Author's Note: After this chapter, it's rally gonna pick up because most of the juicy bits of this story take place outside of Hogwarts. I've been asked a lot to as what the pairing is, its mainly Harry/Daphne but that appears once the plot has developed more. Like in two more chapters or so.
Hope You Enjoy
Chapter 4: Machine
Harry clapped politely as the Sorting Hat finished its song and bowed to each of the four house tables. He then tuned out Professor McGonagall, the transfiguration teacher, as she cited the procedure of the sorting to all the incoming first years. Unscrolling the list of names, she called out, "Abbot, Hannah."
Harry remembered the auburn colored, bubbly girl from the train ride. She hesitated before sitting down on the stool. The hat nearly went over her eyes and after a couple of seconds it shouted, "HUFFLEPUFF!"
The Hufflepuff table erupted into series of large applause and the rest of the school went along in more subdued manner. The House system, while at first glance was quite ingenious, only served to isolate and draw lines between each House and its students. Forever labeling its alumni and branding them with the stigma with each house characteristics. Slytherins will always be evil, Gryffindors were forever reckless, Ravenclaws without common sense and Hufflepuffs are just plain useless.
The system worked when the Hogwarts Four were still alive because any fool could tell that all of them were extraordinarily capable in their own way. If Salazar was still walking, he doubted there would be anyone idiotic enough to openly say that his house produced all the rotten eggs. And most of Helga's critics would be dead. Historical texts were quite clear that the Norse woman, despite her kindly demeanor, possessed a short temper and a vicious mean streak that was a mile long.
"Bones, Susan!"
He returned his attention to the sorting as another familiar name was called out. The petite red head had been coming and going from Potter Manor ever since her parents were murdered by the Carrow twins in February of 'eight-one. She even had her own fully furnished room in the manse.
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Looks like the Puffs are getting most of the crop this year, eh Harry?" He turned to his head to the side to see Megan Turnpin had addressed him
Many of his year mates had, initially, tried to befriend him early on. At first, it was because he was the older sibling to the Girl-Who-Lived and they wanted something from him. Autographs, photos, a chance to meet and greet. One imbecile even had the gall to try and pay him for a lock of Iris's hair. He put an end to that swiftly.
Of course when, within the first week at Hogwarts, it became quickly apparent that he was a genius amongst geniuses, the ever grade worshipping Ravens wanted to use him to further their own studies. His rebuffing of their efforts led to a rather large drift growing between him and his peers. Many accused him of being a jealous prat in regards to his famous sister and that he was simply trying to garner attention.
This had led to bullying and name calling behind his back. Not that he really cared. The petty insecurities of useless trash were hardly things he would care to involve himself in. Yet, when they began getting physical, such as sending jinxes and hexes his way and stealing his belongings, he quickly put his foot down. Suffice it to say, several people ended up in the hospital wing under mysterious circumstances. After that, he was never bothered again.
The exception being Megan Turpin. As he locked eyes with her, he noted a light blush color her cheeks. Oh, how he dreaded the day when his hormones would kick in.
A fourth year student, Megan had, for one reason or another, taken it upon herself to befriend the eldest Potter child. She was always talking to him and attempting to have him interact with the rest of the house.
Megan was an attractive witch for her age. Light brown that cascaded over her shoulders and chocolate brown eyes. More often than not, they distracted several boys from her rather shapely bum as well as…
'Oh dammit all to Oblivion…the day is nigh…'
"I suppose that means less of the midgets we have to deal with," He said impassively.
"Harry!" She exclaimed. Her expression caught between horror and humor. "You shouldn't say things like that."
He gave her a slight smirk that caused her cheeks to redden further. And he noticed that she wasn't the only one. He wasn't a fool. He realized what his growth spurt and adolescent changes had done for him. But, like all things he possessed, it was just another tool for him to further his purposes.
As he heard the name 'Greengrass' being called out, he turned his head back into the direction of the sorting, just as McGonagall slipped the hat onto Astoria's head. Within seconds, the hat shouted, "SLYTHERIN!"
He quickly took note of the smug smirk on Daphne's expression across the hall and the way Astoria beamed at her older sister. There no doubt in his mind that Astoria was going to be sorted into the House of Serpents. The entire Greengrass family was in Slytherin and that particular clan thrived on the political front.
