Only You Can Set Me Free

Chapter 30

Reunited

Harry, still in dog form, snarled at the open space around him, too weak and fatigued to sense where the approaching being was coming from. He scanned the surrounding area, which was thick with trees and large rock formations. The chances of being ambushed were quite high, and there was hardly enough moving space if a fight was actually to break out, which seemed inevitable. The smaller dog at his back whined in anticipation, trying to stand his ground as they awaited the arrival of their foe.

‘Are you sure it is not an ally, clone?’ Harry asked the doppelganger, crouching low with his fore body as his eyes darted about desperately. It was times like these he wished he had use of his pockets, which contained his wand.

‘The energy is dark, and it is moving with a purpose, it means to do some damage.’

Harry snarled in outrage. There was not a moment that passed in the last six or so years that he wasn’t being threatened or being placed in mortal danger.

He stood rigidly, his ears twitching slightly at the sound of rustling leaves and crunching of nearby branches. The enemy was upon them. He could now smell the beast, feel its malicious intent, and finally, he could see its horrid blue eyes peeking from the shadows cast by a group of nearby trees. His eyes widened for a mere moment in recognition before he lunged at the approaching creature, fatigue and weariness cast into oblivion.

‘Bastard!’ Harry howled as he flew at the smirking werewolf, his companion left behind to stare at the large dog in surprise.

“Harry.” The werewolf caught the large black dog by the muzzle and shoulder, slamming him into the ground violently. “What? No hello for your old friend?”

The ebony hued dog stood shakily, glaring daggers at the cocky beast.

‘You are no friend of mine, Greyback,” he snarled. His paws remained unsteady for a brief moment before he regained composure. Of all of Voldemort’s followers, this monster was the foulest. He showed absolutely no compassion or regard for wizards, whether they were pure blooded or mixed. He killed for pleasure and sport, and Harry felt an extreme hatred for the werewolf that killed many innocent students during the fight the previous year.

“Your friends tasted delicious, Harry.” To make his statement stick, he licked his furry chops, smiling in a gruesome manner.

Harry could stand the taunting no more. He whirled around and lunged yet again. His muzzle flew open to display severely dangerous looking fangs. Fenrir stood stoically, his eyes dancing in excitement as he caught the dog once more, squeezing Harry’s shoulders roughly. The large black dog snarled in pain and rage as he snapped at the face only inches from his own.

“I saw what you did to my pack mate, Harry. You twisted his neck like a pretzel and left him for the scavengers. I could smell your rotten scent all over him. Your scent does not change when you transform into a dog, that is why I knew I had found The Harry Potter, savior of the wizarding world,” the werewolf mocked. His features were now drawn down as he scowled at the snapping canine. “There are scouts looking for you everywhere, little boy. I guess I am the lucky individual that gets to bring you to the dark lord. And don’t you go comparing me to my fallen pack member; I am twice the wolf he was.”

With that said, the werewolf tossed the coal black dog away from him.

Harry flew backward swiftly, colliding with the Sirius look alike. Both dogs whined at the collision, sliding across the dirt covered earth before coming to a stop beside a rather large tree.

“Pathetic,” Fenrir spat as he sprinted toward the fallen canines with murderous intent.

The smaller dog was the first to recover. He whined as he nudged the struggling dog demon.

‘Get up Harry, he is upon us!’

Harry panted as he got to his paws, his tongue lolled out in exhaustion. In his mind, the image of Draco and his pack struggling to survive spurred him as the dog beside him could not. He leaped to the side, narrowly dodging the man wolf and his deadly looking claws.

‘They need me, we need each other. I refuse to die here, refuse to die at the hands of this mangy beast… I will not!’

The two dogs gathered their bearings and charged at the werewolf, leaping one after the other and colliding with the beast.

Now the fight really began. The three fought fiercely, biting, clawing and snarling as they tried to get the upper hand. Harry and Sirius’s double fought valiantly, knowing when one should back off slightly to give the other room to attack, or where to strike without hurting the other when they were both on Greyback. Blood splattered the forest floor, trees, and rocks as the combatants tore each other apart, quite literally.

