Chapter Text
Harry
Harry spun, recognizing the heat of spell fire coming far too close for comfort. He smirked as he realized that the spell that had come so close to hitting him, sent by the death eater currently taunting him for existing, had actually hit another masked idiot as they were fighting the tag team of Ron and Ginny, their red hair giving reassurance as it was illuminated by the light of the spell fire. Ron’s eyes almost glowed in malice as their opponent suddenly exploded in front of them. Harry inwardly shook his head, mentally refocusing on the masked idiot in front of him, only to inhale sharply in horror as he watched the purple flame of the curse they had first seen back in their fifth year when Sirius had died. Harry blinked back tears, realizing that the target of that horrific curse was someone he loved as family, someone who had survived a somewhat weaker version of that flame, someone who was completely unaware of the imminent threat currently racing to her unguarded back. He almost screamed her name in panic, “HERMIONE! Move!” It was already too late as she started to turn towards him though, he choked on a sob as he saw that deadly purple flame hit Hermione midway up her back, separating her head and shoulders from the rest of her body. Harry saw red, and suddenly started screaming, a soul-deep pain suffusing the sound bookended by the rage that exploded from him as he felt his dragel attributes snap to the surface.
Harry had only one thought, as the sound of his haunting scream echoed across the grounds of the dilapidated manor house that they had been using as a base of operations when they had been attacked by the full force of Voldemort’s army. There was no way in all the bloody fires of hell that the cunt that killed Hermione would live to see another day.
Voldemort himself was hiding behind his army, watching them fight the band of misfits that somehow had only lost one in this attack, the one that had preceded the feral scream currently reverberating through the minds of everyone present, all impacted in some way. He had no idea yet that it would be his greatest mistake, launching the attack that killed Harry’s soul sister, especially after everything else that the teen had already lost.
As he started screaming, Harry dove, with his claws out, at the murderer that stood in front of him smugly smirking at the results of his last spell, although he didn’t know it was his last, yet. Harry’s victim was still smirking as he turned towards the sound of that penetrating scream that had begun during his victory dance at successfully murdering one of the Golden Trio. It was too late for him as claws raked through his neck and chest like they were butter, and then he was gone, the ghost of a smirk still visible on his blood-splattered face.
Harry’s scream kept echoing through the field, even as he moved towards his next victim, viciously cutting down any Death Eater he came across, his rage powering his strikes, instinct steering him away from those on his side.
Ron
Ron smiled in malicious glee, watching the Death Eater in front of him and Ginny explode in front of them. They’d been fighting for what seemed like hours, but in reality it was probably less than a single hour. He kept fighting, picking another target after one went down, completely in sync with his younger sister.
Ron’s blood ran cold, eyes meeting Ginny’s, shock evident as he heard a call, shouted by a voice tinged with hysteria, “HERMIONE! Move!” He knew that voice, he knew that name. By the time he registered what was happening, and before he’d turned towards the voice, a haunting scream was echoing through the air, tugging at his soul and drawing his Dragel attributes to the forefront. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that Hermione was gone. He also knew that the one screaming was Harry; nobody else’s voice could break his heart and enrage him in the same moment. The magic of the scream pulled him directly to his best friend’s side. He had no doubt in his mind that Harry was his.
Neville, Luna, Fred and George
It was pure chaos as he fought alongside Luna, weaponizing the flora and fauna in between casting spells at the death eaters that had attacked their base. Luna looked as if she was almost dancing, her lithe form weaving around his and the plant-life as she chained spells together that caught their opponents off guard, making it easier for them to cut down the masked idiots. Neville refocused from watching Luna as he felt the sting of a diffindo brush across his upper arm, turning towards where the spell came from and viciously fired a reducto, smoothly following it up with a chain as he changed his aim to the one currently aiming at Luna with a ferocious growl. The high-pitched giggle coming from that unmasked figure, curly dark hair wild in the static of the magical energy, had him continuing the growl that had started when he first noted the spell going towards Luna from the crazy bitch that had cost him his parents. After she’d noticed him and easily batted his spells away, her focus completely turned to him and it took everything he had in him to keep her at bay and continue to send spells towards her.
Neville exhaled softly in relief as he saw two redheads, almost identical in appearance, materialize right next to him, adding their spells to his, giving him a chance to breathe as Bellatrix continued to send curse after curse at him, her repertoire of curses built up after so long dabbling in black magic, almost without repeat.
Luna’s voice, the sharp yell a far cry from her usual dreamy tone, snapped out a phrase Neville never dreamed he’d hear from her, “Avada Kedavra!” The blur of the recognizable green slammed into the crazy bitch he’d been duelling against and if he was honest, the one who, even with the twins’ help, he was quickly losing ground against. Her face froze, not even registering shock, her expression still glimmering with malice and glee, even as her heart stopped for the last time.