Harry's mind, drifted back to his own sorting. The whispers that had broken out within the hall as he had walked up to the stool were practically deafening. He recalled with dark delight as how all the teachers regarded him in shock. He had spent years laying under the radar and weaving magic to keep him as undetectable as possible. His sudden arrival into the magical world had caused shockwaves to ripple through society.
And no one had been more shocked than the Sorting Hat. Even spending nearly a millennium's worth of time, sifting through the minds of tens of thousands of magicals, couldn't prepare the hat for the mind of a Deadric Prince. The magics holding the hat had threatened to unravel as the sheer weight of his true self came crashing into the ancient artifact.
Which was why, Harry was smiling rather like a predator that was about to catch its prey when Luna's name was called. McGonagall watched disapprovingly as the young blonde skipped along with a rather strange smile on her face towards the wooden stool.
Just as she placed the hat down on her head, Godric's creation went stiff and seemed to lose all sense of life. He almost pitied the magical construct. Despite the terrible volume and depth of his mind, he was the Prince of Order. His mind was carefully crafted and perfectly organized. Azura was the Prince of Dawn and Dusk. Few, very few could even begin to understand the utter majesty that was her domain. The ever shifting energies between all beginnings and all ends. Transition, possibility and certainty. Azura's domain was so convoluted that even he had a difficult time comprehending it. The poor hat didn't stand a chance.
After what seemed to nearly ten minutes and several people beginning to get impatient, McGonagall prodded the hat with her wand. The hat suddenly jolted and looked about as if it had just woken up after a nap. Taking a moment, it finally shouted, "RAVENCLAW!"
Luna gave a dreamy smile as McGonagall plucked the Sorting Hat off her head. She slid of the stool and skipped merrily to the Ravenclaw table, garnering several odd looks from both students and faculty. Watching in amusement, Harry shifted slightly as Luna came over and sat next to him.
"Did you have a nice conversation?" He said without looking at her.
"Oh yes," she smiled. "Albert was so very talented at spinning a tale. Did you know that the true reason for Godric and Salazar's spat was because each accused the other of eating the last sweetroll, when it was actually Rowena?"
"Albert?" He said with a questioning eyebrow.
"Really?" She said with a disappointed glare. "I just tell you that the greatest feud since Arthur and Mordred was over a pastry and you focus on that?"
He shrugged. It wasn't like he was all that surprised from her admission. In their old world, sweetrolls had caused many a war and led to the extinction of entire bloodlines. He even knew of twenty-three separate incidents between the Divines and the Princes that were the direct result of unaccounted sweetrolls. Never underestimate the sweetroll.
"Though I have to admit," Luna said, breaking Harry from his line of thought. "This castle is quite nice. And the ambient magic makes for perfect conditions in various rituals and endeavors."
"I will not deny that," Harry said. "The air is rife with powerful energies and has allowed me to work on numerous projects." Luna looked at him appreciatively. "Such as?"
Harry quickly switched to the ancient language of the Snow Elves. "Some other time. There are many listening voices within this castle. That and I do not have the time to explain everything in depth."
Luna nodded and, in the same language, said, "Is there some place you have set up where we can freely utilize our Deadric powers?"
"Nocturnal and I have a laboratory of some sorts set up within the castle. I will take you there when we can move about freely."
Suddenly, the Great Hall broke into hushed whispers. Despite being engrossed in his conversation with Luna, Harry was fully aware of what was going on around him and that his sister's name had been called out.
"Did she say Iris Potter?"
"That's her? The Girl-Who-Lived?"
"So Potter, your sister gonna get into Gryffindor or is she going to shame the Potter name and be sorted into another house just like you." Several people turned to look at him.
Roger Davies, despite being on the Quidditch team, had what Harry had diagnosed as, a massive inferiority complex. Harry had summarized that he had obtained it from constantly being in the shadow of his sister. Evelyn Davies was a world renowned pianist as well as an incredible singer. She had earned fame as a celebrity in both the magical and muggle world. He had become incredibly hostile in the face of Harry's unsurpassed intellect and the way all the professors favored him. And now, given Iris's own wide spread fame, he had found a new source of outlet to take his rage out on.
Of course, Harry simply ignored him. The foolish boy was only good at throwing a ball into a hoop like some sort of circus monkey. Aside from that one inconsequential talent, he was mediocre at best. Harry Potter had no cause to associate himself with mediocrity. So he summarily ignored the self-doubting Roger.
