Reviews:
Hairul The Nightrage Beast: The beast comes much closer this time around for both him and Lupin. Umbridge is brief in this chapter, but she is still up to her no good ways. Rickert and co still have a big part to play. Goblins could help to some extent, but since the armor is Dwarven by craft, it is of a higher skill set for them.
Pyromania101: Luna is always fun to write for and it made sense for her to be first since she would be one to be out feeding thestrils. Vacation was alright but I'm glad to be back and had some time to work on it when I was off, too.
MorphCross: Thanks! I wanted to get something out before I left so I'm glad it was able to keep the story going and not just be filler. Hard to believe it's gotten this long.
Greer123: Yup, Luna can prove to be a big asset for them since she has a connection to Sonia and by extent, Griffith.
Necrogod: No problem!
Tero7323: The mystery will be revealed in a few chapters time, all I'll say about it is it involves Gaiseric. Vacation was fun, but I'm glad to be back.
Celexs Draconia: A big reveal is coming up in a few chapters time and something relating to the boy will be a part of it. I love writing for Luna and her interactions with Sonia and the rest and some of my favorite to write in terms of characters interacting.
Guest: Thank you!
Guest: Short as compared to my usual length of chapters. Still glad that you enjoyed it.
Quartermass: I love hbi2k and the rest of TFS and I don't really see how I could fit those lines in. And since we did PM best of luck on the challenges and story.
LoamyCoffee: Thanks! I hope it continues to hold your interest.
erica phoenix 16: Not a problem. I'm happy you enjoyed.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling and Berserk is owned by Kentaro Miura. I own nothing.
What was actually a moment, seemed like an eternity. No one spoke, nobody moved and even the chirping of crickets seemed to have gone silent. All pairs of eyes were directed solely on the boy who wore his usual impassive but still curious expression. To him, it was as if he hadn't just said the name of the once emperor who united all of the continent and earned names like, "King of Galloping Death." And then there was all he had said about Griffith being in some city called "Falconia," or something like that.
Guts had traveled the land as a mercenary even before going out to hunt and kill apostles, and he had a pretty good layout of Midland to know that there was not a town or city with the name of Falconia.
But, then again, this was Griffith they were talking about. With him being a God Hand and all, creating a new city should be a breeze for someone like him. He was probably back there right now picturing the confusion they all must be feeling right now at hearing all of this. He knew Casca was worried that their kid was somehow connected to Griffith or being used by him in some way, and here was the proof of that. Griffith was using the boy as some sort of messenger.
And Griffith had been here, too. That blonde girl, Luna had seen him, chased after him, only to have him disappear without a trace. If he wanted, he could have leveled that entire castle and killed all the students and faculty alike. He could have sunk the Sea Horse and have everyone aboard drown in the lake. But no; instead he sends a child to deliver some cryptic message about staying away and being able to live out the rest of their lives in peace.
Perhaps that was what had him feeling a mix of anger and disbelief. He knew what kind of person the God Hand was. Harry knew and Casca knew too. It was that idea that Griffith was trying to take some sort of moral high ground and offer them something that sounded too good to even be true. It had to be some kind of taunt, right? He obviously knew they were here and as such, probably knew they were without a way of even returning to Midland as of now.
But even if they did somehow manage to get back, Falconia would be the next stop after meeting back up with Rickert at Godo's mine. If Guts was sure for certain of one thing that the kid said, it was that the God Hand would indeed make good of any promise to do them harm. Or, more harm than had already been done. Casca was still recovering mentally and physically as well and it would be the biggest slap in the face for one of the God Hand to undo all of that and have her revert back to Elaine.
Guts was ultimately the one to break the silence that had fallen over them. "Casca, are you believing this?"
Casca answered with a question of her own. "How does he know that name, Guts?"
"What?" that was what she was focused on? He was equally stumped on that one too, but Skull Knight wasn't one to just appear to anyone.
But this boy wasn't just anyone. He was something else altogether, maybe neither demon or human, but still here right now. Just like Skull Knight himself. It still didn't make sense. If Skull Knight had met with this child, he probably would have tried to kill him, it was what he warned Guts to do when Casca gave birth prematurely. Unless Griffith and the rest of the God Hand had some sort of plan for Skull Knight that he was trying to warn them about, Guts didn't know how that fit in at all.
The closest to Gaiseric would be the Holy See founder, Gunderic who was now serving as mastermind for the God Hand, so unless he was trying to warn them about Void, Guts was left without an honest answer.
"I don't know," Guts answered a concerned Casca. "I've never called him that name, just Bone Head so I don't know how he would know it." He could guess, but it would probably be wrong.
"Maybe he's trying to say his name," it was that Luna girl that offered the suggestion. She was standing a bit away from the rest of them, petting the head of that thestril thing, watching them with curiosity.
"He… doesn't have one," Casca told the blonde girl, a hint of regret clearly present in her tone. And why wouldn't feel regret? She was convinced that this was their child, and she didn't even have a proper name to call him by.
"Oh. That's sad." Luna actually seemed to sound sad as well, her dream-like tone faltered as well when she said that.
Harry eyed Luna a bit strangely, maybe to try and determine if she was genuine when she said that or not. She had not given them a reason to believe she had some ulterior motive even if her story about somehow being connected to a girl in Midland checked out with Schierke.
