Power Paradox

Chapter 15

Where we left off

He ends up going to sleep on his uncle's couch feeling tired but optimistic. It's not a feeling he's experienced in a very long time. Let them come, he thinks to himself as he drifts to sleep. He may not be able to act on his feelings for Nick but he's determined to protect the man no matter what.

Now-

Feb28, 9am

Harry rolls over with a groan and nearly falls off the sofa he's been precariously sleeping on. He catches himself on the coffee table with a startle, suddenly very awake. Once he manages to push himself back up to sit, he runs his hands vigorously over his face. "Merlin, what time is it?" He grumbles to himself in the empty living room and grabs his glasses before looking at his watch.

With the thin sheet he's been sleeping with draped over his bare shoulders Harry gets up to wander over to the kitchen. It's then that he catches his uncle's hushed voice coming from the entrance hall.

"I thought I told you not to come here." Sean's irritation is obvious and draws Harry's immediate concern.

"I wouldn't have too if you returned my calls." A woman's voice answers with an over the top huff.

Harry peers around the corner, he can't see what she looks like but a sniff of the air gives him a good idea. A hexenbiest, given the situation, it's probably Adalind. A sharp grin creeps onto his face as a wicked idea pops into his mind. He's got a chance to mess with someone who's been making his uncle's life difficult. While he had considered himself lucky not to have run into her yet, he was going to make sure he'd leave a lasting impression. He takes a few steps back before calling out. "Uncle Sean? You there?" He makes sure to make himself sound sleep disoriented.

"Who's that?" The woman's voice pitches down to a whisper, there's a heavy silence followed by an outraged mutter of, "Uncle? What the fuck Sean!?"

Harry needs to take a few breaths so he doesn't bust a gut, though his shoulders are shaking a little when Sean calls back out to him hastily. "Out here, I'll be right there." Harry snorts at his uncle's poor attempt at hiding him, he makes his steps soundless and creeps down the hall just in time to hear his uncle's harshly whispered words. "Remember whom you are speaking to, miss Schade. My private life is none of your concern."

It's delivered so coldly that if it were anyone else, Harry might feel a touch of sympathy for the poor girl. As things are however, it only makes him roll his eyes. It seems working for Victor has given Adalind an inflated ego along with a false sense of security. Harry's about to remedy that. "Everything a'right?" He thickens his accent as he taps his uncle on the shoulder. The man turns around to give him a lightning quick glare that's quickly covered by a raised eyebrow at Harry's state of dress, or lack thereof.

Harry's still shirtless aside from the white sheet wrapped around his shoulders and his pants are perched precariously low on his hips. His feet are bare, toes crinkling in the plush carpet. No doubt his hair is sticking up every which way and his beard hasn't been trimmed back in nearly two weeks. He pretends to absently scratch at the light trail of dark curls on the flat of his belly.

He finally shifts his attention to casually study a very short blonde hexenbiest standing slack jawed in front of Sean. Her eyes are traveling from Sean to Harry and he can practically see the mental gymnastics Adalind is doing to figure out how they're related. There's also the disturbing feeling that she's checking him out at the same time. While that had been his original intent, a way to put her off balance, he's now regretting putting himself in her sights.

"Good morning nephew, everything is fine. Miss Schade was just leaving." The older zauberbiest nearly scoffs at the younger's ridiculous behavior. It's clear he's got no intention of making introductions and that he wants Adalind to leave.

Sean is completely ignored of course and miss Schade daintily sticks a hand out towards Harry. Her smile is sickly sweet, her gaze hungry and cunnin. It's like looking at a female version of his cousin and it makes his stomach revolt at the thought. "I didn't know Sean had a nephew. Adalind Schade, it's a pleasure to meet you." Harry refrains from snorting at her attempt to entice him. He has no idea what his uncle saw in this woman, aside from a pretty package she was obviously the type to stick a knife in your back if it suited her.

He looks down at the hand and then up again, he gives a half hearted nod in greeting but nothing else. "Harry." He considers giving her his last name, perhaps even remind her that the Council is still keeping tabs on her mother, instead he simply brushes her off as unimportant. For a hexenbiest like Adalind; it's one of the highest insults Harry can throw at her. He takes hold of his sheet and balls it up under his arm before giving her a bored look and does his best rendition of his cousin Draco. "Now I believe you've been asked to leave miss Schade, surely even a commoner like you can realise it when you've been dismissed."

The look of pure outrage on her face is something Harry will no doubt treasure for sometime. He's not surprised when she woges but he is a little startled when her hand raises up. "You little-"

Harry woges and snatches her forearm in a vice like grip. The hexenbiest gasps in surprise then screeches as she tries to pull her arm back uselessly. "Careful miss Shade," he squeezes, the flesh in his grip begins to harden to stone and Adalind freezes in shock. "Having the Crown Prince's patronage won't always save you from facing the consequences of your actions." He growls out a warning then lets go. His woge fades away and Harry smiles benignly as if nothing had happened.

