I don't own Harry Potter or Warcraft. There's some stress-related cursing in this chapter.
Obviously, Popcorn was invented by a Wizard, then it was introduced to the Muggle world later on.
For those who don't have my notes, the 'undercover' drakes are:
Aurogon Salonar: Aurogos the Blue taking the last name from a deceased High Elf he once knew.
Dali and Senas Lothar: The Red dragon siblings Dalistraza and Senastrasz, taking the last name of a human General and bad-ass from the 'First' and 'Second' wars.
Ral Elsington: Ralion the Twilight Dragon has taken the last name of the priest who was convinced to save the life of his sister when they were fleeing Azeroth.
Chapter 10: Clash
.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.
Slytherin house closed ranks that morning as they walked to breakfast. Surprisingly, when they reached the Great Hall, they found the Hufflepuffs also grouping together. The Badgers were following directions from a student Lucius didn't know to actually form ranks, with the first years protected by the older students and grouping them by who knew shield spells and the longest range of their offensive ones. This was greatly puzzling to those coming into the hall, Lucius had never seen students behaving like this before. There were no staff taking their seats yet, leaving the Great Hall with no supervision at all. To Lucius, it was just another thing wrong with the school.
Both his son and the other teen had admitted going a little overboard, but the blue-haired teen had simply stated that small altercations between adolescent males were to be expected. With more than a little embarrassment he admitted to behaving like a lion coming into a new territory and attempting to intimidate the competition. Draco had admitted much the same, and it pleased Lucius that his son would try to make an ally of the obviously powerful student.
Several Ravenclaw students were coming into the hall, and freezing upon seeing the two houses standing as if for battle. Eventually they slunk to their table and waited, eyes wide. Draco had his House line the wall behind their table and told them be ready for anything, with the best fighters at the ends. Aurogon Salonar took a position with the seventh year students. No one in the house contested it. Lucius took a place against the wall near his son.
Soon, they heard a commotion as the Gryffindor students came down with their wands drawn, eyes flashing this way and that. Potter and a number of Weasleys were in the front, two older students behind him, possibly the brother and sister he had heard about. The boy was certainly protective of her. Something about him caught Lucius's attention and he looked very closely at his head. The boy had a glamour! Without dispelling it, which would be exceedingly rude, it wasn't possible to know for sure what was under it, but it was odd for a male to use such a thing. Then he saw the child's 'wand.' Yes, that was most certainly a bladed edge with a practical grip. It was obviously a magical focus, much the same as his cane, just more militaristic. And that probably explains the glamour as well. It seems like a young man who saw combat before his time would wield something like that..
Surprisingly, the Gryffindor students saw the Slytherin's formation and copied it in a way. They kept the younger students in a second row and those who could defend themselves in front. This was getting curiouser and curiouser. At no point did they holster their wands or forgo scanning the room.
Gesturing to Draco, Aurogon led his son towards the other group, and also made a gesture at the siblings. Harry Potter came with them, and Lucius never left his line of sight. Obviously the boy remembers the diary from his second year… or the Graveyard… He missed the first few words spoken in a staring contest with Potter and cursed himself silently. He did hear Salonar telling Potter to relax, that the Headmaster had told the man his son was dead this morning. Interestingly, he did not share the fact that the Headmaster had come very close to making it a reality.
In any case, his eyes followed his son as the supposed healer in training asked to see his wrist for a moment, and suddenly her hands glowed as she touched his son. When Draco didn't object, she moved her hand slowly up his arm before pulling back. As she instructed his son to sit and placed a glowing hand on the base of his neck touching the skin, he studied the glow as closely as he could. It almost looked like flames, fire magic of some kind, but it obviously wasn't hurting Draco, as the teen in question let out some groans of contentment. After whispering something to him, she carefully pulled up his shirt slightly and pressed another glowing hand to his spine.
Ah, Salonar mentioned the joints would bother Draco if she didn't help, she's spreading her magic from bone to bone. Seems to be working, as Draco is never that relaxed. The Dark Lord will want to know about this, but hopefully I can convince him that magic like theirs is useful. One boy using ice magic I've never heard of and he admits he needs to learn more control. Another newcomer that seems to heal with fire-magic, both capable of doing it wandlessly. Perhaps forced to, none of them seem to be using their wands a great deal yet. Maybe the wands are new?
Most of Ravenclaw had come down, and though Lucius wanted to focus on his son, there was something else going on. A contingent of Hufflepuffs were approaching the Weasleys and then spells were being cast. Fingering his wand within its sheath he enhanced his hearing to find out what was happening. "…I'm sorry, you've been Obliviated, it looks like between five and ten hours. Good news, you're not screaming at your friends that you don't need a mind-healer." With sharp eyes he watched the Weasley twin lean in close to that Abbott prefect. "We had three last night that said it exactly the same way, same intonations and same pacing. Bad news is it isn't easy to get those memories back and you might not want them anyway. Uh, best to get you doing something for the moment. You see this wand motion? Watch closely a few times and practice at the floor for a bit, it's tricky."
Lucius agreed it was a rather complex charm. So, the students have been Obliviated? Wait, the same spell is getting different results? That girl just returned pink and started crying. A love potion? And that prefect was white, I can barely hear over the noise now, but I think it was a trust potion? Oh my Albus, you've been naughty. I wonder what the readings on Potter's trio were? They certainly look very stressed. Where in heaven's name is the staff! There go Hufflepuffs to the Ravenclaws that are eating. Oh dear, this situation is a powder keg.
Smiling, Lucius decided to send a Patronus charm to the minister. It was certainly not an easy charm to master, and his feeling of pride in learning the spell had diminished greatly when Potter completed it in his third year, but it remained a very useful piece of magic. (Especially should his Master call the Dementors to his side again.) While speaking to encode the message was generally not required, he wanted the students to think him above-board in this case.
