Le Frère de Sang

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GENERAL DISCLAIMER - I do not own any of the characters used.

NOTES ON THE CHAPTER - This chapter was very planned, I knew it would happen all the way through. The difference with this chapter is when I originally planned the story I had a scene that was this chapter’s inspiration, planned for earlier in the story and with different characters. However, it works and again I put Harry in a difficult position where again we see him, yeah you guessed it, running away.

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I sighed and leaned against the fence outside my school. It had been a week since I’d been in Micah or Asher’s presence and while I miss them just the memory of all that death hanging around is enough to put me off seeing them. Richard had kept me safe and away from everyone. Anita had called at his house several times only to be escorted away by members of Richard’s pack. Jean-Claude had visited but Richard had refused to allow him entrance. Micah had come around only to be sent away by members of the pack and Asher…Asher had been refused entry and had a door slammed in his face by an irate Richard. He had really understood how I felt in regards to Anita and the others and he did his best to help me, I was unbelievable grateful for that. There had, however, been no reply from Percy of Julien. They did have busy lives though and you had to take into account the fact that the letter could have disintegrated mid-apparation. Perhaps I was on my own completely.

It had even been the full moon three days ago and before night fell Richard had taken me to the flat Blaise and I had shared. He left me there till the full moon had gone and picked me up the next morning, taking me out for breakfast. Nobody had found me at the flat thankfully and nobody had called or visited the house for the last two days.

Still…even though time had passed it still felt so new. They had, as soon as I was out of the picture, gone with Anita. Asher had been with Anita Merlin knows how many times since I’d left for London with Micah and Micah, after only a day of being back in St Louis, had crawled straight back to her and had sex. I couldn’t stop them from loving her I suppose but…but I can stop them from seeing me and it hurting me more. If I’m not theirs then them running off to be with Anita wouldn’t hurt so much. It dulls the pain now just thinking about it. Micah is just another friend, Asher is just my guardian’s lover. They are nothing more than friends at most, despite how much more I wish they were. To save myself the pain though…to stop the heartache there was no point in considering them more.

I pushed a foot against the fence and used the momentum to stand myself upright. Richard had warned me that he had a meeting tonight with the school and that he might be unable to pick me up. That means I’d have to walk home alone. Alone…always alone, besides Richard and some of the pack. Hell, Jason had practically become my new best friend but because of his connection to Jean-Claude he wasn’t around very much. When he was it was like being back at Hogwarts again, I had a replacement Ron and all I needed then was a replacement Hermione. Granted, Jason was sexier and had a dirtier mind than Ron but still, his loyalty and courage matched my ex-best friend’s.

I started walking down the road. Nobody from school was there of course but…but then why would they? They didn’t like me at school. It was Blaise they liked. I paused and checked that no cars were coming before stepping down from the curb. Hell…Blaise was always loved, he had friends everywhere and he had lovers everywhere and they…his lovers were with him if only for a night. It was a short amount of time but they were with him, thought only of him and didn’t particularly want to leave him. I remember one of his pulls one night kept coming back and begging him for more. He had confessed after we had moved away that the young man was wonderful and that he’d stayed solely with the young man for ages until we had to move away. Neither of them had been distracted by another and for a while after moving Blaise hadn’t slept with anyone for a while. He hadn’t gone to find someone for sex…unlike Micah and Asher. Forget the fact that they love Anita, they felt something for me too and to just…I can’t even describe it. It just hurts to be dismissed so quickly.

“Uff!” I huffed as I bumped into someone. I stumbled slightly and strong hands caught me and stopped me from falling to the ground. I looked up at the man holding me and gave him a slight smile. “Thanks.”

“You‘re welcome…” The guy paused and I looked at the person I had bumped into. It was a strong youth filled young man with broad shoulders and a body that screamed strength. I blinked, looked at the floor feeling embarrassed then looked back up at him.

“I‘m sorry, I should have been looking where I was going.” The man looked behind me, then to the side of me before smirking.

“Then you can make it up to me.” I snapped my gaze to him and stared. He was smirking and something in his eyes was sparkling dangerously. I felt dread fill me as my shields on my empathy faded slightly. I could feel the excitement and the surge of lust that, while normally feeling hot and genuine, felt gritty and out of place.

