Update 4/25/14 ATTENTIONE! NO MORE UPDATES! + 1 WHOLE CHAPTER
Sorry ladies and gentlemen but I have given up the goose. The following is what I have been working on. There is one whole chapter and a few bites of what were to be future chapters. Someone else HAS picked this story up, although it is going to take a definite turn in another direction. When that person posts their continuation I link it into a new update.
Thanks to everyone who has liked this story and watched me for years. I am deeply sorry that my steam for this story ran out short. Maybe in the future I will post more stories. In the mean time, please, read what's left of Bambino at your leasure.
Timeline:
x-Still the day Reborn left Tsuna instructions then moves on to evening
x-Tells Dino etc he needs info on deities (fast)
x- Goes to sleep
-Next day Harry and his letter + gets attacked w/ Reborn's plan
-Reborn's plan = give offering è draws out deity via familiar è stun using Hibari's cuffs + Tsuna's will + Vipers Mist – gets messed up because of Harry's immunities to Mist.
Old responses to comments (they were good questions/comments) :
XxAlysxX: I'm glad I didn't disappoint you! Considering how long it took me to do that chapter… I think I'd cry if it did W;
Ink Scars: First off cool name. Also, WOW! I hope that I posed this chapter soon enough! Even though I didn't post it the same day as Partito. You also seem to understand where all of this is headed but it's not ALL that's going to go down. Ya… This is turning into a longer monster than I had anticipated.
Frostfire613: Aaaaah good question! It's going to be more puppy love "Hibari version"/Hibari is able to tolerate Neville and care about him (cause Hibari is 16 and I'm not into writing underage.) Also this is before Hanna Abbot or Neville get together. I don't think it's ever mentioned that they were going out at Hogwarts. She was in Hufflepuff and never really talked to him (but was in DA with him). I'm going to treat her pretty much the same way I'm going to treat Ginny.
purehearts22: Sorry this didn't get to you same day. ;w; I needed to fight with this fight scene!
Guest: Hello there Guest. The mention of memory loss is only in conjunction to wizarding curses and spells. The Arcobaleno curse and the Flame Wills are similar to the magic Harry and co use but different at the same time. It's part of the reason for his indigestion. Think of it as another branch of magic that isn't as easy to bring out, control, or detect. Also I guess you could think of it as Death Eater Marks in pacifier form. XD
UniCryin: Good lord more good questions. People stop reading my mind! Ahem, anyway. As for those glasses they aren't a problem yet because no one besides Harry's friends has seen his human face clearly. They will be traded out for contact lenses or eye correction potion later. None of the KHR characters will see him in full for a while anyways. As for the riches, ya he's got gold but I think due to Harry's upbringing he could have gone one of two ways; extravagant spender, or rather simple living with comfort spending. I've decided to go with the more humble!Harry.
droga1: I have severely screwed around with the time line but it's after the Final Future Arc. That marshmallow eating, flashy bird may or may not make an appearance. Byakuran is kind of a godmode for this story, as far as I'm concerned, and we only need ONE god in here.
Mabidiso: I really enjoyed writing Kashamiryu's defenses. The idea started out with the castle being like that all the time only with a muggle repulsion spell. But that was so BORING! I had to do more! I liked the idea of Hogwarts being semi-sentient so I put something similar in.
Janelly Slytherin: That was originally what happens after Tsuna and Gokudera get off the buss. So Hibari became an Omake for a bit. XD
Last time:
The trees parted and shifted aside as if they had minds of their own and legs to move. They allowed Hermione access back to the gate and held their position in waiting for the other to travel past. As Neville finally trotted out into the trees and right to Hermione's side they waved back at their friend, silently promising that they would steal him away from his reclusive life in the next few weeks. They could always send Luna in the mean time.
With the ornate gate closed and the trees bending back in place to hide the path they had created from the front door, both Griffindors disappeared.
0w0(+} +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + + + +
Blackened fingernails combed through silver hair as bits of debris were brushed off. The rings on either hand caught on locks every once and a while, ripping out strands. Despite looking like a mess Gokudera wasn't to disappointed with himself. The fact he had actually fended off Hibari while carrying Tsuna was impressive if he did say so himself. It would have been even more impressive if he hadn't let Tsuna get knocked out in the first place.
Leaning on his back was his nearly unconscious Juudaime. His leader's head kept lolling to one side and his legs looked strung out across the sheets oddly. They were both on one of the newly made hotel beds trying to gather themselves up again. The day had started off ok and preceded to be incident free up until 10 o-clock but after that it got rocky. Hibari finally snapped under the pressure of his cold and their disappearance the day before. Long story short they got beat up and sent to their rooms for the remainder of the day. Tomorrow they would be back on the busses and heading to Naminori prefecture.
Gokudera glanced over his shoulder to see how Tsunayoshi was doing. The younger boy seemed to be doing fine with minimal cuts and a lump forming on the back of his head. The damn skylark had ambushed Yamamoto when Gokudera got distracted by the 10th and took him down first. The brunet had been so happy at the time that he couldn't help but feel happy himself, thus his guard dropped. Then BAM! There was the prefect right in everyone's faces. This was not how he imagined their final day at Nara to end but at least his Famiglia would be going back to familiar territory.
