2,716Disclaimer:This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by J. K. Rowling. No money is being made.
Warnings: this story will have slash.
Chapter 2 – It begins
When Harry woke up the next morning he felt slightly disoriented. He didn't remember falling asleep, he didn't even remember going to bed. Then the memories of the previous night crashed down on him and he sat up abruptly.
He looked around and noticed he was in an unfamiliar bedroom and not in the Gryffindor Tower as he had thought.
However before he could start to panic the door to the bedroom opened and Abanddon and Caym entered. They walked towards the bed and stopped right beside it.
"Are you alright little Master?" Abanddon asked.
"I... I don't know." Harry admitted. To anyone else he would have said that he was fine, like he usually did, even when he wasn't. But they were different. Aside from the fact that they were demons, they made Harry feel safe. He knew they were cold and bloodthirsty, he had seen it. But to him they were kind and affectionate. He didn't know if they were faking it, but he hoped they weren't. He had never felt safe before, he had never felt like someone truly saw him for him and he really liked it.
His friends tried their best but their notions of him were always colored with his title of being the Boy-Who-Lived. He knew it wasn't their intention, but they couldn't help it. Abanddon and Caym though didn't seem to care about it at all.
"You still have questions." Caym stated, "If you wish you could have breakfast here and we would answer any questions you may have."
Harry nodded. He didn't really want to face the Great Hall yet. He wondered what Dumbledore told the students. Did he say anything at all? How would the students react? And Cedric's parents? He couldn't imagine how they were feeling.
Caym nodded and excused himself, leaving Harry alone with Abanddon, who was still standing beside the bed.
"Why don't you sit?" Harry asked, looking at him curiously.
"It wouldn't do Master. I am your servant."
"Please sit." Harry told him softly, "I will order it if I have to."
Abanddon looked at Harry curiously for a few moments, then he nodded and conjured an armchair. He sat beside the bed, looking just as regal as he had in Dumbledore's office.
"Did you sleep well?" Abanddon asked, looking him over critically.
"I did. I was expecting to have nightmares." Harry confessed. It wouldn't surprise him if he had, he had been having nightmares since he could remember.
"Caym did tell you we would not let anything happen to you, that includes nightmares." Abanddon told him and Harry stared.
"Are you saying that you can control if someone has nightmares?" he asked incredulously.
"Caym and I can cause nightmares. We are nightmares. However we can not control what you dream about. What we did was raise a ward to simply prevent bad dreams. It can not be used for a long time, but it was a ward that parents put up in the nurseries. The ward itself was lost some six hundred years ago."
Harry nodded, that made sense. Though he didn't really understand what Abanddon meant when he said that they could cause nightmares. He looked around and his eyes landed on the nightstand. His eyes widened when he saw his wand.
"We retrieved it last night." Abanddon told him, seeing where his eyes had landed.
Before he could ask how they had done it the door opened again and Caym walked in, a serving tray in his hands. He looked for a moment or two at Abanddon, raising an eyebrow, as if wondering why the other demon was sitting, then he conjured a table and chair and put the tray down.
"Breakfast, Master." he told Harry.
Harry was already getting up from the bed, now that he had smelled the food he realized he was rather hungry. He sat down and looked at the demons again. Abanddon was standing again, both on either side of him and he contained a sigh.
"Have you eaten?" he asked them.
"We do not require substance at the moment little Master." Abanddon replied and Harry could have sworn there was an amused glint in his eyes.
"Oh, alright. Sit down though, keep me company. Besides it's easier to talk if you are sitting."
Caym conjured two more chairs and they sat on the other side of the table. Smiling slightly Harry started his breakfast.
"Where are we?" he asked, the question had been nagging at him since he realized he wasn't in his dorm.
"We took over living quarters that were empty near the Gryffindor Tower. Usually they are married quarters, though as the age mortals usually get married varied over the years these quarters have been empty for a while. One of your ancestors stayed here for his fifth, sixth and seventh year with his wife. That's why we know of them. It was only a matter of setting a password and have it cleaned." Caym explained.
"Why didn't you bring me to the Tower?"
"We believed that you would want to be away from the masses for a little while longer." Abanddon replied and Harry nodded; he did want to be away from the students for a while. He knew that he had to face them sooner or later but he was perfectly fine with it being later.
"I just want to thank you for saving me yesterday. Voldemort would have killed me if you hadn't shown up."
"You called us Master. We just answered." Abanddon replied and Harry shook his head.
"That's just it. How did I call you? I didn't know your name or that you even existed for that matter."
"Well, you see Master, we may have bended the rules a little." Abanddon admitted and Harry wasn't sure but he looked almost sheepish. That certainly wasn't a look that he had expected to see on a demon.
"You called for someone, anyone, to help you. Technically, we fall under that category." Caym explained.
"But why did you answer? If I had died you would be free wouldn't you? You would be able to go back to your home and rule Hell or whatever it is you do. Do you not miss it?"
"It isn't that simple Master. We didn't like that we were bound but it isn't possible for us to go back to Hell. The gateways to Hell were closed shortly after we were bound. The higher up demons closed the gateways, sealed them really, so that we couldn't return. They knew they could not win in an uprising against us, but if we were not there then they would have no opposition. We didn't leave family or friends behind, so there is not much to miss. Do you understand Master?" Caym explained in a monotone.
"I think so." Harry muttered, chewing on a piece of pancake. "So... you can't go home? Ever? Couldn't you break the seal?"
