Chapter 50
April and May passed quickly, with a couple of ups and downs. The teachers were doing everything in their power to make sure the students were ready for their end-of-year exams. More notably, Professors McGonagall and Snape were pulling out all the stuff for the O.W.L and N.E.W.T students. Nicole was certainly feeling the strain as she would often stay up researching for her potions exam. However, Professor Snape seemed determined to ensure she did well on her exams. The usually cynical professor would make sure that she had what it took to become his apprentice as he didn't tolerate laziness. Least of all, from a member of his house. Despite the workload he given her, she gained a lot of knowledge, and her skills have grown. Something he was satisfied with.
True to his word Severus talked to Harry about sectumsempra and, after much debate, agreed to teach him. He was also very adamant about not letting him do it alone and told him that he would be around to make sure he did it correctly and didn't accidentally hit anyone. After a couple of sessions, he learned when and how to use the spell. Severus even taught him the counter curse. Whenever they were in the room of requirement, they practice on a series of dummies that looked like the death eaters who escaped Azkaban, more notably Peter Pettigrew. Harry was itching to break the rat and send him off to hell, where he belonged.
He and Aaron got permission from the Runic Masters Guild to try and create a matrix capable of giving the people their ability to walk again. Surprisingly, Aaron was dedicated to the work, and Harry briefly wondered why he was doing but chose not to ask. Instead, they've spent time studying different matrixes, working towards creating their own. Finally, after weeks of research, they decided to test them out on animals who also count move their legs. Their matrix was one of a kind, and they placed on bandages; while most of their tests failed, they were close to correcting the problems.
Soon it came time for the concert in Bulgaria and Emily was very excited. The two were escorted by Dora and Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody. Though it was clear that the aged Auror didn't want to go, his protégé Nymphadora convinced him by saying that it was a matter of security and that it was important to her training. He reluctantly agreed to accompany them, though Harry suspected that she had an ulterior motive, which was proven correct as she liked the band too and wanted to attend the concert. Both Harry and Emily agreed not to say anything. When they got to the stadium where the concert was supposed to take place, many people present. The excitement from the crowd filled the stage, and surprisingly, they met a few interesting people. One was the oldest Weasley son William Weasley.
Harry initially disliked the redhead because of who his mother, brothers, and sister were. However, shockingly, Bill apologized to Nymphadora for how Charlie treated her and how he ended their relationship. Harry didn't believe him at first. It was only after sending a mind probe that he realized the man was sincere. But that didn't mean he would give him any information that could be sent to his mother or Dumbledore. Bill sighed as he was partly aware of what's been going on at Hogwarts, courtesy of his siblings. Though, he knew not to believe everything they wrote in their letters, even agreeing to look more closely at how they've been behaving at school. He left Magical Britain to get away from his mother as she wanted him to work at the Ministry like his father. So when the opportunity to leave presented itself, he took it. Another reason was that he liked being a curse breaker as it was his dream.
When the concert finally started the audience enthusiastically screamed. Emily asked to sit on Harry's shoulders, which he grudgingly allowed as she was getting too old for it. All in all the concert lasted for an hour and forty-five minutes. After the final song, they went backstage, where they presented their passes to the guards. The guards recognized Harry and were shocked to see that he was present in Bulgaria. Quickly composing themselves, they checked their passes to make sure they were authentic. Once cleared, they were allowed to proceed to see the backstage committee and the Five Dragons themselves. The Dragons were amazed that the Boy- Who- Lived was backstage. Not wanting to draw too much attention to himself, he quietly explained why he was there.
After explaining, they moved to a private room. Their lead singer Sakura was Emily's idol. While the two talked, Harry and Dora began speaking with the others. In the end, they took some pictures, got some autographs, and some souvenirs. Emily almost fainted after she and Sakura hugged. To Shizuku, the experience was like a dream come true. Finally, she was able to meet her idol in person and get a picture with her.
Nymphadora was also happy that night, though she had to conceal it with Mad-Eye around. Despite his gruff attitude, Harry found that he enjoyed having the scarred Auror around. The story was that his grandfather and uncle personally trained him when he was a cadet. Because of him, most death eaters were caught and sent to Azkaban at the end of the first war. He could even tell that the man had a lot of power in him. Unfortunately, the aged warrior was scheduled to retire once Dora became a full-fledged auror. In a way, Hadrian couldn't blame him as the man had seen and been through more than his fair share of battles. Judging by the scars on his body and that he was missing an eye and leg.
A downside to it all was that the Magi's were working him and Miwa, whether it came to their training or missions. In two months, they've been sent on eleven different assignments. While some were covert, most of them were combat assignments. They thought it would be best to develop a different fighting style as they didn't want anyone to figure out it was them behind the masks. Each time they would leave their victims either dead or brutalized to the point of wishing they were dead. However, they made sure to keep their powers in check and only applied as much as they needed, nothing excessive.
The majority of their opponents were above average, but nothing they couldn't handle. Others were either weak or extremely powerful. If it were the latter, they would either have to subdue or kill, which was not an easy task, and after each encounter, they would come out with a couple of scars and broken bones. During the chaos of battle, they would learn things about their opponents.
Soon the time came for the fifth and seventh-year students to have their exams. During the second week of June, those taking O.W.L and N.E.W.T were given their timetables and watched by the examiners. While they were doing that, the professors administered their end-of-the-year exams for the other years. A the moment the students were having lunch in the great hall and the gang was sitting at the Ravenclaw table, Harry and Susan finalized the plans for Amelia and Sirius's wedding. They sent letters to the people in charge of decorations, the chefs, and the minister to conduct the ceremony.
While they were eating, Aaron nudged Harry's arm. "Our matrix is ready," he whispered. "Yesterday, I ran a few more tests and was able to finish it."
"Alright, man! How are we looking?"
"The patch will restore the person's ability to walk for four and a half hours; that the good news," Aaron said. "The bad news is that the person has to use them sparingly. Otherwise, they'll get addicted."
Harry had to think for a minute, "how long will they have to wait before putting another one on?"
"An hour and twenty minutes max," he answered. "So, what's our next move?"
Grinning at him, "for starters, we need to patten it. That way no one can steal it," he said as a matter of fact. "Then we'll have to test it on someone. If it's a success, then we can go public with it."
Aaron nodded in agreement. There were a lot of variables to consider, and precautions needed to be taken. The patch might work on animals, but humans were a different story, and the last thing they needed to deal with is a lawsuit.
