Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

Carefully Tangled Webs of Darkness	By : Ladygreychaton Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male Views: 37460 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 4
Disclaimer: Do not own Harry Potter, characters, rights to, any books, movies, songs, poems or references made. Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling, this is just for fun, with no intentions of profit.

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
[[ Do not own Harry Potter, characters, rights to, any books, movies, songs, poems or references made. Several hints to Harry Potter books, but again belong to J.K. Rowling. Any further things belong to their original owners, aside from original characters. Used with no intention of profit! ]]
Sorry for the delay again, there was a biiiiig thing... bunch of things really. But I've had this planned for a long time and finally managed to get it in writing! Hopefully it doesn't disappoint.
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The client would be visiting the Dursleys for a quaint little dinner and dessert. Grunnings was trying to get several groups and individuals to invest in some sort of new technology, and to do so they required appropriate backing and the proper lining of pockets.
Harry thought the whole thing sounded a bit like brown-nosing, but did not mention this out loud. Privately, Diaboli said, "Well, manipulation is a key force to getting someone to do what you want. Being charming... however distasteful the person, is hardly a bad thing."
The boy thought that perhaps the occupant of his dreams was speaking from personal experience, but did not voice this either.
When he brought up the idea of threading human adult clients for Vernon, most of his spider friends chittered excitedly. They eagerly offered as much silk as they could spin, and began to scope out appropriate places in the dining room and entry way to begin the work. It seemed that only Renenet, having just finished her eggsack and tucking it safely away in his sternal or clavicle notch, had little good to say on the matter.
Vernon had simply huffed and grumbled, prattling on about how 'important it was for the company' and how much they 'really needed this to work'. Harry got the impression that his Uncle was desperate, otherwise he wouldn't be pushing so hard to make him use his ability on something that hadn't truly been tested. Pushing his will over two adult clients was going to be difficult indeed, and even Vernon seemed to recognize this.
The boy had been careful not to allow his Uncle to notice his many-eyed friends. Just because he had abilities, and Vernon encouraged practice and use, did not mean that something too abnormal could not induce his ire. And Harry was a very practical boy, because he'd come to know that even his Kind did not associate nor keep spiders. Let alone in their skin, as he did. A trip to the cupboard for having spiders, or threats of them being squashed, was not something he desired at all.
So it was, the night of this formal dinner that Harry trekked up the stairs into the bathroom. Idly running through his plans, he brushed his teeth, washed his face, splashing the cool water onto the back of his neck. Cleaning his nails with the scrub by the sink next to the soap dish, the green eyed boy adjusted his shirt. Making sure his buttons were straight, his cuffs properly folded.
He checked for scuffs on his leather shoes, one of two pairs he owned, but necessary for a formal dining. Finally, he ran a comb through his shoulder length black curls, securing it back at the nape of his neck with a ribbon after braiding in a few ribbons in various locks. Now, after careful conditioning, and growing out his hair, it fell in slight waves. With the aid of his ribbons, it had settled nicely into something resembling hair and not a lion's mane. It was no longer the untidy mess of hair his Aunt had scoweld and called, 'a rat's nest'. Overall, with his black vest, pants, and white shirt, he presented a clean cut, if a bit eccentric (the ribbons adorning his hair, wrists and neck) youth.
Strangely, when Petunia was forced into close-quarters with him and got a good look at his vividly emerald gaze, she would mumble to herself about 'glasses'. But Harry had never worn glasses, despite his strange visual color deficiency. The child could only conclude that she must be referring to some relative that he looked like, as he doubted she'd want to pay more money for glasses.
He regarded his own appearance in the mirror for a moment, noting his high cheekbones, firm jaw that still held bits of babyfat despite his thin build, and wide almond shaped eyes. Generally, one could call him an attractive child, even with his pale colouring which was only enhanced by his wavy black hair. But nothing out of the ordinary stood out, nothing defined him as being 'unnatural' at first glance. Perhaps the strangely shaped scar, but other than that? Harry was simply a boy.
