Planeswalker Gothic

Wizarding World 3

Hogwarts School.

It was up on the walls already.

"Educational Decree the first of many" I muttered to myself "Dolores Jane Umbridge is here by appointed to the post of Hogwarts High Inquisitor".

We found out at a staff meeting late last night, but it was different seeing it on the wall and not simply written on Umbridge's stupid, ugly, smug face.

So it had started, and only two weeks into term, and this showed that The Ministry would do nothing about Mouldyshorts, even going to this kind of length to avoid doing so. It was almost like they were actually working with him.

But no this wasn't malice, this was stupidity. It was Fudge and his cronies, clinging to power and terrified out of their minds at the idea that the Dark Lord might be back. Or that's what I hoped for if the government was already under the Dark Lord's control then the people here were screwed.

Perhaps I would kill Voldemort myself and just spare everyone the trouble to come. Somehow I got the idea that even after another Wizarding War this nation of fools wouldn't change much, so why let people die needlessly?

On the other hand I wasn't here to fix everyone else's problems. I'd gotten involved too much in Westeros, and granted that had most worked out, at least so far. However here I might just make things worse.

I shook my head and walked into the Great Hall for some breakfast. It was all kind of pathetic to be honest. Powerful Dark Lord or not, immortal or not he was just one man.

At the height of his power he had perhaps a couple of hundred Wizards on his side against a population of many thousands. The fact that they let him run around like they did, combined with the general policies of the rest of the ministry showed they were almost as bad as Voldemort in my mind.

Mind you I was sure that people thought that about Hilter, why didn't the people in Germany, most of which wouldn't have been hard core Nazis, rise up an rip him apart?

Sighing I sat down by the teachers table, and poured myself a cup of tea. At least there are some people trying to do something about it. Dumbledore had his Order, but the Headmaster believed that only Harry Potter could end the threat of the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters, which was sort of correct. But there was no reason they couldn't deal with Mouldyshort's minions.

Tom Riddle wouldn't be much of a threat if it was just him. And he could be contained. Certainly not in a normal prison, but there had to be away he could locked up safely.

Maybe I trick him into picking up a card, like how I done to one of the White Walkers.

As I bit into some toast I stopped worrying about that, as it wasn't really my problem. I had issues of my own to deal with. Today my class was being inspected.

(Line Break)

Crossing my arms I tried to ignore the pink abomination that had decided to review my class. And of course she'd picked when Potter was here. And of course it was my class she started with. Of course it was this class. What else would I expect? The multiverse hated me.

As everyone started to get into their seats I couldn't help but wonder if this kind of thing just happened to me or if it was something that was part of being a Planeswalker. Where there other super human versions of me out there who got harems and awesome powers without having to deal with people like Umbitch?

I rubbed my eyebrow slightly as the last student got into her seat before I stood up fully.

"Students. We have a guest today" I started by saying "Madame Umbridge is going to observe our class so its important to try to do what you would normally do so that she can see how our classes run. Now, if everyone would like to begin we can start work on our back up wands. Now like I told you before these wands are not true wands, they only fire weak blasts of magical energy barely enough to knock someone over, although hitting a person multiple times can do some real harm. These wands can be handy if you are disarmed, and lose your real wand. This way you can still fight".

That was when I heard the dreaded "Ehem" from the thing sitting in the chair by the door

"I'm sorry if I misunderstood you, Professor Gothic" Umbridge said "But it almost sounded like you think somebody could attack them?"

I closed my eyes for a moment before I turned to her.

"It has been known to happen" I said "not everyone follows the rule of law".

I had no intention of getting into a debate on this subject, but I'd had to respond with something.

"Nobody will attack them. The Aurors keep everyone safe." she answered with a sickly sweet smile.

'Yes, Madame. I'm sure the Aurors will pop out the walls to keep you safe if I tried to dismember you' was what I wanted to say.

"Yes, the Ministry does an admirable job keeping the population of magical Britain safe. But even the most skilled aurors can not be everywhere at once. Besides these wands are being created as part of a class project, I doubt they will ever actually be needed" was what I actually said.

Hopefully they wouldn't be. A simple shield charm would stop them.

"Well, I suppose..." Umbridge started before she was interrupted by a voice.

"We are going to need them" the the Chosen One said "Voldemort is out there".

Right now we were only seconds into the lesson, and already I wanted to strangle one of my students.

"Mr. Potter, I have warned you about spreading your lies..." Umbridge said as she stood up "De..."

That was as far as she got before I butted in.

"Madame Umbridge, if you would be so kind as to allow me to enforce discipline in my own classroom" I said.

Thankfully she back off.

"Mr. Potter, don't interrupt my class, this is a practical lesson you need to remain focused on your work. Remember you have until the end of the school to be ready for the Enchantment and Inscription OWL".

