Arcane Academy

Chapter 10

Harry chased after his kits in his fox form as they raced through the forest. As much as he hated to admit it, he was being a bit cowardly and hiding from Tristan and Zenith. He desperately needed time to think things over, and he just couldn't do that around them. Besides, it was a lovely day today, and he hadn't had a chance to truly relax and have fun since he'd started the school term.

A bush to their right rustled, and a plump brown rabbit shot from the foliage. Shadow and Eclipse yipped excitedly and took off after the rabbit. Harry shook his head and shifted back to his human form. He was worn out from all the running and needed a break. Wiping his sweaty brow, he sat down at the base of a tree to cool down and catch his breath. Unfortunately, his much needed break didn’t last nearly long enough.

A twig snapped to his right, and Harry quickly got to his feet, muscles tense and ready to move. He edged cautiously around the tree only to blink in shock as the forest abruptly turned into his bedroom at the Dursley’s. Almost as soon as he recognised his surroundings, he heard thundering footsteps heading up the stairs and shivered in fear. How the hell did he end up back here? Had Dumbledore found him and brought him back?

Harry forcibly tried to calm himself. He couldn't afford to give into panic and fear right now. He had to find a way to escape this room before his uncle appeared. He rushed toward the barred window and raised his hand to blast the metal away, but it was too late. The bedroom door slammed open with a loud crash, and Vernon Dursley stood menacingly in the doorway.

Vernon grinned maliciously at the teen and began pulling his belt off, folding the thick material and slapping it against his palm with a sharp crack. “So you’re finally back, boy. Now it’s time for some fun.”

Harry stared at the hulking man in horrified silence. No, this couldn’t be happening. The bastard would really kill him this time. As Vernon stalked toward him, Harry stumbled back with a fearful whimper, cowering against the wall. However, the air around him began to crackle with electricity in response to his overwhelming fear, surrounding him like a supercharged blanket.. The charged air raised the hairs on his arm, pulling Harry out of his fear-induced haze, and he straightened with a determined scowl. He refused to be a victim to this man any longer. He was a Kitiara, and he didn’t need a wand to kick his arse.

However, before he could actually follow through with that determination, the room suddenly changed, and Harry found himself back in the Department of Mysteries. He saw Neville, Luna, and Ginny fighting several Death Eaters and frowned in bemusement. What in Merlin's name was going on? A flash of red light sped toward him, and he instinctively ducked. He quickly whirled around, though, when he heard a shout of surprise. Harry could only watch in horror as Sirius was once again hit with a spell, causing him to fly back through the Veil of Death.

A hot wave of fury swept through him, and flames licked across his skin. There was no way this could be real. Sirius was dead. Someone had to be messing with his head or something. Harry thrust his hands out, and fire shot from his fingertips, covering the entire room with fiercely burning flames. Almost immediately, the Ministry scene disappeared, revealing Claudius Winters as he frantically tried to extinguish the flames surrounding him. Harry banished the fire with a careless wave of his hand and stalked toward the demon, grabbing him by the front of his shirt.

"What the hell are you playing at, Winters? Why did you attack me?"

“You attacked my betrothed,” snarled Claudius, pulling away from the brunet’s hold..

Harry scowled at the accusation. "What are you talking about? I haven't attacked anyone."

"Liar!" snarled Claudius angrily. "Sheila told me what you did to her. She told me that you attacked her, that if the school nurse hadn’t gotten there in time, she would have lost her hand because of what you did."

"I see," said Harry softly. "And did she tell you that she attacked me first? Did she tell you that she slammed me against the wall and threatened me because of some preconceived notion that I have designs on her precious Octavius?"

Claudius growled softly and glared at Harry. "You're lying."

Harry sighed and stared steadily at the angry demon. "You know perfectly well that I'm not. It’s true that I damaged her hand, but the school nurse didn’t heal her. I came to the infirmary and healed the damage I had caused. Ask Zenith if you don’t believe me. He was there. Or ask the nurse, if you must. She can easily tell you that she couldn’t heal Sheila.”

Claudius snarled in fury. That bitch had lied to him and played him for a fool. He should have known she was up to something when she told him that story. The only time she ever talked to him these days was when she wanted something. Ever since she'd heard about the betrothal contract between her and the Winters heir, she'd latched onto Octavius and refused to let go.

