Reviews:
Greer123: Casca gets a chance to meet with the others this time around and there's still much for her and Guts to catch up on this chapter and the following ones as well.
Keeper of Harmony: Yeah, some things are definitely going to be different than in canon, but I hope to still make it work and I'm glad to see you liked the reunion.
Pyromania101: Glad to hear the reunion held up and anything following that like the Griffith and Charlotte part was bound to be less interesting but still relevant. I try to avoid bashing as much as possible, but for someone like Umbridge who is written to be unlikeable, it is a bit of an exception. I hope this one holds up as well.
Greyjedi449t: So glad you loved that scene, hopefully, we'll get to see how it goes down in canon at some point.
Necrogod: Thank you! Theresia does get a small mention in this chapter.
Guest: Thank you.
Tero7323: I'm happy to see that you loved how the reunion was handled.
kaxipoptos: Yeah, Miura has something different planned for sure, but I'm happy you thought it was sweet. Charlotte certainly is in over her head but she has some good people watching out for her and Zodd's predictions certainly are faulty at times.
ericaphoenix16: I'm very happy you like the story. I'll continue to do my best.
Hairul The Nightrage Beast: A lot is going to happen now that Casca is back for sure. The Moon Boy will have a part to play as well.
Guest: Yes, but Miura can and will handle the reunion much better in canon.
Disclaimer- Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling and Berserk is owned by Kentaro Miura. I own nothing.
"How long has it been?" Isidro asked as he rested his chin with his hand. Boredom had quickly begun to take root for the rusty-haired boy as they all sat in near silence in Madam Pomfrey's small office.
"Not nearly as long as you probably believe it to have been," Serpico answered with an even tone. This wasn't the first time Isidro had asked that question since Guts had gone to visit Casca and it probably wouldn't be the last. "But if I were to take a guess, I'd wager fifteen minutes at most."
"Close," Sirius said after a yawn, having woke up from the sleeping drought Madam Pomfrey had prescribed to him while they had been in the pensieve. "It's been more like eighteen."
"They'll probably take longer than that," Harry voiced. It had been so long since Casca had spoken real words and something told him Guts would want to savor that sensation. However long the two of them needed alone to talk things out, they had every right to do so.
Harry wondered what they were even talking about. Everything? Nothing? What was going to happen now? Whatever it was, they would be taking their time with it. But the last question did get Harry thinking as well. The first being what he would even say to Casca when she was ready to meet with the rest of them. He could comment about her hair and try to pass it off as a weak joke, but somehow he didn't think that would land. He could just wait for her to speak first, she probably had a lot to say after just making childish sounds for so long.
And there was so much that he wanted to talk to her about on top of it all. He wanted to tell her that those old history books she had found in Windham had come in handy, that he had been able to find Flora's tree because of it. He would be able to properly introduce Schierke and Farnese to her. He wanted to tell her more about Merlin and his link to both of their worlds. Maybe he would even get the opportunity to show her that scrapbook Sirius Black had given to him which he still held. More importantly, he just wanted to hear her talk again.
'A lot on your mind, huh?' it was Schierke's voice that he heard speaking to him via thought transference. She probably did not want to ruin the feeling of near silence that had fallen over everyone in the office, except for Isidro and Puck who were the most vocal out of all of them.
Bit of an understatement, but, yeah. You could say that.
'You're not the only one. I can only imagine what Guts must be feeling.' They could have used thought transference to better get a feel for what was going on in the hospital ward, but doing so would just be an intrusion on a special moment between the two of them. And Harry figured that if anyone had a right to be alone with Casca first, it was Guts.
You didn't know them back then, but they used to argue a lot, practically all the time. I don't hear any shouting coming from the ward.
'Well that's a good thing, isn't it?'
Hard to say really. They argued, but that would just be a sign that they were working things out in their own way. Really, Harry wasn't sure if this silence was a good thing or not. Guts was quiet and stoic most of the time, but there were exceptions like when he was in a fierce battle or when arguing with Casca.
'It could be a good thing,' Schierke offered. 'They could just be… talking lightly.' It was possible, but the tone of her mental voice made it sound like she was referring to something else. After having viewed Casca's memories, Schierke had been able to see just what kind of relationship she had with Guts so there was that implication. Harry doubted that outcome though. As eager as Guts was to meet with Casca again, he wasn't the best when it came to words and he wouldn't just try and act like everything was the same as how it had been before.
Well, I suppose we'll find out soon enough. Harry checked the clock which was hung above the door of the office. Close to thirty minutes had already passed. Or not.
It was wrong for him to think like that and he knew it. They all wanted to see Casca for who she really was. Everyone here sans Harry had only ever known Casca as being the one who acted the part of a child and constantly needed supervision least she should run off on her own. Then there was the question of how Casca would react to seeing all of them. Would she recognize them from her reduced state of mind or would they have to introduce themselves like they had never encountered?
But there was that lingering question from before; what would happen now?
They had achieved what they had set out to do from the very beginning, Casca was healed. It was something that had been talked about but never really pictured fully until right now. And now that same question was raised, what happens now? Harry imagined that they would still take time to rest and adjust to everything for Casca's sake, but once they all felt like it, where do they go from there?
Harry would like to think that they would try to find a way back to Midland; Roderick and his crew had been helpful and would probably want to return to their own homes and lives rather than linger for too long. But going back meant going back to all the craziness that was the apostles and the God Hand.
