EDIT 21/03/14: I've just tweaked the 'Game is on' a little bit, to make it fit with the next story. I basically added TWO words, so no biggy.

Okay, a short one, now. in the previous version, this one was in fact fused with previous chapter. I chose to set it apart because there are some elements introduced in this short bit that will influence the whole series! I'm currently working on the next chapter, which needs some serious reworking before to be posted. Hope you will like this one.

The Game is On

The next morning, the whole school pressed in the stands to see the Game between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. The positions were tight. If Gryffindor won this game, they would have won the Cup. If Ravenclaw won, the Cup would be between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, as the team of Joel and Gina had beaten Slytherin by a short score. So the stakes were really high, now.

And not only in the stand, or in the changing rooms. Ian felt a curious tension in the air. And he seriously doubted it was linked to the game. He didn't like that impression. Alexander and Dumbledore were nowhere to be seen. Ian didn't know where they were. This worried him seriously.

Ian saw Kenneth on the other side of the stands, in the Gryffindor stands. He was looking at the pitch as if he was evaluating the field for a fight. He was concentrated. Ian was relieved to see that he had taken his warning seriously. Speaking of Gryffindors, Terry was again back in the Ravenclaw stands, sitting next to Kieran, who was chatting excitedly with him about the chances of the Ravenclaw team against Chasers like Julie. Terry wasn't really defending his team, surely not to offend Kieran. Ian rolled his eyes at the lack of House loyalty teenager boys could display for the sake of a pretty girl.

The players were still in the changing rooms. The game wasn't about to begin before fifteen more minutes. Ian tried to follow the conversation of his friends, but there was something that kept nagging at his mind. The game left the students exposed. That couldn't be good.

Where the hex was Alexander?

Alexander was hurrying across the atrium, Dumbledore keeping up with him, which was still a surprise to him, given his old age. It was still early in the morning, so they wanted to reach the elevators, before they got too crowded. As soon as the two wizards reached them, they stepped inside one of the cabins, which started down immediately. Alexander pulled the lever to their destination. Apart from the two of them, the cabin was empty, so the trip was short, straight to the ninth level.

"Department of Mysteries," said the voice, as the doors slid open.

Alexander and the Headmaster stepped out and headed for the offices of the Unspeakables, where they had their appointment. The owl had come unexpectedly, but neither Alexander nor Dumbledore could take lightly any summon to the Department of Mysteries. After Corwin Tallmount had been murdered by Tanith McAllister, there had been no mystery, no pun intended, as to who would replace him at the lead of the Unspeakables. Persephone Hemlock had been an obvious choice. The witch was roughly Minerva McGonagall's age, and where the stern deputy headmistress of Hogwarts was a pretty straightforward witch with a legendary temper, Hemlock was a secretive woman who could very well hold the deepest secrets of History without anyone hoping to get a single one out of her. She had this aura of mystery that suited her perfectly for her job.

Beyond this, she was very amicable, and Alexander had met her two or three times without the frustration he had usually developed when it came to dealing with an Unspeakable.

And now, she had summoned him and Dumbledore. This was surprising enough to pique Alexander's interest.

As they settled in her office, she offered tea and he declined, while Dumbledore accepted with a smile.

"Professors, I'll be blunt about it, because I have summoned you for a very simple reason," she said, after they had exchanged the usual pleasantries. "But first, I believe congratulations are in order for the birth of your daughter, Professor Lockenburn."

"Thank you," said Alexander, with a smile. "So what can we do for you, Mrs Hemlock?"

"Actually, it's more the opposite," said Mrs Hemlock. "I believe that a few of my people have been working on the Prophecy that was received on the day of your birth."

"I believe so," said Alexander. "Any progress?"

"Honestly, I do not believe that we can hope to learn anything more about it," said Hemlock, with a serene smile. "After all, it was pretty simple in its meaning. The Son of Entropy is born, the world dreading his rise. Watch his path closely, for it will define the fate of those who will come after him. Really, we can twist it any way we want, it won't tell us anything more. But there appears to have been a development, very recently, and I'd like to test a theory, if you allow me."

Alexander had a nod to invite her to go on. The elderly witch got up and went to open a cabinet behind her. From it, she retrieved a globe on a small pedestal. Alexander knew that kind of globe. It was a prophecy! To say that his interest was piqued what an understatement, now. Dumbledore's eyes, too, expressed deep interest. Mrs Hemlock set the prophecy on her desk, right in front of Alexander, before to resume her seat.

"I would like you to touch this globe, please," she said.

