Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER! J.K.ROWLING DOES!!!
Warning: gore
American Magician
Chapter 23
Last Time
"Nope, but we can go to the hotel." Harry said. They entered the food court and Miccy pulled them to the Taco Bell. After ordering a variety of foods, Simon, Harry, and Miccy introduced the Potter family to American fast food and Mexican food.
By the time Harry checked into the hotel and got up to the rooms, it was almost five o'clock and despite the time, everyone was tired from the full day.
Harry woke up at eight-thirty. The nap had left him well rested and hungry, so he called down to the front desk and asked for a wake-up call for all of the rooms at nine-o-clock. He went to the separate rooms and wrote a note saying that he was going out to get dinner. As he placed the note in Miccy and Kimber's room, he found that Miccy was already awake. She asked to go with him and Harry agreed, writing that Miccy was going with him on the note.
They left the hotel and headed up to the Burger King Harry had seen a couple of blocks away.
"Isn't it a bit late for dinner?" Miccy asked.
"Of course not." Harry laughed slightly. "You might not believe me, but if Simeon doesn't eat enough dinner, he is definitely not a morning person."
"It's pretty quiet for how early it is." Miccy said.
"Scared?" Harry teased.
"No!" She punched him and he dodged it nimbly. When he got both feet on the ground, something rammed into the back of his legs and he fell. He didn't even have time to think before punches and kicks rained down on him. He fought the attacks off as well as possible, but he was out numbered. His head was bashed into the brick wall and he fell into darkness.
(AN: I was going to have this be the end of the last chapter, but I decided that I wouldn't be mean.)
When Harry woke, he was laying next to a dumpster or something. Rough hands grabbed his hands and pulled him up to where he was kneeling with the dumpster thing on his side. His hands were placed with the palms facing each other as if he was praying. Harry opened his eyes in time to see the flash of a knife before his world exploded in pain, beginning at his hands where the knife pinned them to the dumpster.
"We just need to make sure that you don't go anywhere." A voice sneered. Harry usually prided himself on knowing people's voices, but he didn't recognize this one.
"What the hell?" He choked, spitting out blood. He heard a shrill scream and sobbing. He spun around to see Miccy being hit.
"We've been looking for her. You see, we just finally got her almost alone. It's just our luck that you were there as well." The man that was talking was about twenty and might have been handsome if he hadn't just jammed a knife into Harry's hands.
"Who are you?" Harry asked, glaring at the man.
"We were paid good money to hurt you. Since you disappeared, they advised us to go for your bitch. She wasn't supposed to live; now if the brat's born, they'll take a blood test. We can't have that, can we?"
"Wha?" Harry's eyes were wide and confused.
"He don't understand. How cute." Harry received a shape punch to the gut and he chocked out more blood.
"We've already had our fun with the bitch. But now she's outlived her usefulness." He strode over and picked Miccy up by her hair. With a sharp push, she stumbled toward Harry. Before she could even catch her balance, a gunshot rang through the air. The bullet shot through Miccy's stomach and grazed Harry's shoulder. A second shot struck her left shoulder. She fell onto Harry's struggling form, crying slightly as her life slipped away.
Harry screamed. "Help! Someone! Help me!" He yelled. Tears ran down his cheeks as he tried to get his hands loose, but the intense pain wouldn't allow it. Miccy's blood soaked through Harry's shirt and her breathing slowed. "Please don't die. Please. Miccy! Somebody! Help!"
"Shut up!" A backhand across the face stopped Harry from screaming, but he whimpered as Miccy stopped breathing. "Now when we kill you, we get a bonus."
"Stupify!" The man that hit Harry fell limply to the side right next to where Harry knelt. Anguished emerald eyes met with the blue eyes of his father as James pulled Miccy's body off of his. The moment the knife was pulled from his hands, Harry lunged at his father. He wrapped his bleeding hands around the man and buried his face into his neck.
"Dad! Dad dad dad." He muttered through his tears. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry dad." James' arms went around his son's shoulders and one hand rubbed soothing circles on Harry's back. He didn't say anything until Harry calmed down.
"Harry?" He asked. Normally Harry loathed hearing the man's voice, but right then it made him feel safe. "What happened?"
