The night air was crisp and cool. A light breeze swept through the grounds, dancing through leaves and grass. Clouds skittered across the sky, leaving a shifting mosaic of shadows to drift across the chilly Scottish countryside.
A large castle stood amidst the shadows, bright light streaming from the windows to illuminate the nearby grounds. As chilly and quiet as the night was outside, the castle was warm, homey, and full of noise on the inside.
The Halloween feast had begun, and students and teachers alike were digging in to the delicious meal prepared by the Hogwarts house elves. Glowing jack-O-lanterns floated above the tables, and enchanted bats swept to and fro across the hall, racing and swirling for the entertainment of the students seated below.
The night was beautiful. Perfect. So of course, the peace didn't last for too much longer.
Professor Markus Darsy was sopping up the last of the exquisite white wine sauce with the last bite of tender pork loin, and wondering how on Earth he was going to fit any dessert when Professor Potter leaned over towards him, a smirk on her face. He knew that look well, and raised an eyebrow, waiting.
Lily's eyes flickered towards the Gryffindor table, and he glanced over in time to see several small black...things...scurry away from the table and make their way around the Great Hall towards the other house tables, unnoticed by the other students, who were too involved in the feast and their friends to notice anything amiss. His eyes sought out the Weasley twins, sitting between their brother Ron and their adopted brother Harry, who happened to be Lily's son. The group looked far too innocent for their own good. He caught Miss Granger's exasperated eye-roll, and turned back to his colleague.
"Earmuffs, do you think?"
She grinned. "May be safer, but if there's going to be another song like last time, I want to hear it."
Markus smirked back, and put the last bite of dinner in his mouth. He savored the delicate smoked flavour and waited for the fun to begin. He didn't have to wait long.
Plumes of multicoloured smoke billowed out from beneath the four house tables. Several students screamed in surprise. Markus' eyes rose; he was impressed. It looked like there were lights dancing and exploding within the smoke itself, and shadows dancing across the surface, like people and creatures dancing through the lights. He was reminded of looking into a muggle discotek and watching people dancing in the strobing lights as a fog machine warped everything into a colorful haze. Not that he spent too much time in muggle dance clubs, but still...it was impressive work.
Then the smells hit. Mostly it wasn't too bad; cinnamon from the Gryffindor table, a citrusy-flowered scent from Hufflepuff, ink and old parchment from Ravenclaw. The smell from Slytherin, though, he wrinkled his nose in distaste. Something rotten this way comes. He cast a quick air-freshening charm to clear the scents away from his immediate vicinity and watched as several Slytherins evacuated their table, while others cast bubblehead charms.
Suddenly, the smoke all condensed over the 4 tables, creating for undulating masses of coloured smoke, before it all seemed to explode at once. Bats, spooks, mice, and snakes burst out of the clouds, causing a new string of screaming from the students. But even as students were scrambling away from the tables, the various creatures puffed out of existence, leaving small sweets behind.
Markus bit his lip to keep from laughing. He glanced at Lily, and saw her eyes dancing as she too worked to restrain herself and remain professional in the face of the prank. That was definitely an impressive display, though. Markus decided he'd talk to the troublemakers later on and figure out how they put it all together. Many students started clapping and cheering at the display, while the Slytherins sat and glared stonily towards the Gryffindors, bits of pumpkin all that had sprayed out from their animals.
Shaking his head, Markus reached out to snag a candied apple despite his protesting stomach. The noise in the Great Hall diminished again, and he looked up, noticing that the students were all gazing towards the back of the hall. It appeared that one small cloud of smoke in the back hadn't dissipated yet.
In fact, it seemed to be growing, getting darker. It looked more like a writhing mass of storm clouds with lightning flashing inside. It seemed to be creating a wind that steadily grew in strength until it was whipping around the hall, blowing napkins and floating pumpkins every which way.
Markus glanced at the pranksters sitting along Gryffindor table, and frowned when he noticed they looked as confused as everyone else. Either their acting had improved drastically, or this was an unexpected addition to the festivities. He slid his wand out of its holster, keeping it hidden beneath the table. He noticed a few other professors doing the same.
