My god. I'm sorry this took so long. I hope the length at which I've made you all wait makes this worth it. Aside from all the regular crap, same old extended author's note will be at the end.

Much love.

Freedom.


The Next Salazar Slytherin?! The Girl Who Loved?

My dearest readers, it has been far too long since my last publication and many of you have wondered where I have been. But fear not! Rita Skeeter has once again unearthed the secrets that lay hidden in our society. Just recently I was allowed the privilege of board at Hogwarts for the duration of the Triwizard Tournament. Using my new location I set about learning as much as I could about the beloved champions of England, and there have been secrets abound. Garrick Ollivander arrived at Hogwarts just yesterday as the impartial judge for the wand weighing ceremony. At this very event, Ares Flamel, the secret heir of the world famous Immortal Alchemist, Nicholas Flamel, possessed an interesting wand. Ollivander himself declared the wand to be almost identical to that of Slytherin houses founder, the mysterious and Dark Salazar Slytherin. Those of you that did well in your Magical History O. and N.E. would know that-

Harry stopped reading at that point. Skeeter seemed to be on a slander campaign, one that probably originated from a desire for drama and controversy. Something that seemed to draw wizards and witches in like a moth to open flame. While eating breakfast, Harry assumed it was almost sick how everyone was lapping up the news. Taking some perverse pleasure in whispering to their friends, throwing him glances and pointing.

"The next…"

"I heard that…"

"He's downright…"

"But he's so…"

Harry tried to block out the room at large, getting frustrated by the sheer number of people that glanced at him. He knew for a fact that many witches and wizards possessed less than legal wand cores, and if the old world was as similar to this one, a few students had also obtained their wands through very illegal means. Mainly to have an underage trace removed, but definitely outside of the confines of their precious law.

Finishing off the scrambled eggs and toast, Harry looked towards the hufflepuff table. Cedric currently had his head down and was in a deep discussion with his friends and housemates. It appeared that they wished to grill him on what he knew about the 'monster' of Slytherin.

Harry wanted to growl at the sudden reminder of his new nickname.

Instead he settled for a scowl and glanced around at the people still looking towards him, forcing many to avert their eyes and refocus on their meals.

Fools.

At least his fellow Slytherin's didn't judge him for it. In fact, it just made him seem more impressive to them as a whole.

Daphne looked like she wanted to explode restraining the effort from speaking to him. Tracey Davis looked caught between mortification and amusement at her friend's plight.

Draco, Theo, Pucey and Hector just ate silently.

Blaise Zabini, a more recent addition to their little dueling group at the room of requirement had been more than welcome. His lack of obvious care for anyone and everyone was refreshing.

He held his cards close to his chest and Harry could respect someone like that.

It felt odd to admit that Slytherin house was far more welcoming than he had imagined it to have been in the old world. But like the Hufflepuffs, the Snakes stuck together through thick and thin…

They'd only stab each other in the back when no one could prove it.

It wasn't like Harry would be wanting to seek refuge with his former house anyway. A part of the plan not only required him to be in Slytherin, but to start severing the ties between future Death Eaters and their 'Lord'.

So for now he could only subtly observe his old home, with the same faces that haunted his dreams, preventing him from sleep.

Except someone was staring back at him with a fair share of embarrassment and shock.

One could also describe Rose's face as horrified, but frankly he was more confused on why it was set that way than to really be able to describe her expression.

'What did I miss?'

He cocked his head slightly and changed his glance to questioning.

The girl had been holding his eyes up until that moment, before suddenly averting them. Harry had noticed her face go beet red before however.

Ron was shooting him a dirty look and Hermione didn't seem to impressed either.

"So is it true then?"

"Tracey!" Daphne hissed at her friend's breathless question.

Harry took a moment to turn to them, imperially observing their expressions. Tracey naturally shrunk under the scrutiny, but Daphne held her head high.

The girl had quite the backbone. It was more than respectable. Admirable if you asked him.

"You'll have to be a bit more specific"

Tracey's jaw dropped and Daphne's eye twitched. What the hell is with everyone today? Shock, panic, fear? It's just a wand for Merlin's sake, it wasn't like-

"Finish reading the article" Draco chimed in, idly cutting through some salmon.

Harry's eye twitched.

Snatching the paper out of Daniel's hands, he flipped it back to the front page, continuing from…

Where… he… left off….

The paper vanished in Harry's hands within a spout of fire. Many people gave startled gasps from around him. Others stood and craned their necks to see if 'Ares' had finally snapped.

"Oh she's dead" Harry hissed, standing from the table and striding out of the room.

Hector slapped Daniel over the back of the head.

"What was that for?!" the boy hissed, rubbing his noggin in anger.

"Next time get your own bloody paper"

"Hm" Theo nodded through his bagel.


Sirius Black sat in his cubicle, watching in bemusement as his best friend, James Potter, proceeded to turn red, white and green all at the same time.

"This… this can't be..."

Sirius snatched the newspaper from his pacing friend, holding back a chuckle as James continued to wear away the floor.

What a shock the article had been.

Now, Sirius knew he hadn't been any better when his little Persephone had discovered boys were a thing, and knowing that if someone like him could exist… well boys would be boys. Natural father instincts had kicked in, generating fear and panic in his body.

He had supervised his daughter like a hawk after the first 'he's cute' comment she'd idly made, and now it was great to see how James would handle it.

Young and sweet Rose was finally growing up.

Sirius could only wish that perhaps the photo in the article of Ares Flamel and Rose Potter standing so close together for the wand ceremony wasn't because they were already dating.

He fought back a gag. As the girl's dogfather, he didn't like the word at all.

Saying it aloud might even give James a stroke.

"Of all the boys!" James was still ranting, lost in his own world, "why not Ron?! At least they're childhood friends"

James sighed and buried his face in his hands.

"Flamel is… an interesting character" Sirius said calmly, noticing the look of malice that James shot him for the comment.

He continued on, "but, and I hate to say it, he's got a lot of good will surrounding in name from the pureblood groups. They don't like him per-say, but their children do"

James was about to comment, before his mind screwed up and he looked stupidly at his friend.

