Chapter Thirty Eight
Disclaimer: I do own the OCs and the Guardian Program and the other things that being a Guardian entails.
Summary: After the Second Wizarding War, a Guardian was given to each child of the main families that helped in the war. They were all tasked with a simple job, protect their allocated person with their life. Somehow, Freya screwed it up in the biggest way. She fell in love.
There are going to be a lot of OCs, but the focus is going to be on Freya.
Enjoy!
HARRY POTTER
Ivan and Freya had parted ways from one another after an hour of walking. Neither of them spoke much as both of them were not very talkative and that suited Freya fine. They had come across more creatures, like Pixies and Merpeople, but Freya and Ivan quickly dealt with them. Ivan had flinched when he saw a Grindylow again but he had quickly killed the creature as an act of revenge from the last time he came across a Grindylow that tried to kill him. As they travelled, Freya had been keeping a close eye out for Roman but couldn't see him at all. However, she never once lowered her guard in case Roman decided to launch a sneak attack – which she suspected he was doing to do. Freya knew that she needed to find Albus before Roman did because now she knew that Albus was his next target. Freya was ready for a fight and she was ready to defend herself, Albus and even Ivan from Roman. Albus would not meet the same fate that Alicia did.
Freya knew that Albus had been heading towards the mountain in the middle of the arena and that's where she was heading. Freya climbed up some of the mountains and pulled herself up onto some flat space. Freya looked around with her wand in hand, the path in front of her was flat and wasn't as steep anymore. As she looked around, all Freya could see was rock, some stones and withered trees. However, her eyes focused in on something that didn't fit in with the scenery. Walking over to a withered tree, Freya looked closer and that that it was a broom – Albus' broom to be exact. Freya looked at the tree carefully and noticed that some branches in the withered tree were broken. Albus had crashed into the tree, but Freya didn't know what had made him crash. Albus was a very good flier and was the best on his team, one of the fastest Seekers they've ever had. Freya knew that something would have had to seriously distract Albus to make him crash.
She needed to find Albus and fast.
"Albus!" Freya called out, her wand in hand. She didn't know what creatures lived on this mountain and she didn't know where Roman was either. However, Albus was her priority for the moment.
A faint cry was heard.
Freya's head perked up at the sound as she looked around, trying to figure out where the noise had come from. There was another cry and this time Freya managed to pinpoint where the sound came from and ran towards it as fast as she could. There were a few more cries and it was coming from the direction that Freya was heading. Freya ran around the corner and her eyes widened at the scene in front of her, causing her to stop in her tracks.
A few feet away was a Mountain Troll. The Troll was massive, more than twelve feet in height and probably weighed more than a ton. The Troll had heavy craters in its face and had grey wisps of hair on its mostly bald head. It wore tattered pieces of clothing and had a club in one hand and the other held Albus. Around its neck, something gold shined in the light – something Freya noticed immediately.
"Let go of me!" Albus yelled out as he was swung around by the Troll. Usually, he liked being in the air but at the moment, he did not.
Freya spotted Albus' wand on the ground and instantly knew why Albus wasn't fighting back. However, even with his wand, Albus may have had trouble because Mountain Trolls were the largest breed and the most vicious kind of their species. They were extremely strong and Freya was particularly worried about the fact that the Mountain Troll was playing with Albus, especially with how it laughing at Albus' screams. She needed to make sure that Albus was safe and out of the Mountain Troll's clutches. Pointing her wand at the hand that held Albus, Freya tried to get an accurate hit. However, the Mountain Troll's hand movement was too erratic for her to get an accurate hit without potential harming Albus in the process.
"Damn!" Freya cursed under her breath.
As quick as she could, Freya mentally went through her options. She could go through with her original plan but then risk hurting Albus. Although, she could heal Albus afterwards so it would be like he was never even injured. Freya immediately shook her head at this idea, she couldn't risk hurting Albus. Freya observed the Mountain Troll and her eyes zeroed in on its legs. They were thinner and looked less sturdy – something that was very unusual for a Mountain Troll. Freya would have to take him down, using his larger upper body to her advantage.
Freya pointed her wand, "Locomotor Mortis." Immediately, the Mountain Troll's legs locked together and instantly set it off balance.
