Chapter 28

Harry was rudely awakened the morning of his birthday by an enraged shriek. "You're dead, Weasley! Both of you are!"

"You'll have to catch us first, Drakiepoo," said George smugly.

"Yeah, good luck with that," added Fred.

"As soon as I get my hands on you, you're going to meet a slow and painful death," growled Draco angrily.

The twins just laughed and walked away. By this time, Harry had made it to the door and looked out into the corridor curiously. He froze, jaw dropping in shock, when he saw Draco pinned to the wall by a large spider web, wearing only a bright pink bikini.

"Don't just stand there gawking, Potter. Get me down from here," snapped Draco.

"I'm surprised the twins managed to prank you," said Harry, walking toward the blond. He looked at the web thoughtfully and conjured a long twig. Prodding the web with the twig, Harry jumped back when the twig was pulled from his hand and trapped in the web beside Draco.

"Hurry it up, Potter," snarled Draco irritably.

"No way," said Harry. "One wrong move and I'll end up right beside you." In the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of red. Transforming into his fox form just before the spell would have hit, Harry used the twin's distraction to run behind them and transform back.

"Where did he go?" asked Fred worriedly.

"Maybe Octavius got to him first," said George hesitantly.

"Behind you," said Harry smugly, shoving the twins forward with a hand to their backs.

The twins stumbled a few steps, but before they could regain their balance, they were hit with a Tripping Hex. Losing their balance completely, the twins fell against the wall, hands brushing against the spider web. Instantly, they were pulled into the trap, clothes replaced with bikinis of their own- blue for Fred and bright yellow for George.

"Damn it, Potter, I said get me down from here, not find me company," growled Draco, glaring at the brunet.

"I don't know how to get you down," said Harry calmly. He turned his gaze toward the twins. "But they do. And now that they're stuck with you, they'll have no choice but to tell me how to disable it."

"Not happening," said George stubbornly.

"Oh? Then I guess I have no choice but to get help elsewhere. Maybe Grey knows how to disable it," said Harry, casually sauntering down the corridor. He stopped in front of the door to Grey's room.

"Go ahead, you'll just be embarrassing Malfoy along with us," blustered George.

"Uh, George? Malfoy's gone," said Fred softly.

George turned his head sharply, staring in shock at the empty space Malfoy had been. "H-How did he?"

"Apparently, the trap doesn't work on shadows," said Fred.

"Why that sneaky little fox," grumbled George. "He knew we'd refuse to help, so he had Octavius free Malfoy while he distracted us."

"Well, well, this must be my lucky day."

The twins cringed when they heard Hermione's voice. After all the pranks they'd played on her, they knew they were in for a rough time. "H-Hermione, you're looking lovely today," said George nervously.

Hermione smiled at them sweetly. "Why thank you, George. I must say that I quite like this new look." She pulled her camera out and snapped several photos. "I bet the Slytherins will absolutely adore the new look."

"I don't care," said George dismissively. "Why would we care what the Slytherins think?"

"Not even Tracey Davis?" asked Hermione slyly.

"Who?" asked George. He looked at Fred to see if he knew who Hermione was talking about, and that's when he remembered. Several times over the last few months, he'd seen Fred talking to a pretty brunette from Slytherin. He sighed in resignation. "Fine! What do you want in exchange of the photos you just took?"

Hermione smirked smugly. "I want you to give Harry and me every photo you managed to take of us, and swear to stop pranking us for the rest of the holidays."

George scowled at the demand and reluctantly agreed. "You have a deal. The photos will be returned, and we'll play no more pranks for the rest of the holidays. Happy now?"

"Exceedingly," said Hermione sweetly. "I'll be keeping these until the last of the holidays as insurance, though. Have a good day, boys." Tucking the camera back into her pocket, Hermione sauntered away with a satisfied grin.

"You could at least help us down from here," said George plaintively.

Hermione's helped proved unnecessary, however. They were suddenly pulled into the shadows and dropped unceremoniously onto the floor, still wearing the bikinis. Before they could do much more than sit up, Octavius stepped in front of them with a dark scowl on his face.

"You're extremely lucky that spell didn't hit Harry," said the shadow demon coldly. "In case you're forgotten, he's still in the early stages of his pregnancy, and that also happens to be the most delicate stage. If your little prank had gone wrong, causing my mate to have a miscarriage, no one would ever find what remained of you after I destroyed you bit by excruciatingly painful bit.

