DisclaimerI do not own Harry Potter, he belongs to JK Rowling. Kyran and all things related to the Power of Four belong to me :)

Note:

I can't even begin to apologise for the long absence. Part of it was related to the release of Thicker Than Water, but the major reason was family taking ill. It was pretty bad, and for a while I didn't know what was going to happen. But thankfully things are going back to normal. I hope you all can forgive the delay and enjoy the second part to this 'oneshot'. Enjoy!

Fighting Fire with Fire – Pt 2

"Kyran?" Kingsley repeated, visibly relieved he had at least gotten a name out of the interrogation. "Kyran what? You don't have a last name?"

The boy – Kyran – smiled as he surveyed the Auror with sharp green eyes. "Of course I do," he said. "But you won't understand the significance behind it, so what's the point of disclosing it?"

Harry inched forward, eyes fixed on the boy as he watched the scene through the transparent wall.

"Why don't you explain the significance to me?" Kingsley offered. "I'm all ears."

Kyran chuckled, the same deep, dark rumble that shook his chest when he had stated his name. Harry found his eyes narrowing in irritation.

"There would be no point. It's clear you know nothing about my kind." Kyran's smirk grew. "If you did, you wouldn't be sitting so calmly across from me."

Harry felt James and Sirius close in behind him, drawing nearer to the wall, their hands flexing instinctively for their wands.

Kingsley was losing patience; it was clear to see in his furrowed brow and dark eyes. "I may not know about your kind," he said. "But it seems you've greatly underestimated mine. You attacked one of our own–"

"What I attacked was a werewolf," Kyran said, his disgust apparent in the way he spat the word, "You are not his kind."

"But he is mine," Kingsley said.

A flicker of confusion passed Kyran's face and he sat back, looking at Kingsley with narrowed eyes. "The werewolf is a wizard?" he asked.

Harry felt the surprise echo around the room.

Kyran smirked. "What's the matter?" he asked. "Did you really think I didn't know who I was dealing with?" He glanced pointedly to the wand in Kingsley's holster, the tip just visible from the front of his open Auror robes. "There isn't half as much mystery and secrecy surrounding your kind as you think," he mocked.

"If you know anything about wizards then you'll know it's best to comply with us," Kingsley said.

"Or what?" Kyran challenged. "You'll wave that stick in my face, mutter something in Latin, and poof – I'll be turned into a frog?"

"Doesn't sound like a bad idea," Kingsley said. "But wizards are capable of much more than that."

"I know exactly what wizards are capable of," Kyran said. "That's to say, not much."

Harry's hands curled into fists. He could taste the anger on his tongue. Who did this boy think he was, insulting wizards?

"Don't tempt me into demonstrating our powers," Kingsley warned.

Kyran chuckled. "Your powers?" he asked. "Can you even call it that? Isn't it better termed as...magic?" He said the word with the same disdain he had used to say werewolf.

"Call it whatever you want," Kingsley said. "It's not something you want challenged."

"Don't I?" Kyran taunted. He shook his head, as if deeply amused. "Your magic doesn't scare me. I know what it is, where it came from, and what limitations it has."

Kyran's words had drawn Harry so close, he was practically touching the glass wall.

"Really?" Kingsley asked incredulously. "Why don't you enlighten me about the origins of my own powers then?"

"Your magic is nothing more than the product of a deal, made between the first of your kind and the Influence," Kyran replied. He grinned. "Merlin, that was his name, wasn't it? That's where your magic comes from. It's what the Influence gave to Merlin when he went to them for help. But Merlin didn't know the Influence doesn't give without taking something back."

Harry glanced to his dad and Godfather. He had never heard of the Influence before. Judging by the looks on their faces, neither had they.

Kyran continued, "You may have the ability to do magic but only while you hold that stick in your hand. Take it away, and you're left powerless. The Influence gave your kind magic, but took your ability to use it without wands."

In the blink of an eye, the wand in Kingsley's holster whipped across the table, landing in Kyran's still shackled hands. Kyran tilted his head, his eyes fixed on a stunned looking Kingsley.

