Disclaimer: I do not own anything save for my own ideas. First chapter belongs to Lunarwolf11021
BloodyKitsune1997: Well, I will say this. I didn't plan everything out in this chapter, some stuff didn't want to be written, and some stuff forced itself to be written. I hope you guys enjoy it though.
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Jostanos: You're wrong this time, Jos. It was about the Mounted Guardian's presence at Hogwarts. A certain toad was a tattletale it seems. Of course, we're talking about the woman that thought it would be a good idea to send dementors after a fifteen year old that couldn't use magic during the summer, so being a tattletale isn't that far off.
Chapter 11
The students were wary of the Mounted Guardians which caused them to keep their distance. It wasn't until one Muggle-Born first year walked up to Lyra while she was sitting in one of the castle courtyards with Karth beside her that they began to give into the curiosity they felt. Lyra looked up from the charms text that Professor Flitwick had loaned her when she felt Karth stiffen a bit. Spotting the rather small looking eleven year old approaching them, she felt a bit of amusement at the fact that despite the fear the child was feeling, the girl still approached with the intent to ask a question. The fact she was from the house of Ravens rather than the house of Lions which was known for their bravery just made the mounted guardian want to laugh. Marking her page with a feather that she'd stolen from Malcom awhile ago, she spoke to the child who stopped at a polite distance away from Karth and herself, "What can I do for you, Child?"
"I was hoping that you could answer a few questions," The girl's light brown eyes flicked over to Karth with a bit of awe.
"And what questions are those, Child?" Lyra asked setting down her book and placing a hand on Karth's side causing her partner to relax.
The child reached into her bag pulling out a pen and a spiral bound notebook much to Lyra's amusement. She opened it to the first page and held it out to Lyra. Reaching out, she took the note book and noted the rather well drawn sketch of a fire born vesca. The child spoke drawing Lyra's attention, "My first question is about fire born vesca. As you have one for a partner, I decided to ask you."
"This is a very well drawn sketch," Lyra told the child, "What's the question?"
The child flushed lightly, "I live in a town where they have a Mounted Guardian outpost and one of the usual core members stationed there has a fire born vesca. Why does your partner, Karth, look diffrent?"
"Well, that question is something that will be answered during your class with us," The child began looking disappointed, "But I suppose giving you an answer would hurt," The kid perked up in a way that reminded her of Carter when he heard about a new sowing technique, "Vesca of the same elemental genus can look very diffrent depending on not only their genealogy, the age of their parents, the diet of their mothers, where they're born, the weather of the place they're born, the conditions they grew up in, and things like that," Lyra held the notebook out to the kid and the girl took it back, "Karth was born and grew up inside of a volcano which is why his scales are the color they are,"
"So kind of like how certain animals of the same species look and sound diffrent based on the country they live in?" The kid asked earning a nod, "Are all ice born vesca cold?"
"Yes and no. To their enemies and strangers, they're as cold as the ice they wield. To their allies and friends, they are quite warm," Lyra felt Karth relax and smiled knowing that her partner could sense that the child wasn't a danger to them.
"Are the vesca and wyverns really as vicious as they say?" The child asked looking at Karth curiously.
"Only to the enemies of themselves or their partners if they have them," Lyra answered as Karth lifted his head to sniff at the child, "So long as you do nothing to provoke them, are polite, and do not try to harm their partners, you have nothing to fear of them,"
The child turned a few pages and began writing things down. When she finished, the kid asked, "Do you think of us all as children?"
Lyra debated how to answer that question before finally saying, "In someways yes, you're all children to me even those of my age or older. Until someone proves that they aren't a child, I will call them as such. It is the same in the eyes of my unit. It's how we think of everyone until they prove themselves to not be a child or show that they are capable of making decisions for themselves. In Delllea, you would be considered a child until you either bonded to a dragon or turned 16 at which point you'll begin working if you haven't already begun," She grimaced as she added, "Unless you're a noble."
"You don't like nobles?" The child asked.
