Chapter 9. Homeless
Dumbledore floo-ed to Grimmauld Place. His face was set in an emotionless mask as he stepped into the living room.
"Dumbledore? What are you doing here?" Sirius who was lounging on the sofa, sat up alert seeing the green fire flare up in the fireplace. "Did something happen to Harry?"
"No. I am here to talk to Henry. Go fetch him, please." Dumbledore requested as calmly as he could. Sirius stared at him dubiously.
"Eh? I don't understand. Why will Henry be here? Isn't he at Hogwarts?" Sirius asked. Dumbledore's mask cracked and for the first time Sirius saw him cursing under his breath.
It seems Henry hadn't listened to Harry's advice and didn't come to Grimmauld Place. Instead he had gone to who knows where.
~xXxXx~
Henry mutely watched the ruins. There should have been Potter Manor here. But it appeared that in this world, Potter Manor was destroyed a long time ago.
"What a sad world. No Lily Potter, No Iris Potter, No Potter Manor. I feel so homesick right now. I would kill someone just for mum's hug or Iris' kiss. Merlin! This world really is a mess." Henry murmured depressingly as he approached the few walls which were left standing. After he checked the whole area, he concluded that there was no chance he could stay here. He stared up at the night sky, fighting back tears.
"Mew!" Aura who was perched atop his shoulder patted his head with her paw. Her golden eyes were wide and filled with warmth as she licked his cheek, consoling him.
"Thank you, Aura. Even though I can't stay here to curb some homesickness, I still have you. Let's find some fancy hotel. I do have the [Unlimited Money] perk after all. I should use that more. And I can use the [Shapeshifter] perk to age up and hide my identity from the hotel staff. I think [Mana Manipulation] will also help in smoothing the suspicion of others. A little mind magic won't be too bad." Henry chirped up brightly, suppressing his sorrow once again, caressing Aura's white head.
~xXxXx~
Daphne and Tracey were silent the next morning when Dumbledore announced the names of 21 missing students. The proclamation brought dread and uncertainty to the hearts of the student population. It wasn't a secret anymore that Voldemort was back, so the first name that popped up at the cause of mass disappearance was his. The students whispered among themselves fearfully. If they weren't safe even under Dumbledore's nose then was there any safe haven left in Britain?
"Dumbledore announced Henry as one who disappeared as well. It seems he is keeping it a secret that it was Henry who killed them all and fled." Tracey leaned close to her ear and whispered. Daphne nodded.
"It's good for Henry. No one will know what really happened and won't go after him." she said, a little bit relieved and very grateful to the headmaster.
"Don't look, but Harry Potter is staring at you." Tracey suddenly tapped her hip under the table urgently. Daphne stiffened and fought the urge to look at the boy.
"Why?" She asked anxiously.
"Maybe because of Henry. He must want to talk to you about him. We were his only friends after all. We weren't very discreet when we welcomed Henry into Slytherin with open arms. Harry Potter must think that we might know more about his disappearance than others. And these two boys are related after all, maybe he too is sad and worried over his disappearance." Tracey pondered out loud.
"Great. We really needed the attention of the most dangerous boy on us." Daphne groaned.
~xXxXx~
Voldemort was sitting on his throne in the Malfoy Manor. His minions sat around the long table in the Manor Hall. All of them were expectantly looking at the dark lord.
Voldemort's red eyes were narrowed as he stared at his followers. He didn't let the anger and desperation he was feeling show on his face. Instead of old powerful purebloods, there were feral werewolves sitting on the table. His knuckles turned white as he clutched the armrests.
It was very annoying that he still didn't know what happened to his inner circle. It was irksome that he was bereft of his loyal subjects. It was worrying that even Bellatrix, his most trusted and skilled follower, hadn't returned to him. He had concluded that they all were dead. How? He didn't know. And that again was irritating.
Now all that left of the once fearsome Death Eaters were third-class fighters and glorified dogs. While he still had financial backing from some of the oldest purebloods, he didn't have a mighty army. How was he supposed to win the wizarding world with cowards and wild beasts?
He pursed his lips. He needed allies. Old and powerful allies. He motioned his few men to come forward and gave them important tasks which would help in strengthening his army.
He needed to create a spectacle. A great spectacle. Otherwise the wizarding world would forget about him and the fear he had created would vanish like smoke. A cruel smile slowly spread on his face.
'Yes, I need a new base after all. And since my favourite castle will soon lose its minder, I can strike while the iron is hot. Yes, that will surely terrify the whole world. What is more precious and vulnerable than children?'