The twins paled at the threat. The fact that Harry was pregnant hadn't even crossed their minds when they'd cast that spell at him earlier. They really were lucky to be alive. They had no doubt whatsoever that Octavius would follow through with it if their actions ever harmed Harry in any way.

As if reading their thoughts, Octavius gave them a dark smirk. Of course, that's only if Zenith didn't get to you first."

"Zenith?" asked George incredulously. Of Harry's three mates, Zenith was the absolute nicest. In fact, George couldn't remember the Dracken saying a single mean thing to anyone.

Octavius smiled coldly at him. "Did no one tell you about Harry being stabbed at school?" George warily nodded. Octavius' smile widened. "Well, let me just say that Silas Hargrove's body was returned to his family in tiny, burned pieces. That happened because the little upstart dared to hurt Harry. What do you imagine Zenith would do to the person responsible for hurting his unborn child?"

The twins shivered in fear. "You make a very good point," Fred squeaked nervously.

"I guess it's a good thing we already promised Hermione to stop the pranks while we're here," added George hoarsely.

"Wise decision," said Octavius. He turned to leave but added one more thing. "Try not to ruin Harry's birthday any more than you already have. If Harry is unhappy, we're unhappy."

The twins silently groaned. They'd gotten so caught up with preparations for the prank on Malfoy that they'd completely forgotten today was Harry's birthday. They hadn't even gotten his birthday present yet.

"And you don't want me unhappy," ended Octavius with a hiss, shadows roiling angrily around him. He suddenly straightened and visibly calmed down just as Harry stepped into the corridor. He smiled at the brunet and draped an arm around Harry's shoulders. "You ready for breakfast?"

"Yes, I'm starving," said Harry, blushing slightly as his stomach rumbled in agreement.

The twins watched the two brunets walk away, breathing a sigh of relief when they were out of sight. "I think I would rather face You-Know-Who than an angry Octavius," said Fred.

"I agree," said George. "Octavius is far scarier than old Snake-Face."

"Is there a particular reason you two are sitting on the floor while wearing bikinis?" asked Ginny curiously. "They're not very flattering on you."

George flopped down on his back with a loud sigh, looking up at his sister. "We're celebrating the fact that we're still alive."

Ginny blinked in bemusement. "What did you do this time?"

"We pranked Malfoy this morning," said Fred.

"But then Harry got involved," added George.

"We only planned to hit him with a Tripping Jinx so that he would get stuck in the web, too," said Fred quickly.

"Say no more," said Ginny with a sigh of exasperation. "You really are lucky to be alive. What were you thinking? What if that spell had hit Harry, and he hit the floor on his stomach instead?"

The twins winced at that. They hadn't considered that option at all.

"You do realize that Harry's mates are not the only ones you have to worry about if something happens to Harry because of you, right?" asked Ginny. "They just get first crack at you. Then you'll have to deal with Remus and Bill, Mum, and Hermione and Ron."

"We're well aware," said George.

"Besides, we already promised Hermione that we wouldn't pull anymore pranks while we're here, so it's a moot point," said Fred.

"Good, I would hate to lose two brothers to their own stupidity," said Ginny bluntly. "Now put son some clothes and come eat. I'm sure mum's cooked up a feast for Harry's birthday."

The twins transfigured the bikinis back into their original clothes and got up off the floor, following Ginny to the kitchen. When they got there, the twins practically hid behind their sister to avoid the threatening glares aimed at them from Zenith and Tristan. The Dracken and Weather Faerie had obviously been told the morning's events and weren't at all happy with them.

Ginny just rolled her eyes and sat down at the table to eat, leaving the twins to fend for themselves. "Happy Birthday, Harry." She pulled a small, neatly wrapped box out of her pocket and handed it to the brunet. "I hope you like it."

Harry smiled happily at the redhead. "Thanks, Ginny." He quickly pulled off the wrapping and opened the box, grinning delightedly when he pulled out a set of matching bracelets- one adult sized and one infant sized.

"They're monitor bracelets," Ginny explained. "Once the bracelet is placed on the child's wrist, it can only be removed by the person who put it there. The bracelets are also charmed to act as a portkey to the owner of the other bracelet should the child be in any danger."

"Thank you, Ginny. It's perfect," said Harry sincerely.

"How did you even buy something like that?" asked Ron bluntly.

Ginny scowled at her brother. "Unlike you, I saved the money I earned last summer. How do you ever expect to convince someone to marry you if you constantly squander every knut you get on food and quidditch supplies?"

