AN: Please ignore this -supercala fregulistic espi ala docus. Sorry.. I have this program on my comp that can pronounce words you type in- most of the time wrongly. Bitch would be BAh-itch.. Surprisingly, it says the Mary Poppins phrase well, as if singing it. It amused me so much I just pasted it here to hear it time and again.
Holy- It's Christmas. I wrote this in October. Merry Christmas everyone! As a present to myself.. I didn't bother to read over it because my cousins are over and I don't want them reading over my shoulder:D
Anyway, I'm so glad that I'm almost past this part.. I liked it though :D Hope you do too. At least I know that TCM likes it...
Trenchcoatman: I can just imagine their sweatdrops when they found out truth. lol. An alpha Quatre always sounded appealing to me :D I think some of your transformation questions a explained later on in the story. Mythical fanboy? I'm still under the impression that half of yaoi-fans are underage girls and curious straight men. XD Merry Christmas, cause I still freakin' love this story!
Beastly Battle
The Headmaster couldn't be any more of a bitch. Though her words were heartless and unsympathizing, Undeley's explanation for her order was surely grounded: "What chance do humans have against Beasts even with their weaknesses? Milliardo is fighting a battle with Beasts who can heal him arbitrarily, but once a true wizard is fatally wounded, he'll have to come back!"
"I hate to agree with her," Querci said, "but she's right. There's no way any human can stand against the opposing force-"
"How about that specialized team you were working with over the summer?" Undeley called.
But Lillian looked as though she ignored her and she beckoned Relena. Relena was one of the most popular girls in Hufflepuff- mostly because she was the complete opposite of her brother, docile-looking, amiable, yet just a wee bit stubborn. The female dragon was rather tall, reaching Lillian's shoulder. Maybe the older woman was just short.
"My brother?" Relena asked calmly, calmly afraid for Milliardo. Wafts of his scent swirled in the air and it was making her woozy as she smelt the blood in it.
"Hm? You're not twins... How are you in the same year? This more of your wizard magic?" Querci stated more than asked, cocking her head to the side.
Shrieks had geese and Odd-Eye Flamingos fluttering from the forest- abruptly Enorgo and Querci vanished into the forest as if the battle had taken on a new level. Shrill howls, loud bone-cracking bursts, the climactic explosions of Vampires, and the gruesomely familiar sound of wood-splintering made Hogwarts feel less and less of a school and more like the invasion of centaurs during the first months of the Beast Uprising.
"Miss Lillian?" Relena couldn't keep the worried tone from her voice- she had no choice but to think Milliardo wasn't too far from dead in all that deadly crossfire!
"Look, Relena. I don't care how, except for you to do it discreetly as possible," the young teacher started backwards. "Get the others attention, and go some place where no one can see you, and any of you willing to fight, drink this." She shoved a bright blue liquid straight into the inside pocket of Relena's robe so no one could see. "This will make you temporarily older... I'm not sure it will bring your bodies to your correct age, but I know it will make you look older. Still, I'll need you to get those large black cloaks out of my office, you know, next to the brooms?"
Relena nodded. In Transfiguration, and the Hufflepuffs had put away their brooms against the wall, Trowa had accidentally set fire to her broom. Now she had to borrow the old Comets from Lillian's closet during Physical Education. Just as luckily, the teamed Specials had already devised a series of gestures to get someone else's attention- in times like these.
"Good, wear those and just get on your brooms when I signal you. It'll be the fireworks thing again- Please don't let Harry or his friends come, we don't want anyone hurt or gone that's going to have to explain later." Lillian pushed her off, and Relena hurried to Dorothy and grabbed her by her shining glow of an arm. When they stopped once just before entering through the crowd again, Relena made a show of staring frightfully at the Forbidden Forest and scratched her chin, seemingly absently, with her thumb. This was her gesture, an extremely rude thing to do in Sanc. A subtle shift happened to the remaining Specials- even Treize, Noin, and Une, who weren't in on this plan- and had them disappearing from the crowd.