The Mountain Troll let out a roar as it struggled to regain its balance. It let out another shrill scream when it began to fall to the ground, with Albus still in its grip. Feeling the fall, Albus let out his scream in terror, feeling the grip of the Mountain Troll tighten around him.
With a more accurate shot, Freya pointed her wand. "Relashio!"
Immediately, the Mountain Troll let go of Albus and sent him plummeting to the ground, along with the Mountain Troll. Albus let out another scream, seeing the ground come closer and closer too quickly for his liking. Albus closed his eyes as he waited for impact and the inevitable feeling of bones breaking. If only he had his wand and he would be able to help himself but he had dropped it when the Mountain Troll had grabbed him and shook him for an inch of his life.
"Arresto Momentum!" Freya had her wand pointed at Albus as she watched her spell work. Albus' fall had immediately slowed down and he was now falling to the ground at a much slower pace. Freya furrowed her brows in concentration, making sure that to not lose focus and have Albus plummet to the ground.
Albus stopped screaming when he noticed that he hadn't hit the ground already. Opening his closed eyes, Albus saw how slowly he was falling. Albus turned his head and saw that the Mountain Troll was already on the ground and was struggling to get up. Seeing the ground come closer, Albus manoeuvred himself so that his feet were facing the ground. When his feet hit the ground, Albus dived for his wand and began running away.
Freya looked at the Mountain Troll and saw it getting to its feet, with one last spell, Freya pointed her wand. "Accio key!" The golden key around the Mountain Troll's neck came to lose and shot into Freya's hand. With the key securely in her hand, Freya ran off in the direction of Albus.
The Mountain Troll was now back on its feet and it let out a roar of fury as it saw both Albus and Freya run away. The Troll's eyes narrowed as it picked up its club and stomped its foot in anger and frustration before running after them.
It didn't take long before Freya caught up to Albus. Running up beside him, Freya heard the heavy footsteps of the Mountain Troll behind them. Turning her head, Freya saw the Mountain Troll running after them, the ground shaking with every step.
Albus turned his head. "What do we do?!" He asked in a panic.
"We need to hide!" Freya yelled back at him as she ran. Freya quickly looked around and saw an upcoming cave. Pointing to it, Freya shouted, "Head in there!" They needed to hide as soon as because the Mountain Troll was quickly catching up and it wouldn't take long before it tried to grab one of them again.
Albus nodded his head, his sights locking in on the cave that Freya had pointed out.
Turning slightly, Freya angled her wand at the Troll's face. "Conjunctivitis!" She needed to get rid of the Troll's eyesight for now so that it didn't see where they were going. If it knew where they were going hide then they would be sitting ducks. The Mountain Trolls let out a roar of pain when its eyesight was damaged, it brought up its hands to its eyes, accidentally hitting itself in the head with the massive club in its hand. The Mountain Troll let out a roar of pain as it fell to the ground. A loud thud sounded behind them as the ground shook violently from the Mountain Trolls weight.
Satisfied with her work, Freya turned around and began running towards the cave. Now, she and Albus didn't have to worry about the Mountain Troll. With the cave within reach, Freya and Albus dived for the nearby cave. They both land awkwardly on their arms, with Freya lying next to Albus, her wand in her hand, ready to attack if needed. Albus whimpered in pain, he had landed on his hand and felt it twist. Albus looked to Freya and was about to speak, only for Freya's hand to shoot out and cover his mouth with her other hand.
'Quiet.' Freya silently mouthed to him.
Albus nodded his head, understanding the message. Seeing this, Freya took her hand away from his mouth.
Both waited in silence. The Mountain Troll had now gotten up from the ground and was standing right outside the cave, Freya could still see its skinner grey legs blocking the entrance. However, she didn't dare move an inch so as not to make any noise and draw the Mountain Troll's attention. After sitting in silence for what felt like an eternity, the Mountain Troll finally moved away from the entrance of the cave. Its footsteps causing a quake in the earth for a few moments before the sound completely disappeared, indicating the Mountain Troll had moved away.