His shock was as present as the twins’ shock, just more than the glee and the urge to pick Luna up and spin her around in joy, only remembering where he was when he was pulled behind one twin, the other already summoning a broken tree to protect the foursome from the vengeance of a pure blood husband raised to protect his wife - even when his wife clearly didn’t need protecting. The twin who had grabbed Neville sharply tapped the back of his head in a slight rebuke, a silent reminder to be aware of where they were at. Neville immediately snapped back to awareness, zipping off a silent summoning spell, catching the Lestrange brothers off guard as two large branches still held together by a tree trunk erupted through each of their chests, their eyes bulging in shock as their lungs are pierced, disabling them as they slowly suffocate on their own lifeblood.
The menaces standing on either side of him, the red-headed variety, quipped as if sharing a single brain, “Good riddance to bad rubbish, Nev! And way to handle it in style!” Neville chuckled darkly, only to freeze as his dragel attributes became more prominent, perfectly blending with his dryad attributes that he’d been using the entire battle. His eyes met Luna’s as a very familiar voice rang through the air, “HERMIONE! Move!” Neville and the twins knew from Luna’s heavy gaze, this was one of those events that had to come to fruition in order for Harry to get everything he’s needed his whole life, and never received. Silent tears slid down Luna’s face, her hand grasping George’s forearm tightly, forcing him to pause before reacting.
George looked into the eyes of the other half of his soul, heart breaking as he saw the tears welling in his twin’s eyes, mirrors of his own. George pulled Luna closer to him, the wings that had emerged along with Neville’s and his twin’s the only visible difference between the two. George’s black wings looked almost like smoke, the only part not smoke-like was the hints of crimson and burnt orange twined within the smoky caress of the charcoal grey and black dark as the night sky on a new moon. Fred’s wings next to George’s were almost perfect opposites, iridescent and fiery, the ivory sheen standing out against the gold, orange, and red twists of flame against the pearlescent sheen reminiscent of a freshly fallen snow, undisturbed by the trodding footsteps of the beings that call Earth home.
Looking almost relieved, Luna let out a quiet sigh, the moment between the foursome unnoticed in the scarce few seconds it had happened in. Having expected it, Luna braced the foursome, ready for the drag of the soul magic that suffused the air around them after the sky is rent with a hypnotic but heartbreaking howl, the rage and pain palpable in the air surrounding a certain messy-haired teen as he, with a messy efficiency, worked his way through the enemies currently frozen in horror and terror.
They were right where they needed to be now. Next to him, able to protect him but also able to fight alongside him, keeping pace and continuing to keep the so-called “clever” ones at bay, cutting them down with vicious efficiency using both claws and curses, and the occasional swing of a familiar sword with a familiar name on it, a nick with the blade all that was needed to keep tearing apart their enemies.
Bill and Fleur
Across the battlefield, Bill and Fleur were back to back defending each other fiercely, and fighting to remove the death eaters from their home base; once Potter Manor’s land, the manor itself was destroyed during the first wizarding war in the attack that killed the elder Potters leaving James and Lily with Harry as the last Potters walking the mortal plane.
The ragtag group that stayed at this base were the fighting members of what was once the Order of the Phoenix. Technically, there were still members of the Order, but these people, this army, had gotten sick of doing nothing as Voldy and his masked idiots had ravaged the ministry, the country, and even started spreading to the continent. The sheeple of the country were still taking their cues from their personal Lord and Savior Albus too many names Dumblefuck. Unfortunately, the elder Weasley couple were two of these sheeple. They still hung on his every word like it was gospel, following his every directive, although it had been proven many times that his way of “fighting” in the war (wound only, no killing, if you kill you’re going dark and dark is bad) had gotten people killed.
There had been so many close calls, it was amazing that so many of them were still standing. There was Remus Lupin - better known as Moony - Nymphadora “Don’t Call Me Nymphadpra” Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Mad Eye Moody, and then basically the entire younger generation that had gone to school with his younger siblings. Moony, Mad Eye, Kings, and Tonks along with Bill and Fleur had taken on positions of teachers and siblings (Tonks, Bill and Fleur), mentors (Kings and Mad Eye), and uncles (Moony). The entire group was more like extended family than just friends or allies after years of fighting and surviving together.
Bill was shooting off obscure curse after obscure curse, having many in his repertoire after so many years as a curse breaker. Fleur was a flurry of fire and determination as she threw fireballs with one hand and threw curses with the other. Somehow they had ended up with just each other early on as the rest of the force had spread out, forcing the death eaters to do the same or be picked off from the side or back by the remainder of the rebels. Bill almost froze as he heard a terrified shout rise over the din of the fighting, “HERMIONE! Move!” A hair’s breadth later a piercing scream rose into the air and grabbed him by his very soul.