"We were just getting dinner. They attacked us. Killed Miccy because of me. Don't even know 'em." Fresh tears ran down Harry's face at the memory. "You can fix her, though, right? You're a professor; you can fix her, right?"
"Harry, you can't bring back the dead. Now I'm going to send the message to call everyone here. We stared looking for you when you hadn't gotten back by 9:45." James explained as he gently let go of Harry until he was only holding him with one hand.
"No!" Harry clutched at the professor harder. The hand returned to Harry's back. Pounding feet approaching the ally made Harry even more jumpy.
"Professor? Is that Spec? Where's Miccy?" Simeon's voice came from the entrance to the ally. "I heard a scream."
"Go get Lily. Take Kimber and Matt back to the hotel and wait there." James ordered.
"Yes sir." And the pounding feet left.
"Harry, I'm not as young as you, so I'm going to lean back against the wall, I need you to remove your hands, though." Harry whimpered. "I won't let go. You're hands are injured enough and the wall would hurt them more." Harry nodded and slowly removed his hands. James leaned back into the wall and Harry's body rested between his lags and against James' chest. Harry was getting light-headed from the blood loss so he didn't hear Lily until she was right next to him and James.
"James, what happened? Where's Miccy?" Lily's voice was anxious for news.
"She's over on the other side, in the shadows." James said. "She's dead."
Lily's eyes went wide with shock. "And Harry?" Her voice trembled as she looked at the blood-covered body held in her husband's arms. James looked as Harry's hands tightened slightly on his shirt.
"He's hurt and loosing blood from his hands, but he'll live. I need you to mend his hands, though." He said. Lily nodded dumbly, her eyes filling with tears. She pulled her wand out and put a clotting charm on his hands.
"There's so much blood." She said faintly.
"Most of it's Miccy's. When I got here, Harry was under Miccy and she was already dead. The leader and a few others are over there, but the rest got away. I was too worried about the kids to stop them." Lily nodded and knelt next to her husband and son. She reached a shaking hand out to push the hair out of his face. He flinched and looked at her with wild eyes.
"Dad!" He yelled when Lily didn't move her hand from the outstretched position. She jerked her hand back as if she had been burnt.
"Lily, he might be going into shock or something. Call Dumbledore and a few trusted aurors." James said. Lily nodded jerkily and pulled her wand out. She sent a signal that most adults living in Hogwarts knew about, it alerted the headmaster of any time a student was in urgent need and told him where the problem was. The charm wouldn't work, though, if the child didn't truly need the headmaster and it would not work if it were a trap. This was neither and a Hogwarts crest came from Lily's wand, pulsing as it shot to where Dumbledore was at a speed quicker then apparation.
"I'll put the unconscious bastards in a pile and fix Miccy's body up." Lily said. With a sweep of her wand, the five gang members were placed in a pile. Lily made her way over to the lump in the shadows. "Lumos." With horrifying clarity, Miccy's body was revealed. Lily felt the bile rise up in her throat and she vomited on the other side of the ally.
She made Miccy's wounds stop bleeding and she covered the corpse up with a blanket. "Lily? James? What's wrong?" Dumbledore's voice sounded from the ally entrance.
"Harry and Miccy were attacked or something. Miccy's dead and Harry's hurt! James stupefied five of the bastards. The rest of the kids are at the hotel." Lily burst.
"Lily, go fire call Tonks, have her bring Kingsly and Moody. James, as you have your hands full, I would like you to take the kids back to Hogwarts. The password is Dragon Toffee Nest. Take all of them to the hospital wing. Don't tell the other children what happened yet. You can use the fireplace at the hotel. Don't worry about the muggles, I'll put a 'notice-me-not' charm on you." Dumbledore ordered.
The Potters nodded and Dumbledore cast the charm along with a weightless charm on Harry. "Lily, come back here when you're done."
Lily left and James followed as soon as he got up. Harry's legs were wrapped around his waist and his arms around his neck. The walk back to the hotel seemed like it took forever. By the time he was entering, Lily was finishing the fire call.
"I sent the kids to pack everything up and wait for you in our room." She said, her sad gaze fixed on Harry's form. He wasn't asleep, but he wasn't moving much either. James nodded and headed up to the rooms. When he opened the door to his room, he saw the two teenagers sitting on the bed and Matt was sleeping between them.