Staying here, while he was hesitant to admit it, could have some perks to it and none of them being related to the fact that he was seen as being some sort of celebrity. He made a mental note to tell Casca about that at some point; she might even find the idea of the timid boy she had looked after being famous humorous. But in all seriousness, Madam Pomfrey had demonstrated that she was able to help out in regards to Guts. Harry saw the fingers of his prosthetic moving on their own, etched with some magical symbols. And if using the pensieve to heal Casca wasn't further proof, he didn't know what was.
But to counter that there was the whole being famous thing and from what the headmaster had told him before, there was a dark wizard out there thirsty for his blood that was all based around a supposed prophecy that had been made before he was even born. Sad to say, but that would probably be something that they would have to deal with at some point considering that they had no idea how to even get back to Midland. If they were to attempt that, they could consult with either Sirius or Lupin, they were the ones responsible for them coming here, to begin with.
Harry also thought of the Skull Knight and that sword made from behelits once he swallowed his regular blade. The foe of Inhumans had used that to first take Harry to Midland and later to help them escape the troll cave. Granted, they hadn't seen the Skull Knight since before entering Vritannis, but if they could rely on Skull Knight for anything, it was showing up when he was needed.
Huh.
Casca had never actually seen Skull Knight, had she? Her attention had always been drawn on other things instead of the nearly unstoppable warrior. He wondered how long it would take her to make the connection to Skull Knight and the once-King Gaiseric; probably not too long.
Pushing such thoughts aside, for the time being, Harry sat content in silence along with everyone else, waiting until such a time for something to change. They got their sense of relief when the door to the office creaked open just enough for Guts to poke his head in.
Looking at his face, Guts looked… relieved? It was the closest Harry could begin to describe it, not ever having seen the Black Swordsman make that face before. Evidently, Puck noticed it too.
"Hey, Guts, what's going on?" the blue elf asked.
Madam Pomfrey was scuttling over in a jiffy. "Yes, what has happened?"
"Relax, lady," Guts told the older witch. "Things are… things are fine for now. She just wanted to know if she could see some others."
"How many?" Madam Pomfrey asked. "Hospital wing rules say that no more than-,"
"-Just three for now," Guts cut her off before she could mention any rules. "She wants to take it slow, not get overwhelmed."
Pomfrey looked a bit cross at having been interrupted, but the expression faded at his explanation. "Well, it is certainly good to see that her sense of logic is intact. Very well."
Guts nodded. "Right. She said she wanted to the three of you first." His eye traveled over Harry, Schierke, and Farnese.
That did make sense. Casca had known Harry longer than the rest, sans Guts, and the two other witches did help to restore her sanity.
"Us?" Farnese asked. "All at once?"
"That's what she said," Guts told the blonde-haired girl.
"We'll remain until we're summoned," Serpico gave a nod to Farnese.
Isidro wasn't as calm about it. "Hey! You want me to just sit and wait some more? C'mon, we all want to see her, too."
Ivalera shook her head, floating over to Schierke's shoulder. "So childish."
"Just wait your turn," Guts told the boy. He looked at the three mages. "C'mon, she's waiting."
Walking back into the hospital wing ward felt a bit surreal considering the circumstances of Harry's first time here not that long ago. He hadn't really been able to take in just how spacious and high the layout of the room was. The sun pouring in from the opened drapes helped to add to the surrealism of the situation.
Casca wasn't even still in the same bed she had been upon first waking up; she had instead moved closer to the door and was standing at the foot of one of the beds there. When Harry looked at her, he saw that her dark eyes were a bit puffy like she had been crying or was trying her hardest to hold back some tears. Knowing Casca, it was probably both; she would never want anyone to see her cry, intentional or not.
He could have used thought transference to get a feel for what the two other girls were thinking or feeling, but his brain just felt too numb to actually process Casca walking over to them – right towards him.
Her mouth was closed, but it looked like she might smile, if only a faint one. Harry opened his mouth, trying to find the words to say only to find that he had none. Not one single thing to say to her. All that time spent wondering back in Madam Pomfrey's office, that seemed to just vanish from his head and he was left shutting his mouth lest he wind up making a fool of himself, and that wasn't the first memory he wanted to paint of himself to her now.
Casca's hand was moving, traveling up toward Harry's head and plopping itself down. "Eh?" he felt her rubbing at his already messy black hair. It was a gesture she had done on occasion back with the Hawks.
When his eyes met hers, he was greeted with the familiar sight that belonged uniquely to her. She began to speak instead. "When did you get taller than me?"
It was such a simple question to ask, and not even a hard one at that. Casca was only about five-and-a-half-feet tall and Harry was only about a hair's height above that, not too uncommon for boys his age but still showed signs that he wasn't done growing yet. He never even really realized it himself since he had never held a conversation with the reduced Casca, but he did find that she had to look up just a bit to meet his gaze.
Any words he had to possibly answer that he let go of. Instead, he just opted to say nothing at all and wrap his arms around the swordswoman. He stayed that way for a moment before saying, "You were never too tall to start with."
He felt her fist touch his stomach but it lacked any sort of malice or harmful intent. And even if it had, it probably wouldn't have hurt as much as it could've. "I don't remember you being so cheeky." She continued to lightly ruffle up his hair, her other arm reaching around to give him a pat on the back.
When he tried to elicit a small laugh, he was unsurprised to hear that it sounded more choked than he intended. Hearing her voice again, remembering the small gesture she had done before with the messing of his hair, it just got to him. "There's so much I want to tell you about."
"I want to hear it," Casca said as she let him go. "I'll be disappointed if you go and leave anything out."
Harry swallowed a growing lump in his throat, feeling the back of his eyes growing hot. "I would never dream of it."
Casca's attention was no on the two witches standing the exchange with small, nervous smiles of their own. "You, you're Farnese."