After a time, they caught up with Relena, Dorothy, and the three vampires, though these undead were the last to leave. Without a word, they listened briefly to what Relena had to say and sprinted to Lillian's office, where they found the large concealing robes. Relena, Dorothy, and Catherine drunk the Aging Potion, and as slowly aging and dressing in the hall, assured the other girls that they won't get in the middle of the fight. The boys joined them, wearing their robes.
The Aging Potion had a stronger effect than they, and Lillian, suspected.
"Well, good," said Treize, "I'm back to normal."
Duo scoffed, "Yea, except the fangs, your hair, your skin- yes, you're completely back to normal." The older ones seemed back to normal, except partially Beast-like. Sally, for example, had glitter sprinkled in her hair. However, the young people... It was obvious they had a lot of growing up to do when they were turned to their natural ages.
"What on earth are you giggling at, Dorothy?" Relena asked, looking like a twenty-something-year-old woman, as they walked to the windows waiting for the light show signal, watching carefully as they stood so far away.
"Just your D-cups, that's all."
Astonished, the other girl, along with a few other sly eyes, looked down at her breast protruding frightfully far from her chest. Then the dragon girl quickly changed the subject, "How can you tell it's me? I absolutely can't recognize anyone with these robes on."
Small and curved sitting against the wall, Hilde piped up, "I bet you can recognize Treize. He's so tall now."
"That's because you're so short." Treize toothy smile sweetened the retort, but it faltered as Relena, and a her dazzingly spicy-sweet scent, came up towards him. "Oh, God."
"It is you," Relena said, more oblivious than ever. "My, what's wrong- you don't think Milliardo is dead, do you?" The vampire could barely smile at that, for his mind was filled with the uncontrollable lust of his thirst. He had a whole week to become used to this smell and its familiar counterpart, but so long had its absence been that it was like renewing his senses all over again! And, Merlin, she only stood closer until Wufei abruptly snatched her with his pointed talons so lethally sharp, he had to delicately hold her arm precisely by the his knuckles.
"Remember, Relena, you're a part-Dragon," The Avian warned, "He EATS part-Dragons, to put it rather bluntly."
"Oh, he only bites them, and he's never bitten my brother." Treize made a little grunt, and she gasped. "You i have /i ?"
Une inquired as well, "Just when was this? Why haven't you told me?"
"I did tell you," Treize muttered darkly, "You were just too busy evading me with Noin to pay attention. Sarcasm, Relena," he said, as a bewildered expression pressed her face.
"So...What does that mean, 'cause Une is sort of 'wow' about it and all," Hilde muttered, watching as Lillian and Undeley argued about something out there on the grounds.
"It means that they are bound by blood and will stay by each other's side for all eternity with naught on their mind but the other," wooed Dorothy dramatically.
"Oh, how lovely then. Now you can continue being friends." Some of them worried about Relena.
Wufei, his hair wonderfully slicked back even without his hair tie, barked angrily, "Do we have to spell it out for you?!"
"What do you mean?" Relena gasped, a bit taken aback.
"They're practically lovers, Relena," said Duo, in a soothing, calming sort of way betrayed by his lopsided smile. "There will be kisses, blood-sucking, love maybe, and sex- and all that jazz that goes with 'Bonding'."
As she was absolutely flabbergasted at this moment, and only heard the critical points of Duo's explanation, she inquired, quite surprised, "You made love to my brother- or, rather, you've thought of it."
Treize groaned, finally the thirst was fought down as Relena stood a nice distance away. "Oh, don't get me started. Is it so surprising?"
"Well, yes," she replied honestly, blushing as the hooded figures next to her seemed to look at her as the center of attention, "I mean, such strong men with such beautiful ladies by your side. It's not like Quatre and Trowa. Trowa seems like such a woman now you can hardly tell the difference."
Trowa sniffed.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" the female dragon replied hurriedly, "I didn't mean to wound your... manly pride."
"Don't worry, you just obliterated what was left of it." They snickered while Quatre's cheeks blossomed with color.