"What? Do I got something on my nose?" Sirius rubbed his face slightly.

"You've been attending parties?"

"Yeah, so? A young bachelor my age-" James fought back a grin that Sirius ignored, "should always be on the lookout, never know what might turn up"

Now Sirius wouldn't admit to James what he'd really been doing. His own investigation into the Joseph Stone 'accident' had drawn his attention to any individuals at Hogwarts. He suspected foul play, and the only people who would be capable of doing such and getting away from it..

You guessed it.

Slytherin house, and the very many dark and wealthy families that resided within it. Flamel was one of his prime suspects at the start, but Sirius had waved him off after he'd gotten word of the boy's priorities.

The Pureblood circles were probably talking about the boy far more than Flamel realised. His 'declaration' to Slytherin was common knowledge among certain individuals.

In fact, it had been discussed frequently between Sirius and many of the event goers he had bumped into.

Lucius Malfoy had remained silent on the topic when he'd drifted by Sirius and Lucius's wife talking about it.

"What am I supposed to do?" James moaned, "what if they-" he went pale.

"Far too young for that" Sirius dismissed.

"And when did we first start?"

The Black Patriarch remained silent.

"Exactly" James stood from his desk, "Lunch break starts now so I'm going to go discuss this with Lily"

Sirius held back a laugh for the sake of his friend's pride at the look of determination that crossed his features.

Only James Potter could be so worried about his daughter potentially dating a Slytherin.

But what Sirius didn't know, was that James had a meeting with someone else already planned.


"Look, it's not that I think we shouldn't be out here, but how exactly is sneaking through the forbidden forest going to give us the clues for the first challenge?" Cedric sighed as Rose powered ahead, cutting past trees and bushes in her pursuit of an unknown goal.

Rose groaned and dropped her head back for a moment, looking up at the sky with exhausted eyes.

"Because Hagrid wouldn't lie to me" she almost doubled her pace and Cedric had to jog for a bit in order to catch up.

"I know he's your friend, but-"

Rose stopped and rounded on him, an accusing glare in her eyes.

"But what?"

Cedric knew he had stepped on some very sensitive feelings with the first half of his statement, so he back peddled a bit, hands up in the air defensively.

"What if you're just reading into his words too much"

Rose continued to stare at him blankly.

Something hooted in the distance but both of them kept their eyes on the other.

"I mean what if..."

"In my first year, Hagrid invited us over to see a dragon he had illegally purchased. In our second, he gave us a hint towards Slytherin's monster. In our third year, Buckbeak, his pet hippogriff saved me from Rodolphus-"

"I get it" Cedric sighed, "I'm just creeped out is all"

Rose huffed, spun away from him and started walking again.

"We'll know what we're dealing with when we see it. Hagrid hasn't lead me astray before and he won't-"

Cedric blinked in surprise as Rose suddenly vanished.

"What the…"

Suddenly reappearing again, the girl back peddled into him, almost knocking them both to the forest floor.

She was breathing heavily with fear in her eyes.

"Dragons"

Cedric didn't react at first, giving the girl a curious look. Seeing the doubtful and inquisitive look, Rose promptly aimed to change it.

She took him by the hand and dragged him through the invisible ward that covered a patch of the forest.

Three great beasts.

Three large cages.

Three teams of handlers.

"Dragons" Cedric muttered, "it just had to be dragons"


"...at the black lake, where a secret rendezvous between Ares Flamel and Rose Potter occured" Draco read, a smug smirk on his face as Ares groaned into his hands, "my dearest readers, while I was unable to catch the words exchanged between the two of them, it is-"

"No more" Ares slumped back into the common room chair, getting a few smirks and snickers from those around him, "please"

"And spare you the embarrassment?" Draco raised a superior eyebrow at the him, getting a very undignified snort from Theo, "never"

"None of us can beat you magically" Adrian had a devilish smirk across his features, "so your pride is an easy target"

Ares sighed again, slipping further into the cushion of the chair a light frown on his features.

"It wasn't even like that" he complained into the silence, "just a meeting between… acquaintances"

Everyone noticed the dodged term of friends, but none of them called him out on it, even if by the cringe on his face Ares realised they all spotted it.

They still had some respect for him. Those that stood with him still had faith in his decisions.

Except for one.

Who felt the need to question him.

"Any reason why you're having secret liasons with the Potter girl?" Rookwood pointedly asked.

Draco and Harry both knew who the boy's father was. They knew who he served, and what he fervently believed in. Rookwood was merely a younger version of his father. Hot blooded, eager to serve, and most certainly devoted to the same master as his progenitor.

Changing him would be a difficult task, if not insurmountable.

The only question was, if it would be worth the effort it would take.

Harry and Draco had discussed this in private. Because the reality of the situation was that while Ares Flamel inspired respect, awe, some fear and admiration among those of Slytherin…

The terror of Voldemort was far greater. The fervent belief that the Dark Lord would return was much more powerful than the promises of a Fourth Year Hogwarts student, regardless of how powerful said student was.

Some would not be turned… others would fight against him. Names and faces of those in Slytherin came to mind, but Ares moved that out of thought for now, returning to the question at hand.

"We share similar goals" Ares idly remarked to those around him, but his gaze settled on Rookwood, "you wouldn't have a problem with her, would you now?"

Daniel bit back a sneer, but decided not to say anything further. His ideas of blood purity had been challenged extensively, and even if he was beginning to see some interesting muggle insights such as hand to hand combat, this was far away from a shift in his entire perspective.

"Well it makes sense as to why everyone thinks you two are up to something" Theo remarked, dragging the tense atmosphere away from the two opposing ideals.

"Rita could make it look like Dumbledore was having an affair with Grindelwald, and the people would believe it" Hector spoke up from behind the book he was engrossed in.

Harry and Draco shared a subtle glance, both trying to hold back a grin.

If only they knew…

"Flamel"

Cold. Commanding. Self assured.

Ares turned his head slightly to see the figure of Daphne, arms crossed over her chest with a frosty look on her features.

