Author's Note:* cough cough * again nothing to say except for the
Disclaimer: Well, I don't own Harry Potter, nor Warhammer. BUT ONE DAY I WILL! My plans will come to a result soon and then everyone will kiss my ass AND EVERYONE WILL LOVE ME!
"Normal Speech" 'Psionical Speech' thinking "recitations, litanies"
Another Note: The Bloodraven have found the planet only recently, the planet itself hasn't been brought into the imperium yet, because the Astartes fear that due to the still unknown 'wizards' the inquisition would...overreact with an exterminatus (note that inquisition and Astartes don't like eachother, the Grey Knights are an exception there)
It was another normal morning in King's Cross. Due to the early time there were yet not many people, scabbing in or from the few trains.
Everything was just going after the daily routine.
That was until two figures entered the great hall.
The smaller of the two was what seemed to be an ordinary child, black hair, blue eyes, pale skin and yet impossible to determine whether it will become beautiful or obese, although slightly taller and broader than actually possible at its age of ten years, albeit clad in blood-red gown, all attired with a black raven with what seemed to be a drop of blood in the middle, while trims of silver ran over the shoulders.
The bigger one was the real reason everyone gaped at the pair with open jaws. The big one was more than two metres tall, equally broad and muscled, clad from head to toe in golden and blue armor, wearing a staff of massive gold in the form of an eagle. White lightnings cackled from his head and staff. He wore the heraldry of the double-headed eagle on his armor and a black raven with a drop of blood in the middle on the shoulderplates.
The boy was holding two heavy looking suitcases.
"Father-Librarian, we have arrived, where is this secret passage?"
The armored behemoth (presumably the 'Father-Librarian') motioned with his index finger to one of the pillars.
Meanwhile, the civilians in the area started surprisingly fast to get away from the pair, some even took out their handys and began to frantically type in numbers.
The pair was either totally oblivious to that, or just expected it.
"You can see the boy vanishing inside? That is it. Remember child, you are allowed to preach of the Emperor, you are even allowed to talk about our chapter, however you are not allowed to speak out any secrets whatsoever. Of course that is clear to you."
"Yes, Father-Librarian. I won't embaress the chapter."
"I trust you, Heraldes." 'That and your hate against the Chaos are two of the reasons we send you.' "I suppose you know how to keep up your diet and training? The rest will be kept up in what the citizens call 'vacation' or 'holidays'. Your orders are to gain knowledge about the way of life of these...wizards."
'and whether or not they are in bounds with the ruinous powers under Tzeentch.' The librarian added psionically.
"Yes Father-Librarian. I will fullfill my duties as the chapter deserves."
"I can sense that you are...unsure of what to make of these citizens. Uncomfortable. Never forget that you have access to the powerful litanies of the Emperor himself. His light will always guide you. Come now, neophyte."
The two went to the pillar where they had seen the boy disappear earlier. First the librarian stepped through, then his protegé.
They arrived in what seemed to be the primitive try of a train station. Nothing compared to the mighty gothic-style of the imperium. This here was pitiful, weak.
The train fitting to the stage was waiting.
All around the two were people, many more than in the King's Cross itself. All were staring at the pair. At least for some seconds, before many began panicking, trying to get as far away as possible from the two.
'Remember Heraldes, the organs of the phases one to three have been timplanted into your body, your twin hearts however first have to accomodate properly, as have the Ossmodula and Biscopea, resulting in your enhanced muscle and bone growth.
In order to keep both up-to-date, you will have to make use of the ingredients in your suitcases, mostly the ceramite.
Always recite the litanies if you feel need, always keep up your training and diet.' "Knowledge is power"
The boy Heraldes led his right fist to his left shoulder, tilted his head and responded formally "guard it well."
With these words the boy entered the train.
The Father-Librarian waved his hand a few times. Then he turned around and made his way back to the outpost, oblivious to the panic taking place around him.
Heraldes was always a practical neophyte (and now initiate, due to the beginnings of the implantations), which made him simply walk to the nearest compartment. He opened it and saw two boys sitting inside, one had black hair, green eyes and a lightning shaped scar on his forehead. The other one had red hair, and looked very ordinary.
Heraldes sighed in exasperation, sometimes his with-neophytes called him downright 'lazy', if such a term was ever able to apply to the finest of the Emperor. Or at least the future finest.
"Is here still some free space?"
