The Phantom of Hogwarts

Chapter Eight

(Disclaimer: I own none of the characters except for my own.)

As September 1st approached Erik grew more anxious about his first day of school. In the months before his first day, Erik had read each and every one of his new school books from cover to cover in attempt to memorize the material, pleaded with his father to allow him to practice just a few simple spells with his new wand (Anatoli refused, "You'll get plenty of practice at school, Erik."), tried on his new robes at least half a dozen times to make they were just the right length and fit, journeyed down to the wine cellar with Anatoli to assist his father with brewing various potions, which would then be sold to local wizarding shops and families for a reasonable price once they were done, and spent hours hunched over his desk striving to perfect his penmanship and signature.

Artemis had adjusted well to her new surroundings. Convinced that her new owners meant no harm the barn owl had proven herself to be a rather affectionate bird. When she wasn't commuting mail between Erik and his mother Artemis was often in the company of Alistair flying with him on his nightly hunts often bringing back dead mice to drop on Erik's desk or bed.

Before Erik knew it the day of his and Anatoli's departure to Hogwarts had arrived and Anatoli had planned a special surprise for his son. When Erik bounded down to breakfast before dawn the day they were due to leave Erik's mouth fell open in shock. Both his father and mother were sitting at the table eating breakfast and lightly chatting as if nothing were out of the ordinary.

When Madeline saw her son she sprang from her seat in a very unladylike fashion and threw her arms around him. She then tore off Erik's mask and proceeded to kiss both his cheeks.

"Oh, Erik, it's so good to see you! I've missed you so much!" Madeline said softly sobbing.

Erik smiled gently and kissed Madeline on the cheek, "I've missed you too, Mother. When did you get here? Where is Elaina? Is she well?" Erik asked.

Madeline held up her hands and dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief, "Elaina is at the estate with Charles. I had to leave her there. They both think that I am in London attending to a sick aunt. They won't expect me back for another week at least. Your father arranged everything." Madeline explained.

Anatoli smiled, "I thought it would only be fitting that your mother saw you off today. Madeline will travel with us as far as Hogsmeade then Etienne will meet us to take her to London to establish her alibi and after that back to the estate. I brought her here last night via Apparition."

"Not the most enjoyable experience I've ever had." Madeline commented.

"How long have you had this planned?" Erik asked.

"Oh, about a week. Now let's sit down and eat. I want to be away from the manor house by dawn." Anatoli explained.

"Why?" Madeline inquired.

"I can see who you get your curiosity from, Erik. I have acquired horses for the first leg of our journey and I would rather not have the local Muggles seeing us leave a supposedly ruined stone keep." Anatoli said as he sat down.

Once breakfast was finished and Erik and Anatoli had checked their trunks to make sure nothing was amiss and Madeline had packed a small lunch with Izzy's help they were ready. Artemis, Alistair, and the trunks disappeared soon to arrive at their destination in Hogwarts.

Under Anatoli's instructions, Erik was wearing his Hogwarts uniform underneath his traveling cloak. The uniform for an unsorted first year was plain consisting of a white shirt, a black cravat, black vest, long black pants, a long plain black robe, and black shoes. Once a violet cloak, which had once belonged to Anatoli's mother, had been procured for Madeline Anatoli deemed them ready for departure.

Outside the sun was just beginning to rise and cast a dim light over the landscape. All three travelers raised the hoods of their cloaks and walked down the steep hill. Waiting for them in the field below were three short stocky ponies fully tacked up and ready to ridden. Anatoli grabbed the reins of a marble gray pony and helped Madeline mount the animal. Madeline mounted and took the reins with the confidence of a true equestrian. Erik chose a coal black pony while Anatoli settled for a chestnut pony.

"Father, what kind of horses are these?" Erik asked as he pulled himself up into the saddle and steered the pony alongside his father and mother's mounts.

"Garrons." Anatoli said chuckling lightly at his own joke, "They're also called Highland ponies. Best suited for handling the terrain of the Highlands." he explained.

The three of them set their horses at a brisk trot and followed Anatoli's lead over the rugged landscape. As they rode along Erik couldn't help but notice that his mother and father were sneaking discreet glances at each other and that each conversation they had no matter how neutral the subject ended with Madeline blushing and Anatoli falling into a spell of awkward silence. It pleased Erik to see this and left him wondering what would've happened if Anatoli and Madeline had married and Erik had been raised by the two of them together from the very beginning. He most certainly would never have known Charles or Elaina. While he wouldn't have minded never knowing Charles Erik knew that there was no way he would ever wish his sister never being born. Without Elaina Erik's world would've been much more dismal. Besides it wasn't Erik's place to govern what lurked in his parent's hearts no matter how much he wanted too.

