13713/4/13 Re-uploaded on different profile: As I informed those who followed this story on my other profile 'Piste of the Elven Tyro' I've decided to bring my final story to my main account. I will be uploading the current chapters every week and a half to two weeks at a time. Hopefully, when I've uploaded the third chapter I'll be close to finishing the fourth. Also, there have been small, minisculechanges made to the story so any who have followed this story over to this profile should give it a run through.
AN: This story at first started out as a co-write between me and my gf but quickly turned into a solo project. She's okay with it and enjoys what I have done with the first chapter. Joe Lawyer was a BIG part of this chapter, not only did he beta but helped me make a believable reason for Harry to join Forks High and bounced ideas back and forth with me that simply made this better. Thanks for the help, Joe! Just to give a heads up this story is my fourth story and is being placed on a second profile away from my others stories. Why? Because I don't want to risk losing the others.
Pairings: Harry Potter/Alice Cullen/Hermione Granger/Nym. Tonks -Others? Who knows?
WARNING: This story will contain violence, strong language, Alcohol use, lemons, and a very strong Harry. He will be a bit angsty in THIS chapter, but only in this one.
Chapter 1: The Dream!
Absentmindedly, a handsome dark haired young man ran his fingers through the wavy, honey brown ringlets of his sleeping best friend as he sat watching the rise and fall of her chest. His emerald stare trailing slowly over every inch of the sleeping beauty whose head was placed in his lap.
Her lips were the most innocent shade of pink he had ever seen, and her flawless skin held a natural glow that made her the envy of many women and the subject of lust for as many men. Her long, wild hair was splayed across his lap looking untamable and perfect all at once - all who saw it as he did in this moment wished to be blessed enough to run their fingers through it. The only thing that could have made the sight of her more appealing to him would have been had she opened her deep, intelligent, chocolate brown orbs for him to gaze into.
Hermione Granger was the epitome of perfection.
His observing which had been innocent enough until now, turned slightly more heated when his personal slice of heaven shifted in her sleep. Though her movement was small the changes it resulted in had him moaning with need.
The white blouse she was wearing had pulled up as she shifted, showing off her flat, toned stomach to him. Her thighs, which had seconds before been hidden from view by her long flowing skirt, now laid exposed to him, tempting his self-control. With her change in position also came the turning of her head. Her lightly chapped lips were only inches away from where his covered manhood was - his length growing and hardening as if it was trying to erase the distance between it and her lips.
He tore painfully into the inside of his cheek in an effort to stop his eager hips from bucking when she released a tiny moan in her sleep. He was sure she was doing this on purpose, an attempt made by her to kill him with her natural beauty and unconscious sex appeal.
She herself had admitted to enjoying waking to his touch and had expressed her interest in doing so again in the future. How easy it would be to pull her thin, airy skirt the rest of the way up. To be the first man to see the most intimate parts of Hermione Jean Granger. To take all of her first times, right here, right now.
"No..." the male said to himself, shaking his head as a wave of anger overtook him. "Viktor beat me to her first kiss, but the rest... the rest will be mine."
His resolve to control himself broken by his own whispered words, he reached out for her. It felt as if a jolt of electricity had traveled through him when his hand made contact with the inside of her knee. Her skin was so soft that he lost himself for a time drawing circles on its silky surface with his fingers.
A second moan from the sleeping girl drew him away from his self-indulgent game to see her wearing a look of pleasure despite her slumbering state. Taking this as a sign that she was enjoying his actions as much as he was, he trailed his hand further up the inside of her legs. A pleased grin appeared on his lips as goose bumps arose upon her skin when his hand disappeared into her skirt.
He stopped his hand's progression when he knew he could go no farther without reaching her most precious treasure. With his gaze glued to her face he once again started to draw patterns upon her flesh, by now his hand was so close to her core that all it would take was the smallest of twitches for his wrist to cover the last of the distance between his hand and her.
Circles, stars, and squares were brushed against her inner thighs. His touch drawing pleasure filled whimpers from the still unconscious girl. The joy he wore upon his face became more pronounced the more her enjoyment showed. He was sure he was caught when suddenly her legs were pulled together trapping his hand between them. However, before he could start to explain his actions he saw that her eyes had yet to open and felt her squirming in an attempt to get him to continue.
"Whatever you want my love," he whispered huskily, as he once again drew patterns against her virgin skin.
The slight rocking of her hips was what pushed him to reach his limit, finally allowing himself to reach for what he and Hermione both seemingly wanted. He was seconds away from pressing his fingers to her mound when the door he had failed to notice this entire time burst open to admit his other best friend. An enraged Ron Weasley stood in the doorway glaring murderously at him. His normally pale skin even whiter than usual from all the blood he had lost. Staining his clothing was his life's blood... Harry had been the one to put it there.
"What the fuck are you doing Potter?" Growled the red head as he stormed forward. "It's not enough that you kill me, but now you're making moves on my girl! That's it, isn't it? The reason you killed me, it was so you could have her, wasn't it?" Ron accused, coming to a stop in front of him.
Harry stared up at the blood drenched redhead in horror. Ron was dead; he knew this for a fact. Harry had watched as he died, attended his funeral, joined his family in mourning for his loss, and had been the one to cast the curse that resulted in his death. So how was it that a dead man was standing in front of him?
"How are... are you alive?" Harry questioned, not believing his eyes.
Ron sneered down his long nose at him. "Just long enough to get mine and her revenge," he growled, throwing a look down at the girl in his arms.
Harry looked down at Hermione and gasped at what he saw. The girl in his arms was as bloody as the boy before him, her face, arms, and legs all riddled with cuts and bruises. Her beautiful, warm eyes that he had longed to gaze into just moments before were half lidded tearing at his very soul with what he saw in them. Where once they had been bright and full of emotion, now they were dull and lifeless, lacking any of the warmth that he loved. Even unfocused and dead as her eyes were, they still bored into his own, taunting him with their emptiness.