“What do you mean?” I whispered and the smirk grew wider. The hands on me tightened painfully and I gasped, calling forth my magic as they jerked me off the main road. “LET ME GO!”

“Make him shut the fuck up!” Something hit the back of my head hard and pain shot through me. Black swam in my vision and the strength in my limbs was lost. I sagged in the strong arms and they dragged me off with me unable to protest.

“No…” I moaned before blackness completely overtook me and the strangers dragged me off.

-

I scratched towards the surface aware that I was unconscious and scrabbling towards it. I remembered the strange men, their strength as they hit me and carried me and I remembered my inability to act before it was too late. I pushed upwards in what felt like a sea of butter slipping and sliding and going forwards some and then back a little. It was so hard…it made you want to give up. Then as I reached the surface I became aware of pain and the higher I went the more pain I was aware off.

I pushed my eyes open, finally knowing where my eyes were and remembering the action needed to peel back my eyelids. I looked around, my vision slightly blurred but correcting itself in the dim light.

I was in a room, a dark and blacked out room. On the other three walls were people chained spread eagle against the walls with their bodies completely bare. I could feel restrictions against my wrists and ankles and knew I was chained in the same way. There were people in the room, no-one I recognised but I could sense something animal about them. There was a pentagram of some sort on the floor, lots of symbols and sweet smelling candles that were so sweet they made you feel like you were suffocating. IT was hot in the room, I could feel sweat running down my body adding to my awareness that I wasn’t wearing any clothes.

“Oi! Mag! He‘s awake, he can‘t be awake yet! Drug him would yah?!” I jerked slightly as this slightly older man groaned and got to his feet, picked up a bottle and a handkerchief and emptied some of the bottle’s content onto the handkerchief before putting the bottle down and moving towards me.

He stood in front of me then trailed a hand through my hair. I cursed at him, my voice and mouth unable to form any human language and instead I forced out my curses in parse tongue. He just grinned and showed off his partially rotted teeth that were stained with black. He ran his hand down my chest then cupped my…my balls still grinning.

“Oh it is such a shame…with a body like yours I bet you are quite the fuck.” I snarled and forced out a curse in English this time. No sooner had the curse left my lips had he slammed the handkerchief over my nose and mouth. Chlorophyll…that was what he’d put on the handkerchief. I could feel my consciousness slipping away. Gods…if only I hadn’t pushed everyone but Richard away…if only I had been willing to see everyone, stay under everyone’s protection then I wouldn’t be here.

Fear gripped me. They could do anything they liked to my unconscious body and I wouldn’t know, wouldn’t be able to stop any of it. The drug threw me from consciousness though and stars crept in front of my eyes before black followed steadily.

-

The black faded away, it was different to the way I last surfaced. The blackness was heavy yes and thick but…but it move out of the way like a cloud does in front of the sun. My eyes drifted open and I forced the uncooperative muscles to raise my head. My neck hurt but my muscles did as they were bade. I looked around again. The room was filled with different people, females and males alike and all of them had an animal feel to them. I tried to summon my magic but the harder I tried the more tired I felt.

Someone moved in front of me and lifted a paintbrush to my face, the tip of the paintbrush had something white on it. The person touched the tip to my face and drew. My eyes became heavy again and I slipped away. God what were they planning…

-

Light…a dim but still warm light, like the light of a flame broke through the darkness. Around me I saw people speaking in a hurried whisper.

“…in a few hours…”

“…we will be feared and respected…”

“…everything prepared? Everything has to be perfect for the ritual…”

What were they all planning? What ritual? Why was I so drowsy? How long had I been here? The room faded again. It was frustrating but I didn’t have the energy to vocalise my frustration.

-

The black receded, as did the wooliness in my head. Everything seemed clearer. The light less dim and everything in the room seemed sharper, I suppose that was due to the lights over head. I was still in the same room, people hanging from the other walls, a pentagram of some type etched into the floor. There were lots of different pots holding different things, some alive and some dead. There was also a woman in robes standing with four men. She was chanting. The people on the other walls were shouting and cursing and threatening what their friends or the police would do when their captors were discovered. I stayed quiet. Would anyone bother to rescue me? Why should they after all…I’d been nothing but a bother. I had pushed all but Richard away.

