Chapter 13: Old Enemies

A/N: Another chapter done. Parts of this chapter were easy to write while others required a bit more effort. I'm blown away that we've now passed 800 followers and are almost at 650 favorites. We've almost hit 200 reviews as well! This is the most popular story I've written so far, and I wanted to thank you all for the amazing response.

As always, please leave me a review to let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Harry burst into Ozpin's office without bothering to knock. He'd never heard the experienced Huntsman sound so worried, even with the crazy events of the past few weeks. Pyrrha followed him in within seconds, but it took Hermione a few moments longer to catch up, gasping for breath.

He immediately zeroed in on a concerned looking Ozpin, Goodwitch, Dumbledore, and Lupin all gathered around the large glass desk, watching some kind of camera footage. He strode over towards them, "What's the situation?"

Ozpin looked up from the screen, "We got reports from a Huntsman on patrol of a large Grimm attack in the middle of downtown Vale." He indicated to a point on an open map on screen.

"Is it a breach from Mountain Glenn? I thought we shut that operation down."

"No. That's the strange part. The teams reported no discernible breach in the Kingdom's defenses, yet our systems didn't pick up on them crossing any borders either. It's like they just appeared."

"That's strange. Vale hasn't had a mess up in its defense system that bad in decades. I read about it in my research when I first arrived here."

"Exactly! They also said these Grimm were… peculiar. They said they only appeared visible to those who had an unlocked aura. I advised them to move in with caution and assess the situation. They were eliminate the threat if possible." Harry nodded waiting to hear the rest with a growing sense of foreboding. "All members are currently unresponsive."

"What!"

"Three of the team members dropped immediately, the leader starting screaming into the comms. We couldn't make heads or tails of it. His comms went down moments later. We got visuals up of the area just in time to see one of the Huntsman attacked by the strange Grimm. It lowered what appears to be its mouth onto the Huntsman. His aura was drained away in seconds."

Harry paled, suddenly knowing exactly what they were dealing with. Ignoring the girls gasps behind him, he turned to look at Dumbledore. The old wizard looked extremely sad, and spoke the word he'd been dreading, "Dementors."

"Now, it's obvious that our Huntsman are currently unequipped to deal with this threat, so I will need all of you who have dealt with them before, to do so again this time. Once you have destroyed them, we can deal with coming up with contingencies in case this becomes a recurring threat."

"That won't be possible." The office suddenly stilled as the tension in the room skyrocketed.

"These things followed you here from your world. Now they're devouring the souls of my men and women. Do you care to enlighten me why it won't be possible for you to help?" Harry backed away a step reflexively. He'd never heard Ozpin's voice sound so dangerous, yet Dumbledore didn't cower under the Huntsman's gaze.

"I did not say we could not help, merely that it is not possible to kill them. Wizards and Witches have been trying for centuries with no success. The common consensus is that it is impossible."

Ozpin cursed while spinning on his heel to look out the window in thought.

"It may not be," Harry barely even realized he'd spoken until he felt the rooms occupants eyes all lock onto him. The idea just having formed in his head, he met Dumbledore's gaze, "What about Fiendfyre, sir?"

His shocked inhalation seemed loud in the suddenly quiet room. "How do you know about that Harry?" Dumbledore looked even more concerned than before.

"I read about it one of the many Defense Against the Dark Arts books in the Room of Requirement last year while preparing for the DA. I know what it is and what it does, even if it didn't tell me how to cast it."

Dumbledore actually looked relieved at that statement, "It's very Dark Magic-"

"But it's one of the only things I can think of that's powerful enough to have a chance of wiping something like a Dementor out. Don't you agree?"

"It's possible, but you have to understa-"

"No! If it's a possibility we have to try it. I know it's considered dark, but it's all about intent. Both you and Voldemort were throwing it around like it was nothing in the Ministry last year. I don't see how this is any different. If the Dementors get out here, it will be chaos."

Dumbledore sighed, "Very well. You're right Harry. It's probably for the best."

