4Blood Relations
by naughtypixie
Summary
Magic (and the Gods) decide Harry Potter should get a re-roll on life
Jason Blood is a little confused, but who can argue with Magic?
Notes
**Jason Blood is a character from the DC Universe.
This Jason Blood is NOT based on the Canon Jason Blood (cartoon or comic) but instead is based on Leyte (Teland's) Jason Blood and her take on it. You do not need to have read Leyte's fics to read this fic, though I do recommend it as her Jason is awesome. If you are interested in Leyte's (Teland's) Jason Blood, below are two of my fave stories. PLEASE NOTE THE WARNINGS ON HER STORIES!
You do not need to read Teland's stories to understand mine. Only know the names 'Treville', 'Aramis' and 'Amos' come from Teland's stories.
Story is based off of these two Jason Bloods:
Favours
Mild Run
It should also be noted that this is the 4th fic in my collection of "Literally ANYONE ELSE could have raised Harry better, for example..." series. AO3 doesn't allow me to group them if they have sequels so I haven't been but you can find the other 3 stories under my HP stories.
Okay, now onto the story!
When his aunt opens the cupboard in the morning, so he can come out and make breakfast, she freezes.
He freezes with her because he doesn't know what he's done wrong.
His aunt's expression goes from pale, to plum in under a few heartbeats, and then she starts to curse.
Loudly.
He instinctively cringes back, but she doesn't hit him. He is a little confused by this, because usually doing something wrong, which is daily, according to his aunt and uncle, meant getting a beating, not getting to eat, and being locked up for several days.
In the 4 years he has lived with her, he has never heard her this angry however, and he debates going back inside his cupboard because no matter what it was he did, it is bad. He might even get a belting from his Uncle for it.
He shivers at the memory of the last one he received. He hadn't been able to move for days from it.
But instead of locking him up again, his aunt grabs him by his too-large shirt, and drags him out of the front door. He is unceremoniously told to get in the car, and he doesn't even get a chance to put his seat belt on before his aunt has started the car, tires screeching from how fast she takes them out of reverse and onto the main road.
He has only been allowed in the car a few times, so he doesn't have any idea where she is taking him, but he is too scared to ask.
He still doesn't know what he has done.
His aunt keeps muttering about freaks and terrorizing decent folk but he still feels completely lost.
Half hour of driving and his aunt hasn't stopped cursing under her breath even once. He just tries to look as small and as invisible as he can. She finally pulls over in front of a rather grand-looking building – he vaguely remembers Uncle Vernon calling it a church, where she tells him to get out.
He does, being careful to close the door gently, but his aunt doesn't get out of the car, and he gets a sinking feeling suddenly.
"I am done, do you hear me? I will not allow your freakishness near my family any more. There had been some hope that you didn't inherent your parent's freakish abilities, but I see now that I must have been deluding myself! You are no longer welcome at our home, and you are no longer family of ours. Go find your own freakish kind to be a freak with!" Saying that, she throws a crumpled 20 pounds note through the window, which he instinctively catches, and with the exact same screeching noise, drives off as if bad people are chasing her.
He stands there, in complete shock, hand clutching the wrinkled 20 pound note.
He still doesn't know what he has done.
What could it have been to upset his aun—no, she said she wasn't his family anymore. What could he have done to upset Mrs. Petunia so badly?
He sits on the steps of the church for at least an hour, completely numb. He has nothing on him except the too-big clothes, and the 20-pound note. He knows he is 5 years old, which is plenty old to cook and clean but he is pretty sure he isn't allowed to be on his own in London.
If he even is in London.
He doesn't actually know where he is.
He has no home anymore.
He doesn't know what to do.
He turns his head a little to look at the church. It's really big and fancy-looking. He's never been allowed to enter anywhere that looked fancy. His fam – the Dursley's told him it wasn't for freaks like him, but for decent and normal folk like them. He believes them, because he doesn't have anything else to compare it to.
He gets up, and slowly makes his way into the church. It is dark and cool inside. Much cooler than outside at least. Summer has just started, and he makes a note to remember to water the flowers –
- and then he has to remind himself that he… doesn't need to do that anymore.
He doesn't have any chores any more.
He doesn't have a home any more either, since those two things always went hand in hand in his head. Have to do chores to have a home. But he wasn't really given a chance to offer to do more chores before he was kicked out –
- what did he do?
Sighing, he ducks to the left, away from where all the benches are, and to a small alcove with white stone stairs. Not really knowing where he is going, he slowly makes his way to the second-floor balcony. There is a lot more dust here, indicating that few people come up here.
Maybe he can stay here and clean for them? He can ask…
He stops suddenly and stared.
A tarnished, old-fashioned mirror hangs forgotten in front of him.
Oh.
His hair…
Aunt Petunia – Mrs. Petunia had cut his hair yesterday, and he had hated it. He remembers crying in his cupboard before he fell asleep…
His hair has grown back out.
He touches his hair carefully, checking to make sure it really is back.
It feels real.
He yanks it a little.
It hurts.
His hair has grown back out overnight.
His aunt was right.
He is a freak.
When night falls, he curls up into one of the stone alcoves with the big windows, hidden from view, and tries to sleep. He's hungry, and even a little cold. He should have gone to try and find some crisps or something, but while he was distracted, someone has closed the large doors downstairs and he missed his opportunity. He smelled cooking somewhere, a while ago, but doesn't dare leave his hidden area, least they kick him out before he can prove that they should keep him.
He shivers a little. The stone has warmed up under him, but it is still stone, and his clothes are rather thin, offering no protection at all.
He turns over, putting his back to the open space behind him and tries to pretend he is still in his cupboard. A passing car below shatters the illusion by flashing its lights towards his face.
His cupboard is always dark.
He used to hate it, but now he rather wishes he had it still.
What is he going to do?
No one takes in freaks from what he understood from the Dursley's. No one but them anyways.
He curls up a little more and squeezed his eyes shut as tightly as he can.
Bright spots danced in front of his eyes.
His aunt – Mrs. Petunia had said churches where were people went to pray for miracles, if they believed in such things.
He really… needs a miracle now.
Please, church, he thinks, please help me find somewhere I would be normal. Give me someone who would take me, a freak, into their home, and feed me, and…
Here he stutters a little, not daring to hope for the impossible, but he just can't help himself! It's a wish after all –
- and love me.
He repeats his wish over and over again inside his head, until he feels moisture come out of his eyes and he curls in even more.
Crying never helps, he knows this. He's known this his whole life. Freaks don't get to cry.
He hears a shoe scruff the floor not too far from where he is, below, and a deep sense of panic seizes him. He redoubles his mantra, practically begging, someone, anyone to hear him even though it's in his head and just as he hears someone start to climb the stairs and his panic spikes even more –
- he feels a sudden sensation as if he is being squeezed through a straw and sucked out – it feels horrible –
- then he is falling and he doesn't even have time to scream –
- before he is landing on something soft –
The stone he is lying on isn't soft –
He feels dizzy for a moment, but suddenly realizes there is someone there –
He looks up, and locks eyes with… a man.
The man seems to be… sitting, in a chair. He is reading a book, and –
No, the man is staring at him.
He blinks and the man blinks also.
Where is he?
He looks down and realizes he is lying on a soft red couch. The couch matches the chair the man is sitting on. There is a fireplace behind him, and many bookshelves and –
He looks around.
How did he get from the church to a library?
The man shifts, and he looks back at him, fearfully.
Will the man throw him out? He hopes not. It's warmer here than in the church, even if it also feels a bit… creepier.
"And who, might you be?" The man asks him.
He blinks at the man, and rubs his sweaty palms on his pants. He still feels rather nauseated, and his arms and legs feel like jello. He doesn't know what to say, so he just stares at the man.
The man had long, wavy hair. He thinks it's brown, or red maybe, but he isn't sure. He looks muscular, but he doesn't have uncle Vernon – he shakes his head, Mr. Vernon's belly.
"Um?" He says, because he doesn't know what else to say.
The man closes his book, and cocks his head at him.
"What is your name, child?" The long-haired man asks him, and he doesn't quite know what to say.
"Boy?" He tries.
"Yes, I can see you are a boy. But what is your name? What do they call you?" the man tries again. Clearly, he hasn't say the correct thing.
"Freak?" He tries again. He has only been called boy, freak or that before. He doesn't know any other name for himself.
The man's face darkens, and seeing that expression, he curls in on himself instinctively, hoping to make himself as small a target as possible.
But the man doesn't move to get up so he can hit him.
The man with the long hair sighs, very, very quietly, but he hears him anyway.
"You… don't know your name?" the man actually sounds gentle, and he has no idea why, but after a moment, he dutifully shakes his head no.
"Well. That… won't do. How about I give you a name, would you like that?" the man asks him, and he thinks, it might be nice to have a name like normal people, so he nods. He thinks he heard his – former family call him something before, but he had been too little to remember it.
"Alright, let me think. You are quite a little thing, aren't you? How old are you by the way?" the man asks him, while thinking.
He isn't sure he should speak, so he just holds up 5 fingers.
He has learned his letters and numbers in his cupboard, from the leftover study voice-books his former family had bought Dudley and which he had immediately thrown away. He had taken them out of the rubbish bin and hidden them first in the shed, then later in his cupboard. He only dared to turn the light on when they had gone to sleep but since his nightmares often kept him up, he taught himself. He is pretty sure 5 is how many fingers he has on one hand.
"Five years old." The long-haired man confirms, and he nods, indicating that is correct, as far as he knows anyway.
"How about Gerald? I knew a Gerald once. He was… a knight, and a rather kind man too." The long-haired man asked, and he feels himself start to smile.
He has a name.
Gerald. Who had been a knight.
He knows knights were very impressive people. All of the stories he saw in the story books while cleaning Dudley's room said so.
Does that mean he isn't a freak anymore?
"You like that?" the long-haired man asks, smiling a little.
He has a really nice smile. It makes his eyes crinkle and warm up too.
He nods enthusiastically. He really likes the name. It has a big-feel to it.
"Well, good. You will from this day forth be known as Gerald then." The long-haired man says, and suddenly, there are little golden sparks all around him – no, he is Gerald now. The nice man said so – like fairy dust, they shimmer and settle all over his shoulders and hair.
The long-haired man's face quirks a little, and suddenly he sits forward.
The motion startles Gerald, and he quickly looks back at the man, a little fearfully.
He rather wants to cry again. He did something freaky just as the nice man with the kind eyes has given him a name. He will have to go back to being a freak again.
"Interesting." But the long-haired man doesn't look upset to Gerald, so maybe it is okay? "Are you aware that you have magic, child?"
Gerald blinks at him.
Then, slowly, very slowly, shakes his head tentatively, no.
Is that why he is a freak?
What is magic? Was it the same as in Dudley's cartoons? Like Peter Pan's fairy? Wasn't she magical? Wasn't that why she could fly and make other people fly too?
Gerald didn't think he was a fairy…
He is small, but he doesn't have wings…
Although! Hasn't he just made something that looked awfully like fairy dust a moment ago?
Should he be called Gerald Tink?
Gerald is taken out of his musings when the long-haired man hums, and smiles at him.
If he is smiling, Gerald isn't in trouble, right?
Only Dudley smiles when Gerald was in trouble, but it isn't like this smile.
This smile is small, but maybe a little curious, and a little hopeful.
"Have you ever done anything unusual Gerald? Something that other people can't do?" the long-haired man asks him, and Gerald has to look down and away.
If he tells the nice man, he will be kicked out.
His family kicked him out. Gerald has no reason to think this man won't do the same.
"Gerald." The man says, and Gerald squeezes his eyes shut for a moment, wishing he could just stay here a little while longer. It's… been nice. The room is warm, the couch soft, the man is kind and gave Gerald his first ever name… it's been so nice after the shock of the church and –
- Gerald turns his face back, and then has to gasp because the man's hand is on fire!
No, wait, it isn't! and that is even more amazing because the fire – a bright orange-yellow flame – is suspended in the long-haired man's hand.
His fingers are super long, but even so, the flame is almost happily dancing in the center of his palm.
Gerald stares, and then looks back at the man's face, no doubt shock clearly written all over his face.
"Yes, I have magic too. Just like you." The long-haired man moves his fingers like a fan through the flames. They don't burn him.
Then the man's words register.
OH!
He has wished for… a home where he would be the same as everyone else.
Maybe the church heard him and sent him to a magical world? A place where everyone was a freak, so Gerald wouldn't stand out and be bad?
Gerald quickly sits up, all the while staring at the man and his fire-hand.
If his wish came true, maybe it is okay to speak?
"I didn't think the church heard me." Gerald tells him tentatively.
The long-haired man blinks at him. Gerald is surprised he surprised him.
"Excuse me?" The man asks, because maybe the church didn't tell him why it brought Gerald to him? It did all happen rather suddenly…
"I made a wish. To the church I was…staying in. I asked it to send me somewhere where I wouldn't be a freak. It sent me here." Gerald explains as best he can. He isn't sure the man will believe him, but Gerald did drop out of nowhere onto his couch so maybe he will.
Adults can be very strange and unreliable in their thinking.
The long-haired man stills, and Gerald has a moment to panic he hasn't explained it well enough and he will ask Gerald to leave after all –
"Gerald, could you do me a favor please? Could you try to remember what were the exact words you used when you made your wish?" The man sounds like he is forcing himself to be calm, but Gerald can tell, he isn't very calm at all. He feels tense and Gerald sits up a little straighter, in case he needs to run.
Adults are dangerous when they are tense usually.
He thinks about it, because the nice man did ask, and nods, repeating his wish as best he remembers. He pauses at the last bit, because it's embarrassing but while he has to look away from the man, he still manages to mumble it out. He hopes the man won't focus on that. It seems too far-fetched, after all.
Gerald hasn't even had a chance to show him his cleaning skills!
Only Dudley got love unconditionally. Gerald never manages it even though he always tries really hard.
Gerald hears a noise and turns back, to see, but the long-haired man is smiling.
A really, wide smile. Not like before.
He is really happy with what Gerald told him, and he isn't hiding it. Gerald feels a sharp spike of hope. Maybe the church really did send him somewhere special and just for him?
"Well, I think I better explain what happened, before we go and find you a room to stay in, hm?"
The hope in Gerald's chest gets warmer and brighter, and he eagerly nods at the man.
"This is what I know so far. You were born a magical child, as almost all magic is passed on like that, which means that either your mother or father, or both, were also magical. You are therefor born, of and contain within you, magic. This is rather special as not many children have this amazing gift, compared to the general population."
Gerald stares at him and drinks in every word. His parents might have been magical? But aunt Petunia – Mrs. Petunia! – definitely hated anything freaky! And she was his mom's sister, so it couldn't have been his mom. Maybe his dad then? But the Dursley's always said they were both freaks… Gerald had thought freak was a bad-word, but maybe freak was another word for magic? He might get the chance to ask the nice man another time.
He was special? Did that mean special was also freaky? But Dudley was always called special by the Dursley's…
The man's next words cut off his wandering thoughts:
"You found yourself in a place where you didn't feel safe, you wished to be away from there, and somewhere where you would be understood, appreciated and loved" Gerald blushes but the man doesn't pause, "and your magic transported you – through my extremely strong wards I might add – and deposited you on my couch. Your magic – or rather, Magic itself – brought you here, to me. Since Magic is sentient – that means it has a mind of its own – and is very powerful – It… chose. However, don't confuse Magic with Godhood. It isn't – quite – the same. Unlike the gods and goddesses in the multiverse, Magic is more a natural force, with a mind. It loves its magical children, while also being a stern parent. You will see. But what is important, is that Magic chose to send you to me." The man pauses for a second, looking intently at Gerald, and Gerald kind of wants to fidget. The man's eyes are really green. Gerald hasn't noticed before.
Gerald also has green eyes. But this man's eyes look a lot more intensely green than Gerald's own, he is sure.
Do all magical people have green eyes?
"There are a lot of things you don't yet know about me. But Magic, unlike other gods and goddesses, doesn't make those kinds of mistakes." The man is all but muttering, and Gerald doesn't think he is really talking to Gerald anymore. But then suddenly his focus is back, just like that, "It is a sacred trust, and a great privilege, and I am… quite happy to be chosen for such an important matter, Gerald. There… really is a lot about me you don't know, but… it must mean you will be able to accept – well." The man cut himself off, but Gerald really wants to know what he was going to say. Maybe the man is also lonely like Gerald has been? Is he also rejected by others?
But he is so nice!
The man shakes his head, and starts speaking again, "Am I correct in assuming, that you don't wish to go back to where you were before?"
Gerald quickly nods, the church had been nice and a little scary but he's much rather stay with the nice man who is also a freak.
"I thought not. Am I also correct in assuming there are no family members out looking for you and worried?" the man asks, again.
Again, Gerald shakes his head. The Dursley's have never shown worry towards him. Mrs. Petunia also said they were not his family any more.
"Alright. Am I also correct that you have no other items or possessions stashed somewhere?"
Gerald shakes his head a third time, but looks away this time. He has those 20 pounds, but he'd like to hold on to it in case the nice man changes his mind and kicks him out also.
The man's features tighten a little, but while his eyes are angry, his face is trying to smile.
It is a very odd expression.
"Would you be alright if we arrange for a room here for you, a bedroom of your own, and perhaps you would consider staying with me?"
Gerald stares at him for a moment then –
Gerald can't believe his good luck! The nice man is saying all the things he has hoped for. Someone wants him. Someone – if the man is right, magic brought him here. So magic thinks this is a good idea, and while Gerald doesn't really know anything about magic, he only heard about it today after all, but Gerald is smart. He always learns quickly, he can't afford not to after all, and he thinks this magic won't hurt him, if it is part of him. After all, it grew his hair back when Mrs. Petunia cut it horribly and all he had wanted to do was hide in his closet. That isn't really bad, is it? Even if it did get him kicked out…
He quickly nods and smiles as wide as he can, in case the nice man thinks he doesn't want everything he is offering, because he does! He really – he really, really, more than anything, does. Someone finally wants him!
The man seems to relax a little and Gerald wouldn't have noticed had he not been looking.
He wanted Gerald to say yes?
"Great. Come with me then, let's go pick out a bedroom for you." He says and stands, and Gerald hops down off the couch, surreptitiously steading himself a little since he still feels a bit wobbly, but he is too excited and happily turning towards the door which he hadn't noticed before off to the side.
"Do you have any questions for me?" the nice man asks, and Gerald thinks yes, he does!
"What is your name please?" Gerald asks, because he'd like to know.
The nice man blinks down at him, as if he forgot that Gerald didn't know, and smiles, "My name is Jason Blood, child of magic. Welcome to my home."
Gerald picks the Blue Room, as Mr. Blood calls it. Mostly because it is the brightest room in the manor.
It isn't the brightest when he first sees it. None of the rooms are.
All of them are covered in shadows and scary things inside the shadows and Gerald debates asking Mr. Blood is he couldn't maybe sleep in the nice library? With the big fireplace? The space under the couch was quite big after all…
But Mr. Blood only makes as strange tsking noise, and all the shadows are suddenly rushing towards Mr. Blood, and he –
Well, um. He swallows them.
Just –
Will Gerald be able to do that one day?
…it's a little gross. He isn't really sure he wants to learn it…
Then Mr. Blood pulls out a sword from somewhere, and stabs a thing with many tentacles and arms which was heading towards Gerald while his back was turned.
It makes a very loud screeching noise.
Gerald takes a very reasonable step away from it.
Just in case.
It goes on like that through every room Mr. Blood shows him, and while Gerald knows it's magic, it is also rather unpleasant.
It feels like how his head feels sometimes. Crawly and weird.
The scar on his forehead sometimes itches too, and hurts when he dreams-the-bad-dreams.
It feels similar to how Mr. Blood's house feels.
Gerald doesn't really mind it, he is rather used to it, but he does notice it.
After Gerald choses the Blue Room and the room is renamed into Gerald's Room (!) He makes sure to keep the curtains wide open to let in as much sunlight as possible as per Mr. Blood's instructions.
The bed smells a little musty, but Mr. Blood cast a spell on it! And now it smells like fresh linen. It is the biggest bed Gerald has ever seen. Bigger even then the Dursley's bed. It has four posters and a canopy and curtains and everything! Like a real knight's bed!
Gerald absolutely adores it. The heavy curtains are blue with silver embroidery, and the mattress is so tall, there is actually a small ladder for Gerald to use to get onto it!
He has a wardrobe, which is huge. 10 Gerald's could sleep in it, he is sure! And a bureau with drawers and everything, just for him! He doesn't have any clothes yet to put into it, but it's still nice to have.
He even has a bookshelf! Bookshelf means books, right? Maybe he will get his own books one day! Then he could study all he liked, because no one would catch him doing it!
He even had a study desk, with a chair.
The chair is a little tall for him, but he'll manage.
But the best part, are the windows. They are absolutely huge, and so pretty once Mr. Blood magics the dirt and grime away. There is a thick seating cushion right against the biggest window at the front, with pillows and everything! Gerald could probably stay there reading forever, if he is allowed.
His bathroom is even more amazing than his table and bookshelf however.
He has his own room and bathroom. It is like a dream come true!
He has to remember to go and thank the church one day for giving it to him.
and the Magic too! He definitely has to thank the Magic.
It has the biggest bathtub Gerald has ever seen. It is so big, Gerald thinks he can maybe use it to learn to swim. The sink is a little tall for him, but there is a step-ladder there so he uses that. The counter is made of some kind of pretty white stone which has bits of grey veins in it. Above the sink is a large mirror.
Gerald stares at himself.
A small boy with big green eyes, round glasses, messy black hair, and an ugly lightning bolt scar stare back at him. He quickly looks away, and goes to look at the shower.
It's on the side of the tub, and Gerald figures yes, it is probably big enough to serve as a standing shower too, even though you have to step down into this bath instead of up. The steps down make that easy and Gerald is confident he can navigate it without help.
There is a build-in closet too, with towels and toilet paper and things…
He doesn't have a tooth brush, but maybe he can find something useful here to clean himself? He did see soap by the tub…
Just then, a knock startles him, and he runs out of the bathroom to open the bedroom door.
Mr. Blood is stands on the other side. He is holding something made of fabric, but Gerald can't identify it.
"I thought you might like a change of clothes before you get clean. I am afraid these are spelled, so they won't last forever, but they should serve till we can get you your own. I guessed the size, but they will adjust to you once you put them on."
Gerald hasn't notice before, but Mr. Blood is wearing gloves, despite being indoors.
He only notices it because his other hand is holding a pair of white and blue sneakers. Gerald instantly loves them.
"Thank you, Mr. Blood! I really appreciate it." Gerald smiles and hastily moves aside to let the Mr. Blood in.
"Please call me Jason. Mr. Blood makes me feel positively ancient." Mr. Blood says, rather dramatically and Gerald couldn't help but giggle a little, which makes Mr. Blood – Jason – look really happy.
Gerald makes a note to smile more around Mr. Blood – Jason. His aunt Pe – Mrs. Petunia – never liked it when he smiled.
Mr. Blood steps into his room and looks around, as if he hasn't just been here half an hour ago. Should Gerald have done something to it in that time?
Clean maybe? But Mr. Blood – Jason – had done the cleaning with magic so Gerald didn't think to –
"Are you sure this is the one you want? Do you need any more furniture or something else I hadn't considered? It has been some times since I had a house guest, I am afraid I am a touch rusty, so I will need you to tell me if I forget anything, alright?" Mr. Blood – Jason – tells him, and Gerald squints at him a little, unsure if he means it.
Gerald clearly doesn't hide his expression well enough, because Mr. Blood – Jason ! – arches an eyebrow at him, but smiles anyway, "I mean it, I might not look old, but I am, and I am rather forgetful at times. If you discover you need something, and I haven't given it to you, I expect you to tell me. It will really make me feel better, if you wouldn't mind?" He makes it a question but Gerald knows he really wants Gerald to say yes, so he nods, and then decides today is a new day, maybe he can try to ask?
"Um. There was just one thing…" he says hesitantly, and since Mr. Blood – Jason – is smiling at him, he continues a little more surely, "I could use a toothbrush and some toothpaste if that's alright?"
He wasn't allowed a long time in the bathroom every day, but his aunt – Mrs. Petunia – had always insisted he brush his teeth.
"Ah, yes, excellent Gerald, thank you for reminding me." Mr. Blood beams at him, and Gerald relaxes a little, now that Mr. Blood isn't angry. Then he reminds himself sternly to call Mr. Blood 'Jason', again.
Mr. – Jason – waves his hand at the air, and a – Gerald blinks. A hole opened up in space when Mr. Jason was waving. Mr. Jason sticks his hand into it (!) and rummages around in there for a bit, muttering, then pulls out a toothbrush made of wood – Gerald has never seen one made of wood before, and immediately thinks it looks really cool – and a tube of unlabeled toothpaste. Gerald thinks its toothpaste at least.
"Here you go, at least till you get a chance to freshen up, eat something and then we will have another little chat – don't worry, this time it will be about me, some things about me you should know – and then later, we can go pick up some items for you, hm?"
Everything about that sounds great to Gerald except…
"Sorry Mr. Jason, but… I don't have any money. But I am alright! I don't really need much –" but Mr. Jason cuts him off,
"Of course you are. But I would still very much like the opportunity to indulge in my new charge. This would bring me pleasure, you see. To be able to provide for you the things you will need. Magic is wonderful, but I am afraid, rather destructive at first till you learn to control it, so I expect we will need quite a few new outfits if we are to train you properly. Don't worry about money Gerald. Like I told you, I have lived a long time, even if I don't look like it, and in that time, I have collected a rather large fortune. Completely by accident, I assure you, but what that means is, I will never hurt for money, and clothing, feeding and keeping you will not cost me anything worth mentioning. Your company will bring me far more pleasure that gold ever could – yes, I know you are skeptical, but I am a quirky man, so please trust that what I am saying is true. You, my dear Gerald, will be an absolute delight to have staying here for as long as you like."
