Things were beginning to look complicated for the pair. They had as the other Ravenclaws done attended the first optional Care class with Kettleburn and after hearing again how talented Hagrid was decided to visit especially after the talk that they had. It had seemed simple as heading down to his hut and discussing things with him. That had been shot to hell not even moments after they arrived. It seemed that what they had heard was true. Hagrid had somehow managed to get what he had always wanted and somehow managed to get it to hatch.

'A bloody fucking dragon was not what I planned on dealing with today," Harry thought as he leaped out of range of another breath of flame. 'I was looking forward to a very nice relaxing day and since Dora is just hanging and recovering some time to reflect on how crazy we went. Not that she really didn't get so damn excited and I was worked up from a good spot of violence and then to see them like that... well even Weasley would have realized that they were so hot even if he is a food, Quidditch and chess obsessed above all else person.'

"Harry!" Hermione shouted as she skipped back to land on one of the tree branches nearby. "We need a plan and we need it quick!"

"Right excuse me for not thinking a dragon of all things would be on the agenda for a few more years and a Norwegian Ridgeback too," Harry said as he utilized his speed and quick reflexes to dodge the potent flames that were being sprayed at him. "Now as much as I don't feel inclined to be one for slaughtering them all this dragon is really starting to piss me off!"

"Yes I can see that," Hermione snarked back trying to alleviate the seriousness of the situation. "So what do we have that would work on a dragon?"

"Well despite a dragon being rather resistant to standard magic there are a few advantages that we have," Harry said as he dodged a sudden tail flick. "Their hide is strong against magic but the weak spot is the eyes although their skulls can be crushed despite the resistance to such damage they have."

"Like I think I am going to get a chance to cave the dragon's skull in," Hermione sarcastically replied as she quickly banished a rock towards the dragon. "It would take a good deal of force to squish its brain. So given what we know are our blades able to go through its hide?"

"A good observation," Harry commented as a quick flick of his arm sent his own ball of fire to intercept the irate dragon's next volley of fire. "The problem is getting close enough to do so. Well that and that we have shit for wards to conceal us so any random fool can get a feel and know what type of magic we are using!"

"Split time?" Hermione asked as a sudden wall snapped up to block the next flame as Norbert drew too close to dodge at that range. "I distract and you get some wards up or vice versa than we drop the hammer on him?"

"That will work," Harry said as he shifted his wand to its stronger form to get this done quick and yet still strong enough to work. "Hate to say it but you are a bit more agile than me at the moment."

"Well I am a girl," Hermione answered. "I take it that since someone dropped a dragon in our laps it would be most ungracious to waste the opportunity?"

"True enough," Harry said as he worked his way to setting the quick and rough ward into place. "It's a shame to kill him though even if he seems a bit unstable."

"Yeah almost as bad as the fact that they seem to react badly to Parsel," Hermione said with a quick flick as she banished a barrage of high speed metal shards to keep him occupied. "What you think I wouldn't try to find any clue on the lovely gift you shared with us?"

"Perish the thought," Harry replied as he completed another quick anchor. "Remind me to make a few anchor stones for any future time we need to do something like this. A simple activate and deactivate rune set would allow for reusable containment wards. Where is Kiki when you need her?"

"Yeah I wonder what the hell is keeping her from coming to aid us now," Hermione said as she snapped a quick overcharged Lumos to temporarily blind the dragon. "I get the forest with you wandering so damn far in that it would take too long to have gotten to your trouble seeking ass, but this is ridiculous being so close relatively to the school."

"Yet we are far enough that none of the professors seem to be noticing this," Harry said with a frown. "You would think that the schools damn wards would pick this up! A bloody dragon this close would need to be repelled if not silenced. Could that be part of why the forest is forbidden if the wards are less sensitive here?"

"Could be but not the point now," Hermione said as she contemplated how much power her cheap Ollivander wand could take as it was already warm and wisps of smoke were coming from it. "Remind me to go get a better wand with you as this thing is limited. Most likely it is supposed to develop to handle our power as we mature but piss all for being ready when we need it!"

"Why do you think I went to a good shop?" Harry asked as he furiously weaved the last part for the ward. "Right get back because I don't think that wand can take much more. Wards are going up so change up with one of the daggers. Things are about to get a bit less one sided!"

Hermione moved at a sudden burst of speed that left her panting out of range of Norbert's attacks. It had been a tough decision who would do which but Harry had a better chance to get the wards up and quick even if he had a new speed technique that would have drained his magic like they were casting post NEWT level spells like candy. That Hermione was feeling almost exhausted more form the speed burst than her previous dodging shows that neither one had really been prepared for the drain of that enhancement.

"Give me a minute," Hermione said as she tried to recover her breath. "Fuck!"

At Hermione's sudden shout Harry turned to see the dragon closing quicker than he had though to her. Just as he prepared to blur with his blades to slice the dragon's throat open, a sudden black blur flew past scratching its eyes in its passage. Eyes wide at the sudden staggering dragon it took a moment for him to recognize that Kiki had finally shown up. Feeling a very odd mood settle in him, Harry chuckled a bit before turning to the dragon.

"Bout time you got here, squirt," Harry said feeling a less than dark humor bubbling inside him. "Someone seems to have provided a dragon for our benefit so we might as well make do!"

Kiki chattered happily at that. She hadn't had a chance to try dragon meat or blood yet. Something new was important after all. She had eternity and with her attention span even a short time was even shorter to her thought process. So the boredom that plagues all long lived beings was an unknown concern merely trying to find something new. Besides she had been eating any rats that had foolishly wandered near her form for a very long time to her at least. It would take time for her to remember to tell them about the weird mirror.