At that moment, Ren crawled beneath his skin, travelling from the hollow of his throat where her eggs savely lay hidden by a ribbon tie, up his throat and over his jawline. A black shadowed shape resembling a spider appeared on his skin, moving up to his cheekbone, where it paused and appeared to pace in a circle for a moment. Finally, Ren settled, though Harry had a feeling she had a reason for showing herself about his face as he looked in the mirror.
"I do not like this," The large bodied black spider said quietly, her pincing mandibles moving slowly as she spoke.
"I know, Ren," Harry soothed, clacking his teeth and tongue to simulate the sounds the Tube Web Spider produced. "We're not really ready, and we haven't had enough trial periods. But you know how Si--" He cut himself off from calling Vernon 'sir' at Renenet's angry hiss. "...You know how Uncle Vernon gets."
The spider moved nearer his hairline, then back to his cheek, unsettled. "I do not like it," She repeated.
Harry's brow furrowed, but before he could respond, Vernon's booming voice summoned him from downstairs. Nonetheless, he flicked a worried glance at his reflection and the spider sitting innocently across his cheek. The creature seemed to huff, and scuttled down and to the side, ducking behind his ear. Nearby, but out of sight.
So the nine year old left the bathroom with a strange sense of leaving things unfinished, and quickly made his way to the burly man's side.
"Boy!" Vernon Dursley began, tucking his beefy arms behind his back laborously as he tried to appear stern and dignified. The effect was overall ruined by his large size and heaving chest, or perhaps the red of his face, but he appeared to take no notice. "Boy... I'm counting on you tonight. It's crucial that I make this deal! If we secure their support, we'll have a significantly easier time. All of us, you hear?!"
Harry regarded the blustering man with a small sense of disgust, thankful that it did not reflect on his impassive face. Quietly, demurely he answered. "I understand, Uncle Vernon, sir."
"Quite right!" Vernon agreed, though more with himself than anything. "Now... I understand you've never done... this type of thing to this... extent. Is there anything... that would help?" The proud man was honestly flustered, floundering for a way to support the young wizard in his task. If only out of greed.
The green eyed child cocked his head to one side, considering what he could need, or ought to ask. After a moment of silent deliberation, he said, "Information on those you will be hosting tonight would be a great help, sir. Perhaps their personalities? Names? Things about them personally can be a good start."
Harry did not tell his Uncle that the more information he had on clients, the easier it would be to ensnare them in his threads. He didn't want to implant ideas into his Uncle's head. Yes, he could... and likely would start to thread his relatives, in manners beyond their quiet sleeping with the dream-catching webs. But he was hardly going to admit, nor say so to the walrus-like man.
Vernon squinted his beady eyes, appearing to think hard on what to tell his nephew. Harry had begun to wonder if steam would come out of the man's ears and nose from overuse when he grudgingly began to speak again. "Well... Applegate is a busy man. He's loud around others, but meek towards his wife, I hear. He's a bit older than your Aunt and myself... but maybe only by a decade or so." The man reached up sausage-like fingers to comb at his mustache as he spoke. "His wife... Evelyn, I believe is her name. High-spirited little thing, very jumpy. Very high maintenance, or so they say. Very petite, carries a great big bag." The man rambled on, pleased that his everyday knowledge of his client was useful. Feeling incredibly important, Vernon puffed.
Harry nodded, absorbing the information and listening with half an ear as Vernon went to great lengths to sound like an interesting individual. He failed, but his nephew was far too polite-- or cautious-- to correct him. As it was, he was silently, passing on the particulars through small connecting threads of magic to his various arachnids stationed both inside and out. They would use the various facts that provided to implant certain runes into the webs around the archway to the door-- it was best to catch them in a quick snare, the earlier the better. If they could set up types of webs for the expected personalities, perhaps this would be easier.