Sighing in relief, Freya stood up, her joints ached and clicked loudly. She immediately went to the entrance of the cave and cast a shield spell, ensuring that no one could enter and she and Albus would be safe. Freya knew that they both needed some rest, this challenge was very difficult, and something Freya couldn't help but feel angry about. They had already endured six hours, they just needed to endure another six and make their way to the Cup. They now had their key and had found one another, making the job much easier.
"Are you hurt anywhere?" Freya asked, looking over to the middle Potter child. She couldn't see any visible marks so she asked just to make sure.
"I'm fine," Albus said as he shook his head and stood up, only to wince in pain when he moved his wrist.
Freya rolled her eyes and walked closer to Albus, grabbing the hand that he was holding close to his chest.
"Hey!" Albus exclaimed in surprise. He tried to pull his hand away from Freya, but Albus found that her grip was too strong and he couldn't get free. He tried a few more times before giving up. He sighed in defeat and relaxed.
Freya raised her wand over Albus' wrist, "Episkey." A soft blue light appeared, covering Albus' wrist before it disappeared. Once done, Freya let go of his wrist and looked around the cave. She should have done this first but she needed to make sure that Albus was okay, his health and safety would have to come first like it usually was with James.
Albus flexed his wrist and found no pain. He looked up at the older Gryffindor, "Thank you." He said with sincere expression.
Freya didn't answer back and made no indication that she heard him at all, but she did. She looked around the cave and found it to be safe enough for them to rest for a while. Freya could see that Albus was exhausted and even she needed a break now and again. Turning her head, Freya could see that Albus was shivering from the coldness of the cave. Quickly, Freya cast a spell that heated up Albus' and her clothes, keeping them warm. Freya had noticed that the cave was colder than Freya would have liked and she quickly corrected this. Freya couldn't have Albus freezing to death when she had only just found him.
Albus looked up when he felt his body instantly warm-up, sending Freya a confused look. He hadn't cast the spell and that only left Freya as the caster. "You keep doing that," Albus said, sitting down on the floor.
Freya frowned but didn't say anything.
"You keep protecting me and doing things to keep me comfortable. Why?" Albus asked, looking up to Freya. He had been wondering about this for a while now, but it had only just hit home how much Freya was protecting him. She had even helped him escape Dementors, a Werewolf and now a Mountain Troll. If it was anyone else, they probably would have let him deal with them all.
Freya said nothing like she usually did. Freya wasn't allowed to say anything anyway, knowing that her Guardian mark would activate and cause her unimaginable pain.
Albus frowned and seemed to become aggravated by her silence. "Why aren't you saying anything?!" He exclaimed, looking frustrated.
"It's none of your concern," Freya answered back calmly, also sitting down opposite Albus.
Albus exhaled roughly. "It is when you're putting yourself in harm's way for me." He didn't like seeing people get hurt, even when he didn't know them.
Again, Freya didn't say anything and just stared at Albus.
"And why does no one know who you are?!" Albus exclaimed, getting worked up by her lack of contribution. Albus was usually a calm person, but he didn't like liars and he didn't like being kept in the dark. He had no idea what was going on, but he felt like something wasn't right. He had felt like this since he entered Hogwarts at eleven years old. He always felt that someone was there in the background, watching him. It unnerved him, but he soon forgot about it. However, there were times when that feeling would come back.
Freya's eye twitched, his questions were beginning to test her nerve. She wasn't used to interacting with people, usually, Katrina was the one who took over as she was the more sociable out of the two. Thinking of Katrina sent a wave of sadness through Freya, almost making her feel sick. The thought of never seeing Katrina again made her heartache. She wanted to scream and shout, she wanted Lance to pay for what he had done. But she couldn't do any of those at the moment and it made Freya feel angry and frustrated – and Albus wasn't helping her either.
"Why don't you speak?!" Albus yelled out, pushing her further.
Freya grit her teeth, "It's none of your business." In her head, she was counting from ten backwards, it was a Muggle trick that Katrina had taught her. But it wasn't working in the slightest this time as Freya was finding her patience thinning very quickly.
Albus groaned loudly in aggravation, his face flush red with anger. "Can you say something other than that?!" Albus stood up from the floor, feeling too restless to be sitting down.
Freya inhaled roughly, trying to calm herself down. Mentally, she began counting back down from ten, hoping that this time, it would work.
"Just tell me!" Albus yelled once more.