"Technically we could break it, even though we never tried. However to break such a seal there would have to be a sacrifice, and it isn't really something we are willing to pay. Do not worry Master, we have long come to terms with it. Besides we do like the mortal world." Abanddon assured him and Harry nodded. He still didn't like the situation they were in but at least they liked this world. It would have been much worse if they had left families in Hell or something like that.
"What happens now?" he asked them, looking a little lost.
"Nothing Master, you continue to live your life as you want to. The only difference is that you have us now."
"That's it?" Harry looked at them incredulously.
"Yes Master."
"Can't I just set you free? I really don't like it that you are basically slaves. It isn't right. Beings like you... It just isn't right." Harry muttered looking down at his breakfast. He missed the astounded looks the demons were giving him and the brief shock that appeared in their eyes.
"We are demons Master." Abanddon told him slowly, as if he was making sure that Harry understood that.
"Yes, I know." Harry replied looking at the demon questioningly.
"Why would you want to set us free? We are demons, true evil. We do not regret killing your family we regret getting caught, but not killing them. We do not mourn those that died, including your parents. Everyone would agree that it would be best to keep us bound, especially those who know who we are." Caym looked at him as if he had never see anything quite like Harry in all his life.
"So? Just because people think that, doesn't mean that it's right. You have as much right to be free as everyone else. I know you killed them and I can't say that I understand or that I'm alright with killing. It's just, it's your nature isn't it? It's who you are. You said it yourself, you are demons, I can't exactly expect puppies and rainbows, can I?"
The two demons remained silent in their seats, looking at Harry with those otherworldly eyes, studying him, evaluating him and Harry couldn't help but blush. Why did he have to notice just how beautiful they were?
"Thank you Master." said Caym in a low, smooth tone, making Harry look up.
"For what?"
The demons just smiled, their eyes warmer than he had ever seen them and Harry's breath caught. They were truly beautiful. Clearing his throat Harry looked around the room, hoping they hadn't noticed his staring.
"Why did you tell Voldemort the truth about you?"
"He knows what we are now. Only if he were a fool would he continue to attack you." Abanddon told him.
"We do not think that it will stop him from trying to take over Magical Britain, but knowing that we are at your command will make him pause and think. You could order us to kill him and we would and there would be nothing that would be able to stop us. He knows that now." Caym looked a bit smug, so he supposed that it had been his idea. Or he simply liked that the big bad Dark Lord was afraid of them.
"You could actually do that?" Harry asked, eyes wide.
"At the moment, no. No matter what we may think of him, he did make himself immortal, in a fashion. We believe we know how he did it, but we are not sure. We would need to look into it and confirm our suspicion. If he did do it the way we think, it would take a while to track down what he used." Abanddon explained, he looked a little disgusted. "Foolish human, playing around with magics he can not control. It never ends well."
"You'll stay with me right?" Harry asked, ignoring Abanddon's muttering.
"Of course Master." both replied in unison.
"Then what will I tell people when they ask who you are?"
"What we told Bones would be best." Caym replied.
"But there are lots of people who know the truth. What if one of the Death Eaters says something?"
Abanddon chuckled, a small smirk playing on his lips.
"Do not worry little Master. Aside from you and us no one else will be able to reveal what we are. A little charm that was placed in effect by one of our previous Masters."
Harry nodded. He wanted to ask more questions, however most of them were about the demons themselves and he didn't think they would answer. He could always order them to, but he didn't want it. He didn't feel at all comfortable ordering them around. He didn't think he would ever feel comfortable doing it. They were old, powerful beings, it was degrading receiving orders from a fourteen year old boy. As he had said, it just wasn't right.
"I'm sorry." Harry told them solemnly, "For what my family did to you. For you being stuck with me." he truly was. It pained him knowing that they were slaves. He didn't even like the fact that house-elfs were enslaved but he understood that they wanted it, it was a symbiotic relationship. The house-elfs would live because of the ambient magic that was always around a wizard and the wizard had a willing and loyal servant. Both beings involved were willing participants getting something out of it. But this... This was nothing more than slavery. He doubted that Abanddon and Caym would have willingly left their positions in Hell to be servants, of all things.
Abanddon stood from his seat and knelt in front of Harry. He held Harry's hand between his own and Harry was surprised by how warm they were.
"It's alright little Master." Abanddon told him a small, soft smile on his lips. "None of it was your doing. We answered your call because we wished it. You did not call our names. We circumvented the rules because we wanted to. Even though we are slaves, we serve you willingly."
What? What did he mean when he said that they had answered because they wanted to? What did Abanddon mean when he said that they served him willingly? Why did they serve him willingly?
Before he could ask the questions that were bursting to come out there was a loud popping sound and a house-elf appeared in front of him. The elf looked around saw the two demons and actually squeaked. Harry would have laughed if the poor thing didn't look so terrified.
"Can I help you?" Harry asked, trying to hide his amusement.
"Mister Harry Potter sir. Headmaster Dumbly sir, is asking for you to be going to his office." the little elf told him, casting fearful glances towards the demons. Harry could see that they were finding it rather funny as well.
"Alright, thank you for telling me. I'll go as soon as I'm dressed."
The elf nodded and popped away with another fearful squeak when Abanddon chuckled.
"That's wasn't nice." Harry told them, his amusement showing in his eyes, even though he tried to look stern.
"You are right Master," replied Caym, nodding seriously, "We will endeavor to appear less frightening to the little beings. Perhaps if Abanddon and I were to smile and hug them they would not fear us so."
