Hermione could only watch with shock and a sense of equal determination as Harry pulled the power of his storm into himself, his silver eye now seemingly on permanent shine as a bolt of white lightning crossed the silver-coloured appendage, the storm's power echoing all around Hogwarts.
'Ladies and gentlemen,' Hermione thought, striding across the room and holding Harry in her arms, if only to calm him down, 'Welcome to the eye of the Hurricane.'
Chapter 16: Only Human
After the attack on the Fat Lady, though Harry, the Order, Neville and Tonks knew the truth, the dual-Founder's heir instructed them to leave things as they were for now. If he revealed what he knew too soon, then Dumbledore would be on his case and Harry would never be able to put his plan into action; when Tonks asked him if there was anything that she could do to help, Harry gave her an appreciative nod before he told her to make sure her boss, his Vassal, cleared her Christmas schedule and that she would meet Harry on Christmas Eve at the house.
That just left one question in Harry's mind: how was he supposed to get a hold of Pettigrew now that the Tower was being watched by a rather idiotic portrait named Sir Cadogan? The inhabitant of the portrait had about as many brains as Weasley had balls and he wouldn't hesitate to spill the beans on Harry being there, which would give Dumbledore a reason to keep Harry there.
Not that the old man didn't try: when Harry met with Professor McGonagall before the end of November, telling her that he was going home for Christmas, Harry found out that the Headmaster had requested him to stay for safety reasons concerning the recent attack. Harry sunk that idea like the Titanic, his authority as Holy Knight coming in very handy as he explained – seemingly for the 1000th time – that he was going back to Mr and Mrs Granger, his legal guardians; that he was being protected by an Auror and the Order and that he would have his weapon at his side…as always.
Once again, Dumbledore was defeated and Harry was looking forwards to a Christmas away from Hogwarts, his seemingly hurricane-preceding attitude vanishing with each day…at least until the last week of term.
Returning from one of his usual meetings with Hagrid concerning his familiar, Harry walked towards Godric's Wing when a cold feeling passed through his body, the whole school seemingly sharing that feeling as an icy front blew through the corridors, startling even Severus Snape who was working on some private work.
Turning on his heel, Harry made his way down to Gryffindor Tower, his face set in a stern expression as he hissed, "Listen you useless portrait, open this entrance now!"
"Ah," Sir Cadogan laughed, "A challenge: very well fiend: I accept!"
Harry sighed, before he drew Excalibur from its sheath, his eyes both flashing with raw magic as he hissed, "You challenge me? You must have a death wish; now open this entrance before I make you experience what the Fat Lady went through."
The entrance opened and Harry walked in, his eyes scanning the Common Room, his presence startling the few Gryffindors nearby as he asked, "Is anything amiss here?"
"No Harry," answered Lavender Brown, "Oh, but Hermione did come in earlier; then she got a letter."
"A letter?" asked Harry, "From whom?"
"Well…you," Lavender answered, "Didn't you ask her to meet you in the place where you first became friends for a private discussion…"
She didn't get a chance to finish; Harry had turned on his heel and raced down the stairs, moving towards the girls bathroom where he had first made friends with his brown-haired betrothed, Excalibur's blade suddenly glowing as it sensed magic at work here.
Harry didn't bother with subtlety this time: a familiar feeling of protectiveness rose within him, seemingly summoning the four winds from all around him as he stood before the door, Excalibur shining brighter than ever. Using only his will to protect his girl, Harry summoned the power of the wind and coalesced its energy into a single, powerful tornado that sent the door flying off its hinges, just as a familiar cry came from within.
"Hermione!" Harry roared, moving like lightning, his eyes narrowed dangerously, his silver eye suddenly looking more like a fog barrier than its usual shining lightning appearance as he saw just what was going on.
Crabbe and Goyle, hearing Harry's cry, had turned to intercept the threat, but not before Harry had called on the power of his Storm side and used the time of year as an inspiration. Sweeping Excalibur forwards, Harry sealed Crabbe and Goyle in place, a veil seemingly made from ice and snow freezing the two gorillas where they stood, the sound of a cubicle opening and, before he knew what was going on, Harry found himself under attack from a brown-haired missile.