Ron blushed brightly at the question. "Shut up, Ginny. I still have plenty of time to think about marriage." He pulled a small box out of his pocket and handed it to Harry. "It's nowhere near as impressive as Ginny's gift, but Happy Birthday, Harry."

Harry quickly unwrapped the gift, laughing softly at the contents. "Thanks, Ron." He pulled a bar of Honeydukes Chocolate out of the box and broke it in half, handing one half to Ron and keeping the other half for himself.

That seemed to be the signal for everyone else to hand over the presents they'd gotten him as well. From Hermione, Harry received a baby book, an empty photo album, and a knitted baby cap. He got a stuffed dragon from Charlie, and a magical mobile from Bill. Harry absolutely adored the mobile. It had tiny dragons, gryphons, and pegasi hanging from the mobile.

"Here, Harry. I thought this might come in handy on you upcoming vacation," said Remus, handing the brunet a wrapped gift.

Harry opened the gift, smiling happily when he saw a brand new digital camera in the box. "Thanks, Remy."

"Octavius charmed it so that it would work even in areas with a high concentration of magic," said Remus. "So I expect to see a lot of pictures when you get back."

Molly lightly pushed Remus out of the way. "Here you go, dear. This is from Arthur and me."

Harry opened the gift, smiling fondly when he saw three knitted baby blankets: one blue, one pink, and one white. "They're beautiful, Mrs. Weasley. Thank you."

"I would expect a lot more of that over the next few months," whispered Ginny softly. "You should have seen her in action when she found out about Gwen."

"Oh, hush, Ginny," said Molly. "That was only because Bill waited so long to tell me. I just had so much to do in such a short amount of time."

"Okay, mum," said Ginny disbelievingly, rolling her eyes at the comment.

"Well, here's my gift," said Grey, handing Harry his gift. "Enjoy."

Harry hesitantly accepted the gift, a little wary of the smile on Grey's face. He soon found he was right to be wary. Grey's gift contained several phials of lubricant, two blindfolds, a pair of restraints, three dildos of differing size, an anal plug, and a set of anal beads. He blushed furiously and quickly closed the lid. "Grey!" he hissed at the were-tiger.

Grey just grinned unapologetically.

Harry jumped from his seat, moving the box away from Octavius' hands and dodging Zenith's attempt to grab the box. He quickly ran from the room, intent on hiding the box somewhere his mates wouldn't find it. He ran right past Tristan, who stared back at him in bemusement.

Tristan shook his head at Harry's odd behavior and continued toward the kitchen. "What had Harry rushing out of here in such a hurry?" he asked Octavius and Zenith.

"That's what we want to know," said Octavius, looking pointedly at Grey.

"Well, you could ask me, or you could just do what Zenith did and go find out yourself,' said Grey coyly.

Octavius looked at Zenith's empty seat and cursed softly, immediately retreating into the shadows. Tristan sighed and said, "I should have just stayed in bed this morning."

XxX

Harry's tail was practically wagging with excitement. Today was the first day of the three week vacation Octavius had planned for them. Harry couldn't wait for it to begin. He'd always wanted to visit new places, but that had been impossible until recently. Bill had even given him and Zenith a ring that would conceal their non-human features if necessary.

"Alright, let's get going," said Octavius, pulling Harry close. As soon as Zenith and Tristan grabbed his other arm, he pulled the shadows around them. A few minutes later, the shadows dispersed, revealing a white-sanded beach and clear blue water. "Welcome to the Wizarding District of Cat Island."

"It's beautiful," said Harry, staring at his surroundings in awe. "Look how clear the water is."

"Our chateau is this way," said Octavius, ushering them away from the beach. He led them to a small cottage right a short distance away and opened the door with a flourish, revealing a spacious living room and connected kitchen. There was a winding staircase between the two rooms, leading to a large bedroom and bathroom. The kitchen had sliding glass door that opened up to a patio with a sinfully large swimming pool.

"Well, what do you think?" asked Octavius smugly.

"It's alright," said Tristan grudgingly. "At least it has a pool. I'm not all that fond of swimming in the ocean."

Harry smiled fondly at Tristan's grudging approval. "Well, I love it." And to show his appreciation, he pulled Octavius into a deep kiss.

"I like it, too," said Zenith. "It reminds me of home."

Octavius kissed Harry once more before turning to smirk at Zenith. "Then you'll love what's next."

"And what's that?" asked Tristan, curious despite himself.

Octavius checked the time. "You'll find out in about forty-five minutes. You have just enough time to change into something comfortable, and then we have to leave."

