'What's going to happen to Flint?' Seamus asked Kingsley as people prepared to leave, 'They can't say he can come back here after doing summat like that. He should be in prison.'
Kingsley paused, 'I don't think Mr Flint will want to return at any rate. He is beyond livid. He already informed us he wants to go to Durmstrang instead of Hogwarts.'
'What?' Dean said, looking at Kingsley in shock, 'He should be in prison. Or at least a detention centre. If you pushed someone off a building then you would be looking at a murder charge. At least twenty years for that. If Iris hadn't been able to stop Neville on the way down….He actually said he's the one deciding to go to Durmstrang? Not even thinking anything else will be happening to him?'
Kingsley looked at the group and sighed, 'In the Muggle world, yes. That would be what would happen. But, Flint has a lot of powerful family members in the Ministry. He is a Pureblood. If he is sentenced it will be very lenient. The Ministry will decide. A few months, maybe,' they looked at him with varying levels of disbelief.
Hermione looked like she wanted to scream, 'Dean and I would be thrown into Azkaban till the day we died if we did what Flint has done,' she screeched.
Kingsley looked ashamed. Minerva looked very upset at this very astute observation that Hermione had made.
Iris sneered arrogantly at them. Minerva thought briefly of Sirius, 'The Ministry is truly pathetic. It hasn't really changed at all, has it? Just talked a bit of junk. Moved a few people about. A few years of actual change then back to business as usual,' Iris shook her head at Kingsley, 'Neville's a Pureblood. Surely that must count for something? Or is he the wrong type of Pureblood? His mum and dad refused to get on their knees to worship Riddle. Is that it? The Longbottoms are not one of the gang, obviously. I suppose all the Half-bloods and Muggleborns have been bullied out of the Ministry by now. Is that why Flint gets away with it? How can you work for filth like that?'
Kingsley sighed. All these kids looking at him with angry disappointment was not a good way to spend his evening, 'It's not our team. Amelia and Aurthur do the best they can. Things are better than they were. You should have been around a decade ago during the Barty Crouch years. This is better compared to those days.'
'It's not enough,' Harry spoke up then, 'Is this it? Is this what my mum and dad and all the others died for? So troll scum like Flint can hurt people and nothing happens to them? What if Iris hadn't been able to stop Neville's fall? We'd be getting ready for a funeral. I suppose Flint would get a whole week's detention if that had happened,' Harry said this very caustically while his eyes were burning emerald green now.
'Well, no, it's not that bad, Harry,' Kingsley tried to placate the boy.
'Yet,' he whispered this to the tall, sombre man. Kingsley's face fell at the bitterness from Harry.
Iris felt Harry's magic then. It was wild. He had had a very fraught day and was on the verge of losing it.
She thought of her mum, and her family, the happy little elves and felt the cool magic flow through her as she put her arms around Harry as he had done for her. The Equi magic rushed through the room calming everyone. Most of all Harry.
The Slytherins had watched all this in differing moods. Albus, Minerva, Severus and the Aurors had glum expressions as they thought of the state of their world. Fawkes trilled softly on the side of the room.
Nott stared hard and then smirked at Iris when their eyes met, 'These are the cold hard facts of our world, Potter. Get used to it. It's only going to get worse. We're on top. We get to do what we like, when we like, to who we like. Although, I don't suppose it matters really. Your lot will be finished soon enough so you won't have to get used to anything. Although we may keep a few of them alive for our own amusement,' Nott leered at Hermione and Daphne.
The adults looked at Nott aghast. They had suspected a lot of students were supportive of Riddle but none of them had yet heard this level of vitriol directed at another student. The masks were slowly coming off.
The cool mood in Dumbledore's office switched as quickly as whiplash to burning heat. Millicent bit her lip in anticipation and settled onto a comfortable chair. Draco had gone pale at Nott's words as he gripped his wand.
Albus beckoned to the others to let this play out. This was way past schoolyard squabbling. The Auror's were there as witnesses.
Iris glared at him, 'I hope your lot's Grandchildren all end up like the Gaunts, you scum. In the gutter, bankrupt and deranged you inbred filth!' she hissed at him.