An evil smile curled Claudius' lips. Wouldn't she be devastated to learn that Octavius was not the Winters heir? It was high time she learned the reality of her situation, and he was looking forward to shoving it in her face. Without another word, he turned on his heel and stalked back toward the castle. He had a fire demon to bring to heel.

XxX

Sheila grinned smugly to herself. She'd seen Claudius follow that little Kitiara out into the forest fifteen minutes ago. After Zenith's blunt warning, she wasn't stupid enough to go after the little kit herself, but the Illusion demon was the perfect scapegoat for her plans. He was remarkably easy to manipulate. He was like a lovesick puppy around her. All she had to do was spin her little tale, and Claudius was chomping at the bit to defend her precious honour. Now all she had to do was sit back and wait for that little brat to get what was coming to him.

Sheila suddenly sat up straight, smirking triumphantly when she saw Claudius walk out of the forest with a smug smile on his face. She couldn't wait to hear what he'd done to the pesky teen. But she had to do this carefully. It wouldn't do for Claudius to find out just how much she'd manipulated him. Men were so touchy about things like that.

It didn't take long for Claudius to find her. When he walked up to her, Sheila smiled sweetly at him. "Claudius, where have you been all morning? I've been looking all over for you."

"I went for a walk in the forest. The weather's nice today," said Claudius calmly. He pulled out a chair and sat down with a nonchalant shrug..

"Oh? Did you have fun?" asked Sheila with feigned curiosity. 'Tell me what I want to know, damn it,' she snarled silently to herself. She wanted to know what Claudius did to the brat, not engage in meaningless small talk.

Claudius flashed her a wicked grin. "Of course, I did. I managed to trap a helpless kit in one of my snares. His whimpers of fear were absolutely delightful."

Sheila sighed wistfully. She wished she could have been there to see that. "Is the kit still alive, or did you put him out of his misery?" She saw the shadows writhe and coil behind Claudius and hid a smile. Octavius was obviously listening to the conversation, and he didn't like what he was hearing. That would teach her betrothed to chase after others while she still breathed.

The shadows suddenly parted, and Octavius stepped into the room with a cold glare on his face. "Claudius, a word."

Claudius tensed slightly at his brother's presence until he saw the pleased little smile curling Sheila's lips. All he had to do now was a little fast talking to keep Octavius from killing him, and then they could plan their revenge against the manipulative little bitch. "Sure thing, Octavius." He calmly allowed Octavius to pull him through the shadows until they reached the Shadow demon's bedroom.

Octavius immediately slammed Claudius against the wall with a hand at his brother's throat. "If you have hurt Harry in any way, I will destroy you, brother or not."

"I almost did," Claudius admitted softly. "Sheila told me he attacked her, and I wanted to pay him in kind. The little kit is stronger than he looks, though. He broke through my illusion and set me on fire in the process."

"I told you not to touch him at all," growled Octavius angrily.

"Well, technically, I didn't lay a finger on him," said Claudius. "Sheila, however, can't say the same. She attacked him for supposedly chasing after her man, and she wasn't referring to me when she said it."

"Then perhaps you should set her straight," snapped Octavius. "I'm tired of the wench clinging to me like she owns me. She's your problem, not mine."

Claudius snorted derisively. "I never wanted her in the first place. This was all father's doing. You're just lucky that your mother named you the Ravynstaff heir before she died and that father has no say in the matter. I am not that fortunate. I'm stuck with the annoying bitch."

"If you dislike her so much, why did you even care if Harry attacked her?" asked Octavius derisively.

"She's still my betrothed, and it is my duty to defend her," sighed Claudius. He remembered something he'd heard that morning and flashed his brother a smug smirk. "I heard something interesting this morning concerning that little kit you like so much."

Octavius raised an inquiring brow. Claudius just grinned, almost rubbing his hands in anticipation of the impending fireworks. "It seems that Tristan Hayward and Zenith Waverly both confessed their intentions to the boy last night. They're even spending the holidays with the kit, presumably to ask his guardian for permission to court him."

Octavius scowled at the news. The holiday break was only two weeks away. If there was just a way... That thought brought a devious smirk to his lips. All he needed to do was shadow mark the kit, and he would be able to find the brunet anywhere in the world. Not even the strongest ward would be able to stop him simply because shadows existed everywhere.