"Hm? Oh! Yes, I am." Farnese looked ready to either bow her head or reach out a hand, unsure which to choose from. "It is an honor to meet you at last." She seemed to settle for a handshake gesture. That, however, didn't seem to matter to Casca as she instead wrapped her arms around the blonde girl for a quick embrace. "Huh?"
"Thank you," Casca told her. "For watching out for me when I was Elaine."
"Elaine?" Farnese repeated as she shot Guts a questioning look.
"Who she was before you helped heal her," the swordsman explained as he watched the exchanges unfold as well.
"Oh. Well… you have no need to thank me for that," Farnese told her. "I only did what I could to contribute. Everyone else helped keep you – er, Elaine safe, too."
"Don't sell yourself short, Farnese," Schierke told the older girl. "You were Elaine's primary caretaker; she trusted you more than anyone else."
Casca had to bend down a little to get on eye level with the green-haired witch and the pink elf that was on her shoulder. "And you, you're Schierke."
The young witch nodded her head. "Yes, that's me. I'm relieved that I actually get to talk to you in person, I've heard some of the stories Harry had to tell so I knew that there was more to you than what there was to Elaine and you were clearly important to both Guts and-," she tried to compose herself, sensing that she was just starting to ramble on at this point, her nerves and excitedness getting the better of her.
"You have my thanks too, Schierke. I, or at least, Elaine saw the things you were able to do with magic."
Schierke shied a bit at being complimented so soon, but Ivalera had a contemplative look on her elfish face. "Hm? She's already back and acknowledging how amazing Schierke is. This works for me."
"And you have to be Ivalera," Casca's dark eyes focused on the pink elf.
"Naturally," the elf gave a self-assured smile. "I'm glad to see that I managed to stand out from memory."
Casca nodded. "But there was another one; Puck, that's his name."
"Huh?" Ivalera's face fell. "That chestnut?"
"Yes. Elaine seemed to like him, she found him amusing."
"You'll have a different opinion of him now, I assure you." Ivalera began to sulk a bit at the mention of the blue elf.
"She just means that they might be different in reality," Schierke tried to not have Casca's perception be biased before even meeting the other elf and his loud-mouthed companion. "But they will be anxious to finally see you without a doubt."
"Could they come in too then?" Casca asked.
"You sure?" Guts voiced. "That won't be too many people, would it?"
"They're people who have been traveling with us for so long, keeping them out now… it just wouldn't feel right." Casca averted her gaze to the door. "But I have to admit, I am a bit curious to see if they hold up based on Elaine's experiences." She said that, but even she sounded hesitant herself, not that she would say so.
Guts nodded and went to go retrieve the rest. He was back not even a few seconds later with Isidro scrambling to get past his legs and into the hospital wing. Puck trailed not too far behind him but hung back a little by Guts and a much more composed Serpico.
Unlike the others who had no idea what to first say to Casca, Isidro seemed to just move his mouth without even thinking. "So I'm not really too sure if you know who I am or not, but the name's-,"
"-You're Isidro," Casca filled in for him, not sounding too surprised that he had no hesitation in speaking.
"Hey! It worked!" Isidro exclaimed looking back at the three mages. "Did they tell you that it was all my idea from the start? And that – ow!"
Guts flicked the back of his head with an annoyed expression. "If you want to meet her, at least give her the chance to talk."
Casca gave a light smile but one that didn't meet her eyes. "Yes. You're almost exactly as Elaine saw you." She looked over to Serpico who was politely standing at attention next to Guts. "And you're Serpico."
Hearing his name being addressed, Serpico stepped forward and gave a polite bow with a hand placed over his chest. "That I am. It is a pleasure to actually be able to talk to you in person."
"So I've been told. I was never the best at holding conversations just to let everyone know." It wasn't untrue; Casca had been busy most of the time with the Hawks and she was usually so focused on working on strategy, but she did have some time allotted where she had time to herself and to talk with others.
"Aren't you forgetting someone?" Puck asked a bit indignantly as he fluttered over. "The name's Puck, nice to finally meetcha!"
"I… don't think anyone could forget you," Casca told the small elf.
As expected, Puck smiled in greeting. "So there's been something I've been meaning to ask you. How do you feel about the name Cassie?"
"Don't you even start!" Ivalera scolded her fellow elf.
Casca watched in amusement at the bickering elves, a smile slowly spreading across her face. Guts watched it all happen; he saw the smile she was now wearing. It was a sight he had wanted to see for such a long time. It was a smile that was unique only to her; and one that didn't reach her eyes. And because of that, it looked incredibly strained.
Dumbledore read over the letter that had arrived by owl not even an hour ago. It was troubling, but something to be expected. While he was Headmaster of Hogwarts, he still had to obey and abide by a request to visit the castle by the Minister of Magic. He had been hoping it would be later rather than sooner, but some things just never played how he would have liked.
He had temporarily sealed the castle gates to keep people from getting in, but still allowing it to go out and he had even blocked the floo network as added precaution for what was going on at the hospital wing and the healing of that woman's mind. A large part of that had been because he knew Umbridge might be returning soon. And she had. Dumbledore wouldn't have put it put it past the woman to have set up a private floo channel somewhere in the castle linked directly to either hers or the Minister's office. Or maybe even had her only supporter in the castle, Argus Filch open the gates to let her in. Pomfrey had sent him a Patronus message about what had transpired between Umbridge and the Black Swordsman, Guts.
Not too long ago after that altercation, Dumbledore received a howler from Umbridge at St. Mungos. Her sickly voice swore that she would be informing the Minister about this, and she had. The letter he just got done reading over was from Minister Fudge requesting to meet with him in person to discuss the recent events.
