Harry Potter and the Shadow Legion
Part 2
Chapter 24
"Black Leader for Arthur, please answer Anderson."
"This is Anderson, what is going on there Ivan, did you…"
"No time for that sir, we have bigger problems. We have a code black."
It was silent for a short while before Anderson replied.
"I'm on my way, get everyone out of there as soon as possible, I want only you and the kids to stay. Tell Sarah to use the kids' magical energy if she needs it, but she has to keep them contained at any cost, until I get there."
"Understood, Black Leader over and out."
Ivan removed his mask again and turned to the 49 Black Angels and 10 combat healers that were waiting for them. "New orders from HQ, everyone except Harry, Hermione, Fleur, and Ginny, get the hell out of here. Anderson ordered a complete evacuation of all Legion forces, except the five of us."
The men and women immediately saluted him and took off in a hurry, back towards the entrance hall, while Ivan turned to the kids. "Okay listen up, there is only one person in the world who can answer the questions you four undoubtedly have and that is Anderson."
He interrupted Harry, who obviously wanted to ask something and added, "This is a level of secrecy that I have no clearance for. Dan hasn't got clearance for it, not even the Queen knows the full story, so please don't ask." The kids nodded and together they waited for Anderson to arrive.
After a few minutes, Sarah spoke again and to their surprise, and concern, everyone could clearly hear the strain in her voice. "I… ca-… can't…hold… them… much… lon-… longer. They… are… drai-… draining… my… power."
Ivan turned to the kids and prevented them from asking anything by saying, "Don't ask. I need you four to each place one of your hands directly on the barrier, your magical power will help Sarah to hold it up until Anderson arrives."
They did as he asked and as soon as they did, the barrier turned from shimmering to clear, solid blue, as if they were looking through a wall made of pure sapphire. What they saw wasn't exactly better than not being able to see anything at all.
The entire dungeon was filled with black fire and they had to strain their eyes to be able to catch a glimpse of Aurora and Gabrielle in the inferno. Even with their fire-resistance, the heat coming from the barrier was clearly noticeable and judging by what little they could see, it was hot enough to start melting the walls.
They were pulled away from staring into the burning dungeon by the sound of armored boots approaching them in a hurry. Being careful to keep their hands on the barrier, the kids and Ivan all looked towards the sound hoping to see Anderson with reinforcements or just about anything that might help them.
Anderson came running towards them, alone and dressed in what looked like an EXO suit. Unlike the Mark 7 Spartans, this suit was painted in black with patterns of runes in red and blue. The pattern made it difficult to discern its shape, but it appeared to be somewhat of a different design than a Mark 7 EXO.
As soon as he arrived, Anderson snapped his fingers and said, "Ivan, you have your orders, evacuate the castle."
Not showing his disappointment at being dismissed, Ivan saluted and ran off on a hurry. As soon as he was gone, Anderson turned to the kids and said, "Get your hands off of that barrier kids, I got this." As soon as he finished he reached behind his back and grabbed what looked to be a scepter made of solid diamond.
To the amazement of the kids, the scepter was burning. As soon as he grasped it, the scepter ignited itself with pure golden flames. Anderson walked straight towards the barrier, not in the least bothered by the burning object he held in his hand and he slammed it straight into the barrier, turning it from blue to bright gold.
As the kids were staring in awe at what Anderson was doing, Sarah was less distracted. "What kind of item did you use Commander? The barrier has gone entirely self-sufficient."
"I'm afraid that's a bit above your security clearance, sis," Anderson's replied with a pseudo-smile.
"SIS!?" the quartet exclaimed as one.
"Long story, we'll get to that later. For now, I need you four to listen to me, that scepter will contain them for exactly one hour. After which the barrier will disappear and Hogwarts, along with everything else within a radius of 25 miles will be destroyed."
The quartet looked at him with disbelief in their eyes and after letting out a sigh Anderson said softly, "Sit down kids, we have a lot to talk about."
After they had sat down Anderson opened one of his pouches and retrieved a large, square, flat wooden box. He sat the box down on the ground and opened it to reveal a pensieve. Placing the pensieve on top of the box, Anderson looked at each of the children in front of him and said, "What I am about to tell you is the best kept secret in the world, I will require a magical oath from each of you not to even talk about it, before I continue."