Claudius rolled his eyes. “You obviously have something planned, so I’ll just be leaving then. I have a fire demon to bring to heel.”

“So you’re finally going to tell her just how hopeless her fawning over me truly is?” asked Octavius mockingly.

“That, dear brother, is only the beginning,” said Claudius. “It’s obvious she never read the betrothal contract. Won’t she be devastated to know just how much power I have over her future. It’s only by my benevolence that she is still attending Arcane Academy.”

Octavius smirked at his brother and opened the door with a flick of his wrist. “You have fun with that. I, however, have a Kitiara to track down.” As Claudius walked out of the room, Octavius shut the door and warded his room before stepping back into the shadows.

XxX

Sheila looked up in surprise and disappointment when Claudius walked back into the room without a single scratch on him. With as angry as Octavius had looked, she’d honestly expected the shadow demon to kill his brother in a fit of rage. It was a pity he didn’t. Now she had to deal with the lovesick fool.

“What did Octavius want?”she asked casually.

Claudius ignored the question and asked one of his own. “Did you ever read the betrothal contract you signed?”

Sheila frowned at Claudius. “Why do you ask?” she asked suspiciously.

Claudius just smirked at her. “You really should have read the contract before you signed it.”

Sheila stared at him with a feeling of deep foreboding. “What are you getting at, Claudius?”

Claudius slowly pulled a sealed scroll out of his bag and set on the table. He broke the seal and rolled out the paper before pushing it toward Sheila. “Perhaps you should do so now.”

Sheila stared at the scroll in horror. “Why do you have that?” she asked numbly.

“This is my copy of the contract, of course,” said Claudius mockingly. “You would know that if you’d bothered to read the contract before now.”

“No, that’s impossible,” said Sheila in denial. “I’m betrothed to the Winters heir, to Octavius. The eldest son is always the heir.”

Claudius smirked at Sheila. “Yes, that is usually true. However, although Octavius is older than me, he is my father’s illegitimate child and therefore unable to be named heir as long as I still draw breath.”

Sheila quickly snatched up the scroll and started reading, eyes widening the further she read. When she finally reached the bottom of the contract and saw the two names signed, she closed her eyes in resignation. She really was betrothed to Claudius. How could she have been so stupid? She’d been so certain that Octavius was the Winters heir that she hadn’t bothered to read the contract, and now she was going to pay for that oversight.

“The betrothal contract was signed almost six months ago. Why haven't you said anything before now?" asked Sheila through clenched teeth.

Claudius raised a brow and smirked at her. "I told you that you were wasting your time with Octavius, but you didn't believe me. You were absolutely convinced that he was your betrothed, and you would hear nothing else. Besides, it was entertaining to see Octavius' reaction every time you called him Octa-baby."

"So why bring it up now?" asked Sheila coldly.

Claudius flashed her a feral smile. "Because you made the mistake of trying to manipulate me."

"I don't know what you mean," sneered Sheila, muscles tensing in fear.

"Just so you know, the Potter boy is alive and well. He's quite the feisty little kit, isn't he?" mused Claudius. "Of course, you would know all about that from personal experience, considering the fact that he froze your hand for attacking him last night."

Sheila scowled at Claudius. "Fine! I attacked the little brat and got frostbite for my efforts. And then that damn Dracken threatened me if I went after the pest again."

"So you tried to manipulate me into doing your dirty work," Claudius concluded. "Unfortunately for you, the ‘pest’ is a powerful little bugger, and he broke my illusions with ease.”

“So what do you plan to do to me?” asked Sheila calmly.

“Nothing,” said Claudius. “I figure that the knowledge that Octavius is forever out of your reach is punishment enough.”

Sheila flinched slightly at the blunt statement. That was certainly true enough. All of her dreams for the future had just burned to ashes in front of her. She wanted to scream at the injustice of it all, but she had only herself to blame. It was her impulsiveness that had gotten her into this mess, and she would now have to pay the price for that recklessness.

Claudius snickered at the dismay written all over Sheila’s face. “You act like you’re heading to your execution.”

“Aren’t I?” asked Sheila heatedly. “According to that contract, you have absolute control over me, and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“That is true,” Claudius agreed. “But do you really think I would be so cruel to you?”