"Yes?" he replied airly, maintaining an attitude of utter relaxation.

"A moment of your time, your Lordship" she practically growled, sarcasm layered through the sentence.

Ares cocked an eyebrow, but nonetheless committed. With an over exaggerated effort of drawing himself up from his chair, he sauntered after the quickly disappearing Greengrass Heiress.

Draco, Theodore and the rest watched in bemused silence as Ares followed after the obviously grumpy girl.


He was definitely following her. She could hear his calm steps from behind her, slowly following after her much faster ones at a sedated pace.

They had left the common room, and much to her annoyance many had seen him acquiesce to her demand. Oh the gossip mill would be running already.

But let them talk.

She'd never give them anything anyway. And at this point she was fairly sure that Flamel wouldn't say anything either.

They were almost out of the dungeons now, and Daphne still wasn't sure where she was taking him. It had been a whim of the moment. She wanted him alone so she could express her displeasure at Rita's article.

Not that she believed that Slytherin's 'monster' would be in any kind of secret or forbidden relationship with Rose Potter of all people, but Ares didn't deny his meetings with Rose at breakfast. So Daphne was able to conclude at least that was true.

That in itself was enough for Daphne to feel her position threatened.

Flamel was still a mystery. But she was piecing the clues together. He obviously held some kind of hatred for the practitioners of dark magic, more specifically the dark lord.

His speech to Slytherin house in its entirety was some kind of mission statement. A declaration of war if one read between the lines deep enough.

And while Daphne was sure she wasn't extrapolating too much from his non committal words and pointed statements, she was fairly sure he was investing most of him time into becoming a more powerful wizard.

A powerful wizard that she had a crush on.

It almost stung to admit.

But she had to face the music eventually.

Tracey was right. She'd never admit it to her best friend, or anyone else, but Flamel held some kind of magnetism that just drew her in. She was helpless to resist.

Ever since she'd spotted him in Draco's study at the party which seemed to be years ago, she knew she'd fall.

Well, at least a small part of her did.

But unlike the other girls that might fawn, smile, laugh and drape themselves over him… or atleast try to, Daphne would use her tact and wit. She would carve them out with her tools and talent. Father had been a harsh teacher, one that demanded no weakness from his daughters. She would be worthy of the Greengrass name, in all manners of life.

And the idea of anyone else taking her prize right from under her…

Unacceptable.

"We've past by a few empty classrooms already" he had gotten so close to her without Daphne even noticing.

This just further reminded of his ability.

"If you wanted to get me alone, a corridor after curfew isn't the best place" his tone held a light sense of humour, but the way he mentioned curfew suggested that he truly didn't care.

To her, she could at least admit privately that he was terrifying.

Rounding on him to stare up into the intense green eyes, which held far too much mirth than usual, dulled her fear.

But he was still a monster.

The monster she wanted. She sighed internally, feeling the need to somehow delay the headache that would be coming.

"I didn't want any open ears" she said calmly, fists clenched by her sides.

He nodded, gestured to their right, and then followed her into the room he had indicated.

Daphne glanced around the classroom, taking in the quiet space with an air of caution. Flamel and her were alone. Alone without the chance of anyone else coming for them.

Traceys words about Daphne getting him into a broom closet bounced into the forefront of her mind before she dismissed them.

Such thoughts were not appropriate for now.

"So, what's wrong?"

Daphne was once again reminded of how close he stood to her, his words soft and his gaze light. Not worried, but not the same cold indifference he usually wore.

"I'm displeased"

He snorted, "that much was clear. About what?"

Right to the point then. Daphne went directly for the throat in response.

"Sneaking around with Potter is a sure sign of mental instability, especially from a Slytherin"

Ares cocked his head, the foot of space between them giving her every detail of every expression on his face. He was a master at schooling his expressions, but sometimes he let certain emotions slide.

He was confused right now.

"I thought by now you'd understand that I am no regular Slytherin"

Cool. Collected. Calm.

He wasn't going to be pulling his punches either.

Daphne reminded herself that he never did. Persephone had learnt that the hard way.

"Everyone knows that. Potter is still bad news however. Wherever she goes, danger follows" it was true. The Rodolphus Lestrange incident still sat clear in everyone's minds.

He smiled softly, "being the killer of a Dark Wizard does that to people"

"Who you chose to spend your free time with is none of my concern, but keeping you out of trouble? A friend can worry about such things"

"And we are friends?" he wondered airly, a small twinkle in his green eyes.

He was enjoying this. Daphne glowered.

"I would have assumed so, but if your Lordship will not have such a-"

"Don't mock me"

There he was. The predator. The beast that lay just beneath the surface. He'd come up for air in only a moment, but Daphne had spotted the ferocity of that statement, the burn in his eyes.

"I was joking"

"I'm sorry" she muttered, "but perhaps you should be seen with better company"

And it was gone. Just like that a casual air had returned.

"I believe I spend most of my time-"

She cut him off, "I was talking about myself"

A small grin twitched onto his face, "how interesting. You think that Draco and Theodore are not sufficient? Pucey and Morrow are too simplistic for the company I should keep?"

Daphne didn't strike him. Even if she wanted to.

He had already pieced together what this was about. He knew what her intentions were, and what exactly she wanted.

"Hogsmeade weekends are coming up soon" she grit through her teeth, "I expect you to accompany me"

He chuckled softly, slightly leaning back from her as he considered.

She slowly bowed her head, and her elegant posture stiffened under the tense silence. Even when he broke it, she felt the need to curl in on herself.

"A bold demand" he was juggling the idea, and Daphne remained silent as he thought through it.

Here it comes. He'd seen it all coming and he'd determined that she couldn't be of any use to him. Well, maybe Potter was just-

Finger tips far softer than she had imagined them to be tilted her head up suddenly. Daphne was forced to look right into his eyes as he spoke again, a smile on his features.

"I accept"

With grace and a gentleness she'd never expected, he took her from the room, cast a few spells on them both, and in silence they left.