"Minister, Madam Bones, I request Aurors at Hogwarts immediately. Please bring a full complement of as many trusted healers as you can immediately. You may need to breach the grounds. This is an emergency." At that, the glowing ethereal crow had flown away. In the wrong direction. Curious, he followed it with his mind as it flew to Severus's office and vanished. I had wondered how those messenger spells got anywhere quickly. Must use the Floo network somehow. Oddly, it was after he had called for help that the staff rushed in, and immediately got a lot of wands pointed at them. Though the Salonar boy had admitted to Lucius he had no desire to duel the Headmaster, he sank low to the ground, wand in his left hand and his right curled back behind him as if to throw the scythe that apparently only existed when he wanted it to.
The staff, or at least Albus and the heads of the Houses gaped at all of Slytherin and a good deal of Gryffindor facing off against the staff. Why would the lions… Ah. They've found loyalty potions and compulsions and figured out who they're keyed to. Potter looks furious. I wonder if he would actually attack the Headmaster? Ha! That new Hufflepuff is saying something and rallying his house, now they're facing off against the headmaster too. As the heads of house saw this, they began moving to either side of the Headmaster, with stiff movements and vacant expressions except Professor Snape. Some wands followed them, Snape was by far the most targeted.
Well even I can see he's been a bully to his students, now the dogs are ready to bite. I'd step in, but he and the Headmaster nearly got my son killed so he can rot. Salonar's ordering them to layer shields, that's not a bad idea. Hopefully the Aurors arrive just after the spells start. If they take much longer… Well Albus already proved he can take out Slytherin House without much trouble. I'm certainly no match for him.
As he took note of all the wands pointed at him, Headmaster Dumbledore had a genuine look of shock appear on his face. Students with wands out was one thing, but they were taking some kind of battle formation. With his best grandfatherly voice and a warm smile on his face, the old man began to try calming the situation. "Children, there's no reason to have your wands out. Why don't you put them away and we can enjoy a good meal before classes start. I need to have a word with a troubled," Here the old man's eyes locked on Salonar. "young man. I'm sure your Heads of House can answer all of your questions."
Dumbledore's eyebrows rose when Harry and his friends sent spells at the four heads of houses. McGonagall, Flitwick, and Sprout suddenly glowed white, blue, and green. Nothing happened to Severus. "Now children," His tone became as patronizing as the words could possibly be. "Using unknown magic is very dangerous and should only be done in class under the careful watch of your professors. I'm afraid that you'll need detention for that."
Neither the old man or Lucius expected Harry Potter to begin screaming orders with clear anger in his tone. "Shields! Stun the Professors that showed white, their minds aren't their own! Stun ME if I attack you or start arguing for the headmaster!"
Lucius was enjoying the show as Potter strode towards the Headmaster, his arms trembling, his eyes blazing with fury and his wand trained on the Headmaster. Magic could be felt in the air now, though it was impossible to truly tell whose it was. Many students were furious, and the Headmaster was trying to intimidate the children instead of reason. He listened closely as Potter continued, wishing he had some popcorn, but felt it would ruin the tension should he call for an elf just now. "Headmaster, I will give you one chance, right now, to tell me what you have done to my mind! Tell me what has been done to so many of us here, tell me who has done it so they can face justice."
"Ah Harry, my boy. You just need to calm down now and put the wand away. This is all just a misunderstanding." Lucius watched Potter start screaming, even as his body obeyed and returned the wand to his pocket.
"Calm down! My mind isn't my own! Why should I be calm when I'm just a puppet on a string for you?! You know I want to do something now to hurt you, for all suffering you've let me endure, but I can't? I can't physically strike you! And now my mind is fighting itself, but I WILL NO LONGER BE A SLAVE!" Lucius raised an eyebrow at the amount of magical pressure in the room as the boy drew his wand again, his whole body shaking. Edging around to get a look at the boys face revealed his eyes glowing and his hair moving in a breeze. Indoors.
Now a new person stumbled onto the scene and obviously had trouble deciding who to root for. While not fond of the repugnant woman, Lucius had a use for her just now. Raising his voice in a shout, Lucius looked directly at her. "Dolores, quickly! Get to the front gate and get the Aurors! Go now!"
Hearing the carefully pitched desperation in his voice, the large woman took a last look at the boy that appeared unstable and leaking so much magic he might be floating in the air the next moment with a wand drawn and the Headmaster before making a run for it.
When Snape moved to stop her, Lucius sent a hex he remembered James Potter using against the man many years ago. The potions Professor was hit and found himself held in the air by his ankle. When Snape twisted around and snarled at him, he thundered at the man. "Your posturing nearly killed my heir. Did you not think there'd be consequences?"
Glancing back to Potter, he saw the boy still shaking. Good God, is he burning the potions out of his system with just his own magic? No wonder the Dark Lord has trouble with him. If I can secure enough favor I'll have to ask Voldermort to let us use him as a breeding stud; halfblood or not that kind of power could revitalize a lot of family lines! He's releasing so much magic right now my skin is buzzing!
Again, Harry was yelling at the Headmaster. "I trusted you! My parents trusted you! My godfather trusted you! You betrayed them and you betrayed me! Ten Years! Ten years I lived not in the 'smallest bedroom' with those awful people. You sent my first Hogwarts letter to 'Harry James Potter, the cupboard under the stairs!' They beat me! They starved me! I had to steal food just to stay alive!" Lucius saw the tears pouring from the boy's eyes, and knew he had forgotten everyone else was there.
"For ten years I had no one that cared, no one that wanted me. Then you sent Hagrid to bring me into our world. You and I both know Hagrid is a nice guy, a great friend, and really bad at keeping secrets. He's also the least intelligent employee you have! What, were you afraid that McGonogall or Flitwick would have taken one look at me and dragged me to a healer? Were you afraid I might get away from the filth that kept me locked in the dark whenever I wasn't being worked to the bone? You know that yesterday was the first time I'd ever gotten glasses that were made for me? The only reason I could see anything at all with my old ones was my MAGIC!
