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Chosen Ones
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Chapter Twenty-one – Oberon's Army
In the days leading up to September 1st, the Courts met at Potter Manor every day, some even staying there. Though they were all excited about the 'project', the Court-members had different views on the actual SAO-series. Some loved it, others didn't, but that really wasn't the point. Everyone was taking the project seriously; some helped with the potions, others with the runes, but most ended up studying the anime and manga in order to try and re-create the sword-techniques for use along with the sword-spells-in-making. Daphne and Astoria was leading the latter group along with Susan. Meanwhile, Juvia had put her head together with Oliver and Lisa in order to divide the Courts into nine Squads based on the nine Alfheim-races. This would give nine Court-members the opportunity to become 'Commanders' of those Squads, so everyone was doing their best to earn that rank, but Juvia also wanted to sort the Court-members into a 'Race' that suited them, which had been easier said than done, but she had managed.
The project's name was 'Oberon's Army', and Juvia decided to number the squads from 1st to 9th in alphabetical order (AN 1):
The 1st Squad – Cait Sith, the Beast-tamer Race – consisted of Tracy, Ernest, and Fay.
The 2nd Race – Gnome, The Earth Race – consisted of Neville, Millicent, and Angelina.
The 3rd Race – Imp, the Dark Race – consisted of Astoria and the Tweasleys.
The 4th Race – Leprechaun, the Blacksmith Race – consisted of Oliver and Lisa.
The 5th Race – Pooka, the Music Race – consisted of Lee, Terry, and Alicia.
The 6th Race – Salamander, the Fire Race – consisted of Percy, Parvati, and Adrian.
The 7th Race – Spriggan, the Illusion Race – consisted of Susan, Theo, and Luna.
The 8th Race – Sylph, the Wind Race – consisted of Hannah, Cedric, and Katie.
The 9th Race – Undine, the Water Race – consisted of Daphne, Penelope, and Padma.
In some cases, the choice of commander was obvious; Percy, and Susan had stood out from the beginning, but now Tracy, Hannah, and even Neville were also beginning to shine. Others were proving to be formidable as well, but ultimately the decision had been left up to the individual Squads. As for their new Fairy Magic, Hermione had already done much of the work while inventing her Solid Runescript, so the actual spell-base was coming along nicely. Appearance-wise her Runescript was merely a fancy version of normal Solid Script, so the appearance of the Fairy Spells had more in common with Dark Ecriture, and they had decided to keep it that way. Effect-wise they were using Kido as examples for structure, but they were also using other spells. Hannah, for instance, had many books on Healing, which were good for the structure of healing-type spells. They had even figured out that they could use already existing spells and channel them through weapons; Daphne could, for instance, use the Knockback Hex with her rapier to simulate the 'safeguard' that was in place in the Safe-zones of SAO.
Some had also been playing with the possibility of tying an Apparition-spell to an object to simulate the teleportation-crystals, which only proved to show why excitement was just as much as an obstacle as it was a motivation; after all, that was what Portkeys were for. Portkeys did have room for improvements though, so a few were looking into trying to make a custom-made version, one that hopefully couldn't be intercepted. The Courts were also beginning to find their individual styles and ways. Angelina, for one, wasn't much of a weapon-wielder, so she was focusing on hand-to-hand combat, and Yoruichi was already training the Sylphs in stealth, though Hermione and Juvia were also giving them pointers in infiltration and 'invisibility'.
Remus had also started their Patronus-lessons to a wide variety of success. Tatsumi had, unsurprisingly, brute-forced her way to master the spells, and had formed, not one, but two corporal Patronuses. Neville had, surprisingly, or unsurprisingly given his situation, also succeeded in creating a corporal Patronus, and Draco was not far behind, being set to master the spell within the next lesson. Susan was trying to do like Tatsumi, and brute-force the spell, but was having no success so far. Some Court-members had been able to create silver mists – some being able to produce a thicker mist than others – but other Court-members had little success. Hermione, for one, was an emotional rollercoaster during the lessons, going from happy one second to depressed the next; and making it obvious what kind memories she was trying to use to conjure the spell. Nothing could make her happier, or more depressed, than thinking about her husband.