"Hufflepuff," Harry whispered over to Luna who didn't say anything. And indeed, not a second later, the Sorting Hat shouted, "HUFFLEPUFF!"
There was a stunned moment of silence. Everyone froze as if they heard wrong. Susan and Hannah, had caught sight of Iris's delighted expression and immediately started clapping and whooping. The next moment, the Hufflepuff table broke out into a thunderous roar even as several groans came from the Gryffindors.
Harry's eyes met Iris's as she quickly made her way to Hufflepuff table and he dipped his head in a silent 'congratulations.' She beamed at him before sitting down between Hannah and Susan who quickly engulfed her in hug.
The sorting of the Girl-Who-Lived was filled with mixed sentiments. The Hufflepuffs, were obviously ecstatic. The rest of the school however, was wondering what it meant that the Girl-Who-Lived was sorted into the house of left overs. Most prominent of all, was the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. Harry caught sight of the deep frown on the old man as he watched his sister rapidly chat away with her friends.
The Headmaster stood up as the frown melted into a warm smile on his face. "I bid you all welcome to another year at Hogwarts," he smiled venerably. "To returning students, I trust your heads have suitably emptied over the summer so that you may stuff yourself with information anew!" Many of the staff glared at the Headmaster as he practically urged the students to neglect their studies while on vacation.
"Before we begin the feast, I have a few announcements to make. A reminder to all students, the Forbidden Forest, is as usual, forbidden. Mister Filch has added a number of items to the list of forbidden things at Hogwarts. The full list, which is displayed at his office if anyone wishes to see it."
Here he paused as many people, including some professors, snorted in amusement. As if anyone actually cared about the grievances of the squib. "Also, I'd like to announce that this year, the third floor corridor is off-limits to all students who do not wish to die a painful death."
Many people laughed but, at the grave look on Dumbledore's face, it quickly died down and was replaced by some form of curiosity or horror. "On that note, I have some final words before we tuck in. Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"
Chuckles rolled throughout the Great Hall as the Headmaster sat down, only to be replaced by the gasps of awe from the first years when the tables were suddenly covered with numerous dishes. "I always said that the Headmaster was mad." A fellow Ravenclaw commented from dawn the table.
As he carefully piled his plate with small portions of food, Harry turned as he felt a pair of eyes on him. Luna gave him a look he understood all too easily. His expression darkened considerably. "No," he said as his lips curled in disgust and venom dripped into his voice. "If that were the case, I would have killed him long ago."
Knowing better than to push this particular subject with him, Luna dropped it quickly and lightly nibbled into her salad.
Harry's mind was moving at the speed of light as he processed the old man's words. Dumbledore was many things. However, the man was certainly not insane. No, every action and word of his had meaning and purpose. If anything, he respected the cryptic genius of the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot.
Nitwit: How the entirety of Ravenclaw saw the rest of Hogwarts in the certainty of their own "superior" mental prowess.
Blubber: Gryffindor's view of the world according to everyone who wasn't one them ergo, unable to keep up with their vaunted "nobility."
Oddment: What everyone who wasn't of "Pureblood" stock by right of birth, in accordance with Slytherin's doctrine.
Tweak: What needed to be done to the other three houses as they did not possess Hufflepuff's "moral fiber."
Albus Dumbledore was more cunning than most gave him credit for and of that, there was no doubt. Which meant, that his decree about the third floor corridor was more of an invitation, rather than a deterrent. The question was, to whom?
Well, actually, the answer was fairly obvious. He had overheard many a conversation between his parents about the inevitable return of Voldemort. So the real question was how, in the name of Oblivion, Dumbledore was going to force the fallen dark wizard to reveal himself.
'Bait,' Harry realized.
Harry took a sip of water out of his goblet as he glanced up at the high table. The Headmaster's gaze was fixed right over his head. He didn't need to turn his head around to know that it was Iris he was stealing glances at. After a few seconds, Dumbledore must have realized that someone was staring at him, because he lowered his gaze.
Isolating Iris in a vulnerable position would undoubtedly cause Voldemort to present himself to the young girl. But, that wasn't enough. If what he heard was true, than the dark wizard was considerably weakened compared to prior his defeat. There had to be something to lure him to Hogwarts, something that might help him recover his former power.