"And," Relena continued, "That's you two, and Trieze and my brother, probably. I can't imagine anyone resisting Treize,"-said vampire flushed with pride-"and I believe that... Well, Duo, are you?"
"Huh? Am I what?"
"Are you gay?" she asked curiously.
If he didn't have the hood, his violet eyes would have brightened, and Relena could see his mouth go slack. "Merlin, Relena, what brought that on?"
"I'm just curious," she said instantly, as if it was an obvious answer to a non-personal question.
The part-Banshee hesistated for a bit, then answered, "I'm game to almost anyone, unlike Trowa, Treize... and Dorothy." Only the princess missed his attempt to divert her attention.
"Dorothy?" Some of the Specials hoped that Relena would grow out of her childish naivity.
"Yea, Dorothy," and Duo sort of sighed as he said this, for Relena didn't realize the direction of the conversation nor the meaning of it. "She joined the Hufflepuffs instead of the Slytherins for a reason."
"You did, I'm sure," she spoke to Dorothy. "Was it because the... girls there are more interesting?"
"Well, there are certains similar to a certain type that I like..." the Veela murmured evasively.
"Oh, then, what's your type?"
Dorothy chuckled, and the others, with minds full of great surprise and great sympathy, laughed a little. Dorothy only said mysteriously, "I'll let you figure that one out on your own."
" i Accio Broom /i !" Sally cried suddenly, and simultaneously all the heads turned to see Lillian holding her wand above her head and waving her sparked hand around. They copied the spell and mounted their brooms as they flew out the nearest exit. Lillian seemed pleased with their speed and how well they dressed themselves. These students felt odd having their peers see them without recognizing them, pointed and gossiping excitedly amongst themselves and coming forward to get better looks into their undiscoverable hoods.
"Look, guys, I can't go with you," Lillian quickly warned in their large huddle, "But you guys have no guns or mobile suits- this will be something entirely unseen for centuries in the Muggle word- besides magic, this will be honest man on man fighting. Do you think you're up for it?"
"Nope," Duo cried- or roared, as he had a pretty deep voice for a Banshee, "but like Hell am I just going to sit on my ass when someone needs my help when I can help, eh?"
"Good- then just follow the smell. And put your brooms down somewhere; I only wanted you to get through the crowd without being grabbed."
Undeley was already besides them, the nearest to the forest she will ever be that day.
Lillian informed her in a rush, "They are completely unidentifiable- no names, no looks, nothing, and they must leave this instant."
"Why, I only came to look, but since you have supplied me with that information, how on earth can we trust them?"
"As long as I pay them," quipped Lillian and she pushed the cloaked figures into the forests. A simultaneous gasp left the onlookers- pure strangers were going to fight for them! But a few have disappeared from the anxious group- a certain Slytherin and three Gryffindors- whom Lillian espied gone immediately with terror- vanished into the Castle and made a good job of finding the leftover potion- first the Slytherin and later the trio- becoming startled of its effects, and donning the robes. In a roundabout way, avoiding the distressed Lillian and coursing around the crowd with relative ease, they made their own way into the forest, meeting the pile of abandoned brooms soon.
But three brooms were missing; Relena, Dorothy, and Catherine had taken to the sky above the battle. So far, there were more ash corpses of vampires than the wolves, and the Dryads were apt to survive, sticking to the height advantage of their trees and controlling its varying lengths to attack with branches and roots. Despite that, there were trees nothing but splinters and dead green dryads- already covered in moss.
The battleground spread over at least the span of a halved Quidditch field and also half as high. The dragons, mostly surpsingly ugly deformed creatures, whether partbreeds or miniature, stayed to the sky, circling omniously. Deeper in the recesses of the forces, wounded creatures, including Enorgo, with Querci handling him, tended to their injuries.
Some werewolves were able transform back and forth between their human and morphed selves- an attribute considered for Part-Weres- and they climbed trees to chase speedy nymphs only to be crushed by a branch.