The shock of the scream had caused the death eaters to pause in their curses, so Bill took advantage and used an area-wide version of a diffindo, usually used for chopping down forests to cut down the ones remaining in front of him and turned, ready to help his wife do the same. Fleur had used the shock from the scream to just throw massive balls of fire at the ones remaining on her side. She looked to her husband as she rubbed a hand on her chest, feeling the pull and knowing that the one screaming was in need of a Beta, and an excellent Alpha, the one that she was soul bonded to, in fact. Grasping Bill’s hand, she relaxed slightly, letting the pull of the soul magic guide her and her love where they needed to be, right by their perfect submissive, a man they’d seen grow from a scrawny 14 year-old with a determination for survival only matched by his strong sense of right and wrong into the strong warrior fighting his way through the wizards who’d made their last mistake, although they didn’t know it yet.
Brielle and Reaver
Brielle was sitting with her best friend, an Ace named Reaver, who incidentally was also her Royal guard by decree of her older sister Ebony, Crown Princess and Acting Royal for the Fire elements. Ebony knew that Brie would revolt if she was stuck with a stuffy old guard like she had been as a child. It was understood between the sisters that they would be better than their parents were in relation to their family. In Eby’s mind, that started with giving her sister a guard that she already trusted, but also one that Brie would be able to talk to. Brie was filling Reaver in on the latest gossip from the Royal brunch, that Ebony had dragged her to, with the other Acting Royals, and the King of the Merrow. Apparently, there was a lot going on in the courts, especially the Air courts due to the current Queen’s habit of letting a couple of families get away with anything and everything. Crown Princess Dawne and her brother Peryton (Perry as she had been reminded to call him) had made the decision that they weren’t going to let them get away with anything anymore. It was a travesty what the current Air Queen had allowed to happen, especially with the Deveraine child years ago.
Reaver sat listening to his best friend speak about the latest drama she found out about when spending time with her sister. He hadn’t been needed there, so he’d gotten to miss that out, considering there were at least 4 full suites posted there with all the Acting Royals in one place. Reaver’s sharp eyes noted that Brielle kept rubbing at her chest, right over her heart, he looked into her eyes seeing the hint of pain as he noticed himself doing the same thing. His eyes widened in shock as he breathed out “soul scream,” before the wave of soul magic intertwined with them and ported them to a still screaming submissive in a full feral rage, still cutting down enemies, carving a path straight through their bodies. Brie, in her halfling form was held close to Reaver as more dragels were ported in. Reaver held Brielle close on his right side, while with his dominant hand he struck out viciously at any that came towards them, protecting Brie as he was sworn to do.
Raya and Kaylen
Raya was wandering the streets of the shadow district with their best friend Kaylen, a Shadow Healer. They hadn’t had much time to spend together in the past couple of months, both very busy with almost opposite schedules, and today was the first day in approximately a month and a half that they’d had a shared day off.
They casually wandered the streets, laughing when they saw something funny or making a comment when they saw pretty wares in windows. Kaylen felt the rise of the soul magic first, as if reaching into her and grasping her by the soul, and when she turned to Raya, she noticed the pale blue feathers starting to show through the golden-blonde hair they kept long and knew they were feeling it too.
Kaylen pulled Raya into her shadows as the soul magic reached its crescendo and ported them both to the side of their perfect submissive, the shadows muting the bright flash of the soul scream portal. As they landed, Kaylen was immediately pushed behind Raya as the protective instincts surged to the forefront. Kaylen looked around, trying to find a space that had some cover so her friend didn’t have to worry as much, but noticed there really wasn’t any cover, the bodies and debris from a long and hard-fought battle evidence of what was happening, even as the battle continued around them.
Kaylen saw their submissive, her shadows reaching out to meet him, and gasped when she felt the feedback of the initial shadow reading. Raya, without turning, poked Kaylen as a reminder that now was probably not the best time to take a shadow reading for basic information. Be safe now, learn more later.
Jensen and Indigo
Jensen and Indigo, best friends since birth, sat together under the shade of their favorite tree laughing hysterically as one of Jensen’s five younger sisters acted out an interaction she’d witnessed at school. It was about a couple of her classmates who’d already inherited, and apparently one of them had gone dramatic with a prom-posal and it had brought the students in the vicinity to tears laughing, and now was accomplishing the same as a story told second hand. A big part of that was probably Gemma’s very enthusiastic charade of what it looked like, with her twin Dani standing uncomfortably playing the part of the person being asked. The next oldest from the twins, Mariella, was sitting calmly, seemingly unamused, but the twinkle in her grey eyes - so much like her brother’s - gave her away. Jessa and Cheyenne were sitting together under a different tree talking quietly, paying no mind to their exuberant little sister’s reenactment of an event they had witnessed.