~xXxXx~
"Stop! Greengrass! Davies!" A sourceless voice made the two girls train their wands ahead. They were currently on the Astronomy Tower, trying to find a quiet place for themselves. Obviously, they failed in doing so.
The air shimmered in front of them and a moment later Harry Potter stepped out of an invisibility cloak. They still had their wands pointed at him but their wariness dropped down a bit.
"Potter! I dread to think what else you could do with an invisibility cloak." Daphne exclaimed, lowering her wand. Tracey followed her example and stopped pointing it at him.
"Don't worry, I am a Gryffindor. We don't attack from behind even if we have an invisibility cloak." Harry said, folding his cloak and putting it in his bag.
"I was thinking along the lines of 'peeping tom' kind and not 'stab in the back' kind." Daphne smirked.
"Wha- No! I don't do that! I am not some degenerate." Harry blushed and shook his head insistently.
"What a wasted opportunity." Daphne mumbled loud enough for him to hear it. Tracey elbowed her and shot him an embarrassed look.
"Ignoring my girlfriend's perversion, let me ask, what do you want?" Tracey questioned him in a stony tone.
Harry, for a moment, was taken aback by the revelation that the two girls were a couple. He didn't even know if there were other couples like that. But he ignored the spike of his curiosity and replied in the same voice.
"I know that Henry was your friend-"
"Henry is our friend." Daphne corrected him tartly.
"Yes, that. And I am assuming that you both know what really happened last night since you both were there. Yes, I know that you were present. Now that he is on the run, it falls on me to keep you both safe. I wouldn't be able to meet his eyes if his new friends were hurt while he was absent. I am here to propose an alliance."
"Nope! I am good. I can take care of myself. And if anything big happens, Henry will come back to save me." Daphne waved away his offer, not interested in playing with fire. Harry didn't miss that she always touched the silver bracelet on her wrist when talking about Henry.
"Is that a gift from Henry?" He couldn't help himself, his curiosity demanded to be fulfilled. Daphne nodded in affirmation.
"Well, that brat didn't give me any parting present. I see blatant favouritism here." Harry joked.
"Of course, I am Henry's favourite. He is my little cute brother after all. I am just waiting until he comes back. When he does, I am going to hug him so tight, he will die. And then I will give him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to revive him." Daphne grinned with a dreamy look, shivering from excitement.
"Ow!"
"Ignore her." Tracey blew a long suffering sigh and elbowed her hard. "That's all you can do if you want to remain sane."
Harry nodded quickly, not wanting to get roped in whatever craziness this trio had begun.
"I agree about being allies. We can use all the help in surviving this tense time. And I don't want Daphne to jump in danger just to see if Henry will come." Tracey added reluctantly, giving an exasperated look to her unabashed girlfriend. She was not totally sure about her decision though. The choice of joining Harry Potter's side would have its pros and cons. Still, she would try to keep the cons to a minimum by keeping their alliance a secret.
Daphne shot her a dubious look, not seeing any benefits from this decision. But she kept her silence, letting Tracey handle it.
"Thank you. You don't need to worry now. I will regularly keep an eye on you to see if you are in any trouble. Also, watch Malfoy. I think he is going to do something big this year." Harry said resolutely.
"Hehe. I don't think we gave you permission to peep on us. That is only allowed for Henry, not you." Daphne giggled while Tracey gave a deep thought to his warning about Draco, expertly not listening to Daphne. Now, that Harry mentioned it, Draco hadn't been his pompous self this year. She decided to keep her guard around Draco Malfoy and his ilk not that she hadn't been doing that earlier.
Harry, as instructed by Tracey, absolutely ignored Daphne and marched away, chanting 'Ignore the pervert' in his mind.
~xXxXx~
A stormy wind slammed against the glass window making a loud rattling noise. The blue walls of this house were covered with strange runes. Bloody strange runes. Two mutilated corpses, one male and one female, were sprawled on their backs on the white tiled floor which wasn't white anymore.
A small preteen boy was cowering against the wall, staring at the old man sitting in the centre of the room, directly below the chandelier.
The old man had a long silver beard and no hair on his wrinkled head. Currently, he sat naked inside the blood-drawn circle and had his eyes closed, the blood having been taken from the cooling bodies.
The little boy whose shirt was soaked with his sweat, had been witness to everything that the old man did to his parents. He had watched how the man had easily trespassed into their house and into their living room where the family of three were watching TV. He had looked on morbidly when his parents seemingly fell unconscious with the wave of his hand. He had then stared dumbly when the old man slit their throats and undressed them. He had puked when he carved on their stomachs and pulled out their intestines before burning it with a snap of his fingers.