"Yo Gokudera. Stop day dreaming about Dame-Tsuna in that little head of yours."
Gokudera tried not to jump up and flick out a bomb at the unfamiliar figure standing in his personal space. Tsuna on the other hand seemed to take it harder, he turned around and stared at Reborn with glassy eyes and then fell sideways with a whoomph.
"Oh my head…"
Reborn crossed his arms in front of his chest in annoyance.
"And here I thought I was finally getting somewhere with you."
"You were-I mean am- I… you are!"
"Don't hurt yourself Dame-Tsuna because I actually have some training for you."
"You do?" Tsuna gulped.
"Yes, get your Famiglia together. We're going to go catch a deer."
"No no Reborn! If you kill any of the sacred deer-"
"I'm not going to kill any worthless deer. As if I'd waste my time on such boring game. The prize I want to bag is much more sacred than those useless creatures."
Tsunayoshi was understandably doubtful. Reborn just didn't think in a linear line half the time and the other half was so blunt you couldn't take it seriously.
"Don't give me that look no good Tsuna. I want my prize alive."
After finishing off his last cup of coffee, Harry decided he would take Neville's advice and go to Nara Park. He had debated for a short time on whether or not going there would be wise. If that man remembered anything form their encounter then he may be waiting for his deer form to return. Then again Mr. Curly Sideburns had been out cold when he changed back. It was probably safe to at least hang around his grove of trees.
According to the old gear clock he had placed by his bedside, it was about 12:03 in the afternoon. So his plans for eating bacon at breakfast time would have actually been eating bacon at lunchtime. And here he thought it had been a bright morning all along. Harry lightly snickered at himself for that one and then promptly slapped his hand' over his mouth.
Well either way he was going to eat later since he didn't feel like burning anything again. Harry had never burned bacon before for fear of physical punishment and no food for the rest of the day. When Neville had mentioned there was smoke the raven-haired teen had flashed back to his first cooking experience at the Dursleys'. He had only been five but when pain is involved little kids rarely forget, point in case when Voldemort had cast the curse at him. He had only remembered the sickly green light that made up the Avada Kedavra but it was more then most people remembered from a year old.
When he got his first cooking lesson Aunt Patunia had woken him up early to make a big breakfast for Dudley's first school fieldtrip. He hadn't been allowed near the kitchen appliances before, yet his Aunt had said Harry watched her enough when he was smaller so he should know. Only a stupid brat wouldn't be able to grasp simple cooking after watching her do it countless times for his sorry…
Harry blinked his eyes to get rid of the image before them.
No, he couldn't let his thoughts get dark. They had no part of his life anymore and certainly would get no money or fame from him. To this day they had no idea what connections and influence he had or what riches were saved up in his vaults from his parent's and Sirius's will. He held that with satisfaction over their narrow minded little heads in secret and while it may seem petty it was worth it.
Absently Harry rubbed the spiral burn mark on his wrist and part of his palm; the same hand that displayed the white words 'I must not tell lies' in his old hand writing. The letters had healed and sunk into his skin instead of puffed out like other scars he had accumulated. The faintest tinge of sickly purple and black surrounded the edges of the letters and followed the natural lines and grooves on his skin. Madam Pomfrey guessed it was the tainted black magic from meeting Voldemort again seeping into the still healing wounds.
Quickly dressing in a white under yukata with red trim and black stitching, Harry slipped into a white topcoat yukata with small black markings similar to his former owl's wings. Again the weather was nice and the yukata felt wonderful for the temperature. Stepping outside and adjusting his clothes Harry pressed on the blue jewel imbedded in his silver bracelet and portkeyed to Nara.
Appearing back to the grove in the middle of Nara Park, Harry placed a hand on the bracelet to hide the glow it made as it deactivated. He had to wait for the residual magic to die down in order to let his animal side transform his shape since it didn't mesh well with the portkey's influence. It didn't seem to mind when it sunk into his skin to hide from sight.
Once the last wisp of transportation magic had dissipated he shifted into a stag befitting a king's trophy wall. After checking himself over for any human attributes still showing, Harry trotted out to the crowd of deer and humans. There were less people here then two days ago. More deer seemed to be sleeping in the shade and drinking from the pond than out in the open. This left large gaps in-between the groups where humans could talk and walk without getting tugged on or badgered for long distances. The sun beamed down brighter by the second and Harry was tempted to turn back aground and go home since his black pelt would absorb more heat then he could take. He would at least stay for a little while though. As long as one or two of the park rangers saw him at Nara he could go back home without worrying to much.
