Hands in his pockets, Harry leaned against a stone wall as Sirius did much the same as he told him a story about his grandparents and father. Lips curling into a small smile, the teen could only chuckle at a bit at a mention of a prank that the older wizard had played on his father. So far, the day was going great. The weather was fine, if still a bit chilly due to being still early April though not that bad. And the two had spent the day telling each other stories with Sirius about Harry's parents, grandparents, and friends.
Meanwhile, Harry had told Sirius about his own life thus far. Granted, he had gotten an odd look from the other wizard when he talking about Natsumi and the others. But than he had snorted, shaken his head, and told him that his parents would be proud of him. When he spoke about Hoppou and the Fleet of Laughter, he had been surprised. After a few moments though, he calmed down and smiled.
In the present though, the current story was winding down and Sirius was looking out at the growing heather on the hills and such surrounding Hogsmeade with a small smile of happiness. Looking over at him, an epthiny came to Harry, "You really loved my Grandparents, didn't you? As parents, I mean."
Slowly, the elder wizard nodded, "I did." Turning to Harry, he chuckled a bit, "Your grandparents, James' parents, were really great people. When I ran away from home upon turning sixteen because of my own parents, mainly my mother, your Grandparents took me in. More than that, they treated me like I was their own son. And for that? I can never thank them enough." Pausing, he shook his head, "Hell, even before I ran away they were there for me. Every time my... Mother was too much, I would take off for James' home."
Tilting his head to the side, Harry snorted, "I take it though that she, your mother, did not like that too much."
A bark-like laugh escaped from Sirius at that, "That old bitch? No, she did not like it at all. Considered the Potters to be 'Impure' with their blood and all that bullshite. Grandfather, Arcturus who was my grandfather, really disagreed with her. Apparently, it nearly came to blows when, a few years after marrying my Father, she attempted to disown my aunt, Dorea Black for having married Charlus Potter due to 'Sullying a Pureblood Line'. Grandfather fixed the tapestry after that and nearly kicked her out." He gave a small shrug at Harry's incredulous gaze, "She was like that. Grandfather though outright told her there and then that the Potters and Blacks were friendly to each other and it went back centuries." For a moment, Sirius was silent, "Also told her that if she tried that again, he was going to toss her into the Thames... in the middle of winter at midnight."
Just staring, Harry boggled a bit, "Really?"
Now serious, the other wizard nodded, "Really. The Blacks, well... we have a reputation as a Dark family as a reason despite our relationship with the Potters. After that? Dear old Mum limited herself to blasting names off the family tree and acting as if that disowned them, though Grandfather kept his own and showed me how to repair it. Apparently tried to blast my name off the family tree as well when I ran away, but Grandfather kept me."
Frowning, Harry remembered something that he had been told, "Wait, what about Andromeda Tonks? Wasn't she disowned?"
That made Sirius grimace a bit and suck his teeth a bit, "She was... part of it was due to her marrying a Muggleborn. Grandfather was many things, lenient among them, but he still did not like Muggleborn except for those that 'Proved' themselves. Your Mum was one of those, and he stated that she was one of the 'Good ones' compared to others. Andy's husband, Ted? Never proved himself to Grandfather's standards. Thus, he didn't protect her though in his will he stated if I wanted to, I could bring them both back into the family once I was out of Azkaban or if declared innocent as I would be officially the Head of the Family."
Eyebrow raised, the black haired teen frowned as he considered the thoughts from a now dead man towards his mother before shaking it off, "Partially?"
Grimacing, Sirius nodded, "Yeah, partially. She ran off with Ted because her parents were planning to get her married with a Pureblood. I am reasonably sure that it would have been either Rabastan LeStrange or MacNair. And considering how either of those have turned out? Well, yeah... But that still left the family with egg on its face and thus she needed to be punished." Scratching the stubble on his chin, he shook his head, "Hence her being disowned due to embarrassing the family so much."
For a few moments, Harry considered that before nodding. While he did dislike the reasoning, it was understandable if one looked at it from such a point of view, if distasteful and something that he disagreed with heavily. Instead, the conversation turned to other things and events. One of which made Harry boggle as they re-entered Hogsmeade and raise his hands into a "T" formation, "Wait, wait...my Mum did what now with her underwear and bra?"
