He's Just Like His Father! Hungry!
Disclaimer: SEE FIRST CHAPTER
Review Answers:
InSaNEC: I strongly suspect I may get negative feedback from hardcore fans, but, hey, this is fanfiction, not canon fiction, so…anyway, I hope you can manage to enjoy the story regardless;
WhiteElfElder: Darkest of the Dark, if you ask me;
Nagiten: Well, I admit, there were a few other possibilities, such as an Evil Wanda, Amora the Enchantress or even – and I nearly did this when I laughed about it – Cassandra Cain, but, in the end, it was an obvious choice, and one that will be fun to write;
Dennisud: I'd have thought it was obvious – Lily;
Jostanos: Hmm…well, it was in an egg, so I didn't see the colour of its body, Matsuo; if it's any consolation, it was deliciously-filling, but this is Galactus' kid, so I doubt he's quite full – cue Mark Hamil Joker laugh;
As both girls watched, Harry's hand gave off a brief flicker of magical light, before it snaked down over the egg, covering it and the case that held it in a swirling mass of otherworldly energy. At the same time, Harry slurped softly, as though he was savouring a favoured meal, before his eyes turned gold-and-purple again as the egg, and the energy he'd used on it, were swallowed up by the aforementioned energy.
Like a black hole consuming all that surrounded it, the egg was likewise absorbed and consumed by Harry's power, while the boy himself moaned in delight as he felt the egg's magical constructs, and even the magically-fuelled life yet to be born within it, being pulled inside of him. His tongue again snaked over his lips as he savoured the taste of the energies while, as the last of the egg vanished into the vortex, Harry lifted his left hand and rubbed his stomach, seemingly content with what he could feel.
ARC 0: Lily's Choice
Chapter 3: How It All Began (And How It Will All End!)
Eleven-and-Three-Quarter Years Ago
Darkness.
That was all Lily could see.
Having stepped through the…whatever it was that Aberforth had revealed to her, claiming it could help her play the ultimate prank on James, as well as Abe's one-track-minded egotist of a brother, Lily didn't know what she expected to find, but darkness was what she got.
At least, for a matter of seconds, before Lily's eyes adjusted to the darkness and, to her awe, she found herself looking at something that she had only read about in books, and yet, to gaze upon the real thing was…
Well, forgive her for saying so, but it was…magical!
A familiar, well-known, blue-coloured sphere stretched out below her, inlaid with flecks of white, green, grey and even points of yellowed-brown where Lily saw the great plains of a desert, as well as hidden valleys crisscrossed over the landmass that was on display.
Planet Earth…her home…home of magic, wonder – and backstabbing, narrow-minded husbands who listened to fools – as well as many other mysteries yet to be discovered; now it was there, below her, the sight taking her breath away as she watched the turn of the Earth, the movement of the planet and the awe, peace and chaos she knew spread across its surface.
'Beautiful…isn't it, Lily Potter?'
Suddenly, Lily jumped as she heard a very powerful voice address her, not simply by name, but with a glimmer of emotional context that suggested that whoever was speaking to her, they knew she would come to them. When she turned to face the speaker, however, Lily's eyes widened in awe, if not a small note of fear, mixed with intimidation, when she noticed one thing about the speaker.
Namely…that instead of meeting their gaze face-to-face, she had to look up to see them.
Up…and up…and up…and up!
The speaker, if it was them, was huge!
Lily had seen trolls, giants, Hagrid, dragons, Occamy at their biggest, thunderbirds and even stood in the shadows of Hogwarts itself…
But nothing compared to the vast, colossal size of the figure…thing…beast…deity that loomed over her, their body encased in a powerful-looking suit of purplish-coloured armour with bluish-coloured segments dotted here and there. In the centre of what Lily could only assume was the giant's chest region, a bright, pulsing white light emanated from within while, as she looked further upwards, having to actually crane her neck to gaze up at the head of this…this mighty being, Lily saw two golden-coloured orbs, held in a seemingly-permanent sea of black sclera, looking down at her…
Or maybe they were looking at the planet behind her; she honestly couldn't tell.
As Lily stared up at the colossal creature, she swallowed hard, trying to best her fear, as she asked the first thing that she could think of.
"You…you're…are you the one Aberforth said could help me?"