"Yes." the boy with the scar answered, somewhat confused by the strange attire of the boy. Must be an outsider.
Heraldes didn't care, sat down and stuffed his suitcases. He sat still, well disciplined, straight. The boys introduced themselves as Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.
"Say, I don't recognise you, nor your clothing. Where are you from?" The redhead (Ron) asked.
Heraldes struggled with himself, should he lie and refer to some random settlement of the planet he was currently on, but then decided to tell the truth. Was so much easier.
"I was found on one of the colonies of the Kaurava-system, after my parents died, right after its cleanse through the Astartes Chapter of the Bloodravens. I was found by Epistolary-Librarian Archanit, and brought into the chapter."
The red-haired boy was totally confused. He thought 'Must be a muggle thing.'
Without really knowing, Ron just assumed this guy to have muggle parents, grown up in some remote area. Made things so much easier to imagine. Yet he still had other questions.
"What are those Bloodravens you talked about?"
"The Bloodravens are an Adeptus Astartes chapter. The Astartes are commonly known as "Space Marines" or "Angels of Death"."
The answer was just as confusing as the former.
"What are the "Space Marines"?"
"The Space Marines are superhuman warriors, much taller, stronger, faster and smarter than any ordinary man. That's all I am allowed to say, so please don't ask.
Ron decided that he would just keep becoming more confused by this Heraldes's answers and decided to stop asking questions.
Harry on the other hand was intrigued and impressed "Such things really exist? Where exactly?"
Heraldes smiled about the citizens naiveté. He had to admit that it was 'fun' explaining the boys from where he came from. He knew that would change in the future, as the chapter is the Astartes's world, and contact with outsiders was commonly only made in battle. Yet he would use this chance to have fun. Soon enough he would find pleasure in smiting the foes of mankind. 'Just a few years...'.
"Yes, such things really exist. They currently exist in roughly a thousand chapters scattered all over the imperium of man."
Now Ron (having somehow managed to keep up) chimed in "What is the imperium of man?"
"Ah, now that is the real question. Well, the imperium of man spans over milions of worlds, ranging from the most dangerous death worlds like the jungles of Catachan to the enormous hive worlds and forge worlds of the Adeptus Mechanicus. The imperium is ruled by the God-Emperor of man, an omnipotent being, sitting on the golden throne in his palace on Terra.
It was the Emperor who created the primarchs, his sons, from his own superior genetic code. From the genetic material of the primarchs he created the first Astartes legions."
Both Harry and Ron stared wide-eyed at Heraldes, still wondering whether he was joking or talking the truth.
Heraldes smile became an amused grin. 'Yes, hear the power of the imperium and its angels of death. It will be so much sweeter if I find evidence of Chaos taint in your society.'
Harry was able to catch himself first "And what exactly are you in the imperium?"
" I am an initiate of the Astartes chapter "The Bloodravens", which means that in approximately eight years I will become a fully fledged Astartes. And no, I won't tell you more about the Astartes, as I am not allowed to. You already know more than many citizens in the imperium."
"What did you do to join?"
"Well, when I was eight years old, my parents tried to sacrifice me to-" Khorne "...the xenos known as "Eldar". I didn't like that idea and killed them both by tearing their throats out with my hands and teeth. Shortly after Epistolary-Librarian Archanit found his way to my home, looking for..." the warp powers he felt "The vile xenos, together with his squad. He found me, read my mind and deemed my story as true. Impressed, he brought me to the chapter, where I passed the blood-tests with flying colors. I joined the neophytes." About two days ago I received my first three organs, the second heart, the Ossmodula and Biscopea "Today, I am a initiate, a scout."
Harry and Ron stared at Heraldes in shock and fright, subconsciousely moving away from him. Heraldes noticed that and made a mental note 'no telling anyone that you brutally murdered your own parents, may it be in self-defence or not', yet he had to calm these two. He didn't want to leave a bad impression after all. Or did he? Didn't matter, as an Emperor's finest he had a reputation to build up after all. Better begin now. After all it wasn't like he had just casually slaughtered his parents. He was so scared and confused at the time...the chapter had saved his sanity.
"Oh don't worry you two. Before I told you my story, you asked for it by the way, you two didn't look at me like that, now did you?"
"True..." both replied, still not totally assured, but they would manage. At least they stopped moving away.