This did not calm things down.

"But he is back!" Harry exclaimed, while rushing to his feet "I saw him!".

Of course I knew Voldemort was back, but with toad woman in the room I could hardly say that. Not without risking my job and therefore access to the library. I'd barely started to research. Heck I was still learning to apparate, although I was close to perfecting the act.

"I didn't see what you saw Mr. Potter" I finally said "Nor do I care, this is a classroom, and therefore not the place for you to yell at people. I'm taking away 5 points from your house".

This was not going to be fun.

"Professor Gothic, I do not think that..." Umbridge started to say.

I interrupted her again.

"Madame I would not be so rude as to undermine your authority in your classroom, please extend me the same courtesy" I said.

Umbridge looked unhappy but nodded. Potter however was not finished. Seriously, was the boy dense? I was trying to save his skin here.

"I know what I saw, Professor" he said, glaring at both me and Umbridge in turn.

Oh bloody hell.

"That will be detention then, Mr. Potter" I said with a small sigh "Now sit down and get on with your work".

Thank the old gods and the new that he sat back down.

(Line Break)

Office. Hogwarts.

That evening there was a knock at my door.

"Come in," I said, while putting my teacup down.

The door pushed open and Harry Potter walked inside.

"I'm here for my detention, Professor?" he said, looking around.

My office was still kind of empty, but I had put some books onto my bookshelf for easy access, and some swords up on the walls. It was an old castle, the elves was able to dig up tons of the things. Which was good because I needed to stay ahead of my students, as such it helped to have things to practice enchanting upon.

"Are you stupid?" I asked the student "Or were you trying to get me fired?".

Potter blinked in surprise.

"Professor?" he asked.

I let out what I really wanted to say.

"You've had people trying to kill you since your first year here, and what do you do with your time? You learn barely anything beyond what the classes teach. You take a pointless classes like Divination instead of classes that can help you. What I understand is that with the amount of money you have, why haven't you hire a retired Auror to tutor you?".

That just one option he had.

"The answer Mr. Potter, is that you are stupid and lazy, for any other teenager that is normal, for one that seems to have a 'kill me' sign on his back and wants to be treated as an adult that is just down right mad".

I had more to say.

"You want people to believe you about Voldemort? Saying you saw him isn't going to get anyone to believe you, you need proof or you might as well go around telling people that Santa Claus is real. I mean come on you have truth serums, and pensives, find a way to get proof, or in the end its just your word against the ministry".

Still I wasn't done.

"And what in the world were you thinking going on about What's-His-Face in front of Madame Umbridge?" I asked, while giving him an annoyed look.

He frowned.

"Because he is back. It doesn't matter if you deny it, Professor. It is the truth. I know what I saw" he stated.

I stared at him for a moment.

"Of course, the git is back!" I finally said. "That's not what I asked. What in the world were you thinking going on about him for in front of Umbridge!?"

Harry looked confused.

"But you said...," he started to say.

I interrupted him. It was either that or I'd hit him if he kept talking.

"Of course, I said what I said" I replied "I don't want to get fired!".

I had three square meals a day, plus supper, loads of books to read, a roof over my head, and no one wanted me to march off to war with them. Well not yet anyway.

Really I should have stayed in Smallville. Heck I should have stayed with mini Catwoman and risked going dark. She could have been a cool sidekick as we cleansed Gotham of corruption. No correct that I should have stayed in Canterlot, changelings and dark unicorns were easy to handle compared to Harry Potter.

"Do you know why Umbridge is here?" I asked in annoyance.

Potter frowned.

"To increase the Ministry's influence over Hogwarts" he said.

That was Granger speaking, but at least he listened to hear.

"Not quite. That is secondary. Her main purpose for being at Hogwarts is to weaken the Headmaster's position. And you are making it easier for her by doing what you did today," I explained, while leaning back in my chair "She might go beyond that and take over the entire school, so making her mad at you isn't wise".

This didn't soothe the fool.

"But nobody is doing anything! People need to know!" he exclaimed loudly. "Not even Dumbledore is doing anything!"

At this point I did slam my head into the table, which admittedly didn't help.

"Just get out of my sight?" I ordered.

He turned to leave, only to turn to face me.

"Professor?" he asked me, "Are you a member of The Order?"

I felt the sudden urge to beat him with a chair.

"No, I am not, Mr. Potter. And perhaps you should be more careful about who you talk to about 'secret' vigilante organisations?"I answered with a small sigh.

This was the saviour of the wizarding world?

They were all doomed. DOOMED!

"Potter come back tomorrow" I ordered him "Clearly someone needs to teach you a few things".

He just nodded, and then left.