Something inside Freya snapped. She was tired, hungry and she just wanted some quiet. She also didn't appreciate being shouted at by a child. "Because it's my job!" Freya yelled out, looking up at Albus. Immediately, Freya's eyes widened and she tensed, waiting for the unimaginable pain from her Guardian mark to activate. Freya closed her eyes, waiting for her mark to activate.
But there was no pain.
Slowly, Freya opened her eyes and her hand flew for the mark on the back of her neck. She touched it and noticed that it felt cold, which was extremely unusual. The Mark was always warm and would reach a boiling temperature when activated to the point it would burn. But it felt cold, almost like ice, but it wasn't burning her skin. Taking her hand away, Freya immediately looked around the cave with a more critical eye and that's when her eyes landed on the multiple pink crystals that were littered across the cave walls. She had vaguely noticed them but it hadn't registered in her brain what they were. Upon seeing them, her jaw dropped ajar when she recognised them. Freya had only ever seen them in Lydia's diary and had never seen one in real life.
They were Celestial Crystals, the ones that Lydia wrote about that could stop the Guardian Mark. The crystal had the power to negate all magic and they were very rare. Just seeing them made Freya feel nervous and giddy. Now, she understood why her Guardian Mark didn't work when she had yelled at Albus. Turning to face Albus, she saw him looking at her with a confused expression.
Albus had watched her, he had seen her reaction. He saw Freya flinch and tense as if she was awaiting pain and looked shocked when it never came. It confused him to why she was reacting in this way. When he saw her relax, he decided to ask her something. "What do you mean it's your job?" Albus asked slowly, only when Freya looked at him.
For a moment, Freya said nothing. Now that the Guardian Mark wasn't working, she could tell Albus everything. However, there was a part of her that was reluctant and this was the part that had been conditioned by Lance for years. Freya's thoughts then strayed to Katrina and how she was now dead. Freya wanted to make Lance pay and the best way she could do this was by exposing all his secrets and she could only do this by telling more people. Making her decision, Freya sighed deeply as she sat back down. "Listen, Albus, what I am about to tell you isn't going to be pretty, and you need to promise me something before I say anything, okay?" She asked, sending him a serious look.
Nervously, Albus nodded his head. He sat down opposite Freya and waited for her to explain.
Inhaling deeply, Freya began. "I am what is known as a Guardian. There is a sector in the Ministry called the Ministry of Guardians and it is run by Lance Johnson. Have you heard of him?"
Albus scowled. "I know him. He tries to suck up to my dad at the parties. My mum hates him, says he's a creep." Any time that Lance would approach the family, Albus always felt very uncomfortable in his presence and he tended to stick very close to James and Lily. Albus especially tried to keep Lily away from Lance with how much he creeped both James and Albus out.
Freya smirked, agreeing with that statement. "He's more than a creep, he's a control freak and he's very manipulative. He convinced Kingsley to create this sector nineteen years ago. He planned to assign each war hero's child a Guardian, someone to protect them at all times. Now it may not sound so bad, but Lance had the idea of using children. He made former Death Eaters make their children join so they could restore honour to their family name or they would go to Azkaban." Lance would bribe people with protection and money and that offer tricked many people into a deal they couldn't get out of. Most families later regretted the deal but it was already too late.
Albus' eyes widened in horror. "He didn't agree to it, he couldn't have." Albus couldn't believe what he was hearing. Albus liked Shacklebolt, he thought Kingsley was a good Minister of Magic and he could never imagine Kingsley making such a decision.
Frowning, Freya's lips thinned. "But he did. The only thing is that Lance didn't tell him some important parts, like how every Guardian is expendable, we can be killed at any time and no one bats an eyelash."
The horror in Albus' eyes never left. Whatever he had been expecting Freya to say wasn't this. He never expected Freya to admit this.
Wetting her lips, Freya continued. "It gets worse. Our job is to protect your lives with our lives. If we don't follow the rules then we die, we are not important." As she said this last part, her voice sounded no louder than a whisper.
Albus looked nervous. "So… are you my Guardian?" He asked hesitantly.
Freya shook her head. "No, I am James' Guardian. They tend to pair Guardians to charges of the same age." That was the whole purpose of using children, so they didn't stand out when they were watching their charge – especially if an Auror was present.