"I got here and everyone already knew everything about me, except it wasn't me, but some 'heroic' boy that lived in some mansion and was spoiled and never had to steal scraps of bread so he would be strong enough to keep working the next day! Then I almost died three goddamn times in my first year. In the hospital wing, you tell me I have to go back to those awful people who somehow aren't at all afraid of what I'll do when I can cast magic freely! Do they think I'm going to die before then? Did you alter their minds too?
"You know I've almost died ten times during the school year here? Fuck you, when I was trying to kill the Basilisk and I'd lost my wand your bird dropped in to help, but god forbid you step in and kill the damn snake. A sword was nice, a rooster would have been better! And yeah Snape, mouth off all you like. I'll drag the skeleton up some time and you can see the hole the sword made while I shove a fang up your ass. I still don't know why you hate me, but I no longer care! Go to hell!
"Fucking hell Dumbledore, even my wand is connected to you! Holly and Phoenix feather hasn't truly failed me yet, but I'm starting to get paranoid now. I wonder how Basilisk heartstring and (Ƥ:) Leaves-like-scales-on-the-Queen-of-all-Dragons will work for me?"
That said, the boy cast his own wand down onto the ground and drew another from an interior pocket of his robe. That is a beautiful wand. I wonder if it works as well as the other? I've never seen an Ollivander wand with that much ornamentation. Shit, it's soaking up the fool boy's magic, either its tuning itself to him or it's about to explode.
Albus broke in again. "Harry, my boy, where did you even get that wand? You should use the one from Diagon Alley, I'm sure it's a much better wand than whatever crudely shaped stick you managed to pick up because it looks fancy. You don't need another wand." Lucius would bet his left testicle (His favorite one!) that there was a command in that last sentence. He was surprised when the boy started to laugh again.
"I'm no longer enough of a fool to leave my mind so open. I've learned that not protecting yourself is just asking to get your mind tinkered with in this castle. Stay out of my head, or I'll kill you."
The last sentence had been spoken in a smooth, sure tone, bereft of any doubt or hesitation. Now that was a good threat, even I can admit that. Wish I had popcorn for this. If I walk out of this with my memory intact I am watching this in the pensieve every month from now on! Hell, I never thought I'd be rooting for the Potter brat at anything, but this is incredible. This should be in a book!
As the wand in the boy's hand seemed to stabilize, the boy, no perhaps a man now, leveled it at the Headmaster once more. In a calm voice, Harry Potter told the headmaster what he thought. "Hmm, you know the wand feels right in my hand? I'm not sure how to put it, but the other just seems less in hindsight now. You still haven't given me an answer! Why do I have these controls in my head! Why do my friends and so many of the other students?"
Albus Dumbledore let out a sigh, and his bearing changed a bit. Lucius's stomach dropped. Oh well, here we go.
The old man looked past Harry briefly and to one student in particular. "You've forced me to do this Harry, I hope you remember that." In a voice that seemed to both echo and not, he continued. "Hermione Jane..."
He cut himself off and snarled at the cause. Aurogon had moved behind the girl and trapped her in ice. The sound had been much louder than the Malfoy patriarch had expected. Instead of clear ice like Draco had been trapped in, Hermione's was dark blue and completely opaque.
That teenage bastard Lucius was beginning to consider adopting into his family just stepped out from behind the ice and sneered at the headmaster. "I'm not sure what you've done to this poor girl Headmaster," That last word could not have carried more derision on it than it did as it passed the blue-haired teen's lips.
"But that is quite enough of that. She will remain safe in the ice until it's a bit safer for her to be out and about. I think we've discovered that there is at least one Dark Lord active in this country Headmaster, only he's decided to dress himself in white robes instead of black. Students! Nothing on the Heads that won't heal, put them down and then focus on Dumbledore. No shield magic lasts forever, and there's a lot of us." He smirked again, and it was truly a glorious smirk. Lucius was impressed.
"Remember he has some kind of bird that won't die, so get nasty with it when it shows up! Stun anyone that turns on us, there's mind fuckery afoot in this castle! Ready? If you're shielding, keep em strong! No doubt! No fear! We've got Harry Fucking Potter on our side!" Even Lucius had to admit that after seeing the Potter boy stand there glowing in the wind that wasn't there that last line really did inspire some small bit of confidence, even to him.
With that, students started throwing every curse they could imagine at the Headmaster, and he saw with pride Draco thinking before sending out a lot of small, brightly colored snakes from the same spell he once used against Potter. He copied it and sent his own swarm to follow, then switched to sending shield breakers against the old man. Potter, he saw just snapping his wand as gussets of flame sailed at the old man and glanced off shields. Not even bothering to shield, Potter started weaving in and out of the retaliatory attacks.
Then the boy glanced around and saw the remaining heads (Some very unhappy students had begun targeting Snape as he remained in the air, floating by his ankle. The Professor would live, probably.) surrounded by the conjured snakes. The boy began hissing loudly as he snapped off strong stunners and got Flitwick and Sprout in the back. They went down, and the snakes converged on the headmaster. McGonagall was putting up a hell of a fight however, and distracting a lot of firepower that could be better used elsewhere. Though, while distracting, she isn't actually maiming anyone. I know she's capable of that. In fact, all the Heads were moving oddly, must have been fighting whatever is in their heads.
Lucius turned his focus on her and suddenly remembered why he hated fighting James Potter in the last war. Around her, every table, knife, candlestick, bench and table began to change its shape and attack the students. (For some reason the spoons were untouched.) That was going to be a pain to clean up even if someone tagged her. A vast number of forks were hopping around, animated by Flitwick before the short man went down. Every spell that could have stopped Minerva McGonagall washed off on a pride of lions that used to be plates.
