InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Demon Hunter ❯ Portal ( Chapter 7 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Chapter 7

Inu Yasha raised a knowing eyebrow, “What's with the change of heart?”

Harry, who was still fighting to keep his rage from blowing out the walls of his aunt's house, stiffly handed Inu Yasha the letter. The older man looked over it's contents with a small frown and gave a slight nod at the end of it.

Dear Harry,

I know we may not have parted on the best of terms but I do hope you will forgive an old man for his mistakes. You may not enjoy living at your aunt's house but it is for your best interest. Because of Voldemort's growing activity, I feel that you should remain there for the entire summer. The wards will protect you so you are not to the leave the property of number four. I also feel it would be best if you did not contact anyone so I have taken the liberty of confiscating your owl. This is for your own good Harry—letters are far too easily intercepted these days.

I do hope you are dealing with the loss of your godfather and I hope you will take more responsibility with your actions in the future.

Albus Dumbledore

“Well,” Inu Yasha said, “He seems like a bit of a megalomaniac, don't you think?”

Harry nodded and look towards Hedwig's empty cage, “I was wondering where she was off too. I wrote a letter to the order like they asked me too and she never came back.”

Harry felt betrayed by the order. He was counting on them to protect him from his uncle and they abandoned him. He was completely alone. Or was he? Harry looked up at Inu Yasha who had just stood from his seat on the bed.

“So can I go with you?” Harry asked hopefully, hoping to his feet as well.

Inu Yasha smiled warmly at him, “for now yes. I'll just show you around where the gate is, but essentially you will live here,” at Harry's pout he continued, “But we'll make it so you can enter and exit the premises easily enough.”

“How?” Harry asked perplexed.

“I'll explain later. First, I'd like to explain a few things to your relatives.”

It was only after Inu Yasha strode out the door and down the stairs did Harry realize the reaction his relatives would have to a man with dog-ears on his head.

*****

Harry raced down the stairs and stopped right outside the living room where, no doubt, his aunt and uncle would be watching the late afternoon news. It was strange. He couldn't hear any shouting. Maybe Inu Yasha wasn't in there. Never mind. There was that distinct laugh. Knowing this wasn't going to be pretty, Harry entered the room.

Inside were his aunt and uncle with calm, yet slightly suspicious looks on their faces, and a man he almost didn't recognize. Almost. His hair had darkened to black and his eyes were now a strange shade of violet. The claws and fangs were gone and his dog-ears were replaced by normal ones. Inu Yasha looked like a human.

“Well don't just stand there in the door boy! Go fetch us some refreshments for our guest!” Petunia snapped at her nephew before turning her attention back to Inu Yasha. She was giving him some sort of dreamy smile and—wait—did she just flutter her eyelashes at him? Oh, gross.

“Oh that won't be necessary, Mrs. Dursley. I need him here for the moment.” Inu Yasha replied with a charming smile.

“Please, call me Petunia,” she giggled. Harry found this severely innerving.

Vernon was scowling at Inu Yasha now.

“I demand at once that you tell us what you are doing in our home, Mr. Nagasaki”

“Nagasaki?” Harry thought, “Was that his last name?”

Inu Yasha smiled jovially at Harry's uncle, not in the least intimidated by him, “I would simply like to inform you on what will be going on with your nephew this summer.”

Vernon cast Harry a glare, as though Inu Yasha's presence was his fault, and froze. His face began to turn into an all too familiar shade of purple.

“Boy—,” he choked out, “What have you done to yourself?”

Harry realized that they hadn't seen him since he went shopping. He granted his uncle a sheepish smile.

“If you will please not interrupt me, I'd like to continue,” Inu Yasha stated coldly, “thank you. I simply wanted to inform you I will be borrowing Harry every now and then, so if he seems strangely absent for a while, you now know why.”

“But why? Where will he be going?”

“That is something I cannot answer, but I would appreciate it if you didn't mention it to any wizards.”

“You're not a wizard?” Petunia asked in something akin to hope.

“No, I am not,” Inu Yasha replied placidly.

