The Children of Helios –
A/n: Forgive in advance the lack of Draco in this chapter. He will be more prominent soon... I promise...
Chapter One:
Rufus Scrimgeour meandered down the dimly lit hallway, the little candlelight available casting a malicious shadow on the wall beside him. A stout wizard in bright red robes followed behind him, looking extremely flustered.
"I assure you that we will get them back, sir. I already have a team tracking them as we speak."
The Minister of Magic stopped in front of a window facing a large white room. His eyes widened in awe, as a scarred hand shot out to support himself against the glass. "She's beautiful, absolutely stunning," he gasped.
The wizard stood at the Minister's side, grinning. "She's one of the few that isn't fighting us every step of the way. Don't worry about anything though; they will all come around in the end. Once they realise it is for a good cause."
"When you catch the three who escaped, I want them all put in separate cells, no meals for a day and they shall be stripped of all privileges." Scrimgeour looked at the man beside him severely, taking a sip of water from his travelling flask. "And if any of them escape again, I will personally replace you as head of this facility. They are too important to this war."
His attention averted back to the window, fire glistening in his eyes. A tear rolled down his cheek, which he quickly wiped away on the sleeve of his austere black robes. "Is that understood, Ravden?"
"Yes, Minister."
"Grand. Now I have to be off. I will be checking in on the status of the escapees tomorrow. You have till then to get them back."
"But, sir..." Only he never got to say his but; one heart-stopping glare from Scrimgeour was enough to shut Ravden up completely. He simply nodded his head acknowledging the Minister's wishes and walked away down the hall, leaving Rufus alone in front of the window.
"Once you lot are trained, there will be no stopping us. Victory will be ours," he said in a self-congratulating voice, as the girl behind the window reduced a large wardrobe to ashes in a minute flat. The flames receded back into her hands as she turned to look him in the eyes, smiling sweetly.
The Minister jumped back in fright. He could see her, but she wasn't supposed to be able to see him. Still watching him, she walked over to a metal desk and poured herself a glass of water. Standing before him her eyes began to glow red, as the water in the glass started to boil, steam fogging up the window.
Rufus hobbled closer; all he could see now was the blurry shape of the girl. As he watched, she began to write something in the steam; he could catch glimpses of her infuriating smile through the letters. When she stopped, the Minister stepped back and almost stumbled on the back of his robes.
"Long live Voldemort," read her message, clear as crystal.
Rufus stood there in shock for several minutes, as the steamed window began to clear, words dissipating. The girl stood still as stone, an aura of fire encompassing her body, eyes drilling into the Minister's mind. He felt the whisper of a hand caressing his cheek, soft breath on his neck.
"Death Eater…" muttered a small voice in his ear. Rufus looked up at the window. The girl winked at him and extinguished herself, disappearing into the now dark room.
"Ravden!" Scrimgeour shouted, pulling his eyes away from the block of darkness before him. "I want to see her."
Looking back, he saw two fiery orbs watching him closely from the black.
&
Mace slipped the stolen loaf of bread into his coat and made off down the street, hoping he hadn't been seen by anybody. The streets of London were darkened, which suited Mace just fine. He avoided the pools of lamplight and stayed in alleys or side streets.
As he slithered through the chain link fence of an abandoned warehouse he saw, out of the corner of his eye, several shadows creeping towards him. They held lit wands in their hands and he could make out the Department of Mysteries insignia on their black robes.
His eyes glowed fiery red with anger but he suppressed the burning sensation inside his chest. Mace had to warn Theresa. He dashed across the unkempt grounds toward the building, the sounds of pounding feet ringing in his ears.
"Theresa!" he shouted, slamming a metal door shut behind him. "They've found us!"
A pale feminine face looked down from a balcony overlooking the deserted production floor covered in old machinery that had ceased to work years ago. Her eyes burned red and sparks began to spit from her fingertips.
"There's too many of them to fight off! We have to run!" Mace called, dashing up the rattling staircase. Behind him there was a small explosion and the door slammed onto the wall opposite.
About a dozen men and women streamed into the room, wands at ready. They made to follow him up the stairs but a fireball blasted past his head and slammed into the chest of a burly man. Screaming, he flew back, taking the rest of them with him. They all desperately shot streams of water on his burning robes.
