was nothing important to worry about this last week scholastic-wise. But there were plenty of other things. Harry rushed to pack everything up, including all the books he had kept behind, his important things, the map, and, of course, Frode.
"Must I travel locked in this box?"
"It's a trunk, and yes. I've got no other place to put you where you'll be safe. Besides, it'll only be for a little while. I promise I'll unpack you and put you up on the wall of the library as soon as we get there."
"Yes, but how do you know you're leaving today?" Harry sighed.
"We're not, but I don't want to have to be worrying about you tomorrow when I've got to be focusing on keeping the other students safe from the death eaters invading the castle."
"Ah, yes. I had forgotten about that. Are you certain this is the best course of action?"
"Not really no, but it's the one that means the least number of deaths." The portrait nodded solemnly.
"War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the sword for its' sharpness, nor the arrow for its' swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend."
"That sounds like a quote." Frode gave a mischievous smile.
"Perhaps it is. Quotes are naught but the words of wise men passed down through the years to our ears. There is wisdom in them. I wish you luck in this, little one." There was that name again. Little One. Just as the first time, it made something in Harry pain, and he nodded at the painting without another word, shutting the trunk on top of him.
Harry made sure his robes were packed away as well, so that he wore only his usual clothes and the jacket atop the armor. He tucked the shell necklace into his shirt and put on the gloves and boots Luna had gotten him. He sat down and tied up the laces, and then stared down at his hands, and made a mental checklist to make sure he had gotten everything. He had the Marauder's map, the invisibility cloak, his wand, and the dagger from Draco on him. All his things were packed and locked up in his trunk, sitting by the door and ready to be shrunk and tucked in a pocket. The horcruxes, all the books, Oddball and Metis had been brought to Bogdon last weekend with the last of the families. He had the evil artifacts locked away in the second level of the dungeon, the books all on shelves or still in their boxes, and his pets were resting in his room.
He had sent Hedwig off to the twins where she would be safe. He had bought a couple nondescript owls for the purpose of sending letters if he needed to. He felt badly about it, but Hedwig was too noticeable, and everyone knew that Harry Potter's owl was a white one. So it was best this way. She had a letter with her for Fred and George to pass off to Mum and Dad so they would know he was alive and safe.
All the rest of his affairs were in order, and, so far as he knew, the Lord and Lady Malfoys would be sneaking off from their current locations to the meeting place sometime tonight. Everything was ready. Knowing that, Harry shrunk his trunk and tucked it into his jacket, and made to leave the keeper's tower. He stopped at the entrance and turned back to look at it one last time, now bare of all but the rugs and furniture. It still looked nice and homey, and he smiled. He missed Hogwarts the way it had once been for him, but he would never miss the place it had become. This part of it though, this he would miss. This tower with all its' memories of Fred and George and his learning and discoveries with runes and everything else. He altered the tapestry before he left. No one but him would ever be able to get in now.
It was for the best. So far as he could tell, the tower was the only way into the tunnels or the rune-room. But the runes there were old and complicated, and too much of the knowledge had been lost. Still they were in good shape, magic keeping them well protected from any of the wear and tear the cabinet had suffered. A few more decades and it would be filled with water, and it was safer that way. No one could truly destroy the castle if they could not first find that room, and so Harry would guard his knowledge of it carefully.
The footsteps of his boots hitting the stone echoed through the empty halls. It was almost past curfew, but that hardly mattered. He was only going to an empty classroom up here, since they could not meet in the room of requirement anymore, and there was no one of consequence on the seventh floor. He reached the room without fuss, and entered. There was a large group assembled inside, and they had been chatting, but went silent as he entered. Some had bags in their arms or slung over their shoulders and all were dressed and ready. He marched to the front of the room and stepped up to the front of the room, turning to look at them all. This would be the first time since he had begun supervising that Severus would not be present and watching from some hidden place, there to make sure that all was well and the teen was making no mistakes, and Harry felt strangely nervous at his lack of a presence.