Most of the vampires, whose faces were visible, were dressed in heavy, dark cloaks that were still loaded with varying strengths of Anti-Heliac spells. The others were dressed quite plainly- pale, gaunt, and the characteristic long fangs stretched into ecstatic snarls as they threw well-aimed, powerful curses or snatched the throat out of a wolf or Dryad- or screamed in agony as a root pierced his heart or a lupine devil managed a good bite into any part of their body, whereas in the next five seconds they will become torpid against the poison or attack and then explode into ashes.
"Wow, did you feel that?" Duo couldn't conceal the excitement in his voice, and he stretched his fingers expectantly.
"Only you can feel them die, Duo," Heero answered, frowning. He couldn't see Zechs anywhere- or feel him for that matter. The Japanese wizard had acknowledged for some time that he could feel the living strengths of others- not particularly magic, as Harry confessed to have been able to access, but another component of a magical being. He could feel it in the dying Beasts- but not in ghosts or plants, like Harry. Still, even if he wasn't sure Milliardo was dead, he didn't like the thought that he couldn't see him.
It seemed Treize didn't like it either: "I swear if any of the bastards have fatally wounded my-" he growled,"I'll personally rip their throats out." He glared, incidentally, at Duo, then told him,"Try controlling the bones of the dead. I've heard that Part-Banshees are able to do that."
The boy(or man?) quirked the left corner of his mouth and said, "That's just crazy enough for me to try." Hardly after he finished talking, a stripped spinal cord of a Dryad equipped itself to his hand. Only mildly disgusted, he spoke, "Well, this puts a whole new name to Shinigami, doesn't it?"
A nearby werewolf shrieked, "A Banshee! A Banshee has come to take all our souls away!"
"Keep him away from the Alpha!" came another cry- then more from other Beasts , similar orders with the exception from Alpha to Master, Mother, or Silver Horn, for the vampires, dryads, and dragons respectively. The four groups changed their formation into the most practical defense against Duo and his obviously well-known Banshee powers.
"Instead of 'it's a Gundam', they say 'it's a Banshee'," muttered Wufei wryly.
"Ah, 'Fei," Hilde whispered, catching Duo's habit of calling him by that name, "You made a joke."
"Don't worry guys!" Duo called out cheerily, as if they were all his comrades in arms, "I'm on all of your sides- see we even have a Dryad in that tree over there and a vampire. We just came to take back the dragon-guy and all will be well."
Instead of falling into his coaxing, they diverted their attention to Treize with faces of apprehension and awe- some of the nearest immediately backstepped.
"Blimey, what's that about?" came a gasp behind them.
A voices answered," i Ron! /i ," who stood tall to Treize's shoulder, beside who could only be Hermione, for her hood stood out- her hair pushing it. Harry was besides Heero, twirling his wand.
"Told you not to come," said Heero with what would have been a glare if not for his hood.
"Merlin, I regret it now," murmured Hermione, "This is absolutely horrible!"
"What the hell's going on?" Ron asked again, unfazed. "Why aren't they attacking or fighting?"
"They believe I'm too strong of a vampire because they think I control a Banshee," Trieze said, scanning the frozen crowd, and then roared to them. "WHERE IS HE?!"
A tall figure donned in thick black leather floated from a tree above and, with an intricate diamond-shaped pendant strapped around his neck, making him the Master Vampire of his coven, stood before the outraged ex-general and spoke deferentially, "Sir, we have made a deal with the Dark Lord for this dragonling. As you are a part of us, you must understand the heavy weight we must have to carry out his will." When Treize not only didn't answer him, but also refused to acknowledge his prescence, the Master tried a different approach, the very wrong approach, "Just imagine the amount of dragonblood we can acquire if we feed off him- then we'll likewise breed him and feed ourselves to the brim for all eternity. What say you to that?" And in one moment he was grinning lecherously, the next a perfectly round hole exhibited itself in his chest. Promptly, he burst into ashes, his pendant lying there without its owner. Treize picked it up just as another vampire appeared. The Beast stopped, shaking strongly in the hands.
"Do you want it back?" Treize asked, eying the beautful necklace with purposeful eyes.