'Kitten?' asked Harry, suddenly discovering his bond to be stronger than before.
'Sparky?' asked Hermione, 'It is you: I'm sorry; I was only trying to help: he tricked me.'
'Hush Kitten,' Harry replied, running his hand through her brown hair, looking over her shoulder as he told her, 'I'm here now.'
Gently nudging her aside, Harry stood tall and proud as he declared, "There's only one person in this school those two thugs would listen to: show yourself Malfoy!"
Malfoy appeared from the same cubicle that Hermione had been in, but he wasn't alone: Ron Weasley accompanied him, his trousers almost undone, his face showing a look of rage and a shiner that would be there for some time.
"You…sick…bastards," Harry snarled, "What the fuck were you thinking of doing to her?"
"Teaching filth like her a lesson she won't forget," Ron laughed, "She took away our friendship Harry; she needed to be punished. After all, I'm the only one who could ever truly love her: what could you love about someone like her?"
"Oh I don't know Ron," Harry replied, the hurricane that had been building up now blowing through the bathroom, Ron and Draco being pushed against the wall where they hung like ornaments, Ron's trousers now falling to the floor with the impact of the wind. Harry, keeping a very close eye on his Hermione, continued, "Maybe it's her kind heart, her willingness to forgive and forget, her honesty, her sheer raw magical presence or maybe, just maybe, I love her for being her."
"What?" asked Draco, "A sick, bookworm of a Mudblood who thinks she's good enough to share the same breathing space as purebloods like us?"
"Malfoy," Harry growled, "Wrong question!"
Excalibur's blade began to crackle and spark, Harry's silver eye now glowing with the full power of the elements at his command as he pushed his sword outwards, the blade unleashing a torrent of white lightning that struck Malfoy, Harry's voice cutting into him. "That's for calling her a Mudblood!"
He then turned his lightning on Ron, the red-headed asshole screaming as the full power of the storm coursed through him, "That's for doing what I sincerely hope you weren't trying to do."
Lowering Excalibur, Harry then sheathed his sword, placed his hands together, a torrent of ice, snow, fire and lightning all coming together as he looked to the two guilty party, his voice now like thunder as he boomed, "And this is for trying to think that you could harm my Hermione and get away with it!"
Thrusting his hands out, Harry watched as the four elemental powers coalesced and struck the two still hanging wizards, Malfoy suddenly becoming a mix of ice and fire that formed hard crystal, sealing him in place while Ron was less lucky; the snow and rain from Harry's summoned storm enveloped him before the lightning appeared to burnish the collection of elements, freezing him in place, both of them looking more like Christmas Tree decorations than proud wizards.
Lowering his hands, Harry stepped back, the winds dying down, Hermione moving slowly to his side as she asked, "How…how did you…"
"You'd be surprised what I can do when my girl is in danger," Harry remarked, before he put his arm around her and kissed her on the lips, Hermione melting into his embrace, Harry then aware of her hand going to his pocket as they parted.
"Why didn't you confirm that letter with the bond?" asked Harry, placing his forehead against Hermione's, "I would never deceive you Kitten; you know that."
"I do," Hermione replied, "I'm sorry Sparky: I did consider confirming it, but then something appeared to call me here; I think the parchment was laced with charms."
"Did," Harry asked, a growl to his voice as he held Hermione, "Did…they do anything to you?"
"They tried," Hermione replied, "Malfoy said he wasn't going to soil himself with me, so Ron told me that he was going to make sure I was his: Harry, I was so scared."
"Hush Kitten," Harry replied, running a soft hand through her hair, "I'm here now: they'll never touch you again."
As they walked out of the bathroom, Harry drawing all of the power of the Storm into himself as he tried to return to his normal attitude, he heard Hermione then ask him, "Aren't you going to see what I put in your pocket?"
Looking at her, Harry reached down with his hand and his eyes widened when he felt fur and what seemed like buck teeth on his fingers; clasping the object, Harry pulled his hand out and revealed the toe-less form of Peter Pettigrew.
'Wormtail,' Harry thought, 'You traitor: if I didn't need you now, I'd skin you alive!'
Replacing the rat in his pocket, Harry asked, "How did you do it?"