Luckily, Poppy sent him another Patronus message letting him know that Harry and his companions had been successful in their task and would be returning back to their ship with Sirius Black leading them back. It was probably for the best. If they lingered any longer Minister Fudge would have demanded to see Harry at once and Dumbledore doubted the Minister would try his luck at reaching out to Harry when he was back on that ship.
They should be well hunkered down there for the time being until the straw that would break the camel's back. Based on what he had seen through memory, Dumbledore knew that even if they were just muggles, they had efficient means of protecting and defending themselves. Even by just lending them his pensieve for their use of it he wasn't about to demand that they owed him for that by any means.
But… if they were agreeable to it, especially now that the woman had regained her sanity, he could ask for their aid when the time was right. Voldemort was back by common knowledge at this point and it was only a matter of time before he set his sights on Hogwarts, especially that he probably knew Harry was here if he had been keeping up with the news. Dumbledore wouldn't put it past the Dark Lord to be gathering his forces at this very minute. If they were to attack Hogwarts and the surrounding town of Hogsmeade, the chances were high that their ship would get caught in the crossfire of that. If he could send an owl explaining the likelihood of that outcome… would they perhaps listen?
Fawkes clucked, drawing Dumbledore's attention as the fireplace was filled with green flames and Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge stepped out, lime-green bowler hat in hand and wearing the smile of a true politician. Following him out was none other than his undersecretary, Dolores Umbridge. Her nose still had a nasty bruise about it and the skin under her one eye was turning a shade of purple. It would seem she left St. Mungos just to come be here with the Minister.
"Dumbledore!" Fudge smiled as politely as he could, temporarily stopping the twirling of his to spread his arms wide open. "You did get my owl, didn't you? I do hope we hadn't dropped by unexpected."
"Your owl was very straight and to the point," Dumbledore nodded, not yet standing from his desk. "You are expected, but you seem much more open to meeting with me than our last encounter."
Fudge's smile wavered as he recalled that meeting. "Yes… well, I was hoping to leave that as just water under the bridge between us, Dumbledore. I mean, I acted in a fashion that was understandable. You must understand where I was coming from; you made a claim that You-Know-Who was back at large once again. Merlin, Dumbledore, you don't just go around saying something like that and not expect to get a reaction out of a man."
"I can certainly understand your reason for acting the way you did, Cornelius," Dumbledore locked eyes with the Minister. "You were elected during Voldemort's defeat; such an unforeseen event-," Fudge raised his hands in a surrendering gesture and to signal that he understood what was being said.
"Yes, yes, I am well aware of that, Dumbledore. I know how it must have come across. But before we get onto the meat of the matter, please just try to understand why I acted as such."
So that was Fudge's game. It was simple; try to cover up his past actions by putting on a friendly face and trying to start anew. Honestly, it wasn't that surprising for Fudge to do. He had used that play when running for reelection the last term as well.
"I can certainly understand your reaction, Cornelius, and I stand firm in my belief of second chances, but the amount of ridicule and discredit that came my way I could handle without a problem." He saw Fudge let out a small sigh at that. "However, what I do not condone is your appointing of a Hogwarts High Inquisitor to keep tabs on myself and students." Umbridge looked ready to angrily retort, but she dared not to interrupt Fudge.
"That was… a hasty decision on my end," Fudge had to admit. "You having as much influence as you do, of course, I would have gotten suspicious that you might have been planning something at Hogwarts."
"If I recall correctly, following Voldemort's defeat, I refused the position of Minister of Magic; a position that you offered to give me at the time."
Fudge's composure slipped a bit. "Alright… I thought it was a political strategy on your end. The best leaders are the ones who don't want to be, or something like that. With… You-Know-Who actually back, I am sure Dolores would love to step down and return to her duties as Senior Undersecretary."
Umbridge put on a very sweet, very forced smile. "Of course, Minister. But I assume my position as Triwizard Judge is still intact. Barty Crouch is still missing, most, unfortunately."
"It is indeed, most unfortunate news," Fudge did actually sound sad at that, but Crouch had been a contender also for Minister of Magic before the scandal involving his son had happened. "But while we are on that topic, it brings about some very interesting developments if the rumors are to be believed."
"And what are those?" Dumbledore asked coyly.
At this, Umbridge spoke out. "Don't play the fool, Dumbledore! Harry Potter is here in this castle. Minister Fudge is taking valuable time away from the office to meet with the boy so if you value your position as headmaster, you will take us to the boy this moment."
"Dolores, please!" Fudge silenced her with a stern look. "I am as eager as you are to meet with our famed savior, but first impressions are important, and I expect you to be on your best behavior."
"You are not the first to seek out Mr. Potter," Dumbledore told the Minister. "Several students have tried to get a peek of him already and have been unsuccessful."
"Curiosity in children often gets the better of them," Fudge went for a friendly smile. "But they are probably more concerned with seeing a celebrity than for who the boy really is."
"I couldn't have said it better myself," Dumbledore agreed. "But what do you see him as if not a celebrity? People are often very different than how we first imagine them to be."
"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean," Fudge sounded a bit miffed but kept his smile. "He is an icon for all of us, a symbol that whatever dark comes our way, there will always be comfort in knowing that we are safe."
"Well said, Minister, well said!" Umbridge gave a polite clap for her boss. "Which is why it is concerning that someone as important as that would be in the company of such… deplorable barbarians."
"I would have expected you to stay at St. Mungos, Madam Umbridge." He swore he could see a vein throb near her temple. "From the howler you sent me, you saw fit to point out how you were being treated for a mild concussion. Are you sure you would not want to return and have the healers check you over again?"
