This is the first chapter in an epic fanfic about the meeting of William, an Arcanian & Hermione, a witch of the wizarding world and their first adventure together. This first chapter does not involve any of the main characters of the Harry Potter series. It is an introduction chapter of the two male protagonists William (19) and Blake (18) Thompson
Author's Note: This is the only chapter that will be up until I release the rest of the story. I want to make sure the content and the style of each chapter (once written) is all of a high quality, not a bunch of garbage ridden with poor grammar and spelling. Therefore, this can be known as a sneak peek and thus the release date is 2010 - 2011. A more exact release date will be announced soon.
P.S. Your feedback is welcomed. After all, isn't it how author's improve on their writing (besides practice)?
The Battle of Hogwarts: Part I
"I know that you are preparing to fight. Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood."
The sword lies next to the young man, who is silent and still. He was sitting on the cold stone floor, leaning on the stone wall behind him. His ears soak in the cold voice that echoes throughout the castle.
"Give me Harry Potter, and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded. You have until midnight."
"So we have half an hour to prepare," the young adult tells himself. He stares at the wall in front of him, although he only assumes it is a wall. The night claims it, so he could only see darkness. Other parts of the wall are revealed due to a silver moonlight, which beams through the glass windows. He looks up and sees the moon. It was beaming its light ever so brightly. This creates a small smile. He picks up his sword and tilts his head upward. Stone archways hold the roof above him. They are, like the walls, either silver or dark. He could not see their natural colour; he figures that it is the sun's job to do that. He turns his head towards the left. Pure silence fills the corridor; he is alone. He tilts his head to the right. Again silence reveals itself. Then, looking at the blade, he quickly rises to his feet. He brushes off his dark blue robe of any dust and begins to walk. His footsteps thump on the scarlet carpet, causing a bit of a racket. For a moment he thought he had heard a sound, so he quickly unsheathes his sword. Nothing…nothing reveals itself. He places the sword into his scabbard, which dangles off his belt, and continues to walk. The corridor alternates between darkness and light as he walks, but the windows appear no more. In place of them are the fire lit torches, eliminating any sense of physical darkness. Portraits of people flanks him in the corridors, either snoring or observing him. He has never set foot in this place; intrigue follows him at every corner. The people who darts their fierce eyes towards this stranger only knew him by name or not at all. He tries to catch them in the act, but they are always quicker. He frowns when he thought he caught one. But he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath; any anger he needs was for later.
At last he lets out a sign of relief. He reaches the tower which hosts an enchanted staircase. Before moving, he stares at something embedded on his robe. It was his family emblem. Within the shield crest were two silver swords crossing each other set in a dark blue backdrop. Flanking the crest were two golden animals; a lion and dragon. He thought of it no more and steps onto a stair before it sprung to life. The stairway leads him to an upper level. He continues the process until he had reached an archway leading to another corridor. More scarlet carpet accompanies him as he continues forward. He knew, even before setting foot in this ancient castle, that there was no turning back. He has done something which sets this path he now travels. He walks through more fire-lit corridors until he let out another sign of relief. He looked behind him and saw what appears to be a tapestry of someone teaching ballet to trolls. The teen raises his eyebrows then turns back to the empty stone wall. He closed his eyes and allowed his mind to speak as he walked past it; I need a hideout for the warriors. I need a place where they could get into you. I need to make sure no one is able to get in. I need 'him' in there.
This was repeated twice before something appears in front of him; an oak door covered in golden decorations. The teen drops his jaw as the gold outshines the light created by the flames. He checks his flanks before cautiously entering the now non-hidden doorway. Past the doorway was a room big enough to fit hundreds of people. To his left the stone was cut out so that a secret passageway could be housed. He looks through the passageway and shouts, "Is anybody there?"
After a moment or two, a male voice replies. He asks if he was the teen searching for the room, in which the teen replies with a positive yes. Then he hears a familiar call behind him.
"Prometheus, you're here," the teen tells the phoenix. The phoenix clutches its post tightly. Its plumage shone a fiery blue, the tips of his feathers brighter than their base; its talons and beak stands out with its golden glow. The phoenix gives the teen a very fiery stare as the teen approached it.
"I had no choice Prometheus. I had to leave," the teen pleas. Prometheus removes itself from the stand and clutches the teen's left shoulder. The teen stared at the feathers; he knew that he recently rose from his own ashes. Prometheus lets out a loud but beautiful note. The note trickles down the teen's ear and enters his body. Almost immediately his body felt limped and relaxed like he was able to fight endlessly on days. All the anger that plagued him completely disappeared, replaced by a renewed focus on the path ahead. The teen re-opens his eyes; his irises were now burning a fiery red. He looked at his phoenix once more and whispers "Go…and tell them I am ready. We must act now."