“Let me GO!” I looked up at the youth chained to the wall, he was naked too and pale but his eyes were light with a fire. The woman chanting didn’t pay him any attention but eventually pulled out a small dagger.

“Four virgins sacrificed for your pleasure…” She moved towards the young man who was screaming still and held up the dagger. God no…she couldn’t kill him! I wouldn’t let her. No more death…no more death. My death, yes fine I could accept that, I had very little left after all. But not these other people. If their only sin was that they were virgins still then they did not deserve this! His terror, and the terror of the other chained people, slammed against my shields and even though I’d kept my shields up to block their emotions, the terror was so strong that it seeped through.

I summoned up my magic to the forefront of my mind. Pushed it down my limbs and ordered it to free the young virgins. I slammed it into the chains, bombarding them and melting them and cutting them and breaking them. Some links snapped apart, others melted away. Where the chains were connected to the wall they just fell away with large chunks of the wall being blasted away too. The virgins fell to the floor with screams before realising they were free and running for the door. The woman caught one, slamming the knife into his stomach and he crumpled to the floor with a screech of pain, wimpering and clutching his stomach. The others made it to the door but the men who had previously been stoic grabbed them, tackled them and pinned them down.

“No! Let us go!”

“YOU!” Snarled the woman advancing towards me with a menacing glare and her knife held before her threateningly. “You did this! How dare you! You will pay!”

She raised the knife up. Oh God, here it comes, I’m going to die…I guess I’d been lucky enough to live for as long as I did. I’d survived because my mother had loved me and that protection could only last for so long.

I shut my eyes, waiting for the knife to embed itself in my chest, my stomach or my neck. I’d see Blaise again soon. Warmth filled me. I’d be with my parents and Remus and Dumbledore and Blaise and Sirius and…and…and Blaise would be there. I’d see my brother again, the one who helped me and loved me…I’d see them all. I’d miss Asher and Micah and Richard and Damian and Nathanial and Jason and Jean-Claude and…no I wouldn’t miss Anita much…I regret not telling them all good bye but…but I’d see my family. It was so nice. The hope, the joy at being reunited. I’d see them, tell them how much I loved them and be happy for once, unequivocal happiness un-reliant on anything else but death. Undeniable death would lead to joy. Family. They were everything. Family! They’d be there waiting for me, I’d see them all again. I can tell them how much they mean to me.

“NO!” I snapped my eyes open at the loud roar and the earth shattering bang that filled the room. The door had been knocked off it’s hinges and was now broken and splintered on the floor. Having just charged into the room was Micah and Richard transformed into their beasts and looking vicious with their claws and teeth out. They charged forwards in rage.

They came to rescue me…

They came after me…

Behind them, just coming down the stairs was Asher and Jean-Claude looking heartbreakingly gorgeous even in their anger. Their eyes were cold as steel, their power cracking around them like whips. Others followed them, vampires and weres of all types and…and Anita came too. After all the hate I had shown her she had still come to my rescue.

They had come…

Tears sprang up in my eyes and happiness and pain clenched at my heart. After my treatment of them, my ignoring them, they had still come after me.

Richard snarled and dived towards the woman threatening me with a knife but was intercepted along the way by one of the men there. Instead Micah dived at the woman and slashed a claw over her chest. She screamed in agony and I felt that pain stab through me. I pushed my empathy down, protecting myself with more mind shields. Micah slashed again, this time cutting a major blood vessel. Blood spurted from her, actually spurted in time with her heart beat and arching through the air. He growled in satisfaction then yelped in pain. She had thrown her knife and it had hit him in the chest, between his ribs.

“MICAH!” I screamed and struggled in my chains for a moment trying to get to him. Any restriction holding me back disappeared and I fell to the ground on my hands and knees. My hair flopped over my face and I flicked it back before running to Micah and where he lay on the floor panting as his breathing was laboured.

The woman sneered then laughed. I stroked Micah’s head and his catlike eyes looked up at me. I felt a tear roll down my face then I heard the woman’s laugh. She had done this! She and her horrible group had hurt Micah! I stood up and turned to her and snarled.