Sheepishly grinning, the older man laughed, "Well, by that time the... former friendship that your Mum had with Snape had pretty much died and she really disliked him. Not helped by how he tried to get back into her good graces by insulting James and hinting that perhaps she was under some sort of potion. So, one day she somehow caught him brewing Felix Felicis potion in our Seventh Year. Supposedly, according to him, Professor Slughorn was giving it as an assignment to people under his wing as a test... Unknown to him, Lily was already his apprentice and he stated that, no, he did not give that out and was concerned. So Lily set up something." Lightly laughing, he shook his head, "Had me show up with her bra and panties as if to tease her about showing them to Prongs and hit me with a tripping hex. And what do you know, they landed in Snape's completed potion! Completely random and by accident!"
All Harry did was facepalm, "I cannot believe it... though..." Pulling his hand away from his face, he frowned, "Those had to be the luckiest pair of panties and bra in the world..."
To that, Sirius shrugged, "Pretty sure they were. Gave Lily-Flower a lot of luck when fighting after all and I am pretty sure that she was wearing them the second time her and James fought Voldemort. Because that took a hell of a lot of luck to escape from him." Seeing Harry's unsure look, he shook his head, "And no, she was not wearing them that night... I think." Pausing, he grimaced, "I, uh, didn't check and-"
Looking somewhat sick, the thirteen year old held up his hand, "Please... don't."
In return, Sirius gave a shrug and they continued to walk before pausing as their breath began to fog and a cold wind swept past, 'What in the world...? Why did it suddenly-' Suddenly, the older wizard's eyes widened as he recognized the now familiar feeling and shoved Harry forwards, "RUN FOR THE VILLAGE!"
Even as he stumbled, Harry pushed off and began to run further into the village alongside his Godfather. From where he was, he could see wizards and witches shouting and running for cover... right before he nearly fell back as four Dementors swept in. Twisting, he could see more arriving behind them and to the sides. Not just a few, or a handful...
But dozens of them.
Growling, Sirius whipped out his wand even as sweat began to bead on his brow, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
A silver mist gathered around the two even as the older wizard shuddered under the strain. Meanwhile, Harry was grabbing some of the Ofuda he carried on him even as he could hear his mother, Lily, screaming in his mind, "Bloody great!" Hitting one of the Dementors, he could only nod as five of them screeched as they vanished into ash with a burst of light, even as darkness crept into the edges of his vision, 'I'm going to have to thank Kagotsuruhe-Sensei for giving me some resistance...'
Elsewhere, Reivana skidded to a stop as the Dementors' effects began to hit her. Almost immediately, every dark emotion that she felt spiked and rose to heights that she had never felt in her life. In the back of her mind, as it began to be swamped and she began to go berserk, she could hear herself screaming as did every imp in her body as they went completely insane. Stab, too, was going nuts with his cannons extending and retracting as the cathode tubes on his head lit up brightly with one cracking from the power being put through it. Mind almost submerged in the anger, the hate, the rage, the despair, and the terror, Reivana's screamed one last plea to the world both internally and externally.
"PRINCESSSSSSS!"
And said plea got an answer as something slammed down on her mind and her very soul. It was cold and dark, the feeling of the Abyss at it's most powerful. Even what remained of Reivana's conscious mind could tell how powerful it was, and recognized it as Porta. Despite focusing, Porta's mind seemed to be strained as it fought the madness that had taken her Re-Class from where she was in the North Atlantic. Unknown to Reivana, sweat began to bead on Porta's forehead as she focused and suddenly, the Elder Princess was there within Reivana's body and seeing what she did. Feeling the mind of the Re-Class grab cling to her own consciousness like a frightened child to their mother, the Princess growled as she forced back the dark tide of emotions.
Moments later, the twenty Dementors that had been about to feed on Reivana paused at the darkness coming from her. And then the Re-Class raised her head to reveal one eye completely black except for an electric red pupil, "Perhaps... I was wrong to be so dismissive of Isley's failure..."
Then, she leapt forward and began to tear the Dementors apart.
On the other side of the mass of Dementors, Juuchi snarled as she cut one Dementor in half, while beside her, Kagotsuruhe drove one Dementor inside before stabbing it and hurriedly resheathing herself. A frown on her face, she glanced to where the main mass of Dementors were and blinked before speaking with a toneless voice, "We won't get through them in time."
Nearly maddened, Juuchi looked at her, "DON'T TELL ME BULLSHIT LIKE THAT!"