When Gemma was finished with her demonstration, Dani gratefully sat down, leaning into her big brother for a cuddle. Her social battery was low, school was hard for an introvert like her, especially when her identical twin was so completely opposite of her in personality. Jensen wrapped an arm around her shoulders, absentmindedly pulling her a little closer as he and Indigo were finally able to stop laughing and relax more fully into the trunk of their tree.
Indigo turned to Mariella, chatting quietly with her to give Jensen a chance to focus on Dani instead of a conversation about whatever topic they decided on. A couple minutes later, Gemma’s curious voice piped up, “Jen, why are you and Indi rubbing your chests?” Jensen looked up, catching Indigo’s eye as he finally registered that he was rubbing his chest, so was she, and the rise of the soul magic finally clued them both into what was happening. He gently but firmly pushed Dani to her twin for cuddles while standing up and giving Indi a look to do the same. He looked at his younger sisters and told them, “Tell Dera, Mera and Papa there was a soul scream.”
The last thing his sisters saw was him and Indigo going into their halfling forms and the bright flash of the portal as the soul magic carried himself and his best friend to the perfect submissive for them both. When they landed after a somewhat longer portal than usual, they saw the flash of spell fire rushing towards them from a misfired curse and Jensen immediately snapped to action pushing Indi out of the way of the spell while sidestepping it himself. After that far too close of a call, both of them jumped into the fray, following the other dragels in dispatching the opposing forces. Jensen saw the Healer’s aura just off to the side and looked to Indi, but she was already heading in that direction to make sure that, who was most probably, their Healer was protected.
Grey
Grey was sparring when they lost their focus for just a moment before refocusing on their opponent, needing to finish this quickly. They could feel soul magic building and when their opponent was finally down, Grey stood up straight and let the soul magic take them where it wished, to someone they hadn’t dared hope for, their soulmate. The perfect submissive for them had been something they were looking for, only in the periphery while they were training to be the best they could be.
The portal finally ended and Grey looked around, seeing 13 other dragels in halfling glory and a phoelix as well as all the rest of the wizards, some seeming to be fighting with the dragels, and some fighting against them. The ones that were on the other side looked to be wearing black robes, and many wore plain white masks, while a select few wore more intricate ones. They looked a bit farther, just behind the black-robed wizards and saw what could only be termed an abomination. It was noseless with crimson eyes glowing as it watched on, seeming to look for the best opening.
Grey wouldn’t have that, though. That thing was a threat to their submissive and they were going to deal with it right away. They gathered their shadows around them and moved behind the being, cutting its head off and then making eye contact with the other gheyo that had noticed their move and stepped out of the way of the flames that immediately enveloped the headless wonder and its head.
Then, both of them together started working their way to the rest of their allies via the most expedient path, through the black robed menaces. If blades found homes through necks and in backs, well it was just like walking through the underbrush, you have to cut through the parts that block you from moving forward.
Inara and Willow
Inara stood just outside the edge of the sparring ring waiting to see which of the two other Jokers would be victorious and thus face her. She was kind of hoping to go against the other Earth Joker, her skills as evident as her beauty. Inara hadn’t had the chance yet to face this one, and the shadow Joker was someone she faced off against fairly regularly. He was good, she (and the other Joker apparently) was just better. He yielded to her, with a quip about only being beaten by earth, not beaten into a dirt nap, winking at Inara as he limped past leaving her alone with the other Joker.
Willow was intrigued by the other Joker standing in front of her. She’d heard of Inara, of course she had, but never had the chance to spar with her. Feeling a surge of powerful magic, she looked into Inara’s eyes searchingly, wondering if she felt the same surge. By the slight widening of her eyes, it was obvious to Willow that Inara felt it too. Unconsciously mirroring each other, both of them reached up and rubbed their chests, then honey and chocolate eyes widened in realization, a soul scream. They were both being summoned by the submissive that would fit their rough edges like a puzzle piece, and the chances that there were two different soul screams at the exact same time were so small as to be nearly impossible. Knowing what was happening was helpful, so Willow gracefully stepped out of the sparring ring, stepped slightly closer to the other Joker, and let the portal take them where they were meant to be.
They arrived on what was clearly a battlefield and jumped into the fray. They saw at least 6 other gheyos and a few other ranks, but didn’t take the time to really wonder about what ranks were there. They had a battle to win, and a soulmate to meet.
No POV
With the addition of a full gheyo suite and three jokers, the group made quick work of decimating the last of the death eaters. With that complete, the earth born who had been living on the base that was now covered in blood and death looked at each other and wondered aloud, “What about Voldy?”
Harry quipped, “Snake faced bastard is a little bitch and couldn’t handle it.”