Making his way towards one of the ranger stations on the other side of the park, Harry searched out Tobaiyasu; a slightly rebellious looking twenty year old whom always put on the sleeveless vest uniform over a green shirt with white long sleeves. While he wasn't necessarily your upstanding citizen, often literally punching and kicking offenders out of Nara Park, he was very gentle with animals. He had tan skin from being outside for too long and surprisingly clear brown eyes. His dark cocoa hair reached just past his shoulders and was cut oddly at different layers. Usually the wavy hair would have been tied up into a small ponytail but it seemed to have snapped today.
'He probably used the plastic rubber bands again.'
The man had shown up on Nara's staff before Harry had made his home in Japan and it had been Tobaiyasu who spotted Harry's black form first among the other deer. As rumor had it, he belonged to the Yakuza, or something, and had a fight with some of the members. Getting rid of his last name and never taking on another told others he had no clan or anyone he considered trustworthy enough to be his family. Harry guessed that like himself, Tobaiyasu was hiding from his old life, hoping to make a better one here in Nara.
The path Harry took winded right past where the busses on the south side would stop to unload passengers and for a second, Harry wondered what had happened to that Haru girl. He had completely forgotten her and his assumptions of the situation before removing the curse. Now he knew she was no mother and probably a family friend or maybe a daughter of Mr. Curly Sideburns. The Haru girl must have gone back to her school tour group and left. Hopefully she had met back up with the man and hadn't worried too much. Raising his head towards the flags that stood on poles embedded in the concrete, Harry wondered if that Haru girl had known anything about the curse surrounding the baby on her shoulder. Surely she had.
Unbeknownst to Harry, Tobaiyasu was heading straight for him, finger raised in accusation.
"YOU! Where have you been Blacky?"
That caught the attention of a few patrons passing by on their way from the ticket booths. The group of girls among them lifted their hands to their faces, pressed closer together, and giggled as un-quietly as possible. True to his nature, Tobaiyasu flipped them the bird without looking back and continued straight for the black fallow deer. The shocked faces the girls made were amusing and Harry let out a deer chuckle. Apparently, Tobaiyasu wanted to get a hold of Harry for something or other, probably for a check up, as the man made a grab for one of his white horns. Backing up in time, Harry kept his head just out of reach from the larger man and thought of it more as good exercise. Tobaiyasu would lunge forwards right when Harry did a few trots backwards, completely either unaware Harry could gouge his face off if he so pleased or just didn't give a damn.
"Come here, I just want to get you out of the sun and into the building. You'll overheat and die!" The man grunted, blowing some hair out of his face as he made to grab at Harry's horns again.
The building was actually more like an enclosed pen with smaller horse like stalls for sick deer. It was shady and air conditioned with most of the staff members milling about on their time off.
'Sorry Tobaiyasu! No can do!'
Feeling like his pursuer was too close, Harry bolted back towards the center of the park listening to Tobaiyasu give out a 'HEY!' before disappearing around the corner. Tobaiyasu would definitely report he had seen him and probably complain to anyone within earshot that he was going to grab the black buck and drag him wherever he pleased next time. Harry saw it as an empty threat at best.
Little did Harry know, someone else had also spotted him running around and had watched everything from one of the trees. A small figure was completely hidden in the thick foliage grown by the plants in the spring and summer time. Seeing Harry disappear around the corner the small figure vanished in a slice of grayish, purple mist.
Pushing back a bush to let himself slip through, Harry walked through a thicket of some trees which hid a path winding and cutting though it. The faded red brick path ran clear through the park from one end to the other, escorting visitors for a nice walk and guiding Harry right back to his grove of trees. The little blue flowers on some of the brush were blooming a pale pastel color like the flower that had been in Hermione's hair. They contrasted nicely with the slightly bluish green coloring of the leaves and the warm greens and browns of the trees.
Stopping for a second, the black fallow deer admired the small transformation of his grove from two days ago, breathing in the clean, crisp oxygen given back by the trees. He vaguely wondered why he hadn't noticed buds on the bushes earlier. Plants generally didn't grow that fast if you discounted any magical ones. So what was going on? Must be super growth mulch or something. But as he continued to stand there Harry missed a cold, oddly moving thing behind him. This thing twirled and stretched seemingly out of nowhere and wrapped around people and deer behind him. It wasn't until the living souls began to move away did the wizard notice what was going on and turned.
The cold curling thing behind him turned out to be a mist so oddly thick it reminded Harry of his home, England. At first it acted like a snake and was only forming disjointed tendrils branching out form some source farther off, then it rose up, like someone had pulled a curtain cord. Once in the air the mist leaked out of its form and blanketed around the place like real mist. Harry watched as the stuff floated along the ground and swallowed people whole like a giant mouth. Strands of the clinging air tugged at peoples clothing and lead them away from the area around his grove of trees. He looked back and forth at the people and deer leaving in alarm.
'What is this? Some sort of magic?' He whispered inside as he continued to watch people and animals stiffly walk away from him.