"Hermione, Remus, and I should be able to contain them in one place with the patronus charm while you see if these things really can be destroyed."

"A sound battle strategy Harry," Harry could tell Ozpin looked relieved at this turn in the conversation. "I knew there was a good reason I made you a team leader. Should I have a bullhead prepared for you all to depart."

"There's no need. We'll just apparate."

Hermione looked scandalized, "Harry! You can't apparate until you're seventeen! It's against the law!"

"We're not exactly on Earth Hermione. Those laws don't apply here."

"Oh… right," she looked down sheepishly.

"Let's get ready to go then."

"I'm coming too!" Pyrrha spoke up causing Harry to stiffen.

"You won't be able to fight against Dementors Pyrrha!"

"Then I'll help evacuate citizens from the area," Harry could see her eyes narrowing slightly. He knew he couldn't argue with her about this. He had no power to tell her what to do anyway, plus he knew she could handle herself. It was just that some of his old fears were setting in again. Things from his old world were now here, only because of him, and they were putting those he cared about in danger. He was putting the ones he cared about it danger.

"Fine," he bit out. He pulled out his scroll, sending his locker to land near the area Ozpin had indicated on the map earlier. "Do you both know here we're going?" At their nods he continued, "I'll side along Pyrrha. I'm assuming from our conversation earlier that one of you will have to take Hermione as well." Then without sparing any more words, he offered Pyrrha his arm and they disappeared with a pop.

The scene they arrived to was straight out of Harry's nightmares. The last two years hadn't dulled the effects that Dementors had on him, in fact it had probably augmented them with the things he'd see. He could hear Pyrrha gasp at what they were seeing, and immediately start shivering as the Dementors cold aura washed over them. He could immediately pick out three unmoving huntsmen. From what he could tell they had already been kissed. He was happy to see one of the team's members still upright attempting with limited success to keep them back from the civilians. He wondered how this Huntress had kept fighting unlike their teammates until he picked out the foxlike ears on top of their head. It was obvious the Dementors were still affecting him, but it didn't seem as bad. He wondered if faunus would have a natural resistance to them, much like Sirius did in his animagus form.

Two more pops announced the arrival of the three other members of their group. Seeing Dumbledore sigh sadly, he turned to his partner, "Let's grab our gear."

Both his and Pyrrha's lockers were wedged into the ground a few meters away. He donned his sword, and cloak, while Pyrrha did the same with her weapons and armour. Despite everything that was currently going on, he couldn't help but idly wonder if Beacon got charged for the property damage every time a student summoned one of those things into the Kingdom.

"Ok Pyrrha, I need you to go and assist the Huntsman over there with citizen evacuation, and relay instructions to any other huntsman that may turn up. We're going to contain the Dementors and see if we can burn these bloody things. If it doesn't work… we'll have to try and drive them out of the Kingdom's borders, but we'll cross the bridge when we come to it… any questions?"

"I'm on it."

He pulled her in for a quick kiss, before he whispered in her ear, "Stay safe. Dementors are nasty creatures. If they somehow break free, and you think you'll be overwhelmed than get out of there. You won't be able to fight them." With one last peck on the lips, the two went their separate ways.

Joining his fellow magic users he stopped and observed the scene for a moment before raising his wand. The others copied him.

"Patronus Charm on three. One!" Harry pushed back on the chill he was feeling both in his mind and around him.

"Two!" He focused in on the night before, at the Vytal Tournament Ball. He couldn't believe it hadn't even been twenty four hours yet. So much had happened since then. He tired to remember exactly how it had felt to hold Pyrrha in his arms. Her soft curves pressed up against him, somehow only made more attractive by the strength he knew lay beneath. The feel of her lips on his as they'd kissed.

"Three!" He gathered his magic up inside of him, ready.