(Line Break)

Private Room. Hogwarts School.

Since this old castle was a good source of blue mana, which was the mana of knowledge, that a school produced an excess of the stuff was hardly surprising.

Currently I was demonstrating my ability to summon creatures to the Headmaster. I'd conjured up Alchemist's Apprentice, a human creature, or at least something that looked like a human. It was a construct really.

"He isn't really alive" I explained to Albus (to many middle names) Dumbledore "Its a golum more than anything else".

Somehow I didn't think the term 'hard light hologram' would mean anything to the Headmaster.

"He.. well it, will follow my instructions" I then told the old man.

I figured Alchemist's Apprentice was meant to assist me outside of battle, but I didn't use alchemy so the card wasn't of any value you to me. Other than it didn't cost much mana and made for a safe demonstration.

"Basically I take mana, and use the cards as a template of sort, like a blueprint, and create what I need" I told the old wizard.

Naturally I wasn't going to tell him everything. Like that I didn't produce the cards, or how limited I was without them, but some exchange of information was fine with me.

"So you were saying your magic come from areas of land?" Dumbledore asked, going back to something I'd mentioned before.

I nodded and leaned back against my chair, after dismissing Alchemist's Apprentice, and taking a sip from my tea. Which I seemed to be drinking a lot of these days. I really needed the caffeine for teaching.

The Headmaster and I were in a private room. One that has been emptied of portraits and mirrors at my request. While I didn't mind Dumbledore learning a bit of how my magic worked, I didn't want it to become public knowledge and people in those moving pictures could move about, even enter other frames. Which meant everything they heard could be spread about the school very quickly.

"Different kinds of mana, the specific energy that make up the magic I use, come from different kinds of lands" I explained, and not for the first time "And they are used for different kinds of magic and they affect the user as well".

Thankfully I'd not been foolish enough to keep using one kind of mana. Generally I just used what I could get my hands on. I'd been using blue mana recently and recurring themes of blue mana were illusion over reality, nurture over nature, thought over action, reason over passion, and the future over the past or present. Which might explain why I was spending so much time planning things and less time actually doing stuff. I would need to go down to the Forbidden Forest soon and get some green or black mana, it depended on what it produced.

"For example, Red mana comes from mountains and is used for Fire magic. It is also the colour of emotion, destruction and impulse. Users of red mana tend to be impulsive and not think things through before they do it." I explained before I frowned slightly in thought "In your view, they would be sorted in Gryffindor".

The old wizard chuckled and made a note on his parchment

"And what colour are you using?" he asked.

I smiled slightly

"All. What kind of mana you have access to effects your mind and emotions. Only way to keep your balance is to use them all, or at least a few different types. Using one kind of mana is a route to madness. But I generally use white and green. They are connected to Order and Nature, but its more complex than that".

He nodded slowly

"I see. Your kind of magic sounds dangerous" he then said.

Oh he had no idea.

"It is." I answered before I put my tea down "Black Mana is something I have used very little of thankfully. But other kinds of mana can be just as lethal to your enemies".

Dumbledore looked disturbed by this point

"I.. prefer not to kill at all." he finally said,

While given what had happened to his sister I understood why. I didn't agree with his choice but I could empathise.

"So do I, but sometimes, you do not have a choice. For example, your Dark Lord. Do you think he should be locked up? Would it even be possible? Could you risk him escaping?" I asked "Someone has to kill him or he'll keep killing".

The old wizard sighed slowly

"I refuse to kill or to encourage others to. The taking of a life is a heavy burden to carry" he stated.

Me I'd indirectly killed hundreds by now. Granted I'd only set out to kill White Walkers, but sometimes I did think about the times I'd sent magical creatures into battle with Stark's armies. And about how my magical objects made it easier for the Northern men to kill. Thankfully the battles of that war had resulted in the enemy running away rather than being slaughtered.

"It is a burden that needs to be carried" I finally said to the old man "Some people and creatures can't be reasoned with or restrained, at least not in the long term".

We were quiet for a long moment as I sipped at my cooling tea, thinking about the White Walkers, which were just one of many threats within the multi-verse. I didn't want to got around dealing with these threats, but on the other hand I wasn't okay with simply ignoring them.

Could you defeat Voldemort?" Dumbledore finally asked.

I slowly nodded

"With some time to plan I'm sure I could" I said "But I won't".

All I'd have to disable him long enough to drag him into the Void. I could leave hunting down the Horcruxs to Dumbles.

"May I ask why?" Dumbledore asked "He tortures, he murders. Why would you leave him be?"

I had my reasons. Many in fact.

"You do not want me to become involved" I told the headmaster.

Dumbledore frowned slightly.