"If a healer is to look me over, let it be in the hospital wing! That is where Potter is, do you deny it?" she wore a triumphant smirk.
"Perhaps he was at one point, but he may be no longer."
"What do you mean, Dumbledore?" Umbridge demanded.
"Simply that Mr. Potter is not a student and therefore not confined to the castle. If he is here or not is entirely up to him."
Umbridge turned to look at Fudge. "I'll seal the castle. Potter will meet with you, I assure you, Minister!"
"Dolores," Fudge began, "as kind as that gesture would be, we are not here to lock down the school."
"I am glad you see reason, Cornelius," Dumbledore was grateful to the Minister.
"Not that it would be unreasonable to discuss what transpired between Dolores and… Dolores, what did you say that man's name was again?"
"He said his name was Guts." She spat out the name like it was infected. "Filthy, horrible, brute of a man. A complete Neanderthal!"
"Yes…" Fudge trailed as Umbridge ranted a bit. "You should be aware that Madam Umbridge is pressing charges against the man and a hearing will be scheduled to take place next Tuesday at-,"
"-I'm sorry to interrupt you, Cornelius," Dumbledore intervened, "but I don't believe a trial would be of the best intention."
"That is still assault, Dumbledore!" Fudge insisted. "Assault committed by a man who is associated with Harry Potter of all people! We cannot have that sort of riffraff around someone as important as Potter, you must understand that."
"And from what I understand from my time on the Wizengamont, it is highly impractical to have a muggle present within the Ministry." He hadn't wanted to use that card, but knowing Umbridge and the twisted sense of justice about her, he knew it was a trump card to whatever she may pull, be it double-edged sword at that.
"M-muggle?" Fudge spouted. "Come now, Dumbledore, just because that ship is muggle by design does not mean-,"
"-It does. I assure you, it does. But muggle or no, Hogwarts does not have a policy of turning away those in need. Help will always be granted to those who ask for it."
"B-but muggles… no. No. No, there has to be some misunderstanding." Dumbledore really hoped Fudge was not going to go into a state of denial again. "Harry Potter-,"
"-Harry Potter is under their jurisdiction by his will and theirs." Dumbledore watched as Fudge sputtered like a fish out of water.
"Hem-hem!" Umbridge gave that overly sweet cough of hers. "If that were true, then they would not be able to see Hogwarts, would they? Based on the fact that they were in the castle and physically assaulted me, I would say that the only way to do so would be if they were magical by nature. I'm afraid that you're lying, Dumbledore."
"Madam Bones was here when they first arrived," Dumbledore reminded them. "She will tell you the same as I have. Unless Madam Bones is a liar as well."
He could tell that that really struck a nerve with Umbridge as her overly sweet and triumphant smile was quickly replaced by a fuming, pouting lip. "Then how do you account for them being able to see Hogwarts, hm?"
"Madam Bones would have also told you by now that it was Sirius Black who summoned that ship here. And since he did it from within the wards, I highly suspect it is possible for them to see it with their own eyes." It wasn't the whole truth, he hadn't mentioned the fact that they were from a different astral plane, nor did he plan to reveal that any time soon. That would be the information he kept close to the chest.
Umbridge was not liking that one bit. "And has Sirius Black been apprehended for this act?"
"He was the one to bring our savior back, would you incarcerate the man?" Dumbledore asked her, but looked at Fudge when he said that.
Umbridge looked like she had just swallowed a fly, but continued speaking. "Then as ministry protocol dictates, any muggle with exposure to magic is to have their memory altered at once. What have you to say to that?"
"While that law does stand, there is an exception to it." He paused. "Any non-magical relative or guardian is allowed an exception."
Her face was turning increasingly red; each word spoken carried an unspoken yell. "And… do they have the official paperwork to classify themselves as such?"
"I would imagine that is a question for them," Dumbledore answered. "If you want to borrow a first-year boat and go ask them yourself, you are free to do so."
Fudge after having twirled his bowler hat around so much that his fingers had cramped, spoke out. "What of the third task, Dumbledore? What then? Now that Potter is physically here, the law dictates that he take part. There is no getting around that one."
"As I have said before, Mr. Potter's name may be enrolled, but he does not attend. He has not attended and has never been sorted into any house. He is entirely privately educated." Again, it wasn't a full lie.
Fudge looked a mix of nervous and purely frustrated at having gotten nowhere, Umbridge looked like she was ready to explode on him at any given second, the only thing keeping her in line was Fudge's presence. "Is that… all you have to say on the matter, Dumbledore?" Fudge asked, all trace of his friendly demeanor having left.
"I imagine that you still have very much to say but will undoubtedly do so through owl. Will that be all?"
Fudge stiffened, placing his bowler hat back on top of his head. "Come, Dolores." Her beady eyes were still trained on Dumbledore, but she followed Fudge back to the fireplace all the same. "I'll be in touch, Dumbledore," Fudge added before tossing some floo powder into the fireplace. "But I can't guarantee your answers today will help put the Magical World's anxiety to rest."
"I never said that they would," Dumbledore said as green flames engulfed the two of them. It was a small step on his end, put he had a feeling that Harry would have approved of his behavior, if not for how he had acted previous. But thinking of Harry now, Dumbledore pondered just how long he and the rest of his companions could stay aboard that ship undisturbed. Fudge may be a mediocre wizard, but he did have capable wizards under him and with someone as corrupt as Lucius Malfoy in Fudge's good graces, he had no doubt a conflict was on the horizon. He just hoped now that the woman was sane again, she could persuade the Black Swordsman not to harm others too badly.