"Expecto Patronum!" The last bit was cried out by four voices in tandem, as several silvery shapes shot forward. Harry's stag, larger and brighter than he'd ever seen it before, pranced forward. Dumbledore's phoenix magestically swooped through the air. Remus' wolf stepped forward letting out a silent snarl. Hermione's otter slipped through the air as if it were water. The air temperature rose noticeably around him.

"For your plan to work, we're going to need to surround the group and keep them in place. If our patronuses are too far apart they'll slip through the cracks, but if we squeeze in on the group too tightly we won't be able to hold them all," Remus told them. His patronus may not have been as powerful as Harry or Dumbledore's, but his knowledge of the spell itself was made apparent, much like it had been when he'd tutored Harry in his third year.

With his will alone, he instructed the ethereal stag to circle around, pushing the mass of Dementors back away from the faunus huntsman and Pyrrha who had just made it to his side. As the wraith like beings tried to scatter, much like they had over the black lake all those years ago, Dumbledore's silver phoenix swooped in from the other side forcing them back the other direction. Remus and Hermione boxed in the other two sides moments later.

Harry could tell Hermione's patronus seemed to be the weakest of the four, but as the patronuses started to slowly rotate in tandem around the whirling mass, it seemed to be covered. He actually was in awe of the magic they were doing. The spell they were holding was actually containing what appeared from the outside to be a blob of inky blackness, writhing cloaks, and the occasionally skeletal limbs.

Glancing around he couldn't see any civilians nearby. "We're clear Professor. It's now or never!"

The ancient wizard seemed to be steeling himself as he stepped forward. He whispered the incantation, but the words seemed to carry unnaturally on the wind and he heard them anyway, "Gehennam Ignis." Harry filed them away for future reference.

The flames leapt from Dumbledore's wand without hesitation. Even before they started to form the creatures he knew they would, Harry couldn't help but think they seemed eager to escape, to burn down everything in their path. He could see the strain on Dumbledore's face already just keeping the demonic fire heading in a straight path.

Just as the form of a gigantic phoenix was taking shape, it crashed into the Dementors. Harry stood still in shock as he watched the display in front of him. He heard something that day that would send shivers down his spine every time he thought about it for rest of his life: the scream of a dementor. The fact that a creature so terrifying could make a noise that sounded so terrified beguiled his mind. He was suddenly completely understanding of Dumbledore's reluctance to perform the spell.

What surprised him even more than the sounds the Dementors made as they burned to ash, was how each and every one of their patronuses were consumed as well. If anything, Fiendfyre's ability to consume magic was understated.

Of course, with their Patronus Charms broken, a few Dementors who escaped the flames were attempting to flee. Therefore Harry did something stupid. He began running, trying to chase them down, while drawing his sword.

His wand was sheathed into the handle of his blade with a now practiced motion. Acting on pure instinct, he tried something he should have thought of before. Drawing once again on his memories of Pyrrha, and how happy he felt when they were together he cried, "Expecto Patronum!"

Unlike before, no spiritual guardian burst forth, but his blade did light up like a bloody lighthouse. Blinking his rapidly readjusting eyes, he sprinted towards the closest Dementor laughing. Holding his sword like this, only seemed to amplify the good feelings you get around a patronus. It was like some kind of weird feedback loop. His happiness made the spell stronger which only served to make him feel even better. He was sure he either looked like an idiot or a madman running down a city street, chasing after a soul sucking demon while laughing his ass off.

Once he'd caught up to the Dementor, all it took was one swing straight through its body, for the thing to disintegrate with one last unearthly shriek. The next few were even easier, as Remus and Hermione, cottoning on to his plan, had recast their own patronuses and started corralling the escapees for him to finish.

Cancelling the spell, Harry suddenly stumbled as the momentary effects of the energy drain made themselves known. He knew he'd be ready to go soon enough, but he'd had to channel a whole lot of magic all at once and that didn't come without a cost, hence how he was feeling currently. Glancing over at Dumbledore, he noted he looked to be in a similar state. He'd just managed to wrangle the Fiendfyre back into nonexistence.