Eyes widening in realization Grey spoke up, barely beating Jensen to the punch with his words. “That thing, the noseless abomination? It’s who you’re talking about, right? It’s dead, I cut off its head, and then,” pointing at Jensen, “that one burnt it to ash.”
There were audible gasps and Harry breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that his work here was done. They would now be able to go to the sanctuary realm as they’d been planning without feeling guilty about it. Then, Harry thought about how long Hermione had been planning what they needed to take, and with a horrified gasp of realization, remembered what had happened. Dolohov with his purple flame, Hermione, his attempt to warn her, but it was already too late. His legs felt like jelly, and only the fact that Neville and Ron were on either side of him kept him on his feet.
Ron spoke up, “She won’t want you to fall into a depression mate. She wants you to be happy. We talked about it a lot before… Well, just know we talked about it. Both of us knew there was a good chance of one or both of us dying, but there was not a snowball’s chance in hell that you were going to do this without both of us here with you.” Ron pulled Harry a little closer to him, wanting to give him more comfort than just words. With Harry a little more settled, Bill spoke up.
“Thank you for your assistance in ending this. My name is Bill, I am Alpha. This is my wife Fleur, she is beta. Our submissive is Harry Potter, and the redhead standing next to him is Ron. Ron is Princess. Neville is on the other side of Harry, and he is Queen. The twin flame heads are Fred and George, both of whom are Gheyic pareyas. The little blonde in between them is Luna, probably our companion or advisor. That will depend on what she wants. Now, can we please get some introductions?”
The group looked at each other before Brielle stepped forward and stated, “I’m Brielle, call me Brie. I’m going to be taking the rank of Royal.” Brie looked at Reaver with an eyebrow raised, and he spoke up next.
“I’m Reaver and I am Ace.” Jensen and Indigo stepped up together with Jensen speaking for both of them.
“My name is Jensen and this is Indigo, or Indi, and she is a joker, I am King.” Jensen then looked at Grey and said, “you next hot shot!”
Grey chuckled and matter-of-factly stated, “I’m Grey, I am Prince.”
Raya stepped forward next, “My name is Raya, I am gheyic pareya.” She then points to Kaylen and smiles as she says, “This is Kaylen, she will be our Healer.”
Kaylen speaks up then, “Speaking of healing, can I start healing while we talk?” Then, without waiting for an answer, she rushes over to Harry with a smile and ran a diagnostic while also letting her shadows read him. While the newly formed circle and the family that had been on the battlefield with them watched Kaylen do her work, Willow stepped up.
“I’m Willow and this is Inara, we are both Jokers.” Inara looked bemused that Willow had just introduced her.
Ron and Neville were both scanning outside the circle, looking for faces that were about as familiar as their own now, faces of their comrades in arms turned family. Luna, on the other hand, just called out, “Moony, Tonks, Mad Eye, Kings. Is everyone else okay?” Incredibly, the only person they had lost was Hermione. Lady Luck had definitely smiled on them this day.
Moony
Moony inhaled sharply as he heard his cub scream for Hermione to move, only for a second later to be jolted back to reality in stark horror hearing the scream that could only be described as feral and haunting. He knew without a doubt, his cub’s soul sister was gone. She was really the only one he could imagine triggering a soul scream, for there was no doubt that’s exactly what it was. It was a soul deep pain, expressed the only possible way, with a scream.
Moony refocused, shouting at Kingsley to do the same as he had paused in the horror of the meaning of that particular scream. They worked together dispatching the death eaters in front of them with malicious efficiency, cutting them down without sparing a thought as to who was behind the masks. While Harry continued screaming, they heard the tell-tale signs of portals and more beings joining the fray. Within minutes, there were no more death eaters standing.
While introductions were happening, Moony and Kings stood together, taking stock of injuries and casualties. Through some amazing feat, there was only one person missing who had been standing with them at the beginning of the battle. They smiled sadly at each other before beginning to treat the injuries that they could. There were a couple that would need Fleur’s finesse, or maybe the Healer they’d absentmindedly heard there was during the introductions. When Luna called out to check on how everyone else was, 4 voices, all of them that were asked, chorused back that all were alive, and walking wounded.
With that handled by the other three adults, Moony turned to Harry, rushing to him and drawing him into loving arms that were familiar and knew the pain he was feeling. Harry melted into his embrace and shook with sobs, gasping for breath as he almost shouted out, “She’s gone Moony! Maya’s gone! She should be here! I need her here.” Moony made soothing sounds as he held his cub tight, rubbing his back and just letting him cry. Within minutes, Harry was asleep in Remus’s arms, truly safe for the first time in his lifetime, surrounded by the people who would torch the world for him if he asked it of them, and who would follow him from one world to the next, exactly what they had planned on doing as soon as they were aware that Nevarah existed. Harry just couldn’t bear to leave without avenging his parents, Cedric, and all the other innocents brought down by the madman that had finally been destroyed, along with his army.