Harry couldn't help it, he really couldn't. He laughed. Just picturing it in his head was hilarious. He could imagine the little elfs running around trying to escape the hugs and Abanddon and Caym running after them with big smiles professing their desire to hug them and be friends. He was sure that the elfs would be traumatized for the rest of their lives.
"There are clothes in the wardrobe. We will wait for you outside Master." Abanddon told him, when he finally stopped laughing, though there was still an occasional chuckle slipping through his lips.
Harry nodded, he didn't even ask them why there were clothes for him in the wardrobe. They must have gotten his things from his dorm. At least that's what he thought till he opened the wardrobe.
"Abanddon!" he shouted and not a second later the demon was beside him, making him jump out of his skin.
"Holy Hell, how did you do that?!" Harry exclaimed, "Wait, never mind. What's this? Where are my clothes?"
"Those are your clothes Master." Abanddon replied and Harry did his best to ignore the amused glint in his eyes.
"No, they're not."
"Now they are Master. We could not let you walk around in the rags you had Master."
Harry sighed, he knew that there was no use arguing, besides the clothes did look nice and it wasn't like he liked Dudley's castoffs.
"Alright. I won't take long, just give me a minute."
"As you wish Master." Abanddon bowed and left the room, using the door this time. Really, if he didn't know any better he would say that Abanddon was trying to give him a heart attack.
A little over twenty minutes later Harry left his bedroom, showered and dressed in clothes that actually fit him. He would never admit it but he rather like it. It was nothing fancy, just some black jeans and a dark green shirt with a black and gray design of some kind of bird on the back. He suspected the clothes were muggle, but he didn't mind. It seemed his demons knew that he preferred the more everyday style of muggle clothes than the wizarding version. Why people wanted to wear robes every single day he would never understand. For formal functions or something like it he could understand, but every day? He truly didn't see why they would want to.
"I'm ready." he told both demons who were standing a few feet away from his door. He briefly wondered if they had stood there the entire time.
The demons nodded and opened the door for him. They stepped outside, Abanddon and Caym walking behind him and he contained a sigh. He had a feeling that he would get tired of the servant thing rather quickly.
They arrived at the gargoyle quickly and Harry was relieved that he didn't meet anyone on the way. He didn't want to deal with the students yet. They would stare and whisper and ask questions that he didn't want to answer. Yes, the longer he avoided them the better.
Only when the gargoyle didn't leap aside to grant them entrance did he remember that he had no idea what the password was.
"Rise." he heard Caym whisper and again a crow appeared in front of them. "Tell Dumbledore we are here." the crow melted into the shadows and Harry grinned.
"You have to teach me how to do that." he said turning around to look at Caym smiling, "It's awesome."
Caym chuckled and nodded.
"If you wish it Master. However it is what you wizards consider dark magic."
"Dark? Why is it dark?" Harry asked. From what he had seen it didn't seem dangerous at all, it seemed rather useful to be truthful.
Before Caym could explain the gargoyle jumped aside.
"I will explain later Master, now we have to meet your Headmaster."
Harry nodded and went up the stairs. He was rather curious about what the Headmaster wanted. He had already told him everything he knew about Voldemort.
Arriving at the door he knocked.
"Enter." Dumbledore's voice called them and Harry opened the door.
Harry wasn't really surprised to see that Dumbledore wasn't alone, however that didn't make him feel any happier about seeing Snape sitting beside the Headmaster.
"Harry I wasn't expecting you to bring your new companions along." Dumbledore remarked looking at the two demons without his usual twinkle.
"Well, I wasn't exactly expecting Snape either, so I say we're even." Harry replied, taking a seat. The two demons only sat on either side of him after he threw them a pointed look. Really they had to talk about this servant business.
"Professor Snape, Harry." Dumbledore corrected him while Snape sneered.
"Yeah, sure. Professor." he really wanted to tell Dumbledore what he thought about calling that man a professor, but he didn't want to start an argument. "You said you wanted to talk with me professor?"
"Yes. It is about your two companions and where you will be staying for the summer." Well, one thing Harry was already sure of, he wasn't going to like the conversation one bit.
"Harry I know that you think you know what you are doing, but I do not believe you understand just who those two are. They are not just ordinary demons..."
"Abanddon, the King of the demons of Hell. Caym, the Grand President of Hell." Harry interrupted him, surprising Dumbledore. Even Snape's eyes showed a little bit of surprise before it was masked. "As I told you, even muggles know about them. I know who they are. I know that if they wanted to they would make Voldemort look like a little boy throwing a tantrum. However I do not see where you are going with this professor."
"I believe it would be best if you send them away. From what I understood they have to obey you if you give them a direct order. If you told them to leave, they would have to obey."
Harry looked at the Headmaster incredulously, ignoring the twin growls coming from either side of him.
"Why would I send them away? They saved my live. Besides I like them." the growling stopped immediately and even Snape was looking at him as if he had lost his mind.
"You like them?" Dumbledore questioned, looking perplexed.
"Yes, I like them. They're funny and kind and they take care of me. They don't care that I'm the Boy-Who-Lived. Besides with Voldemort back it's better to have someone with me that I trust."
"You trust them?" Dumbledore asked, slightly perturbed.
"Yes, I do."
For a few moments no one said anything. Though Harry could tell that even his demons were shocked about his proclamation. Still he did trust them. He may not know them, but they had saved him and from what he understood from their previous conversation they had done it because they wanted to. Sure, they could have some hidden reason to have done it, but they had still done it.
"Be that as it may they will have to leave you when you return to your relatives."
"I could always go somewhere else. I don't like the Dursleys and they don't like me. Everyone would be happier if I just left."