"Wh-what happened to her?" Harry gasped out as tears broke the rims of his eyes.
"You did!"
EMERALD EYED SUPERNOVA
Wild eyed and breathing heavily Harry shot out of bed, ripping the thin sheet plastered to him by his nightmare induced sweat from his broad well defined chest. His bare feet slapped against the hardwood floors as he made his way to his personal bathroom. Once inside he turned the sink on full blast and buried his head under the stream of cool water, holding it there as the still fresh nightmare replayed vividly in his mind.
He chuckled harshly, without any real amusement to speak of. He should have known it was a dream the moment he had looked down and Hermione was there. She hated him and had left as a result of what he had done.
She had run off without saying a word to him a day after he had killed Voldemort. That had been three weeks ago and the only reason he knew that she was safe and hadn't been caught by one of the many escaping Death Eaters was that she had gone to everyone else and told them she was going to lift the memory charm off of her parents.
Since she had left she had been in contact with everyone but him, sending them updates about her family and how she planned to stay in Australia for a time. She was refusing to talk to him and if he was being truly honest with himself, he didn't blame her. He had been the one to kill the third member of the 'golden trio' - the man she loved and his best friend.
Straightening up, he let the cool water drip from his just long enough to look messy hair down his face and over the light amount of stubble along his chin and jaw. Flawless emerald colored eyes bored into the mirror - glaring at the handsome stranger he saw.
Despite the fact that his eighteenth birthday was less than a month away, the boy glaring back at Harry in the mirror looked to be almost a full year younger than he was supposed to be. And it wasn't only his age that made Harry look differently than he should. The boy in the mirror was by far one of the best looking males that he had ever seen, better even than the male models he once saw modeling in a catalog at his aunt's house. It still shocked him to see the face he did now, every time he looked in the mirror or passed a reflective surface.
Where he used to be short and lanky, Harry now stood tall and broad shouldered at 6 feet five inches, his entire frame wrapped in thick corded muscle yet seemed built for speed. The scars that had once littered his whole body were now gone, leaving behind only tanned unblemished skin. Even his famous lightning bolt scar that had always looked fresh despite its age was no longer on his forehead. His features that had always been so much like his father's were now more angular like his mother's had been, a resemblance that was enhanced by his eyes no longer being obscured by glasses, now that he no longer required them to see perfectly, beyond perfectly even.
Harry Potter could now be described as being in perfect physical shape, the epitome of male perfection. After being spotted and photographed by a reporter from Teen Witch Weekly, the first time he had gone out after his sudden and drastic physical change, he had been labeled by the magazine and soon after by most of the female wizarding population as the 'reincarnation of Adonis'.
"What did you expect to happen after taking the 'Elixir of Life'?" Harry asked himself, as he searched the face in the mirror for any sign of the person he used to be.
Releasing a heavy sigh, he pushed away from the mirror and made for his bedroom, slipping his hand into his sleeping shorts as he did so to comfortably grasp his wand.
It was only a few days after the war had ended and Hermione had disappeared on him, that Harry let himself grieve the loss of so many that he had cared for. He had locked himself in the ancestral Potter Manor that he was occupying, with numerous bottles of Firewhiskey and Goblin wine on hand. The drinking binge that followed resulted in farther reaching consequences than he had ever expected or intended.
It was in a delirious, alcohol fueled state that Harry came across one of the three Philosopher's Stones that he had inherited from his deceased masters, the Flamels. All he could think of at the time was how he hated the scar upon his forehead for all the suffering and pain it had brought him. The sudden appearance of the slightly translucent red and yellow stone reminded him of what Nicolas had told him during his time training under the famous immortal and his wife. One dose of the Elixir of Life will reverse the aging process by ten years. It takes only a drop to the tongue to heal any diseases and fix any past wounds of the drinker and places them in peak physical condition.
It was thus fortunate for Harry that at the time of his consumption he was clumsy from his intoxication. Had he possessed better control over his body he would have taken enough to put him back into nappies. Luckily for him he had only swallowed enough to remove a year from his age before he had passed out.
Letting his magic flow through the Elder Wand as he entered the master bedroom, Harry felt the sweat and grime disappear from his skin, leaving it as clean as it would be after a long scalding shower. Giving the wand a flick his clothes flew from inside the wardrobe that housed them to him - a second flick and they were on his person as he walked through the door that sprung open just in time to keep him from walking into it. He was off in search of his next distraction.
He had always loved learning as a child and had always thought that it would be his way to escape the abuse he had suffered at the hands of the Dursleys. This thought process had been lost once he entered Hogwarts and had been befriended by Ron. Being friendless all your life then suddenly having someone who wanted to be your best friend had a way of making you forget all about what plans you had for yourself and focus on what was happening in the moment. But once the war started it didn't take him long to come to the realization that the time for slacking off was well and truly done. He needed to become powerful and that's exactly what he had done.
Dumbledore, the Flamels, and a slew of members from the Order of the Phoenix had turned him into the strongest wizard in Great Britain. Some would even say the world - this made Harry laugh. The way he heard it from the likes of Mad Eye and Kingsley there were witches and wizards out there whose power dwarfed any found in Europe. The way the Flamels told it, Europe had many dark horses tucked away in its ancient hidden lands and history, like the fabled twins of destruction, Alec and Jane.
Since he had given up on ever drinking again after his near disaster, Harry had started throwing himself into learning all that he could about magic in an attempt to distract himself from whatever it was that was plaguing him at any given time. Inheriting all of the Flamel's notes, properties, and belongings had helped him greatly in his quest for knowledge.
