Notes: Sorry about the delay, but I've been a bit busy catching up to a few things these past few days. As always, thanks to everyone that has been following so far.
I just want to say real quick that we're getting closer to the end of the Hogwarts Introduction Arc, so look forward to it.
….
(T-7)
Chapter 25: Guests from Another World
"I'm afraid the Regent is currently away, so I must ask you to leave if you don't have any further business here."
"That's all right, I am Queen Garnet of Alexandria and I wish to seek an audience with Lady Eiko." Garnet proclaimed as one of the guards of the upper levels of Lindblum questioned her. The guard gave her a questioning look when he gazed at her current attire, but otherwise didn't give her any problems. The silver pendant hanging from her neck, a fragment of Alexander's jewel and heirloom of Alexandria's royal line (Zidane had been kind enough to find it for her after she dropped it), and the presence of the Red Rose outside were more than enough evidence to prove her identity.
After a whole day of travel, the Red Rose finally made it to Lindblum's docks. Though the trip had felt eternal, experience told the young queen that they had actually made exceptional time, since travel was usually made harder at this time of the year because the cold sometimes froze airship engines, not to mention that Lindblum was already a day of travel from Daguerro since both were located on different continents.
"Lady Eiko shall see you now, your Highness." A guard proclaimed as he escorted her to the upper levels. The effort to maintain any formalities was completely ruined when a blur of blue, yellow and peach, collided with her in a bone-crushing hug.
"Dagger!" Eiko cried out in joy as the young queen was suddenly released from her hug.
"Eiko, it's great to see you!" Dagger said as she took a good look at the girl.
"Did the guards give you any trouble?" The blue-haired girl said, probably referring to the suddenness of her visit and her current choice of attire.
"No, everything was fine, really." Garnet said. In any other context the guard's form of addressing someone of her standing would be considered rude, but her visit was not an official one and she really didn't look the part at the moment. Anyone would be more than a little skeptical in that situation. Besides the number of people demanding to see Regent Cid must have already been quite high given that Lindblum was still under reconstruction.
"Come on, let's go to my chambers and talk." The girl said, before taking her hand and excitedly dragging her away.
Out of all of them, Eiko had grown the most. Now at eight years of age, the girl had already gone through a rather sudden growth spurt like kids of her age were known to do. Her hair had grown slightly, though the girl seemed adamant about keeping it short in spite of the current fashion. Garnet thought it was mostly because Zidane had once told her it looked good on her. And even though she was no longer obsessed with winning over the blonde genome, she still took his words very seriously. She had also retained her favorite yellow and pink color scheme in her clothing, but now in the more elegant dresses suited for her position as the Regent's daughter. Even so, there were several things that remained the same. Eiko adamantly refused to stop wearing the yellow ribbon that adorned her hair. That ribbon had been a gift from Mog, and the girl had made sure to take extremely good care of it. The same went for the charm she wore on her back in the shape of two white wings. That one had been a gift from her dear grandfather and one of the last Summoners left before his passing.
Another thing that remained the same was the horn on the tip of her forehead, the mark of a Summoner and a tool that allowed them to communicate with the Eidolons. Now however, it was at least an inch or so longer than it was back when they first met and it stood there proudly, a custom-made tiara around it to really bring out the exotic charm it gave her. That horn also happened to be the reason she was here.
"So did you find anything to help Zidane?" Eiko asked, beaming at her. Dagger let out a small chuckle. Leave it to Eiko to get straight to the point. Her straightforwardness and sincerity were some of the things that hadn't changed over time. They were the very character traits that made Eiko, Eiko. Though Amarant often commented on how annoying it was, Dagger really wouldn't have had it any other way.
"I did, that's actually why I'm here." Dagger said, and after being nearly dragged to the girl's chambers and forced to sit down and explain, the young, Alexandrian queen began retelling what occurred in the past few weeks. When she finished, Eiko had a thoughtful look on her face.
"So you want me to ask Mog, well Madeen, if she knows anything?" Eiko asked and Garnet nodded. "Alright let me try."
The blue-haired girl closed her eyes and a look of concentration overtook her features. Garnet just sat patiently next to her and waited for Eiko to finish. Seconds painfully ticked away at her patience, until she was sure that at least half an hour must have passed, it could have easily been her imagination though. By the time Eiko opened her eyes, Garnet had already found herself spread over the girl's large bed in a rather unbecoming manner.
"So, did she know anything?" Dagger asked and Eiko just shook her head.
"She said that she knows a bit on the subject, but she isn't the best choice to ask since she is still young, well by Eidolon standards, at least. The same goes for my other Eidolons. She suggests that we summon Ramuh since he is quite knowledgeable and he can also talk to us directly. She also apologizes for not being much help." Eiko said.
"Can you give her my gratitude? That information is very helpful." Dagger said and Eiko nodded.
"Done." Eiko said and then got up from where she sat. "So I guess we'll need somewhere where we can summon right? I know just the place, so follow me!"
Garnet followed after the energetic girl who led her through the many castle corridors towards an area she was not quite familiar with. Leading her past a heavy unguarded door and down a spiraling set of stone steps, Garnet quickly found herself in a wide round room. Several torches burned brightly on the walls, and surrounding the room in a wide circle were a series of glowing white crystals. Dagger looked around in fascination as she noticed that the air itself seemed to be buzzing with magic.
"What is this place?" Garnet asked.
"Oh this?" Eiko asked innocently. "Daddy had it built so that I could practice my magic. The crystals there stop magic from getting out, that's why there is so much magic here. I've used this place so many times that the air is heavy with it, but it helps when you need to cast but don't have much energy left.