But as Dumbledore was pondering that very possibility, Umbridge was internally fuming herself. The meeting had not at all gone the way she or the Minister wanted it to have gone. Dumbledore was growing weaker, that much was obvious to her. After all, a strong headmaster would not allow the boy to stay aboard the boat that was anchored in the Black Lake. He should have already been separated from those filthy muggles and sorted into a Hogwarts House by now.
Better to just wipe those muggles minds and send them off on their merry way. She had only seen a few of them back in the hospital wing, but just one muggle knowing was outrageous enough as it was. If Potter had been actively practicing magic in front of them, then he was in clear violation of the Statue of Secrecy. As famous as he is, he is not above the law.
That was why she was especially infuriated to learn that the brute of a man seemed to be getting away with his active assault on her person! Who did that man think he was? He probably didn't even think at all; men with muscles were lacking when it came to brains. But what really made it worse was the fact that Minister Fudge had not even pushed the topic to Dumbledore, it was just brushed aside like every other topic had been back there. She had even lost her title as High Inquisitor now thanks to Dumbledore.
Things… things had to change and change fast! They were looking to enter another time of war with the Dark Lord, and war was a time for action! She certainly had a number of ideas she would love to put past Cornelius, but he was stressed enough as it was. As a good undersecretary, she would help ease the burden on his shoulders. If Minister Fudge wanted Harry Potter to properly attend Hogwarts and be the Ministry's shining face in this war, then that would be exactly what he would get.
There were just those muggles to deal with. They were the real obstacle, Potter could be the one to ultimately defeat the Dark Lord, but that would never happen if he was being restrained by muggles of all people.
Oh how she would love nothing more than to go sailing out on a boat with a squad of aurors to magically restrain all of those non-magicals. It would also give her the greatest of satisfaction to wipe the memory of the one to break her perfectly set nose.
Potter would learn to love his new place in society, it was as high an honor as any to be recognized by the Minister of all people. But how to go about it?
They could see Hogwarts despite being only muggles. Dumbledore had fed them some loopy story about how they were summoned within the wards and able to bypass them that way. It had never been done so there was no way to prove that wrong. But there was still a limit to what muggles could see.
Perhaps… the dementors were still loyal to the Ministry. And with the Dark Lord on the rise, it would be so easy to make it seem like they were acting on his behalf. If pulled off correctly, there could be no loose ends. The muggles would be unable to further corrupt Potter's young, maliable mind and they would be unable to spread the word of Hogwarts' location. There was just the manner of how to do it. But if there was a will, there was a way.
"I'm telling you, it's completely impractical!" Narcissa leaned across the table at her husband, watching as he ran a hand through his long, platinum blonde hair. "Are you even listening to me?"
"It is very hard not hear you. You're voice travels through walls." He looked up at her with a set of cold eyes he usually reserved for intimidating political opponents. He had used it a few times on her, but never to the same result as he got out of others. She was a Black born and raised, hateful glares were a common occurrence at dinners, especially when Bella and Sirius were involved.
But for now it was the two of them, a rarity these days with how many people the Dark Lord had seen fit to "spread hospitality," or something along those lines. She could barely walk through the west wing without Greyback's mutts leering at her. This was her house, not their kennel. Then there were all of her husband's "associates" from over the years, specifically before Draco had been born. Nearly all the guest rooms were filled out and Dobby was working himself to exhaustion to cater to their every whim. This was a respected pure-blood household, not a resort!
"How much is the cost?" Narcissa demanded of Lucius. "As heavy as the Malfoy name is, the pit does have a bottom."
"And do you think I don't know that?" Lucius asked in rhetoric before slamming the ledger he had been reading over. "I am doing everything in my power to ensure that costs are minimized. There's no need to spend any galleons that aren't necessary."
"It would have been more cost efficient if you hadn't had given up on the search like Bellatrix had all those years ago. You might be in better graces if you had." Truthfully, she did not care about that. She didn't have the mark burned into her flesh like her husband and sister, they made their choices to openly support the Dark Lord. At least with Lucius, he made the choice that got him out of prison and able to be a part of their child's life. However small that part may be.
"Don't start with that again, Narcissa," Lucius warned as he read over their Gringotts bank accounts. He had told her shortly after they were married to speak lightly of finance, she was a Malfoy now.
"There are other pure-blood families that can contribute to these outrageous funds. It makes little sense that we should shoulder the bulk of these payments when we are already allowing so many guests into our home."
Lucius sighed. "The Dark Lord-,"
"-Has other followers; ones whose accounts are yet to be touched. Let them play their part. Or if not, let them take the fall if something is to go wrong." While she did believe in the pure-blood doctrine, she wasn't about to become a Death Eater for it. The actions and cost they were having her husband do now would have serious consequence on both herself and Draco if anything were to go wrong. They were paying off a trader to smuggle a dragon into the country, even sending gifts to the giants up north for their help in the upcoming assault.
It would be taking place during the day of the third task in the Triwizard Tournament. The Dark Lord was confident that he was strong enough to breech the magical wards surrounding Hogwarts and he planned to make a public example of Potter before killing all the rest who did not pledge allegiance to him. She should write to Draco, let him know of what would happen and try to get him out of there before that happened. As much as she knew her son loved to brag about his status, he was sadly all bark and no bite. He would likely freeze in the moment and be killed along with anyone else who didn't step forward to join the Dark Lord.
There was more than one secret passage out of the castle as Sirius Black demonstrated to them by the use of the map he had in his possession. It was a nifty little thing when in the right hands. Once Casca had been cleared by Madam Pomfrey, they started back to the Sea Horse where Roderick would be waiting for them.