Albus frowned and looked confused. "Then why are you protecting me?" It didn't make sense if Freya wasn't his Guardian, why was she there?
Freya sighed deeply. "Your Guardian, her name is Rebecca, went into shock when your name was pulled from the Goblet of Fire. I wouldn't have volunteered, but your stupid brother was about to volunteer and I couldn't allow that as these games are dangerous." She hissed this at the end, angry that James had put her in this situation in the first place. She loved him dearly, but that didn't stop her feeling annoyed by him at the same time.
Albus was quiet for a few moments. It seemed as though he was struggling with this information, which wasn't surprising since it was a lot to take in. "Why don't I recognise you?" He asked tilting his head. Albus had noticed that there were holes in his memory and he didn't like this. It made him feel uncomfortable and it seemed as though other people had holes in their memory but they didn't seem as bothered by it.
Freya reached down her shirt and pulled out her pendent. "This is the reason why. Inside is a powerful memory charm that erases all memory of Guardians. With this, we've been able to do things without anyone noticing because they don't remember us."
"That sounds lonely," Albus whispered, looking at her pendent with a sad expression. He couldn't imagine how lonely it must be for no one to remember who they were.
Freya nodded her head, a frown marring her face. It was a lonely life, something she had only fully realised after spending time with James.
"But what are the gems for, they seem weird," Albus asked, looking up at her.
Freya tucked the pendant back under her top. "The gems represent a year of Guarding, for every year you succeed in guarding your charge, you get a gem. I am the only person with this many gems. Many haven't made it as long as me." Guardians had a very high mortality rate and it was because Lance killed most of them off because they did something he didn't like. Amy and Logan were the only other longest-lasting Guardians, but they were now dead.
Albus' face paled dramatically. "H-how many Guardians haven't survived?" Now he seemed hesitant about the answer. He wasn't sure he wanted to know, but at the same time, he did.
"Forty-Two," Freya whispered, looking down at the ground. She knew every single one of all the Guardians that had fallen. It was always sad to see them go. Sometimes they would be there one day and the next they were gone. No one was allowed to ask Lance, someone had made that mistake and paid with their lives. Lance said that this was a warning for no one to question his authority, and no one ever did. However, this was only the number of the official Guardians that has died, she hadn't even mentioned the others that tried to become Guardians and had failed. That number was more than double the official Guardians' mortality rate.
Albus gasped and a hand flew over his mouth. "W-what? H-how?"
Looking to the ground, Freya continued. "Most people can't handle the pressure. It can be very stressful, especially when your charge is a difficult person. Some can't handle the lifestyle because we're never allowed to have a family of our own or fall in love in general." Freya snorted as she thought about Fred, he had been through six Guardians already because they couldn't handle him, and he was too unpredictable. However, her face became sombre when she thought of Katrina and she wants for a family. She had been so close to her dream too.
Albus looked like he wanted to be sick. "How hasn't someone noticed?! Surely McGonagall must have noticed?!" He couldn't believe that forty-two people – children – had suffered for as long as they did and no one had noticed.
Freya shook her head. "She doesn't know the full story, no one does. They're told the minimum and then threatened not to tell anyone. McGonagall has been threatened with her life when she tried to intervene and she only backed down when Lance began fighting dirty by threatening our lives instead. The only people who know the full story are the Guardians and we're sworn to secrecy because of this mark. If we even try to say anything then we experience pain worse than the Crucio curse." Freya raised her hair and turned around, showing Albus her Guardian Mark.
Panic filled his eyes. "Then why are you telling me this?"
Turning back around, Freya pointed to the Celestial Crystals and she responded. "Them, they're stopping my mark from activating. I know I will never get this chance again so that's why I'm telling you now." As she answered, she lowered her arm and rested it back to her side.
Albus slowly nodded his head.
"When we get out, tell your dad. Tell him everything I've told you. This Ministry needs to be brought down before any more innocent people are brought into this." Freya said, looking at Albus with the most intense expression she could muster. When her older sister was murdered, it had made her not rebel against Lance – just like he wanted. But she was young and didn't know any better. Now, Freya was older and wiser. Katrina's death could have made her more submissive, but it had done the exact opposite and it had made her want to rebel. Freya wanted Lance to pay and she was going make sure Lance's kingdom fell hard.