"Everything packed?" James asked. The two nodded. "Good, now wake Matt up and shrink everything. We are going back to Hogwarts. Throw the floo in and say Hogwarts. Then it will ask for a password, it is Dragon Toffee Nest. Say everything very clear." James explained.
"What's wrong with Spec? Where's Miccy?" Simeon asked as Kimber woke Matt up.
"Don't worry about it. Miccy's not going back to Hogwarts." James said, his voice sounded old and weary and his eyes showed just how tired and worried he was. Simeon didn't push the subject and he helped Kimber shrink the packages. The only things said were the words for the floo. "Come to the hospital wing for some sleeping potion." James said as he walked towards the hospital wing. When they got there, he sat down on a bed and told Madam Pomfrey to make sure the three students drank their potion and put a silencing charm around the bed. Harry still refused to let go of his father.
"Just lean against me, Harry. Don't worry, I won't let go." James reasoned. Harry didn't react so he leaned against the headboard and settled Harry so that his back was to his father's chest and James wrapped his arms over Harry's tense shoulders.
Madam Pomfrey began to work her healing magic until only scars and fading bruises were visible. She also gave him a dreamless sleep potion and gave James a potion so that he wouldn't be sore in the morning. Both Potters fell asleep and the nurse placed a calming potion next to the bed.
In the morning, Harry stiffened when he felt the body behind him. When he looked up, he saw his dad's sleeping face and last night's happenings slammed into him. He looked down at his hands and saw the fresh scars and the blotches of prominent greenish bruises along his arms. He looked down at his bare chest and lifted the comforter to see cotton pajama bottoms. He pushed the palms of his hands into his eyes to get the images out of his head, but he only saw them more vividly. Behind him, his dad groaned as he started to wake up.
"Harry? What are you doing up already?" He mumbled before letting out a jaw-breaking yawn.
"Dad? She's really dead isn't she?" Harry asked, his voice soft and squeaky.
"Yes, she's dead. For right now, just rest until the headmaster comes in to question you." James mumbled. "If you see Poppy, tell 'er she's a saint."
"Why?"
"Otherwise, my old back would be killing me."
"If it makes you feel any better; I only have two years left until I finish school." Harry joked slightly.
"I'm not that old. We had you when we were twenty." James growled. "Stop making me feel old."
"What happened to everyone else?" Harry asked as his mind brought Miccy's death to the front.
"Matt, Simeon, and Kimberly are all in bed somewhere in here. Lily stayed with the headmaster."
"It's my fault. It's my fault she was even pregnant. They were paid to hurt me and because I had disappeared, they were hinted about Miccy. And they killed her so that when the baby was born, they couldn't have a blood test done to show who the father was. They were going to kill me for bonus money or something. If I hadn't known her, they would have left her alone!" A few tears ran down his cheeks. "I don't want to talk to Dumbledore." He whispered into his father's arm.
"Harry, it's not your fault. You didn't do it and you were bound and helpless." James said sternly.
Harry didn't have time to reply because Madam Pomfrey came in and set a tray down with two breakfasts. "Mr. Potter, Headmaster Dumbledore will be in shortly with Minister Fudge and Judge Patterson. They wish to speak with you." She said briefly. She checked how Harry was healing and left to invite the men in.
"Harry, you might not want to talk to them, but you have to. Just remember that I'm proud of you." James whispered in his son's ear as the nurse led the three men to Harry's bed.
AN: Last Chapter! YAY! Good ending? Bad ending? I was going to make an epilouge that took place at the funeral, but I just couldn't bring myself to write it. Sorry. But it's done! Before the summer's end! And see? James IS a good guy!
Thanks
PaoMalfoy- and thanks again for offering to translate it into spanish
Fangfoot- thanks for the reviews throughout the fic
Bailyy
FroBoy- thanks for the reviews throughout the fic
silvernightshade- I hope the end explained enough
OUroboros Vipertooth
SiLvErFaTeD- thanks for reviewing throughout the fic
jeangab057
athenakitty- thanks for reviewing throughout the fic
Queenbeth2- thanks for the reviews all the way from the beginning!