"Easy," Hermione answered, "After Sirius told us about him, I had Dobby keep an eye on things: the little guy told me that the rat was in the Tower and he froze him for us."
"Did he?" asked Harry, smiling with a sad expression as he held onto his betrothed, "Remind me to thank him, would you Hermione?"
HPHG
There were only a few hours to go and then Harry would be free to leave Hogwarts and be with his family: thanks to his little additions to the punishment against those slimy Slytherins and that cloth-brained tomato, no-one would even find them until the first day back and, judging from the amount of power that Harry had displayed, the Holy Knight of Thunder found it hard not to laugh as he pictured Ickle Ronniekins wrapped in a blankie while Mummy fed him soup, Draco shivering through his teeth. Even now, Harry could imagine what Draco would say as soon as they were found: w-w-when m-my F-F-Father hears a-a-about this.
'Bring him on,' thought Harry, looking out of the window that he held within Godric's Wing, 'In fact, bring on the whole bloody Ministry if he needs to. No-one harms my Hermione and gets away with it and I highly doubt that Fudge would last very long when the papers find out that it was a Holy Knight who was attacked. Sometimes,' he laughed as he withdrew Excalibur from his belt, his eyes on the sword as it shone in the late afternoon sunlight, 'I look back and I find myself loving the day that I gained this weapon all over again.'
"Harry? Can I come in?"
Turning his head, Harry was slightly surprised as to the owner of the voice, let alone that they had used his name, before he nodded and answered, "Come in Tyler; I'm alone."
The door opened and the dark-eyed warrior stepped inside, his silver-streaked hair the only other thing that stood out among the wintry scene; seeing Harry there, his back to him, Tyler cleared his throat before he spoke up, "Sebastian wanted to know whether or not you'd like us to stay here over the summer or…"
"Come with me," Harry replied, "Mum and Dad would like it and, besides, you guys have sort of become like an extended family to me; so, come with me. Also, nice work there Ty."
"Ty?" asked the warrior, looking to his charge as he waited for a response.
"Sure," Harry answered, "Short for Tyler; well, why not? Sebastian is known as Seba to Remus and I; why shouldn't I have nicknames for the rest of you? Also, as to why I said nice work: you were finally able to use my name without falling over yourself to respect me."
"I…I have had help," Tyler admitted, "Tonks; she's quite a big help because of what she said to me."
"Oh?" asked Harry, a smile crossing his face as he asked, "What was that?"
"She said that we should see you less as our lord and more as a friend," Tyler explained, "Only seeing you as our lord when it was appropriate: Dante and Felicia agree with her, but Sebastian still sees you as his superior, using your informal title as and when it's necessary."
"Ah-ha," Harry nodded, before he noted one missing as he asked, "And what about Elora?"
"She's…still making her mind up," Tyler admitted, "She's been kind of distracted lately: ever since Sirius came to Hogwarts and…oh," he added, quickly changing his tone as Harry gripped the hilt of Excalibur rather tightly, "I'm sorry Harry, I mean ever since they made it appear like he came to Hogwarts. You know, between you and me; I think she has a thing for him."
"Wouldn't surprise me," Harry laughed, "From what I learned from Professor Lupin; Sirius was quite the ladies man back in the day."
"Oh," added Tyler, "That's the other thing: Professor Lupin…I mean Remus called just now and asked if I could pass on a message?"
"And what was the message?"
"He wants to know if you'd like some friendly company over the holidays," Tyler explained, "I told him I'd get the answer as soon as humanly possible: so, what do you say?"
'Hermione?' asked Harry, using the bond to seek out his betrothed.
'Here Harry,' came the reply, 'Downstairs with Luna and Neville and, to answer what you're going to ask: I don't see the problem…well, except one.'
'Sirius,' Harry agreed, 'It's going to be hard enough convincing Amelia to leave him be: those two are old friends, so it'll only make it harder.'
'Then say yes,' Hermione offered, 'If need be, he can request sanctuary under your House or under the Holy Knights; and, with THREE of those there, Amelia won't be able to argue against it.'
'Thanks love,' Harry agreed, before he closed the link and, turning to Tyler, replied, "It's a yes."