In other words, Harry had figured out the outline of Dumbledore's plan. Lure Voldemort into the school. Bait both him and Iris into the third floor corridor and force the two into a confrontation. With Voldemort present, Dumbledore could finish him off or perhaps he would use Iris to somehow do the deed. Now all he needed to figure out, was what Dumbledore would use to draw both Iris and Voldemort into quarantining themselves. Well…that and if Harry could use whatever it was to reach his former power.
As Dumbledore locked gazes with him, Harry smiled coldly. Dumbledore was playing into his hands. What the old man failed to realize was, that this was now a game with a whole new front. Both Dumbledore and Voldemort will be quite shocked when they realize that there is a new player. And by the time they do…it will be too late.
'All shall crumble before Jyggalag!'
"Come in Severus."
As the door to his office opened, Albus Dumbledore suppressed a chuckle as his potions master enter with his usual flair for the theatrics. Cloak billowing behind despite the obvious lack of any wind, Severus Snape entered with a scowl present on his face. Come to think of it, Dumbledore had a scant few memories where Severus didn't have a scowl on his face. And most of those memories were where it was replaced with one of absolute fury.
'Perhaps I should offer him a pay raise?' He mused.
"Headmaster," Severus greeted curtly.
"I trust," Dumbledore said with a small note of concern in his voice. "That there were no issues as your young charges settled in?"
"Just the usual power plays by the upper years," Severus said. "Although, I had to stop young Draco from getting himself hexed as he tried to stake his claim as the alpha in Slytherin. Foolish boy doesn't seem to realize that his father's protection does not extend into the House of Salazar."
"Please see to it that he does. I do not Lucius giving me any new headaches only a day into the new semester." Dumbledore sighed. Lucius Malfoy's seat on the Hogwarts' Board of Governors was a position that he abused to push his political agenda onto the school.
"Yes, because it's absolutely fine when Lucius pesters me about his spoiled brat," Severus drawled sarcastically causing Dumbledore to chuckle once again.
"And the stone?" Dumbledore enquired after a moment.
"Perfectly safe and tucked away behind your obstacle course," the younger man said dryly.
Nodding to himself, Dumbledore prepared for what he knew was coming from Severus. A number of the faculty were quite displeased with his most recent addition to Hogwarts. Quite frankly, he was displeased with his own choice. Sadly, it needed to be done to ascertain Voldemort's current status.
"I find myself, once again, questioning your sanity old man."
"I can assure you Severus that, despite what my numerous adversaries on the Wizengamot say, I have my senses quite fully in hand," he said with a trace of amusement in his voice.
"Yes, it's a tell-tale sign that one's senses haven't taken leave when you place one of the most coveted treasures in the whole world in a school full of children!" Severus's voice sharply rose at the end causing Dumbledore to wince slightly and Fawkes to startle on his perch.
"And then you advertise the whole fact to said children and expect the raging masses of walking hormones to obey you! And don't even get me started on that bloody dog of Hagrid's!" Severus seethed.
Dumbledore didn't say word as he had heard the same speech from his Deputy Headmistress. Admittedly, Minerva had been much louder and did not refrain from using much stronger language. His ears still rang whenever he recalled that particular meeting with his Scottish transfigurations professor.
"Honestly, Albus!" Severus continued his tirade. "Are you even trying to protect Flamel's stone? Half of those protections could be outdone by students halfway through their first year and…" Severus stopped as sudden realization lit his eyes.
'Oh dear…' Dumbledore thought worriedly. 'This is not good.'
"That's it…"Severus said in disbelief. "A student…you want a student to find the stone…you want the youngest Potter brat to confront the Dark Lord...are you out of your bloody mind!" He yelled.
Dumbledore had the decency to look ashamed but defended his actions nonetheless. "I would never put a student in danger if I had the choice Severus but this is necessary. Voldemort will definitely present himself if Iris and the stone are presented at the right opportunity. Though I will take every measure to make sure that no harm befalls young Iris."
"Damn it Albus!" Severus said in anger. "Even if she survives, she is just a child! You could scar her for life with this stunt!"
"Do you think I do not know that," Dumbledore said. Now getting visibly upset. "But you've seen the horrors of the last war first hand, Severus. Would you not do everything in your power to stop it from happening again?"
Those words subdued the potions master slightly but, there was still a good deal of rage hidden behind his eyes. "How on earth am I supposed to look at Lily from now on, knowing I willingly let her daughter walk into that death trap? No Albus, I won't have any part of this foolishness but I won't stop you either. However, I will allow no harm to befall Iris. Mark my words, I will be watching her closely."