“You bitch!” I raised a hand and called my magic to me. It gathered excited and dark as it formed black and purple spirals in the air, black and purple stars pledging the woman’s doom. I threw my other hand forwards to meet the first and the woman was thrown backwards, hitting the wall with an unsatisfying crunch. The noise wasn’t much, I wish it had hurt her further. Before I could cast again though more blood slipped from her body and she went completely limp, her eyes becoming glassy with blood loss.

“You aren‘t worth my humanity! I won‘t kill you, but how I wish you‘d be alive long enough to know pain!” I hissed in parse tongue. Then I heard movement behind me. Anita was crouching over Micah’s body which was human now. Nathanial was supporting his head. Asher was just throwing a dead body of one of the captors to the floor and wiping blood from his chin. Jean-Claude was still feeding. The others who had come were comforting the other victims.

“It was silver! The dagger was silver.” Anita said in disgust, throwing the dagger to the floor. The death I always felt in her presence was overpowered by my need to be with Micah and I threw myself to the floor to look at him. He gave me a small, pain filled smile.

“No Micah…” I whispered and he moaned slightly.

“It‘s okay Harry…you‘re safe now…” I moaned slightly and put my hands on his wound.

“No…I won‘t let you die, I won‘t.” Micah shook his head slightly before gasping in pain.

“There‘s nothing you can do. I‘m dying. Nothing can stop that.” I shook my head and called my magic to me again. It reluctantly came, turning itself from deadly and angry to healing and soothing at my will. I pushed it into Micah’s body and made it cleanse away the silver poisoning. It was stubborn, the silver clung to Micah damaging him. It wouldn’t leave, like it was stuck with glue or fused inside Micah.

“Ah!” Micah gasped.

“Hold on! It doesn‘t want to leave.” My eyes felt droopy and heavy despite the adrenaline in my body. Was this still a reaction to the drugs I’d been given? Was it in fact chlorophyll? It couldn’t have been if I’m still feeling it now…I forced all my magic inside Micah, pushed all my energy with it to aid it tear the silver from him, to purify his body of the lethal metal. I would not loose him like I lost Blaise, I could and would help him regardless of the damned drugs I‘d been exposed to.

“It hurts! You‘re hurting me!”

“Stop it Harry, you‘re hurting him!” I glared at Anita, forcing my magic to continue.

“I can do this! I can save him, I‘m sorry it‘s hurting but I can do it!” I pushed more and more of myself into it. I could feel where the silver was in Micah’s body as if it was inside my own. Just from the mere amount of time the dagger had been in Micah’s body it had infected the blood cells which had then pumped all around Micah’s body accumulating in his heart. I got rid of the silver flakes imbedded in him apparently but what I couldn’t remove were the infected blood cells, the dead blood cells.

I forced my magic to search all of them out and heal them, sooth them and if they were dead and useless then destroy them completely and leave no trace. My magic consumed them, erasing them completely. Weariness swept over me but I’d barely even begun. I’d only dealt with the cells in his body, not the mass that was now damaging his heart and then you had the amount of blood loss Micah was suffering.

“Just leave me…” Micah moaned and I shook my head even as I saw the infection in his heart through my magic.

“No, I can do this! I will heal you, you can‘t die…too many people love you.”

“It‘s too much for you to do Harry, it‘s fatal a wound like this.” Richard’s deep voice penetrated my ears.

“No I can do it I just need to be stronger. I‘m just tired, that‘s why it‘s taking so long.” I forced myself to concentrate. My energy was waning but I still had so far to go. Any energy reserves I had were fast disappearing. How long had it been since I’d eaten? My stomach rumbled. How long had it been since I’d slept a natural, not drug induced, sleep? I was so tired…

I forced myself onwards, forced my mind and magic inside Micah’s body to heal and mend. My body drooped, a strange feeling to have when your mind is still attached to your magic and not inside your body. It feels like you are in an earthquake and the building is rumbling while you stay perfectly still and unmoved.

