Awake And Alive (Harry Potter/DxD/ Nasuverse elements)

[Zephyr_Fauchelevent]

Awake And Alive


Chapter 1
​

The one and only disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction and the answer to my very own challenge of the same title. I make no money with this. Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. High School DxD belongs to Ichiei Ishibumi and the contributions from the Fate Franchise belong to the TYPE-MOON company. I am only playing in their sandboxes. This story might or might not have explicit sexual content down the line. I haven't come to a decision yet. Reader's discretion is still advised, just in case. Also I will not write the various accents, the readers will just have to use their imagination for it. Also, this story will be beta'ed by my good friend DalkonCledwin. Thank you once again for accepting to help me with this endeavour.


Battles were always chaotic. It was a fact of life. There was always too much going on in a battle for anyone to absorb it all in one go. Now witches and wizards were generally used to the unusual. Magic, for all their efforts to quantify and understand it, would always present its practitioners with some sort of surprise. So it would be understandable that magical battles were bound to be just a bit more chaotic than those without magic. But for even the most blasé of wizards, seeing a young man getting up again after having been hit point blank by a Killing Curse would be mind boggling. Magic could do many wondrous things, but bringing the dead back to life wasn't supposed to be possible. And yet, Harry James Potter had once again defied all expectations of normality. Not only did he get up again, but he had somehow gotten his hands on a sword in that interval. He was now using it more or less effectively against Death Eaters, Snatchers and other dark minions gathered from just about every type of Dark Creature imaginable.

What his audience didn't know was that Harry had some rather interesting conversations while he was in limbo. He was of two minds about Dumbledore's decision to manipulate his life. But he would have to think more about it later. Time was not his ally at the moment. It was the second conversation he had that was much more important. During it, he had learned that there was way more to the supernatural world than Witches and Wizards and the various magical creatures under their dubious care. There were other Human magic users, Angels, Fallen Angels, Devils, greater Dragons, Yokais and so many other beings out there in the wider world.

But most importantly, the Pagan Gods written about in history books were very real and many of them were still alive and very active. It turned out that Harry was the current incarnation of the Irish Deity known as Manannan Mac Lir and soon enough, they would be united as one. Of course, Harry didn't have full access to all the strength and powers of the god in question just yet. The condition of his body wouldn't let him use that much power without breaking down in the first place. But a few had been unlocked and were now freely available to him since the Horcrux he had unknowingly housed was now purged from his being.

Already, there were some changes to his previous worldview. Before he would have fought to incapacitate (Broken bones in strategic and specific positions used to count as «incapacitating» in his book) but now, he was fighting to kill. The Death Eaters had brought war and death to Hogwarts' doorstep, it was only right to answer them in kind. A rabid dog had to be put down for the safety of the public after all. Manannan's memories were helping him to wield the sword he had conjured once he had gotten back his borrowed wand, but it was clear to him that he was horribly out of shape. The Horcrux Hunt and their low rations had taken a toll on his body and while he was rather active beforehand with Quidditch and his yearly death defying stunts, he had zero physical combat training. Witches and Wizards of this age had gotten lazy. Wanting this fucking battle to be over as quickly as possible, Harry magically amplified his voice and shouted so everyone could hear him

«Don't let them push you back! Keep Fighting! If you can't kill them, a few strategically broken bones will put them out of the fight! No Stunners! No Full Body-Binds! They came here to kill us! Fight for your lives! For our future!»

Harry's rallying cry did it's job. While the defenders were now pushing back the invaders with much more ferocity and righteous anger than before, the newly awakened deity decided to even the odds for the defenders' side. Seemingly as fast as lightning, he freed Hagrid from his bonds and used a fallen log as material to transfigure a large and intimidating war hammer for his friend. Harry and Hagrid stared at each other for what seemed to be an eternity but in fact was only a few seconds, then the usually gentle half-giant grimly nodded his head and leapt into the fray, howling a blood freezing war cry and brandishing his new weapon over his head.

Hogwarts was his home and he would put his life on the line to protect it and the children under his care! He would not let Tom and his cronies bully him into submission! No more! Grawp, recognizing his older brother's voice and the intentions behind it, roared his own war cry and attacked the remaining enemy giants with even more ferocity than before. What the smaller giant lacked in strength, he more than made up for in sheer ingenuity. His brother had taught him many things these last few years. Little by little, the defenders were pushing the tide of darkness back. And when Voldemort himself came back into the fray, Harry went to meet him head on after bifurcating an Acromantula that came a bit too close for his confort. The sword he had in hand wasn't Fragarach, but it would have to do for now since he was in a pinch. He would have to think on how to call it to him at a later time.

Soon enough, Harry and Voldemort were trading spells and sword blows at a rather frightening speed. It was like everything around them had stopped existing. Only their sworn enemy was worthy of their attention at the current time. For a time it seemed they were fighting on an equal level. But for all that Riddle knew the basics of sword fighting, it clearly wasn't one of his strong points. Harry could have likely finished things up much quicker had he been in a better physical shape. And by the mix of hatred and fear he could see in the eyes of the monster who took his family from him, the Dark Lord was seeing the same thing and couldn't help but believe it. Then Voldemort made a mistake that left him wide open, by trying to fall back to the Unforgivable curses. There were much more efficient ways to kill or to wound someone than high powered spells that took critical time to cast. It would be Riddle's very last mistake.

«Avada… ACK!»

Harry had lost no time in cutting off the hand Voldemort held his wand in before pulling it to him with a quick and silent summoning charm. The last of the Potters caught it easily with his Seeker reflexes. Not caring much right now about what the wand actually was, Harry was quick to use it alongside his borrowed one to blast his nemesis back against a tree. There was no time to lose. He couldn't afford to make Voldemort suffer like how Mac Lir would have wanted. If he didn't end it here and now, he would likely regret it for the rest of his life. Seeing as his conjured sword had expired, Harry was about to conjure or transfigure another one when a memory coming from his previous life came to the forefront of his mind. In perfect Gaeilge, which was rather strange mind you since Harry had never spoken that language before today, he said out loud

«Tar chugam, a Fragarach!*»

From out of nowhere appeared another sword in Harry's hands. But this one was on a whole other calibre than the one he had previously conjured. It was a hand-and-a-half sword with the blade a gleaming silver colour. The hilt was rather worn down, what with the faded colour and the various scratches. There was even one prong pointing upwards and another one pointing downwards. All in all the sword didn't look like anything special, but there was an unmistakable quality about the sword which made everyone nearby feel rather uneasy simply by being in the presence of this weapon. Harry would have wanted to say something, anything, but he simply couldn't take the chance. So before anything else could happen, he took a swing with Mac Lir's sword, and in one shot, decapitated Voldemort. There had been absolutely no resistance, the sword cut through the Dark Lord's neck like a hot knife through butter!

There was a very furious and anguished scream that made Harry look away from his deed toward the voice's owner. Ah, it seemed that Bellatrix wasn't happy about the death of her master. No matter. She would join him soon enough in death. Both Harry and Mac Lir were not all that inclined to spare the lives of many of the Death Eaters. Lucius and Draco would live. He owed that much to Narcissa. Whether her son and husband escaped a sentence in Azkaban when everything was over would not be his problem. Justice wasn't Mac Lir's department. But already there were so many deaths on both sides, it was such a waste of life. But this was war. Seeing that «dear» Bella was still too far away from him to be a threat just yet, Harry decided that it was time to cut the grass under the Death Eaters' feet. With a swift movement, he bent down to take hold of Voldemort's severed head and marched towards what was left of the enemy front.

One by one, the remaining Death Eaters, the Snatchers and anyone left alive still fighting for the Dark Lord came to halt. One by one, they fell on their knees, faces agape at the sheer impossibility that had shattered their worldview, letting their wands clatter uselessly on the ground. Except two that is. Bellatrix Lestrange was now rushing to him with murder in her eyes, screaming and brandishing wand and knife both like the insane woman she was. Fenrir Greyback was also on his way, only to be cut in half by a double cutting curse, courtesy of Neville and Ron. Seeing the madwoman approaching, he said if only to himself after letting the severed head of Tom Riddle fall to the ground

«Well time to make an example...»

Suddenly, there was an intense pressure emanating from the young man while his emerald green eyes started to glow like they were illuminated from the inside by headlights. It was felt by all but none more so than Bellatrix. The kin slayer of the Black family was quickly overwhelmed by the sheer power of her dear master's murderer. She collapsed on her hands and knees, panting erratically. As Harry approached Bella at an easy pace, she made multiple valiant attempts to get up, but she ultimately failed each time. There were now numerous, enormous beads of sweat running down her body and it took all her willpower to not disgrace herself further by soiling herself. How was it possible for a filthy half-blood like Potter to have more power than her beloved Lord and that old codger Dumbledore combined? It was simply impossible! Then his voice, loud and clear enough to be heard by everyone nearby, brought her out of her mental fugue once he was surplombing her.

«In the name of Manannan of the House of Lir, First of his Name, King of Tír na nÓg, Lord of Capes, and Protector of the British Islands, I, Harry of the House of Potter, Lord of the House of Black and Potter, and Warden of Hogwarts, sentence you to die.»

Then Harry swung Fragarach with both hands this time and Bellatrix Lestrange lost her head, just like her precious master. Harry managed to formally execute five more Death Eaters before he was stopped by Professor Flitwick. Not wanting to cause more strife among the defenders, Harry agreed to leave the rest to a Judiciary panel. From there, it was a new sort of chaos. The defenders had to tend to not only their wounded and their dead but also those of the other side. Somebody had to also take charge of the prisoners. There was still so much to do to put their community back to right. The Ministry had to be reclaimed and restaffed, it was simply too much for Britain to do this alone. Missives were sent to the ICW Headquarters and to neighboring countries, asking for help. Harry's new powers had helped prevent a few tragedies, but he couldn't save them all. Fred Weasley would survive but would need extensive physiotherapy once healed if he ever wanted to walk again. Nymphadora Tonks would not leave her son an orphan, but the price to be paid for this miracle had been steep. She had lost her husband in the Battle of Hogwarts and due to her wounds, she would no longer be able to bear children. Little Teddy would be an only child.

It was much too late for too many people though. Colin Creevey, Lavender Brown, Remus Lupin, so many bright lights extinguished so soon. While everyone was doing everything they could to put things to right, Harry was taking the necessary time to heal. He declined Mrs. Weasley's offer to live at the Burrow though. He needed his independence to sort through the memories of Manannan Mac Lir and to train the powers he had access to at the moment. The true supernatural world was a dog eat dog kind of place after all. If he showed an ounce of weakness, he would be eaten alive, figuratively speaking, by the gods of other pantheons or by the remnants of the Fomorians. There was a silver lining though. The way he had executed Bellatrix and her five fellow Death Eaters on the battlefield had been an old but still legal way to do the deed. Back when the Death penalty was still enforced physically by lawfully apointed executioners rather than using Dementors, said executioner(s) would seemingly recite similar phrases before taking action. So even when the laws of the previous administrations would be restored, he would not suffer any legal consequences.

But Harry was getting rather antsy. He had a plan as to who to ask for help in getting himself back to shape and mastering his new divine abilities. He could only hope that the price she would ask for when granting him such a kindness wouldn't be too steep. But there was always so much to do even in repairing the castle that after each day, he could only barely last through his evening meal before going to wash himself and then crashing in a bed somewhere. On one hand, he needed to leave so he could take back Mac Lir's duties, but on the other, he still had responsibilities he could not eschew as Harry. Once he was truly a god once more, he would be able to divide his essence and be in multiple places at one time, but he couldn't do that just yet, not without the adequate training. He was still amazed that his best friends believed him when he explained everything to them in private. They had absolutely no proof that he was Manannan Mac Lir reborn and he couldn't really play with the abilities relating to the Man of the Sea's duty as the Ferryman of the Dead.

It was also his friends who gave him the needed push to leave discreetly and find his own way.

«Go, mate. It's our turn to right things up. You can't always take the entire Wizarding World's burdens on your back, Harry. You-Know-Who is dead for good this time, you're no longer the only one who can help around here.»

Of course, Hermione had to add her own two cents as well.

«Go, be free. But don't forget to write and visit from time to time. Deity or not, I will be very cross with you if you forget about us.»