"Tell me again why I should fear you?"

xxx

For the first initial moments, no one moved; held still by shock. Then Kingsley made the mistake of jolting forward, to recover his wand. Kyran waved a hand and Kingsley's chair skid back to hit the wall with a resounding crack, throwing the Auror to the floor. The wand in Kyran's hand snapped in two and Kyran carelessly tossed it aside.

Harry was the first to react. He lunged to the side, to the door that led into the room. James and Sirius weren't far behind him. But before Harry could touch the door, it blasted open in a mighty explosion, and threw Harry, James and Sirius back. For a moment, Harry was left dazed and disorientated. He found himself flat on his back, covered in splintered wood. Harry rolled onto his front, getting up on his hands and knees, shaking his head to clear it. His attention snapped at once to his dad and Godfather, who were lying on the ground before him, not moving.

"Dad?" Harry called, a jolt of panic running through him. "Dad!"

Harry scrambled to rush to his dad's side. A breath of relief left him when James groaned and tried to sit up, fixing his askew glasses. He was okay. Sirius had already rolled himself onto his front, pushing himself up.

A clink of metal made Harry look up to see the boy – Kyran – nonchalantly crossing the room, the iron cuffs now a glowing red, melting from around his wrists to fall to the ground. With a smirk in their direction, Kyran opened the door and walked out. Harry was up in a flash, darting after him, as James and Sirius picked themselves up from the ground.

Harry ran into the corridor and stopped. There were rows of doors on either side. He had no idea which one the boy was behind. He pulled out his wand. From behind him, James, Sirius and Kingsley appeared.

"Where is he?" Kingsley asked, his voice thick with dazed confusion, a hand still on the back of his head. It seemed he had hit it pretty hard against the wall.

"We split up," Harry instructed. "Take two rooms each."

They stepped forward, when the ground under them suddenly shook – and then cracked.

Harry had used spells in the past to make the ground shake and tremble, usually as a distraction so he could slip past Aurors and Death Eaters, but this was nothing like that. This felt like an actual earthquake. The ground was shuddering and breaking under them, making staying upright an impossible feat. The walls began to crack and open, the door frames snapped, and doors began falling, smashing to the ground. James hauled Harry back, so he was in the doorway, sheltered from the raining plaster, and falling doors.

"What the hell is happening?" Sirius yelled.

"It's him!" Harry snarled. "He's the one doing this." The boy – Kyran – was somehow responsible for this earthquake. He had to be. They weren't prone to natural disasters like earthquakes. This was his doing. "It's nothing more than a distraction," Harry said. "We have to get to him before he escapes." Harry made to dash forward but James stopped him by a firm grip on his arm.

"Harry, no!" he cried.

Harry wrenched himself free from his dad's hands and darted across the corridor, dodging the raining debris of the tumbling walls as best he could. He could hear his dad, Sirius and Kingsley following after him, but he couldn't afford to look back at them. He had to find Kyran and stop him, before he brought the entire Ministry down onto their heads.

As Harry turned the corner, he found the Aurors in a chaotic mess, trying to escape the earthquake wreaking havoc on them. Doors had either broken clean off, or were left dangling from the hinges, so Harry could clearly see the upturned desks and chairs inside the offices. The ground under their feet was cracking open, sliding apart to leave huge chasms. The walls were crumbling, stone and plaster fell in large chunks, prompting Aurors to conjure shields above their heads to protect themselves as they hurried to get out.

Harry looked past them all, his eyes searching for only one amongst so many. He spotted him, at the very far end of the hallway, where the ground was suspiciously stable. He was heading for the metal grill of the elevator, since the rest were taking the stairs.

Harry's rage had him darting forward, jumping over the gaps in the ground as he closed the distance. His wand was in his hand, and he pointed it at the elevator. A shouted curse, and the metal grills the boy had reached out to slide open shut with a bang and then locked with an audible click.

Harry came to a stop. Kyran stood still for a minute, before dropping his head. He turned around, still wearing that infuriating smirk as his sharp green eyes locked with Harry's.

Kyran sighed. "It would have been better for you if you had just let me go," he said.

Harry smirked too, his green eyes ablaze with anger. "Sorry, can't do that," he growled. "You hurt my friend. I'm not going to let you just walk away."