Harry admired Inu Yasha's confidence. It was something that he would need if he were going to stand up to Dumbledore. Hopefully it would rub off on him if he hung around Inu Yasha long enough. The adults of the room stood for Inu Yasha's departure.

“Well, tubby,” Inu Yasha patted Vernon's stomach in a friendly gesture, “I'll be off now. Petunia,” he murmured, kissing her on the hand. Harry's aunt blushed a brilliant shade of red before stuttering her farewell. Inu Yasha and Harry exited the living room leaving a seething Vernon Dursley in their wake.

“You—,” Harry began at a complete loss for words, “you just hit on my aunt! What is wrong with you?!”

Inu Yasha rounded the corner into his bedroom and laughed.

“I love how your family refers to you as `boy',” Inu Yasha said sarcastically, ignoring Harry's earlier comment.

“Yeah well, we aren't exactly a close-nit family,” Harry said bitterly.

Something about that remark triggered Inu Yasha to burst out laughing and fondly throw an arm around Harry's shoulders.

“Kid, we are more alike than you will ever know.”

Harry grinned up at him.

“Why do you look like a human?” Harry finally asked the question that had been nagging him for the last ten minutes.

Inu Yasha lifted a dark hair and pulled it in front of his face to look at it, “It's a long story, but every half-demon will turn human for a period of time. For me it was the night of the new moon. When I turned one hundred I learned that I had the ability to change from either form at will. Quite a bit of a shock actually.”

“You didn't know it would happen?”

“I didn't know a lot of things about myself. But no one knew that that happened to half-demons when they turned one hundred—not many half-breeds live to be one hundred. Back then anyways.”

Harry began thinking about his age again, “But, will Shiva have this ability when she turns a hundred instead of having to use the ring?”

“She should,” Inu Yasha contemplated.

“Will she still look as young as you?” Harry couldn't stop the questions from pouring out of his mouth. Inu Yasha didn't seem to mind though.

“Maybe. I'm a little different from half-demons though. Technically I should age slower than a human but faster than a demon. That is generally how it works for half-demons.”

“But...” Harry prompted.

“But I age slower than full blooded demons. Have you noticed Shippo looks a little older than me?”

“Well, yeah...”

“I'm older than him by at least 60 years.”

“Really?” Harry asked in awe, “why is that?”

Inu Yasha pursed his lips together and looked at Harry decisively, “Partly because I'm a guardian for hell, and guardians stop aging all together when they are in charge of a gate. But before that I still aged slower than normal—and I will explain that another time.”

There was finality in his voice that told Harry he wouldn't be getting out any more answers.

“So how will we be getting in and out of this hell hole?”

Inu Yasha swiftly moved across the room and—using one arm—easily dragged his bed away from the wall.

“Can you get me the book, please?” he asked.

Harry immediately knew what book he was talking about and dug it out from his trunk before handing it to Inu Yasha. Inu Yasha promptly flipped the book open to a page and knelt down where his bed used to be, beckoning Harry to join him on the floor.

“Now, you see this?” Inu Yasha pointed to the title of the page. Below it was a design of how the blood should be laid out.

“Portals?” Harry read the title.

“They're hard,” Inu Yasha explained, “and they require a lot of blood. Probably more than you're used to giving so I'll be helping you out.”

For the next half hour, Harry and Inu Yasha spent their time on the floor, making delicate slices in their skin to draw blood. Inu Yasha was a great help to Harry. He pointed out things that he had been doing wrong when he was trying to self teach and gave him tips on how to make certain rituals easier or quicker. Finally the portal was done. They both stood and admired their handy work.

“Not bad for a rookie,” Inu Yasha commented.

Harry grinned at him, “You did half of the work.”

Inu Yasha shrugged and moved the bed back to its original position.

“Ready?” he asked Harry. Harry nodded, got down on the floor, and rolled under the bed. He placed two fingers on the gateway he was laying across and said, “Peragro.”

Inu Yasha saw a red light flash from under the bed before fading away and knew that Harry Potter was no longer on Privet Drive.