Lucius's consideration of whether or not anyone would notice some really dark magic was abandoned when he saw something rather unusual. Senas, the overprotective brother of the healer was charging McGonagall wreathed in flames that destroyed every construct she sent at him. The teenager roared and every eye turned to him, whether they wanted him to or not. Then he was upon the Transfiguration Mistress and the flames he wreathed himself in destroyed everything, including his own robes. As he batted down another pair of lions with his bare hands, he circled around the Professor, and in keeping her focus on him she turned her back on everyone else. That many stunners at her age can't be good, but that's a problem for later.
A deafening clank of metal was then heard from all directions. Suddenly a suit of armor emerged and attacked a student from behind. Oddly, it was stopped by another suit of armor. Why in the blazes are they fighting each other? It should be all for or all against! As loudly as he could, Lucius shouted to be heard above the din of battle.
"Hogwarts fights itself for us! Don't let her old stones show you up! Fight! He's only one man against us all!" Sadly, if there was ever a proof of the phrase 'not all men are created equally' it was in the dance of flame and magic taking place near the entrance. From back where he stood, he could see Potter trading fire (mostly actual fire in the boy's case) with the headmaster as the intelligent students threw as many shield-breakers as they could at him. Is that even a specific spell Potter's using or is he just shaping magic into fire and hurling it?
When Harry finally, finally managed to get a glancing hit in and the Headmaster felt pain for the first time in that duel, something in his countenance changed. A new spell exploded from his feet and knocked everyone else off theirs. The old man spoke as everyone took a moment to steady themselves. "I am truly sorry you've turned to the darkness Harry. Your evil must be ended here. As for you, you're going to make me kill all these poor children as well. I'm sorry everyone, but it's for the Greater Good you all die here together."
When Lucius got a good look at the spell the old man was casting, it took him a moment to recognize it. It hung in the air in front of him, a darkly glowing orb. And it was growing. If he'd had anything in his gut he would have hurled at the sight of that spell. "Stop him now or we're all dead!"
Everyone immediately hurled everything they could at the old man, including killing curses Lucius was sure even the light wizards would forgive under the circumstances. A barely there wall of some purple substance leaped into being, covered in runes no one present had ever seen before, and it halted all attacks. Until he saw the two new siblings charge into it, holding an enormous ball of flame between his left and her right hands.
It was impressive how they moved together as one, even the screaming on their charge was perfectly in sync. "The Fires of Life Do Not Abandon Children, Fool!" Lucius was pretty sure that walls shouldn't scream, but this one did and it made him fall to his knees and cover his ears. But the deed was done, and he saw that the Salonar teen was behind them, and his scythe was glowing with so much frosty power it was leaving a trail of thick ice behind him.
Obviously this is not the first time they're worked together. Lucius couldn't help but snark to himself as Salonar flipped the scythe and hurled it in a spinning circle of frost and steel just before the flame users had jumped out of the way. The spinning band of metal and magic hurtled right towards the Headmaster and would have bisected him, save for the small fact that Albus was the only person currently alive that could apparate within Hogwarts Castle. If nothing else, however, it bought them time. The orb of hungry flames that could destroy a small city had stopped growing for at least a moment. That impressive weapon spun out of the Great Hall and kept going, probably straight out of the castle through the main entrance. God damn where are the fucking Aurors the one goddamn time I want them to show up!
The Headmaster had only gone a short distance however, and then he started speaking again. "You show the darkness in your hearts children! You should accept your fates for the good of all!" Huh, now Salonar was making small gestures and eye contact with his friends and Potter. That seemed important. Perhaps he could distract the old windbag long enough for them to accomplish something? He had no idea how to deal with that orb.
"Albus, you've proved the evil that lies at your core! All the darkness, all the hate! Lord Voldemort feared what you would become! What you would unleash upon this world! But he saw! He prepared! His plans were endless and his mercy without equal! When his blessed unicorn friends came to him and asked him to help them save the children chained beneath you, he didn't want their help! He said their wondrous light should never need to shed blood! But they insisted! They foresaw that he would need their aid! They donned black cloaks and masks and rushed forth to save the world with a tide of happiness and joy as the first Death Eaters! For Death would be their gift to all evil!" Well if I live through this I'm fucking dead when I get home. At least there's not great odds with that orb hanging there anyway.
Lucius was successful in drawing all attention to himself at that moment, and he gave pause to everyone not frantically working on some sort of plan. (He hoped. He really fucking hoped.) Albus Dumbledore just looked blankly at the man both knew to be a Death Eater and murderer many times over. "Lucius, after all these years, I think you desperately need a mind-healer."
Thankfully for Lucius, at that point the three newcomers and Harry began a plan of action that started with moving the old man from where he stood back into line with the entrance to the hall. Then, the floor flickered and changed, seconds before Lucius felt a powerful apparition ward snap into being. Everyone sunk three feet into the suddenly soft ground before Harry Potter tapped his wand against the surface and everyone was trapped.
He was distracted when Salonar yelled out "Spells in the air to kill the phoenix when he calls for it! Keep them coming!" And suddenly the air was rife with a vast number of spells. Suddenly, Albus looked behind him and saw that cold, sharp death had returned. Everyone held their breath for a moment. At the last second, the Headmaster revealed that he either joined or started the fad of unregistered animaguses at Hogwarts by turning into a lynx at the last second. Sadly the scythe missed, and it was caught by Salonar who obviously had practiced long and hard with his weapon, catching it by instinct.
At that, while everyone had been distracted for just a second, Fawkes flamed in, grabbed the cat by its scruff, and flamed out. There were brief cheers for a moment before the orb that Albus had been feeding and controlling began to destabilize.
Lucius, as the only one present that knew what it was, started shouting. "It's compressed Fiendfyre! There's already enough there to destroy the castle, lake, and village. I don't know how to stop it." Taking a few steps, he grabbed his son, and offered what might be his last words. "I'm proud of you Draco. I love you son." And he was, Draco maintained composure in the face of certain death, unlike a lot of other students.
Aurogon Salonar however didn't panic, he was already shouting orders. "Ral! Use your animagus form and burn the orb! Dali! Start healing him. Harry, get us out of this!"