Setting foot into his kitchen the first thing he noticed was a large, beautiful looking, red and gold swan-like bird sitting on his counter and eating all of his fruit.
"Morning Fawkes." The immortal bird dropped the plum it had been devouring to give him a warm trill that filled the spacious kitchen with happy feelings.
Summoning a glass and filling it with water, Harry made his way to the table that had been turned into a holding place for a large number of notes taken by the Flamels. Grabbing one of the leather bound notebooks at random, he started flipping through it. He quickly realized that the entire book was dedicated to advanced alchemy equations that he was clueless as what to do with.
Setting the book aside he picked up another that looked older than all the rest. This was saying something as the others had been written by a man and woman who had lived close to seven centuries. As soon as he opened its pages the book garnered his full attention, simply by the way it had been titled.
Skinwalkers.
Apparently Nicolas and his wife Perenelle had come across, many centuries ago, a magical community of the nomadic hunters of the Americas near their home in what was today the state of Alaska. Being the scholars they were, the Flamels had been enraptured by the tribe's culture, its people, and the strange and powerful magic they wielded. Easily the most interesting piece of magic for Nicolas, and Harry found that he quite agreed with him, was their version of the animagus transformation, if it could even be called that. It differed so much and so fundamentally from Europe's form of transformation magic that Harry didn't consider it to be anywhere near the same process.
Where European wizards wanted complete control over the animal they were to turn into, the indigenous tribe of magic users set out with the intent to become one with the creature they would become. Going about things their way lead to the wizard turning, becoming more animalistic, and taking on the traits and instincts of their second form. More often than not the wizard came out of the process a radically different person emotionally and personality wise. This alone made Harry want to take the change.
He was tired of the constant guilt and nightmares that plagued him. He wanted to live his life - enjoy it - not pine after a woman who he knew would never come to love him as he did her. However, changing who he was as a person wasn't the only prospect that drew him to this new (to him) process.
The 'Skinwalkers' were able to tap into species of creatures that the European animagus method simply could not. The European way left the witch or wizard with only non-magical animals as possible choices for their transformation, and while the chance of successfully becoming a skinwalker was quite low, even the mere chance of becoming a magical creature was just too extraordinary a chance to pass up.
"You knew them longer than anyone else," Harry said to the still eating Phoenix. "Do you know where the Flamel's property is located or where the Skinwalkers' magical community is?"
Fawkes didn't drop his fruit this time, instead he gave a trill that was slightly muffled by the pear in its beak, and yet, even with the food blocking its speech, Harry clearly received and understood the animal's answer.
"That's too bad... I guess this means I'll have to go through the goblins to find out where both are located, assuming the tribe even still exists. While I'm there I can get some Galleons converted to US currency." Banishing the glass and what water was left in it, Harry rose to his feet with the notebook firmly in hand. "While I'm at it, it's probably best I learn if the American magical community uses the same money as we do."
Walking past his old mentor's familiar he reached out and ruffled the bird's feathers as he left the room, an indignant squawk following him through the door.
EMERALD EYED SUPERNOVA
Wrapped in a hooded cloak, Harry descended the marble stairs of Gringotts Bank. He had just come from his meeting with Bornuk, the head goblin working on his accounts. He oversaw all of the properties, businesses, money, and investments Harry had inherited from his family, Dumbledore, and the Flamels.
Bornuk had been very displeased by Harry's sudden summons, but had nonetheless answered the call and all of his questions. He informed Harry that both the home the Flamels had been staying in when they met the magic tribe and their magic community, were both located in the Denali National Park and Preserve in the state of Alaska.
The goblin had given him a toothy, savage grin when he had gone on to explain that even though they knew roughly where the tribe was located, that it was hidden not only by magic, but by the simple fact that the national park they were known to reside in spanned nearly six million acres.
The tribe of Skinwalkers was a group of magic users that very few had any real knowledge of. Those that had heard of them knew that they were a reclusive people who held a great dislike for any who were not a part of their people. This was evident by the fact that even the small number throughout history who could claim they had been allowed into the Skinwalkers' domain and learned of their powerful magics, still had not learned the tribe's true name.
When Harry had learned this, he had nodded. It made sense to him considering that even after two thorough readings of the notebook Nicolas had written, that he had never once learned the tribe's name. Perenelle and Nicolas had always used indigenous tribe or people, and Skinwalkers when referring to those they had learned to shift from.
The elegant pouch on his hip that he had received from Bornuk gave the smallest of jerks when he gracefully twisted just as he stepped off the final stair, disappearing without any type of pop or sound and reappearing just as silently behind his godfather. Said man had purchased one of the abandoned shops in the alley with the compensation he had won from the Ministry when he was proven innocent of being a Death Eater, and had since then turned the place into a thriving pub. He was now living in the apartment upstairs, which was where Harry had appeared.
"Morning, Padfoot," Harry greeted, taking a seat as his godfather spun on him, wand drawn.
"Damn it, Harry, you've got to quit that shit." His hand pressed to his chest, Sirius Black took a seat across from his best friend's son. "I'm going to have to invest in better anti-apparition wards. With you popping through the ones I have now like they're not there all the time, I'll end up in an early grave."
"You've only been a 'free man' for a short time now; you can't already have scorned women out looking for your head." Harry quipped. "That's why you require the wards correct? I doubt any of your angry wand strokers could pop through."
"Not all of us plan on staying virgins forever," Sirius shot back, summoning them both something to drink. "What brings you from your 'fortress of solitude' so early this morning? Not that I'm upset by your little visit, but you've been distant with everyone for some time now." Harry scowled.