'Indeed…I am,' rumbled the giant, their voice – or his, as Lily noticed, though a small part of her also wondered if he/they even had a gender; what with their size, the armour and the fact she couldn't see any other defining features, it was, again, hard to tell – was filled with no small amount of divine power, majesty and dominance. The voice of the titanic-sized armoured being also seemed to echo through Lily's mind as, from where she could see him, she noticed his lips didn't move, and yet his voice – which was deep, ominous, powerful and all-consuming – rumbled loudly, proudly and with supreme intelligence through every fibre of her being.
"I…uh…what I mean to say is…"
'Perhaps our conversation would be better suited if you did not have to strain yourself to gaze upon my Celestial form,' suggested the giant, earning another nervous swallow from Lily before she nodded.
"No…no offence meant…sir, but…but it would help; yes."
'Very well…step back.'
Lily did so, though not before she gasped when those eyes of the titan lit up like the fires of creation and destruction incarnate; their glow was the same odd, purplish-coloured tone as his armour and, as Lily watched, a second, smaller light of the same colour formed from within the nothingness between him and her.
As Lily watched with bated breath, she saw the light take form, revealing a dark-haired, purplish-golden-colour-eyed male with long, flowing black robes and a dark set of clothes underneath. The man seemed mysterious in terms of his form, and yet, as Lily looked at him, she couldn't deny that he looked and felt as majestic and powerful as his more-colossal-sized alter-ego.
"Is this suitable for you, dear lady?" asked the newcomer, his voice soft and sibilant, like the hiss of a snake – though, with his power levels, Lily found herself thinking of less of a snake and more of a Basilisk, a Dragon or a Hydra who would never run out of heads.
"Yes…thank you," said Lily, earning a curt nod from the man as he lifted a hand and snapped his fingers.
To Lily's amazement, two chairs suddenly formed on either side of a simple-looking table; as if that wasn't weird enough, the man then walked around the table before he pulled out a chair, indicating for Lily to sit in it as he gave her a thin, but not-intimidating-looking smile.
"Please, Lily Potter; sit."
"I…err…thank you," said Lily, taking the offered seat, which the man then pushed in for her, before he took his own seat opposite her.
As Lily looked at him, her eyes drifted upwards, again looking to the more-gigantic form that still loomed over them.
"Yes," said the man suddenly, snapping Lily's attention back to him. "That is still me, as is this more-appropriate form for speaking with my Terran heralds and acolytes; do not worry, Lily Potter. You are the only one who sees me, and I am the only one who sees you; it's funny, you know, how easily humans miss the bleeding obvious, even when it is as large and overwhelming as I am."
Lily found herself shrugging in nonresponsive agreement.
The man, meanwhile, looked right into Lily's eyes as he added, "Also, seeing as how I know your name, it is only fitting that you know mine."
As Lily nodded, the man held out his hands to her; when she took them, she felt a warm pulse of otherworldly energy wash over her, drawing her back to the eyes of the man across from her as he smiled thinly before he spoke again.
"I am…Galactus!"
Lily stared blankly, earning a soft titter from the man, Galactus, as he nodded, "I would imagine it is not a name you are familiar with, not only as a member of Earth's Wixen Community, but having been raised in an area so blind to the rest of the world, even the greater mysteries of your planet's magic are false, evil and not worthy to be called such things as magic and mysticism by them."
"You…you seem to know a lot about our world…Galactus," said Lily, earning another nod from the dark-haired man, while Lily looked again to his larger counterpart. "Exactly how long have you been watching over our world?"
"Actually, I am not watching over your world, Lily Potter," argued Galactus, removing his hands from hers, while he also drew in a calm breath as he explained, "And, to answer your question, I have been investigating your world, and the people therein, for many centuries. And in all that time, many cults of acolytes, such as your Aberforth Dumbledore, have been brought to me, seeking my aid, my blessing and my grace, all of which I offer in return for them joining my legions, so that, one day, they may stand together with…well, we'll get to that in a little while."
Lily blinked in curiosity, while Galactus went on, "I am, in point of fact, constantly drawn back to your seemingly-unimportant little world because, of all the worlds I have found, claimed and consumed, the planet Earth is…a mystery to me…an enigma…perhaps you might even call it an aberration."
"Consumed?" asked Lily, something between horror, awe and more curiosity lacing that one word, though her reaction earned a brief look of mutual curiosity from Galactus, before he smiled and nodded.
"Yes, dear lady; consumed, as in devoured, eaten, gobbled up and assimilated…digested, you might even say, deep inside of me," explained the dark-haired man, leaning back and resting one hand on his stomach as he pressed on. "It is how I sustain myself, and how I have done so ever since what you humans dub the big bang, which not only cemented my power, but gave me just a taste of the energies of life and existence that I willingly snuff out time and time again on each and every planet I have consumed across the millennia."