Breathing in the young wizard swallowed what essence gathered in his mouth from the action. The stuff tasted fake, almost like he was eating cotton swabs and as it clotted in his throat the essence dragged weariness with it. As it hit Harry's stomach he began to feel something try to invade his mind, which was odd because he wasn't meeting anyone's eyes. Instantly, occlumency walls erected themselves in self-defense, trying to keep the memories and thoughts of its owner safe and secure. In his minds eye they were made of solid marble with tempered steel ribbing held together with reinforced bolts. It wasn't pretty but it held together surprisingly well against whatever was attacking. The charcoal colored deer's sheer will to stay in control of his own body kicked the effects from the mist into neutral much like when the imperious curse and cruciatus curse tried to affect him. As his body processed the odd 'magic' Harry felt a bit light headed like he was drugged and he knew his body was pushing a layer of magic over his body in defiance. This was something not of the mind but a physical effect, thus his occlumency walls were useless against its influence, but his will power was not.
It would seem years of being paranoid and fighting was paying off again.
Slowly and with slightly unsteady hoofs Harry backed up a few steps towards the grove, his rump hidden by the bushes and trees. If he needed to, the privacy of the grove would afford him a quick chance to escape home. It was without a doubt, someone from the wizarding community has found him and was either trying to corner him for capture or to talk. How they had managed to locate him he didn't know but he wasn't going to stay long enough to find out. Weeks and weeks had gone into planning his hidden life in Japan but just as many had been used to ensure his escape.
Right in front of the wizard and to the right a light flared and caused what he thought to be the silhouette of a head in the mist. Ears shot straight up and his back went ridged as well as his legs, all in preparation to flee. The light felt like magic with a different 'flavor' to it. It was concentrated so finely Harry was sure a wand was trained on him. Damn! So they knew his animagus form as well then! The figure in the mist shifted forward a bit and Harry noted that the head bobbed up and down lightly, almost like a bird's head does. As the figure got closer he heard it give out a breath that disturbed the water vapor.
"I see you aren't effected by my mist."
The voice was slightly high pitched and sounded sophisticated. The person didn't talk as fast as most of the other Japanese people Harry had been around and each piece of the sentence was spoken clearly. As the figure's voice carried to him the mist parted like a stage curtain allowing Harry to see…A FLOATING BABY!?
Harry's posture sagged in disbelief, little deer mouth gapping open. What he thought was a head moving in the mist, bobbing up and down, was actually another weird child.
'Oh for the love of god, really? REALLY!?' Harry complained in his head.
First a baby wearing a fedora, now a baby wearing a black leather jacket with an off white ouroboros floating over his head… and the baby was floating as well. The leather jacket had two white stripes going down that blended in with the grayish murky quality of the mist still coating everything. A small zipper, obviously custom made for the baby as it was too small for even Harry's slim fingers to grab, was placed neatly down the middle. The baby himself had pale skin akin to someone who got absolutely no sun and covered up every inch even when it was 102 degrees outside. On either pudgy cheek was a tattooed teardrop colored a deep amethyst and Harry hoped it wasn't because he had killed someone or lost a loved one either*. The kid didn't wear any jewelry but had a lavender colored pacifier tied around his neck with a cord Harry couldn't see.
"How amusing. Usually animals are weak minded against my mist. You must really be something special. I can see why he thinks you're a familiar for a god."
Harry's frantic mind tripped over itself.
'Huh … I.. what … hng …Wah? Deity?'
A light bulb went on in his head. The baby thought he was a deity's familiar! This at least was good. If he didn't have a role to play right then he would have sighted in relief, instead he straightened his posture as minutely as possible and kept only his head turned to the baby. He tried to look as regal as he did before and hoped that the infant hadn't seen him looking less then dignified.
Often time Japanese deities had an animal or item associated with them, sometimes several all at once. Shrines erected for a deity had those items placed inside as decorations or holy relics and was sometimes carved into the vary wood of the shrine. A well known deity, Inari Ōkami, was often represented by rice and foxes, two things the 'kami' ruled over. The god itself could be shown in human form as male, female, or androgynous so it was the items they represented that would often times show who they were in artwork. Animals in particular were seen as messengers to the 'kami', relaying prayers from those that worshipped them and were respected, plus with all the sacred deer in Nara Park it was no wonder someone though there was a deity living there.
'Not to mention I don't dress like a modern day Englishman anymore. Then again…I never did before either. Well, it looks like someone spotted me and the 'I'm a deity' thing really worked. Thank you, Luna!' Harry thought, remembering the starry eyed girl's invaluable help with picking his wardrobe.
Viper on the other hand watched as the deer made minute shifts in its posture obviously gauging him. He acquiesced to Reborn's earlier observations and felt the hitman's words replay in his head, only worrying a bit that the illusion part of their plan couldn't be pulled off. The deer did hold intelligence border lining on human, which was usually seen in only animals with more developed and larger brains. It had reacted not unlike a skilled human fighter might if they were backed up into a corner or weary of a new situation, automatically placing its back against a familiar place where he could hide, while at the same time keeping his front and all five senses before him. The area was an open space less secure and less well known and to a tactician that was a liability enemies could definitely exploit. After doing that the deer had looked around with only its eyes, keeping everything else still and primed for immediate action. He could see the muscles of the black fallow deer's legs strung tight as a bow.