He knew both his and the Hogwarts Headmaster's fatigue didn't come from running out of magic or anything like that, seeing how it was theoretically impossible. It was more a mental fatigue than anything. Using magic took will. Focusing on something for a long time, or on something that was a little out of one's depth, tended to leave one tired. Watching the older wizard slowly approach him, he idly wondered why he'd never thought to tell Ozpin that. It would probably help him with his theories around connecting magic and aura. He didn't know much though, or really even understand most of what he'd been thinking about. It would probably be better to tell Dumbledore about Ozpin's theories and let them talk it out. They were both the philosophical type. He was sure they'd have it all figured out in one afternoon.

"Ah Harry! How are you doing? Are you hurt at all?"

"No professor I'm fine. It worked!"

Though tired, the old man chuckled, "That it did my boy, that it did. I would rather have not had to resort to such vile magic, but I can't deny your idea was effective. I never thought I'd see the end of those creatures. Maybe now, we can finally get rid of them all back home."

Harry just nodded, not quite knowing what to say, before he suddenly thought of something else, "Was Voldemort here? I didn't see him, but I thought he would be leading the attack."

"Alas I did not lay eyes on Tom either, but when the last of the Dementors was put down, I did see someone apparate away over there." Dumbledore pointed down a dark alley. "I believe that would have been him. From what I can tell so far, he has not brought any Death Eaters with him. I don't think he wanted anyone to know you had survived the veil. He probably planned to come and kill you and return, no one being the wiser. With his only forces now depleted, he has now backed himself into a corner. I fear it will only make him all the more dangerous."

"You're probably right." The two sat in a companionable silence as Remus and Hermione made their way over towards them. More huntsman and some police were making their way onto the scene. As he did so he couldn't help but notice the bodies of the fallen huntsman. He knew they would still be alive when the paramedics found them, but their soul was gone. Lost forever. He mourned for the sacrifice they'd made to protect Vale. It truly was a fate worse than death.

"I can't thank you all enough, on behalf of both Beacon and the Kingdom of Vale. We lost some fine huntsman today. They put their lives, their very… souls…. on the line, and because of their sacrifice, we only sustained very minor civilian casualties. I know without all of your help, it would have ended much much worse. So again, thank you."

Harry was pretty thankful too. After he'd come down from what he now dubbed his 'patronus high,' he had realized how lucky they had been. With that many Dementors congregated in downtown Vale, if they had failed it would have spelled disaster. Even one loose Dementor in a populated area would have been catastrophic.

"We appreciate it Professor Ozpin. It seems luck was on our side tonight for once. We'll have to keep our eye out for Voldemort though, as it's most likely that his next attack will be much more direct."

Ozpin nodded, "I'll keep a portion of the security network keeping an out for his appearance. It'll be best to deal with the threat he poses soon."

They all spoke for a few more minutes in the office, before people started to trickle out. That's when Ozpin spoke up again, "Harry. If you wouldn't mind staying for a moment, I'd like to talk to you about something."

"Sure Professor." He saw Dumbledore watching them in concern as he left, but he didn't say anything.

"I know you're all concerned about Voldemort, but I believe there are more pressing matters that need to be dealt with." He said once they were alone. Harry was shocked, and it must have shown on his face because of his next words. "I'm not trying to downplay the threat he poses, but I truly believe between yourself, Headmaster Dumbledore, your friends, and our fellow Huntsman, it is only a matter of time until he is taken down. The Dementors were a different species all together, but no matter what Voldemort has done to himself, he is only human. Salem is a different story. She was once human, but the things she has done would make your Dark Lord cringe. Trust me when I saw she has no humanity left in her."

"W-w-what is she?" Harry could scarcely conceive of any kind of entity worst than the man who had murdered his parents, but the seriousness with which Ozpin spoke, told him it was the truth.

"I don't rightly know anymore. The closest I could come up with would probably be the Queen of the Grimm."