"So…you…eat people?"
"I feed on the life energies of a world," answered Galactus, before he shrugged dismissively, "Although, given that nothing survives once I consume the planet, reducing it to nothingness, I suppose you could say I eat people, animals, and all sentient life on each of the worlds I ingest to sustain my link and strength to the Power Cosmic. Of course, over the ages, I have had to rely on heralds to bring me new worlds to devour…while my hunger, cosmic-sized as it is, has become the topic of fear and, yes, even worship from many across the stars: The Devourer, they call me. The Lifebringer; the Seeder of Worlds. The Hunger That Does Not Cease. The Eternal Feaster. The Doombringer. The Harbinger of The End…curious titles, I think you'll agree, but all true and all concerning me."
"So why is Earth an…aberration?" asked Lily, resting her hands on the table between them while, to her surprise, she noticed that, despite what she was being told about Galactus, his power and all that he did, she was not afraid.
Rather, Merlin forgive her…she was entranced!
Galactus, meanwhile, answered her question, "Your world is the epicentre of so many forms of energy, Lily Potter, but of all of them, from your electrical energies, to your nuclear power, and even the mysterious energies resulting in what you call Mutants and Enhanced, there is no energy form more mysterious on Terra than that, which, to use its simplest name, you call magic!"
"Magic?" asked Lily curiously, earning another nod from Galactus.
"Now, I have fed on worlds abundant with magical energies before, Lily Potter, make no mistake," argued the Devourer, earning another curious look from his redheaded companion. "And I have fed on the strength and flow of those energies; I would even go so far as to say that magic is a more-potent…more-filling, you might say, form of energy that I consume. Not that I can get full, mind: they do call me The Hunger That Does Not Cease, after all, remember?"
Lily nodded.
"But…your world, Lily Potter," continued Galactus, his voice tinged with a modicum of newfound interest. "It sings with magical energies, so old, but so new. So mixed, yet so straightforward. So complex, yet so simple."
"You wouldn't think so if you had to live in it," drawled Lily, earning a soft chuckle from Galactus.
"And that is why I continue to investigate your world, dear lady," said the Devourer, his eyes shining with mirth and a sense of purpose as he looked Lily up and down before he smiled knowingly. "For you see, the aberration…the anomaly, to use another word, which your world qualifies for, is that it is a world that I do not wish to eat. Nor do I seek any desires to see it drained and wasted away to nothing."
"What do you want?" asked Lily.
"I wish…to reconstitute your world," answered Galactus, earning a surprised look from Lily, while the great titan continued, as though he hadn't noticed or sensed her surprise. "I wish to make it into the centre-point of a whole new regime; an empire, if you will, that both feeds my power, but also represents the crown jewel of the universe. I wish to see your world's mysterious web of superior energies spread further and further, fuelling other corners of the galaxy with its…uniqueness; a uniqueness that stems from that, which makes it unique."
"Magic."
"Precisely," said Galactus, leaning back in his seat before he snorted amusingly as he indicated his larger self. "However, for obvious reasons, I cannot simply step down from the eternal cosmos, walk amongst your world and become its ruler. No, Lily Potter, such acts would jeopardise far more than just my existence, a truth I have experienced several times before, when so-called heroes come after me, including one whom was supposed to be my herald before he betrayed me."
"So what…" Lily began, but as she went to finish her question, her voice died in her throat as she placed a hand over her stomach.
At the same time, Aberforth's words came back to her;
Flashback Start
"What if I told you I know someone who can help? And not just help you get what you want, Lily, but also, if you'll forgive the terminology, get the ultimate payback on James and my brother by playing the Merlin, Morgana and Mordred of all pranks?"
"Word of advice…Forget everything you think you know about what makes sense…because you are about to meet one for whom foolish wand-waving and silly incantations are nothing, but a joke; mere flies to be swatted before his greatness."
Flashback End
"A prank…" whispered Lily, looking down at her stomach, before she looked again to Galactus, who nodded, as though he knew what she had been remembering, and how it connected to his plan, for which she was, apparently, a crucial element.
And yet, Lily felt her heart grow cold in her chest, just like it had done when her world had shattered around her, as she clasped her belly, clenching her hand into a fist as she whispered, "The ultimate payback…like flies to be swatted before…before your greatness…"
"I see your smarts and the rumours of them do not do you justice, Lily Potter," chuckled Galactus, moving to sit next to her, where he too clasped a hand over her stomach as he nodded at her. "Go ahead, my dear lady; you can say it, even if only because the sound of your own voice gives you just cause to believe what you say."