Gerald can't help it, his eyes leak water, and his vision gets blurry, just like that. No one has ever said such nice things to him!
He runs up to Mr. Jason and throws his hands around his legs and squeezes as hard as he can, just for a moment. He doesn't know how else to express this huge feeling inside him.
Mr. Jason makes a little oof sound, but then carefully pats his head with his gloved hand, saying, "There now child. Things will be different now. You will see."
Gerald believes him.
After his bath, which is as amazing as he thought it would be, and there is so much hot water and it never runs out and –
Gerald makes his way to the bedroom. After inspecting the pile of clothes he is given, he is happy to find a pair of black slacks, a white polo shirt and a pair of blue briefs, as well as white socks. He nearly jumps out of his skin when the clothes size themselves to him, then remembers that Mr. Jason told him they would do that. They feel really weird on him. Probably because for the first time in his life he is wearing clothes that fit instead of Dudley cast-offs.
The shoes fit perfectly too.
He stands in front of the mirror, next to the giant wardrobe, and stares at himself.
He looks… so much better already. His hair is still a mess, but… he looks… presentable now.
Not like a beggar, at least.
Mr. Jason had long hair… maybe if he grew his out it wouldn't be so messy? But his aun—Mrs. Petunia said only hooligans had long hair.
Then again, his – former – family behaved like the worst hooligans so Gerald isn't sure he should remember any of their advice anyway.
Nodding to himself, Gerald decided from now on, he will follow Mr. Jason's lessons rather than his former family's. Since they no longer want him anyway, and that means he doesn't have to listen to them, right?
Gerald thinks so.
Mr. Jason can tell him what is right and wrong from now on.
Jason finds himself in a rather unique situation.
In all the years – more than 900 of them, in fact – there has never been a time where Magic has acted in such an obvious way when pertaining to him. Putting a magical child of 5 in Jason's path so obviously… well.
While the nameless child is settling in, and no doubt removing several layers of dirt and dust off of himself, Jason does a little scrying.
But no matter what powers he calls on, all of his readings come back… inert.
Wherever this child came from, no other Greater Powers is in opposition to him claiming Gerald. He ever sucks in his pride, and asks Etrigan to check with the All-Mother, but the result is the same. All Etrigan can tell him, is this child really is meant to be in Jason's care.
All the Powers agree.
Jason feels sweat break out and slowly run down his spine.
The Powers never all agree.
But considering two of the Powers are Magic and the literal All-Mother… he thinks he can actually trust that this is really happening to him.
He… honestly didn't think he was worthy of such trust.
Evidently, he has done enough good – for metrics of such value – to be entrusted with…
A boy.
A boy who has large amounts of magic, judging by the effortless display the boy showed him earlier.
Jason might be a knight of the Old Order, but he is no saint… though even he thinks that no matter how self-deprecating he can get from time to time, he does thinks even he can do better than… well. A boy who doesn't even know his name because the people whom he was previously entrusted to didn't name him but addressed him with that horrible moniker Jason refuses to repeat even in his head.
Freak, the boy had said.
It reminds him too much of how his so-called 'brothers' called him when his own magic manifested.
Well then.
Seems his impulsive decision to keep the boy – and never mind the soul-crushingly hopeful look the boy had given him for that, and the hug –
Actually, that pulls him up short. Gerald hasn't flinched from him. Jason knows that the general pall and miasma his self, Etrigan and Amos put out make even the dullest of humans get the 'heebie-jeebies' as the yanks call it.
Gerald hasn't reacted like that.
Jason isn't optimistic enough by nature to think Gerald can't feel him, so that isn't it. Which means wherever the child came from, either felt similar to Jason – which rather horrifies him on a fundamental level if he is honest – or the child is actually sense-blind.
Jason doesn't think it is the latter, which mean –
Checking on the boy reminds him that likely the child hasn't eaten anything in some time, so Jason uses the voice he generally reserves for shifter-children of Earth mages when he suggests they go back to the library.
With a minor incantation, he summons a tea set and some sandwiches he made a few days ago then forgot to eat. Considering he doesn't actually like eating anything except raw meat and the occasional red wine, he has quite a few of these pre-made meals in his various dimensions. Thankfully the null-spaces he uses for storage completely stops time, so the food is as fresh as if he just made it. A part of him is only chiding himself since he still makes the meals despite rarely eating them. Still, one never knows when one will have mortal guests visiting one, it is best to always be prepared.
Such as, for example, now.
The boy is understandably hesitant and doesn't move to touch the food and drink Jason provides for him until Jason reassures him again that he set it out for the boy.
Then the boy eats the food in quick, economic bites which are still somehow neat. Jason notes that the boy doesn't let the spoon of his tea make so much as a tiny tinkling sound. Someone had ruthlessly trained him in manners even if it is clear by his slight stature that he rarely got to use those manners.
A part of Jason is only focused on the much-more-serious scrying he plans to do when the boy goes to sleep tonight, because someone has done this boy a great deal of disservice, and Jason isn't in the habit of letting evil live.
But right now –
"Thank you for joining me and allowing me to tell you a little about myself while we enjoy this tea, Gerald. I always find myself a bit peckish in the afternoon, and I was once told by a very wise man, that difficult conversations are always easier when our bellies are full." Jason tells the boy who admittedly still looks a bit skittish but is obediently eating his sandwich just the same.
He must have been quite hungry.
Jason can't tell even a little bit if Gerald even likes prosciutto sandwiches. The boy makes no expressions of likes and dislikes, he simply eats like a child that hasn't had a reliable meal in too long.
"So, Gerald, I know you don't know many things about your…background, but I just have a few simple questions before we get started about my background, okay? But don't worry too much if you don't know the answer, because I am just trying to figure out how to explain some things to you, and knowing this information will help me know how best to explain, alright? I promise there are no right or wrong answers."
He tries to tone down Amos's effects as much as he can, and gives the boy an encouraging smile. The boy returns it shyly.
"Do you happen to know if your family was religious by any chance? Did they believe in Jesus Christ or Muhammed or Buddha or any such religious figures? Did you ever hear about them talk about any of these names, Gerald? It is only, you mentioned being in a church, so I thought to ask."
The boy is clearly thinking about it, because he even puts his sandwich down, though Jason notices he doesn't let go of it entirely.
"No Mr. Jason. Dudley asked them once about the first name you said, because one of his friends was going somewhere for Christmas and invited him also but both of my relatives got angry and forbid Dudley from associating with 'people who believe in make-belief people.'." Gerald tells him somewhat tentatively as if still unsure if he will get in trouble, so Jason smiles at him encouragingly.
"That is a relief, to be perfectly honest. Your relatives, while clearly often wrong, were not necessarily wrong about this. People who are religious can indeed be dangerous. Gods in general are dangerous and most of them do not have your best interest at heart but their own, please remember that."
The boy's eyes go round, and he nods, a little jerkily. Clearly frightened now that both his relatives and Jason are saying the same thing.
"Oh, not all of them are bad people, Gerald. It is just that… Gods are big, and we are small, and they can easily hurt us without meaning to. Also, people have done many evil and good things in the name of religion, so I always advise caution…" Jason trails off because while the boy clearly understands him, there is also clearly confusion insider him, but the child isn't asking any questions.
… probably because Jason told him this talk will be about Jason, not Gerald himself.
Jason yet again reminds himself that it has been some few hundred years since he has been around a child this young, and to give himself time to remember all the things one needs in order to… get anywhere.
"It is also good that you are not religious, because when I start to explain my situation, you might be inclined to think of the Christian stories because the names of the being are the same but I promise we aren't talking about anything to do with Christianity…"
Gerald gives him a confused look, and Jason wants to smack himself because Gerald is 5, not 15.
Alright, new tactic.
"Gerald, do you remember me telling you that I am actually quite old?" Jason asks the boy gently.
When Gerald nods eagerly, Jason takes a deep breath. Gerald might not know anything about Christianity, but he clearly knows how to read body language because he tenses instinctively, feeling Jason's tension.
"I am actually very old. I am not really sure of my exact age any more, but I am around 900 years old at least."
Gerald's eyes get comically round at that, and Jason distractedly notes just how very green the boy's eyes are.
Witch-green, Merlin would have said.
"You see, a long, long time ago, I was a knight. King Arthur's knight if I am being exact. I had my knight brothers, and our King and we were happy. Then, during one war, my luck ran out and I was very nearly killed."
Gerald sucks in a breath loudly enough to be heard, and Jason actually pauses, but when he doesn't say anything, Jason continues:
"My magic saved me and healed me, but many of my brothers had seen me get injured and were convinced I was dead. When I came back to the castle, many though I was a ghoul – an undead creature which are usually quite evil and, so, naturally, they immediately tried to kill me again to 'save' me. It took a lot of talking from my teacher and my King for them to be convinced I was never actually dead, but they never looked at me the same again. My magic had frightened them, you see, and they could not ignore that I was different from them. Christian beliefs played some part in this, but not all, as some of my brothers were staunch Pegans who believed in the Old Gods, and were even more afraid of me because of it."
"So, I lost my brothers and their brotherhood, and over time, I grew very lonely, cold and bitter inside. But then, I fell in love with a woman, and she was not very nice, but at the time, I could not see that she did not love me the way I loved her. Desperation will make you overlook many flaws in people, remember that, Gerald."
The boys' eyes never really got smaller, but he nods firmly just the same.
"I did not realize it, but the woman was the enemy of my King. She decided to overthrow him, so she could make her own son king, and she did this by doing some very evil magic on me."
Here Jason has to take a breath, because even 900 years later, talking about this was still hard.
"She defiled my body, and bound my soul to a demon."
Jason expects the child to run at hearing this, but the boy just sits there, sandwich still stubbornly clutched in his right hand, his whole tiny body radiating attention.
Alright then. Jason nods to himself and continues, "The demon inside my soul is not one of the ones you hear about from the Christian myths. Though it is true that their nature is generally far from good." He tries to explain even though the boy is clearly too young to understand the various nuances Jason is trying to explain.
"She had planned for the demon to kill me, and take over my body so she could bind him to serve her. As you can imagine, neither the demon nor I were terribly happy with this plan, and we agreed to work together to defeat her, and try to find a way to separate from one another later."
"In the end, we did defeat her, but while we looked for many years, we could not find a solution for our shared soul or how to separate. We, of course, did not come to a peaceful co-existence for some years, and for the first while, all I could think about was how to get Etrigan – that is the demon' name by the way – out of my body." Taking a deep breath, because this next part wasn't any easier.
"While we searched, we found ourselves doing more and more evil things in order to get any leads on how we might get our own lives back… it was a very dark time. During our waring with one another, maybe because we are both quite powerful, we accidentally created another being whom we call Amos." If the child had any common sense, he would really be running for the hills now, but he still just looks like his full attention is on the story. Jason cynically reminded himself that the boy had nowhere else to go after all.
"Amos did not communicate with us for centuries, and even now rarely choses to. But Amos is a being of pure shadow, you see, and this is magic we suddenly found ourselves wielding because Amos allowed us the use of his abilities even when he chose not to communicate with us. Amos did not have a sense of self until we finally managed to communicate with him, and like you, we gave him a name. Amos means borne by God. Etrigan named him, because Etrigan is the child of the All-Mother Goddess, and an occasional romantic, while neither Amos nor I have a God or Goddess we follow. In all the multiverse, I have never come across a being which did not in some way come from the All-Mother… except for Amos, which is likely why Etrigan named him that. Whichever God created Amos, we have never met or heard of them, but we do think some incredible power did create him."
Saying this, Jason allowed a strand of shadow to dance on his palm like a toy, and the boy's eyes lit up. Even the smallest magics excites the child and Jason can't really fault him for that.
"However, because of the spells cast on me by the woman I loved, which polluted my body, and because of Amos, and the many dark rituals we did in order to try and separate, both myself and Etrigan are cursed, and you may or may not have noticed, we give off a creepy and rather scary aura around us which make most mortals want to run away even if they don't know why they want to do this."
Jason peered at the child, privately wondering why he defied all convention and didn't want to run away.
"Because of these curses, we cannot be touched skin-to-skin, otherwise no matter how brave you are, you will try to run away because I will feel that wrong to you." Jason tries to make this sound gentle but the boy still looks completely horrified. Jason can understand, if the boy has changed his mind and wants to leave, Jason can try to find him a good –
"No one can touch you? At all?" Gerald sounds so sad and horrified on his behalf that Jason's inner planning stops in their tracks rather abruptly.
"No. They cannot. Unless they share blood with me, I will always feel very wrong to everything living." With the exception of a death mage or two, but those he often murders so…
However, he clearly hasn't expressed himself correctly because the boy paradoxically relaxes. Jason gives him a questioning eyebrow, and the boy blushes and shrugs a little.
"Can still be touched, just need blood, right? That's not such a big deal."
Jason almost wants to coo, because the child is 5 and doesn't understand.
"Yes, but anyone who shares blood with me, with take on my corruption. Their soul will literally be tainted."
Gerald cocks his head to the side a little as if thinking.
Jason waits him out.
"What does that mean?" the child asks tentatively.
Smart of the child to want to know the consequences, at least.
"It means your soul, when you die, will not be able to move on before it is cleansed. If you cannot get it cleansed by the All-Mother or another equally powerful deity, you might not be able to incarnate. Thankfully because Etrigan is the All-Mother's child, in the past, he has petitioned Her to cleanse any of the students and friends we have made who did chose to share blood with us when it was their time to pass."
Explaining things in this way makes Jason feel a twinge of guilt, because Gerald is 5 years old. There is little chance he could understand the consequences.
Not really.
Predictably, the child shrugs, as if this is not a concern of his.
Jason takes a breath he doesn't actually need, because he knows he won't be able to explain things to any degree of –
"I get it. You were a knight, they rejected you like they rejected me for being a freak. Then they betrayed you. You got cursed, its why you feel a little scary, but you are still a good person otherwise you wouldn't have taken me in, given me a bedroom of my own, and clothes and food. If I give you my blood, I will be cur – curup – currpuptioned but you can clean me if I ask you to, right?"
Jason blinks at him, because that… was actually rather accurate. The child still doesn't know what corruption means of course but –
"Corruption. Pronounced Cur-Up-tion." He murmurs, and decides to try another tactic, "If we shared blood one day, you will be able to touch me, but you will also take on some of my aura, and many people will find you scary. Are you willing for that to happen?" Jason asked the child gently, because at 5, there are few things a child would care about. Ones immortal soul not being one of those things.
Gerald gets a contemplative look on his face, and then asks innocently, "If I felt scarier, then people like Dudley won't beat me up any more, right?"
Well.
Jason couldn't exactly argue that.
"But you will have a much harder time making friends. Don't you want friends, Gerald?"
The boy looks at him then, and Jason has a moment to marvel again just how green the child's eyes are behind those awful glasses.
"Don't know. Never had any." Gerald tells him, a little wistfully and Jason can feel his smile freeze a little, then, "But now we are both freaks, so maybe we could be friends?" the boy asks him tentatively.
Jason stops himself from cooing instinctively again. Then stops himself from wrapping the boy up in shadows until every part of him knows he is safe and protected. Then stops himself from immediately going to find the child's caretakers and letting Etrigan eat them.
Instead, he smiles at the boy and says, "Well, since we will be living together, I think it's best if we are friends, don't you think? Friends take care of each other after all. But Gerald, whoever taught you that word – yes the freak word – was a very bad person who lied to you. I want you to work hard to forget you ever heard that word and never use it in reference to yourself again, can you do that for me? You are most definitely not a freak. What you are, is a magical child with great potential. Which brings us to the next part of our talk." Jason gives Gerald a serious look, trying to stress the importance of never thinking of himself in those terms again. Gerald's eyes are wide again but he is nodding, so that is at least something.
"You have magic, and by the looks of it, quite a lot of it. But because you are a child, this magic is still growing inside you. This usually means you will struggle to control it, and usually this magic will come out when you are especially distressed – upset that is – or very excited. So, since we are friends, and you will be living here with me, how do you feel about me teaching you how to control your magic, so it won't do things you don't want it to do?"
The child tenses all over, and Jason is just about ready to backpaddle at speed when he says, "You – would do that? Not only take me in but even teach me?"
Jason catches himself blurting, "Honestly? Nothing would give me greater pleasure if I am honest." And has a moment to want to feel ashamed at his own neediness but –
"…When can we share blood? Can we do it now?" Gerald asks him, which is not what Jason was expecting, and it derails him for a second, and really, he needs to be the responsible adult here, even if a part of him really is already thinking yesyesyesyes.
"I think maybe we should wait a bit and talk some more. I would very much like to know if that is your way of agreeing to learn from me, for one?" Jason asks him, his amusement clear in his voice even to himself.
Gerald nods, rather firmly. No doubt at all in his bright green eyes that Jason can see. No hesitation.
Jason spends another moment wishing to murder his guardians because where the hell did he come from that someone like Jason is a clearly preferable choice, demon and corruption and all.
"Okay. We can wait to share blood." Gerald says, sounding like he is humoring Jason by agreeing to wait.
He has to take a mental breath inside himself because this child –
"Alright then. So you are willing to learn from me, that makes me very happy. Teaching is one of the things I absolutely love doing, so you will be making me very happy if you learn and learn well. Now then, since I am not sure what kind of magic you have, maybe you can tell me if you ever remember doing anything unusual? That will help me figure out what kind of magic you were born with, and that in turn, will help me figure out how to best teach you." And why you aren't afraid of me. Jason doesn't say, yet.
Here Gerald looks down, as if thinking about feeling shame, but then seems to come to some kind of conclusion and looks right back up at Jason again, "I only know of one, well no, three things, that I can remember. My relatives said I was a – that bad word you said I shouldn't use but until today I don't think I ever did anything magical that I could remember…" Gerald says, clearly thinking back as hard as he can, "You already saw the wish the church made come true, and the um, Tinkerbell dust? The only other thing was my hair. That I can remember. That was why they… kicked me out."
Jason has a moment to blink, because what was Tinkerbell dust? The binding magic which the boy manifested earlier? What was a Tinkerbell? He will have to do some research. But –
"Your hair?" He asks, trying to sound as gently curious as possible since it was clearly a painful subject, which resulted in him getting kicked out of the place he was previously living.
"Yeah… I… my aunt – I mean, Mrs. Petunia – she cut my hair yesterday, and it was really… ugly. When I went back to my cupboard to sleep, I couldn't help crying and wishing it never happened. Thankfully my cupboard is on the first floor, under the stairs so they couldn't hear me crying or I would have been in trouble anyway even though I was trying to be quiet. Then this morning, when she unlocked the door of my cupboard to let me out to cook, she took one look at me and… well, my hair grew back out overnight. That's why she threw me out in front of the church and told me I was no longer welcome in their home."
Gerald says all of this looking down so he thankfully doesn't see the literal hellfire in Jason's eyes since his temper gets away from him. He is pretty sure Gerald isn't aware how much information he just gave away – his cupboard? Locked in and let out to cook? – but now he has a name, and a relation. If he does get Gerald's blood, he could easily track the family down and… well. It is obvious they knew the child might have magic despite Gerald saying he doesn't remember every doing any till today, which means they knew of the child's parents having magic, or at least one of his parents having it.
For once, Etrigan is in full agreement that they do in fact plan to interrogate these people, and then likely… make a very large mess.
He will, of course, not tell Gerald any of this.
At least, not for some time. He is a true innocent after all.
"So you grew your hair back, made a magical binding manifest around yourself – the Tinkerbell dust you called it – you made a wish which came true and brought you to me. Is that correct?" Jason asks him, making it sound as normal as possible, while still wondering what kind of creature a Tinkerbell is.
Gerald thinks about it, and then nods tentatively. "You think the wish was me? Not the church granting a miracle?"
"Oh no, it was most definitely you. Magic heard you, and as I mentioned, brought you to me, for which I have to admit, I am very grateful. It is clear to me that the place you were living before was not suitable for you, at all."
Gerald gets a thoughtful look on his face but nods after a moment.
"I have to say, that is rather impressive." Jason tells him, sounding as encouraging as he can. When the boy looks up at him curiously, he says, "You not only managed to grow your hair fully out – I assume this was the length it was before – Mrs. Petunia did you say? – cut it, but you then also managed to transport yourself from likely quite a bit of distance, through my very powerful wards – that's like a door lock – and then you also managed to accept a new name to be a True Name for yourself, all in one day. That tells me you are incredibly powerful. You still feel alright? Not dizzy or feeling wobbly are you?" Jason asks, now letting some concern bleed into his voice, since the child is clearly not used to anyone checking up on him, "Maybe eat some more of that sandwich, you must be hungry after using so much power after all."
Gerald immediately takes another bite, which is what Jason was hoping for and doesn't try to speak till he has chewed and swallowed but then says, "So thats… a good thing? Yes, Mrs. Petunia, Petunia Dudley and she cut it almost to my scalp, I looked bald! It was horrible." The boy takes another bite while making a face clearly at the memory and not the sandwich, and then says thoughtfully, "I did… feel a little dizzy when I first arrived, and my legs were a little… like I was going to fall down, but I feel better after the shower." Then looking down at his sandwich he asks innocently, "So using magic means I have to eat a lot?" he actually sounds a little worried about it.
That won't do.
"Yes, and I do hope you eat as much as you can, as often as you can, because you are still growing and your magic will need a lot of fuel to develop. You don't have to worry about getting fat either, since magic burns off most of the extra energy, which is why it is actually quite challenging for people with magic to become very fat. You really have to put effort into it, I am told." Gerald still looked unsure and worried, so Jason thinks to offer, "You remember me telling you that I am cursed due to the many magics performed on me?" When Gerald nods, Jason tells him, "One of the down sides of this, and being bound to Etrigan and Amos, is that I really only eat raw meat and drink red wine. But I also really enjoy making food and having people eat my food, so you see, you would be doing me a pretty big favor if you ate often and especially when you were hungry because I would feel less… strange, that way also."
Gerald's eyes widen at that, and he quickly put the rest of the sandwich into his mouth and began to chew. Jason has a moment to feel a little bad about the manipulation, but it is clear the child is skin and bones and looks more like a 4-year-old than a 5-year-old in height.
One more thing Jason adds to the tally of the child's 'relatives', and now, he has a name.
Jason makes sure to smile at Gerald very widely watching him eat, letting himself look indulgent even since Gerald keeps shooting him little glances as if checking Jason wasn't having him on.
Jason must have been convincing, because Gerald relaxes more and starts eating with gusto, and starts showing expressions of enjoyment for the first time.
Jason pats himself on the back for managing to be convincing.
"Do you like this kind of sandwich? I like making many different kinds of food, but because I don't eat it, I can never really tell what someone will enjoy. If you don't mind terribly, please do let me feed you different kinds of food, and then tell me which ones you enjoy the most and why? And of course, which ones you don't enjoy at all. That will help me improve in my skills and that would make me very happy indeed." If this kind of small manipulation will allow Gerald to relax and eat his fill, then Jason admits he is hard pressed to feel guilty for it.
Gerald glances at him, it is clear the boy is no idiot, but Jason makes sure to only look earnest, and the boy lets him get away with it by saying, "I like this. It is salty and tastes… buttery. Rich. I've never had anything like it before."
"Oh good! You like prosciutto then. It is a kind of Italian cured ham. I eat it sometimes because it is still raw."
Gerald's eyes widen and he looks at his innocent sandwich with surprise.
"Doesn't taste raw, does it?" Jason asks him with amusement.
The boy shakes his head no, but then takes another bite, as if to convince himself.
"Not all things are as they look, my Gerald." Jason tells the boy while belatedly berating himself for trying to claim the boy already. Then immediately stops that because the boy's face had flushes, clearly in pleasure.
Unwanted.
Right.
Revising a few of his thoughts about not being too grasping, Jason makes a mental note to claim the boy as often as possible, least the child develops a shadow in his heart for being unwanted, from his idiot relatives throwing him away like so much trash.
"Gerald, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind if I take a drop of your blood, so I can try and learn more about you with my magic. Normally, I would never ask for it, and you should never give your blood to anyone whom you don't trust and even those you trust you should think twice about it, but I think in this case, I can only promise you I will only use it to track down information about you which will help us learn how best to train you. Would that be alright?"
Gerald doesn't even hesitate all that much, because he is 5 and trusting and Jason has another moment to feel his own manipulations, but he really does wants to find Gerald's relatives to interrogate them and for that he needs the boy's blood.
It is over in a moment, since he pricks the boy's finger with a shadow, but before he can heal it, the boy simply puts the wounded finger in his mouth and sucks on it. Surprisingly, when he pulls it out, the wound is almost entirely healed. It seems the boys magic is used to instinctively channeling itself towards healing. Which can only mean it had the opportunity to make it a learned behavior due to multiple injuries – and Jason has to work a just a bit to not let the literal hellfire show in his eyes, again!
"Thank you for that. I promise to treasure it." The boy's face quirks a bit in confusion but he doesn't yet understand what it means to willingly give blood to a blood mage of Jason's power.
It is a very good thing Jason has rediscovered his morals from those dark, dark days, else Gerald would very much be an enslaved little boy.
"I was thinking, that tomorrow we can go and buy you some necessary items like clothes and the like, as well as some food you enjoy eating. Perhaps some decorations for your new room. Do you think you would like that? Remember, you would be doing me a favor, as I truly enjoy doing these things and have not had the opportunity to do it much for a long time."
Oh, that is definitely Gerald's skeptical face, but after a moment, the boy tentatively nods and smiles, even though his eyes tell Jason he knows exactly what Jason is doing and it simply allowing it.
Well. Perhaps he too needs something to believe in.
"Excellent! Now, how about we get you to bed, as it is rather late, and then tomorrow, we could have an adventure, you and I." Jason doesn't let his enthusiasm drop even a little from his voice, and Gerald finally relaxes, nodding shyly at him.
