Shadows to Shadows

Hey all.

Again, I find myself very sorry for not updating in a timely manner. For personal details, see my profile but it wasn’t the only contributing factor with this story. When I was writing part four, I finally figured out where I wanted this story to go and had to return to my original outline to tweak a few things. It’s taken a while but I think I finally got down what I want to happen and I’m going to try and write several chapters in advance so I can start updating this damn thing regularly.

Warning: In this chapter, you will begin to see Neforia’s darker side. It is, after all, a military academy.

Without further ado, read, enjoy & review. ^_^

…
…

Shadows to Shadows

Part 5

…
…

Already it had been three days since he first woke up in the infirmary, Healer Leena unwilling to release him until this morning after Padfoot began chewing on her hair. Much to Harry’s amusement, the healer retaliated and turned Sirius’ fur into the hottest pink he’d ever seen in real life.

She then calmly turned to Harry, telling him he should’ve just asked if he wanted to leave.

Because Harry still wasn’t in the greatest of shape, Sirius insisted they find a place to relax on the grounds until the results of Harry’s blood tests were completed. They’d been chatting for the last few hours, catching up and finally regaining a little of the time they’d been denied in the past.

Not surprisingly, most stories Sirius shared were of his parents.

Harry blinked, surprised. “My mother saved my father from a unicorn.”

His godfather nodded with a grin.

“And this is how they first met.”

“Well, that was the first time Lily acknowledged him,” Sirius corrected.

The teen shook his head. “What… How does one go about pissing off a unicorn? Aren’t they supposed to be nice and loving?”

Sirius chuckled. “You’re thinking of thestrals, the unicorn’s cousin. Unicorns themselves have very nasty tempers, especially with arrogant humans. When they’re angered, they’re more comparable to a hippogriff.”

Hyperion squawked at the man.

“Yes, like you.” He glared at the beast.

The animal wasn’t impressed, glaring right back and Sirius would bet money that if Harry weren’t lying against the big brute that he’d probably be missing a few fingers by now.

Sirius shook his head. “It’s now wonder the man gave that thing away.”

Harry rolled his eyes, still stroking Hedwig’s furry head as she contently slept in his lap. “Hyperion isn’t that bad, Sirius. He just doesn’t like you and besides, you’re changing the subject.”

Sirius shrugged, petting a still shaking Onyx in a similar fashion.

It seemed Harry had forgotten the two owls in all the chaos, Hedwig having defended her territory and Onyx now sporting several scratches from the owl that was about half his size. Sakura had found the poor animal wedged under her desk, terrified.

“Well, James decided to show off and simply ran up to the unicorn when its back was turned and jumped on it.” He laughed at the memory. “It wasn’t even a second before he got thrown and the unicorn charged after him. Lily, ever the clever one, cast a sleeping charm on the animal and saved your father.”

Again, Harry shook his head. “Damn.”

Sirius nodded in agreement. “It was a hilarious sight and your father became so infatuated with her that he was borderline stalking the poor girl, hounding her until she finally agreed to a date.”

Harry grinned. “I would’ve loved to see that.”

“Remind me to ask Sakura for a pensieve.” Sirius smiled. “I have quite a few memories you’d enjoy.”

His face lit up. “Really?”

“Harry.”

Both Harry and Sirius glanced up, spotting the two figures now standing over them. One was a nervous looking headmistress and the other was a severe looking man, tall with pale skin and hair with the form of a bodybuilder.

Idly, the teen wondered what kind of creature he was.

“Good afternoon,” Sakura smiled pleasantly at her newest student. “How are you feeling?”

Harry sighed in relief. “A lot better,” he confessed.

The man cleared his throat, clearly impatient.

Sakura glared at him before turning her attention back to the boy. “Harry, this is Rexan Silverblood. He’ll be the one to train you during your time here.”

Harry bowed his head in greeting. “It’s good to meet you, sir.”

The man nodded once but got straight to business. “Bring your animals and the mongrel and follow me.”

That said, the man turned on his heel and walked away.

Sakura shook her head quickly a this confused look. “He’s not kidding, Harry.”

Sirius stood, his mood no longer content. “Come on, kid. Let’s go.”

Hyperion stood before Harry could manage, lifting his head under the boy’s arm to help him to his feet.

Harry thanked him with a pat on the head before they followed Silverblood.

When they finally managed to catch up, Rexan began speaking without a pause in his step. “The reason you are being placed under my instruction is because your blood test has revealed you to be mostly wolf youkai although it has also revealed you have a few vampiric traits.”

Harry blinked. “How can I be two things.”

“We have students that sometimes take on characteristics of several creatures so two is nothing to be concerned about,” he answered, not missing a beat. “The fact that you have traits of a vampire has made you one of my students, regardless of what else you are. Your power now lies in both your magic as well as your mind, as you’ll discover in your training.”