"I don't suppose Sonia might have seen this boy around Falconia or even mentioned anything about Gaiseric, did she?" Harry eventually asked.
"Not really," Luna was quick to respond in her previous manner of speaking. "We don't really talk about things like that. Sonia tells me about how she tries to make friends with Mule and I tell her about my day at Hogwarts. Mainly that kind of stuff."
Well, that was a huge help, Guts sarcastically thought.
"Is there any chance you could ask Sonia about it?" Harry furthered. He seemed a bit more at ease talking to this student given that she already knew all about Midland and didn't seem like she was about to go crazy and swarm him like a fanatic.
"I talked to her before I came out here," Luna told him. "She said she was tired from performing a service and wanted to turn in early."
Service? This girl was sounding weirder with everything she said.
"Would you be able to ask her when you speak to her again?" Harry asked, hoping to get some kind of lead from this.
Luna smiled. "Of course I can, but I doubt she would know. Sonia isn't really one to question that Griffith fellow and that worries me."
"You would actually do that?" Schierke asked the other witch.
"What do you want for it?" Guts stared down at the girl.
Luna hardly seemed offended, adding another layer of strangeness to her character. "I don't want anything. Why would I need something for talking to a friend?" What is it with this girl?
"You don't want anything?" Schierke did have an optimistic side to her that was able to shine through, but she wasn't about to dismiss the idea that people usually did want something in exchange for their services.
"Well, my shoes are missing and I would like them back," Luna wiggled her exposed toes for added show. "But my mother used to say that lost things have a way of returning back to us. I usually eat some pudding and I'm able to get a good idea of where they are."
"Well, that's… good to hear, then," Schierke said, not really sure if she should offer some sort of condolence for the lost shoes or not. Based on how out of it Luna appeared to be, she ultimately decided against it.
Luna just nodded. "If you're staying on that ship that's anchored out on the lake, I could have a school owl send you a letter once I talk to Sonia again letting you know what she says."
He didn't sense any sort of deceit from this teenage witch, but it all just seemed too convenient for Guts' liking. She just happens to be out here feeding these things and just so happens to have some sort of spiritual connection with a girl from Midland who was close enough to possibly get information out of Griffith.
"Why?" Guts asked the simple question. "If you want nothing out of us for this, why even bother?"
To that, Luna just said, "You just look like a few people who could use a helping hand." To Guts, it was a naïve answer he would expect a girl like Erica to give. Luna then added, "Also, if you do find a way back, would you mind bringing some pudding and ice cream with you? I told Sonia about it, and she wants to try some." Guts hadn't the slightest idea what either of those things was.
Casca was picking the boy up to hold him in her arms; his small arms instantly went around her neck to hold on. Guts saw the kid sneaking a glimpse at him but turned his head when he was caught staring.
Guts sighed. "If that's all there is, let's get back already, this forest doesn't sit right with me." They weren't that deep in and the lake was still in sight, but with the trees so close together, it reminded him of a good spot to set an ambush, but Schierke and Harry had assured them that Luna and the thestrils were the only things near at the moment.
"It is called the Forbidden Forest," Luna offhandedly mentioned. "But Professor Hagrid took us here for threstril lessons before, and told us it was safe."
Schierke looked a bit concerned at that. "There's a forest that's forbidden right next to a school? Wouldn't that just be a hazard?"
"Well there were trolls in the forest outside of Enoch," Harry reminded her.
"Yeah, and we sealed their cave up," Schierke, in turn, reminded him. "Before all that, the only thing anyone had to worry about was golems chasing off anyone who might have gotten past the barrier."
"I seem to remember the golem trying to do more than just chase me away," Harry muttered.
"You pulled a sword on it," Schierke defended.
"Enough, already," Guts strode past the two mages. "I don't care what else lives in here, let's just get back to Roderick and have him take us back to the ship."
Harry and Schierke had the decency to look embarrassed by their mild banter. "Yeah, you're right," Harry agreed with Guts. But he paused to look back at Luna. "You really mean what you meant about asking Sonia?"
"Of course, I do," Luna answered. "I always enjoy talking with her. Outside of that Neville boy, she's the one I talk to the most."
"Thank you, for agreeing to this then," Schierke kindly spoke to the other girl. "And I am sorry if Guts came off a little too hard on you, since arriving here the few interactions we've had with some other mages were… less than ideal."
"I'm sorry to hear that. I can understand why you would want to be on that ship. All anyone really talks about now is you, Harry." It looks like she knew he didn't really care for this fame. "After all, the more people talk about someone, the more likely that person is to attract nargals."
Harry leaned over to Schierke. "What's a nargal?"
"I don't know," she whispered back.
"Nargals?" Puck hovered off of Guts' broad shoulder. "I thought they only lived on Elfhelm."
"Who cares about that," Guts dismissed the blue elf's curiosity. "Let's just get back already."
Guts' sense of danger seemed to go on high alert when a distant "Arooooo!" echoed throughout the night.
"A wolf?" Casca asked, her hold on the child tightened.
"It doesn't sound too close," Guts said, and that was if his hearing wasn't faltering.
If anyone looked concerned by the howl, it was surprisingly Luna. The girl who had been so calm in the face of strangers actually seemed worried now. "Professor Lupin…" she trailed off.
"Lupin?" Guts repeated recalling the name of Sirius' one friend and one who helped bring them here. He was also one to help sneak them in so they could help heal Casca. "What are you on about, blondie?"