At that, Lucius saw something he never expected to. Of the four newcomers, the one that had been sorted into the house of duffers had seemed the least interesting. That is until his form, still encased in the floor, blurred and a dark purple dragon with some blues and grays charged out of the hole. Lucius was sure that the creature had broken both hind legs and its tail with its transformation, but it used its wings to reach the orb quickly. With a crash, most certainly not a landing, the creature hit the ground just in front of the orb and breathed in a deep breath then released it in a torrent of dark blue flames.
Lucius had seen a lot of fire in his life, he had seen a lot of magical fire, even. He had never seen a fire in a dark shade of blue. He had no idea what the point of this was, until the dragon choked on its breath and screamed. The sound was rattling, but it took in another breath and breathed out more fire anyway. Then, it began to twitch. Lucius had no idea what was happening, but the supposed duffer was obviously in great amounts of pain even as he took another breath after suppressing a scream and bathed the orb in more blue flames. He's trying to weaken or destroy the orb, but it's fighting back somehow.
At this point the siblings had gotten to him. Odd, that the brother now had strange, long ears that proved to be very vertical. Deciding the ears were inconsequential at this time, he started stumbling and then ran to the group near the flames. Their healer looked panicked, and that was never a good sign. Her brother snapped her out of it quickly in a few harshly uttered words. "Dali! Doing something is better than nothing. Tell me what I should be doing and I'll help. I don't know what to do."
The girl looked unsure for just a moment longer. Then steel emerged. "It's killing him! General healing magic, get the heart and lungs, I'll get the brain. Pour it in and keep it flowing until I say stop. If we can keep him alive we'll worry about the rest later."
At that, the girl placed a hand on the back of the beast's head and his throat even as the boy put two hands closely together on the creature's back. Again it breathed its flames, but they were sputtering now.
Looking up, Lucius saw that the orb seemed a lot less intense than before. He's killing it! Gods know how but it's working. But it isn't enough. Then, Potter came up alongside the twitching dragon, raw power and determination pouring off him. Potter dropped his wand, held his hands together as if holding a large ball, and then started to move them together, straining as if he was fighting against something. Lucius had no idea what to do, but figured information on this might save his life after the Lord of the unicorns statement earlier. The boy soon started to sweat heavily, all his limbs shaking with effort and pain. Then, a sound Lucius knew well.
Harry Potter hissed in the tongue of serpents a short phrase. Ƥ: "Submit! You are less, and you will be nothing!" Every student of Hogwarts, save a Ravenclaw that slept in that day and regretted it for the rest of her life, heard Harry Potter hiss a command, and it could only be a command, at the writhing ball of hellfire. And then it went out, and he fell to his knees in a puddle of his own sweat. The cheers were deafening. Salonar had come up now, and after a few whispered words to the healer and assistant he beckoned them off and used the spell Draco had been trapped in again. This time, his scythe came into play as he skillfully carved some runic script Lucius was unfamiliar with into the ice before beckoning the healer and her assistant/bodyguard forward where they touched the runes, apparently feeding magic into it, as the ice began to glow. Adrenaline started to fade quickly, leaving a lot of students swaying on their feet.
Potter called two elves to him then. Lucius listened briefly, but he was ready to sit down and rest a bit, it had been a long day already. He got the gist that one elf was being sent to warn the followers of the old fool that Dumbledore had gone insane, and the former Malfoy elf was instructed to straight up kidnap Granger's parents for the time being. He saw the healer move towards Potter, running those glowing hands over him before directing him to lean against the ice for now. Also, to drink a lot of water. Lucius felt about as thirsty as Potter looked, so while the teen sat down and pulled a bottle out of an expanded pocket, Lucius conjured a glass and used a spell to fill it, drink it, and then drink it again.
This was how the Ministry of Magic found them, when the Aurors finally broke down the gate and began swarming into the hall. Lucius didn't even look up, just filling his cup again. Hydration was a great way to recoup lost magic. Studies had found that wizards, while they tended to drink more than their muggle counterparts, excreted a lot less water. While no one knew exactly why, the obvious explanation was that water was used in some way by their magic. In any case, Lucius found himself admiring the workmanship of whoever had enchanted that bottle Potter had, because it obviously contained gallons. The boy didn't seem to have stopped swallowing in the last five minutes.
When the Minister himself, with Madam Bones at his side entered the room, neither was quite sure what to make of it. As one would expect with the battle that had been raging, it was wrecked. At least the enchanted ceiling was still intact. The floor was warped, often smoking, and most windows were gone. One of the windows was on fire and crackling merrily.
When the Minister of Magic, the august Cornelius Fudge saw him, the useless man raced over shouting loudly. Ignoring the man for the moment, Lucius turned to Madam Bones instead. "Bones! Your healers are needed here. Most of the worst should be magical exhaustion. You should secure the castle with your other forces. Dumbledore has gone mad. When the students confronted him about various mind control spells in effect, he fought and tried to kill us all. Potter and the dragon animagus in the ice managed to destroy the compressed Fiendfyre spell before it wiped out the castle, the forest, and Hogsmead. I figure we're all suffering magical exhaustion right about now. I have no idea where Albus is, but he is an unregistered animagus. I think it was a lynx, but I didn't get a good look. He used his form to flee at the last moment.
"When you see the young man with blue hair, be nice to him, he's saved my son's life this morning and helped to drive off the crazed wizard just now. Almost got him too, twice. He's a very powerful young man. Oh, and DO NOT touch the ice with magic, it's some kind of stasis spell. Fuck it, just get pensieve memories of this, you aren't going to believe this shit otherwise. In fact…" Lucius was pleased to note that he still had enough strength to send out a Patronus message. "Narcissa dear, please get the pensieve out. There's been some developments today and they won't be believed without being seen. I'll be home as soon as I can. I love you." He knew that would unnerve her more than a little, but he felt it important to say anyway.