Alexander had a hundred questions but she didn't seem ready to answer any of them. So he extended his hand and let two fingers connect with the glass sphere. The mist inside of it, started to stir, and a voice rose in the room, like a loud whisper, as weird as the notion could sound.

Nine shall rise in wake of Chaos Unleashed

Nine shall ride on the wings of a Storm

Nine shall decide victory or defeat

Nine shall wield the power reborn

Two shall guide, two shall fight

One shall betray, one shall die

One shall serve vengeance, one shall call to rage

One shall rise to challenge destiny

In the days when the Dark shall again gather

In the days when past and present shall collide

Nine shall follow after the Pathfinder

Nine through One shall our fate decide

The office was heavy after the whisper had finally vanished. Alexander was reviewing what he had just heard. This was a major development. Now, the meaning of the prophecy at his birth made more sense.

"If I understand it right," said Dumbledore, breaking the silence, "the theory is that Alexander would be the Pathfinder, in that prophecy."

"I certainly believe so," said Mrs Hemlock. "The way we analyse this, this Prophecy is about your students. I understand that two other children will join you current apprentice, next year. It seems they will have a very complex destiny."

"And the fact Alexander is teaching in Hogwarts explains my presence, I presume," said Dumbledore.

"Obviously, Albus," said Mrs Hemlock. "We need to establish a certain control of what is going on in the Chaos teaching in Hogwarts."

Dumbledore's eyes hardened.

"I certainly hope that you will not try and interfere in the way my school is run," he said.

"No," said Hemlock, candidly. "But you must understand our concern. There is a mention of betrayal. The power of Chaos in the hands of a traitor could be a disaster. I expect to receive reports of the evolution of your future students."

"I was expecting you to forbid me to teach them at all," said Alexander.

"It wouldn't do any good," said Hemlock. "I have learned that a Prophecy has an effect, even if it is averted. To try and fight it is futile. But we may be able to decode its meaning, if we follow the ones it concerns more directly. It's better to be prepared."

"I agree with that," said Alexander. "So what kind of report would you expect?"

"Beyond the simple estimate of their power, which you are the only one able to provide," said Hemlock, "I would request from the school staff to report any problem that the students would encounter, when it comes to discipline."

She was looking straight at Dumbledore, who held her gaze evenly.

"You realise that students cannot be judged by the way they behave at school," said the elderly wizard. "If anything, I could say that the record of Tom Riddle was exemplary at school. As for Harry Potter's, you'd be amazed by the number of detention he got."

"I'm well aware of this, Albus," said Mrs Hemlock. "The thing it, you were there, when Tom Riddle was at school. If I recall correctly, you have always been wary of him. I think I can trust you to be mindful of the important signs. Let me be clear. The Department doesn't care about pranks and rule breaking. I, in my time, have roamed the corridors enough to know that it doesn't make a dark wizard. But we must be kept informed if a student shows behaviour that would indicate a taste for the Dark Arts."

"I understand that," said Dumbledore. "Does the Minister know about that request of yours?"

"Of course," said Hemlock. "I have informed Mr Ambrosius as soon as the prophecy was recorded. In fact, the Minister has another request for you, regarding the teaching of Chaos Magic."

"Is that so?" asked Alexander.

"Yes," Hemlock explained. "While Mr Malcolm was your only student, there was no need for the Ministry to even publicly acknowledge the fact Chaos Magic has risen again. Now that more students will join the school, from abroad, I might add, the information will spread. Some parents or members of the board of governors could express some concerns as to who we admit in Hogwarts with their children."

Alexander guessed quickly what it was about.

"I'll try a shot in the dark, here," he said. "Mr Terrence Macke is on the Board, isn't he?"

Hemlock had a smile.

"He is," she said.

"And the fact that his son calls my apprentice a freak could be seen as an expression of his dad's opinion?" Alexander went on.

"Possibly," said Hemlock. "Mr Macke is getting prominent in the political circles. Should he ever challenge the Ministry's handling of the Chaos Magic issue, we need to be prepared. The Minister requests a technical report of the progress made by each student in your class. Part of this report, which gives information on the potential uses of Chaos Magic, will be public record. The rest, that would touch to the issues we've discussed earlier, would be filed down here."

"I do not intend for my students to become objects of curiosity," said Dumbledore, sternly.

"The reports are not meant for that," said Hemlock. "Actually, the public record ideally should be nameless, for several reasons. First, your next two students come from abroad, which doesn't give British wizards the right to consult the way their studies are led. Second, these reports are made to reassure parents, and as such, they should remain general. The Minister needs a list of what new abilities are exposed through your lessons, Professor Lockenburn. He wants to know what a Chaotician can do, not whose can do what."