Silence met his words.

He glanced back at the boy a moment before turning his eyes forward once more. “I’ll take you to the room you’ll be occupying for the entirety of your education, you will clean up a bit and then I will take you to the weapons master. Afterward, I will accompany you to receive your crest.”

Sirius glared at the man’s back. “He should have a few days to rest before this, Silverblood.”

“You, Black, will never have my respect and even if you did, you know students with an awakening bloodlust must be initiated quicker than others. Not even the boy’s own mother would have a say in this even if she still breathed.” Though the words made Harry wince, the man’s even tone didn’t even shift. “I trust you’ll remember the laws this academy flourishes under. This is not Jetton.”

“Oh, I remember,” Sirius growled. “I wonder how many students have died under your charge since I left, Silverblood. Ten? Fifteen?”

Harry stopped cold at that, looking at Sirius in confusion.

Rexan paused, his back stiffening as he slowly turned to face the grim. “The only reason you remain in the company of your godson is because Neforia herself allowed you entrance. I will not go against this but should the academy ever reject you, I’ll not hesitate in ripping your heart out.”

Sirius didn’t back down. “Why wait, Silverblood?”

The man’s nearly white eyes narrowed dangerously at the obvious challenge.

“Woah! Now, just wait a minute,” Harry demanding, standing between them. “What the hell is this!?”

Hyperion grunted at his charge’s interference, knowing the boy couldn’t stop the two males if they wished to fight.

Rexan returned to his senses, eyes clearing though they remained on Black. “I’ll tolerate you, Black, for the sake of your godson’s mental stability. You, however, will have to accept that this is an academy unlike any other. We do not coddle students here, no matter who they may be elsewhere and I doubt your godson would appreciate the treatment.” He turned around once more, walking down the corridor stiffly. “Now, come with me.”

Harry blinked, turning to Sirius. “When this is done, you better be ready to start explaining.”

Sirius sheepishly followed as Harry followed without a glance back. ‘Dammit, Lily, why did your son have to inherit your eyes?’

…
…

An hour later found Harry Potter staring into a foggy mirror, his eyes wide.

Without only a towel around his waist, he was able to see the changes in his body.

Physically, he retained his height, however, his body was leaner than it had been with lithe muscle along his frame. His hair, while still short and unruly, seemed to defy gravity even more now and several chunks of the raven locks had turned silver, reminding him of a whacked out Cruella De Vil. It it’d been longer, he was sure he could pull off a convincing bride of Frankenstein. Like his nails had become claws, his teeth had sharpened as well but only his canines had lengthened.

‘Probably a vampiric trait,’ he thought, remembering Rexan’s words.

His skin, as he noticed before, was a deeper bronze color and was even thorough his body. The lines on his arms, he discovered, ran up and met at his back in a very intricate design that covered most of his back. He was unsure what it meant but wasn’t at all alarmed by it.

Lastly, and the change that disturbed him most, was his eyes.

They had shifted to an even deeper emerald color with silver specks throughout the irises.

A swift knock at the door startled him, his head snapping to look at it.

“Hurry it up, Potter,” Rexan’s deep voice boomed, irritated. “We don’t have all day.”

Harry sighed. “I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

Ignoring the mirror from then on, he turned to his clothes and quickly put on the black t-shirt, cargo jeans and boots he’d chosen. After running a quick hand through his drying hair, he walked out of the bathroom.

Sirius looked him over. “Vast improvement.”

Rexan nodded as well but went straight to the matter at hand. “Only your familiar is to accompany you, Potter. Your godfather will remain here, as well as your other…pets,” he hesitated on this word, watching as Hedwig forced Onyx beneath a chair and proceeded to screech at him every time he tried moving.

“I’ll try to do something about them while you’re gone,” Sirius offered, uncomfortable at letting his godson be alone with Silverblood.

Harry hesitated, glancing at his owls. “Don’t get too close to Hedwig,” he advised.

“Noted.”

Rexan turned to the door. “Let’s go, Potter.”

Forcing himself not to look at Sirius, Harry took a deep breath and followed the man into the hallway.

As he followed his instructor, Harry crossed his arms and thought over the time he’d been here. In all honesty, he was surprised at his own reactions to this place. Normally, he was much more hostile and tended to make random objects spontaneously combust or explode in his unease. Ever since he’d gotten the letter though, it was like a calm had come over him. At first, he chalked it up to stress but now…well, he was seriously questioning his mind.

That in mind, he glanced up at the man walking ahead of him. “Sir, may I ask a question?”

Rexan silently nodded.

“Does the academy have some sort of calming spell on it?”

Caught off guard, he glanced at the boy. “Why?”

Harry answered but was hesitant at talking to the man. “Ever since I got the letter, I haven’t been acting like myself. I’ve been calm and I’m thinking things through. I feel like I’m insulting myself but I don’t do that.”