Suddenly there was a bone-jarring crack of thunder and a flash of light. More screams rang out, and Markus blinked hard, ignoring the ringing in his ears as he tried to clear the spots that were now dancing in front of his eyes.
The smoke was gone, along with its strange little lightning storm. In its place was a young man who had dropped to the floor in a heap. It was hard to tell the exact age. He was dressed in filthy, torn battle robes, and he looked a right mess. His hair was plastered to his head, and his face was grimy, blood running down from a gash in his forehead and from his nose. He looked like he'd just come from some kind of intense battle, and instantly Markus and several other professors were on their feet.
Filius produced a shield lining the tables, keeping the students inside and in their seats. Lily worked with him to strengthen the shields from possible attack.
Markus, Severus, and Albus strode towards the figure cautiously, waiting to see what he would do. The other professors moved around the edges of the hall, surrounding him from a distance.
The man pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, coughing and swearing. Everyone stopped, waiting to see what the man would do.
"Bloody, fucking, Halloween." The figure gasped, pushing himself wearily to his feet. "Fucking dragons, why the fuck were there dragons?" He paused and twisted his arm back and sent a muttered healing spell at his back. Markus blinked; he hadn't even seen the wand till the spell was cast. There was an audible crack and the man stumbled with a curse, before straightening a bit more and taking a breath. "Area's been cleared my arse. I'm gonna kill Bill and Rowles. Merlin, I hate this day." He coughed again, and pushed himself gingerly to his feet. He swayed a moment, then shook his head as if to clear it. The man still hadn't looked up. With a gasp of pain, he pressed his left hand to his side. His robes were so thoroughly mucked up that Markus couldn't tell one stain from the next, but from the man's reaction, at least some of the dark splotches were blood. The stranger coughed again, and spat a wad of bloody phlegm onto the floor, vanishing it almost as soon as it struck.
It was obviously a reflexive move, and Markus found himself more and more curious just where this man had come from. He wasn't wearing Auror robes, and Markus knew most of them anyway.
"Excuse me, sir. I believe an introduction is in order." Of course Albus would react to this sudden appearance by sounding all grandfatherly. Markus knew that it was just an act, though. Albus Dumbledore was as ready for action as any of the professors.
At the first word, the man had stiffened. Now he slowly raised his head and looked ahead at the professors. His sidelong glance on the way told Markus that he'd noticed the other professors standing ready at the edges of the hall as well. When the stranger's eyes fell on Albus, though, Markus noticed a myriad of emotions play across the man's-no, the teenager's-face. Everything from shock and disbelief to sadness and anger, resignation-then nothing. His face settled into a cool mask, betraying nothing. He raised an eyebrow, and the corner of his mouth turned up in a smirk. Markus tightened his hold on his wand.
"Fucking Halloween." The young man said quietly. Though the words were soft, they carried throughout the silent hall. "How far into the rabbit hole did I fall this time?" He took a step forward, tilting his head as he peered around the room. His eyes settled back on Albus Dumbledore, and the curiosity in his eyes was evident.
"Have I been captured again? Is that it? Is all this…" He waved his free hand, encompassing the rest of the room, "...just some kind of hallucination? Haven't we been through this before?"
Albus frowned. "This is no hallucination. And before you take another step forward, I think you should assess your position here. You have appeared in my school, and there are twelve trained wands on your position. I will not allow any harm to come to my students. Now, what is your name?"
The stranger paused, and his smirk widened. "Twelve, that's it?" He coughed quietly, his eyes never leaving Albus'. Markus had to give the kid guts. Not many could stare down Albus Dumbledore. It was clearly apparent that though young, this kid was a shark. markus was sure he could hold his own if push came to shove. He desperately hoped it didn't come to that. Yet he also noticed that for all the kid's bravado, he was fading fast. it showed in the tired slump of the shoulders, the barely concealed tremor in his hands, the quick, shallow breaths. Whatever was going to happen, it would need to happen quickly.
"Okay, I'll play. My name's Harry."