While they were talking, the other students began talking about the move against criminal organizations. Many of them were shocked to read how guys in black combat uniforms were stopping them. Teachers and students mainly talked about Shadow and Hakugarai as the International press labeled them as mysteries and dangerous as they were responsible for taking down most of the syndicates. The ones convicted claimed that the two were absolutely formidable and extremely dangerous. Given the way, they handled their opponents with extreme prejudice. Many of them either ended up dead or brutalized to the point of begging for death.
"Harry, can I talk to you for a minute?" Daphne asked as they were walking in the corridors. She noticed that he seemed very tired lately and noticed that he wasn't eating much anymore. For the past few weeks, he'd been behaving differently. It was as if he was on edge. At first, she thought that because he was studying hard for his exams, she saw some scars on his body after one of their combat sessions. Some even looked fresh! And the fact that whenever they were close, she could smell a potion around him.
The impassively cold expression was present on her face though, Harry could see that she was concerned about something "what's up?"
"Are you feeling ok?" she asked. "You look like you haven't slept for days, and you don't seem to be eating as much."
"I'm just focusing on the N.E.W.T syllabus and my other projects," he dismissively said. "It's nothing to be concerned about" it wasn't technically a lie as he had been working on his academics and other projects. However, he didn't want to reveal the fact that he was Shadow. That would make her worry.
"You just don't seem like yourself these days, and you seem like you're in constant pain," she said, making him cringe internally. He taught her a little too well. "During our last training session, you had a new set of scars, and I could tell they were recent."
"As I said, it's nothing to be concerned about," waving off her concern. "I'm just working hard, is all."
She gently reached for his right hand "you know you can always tell me if something is bothering you" she noticed that his hand twitched in pain when she touched it.
Harry desperately wanted to tell her that he was a Magi in training, internally sighing he took her hand, ignoring the pain in his own, and gently kissed it "believe me, I'm fine. Just tired is all" the smoothness of her skin helped ease the pain in his. He deeply cared and trusted her explicitly, but he didn't want her to worry. "I have an idea; the full moon is tonight, and the stars will be shining. Why don't we go sit by the lake?"
She saw that he was trying to change the topic of their conversation as much as she wanted to get back to what they were discussing. But, she knew that he wouldn't keep something to himself without good reason. "Sure, I'll see you tonight," smiling at him, even though it was forced.
They walked to their classes to do the practical part of their exams.
The students were exhausted from their first exam. The O.W.L and N.E.W.T students were groaning as this would go on for two weeks, and they were not looking forward to it. Later that night, Iroh's shadow traveled Daphne to the closest tree by the black lake. Before she could sit down, Iroh happily barked behind her.
"Glad you could come," a familiar voice emerged from the darkness. Removing the disillusionment charm, Harry walked forward and scratched behind Iroh's left ear, again he barked and licked his hand before sitting down. Finally, Harry took the other side "so how was your exam in transfiguration?"
"It was pretty easy," she replied, "what about you? You had herbology today."
"Pretty boring actually," shrugging his shoulders and leaning next to the tree, "part of me hoped for a challenge."
His impassive expression, combined with the way he responded, made her groan, "exams come easy to you, and besides, not all of us are prodigies at magic."
He grinned at her "you seem to do pretty well" that comment earned him a playful slap on the arm, "ouch, woman that hurt," pretending to rub his arm."
"Don't be so dramatic," she playfully chastised him, "and you've been hit worse than that."
"What can I say? I am a Black," giving her a cheeky smile. "Being dramatic is a family trait."
"Cheeky prat" she laughed at his antics. Then, looking back up to look at the night-filled sky, "it's beautiful tonight" a smile appeared on Daphne's face while she was looking at the full moon.
"Sure is," stealing a glance toward her from the corner of his left eye. He had to admit that she looked very beautiful under the night sky. Without thinking, he placed his hand on top of hers.
Daphne couldn't explain what she was feeling now, but it felt like she was living a dream. Her phoenix form was even reacting to the moon. For whatever reason, it was like calling to her. Harry could only smile as he would often get a similar feeling with his tiger and dragon form. As it was, both teens were happy and enjoying themselves. Daphne felt so relaxed that she rested her head on his shoulder and intertwined her fingers with his. They stayed like that for a while till it was ten minutes before curfew. Luckily, Iroh was still with them and could shadow travel them into the room of requirement, where they went into separate bedrooms to get changed for the night.
Unknown to them, a couple of older years from Gryffindor and Hufflepuff were exploring the grounds after hours. The students were out enjoying the late-night when they walked near the whomping willow. As soon as they were near the old tree, its branches started attacking them. Quickly, taking out their wands put up shielding charms to protect themselves from the branches. After twenty minutes of jumping and protecting themselves, a Hufflepuff finally hit it with an immobulus charm, momentarily freezing it in place. Panting from the exertion, they were about to leave when one of them said they found an entrance. Deciding to explore a bit more, they followed the steps up.
As they continued forward, they soon concluded that they were in the Shrieking Shack. Excitement and horror-filled them as they've heard the rumors about the shack from their classmates. Then they started to hear someone screaming in pain, that was when they came across a door and saw something truly shocking.
(0^0)
Ten days later, all of the students who weren't fifth or seventh years were finished with their exams and enjoying themselves as they could now relax. Unfortunately, the gang had pulled a great prank on the Weasley boys three days ago. For Ron, they had him stuck to the bed until it was almost time for their first classes. This resulted in him missing breakfast for the day and made him moan at being hungry. They had the house elves add all the spicy ingredients known to man to his food and sneaked a potion into his drink that briefly turned him into a weasel during lunch.
Along with the potion in his drink was another potion that made him mouth off to the teachers. In all, he lost Gryffindor House 210 points and was given detention for the rest of the term, followed by two weeks of detention at the beginning of the new semester. If Ron thought that was the end of it, then he was wrong cause the next day, they made boils appear on his face that said 'I need to learn table manners and leave people alone' on his forehead. More notably, Draco Malfoy, the whole school population had taken to laughing and calling him things referencing to a Weasel.
Fred and George didn't fair any differently as they were given potions that made them have explosive diarrhea the first part of the day, making it hard for them to sit and spending long hours on a toilet. In the second half, they were portkeyed into a bathroom where Professor McGonagall happened to be. The usually stern transfiguration professor was apoplectic when she saw them in the girl's bathroom and wasted no time in wringing their ears. Unfortunately, they found it to be much worse the next day as the two often fell down the stairs in their common room. Three hours later, their feet were stuck to a tree branch, and they were hanging upside down. Deciding to have a little fun, Nicole and Harry conjured a swarm of angry bees and sent them on their way. When the sticking charm finally wore off, they were covered in bee stings and had little to no feeling in their legs as they were asleep.