He looked out at them all. All the D.A. was present, not just those who would be leaving, and, total, after the few who had graduated last year, and the Patil twins' deaths, there were twenty four members, plus the twelve students who were not members but would be leaving with them. He watched them all carefully, studying every face and posture, some students standing and others sitting, and feeling a great weight settle on his shoulders.
He was responsible for these people; for their lives. It was up to him to ensure they made it out of all this with their lives, and without harm. He felt honored and burdened all at once, and there was this little voice in the back of his mind screaming that he was only a teenager, barely more than a child and that this was a job for a military leader, for a general or an auror, not a kid- He silenced it. There was no time for doubts now. It was true that this was not a job for a teenager, but he had been stuck with it, and he could not cast off those shackles now."
"This will be the last time we will all meet until this war is over." They all listened carefully to him. "Some of you will be leaving with me, and others will be staying. But this is the last time we will all be together until everything is said and done. For those of you who are staying, I thank you. There is no way that words could ever express the debt I owe to you for remaining here. Do what you can to protect the younger students; the first and second years especially. Keep them safe, and away from the death eaters when you can. No one is to ever be alone in the halls. If you have to go somewhere, you go in a group. Three at the least, not just two. Stick together, but never meet in the room of requirement again. Voldemort knows about that room." The tiara could attest to that. "So you cannot hide here, and it is not safe to meet, not even elsewhere. If you need to speak to another member, do so by sending a note from person to person. If you need to contact me, do so through the coins. Don't send an owl if you can avoid it, and don't get caught. If you think you might get caught, swallow your coin so they don't find it. We cannot be discovered." They all nodded, faces hard and determined. Harry compared them to children playing soldier, and had to hold back a bubble of hysterical laughter. When he had himself under control, he continued.
"Do as they tell you. Even if it's something humiliating, just do it. The more you listen to their orders and cooperate, the less likely they are to hurt you. I don't know if they will let you return home for the summer, so send your goodbyes tonight if you must. Don't fight them. Don't play the part of hero. The last thing I wish is for any of you to be killed. I know that none of you like this, but this is the best way to keep everyone safe. For those of you who are coming with me, I am sorry that you must be uprooted from your homes, but I promise I will do everything in my power to keep you safe from harm. Your families are already there and settled in, and they will be waiting for you when we go." He glanced at Draco, the blonde being the only exception to this, and the Malfoy heir nodded, looking queasy. "Those of you in the D.A. who are going, I will need your help, if you are willing. There are plans to be made, and things to be done, and I cannot do it all alone." Those he addressed nodded. He nodded back and went to continue.
He stumbled, many of the others on their feet doing the same, as the room shook and a boom sounded from somewhere not too far from them. He caught himself and looked up, his eyes meeting Blaise's.
"They're early." Harry cursed. Must his luck always be so horrid?
"Everyone staying get to your common rooms! Sneak down the back staircases! If you're going, stick with me and don't make a sound. Move quick and quiet and keep crouched to the ground!" Everyone scrambled to do as he said, and he shushed those few who cried out. D.A. members shuffled out of the room and headed out at a near run. There was an alcove on this floor with a staircase that led down to the fifth floor, they would be fine if they stuck to it.
Harry and those coming with him needed to get to the keeper's tower though to use the floo there. That meant either going past the room of requirement or taking the long way. The latter would be better except that it would lead them past the main staircases, and the death eaters would be headed there.
"Dissillusion yourselves and keep silent!" He hissed. Everyone rushed to obey, the D.A. members working to cast the spell on the nonmembers who didn't know it. Everyone cluttered together and behind Harry and he cast a tethering spell on them. The places they were in fuzzed and shifted as they felt it take hold but no one said a word, knowing to follow his lead. The spell was simple, and created a sort of invisible rope to tie them all together. It would keep them together even if they couldn't see each other well. He crouched and snuck across the ground. He turned the corner, and the entrance to the room of requirement was revealed to them.
It was chaos. There were at least three dozen death eaters all shooting out spells in what seemed like every direction. Harry was forced to move to the side as a stray spell came towards him. They were fighting against what looked like the suits of armor in the castle, and... Were those the house elves?