The red and pink of Micah’s organs and blood, that which I could see, suddenly changed…no longer was my vision dominated by red but there was two bright blue flames coming closer and closer. Was this some strange magic? Was something else hurting Micah’s body? No, they didn’t feel harmful…but they felt strong. There was strength there. I mentally tried to reach out and grasp that strength, channel it through me to aid my magic. The flames sped up, flying forwards so much faster till they tinted my vision completely blue. Micah’s blood looked blue, his organs looked blue, the once healing white and gold of my magic was tinted blue. But with the blue came strength, so much strength, energy and power.

I no longer felt hungry. I no longer felt tired. My body righted itself, my mind found the extra power tucked away and pulled it forwards, attaching itself to the strength and pulling the power through to help my magic. Heal…heal, mend, fix, consume…help him. The dead blood vanished, the infection and the hurt inside Micah’s heart fixed. Once all traces of silver were going I felt another source of strength. This one was more…more wild, wild strength and in my minds eye I saw a panther uncurl from a corner and bound forwards into some space before licking its wounds. I forced my magic to help the dagger wound close. Fix, heal, knit, close, re-grow, mend. Flesh moved and new skin was made closing the wound up. Bones moved slightly into a proper position, organs with holes closed up, muscles reattached and grew in size. Blood stopped leaving the body and entered the wound before it closed up. Fix…mend…help him…mustn’t die…must live!

The final wound closed up and I gasped as my magic, what little was left unused threw my mind back into my body and I suddenly became aware. Micah was beneath me looking up with startled eyes, no pain there. A hand was on my shoulder. Micah was healed…I didn’t need to use any more of that energy, no more use for the power. I released it, it wasn’t required any more. It left with a twang, like when you stretch an elastic band then release it. No sooner had it left did I become aware of my body’s lack of strength.

“Oh…” I moaned though I didn’t hear it, just tried to make it. The world tilted on its axis and the blackness I’d grown frustrated with flooded in on me once again. The only difference is I welcomed it. It offered no need for strength, no struggle, just rest.

-

I felt a steady hand guiding me towards the surface of the black. The black was warm but it was pushing me away, not wanting to keep me any longer. It was warm in the black, like a warm blanket wrapped around me and I felt rested and rejuvenated from exhaustion in the black. Still though, still it pushed me up and out. Pushed me towards the surface and then everywhere was filled with colours.

The ceiling was white and there was a rich light red canopy over the bed. I was in the circus, in one of the rooms under the circus. The bed felt like those, despite it being a long time since I’ve lead in one. I pushed myself to sit up and looked down at the blankets. They were a rich red too and they were pulled right up to my chest. I was wearing what looked like a poets shirt and could feel what felt like leggings on my legs. Who had dressed me? Was I alone? This room certainly wasn’t mine at the circus so whose room was I in?

“Ah, at last you have awoken mon magicien.” I turned my head and saw Jean-Claude stood behind a chair with a sleeping Micah in…or he was sleeping. At Jean-Claude’s voice he jumped slightly and snapped his eyes open. Micah stared at me for a moment before sighing in relief and leaning back against the chair with his eyes shut and his face the perfect expression of gratefulness and relief. I looked back up at Jean-Claude’s dark blue eyes.

“Hello. What happened?” Jean-Claude cocked his head to the side slightly.

“You do not remember?” I bit my lip and thought. A headache sprang to life as I concentrated but still the memories came to me quickly enough and I snapped my gaze back to Micah.

“You‘re alive! You‘re okay!” I said trying to move out of the bed but only succeeding in crawling slightly towards the foot of the bed. Micah opened his eyes and gave me a weary smile.

“Yes I am, thanks to you.”

“Yes, you healed him but it did come at a price.” Jean-Claude offered and I looked up at him frowning in confusion. What price did it come at? I’d used up so much energy that I’d fallen unconscious, but that wasn’t a big price so why did Jean-Claude look so deadly serious?

“I don‘t understand, what price?”

“When healing Micah you used up all your energy so mon Chardonneret thought it prudent to share his energies with you.” I nodded slightly.

“Uh huh…so? I used to share my energy with Blaise, sometimes he‘d share it with me too. And in the war my old friends used to siphon off each other‘s magic to help them in their fight.” Jean-Claude tsked his tongue and took a step forwards, stepping around the chair Micah was on.