"Your friend," Kyran started, "is a demon who deserves to die."

Harry couldn't fight the wave of fury that swept over him. His hand gripped around his wand. "And you're fit to pass judgement on who should live and who should die?" he asked.

Kyran raised his head, his eyes bright with pride. "It's what my kind does best."

"Well then," Harry stepped forward. "Your kind just got marked for extinction."

He darted for him, running full pelt. He threw himself at the boy, grabbing him by his collars before apparating out of the Ministry building. Since Kyran wasn't a wizard, the wards couldn't block him. Dragging Kyran through side-along apparition, Harry chose a location that was as secluded as it was cut off from the rest of the wizarding world; the grounds outside Riddle manor.

Harry landed and threw the boy viciously to the ground, sending him rolling through the overgrown grassland. Harry had to remind himself to breathe. His rage was rapidly darkening his eyes, but he needed to keep a level head. He didn't want to kill the boy – he had to make him pay first for daring to hurt Remus.

With a chuckle, Kyran picked himself up. He ran his hands down his clothes, cleaning them as he scanned his surroundings.

"Nice place," he commented, spotting the huge mansion in the distance that once housed the darkest wizard of all time. "That's a neat little trick you've got there," he said. "Disappearing from one place to get to another. Do you use that to surprise kids at parties?" he asked with a smirk. "Make their bunny rabbits 'disappear'?"

"Don't know about rabbits," Harry said, advancing towards him, "but I'm about to make you disappear."

Kyran laughed, like Harry's threat did nothing more than amuse him. He raised both hands and gestured him forward. "Come on then," he said. "Let's see what your magic can do."

Harry's hand was gripped so tight around his wand, it was a miracle he hadn't snapped it. With great difficulty, he shook his head. "Fortunately for you, I never take the first shot."

"Neither do I," Kyran replied. "But for you, I'll make an exception." He darted towards him.

Harry was ready, waiting for Kyran to come closer and deliver a punch or a kick. He knew that Kyran wasn't a wizard, so he didn't have any powers; or so that's what he thought.

Kyran was still a good five paces away when he raised a fist and swung a punch in mid-air. Harry was hit with a force he had never experienced before. He went careening backwards before hitting the ground. He came to a rolling stop. Harry raised his head and looked at Kyran with darkened eyes. Kyran winked at him, gesturing with his hand for Harry to stand up. Harry slowly straightened up.

"My turn," he glowered.

His curse hit Kyran in the blink of an eye. It was Kyran's turn to go flying through the air, hitting the ground with a groan. Kyran looked down to see the curse had singed his top, leaving a small dark mark. Kyran stood up with a somewhat amused look.

"You don't want to play with fire," he warned Harry, "not around me."

Harry grinned. "Who said I was playing?"

His wand was aimed at his target again, but this time Kyran darted out of the way of his attack. Harry saw Kyran aim at him again, with a curled fist – another invisible punch coming his way. Harry blocked it, throwing up his shield. His head to foot bubble cracked as the force hit it like a hammer. Harry didn't have the time to wonder what it was Kyran was using to attack him, and why it made his shield crumble like sand around him, because Kyran was suddenly before him.

Kyran's fist connected with Harry's cheek, whipping his head to the side. A kick to his hand, and Harry's wand was knocked out of his grip. That was enough to snap Harry out of his puzzled daze. He threw up his arm to block Kyran's next swing but Kyran's foot slammed into his stomach, making him stagger backwards. Kyran threw another punch just as Harry straightened up. Harry caught his fist in his hand.

Kyran looked at him with surprise. Harry smirked before knocking his hand back and punching Kyran, square in the face. Another punch, followed by a powerful kick and Kyran was falling back a few steps. Vivid green eyes met darkened green.

"How?" Kyran breathed in shock. "Wizards don't fight without magic."

"I'm not like most wizards," Harry replied. He raised his fists, and this time he was the one to gesture for Kyran to come forward.

Kyran obliged with a snarl, but Harry was ready. The two boys gave it their all, fighting one another with all their power. Every strike was blocked, every punch, every kick failed to make a hit.