Theresa stood waiting at the head of the stairs, smoke rising from her reddened palms. "Smart move," he hissed. "Now they'll have an excuse to shoot stunners at us." A bolt of red light sped past his shoulder and shot into the far wall, dissipating on target.
"You can be a chicken and leave. I'm going to stay here and fight. I'll teach them for chasing us everywhere we go." Another fireball began to form in Theresa's hand. Giggling, she blew it off her hand and it sped down the stairs, slamming into a woman.
Another fireball followed that, disappearing into a pile of old crates. They caught fire instantly and smoke began to fill the room, creating cover for the two teenagers. The only problem was that now they couldn't tell where they were either.
"We don't want to hurt you. We want to help you," a man called through the smoke. The sound of crackling wood filled the background.
"Sure!" Theresa screamed, a whip of fire growing in her hand. "Why don't you say that to Spark? Oh wait, you can't. She's dead thanks to you."
The whip bit the air, slicing through the top of the stairs. The metal melted and the stairs fell away from the landing. Strangled cries filled the warehouse. "Now we can get out of here," Theresa said, changing the whip into a fireball. She carelessly threw it over her shoulder, down into the smoky mess below. There was a small explosion, giving birth to more flames and smoke.
Mace smashed a window and climbed onto the roof of a shed next to it. He held out his hand to Theresa, but she didn't take it. Panic gripped him; the Ministry officials wouldn't be held up for that long.
"Theresa!" Mace yelled, sticking his head back in. She was in a small room, grabbing her knapsack. "Hurry up!"
As Theresa was making a quick dash for Mace's outstretched hand a loud pop filled the upstairs. Before the pair could react one of the officials slammed a set of handcuffs on Theresa, disabling her powers. They were gone with a loud pop, a carefully aimed fireball gliding right through the spot they had been moments before.
Cursing angrily, Mace pulled his hand back outside and jumped into the long grass below. He would be more help to Theresa if he evaded capture.
"Search the back!" someone shouted as Mace climbed over a fence. He took one last look at the warehouse he had called home for the last few days. Flames were licking the roof and he could hear sirens approaching.
Sparks spitting from his mouth, Mace disappeared into a dark alley.
&
"Father is certain that the huge factory fire in London is a direct result of an escaped heliopath. Muggle witnesses say they saw several figures leaving the premises right after the fire started. According to them the people were wearing black bathrobes," Luna Lovegood reported, stirring her butterbeer milkshake.
She was sitting outside Phillipa Walsh's Soda Fountain with Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Neville. In the background, a large fountain shot grape soda into the air. It landed with a crisp tinkle in a basin full of purple, glowing fish.
All present just politely looked down into their milkshakes as Luna skimmed through The Quibbler; they had learned to take what she said at face value and pay it little credence. Hermione had to suppress herself from correcting the Ravenclaw and probably would have if it weren't for Ron having his wand poised at the ready, the words to the silencing charm teetering on the tip of his tongue.
The previous week Luna and Hermione had spent the entirety of a meal arguing about the existence of the Fiskus Web-Slinger, a creature similar in shape to that of an ape with spider like qualities. It had only been when Ron kissed Hermione firmly on the lips that the fight fell apart.
Now Ron sat there watching the annoyance on Hermione's face, her lips pouting deliciously as she tried not to look at Luna. It was hard for him to comprehend why he hadn't kissed her sooner; the last week had been absolute bliss. Hermione's soft hands caressing his neck, the tang of her of salty skin permeating his mouth. Even now, with his mouth full of pumpkin milkshake, Ron could taste her.
Luna ceased her pointless chatter, unaware that no one had paid any attention to her, and strongly sipped at her thick shake, slurping loudly. Neville smiled at her bemusedly, taking her free hand in his.
Ron grinned and did the same to Hermione, winking devilishly. The corners of her mouth twisted up in a smile and their lips met feverishly, drawing passion from each other like poison from a wound. It was intoxicating, thick curls twisting around his fingers, a slippery tongue prying his swollen lips apart.