Even as they walked side by side back to the common room, Daphne refused to admit to the heat in her face. Or the smug smirk that rested on his. She walked bunched up, arms crossed over he chest, face pointed in another direction.

He had his hands in his pockets, and the most carefree expression she'd ever seen on him. Not that she was sneaking glances at him…. Not at all!

He was laughing as they entered the Slytherin common room.

Bastard.

Tracey was waiting on the other side of the entrance. She turned as it opened to reveal the two of them.

One glance at Daphne, before her eyes shifted over to Ares… and she knew. It was instinctual, but the girl knew.

Scratch that earlier remark about Ares having a smug grin.

Tracey's was unbearable.

Ares sauntered off back to his group, leaving the two friends to sort out whatever it was they wanted to talk about.

"Well?" the word was stretched for far longer than it should have been. Tracey's smug mug didn't help either.

"Shut up"


The first challenge was already closing in on him. Aside from the general excuse he was able to use for most of his classes, Harry had taken to increasing his training tenfold. A few talks with Dumbledore had even occurred due to his excessive use of battle oriented magic.

Karkaroff was of course worried about him. He'd been drawing comparisons between Flamel and his former master ever since the wand weighing ceremony.

Harry hadn't believed it was anything too serious until he had spotted a Durmstrang student following him in the corridors one day.

Subtlety was never the ex-death eaters specialty but Harry had been distracted, taking him longer to notice the tail. His distraction was well placed.

Cedric had already confirmed for him that the first task was dragons.

Just like last time.

But unlike last time they were flying blind. Not to mention the whole teamwork orientation of the task.

But the cages hidden in the Forbidden Forest which held the dragons had been charmed to hide exactly which species of dragon they contained.

Any species really.

Harry was willing to wager good money that someone had still brought in a Hungarian Horntail.

"There's not much to worry about, especially for you"

The airy tone and light quality had alerted to him who the person was. He had heard them approaching long before, but had determined it was a student.

He had been putting off this meeting for awhile now.

But stuck outside resting by the edge of the lake, Harry didn't possess the energy to escape Luna Lovegood.

She stood beside his flat form, looking out across the lake as he stared up at the sky. So what if he was lying down in the dirt? He was sweaty and tired.

Luna remained silent, expecting a response.

Harry didn't have the heart to give her the cold shoulder. Not Luna. Never Luna.

"Not exactly sure what you mean by that Miss…?"

She was startled by his response, as if expecting him to remain silent, "oh, I'm Luna Lovegood" she sat next to him, eyes still fixed on the lake.

"What brings you around here, Luna Lovegood?"

"Hmmm" she wondered, pulling her knees up to her chest, and resting her crossed arms on top of them, "you wouldn't believe me if I told you, Ares Flamel"

Oh… so there were some differences from his Luna. This one wasn't as firm in her beliefs as the other.

"I like to think I keep an open mind Miss Lovegood"

"Wrackspurts"

Harry couldn't help but smile, "that would explain the headache"

Out of the corner of his eye he'd never seen Luna turn her head faster. Her gaze had snapped to him instantly, taking in every detail about him… as if she had finally realised he was there.

It was… interesting.

But he couldn't look back at her, not yet.

Not now.

Unbidden, the memories once again rose up. The hollow shells of buildings. The bodies. The blue fire…

A splash of green light.

And the poor girl who had moved in its way.

Luna Lovegood had died saving his life. Without any hesitation. Without any cause or reason. She had seen the ambush coming, and had concluded that Harry had to live. There was no way the team would had survived without him.

The proof had been evident in how quickly Harry had dispatched the Death Eater headhunter team.

But Luna's cold corpse had been their only reward.

"You're in so much pain"

Those words brought him back to the present. To the much younger girl that would only ever be a shell of the person he had known.

Luna Lovegood would grow to be a powerful seer. Like many of the others lives that had been cut short, he wouldn't allow her name to go down in a death toll.

She would survive this time.

He finally looked to her, able to meet the eyes of the person that had sacrificed themselves for him.

"You have no idea"

He turned his eyes back to the clouds, the build up of liquid slowly abating. He'd save his tears. Now was not the time to mourn.

She left first, noticing the dipping sun.

Harry left later, his thoughts focused on the first task that would be held tomorrow.


Her magic had been breached. The wards were down. Someone had just forced their way through them. Only her Lord was capable of such magic… but as he was one of the few names allowed access to her domain, he had no such reason to eviscerate her defenses.

Her straw hut was left behind in moments, her feet moving softly and quietly through the forest.

She began to hum, commanding the many creatures and spirits she controlled to aid her defense.

From the wood of the trees, animal spirits rose, fangs bared and claws pointed in the direction of the intruder. Along with the water wisps and the serpents, they followed the hundreds of lives that flung themselves into the approaching threat.

She breathed softly from behind her mask, ignoring the howls and screams of pain from the many lights that were being extinguished. A whisper of a spell was let into the air, and a pure copy of herself bolted into the woods.

She melded into the bark of a tree, covering herself in protective magic.

Eventually, the howls stopped.

They were dead.

A shadow passed by her hidden form, obviously tracking the copy she had created.

Whoever was hunting her had not detected her, nor had he or she noticed the concealing magic.

From behind her illusions, she peaked into the eerily silent forest.

No creatures chattered. Nothing chirped. There was no life. She had commanded the life to protect her, and the life had died.

What a waste. A jolt of power hit her, returning from the illusion that must have been destroyed.

A flicker of shadow moved out of the corner of her eye.

"There you are"

Her clawed fingers swiped up, aiming to poison the male voice with but a scratch. A dismissive flick of a finger yanked her from the tree, sending her sprawling through the mud.

She twisted through the muck, coming to her hands and knees, more comparable to a tiger than a human.

The vines and roots of the forest rose up at her command. She would die fighting.

"You know I've travelled a very long way to get here… Supay's gate does take a toll on the body after all"

The forest which rose so readily in her defence, fell just as easily in her awe. This was another Traveller. This was the one that had figured out how to travel. The one who bridged the worlds.