“Yes, you have shown time and time again how strange and different your life and customs are to ours but believe me when I say this is a completely different thing.”

“But you just said…”

“I know what I said and I know what you didn‘t allow me to continue to say.” I shut my mouth and bit my tongue at his sharp answer. He stared at me for a moment or two before apparently being satisfied with my silence. “When a Vampire master shares his energy, or life force, with a human they complete the first mark of making that human their human servant.” What? Human servant? “Ma Petite, or Anita, is my human servant though there are four marks in total and we have only completed three. Asher has informed me that he completed two out of the four marks binding you with him and him with you.”

“What? I don‘t understand! How? I mean how did we complete them? I don‘t remember anything about marks? I‘ve got no scars or scratches or bite marks…”

“The marks are not physical Harry. The first mark happens when the master shares his energies with the human. The second mark is when you see two flames the same colour as the master vampires eyes, so in your case light blue flames, coming towards you and then tinting your vision in that colour for a while. The third mark is just the master vampire drinking your blood in a ritual and the forth you drinking his. Asher confessed to pushing the first and second mark upon you, do you remember feeling energy suddenly or seeing flames in a light blue?”

“I…” Yes, yes I did. They felt like energy those flames so I pulled them in and used the energy. “Yes…yes I remember the flames and the energy. So…so the price of healing Micah was that I‘m now Asher‘s human servant?”

“Oui…” Damn it, I don’t want to be a servant. I don’t serve anyone, I’m my own person. “I have written a list here of all possible outcomes or side effects of the first and second mark and what this means for you. Here, peruse this before we continue our conversation.”

I took the paper offered to me and read over the content. Oh…so all the marks did were offer me immunity to some vampire tricks that I was immune to anyway and give me a better pain and stamina threshold. The second mark also let Asher be sustained through the link and siphon my energy without actually requiring a blood meal and he can enter my dreams, if I let my occulumency shields down. So from the looks of things I was pretty safe really and the marks binding me to him wouldn’t cause too much, if any, imposition.

“Okay. So that‘s fine, it‘s not a bad price for saving Micah‘s life.” I handed the paper back to Jean-Claude but he made no move to take it. Instead he and Micah shared a look. Uh oh…that couldn’t mean good things…I put the paper down on the bed next to me. “So what am I not getting then. I‘m not going to blow the roof off because I‘m bound to Asher. I was bound to Blaise before…kind off. From what you‘ve written down it doesn‘t mean I need to change anything, I can still do as I like and it doesn‘t restrict me.”

“Yes, I suppose being partially bound to Asher is your idea of a small price to pay but something else happened too that nobody counted on.”

“So…what is it?” I finally asked after a few moments of silence. Micah and Jean-Claude shared a look before Micah spoke.

“You see Harry, when Asher bound himself to you, your magic was working inside my body and all your concentration was on accepting strength and helping me right?”

“Right. So?”

“Well because you were connected to me when Asher connected himself to you we are now all linked together. Asher to you, you to me, me to Asher. We have formed a triumverate, despite me not being Asher‘s animal to call. We are all bound to each other. Like Anita is to Jean-Claude and Richard and then again to Damian and Nathaniel.”

“Um…” Oh no…a triumverate…that’s well…DAMN IT ALL TO HELL! I’m bound to two people who don’t lo-like me and instead keep having sex with Anita! I’m mated to two people who would rather have a bond with someone else, who’d rather love someone else. Why did this always happen to me? All because I tried to save Micah’s life…why did I have to…all life is worth saving but why such a price, why this price? If only the woman had killed me before they got there, then I’d be with my family. Why hadn’t she just killed me! Then Micah wouldn’t have got hurt and I wouldn’t have healed him because I wouldn’t have been alive to. Why did they have to come after me? Why?! Why hadn’t they just left me alone?

“…ry? Harry? Are you okay?” A hand touched my shoulder and I jerked away from it. I saw Micah looking at me as he drew his hand back to his stomach. I glared, first at him then at Jean-Claude.

“Fine. I‘m bound to Micah and Asher. Is that all you‘ve got to tell me? Or is there more? Seriously, I don‘t care if it‘s against any honour you have but you might as well hit me again while I‘m down. Let me have all the bad news at once. Come on, is there more?!”