"Thanks," Hermione said as she got to her feet. "So we got a blind dragon do we have a plan yet?"

"Yeah, I've been wanting to try this for a bit but didn't have a chance," Harry said a truly dark grin settling to his face. "We got a circle. We got a sacrifice. We just need to pin it down and get some blood!"

Hogwarts had been there for a while and it was amazing what had all died on its grounds. Long ago Care involved what had been relatively common creatures and in distant ages before apparition, Portkeys and Floo had been invented flight had been the fastest form of travel. Winged Pegasus and other such beasts had been the steeds of the day. The most difficult to even try to coerce were dragons. However, due to how valuable their bodies were as ingredients even their bones it was rare that one was buried. Still such beasts had at times fallen to the earth and been buried. Harry had become well versed enough in animating the dead that calling skeletons even of magical creatures was while potentially draining not a difficult magic to perform.

With a shudder the earth was torn and the skeletal heads burst forth and grabbed the flailing form of the living dragon. Blood flowed onto the ground from legs and tails as the five heads drew it to the ground leaving only his head to flail about. The blood flowed freely and the three were drawn to it and its intoxicating scent. Mouths found themselves suckling the flowing blood until each had their fill.

"Oh god!" Hermione croaked as she pulled away before falling on her ass. "That was just wow!"

The glassed eyed Harry replied, "Tell me about it. Damn what a rush!"

"So we got a dragon all trussed up here," Hermione said her belly feeling full and pleasantly warm. "It would be a shame to let it die just watering the ground with its blood; so what are we going to do?"

"That is a tough one," Harry said as he blinked a few times looking at the slowly diminishing in struggle form. "Bone weapons are some of the best for us and we have a dragon for that. Well more than one technically, still it is supposed to be stronger with a sacrifice and not made from a skeleton. I still am unsure on what to make though I think we know what type of weapon you will favor."

"A whip," Hermione said in realization. "What I wanted to use on Dora in your room next time, realizing that it becomes obvious. Still seems a bit of a waste just for that..."

"Ah but we have our bellies full of dragon's blood and while it does not immediately strengthen like Re'em blood it is used by normal wizards in very small doses in strengthening, healing and other such potions," Harry said with a very vicious smile. "Recall how you were able to improve your strength from a troll? Now add what we can gain from this dragon besides a belly full of blood and a weapon for you..."

"So a greater resistance to magic, more potency to our blood and magic and a few other improvements," Hermione said looking the not yet still dragon in a detached analytical manner. "Yes this will be most beneficial. It is a shame that Dora cannot learn such magics though we could perform rituals on her. So there is no idea the weapon for you yet huh? We will need to work on that master as it is not wise for you to be less armed than your servants."

"True though I plan to explore the possibilities of necromantic fire as a more flexible weapon," Harry said with a sigh, "Sadly that requires facilities we do not have yet. Perhaps I should ask the elves if they know of a room to train in that would have enough privacy?"

"A thought my master that must be explored later," Hermione said as she drew her daggers. "Still you have your many formed focus that I believe you said can take the form of a weapon so that must do for now. Were we harvesting some more before I create my weapon?"

"Dragon parts are valuable," Harry said with a frown. "A shame that it is illegal for most to raise them in farms though there are the preserves that tend to harvest the more replenishable parts. Hide for combat robes are always popular a bit like leather though much more spell resistant. I wonder, do you think I would look good in leather?"

"If you wore leather pants properly we would have a problem," Hermione said with a snicker. "You do realize that most of the girls here seem a bit repressed though from what Dora confessed they at least masturbate though rarely seeming to go further in a relationship than most muggle high school students do. Still I think you might like seeing us in leather as much as we would you though we likely would not be able to get by in going to class in things other than this ridiculous uniform. A shame that wizards seem to become rooted in Victorian values or things would be quite a bit more enlightening. How they have destroyed so much of the old magics seems to be intentional..."

"Yes that does sound like the ministry with their overregulation of anything that they cannot easily understand or monitor," Harry said with a scowl. "So we should gather some things. A shame that I am uncertain if blood replenishing potion would work or we could have a rather abundant supply of delicious dragon's blood."

"Yes a shame that," Hermione said before taking blade to flesh and removing some hide. "We should do something to prevent that head from moving more."

"Yes but its head is quite dangerous and easily harmed killing the dragon," Harry said with a sigh as he frowned before trying something he had read up on as useful. "Well that seems almost too simple."

"Ah conjuring does seem useful if it didn't fade eventually," Hermione said as she spared a glance at the now muzzled dragons head. "So why didn't we do that to immobilize it in the first place?"

"Not sure it would hold as well," Harry said with a shrug as he joined her in harvesting some hide and blood. "It is better than my first idea to have spikes impale and grip the dragon down."

"Yes that would be a bit less likely to have as firm of a hold," Hermione said speculating at the hide. "I wonder if a dragon hide whip would have any special properties."

"It might although making a full set of tools as well as play clothes might take a bit of hide," Harry said with an almost giddy smile tugging on his face. "I say we at least make some outerwear out of the hide and maybe we can see how good leather looks on us over Christmas?"

"Yes that might be fun,"" Hermione said with a thought. "Yes skirts for access and some pants for other times would be nice maybe even a vest would look nice."