The boy still hesitates to speak much, but Jason thinks in time, he will open up more. He is 5 after all, and 5-year-olds are rather a developing lot.
Jason can hope in any case.
With Gerald sleeping soundly in his room, and about 3 dozen shadows guarding in-and-around said room, Jason feels comfortable enough to draw out the drop of blood Gerald has given him, using his scrying bowl to pinpoint where the boy came from, and open a portal to where it is directing him.
He steps out into a surprisingly quaint suburban neighborhood and within moments, he is standing in front of the house marked #4.
With a shadow, the front door is unlocked and he steps inside.
The house owner clearly has very little taste, as far as Jason can tell of these things anyway, because there are floral patterns in pink and salmon absolutely everywhere. The blood pulses a little in his palm towards a door under the stairs, and Jason can feel both his and Etrigan's expression darken.
The 'cupboard under the stairs'.
It has a deadbolt on the outside, no doubt this is what Gerald meant when he said they lock him in.
Looking inside is a mistake, because he is a little worried, he might set the house on fire before he can find the … creatures responsible for keeping a 5 year old in a place that small and filthy. Even his birth father's squire slept in better conditions than that.
The blood then leads him upstairs.
He finds an obese child snoring on a bed in a large bedroom, toys and things thrown haphazardly everywhere.
Another bedroom is empty.
Jason doesn't know if another family member lives with them, but Gerald only ever mentioned three, so he doesn't think so.
They had the room. They still kept the child in a cupboard instead.
Jason feels his smile take on an entirely Etrigan-ish expression all on its own.
The last bedroom has the creatures he is looking for. A man even more obese than the child, snoring like a bellows, and a thin, horse-faced woman sleeping with a wheeze.
Jason smiles, and closes the bedroom door after casting a silencing charm.
No need to wake the neighbors after all.
When he returns home, his shadows let him know Gerald has never so much as stirred.
Reassured, he goes to the bedroom he has designated as his own.
Inside, he doesn't so much as pause by the never-used bed, but goes straight to the door on the opposite side and spends a bit of time removing the various layered wards and traps he habitually places on this door.
Once unlocked, he goes to the far wall, which is covered in shelves with various baubles and bottles sitting on them. Carefully, he opens the portal he has kept his new… prize and takes out a perfectly round glass-sphere with no openings. Inside, the trapped souls of Petunia and Vernon Dursley howl back at him in pain and terror.
He spends a moment listening to their tortured screams, letting himself sigh in pleasure.
Hundreds of years of life has developed some rather perverse and twisted habits but this was one he rarely felt bad about.
Mercy to one's enemies is cruelty to oneself.
While the Dursley's aren't his enemies per-se, they are child abusers. And more importantly, they had chosen to abuse his charge.
Granted, when they did this, Gerald was not yet his, but that is not so important to Jason as are the facts, and Jason… Jason was a knight, not a saint.
Gerald will not learn of what Jason has chosen to do to his former relatives, of course. He is far too kind and it would hurt him to know it, at least for now, but Jason… well.
He can also argue that they can continue to provide him with further information regarding Gerald.
Harry.
Harry Potter to be exact.
What a terribly mundane last name.
Though, perhaps never again. He is Gerald now, as per his own magic. He has forsaken whatever else he was before to become Jason's… Gerald.
A child of magic.
After a very little bit of… convincing, the Dursley's have hastily provided him all the information he wanted. The child did come from two magical parents. Both of whom were killed by a Dark Lord with a frankly asinine and melodramatic name of Voldemort and his Death Eater followers. Petunia was the sister of the mother – Jason always knew that family didn't mean loyalty but Petunia had a level of jealous hate for her sister which was rather impressive – and admitted that her 'perfect' sister spoke about her magic school – a school that had rejected Petunia herself, thereby causing a lifetime of bitterness in the woman – and the race-war which had been brewing. Petunia couldn't tell him more, though her soul valiantly tried, because she had cut all contact with her sister as soon as her parents had died and they lost contact until she found Gerald at her door in a basket, in early November, with only a letter.
Fingering said letter, Jason mused that he now had another name he might be adding to his… glass menagerie.
One Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts.
And wasn't that a shock.
Perhaps Treville had been right to chide him that he should spend more time in this world, with all of its wonders, rather than fighting demons on other worlds.
Seems he has missed out on quite a lot.
An entire magical community, with a school, in which hundreds of children learn magic openly!
Petunia herself hadn't wanted to divulge this information, but her soul willingly gave up the bit of memory she had of her parents taking Lily, to a street in London. Her memory was hazy, but not so much that Jason couldn't extract it from her. The fact that the extraction hurt abominably was just a bonus.
These people called themselves Witches and Wizards openly, and a part of Jason only wonders what Merlin would have thought about all of this. The old bastard hoarded knowledge and rarely shared. Jason couldn't imagine him being happy there was now a school where they taught every kind of magical equally without even indentured servitude as payback.
He knew of other communities around the globe of course, but only of a few, and he hadn't realized his own native land has progressed so much.
Jason knows one thing however. 'School' means books, and books means knowledge and a place to procure them.
It was time for a number of shopping trips it seems.
Gerald wakes up from the best sleep he has ever, ever, ever had!
He had no nightmares at all.
He thinks this might be because Mr. Jason left a bunch of his shadows to guard him, and told him nothing could so much as get close to him to hurt him so long as they kept watch!
At first, Gerald was a little afraid of them, but a few of them seemed curious about him, and came onto his bed kind of like Mrs. Figgs cats sometimes did when he sat on the couch with her. The Shadows rubbed up against his hand too, same as Mrs. Figgs cats did!
They were also super soft and wound themselves around his fingers whenever he wiggled them a bit. After a while, Gerald forgot to be afraid, and just spend a while playing with them. They would play-jump on his fingers if he wiggled them just so. He fell asleep shortly after, with the shadows draped around his arm and his hand securely wrapped around one of them.
This morning when he woke up, even though the curtains were open, the shadow around his hand and arm was still there, and only slipped away when they were sure he was sitting up.
Gerald has never had a pet, but he thinks this might be why Mrs. Figgs loves her cats so much, if they made her feel this safe at night.
He brushes his teeth with his cool wooden brush, and even though the toothpaste tastes a bit weird, it still cleans his teeth pretty good.
Gerald then spends a few minutes trying to comb his hair down in vain – he really might try to grow it out if Mr. Jason says it's okay – and after a few minutes gives up as he knows it's a lost cause.
He puts the same clothes he wore yesterday on, he had been careful to put them across the chair, so they wouldn't wrinkle too badly and he thinks they look alright on him. It is still pretty early judging by the weak light coming through the window, but Gerald is used to getting up early, so he slips his sneakers on and pads his way to the library. Surely Mr. Jason isn't awake yet –
But he is! As soon as Gerald turns the knob of the door, he realizes Mr. Jason is reading a book. Then, Gerald notices the shadows wrapped around Mr. Jason's hand and realizes they must have come to tell Mr. Jason he was coming. He hopes they didn't wake him!
"You are up early." Is all Mr. Jason says however, and gives him a smile.
Gerald has never had anyone smile at him as much as Mr. Jason has. As if he is always happy to see Gerald.
"I am sorry, I wasn't sure where the kitchen was." Gerald offers, since he isn't sure when Mr. Jason wakes up, but he needs to get up earlier if he is to have breakfast ready in time!
"I will show you, but there isn't any food in there as of yet. We will need to go shopping for it today I am afraid, as I don't eat very often, and the last food I bought, I already made ready and stored it all away. Here, let us see what I have, shall we? Take a seat."
Saying that, Mr. Jason pulls out a glass of… milk? Gerald thinks it's milk. He hasn't had it since he was a baby but he remembers loving it. He was only allowed water for as long as he can remember, with the occasional orange juice once every 2 weeks.
Then Mr. Jason pulls out another a bowl with a kind of stew in it.
It smells really good.
"I know it is a bit heavy for breakfast, but since you did use a lot of magic yesterday, I thought maybe you would be hungrier than normal."
Now that Mr. Jason says this, Gerald realizes he is rather hungry!
Gerald has a moment of spiked panic, since hungry means eating which normally is a problem, but then remembers how sincere Mr. Jason was that he eats as much as he wants.
He has yet to test if Mr. Jason was lying, but so far, Mr. Jason hasn't lied about a single thing, so maybe it really is okay for him to eat when he is hungry? He will have to test this.
Mr. Jason simply hands him a spoon, and puts the bowl in front of him with a nice thick piece of bread, and Gerald can't think more about it because he is too focused on not moaning in pleasure when the rich strew is in his mouth.
Mr. Jason looks honestly pleased that he seems to like it, and Gerald allows himself to show it, just for a moment more, as a test. Mrs. Petunia never liked it when he enjoyed something and always took it away from him, so he taught himself to never show pleasure or displeasure about anything but Mr. Jason… is different. His eyes immediately warm when Gerald looks happy, so Gerald allows himself to relax a bit and just enjoy the stew.
His glass of milk is the tastiest thing he has ever drank in his life, and Gerald has no idea what kind of milk this is, but it tastes like the milkiest milk ever! Like it just came from a cow or something.
When he is almost done eating, and feeling fuller than he has for ages, Mr. Jason says, "I have some updates for you."
This has Gerald sitting up a bit, despite wanting to fall back asleep again from how full he feels, because… is that good? Bad?
"I learned a few things last night after you went to sleep, so I thought I'd share them with you. First, both your parents were magical. They were a Witch and a Wizard, and their name was Lily and James. They did not abandon you, but were killed by a bad wizard in a war. They did not, as Petunia told you, die in a car crash because they were drunk. I have checked and rechecked this, and I am sure of this information being accurate."
Gerald can feel his eyes widen because… really? His… parents. They had names. Lily and James. And they were magicals? Mr. Jason says they fought a bad man and …he killed them! Why would he kill them? Gerald doesn't understand. Why would his aun—Mrs. Petunia lie to him like that?!
"There is more, but I think for now, I will let you process this first. You no doubt are going to feel angry, and confused. I want you to know that feeling that is perfectly normal and you should expect –"
Gerald is having some trouble hearing Mr. Jason because there is a loud ringing in his ears and –
Suddenly, the empty glass which previously held his milk explodes!
Gerald is so surprised, he flinches.
That's when he realizes a piece of flying glass must have nicked him and his hand is bleeding.
"Oh dear. Yes that. You should expect that to happen when you feel a sudden burst of anger or fear. Here, let me see please." Saying that, Mr. Jason gently picks up his hand, and examines the wound. Gerald is still so surprised he lets Mr. Jason look over his hand. Gerald can see it isn't very deep, but Mr. Jason does … something, and suddenly the blood that was about to drip down his wrist just…stops.
"I can heal that, but it will feel a bit… horrible, as my healing isn't very pleasant, I am afraid."
Gerald doesn't really care if it hurts – everything always hurts – but he really wants to apologize because he thinks he broke that glass but he doesn't know how. Saying sorry to the Dursley's never made anything better. He wonders for a moment if the healing is meant to be a punishment, but Mr. Jason looks so apologetic to have to do it, that Gerald honestly doesn't think so. So instead, he just nods and extends his hand.
"Alright. First, I am sorry this will hurt a bit. But secondly, as I said yesterday, and this is very important, never ever give your blood away to anyone you don't trust with your life, and even then with some very serious caution, alright?"
Gerald nods, then thinks to say, "Since I am already bleeding, can we share blood now? It seems a shame to waste it."
He makes sure to keep his expression sincere when Jason Looks at him, clearly not buying his excuse but… Gerald wants this done. He wants the… sense of security it would come with sharing blood with someone like Mr. Jason, who was very strong, and seems to like Gerald.
He shakes his head at himself mentally, and focuses on the man in front of him, saying, "It would be a shame," since that's still true, he would rather not bleed often. "…unless you don't want me that close to you?"
He thinks Mr. Jason won't buy that at all, but instead the man's eyes widen and Gerald has a moment to think, 'Oh. He does.' – before Mr. Jason is gently lifting his hand to his mouth, but his eyes are intense and not letting go of Gerald's.
"Are you sure, child?" Mr. Jason asks just as Gerald thinks he would suck on Gerald's bleeding hand.
Gerald kind of wants to roll his eyes, but he also doesn't, since this is serious, like making a pact to accept each other as they are…
Gerald really wants that.
"Yes. I am. Unless… you don't want me?" Gerald doesn't really need to fake the fear in his voice because –
"Do you understand that I am a blood witch? I will gain information about you – your life, your memories – without you sharing them with me? I will be able to see your entire life if I go looking. And Gerald, I will go looking."
Gerald has a large spike of fear that doesn't quite go away, but he still finds it in himself to nod, he still wants this connection… this chance for himself. Even if it terrifies him.
Mr. Jason closes his eyes, and suddenly there is a growl that comes out of every corner of the room. It makes Gerald tense, but he thinks he understands…
Mr. Jason is bigger than … than his human look.
Demon, he said.
Internally, Gerald can feel a shiver – that creepy aura around Mr. Jason is intensifying – but so is Gerald's anticipation to have someone – someone just for him, someone Magic chose for him. There was never any chance in Gerald not trying for this with all of himself, no matter how scary Mr. Jason felt.
He wasn't that scary to Gerald anyway, instead, Gerald simply thought of him as 'someone scary who would be on my side' which greatly reduces Gerald's instinctive shiver.
Gerald smiled at the still intensely focused Mr. Jason, which seemed to spur Mr. Jason on as the last permission he needed to gently … lick up Gerald's still slowly flowing blood.
His eyes, turn completely red, and Gerald has a moment to want to fight him, and get away as he instinctively knows there is a deadly predator licking up his blood and holding on to him –
But then he remembers his wish, and relaxes into the feeling of wrongwrongwrong –
And right away, the wrong turns to just a tongue licking his wrist –
Then a voice in his head says, 'Your responses are fascinating.'
He gives himself a moment to understand what's happening, then to go over – at speed – all the things Mr. Jason warned him about, then he takes a breath and says, 'Are they?'
'Mmhm, you really need to tell me how you managed to not try to run from me but for barely a moment. Do I not scare you?'
Gerald isn't sure he understands him, and send him a sense of confusion, but then says, out loud this time, as the licking seems to be slowing down, "Do you mean, are you scary? Yes, of course you are." Gerald tells him honestly. He… doesn't think this is a secret, since Mr. Jason already spent all of yesterday and today warning him.
'Yet you are not afraid.' Mr. Jason tells him as he pulls away, and licks the wound closed.
Gerald cocks his head, "…are you not on my side?" he asks, a bit bewildered now.
'….I am.'
Gerald sends Mr. Jason a sense of frustrated confusion, which more or less meant: then? What's the problem?
Gerald shakes his head, then looks back at Mr. Jason, "and I hope you will offer your blood to me too, since you said, 'shared blood' so can't just be me."
That is clearly the right thing to say as Mr. Jason does look a little shifty afterwards, but sighs and simply slits his wrist so fast Gerald doesn't even have a moment to be startled, and offers it to Gerald.
Gerald isn't very fond of the taste of blood in his mouth, but he figures it isn't going to be bad, and leans down to drink his fill – except as soon as he does, he – makes a very embarrassing noise of pleasure and maybepossibly he also grabs Mr. Jason's arm and sucks it as hard as he can.
He can't help it!
It tases like copper and electricity and Power to Gerald and he can't get enough!
His ears are ringing from pleasure but he thinks he feels Mr. Jason sigh after gently trying to pry him off and him refusing to so much as let up a little bit…
He doesn't know how long this goes on for. He only knows the pleasure, the power and the electricity.
And copper.
So much copper.
'You will make yourself sick…' but Mr. Jason doesn't physically try to stop him again.
He doesn't know why he says it but he does, 'You won't leave me that weak.' He says it with conviction, and feels Mr. Jason suddenly all over him. He grabs on to the feeling of Mr. Jason above him covering his whole world and he yanks him down, into himself. He has no idea why he is doing it, but some instinct guides him, and he knows it is the right thing to do.
Suddenly he can't move, even a little. He can't even drink more of the blood.
He thinks about panicking, but Mr. Jason won't hurt him. He knows somehow inside himself that this is true. So instead he relaxes all over.
He always somehow knew that this new path After The Church wouldn't be easy, and he knows now that he needs to be brave.
Gerald might not be a knight for real, but he has always been brave.
He lies back inside himself and allows Mr. Jason fully in.
The child is 5.
The child is 5.
The child is 5 and cannot even give proper consent!
Etrigan laughs at him.
He doesn't say anything in reply because of course Etrigan is right.
But the child is 5!
He offers so freely. He has no idea what he is doing.
Gerald's magic is allowing Jason entrance, and Jason knows Gerald is doing it on purpose.
Before Jason can figure out a gentle, delicate way to avoid basically binding this 5-year-old to himself –Gerald's impatient magic grabs on to Jason's and because they shared blood already, quite a bit of it in fact, Gerald can, he yanks.
Jason is a little ashamed to say he honestly doesn't see it coming and doesn't get a chance to react till he is already metaphorically splashing against Harry Potter aka Gerald's mind.
Before Jason can even assess what he is seeing, Gerald, like an eager puppy wanting to show his affections, throws himself on top of a Jason who is already waist-deep in Gerald-essence.
A lot like a large wave at the beach actually.
As he is practically assaulted with image-after-image of Gerald's early life, he notices – very belatedly for him – that a part of Gerald's magic is also roaming around through Jason's early memories. It is thankfully only skipping along, not really exploring them in any dept, more like he is figuring out how many memories could be accumulated in 900 years… oh bollocks.
Jason quickly finds the child's mind, and throws over a protection so he doesn't lose his sanity trying to process so many of Jason's memories as a child of only 5.
Gerald feels him doing it, turns inside their new soul-space to ask, then gets hazy-eyed and says, 'thank you.'
Jason reminds himself that he rarely gets unlucky to have stupid students.
Then reminds himself that's not unlucky.
Then says, 'you are most welcome.'
'So, a lot goes on up there from moment to moment, huh?' Gerald asks him, somewhat musingly. Geralds soul-avatar is poking at a scrying bowl of blood Jason plans to use later to track down Dumbledore. Jason discreetly moves it away from the boy's poking finger, and says, 'Usually. Comes with being old I guess.'
Gerald's soul-avatar shakes its head, 'No, old people are usually slow. Mrs. Figgs often is.'
Jason thinks about asking him, but instead he simply ruffles through the boy's memories, knowing the child would feel him doing it, and maybe finally start to understand what giving blood to one such as Jason could do to a boy's independence.
Gerald watches him do it, and watches him find the image of an elderly lady who babysat him. She seems to have a penchant for cats as they are all over the image of the woman in the boy's memory.
Jason feels the boy watching, and thinks he knows what he will try next.
Sure enough, Gerald inexpertly tries to read one of Jason's memories and very nearly gets stuck inside a training session Jason had some few hundred years ago…
Jason gently yanks him out, and can't help noting that carrying Gerald's soul is a lot like trying to carry a cat which doesn't particularly want to be carried.
He allows the soul to ooze out of his hands, curious what it would do, and honestly, he shouldn't have been surprised – at all really – when Gerald dives right back into where Jason just fished him out of.
Jason sighs and goes after him –
Just to realize the child has somehow disappeared.
A sense of real worry shoots through him – Jason's mind is a not a safe place for a 5-year-old to be lost in, certainly – and he starts looking harder.
He spreads out his shadows throughout his mind, and nothing –
Where could he have gone?
Then Jason realizes his mistake.
He is looking at all the light places.
He has assumed.
He starts looking at the dark places instead.
He finds traces of Gerald immediately.
Jason has to blink a bit.
Somehow, the child has found the original memories of the event which led to Jason betraying his people and his King. When Morgana had him.
Jason feels a shiver go through him, because –
He hasn't felt Gerald access those memories, until he focused on him. If he couldn't see the traces of Gerald's magic all over the memory, he wouldn't dare believe it.
His new charge is a natural with soul magic.
Because of course he was.
Jason splits himself into a few dozen Selves and goes hunting, now curious how far the child will go without it scaring him out of Jason's soul.
A dozen hours go by, and nothing changes.
The child remains inside his soul. He would think Gerald is catatonic in fear, except he is still moving from memory to memory. His search seems to have some kind of logical flow. So far Jason has found trace elements of the child in memories of his own transformation and making, of Amos's making, of quite a few of the evil deeds he committed – this sends such a shiver down his spine he feels weak with it – some of the good, which is mostly dedicated towards his choice of students. Gerald seems to have… paused a long time at the memories of the few of the students who chose him as their lover… Jason does notice this, and wonders how a 5-year-old understands sex, and hopes it isn't too scaring for him. There was a lot of shifter-sex after all. He can anticipate needing to answer some critical questions soon. He also spends a lot of time watching Jason fight. With magic, without magic… all is viewed. Jason seriously worries he is permanently scarring the child with all the decapitations and dismemberment but…
Gerald comes out of it just fine.
Quiet.
But lucid.
Jason tries extremely hard to remain positive.
Gerald excuses himself, and Jason can feel confusion but mostly a sense of information overload. Even with Jason's help to protect his mind, Gerald did just learn more than a lifetime of information from Jason. More than a few lifetimes even if he picked and chose. Especially when it came to magic. Gerald might not yet understand the magic he saw Jason learn but Jason is pretty sure Gerald can pick up the basics of it with little trouble, now that he knows how it feels to cast it from the inside.
Jason sighs in understanding and not a little relief, and lets him be. Allowing him to sleep even though he just woken up a short time ago. He knows how intense his memories could be and Gerald is a small child. He must also remember that said child is also apparently part cat as he kept going in and out of memories without Jason being able to really sense him unless he focused on Gerald in particular using their blood-bond.
This does pose problems.
However, those problems are for tomorrow.
Today he has a Dumbledore to track down.
Finding Dumbledore is not hard, as it turns out, he is a bit of a public figure in the so-called Wizarding World.
As is apparently, Gerald's former self.
Jason was only a hundred when he learned to sniff out an orchestrated event.
His charge – his student – is someone famous, while he was also raised-then-abandoned by non-magical relatives. Yet the Wizarding World knows nothing of this 'arrangement' for then-still-Harry.
Yes, Jason smells a setup alright.
Albus Dumbledore turns out not to be hard to find, at all, as he lives in the school Petunia mentioned.
Also, he is in most of the books Gerald is in after all.
Jason shadowwalks into the man's office at quarter past 10 at night, and after a moment of looking around through his shadows, covers the rest of the office in his shadows, especially the moving paintings which Jason rightly assumes are some kind of sentinels. He settles in to wait for Dumbledore's wards to notify him Jason is here.
When Dumbledore walks in 8 minutes later, Jason has a moment to study him.
He immediately dislikes the man.
He reminds Jason too much of Merlin.
Before Dumbledore can pinpoint Jason's actual location, Jason sends his shadows to disarm him and bind him up tight, gagging his mouth, before he can try to summon help.
Walking up to the slightly-startled-and-only-now-starting-to-look-alarmed old man, Jason doesn't waste any time in speaking to him. He simply picks up Dumbledore's hand and cuts it open with a flick of a shadow, albeit none too gently.
Dumbledore lets out a muffled shout at suddenly being cut finger to wrist, and looks like he is thinking of resisting, somehow, but Jason doesn't give him the chance. He simply summons some of Dumbledore's blood and consumes it.
Immediately, Dumbledore freezes. Jason isn't sure if the man has ever met a blood witch or not, but ultimately doesn't much care.
Looking through Dumbledore's mind, is a decidedly unpleasant experience.
The man has done a lot of evil which he was never punished for. Which in turn, has fed into his ego and sense of self-importance. He is very clearly delusional while also rather powerful magically. Or he would have been if the Wizarding World didn't habitually hobble their magicals by insisting on them using wands and thereby limiting all the power they actually could have learned to wield.
When he reaches the memories of Harry Potter's parents, that's when Jason decides Dumbledore would be getting one of his special prisons which he keeps only the really problematic souls.
Dumbledore heard a prophecy, and because of that, marked the Potters as the Chosen. Tricked them into giving up an ancient artifact into Dumbledore's possession which could have saved them, convinced them to move under a fidelius he himself cast…
Jason feels his eyes narrow.
Digging deeper into the mortal's mind, Jason realizes that while Dumbledore clearly doesn't see himself as the Potter's traitor; instead, he 'saw it coming', helped things go a certain way, and then when they were killed, he considered it 'fated'. Giving Gerald to the Dursleys was so the boy could be made easier to control at a later date.
It all makes a kind of twisted sense to Jason now…
But Amos gets his attention. His shadows poke at a memory Dumbledore is desperately trying to protect from Jason's prying tentacles.
Jason easily swats the man's defenses – even though Dumbledore even attempts to get into Jason's mind – Jason wishes him luck since he has Dumbledore's blood he won't get far trying things like that.
Dumbledore had noticed a piece of dark magic in baby Gerald.
He noticed it, and left it alone to influence the child.
But why?
Looking deeper, Jason finds Dumbledore's knowledge on horcrux, and his suspicion that Gerald would have to die to –
-screaming banshees but the man was barking mad.
He planned to sacrifice an innocent boy in order to fulfil the prophecy. His own fear of death, which he continuously pretends he doesn't have, has convinced him That Was The Only Way.
Jason hates this brand of crazy.
Instead of wasting his breath on Dumbledore, Jason simply grabs ahold of the man's soul, and starts to yank.
The soul fights him, but his shadows are stronger and make short work of an already older mortal man.
In but a moment, he has Dumbledore's soul in his hands and he is stuffing it into one of the containment globes. The special ones which insure the person inside is never comfortable, even for a moment.
Dumbledore's soul bangs on the glass containment, but it is futile. He is at Jason's mercy now and Jason has never had much mercy for the wicked.
When he leaves, there is only Dumbledore's soulless body lying on the office floor, a cut on his hand gives some kind of indication what might have happened, but Jason knows no one will ever be able to really figure out what happened.
When Gerald wakes up, he is still kind of confused.
