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Meanwhile, back at the Halloween feast, everyone in Slytherin was giving Phobius a wide berth with the exception of Harry, who still looked a little uneasy... mostly due to the aura of pure terror filling the great hall, with the part-human boy at its center. He was staring coldly at Ronald Weasley, as if trying to decide the best way to chop him up and devour him - and he was making no effort to hide it, too, meaning the Gryffindors were nowhere near Ron, lest they get caught up in the blizzard that was Phobius's inevitable wrath.
The aura of fear was promptly disrupted, however, when Quirrell stumbled into the Great Hall, shouting about a troll in the dungeons before fainting. As the prefects started gathering students, Harry turned to Phobius in concern. "Hermione and Katherine!"
"Right, let's go," Phobius figured out where this was going and decided without hesitation. "We'd better find them quickly - the longer we take, the more chance there is of the troll finding them." They slipped away to find their would-be girlfriends; unfortunately, they were a little late - by the time they found the bathroom the girls were in, the troll was already there. Naturally, Harry's Gryffindor instincts immediately resulted in him jumping on the troll's back and sticking his wand up its nose, causing Phobius to curse since he couldn't carry out his plan if Harry was that close to the troll.

Harry managed to punch the troll in the temple before being thrown off, completely oblivious to the faint green glow that had surrounded his hand for a split second before vanishing. Fortunately, Harry's momentary panicked stupidity DID seem to help (sort of) in that he diverted the troll's attention from the girls to him and Phobius. The troll raised its club and swung down on the two... only to find that its club was now hanging above its head out of reach.
Phobius stared coldly, allowing his usual tight control on his abilities to slip, his eyes turning into a pair of blood-red, vertical-slitted eyes with black schlera, his teeth becoming sharp like that of some sort of man-eating monster... and suddenly his aura of fear flooded the bathroom, only ten times worse than usual, all their worst nightmares flashing before Harry's, Hermione's, and Katherine's eyes before it abruptly ended, leaving poor Harry, who had been mere inches away from Phobius, as a shivering, terrified wreck.
Apparently it was even worse for the troll, however, because it staggered back clutching its chest, eyes rolling into the back of its head before it collapsed to the floor, the victim of a simple heart attack, though it still seemed to be alive - just unconscious.
The boy in question then reined in his power, his appearance returning to normal before the girls could catch more than a glimpse, and glanced over at Harry with a puzzled look before taking out a chocolate bar, breaking off a chunk, and pushing it into Harry's mouth, causing the boy to slowly calm down. Phobius then handed over similar chunks of chocolate to the other two girls who had similarly gotten a taste of his true Aura of Fear, simply saying, "Chocolate helps negate the aura's effects somewhat."

(Edit: This better?)

(Okay, troll is now unconscious instead of dead. Does that help, or do I have to edit further?)

"That is what happens if I allow myself to truly lose control of my abilities for a mere second. If I did not keep a tight leash on my power at all times, then everyone around me would be unable to feel anything but fear, and I would end up giving the more weak-hearted people heart attacks. That is my true nature - a soulless monster who feeds on fear and has the capability to cause death just by existing, a living curse on myself and those around me." Phobius answered frankly and quietly, watching his friends for their reaction warily. He did hope they didn't turn on him - the thought of any of them, Hermione especially, turning their backs on him hurt in a way he wasn't used to, but at the same time he half expected them to run away screaming any second now and braced himself for such a reaction.
Harry just sat there quietly and thoughtfully, scrutinizing just as Phobius carefully as he was scrutinizing them; his friend didn't seem like the soulless monster he was describing - if anything, the guarded wariness in his eyes that came surprisingly close to fear (but wasn't quite that) showed that the young man was human enough to count.

(You just have to max out the heart thingies in Pokémon Amie and have it level up while knowing a Fairy move, right?)