"I see." Dagger said as she looked around once more.
"So are you gonna summon now?" Eiko asked in excitement. It was understandable since neither had really had the necessity to use their summoning skills since the war ended. Though it was a sign of peaceful times, there was still a part of her that missed the feeling of magic coursing through her body and the powerful tremors of the Eidolons as they heeded her calls.
"Alright." Garnet said, and putting both her hands together in a sign of prayer, she concentrated and called out to the power residing inside of her.
To her surprise, she found that summoning Ramuhstill came to her as naturally as ever, in fact, the magic already present in the room made it far less straining. Almost instantly thunder seemed to flare around the room, hitting almost everything minus the two girls present. Soon the blinding bolts seemed to concentrate and materialize in the form of a powerful-looking old man, sporting a large staff and an even larger beard, despite his bald head. His mighty gaze promised power, and yet when Garnet looked at those stormy eyes she saw something akin to grandfatherly affection.
"What's this, no enemy?" The Eidolon said in curiosity, his pale robes billowing despite the lack of wind, and his voice booming slightly with an otherworldly undertone.
"No Ramuh, I just wished to ask something, if that is okay." Garnet said and the summon gave a nod.
"Of course, you may ask anything of me." Ramuh said, the thunder around him coming to a halt.
"We wish to know more about other worlds and possible ways to reach them. You see, Zidane is stuck in another world and we wish to help him find a way back. Since Eidolons seem to appear suddenly when summoned, I thought perhaps that they come from another world as well. If not the case, then we wondered if you knew anything that would lead us in the right direction." Dagger said.
"I see…" Ramuh said, deep in thought before giving a slight nod when he came up with an answers. "I remember that boy, and I would gladly help, but I am afraid we Eidolons do not come from other worlds, at least, not the way you envision. When summoned, we are directly linked to our Summoners who help us materialize here, though we continue to exist in Gaia's crystal. In fact, our existences are a direct consequence of the crystal's continued growth. We take the form most suited from the memories of myths and legends of this land and its many peoples."
"So you can't help us?" Garnet asked, frowning as she thought of all her efforts going into waste.
"I never said that." Ramuh said, his tone implying a smile under his dense beard. "We Eidolons may be linked to the crystal, but we are not limited by it. Eidolons can travel to other worlds. How else could we help you while in Terra? Even if both planets were partially linked at the time. Particularly powerful Eidolons may sometimes travel far to other worlds. It is not completely unheard of, and even I have done similarly in the past. It is for that reason that many parallels amongst other worlds exist. We may not be called Eidolons in other worlds, but you may see an uncanny similarity between their myths and legends, and ours. We will sometimes leave our mark in other worlds, which often times creates memories and stories that nurture the planet's crystals, and with time the stories change and become legends, gaining a mark unique to them. If their planet's crystal allows it, new Eidolons may even rise from those legends."
"Amazing." Dagger said as she took all the information in. It was really all like a cycle, and yet the thoughts of other worlds having their own Ramuhs and their own Bahamuts, just blew her mind away. Perhaps even their Eidolons were somehow inspired by other much older entities.
"I must warn you that traveling at such a scale requires great amounts of power." Ramuh said somberly. "Not to mention that travelling by those means would simply kill any regular living being, so I am afraid that even if we wanted, we Eidolons can't retrieve Zidane. He must find another alternative."
"Wait, does that mean that you can take inanimate objects with you?" Dagger said. "And if I gave you the power required, would you be able to make the trip?"
"Yes, I believe so. Certainly we've regained some of our lost power since the war, but it's still not quite like it used to be." Ramuh answered. "Though if you were to summon me there, then you would have to sacrifice large amounts of energy. I would also require as much information as I can get, so that I can narrow down his location."
"Alright then, I would still like to do it." Dagger said adamantly and was then interrupted by Eiko.
"Dagger, I want to help as well, Madeen says she also wants to go. That way we can put a lot more magic into it together." Eiko said, and Garnet nodded and proceeded to tell Ramuh as much as he needed to know based on what Zidane had told her. Besides her, Eiko summoned Madeen, an eidolon in the shape of a large bipedal tan-colored lion, with large reddish brown dragon-like wings.
"Alright, I think that is all." Garnet said, before remembering something and digging into her travel pouch. "Oh wait, could you give this to him? Tell him it's for luck, and also tell him to come back safe."
The wizened Eidolon nodded and raised a bushy eyebrow as he looked at what his Summoner had just handed him. It was a leather cord fixed into a necklace with a pendant made of a silver base attached to a greenish-blue aquamarine in the shape of a hexagonal cylinder. Aquamarine was a stone linked to Leviathan, but it was also for that reason that the stone was given to sailors for a safe voyage when going out to sea.
"Very well, shall we begin?" The Eidolon said, and after giving Madeen a nod, the two Eidolons began to glow. Dagger and Eiko nodded as well, taking this as their cue to start pouring their energies out and into their Eidolons.
The entire room began to buzz with magic, the crystals surrounding the place glowing to almost blinding intensities. The air became so saturated in it that for a moment the two Summoners had trouble breathing as the air itself weighed down on them. Despite the room being closed off, a hot whirwind of air roared around them, making their hair and clothes whip about. Just as the atmosphere in the room became almost unbearable, the two Summoners pushed forth another burst of magic, and then suddenly the two Eidolons disappeared, in a flash, taking with them the oppressive concentration of magic in the air. The crystals around them slowly dimmed until they glowed weaker than they had before. Dagger and Eiko both found themselves lying flat on the floor of the room, while panting for breath, each feeling almost completely drained.