They quickly made the required oath and once they were done, Anderson pointed towards the pensieve. "What you will see in here will be very hard to believe and accept for you four, but you have my word, it is all true.
Since you four have discovered what and who Aurora and Gabrielle exactly are, what is the thing that seemed most dangerous about them?"
After a short silence, it was Hermione who answered, "Their emotions are a bit unhinged sometimes and when they are angry they are very unpredictable."
"That is partially correct." Anderson replied and after a short hesitation, he added, "The Legion and the Crown have always said that the Dark Angels are the greatest protection of the non-magical world, but they are also one of its greatest threats. Happiness, love, hate, anger, these are all emotions they can deal with. What they are going through now is something a whole lot more dangerous; pain and above all, fear."
"What could they possibly be afraid of," Fleur asked softly with a quick look towards the barrier.
"What they fear, is the past and what happened. I would like you to tell me what happened before they started 'burning'?"
Harry took that job upon himself and he said, "When we arrived in the dungeon we found that blonde arse-wipe raping Luna."
Anderson paled noticeably before he said, "I was afraid of that."
"What do you mean sir?" Ginny asked after a short silence.
"Let me show you what happened the previous time they had a black-out caused by such an act." He breathed in calmly before he put a finger into the pensieve, just like when Aurora and Gabrielle were using a pensieve. "Dive in."
The kids did exactly that and one-by-one they dove into the memory. When they arrived, they landed in what could only be described as a post apocalyptic disaster area. All around them were destroyed buildings, burning ruins scattered the landscape as far as they could see. When they turned around they saw Anderson standing behind them with a sad expression on his face.
"This way," he said softly before leading them towards one of the flatter area's around them. "This is the aftermath of what would become known as the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. Aurora and Gabrielle were here on holiday, their guide was a young local woman, whom they had became rather fond of.
After a few weeks, they had an appointment to visit the new Lisbon opera house. When their guide didn't show up to bring them there, they grew worried and when they went to her house, they saw the door had been forced open."
They had arrived at what appeared to be the epicenter of the disaster. A crater the size of a football stadium and at the bottom they could see a trio of figures. Even from the distance they were standing, they could clearly recognize Aurora and Gabrielle by their hair. The third figure was most likely Anderson, though they had no idea how it was possible that he was there.
They all turned towards the man standing before them and Ginny asked softly, "What happened after they found their guide?"
Anderson looked her sadly in the eyes and said, "They broke, just as what happened now, when they saw your friend being raped."
"So…" Harry had to swallow before he could continue, "So you mean that my mothers caused this?"
Anderson nodded and replied, "Yes kids, this is what could happen when Aurora and Gabrielle have an episode. When they arrived in the city, Lisbon had a population of two hundred thousand people, when they left more than fifty thousand of them were dead."
The kids all turned ashen-faced and Anderson pulled them out of the scene and back to the dungeons of Hogwarts.
"But… I don't get it." Harry started, "As terrible as it is what happened to Luna, why does it cause such a reaction with them?"
Anderson blinked a few times before he sighed again and asked softly, "What have they told you about how they became the Dark Angels?"
"Well…," began Hermione, but it was Ginny who finished.
"They said that they were captured by the soldiers of Mordred and during their captivity they were injured to such a degree that they nearly died."
"Yea," finished Fleur, "and then Merlin called for some dragon to help him and the dragon changed them to what they are now."
"That is correct, but it is far from everything. What I am about to show you is going to be very, very disturbing for you to see, but it has to be done." He pointed to the pensieve again before continuing, "What you are about to see, is what they have shown me when they told me and Sarah about it." Seeing their faces, he quickly added, "And yes, I'll tell you about me and Sarah, but later, this is more important."
The kids nodded and as they had picked up on Anderson's seriousness, they all carried the same serious expression as Anderson.
Anderson placed his finger into the pensieve and after a short hesitation, the quartet shared a look before they likewise placed their fingers into the pensieve and closed their eyes.
When they opened their eyes again they saw what could only be a medieval military encampment.
Anderson led them towards a large pavilion in the centre of the camp, while he asked, "Have they told you about the prophecy concerning them?"
They all shook their heads in an identical move and Anderson recited the words of the prophecy that had been send to Merlin all those centuries ago.
"Born in blood and darkness deep,
united by death but joint in sleep.
Those will become two warriors free,
looking frail but mighty they be.