When the Daily Prophet came that morning, it revealed some shocking news. Professor Remus Lupin was a werewolf all along. Due to the bigotry of Magical Britain, parents started writing letters to Dumbledore and the board demanding to have him removed. Rita Skeeter received word from a group of Gryffindor and Hufflepuff who witnessed him transform that night. This resulted in making the Daily Prophet look good again, and Skeeter was capitalizing on it.
The majority of the student population thought he was a great teacher despite being a werewolf. Harry, however, was conflicted while he didn't like Lupin for the way he abandoned him and was a staunch follower of the old wrinkling headmaster. On the other hand, he couldn't help but admire his skills when it came to the subject. And the fact that he hated how bias and hypocritical Magical Britain was. Lycanthropy was a curse, plain and simple, something no one should have to endure every full moon. It wasn't that he hated people with lycanthropy. It was the way some of them acted and what they allowed others to think about them. They had no ounce of self-respect. Taking a breath, he decided to pay a visit to the soon departing professor. Walking into the DADA room, he went up the stairs to where the office was. Giving it a knock, the door was opened by a surprised visitor.
"Sirius? What are you doing here?" Harry was stunned to see his godfather at school.
Before answering, Sirius grabbed him by the collar of his robes and pulled him inside, closing and warding the door. He then pointed his wand at Harry's neck with an incantation on his lips "how did Harry Potter and Daphne Greengrass retaliate after I pranked them this past summer?"
"Are you mad" he was cut off.
"How did they retaliate?" Sirius shouted menacingly.
"We set a boxing glove up in his closet, so when it opened, it nails him in the groin. Then Daphne slipped him a potion that turned him into a poodle, and I blew a whistle driving him insane."
Sirius's eyes softened, lowering his wand and turning around to look at Remus, who also had his wand out "it's ok, Mooney, this is the real Harry." As he was about to turn back to his godson, Harry kicked him in his kneecap and delivered a powerful punch and breaking his nose.
"Now! How about some answers" he demanded in a cold voice while one arm held his wand and the other began crackling with lightning.
"Sorry about the crude welcoming" Remus slowly moved forward to where Sirius was waving his wand. He repaired his nose and vanished the blood dripping out. "But we had to make sure it was you." Harry narrowed, wondering what he was talking about.
Sirius moaned and groaned "god damn, that hurt." But, damn, Harry is strong "what he means is that he learned the truth and who Dumbledore is."
"Keep going," Harry cautiously said.
"Show him, Padfoot" Remus gestured to the pensieve next to a tank with a grindylow inside.
Rubbing his nose, he picked up his family's pensieve and a vial containing a memory "this is what he showed me yesterday. Please watch it," pouring it in. Harry eyed the both of them cautiously for a moment, detecting no ill will or tricks. Then, finally, he went in to view the memory.
A half-hour later, he emerged with an angry expression on his face. "How do I know this hasn't been tampered with? I've read about faulty pensieve!"
Remus took out his wand and pointed it at himself. "I, Remus John Lupin, hereby swear on my life and magic that the memory is a complete truth. And that I did not know that I was being used against my will. So mote it be." He was enveloped in a white light signaling the vow was taking place and revealed him to be still alive.
Lowering his wand, though his eyes were still narrowed on him, "so you now know that Dumbledore is not the man he appears to be. But why tell me?"
Remus let out a tired sigh. "I realized that I was wrong about him. The man who gave me an education when where I made friends betrayed me. He used my fear and weakness of being a werewolf to achieve what he wanted, and it cost me dearly."
"For far too long, I have let my lycanthropy dictate my life, and it's caused me nothing but misery and regret" he looked down in shame and regret. "I am truly sorry for not checking on you after your parents were murdered that night."
Harry could detect no deception in his voice. His body language and micro-expression even showed how full of regret he was. "Don't think for one minute that you and I are friends because we're not." Noticing the sadness on the man's face, he took a breath "though I will give you a chance to earn my forgiveness. Don't waste it" he was about to disable the wards but paused, "for what it's worth, you were a good professor" removing the wards, he left the room.
"That went surprisingly, better than I thought it would," Sirius commented. "I expected him to start cursing the both of us."
"Do you think he'll give me a chance?"
Sirius let out a breath. "Harry might be cold and ruthless," laughing a little, "but he is also a man of his word and very honorable." So then, laminating about the kind of man Harry would grow up to be, "for the time give him space and when he's ready. He'll come to you."
The two continued talking for the next couple of hours.
Harry went to the entrance of the castle where Aaron was supposed to be. If all went as planned, then Mr. Bell should have his legs back. Arriving at the entrance, he saw him and Katie adamantly talking with each other "hope I'm not intruding on an important conversation between you two," he jokingly said, causing them to look at him.
"How is your father doing?"
Katie bit her lip "he's settling back into work mode," she answered. "According, to him the environment is much better than the last one he had to work at."
"He earned the job fair and square," shrugging his shoulders, "Merlin knows we need more people like him." Out of the other candidates who advocated for the job, Mr. Bell was the most surprising as his work was well above the others. Harry promised his workers that he would never allow his personal feeling to get involved in the business. So he let his uncle evaluate them in his stead.
"I'm just glad Flint and Parkinson got what they deserved," Adrian cut in. "From what my dad told me, they are doing everything they can to get back in the public's good graces. But, Harry, you might need to watch your back. I overheard Flint raving about how he was going to make you pay for what he did to his father," warning his friend.
Harry scoffed. "If the troll wants to come after me, then he better be ready for the consequences. Since he's an adult, then that puts me in a very interesting position" a cruel smile appeared on his face.
"What are you getting at?" Katie eyed him curiously, wondering what was going on in his head.
He laughed darkly "think about it. Marcus Flint is a seventh-year with abysmal grades and is not that talented at magic. If anything, he will be held back. As the heir to the House of Flint, that will put his family in a bad position. Should he try anything stupid, then that will worsen his family's already damaged reputation?"
Aaron connected the dots of what Harry was saying. "Damn, you are an evil genius! Remind me never to get on your bad side," he begins laughing.
Katie was confused about what they were discussing "can I get a little more context?"
