Chapter 71.5- Doom Days

Not just because I had lost but because of the words he had said as well. He had spared me because he feared drawing Dumbledore’s attention. He had feared Dumbledore. Fucking Dumbledore. I had no illusions that a year of training made me as strong as he was, but the fact that someone who could do that to me— just treat me like a schoolboy who was picking up a wand for the first time— was still scared of that fucker. Even with all the resources Japan had at their disposal, they were scared of Dumbledore. And that scared me now. Because it meant the man was world’s more dangerous than I had imagined. And silly me had gone to break bread with an enemy of his.

I had no doubts that regardless of what he said, Croaker would expect my help with executing whatever his vendetta was when the time came and wasn’t that a scary thought.

“What happened to your arm?” I was jolted from my thoughts as Sirius lifted up my arm, showing the floppy attachment that was my wrist absent all the bones that would normally give it structure.

“Oh. That”

“What happened Harry? Who did this?” The rage in his voice was almost…parental.

“Technically, I vanished the bones myself. But that was because someone shattered all of them” I explained.

“Ojin was the one who took you?” One of the people with Sirius asked, and I turned to see that it was Nicholas.

“Yes. Yes he was the one” I said, and then it hit me.

“How did you know?”

“Shattering bones was one of those things he was just fond off. I found it off-putting at the beginning and I still find it off-putting.”

“Don’t tell me…”

“Yes, he was an apprentice of mine. The one I took on immediately after Albus in fact. I assume that if you faced him then my stone is in his possession”

“You could at least pretend to have more confidence in me” I sulked.

“I know all my apprentices and what they are capable of. A father knows all his sons, if you would. And I know that if Ojin sets his mind on something, then there are few in the world that could deny him of it.”

“Hold on. What’s going on here? I brought you with me because you said you knew where harry was and could make a portkey there. Speaking of which, how did you even manage to portkey into my home?”

“Nicholas and Perennelle Flamel. Nice to make your acquaintance, Mr Black. Would have loved to meet you in better circumstances, but this must suffice. Now I promise to answer the rest of your questions, but I think it would be better if Perennelle got a chance to look at young Mr Potter first. That can not be even close to healthy” He said, pointing at my hand. A hand that had begun to stretch and droop towards the floor. What the hell?

“I know you aren’t stupid, so what foul demon could have possessed you into vanishing your own bones?” Perenelle hissed in my ear as Sirius stepped aside, still struck dumb by the introduction. Yeah, the name Nicholas Flamel was probably causing a factory reset or something like that in his head.

“The pain wasn’t letting me think or do anything and I really needed to get something done.” I said.

“Are you unfamiliar with the concept of a numbing charm, perhaps. Here’s a hint as to what they do, they let you ignore the pain without vanishing your bloody bones.” She said, examining the hand for a few seconds before picking up my other hand and looking at it closer.

“What are you looking at? That one’s fine.”

“Nothing about you is fine, Mr Potter. Not when you think vanishing your own bones counts as a proper reaction to anything.” She said, not answering my question and continuing to examine the completely fine hand.

“Nicholas Flamel? As in the philosopher’s stone?”

“My stone, yes”

“As in the stone you were asking Harry about?”

“Precisely the one”

“You have the philosopher’s stone?” Sirius asked,, turning to me next.

“Had.” I corrected.