Forged in pain and darkest deed,
they'll be reborn in dragon's heat.
Born as maids they will be known,
As the guardians of King Arthurs Throne."
They looked a bit confused after hearing this but Anderson pointed them at the relevant part. "Focus on the third part, 'Forged in pain and darkest deed', what do you think it means?"
Before the kids had the chance to think about it, they arrived at the pavilion and were just in time to see two familiar and unconscious young women being dragged into the pavilion before them.
Anderson led them into the big tent, walking straight through one of the side panels, and they saw Aurora and Gabrielle being thrown on the floor. They landed before the feet of a heavy-set man with thick black hair and an aristocratically trimmed short beard.
"That is Mordred," Anderson explained shortly, "the nephew of King Arthur." The man on the throne waved his hand and two buckets of water were throw over their heads, causing Aurora and Gabrielle to wake up.
They looked around them with a bewildered look until their eyes fell on Mordred who looked at them with a dark grin and said, "So, it would appear that Merlin's daughter has graced us with a visit."
All the other men around the tent began laughing and one of them said, "This is great, my Lord, with his daughter in our hands Merlin will have no choice but to surrender to us."
Mordred chuckled darkly before he said, "No gentlemen, Merlin will not surrender, not even now that we have his daughter and whoever the hell the other one is. They are of no use to us, give them to my personal guards and tell them to enjoy 'Merlin's gift'. Use them in any way you want but don't kill them yet, I'll do that myself."
The kids followed the scene with horror written on their faces as they saw and heard Aurora and Gabrielle begging for mercy while they were dragged away by four large men, all with the same lusting looks on their faces.
Once they had been dragged out of the tent, Anderson froze the memory and the kids turned towards him. They didn't even have to ask the question, for Anderson understood what they wanted to ask. He sadly nodded his head and said softly, "Yes. What comes next is…, you don't have to see the rest, as you know what happens next. You have seen their scars, more than 95 % of those were caused in the next five days."
"I… I don't want to see the rest," Harry began and after sharing a look with each of the girls he continued, "None of us want to see the rest, but we have to be strong. If we are to truly understand their pain, we have to see what hell they went through." The girls all nodded sadly and Anderson bowed his head slightly in understanding, Aurora and Gabrielle had told him that this would be their decision if this situation would ever arise.
"Follow me then," was all he had to say before the kids followed him out of the pavilion and towards a smaller tent that was placed next to the pavilion. He unfroze the memory again and they followed the struggling forms of Aurora and Gabrielle as they were dragged into the second tent.
Once inside, the nightmare began.
XXX WARNING XXX DISTURBING CONTENT AHEAD XXX
They watched as the armor was ripped from their bodies, their clothes torn to shreds and all the while the twenty-some men were laughing at their despair. The tears were running over their faces as rough hands were squeezing their breasts, filthy teeth bit their skin while men were kissing them lustfully.
When one of the men pulled Gabrielle's hair backwards to smell it, she threw her head after it and head butted the man, breaking his nose and causing a stream of blood to flow into her hair. Cursing with anger the man swung his fist at Gabrielle and hit her on the side of the head, opening a gash on her cheek and giving her a black eye. This caused Aurora to try and jump the man to avenge her, but she was pulled back by the men holding her and while they laughed, one of the men pulled out a whip and said to his comrades, "Hold them good boys, I'm gonne teach them a little lesson in obedience."
All four had to bite through their tears as they watched the whip land, again, and again, and again. About halfway through, one of the other men said, "Wait up Captain, you should try this one." He handed the man with the whip a different kind of instrument. This one had nine separate tails on a handle, with each tail having several thorns braided into them towards the tip.
The man with the whip smiled evilly and gladly swapped the whip for the cat o' nine tails. After giving his new torture device a few test swings, the man turned towards the two crying and already bleeding figures at his feet and said, "Get them up boys, it's no fun if they're laying down."
Both Aurora and Gabrielle were hoisted up and tied to one of the support beams that held the tent up. Now that they were standing up, the man was able to use his cat and with a vicious strike he hit Aurora's back. She cried out in pain as the thorns tore open even more of her skin before the man turned his attention on Gabrielle.
XXX END OF WARNING XXX
From here on the scenes started to shift faster, the unending rape, a man with knives, a dark wizard using Fiendfyre. The four kids had tears running over their cheeks while they watched, hating what they saw but unable to look away.
