Heroes of Magic and Might
Chapter 37 – According to plan?
…
"Minerva? You in?"
"Yes! Please, Filius, come in."
The tiny once professor wedge himself through the door, letting it close behind him.
"I rather remember that being easier before," he remarked. "Your door has gotten fat Minerva."
"It's the hinges. I think they're rusting. The humidity here is very different than it was back in Scotland."
"Well, we are very close to a swamp," he pointed out, pulling himself into the nearest chair. "So! Rumor has it, you're going to duel the toad."
The old Scot allowed herself a grin at her friend's reference to Hogwarts most maligned individual. "That's right. I suggested we have you officiate, just to keep things nice and fair."
"Rather be in the ring, tell the truth," the miniscule man said. "You've heard the things she's said. And right in front of me, like I wasn't even there. Galling, that's what it is. Like to put her in her place."
"If I remember, wasn't that why you started dueling in the first place."
His hot-blooded youth was well known within certain circles, of which she was privileged to be included.
"I never found the satisfaction I thought I would back then," he admitted, "but this is different."
"Indeed it is Filius. It's my turn now."
The tiny man smiled, "Indeed. And now that you mention it, we did have words, our new overlord and I. Lunchtime tomorrow?"
"That is the plan."
Flitwick looked at her oddly, "You say that like you think it won't happen."
"Oh, it'll happen," said McGonagall, "just not how or when it's intended, I suspect."
"You think she'll try something?"
It wasn't a matter of thinking; she knew the toad would try something. She just didn't know what, or when, but she was ready, whatever it was. "One way or another, the situation will be resolved to my satisfaction."
"It'll be an improvement anyway," said Flitwick. "Of all the people we could do without. Speaking of people without, I was just thinking about Hagrid yesterday and it occurs to me, has anyone told our new overlord about him."
McGonagall stared, then blushed ever so slightly, "I'll sound like a terrible person for this, but I'd completely forgotten about him till just now."
"So that's a no," he said with a cheeky grin.
"Yes, or rather, no," she said with some cheek of her own. "I should though. He should have been back already."
"Probably found some strange creature and decided to drag it back here as a pet."
"That would be just like him," she agreed. Normally she found his propensity for large dangerous things mildly annoying, yet as she thought about it, she could not help but feel it endearing.
"It'll be trouble when he hears about Dumbledore. No one more loyal to Dumbledore than Hagrid."
As someone who had been very loyal to Dumbledore, McGonagall could readily acknowledge this was true. Hagrid's loyalty to the former headmaster bordered on zealotry.
"We'll have to catch him early, before anyone else can tell him or he'll march right in here and started demanding vengeance."
"I'm sure Mr. Weasley would be the first one behind him."
"He would have been," and she gave a little smile, "but I think he has his hands full now."
"Hand's full is it," the tiny man said making a very suggesting gripping gesture that made McGonagall laugh.
"Filius! You're terrible."
"I'm a man Minerva, and just because their too young for me to do anything with doesn't mean I can't appreciate their assets. If memory serves, her aunt was an early bloomer too."
"Was she," the old Scot chuckled. "I don't remember. I must be getting old Filius, so many things, so many people I just don't remember any more."
Flitwick nodded, his humor draining to somber, "Have you told him about Harry?"
This decanted McGonagall's humor as well, "No. And I've no intention of doing so."
"You don't think he'll come back?"
"No Filius, I don't think he'll come back." The thought made her sigh. "We bunged things up rather badly with Harry I'm afraid. Very badly. He did so much, and we treated him like a child. He won't come back. If there was a bond left here strong enough for that he would never have left."
Flitwick nodded, having thought much the same thing himself. "What do you suppose he's doing right now."
And here, her grin returned, "If I know Harry, getting into trouble of some kind."
… I don't appreciate the insinuation
"They're coming in on the left!"
"I got'em!"
Boren charged the flank on the left, roaring a jaunty "GODENDAG!" as his might weapon crushed the orcs squeezing between Harry's makeshift wall and the thrashing Caladonian boar. Blood sprayed and one loose head went flying like a two base hit back into the oncoming crowd.
Kali wove her four swords in intricate movements, slicing orcs to bloody ribbons while Charlie pummeled the boar with his mallet as it struggled to free itself from the thick, muddy pit that held it.
Harry stood back, watching the pit while keeping an eye on any of the orcs trying to get over his wall. Only a few now were foolish enough to try. They had learned from their mistakes and the great pile of corpses they had built.
The high walls were a safer bet, and they had made ready the night before to take them. Crude ladders rushed them, slowed by the rows of spikes added just that morning to keep them from getting too close.
The ladders made it a mostly moot point, except for those knocked off.
Porcine cries of pain and death sounded from the walls as the defenders smashed, stabbed, and shoved the invaders to their death.
The orcs were easy enough, but the boar-men complicated everything.
"Kali! above you!"
A boar-man leapt off the back of the mud stuck boar, swinging an axe at the naga who turned just in time to parry the blow with two swords. The forced stunned her momentarily, a moment that would have proved fatal if Harry had not rushed in and cleaved through the superior pig humanoid.