Night-Owl123
Warning: gore
American Magician
Chapter 23
Last Time
"Nope, but we can go to the hotel." Harry said. They entered the food court and Miccy pulled them to the Taco Bell. After ordering a variety of foods, Simon, Harry, and Miccy introduced the Potter family to American fast food and Mexican food.
By the time Harry checked into the hotel and got up to the rooms, it was almost five o'clock and despite the time, everyone was tired from the full day.
Harry woke up at eight-thirty. The nap had left him well rested and hungry, so he called down to the front desk and asked for a wake-up call for all of the rooms at nine-o-clock. He went to the separate rooms and wrote a note saying that he was going out to get dinner. As he placed the note in Miccy and Kimber's room, he found that Miccy was already awake. She asked to go with him and Harry agreed, writing that Miccy was going with him on the note.
They left the hotel and headed up to the Burger King Harry had seen a couple of blocks away.
"Isn't it a bit late for dinner?" Miccy asked.
"Of course not." Harry laughed slightly. "You might not believe me, but if Simeon doesn't eat enough dinner, he is definitely not a morning person."
"It's pretty quiet for how early it is." Miccy said.
"Scared?" Harry teased.
"No!" She punched him and he dodged it nimbly. When he got both feet on the ground, something rammed into the back of his legs and he fell. He didn't even have time to think before punches and kicks rained down on him. He fought the attacks off as well as possible, but he was out numbered. His head was bashed into the brick wall and he fell into darkness.
(AN: I was going to have this be the end of the last chapter, but I decided that I wouldn't be mean.)
When Harry woke, he was laying next to a dumpster or something. Rough hands grabbed his hands and pulled him up to where he was kneeling with the dumpster thing on his side. His hands were placed with the palms facing each other as if he was praying. Harry opened his eyes in time to see the flash of a knife before his world exploded in pain, beginning at his hands where the knife pinned them to the dumpster.
"We just need to make sure that you don't go anywhere." A voice sneered. Harry usually prided himself on knowing people's voices, but he didn't recognize this one.
"What the hell?" He choked, spitting out blood. He heard a shrill scream and sobbing. He spun around to see Miccy being hit.
"We've been looking for her. You see, we just finally got her almost alone. It's just our luck that you were there as well." The man that was talking was about twenty and might have been handsome if he hadn't just jammed a knife into Harry's hands.
"Who are you?" Harry asked, glaring at the man.
"We were paid good money to hurt you. Since you disappeared, they advised us to go for your bitch. She wasn't supposed to live; now if the brat's born, they'll take a blood test. We can't have that, can we?"
"Wha?" Harry's eyes were wide and confused.
"He don't understand. How cute." Harry received a shape punch to the gut and he chocked out more blood.
"We've already had our fun with the bitch. But now she's outlived her usefulness." He strode over and picked Miccy up by her hair. With a sharp push, she stumbled toward Harry. Before she could even catch her balance, a gunshot rang through the air. The bullet shot through Miccy's stomach and grazed Harry's shoulder. A second shot struck her left shoulder. She fell onto Harry's struggling form, crying slightly as her life slipped away.
Harry screamed. "Help! Someone! Help me!" He yelled. Tears ran down his cheeks as he tried to get his hands loose, but the intense pain wouldn't allow it. Miccy's blood soaked through Harry's shirt and her breathing slowed. "Please don't die. Please. Miccy! Somebody! Help!"
"Shut up!" A backhand across the face stopped Harry from screaming, but he whimpered as Miccy stopped breathing. "Now when we kill you, we get a bonus."
"Stupify!" The man that hit Harry fell limply to the side right next to where Harry knelt. Anguished emerald eyes met with the blue eyes of his father as James pulled Miccy's body off of his. The moment the knife was pulled from his hands, Harry lunged at his father. He wrapped his bleeding hands around the man and buried his face into his neck.
"Dad! Dad dad dad." He muttered through his tears. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry dad." James' arms went around his son's shoulders and one hand rubbed soothing circles on Harry's back. He didn't say anything until Harry calmed down.
"Harry?" He asked. Normally Harry loathed hearing the man's voice, but right then it made him feel safe. "What happened?"