Harry shuddered, trying to imagine what a human had to do to become the Queen of a whole species of soulless monsters. Even Voldemort's control over the Dementors could be described as a very tenuous alliance of convenience at best. He thought it was more that Voldemort didn't care who they feasted on and they wouldn't turn on him because he didn't have enough soul left for him to appeal to them.

"What do we need to do?"

"I was hoping you would be willing to use your… unique… interrogation techniques again to see what information we can get out of Miss Fall. I believe she is the only one who may have some knowledge of what Salem might be up to."

He shuddered once again. He hadn't enjoyed his last experience with legilimency which Ozpin knew. He knew he wouldn't ask this lightly. "Ok."

"Thank you Harry," Harry could tell how sincere his thanks really were. Whatever was going on with this Salem, it was worrying Ozpin more than anything else he'd seen before.

The two left the office, walking towards what he now knew to be Beacon's holding cells, mentally preparing himself for what he was about to do. "Do we have a time limit? Are the police coming to collect her anytime soon."

"For the moment, the Vale Police are unaware she has been caught," Harry turned and stared at Ozpin in shock. He'd never expected the Headmaster to break the law so blatantly. It made him reevaluate everything he knew about the man. "It is important that we gather whatever information we can from her. I also do not believe the Vale Police would be able to hold her anyway."

"Are her powers under control?"

"They are," Harry saw Ozpin frown slightly as he said this out of the corner of his eye. He wondered what that meant. "We have her outfitted in some aura suppressors. She shouldn't be able to do anything, but be cautious anyways."

"Of course."

They both arrived at their destination, and Ozpin indicated which cell he was to enter, while he went to the console. "Good luck."

The door clicked open as soon as he approached it. Pulling on the handle, he stepped in, sealing the door behind him with another click. Turning back around, his eyes came to rest on the woman before him. He knew she recognized him, as her eyes seemed to shimmer with rage as she gaze upon him. He actually recognized the look quite easily. She was angry that she had been bested, probably even more so than the fact that she was currently captured. It was the same look he'd seen on Draco Malfoy's face over the years when one of his schemes didn't go his way, and he blamed it completely on Harry. Unlike his old childhood nemesis though, Harry could see the calculating looks she was giving him. Malfoy would always let his anger cloud his judgement in areas surrounding him, and had rarely learned from his mistakes. He knew Cinder would be a harder opponent.

"Miss Fall," he inclined his head. "I'm here to ask you some questions."

It was so subtle he almost would have missed it, but he noted the small upturn at the corner of her lip. He knew she thought she now had the upperhand because she had something he wanted. He would prove that statement wrong.

"I need you to tell me what you know about Salem." he had to admit, she was good. Her facial expression didn't even flicker, yet he caught her shoulders tense momentarily. Jackpot! She didn't say anything though.

"I know you work for her Cinder. I need you to tell me what she's up to. You have nothing left to protect. Torchwick has been captured, along with both your accomplices and yourself. Your base in Mountain Glenn has been cleared out, and your plans for the Vytal Tournament have been finished. Just tell me what I need to know." Once again he thought he caught a flicker of a smirk, which for the first time unnerved him. There must be something he was missing. Stepping forward he pulled out his wand. "I'm sorry I have to do this. I need you to tell me what Salem is planning. Legilimens!"

Like last time, his mind swept into his targets. He caught glimpses of thoughts as they swept by. Suddenly he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure. Skin pale as bone, haunting red eyes, and the spiderweb of red veins running across their face.

Before he knew what was happening he felt something slam into his mental probe. Left reeling, he tried to cancel the spell, and started to panic when he realized he couldn't. Something had taken ahold of his mind and was starting to attack it. Whatever it was, it was powerful and felt completely foreign. It was not a natural part of Cinder's mind. It felt vast and primal like a force of nature. The closest he could describe it would be to how it felt trying to wrestle control of an elemental type spell. The elements were born to be free, so trying to control them with magic took more willpower than usual. Even then, this felt even more powerful. Maybe, if he hadn't already had a busy day destroying Dementors, he could have broken the connection, but, tired as he was, it took a while to gather the necessary strength.

