Third Place - Action/Adventure



Chapter Sixteen


"My Lord, we have found them," Harry looked up from where he was sat reading one of the many books he had received for Christmas three days ago. His Da and Pa looked up from their own reading, both of their eyes were ice cold and Harry wondered which poor fool had been stupid enough to piss them off this time. Terry looked up as well, uncomfortably aware that this was strictly Corvus business.


"Very well, have him in the gathering hall, we will be along shortly," Ivan hissed in reply, his eyes flashing angrily. The two guards nodded and bowed out of the room before Harry�s two fathers turned to look at him.


"My son, you are required to attend this affair," Dante said quietly and Harry nodded with a pout, these meetings were boring most of the time. Though, by the sound of things, this one wouldn�t be boring in the least.


"Terry, as our guest you can chose to accompany us or stay here. If you should chose to come, then we should warn you that what you will see will not be pleasant," Ivan said as he stood up in one smooth motion and straightened out his robes. Terry glanced from one vampire to the other and then his eyes settled on Harry�s.


"Thank you Lord Corvus, but I think I�ll stay here if that�s alright with you?" he asked, looking back up at Ivan. He knew that Harry would tell him what had happened, if he asked later on, but he wasn�t really sure he wanted to ask. By the look in the eyes of the adult vampires, �unpleasant� was about to become an understatement.


Harry offered him a small smile and nodded his approval before he accepted his father�s hands. He checked his weapons belt was still full as he allowed himself to be led from the room and he looked up at his Da.


"Care to tell me what these did this time?"


"Aye, these should be the ones behind the attack on your quidditch match, if I�m not much mistaken... and I�m never mistaken," Ivan replied with a smirk and Harry rolled his eyes before nodding. He matched his father�s purposeful strides, thankful that they kept in mind that he was shorter than them, and therefore unable to walk as fast.


When the three of them entered the gathering room, Harry looked around impassively. The entire clan was sat on the benches around the walls as were the rules, but in the centre of the room knelt two vampires, both had their hands bound tightly behind their backs with chains they could not break, and were blindfolded. Ivan took a step forward to address the clan and the two visitors.


"My son will be taking care of this," he said simply and Harry blinked, allowing a look of complete disbelief to flash across his face before he managed to get himself under control and he nodded as if this wasn�t something new to him. His Pa squeezed his shoulder comfortingly before he moved to sit with Ivan at the side, ready to intervene if anything went wrong, but otherwise just watching.


Harry took a deep breath. He had, of course, witnessed many torturing sessions for information, but he had never before been asked to take part in one, let alone take over it completely. He held his expression emotionless though, as he had been taught, and he stepped further into the room and approached the two kneeling figures.


"I don�t suppose you want to just tell me why you were ordered to attack my fathers now, so I can kill you quickly?" he asked mildly, knowing that every member of the clan was assessing his performance here, this moment would decide on whether he would have the loyalty of his fellow clan members when, if, his Da was killed.


The only reply he got was a spit at his feet


Harry curled his lip up in disgust as he pulled the blindfolds off both of the vampires; he wanted to look into their eyes as they died. He was rather surprised by the violent flinch he received from the two when their eyes fell on him, something like fear flashed through their eyes and they paled, if possible, even more.


Interesting.


"Now, we can make this easy, or we can make it difficult. A quick death is no longer available to you; you threw that away so carelessly." He murmured, still allowing no emotion to creep into his voice.


"You�re a sick, sick child Corvus!" the one who had spat at his feet declared and Harry chuckled softly as he pulled his weapons off his belt one by one and placed them carefully on the small table next to him, noting as the captives eyes watched his every move.


"Now really, whatever gave you that idea? You are a fool to think you could actually have succeeded, you must have known you would find yourself here," he said and then he pulled two daggers off the table and brushed the blades together as if sharpening them, the sound of the metal clashing filled the room. "What are the names of my toys?" he asked, he didn�t expect an answer from the captives and so he looked over at the guards who stood just behind him.


"Acheron and Corwin, little master... They are both from the Janius clan," Arthion said and Harry nodded with a small smile, knowing what he would do when he was finished. He turned back to said captives and eyed them disinterestedly.