Aaron responded, "it works like this. You see, as an heir of a prestigious family like the Flints, they believe that image is everything," he began. "The Flint here is not exactly heir material, and should he do anything stupid. Then his father would not be pleased with him."
She widened her eyes in realization and turned to face Harry "you truly are evil," commenting about his plan. "But do you think he tries and does something risky?"
Harry only shrugged his shoulders. "He'd be smart not to cross my or my sister's path."
Katie was about to say more when Byakko and Suzaku came around. The phoenix rested on his shoulder, nuzzling his face. Byakko rubbed against his leg. Then she spotted her parents, lawyer, Lord Black, and a man she didn't recognize.
Adrian approached the man with a smile on his face. "Hello, dad," he hugged him while Katie did the same with her parents.
"Uncle," Harry greeted him respectfully.
Arcturus nodded. "I trust everything is ready," raising an eyebrow at his nephew.
"Yes, we're going to the medical wing. Madam Pomfrey is waiting for us."
Katie didn't know what was going on and gave a skeptical look to her parents. Her father shrugged his shoulder as he was confused as well. The only thing he got was a letter from Hadrian telling him to come to Hogwarts.
Aaron and Hadrian lead them inside to the hospital wing. All the while, Hadrian and Mr. Bell began discussing why they were he needed to come today. Harry would only say that it was a surprise, nothing further. When they arrived at the infirmary, Madam Pomfrey was currently restocking supplies. Putting the last of the potions away, she turned and saw them at the entrance. "Welcome, everyone!" she then looked at Aaron and Harry. "I take you two have everything you need?"
They gave her a curt nod.
"Alright, then Mrs. Bell kindly roll your husband to one of the beds, and we'll begin."
Maxine rolled her husband to a bed and helped him in it. Just then, Albus came in and looked at everyone "oh sorry everyone, I was busy with something," speaking in a grandfatherly voice. "Lord Black," he greeted before turning his attention to the others, "Misters Bell and Vaisey, I was unaware you two would be coming today."
"Professor Dumbledore," Stephen began, "I am just as surprised as you because I don't know why I am here. All I got was a letter from Mr. Potter, saying that he needed me to come here."
Dumbledore turned to Harry, wondering what he was doing this time. Arcturus was about to tell Dumbledore to get lost, but Harry interceded "easy, uncle!" he said, placating the man. "He would have found out sooner or later." Then, turning his attention to Aaron, "let's get this done, shall we?" Aaron nodded. Harry then looked at Katie's father "Mr. Bell, how would you like to walk again?"
The Bells were completely shocked by his question, none more so than Stephen was, "what are you talking about?"
Harry gestured for Aaron to take control. Then, stepping forward, he did, "for the past few months, Harry and I have been working on creating matrixes that are designed to give a person their ability to walk again."
"Actually," Harry cut in, "he came to me, and it's mainly his work. I just helped out in a few areas."
Everyone looked back at Aaron, who was looking at Harry with a bit of embarrassment. "This is mainly your project," smiling at him, "you deserve the credit."
Aaron returned the smile and mouthed 'thanks' before continuing. "After numerous failures, we were finally able to make it work." The occupants began looking at each other with surprise and disbelief at what he said. Then, reaching into his watch, he pulled out a small box that held the patches "just place this on the back of his waist, and it will restore his ability to walk for four and a half hours." Giving the box to the man's wife, who opened it and saw twelve different patches inside.
"However," he said before she could pull one out, "you should know that it will sting once you put it on. You should also not wear them back to back, only sparingly."
"What happens if he does use them back to back?" Katie asked.
"One he will become addicted to them, and result in a few side effects."
"What kind of side effects?" Stephen curiously looked at the boy.
Aaron began listing them as "itching, sweating, loss of short-term memory, muscle spasm, and constant need to use the bathroom."
"Those are a lot of side effects, young man," Poppy commented. "Have they been tested?"
"Yes, we tested them and have the forms to prove it," he said with confidence as he motioned to Harry. He looked at Mrs. Schwarber, who pulled out a set of waivers from her case and gave it to the matron.
"These are indeed authentic," she testified on their behalf.
Stephen was happy at the thought of being able to walk again, but a thought came to him "before I put one on, I have one question: How long will I have to wait before putting another one on?"
Aaron answered. "An hour and twenty-six minutes."
Taking a deep breath, "alright, let's do it."
"Dad, are you sure?"
Katie was torn on the one hand. Finally, finally, her father would be able to walk again. But, on the other hand, she was worried that something bad would happen.
He gave her a reassuring smile. "I am!" Turning to Maxine, "I'm ready, dear," turning so he was now laying on his stomach.
Maxine was skeptical but complied and took a patch out. It had an unusual matrix in the middle. Taking in a sharp breath, she placed it on his waist. He groaned once the patch touched his skin as it stung, but at the same time, he could also feel his legs again.
"That is an unusual feeling," he commented.
"Try getting up," Maxine said, ready to catch him should he fall over.
Stephen raised the top part of his body first and, to everyone's surprise, his lower half. When his feet touched the floor, he stumbled a bit as he hasn't used his legs since the incident. Much to everyone's surprise, he was able to stand up on his own. He then began walking a bit. "I can walk again?" marveling at the fact that his legs were moving again. "I can walk again!" pumping his hands in the air.
The people in the hospital wing were rendered speechless. None more so than Dumbledore, who was amazed that two schoolboys could do something others could not.
Stephen looked grateful to Aaron "thank you! I never thought I would be able to walk again. Please tell me I'm not dreaming." Arcturus took out his wand and fired a stinging hex making him yelp.
"You are most definitely not dreaming," he casually stated while ignoring the scathing looks of the Bell females.
Giving him one last glare, Katie grabbed Aaron in a hug "thank you." His only reply was, "it was nothing." She then looked for Harry, only to find that he was gone along with the phoenix and tiger. "Where did Harry go?"
That got the others' attention except for Arcturus, who rolled his eyes as they just noticed Harry was gone.
"I have got to learn how to do that," Aaron groaned in annoyance as Harry and Emily were very good at disappearing whenever they wanted to. He was both annoyed and impressed with that technique of theirs.
"Indeed, Mr. Vaisey, do you have an idea of where he might have gone," Dumbledore asked with his eyes twinkling. He would use legilimency, but the boy's father was here along with other witnesses.
Aaron turned to the headmaster and shook his head.