So, with minimal arrangements, they set out to wait. Petunia would be making dinner for this evening, though Harry had hurried a few things along. Something about personal affairs, such as formal dining, tended to make his Aunt take an interest in food. The green eyed child had simply gathered that she liked taking the actual credit and praise, and would be too bitter about it if Harry had actually provided the food.
So it was that evening, at 7 o'clock, that they prepared for their guests. Vernon was quizing Dudley on the proper way to charm, Petunia fiddled about in the dining room with the plates and the napkins. Harry stood silently near the stairs, watching the door and waiting.
At exactly seven-twenty, there was a sound of a car on the drive. Then the rumble of the engine cutting off. Car doors opened, shutting firmly shortly thereafter. The soft mincing steps of high heels on the paved walk, accompanied by the quieter tap of leather shoes. The Applegates where here.
The doorbell rang. There was a flurry of activity, and Vernon gave what he thought was an imperious nod to Harry. The boy nodded, and turned to walk through the living room, padding across the rug and quietly opening the door. Above his head, a spider centurion lay waiting with it's partner off to the side. Poised and arching with their legs holding a grasp of knotted and rune-scribed webbing. Ready to drop the gossamer strands onto the ignorant heads of the Applegates as soon as they crossed the threshold.
Pulling the door back, Harry Potter smiled invitingly. John Applegate laughed, then flicked a glance to his wife, seeming to suck in a breath through his teeth. The graying man appeared a tad nervous as he spoke, "Eve, look! A regular gentleman at the door! Good service!" His beady eyes kept moving back to his wife, as though seeking her approval, despite his height and booming voice. It was obvious at once who was in charge here.
Evelyn Applegate sniffed several times, glancing over her shoulder as though longing to go back to the car --- or uncertain of the state of her own safety. Her huffing appeared to be a habitual thing, as she constantly inhaled through her nose, with a puckered mouth. Either she'd had something sour in the car, or she smelled something off. Harry doubted either was the case, and that the woman was just incredibly hard to please.
Pasting on his best social smile, the black vest-clad and green eyed boy bowed gently at the waist. "Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Applegate. Won't you please come in?" He gestured gently from the waist, keeping the motion slow and unassuming. Stepping to one side, he allowed them through and waited patiently to see how things would work.
John Applegate stepped into the home with a smile, handing his hat and coat to the young boy with a boisterous grin. As he did so, a spider on the left dropped a threaded spell-net over his bare head. It settled and sunk into his skin, the start of the magic and leaving a filmy layer of confusion in the muggle's brain. He would be pleasantly comforted by the company of the Dursleys and more agreeable for the rest of the night. Harry could only hope his wife was the same.
Dull-witted and calm, John walked into the living room, leaving his wife to step in the door next. Evelyn made a choked sniffling sound, aborted as though she was truly in horrific company. The young boy smiled once more, offering her a hand as she took her coat off. Patiently, he hoped for her to be susceptible to the net as well, as it would be so much easier this way. So when the spider guarding the archway to the right dropped it's carefully made parcel, and it settled on her hair--- Harry waited. But there was no slight glazed look, there was no relaxing of posture. If anything, Mrs. Applegate flinched, and jerked her head about, glancing around the entryway in alert disapproval.
"Is something the matter, Mrs. Applegate?" Harry asked innocently, green eyes masking his disappointment. It would be much harder now, he knew. Ren muttered distractedly, a tired murmur against his ear. He couldn't focus on what she was saying, though.
Evelyn frowned, her lips pulled down hard despite their permanently pursed position and seemed to snap out of it. "I... must've felt a draft. Standing in the doorway. Take my coat, already so we can shut the door!" She commanded shrilly, shuffling in and moving to her husband's side.