In return Heraldes asked them about the world they lived in. Apparently the one called Harry didn't know much himself, he had lived his whole life by some sort of...what Harry called 'snobs'. They seemed to dislike the 'wizards' highly. Curious. In case they were in bounds with Tzeentch, maybe the Bloodravens could save the non-'wizards' thus avoiding an exterminatus? Of course, only in case the taint hadn't spread too far already. Sadly, that can happen very fast.
Ron on the contrary had common sense of the society he lived in. For some reason he kept avoiding calling someone by his name, always only refering to the omnious one by 'him-whose-name-shall-not-be-named', specific person was a wizard who apparently turned to what the boy called 'dark powers' or something. Maybe a cult of Tzeentch existed, just in a small manner? In that case a single inquisitor would have been enough for this mission! But yet, he didn't know enough to make up his mind. Only time would tell.
Now the one called Ron came to the idea of changing his rat's color to yellow. Heraldes watched attentively as Ron buried out what appeared to be a short wooden stick. Heraldes spread the tendrils of his mind out as far as he dared (the librarians had forbidden him the use of his pskyer-abilities to a very limited extent. After all, young and raw psykers like him were highly vulnerable to become possessed by a demon who saw them as easy prey in the warp.), which was how he felt the presence nearing to his compartment.
The presence was what seemed to be (judging from the voice tune) a male and a female child. Females were interesting, Heraldes had rarely seen any females his whole life, save his mother of course, and had never seen any female since he joined chapter.
Unfortunately, women were unable to become Astartes. It wasn't because anyone in the imperium was a sexist or something, nobody doubted the fighting capabilities of female soldiers, the best example was the fighting arm of the echlesiarchy, the Adeptus Sororitas, the sisters of battle.
What the sisters of battle lacked in battle prowess compared to Astartes, was made even by their zealotry. The saying goes, that, whenever a Sororitas looks at a world, was her first question how much light ('light' can conveniently be replaced by 'fire') would be needed to cleanse it. Many guardsmen feared the sisters of battle, for they hated cowardice more than anything, often taking up the duties of a comissar, shooting anyone who dared to retreat without having the order, down.
The reason women were unable to join the Astartes was that the chemotherapies and the implantation processes were cut to the hormones of men. There had been tries to create female Astartes, however that resulted in specific females to become hulking mutants, mindlessly looking for flesh. Sad. If they would be able to select neophytes not only from males, but from females too, there would be a massive boost in the recruitment count. The imperium was always in need of Astartes.
The female which was standing in the doorway of the compartment had long brown hair (which was highly unpractical, long hair was a weakness to be exploited, as it could be tugged and as a result your throat easily be slit) and green eyes.
"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville here has lost his."
Heraldes was still confused by the idea of holding a, what civilians called 'pet', just for minor errands or fun. Animals existed for burden and war! The cavalry batallions of the imperial army were a testament to that, riding on bionically modified steeds into battle.
For the rest of the drive Harry and Ron talked more with eachother, Heraldes just listening passively.
"We told him already that we haven't seen her." replied Ron.
The female however didn't seem to listen, looking attentively at the stick Ron held "So, you are trying to cast a spell? Show."
"Uh...ok."
Ron recited something that didn't make sense at all, at least to Heraldes's ears, and wagged the stick a little, pointing to his rat.
Nothing happened. Heraldes was confused...again. But he also saw that the others still waited, indicating that whatever Ron had tried, hadn't worked. Also, Heraldes hadn't felt anything, another indicator. Yet he had to make sure.
"So...I suppose it didn't work?"
Ron's face turned red in embaressment. The thing called 'blushing' was also interesting, of course Heraldes had blushed a few times in his time before the chapter, however in these two years of nothing but training, indoctrination, hypno-and chemotherapies there had simply never been a reason to 'blush'. 'Shame' had become completely foreign to him.
As it should be. After all, Astartes were also expected to do what was needed. They weren't just space faring angels. Astartes must often choose to kill millions, if not billions to protect trillions.
Regret was present at that, sometimes at least. However, an Astartes was expected to be above displaying those heretical thoughts. They had become monsters to fight monsters. Astartes are deprived of a normal life, fighting their whole life with vigor and faith to eventually die by a xeno, a heretic or a mutant one day.
Citizens were simply not able to judge them. Only the Emperor was able to do that.