Well no, not confused, more like a bit in shock.
Gerald knew Mr. Jason was really old, and did bad things, but some of the things he did were really bad. Almost… evil. Gerald thinks he must have been in a lot of pain after what that lady Morgana did to him. Gerald had to look away a few times when he was watching what she did to him, because Mr. Jason had only said 'defiled' and while Gerald didn't know what that actually meant, he understood that she did very bad things to Mr. Jason.
Maybe Mr. Jason went a little crazy because of it?
Gerald thinks so.
He is no expert of course, as he doesn't know many adults at all, but he thinks Mr. Jason maybe went a lot crazy, and then got better… with time. Because it was really clear from all his many… um… students? Is that what they were? Some were definitely students but some were a bit closer to be students since they shared Mr. Jason's bed sometimes and they did a lot of things… to…with… each other. Gerald doesn't quite understand what it was they were doing, but they looked like they really liked it, so maybe it was… an adult playing thing?
Will Gerald want to play with people who turned to animals regularly? It looked kind of fun, though some of it looked painful also, considering both Mr. Jason and his students made a lot of … strange noises. They were strange because Gerald doesn't think they were noises of pain as such, but more like when you have a very good stretch and that pleasure from the pain…
Anyway, Gerald thinks Mr. Jason had playtime with his students who-were-maybe-more-than-students.
Gerald is his student, but he doesn't think Mr. Jason wants to play with him like that.
All the people Mr. Jason played with in that special way were older than Gerald, much older actually, so he thinks those were not games he could play at this time.
Maybe someday though.
So now he knows how Lady Morgana looked, and what she did – some parts looked really painful! – and Mr. Etrigan who looked really scary with his fangs and huge, scaly, head with the big fin-ears and all! But Mr. Jason said they get on now so Gerald thinks that's okay. It wasn't Mr. Etrigan's fault if he looked scary, so long as he didn't hurt Gerald, right? Mr. Amos also looked scary but in a what-are-you kind of way…
After sorting some more of his thoughts, he realizes he can still feel Mr. Jason in his mind. It is a really strange feeling, and Mr. Jason has already told him it was a bit unusual that he could sense Jason's presence since he isn't well practiced in magic yet, but Gerald thinks he is able to sense Mr. Jason because he spent so long by himself and knows the inside of his own mind really well by now.
Thinking about it, makes him reach towards Mr. Jason, and to his delight, Mr. Jason is there to catch his reaching and grips it in greeting, 'I see you are awake. How do you feel?' Mr. Jason asks him, his voice still so warm inside Gerald's head.
'Good, I think. Sorry I left yesterday. I needed time to think.' Gerald tells him, a bit apologetically, hoping he hasn't upset Mr. Jason too much.
'You have nothing to apologize for. I should have seen it coming and warned you.' Mr. Jason is willing to let him off the hook, but…
'You did warn me you were old. I just wanted to see for myself.' Gerald tells him honestly.
'With me, that is not such a big concern, but you probably don't want to make that into a habit as quite a few things can – and will – kill you the first time you go looking for them.' Mr. Jason tells him, and Gerald flushes, realizing his teacher is right, and that was maybe a bit reckless and foolish. Good thing Mr. Jason would never hurt him.
'I would absolutely hurt you if it helped you learned a lesson which would keep you alive. But for now, I don't think I need to resort to that kind of teaching.'
Gerald swallows and nods in acknowledgement. He still has a lot to learn, and he will. He won't force Mr. Jason to have to hurt him to learn.
Mr. Jason sighs inside him, then says, a bit gently, 'Some lessons are painful to learn, even when I am being gentle. But better you learn them from me, then when you are out there in the world fending for yourself. Don't worry, I will not send you out unprepared.'
Gerald thinks he knows what Mr. Jason means by that.
'But right now, if you are up for it, I need to take a look at that scar of yours. I might need to remove it, which will definitely hurt.'
Gerald feels his eyes widen, and hope surge in him. Mr. Jason must have also felt him – and how cool is that? His teacher is inside his head and can feel and see his thoughts. He's never had so much positive attention paid to him before, and he feels… very warm from it.
They meet in the library again and this place is fast becoming Gerald's favorite room, even more than his own bedroom.
Mr. Jason steps out of his shadows – and this will never stop making Gerald stare just a little because it is so unbelievably amazingly awesome Gerald can't even express it – and walks straight over to him.
Gerald lifts his own bangs to make it easier for Mr. Jason, and to let him know it's okay, even if it hurts.
'I am going to cocoon you inside my soul, and if I am right, I need to remove the thing which is trapped in your scar. If I don't protect your soul, the shock might kill you. Trust me?' Mr. Jason asks him, his amber-red eyes stare at Gerald intently, and Gerald feels himself nod, completely sure. He trusts Mr. Jason.
Mr. Jason smiles at him. It should look scary because his teeth look a little bloody, but it really isn't because it's Mr. Jason, who gave him a room and food and wants to teach him and take care of him.
Mr. Jason's stare gets a lot more focused suddenly – he must be listening to Gerald's thoughts – but it is only the truth, so Gerald just keeps returning his look and Mr. Jason's smile gets a lot softer and… that strange look Gerald isn't used to being directed at him. Usually, only Mrs. Petunia looked at Dudley that way.
'Here it comes.' Saying that, Gerald's vision is suddenly blacked out by soft smoke. He is enveloped from all sides by it and very soon, he is sort of cradle-lying in the warm, soft smoke that is Mr. Jason.
'Comfortable?' the sound comes from all around Gerald. It is the same menacing growl he heard Mr. Jason make when they exchanged blood.
'Yes. But…' he isn't sure how to express it, but his magic is telling him they could be even closer.
'What is it?' Mr. Jason asks, sounding a bit worried now, Gerald thinks.
'Nothing! We could just… be closer. My magic keeps telling me this.' Gerald tries to explain, without combusting from embarrassment.
Mr. Jason is quiet for a moment, but then he says, 'Your magic is correct. We could be closer. But then we would be starting a bonding I am pretty sure you aren't ready for.'
'What is bonding?' Gerald asks him, while piling more shadows on top of himself and really burrowing into the cocoon till he is completely suspended and comfortable.
'There are many kinds. Some for brotherhood. Some for mates. Some for brothers. The most common bonding is that of marriage, as an example.' Mr. Jason tells him, while tightening his shadows all around Gerald. Gerald can't really move any more, but he doesn't feel trapped. More protected and really separated from everything troubling him. Gerald can also vaguely feel Mr. Jason's amazement, but he isn't sure why.
Gerald gives this a bit of thought, then admits, 'Yeah I don't think I am old enough for marriage yet.'
Mr. Jason chokes on a growling laughter, and Gerald feels himself thrill for making Mr. Jason laugh.
'I will start now. You shouldn't feel anything. If you suddenly feel tired, you must go to sleep. That is your magic needing to focus on what's attacking you. I will stop immediately if you are in any danger.' Mr. Jason tells him while leading him through to the room next door which seems to be a Magic room –the floors and walls are covered in red magic-circles on every available surface.
'These are sigils. Circles and Words of Power. They will contain the thing inside your scar so it cannot escape. It will also keep you in stasis till I am sure you can be safely separated.' Gerald has noticed that Mr. Jason loves to teach. Every moment he can, he tries to show or teach Gerald something new. Gerald absolutely loved it.
'Ready?'
'Yes.'
After that, Gerald knows no more.
Gerald definitely has a piece of old-bastard soul stuck inside his scar.
This would normally be a Very Bad Thing.
However, as luck or All-Mother would have it, the boy's Mother was a skilled Blood Witch – which gives Jason some small hope that Gerald would also be that-way talented. Either way the woman was clearly not bigoted like so much of the Western world was towards blood magic. The East had a lot more flexibility in its sensibilities regarding such things.
The clever mother had put a protection circle around her son, specifically targeting Tom Riddle. Where she got his bodily components for the spell Jason couldn't fathom but she did. This resulted in the beautiful circle of blood-magic encircling the soul-shard Jason has detected in the boy before.
No wonder Dumbledore didn't touch it.
He wouldn't have dared.
Jason only dares because he is a Blood Mage himself and because he inherently wishes to protect, and not in any way, harm Gerald. Something not entirely true for Dumbledore.
Plus, he has the boy's soul's consent of Trusted Person. Jason knows that magic would recognize that.
Just the same, as soon as he gets close, the red magic detaches a small section of itself and goes straight for Jason. Jason lets it, since they both want to protect the boy.
A mother's fiery magic touches his own.
It goes straight for his intentions, and he allows her. She sees his determination, and his magic. He knows this magic recognizes him as a blood-mage also. She is very thorough when checking on his intentions and his commitment.
After some unknowable time, Jason finally feels her pulling away and lets out a breath.
It seems he has passed.
Just as he is about to breathe a little easier, the sphere does something strange.
It latches onto some part of Jason – no, not some part. It latches onto Gerald's blood inside of Jason and Jason has a moment to think oh bollocks before the thing's magic is grabbing onto Jason and physically sucking him in towards the containment of the soul shard.
Ah.
Well then.
Jason doesn't know many things, but he thinks Gerald's mother might have been a red-head. He isn't entirely sure, but it is a pretty good hunch. Considering her temperament, that is.
Jason has a moment to orient himself before the thing that is Voldemort's tainted and broken soul-shard tries to possess him, and goes through him as if he is made of – heh – smoke.
The shard is uncertain. It cannot understand why it feels Jason there but cannot ride him like it has ridden the boy. But Jason doesn't give it enough time to contemplate this.
He summons another enchanted globe, and shoots his shadows towards the soul shard. The shard, clearly not used to being held down, tries to dissipate as it usually does and then starts thrashing when it realizes that whatever the smoke is, it cannot escape it.
Jason activates the globe, and it sucks Voldemort's soul shard down like so much lint.
The globe in Jason's hand flashes a deep purple – it's highest-level setting for keeping a soul contained – and Jason nods in satisfaction. That shard isn't going anywhere.
Now that the shard is contained, Jason touches his soul-hand to the barrier of the containment field.
It's magic washes over him, and lights up his containment globe where the soul-shard is still trying to break out of to no avail, but otherwise nothing else lights up red the way the globe does.
Interesting.
Gerald's mother seemed to have keyed her sacrifice to target Voldemort specifically.
How she knew the madman would come himself for them, Jason is still unsure. Perhaps she knew some part of the prophecy? Regardless, it seems Madam Potter wasn't perhaps as oblivious to Dumbledore's manipulation the way her husband seems to have been.
The blood-magic sphere which had trapped the soul-shard so it wouldn't infect her boy parts for him with little fuss.
Then the beautiful mandala Madam Potter had used, suddenly disappears, forming into a red ball, suspended in midair, where the previous protection has been.
Blood, Jason realizes with a start.
She had drawn the mandala with her own blood.
The blood her son shares.
The blood that Jason now shares as well.
Swallowing, he summons his shadows, and gently, making sure the magic would allow it, he traps the dozen or so drops of Gerald's mother's blood – and the sensation of it gives Jason another jolt, because her blood practically thrums with magic. She must have poured all of her magic into the sacrifice.
Blood, willingly sacrificed to save a life, and exact vengeance.
A proper warrior-woman Gerald's mother had been. No wonder the boy is so exceptional.
He makes sure her blood is securely stored in the safest place on his person – in a null-void storage hole only he had access to and which is not affected by the flow of time, just in case – and promises himself to hurry Gerald's introduction to blood-magic. Jason has toyed with the idea as soon as he met the boy – no one is that skilled in going in-and-out of a person's soul and mind unless they had some affinity to blood-magic or soul-magic, or both – but he hasn't made up his mind as so many people in the West would stigmatize the boy for knowing it. He would have to move to the East to get any semblance of a normal life otherwise be a complete and total recluse the way Jason is.
However, learning that his mother was a practicing Blood Witch, who used blood magic to save the boy... Well, that makes it heritage.
A heritage Jason himself shares.
It is worth the risk, in addition to teaching him other magics, of course.
Jason checks one more time inside Gerald, to make sure the sphere of protection Gerald's mother left, and Voldemort's soul-shard hasn't done any additional damage. Seeing that he was fine, and nothing which should remain, remained, Jason goes back inside himself to wake Gerald.
Gerald is fast asleep, and Jason feels a pang inside his heart because it takes a lot of trust to be able to sleep in the arms of something that could devour you if it so wished.
Granted, Gerald likely doesn't know that, and that is all for the best but –
'I knew that.'
-Gerald's big green eyes stare from every angle in the soul space at Jason at once.
Then he blinks.
And Jason blinks the illusion away.
Jason swallows a little, and asks, 'It doesn't bother you?'
'Why should it? You are on my side. Magic said so.' Gerald tells him, feeling marvelously unconcerned and very trusting.
But he does have a point, since Jason is, and magic did, in fact, deliver this child to him. To be his.
He tries not to think about that last bit too much, least Gerald senses it.
Gerald's green eyes look at him again. From everywhere.
Right. Like dealing with a cat.
'I bring memories. They are about your mother, if you wish to see them.'
Predictably, the mention of Gerald's family has him immediately distracted. Jason can feel Gerald struggling to get out of Jason's soul, but as soon as Jason releases him, he is right there, in front of Jason, eyes eager, and his soul is a litany of yesyesyes's.
Jason explains what a Blood Mage is to Gerald, and that he is one, and so was his mother. He explains he knows this because the last spell his mother cast was a targeted blood spell, deadly, as it required the sacrifice of the caster, but foolproof in every other way.
It was also Primal magic.
Blood magic was from the beginning of time, when it was first born in the veins of the select few.
Jason explains how hard it is to control, how it was perceived by the East and the West. He tells Gerald of his own experiences, and how often it is deemed 'evil'.
Gerald immediately dismisses his words, and says firmly, 'I am alive because of blood magic.'
It is that simple to him.
And perhaps, Jason mused, it should be. This is his heritage, after all, as tainted by outside opinions as it is, it is also powerful, and by right, his.
Jason adds it to his teaching curriculum, and somehow feels touched at this boy's unhesitating choices.
He has taught a fair number of students in his long life, but very few people – adult or children – understood right and wrong in a way Jason could agree with instinctively.
He hasn't had these thoughts since Treville.
… as much as he hated to say it, perhaps, Magic did have some idea what it was doing when he sent Gerald to Jason.
Gerald's scar is completely gone. Mr. Jason has removed it. Afterwards, he shows Gerald's mother's blood to him, and asks him if he wants to learn how to use it the way he himself and his mum both did.
Gerald, not being an idiot, immediately says yes.
Mr. Jason then shows him how to feel the blood in his own veins. Shows him where his core is and how it feels.
They also discover something really interesting!
Mr. Jason's shadows seems to be living inside Gerald also!
Gerald didn't know this, till Mr. Jason summons a big ball of light to demonstrate something, and Gerald, completely startled, shot his hand out instinctively and suddenly the light was no more because it was wrapped tightly in a ball of living shadows.
Both Mr. Jason and Gerald stare at Gerald's guilty hand, but then Mr. Jason has um… Gerald thinks those are adult-only curse words.
He is pretty sure anyway. He can't understand them but the… feeling seems the same.
Or a very violent alien language maybe?
Then Mr. Jason has him do a series of very interesting shadow magics.
Mr. Jason said the last person who 'accidentally' got his shadows is a man called Aramis, and that usually Amos doesn't share his gifts with just anyone.
Gerald feels a bit warm and rather touched that Amos likes him enough to share his magic with him.
He hasn't met Mr. Etrigan yet, not officially anyway. Gerald only saw him in Jason's memories after all, he is a fire demon according to Mr. Jason, but he thinks he will meet him soon.
Still, Gerald feels pretty good about how everything works out.
Shopping brings a whole series of new challenges.
Most of them revolve around Mr. Jason wanting to buy Gerald absolutely everything Gerald so much as looks at.
Mr. Jason however seems not to have been lying, as he doesn't once ask for the price of anything, and he only encourages Gerald to buy more.
If Gerald expresses a liking for a shirt? Mr. Jason would ask for a dozen, right away.
Gerald doesn't know just how many shirts Mr. Jason thinks he will need – but Gerald is pretty sure this is not how normal people shop.
Not even Mrs. Petunia shopped like this for Dudley's birthday.
He is pretty sure he now owns no less than 37 pairs of pants.
Strangely enough, Mr. Jason only looks more excited when they reach the decoration section, and Gerald realizes that yes Mr. Jason really wants Gerald to stay with him, and for him to enjoy himself.
'Enjoying himself' apparently involves decorating his new room, 'any way that looks interesting to you!'
He chooses a poster of a wizard casting a spell of lightning, and a poster of an astronaut when Mr. Jason tells him one poster isn't enough for an entire room. He wanted one of a fire fighter, but there wasn't any when he looked so he settles for the astronaut. Fire fighters are cooler because they risked themselves to save others. Astronauts are cool too cuz they risked themselves to discover new things, but saving others is better.
He can feel Mr. Jason inside of him all the time now.
At first he is a bit worried, but even though he knows Mr. Jason knows what he is thinking all the time, even when he is sleeping because he can feel him listening.
In a lot of ways, Gerald really likes it because for the first time ever, he has the full and undivided attention of an adult, and one who doesn't seem to want to hurt hi –
-and that is the sound of Mr. Jason's inner demon growling.
This is also how Gerald knows Mr. Jason is always listening, because sometimes he would think these thoughts, and Mr. Jason would always get… upset about them.
Not so much that Gerald is having them, more that he experiences such concerns.
Gerald at first has no idea what to do about this.
No one has ever shown concern about him in the past.
So, when Mr. Jason choses to react to the things he hears inside Gerald's head, Gerald is at first a little afraid that he would get punished for his thoughts also.
But Mr. Jason hasn't done any of that. Whenever Gerald is confused about something, Mr. Jason simply asks if he needs or wants his assistance.
Gerald would have thought it a trick, but Mr. Jason's sincerity pours off of him in waves, and then Gerald can't worry.
Mr. Jason's been doing that a lot.
Sending his emotions at Gerald with such sincerity and such intensity, Gerald simply can't doubt anything he says he is feeling.
Gerald is pretty sure he is doing it on purpose, but it doesn't change how those feelings feel when Gerald senses them coming from Mr. Jason.
Gerald thinks the first lesson his new teacher has for him is: Always be clear in regards to feelings.
…and never share blood with a blood witch you don't plan to be family with.
Really really really close family with.
They have reached the stationary section of the mall Mr. Jason has brough them to, and Mr. Jason has insisted Gerald gets at least 14 different writing tools, as well as crayons. And coloring pens. And watercolors. And –
Well.
Their shopping basket is rather full now.
Gerald is just glad he found the exact same sneakers as the ones Mr. Jason gave him on his first day at the Manor.
Blood Manor is also in Scotland.
Something Mr. Jason forgot to mention to him till he finally remembers to ask.
Then he spends a bit of time feeling dizzy that magic transported him across the country.
No wonder he had felt sick when he first arrived!
He wished himself from London to Scotland somehow!
Mr. Jason pulls him out of his musings, as it seems they have finally reached the checkout counter, and with two entirely full trollies no less.
Gerald tires once again to let Mr. Jason know he doesn't need so much stuff, but Mr. Jason dismisses his concerns and looks… well, he did say shopping for Gerald would bring him pleasure, but still…
Gerald feels his blood freeze when he sees how many thousands of dollars the final bill is, but Mr. Jason suddenly floods him with his joy of being able to provide for Gerald and his… gratitude? For Gerald allowing him to do it. Gerald wants to protest, but Mr. Jason's feelings are so big and happy, that he gives up after a moment.
Just as Gerald thinks their day is over, Mr. Jason announces they must go to a bookstore, so Gerald can also get all his books.
At this point, Gerald honestly debates if he wants to try protesting again, because he always wanted his own books! But Mr. Jason has already spent so much money on Gerald that –
-and that was Mr. Jasons demon growl again –
Throwing his metaphorical hands up in the air, Gerald deicides to just let Mr. Jason do whatever he wants, and he can panic about it later when he is alone, and then work on trying to find a way to repay Mr. Jason –
'The best repayment would be for you to be the best student you can be, and to grow up happy, healthy and powerful so I don't have to worry about your safety, as an aside.' Mr. Jason tells him suddenly in his head.
Gerald starts a bit as he still isn't used to this, but then smiles a bit.
Mr. Jason always says that.
'Because it's true.' Mr. Jason tells him, nodding a bit in their shared soul space.
Gerald smiles more.
He wants to smile less.
He really really does.
But he can't.
Mr. Jason buys him thousands of books!
From whole encyclopedia's, to fiction, to maths and other books on every kind of subject imaginable!
Gerald is never leaving his room again!
Well, no, he is, but only to go to the library and read there next to Mr. Jason!
Mr. Jason doesn't let Gerald see the final bill, but his smile of excitement tells Gerald that it is definitely worthy of at least some panic.
Gerald wants to be upset, but these are books and he just… can't.
Books are awesome.
Gerald is just really glad Mr. Jason can open storage spaces, so they don't have to haul all of this stuff everywhere.
After Mr. Jason has them drop off all the stuff they bought, and Gerald just has a moment to think the shopping is over… he then takes Gerald to have the 'magical' shopping experience.
First however, he has Gerald wear a necklace which changes how he looks.
Gerald isn't sure why he has to do that, but Mr. Jason explains that Mr. Jason has made many enemies when he was 'young and stupid', so it was safer for Gerald if no one knew how he really looked.
Gerald is okay with that if it will make Mr. Jason feels better about still having so many enemies.
Mr. Jason then shadowwalks – he learned the name of that magic a day ago when he learned how Mr. Jason moved around. He still gets completely creeped out hearing Mrs. Petunia call out to him behind his back in the shadowlands and wants to bolt into the darkness every time it happens, but Mr. Jason's firm hand on his shoulder stops him every time. Thankfully. – them to a magical shopping district in China.
Here they mostly buy rings, books, and weapons.
Oh and they fix Gerald's eyes!
They go to an eye doctor, and he waves his hands around Gerald's face a few times, which then light up and small balls of light swirl around Gerald's eyes. That turns out to be some kind of eye exam, and the doctor jabs Gerald a few times on his chest and back in various places, which makes Gerald's magic feel really weird for a bit, then gives Gerald a thumb size pill to drink, promising him he will be able to see after that.
Gerald is really skeptical, especially since he isn't even sure the pill isn't too big for him to swallow it whole, but Mr. Jason fixes that problem but simply cutting up the pill into smaller sizes – turns out it was rather like dough – and rolling the large pill into several smaller ones. He then produces a glass of water, and before Gerald could question if this is a good idea, he has Gerald swallowing the pills.
A few moments go by where nothing happens, and then suddenly the room turns upside down. Gerald squeezes his eyes shut in fear instinctively, but when he opens them again, the room is normal – and clear! Mr. Jason must have plucked his glasses off his face when he took the pill.
Everything is super super super clear, and Gerald wants to look at everything all at once. He never even realized how many things were blurry until they weren't any more.
Mr. Jason then gives him a much smaller pill and tells him to drink that too as it will stop any headaches from forming.
Gerald hasn't even known one could get headaches from being able to suddenly see, but he doesn't argue, just obediently swallows it.
Storage rings are another thing that is really useful. Mr. Jason takes him to another shop, not too far from the eye doctor, and there they are given a large selection of rings to choose from. Mr. Jason tells him that since he has Amos's shadows, he will be able to open the null-storage also on his own eventually, but only later when he has more magic inside him.
For the first few years, they will be using storage rings.
Mr. Jason then shows him how to use shadows to draw blood from his finger that heals immediately, unless he doesn't want it to.
The merchant – whom Gerald has completely forgotten was there – comments in accented English, that shadow magic is usually from the assassin clans, and then offers them a whole series of other rings which can 'store bodies without decay', even dozens if necessary!
Gerald is a bit weirded out, but Mr. Jason looks interested so Gerald tells himself to just go with it and picks out one that can store a small house or around 80 bodies.
The merchant looks impressed and a little worried for some reason, but Gerald doesn't pay him any mind, focusing more on Mr. Jason looking through the catalogue of weapons.
Before he gets distracted, Mr. Jason reminds him to drip his blood on his new storage ring. He also tells Gerald, with a funny expression on his face, that blood magic is highly illegal in England.
Gerald looks at him, but then shrugs and cuts his finger enough to draw blood out and drip it on the ring, activating it.
Now no one will be able to take it away from him, or open it, only he can.
Mr. Jasons smiles at him then, and Gerald has a moment to think 'that was special to him.' Mr. Jason looks like he wants to say something to Gerald's but instead, only asks Gerald if he likes sword, staff, axe or pike most.
Gerald, having no idea, but remembering knights used swords, tells him swords would be fine for him.
Then remembers to ask Mr. Jason what he uses. Mr. Jason tells him he prefers a large greatsword – which is apparently a REALLY BIG sword you need both hands to use, but seeing Gerald's eager expression, suggests he waits a few years before he tries to use that himself.
Mr. Jason contemplates him for a moment more, but then orders him two swords for his size and two daggers, much to the merchant's delight.
Mr. Jason informs him that he was always going to learn to use daggers anyway – which is news to Gerald, but he figures if he knows how to defend himself, he wouldn't ever have to be afraid again.
The merchant informs him that Gerald's sword can fly (!) if Gerald is of high enough magical level. Mr. Jason only nods and asks him to see armor sets for Gerald.
'Armor' is apparently something made of gauzy material which is also really soft – and not at all like the suites of armors in English castles Gerald originally envisioned – and Gerald loves it immediately. The Armor's grey silky strands glisten if exposed to light, but overall, it fits under Gerald's clothes as if he isn't wearing anything.
Mr. Jason tells him it's demon-spider silk, which is very hard to come by and he is to never take it off.
He also tells Gerald that he himself uses chainmail, but that he also wears demon-silk under his chainmail. Just in case.