That did it then. The Gaunt name. The ultimate taboo. Never, ever uttered in public amongst the Purebloods. There were gasps all around the room.
Nott went from pale to burning red hot in an instant. His manic eyes flashed, 'When the time is right Hermione will make a lovely little slave for me. Daphne too. I promise you I'll make the rest of their short lives an absolute misery before I cut their throats,' he gloated.
Draco had his jaw and fists clenched as he looked at Nott with loathing.
Nott made his way towards Iris as she strode towards him. The room seemed to hold their breath as the darkness pulsated all around them. It was thick in the air. Severus couldn't keep the delight off his face at the sensations. Harry felt the earlier symptoms from the infirmary. It felt even stronger now.
Harry felt that he could tear steel apart with his bare hands. He watched Iris face Nott and tried to focus. The dark was dripping down the walls and the room was sweltering. He could hear whispers purring in his ear.
'I warned you about your nasty little threats, Nott,' Iris said softly in a strange melodic voice as she looked at Nott with hatred. Harry thought she sounded very different from how she normally did.
Blood was thundering through Harry's head. Nott went to punch her as the snakes began to slither over the stone floor as Iris ducked the way Bella had taught her to. Then Harry's heart stopped again for the second time that day. The golden doorway had appeared. The swirls of magic looked very different than they normally did. There were the Gryffindor colours of scarlet and gold spitting out intense heat they could feel all around the room. There were more gasps all around the room. Severus and Draco had their mouths wide open.
Iris stood glaring at Nott with her eyes blood red like dear old Grandad. She grabbed Nott around the collar as she had with Draco earlier, 'I see what you are. I can see what you've done,' she snarled at him. His body had gone rigid with fear as his eyes went wide at the sight of those red eyes piercing into his very soul. It was the last thing he saw as Iris fell backwards into the veil dragging the boy with her. The doorway disappeared in an instant. Silence fell in the room for a few moments as people tried to make sense of what they had just seen.
Albus stood in contemplation. 'Ah, yes. I was afraid this would happen.'
Crabbe had wet himself. Milicent simply gave a serene smile as the dark magic subsided. Draco looked where the doorway had been, stunned into silence. Daphne took his hand as they stood together.
'Headmaster?' Hermione said in a small voice. 'Where did she take him?'
'I think you already know, Miss Granger.'
'But, they told her to stay away from that portal,' she said.
'She wasn't strong enough then. She is now,' Albus said to her gently.
Hermione gazed at the place where the doorway had been.
Minerva wandered up behind Albus, 'Well, Albus. Where did they go? Are they off school grounds?'
'Iris is taking Mr Nott on a tour of his potential future, Professor McGonagall. Hopefully, he may learn something from this little endeavour.'
'I mean where specifically has she taken him, Albus?' the normally prim, composed teacher was looking suitably flustered.
'She has taken Mr Nott into the darkest pits of Hell, Professor McGonagall,' Albus told her. Everyone in the room gazed at Dumbledore with their jaws dropped.
'She can do that?' Hestia Jones asked in disbelief.
'Oh, yes. Her Grandfather has been playing with many things he shouldn't have. This is the result.'
The people in the room let that sink in.
'Do you think she's bringing him back?' Severus asked Albus after a few moments as they all stared at where the doorway had been.
'I think she will. He hasn't actually done anything yet to deserve it. It is what he has threatened to do that irks her. One too many threats to Miss Black, her family and her friends that she really does not take kindly to. Mr Nott should have been told by his parents at a young age to not provoke any of the Black women. Their retribution can be fierce. I remember my own mother and father sitting me down as a young boy and saying to me, 'Never ever rile one of the Black women, Albus. They will always have the last laugh,' It was valuable advice I have always taken seriously. I do hope Mr Nott will be a changed man when he does return. Iris should be introducing her travelling partner to the Dark Angel Lucifer imminently. I must say. This will certainly be a more effective teaching lesson for Mr Nott than evening detentions cleaning cauldrons. What do you all say?' Albus chortled.