So, when Hermione was taking much longer than usual to get out of the shower after their lesson, Tatsumi went up to talk to her. "You feeling alright there, Mione?" She asked as the bluenette finally stepped out of the shower.
"I'm fine." Hermione said with a sigh.
Tatsumi tilted her head. "You don't sound fine." She remarked and sat down on the counter next to the sink. "What's bothering you this time?"
Hermione blushed slightly. "It's nothing… just… old insecurities." She said reluctantly.
"Is this about your boobs again?" Tatsumi asked bluntly. It was a complete guess, but she could tell by the way the girl was holding herself.
Hermione would've laughed if she wasn't so embarrassed.
"Haven't we been over this?" Tatsumi asked more seriously. "They're the same size as before, so what's the problem?"
"They're not the same size!" Hermione insisted. "They're smaller." She whined.
"You're 14." Tatsumi said baffled. "Besides, I'm pretty flat too, and you don't hear me complaining."
"They're twice as big as mine, and you're younger than me!" Hermione snapped.
Tatsumi gave her a 'look'. "I'm only a year younger, and it's not like Gajeel ever complained about you breast-size, did he?"
Hermione turned red. "No." She said weakly. "… Not out loud…"
Tatsumi mentally growled in annoyance. "Let me tell you something about Gajeel." She started. "Every Miss Fairytail Contest since the two of you got together, he has muttered the same sentence whenever some of the contestants got too many wolf-whistles from the audience. That sentence is, and I Quote; 'Levy is way cuter than those big-chested bimboes' (AN 2)."
If possible, Hermione would have turned even redder. "…. He really said that…?" She asked shyly.
"Damn right he did." Tatsumi grinned. "Sometimes he'd even yell it out loud. In fact, I'm surprised you didn't hear it from back-stage, because the other girls heard him, and you know as well as I what those girls will do to people who insult them like that."
Hermione smiled shyly. She remembered a few times when Gajeel had showed up after the contest looking like he'd just been in an all-out brawl. She just figured he'd gotten bored and started a fight.
Tatsumi petted her on the head. "Feel better now?" She asked and received a nod. "Good." She said and jumped down from the counter. "Now get dressed, 'cause we're late for lunch."
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(September 1st)
It was a rainy day as the Hogwarts Express made its way through the British country-side. Tatsumi was asleep in a makeshift bed she had made on one of the luggage-racks of the train-car that the Courts had claimed all to themselves. Having been up late the night before, finishing the first of several spells to come, Tatsumi had already changed into her uniform so she didn't have to wake up to change later on. Despite the weather, everyone was excited to return to Hogwarts, but the group was keeping the noise down as Remus wasn't well. Last night had been a Full Moon, so the werewolf was tired and sore.
"Professor Lupin, will you be alright with the Dementors around?" Luna asked worried that his recent transformation made him more sensitive to the cloaked soul-suckers.
"I'll be fine, Miss Lovegood." Remus answered trying to reassure her.
"Do you want a Pepper-up anyway?" Hermione asked as she was petting Yoruichi, who was curled up in her lap.
Remus smiled at her. "Well, I certainly wouldn't say 'no' to one." He said.
Hannah pulled a vial from her pouch and handed it to him. She had been reading the 'Monster Book of Monsters', the Course book for the elective 'Care of Magical Creatures', which lay obediently in her lap. She had been scared of the thing when she had first seen it in the book-store, but Tatsumi had taught everyone how to use their magical pressure to calm the book, similarly to how Ichigo had calmed the caged books in the store, much to the relief of the clerk, who had been bitten five times that day alone.
It also didn't hurt to hear how Tatsumi had received her copy as a birthday present from Hagrid, and had apparently spent an hour playing with the thing in fox-form before nearly breaking a lamp. Also, Juvia's copy had had a run in with Nami earlier today, and was apparently terrified of the little calico cat that was currently patrolling the train. In fact, having been mentored by Mrs. Norris for the last two years, Nami seemed to enjoy terrifying the other students.
On the other side of the car, Oliver had just folded the newspaper he was reading. "You know, normally I take Skeeter's articles with a grain of salt." He said. "But this is a masterpiece."
"More like an entire salt-shaker." Percy muttered and looked at his roommate. "Are you crying?"