“Yes,” said Sheila bluntly.

Claudius smirked at her answer. “You know me too well, my dear.”

XxX

Octavius stepped out of the shadows just inside the forest and saw Harry heading toward the castle with his two kits bounding excitedly around his feet. As the brunet neared the edge of the forest, Octavius stepped in front of him, blocking his path. Harry yelped softly in surprise at his abrupt appearance and tensed warily.

“Hello, little kit. I have a request to ask of you.”

Harry stared at the Shadow demon blankly for a moment before tilting his head curiously. “What is it?”

“My brother has informed me that the weather faerie and the Dracken are spending the holidays with you in order to request permission from your guardian to formally court you. I would like the same opportunity,” said Octavius calmly.

Harry could only gape at the demon in shock. “W-What?”

“I would like to spend the holidays with you so that I may ask your guardian’s permission to formally court you,” Octavius calmly repeated.

“Why? You barely know me,” asked Harry in bemusement.

“I know enough,” said Octavius. “The rest can be learned during the courting period.”

“I-I’ll have to think about it,” said Harry nervously.

“Very well. I will give you a week,” said Octavius. He suddenly stepped forward and cupped the back of Harry’s head, tilting his face up. Before the brunet could protest his actions, Octavius leaned down and pressed his lips against Harry’s. When the green-eyed teen gasped in surprise, the demon quickly deepened the kiss, exploring the moist cavern of Harry’s mouth. Slowly, the brunet began to timidly respond to the kiss.

While Harry was thoroughly distracted with the kiss, Octavius commanded a nearby shadow to wrap around Harry’s left ankle and seep painlessly into the skin, leaving a small black mark in the shape of a raven. With the shadow marking complete, Octavius reluctantly ended the kiss and stepped back from the brunet. Seeing the brunet’s dazed expression and kiss-swollen lips, however, sorely tempted his willpower.

Harry slowly blinked out of his kiss induced haze and blushed fiercely. He couldn’t believe he’d just let Octavius kiss him like that. But damn was that kiss much better than that mockery of a kiss he’d shared with Cho.

Harry nervously cleared his throat. “I’ll, uh, let you know something in a week then.” Without another word, Harry practically ran back to the castle.

Octavius smirked at his retreating back. “You can run for now, little kit.” His mission was now complete. Even if Harry refused his request, he would still be able to find the cute little kit no matter where he went.

XxX

Harry ran into the castle and headed straight to his room. To his surprise, Zenith and Tristan were both in the room, having a heated discussion. “Hey, guys. What’s going on?”

Zenith and Tristan immediately stopped talking and turned to face Harry. Zenith smiled at the brunet and stepped toward him only to stop short with a dark scowl on his face. “Why do you have Octavius’ scent all over you, Harry?”

“What do you mean he has that bastard’s scent all over him?” Tristan demanded. He scowled at Harry and said, “Well?”

Harry sighed softly. Sometimes Tristan could be so overbearing. “I had an eventful morning. How was your morning?” he asked, ignoring the faerie’s demands at the moment.

Zenith raised an eyebrow at the evasion but answered anyway. “My morning has been rather quiet. What happened to make your morning so eventful?”

Harry smiled at the Dracken. At least one of them could hold a rational conversation. “Well, I went for a walk in the forest with Eclipse and Shadow.”

“Where are they then?” Tristan interrupted.

Harry once again ignored him and continued his tale. “But they ran off, chasing after a rabbit. Not long after that, I saw Claudius Winters.” He deliberately left out the illusions forced on him because he really didn’t want to deal with an irate Tristan at the moment. Of course, that hop was in vain because the very mention of the demon was enough to raise Tristan’s hackles.

“What the hell did he want?” asked Tristan angrily.

“He wanted to ask me about the altercation between Sheila and me,” Harry calmly explained.

Zenith, however, was not only intelligent but also observant, and he read underneath the calm statement. Claudius had obviously confronted Harry about Sheila’s attack, most likely using his illusions on the Kitiara. So while Harry wasn’t physically hurt by Claudius, there was a good chance he was hurt emotionally because Claudius was an expert at finding a person’s weakness and exploiting it mercilessly.