The creature itself was beautiful and the lavender Arcobaleno found himself calculation just how much each body part of the rare black creature would get him before he could stop himself. The head alone would fetch a fortune to satisfy him for a long time and then the pelt, even more so. It was glossy with just enough shine to reflect the light around it and well groomed as well. The white and cream markings also reflected light but it reflected the grass and the trees with just a bit of blue from the sky more then anything else. Definitely a one of a kind animal and anything one of a kind with this quality could make a poor man very, very rich.
Viper almost cleared his throat but didn't want to spook the 'deity's familiar' any more then before. He wanted to get the curse off as fast as possible and capture the cure.
"I felt the presence of your master. I realized it was the power of a deity and so I have prepared an offering, as is proper." Viper said keeping his voice natural even though the line had been rehearsed with Reborn earlier.
Watching the familiar the Mist Arcobaleno put both his hands in the air, palms out to the obsidian fallow. Viper slowly gathered threads of his mist and wove them together to create an object that would be the offering. Slowly and with much care, a small chest was created. It would have had to rest in both of Viper's small, pale, chubby palms if a display wasn't already starting to form underneath the chest.
The container looked to be made out of healthy cedar wood and the smell from it was light on the pallet but strong enough to drown out some other natural smells like that of the grass. On all four corners of the box there was thick gold facets spread out to envelop all the four corners. Small intricate designs were carved into the simple metal and interesting shadows played in the grooves. There was a glass top to it, exposing the round piece that held the scroll with raised bumps carefully carved on jade handles. The offering itself was placed on a wooden tray with a bowl of rice as well as a full saucer of sake and sake bottle. Lacquer chopsticks were placed on a clay figurine of a deer that looked similar to the black fallow familiar but with blue highlights on its horns, eyes, and legs.
Fantasma, Viper's black frog who was now transformed into his white newt form, lifted his owner a bit higher in the air and away from the deer's reach. He helped his master concentrate on the illusions playing out in the other deer and human's minds as well as the mist. The sheer power his master Viper had to exude was a testament to his continued position in the Varia, who ruthlessly weeded out the weaker members. He would keep the deer away from his master. Fantasma watched as the black creature finally moved a part of its body; the ear twitching towards the plants as if listening to a command unheard by either himself or his master.
Harry simply stood thinking deeply on what to do now. Obviously this person though he was a familiar, so he had to act as if there was a higher power over him, which oddly enough would be himself. He was going to need magic for this, mostly charms, but it should be enough to fool the baby for a second or two. He was too similar to the other infant a few days ago but couldn't know for sure. The most discerning attribute between the two was the pacifier around their necks. The first had a pacifier tinged a bright orange while this one a pale lavender. Age was another common factor, as well as their ability to speak clearly and with an older sophistication. The only difference was their smell. The one before him had no sent what-so-ever which was very odd to his deer form, while the other had smelled something awful. He could get closer if he made for the display put out before him, but the other sent had been so strong even at a distance… something must be covering it up.
Now… how to accept the offering?
Rising one black cloven hoof forwards, Harry made for the floating offering tray held out by a levitation charm. He tried breathing in the baby's sent but only got a snout full of cedar wood. He would simply play the part of a good little animal up a notch then. Ears twisted forwards even further and eyes pushed wider in innocence; Harry leaned out his long neck to just barely touch the wooden tray with the tip of his cold, wet nose. That last bit of covered distance seemed to do the trick. The raven colored wizard's animal instincts reacted before he could think on it and he froze to monitor the dangerous sent on the wind. Instead of the rotting meat and old parchment smell of the last curse this one smelt more like mire water and sludge, but the tone of magic in it was exactly the same. This child had the same de-aging curse despite the overlaying displace of scents that might suggest otherwise. Someone had actually bothered to hide the curse disguised as another curse. This unknown person must really hate whoever these people were.
Were they being punished for something horrible?
Did it matter in the end?
This was not justice. After all, they weren't imprisoned and answering for their crimes. The memory of Neville's earlier words rang in his head, the same depressing tone carrying through.
"Imagine, forever a young infant, unable to do anything for yourself, never to find someone to love you and have a family with. Watching as everyone else dies and leaves you behind…"
'Leaves you…'
It really would be a tragedy and Harry thought of the last piece of Voldemort's soul sleeping in fitful pain under the white stone bench in his mind. He had felt pity for the creature huddled under there, covered in blood and severely malnourished with no clothes on or blanket to keep even remotely warm by. Even though he knew what lay there was a piece of his parent's murderer, it still looked and felt like a child.* Yep, his bleeding heart syndrome was kicking in again as he realized that walking away from the little guy floating in the air would haunt him for the rest of his life.
And so Viper got the same quick as lightning lick all the way from his stomach to the top of his hoodie pushing the display from its position.