Adalind takes several steps back, clutching her arm while the flesh returns to its pink hues. She glares daggers at Sean, angry and hurt that he hadn't stepped in but she recovers her composure quicker than Harry expected. She squares her shoulders. "I don't need anyone to save me, especially when I've done nothing wrong." She sniffs with her head held high and looks up at Harry. "Though I wouldn't say the same thing for you. I'll be in touch Sean, maybe you should reconsider whose side you're supposed to be on."

Sean closes the door before she's at the elevator with a long suffering sigh. "Was that really necessary?" He turns to march towards the kitchen.

Harry throws his balled up sheet onto the sofa as he passes then stretches with a satisfied groan. "I'll admit, it got a bit out of hand."

"A bit?" Sean cuts him off, the older man takes a deep breath. He turns to give Harry an incredulous look. "I won't say seeing Adalind taken down a peg hasn't improved my day." Sean grabs his suit jacket from the back of the bar stool. "But. You've essentially declared open war with Victor's favorite. Not to mention Victor will now know you're here."

Harry shrugs once he's put his shirt back on. "They were going to find out soon enough. I'm not worried about Adalind, as long as you don't start sleeping with her anyway." Sean scoffs but at least the man doesn't disagree. "It's bound to make waves once my resignation from the Auror corps goes public, my move here will make it pretty obvious who the Black family is backing." He sighs as he looks around for his socks. "I'll be flying out in a few days to pack my apartment. Think you'll be alright while I'm out of town?" His concern is genuine, they are playing with several metaphorical fires here after all.

Sean's ire is mostly gone, now he looks at his nephew with fond exasperation. "I know how to handle my brother and his minions. I have to get to the station. Please, let me know if anything happens." He says meaningfully.

Harry smirks. "'Course. Same goes for you though!"

Feb. 11, noon, London (4amPortland)

Harry walks out of customs with his suitcase rolling behind him. He scans the crowd gathered at the gates for a mop of red hair. The sight he catches instead makes him smile widely, little Clara is perched on top of Ron's shoulders holding up a sign with Uncle Harry written in rainbow sparkles. He waves his arm up to catch his goddauther's attention.

He laughs out loud when she sees him and squeals loudly in excitement. His laugh is joined by others in the crowd when she begins to bash Ron's head repeatedly with her sign then pulls at his ears to point in Harry's direction.

Once they're a few feet away from each other, Ron puts his daughter down so she can run to Harry's waiting arms. She giggles in delight when he picks her up and throws her in the air a bit. "How's my favorite little bludger doing?" He asks once he's sat the two year old on his hip. He nods to Ron as the other man joins them with a sappy grin.

"I can't believe that name stuck." Ron groans half heartedly. The twins had been the ones to start calling Clara "Little Bludger" because even as a baby, the little girl had a habit smacking people in the face either with her hands or whatever she was holding.

Harry shrugs and bounces Clara as he begins to head towards the exit. "You can't do anything about it now mate, it's rather accurate too." He winces when the sign Clara is holding onto swats him in the face, the little one demands he pay attention to her artwork. "It's brilliant, can I keep it?" He says while gently disarming the toddler. He looks back at Ron and shares a silent you see with his friend before speaking. "Thanks for picking me up by the way, and for helping me sort my place out."

"And for letting you crash in the spare room?" The redhead says with a tease. "Come off it, you don't need to thank me for that. I'm just glad we get to see you before you abandon us for the colonies." It's a light jab, Harry knows that Ron isn't a hundred percent on board yet and let's the comment slide. "Did you want to have lunch before we do the other stuff?" The man smiles hopefully.

Harry nods in relief, glad for the opportunity to delay some of his errands. "That sounds great, the food on the flight wasn't exactly great." He'll stop by the Ministry afterwards to see Kingsley and hand in his resignation. It's not a task he's looking forward to, and he's shamelessly hoping that having Ron and Clara around will at the very least serve as a good excuse to take his leave quickly.

Feb 11, 3pm, London (7am Portland)

Harry walks out of Kingsley's office feeling surprisingly not guilty and rather optimistic. A part of him had worried when he'd left Ron and Clara at the fountain in the atrium that his boss and mentor would find a way to talk him into staying. While that hadn't turned out to be the case, Harry had showed up ready for a fight, so to speak.

Kinsgley hadn't been surprised when Harry had told him he was quitting. According to the older wizard, he'd seen the writing on the wall for some time. While he had hoped that Harry's time away would reignite his passion for his work, he hadn't been holding his breath either. As a boss, he had been sad to see Harry go but as a long time friend, Kingsley had only wished him luck on this next step in his life.

Ron spots him just as he steps out of the lift, little Clara is once more perched on his shoulders. He looks relieved when Harry gives them a smile and wave. "I take it Kings didn't try to rope you into staying after all?"