"You…" said Lily, looking up to Giant-Galactus for a moment, before she directed her words to Human-Galactus. "To…to walk on the world…and build your empire, you…you won't risk your body, or your power…but if you had…what was it you called them? A herald?"
Galactus nodded.
"If you had a herald…someone who could be your…your voice…your symbol…then the world would bow down to them…and, through them, it would bow down to you, Galactus; Overlord of the New Energy Empire…or whatever you might choose to call it…and…and to get your herald, you…you need…someone like me, right?"
"Not someone like you, Lily Potter," argued Galactus, indicating Lily's stomach before he smiled softly as he finished the thought.
"I would like you…to become not just my herald, but to become the herald, warrior queen and most-faithful acolyte of my heir…and the one with the power to rule, dominate, feast upon and control the metaphysical and mystically-attuned hyper-energies of Planet Earth."
"You…you want to…impregnate me…with…with your seed?" asked Lily, earning a snort of amusement from Galactus.
"No; trust me, I've tried that before…no idea hwere she is now," he added as an afterthought, earning a curious look from Lily, while Galactus looked over to her with a solemn, but sincere air that reflected itself in his golden-coloured eyes as he again placed a hand over her stomach before he pressed on quickly.
"I do not wish to impregnate you, Lily…not with my seed; instead, I wish to bestow unto you a…well, I suppose seed is an appropriate choice of words. Yes, a seed forged from the heart of my power, the Power Cosmic; within that seed, there will be my spirit, my life essence and the full scope of my Celestial Power, which will pass from me, through you, with help from the one whom I know is your beloved, and, in the manner that all humans do, and pretty much all creatures too, the two of you will copulate, come together and, in nine months, give or take, you, Lily Alexandra Potter, will be the Mother to the future master of magic and magical energies; the Prince Cosmic…the Son…or perhaps the Daughter…of Galactus; part-human, part-Wixen and part-Celestial, but all with the power to be a God, whom your world will kneel before, come the day."
"A child…of yours, but…but as human as I am?" asked Lily.
"And more," answered Galactus, rubbing Lily's stomach gently as he explained, "And, while they grow inside your womb, you will share in the power boosts I bestow onto all my zealots; as thanks for your aid, and your willing submission to this offer, because I will not force it upon you, Lily Potter. But in return for this, I will allow you to keep the power boost you will acquire as my child grows in your belly; indeed, your appetite will be a lesser form of his-or-hers and, as you feed, you will nurture them and, in return, you will share in their power."
This time, Lily clenched her stomach with both hands, while Galactus smiled sadly, if not reassuringly, as he nodded, "Of course, although you may think yourself simply a carrier or bearer for my heir, I assure you. My child…your child…our child, if you so wish, will be allowed and welcome to treat you like the dearly beloved Mummy you are, or the faithful follower you may yet become; they will be able to love and cherish you as you will them and, more than anything, what you and I dub as their humanity will also give them a gift that will be with them until they become a fully-grown, fully-matured man-slash-woman."
"What?"
"Protection," replied Galactus, gesturing up to the unknown heavens above and around them as he explained, "For you see, Lily Potter; as well as those I would make my legions, there are those whose abilities with Sight and Precognition to threats pertaining to the Mystical are a threat to my child, which makes them a threat to their destiny. Creatures like The Watcher of the Nine Realms, Heimdall, or the human magus dubbed the Sorcerer Supreme, Stephen Strange. Then there are what you would call mutants like Charles Xavier or the false God, En Sabah Nur; why, even the human factions who would claim those with the greatest powers and turn them into weapons will be blind to our child's presence. For all intents and purposes, my dear lady, our child will appear to be naught but a powerful, prodigious spirit of the Magical Energies and Abilities; a Wixen whose power could even surpass the supposed Sorcerer Supreme…and that's just while they are growing in your belly."
Lily's eyes softened as she looked down at her stomach.
A child who would be a talented prodigy.
A talented prodigy.
A loving soul whom no evil, no threat and no so-called friends or wannabe Dark Lords could conquer.
A Prince…
A God…well, maybe demigod would be more appropriate.
And, most importantly, a child; a beautiful, bouncing baby boy – or girl – who she would be able to love, dote on and even worship as she surrendered to their whims for the rest of her life.
Still, Lily had to ask herself one question.
Was her greatest desire, and the ultimate prank, worth the possible end of the world as her child sat upon a throne of blood and destiny and ruled them all, even Muggles and those who chose to try and debunk or destroy magic?