There was a sudden rush of cold and Ron felt something wet rolling down his face, sending shivers down his spine. Tearing himself away Hermione, searching hands discovered a gob of milkshake planted firmly on his cheek, dripping into his robes and mouth. Everyone at the table was cracking up, giving Ginny big thumbs up.
"What?" she cooed innocently, taking a drink of her milkshake. "Just putting out the fire before it burned everyone. There are just a few things that I don't want to see you doing Ron, being my brother and all."
Ron looked around at everyone indignantly, attempting to wipe the mess from his face. "Like I want to see you snogging Harry all the time."
Everyone continued to snigger; even Hermione had started, rubbing his back lovingly. "Don't take offence, honey. It was just a joke."
"Them I'm sure she won't mind this." With that he lobbed a spoonful of ice cream across the table, hitting his sister squarely on the nose.
"You can't do that to my girlfriend, mate. Even if she is your sister," Harry laughed, loading his spoon with some shake and taking aim at Ron. Hermione quickly followed suit, her sights on Ginny.
"If you hit Ron I will hit Ginny."
Both Harry and Hermione constricted their faces into the most serious look possible while on the brink of busting out laughing; eyebrows raised, stares drilling dangerously into each other. They weren't even aware of the dairy missiles rushing towards them until they were both blinded, yelling out in surprise. Neville and Luna gave each other a high-five.
Hermione's hand slipped, letting her ice cream loose into the air. It soared over Ginny's head and landed with a soft splat on the face of Professor McGonagall who was on her way to the Three Broomsticks with Flitwick and Sprout in tow.
Everyone at the table fell silent, staring in horror at their teachers. Sprout winked at them, concealing a huge grin. Flitwick tittered cutely, waved his wand and cleaned up the transfiguration teacher's face. Hermione wished he hadn't, because McGonagall's lips were thinner than any of them had ever witnessed. The look in her eyes bore down on each of them in turn, taking in the remnants of milkshakes running down their faces.
"Nicely shot, Hermione," Ron muttered, quickly wiping the mess off his face. "Maybe you should be the one playing Quidditch."
Hermione shot him a withering look comparable to McGonagall's, keenly unaware how absurd she looked with a mask of butterbeer shake hiding her visage. Ron gulped loud enough for everyone to hear, his ears turning an appropriately bright shade of red very similar to that of Harry's face, which was deformed in an effort to not bust up laughing.
"Weasley is right, Miss Granger. Very nicely shot," McGonagall said, her frown breaking into a big smile. "Maybe you would like to replace Miss Weasley on the house team."
"Hey, at least I hit the target I was intending to!" Ginny argued, sticking her tongue out at Hermione.
"Quite right. However, I'm going to have to take some points off from both Gryffindor and Ravenclaw despite all of your excellent aim. No doubt this all started in good spirit, but this is no way to present yourselves to the world."
Everyone moaned loudly, glaring at Ginny, who now was deemed fully responsible for the situation.
"Two points from Ravenclaw and eight from Gryffindor, and if I ever catch you acting so immature in public again it will be more, you can be assured of that. Now please clean go get cleaned up and try and behave for the rest of the afternoon."
"Yes, ma'am," they all intoned together, not quite meeting her eyes.
Professor McGonagall nodded in approval and continued on her way, Flitwick and Sprout chuckling behind her. "To be a kid again…" they heard her say to her colleagues before disappearing inside the Inn.
All six of them looked at each other, their faces breaking into large smiles. Ginny kissed Harry's nose, lovingly licking the chocolate off it. Ron bent in, lightly kissing Hermione, her tantalizing lips tasting of butterbeer. Neville and Luna were perfectly clean and when they kissed only got the natural flavour of each other.
As Ron pulled away from Hermione he caught a glimpse of Draco Malfoy leaning against the side of a store watching the couples intently. When Ron looked over at him Malfoy sneered angrily and disappeared into a back alley.
"What a freak," Ron thought, cuddling Hermione to his side.
"Stupid, happy couples," Draco muttered darkly, peaking around the corner in jealous disgust.
&
Soon
Ravden lifted his head, looking away from the prostrate body of Theresa. A young wizard slowly pulled a needle out of her arm, the metal flickering in the light of the glowing orbs hovering beneath the ceiling. Her eyelids fluttered open for a second, burning pupils extinguishing. Then she slipped away, a soft breath escaping from her mouth.