Harry shakes his head. "Said his office's been brighter without my miserable mug trudging through every morning." He shares a chuckle with Ron.

"Well I can't say I disagree with him." Ron shakes his head at Harry's confused frown. "I hadn't really noticed how bad off you were before, but now, after just a few hours together." The red shrugs his shoulders and readjusts his daughter. "I'm sorry I didn't take it more seriously, you really were miserable here." He bumps Harry with his elbow. "Whatever is in Portland, it's making you happier than I've seen you in years. So it might be a bit far but you've got my support, hundred percent."

Harry grins, he knew Ron would have come around eventually but he's glad it's sooner than later. He considers how much he should tell Ron about Portland, so far he's let him do the share of the talking. He knows if he starts talking about Nick though, he might start to gush and that would be rather telling, even for Ron. "It's nice that no one give's a rat's arse about who I am. It's so different there in general, the wesen community is so large and diverse." He whispers the last part as they join the line for the floo that will take them to the Leaky Cauldron where Ron has left his car, a custom Austen that Sirius had gifted him when they'd graduated from Hogwarts.

"I always thought Holl was exaggerating about that?" The eisbiber asks with a doubtful look.

Harry shakes his head in exasperation before he begins explaining what he's seen of the world the unvollständig wesen have built for themselves.

Feb.11, 5pm, London (9am Portland)

Harry glances around his freshly emptied bedroom with a critical eye to make sure they haven't forgotten anything. Ron is currently doing the same thing in the kitchen while Clara runs around the emptied apartment chasing the practice snitch he'd gotten for her at christmas. Everything had been shrunk and packed into Harry's old school trunk in a single evening. It made moving to another continent rather easy, everything would ride in the plan's cargo on the way back with no issue. After that, all he'll have to do is unpack his trunk, place everything where he wants it then unshrink it all.

He's making his way to the living room when his mobile rings. He stops in his tracks at seeing Nick's name on the caller ID, he turns and heads back to his bedroom as he picks up. "Hey Nick!" He greets the other man happily.

"Hi Harry, listen I'm sorry to call you like this but I've got a really… weird… case here. Do you have a couple minutes?" Nick sounds tense and judging by Hank's warry hey Harry in the background, the grimm is most likely at the police station. He shakes his head with a small grin. "I haven't even been gone for 24 hours and you're already in trouble?" He laughs at the mock hurt sound Nick gives him. "What do you have then? And I say hi to Hank." He listens attentively but as Nick launches into the mysterious case of his overnight mummy, Harry's levity is replaced by dread. A completely healthy man, seen alive the previous night was now a dessicated shell whose insides had been somehow liquefied before being sucked out. The only other piece of evidence is a woman's severed finger left at the scene.

Harry groans and tugs at his hair with his hand. "Merlin Nick, you really know how to pick them." He knew what the grimm had on his hands and a growing panic began clawing its way up his throat. Harry starts thinking about the fastest way he can get himself back to Portland.

"Hey, that's not fair, if anything it's the other way around. But you know what we're dealing with?" Nick says in a mix of relief and excitement.

"Sounds like a spinnetod to me." There's a terrified gasp from behind Harry, when he turns around he finds Ron standing in the doorway in full woge.

"Did you just say sp. Spi. Sp." The eisbiber can't even bring himself to say the word.

Harry looks at this best friend with an unimpressed look. "Sorry Nick, just a second." He tucks the phone against his chest before speaking to Ron. "Maybe you should wait in the living room until I'm done talking about this?" He'd much prefer having this conversation without an audience but says it gently. Ron's fear is reasonable for any wesen but his phobia of spiders makes the spinnetods a literal personification of his worst fear.

The man hesitates for just a second before letting his woge retract, he shakes his head. "I'll be alright, is there anything I can do?" He asks as he walks into the room further to join Harry.

"Just try not to faint." Harry teases before putting the phone back to his ear. So much for privacy but he's also proud of Ron for wanting to help despite his feelings. "Sorry about that, my friend Ron isn't fond of spiders." Harry pauses when Nick lets out a few low expletives. "Yup, spider wesen are a thing, though some people," he gives Ron a meaningful look, "are of the mind that they aren't really wesen. Either or, I actually don't know much more about them other than what you've witnessed yourself. The men they eat can be muggle or wesen, doesn't seem to make a difference to them. You'll have to hit the books or ask Monroe for more information." He runs a worried hand over the back of his neck. "I think I should come back early and give you a hand with this."

"I appreciate the offer Harry but you've already helped a lot by giving me a name to look for. I've got Monroe and Hank for backup, not to mention an entire police department. You're coming back tomorrow night anyway, I think I can manage to stay alive until then." Nick's tone doesn't dismiss Harry's concern but it's obvious the grimm feels he can handle it himself. "I promise I'll keep you in the loop."