Dumbledore sighed. "You are a good man Severus. Far better than I could ever hope to be. And yes, I do regret the burden that has been thrust on that young girl's shoulders. Unfortunately, the prophecy is quite clear."
"Oh here we go with the bloody prophecy again." Severus said as he rolled his eyes. How he cursed that useless fraud Trelawney for actually having that most minute trickle of talent. The day he overheard a portion of that prophecy was tied with the day he nearly ruined his friendship with Lily as the official worst day of his life.
"The prophecy is quite clear that Iris will be the one to defeat Voldemort for good," Dumbledore said sagely.
"No Albus," Severus said. "It isn't clear at all! For the love of Merlin, it doesn't even say if the child will vanquish the Dark Lord. Only that she can!"
"Exactly," Dumbledore said pounding his desk. "Iris can and if she tries, she will succeed."
If it wasn't completely out of character for him, Severus would have thrown his hands into the air in sheer exasperation. "May both all three of you, Trelawney, the Dark Lord and yourself, burn in Hell for the grief you will undoubtedly cause that young girl."
"Yes," Dumbledore said sadly. "How sometimes I wish that it was brother who was burdened with her destiny. It is too much for a young girl…far, far too much."
Severus snorted. "I, on the other hand, am infinitely thankful that the elder sibling is not the one we depend upon for our future. That child is dangerous."
"Yes, Severus. I have heard of your misgivings about young Harry many times but have never understood why." Dumbledore was quick to grab the opportunity to switch the subject of their conversation.
"Headmaster, you know why I have my doubts about that boy."
"I must confess Severus, I cannot fathom your dislike for Harry. I find him to be a model student. In fact, he's quite entirely astonishing in his studies."
"That's just it, Albus!" Severus exclaimed standing up. Dumbledore, for his part was quite surprised by the outburst. He had severely underestimated the amount of suspicion he held towards the Potter heir. "The boy's a complete genius! He understands everything completely and has never failed to achieve perfect marks on every assignment and exam! Minerva was mortified for weeks because the brat found a mistake on her exam!"
Truthfully, Albus actually found that amusing. It was a good reminder that even the professors were human and capable of making mistakes. It kept them all humble.
"And don't even get me started on his magic!" Evidently, Dumbledore didn't have to get Severus 'started' on anything. He was doing a fine job all by himself. "You've felt the boy's magic Albus! I know you have! No child is that powerful!"
This time, Dumbledore actually frowned. That was something that had bothered him in the past. There was no doubt about it, Harry Potter was possibly the most gifted student Hogwarts had ever had. He was genius of the likes which he had never seen and had the magical aura, twice as powerful as the average magical adult.
He doubted if even Tom Riddle, during his tenure at Hogwarts was as capable as Harry Potter. There were many similarities, now that he thought about it, between Tom Riddle and Harry Potter. Both were powerful wizards with an unrivaled intellect. Both charmed their teachers and were famous for never stepping a toe out of line. And both had a cold aura that drove chills up his spine.
Yet, that was where the similarities ended. Where Tom was fond of garnering followers, Harry pushed people away and was rather famous for being a recluse. Tom loved collecting lavish things. According to Filius, his head of house, Harry was quite Spartan.
"And that's not even what bothers me the most, Albus. Up until two years ago, practically the entire world forgot that Harry Potter even existed." Severus said hotly.
Dumbledore's frown deepened. He was not proud of the fact but, yes, he had completely forgotten about Lily and James's eldest child in regards to his more famous sister. When young Harry's name had been called out to be sorted, two years ago, Dumbledore nearly choked on his own saliva.
"I have been having tea with lily every Sunday morning for nearly six years now!" Severus continued. "Not once, not once Albus, do I remember seeing the brat at Potter Manor."
"And whenever I do bring up her son, in front of her, Lily blows over whatever I have to say as if it's hardly important. As if her eldest child, her only son, doesn't matter at all."
The spiel that Severus was on had calmed down and towards the end, he sounded much more concerned than upset. Dumbledore had the utmost respect for Severus's devotion to his oldest friend. But, the fact that Lily may be ignoring a child with Harry's potential was disturbing. Lily and James had blamed Iris's fate on him in the emotion turmoil during the aftermath of the war and it had caused a rift to form between himself and the Potter family. He did not blame them though. It was difficult time and his way of getting things done without taking into consideration the sentiments of others had always been a fault of his.