Harry winced internally but made no comment other than a soft-spoken agreement, hanging the coats in the closet. Moving to check on the food, he noted the Applegates were settled in the living room. His sharp eyes caught his Uncle's and he covertly motioned with one hand with one finger, indicating that one was down... and it was not the wife. His 'handler' twitched his mustache, but made no other movement to show he understood. Vernon was likely disappointed, and knew it would be harder if Evelyn Applegate was not on board. Charming her was the hardest part.
His Aunt's voice joined in with the chatter, talking and mingling with the general chit chat and small talk going on in the living room. Soon they'd move to the dining room, after Harry had served. For now, he was to set things up with the meal, and hopefully work on the compulsion spells with Diaboli and Ren. It was often hard to reach Diaboli during the day, Harry had found, however. It caused his head to ache something often, specifically right over his scar. A strange signifigance that was beyond him at the moment, but something that Kali was not amused by. Especially when it bled.
How should he fix this? He was very worried, if Harry were perfectly honest with himself. He was a nine year old boy, who needed to try and ensnare a fully grown adult with her own thoughts and opinions on things. He didn't have a proper teacher on magic, though Diaboli eluded that he would soon (whatever that meant). Did he dare try and contact the man from his dreams? Or was he better off trying to work on his own with his spider-kin?
Shrugging off the urge to tug at his dream-shade (since he really didn't know how, anyways), Harry began serving up plates in the kitchen. Taking a deep breath, he moved his mouth carefully, the clacking and clicking coming naturally to his mouth, the soft hissing and purring that was a spider's tongue. "Ren? I don't know what to do... It... it didn't take. How can I get her to understand and like the deal if she's such a disagreeable person? She acts like she thinks everything's terrible. I bet she'd find something wrong with a glass of water," Harry was grousing slightly, but honestly floundering. He was, after all, still a child.
Renenet made a soothing rattle of her mandibles, hissing softly behind his ear. "Hush, little one. Hush... we will think a moment while you serve up. Give me a moment." Obediently, Harry continued to plate up the courses, moving things into serving dishes or onto salad plates, soup bowls and dinner dishes. His spider-sister sounded weak, and Harry was sadly reminded that she had just given birth to an egg sack the day before. Should he really be bothering her with this?
"I shall lend you my web," Ren began softly, after a moment. Harry was startled and nearly stalled in his ladling of gravy over the roast. After a heartbeat, he chittered back, "Ren, you can't! You... you're not strong enough. Really, we'll work something---"
But the spider-kin was stubborn, and like any big sister, she put her many legs and feet down. "I will be offering you my thread to spin, Harry." The use of his name was startling. They rarely called him anything save 'Spinner' or 'Little One' or some combination. So Harry swallowed back his arguments and sighed. "...Should she resist, or the plan have difficulties, then I will do the weaving myself. You will not argue with me, little Spinner. I love you like my own. And I will protect this nest... understand?"
Dully, Harry nodded. He was hardly able to push against that, and how could he? A boy starved for affection was finally receiving what he had so desired. He had his family, and it wasn't the Dursleys of Number Four Privet Drive, though they often resided there.
With his agreement, Ren moved to crawl down his neck from her perch from behind his ear. Skittering carefully over his collarbone and down, down his arm, her long legs moving beneath his skin like a strange tattoo. The boy was very aware of her and held his arm out from his side helpfully, waiting for her. After a moment, she moved down from his deltoid, triceps, and biceps. Harry was a very thin boy, but he was aware of his own anatomy, with little to do but study. As she travelled his elbow, down his forearm and to his wrist the green eyed child waite patiently. Finally, she settled at the curve of his right hand, in his palm, near his third finger, or middle. Ren made the connection, pressing her spinnerette to his core and magic. She then slowly backed away, hiding securely in the tendons of his wrist.
"We are ready, spinner-Child," Ren whispered tiredly, her voice sounding so low Harry had to strain to hear her. His teeth dragged over his bottom lip, wanting to question her again, or at least ask for help from another... but it didn't seem like that was a good idea. Sobek wouldn't question his mate. Kali often slept during this time, vigilant unless needed. Pheobe wasn't as... assertive as the other spiders. Hecate could hardly enter the house and argue with a bunch of spiders living within his skin, as wonderful as a companion as she was. That left the boy alone, with only a weak and determined friend to depend on.