They watched until they saw the man in charge storm into the tent, draw his sword and stabbed first Gabrielle and then Aurora, before slashing Gabrielle's face.
They saw as the men quickly packed their things and left in a hurry. They saw how Aurora and Gabrielle crawled towards each other, bleeding, in pain, and near death. They watched how they huddled together, naked, abused, and afraid. They saw them close their eyes and wait, longing for the sweet relief and the end of their suffering that came with death.
At this Harry had seen enough, he turned away from the scene before them. "I've seen enough." He said and followed by the girls he jumped up and left the memory.
As soon as they were back in the dungeons, Harry stood up and without waiting for the others, or paying attention to Anderson who was talking to the girls, he walked towards the barrier. He dropped his wands, holstered SILH and knife, before closing his eyes and focusing on the pain he felt in his heart, he put his hand on the barrier and walked straight through it.
Outside the barrier, the girls had watched in shock as Harry walked straight through the golden wall of flames and disappeared from sight. Their shock lasted little more than a second before they all rushed towards the barrier as well and dropped their own weapons, before they walked through it one-by-one and followed Harry.
"You think they have a chance Sarah?" Anderson asked softly.
"I don't know brother, if anyone has a chance its them, but it's not a big one. You did the right thing by-the-way."
"What do you mean?"
"Showing them what happened. It was terrible, but necessary. All four of them, but especially Harry, they are so full of love and hope. And the only chance they have is if they manage to use that power and get through to them."
"I hope you're right," Anderson muttered softly, "If they fail, the world is doomed."
As Harry stepped through the barrier he was instantly hit by the intense heat and the black flames that caused it. He could feel his clothes turn to ashes on his body and his armor getting so hot it melted, falling down in clumps and pieces.
Focusing his look on the two women in front of him, Harry prepared to make his way towards them when he felt a soft hand on his shoulder. Turning around he saw Hermione, Fleur, and Ginny standing behind him. The girls were dressed exactly like him, as in not at all, but it didn't even register with him.
Hermione lifted her hand from his shoulder towards his cheek and used it to press his head against her own. "You don't have to do this alone Harry, we're a family and when it's hard, we do it together." The fact that Harry could hear her words in his head didn't surprise him as much as it should have.
Fleur stepped to his right and pressed her head against theirs and she also said telepathically, "We stand together, in light and darkness, when we needed them, Aurora and Gabrielle were always there for us, now we have to be there for them."
Ginny added her head a fraction of a second after Fleur and she added, "When I was hurt, they saved me. When Fleur was hurt, they saved her. Now they are hurting, and it is our turn to save them. Remember what mom said, 'When we fight alone, our power is great, but when we stand united, it is immense,' we can do this. We have to do this."
As they were standing there, a small group amidst the raging firestorm, they felt something new come over them. They felt connected in a way they had never felt before and when they released the others, they all turned toward Aurora and Gabrielle with a single purpose on their minds.
Still holding hands, the four kids set their first steps towards the centre of the firestorm. The closer they got, the harder it became to move. Their skin, being resistant to dragonfire, was blistering from the volcanic temperatures around them.
It took them a couple of minutes to walk the less than 30 feet to where Aurora and Gabrielle were now sitting on their knees.
When they finally reached the two women, they knelt down around them and did nothing more than take their hands and press them against their own hearts. They pressed their heads against those of Aurora and Gabrielle and just as they themselves did a few minutes ago, they 'connected' to them.
As soon as they felt their minds, they were nearly overwhelmed by the amount of pain and fear that had taken control of their entire being. All four shored up their mental defenses, using the techniques Gabrielle had taught them, and prepared for their move.
Harry was the first, reaching out with his mind he dove deep into Aurora's mind, clearly sensing the connection she and Gabrielle shared, and started pouring out his own emotions of love and hope. He was soon followed by the girls who likewise started to broadcast their own positive emotions in a hope to have them replace the pain and fear running rampant in the minds of Aurora and Gabrielle.
They sent memories along with the feelings, memories of happy times and moments shared between their family.
After a few minutes, they could sense a small change in Aurora and Gabrielle's minds, slowly but steadily, the fear was receding. It took five minutes until the raging firestorm started to lessen around them and five more before it had receded back into Aurora and Gabrielle.