The little boy, Roy, was almost numb now after watching all this. He wasn't crying, he wasn't raging anymore. It was as if everything was muted. His sight, his sense of smell, his hearing, even his thinking. Everything was blank like a white canvas paper and a low static sound. Though somehow fear still rumbled like thunder inside him when the dark squinty gaze of the evil man turned towards him. Suddenly, all he could hear was his loud heartbeats. The wide thin lipped smile of the demon only added to his fright.
"Come now, little angel. It's time to meet your parents." The old bearded man grinned toothily, standing up and waving at the dead bodies.
The next thing that happened would forever torment him until his death.
The naked bodies of his parents stood up with unnaturally snake-like grace. Their once beautiful eyes were glassy. Red blood was still streaming down their stomach and legs. They screeched in an unholy manner and immediately ran towards him.
The old man's laughter was both mocking and triumphant as it echoed off the walls.
Roy simply spread his arms as if he was going to hug them, as he stared at his once beautiful mother whose usual warm eyes were now filled with unworldly hatred. His father too had that same look in his eyes. It was so disheartening and bizarre to see that look in their eyes, that for the moment he didn't care if he died.
"Stop." A cold calm voice boomed in the room and his parents' bodies suddenly fell down as if their strings were cut.
~xXxXx~
It had been months since Henry left Hogwarts behind. While not exactly a happy time, he had lived a life of luxury when he wasn't on his quests. He had fully utilised his [Unlimited Money] perk and splurged to his heart's content.
He was idly wandering down the sidewalk in the stormy weather, enjoying the slight drizzle and cold winds on his face when the notification ping interrupted his serene walk.
QUEST:
– Kill all the Necromancers of this world. Show your might and establish your domination.
Henry frowned in suspicion.
'What are you onto, Isis? This feels too sudden. I don't think I did anything right now to trigger any quest.'
No, you didn't. But someone else did. If you accept this quest then climb the fourth floor of the apartment to your right.
REWARD:
– Skill [Soul Searcher]
Henry froze for a second, reluctant to accept any quest at that moment since he was in such a good mood. The need for reprieve from the usual killings and quests and the desire for new power were battling against each other.
In the end he just sighed and ran into the apartment complex.
~xXxXx~
Henry was far from someone who would get queasy at the sight of blood and gore. So, while he did wince a little at the walls covered by blood and the naked mutilated figures of a couple, he reacted quickly when he saw the undead running towards a child of his own age. Most probably their son.
"Stop!" he commanded using his new skill [Master of Dead] which he got rewarded for slaying an army of zombies a month ago.
[Master of Dead]
– All the mindless resurrected beings who are weaker than you will listen to your order completely.
That quest was quite an experience which he wouldn't ever forget. But back to the current topic.
As soon as his voice echoed in the room, the dead bodies fell on their back with their blood red eyes wide open and their arms raised towards the ceiling.
"First of all, why are you not wearing clothes? And secondly, I am here to inform you that you are going to die. Nothing personal, old man. But someone just decided that there can be only one Necromancer and that's not you." Henry said nonchalantly, walking around the calm looking man and stopping between the boy and the source of danger.
"I see." The old man smiled crookedly.
"No, I see." Henry's gaze briefly wandered down to the man's crotch. He wrinkled his nose and spat on the floor, doing his best not to let his eyes move down again.
"Haha. When you live as long as me, you realise that there is no meaning to dignity or shame. Why does a man need to care for what strangers think or talk about him? Tell me, young one, what would you choose if I give you these two options? One, become my apprentice and let me guide you to immortality and tremendous power. You show great potential by undoing my spell on this dead pair, I wouldn't want to snuff out the spark before it could become a raging thunderstorm. You are a hundred years early to challenge me anyway. You stand no chance. I urge you not to be reckless. Or Two, die a slow painful death where I experiment on you to see how much advantage I can take from your dead body."
Name: Dai Deam
Race: Human
Class: Necromancer
Lvl: 100
HP: 5000
MP: 10,000
Affection: 0
Obedience: 0
Thoughts: Intrigue, Caution
"You sure are powerful, Dai Deam. Maybe you are amongst the most powerful humans. But your luck has finally fled you, that fate has made us cross each other's paths. If not for that, you might still have lived a few more centuries. Alas, you are destined to die. And might I say, I am going to enjoy this." Henry mocked him slyly, his silver eyes gleaming maliciously as they briefly stopped on the dead couple. Sympathy and anger coursing through him. How tragic it was that sometimes innocent people die just because of evil's unquenchable thirst for power. While Henry himself was a power hungry brat, he proudly could say that no innocents were hurt in his quests to become all powerful.
