A Devil's Vengeance

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A Devil’s Vengeance
By: Amaranth

Challenge fic Response to: Incessant_Darkness

Challenge: [4. Vengeance taken for kin upon kin
an Avenging Kinsman; Guilty Kinsman; remembrance of the Victim, a relative of both]

/italics/ = Thoughts to Harry

//Italics// = Thoughts from Harry

~ … ~ = Dreams

Disclaimer: See Chap 1

Author’s Notes: Introducing some OC’s in this chap, and trying to paint Petunia in a better light then I usually see her.

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Chapter 2: Memories and Meetings

~He watched a girl with amber hair and eyes run wildly, her hunt done and now running for her life. He’d counseled her against this fight, against seeking her vengeance now and openly, but she’d chosen so anyway. It wasn’t that bad, though. There was one less potential HellGate now, and with her speed, she’d easily make it away. There were advantages to the Quicksilver, and he, and through him, she, knew how to use it.

Blood dripped quietly, as he mentally sat beside the white haired elder, sorrowing that he couldn’t persuade him to drop his vengeance. He cared for all his hosts, and it pained him to fail them. He did not always offer vengeance. He often offered the strength to turn it aside, or to make it serve a purpose other then selfishness. This host hadn’t listened, though. Hadn’t wanted to listen. And now the both paid the price for his stubbornness.~

Harry woke about then, disoriented, the ghosts and bits of a dozen or so different lives swirling within his mind for the moment. Then he recollected Alastor, and in doing so, felt the devil still resting in the back of his mind. Apparently Alastor was the one responsible for some of his odd dreams. Memories that the devil inadvertently let slip over into his host’s sleeping mind. At least this time the memories hadn’t been a romp in bed. Harry really didn’t need to start the day with some of Alastor’s past conquests bouncing around his thoughts. He got up and roughly hauled some clothing on, not even caring if it matched. Not that any of Dudley’s cast offs ever did. Harry could almost swear Dudley deliberately bought clothing in hideous shades so that he could laugh when they got given to Harry.

/He Probably Does, Master. He No Doubt Thinks it a Great Amusement to See You Dressed Like a Fool./

//Awake, eh? So, Al, what’s on the agenda today?//

/You Requested to Meet Some of the Other Avatars, I Believe. They Should be Somewhere in This City, Since the Darkness Maybe Rising. I Haven’t Sensed Either of These Two so Awake in a Very Long Time. Breakfast First, Though./ Alastor added reprimandingly before Harry could demand to be taken to meet the others. Harry had to admit Alastor was right, food was a good idea. Harry laced his trainers up and went downstairs.

It was just him and Aunt Petunia this week. Uncle Vernon had taken Dudley off with him on a business trip, stating that the ‘little tike’ was old enough to start learning the family business. Surprisingly, Aunt Petunia had lightened up on Harry considerably the instant that Vernon and Dudley were out of sight. Harry couldn’t understand this, since Aunt Petunia hated magic. Yet he hadn’t been asked to do an unreasonable amount of chores since the car had turned out of sight.

/I do Not Think She so Much Hates Magic as Envies You, Master. After All, She Was Always in You Mother’s Shadow, the One Who Was Lesser Because She Had No Strange Gifts. She Holds Some Bitterness From That, I Suspect, but has Probably Long Since Let it go. Now, Without That Roaring Old Bull and the Spoiled Brat Around, She Can Afford to Relax Towards You./

//Eh, you think so, Al? Maybe you’re right…// Harry fixed himself a bowl of cereal, taking it to the table to eat it as quickly as he could. He’d just barely finished when Aunt Petunia cautiously poked her head into the kitchen. She seemed to be hiding something behind her back, as if she wanted it to be a surprise. Harry and Alastor mentally groaned. Not more chores, not today when they had something they wanted to do.

“Harry? I… I suppose I’ve never really acted like it, but… you’re my sister’s son, and I suppose I’d hoped you’d turn out to be normal. Not a… a Wizard. At first because it would mean yet another weird family member, but later… later because I didn’t want what happened to Lily to happen to you.” She gave Harry a kind of watery smile. “I admit, I was green with envy over Lily being different. I felt that these people were stealing her away. When I finally did want to reconcile with her… well, it was too late. She’d died, and you’d turned up on my doorstep. Vernon didn’t want to keep you, but I… I owed Lily that much. Even if I had to pretend I didn’t care, and treat Dudley far better then I treated you, I needed to give you a home.” She took a deep breath. “Not that I really held much hope you’d be normal. The headmaster of that school of yours, Dumbledore, left a letter, stating that you’d been accepted into that school practically the moment you were born. So, I started claiming I’d bought lunches and stuff I hadn’t, saving up a little bit for sometime like this.” She produced an envelope from behind her back, handing it to Harry, who stood there shell shocked while Alastor dissolved into hysterical laughter in the back of his mind. “This isn’t all of it, but I suspect it’s high time you had a day for yourself, so go out and buy yourself some nice stuff.” She winked conspiratorially at Harry. “It’ll be out little secret, okay?” Harry nodded, and then permitted himself to be shooed out the door. Alastor gently steered him down the street towards the bus stop mentally, grinning happily.

/Change of Plans, Master. Shopping for Decent Clothes First, Meet Other Avatars later/

//Okay, okay, if it’ll make you happy, Al.//

/Master, Something Other Then the Saggy Baggy Elephant Look Will Make You Happy too./

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Harry wandered through the mall he’d picked to shop at, idly sipping at a Dr. Pepper he’d picked up. So far, he hadn’t actually bought much, just a few shirts and jeans, some of which he’d changed into so that he no longer looked half starved. At the moment, he had on a kind of silvery grey skin tight t-shirt that looked like liquid metal against his skin, plain black jeans, and his usual scuffed trainers. He continued window-shopping, until an outfit caught both his and Alastor’s eyes.