Thirty-five minutes later, they walked into a nondescript building, sitting by the cliff. However, the inside of the building was anything but plane. The interior of the building extended past the cliff with the walls and ceiling charmed to show the sky and sea below.

As they headed toward the lift, Harry felt like he was walking on air. Harry watched curiously as the lift slowly descended. There were several different floors built into the cliff itself, filled with shops, boutiques, and restaurants. As they reached the bottom of the cliff, Harry was shocked when the lift kept going. He stared in wonder as the lift finally stopped at the entrance to an underwater restaurant.

"Welcome to Sous laMer," said Octavius.

"Under the Sea?" asked Tristan dryly. "Well, it's certainly fitting."

"Yes, it is. It's absolutely wicked," Harry agreed.

The host showed them to a table, and Harry looked at the menu blankly. Most of the menu, of course, was seafood of some sort. Unfortunately, the only seafood Harry had ever eaten was fish and chips, and even that was rarely.

"Do you know what you want?" asked Zenith.

"I've never tried anything like this," said Harry sheepishly.

"Then we'll each get something different, so that we can try a little bit of everything," said Tristan. "I'll get the grilled lobster. What about you, Octavius?"

"I'm getting crab legs and oysters," said Octavius.

"Then I'll get the shrimp combo," said Zenith.

Harry smiled wryly. "I guess that leaves the fish sampler for me. Let's see. It comes with grilled tuna, halibut, and grouper."

Harry sipped his glass of apple juice and watched the marine life around him as he waited for his food to arrive. When the food finally did arrive, his eyes widened in shock at the sheer amount of food on the table. It was a good thing they were all sharing because there was no way he would be able to finish the entrée he'd ordered.

Divvying up a small portion from each plate, Harry began to eat. He loved the grilled lobster and crab legs dipped in butter sauce. He wasn't too fond of the oysters, though. The shrimp scampi and grilled shrimp were delicious, too. And while the grilled fish was nice, he definitely preferred the shellfish over all.

By the time the meal was over, Harry couldn't possibly eat another bite. As it was, someone was going to have to carry him out of the restaurant because he was to full to move. Octavius just laughed at him when he told him that and forced him out of his chair.

"Come on, Harry. We've got other plans tonight."

Harry groaned and reluctantly followed the shadow demon out of the restaurant. They got back on the lift, but instead of going all the way back to the top, they stopped on the floor at the bottom of the cliff. It was eerily silent as they walked to the large metal door. However, as soon as the door opened, they were inundated with the sound of loud techno music.

"What is this place?" asked Harry loudly, ears pressed flat against his skull to try to dim the volume.

"Mermaid's Cove," said Octavius. "It's one of the first Wizarding Night Club's ever created."

"I claim first dance," said Tristan, grabbing Harry's arm and pulling him toward the dance floor.

"I can't dance," spluttered Harry.

"I'll teach you," said Tristan. He pulled Harry so that the brunet's back was to his chest and placed his hands on Harry's hips, guiding their bodies to the rhythm of the music.

Harry relaxed in Tristan's arms and allowed the redhead to lead him in the dance. When the song ended, he was swept into Octavius' arms. The next dance, of course, belonged to Zenith, and by then, he was having fun. He really liked the fast beat of the music and the dancing was hot and sexy and fun rolled into one.

All that dancing tired Harry out, though. By the time they left, he was half asleep, and Zenith had to carry him out. All in all, it was an amazing start to their vacation. He couldn't wait to see what else Octavius had planned for them.

The next morning after breakfast, Octavius led them to their next destination. It was a massive waterpark that took up over half the island. Harry absolutely loved it. There were giant slides and tidal pools, boat rides and snorkeling. It was amazing.

Harry insisted on trying everything at least once. The giant slides were exhilarating. It was almost as fun as flying. The tidal pools were fun, too, especially when the waves caught Tristan off guard and knocked him down. The boat rides were mostly to rest up, but the snorkeling was cool. Harry never knew so many fish lived in such a small area.

But the fun didn't end when the sun went down. There was a huge fireworks show followed by food and dancing. It was after midnight when they finally left.

The last day of their stay on Cat Island, Harry spent most of the day swimming in the pool with Tristan and building sandcastles on the beach with Zenith and Octavius. Honestly, the last two days had been the most fun Harry had ever had. He couldn't wait to see what else Octavius had in store for them.

XxX

Severus cursed softly. The Dark Lord had just dispatched dozens of his Death Eaters to various Wizarding cities all across Western Europe in search of Potter. To make matters worse, Severus still hadn't had a chance to dispatch Nagini.