Luna was looking up at the sky, having been here from before the sun went down, she had not looked at the night sky above them until hearing that wolfish howl. "It is him. It's not supposed to be the full moon tonight. Unless…" Luna's blue eyes drifted over to the child in Casca's arms.
"I'll ask you one more time, what about Lupin?" Guts demanded of the girl.
"Professor Lupin is a werewolf," Luna admitted to him.
"You mean like a lycan?" Schierke inquired, she sounded less at ease. "Mistress Flora told me clans of them once inhabited the land, but were hunted to extinction."
Luna nodded. "Every full moon he transforms into a werewolf. Professor Snape got him sacked last year for it. If he's a wolf now… he might actually attack one of the students."
"Well, the professors can handle it, can't they?" Harry asked. "They had to have been prepared for something like this if he transforms every full moon."
Luna looked unsure. "I think Professor Snape usually brews him wolfsbane potion in advance. But if he hasn't taken it, he'll be conscious and much more dangerous. The professors might be able to get a handle on him, but werewolves have a high tolerance to some magic spells and if they ganged up on him he might lash out in fear."
Guts mulled that all over. He knew of werewolf or lycan stories that were only ever supposed to be just that. And in every single story, they all shared one common trait in common, if you get bit by one, you turn into one too. Stories like those were meant to keep children from wandering outside their homes at night to ease a mother's worried mind. If Lupin was loose inside that castle right now, it was up to the teachers to handle it.
And if he ended up attacking some kid… Guts' eye passed over the child Casca held. It was because of this kid and Griffith that the moon was even out tonight like it was. Lupin seemed to be suffering the unfortunate consequences of that happening. Guts wouldn't say that he cared about the man even if he was someone who was close to Harry's parents; he wouldn't even say that they were even close acquaintances. But there was a sense of indebtedness he had for the professor. It was thanks to him and Sirius that they were able to get into Hogwarts in order to properly heal Casca. And now, Lupin was the one who was losing his sanity to an inner beast. And that, Guts could explicitly relate to.
"Harry, Schierke, can you lock onto Lupin's od or whatever from here?" Guts asked the two mages.
"With all the magical energy around here, it should be pretty easy," Harry guessed. "What did you have in mind?"
"You think it would be possible for you to lure him out of the castle and out here?" Guts bluntly asked.
"…If Harry and I went into our luminous bodies, we could, in theory, have him lock onto the scent of our physical bodies like giving him a scent to go after," Schierke was very tentative to answer that question. "What would we do after that? Lupin would still be wandering the grounds as a werewolf until the morning."
"No. Not if we subdue him, he won't." Guts stretched his neck.
"You're going to fight a werewolf?" Casca sounded incredulous. "One bite from him and you would…" she trailed off like she didn't want to finish that thought and her hand would have gone to her brand if she was not supporting a kid in her arms. "You've done some stupid things, but this is just being reckless for the sake of recklessness."
"I don't plan on fighting him unless I have to," Guts clarified to her mild confusion. "This is a magic forest, right? So some magic spirits must be here. If Schierke or Harry make contact with them, we can have him trapped until the morning." He looked back to the mages. "Feel up to it?"
"It would be possible," Schierke thought the plan over. "However… this forest, I feel the od of many dark, unfriendly spirits here, nothing like the Four Guardians that are prominent back in Midland. To properly interact with these spirits, summoning them will most likely kill Lupin. Harry and I will likely have to manipulate the spirits with our own energy to make them more stable."
"Wouldn't that mean someone would have to hold Lupin at bay until you managed that?" Casca asked, picking up on the more risk-based nature of the plan.
"If that's the case, just leave that to me then," Guts said, his tone the same as it would be before a fight.
Casca looked grief-stricken. "Guts, you-,"
"-Unless the Luna girl knows some spell to calm down a werewolf," he looked at the blonde who shook her head, "then it's pretty simple on my end; I just have to not get bit."
"What about your armor?" Casca asked the question that posed the biggest threat to them.
"Like I said, I don't plan on killing Lupin and sleeping without it on at night has helped. The Beast hasn't been a problem as of late, but if it is… go back to shore as fast as you can and have Roderick take you back to the ship. Harry or Schierke will have to pull me out." He looked to Luna once again. "Same for you, blondie. Either run for the castle or follow them."
Luna nodded. "Okay," she said like she had some intuitive nature that made her aware of the whole thing. But if she was a medium, Guts guessed she probably did.
Together, with Schierke, Harry felt the familiar feeling of weightlessness spread across his body as a second flesh of sorts was being removed from him, taking him up and off the ground, but having a tether of sorts connecting his new, weightless body to the one that was standing still in the small patch of forest. He looked over to Schierke to see that her body was like his as well, like it was made of light and radiating soft, white flames that were harmless to touch.
Schierke gave him a nod to let him know that she was good to go, and before traversing the air toward Hogwarts Castle, Harry noticed that Luna was staring at their physical bodies like she was expecting them to say or perform a spell. Magic really was incorporated differently here it seemed.
But while Luna was keeping an eye on the physical forms, a certain pair of dark eyes were staring right up at where their luminous astral bodies were. Like most of his stares, this one was filled with curiosity as well. It wasn't enough to hinder their trek to the castle, but it was important enough for Harry to bring up to Schierke.
"He saw us. He was looking right at us."