Healers were now beginning to swarm over the students. Sadly there were some injuries: between the heads of house, a lot of cutlery had ended up in places where it didn't belong. Didn't look like anyone was dead yet though, which with this many healers running to and fro meant there likely wouldn't be.
Focusing back on the two watching him as he sat, Lucius Malfoy glanced at Professor Snape, still hanging in the air. "Minister, Madam. I need to stress to you that Albus has been using mind altering potions and spells heavily. I would keep the Heads of House lying around somewhere sedated until you can get them treated, the other Professors too. All of these here are rather fair duelists, and fuck you if you think you want to fight a Transfiguration Mistress anywhere. Fuck, I just want to go home and get drunk. Draco! I need you to get memories in vials of the events last night. Give the Aurors a set if they ask, but I need some to take home and show your mother. All right? Thank you son."
At that point, not ten feet away, still leaning against the large block of ice, Harry Potter finally stopped drinking. Looking at his bottle, which still contained water, he groaned after feeling his stomach. "There's no way in hell my body's holding all that water, I just drank gallons and gallons. What the hell?"
Tsking, Madam Bones stepped over and looked down at the boy. "It's common knowledge that magicals use water to feed their magic. How do you not know that?"
"Fuck Dumbledore with a rusty suit of armor, he never taught me anything. All I know about the magical world is what I've learned in class, and I've had some really shitty teachers in this damn school."
When the Minister heard this he blustered. "Young man, you really need to learn to respect authority! Your actions prove you..."
"Minister, with all due respect, I just dueled Albus Fucking Dumbledore for how long? I don't even know. And I didn't even die! Then, when he turned into a little cat and his sparkle-bird got him out of here, the guy in the ice and I managed to quench a spell that had Malfoy convinced we were all about to die. We have had some really shitty teachers here. Don't believe me? Ask all the girls that stayed after with Lockheart and don't remember it anymore. Ask anyone who's given up on potions after spending time with the ass floating in the air.
"And as for respecting your fucking authority? Two years ago, I met my godfather for the first time, and I saw the man who betrayed my parents in the flesh, and that asshole," Here, Harry cast a small ball of fire onto Snape from the emerald wand again resting in his hand. "Lied to you for some petty grudge and you ordered them to kill a man that never got a fucking trial. By the way Malfoy, I know you're giving him gold so Sirius dies and your heir gets the Black Family. You're too fucking late, Draco's going to be the Black Heir over my dead body. For trying to get an innocent man killed, I am planning on dueling you at some point, fair warning."
Lucius simply gave a nod, receiving the threat made by Potter's eyes that any further attempt would involve bloodshed. "And Minister, when I told the High Warlock that my godfather was innocent, you know what he did? He said there was nothing he could do to help, and that an innocent man that actually wanted me around would die that night, unless I could do something about it, oh and there was also a hippogryph that was going to bite it unless I could save two lives at the same time. Oh, and wink, your friend has the only item you need to accomplish this. Try not to die from the swarm of Dementors my boy."
Letting go of the head of steam, Harry took a deep breath. "So, with 'authority' doing nothing good for me in my entire life, I've run out of fucks to give. So have a good think over what I just said, Minister. I will be most displeased if you continue to prove your overwhelming stupidity." With that said, the boy stood up, wavering a little, and walked off to where his friend Ron was having a fork removed from his arm. The only thing Fudge could do at that point was sputter.
Malfoy was enjoying the glare Amelia Bones was giving the minister. Getting up, he excused himself. "I'm afraid I've had a long day that began with an emergency message telling me my son was dead. I'm finding my son and heading home before Potter decides he's rested enough to try killing me. Owl me if you want anything, I'm getting drunk today."
Finding Draco, and smiling when the boy passed several vials to him, hidden by a swirl of cloak, Lucius gave him one last embrace and began walking out the door. He did give a respectful nod to Salonar, if nothing else the teen had power, guts and skill. He noticed that the scythe was missing again.
His walk towards the gates wasn't very long, but it gave him a chance to brace himself for what was about to happen. Hopefully Lord Voldemort was in a good mood with all that had happened and overlooked the unicorn distraction. He was more tired than he expected, apparating home almost got him splinched. He was slow to kneel when he discovered a noseless face waiting for him near the entryway, and only his hurriedly setting aside of the memories saved him from the lash.
Thankfully, the Dark Lord seemed more interested in the events than meeting out punishment at that moment. Still kneeling, Lucius spoke to his Lord. "My Lord, I have memories for you and whoever you wish to view. There has been much change at Hogwarts today, and I believe I have the proper context. My son collected these vials for 'his mother' to view while the Aurors and healers dealt with the bulk of the chaos. While I haven't viewed them, even if they are poor memories I witnessed much myself and will gladly share."
And with that, he followed Voldemort into the grand dining room of Malfoy Manor. His Lord took his place at the head of the table, as various Death Eaters took their places at the table. Lucius approached the head of the table, knowing his Lord would want him close, but not wanting to assume his place at the right hand. He was soon seated one chair away from the Dark Lord, and retrieved the vials. First, he had an idea. "Grilo! I want refreshments served, then I want you to prepare popcorn."
When the elf had popped away and he got odd looks, he shrugged. "If it wouldn't have ruined the tension I would have called for it during some of the events.
"Now," He pulled out the vials, thankfully finding them labeled 'sorting' and 'common room.' "Yesterday, four new students appeared in Hogwarts, one of them had an altercation in the Slytherin common room, and somehow events led to a rather epic duel before breakfast was even served in the Great Hall this morning. My Lord, would you like to start at the sorting? Or would you prefer the common room or the Great Hall?"
Looking amused now, the Dark Lord smiled. "We may as well begin with the sorting Lucius. I trust that this will be worth gathering my followers?"