For a moment, Kagotsuruhe looked at her sister in the eye before the other Muramasa turned back to the slaughter as she attempted to fight her way through the horde. Briefly, the Blade of Hopelessness cast her mind back to decades before, when she attempted to comfort a young boy who called her "Onee-San" as he died. Her lips then curled a bit, "No, we can't, but..."
Twisting, Juuchi looked at her sister and noted where she was looking before understanding and tossing her true self to her sister.
Airborne, Tsukiakari growled as she came down and smashed one foot into a Dementor's face before slashing her true self across, and through, another. Pushing off with a Eastern spell that Ian knew, and causing the Dementor's face and head to explode like a overripe melon hit by a hammer, she leapt once more. Lips curling upwards, she smiled grimly before smashing one Dementor with her sheath and decapitating another, with the follow up cutting the first in two.
One of them grabbed her, only for her to grab the arm and twist it around. As it slammed into one of it's fellows, she stabbed herself through them both, following it up by nearly cutting them into four. Unlike Juuchi, this was the sort of fight that she was made for, and which ran through her blood. A fight pitting one against many, and she showed it.
Meanwhile, Harry was rapidly weakening as the darkness crept more and more into his vision. Beside him, Sirius as on his knees barely conscious as the black haired boy reached for another Ofuda... only to come up empty. Around him were at least twenty piles of dust and ashes where Dementors had been. Feeling two cold hands grab him, he found himself staring into the face of a nightmare as he attempted to pull the boy close through his weakening struggles, 'Sorry Mum... Hoppou... Natsumi and everyone... I won't becoming an Admiral..'
It was then that he could see a glint of something before a sword descended, a Japanese woman appearing beside it with the hilt in her hands. Upon what would likely be a beautiful face was a vestige of pure rage. There was a brief flash and Harry found himself falling into her arms as the Dementor's own were removed... as was it's head. Snarling, the woman turned to the other ones, ""You filth dared to harm my Lord and attempted to prevent him from entering the Pure Land. I will not abide this." Bringing up her blade, she continued, "My Maker named me 10,000 Cold Nights and bade me to cut all without distinction. It is said that that you cannot die for you are not alive. Very well, may your continued existence be AGONY!"
With one arm around Harry, she slashed another Dementor into first two and then four. Seeing one come up from behind her, Harry was about to call out when another blade burst from it's chest, and around the edges, the flesh seemed to blister and melt from the bones due to a bluish mist that drifted from the blade. That was, until the sword was brutally ripped from the creature, which only had time to scream before being bisected. As it fell apart, it revealed Tsukiakari there breathing hard. Her clothes torn by claws and covered in what passed for blood and gore from the Dementors. Even Juuchi had to pause for a moment at the sight before literally disarming another Dementor that was trying to drag an unconscious Sirius away, "TSU! GET MASTER HARRY OUT OF HERE!"
Glancing at her even as she smashed one Dementor away with her sheath, following it with a backswing of her true self, Tsukiakari grimaced, "SENPAI-"
It was then that Harry took a deep breath and snarled at himself at the memory of what happened. What was he doing?! He was about to die and just allow for it?! Was he really about to just allow for himself to die here, like this!? Didn't he train under Kagotsuruhe, fight past mental exhaustion to learn a spell to protect himself?! And for what!?
To just give up?
HELL NO!
Digging deep, Harry brought up memory after memory. Nagato, when she adopted him. Hoppou when she first declared him truthfully to be her Big Brother! Wanko, hugging him and declaring him to be her Little Brother. The Arashi clan, and how they welcomed him fully. Tsukiakari and Juuchi, now fighting to protect him. Sirius having done the same and Remus...
Out of the corner of her eye, Juuchi could see Harry stand as he fought against the aura attempting to drag him down.
More and more images and moments came to the fore in the thirteen year old's mind. Natsumi hugging him while they laid on a hillside in summer, followed by her giving him a light kiss. Shinano looking at him kindly before she kissed his cheek. Verniy brightly smiling with tears in her eyes as he signed her logbook. Regina that night of the party in Germany, laughing as she carried him. Hachi and Iku as they danced with him. Enjoying tea and such with RO and Shioi.
His hand began to shake as did the wand in it.