This was…

And the Shaman spoke, "Lord Voldemort"

The red eyes remained focused on her, and in the shadows which protected his face, she could discern the beaming smile.

"My dear Shaman, when I first dealt with your little council in the other world, you were the only one who had managed to evade me so well. It took me years to find you in South America" she noticed how his feet hovered off the ground, keeping the bare white souls from actually touching the ground.

"But I found you nonetheless. You completed his orders you know?" he seemed airly and happy, even as he toyed with the strange wand between his fingers, "the gate? You figured it out. It is completed by twelve sacrifices, from each of the twelve months. Who knew Supay would be so meticulous" he hissed with a smile.

The Shaman narrowed her eyes, still curled and ready to strike.

None of the council had expected Lord Voldemort to have made it through. Everyone else that had come through, they had come before the portal had been forcibly collapsed.

They never saw the conclusion to the duel between the so-called Boy Who Lived, the other worlds alternative to Rose Potter, and the Dark Lord Voldemort.

Her tattoo's glowed, and this elicited another swipe of a wand. They stilled, returning to the normal black ink that they were.

"Now now" he tutted, swiping again. In an instant the very same roots and vines which protected her turned on her, swallowing her and submerging her entire body beneath the mud.

Only her head remained. She glared up at him from beneath her mask, fury coating her features as he slowly stepped up to her.

Still from a position above her, he crouched down and gently ran a few fingers across her mask.

"I must apologize for what I am about to do, but your little council remains as troublesome as ever… we wouldn't want your lord getting suspicious, would we?"

He chanted as her mask was removed.

The Shaman was finally able to get a good look at his face as he moved closer.

In the instant she recognised him, so too was her free will shredded. His objectives became hers. His orders became her commands. She would be the second of many to bow before him.

Lord Voldemort smiled as the Shaman was freed from the mud. He suggested she return to her home and continue on with her little project.

She complied and stumbled off, the last traces of any flight leaving her as she disappeared into her little hut.

Now to check in on Rodolphus.

In a flicker of light, he vanished.


Harry had separated himself from the other Slytherins. He'd eaten far earlier than all of them, having requested food directly from the house elves of Hogwarts. Something that Cedric had apparently done as well, for Harry found him waiting by the large wooden stadium that surrounded the first task's setting.

Snape had told him where to go. He assumed that the other teachers and professors had informed the other champions of such details.

Cedric seemed surprised at Harry's arrival, almost as if he expected him to have shown up later. Harry ignored the expression and began to study the individuals he could spot. Far above was the lip of the tournaments seating area, and the shapes of men and women moved about or stayed seated.

At this distance, anyone else would need magical assistance in order to discern who they were, but Harry did not.

He could see a few Aurors and shrouded figures, those that he assumed to be the dragon trainers and handlers.

There were a fair few more than the previous time, which drew him to one uncomfortable conclusion.

"Flamel"

Harry switched his attention to Diggory, wondering if the boy was just as prepared as he had been in his world.

"Diggory" he walked beside him, stopping just before the champions entrance, "you're the only one here?"

Cedric gestured to the tent flaps of the champions entrance with just a finger, "Beauxbatons and most of Durmstrang are already inside" his face soured, "Ludo Bagman is also here"

Bagman. A man with smaller pockets than the wealth he proclaimed. His debt would be the end of him.

At least little things didn't seem to change so much.

"You're prepared right?" Cedric glanced off to the castle, where a small figure with red hair was rapidly approaching them.

Harry watched Rose stumble and fought back a frown. The poor girl was going to trip. Had he been this excited and clumsy in the previous world?

No. He hadn't been excited. He'd been scared. Terrified. In his world he'd had Death Eaters and the Ministry out for his head. But Rose?

Rose saw this as a chance to prove herself to the impressive number of people that loved her. To each and every person that stood with her.

Because Rose wasn't alone. Here in this world, she had everyone around her, a family, friends, support…

Harry looked away, focusing on Cedric.

"Dragons" was all he would say, and he swept through the tarp.

Whatever charm lay across the doorway muted all outside noise and interference. His ears were immediately treated to the Beauxbatons contingent speaking in french, and his eyes spotted the stoic and quiet Durmstrang students.

Viktor Krum and Vladimir Lock.

Mikhail was nowhere to be seen.

It was a smaller space than before.

No places to sit, just a few tent poles that supported the structure above them. Ludo Bagman stood off to the side, reading through a very small book with a monocle over his right eye.

Hmm.

"Flamel" the French abated for Fleur to address him. Her eyes had a soft glint in them, something that Harry deemed oddly out of character for the girl, no matter how changed she was in this world.

He tilted his head in response, his green eyes settling on her blue ones.

"You are prepared, no?"

Harry smiled, "you're the second one to ask me this"

Fleur frowned, "that is not an answer"

"Dragons" he dismissed lightly, catching Bagman's twitch out of the corner of his vision. The man was definitely paying attention to them all, but at the same time was hurriedly studying the book he held.

Rose Potter, Cedric Diggory and Anton Mikhail swept through the entrance. Harry didn't bother to turn and look at Rose, but he did settle back into the group that her and Diggory formed.

Mikhail hurried over to Krum, obviously muttering an apology to the boy. The Lock boy sneered at the younger, but said nothing else.

Ludo Bagman snapped his book shut, and as everyone turned to look at him, a jovial smile spread across his face.

"Welcome champions!"

No one said anything.

Bagaman continued speaking, ignoring the frosty attitude of everyone present in exchange for his obviously rehearsed speech.

"Today, the schools of Hogwarts, Durmstrang, and Beauxbatons had pitted you all together to test your merits. In this coming test, you will each select the opponent you face. How you defeat this opponent is up to yourselves, but needless to say, you are all graded individually. Bonus points can be awarded for those that perform well with others" Bagman conjured a small table that rose up to his chest.

"And today's task, is…" three black bags appeared on the table, "Dragons"

The little bags almost seemed to shift and move in response to the word. Harry wouldn't put it past Bagman to have charmed the miniatures to move one command to certain words. And while he was an obnoxious man, he knew how to scare people.