"Aaron, theirs a note taped to your back," his father said.
Katie pulled it off and handed it to him:
To everyone, if you are reading this, then I have left. Don't worry, old man; I am still in the castle. I just went to the great hall for dinner. Mr. Bell, I hope you are satisfied that you can now move again, even though it is temporary. The patches have already been patented, and Mrs. Schwarber has the paperwork to prove it. Lord Black and Mr. Vaisey, Aaron, and I have already settled on how we split the prices. We split the profit from the guild in half; overall, I get 38 percent of ownership. The rest goes to Aaron. Like I said before, "this was mainly his project. I just helped." If you have any questions, direct them to Mrs. Schwarber, Mr. Vaisey, Lord Black, or Aaron.
Good day all!
Aaron snorted. "Bastard," he muttered under his breath and turned to the others who were still shocked. "I can never figure him out."
The others nodded in agreement. Arcturus was chuckling and beaming with pride toward his nephew. The boy really will be an accomplished Lord when the time comes.
"Well then," Albus said, resuming control of the situation, "Lord Black, Mr. Vaisey, and Mrs. Schwarber, shall we adjourn to my office? I have some comfortable chairs that are great for improving an individual's posture." So they silently left the hospital wing, with only Madam Pomfrey and the Bells.
Maxine could only watch with amazement as Stephen was moving around the room normally, without any support. "Alright dear, let's apparate home, and I'll make dinner for the three of us."
"Forget that," he said. "I have working legs for the first time in over two months, and I'm going to use them. I'm apparating us all home and making dinner tonight." Katie and her mother shook their heads in amusement and followed behind as he left the room.
(0^0)
On the last day of major exams, Harry received word that Hayato, Miwa, and he were going to Russia to neutralize a terrorist group. Severus was initially skeptical about letting him attend but conceded when Harry told him that he would keep the link-up. Severus even gave the green light to use sectumsempra, but only if the situation called for it. So after dinner, Harry went to the room of requirement and dressed in his combat uniform. Thanks to the materials he had, he was able to make some adjustments to his suit. Despite not coming up with a way to create archfiend steel yet, he utilized other materials. The uniform was similar to the one he gave Miwa when they were at the Citadel, but some modifications made it more powerful. It was now light-sensitive, and the arm bracers resembled that of the Dark Knight's. His pants and boots were made of the same materials. Even the lens on his mask received a couple of upgrades.
Byakko and Suzaku wished to accompany him, and he was all happy to agree. Byakko assumed his tattoo form, while Suzaku flamed him to the conference room in the Citadel. After depositing him in the room with the others, he to assumed his tattoo form. As Harry went to stand next to his friend, Hayato turned on the projector and started explaining the plan. The two noticed that there were three other groups with them. Then their attention drew back to Hayato "keep in mind everyone these people play rough and won't go down easy. You also need to be concerned with these two."
Going to the next slide, he showed two distinct individuals Harry recognized as notoriously dangerous criminals and deadly. "Our mission is simple: We either arrest or kill them. The ones we capture we will interview to see what they know." They were going to be facing fifty-nine or so dangerous people and needed to be on their toes. "Alright, people, let's move out."
The senior leaders and apprentices raced out the room and to the apparition point, where they all apparated to Buryatia, three clicks away from their target. Hayato gave them a nod, and they started moving Southwest to where the warehouses were. Luckily, it was nighttime, and they were able to use the dark forest to conceal themselves in the trees. It took close to thirty minutes before they reached the rendezvous point. Upon arrival, they could see that security was tight. Shadow's eye lens glowed red, showing it to be a danger zone. Hayato used his hands to signal the others' telling them to deploy the crystals and split up.
The four groups split up to accomplish their mission objectives. Shadow and Hakugarai took the first warehouse while the others got the rest. Hakugarai pulled her wand out and cast a wide area confundus charm, and Shadow cast a silencing charm on the eight guards. Finally, they cast a disillusionment charm on themselves and dashed forward, incapacitating them in the process with their skills in magic and hand-to-hand combat. Their work done, they bound, gagged, and removed any other things they might have had on them. Then, raising their wands, they cast ascendio and lift themselves to the top of the building, where they hid behind the door waiting for the signal.
The other groups were in place not ten minutes later, and Hayato sent a red spark in the air telling them to proceed. Hakugarai blasted part of the ceiling apart, allowing them to jump down, and the fighting started. In the warehouse they were in, there were twenty-six insurgents, and they were very skilled. Luckily, Hakugarai and Shadow were more skilled and experienced in combat. Together all three of them began to counterattack with spells designed to incapacitate or kill their opponents. While they handled the people in here, the other groups were handling their comrades. Their opponents' reaction times were significantly better than their other branches and more deadly as they played for keeps. So much so that both teens had to use more than half of their magical abilities and other skills.
Shadow and Hakugarai had to admit that the bastards were good, quickly dispatching the last of them. They went to join the others. Their fellow magi's were currently locked in combat and pinned down. Shadow conjured a large brick wall and used the same terrain spell Miwa did when back at Mahoutokoro. Finally, he fired the white-bluish ball of light in the air and watched it explode into several different miniature versions that began firing at their opponents.
"This is it!" Shadow said to the others, "break them." Along with the others, he began launching a counteroffensive, firing explosion, cutting, and other painful spells. Hakugarai used lightning-based spells, and thanks to the terrain, her spells were significantly magnified. Together the two fired powerful balls of lightning at three of the last opponents. To their shocks, not even their shields could stop the enhanced balls of lightning, and they were sent flying toward the back of the wall. The two quickly removed anything concealed from additional wands to emergency portkeys and finally bound the smoking idiots in chains. Soon they were joined by the other two groups who brought their captives with them.
They thought it was over until the wall was blasted apart, and two figures started walking towards them, clapping. The one on the left started to chuckle rather darkly. "«Ну, ну, посмотрите, кто у нас здесь. Тень и Хакугарай! » He spoke in a heavy Russian accent. (Well, well, well, look who we got here. Shadow and Hakugarai!)
His partner spoke in the same accent "да! Два дуэлянта, которые доставляют нам столько хлопот. Мы очень хотели познакомиться с вами обоими ". (yes! Two duelists who have been causing us so much trouble. We've longed to meet the both of you.)
Shadow and Hakugarai were tense as they sensed a lot of magic from them and knew they were dangerous.
"Думаю, пора показать им, как работает настоящая команда. Что скажете, Александр?" looking at his partner. (I think it's time we show them how a real team works together. What do you say, Aleksandr?)