Finally, after spending nearly fifteen minutes in the dungeon, the kids felt Aurora and Gabrielle move. The two adults slumped down onto the ground with the kids on top of them, all of them were completely exhausted.
Outside of the dungeon Anderson was watching closely, or as close as he could through the barrier, and Sarah was likewise keeping an eye on the goings-on. "It's working Arthur, it looks like they're succeeding. How much longer will the barrier hold them?"
Anderson raised his left arm and opened a small panel in the titanium plating. It revealed a small touch screen which was automatically activated upon opening. He made a few calculations using the scanners Boltrock had installed in his suit before turning back to his sister. "Fifteen minutes max, but the scanners are indicating that the energy-output is decreasing so it'll hold long enough."
"Good."
And indeed, barely ten minutes later the barrier disintegrated and the scepter fell on the ground, not longer burning, where it was picked up by Anderson who then replaced it on his back.
When he looked into the dungeon, he saw Aurora and Gabrielle laying on the floor with the four kids laying on top of them. At first, he was surprised to see that the four kids were completely naked but then his eye fell on half a dozen small puddles of molten metal and he realized that their clothes had burned away in the intense heat.
Raising his voice Anderson said, "Poppy, Daisy, Rosy."
The trio of Potter elves appeared before him and Daisy said, "Yous called Master Anderson?"
Anderson nodded and pointed to the group in the dungeon. "Please bring them to Potter Manor, care for their wounds and keep them asleep. I will be along the Manor as soon as I can, after I take care of business here."
The trio of elves looked wide-eyed at their master and mistresses and Rosy asked, "What happened to them Master Anderson?"
Anderson gave them a sad smile and said, "I will explain later, but please just take them out of here, okay?"
The elves nodded and hurried over to the small group. They each took the hands of two of them before popping away.
Anderson let out a heavy sigh before he entered the dungeon and inspected the damage done to the room. The walls had melted to a significant degree and the floor above them was visible through the none-existent ceiling. "How bad is the structural damage Sarah? Is your foundation in anyway damaged?"
Sarah took a few moments to scan her internal structure before answering. "Minimal, the barrier took care of most of the damage and only this floor and the one above have been damaged. In addition to the damage to the rest of the castle that was caused by the basilisks, it'll probably take me and the house elves about a week, maybe two weeks to get everything back in order."
Anderson nodded and thought about the situation for a minute before reaching a decision. "Get to work then, I'll inform Minerva about the situation and have her send the students home for now. Can you please get the house elves to pack the belongings of all the students and have them brought to the train station?"
"Of course," was Sarah's reply, "I'll get to it right away. Good luck on your end brother."
Anderson smiled softly and said, "Good luck to you as well sis, I'll see you next time." With that goodbye said, Anderson made his way back to the entrance hall where he put on his own mask for the second time in quite a while. Like with those of Aurora and Gabrielle, his mask was different than those of the normal Legionnaires. It showed a white skull like the others but the eye sockets and the nasal cavities were painted the same blood-red color as those of the Ladies.
He opened the gates and walked into the darkness of the late evening. Towards the edge of the outer wards, which shone with a soft light, he could see quite a crowd gathered waiting for any information that would be given.
"Arthur for Black Leader."
"Black Leader here, go ahead Arthur."
"What is your current location Ivan?"
"Near the road from the gates sir, along with most of the teachers and staff."
"I'm on my way, please get McGonagall near you, I need to speak with her."
"Yes sir, and what about the Headmaster? The old man has gotten rather agitated at being left out of everything."
Anderson let out a sigh at that and muttered, 'stupid old meddler'. Before he answered Ivan's question.
"Get him as well, I'll deal with him myself."
"Yes sir, Black Leader over and out."
Muttering softly under his breath, Anderson made his way towards the gates and after five minutes he reached the large walls of the castle, which were 500 feet inwards from the outer wards.
Walking through the open gate in the walls, Anderson used the advanced optics of his mask to search the crowd around the road until he saw the distinctive figure of Ivan standing amidst his soldiers with two familiar looking pointed hats very close by, one black with a crooked point and the other purple with silver stars.
As soon as he reached the wards, Anderson made a show of stretching out his right hand before quickly balling it into a fist. As soon as his fist was complete, Sarah dropped the war-wards and the great dome that covered the castle disappeared, shocking most spectators and causing the nearest witches and wizards to back away. This also had the effect that the area was no longer illuminated by the wards, so many of the witches and wizards around them lit the tips of their wands.
