Chapter 4: Devil's and Angel's Child

"Are the chains really necessary?"

Harry was currently in the 'torture' section of the study in the center of a strangely drawn mystical diagram. To him, it looked like there oddly shaped circles overlaying on top of each other with him in the center intersection. This structure was within another circle, with the edges of the knots touching the circumference of the circle. All of this was circumferenced by a variety of sigils and symbols Harry couldn't even begin to understand.

Crowley and Gabriel stood opposite of each other just outside the circle, both facing Harry – although the boy could see only Crowley.

Harry was currently only in his underwear and glasses, with multiple symbols and markings drawn on him with some strange ink. Gabriel initially thought that all his scars and injuries would get in the way, but thankfully, there were only a few bumpy patches which they had to be careful about. He was standing up at the moment, but both his legs and arms were chained, attached to hooks on the ground inside the perimeter.

Crowley was first to answer since Gabriel was still fumbling with some solution he was mixing. "Look, Harry, this is the first time we are doing something like this. Also, whatever the bloody hell is on your forehead is not natural – its removal will be painful, and it will fight back. Dark magic is a nasty little bugger. Never knows when to leave…"

"Alright Crowley, the potion is ready. All we need is your and Harry's blood." Gabriel levitate the bowl to Harry along with some weirdly shaped knife. "Harry, just cut your finger – we only need a few drops."

Harry first put the bowl on the ground before grabbing the knife. Without a second thought, he cut right across his left hand. He made a fist, and a steady stream dripped into the solution. Neither adult in the room said a word regarding his decision.

When he was done, Crowley levitated both items to himself and repeated the same procedure as Harry, "You don't have to show off, you know that, right? You can show weakness around us – we aren't going to hit you."

"Sorry, just figured more blood would be better."

Gabriel just coldly laughed, "You know, there is a novel by Jeff Lindsay being turned into a series on Showtime next year whose main character talks eerily like you."

Harry turned his head to look at Gabriel, "What's Showtime?"

Gabriel leaned over to see Crowley who was mixing the solution, "Where did you find him, under a rock?"

Crowley calmly stated, "No, in a cupboard under the stairs."

Gabriel smile faltered, "You made sure the family that raised him went straight to Hell, right?"

"First thing I did. The kid finished up my work, though. Is there a word for to represent the act of killing your aunt?"

Gabriel thought about it, "Ironically, there isn't it. I mean, I can make one up from the language roots, but there is one for uncle – 'Avunculicide.' I never heard one for the other, but it had to have happened at some point. Must be an Old Testament thing."

Crowley just shrugged, "Alright, everything is done. You ready Harry?"

Harry checked that all the manacles were locked and in place before nodding.

Gabriel carefully worded his next statement, "Now I will say this one last time – this will be painful, and the whatever magic is using you as a vessel will fight back. There is a good chance you will pass out and not remember what happens here today. All you need to know is that when this is over, you will be changed. Do you understand and consent to what will occur here at this time?"

Harry was about to nod again, but Gabriel interjected, "I need to hear you say it – it's a free-will thing. Angel magic only works if there is consent."

Harry didn't really think about it before saying, "I consent to this."

And with that, the knot started to glow, and energy began to pour out of nowhere.

Harry didn't know what was happening, but he only heard Crowley start to chant something odd, "Formam mutate datum vas laxant. Recludam antique in vas in alum. Servare puer angelum et dixit daemonium permittat nobis consonantiam…"

That was the last thing Harry had remembered before he blacked out.

That and the unbearable pain.

Crowley almost broke his chanting when he heard the boy scream like some ungodly animal, but he couldn't break the spell once he started. He could only watch the kid thrash around trying to escape, hoping that Gabriel would know what to do.

The angel couldn't cross the circumference of the circle, but he used his powers to fuel the spell and began to try to keep the child in place.

Thankfully, the modifications they made now made the dark magic in the curse visible. The glowing of the sigils on the kid that made the black miasma pour out of the lightning-shaped scar was finally visible to the angel.

Harry's eyes were completely red at this point, foaming at the mouth like some Rabies-infected human. He kept trying to escape, but the chains kept pulling him back. When he was about to start to chew off his arm, Crowley finally chanted the section of the spell that 'opened' the boy to 'change.'

"…Gaudete in signum in cicatrice orta est. Auferte malum cogitationum angelus Domini in cicatrice orta est. Gabrielis finiret misericordia resistentia mali…"

The modified-Celtic knot finally glowed in full force, drawing more power from the angel. As the light engulfed the boy, he grasped his forehead with both hands, nails digging into the skull, bleeding full force.