Fenrir managed to hold his own, clawing at one dog while biting at the other. He caught hold of the smaller of the canines and dug his dirty claws into its slim body.

The small dog cried out, struggling to break free of the relentless hold to no avail.

Harry’s eyes blazed as he watched his new companion twitch and struggle, hearing his tortured whines and whimpering. He grabbed the wolf man’s arm in his powerful jaws, bearing down as he shook the appendage savagely.

Greyback howled in agony, throwing the crying dog from him so that it hit a nearby tree and turning his attention to the dog that held onto his arm like a vice grip.

The wizard turned canine stared unblinkingly up at the werewolf, his neon green eyes swimming with hate and contempt. Blood spilled from either side of his muzzle, yet he refused to release the vile beast. He would not allow this creature to harm another being. This time Greyback would not be walking away from the battle.

“I’ll show you a bite, you little shit!” The wolf man opened his jaws to snarl at the dog, ducking his head to grab hold his opponents’ muzzle.

Harry immediately released the arm, pulling away from the excruciating pain inflicted by the bite of the werewolf. He shook his head rapidly, backing away slightly as he licked at his bleeding nose. His stamina, much to his surprise, was growing as opposed to diminishing. Adrenaline pumped through him, and now that there was the matter of fight or flight, he felt confident that the gathering strength within would pull him through in the battle against the creature before him. He would not cower from this beast, nor would he scamper away with his tail between his legs.

He now had a plan of sorts, and hoped that he could execute it without shedding any more of his own blood.

“Thought you had me there Potter? Think again... I will kill you!”

Harry had expected the frontal, irrational attack, and easily dodged the enraged wolf. Without a second thought, the large black dog leaped forward and summoned his energy, willing himself to become human again.

Before Fenrir could turn around Harry transformed, standing before the perplexed beast with his wand leveled.

“Say hello to Wormtail you bastard! Avada Kedavra!”

The werewolf had opened his mouth to respond before he was hit with the killing blast. He fell face first into the ground, his mouth locked open with a never to be spoken comeback.

The Gryffindor cautiously approached the fallen wolf man, his eyes calculating and devoid of emotion. He then turned from the carcass and rushed to the whimpering, bleeding dog, feeling slightly guilty that his own wounds were already on the mend.

“Clone, are you alright?”

The scraggly dog looked up at him pitifully, whining and laying his head on his fore paws. Harry kneeled before the sad creature, petting its head tenderly.

“You helped me out back there clone; you have to get it together. You spirits can’t die, can you?”

‘Die, no, but we do return from where we came from. I am only sorry I could not help you find your mate, Harry.’

“I am forever in your debt, clone. Don’t worry about my pack, I will find them soon. You just relax and get some rest, you deserve it.” The young man sat with the dogs’ head on his lap, feeling the spirit grow weaker as its breathing became more labored. He did not think he would be taking this clones’ death so roughly, it was the uncanny resemblance to his godfather that caused him to feel the sting of loss and despair.

‘Harry…’

“Hm?”

‘Defeat Voldemort...The living as well as the dead need that peace.’

The ebony haired youth looked down at the dog just as it closed its eyes, its breath ceasing at the exact same moment.

‘Don’t worry about that either. Peace will be restored.’ He clutched at the horcruxes in his pocket. ‘I will stake my life on that.’

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“Bloody good for nothing, sodding git of a prat!”

“Are you done insulting me Malfoy, or do you have more colorful words you would like to use?”

Draco nearly growled at the scowling Hufflepuff. His temper had been explosive shortly after the battle, to say the least, and although he was loathe to admit it, it was due to the fact Harry had been away for as long as he had. His mark bothered him incessantly, burning and throbbing throughout the dusk and into the late evening.

“Well stop asking so many bloody questions and go back to sleep. Why don’t you go bunk with Lovegood?”

“I merely asked what you planned to do about Helios. He seems a bit depressed and reserved.” Cedric pointed to the large bird that nested in a nearby tree, his head tucked under his wing.