Anderson marched directly up to Ivan who stood on the road with his soldiers around him and the Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore before him.
As soon as Anderson stopped before them, Ivan and his soldiers saluted him and McGonagall bowed slightly before him. After Ivan pressed the muzzle of his rifle into his back, Dumbledore likewise made a small bow. The look on his face belied the rage he felt at being forced to bow for someone who he regarded as nothing more than a murderer.
Anderson didn't give a second glance to Dumbledore before he directed his words at McGonagall. "Professor McGonagall, Lady Hogwarts has informed me that repairs to the castle will take approximately two weeks, I suggest you send the students home for the time being. She has given the house elves orders to pack the students' belongings and have them transported to the train station."
McGonagall made a slight bow again before saying, "Of course my Lord, I'll see to it at once. I'll have the parents informed that their children will be arriving tomorrow morning. Seeing as it is already very late, I'll have the train changed to accommodate sleeping quarters."
"You do that Professor, in the meantime, the teachers and staff will also have to find different accommodations as I'm locking down the castle until we can get to the bottom of the current situation. I want to know exactly how it is possible that someone smuggled no less than 7 basilisks into the school under the crooked nose of your headmaster." As he said those last words he looked at said headmaster, who swallowed softly under the stare of the blood-eyed skull on Anderson's mask.
"Yes my Lord," was McGonagall's reply while she was inwardly grinning at the way Anderson put Dumbledore in his place. His reputation might be less violent than that of the Dark Angels, but every witch and wizard old enough to remember the First Wizarding War knew of the commander of the Shadow Legion.
Turning to Ivan, Anderson addressed his own soldiers, "Major, get your troops back to HQ, I'll meet you there later."
Ivan nodded and after they saluted Anderson, they each activated the goblin-made, reusable-portkey, that was attached to their EXO's in the form of a covered button on their belts.
As the Black Angels were leaving, Anderson turned his full attention to Dumbledore and said, "Melody will remain to patrol the castle and make sure no one enters it until we have completed our survey of the castle. Make no mistake, if she catches you, she will not hesitate to attack you."
He turned back to McGonagall and said, "You know how to contact me if you have any questions Professor." After McGonagall bowed again in acknowledgement, Anderson slammed the portkey on his belt and was whisked away, back to Avalon.
As soon as he arrived, Anderson removed his mask and hung it on his belt before he said, "Charles." And said elf appeared with a soft 'pop'. "Please take me to Potter Manor." Charles bowed and grabbed Anderson's hand before popping them to the Manor.
When they arrived, Anderson turned to the elf besides him and said, "Thank you Charles, where have the girls brought them?"
"They are in their beds sir, all of them were exhausted and after we cleaned and bound their burns, they never woke but turned to deep sleep. Mrs. Black has also put Miss Lovegood to bed after seeing to her injuries and she gave her a dreamless sleep potion to ensure that she would sleep well. She is sleeping in Mistress Hermione's old room."
"Very good Charles, where is Mrs. Black now?"
"In the kitchens, she helped us with cleaning the wounds of Master and the Mistresses."
"Thank you Charles, that was all."
Charles bowed again and popped away while Anderson made his way towards the kitchen where he found Dan, Emma, Narcissa, Sirius, and Ilona. As soon as Anderson entered the kitchen the group at the table sprung up and bombarded him with questions.
Anderson raised his hands and once the others had calmed down, he said, "I know about as much as you do, and most of what I do know, I can't tell you. We'll just have to wait until they wake up, which could be a while as I believe that each of the kids is suffering from magical exhaustion."
Narcissa nodded in agreement when he looked at her and she said, "That is correct, I did a check-up on them and they are all showing signs of magical exhaustion, though they are likewise showing signs of a greatly enhanced recovery rate, so I expect them to wake up sometime in the morning.
The ladies however, I have no idea when, or even if, they will awake, as they seem to be in something akin to a comatose state." The others were shocked to hear this as they had always seen Aurora and Gabrielle as something akin to demigods, nearly invincible and all-powerful.
Anderson was the only one not too worried and he said, "I wouldn't worry about them too much, they will wake up sometime tomorrow. They have the same as the kids, magical exhaustion, but since their magic is completely different from that of all other magic users, it manifests itself in other ways. I suggest you all head for bed as there is little to nothing any of you can do."