Just like Reborn Viper had not been prepared. The Mist Arcobaleno spluttered in alarm and wavered in the air, completely taken by surprise. The deer had moved faster then lightning; one second it was only touching the wooden display tray before he was completely slobbered on in a thick line from chest to forehead. All at once he felt drained and he could barely keep his illusion in place. Poor Fantasma had been knocked in the process causing his beloved familiar to inch away from the center position over his head. Both went floating unsteadily to the ground at the midnight fallow deer's feet, Viper giving a startled cry as he went. He felt paralyzed to some degree and was unable to move away. The little infant could feel some of the saliva under his hoodie and he shuddered at it clumping his hair together and sticking to his forehead. When he landed on the ground and glanced up at the deer and the tray, which had held its sideways position in the air regardless of the levitator being shocked, he saw the black, throbbing and pulsating manifestation of his curse. It stretched from his own shadow and then up from the ground as if it was peeled tape.
Gathering magic in his legs Harry jumped up high and to the right and in his mouth was the curse. It writhed frantically and held a quality similar to the mist surrounding everything making it look like the wizard's animagus form was slobbering putrid shadows and bile. It snapped off the infant's shadow and made the earth actually come up after it. The damn thing was hard to grasp in his flat teeth and Harry felt it slip away from his mouth in its bid for freedom. Horrified, Harry watched as the black essence darted quickly back down to earth and towards the infant's fallen form like a viper. Its lead part looked like the head of a puff adder with jaws wide open and ready to sink back into the crippled child. Harry landed and charged forward stopping the curse on its journey back to its victim, cloven hooves delivering swift justice to the middle.
As quick as he could Harry bit the head and began to swallow the thing, whole. He couldn't just bit it to pieces, as it seemed not to hold a very cohesive form to rip apart, so he had to take it in all at once. As he did this Harry dragged the still struggling curse back into the grove, finally feeling like he would have to use hands in order to eat the whole thing. It was disgusting and wriggled in his throat as it slid further down. Shaking his head like a dog to daze the thing or at least help himself swallow it didn't do a thing and only seemed to aggravate the curse. Harry was so focused he didn't notice a familiar figure behind the mist, standing with a sniper riffle in his grove where he was retreating. The black fallow deer's only warning was the sudden swift movement of Fantasma lifting his master back off the ground and out of the line of fire.
"Reborn now!"
0w0(+} +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + + + +
There… there it was. Just a drop of ink but it was on the parchment. Foolish Potter brat, did he really think that they wouldn't be looking for him? He shouldn't have used that spell.
*From the books and movie it looked like the horcrux living in Harry's soul might have been the last piece of Voldemort's humanity thus its infant look. So Harry is feeling the ability to be innocent from the creature even though it naturally radiated evil intent.
OK AGES! I probably should have done this in first chapter one. They not exact ages as I haven't looked at their birthdays.
HP:
Harry – 22
Hermione – 22
Ron – 22
Luna – 22
Neville – 22
Ginny – 21
KHR:
Reborn – 27
Tsuna – 14
Gokudera – 15
Hibari – 16
Yamamoto – 14
Ryouhe – 15
Mukuro – 15
Chrome – 13
Lambo – 5
Gokudera stared at Tsuna sitting on his bed, school uniform wrinkled at the bottom and part of the white undershirt falling out. He tried not to twiddle his thumbs but he was going to blow any second and he couldn't just start screaming at a blank wall. Juudaime would think he had gone crazy or something and then he would get replaced by someone else as the SIC and then he wouldn't be able to properly protect the 10th! No he couldn't let that happen! NEVER!
As for the 10th, he was currently watching Gokudera clench his hands in different ways as he itched to get a bomb or take out his frustration by yelling. That would bring back the reason why the silver haired teen wanted to punch something.
Tsuna purposefully kept his voice light and unassuming. "Gokudera-kun..."
Gokudera gave a start at his name being called and secretly enjoyed the fact that "-kun" have been tacked onto his name again.
"YES JUDAIME!?" He perked up in attention.
Tsuna gave a smile at his friend's distinct personality and despite the frustrating moments with the silverette he was glad that the shell around Gokudera's heart had come off.
"It's ok, really." Tsuna put his hands out and lowered them twice in a Japanese gesture. "We did leave without telling anyone where we were going so getting attacked by Hibari should have been obvious. Hehehe."
Chapter 5 (Turning point)
She wasn't very tall at all and looked thin from a distance. Her skin was pale, like a china doll. Pale blond hair and bright blue eyes accompanied a pink tipped, button nose to create a serene looking face. This serene face the girl had held vacant looking eyes as if nobody was home upstairs to light a candle. Despite that she moved with a grace and air that suggested she knew something deeper about the world and was simply lost inside that knowledge. She exuded a flame not unlike the deer and deity but she did not have it crawling along the surface of her skin.
Reborn watched as the vacant girl made her way to their rag tag group on the heels of Chrome who was happily chatting away to her, unusual behavior for the pseudo Guardian. Their voices were lowered as they passed the suspicious people in the corner but got a tad louder as they walked farther away.