"It obviousely didn't. Are you sure that it is a real spell?" the female chimed in, pulling Heraldes out of his thoughts "In any case, it isn't working. I have tried a few spells myself, only as a try, but those worked all just fine. Nobody in my family was magical, it was such a surprise, when I got my letter, but I was so happy about it, it is the best school for wizardry after all, as I have heard at least – I have all learned all of our books by heart of course, I just hope that's enough. By the way, my name is Hermine Granger, and who are you?"
Heraldes laughed "You would have made a good Bloodraven, girl. Your thirst for knowledge and your will to be successful are most astounding."
"Uh...thanks? Who are the Bloodravens?"
And again, the question-answer-game. If only Heraldes wouldn't like it that much.
"The Bloodravens are a chapter of Astartes, also known as Space Marines. But to return to your question from earlier: My name is Heraldes, that is Harry-" he motioned to Harry, "- and that is Ron-" he pointed his index finger at Ron.
Her eyes seemed to glow as she heard the name of Harry, instantly starting to talk about how much she read about him. Harry was famous here? Curious.
"Excuse me, but it seems to me like Harry is known by everyone, famous even. What for?"
Hermine looked at Heraldes like she expected him to grin, indicating he made a joke. He did no such thing hower, still looking at her curious.
"Uh, Harry is famous for surviving the attack of him-whose-name-shall-not-be-named and for defeating said one while just being a baby. His scar is all he has left of him-whose-name-shall-not-be-named."
As the saying goes 'My scars prove my worth.' Heraldes thought, smiling.
"Who is the person you are too scared to name?"
"He is an incredibly powerful evil wizard, who once tried to take over the magical world, before he was stopped by Harry here."
"Well, if that person is dead, then why are you so scared calling him by name?"
"Because he probably isn't dead, just wounded. I never said he was dead!"
"Citizens...too weak to finish off their enemy. And now you haven't even been able to heal from the scars he caused you. Scars are a sign of purity, yet you act like they were restraints!"
"What are you talking about?"
"You fear him although you have defeated him. But the worst thing you can do is showing the enemy that you are afraid of him."
"Don't you fear him too?"
"Who has fear has no faith. No I don't fear him. I am an Astartes! Or at least an initiate. The Emperor watches over me!"
"I suppose you don't understand the concept of mass-murder."
Heralden couldn't do anything but laugh. Laugh out loud. Tears crawled out of his eyes, so much he laughed.
"Not understand the concept of mass-murder? Every day, billions die to the hundreds of wars fought every day around the imperium. Hell, I lost my own parents to such a war." Heraldes threw a warning glance to Harry and Ron not to tell her that he killed his parents himself. "You have no idea about the horrors of -" Warp "-the Xeno. Some soldiers die by just looking at them, while others can't take the pain of looking and just commit suicide, while others go mad. Do you understand the concept of total, every day war?"
She was highly impressed...or intimidated. She tried to avoid his gaze.
"Didn't think so."
Some time later she found the courage to ask "What is the imperium? Who are you?"
"I am tired of answering question, there I told those two already where I come from, they can answer you." Heraldes pointed at Harry and Ron.
"Very well." She turned to Ron and Harry with an expecting look in her eyes. They filled her in.
She turned back to Heraldes, an expression of surprise and awe in her face "You are not even from this world? You are an alien? You don't look like-"
Before she could go on any further, Heraldes grabbed her by her neck, lifted her up and choked her. "HOW DARE YOU CALLING ME A XENO?"
She tried to pull his arms away to no avail, then she began begging "Please, I didn't mean it like that. I can barely breath!"
Finally Heraldes pulled his hands back, letting her fall back into her seat "I won't apologize, because this was a lesson: Never dare calling an Astartes a xeno. You wouldn't survive it. Whenever you see an Astartes, you will adress him correctly, for he is an angel of the God-Emperor! You will thank him for existing, you will kneel before him for he is ready to sacrifice himself for our glorious race!"
She looked at him, only able to bring out a scared nod. How pathetic. He looked at Harry and Ron. Both were surprised by his outburst, but both seemed ready to step in if something like that happens again. At least some guts.
He looked back at Hermine "Now, to answer your question from earlier, I am not a xeno, for I am human and soon will join the glorious ranks of Astartes. The imperium just spans over millions of worlds."
She nodded again, still intimidated but becoming more curious again. Ah, the thirst for knowledge was apparent, breaking down the primitive fear before the unknown and intimidation. Not so pathetic after all.
"Can you please tell me more about the Astartes? What exactly are they?"
"The Astartes are the best warriors in the whole galaxy. No one can beat an Astartes one-on-one."