Blinking his eyes dazedly, he looked up in surprise to meet the Ozpin's concerned gaze. "Are you ok Harry?"

"Ya, I'm fine," his voice came out a little raspy and he realized he must have been screaming. His face felt a bit wet, so he knew he had been crying. The Headmaster helped him to his feet, causing his throbbing head to pound a bit harder.

They were still in the cell, the door ajar. Cinder sat slumped in her restraints, still glaring at the two, but she was watching Harry a bit more warily now. Her face was streaked as well meaning she had probably teared up as well. Ozpin helped him hobble out of the room, locking the cell on their way out. "What happened in there?"

"You first Oz. What did you see?" If he disliked the new nickname he didn't say anything. Harry shakily sat down in a nearby chair.

"Everything appeared to going normal like last time. It appeared as if you attempted the spell the same, and it even seemed to work properly for a few seconds. After that, both you and Miss Fall started screaming as if in extreme pain. I headed towards the cell, and got there just as you finally toppled over. The connection seemed to break after that."

Harry sighed, "It was working at first. I got into her mind for a few moments. I caught a glimpse of Salem. I was able to recognize how she looked from my dream last night, but that's when something attacked my mind. There's something in her head Oz. A foreign presence. It shouldn't be there. I've never quite seen something like this. It was defending her thoughts, yet seemed to hurt her just as much as it hurt me. I don't know why that would be though."

"Is there anything you can do to get through or figure out more about it?"

"I don't think so," Ozpin nodded. Strangely Harry suddenly had the feeling the Headmaster knew more about this than he was letting on.

"I'd ask Professor Dumbledore. If anyone can get through it will be him, and if even he can't, he'll at least know more than me."

Ozpin looked hesitant, but finally seemed to come to a decision with a sigh, "It's probably for the best. I hoped not to have to get your friends involved in this. I will have him summoned here immediately."

As the Headmaster left the room, Harry slumped back in his seat. He was hoping the pain in his head would fade soon. He knew he'd pushed his mind farther than he should have that day. He'd woken up already with a small headache from his vision from Voldemort. That had passed quickly, but even after all the magic he'd cast that day, he'd still gone and tried to enter Cinder's mind. That was one of the biggest mistakes he'd ever made. It made his headaches after occlumency lessons with Snape look tame in comparison.

The door opened and Dumbledore strode in, right before Ozpin, looking concerned, "Are you alright Harry?"

"I've felt better better Professor, but I'm doing alright."

"What happened?"

Harry glanced over at Ozpin only to receive a shrug in response. He knew Ozpin was giving him permission to say what he wanted.

"We caught a criminal a little while ago who had been involved in a string of robberies around Vale. The nature of the robberies were concerning though, so despite his claims of working alone, we believed he was receiving instructions from someone higher up. He refused to talk though, but I eventually I thought of another option: Legilimency." Dumbledore frowned slightly when he said this, but didn't interrupt. "I attempted it, and though I'm not very skilled, I was able to retrieve enough information. We learned he was in fact working for a woman, who was planning a series of terrorist attacks that would kill hundreds if not thousands of civilians if not stopped. We used this information to destroy their plans and last night, before you all arrived, set a trap where we captured her and her accomplices."

"I understand why you did what you did Harry, but you have to understand the mind arts can be extremely dangerous. If you plan on using them in the future I think it would be best if I do some training with you soon." Harry nodded inwardly pleased at the offer. "Now, I don't feel that was the reason you called for me. Did something else happen."

"After the meeting earlier this afternoon, Professor Ozpin held me back to talk. He thinks that the attacks the woman, Cinder Fall, were planning on carrying out were related to this Salem, the one in my dream with Voldemort. He feels she poses more of a threat to all of us than Voldemort ever will. He asked if I was willing to perform legilimency on Cinder as well to see what we can find out about Salem's plans. I agreed. Once I attempted it, I got a momentary visual of her, confirming our theory, yet before I could search for more, something starting defending her mind. It attacked me back. I was barely able to break the connection and now I have a killer headache."