Oliver held up the newspaper. It was the 'Voice of Truth', Alicia's newspaper, though an abridged version of the article was also featured in both the Daily Prophet and the Quibbler, along with a recommendation to read the full story in the 'Voice of Truth', which would be available at selected post-offices.
"It's so beautiful." Oliver said wiping away a tear. "I'm going to have it framed."
The Front Page of said newspaper read: ¤ Sirius Black Never Convicted! – Mass-murderer or Innocent Victim? By Rita Skeeter. It was the only article of the entire full-sized newspaper, but seeing as they didn't have any other articles to print yet, they might as well use the space, and, from the very first page, the readers are put an emotional rollercoaster that forced them to question everything they thought they knew. Alicia had co-written the article, but due to the circumstances she obviously she couldn't put her name on it. Still, Rita had been quite impressed with her. Together they covered Sirius Black's past, from his school days – where stories of his pranks had the readers laughing with him – to his career as a member of the Auror-department. He was one of many youngsters admitted to an Auror Speed-training Program set to get more people onto the battlefield quicker, due to the war, and the article covered Sirius' war-efforts, sharing stories told by other Aurors who had seen him in action; sending the readers through thrilling and suspenseful battles for justice, and made them feel as if they were watching the horrors of the blood-war through the eyes of what many had once called one the greatest war-heroes of modern times.
But, in-between the horrors of war, the readers also saw the rays of light in an otherwise dark time; from the birth of his Goddaughter, to the honor of going through the revered 'Guardian Rituals' (AN 3), but the article also covered the devastating loss of his best friend, followed by blinding rage. Though previously believed to have been the one to betray the Potter's to the Dark Lord, the article revealed that the Potter's Last Will and Testament had, in fact, named another as their Secret Keeper, revealing that Sirius Black was merely a decoy. For those who had always found it odd that the Potter's would choose someone as obvious as Sirius Black, it finally made sense, and for those who had truly believed that Sirius Black had been a traitor, the revelation made them feel ashamed for having missed such an obvious detail.
The article took the readers through desperate hunt for the real traitor, the rat Peter Pettigrew, and the readers cheered for him as finally found his prey, only to experience devastating grief as Sirius was arrested for murder. However, while the readers rejoiced at Pettigrew's supposed death, the article drew them back with questions that no one had seemed to think of previously. The biggest and most important question being: 'Why wasn't any of this revealed at the trial?'. The answer was simple; there was no trial, as no such record exists exist within the Ministry. Another question awaiting answer was 'who killed those 12 muggles?'. After all, Sirius Black was a well-trained Auror with impeccable aim, so what's the chances that he would miss? Or was it actually Pettigrew who threw that fatal spell? The 'Incendio'-spell was a simple one, after all, and that was all it took to ignite the sewage gasses that caused the explosion. Again, this answer could have been easily answered with a trial, and those are the thoughts that the article left its readers with; leaving them with a single and powerful question in mind.
Why did Sirius Black never receive a trial?
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"The Weather seems to get worse the further north we get." Tracy said looking out the window. The weather was so bad that even the darkness of night couldn't hide the rain that hammered down on the train.
"We might want to get our rain-cloaks ready." Millicent added. "We'll be there shortly and the rain doesn't look like it's going to stop anytime soon."
As if on cue, the train started slowing down, which alarmed of the Courts, as there was still half an hour left of their journey. Tatsumi was suddenly wide awake as well, sensing the danger.
"Wands out!" Remus ordered. He could sense the Dementors already before the train jerked to a stop, and the light went out. "Tatsu, you take the front of the train, Neville, you take the back! Draco, halfway to the front car! I'll guard here!"
"Yes, Sir!"
Tatsumi, Draco, and Neville had already mastered the Patronus, so they had agreed to cover ¼ of the train each, should something like this happen. Tatsumi's twin Kitsune were already out and ran by her side as she headed to the front of the train, and the further she got, the more ice were forming on the windows. The atmosphere was terrible, and she felt the icy negativity crawling across her skin like a spider. She released a bit of her fiery presence as a response, trying to neutralize the Dementors' icy auras with her own.