Harry had fought with plenty in his life. He had muggle opponents in the cage fights as 'Alex'. He had squared up against Aurors on multiple occasions, but he had always had the upper hand, as other wizards weren't trained in physical combat. Kyran, as Harry found out quickly, was trained; very well trained. His movements were almost impossible to predict. The power that resonated in his strikes were at par with his own. Harry couldn't help thinking he had finally met his match. It only encouraged Harry to fight harder, to unleash his power to its maximum. Kyran didn't seem fazed.

It seemed Kyran grew bored of fighting an even match. The ground under Harry shook, only just enough to distract Harry. Kyran used the opportunity to land a kick, strong enough to throw Harry to the ground. Harry leapt back onto his feet.

"Resorting to cheating now?" Harry mocked.

Kyran raised an eyebrow. "You can use your...power too," he said. Then with a smirk he added, "if you can find your wand that is."

Harry's retort died in his mouth when he saw Kyran raise a hand, and before his eyes, a fireball sat in his palm. Harry didn't know what kind of being Kyran was. He had no idea what power he possessed; but to see him conjure fire out of thin air, it made Harry's hair stand on end. How could he fight him, if he didn't know the scope of his powers?

Kyran pulled back and hurled the fireball at Harry. Harry ducked out of the way. His magic sizzled around him, and Harry sent a wandless spell at Kyran, catching him, propelling him into the air. Kyran landed gracefully, regaining his balance at once. He raised his head to look at Harry, his narrowed gaze fixed on him.

"You really aren't like most wizards, are you," he said. "You can use your magic without your wand. I thought that was impossible for your kind."

"You have a lot of misconceptions about wizards," Harry said. "I'm so glad I got the chance to show you how wrong you are." He sent another wandless spell at Kyran, catching him in the middle, making him double over. "Before I kill you."

Kyran threw out his hands and Harry was once again hit with the invisible jolt of power. This one was so brutal, it cracked Harry's ribs on impact. Biting back his groan, Harry staggered forward. Kyran took aim once again.

Harry flicked his wrist and a fireball hovered above his open palm. Kyran stilled, staring at it with surprise.

Harry met his wide green eyes with a smirk. "Yeah," he growled. "I can do that too."

Harry threw the fireball at Kyran, who ducked out of its path. Harry threw fireball after fireball at him, advancing on him, not giving Kyran a moment to retaliate. Harry jolted to a sudden stop. He looked down to find the very ground had latched onto him. Roots had grown out of the earth to curl around his feet and ankles, holding him still.

Kyran's jolt struck him, making him double over with a breathless groan. Unable to move, he couldn't avoid the relentless attack as Kyran hit him with jolt after jolt. They hit him like punches. With a hand on his knee, Harry steadied himself and swiped a hand, throwing Kyran bodily to the side.

Harry directed his power to the roots holding him. "Incendio!" he breathed. The sparks weakened the roots so Harry could tug himself free.

Kyran had picked himself up, shaking his head as if to clear it. Harry came at Kyran, raising both hands, about to deliver a crushing blow. Kyran raised his hands too.

"STOP!" A cry sounded, and someone came running to stand between Harry and Kyran. It took Harry a moment to realise who it was.

"Remus?" Harry dropped his hands.

Remus was breathing hard, his arm, shoulder and chest heavily bandaged. He looked awfully pale, too pale to be allowed on his feet. To Harry's surprise, Remus turned his back to him so he could face Kyran instead. Kyran, Harry noticed, was standing still with his hands curled into tight fists and eyes a poison green. Remus held up a hand and took a small step towards him.

"I'm so, so sorry," he said to Kyran.

Kyran was glaring at him. "Not as sorry as you're going to be," he growled.

Harry had instinctively stepped forward at the threat, but Remus stopped him. "No," he said quietly, holding a hand. "No, Harry, no."

"Remus," Harry called, confused as to what was going on.

But Remus was ignoring him it seemed. Kyran had all of his attention. Remus did nothing but stare at him for a long, painful minute. "Please," he started, his voice shaking, "please tell me he's okay. I didn't – Tell me he's okay."

Kyran's expression changed, going from rage to barely concealed pain. He held Remus's eyes. "He will be."