Dai Deam simply shrugged and pulled out a wooden staff from nowhere. He twirled it between his hands and set it down with a thump.
"Young people always think that they are better than us, that they can change the world for the best, that they are more intelligent, more powerful, more knowledgeable than the ones before them. This arrogance always amused me. You know why? Because I have seen the same young people turn old and bitter, so full of regret, so lonely, so filled with self-deprecation." Dai Deam whispered softly and shot a black ray of energy at him.
Henry simply waved his hand. Using [Mana Manipulation, he dispersed the dark energy into nothing. An appreciative chuckle escaped the old man's thin lips.
"So much potential you have, young one. You undid my spell on these two undead, you somehow know my true name which no living being knows and you just completely destroyed one of my stronger pieces of magic. It seems I underestimated you. May I have your name before we start the true battle? I would like to use your name as a warning to other reckless young ones I encounter in future as a deterrent."
"You may. I am your end. Since I know your real name, so you shall mine. I am Harry Potter." Henry revealed uncaringly, his hair and eyes turned their real colour momentarily. Black and Emerald.
Dai Deam laughed mirthfully.
"One more thing about young people is that they care too much about their appearance. You are no different. Changing your hair and eyes to silver to look unique. That really tickles me. But I shouldn't judge. Let's begin this battle, young one. Let's see how many seconds you can last." Dai Deam smiled confidently, pointing his staff at him.
~xXxXx~
As soon as the silver haired boy stepped in front of him, Roy moved towards his parents' bodies.
There were no injuries on their bodies, nor were they naked anymore. But they still weren't breathing.
A part of him, even knowing it was impossible, hoped that the boy would resurrect his parents. That he would bring miracles with him. But it seemed even the strangely powerful boy didn't have anything against death. His lips trembled and he began crying silently, barely paying attention to the verbal jabs happening between the Necromancers in the background. He pulled his parents' faces against his chest and hugged them tightly, mourning the loss of his loved ones.
After a few minutes, as the fight between the Necromancers became too loud to ignore, he reluctantly let his parents' bodies go and turned towards to witness the one sided fight.
The silver haired boy had a blank look on his face as he easily countered every attack of the monster.
The monster in return upped his next moves. A plethora of ghosts shrieked and appeared between them.
"Attack." Dai Deam ordered calmly, though there was a thin sheen of sweat on his wrinkled forehead.
Henry pulled out a glowing sword from his inventory.
[Spirit Sword]
– A legendary sword which increases the user's stats by 10x and can attack anything, physical, non-physical, illusionary, doesn't matter.
Since Henry was already more than 200 lvl, this sword made him over 2000 lvl strong. It was an insane amount of power that was running through him. He was stronger than a mountain, he was faster than light. He was a mortal god.
As he moved forward, faster than any physical being is allowed to, he slashed his sword through the translucent beings, making them disappear in a puff of cool vapour.
In just a second, all the ghosts were incapacitated.
"You are strong. Far stronger than anyone I have ever faced. I commend you for making me use my most powerful attack. Be proud of your skills, boy. Be proud and die finally." Dai Deem yelled, finally losing his calm composure as he raised his staff towards the ceiling and desperately chanted in some ancient language.
Henry quirked his eyebrow and waited to see what would happen next.
With a blast of red light, a humanoid shape formed between him and Dai Deam.
What appeared out of the light was something Henry hadn't ever expected to see. At least not in this world. It was Iris.
Iris Potter. His dear sister. His dead sister.
"Good to see you again, brother." Iris whispered coldly, red tears dripping from her eyes and the corner of her mouth.
He stumbled back with guilt and horror written all over his face.
"You are dead. You are dead." he mumbled, rubbing his eyes, trying to make the illusion disappear.
So consuming was his despair that even his gamer's mind couldn't totally suppress the waves of emotions.
"I am. Thanks to you." She snarled and abruptly jumped forward, wrapping her hands around his neck, strangling him. Henry was dubious as he fell down on his back with Iris straddling his chest and squeezing his neck. Even as the pressure increased suddenly, as her fingers dug into his flesh, Henry simply lay there, looking at her as if she was his greatest hope and biggest mistake. He shakily raised his hand and cupped her cheek, looking into her dark emerald eyes. His own eyes filled up with tears.