Pheobe chose that moment to speak up quietly, anyways. "It'll be alright, Harry," Came her sweet tones, much softer than the others. She reminded him of a gentle female, and he imagined she'd have been very pretty if she were human. So kind. "Let Ren do as she will, she wants to help. Just... just focus on threading, okay? Knot the magic as you always do. Be confident. Make the magic listen to you... don't doubt yourself."
Her words were soothing, like a balm for his conscious mind, and Harry nodded though she couldn't see it. "Alright, Ren. After... after I serve, I'm going to drop it over her again. I'm going to need your help to push as much of our connection and magic, for you spin it with me. You guide the magic into the runes and knots for obedience, calm and agreement. She's really suspicious... jumpy. She needs a lot of them, so really try and layer them, and move as fast as you can. I'll start at the other end of the table, serve her husband first, then make my way to her. Give you lots and lots of time, alright?" His voice was a tad unsteady, the clicks stumbling as he offered the plan.
Ren appeared to have a smile in her voice, and it wasn't the first time that Harry wished he could receive an embrace from his 'family'. "Yes, spider-mine," came her tired voice, though it appeared she was amused. "You've grown up so well, and are continuing to do so. I am proud of you."
The pale, dark-haired boy's cheeks flushed. He would've ran a hand through his hair, but he didn't want to unsettle the ribbon he'd carefully tied it back with. Kali and Diaboli often reprimanded him on appearances, and how important it was to stay appealing. It was bad enough when 'Cate groomed him, tugging on his ear or hair, leaving him with a literal bird's nest for hair (however sweet her intentions were).
But right now, he needed to focus. Shaking off his inner musings, Harry straightened his posture and began to move the dishes to the dining table. It was already set for the guests, the best china and silverware. Harry began putting out the soup and salad, the first course. Ren would begin some of the knotting of the magic now, but would not begin to work on the runes until it was time for the main dishes. Perhaps dessert, if she really needed the time. Dessert and coffee, generally something served in the Dursley household.
As soon as this was done, he moved to the living room and patiently waited. Bowing smoothly, he stated with a clear and minimal voice, "Dinner is ready."
Harry held his hand out for his Aunt. While Petunia would normally have wrinkled her nose and tipped her head back, she laid her hand upon his and allowed herself to be lead into the dining room. After all, appearances were important. It was alright to look like they had an eccentric nephew who enjoyed being a gentleman, or wanted to be a butler. But it was not alright to make a scene in front of important guests and cause them to be suspicous about their care.
The child moved into the dining room, leading the procession of adults (as Dudley had declined to be present for this dinner party, begging off with a simple request. Vernon, not wanting his son to witness any... unnaturalness, hadn't argued, nor had his loving wife), into the next room. Plates were set out in front of chairs, and the Applegates were set across from each other, just as Harry had hoped. He would be able to start on one side, and work to the other. Serving John, and then moving to Evelyn and eventually dropping the webbing over her.
Dinner progressed smoothly. Mostly with the green-eyed boy serving while the adults made small talk, with the occasional grumping about work. It wasn't polite to discuss business during dinner, but one could lament about the state of affairs, and that was what they did. Harry served a light vegetable stew, the sweet vinaigrette of the salad a pleasant flavor.
Eventually, Harry was brought up and John vaguely mentioned the boy's schooling. Puffing a bit, Vernon mentioned that the boy had a love for books, and was advanced. He was a lover of the old fashioned ways, and Vernon could find little fault in his manners, and that in the end, 'he loved both his boys'. He went on a glowing review of Dudley, changing the topic smoothly. Comparing Harry and Dudley and how neither were the same but that 'boys will be themselves'. Harry noticed that neither Applegate was aware of the swiftness that the Grunnings employee seemed to try and avoid talking about his nephew.