Nevertheless, he found it hard to imagine that the Potter's would be so enamored with their daughter that they would ignore their son. Indeed, that would explain a great deal about the sheer ice that Harry projected. Yet still, everything that he knew about the Potters told him that was impossible. Dumbledore brought up his hands to his temples and rubbed them with vigor. Perhaps it was time to mend the gap between himself and the Potters?
"I understand your worries Severus but, Harry is still young. I have full faith that, if there are problems within the Potter family they can resolve them."
Severus shook his head. "No Headmaster, you do not understand. There is something terribly wrong with that boy."
"Severus!" Dumbledore cried indignantly.
"With all due respect Albus, you do not really interact with the dunderheads that we are forced to call students. I've seen the boy in class. Every movement, every glance…it's so mechanical. He has a perfect mask on all the time that would put my Slytherins to shame. And his Occlumency-"
Severus stopped himself realizing the mistake he made and Dumbledore looked at him with alarm. "Severus, tell me you didn't!"
The younger professor avoided the elder's eyes. "Admittedly, I was curious and couldn't help myself…but you have no idea how I regret that now."
Dumbledore appraised him cautiously. While Dumbledore wouldn't be so hypocritical as to condemn Severus on his use of Legilimency, as an heir to one of the powerful houses in Europe, Harry was bound to have some protections on his mind. It would do no one any good if Severus landed himself in Azkaban if he was caught rummaging through the head of the next lord of a Most Noble and Ancient House.
"I take it then young Harry has Occlumency shields?" Dumbledore asked.
"The strongest I've ever seen and yes, that includes you Albus." He added as he saw Dumbledore's eyebrows raise. "I couldn't even feel the slightest hint of emotion from him. If there was an absolute defense in Occlumency, I'd say that boy has found it." Severus snorted. "I can't even really call him a boy. No, he's entirely identical to a machine."
Dumbledore frowned profoundly. A machine was a cold emotionless thing that only cared to fulfill its primary function. He had seen indescribable horrors from the muggle side of the war against his oldest friend. It was obvious that Harry Potter was more than just Hogwarts' resident genius. The boy had more potential than perhaps Tom himself. Not to mention, he would one day come to inherit one of the largest fortunes in magical Britain. It was obvious that he would have to garner Harry Potter's ear. He would make a great asset against Tom's inevitable return.
Yes, he could achieve a great deal with Harry Potter under his thumb. While Iris would be the perfect beacon to gather the people under the banner of the Light, Harry Potter would be the one to provide the pillar of support. The Potter siblings would be perfect for the betterment of their world.
As Severus got up to leave, he turned around and gave one final warning to Dumbledore. "Iris Potter has a great deal of many people who would protect her, myself included. But Harry Potter…Albus, if you plan on going after that machine, you'd best be prepared for a force more terrible then perhaps even the Dark Lord."
Dumbledore appraised him carefully. "Goodnight, Severus."
"Goodnight, Headmaster."
As the two men bade each other farewell, both failed to notice a single raven take off from the window-sill into the night air. The raven knew that it had to return to its mistress as it had fulfilled the task that it had been given.
As it soared over the tall trees it was suddenly swept up in a swirl of dark shadows disappeared from the night sky altogether. Lost in the darkness, the raven did not fret because it knew that it had been summoned by its Mistress's call. The night was her domain, the endless shadows that hid were her slaves.
As the dark gave away, the raven found itself in creation of the two-legs, surrounded by stone. Immediately, it felt the Mistress and glided to her. Landing on outstretched fingers, the raven peered into the eyes of its Mistress. Cold, hard sapphires that swam in midnight blue energies. It could feel the terrible power of its Lady as she took from its mind. "Thank you, darling. You've been wonderful." The Mistress said right before she gently kissed the top of its head.
The raven ruffled its feathers under the praise from its Mistress. She was everything to the raven. The Supreme Master! She must be obeyed!
"Anything interesting?"
The raven cocked its head and jumped forward on its Mistress's hand to view the one that had spoken. She was like the Great Lady. She had a power flowing about her. It was similar to its Lady. Very nearly the same. But, where the Lady was a glorious darkness of the night sky's endless blue, this one was the dancing dust that swam in the light line of the sun.