Lyra shook her head, "I am indifferent to the noble sect for the most part. I dislike those that are spoiled and horrible to those they believe are lesser than themselves. I like those that prove that they're diffrent," She looked at the child, "Any other questions?"
The kid nodded, "Just one. How old are you?"
"I am sixteen almost seventeen," The kid's eyes widened and Lyra let out a soft laugh, "Karth and I bonded when I was ten. I'm the youngest in my unit,"
"And you're the leader?" The kid asked earning a nod.
"Age doesn't matter if you're good at what you do," Lyra laughed at the awed look, "What's your name, Kid?"
The kid shook her head lightly and said, "Anna Caton."
Catching a glimpse of Taylin and Ausca in the corner of her eyes, Lyra smiled as she put the book she'd been reading into her bag before standing along with Karth causing Anna to stumble back a bit, "A pleasure, Miss Caton. If you'll excuse me, my second in command has need of me."
"R-right," Anna nodded, "It was nice talking to you,"
Lyra started walking towards Taylin only to pause when she was next to Anna and pat the child's head earning a wide eyed look. She spoke softly, "You are a brave one, Miss Caton. Keep that bravery and temper it with the knowledge you gain, it will help you succeed in whatever path you choose."
With that said, Lyra walked away with Karth. When she reached Taylin, he remarked, "A new one, Ly?"
"Not at all, Tay," Lyra continued walking and Taylin fell in step beside her as Ausca did the same with Karth though the two dragons butted their heads lightly against one another first, "Miss Caton is merely an brave child in a sea of scared little sheep. She also knows something about the core which will make teaching her more than a little interesting,"
"Do you believe she might be a potential?" Taylin asked making her hum.
"Perhaps though it's doubtful as Karth didn't really react towards her," Lyra glanced at him, "I believe it would be a good idea to make note of any potentials, but nothing more. We are not here to find them nor would we be able to put all our efforts where they belong. No, we will be leaving that to others though it's unlikely they will look into the situation until after Chris and the others prove their worth to the core,"
Taylin nodded likely having thought as much, but wanted Lyra to voice it. He reached out and intertwined their fingers, "I have to wonder if perhaps the rest of the world has more potentials that are being ignored due to the fact they aren't from Delllea. If five came from England with more possible potentials to be found, who knows how many are lurking in the other countries."
Lyra's eyes narrowed as she thought about it, "Perhaps. It is very likely that if we find enough potentials and it gets back to the other kingdoms, the order might just end up creating more branches of itself. The dangers of doing so would have to be considered as well."
All out war could break out if some of the more ambitious got it in their minds to try and take control of the order. A shiver went down her spine. If it weren't for the fact that the order wished to be neutral, they could have dominated the world by now without any trouble despite the fact they made up less than a quarter of the world's population if that. The blood shed that could be caused over more branches of the order being created in countries where vesca did not normally live. It was a dark thought and left a bitter taste in her mouth. Gaining more potentials was all well and good, the risks weighed heavier in her mind. Taylin squeezed her hand, "We'll let the order make those decisions."
"I just hope they make the right one," Lyra shivered before banishing the dark images that her mind had conjured, "So where are we going?"
"I thought that a trip to the black lake would be a good idea. You did want to get more samples from the flora, fauna, and everything, right?" Taylin asked making her grin lightly as she nodded, "We can also take a trip into the Forbidden forest. I'm interested in speaking to the Centaurs,"
They hadn't been able to take many trips into the Forbidden forest between getting settled at Hogwarts and getting a feel for England itself. It was a shame as the forest was bound to have a bounty of potions ingredients and things that they could study. Lyra had been wanting to go into the forest to see the unicorn and thestral herds that lived there. The things that she could gather from them and being able to say that she'd physically seen them made her grin slightly. While Delllea had a whole host of magical creatures both familiar and unfamiliar to the world around them, they lacked certain animals or said animals were never seen. Thestrals weren't native to Delllea and the unicorns that lived within the country rarely made themselves known. She also wanted to see the Acromantula colony they had here both to gather ingredients and to find out just how diffrent they were to the others currently known. Of course, the colony would be exterminated if they proved to be a danger to sentient beings. Whether they proved too dangerous or not, the colony would be finding itself far smaller.