"Давай, Федор. Какую ты хочешь?" (Let's do it, Fyodor. Which one do you want?)
The one called Aleksandr looked between the two until his eyes settled on his intended target "Я возьму Тень!" (I'll take Shadow!)
Fyodor smiled at him and turned to Hakugarai.
Cruel smiles appeared on their faces, and they began chanting in Russian. Shadow and Hakugarai knew what they were chanting, and it was not good. When they finished chanting, a large done enveloped the four and trapped them inside. Now no one could leave or intervene as this was now a fight to the death. While the two couldn't see each other's faces through their masks, they knew what the other was thinking and gave a curt nod before taking their positions.
(0^0)
Back in Hogwarts, Severus was sitting in front of the fire, grading the written exams from the students in his potion classes. He finished with the first through third years not too long ago and worked on his fourth year. However, his mind was not on grading exams; rather, it was on his son, who was locked in combat. The mission Hayato told him about sent a cold shiver down his spine as he didn't want Harry anywhere near the assignment. Especially not with assassins like Aleksandr and Fyodor, as they often worked for the Dark Lord during the first war and were regarded as highly dangerous. Their brutality and sadistic natures only matched their prowess. Even members of the Dark lord's inner circle would dare challenge them. They've lied, cheated, tortured, raped, and murdered wizards and nonwizards. That is why he wanted them in his ranks.
Ever since Harry left the castle, their link was up, and he could see what the boy was seeing. The people they were fighting were dangerous. His fatherly instincts immediately kicked and told him not to send him. Finally, however, he allowed Harry to convince him to let him attend. When the mission was almost over, he almost sighed in relief, but the wall was blown apart, revealing the two people he didn't want Harry to fight. If that weren't enough, the bastard enchanted a magical duel so no one could intervene.
Severus watched his son duel Aleksandr and was surprised that Harry was managing to hold his own against the bastard. The two were locked in a dangerous showdown for over thirty minutes, and it was growing more terrifying.
(0^0)
Both teens were being pushed to their limits by the two assassins and barely held their ground. What was most surprising was that they were also elementals, and their teamwork was amazing. Aleksandr and Fyodor weren't just using magic. They were using muggle combat and were highly proficient. Shadow and Hakugarai were already tired from the fighting they did earlier, combined with the injuries from their nut job of opponents, which was quite taxing. If it weren't for their abilities and their uniforms, then they would have been dead already. Their uniforms were minimizing the effectiveness of their opponent's attacks, but they were still feeling the power of their spells. Though, not all was bad as the Russian bastards were not looking so good either. The two managed to land a couple of painful spells on them and managed to more or less battle on equal terms.
"I see… you are having as much… fun as I am," Hakugarai commented to Shadow as she was trying to catch her breath. She was using her elemental abilities to amplify her spells, though it was draining.
Shadow briefly looked at her before sending an explosion hex enhanced with the earth element toward his opponent. Then, heavily panting himself, "if this keeps up, then we won't have a chance," gritting through his teeth and casting a numbing charm over his broken bones. "Get behind me quick."
She jumped behind him as he raised his wand in the air and fired an advanced version of the blasting curse but also enhanced it with the element of air. The moment the spell left his wand, a giant shockwave widened through the area and sent their opponents backward. Then, using the few moments they had, he created several clouds and waved his wand in an intricate pattern till two bolts of lightning struck them both.
"Thanks, I needed that," Hakugarai commented. Now that their powers have been restored, they resumed their attack. Aleksandr and Fyodor were now agitated and continued fighting back with dark magic enhancing it with their elemental magic.
The former sent three fire lashes, while his partner started causing an earthquake and sent a flurry of water enhanced explosion hexes. Shadow shot them down did something risky "Ventus, terra, vulgar ignis Cometa" his fire comet was now enhanced with the elemental forces of air, earth, and lightning, making it more powerful and destructive. The spell rocketed towards them, and they had to put up shields to protect themselves. Their shields protected them from bearing most of the damage, but they were sent backward with a multitude of broken bones. Hakugarai immediately cast ignis pignus, and fire columns started erupting from the ground until they surrounded and began burning them.
When the fiery columns came down, they revealed the burnt bodies of their victims. Then, deciding to end things, they shared a knowing nod and dashed forward to their opponents. "It's you and me now. Let's finish this!"
"I'm with you," she said, and they began striking them in various parts of their bodies. Both enhanced their attacks with magic to make their strikes more powerful.
Hakugarai delivered a vicious combo to Fyodor's body, effectively breaking some of his bones before creating a powerful arc of lightning and fired it. Fortunately, the arc nailed its target, and he suffered an agonizing death. She crumpled to the ground panting as she was exhausted.
Aleksandr was shell-shocked that his partner/friend was killed. He didn't even get a chance to scream in frustration as Shadow grabbed him by the face and, in a single instance, unleased an azure flamethrower that took his head off.
Shadow limped over to his tired companion and helped her up as the barrier surrounding them collapsed, and the others soon surrounded them. A second later, Hayato came forward, "you two fought bravely." He then turned to the others, "take the prisoners back to base and interrogate them. I need to get my students to the medical wing."
"No!" Shadow held a hand up. "Take her with you. I'm heading to my bed and catch up on some sleep!" After receiving a nod, he backed up a bit and allowed Suzaku to get out of his tattoo form "Hakugarai, catch you later," grabbing the phoenix's tail feather. Suzaku flamed him away.
They landed in the room of requirement, where Harry started taking his uniform off, starting with his mask. When everything was off, and Byakko was now full size again, he walked into a medical chamber the room provided. Once the potion was in, he cast the bubblehead charm on himself and allowed the potion to do its work. Tonight's mission was hectic, and he was exhausted. Twenty-five minutes later, he was fully healed, exited the chamber, and collapsed on the couch, not even bothering to conjure some pajamas. The couch transformed into a bed within the next moment, and he was out like a light.
Down in the 4th year girls dormitory in the House of Slytherin, one Daphne Greengrass was tossing and turning in her bed. For some reason, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong and that she was needed somewhere. Iroh awoke after sensing her distress and went to rub his head against her. "I don't know why I'm having a hard time sleeping, but something feels wrong," that received a tired lick from him.