The sun was descending by the time Anatoli led Madeline and Erik to a small wood and announced that it was time for them to dismount. They tethered their horses to a tree and followed Anatoli out of the wood and towards a low hill nearby. The air had grown foggy and both Erik and Madeline gasped in surprise when they saw a group of people emerging from the fog and coming towards them.

The group's leader was a middle aged man with obsidian black hair, which was pinned back into a ponytail with an ornate silver pin, eyes so black that they seemed to be lifeless black pools, and deathly pale skin. He was clad completely in black and moved with such small careful steps that his black cloak seemed glide over the grass.

The rest of the group was composed of three boys and one girl. The tallest boy (possibly the oldest) was the mirror image of his elder save for the fact his long hair was pulled back with a thin black leather strap and his eyes were a gleaming silver almost white. The front of the boy's cloak was marked with the blue and bronze crest of the Ravenclaw house.

The other two boys must have been twins. They shared the same hair color as the man and tallest boy but one had his hair trimmed considerably shorter like Erik and Anatoli's while the other allowed his hair to barely scrape the top of his shoulders and hang freely. The only other noticeable difference was that the twin with the trimmed hair had silver eyes and the twin with the slightly longer hair had one green eye and one silver eye. They both wore the Ravenclaw crest on their cloaks.

The only girl was obviously just starting Hogwarts because her cloak bore no crest. She had black hair, which was plaited into a single braid, as well but unlike the man and the boys she had sparkling blue eyes the color of polished sapphires. Her uniform consisted of a white shirt, a black silk scarf wrapped around her neck and tucked into the front of her black vest, an ankle length black skirt, a long black robe, and black shoes.

The man smiled when he saw Anatoli, "Good evening, Anatoli. Nice to see that you have survived yet another summer." the man said speaking in a deep voice that was tinged with a faint Romanian accent.

"Good to see you as well, Vladislaus. Erik and Madeline, this is Vladislaus Le Mort. The two of us used to be partners back when I still worked for Ministry. Now Vladislaus is the head of the Auror Office. How goes the Ministry these days?" Anatoli asked.

Mr. Le Mort waved his hand in a dismissive motion, "Same old, same old. Minister Cross is meddling about as usual. The man has never seen combat before in his life and yet he insists he can do my job for me. But you haven't introduced me to your companions."

"This is my son Erik and his mother Madeline." Anatoli said introducing them.

"So Belificent was sober when she spoke to me. Mad as a hatter that woman especially when she's had too much wine. I didn't believe her when she said that a Muggle had snared your heart, Anatoli, especially not one as charming as this beauty." Mr. Le Mort purred as he kissed Madeline's hand, which caused her to blush as she thanked him.

Mr. Le Mort swept over and then shook hands with Erik squeezing his hand so firmly that Erik feared his hand would break.

"He's a spitting image of you, Anatoli. Sorry to see that he shares the same lack of fashion sense as his father." Mr. Le Mort commented dryly.

"Vladislaus doesn't approve of my mask. He feels that our birthmarks should be displayed for the entire world to see because it is the mark of the Garrons." Anatoli explained wearily as if he and Mr. Le Mort had been over that issue time and time again.

"You have no need to be ashamed, Anatoli. Your family has been a great asset to the wizarding world for centuries." Mr. Le Mort said bluntly.

"Practice what you preach, Vlad." Anatoli muttered.

Mr. Le Mort visibly flinched at the statement then changed the subject by introducing his children. The eldest boy was named Vladislaus as well but he insisted that he be called Vlad, the eldest twin with the silver eyes was Vincent, the twin with the mismatched eyes was named Varick, and the girl was named Vanessa. Apparently there was just one other child an infant girl named Valora, who was at home with Mr. Le Mort's wife Valeska. But the ones in attendance greeted Anatoli warmly as he was the Head of Ravenclaw House.

"Valeska would've come but Valora is much too small to travel right now. She sends her love. Its Vanessa's first year at Hogwarts. I daresay that she will be a Ravenclaw as well." Mr. Le Mort added.

"If there is any justice in this world she will be. So who else are we waiting for?" Anatoli asked.

"Only one other family. The Warbecks are taking a different route this year. A Muggle born witch and her father are coming in their place. The name is Daee I think. The father is supposedly a famous violinist from Sweden." Mr. Le Mort answered.