"I saw him, too." Schierke acknowledged. "Maybe it's because his presence is manipulating the astral energy, or maybe he is just something more than human. Either way, he didn't seem scared at seeing us like this, as ghosts almost."
Harry nodded. It would make sense with what they knew, or at least, suspected about the boy. He was tied to the God Hand and Neo-Griffith in some way. Maybe he was leeching off some of that power, enough to manifest during the full moon. "You're probably right, as usual."
"I'm flattered, but it isn't the time for that now." The closer they got to the castle, the more they were able to feel the raw, deep-rooted magic that was stored and contained within the ancient stone fortress. And it wasn't just a feeling of ancient magic, there was newer magic here as well. The culmination of students of past and present most likely. There was probably more magical energy here in this one castle than there was in the entirely of Midland; well, at least before Neo-Griffith did whatever it was to acquire his own city if Luna was to believed as a reliable source of information.
When they got just outside the front of the castle doors, their astral bodies allowed them to traverse through the solid material, but Harry found it a bit taxing to do so. Magic was clearly meant to keep unwanted intruders out and away from ever entering, but if no one in this land even knew what an astral body was or how to access it, then it would be very difficult to put charms up to specifically protect against them.
"Whew!" Schierke heaved a small sigh of relief. "That felt more than it should have. Almost like squeezing through a small opening in a brick wall."
"Not turning back, are you?"
"And leave you all alone?"
The entrance hall was deserted, the only source of light coming from the stone braziers that lined the walls. Most of the feeling of od was coming to the right, up the same staircase set that moved that they had climbed when going up to meet with Dumbledore. Their astral bodies drifted in that direction, going up the staircases as they rearranged themselves seemingly out of boredom like they missed granting students access to various floors within the castle.
The paintings that they passed along the way still talked and mingled with each other, but this time, they seemed to be in a much more frantic state as they talked.
"Did you hear what was going on?" a painting asked a neighboring one.
"Is it those Weasley twins again?"
"No, no, it isn't them."
"Ah, so it must be Peeves."
"Peeves is tilting paintings down by the kitchens. I would know, I just came from down there. He was giving me a headache."
"I know what it is!" a loud and rather boisterous painted figure declared as he clanked his way through the frames. "I, Sir Cadagon, have seen the beast with my own eyes. Teachers are on high alert, heads of houses are keeping the students in their dorms, and I bravely volunteered to fight, but was declined." This knight figure reminded Harry a bit of Sir Azan with his over-the-top manner. "There's a werewolf on the prowl! Up near the seventh floor."
Trying to focus his concentration up to that floor, Harry was searching for an out of place od signature, something that would almost feel like a Berserker mode Guts in a way as he wasn't about to just take the word of this knight figure who seemed a bit out of it.
There were multiple od signatures, each one unique, but most of them were being centered around in groups near where some towers would be viewed from the outside. Were those the dorms for the students? And there was another strange source of od that came floating from out of the wall above them and continued upward to a higher floor.
It was an actual ghost.
"Can they see us?" Harry asked Schierke. His own experiences of dealing with spirits were the kind that were attracted to the brand on his neck. But if these were at this school, they must be of a different make.
"It… may be possible for them to see us," Schierke answered. "In all sense of the word, we are basically spirits when in our astral bodies. If we're invisible to the physical eye, a spiritual eye might be the only thing that can see us."
"So now we have to avoid ghosts." If they were spotted, they could at least try to pass off as being actual ghosts themselves. "But I did feel a strong malevolent od signature on one of the higher floors," Harry told her. "And I'm pretty sure I know who it is."
Together, they drifted weightlessly up the still changing staircases, passing more paintings along the way and even more doors that made the central stairway seem like a maze designed to hold criminals instead of helping students find their way to whichever class. Footsteps were heard racing up the stairs behind them.
Looking back, Harry saw the one teacher who seemed especially hostile toward him when they first met not too long ago. His black robes billowed behind him as he sprinted up the stairs, wand held tightly in his hand. A few of his greasy black locks stuck to his forehead. And he wasn't alone. A ghostly figure was gliding along beside him. If what Schierke suspected was true and ghosts could see them, Harry didn't want him blabbing to that Snape guy of all people. He clearly hated Harry enough as it was and giving him an excuse to be more hostile wouldn't end well for him.
Taking Schierke's astral hand, Harry pulled them both aside and behind a tapestry to avoid the specter's gaze. "Where is he, Baron?" Snape asked the ghost.
"The Headless Hunt reported seeing him on the seventh floor, heading down to the sixth," the ghost of the Baron answered.
"Tch!" Snape must have sneered. "He's already moving away from his office then. Must be trying to sniff out a little midnight snack. Go tell the rest of the ghosts to find some of the other staff and let them know of his location. I'll keep him contained until the rest arrive."
"As you wish," the Baron said before he glided away.
"We need to hurry then," Schierke said.
"Right." While Harry did not like Snape based on what he knew of the man and how he had acted, and he wasn't going to try to help him out because he cared about him. If anything, it was more for Lupin's sake than for Snape's. Lupin, despite helping to pull them off course, still remained very open and friendly to all of them. And he had helped too in sneaking them into the castle, and Harry figured the man behind the wolf wouldn't be able to live with himself if he hurt anybody while being a werewolf, even someone as unpleasant as Snape.