They were. All the little creatures were blasting at the death eaters with their own brand of magic, and a number of them wielded large knives or frying pans. Harry swallowed. They were contained mainly near the side of the hall closest to the room of requirement. Harry moved to the other side and flattened himself against the wall, still crouching. He looked back and eyes the shifts in color and air that marked the others, only moving on when he was sure they were all doing the same.
He crouch-walked forwards, keeping as low to the ground as he could while still being able to move quickly. They slipped into the thick of it, sometimes forced to duck their heads as spells came too close to them. Harry stopped and covered his head as a spell shattered the windows overhead and made glass rain down around them. When it was over he moved even more quickly. The noise of the battle drowned out the sounds of the glass crunching under their feet, and as soon as they had nearly made it past the house elves Harry moved up to his feet and into a run; the others forced along by the magical tether.
The kept the disillusionment up as they went on. Several spells headed towards them, the lot of them moving too quickly for the charm to do well and some of the death eaters spotting them. He heard someone cry out and the tether tugged. He looked back. One of them had become visible, losing concentration on the spell as a curse hit her arm and sliced it open like a knife wound. She was small, the youngest of the lot and just a second year. Harry turned around and ran to her. She looked up at him with terrified blue eyes and he picked her up, holding her against his chest like a child, and turning to continue running.
He dodged a few more spells as he went, holding the girl close, and then they made it past the next corner. Harry barely slid to a stop before the tapestry, and he pumped magic into it while hissing out the password he had set. It opened and he set the girl down and cancelled the tether.
"Inside! Hurry!" Everyone rushed in, the charms on them falling and making them visible again. Draco helped push the others through before heading in himself. Just as the last made it through someone called out.
"It's Potter!" Harry turned, the sound of his name, however false catching his attention. He should have ignored it and run inside the tower.
A wall of flame approached him quickly and terror made the world slow down, his heart locking into his throat as the fire approached; he could already feel the heat of it on his skin. He didn't have his wand out, and he threw up his hands, knowing already that it would do no good but unable to help the instinctual reaction. Magic sprung from his fingertips, wild and as green as the killing curse. It swung out, vicious and frightened, slamming against the flames like a wave against stone. The fire was flung back towards whoever had sent it and they screamed as it engulfed them.
Harry froze there, breathing quickly and eyes wide, staring at the charred corpses in a state of shock; the sickening scent of burning flesh filling his nose while the taste of bile rose up in the back of his throat. Someone pulled him from behind and the wall closed up in front of him. He shook, and was hardly aware as he was dragged up the stairs. People were talking all around him and calling out, and someone yelled above the rest.
Harry was shoved into green flames and the world spun away.
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Muahahahaha! Behold my evil power as a writer!
Ahem. My apologies.
Well, now Hogwarts has been left behind (a bit abrupt, wasn't it?), and we are finally beginning to get some answers regarding Harry's mother's parentage; though likely not from the source you were expecting. Believe it or not, I actually wrote out an entire family tree for this Harry, following the Black line back as far as Rowling included, and then farther through the use of (was it Greek or Roman?) gods and their children, going off of Licorus Black (the oldest canon-mentioned Black) being the name of a mythological god, until I had reached the grandfather of the dead OC, Chronus Black. There's quite a bit there. You all would be surprised how much work and research I put into this story…
Now, since the reply to my last question was stunning, and varied, you all now have me curious about your thoughts on even more things, so I'm going to ask another question.
Since I mentioned it in my beginning Author note (cough, Rant, cough), I'd like you all to tell me your thoughts on including other Marvel-verse characters. I've been thinking about it for a while, since it always seemed strange to me that Spiderman, or the X-Men, were never mentioned or involved in stopping the alien invasion (and besides that I just think the thought of Wolverine going about kicking alien butt is awesome). But what's your take on it? Should I include other Marvel characters, or not, and why? If you feel the need to mention a specific character, present an argument for why that character in particular would be a good addition, or should be excluded. I'll probably include a handful regardless of you lot's take on it, but I want to know what you think, all the same.
That said, er, asked, we are now going into recess while I type frantically in an effort to ensure the continuation of regular updates in the future. I will see you all in two weeks for the start of Part Three.
Sincerely,
Mr. Hate