"Did you have your Aurors run a background check on them? Getting a little paranoid, Vlad?" Anatoli asked in a teasing tone.

Mr. Le Mort smiled grimly, "You know better than most, Anatoli, that one can never be too careful, especially where loved ones are concerned."

Vlad rolled his eyes at his father's words while Vincent and Varick exchanged solemn looks. Vanessa's attention was focused somewhere else.

"Someone's coming, Papa. I think it's the Daees." Vanessa said excitedly.

Erik and Madeline strained to see through the fog but it wasn't until several moments later that a frail looking man and the most beautiful girl Erik had ever seen approached. The man introduced himself as Gustave Daee and his daughter Christine.

Gustave Daee continued speaking but it was all a blur to Erik, whose eyes, were completely focused on Christine. She was a charming sweet girl with long flowing locks of gold and deep blue-green eyes. She wore a uniform identical to Vanessa's. For Erik it was as if he were seeing his mother as a young child or an angel.

Christine smiled brightly and Erik's heart skipped a beat, "Hello there. What is your name?" she asked.

Erik hesitated for a moment too long and Vanessa and her brothers were quick to introduce themselves.

Erik urgently gathered his courage, "Er-Erik…Garr-on. My name is Erik Garron." he said quickly.

Christine giggled pleasantly, "Nice to meet you, Erik. Isn't this exciting? Papa and I were ever so surprised when I got my letter. I was supposed to be going to a singing academy to improve my voice but I begged Papa to let me come to Hogwarts instead. I can't wait to start casting magic spells!" she said giddy with excitement.

Vlad quickly coughed, "Father, has Igor found the Portkey yet?" the eldest boy asked.

"Who is Igor and what is a Portkey?" Mr. Daee asked.

"A Portkey is a magical object that when touched will transport a person or persons to a chosen location at a prearranged time. In our case that destination would be the village of Hogsmeade not far from the Hogwarts castle. I've given the task of finding the Portkey to my servant Igor. Igor has a talent for finding things especially things that do not belong to him. A Portkey is often disguised as ordinary rubbish so that Muggles don't go picking them up. Last year the Portkey was a tattered picnic blanket and the year before the metal rings of a wine barrel." Mr. Le Mort answered.

Christine let out a frightened scream when a grimy looking hunchbacked man suddenly appeared beside Mr. Le Mort. The man smiled proudly revealing crooked black and deep brown teeth which contrasted sharply with his paste colored skin. He held up in his hands a badly fractured carriage wheel.

"I found it, Master! I found it!" the man said excitedly in a low raspy voice.

Mr. Le Mort jerked the broken wheel from the man's hands and examined it closely, "Well done, Igor. Master Garron and his companions have left their horses nearby. Attend to them immediately then return to the estate and tell Mistress Valeska that I will arrive before daybreak." Mr. Le Mort snapped.

Igor bowed, acknowledged his master's orders, and then limped off towards the clearing where Erik and his parents had tied the ponies.

Christine shuddered as he left but was calmed by her father's hand being placed on her shoulder, "There is nothing to fear, child, he is gone now." Mr. Daee whispered.

"You needn't fear Igor. He is harmless for the most part. Just don't allow him to breathe on you and you will be fine." Vincent commented.

"We'd better hurry up. Hell hath no fury like a mad Giry." Varick added.

"True. Now everyone grab the carriage wheel and do not let go until Vladislaus or I tell you to." Anatoli instructed.

Everyone nodded and made a circle. Each person grabbed hold of the wheel and took a deep breath. Just when Erik was beginning to realize how ridiculous they all looked Anatoli fished out his pocket watch and clicked it open.

"Three…two…one. Now!" Anatoli suddenly announced and quickly put away his watch.

There wasn't even time to cry out as everyone was suddenly jerked forward then lifted off the ground. Erik could feel his mother and Vanessa on either side of him, banging into his shoulders as they spun around in a swirling vortex of howling winds and swirling color. Erik felt his mask loosen and fall from his face just as his feet made hard contact with the ground.

Erik's hand flew to his face but he didn't have time to do anything else as Varick staggered into him and forced him to the ground. Only Anatoli, Mr. Le Mort, Vlad, and Vincent though looking quite shaken had managed to stay on their feet. The rest of them were sprawled about on the grass.

Erik hastily pulled his hood up and groped around for his fallen mask. He was stopped when he heard a grouchy female voice saying, "Half past six from Caithness Glen."