Considering this time when he pays, Mr. Jason pulls out a large bag of what looks to be glowing blue stones and pays with that? Gerald thinks what they bought must have been really expensive.
They also buy a lot of books. Especially the books one learns by whacking one's head with them.
Gerald doesn't speak a word of Chinese, but he suddenly understands everything inside those books after he whacks the special book over his head. The Chinese names simply make sense to him, when he is thinking about that knowledge that is, but not when he tries to ask what time it is in Chinese, as an example.
After that is done, Mr. Jason takes them to buy a series of 'artifacts.'
Gerald has no clue what they are, until Mr. Jason tells him they are portable magic until he can learn better magic.
Mr. Jason gets him an umbrella, a large bronze bell, a fan, a very large piece of cotton candy which hovers, two sticks with green and blue crystals on them, a very deep basin and a headband.
Gerald has no idea what they all do.
So, he stares at Mr. Jason till he tells him.
Gerald has noticed that this seems to work very well with Mr. Jason.
Mr. Jason explains the umbrella can stop ranged magical and non-magical projectiles. The bell can trap someone inside it, no matter how strong they are. The fan is a weapon, as well as a useful tool in putting out fires. The cotton candy turns out to be a piece of magical cloud, one basically sits on and used as flying transportation. Mr. Jason said it is so often seen by non-magical people that there are even cartoons about super-people using it.
Gerald wonders out loud how he suddenly became one of the super-people.
Mr. Jason tells him not to worry about it since magic guarantees that he is one of the super-people.
Gerald figures that means 'since birth'.
He is a bit annoyed no one told him. Might have helped against Dudley.
Then again, maybe not.
'It would have, yes.' Mr. Jason tells him inside his head.
The two sticks are apparently wands. Mr. Jason tells him he doesn't want Gerald using them often but they are good for carrying offensive magic without needing to deplete your own reserves. He also tells him that unlike the wands the British wizards use, these wands store specific spells which are charged in advance inside them, and Gerald only needs to use the activation word to release them when he needs them. The red one is for fireballs and the green one is for healing.
Gerald has no idea when he would ever need fireballs but Jason assures him it will come in handy one day.
Gerald then wants to know if magical people don't need to use wands, but Mr. Jason says no. Wands came into fashion a few hundred years ago but have a too-obvious weakness, so Mr. Jason never taught his students to reply on them.
After all, Mr. Jason asks, who wants to be disarmed just by having your wand taken away? Magic is inside you, no one should be able to disarm you by taking a tool away.
Gerald thinks this makes perfect sense, so vows to work hard to learn the magics Mr. Jason will teach him.
Soon.
He promised.
They also pick up a variety of pills similar to the ones he has already eaten. Most of them are for healing but some are for boosting magic if he accidentally depletes his own. Some are also for straightening his soul and a pile of other things.
All in all, Gerald goes home feeling like a dragon that just acquired a horde.
When Gerald is 6, he manages, finally, to absorb his mother's blood fully into himself.
That magic was always going to be a part of him, but there is a lot of magic inside that spell, so afterwards Gerald feels funny in the head, as if he was around one of Jason's special flowers that he sometimes smokes.
He feels incredibly energized and full to bursting, for days!
Jason takes the opportunity to teach him a lot of really cool and interesting spells.
There are those which control the blood inside someone, stopping them from moving. Or outright killing them. Gerald hates those but he learns them anyway.
Jason always says it is better to have too many weapons and chose not to use them then not enough weapons when you wished you had them.
There are those which with just one drop of blood, Gerald can see hours – even days – of the person's life and doings.
There are those spells which sicken a person. Then those which remove the blood sickness from them as well.
There are spells to know the mind, spells to hurt the body, spells to hurt the soul too. Gerald doesn't especially want to know those either, but back when he was still really small, he had promised himself he would learn everything Jason wanted to teach him, no matter what it was, because Jason never taught him anything that isn't useful in some way.
So, he learns it, even if he has to go to Jason for hugs later to shake off the bad thoughts about being a bad person.
Jason is right. Magic is just magic. It is how you use it that decides if you are good or bad.
Also being nice to one's enemy, is being bad to yourself.
Well, no, that's not how Jason says it but it's what he means.
Jason really like Gerald, Gerald can feel that through their link every day, and he would be really upset if something bad happened to Gerald so Gerald must 'make sure he has all the weapons at his disposal', because the first rule Jason taught him was 'Survive first. Everything else later.'
So Gerald learns the spells, even the sickening ones, because he must survive, no matter what.
For Jason.
When he is 7, Mr. Etrigan gives him an unusual gift.
He gives him three drops of his demon blood, and tells him to absorb it.
All of it.
The fact that he does this as soon as Jason and him switch, and when Gerald knows Jason is the most asleep, is… suspect.
But Mr. Etrigan has been good to Gerald.
He isn't as kind, but he is very practical and pragmatical. Even more than Jason or Amos. He taught Gerald how to control fire way before Gerald should have been able to do it. Granted he did this by –
Well.
-having the expert understanding of fire, its nature and its chemical properties shoved into his head via their blood-link had been a bit painful, Gerald will admit – and Jason had yelled a lot at Mr. Etrigan, though he stopped yelling when Mr. Etrigan commented that this way, he would be in less danger of dying from fire.
There isn't much Jason wouldn't do to make sure Gerald is safe, including allowing painful teaching.
Painful, but not inherently, dangerous.
So Gerald doesn't hesitate overmuch, and starts to absorb it.
It takes him a long time. Mr. Etrigan's blood is slippery, inherently alien, and quite violent.
Gerald has to get quite firm with it, for it to willingly allow its essence to be taken.
As soon as he starts to absorb, he understands immediately what a gift Mr. Etrigan was giving him. By sharing blood with Mr. Etrigan as well, he now understands fire, and because he understands it, he can control it. Completely.
Even the Hellfire that some mages can cast but which always inevitably gets away from them and kills the caster!
Gerald thinks he might even be immune to its burn.
This is probably good since Jason loved going to hellfire-and-brimstone realities to do his waring.
He also feels himself get a huge boost in his power. He feels rather indestructible and he feels stronger as well. He would bet his daggers that his swords would be really light right now.
Hey, maybe he can even start practicing with a greatsword now!
…then again, maybe not, since it is still twice the size of his current height.
Still, a boy can dream.
Then he nearly gives himself a heart attack by looking over and seeing himself in the mirror across the room.
His eyes are burning.
Not looking intense, no, burning.
With actual flames coming from them!
Gerald faintly wonders if he will set his eyebrows on fire if he isn't careful. His eyelashes?
'Welcome to the family, child of Jason.'
-is all Gerald hears Mr. Etrigan say before Gerald is throwing himself at Mr. Etrigan and hugging him as hard as he can – and hey! He can finally do that without getting burned! Awesome! – and Mr. Etrigan pat-pats his head with his giant clawed hand, a touch awkwardly, before leaving him.
Jason is going to have sooooo much to say!
Jason does have a lot to say, but he does a lot of the saying inside his head.
Considering that he spends a full two hours rubbing his brow with aggravation, Gerald thinks the conversation might have been a bit… fraught.
He isn't sure who wins the argument but Jason never mentions any cleansing ceremony again like he did when they first shared blood, and that's just that.
Instead, Jason gives Gerald a horse.
Well, no, it is more like a colt. A baby horse, Jason says.
How the two things previously result in a present of a horse is a little confusing to Gerald, but ultimately not that much since Jason has been a knight of the round table once and 'a good horse, no matter the century Gerald, is a good horse!'
The surprising part is that the stables have so many horses already.
But this one is just for Gerald.
His horse is completely black, so he names him blacky. He is a spirited little guy and Gerald loves spending entire days just hanging out with him, learning magic from Jason and just being together.
Blacky, Jason, Mr. Etrigan and Amos are Gerald's family.
No one can change that.
Thursday afternoon finds Gerald flipping through the left wing of the library, and wondering.
'Jason' Gerald asks in his head in leu of shouting across the house, since he isn't even sure where Jason is.
'Hm?' Jason always replies right away. It never fails to make Gerald warm inside.
'…why are so many of your books on demon magics?' because he's spent half the afternoon looking for a book on pill-crafting fires and kept coming across only demons, demons and more demons.
'Those are Etrigan's, mine is the section over.' Jason tells him, and Gerald feels a bit stupid for not realizing that, but scoots over to the next section of shelves.
'Oh.' He thinks, mostly because he is busy looking through this new section he never paid attention to before. '… but these are still all about demon magic also.'
'Well, yes. Since I mostly fight them, I find it poetic justice to use their magic against them.' His vindictive teacher is definitely himself, and Gerald really should be used to it by now.
'…that's a bit mean.' Gerald tells him, just because he thinks Jason maybe needs to be reminded from time to time.
'I never said I was a nice person.' Jason mutters into their shared space, and Gerald snickers at him, while poking him with his mental shadows till he deigns to tell him where the actual pill-making fire books are kept.
Gerald really likes his classes with Jason.
He teaches him not just magic but maths and spelling too. He also has Gerald learning Latin, Fey and Primordial.
The first two are okay even if they Fey makes Gerald think of birds chirping for some reason whenever he gets the tone right. Primordial isn't so much a language, as it is a blueprint of the pathway of the lay-lines of their reality. Mostly symbols Gerald learns to carve or Power-Words.
Jason teaches him his first one that year.
It is a Power Word which rips a microtear in reality, allowing Gerald to slip into the Shadow Realm to escape. Jason tells him that it is one of the best escape-magics there is. That section of the Realm is devoid of even spirits, so it is safer to travel through than almost anywhere else. Since unless you are a Primordial being of some kind, or a remnant of one, like Etrigan is, that entire branch of magic would not even be accessible at all, especially for mortals.
Well.
Mortals is technically what they were.
Once were, anyway.
The moment Gerald shared blood with Jason, Jason has passed his functional immortality to Gerald – a gift he previously was unable to control to this extent, except how certain good deeds he has done trying to rectify the bad deeds he had also done, have somehow balanced and tipped the scales for him. Jason is at first a bit cagy about speaking about it till Gerald shows him his just-cut finger – which is completely healed – and he has to explain it to Gerald.
Gerald gets the feeling Jason is expecting anger from Gerald, or some kind of freakout, but Gerald really only wanted to know if he is going to get taller than his current 7-year-old height.
Jason assures him that he will fully mature then stop growing and Gerald maybe-not-so-innocently tells him that that's good cuz then they could always be together.
The look Jason gives him, will stay with Gerald for a long time.
But family is like that, all the books say so.
When he is 8, he realizes the additional benefits of sharing blood with Jason. Namely, a completely new way to learn magic.
Jason being close to 1000 years old, really has a ridiculous amount of knowledge. Previously, he has always encouraged Gerald in watching his own studying of various branches of magic.
But now, he starts encouraging Gerald to not just watch but feel how it feels to cast said magics.
This, Gerald muses, makes studying complex magics really easy.
Jason hasn't much allowed this before, because Gerald knows he was worried Gerald would be tempted to try and cast magics he simply wasn't ready for or didn't have the magics reserves for. Or frankly, simply the maturity to handle casting certain things while not understanding their consequences.
But now, Jason thinks he might be old enough, and this confidence really makes Gerald feel both proud and cautious. He wouldn't want to prove Jason right after all, and cast something he didn't yet understand.
Whenever Gerald had these thoughts, Jason never fails to fill him full of Jason's pride in him. So Gerald swears to himself to always be worthy of such pride.
Today, he is reviewing a memory of Jason learning to change one item into another. The memory is from early in Jason's life – he is 'only' 20 plus years old at the time – and he is trying to change a rock which has some kind of metal in it, into pure metal.
Jason needs a knife, and finding himself with no knife and no metal in the middle of the Fey Wilds, he is attempting to change stone into metal which he can then change into a knife. Amos had not yet been born – he will come to being in only 30 years' time but for right now, Jason only has his own blood magic and what little elemental magic Merlin has deemed him worthy to learn.
Gerald always takes note on Jason's feelings towards Merlin, since he really isn't fond of him at all. Maybe that is why Jason is so determined to be a good teacher to all his students. Because Merlin had been… well, petty is not a word Gerald often thinks of outside of the Dursley family but… he was petty, and possessive of his power. Jason despises him for this, and for his prejudice in regards to Jason's natural ability with blood magic. Merlin had not one ounce of talent for blood magic and seems to have resented Jason for his vast gift in this area.
Gerald focuses back onto his lesson since Jason in his memory seems to have made a breakthrough. Gerald notes that Jason feels the metal inside the stone, and instead of changing the rest of the stone as Gerald thinks he might do, Jason… huh. Jason coaxes the metal inside the stone to… spread. Almost like a disease, and 'eat' the stone, turning it into metal.
Gerald cocks his head.
It isn't the approach he thought Jason would take. Wouldn't it be easier to simply make the stone turn rather than make the metal swallow the stone? It is almost like a disease or a parasite.
What happens if the stone had no metal inside it?
'Then I would have been forced to turn the stone. But during that time, I struggled with the art of transfiguration, and had no teachers besides to show me. I had to get creative.'
Jason is always there keeping an eye when Gerald is studying. Sometimes Jason would show him in the real world, but other times he feels it is easier for Gerald to 'feel' how it felt to move the magic inside himself in order to achieve the result.
He is, of course, right. Gerald learns so much faster when he can both see and feel what he is supposed to make his magic do. Jason tells him often that knowing the feeling of the organic pathways magic needs to take will save him from ever having to use 'limited tools' like wands and foci. It apparently takes years for normal mages to learn how the pathways should 'feel' and then carve them into reflexes they could reliably feel when casting without a foci.
Gerald can completely see this, since knowing how the magic should feel allows him to simply repeat the process a few dozen times, and the pathway is then forever carved into his magic for future use. He really doesn't want to be dependent on anything outside his body to cast his magic, Jason has taught him that being so hobbled is seriously dangerous.
Gerald watches the memory one more time, then goes into the memory even deeper, in order to 'feel' the path of the magic Jason used.
He was right. It is rather like a disease or a parasite being encourage to swallow the stone.
Gerald doesn't really like the feel of how this makes his magic feel but he dutifully replicates it with the stone in his own hand.
It leaves his magic feeling a bit oily and gross.
After he finishes carving the pathways enough times that his magic will always be able to cast it like that if he wants it to, he spends a bit of time cycling his magic. Cleansing it of the oily feeling and what he now recognizes as a kind of dark spell.
Mr. Etrigan has spent painstaking time teaching him cycling.
Gerald muses even now how weird it is that a demon can cycle dark magic out of his magical core better than Jason can. But due to the corruption done to Jason's soul – and not Mr. Etrigan, since he was 'only' bound against his will – Mr. Etrigan actually has an easier time doing cleansings than Jason does. Jason can do it, but it is always an ordeal for him, unless he uses himself as the cleanser. So Mr. Etrigan has taught him this instead.
Amos also showed him how to use shadows to remove corruption out of Dark magic. Amos's magic, while dark, is never corrupt, so he too taught Gerald.
Gerald figures every spell has some use, even if the 'use' is that you never wanted to use it unless you had no choice at all. He wonders if he can use this dark spell to clean water, for example. Take the feeling of 'clean' water, and spread it across water which is 'unclean'. He feels a bit stimmied, since you aren't technically supposed to use dark magic to make light magic.
Wait.
Can you even do that?
'You can. It goes against the natural order, but only if you aren't a pagan shaman.'
'Uh?' Gerald hates sounding so unintelligent but… what?!
'Shamanistic magics has no light, dark or grey. Their magics simply flows from one to the other to the next without even forming into the final alignment like everyone else's magics does. It is a complex way to cast, but quite a powerful one if you can master it. It however does require a certain mindset of not acknowledging even the existence of light, dark or otherwise. It is all 'just' magic. However, it bares adding that shamans also spend their entire lives – every moment of it – cycling their magics so their magic always remains in the primordial unaligned state, which is why they can cast this way.'
Sometimes Gerald thinks Jason loves nothing more than to teach the obscure magics to Gerald, but he also knows this is why Jason lets him learn in his own way. It always results in Gerald finding new and 'creative' (according to Jason) questions to ask him.
'So if I want to take a dark spell to clean water for example…'
'You would be able to do it only if you are also cycling your magic while casting it for that purpose, and of course keeping your mind open without committing to any alignment, merely focusing on making the water clean, however your magic wishes to do this.'
'Huh.' Gerald has to pause a bit because that seem…
'Seems too easy?'
Gerald nods in their shared space. Too easy actually.
'But it's not. Perceptions and our own hidden prejudices allow very few people to manage alignment-less casting. Simply put, you must rise above the basic mentalities of humanity, and very few people can in actuality do this. It won't hurt you to keep striving for it. It is very powerful after all, plus it has the added benefit of making Earth mages very respectful and fond of you.'
Gerald snorts in amusement inside their shared space.
Gerald has long ago noticed Jason's metric of favoring all things which make Earth mages like you.
'Earth mages and shifters in general are wonderful people. You will see when you are older.'
'Yes Jason.' Gerald tells him fondly, and goes back to figuring out if he can actually convince dirty water to get clean by spreading the 'disease' of 'clean' through 'dirty' water.
Maybe he will ask Amos later when they do their nightly meditation.
Surely a shadow will know how to perpetually remain in one kind of mindset.
Gerald does eventually remember to ask Jason about his scar, and the thing Jason removed from it.
Jason gives him his Studying look, and then decides to show him what exactly he did after they had removed and imprisoned the soul-shard from inside Gerald's scar.
Gerald still thinks it's a bit morbid to keep it imprisoned in a glass ball, but Jason tells him one should keep one's enemies where one can see them, or else annihilate them completely. Since the soul shard is just that – a shard – implying there is more of it somewhere else, Jason feels it is best to keep this one trapped where they can keep an eye on it.
Jason is always very careful and cautious, but Gerald knows especially when it involves Gerald himself.
Gerald watches the shard – which really just looks like a pile of black smoke with an occasionally screaming face on it – agitatedly hit against the glass which it clearly can't break.
"It looks like it is in pain. Is it?" Gerald thinks to ask Jason.
Jason considers him for a moment, then says, "It is."
Gerald turns back to the shard and contemplates it for a time.
"Its owner killed your parents. It would have tried to possess you and take over your body and mind thereby killing you also, if your mother hadn't died to protect you." Jason reminds him, and maybe Gerald did need the reminder. He had a moment to feel bad about the things pain, but remembering that he doesn't have any parents because of it, stops him from feeling more than a twinge inside.
"I will keep it imprisoned for now, until you are older and can decide what you wish to do with it." Jason informs him, and Gerald can tell Jason isn't going to give him a say about this. At least not now, so he nods instead.
Jason is his teacher, and he is really old and wise. If he thinks that is best, then it likely is.
Gerald trusts him.
When Gerald is 9, Jason decides it is time they start collecting the rest of the soul shards.
Gerald is excited about this, because it means Jason now trusts him to perform the higher level magics which would keep him safe.
Still.
Sometimes Jason can be a little scary. But Gerald is more or less used to him, and he knows, deep down in his bones, that Jason would never hurt him.
Still. Some of the magic… is a bit…
"Are you sure this isn't evil?" Gerald really has to ask because –
The soul shard which was in the perfectly innocent snake – well, okay no, she had been as crazy as Maniae from having a piece of an evil soul stuck inside her for Jason-only-knows how long – screams like an unholy banshee.
"What do you think Gerald? Is it evil to use the power of an evil being who has personally tried to kill and then possess you, murdered your parents and made you an orphan?"
Gerald stares at the shard. It won't stop screaming. The sound all blending together and making Gerald's ears hurt some.
"I feel like that is a trick question."
"Mm. It is only a trick question if it doesn't make you question it." Jason offers in his usual cryptic way, but Gerald thinks he gets him.
"Will you do it?" Jason asks, and Gerald can feel only mild curiosity inside Jason. He is determined that this be Gerald's choice even if Gerald knows what Jason thinks of the matter.
He looks at the screaming soul again, it's screams raising another pitch as his magic holds it.
"Yeah." Gerald tells him, and using his magic, shoves the broken soul from the now dead-snake into the soul Jason so long ago removed from his scar.
The ball of dark, scarred and torn souls flashes red-hot for a moment – Jason's magic is never gentle, so Gerald's magic never learned to be either – and physically forces the two soul-shards to fuse.
The end result is a bit how Gerald imagined Frankenstein to look, but the two pieces are now one, terrifyingly scarred, but whole piece.
Since Gerald has never let go of the soul, he proceeds to imprint the brand Jason has taught him, the merged soul, within moments, stops thrashing and screaming, and now has a bright brand of ownership on it. It flashes for a moment, and sinks into the center of the scarred soul, enslaving it forever to Gerald's will and service.
"Good. Now when you find the other pieces, you can have your own loyal shade to do your bidding and waring for you."
Gerald stares at the now quiet soul – its individuality completely obliterated by Geralds ownership brand and considers yet again the moral implications of slave ownership.
Sure, it was a soul he owned, not a person, but that was even worse in some way. Even if it was his mortal enemy.
Jason stands next to him, and observes him. Then casually says, "Its suffering will change once you own all the pieces."
Gerald still hasn't been able to remove his eyes from the now-one-shard in his hand. "I am not sure that's better." He admits.
"Mm. but certainly more useful."
Gerald thinks maybe, just maybe, he might pity the creature that was once Voldemort. Just the creature's luck that he decided to go against someone his Jason cares for.
Shaking it off, he dismisses the part-soul with a wave of his hand. It isn't whole yet, but it can already do quite a bit of damage, and a part of Gerald is only curious if it will be of any help when Gerald goes to help Jason in his wars.
'Jason'
'Mm?'
But Gerald doesn't exactly know how to ask this. He isn't sure Jason would want that but these years being with Jason have taught him to always try to ask.
His hesitation clearly catches Jason's attention – Jason is never more focused, more piercing, then when Gerald hesitates.
'What is it?' his tone inside Gerald's head is a touch gentle, curious. He isn't diving into Gerald to learn what it is Gerald won't tell him, but Gerald knows he will soon if he keeps hesitating.
'It's just… you gave me my name.' Gerald can feel himself stammering a bit, even inside his own mind, but this is important, so he takes a deep breath and soldiers on. 'and I know my birth name now, but… I don't think of myself as Harry Potter. I think of myself as Gerald, since it's the first name I knew.'
Jason is quiet inside him, waiting him out. He knows Gerald well and knows he will eventually get to the point.
Gerald takes a deep breath, squares his shoulders inside his mind, and says, 'But I don't have a last name to go with my real name. I would like…' but his fear and insecurity get the better of him, and he can feel his courage fleeing. Jason has already given him so much. Would this be asking too much finally?
'Go on.' Jason clearly doesn't think so, and Gerald now that he is listening for it, can detect just the slightest hint of a tremor in Jason's thoughts. It is this more than anything else that allows him to finally ask:
'I would like to take your last name, and be known as Gerald Blood. You are already family. You are everything to me really, you and Etrigan and Amos and Blacky. I… would that be okay?'
Jason doesn't so much answer him, as his soul-presence is suddenly just there, all around Gerald and within seconds, Gerald is engulfed in Jason's dark and creepy soul. It never fails to feel like the best hug in the world whenever Jason does it. He has been told before that most people get completely freaked out when Jason has does this to them, but Gerald only finds it comforting. Safe.
'I take it you like the idea.'
'Yes.' Jason says, and his soul tightens even more around Gerald. Gerald can't move anything, not even if his life depended on it. 'I like the idea, very much Gerald.'
Gerald closes his eyes in relief, but even with them closed, he can feel his Tinker dust surrounding him. Making his wish Truth. Just like the night he got his real name.
Gerald Blood figures, maybe being a demon-fairy wouldn't be so bad after all.
Because Jason is super twitchy about Gods and Goddesses, Gerald has only ever learned how to fight against them, as opposed to how to worship them or gain their favor.
This never used to bother him, but a part of him, a large part, is still grateful to Magic for sending him to Jason in the first place. Perhaps will forever be grateful.
He doesn't know how to express this gratitude, but every year, on the anniversary of his arrival to Jason's library, he spends the day doing nothing but trying to create new magics, since he doesn't know any other way to say thank you to Magic.
He figures Magic would like that, so he does it.
At first, his magics are small cantrips which anyone can do, but he tries to make his a little different, just a little, and fancies that no one has ever done it quite like this, or that.
At first, its slow going, and more than once, its destructive. One time he conjures up a tornado inside the living room and can't figure out how to stop it from wrecking the place till Jason comes and undoes whatever it is he actually did.
Other times he has more success, and manages to take normal spells and twist them just so that they become something new and different.
He is careful to never corrupt the magic in any way since Jason warned him that will definitely not be pleasing to any God or Goddess unless they themselves were perverse.
Most of his spells are simple cantrips, but every so often, he comes up with something just a little… out of the ordinary.
This year – his 5th with Jason, though it can get a bit confusing since their dimension-hopping really messes with his time-sense and Jason already told him more time has passed than in their own reality so he isn't entirely sure how long he's been with Jason. Feels like a lot longer than 5 years in any case. – he manages to combine a confection spell, which contains magic-sugar and imbue it into the scarred and twisted soul-shard which is Voldie. The end result is… well.
"I will never understand how you can take two perfectly innocent spells, and come up with something so… diabolically useful. I feel like I should be proud." Jason tells him, while they follow the shard which Gerald has somehow tweaked into becoming a homing beacon to all the other shards which must be scattered Jason-only-knows where.
"I have a good teacher." Gerald tells him, because he still isn't sure how in Etrigan's name he managed it but isn't willing to admit that. He worries yet again that being around Jason has turned him just a touch… amoral, since he didn't even pause to consider the moral implications this time but… it is rather useful. It's not like he had planned to let Voldie continue to half-live after all.
"You are hilarious." Jason says but Gerald can feel his pride which is a little suffocating from how strong Jason is projecting at him.