HPHG
On their last night in Hogwarts, Harry, Hermione, Neville and Luna all met up in the Godric's Wing Common Room, four warm mugs of hot chocolate between them, a roaring fire – no pun intended – filling the lion-shaped fireplace, Hermione nestled comfortably in Harry's lap while Neville and Luna appeared to be sharing the same space, Luna seated on the floor between Neville's legs while Neville sat comfortably on a large leather chair.
"Well," Harry sighed, "This Christmas is going to be interesting: Neville, are you sure that you and Luna are ready for this?"
"I am Harry," Neville answered, looking to his blood-brother as he spoke, "I've already sent the owl to Gran saying that I'll be with you this Christmas: she only asks that she can come to the Hollow with us."
"She can," Harry replied, "But this time, I'll protect it personally: I've been looking into ways I can use Excalibur and, it turns out that, if I place it into the floor of a particular building that I own, I can ward that building with Excalibur. Then, with a drop of blood from any and all that I trust, I can personally decide who can come and go as they please and who can't."
"Sounds like an interesting power," Luna commented, Harry smiling as he saw her toying with one of Neville's shoelaces like a cat, "When do you need the blood?"
"I'll be doing it on our first night," Harry explained, "We'll have the weekend at Mum and Dad's and then move onto the Hollow: also, there's something I'd like to say to you two."
"What's that?" asked Neville, gesturing his fingers to the flames, the warm fire now rising and changing colour, a warm red fire burning in the hearth.
"Someone's been practicing," Hermione smiled, Harry nodding in agreement.
"I'd like you two to stop beating about the bush," he explained, looking to Neville, "You're my brother Neville and I've seen how you and Luna get on: so, get on with it and ask her already. Hell, if you want to, just say the word and I'll see about Knighting her as one of us so that the two of you can be closer than a normal couple."
"You'd…you'd do that?" asked Neville, "For me?"
"For all of us," Harry answered, "All you have to do is ask; I don't need your answer now Neville, but promise me that you'll stop beating about the bush."
"I promise," Neville replied, before he reached down and, taking one of Luna's hands, went straight for the bulls-eye as he asked, "Luna Lovegood, would you allow me the honour and pleasure of calling you my girlfriend?"
Luna. In complete contrast to her usual dreamy behaviour, leaped from her seat and turned, before, in the presence of the two other Holy Knights, she planted a kiss on Neville's lips, Harry and Hermione both aware of a light glow that enveloped the two friends as she whispered, "Yes Neville Longbottom, I will."
'Are you thinking what I'm thinking?' asked Hermione, watching as the glow faded.
'Oh yeah,' Harry replied, 'But it surprises me: Ragnok told me that I was the last of them.'
'We'll have to wait and see,' Hermione replied, 'For now, we can be happy for them, which reminds me you: where's my kiss?'
"Right here Kitten," Harry replied out loud, before he banished his mug and proceeded to give his girlfriend an early Christmas kiss, the four friends just knowing that Harry's prediction would be proven right;
This was going to be an interesting Christmas…
HPHG
As the Hogwarts Express reached King's Cross, Neville and Luna both promised that they would meet Harry and Hermione at the Grangers on Monday, before Harry found himself being pulled by Hermione towards the barrier, Sebastian and the Order bringing up the rear with their trunks and the pets' cages. No sooner were they through the barrier before Harry had a feeling of déjà vu as he saw Hermione rush into her parents' arms, Emma hugging her daughter while Dan smiled and inclined his head to Harry.
"You don't know how glad I am to see you alive and well Harry," Dan explained, holding out his hand, almost expecting Harry to shake it; instead, the Holy Knight of Thunder surprised them both when he ran into Dan's arms, the male Granger putting his arm around Harry's shoulders like any Father.
"You don't know how happy I am to see you again…Dad," Harry replied, watching as Emma and Hermione looked to him, the Holy Knight of Ocean smiling as she saw Harry as a kid again.
"He's missed us," Emma whispered, Hermione hearing the sadness in her Mother's voice.
"Can you blame him?" she asked, "After the term we've had: Dumbledore sticking his nose in, Harry discovering a few home truths; oh…and then there's the Boggart."