"This is the last time I will ask, if you do not answer, then you will give me your replies by screaming them with you dying breath for your master to hear your traitorous words... do you understand me?" he asked, in the same lazy tone as he reserved for childish mortals like Malfoy and Weasley.


A chin lifted in defiance


"A wizard!" the second vampire,Corwin, said quickly, his eyes fearful as he stared at the knives in Harry�s hand. He was silenced by Acheron though, as the vampire elbowed his friend hard in the ribs. Harry smile turned cold and he stepped forward, grabbing a fistful of Corwin�s hair and dragged the vampire towards him.


"Continue," he said but he rolled his eyes inwardly when Corwin kept his lips clamed shut determinedly, even though he was trembling. Harry heaved a sigh and he retrieved one of his daggers before pressing the cold blade against Corwin�s cheek and trailing it down, past his jaw, and then up the other side again.


Still nothing was said and so he pressed the blade tighter, watching as the point pierced the skin and a small bead of blood dribbled to the surface. He hummed softly to himself as he pressed said blade in even deeper and then he very slowly dragged it down the left cheek until he came to the chin. Then he pulled back and slapped him hard with the back of his hand, the wound he had just made burst open even more at the force of it and Corwin was sent reeling across the room.


Harry had moved so quickly that Corwin didn�t even get time to hit the floor again before he received another crushing blow. The sight of a fellow vampire lying sprawled on the floor by his own hands was sickening, yet these fools had dared to try and harm his fathers. He stalked around Corwin slowly, like a predator closing in on his prey and then he kicked the other vampire over until he was lying on his back.


"This wizard," he whispered as he knelt down and he paused for a minute to run his tongue over the wound on the other�s face, swallowing the blood. "Why would a wizard care of the affairs in our world? Why would he want the Corvus family dead? You see, I find this a little hard to believe, but more importantly, why were you two not killed during the attack itself?" he asked softly and Corwin shook his head before he nodded and then shook it again, obviously biting his lip to stop from answering... or pleading.


"I-" he started but then cut himself off quickly


"You weren�t killed because you weren�t there now, were you? You were the ones to hire those pathetic fools to attack my fathers, you and your pretty little friend over there," Harry continued as if nothing had even happened.


"We were hired!" Corwin burst out before he could stop himself and Harry smirked coldly, his eyes flashing to a hardness that he rarely used.


"Of course you were," he said so softly that the others strained to hear him. "You were hired, but you two had more sense than to try an attack on Ivan Corvus, you knew you could not win. So you hired some people to do the work for you, how very cowardly of you,"


He knew he was taking a different approach to what his fathers normally took here. Ivan usually kept silent and simply beat the offenders to a pulp until they were ready to give him what he wanted, but these two already feared him for some unknown reason. The taunts and the continuous questions were obviously getting to them. Or at least they were getting to Corwin anyway, but he already knew how he wanted to deal with Acheron.


He took his dagger again and kept his foot on the other vampire�s chest as he slowly, and carefully, cut the robes right up the middle. Corwin started to struggle but Harry�s foot kept him in place as he continued, staring straight into the captives eyes with a mocking smile on his face.


"Perhaps I should let you live," Harry said conversationally, he saw some of the clan members shifting uncomfortably and muttering, not liking the idea of one of their leaders showing mercy, but Harry wasn�t finished yet. "Perhaps I should let you live, merely because I imagine it would be torture to live without your eyes, without your tongue, but more importantly, without your pride and joy which I am about to remove now," his tone of voice never changed as his dagger crawled closer to its target.


Corwin blanched visibly as did quite a few of the watchers, but Harry never took his eyes away from those in front of him and his mocking smile widened, seeing the raw fear. Merlin was Harry glad that Terry hadn�t decided to come along and watch, he didn�t think he would be able to look his friend in the eye again, knowing he would see fear there too.


"So, tell me what I want to know now and perhaps I will allow you to die with your pride and dignity... or perhaps not. It really depends on how much you piss me off," he said again, everyone was watching that knife now, seeing whether he would really go along with his words or not. The robes were sliced right up to the thighs now and when Harry still didn�t get an answer, he dug it into the skin and dragged it up, growing dangerously close.