"Oh you have no idea," the Lady said.
"Was Jyggalag correct?" The other Great One asked.
"When isn't he?" Its Lady asked with a musical laugh. "Come let's go relive him of his experiments.
The Lady walked with the other one and carried the raven to place where the stone was different and swung forward. Instantly, the smell of flesh, burnt and decayed, washed over the raven. The raven saw the Lady's face wrinkle in disgust and it squawked indignantly as it flapped its wings. This place was unworthy of its Mistress! Such filth before the Lady was not to be tolerated!
"Hush there, darling," The Lady cooed and instantaneously the raven quieted and stilled. "I know it's rather messy but what can you do? He gets carried away sometimes."
He? A male? A male in the presence of its Lady?! Unacceptable! Unacceptable! The male must be punished! Its eyes must be plucked out! Its innards spilled across the earth!
"Jyggalag," the other Great one called out. "Are you quite done yet?"
Following the Great One's gaze, the raven found two creatures, both two-legs and both undeniably male. One was the source of the offensive odor. It was bound to the stone and the life-blood dripped down from its head. The other, it stood in front of the wounded and bound male.
It was different. It was like the Lady yet, it was so different at the same time. Power filled the air around that male as it stole life from around it. Cold, staunch and greyer than the clouds that bring the storm. There was no feeling to it. This two-legs didn't feel alive. It felt…it felt…the raven did not know what it felt like. It was not of this world.
"Oh," the Mistress said. "You've managed to create one, then?" It did not say anything, simply moved its hands. The raven fluffed its feathers in anger. How dare the Strange One ignore the Lady!
A glint of light caught its attention. Above the Strange One's hand, a sharp stone made with the same feeling and color as the Grey Power that the Strange One held, floated in the air. The Strange One pressed the shard into wounded male.
It screamed.
A terrible scream that echoed of pain and misery. The raven did not like the sound. It was distressing the Mistress as the distaste was clearly written on her face. Surely the wounded male could die in a quieter manner? Couldn't it see that it was upsetting the Mistress?
The raven watched in fascination as the shard of Grey Power began to grow over the chest of the bound two-legs and spread across its body. Rapidly, the entirety of the male was covered in the Strange One's stone. Even the face was morphed to be different as it seemed to gleam like sun-light in water. The raven deemed it to be great improvement as it was far more pleasing to the eye.
Then, the whole two-legs that glittered shattered into countless pieces.
The Strange One let out a growl of frustration and the place was filled with hot anger. The raven grew anxious but soon enough, the Lady's cool power flowed out and pushed back the Strange One's anger. The raven breathed in its Lady's mercy.
"Did you find out what Dumbledore has stowed away on the third floor?" the Strange One said after a few tense moments, addressing the Mistress. "Do the words 'Flamel' and 'Stone' mean anything to you?" The Lady asked with a smile. Beside her, the Dancing-Light Lady gasped in surprise.
The Strange One's eyes glowed in a terrible green fire. It forced the raven to look away least it wake up dead. When, he felt the flames die down, the raven saw that the Strange One was now looking bitter. "I doubt it's the real one. Flamel wouldn't be so foolish as to give up his prized possession away so easily." Then the Strange One looked down at the glittering dust at its feet.
"What went wrong," the Dancing-Light Lady asked.
"The shard wasn't stable enough. I can't seem to make my magic dense enough for the transformation to hold permanently."
"So much for our instant army," the Lady said wistfully.
"I will continue to try. Practice makes perfect after all, no?"
All three turned to the place where the raven saw several more two-legs were bound to stone.
Author's Note: Let me clear up a few things first. Yeah, Iris is in Hufflepuff and she won't play a huge role within the story. Mainly as a source of fluff and Hogwarts canon driver. The 'meat' of the story picks up after year two so I'm going to really advance the story quickly in the next two chapters. I'm planning on getting Year 1 & 2finished by chapter nine or ten. they're actually quite boring for me really.
Pairings: Expect it mainly to be Harry/Daphne and Fleur will make strong appearances once Year Three ends. An maybe...just possibly...Harry will end up having an affair with Narcissa Malfoy...for those of you who know me, you know I like them mature ones.
For those of you who might have noticed...yeah, I'm a HUGE Megadeth fan. You'll see references to their songs all over my stories.
Huh...think that's it...anyways, hope you enjoyed. Still looking for a beta by the way.
CE-NEX