Fortunately, Harry had fully calmed down by now and stood up, shaking his wand a little to get rid of the troll boogers on it... right before smacking Phobius upside the head. "Give your best mate a little warning next time, will you? I was completely unprepared for that!" No one missed the usage of the phrase "best mate".
Phobius relaxed at that and gave a silent nod of thanks to the three of them, managing to keep himself from blushing, just before the teachers came in, McGonagall demanding an explanation.
Before any of the others could speak up, Phobius answered smoothly, "I noticed Hermione and Katherine weren't at the feast when we got the warning about the troll, so I went to look for them and dragged Harry along as backup - not the brightest idea, I'll admit, but I was worried, and I certainly couldn't head down to the Slytherin common room - which, if you'll recall, is in the exact same dungeons where Quirrell said the troll was." McGonagall paled at that, and Snape gave a stiff nod of understanding. "Unfortunately, the troll found the girls before we did, and I used a Levitation Charm to knock the troll out with its own club. To be blunt, it is probably a good thing we came along, or the girls would probably be dead." That story could certainly be bought, since the club had landed on top of the troll's head.
McGonagall hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "Be that as it may, it was an extremely foolish thing to do. I would have expected more rational behavior on your part and am very disappointed in you Mister Black. Five points will be taken from you for your serious lack of judgment. That being said, I just hope you realize how fortunate you are. Not many first year students could take on a fully grown mountain troll and live to tell the tale. Five points each will be awarded to you and Mister Potter, for sheer dumb luck." With that, she walked off, Quirrell in tow.
Snape, however, stayed behind, glancing between Phobius and the unconscious troll. After a moment, he spoke. "I believe I have at least a vague idea of what truly happened here; however, I would like to ask why you did not get a teacher or at least a prefect to accompany you on your little rescue."
"There is a saying: if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself," Phobius countered coolly. "I cannot speak for Harry, but I am rather picky about who I trust; like respect, trust should be earned, not given - trusting the wrong person only leads to that trust being broken."
Severus nodded, understanding the rather calculating line of thought, before glancing at Harry questioningly.
Harry shrugged. "Time we took to get a Prefect or a professor would've been time in which the troll could've found and killed the girls," he answered, muttering under his breath, "plus, adults never help."
Severus quirked an eyebrow, but nevertheless nodded in understanding. "Very well. Good day Mister Black, Mister Potter, Miss Granger, Miss Evergood." With that, he began to walk away.
"By the way, I'll probably be writing Mother about this little incident," Phobius called to him with a faint smirk.
Severus paused, glancing back, and after a moment, smirked as well. "I'll be sure to get some popcorn ready, then." He then resumed walking away, disappearing around a corner.
Harry gave Phobius a puzzled look, but the red-eyed boy just smirked. "It'll be more fun for you to find out tomorrow with everyone else; let's just say that Mother is rather amusing when she's angry... well, amusing for those watching, anyway - not so much for the people she's angry at."
Harry was still rather baffled, but seemed to accept that. "All right. We should probably get back to the dorms, though." He helped Katherine to her feet, smiling to her.
Phobius similarly helped Hermione to her feet; however, as they were walking to their Common Rooms, he glanced over at Harry and blinked, a faint expression of puzzlement crossing his face. 'Strange... is it just me, or is Harry just a little bit taller than he was a moment ago? ...Probably just me.' Deciding to ignore whatever it was for the moment, he continued walking alongside his friends to their respective dorms.

The boys bade Katherine good night before heading to their dorm, Phobius writing and handing off a letter to Confusa to deliver to his mother before going to sleep, completely oblivious to the changes the morning would bring...

Timeskip: The Next Morning

Phobius awoke to find a very, very baffled Harry staring at the mirror shirtless and poking himself in confusion. Phobius blinked several times, trying to comprehend what he was seeing, before sighing. 'Of course it wasn't just me.' "Yes, Harry, from the look of things, you have apparently grown a six-pack overnight, now stop poking it."
Harry turned, obviously torn between confusion and irritation. "Well, yeah, but how the bloody hell does a bloke gain a full set of muscles overnight? And I'm fairly bloody certain that I was a lot shorter yesterday, too!" Yep, Harry was now at least two feet taller than he was yesterday, and did he mention the hunk-esque muscles that he had sprouted overnight?
Phobius pursed his lips, thinking a moment. "...Well, I do have a theory, but it's pretty out there, and even then it's only a guess... would you happen to be descended from a woman named Obscura Peverell?"
Harry blinked. "Er... I have no idea."
Phobius grunted. "Well, if it turns out you are, let me know - if you are, it makes my theory all the more likely. In the meantime, if anyone but Hermione or Katherine asks, you got a long-overdue growth spurt." With that out of the way, the two of them got changed, Phobius helping Harry resize his clothes via magic to fit his new physique and casting a minor charm to keep people from thinking about the change in his appearance too much before they headed out to the Great Hall.