"Putting a fist size hole in your best friend's chest can make you a tad reclusive." Sirius opened his mouth to tell him that Ron's death wasn't on his hands, but Harry cut him off before he could start. "I'm not here to debate whether or not Ron's death was my fault; I cast the spell that killed him - end of story. I'm here to tell you that I'm leaving Britain and I'm not sure when I'll be coming back."
Wearing an uncharacteristic serious look, Sirius sat forward. "What's going on inside that head of yours, pup?"
"While looking through some of the Flamel's old notes, I found information on this advanced form of animagus transformation that I really want to try my hand at." Seeing Sirius' interested look, Harry went on to tell him all he had learned about the tribe of magic users.
"Do you think it's possible for someone who's learned the normal transformation to learn this other form?" Sirius questioned, looking excited at the prospect of a new hidden form. During his trial he had been forced to expose the way he had escaped, resulting in the revealing of his animagus form. Since then he had been upset that he hadn't been able to go around in his dog form causing trouble like he used to.
"More than likely, I can't really see two people like Nicolas and Perenelle not having learned to become animagus before they met the shifters," Harry pointed out as he took a drink of his butterbeer. "Why, you planning on coming with me?"
"Nah," Sirius waved off the idea immediately. "I just bought the place downstairs and need to watch over it until things are running smoothly."
"Translation, you're enjoying getting smashed and picking up random slags too much to come freeze your arse off with me." Harry allowed a knowing smile to appear as the man across from him avoided meeting eyes with him. "That's fine; after I learn how to do it I'll come back and show you how it's done." Sirius smiled.
"Sorry Pup, but after spending so many years in that hell hole and near those demons, I'm not eager to go anywhere cold. Hell, I grew up here in Britain, but the winter months still get to me," Sirius bit out bitterly. Both men grew silent after the reminder of the man's unjust imprisonment.
Clearing his throat and giving his head a shake that reminded Harry of his dog form, Sirius spoke. "So what is it I can do for you, before you run off to join the yanks?"
"I need you to inform anyone who starts to question why I'm missing that I'm fine. But first you can tell me who it is that's eavesdropping from the other room." Pulling out his wand faster than Sirius could turn his head in the direction he had indicated, Harry had shot off a pink spell that flew through the door and hit whoever was on the other side.
Sirius winced when a distinctly female scream sounded through the door at the same time as sick popping noises reached them. "That would have been either Bill or Fleur," he said, swiftly rising to his feet and heading to the door. When he pulled it open Bill Weasley stood frozen, all his limbs, beside the leg keeping him standing upright, were bent in painful and contorted angles. Fleur who Harry could see was dressed in heavily wrinkled clothing was running to her cursed husband. "They came to the pub last night and ended up drinking too much to apparate home. When I offered my private floo for them to take, Fleur had passed out before they even made it upstairs, with Bill only faring slightly better. So instead of risking them bashing their heads in from drunk flooing, I put them in my guest room."
Harry nodded as he sent an orange colored spell at the redhead. "Sorry Bill, but you should know better than to try and sneak up on someone." The oldest Weasley son nodded, letting out a groan as he rolled his neck.
"I wasn't sure where we were when I woke up," he told them, as Fleur helped him to the chair Sirius had vacated. "I hid my scent, silenced my clothing and the floor, and had cast a disillusionment charm on myself before setting out to find out where we were. How did you know I was listening, let alone that I was behind the door?"
"Two things gave you away," Harry told him, as the others sat down. "When attempting to sneak up on someone you should cast a featherweight charm on your person so that your feet don't give off vibrations. With wooden floors like these any movement sends out signals."
Sirius scoffed. "Maybe to you," he protested. "I doubt even Remus before a full moon would have noticed him that way."
"Secondly," Harry said, cutting the man's tangent off. "I can sense magic. I let you get as close as you did because I figured this one," here he pointed to Sirius, "had company the night before and that they were just now waking from their alcohol based slumber."
"Can you not differentiate who is who with that ability?" Fleur asked, looking heartbreakingly beautiful.
"No, I'm still working out how to do that... if I can even do that." He admitted. "I don't know what all I'll be able to do with my magic in the long run." Fleur nodded along with the other two; they had seen him do amazing things with his magic during the war and were curious as to what it was he was working on at the moment. "Since you two are here, do you know of anything I should know or take with me?"
"Where are you going?" Fleur questioned, she hadn't overheard Harry and Sirius' conversation like Bill had.
"I'll be heading for America in the next fortnight to study a form of magic that I can only learn there." This information didn't surprise her; Harry had spent many a meal after Order meetings asking members about any piece of magical knowledge they could pass on. "Any advice for someone who's never been overseas?"
"I'll write you a list of things I always have when I travel for work," Bill volunteered. Summoning a piece of parchment and a quill the long haired curse breaker set to work. "I'm also going to include the address to a shop in Knockturn Alley where you can buy a translator, like my earring. You may only be planning on going to America, but who knows; you might end up enjoying traveling and want to go somewhere that you don't know the language."
"What I want to know," Sirius said interjecting himself in the conversation. "Is why I'll be needed to inform people that you're fine? Why can't you tell everyone where you're going?"
"Not people, more along the lines of the Weasleys, Tonks, and Remus... you know, our group." Hearing this Bill joined Fleur and Sirius in giving him incredulous looks. Sighing, he explained. "I just don't feel like dealing with goodbyes right now. I've given so much of myself to Britain, and at the moment I need and want to be selfish."
The trio sitting with Harry were some of the only people who knew all that he had been through, all that he had given up, so it came as no surprise when they all nodded.
"There is a secondary reason behind why this different version of the animagus transformation holds so much appeal for me. After they successfully complete the turn, most wizards experience drastic personality changes." Seeing that this alarmed his three friends, he quickly continued. "I need this! After years of abuse at the hands of my relatives, scrutiny by the public, and the slew of bullshit I've had to deal with, I can't help but want to change. Maybe after this I'll be able to enjoy my life like others have always had the chance to." As soon as his outburst ended he instantly felt ashamed of himself when he saw the slight fear in the group's eyes; who knew how much magic he might have unconsciously been putting out in waves during his emotional response?