Further back, Draco's eagle-sized dragon – which looked suspiciously like Pina from SAO despite Draco's insistence that he wasn't a fan of the series – tackled a Dementor that had gotten too close to one of the students. Meanwhile, at the back of the train, Neville's Panda Bear (AN 4), and Remus' wolf, were chasing off the Dementors before they could even board the train. But, no matter what they did, they couldn't seem to deter the Dementors for long enough to get the train started again. Then, flames seemed to cover the train on the outside, it's warmth spread throughout the train, followed by a roar that could be heard echoing through the sky. Ryujin Jakka had been released, and the Dementors fled.
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"Was it really that bad that you had to release your Zanpakuto?" Daphne asked shakenly, and clinging onto her baby sister as the train finally rolled into Hogsmeade Station.
"I climbed on top of the roof of the train and saw more of those things approaching from a distance." Tatsumi explained as the students departed from the train. "I figured I'd give them a warning."
Daphne nodded. Just those few Dementors had made her feel like her very bones were freezing to ice; she could only imagine what would happen if the other Dementors had gotten close as well. The fake Dementor, AKA Boggart they had used for training, was nothing like the real thing. Daphne was very reluctant to let go of her sister, but Astoria had to go with the other First-years, while Daphne joined the others in the so-called 'horse-less carriages', that were actually pulled by Thestrals. The incident had spooked the students so badly that even the two lone Dementors guarding the school-gates caused the students to huddle together as the Carriages moved passed them.
"The hell is Dumbledore thinking?!" Adrian growled. "Allowing those things to 'guard' the school."
"I'd say he wants to look like a hero when he 'saves' the students from them." Katie said angrily and leaned closer to Adrian. The two had started dating over the summer.
The Courts had known the atmosphere at Hogwarts would be horrible, but the students were already being affected by it. Juvia had been unusually quiet as well, and the Allstars were reluctant to leave her, especially Draco, but they trusted Susan – the newly appointed Lieutenant of the Shadow's Court – and the rest of the Court to take care of their leader as they entered the Great Hall, and were forced to split up. Hermione and Tatsumi were stopped by Professor McGonagall, however, just as they were about to enter the Hall, and were taken to her office.
"Have as seat." McGonagall said. "Miss Kurosaki, I understand you got ill while on the train."
The girls looked confused. "Wha-" Tatsumi started saying but was interrupted by a knock on the door.
The door then opened and the School Nurse walked in, confusing the girls even more.
"You called for me, Minerva?" The Healer said.
"Yes, Poppy." McGonagall said. "Miss Kurosaki has had a run in with one of the Dementors."
The Healer frowned. "Putting those things around a school, what on Earth were they thinking?" She muttered as she felt Tatsumi's forehead.
Tatsumi, however, had had enough and pushed the healer's hand away. "CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" She yelled angrily.
McGonagall looked at her oddly. "The Headmaster informed me that you had a severe reaction to the Dementors when they boarded the train." She said. "Is this not correct?"
"NO, IT'S NOT CORRECT!" Tatsumi yelled standing up, then forcing herself to calm down. "While I can't say someone didn't get sick from those things, I can tell you it wasn't me!"
McGonagall looked shocked, then looked at Madam Pomfrey who nodded; the Healer had not seen as much as a drop of sweat on the girl's forehead. "I see." The Professor said a bit bemused. "I still have something to discuss with Miss Granger, so why don't you wait outside in the meantime?"
Tatsumi left the office with Madam Pomfrey, who headed straight back to the Hospital Wing. A few minutes later, Hermione stepped out and the girls started walking back to the Great Hall.
"So, what was that about?" Tatsumi asked.
"Dumbledore seems to expect you to be hypersensitive to the Dementors." Hermione guessed. "It's not hard to see why, given how attractive you are to them."
"They seem to think I'm dinner." Tatsumi muttered. "It's because I'm a Shinketsu; those things are more like Hollows than we thought they were."
Hermione nodded.
"What about you?" Tatsumi said. "What did she talk to you about?"
"She told me it wasn't too late to change my mind about my subjects this year." Hermione said. "Remember, Juvia talked me out of taking every subject?"
"Yeah?" Tatsumi asked suspiciously.