"So, I guess that was a success." Eiko said, panting.
Garnet remained on the ground, her lips forming a smile as beads of sweat ran down her face.
…..
Tuesday finally reared its head in after a rather unremarkable Monday. Harry had anxiously waited for this day since today would be their first class with Hagrid. Hermione had so far failed to convince the large man to teach about smaller, relatively more innocuous, creatures for fear of him being target of a certain pink toad's wrath, so needless to say, Harry was quite nervous.
Hagrid was already off to a bad start with Umbridge, and if things stayed that way, Harry knew that the half-Giant would be kicked out, or at least that's what the rational side of his brain seemed to be telling him. Umbridge would doubtlessly find a way to get rid of him sooner or later, considering the alarming rate at which she was gaining power and her huge hatred towards those of mixed parentage. But he supposed that for now, they had to avoid giving the woman any reason for firing Hagrid, and that meant passing her inspection even if the woman was clearly out for him.
So it was with much apprehension that the trio approached Hagrid's cabin at the edge of the Forbidden Forest where the half-Giant waited for them. Harry wasn't just worried about what Hagrid would teach them about, but also what the class's reaction would be. He knew that Malfoy and his cronies would be near intolerable with Hagrid around. If Umbridge actually appeared, then he would probably jump at the chance to tell her about the Buckbeak incident from their third year.
Yet surprisingly, Umbridge was nowhere in sight, though Hagrid's visage was not in the least bit reassuring. His face was still heavily bruised, and some of the cuts he sported still appeared to be bleeding. Then there was the fact that he appeared to be carrying what appeared to be half a dead cow.
"We'll be workin over there today where it's more sheltered since them critters like the dark." Hagrid said as he nudged towards the woods behind him.
"What prefers the dark?" Malfoy asked sharply with a hint of panic in his voice.
"Well all manners of scary creatures do, like Vampires or Lethifolds, and of course there's Acromantulas as well." Zidane whispered with a positively evil grin on his face. Hearing this, Malfoy's already pale complexion became as white as a sheet, making Harry grin.
"Now what we're studyin' today is quite rare. Reckon I'm the only one in Britain that's managed ter train 'em." Hagrid continued obliviously as he led them through the woods.
"And you're positively sure they are trained?" Malfoy asked nervously, though many other students in the class seemed to share the same worry. "Though it wouldn't be the first time you brought wild stuff to class."
"'Course they're trained." Hagrid said with a scoff.
"Then what happened to you face?" Malfoy asked.
"Mind yer own business." Hagrid said. "Now gather 'round."
Hagrid set the carcass down in the dark as they reached a snow-less meadow. Even though it was still day outside, in this place the trees were so close together that it looked like it was actually twilight. Once Hagrid set the carcass, he turned towards his class while many students peered nervously around as if waiting for whatever creature they were supposed to be studying to suddenly jump out from between the trees.
"Now they'll be attracted by the smell o' meat but I'm goin' ter give them a call anyway, 'cause they'll like ter know it's me." Hagrid said and immediately cupped his hands around his mouth, moving his shaggy hair out of the way and made a loud shrieking cry like that of a monstrous bird that resonated through the forest and left the students deathly silent,.
Hagrid repeated the cry twice more and then fell silent. Harry and the others peered around to get a glimpse of the elusive creature. It was then that Harry noticed that, while most of the students looked nervous, Zidane looked perfectly at ease, though he seemed to be looking intently at a spot between two trees. Straining his own vision, Harry was able to make out a pair of milky white eyes. Harry quickly nudged Ron as the rest of the creature made its appearance. It was the skeletal horses from the beginning of the year, complete with their dragonish faces, long black tails, bat-like wings and the skeletal bodies of great black horses. The horse approached the carcass and slowly began to tear at it with its sharp fangs. At that moment, Harry felt a wave of relief knowing that whatever those creatures were, Hagrid obviously knew about them, which meant that he really wasn't as mad as others thought.
"I still don't see them!" Ron exclaimed and Harry just looked at him in disbelief. They were right there! "Why doesn't Hagrid call again?"
"Oh here comes another one." Hagrid said as another horse appeared and began eating the cow with the other.
Ron didn't see this one either and other students seemed to be in similar states of confusion. Glancing at the entire class, Harry came to the realization that only three other people knew what Hagrid was talking about; A stringy Slytherin boy who looked at them with something akin to disgust, Neville who looked as the first horse waved its long tail lazily, and Zidane who was actually holding his hand up for one of the creatures to sniff (earning rather confused looks from the others).
"Now…put yer hands up, who can see 'em.?" Hagrid asked, and while cries of confusion erupted amongst the class, Harry was glad to see three other hands rise up into the air with his own. "Aeah…yeah, I knew you'd be able 'ter Harry, an' you too Neville, eh? Well, they seem ter really like ye, Zidane."
Hagrid seemed to be right since a third creature was now leaning its dragonish face over Zidane's shoulder, though surprisingly the boy didn't flinch. Neville just watched nervously as his friend began to pet the creature.
"Excuse me, but what exactly are we supposed to be seeing?" Malfoy asked with a sneer.
For an answer Hagrid pointed at the cow carcass, or more specifically, at how the creatures were eating it. The whole class stared at it for a few seconds before gasps and a few squeals rang in the air. Harry then realized that if they couldn't see the horses then it would look odd if pieces of flesh were suddenly being torn away from the carcass only to disappear into thin air.
"Whats doing it?!" Parvati demanded as she backed away in fear. "What's eating it?!"