"If you want it, sir, you may have it," said the timid vampire, a female, from the sound of the voice, "But we have an essential use for it, sir, for it marks the next master of the our coven, or at least the lover, and I shall be that dead one's lover."
"There's no love between you two or anyone else," Treize accused angrily, "for you made the bargain and the rules yourself with You-Know-Who, when he had given you the option to back out."
The woman snarled, "Stay out of my head!"
"If you have not the skill to operate Occlumency as well as a natural-born Lamia can, you have no right to wear this pendant. This will be an addition to my collection." In an unexpected move to anyone except himself, Treize presented an enormous pocketwatch with a proportionate dent in one side of its significantly decorated lids. He entwined the chain of the pocketwatch with the free part of the necklace and then returned them both to his pocket, leaving those who glimpsed the Time Artifact staring in awe insomuch they didn't recognize the haggard figure of Milliardo Peacecraft climbing upwards a high rock and standing prominently in the midst of them.
Now the recently donned female master changed her manner once more, saying, "Oh, good sir, wish you to own the dragonling yourself, in exchange for at least that old pocketwatch?"
"Think you me daft, woman?" Treize growled, taken in the manner of speech. "I'll not give you anything, so get away from my sight." She hesitated then spun back from whence she came. Now the parley was dominated by the sight of the part-Dragon, to whom the vampire spoke, "Will you come back to the castle?"
"No."
In the speediness that came with his condition, Treize was at the tip of the rock besides Milliardo in a pretty blink.
"Wherefore do you not?"
Milliardo blinked a bit in surprise and to his phrasing before he answered through the shaggy bangs and the side curls that brushed his lips, "I hate the people there!"
"Who do you hate the most?" The vampire asked calmly, and the others were confused- what did that matter?
"Undeley."
"Because she looks like the huge strawberry you hate so much," offered Treize, with a captivating smile, even under his hood.
"That's part of the reason, but-"
"Part-Antipodean Opaleyes, of which breed Milliardo Peacecraft is, adore fruits and sweet rare mutton," Treize said smoothly, turning from the imposter, "and Lillian has informed me that the dragonling hates his hair in his eyes i and /i is in heat. You firmly contradict that proof, plus you smell distinctly female of a breed. I believe you should go while I'm still mellow and patient." Of course, all that information was from his and Hermione's study and not Lillian.
The ersatz growled, "You should back down while you still can, vampire. Maybe you can join the Dark Lord or else he shall stab your heart through with a silver stake and feed you to the wolves!"
"With five thosands Galleons riding towards an ancient goblin-made shield, I think I would take the risk." Actually, the Specials already knew the clever vampire had a shield of that nature- his parents were bigger on gems and priceless armor than Wizard money. They had a problem with keeping the jewelery to themselves like packrats with worthless trash. Treize was no different.
"For gold! I offer you all the power in the universe and you turn it down for gold!" 'Milliardo' screamed.
"I've also seen his sister cry. There are two things I love most in this world: a good maiden happy and pretty things."
"That snivelling Mudblood!" Dark colors slithered their way into the blond curly locks. "Dirty rotten filth tainting the Dark Lord's world!" Pearly white teeth became yellowish and cracked. "And these Beasts! Stupid animals have further broken their way into the pure hearts of the Pureblood!" Three more feet added to the height, eyes became black and piercing, heavy eyelids giving her alluring gaze, and her small mouth was petite and stern. It seemed so that the imposter was a she.
"Bellatrix Lestrange."
She gave him an insane smile. "You're heard of me?"
"I like the bangles you're wearing. They have your name on them." The others beside them began to laugh. "Anymore business you have here?"
Abruptly taking out her wand, Bellatrix roared, " i Avada Kedavra! /i "
Treize simply side-stepped. She tried again, he was standing behind her, once more, directly at the foot of the rock.
Coloring impatiently, Bellatrix cried to the vampires, "You blood-sucking idoits! Do you want to lose all your lives? He has an Artifact, capture him, capture him!" She stopped, quaking, then yelled to the trees, "Come on, all of you! We'll kill them all until we have the Clock!"