Lyra was mending one of Taylin's shirts when a knock sounded on the door. She called out, "It's open."
The door opened to reveal Remus Lupin which showed that the were had some sense of bravery considering the fact Tsuki and Evan had made it known what they thought of his species. Lupin walked inside almost hesitantly, "Good Evening, Sergeant Silver."
"How may I help you, Consort Lupin?" Lyra asked as she waved a hand at the couch across from her.
Lupin sat down looking a bit nervous, "Sergeant Silver, I know that you do not like us-"
"I do not like my sire and dame, Consort Lupin," Lyra corrected earning a nod, "I haven't fully formed my opinion of yourself or your mate,"
Lupin relaxed a bit at that, "May I speak plainly, Sergeant Silver?"
"You may," Lyra inclined her head as she put down the shirt she was mending, "Would you like something to drink?" Lupin nodded and Lyra summoned a glass from the cupboard before pouring some wine into it, "I apologize if it isn't to your taste, it isn't mine either,"
Lupin took the cup and sipped the wine making a face at the bitter taste, "That was..."
"Bitter?" Lyra finished with a small laugh, "Taylin enjoys bitter wines. I myself enjoy spiced wine over sweet or bitter,"
"I'm not really a wine-type of person," Lupin said earning a small smile, "Sergeant Silver, Sirius and I have two questions that we would like answers to. The first is easiest as it has to do with Lilac," Lyra inclined her head showing that she was listening before she drank some of her wine, "If it comes to Lily and James losing custody of her, who will you choose to take care of her,"
Lyra was silent for a moment before admitting, "I will admit to being a bit torn on the subject. Part of me wishes to take her on myself and part of me wishes for her to stay in England. If she stays in England, she will be somewhere familiar where humans aren't seen as lesser or have to work to earn some semblance of respect. She more than likely has friends here and she also has your mate and yourself," Lyra drank some more of her wine, "She is the heir to two old families here and will be well cared for."
"But..." Remus murmured earning a sigh.
"But she won't have her brother's close to her or myself if she needs us," Lyra had been going over the options since she'd threatened Lily and James, "She won't get to experience the freedom of being able to use her magic no matter where she is or who she's with. She won't be able to get to know me as well as she should have," She looked at Lupin, "I will admit that both options come with their own dangers. As members of the core, my brothers and I will not always be able to be there for her. My unit and I may have a permanent place within the capital once we're done here, but that doesn't mean anything. It doesn't mean we will always be around or that we won't get hurt. I don't want to just toss her into a place where she doesn't know anyone or even a majority of the languages used there,"
Remus nodded seeming to understand where she was coming from, "I think I understand, Sergeant Silver. Sirius and I wished to tell you that if Lilac comes into our care, we would be happy to bring her Delllea anytime we can. I have always wished to go since I first heard of it and how the weres there are able to control themselves. It is likely that we will be moving to the Sven kingdom both to make sure we can see the boys, but also to see if I can learn how to control my inner wolf."
Lyra was a bit surprised by that, but supposed she shouldn't be. With how fondly Chris, Warren, and their friends spoke of him, Lupin wasn't like most of the weres outside of Delllea. She smiled, "I suppose that would solve many problems though it will be rough on all those involved. From what I understand, weres have a tough time learning to control themselves especially as they get older unless they begin young," She made a decision, "So long as Lord Black and yourself show me that you're good guardians and are willing to understand things, I will more than likely ensure that guardianship falls to you."
Lupin beamed at her and Lyra could see why Lord Black had fallen for the werewolf, "Thank you, Sergeant Silver."
Lyra inclined her head, "What was the second second question?"
Lupin was silent as he mulled over her question. She wondered just what was so difficult about it. When he finally spoke, she was still heavily confused, "Sergeant Silver, how much do you know about how the pureblood families of England keep track of their families?"