The phoenix nods and takes flight through the secret passageway. The darkness was no match for Prometheus' feathers; his friend was able to see the faint blue light it emits. Once the phoenix was out of sight, the teen sits on a wooden chair provided by the room. With his arms folded his eyes staring deeply into the secret passageway. Minutes wither away as the teen's face glow a hot red. Then the sound of Prometheus calms him down once more. He emerges from the passageway and lands on the teen's left shoulder. Following him were the sounds of his people, both male and female. He smiles as he sees the people leading them. A tall average sized man leads an average sized woman and a younger teenager. They all wore blue robes embedded with the familiar emblem to that on the teen. He approaches them and hugs both the man and woman.
"Mum, dad, I'm glad you're here," he tells them.
"We're glad that you are still alive, Will," his mother replies. Her brunette hair brushes her son's face, causing Will to scratch the area. His father shakes his hair, which was light brown, just like his mother's.
"Well…no one could really stop me when I'm focused on my goal," he told his mother with a smile beaming on his face. Then William straightens his hair out and approaches the younger teen.
"How are you, Blake?" he asks him.
"I'm not too bad," Blake replies in a sarcastic tone. They both laugh and hug each other.
At that moment another man approaches the family. He wears fiery red robes with a golden lining. His hair is straight and black. His eyes are a piercing blue; one look could mean trouble.
"So, this is the place Will has told you about. Not too bad…not too bad indeed," he tells the family with a voice so cocky he was on his high horse for too long.
"Minister, may you please gather your troops. We do need William to say a few words to the troops," Will's father tells him as the Minister circled on the spot.
"Oh…alright," he replies with disappointment. "Alright everybody, please take a seat."
William knew the Minister wants to explore this particular castle but there is no time. Time is their true enemy and William knows he needs to act fast. The other forty red robed Arcanians shuffle and struggle to find seats for themselves. Some were alone, others with a loved one by their side, whether it was a relative or partner. The Minister and Will's family occupy the seats in the first row, along with those close to their command. As Will stared at the thirty four pairs of eyes, his forehead began to sweat. A million of thoughts rushed through his head like highway traffic. He let out a weak smile as he tried to round them up. Prometheus dug his talons into Will's shoulders. In that moment he was able to gather his thoughts. He stood tall and began his speech,
"My fellow Arcanians, tonight we divulge into the unknown. What lies ahead, I do not know. What I do know is who lies ahead, an evil being by the name of Voldemort. He has terrorised the wizarding world, our allies, and tried to steal some of our men and women to aid in his sickening cause. Tonight we enter battle blind; but we will fight with restored sight. Do not be afraid of these wizards and witches, for their skill are no match against us. We are more organised, and more powerful than the scum who attack this castle. Tonight, we…will…win."
The crowd erupts into a massive cheer. They hold their swords up high and chant his family name.
"This is our chance," William continues, "to aid the wizarding world, who lives side by side with us. They called for our help, we answered it. Now we shall help defeat those wizards and witches in black cloaks. ONWARDS TO VICTORY MY FELLOW ARCANIANS!"
The crowd erupts louder than before. Prometheus joins in the noise with a call of his own. William steps down from the stage and walks into the secret passageway; Prometheus still clutching his shoulder. Surrounding him was his family. His father had his hand on his son's other shoulder. His mother wraps her husband with one of her arms and her younger son with the other. Blake and William exchanged looks as they led the pack. The Minister walks behind them with his head held high. He smiles as confidence beams from his face. The Arcanians follows them through the passageway. They end up in a brownish inn taken care by an old man.
"William, where is Hogwarts?" Blake asks.
"You were in it," he replies as everyone gathers once more. The Minister takes a few steps forward and raises his right hand. He closes his eyes and whispers, "Portal . . . Forest!"
A jet of green light ejects from his hand. It expands at a point into a human size oval. Beyond it are a few trees and shrubs. With a step into the portal, all of the Arcanians disappeared into the unknown.
William slowly walks through a series of trees and dead wood, leading the pack of Arcanians behind him. The night only grew darker; the moonlight was no where to be seen in this forest. It only appears once they station themselves at the forest's edge, yet it was not light enough for anyone to detect their presence. As William crouches there, he could hear Blake whimpering behind him. He turns to him and whispers, "There's nothing to be afraid of, Blake. We are safe from the creatures of this dark forest. I trust them"
Blake nods at his brother. He whispers to William, "You know, I always look up to you, Will. You're a good brother because you're willing to sacrifice your life to protect me."
"It is something I must do, Blake," Will replies in a soft voice. "Yet I'm glad you are the one that I protect because you are able to protect me. That I know."
"We are going to win, right brother?"
William nods his head and grabs his hand. He shakes it with a glowing smile directed at his younger brother. Then he adds, "The real question is . . . are you up for it?"
To that, Blake nods and smiles.
"Minister," one of the Arcanian men whispers from behind. "Look over there."
The Minister, who is crouching next to Mr. Thompson, looks in the direction of the man's finger. There he sees black figures rushing in the open, tracked by the moonlight. There is also another figure taller than the others carrying something. The tall figure is being forced to walk ahead as a group of wands were being pointed at it.
