The White Coven

The dark sorrowful night over the Hogwarts battleground echoed the swishing of wings. The worn out fighters jumped up from their slumped positions, hands on wands, ready to fight.

Their hands froze as they squinted into the night sky and realised what was approaching them. Three tall broad-shouldered wizards clad in pure white robes were sweeping quickly towards them on white winged unicorns which shimmered brilliantly in the night sky.

Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermoine had been sitting on the steps of the Hogwarts entrance lost in their own sadness when they had reacted with everyone else. Ron gasped at the sight and swung around to face his two best friends, "What? Winged unicorns? When did that happen? Who are they?"

Hermoine gaped slowly like a goldfish. "'Moine, what is it? Do I need to be worried?" asked Harry frantically, trying to keep one eye on the approaching strangers and one eye on the increasingly pale looking Hermoine.

Hermoine eventually managed to squeak, "the White Coven." Harry glanced at Ron and Ginny who crumpled their noses and shrugged in confusion. Harry turned to Hermoine who appeared lost in a daze, "the White who?"

The colour flashed back into Hermoine's cheeks and her eyes sparkled. For the first time in a long time, she broke into a smile. "So they're actually real. Imagine that," she whispered. Aware that her friends were expecting answers, she continued slowly, "the White Coven is, was, as an assumed myth. The story was, is, that there is a secretive group of witches and wizards who are the guardians of the greatest ever library of all magical knowledge. They have scrolls which are thousands of years old. All the books I read assumed it was a legend. But it looks like they were wrong."

"So they're glorified librarians?" Ron chuckled, "goodness 'Moine. You had me worried there for a moment."

Hermoine shook her head, "No. A White Witch or Wizard has to be good at heart because they study the knowledge that they protect. If the stories are true, they would be some of the most accomplished witches and wizards our time. And I don't just mean duelling. The Coven take an oath to protect their knowledge at all cost because it is so powerful. It is why they are never seen. It's why the books say they might be a myth."

Harry interrupted Hermoine's dreamy rambling explanation, "Fat lot of use that is it to us now. Most accomplished wizards of our time and they turn up after the battle? They can go back to wherever they came from I say."

Harry pushed through the crowd that had gathered in front of them. Minerva McGonagall was standing in the middle of the courtyard watching the now landed unicorns walk towards them. Kinglsey Shacklebolt and the rest of the aurors formed a semi-circle around her.

The three white clad wizards were all young adults. All three had long blond hair which fell over their shoulders and striking clear cut features. Their faces were expressionless, as if they were beautiful statues sculpted out of marble.

They came to a halt about three feet away from Professor McGonagall. The unicorns stood still and the three wizards sat staring at the dishevelled huddled crowd impassively.

Professor McGonagall's anger showed across her face and she spoke with bubbling emotion, "Why now? Why on earth did you choose to turn up now? Isn't it enough that we've lost our family and friends? Why do you have to turn up now?"

The white clad wizards sat impassively. Ron nudged Harry, "Do you think they're mute?" At that moment a squawk echoed across the sky and the crowd reactively looked up to watch Fawkes circle down from the Great Tower. Harry whispered, "What's he up to?"

Fawkes circled overhead, displaying his magnificent red plumage before settling suddenly behind the three white clad wizards. A soft voice called out, "It's okay Fawkes. It's okay. It's really me."

The three white clad wizards wordlessly divided. A fourth shimmering unicorn appeared but this one carried a young woman clad in long white robes holding Fawkes on her arm. He was softly nuzzling her face and she broke into a smile. She had long wavy black hair but it was her eyes which were intriguing. They were sea blue with a familiar twinkle. Harry gasped as he realised he knew those eyes.

The young woman slid gracefully off the magnificent unicorn and slowly approached the crowd. Professor McGonagall gasped, "Adrianne?" The young woman nodded slowly as Fawkes slid off her arm and circled back to the Great Tower. Professor McGonagall grasped the young woman by the shoulders and pulled her into an embrace, "But your grandfather…"

Adrianne stepped back, "I know. I know. He knew he needed to hide me but now it's over I can come back."