Gheyo Suite
Neville walked calmly up to the dragel standing tall with dark chocolate colored hair barely brushing his chin and golden eyes that almost glowed.
“I am Queen. I will not try to be Ace.” Neville stated, still calmly looking at Reaver standing in front of him. Reaver nodded in response, and with a tilt of his head silently asked where Neville wanted his mark. Neville pulled his arm through the sleeve of his jumper, baring his left shoulder and Reaver leaned in, placing his mark right at the back of Neville’s shoulder. Neville tilted his own head in a silent question of where Reaver wanted his mark. Reaver bared the same shoulder and Neville tentatively placed his own mark just lower than Reaver had placed his.
Neville next went to Jensen who was about the same height as Reaver with grey eyes and dark hair that hinted at cinnamon streaks in the light. Standing in front of him, he repeated what he’d said to Reaver, “I am Queen. I have no wish to be King.”
Jensen nodded, looking at him and quietly turned Neville slightly so he could place his own mark, just beneath Reaver’s. Then, getting Neville’s attention with a slight tap to his chin, he turned himself and bared his left shoulder. Neville placed his mark in the same place Jensen had placed his on Neville, leaving the spot just above it for Reaver to place his own.
Once their Queen had placed his mark, Jensen turned to Reaver.
“I saw you fight and defend our new circle. I am King. I will bear your mark, if you will have me.” Reaver inclined his head slightly, considering Jensen’s words. Instead of responding in words, he simply reached out and tugged the King closer to him and turned him so that Jensen’s shoulder faced Reaver, giving him the chance to mark his King. Reaver then looked at Jensen and made his own statement.
“I am Ace. I will lead our suite with pride and we will be known for our skill. There will be a lot of training up.” Then, having said his piece, he turned his shoulder towards Jensen, giving him access. Jensen placed his mark slightly above Neville’s, and then all three of them, Ace, King, and Queen, turned to look at their Prince and Princess.
Surprisingly, it was Ron who stepped up to the Triad first. Looking at all of them, he said confidently, “I am Princess, I have no wish to be Queen, King or Ace.” As Ace, Reaver tugged Ron towards him lightly, slightly tapping the same shoulder the Triad had marked. Ron shrugged off his jumper, leaving him in a muscle shirt and turned his shoulder more towards Reaver. Reaver placed his mark, then stepped to the right, allowing Jensen to step up and place his mark. When that had been done, he too stepped to his right and gestured for Neville to step up and place his own mark. When that was completed, all three turned bare shoulders to him, allowing him to see the way the marks were oriented. He placed his mark in the same place on all of them, just low enough that one more mark would fit between them.
As an almost complete Suite, they turned towards the Prince. Reaver met their eyes and held them, a question silently asked, waiting for an answer. After a few breaths, Grey had apparently seen what they needed to see. Standing in front of them all, they nodded once, saying, “I am Prince. I have no wish to be Ace, King, or Queen. I will bear your marks with pride if you wish for me to.” This time, Ron tugged them closer, tapping their shoulder so they’d bare it and he could place his mark. He placed his mark in the same place he’d marked the Triad. He then stepped to the left, letting Neville step in and take his place where he marked them and followed Ron’s lead, stepping to the left to give Jensen room. Jensen stepped up and placed his mark just above Neville’s, leaving room for Reaver’s mark in the same place he’d marked them all. He then stepped to the left, allowing Reaver room to place his own mark. When Reaver had finished placing his mark, he turned Grey to Ron, letting them mark their Princess. After Ron, it was Neville’s turn, and then Jensen’s and then finally Reaver’s.
When they had finished with their marks, Reaver looked at Ron and Neville with expectation, knowing that they were the ones who would have answers about their currently sleeping submissive’s life. Neville and Ron had a silent conversation before Neville looked up, and started talking.