Both Ron and Harry chuckled warmly at that. After a group hug, Harry went to fetch what little possessions he had, including the Elder Wand before eclipsing himself via numerous secret passages. He would leave the Wand on the Other Side since he had already used it to repair his own Holly and Phoenix Feather Wand. This way it would never tempt anyone ever again. Then he made his way towards where they disembarked from the boats prior to the Welcoming Feast for the school's new class of first years. Once at the end of the docks, Harry crouched down and put his hand in the water before closing his eyes and concentrating for a few minutes. Gathering what little divine energy he could access, he then sent a pulse down the water before speaking in Gaeilge

«Sguaba Tuinne, le feiceáil!**»

Once Harry removed his hand from the water, a magic circle of golden light with a stylized fish for the sigil appeared on top of the water. And seemingly not caring about the limited space, the Coracle of Manannan Mac Lir slowly emerged from the circle. It was quite big, enough to seat at least twenty people comfortably and something told him that it could change to suit the user's needs. The hull was painted a brilliant silvery white colour and there was Mac Lir's emblem of the stylised fish in gold on each side. The coracle seemed to be also inlaid with mother-of-pearl all over. And to add the cherry on top, since it was a divine vehicle, it didn't obey the laws of physics. The coracle was clearly too big for the small secluded wharf, but at the same time it was floating there like there was no problem.

Deciding to stop wondering how magic could give physics the middle finger without retaliation, Harry secured his belongings on board before letting Mac Lir's memories guide him. Once he sat down on the bench near the middle, he only had to will it for his coracle to answer. Once a bubble of divine magic appeared to seal the open top of the embarcation, Harry willed it to dive. It didn't matter that the water was not deep enough, Sguaba Tuinne was a divine construct, it defied the laws of physics in a similar manner to the chariots of the Greek gods. Soon enough Harry had Sguaba Tuinne dive deep into the Black Lake, knowing instinctively that he needed some space before attempting to teleport from one body of water to another for the first time in what felt like forever.

Harry knew he couldn't do that by himself just yet, but his coracle could. Harry jumped from many lochs and rivers on the way before safely arriving in Gruinard Bay, on the western side of Scotland. To be certain that he wasn't seen, he used the mist of Féth Fíada to conceal himself from muggles. He might be a godling now, but he had no interest in breaking the Statute of Secrecy. He had no need for that kind of headache. He had for his destination the Isle of Skye. He could have entered the Land of Shadows from anywhere else really, but felt that it was better to be closer to where his hopefully future trainer had resided centuries ago. The powers of the Ferryman were literally at his fingertips. But he had also gained Mac Lir's deep love for the sea, so taking the scenic way wasn't bothering him at all.

Harry was about halfway there when something else suddenly nagged at his subconscious. He paused his coracle in the middle of the bay and opened his senses to the world, just like the memories of Mac Lir had shown him. A few moments later, he reduced the range of his senses to the previous level and nodded to himself. There were quite a few souls waiting for their ferry to the Other Side. He would do his duty as the Ferryman for the Dead for a while before going to petition the woman who could whip him back into shape. He was not afraid. No, he wasn't. That was his affirmation, and he was sticking to it. Anyone who said the contrary were liars and heretics.

xXx
​

Elsewhere around the world, many higher beings, such as the various deities and higher level dragons could sense that there was much more activity in the corner of the globe once ruled by the various Celtic tribes than usual in past centuries. In fact, the Tuatha Dé Danann had been even more quiet and shut-in than usual since the Wizards all over the globe decided to hide the existence of anything magical from regular mortals and enforce the idea as a worldwide law in the latter parts of the XVII century. So when Harry retrieved a bunch of wayward souls to ferry them to the Other Side, many of the deities aligned with the domain of Death felt it clearly. But after each trip, the feeling became less and less. It seemed that it was either a new deity who took the job of one who had faded and was getting used to his new powers or it was a god who had been sleeping, and had most likely just awakened, meaning that the deity was currently shaking off the rust of ages, as the expression went.

Nobody else decided to bother to go check things out, but one. Morrigan knew the truth, or at least part of it. She even had a third theory on what was currently going on. Perhaps it was a new demigod who had been rewarded with a trip in his father's coracle? Because she could definitely feel that it truly was the original Sguaba Tuinne and not one of the replicas Manannan sometimes gifted to his demigod offspring over the centuries. Call her curious, but she would get to the bottom of this mystery. So when she felt who could be the Man of the Sea come back from the Otherworld, she decided to pay him a little visit. Contrary to some other gods, she hadn't decided to take a «vacation» by sending her soul into the cycle of rebirth. When she felt his coracle pass nearby, she took the form of a raven then took off from the cliffs she had been resting on a moment ago. It took a bit of doing what with having the wind against her, but she managed to approach the divine construct. Morrigan was a bit surprised by the lack of resistance when she passed through the dome shaped barrier and landed on a bench in front of the captain of the ship, but it could be a point toward all three theories being discussed by various pantheons.

She would never admit it to anyone, but seeing the young man jump when she cawed out loud had rather tickled her funny bone. At first glance, he wasn't at all similar to Manannan's favourite looks. But physical looks on a god could be quite tricky. Shapeshifting was a common power among them after all. But there was also something else about him. There was power in the lad. True power at that. It might be a bit weak and more than likely full of rust at the moment, but it was growing at a nice rate. Morrigan was brought out of her musings when she felt the coracle immobilize itself in the middle of the bay. The young man looked at her without fear but kept his distance all the same. Then he spoke to her

«Now, who might you be? You are a beautiful bird though but I know you're no ordinary raven. Are you an animagus perhaps? I didn't think regular witches and wizards could see and pass through the Féth fíada mist though. Could you take back your human shape please? It would be easier for the conversation.»

When the bird indulged him and changed into a beautiful woman, Harry was quite surprised. She wasn't dressed like Muggles or like any of the Pureblood witches he had seen. It was a beautiful strapless, black as a moonless night dress, which gave a deep view of the woman's most impressive cleavage. Which he forced himself to not look at anymore lest he be the target of her fury. She had strange laced gloves on her hands and her skin was pale as the moon. There seemed to still be raven's feathers among the beautiful dark cascade of hair falling on her back. But what alerted him that this woman was no regular witch, was not the dagger or the five branches star medallion she had on her left biceps. It was the tattoos on her face and the spark of great power in her dark eyes. It was only Mac Lir's memories that prevented him from making a mistake that could have cost him his life. After all, rare were those who insulted the Phantom Queen and lived to tell the tale. Ering on the side of safety, Harry swallowed noisily and said politely after a bit of hesitation

«Huh...It is nice to meet you, Lady Morrigan. What can I do for you?»

At full power, Mannanan Mac Lir could have taken Morrigan in a fight and would have had great chances of winning. As both Mac Lir and Harry were right now though, she would crush them like an insect should he make the mistake to provoke her into a fight. Mortal magic was nothing more than an annoyance for a goddess such as her. Better be on his best behaviour and to not tempt Fate.

Morrigan's lips quirked into a smile and her voice, smooth and smoky and seductive purred

«Well, well, well, it seems that someone taught you good manners, boy. But tell me, are you Manannan Mac Lir's demigod son or his successor perhaps? You do know that you are currently using the Man of the Sea's own divine chariot right? I hope for your sake that you were not foolish enough to steal it.»

Harry answered soon after, knowing that answering truthfully the questions asked by the mercurial goddess in front of him was the best thing he could do right now.

«I am the current reincarnation of Manannan Mac Lir. His soul and mine are in the process of fusing together. Some of his powers are now available to me. In this life, I was born as Harry Potter, my lady.»

A quirked eyebrow got her a more in depth explanation. He wanted to live and stay in one piece, thank you very much. He was just a godling right now, he wasn't raring to fight a war goddess such as Morrigan. The Horcrux in his scar was gone, he did not currently possess a way to survive death for a third time.

Morrigan contemplated for a short while the information she received from this little mage. So that was why the Man of the Sea had been so silent since those pesky Wizards decided to hide magic and the supernatural from the regular mortals. He had been bored enough to go on an extended vacation. And now he was in the process of coming back. How quaint. She had satisfied her curiosity so her business here was done. But just before she left, she told him

«Do say hello to dear Scáthach for me, will you? And I want you to do your very best to get back to your ancient level of strength. If you don't, I will be very displeased with you, boy. But if you do manage it… Well, I might give you a reward. Here's a little taste.»

If only to mess with him a little, she forcefully grabbed his head and plonked his face in her cleavage. She wasn't ashamed to be desirable and to flaunt her curves. Morrigan knew she was beautiful and her body was one of her main weapons. She enjoyed his reactions; the muffled noises of both fear and surprise he made before releasing him after a minute or two. She permitted herself a little amused chuckle at his flushed face, then gave him a peck on his cheek because he was rather cute, before she took her raven form once more and flew away, cawing loudly.

xXx
​

Harry watched her go until he could no longer see her before letting go of the breath he hadn't even known he was holding. This was his very first meeting with a goddess and damn, just her presence had shaken him something fierce and she had been in a good mood! Regardless, it was time to take the bull by the horns and go get that training. Mentally ordering Sguaba Tuinne to sail anew he opened himself up to the powers of the Ferryman and kept in mind his destination. The Land of Shadows. It was like the coracle was engulfed in a wave of primordial darkness for a few seconds before he exited in what was truly a haunted world. Even the river he was currently sailing on was full of death. It was not a place where ordinary mortals could survive. Once ashore, Harry dismissed his coracle and it quickly vanished in a shower of golden lights.

Since Mac Lir had only ever heard of that place, even if he had been acquainted with Scáthach in the past and never had a need to come here before, his memories couldn't help Harry with his current situation. Since it was better to be safe than be sorry, he called Fragarach to him. He was very surprised to see that the sword had changed. The ravages of time seemed to have been erased. The pommel was now whole, the hilt was also now a gleaming bronze and the guard was no longer broken. The blade also seemed to be glowing from an internal light. After a few minutes of walking, the newly minted godling saw a massive castle still far away. Harry couldn't help but let out an impressed whistle. While it wasn't looking as magical as Hogwarts, this castle was still really something to look at.

The road from his starting point near the dead river all the way to the castle was very long and he had to cut more hostile ghosts than he could ever count with the help of Fragarach or his magic. Even if he was using the latter sparingly, not wanting to risk magical exhaustion in such an inhospitable land. Even as untrained as he currently was, being a godling had already augmented Harry's current physical capabilities. Having also recovered from his year on the run in the last few months with the help of nutritious and filling meals and the gracious help of Madam Pomfrey had also helped him greatly. All those factors made it so that he wouldn't get tired as quickly as before. He was about to enter the inner courtyard when he felt the hair behind his neck stand up. There was something, more than likely someone, very powerful nearby. But before Harry could do anything else, a feminine voice addressed him in a tongue he didn't know but could somehow understand like it was the Queen's English.

«Well, would you look at that? It has been a very long time since I had visitors. Even more so for unexpected ones. You will turn around, slowly, and look me in the eyes. No sudden movements if you wish to keep living.»

It was a command Harry knew better than to disobey. Slowly, without rushing he turned around to come face to face with the very woman he had come to petition for help. And of course being a teenage male, he couldn't help himself from staring for a few seconds. Scáthach was an extremely beautiful woman. She had long purple hair and red eyes, and wore a full-body outfit that highlighted her curvaceous body, with metallic shoulder pads. In her right hand, she held a blood red spear that radiated an immense amount of power and blood lust. Then red eyes and green eyes met. She was shorter than him but he knew it meant nothing. She could kick his ass from one end of this land to the other without breaking a sweat and they both knew it.

Just as much as he had devoured her, she was quick to analyze him. The sword he held was a divine weapon, she could feel the power emanating from it. She dismissed his strange accoutrement as irrelevant. The boy, for he was one, even if he was now old enough to shave, was a dichotomy of human and divine. A demigod perhaps? By his elaborated stick, she could hazard a guess that he was a magic user, even if his focus was a bit strange. But in looking into his eyes, she could see the untapped potential he had. Just like her favourite student, all those centuries ago. But there was something else… on his forehead, there was a fading scar in the form of a rune which she wasn't certain of the meaning. But it was a mark of destiny. Done with her investigation, she asked of him

«What brings you to my domain? And exactly how have you managed to enter this land?»

Harry answered her quickly and honestly

«I will answer your second question first. I am the current reincarnation of Manannan Mac Lir and I have access to his powers as the Ferryman of the Dead. I used those in combination with his coracle to come here with the goal of meeting you. Both his soul and mine are slowly merging and I need help to regain the strength we had long ago. In time we will be one and the same.»

Scáthach observed her visitor and after thinking about it for a short while, she answered

«And what do I get out of this if I agree to train you? You can't get something for nothing, that's not how the world works, boy. You should be old enough to know that already.»