Remus let out a choked breath of relief, almost sagging to the ground.

"Remus?"

Harry turned to find it was his dad. James, followed by Sirius and several Aurors had accompanied Remus to the grounds outside Riddle manor.

"What's going on?" James asked Remus.

Harry had never wanted a question answered so badly.

xxx

"So?" Sirius started, eyeing Remus. "You want to explain what happened?"

He was seated with Remus, James and Harry around the small table in one of the rooms in the Ministry. It hadn't taken long to portkey back. Kyran had surprisingly complied with the Aurors, leaving with them in silence after Remus had arrived to stop the fight. Harry waited patiently as Remus seemed to gather himself to answer Sirius's question.

"It's the wolfsbane," Remus said quietly. "It's no longer as effective as it once was." He paused before swallowing heavily. "I think I'm developing a resistance to it."

Harry shared a look with his dad. He looked worried.

"What do you mean?" James asked.

"The wolfsbane is supposed to keep me...well me during the transformations," Remus said. "But for the last four to five months, I've been having...moments during my transformation, where I'm not quite in control. They were brief at first, a few seconds, up to a minute maybe, so I didn't think much of it." Remus dropped his head, his bruised fingers came up to rub at his furrowed brow. "But they've been growing longer with every full moon. Last night, I – I lost control completely. I was in and out, seeing flashes of what I was doing, but I couldn't stop myself, couldn't stop what I was doing." He closed his eyes. "I attacked a kid," he whispered.

A ripple of shock went through the other three.

"He was just a boy," Remus said, shaking his head, guilt weighing him down. "He was barely twelve, maybe thirteen years old–"

"Actually, he's fourteen."

Harry and the others turned to see Kyran standing at the door. His sharp green eyes were fixed only on Remus though. "He just looks small," he added.

Remus rose to his feet at once. Kyran walked in, but chose to stand at a little distance from the table.

"I didn't mean to hurt him," Remus said. "I wasn't in control last night–"

"I heard you," Kyran interrupted. He gave Remus a long look. "I didn't know that was the case with werewolves," he admitted. "I thought you were the same as Lycans; fully aware during your transformations."

Remus was quick to shake his head. "Werewolves are nothing like Lycans," he said. "Werewolves are bitten and made into what they are. Lycans are born. They're...demonic."

A dark look crossed Kyran's features. "I know," he said.

"That's why you attacked him," Sirius said in realisation, speaking to Kyran. "You were trying to protect the kid."

Kyran looked at him but didn't answer.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Harry asked Kyran. "You could have explained you attacked Remus because you were protecting someone."

"Why should I?" Kyran fought back. "I shouldn't have to explain my actions. I didn't do anything wrong." He turned to Remus. "If you knew you couldn't control yourself on the nights of the full moon, then you should've made sure you weren't a danger to anyone," he berated.

Remus nodded. "It was my mistake, I take full blame."

"It's not your fault," Sirius fought back. "It's the wolfsbane that's to blame."

"I should have taken more precaution," Remus said. "I broke out of my restraints. I should have done more to protect others from myself."

Harry felt his heart twist at the guilt in Remus's voice. "We'll work it out," he said to Remus. "The wolfsbane, why you're growing resistant to it, we'll figure out a solution."

"I'm not sure there is one, Harry," Remus said.

"I'll find one," Harry promised. He was already mapping out a plan in his mind; he would speak to Draco. His aptitude for potions surpassed Harry's. He was sure the pair of them could come up with something to help Remus.

"That we can do in due time," Sirius said. "We have a month until the next full moon." He turned to face Kyran. "But what do we do with you?"

"You show me the way out," Kyran replied. "Or if you prefer, I can just make my own exit, like before."

"No thank you," Sirius said with a grimace. "You've done enough damage already."

Kyran smirked, looking oddly proud at that.

"With Remus having explained why you attacked him, it's been agreed to drop the charges against you," Sirius said.

"Yeah, I know," Kyran said. "Your colleagues already told me that."

Sirius frowned. "Then why are you still here?" He had thought the boy would take his leave immediately.