Pulling her wand from underneath the pillow, she cast a quick tempus charm and saw that it was close to 12:45. She then started getting that weird feeling again, but this time her magic was telling her to go to him. Try as she might, her magical core was telling her that Harry needed her. Finally making up her mind, she made sure the curtains of her bed were protected by wards so no one could remove them and asked Iroh to take her to the room of requirement. With a bark, Iroh transported them to the room. There she found him sleeping but could hear his labored breathing and knew something happened. Coming to a decision, she placed her wand on the nightstand and got in the bed, wrapping her arms around his waist. Again, Daphne could hear his breath soften and could feel his heartbeat ease up. Before long, she, too, was asleep.
The next morning, Harry woke up feeling at peace at first when he passed out on the couch he started to have a nightmare about what happened during the mission. Then for some reason the dream started to change into something different and he saw a blinding flash of light and a person emerging from it. Before he could get a clear visual of who it was his eyes snapped open. Then he felt a pair of arms around his waist and could hear someone else breathing, turning his head he saw Daphne sleeping next to him. Harry soon began asking himself different questions like: When did she get here? How long was she sleeping next to me? So many other questions were running through his mind, however though, he couldn't help but feel at peace. Her presence was soothing and unbeknownst to him the thought of her sleeping next to him helped relieve his stress.
Before, he could get up she started to stir until her eyes opened "good morning, Sapphire. Sleep well?" giving her a warm smile.
"Morning Harry" yawning and rubbing her eyes. Then her mind immediately connected the dots and remembered what happened last night. Her cheeks went pink as she raised up and looked at him "sorry, I didn't mean to sleep next to you. My magic told me something was wrong-"
"No need to explain" cutting her off. "The thing is I'm actually glad you did" it was now his turn to blush a bit and she was surprised by his remark. "I can't explain how or why? But for some reason when you slept next to me I became more at ease."
He was about to get out of bed when he felt her hand on his back "these scars. Their recent aren't they?" dragging her fingers over the scars on his back. She heard him let out a breath "some are! However, the others I've had for a while."
"Before we met?"
"Yes. My so called loving relatives" his voice laced with sarcasm and disdain.
She noticed that he tensed up "don't hide, please not from me. What happened in the past is the past" Daphne began "you are the one who gets decide your future."
He gave her a warm smile and a kiss on her forehead before going to get dressed. Iroh shadowed her back to her bed in the Slytherin common room.
(0^0)
The next couple of days pass by relatively quickly, with only a few minor annoyances. Starting with Ron Weasley blaming Harry and his friends for pranking him days ago and how he would make them pay. Daphne told the idiot that if he wanted to attack them, the consequences would be dire, and if he had any proof, he should take it to the headmaster or his head of the house. Emily also pointed out that he needed to learn table manners and called him a weasel. Then Blaise mentioned how the red-headed idiot had other issues to deal with rather than harassing them. First, he needed to get his grades fixed as they were the same as Crabbe and Goyle's. The second was that his magic was weak and not on the same level required for third years. Then finally, I told him that he needed to blaming others for his shortcomings and failures.
Ron was now red in the face as Zabini called him and his magic inferior and made to punch him, but it was caught in a vice grip. Blaise twisted the fool's arm around his back, threw him to the ground, and warned him not to try that again. Unfortunately, Ron didn't heed his warning as he tried to attack him again, only to receive a punch to the groin and a kick to the face, breaking his nose in the process. Blaise then hit him with a body-bind spell and sent a patronus charm to his head of house. When Professor Snape came, he was less than pleased and demanded to know what happened. First, the students informed him of what Weasley said and tried to do, then Blaise explained how he defended himself. Finally, Snape took his wand out and revived Weasley.
The brainless idiot shouted how they called his magic weak and attacked him, but Snape already knew the situation and had taken whatever Weasley said be a lie. Silencing, the whelp he took twenty-five points and added another week of detention to the others' next year. Ron shot the man a hateful glare and at the other students before storming off. An hour or so later, they were outside and approached by Hermione and Ginny. The former demanded to know what happened earlier today, but they brushed it off and ignored her. Ginny tried to invite Harry and his sister to the Burrow over the summer, but they declined and said they had already plans. When asked what they were doing, the two shrugged their shoulders. She tried again by saying that the Quidditch World cup will be occurring in late August and asked if they were going?
Both siblings said they were going to the match. The Irelands were playing the Bulgarians, and they had a pretty good idea who would be on the latter's team.
Later that day, Harry received a couple of letters. One about the patches Aaron and he created to help restore a person's ability to walk. The letter explained that the guild sent the profits to their accounts and high demand for them. The second was a letter from Ragnok as Harry was finally able to create Archfiend steel, which was next to impossible. Harry sent the details on creating the steel three days ago, and the goblins immediately began working on it. After conducting several tests, they discovered that he indeed succeeded. When he called Aunt Sarah to inform her about the situation, she said that Jack and Arcturus would look for some open spaces where they could have a building built and mass-produce the steel.
Then came the day after, with Harry currently in Salazar Slytherins private chamber. He asked the grouchy bastard if he could bring his friends in the chamber and received a reluctant nod. Daphne, Blaise, Tracey, Adrian, Aaron, and Nicole were awestruck when they saw the four founders. Harry made sure to put them under a mental fidelius and made Kai the secret keeper. That way, if anyone attempted to use legilimency, they'd get nothing. After spending several hours with the four founders and hearing about their exploits, they went to the great hall for dinner. Surprisingly, Aaron and Katie were getting along famously, and her fellow chasers didn't seem to harbor any ill-treatment towards him. In the end, Dumbledore announced that Gryffindor House won the Quidditch cup, something that made McGonagall happy. The goat announced that the House cup would be given at the end of the year like usual, though looking at the points for the different Houses, it was safe to say that Gryffindor House was not going to take the cup they were in second place. In the first place were the snakes.
After dinner, the gang went to relax either outside or wander the corridors. Blaise and Eleanor went to the astronomy tower while Aaron, Nicole, and Adrian accompanied the chasers to the wreck room. The others decided to go outside and relax under the night sky. When it was almost time for curfew, they walked back inside and ran into Blaise, who was wearing a silly grin on his face.
Harry chuckled. "I take it you had fun with Eleanor on the astronomy tower?" he asked somewhat teasingly.
"Yes. Yes, I did," Blaise responded as they were moving through the castle. "She might have what it takes to handle the Zabini charm."
"What charm?" Tracey grinned at him. "More like your little fling. Personally, I'm surprised she lasted this long with you?"