It was a bit of a hassle for them to all sneak around trying to avoid being detected, and Harry had to give Casca a very condensed version of why that was. "You're famous?" she had asked, sounding incredulous.
"For something that happened when I was about a year old," Harry had told her. "I don't even know what they would expect of me if they were to see me."
"Probably scream at the top of their lungs in excitement, ask for an autograph and a picture," Sirius had listed off as he led them through a secret passage that led right out onto the grounds near the lake.
"Picture?" Casca had asked, not at all familiar with what that was.
"Right, a life-like paining that comes out of a metal box," Sirius did his best to explain. "It's a muggle thing."
"Muggle?" she asked again.
"Non-magic person. A friend of mine, Arthur Weasley, he's the biggest fan of muggles there is. He actually collects plugs." He had noticed some of their bemused expressions. "It's a… never mind. I don't know how to explain that one."
When they arrived to a secluded spot on the shore of the lake, Sirius was able to use magic to transfigure some stones into small rowboats. Once everyone had all piled in, they had to rely on magic once again to set sail back across the lake and to the awaiting figure that was the Sea Horse anchored off into the distance.
During that time, Harry was seeing fit to do his best to help Casca get caught up on all that she had been missing or had been unable to understand. Guts was fine with it; he himself had gotten his own time to speak with Casca but had never gotten around to telling her about some of the more minute details that were involved with their journey.
"That is actually the name of the castle?" she asked as Harry told her what they had been able to understand about this place.
"Yeah, the name really is Hogwarts."
"I see," Casca slowly nodded, not really understanding at all so she directed her next question over to Sirius. "Is there a reason behind that?"
"Oh, probably." He shrugged. "But hardly anyone questions the name so no explanation was ever really given."
"Why's that?" Schierke asked.
"Magic is as good an explanation as anything," Sirius said. "For most, magic is part of everyday life so if magic is the official explanation, people will go with it."
"But, magic can't just be the answer to everything," Schierke tried to reason. "It can do much, but not everything. Like bringing the dead back to… life." She paused briefly as her eyes darted to the armor Guts was wearing. He knew what she had been thinking of; the Skull Knight. It was Flora who had the connection to the previous owner of the armor but with her gone, they might not get the full story of how she was able to preserve whatever was left of Gaiseric in that new armor suit he wore. Skull Knight would have the answer himself, but there was no sign of him showing up anytime soon.
Casca was following Schierke's gaze to the armor as well; her hand almost reaching up to touch the brand that was on her chest. She was quick to change the topic. "So, the captain of the Sea Horse, his name is Roderick, yes?"
"Roderick the Sailing Prince of Lith," Serpico gave his full title. "He is also Lady Farnese's betrothed."
"That is true as well," Farnese confirmed, some red lining her cheeks.
"Betrothed?" Casca looked at Farnese strangely.
"Yes. In exchange for his ship's services, my elder brother Magnifico arranged a deal, my hand in marriage."
Casca's eyes lost a bit of shine to them. "You didn't have to agree to that. I can understand the urgency, but there was no need for you to throw your future away because of-,"
"-No, it is alright," Farnese tried to assure the other woman. "We've all made sacrifices, it was just my turn to do so. Besides, it could be much worse. From what I've been able to understand, Roderick is actually quite a decent man."
Guts saw Casca look over at him as if wishing him to confirm what Farnese just said was true. He thought back to the drink Roderick had offered him and toasted to Casca's safe return. "Yeah, he's alright."
"Hmm," Casca just mulled that over, maybe waiting to see and finally be able to judge for herself.
When they at last arrived at the side of the Sea Horse, Roderick and his first mate tossed down a rope ladder for them to climb aboard. Sirius remained in the boat he had transfigured, watching as Harry made ready to climb back aboard.
"Oh, I just wanted to say, thanks, for all the trouble you went through to help us out," Harry said somewhat awkwardly to his godfather.
Sirius smiled in good faith. "Nah, don't worry about that. Sneaking in and out of the castle made me feel nostalgic. Any other time you feel like sneaking around, let me know." He gave a final salute of sorts before he magically willed his smaller boat to return to shore. And as Sirius bit farewell, Roderick was waiting to bid them welcome.
"Lovely to see you again, Farnese," Roderick lightly kissed the back of her hand.
"Er… yes, it is nice to be back again as well."
"Welcome back aboard, Chief!" Roderick gave a friendly pat on his shoulder; it was quick so he didn't mind the contact too much. "Everything go smoothly?"
"You can ask me," Casca addressed the captain. She did her best to smile pleasantly, but knowing what she did now about the agreement regarding Farnese, her voice lacked a bit of a friendly edge.
"Ah, you were successful!" Roderick gave a bow of his head. "The pleasure is all mine. Please, anything me or my crew can do to make your stay here more comfortable, do not hesitate to ask."
Casca looked down at the white hospital gown she was still wearing. "If it isn't too sudden, is there any change of clothes?"
"There's probably some," Roderick thought. "White isn't really your color, but the best I could probably offer is some men's clothing."
"No, that's… I'd be fine with that actually," Casca felt at the soft material of the gown.
Of course, she would be fine with that.
"I can take her below deck to show her where she can get changed," Farnese offered. Casca accepted, trusting Farnese and went to go see the variety offered to her.
"She seems straightforward," Roderick said to Guts. "I like it."
Guts just responded with a hum of sorts, but Roderick seemed to understand what it meant. "I'll be below deck," Guts let him know. He wasn't about to intrude on Casca and Farnese, he was just heading back to his cabin. There had been a fair bit of excitement the last couple of hours and he figured it would be better if Casca spent some time with another woman alone.