Harry shrugged his shoulders and answered her

«I'm open to negotiations. Oh, before I forget! Lady Morrigan says hello. »

Scáthach only hesitated for a short time. She didn't have anything to lose really. After more than two thousand years, she was really bored. At least putting the boy through his paces would be entertaining. An unholy gleam illuminated her red eyes and a dangerous smile crossed her lips. Then she told him

«I reserve the right to ask for payment at a later time. Now, boy, pay attention, for this is your very first lesson. Dodge!»

She then swung Gáe Bolg Alternative at him in an half hearted attempt to skewer him. His yelp of surprised fear brought another smile to her lips. At least, it wouldn't be as boring with someone else to tor- hum train. yes, training. But there was something new. This new kid hadn't dodged by jumping right or left or even backward, he had spun slightly on his heels only to vanish in a sound of displaced air and reappeared far behind her with the same noise. Hum, short distance teleportation? That was new. And interesting. Very interesting. But it would not save him for long.


Translations from Irish Gaelic to English:
*Come to me, Fragarach!
**Sguaba Tuinne, appear!

 

[Zephyr_Fauchelevent]

Awake And Alive



Chapter 2
​

Notes: This chapter will include at least two or three time-skips. I don't think I need to write the entire time Harry spent training in the Land of Shadows. Not if I want to get to the good stuff in time though… Such as the debut of the new Manannan Mac Lir in the true supernatural world. Let's face it, the Wizarding communities and their people are rather xenophobic by nature, so it stands to reason that they wouldn't try to explore what else could be out there. A quick note: if my readers want to see the picture from which I drew the inspiration for the divine armour of Manannan Mac Lir, they should go look for the illustration named Dangerous Waters by Sir Pigeonz on Artstation. For the picture of the dress that I described Scáthach wearing, they should contact me in private for the link to the picture. Now I think I rambled enough. Let's get this show on the road!

---

Harry knew he was normally great under pressure. His most astounding achievements in life came during do or die moments. He also learned better by doing than when studying. But Scáthach had him beat on every level. It had only taken her a few times of observing him using Apparition for his teacher to understand the mechanics behind the spell. Now each time he tried to get away to use magic on her, she would close down on him too fast for him to be able do anything and she would smack him around until he was able to escape or more likely, until she allowed him to slip away. The one time he tried to use Fragarach against her, she literally laughed in his face (She had a beautiful laugh) and with one twirl of her spear, removed it from his hand and sent it far away. A swordsman, Harry clearly was not. Well, at least not yet.

Scáthach was truly a warrior without peer, since she had immediately understood his dependence on his wand to cast anything worthwhile. He had more bruises on the other side of his body from sheltering his all too fragile wooden focus from her attacks. That was how his first week went. But each time he fell, he always got up and went back into the fray. He needed to be stronger. He needed to learn how to use Manannan's powers at their best. The training was harsh and his teacher relentless, but that was exactly what he needed. You couldn't change the world without getting your hands dirty after all. Week after week, he was learning more, adapting faster to any situation.

He still couldn't cast anything worth a damn without his wand, but at least he had a few less bruises than before. Well, until the Witch of Dun Scaith upped the level once more that is. Calisthenics were something that was on every day's agenda. His trainer also gave him a rest day once every week. It was all good to repeatedly put him through the wringer, but he was still partially mortal. So Harry truly needed some time to rest and heal if he didn't want to crumble. It was the harshest workout he ever had, but he knew with certainty that it would give him the results he had been looking for in the end.

But there was some unexpected good news! The day after his fourth rest day, Scáthach had thrown him all the way down into the river since they were training on the hill nearby that day. It was after he foolishly tried to combine the disarming charm and his physical strength with the goal of depriving her of her spear. It seemed that some other powers of Manannan had been unlocked, since he quickly found out he could breathe underwater and move like he was still on land. He could still swim normally if he willed it though, which was a relief. He quickly found out that he could also manipulate and shape water to his will, so he decided to use it with the goal to surprise his teacher. While still underwater, Harry willed several tendrils into existence and then commanded them to lash out with the firm intent to grab her.

Scáthach managed to deflect quite a few, even with the help of her two spears! But in the end, Harry only had to get lucky once. And when he did, the tendrils of water that had caught her pulled the immortal woman into the drink as well. He knew better than to mention the girlish yelp she let out when he managed to grab her though. Harry was many things, but suicidal was not one of those. When they were both back on dry land though, she more than likely decided to make him pay for the affront since he was beaten black and blue in no time at all. He did have a really hard time fighting back, not only because she was much better than him on every front, but the water had accentuated her skin tight clothing… It was very distracting… Oh well, no pain no gain as the old proverb said… the wonderful sight had made the bruises he received for his stunt more than worth it though...

Later that night around the campfire outside of the castle's walls, Scáthach had to admit if only to herself that the boy had truly taken her by surprise with his water tendrils. It had taken much longer for Sétanta to be able to catch her off guard like her new student just did. Perhaps she should ask the name of her new pupil? He wasn't the Man of the Sea, not yet. So she would not call him by his divine name. Not until he was worthy of it. But his accomplishments today were worth using his mortal name when addressing him.

«Boy, tell me, what is your name?»

Harry, who was chewing some cooked meat, swallowed his bite before answering

«It's taken you this long to ask? And I can't believe I forgot to introduce myself to begin with. Ugh, I'm an idiot. My name is Harry Potter.»

«Then I will remember your name and use it. I will not call you by your divine name until you've earned it. You may call me «teacher» or by my own name, Scáthach, if you prefer.»

Earning his teacher's respect was an important milestone for Harry. But it was just one of many to come.

At first Harry had feared that there would be nothing to eat in the Land of Shadows, forcing him to do regular food supply trips back into the living world. He could have done it without any problem, crossing the borders in between the various dimensions was surprisingly easy for him, but it would have seriously cut into his training time. But while the lands immediately around Dun Scaith Castle were dead, further away from the fortress the wilds were prospering. There was no shortage of prey animals. But they were all bigger than what could be found in the regular world. So it was part of the challenge to hunt and kill such beasts. Seriously, he even saw a male Irish Elk bigger than three adult polar bears put together! At first, Harry hunted exclusively with the aid of his magic. But as his skills and abilities progressed, Scáthach asked him to use what she was pounding into his head and body to do so. Of course, the young man had come back more than once empty-handed due to his lack of experience. But it didn't discourage him. Day after day he gained more experience and got better.

After two long and hazardous years, the last Potter had become a very good hunter. He had a very good motivation, because if he didn't bring back any sort of game or fish, he wouldn't have enough to eat. He was also getting better as a warrior. He still wasn't able to pull a definite win against his teacher, but she had to use more and more of her true power and skills to put him down. He was also managing to force a few draws here and there by now. His body was now conditioned to Scáthach's very strict standards, so he only had to maintain what he now had rather than start again from scratch. These days they were working on his swordsmanship and on what little wandless magic he could do. While the former was progressing by leaps and bounds, the latter was stalling. It seemed that almost a decade of using a matched focus to channel his arcane power had atrophied whatever it was that permitted him to use magic without it when he was a young boy.

Frankly, Harry was at his wits end on how to remove the crutch without snapping his wand in two. Perhaps he could try to fuse it with Fragarach and see what happens? It was food for thought.

xXx
​

Meanwhile, back in the World of the Living, the Goddess Morrigan had been quite busy. While young Harry was training to regain the ancient strength of Manannan Mac Lir in the Land of Shadows, she made her rounds to awaken her fellow Tuatha Dé. The Man of the Sea wasn't the High King of their pantheon, but he was a major deity for a reason. His power was quite considerable. His return would be a signalled to their brethren that it was time to step back into the world once more. It was such a shame that Yahweh was no longer among them, for he would likely find the prank they were about to pull on modern society quite amusing. Once her rounds had been made, she decided to go look for more information about the boy who was now sharing his body and soul with the Man of the Sea. Her chosen destination? Hogwarts Castle. The boy was clearly a wizard, so what better place than his Alma Mater to look for information concerning his life? Soon enough she was letting herself into the private parlour of Minerva McGonagall.

The Morrigan would not admit this to anyone, but seeing the look of surprise on the face of the elderly woman when she noticed the goddess sitting there was worth her weight in gold. The quarters were very well protected, but a goddess such as herself couldn't be hindered by mortal magic. Not without very specific runic inscriptions that the Tuatha Dé had done their very best to erase from history. Before the Head of Gryffindor House could work herself into a rant, the Morrigan conjured a tea set with a simple wave from her right hand and waved the Cat animagus into the seat in front of her. Swallowing her retort, the witch did as she was bade. This woman was clearly more than she appeared. It would be an interesting and enlightening conversation on both sides.

«I am the Goddess Morrigan of the Tuatha Dé Danann. I encountered your former student, young Harry Potter, a few days ago. He piqued my curiosity, so I came here to learn more about him.»

While Minerva was tempted to bombard the goddess with questions about Harry's well-being and location, she was not fool enough to provoke such a mercurial deity. So she swallowed both her pride and her questions. She would give that boy an earful for vanishing on her without prior notice and for abandoning his duties to Wizarding Britain when she saw him next. Seriously, even his father had not been as troublesome while he was a student! And James actually went out of his way to look for trouble, contrary to his son! She took a breath, a sip of her tea then started to explain what she knew about one of her favourite students.

Both women couldn't help but snort in fond exasperation after Minerva told a few stories of Harry's misadventures in these hallowed halls. It was clear that both Harry and Mac Lir shared the same relationship with trouble, they didn't need to go looking for it, it found them all on its own. It seemed that young Harry's fate had been quite tumultuous even before the awakening of his past life. A child of prophecy was always in the thick of things, whether they liked it or not. Headmistress McGonagall and The Morrigan discussed the boy for a few more hours before the goddess took her leave. She simply dissolved into a flock of ravens after getting up from the comfortable chair she had been sitting on and left through the now open window.

xXx
​

Down in the region of the Underworld governed and inhabited by the Fallen Angels, Azazel, Governor General of the Grigori was currently dealing with the bane of every leader the world over; paperwork. At other times he might have blown it all off and gone and done something more interesting, like researching Sacred Gears or even skirt chasing, but he was waiting for a particular report today. His spies had told him that there was something unusual going on in the United Kingdom and Ireland and his lead agent stationed there was due back for a report at any moment. Azazel was a tall man appearing to be in his twenties with an average build, black hair, golden bangs and a black goatee. He was wondering what was happening for the tone of the message to be that hurried. Did one of those shut-in wizards get chosen to be the vessel for a Sacred Gear? It was rare, but it did happen occasionally.

The Three Biblical Factions were a bit divided on how to deal with the Wizarding Enclaves. While he wasn't certain how Heaven dealt with them in the modern era, Azazel had instructed his people to leave them alone as much as possible. What resources the Grigori could direct towards interacting with them outside the various Gringotts branches around the globe weren't worth the headache of shattering their superiority complex. He knew for fact that some of the Pillar Houses went fishing in their magical academies for Pact Magicians, but it wasn't usually a subject he brought up when speaking with Sirzechs Lucifer.

A silver coloured magic circle flared on the floor in front of his desk, bringing him out of his musings as his agent appeared within the room. Once the light was gone, the agent stood at attention like a soldier and in precise military form, gave a salute, and then began speaking.

«Lord Azazel, I bring… Not ill news per see, but rather odd news all the same. The goddess Morrigan's presence was detected at the start of the week in Scotland, my Lord. Once near Gruinard Bay, then later, all the way up at Hogwarts Castle; and that's not all, Sir. My team is quite adamant that they felt the presence of Manannan Mac Lir himself going back and forth in between the Land of the Dead and the Land of the Living. We also felt other powers associated with the various Celtic Gods stirring these last few weeks. We can't be one hundred percent certain, but everything seems to point towards a resurgence of the Tuatha Dé Danann, my Lord.»

Azazel had seen and done so many things in his many years of life, even before falling from his Father's grace. He was used to dealing with the many quirks of the various pagan gods he interacted with in the past. But no other pantheon was as battle and curse happy as the Tuatha Dé. Their resurgence would mean that interesting things, in the Chinese curse sense of the words, were bound to happen. Great, just what they needed, having to deal with those crazies again. Much to the great surprise of the Fallen Scout, Azazel began banging his head repeatedly on his desk. It really wasn't Azazel's day, that was for sure. And he would have to call Michael about this too, ugh. After all, their deceased Father's Faith had more or less stolen the worshippers of the Tuatha Dé. Heaven had to be ready in case one of those loonies decided to go pick a fight with the Heavenly Host on a whim. Don't get him wrong, even on opposite sides of the conflict, Azazel still had a lot of respect for their Father's Strongest Soldier, but he could only take so much of his goody two shoes ways outside of a battlefield.