"How are they able to do that?"
"I am sorry, but I already told these two-" he pointed at Ron and Harry "-what I am allowed to say. Please, as much as I appreciate the thirst for knowledge, I am not in the position to tell you more."
"Hm, so I take it that you are one of them? But you are just a child of twelve years!"
"Oh, I am still a low initiate and I am actually ten years old-" I have just received my first three organs: My second heart, the Ossmodula and Biscopea. The two last ones are what cause my bones and muscle tissue to rapidly grow to an excessive level. At the age of fifteen I will be about two metres tall and my bones will form overlapping plates, effectively acting as a skeleton armor under my skin, which is even able to resist bullets. Even naked, an Astartes is always armed and armored "- But I am sorry to tell you that I am not allowed to explain the chapter's ways of creating us."
By now, Heraldes almost felt sorry for choking her, however she had to learn her lession. A intelligent man knows his place. A dangerous man seeks to change it. Never those words held more truth.
"Well, I will go on looking for Neville's toad. You better get yourself ready, I suppose we will arrive soon." With these words she sat up and walked away with the one called 'Neville'. Heraldes really hoped she held no grudges. But in the long run it didn't matter. As long as she didn't turn to Chaos at least.
Harry and Ron calmed down either, talking about things which had little importance to Heraldes, like Ron's family and something about a 'Gringotts'. The family matters were at least a little interesting, as Heraldes was eager to find out more about the lives of the people who inhabited this world. As much as he was able to judge now, they didn't sound like a threat, nor were they in bounds with Chaos.
The bad thing was that it sounded like they would live a healthy life, not even in remote danger of changing, which made them a bad choice for recruits, at least if it included the Astartes.
However, Ron mentioned that a dark wizard could have been involved, which brought him back to full attention. If the 'normal' wizards were fighting the 'evil' wizards (who could be in bounds with Chaos, probably Tzeentch) then Heraldes knew which side to choose.
Now they were talking about something called 'Quidditch'. After he asked, they (or at least Ron did, as Harry appeared to be as clueless as Heraldes) filled Heraldes in about the rules. A game. A simple game. But at least one that needed training, lest it be totally worthless.
However, Heraldes wasn't too sure if he liked the idea of floating around in the air on a...'broomstick' as they called it.
Ron seemed to like it however, and was just about to go on when Heraldes felt now visitors nearing. He motioned to Ron to stop. Ron, upset about the rude interruption in what sounded like his reason to live, kept quiet.
Three boys, their names unknown to Heraldes, arrived. The one in the middle (pale like Heraldes, but blond however) began to speak, eyeing Harry
"Is it true? In the whole train the rumor goes that Harry Potter is in this compartment. So, is it you?" he seemed to have met Harry some time earlier.
Harry looked at the boy's companions, both tall and strong, before answering "Yes."
The pale one appeared to have noticed the suspicious looks Harry gave his companions "Oh, that is Crabbe and that is Goyle-" he motioned to one after the other "-and my name is Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."
Ron gave out a light chuckle, causing Malfoy to look at him directly
"Thinking my name is funny? Who you are I can see without asking. My father told me that all Weasleys have red hair, freckles and more children than they can ever hope to afford."
He turned back to Harry "You will soon realize that some wizard-families are better than others, Potter. Of course you won't bother with the wrong sort. I could be of assistance for you." he stretched out a hand, in what appeared to be an offer. Heraldes decided to just lean back, enjoy the show and learn. He could tell that there were two sides and he wanted to learn more about the motives of those sides.
If he had to choose, he would choose Harrys'. Heraldes knew how many of the wealthier families in the imperium acted, living out their dirty fantasies, indulged in endless ignorance, inheriting titles and riches through the deeds of their long dead heroic ancestors.
In their search for pleasure, some even turned to the chaos deity Slaneesh! Strong is the soul torn by war, one of the many reasons why aristocrats were never able to join the Astartes.
Some even tried to bribe Astartes into letting them join, or at least modify them. But what would an Astartes do with money? Pitiful, pathetic.
Harry made no efforts of stretching his own hand out, indicating that he didn't approve of Malfoy's offer "I think I am very able to decide on my own who belongs to the wrong sort."
Heraldes gave Harry an approving look. Ready to stand up for your beliefs, loyal to what you know is right. Commendable.