'Is the sky blue?' scoffed Lily, sniffling once as she looked to Galactus.
"What do I have to do…Lord Galactus?"
JLHF
Galactus' instructions echoed through Lily's mind as she prepared for the final step…
"Wait for a night where magic's energies are beyond the scope…a full moon would also be a good time; I would suggest an eclipse, but if I tried to make one of those happen, it would reveal too much. For now, pick a date…any time where Magic is at its peak…"
'Halloween,' thought Lily, rubbing her stomach as she smiled fondly, if not coldly, thinking of how a night where the words Trick Or Treat couldn't have been more appropriate even if Loki himself had said them. 'The night where the veil between this world and the next is meant to be at its weakest; Samhain, as the magicals call it, when the spirits walk in both worlds…life…death…rebirth; they might as well call it Phoenix Day.'
Chuckling at her joke, Lily stirred the drinks she was preparing, watching as a white powder dissolved in the drinks, while Galactus' words continued to come back to Lily in droves.
"In order to allow my seedling to sprout and form our child, you must ingest it, and so must your beloved…then, before the day becomes a new day, you must finish the job. Rest assured, my dear herald and Mother Herald to my child, no protections or silly human preventative measures will work against the might of the Power Cosmic. By the time the new dawn rises, my child will be in your belly, and you will be the Mother to the future Master of Terra's Magic…good luck."
"Here…goes…everything," whispered Lily, smiling with what she hoped was a genuine look of love as she carried the drinks into the lounge.
"James, my love: I made us up some hot chocolates, using Honeydukes style, just how you like it…want one?"
"Oh, thanks Lily-flower," sighed James, earning a soft smile from Lily as she lifted her own mug, while James swiped the second one and, lifting it to her in salute, he chuckled softly. "Happy Halloween, Lily-petal."
"Samhain-ian Salutations, loving Prongs," chuckled Lily, tipping the mug back and gulping it down in force.
To her amusement, James did the same, moaning softly while, to Lily's disbelief and amusement, something about the drink – possibly the secret ingredient from her very generous benefactor – was actually getting James all hot and bothered, prompting him to guzzle down the hot chocolate faster than normal, his moans only increasing as he slammed the mug onto the coffee table.
"Merlin's beard! Honeydukes makes a mean hot chocolate, don't they?"
"They are the best chocolatiers for a reason, sweetie," said Lily, silently banishing the tray, and her own mug, before she moaned softly, "Phew, I don't know about you, my love, but I'm really warm after that…maybe I'll just slip off my dressing gown."
James only had to look up at his wife…
And, not five seconds later, he'd Apparated them both to their marital bed…
JLHF
"God…Godric's Heart, Jay-Jay…are you a stag…or a stallion?"
"Guess it's been a while," chuckled James, kissing Lily's lips as he whispered, "I'm sorry, Lils…truly, but I promise…I'm going to try harder from now on to be a better husband…and the man you fell in love with."
Lily had to avoid rolling her eyes; seriously, how many times had she heard this, usually after one of their arguments about Albus and his Order?
"We can talk more in the morning, Prongs," said Lily, returning the kiss as she added, "Let's just get some sleep…happy Halloween, my love."
"Happy Halloween, Lily-flower…"
James was out for the count before he'd even finished replying.
Lily scoffed, shaking her head as she too closed her eyes…
'Happy Halloween, Mummy…'
Lily's eyes snapped open.
And a warm, all-encompassing, all-devouring heat surged through her, from deep within her belly, bringing tears to her eyes as she placed a hand over the spot where the warmth came from.
"Happy Halloween…Harry Potter…my little Prince Cosmic…"
So, the story continues, and we see what happened to bring about He Who May Yet Swallow The Magical World, but now, we're left wondering: what sort of mage will Harry Potter grow up to be?
Also, while one question – Lily – has been answered, what of the other?
How did the Prince Cosmic meet the Phoenix Avatar and set her down the road to becoming the darkest Dark Phoenix?
Keep Reading to Find Out
Next Chapter: Arc 0 Part 4: Back to the present and Harry, Jean and Lily have to deal with the next step of the big day, but not before Harry allows his mind to go back to the beginning of his relationship with the Princess Cosmic, the Dark Phoenix, Jean Grey;
Please Read and Review
PORTRAYALS:
Galactus – Armoured Titan Voice: Tony Todd (RIP)
Galactus – Human Form: Michael Sheen
James Potter: Chris Wood