"In that case, I think I can accommodate the Ministry," said Alexander. "I assume, though, that the reports addressed to you should bear names."

"Again, these reports would only be needed if anything arises," said Hemlock. "Personally, I do not care much about how many points your students bring their Houses. I'll have to trust both your judgements in this."

The meeting adjourned on that. As they climbed up in the elevator cabin, neither Dumbledore nor Alexander spoke that much. The reason was obvious. One did not discuss Unspeakable business in the open.

"Do you trust them?" Alexander finally asked.

"They've been quite transparent," said Dumbledore, solemnly. "But I have made a habit of never taking anything the Unspeakables say for granted. You don't seem too fond of the idea of cooperation."

"I don't mind keeping the Ministry posted about the progress of Ian or the other students that will join him," said Alexander. "But Hemlock was way too casual about this."

"They know that you only have one student, yet," said Dumbledore. "They're taking first steps, right now. The Prophecy mentioned nine. They can afford to act casual about it."

Alexander stayed silent but he saw the pointed look he got from Dumbledore.

"It's not what bothers me," he finally admitted.

"No, it isn't," said Dumbledore. "I guess you're more upset about the line of the prophecy Mrs Hemlock took a particular care of not mentioning."

Alexander nodded darkly. The words were still echoing in his mind. And they filled him with dread.

One shall betray, one shall die

It meant that, at some point, Alexander would lose two of his pupils. One would go astray. Hemlock made a fuss about this, because that could mean he would become a Dark Wizard, armed with the powers of Chaos. That prospect wasn't pleasant. But for Alexander, the most important was that one of his students to come could die, should this Prophecy not be averted.

Julie was breathing deeply in and out. She had been troubled in her sleep again, with the same dream about Kenneth fighting, surrounded by fire. While it hadn't woken her, she was still distracted, trying to push this vision out of her mind, as her Captain was making her speech to the team. She looked through the slits of the wood. She surveyed the whole pitch. She could see the forest, from where she was sitting. But no hostile presence there.

She wondered where that thought had come from.

The team left the changing rooms, to get on the pitch. Julie noticed an unfamiliar face in the stands. It was a woman. She had very curly brown hair, and deep, curious violet eyes. She was acting like nobody was seeing her. And she looked straight at Julie. She smiled. Julie was about to say something, when Riana elbowed her. She shot a quick look at her, and mounted her broom. When she looked back at the stand, the woman was gone.

Julie shook her head. Was she hallucinating?

Before she could wonder at this any longer, Madam Hooch whistled and Julie left the ground.

The Game was going on for twenty minutes, and still there was no problem. Harry was looking around, still ready. Dumbledore and Alexander had been called to the Ministry. So Harry was in charge of security over the game, and more precisely the protection of Julie Carteret. He had his broom at his side, just in case. The game was fierce and the score was really tight. And the two Seekers were putting up an awesome fight. The crowd was cheering, but, as he caught a look at Alexander's apprentice, Harry could tell that Ian was really focused on anything but the game. He would have to apologize to him, if nothing happened. Because he was certain that if Ian was on edge like this, it was because of his remark, the day before. His request for vigilance would have made Ian miss the whole of the game.

Suddenly, the Seeker of the Gryffindor team, made a wild loop and caught the snitch. The crowd erupted in cheers, and Madam Hooch whistled.

But Harry felt a sudden chill and looked up.

At this very moment, cloaked figures on brooms shot out of nowhere, at full speed. They forced the players to break the circle they were forming in the sky. Two of them landed and pulled out wands. One fell immediately on the ground, stunned by Snape, who had been waiting on the pitch.

Then something appeared in the sky. A Pegasus, flying from above, plunged to the pitch and its rider seized Julie by the waist.

Harry jumped immediately on his broom, and dived from the stands, with his wand in his hand. The wizards on brooms started to cast spells at him. He dodged them, and began a fight to get to the Pegasus rider, who was trying to take back altitude while he was struggling with an enraged Julie.

All around Harry, this was a complete madness. Lightning began to shot in every direction.

Ian saw it begin immediately, and he jumped on his feet. He ran down the stands, and jumped on the pitch, slowing his fall by a levitation spell. The players were landing in complete disorder. Ian saw that students were staring to panic.

Around Professor Potter, wizards were trying to stop him from getting close to the Pegasus Rider. The rider seemed to be the leader of the group. He raised a hand.