"Why not he?" he asked

I looked at him for a moment before I put my cup back down, having finished the tea

"Because to my way of seeing things a lot of your people are nearly as bad as your Dark Lord. There's massive corruption in your government, prejudice against muggleborns, shameful treatment of the other magical race. If I decided to go after Riddle, I'm not sure I'd stop with him. I'd kill all the Death Eaters at least, or at least as many as I could find.

That wasn't all I had to say.

"If he comes after me I will smack him down. But I will not go out and hunt your Dark Lord" I then said.

The Headmaster stared at me for a moment before he slowly nodded

"I... see" Dumbledore said slowly "You have given me much to think about".

Now I had the horrible feeling he was going to try get Voldemort to come after me. I might actually have to do some violence.

(Line Break)

The Chamber of Secrets. Hogwarts School.

"Professor what are we doing down here?" Potter asked as I examined the dead basilisk.

The remains were just bone. Yet the monster had only died a few years ago. It should still be rotting, or least there should be something more left than the bones. There weren't even any teeth marks on the creature so I didn't think anything had eaten the meat of the monster. Also it seemed oddly clean around here.

"Well I didn't think anyone will be able hear us down here" I answered "And really I wanted to see this Chamber. I figured there might be some stuff down here from a thousand years ago. Looks like someone cleaned up".

Potter looked around.

"It was a lot nastier down here when I saved Ginny" Potter told me "Maybe the House Elves cleaned up".

Well that would explain the lack of mess, but it didn't explain what had stripped the monster down the literal bare bones. Still it hardly mattered I just needed to be creative with my cards so I could get enough black mana to summon a necromancer who could bring the monster back to life, or maybe do it myself if I could.

Assuming of course that I was able to trap a dead creature in a card. Naturally I couldn't do that in front of Harry. I'd have to figure out another way to get down here without him. Should it work it would make for one of a trump card, so to speak.

"Anyway I brought you down here because clearly you need help preparing for Voldemort" I said to Potter "For starters I suggest setting up your own unofficial duelling club. I doubt Umbridge is teaching you anything useful, and since you control the way into this chamber its secure, or so I had thought".

Potter looked surprised by the suggestion.

"Me start a club?" he asked "Why not you?"

Clearly Granger hadn't suggested it yet.

"Because I have no experience fighting dark wizards" I told the Boy-Who-Lived "nor do I know many combat spells".

At least none he could learn. WOW spells were sort of downloaded into your mind. Teaching Enchantment was much easier because it was a skill, anyone could do it as long as they had some magical power.

"I'm sure if you offer some students a place in the group they will join" I was now saying "and you can get the books you need from the library. Just don't put down anything on paper. You don't want any records".

Potter didn't say anything. He kept looking at the skeleton. Bad memories no doubt.

"Anything you want to ask?" I wondered.

The lad returned to the present.

"Do you have any advice? About what we should look at, I mean in the books?" was his question.

I thought for a moment

"First, focus on learning say six spells. Master them so they are second nature to you. Two defencive, four offencive. For defence you need a good shield and a spell to let you hide, that sort of thing" I suggested "Offencive spells should be fast and effective. It is better to know a few, good spells that you know by heart and can cast quickly with great accuracy than to have an entire library of spells in your head and not be sure which one to use".

Sometimes you can have too many options.

"What kind of offencive spells, Professor?" Potter wished to know.

Again I spent some time thinking.

"Something fast that put your opponent down for a while, the bone breaker curse would do fine. Your 'go to' offencive spells should be something fast to cast and difficult for your enemies allies to fix. A stunner is a bad spell for just that reason. Too easy to wake someone up" I finally said.

Potter frowned.

"The bone breaking curse?" he asked "That's kind of...cruel."

Clearly Dumbledore had too much influence on the boy.

"There are reasons why the Killing Curse is go to spells for the Death Eaters" I was now telling the kid "It ignores magical shielding and permanently takes the target out of the fight with a single attack. When fighting for your life, Potter you should be more worried about your own well being than that of your enemies. Besides broken bones aren't easy to fix in the middle of a battle and if you break the hand they use to hold their wand well that's going to stop them from casting spells. Or at least it will screw up their aiming".

Potter looked unhappy, but he didn't argue.

"Anything else?" he asked.

A few things.

"Use your brain. Practice often. Learn to look out for friendly fire, Watch each others' back. Never leave your partner. If you are in a fair fight, you already failed so find ways to cheat. Always have a way out. The usual stuff" I advised "There might be some spells like a stunner that can't be countered easily. Might be a better option that bone breaking since you don't want to practice those on each other".

I wasn't going to suggest actually killing the enemy, he was a kid after all.

"Yes, Thank you Professor" he said "I'll start looking up spells".

Now I was thinking that it was time to get out of here. It was getting late I still had research of my own to do.