Gerald slave-shard has brought them to some backwater woods which even the birds don't shit in its so backwater. He thinks they might be in Albania or Romania… some Easter European country which still has intact lay-lines and ancient magical forests, which someone with a bit of sense and education can tap into. Instead of trying to find the missing shard they are tracking, Gerald has simply infused his slave-shard with the enticing magic of comecomecomecome feelings and so now they are waiting.
Jason assures him the spell – whatever it is he did – feels like magical-sugar-catnip to the other soul shards with the same signature.
Gerald would be proud; except he honestly isn't sure he can recreate it again. He knows the Voldie-soul so well, that it is practically instinct which guided him in its soul-nip creation.
It doesn't take long.
Very soon, the forest gets a little darker, and a little creepier, but not even a fraction as creepy as Jason on his good days, so Gerald ignores it with long practice.
He has left the slave-shard in the middle of the small clearing with a capture-ward set up around it, so now all he has to do is wait inside their shadows for the other shard to arrive.
It does so, cautiously.
It circles quite a few times, but it doesn't have a hope in Etrigan in finding them if Amos doesn't want them found.
Gerald imagines it must be confused, since he knows this shard still has sentience, but he also knows it can't resist the sirens call which is the soul-nip.
As he expects, it does finally approach the slave-shard to investigate. There is too much raw magic emanating from it for the rogue-shard not to become… greedy.
Predictably, within a moment, the rogue-shard descends on the slave-shard. Its attempt to absorb it clear.
As soon as it gets close enough, Gerald's trap snaps into place. A circular dome envelops both shards and seals.
The rogue-shard realizing its mistake too late, tries to ram itself against the barrier, but it doesn't give even a little. Gerald can hear its screams of rage but…quite honestly, he is getting used to that too.
Now, his slave-shard will be a little bigger.
Jason pats his head in praise, and Gerald thinks Lady Magic might be pleased this year after all.
Not all shards are so easy to find.
One of them ends up being in some kind of vault, which admittedly makes it a bit tricky but not overly so since the now-three-piece slave-shard is a lot stronger in its honing abilities.
Gerald still has to borrow Jason's scrying bowl of blood – given to him as a gift some few hundred years ago by a soul mage of his acquaintance – and hopes that he will also have the good fortune to meet and befriend one of those so he can one day have his own. For now though, Jason's bowl is more than enough.
It does hurt his Voldie slave-shard to be used in such a manner as he has to squeeze the essence of the soul out in order to add it to the surface of the bowl in order to track the other shards. This weakens the slave-shard considerably and Gerald imagines is quite painful, but then, maybe Voldie should have considered that before he made Gerald and Jason his enemy.
Still, when the trace sends them into the sealed vault, Gerald has a moment to be worried someone will discover them, since Jason always has a million protective and murder-wards all over his prized possessions but no alarm sounds, so Gerald thinks maybe the protections are only on the outside of the door, not inside. Which … seems a bit short sighted to him? But what does he know, he is 10 and immortal, not all knowing.
He makes a note to ask Jason later, and focuses on tracking down whatever it is this rogue-shard decided to call home.
His slave-shard leads him to a cup of all things, and shrugging, he wraps shadows around it, making sure not to touch the thing with his skin in any way.
Merging this shard is somewhat easier as it is a rather small piece, and he is rather pleased with the end result of his now four-piece slave-soul.
When they arrive home, Gerald has a brief moment to wonder just how many pieces the crazy maniac ripped his soul into, but then shrugs and goes to find Jason so they can go and find some dinner together. Ever since he started living with Jason, his diet has been progressively shifting towards meat, meat, and yet more meat. It has done wonders for his body and growth, but he does wonder if perhaps he isn't taking on too many of Jason/Etrigan/Amos's characteristics.
He doesn't let it worry him too much, since Elk really is just that tasty and Jason did say he was a growing boy after all. Besides he still really loved fruit and eats it almost as religiously as meat.
Clearly, he was still a fairy, even if he was also a demon-fairy now.
The next time they go hunting, the slave-soul leads him to an estate. A rather grandiose one if Gerald is any judge.
The slave-soul first leads them to a gate. It is rather large and imposing and Gerald would be impressed if he didn't live with the likes of Jason.
The ornate gold-looking gate have twin M's cast in the metal on the left and right, and Gerald glances at Jason to see what he thinks of it.
Jason seems to be examining the gate, so Gerald focuses on it also.
There are a number of red and sickly orange looking wards on the gate, which is the only thing Gerald can tell, but Jason sticks out his hand, seemingly only to sense the magic better. He doesn't let his hand touch the wards however.
Gerald can feel Jason examining it with his own magic, but isn't surprised when a shadow tendril does make contact with the wards.
Gerald holds his breath but nothing happens.
Jason nods to him and Amos's shadows wrap around them and the next moment they are on the other side of the gate.
They walk slowly up the well-paved path, and Gerald is a bit surprised to see a bunch of large white birds with long tail feathers running around the admittedly-enormous yard.
Jason looks equally interested, and tells Gerald that they are white peacocks. Gerald gets the impression they are rather rare by the way Jason says it, and wonders if they are tasty or just for looking at.
The birds ignore them till they get closer, then they take one look at them and try to fly to the nearest tree, away from them both.
Gerald hasn't realized his aura has expended any further recently, but maybe it has. Or maybe that was just the effect Jason had on animals in general.
The ruefulness emanating from Jason in Gerald's head indicates this might be normal, so Gerald makes a note to perhaps avoid having pets unless they are very tolerant.
Maybe a Matagot?
Those might actually fit pretty well in their house.
Something to look into at a later date.
After a ridiculously long walk, they finally reach a large manor – because that's the only thing Gerald knows what to call a house with too many windows and white marble pillars – Jason cloaks them in shadows and simply moves them inside without pausing. Whatever magics the Manor has, it clearly isn't designed against Jason's magics.
Inside is just as white and marble as the outside and a part of Gerald is only thinking that it makes a hilarious contrast to their own perpetually-dark-even-when-they-regularly-exorcise-it manor. Ironically, both houses look to be from a similar time period and Gerald has an idle moment to wonder if perhaps rich people just really like old-looking buildings. He honestly wouldn't know since they don't really go visit anyone.
…unless its to kill them, of course.
But since they usually deserve killing, that is neither here nor there.
He is pulled from his musings when a man with a long cape and very pale long hair suddenly walks in a hurry towards where they are hiding. Gerald notices he is clutching a stick with a rather deadly grip and looking around a little frantically.
'Ah, this must be the master of the house. Shall we introduce ourselves do you think?' Jason is busy studying him, but his hand makes his way to Gerald's shoulder as it always does when they are encountering someone Jason isn't sure isn't hostile.
'Might as well. It is the polite thing to do', Gerald thinks at Jason, even though trespassing into someone's house without an invitation is far from polite.
Jason's amusement fills him, as he allows them to step out of the shadows.
The man notices them immediately, and his stick comes up threateningly. Gerald is a little impressed the man isn't shaking in fear since Jason isn't exactly holding in his aura.
It is clear the man can feel their aura, but besides a momentary widening of his eyes, he holds firms and his wand – for that is the only thing the stick could be – doesn't waver.
"Who are you? What are you doing in my home?" the man asks, sounding impressively threatening for a man faced with the two of them.
Jason is clearly studying him, but just then the slave-soul pings Gerald and lets him know this man has definitely come into contract with a piece of rogue-soul.
Gerald lets Jason know, and he can feel more than see Jason's eyes harden.
The man with the long white hair clearly sees the same and his hand immediately starts to cast something. Jason doesn't give him the chance however, and sends out his shadows.
They wrap around the man before he can even utter a shout let alone a spell, and simply wrap around his whole lower face, insuring he can't speak. They also wrap around his hands and feet, and yank his wand out of his hand.
The man having suddenly been immobilized, topples like a tree onto the carpet he was standing on, nearly breaking his nose in his surprise fall. His wand is delivered to Jason's hand by the shadows.
The man can still see, albeit not easily, but enough to show shock and pain when Jason simply snaps his wand like a twig, without a moment's hesitation upon receiving it.
'That was a bit harsh. What if it was a family heirloom?' Gerald glances at him, asking.
'Never be stupid enough to leave your enemy with a weapon he could use near you. Even if he is immobilized.' Jason lectures, but Gerald can tell he is focused on sensing the rest of the house.
'Could have just stored it in your storage… I wanted to examine it. It felt… interesting.' Gerald grumbles, but acknowledges they are in an unsafe place and its probably better to be paranoid than not.
"Can you tell where it is?" Jason asks him, out loud this time
"This way." Gerald says, since he is now feeling what the slave-soul is feeling. It keeps tug-tugging him in one direction.
Jason floats the blond man still wrapped in his shadows and they head deeper into the manor.
They reach an ornate door – all the doors are ornate but this one is somewhat bigger than the others as if to signal its importance – and Jason doesn't bother opening it, but rather they shadow-step to the other side, and the man makes a distressed noise. Gerald isn't sure if its because they just did magic he hasn't seen before or if the shadow-step horrified him enough to make noise. It tends to have that effect on the uninitiated.
It seems the room they just stepped into is an office.
It has a large desk made of some kind of fancy wood, and quite a few bookshelves with glass doors protecting them. There is a large – very large – fire place which Gerald knows Jason must approve of, with a nice fire merrily crackling in the hearth. A set of nice cream settee sit to left and right of the fireplace.
Jason glances around and warns Gerald not to touch anything since a lot of things look to have nasty looking auras on them.
Instead, Jason sits them on the nice cream settee, and sets the man in a seated position – still wrapped in shadows – on the opposite side. He then dismisses the shadows on the man's mouth.
The man surprises Gerald by not saying anything right away, so Jason asks, "What is your name? Your full name."
The man shows a flash of surprise – it seems he thought he was deliberately targeted – but then realizes he doesn't much have a choice but to reply, "Lucius. Lucius Malfoy of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Malfoy."
"Malfoy? Honestly?" Jason asks, and Gerald can feel Jason's amusement all through his mind.
The man frowns but nods warily. That isn't the response he was expecting it seems.
"Whomever named you must have had some story to name you 'bad faith'. Well then, Lucius Malfoy, we are here today to retrieve an item. Give it to us with minimal fuss, and we will leave you alone. Understand?" Jason is using his 'I am a pleasant guy, do as I say before I am not pleasant' tone, and Gerald makes a note to learn how to do that because it could be rather useful.
The man – Lucius – clearly hasn't expected this, but asks, now even more warily, "Yes. What item?"
The man clearly knows his priorities and Gerald can tell Jason is pleased with him.
Instead of answering, Jason glances at him, and Gerald gets up, so the slave-soul can find it.
Releasing the slave-soul always feels like a gathering of something dark and terrible right in front of you, except most people can't see it. Lucius Malfoy can very clearly see it, because he immediately tries to get away from it instinctively, only to have Jason's shadows hold him in place. Just the same, his face moves away from Gerald's slave-soul as far as it can get in his bindings and his eyes take on a terrified look even if his expression looks carved in stone.
But Gerald isn't really interested in his ability to keep his face impassive. He directs the slave-soul to hone in on its other piece and it does. Pausing in front of one of the bookcases. It goes downwards, indicating it is below the floorboards.
Gerald glances at Jason.
Jason smiles and crooks his finger, and the shadow-bundle that is Lucius Malfoy flies towards them. The man makes a small distressed noise at being moved without permission – or perhaps for getting closer to Gerald's slave-soul – but he doesn't much have a choice.
Jason sets him down on his feet, and removes all the shadows binding him by simply moving them to Malfoy's neck, making a shadow collar around it.
The threat is obviously clear to Lucius because he his hands only twitch once, reaching towards his throat before he drops them.
"There is a secret compartment here. Open it please." Jason says pleasantly.
Lucius only hesitates for a second but then bends down obediently to place his hand on the seal. As soon as his magic touches it, the outline of a trapdoor appears and he pulls the handle open.
A staircase appears leading downward, and Jason gestures for him to go ahead.
Lucius does.
Sconces of white flame light up as they descend the stairs, and Gerald admires them a little curiously. The sconces in their place doesn't look anything like these.
They don't descend especially far, but quickly reach another room which seems to mostly have bookcases and shelves to hold various items of magic.
Both Gerald can sense that most of these items aren't exactly… nice, in nature, but neither are the vast majority of Jason's things so he just looks at them with curiosity. He knows better than to try and touch anything.
His slave-soul points him towards the back of the room, and the sense of corruption and wrongwrongwrong increases exponentially, signaling the rogue-soul is definitely there somewhere.
"You don't happen to have in your possession one of Voldemort's items here do you?" Jason asks Lucius conversationally, and the other man startles visibly.
That apparently was the furthest thing that Lucius has been expecting.
"I don't know what you mean." Lucius choses to say after a telling moment. But before Jason could punish him with the shadows, he quickly adds, "I collect items of power, as you can see, I am not sure if any of them were ever owned by… the Dark Lord. I certainly hope not."
It is clearly a lie, and Jason lets Lucius know that his half-truth won't fly with them by simply cutting off his airway with the shadows around his neck.
Lucius tries to grab the squeezing shadows around his throat instinctively but since they are shadows, its like trying to hold smoke. He looks panicked for a moment, and thrashes a bit but the shadows losen him after a moment, just a bit. Just enough that he can catch a sip of air, though not enough for him to speak.
"I don't like liars Lucius. They waste my time and I don't like that. Let's try this another way, go get the item and bring it to me." Jason smiles lazily, and Gerald sees Lucius's whole-body shudder.
He doesn't have a choice, so he goes to a chest sitting in the back and places his hand on the lock. It snaps open, and Lucius opens the chest, only to remove another box. This one has no openings on it.
Lucius brings it to them, but indicates that he needs to speak.
Curious now, Jason allows the shadows to loosen a touch more, but still remain uncomfortably tight.
"It… I need my wand. To open it. Or a drop of my blood." Lucius says with difficulty. The look in his eyes is complicated, and Gerald realizes he is worried Jason would kill him to open the box.
Gerald sends a look to Jason, asking him to be nice, and Jason sighs and says, "Fine. That can be arranged." And using his shadow cuts Lucius's palm open.
The cut is a bit bigger than it needs to be, but Lucius doesn't make a sound. Perhaps he is relieved that its not his throat Jason cut.
He places his bloody palm on the box directly, and Gerald notices that the shadows which had cut Lucius are surreptitiously gathering some of his blood where Lucius cannot see them.
Gerald sends a question to Jason within their soul-space, and Jason says, 'You never know.'
Gerald makes a note to learn this lesson. It's maybe a bit paranoid, but then, maybe also not.
As soon as Lucius's blood touches the box, seams immediately appear, and it snaps open.
Right away, Gerald can tell the rogue-soul is inside the little black book sitting inside the box, and he nods at Jason even though Jason can surely feel it too.
"Yes. This is what we were looking for. Thank you for your assistance, Lucius." He doesn't reach in to touch it however, instead he looks at Gerald.
Gerald was planning to anyway, but it's good to know Jason wants it done immediately. So, he gathers his own shadows and wraps them around the book. He can immediately feel a compulsion tugging at his consciousness, urging him to open the book and … write in it? Odd sensation that. Instead of following the desire, he waves his hand, and his slave-soul and the book are both trapped inside a warded dome.
"You are going to want to step back a bit for this part." Jason tells Lucius, and the man's eyes widen as he immediately obeys and backs away fearfully as far as the leash on his throat will allow him, which admittedly isn't so far he can't clearly see what's going on inside the warded dome.
Now that he has permission, Gerald gathers his power and starts to cast the layer upon layer of spells Jason has taught him to forcibly extract the rogue-shard and enslave it. It takes him a bit of effort, but the room is full of magic and it bolsters him even if it is rather dark. He knows Jason is filtering the magic like a strainer because the magic which reaches him is dark but not corrupt in any way. Helps to have a teacher who is more corrupt than almost any other thing inside this room as a filter.
Lucius has a look on his face that is both fascinated and horrified in equal part and a part of Gerald that is aware of his environment somewhat understands. It is a gruesome process and the rogue-shard screams and screams and screams as its forcibly extracted by his magic and his slave-soul both.
This shard is the largest they have found yet, and it fights Gerald like crazy, unwilling to be removed from its home. Jason actually puts his hand on Gerald's shoulder and boosts his magic with his own. It's not necessary, but Gerald appreciates the insurance. It gives him the confidence to fully commit his magic – hands outstretched and twisting, yanking and pulling on the shard from outside the dome – the blasted thing is clearly enraged and Gerald can almost hear words now in the screaming.
Lucius suddenly lurches towards the dome, eyes glazed and hand outstretched, clearly being affected by the compulsion despite the dome cutting off the things magical influence and Gerald has a moment to wonder how its effecting him… Before Jason snaps Lucius out of its compulsion by simply tightening his choke chain around the man's neck and he immediately stops because he can't breathe again.
Gerald notices all of this but then refocuses, grunts and pulls. The nasty thing finally let's go of the book it was living it. It thrashes in Gerald's magic, and immediately tries to ram the domed ward, clearly trying to escape, but Gerald's slave-soul grabs onto it, and the rogue-shard actually stutters – clearly in recognition of its other self – and that is just long enough for Gerald to cast the slave-brand into its center.
The magical brand acts just as it should, creating a synergy between the slave-soul and the rogue-shard, immediately draining the rogue of its sense of self and its consciousness. The thing fights as much as its able but it's weakening fast from both the slave-souls influence and Gerald's magic draining it. Within moments, it stops thrashing, and stills.
Taking a deep breath and finally dropping his hands, Gerald checks to see that Jason has Lucius in hand – he does of course – then he takes another breath and proceeds to cast the hardest bit of magic yet. The magic which will forcibly merge this large shard with his slave-soul.
He had reversed the order as a last-minute decision simply because this shard was so big and fought so much, he was worried it might actually give his slave-soul injury if he merged it before enslaving it.
He thinks it wouldn't have but then, why take the chance?
This takes him a good 10 minutes to complete – mostly because this chunk is bloody large and a part of Gerald has a moment to wonder if this maybe wasn't the first shard torn from the maniac, but then his focus is taken up by making sure the merging is complete.
He is really tired afterwards, and Jason has to shove a bit more magic into him to make sure he doesn't just fall asleep right afterwards, but after a moment he catches his breath and he thinks he is okay.
Looking up, he has a moment to admire his handywork. The slave-shard has practically doubled in size this time, and is looking more and more like an actual …well, not human soul but something close to it. There is a vague shape of a human-ish thing now, instead of just the original dark blob, so Gerald thinks its good.
He checks again to make sure no trace of independence remains in the thing. He can feel the soul's intelligence, but he feels a complete and successful slave-bond present. Only then does he allow himself to relax and release the domed ward.
Lucius makes another noise, and Gerald glances at him. Clearly his slave's aura is stronger now and Lucius must be able to feel it in full.
He is still curious how that rogue-shard managed to get its influence past the warded dome to influence Lucius, but then the slave-soul gets his attention by simply focusing on Lucius.
No, not on Lucius.
On Lucuis's bleeding arm.
For a moment, Gerald wonders if Lucius is a slave also, bound with his blood.
Jason hears his thoughts – because his teacher is always listening and that never fails to warm Gerald down to his toes – and grabs Lucius's robe-covered arm.
The man jerks in surprise, but Jason ignores him, examining his bloody hand for a moment.
Gerald's slave-soul seems to sigh, and sends its focus not on Lucius's cut palm but … a bit higher?
Jason glances at it, and then carefully yanks up Lucius's sleeve. He is wearing gloves, so it is unlikely Lucius will try to run away in atavistic horror at being touched by someone so corrupt but Gerald knows Jason hates the reaction unless he is in a particularly mean mood – which in Gerald's experience is rather rare – so he knows Jason would prefer not to horrify the man in that particular way if he can at all help it.
The arm which is exposed, has a rather ugly tattoo on it.
Gerald looks at it a bit more carefully.
It is some kind of skull with a snake running through it.
Then he notices how much it feels like his slave-soul.
"Ah. I hadn't realized you were someone's slave already." Jason says, looking a little surprised.
Lucius actually bristles and snarls, "I am no one's slave!"
"Actually, you are. That brand is a slave-brand. A particularly nasty one actually. Were you aware your Master can drain all your magic and leave you a dead husk with a mere thought? You should have. When he calls you to him, the pain alone should have told you what it was." Jason tells him, almost sympathetically.
Lucius's face goes from outraged to bewildered to horrified just that fast.
"You… were not aware?" Jason asks, now sounding actually interested. Gerald thinks Jason has a point because which idiot isn't aware when he is being enslaved?! Luicus must be rather dim-witted if he wasn't even aware this happened to him.
"I…" Lucius is clearly having trouble, because he looks alarmingly pale for a moment, but then says rather resigned, "It doesn't matter anymore, does it? It's not like I could ever remove it."
Jason gets a thoughtful look on his face, and Gerald thinks he has a point. Because… it is Voldie's slave brand, and Voldie's soul is now in Gerald's possession – well, a big part of him anyway, so…
"Wait. It can?" Lucius asks, clearly seeing their thoughtful looks. The expression on his face looks afraid of being hopeful, "You can remove it?"
Jason glances at Gerald because technically, Jason is stronger than Voldie, so he could likely replace Voldie's brand of ownership with his own, but only Gerald might be able to fully remove it.
'But you think I shouldn't?' Gerald asks a bit surprised, and wants to know his teacher's logic.
'Well, I hadn't planned to suddenly own a living slave today, but he could potentially be useful…' Jason says, but Gerald could tell he doesn't actually want to do this, so much as he is discussing it with Gerald.
'We agreed no owning people unless they are completely evil, they cannot be killed and it cannot be helped.' Gerald admonishes his teacher, fully knowing Jason expects him to and takes delight in it.
'We did at that. Very well. It is your call then. But I do suggest some precautions, he seems to have been a loyal follower of the madman, even if he was not aware of the fully spectrum of his enslavement.' Jason tells him, and Gerald thinks his teacher has a very valid point.
Lucius can clearly sense that they are communicating, and is clearly not as dim-witted as he was when he was enslaved because his expression says that he has read Jason's expression correctly and it is Gerald who can do that which he wishes.
He is staring at Gerald and it is painfully clear he is fighting his own common sense about a child this young being able to do anything as complicated as free him from Voldemort's possession despite having just watched Gerald remove a piece of the madman's soul and enslave it.
Though, granted, Gerald isn't entirely sure Lucius understood everything he saw.
"I can do it. But I am not sure I should. You clearly wanted to follow this madman – and he was very much mad considering what he did to his own soul. He was obviously not a very nice person who – judging by the state of his soul – hurt and killed a lot of innocent people." Gerald looks Lucius in the eye and makes sure his expression is the hard one he practiced in front of the mirror in order to look more like scary!Jason.
Lucius swallows, and wets his lips quickly, then says, "If you can really do it, I would swear a vow – a magic vow – that I would never follow in the Dark Lord footsteps again. I would not… I would not harm innocence or others who don't try to harm me or my own. This… I was young when this –" here Lucius lifts his arm to indicate the ugly tattoo, "—happened. My father had followed him and I felt honor bound to do the same. By the time I realized he was insane, it was too late to get away. I thought he would help us preserve our culture and traditions, not go on killing sprees and torture witches and wizards! He wasn't always crazy. Or…I couldn't see that he was at least. After he was gone, I … I had a son. I don't want my son to follow in my footsteps and be bound by him again. We… those of us that are marked, we can tell he isn't fully gone because the mark is still there. He will try to come back and I – I have to protect my son. My family. Please." That last sounds like it cost Lucius quite a bit, but he also looks desperate enough – maybe Gerald means hopeful enough – to clearly mean it.
Gerald glances at Jason, and inside their shared soul space, Jason floats a blob of blood – Lucius's blood – in the air. Gerald relaxes a bit. He had forgotten that Jason took that.
Plus, Jason knew the moment Lucius showed himself to be a caring father, Gerald would give in.
Lucius could not go against his vow even if he wanted to because Jason will make sure of it through his blood.
"Okay then. You will swear a vow, on your blood and magic, to not follow in Voldemort's footsteps, and to not harm innocence or those who do not try to harm you or yours first. I am okay with you defending yourself, but don't try to wiggle out of the vow by fudging the meaning. My teacher will make sure the intent of the vow is upheld." Gerald gives Lucius another look, but Lucius only looks relieved, which actually convinces Gerald that last little bit that the man really is done with his stupidity.
He calls his slave-soul over, and Lucius instinctively tries to take a step back, but Jason is still holding his arm so he doesn't get anywhere.
"I need it to draw this thing out. It's his magic after all, and he is my slave now. It's going to hurt so try to hold still. It's okay if you have to scream." Gerald tells him and Lucius's eyes widen so much Gerald can see just how grey-blue his eyes really are.
"He… the Dark Lord is your… slave?" Lucius stemmers, clearly not hearing the rest of what Gerald has said.
Gerald huffs, and says, "Yes, what did you think was happening earlier? Now hold still."
Saying this, his grabs hold of his slave-soul, and they both extend their hand over Lucius's arm. One specter and one 10-year-old. Lucius immediately tenses in Jason's hold, but Jason is very strong when he wants to be and Lucius can't so much as do more than twitch his fingers before Gerald starts pulling.
"Careful. It's wrapped around his magical core. You need to –" Jason says, and Gerald knows what he will say before he finishes because the magic is fighting him but not so much with his slave-soul's signature right there helping him.
"—use my slave to disengage it or it will kill him, yeah I see it." Gerald says and gets the slave-soul to directly touch the mark on Lucius's hand, which makes Lucius scream, obviously involuntarily.
He doesn't stop screaming even though he is trying to grit his teeth through it, but Gerald knows it must feel like his entire magical core is being electrocuted so it's a small wonder he can't help himself.
"Almost. Hold on a bit longer." Gerald tells him absently and focuses again on detangling the black tendrils which are all over Lucius's magic and even parts of his heart.