Malfoy on the other hand glanced at him with anger, his face turning a little red "If you aren't more polite, you will end up just like your parents. They didn't know to choose the right side either. If you waste your time with the likes of the Weasleys and Hagrid, it will end bad for you."
Both Ron and Harry stood up, Ron's face red of anger.
"Say that again!"
Heraldes was sending his mind out, checking Malfoy for any signs of chaotic taint. Nothing. The behaviour of this boy was just coming from pure arrogance.
"Oh you wish to fight with us?" Malfoy taunted.
"Not, if you disappear at once." Harry's voice was a testament of his courage. Loyal and brave in the face of danger (even if it is a light one) was commendable in any case, earning him another approving glance from Heraldes.
"But we see no need to go, do we boys? We have already eaten up all we had and we can see that there is more here."
Heraldes decided that he had chosen his side. He stepped in front of Harry and Ron, taller and broader than both Crabbe and Goyle "You should really go, you begin to remind me of the xeno called 'Eldar'. You don't want that."
He just gave Heraldes a plain look "Who are you?"
"My name is Heraldes, the rest is of no concern for you. However, it will be as soon as you start something. You see, I am beginning to like these two-" he pointed his index finger on both Harry and Ron "-I really hate it if those I like get hurt." Heraldes remembered when Chaos came to his world, corrupting his parents to the point of sacrificing their own son. But there had been many others, so many. He remembered how he was stained with the blood of his parents, crying, running through the streets of his macropolis, the pillars of flesh, tentacles and eyes surrounding him, the impaled bodies of men, women and children all around, while other even more unfortunate had given in to either one of the chaos deities.
He had seen the bloated bodies of men, feeding on their own offspring, flies eating up their decaying flesh, resting in the still living bodies.
Demons hunted him. But then, Archanit and his squad came, setting the town ablaze, purifying everything with holy flames.
He pulled Heraldes out of the fire, testing him for any signs of taint, before deeming him worthy of the Astartes. In a matter it was the end of his life, but also his rebirth.
The chapter took his confusion, replaced it with faith, took his fear, replaced it with hate.
"Oh and what are you going to do about it?"
"Faith is my shield, hate my sword!" Heraldes changed into a fighting stance "Try taking me, little one."
Malfoy appeared intimidated, both by Heraldes's words and his appearance. Calculating the odds-and-gain, he realized it wasn't worth it. Together with his friends he backed away.
Heraldes relaxed and turned to Harry and Ron who looked a little surprised, but also grateful "Thanks for the help, not that we needed it but,-"
Heraldes smiled "My respect for you two has risen, loyalty and bravery in the face of danger is a trait to be commended." he bowed his head a little, a gesture of respect "Whether you did need help or not, I just thought that you would like it more to get out unscathed."
"There you are right." Ron chimed in.
Just then Hermine returned "What was going on here?"
"Just an arrogant aristocrat with a few of his friends. By the way, Harry, he appeared to know you?"
"Yes, I met him once in Madame Malkin's shop, while I was getting together my things for Hogwarts."
"I once heard from his family-" chimed Ron in "-they were the first to return to us after him-whose-name-shall-not-be-named disappeared, said they had been bewitched. My dad-"
"After a war you accepted the traitors back into your ranks?" Heraldes couldn't believe it. Such foolishness! Who once betrayed will do so again!
"Well, we couldn't just slaughter them all."
"Yes you could! Second chances exist to be wasted! You are dooming yourself if you cannot burn out the roots of betrayal. And that root lies in the traitors. Burn them! Burn them all!" Heraldes was just about to go after Malfoy, when Hermine stopped him by saying
"If you hurt him, nobody will appreciate what you did. You do realize that?"
"I really don't care whether you appreciate what I do or not. I do what has to be done! I am an Astartes! I am above-"
She stepped in front of him, blocking the way Malfoy took "You are above what? Your life? Human lives?"
"A traitor has no life! A traitor can only receive redemption by dying!"
"But Malfoy is no traitor! Only his father is-was."
That calmed Heraldes a little. Yet, there was a new problem "You even allowed the traitors to have offspring? You weren't even able to sterilize them?"
"That would be against any morals in existence! Can't you have mercy for one innocent being?"
"Mercy? There cannot be mercy for one, for a hundred, a thousand, millions, billions, trillions! There can only be mercy for the whole imperium! If you suffer the traitors to live, they will corrupt others, treason spreads like a sickness which only the strongest can overcome. The only way to cure the sickness is to root out its source!"