"Yes it would drive the idiots spare and most definitely work the Dursleys to conniptions," Harry said with a grin. "Since I am unsure what to do with them until I can get emancipated or of age why shouldn't we make their lives a living hell? Considering that they seem obsessed with normality the only thing more they fear is whatever unnaturalness they have becoming public knowledge."

"Never thought to give their minds a look through or were you worried that whatever you saw would make it difficult not to kill them to soon," Hermione said a thoughtful look on her face. "I do believe that I am uncertain if I like Alice's forays into being a madam even if she seems to need to dominate those around her and that it seems that the children as well as the adults have a very large number of tendencies that should make Little Whining as far from perfectly ordinary and average as they appear to be."

"I may blame Petunia more as she is my mother's sister but considering how Vernon and Dudley takes after the bully are it is possible that things are not what they appear to be," Harry said with a sigh as he bottled another container of dragons blood and set another section of freed hide down. "Oh Vernon and Dudley will die as they were the instigators for the mess but what to do with my closest blood relative remains to be seen. Ruin her completely most definitely but have her live wishing and begging for death has its own appeal..."

"A shame she looks so ghastly," Hermione said as she finished her side of the dragon. "Otherwise you could give her to Alice for whatever purpose she comes to."

"It would be funny if it turns out the Dursleys having issue in their lifestyle that they covered up that I didn't notice," Harry said with a bitter laugh. "Still I haven't spent more time observing them than was necessary. I do plan to repay them pain for pain though."

"I would expect no less of my master," Hermione said with a theatrical bow. "Still how much more can we harvest without killing the sacrifice?"

"Ah there should be the last of it," Harry said as the dragon was gagged with muscles exposed to the air and a good portion of its blood removed and stored. "A shame that we cannot retain the heart strings as they seem to be quite often used in wands. Still we don't know if that would be a perfect match or not so get carving!"

Hermione knew that even if carving runes to focus and ease the flow of magic did not necessarily had to be done that it did facilitate the ritual. She was rather glad for the belly full of dragon blood as there was a lot of surface area to cover. Still it left her with a slight bit of the jitters similar to the last time she had coffee straight. Her hand moved steadily as she carved runes detailing what she wanted into the muscles of the barely moving dragon.

'Perhaps that little modification would work,' Hermione thought as her obsidian dagger cut through the muscle with no resistance. 'It would be a shame to waste the heart after all...'

Finally after far too much time and having to shoo Kiki from eating some of the still living dragons flesh from where she needed to place runes, Hermione was finished with the tedious task of turning a dragon into a well carved sacrifice. She had barely registered the intermixing rune schemes that Harry had added to the circle. He had already enhanced his sight once by his rebirth, but adding some of the dragon's senses to both of theirs would help. A shame that they could not at this time add some of the more extravagant changes. Adding additional parts would be useful though far too dangerous if they were not easily hidden from the close minded bigots.

'Sharper surer weapons would be nice especially if they cannot be taken away,' Harry though in regret as neither of them had a proper plan for a dragon being sacrificed. 'Still we will be better prepared if this situation falls into our hands again. I do have to wonder what the bleed off will do for the rest of us. We didn't perform numerous experiments well not really and already our companions are more altered than we suspected. Oddly I have not been sick even the slightest of things since the change. Perhaps that is something to investigate when we have more time.'

"I offer this flesh to create out of its bones a weapon," Hermione began to intone. "Oh hungry ones I offer this to thee come and take your tithe. Life to the dead and death to the living turn the cycles. Grant this lowly emissary this boon forged of the bones of this great beast. Turn this malformed flesh to rights and allow its spirit passage for its toll."

"That which was lost to madness be restored," Harry spoke his voice reverbing with another presence. "Grant the mind a salve to the twisting its birth was done. Permit the spirit to rest free of the insanity of near miss birth. One sought to preserve this one's life and merely condemned it to suffering led to madness and first it's suffering before leading to others in its rage. Pass on oh dragon your time was short your torment great. Now accept the sweat peace and be gone!"

Hermione had been unprepared for that and watched wide eyed for a moment as Norbert she now knew was set to right before blissfully unaware of the pain his body had been in passed on. Without a spirit the body does not continue long. Oh it may be a shell having automatic processes but the soul is far more tied to the body than most.

"Twisted flesh now made right," Hermione spoke the words coming to her mind barely before they fell from her tongue. "Payment rendered for services claimed. Oh soul granted peace, know that your flesh left behind does not go to waste. Change oh bones from thy form to serve your new purpose. Supported your body in life now support mine in death!"

The flesh dissolved from the dragon's form. The blood itself however flowed toward the glowing heart as the veins and arteries sucked the flesh dry of blood before returning to their center. Several of the more useful parts that had not been salvaged floated there instead of dissolving. The nerves long since gone meant that even the soulless mind did not suffer as the rite continued. The bones however seemed to move and flow as they started to grow denser and smaller in physical size. Instead of one concentration there were seven. The legs, arms, wings and the tail to head soon separated even as the bones between flowed to the nearest parts.

This was unexpected as Hermione thought only one weapon and that was a whip would form. She knew deep in her being that the rest may not be hers to wield but belonged to her master in part just as she did. The curved blades that the wings had become were as elegantly beautiful as they were deadly. The legs and arms seemed to become clawed gauntlets for arms and feet. She shivered at the ideas that sprung up on how they could be used came to her mind. The main peace was a thing of startling beauty as well as sinister in its potential.