"As far as I'm aware, they use a similar method to what the nobles use when looking for prospective spouses," Lyra answered wondering where he was going with this, "Only instead of making sure that the spouse isn't related to the family, the pureblood families use it to keep track of their genealogy,"
"They also use it to keep track of their descendants," Lupin answered earning a confused look, "You are related to the Black family through your sire's grandmother as such you're on the wall otherwise you wouldn't have qualified for the heir position,"
Lyra felt a sinking feeling in her gut, "Your point, Consort Lupin?"
Lyra inwardly winced at her biting tone especially since he wasn't really doing anything wrong. Lupin offered her a searching look, "You have a line going down from you meaning you hav-"
"Had a child," Lyra's chest ached and she felt like someone had punched her in the gut, "We lost it before ever learning of its existence,"
Lupin looked as if someone had struck him, but Lyra couldn't be bothered to feel something for him at the moment. The door opened and Taylin walked inside only to pause before rushing over to her with concern, "Ly?"
"The Black family have a family tree, Tay," Lyra saw his eyes widen before narrowing in anger, "Consort Lupin and Lord Black were curious,"
Taylin's lips peeled back as his eyes darkened letting the blue in his eyes show up, "That doesn't mean they're allowed to-"
"We didn't know," Lupin cut in earning a low snarl from Taylin.
"Consort Lupin, I would advise you to leave right now before Taylin rips you to shreds," Lyra wrapped her arms around Taylin.
Lupin's eyes widened before he quickly beat a hasty retreat. Taylin pulled her tight to him growling deeply in his chest, "They have no right knowing about it."
"I know, Tay," Lyra pulled him to settle beside her on the couch, "But you can't kill them. They didn't know that we'd lost it. The family tree they have doesn't show that stuff,"
Taylin pulled her into his lap and she laid her head on his chest, "That doesn't make it right."
Lyra could tell he was calming down though it would be a very long time before Lupin or Black would be forgiven by her prince for bringing it up. She breathed in his scent letting it sooth away the pain, "It doesn't."
"Ly," Taylin's voice was soft.
"No," Lyra shook her head, "No more talk. No more rehashing what happened. Not right now,"
Taylin tightened his grip on her before burrowing his face in her hair. It would be very unlikely either of them would be leaving this room until tomorrow if they even left this position.
Lyra pulled herself onto Karth's back feeling her partners excitement which made her smile. Despite the fact they were going to be acting like prized show dogs soon enough, Karth loved being in front of a crowd and hearing them cheer. It was why he absolutely loved doing tricks for the children at the orphanage as well as had no trouble performing during their graduation demonstration. She didn't enjoy it as much as her partner, but she wouldn't begrudge him for it. It was part of the reason he was so determined to recover alongside not wanting to be parted from her or Ausca. Patting his head causing him to settled down, she got settled, "Eager to show off, huh?" Karth barked wagging his tail, "Just remember that we're not showing off all our skills, okay?" Karth nodded making a small sound, "Once we're done, I'll see if Tay and Ausca want to go on a run."
Karth barked almost jumping in place showing that he was more than okay with that plan. Once she was all set, Lyra had him walk over to the doors they would be going through. To give the mounted guardians room to work and to ensure all the students could see them, they were using the Quidditch pitch for the demonstration. Certain locker rooms had been expanded to fit her pack, it had been somewhat interesting to watch how the English magicals did something like this. Tsuki joined her moments later muttering, "I feel like we're some kind of show dog or something."
"I know, but we only have to deal with it for now," Lyra soothed earning a sigh, "Think about it this way, we don't have to do this kind of thing over and over again for multiple classes,"
"True," Tsuki sighed before looking at Karth, "I bet your puppy of a dragon is looking forward to this,"
Lyra nodded as she pushed open the doors with her magic, "Yeah. Let's get going and see what we have to work with."