Traversing further upward, the two of them were now down a corridor with suits of armor lining the walls. Considering this was a magic castle, Harry suspected those suits could probably move if the paintings were anything to go by. But aside from the décor, Harry could feel the presence of a dark, wild od coming from up ahead. Schierke felt it too.
"Oh, my! Is that actually Lupin?"
Just ahead of them in the corridor, was the source of the benevolent od. Like Lupin's rather shabby and graying hair, the beast had similarly matching fur. It was down on all fours, but its limbs were too long to belong to any regular wolf, and Harry suspected he would be a little over seven feet in height if he were to stand on his hind legs. And while the limbs were thin, there was no mistaking the sinewy muscle that was lined just beneath that fur.
There was a surprising lack of tail though, just a bit of a nub really. Maybe he had bit it off at an earlier point in his life and it wouldn't be too surprising either. Lupin's canines were clearly visible as his jowls were pulled back. His sensitive nose sniffed at the air while ears perked up and fierce amber eyes darted around.
"He seems especially agitated," Schierke studied his behavior.
"If he's been taking that wolfsbane potion to keep himself under control for years, it must be bit of a shock to be a full wolf again." Harry looked at Lupin's muzzle. "There isn't any blood on his snout, so the teachers must have already gotten all the students in their dorms."
"That just leaves us to…" Schierke trailed off a bit.
"Lure him back to where we are," Harry finished. With Schierke, he drifted over to where Lupin was sniffing about. "I feel Snape's od a fair ways away, so we better get him out of here before then."
Both reached out a luminous hand and put it on Lupin's snout. To have an interaction with something of the astral world in the physical was a rare occasion for most, but not entirely unheard of. Harry knew that behelits and by extent, the Brand of Sacrifice acted by that standard. But since their astral bodies were just traces of their person, lingering energy could be left behind as a result; they were imprinting their spiritual sense to Lupin, setting him on a trail to the real thing, their bodies.
They pulled their hands back as Lupin's ears perked up and he began sniffing in the direction that led to the staircase and subsequent outside. He pulled his head back and let out a primal howl, a sense of prey had infected his senses. Lupin had begun his hunt.
Guts had been waiting, keeping a close eye on both Harry and Schierke's bodies as they stood stone still, their mission still in progress. Luna seemed to be biding the time by catching and releasing fireflies, but it lacked the enthusiasm she had when she had introduced the thestrils. To Guts, it seemed she had enough common sense to know when something was serious, but still having enough innocence to try and be a proper kid.
He could tell Casca was nervous for their two mages, whispering only to the child in her arms and making small talk with Luna about topics she would be able to answer. She must be feeling out of place holding a kid and not a sword when she knew for a fact that trouble was about to be coming their way.
"You didn't seem to know what it was the both of them are doing by being still like that," Casca offhandedly mentioned.
"Not really," Luna admitted. "But, I get a feeling I get when I'm able to talk with Sonia, so it must be some kind of magic I don't know about."
"Hm." Casca nodded. "So how old were you when you started studying to be a witch?"
"Eleven, that is when most kids in England start Hogwarts. Pure-bloods and half-bloods get their letters pretty early on, but for muggle-borns, they get a letter and a professor to explain to them what is going on."
"Pure-blood?" Casca repeated that word. "Meaning…?"
"A witch or wizard whose parents are both -bornss come from a family with no previous magical ability."
"You mean, you don't just decide to become a witch and study to do it?" Casca asked.
"No, not really," Luna casually said.
"A friend of mine would probably disagree on that," she referred to Farnese. "So I take it different kinds of magic are popular here then. You have a wand over a staff."
"Only the most powerful of mages are ever said to wield staffs," Luna explained. "Like Merlin. But, I'm not sure if Harry or Schierke know, but there is something called a patronus charm."
"They probably do," Guts said, unsure himself but not wanting lack of information to be used against them. "But for our sake, why not explain?"
"My father says it's like an extension of the caster. If it's powerful enough, it can take the form of a unique animal. I guess you need to be thinking of a really happy memory when you cast it. Because of that, it can keep dark creatures away." Luna's description was vague, but it was enough for Guts to know that he had never seen either mage performing that spell. If they did know it, it could have come in handy when fending off accursed spirits.
"Arooooo!" a howl rand out through the night. It was loud enough for a few bats to fly from a nearby tree in fear. Both Harry and Schierke's green eyes opened as their astral bodies must have returned to them.
"Well?" Guts asked as soon as they were back.
"Lupin, he's coming alright," Harry nodded.
"He couldn't get through the main door, so he just threw himself out a low window," Schierke explained. "He has our scent, he'll be here soon." She looked to Harry. "Ready?"
Giving Schierke an affirmative nod, they both made ready to traverse the astral world one final time to better control the raw power of this forests spirits.
"The two of you get back," Guts instructed both Casca and Luna. He could hear howls getting more frequent, the sounds of padded paws were soft, but growing louder; the same could be said by the low growls of a hungry predator on the hunt. Bats and birds were taking off from their designated perches, a clear sign that nothing good was on the way.
"Guts," Casca said his name, "how close is…?"
"Get back!" Guts yelled as a pair of amber eyes seemed to glow in the darkness. And the next thing that shone in the moonlight were the sharp, white canines of a leaping wolf that was gunning straight toward the bodies of Harry and Schierke.