Harry bites his lip, he doesn't like it but Nick should be more than capable of handling something like this. He blows out a steadying breath, he feels silly for letting himself get so worked up. "You're right... Just promise me you'll actually ask for help if you need it instead of running off by yourself?"

"You got it. Try and enjoy your time with your family and friends. Make sure you bring us some souvenirs too!" Nick easily agrees to his request before they share a goodbye and hang up.

Harry looks at the mobile in his hands with a frown and a bemused shake of his head. Did he really make the right decision to let Nick handle this on his own? How had the grimm managed to talk him down from his course so easily?

"Wow, you've got it bad. You really like this bloke." Ron's whistle startles Harry out of his thoughts. "I can't believe I owe Hermione 5 galleons."

"I don't know what you mean." He deadpans despite knowing his ears are turning a dark shade of red.

Ron shakes his head in disbelief and begins counting off of his fingers. "You've already told him about magic, and you were all set to going back over there to save him. No one's ever talked you down like that. Wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes." He points towards Harry's face with a bewildered expression. "Look at your face, you've gone all red!" The man laughs out loud before stopping with a gasp. "You're in love with this Grimm!" The last bit comes out with a tinge of hysterics in it, like he just realized what he's said. "Merlin Harry, a Grimm! Mum is going to knizzles over this." He takes in a deep breath in near panic.

"First of all, we'll talk about you and Hermione taking bets over my love life later." Harry says pointedly. "Second, Molly will never hear about this because there's nothing to tell." He shushes Ron's attempt to interrupt. "I'm not going to deny I've well…" He coughs to cover his discomfort. "Nick is… special." He raises an eyebrow at his friend's childish snort. "Oh shut it! He's got a girlfriend. He's also becoming a good friend and that's more important than some silly crush. So there, there's nothing to worry Molly over." He is not pouting, he is going to be the mature one here.

Ron crosses his arms, looking suddenly suspicious. "Please tell me you're not moving to Portland for someone who doesn't return your feelings."

Harry scoffs and wraps an arm around Ron to give the man a squeeze. "I'm not just moving to Portland for someone who cares for me as a friend. I'm moving to Portland because I like the work I do there with my uncle, I love the city and I get to live in a quiet little house in the mountains." True he's omitting a few details but it's for his own sake. He doesn't want to delve into all the things that have led him down this path.

Ron stares him down and for a moment Harry thinks he's actually going to have to argue with the other man over the issue. Instead the eisbiber ruffles his hair, a gesture he hasn't made since their school days. "Fine, whatever you say Harry."

They walk back to the living room to find Clara has exhausted herself and fallen asleep on the carpet with her snitch clutched in her little hands. Harry carries his old trunk down while Ron's arms are full with a sleepy, wiggly toddler. It doesn't feel as odd as he would have thought to leave his home of nearly a decade with so little fanfare. Harry wonders if he ever truly saw it as home and not just a place to rest his head night.

They use a strong sticking charm to secure the old school trunk to the roof of Ron's car and begin the trek out of central London to Hogsmeade. Fortunately the enchantment's on the Austin are top notch and once it's safe to do so, the car becomes invisible and ascends into the clear night sky.

Harry leans against the back of the door as soon as it slams behind him. He grins widely as Nick immediately, and rather aggressively, attacks his shirt. "Easy, you'll rip it." He grabs the grimm's hands in a firm grip when the man snorts.

"Like you can't just fix it with magic afterwards." Nick is looking up at him full of mischief with blown pupils. "You've been an insufferable tease all night, if I want to rip everything off you, it's your fault." The grimm breaks Harry's hold and a tearing sound rings through the shabby motel room.

Harry looks down and blinks in surprise, a laugh of delight escapes his lips. "You'll have to pay for that…" He grins hungrily.

Nick laughs as he pushes him hard against the door to plant a searing kiss against Harry's throat. "You'll have to catch me then." He steps back quickly before turning around and running off towards the bedroom.

Harry decides to let him wait instead of taking chase. He kicks off his shoes and casts off his torn dress shirt with a feeling of great anticipation. It takes a few deep breaths to calm himself down, he wants to savor this moment. He'd been a terrible tease all evening on purpose, always pushing just shy of full contact. Nick had dragged them out of the club early and had directed the cab to the nearest motel he could think of. The ride over was a bit of a blur if Harry were honest.

He's just unbuckling his belt when he gets to the bedroom to find Nick is already naked on the bed and hasn't bothered to wait for him to get started. Harry takes a moment to enjoy the way Nick's body writhes on the sheets. He stalks quietly towards the end of the bed, his dress pants fall to the ground along the way.

"About time." Nick complains with a moan on a particularly sharp downstroke. "Never figured you out for a watcher." He teases and spreads himself out further.

Harry's throat dries up. He thanks whatever gods out there for making Nick and giving him a chance with such a marvelous creature. The grimm may not realize it but his strength and grace only adds to his allure. Instead of responding verbally he sheds the rest of his clothing with a snap of his fingers and stalks onto the bed. He takes a deep long breath as he makes his way up Nick's body, he chuckles deeply at the quiver he feels when their chests press together.