Well, as long as Potter stayed in Egypt, the brat would be perfectly fine. Unfortunately, as soon as the thought crossed his mind, Avery appeared in the room with none other than Harry Potter- a human Harry Potter. Avery bowed to the Dark Lord, forcing Potter into a half-bow as well since he was still gripping the teen's arm.

"I found the boy in Paris, My Lord," said Avery proudly.

Voldemort just waved him away with a dismissive hand, staring at Potter gleefully. "Potter, you've eluded my grasp for far too long."

Harry grimaced at the sound of Voldemort's voice. "Has anyone ever told you that you have extremely obsessive tendencies?"

Severus silently groaned, wanting to strangle the impertinent brat.

"Crucio," hissed Voldemort.

Harry deftly side-stepped the spell, inadvertently pulled Avery into the spell's path instead. Avery screamed in pain and fell to his knees, almost dragging Harry down with him when the man's hand tightened compulsively around his arm. Harry hissed at hard grip and tried with little success to pull free.

"Still as slippery as ever, I see," hissed Voldemort, ending the spell.

"And you still have terrible aim," sneered Harry. "You really shouldn't have brought me here, Voldie. That was a bad decision on your part."

Voldemort laughed mockingly. "This place has more wards than Hogwarts. Even if you precious friends somehow managed to find your location, they still wouldn't be able to get past the wards."

Harry saw the shadows gathering beneath Avery's feet and smiled. "I wouldn't be too sure of that." The shadows suddenly surged up Avery's body, devouring the man within seconds, leaving only the man's hand behind. Harry grimaced in disgust and pried the man's severed hand off his arm, dropping it carelessly to the floor. "That was just gross, Tavi."

Octavius stepped out of the shadows and smirked at his mate. "Sorry, love, my mistake."

"How did you get in here?" shouted Voldemort angrily, pointing his wand at Octavius.

"You obviously didn't ward against demons," said Harry helpfully.

"The great Harry Potter is consorting with demons. Whatever would your adoring public say about that?" asked Voldemort mockingly.

"I don't really care what they would say about it," said Harry honestly. "I probably would have never come back here at all if you had just left me alone." Harry then scowled darkly at the Dark Lord. "Of course, now that I am here, I guess it's time to finally finish this. Octavius, if you would."

Octavius smirked darkly. "It would be my pleasure." He disappeared into the shadows, appearing right beside Nagini with Gryffindor's sword in hand. Before the snake could even react to his presence, the sword sliced cleanly through her neck, severing her head completely. A black mist rose from the snake's corpse, dispersing with an anguished scream.

Voldemort hissed in fury and raised his wand to curse the demon into oblivion. However, before the first word could even pass his lips, three shadows pierced his chest. He could only stare at the shadowy spikes in shock as he felt his life slowly drain away. How could this happen? It wasn't supposed to end like this.

Severus watched in shock as the Dark Lord fell to the floor, eyes glazed with death. It was finally over. The Dark Lord was finally dead, and Severus was free. His relief was short-lived, however, because the Dark Mark on his arm began to burn. It burned hotter and hotter until the skin began to bubble and break, black ink bleeding from the wound as the last remnants of the spell faded away. The mark eventually cooled, leaving behind a patch of burned, mottled flesh.

Harry walked up to Severus and grabbed his arm, placing his hand over the burn. He managed to heal the worst of the burn, but the damage was too extensive to heal completely. Severus would still have a scar to remind him of what was once there.

"It's fine, Potter," said Severus, pulling his arm from Harry's grasp. He looked at Octavius. "Take him and go. I'll deal with this."

Octavius smirked and nodded. "As you wish." Not giving Harry time to argue the edict, Octavius pulled Harry into the shadows. However, as soon as they stepped out of the shadows, Harry was pulled out of his arms, and a fist collided painfully with his jaw. Octavius staggered back a few steps, scowling at Zenith. "What the hell was that for?"

"You should have taken us with you. Harry is our mate, as well," snarled Zenith angrily.

"That's enough," said Harry. "It's over and done now. Voldemort is dead, and we are fine. So we can either go home, or we can try to enjoy the rest of our vacation. Either one is fine with me, so you decide."

"I vote we continue our vacation," said Tristan.

"Seconded," said Zenith.

"And our vacation is still on," said Octavius. "Next stop: Disneyland!" He saw checked the time and amended. "Well, our next stop is actually the hotel. Disneyland will have to wait until tomorrow."