"Thestrals." Hagrid said proudly while Hermione gave an understanding 'oh'. "Hogwarts got a whole herd of them 'ere. Now who knows-"
"But they are really, really unlucky!" Parvati interrupted, looking alarmed. "They are supposed to bring all sorts of horrible misfortune on people who see them. Professor Trelawney told me once-"
"No, no, no, that's all jus' silly superstition." Hagrid said. "Thestrals are dead clever n' very useful. 'Course this group doesn't get a lot o'work, mainly jus' pulling Hogwart's carriages, unless Dumbledore takes them for long journeys when he doesn't want ter' apparate. They have n' amazing sense o' direction. Look, there's another two."
Surely enough, another couple appeared, one of them brushing against Parvati who shrank away in panic despite Hagrid's assurances that the Thestrals would not hurt her. Meanwhile one of the Thestrals that was previous preying on the cow went to join the one currently being petted by Zidane, as if also demanding the blonde's attention while said foreigner was trying to get Neville to get near them too.
"Tha's the spirit! Now who can tell me why some can see 'em an' some can't?" Hagrid asked and Hermione quickly raised her hand. "Go on."
"The only people who can see Thestrals," Hermione began. "are those who have seen death."
"Tha's exactly right." Hagrid said solemly. "Ten points fer Gryffindor. Now, Thestrals- "
"Hem hem."
…
'Oh you have got to be shitting me.' Zidane thought and inwardly groaned when he heard that overly fake cough. He would recognize it from just about anywhere.
"You received the note I sent to your cabin this morning, correct?" Umbridge asked, using a tone that one would normally reserve for a rather slow toddler. She was wearing that same green outfit from yesterday, though Zidane would bet a thousand gils that she was still wearing that pink cardigan underneath.
"Oh yeah, Glad ye could find the place alright." Hagrid said beaming. "Well as you can see, or dunno...Can you? We're doin Thestrals today."
"I'm sorry what did you say?" The woman asked, cupping her hand to her ear. Hagrid repeated again and when the woman gave no sign of understanding, he began using his hands to demonstrate what he was talking about. It was then that Umbrdige gave a small tisk and began writing down in her clipboard. "Has…to…resort…to…crude…sign…language."
"Well, anyways…what was I sayin?" Hagrid asked, rather flustered as he tried to go back to the lesson.
"Appears…to…have…short…term…memory." Umbridge said as she wrote down, just loud enough for the rest of the class to hear and burst out into laughter.
Zidane just scowled, along with the Golden Trio and Neville, who all looked on with varying degrees of displeasure in their faces. It was clear that this inspection had taken a whole other direction. Yet what Zidane hated the most was that there was nothing he could do about it without drawing the Toad's attention to himself. He had the feeling that any attempt to help Hagrid would only make things worse. Though it pained him to see it, he knew that Dumbledore still had a trick up his sleeve. Umbridge could get rid of Hagrid as a teacher, but even then, the man was still Hogwarts Groundkeeper and no inspection would move him from that position.
'Come on Hagrid, just a bit longer.' Zidane mentally urged the large man as he bit his lip.
He had to admit that even he was having problems tolerating the woman in front of him. Everything that came out of her mouth seemed to grate on his nerves. It was a feeling similar to having a mosquito buzz in your ear, yet being powerless to do anything about it. After a while, he stopped listening to the woman altogether. Especially when she started going around the class and questioning students.
The Thestral to his right nudged him as if sensing his discomfort. Zidane quickly ran his gloved hand over its bony neck making the creature lean closer to his touch. These creatures really were alright. The first time he saw them he thought they were monsters and would attack him because of their resemblance to the Amdusias that he had defeated in Pandemonium, but afterwards he realized that they were really quite gentle. He could understand why they would get a bad reputation though, but he supposed that it wasn't their fault they had been forever linked to death and tragedy. Just like it wasn't his fault he was created as an Angel of Death.
'Maybe that's why they seem to like me so much. Either they can sense what I am, or they can sense that we are not that different.' Zidane thought sadly as he looked at the creature's milky white eyes.
"You can see the Thestral, Longbottom, can you?" The woman asked as she approached Neville, who was just reaching out nervously to pet the Thestral currently nuzzling Zidane.
Neville pulled his hand back and nodded. "Y-yes."
"Who did you see die?" Umbridge asked with complete indifference.
Zidane quickly felt rage boil inside of him at the insensitive question, and especially when he saw the look of discomfort on his friend's face. Death always left a mark, there was no question about it, but even accepting death as an eventual part of life, didn't make it any easier to talk about. Just seeing that indifferent look on the woman's face sickened him. It almost reminded him of Garland.
When he saw the conflicted look in Neville's eyes, he quickly intervened. "Don't answer if you don't want to."
Zidane already knew enough about Neville to tell when he was really uncomfortable. The teen had already spilt his whole life story to him and Zidane knew that this would likely bring up painful memories of his grandfather's death. The boy had to muster up a lot of courage to tell him that, and Zidane sure as hell knew that the toady woman in front of him didn't deserve an answer.
"Excuse me?" Umbridge said, looking at him with a look of indignation. Around them the class seemed to go silent. She stood at her full (yet laughable) size and walked towards him. "I am High Inquisitor, and as such, it is my obligation to inspect every class and it is within my power to ask the students questions!"
"Only when the question is relevant to the subject!" Zidane shot back, anger burning in his cyan eyes. "Casually asking someone who they watched die in front of them isn't only irrelevant but it's also sick, especially when you can see how it's making the person feel uncomfortable."