"C'mon, you're killing me Harry!" Nick groans and grabs a handful of Harry's hair. He pulls the zauberbiest up to smash their mouths together.

Harry lets the urge and muscle memory take over. He gives the grimm what he's been practically begging him for since the start. Sweaty rough palms grab at his back while he devours Nick's mouth. He moans and hisses when the grimm sneaks a hand between them to bring their cocks together.

Nick presses his forehead into the crook of Harry's neck, their breaths flowing in short bursts with each stroke.

Feb,12 7am, Hogsmeade UK, (Feb,11, 11pm)

The loud insistent ringing of his alarm wakes Harry at the worst of times. He's covered in sweat, his breath is still coming in short quick bursts. He wipes his damp forehead on his pillow and takes a moment to lie there and marvel at his own imagination. It doesn't take long for him to decide that it's a gift and a curse. He wonders if he's got enough time to take care of himself before someone bursts in to wake him.

He reaches for his wand on the nightstand to quickly aim a locking charm on the guest room door then brings up a silencing bubble around the bed. Secure that he won't get interrupted, Harry relaxes before taking himself in hand. His dream is still a vivid memory, it's easy to pick up where it had left off. Though it does take a few intense strokes to get back a fraction of the intensity he had felt with dream Nick. With each inhale he closes his eyes, forcing the scent memory to take over his senses. His hands twitch to grab onto hips that aren't really there, he groans in frustration because it's just not enough to picture those blue eyes boring into him. He wants to feel real sweat slicked skin under his palms. He wants to know what Nick would really sound like if he were bouncing enthusiastically on top of him. He reaches his peak with gritted teeth when his mind supplies a clear memory of the grimm whispering his name in urgency. He woges and trembles with the aftershocks of orgasm.

He lies there, feeling satiated and a bit like a puddle of goo. He knows he needs to get up and start moving, he does have a plane to catch in less than 3 hours. Harry covers his eyes with his arm, now that adrenaline is fading he feels even less inclined to get out of bed and face the world. Still, the sooner he gets moving, the sooner he gets back to Nick.

He freezes at the thought then gets up with a self deprecating shake of his head. Who was he kidding, he was head over heels with no end in sight. Is it really such a bad thing, he wonders, to love someone who couldn't love you back the same way. He's already committed to his friendship with Nick, to protecting him, but he's realizing that when it comes to the grimm, Harry is even willing to sacrifice his own happiness.

He gets dressed quickly and makes sure the room is clean before making his way downstairs. It's ok if his more personal moments with Nick are in his dreams, he can accept the limits of his friendship with the other man and be satisfied.

Feb.12, Heathrow, 8:30am

Harry sits helplessly at the end of a table in one of the fanciest restaurants one could find in an airport. He understands why everyone here felt the need to throw this little goodbye breakfast but he'd specifically said he hadn't wanted to do this. Moving to another continent isn't the same hassle for wizards as it is for muggles.

He checks his phone, again, with his leg bouncing restlessly under the table.

"Worried about something Harry?" Ron teases from down the table where he's sandwiched between Holly and Hermione. The shit eater grin the redhead gives him makes Harry roll his eyes.

"What's Harry got to be worried about?" Sirius, who's sitting to Harry's right, asks with a curious frown. He looks between Ron and his son with suspicion. "Has it got anything to do with why you've checked your mobile obsessively since you got here? Or are you just in a hurry to be rid of us?" The older wizard teases.

Now Harry grits his teeth and pictures himself strangling Ron. The glare he sends his best friend is met by conspiratorial grins from Ron, Holly, and Hermione. The eisbiber had been bemoaning his lost 5 galleons since Hermione had collected upon her arrival this morning. Fine, if they wanted to play hardball he wasn't going down without swinging back.

He signs, lets the worry that's been gnawing at him since he first checked his phone show through. "I got some worrying news from detective Burkhardt last night." He pulls up the picture Nick had sent him at some point during the night. It's a series of sketches from one of the grimm's books, while Harry has yet to visit Nick's trailer he's received many pictures like this over the past few weeks. He hands the mobile to his dad as he whispers, just loud enough for those at the table to hear. "There's a spinnetod in Portland." He does his best not to grin at Ron's sharp inhale.

Sirius takes hold of the device to study the picture closely. He looks up at Ron's pale features and shakes his head with a light chuckle before he turns back to Harry with a serious face. "I see, you don't think the detective can handle this?"

"Well, yeah, o' course Nick can handle it, it's just." Harry stumbles over his answer as he realizes he's been played. Sirius' innocent smile turns wicked and his blue eyes crinkle. "Oh, come on!" He groans and covers his face as everyone around the table burst into laughter.