"Headaches are common side effects to both masters and novices of the mind arts. I may have something that could help out. Reach into his pocket, he pulled a small bag. Opening the bag, he summoned a small vial into his hand with a wave of his wand. He handed it over. "Headache potion."

Harry looked at the murky substance with distaste but decided to tip it back anyway, "Cheers." He grimaced. It tasted as bad as he'd expected, but on the bright side he did feel the pressure in his head start to abate. "You just happened to have that on you?"

Dumbledore chuckled, "When we decided to come after you, we weren't quite sure what we'd find on the other side. We stocked up on many essentials, including any potions we might need. They're all in my bag right here." Harry eyed the small bag skeptically which Dumbledore noticed. "It's undetectable extension charm. One of the more handy spells I know."

"Thank you Professor."

"Anytime m'boy. Anytime." He then stood and turned towards Ozpin. "Would you mind if I saw the prisoner Headmaster Ozpin? I am curious to see if I can detect what happened."

Ozpin looked a little shocked but eager all the same, well as eager as the stoic professor ever looked, "I would be much obliged Headmaster Dumbledore."

"Excellent!" The two grey haired men started towards the cells, and Harry hurried after them. He didn't want to miss this. As the door swung open once again, he was pretty sure Cinder had hurriedly straightened herself out of whatever position she'd been currently slumped in. Without the potion he'd just ingested, she was probably still hurting pretty bad.

"I never thought you'd condone torture Ozpin. I was told you didn't have the stomach for it." Despite her obvious discomfort, her voice still had a strange lilt to it. It was sensual, yet commanding. If Harry hadn't known some of the stuff she'd been behind, he might have even been pulled in by it. Neither Ozpin nor Dumbledore seemed affected. "Oh, another old man for me to play with… how fun. I don't know who you are though-"

Before she had a chance to finish, Dumbledore met her gaze and entered her mind. He didn't take out his wand, or even utter an incantation. The only reason Harry knew it had happened was because he could literally feel the magic in the room. He couldn't help but be slightly jealous by the casual display of power and skill, he had just shown. It just reaffirmed to him that he needed to keep training his magic as well. He may have been doing well so far, but there was always room to improve.

Just when he thought that the Hogwarts Headmaster had succeeded where he had failed, Cinder let out a pained scream and Dumbledore came stumbling backwards. Luckily Harry had followed them in and was able to catch him before he fell. He helped lead the aged wizard back out to Harry's previous seat much like Ozpin had for him a little while earlier.

Before he could even ask if he was ok, Dumbledore was looking at both him and Ozpin intently, "Something's wrong. Something is protecting her mind from intrusion. It is not her own doing however. At first I thought she might be possessed, but I was quickly able to rule that out. Whatever is going on, there is some other entity involved inside of her. It was chaotic and powerful. It reminded me almost of the mind of an elemental or even of the Fae."

Harry thought over this, happy to know that there was something strange going on with Cinder, it wasn't just him. The description of the experience was similar to his own, except he didn't know what the mind of an elemental or fairy was like.

"I believe I know what it is," it was Ozpin that had spoken up. Dumbledore and Harry looked at him in interest. "This discussion is best held back up in my office. Harry, please call Miss Nikos. It's time we all talk."

"Now, the first thing you all should know is that running this academy is not the only thing that I do. I head an organization which is much like what Harry has told me of your Order of the Phoenix, Headmaster Dumbledore." Dumbledore, Pyrrha, and Harry were all gathering around Ozpin's desk, who sat back in his chair watching them carefully.

"They are my own inner circle and we watch over Remnant as a whole. It is our job to keep the world safe from the evils no one even knows about. Hence our current focus on Salem. Now, there's more to this I need to explain, and what better way to explain than to start with a children's story…"

Updated: October 28, 2016 (some spelling)