Mad-Eye had the most brilliant smile on his scarred face, 'Old school terror. I like it. That will teach the young whelps.'
Minerva looked a mix of aghast and also slightly in agreement. It was an odd combination on her face.
'Tea everybody? While we wait,' Albus said in a jolly voice.
This seemed to bring everyone back to normality as within five minutes all of them had a brew and Albus had found some biscuits. Severus had waved a wand at Crabbe to clean him up. The large boy looked terrified. They left him to stew in the corner. After what he had done to Harry no one could be bothered with him.
Ron had a dream-like expression on his face, 'She's my own personal hero right now. Did you see his face? Merlin. If this doesn't keep his mouth shut from now on then nothing will.'
Lavender and Parvati were brimming with excitement, 'Oh, Padma is going to be so jealous she missed this,' Parvati exclaimed as they both giggled, partly fused with jangling nerves.
The Auror's had contemplative looks on their faces.
'I mean. We can't actually charge her. It's not actually against the law to take someone into Hell. I mean, there's nothing written down about it. He had threatened her sister and friend,' Hestia Jones said to the team as they watched the two girls pet their silver snakes.
'True,' Dedalus said, 'After witnessing that obnoxious little shit I think it's the best thing Iris could have done. I think a short, sharp shock will do the boy the world of good.'
Kingsley quietly agreed. He glanced at Harry. The boy's devastation knowing Flint would not face any real justice still stung him. He glanced at the two girls Nott had threatened. Kingsley knew what lay in the shadows. It was a very real threat that Nott had issued. No wonder Iris went ballistic. She knew more than most. Kingsley cringed. Gabriel and Severus had reported back unimaginable horrors in South America. He was hearing whispers through the Auror office of the camps in Bosnia now. Hitler and Riddle were behind this. Training the new recruits to the cause. Ethnic cleansing. Kingsley grimaced. He knew what that meant for him. Rumours had been coming through official channels about South America in the last few years. Politicians buried their heads in the sand. Officials passed information down the line. They didn't want to face any unpleasantness. 'Not my country. Not my problem,' seemed to be the mantra.
He suspected corrupt officials were blocking evidence. It all was feeling the same as the first Wizarding War. He had read the books on Germany in the thirties. The build-up. Riddle and Hitler together. The patterns were similar, although more refined. Much more discreet. Grindelwald was advising them both this time. He shuddered. Magic and Muggle might combined was intimidating. Medical bases had been appearing. People were undercover and what was being reported was disheartening.
The numbers of devoted followers being lured in were growing. The Muggles were fascinated by the magic. The magical world were impressed by Nazi wealth, modern technology and weapons. There would be limitless enslaved Muggles to abuse and work to death. A New World Order. People who questioned discrepancies and challenged this were going missing, having fatal accidents or having their memories wiped. It was all being done by stealth. People were becoming wary. Too nervous to discuss these strange happenings with others in public. All this was happening in the shadows. In different countries. Random cities. Towns.
The Auror department had tried to get through to Cornelius Fudge about the dangers but he had scoffed at them, called it fake nonsense and threatened to reduce their already limited budget. Donations to the Ministry were at obscene levels now. Kingsley had given up hope with that avenue. The Muggle government was also burying their heads in the sand. They knew there were whispers but it was being classified as being a foreign fringe terrorist group. No danger to Britain. Nothing too pressing. They hadn't officially been involved in Britain so it was put on the back burner. That was how it was being treated. It was dismissed as unnecessary fear-mongering around the world in official departments. They claimed no evidence.
Kingsley had contacts in MI6. The photographic evidence Severus had obtained was circulated amongst the decent people. It was forwarded to the relevant departments. Politicians and personnel on the fiddle would deride them as fake. The statute of secrecy didn't apply to the highest levels in Britain. Kingsley was a strong man of principle. He was also a realist. He knew what would happen once the Wizarding World became public knowledge to the Muggles. Many would be accepting. Interested. Impressed by magic. Others would not be accepting. Fear would be rampant. Lynchings would certainly be a reality. A bullet could kill a Witch or Wizard as easily as a Muggle.