"AH!" Hermione exclaims triumphantly. "See, now pay up!"

There's a fake long suffering sigh from Sirius. "I'll admit it was a fair bet, my money had been on that blutbad fellow we keep hearing about."

Harry groans again from inside his palms, he can't bring himself to look up. "I hate you all." He grumbles as another round of laughter surrounds him.

Feb. 12 8pm, Portland.

By the time Harry's plane lands in Portland he's a bundle of anxiety and wishing more than ever that he hadn't let Nick talk him out of rushing back home via magical means. Instead he's been forced to endure a long uncomfortable flight and a boring lay over with only a few texts from Sean and Nick letting him know that they'd had another body and while the evidence was mounting there still wasn't a suspect.

Once he's past customs and has retrieved his trunk, his phone finally pings with a back log of texts. He reads the events that have transpired while he'd been airborne with cautious relief. Nick had found the spinnetod and arrested her shortly before his plane had landed, tangled in a fishing net of all things. Harry breathes a deep sigh of relief and the knot that's been present in his stomach since yesterday finally lets go.

His phone pings again, this time it's from Monroe telling him that he's waiting for Harry in the pick up zone. He'll be staying with the blutbad again until he can move into his new place, it'll definitely be better than living out of some stuffy hotel again.

Harry sends three texts before picking up his trunk and making his way through the airport. The first goes to Monroe to let the man know he would be there shortly, the second to his uncle to say he'd landed safe and sound, and the last he sent to Nick. While it was similar to the one he'd sent Sean, he couldn't help telling the grimm he was glad the man hadn't been hurt.

Monroe greets him cheerfully though he frowns as he notices what Harry is casually dragging behind him. "You really have all your stuff in there?" He raises his eyebrows in a meaningful way.

He chuckles and nods. "Yup, took us about two hours to get it done but it's all there." The only thing missing is Hedwig who would be remaining with Hermione until Harry got the floo working in his new place. While still in good health, she's still an older owl and he hadn't wanted to put her through a long flight in the plane's cargo. Also this way he wouldn't have to worry about getting a rare owl through customs.

Monroe bends down to help him lift the trunk into the boot of his car. "Dude! It's not even heavy…." The man exclaims with shock then grins as he effortlessly lifts the large chest into the back of his small car. He makes a sour face over the fact that they can't close the hatch fully.

"The only thing I couldn't do was shrink the trunk itself; would've warped everything inside… Bit of a bother and I still don't understand the theory but oh well. Can't look a gift horse in the mouth." Harry shrugs his shoulders while subtly charming the trunk in place. "There, a tornado could pick up this car and it still wouldn't fall out."

Monroe shakes his head as he steps behind the wheel. "That's handy… crazy but handy."

Harry snorts as he joins the blutbad in the car, once he's ratcheted the seat all the way back, he sighs. "Talking about crazy, Nick sent me a text about the friend you took him to see. How the hell do you know a spinnetod?" He looks at the older wesen with a bewildered expression.

Monroe coughs. "Well, you see when I first came to Portland I was still new to the whole wieder thing." He continues at Harry's understanding nod. "So anyway, I was having a hard time adjusting and a guy from my support group told me about this Klosterhaus he volunteered at."

Harry's eyebrows shoot up. "There's a klosterhaus in Portland?" These wesen retirement homes were a thing from the old world, or so he'd thought until now, and were becoming extremely rare. Klosterhauses play an important role in wesen culture, acting as a safe haven for elder wesen who struggle at maintaining their human gises. The fact that there's been one in Portland for years and he hadn't known means whoever runs the House is doing their job properly.

"Yeah, it's mostly for wieder wesens too, which is how I met Charlotte." Monroe's face turns sad for a moment. "You know, those girls get a really shitty deal."

"How so?" He asks with a curious frown.

"When I met Charlotte she looked maybe in her mid thirties and today," Monroe shakes his head and swallows down a lump. "Today she looked well into her seventies… She's only twenty-six man."

"That's." Harry is speechless. He starts to connect the dots while Monroe takes a moment to concentrate on some traffic up ahead.

"Turns out spinnetods kill because if they don't then they age, like superfast and lose half their lifespan. I can't imagine what it must be like to have to make a choice like that…" Monroe falls silent.

Harry sighs deeply. Perspective always has a way of muddling up the waters. "Damned if they do, damned if they don't. On the other hand, I wont say I'd volunteer up as a sacrifice for one of them either." He looks out the window in thought, he can't imagine having to take an innocent life to save himself. Harry imagines Nick probably feels just as conflicted about a case like this. The grimm knew what would happen to the spinnetod if he stopped her. Now this woman would not only rapidly wither and die, she was going to do so behind bars.

"Yeah, you got that right. Which is why I've got a nice quiet evening planned for us tonight. Just two buds hanging out, watching old movies and drinking beer." Monroe offers in a show of livening up what is turning into a depressing conversation.