He frowned. Her skin wasn't hers, her eyes weren't hers, that's the only way he could put it. He had grown up closely with his sister, they never had held back in showing their affection, whether it be by words or physical means. So, it wasn't a surprise when Henry knew how her cheek should feel in his hand, how warm or soft her skin should be, how bright her eyes should be. Something definitely was off here. Still, he couldn't do anything but just stare at her incomprehensibly and spasm under her due to the lack of oxygen.
A growl was all the warning they got before a blur of white collided with Iris and threw her off of him. Henry scrambled back and panted heavily, looking dumbstruck as Aura, his cat, was baring her teeth at Iris.
"Aura, don't! She is my sister." Henry yelled miserably. Aura turned her head and gave him an almost condescending look. As the gamer's mind finally did its work, Henry was able to suppress his emotional turmoil and think logically.
"I don't think she is my sister." He said mournfully after a second while Aura glared at him as if saying 'You think?'
But their brief interaction was interrupted by 'Iris'.
She dusted off her clothes and stood up, giving an odd look to Aura.
"My apologies, my younger kin. I wish we had met in better circumstances. But it seems fate only wants one Shapeshifter to exist and we two are the last of our race. I wish I could spare you, but my master's order shall be followed. I shall kill this boy and I don't think you will stay neutral here. So, first I shall kill you. Prepare yourself, child. Let's see whose devotion is greater for their master, mine or yours." Saying that, Iris turned into a lion and rushed towards Aura.
Henry used this time to observe his new enemy.
Name: Xion
Race: Shapeshifters
Current form: Lion
Lvl: 1000
HP: 20,000
Affection: -10
Obedience: 0
Aura herself shifted her form and turned into a giant white wolf as the two beasts fought viciously. They were a swirling of sharp claws and gnashing maws, both trying to sink their teeth in each other's necks. A strike from the lion, whose real name was Xion, sent Aura crashing against the wall. She turned back into her white fluffy cat form and mewled in agony. There was blood pouring from a deep slash on her side.
"Enough!" Henry's angry voice boomed and he grabbed his sword before rushing towards the golden lion. Even though Henry was stupidly powerful, faster than anything, Xion managed to barely jump away from the path of the sword. Henry's eyes widened at the speed of the beast. He was surprised though he shouldn't have. Xion was an ancient being, a being of level 1000. A being at its peak strength. It was far more powerful than anything or anyone Henry had ever encountered.
Still it didn't matter in the least when Henry cleaved off its head clean with a reverse slash the next instant. Yes, Xion was very strong with its 1000 levels, BUT its species were already far inferior in HPs and strength to the average Human race. And Henry was a Gamer and a Necromancer on top of that. It was a piece of cake to deal with Dai Deam's 'strongest' attack.
The Lion's head dropped with a thud in the pool of blood, its visage eternally set in pain.
Dai Deam who was on his knees and catching his breath after using such a powerful magic to summon his familiar from dimensional space, simply stared in apprehension at the battle going on before his eyes. He felt the dread burrowing deep in his heart, he saw his death coming in the next few minutes.
But he wasn't going to go without giving his all.
~xXxXx~
Roy was absolutely bamboozled about what was going on in his house. One second the young boy was beating the evil man overwhelmingly and then the next instant there was a girl strangling him. It was as if he was watching a choppy movie with its parts being cut abruptly. When he blinked there was a very cute cat standing guard before the downed boy. And when he blinked again the redhead girl was a lion and the cat was a wolf. At this point he wasn't even sure he was sane anymore. Though he blanched and would have puked if he could when the lion's head without any apparent reason toppled off from its neck.
It had only been a couple of minutes since the strange boy became his saviour, but as the boy, Harry, if he had heard his name correctly, buried his blood stained sword in the tiled floor and coldly glared at the kneeling Necromancer, Roy couldn't help but shudder at the icy rage in his eyes.
"Playtime's over. You not only sullied my dead sister's memory, but also had the gall to hurt my daughter. For that, you shall not have the peace after death. You will be my servant for all eternity. You won't ever be free from my clutches." Henry whispered calmly as he picked up Aura and cradled her healing body against his chest.
Without even glancing at him, Henry waved his hand at the Necromancer and mumbled 'Enslave'.
[Enslave]
– This skill allows the user to enslave any being weaker than it. The enslaved won't be able to die until the user wills it.
"ARGHHHHH!" Dai Deam screamed and scratched his hands as the veins inside it turned inky black. He didn't even get the time or chance to use the other boy as a human shield.