Those in the room that found it far easier to succumb to their emotions and fear did so, through nonverbal ways, but the occasional shifts and moving of feet gave it away for Harry.

More than a few of them were unsettled.

Who wouldn't be?

Dragons were notorious for leaving incredibly high death counts.

"Now each bag contains a representation of the beast that you will be pitted against" Ludo spun the table on its top with a flick of his wand.

Harry got the idea and approached a side of his table. Krum and Fleur did as well, each of them standing an equal distance away from each other. The others followed behind their group members, watching as the table slowly spun to a stop.

Harry reached for the bag and held it closed in his hand, instead watching the others in the room open theirs.

A sigh of relief wanted to make its way up his throat as Krum produced the miniature for a Hungarian Horntail. Maybe his luck was finally beginning to catch up, now as Fleur was retrieving the Chinese…

Her tiny copy of a dragon was not the Chinese Fireball.

The scales and dark body were unmistakable.

A Hebridean Black. Fleur looked horrified. Two of the nastiest and cruelest dragons to ever exist. Massive territorial beasts…

Harry glanced down at his small little bag, an ill feeling seeping through his stomach.

"Well Mister Flamel, that leaves you, Miss Potter, and Mister Diggory with the final beast"

Harry opened the bag and let the small model flop into his palm.

The dragon's scales were a pale yellow, the color of sand. It displayed a strong and powerful form with a long body. Its short tail and neck were covered in thick skin and corded muscle.

That alone let Harry know what Dragon it was. Even before Ludo Bagman announced it to the Hogwarts group of which beast they would face, Harry knew.

Colin Creevey had been eaten by one of these.

"Last but not least," Ludo cleared his throat, his tone shifting from joyful to serious. Celebrating the deadly beast that might in fact kill these children was not the best of ideas.

"The Egyptian King"

Unlike most Dragons, the Egyptian King has thick and long limbs with four splayed digits on each foot that end in long claws. The scales are bunched closely together, giving it an almost insectoid look.

It has wide-set wings running from its shoulders to its lower back. The dragon's head is slim but majestic, a wide skull with a large fan behind it.

Droopy eyes that are fashioned into a frown, and pine-green iris's dominate its face. From memory, Harry recalled that the dragon has strange membranes that function as ears.

Two horns extend forward from its forehead and Ares couldn't help but liken it to an ancient triceratops. A dinosaur. Egyptian Kings were old dragons. Some of the more infamous and larger ones were dated back to the age of Merlin.

A bright yellow glow burned through the horns of the enchanted replica.

Of course. They did have a tell.

The horns glow as it builds up the flame. Even as a miniature model, he felt a slight pang of fear. The last time he'd gone against one of these it had almost cost him an arm. They were not playing around for this tournament.


The crowd cheered, gasped, yelled, clamored and screamed. All for Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. Hogwarts was the last group to go up against their challenge.

Harry had discerned that Durmstrang had done very well. Talk of Mikhail's support had drifted in from above. Krum and Lock had been an impressive front line, and this had culminated in the other school subduing the Horntail for long enough to collect their prize.

Three eggs. One for each student. No student could fail, but to achieve any high number of points they were required to collect the eggs.

Which was something Fleur and one of the pretty boys had barely managed to do. Durmstrang had walked away with all three eyes, Beauxbatons had gotten two, and now Hogwarts would be up.

Diggory had tried to rope him into some kind of planning event, but Harry wasn't having it.

As soon as the older student would try and take over with 'experience'... well than he'd be useless. This was no offense to Cedric, but the boy had only heard the rumours about Ares Flamel. He did not know about the pit, nor did he know anything about his capabilities. Harry was somewhat glad that the boy did not subscribe to the train of thought that everyone else at Hogwarts had, but he was annoyed that in this situation it would be damaging for them.

Diggory did not believe that Harry was as powerful as others suggested. He knew Harry was strong, but he seemed to refuse that Harry could be dangerous.

If only he knew…

So the boy had been conversing with Rose, coming up with a quick tactic in order to not only survive, but hopefully succeed.

He was a good leader though, straining to Rose that survival was far more important than winning.

"And now!" the announcer called from outside, getting both Rose and Cedric to stand, "the Hogwarts Champions!"

"Let's do this" Cedric breathed out.

Rose gulped, but Harry could see her tighten her grip around her wand.

This would be interesting. He gestured for the tarp of the tent, asking them to lead the way.

They all stepped into the bright enclosure and thundering applause.


Daphne had watched with awe and spats of horror as Beauxbatons and Durmstrang went head to head with dragons.

Dragons.

Now, Flamel, Potter and Diggory were supposed to do the same thing. Against an Egyptian King.

The enclosure had been changed again, the rocks forming into sandstone, and the dirt changing into the coarse grains. Daphne hated sand. It just got everywhere. Not to mention it was rough.

Tracey whistled and cheered like those around them as the Hogwarts champions emerged into the now Egyptian landscape.

Almost instantly Daphne tried to fight back a smirk. Flamel looked bored. Rose Potter seemed to be on the edge of her wits, her eyes darting in every direction, trying to spot the dragon.

Diggory seemed calm, but even from here, Daphne could see his shake.

Not that she would be any better. Egyptian King's were aptly named, and aptly registered as perhaps the fiercest dragon in the world.

"What chances do you think they got?" a voice behind her whispered to their neighbour.

"Flamel will carry them" the other replied, "Slytherin's beast wouldn't know anything 'bout losing"

Daphne tried not to smile at that, she really did.

But she couldn't help it.

After all, she agreed.


The sand reverberated slightly, like a hum was coming from it. Cedric somewhat knew what the was. How the King's found their prey among the dunes.

Like shards of glass, orange energy sunk into the sand, splashing around their feet. Rose and Cedric turned towards Ares, who had cast the spell.

"This will give you some time" was all he said, before being blown away into the wind. He had vanished. Completely. Cedric's eyes went wide, while Rose looked between where Flamel had stood and the Hufflepuff.