Harry smiles. "I like the sound of that, as long as I get to pick the movie though." He smirks when his friend groans and lets out a childish fine. "Sorry mate, no black and white movies tonight. Besides, you got to pick last time." He laughs, this is just the sort of thing he needs on a night like this.

Feb.20, 2pm, Portland, Harry's House

Harry floats the plates from the kitchen table to the cupboards. While he is more than capable of doing so manually, his guests are continuously entertained by his demonstration of various simple household spells. Some people would say he was showing off, perhaps he was but he is truly enjoying being able to share this aspect of himself with the new people in his life.

"I still can't believe you guys told me last, again." Hank shakes his head as he watches with a crooked smile. Despite all his whining about being the last one to know everything, the man was obviously not that upset over it. Like the revelation of wesens, Hank had taken the news that Harry was a wizard on top of everything else with relative grace. It was hard to deny it once Harry had started to unpack his trunk and unshrunk the couch after placing it where it would go.

"It's not like you've actually had to do the labour generally needed to earn your beer either." Harry snarks with a grin, Nick and Monroe jeer at Hank.

Nick and Hank had insisted on helping Harry last week when he'd announced his move-in date during what was becoming their weekly get togethers. It hadn't mattered that he'd said he didn't need the help, because while he truly didn't he hadn't exactly been able to explain why. Monroe hadn't been able to back him up in front of Hank either and had only halfheartedly added to the others' enthusiasm. Nick had all too easily strong armed him into letting them carry out proper american traditions now that he was moving there. Harry hadn't had the heart to say no in the end.

He also took it as a sign that Hank needed to be let into the loop about magic as well. Of course the whole deal had included talking Harry into supplying all of the pizza and beer.

"Yeah well, I guess you've got a point there." Hank points to the now fully unpacked kitchen and living room. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that you carried all this stuff in some old timey chest."

Monroe snorts. "I had the same feeling when I picked him up at the airport. I can't imagine how much time and money folks could save if we could all just pack up our extra shit in little boxes or infinite bags."

"No such thing as infinite bags Monroe." Harry laughs as he joins the others around the table. "I've told you, magic does have limits."

"You gotta admit the rules on that are a bit nonsensical." Nick adds in his own view to the conversation. "I mean, even you say you don't get how some of this stuff works."

Harry shakes his head with a dark chuckle. "One day, you'll get to meet Hermione and on that day, you will all regret not simply taking my word for it." He snorts.

"Is she the one who thought getting expelled from school would be worse than being murdered?" Nick asks, no doubt recalling some of the talks he and Harry have had about their younger days.

"Yup." He gets an idea and accio's one of the pictures still in his trunk. When it reaches him the frame is roughly the size of a stamp, Harry returns it to its normal size before passing it around. "This was taken at a quidditch match Ron and Hermione took me to for my birthday a few years ago."

"You aren't in the picture?" Monroe asks with a frown despite his enchantment with the moving picture. He gives a little wave with his finger to someone in the frame.

"Oh I probably just got bored and walked away, hold on." Harry grabs the picture from the blutbad without much thought and gives the frame a vigorous shake.

"Dude!" Hank exclaims as tiny shouts and curses are heard from the picture.

Harry looks up and blinks owlishly for a moment. "Ah. Right umm. Don't worry, they're all fine, see." He flips the frame back over.

"I dunno man, I'm pretty sure you just gave yourself the finger…" Monroe presses his lips together to suppress his laughter.

"Man, all this magic stuff is nuts." Hank says as he takes the picture from Monroe. "So these are your best friends since highschool huh?" He asks curiously while he studies the picture closely, he squints and frowns. "Is that… are those flying brooms?"

"How else are you supposed to play quidditch?" Harry deadpans before grinning. Now this is a topic of conversation he's fully versed in. The next little while is spent with him educating his friends on what is without a doubt the best sport in the world, in his humble totally not biased opinion. He ends up arguing that particular issue with Hank and Monroe, who prefer american football, until dinner time. Their arguments often turn into poorly flinged insults over pizza and drinks but it turns out to be the sort of night that makes him glad he decided to move here.

Feb.23, late night, Portland

The moon lends it's light to the hunt, along with a cloudless night the trail left by their rabbid skalenzahne is now clear to see. Even for an old one eyed lowen like Tobin Taymor. He waves the others over before getting back on his horse. They're getting close, still he shakes his head at the morons calling out the fighter's name. It won't do them any good other than announce their location to their prey. He mourns the old days when the young respected the old, and when the Games were more than this mockery his grandson Leo and the bastard prince have turned it into.

He kicks his horse to a trot and rides quietly along the trail of broken twigs and clawed tree trunks. The search has been going on for too long already, he knows of a few remote cabins in the area whose tenants are likely to allure a starved beast like Dimitri.