//Whoa…//

/Master, Buy That One! Pretty Please?/ Harry almost sat down laughing at Alastor’s not so subtle attempt to get him to buy the outfit. He planned to buy it anyway, but the mental image of the ancient devil begging like a child for candy was on the verge of too much. The outfit in question was undoubtedly a showstopper, a kind of vest shirt black leather with a black silk shell over it that had European dragons and lightening bolts in silver embroidered on it, that swept down in the back to a kind of trench coat look with thick silver bands at the hem. It had sleeves, too, kind of like those of a kimono, only tied on with silver cords, so that they could be removed. Black leather pants and black, steel toed combat boots completed it. It didn’t take much begging from Alastor to go in and acquire it, then to go to the restroom to change clothes again. After that, and a quick shop through a game story to net a Gameboy Advanced DS and a few games, Harry was all shopped out and Alastor was ready to go meet the other Avatars.

They didn’t have very far to go, a block of apartments about thirty minutes walk from the mall. Harry now understood why Alastor had demanded this particular mall out of all the ones they could have gone to. It was closest to their final destination, so Alastor had probably wanted to conserve energy. Harry came to the apartment Alastor indicated, 672, which had its door stand wide open. Harry carefully stuck his head in.

“Um, hello, is anyone…” THWAP! Harry found a nerf dart stuck to his glasses, and a girl looking guilty. The girl, or young woman, he supposed, was an eye catcher. She was tall, and she wasn’t that well built, actually, about average in the things other then the face that guys paid any attention to. It was the fact that those assets had been squeezed into a dark red tube top and denim short shorts that caught the eye. The ratty lime green sandals somehow emphasized her tiny feet, and her face wasn’t gorgeous, more striking, oval shaped with a firm mouth, large, attractively slanted brown eyes, and a mop of straight reddish brown hair bunned back. She probably would have looked good in a burlap bag, however.

“Jessa, did you shot my fish again?!?!?” Was bellowed in a deep, growling voice about then. Jessa smiled apologetically, then called back, her voice like maple syrup, thick and sweet.

“No, Gwennie, I haven’t shot your fish. I have, however, shot Alastor’s glasses.” Harry felt Alastor snicker, and mentally shot him the bird. Alastor’s laughter redoubled, then settled down.

/I Believe the Lady is Nevan’s Avatar, Master. Gwennie, From the Tones, is Probably Beowulf’s./ Harry nodded, then smiled at Jessa.

“Sorry about barging in like this, but Alastor told me to come here. My name’s Harry.” Jessa just grinned and motioned to the couch.

“Then welcome, Harry. Al’s probably already told you, but I’m Jessa Sinclair, Nevan’s host. Gwennie, we have company! Get out here!” Jessa’s yell produced a short, rather stocky looking guy with shoulder length, wavy white hair and dull red eyes, though his skin was a healthy tan as opposed to the sickly white most albinos had. He was dressed plainly, grey shirt, grey slacks, grey trainers, but something about him seemed dangerous. He just raised an eyebrow at Harry, then nodded.

“Gwendal Lenertz, Beowulf’s host. Nice to meet you. So, what are we going to talk about?” Gwendal clearly wasn’t the type to beat around the bush. He either liked you, hated you, or ignored you, with nothing in between. Much like, a sudden memory from Alastor supplied, the devil he hosted. Harry shrugged in response to Gwendal.

“Not sure, just stuff. I guess.” Jessa nodded.

“We never really do have much to say to each other. It’s either been peaceful and we’re awake because of accidents, or Mundus is trying to haul his ass up out of Hell and we’re fighting again. Care to share how Alastor came to wake up? In my case, I was working a bar singing, had a stalker who attacked me to kill me, and Nevan ended up frying him.” Her eyes switched to a bright red shade, and a teasing, more sultry voice came out of her mouth. Obviously Nevan. “Not that he didn’t deserve it, Sugar.” Jessa’s eyes reappeared. Harry shrugged, and told them the whole, LONG story, including history about the Wizarding World. Jessa clearly found it fascinating, though Gwendal was harder to read. After several other topics, Harry noticed the hour was getting late.

“I’ve got to go, if I get home to late, my Aunt’ll scold me.” Gwendal nodded slowly, and Jessa smiled.

“Just give us the directions and Gwennie’ll drive you home.” Harry rattled the directions off, and Gwendal nodded. The drive home was uneventful, thankfully. Nothing scary showing up, or after him for telling two supposed Muggles about the Wizarding world. Things continued to remain uneventful up until he opened the door. He and Alastor had barely a second to register that Uncle Vernon was standing there, fists clenched, before the first blow knocked Harry’s glasses off and sent him flying into a wall. A scream of pain burst from his lips, to be followed by others as Vernon’s fists kept flying.

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Reviews are good, they might get the next chapter out faster. No reviews might mean no more chapters, though since this is a challenge response, it might not. Cliffhanger! Kind on purpose, too.

Alastor: And now we get beaten on. Don’t Harry and I ever get a break.

Yes, probably in the arm or leg.

Harry: I’m praying you’re kidding.

Devil/Human Pairing Glossary:
Harry = Alastor
Jessa = Nevan
Gwendal = Beowulf
More to Be Announced

Pairings for Sex/love:
Harry + Draco
Ron + Hermione
Jessa + Gwendal
More to Be Announced