"Are you alright?"
The naga shook her head, "I will be," she said, though he could tell she, like he, was seriously questioning it. "We're being overrun."
It was true. Even with the angry boar blocking the way the orcs just kept coming, mixing in a boar-man every now and then trying to catch them unawares. Boren had been hit twice and Charly was bleeding from the nose even as he hammered at the boar.
"We need some space," said Harry, popping one of Nanny's little food balls before taking a swig of the mana potion. "And I think I know how to make it. Watch my back."
The serpent girl coiled around him protectively as he prepared his magic. The Caladonian boar seemed to sense something was about to happen and it redoubled its efforts to liberate itself, all for naught when the earth moved and sent a three-foot deep block of earth hurtling through the oncoming horde.
This would have been much less impressive if the boar had not been attached to that earth and went squealing with it, plowing through the oncoming orcs.
"Wizard! The ladders!"
Turning his attention quickly to the wall he found six ladders on one side and five on the other firmly attached and weighted down with climbing orcs racing up the length.
"Shit! Accio Ladders!"
Eleven ladders jerked then flew away from the walls, hurling their occupants as Harry's magic took hold and slammed them down into a sort of wall in front of his rude fortification.
Not yet done, Harry leapt from his protected spot, jumped in front of the two minotaur, and unleashed a stream of fire greater than any other in his life. Orcs and boar-men squealed as their bodies were set ablaze and Harry drew out his spell on the ladder wall, setting it on fire as well.
The response to this sudden conflagration was immediate and expeditious. Those not yet on fire ran like they were, some even hurling down their weapons in order to run faster. Whatever motivated them to fight, fear, honor, or animal bloodlust, it was all overwhelmed by the instinctive desire not to be turned to charcoal and ash.
"Holy heifer!" Boren exclaimed.
"Good grief," Charlie agreed.
"It feels hot," said Kali. "Is there a fire somewhere. Are they throwing fire at us?"
"Not them," said Boren, as the blazing stream died away and Harry came marching back. "Not bad wizard. Think you might a overdone it a little?"
The minotaur chuckled, but Harry wasn't laughing. A pebble caught his toe, and a stumble became a faceplanting fall.
"Wizard!"
The three rushed to his side, Kali arriving first, freeing up two hands to examine him. "He is still breathing," she said.
"Take him," Boren ordered. "Get him back to the tower. We'll hold the line here."
Not needing to be told twice, the serpent girl hoisted the wizard onto her back and swiftly slithered to safety.
… I'm fine… no, really
It burned, like the flames of hell it burned, like the breath of dragons it burned, like a bad fart after a worse taco it BURNED!
"Open his mouth dear."
The flaming liquid slithered down his throat like a vindictive ashwinder. It was barely past the breathing tube when consciousness returned and he bolted upright, regretting the action instantly.
"Oh! What happened," he groaned, his head swimming in a lake of pudding… tapioca.
"You overdid it," said Nanny, the plump witch hovering over him with a steaming bowl in one hand and a spoon in the other.
"Kali brought you in here," said Gabby, kneeling fretfully on his other side.
"Kali… the battle!"
"Whoa there boyo, easy," said Nanny when he tried, and failed, to get off the small cot they'd put him in. "The bulls are still out there, and the snake girl went back when she was sure we had you under control. Granny went with her."
"Granny?" Was that supposed to make him feel better.
"Now, I know we didn't give our best showing when we first met," the plump witch admitted, "but you just mind Granny. She's as tough as ironwood and twice as stubborn. They'll hold the line. Shouldn't be too hard, looks like you spooked 'em right good. Don't know if they saw you pass out, but they sure enough saw you toss that boar, rip those ladders and spit fire like a dragon."
"The ladders," he remembered, "they got onto the walls?"
"Aye."
Aye? That's all she had to say. "How many did we lose."
She didn't want to say, but Granny wasn't the only stubborn one and she sighed in defeat, "A few. Haven't got the count but I know a boar-man got up on the other side before you took the ladders. I know we lost a few a the pups."
"The goblins all made it through," said Gabby.
"That they did," said Nanny. "Wily little things. Should probably check up on'em."
"I'll go…"
"You! stay right where you are," the witch said with a mother's authority. "You can't even stand properly. You'll be of no use to anyone like this." Handing the bowl and the spoon to Gabby, "Make sure he eats this. There's more in the pot."
And with that said she waddled out of the room, now that he got a look, it appeared to be the barracks.
"She means well," said Gabby, mistaking his reticence for annoyance.
"They always do."
The half goblin smiled, spooned a bit of the steaming soup, and offered it to him.
"You know, I'm pretty sure I can feed myself."
And this may well have been the case, but that was not important. He knew it wasn't important because as soon as he said it, she began to pout. It was a mouthy pout with much to say, the jist of it being, shut up and eat the soup. Or else, while not said was strongly implied.
Despite his condition he was still confident he could overpower her. Although following that branching track led to several places, all of which left him feeling like a crumb, or a cad, in one rather risqué case.
He shut up and eat the soup.