Most of the Vongola family noted that Chrome looked quietly pleased as she took a seat next to Gokudera in the booth and slid up next to the silver haired teen to let her new friend sit as well.
"Reborn-san. Let.. let me introduce Lovegood Luna. She says she knows about the na.. Nara Park deity." Chrome put her right hand out and shifted her palm towards the dreaming girl beside her. "She's very knowable and says she's been studying the subject in question for years!"
That got everyone's attention by the reins. On his part, Reborn couldn't believe his luck. Right when it looked like all leads would dry up and they could not catch the deer or the deity, a supposed expert shows up. The hitman didn't want to admit it but he was desperate enough to believe this girl and drop some automatic suspicions about her. At least whatever she told them would give them something to go on even if it WAS false.
The girl directly in front of him nodded her head, still in the clouds.
"Oh yes, I've seen it multiple times and have talked to him too. He's got a nice personality." She breathed out, all sighs and airy whispers just laud enough for the group to hear clearly.
The waitress showed up right then and asked the girl, Lovegood, if she wanted anything. The girl simply asked if they had any Earl Gray tea with Bergamot, and got a positive reply. With that order in, the waitress left them alone again.
Folding his hands Reborn looked the girl in the eyes and she watched him right back. To the others it seemed like a silent conversation was going on but in reality it was just Reborn committing her face to memory.
"Lovegood-san," he started in what he hoped was an inviting voice "we would like to hear everything you know about what resides in that Grove of Trees."
The Vongola family scooted closer to her in rapt attention. For a whole minute the girl simply stared out vacantly at Reborn. She seemed to be almost assessing him. Eventually she smiled and there was a collected sigh of relief. Some were sure Reborn might just torture the girl if she didn't give anything.
"Some things I can't say because it's not my place to tell them. Is that all right?" the girl, Luna, didn't look remorseful at all with that statement.
"Yes that's fine." Reborn replied casually but in his head he was a bit more impatient. 'Fine, fine, fine, now would you just hurry up and say something.'
Looking over Reborn's shoulder and out the window the girl began to speak.
"I can't give you his name. You would hold power over him if I did and he has issues with people controlling his life. Mr. Deity didn't always reside there in that grove of trees in Nara Park, you know."
Reborn couldn't help but bit out a 'no, no we didn't. Not at all.' in his head.
"At my school there is an ancient forest surrounding a section of our sports field. Many magical things live in there, most dangerous and willing to harm you. Mr. Deity used to run near the forest's edge and we got to see it quite often. He spoke to some of us and was friends with two humans enrolled at my school. Things were peaceful and most everyone liked to get close to him and hear his legend. It was nice."
The fair-haired girl sighed, this one filled with sadness and longing. It was as if a depressed air had taken hold of her. Reborn noted her eyes turned an ashy grey.
"All of those happy times stopped though, when the war broke out at our school."
"War!?" Tsuna squeaked and earned a glare from Reborn.
The man didn't want any interruptions less they annoy the girl or scare her off but the hitman needn't of worried.
"Yes. You see, our school was filled with prestigious students from around the world, each one powerful in their own right. A group calling themselves the Death Eaters were the ones who struck at us. Each member of the Death Eaters was a grownup, much more powerful then us young students. They had come for the deity that lived among humans, wanting to kill it so it could not interfere with their plans. Previously, Mr. Deity had stopped their boss single handedly and mortally injured him, but he had survived somehow. Before the all out strike on our school the deity had tried to warn everyone that the head of the Death Eaters had returned but, he was attacked for this by our society. They refused to listen to reason and attempted to banish Mr. Deity. He didn't leave us though for he is very loyal to those close to him."
"Anyways, students and teachers had to take up arms when a surprise attack was launched. Most of us were untrained and those who were marginally ready to fight had been taught by the Deity himself. But those were few and far between because we had to be taught in secret. Some whole classes died. Nobody was prepared for the fight so in the end that wasn't surprising. I think… I think about two thirds of us survived though."
Tsuna leaned forward with rapt attention and horror. He would most likely never get used to hearing tales like this. Children their age being killed in an all out school war by grownups? A disaster like that would have definitely been on national news, but then again they had been housing a deity, something that would have been hidden away from those who did not need to be in the know.
Luna smiled at them all, mood shifted for a bit before she went back to her misty eyed self.
"The Death Eaters wished to spread their power and influence across the land Mr. Deity protected. When the last defense placed around our school was taken down they came in droves. Thousands of them came to claim Mr. Deity's life. The Death Eaters would have succeeded had their leader, the Dark Lord, not been so adamant that he himself kill that which truly protected our school. He was foolish and did not know how to properly kill a god thus when he attacked, our Deity was only incapacitated for a while. It was hard though, seeing his small body hauled around like a trophy up to our school gate in order to dampen our fighting spirit."
Ryouhei bristled at this and you could almost see his flame start to spread from his knuckles.
"WHAT!? THAT'S TOO EXTREME, USING AN ALLY'S BODY TO KILL EVERYONE'S FIGHTING SPIRIT!" The white haired boy stamped one foot done on the table, causing dishes and drinks to move around dangerously.