Maruyu laughing alongside him as the two played with paint guns and hit Akitsu Maru. Theatrical groans as he beat Imuya at a video game. Cooking alongside Taigei and Ryuuhou. Facepalming at the sight of Eugen with a face blackened from a chemistry experiment gone wrong as Hanna laughed, holding onto him to keep from falling. The expressions of happiness on the faces of Akizuki, Teruzuki, and Hatsuzuki as he brought them a big meal.
The look on Louisiana's face when they had saved her, followed by more recently the date that they had together with Natsumi. Niiyodo as she looked on to the first festival that she organized with his help, the pure joy on her face. Happy tears dripping down Ume and Sakura's faces as he hugged them after seeing their 'Yuurei Forms' that night. The thanks and smiles he got from the ships in the caldera.
All of the times, the laughs, the tears... and the joy as well as another emotion he felt and knew they did rose up like magma in a cataclysmic volcanic eruption all rose up.
One last memory, from the very depths of his mind, of his soul. Of a red haired woman with green eyes lovingly smiling and a man with messy, black hair and hazel eyes with a Devil may care lopsided grin. Both of them with love on their faces as they looked at him.
Eyes snapping open, Harry did not know that they were not just glowing, but brightly so as if they were full of fire. A small golden film covered his body, his birth mother's protection supercharged. More than that... it was fueling what was coming as he raised his wand, the phoenix feather able to be seen as it too, was glowing, and able to be seen through the wood, "Go back to the dark pit you came from..."
Outside the horde, various Aurors appeared. Tonks was one of them as was Kingsley and Mad-Eye. As well, Amelia Bones appeared and paused at the sight of the Dementors which dragged up memories of the war with Voldemort. Looking around and seeing Dumbledore also appear, she called out, "OKAY! READY PATRONUSES AND-"
However, a bellow from within the Dementors made her pause, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
From inside, there was a flash of silver and then what could only be described as a pulse pushed outwards, flinging Dementors everywhere, most smoking. Briefly, everyone had to look away as it lit up the night. Feeling it wash over her, Kagotsuruhe felt the closest that she had ever to surprise and shock, even as she could feel the emotions within the light. Reivana, too, paused as all the negative emotions were washed away and on her throne, Porta's unseeing eyes shot wide open and her eyebrows met her hairline, 'What in the name of the Abyss...?!'
Before the first pulse was even done, there was a second followed by a third, all of which threw the Dementors like leaves in a whirlwind. When everyone looked back, they could see a roughed up Harry standing next to a massive stag that was glowing so brightly that it was hard to look at it. Coming back to consciousness, Sirius squinted a bit before mumbling in shock, "Prongs...?"
Glancing at him, Harry breathed heavily before narrowing his eyes. Legs tensing, the Patronus cracked the flagstones beneath the hooves as it shot forward. One Dementor screeched as it was caught in the antlers and tossed like a doll, followed by another. It drove the dark creatures before them, with the Dementors cringing and trying to get away from the light. As the Aurors and Dumbledore created their own Patronuses, the Dementors changed direction. Their Mistress, their 'Mother' wanted the one named Black. In the back of their minds, they could feel her scream of rage at being denied and would not have it.
They really should have.
As they rushed towards him, Harry spotted one last Ofuda blowing past. Quick as a snake, he grabbed it and the paper began to smoke. Raising it, he held it up as the paper burned away, leaving the glowing letters of the charm as he chanted, calling upon Amaterasu to burn away evil. There was a final flash from the setting Sun before it sunk fully beneath the horizon as the Dementors came within feet of Harry.
Everyone had to look away as the world went white.
Where they laid around Harry and elsewhere, the Dismembered Dementors smoked and burst into flame under the light before burning into just smoke. Those in front of him were not much better as their bodies seemed to disintegrate as the light reached them. Thirty Dementors were near instantly killed with others badly burned. And with that, they just broke and took off, driven forth by Harry's Patronus that continued to chase them all the way out of the village, a hundred total.
It eventually returned though, and came to stand before an exhausted Harry. Looking up into it's eyes, Harry whispered something that only Juuchi and Tsukiakari, caught, "Thanks... Dad..."
His eyes closing as everything caught up to him, the black haired boy collapsed like a puppet with his strings cut. Before he could hit the ground, Juuchi caught him and smiled at him, "Good job, Master... Just as worthy, and perhaps more than most, as any Potter."
The only response Harry had was to smile softly as Prongs disappeared into motes of light...
... and virulent
