Chapter 114 - Crossover Fanfiction 16 - Harry Potter, Son of the Shadows (2/2)
At the same time, Hermione, who was as white as a sheet at the sight of her best friend alive and well, let herself feel gratitude and a sense of awe as she saw an eerie black aura surround Harry and, like smoke rising from the flames, the aura rose above Harry's head where it took the shape of a skull and crossbones held within a pentagram, a blood-red circle surrounding the pentagram.
Unaware of the symbol that now shone over his head, Harry crossed the Great Hall in a few strides and, kneeling down, he asked, ”Are you all right, Mia?”
”F-F-Fine,” Hermione stammered, her eyes wide with shock as she looked into Harry's green eyes: they were now cold and hard in their glare and, as she looked, Hermione also felt that the glare held power. Right now, though, she had a question that she just had to ask, ”Harry…you're alive…but…but how?”
”I don't know,” Harry answered, taking her hand and helping his friend to her feet before he added, ”But does it really matter? I mean, it's not like you want me dead, is it, Hermione?”
”Of course not!” Hermione exclaimed, her voice cut off as a groan sounded from behind her.
Turning to the groan, Hermione saw Ron crumpled at the foot of the Great Hall doors, apparently having stupidly run into them in his fear frenzy: as he turned to see Harry standing there, the git scrabbled to his feet before he gasped out, ”H-H-H-Harry, l-l-l-listen mate: whatever…whatever she's t-t-t-telling you, it's…it's all lies! We're f-f-friends, aren't we? Y-y-y-you trust me?”
”I did,” Harry replied, lifting his free hand where, to Hermione's shock, a burst of black energy struck Ron and, fixing itself around his body like a cocoon of shadows, the energy then lifted him into the air, Harry's hand also lifting up as though guiding the power. As Ron was lifted up into the air, his screams echoed through the Great Hall, either out of the fear of Harry's resurrection or his power, while his hands and legs scrabbled through the air like a dancing marionette.
”Harry, please!” exclaimed Ron, ”I-I-I-I never meant to do it: I'd n-n-never betray you!”
”You're lying,” Harry hissed, releasing the power from his hand where, with another scream, Ron plummeted to the ground, but as he fell, he was steadied by a second burst of magic. As Harry watched the git almost glide to the ground, the door to the Great Hall opened and Dumbledore entered, flanked by Snape, McGonagall and, to Harry's relief, Sirius and Remus, both of whom looked beyond horrified, but delighted to see Harry.
”Pup/Cub!” chorused the Marauders, running forwards where Sirius grabbed Harry and, without waiting for a word from his godson, he swung him around in a large circle before setting him down.
At the same time, Remus stopped in front of Harry and, meeting the boy's dark-eyed glare, he then noticed the symbol: before anyone could stop him, Remus went to one knee where he told Harry, ”I, Remus John Lupin, son of Apollo, pledge my everlasting fealty and life to Harry Potter, son of the Shadows.”
A bright flash of light followed Remus' exclamation; as it fell, the wolf rose from his kneeled position and told Harry, ”Before you say anything, cub, please understand that I had no control over Moony, but, if it's the last thing I do, I'll find a way to control it now.”
”Thank you, Remus,” Harry told the man, a part of him wondering what exactly Remus had just promised; however, before he could make any sort of sense about it, he looked to Dumbledore, who was just as shocked as everyone else, before he told him, ”Don't try to justify this, Dumbledore: you let your Potions Master forget, you endangered my life and you let that mo-Ron dare to call himself my best friend. Well now, I'm done: I've risked my neck time and time again and now, I'm done.”
'Harry,' Thanatos told him, the words of the spirit echoing in his ears as Thanatos explained, 'Take the hands of those you trust, but warn the greasy one that there's one who waits for him in the dark.'
Taking Sirius, Remus and Hermione's hands, Harry glared at Snape before he told the man, ”Watch your back, Snivellus: the shadows are coming for you…and they're hungry!”