"Do you think it's him?" the Minister asks Mr. Thompson with a soft tone.
"I believe so. That tall figure must be my informant," Mr. Thompson replies softly.
"Should we move?" William asks.
"Not yet," Mrs. Thompson tells her son. "We must wait until they have moved out of our sights. Then we attack their reinforcements, ridding any chance of them fighting back before we proceed. Now you…," she adds, pointing to the Arcanian man, "…return to the group and help prepare everyone. The time is almost upon us."
The Arcanian man retreats back into the small crowd. They wait in silence, hidden by the darkness of the forest. Soon enough a pack of Dark creatures follow the human figures, who are now no where in sight. Dementors float through the ground; their aura flow through the trees. Will turn around and sees the Arcanians shiver. Prometheus creates a flame, which warms everyone. However, one of the Dementors turns itself towards the edge of the forest. It calls for its kin. A wave of floating darkness approaches the edge of the forest. William slowly raises his left hand and shouts, "Fire."
A small fireball ejects from William's hand and charges towards the Dementor. It bursts into a giant flame and hastily drifts towards the others. The embers from the flaming Dementor reach the others, bursting them into gigantic torches. William, with one single spell, has caused chaos and fear among the Dementors, the purpose of these dark creatures.
"Now is the time to attack," Mr Thompson shouts to the Minister. The Minister shouts the order while Mr. Thompson gives the signal to the rest of the group. The group charges from their position, swords unsheathed and held high, and attacks the creatures and humans, who are forced to backtrack. Blood splatters as the Arcanians stab and slash the wizards and witches. However, as the fighting quietens down, William realised that Voldemort and his Death Eaters are not in the group. The plan was being executed as expected.
The enemies are the only ones who had suffered casualties. William continuously swings his sword as more Dark creatures appear. This time it was the Acromantula, giant furry spiders who move like tarantulas. William hears loud clicking sounds. He faces one of them and sees their hideous nature. They have eight jet black eyes, the same colour as their hair. He could see their fangs; he knows that he needs to avoid them. As it attacks, William blocks its fangs with his sword and delivers a swift and deadly counterattack. However, William is being outnumbered quite easily. He backs away, hesitating with his decisions. This time he casts the fire spell with the same result as the Dementor. More of the spiders approach William, hungry for him. Their pincers continuously clash with each other. William could only back away, his mind trying to calculate a plan.
Suddenly an arrow pierces one of the spiders. William turns his head to see centaurs fiercely charging towards them. A volley of arrows was let loose, killing the remaining spiders. One of them approaches the Minister. William could not hear what he had said, but Blake ran towards him and shouts, "We must head to the castle…NOW!"
William nods and runs towards the towering castle with his brother behind him. His mother shouts for them but they ignore it. Prometheus flies behind them, scanning the earth for any threats to his companion. Suddenly they both turn around as they begin to hear an interesting sound. It grows louder as it got closer to him. He sees one of the centaurs coming towards the two brothers quite quickly. It suddenly stops in front of them.
"William and Blake Thompson, I am Firenze," the centaur tells them, bowing to them in the process. Both William and Blake return the gesture with a bow of their own.
"I shall allow you to ride on my back. We, too, are heading for the castle," Firenze adds. William and Blake look at each other before nodding their heads. Firenze lowers himself and the two brothers climb on his back. Once they were secured, Firenze gallops up the hill towards the castle.
"Where are you taking us?" William asks Firenze.
"I shall take you to a bridge which leads to a hallway which, in turn, will lead to the Great Hall. That is where the fighting is taking place," Firenze replies. William nods his head and turns to Blake. Blake smiles at him.
"We will do it, Will. We will win," Blake tells him with a smile.
"Just promise me you'll tell me if you find him there," William tells Blake. Blake nods. William turns his head forward. He sights a hallway leading into the castle.
"I shall leave you two here," Firenze tells them as they disembark him. "Follow the corridor. You will reach the battlefield."
"So . . ." Blake said before Firenze told him, "I must go with my kin. Good luck."
William and Blake greet the centaur goodbye and enter the hallway. It leads to a bridge. Suddenly a couple of figures appear, running across the bridge. Black cloaks drape over them. Skull shaped masks cover their face. They both hold a wooden twig in their hands. William and Blake look at each other before simultaneously unsheathing their swords.
"Are these wizards, Will?" Blake asks.
"Yep. They're known as Death Eaters. These are the people we fight against," William replies. The two then look at the Death Eaters. Smiles beam on both of their faces.
"Well . . . what are we waiting for?" Blake asks William.
"You're right. Blake . . . LET'S GO!" William shouts. The two run forward, swords in their hands. As jets of light eject from their twigs, the two brothers dodge and charge forward. Once William knew it was the right time, he launches himself into the air.
"Good night!" William shouts at one of the Death Eaters as gravity forces him downwards; the tip of the sword facing its target.