"No." That was all he could whisper in disbelief before his eyes turned red and snake-like black tendrils covered up his skin. And thus the ancient Necromancer was turned into nothing more than a pawn for the overpowered boy.
He disappeared in a flash of black light at the mental command from Henry.
~xXxXx~
Roy stood still as Henry approached him.
Henry sighed in sympathy. He had used [Repair] on the two dead bodies before his battle began with the other Necromancer. Their cuts healed, their skin got its colour back but it was all he could do. While it looked like the two people were just sleeping, the boys knew the truth.
Henry was interrupted by yet another notification ping. He was immensely surprised to see there was one more quest to finish.
QUEST:
– Turn all the dead in the room into undead.
REWARD:
– Gáe Buidhe
He glanced at the broken look in the kid's eyes and fought against the temptation. He couldn't really take the dead bodies of this boy's parents, could he? He wasn't cruel enough to not let them rest after what they have suffered. And what the hell was Gáe Buidhe anyway?
"Only if you could have come sooner, my parents wouldn't have been dead." Roy spoke morosely, not in an accusing manner.
Henry remained silent.
"Can you revive them? After all I have seen today, I don't think it will be impossible for people like you to resurrect dead."
Henry kept his silence, not answering him, just staring at the peaceful look on the dead bodies.
"I see. You cannot. Your silence is the answer." Roy said, his lips drooping morosely. "Only if I was stronger, this wouldn't have come to pass. But then again, before today I didn't even know that there were monsters like you out there. How was I supposed to fight a monster? How was I supposed to save my family instead of just being a witness to this tragedy? It's not fair. It's not fair in the slightest."
Henry smiled mirthlessly at him before dropping the [Spirit Sword] on the floor.
"By being all powerful. You are a monster too now." He commented and teleported away, leaving his legendary blade in the hands of an ordinary 11 year old boy.
Roy with his eyes wide and hand trembling, picked up the luminous sword. He couldn't help, but laugh maniacally as power coursed through his veins like warm sunlight. He felt like he could take on the world. And maybe he would, who knows.
~xXxXx~
Daphne Greengrass was many things, depressed and suicidal wasn't one of them. No sir, not even a little bit.
So, why was she standing on the ledge of the Astronomy Tower?
…Maybe she was a bit suicidal and a little depressed. BUT the main reason for her standing on the precipice between life and death was the overwhelming need to see Henry again. It had been almost half a year since she last saw him. And she couldn't go on a single more moment without knowing if the little boy she met on the train was even alive. The fear of him being dead somewhere in a ditch was gnawing at her heart.
But what if he really was dead? Then who would save her from the fall?
Daphne shrugged her shoulders at the internal question.
'It's not like I will miss anything. Life is overrated anyway.' Daphne thought somberly. Her lips quirked up in a humourless smile. Her pale face shone in the light of the full moon and her blonde hair gently blew along the soft gust of wind. Her deep blue eyes were filled with melancholy as she sighed wistfully.
"Why not be free?" she thought with a strange giddiness.
But what about Tracey?
At that sudden thought her body froze with indecision. Would she really do that to her girlfriend? Would she really leave a broken and miserable girl behind her?
"You know, I am almost tempted to push you off the ledge just to see you scream girlishly." A familiar voice startled her. She yelped and unintentionally moved forward. If not for the hand gripping the back of her robe, she might have fallen down. Thankfully, she was still standing on the ledge and wasn't a red paste on the ground.
The hand which was steadying her, violently pulled her back. She stumbled back and landed on her arse.
"Ow! You could be gentle, you know. You don't have to be so rough all the time." Daphne couldn't help but comment as the black haired boy stepped from behind her and stood in front of her.
Did she feel proud at making that innuendo and making him sigh in exasperation? Yes, she did.
"I don't know what to do with you. A part of me wants to hug you tight and never let go while the other part wants to strangle you until you stop breathing." Henry mumbled, offering his hand.
Daphne grinned happily and clasped his hand with hers and let him pull her to her feet.
"I think you are still too young to try the strangling kink."
"Merlin! If I hear one more lewd joke, I will really slap you." Henry replied, narrowing his eyes. If possible, Daphne's grin grew wider.
"Oh, my baby brother wants to spank me. Should I get on my knees and elbows and pull down my knickers? You would like that, won't you?" Daphne asked huskily, linking her arms around his neck.