Now Hermine seemed to have found the perfect answer "But the source doesn't ly in Malfoy, nor his father, but in him-whose-name-shall-not-be-named."
That made Heraldes think.
His conclusion was to pat Hermine's shoulder "You would have made a fine Bloodraven." Too bad you are a woman, your mind wouldn't survive the augmentation process.
Surprisingly, Heraldes sank to his knees, in what seemed to be a praying stance "I hereby pledge that, after my orders have been fulfilled, I, Heraldes, initiate of the Bloodravens, will search for-wait, what was his name again?"
Hermine tried to say the name, but failed. Harry spoke in her stead "Voldemort."
"-will search for the traitor Voldemort and bring him to justice by burning him alive in His name. Emperor protects."
He stood up again.
There was silence for a few minutes, until Hermine spoke up again "Well, just as I stated earlier, you three should better change into your school robes, we will arrive very soon." Hermine said after everyone was able to shrug off their surprise.
Ron gave her an angry look "Would you please go now so that we can change?"
"Very well. I just came because the people out there act like children, running the train up and down." Hermine stated in an arrogant tone and walked to her own compartment.
Now the two changed into ridiculous robes, making Heraldes laugh.
"What's so funny?"
"That is priceless! You look even more ridiculous than an ork in a power-armor!"
Clearly not understanding the phrase, but the fact that he was getting laughed at, he threw angry glances at Heraldes, who just kept laughing.
"Just wait until you have to wear these too."
That silenced Heraldes, who now tried to put on a mocking scared impression. But Ron could see how he began staring at his gown longingly.
"We arrive at Hogwarts in five minutes, please leave all kinds of luggage in the train, as it will be taken to the school seperately."
It was nightfall when the arrived. Finally. Heraldes went to the exit of the train, the silver trims of his gown almost shining in the moonlight that fell through the many windows. He made his way through the children filling the corridors of the train, finally reached the outside.
Heraldes couldn't believe it. A man tall like an Astartes was standing there, calling the 'first years' to him. Well, that was what he was, right? Heraldes smiled. Of course he was.
As the children gathered around the giant he introduced himself as 'Rubeus Hagrid'
"Firs' years! Firs' years over here! Hey there Harry!" the giant greeted Harry in particular. Curious. He went on "C'mon. Follow me everyone! Mind your step!"
As they followed Hagrid, Heraldes noticed that the giant was throwing confused looks at him, probably because he was taller, broader, much more muscled than everyone else of the 'first years' and his gown was distinguishing him highly from the others. He kept doing that until he wasn't able to hide his curiosity anymore, stopped Heraldes and asked him "Hey, you look much different from any firs' year I've ever seen. Car' to elaborate?"
Somehow this man reminded Heraldes a bit of the vile xenos form known as 'Orks' throughout the whole imperium. He smirked a little at that thought. However he quickly reminded himself of the fact that the growth of this man could be unnatural, which implied that he was in bounds with Chaos. Heraldes had to be careful. For the chapter.
"Let's just say that I am from very far away. It could be possible that I resemble some traditions that might seem...strange to you, however I trust that you won't throw me out for my foreign appearance?"
Hagrid raised an eyebrow, made a "Hm." and let the matter fall. For now at least.
Stumbling along, the first years followed Hagrid down a steep, narrow path. It was dark on both sides of path. Nobody spoke much during the trip.
"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a second just round this bend here."
The path opened onto the edge of a great black lake. Chants of "ooooh" spread as students took their first sight of a vast castle that was perched on top of a great mountain. There was a fleet of small boats bobbing in the water by the shore.
"Ok, everyone in! No more than four to a boat!"
Athor's Note: Since I sadly only possess the german translations of the books (yes, My story will range over all the books) I will mostly have to translate the german lines to english ones (if need at least), so, the sentences won't necessarily be equal to the books, but they will be in the same sense...at least I hope so...not that it matters doesn't it? After all, this is still a fanfiction.
Laugh out.
Ok, thanks for the reviews guys, you were right, I should have made Heraldes hold his tongue about the augmentation process and stuff.
Sorry again, and as apology it is fixed now.
In the future I will write in Heraldes' POV, since (as you probably noticed in the earlier edition of this chapter) that I changed much too often between 'He' and 'I', that has also been fixed, along with some minor spelling errors.
Now, if you excuse me, I can't wait to get to the next chapter mmmmmm.
Laugh out.