Guts intercepted the wolf form of Lupin, using the broadside of Dragonslayer like a shield. He felt his legs shake a bit from the force of Lupin's pounce. Whereas Lupin was a man of mild to shabby build as a human, his physical traits seemed to have been enhanced as a wolf.
Digging the metal heels of his boots in the ground, Guts pushed back with all of his weight and knocked the werewolf back. Lupin crouched down on all fours, his head hung low, but his eyes never once left Guts; his jowls curled upwards in a snarling expression. Lupin began walking a circle, trying to find an opening and attack from there.
In turn, Guts stared the wolf down as well, holding his ground, but still shifting to never have his back turned on the wolf. Doing this, he was vaguely reminded of the night he had fled his first mercenary camp after Gambino had tried to kill him. He had taken an arrow to his shoulder and had been stalked by a pack of hungry wolves. Guts thought himself to be dead, but his sword had moved seemingly of its own accord and killed the beast that dared tried to eat him.
Here, the circumstances were different, but he would not be made prey anytime soon. Least of all to a shabby man who had no control of himself at the present moment.
The wolf Lupin snarled at him as he made for a quick dash around Guts, trying to target the still forms of Harry and Schierke. Guts was quick to intercept the wolf once again, Dragonslayer still being used as a shield.
Lupin's clawed paws tried to pull the massive blade down, but it resulted in Lupin to cut his long, hairy fingers as a result due to the sharpness of Dragonslayer and its special aversion to having killed so many supernatural creatures. But it seemed no semblance of human remained in Lupin's mind at the time as he surely would have pulled his hands away at the feeling of pain, and although the wolf seemed agitated by it, he was intent on biting into Guts' throat.
Drool flew from Wolf Lupin's maw and jowls as he snapped his abnormally large, white teeth in Guts' direction. Some spittle flew on Guts' face, making him snarl just as fiercely in return as Lupin stood on his hind legs to try and get the height advantage over him. Again, something that would not happen if he was a regular human.
Putting his weight into his hind legs, Lupin tried barring down on Guts, his snapping jaws just inches from biting Guts on the nose or even tearing a piece of flesh from his face. Seeing a desperate situation, Guts held the hilt of Dragonslayer in his real hand while his prosthetic curled into a fist and slammed itself against the snout of the werewolf.
Clearly not expecting its prey to fight back in such a way, the werewolf Lupin staggered a bit from the recoil of the punch, but still remained standing on his hind legs, trying to keep the height advantage over Guts.
Taking advantage of Lupin's stunned state, Guts used his metal fist to punch Lupin on the snout once more. This time, he managed to elicit a whimper of pain from the werewolf and Guts followed up with a series of left hooks to the muzzle of the wolf. But true to any dog that was being hit, eventually it was bound to bite back.
Lupin's teeth bit down on the metal of his prosthetic. Naturally, Guts did not feel it, but he could see that Lupin had some serious strength to his jaws as his teeth were able to make tiny dents along the metal arm. He was making his way to where the prosthetic met real flesh.
"Nice try!" Guts snarled like a beast seeing what the wolf was working his way up toward. Swinging his leg back, Guts then kicked at Lupin's knee joint with his heavy metal boot.
A sickening crack! Was heard as Lupin stopped biting down on the metal arm as he soon lost the height advantage and found Guts on top of him, pressing down with the broadside of Dragonslayer.
'Your blood is pumping.' The voice of the Beast of Darkness echoed in Guts' mind. 'You haven't had a true fight since you got here. It has been too calm for your liking, you were not meant for such a life. Kill the wolf that lies under you! Strengthen your blade with his blood, he is weak as a human, you would be doing him a service.'
Guts could feel the presence of the Berserker Armor becoming stronger, working to overpower his own ego, his sense of self and plunge him into the nightmare of endless slaughter. He could hold Lupin for now, but both Harry and Schierke were working to summon that spirit to contain the werewolf.
Pushing back mentally, Guts fought the advancing feeling the armor was bringing. The Beast clearly wanted to be unleashed after having been chained up for so long, and it was taking his full mental fortitude to keep it at bay and keep his own mind sane. It took a lot, enough for Lupin push Dragonslayer off and scurry a distance away, eyeing the still targets of Harry and Schierke as well as a wide-eyed Luna and Casca with child.
Sensing danger from Guts, the wolf went after what it deemed as easy prey. "No damnit!" Guts yelled as the sensation he had been fighting to keep at bay was finally starting to return. Lupin was closing the gap toward Schierke, and Guts felt his feet feel like they had the speed of a dozen horses.
Guts closed the distance Lupin had created and tackled him from behind, using only his body. The Berserker Armor was starting to creep down his arms, covering them in the near impenetrable ebony plating. Knowing what would happen if he were to grasp Dragonslayer, Guts resorted to using both of his armor covered fists to subdue the wolf.
His left arm went to wrap around Lupin's neck and Guts pressed his full weight down on the wolf's back. He brought his leg around to Lupin's side and slammed his armor coated knee into his ribs. The wolf howled in pain, but still tried its damn hardest to buck Guts from off his back and continued to try and claw his way over to Schierke.
"No you fucking don't!" Guts snarled as his other armor covered fist punched continuously on the side of Lupin's head. He could feel his strength already being enhanced from the partial armor use, and even then Guts had to fight to not use his full strength at this. If he did, he could easily punch a hole right in Lupin's head and end up killing him.