Allowing a relieved smile to cross his face, Lucius let out a breath. "My Lord, this will entertain us all without doubt." That said, he added the first memory and tapped the runes to begin projecting the scene. It was a very good pensieve, and the displayed scene was in color. This was the least important scene, but it gave a few important facts. "The male teen that went into Gryffindor is wearing a glamour on his head, given what he mentioned about his family, I assume whatever occurred left him scarred in some way. You'll see it later, but his wand incorporates a foot long blade. I dismissed the one that went to Hufflepuff myself, and that was a mistake.
"This next memory takes place not long after the meal, and features a slight miscalculation on my son's part. Thankfully he is still alive." With that said, Lucius swapped the pearly liquid for the next, and those gathered witnessed the confrontations with the blue haired teen.
"This boy, Salonar… He has power. He would make a worthy addition to our ranks, Lucius. Give me your impressions of him."
"Yes, my Lord. He is powerful, but when he said that he was there to learn control, he meant it. I believe his spells take more out of him than he lets on, but the skills to craft such a fine weapon must be considerable. All of his magic that I witnessed involved ice in some way, even his shield; if you look closely the spell froze the carpet around it's edge. And I believe all four of them are new to the use of wands. That said, the wands they use are interesting, I could only say I doubt they came from Ollivander. Should I prepare the next memory?"
At a regal nod, Lucius bottled the milky fluid and began drawing forth a strain of memories from his own head. "This occurred this morning, the Headmaster had just called me to the school, telling me that my son was dead. I… had trouble believing him so I went alone. This took place shortly after reaching the dungeons."
Expressions around the table were truly varied as Salonar proved himself an adept wielder of magic. Draco's survival was rather well received, with smiles and some exclamations when Draco fell from the ice, coughing on the warm air. The memory ended with Aurogon helping Draco to stand and stating he wanted to look his best for the next confrontation. All eyes turned to Voldermort as he digested this. "Interesting. I believe you are right about him lacking focus Lucius. His spells are strong, but seem wild and wasteful. Inform your son that he is to befriend this newcomer. He could prove to be a valuable ally. Now, prepare the next memory Lucius."
"At once my Lord." Here he withdrew the memory, and the man next to him, Rosier, was polite enough to conjure a vial to store it. As Lucius placed the wand to his temple, he called again for the house elf. "Grilo! Serve the popcorn." It was short but careful work to withdraw the memory as bowls of popcorn began appearing around the table. Naturally, the largest bowl appeared in front of Voldemort, a perfect distance that didn't suggest he needed to enjoy the snack, but could if he wanted to. "We may have to watch this one twice. A lot happened, and I made use of the supersensory charm to follow dialogue my presence would have prevented. There are three uses of the serpent's tongue by Potter, one is the name of some kind of wood I assume, one is a command to conjured serpents, and I have no idea of the last."
With that, the memory began, with events from Lucius's point of view as Slytherin House entered the Great Hall of Hogwarts to find the house of duffers preparing for battle. The memory ended with the Aurors entering and Lucius directing their healers to begin work. All present had seen longer memories in a pensieve, but none had seen one more intense.
Voldemort was chuckling when the scene faded. "A Lord of Unicorns am I now? Ha! You are forgiven for your desperate distraction of the old fool Lucius, his response was amusing enough. The newcomers showed some interesting magic. Will the dragon animagus survive Lucius?"
"Unknown, my Lord. A skilled healer panicking is never a good thing, but from what I know about that ice stasis spell, it will preserve his life as the magic that is fed into the runes does its work. I intend to advise the Ministry against taking possession of the block of ice, as Salonar and the siblings would not take such a thing lightly. I suspect they already have plans for the Ministry doing something stupid, so that the only result will be the depletion of Ministry personnel. Salonar, during his spat with Draco, chose not to use his weapon apparently out of a desire not to make enemies if he didn't need to. If the Ministry makes itself his enemy, I doubt he will be as merciful."
"Interesting. There is no danger of them treating their own, and I think the Aurors will be needed for hunting down the Dark Lord! HAHA! Who would have thought Albus had this in him! Avery, what else do we know about these newcomers? Have there been any rumors in the Alley?"
Looking more than a little nervous, Avery removed a sheet of paper from his pocket and unfolded it. "Yes my Lord. They were first seen shopping yesterday in Diagon Alley but not entering Gringotts Bank. They were seen purchasing all of the necessary supplies for Hogwarts save wands. They proved talkative with a number of clerks, especially who we now know as Mr. Salonar at a used bookstore. My contact couldn't get an exact list, but he purchased a large selection of textbooks for all years, though the lower four years he only purchased one set. He also purchased texts dealing with magical construction, magical greenhouses, runes, and stone-working.
"My Lord, he appears to have simply purchased the required texts and then bought every book that looked interesting or thought his friends might enjoy. The rumors said that the red haired female was a healer in training based on the care she took when choosing the group's potion ingredients, along with a separate conversation with another clerk.
"Other rumors based on what they said indicate the group is closely-knit. As for their origins, taking the various comments together, it would seem a group of at least three teenagers, Hogwarts age or close, fled the country together during the last war. It seems one of their parents told them to take their friends, flee the country and never look back. Oddly, they declined to comment as to what side of the war they had descended from. It could easily have been a mixed group of your supporters and others. Apparently their families died, and thus they never returned; they also swore an oath to never reveal their family names to protect their children. Before seeing that memory, I would have said they were Light families fearing you, my Lord, but if they had some idea of how the Headmaster operated, fear of Dumbledore is also a possibility.
"In any case the group made their purchases, and then waited at a confectionery stand while Minerva McGonagall and a most subtle group of the Order of the Phoenix guards took Harry Potter to a magical optometrist in the Alley. Both groups met, and made polite conversation as they were escorted to the nearest Floo, whereupon McGonagall traveled to the castle and spent several moments opening her private fireplace.