"Harry, I won't try and stop you if this is what you truly want. It's partly my fault that you had to deal with your aunt and her family growing up." Harry looked horrified by this statement.
"Sirius, none of what happened is your fault!"
"Pup, if I had kept my wits about me on the night of your parents' deaths, I would have raised you like my own blood – no, I would have raised you far better than that. It's my fault, not solely, but a large part of it is. And that's why I have to warn you against this course of action."
Harry could feel the conviction in his godfather's voice. Nodding, he sat back to listen to the man who had experienced nearly as many hardships in the past eighteen years as himself.
"There used to be a loving, intelligent girl who would do all she could for those around her. The only thing she loved more than helping others was knowledge. One day she came across some of my family's old tomes and as was in her nature she wanted to test herself and see if she could cast a few of the spells. It was hers and many innocent people's later on unfortunate luck that she happened to cast a spell that was aimed at turning the caster's personality. While it's not exactly the same as what you're attempting, it's close enough that the same could happen to you. She became a monster after that and it took the strongest wizard I've ever met to stop her. Imagine what would happen if you turned out like she did?"
Harry didn't meet his godfather's gaze, choosing instead to stare intently down at the empty bottle in his hand for a time. "Like I said," looking up from his hands he locked eyes with the man who was the closest thing to a father he had, "I need to be selfish for once in my life."
"Alright," Sirius nodded, "if anyone deserves to be selfish, it's you."
"We'll keep your secret for you Harry," Bill vowed, as Fleur smiled and nodded from beside her husband. "We'll tell anyone close to our small group of friends that you went in search of new magic and leave it at that."
"Thank you, guys." Bill and Fleur smiled at him, while Sirius clapped him strongly on the shoulder.
"Sirius," Fleur called out to the animagus looking thoughtful. "Who was the girl that cast the spell?"
Sirius looked to his godson, giving him a loaded look that Harry wasn't sure about. Summoning the bottle of butterbeer he had left on the table from in front of Bill, he drained it in one go before answering the silvery haired beauty. "Bellatrix Lestrange, or as she was known back then, Bellatrix Black."
EMERALD EYED SUPERNOVA
"This is just like Nicolas and Perenelle," Harry sighed as he ran, blurring through the lowlands of dense foliage in the Denali National Park, making the frosty air bite at his exposed skin. The wind whipped violently at the Boy-Who-Lived as he moved at astonishing speeds that no pure human could ever hope to match.
Harry had such an overabundance of magic running through his body, that where others were forced to choose each spell cast very carefully for fear of draining their core, he could use his as freely as he chose to. Having so much accessible to him had allowed him to test and experiment with it in ways that only a few before him could manage.
At the moment, he was flooding every muscle in his body with as much magic as he could. It was a technique he had created during the war to better strike fear in the hearts of his enemies. The magic based adrenaline, as he liked to call it, allowed him faster movement and reaction times, increased strength, and stamina to continue fighting long after those around him had tired. Its use had saved many lives during the war, including Harry's own.
"Why they insist on making anyone wanting to reach their home do so by foot is beyond me." All of the Flamel's many properties were charmed and warded so that only those who they wanted to find them would be able to. Taking their protection even further, they had charmed it so that only someone on foot could reach their home, not even Phoenix travel was a possibility for the last Potter, which was the reason why he was covering the long trek on foot.
It was as he was turning north that he felt faint vibrations pass through the earth, followed by an animalistic roar that was far too powerful and loud to belong to a simple bear. The last time Harry had heard such a roar it had come from the giants attacking Hogwarts. Making a split second decision Harry turned in the direction he knew the disturbance to originate from.
Only one word came to mind when Harry found the source of the animal-like scream. "Fuck!"
In a wide clearing stood a group of six pale skinned people, two males and four females, they however, were not the cause of Harry's worry. Towering over them was a large white furred creature that stood easily at fifteen feet. Right away he knew the creature to be a distant cousin of the troll - it was a yeti.
What amazed and angered Harry was the lack of response from the group the yeti was screaming at. Throwing caution to the wind he rushed in, not willing to let the peoples' stupidity get them killed.
"MOVE!" He bellowed, as he sped toward them.
Six pairs of golden eyes flashed to him as one. Each of them spotting the wand in Harry's hand and the speed he was moving at. Doing as they were told, the group flashed away from the enraged creature, more out of fear of what the young man would do than of what the beast wanted to attempt. They watched in fascination as a hand made entirely of rock and that was twice the size of the beast's torso, silently melted up from out of the ground directly behind the snow colored creature.
The hand flexed at the creature's back before shooting forward - the wrist that had been holding it up, growing into one long, gigantic arm - and pinned the yeti's arms to its sides, sending the screaming beast crashing to the earth. The entire clearing shook from the force of the massive creature's fall, knocking up a cloud of debris that obscured everyone's vision.
When the bits of trees, leaves, and dust had settled and everyone could see once again, the hand's fingers had melted back into the ground pinning the creature further. Had it not been for the thrashing, roaring beast it would have looked as if the arm and the arch it created were a natural part of nature.
It was as Harry cast the spell to bend the rock hidden beneath the earth to his will that he saw the speed the people he was attempting to save were moving at, alerting him to the fact that these 'people' were in no way normal. Before the yeti had hit the earth, Harry had raised a number of powerful shields and wards that would make any creature regret coming too close to him.