After he finished bashing his skull against his desk, the Governor General tiredly dismissed his scout and told his secretary that he didn't want to be bothered unless the world was about to end. He then locked and warded his door against intruders and eavesdroppers, and once assured of his privacy, began channelling the necessary power to create a violet magic circle in the palm of his hand. With a very careful application of his power, Azazel held the supernatural equivalent of the cell phone in the palm of his hand. Bringing it to his ear, he waited until his estranged brother answered. Strangely, it wasn't Michael who picked up the phone; judging by the female voice he could guess that it was Gabriel. Well, it could have been Sariel, but she wasn't as «peppy» for lack of a better term.

«Moshi, Moshi?! Gabriel speaking, who may I ask is calling?»

Azazel sighed a bit and then said

«Hello Gabriel, it's Azazel. I would like to speak with Michael, could you put him on the line please?»

«Azazel?! Oh my gosh! It's so nice to hear your voice again! It's been ages! How are you?!»

Even after everything that happened, Azazel could never stay angry with the bubbly Seraph for very long. She was the kind of person you just simply couldn't hate, no matter how hard you tried. A genuine smile made its way across his face. He really did miss her voice.

«I'm doing just fine, and you? You are keeping yourself away from trouble, I hope?»

Their little discussion continued for a short while until Azazel heard an amused sounding Michael speaking from nearby.

«Dear sister, could you hand me the phone please? I would like to speak with our wayward brother.».

There was some fumbling and some other background noises before Michael's voice was clear over the phone

«It has been a while since we last talked… brother.»

Azazel knew that Michael didn't really hold a grudge per see, but some wounds, even somewhat healed by time, ran really deep. Some things had been said on both sides of the battlefield and couldn't be taken back no matter how much they tried. Things would never go back to how they were before his Fall from grace. Azazel and Michael had clashed spear to spear many times during the Great War, doing their absolute best to kill or at the very least maim each other. But they both had to rise above those grievances, for the Greater Good of their people.

«Listen, Michael, I know that things will never go back the way they were before… Well, you know. But I'm calling you about something very important.»

Even if the line was supposedly secure, Azazel would not be dropping what was basically State secrets willy nilly. You never know who could hear them after all. After a short pause to assure himself that his estranged older brother was actually listening, he continued,

«I'll be blunt, Michael. My people just gave me a report that basically says that the Tuatha Dé Danann are most likely in the process of making a come-back. They first felt the goddess Morrigan's particular presence on the western side of Scotland before she went eastward toward that magical academy the British Wizards built during the middle ages. Then they felt an aura that they swear belonged to Manannan Mac Lir, making repeated trips between the Land of the Living and the Dead. And a few days after, my people felt many of the other Tuatha Dé Danann begin interacting with the world once more.»

For the first time since the Spanish Inquisition and the Salem Witch Trials, Azazel heard his older brother utter a long string of nasty curse words. Then, if that wasn't surreal enough already, he heard what was more than likely Gabriel emitting a loud gasp of horror and/or indignation and the sound of flesh hitting flesh hard followed promptly by a sharp masculine exclamation of pain. Then to top it off, Gabriel began to seriously scold their older brother for his colourful language. If the situation wasn't so dire, Azazel would have given himself a case of the hiccups by laughing at his sister's antics. The Mighty Archangel Michael, God's Strongest Soldier, the Leader of Heaven, being scolded by their baby sister like he was a misbehaving school boy. This would have been priceless blackmail material in any other situation. After a good ten minutes of hearing Michael's repeated apologies and Gabriel's furious scolding, the Governor General spoke up once again

«Gabriel, can you stop scolding him, or at least, save it for another time? I'd like to finish talking to our brother before somebody tries to barge into my office, asking for help and claiming it's an emergency when it definitely won't meet the requirement I set.»

There was some grumbling at the Fallen Angel's request, but the most powerful woman in Heaven relented. When both men were sure she was no longer nearby, they collectively let out a sigh of relief. Gabriel was a true force of nature when her ire was provoked.

Michael, the ever gracious, thanked his estranged brother for his life-saving intervention.

«Thank you for your help, Azazel. Gabriel does not anger easily, but when her ire is provoked...»

Michael didn't finish the sentence, but there was no need. Both men knew that it was unwise to arouse their younger sister's temper.

«Yeah, trust me, I understand. Penemue can be a real pain too when she loses her temper. Listen, for all of our differences, I don't want Heaven to be plunged in chaos so it's why I called you to give you a heads up. Mac Lir was known to be a rather chill guy back in the day, so perhaps we can bring him to a negotiation table, but the Morrigan is well known for being unpredictable; and don't get me started on the Fomorians.»

«I truly appreciate the heads up, Azazel. I will make the necessary arrangements to shore up the defences of Heaven's territories just in case. I will even go reinforce the Gates of Heaven myself. By the way, speaking of negotiations, have you made any headway in convincing the Seventy-Two Pillars to join us for a peace summit?»

Azazel frowned a bit, not that his siblings could see him since he didn't use the «videochat» mode when he first called Heaven, but answered all the same

«Sirzechs and Serafall are all for it, Ajuka too, even if he's not the most enthusiastic fella when deprived of his labs. Falbium is almost convinced and most likely stalling because he wants to laze around some more, but the Council of Elders are taking their time to come to a decision. Sadly, I think it will take a few more years before we can have something more substantial than the current Ceasefire.»

Both leaders continued to talk for a while before Azazel hung up the «phone». The conversation with his estranged older brother had not been as painful as he first thought it would be. Maybe there was some true hope for things to get better between Heaven and the Grigori after all. Azazel wondered if he should also share the info about the Tuatha Dé with Sirzechs or perhaps Serafall, but after a few minutes of consideration, he decided not to. That particular pantheon's period of activities had been before the time of the current Great Devil Kings after all. They likely wouldn't know what to do with the information.

xXx
​

It had now been a grand total of five years since Harry's arrival in the Land of Shadows and his progress since that time had been astronomical. The differences between how he had been when he arrived and his current state were like night and day. He could now fight on par with Scáthach at her very best and win against her half of the time. But still, his divine spark had yet to ignite and it was starting to worry him. Mac Lir's memories were now almost entirely integrated with his own and more of his former life's powers were showing up each day. But he still wasn't a god. Also there had been a very interesting developpement between Scáthach and him that he didn't see coming. These last few days, he won more spars than he lost and that got him some interesting looks from the woman in question. But the decisive change arrived when he came back from his most recent hunt with the cut and salted parts of a deer and absentmindedly offered some to his teacher. There was a strange light passing through her ruby eyes before she decided with a soft voice

«Bring the meat up to the castle's kitchens, please. Tonight we will be eating and sleeping indoors. Oh and take a bath before dinner this evening, will you? You smell.»

Her answer was a bit strange but not worrisome, they usually camped outside unless it was raining, but the sky was clear. Knowing not to look a gifted horse in the mouth, Harry accepted the request easily. It was always nice to sleep in a proper bed with a good mattress instead of on a simple bedroll. And taking a hot bath sounded really nice too. Dun Scaith Castle was comfortable enough. While Scáthach didn't have servants in the conventional sense, her castle was staffed with spirits she had beaten into submission during the thousands of years she spent in the Land of Shadows. And they had learned to be quite good at their job to avoid displeasing their mistress.

After a piping hot and relaxing bath, Harry dressed himself in simple jeans and a shirt that he had to resize with the help of magic. When he eventually returned to the World of the Living, he would have to go on an overdue shopping trip. During his time here he had hit another growth spurt, stopping at a very respectable two metres tall, his body now featured broad shoulders and well muscled arms. His hair was much messier than usual since the only way he could cut it was with the help of his wand or with Fragarach, but he made do. It was the same for when he needed to shave like he did today before his bath. When he was ready, he made his way down to the banquet hall. He didn't know why they were eating on such a large table since it was only the two of them, but Scáthach was from a much different time period than him, so what was normal for her could be archaic for him. He was free to think what he wanted, but he wasn't going to speak his thoughts out loud.

Once arrived at destination, he saw that Scáthach wasn't there yet. Being polite, he waited for the Lady of the castle before taking a seat. He didn't have to wait long before he both sensed her presence and heard her coming. And what he saw left him entirely speechless. Her long, lustrous magenta hair was adorned with a modified tiara. On the right side near her temple, there was a beautiful barrette with a purple flower and a gold ornament hanging from it. She had some sort of choker made of fabric around her throat along with an amethyst as a pendant. Her deep purple dress was held by the back of the neck and left her shoulders and arms bare, covering her forearms up to the wrists. All in all she was extremely gorgeous. He had never seen such beauty before.

It was when Scáthach spoke with an amused tone of voice that his brain rebooted

«Close your mouth Harry, lest you swallow some flies. Should I assume that you like my dress?»

Harry was quick to answer back

«Do I like it? The word «like» is not strong enough to explain what I feel when I look at that dress right now. I love it, Scáthach! You are truly beyond gorgeous!»

Her answer to his compliment was a slightly bigger smile crossing her lips and with a simple movement of the head toward the banquet hall, she took the lead. And knowing full well that Harry was watching her, she deliberately added more sway to her hips as she walked away. His muffled groan made her smile with satisfaction, not that he could see it of course. She still had it. The meal was very good and the wine too. It was the first time Harry ever tasted wine. His relatives would never have given him access to any, and at school, it wasn't something easily obtainable since it was much more costly than Butterbeer or even Firewhiskey. The conversation between friends was light and interesting. The lovely woman in front of him was telling him a few anecdotes about some of her former students and in turn Harry told her about some of his misadventures during his magical education.

Things turned to the surreal when he clearly felt Scáthach's dainty looking foot starting to caress his knee then going slowly but surely toward the inside of his thigh. Now, Harry wasn't a complete novice when it came to women. It seemed that the horrid reputation his relatives gave him by spreading all those lies finally did him a favour since he had a few hook-ups with a few teenage girls living around Little Whinging in his summer after Fifth year, before Dumbledore came by to pick him up. It turns out that they liked «bad boys». Of course, he never breathed a word of that to his friends. Hermione would have had his hide and Ron would never leave him alone until he told him all the juicy details.

So while he wasn't all that good at picking up subtle signals, this was an incredibly obvious one that even a blind man couldn't miss. He looked at her, clearly seeing her hooded gaze and her inviting smile. So he wasn't imagining things. When he got up, she did the same and sashayed hypnotically towards him. Slowly, sensually, she brought her deceptively powerful arms around his neck and after she got on her tiptoes, Harry closed the gap between them by putting his own arms around her waist and leaning down enough to give her a kiss.

A simple kiss turned into two, then five, then tongues got involved and hands started to roam on both sides. After she started grinding herself against him, Harry lost all rational thought. Using his superior physical strength, the godling took Scáthach in his arms bridal style and sprinted towards the great staircase leading to the private quarters. While he was taking two or three steps at a time, his would-be lover was busying herself by undoing the buttons of his shirt with her remarkably dexterous fingers, while also peppering his skin with tantalizing kisses. Since Scáthach's bedroom was closer than his own, Harry headed there. He had been there a few times, when she had needed to patch him up after a few more extreme duels over the years. Once he opened the door with one hand, he closed it again once inside with a foot, before walking toward his teacher's bed. There was no hesitation, no second guessing, no gentlemanly attempt to make them slow down to take their time.

Harry sat Scáthach down on the foot of the bed and soon they were making out once more. His hands were far from chaste, exploring all she had to offer over her clothes and even where he could get under them. Then she growled something that sounded suspiciously like

«Clothes...off!»

And from there, clothes both masculine and feminine, ended up all over the floor and the new lovers joined together in a dance as old as time.

xXx
​

A few days later, Scáthach and Harry were fighting. But this time it was far different than usual. They were both doing their very best to kill each other. Not that there had been any problems in their fledgling relationship so far, but it seemed that nothing more than a true life or death situation would trigger Mac Lir's divine spark. So in the hope of once more becoming a god, Harry Potter fought once again for his very life. Harry was using Fragarach in one hand and his wand in the other, still unable to use precise casting without a focus, while Scáthach was using both of her spears against him. So far they were evenly matched even if she had the advantage of range. After one very close call and needing breathing room, Harry cast a silent and motionless banishing charm at her, which caught Scáthach in the solar plexus. There were no words exchanged, both warriors knowing that it was a do or die situation.