"What was-"

A roar pierced the air, followed by a huge bout of flame. Rose looked towards the body of the dragon which crested over the closest dune.

It's intimidatingly large head was focused on something else.

"It appears that Ares Flamel is engaging the beast! He is trying to buy time for his compatriots! A valiant effort!"

Rose and Cedric shared a glance, before they hurried off into the constructed desert. Flamel was going to buy them time.

They were to retrieve the eggs.


Dumbledore watched as Flamel conjured a vortex of wind, absorbing the dragon flame into the cone. The fire colored the wind tunnel a second before it was flung back at the towering beast.

Even as the creature reared backwards to crush Flamel beneath its weight, the boy was moving.

A large piece of sandstone was transfigured into a strange elongated object which Flamel alighted onto. A second before the large feet came crashing down on his insignificant frame, he was whisked away.

"Incredible control and transfiguration from Flamel! I am being informed that he's riding a muggle surfboard!"

And Flamel was riding it through the air. Quite impressively Albus would add. A subtle spell informed him that the boy was using a plethora of wind charms to keep his ride floating.

But he hadn't stopped there.

While keeping himself afloat, he also flung spell after spell into the head of the beast, retaining its deadly attention.

Claws launched into the air, clasping for the boy who slid between their crushing force.

He was quick on the board.

The dragon's horns glowed an even deeper shade of red than before, and Albus watched as the torrent of flames erupted into the air.

It was a huge net, one that Flamel faced head on. The boy would not be escaping from this. Dumbledore watched as time slowed to a crawl. Ares face showed no fear. There was no imminent danger to him.

Albus remained seated and calm as the fire seemingly swallowed the boy.

Gasps of horror echoed out from the people, everyone yelling and screaming at the sight of death.

The fire slowly started to abait.

"Flamel has been caught! Ladies and Gentlemen, this might be… wait! He's still alive?!"

And the announcer had the right to be suitably shocked. Flamel floated away, the trace of his shielding spell drifting away.

Albus had caught it however. The red sheen of the shield was only noticeable to those that had dealt in such magic.

As a younger man, he had. But he would not have expected it from one so young.

Albus narrowed his eyes.

Nicholas Flamel had extensive knowledge of blood magic. It appears that he had passed that knowledge onto his son and heir.

Albus leaned back, spending the rest of the task studying Flamel.


Ares flipped through the air, his hand slowly sealing up as he spun past another spout of flame. While he hadn't expected to be so clumsy on a board, that was what he deserved for not having practiced as much as he should have.

The usage of blood magic to enforce the shield, hell the shield itself, shouldn't have been necessary if he hadn't been slacking as much.

With a growl he righted himself, firing off twin blasting curses into the King's face. One caught the nose, leaving a gash in its wake. The dragon howled and turned, ducking its features at the sudden and instinctual reaction to pain.

The second spell detonated harmlessly on the back of its frill.

Taking the brief respite as a chance to check on his allies, Ares twisted to look for Rose or Cedric. A moment later he found both of them merely a few feet from the nest. The Potter girl was looking right up at him.

Good, no he wouldn't have to-

A huge shadow covered him. He didn't have time to react properly. All he could do was turn.

Ares saw the gigantic wing of the Egyptian King a second before it swatted him out of the air like a fly.

The crowd went silent as his body smacked against the Dunes.


Rose watched in horror as the beast sent it's incredibly large wing up to Ares. In an instant, the boy was sent shooting through the sky. His impact was hidden by the dunes, and Rose found herself only capable of staring in the direction he had flown.

The dragon twisted itself up, and slowly turned its head towards them.

"Rose, take the eggs and run!" Cedric shouted, dropping his egg and transfiguring two beasts of glass, sand and rock.

The large cats would be useful for a moment, but Rose felt herself lock up under the approaching monster. The dragon roared, finally noticing the creatures in its nest. It ignored the little speck it had swatted, turning its attention to those that would harm its children.

And Rose couldn't move. Cedric was already meeting it head on, casting his own spells and magic in futility. Fire and a very large claw crushed his creations, and his own magic managed to take the dragon's attention for a few moments. It meandered past him, the defense of its nest far more important than the insect that tried to slow it down. Idly, it swung its tail once it was past the small thing, sending the tiny form careening into the dunes. Broken and shattered. A meal for later.

And Rose found it again. The anger… the hatred.

She felt it well up within her and suffuse her entire being.

Her core couldn't take the sudden build up of magic, and Rose Potter knew that the only way it would be leaving her was out the tip of her wand.

A wand that found itself pointing at the beady green eyes of the beast.

It would not take her. A spell that her mother had taught her only to use in the most dire of circumstances burst forth.

The dragon was forced to weather the pure lightning that Rose Potter controlled.


Dumbledore was a second away from intervening. Flamel was either injured or dead. Mister Diggory was most certainly injured, as Albus had a clear view of the boy struggling with a broken leg and arm.

Rose was currently casting an elemental spell… one that he had seen Lily use during the war.

Her wild red hair was flickering behind her, and Dumbledore was certain that if her mother was allowed to attend the first task, she'd be both proud and terrified.

But Rose was running out of steam.

The beast had growled and howled at the electricity, but as the spell slowly tapered off, it's horns began to glow, signaling the next wave of fire.

And hence, the headmaster found himself on the edge of his seat, ready to apparate into the conflict and protect his students.

From the corner of the space, a soft glow of magic tracked his eyes for a moment.

Like a wraith, a cloud of ghostly white mist exploded out from where Flamel had landed. The cloud didn't waste any time, sticking to the dunes as it zoomed across the sand, hurtling towards the beast and the girl.

Dumbledore sat back into his seat comfortably.

Flamel was alive.


Rose's magic finally tapered off, and the beast raised its entire body to roast her in its horrid fire.

Some say that you see most of your life just before you die, that it flashes before your eyes. Luna had told her a story that this was actually memories of every past life she'd hand, each culminating in the next. This event was also to mark her next life.

But Rose saw and felt nothing.

Perhaps it was the magical drainage? The spell had only marked the dragon, scarring its face, but she had put everything into it.