Ren tapped on his palm three times, noting that the knotted spell was ready. It was a simple thing really. Something he'd been working on since he was little. A knot tied with power, specifically stored there. Magic laced into the strings of his spider's webbing, the intent there as each strand was laced through. It was the outer net of each compulsion web he made. Almost time.
Getting up, he began to serve the main course, starting with his Uncle at the head of the table. It was a relatively simple fair, but delicious. Roasted garden vegetables, summer squash, celery, and onions. A scoop of mashed potatoes, and a fresh roll. A serving of roast beef, with a generous amount of gravy. After his Uncle, he served John Applegate, who was rather pleasantly comfortable. The film of the spell-net had made him so agreeable, and his own personality was making the Dursley brown-nosing take rather well. Harry next served his Aunt, giving her the usual portions, amused that for once she wasn't craning her abnormally long neck and looking at him with what she assumed was dignified disdain. To Harry, she looked more like a disgruntled horse, if he were perfectly honest.
Next came the hard part, the boy knew. His hands were steady, green eyes sharp. Renenet was poised at his wrist, the gossamer net ready to fly from his right hand at the signal. The rolls were held aloft in his right hand as Harry served, offering Harry his chance, his left moving Evelyn Applegate's portion at her instructions onto her plate. Now was his chance!
"Bread roll?" Harry hovered his hand above her head, and the basket sliding into view. As he did so, his wrist flicked back in a simple motion and Renenet spun her spinners, throwing the net. But just as Evelyn went to answer.... something went wrong again. The severely suspicious woman did not take to the stronger netting and frowned, pausing as it settled on her hair, the magic partially settling but not taking.
Why, oh why was this woman so difficult? Her eyes darted about, the wife of Dursley's client pausing as she went to answer a simple dinner question. She was unsettled, and wary, and downright stubborn! How was Harry going to get her under a simple compulsion when it couldn't take root? Her personality would always be difficult, a thing to battle against.
Just when Harry was about to give up hope and move on, having hovered long enough to be socially acceptable at the woman's side, Renenet made her stand. Sliding from beneath his wrist, she moved out from his skin and lashed out. Jumping from the boy's out-stretched arm, the Tube spider dangled from a strand of thread. Lowering herself, the tired and resolute arachnid managed to make her way to Mrs. Applegate's graying hair. She had but a moment, she knew, before she would be felt. With that in mind, the spider glanced at Harry but once... and then bit down on the woman's temple. The woman gave a surprise jump her arm moving up in an effort to swat --- just as Ren pressed her large abdomen into the sensitive skin. Injecting her thread directly into a vein, Ren bled Harry's compulsion right into the threads, pressing it into her veins, into her skin, her blood.
Mrs. Applegate jumped, swatting at her temple as she felt a slight sting. Immediately afterwards she felt calmer, and slightly more relaxed. Why in the world had she been worried about this place? The Dursley's... and Grunnings, were obviously good people. She'd be sure to tell her husband that later.
"Is something wrong, Eve?" John asked, curiously watching as his wife swatted at her hair while the boy waited on her. For a moment she had seemed very uncomfortable, then it was like all the steam had gone out of her.
"What?" Mrs. Applegate glanced at her husband, trying to focus. It was difficult at the moment, her brain was a bit... fuzzy. "No, no... I think I was just a bit frazzled. You were saying?"
The conversation continued without a hitch, none of the adults noticing the heartbroken nine year old who served his portion and adjourned to the kitchen to eat there. Cradling a broken form of his sister, he stared down at his hands, confused. The green eyes were clouded and glassy, but he had yet to cry. Harry simply sat on the tiled floor, staring listlessly at his cupped hands, confused. How could... how could it all end? Why had she left his skin? There was a small hole where she had hurriedly ripped through, and it stung a little, but was already healing. Harry wished it wouldn't. It was a symbol, a hole. A place she had filled, that now was empty.