The woman narrowed her eyes and looked at him with stony eyes. He knew that she realized she had stepped out of her boundaries. "Well if Mr. Longbottom doesn't feel up for it, then perhaps you might feel more comfortable answering these questions Mr. Tribal. Why don't you answer for him?"
Zidane grit his teeth as the woman's words ran in his ears. What was worse was that he couldn't even remember his first glimpse at death. He had seen it so many times in his short lifetime, even as a child and especially during the war. All those people in Burmecia and Cleyra, then in the attack of Alexandria and Lindblum, he had been witness to their deaths. He had seen Queen Brahne die in her escape pod while he comforted Dagger as best as he could. He had also been partially responsible for the death of Garland, even though Kuja had dealt the finishing blow. Afterwards he had even seen Kuja agonize at the hands of the Iifa Tree. Indeed, he had seen a lot of death in his life.
"Well?" Umbridge's fake sugary voice snapped him out of his thoughts and his anger returned once more with vengeance.
Maybe all this time cooped up inside the same building with her was finally threatening to make him snap. All he knew was that it was getting harder and harder to stop the outpour of anger and energy that was now threatening to make him trance. Sensing the telltale buzz in the air that marked the beginning of trance, Zidane tried suppressing the power as best as he could. Yet even though he managed to keep it under control, the air around the clearing seemed to become oppressive and heavy with leaked bloodlust, making many of the students begin to shuffle nervously, even if they had likely no idea what was really going on. The blonde even caught a glimpse of a tiny pink spark that race around his gloved fingers before disappearing.
The genome didn't answer. Instead, after giving the woman an icy glare, the blonde just turned around and walked away. Behind him the heavy atmosphere seemed to melt, snapping students out of their stupor, and making a wave of murmurs rise into the air. Zidane heard a few others call for him, but he did his best to ignore them. Even after the snow-less clearing had disappeared and the castle had come into view, the thief didn´t look back.
"Zidane!" A voice called him from behind, but the blonde pretended not to hear. He just didn't want to deal with anyone at the moment. "Will you wait up?"
'Nop, not listening.' Zidane thought to himself, recognizing the voice as Neville's as he continued walking, maybe if he just ignored him then he would just go away. He briefly thought about losing Neville and going to blow off some steam in the Room of Requirement. Thankfully the outdoors had a soothing effect on him, because otherwise he would have killed something already.
"Will you stop ignoring me?" Neville pleaded.
'Just ignore him, think of anything else.' Zidane told himself. Unfortunately because of this, he didn't notice the ruffling sound of fabric, the sudden spike of magic in the air, and the cry of 'Impedimenta'.
The next thing he knew, there was a flash of light and he found himself frozen on the spot. Even if he could have been able to talk, it would have all come off as a jumbled incomprehensible mess. He just couldn't believe that Neville had jinxed him. He couldn't come to comprehend that his friend, Neville, had not only pointed his wand at him, but he had also hit him with a perfect example of an impediment jinx (which was a lot like 'stop' now that he thought about it). He would have actually felt proud if he didn't currently want to skin him alive.
"Oh, Merlin. I just stunned him." Neville said to himself in shock, nearly dropping his wand as he realized what he had just done. Neville rushed towards the blonde and flinched when he felt the waves of anger emanating from his frozen friend. "Listen, I'm really sorry, but I-I was so worried and I didn't know what else to do. You looked so upset back there when you defended me, and you just left, so I came here to see if you were alright, because that's what friends do, but you're obviously not alright, and I just stunned you and I think I just made things a thousand times worse haven't I?"
The spell lost its strength and soon the blonde once again found the ability to move. Rather than turning to face Neville, Zidane remained where his stood, his back to his friend and his gaze obscured by his bangs.
"I-I'm sorry…If you're mad at me and want to stop being friends…I won't hold it against you." Neville said as he looked down at the ground.
In front of him the blonde seemed to run his gloved hand through his hair before turning around and giving a sigh of defeat. "No, it's okay. I'm the one that should be sorry. I…I just blew up. The way that evil witch was talking today. It just grated on my nerves so badly, worse than usual, I mean. I guess I just couldn't stand it anymore so I left."
"Yeah we could all tell, I guess. Thanks for defending me like that, though I had to admit that had to be one of the scariest examples of accidental magic I've ever seen." Neville said, and after getting a questioning look from Zidane, he explained. "When you glared at Umbridge, the air suddenly got really heavy, almost like with Dementors, minus the cold and the fear of course. But that was really wicked. The most I've ever done was bounce back up after my uncle pushed me out a second story window."
"Why would your uncle do that?" Zidane asked in complete puzzlement.
"Well I hadn't really shown signs of magic, and everyone feared I was a Squib. You could say my uncle started getting desperate." Neville said. "How about you?"
"Well, I blew up a courtyard." The genome said as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. Neville just looked at him wide-eyed.
"Blimey, what did your parents think?" Neville asked, but then noticed how the blonde instantly sobered up.
"Well, I guess it's only fair since you already told me about yours." Zidane said. "Well, you heard me tell Umbridge how both my parents were dead. I never heard anything about them when I was small. I was actually adopted by my foster father when he found me in the streets. He wasn't exactly the ideal parent, but he's really the closest thing I have to one. I remember leaving once to look for my real parents-"
"Was that when you find out about them?" Neville asked.
"No I never really found them then. I pretty much came back empty handed, yet you know what my foster father did?" Zidane asked.
"Did he welcome you back with open arms?" Neville asked and Zidane snorted.