Albus waited a moment. Harry watched him.
"Just Harry?"
"For now."
"And what are you doing in this school?"
Harry shrugged. "That...is a very good question. Just my luck, really."
"And what do you mean by that?" Severus snarled, stepping forward. "You trespass into this school, a potential threat, and give us vague non-answers and riddles. Spit it out then-what is your purpose here?"
Harry chuckled, choughed, grimaced. "Well, I meant that this would be just my luck. Whether or not this is real. As for how I got here...I haven't the faintest. I take it none of you recognize me?"
"Should we?" Albus asked.
"Well, it's all a matter of perspective, really. I suppose if this is real, or whatever, I should ask when I am." Harry's head tilted as he asked the question, his eyes once again doing a quick sweep of the students and professors inhabiting the Great Hall.
"I take from your earlier diatribe you already know it is Halloween. The year is 1996."
Markus watched Harry's eyes carefully, but there was no reaction. Just silent contemplation.
"Seems about right…" The words were hardly over a mumble, and everyone had to strain to hear them. "Parallels then? Hmm...Mione'd be over the bloody moon." His eyes focused again, and he straightened. The professors shifted, ready to defend or attack.
"You say this is real?" The boy asked.
"Yes." Albus responded, his bushy brows furrowed. He seemed to be thinking deeply, though still focused intently on the mystery in front of him.
"Right. Okay, how's this? I do hereby swear that I mean no one in this castle any harm. I have wound up here quite on accident. Though if anyone attacks me or poses a threat, I will respond as I see fit." His wand flared a bit, then dulled again.
Albus raised an eyebrow. "As you see fit?"
The stranger shrugged. The movement looked painful to Markus. He noticed how pale the boy was becoming; the fact he could tell even through the blood and grime was a testament to how close he was to collapsing.
"If a student attacks me, I will probably knock them out and drop them off with a professor. If a professor attacks me, then I will respond however the situation warrants. I didn't come here to attack or harm anyone. Actually, I was rather busy before I was pulled here, so I'd much rather have finished up the business I was dealing with. I'm just as confused as you are. Probably more so."
"And how do you figure that?" Markus asked, speaking up for the first time.
Harry turned to him, and Markus was struck by how intense the gaze was. "For starters, I can see at least a dozen people in here who I've watched die."
Markus felt a chill. What was this boy talking about? Before he could process the simple statement, Harry turned back to Dumbledore. "I just want to know I won't be attacked or harassed. Some healing potions would be nice, too. Ooh, and a shower."
Albus relaxed slightly. "Very well. So long as you pose no threat to anyone in this castle, I will ensure you come to no harm. But be warned, I will protect those under my care, at any cost."
Harry's face brightened, and he smiled. "I wouldn't expect anything less. Now," he clapped his hands together, and Markus blinked. Where'd his bloody wand go? "I reckon I've got a few minutes before I pass out. D'you mind if I start heading up to see Poppy?"
Albus looked nonplussed at the sudden change in tone. He blinked, then stepped forward, still holding his wand loosely. "Of course." He waved towards the door. "I shall follow you." He turned to look at the rest of the professors. "The students will finish their feast, and return promptly to their dorms. Tonight there will be zero tolerance for any late-night escapades." His eyes flicked briefly towards the Gryffindor table. Albus then turned to address Markus and Severus. "If you two would accompany us. Professor McGonagall, if you could alert Poppy that she will have a visitor soon."
Minerva nodded, and swept out of the room.
Harry turned and stumbled towards the door. "Oh goody, an entourage." Markus could hear a worrying crackling in the boy's breathing, and knew there was at least some fluid in his lungs.
He glanced sideways at Severus, whose face betrayed nothing of course, and turned back to the headmaster and their new visitor. He followed them out of the Great Hall, hearing the voices of the students explode behind them as the door swung shut.
His head was spinning, taking in everything that had just happened?
Who the hell was this boy, and where did he come from? He shook his head. Well, one thing was for certain. The Gryffindor pranksters had never before been so effortlessly one-upped.