With his other leg, Guts rammed it into Lupin's back, further trying to pin him down and fight off the urge to give up his mental struggle and maintain his sanity.
'You have him pinned, kill him already!' one wolf yelled in his mind as the other howled in reality.
"Arrghh!" Guts yelled before biting down on the nearest thing to keep himself from giving in. He bit down on Lupin's ear, careful not to let any fur or blood touch his tongue. The werewolf gave another cry of pain before a voice called out his name, nearly breaking him out of his near rampage state.
"Guts!" it was Casca calling his name. "Guts, move!"
Both Harry and Schierke had completed their spell and a large shape seemed to be emerging from the ground itself as a result. It was made of bark, soil, rock, and moss and resembled a half-man half-horse type of creature, a spirit that is native to this forest. It started at ten feet in height before almost doubling in that. It stepped over both Guts and Lupin and its legs buried into the earth again, looking to press down and make an impromptu sort of cage.
Still, under partial influence of the armor, Guts used his now enhanced speed to quickly roll off of Lupin and to safety as the spirit cage trapped Lupin beneath the solid body, effectively restraining him.
But a much bigger problem seemed to be presenting itself now. Guts could feel the helm of the Berserker Armor sliding up from the back, seeking to envelop him without restraint this time.
And then there was the light.
It seemed to shine into existence in front of him, radiating light like a fire. And… it was taking shape; the shape of a small figure.
Guts eye naturally went to where Casca was holding the kid and saw the boy staring straight at him. The boy raised one of his hands like he was reaching out to Guts, and the visage of light in front of him seemed to sprout an appendage and reach out to touch the ebony surface of the armor's chest piece.
And he felt his mind growing clearer, like the feeling of being taken over was starting to lessen to some degree. Was no one else seeing this? He suspected the mages would be able to see it, but they were keeping a safe distance from him and staring at him rather than the being of light standing right in front of him. Whatever it was the light was doing, it was working on clearing up Guts' mind, even slowing the progression of the helm sliding into place to cover his head.
"Harry… Schierke…" Guts spoke their names. "I don't care who, just… put me out already."
Both mages came rushing over, seeing the armor being halted in its place. Two staffs reached out and made contact with his head. There was a blinding light and Guts' vision went dark.
It was about an hour later and Luna found herself sitting in the headmaster's office. Harry, Schierke, Casca, and that boy had left before then. The two green-eyed mages having to levitate the unconscious form of Guts back to the boat they had docked with. But Schierke said that he would be okay, so Luna was glad.
After Guts fought barehanded against a werewolf and the two managed to subdue Professor Lupin, they instructed Luna to head right back to the castle. She agreed and made a parting promise that as soon as she got in contact with Sonia, she would write to them to know what she knew about this boy and Gaiseric.
But as she was entering, Professors Snape, McGonagall, Flitwick, and even Dumbledore were coming out with their wands drawn, probably in chase of Professor Lupin. Flitwick had been alarmed at seeing one of his raven's out so late and when a werewolf was on the loose to make matters worse.
This was really the first time Luna had seen Professor Flitwick so worked up, but he was her head of house, so it made sense. She had to explain that she had just been out to feed the thestrils before it had gotten dark out and she assured them that Professor Lupin had been restrained for the time being.
Not ready to take her word for it, Professors Dumbledore and Snape went to go investigate the site of the fight she had pointed out, leaving her alone with Professors Flitwick and McGonagall. Flickwick was understandably worried, and Mcgonagall was strict to reprimand her for being out so late; but given what they knew of her often bizarre nature, they could believe her excuse and ended up only taking thirty points from Ravenclaw.
When Dumbledore and Snape did return, the headmaster insisted that he speak with her in his office. There, she recounted to him the story she had told the two other professors and had to include her meeting with Harry and the Black Swordsman to him and the other teachers present.
"You are saying that the Black Swordsman actually wrestled with a full-grown werewolf?" Professor Snape asked with the usual drawl.
"Yes," Luna nodded. "He actually pinned Professor Lupin before he was properly captured." She could tell he was having trouble processing that.
"Good gracious, the man must be mad!" Professor Flitwick nearly fell off his chair. "If he had gotten bit… did he?"
"No."
"Truly? Well, he must have quite the experience to hold his own. Still mad, but… he is unique."
"I'm not sure unique is the word," Mcgonagall corrected. "Suicidal is more like it. If he were a student and in Gryffindor-,"
"-He is the embodiment of Gryffindor," Snape muttered.
"-And you say Harry Potter was present as well?" Mcgonagall continued as if Snape hadn't interrupted.
"Yes. They were there to get the boy that appeared."
"You mean they kidnapped a student?" Snape was quick to assume that was what she meant.
"No. He was too young to be a student. The man in white escorted him here. He's the reason the moon was full tonight."
"And you want us to believe the Hogwarts wards were breached then?" Snape asked. "Headmaster, did your instruments indicate such a breech?"
"As fate would have it, there was one such occurance," Dumbledore admitted. "If you all would, I would like to speak with Miss. Lovegood alone for a moment." Respecting the wishes of the headmaster, the professors filed out. From his desk drawer, Dumbledore pulled out a stack of papers. "Miss. Lovegood, your father runs the Quibbler, correct?"
"Yes, papa says he might have found a lead in Sweden about the crumple-horned snorckack."