The cot creaked a bit as he sat down on it; Dragonslayer already resting against the wall next to his bed, but the added weight of him still wearing the armor did put some strain on the furniture. From the relatively thin walls of the cabin, he was able to hear some of what was going in the cabins adjacent to his own. He could faintly hear Harry's vice talking to Schierke and Isidro about that one scrap book he had been left; going through it and trying to figure out which to show Casca when she had some free time. Having only seen it briefly himself, Guts could only imagine how she would react to the moving pictures. It might be a mix of wonderment and confusion, or maybe even how she was like after she found out Harry could talk to snakes. Something along those lines he figured.
Serpico was still above deck, talking idly with Roderick about something and probably filling him in on everything that had happened back at the castle. Guts could picture the captain's smiling face at the depiction of the events. Maybe it was a bit too early to judge, but Roderick did seem much better than some of the other nobles. Only a few nobles in Midland came to mind as being genuine good people from his limited knowledge on the topic; people like the knights Laban and Owen whom he knew from reputation and from the victory ball and the timid Princess of Midland as well. If the deal really went through, at least Farnese would have a good husband. If Roderick had been like every other noble, Guts would have no trouble dealing with it, or maybe even let Casca go ahead.
There was a knock on his cabin door. "Are you in there?"
He opened it as an answer to allow her inside. Casca had traded her white gown for a red tunic and casual brown breeches and boots. Her dark hair was still long, but Farnese seemed to have helped a bit by trying most of it in a loose ponytail. She almost resembled how she had dressed so often back with the Hawks and it made Guts wonder if she had picked it out because of it or if that was really all Roderick had that fit her.
"Feel comfortable?" he asked as he closed the door after she entered.
"More comfortable than those rags. I almost forget how breeches felt."
"It suits you," Guts said truthfully.
She looked down at the clothes she wore. "I suppose. I wasn't interrupting you, was I?"
"No. There isn't anything to interrupt me from." He could tell she was leading to something. "What is it?"
"Nothing, really." She didn't sound like she believed that herself. "But I just had to ask, if nothing is happening right now, why are you still wearing that?" her eyes were on the dark, ebony armor.
"This? Just in case something does happen."
"We're not expecting to be attacked by a bunch of those students, are we?"
"… Not at the moment. Do you want me to take the armor off, that it?"
He was wearing a regular black tunic and breeches on underneath, but he felt naked as he removed the armor from his person, but he experienced a new feeling as well; a clear mind.
Guts knew that an evil presence resided in the armor; it made itself very well known when it fully activated sending him into a killing frenzy. But now that he was without it, he felt like a weight had been lifted from somewhere inside of his head that he hadn't even known was there. He was more exposed now though, able to see some of the additional scars that lined parts of his torso that he had missed with the salve Pomfrey had prescribed to him. He caught Casca staring.
"Hold on," Casca told him. "You have something for those, right?" she picked up his dropped satchel and started going through some of the additional cannon balls and powder, knives and other weapons he had stored in there as she rummaged for some elf dust Puck might have left behind. And she suddenly paused without warning.
"Casca?"
Reaching a hand in, Casca pulled out a small, green bauble with facial features scattered all over it. It was the behelit he got from Vargas, the one that stole it from the slug apostle, the one with the daughter. Puck had formed a strange attachment to it, calling it Becchi and such. But any humor was gone from Casca's face, replaced by an almost dead look in her eyes.
"How long?"
"Casca, that's-,"
"-How long have you had this?"
How long had he had that? "Some time now."
She was shaking her head, the rest of her body stiff. "Guts, this is-,"
"-It isn't mine," Guts quickly assured her. "At least, I don't think it is. I got it from a cripple who stole it off one of them. It isn't mine; and even if it was, I wouldn't use it."
Casca studied his face, looking for any hint of deception. "No, you wouldn't, would you? You're not like…" her hand tightened around the behelit like she expected it to crack like a normal egg as her hand went back up to her brand. She was moving, opening the porthole of his cabin and rearing her arm back ready to throw it out and into the lake.
"Casca!" he reached out and caught her wrist before she could let go. "Wait a minute, alright!"
"Wait? Wait for what? You know what this is, what it does. Let's get rid of it now!"
"That's not how it works," Guts told her, not letting go of her. "He lost his too, but it came back to him. That's what Flora said, it'll always find who its meant for no matter what. You toss it now; whoever it's meant for will find it. It could even belong to one of those kids from the castle." She wasn't looking at him, but directly out the porthole and at the lake.
"Not if it's at the bottom of the lake, they won't." she tried to wriggle free from his grasp once again. "Let go already!"
"There's a squid. It could find it and toss it up to shore, I don't know but someone will find it. The only reason I kept the fucking thing was to avoid that. If I have it, I know no one else does."
He could feel her wrist shaking in his grasp as she thought over the logic behind his decision. He didn't even like his choice, but he wasn't about to let another apostle be born into this world. Flora had said he was like a free ride for the behelit; it was just using him as a carriage until it found who it was meant for. He had pushed that question to the back of his mind for a long time now, but with Casca back now, Guts had to wonder, whose was it?
He felt Casca relax her wrist in his grip. He let her go, closing the porthole for extra measure. But the feeling that had been building inside her was not quelled by that alone. She still threw it, but at the wall instead, not harming the behelit, but did make a dull Thunk as it fell down onto his cot.
She looked up at him with an extremely melancholy look. "I really hope you're right about that."
A/N: Hope everyone had a good weekend. I'll try to have the next chapter out as soon as I can. Thank you for reading.