Their best fighter had truly lost himself to the arena tonight and had turned his hunger on the crowd. Tobin had been in the back of the warehouse getting another fighter ready when it had happened and hadn't been able to renew his control over Dimitri.

It's Leo's mess and yet he's the one cleaning it up. Him and six others have to trudge through the mountains at night because Leo's pet skalenzahne is out of control. It's one thing to give the fighters a taste for the meat of their own kind, it's another to lace that meat with chemical cocktails. It makes the fighter too unpredictable.

He curses under his breath when he hears the beast roar in the distance ahead. There's another guttural cry that isn't familiar to Tobin, he spurs his horse to go faster. There's six of them hunting for Dimitri and whoever is out there fighting him isn't one of their own. Tobin isn't hurrying to save whoever this unfortunate soul is, there's no doubt in his mind that by the time he reaches the scene, the skalenzahne will be busy devouring his kill. He's hurrying because it's the best chance they'll get to sneak up and catch the beast without having to kill him.

The trees begin to thin and old One-Eye slows his horse down before dismounting. The sounds of the struggle have not decreased, instead Tobin stops in shock when a clear voice shouts, "Confringo!" Dimitri's pained growl can be heard followed by a string of colourful curses from the wizard who's discovered that a skalenzahne's scales are resistant to most magical attacks.

He signals the others that have joined him to stay silent as they approach the clearing. Tobin's heart is beating quickly in his chest with excitement when he takes in the scene unfolding in the middle of a muddy driveway. Murmurs begin all around him as the other lowen realize what's happening.

"That's a fucking zauberbiest!" One of the younger men exclaims almost too loudly. He's quickly shushed by Tobin with a subvocal growl.

Tobin can't believe he's seeing this, he hasn't seen another ursprünglich wesen in decades. The men around him flinch when Dimitri takes a wild swipe at the zauberbiest who only narrowly escapes having his belly eviscerated. It's obvious by the way the wizard moves that he's a fighter, by all rights he should have had the upper hand in this fight. However, Tobin is realizing that this wesen isn't actually going for the kill, which is rather curious for a zauberbiest as well.

Nevertheless, it's impressive to see the man continuously repel Dimitris attacks. The wizard has given up trying to use magic, even the shield he'd thrown up had only slowed the now enraged skalenzahne. The first right hook he throws lands across Dimitri's jaw and sends him reeling back. A spray of blood archs up in the moonlight. Not losing his momentum, the wizard moves in with two hard jabs to the other's stomach.

Tobin holds his breath at the beauty of it all, he wonders if the zauberbiest will follow through and deliver that deathblow as he should.

This is the sort of fight that should be gracing the arena.

"You have to stop them." Rolf, one of the other elders, whispers urgently.

"Why the fuck would I do that?" Tobin asks in disgust. What sort of dishonorable shit robs a man of his victory blow?

Rolf has the balls to roll his eyes. "Can you imagine how much bigger the pot will be if this is the sort of fight we put on." The greed in the lowen's eyes is evident.

There's a loud grunt and a shout of surprise. Tobin returns his focus to the fight, Dimitri has somehow managed to throw the zauberbiest back.

The wizard staggers, clutching a bloodied shoulder with an angry growl. Glowing red eyes burn brighter before the man arcs his uninjured arm in a sharp diagonal sweep. "Sectumsempra!" A flash of white shoots out and like the swing of an invisible sword Dimitri's right hand is severed instantly.

The skalenzahne howls in agony but instead of backing down, the drugs coursing through his system allow him to ignore the injury and he charges like an angry bull.

"Tobin! Do something damn it! Leo's going to shit bricks if we miss an opportunity to put a zauberbiest in the ring!" Rolf insists and for a moment Tobin thinks the idiot is considering interfering on his own.

"Fine!" Tobin says through ground teeth and rolls his shoulders with his woge. The old lion reaches for his wand and takes aim at Dimitri first. "Imperio!" It's one of the few weaknesses he can exploit, while the scales of skalenzahne protect them from the brunt of magical assaults, they're weak at repelling mind magic. It works just as it should, Dimitri stumbles his charge with the loss of his willpower and falls to the ground is a daze.

"Who's there!" A british voice calls out through heavy breathing. The wizard checks his wounded shoulder and sways against a shabby wooden fence.

Tobin concentrates to put as much force into his silent spell as he can, he's got one shot to get this right. It's a modified stunning spell created by his Scourer grandfather; there's no telling flash of colour from his wand for the other wizard to defend against either. The only tell that he's hit his target is once the zauberbiest tenses as if he's being shocked. The convulsions last a few seconds before the large wesen finally falls to the ground limply.

Cheers erupt around him and Rolf claps Tobin on the shoulder. "Well done old man! Now these two can kill each other in the arena as it should be."

Tobin snorts as Rolf directs the others to load Dimitri and their new fighter onto the horses. He can't deny the Games will benefit from a fight like this but he's got a feeling Leo will have more than he bargained for with this zauberbiest.