Without his slave-soul, he would never be able to do it, no matter how well he knows Voldie's signature because the blasted mark is keyed to only recognize Voldie's magical signature and no one else's. His followers would have all died if he hadn't split his soul before he died. The moment Lucius has taken his mark, he was doomed.
"You are one, ugly, piece, of, magic! Let, GO already!" Gerald tells it, and finally, finally it does.
Lucius slumps the moment the piece of Voldie magic leaves him and only Jason's hold on him allows him to not collapse to the floor in a heap.
Lucius actually cries a few tears, shaking all over, when he can finally lift his head to see his completely unblemished arm still being held by Jason.
It takes then a good ten minutes to climb the stair up back into the study, and another ten for Lucius to compose himself enough, but when he finally does, his expression is a bit tense despite looking very relieved.
"You… snapped my wand. I am not sure how to make a vow without it, if I am honest." Lucius says, and he still looks fearful, as if maybe they will still kill him if he doesn't follow through.
Jason would, Gerald knows that, but not if he is truly willing and only needs a way to do it.
"That isn't a problem. I have your blood." Jason says wickedly, and Lucius has a moment to look alarmed, as he – Gerald can admit this – probably rightly should.
"You will hold up your hand, extend your magic, and make the vow. I will use your blood to bind your exact words into your magical signature. You will be bound by your vow, wand or no wand." Jason tells him, and it almost sounds like a challenge, but Lucius almost looks relieved so Jason actually smiles at him.
Lucius lifts his hand, and after a moment of clearly trying to figure out how to do it, extends his magic. It swirls around him as he says the words to the vow. Jason uses the moment to infuse a few drops of his magic with the intent Lucius is promising, and sends it back into his cut hand. There is a flash around Lucius, and when he looks down, his palm is healed. There, where the cut was, is a visible but old-looking scar.
"It will light up if you are ever in danger of breaking your vow. If you then continue, it will drain you of all magic and kill you." Jason tells him matter-of-factly.
"…I appreciate that there will at least be a warning." Lucius says, face quirking, then he stands up, and bows. "Thank you. Despite the manner of how you did it, you freed me and my family from him. The Malfoy family will not soon forget this. Even with this –" he holds up his hand to indicate the scar, "—it is a gift close to a life-debt."
Jason looks at him thoughtfully, and only then dismisses the shadows around the man's throat.
Lucius startles a little, clearly having forgotten they were there. Gerald thinks he can understand since having your magic-nerves electrocuted from forcibly removing a slave-bond does in fact allow that kind of forgetfulness.
"Your gratitude should be to him." Jason says, and nods towards Gerald.
"Yes, I see that. May I know your name? So I know whom we are indebted to." Lucius asks Gerald, looking like he doesn't expect to receive and answer.
Gerald glances at Jason, checking with him if he should or shouldn't share this. Names have power after all. But Jason assures him that his 'name' is protected not just by Jason himself, but Etrigan, Amos, his mother Lily and even the All-Mother's blessings.
"Gerald. Gerald Blood." Gerald tells him, clearly surprising Lucius, but then adds, "though I don't advise scrying for it."
Realization flitters across Lucius's face and he is about to nod when he suddenly hesitates.
Jason sees it, and asks, "What is it?"
Lucius still hesitates but then says, "If… there might be another, who wishes to be free of the Mark. Would there be any possibility of further such… assistance? I am sure he would be willing to make the same vow, as well as offer whatever else you might ask of him. He is a gifted potioneer."
Jason thinks about it, and Gerald thinks 'Less people following the madman is good, right?'
'It is, yes… but.'
'You believe people should pay for doing bad things.'
'So do you.'
Gerald thinks about it, 'I do. But some people should also get a second chance.'
Luicus suddenly adds, "I am pretty sure he was a spy actually. He isn't a nice man, but he isn't sadistic in the way a lot of the Dark Lo – a lot of the madman's followers were. I think given the chance, there is very little he wouldn't do to be free of him also."
Gerald can tell Jason already knows what Gerald would decide, so instead he simply tells Lucius, "Very well. You will call him now, we will wait."
Lucius's eyes widen, he clearly didn't expect this to happen immediately, but he hurries to the fireplace and throws in something that looks suspiciously like green powder.
Suddenly the fire turns green and Lucius says, "Severus Snape private quarters." Into the flame.
Then he sticks his head into the fireplace.
Gerald can feel Jason's interest and they are both wondering if maybe Malfoy is also a fire witch who straightens himself with flames the way Jason does.
But after a moment, they both realize this is some kind of… communication device. Gerald thinks it must be something like a telephone.
The fireplace is big enough that Lucius only needs to bend a little bit in order to stick most of his head in. At one point, he sticks his whole arm in also – the one that had the mark on it – and says a few other things. Neither Jason nor Gerald pay too much attention to the conversation, instead, they both focus on checking over the slave-soul and making sure its not too drained after the previous ordeal.
It is a bit weakened, but not much, since it got so much bigger also. They will need to send it away to replenish its stores but a mark removal shouldn't really tax it as it is only using its signature to be identified. Gerald is doing most of the work.
Jason surreptitiously sends him more magic through their link, making him feel like he just ate a whole boar or a sheep or something. Gerald smiles at him ruefully. Soul-magic is very taxing, though Jason assures him it will get easier as he gets older. He is still quite young so it is normal for him to tire.
Gerald knows all of this but it is still rather annoying to not be able to bounce back the way Jason can. Sometimes Gerald thinks Jason has infinite magic inside him despite more than once having seen Jason go into the fireplace to set himself on fire to recharge after a battle.
Their silent conversation is interrupted when Lucius pulls himself out of the fireplace, and the fire goes out. It lights up again only a moment later, when a dark-haired man with intense eyes, wearing all black steps out of it.
He freezes as soon as he sees them, then stills – a very clear distinction between the two – when he feels them. His hand twitches and a wand slides into his palm.
Gerald has a moment to be impressed, before Jason casually says, "I know how we feel Mr. Severus Snape, and I would not do that if I were you, as we mean you no harm, unless you make us." Jason's tone is light, but Gerald can detect the steel in it.
Snape must be a smarter man than most, because he fights his instincts which likely are telling him to get far, far away from this room and them, and drops his hand which had instinctively come up when his wand slid out.
He does not put his wand away however.
Lucius actually steps in front of Snape, facing him, and shakes his head. Clearly whatever is in his eyes, convinces Snape to put his wand away completely.
"Smart man." Jason says, smiling his I-am-amused-by-you smile, and Gerald thinks about kicking him under the table a little.
'He was still a follower of the madman.' Jason reminds him.
'Lucius said he was a spy.' Gerald says, thinking that must have taken a lot of guts to be.
'Maybe a spy.' Jason isn't letting it go, and Gerald acknowledges that yes okay maybe he has a point. They don't know what he was.
Lucius cuts into their mental conversation suddenly by saying, "Would you allow us a few moments of privacy, so I can explain to Severus… everything that happened? He would cast a privacy ward around us, but I think it would help to speed this along?"
Lucius doesn't quite make it a question, but Gerald can see by the way Severus glances at him that he is surprised at Lucius's differential tone.
"Go ahead." Jason tells him, because Gerald knows he wants to see more of the kind of magic they use. Both of them have noted that both Lucius and Severus have a wand and it seems to be their primary weapon. Lucius even implied there were things he couldn't do in his own house without it, and Gerald has another moment to wonder if they should have so casually snapped it.
They hear Lucius say, "You cast it."
Severus looks at him but doesn't question it except to wave his wand in a complicated pattern and mutter a worder under his breath. Suddenly there is a shimmer around them, and all noise from their side is cut off. They could both still see them, but not hear anything coming from their side.
Both Jason and Gerald observe the magic with interest.
'Some kind of power word? I barely felt his magic move before the spell was cast.' Gerald asks, now rather curious.
'I think weaker than Power words. Most likely a pre-determined and previously memorized auto-casting. Completely dependent on memorization and a wand. We noted it some years ago already if you remember. I am not even sure they know how to cast without it. Likely gives them more control over it. Do you remember how long it took you to stop setting everything on fire or covering it with glitter? This is likely to bypass training your magic to form organic pathways, since it can be a bit of a slow and arduous process.'
Gerald turned to look at him in astonishment, despite his soul already projecting said astonishment, 'You are serious? They can't cast without a wand at all? I thought you were joking when you first told me. That's…'
'Barbaric? Lazy? Idiotic because it leaves you completely vulnerable? Yes.' Jason says, having not taken his eyes off of them.
Gerald knows that with Lucius's blood in his possession, if he wanted to eavesdrop, he could do it easily, so he assumes that he is deliberately allowing Lucius his privacy with this Snape person.
Whatever it is Lucius is telling Snape – and Gerald must admit he looks both intense and somewhat… humbled – Snapes eyebrows are in his hairline.
They stay in his hairline, but Snape keeps throwing them glances. However, as Lucius keeps talking, Snape goes from staring mostly at Jason to staring at Gerald himself.
Gerald debates tensing up, but Jason is right next to him, so its not like he has anything to be worried about. Jason would never allow anything bad to happen to him, and while he doesn't think his own magic is very strong, he does have five-pieces-of-a-Voldemort-slave-soul in his possession and that isn't anything to sneer at.
Jason has promised him that he will get his own cursed armor and weapon soon, but to do that he would actually need to have enemies he doesn't plan to use as attack-shades the way he is using Voldie-pieces. Grated, his magic takes on a different form from Jasons, and he really doesn't have any other enemies besides Voldie – though distressingly, Jason seems convinced he will one day, so there is that – but Jason is convinced he will be able to trap evil souls inside armor and weapons one day to protect him and serve him.
Gerald hasn't quite decided if he wants that or not, but considering he also hasn't been sure he wants Voldie to be his slave-soul… well.
Just then, Snape dismisses the dome which cut sound out, and he looks… a little grey in the face actually. Like he wants to be sweating but isn't quite yet? It's a very odd look, especially since his eyes glitter strangely when he looks at them.
"Luicus has… explained the situation to me. Might I ask to see the…shade that is the Dark Lord now?" Snape asks Jason directly, even though his eyes flick to Gerald also.
Jason considers it, but the soul-shade is only a thought away, so Jason looks to him. Gerald shrugs and summons it, and Snape actually takes an involuntary step back, his wand hand twitching up, then down in a seeming reflex.
"I… see. And you have complete control over… it?" Snape asks Gerald this time.
Gerald sees no reason not to answer, so he says, "Yes. His soul pieces are my slave."
Snape's eyes widen – apparently, Lucius has failed to mention this to him – and Snape looks rather perturbed.
"What will you do with it?" Snape seems not to be able to help himself when he asks Gerald this.
Jason suddenly speaks up, "For now, we will use it to remove your slave-mark. Further from that? It is not much of your concern, is it now. So long as it doesn't come back to claim its vengeance that is, which it won't simply because it can't." then he smiles his less-than-friendly smile, indicating no more questions should be ask in this vein.
Snape stills, then nods. His body language no longer shows fear, which Gerald rather admires. Not many people wouldn't show fear in front of Jason's smiles.
"What do you want in return? I will swear the vow, same as Lucius. What I want to know is, what besides that do you want." Snape asks, because really that is the key here, isn't it?
Jason considers him, then asks Gerald, 'What do you think? Want me to look through him before we decide?'
'I think so. I do actually want to know if he was or wasn't a real spy. Plus, hard to decide what to ask for if we don't know what he has, right?' that they will ask for his blood goes without saying, since its just good insurance.
"You will swear the vow using your blood. In addition to that, you will allow me into your mind, as we need to verify Lucius's claims that you were, in face, a spy, as he suspected you to be. I will also be looking at your skillsets in order to determine what else you will provide us for this service. Understand that you can agree to our terms, or you can die automatically with the rest of the Marked when we collect Voldemort's final soul piece, and he is fully dead, and fully in our possession." Jason tells him nonchalantly, but Gerald can see that he wants the man to agree.
Snape eyes widen, and he glances – almost involuntarily – at Lucius.
Lucius looks grim, but nods at him to agree.
Snape turns his eyes back on them, and asks, "Why blood? Why not magic?"
"Magic can be circumvented, Blood, in our hands, cannot." Jason tells him and smiles his more disturbing smile, and Gerald wants to kick him again even though he isn't wrong.
Snape thinks about it, but then his shoulders very subtly drop just an inch, and Gerald knows he will agree.
Snape does agree, and Jason wastes no time at all in cutting his hand open, and delving into his mind.
Snape tenses all over, but Jason decides in the last minute to not be too rough with him. Something tells him this man is a little like himself, so he ruffles through the man's mind thoroughly but gently.
What he sees rather astonishes him.
Snape is directly responsible for Gerald's parents' death, and this is the source of most of his remorse. He is just about to change his mind about freeing this man, when he sees Snape's vow to protect "Harry Potter" with his life, as well as his determination to bring down Voldemort.
Since Dumbledore's sudden death, Snape has been rudderless. And worried. No one besides a select few knew he was a spy, and besides Dumbledore not many believed he really was.
He was worried what will happen when Voldemort found a way to resurrect himself, and without Dumbledore there to protect him and the school he works in, he feared the worst will happen.
Fortunate for him then that Voldemort will never succeed in coming back.
Not if Jason has any say in the matter. And he does.
Jason confirms while he is going through the man's skillsets, that one Severus Snape is indeed a very skilled potions master, and that there might be a good opportunity there.
He wasn't really planning on letting Gerald attend Hogwarts, but now that Dumbledore no longer runs the school, it might be safe enough for him. Something to consider. In the mean time however…
Jason pulls out of Severus Snape's mind just as gently as he entered it, and he can see the man is a bit disoriented and a bit disturbed. He had instinctively tried to block Jason with an interesting form of mind-magic, but since Jason has his blood, he never stood a chance. This is, no doubt, some of the source of the man's discomfort, well, that and the fact that Jason quite literally knows every little thing about him now.
No one much likes being that naked.
Except Gerald, who never seems to mind Jason looking, but Gerald, Jason has come to realize, is a very special little boy.
As soon as Jason pulls out, Gerald dives into Jason's mind to see what Jason has seen. His cat nature being too curious for his own good, but Jason allows it since Gerald really should know.
"Thank you for that. You will swear the vow after Gerald removes your mark. If you have information of the whereabouts of more of Voldemort's soul shards you will share them with us. You will also agree to brew a number of luck potions for us – Felix Felicies I believed your people call it – as well as a number of strong healing potions, skelegrow and dittany. While we do not necessarily need them, it is always good to have. You will agree to teach both Gerald and myself potions to a decent proficiency. Let us say the equivalent of your graduating students at your school. You will do this weekly, either in our home or at yours. Are the terms acceptable to you?"
Snape takes a moment to process this, but Jason can see it is really not a very high price to pay to be rid of a guaranteed death sentence, so he is not surprised when Snape nods his agreement.
Jason is however worried about Gerald because his boy has gone very quiet both inside and outside since he reviewed Snape's memories.
Jason checks on him inside, and finds his soul curled a little inside himself, with Amos's shadows around him like a protective blanket.
'Are you alright? We don't have to free him if you don't wish it. I would understand your need for vengeance if that is what you want to do.'
Gerald is quiet for a moment, but then he shakes his soul-head, 'No. I don't want to hurt him. He spent his life living in guilt over what he did, and he swore to protect me. I just don't know…why he left me at the Dursley's if he promised to keep me from harm.'
'Do you want to ask him?'
'…not really.'
Jason looks at his boy sympathetically. Gerald doesn't often need protecting, but this must have been a shock and Jason is more than willing to remind him he does have an adult and protector in his corner. 'Do you want me to ask him?'
'Maybe? But I don't want Lucius to know.'
"One moment, there seems to be one more issue to clarify." Jason says, and dives back into Snape's mind without warning the man. Snape's mental shields try to snap shut again, reflexively it seems, but Jason doesn't allow them and simply goes through them as if they aren't there.
'We have a question for you. You swore an oath to protect one Harry Potter, due to the injury you have caused him when you revealed the prophecy to Voldemort, which resulted in his parents' death.' Jason states in his mind.
He can feel Snape's pain, guilt and horror at being reminded of his most painful memory but he grits out, 'Yes.'
'Why did you then not raise him yourself? Why did you allow this child to be raised by people with no magic who hate magic, and thereby hate him? He was far from safe in their hands after all.'
Snape's shock is evident, and clearly not faked, 'How do you know where Harry Potter is? I was not told where he was sent, only that he was safe where he went. Albus said it wasn't safe for me to know in case Voldemort came back and realized I was the spy. DO you know where he is? I don't know anyone else who knew where he was sent besides Albus and he… is gone. He passed a few years ago. I have not had any news about the boy since then. Where was he sent?!' Snape seems honestly distressed over the news, and the word vomit which isn't usual for the man – Jason knows this after seeing his life – and it's clear he also isn't the stupid sort because he immediately puts it together. Jason can feel his revulsion and dismay even before he says, 'You said no magic, he … please tell me he wasn't sent to live with Tuney. Petunia, Lily's muggle sister.'
Jason doesn't confirm or deny anything, he simply pulls out of the man's mind and shows his reaction to Gerald.
Gerald views it carefully, and then nods to himself. Something inside the boy relaxes so obviously that Jason hurts a little for him.
Abandonment is hard to get over.
"I will remove your mark now. It will hurt, so do not fight me. Lucius, you might want to do that thing again that blocks sound so we don't disturb anyone." Gerald suddenly says, and Jason can tell Snape really wants to keep asking, but his teeth snap shut and after a moment, he rolls up his sleeve without another word.
Lucius comes to stand by his friend, and it's clear to Jason he kept his own sleeve rolled up in order to remind Snape of their ultimate goal. Snape glances at Lucius, and his features harden, getting more determined.
Gerald doesn't look him in the eye, instead he calls to Voldie's slave-soul, but before Snape could tense up again, Lucius speaks up, "It has to be the Dark Lord's magical signature or it will kill you. It's… not pleasant, like a particularly electric crucio but… we've had worse."
Snape nods, and doesn't move further.
Jason has a moment to watch Gerald this time, and his boy seems more focused than he has been with Lucius. Maybe because of Snape's history with his parents. The boy is still young, even though he is wiser and older in his mind than most children his age due to the amount of history he 'lived through' in Jason's own mind. Etrigan, has also been sharing some of his less disturbing memories on magic, so Gerald is considerably older mentally. If Jason had to hedge a guess, it would be that Gerald is around a 13 or 14 year old's mentality despite his body still being that of a 10 year old. But even then, he was still young, and while he didn't physically have the hormonal changes which signal the onset of puberty, he does very much understand shades of grey. Something 10-year-olds usually don't.
Maybe because of his focus, Snape's mark comes out a lot easier than Lucius's did. While he does scream and squeeze his eyes shut, gritting his teeth hard enough that Jason idly wonders if he will need new dental work, his muscles bunching in the effort to not pull away since Jason isn't holding him the way he had been with Lucius, it is over a lot faster.
Afterwards, just like Lucius, Snape slumps into the chair, but not a moment later his head lifts just enough to clearly see his unblemished arm still resting on the armrest.
Gerald is quiet as he dismisses his slave-shade but Jason can feel that a part of the boy is satisfied, if still unsettled.
Snape swears the oath as soon as his hand stops shaking enough for him to do it, and Jason is satisfied that his blood will obey the vow. He is informed about the meaning of his new scar on his palm and its additional warning ability. Jason thinks to say, "We will start our lessons with you next week Saturday. Don't worry, we will find you."
With that, Jason wraps his boy in his shadows and takes them back home without pausing. He can tell Gerald is still emotionally in turmoil but he is confident the boy will be okay once he got some rest.
Predictably, as soon as they get home, Gerald excuses himself to his bedroom, lies down on the bed fully dressed, wraps himself up with Jason's thickest shadows and goes to sleep.
Jason knows he will be alright, but he still decides to go and raid the fruit market while Gerald is sleeping and collects a few deer as well.
His boy will be hungry when he wakes up.
Lessons with Snape are interesting to say the least.
Snape is a little disturbed the first time they simply step out of the shadows, having bypassed all of Hogwarts wards as well as his own magics guarding his private quarts but Jason can see now that Snape must have been a pretty decent spy, since he only shows it for the blink of an eye before his features smooth out and he offers them tea – which they both decline – before they start their lessons.
It is clear Snape hates teaching beginners classes, but it is also clear that he is treating Jason and Gerald as if they were his temporary Masters.
He is patient and detailed, even when Jason can feel his frustration with the minutia of their lack of knowledge.
Still, Snape never forgets who freed him, or how terrifying they both are, and he delivers the promised potions during his first lesson with them without any delay.
Jason doesn't know much about potions yet, but he thinks Snape must have started brewing the moment he had gotten back from his slave mark being removed.
They stick to doing the lessons at Hogwarts simply because it is easier, since their own home doesn't exactly have 12 kinds of cauldrons or any of the ingredients.
Snape doesn't say one word about them using up his ingredients, but Jason does leave him a few large gems to pawn as he sees fit for his efforts. More than enough for years of teaching.
Schoolteachers, in his experience are not rich, no matter the century.
It is obvious that this act surprises Snape but he is a lot more willing to waste ingredients for their lessons afterwards.
At first, they don't leave Snape's private potions room which are adjacent to his apartments. But after a few months, Jason can tell Gerald is curious so after their lessons are over for the day, they vanish with into their shadows as usual, but instead of going home, they wander around the castle for a time.
The castle is big, and while Jason has been here once or twice before in order to deal with Dumbledore, and then later to collect the artifacts and books he found in Dumbledore's mind which interested him, he hasn't really taken the time to explore it.
Now, partly to indulge Gerald and partly out of curiosity, he will admit this, they take their time to wander its many corridors and rooms. As it is the summer holidays, there are no students around. They see a few teachers from time to time, and on a few occasions, they see a species of fay with large ears and eyes, which Gerald expresses curiosity about especially since they are usually cleaning or scrubbing something with magic when they come across them. But since they are hidden in their shadows, none of them see Jason or Gerald.
They do shiver involuntarily, perhaps feeling Jason's malevolent aura, but they do not see them.
It is during one of these wanderings that Gerald suddenly stops while they are walking a deserted hallway and stares at a patch of wall intently.
Jason, now curious, goes into their soul space and looks through Geralds mind.
What could possibly be so interesting – Ah.
Gerald's soul-slave has suddenly alerted Gerald that a piece of his soul was somewhere on the other side of this wall.
Jason is a bit surprised that a piece of the soul shard is within the school full of children of all places but with a mild jolt he realizes the disgusting creature probably thoughts children would make a good sacrifice and an easy mark for possession.
Jason has long ago already decided this creature that is Voldemort will die, but now he feels a burning anger which surprises him.
'You hate anyone hurting kids, but especially kids trying to learn.' His Gerald tells him and Jason can only nod because he does.
It is good to be known so well.
Gerald is a miracle that Jason once again marvels that he can have in his life.
He knows he is flooding Gerald with his emotions again but since it never fails to make Gerald thrill in happiness, he doesn't stop himself from doing it.
Now to find the magic hiding that shard…
Jason places his hand on the patch of wall, and pushes his magic into it.
He gets back a sense of a complex enchantment, with a predetermined preset of desires.
He has a moment to be confused by the magic, since it seems to be asking what it is he needed from it.
Jason rarely came across such intelligent magics but since he does have one in front of him, he sends his need for finding the soul-shard which is Voldemort.
The magic of the wall shimmers for a moment, and the sense Jason gets from it, is one of a book turning pages at speed, but then the shimmer coalesces into a doorframe and a door knob. Jason can feel Geralds curiosity and he has to admit he himself is intrigued with this piece of magic as well. He will have to spend some time studying it, so they can both learn it.
Later.
Now he turns the door knob and they both walk into –
-what honestly looks like a large storage closet.
Or maybe a storage warehouse.
There are mounds upon mounds of old broken furniture, trinkets, cauldrons, isles and a myriad of other things strewn about everywhere.
Gerald doesn't need to be told, before he is summoning his slave-shade to narrow it down for them, because otherwise they can be here for days just sorting through junk, which Jason would much rather not do.
It takes them but a moment to find it.
Some kind of diadem.
It might have been pretty at one point, but years of housing a corrupt soul-shard coupled with years upon years of dust and grime from sitting in a storage room hasn't done it any favors and the thing looked quite dirty and dark now.
Jason feels a relatively strong compulsion to put the thing on, and from the corner of his eye he can see Gerald shaking his head like a dog, clearly resisting its pull.
Jason hasn't been able to succumb to compulsion since he was bonded to Etrigan so he isn't too worried. Instead, he casts the dome Gerald will need and they get to work.
It doesn't take them long to collect this shard and enslave it, binding it firmly to the rest of Gerald's slave, and Jason is pleased how quickly they are making progress and wonders again just how desperate one must be to split one's soul so many times to prevent death.
Even Gerald looks pleased, and Jason has a moment to be proud of how far his boy has come in only a few years.
Jason knows the child still worries about his morality. In truth, a part of Jason still thinks that people of this century were shockingly soft in their approach to life, but he also admits to himself that he came from a different time, and perhaps, this new century can afford the luxury of being this soft.
Well, not all of them, clearly, but some.
He would still rather see Gerald bristling with weapons then not however.
With Severus's diligent tutoring, they both progress in potions at an exponential rate.
Jason has always been able to brew a few concoctions as he needed but now, he really does embrace this branch of magic a lot more seriously than the past nearly-thousand years.
Gerald too is a diligent student, and confesses to Jason that it feels a little like cooking, but with magic. Severus has provided them a rather extensive reading list, and since they both loved nothing more than reading on a nightly basis, their foundational knowledge doesn't take as long as Jason feared it would.
Severus himself also seems pleasantly surprised, but perhaps chalks it up to them being 'different'. In any case, his frustrations die down slowly over the year and Jason can feel the man actually start to enjoy his task of teaching them.