For now, people laid low. Waiting. There was something in their air. People could feel it. He was one of those chosen to be joining Severus, Albus, Sirius and Bellatrix in South America. They were still in the planning stages. The Order was on alert. Albus had advised caution with Iris. She had needed to grow stronger. Kingsley had been impressed by what he had seen so far from her. She was so young, but the power she exuded was incredible. She would need to be able to hold the link between the two worlds for eight hours to let as many Angels through as possible to ensure complete sabotage to the camps in South America. Precision was key. It all had to be done the same night.
The Light Angels would not take any human life willingly. They would simply protect and heal those prisoners in the camps and the Aurors and the Order who would be fighting. The Dark Angels on the other hand. Kingsley had a grim expression on his face when he considered their wrath.
Iris needed to be kept safe on Earth. Even if she was invisible, a stray bullet, spell or bomb could kill her. Kingsley couldn't wait to get started. It was the waiting that was frustrating him the most. He was a man of action. He sipped his tea and rejoined the stilted conversations with the Auror's.
Hermione was still looking quietly where the doorway had been as she sipped her tea. Harry and Ron sat with her. Over the week they had settled down a little with each other.
'Did you see her eyes? Blood red,' Ron said.
'Nott looked truly terrified,' Harry gave a wry grin. After his despair over Flint knowing at least one of those morons was getting some justice was calming him.
Daphne and Draco had moved over to sit with them.
'How he spoke about Daphne and me. He actually meant it, didn't he?' Hermione said quietly. The others gave a soft nod.
'I know there are awful things in this world but to hear it like that. It makes it all real. There's no getting away from this, is there? Muggle. Magical. They are coming for all of us,' Hermione looked around at them all.
Draco looked particularly pale, 'They have already started,' he said in a low voice.
Daphne looked at him sharply, 'How many do you know of?'
He looked helplessly at her, 'Thousands of people already. Children too. Younger than us. I, you have no idea of the scale of this. They are everywhere. Every country. The cruelty they are capable of is..,' Draco shook his head, 'This isn't the Dark Arts or even Pureblood nonsense. This is something else. Even Salazar thinks this is lunacy. They call it a New World Order. It is...I don't know what you know. How much you have been told, but I've seen things that..., I do know what they are doing is insanity,' he broke off, 'I haven't been able to talk freely about this before. Ears and eyes are everywhere. They are always there. Looking. Lurking.'
His grey eyes looked blankly into space.
'Are you talking to Iris later?' Hermione asked him quietly.
He nodded, 'Yes. We're going to have a proper talk. She gets why I have been a bit weird. She's giving me Ethan,' he managed a small smile.
They all grinned, trying to cheer him up a bit. They could only imagine what he had gone through.
Out of the blue, the golden doorway appeared. Scarlet red and gold spitting out. It looked a lot larger than it had. Cups of tea were placed down and they all stood back up again and made their way cautiously up.
Blaise and Pansy joined them. Pansy had been especially quiet. She had some very difficult choices ahead of her in the future.
Seamus and Dean stood to the side with Lavender and Parvati in anticipation. What had turned into giving a witness statement had evolved into much more. They were certainly not leaving this room by choice, that was for sure. Milicent and Tracey walked up too. The Aurors stood with a curious look on their face.
Albus stood to the side with an almost eager look. Harry wondered for a moment why. His question was answered when a large figure strode through the veil with smoke drifting around him. His blood-red eyes and large black wings filled much of the room. He was pale and well over eight-foot with two long, thick horns growing out of his head. Thick black hair surrounded his face. He didn't have hooves. Hagrid would look petite next to him. The smell of sulfur wafted through Dumbledore's office.
'Fuck me,' Mad-Eye gasped.
Minerva paid no attention in the slightest to the flagrant swearing in front of students as she too gawped at the Dark Angel with the others.
Milicent squealed in excitement. Crabbe froze.
'Hello, friends of Iris Black. I am Lucifer. The Dark Angel of Hell,' his loud voice boomed throughout the room.
Hermione giggled hysterically then slammed her hand over her mouth, mortified.