His eyes rapidly darted from one to the next taking in their otherworldly beauty and pale skin. Had he been told they were related to Fleur back when he first met her, he would have believed it readily, but now he was smarter, he knew Veela didn't sparkle when the sun hit their skin - only one creature's did. Their speed, the beauty they held, the grace each movement they made possessed, it all pointed to one answer. The only thing that kept him from erasing the six from the face of the earth was their eyes. The breed of vampire he was thinking of always had blood red eyes, but the people standing before him all possessed golden orbs of varying hues.
The dark haired male of the group took a slight step forward, his hands out in a calming gesture, but was stopped and forced to jump back with the rest of those with him when Harry twitched his wrist and unleashed a wide and intense ring of fire around them. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw the other male of the group, a honey-blonde who was tall and lean, growl at him from beside a stunning strawberry blonde.
Harry watched as she rose up on her tiptoes and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek, calming the man instantly. Smiling up at what Harry was guessing was her lover, she turned and started towards him, each step taken was slow and unthreatening. "Wizard, we mean you no harm," she spoke softly, coming to a stop just outside the fire Harry was controlling. "You have nothing to fear of us; we wish only to be on our way." Saying her peace the strawberry blonde turned to head back to the man she kissed.
"Wait," Harry called out halting her progression. "What are you and your companions? I know a breed of vampire that are said to have similar traits as you and your group, but you lack one key feature."
Slowly, the woman smirked knowingly at him. "Our eyes, perhaps?" Harry said nothing, only nodded. "Our diet differs drastically from that of the rest of our kind."
Harry didn't know whether or not it would be wise to trust the strange eyed vampire, but what he heard intrigued him greatly. Looking to each of the golden eyed vampires for any sign of deceit, he saw only hesitance and a alertness that told him they were ready to fight if need be, staring back at him.
It was as he caught the eye of the only dark haired female of the group, she was holding hands with the male who had earlier tried to approach him, that he chose to dive into her mind and see if the strawberry blonde's words possessed any truth.
Knowing how powerful this breed of vampire's mind could be, he searched only her surface thoughts and found out that he could in fact trust them and that the appearance of a wizard was bringing back memories of their old friends, the Flamels. Exiting the woman's mind he gave his wand a wave and dropped all the spells except for the one that held the rock that was pinning the yeti in place.
"Tanya," he called out the name of the head of their clan earning a raised eyebrow from the woman for not only knowing her name, but for his lack of protection. "I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but the Flamels are no more." Gasps of shock came from those around him. He didn't bat an eye when they immediately flashed to his side, all of them wearing looks of pain and heartache.
"What happened to Nico and Penn?" Asked the one Harry knew to be named Kate.
"War broke out in the wizarding world and knowing that they could make a difference, they chose to fight," Harry informed them. "Perenelle was defending a group of school children when one of our supposed allies showed his true colors and cut her down from behind like a coward. When it was all over Nicolas made the choice to follow her into death, as he always did in life." Harry let the statement hang in the air, letting them process what they had been told.
"What was the fate of her murderer?" Irina questioned, her tone sharp with anger.
"The public believes he died minutes after his act of cowardice by my wand."
"Did he?" The blonde male named Jasper asked from beside his mate Tanya.
"No." Hisses of anger and outrage met his ears; it was as if the creatures around him were buzzing in anger. Holding up his hand he calmed them long enough to finish speaking. "In the chaos of the battle that we were in it was quite easy for me to fabricate his death. When the battle of Hogwarts ended, I took Nicolas to where Perenelle's killer was bound and gagged and left the room."
"I know many wouldn't agree with me on my choice, but I felt it would be best for the person who her death would affect the most, be the one to deliver justice..." While he had expected Carmen to agree with his choice, having spent time in her mind, he knew she would want revenge if something were to ever happen to her mate Eleazar, he hadn't thought that the others would do the same.
"I feel everyone here will agree with me when I say, no punishment would be more fitting than the one he received." Eleazar affirmed to the shared assent of those around him.
Nicolas was a kind man, who had dedicated his life to his two loves, the furthering of his knowledge and the woman he had loved for over six centuries. None of those gathered wanted to know what he had done to Perenelle's murderer because they knew he had done everything in his power to make sure her killer would suffer, even in death.
Tanya cleared her throat; an action that Harry knew was unneeded. It was merely an act to appear more human and to blend in. "Thank you for informing us of this tragic loss." Harry bowed his head grimly; it still cut him to think of the Flamel's deaths. They could have so easily turned their backs on Britain in its time of need, but had instead given themselves to protect its people and the future. "If you don't mind my asking, what it is that brought you out here? I would guess you didn't come here to tell us of their passing from the way you reacted when you realized what my family and I are."
Harry sighed running a hand through his hair. "The Flamels made me their heir before their death. I came here in search of something."
"That would make you our landlord," Kate informed him. Harry looked to the blonde in surprise. He had been unaware that the Flamels had rented out their homes to others.
"Landlord would be an overstatement," Jasper put in. Harry who still had magic flooding his body, including his eyes, could see that the man was covered from head to toe in teeth marks. He knew the man was a fighter from the way he held himself - even when relaxed he was still poised to fight; it was the same way he held himself even now. Harry found himself pondering how he had gained so many scars, but more than that he could tell the man had stopped breathing entirely and was worried why he would stop.
"Are you alright, mate?"
Jasper gave him a small smile. "I'm not as strong as my brother and sisters here; I'm weak when it comes to our diet. Especially around those who have a... more delectable scent." Harry raised an eyebrow at this, but chose not to comment.
"How would what she said be an overstatement?"
"We've never paid rent," Tanya smiled. "When they first created a home here, we had our own, but thanks to an unfortunate accident our home was destroyed. That same accident introduced us to them. They quickly became interested in our lifestyle and asked us to stay with them, and we never moved out."