"I said SLAP not SPANK, you bloody pervert!" Henry exploded. Daphne burst out laughing and pulled him in her embrace. The humorous atmosphere disappeared soon as she desperately clung to him. Henry gently rubbed her back and she relaxed a bit.
"I am really interested to see the drama when I tell Tracey you were going to jump to your death." Henry commented nonchalantly as they pulled back, his gleaming eyes showing his obvious displeasure at her drastic action. Daphne paled and looked at him pleadingly.
"Please don't."
Henry let her squirm for a bit before nodding.
"Fine! But on one condition." Henry interrupted before she could start celebrating.
"Sure, sure. I will have sex with you." Daphne said with a straight face, unbuttoning her robe.
"You know, I am amazed that you can still joke when you are in so much trouble. Let me see you joking when Tracey hears about this." Henry glared at her in annoyance, his gaze not dropping down to her bra clad boobs. Daphne pouted and covered herself again before sighing.
"Fiiiine. I will keep my mouth shut." she grumbled and crossed her arms under her chest provocatively, making the curves of her breasts pop out more in front of his eyes. But unfortunately for her, Henry wasn't interested in the female form yet and easily resisted her.
"Good girl. Now you can start by telling me why you were so ready to accept death." Henry said, grabbing her arm and pulling her down on a comfy sofa which definitely wasn't there a moment ago.
"Did you just conjure a fucking sofa?" she asked in amazement as they sat side by side with his arms around her. She unconsciously leaned against him which was funny since he was a head shorter than her. He huffed before flicking her on the earlobe.
"I asked a question. And when someone asks you a question, you answer them and not respond with a question."
"Ow! You can use your fingers in a far…" she stopped short at his murderous glare.
"I dare you, I dare you to finish that sentence." he said tartly.
"Sheesh! Your sense of humour seems to have vanished."
"Yep. I was so in a mood to laugh and giggle when I found my friend preparing to jump to her death." Henry replied sarcastically.
"I wasn't jumping to my death. I was just trying to…summon you, I guess. And it worked!" She groaned, not looking him in the eyes.
"Don't lie to me, Daphne. I saw your eyes. They were brimming with conviction. You were prepared to die. You are prepared to die." Henry spat and grabbed her face, "Look me in the eyes and tell me you weren't trying to kill yourself."
Daphne was just silent as anxious emerald eyes stared into guilty blue ones. Henry sighed and hugged her tightly.
"It's about Astoria, isn't it? Please tell me what the problem is and I promise you I will fix it. Just don't die please." Henry's voice croaked at the end. Daphne gently ran her fingers through his hair.
"Henry, I am so sorry for worrying you. Please forget it. You are too young to deal with my mess." Daphne whispered gently. A contemptuous laugh escaped him.
"You are too late to protect my innocence or childhood naivety, Daphne. I may be too young, but the things I have done would make adults claw their eyes out and rip off their ears just so they couldn't see or hear me."
"Oh, Henry, why do you hate yourself so much?" Daphne cradled his head kindly, "Just let it go. This anger, this loathing. It will eat you from inside."
Henry stiffened in her arms but then relaxed, hiding his face in her neck.
"I had a twin sister." Henry began after a minute of silence. "She was the most wonderful girl in the whole world. The cutest and the loveliest. She could make me smile when I was sad. She annoyed me when I was happy. She knew my thoughts even before I worded it. We were always together. We did everything together. We were soul mates. She was the one I loved the most. The one I thought would be with me forever no matter what. And then I made a grave mistake. A mistake which would haunt me for eternity. A mistake which took her life. I hate that mistake. I hate that I indirectly killed my sister. I hate myself for it and I don't think I will ever let this hate go. Because if I do, it will be unfair to Iris. She is dead because of me. So, I need to suffer too, right? I can't be happy. I shouldn't be happy. I won't be happy."
Daphne's eyes were brimming with tears as she held him tightly in her arms. Now, she knew why she had such an instant connection with him, why she felt so protective of him. He was just like her. Miserable and full of guilt.
"Henry, I am sure it wasn't your fault."
"It was! I wasn't strong enough. I was weak. I was too arrogant. I killed her by my incompetence." Henry shook his head. Daphne felt so sad that she couldn't change his mind, that she couldn't take away his pain. At last she just decided to hold him tight.
"I am sure you have heard that I have a little sister." Daphne started reluctantly, still not sure if she should burden her young friend with her sorrow. "But what you haven't heard is the incident that happened this summer. That the Dark Lord himself visited our house to request my father to join his side. While my father holds purebloods above the people of mixed heritage, he doesn't believe in violence. So, he politely refused to support the insurgent movement. Just like he did more than a decade ago when the Dark Lord gained power. You-know-who simply left the manor without another word. But unlike last time, this time he seemed a bit desperate."