"I'll tell him. But won't I forget?" Albus asked, tilting his head to the side. Surely, after getting away from the Celestial Crystals, Freya's pendant would work and he would forget about this conversation.
Freya looked at the crystals and pointed her wand at them, "Diffindo." The crystals were cut up into chunks and fell to the ground. Freya walked over to the crystal pieces and picked them up. There was around twenty pieces of crystal, all small and still glowing. "Take one and keep it with you at all times," Freya said, handing one of the crystal pieces to Albus. She then placed the other nineteen pieces of crystal in her pocket. She planned to give them to her fellow Guardians – the ones that she trusted anyway.
Albus took the crystal piece and placed it in his pocket, where it would be safe. "Should I take one for James?" He asked innocently.
Freya smiled slightly, "There is no need, he already knows."
"Huh?!" Albus exclaimed with wide eyes.
"The memory charm had affected his brain too much and it had caused some damage. I tried to help but ended up binding our souls," Freya said with a soft smile. Thinking back to that night had brought her many emotions – all good ones and it almost made her laugh at the memory.
Albus stared at Freya for a moment, "You love my brother." He said in a low voice.
Freya nodded her head. "I do,"
"And you aren't using him?" Albus asked with narrowed eyes. He had heard many girls whispering to one another how they wanted to get with James because he was famous. People had tried to use Albus too because of their family name.
Freya snorted, "Just being with him is putting me in danger. If we were ever caught talking with one another, I would be killed instantly," Freya was risking everything to be with James whereas he wasn't risking anything. Freya would be the one that is punished and James would receive a new Guardian, it would be like Freya never existed.
Albus flinched at her blunt statement.
Sighing, Freya looked around her cave, her stormy grey eyes scanning around the cave. It appeared as though it was secured, and Freya didn't feel any presences in the room. Deeming it safe enough, Freya leaned against the wall, "How about a break?" She suggested looking over to Albus. She suggested a break more for his benefit than anything, although Freya was feeling a little tired.
"But we still need to get the key." Albus protested, suddenly feeling anxious. The Mountain Troll had their key around their neck and that's why he went after the creature in the first place. However, the Mountain Troll proved to be too strong and had caught him massively off guard.
Freya reached into her hoodie pocket and pulled out the golden key, "You mean this?" She arched a brow at him. Freya had managed to grab the key after the Mountain Troll before leaving as she didn't want to have to hunt it down again. Freya was also aware that if she didn't get the key, it risked Roman getting the key just like in the second challenge.
Albus' eyes widened when he saw the key, "You got the key!"
Freya rolled her eyes, "Well I am certainly not going after that Mountain Troll again. What were you thinking going after it alone anyway?" Freya glared at Albus. She couldn't believe how stupid Albus had been going after a Mountain Troll alone – and he was meant to be the smartest one out of his siblings too.
Albus flushed red in embarrassment, "I just wanted to be useful…" He muttered lowly. Albus knew that he hadn't done much in the Tournament so far, his best performance was in the second challenge when they had to fly to the finish line. Albus had been in his element the entire time, even when he was dodging moving objects and competing with others.
"Albus, you're only fourteen years old. I wouldn't expect for you to know much, you're not taught many duelling spells when your fourteen," Freya told him with a frown, her glare softening. Freya had to remind herself that Albus was a kid but he was a Potter too, so of course he was going to be impulsive – very much like James.
"But you've been fighting all the battles for me!" Albus argued back.
Shaking her head, Freya answered him. "Albus, I have been trained for things like this. I have been trained to take on fully qualified Aurors and come out victorious. I know what I am doing," Freya stared at Albus in the eyes, letting him know who serious she was.
Albus gulped as he barely held her gaze.
Freya stayed silent for a moment and waited for Albus to say something first. Freya had given him a lot of information and knew that he needed time to process everything. James had taken some time to fully digest the information she had given him but he had taken it in his stride.
"So, what's our next move?" Albus asked slowly, messing with the crystal in his pocket as a distraction.
Freya pushed her lips together before answering. "We're getting rid of this Guardians Mark for starters," She said, a small smirk growing on her face.