Hands of light appeared out of the Archangel, extending into Harry's head. He let out one final guttural scream before going limp. Gabriel real hands began to move around, as is solving some invisible Rubix cube only he could see.

Deep in the forests of Albania at the same moment, a viper that currently housed a different fragment of the dark miasma spasmed and twisted in pain, as if a part of him was forcefully removed from his very being. (2)

Crowley continued to chant for almost thirty minutes while Gabriel sustained his brand of magic. Both were sweating, tired from the exertion, the child twitching at random moments on the ground.

Finally, Gabriel nodded, giving Crowley the heads up to finish the ritual.

"…In pace et esto sana puerum vitae. Tumultuabitur puer perpetuo perpetuum mutati voluntate et electione. Protegi daemoni hunc peur angelum suum. Amen." (1)

The glow from the diagram began to fade, but the circle still remained in effect. The child was calmly sleeping. Both adults were on their knees, panting in full force.

Gabriel looked up at Crowley, "Was the 'Amen' really necessary?"

"It was a joint effort, and it was mostly your energy that made this endeavor possible. Besides, we made a new form of life – felt like giving God the finger since, you know… we played God." Crowley barely managed to get the statement out.

Gabriel started to laugh out loud, "If I weren't so tired I would go and smack you."

Crowley only chuckled, "Were you successful?"

Gabriel tilted his head to one side, "Yes and no. Yes, because I removed the influence and corruption of the curse from the boy so that it remains permanently dormant. No, because I couldn't physically remove it – it was some corrupted soul fragmented that already mixed with his soul. All I could do was rip out its wings, claws, teeth, and wang before putting it in a cage and locking it in the darkest corners of his mind."

Crowley just looked at the angel in a new light. "Anything else while you were in there?'

Gabriel finally got enough energy to get back to the couch. "Yeah. I modified his body physically to handle the next part. I also marked his ribs to keep him hidden from spells and prying eyes, but I had to change them to accept his future demon nature and such. I also slightly tinkered with his mind – he will thank me for it later."

Crowley was leaning on his table when he asked, still trying to catch his breath, "You went all Dr. Frankenstein on him, didn't you?"

"Not really. I just…removed a few injuries and organized it a bit better."

Crowley just looked back at Harry, making a quick look over to see if he was okay. "Well, might as well finish this up while he is passed out."

Gabriel huffed, "Right, because the essence exchange is going to be so hard for you."

Crowley crossed the threshold of the circle to approach Harry. "Since he already gave consent," Crowley took Harry's right hand and dipped it in the leftover solution that was made. Crowley did the same with his own before connecting both hands.

"Now some words to bind the occasion – Licentia concedatur. Potentia permutari. Fac nobis tenentur per quam anima. Luxta oris mei verba nos patrem et filium."

A red glow began to leave Crowley, traveling from his heart to his arm before entering Harry's arm and ending in his heart. Harry eventually did the same process when a wave of white energy entered Crowley in a similar manner. Crowley showed no reaction to this, but Harry kept spasming with each wave that entered him. This went on until eventually, Harry stopped twitching, and his breathing evened out.

Crowley calmly stood up and went to join Gabriel on the couch. "So, how was it? Better than advertised?"

"It felt like…a nice cup of coffee if I were being honest."

Both stared at the fire, watching the embers burn away.

"How long before all the magic settles in the boy?"

Gabriel checked the notepad they had made the diagrams on and did some quick calculations. "If we did everything correctly in our completely-untested-made-up-on-the-spot experiment, could be days or weeks. Worst case scenario, a month."

Crowley just tilted his head to the side, "Could have gone better. Should be more than enough time for his body to undergone metamorphosis. How do you feed him, though?"

Gabriel finally got enough energy to hop off the couch, "You leave taking care of the boy to me. You have been delayed long enough as it is. Your workers are probably already planning how to steal your throne with you gone for so long."

"It's been half a day. Besides, I told those sods to shove off for sending me to Britain. You would have to be dumber than a goat not to make an educated guess as to why I am not around."

Crowley got up, snapped his fingers to clean himself up and in presentable form.

'Meet up in a month?"

"Deal. Oh, bring back some virgin blood – we are running short in the pantry."

"Gabriel, it's hard enough as it is to find a pure women, let alone a virgin. How about a pint of blood?"

"We don't need much, but try to make it a quart."

"Fine." Crowley teleported at that moment to corners unknown while Gabriel gave a quick glance of his surroundings.

"Alright, clean up everything, unshackle the boy, give him a quick sponge bath, put him in bed, steal some IV drips and supplies from a nearby hospital, set up the medications so that he gets his nutrient and liquids. Am I missing anything?"

Gabriel was about to teleport before snapping his fingers in realization, "Oh, right, the laptop. My porn is still paused."