Both fighters took a quick breather, before launching themselves back into the fray once more with nothing more than loud war cries. Fragarach and Gáe Bolg Alternative clashed together, causing sparks to appear. Harry had to apparate blindly to not get skewered by the second spear that was much too close for him to deflect. They didn't stop to take a breather, there was no time. Harry wanted to, no he needed to become a god once more. Something deep in his gut told him that he would need that power sooner rather than later. The World would need Manannan Mac Lir once more and he couldn't be found wanting.

Both Harry and Scáthach fought each other for hours with no clear end in sight. In the heat of battle, Harry almost snarled the two words, the six syllables, he had swore to himself to never utter. The incantation for the spell that had made him an orphan. The one and only Killing Curse. That lack of attention for self recrimination nearly cost him everything, but at the same time, it gave him exactly what he was looking for. Scáthach's voice and her sheer killing intent snapped him out of his temporary funk, but it was too late for him.

« Here I go. Stab and penetrate...»

One of her spears was illuminated with a bloody red aura of energy and was sent his way at ludicrous speed, zigzagging at impossible angles. He was somehow able to get Fragarach up in time to block it, but the momentum gained with the speed was too much and broke through his guard. The spear found its way through his right shoulder joint and pinned him to the cliffside, making him drop his wand. While it hurted like a bitch, Harry didn't have time to do anything about it since his teacher/lover and now perhaps his executioner wasn't done. Her voice resonated once again

«Thrust and drill!»

The other spear illuminated itself from within like the first one did and with a shout of

«Gáe Bolg Alternative!»

Scáthach launched it toward him. That second spear also travelled at ludicrous speed and was honing for his heart. But even if everything seemed hopeless, Harry wasn't about to give up. But before he could try to bring to bear what little wandless magic he could do, his lover's second spear was inches away from his heart. But before it could make contact, there was suddenly a loud gong like sound echoing from everywhere and nowhere. Then an intense golden light exploded from Harry's pinned form, encasing him entirely in less than a second. The light expelled the first spear that ran him through and healed his wounds in seconds all the while blocking the second spear before it could reach him.

Then a powerful force slammed into the Witch of Dun Scaith, threatening to bring her to her knees. It had been over two thousand years since someone made her feel so little! When the light died down, Harry looked entirely different. Clad in gold and black armour, a closed helmet shaped like a stylised fish, tassels of blue cloth that reminded her of seafoam flying in the wind, a stylised belt buckle and Fragarach in the form of a golden sword that had a similar shape to a Dao. Harry, no, Mannanan Mac Lir walked toward his previous foe but stopped near her without attacking. Both lovers/adversaries stared at each other for long minutes, before the pressure on the immortal woman let up. She smirked at her pupil, before kneeling willingly and declaring out loud

«Hail, Manannan Mac Lir, Lord of Capes, King of Tír na nÓg, God of the Sea and Ferryman of the Dead! Hail!»

Harry stayed quiet for one more minute before dismissing his armour. There were no major physical changes upon his person, except that his emerald green eyes seemed to be more luminous than before. It was like they could be filled with light at a moment's notice. And the remains of his famous lightning bolt scar were gone. The glasses he had been wearing when he came here in the first place were also missing, the more he accessed Mac Lir's powers, the more his deficient eyesight corrected itself. Once he was near enough he didn't say anything but he grabbed Scáthach by the waist and hoisted her onto his shoulder. Too stunned to say anything, she only started to laugh when he began making his way back toward Dun Scaith Castle without putting her down. They didn't need to speak, she could see his intentions clear as day.

«Randy as a god, huh...»

Scáthach and Harry would hardly leave her bed chambers for the next three days.

Spoiler: Scathach in a dress

Spoiler: Manannan's Divine Armor

 

[Zephyr_Fauchelevent]

Awake And Alive



Chapter 3
​

After a fourth day of staying shut inside Scáthach's bed chambers, both lovers were getting a bit restless. Which was why Harry didn't try anything when she decided to get up once she recovered from her latest climax. She was stretching, entirely uncaring about her nudity. He had already seen and sampled everything she had to offer anyway and the nudity taboo wasn't much of a thing before the rise of Christianity. He was trying to find out what would come next when her soft voice snapped him out of his mental fugue.

«That was great, but I really need a bath...»

Indeed she did need one, what with the fresh trail that his seed was currently making down her thighs, slowly oozing out from her womanhood and the visible sheen of sweat on her skin. Such a sight made him remember a very important detail. They hadn't used any sort of protection beforehand ever since they became intimate. Before he could address that particular problem, Scáthach continued

«And so do you. My entire chambers reek of sex. A job for the servants I suppose. I was wondering Harry, when do you plan to go back to the World of the Living? You don't intend to stay forever in this desolate place, no?»

When Harry found his voice again, and boy was it weird to have a serious discussion with your stark naked lover a few minutes after the latest round of sex, he answered her

«I'm all for a bath, a good meal and going outside to do something else. Don't get me wrong Dear, making love with you is fantastic, but even my newly enhanced stamina can only take so much. Or In other words, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.»

He finished with a little laugh that was reciprocated.by his lover

Harry sat down on the edge of the bed also uncaring of his own nudity. He made his neck and a few of his muscles crick then said what was on his mind. Scáthach didn't like to beat around the bush, so it was better be direct when speaking to her

«I don't have any definite plans for now. My whole «plan» was to come here and ask you to train me in hope of becoming a god once more. And now my goal is accomplished, thanks to you Scáthach. But I would really like it if you were to accompany me when I leave the Land of Shadows behind.»

Scáthach's head turned toward him rather quickly when she heard exactly what he said. And if he hadn't gotten to really know the powerful woman in these last five years, the intensity of her gaze and her silence would have most likely made him squirm by now. Quietly, she padded toward him and once in front of her lover she asked

«Harry, be frank with me. Have you been intentionally courting me with the goal to eventually gain access to my bed for some meaningless sex or are you looking instead for a serious relationship?»

Seeing the affronted look on his face, she raised her hands in a placating manner and continued

«Peace, my friend. I have gotten to know you well enough by now to be reasonably certain that you aren't a womanizer. But you have to remember, I come from a much different time period than yours. A time where many men were often nothing more than feral beasts and took what they wanted from women without a care about consent. Like I said a tad bit earlier, I know you aren't like that. But I still need to know what you wish to gain from our current arrangement.»

Once he was assured that she wasn't intentionally comparing him to some deadbeat skirt-chaser who only saw women as prizes to be won, it took all of his mental faculties to stare at her face and not her now very enticing naked breasts since she had just crossed her arms under them while waiting for his answer. And said answer was quick to come once he got his head out of the gutter

«I'm not exactly certain if I am actually in love with you just yet, but I do know that I truly care for you a great deal. I really want something serious between us. I hadn't originally intended to court you, but now that I somehow did it, I don't regret it at all. I really want you to come with me when I leave, because I would truly miss your presence in my life. However, the decision is ultimately yours and I will respect it no matter what your choice will be.»

Once his peace was said, he waited for her answer. After that, he would then broach the rather thorny subject of birth control. He really should have taken adequate precautions from the beginning, he should have known that it would be hard to think clearly during the heat of the moment. There was silence for a minute or two even if they felt like they were stretching forever. Then she answered him with a small loving smile

«This is really an interesting coincidence. I was about to mention that my price for training you was to be twofold. One, you would bring me back to the Living World with you when you leave.»

Scáthach then entered Harry's personal space and took his chin between her deceptively strong fingers to make sure she had his full attention with a very serious tone of voice

«And for the second part of my price. I know for fact that most if not all of the gods have a tendency of philandering around. But so long as we are together, Harry Potter, you. Are. Mine. I can and will confiscate your manhood if I find you in bed with another woman that I did not approve of beforehand.»

Seeing his look of utter incomprehension, she released his chin and let out a little amused laugh before telling him with a little secretive smile which keep baffling men everywhere, the very one that women worldwide always had the secret

«Harry, true power like yours, the hard earned kind, is like an aphrodisiac for most supernatural women. It's why I'm making my claim known right now. I'll likely be quite busy in the near future beating back possible suitresses with the help of my spears even without you straying occasionally.»

Harry took a moment to digest that nugget of information before simply shrugging his shoulders. He then said firmly, but with a smile on his face

«Well Scáthach, your price will be met. Taking you with me when I leave is hardly a chore and you will find out that I'm not like the other gods out there. I have absolutely zero intention of becoming a womanizer. I'm far from being an expert in romantic relationships, but I firmly believe in being faithful to my partner. Of course I also expect said partner to be faithful in return, it's only fair I think.»

That answer got him a pleased hum and a smile of approval from his lover then a loving kiss on the lips. Wanting to have some clothing on for the next part of the conversation, Harry fished out his underwear from the floor and put them on after she released him from the kiss.

She was about to call for the servants to prepare them a bath, to change her bed and to air her chambers when he spoke again

«Scáthach, please wait a second, there's something else we need to speak about.»

Still naked, the warrior woman turned around once more and looked at her lover with an inquisitive glance and a slight tilt of the head. She was clearly waiting for him to speak his mind

«It's a bit awkward, but well... we didn't use protection when we had sex. We need to, I don't know? Talk... about it?»

Harry was clearly out of his element. His previous sexual encounters had all been safe ones. When the first girl to show an interest in him in that way had told him of her plans, Harry had rushed to the closest store that sold condoms to buy himself a box. Of course, he had lacked the needed muggle money, but after hearing his plight, Dudley had spotted him easily. That reminded him, he would need to make a detour by Privet Drive to repay the money owed to his cousin...

Scáthach looked at Harry with clear incomprehension in her ruby red eyes. Then seeing as she wasn't understanding what he was talking about, Harry tried a few other words

«You know, birth control? To prevent unwanted pregnancies?»

Scáthach's incomprehensive look first turned into a pensive frown, then into a slightly guarded look before answering her lover

«Harry, that particular subject is one that is considered as women's affairs only. It's not something we womenfolk usually discuss with men. I'll answer you just this once since we don't come from the same time period and you seem to be genuinely worried about it. But you must first give me your word of honour that you won't bring up the subject again until you wish to ask me to either be your wife and/or to bear your children.»

Harry willingly gave his word to his sexy lady friend, thus Scáthach gave him a quick summary

«I brewed a special elixir for myself with the help of very specific herbs that I grow in my private garden. Once drunk, this elixir makes it so that conception is impossible for a certain amount of time. You can trust me, I took my precautions before seducing you. We won't accidentally create a new life. Once back in the Living World, I will either buy the elixirs needed from an apothecary or brew them myself if I find the right ingredients when my current dose wears off. I do not intend to stay celibate now that we are together.»

And that was the end of it. If she said that she had things in hand, Harry was quite ready to trust her. God, that conversation had been awkward...

Finally, Scáthach and Harry stayed two more days in the Land of Shadows to prepare themselves for their reemergence. Harry had to retrieve quite a few of his personal effects that had somehow gotten all over the castle and Scáthach had to make sure her servants would keep her castle in good order and pack what she wanted to bring along. She wasn't certain when or if she would ever return to the Land of Shadows, but it was better to be prepared just in case. Once everything they both needed was loaded in Harry's coracle, the young man turned it around on the dead river, coming back the way he first got here..

Harry let Sguaba Tuinne sail for about ten to fifteen minutes before calling on his powers as the Ferryman of the Dead. Just like when he first came in five years ago, there was a brief moment of primordial darkness, before they reappeared in the Land of the Living. Sadly for them, today it was dark and stormy out there. Gruinard Bay was quite agitated, but with a thought, a dome of divine magic covered the top of the godly embarcation, protecting its occupants from the nasty weather. While Harry could have calmed the water of the bay, he decided not too. His coracle could sail any waters and the sea was his Domain. So a little bit of stormy weather would just be a refreshing change from a calm sea.

Harry then decided to head south after hoisting all the sails and while he did that, he opened himself to the world, looking for everything he had missed during his absence. Ron and the rest of the Weasleys were fine. Fred could now walk by himself with the help of a cane, and he and his twin's business was booming. Strangely, Ron and Hermione didn't make it as a couple. He had been certain they had been made for each other. Shows what he knew. Talking about his best female friend, he couldn't find her anywhere in Ireland or the British Islands. He knew she was alive and well, but she was most likely abroad. It was the same for Luna. She simply wasn't in his perception range. He had difficulty pinpointing Neville's exact location. It was like something was trying to evade his divine sight, but was only partially successful.

«Hum, it might be something worth investigating later on.»