"Are you kidding? He beat the living crap out of me. I couldn't move for a week!" Zidane said laughing, though Neville didn't seem to share the sentiment and instead turned a shade paler. "But you know, after that I realized that he did it because he cared. It was then that I knew that I really was back home."
"But then how did you find out about your parents?" Neville asked.
"It was all really by accident. I met this one guy, who actually turned out to be my older brother. Afterwards I had the displeasure of meeting my father." Zidane spat the last word as if it were poison. Even after saying it, he looked as if just thinking about the word had left a bad taste in his mouth. "I watched him die shortly afterwards."
Neville looked at him, and a look of sudden understanding flashed across his face. "So that's why…I'm sorry."
Zidane just waved a hand in dismissal. "Don't be. He was one of those people that made you think that the world would be better off without them."
There was the sound of a distant bell and slowly they began to see students from their class leave the forest and head towards the castle for their next class. Because of Zidane's attempted escapade, they had ended up further than anticipated, so none of the students seemed to see them.
"That reminds me, how did you come after me with Umbridge there? Didn't she give you a detention of something?" Zidane asked in confusion as both teens began to walk over to the main path.
Neville looked at him sheepishly, before replying. "Actually, I was out of there before she could do anything. I think she yelled after me but I really can't be sure."
"Wait so can she still punish us for something that didn't happen in her class, I mean, even if she was still inspecting, can she do that?" Zidane said and Neville shrugged.
"I don't know, all I hope is that she doesn't track us down later. Gran is going to have my head if she finds out." Neville said.
"You don't think we should try to lay low for now, maybe skip next class." Zidane suggested.
"But it's our last class today, and it's Herbology!" Neville countered with a whine. He really did love that class.
"Exactly." Zidane said with a smirk.
"I still don't get what is with you and plants." Neville said, shaking his head.
"I'm telling you, those things are evil." Zidane said.
Neville just shook his head. The duo continued to walk, but were then stopped when they heard the Golden Trio call out for them from the path that led to Hagrid's cabin. Naturally, Zidane assumed that they had stayed behind to talk to the half-Giant.
"There you are!" Hermione said as she approached them. "We were really worried about you, Hagrid especially, since he thought you might've lost your way in the forest. Are you alright now?"
"Yeah, I'm fine now. Umbridge just got on my nerves." Zidane replied.
"I know! That horrible and twisted gargoyle…" Hermione began as the group continued to walk towards the greenhouses. "We were thinking about complaining with McGonagall, what she did today, that wasn't right."
"Yeah after you two left, we thought she would explode. Not that there wouldn't be anything wrong with that." Harry said, adding the last as an afterthought.
"The look on her face was priceless." Ron said laughing. "She was pretty quiet afterwards. I think you really scared her mate."
"Ronald!" Hermione admonished.
"Well you saw what he did." Ron said.
"Accidental magic is very common in wizards and witches when under stress." Hermione said as if trying to make Zidane feel better. "And most of the students thought it was the Thestrals anyways."
"Thanks." Zidane said, smiling.
"Oh yeah, what did you think about the Thestrals anyways? Judging by their description, they must have really been something." Hermione said, sending Harry a glance.
"I thought they were pretty cool, very tame too. Makes me wonder how it must be to ride-" Zidane begun but then stopped quite abruptly.
'What the hell…'
Zidane paused, the others giving him strange looks as he stood completely still. There was something strange and yet oddly familiar in the air, a strong magic or perhaps a really strong presence. It was definitely something he knew but he couldn't quite place it. It was like something that had once been all around him, but he didn't realize it was ever there until he lost it. He searched for the presence in the air, his head quickly turning in the direction of Hogwart's gates. He began to try and place a mental image of the feeling, yet forsome reason his mind seemed to supply him with a hypnotizing blue light.
'What is it?' Zidane thought, he mentally raked his brain for the answer he knew he held. It was then that realization hit him with full force, his eyes widening and his jaw going slack with shock. 'Gaia? But how?'
"Zidane are you alright?" Neville asked him, and Zidane shook his head as he snapped out of his stupor. "You were kind of spacing out."
"Oh sorry." The blonde said and then rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. The others continued to give him strange looks, but he just waved them off. "Listen, you guys go on ahead, there's something I need to check out."
Whatever reply the group was about to give him was lost on deaf ears as Zidane quickly ran towards the source of the feeling. The closer he got the more he came to realize that there were in fact two presences and not just one. These seemed to be very similar yet very different. For some reason they were also very familiar. The first one felt like the air before a thunderstorm, while the second had a more earthly feel to it, yet it reminded him of a warm day.
Passing a few students on the way, Zidane continued running towards the castle's entrance until coming to a halt when he spotted two figures in the distance heading towards his direction. One of them was that of an old hermit-like man, one he knew he recognized from somewhere, but he just couldn't quite put his finger on it. The other short figure was easily recognizable as a Moogle, but when he noticed the Moogle's certain peculiarities, he couldn't help but do the impersonation of a fish. After all, he only knew one Moogle that had a golden colored pompom and a collar of fur around her neck.
'But, then that means…' Zidane thought, realization dawning on him. 'Mog? But how? If that's eally Mog and Mog is the Eidolon Madeen, then-!'
The blonde focused on the old man and when he linked the feeling he gave off with that of a coming thunderstorm, he suddenly remembered why the old man looked so familiar.
"Ramuh? Mog?" Zidane said as he got close to the two figures, the small Moogle actually flying towards him and meeting him half way with a loving tackle. The blonde embraced the furry creature, amazement dawning on him when he realized that the warm fur he was touching was actually very real. A part of him still thought that at any moment the Moogle would disappear because this was simply too good to be true. This was probably just the homesickness playing cruel tricks with his head.