Harry blushed a little himself, glancing down at himself as he muttered, "Is it that obvious?" After a quick examination, he found that it wasn't too obvious, but if you looked closely, it wasn't hard to see the increase in muscle.
"Cover story is growth spurt, theory is magic," Phobius answered as he and Harry sat down for breakfast, not beating around the bush and keeping his voice down so nobody overheard. "I even have a theory about exactly what kind of magic is the cause, but I'll have to check Harry's ancestry to see if it's viable." He then smirked as he watched Confusa bolt out of the shadows with a black envelope in her mouth, dropping it at the staff table in front of the Headmaster like it was a hot potato before running over to Phobius, promptly hiding under his chair and putting her paws over her ears as if expecting an explosion. "For now, however, I suggest we sit back and enjoy the show."
Over at the staff table, Dumbledore blinked in puzzlement, completely oblivious to five bowls of popcorn appearing - one for Severus, and one for each of the Gold and Silver Quartet. The old man shrugged a moment, figuring it was probably something important before opening the letter... only for it to transform into what seemed to be a paper mouth with sharp teeth, roaring out in the voice of a woman in her late 20s to early 30s, "ALBUS ******** ***** DUMBLEDORE!!! WHY IN THE SEVEN HELLS DID I GET A LETTER FROM MY SON YESTERDAY ABOUT HAVING TO FACE UP AGAINST A GODDAMN TROLL?!? HAVE YOU GONE EVEN MORE SENILE THAN YOU ALREADY WERE AND LET HOGWARTS SECURITY GO TO s**t, OR ARE YOU THAT MUCH OF A d**k, THAT YOU DELIBERATELY LET A FULLY-GROWN MOUNTAIN TROLL INTO A SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN?!? AND THAT IS NOT EVEN MENTIONING THE LETTER HE SENT ME LAST MONTH ABOUT THE ******** CERBERUS IN THE THIRD-FLOOR CORRIDOR!!! I AM VERY TEMPTED TO COME OVER TO HOGWARTS IN PERSON, CASTRATE YOU WITH A BURNING RUSTY SPOON, FORCE-FEED YOU YOUR BALLS, AND SODOMIZE YOU WITH AN EXPLODING CACTUS!" The Howler then started throwing rather inventive and VERY vulgar and VERY disturbing insults and threats at Albus for half an hour straight... and, somewhere along the line, it also started throwing Blasting Curses that forced Dumbledore to duck and cover, the other staff bar Severus (who was still enjoying his popcorn) following suit. Eventually, the Howler finished up with, "THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING: IF MY SON GETS IN DANGER ONE MORE TIME DUE TO YOUR MANIPULATIONS AND WILLFUL IDIOCY, I TRULY WILL NOT HESITATE TO COME OVER THERE AND CASTRATE YOU, YOU OLD GOAT-MOLESTER!" It then turned and called to Phobius in a much calmer tone, "Phobius, dear, I'm finally glad you made some friends who aren't put off by your personality - I can't say I'm surprised you got into Slytherin, though. Regarding the advice you asked for, I suggest you tell them about yourself - there's no shame in opening up to your friends, and they're probably going to find out eventually - that Hermione girl you mentioned especially seems like she'll figure you out sooner or later anyway. Whether you do or not, though, I expect you to bring them over to visit at some point, especially Hermione, and I will not take no for an answer. Eris Black, Out!" With that, the Howler promptly exploded, leaving a rather large scorch mark on the Headmaster's portion of the table and singeing a fair portion of his beard.
Needless to say, everyone was speechless that someone had had the audacity to address Dumbledore in such a vulgarly insulting fashion, though the actual reactions varied: the Gryffindors were horrified (several of Dumbledore's more devoted supporters had even fainted out of shock), the Slytherins were either amused, gleeful, trying to burn the incident into their memory, or (in the case of some of the younger girls) in awe of this mysterious Eris Black woman, the Ravenclaws were curious as to how Phobius's mother managed to make a Howler that did all that and if half those threats were even physically possible, not to mention worried at Eris's implications that Dumbledore wasn't trustworthy, and the Hufflepuffs were mostly just disturbed by all the vulgar language and threats. Hagrid was among the casualties (a. k. a. those who fainted), Severus was just finishing his popcorn, Sprout and McGonagall were glaring at the Headmaster (though McGonagall's had a hint of "I told you so" in it), Flitwick had fallen off his chair in shock due to the language and threats used, though he was still conscious, and Dumbledore himself just sat there in complete and utter bafflement. Naturally, due to their shock, nobody bar Severus and the Gold and Silver Quartet had even heard that last bit.
Phobius just looked faintly smug, finishing the last of his popcorn along with an awestruck Harry.
After a moment, Harry spoke, whispering to his friend, more than a hint of awe in his tone. "Your mum did that?"
Phobius nodded, murmuring back with a smirk, "Yes, Mother's always been a bit of a maverick - she does what she wants and doesn't care overmuch about the consequences unless they affect her or those she cares for negatively. It's why she prefers to go by her middle name, Eris, rather than her first name, Virgo - she's more akin to a force of chaos than anything the Virgo constellation is associated with."
Harry nodded slowly a moment, then breathed out, "Wicked... would she happen to be interested in adopting?" Yep, still in awe.
Phobius's smirk widened ever-so-slightly. "No, but if that ever changes, I'll be sure to put in a good word for you," he murmured back, his tone amused. Confusa came out of the shadows again a moment later, a wizarding camera on her back. The boy snapped several pictures of the staff table's expressions before handing it back to the cat, who darted back into the shadows, no doubt shadow-traveling back to his mother so she could hang the picture up on the wall or the fireplace mantel... the extra pictures were for himself and his four friends, should they want a copy later.
A couple of moments later, the Great Hall dissolved into its usual noise once more, except that now it consisted of Gryffindors either arguing over confronting Phobius and getting his mother to retract her words to the headmaster (ranging from the method in which they should do so or whether or not they should in the first place) or denouncing Phobius's mother as a Death Eater sympathizer, Slytherins whispering in excitement among themselves about how someone FINALLY took Dumbledore down a peg, and the Ravenclaws debating over the previously mentioned topics of curiosity. Even the Hufflepuffs were talking about it, though they were mostly discussing the vulgar language and whether this mysterious Eris Black was right about Dumbledore or not.