“After I explained what had happened, he went back to the castle. I stayed a few more minutes, waiting for my kits to return, but they were having too much fun outside, so I decided to return to the castle without them. Octavius was waiting for me at the edge of the forest,” said Harry, already feeling a headache from the impending explosion he just knew was about to happen.

“What did he want?” asked Zenith softly.

Harry sighed and reluctantly answered. “He asked to spend the holidays with me so that he could ask Remus permission to formally court me.”

“That damn bastard!” snarled Tristan angrily. He glared at Harry. “You told him no, right?”

Harry stared at him steadily and replied, “I told him I would give him an answer in a week.”

Tristan looked at Harry in shock before his face became a blank mask. “I see. And what do you intend to tell him?”

Harry shrugged slightly. “I don’t know yet.”

Tristan growled angrily and stormed out of the room. Harry’s ears drooped sadly at the faerie’s absence. Perhaps he should have outright refused Octavius’ request. However, to be perfectly honest, he wanted to get to know Octavius better. If nothing else, the Shadow Demon could be a good friend and ally.

“Just ignore him, Harry,” said Zenith softly, ruffling the brunet’s hair. “He’s just being a jealous, possessive prick.”

Harry snorted softly at the comment. “What do you think I should do, Zenith?”

“I think you should do what your heart is telling you to do,” Zenith replied. “If you want to allow Octavius to court you, then you should do it.”

“You really don’t mind?” asked Harry hesitantly.

Zenith smiled ruefully at the brunet. “Why should I? I have every intention of asking your guardian for permission to court you, as well. Tristan, too, I think.”

“What exactly does a formal courtship entail?” asked Harry curiously. “I don’t remember hearing anything about them at Hogwarts.”

“You wouldn’t,” said Zenith. “Wizards don’t practise courtships anymore. They’ve been too influenced by muggles to condone them.”

“What do you mean?” asked Harry.

“Well, courtships generally have two or more people courting the same person. The courtship usually lasts anywhere between six months to a year, and the suitors take this time to get to know and woo their potential mate,” said Zenith.

“Why would wizards have a problem with it then? It sounds just like dating someone,” asked Harry in bemusement.

“I think it has more to do with the multiple partner issue than anything else,” said Zenith wryly. “But they seem to have forgotten that sex is forbidden during the courtship period.”

“Forbidden? Why?” asked Harry.

“Well, I say that, but it’s only penetrative sex that is forbidden,” said Zenith. At the confused look on Harry’s face, Zenith explained in more detail. “When a courtship begins, monitoring spells are placed on all parties involved to verify sexual status. For example, if you enter the courtship as a virgin, you must still be a virgin when the courtship ends. It’s designed to keep anyone from passing off an illegitimate child on someone else.”

“Oh. What happens if someone does have sex during the courtship?” asked Harry.

“The courtship ends, and the two involved are forced to marry,” said Zenith.

“That’s a little harsh. What if they don’t want to get married?” asked Harry grimly.

“Then they shouldn’t enter a formal courtship,” said Zenith ruefully.

“Or what if the sex isn’t consensual? Will they still force them into marriage?” asked Harry worriedly. If that were the case, he refused to even consider the idea.

“No, if that were to happen, then the culprit is imprisoned or put to death, depending on their specific laws,” said Zenith. “However, the courtship will still be discontinued until it is confirmed that no child is a result of the sexual encounter. Don’t worry, though. There hasn’t been a case of that happening in over a hundred and fifty years.”

“Things were so much simpler when I was just a wizard,” sighed Harry.

Zenith just laughed softly at the sighed comment. “But look at how much you would have missed if you were still just a wizard.”

“Yeah, I would miss Grey and Zane too much to go back to that,” said Harry teasingly.

“You would miss me and Tristan, too, and you know it,” said Zenith easily.

“Perhaps,” Harry agreed with a soft smile.

“Harry, just remember that the courtship is designed to give you the freedom to learn as much about your suitors as possible without being pressured for anything more,” said Zenith gently. “Don’t let Tristan’s attitude sway you from accepting Octavius’ suit if you wish to allow him to court you. If he is serious about courting you, he will just have to accept your decision and use his own actions to prove himself to be the best mate for you. I certainly intend to do so.”

Harry smiled brightly at the dragon demon. “Thanks, Zenith.”

“Any time, Harry,” said Zenith warmly.