Turning to Narcissa he said, "If you want, you can have Dobby get Draco from Hogwarts, as the train will be leaving shortly to bring all students back home. There are plenty of spare bedrooms on the third floor for you and Draco to choose from."
Narcissa bowed her head and replied, "Thank you my Lord."
With a soft smile, Anderson replied, "No need for that, just call me Anderson."
Narcissa nodded again and left the kitchen to call for Dobby to get her son from Hogwarts.
When she had left, Anderson turned to the remaining people in the kitchen and his face turned serious again. "No one says anything to either Mrs. Black or her son, without my say-so. They are not Legion- or MSS personnel and have no security clearance whatsoever. Until Aurora and Gabrielle wake up, you are not to talk about anything of consequence whenever they can overhear you. Understood?"
They all agreed and his expression softened again. "Good, in that case, I'll return to Avalon. Colonel Granger, contact me the moment the first of them wakes up."
Dan nodded his head and said, "Yes sir, we'll see you in the morning."
After saying goodbye to the others Anderson left the kitchen and returned to Avalon, leaving the rest to find their own beds for the night.
The next morning Harry woke up with a massive headache wracking his mind. As he sat up, groaning from the headache, his movements woke up the girls who were lying on either side of him.
All three girls had an equally splitting headache as Harry himself had and as they were bemoaning said headache, Charles popped into their room and said, "Master Anderson said you would be having a headache, so I have brought you something to cure that, compliments of Mrs. Black." He handed them each a small vial with a aquamarine-colored fluid, which they quickly drank, causing their headaches to vanish almost instantaneously.
Now that they were able to think clearly again the first thought that Harry was, "Where are my mothers? Are they okay?"
Charles nodded and replied, "They are all right Master Harry. They are sleeping, just as you were, but they need a little more time to recover. You can visit Miss Lovegood if you want, she is sleeping in Mistress Hermione's old room. She is expected to wake up as well soon."
As soon as Charles mentioned Luna's name, all four turned worried again and Fleur asked softly, "How is she doing?"
Charles' face fell as well and he said hesitantly, "The bodily harm she suffered has been mostly healed, but we don't know how her mind will handle it until she wakes up."
That was enough for the quartet, they jumped out of bed and after quickly putting their bathrobes over their pajama's, they hurried to the room next door.
Hermione carefully opened the door of the room they hadn't used for nearly a year. They found Luna lying in the large bed with a neutral expression, caused by the dreamless sleep potion, on her face.
While Harry, Fleur, and Ginny went to the bed, Hermione walked towards the window and opened the curtains. The sun shone through the window and fell upon the sleeping figure of Luna. Now that she was properly visible, they could see several bruises on Luna's face and her neck was bluish/purple from where Lockhart had tried to choke her.
The kids turned to Charles and Ginny asked, "You said that they had healed her."
"And they have," Charles replied, "She had several more dangerous injuries that have been healed. Mrs. Black thought it unwise to use to much magic in her recovery, she was drained of most of her live-force and her recovery will not be a swift one."
At that moment, Luna stirred in the bed and the quartet hurried to be at Luna's side when she woke up. While they were gathered around the bed, Charles popped away softly to warn Anderson that the kids had woken up.
Luna slowly opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was the faces of Harry, Hermione, Fleur, and Ginny, who were all gathered around her bed and each carried a slightly worried look on their faces.
"H… hey guys," Luna said softly, her throat feeling very sore and her voice sounding raw and hoarse.
"Hey Luna." Ginny replied equally soft. "How are you feeling."
Luna didn't answer but shut her eyes tightly again and curled herself up beneath the blankets while the tears were streaming down her face. Ginny and Fleur sat down on the bed on each side of Luna and softly pried the blankets loose, resulting in Luna clamping herself to Ginny's side while Fleur was softly stroking Luna's hair.
Harry and Hermione were standing on the side of the bed, feeling a little useless, until Hermione turned to Harry and said softly, "I feel so useless, I want to do something for her but I don't know what. As much as I want to say how terrible it is what happened to her, I can't, because it wasn't me that it happened to. Seeing it happen is so inferior to having it happen to you."
Harry put his arms around her and said equally softly, "I know Mione, it's terrible but there is little we can do for her, except to be there for her. If only my moms were here, they would know what to do."