“Harry is the same age as us, 19. But he’s so much older in his soul. Harry was born to James and Lily Potter on July 31st, 1980. 15 months later, he was famous for surviving when his parents did not. November 1st, 1981, Harry was placed on the doorstep of his mother’s sister and her husband. He was just left there. Dumbledore,” Neville almost growled his name, “left him there without giving any sort of notice or letting them know he was there. He was left with his blanket and a letter. The letter was how he informed Petunia that her sister had died. The letter was how he INFORMED her that she would be taking Harry in or she would not be protected, and thus her own son, Harry’s cousin Dudley would not be safe. Harry grew up treated like a house elf, locked in the cupboard under the stairs, and never consciously knowing the love of a family until he came to Hogwarts. And when he came to Hogwarts, he was malnourished, tiny, and afraid of everything, including his fame and the many people he was suddenly surrounded by, after a decade locked in a cupboard and being a slave. Then, he met Hermione. Hermione was,” he paused to find the right words and take a shaky deep breath. “Hermione was the best of us. She had this way about her. She and Harry were like twins, almost immediately, finishing each other’s sentences and having silent conversations with their eyes, and then Ron was in the mix too. Then Harry and I found out we were supposed to grow up together. If it hadn’t been for Dumblefuck, we would have. But the Chess Master knows best, of course, dear boy!” Neville perked his voice up right at the end, just like when Dumbledore talks to Harry and is actually in a good mood. Ron snorted, understanding the reference while the rest of the Suite, and the non-Earthborn remainder of the circle knew that it was a mockery of someone, and if the contempt Neville had shown in his voice was any clue, it was whoever this Dumbledore fella was.
Neville looked at the newly formed circle. There was still so much uncertainty due to the chaos of the soul scream and then Neville felt the familiar disquieting feeling in the air. Turning to Ron, his hands flew in signals they all knew, at least all of the Earthborn, and finished in time to see Bill and Fleur immediately start casting. Reaver and Jensen were on high alert and looked at Neville with questions clear in their eyes, but it wasn’t Neville who spoke, it was Ron, their Chess Master and Strategist.
“Dumblefuck knows where we are. If the past is any indication, he knows that Voldy was coming with his masked idiots, and true to form, he generally shows up after all of the action. Bill and Fleur are casting a temporary displacement ward which will let him see what he thinks is our home base, but not actually see us. He is a danger to Harry. He’s a danger to the world, in all honesty, I’m just not as concerned with the world as I am with Harry. He has literally saved the world now, and so he deserves some peace. If the sheeple want to follow Dumbledore, that’s their prerogative, but I’m not going to.”
Reaver immediately motioned to the Nevarean gheyos and soon, the entire group was surrounded by their 3 jokers and the king and Prince. Their pareyas, Fred, George and Raya, were all closely surrounding those that had less fighting experience. It wasn’t a moment too soon that just outside of the displacement ward, they saw none other than Albus Dumbledore dressed in elaborate robes with different magical creatures on them, the type that may be seen on a kid’s bedspread. He was looking around the area, trying to figure out what was going on, and where his precious little weapon was. While nearly everyone was focused on Dumbledore, Neville kept his eyes glued to Luna, immediately aware when she’d Seen something distressing about the moment.
“Luna? What is it?” He asked urgently.
“He’s going to see that the ward is up and come back with more people to take it down. We need to leave. NOW.” Luna responded with the same urgency, and slight panic in her voice.
Bill immediately jumped into action. He helped corral everyone into a circle, then looked at the Nevarean natives and said, “Can one of you port us to Nevarah? I’m not confident enough in it to be comfortable doing so.”
Indi immediately set to it, telling everyone, “Grab onto the person next to you. Jen, help me keep this stable.” Then, her voice and Jensen’s were heard saying, “Temptrificus Portgas.” Suddenly they were on their way from the place so many of them had spent their entire lives to a sanctuary, a haven, a place Dumbledore wouldn’t be able to reach. As the portal carried them, they saw the beginnings of what must be Nevarah, a beautiful skyline view that became more impressive the closer they got to it.
Finally, they landed just inside the Gates and were met with the Gate Gheyos, one of whom barked, “Names and paperwork please.”
Bill and Fleur stepped forward saying, “We are a brand new soul screamed circle. Most of us come from Earth, and those that aren’t part of the circle are family to those of us who are. We seek sanctuary.”
The gheyo nodded in agreement, then noticed a shroud being guarded by Dean, Seamus, Lavender, and Parvati. They could not leave Harry’s soul sister on Earth without him. He would have rioted and then immediately gone back to get her. She deserved to have funeral rites. That gheyo raised an eyebrow in question and Remus spoke up.
“She’s my cub’s soul sister. We couldn’t leave her on Earth alone.” Moony still held Harry close, as the strong mix of grief and winning a war were exhausting, not to mention the soul scream. None of his circle begrudged him the rest, especially having heard a small part of his story from Neville. The gheyos exchanged a look, nodded and set to getting the information from everyone that was needed for sanctuary.
While this was happening, Kingsley took it upon himself to speak with the Nevarean members of the circle, looking to figure out places to stay.