"Kupopo!" Mog said, giving him a small yet painful slap.
"Oww, okay, I'm sorry I worried you." Zidane said, yet marveled at the small stinging sensation on his cheek. "So I'm really not dreaming, am I? What are you guys doing here?!"
"Well, I thought it would be obvious enough." The old man said as he ran his hand over his long beard. "We've come here looking for you."
"Kupo!" Mog added.
"Oh yes, it did take a while, didn't it?" Ramuh asked and received a nod for an answer.
"Listen, do you think we could go somewhere else and talk." Zidane said as he saw several students start whispering amongst themselves out of the corner of his eye, even though the bell for their next class had already clearly rung. The two Eidolons had no time to respond because they were all immediately drawn to the angry shouts approaching from outside the castle.
"What is this?! What are students still doing in the corridors? Get to class, all of you!" Came the voice of Mr. Filch, the angry caretaker. When his eyes landed on Zidane, the look on his face almost made the thief think that Christmas had arrived earlier this year. "YOU! Oh wait until the High Inquisitor hears about this!"
"There will be no need Argus. I will take care of things from here." Another voice called from behind, and even Zidane was surprised to see Dumbledore standing there, eyes twinkling behind half-moon spectacles. "Besides, I believe we have some guests."
A scowl crossed the caretaker's face at the thought of having lost his quarry, but having no other reason to stay, the grouchy man excused himself and left to hunt down other students outside of class.
"Alright then, how about we find a more comfortable place to chat?" Dumbledore said as he welcomed the two Eidolons to Hogwarts and led them through stairs and corridors until reaching the stature of a gargoyle. After speaking the password (Fizzing Whizbee), the statue moved aside and they were taken to Dumbledore's office. There, the old wizard conjured three comfortable chairs, before sitting down at his desk. "Care for a lemon drop?"
While Zidane shook his head, Mog seemed to fly up towards the offered candy and took one for herself, and much to his surprise, Ramuh accepted some candy as well.
'Who would've thought.' Zidane thought as a smile tugged at his lips. Despite his fearsome appearance as an Eidolon, Ramuh was actually quite the opposite, personality-wise. Well, he was still very powerful and could bring down some stormy wrath upon you, but he did have a soft spot. When they first met him in this form at Pinnacle Rocks, he had accepted to join Dagger if they passed his test, yet after it was all done and over, he revealed that he would have helped their cause regardless. In fact, he was actually concerned about the other Eidolons who were being manipulated at the time. 'It's actually hard to think that the old man in front of me is that powerful Eidolon. The same goes for Mog, I suppose.'
"Well, I believe formal introductions are in order." Dumbledore said with that ever-present twinkle in his eye. "I'm Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of this fine school, and well, I'm afraid I have no idea who you are, though I'm surprised that you are acquainted with this young man. I suppose that is also why you are here. I was also quite hoping that you would shed some light on the matter at hand, Mr. Tribal."
"I will, but first I wanted to ask if it's safe to talk about this here." Zidane said, giving the headmaster a look, a look that he clearly understood.
"Yes, it's quite fine. I already sent Fawkes to see that we don't run into some nasty surprises. The portraits too have been sworn into secrecy." Dumbledore said reassuringly.
Zidane frowned slightly before asking. "So you already knew? Is that why you made all the preparations beforehand? Is that why you greeted us directly downstairs?"
"Well, I did not really know exactly. All I can say is that I felt two very unusual magic signatures approaching. I was only guessing when I thought they were somehow related to you, but when I saw you interact with them, only then was I sure that you knew them." Dumbledore said thoughtfully before smiling gently. "Besides, I like to believe that nothing goes on in this castle without me knowing."
"That I can believe. Though actually…" Zidane said and then turned to look at the two Eidolons in puzzlement. "What are you guys really doing here? Not to mention, how are you guys here? There isn't a crisis back home is there?!"
"No need to worry, we are only here on a sort of errand." Ramuh said as he stroked his beard. Turning towards Dumbledore, Ramuh spoke once more. "My name is Ramuh, and this here is Madeen, or Mog as she prefers to be called. We've only come on behalf of our Summoners to check on Zidane's wellbeing."
"I see, well it's a pleasure to meet both of you. Though I must admit I am extremely curious now. Did you say your 'Summoners'? I don't believe I've ever had the chance to speak with a summoned entity, though I do believe that would explain your strange signatures." Dumbledore said.
"Yes well, the correct term where we are from is 'Eidolon'. It seems to vary from world to world though. I believe I have also heard of the term 'esper' and 'eon', along with countless others." Ramuh said. "I am surprised however. No humans up until now were able to notice our unique signatures. Even when we came across several magical communities, I believe you are the first to notice."
"Yes, I believe it's a little skill I picked up with the years. It's proven quite helpful so far, but it's not fool-proof." Dumbledore said good-heartedly.
Ramuh nodded and then turned towards the genome. "As for how we are here, our unique nature is what allows us to travel between worlds from time to time. I myself have been to dozens of other worlds. It really depends on the Eidolon though. This here is Madeen's first try."
"How intriguing." Dumbledore said, weaving his fingers together as he looked at the entities before him. "I don't suppose you can carry other people while you travel."
"I'm afraid it puts too much strain on a body, otherwise we would have come here in hopes of retrieving this young man. We can only carry none-living things. Which reminds me…" Ramuh said and then retrieved something from the folds of his clothes and handed it over to Zidane. "Garnet entrusted me to give this to you for good luck and a safe return. She hopes that you will be careful in the future."