Exiting the room they had been getting ready in, the two mounted guardians and their partners headed down the small tunnel to reach the quidditch pitch. They stopped once they got there feeling a bit surprised. A huge obstacle course was set up on the quidditch pitch making it look a lot like one of the training rooms back home only it was missing the more deadly aspects like the swinging ax blades, bombs, and things like that. It was definitely a new addition to the pitch though it would likely be taken down immediately after the demonstration. Tsuki muttered, "Like a fucking dog show."
"No kidding," Cain grimaced as he joined them.
Evan glared at the course while Taylin and Malcom looked at it with disdain. Despite understanding that not all humans were bad, it was times like this that they were reminded that some only saw them as lesser beings or creatures. Lyra was heavily tempted to leave things as it, but knows that she needed to cool some tempers before something happened, "Easy you guys. It probably wasn't the intention of Dumbledore to make it seem like we were some kind of trained animals that do tricks on demand."
"Alpha," Evan's voice was soft and just a bit deadly, "I believe Umbridge had a hand in this,"
"It's very likely," Lyra looked at him, "I want you all to go over everything before we begin. Check to see if everything is stable,"
"If it isn't?" Evan asked.
"Destroy it," Lyra answered making the were-panther's eyes gleam with a small amount of malice, "We will not risk our partners just because some ministry bitch known for hating anything non-human wants to try something,"
Evan and the rest of her pack nodded before taking off though Taylin stayed with her. They went to go see Dumbledore who stood with a man that Lyra recognized to be the current English minister. Biting back a frown, she ushered Karth closer to the group though had him stop just a few feet away with Taylin, "Headmaster Dumbledore, if I may ask why you've set this," She waved a hand at the course, "Course up?"
"It was Madam Umbridge and the Minister's idea," Dumbledore answered making Lyra's eyes narrow.
"And why didn't you ask us if we wished for anything like this?" Lyra asked as the Minister and the group of what had to be Aurors stood around him with Umbridge.
Dumbledore looked a bit confused, "Madam Umbridge said that you had agreed."
"She did not ask me and I wouldn't have agreed," Lyra placed a hand on Karth's scales to calm the small amount of anger that built up in her stomach, "As your people do not know much of us, it is highly likely they would not be able to take the proper caution needed for such a course to be constructed. Even if they had, they wouldn't have been able to create a proper course within the two days they were here," She frowned at Umbridge who's skin gained a slight puce tint to it, "Madam Umbridge, I would greatly prefer it if you actually speak to me before going ahead with any plans involving my unit. As this is your first time doing so, I will not be placing it within my report to our superiors, but if it occurs again, I will not hesitate. The Sven kingdom will not ally itself with a country that doesn't understand something as following proper protocol,"
"And who are you?" The Minister asked with a frown, "I am Cornelius Fudge the current Minister of Magic here in England,"
"I am Sergeant Lyra Silver leader of my unit," Lyra gestured to Taylin, "This is Corporal Taylin Wyldfyr my second in command,"
The Minister turned a bit pale at that, "P-prince Taylin Wyldfyr?"
"Yes," Taylin frowned at the Minister, "Minister Fudge, my father will not be pleased to see that one of your employees especially one so high up in your administration is incapable of common courtesy,"
An explosion sounded and Lyra rolled her eyes as she saw the cloud of debris knowing that Malcom had probably done it. The minister shouted, "Good lord! What are they doing?"
"They are seeing if the structures are sound. If they aren't, I've ordered them to be destroyed," Lyra answered earning looks of shock, "I take the safety of my unit very seriously. As we did not want an obstacle course, we will not hesitate to destroy it if need be," She looked at the minister, "May I ask why you have come here, Minister?"
The Minister looked at her and puffed up a bit, "Yes, I was wondering why you did not come to the ministry to announce your presence here."