He could feel Tonks just fine with a young man that he guessed was her son Teddy and also a woman who was probably her mother. He would have to make a visit sooner rather than later. He had been named as Teddy's godfather, but he hadn't taken responsibility for it. But better late than never he guessed. Fleur and Bill were still going strong. They also had a little girl. Harry could feel her young lifeforce. Charlie was likely back in Roumania since he couldn't find him anywhere in his Domain. He would likely have to ask the Weasley family if he could take time out of work for a visit from a family friend. Hogwarts was still standing and was stronger than ever! He could feel the castle's powerful magic radiating all the way from here! Headmistress McGonagall must have reworked the Castle's wards. Maybe he should go visit incognito and give them another boost? It was food for thought.

He would make his rounds in the coming days, to catch up with his friends and to see what else he had to do. That was one of his flaws, he never stopped to truly plan ahead. He had survived for so long that he never learned how to simply live. A large part of him had expected to never escape from Voldemort's life threatening shadow. He would have to work on that. And he would also have to get Scáthach up to speed with the modern era. Ancient Gaelic was no longer the common language among these parts. Could he bless her with the needed knowledge instead?

Something was telling him that it wouldn't work and that he was worrying for nothing. With but a thought, his coracle took them from Gruinard Bay all the way to the Thames' mouth. From there they would make landfall in London in due time. Harry was wondering if number twelve Grimmauld Place was habitable, if not he would just rent them a suite in a hotel. He wasn't in the mood to turn around and go to either Avalon or Tír na nÓg. Merlin was always a pain to deal with even on a good day and he wasn't prepared in the least to deal with whatever he would find in his Kingdom. The memories of his past life were strangely lacking about that subject. Maybe a last prank from the trickster side of Mac Lir… The dick… For all he knew, Fand was still alive and was waiting for her husband to come back home to her. Now that would be really awkward…

XxX
​

Once they made it to land, Harry discretely conjured an umbrella large enough for the both of them and let Feth Fiada's mist form to cover them. During their evening walk hand in hand, he answered each and every question his lover had about everything with patience. It was a bit amusing and surreal to be the teacher for once after being the student for half a decade. Soon enough they were in front of #12 Grimmauld Place. Once inside, Harry had a nice surprise in seeing that the house was spotless. It seems that someone had taken good care of the house in his prolonged absence. And the portrait of Walburga Black had been removed. Now that was one hell of a blessing. From there, it was child's play to get themselves settled. There was some confusion since Scáthach seemingly expected them to have separate bedrooms and only sharing a bed when either of them wished to be intimate, but Harry told her frankly with a soft loving voice

«I enjoy sleeping with you in my arms. We don't need to have sex all the time, cuddling is good too. Stay with me, please.»

She favoured him with a beautiful smile and shook her head with a bit of incredulity. Will wonders never cease? A man not afraid to show his emotions and his vulnerability in front of a woman. He really was a keeper. She settled with him in the master bedroom with no further protest. Once done and back in the kitchen, the new Lord of Capes decided to just bite the bullet and called out loud

«Kreacher?»

With a whip crack-like noise, an old House Elf suddenly appeared in the room.

Still bowed with age and with his croaking voice, he answered

«Master Harry is back! Master Harry called Kreacher?»

Their relationship had been better than it was in the beginning ever since the truth about Regulus Black's demise had come out, but Harry wasn't certain about which kind of reception he would have gotten after five long years of absence. It looks like he simply got worried for nothing. The Black's family House Elf was seemingly looking only to serve. So Harry decided to not look a gift horse in the mouth and simply said

«I am back from a long training trip, Kreacher. For the time being, I intend to live here with my lady friend, Scáthach. »

From there it didn't take long for Kreacher to be made aware of the basics. Needless to say, the old elf didn't care all that much. He was just happy to have people to serve and more work to keep him busy. He did confirm that Master Harry gave him permission to answer his lady friend's calls and after that, he vanished with another whip-crack sound but not before telling them that there would be breakfast, tea and coffee served to them the next morning.

The next morning once he was fed and watered, Harry decided to be a man about it and went to see the Tonks family. Scáthach offered to accompany him, but he declined politely, citing that he needed to take responsibility for his actions. He was the one who ditched everyone counting on him with little to no warning to go on another hairbrained quest. He now had to pay the piper so to speak. That was why he found himself, a certain amount of time later, in front of a lovely two story house near Islington. After taking a fortifying breath, the new god of the sea rang the doorbell. Soon enough a near carbon copy of Bellatrix Lestrange cracked open the door. But having been the one to execute said woman and also having been the one to sail her to her ultimate reward, he knew that she wasn't that woman.

«Good morning, and excuse me, Mrs. Tonks, but is your daughter home? I'm not sure if you remember me...»

The mature woman opened the door and waved him in before telling him with a soft voice

«You did change a bit over the last few years, but you still are rather recognisable, Mr. Potter. Please, come in. I'll fetch Dora. Teddy is currently playing upstairs.»

Harry did as he was asked and felt the hair on his arms rise once the door closed ominously behind him. He was so screwed, he just knew it. Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn and all that. Godly powers weren't going to save him this time. Well, he could likely teleport away but it was better to take his lumps now rather than later.

Nymphadora Tonks effectively had a load of things to say to him and not many of them were pretty to hear. It was only her mother's many timely interventions that saved him from being hexed to oblivion by the irate single mother. Andromeda stayed silent until her daughter accused him in tears of being the one responsible for Remus' death. Harry felt responsible for many things, both good and bad, but the casualties suffered at the Battle of Hogwarts weren't among them. He still felt guilty for a lot of things that had been out of his ability to control, but he was starting to heal and to learn how to let go. Harry had willingly walked to his death once for the sins of the British Magical World. No more. Andromeda came to his rescue just as his temper was starting to get the better of him and a rather visible glow was starting to fill his emerald green eyes.

«Now Dora, you are letting your anger speak for you. Calm down a bit, will you? Mister Potter is not responsible for the death toll of the Battle of Hogwarts. He isn't responsible for the atrocities committed by the Death Eaters in You-Know-Who's name. And no, he also wasn't responsible for Remus' death. That was Fenrir Greyback and that rabid beast has now been cut down by Misters Longbottom and Weasley, thank Merlin for small blessings.»

Once Harry had gotten his fraying temper back under his control and Dora had mastered her own emotions for the time being, she launched herself into another tirade

«Where were you for all these years? Remus named you Teddy's godfather! You were supposed to be here! You were supposed to help us raise him! But no, you buggered off somewhere else like a coward for half a decade instead of facing your responsibilities like a man should! You were supposed to be our paragon! The one the Wizarding world would look to for guidance now that Professor Dumbledore is gone. We needed you to root out the remaining Death Eaters, the Blood Purist movement and the corruption in the Ministry. You should have been here to put things to right. That was your duty as the Boy-Who-Lived!»

Once again, Andromeda tried to intervene but Harry stopped her with a raised hand. He released a bit of his aura if only to make sure to get his point across; and told the now rather shocked women with a calm tone of voice

«I admit that I should have been present in Teddy's life. I should have taken the time to come here to explain exactly why I was leaving beforehand. That I didn't do so is on me and I will take full responsibility for that. But for my so-called «duty» to the Magical World, I'm telling you right now to forget it. I have zero intention of pandering to the whims of a society that simply refuses to grow up and to learn from their mistakes. I already gave this society too much of my blood already and I refuse to give up my hard earned freedom. I killed Voldemort, the prophecy is fulfilled. The future of this society is now up to the rest of you. If you want further help, then you should just offer your prayers to the old pagan gods. Who knows, one of them might answer your pleas.»

Both women couldn't have more different reactions. While Andromeda was calm if a bit surprised about the Muggle-raised young man mentioning the old gods, her only daughter was now becoming even redder with anger. So taken by her strong emotions, Nymphadora drew her wand and put the sparkling tip right under Harry's nose and told him in a deceptively calm voice

«I think I heard you just say to me that you won't do your duty to your community, kid. Please, tell me I heard you wrong. Because if I'm right, I'll hex you to oblivion and then drag your sorry arse to Hogwarts for a little chat with Professor McGonagall. She's simply dying to see you again. She was in a right state of mind when she found out you had vanished on her without asking for permission.»

She finished in an ominous tone of voice.

Again Andromeda wanted to intervene to try to calm things down, but Harry's reaction simply baffled them both. The young man openly chuckled and said with a clear amused smile on his lips

«Tonks, I'm no longer afraid of Professor McGonagall and I'm not a kid anymore. I've fought day after day with little rest in between against someone much scarier and much more powerful than the Hogwarts Headmistress and I lived to tell the tale. Put your wand away before you get hurt will you? I didn't waste my time during the five years I was away. My so-called «duty» to the Magical world is over. And since I was already over the age of seventeen by then, I was legally an adult. I didn't need to ask anyone for permission to do anything.»

Just to prove his point after realizing that the auror wasn't about to stand down, Harry moved at astounding speed, grabbing Tonks' wand and taking it away from her. He then had the sheer gall to twirl it around his fingers like the magical focus was a simple drumstick before handing it by the handle to Andromeda. Taking advantage of the dumbfounded look on both women's faces, Harry adjusted his jacket on his shoulders and said

«Now, can we talk this out like reasonable adults or will you keep being difficult and having unreasonable expectations of me?»

In the end,Tonks listened to the voice of reason even if she grumbled a lot under her breath. Things would likely still be frosty between them for a long while, but the young mother had learned to pick her battles. As much as she wished otherwise, she no longer had legal authority over Harry. Last time she checked, there wasn't a warrant for his arrest and he had just proved that she couldn't force him to do anything at wand point. She might not be on active duty as much as she had been before she became a mother, but Tonks was no slouch in magical and nonmagical combat. She had kept in shape and restarted her physical training as soon as it was safe to do so. Her level of physical fitness and her good health had been two factors leading to surviving her quasi-fatal wounds at the Battle of Hogwarts. But now Harry was seemingly on a whole other level than her. It truly was unfair. If only she knew the entire truth… But Harry wasn't about to spill the beans to everyone and their mother.

After putting the ordeal behind them, Harry finally got to meet his godson. The young god was rather surprised to see that the tyke had inherited his mother's metamorphic gift. He made this stunning discovery when the young boy changed his appearance to mimic Harry's. While it wasn't love at first sight, Harry knew he would quickly grow attached to the little boy. The young god stayed for two more hours before he felt he had overstayed his welcome. After telling the two widows that he would still be staying at twelve Grimmauld place for the time being, he took his jacket back, since he had eventually taken it off later on during his visit and left. During his walk back, Harry felt better. It felt liberating, for a lack of a better word, to take responsibility for his own acts. He had made the mistake of cutting contact without warning and he had assumed the consequences were his own. Was this what it meant to become an adult? He really wondered.

XxX
​

The next few days Harry and Scáthach fell into a new routine of sorts. They would wake up a bit after dawn and go to the other side of the street and exercise in the deserted park. Of course, Harry was using the mists of Feth Fiada to cover anything unusual going on. After a nice workout, they would go back inside the house to shower and eat breakfast. Sometimes they would make love in the shower, a novelty for a woman coming from a very different century than her lover, but it wasn't an everyday activity. After a good breakfast, Harry would explore London and its suburbs with his lady love until lunch time. Each day they would eat in a different restaurant, sampling the cuisine from other countries.

For dinner, either Harry or Kreacher would cook something, depending who managed to get in the kitchen first. The first few days, the god and house elf almost came to blows for ownership of the culinary domain, until Scáthach cleared her throat and solved the situation

«Why don't you rotate with each other regarding who will be cooking on a particular night? That way Kreacher still feels useful and you can keep amazing me with your talents outside of the battlefield.»

After seeing their sheepish faces, she hid her face behind her hand and murmured after a deep sigh

«Ugh, men...Gods, give me patience, for if you give me strength...»

Scáthach soon found out that she greatly enjoyed sleeping her entire nights cuddled in Harry's arms. But for some reason, tonight she couldn't fall asleep, despite them having a good work-out beforehand. Harry had propositioned her for sex early in the evening, and since she was in the mood, she had said yes. Her lover could only get better with more practice; and she had truly enjoyed being with him since he had made a habit of satisfying her first before letting himself go. Now she was ruminating a bit on every thought that passed through her head.

She had never realized how much she missed a humanoid presence around her until she had the real thing at hand's reach. Now, she was dreading the possibility of this warm feeling vanishing and never coming back. The Witch of Dun Scaith didn't wish to be alone any longer. But it seems that Harry had somehow felt her inner anguish since his arm around her waist slightly tightened its grip and he deposited a few butterfly kisses in the nape of her neck which had the effect of making her shiver with renewed desire. In a voice heavy with sleep, he told her

«You think too much, Luv. I can hear the gears turning in your head. If you can't sleep, I can think of something else to do to pass the time...»