“I’m not aware of such a spell,” Rexan answered after a few seconds, turning ahead once more but cursing his mate for putting his charm on the boy. ‘Damn phoenixes,’ he internally growled.

They continued on in silence.

Some minutes later, the stern man finally paused upon arriving at a large door. “This is Neforia’s smith. In the future, you will bring your weapon here to repair it or learn how to do so yourself.”

Silently, Harry nodded.

Questions requiring long answers could wait.

Rexan opened the door, walking in without pause and Harry followed him.

The room itself was huge and open, the fact that it was a blacksmith being obvious from the equipment.

A huge fireplace sat on the far wall, anvils lined up around it with hammers and whatnot hanging beside it as well as a long basin filled with water to cool the weapons. It was the wall on the right, however, that drew his attention. Weapons of all kinds hung on the wall proudly, almost cluttered in their numbers.

“Whoa.”

Again, eloquent Harry takes center stage.

“Indeed, my young wolf,” a voice silken as velvet stated with a chuckle.

Snapping his head to the source, Harry blushed a bit when he saw an elf staring right at him.

His skin and features were fair, his hair the color of snow and crimson eyes that were focused solely on him. It was this feature that stood out, Harry never having heard of an elf with red eyes.

Rexan nodded to the elf. “Guilde, Harry here needs a weapon.”

Guilde nodded once, smiling at the nervous boy before abandoning the bow he’d been trying to repair. “Very well. Harry,” he beckoned him over, “come over, please.”

With a nervous glance at Silverblood, Harry obeyed and crossed the room.

Taking a dagger from his hip, Guilde reached out with lightning speed and grabbed Harry’s hand in an iron grip before the boy could react and ran the sharpened blade along his palm just deep enough to coat it.

Harry yelled at the sudden pain, snatching back his hand but the damage was already done. He held his hand, pushing on it to stop the blood. “What the hell was that for!?”

Okay, so maybe his attitude had just been taking a nap.

“Relax, child. Your part is over.” Guilde held the blade above his head. “Behold.”

Harry watched as the blade began shining a bright silver that soon bled into the deepest of scarlet. Slowly, the light left the dagger and came to rest a few feet in front of him. It shifted chaotically between the two colors, moving much like a boggart changing shape. It took various forms but they only lasted milliseconds before it finally calmed and began taking a single shape, elongating in a graceful arc.

The strange light flashed briefly before fading, a Japanese katana in its place hovering in mid-air.

The surface of its black sheath reflected brightly in the dim light, a white lily taking shape on it beneath a howling wolf.

Harry stared at it. ‘It’s beautiful.’

Not consciously aware of what he was doing, he reached out and gripped the weapon tightly before the magical trance also faded and he found himself holding it in his right hand. Ignorant of the surprised looks he was receiving, he slowly wrapped his fingers around the hilt and drew the blade with an almost musical sound. The metal sung joyfully, almost like the blade was happy to be drawn. Its silver edge stood out sharply against the dark hilt, its edge sharpened perfectly.

When his eyes caught letters, he focused on it and held it up to the light to read.

‘To my son, may you find your true path in life.’ - Lily

Harry stared, unable to breathe. ‘…Mom?’

In response, the blade pulsed strongly in his grasp.

Rexan reigned in his surprise at seeing the familiar weapon. “The blade’s name is Aikaya,” he offered.

“This was my mother’s.” Harry finally looked away from the blade, his eyes on Rexan. “Wasn’t it?”

He nodded. “It was, yes, but it seems to have chosen to serve you as well.”

Guilde smiled slightly, his face brightening at seeing one of the best pieces he’d ever crafted return to this realm. He wouldn’t ruin the moment though, he would have time to examine the blade in the next several years. Turning around, he returned to the painstaking task of trying to repair the broken bow that belonged to Silverblood’s daughter.

Waiting until the boy sheathed the blade, Rexan clasped his hands behind his back. “Come on, Potter.”

Though a bit more sluggish with his thoughts, Harry numbly followed the man.

Rexan glanced over his shoulder to assess the boy, frowning when he saw his concentration was elsewhere than the task ahead. He did understand and came to a decision, hoping it wouldn’t get around. “I don’t do this often, Potter, but I believe you could use a break. We shall hold off retrieving your crest until tomorrow morning.”

Harry nodded. “Thank you, sir.”

Barely holding back a snort, the man led his new student back to his room.

…
…

End of Part 5

Well, it only took five chapters but you finally know what Harry is. ^_^ I hope I didn’t disappoint. It may seem a little bland but it was perfect in my head. Also, tell me what you guys think of the katana and Rexan Silverblood. He’s going to prove to be one tough guy to write in future chapters so I want to make sure you guys like him. I really hope this didn’t come off as a filter chapter.

Reviews make me want to write more. *hint, hint* ^_^