"You were right! It was a wizard! He hired us to kill you!" Corwin said quickly, trying to scramble away and Harry held the knife exactly where it was, not removing it nor relaxing his grip.


"Me? Then why were the attackers in the box with my fathers?" Harry asked, he had that infuriating smile on his face still, not allowing his confusion to show through and making all believe that he knew this anyway. When he didn�t get a reply immediately, he dug the knife into Corwin�s thigh even deeper and itched even closer to his goal.


"Because it was too good to pass up! I never said anything about attacking Ivan or Dante, but the wizard put spells on them, ones that turned them invisible and made their scent masked so that they wouldn�t be noticed. It was too good of an opportunity to pass up when they were in the box!" Corwin said and Harry finally relented and pulled back until he was sat on his heels.


"The wizard, what was his name? What did he look like?"


"He didn�t give a name and he kept his hood up! I swear it, I swear, he offered to help us crush the Corvus clan so that we could present our leader with their heads..." he trailed off suddenly, realising he was digging himself into deeper shit here. Acheron snorted at the side of them and hissed out words of betrayal and traitor under his breath.


Harry paid him no attention as his eyes flashed once more and he thrust the dagger straight into Corwin�s stomach and then he pulled it out, ignoring the cry of pain, and he tore the cloth away, leaving his stomach bare to view.


"Has this wizard ordered anymore attacks?" he asked and arched an eyebrow when the vampire clamped his mouth shut, all he had to do was twitch the knife in his stomach and Corwin was cringing.


"One before that match thing, in the forest on you and your friend... you were watched by another of our clan as you tortured our companion." Oh, that was... nice. Well, at least Harry now knew why they paled when they first saw him. He'd be questioned of course, by his fathers. He wasn't much looking forward to that particular conversation. Even if he knew that he wouldn't be punished. He didn't take pleasure in torturing people, especially other Vampires.


Sometimes it was a necessity.


His Da had taught him that.


"I want to know everything about this wizard, and now," he hissed coldly and he smirked when he didn�t get a reply. His dagger was placed at his side and he stuck two of his fingers into the stomach wound and then literally tore said wound open even more.


"Please! I don�t know! I don�t- please!" Corwin said, he was actually sobbing now, but Harry didn�t relent as his fingers stretched the wound even more. "Alright! Alright! He was a professor at that school of yours! That�s all I know, I swear that�s all!"


And Harry believed him.


He didn�t really need to know more anyway, he could easily guess who it had been though he couldn�t guess why. He pondered what he should do for a minute as he pulled his fingers free and licked them clean. He flipped the dagger up into his hand and then he held out his hand towards the table, hoping this worked as it had before.


His sword handle smacked into his palm and he grinned coldly once more, he seriously hadn�t expected that to work, as he had only practiced once or twice since he sent Malfoy crashing into the wall. He stood up then and gripped onto said sword, watching with obvious amusement as Corwin pushed his feet against the floor and tried to crawl backwards. He stalked towards him and placed a foot on his chest again before he decapitated him with one swift movement.


He kicked the head away from the body and then turned to look at Acheron, as if considering what to do with him. He tilted his head to the side and wiped the blood off his blade, another smirk twisted at his lips.


"Release his hands, give him a sword. I want to play," he said to the guards and he ignored the looks of disbelief most were giving him as he turned as if with disinterest and grabbed the decapitated head of Corwin and placed it on the table beside his weapons. When he turned back, Acheron was rubbing at his wrists and eyeing Harry with a smirk, obviously believing he stood a chance.


"Here�s the deal. We fight, you win then you can go free... my fathers will make sure my word is adhered to. I win, well, I simply kill you" he said softly and with a wave of his hand, he motioned for the guards to step back out of the way. A sword was thrown to the captive and both he and Harry faced each other.


Harry simply stood there, looking at his nails lazily as he waited for the attack. He didn�t have to wait long, Acheron shot forward exceptionally fast with the sword aimed straight for Harry�s heart. Harry sidestepped it easily and didn�t bother to turn around to face his attacker again. He felt a shift in the air and then he paused for one second before he jumped, did a flip in the air, and landed on his feet behind Acheron who stood where Harry had just been.