"If that's the case, do any of you know where I can find the tribe of magic users their notes spoke of?" Harry couldn't believe his luck; he had found people who had been in these parts before the Flamels had even shown up. His joy however quickly died when he saw them shake their heads.
"We only ever came across them once and that was when the chief of their people came looking for Nicolas and Perenelle. After they left with him, Nicolas and Perenelle showed back up half a year later and were able to shift into creatures we had never seen before," Irina revealed. "She into a Sphinx and he into what he called a Thestral."
"That doesn't bode well for my chances of finding them." If a group of beings with heightened senses hadn't seen them more than once in what Harry was guessing was over a hundred years then the chances of him finding them quickly had all but gone out the window.
"Why don't we take you to your home and let you get settled in?" Carmen offered, looking to the others to see if they agreed with her idea. "I'm sure you've had a long trip."
"About that, I don't want this to be awkward, so I'll just come out and say it; if Nicolas and Perenelle were happy with you living in their home then I am as well." Before Hogwarts he had never had a place he could truly call home, so he couldn't imagine what it would feel like to think you might lose that one special place.
"Words cannot express our gratitude," Tanya thanked him, her appreciation shining through her words. "It erases my turmoil knowing you will allow us to continue to live in our home of the past three centuries."
"I'll take him to the house," Kate volunteered, sending him flirty smile as she did so. Harry got a bad feeling when Jasper and Tanya started to chuckle at the same time as Eleazar rolled his eyes and Carmen shook her head.
"I think I'll come with," Irina offered, oblivious to her family's reactions.
Harry sighed, used to women acting this way around him. Giving both the girls a look over he realized just how beautiful they both were. It was about this time that he also came to the conclusion that where the girls back in Britain had been after the famous Harry Potter, these two had no idea who he was; they only saw a handsome, powerful man. He was just fine with that. Slowly a smile made its way to his lips that would have reminded anyone who knew his father of James.
"Sure," Harry agreed at the same time a picture of Hermione popped up in his head. 'It's not like we're dating,' he thought glumly to himself. 'I have nothing to feel guilty about. Besides, for all I know she might have found some guy in Australia to help take her mind off losing Ron.' A wave of anger washed over him at the thought of someone touching Hermione filled his head.
Jasper's ability to feel the emotions of those around him suddenly felt as if it was going haywire. Looking to the source of the disturbance he saw it was Harry. His emotions went from hesitant and unsure, to acceptance with hints of excitement, then before he realized what was happening a wave of intense jealousy and rage hit him like a truck. The final pair was so strong he felt his own emotions starting to react to them before suddenly all emotion from the boy just disappeared. The rollercoaster ride of emotions was enough to actually make the immortal stumble and lean into the side of his mate.
"Jasper," Tanya whispered anxiously, drawing the group's attention to the scarred man. "What's wrong, speak to me." Jasper looked to Harry, with every topaz colored eye doing the same.
"Have you heard of vampires gaining special abilities?" Jasper asked while straightening up, pulling Tanya into his side as Harry nodded that he had. "Mine is the ability to feel and control the emotions of those around me. So when you had your overload just then, it hit me pretty hard."
Harry grimaced. "I apologize for that. It's part of the reason I'm here," he admitted.
"What do you mean?" Jasper questioned.
"The ability to shift like Nicolas and Perenelle learned from the tribe of magic users has the chance of changing the shifter. I want to change who I am... that's why I'm here!"
EMERALD EYED SUPERNOVA
"So do you have a girlfriend back home?" Kate asked him, as she and Irina ran beside him. The girls were moving at a speed that was far slower than what was normal for them, but drastically faster than that of any other human.
Harry chuckled slightly. "No, no girlfriend."
"And why is that?" Irina asked, moving closer to him as they moved through the trees. "A cutie like you should have to beat the girls off with a stick. You're not into men are you? It would be such a waste if you were!" Though Harry didn't voice it, he was picking up an airhead vibe from the girls that reminded him of Lavender and Parvati.
"I can assure you that I'm very much attracted to beautiful women."
Kate opened her mouth to respond when Harry skidded to a halt, grabbing both girls by their elbows. He had just enough time to realize how cold and hard their skin was before he turned his focus back on what had stopped him in the first place.
"Why'd you stop us?" Irina questioned, looking at where his hand was still clasped around her arm. "Our place isn't all that far from here."
"Were you or your family expecting any other wizards or witches to show up?"
"Other than you, Nico, Perenelle, and the man who took them to his tribe, we've never encountered any other magic users around here. It's rare for us to see anyone this deep in the preserve."
Irina stared off in the direction they had been taking him. "The wind is at our backs and I can't see or hear anything. Can you sense someone out there?"
"There's a witch or wizard about a mile ahead of us, the sheer amount of magic they have is huge. Their pools are almost as large as mine."
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Kate wondered aloud.
"Magic is like a muscle, you work it hard and long enough it will grow." Tearing his eyes away from the direction of the unknown person, he focused on the females next to him. "That might have been a bit of an oversimplification as magic is vastly more difficult to increase than muscle mass, but like with muscles, magic can only grow so much in your normal lifetime. Most either run out of time or they simply get lazy before they make any drastic change to their core. The person up ahead was either born with huge amounts of magic, or they've been working themselves to the bone."
"Isn't it possible that they've had both?" Kate supplied, gaining Harry's full attention. "Nicolas and Perenelle were immortal and I can see them being the types to continuously grow their magic. Why shouldn't it be possible for someone else to do the same?"
"It's unlikely that that's the case... Then again I'm a wizard, standing next to two vampires. The odds of life sort of go out the window once you get involved in the hidden world," Harry conceded dryly. "The main issue with them being immortal is the lack of ways to obtain immortality. If it was easy to gain eternal life, there would be far less death in this world."