Luna had already picked up a cup near her before Ryouhei's foot could descend and looked at the teen with a small smile on her face.
"He wasn't really dead so in the end we didn't give up like they had hoped. Mr. Deity and the Dark Lord dueled on school grounds and the Dark Lord was defeated." She reassured the outraged boy.
Putting his elbows on the table and crossing his fingers over his mouth, Reborn ran his mind though the information she had just given them. It was a lot to take in for one thing and another, there was the distinct possibility she was flat out lying to them. The deadly hitman got the impression that the air-head girl in front of him did indeed hold correct knowledge about the two identities they sought but she was giving that information in such a confusing way. There was something she let slip though that intrigued him.
"You mentioned the deity being friends with two humans. Who are they, how can we get in touch with them?"
"That is another thing I can't tell you but I can give you this. Together they made up the Golden Trio and it is only those two who know more about the deity in Nara Park then I do."
Reborn nodded his head. 'The Golden Trio. So it's used to having people around, paying attention to it. Must like being noticed. Could it possibly have been ignored like many deity's are being ignored here in Japan?'
"Oh no, not at all." She breathed out under her breath.
The hitman blinked and raised his head a little. Had she just responded to what he was thinking?
"He doesn't like attention that much, he's had bad experiences with it, like in the war. It's why he left us in the end. People pay too much attention to Mr. Deity and they all want a piece of him. Some literally want a piece of him. If you want Mr. Deity you're going to have to be wary of other's who share your goal. Once you expose him other's will notice and take his head."
"Aren't you yourself exposing 'Mr. Deity' right now? You've told us a lot about him already." Gokudera asked leaning in front of Tsuna's line of sight to face the girl.
"No, you're not dangerous to Mr. Deity at all. I can tell." A smile list up her face, her eyes closed in happy arcs and her nose crinkled up.
Tsuna chuckled nervously. 'If only she knew…'
Ignoring the other's Reborn extended his hand out to the girl for a hand shake.
"You for the warning and cooperation."
Tsuna looked from his teacher to Luna. Was Reborn letting her leaving already? "Um…so how do we catch the deer or the deity?"
"If you catch one you get the other." Luna stated not looking away from Reborn or the hand she had taken.
"So if we catch the deer and take it away, the deity will follow?"
"What? OH I understand now." She giggles a little. "The black deer and the deity are the same. Mr. Deity can change shape, like a shape shifter, but can only be in two forms. The deer and the deity."
Reborn's eye twitched. The deity was really powerful then. He'd been fooled this whole entire time trying to run after the deer hoping to spot the deity when he was actually running after the deity itself.
"Good luck. You're going to need it."
I think we shall be fine now that we have some information to go on now miss.
"Even so you're going to need it. Every Deity stands for something right?"
They all nodded in tandem except for Reborn and Hibari.
"Nara Park's deity is the Lord of the Hunt. He hunts and is hunted in a never ending cycle."
As she turned her head back towards the glass door her eyes turned completely pitch black.
And then she was gone.
Still as calm and collected as from the start, Reborn turned around in the booth, letting one arm rest on the plush top as he looked into the booth behind them.
"Did you hear all that, Varia?"
"It seems you would be right about the Lighting attribute, Reborn-san. It draws most of the enemies' attention and takes the hits."
"Now I really want to fight it!"
Chapter 6
Kashamiryu castle looked old and worn out. Once proud walls and roofs wilted inwards and displayed cracks the pattern of lightning. Holes in the roof let in rain and wind to destroy the inside paneling that have been well taken care of in histories past.
As the Vongola family moved to the destroyed front door, they couldn't help but notice the mist rising off of the ground and moving around inside the main house. It floated in some places like clouds while others seamlessly wilted into one another and faded away.
Reborn tried to sense Mukuro, but felt Chrome instead who was harmlessly hanging by Tsuna's side with her trident clutched to her. From behind he could hear Tsuna talking to Chrome in hushed tones about the mist and confirmed that it was neither her nor Mukuro's doing. 'It rubbed me the wrong way', she said in a light tone, ' it doesn't welcome us at all but it doesn't hate us for intruding either. Like it's sad there aren't more people inside.'
Well, the mist certainly did not look or act real and they were hunting a deity so the possibility of mist having feelings actually seemed valid. Then here was the fact no other mist was hanging around the other compounds, only over Kashamiryu.
'More people?' Reborn's eyes lit up a bit but were still hidden under his fedora.
Chapter? Stagione (A new Famiglia! Coming of the Seasons!)
'Eh? What the heck was this?'
Harry turned the box around and around in his hand, stopping back at the hole in it's side. Just a few hours ago the adolescent wizard had heard some rummaging sounds coming from the northern part of his home completely in the other direction from his room.
Chapter?
- Harry the Stagione Meister.
- Luna of the Winter Solstice.
- Ron of the Summer Solstice.
- Neville of the Spring Bloom.
- Hermione of the Autumn Fall.