Naturally, that first comment went right over innocent little Harry's head.
Phobius smirked slightly, pleased that everyone could easily tell what a badass his mom was. "I'll pass the messages along," he told the two girls. "Though I do believe that several spell variants of her own making went into making a Black Howler, so she may not tell you all the spells used - like me, she keeps her secrets close to her chest." He then paused, pursing his lips as he recalled her little aside. "Also... I'm still not ready to tell you my exact species, but I suppose I could give you a hint or two... but only in private - this particular little tidbit isn't something I want spread around, and if you react badly I will not hesitate to Obliviate you to keep it secret, understand?" He gave his three friends a pointed look, which indicated he wasn't kidding or bluffing in the slightest.
Harry nodded quickly, and Phobius's gaze shifted over to the girls, awaiting some sort of indication that they understood.

"Yes, well, I think I can safely say that my creature parentage has much, much more ominous implications than you finding out you're a witch. As it is, the hint I'm going to give you alone would cause people to start calling for my head if it ever gets out. It's not that I don't trust you, it's simply that I cannot allow even a small part of my nonhuman heritage to be known to the general and highly bigoted public - in fact, trusting the three of you with even as much as I'm planning to is still a higher risk than I'm comfortable with," Phobius told the girls neutrally... and was that a hint of actual nervousness in his tone and expression?
To Harry, at least, the underlying message was rather clear, if only because he was a fellow semi-paranoid teen: 'I'm trusting you three more than I've trusted anyone else - don't make me regret it.'