"The what?" asked Dan, watching as he released Harry, who then found himself being welcomed by Emma, the elder female placing a motherly kiss on his forehead.
"Later," Hermione replied, following her parents out of the train station where she was surprised to find Sebastian and the Order already packed, all of them waiting on Harry.
"Have they managed to lose some of their…nobility?" laughed Dan, watching as Emma helped Harry into the back seat of their car.
"Most of them," Hermione explained, her eyes then noticing that their things had been shrunken down slightly so that they fit; shaking her head, she continued, "Tyler's more like a close friend to Harry; Dante seems to remind him of you Daddy and Felicia is more big sister material than noble warrior. Sadly, old habits die hard as Sebastian proves and Elora's been in a world of her own, but we manage okay."
"Would you like one of us to come with you Harry?" asked Tyler suddenly, watching as Harry wiped his eye and looked to his warriors.
"You can Ty," Harry answered, "The rest of you Apparate to the Grangers; Hermione and I will join you shortly: oh, and Sebastian?"
"Yes Harry?" asked the commander, moving to the window.
"When you get there, you'll find a certain large black dog waiting: give him this message from me: tell him that his pup and his brother in all but blood are spending the holiday together and that I'll talk to him when we get there."
"As you command," Sebastian then turned on his heel and the Grangers gasped as they witnessed Apparition for the first time, Tyler taking the seat behind Dan while Harry and Hermione sat behind Emma, their car pulling out of the station as they made their way back to the Grangers home in Crawley.
As they travelled, Dan decided to go back to what he'd said in the station, "So, what's a Boggart and how has it affected your term?"
"Dad," Hermione gasped, but she was cut off when Harry placed his hand on hers, his heterochromic eyes on Dan as he spoke.
"It's a long story Dad; but the heads and tails of it is that it was a ploy set up by Dumbledore to force me to lose confidence in Hermione. A Boggart," he continued, seeing Dan's face take on an almost angered look, "Is a creature that takes the shape of a person's worst fears, such as our ex-friend Ron and spiders or me and what I originally thought to be Dementors."
"Those things that attacked you on the train?" asked Emma.
"That's them," Hermione answered, "But Harry has an advantage over them that most wizards don't…namely Excalibur: when the Dementor came close, his magic reacted and what we now know to be called a Patronus came from the sword and helped keep the Dementor away. A Boggart has a similar effect and, because of how it made him feel, Harry thought his Boggart would become a Dementor…"
"But it didn't," Harry replied and Emma suddenly shivered as she heard a cold tone to his voice: was the blackness that she had worked so hard to release him from returning?
Keeping her voice calm, Emma asked, "What…what did it become?"
"Hermione," Harry answered, "And…the things she said…I…I still have nightmares."
"Then that definitely sounds like Dumbledore's work," Dan commented, pulling away from London and on the road towards Crawley, "He'd do anything to separate you two."
"So we know," Harry remarked, before he lowered his voice and muttered, "Such as an attempted rape on my…"
He didn't get a chance to finish: Dan swerved and slammed his foot on the brakes so hard that Harry wouldn't have been surprised if the man had penetrated the base of the car; pulling into a turn-off along the road, Dan stopped the car, climbed out, walked round the car and opened Harry's door.
"Out," he whispered, "Now."
"Dad," Hermione pleaded, "Please…don't do anything…please."
"Harry," Dan hissed, "Out."
Harry unbuckled his belt and stepped out of the car, Dan looking around as he then spotted a small alleyway; pointing to it, he said, "There; follow me: Emma, perhaps you should drive on."
"No," Hermione pleaded, "Please Daddy…please!"
"It's okay Kitten," Harry remarked, earning a sad smile from Emma as he spoke to Hermione, "I half expected this: wait here; this won't take long."
Following Dan into the alleyway, Harry waited five seconds before he practically felt it coming, but he didn't move as Dan's hand impacted with the side of his face, a familiar feeling of uselessness creeping up on him as Dan spoke. "You promised me Harry Potter: you swore that you would look after her."
"I…I'm sorry," Harry gasped, rubbing his cheek where Dan had struck him, "I didn't know about it until the last second, but rest assured that I made sure the guilty party got what they deserved."