"No. Now that Voldemort returned it is imperative that you go back. It is the only place that will keep you safe."
"Why?" he asked exasperated, he hated them and they hated him. Why did he have to stay there.
"Your mother gave her life for you, her sacrifice made it possible for you to survive. Bloodwards..." however Dumbledore didn't go any further in his explanation. Two ferocious growls were heard and even Harry felt a shiver run down his back.
"You raised bloodwards?" Abanddon snarled.
"It had to be done. His mother's sacrifice..." Dumbledore tried to defend himself but he was interrupted again.
"Were you not listening yesterday when we said that we raised a shield that protected him?" Caym asked mockingly. "Lily's death did nothing to save him, except buy us time to strengthen the shield."
"The bloodwards do nothing, they only feed on his magic. If he wasn't as powerful as he is he would have been no better than a squib when he first set foot in this place. And even so I guess he spends all of first term recuperating. That would explain why he always does best in his spell work after the winter break."
Dumbledore paled slightly at Abanddon's explanation.
"That can not be true. I researched it extensively. It said that it would feed on the feelings they had for each other and that it would strengthen the more they cared for each other and the closest they were related." Dumbledore argued and Abanddon snorted.
"Yes, however the wards need magic, so they feed on the wizards and witches they are keyed to. In this case the only wizard in that house was Harry, the wards couldn't even feed on ambient magic because it was a muggle neighborhood. They feed only on Harry's magic. Besides, from what I understand they despise each other, there is no love to power the wards."
Dumbledore seemed to age in front of his eyes. He had never seen the Headmaster look so tired. Not even the previous day when he told them that Voldemort was back.
"Are you certain?" Dumbledore asked, looking at both demons.
"Yes. Blood Magic, no matter the kind, is based on our magics." Caym confirmed.
"I see." Dumbledore murmured.
Harry didn't really understand what they were talking about, he knew nothing about wards and how they worked, however he understood enough. He didn't like what he was hearing.
"So, since those wards are worthless do I still have to go back there?"
"Just for a while. Let me set up a safe house. Voldemort is still back and for the moment that is the safest place, however I will have a house ready as soon as possible."
"Fine. Abanddon and Caym will be with me, so I guess it won't be as bad as usual."
"We haven't hunted a mortal in a long time." Abanddon remarked as if he were talking about the weather.
"Abanddon!" Harry exclaimed, though he tried to look stern he was unable to hide the amusement in his eyes and Abanddon smirked.
"Yes, Master?"
"Neither of you is hunting my relatives." he stated a small smile playing on his lips.
"Very well Master. However if you change your mind, you know what to do." Abanddon looked rather hopeful that he would change his mind and Harry couldn't help but chuckle. Caym shook his head and smirked at Dumbledore and Snape's expressions. It was clear as day that Dumbledore was afraid that they would corrupt his precious savior. Snape on the other hand looked like he was just realizing the kind of power Harry had. One simple order from Harry and the two seemingly docile demons could become the deadly creatures they were known for.
"Finally realized it, haven't you?" Caym asked, looking directly at Snape. He chuckled when Snape tried to hide the apprehension he felt.
Harry looked at him curiously and Caym shook his head.
"It's nothing Master. Are we done here?"
"Just one more question. Where were you the previous night? Mr. Weasley was rather worried, he said you were not in your dorm." Dumbledore asked looking at Harry.
"I don't really know. They told me it were living quarters near the Tower. I didn't really want to deal with the other students and they took care of it."
"I see. However you will have to stay in your dorm from now on. I understand you didn't want to face your peers yesterday. You were tired and had a rather eventful night. However every student must sleep in their dorms."
"I understand. Can I go?"
Dumbledore nodded and Harry got up, the demons following close behind and he left the Headmaster's office.
They walked in silence till they were almost a whole corridor away.
"I want you to tell me everything about those bloodwards. I don't think I understood everything but what I did understand I didn't like."
"As you wish Master." they replied in unison.
"Let's go back to those living quarters. Dumbledore only said I had to sleep in the dorm, he never said I couldn't use the living room there."
They walked the rest of the way in silence, Harry was rather thankful that they didn't meet anyone on their way. Most students were probably in the Great Hall having breakfast, or in their common rooms, either way Harry was thankful for it. The time that he had to face them grew closer but at least he would be able to talk with Ron and Hermione before someone saw him in a corridor with two strange men and start to gossip about it.
"So... About those bloodwards." Harry started when he was sitting in a comfortable couch in the living room of the quarters that his demons had acquired.
"Bloodwards are one of the more powerful wards there are," Abanddon told him, "However they have a rather dangerous drawback. They are anchored to the people they are tied to. You see, it's like this, wards feed of the ambient magic and are anchored to a rune stone. The people tied to the wards can feel them and change them but if the wards were to break the backlash wouldn't harm the people tied to it all that much. At worst, in wards such as these here at Hogwarts for instance the people tied to it would pass out and feel a headache for a few days. Considering that these wards are some of the most powerful in the world, you can see that most wouldn't affect the people tied to them all that much."
"With bloodwards it's different." Caym continued explaining, "They are anchored to the people and feed of their magic and of ambient magic. In this case they would be anchored to you, your aunt and maybe your cousin. However both of them are muggles and you live in a muggle house-hold. The wards can only feed of your magic. It drains you. In this case it didn't harm you since your core is rather big. Consider it as your magic going to the gym every day while you are at your relative's home. It strengthens your core and helps you in having better stamina while casting. We suspect it is one of the reasons why you were able to cast a Patronus when you were thirteen, your magic was strong enough to hold such a draining spell because you were used to the strain the wards put on your core. However if you were weaker magically it could have drained you completely when you were younger. You would have been left a squib or died depending on the shock it would have been on your soul. The backlash in case they broke would have been just as harmful to you."
