The Unseen

I've had all positive reviews so far (even though there were only four....) and I'm glad you guys have enjoyed this so far.

Paigeey07 - I'm glad you like it. I hope you like the next installment.

LolaDiBlack - I hope this update is to your satisfaction. Do include another review. I like them!

Citten - I will try and keep everything as simple as possible. I know with so many new characters that things are bound to get confusing at one point. If you have any questions (other than parentage of the charries, because that will be dealt with in future chapters), then feel free to ask.

smurphy - the dragon and the rabbit bit was just a randome way to introduce one of my favorite Original Characters. And we will find out how the Unseen came to be later. I promise.

Now, all of you - enjoy the new chapter, and tell me what you think!!

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James’ claws upturned dirt and leaves as his powerful legs took him through the trees. Gods, he was going to be late… He made a flawless mid-run transformation back to his human form as he approached the edge of the trees, and ran from the boundaries of the forest. He ran along the edges of the trees until he reached a little-known Apparition spot, and disappeared with a clap of thunder.

He appeared on the perfectly trimmed lawn of his father’s house. The little white-picket neighborhood made James queasy, but he usually stopped in once a month to spend time with his family. His mother enjoyed his overnight visits, as did his younger brother, Skylar. But his father, Harry Potter, was less enthusiastic about the whole affair.

James and Harry had a strained father-son relationship. It had been as such since James had been young. Since he first became half-human.

It had happened when he was six years old. His father had taken him to the park to play, and had turned away from him for only a few seconds. The dark-robed man had wooed James to the edge of the playground, and then grabbed him and disappeared. James didn’t remember much about the ordeal except for pain and potions. They had cursed him and forced experimental potions down his throat until he had become the creature he was today. A sort of mix between a man and dragon.

The press had gone crazy with the story. James had been a sort of circus oddity for everyone for years. Then his magic started to manifest. James could control wandless magic effortlessly. He had a wand, of course, but rarely ever used it. He had only used it at school where it had been required.

He took a deep breath, and approached the door. He folded his wings against his back neatly, as his father hated it when he left them half-spread. He had a tendency to knock things over with the large appendages.

He knocked three times, and waited patiently. His father answered the door. Harry stood at the door for a moment, staring at James as if he were a stranger. Then he sighed.

“Come in, James.” He said softly, and stepped aside.

James stepped into the cozy house, his tail swishing out behind him. He suddenly found a small bundle wrapped about his legs, and laughed.

“Sky, mate….you’re going trip me up…” he said, trying to disentangle the five year old from around him.

“Jamesie!” Skylar squealed.

Ginny Potter appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, an apron tied around her pregnant belly. She grinned at James and Skylar, and wiped her hands on her apron as she approached her oldest son.

“James.” She said softly, and hugged him. James wrapped his arms around his mother, his tail swishing faster like a dog when it was pleased to see someone. James’ nose twitched.

“Mmm….something smells good….” He groaned, lifting his head slightly. Skylar grabbed James’ pant leg, and pointed to Ginny.

“Mummy’s making pasgetti!” he exclaimed. James’ head cocked.

“Pasgetti? I’ve never had that before….is it like spaghetti?”

Skylar giggled, and slapped James’ leg. “It’s the same, Jamesie!” he laughed. Harry shut the door, and walked past them all.

“I don’t know if there’s enough to feed you.” He murmured. James’ grin faded slightly, but Ginny Scoffed.

“There’s always enough for everyone…” Ginny said softly to James, leaning forward to kiss his forehead. James rumbled contentedly.

“Thanks mum.” he said, and followed her into the kitchen. He took his place at the table, his fanged grin returning as Skylar scrabbled into a chair next to him.

The food was delicious as always, and it was one of the few things James missed about living at home. Cooking for himself never quite turned out the same…

Harry finally spoke, turning his head to his wife. “I got tickets for the Quidditch game tonight…Grillwen gave them to me.”

“Great! It can be a great family outing!” Ginny grinned. Harry cleared his throat.

“I only got three tickets.” He said softly. James’ ears twitched.

“Sorry, Sky…looks like you’ll be staying home…” James teased. Skylar laughed at James. “I’m only joking, mate. It’s all right, dad….I can stay here and watch television.” James offered, picking at his salad with his fork. He never was a fan of raw vegetables….or vegetables at all, for that matter. Ginny frowned sadly.

“Oh…that’ fine, James. I think we have some popcorn. You can rent a movie if you like.” She said. Harry looked a bit upset that James would be in the house unsupervised.