'I think I just came looking at that whip,' Hermione thought with a whimper as she rubbed her moist lips together. 'It just looks so cool. The head became a very intricate and engraved looking head, a very small bit of the neck to the shoulder blades to grip with as a handle, and the length as vertebra able to contract to a rigidity to use to pierce as well as loose enough to lash someone. Oh god! The bones can be as smooth, jagged or sharp as I want. I can just see me using this and... fuck! Those ideas definitely made me gush! Oh such things we will do!'

"Well that was definitely unexpected," Harry said as his eyes had slightly widened in shock before his nose twitched. "So seeing playful uses for our new additions already?"

"Yes," Hermione said as her face went a new shade of flushed from her blush. "You have to admit that while this is most assuredly a weapon that there are non combat uses for it. I seem to enjoy the crop so what about a whip?"

"You enjoy using it and having it used on you," Harry corrected with a sigh as he knew that his attempt to overly slow down their entertainment had taken a major back step. "Although I think that you will need to work up to that. Maybe start with a dragon hide whip and work up from there. Shame about the dragon as it did seem that Hagrid was attached to it..."

"Actually feeling sorry for the half giant I know you contemplated venting some very invigorating to watch violence on seems a bit of a change for you," Hermione said with a shudder as she started getting a feel for the whip now before her. "Not that it is bad or anything but it does seem that he never grew up as it were so you seem to lob him similarly to someone that did something stupid because an adult or other authority said it."

"Baa," Harry intoned before chuckling. "Sheep, is that all there is in this world? Still the other wolves don't seem to know how to play very well... predator or prey which will one be? Still ignorance is not an excuse though being misinformed does things... not that I would ever consider that as having an effect on my plans for Dudley. At some time one must be held accountable for their actions for good or ill. Still some would say we are ill and our acts quite unnecessary though given the lack of concern on behalf of our victims it seems that the time for charades while seeming to be over is not yet at hand."

"The wizards," Hermione almost spat in irritation. "So many of them are so content in their supposed superiority that they have often come close to annihilation. How many people have been violated in some form and a memory charm used to cover it up?"

"Ah but we would do the same," Harry said with a sigh. "Think how things would be different if I had simply made Tonks forget?"

"It did work out alright," Hermione said with a smile. "Dora is a rather invigoration playmate. Still while I can concede the need for secrecy, it is when they let the instigators and perpetrators go believing nothing they did was wrong that offends me. Some healing and memory magic and the muggle have no recollection of what happened to them. That does not even consider that until relatively recently they seemed to bait and hunt muggles. That word does seem rather offensive though a name is needed that does not draw attention."

"To do what is necessary can be a bitter thing," Harry said with his head down. "Still I can see that they don't view them as people maybe highly entertaining animals similar to how we would see monkeys in the zoo perhaps. That some seem to think that a first generation magic user is merely a monkey who can actually mimic what they deemed as real people does nothing to dissuade me from using the flaws and fallacies of these people for my own ends."

"At least you can be honest about it for a bit," Hermione said with a slight pout. "While I won't try to force my views on them, they seem to have no such inclination. Is all that they have really going for them accumulated and horded knowledge and the hard won experience derived from it? Why would that make them feel superior? No there is something more there that is hidden that we might not suspect."

"Talents of sorts," Harry said with a slight frown. "Gifts that normally are only seen in families are an example of this. I did some research and certain abilities are easier to learn if ones ancestors knew them. Not a genetic memory but an impression that makes it easier to engrain certain skills or abilities. Although a number of those abilities are annoyingly enough normally grandfathered in legally for purebloods and such families. They do frown very much on muggle and half bloods advancing into their world and yet are dismissive when they are forced to work for less pay or leave this world behind."

"So many things to deal with along the way," Hermione said with a sigh as she reluctantly stopped exploring her new toy and gathered the rest of the things along with Harry. "Will they willingly accept what you will do?"

"Not likely," Harry said with a spine shivering laugh. "Still they will accept and they will stay out of the way if they continue to annoy me. For the moment we need to work around their idiocies while using their fallacies to our benefit. I am on this path and nothing will deter me!"

"They will either bend like the grass or break like the oak," Hermione said with a dark humor to her voice. "A new wind blows and it will clear a path through them if they refuse to step aside."

"Yes!" Harry said as the last of the things were gathered. "They will either move or be removed! No obstacle will stand in the way!"

"If they refuse to stop hindering your ambition," Hermione said in a cold terrifying voice, "they will be destroyed! Nothing will remain and they will be as forgotten as is possible! Not even ghosts will recall their existence!"

"As it should be," Harry said as he drew her close to him as the pair was shrouded in darkness. "Still so many things to do and yet so little time to do them in without losing all that is relevant to do them for."

"Dumbledore," Hermione snarled as any notion of him as a respected authority had been crushed, bashed and ground into the earth for his actions to her master, her friend and more, "would likely say something along the lines of 'It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live', but what is existence without dreams? It is but a pale reflection of life. He has lived for what a century and a half, but can he say that for a century and a half he lived! No he seems far too intent in his games and forgets everything around him. When the time comes may we kill him? I know by that point at least you would be able to decisively crush him..."

"As I said those that stand in my way will move or be removed," Harry said with a sinister sound to his voice. "If he continues to be an obstacle he will be removed just like all the others will be and I doubt any of them are capable of redeeming themselves let alone feeling even the slightest amount of remorse for their actions..."

"So they will die," Hermione said simply. "Snape, Dumbledore and those creatures... they will cease to be!"