Harry
Harry knew he had to be dreaming. He instinctively knew he was with safe people because he wouldn’t have fallen this deeply asleep if he hadn’t been safe. But he had to be dreaming, because he stood there staring as a vision of his soul sister walked towards him across a grassy hillside bracketed by trees. Harry had always had a strange relationship with death, having spent so many years on the edge of it, a couple times tripping over that precipice and only being brought back by the person he now saw healthy again, her skin was an almost golden tan as she smiled a sad smile on her way to him. Silent tears slid down his cheeks as he watched her walk towards him, and when he couldn’t stand it any longer he ran to her, pulling her into him as if she was the oxygen he needed in order to breathe.
“Maya…” he breathed, still holding her tight, “you weren’t supposed to go! You were supposed to finally be free, and come with us to Nevarah. You were supposed to finish the research, tell me all about the new culture, and just live! You were supposed to be with us still! Why can’t you just come back with me?”
She smiled gently in response, tightening her arms around him as he broke down fully. “You know why I can’t come back, Little Brother. You met Her. You knew what was likely to happen, just as well as I did. I didn’t want to leave you, but you have a whole family now too! A real family, not just one banded together by war and danger. And yes, I know our family is still valid, because we chose each other. We can’t choose the people we’re related to, but we can choose the people that matter. Keep choosing them every single day, little brother. And I’m always here.” Hermione patted his chest, right where his heart beat, “I’m in your heart, and your memories, and in so much of your history. We will never stop being a family, but you found people that already love you on a soul deep level and your family just got bigger.”
Harry looked at her in astonishment, realizing she spoke the truth, and still wondered aloud, “how will they ever understand how much I love you? You’re my sister, that’s soul deep too Maya! And they won’t get to know the amazing person you are.”
“Yes, they will. They will know me by your stories, your pictures, the entire family. They may not get to speak with me like I’m talking to you right now, but they will know me, in much the same way as I will know them. I will always be here, watching over you, smiling as you get to live freely now. You don’t have to fight all the time. You’ve got people who will fight for you, and beside you, and they already have once. You think they’ll just stop because you’re in Nevarah?” Harry blinked, obviously not realizing they’d already made it, and Hermione smiled, “Yes, Little Brother. You’re already in Nevarah. Luna was able to get everyone to move out almost immediately, so everyone’s there, even my body.”
Harry relaxed, having tensed when she’d said everyone was there, and his first thought was about how she wasn’t. “Our family knows you, Harry. And they would never just leave me behind. You would wake up, realize I wasn’t there, and immediately go back to Earth, even knowing how dangerous it is for you. Everyone is going to do anything they can to stay together, and be a family, and I bet the first thing you want to do is buy land, or an island so everyone can stay with you, isn’t it?” She smiled knowingly, already seeing the gleam of an idea in his AK eyes, knowing he already had pictured what he wanted the land to be. Knowing him, she would bet he already knows he needs to have something for every element, even without knowing what elements he has in his Circle. He would never want anyone to feel unwanted, unwelcome or uncomfortable in a space he had any control over. His home would be a safe space, and she would guarantee that he would pick up strays, the other outcasts and scarred ones, no matter whether those scars were on their heart or their body.
Harry started to come back to himself, feeling himself still cradled in Moony’s arms. He immediately tried to push back that feeling, he didn’t want to leave this space, with his sister yet. Or at the very least, he didn’t want to leave this space alone. He wanted her to come back with him. He held on almost desperately as he tried to keep himself from waking up, wanting to stay for just a few more minutes. Hermione shook her head fondly, hugging him back one last time, and reminded him, “You have bonded to claim, Brother mine.”
As she stepped away, she couldn’t bear to turn around and walk away from him. She’d been by his side for 8 years, and just because she was no longer in the land of the living, it didn’t mean she wouldn’t still be right next to him for the rest of eternity. He was her brother, she was going to protect him in any way she could, in this realm, or any other realm.
Harry took a couple tentative steps backwards as she patted her chest where her heart was, and he rubbed his own, understanding what she was telling him, even without words.
As he awoke once more, this time to the comfort of Moony still holding him close, he realized he was still silently crying, the tears still rolling down his cheeks as he felt the open soul bonds, knowing intrinsically that he was loved, but still hurting so much he couldn’t bear to separate himself from Remy yet. Remus was the last of his parents’ closest ties, and the closest he had to an uncle, or a father. He soaked up the affection like a sponge as he turned his head more fully into Remus’s chest and let himself cry. He cried in grief, in relief, in anticipation, and in wonder at the unconditional love that he could feel everyone still gathered around him had towards him.
He could feel the familial bonds that had been forged through a war, the open soul bonds that were brand new, and he could still feel that spot where Maya’s bond should be. But Maya’s bond was broken, and he didn’t think he’d get her back. There were the tattered edges of the bond with Sirius still hanging open, and he could almost feel it swinging like frayed rope from a long-forgotten tire swing. He could feel so many people and knew he was still in the middle and would be safe, after all, Maya had said they had made it to Nevarah, and she would never lie to him.