“Just don’t eat everything we have…” Harry said evenly. James’ eye flashed at his father.

“I would never dream of upsetting you in that way, father.” He replied flatly.

~~

James was stretched out on the sofa, dressed in only the home-made satin pajama pants his mother had made for him last Christmas. There were a few spots where the flimsy material had puckered, but other than that the pants looked professionally done.

He had a soda in one had, and the bowl of leftover spaghetti sitting in his lap, the fork laying abandoned inside. James had a huge appetite, and when he snacked, he snacked…

He was watching some insignificant show about some bloke who moved to America just to film some of the differences. It was sad, really, the extent that people would go to just for money and fame. It was hilarious, though, to watch American football. It appealed to his violent nature….

James sighed softly, and clicked off the television, sitting in the dark alone. It had started raining only ten minutes ago, and had already turned into a storm, the rumble of thunder making him edgy. His hearing was sensitive, and thunder didn’t frighten him, but it hurt his ears, and he didn’t like it.

He almost thought he was imagining it when he heard a thump at the front door. He set aside his bowl and soda, and stood, his ears twitching to hear something above the rain. He heard a scratch at the door, and for a moment he thought it was just some abandoned dog seeking refuge from the storm on the porch, but he picked up another sound. A sob. That was completely human.

He went to the door, and pressed his eye against the peephole. He couldn’t see anyone, but he could smell someone. He smelled something familiar, mixed with blood and…..fear?

He wrenched open the door, and gave an undignified squeak as a body collapsed forward. He knelt down, and gasped as he recognized the blood-matted curly hair.

“Aunt Mione!” he cried. Her head rose up, and his eyes widened when he spotted her face. Her right eye was black and swollen almost shut, her nose appeared to be broken, her bottom lip was split twice, and she had a perfect handprint on the right side of her face.

“James…” he sobbed. She reached up and touched his face, leaving a small streak of blood on his cheek. He reached out and touched her hand, but she gasped and pulled back as if in pain.

“What happened?” James gasped, reaching forward to grab her under the armpits and picked her up off of the floor. She was freezing from the rain, and soaking wet, his pajamas becoming damp from coming in contact from her. She was basically dead weight, and he shuffled to the nearest chair with her in his arms, and put her into it as gently as possible.

He rushed to the floo, and put in an emergency call to St Mungos for an Emergency Mediwizard Service, or EMS, and stepped back as two of the emergency wizards came through the fireplace. He pointed them to Hermione, and stepped back as they approached her.

She opened her good eye, and panicked when the two wizards approached her. She kicked out suddenly, catching one in the stomach. James was at her side in a flash.

“Aunt Mione! Calm down….they’re here to look at you. You’re hurt badly….Do you want me to call Uncle Ron?” he asked.

“No!” she howled, and started fighting again. James waved his hand, and guiltily put her under a mild body bind. “No!” she screamed.

While one Mediwizard began to run a diagnostic wand over Hermione, the other came to James.

“How did this happen?” he asked. James shook his head.

“I…I don’t know. She just showed up like that a few minutes ago. I haven’t even talked to her yet. Are you going to have to take her?” he asked. The Mediwizard nodded, and they gathered the petrified Hermione on a stretcher, and disappeared through the floo. James ran upstairs to put on some clothes, and tidied up what little mess he had made before grabbing his floo cloak and disappearing to St Mungos to figure out what had happened to his aunt.

~~

He was led into the room by the nurse-witch, and gazed upon Hermione’s sleeping form. Her arm was in a splint, the wrist and ulna broken. She had bandages over her broken nose, and butterfly stitches across a gash at her hairline. James sat down in a chair near her bed, and pulled out his Magi-Mobile, a magical adaption of the Muggle cellular phone. He dialed in his father’s number, and listened to the ring.

He had to pull the phone away from his ear when his father clicked on the phone. Apparently they were still at the game, because he could hear screaming through the earpiece.

“Hello?!” he could barely hear his father over the noise, and he wasn’t about to compete. He hung up the phone, and clicked into his text messenger.

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Harry hung up the phone, and started to put it back into his pocket when it vibrated. He flipped it back open, and nearly shat himself when he read the message.

Aunt Hermione is at St Mungos in bad condition. Get your sorry arse here NOW. Luv, Jamez :)

Harry gathered Ginny and Skylar, and left the game immediately.

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Here's Hermione, and our first indication of James' loyalty, and a bit of his family life.

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