A quiet voice spoke up, solemn. "She was dying already, you know... it's not your fault."
Harry blinked, curious and licked his dry lips. After several attempts to speak, he finally managed a quiet, "If she was dying... she would've told me. She wouldn't have... Ren wouldn't have..." The child cut himself off, biting his lip.
Sobek spoke up again, his voice gentle but gruff. The blunt spider was trying to be honest with the boy, but soothe his ache. "She was dying, child-mine. She... when a spinner lays... they die. Often when they mate... they die. Kali... is uncertain if we will die because of our connection with you. She had warned us that if we were careful, and didn't do much... we might last longer." The quiet admission was without guilt, and the next seemed slightly amused from the male spider. "But, Ren was a very... determined spider. She loved you, and wanted to protect you. Always. She did what she did to help you along. Because it mattered to you." There was no accusation in Sobek's voice, though he certainly held grief at her passing.
"She... she didn't want me to do this," Harry admitted softly. His voice trembled as he used the spider-speech, and his shoulders shook with repressed sobs. "She always hated when I respected Vernon and called him 'Sir'. She liked when I learned magic, but she didn't understand why I had to do things for him..." A strand of hair escaped the carefully tied hair and fell across his face, furthering the shadows of the kitchen. The lights were off, save the glow of the dining room.
Sobek was silent, not knowing how to offer comfort. He'd lain quiet, energy depleted after the mating for some time. He was guarding the egg sack, the least he could do for his fallen mate. They were creatures of instinct, really. But Harry had changed them a great deal, and he could safely say the warm feelings he'd felt for his mate and for the large kin... were what the green eyed boy called 'love'.
Kali stirred, and like a creature awakening in the dark, it was felt. Ripples of awareness moved through the coven much like the plucking of strings, trembling in the wake of her movements within. The great false widow spider, and Matriarch of their clan took a moment to assimilate knowledge tugged from the strings spread through Harry's body before she heaved a great sigh.
"A great loss," Kali began in her huskier undertones, the dominance in her feminine voice clear. The chattering in the cupboards, the quiet mourning for Ren that Harry had felt with each pang of his heart was silent. "A sister has fallen before her time, but she has done a great duty to our Kin." There was a soft clatter of agreement before all was silent again. Kali had such a way with words. When next she spoke, the spider addressed the boy with whom she was housed inside. "Harry-mine," Came her soft purr, the clack of her pincers soothing to his distressed mind to hear. "Would you like something to remember Ren by? To keep her with you always? For her to make you stronger, as she always has?"
Harry choked back a sob, biting his lip. He didn't want her to be gone. He wanted to hold her again to feel her reprimanding him in the bathroom. To have her argue with him about why it was important to eat vegetables for humans, and no he couldn't eat a diet that suited spiders. Yes, it did sound nice to eat the Dursleys, especially the fat ones. She was always trying to take care of him, in her own way. Ren hated when he was put down, or told to do something like a common servant. Of course he wanted to keep her with him always! He wanted... he wanted...
"I would... like that very much," Harry said quietly. Then he looked up, green eyes burning with a fierceness rarely seen in those his age. "What do I do, Kali?"
The arachnid folded her front legs, and the webbing she lay on in his mindscape trembled with the feelings she relayed. Pride and a smug sort of blood-thirsty emotion twinged across the strings before she answered. "Very well, little Spinner," Kali began. "If you want her to be with you... press the body of your fallen sister to the hole from whence she came. But instead of thinking about absorbing her back into your skin... as you do with each passing back and forth, the 'glide'..." The false widow paused. "Only instead of focusing on pulling her body back inside you--- you think of making her a part of your skin. An image of her, a permanent reminder. A shield, if you will. Ren, forever more your protector. Remembered. Forever..."