"Distract Potter!" he shouted. "Strike the stands!"

"NO!" shouted Professor Potter.

He suddenly turned a desperate look to the pitch and he crossed Ian's eyes. That suddenly pushed Ian to act. He ran to the middle of the pitch, as the wizards under the rider's command were raising their wands, pointing them to the stands.

From the wands, in response to the incantation, lightning shot out of the tips, heading for the stands.

"Protego Maxima!" shouted Ian, both his hands extended. Again, his shout echoed in the air. And a huge barrier formed over the whole stands.

He was standing in the middle of the field, his hands raised. Above the Quidditch field, lightning was shooting in every direction as the spell was exploding on the surface of the shield. One of the bolts hit one of the hoops, setting it on fire. It began to shake, as if he was about to fall. Ian shot it a desperate look. He couldn't let go of the shield, or the lightning would go after the students. Powerless, he saw the hoop head down and fall right at the Slytherin stands. He heard screams of terror.

But, at this moment, a strange whip of light came to grip it. It pulled quickly on the hoop, and threw it on the ground, where it couldn't do any harm. From the smoke and flames, walked out Kenneth, his wand ready. He was looking more decided than ever. Ian let out a sigh of relief.

But the wizards who had landed, while cut from their comrades, were still inside the shield. One was duelling with Snape, while McGonagall and Flitwick were covering the students. Ian saw Professor Weasley engage two of them, her wand tracing elegant spells and blocking their attacks. Her husband and his sister were taking care of another group.

The last two turned to Ian, willing to shut down the shield, and let the lightning do their deed. Ian knew that he couldn't defend himself while covering the stands. But Kenneth stepped between Ian and the hooded wizards.

"Here," he said, waving his wand quickly.

A lightning bolt shot out of it, and forced the Wizards to summon a shielding Charm. Kenneth defied the pair, while Ian was maintaining the Shield over their heads. The two seemed stunned to face such a young wizard.

"Be gone, young one," one of them said, with a very strong accent. "You don't know who you're facing. Do not commit the mistake to try and stop us."

Kenneth made two waves of his wand, and the wizard was hit in the cheek. He raised a hand to a deep cut. He looked at the blood in disbelief. Then he looked at Kenneth.

"What mistake was that?" asked Kenneth, his face as cold as stone.

The duel began, then, furious. The two attackers were shouting incantations wildly. Kenneth was blocking and riposting in total silence, containing the attacks from both sides and retaliating coolly.

Ian couldn't follow the duel very long, as the shield was weakening. He gathered his will again and summoned more strength in himself, to reinforce the barrier. It deviated another bolt, which rebounded on the shield and hit one of the flying Warlocks. He fell on the ground, outside the pitch, and stayed motionless. Ian closed his mind, concentrating only on the shield.

He then saw Professor Potter shoot through the air on his broom, his wand raised. He reached the Pegasus rider that was trying to fly away with Julie. Potter shouted something Ian didn't understand, but Julie suddenly was pulled out of the rider's arms, and the Professor caught her swiftly in the air. He shot down, to reach the Quidditch pitch. Ian clenched his teeth and tore an opening in his shield, just as Professor Potter was reaching it. He landed on the floor. Ian restored the shield.

Kenneth was still fighting his opponents, dodging attacks and sending silent responses to any spells. One suddenly tried to flank Kenneth and push him back into the fire caused by the burning post. Kenneth made three waves of his wand and the Wizard was thrown on the ground, stunned. The other one tried to get to his broomstick, only to be caught by a stunner by Miss Weasley.

Ian looked up and saw that the lightning was gone. And so was the Pegasus, and all the wizards on their brooms. He lowered his hands, and the shield dissolved. Professor Potter was already running to him, while Kenneth was looking around in search for any enemy left. Professor Snape was protecting Julie, looking very tense. The whole stadium had fallen silent, now. All the students were looking at the pitch, shocked and puzzled. Ian could tell that they were frightened. He didn't feel very reassured himself. But the alert has passed. Ian caught a glimpse of an unknown face. A face with brown hair, with many curls, and very deep blue eyes. It was looking at the scene with round eyes. It was a man.

"Well done!" shouted Professor Potter, getting to him. "Ian, are you alright, Ian?" he asked, looking suddenly concerned.

His voice seemed to be fading a little. Ian turned his eyes to him, and saw him blur slightly. He smiled a little dumbly.

"A little tired," he managed to say.

All went black and he fell to the floor, caught in extremis by Professor Potter.

Told you it was short! :)