“How on earth should I know, you arse. Perhaps he is as sick of you as I am.”

Cedric bit the inside of his lip to stifle a harsh retort. Fighting with Malfoy would lead to nothing but a headache.

“I thought perhaps you could try to cheer him up, you are Harry’s mate, after all… Perhaps there is a connection between you and Helios as well.”

“It wouldn’t hurt to try Draco,” Luna called from her sleeping spot about 30 feet from the blond Slytherin.

“Mind your own business…” Draco grumbled before he got up and walked over to the dozing phoenix. He was a bit concerned about the bird as well, more so because he could feel its heartache.

‘Helios are you alright?’

The magnificent phoenix withdrew his head from below his wing, he regarded the boy beneath him briefly.

‘Although we are apart, our bond has grown stronger. I have learned something that may be of great use,’ Helios telepathically communicated, raising his head to the sky. Fawkes, who sat nearby on the same tree, lifted his own head to stare at the steadily lightening sky. Morning was approaching.

‘What have you learned? Will it help us find Har- Potter?’

The phoenix’s looked at each other briefly, then back at the blond.

‘Teleportation.’

‘You mean like what Dumbledore did a few years back?’ Draco leaned forward, incredulity apparent on his handsome face. He hoped that these birds knew what they were doing.

‘Indeed, I had helped Albus on that occasion and many prior to it,’ Fawkes said as he stretched his wings and flew from the branch to hover above the trio. Helios followed suit, taking a place beside his red hued kindred.

‘Merely lay your hands on our bodies and we will teleport you to Harry, as we can now sense his presence. He and you are connected, although because you are his mate, you need to be near him to build a strong bond and be able to sense his whereabouts when you are apart. We are guardians, of a sort, and our bond to Harry can grow even though we are not in close proximity, although it would be better if we were.’

Draco stared at the hovering pair before he turned and called over his shoulders for the others to join him. Cedric sighed and shook his head, yet motioned for Luna to follow Draco’s demand. They gathered up their belongings and jogged over to the former Slytherin.

“What did they say, Draco?” Luna asked, staring at the now descending birds.

“They say that they can sense Harry, and that they can now teleport us to him.”

“Bloody hell, so why are we standing around here still? Let’s find Harry,” Cedric said, approaching the now grounded Fawkes.

“Captain Obvious, are you? That was what we were going to do, you prat.”

Cedric rolled his eyes, causing Luna to giggle as she approached Helios beside Draco. The trio stayed their hands inches from their respective phoenix.

“On the count of three, then, if that’s ok with you Malfoy,” Cedric quipped.

“Now you’re getting it Diggory, defer to me on everything you plan on doing,” Draco retorted, smirking while Cedric grumbled under his breath.

“1… 2… 3!”

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Harry ran through the night, two legs carrying him throughout most, and four during the early morning hours as he grew more anxious. His body felt superb, and his wounds were nearly completely healed. He sprinted through barren areas, and groves filled with lush foliage. He was determined to find his pack, no matter how far he had to run, or how many minions he had to barrel through.

The river he ran parallel to provided sustenance and a cool, quick thirst quencher on one of the rare occasions that he did stop. That was the case now, as he quickly leaned over the side of the small ledge to lap at the refreshing liquid.

There was a poof sound followed by several thuds. Harry looked up to see a cloud of smoke on the opposite bank. The wind caused the rose colored smoke to wane and dissipate before it cleared all together. His emerald eyes widened as he stared at the group on the other side of the slowly sloshing waters. He set one paw into the current, slowly advancing on the trio plus two phoenixes.

Draco recovered from the none to gentle landing, standing and dusting at his travel worn clothing. He lifted his silver eyes and they fell upon the large black dog on the opposite side of the river. He whispered the name of his mate, the wind carrying the name to Harry’s delicate ears.

“HARRY!” The blond said, louder this time.

‘Draco…’

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Well, that was one of the longest chapters I have written. I want to thank my reviewers for their support. There will be a lemon in the next chapter, just so you are warned. Please continue to read and review, and as always, constructive criticism is always welcomed.