Kyran's eyes moved to Remus. "I just wanted to know why," he said quietly. "Why you attacked him and not me."

Remus shook his head. "I wish I knew," he said. "He was smaller. I guess the werewolf part of me thought he would be easier to kill," Remus said, his words thick with self-loathing.

Kyran didn't say anything, but his expression showed his disgust. He looked away, as if he couldn't bear the sight of Remus. He shifted, easing himself towards the door.

"Fair warning," he started. "If I ever see you in your werewolf form again, I won't hold back." His vivid green eyes narrowed. "You touch anyone of my kind again, I will kill you." His gaze darted to Harry. "And anyone who tries to defend you."

Harry took a step towards him, but Remus reached out to hold him by his arm, stopping him.

"It will never happen again," Remus promised Kyran.

Kyran nodded and then turned to leave.

"Hey," Sirius called to him.

Kyran stopped and looked around at him.

"Before you go, at least tell us what you are," Sirius said. "It's going to drive me insane, trying to figure out who, or what your kind is."

Kyran smiled. "All you need to know is that I'm a force you don't want to challenge."

"I already have," Harry said. "And, I beat you."

"No you didn't," Kyran objected at once.

"Remus stopped me, just as I was about to floor you for good."

"You wish, wizard."

"Spit it out," Harry said. "What are you?"

"Oh go on, Kyran, tell them," a new voice called.

Everyone's attention went to the door, where a tall boy with platinum blond hair and piercing blue eyes stood, smirking at them. "Tell them who we are."

Kyran let out a groan as he turned towards the new boy. "What are you doing here, Skyler?" he asked, and his tone gave away the fact that he was more annoyed to see the other boy than relieved.

The boy – Skyler – grinned at Kyran. "What does it look like?" he asked. "I'm here to bail your sorry ass out of the trouble you've gotten yourself into."

"I don't need your help," Kyran said. "I'm handling it."

"Yeah, I saw your handy work on my way up here," Skyler said. He folded his arms across his chest and leant against the doorframe. "Couldn't resist showing off?"

Kyran snorted. "Look whose asking."

Skyler smirked, his eyes glinting a cold blue. "I have to say I'm surprised. I didn't know you had that much control over the element of earth. It seems training Adams has honed your own skills."

"Element of earth?" Sirius repeated with a furrowed brow.

Skyler looked past Kyran to meet Sirius's eyes. "You can't be that naïve," he said. "Surely you must have realised you weren't hit with an actual earthquake."

It clicked and Harry's eyes widened in realisation. The fight he had had with Kyran flashed in his mind: the fireballs, the invisible jolts of air that had hit him like physical blows, the way the Ministry floors and walls had cracked open. Kyran had been manipulating the elements.

"That's what your power is," Harry said, making Kyran look around at him. "You can use the elements."

"Yeah," Skyler answered before Kyran could say anything. "We can control the elements because we," he paused to hold his head up with great pride, "are mages."

Harry had never heard of mages before. A quick look at his dad, Remus and Sirius confirmed that they hadn't either.

Kyran looked annoyed. "Great Skyler. Why don't you just tell them everything? Draw them a map to Salvador while you're at it!"

Skyler chuckled. "There's no need to keep secrets, Kyran," he said. "They are wizards, not humans. Knowledge of our existence doesn't make them vulnerable. They're immune to the Trace."

"I know that," Kyran bit out. "I wouldn't have used my powers in front of them otherwise."

"What's a Trace?" James asked.

Skyler and Kyran looked at him, before sharing a look.

"Trust us," Skyler started.

"You don't want to know," Kyran finished.

xxx

Harry and the others decided to accompany the two mages to the exit, wanting to make sure they left the Ministry. As they made their way out of the elevator and towards the atrium, Harry turned to his dad.

"How did you know where I was?" he asked. "What made you think of checking Riddle manor?"

James gave him a knowing smile. "I know you still go there sometimes, especially when you're wanting solitude." At Harry's surprised look, he chuckled. "I'm your dad, Harry. I know what you're like. When I saw you disapparate with Kyran, I knew you would take him to riddle manor. It's the one place you could be sure no one would get caught in your crossfire."