Hermione smirked and pulled a time-turner out of her shirt and put it around Tatsumi's neck. "I told her that I still wanted to take every subject, but realized I could study certain subjects on my own, and take my OWLs and NEWTs in those subjects at the Ministry." She said. "She kept insisting that I change my mind, and her eyes were glazed over while she did. So I told her that I might decide to sit the end-of-term-exams with the other students, but only if I could use the time-turner to study those extra subjects instead of going to so many classes. So my schedule is still the same; I just need to borrow the time-turner to sit the exams."
"Dumbledore must really want you to have it." Tatsumi said surprised, then she realized what Hermione had said. "Wait, did you say 'borrow'?"
Hermione smirked again. "I figured you could use it to translate Salazar's works much faster." She said.
Tatsumi sweatdropped. "Of course she did." She thought. Though, she had to admit the Time-turner was a very useful tool.
The girls arrived at the Great Hall shortly after, just in time to see Professor Flitwick walking out with the Sorting-hat and the stool; they'd missed the sorting. They two had just sat down at their respective tables, when Dumbledore stood and beamed at the students.
"Welcome! Welcome to another year at Hogwarts!" He said. "I have a few things to say, before we become befuddled by our excellent feast. As you know from the search of the Hogwarts Express, Hogwarts – at the request of the Ministry of Magic – will, until further notice, play host to the Dementors of Azkaban (AN 5)."
Being reminded of the horrible event earlier, the students murmured apprehensively, and looked at each other with worry.
"The Dementors will be stationed at the entrances to the grounds." Dumbledore continued. "While they are under strict orders not to enter the castle itself, you will on occasion see them as you go about your daily activities. Under no circumstances are you to approach them, nor are you allowed to leave school-grounds. It is not in the nature of a Dementor to be forgiving, nor will they be fooled by tricks and disguises – not even by Invisibility Cloaks."
He glanced at Tatsumi before continuing. "I am warning each and every one of you; do not give them any excuse to harm you." He said. "Prefects and Head-Boy and –Girl, please make sure that no students have any incidents with the Dementors."
Percy and Penelope both straightened in their seats. They were Head-Boy and -Girl, so most of that responsibility was on their shoulders.
"On a more pleasant note, I'm pleased to welcome Professor R.J. Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Good luck to you, Professor." Dumbledore announced.
Remus stood and bowed to the applause. Though you could tell that having a new professor every year was quickly getting old.
"As some of you may know." Dumbledore continues. "Professor Kettleburn, our 'Care of Magical Creatures'-teacher for many years, has decided to retire in order to spend more time with his remaining limbs. Fortunately, I'm delighted to announce that his place will be filled by none other than our own Rubeus Hagrid!"
The students roared in applause, causing Hagrid to blush furiously and he nearly toppled the table as he stood to take a bow. Having been cleared of the accusation that resulted in his expulsion so many years ago, he was finally able to get better work; and what job was better than a teacher at the very school he went to as a child? Of course, he'd have to take his 'Care of Magical Creatures' tests over the summer, but he had passed both with flying colors.
"Now, I believe that was everything of importance." Dumbledore continued when the noise died down. "Let the feast begin!"
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Author's Notes:
1) I'll be describing the characters in Interlude-chapters. It just takes up so much space that it doesn't really fit into a normal chapter.
2) I got this sentence, or something similar, from a Fairy Tail / Harry Potter Crossover I read a while ago, but I can't remember which, or what the plot was beside a group of mages going to Hogwarts.
3) The 'Guardian Rituals' is something I made up. I've seen similar things in other fanfics, but I don't think anyone actually explained their thought-process. Basically these rituals are a set of magical vows that a Godparent makes to their Godchild, it is an ancient set of rituals that uses a tiny bit of Blood-magic to complete and is a 'dying art' due to – amongst other things – the ban on, and growing disgust for, Blood-magic.
4) At first, I was thinking to make Neville's Patronus a lion (seeing as he never managed a corporal Patronus in canon), but I already had someone else in mind for that. So, I thought about it, and it hit me that Neville has something very important in common with pandas. They're underestimated. Neville is constantly underestimated due to his personality, and some people seem to completely forget that pandas are bears.
5) Again, I'm using an online manuscript just to save time on translating and writing speeches and some dialogues etc.