Zidane looked at what Ramuh gave him, and his eyes widened slightly when he saw the jewel and recognized what it was. He then let a smile tug at his lips when he remembered the meaning behind the jewel. "Can you give her my thanks, and tell her that I'll be careful and that I'll be back before she knows it?"
"Is she a special friend of yours?" Dumbledore asked with a warm knowing smile.
"She's a lot more than that. We are already engaged, and we were planning to get married soon, too." Zidane said grinning, which earned a rather surprised look from Dumbledore.
"Well then, I suppose I should start getting the preparations ready, if you are willing that is." Dumbledore said thoughtfully.
"Preparations for what?" Zidane asked curiously.
"Well, after talking to Professor McGonagall about your request and after much consideration, we came to the same conclusion. You see, Molly has already agreed to have Harry over for Christmas break, and since the Burrow is quite safe, your services wouldn't likely be required. I was planning to have this as a surprise, but how would you like to visit France during the holidays?"
"France?" Zidane repeated. "Is this about the lead?"
"Ah, ever the sharp one, but yes, you are right. You see, I would need to go there myself to check for its authenticity, but unfortunately it is currently impossible with the Ministry watching over my shoulder. I planned to send someone from the Order, but after listening to your request, I thought it would be a great opportunity. It would give you a break from this routine, while still helping me to get you home." Dumbledore began. "And besides, after what I heard happened in your last class, I do think that you are likely wishing for a small break anyways. So what do you say?"
Zidane didn't even bother to wonder how the old man knew what happened during Care of Magical Creatures, instead he thought about his current offer. The way he saw it, there was really no choice to make. "Alright, count me in."
"I was hoping you'd say that." Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling.
"Again, I don't doubt it." Zidane said. "But I do have a question. What will happen to Neville and me for ditching class? Umbridge will be out for our blood, there's no doubt about that."
"Oh, not to worry. Just this time I think I can do something about it. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve." Dumbledore said with a chuckle, before handing him a slip of paper. "If you do see her, then please show her this."
Zidane took the rolled piece of parchment and placed it in his pocket. Just then, they were interrupted by the musical cry of Fawkes as he flew in through the window and landed on his perch, his beady eyes gazing at the guests with curiosity.
"Ah, a phoenix! I'm sure he will be quite happy to hear about this." Ramuh said with amusement clear in his voice. After gaining a look of curiosity from the wizened wizard, Ramuh explain. "You see one of the other Eidolons, you could call him our colleague, well, he is a Phoenix himself, quite a large one at that."
"This Eidolon business is simply fascinating, though I believe we will have to cut this short. Since classes for today are over, I expect Umbridge will make her way up here soon enough. How would you two like to stay over for dinner, though? I would love you have your company and we could continue this chat then. We could also arrange some lodgings here in the castle, if you'd like." Dumbledore offered and Zidane was surprised at just how well the two were getting along. They actually seemed to be enjoying each other's company. Though he just passed it off as having to do with both being old men.
"Well, my errand is done so I see no point in staying, but I do believe we could stay the night. It has been a long journey, and I do feel quite curious about this castle. What do you say Madeen?"
"Kupo kupopo." The moogle said.
"She says she would love to stay as well." Ramuh translated.
"Excellent, though I believe we will have to come up with some cover up stories." Dumbledore said thoughtfully.
After a few quick minutes of brainstorming, they decided that Ramuh would pose as Zidane's adoptive great granduncle, Mr. Ramuh Strongbolt, and that he came here after an inquiry on Dumbledore's behalf regarding some of Zidane's 'missing' records. Shortly afterwards, they were interrupted when someone knocked on the door. Zidane barely had enough time to make himself invisible before Umbridge barged in, only to look on with confusion as she saw Dumbledore talking animatedly with Ramuh about his 'splendid beard'. Zidane shook his head slightly in amusement, and used this time to slip away. Just as he was walking down the spiraled staircase and past the gargoyle that protected the entrance, he heard a few 'kupos' behind him and he realized that Mog had followed. Making himself visible once more (his tail wrapped firmly around his middle and hidden under his school uniform), he let the Moogle catch up to him.
"Couldn't stand her either could you?" Zidane asked and let out a chuckle when he saw the exasperated look on the Eidolon's face.
"KUPOPO!" Mog said in anger. The blonde didn't need a translation.
To be continued...
…
A/N: Madeen originally appears in the game as Mog, but later in the game it's revealed that she took on the form of a Moogle to watch over Eiko. She's a Holy-based Eidolon and a really cool one at that. Ramuh is a more commonly seen summon and originally appears in the form of an old man. He's a thunder-based summon.
The idea behind Eidolons moving about different worlds stemmed from how many FF universes have different versions of Ramuh (or other summons like Bahamut, Leviathan, and others). Eidolons are born from memories in the crystal and supposedly take the form they have because of legends about them (a fact that is confirmed by Ozma who at some point was an Eidolon but lost its form), so in this fic to explain why there's so many version of the same entity, it's because that same entity can travel from world to world and create legends from which other summons may be born. So FFIX Ramuh could have travelled to another world, say FFIII and left his mark there which created a legend from which another different Ramuh could have been born. FFIX's Ramuh could have also come about the same process (or he could be the travelling original), though I'm leaving that up for discussion. Madeen doesn't really appear in many other worlds (unless it's Maduin) but for this fic in particular, this is her first crossing.
Anyways, it's an idea I really wanted to play with.