"Seeing as we saw the queen, we followed the protocol needed for our visit," Lyra explained as Karth shifted a bit and she knew that he wanted to join in on destroying the course, "As per protocol, we were to meet the ruling body of the country that we were visiting. As the queen is in charge of both the mundane and magical sides of England, we were supposed to see her," She looked at the Minister with a raised eyebrow, "Surely, you're aware that while the magical community is allowed to govern itself so long as its conflicts do not involve the mundane world, the queen is still in charge and can take over if there is need of it," She saw him flush, "Of course, we did send a notice that we'd arrived in the country. We were a bit surprised to see that you hadn't sent anyone to greet us. Perhaps there was an error in communications,"
"Probably. I'll see to it that the problem is fixed," The Minister promised and Lyra inclined her head, "Would you be willing to meet with me at some point today?"
Lyra shook her head with a fake apologetic smile, "I apologize Minister, but I do not believe that will be possible at this point in time. My unit and I are still settling in here at Hogwarts. Perhaps in a few weeks? We will have gotten settled by then, have met our new students, and gotten somewhat used to being in England."
The Minister grimaced a bit, but nodded, "Of course, I wouldn't want to push you all too far. Just send a letter via owl or have the headmaster contact me when you're ready for a meeting."
"That sounds perfect, Minister," Lyra said as another explosion sounded, "Thank you for being patient and understanding at this time,"
Dumbledore spoke looking a bit amused, "Perhaps we should leave Sergeant Silver and her unit to get everything ready for their demonstration."
"R-right!" The Minister nodded and quickly began to leave with the Aurors and Umbridge.
Dumbledore offer Lyra and Taylin an apologetic look, "I must apologize, Sergeant Silver. Between the Minister's calls yesterday and the regular first day woes on top of my regular paperwork, I didn't verify if Madam Umbridge had come to speak with you."
"It is understandable, Headmaster," Lyra accepted the apology as it was knowing that the aged wizard had more work than a regular Headmaster due to his many positions, "Though in the future, I ask that you send a note or something,"
"I will try," Dumbledore replied before glancing at the obstacle course which was quickly being ripped apart, "I suppose that nothing the ministry has made will work out?"
"Probably not," Lyra shook her head lightly, "Headmaster, may I ask something of you?"
Dumbledore looked at her curiously, "What do you need, Sergeant Silver?"
"As I have not had the time to do so, do you think you can arrange a meeting between Lilac and I?" Lyra asked earning a nod, "I wish to get to know my little sister better and to start my investigation to determine if her parents should keep custody of her,"
Dumbledore smiled a bit at the first part then sighed at the second, "I will contact you when I do. Is it truly necessary, Sergeant Silver?"
Lyra nodded with a hard look, "My mentor raised me to look after my family whether by blood or bond. I must ensure that Lilac is well taken care of and safe while I can," She softened a bit, "I do not wish to make Lilac miserable, Albus. I only want what's best for her. If and when it comes down to her parents losing custody, I will do my best to ensure she ends up in the hands of Lord Black and his consort."
Dumbledore nodded with a sad smile, "I will do my best to secure a meeting as soon as possible, Lyra. Would you be able to secure a mirror call with your eldest brother? I wish to speak with him."
"I will do my best," Lyra replied while wondering what he could need to talk to Chris about.
"I must go join everyone," Dumbledore said with a glance towards the stands, "I trust you'll have everything cleared away and ready for your demonstration in thirty minutes?"
Lyra nodded as her lips twitched into a grin, "We'll be more than ready."
Dumbledore took off after saying, "Good luck!"
Taylin looked at her as they moved to join their pack in dismantling the obstacle course, "Have I ever mentioned how much I enjoy it when you pretty much rip into someone without actually doing so?"
"A few times, but that doesn't make politics any less cumbersome to me," Lyra glanced at him, "I'd prefer to leave that particular kind of bullshit to you,"
Taylin smirked as he ushered Ausca to walk beside Karth before he reached across the gap and grabbed her right hand, "I know, but that makes it even more enjoyable when it happens. I can't wait until they piss you off."
"Let's hope that doesn't happen, I would prefer not to be the cause of an international incident just because I murdered someone for being an idiot," Lyra rolled her eyes before leaning over to kiss his cheek.
Taylin turned his head in time for their lips to meet.