"Or it's the one place I could kill him without anyone there to stop me," Harry corrected.

James looked at him. "Like I said, I'm your dad, I know what you're like." He met his eyes. "I know you took him out of the Ministry to stop the earthquake. You took him to a secluded area, so it was only you and him, no innocents around to become casualties."

Harry didn't say anything. Ahead of them, the two mages were still bickering.

"You shouldn't have said anything to them about who we are," Kyran said.

"Why not?" Skyler asked.

"You know wizardkind can't be trusted," Kyran replied.

"They've proven useful in the past," Skyler said.

"You and I must have very different definitions of useful." Kyran shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose before letting out a sigh. "Why did you have to come and ruin everything?" he asked. "I was about to leave, without telling them anything."

"I came to rescue you," Skyler teased.

Kyran snorted. "You wish."

Skyler shrugged. "I didn't want to come. I was happy to leave you to your mess."

"Then why didn't you?" Kyran asked.

"She wouldn't let me," Skyler replied.

"Kyran!" a female cry sounded from the atrium.

Kyran, along with Harry, turned to see a group of teenagers clad in long coats, standing next to the fountain with golden statues. One of them, the girl who had called to Kyran, was hurrying towards him.

Harry spotted his mum, along with Damien, waiting in the atrium too. They were next to the fireplaces, having just arrived it seemed. Their attention was on Kyran though, and the girl running up to meet him.

Harry watched as the girl raced forward, her long dark hair, with streaks of electric blue through it, bounced with her every step. She looked like she was going to hug Kyran, but as soon as she got close enough, she slapped her hand across his chest, hard.

"What the hell were you thinking?" she exclaimed.

"Ow, Ella," Kyran protested. "Glad to see you too."

Her grey eyes narrowed at him. "How many times have I told you; don't leave during the full moon," she admonished. "You know it's not safe. But not only did you leave, you took Aaron with you." She shook her head at him. "What were you thinking?"

"It wasn't his fault," a new voice interrupted. "I followed him out." Harry saw a young boy, with dark hair and green eyes, step out of the crowd.

Kyran's entire persona shifted. The small smirk he had been wearing with Ella disappeared. His eyes darkened with worry and at once, he hurried towards the young boy.

"Aaron," he called. "What are you doing here? You should still be with the Empaths."

"I'm fine," Aaron replied. "Armana healed me within the hour. She said werewolf poison isn't like Lycan venom. It didn't take long for it to leave my system."

Harry felt Remus move past him. He watched as Remus walked up to the group. The surrounding mages seemed to tense the closer Remus got, tightening themselves around the younger boy. Kyran, Harry noted, stood directly before Aaron, his stance undoubtedly protective. Even Skyler and Ella looked uneasy.

"That's close enough," Kyran growled.

Remus obediently came to a stop. His guilt-ridden eyes moved past them all, to settle on the boy, who seemed confused with all the fuss. He was looking at Remus with bright green eyes.

"I'm so sorry," Remus started, his voice shaking. "I wasn't in my right mind. I would never have hurt you if I was in control."

Aaron's expression showed his shock and surprise. "That – that was you?" he asked.

Remus hung his head. "I'm the one who attacked you."

Aaron looked thrown, like he hadn't expected his attacker to be in the same room as him. He swallowed hard, his eyes showing his sudden wariness.

"You weren't in control?" Ella asked, looking furious. "What does that mean?"

"It means werewolves don't retain their memories when they transform," Kyran said. "The human part of them doesn't have control over their actions, only the beast does."

A look of understanding filled not only Ella, but all the mages around her. Aaron looked back at Remus, a little colour returning to his face. He nodded his head. "It's okay," he said. "You didn't mean it. It was just an accident."

Kyran turned to look at the boy. "He could have killed you, Ace."

Aaron met Kyran's eyes. "But he didn't." he said. "That's all the matters."

xxx

The Minister of Magic had made an appearance, coming to speak to the mages. Wizards and witches gathered around the group of mages, asking them all sorts of questions about their kind, their powers and this strange realm they claimed to be a part of.

Aaron stood to the side, watching them, watching Kyran in particular as he grew more and more annoyed at the questions and answers session.