"It is one of the reasons that most people don't use them anymore, they consider the risk too great. As you know for a wizard losing his magic is worse than death." Abanddon added and Harry nodded.
"Is it dangerous for me to go back there?"
"No." Caym assured him, "We will be going with you, the wards will be able to feed on our magic as well. We will not let anything happen to you." Caym told him again and Harry had to smile. He had never felt so protected.
"I know." he replied, still smiling at them. Suddenly he laughed and the demons looked at him curiously, "I was just imagining the Dursleys reaction when you arrive with me and tell them you are staying and are my demonic servants." both demons smirked and Harry was sure they were imagining the same thing. He knew that they enjoyed the fear they caused and the Dursleys would be terrified of them. At least it would be entertaining staying with the Dursleys till Dumbledore had a safe place ready for him.
"Will you be staying with me the whole day?"
"Yes Master. We know that there are children of Death Eaters here, we do not know what their parents ordered them to do. It is best to be safe."
"Alright." he knew there was no point in arguing with them, "I'm going to talk with Hermione and Ron. Tell them what happened. I'm going to tell them the truth about both of you too. I don't want to lie to them."
"You are free to tell whomever you want Master. However they will not be able to spread the information." Caym told him and Harry nodded.
"Where could they be. Breakfast is over, so maybe the library or the infirmary looking for me."
"If you wish I could track them down and bring them here Master. So you will have privacy to talk to them." Abanddon offered.
"Could you? That would be great."
"I will be right back Master." Abanddon bowed and left the room.
Caym went to the small kitchen that was part of the living quarters and Harry could hear him going through the cupboards. Harry left him to it. He had other things on his mind at the moment.
He didn't really know how to feel about everything that happened. He didn't really know Cedric but it didn't mean that he wasn't sad about his death. He could blame himself for his death, he had told Cedric to take the cup with him, but he knew that it wasn't his fault. He hadn't been the one to kill him. He was no Seer, he couldn't know that the cup was a portkey. Blaming himself would amount to nothing. The ones responsible were Pettigrew and Voldemort. They were the ones that had killed Cedric. He was sure that he would have been dead too if it hadn't been for his demons. The previous night it had all been to fresh, he couldn't help but feel it was his fault. After a good night's sleep though he could be more rational about it. He was sad and angry but he wasn't feeling guilty. He hadn't done anything wrong. Maybe he would have felt guilty if it was someone he knew better, but even so he didn't think he would. He wasn't responsible for other people's actions. It wasn't his fault.
The door opening broke him out of his thoughts. He looked over and saw Hermione and Ron walking in, looking confused and Abanddon following them.
"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed as soon as she saw him and rushed to hug him. Ron following close behind her. Both of them were looking him over worried and Harry sighed. He knew that what he was going to tell them would make them worry even more. "Where were you?" Hermione asked, "We were so worried and no one saw Cedric after yesterday and Victor and Fleur have been in the infirmary. There were aurors all over the school and some of them were tearing apart Professor Moody's classroom and office. We thought something had happened to you. Dumbledore only said there would be an announcement today at lunch."
"Take a seat," Harry told them sighing, "It's a long story."
When they had taken a seat on the couch opposite his he took a deep breath and told them everything. From the moment they landed in that damned graveyard till they left Dumbledore's office after the interrogation of Moody who wasn't Moody. He saw their expressions grow more fearful by the second and when he told them that Voldemort was truly back they paled so much that Harry thought they would pass out. However when he told them the true about Abanddon and Caym as well as their names Hermione actually squeaked and crossed herself. He knew he shouldn't laugh but he couldn't stop the upturn of the corner of his lips. Abanddon chuckled darkly behind him and looked at Hermione smirking.
"Do not worry little girl, we won't hurt you. However what you are doing wouldn't have helped you any if we were going to hurt you."
Ron on the other had was pale and shaking a bit.
"Demons?" he squeaked, looking fearful at the two demons standing behind Harry as some sort of bodyguards. "I thought that demons didn't look human."
"We can look human." Caym told them, "However we do have a demonic form."
"You do?" Harry asked curiously, he hadn't know that.
"Yes," Abanddon replied, "However most humans can not stand our demonic auras so we usual use this form."
"Can you show me?" Harry asked, completely ignoring the horrified looks of his two best friends.
Abanddon and Caym looked stunned for a moment then they chuckled.
"Maybe later little Master." Abanddon told him, his eyes warm.
"Alright." Harry pouted, making both demons chuckle again.
"What are you going to do?" Hermione asked, doing her best to not look at the two demons standing behind Harry, while Ron had some difficulty looking away from them.
"Do about what?"
"About them!" Hermione shriek, it was quite clear who she meant.
"What do you mean?" he narrowed his eyes, he didn't like where this was going. First Dumbledore, now Hermione.
"You can't have them around you, Harry. They're demons! Dark, evil! You can't possible want to be near them!"
"Hermione, watch your tone." Harry snapped, shocking all those present. "I do not care what you think. Abanddon and Caym saved my life. They have been nothing but nice to me. I will not tolerate anyone talking badly about them just because of prejudice."