He has tried a few times to 'casually' ask about Harry Potter's whereabouts, but since Gerald doesn't want him to know just yet, Jason isn't inclined to enlighten him.
Severus has managed to ascertain that the boy is at least alive, since apparently, he has gone to look for Petunia, but has found the house abandoned.
According to the neighbors, the Dursley's had simply vanished one day – Jason had simply dropped their bodies in a hell dimension when he took their souls –and their son has been taken away by child services and adopted by his aunt. No one knows what happened to them, or to the other boy who used to live with them since he seems to have vanished alongside them.
Jason was treated to the 'million green-eyed stare' in their shared soul space upon hearing this, and Jason had sighed and promised to tell him about it when they went home.
He isn't sure if Gerald will make Jason release them or not, but somehow, he doubted it.
Gerald might be pissed at him for a time, but he was raised by Jason, and understands Jason's need for vengeance, especially when it came to him.
Severus has confessed to believing the boy possibly dead since his name has also vanished from the Hogwarts Registry, though no one is sure when this happened.
He did also confess that if the child has moved sufficiently far away, this can also have happened but in truth, Severus admits that it is highly unlikely that the Dursley's would have abandoned their son just to take Harry Potter and make a run for it overseas. Especially since Petunia had always hated all things related to magic. Severus confessed that he had been extremely dismayed when one of their neighbors had confirmed that a small boy with black hair and a scar on his head had indeed lived at Number 4 Privet Drive before disappearing with the Dursley's. Jason isn't sure why, but maybe Severus had still held out hope that Harry Potter hadn't been left in the Dursley's care.
Severus had all but begged them to confirm that some Death Eater hadn't killed the boy and his relations and Jason had taken pity on him, and told him from 'what he could tell', the boy is alive and well enough, but Hogwarts is unlikely to see one Harry Potter as one of its students ever again.
Snape had sagged in something akin to relief at those news, and Gerald had looked and felt very conflicted for the rest of the day but has still not told Severus who he really was. Jason frankly felt this was a good call on the boy's part. Severus, as useful as he was, was still not to be trusted.
Jason and Gerald had also spent a significant amount of time in front of the enchanted wall and have more or less unraveled the way the magic was constructed in the 'Need Wall' as Gerald called it.
His boy has been trying to recreate the magic on his own wardrobe door with some minor successes. His wardrobe now provided him with all manner of clothing at least whenever he thought very hard at it, but despite Gerald's best efforts, every time he tried to take the clothes out of the wardrobe in order to wear them, they would disappear.
Jason suggested that the magic was designed to give you a space with whatever you wanted inside it – such as a storage room – but was limited by not being able to take objects out of the room which were created by it.
Gerald has taken this to heart and then focused on creating a usable potions room for them in one of the many guest bedrooms of their house. It worked wonderfully till they realized they had to bring their own potions ingredients in order to brew, otherwise their potions also disappeared after they stepped out of the room.
It was a work in progress, but Gerald seems to be entertaining himself with it, so Jason let him enjoy himself.
When Gerald did the scrying for the next piece of magic, they got two locations which confused the both of them.
Curious now, they set out to the one closest to their place, which turns out to be some kind of cave with a lake inside it. Upon further investigation, they notice that there is an island in the middle of the lake and both suspect the rogue-shard could be there under a ward.
However, as soon as they get close the water, Jason and Gerald both feel a large concentration of necromantic magic emanating from the lake. Gerald looks at Jason, but Jason has an interesting expression on his face. If Gerald didn't know better, he would say it was greed.
It only takes him a moment to realize what Jason is thinking.
'No!' Gerald tells him sternly, because –
'They are already dead. Their souls defiled so much that they won't be able to reincarnate anyway unless we send them en-mass to the All-Mother to play a very frustrating game of puzzle with their souls.'
Gerald has to pause for this as he hasn't known that creating ghouls would damage the soul so badly.
'Why do you think most necromancers are less-than-loved? They are in the same category as Death and Pain mages.'
Gerald considers this. Then asks, 'Is there a way to tell if any of the souls were evil when they were alive?'
Jason considers it, then says, 'There might be. We could collect them all and then sort through them over time to identify the innocent ones from not. But for trapping into personal armor and weapons, they are not ideal. It is best to enslave an evil soul after breaking them, as you know.'
'Yeah, but that still really creeps me out, sorry. I just don't hate anyone that much yet. I have a better idea for these ghouls than armor and weapons.'
'Oh? Do tell.'
'After. Let's collect them first and sort through them. We can send the good ones to All-Mother for fixing. As for the others… you'll see!'
'Hm. As you say.'
As they suspected, as soon as the water was disturbed, a great number of ghouls emerged to attack them. Gerald thinks it is a great opportunity to test out his slave-soul, except as soon as he summons it, all the ghouls just… stop in their tracks as if a switch was flipped.
Gerald and Jason pause for a second, then Gerald wants to facepalm because of course Voldie made these ghouls, so they would respond to his magical signature.
Well, it sure makes collecting their souls a lot easier.
No doubt the stink in the cave will be horrific later when the bodies started to rot, but that isn't their concern thankfully.
The locket in the basin in the center of the small island turns out to be a fake. Which is disappointing, but not exactly surprising, since they have found two locations for the same shard.
Gerald muses to Jason that he has no idea how the locket managed to fool even their scrying spells but Jason just informs him that the fake locket has a few drops of Voldie's blood in it, and thus his essence.
Gerald admits that while the rogue-shard might have been a waste of time, at least now he has a small army of ghoul spirits to give to his slave-soul to use as minions.
Jason laughs so hard he nearly stepped them 10 miles off course when he tries to get them home.
The next place they decide to look turns out a lot more promising.
It is a large townhouse in the middle of London, and it emanates so much darkness that both Gerald and Jason immediately feel rather at home.
Gerald thinks Jason will shadowstep them past the door, like he did with Lucius's manor but as soon as they get close, the door swings open.
Gerald looks at Jason, and Jason actually lights his hand on fire before entering first. Gerald has a moment to think that's maybe not a bad idea, and does the same, then follows him in.
They are greeted by a rather dark entrance hall. A dirty-looking and very old fey creature similar to the ones they saw in Hogwarts stands in front of them in rags. Severus has told them they were called a House-elf, but Gerald still thinks of them as a kind of fey if he is honest.
The little House-fey stares at them, and Gerald has a moment to worry he will run from them since they don't exactly feel pleasant to the average creature, but the elf surprises them by bowing and croaking out, "Kreacher welcomes littlest Master back to the Ancestral Home of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black. Littlest Master might be a half-blood but Kreacher can tell he has done the House of Black proud with the magics he practices. My mistress would still not have approved, but she would have at least approved of the magics you practice."
Kreacher says this in a tone which is clearly supposed to be complimentary.
Gerald glances at Jason, and Jason looks at the little creature thoughtfully. It is clear he is addressing Gerald, but why he is calling Gerald littlest Master is yet unknown.
"Your name is Kreacher? Very well then Kreacher, why do you address Gerald as your Master? Were you owned before by someone and your ownership passed to Gerald in some manner?" Jason asks the fey.
The House-fay looks at Jason, but whatever it is he sees makes him shiver and avert his eyes, answering, "Was Kreacher owner by someone? Yes, Kreacher is owned by the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black, which is no more. Littlest Master is now Master of the House of Black because Treacherous Master left everything to the Potters in case he died, and then he died, so now littlest Master is Kreachers Master. If little Master had still been alive, the Great House of Black would not have died out and left Kreacher as the last member of the House. 662 years Kreacher has served the Great House of Black, but no more. Now Kreacher can only hope littlest Master will be merciful and put Kreachers head among his ancestors on the wall of the Great House so he can be with them when he dies also."
Gerald is honestly unsure where even to start with what Kreacher just said, but thankfully Jason has his back, as always.
"Alright. Your former Masters who were all Blacks have died out, and now there was no one left in the House to carry the title. The last Master Black left everything to the Potters, who also died, and now Gerald is your Master. Is that an accurate summary of events?"
Kreacher glances at Jason, and shudders again, quickly averting his eyes, "Yes Demon-man, that is correct. Except not all the Blacks are dead. Only the ones with the right to lead the Great Family of Black."
This catches Gerald's attention, but before he can ask, Jason says, "We are here because we need an artifact stored in this house by Voldemort. Do you know where it is?"
Kreacher startles and helplessly turns his eyes back on Jason, "…what do you want to do with it?"
Jason's eyebrow arches, and Kreacher shudders again, but stands firm.
"We need it. I want the soul-shard inside the artifact." Gerald tells him, because it is clear Jason won't.
Kreacher immediately turns to look at him, his eyes wide, "You cannot! It will kill you like it did poor little Master!"
"Kreacher." Jason says, and Kreacher reluctantly looks away from Gerald to look at Jason again. "Do you think any corrupt soul could touch me?"
Reluctantly, Kreacher shakes his head no.
"I will not allow the soul-shard to harm Gerald. This I vow. Now, where is it?"
Gerald looks at Jason in their soul space because that was a bit…firm.
'The creature is a slave. It has been a slave for 600 plus years. Its only purpose is to serve and protect its Masters for generation after generation. You are too young to have ever known what slavery – true slavery – was really like, but during my time, slave-mentality needed a certain kind of… tone and handling to get results.' Jason tells him, and he is right, Gerald doesn't know, but he thinks Jason definitely does so he stays quiet.
Kreacher looks at him again, clearly hoping he would counteract the order but Gerald nods because they do need the soul-shard and Kreacher knows where it is.
Kreacher hangs his head, defeated, and pops out of existence.
Since they have known Hogwarts fey to do this, they wait.
A moment later, Kreacher comes back holding a locket with his bare hands.
Jason immediately sends out his shadows to wrap the locket in them, and tells Kreacher, "You were very foolish to touch it with your skin. Now you have been contaminated. Lead us to the sitting room so we may remove the shard from the locket and heal you of the corruption."
Gerald nods to Kreacher to do as Jason bids, and they follow the fey to a very dark and rather dusty sitting room.
Jason looks around, and waves his hand. His shadows spread out all over the room and in a moment, the dust and decay are mostly gone. There are still pockets of shadows in the curtains and in the corners of the room, and Gerald knows the shadows will go hunting shortly.
Instead of focusing on that, Jason casts a ward dome in the middle of the room, and has his shadows deposit the locket in the center. Gerald then summons his slave-soul and Kreacher, having clearly not expected it, sucks in a loud breath, moving away from the slave-soul as much as he can and closer to Gerald.
'Tell him to stay by your side and not interfere. Make it an order, just in case.' Jason tells him.
So Gerald turns to Kreacher, and says, "Stay by my side and do nothing. Jason will protect me if I am ever in danger, which I will not be."
"Yes littlest Master." Kreacher is clearly dubious and his tone says it all but he obeys, scooting as close to Gerald as he can while still staying as far away from the slave-soul as possible.
Gerald sends the slave-soul into the warded dome, since that's where it needs to be anyway and Kreacher visibly breathes easier.
"Let's start." Jason says, mostly for Kreacher's benefit, since they don't need to speak.
Gerald focuses on the locket and starts to cast. His slave-soul bending down to touch the locket directly. Within moments, the screaming starts and Gerald thinks Kreacher will run or whimper or something. Instead, the old elf looks riveted by the scene in front of him, almost mesmerized. The screams don't seem to bother him at all and he seems to even be taking pleasure from them.
'Later. Focus now.' Jason admonishes him, but gently. So, Gerald does.
The rogue-shard is extracted just like so many before it, and his slave-soul almost pounces on it, starting to swallow it into itself. His slave-soul is definitely getting more intelligent even if it is more instinctual than anything real personhood.
He slams the slave-brand on the shard, firmly embedding it inside and draining it of all personality and individuality, then he allows his slave-soul to fully swallow it.
Kreacher, he notices, is trembling next to him, watching the locket on the ground disintegrate into so much slag.
When he is sure it is all done, Jason drops the dome.
"It is done." Jason says, perhaps to give Kreacher some kind of closure. Gerald knows what he suspects.
"Master… thank you littlest Master. Kreacher is a useless, old elf. He was tasked with destroying the locket by little Master but Kreacher failed. Kreacher failed for years and years and years, but Kreacher lived long enough to see little Master's final wish fulfilled, now Kreacher can finally die without shame and have his head mounted among the ancestors."
'He seems rather fixated on that doesn't he?'
Gerald agrees with Jason so he says, "Does that mean you do not plan to serve me the way you served your previous Masters? You plan to just… lie down and die?"
Kreachers eyes go comically wide and he immediately drops to his knees, looking honestly distressed, "No Master! Kreacher is a good elf! Kreacher will serve littlest Master till his dying day, this he swears!"
Gerald looks at him, then says, "That's better. I don't want to hear any more mention of dying, before it is your time. When it does happen, then yes it will be as you said, but until then, you are to live. Is that understood?"
Tears run down the old elf's eyes and he bows and says "Yes Master. Kreacher thanks you for your mercy. It will be as you say, till then."
"Now that that bit of business is over, why don't you start by telling us all about what we have missed in the past few years since your 'little Master' was still your Master, hm?" Jason says, pleasantly and takes a seat on the now-no-longer-disgustingly-dirty couch.
Gerald joins him, as Kreacher says, "Yes Demon-man." And does just that.
They learn that there are still two Blacks alive, though they are very old. Cassiopia is the youngest but even she is old enough that both Jason and Gerald think she will be dead in a few years.
Kreacher is terribly attached to 12 Grimmauld Place – which turns out to be the name of the house they are in – and requests to stay here even if Gerald never plans to live there. However, Jason doesn't like the state the house is in, and they spend a couple of hours absorbing the darkness using their shadows and killing quite a few creatures which Gerald can't identify in order to decontaminate the place.
Jason also collects the majority of the dark items from the house, but leaves a very ill-tempered portrait at the entrance which Kreacher seems madly in love with.
The portrait starts to screech at them, but one look at both Jason and Gerald's hellfire eyes and she promptly shuts up, muttering that if half-bloods have to inherit her house, at least they are proper dark wizards with some firepower behind them.
Her approval seems to sooth something inside Kreacher and the old elf even smiles a few times while they clean and generally revive the house back to some semblance of what it used to look like.
Gerald wonders if they shouldn't simply sell it, but Jason advises him that magical houses are rather rare in this day and age, and that he should hold on to it as he never knew when it will come in useful.
Gerald agrees, much to Kreachers relief, but they don't leave Kreacher till they had re-infused the Houses' dying ward-stones with their magics, much to the joy of old fey.
Jason instructs Kreacher how to find them if he ever needs to, but to never share their location with anyone else on pain of death, and Kreacher hastily agrees. Gerald also makes it an order but he honestly thinks Kreacher won't tattle.
They leave a much better looking Kreacher, after Gerald cleanses him from all the taint of Voldemort's possessed locket and it is clear that Kreacher's' entire being feels better from it.
He is ordered to check in with Gerald ever week about the status of the house just the same.
'Jason' Gerald asks, one afternoon while they were both reading in the library.
Considering he was sitting opposite of Jason, maybe he should have just opened his mouth to ask, but a part of Gerald will always relish being able to call to Jason in his mind and get an immediate –
'Hm?'
-answer.
'Do you think there are any basis to the Three Brother's tale?' Gerald thinks to ask. After all, Jason has given him the invisibility cloak and the Elder wand which he had taken from Albus Dumbledore and Gerald is honestly curious. He knows there are powerful artifacts scattered across the multiverse but he hasn't seriously considered having those on Earth of all places.
Perhaps he should have, considering Jason's stories of swords in lakes and such, but somehow… it still seems so farfetched.
Gerald takes a moment to wonder if he is becoming jaded.
Then takes a moment to consider if maybe he is just becoming more like Jason.
Then takes a moment to weigh the pros and cons of that.
He rather loves it of course but –
Gerald has loved the invisibility cloak almost from the moment he laid eyes on it, especially since it apparently belonged to his parents. He has absolutely no practical use for it, since his shadows do a great job in hiding him when he wants to be hidden, but it is still something which belonged to his parents and for that he treasures it.
He is a little more wary of the Elder wand. It feels powerful as soon as he touches it, and Gerald has felt a compulsion to use it right away settle on his mind. He has ignored that, of course – Jason wouldn't let him leave the house if he was so easily influenced – but he does wonder if it is all of Jason's stories of not becoming reliant on wands and other foci which makes him wary to use it.
After all, a tool is a tool no matter what. Some are clean and some contaminated you when you used them but they are still just that – tools. Since he never really plans to get a wand of his own, and since the Elder wand has bonded to him as soon as he touched it – Jason has lectured him for half an hour about not touching magical items with his bare skin afterward, despite being the one to give it to him himself. Though Gerald has sullenly noted Jason never touch the wand, he simply used his shadows to collect it and Gerald has actually vowed to start using his shadows like another pair of hands the same way Jason does if magical things bonded to him randomly happened every time he touched something. Still, he hasn't ever had an occasion to use either item, but he is still curious.
'Honestly? I am unsure. It is likely they do exist. You own two of the pieces after all, though I am unsure if they grant immortality as they profess to. I am not sure how you would go about testing it since you already possess its largest boon.' Jason's thoughts cut through his musings.
'Immortality. Yeah. Maybe I should look for the Philosopher Stone instead. Would be more useful than the Deathly Hallows. At least then we would have endless gold.' Gerald mused, only half-jokingly.
'We have that anyway.' Jason tells him in his typical I-have-lived-a-thousand-years-and-most-of-it-with-a-sword.
'Point.' Gerald concedes this, and takes a moment to wonder how the Resurrection stone looks. Then he has another thought because … 'You don't think when they say 'gives mastery over death' they mean a God do you?'
Jason takes a moment to think about that – Gerald can feel him thinking – but then says, 'If yes, which Death God do they mean? There are quite a few you know.'
Gerald has a moment to consider that, because of course, Jason is right. He pretty much always is. 'Guess we won't ever really know, will we?'
'Not unless the two other items have a natural pull towards the third, no.' Jason tells him, and they both go back to their original reading.
Philosopher stone would definitely have been more useful.
Gerald honestly wonders if living with Dudley for all those years has somehow rubbed some of his cousin's stupid off on him, because he has just sworn to not pick up things with his hands… just a month ago and he has gone and done it again.
Jason is right to despair for his level of naivete.
His slave-soul now being much stronger with seven pieces of fused soul, has managed to lead them to the next rogue-shard. This time to a completely-overgrown-by-trees shack.
If there had been any magic on the shack, it was long gone, and the place so overgrown they could barely make out the door. No doubt the gloom inside could rival their own house.
Gerald was of course right, and even Jason commented that whomever lived here clearly had a sad and lonely life since they didn't even want to see the valley below. The trees had blocked out any and all views from the few grimy windows. There seemed to be some kind of little village further down the road but they couldn't really see it clearly despite it being a nice, clear day.
They found the rogue-shard fairly fast – it was hiding under some floor board in a golden box with a bunch of nasty magic on it.
Jason quickly took care of the magic on the box by simply setting it on fire using Etrigans Hellfire. Once the box was melted and the gold ring inside started to melt also, Gerald was quick to throw up a dome around it and enslave the soul which came out of the stone. The stone had been the centerpiece of the gold ring – a strange dark grey colored stone with a bunch of geometric patterns inside it which Gerald didn't really pay attention to at the time since he was busy enslaving the rogue-shard.
To his great surprise, and not a small amount of relief, he will admit this, this time the magic reacted differently. It took a really long time for one. For two, his slave-shard started to glow bright black when he finally succeeded in fusing the now-enslaved rogue-shard into it. Since this never happened before, his admits that his sense of alarm had shot through his and Jason's mental link, but Jason had been quick to reassure him that all was well.
Turns out, his extremely mutilated slave-shard was now one finally-whole slave-soul!
The maniac had broken his soul into 8 pieces.
Gerald could only shake his head in astonishment that someone had been that level of crazy.
Then it occurred to him, that the reason it took so long, was because the final shard had likely sucked the life out of any and all people who still had the slave-mark on their arms.
While technically, Voldemort still wasn't exactly dead, his free will – his personhood – was. His magic having bound the slave marks to the essence of 'himself', would have also killed anyone connected to him when the final piece of his soul was fused and enslaved.
Gerald can only think that it was this disturbing thought which had shorted out his higher brain functions and had him bending down to see the ring's stone lying on the ground innocently. Considering Jason had just used Hellfire on the box and ring, the stone should have also disintegrated and without thinking about it, Gerald had crouched down and picks up the stone, curious to examine why it is not so-much-dust on the ground.
Jason's 'WAIT GERALD' came one second too late, and then the bright white light in his hand had blinded him.
Now, the stone having revealed itself upon closer examination to be the legendary Resurrection stone – Gerald had thought the geometric patterns looked familiar but had realized too late what they were, because of course… well. He feels like a moron anyway.
Gerald feels awful since Jason looked honestly alarmed, then momentarily afraid, and even insisted they immediately go see the All-Mother. Something that he has avoided them doing until now despite Etrigan's encouragements to the contrary.
One trip to the All-Goddess has revealed that yes, Gerald is still immortal. Yes, there is a chance the artifact – now collected and bonded with Gerald permanently – did in fact give him power over Death deities though which ones the All-Mother couldn't – or maybe wouldn't say – just that it doesn't really matter unless Gerald is planning to go to war against Death.
Considering Jason has always encouraged him to avoid fighting gods at all cost unless absolutely unavoidable, they all agreed that they will try their best to avoid that.
It does however grant Gerald some kind of aura which, while different somewhat from Jason's, is no less terrifying when he wants it to be.
This – Gerald knows – worries Jason, but rather secretly pleases Gerald since now he is a lot more like his Jason than not.
They are not expecting an emotional Severus to greet them for their weekly lesson, but as soon as they step out of their shadows, Severus quickly marches towards them and asks if it is true. Did they manage to get the last soul-shards of Voldemort?
Severus confirms that all the Death Eaters have collapsed at the same time a few days ago – just as Gerald and Jason thought they would – due to their slave-brands when the last piece was enslaved and merged. Gerald notices Severus's hands are shaking ever so slightly when he tells the man that yes, they have collected all the shards.
Severus sucked in an audible breath and politely requests to see the final product that is Gerald's slave-soul.
Gerald obligingly summons it and Severus stares at the soul for a long time before asking them to dismiss it. Then thanks them again for being the wizarding world's saviors even if no one will ever know about them.
He then looks over at Gerald and very quietly asked if Gerald is Harry Potter.
Gerald is so startled by the question he doesn't answer for a moment. Then he managed to tell Severus that Harry Potter is no more. He was abandoned by his relatives, and Magic has seen fit to give him a new life. He was Gerald Blood, Jason Blood's family.
Severus looks close to crying, but takes another deep breath, and quietly tells Gerald that he understands, and that he is sorry that he was not there to save Harry Potter like he had promised.
"What made you ask that?" Gerald has to ask him, because the question seemed out of nowhere in his mind.
Jason's soul wraps itself around him in comfort but Gerald can tell he suspects something.
"There had been a prophecy that Harry Potter would defeat the Dark Lord using powers the Dark Lord knew not." Severus quietly tells them, his voice laced with guilt and Gerald with a jolt realizes this must have been the prophecy that Severus had shared with Voldie, which caused the death of his parents. In effect, he had actually fulfilled the prophecy which changed his life.
Gerald reels a little, to have come full circle like this, but Jason tightens his hold on his soul and he immediately feels better. Whatever the Fates have planned for him, it has been fulfilled.
While he knew about the prophecy, he hadn't much focused on it, as it hadn't seemed relevant at the time, but now, on hindsight, he can see that he was always meant to fulfilling it, in his own way.
It was just a bonus that he got a high-level slave-shade out if it.
Gerald doesn't much know how other kids his age celebrated their 11th birthday, but he has requested a trip to the Fey Wilds.
And a Major scrying.
Jason hasn't allowed him to scry past their own reality yet, at least not without him there anyway, and not his own future certainly. Jason himself often scries about Gerald and his upcoming life, but has only started sharing the results with him recently.
Small wonder when his life has only recently become his own.
The scrying is challenging, and takes a lot of his concentration, even with Jason helping him. He can feel his brow break out in sweat.
After quite a bit of effort, a picture is just starting to form – of Hogwarts of all things – when the scrying is suddenly interrupted by the arrival of a letter being dumped unceremoniously into Jason's scrying bowl.
How the ruddy bird managed to get into the house and managed to avoid all the shadow sentinels is anyone's guess, but somehow it did. It is now tied up in shadows, but the damaged is done. Both the scrying is interrupted and the letter is ruined.
Harry can only vaguely make out that it is some kind of invitation – then it occurs to him that he is 11 today and it is his Hogwarts letter inviting him to attend school.
'You have got to be kidding me.' To say he is pissed is an understatement.
'Think of it from this perspective –' Jason, bless him, is quick to try and cheer him up.
'I don't want to.' He knows he sounds petulant but the ruddy thing ruins his birthday scrying!
'At least they have a large library.' Jason points out reasonably.
'We have a large library.' Gerald is having none of it. Going to school means leaving Jason and that is unthinkable.
'We are immortal.' Jason reminds him but Gerald can tell he also doesn't want to be separated from him any more than Gerald does.
Then it comes to him…
'You like teaching.' Gerald points out.
Jason's entire being pulses in surprise '…are you serious now?'
'Have you tried?' Gerald asks, reasonably, he thinks.
'An entire school? With my corruption? No, I can honestly say I haven't.' Jason's tone is the epitome of sarcasm.
Well, that won't do. 'I am not going if you aren't with me.'
Jason stares at him.
Gerald stares back.
'Oh, very well,' Jason says, his entire being filled with resignation, 'How hard can it be?'
'That's the spirit, 'Professor'.' Gerald tells him happily.
Jason stares at him some more.
'Oh Bollocks.'
'Wait till they meet Etrigan. You will seem positively harmless then.'
'…why did I adopt you?'
'Cuz I was cute. Hey, can I call you father then?'
-The end.
(for now)