"Why aren't we leaving?" he asked.

"We will," Skyler said. "As soon as Ryan and the others return after repairing the damage you've done to their walls and floors."

"Oh, Kyran," Ella groaned. "You didn't."

"They were holding me prisoner," Kyran said. "What was I supposed to do?"

"Well, for starters, you could have tried not demolishing everything in sight." Skyler said.

"Bite me," Kyran snapped.

Aaron shook his head at them.

"I take it they don't get on very well."

Aaron turned to see a boy, around Sam's age, coming to stand next to him. Like his best friend, this boy too had dark hair, but his eyes were a warm hazel. He held out a hand. "Damien Potter," he introduced.

Aaron shook his hand. "Aaron Adams."

Damien nodded in Kyran and Skyler's direction. "They don't seem to like each other very much."

"Kyran and Skyler are like oil and water," Aaron explained. "They're just not made to mix."

Damien chuckled. He looked over at Aaron, a spark of awe in his eyes. "I had no idea there were such beings as mages."

"A few months ago, neither did I," Aaron replied. At Damien's curious look, Aaron shook his head. "It's a long story."

Aaron spotted the Ryan and the team of mages coming out of the elevator, having fixed whatever it was Kyran had done to escape the building. His eyes found Remus – the man who had apologised to him, standing with the other wizards, looking weary and bone-tired. Aaron noticed the bandages wrapped around his chest and arm. He knew those were because of Kyran too. He turned to face Damien. "I'm sorry for everything Kyran did," he started. "For destroying your building, and for attacking your friend."

Damien shook his head. "It's understandable."

"Kyran shouldn't have–"

"Believe me, I get it," Damien interrupted. "If there's one thing I understand, it's what overprotective older brothers can be like." He grinned and pointed out Harry. "That's my brother, Harry," he said. "Your brother can't be half as bad as him when it comes to protecting family."

Aaron looked at Damien with a furrowed brow. He looked back at the group, at Kyran and then understood what Damien meant. "Oh, no, no." He shook his head. "He's not – Kyran's not my brother. We're not related."

Damien blinked at him. "Oh, sorry, I thought–"

"He's just a – well, I guess he's a – friend, sort of," Aaron said with a chuckle. "Most of the time, he's nothing but a pain."

Damien smiled. "Sorry. The way he reacted when you got hurt – I thought he was your big brother." He looked at Aaron. "He's very protective of you."

Aaron rubbed at his nose, smiling a little. "Yeah, he can be." He looked at the assembled crowd again. "All of the mages are protective of each other," he explained. "I think it's just the way it is. With everything going on in our realm–" He faltered, but then smiled sadly. "We have to look out for one another."

Damien didn't say anything, but nodded in understanding. "I get that. We were like that too, during the war."

Aaron frowned. "War?"

Damien shook his head. "An even longer story."

"Ace."

Aaron looked around at Kyran's call. The mages were moving towards the exit, some shaking hands with the wizards and witches. Kyran tilted his head, gesturing for Aaron to come. Aaron turned to Damien. "I better go."

Damien held out a hand. "It was nice to meet you, Aaron."

Aaron shook his hand. "Yeah, same here."

"Ace!" Kyran snapped.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Aaron said. "Hold on."

"You wanna stay here?" Kyran asked. "'Cause that can be arranged!"

Aaron rolled his eyes as he jogged to Kyran's side.

Damien went to stand next to his brother, watching as the mages made three trips using the phone box to exit the Ministry. The crowd of Ministry workers that had gathered to meet the strange new race of mages started walking away, going back to their jobs now that the excitement was over.

Kyran and Aaron were amongst the last to leave. Before stepping into the phone box, Kyran turned around to look through the crowd of Aurors that were still standing, watching them. His eyes met Harry's. Kyran smirked.

"If we meet again," he called, "I'll make sure we get to finish our fight." His vivid green eyes sharpened. "And when I do, there'll be no doubt as to who won."

Harry smirked and nodded. "I'll be waiting."

"Until next time, wizard," Kyran said and stepped inside, closing the door so the phone box could start it's ascend.

"Until next time," Harry muttered, "mage."