She could easily detect the implication in his voice and even if she hadn't recognized it, his wandering hands straying to erogenous places would have been a clue she wouldn't have been able to miss. They had gone to bed naked after all. Scáthach thought about it for a moment, before letting her actions speak for her. She rolled around and claimed Harry's lips with her own before straddling him. Of course, such actions made the drapes covering them fall down, exposing her in all her naked glory to his hungry gaze since he was now entirely awake. Harry would never get tired of seeing his lover in the buff.

It didn't take very long for both of their bodies to be ready for their intimate dance. Reason took a hike and only Pleasure stayed. The Queen of the Land of Shadows would be very distracted from her worries for the time being.

 

[Zephyr_Fauchelevent]

Awake And Alive



Chapter 4
​

Three weeks into Scáthach and Harry's new routine, something or more precisely, someone, came by to disturb it. But not just anyone, the goddess Morrigan in person, was sitting in Grimmauld Place's sitting room just a bit before noon after he had just come back from a visit to Andromeda's house to see Teddy. The silent tension between his lover and the goddess was so thick that it could have been cut with a knife. Not knowing what to say to ease the tension, Harry blurted out loud the first thing that came to mind

«Whatever it is, I didn't do it!»

Surprisingly, it seemed to, if not remove the tension entirely, bring it down to a much more manageable level. Both women had a good chuckle at his words, which was something Harry took as a good sign. He didn't want a fight on his hands in the middle of the neighborhood. He knew exactly what his lover could do and his past life's memories told him that the other goddess wasn't someone to cross and take lightly. As Manannan Mac Lir, he was now quite strong and mighty, but he wasn't even in the top ten of the most powerful beings in the world. Lugh was the most powerful of the Tuatha Dé, eclipsing even their king, Dagda. That is if they were still alive. The ancient Gaelic gods weren't as unified as other pantheons. Many of his kinsmen were more inclined to do their own thing than to obey the Dadga's orders.

The dark haired deity got up and literally strutted over to him before stopping a few centimeters short of his personal bubble. With her smoky and seductive tone of voice, she then told him

«Well well well, colour me impressed. You really did it. Welcome back, Manannan. You have been greatly missed. Now, if I remember right, It seems that I had promised you a reward if you were to succeed in claiming back your ancient strength…»

At those words, the previously lessened tension came back with a vengeance. It didn't take a genius to guess what kind of reward she had in mind, what with all the signals she was sending him. But now Harry was in a bind. If he took the Morrigan on her offer, Scáthach would confiscate his manhood at the very least. It was not something he wanted to test or experience, since he knew damn well that she was able to back up her threat. But if he denied his fellow goddess, the Queen of his pantheon at that, she might take offence and make his now immortal life quite miserable. And if she was offended enough, she might even take it out on his future progeny! All in all, Harry felt that he was now stuck between a rock and a hard place. And quite frankly, Harry didn't want to go look for another woman to take to his bed. Scáthach was more than enough for him. So after bracing himself, he told his fellow deity in the most conciliatory and polite tone that he could manage

«Please, don't be offended, but I don't wish to sleep with you. I will be the first to admit that you are sinfully beautiful, but I don't want to jeopardize a possible long term relationship for a simple fling. If Scáthach and I weren't in a serious relationship, I would have taken you up on your offer in a heartbeat. But that's not the case at the moment. I simply refuse to deliberately hurt her like that.»

The Morrigan tilted her head to the side like a curious bird, observing this new incarnation of the Man of the Sea with keen eyes. Not many men could even think of refusing her and that this young man managed to do so while being so frank was impressive if somewhat vexing. But well, at least he had good taste and he was not ruled by his libido. The Witch of Dun Scaith was a warrior without peer. It wasn't dishonorable to lose such a man to her. Deciding to be gracious about it since the boy, no her fellow god, had been nothing but honest and polite, she shrugged her shoulders and answered

«Suit yourself then. Do keep me in mind for the future if you and Scáthach ever part ways.»

Then the goddess vanished as if she had never been there in the first place after offering him a last saucy wink. After making sure she was truly gone, Harry looked at his lover and, after releasing a loud and very relieved sigh, he said,

«Well, that was awkward…»

Even if Harry had wanted to say more, he would have been cut off by the fact that his lady friend suddenly decided to jump him. Being ill prepared for such a thing, Harry crashed on the floor, back first. Before he could do anything else, Scáthach had straddled him before fiercely claiming his lips with her own, after grabbing his head between her hands. After a few more happily reciprocated scorching kisses, she curled herself up in his arms, her head underneath his chin. In a tone of voice he never heard from her, low, somewhat insecure but awed all the same

« You told her «no». You refused the goddess Morrigan. For me. You turned down the chance of bedding the Phantom Queen for a prior agreement made with a mere immortal.»

Harry let one hand rise from her hips, since when she had been snogging the life out of him he had instinctively held her like that. He moved it to her hair and started to caress her long crimson tresses slowly and methodically. He has learned from experience that she loved it when he was combing it with his fingers. It always relaxed her. Then after mulling over his words, he told her

«I'm a man of my word, love. And I'm not certain that I'm the type of man to enjoy polygamy. Why would I go look elsewhere when I already have you? Like I've told the Phantom Queen earlier, I won't throw away a long term relationship for a fling that won't lead anywhere. It would be very stupid of me to do that.»

There was no more talking after that. The Witch of Dun Scaith straightened herself a bit, only to sensually remove her top, leaving her with only a lacy black bra for him to feast his eyes upon. Harry wasn't exactly sure when or how Scáthach had gotten her hands on modern lingerie, but he sure as hell wasn't complaining! Not one bit! After tossing said top somewhere else, her hands hurriedly went to his belt and Harry finally got the hint. There wouldn't be anymore talking for a good long while.

Four rounds of fantastic and breathtaking sex later, the lovers were satiated for now. They were now waiting for their very late midday meal while being only half dressed. Scáthach was only wearing Harry's shirt, which was only covering her down to mid thigh. And the young man was only wearing his boxers while trying to put on a ratty wife beater shirt. The elderly House elf had given them exasperated looks when they stumbled into the kitchen while barely dressed, but he had stopped himself from commenting. Harry was grateful for his servant's discretion, otherwise things would have been very awkward. What was he supposed to do when his lady love jumped him like that? Tell her no? He might have a near mastery over Manannan's powers by now, but dealing with a divine libido was a whole different kettle of fish!

In the end, the lovers got dressed and decided to keep exploring London and its suburbs. Harry eventually convinced his lady love to go see a movie after feeding the ducks in the ponds at Hyde Park got dull. Thankfully, Scáthach wasn't interested in watching romantic comedies, so the Man of the Sea didn't need to «suffer» through what Seamus and Dean had called «chick flicks». A good action movie was rather interesting for both of them. Harry and Scáthach kept walking randomly all over the city even after the movie ended, not caring about the fact that night was falling. They had nothing else to do and the Wizarding enclave held little interest for either of them. Sure, Harry would eventually have to face the music and go visit Gringotts to get into his account. And sooner or later, he would likely stumble upon a friendly acquaintance or an old friend. It wasn't that Harry didn't want to see them, it was just that he likely could no longer empathize with them.

He was now a deity and even having lived his previous life as a mortal, living the regular life of a middle-class worker and married man… even with the additions of a house, future children and pets, was entirely anathema to him. Before finding out that he was the reincarnation of Manannan Mac Lir, it would have likely been his dream life. But now? He wanted more from his life, much more. He might give it a try in a few decades, but now? No. Just no. He wanted to travel the world, explore new places and try new things. Maybe even have a new adventure or two. So far he hadn't felt the need to go back to his duties, but he was keeping an eye on it. Scáthach and he might eventually go see what Tír na nÓg and the various other otherworldly realms looked like in this modern era. But right now, he would have to deal with the stranger who had sat down at their table. The Celtic couple had recently stopped for a pint at a pub with a nice looking outdoor terrace.

Their intruder was a young man about their physical age, if not a bit older. But in the Supernatural world, physical age was rather misleading. He had perfectly coiffed blond hair, blue eyes and was dressed in tasty but clearly expensive clothes. And it was clear that this person wasn't human. Not with the carefully suppressed power they could feel rolling under his skin. But for all the stranger's strength compared to the mortals milling around, Harry didn't feel threatened. Deciding to take the initiative, the reborn Celtic god spoke

«Yes? Can I help you?»

There was the feeling of a subtle use of magic, something akin to any number of privacy spells or perhaps a Muggle-Repelling charm, then the well dressed stranger spoke clearly and politely, while clearly and carefully choosing his words

«Actually my good sir, I think you can. You see, my family and I are, let's say, responsible for this country's security in regards to the supernatural world. These last few weeks, we have felt the sudden awakening of several ancient and powerful… let's call them… beings, for the moment. You see, they haven't interacted with the world for a very long time and my family and I are concerned that they might… get a little bit overboard and upset the current, and very delicate, peace. I approached you and your lady friend tonight because your… energy, let's say, seems similar to those beings, and it is my sworn duty to ask you about your immediate goals.»

Deciding to be facetious since he was also a trickster god, Harry told his mysterious interlocutor, tongue in cheek

«I am afraid that I must apologize sir. But my goals, immediate or long-term, are not the business of a stranger. But, if you think there is a risk that the Statute of Secrecy will be broken, then I suggest you head over to the Ministry of Magic and speak with an employee from the Improper Use of Magic Office. After all, we are speaking about a possible breach of one of our most important international laws, no? Or maybe it's a job for the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes instead?»

The face that the as yet unnamed blue eyed blond man made was absolutely priceless and Harry would remember it for a long time to come. The guy looked like he had bitten into an exceptionally sour lemon. So whoever he was, the man in front of him must have had previous dealings with the local magical government, maybe even during the Fudge administration. He pitied the guy, really. But not enough to not make fun of him since he was wide open. All's fair in love and war and all that jazz.

Ruval Phenex had to get a grip on his fraying temper. Of all the awakened Celtic gods now running around Great Britain and Ireland, why would he stumble upon the only one trying to disguise himself as a Wizard? And the Phenex heir knew the other man in front of him was a deity. Even though the black-haired and young looking man was artfully suppressing his power, it ran on a totally different wavelength than any other beings. And once you knew exactly what to look for, it was rather easy to spot the difference for those at his level or beyond. Deciding that being subtle wasn't working and rather irritated by the wild goose chase he and his Peerage had gone through recently, the soon to be Ultimate-class Devil then went for a more direct approach. Ruval flared a bit of his power to get his point across, which had the effect of grabbing the attention of the beautiful redhead sitting near the god, before he spoke to them in a very serious tone

«I am Ruval Phenex, Heir to the House of Phenex, one of the Seventy-Two Pillars of the Underworld. I am a Devil and my House are the supernatural wardens of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. You and your paramour are currently trespassing on our territory. You will answer my questions to my entire satisfaction or the both of you will find yourself summarily expelled with no possibility of ever coming back before the night is over!»

Harry let out an exaggerated, impressed whistle at the speech/threat and the blatant show of power, which didn't do anything good for Ruval's fraying temper if the flames showing in the other man's eyes and his gritted teeth were anything to go by. But after an amused chuckle, the Man of the Sea told the pureblood Devil bluntly

«Well, if your family is now responsible for this country's security against supernatural threats, let me tell you frankly that you all did a rather shite job. Depending on when the Phenex family took the job, somebody should have stepped in when Voldemort started his campaign of terror in the late seventies. Or at least when he came back in the mid nineties. It would have saved a lot of innocent lives. I thought that the Devils were no longer what they had been before the Crusades?»

Ruval cringed visibly at hearing those specific reprimands. He had advocated loud and clear back then, to receive permission to step in during the so-called Dark Lord's periods of activity. He had been more than powerful and skilled enough to stop the warlock and his henchmen in their tracks, with minimal collateral damage. But he had been firmly denied at every turn. And acting without permission would have put his entire House into very deep trouble.

The Yondai Maous felt that to meddle directly in the affairs of Wizards had a significant chance of inciting either Heaven and/or the Grigori to do the same and it could have led to a war by proxy. The Underworld couldn't afford another large scale armed conflict at the time, not with the likes of the Old Satan Faction and other irritants still causing the occasional spot of trouble. And their society had indeed changed for the better, but not as fast or as much as many of the progressives had wished. Devils were a very long lived race after all, so it stood to reason that they would also socially evolve slowly.