"Yes and they will do so in ways that will leave a testament to never cross us," Harry said with a very vicious smirk. "Still that naïve fool seems to think that arrogant assassin has survived. Oh he doesn't say it but his plots seem to take that into account. Why the third corridor is out of bounds with a guard Cerberus means something is there. Not that I have an interest in whatever he has there but it seems to be a target."

"He would target us for whatever he has planned for you," Hermione said with a frown as they finally proceeded to sterilize the area of their presence. "If he had any inclination that you knew even a fraction of what you do he would likely try to send you to Azkaban!"

"Yes it would make me malleable or he believes it would," Harry said with a sigh as he disbursed the anchors to the wards now that their boon was secured on their persons. "He does seem quite confused though on what he believes. Naïve beyond imagining needing to find the good in people and redemption to prove his beliefs while full of self loathing for his manipulations for the greater good. Oh he may be an Occlumens of some skill, but he dreams still and like anything else can be scryed. Still his nightmares will be something to try to access one day. The fear would be worth it to know what he most fears, most cherishes and most holds dear..."

"The better to crush him," Hermione said with a smile. "He would take us away and make us boring. Still it is a nice night and we have accomplished much. Perhaps we should return to playing now that some work has been done?"

"A good idea even if playing seems to be more distracting when work needs to be done," Harry said with a slight pout. "I wonder how Dora will take to the new toys we will soon have?"

"You like to watch almost as much as play," Hermione said with a cat like grin. "Perhaps now that there is another playmate we could entertain while you study?"

"It would be enjoyable even relaxing in certain amounts though given how you seem to have accomplished what my two minions and their leads had not does become quite vexing," Harry said with a slight tugging of a near smile. "Still they will be most appreciative of my new willingness to take what is mine. I do believe that Anne is looking forward to that most assuredly."

"You do say the most sincere of things," Hermione said with a slight blush form the compliment. "I do agree that Anne is looking forward to you taking what she had been offering. Still we have a different offering to accept..."

"Yes now that Dora has quite firmly attached herself to us the matter concerning the Black Family will need to be addressed," Harry said with a frown. "Gringott's will be a very long thing I believe given from what little I could get out of them until I claim my property from one of their main branches. A shame that doing so will set some things into motion..."

"They would have to be set into motion eventually," Hermione said as they approached the entrance. "It does provide a more direct way of dealing with one of our thorns at the very least."

"It does at that," Harry said as a predatory look passed his face. "Now let us away to our willing toy and play. We are still ahead of the slow syllabus of this place as well as rapidly approaching our normal education alone and with our extracurricular arts interest developing at an acceptable rate. A shame that there seems to be no spell to properly find what we need..."

"A fun thing to develop," Hermione said as a still present bookworm notion almost made her swoon in glee. "So much potential and yet so much left to do still..."

Once more the pair was in the forest and this time Hermione was with as he ventured deeper into the forest. The incident with Norbert was somewhat fresh in their minds. Still it had to be done even if they felt some regret in doing so. Unlike the troll, the dragon was at least marginally aware even if it was for some reason rendered less intelligent than a dog. After his late night jaunt into the forest Hermione had been pissed and as irritable as could be.

'It is not that I didn't expect that. Still there was no reason to go off like that,' Harry thought as he landed with a crouch on a branch in one of the edges of the numerous clearings and glens inside the forest proper. 'Well this isn't that far from where the unicorn was that time. It's not like we will run into that thing of those unicorns again is it?'

"Please tell me that is not what I think it is?" Hermione asked as she pointed to a mark on the ground. "Wasn't the dragon after the troll enough odd coincidences?"

"I am afraid that it is," Harry said as he looked more analytically at it. "Sadly I believe that we have more players in this game. So who is it that has such a need for unicorns?"

"Unknown," Hermione said with a slight huff. "Still there has to be a reason for them to do so..."

"Unicorn blood regardless of willingness in how it is acquired does act as a very powerful restorative," Harry said as his eyes widened in understanding. "Even mortal injuries or incurable diseases can be survived with some of it and cured if enough a lethal level to the unicorn is imbibed; however, if it is forcefully taken especially if the unicorn dies than a cursed life is all that one gains."

"So who do we suspect could be desperate enough for that?" Hermione asks as she tried to narrow down who could be a likely suspect. "Please don't tell me it is who I think it is..."

"Most likely it is someone possessed by the shade of Voldemort," Harry said as he kept eyes alert for the hunter coming to its prey. "Well that is the most likely individual that I could think of that would do that though why use such a method to extend one's existence at such a cost makes little sense. There must be something that we are missing here..."

"Could it be something temporary to extend life until a more permanent solution could be found?" Hermione asked as her ears twitched just a tad from the sudden silence descending on the clearing. "Given the fact that multiple attacks on unicorns would mean that whatever it is still is degrading the body there should be a solution that would require a no longer dependence on the blood. Why if he was so obsessed with immortality did he not try to use blood magic to improve his body and extend his life?"

"He is obsessed in a way with blood purity," Harry said as he recalled some conversations in the past. "Wither it is at the belief itself or the way it could control his followers there is little difference in the end. I do know that his name is not his name and lacking any means to properly find him it means little. He did do some perverted form of blood magic. It was fixed so long ago that I forgot that this scar once had such tainted blood magic used that it was expelled quite painfully."

"So I take it that neither of us is skilled enough to finish him than," Hermione said with a sigh of annoyance. "Why he couldn't just have stayed dead after killing himself I do not wish to know. There are already too many factions to have to maneuver through as it is without adding a consolidation of his former supporters. It is amazing what one can overhear if they do not suspect that the meek little girl is a mudblood. A shame that they never mentioned their names..."