“No…that is it. But perhaps you could tell me of this sudden aggression? Why are you suddenly so adverse to Asher and Micah? What have they done to deserve it?” I snorted at Jean-Claude.

“And why would I tell you? You claim guardianship of me but to Wizards I am old enough to take care of myself so it no longer matters what right you think you have to me. Asher and Micah are bound to each other and Micah doesn‘t even like man sex! They are bound to what they dislike all because of me! You should have just left me there, not bothered to try and rescue me then none of this would have ever happened. I‘m sorry you came, I‘m sorry you risked your lives, I‘m sorry Micah nearly died and I‘m sorry I didn‘t! It would have been better I had rather than be bound to two people too deeply in love with Anita! Just all…all of you go and have sex with her and leave me alone.” I gathered my magic to me and forced myself to apparate.

I hit the ground rather hard in Richards house, in my bedroom. I felt a wave of dizziness but I pushed it down quickly and summoned my wand. It flew out from under my pillow and straight into my hand. I summoned a bag from the cupboard, cast a weightlessness and bottomless spell on it then ordered everything in the room to pack. Everything shrunk in the air and flew into the bag then the bag zipped itself up. I snatched it up, pulled it onto my back and apparated just as the door to my bedroom slammed open revealing Richard in the background.

This time I fell to the ground as my magic complained after being used so shortly after having been used to exhaustion. Still when I regained my wits I pushed myself upright and stormed through the flat to where the fireplace was. Blaise had connected the fireplace to the floo network shortly after arriving in the flat. He’d done that to every place we had been in. Hell, he even made sure any hotel we stayed in had rooms with fireplaces so he could connect those to the floo. Floo powder was kept under the carpet in front of the fireplace and I snatched it up, cast an incendio spell into the fireplace then threw the floo powder into it. The flames turned green so I stuck my head in and shouted my destination.

I looked around the hall way I’d seen only a week or so ago. It was empty but from the light outside it was day time.

“PERCY! JULIEN! SOMEBODY! PERCY!” I yelled, screamed into the empty room. Somewhere in the house there was a loud bang followed by heavy feet running through the house. The door burst open and in rushed both Julien and Percy looked sleep ruffled and wearing only a robe over naked bodies.

“Harry! What‘s the matter? How‘d you call? I didn‘t know you were connected to the floo network? Are you okay? Are you in England? Can you come through?”

“No Percy I‘m not okay. I want to come…come back to England with you. Can I stay with you for a while? Please? So much has happened, I don‘t want to stay here any more!”

“Oh Harry, why not?” Percy asked falling to his knees in front of the fireplace. “You‘ve always said St Louis was your home. Is it because of what was in the letter? We replied as quickly as we could but things have been so hectic we only managed to send off the letter two days ago.”

“I…things have gone from bad to worse. First I found out about Asher and Micah…” I rambled on forgetting they didn’t know the names of the people in St Louis. “Them sleeping with Anita, then I ignored them all and avoided them. I stopped talking to them and hid myself away with Richards help. Then I got kidnapped and…and when they came to rescue me Micah got badly hurt and when I was healing him Asher gave me some of his energy and because of that Micah, Asher and me are in a triumverate which is kind of like a marriage for three people but they don‘t love me, they love Anita and I‘ve run away from Micah and Jean-Claude and Richard and now I want to come home. Everyone can hate me as much as they want when I‘m with you but it‘s less complicated than here. Please, please let me stay with you!”

“Of course Harry.” Julien put his hand on Percy’s shoulder. “You are welcome any time. When will you come?”

“I‘ll go to the airport and book a portkey now I just…I wanted to check with you first.”

“It‘s fine. Calm down, eat and drink something then get your plane. We will see you soon okay?” I nodded and pulled my head out of the fire. I then ran to the telephone and summoned the phone book. I found the number for a taxicab and they said they’d be there to pick me up in about ten minutes. I raced to the shower and bathed, cleaning everywhere off. My heart was racing as I scrubbed my teeth then ran into Blaise’s old bedroom and packed all his clothes into a suitcase before returning to my room and finding some of the clothes I’d left behind. I slipped on clean underwear, a pair of skinny jeans and a t-shirt pulling on a black robe with a belt around the middle that made it look like a coat. Then I hoisted my back pack onto my back, grabbed my suitcase and ran down the stairs.