"Should we go back for the others or do you think this person is here for peaceful reasons?" Irina inquired; she was letting Harry take the lead in this situation. She and her sister lacked any real combat knowledge when it came to dealing with magic users, despite being over eight centuries old. Her choice to do so was made easier by how he had spoken about himself and his magic levels, and the display of magic he had shown them when they had first met.
"No," he shook his head. "I'll lead us there, you two stay behind me and back a ways as we travel, so that if there's any traps along the way I can disable or destroy them. If we get there and this person wants to start something, I want you two to circle around and look for any openings they may have. Don't attack unless I tell you to, it's possible that they may make an opening for you just to lure you in. The chances are I'll be able to beat whoever this is without problem, but it's better to be safe than dead." Irina instantly knew she had done the right thing in letting him take the lead.
"Handsome and knows how to take charge, I think I like this one," Kate purred, reaching out to run a cold finger along Harry's jaw line, sending pleasurable chills through him. "After this is over, how about we spend a little alone time together?" She whispered, catching the lobe of his ear with her lips.
Harry groaned as her scent filled his nose. She smelled so good and the way she touched him made him forget all about her skin being hard as stone.
"No fair," Irina pouted playfully, as she slinked into his other side. "I wanted this one, he smells so good." Her hand slid into the collar of his shirt, rubbing circles on his collarbone. "The closest thing to a 'singer' I've ever had." Kate laughed, making Harry wonder how he had gotten into such a wonderful situation.
"We could share him," Kate offered, meeting the eyes of her sister before they both looked to the now heavily breathing young man. "You've seen the speed he can move with, I bet that translates in a good way in the bedroom." A throaty giggle passed her lips just as she bit them sexily. "How about it sexy, you up to taking us both on?"
Harry released a deep rumble in his chest as he lowered his head to her height and buried his face in Kate's neck and corn silk straight hair at the same time he was running his hand sensually up Irina's side. His senses were full of the sisters, their mouthwatering scent, the frosty and electrifying feel of their skin against his own, and the way their voices whispered promised pleasure. He was seconds away from giving in, letting the part of him that had always longed to be with a woman take over, when he felt the unknown magic user start to travel toward them.
He growled angrily, unknowingly turning the sisters on even more as he did so. "We're going to have put this on hold," he told them as he drew away from their touch with hooded glowing eyes. "Our guest is headed this way."
"Too bad." Kate leaned in; placing a kiss on his collarbone at the same time Irina did the same on the other side.
"You two get behind me, we'll meet whoever this is halfway," he ordered, easily falling back into his familiar commander persona, unsurprised when they listened to him immediately. In a 'V' formation the three sped toward the rapidly approaching magic signature.
It was when the magic source was close enough that he could feel the earth vibrating from the approaching unknown that he knew he should be able to see, that he guessed what was going on. "Do you two feel the direction he's coming from?"
"Yes." Irina answered, with Kate nodding.
"Good, focus on where they should be and see if you can spot any type of disturbance. Your eyes are better than my own and will be able to spot anything that's out of place."
"There!" Kate exclaimed, pointing directly in front of them. "I can see foliage and bushes being parted by something... I can't see what though. I think whatever - whoever it is out there is invisible." Kate gained a confused look, before she leaned forward squinting. "If I'm not seeing things incorrectly, I think whatever's moving this way is doing so on four legs, if the shape of the path they're leaving behind them is anything to go by."
"Skinwalkers!" Harry whispered knowingly. He once again came to a sudden stop with the girls following his example. "We'll let them come to us. I don't think they mean us any harm, but be ready for anything!" The girls nodded and crouched down ready to move.
Soon enough he was able to spot bushes splitting and birds being sent into the air as a large, invisible something, rushed toward them. Harry was seconds away from erecting a shield when whatever it was that was coming at them stopped moving at all, making the forest around them sound deathly quiet after the ruckus that had followed the unknown entity through the forest.
"Are you one of the tribe of Skinwalkers?" Harry called out. When no answer came, he opened his mouth to try again, but was halted when a large, ash colored boar appeared in front of them, attempting to stare Harry down with its mud shaded gaze.
"It's a Tebo," Irina said, pointing wildly at the animal. "I read about them in one of Perenelle's books. They're warthogs that have the ability to turn invisible and their hides are resistant to magic. Wizards try and catch them to use in the making of their dueling clothing." It seemed the warthog had understood her words, for as soon as she said the last part it snorted loudly turning its glare on her.
Harry took a defensive step in front of Irina, once again gaining the creature's attention. "I wish to learn how to shift as your people do. Will you turn into your human form so that we may speak to one another?"
The boar looked at him for a time, not giving any sign that it had understood him. Just when he thought the animal/man was ignoring him, it gave a swift nod. The Tebo shifted to its human form as quickly as it had appeared before them. The shifter was an aged, tall, russet skinned man, standing nearly as tall as Harry. His long curtain of hair was slightly coarse and a deep ash-white.
The trio leaned forward when the man's lips parted to speak. "The Child of Lightning will appear with death in hand. Heir to those who had no young, he will allow the leader's debt to be paid and his spirit become one with the creator!" Harry glanced down at the wand in his hand, recalling one of its titles, 'Death stick'.
"What was that about?" Kate asked, tugging on his sleeve as she stood up, staring at the man who had failed to say anymore.
Letting loose a tired sigh, Harry answered. "That would be a prophecy."
AN: So how was it? Like I pointed out in this chapter Harry will be different after he learns to shift, so no worries about his angsty ways. Now future chapters might not be as long as this one, just a heads up. Also the more reviews I get, the faster this gets updated. No, I'm not trying to hold this story hostage, but reviews will make things go faster. Also if you don't like what you've read, please just leave. I don't enjoy flames, they kill a muse all too easily.