"Harry, mate, usually I'm all about equality and all that, but she has a point. They are demons. Even if they are nice to you, it does not change the fact that they are evil. There is a reason for people still fearing them even three thousand years after the separations of our realms." Ron told him, surprising Harry a little with his knowledge. Though Ron did come from an old pure-blood family, even if they didn't show it. It was one of those things that pure-blood wizards grew up with, almost common knowledge. Muggle-borns and half-bloods raised by muggles had to look for that knowledge while to the pure-bloods it was nothing new. Some knew more than others but they all knew the basics.
"I know what they are!" Harry snarled, "I know they aren't some fluffy little puppies. It was my family they slaughtered because they were bored. So don't talk to me as if I didn't know what they could do."
"Then why do you want them to stay?" Hermione asked, looking slightly exasperated.
"Because I like them!" Harry shouted, again stunning all those present, "They're funny and affectionate. They're sarcastic and intelligent. I like talking to them. I want to know them. I hate what my family did to them. I hate it. Beings like them shouldn't be bound, shouldn't be slaves." he spat the word out with absolute disgust, "They ruled Hell, for Merlin's sake! Bounding them... It's wrong." he whispered, he looked at Hermione, trying to make her understand. She fought for house-elf rights, if there was someone who would understand it would be her. Abanddon and Caym, should never have been bound, they should never have had to serve humans, even if they were magical humans.
"Oh, Harry." Hermione sighed. There was a look in her eyes that he couldn't place, but when she threw him a small smile he thought that she understood. "Alright." she said and a brilliant smile appeared on his face.
"If you like and trust them, then they can't be so bad." Ron muttered, though he still kept one eye on the demons. "What are you going to tell people about them?"
"What we told Bones. It's easier to tell them part of the truth." Harry replied and both of his friends nodded.
"Things will change now, won't they?" Hermione whispered.
Harry could only nod. Voldemort was back, he doubted that things would stay the same.
"How do you think people will react?" Ron asked, he was still pale. Harry was sure that only now had the fact that Voldemort was back truly registered in Ron's brain, having been to focused on the demons beforehand.
"I don't know. Fudge didn't react well at all. He accused me of lying." he sounded bitter even to his own hears. He couldn't help it, it was always the same, they either saw him as some kind of hero or villain. He was getting tired of it, "I don't think he will do much to help. Though Bones seemed competent. In the end I think it depends on who gets to the public first. I'm not sure if Fudge will tell the people what is going on and we can't forget that Malfoy has Fudge in his pocket and Malfoy is a Death Eater."
"Now I'm kinda glad you have those two." Ron muttered looking at the demons.
"Why?"
"Well, it's obvious that they won't let anything happen to you. With You-Know-Who back... Better safe than sorry, you know?"
Harry nodded. He knew that Ron was right but he didn't want to use the demons like that. As some kind of shield against Voldemort. He knew they would protect him if he ordered them to do it, but he wanted to stand on his own. He didn't want to be weak.
"Yeah, I guess." he muttered, not knowing how to breach the subjected with them. No matter what they had been through, Hermione and Ron were still far more innocent than he was and he didn't want to take that from them. How could he tell them that he wanted to learn more so that he could stand against Death Eaters? He was far from stupid, he knew that he wouldn't stand a chance against them with schoolyard curses.
"Are you alright Harry?" Hermione asked, looking concerned. He contained a grimace, apparently he hadn't managed to hide his depressing thoughts as well as he had hoped.
"I'm fine. Just a little tired." he smiled at her.
"Maybe we should leave then," Hermione told him, her eyes still holding a bit of concern in them, "You should rest a little and we'll come get you for lunch, alright?"
"Alright." he muttered, he tried to get up from his seat but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.
"Rest Master." Caym told him, "Abanddon will escort them out." Harry nodded and with quick goodbyes the two were out of the room.
"They seemed eager to leave." he muttered, a bit surprised. Usually they would have insisted in staying longer, even if he claimed to be tired. They would fuss, Hermione more so than Ron, and nag, only leaving when they were sure that he was fine.
"Even though they accepted our presence they are still weary." Caym told him. "Truthfully, they were rather terrified of our presence. The only thing that kept them from running the moment they knew who we were was their concern for you. Truly remarkable."
A small smile appeared on his lips. It was good to know that his friends cared so much.
"Little Master, what had your thoughts so occupied?" Abanddon asked, standing in front of him and Harry sighed.
"I would prefer if you would sit down." he told both of them and they obeyed, "You know we will have to talk about this Master thing. Can't you just call me Harry?"
"It wouldn't be proper." Caym told him.
Harry looked at them incredulously.
"You are demons! Since when do you care if it's proper or not? I know that you are still my servants even if you call me Harry, I know it doesn't change the fact that you are bound to me. But I just... I don't like it. I would like it more if you were yourselves with me, not some perfect servant."
Again the two demons looked rather surprised and he almost smiled. Really one would think that no one had ever been nice to them. Realization hit him like a sledgehammer. Could that be true? Had his family always treated them badly? Could they have spend their lifetimes with these two demons always treating them as servants, never forgiving what they had done?
"How about a compromise little Master. In front of others we will call you Master and when we are alone we will do our best to be ourselves and call you by your name. Would that please you?" Abanddon asked and Harry nodded. It wasn't what he wanted but at least it was a step in the right direction. "Good. Now, stop stalling and tell us what you were worrying about."
Harry almost chuckled. He hadn't been stalling, well maybe a little, but he had really wanted to address the whole Master thing. He had no idea how Voldemort could stand being called that everyday.
"I was just thinking that I had to learn more. I can't beat Death Eaters with schoolyard curses, can I?" he smiled ruefully. "I don't think most people are going to like it."