They watched as smoke drifted off of Iris as she dragged Nott through the veil by his smoking robes. The boy was on his knees. They all stared with shock at him. His hair had been dark brown. It was now a brilliant white. He was definitely not the same boy who had been spitting abuse twenty minutes ago.
Iris hissed in his ear, 'That's your future, Nott. You deserve a thousand years down there.'
Nott looked beyond disoriented. His eyes were spinning. He genuinely didn't seem to know where he was. He collapsed on the floor and took the foetal position.
They all stood there staring. Hermione's eyes narrowed at the sight of Nott and what Iris had said to him.
'You are utter filth, Nott,' Iris sneered as well as Walburga as she wiped the soot off her hands. She looked around her as her eyes went from blood red to her normal grey as she wiped her brow, 'Merlin, it's hot down there,' her eyes were drawn to the teapot, 'Oh, may I, Headmaster?'
Albus nodded dumbly as he gazed up at Lucifer.
'Which one of you is Harry Potter?' boomed Lucifer.
Harry stared at Lucifer as he put his hand up gingerly.
'It's good to meet you, young man. You must be Ronald Weasley then. Iris said I could see your hair from the Moon. Iris has spoken well of you both.'
Ron waved in shock. Lucifer knew his name. Wait till the twins found out.
Lucifer turned to Dumbledore, 'Albus Dumbledore, I presume. A pleasure to meet you finally. We're both very busy men. I thought it wise to escort Iris back. It was her first time there you know. She knows the way back now. I feel I should inform you that particular veil would refuse to work for those who do not already deserve a place in Hell. Mr Nott does belong there. Iris will explain.'
Albus had a frozen expression on his face as he looked at Nott in trepidation.
Iris had swigged some tea and had returned to his side. She gave a look of contempt to Nott, 'We'll deal with that thing in a minute. Let me introduce you properly to the gang as most of us are here. This is Daphne Greengrass, my sister.'
'Hello, Daphne Greengrass. A pleasure to meet you. You're right, Iris. Her hair is truly amazing. Natural?'
Daphne gave a sincere smile and nodded at this unexpected compliment.
'This is Hermione Granger, she shares my trunk. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patel. My housemates. Neville is at the hospital, unfortunately. I'll introduce you to him another time. This is Draco. My cousin,' Iris liked the way that sounded now she knew him a bit better.
Draco bowed in awe.
'This is Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan.'
'How do you do?' they both murmured to him and then gawped in silence. What do you say to Lucifer?
'Oh, this is Milicent Bulstrode. She especially wanted to make your acquaintance,' Milicent was at a loss for words. She put her hand out shakily, then pulled it back.
'You can shake his hand if you like. He won't bite,' Iris grinned. Milicent put her hand out as Lucifer shook it. A beaming smile filled her face.
'You look how I did when I met Elvis,' Iris observed.
'Blaise Zabini, Tracey Davis, Pansy Parkinson,' they all did the usual bowing and curtseying expected of society people. Lucifer gave a gentle bow back as they gazed at him in bewilderment.
Iris sniffed, 'That's Vincent Crabbe in the corner. Whatever. This is Gregory Goyle,' Gregory gave a bow. His mouth hadn't shut since Lucifer had made his appearance.
'Professor McGonagall. Head of Gryffindor house. She's my Guvnor. That's my house,' Iris said proudly, 'Professor Snape. Slytherin head of house.' Polite introductions were had as Minerva and Severus looked as vulnerable as Iris had ever seen them.
'These are the Auror's who are taking our witness statements. Kingsley Shacklebolt, Mad-Eye Moody. Dedalus Diggle and Hestia Jones. I think that's everyone.'
Lucifer gave a few warm handshakes to the Auror team who, like everyone else in the room, looked like they had been hit with several bludgers. Lucifer gave them all a charming smile.
'It's been lovely to meet you all. Always nice to be able to put faces to the names. I'd best be getting back. The third circle needs some urgent attention. Iris,' he bent down to give her a gentle hug, 'Give my love to Bella. Till we meet again.'
Iris waved him goodbye as he left through the hot golden and scarlet red swirls as the doorway disappeared.