"As amusing as offing a few of the bigots would be, we have more important concerns," Harry said with a frown at his inability to permanently eliminate this threat in the here and now. "As far as the major players are concerned there are two sides at the moment: Dumbledore and the Ministry. With the Ministry being heavily manipulated by Lucius Malfoy, there is little reason to not think that the moment his master returns that he won't have his hands on the strings of a number of the Ministries less obvious but important offices. Monitoring for one as well as transportation would ease their ability or quell their opposition. Still there are rumors that Malfoy has been culling muggleborns, a practice that I find quite counterproductive given the declining number of magic users in the world. Still things are about to get interesting again..."

Before Hermione could respond the silence was disturbed by a whoosh of the cloaked figure passing into the clearing below them. It was odd that wizards even with the levitation charm and other flying methods still tended to not look above or below them. One would think with the number of winged magical beings that it would take less effort to look above for threats. Most would not look up even when they could hear owls moving about as it was far too much effort to do so.

The pair watched as the cloaked being followed the trail of the blood from its prey. Harry felt a moment of annoyance with himself for not having yet found a place to practice the more destructive uses as well as figure out why there were so many varieties of necromantic fire. It seemed to him that the black flame he had conjured the last time resembled the Fiendfyre that he had read and heard about. From what little he had read on the subject it was easy to cast but very difficult to control quite contrary to most magic. A small part of his mind wondered if it was something that a mortally wounded wizard would have used to kill off their killers.

'For every legend or myth there is at least some grain of truth,' Harry thought as he forced himself not to be noticed despite the burning desire to destroy utterly the thing that dared to impede him, 'even among the nonmagical that is true. So how far are the legends from the truth of what occurred? That does make for something to think about during Binns prattle. Every time I am there I am tempted to just force the man on as he seems to be quite unwilling to accept and move on.'

Both Harry and Hermione were as silent as could be with their bodies stilled and in case something had run across them were masking their scent. It would not do to have someone track that they had been into the forest as there was far too much to later investigate to give the game up so soon. Oh the animals felt an unease near there vicinity but Voldemort and his host had long since corrupted or ignored their more attuned senses. Perhaps another thing that modern wizardry was responsible for. It was however something that the two would one day seek to find out from those without the blinders of the current era.

"Foolish unicorn," the raspy voice hissed from the cloak. "Did you really think that you could elude me? There will be no escape this time..."

As Voldemort in his host body approached the unicorn, Harry decided to once more interrupt the rather offensive being. Just moments before he could sink his teeth back into the annoyingly quick and difficult to catch beast, Harry once again blocked Voldemort's path with a well aimed and destructive fire ball. Learning from his previous experience in how painful and difficult to heal the mere proximity wounds of this almost Fiendfyre was, Voldemort moved his host in an inhuman manner ignoring the host as he suppressed its ability to scream even if it was in pain. The pain was unacceptable, as it would permit the bumbling host which he was forced to use from concentrating, and that had to be dealt with especially as this fool had impeded his hunt.

"You," Voldemort spat with more loathing for this cloaked obscured figure than he had shown to any in many years save Dumbledore. "Why do you insist on meddling in my affairs?"

"You are a weak Abomination for one," Harry said with a sinister humor coloring his voice. "Besides you actually seem a challenge to kill. It is nice to have better prey than these weaklings we keep coming across. That is what we seek!"

"Muggle or magical matters little to us," Hermione added in a similar tone going with the act, "though I do have to wonder if you were responsible for our past few delicacies."

"What are you two creatures talking about?" Voldemort snarled at them. "I should destroy you were you stand as you are obviously some sort of mongrel filth."

"The wannabe speaks; how droll," Harry snarks at the so called Dark Lord. "You actually think that highly of yourself. I cannot say that it was unexpected as you wizards seem to have delusions of competency."

"Really master must you taunt the poor thing," Hermione chides with little humor showing through. "It would be far kinder to kill the thing like the sick thing it is than waste time talking with it. Now though it does seem to not have grasped some of our particular palate it should at least know how thankful we are that it has been so good to provide for us a time or two. Really is it that difficult to comprehend your little diversions! I must admit that the dragon was quite good though the troll was at least useful I suppose..."

"You dare not to just interfere here but in my plans for that school!" Voldemort shouted consumed with rage. "I don't know how you got past the old fool's wards but I will show you the price for interfering with Lord Voldemort!"

A sudden swoosh of something through the air marked the arrival of a second volley of fire at the former Dark Lord. Narrowly avoiding incineration the dark lord was forced to move away from the two. He looked up to see them obscured though they were even he could feel the barely constrained power emanating from them.

"You really talk too much," Harry said as a much more lethal amount of black fire swirled around him. "Now die! Be burned beyond ash you who impede my ambition!"

Realizing for some reason that this fire which had harmed him even within his host was something to avoid and lacking a host of sufficient power to actually be reasonable of both his survival and the completion of his objective resulted in a change to the arrogant wizard forcing him to do something he loathed doing and rarely had done for most of the previous campaign. Voldemort snarled at being driven off. Few had ever done so and he was now determined to find who these two were and destroy them completely for his humiliation.

'Who the hell is this?' Voldemort thought in confusion. 'Is this a rival after so many years? I thought that I had culled any opposition or ensured they were bent to my will!'