"We were just getting dinner. They attacked us. Killed Miccy because of me. Don't even know 'em." Fresh tears ran down Harry's face at the memory. "You can fix her, though, right? You're a professor; you can fix her, right?"
"Harry, you can't bring back the dead. Now I'm going to send the message to call everyone here. We stared looking for you when you hadn't gotten back by 9:45." James explained as he gently let go of Harry until he was only holding him with one hand.
"No!" Harry clutched at the professor harder. The hand returned to Harry's back. Pounding feet approaching the ally made Harry even more jumpy.
"Professor? Is that Spec? Where's Miccy?" Simeon's voice came from the entrance to the ally. "I heard a scream."
"Go get Lily. Take Kimber and Matt back to the hotel and wait there." James ordered.
"Yes sir." And the pounding feet left.
"Harry, I'm not as young as you, so I'm going to lean back against the wall, I need you to remove your hands, though." Harry whimpered. "I won't let go. You're hands are injured enough and the wall would hurt them more." Harry nodded and slowly removed his hands. James leaned back into the wall and Harry's body rested between his lags and against James' chest. Harry was getting light-headed from the blood loss so he didn't hear Lily until she was right next to him and James.
"James, what happened? Where's Miccy?" Lily's voice was anxious for news.
"She's over on the other side, in the shadows." James said. "She's dead."
Lily's eyes went wide with shock. "And Harry?" Her voice trembled as she looked at the blood-covered body held in her husband's arms. James looked as Harry's hands tightened slightly on his shirt.
"He's hurt and loosing blood from his hands, but he'll live. I need you to mend his hands, though." He said. Lily nodded dumbly, her eyes filling with tears. She pulled her wand out and put a clotting charm on his hands.
"There's so much blood." She said faintly.
"Most of it's Miccy's. When I got here, Harry was under Miccy and she was already dead. The leader and a few others are over there, but the rest got away. I was too worried about the kids to stop them." Lily nodded and knelt next to her husband and son. She reached a shaking hand out to push the hair out of his face. He flinched and looked at her with wild eyes.
"Dad!" He yelled when Lily didn't move her hand from the outstretched position. She jerked her hand back as if she had been burnt.
"Lily, he might be going into shock or something. Call Dumbledore and a few trusted aurors." James said. Lily nodded jerkily and pulled her wand out. She sent a signal that most adults living in Hogwarts knew about, it alerted the headmaster of any time a student was in urgent need and told him where the problem was. The charm wouldn't work, though, if the child didn't truly need the headmaster and it would not work if it were a trap. This was neither and a Hogwarts crest came from Lily's wand, pulsing as it shot to where Dumbledore was at a speed quicker then apparation.
"I'll put the unconscious bastards in a pile and fix Miccy's body up." Lily said. With a sweep of her wand, the five gang members were placed in a pile. Lily made her way over to the lump in the shadows. "Lumos." With horrifying clarity, Miccy's body was revealed. Lily felt the bile rise up in her throat and she vomited on the other side of the ally.
She made Miccy's wounds stop bleeding and she covered the corpse up with a blanket. "Lily? James? What's wrong?" Dumbledore's voice sounded from the ally entrance.
"Harry and Miccy were attacked or something. Miccy's dead and Harry's hurt! James stupefied five of the bastards. The rest of the kids are at the hotel." Lily burst.
"Lily, go fire call Tonks, have her bring Kingsly and Moody. James, as you have your hands full, I would like you to take the kids back to Hogwarts. The password is Dragon Toffee Nest. Take all of them to the hospital wing. Don't tell the other children what happened yet. You can use the fireplace at the hotel. Don't worry about the muggles, I'll put a 'notice-me-not' charm on you." Dumbledore ordered.
The Potters nodded and Dumbledore cast the charm along with a weightless charm on Harry. "Lily, come back here when you're done."
Lily left and James followed as soon as he got up. Harry's legs were wrapped around his waist and his arms around his neck. The walk back to the hotel seemed like it took forever. By the time he was entering, Lily was finishing the fire call.
"I sent the kids to pack everything up and wait for you in our room." She said, her sad gaze fixed on Harry's form. He wasn't asleep, but he wasn't moving much either. James nodded and headed up to the rooms. When he opened the door to his room, he saw the two teenagers sitting on the bed and Matt was sleeping between them.