"What I've heard stresses that these teens were polite and respectful, and seemed intelligent. Elsington, the 'dragon duffer,' seemed more reserved, and shied away from crowds before catching himself and forcing himself to act normally. I have that memory but did not bring it with me. The last thing I have of note is that prior to coming here, they were taught by a private tutor, which implies their families have some gold, though a good tutor split four ways is a bearable cost. Apparently their previous tutor ran afoul of a dragon and perished. That is all I have my Lord."
"Interesting. I would wish for you to convince them to share their magics with the children of my loyal followers, or the entire school if that isn't possible. There may be something worth learning there. I want to learn more about that scythe, and if Salonar would be willing to craft additional ones for others. Do you think they will side with Potter, Lucius?"
"While two of them did end up in the same house my Lord, I believe that to be an effect of the brother feeling the need to protect his sister. Both certainly showed courage during the battle. Salonar leads them however, and he is a Slytherin. I suspect that he will explore the situation a fair bit before choosing a side; I would expect him to side with whatever side looks to be winning. I do not think he would ever have sided with Dumbledore, though there is a chance he may side with Potter. Potter himself has been naught but a puppet on strings to this point, but I believe they have been soundly cut. If you wish, I will also instruct Draco to attempt to befriend Potter, using today's battle as an excuse to put aside past differences."
"Hmm… An interesting thought. Potter has rejected my kind offers to join me, are you suggesting I give him another once his mind is solely his own? Very well, instruct your heir to befriend the boy.
"Now, on to another point. Potter's accent with parseltongue is atrocious, but he named his new wand's wood as 'Leaves-like-scales-on-the-Queen-of-all-Dragons.' Which is an odd name for a tree, especially that he would speak it in that tongue seemingly without meaning to. Hmm, those of you with libraries and no other tasks take some time to see if you can find a tree that would fit these words. It is only an idle curiosity, however. Also, those of you with children that understand subtlety, I would like to know who crafted these wands, both Potter's and the others. Their construction does not match Ollivander's methods, and our friends that remain in Azkaban will soon need new wands of their own. If these wands prove as good or better than what that old man crafts, well it would be easier to procure a lesser-known wand-maker, wouldn't it?
"Lucius, take some time to compose yourself, then get to work. I want the Ministry hunting down Albus with lethal force. Use whatever methods you wish, but whip them into a frenzy and set the hounds on him."
Smiling at the chance to rest himself, if only for a moment, Lucius replied. "My Lord, I would show all of Britain this memory, that will be enough to sway anyone with a free mind to end him."
"Take the memory when you leave. For now, I'm going to enjoy it a few more times. Have your elf keep this interesting snack coming. You all are dismissed. Keep your ears open for more information."
.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.
A/N: Fun times. Remember, at the end of the last chapter Albus lost a war he'd been fighting for a long time.
The tentative name for the tree they've made wands out of is "Boughs of Alexstrasza." but it feels a bit awkward. In Warcraft, the Red Dragonflight has these large trees with red leaves in their settlements, and at least one of my dragons had a sample with them. My headcannon is the Dragons have been cultivating the trees for a very long time.
Anyway, I wanted to say I read and appreciate every review, even the unfavorable ones. Hope everyone has a good weekend.
Next chapter events move forward.
Here's a list of the drakes currently on Earth:
Alira: Green Drake. Before she was drafted, she was training to be a professional mother. Alira already feels safer on Earth than she did on her home world ever since the latest war began. Sometimes she cosplays as a Night Elf.
Aurogos: Blue Drake. He's been keeping himself busy, as the best trained user of magic in the group he's had plenty of things to do. To say he wasn't happy with the leadership of his kind on Azeroth would be a great understatement. Azeroth's 'Nexus War' has left him with many nightmares. When thumbs would be helpful, his form of choice is a human with blue hair.
Caliona: Twilight Drake. She was the first to join Tendrion's little rebellion, though she wasn't aware of what she'd become a part of at the time. She's really looking forward to learning proper magic, not just what her friends can figure out on their own. Her mortal form is a human with sharp, aristocratic features, black pigmented eyes, and streaks of blue in her hair.
Dalistraza: Red Drake. Every adventuring group needs a healer, and she's happy to fill the role. While generally a kind person, her healing training didn't include 'bedside manner.' If she tells you to rest, you will rest. With a wand she will soon be learning the ways of the sticking charm and sleep spells.
Ralion: Twilight Drake. He would normally be a great leader, but he's been off his game recently, adapting to getting the evil gods out of his mind. He's glad they're gone, but it still takes some getting used to. His human form has black hair, a short beard, and purple eyes. His most recent thoughts could be summed up as "Ouch," just with a lot more cursing.
Senastrasz: Red Drake. You know that guy in the dungeon group that repeatedly gets hit in the face so you don't? That's Sen. He chose his path as a Guardian, a protector early in his life and it suits him. He's also fairly skilled around a forge, learning what he could ever since he saw his flight's Dragonspawn breathing flame onto weapons before continuing to beat the steel into the proper shape. His second form is a High Elf with red eyes.
Stine: Bronze Drake. When he joined Harry Potter, he officially retired from life as a Time Cop on Azeroth, but it was a mostly thankless job anyway. (Long hours and job hazards aplenty.) Many Bronze Dragons know their fates ahead of time, Stine saw his and didn't like it at all. When given the chance, he chose a different path who's end he couldn't see. His alternate form is a feline centaur called a Tol'vir. Orange with black stripes, ears that suggest an elf in his ancestry and no shortage of muscles identify his second form. His Leatherworking hobby has kept him busy recently, there's a lot of magical snake to process.
Talion: Black Drake. Most certainly a follower, he was thankful for Tendrion bringing him into the group. He was actually the oldest of his group before coming to Earth, but had an especially crappy childhood. His human form bears a heavily muscled warrior's build, with black hair and burnt orange eyes.
Vespiona: Twilight Drake. Sister to Ralion, she was very close to Tendrion before they parted ways. She's in mourning for a loved one she will never see again. Her mortal form is a Draenei with blue skin and purple eyes.