That the fire was following in a manner far too reminiscent of Fiendfyre for his liking was spurning him to move faster. There were alternatives to unicorn blood but they were far less potent. These things seemed to come out at night a bit like vampires. Perhaps the dark lord wondered what they were to so closely resemble them and yet seem more powerful and terrifying. He felt a dread that he had not experienced in years. That fire had harmed him far more than most Aurors with all their experience had. He had not felt as much as he was loath to admit it true fear since he created his first artifact to ensure his survival let alone his first of many rituals to enhance his own power. That however did nothing for the image that he knew he had to project or his host may actually attempt to rebel.

"I care not for your ambition whoever or whatever you may be!" Voldemort said with as much audacity as he could muster. "Who do you think you are to threaten the great Lord Voldemort? You should be honored to tremble in my presence."

"More talking," Hermione said dismissively. "Are you sure that we shouldn't make a good example of him so that the old man can have a taste of fear? It just doesn't seem like this one is of any use. At least the past few to claim to be dark lords had that something while this one seems to be little more than a somewhat skilled and educated wizard with some dark knowledge. It is rather disappointing although his follower's antics were rather pathetic if you recall. Crucio here, Imperio there and a dose of Avada Kedavra when they are done; I ask you where is the finesse the art to their actions? No they are lacking of any of the understanding of a true artist and merely use hammers and chisel where a rasp is needed."

"Yes they are rather lacking in the proper understanding of expression preferring to overwhelm the weak willed with simple curses lacking any of the subtle influence of an artist," Harry said looking almost pityingly at the self styled dark lord. "A shame that he is slippery enough to run away but anyone who names themselves 'Flight from death' cannot be anything but a coward..."

Voldemort knew that he was in trouble but his pride was warring with his survival instincts that he had honed through the hell of his own childhood. Oh he was assured that he could survive though suffering in pain for how long it took to recover was not something he wanted to experience. He had been mostly numb since the unimaginable pain of his defeat having only a hunger and will to survive to go on. That whatever that was harmed his host as well as himself was disconcerting. There were few things that should be able to harm him even in this weakened condition.

"I can understand how lesser beings like yourselves would misunderstand my name," Voldemort said his pride overcoming his instincts once more. "I am not afraid of death as I have moved beyond it. That Potter brat and whatever his mudblood whore of a mother did in combination has been a somewhat impressive act in that it was able to reflect an unblockable curse, but I am not so easily vanquished. No one else has been as feared by his enemies or as respected by his minions as I have been. My enemies even now cannot bear to speak my name so great was their awe at my power. You may be able to discourage me for a while but I will always succeed in the end!"

"Does he ever stop talking?" Hermione asked in amusement. "If either of us were mere ordinary wizards at least one of us would have taken advantage of this dialog. Perhaps this is why he seems to have his own hatred of the Old Man, he likely seems to not come ahead of their verbal banter and is forced to use what meager skills he has gained."

"True," Harry said before curving a barrage to herd the enemy. "A shame that he will likely run off but there is nowhere near the amount of time to savor his destruction even if I am tempted to see how he survived. It would appear that he did more damage than I had believed in this hunt. Now run little man and know that despite all your power that you will fail. You and your followers will die and to make sure I spite you so will your nemesis. Yes it will be far sweater to destroy your rival and perhaps even take the Potter boy from the both of you. Yes it would be quite fulfilling or maybe just let you two kill each other off."

That throughout his speech Voldemort found himself dodging the moving living fire was quite disconcerting. He knew that even Dumbledore needed more focus to cast and manipulate such spells and it had been only the old fool's knowledge and skills that let their battles end in anything but his complete domination. His younger self before his first murder would be disappointed in the manner in which his older self had sought to establish himself. It was perhaps the most costly aspect of his progression to his current state.

"The boy is mine to kill!" Voldemort shouted in shock at the audacity of someone to claim his kill. "No one will stop that!"

"I rather find that hard to believe considering how weak you are," Hermione commented as she focused her magic and intent on the thing before her. "I know you find that hard to believe even though you are so much as helpless as a rabbit to us. Perhaps you will run away before we tire of this. I personally would prefer to have plenty of time to see what advantages all these rituals I have heard you performed has caused. A shame I do not believe that your host has been strengthened as much as your previous body was. Why I believe that my master's fire likely would consume you as well as your host if you weren't dodging so well!"

Slowly Harry had maneuvered Voldemort away from the clearing. He knew that whoever his opponent was possessing would burn out the way things were going and with him inside someone there was less that he could do that he would not be able to deal with. Harry was torn between slaying his parent's killer and the possible necessity of the death being part of the ritual to restore them. The killing curse was a dastardly thing and he was aware that something in the curse seemed to still a corpse that had it used on well except if one used the bastardization that was Infiri. It was perhaps one moment that he wished he had more knowledge of that Unforgiveable. Besides while he was able to hurt him there was a chance that repeated exposure could remove one of his better trumps against the thing.

"I grow tired of this," Voldemort spoke with a glare as he finally seemed to be out of his thorn's ability to attack at the moment. "You have not heard the last of me! I will return and you will suffer!"

With that Voldemort finally departed from the clearing. The two visibly changed demeanors from their confrontation. Harry had been aware that the only thing more dangerous than Dumbledore and the sheep finding out any of his less savory abilities was for that thing to realize what he was. Silently the two dropped to the ground and stood near to the unicorn.

"So what do we do now?" Hermione asked in concern of the still bleeding unicorn. "You managed to drive him off once again and yet there seemed to be ample opportunity to destroy him. So why did you not crush him as you obviously wish to do so?"