Dumbledore nodded patiently. "Yes, well, these are papers are from when it was announced Harry Potter had indeed returned. Your father covered this topic as well, yes?"
"That sounds about right."
Dumbledore picked a copy of that issue and handed it to her. "From what I was able to read, you seem to have been involved in shaping how the article was written. You seem to believe that there is a land called Midland." He seemed to be watching her reaction. "And in the article, you said you have a friend named Sonia who is close to a man in white. Am I to assume this is the same individual?"
"That's what I saw, sir," Luna responded.
"Hm. I see," Dumbledore seemed to be mulling it over. "Well, the hour is very late, Miss. Lovegood, and I don't mean to keep you from losing any more sleep than you already have. You may go."
Luna did, but she almost heard a sigh escape from the Headmaster as she exited his office.
Chaos. The Ministry was in absolute chaos at the moment, and it clashed horribly with Umbride's orderly nature. Everyone from every department, even pathetic Arthur Weasley in Misuse of Muggle Arts was getting letters about what was happening outside right now.
A full moon out of the schedule. It was throwing everything out of balance! Her mind naturally went to those cursed half-breeds that turn into wolves. They would be transforming all over the place, attacking people and creating more filthy half-breeds. Merlin forbid that they bite a muggle! That would cause the expose of their world and they would have to lock said muggle off in an institution to keep them from spreading that horrible disease.
But there were things that even the Ministry could not control, and that was muggle media. Their press would be all over this mystery lunar change, and they would of course be able to come up with no solution.
The people were going to go into a full state of panic over this, and rightly so! They needed to be reassured that the Ministry was strong and still in control. They needed that Potter boy now more than ever, even with all this going on about You-Know-Who. The dementors were still loyal to the Ministry for now, but it would not be long before they switched sides. She would have to think of something fast to get rid of those filthy muggles. She just needed an opening to present itself to her.
When he opened his eye, all he saw was white, perhaps a lingering effect of the spell Harry and Schierke had used to put him under before he lost it and went Berserk. "Ugh." Guts groaned as he sat up in his cot.
"You're awake."
Sitting at the foot of his cot was Casca, the boy was still present and wrapped up in the bed sheet he had shown up with.
"How long was I out?" Guts asked pushing himself up to which Casca made a disapproving face.
"Hour and a half, maybe. Schierke came by a little while ago to check on you. She said your od felt stronger before dropping back to normal, whatever that means."
Guts looked at the boy who poked his head to hide behind Casca. "Yeah, I wonder what."
Casca caught him staring. "You mean him?"
"I take it you didn't see it then."
"See what?" she insisted.
"There was this… light or something that I saw as I was being taken over. I saw him staring at me and as he reached out, the light touched my armor."
Casca was focused on the boy now. "Hey," she said in a gentle tone. "Did you do that?" the boy stared into her eyes and briefly glanced at Guts before nudging his head into Casca's shoulder.
"What does that mean?" Guts asked. He had his suspicion for sure.
"I wish I could tell you." Casca began stroking the boy's long, dark hair, easing him as he buried his head deeper with his nudging. "I really do. And… it will sound selfish but, I want this to last."
"Casca…"
"Even though I know it won't and he'll be gone by the morning. Just… the three of us for now. Can that be the one good thing about tonight?"
Guts sat up fully and sat next to Casca who continued stroking the boy's hair, whispering comforting words to the child until the point where she herself began to drift off into a sleep of her own. Guts had to get off the bed to lay her down properly across it, letting her enjoy whatever dream she was having. From the look on her face, it was something good this time.
That left him and the boy who was staring out the porthole window.
"So," Guts began, not really sure what the hell to say to the kid. "If you can't talk now, fine, just… that was you, right? That light?"
He received a quick glance before the boy turned his head down. And then gave a very small nod.
"…You're not, uh, one of them, some demon or something?" Casca would have hit him hard for saying it like that and he was glad she was asleep.
The boy met his gaze and blinked while tilting his head to the side. It was a sign of non-aggression on his end.
"That's… good. Any point to me even asking where you came from." The boy spared a glance over to Casca's sleeping form. "Yeah, I figured that much, I mean… ah, forget it. I don't even know what I mean." He slumped his back against the wall and slid down to where he was sitting. "That figure you gave Harry, you didn't meet Skull Knight, did you?" the boy stared curious at that name. "Skull Knight, you know, glowing reddish-purple eyes, big horse, bony head?" Guts pointed to his own head not really sure how to make him understand.
That almost elicited a smile at the gesture he made, but the boy remained tip-lipped and just shook his head.
"Ah, I see. So you haven't met him. No real point in asking you how you know that name then."
The boy was silent. "…des…dan…"
Guts perked up at the sound of his voice. The boy was obviously trying to utter a word he didn't know how to say, or maybe he couldn't say. Guts was about to ask what, but the boy just shook his head, giving up on it himself.
The boy walked over to the bed and climbed up onto next to Casca and lying down next to her. He looked over to Guts with an almost inquisitive look as to why he was against the wall and not in bed. Guts turned away from his stare, not wanting to disturb the sleeping Casca himself. He would tell her about what the boy had tried to say in the morning but by then, Guts knew he would be gone.
A/N: Back from vacation, I meant to have this up on my birthday, but I only had so much free time since getting back. Anyway, this one is longer and more to my usual style and I hope to have the next one out soon. Thank you for reading.