"Everything packed?" James asked. The two nodded. "Good, now wake Matt up and shrink everything. We are going back to Hogwarts. Throw the floo in and say Hogwarts. Then it will ask for a password, it is Dragon Toffee Nest. Say everything very clear." James explained.
"What's wrong with Spec? Where's Miccy?" Simeon asked as Kimber woke Matt up.
"Don't worry about it. Miccy's not going back to Hogwarts." James said, his voice sounded old and weary and his eyes showed just how tired and worried he was. Simeon didn't push the subject and he helped Kimber shrink the packages. The only things said were the words for the floo. "Come to the hospital wing for some sleeping potion." James said as he walked towards the hospital wing. When they got there, he sat down on a bed and told Madam Pomfrey to make sure the three students drank their potion and put a silencing charm around the bed. Harry still refused to let go of his father.
"Just lean against me, Harry. Don't worry, I won't let go." James reasoned. Harry didn't react so he leaned against the headboard and settled Harry so that his back was to his father's chest and James wrapped his arms over Harry's tense shoulders.
Madam Pomfrey began to work her healing magic until only scars and fading bruises were visible. She also gave him a dreamless sleep potion and gave James a potion so that he wouldn't be sore in the morning. Both Potters fell asleep and the nurse placed a calming potion next to the bed.
In the morning, Harry stiffened when he felt the body behind him. When he looked up, he saw his dad's sleeping face and last night's happenings slammed into him. He looked down at his hands and saw the fresh scars and the blotches of prominent greenish bruises along his arms. He looked down at his bare chest and lifted the comforter to see cotton pajama bottoms. He pushed the palms of his hands into his eyes to get the images out of his head, but he only saw them more vividly. Behind him, his dad groaned as he started to wake up.
"Harry? What are you doing up already?" He mumbled before letting out a jaw-breaking yawn.
"Dad? She's really dead isn't she?" Harry asked, his voice soft and squeaky.
"Yes, she's dead. For right now, just rest until the headmaster comes in to question you." James mumbled. "If you see Poppy, tell 'er she's a saint."
"Why?"
"Otherwise, my old back would be killing me."
"If it makes you feel any better; I only have two years left until I finish school." Harry joked slightly.
"I'm not that old. We had you when we were twenty." James growled. "Stop making me feel old."
"What happened to everyone else?" Harry asked as his mind brought Miccy's death to the front.
"Matt, Simeon, and Kimberly are all in bed somewhere in here. Lily stayed with the headmaster."
"It's my fault. It's my fault she was even pregnant. They were paid to hurt me and because I had disappeared, they were hinted about Miccy. And they killed her so that when the baby was born, they couldn't have a blood test done to show who the father was. They were going to kill me for bonus money or something. If I hadn't known her, they would have left her alone!" A few tears ran down his cheeks. "I don't want to talk to Dumbledore." He whispered into his father's arm.
"Harry, it's not your fault. You didn't do it and you were bound and helpless." James said sternly.
Harry didn't have time to reply because Madam Pomfrey came in and set a tray down with two breakfasts. "Mr. Potter, Headmaster Dumbledore will be in shortly with Minister Fudge and Judge Patterson. They wish to speak with you." She said briefly. She checked how Harry was healing and left to invite the men in.
"Harry, you might not want to talk to them, but you have to. Just remember that I'm proud of you." James whispered in his son's ear as the nurse led the three men to Harry's bed.
AN: Last Chapter! YAY! Good ending? Bad ending? I was going to make an epilouge that took place at the funeral, but I just couldn't bring myself to write it. Sorry. But it's done! Before the summer's end! And see? James IS a good guy!
Thanks
PaoMalfoy- and thanks again for offering to translate it into spanish
Fangfoot- thanks for the reviews throughout the fic
Bailyy
FroBoy- thanks for the reviews throughout the fic
silvernightshade- I hope the end explained enough
OUroboros Vipertooth
SiLvErFaTeD- thanks for reviewing throughout the fic
jeangab057
athenakitty- thanks for reviewing throughout the fic
Queenbeth2- thanks for the reviews all the way from the beginning!
Night-Owl123