"Let me tend to the unicorn as I answer you," Harry said with a sigh as he approached and drew the white fire once more. "I am unsure how much is needed as last time a phoenix was here and added tears to this while this unicorn has more grievous injuries."

"So you are unsure on the effects that more of that particular fire has even if you have determined that it can heal," Hermione said with a sigh as she watched Harry press the flames to the wounds where they visibly shrunk and sealed up even as the blood outside was dissolved by the fire. "I guess that makes sense still you have neglected the important part of my question. Why not finish him now when he is obviously so weak?"

"Lack of knowledge," Harry admitted with a shrug. "I do not know entirely how he survived the curse and while there are a few ways it leaves me uncertain which he used and as I have never spent enough time to properly analyze the effect of these fires I was unsure what effect they would have on him. I know his host would be consumed, but would he be as well or merely freed to find a new host with only pain as an effect."

"So you need a place to experiment with the fire," Hermione said with a thought. "There has to be a place where we can do so in the castle. Still the only thing that would be more helpful is a way to get home from here. Portkeys are a non issue as the wards prevent those from use in the school as well as apparition and the floo is not connected. Some sort of link would be quite useful."

"There are a few that could work it is just beyond either of our abilities to create such a thing at the moment," Harry said with a frown. "Something else to distract from the direct goal seems to be necessary. Perhaps it is time to truly scour the libraries for traveling magic. Considering that there is a speed technique that I will be working on there must be alternates to the current methods. Perhaps something seemingly from folklore will hold the key to enabling us to move undetected and unrestricted."

"You know that Alice will be quite perturbed with us if such a thing is revealed to be simple," Hermione said with a laugh. "Think about it if we had such methods than wherever we are is irrelevant as we can go wherever we need to. So from their point of view..."

"There would be no reason not to visit," Harry said with a sigh. "As if I was looking forward to the obvious even if momentary setback that would cause with them coming here to visit all the time, they would likely see about settling matters is only a bit troubling."

"Aw is big bad master afraid that his servants wish for some more direct experiences," Hermione teased with exaggerated acting. "Just don't see why we have to keep waiting though!"

"Oh so you wouldn't really mind if I rip your clothes off and took you against some of the trees here," Harry said with a very savage smirk. "Hmm I think that you probably wouldn't but you really don't want to win that way now do you?"

"No," Hermione replied almost sulking. "I know that Anne will be the first that you take up the ass but Alice and I are quite determined to be the first that you properly deflower. Really considering that Alice sucked you off first and Dora was your first tit fuck is it any wonder that we each want to be at least one of your firsts?"

"Hmm so that is what the current tension was about," Harry said with a slow chuckle. "Still you know my position on future penetration and it is far likely that you will win out before Alice or Anne will. Still this unicorn seems to be recovering quickly. I wonder how Dora is responding."

"Really considering how willing she is it is likely that she will come very close to convincing you to do more to her," Hermione said with a snort. "Still with that restriction you put on there is a lot that you can still do to her..."

"We left her tied and suspended with several tools of pleasure and pain and still you think she will want more," Harry said with a thoughtful look as he brushed his still glowing hands in soothing manners even though the wounds were practically gone. "Don't think that I don't know that you plan to try your new whip on her even if it might be enjoyable watching when I am not participating. Seriously you already put clamps on her and she has marks over her from both of our attention and all it did was likely leaving us with a puddle beneath her."

"Dora will never be satisfied until you take her in every and any way that you wish," Hermione said with certainty. "I know that she wants to be used and abused with you taking her cunt and ass in front of us as well as cleaning you and us from our encounters. It is just the way she is and we do in a way have a responsibility to her needs."

"So considering that the unicorn here is healed we should get back to her," Harry said as he removed his hand from the now blissfully healed unicorn. "Still it is likely that she is enjoying her punishment or reward depending on point of view."

"True though as much as she is enjoying it," Hermione said as she turned from the unicorn as she prepared to jump back into the trees. "I would prefer some attention and games with her myself, besides I know that you have enjoyed her ability and its uses so far."

"True enough," Harry said as he moved away and the unicorn shakily moved to its feet. "I wonder though how much of what she can do can be trained."

"The skills part will be fun," Hermione said with a grin. "There are a number of exercises that I was able to convince Alice to tell me about..."

"I don't think I wish to know even though I definitely will enjoy them," Harry said as he sprung to a branch as the unicorn gazed longingly at him. "Now we have a Metamorph to play with and I know that our nuisance will not return tonight."

"So we best make the most of the time we have before returning to more research," Hermione said with a laugh as she landed on the branch he was on. "You know a little while ago I would be horrified that there was research that I was able to do and not doing it. This has been a very odd year so far with so many changes."

Harry's laugh as he darted towards the castle was her only answer. With a giggle of her own, Hermione bounded after him. Neither of them noticed the almost complete devotion that had slowly consumed the unicorn's eyes. They would meet again one day and she would be prepared to offer what she could to the one who she owed her life to. Oblivious to that the two laughed and played on their way back to their waiting toy. The fun had finally gotten Harry to become less serious sometimes though he was still as obsessed as ever. Voldemort was smarting where he was and hoped that his next attempt to get some unicorn blood would work or else he would have to subject himself to the woefully less potent alternative. Even as his host writhed in pain from the encounter, Voldemort was contemplating new plans to get the stone. That this new thorn in his side so far seemed ignorant of his goal was a thankful respite or he suspected the two would have snatched the stone from him before he got his hands on it.