"Some asshole tried to rape her?" asked Dan, now grabbing Harry's collar and lifting the Holy Knight off the ground.
'Merlin, he's strong,' Harry thought, the same feeling of fear and uselessness in front of him as he just nodded, Dan's fist now impacting with Harry's chest.
"I…I tried," Harry coughed, "I…got there…before anything could…happen; Dan…I would…never leave her…"
"Harry," Dan gasped, his nostrils flared and his eyes narrowed, "She's my daughter; my only child and you let her be fooled: you're her betrothed for God's sake!"
"I know!" yelled Harry, looking up, a bolt of lightning striking the wall just inches from Dan's head; staggering to his feet, Harry coughed once as he whispered, "I…I know; I may be all-powerful and a highly-respected member of the wizarding world, but I'm not fucking Superman: don't you think I was scared when I realised I'd failed her? Failed you? Failed Emma? How do you think I felt Daniel Granger? Like I was on top of the fucking world?"
Dan saw the redness that Harry had gained from his attack, his own eyes suddenly wide as he realised what he had done: he had hurt Harry; beaten him: him! The same boy who, not five months ago had risked life and limb to protect him from the monsters he had called his relatives. Looking to Harry's chest, Dan gulped hard before he tried to speak, "Harry…I…I didn't…I'm…"
"I felt exactly what I felt against that Boggart," Harry replied, his silver eye now sharing the tears that were forming in his emerald eye, "When I faced it, it told me that I had killed Hermione, I had failed her; that I was no Knight, but a Demon. And that was how I felt when I realised just how close Hermione had come to permanent damage, the kind that not even my powers could repair: I didn't feel like the Big Holy Knight of Thunder; I felt like I was the boy you saw lying in your living room over the summer; weak and broken. I'd do anything Dan to go back and change what happened, but I know that if I did, then they'd just find another way to get to me. I'm sorry I failed you, failed Hermione, but I am only mortal and I will never again risk anything save my own mortality to keep her safe."
Dan felt an iron weight of guilt in his heart as he watched Harry check over himself, the red mark clear on his cheek as he turned his head away, clearly not wanting to let Dan see him cry. Once again, Dan recalled the conversation he'd had with Emma about Harry as a warrior and about his blackness: if he didn't do something, then there was the chance that blackness would come back.
Walking towards Harry, Dan actually tensed up when he saw Harry flinch away, his eyes closed as if he was preparing for another strike, but instead, Dan put his arms around Harry and held him close, his hands moving through Harry's hair as he spoke. "I'm sorry son; I really am: I didn't think about it from your side, but she's my daughter; my family. You both are and for anything like that to happen…to either of you would make me feel like I had lost everything. I didn't mean to hurt you Harry; I just saw red; I vow never to lay a finger on you or Hermione ever again, okay?"
"Dan…" Harry began, but stopped when he found the man's arms around him, offering him the one thing that the Dursleys would never have done after a beating: warmth, comfort and a second chance. Returning the embrace, Harry whispered, "Dad; I'll try harder…I swear it."
"You don't need to swear it," Dan told him, running a gentle hand against the red mark on Harry's cheek, "I know that hell would sooner freeze over before you willingly let Hermione get hurt; come on son…let's go home."
Back in the car, Dan switched sides with Emma while Hermione lay Harry's head in her lap, the Holy Knight of Ocean in tears herself as she saw the damage done to her boyfriend.
'Don't worry Kitten,' Harry remarked, his pains passing as he told her, 'I've felt worse: he was just being a Father.'
'I know that Sparky,' Hermione replied, placing a soft kiss on Harry's lips as she looked to her Father, an apologetic look in his eyes as he looked to his daughter.
"I'll never harm him again," Dan told her, Harry sighing with contentment as Hermione's hands did their job again, "Either of you; I'm sorry Princess."
"Don't be Dad," Harry replied, looking towards Dan as their journey continued, "Let me be sorry for both of us."
"Of course son," Dan replied, Hermione growing happier by the second at this family moment, her eyes catching sight of Emma as she drove them home.
She, like Hermione, was crying tears of joy…