"Really, we all know you can run, coward. How about we get to the actual fighting now?" Harry teased, watching with amusement as frustration, anger, and a hint of fear grew in his opponent. He heard some snickers from behind him but he didn�t let that distract him as he once again stepped to the side.


He was bored


Terry was still waiting for him.


Harry decided then that he would get this over with, it was impolite to leave a guest on their own for too long and so he stopped dodging and stepped up straight into attack. Playfully at first before it grew with ferocity, pushing Acheron further back. Harry�s sword sliced into his cheek, then he swapped hands and cut the other cheek as well before dropping lower and cutting deep into both sides.


With each attack he made, he managed to slip through his confused captives defence and slice into him. Getting deeper each time as he moved faster than the mortal eye could see and swapped hands with every attack. Eventually, he had enough and so he paused, parried a blow with a role of his eyes and then decapitated him too.


He stepped back in disgust as his robes were splattered with blood and then he wiped his sword on Acheron�s clothes before turning back around.


"Send the heads to the Janius clan, make them come crawling with apologies. If we have received no word from them in two days, attack." He said bluntly before he turned to his fathers and grinned at the looks of complete open pride that he saw there. "We have a guest waiting, Da." He reminded and Ivan opened his arms in welcome as he picked his son up.


Harry wrapped his legs around his Da�s waist and they stopped at the table to pick up his weapons and place them on his belt again, before he allowed himself to be carried out of the room.


---------


Harry leapt silently from tree to tree, he could feel the guards and his two fathers behind him on the ground somewhere, and he made sure to keep in sight. He had been pleasantly surprised when he had returned, covered in blood. Terry had merely looked at him and accepted it without lifting a brow, nor had he tried to ask questions.


Quirrell


It really couldn�t be anyone else. Why would Quirrell try to have him killed? It was before he worked out about the philosopher stone, and so it couldn�t be because he knew about that. It must merely be because Harry could sense him... could sense the darkness and so was therefore a threat.


Stupid bastard, if Harry had decided he wasn�t going to interfere with anything before, he had now changed his mind. He wouldn�t let the fool get anywhere near that stupid invention and he would kill him. Why the hell would anyone want to make a stone that gave immortality and turned things to gold? Aye, it�s a nice dream, but it should be nothing more than a dream... the problems something like that could cause in the wrong hands.


Its amazing how someone so obviously smart like Nicholas Flamel, could be so stupid at the same time.


He was dragged rather forcefully from his thoughts when something fast moved towards him and grabbed him around his waist. He struggled from the grasp as they flew through the air and then the thing that grabbed him landed on his feet and caught Harry in his arms.


It was his Da.


"You and I need to have a little talk," Ivan whispered in his ear as he straightened out and gently put Harry onto his own feet. He gestured towards a low thick branch and they both sat down, Harry wasn�t surprised when his Pa joined them and sat the other side.


"What's this about torturing someone?" Dante asked softly and Harry shifted uncomfortably before he sighed.


"It was when Terry and I were attacked in the forest, that night you two were late. I was angry, mainly because the fool actually got close. He knocked me from the tree and then lay on top of me to stop me from moving; he had his knife pressed to my throat. I, rather stupidly, forgot for a minute that my weapons were there, he�d taken me by surprise because I thought it was one of you... and I could hear Terry getting hurt in the background," he said and then shrugged slightly


"I was scared for Terry, and angry at myself because I didn�t even think of the possibility that my friend might be attacked too... and because I forgot about my weapons. So I took it out on the one who attacked me," he finished and Ivan put his arm across his sons shoulder before pressing a kiss to his head.


"I�m proud of you my son, for you realise your mistakes and you act to correct them. That�s all we can ask of you and you have never yet let us down. Don�t think we are angry or disappointed with you about this, we just wondered why you never told us,"


"You know I don�t like torturing people, especially my own kind Da," Harry pointed out and Ivan nodded with a grin.


"Nobody necessarily enjoys it, for if we did, then we would be no better than the fools who attack us. As you know, sometimes you have no choice." He said and Harry nodded, smiling slightly.


"Come, we�re hungry and we�ve left Terry with the guards," his Pa said after a short silence and Harry grinned, he accepted his fathers hands and they made their way back to the others.



The Heir of Corvus I: The Philosopher�s Stone - Chapter 17

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