For what it had done… for killing her friends.

Everything had gotten to her in that moment. Her horror, her fear, her worry… it had all culminated in anger.

The same emotion that her parents and Dumbledore tried time and again to lead her away from.

So as she was about to die, Rose accepted that she had failed them, one last time.

But the fire never came.

It was a cloud of white mist that appeared around her and ultimately caught her hazy mind off guard. Even as she was beginning to slip into unconsciousness, Rose got a good look of the bright green eyes and black hair that had materialized out of the mist.

Her father and godfather used that spell in training… so did most of the Order...

But Ares Flamel would never be a more welcome sight, even as he caught her in both arms before she fell.

Rose's last thought was that this would be in the papers tomorrow.


Flamel created a pillar of earth, sending it careening into the jaw of the dragon. The beast's jaw snapped shut and its head was forced skyward by the projection.

Fire spilled from between its closed teeth, and the dragon eventually opened its mouth to the sky to release the rest.

Ares slowly laid Rose to rest on the ground, and both he and the dragon turned their attention on the other.

Even as he began to cast his spells, the familiar board forming beneath his feet, the dragon lunged for him. An earth-shattering gravitational spell sent the creature careening into the sky. Ares was pulling out every stop for the duel.

And it was a duel now. He was putting himself against another mind. This was the taming of a beast, this was fighting a thinking creature.

Because the creature was definitely intelligent. Every memory he had of these things was of their brains, rather than their brawns.

Even as they left the ground behind he wondered if the beast could comprehend a slight to itself. If it had some primitive sense of honor, shame or humility.

As he drew the dragon away from Rose and into the skies, Ares wondered if the creature felt shamed for what he had done to it. That it now needed to get back at him for such an attack upon its person.

Not much was known about the Egyptian Kings at this current moment in history, and the willingness to allow one into the tournament said enough about the British Ministry's institutionalised idiocy than anything else ever could.

If this race of dragons was susceptible to Voldemort's control, than perhaps… a thought entered his head.

Ares ignored the cries and calls of the people beneath him. On the edge of his adrenaline fueled senses he could detect various individuals on brooms.

Dragon Handlers.

They were hanging back, however.

Dumbledore probably had something to do with that. The old man must want to see what he was capable of.

Ares turned around on his board as it surfed the clouds, easily spotting the tail and ridge of the dragons back as it searched for him.

"Excaal!" he intoned. And the clouds were exchanged for storm clouds. Rain began to fall from them, and the grey clouds shifted to black and angry.

Dashes of lightning threaded into the dragon and down to the earth. He'd get only one chance at this.

Ares made a beeline for the head of the furious beast, minimizing his profile so it wouldn't see him. The wind was blowing in the opposite direction of his approach, so between the lightning and the electrically charged air, it would neither hear, see or smell him.

This was his chance.

Landing on the large head, Ares's board was thrown into the air, forgotten.

Two large green eyes looked up to him, and followed him as he slid between the horns to land on the snout.

The look of surprise in the beast's eyes gave him all the confirmation he'd ever need. In the howling of the wind, the lightning that still struck, Harry James Potter, under the guise of Ares Flamel, uttered a single word. A single spell.

"Legilimens"


The gravitational spell caught many off guard. Not only did it shatter the wards that kept the dragon enclosed within the space, but Dumbledore felt for a moment the power that rolled off Flamel.

Such a spell would never get someone like Albus to sweat, but he was a fully grown wizard, with a developed core and a lifetime of practise. Not to mention an exceptionally powerful wizard, something that both him and young Ares seemed to have in common.

Flamel truly was incredible. He was leagues ahead of his fellow students. Albus was reminded of how Nicholas wished the boy would receive an understanding of others, rather than magic.

The boy goaded the dragon into the sky. His impressive magical work getting the beast's attention and keeping it.

He saw the head of the Auror's signal the Dragon's keepers into the air, to follow after the beast and hopefully prevent further carnage.

Bagman was suggesting that they enter the field to retrieve both Miss Potter and Mister Diggory, but was cut off by the attention that everyone gave to the sudden thunderstorm that appeared above them.

'Ares' Albus wondered, 'what more are you capable of?'

Through the sudden rain and lightning, Albus watched a large shadow plummet from the sky. Even as the ever so sudden storm was beginning to let up, Albus tracked the Dragon's huge body as it collided with the earth outside the stadium.

The earth shook and people fell from their seats.

After a moment of silence, many people shot to their feet, clamoring and calling as they stampeded for the exit. The Dragon keepers disappeared to go check on the dragon, while the Auror's made evacuating the stadium easier for those involved.

Dumbledore gestured for Minerva to check on both Potter and Diggory, who had two eggs clutched under his arm.

The other arm lay broken and shattered by his side.

Madame Pomfrey would be furious with him, but Albus shifted his attention towards apparating.

He appeared in front of the downed beast alongside the other Dragon keepers, trainers, specialists and whatnot, each bickering over what had happened.

They were casting restraining charms and protections to keep the unconscious beast tied to the ground.

So engrossed in their conversation, they failed to notice the figure that limped out from behind the frill of the beast's skull, and made his way towards Dumbledore.

Ares Flamel would have collapsed into the torn up dirt, but the Hogwarts headmaster caught him.

Many people were starting to notice Flamel being held up the aged professor, and talking and whispering broke out. Students that were making their way back to the castle had stopped to point and shout.

Many heads were turning their way, but the tired boy had only one thing to say to Dumbledore.

"If that isn't worth 10 points, I'm transferring"

He passed out to Dumbledore's genial smile.


And that's a wrap! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. The small announcement for this one is that I'll be taking a bit of time between positing chapters. Seriously though, I've got a lot of things I should be doing right now, and I can't keep coming back to this sight in order to post chapters on a consistent basis. My plot extends forwards to roughtly 20+ chapters, but currently I only have content until about 15, so until a later date, I'll aim to keep you all informed.

Those that review, shall be rewarded.

More chapters to follow.

Best of days,

Freedom.