Astoria, Daphne, and Emily laughed at what she said. Blaise, on the other hand, pretended to look affronted "don't go disparaging my good name. For, I care about a woman's feelings," they laughed harder.
They continued talking until they ran into Aaron, Adrian, and Nicole again as the teens continued walking and chatting about what they had planned for the summer. They soon found themselves on the seventh-floor hall, where they ran into the resident divination Professor Sybil Trelawney. She was about to say something to them when the insect-like professor came to a dead stop in front of them.
"Professor, are you alright?" Nicole looked at her friends before looking back at her. "Do you need anything…"
Before she could finish speaking, Trelawny spoke in a loud, harsh voice that wasn't hers, "It will happen tonight. The Dark Lord lies alone and friendless, abandoned by his followers. His servants were chained up for years. Tonight, before midnight... the servants will break free and set out to rejoin their master. The Dark Lord will rise again with his servant's aid, greater and more terrible than ever he was. Tonight... before midnight... the servant... will set out... to rejoin... his master..."
That shocked the students to their cores. More notably, Emily and Harry paled considerably. "I'm so sorry, dear boy," she said dreamily, "the heat of the day, you know... I drifted off for a moment..." Then, finally, professor Trelawny's voice returned to normal, and she went about her business.
When she was out of earshot, Emily regains her voice somewhat "please… tell me you guys heard what she said?" they could hear the fear and nervousness in her voice.
"I did," Daphne shakingly replied. The others nodded, and some gulped.
"She just said that to frighten us," Aaron said in a disbelief voice. "But if I were scared, would I be laughing?" he started to laugh, but there was nothing genuine about it as it was forced.
Harry shared a knowing look with Emily and Daphne, silently telling them this was bad news. "You know what? I'm going to bed. I'll see you guys later." The edge in his voice didn't go unnoticed by Blaise and Tracey.
Adrian, Aaron, and Nicole agreed and went back to the Slytherin common room. The latter cast a look at her fellow housemates, thinking they would follow, but they said they catch up later. When they rounded the corner, the ones left raced to the room of requirement. There they saw Byakko, Suzaku, and Iroh reclining by the fire. The two heavenly gods noticed the distressed look on their partner's face and knew something was wrong.
"What is it?" Byakko asked in a concerned voice.
Harry either ignored or didn't hear the question and immediately tried to contact Severus through their link "we have a situation, and you're not going to like it."
Severus was on alert when he heard the boy's tone of voice "what could have happened this time?"
"Just bring your pensive to the room of requirement, and I will show you!"
Severus regarded his son's voice as it showed that he was worried about something. "Standby. I'm on my way." He cut the link off after that.
Two minutes later, Severus came through the floo with his pensieve. He saw the nervous expressions on the teens' faces and how Hadrian looked like he had seen a ghost. "What is so important that I needed to bring my pensieve?"
"You will have to see it for yourself," Harry flicked his wand out of its holster and pressed it against his temples, and extracted the memory. Then, carefully he dropped it in the pensieve. Severus went in to view what the fuss was all about, only to come out a few minutes later looking significantly pale.
"Mary, the mother of magic, have mercy," he said in a low voice. "That was a real prophecy. This is bad! Damn as if there isn't enough to deal with, now theirs this to deal with."
"Um, professor," Tracey said, getting his attention, "I don't understand. It's well-known that Trelawny is a fraud."
"For the most part, that is true. However, it is not," he admitted as many of the students and majority of the staff believed the woman to be a fraud. McGonagall herself even called and implied that she was a fraud. However, only a small handful of people knew it to be a lie. "You see, Trelawney might be considered a fraud, but the truth is that she possesses the blood of a seer and will sometimes tell real prophecies." He explained and took the memory out of the pensieve and put it back in his son's mind.
"But sir, that makes no sense," Blaise came in, "when she was done. She acted like she didn't know anything."
"That is usually how things work for those who possess the gift," Harry answered. Everyone looked at him. "A seer is an individual who can glimpse into the future and deliver warnings. However, the number of actual seers has drastically declined, and now only a few live, though they're mostly in hiding."
"But why did she not remember anything?" Astoria asked.
"Seers usually don't," he explained. "Once they give a prophecy, their minds go blank, and they end up in a trance. Then, when they're done speaking, they are unable to remember anything."
"How many has she made?" Blaise asked.
Harry looked at Severus "it's your choice to tell them or not."
"Tell us what? What's going on, man?"
Taking a breath, he continued. "This is going to take some explaining, so you guys might want to sit down." They sat on the couch, and Emily held his hand while channeling some emotions to him. He explained the first prophecy Trelawny gave Dumbledore when she first applied for the position, though he was careful not to tell them the contents of the prophecy. He also didn't say that he was a magus in training. After spending the next hour and a half explaining what has been going on, they were struck speechless.
"So, that means you're the man, huh?"
Harry gave him a curt nod. "The others are going to need to know."
"Tell them after you're done here," Severus said. "For now, who else heard Sybil give you the prophecy?"
"Aaron, Adrian, and Nicole! They were with us at the time."
Severus groaned. "This is quite troubling," massaging his temples. "We'll have to decide if they're to be informed."
This was going to be a long night, and Severus felt that he would need a dreamless sleep potion tonight. If the escaped death eaters find the Dark Lord and he manages to get his body back, there will soon be another war. A far worse one than before. The last war was awful, and that was an understatement. Should this one occur, then things would be much worse. Another concern would be how to deal with the other three Slytherins who hear the prophecy. Severus was unsure what to do or how to handle the situation. However, there was an additional issue. Dumbledore! He was wondering if the headmaster heard the prophecy. Though, silently, he was praying that he remained ignorant.
A/N: Aaron and Harry have created a runic matrix designed to restore a person's ability to walk. The way they split the ownership is pretty self-explanatory. A shame that Professor Lupin's secret is now out, but on the good side he now knows that Dumbledore was using him. Harry and Miwa had a difficult mission and were utterly exhausted.
Harry was finally able to create Archfiend steel and it will no doubt play a crucial role in the future. With that another project bites the dust. Sybil Trelawny has given the second prophecy and that could only mean. It is the calm before the storm.
Next Chapter: It's time to choose!
As many of you no doubt know the goblet of fire will be coming up soon and I plan on shaking things up for some people. And believe me when I say I have plans for Book 4. I really mean it! Some will be good and some will be bad. However, I am going to give you the reviewers the option: Should I or Should I not increase the amount of money the winner should get. Yes or No? I will give everyone five days.