"We will protect you, you know that." Caym stated and he had a look in his eyes that Harry couldn't really identify. There was anger there, but it was almost muted by several other emotions that he couldn't really place.
"I know." he whispered, "But I want to stand on my own two feet. I don't want to hide behind you. I know I'm not all that powerful, but I could learn to duel."
He looked at them and saw a hint of pride in their eyes, surprising him.
"Fight." Caym corrected, "You will learn to fight. You can not win if you follow the rules of dueling."
"If you wish to learn we will support you." Abanddon told him, "We will even teach you if you want."
"You will?" he asked incredulously.
"Of course. You are our Master. If you want to get stronger, better, then we will help." Caym looked at him with warm ruby eyes, "Though we warn you that most things we know are considered dark."
"But if it could save my life against Death Eaters..." Harry whispered. He didn't want to become like the Death Eaters, but he knew that sometimes you had to fight fire with fire. But how could he be sure that he wouldn't cross the line? To most wizards even knowing the Dark Arts was crossing the line. Would they fear him? Call him the next Dark Lord? Would he be shunned by his friends and family? He didn't even have to imagine what Fudge would do if he even suspect of Harry touching a Dark Arts book. He would be in Azkaban before he could say innocent.
"You don't have to learn it if you do not want to, and you can think it over." Abanddon told him, "Besides we will always stay with you, no matter what you chose. You could tell us you wanted to take over the world and we would support you."
A small chuckle passed his lips. Hearing that made him feel better. No matter what he would never be alone again.
"Thank you." he told them smiling.
"You are welcome. Do you want to rest before lunch?" Caym asked getting up from his seat.
"I... Yeah, I would like that." he hadn't lied to Hermione, he did feel tired. His emotions were still all over the place and even though he didn't blame himself anymore for Cedric's death it was still something that was heavy on his mind.
"Than go rest. We will wake you up when your friends arrive." Abanddon got up as well and helped him up from his seat. He wanted to roll his eyes, really, he wasn't that tired. But seeing the look in the demon's eyes he keep his mouth shut. He had the feeling that he wouldn't win an argument against him. At least not regarding something like this. Abanddon lead him to the bedroom he had spend the night in and as soon as is head hit the pillow he could feel his eyes close.
What felt like minutes later, but was in reality a good three hours, Abanddon was shaking him awake.
"Whaa?" he mumbled, burrowing deeper into the pillow.
"Your friends are here little Master. Lunch will start in a few minutes."
"Right." he muttered, sitting up. He saw Abanddon's lips twitch but didn't comment, who knew what was going through his mind. "Just give me a minute."
Abanddon nodded and left the room, and he slumped right back. He groaned, he was far more tired than what he had thought. Only knowing that Dumbledore would be giving a speech about what happened the previous day made him get up. He didn't even care that Hermione and Ron were waiting for him and only had Abanddon and Caym for company. They would have to get used to them sooner or later.
Not even ten minutes later, far sooner than he would have liked, he walked out of the room and saw Hermione and Ron sitting rather stiffly on the couch and both demons looking far more amused than they should.
"Hey guys." he greeted them and they smiled.
"Ready to go?" Hermione asked, looking slightly anxious.
"Not really, but I will have to face the masses sooner or later, right?"
Both of his friends grimaced. They knew he hated the attention and this situation was sure to bring even more of it. He would never understand those people who actually wanted to be famous. How could they want their lives scrutinized by everyone? It made no sense to him.
As soon as they left the quarters Harry was flanked by both his friends, Abanddon and Caym following close behind. The closer they got to the Great Hall the more students they saw in the corridors, most of them looking at Harry or at the two demons following them. He could hear them whispering as soon as they passed. It was bad now, he couldn't imagine how much worse it would be after Dumbledore's speech.
They entered the Great Hall, that was thankfully not full, and sat at the Gryffindor table. He sighed when most of the students looked at him. However Abanddon and Caym were gaining a lot of attention too. Especially because they were standing behind him in neat black muggle suits like some sort of bodyguards. He knew it would be pointless to tell them to sit. He had barely been able to convince them to call him Harry when they were alone, there was no way he would be able to persuade them to sit at the Gryffindor table.
When the last student finally arrived the doors to the Great Hall closed and Dumbledore stood up. As soon as the Headmaster got up the students stopped whispering and looked at him. Harry knew that the silence wouldn't last long.
"I know that all of you wondered what happened yesterday in the final task. You weren't told yesterday, nor this morning because we wanted to give the people involved some time to rest. It is with a heavy heart that I must tell you that your fellow student, Cedric Diggory, passed away last night."
The silence that followed was deafening.
He could see the stunned disbelieve in most of their faces and the downright denial in others. He didn't blame them, he would have felt the same if he hadn't seen it.
The professors were trying to keep it together, but most of them had tears in their eyes and Sprout wasn't even trying to stop them from falling. Harry assumed that the Headmaster had already told them what had happened because there was no surprise in their eyes, only bitter acceptance.
Then an agonized wail pierced the silence and Harry saw Cho, Cedric's girlfriend he remembered, stumble from her place at the Ravenclaw table and fall to her knees. A girl, a friend Harry guessed, tried to comfort her, both ended up crying on the floor, holding each other.
That seemed to be all that was needed for the dam to break. The Hufflepuffs were crying. Some silently, others sobbing. They knew Cedric the best, they were his housemates. But the others students weren't far behind. Most of them knew Cedric in one way or another, especially the younger years. Harry remembered Hermione telling him that Cedric helped them with their homework in the library when they needed. He even saw a few little Slytherins crying, while the older ones tried, and in some cases failed, to hold up their masks.