Then Ruval realized that he was being distracted into a variety of other topics by his quarry and judging by his amused smile and twinkling green eyes, the deity knew exactly what he was doing and felt absolutely no shame in his actions. Ruval's first instinct was to lash out with a deliberate amount of violence and fire to redeem his wounded pride, but his reason soon beat back his initial impulsiveness. The Phenex heir knew he was no slouch in combat, but he wasn't on Lord Lucifer's level. He couldn't pick a fight with a god and hoped to have any chance of winning. And to put the final nail in the coffin on that particular idea, a fight of that level would incur a lot of collateral damage and would put the Humans under his care at great risk. Thus he did his best to not let his emotions get the better of him.

Harry let Ruval recompose himself in silence, with his amused smile not leaving his face. As amusing as it was to poke fun at the Devil in front of him, it was better to go easy on the lad. Scáthach even nudged him gently with her elbow and showed him a raised eyebrow and a tilt of the head toward their uninvited guest. That meant that she felt he had had enough fun at the Phenex's expense. He answered her with a sheepish smile and a small nod. He understood her point. But it didn't mean he had any intention of answering Ruval's questions. Oh no, it wouldn't be any fun! So with a quick application of Féth Fíada to cover their escape, Harry grabbed his lover by the waist and used the water in the air as a medium for teleportation. When Ruval managed to dispel the magical mist, his quarry was no longer in front of him, much to his frustration. It was only the fear of what his mother would do to him should she learn about it, that stopped him from using very colourful language out loud.

He sighed a bit but decided to cut his losses. He had met the god and while they hadn't spoken much, he was more or less certain that he meant no harm to the populace under the Phenex family's care. Ruval got up, adjusted his wrinkled clothes and decided to go back to his Queen, who was waiting for him nearby. Of course, the Phenex heir took care to dispel his magic around the table. It wouldn't do to make the Wizards suspicious after all. The young looking man made his way at a leisurely pace to a limousine parked nearby and once inside, his Queen asked him

«So, how did your meeting go, darling?»

Ruval let out an exhausted sigh and answered

«It could have gone better, my love, but it could have also been much worse. It was indeed a god, accompanied by a warrior woman of some sort. She was quite powerful or at the very least quite skilled. She only took a mild interest in my presence after I had flared my power to make sure the god took me seriously; but I am certain that she knew I was here the second I sat down. I think that this particular deity has been active for a much longer period than the others we met previously, since he had intimate knowledge of both modern Wizarding society and history. And he also had quite a way with words. With only a few sentences, he made me feel both angry and very shameful in quick succession. It seemed to amuse him quite a bit to have managed to get under my skin so easily.»

His Queen, a blue haired beauty, hummed a bit and then told him

«I think we should keep a careful eye on his eventual reappearance. Something tells me that we haven't seen the last of him. I'll have to do further research and see if the clues you gleaned can help us pin his identity.»

Ruval accepted her wisdom with a small hum, gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek then told their chauffeur

«To the Phenex train station, please. It's time to go home.»

Ruval was not looking forward to reporting his rather limited success to his father, but he would take his lumps like a man. Why, oh why did the gods of the Tuatha Dé Danann have to awaken after so long? Things were looking up before those nutters decided to wake up and cause trouble! At least he would likely see his sweet little sister again…It might also be a good idea to put Riser through some tortu… er… training… It might help deflate his big head a bit…

XxX
​

Scáthach and Harry rematerialized aboard Sguaba Tuinne, carefully hidden by Féth Fíada in the middle of the Irish sea. Harry loved the broader applications of what had been the Potter's Cloak of Invisibility. Once they were solid once more, Harry let out the sniggers he had swallowed back when interacting with Ruval Phenex before pulling their vanishing act. Oh it felt good to have tricked that uptight Devil like this. Even his lover allowed an amused smile to cross her lips. She wasn't a prankster, but Scáthach had to admit that getting under the skin of the Phenex whelp had been amusing.

After calming down, Harry stole a quick kiss from his beloved, who hummed in satisfaction, then sat down to enjoy the tranquil view of the starry sky. It wasn't long before she joined him, burrowing herself against him so he would put his arm around her. Which he did a few seconds later. It wasn't often that Scáthach felt the need to let a man treat her like she was a fragile flower. Harry was acutely aware of what she could do and didn't take her for granted. Of course, their relationship was new and they hadn't argued much yet, but she had a good feeling about them. Time would tell if she was right.

They stayed the night aboard Manannan's coracle, safe from any kind of severe weather due to the protection spells imbued into the boat. They docked in Holyhead early the next morning and went to eat breakfast in a family oriented restaurant. Both had tried a few fast food restaurants, like McDonald's, but they weren't fans. Too greasy for their tastes. Oh, it would do in a pinch, but it wouldn't be their usual fare. Harry was contemplating what to do next when his senses told him that Luna and Hermione were both back where he could feel them. Strangely, he could tell that they were at the same place at this instant. Concentrating further, he could ironically pin them at Douglas, on the Isle of Man. Trying but failing to restrain a snort, he answered his lover's inquisitive gaze

«I just felt the life forces of two very good friends of mine appear. They are ironically on the Isle of Man.»

Seeing her confused gaze at the modern name of what was in fact his island, he told her the celt names.

«Its name back in the day was Mannin or perhaps Ellan Vannin if you prefer. It was my seat of power on Earth back in the old days.»

His lovely but bad-ass warrior princess made a sound of understanding and waited for him to continue, which he did a few seconds later

«Would you mind if we went to meet them? I really wish to see them again after so long and who knows? Maybe you three can become good friends? A few female friends might actually do you some good.»

Finished the young looking god with a teasing grin.

Scáthach huffed in good humour at her lover's jest, even if she dug her elbow in his ribs with a half strength blow as retaliation for his quip. His yelp of surprise and slight pain was music to her ears. She was not «girly» and did not do «Girl talk». She was a warrior, for gods' sake, not some simpering maiden. She knew her man was only teasing her, but still. She had a reputation to maintain. So after making sure he would hold his tongue about that particular subject, she told him

«Well, let's go meet them, then. Holyhead is nice, but I want to see more of your domain.»

And that was that. The Celtic couple made their way back to the docks and were quick to board Harry's coracle, which was currently disguised as a modern boat. All the while whistling a nameless tune that somehow made its way into his brain, he commanded the coracle to turn around, to hoist all the sails and to make way to the Isle of Man after plotting a course. He simply couldn't wait to see Hermione and Luna again. Something told him that they would both play a major role in Scáthach's and his future adventures.

Nearly fifty kilometres away from Holyhead, Luna Lovegood and Hermione Granger had come back from abroad and were currently heading to their shared flat in Douglas, on the Isle of Man. Days after Harry's departure to parts unknown, Hermione had booked a flight to Perth, Australia with the intent to go retrieve her parents. That was an odyssey and a half on its own. In the end, her parents had decided to stay in Australia for the time being while she went back to Britain. Hermione went back to her final year at Hogwarts with Ron and they made a go for a proper relationship. But without Harry to play the mediator between them when they were fighting, it wasn't the same. After a few weeks, they both came to the mutual conclusion that they were better as friends than as romantic partners. It was sad, but at least they had seen the truth before they made a more permanent commitment.

Hermione had visited the Isle of Man a few times with her parents before she went to Hogwarts and during her summer vacations and had always enjoyed the ambience. So after her graduation, she managed to find a flat in Douglas, the capital city of the isle. Then one day, Luna Lovegood walked back into her life and became her flatmate. Other than Ron and her, Luna was the only other person among Harry's circle of friends who knew that he was the reincarnation of Manannan Mac Lir and had gone to train in hope of recapturing his ancient strength. All of his other friends and surrogate family believed that he had left on a trip around the world to find himself. While Ginny had been sad to miss the chance to reignite what she and Harry had shared during his sixth year at Hogwarts, she understood that after everything he had lived through, he needed the chance to live his life without the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Not only did Luna fully believed Hermione about Harry's true nature, but she also wanted to talk the reborn Celtic god of the sea into letting her mount an expedition to either Avalon, Tír na nÓg or another of the Celtic Otherworlds to categorize their fauna and flora for an article in the Quibbler. Luna had also gone her own way after finishing her schooling for a time. As much as she loved her father, it was time for her to fly on her own wings so to speak. But something had guided her back to the Isle of Man and into Hermione's life after only a brief time abroad. And now, the same feeling brought her back towards the docks, even as they had just entered their home after an extended trip in Germany.

It was Hermione who spoke in a low but awed tone of voice, snapping Luna out of her trance, since she hadn't noticed that her friend had followed her

«It's him! Luna, it's… It's Harry! He's back! And he's coming… Somehow, I…I can feel it! He knows that we're here. I don't know how, but Harry will be here soon.»

Ten minutes later, a very thick mist rose from the sea without any prior warning and both witches could feel the sheer magical potency in it. For Hermione, the magical mist reminded her somehow of the feeling she would get when Harry, Ron and she would hide under Harry's invisibility cloak during their adventures at Hogwarts. It was one of Manannan's known abilities, Féth Fíada. He was truly here! Then from under the water near the free dock, burst out a very large coracle with a silvery white hull! Once the vessel had stabilized on top of the water and the dome over it had vanished, Luna and Hermione saw a tall and broad shouldered, black haired man jump onto the pier and walk around like he was the king of the sea. Then when he turned around, both young women saw his luminous, glasses free, emerald green eyes. But it was his smile that truly sold his identity to the two witches.

Neither Luna nor Hermione knew who had yelled his name in sheer joy first, but it didn't matter.

«HARRY!»

They raced toward their greatly missed friend, crashing bodily into him. Any lesser man would have fallen into the drink, but not Manannan Mac Lir. Proving his new strength, Harry had no difficulty grabbing both young women by their waists and twirling them around while laughing uproariously.

«Ah! My little moon and my own fountain of wisdom! I missed you both so much! It's so good to see you both again!»

Then he bent his head down and kissed the crown of both young women one after the other. Of course, Harry had seen that both of his lady friends had matured from late teenagers to beautiful young women during his absence. It was hard to miss, what with their now ample bosoms squashed into his torso during the hug and the sight of their developed hips… No, bad godly libido! Stay down! No perving on friends! After twirling them a bit longer, Harry finally put them down. Then he heard the voice of his lady love coming from the coracle

«So, these two are some of your old friends? Let me look at them.»

Scáthach had stepped on the pier and approached the happy reunion. It had been a long time since she saw a genuine friendship between a man and two women without any sexual overtones. She could see from her own eyes that while those three found themselves physically pleasing to the eye, they had no romantic spark toward each other so to speak. Or at least not yet. Pity. It would have been fun to beat back potential suitresses with her spears. Oh well, she was certain the time would come. The Witch of Dun Scaith wouldn't be sharing her man that easily.

While Luna and Hermione silently gaped at Scáthach's sudden appearance- they had no idea that Harry would bring someone with him! - they found themselves inexorably awed by her appearance and having to deal with a sudden feeling of inferiority regarding their own physical attributes. Proving that he was indeed both male and still very much clueless about the deep intricacies of a woman's psyche, Harry didn't recognize the first few salvos of a brand new kind of battle. With an eager smile, he released the waists of his close friends and went towards his lady love. In no time at all he grabbed her by the hips and stole a kiss from her before she could do anything about it. Of course, she got back at him right after by pinching a nerve cluster between his shoulder and neck, making him yelp in pain. While Hermione was blinking in incomprehension at seeing her oldest friend being that chummy with a woman who wasn't her, Luna snickered openly, glad to see that whoever had Harry's heart was able to tone down his new boisterous side.

«Scáthach, these are my friends, Luna Lovegood and Hermione Granger. The blonde one is Luna and the brunette currently imitating a fish is Hermione. Luna, Hermione, this is Scáthach, The Queen of the Land of Shadows, the Witch of Dun Scaith, Lord of Spirits and more importantly, my girlfriend.»

While Luna rolled with the punches that Harry was now a Celtic god reborn and his chosen paramour was an immortal woman who had trained many Celtic warriors who became legends in their own right, Hermione was much more skeptical. But she had learned to no longer impose her views and knowledge on anyone in hearing range. So while Hermione's greeting to the witch of Dun Scaith was gracious if a tad reserved, Luna went to shake her hand vigorously and ask her all sorts of questions. Like why her eyes were red, what kind of unusual creatures inhabited the Land of Shadows, how was the climate when she was younger, all sorts of things really. Harry watched this in silence, a twinkle in his eyes and a soft smile on his lips. It was good to be among his friends, old and new.