The offer stood hanging for a moment as Harry digested the news. Ren would continue to stay his shield? His ally? His friend would not deteriorate? He could... keep her? The thought was both tragic... and yet peaceful. But after a moment, he nodded. Cradling the body in his left hand, he shifted it against the small hole on his right wrist. The hole that Ren had burst through when she had exited to save the day, and Uncle Vernon's deal. The thought that it was all for a bunch of chums down at the office left a bitter taste in his mouth and he swallowed back the feeling of sick.
Pulling up his emotions, Harry Potter, the Nobody and Shadow... the scarred boy-hero focused on Renenet. The shield who had tried to guard and love him. His spider friend. He focused on how she had meant to him, and what she was. What she had intended to do, and be for him. Carefully, latching onto his magical core, he lined the curled up body of his slain comrade adjacent to the hole.
Suddenly, her collapsed form fell against it--- but instead of falling into the seeping pit, the deceased spider kin began to stretch out oddly. Ren's form lengthened out as widely as she could before Harry's astonished eyes, her legs snapping to attention and stretching their long limbs wide. When her body had stretched to it's absolute full capacity, it began to press together, four legs curling into an arch up against her head, and four curling down into another arch against her long abdomen.
When the brown Tube spider had settled into this position, she seemed to flatten. This caused her figure to elongate a bit further over his wrist and into his lower palm, edging onto the skin. Ren began to knit herself into his skin, a bit like a leather patch--- only she wasn't leather. She was something else. Thicker, for sure. She was flat, but still... different. Harry was acutely reminded that Spiders had exo-skeletons and wondered if Renenet had just become one... or rather, a piece for him. The thought of her shielding even a small piece of him in a such a manner made his throat swell and close up with tears.
The new placement settled on his wrist, hardly noticeable. It was ony about a little longer than his index finger, after all. The boy from under the cupboard was silent as he knelt in the kitchen, waiting.
"Eat your dinner, little Spinner," Pheobe reminded him gently. "You'll need your strength...."
Harry moved duly to eat the meal that he had prepared. Each movement of his fork reminding him of Ren's sacrifice. For he'd catch a glimpse of a small patch of leathered skin and know that there she lay.
Vernon Dursley's dinner went well, and Grunnings got their deal. Harry and Sobek eagerly awaited the hatchings of the spiderlings, ignoring the rest of the house.
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For names of the spiders or their types, please see chapter 4.
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Sorry for the delay reviewers! I'll be posting more now...
CDGaymer : I hope you liked what Harry did to the Client, at least.
SlythindorMalfoy : Ah, I'm glad you're enjoying it! Hopefully you'll enjoy watching it unfold from my rather twisted brain.
Sweet Wisteria : Most fascinating pieces...? Oh my! You're making me blush over here. I'm continuing now, and have many more chapters planned. I hope to make this a rather long-winded story actually, with a rather detail-oriented experience for everyone involved. Lots and lots of chapters, anyways. I love Harry, and I've always wondered how various scenarios would turn out... the animals are amusing... Voldemort, ahh... I think he's reasonably wary of Harry, since it's his head he's trapped inside. I'm not sure who he'll end up with actually, no! I'm going to have to watch how it develops in my head... but definitely someone mature... we'll see how it unfolds. Ravenclaw or Slytherin, both are options. Still weighing. He's got two years to decide.
As for changing the placement... wouldn't I get in trouble for that? If I moved and relocated... I wouldn't want to get a notice from the Moderators to fix it or something. oxo
Marcus-Flint_Girl : As much as that's actually a good suggestion, and I'd have love to have gone with it... unfortunately, Harry isn't ready to meet such a hard-hitter like Mr. Malfoy. It would've jostled things a bit in the plotline I was going for and thrown me for a loop and I wouldn't have known where to put him. I would've put him into another (while interesting) path that I'm not sure the spiders could have helped him on. But do keep giving suggestions! I do like hearing from reviewers what they think might or could happen!
Hope you all enjoy reading this! See you soon!
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Carefully Tangled Webs of Darkness