"How?" a Hufflepuff was heard over the commotion and Harry thought that it was one of Cedric's friends. At least he had seen him around Cedric the most.
The Hall quieted again, though there was still sobbing heard.
"Yesterday young Cedric and Harry were kidnapped from the maze." Dumbledore announced and Harry had never seen the Headmaster looking so old, nor had he heard him sounding so guilty, "Later that night, with the help of the DMLE, more precisely Madam Bones herself, we found out that a Death Eater, who disguised himself as professor Moody made the Triwizard cup a portkey that transported Cedric and Harry to a location where another Death Eater and the Dark Lord Voldemort were waiting for them. Cedric was killed as soon as he arrived. Then they captured Harry who was only able to escape with his life because he was rescued by the two men standing behind him at the moment. They were the ones who alerted us that something was wrong."
The students were so shocked that they didn't even flinch when they heard the Dark Lord's name. They were looking at Dumbledore with horrified expressions.
Then they looked at Harry and Harry felt like fidgeting, he truly hated all the attention.
"Why didn't you save Cedric?" that same boy asked, he looked devastated, "Why only Potter?" he snarled and Harry almost flinched.
"We are sorry for your loss." Caym said and a hush fell over the Hall. Even Cho stopped sobbing. All of them curious about what they would say and mesmerized by his voice. Harry didn't blame them, Caym's voice was enchanting and calming, even though Harry knew that Caym was lying he couldn't help but want to believe those words. He would have believed them too, hadn't both demons already told him that they did not regret or get saddened by the death of humans.
"However it was impossible for us to save Mr. Diggory." Abanddon told the students, "As the Headmaster told you, Mr. Diggory was killed as soon as he arrived. We were only able to appear at the location they were when our Master called us."
"Master? Are you a servant of the Dark Lord?" a Slytherin asked, before anyone else could say anything.
"No." Caym was barely able to contain the disgusted expression on his face, though Harry could still see it in his eyes, "We are bound servants of the House of Potter. When we felt that our Master was in danger we were able to appear at his location to save him and protect him as is our duty."
"That's impossible." muttered the same Slytherin, while other pure-bloods started whispering, "There are no bound servants anymore, the families who had them died out or the servants did. And there were no other slaves made after the laws passed."
Now even the muggle-borns were whispering and he could see their expressions when they heard the word slave. It was much the same he had felt.
"That is correct, there were no more new slaves made. However our bloodline has been tied to the Potter bloodline for over three thousand years and the rituals needed to set our line free have been lost for around one thousand years. As such we will continue to serve our Master till we die." Abanddon explained and he saw several people pale, though mostly Slytherins and a few Ravenclaws.
"Three thousand years?" the boy whispered, his eyes going from the servants to Harry. "The Potter bloodline is three thousand years old?"
"A little more than that yes," Caym confirmed and Harry knew he would be smirking if the situation in the Hall wasn't as somber as it was, "Now that our Master knows about us we will be able to show him his family history and all the knowledge they have accumulated over the centuries."
Now even the pure-blood Gryffindors were looking at Harry. Even if they weren't bigots, there was something that all pure-bloods valued, their history. Knowing that Harry's line was older than any line they had heard of was startling, however knowing that the knowledge accumulated over that time was still around was staggering.
The Great Hall was silent again, most remembering what had lead to that moment, while others were pondering about everything they had heard. Fear started to appear in many faces again when they remembered that the Dark Lord was back and a few Slytherins couldn't hide the excitement they felt. Though Harry was pleased to see that those Slytherins were few and far between, most of them seemed scared.
"I ask you that we hold a minute of silence for Cedric Diggory, a young man who was loved by many and embodied everything the Hufflepuff house represents. Remember Cedric Diggory, one of our own, and stand tall against the darkness that threatens us and our own once again." Dumbledore stood in front of them and bowed his head, everyone following his example, though Harry saw in the corner of his eye that the same Slytherins that couldn't hide their excitement had their heads high. At that moment he wanted nothing more than to curse them. He didn't but he wished bitterly for them to join Voldemort. He had seen how he treated his followers, maybe the best punishment they could get would be serving under him. A few Crucius would bend their necks. He doubted that they would be happy with his return then.
"Thank you and if you need anyone to talk to, your professors are always available." Dumbledore told them after the minute of silence passed and sat back down.
The food appeared then and the doors opened again. Pomphrey got up and went to Cho, who was still on the floor and took her out of the Hall. Harry guessed she was taking her to the infirmary to give her some calming potion.
The whole Hall was subdued but even so he could feel eyes on him. Abanddon and Caym took a step closer to him and their proximity calmed him down. He didn't feel like fleeing because they were with him. He could endure their stares, even if he didn't like it.
He had his demons now and somehow that was all that mattered.
A.N.: So, some people asked if this was based on the manga Kuroshitsuji. No, it isn't. While I know about the manga and anime I have never seen or read it. I have read and liked a few crossover of HP and Kuroshitsuji but that's all. I don't know the Kuroshitsuji world well enough to write a fic with it.
About the pairing; it's Abanddon/Harry/Caym. Though it won't happen right away. Harry will struggle a little with his attraction to both of them, and both Abanddon and Caym are trying to resist it as well.
So I don't remember who it was but they asked about the name Abanddon... To be honest I thought it was Abaddon as well, however several sites had it as Abanddon so since most of the ones I found had it as Abanddon I went with that.
Hope you enjoy it :) next chapter will take a little longer to update, but I had this one almost ready so I only had to finish it.