Daphne's gaze was on his face as she held him at shoulder's length but her mind was in the past.
"We shouldn't have been surprised when Death Eaters attacked us that night, but we were. I think we were used to feeling invincible since our family is very old and prestigious. My father hadn't ever thought that the Dark Lord would blatantly attack us since he preaches about blood purity.
"That attack was just an amusing play for the Dark Lord. He just scared and intimidated us. We weren't hurt even a little bit. When this time he offered alliance to my father, he jumped at it. It was finally over. We were all safe. Or so we thought.
"Just as we sighed in relief, he pointed his wand at Astoria and killed her off with a blood boiling curse. I screamed, I sobbed, I begged him to stop. My parents too were on their knees, screaming for mercy. But the Dark Lord simply ignored us and hurt Astoria until her skin and organs were burnt from inside by her own blood. 'Now you know what happens to those who defy me. Remember this for the next time you think to deny me.' That's what he said before apparating away, leaving my sister's charred body behind."
"I… I… I still hear her screams all the time. My mind is never silent, Astoria's agonised shrieks haunts me. All the time. I was a coward. I was frozen like a statue when instead I should have thrown myself between the dark lord and Tori. I can't forgive myself for not saving her. I just can't.
"Sometimes the voices get too much– and I think, wouldn't it be nice not having them? Wouldn't it be better not existing? Because finally I could have peace and silence."
Henry didn't know what to say to make her feel better. So, he just wrapped his arms around her and cradled her head on his chest as her body shook with heart-wrenching sobs.
When she finally calmed down, she looked sheepish for crying so much.
"I must look pathetic now. Loading my shite on you and feeling sorry for myself." she mumbled tearfully. Henry smiled in melancholy at her and caressed her face and placed a kiss on her cheek. Daphne was pleasantly surprised at his gesture since he always seemed annoyed when she gets physical with him.
"You look pretty as always. And don't worry. If anyone can understand your feelings, it's me. Let's go and meet Tracey. I don't have much time, I need to go back." He said, changing the subject, not wanting to discuss the depressing topic anymore. Daphne bit back an urge to complain at his brief stay and just smiled as he pulled her to her feet. She ruffled his hair as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Oho! Mr. Green does seem to have grown up a little." she chuckled, once again picking up her cheerful persona.
"Really?"
"Yes. Now your head finally reaches my boobs and I don't have to use a microscope to search for you." she joked. He gave her a bland look and pushed her off.
"For your information, I am tall for my age. It's not my fault that you are an old lady of 16 and I am just 11 years old." Henry huffed and crossed his hands on his chest.
"You got the ages wrong, Mr. Green. I just turned 17 today." she said nonchalantly. Henry's eyes widened at that and he stared at her.
"It's your birthday. Happy birthday, Daphne." he grinned, finally getting over his surprise. "I guess I should give you a gift. What do you want?"
Daphne made a thinking pose and tapped her chin.
"Well, how about you get naked and we have naughty naughty times." she smirked lewdly. Henry sighed and rolled his eyes at her joke.
"What do you want which is legal and won't get me in trouble with Tracey?"
"Eh? Nothing particular comes to my mind if you are being a dick about not giving me what I want." she pouted.
"How about I bring back your sister?" He asked in a whisper. The humour vanished from her face and her eyes narrowed a bit.
"You know I love you, Henry, but that doesn't mean I won't slap you when you spout nonsense." she said, trying to remain calm and not blow up. Henry just smiled at her and took her hands in his, intertwining his fingers with hers and squeezing them gently.
"You don't have to believe me now. But just have some hope and some confidence in me. Before this academic year ends, I will resurrect Astoria so you could be happy again."
"I don't want to believe you, but strangely I do." she said in a vulnerable tone.
"Just have a smidge of hope in the impossible. It will be okay in the end."
~xXxXx~
QUEST:
– Meet Lady Death.
REWARD:
– Perk [Death's Favoured]
"What the hell, Isis? Meet Death? What do you mean by 'meet Death'?" Harry hissed disbelievingly. Currently, he was sitting on a comfy and a very expensive bed.
Look behind you.
Isis answered sardonically. Henry whirled around and came face to face with an amused looking woman who was lying in his bed.
"Hello, Harry Potter. And how are you little Isis?" Lady Death said with a small smile.