Then, before anyone could make any sort of move to stop them, Harry and his companions vanished in a thick and powerful-looking burst of black flames, the fire taking Harry and his real friends away while Severus went as white as a sheet, Minerva looked at a downed Ron and Dumbledore looked troubled.
”He said…Son of the Shadows,” Dumbledore whispered, his voice edged by fear as he asked, ”Oh great Merlin, no: anything but that!”
”What have you done?” asked Minerva, earning a look from Dumbledore.
”I wish…”
”Not you, Albus,” Minerva seethed, pointing at Ronald, who was now drawing his wand and aiming foolishly into the shadows, ”What's he done?”
Dumbledore didn't know what to say…
Son of the Shadows
When the black flames released Harry and his companions, Remus was the first to react to their new location with a look of shocked disbelief and a feeling of home in his gaze.
Following the wolf's gaze, Harry's eyes narrowed when he saw what looked like a large stone archway of some sort leading through to a woodland; over the top of the archway, there were several weird letters that, as Harry looked, he was surprised to see them shimmer and switch around to form three new words:
Camp Half-Blood
”Camp…Half…Blood?” asked Harry, earning a nod from Remus as he asked, ”Where…what is this?”
”A place where you will be safe,” Remus answered, then turning to Sirius and Hermione as he explained, ”As magic users, you might be able to get through the barrier, but it's only a might, it's not definite. Come on, Harry: I'll introduce you.”
As Harry began to follow Remus through the gateway, if that's what it was, he couldn't help but switch his gaze to a tall and rather pretty-looking tree that grew over the camp's entrance, a feeling of great magic coming from the tree while, at the same time, Harry could almost feel something eerie within the trunk.
Eerie, but alive.
”Remus,” he whispered softly, ”What's that?”
Looking to the tree, Remus answered calmly, ”That's the guardian of the Camp: Thalia Grace, the daughter of…of the Big Man.”
”The big man?” asked Hermione, both her and Sirius feeling a shiver as they successfully passed through the barrier.
”Yes,” Remus answered, pointing upwards as he added, ”The one who heads the forces like my…my Father and has connections to the one whom is Harry's Father.”
”James?” asked Sirius, earning a shake of the head from his friend.
”Wait,” Hermione suddenly gasped, ”You…you said son of Apollo, as in…as in the God?”
Remus nodded.
”So then…the big man,” Hermione added, ”Zeus?”
A soft rumble of thunder followed her words, earning a shushing gesture from Remus, ”Watch how you use the names around here, Hermione: the big three don't take kindly to lack of respect in their terms.”
”Indeed not, Remus Lupin,” a sharp male voice cut him off, causing everyone to turn to the path that Remus had led them along: to the shock of Harry and Hermione, an elderly-looking centaur was standing in front of them, a head and beard of cloud-grey hair covering his face while his hazel eyes shone with wisdom and spirit. He was dressed in a short-sleeved vest and white shirt and, as he looked from Remus to Harry, the man's eyes narrowed as he asked, ”It's been a long time, hasn't it?”
”Almost ten years, Chiron,” answered Remus, giving the centaur a bow of respect before he added, ”Allow me to introduce Harry James Potter, Son of the Shadows.”
Chiron's eyes widened while Harry, turning to Remus, couldn't help but ask, ”Who's the Shadows, Remus?”
”I can answer that one for you, Harry,” Chiron replied, his voice reminding Harry of an old teacher from his primary school: Mr Brunner, if he remembered right, though the man had only been there for a year, which was coincidentally the year before Harry went off to Hogwarts.
As Harry returned his attention to the centaur, a part of him wondering if Chiron and Mr Brunner were the same person – given everything he'd seen in the magical world, it wouldn't surprise him that much – the wizened teacher explained the point made by Remus, ”A Son of the Shadows is a term for a very rare form of demigod: one whom has not one, but two godlike parents…though I wonder who they are.”
”I think I might know,” Harry replied, earning a worrisome look from Remus before he added, ”At least, I think I know one: Thanatos!”
Harry had never seen Remus or Chiron look as frightened as they did at that moment…and he doubted he ever would again.
All he knew was that, with that one name, his life was never going to be the same…