He was shaken from his musings when he felt a hand land on each of his shoulders and a gentle voice who said, "And here we are Harry, thanks to you four."
Harry and Hermione quickly turned around to see Aurora and Gabrielle standing behind them. Both women were wearing a kimono and they looked even worse than the kids had felt when they woke up. Their faces were pale white, their eyes were bloodshot and they looked extremely tired.
"MOM!" Harry and Hermione exclaimed at the same time, before rushing in and giving both women a fierce hug. "I'm so glad you're okay," Harry sniffed softly while he buried his head in Aurora's hair, just as he had always done when he was younger.
Aurora and Gabrielle softly held the two children in their arms while they looked over their heads towards the bed, where Fleur and Ginny had also noticed their presence but were reluctant to leave Luna behind, since she was still clamping herself to Ginny.
After a minute, Harry and Hermione released the two women and they made their way over to the bed. At a sign from Gabrielle Ginny softly pried Luna's hands loose and made her look up until she saw Aurora and Gabrielle standing before the bed.
Luna now launched herself from the bed and into Gabrielle's arms who held her securely pressed against her while she sat down on the bed. "Hey sweetie, how are you holding up." Gabrielle's words, and more importantly, the way in which she said them, were able to put Luna at ease a little bit and the little girl finally relaxed a little in her arms.
"I can still feel him," Luna said softly and after a few sniffs, she continued, "Why would he do that to me? What have I ever done to him.?"
"We don't know sweetie, but I promise you, no one will ever do that to you again."
Aurora's words caused Luna to look towards her but her face was still pained and frightful. "How can you promise that, I have no powerful family, my father hasn't got the money to pay for those spells."
Hermione looked a little confused at this but Ginny whispered into her ear, "The most powerful and richest families have rings for their members to wear. Those rings are equipped with all kind of protective charms and wards. One of those charms is ment to protect the female family members from these kinds of things. But Luna's family hasn't been around for that long and ever since her mother died, Luna's father hasn't been the most stable-minded person, so the chance of Luna ever getting one of those rings is slim, if not non-existing."
Harry overheard those words and with a new kind of determination in his eyes, he walked towards Aurora and pulled the sleeve of her kimono to get her attention. "Mom, does me being the heir of a Most Ancient and Noble House give me the authority to adopt Luna into our family?"
Aurora was a little surprised by his question as in her exhausted state, her mind had not yet made the connections that his reached. After a minute of thinking she replied with a smile, "Yes Harry, it does."
"That's all I need to know." And Harry stepped towards Luna. He softly stroked the dirty-blond hair and said, "Luna, look at me." When she did, Harry looked her in her eyes and said in his official voice, "Luna Lovegood, I, Harry James Potter, sole heir of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Emrys, hereby place you under our protection and, if you're willing, adopt you into our family."
Luna was too shocked to respond when a soft white glow enveloped all the inhabitants of the room. After a minute her silvery-grey eyes shone with a soft inner light and a delicate silver signet ring materialized on her left ring finger. Upon the ring was engraved the Emrys coat of arms, a dragon with spread wings surrounded by a ring of fire.
Luna looked back into Harry's eyes and said, "Well, I guess that means I'm willing."
Harry gave Luna a tight hug and whispered into her ear, "Welcome to the family, sis."
Author's note:
I'm so sorry for not updating this sooner, but I just didn't have the time to finish this chapter to my satisfaction. As it stands, I have left out quite a bit which will be the first part of next chapter, but I wanted to give you something to reward you all for your patience with me.
To prevent any angry reviews, let me tell you a few things.
Anderson's past will be revealed next chapter.
The full repercussions of the events from this chapter will likewise become clear next chapter.
As of right now, Luna is officially a member of the Emrys family, with all the benefits that come with that. Whereas I don't exactly hate Xenophilius, in this story he is not really fit to raise a child on his own.
No Luna will not become like the quartet, she will stay a 'normal' witch, but her abilities will be enhanced greatly by the training she will receive.
If there are any more questions, please let me know and I'll do my best to answer them.
I also would like to ask that if you write a review with tips, or question, please don't do it as a guest, as I can't reply to them.
I received a review from cGc, to which I would love to respond, as he or she has addressed some good points which I would like to discuss, so if you're reading this, please send me a PM so I can respond to you.
I sincerely hope that I'll be able to post the next update sooner.
Medieval Maniak.