They were putting Theresa in a suspended existence until her wounds were fully healed. During the raid at the warehouse she had sustained numerous life threatening injuries and even with the magic every bit of her body's energy needed to be focused on healing.
"Gitans," Ravden addressed his young assistant, "watch the girl carefully. If you get even the slightest suspicion that she is reacting adversely to the potion give her the antidote. I don't want another slip up; those Unspeakable fools let Mace get away and killed Spark in the process. We have to try and salvage something from this debacle."
He is coming
"Yes, I am quite aware. Thank you," the Professor muttered irritably, pushing through the door into the hall.
He followed the sparingly lit corridors to an antechamber ending in large iron doors guarded by two Unspeakables, their faces covered by dark masks. Glittering over Ravden was a glass dome opening onto the heavens. Beneath him a mosaic of Mary stared up into the sky as if searching for something more, her eyes alive in the sunlight.
The sight always took his breath away, no matter how many times he gazed upon it. Centuries before it was the Academy, the building had been a monastery built on the sacred grounds of the pagans. Though he considered both religions archaic Muggle creations, there was no doubting the imagery they conveyed held power.
As he neared the door Ravden breathed in deeply, fortifying his person. Even so there was a pounding in his veins as the blood rushed to his head causing some light-headedness. A few more steps and he became more acclimated to the power pulsing through the stone.
The Pagan Circle, and the preceding Monastery, had been built on an epicentre of power. Most of the muggles who worshipped there felt very little, but the priests, who were usually zealous wizards craving a bit of influence, were well aware of the fountain of magic that flowed in the soil.
This made it a prime choice when the Ministry needed a place for The Oracle.
Both the guards placed a hand on Ravden's shoulders long enough to determine that he was indeed who he appeared to be and then bowed him pass. The door dissipated as the Professor stepped out of the moonlight into the alcove. A small room lay beyond, the Temple of Delphi it was called amongst some members of the Department. It was completely bare save for a naked woman standing in a pool of water that shone with some internal light. Her red hair was cropped close to her skull, revealing a detailed Celtic knot design running from the base of her neck down her back in elaborate curves and curls.
She turned around and watched Ravden with empty sockets, deep crimson lips smiling. The Professor flinched, her disfigurement always made him nervous, that coupled with the fact that she could read every thought in his head at mere whim.
The Oracle had been in Ministry employment for almost seventeen years after she was discovered in a muggle hostel by a travelling witch from the Department of Mysteries. She was an enigma, no matter how much she was studied. They were never sure when the woman was going to do or say anything, she just did.
As Ravden got closer he could see the twinkling orbs that littered the bottom of the pool, the ghosts of visions whispering quietly beneath the water's surface. One of the unexplainable actions that drove her. Every couple of months they were harvested and taken back to London to be analysed.
See the pattern and know
Ravden could feel the steely gazes of her Watchers as he stopped at the edge of the pool, his eyes nervously pointed at the surface.
From the loins of Helios is spawned another son
A flood of images filled Ravden's head following her resonant voice. He saw a tall, thin teenager with sleek blonde hair sauntering down the streets of a quaint village watching a group of kdis out of the corner of his eye.
Hogsmeade, Ravden could see the outline of Hogwarts castle stretching into the sky.
Kieran
Taken off guard he looked up into the face of The Oracle. The scarred mess of her eyes watched him carefully, a silky hand resting softly on a perfectly curved, smooth thigh. She walked on the water's surface towards him, kissing her hand. As she stopped at the edge The Oracle solemnly touched the kiss to his head before turning her back to him and disappearing underwater.
Ravden felt cold all over, confused with the vision that filled his head, obscuring the face of the boy. Two of the Watchers slipped their hands into the crook of his elbows and carried him out of the Temple.
In the antechamber several of his contemporaries were waiting for him, wearing normal robes instead of their usual red.
"Where to, Sir? Has she found another one?"
Ravden stared at them in confusion, still stunned at what she had showed him.
"Sir?"
Do not dwell. There is nothing you can do
It felt like there was a huge weight lifted from his shoulders, his mind clearing. "We're off to Hogsmeade, men!"
&
REVIEWS ARE MOST WELCOME!