“Cab for Potter?”

“Yeah that‘s me. To the airport please, as quickly as you can. Stop for nothing and I‘ll give you your money and this gold.” I held up a galleon and the cab driver’s face gained a greedy look. He nodded and threw my suitcase in the boot of his car. We raced down the roads and practically skidded into a space at the airport.

Merlin help me…I grabbed my suitcase and back pack, threw my money and galleon at the driver and then ran into the airport.

The magical area of all airports is relatively easy to find. You go to the check in and then look for a desk that says ‘Leprechaun Travel’. The desk is charmed so that no body except those that seek it can find it. I searched all the check in desks and saw the Leprechaun travel desk right at the end with no queue. I went over and pressed the bell on the counter. Immediately a goblin appeared with a quill and parchment.

“Good evening sir, where would you like to go?”

“London, England please.” The goblin nodded and looked down at the parchment.

“A portkey will be leaving in an hour from gate twenty-one. Can I have your name sir, your date of birth, photographic identification, the total of luggage you will be taking and one hundred galleons.” I nodded and handed the goblin everything including the Gringotts bank card for him to make the transaction.

“My name‘s Harry Potter, born the thirty first of July. I‘m seventeen years old.” The goblin nodded and passed all my things back to me.

“Everything has cleared sir. Let me see your luggage.” I lifted up the suitcase and took the backpack off my back. “For the portkey it is necessary that all luggage is made weightless and cushioning charms cast on their casings to prevent any injuries. Is it acceptable that I place these spells upon your luggage?”

“Yes that‘s fine thank you.”

“Very good sir. Have you ever travelled by portkey before over continents?”

“No?”

“Have you ever used a localised portkey?”

“Yes.” The goblin nodded again.

“The journey is very much the same however you could feel dizziness, nausea and possibly be rendered unconscious at the end of the journey. May I also warn you that it is possible but unlikely that you will get an injury mid journey. In the unlikely event that the portkey doesn‘t take you to London, or should you loose your connection to the portkey mid journey and end up somewhere strange a tracking charm will help us locate and rescue you within minutes. Do you consent to having a tracking charm placed upon your person in case the aforementioned unlikely events happen?”

“I consent.” The goblin smiled a crooked smile and scribbled something down on a piece of parchment then handed the parchment over.

“This is your portkey pass. Do you require assistance in travelling to gate twenty-one?”

“Um…no thank you, I think I will be okay thank you.”

“No, thank you Mr Potter. Have a good journey.” I nodded and picked up my luggage. I was just leaving when the goblin spoke again. “For all of your assistance in helping Goblins and other magical creatures regarded as equals in the eyes of the Ministry of Magic I have not charged you for the use of this portkey.”

“Wow…really? I mean I‘m happy to pay.” I stared at the goblin in amazement. No goblin does things for no money. All goblins regard gold and money as vitally important, they don’t give things for free! The goblin just smiled.

“All of your efforts have born fruit Mr Potter and for that you shall be regarded as Goblin-kin. May gold flow from your labours.” What could I say to that? I couldn’t deny it, Goblins were nothing if not selfish about their compliments.

“I…thank you. May your line always prosper and your gold flow be never ending.” The goblin bowed with a smile then disappeared. I stared at the empty desk for a moment before shaking my head. I didn’t have much time to waste, I needed to find gate twenty-one. I pushed through the crowds and eventually found the correct gate room. I waited slightly impatiently and then, as I was the only one travelling to England at that time, informed the steward who was going on about the health and safety to not bother with it as I already knew what to expect. All I had to do then was endure his countdown to the portkey activation.

-


NOTES - I didn’t originally plan this to happen, it wrote itself and dealing with where Harry has now landed himself caused me a great many problems.

I also would like to apologise for not having these two chapters out on Sunday. Basically I got carried away reading and I didn't want to post any more chapters until I had finished writing a new one. Luckily for all of you lot I have finished chapter 23 and 24. Yay for you. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.