Chapter 6: Rescue and Victory Lap

Mining gold in Goblin caves was generally a harrowing experience. The process demanded that Goblins hit precariously unstable pieces of rock, until the gold or jewels fell away in low light conditions. Now the mining cannons made quick work of the deposits. With the high intensity illumination and the personal shielding devices, not a single death had occurred for a couple of months. When some goblins had gotten buried under some cave-ins recently, Lord Ragnok had asked Harry how much air would be available until they suffocated. The king was surprised by Harry's answer.

"Oh, I built an oxygen and water tank inside an extendable charm. If the bracelet has detected a cave-in, the Goblin will have enough air for three days in the forcefield, and water to drink through a straw. You better dig quickly. Hunger might be the bigger problem. Maybe I should have included a snack pocket?" Harry wondered.

King Ragnok understood that the boy was simultaneously joking, and truly considering how to improve the safety gear. He appreciated Harry's foresight. The entire group of young inexperienced goblins had been rescued, in a sixty hour digging operation. King Ragnok and his advisors had a small meeting to discuss the new development. Lord Peverell had changed completely changed survival outcomes for the Goblins. Now they would not have to spend their blood, for the Wizards to have gold. And better yet, they were now hundreds of times of efficient. And it was safe.

"My King this is….momentous news. But I have been checking the history. Invictus did give us a good start, did he not?"

"Kilmi, I took a bet on the boy. I hoped that he would be like his ancestor, Invictus. Harry would allow us to capture more galleons by kickstarting innovation in the magical market. He will have to win the war against Thomas Riddle. Then changes will have to come with legislation to get the free market rolling. Even the education at Hogwarts will have to change, to get rid of the stagnancy."

"How do we assist him with this sire? And isn't it true we have enough reserves, in any case? We have approximately two hundred and seventy five million galleons that we minted?" another goblin asked.

"Wrorx, you are correct that the reserves are safe. But as Harry often suggested, Wizarding England's stupidity is so infinite, that they could bleed us dry. So what do we do, to help our technical consultant? We allow his plans to go through, which include us. The Weasleys are the next family we are to support. We will be buying lunches from them, to help the gold pass into other hands. But honestly, I do wonder if we are getting a steal of a deal. Bloodaxe and I sampled many sample items from the kitchen recently, and they are honestly fantastic. Today's lunch is catered by them, and you will see that the meals are worth far more than what they are charging!" King Ragnok explained.

After the council had tried the meals, a decision was immediately made. All the Goblins in the mining division were to be provided with a lunch stipend from the treasury, and anyone else could freely purchase whatever they desired.

"That meal was outrageously good. Who is responsible for this?" Chelt asked.

"That is the handiwork of Molly Weasley – Authur Weasley's wife and Amba Singh, mother of England's newest celebrity Master Healer. The healer you would know. Remember when I spoke to Harry Potter for the first time?"

"Oh yes. Now I remember. Prices are very competitive. I can see many Goblins buying these meals as luxury purchases. It is as good as you say, my King!"

"They certainly are! Even My wife loves the meals from that place!" King Ragnok joked.

One hundred additional orders had been placed, and Molly and Amba were speeding away with the new improved methods. Lunch deliveries were coming via the karts, and Goblins could eat at their excavation sites. Hunger during long hours of work had always been a valid concern. Even the other forge-caves and other specialised workers began to share the lunches among themselves if only to satisfy curiosities.

Suddenly after an impromptu taste test, everybody wanted more. The orders at the kitchen began to pour in, as Molly and Amba toiled over the next two hours. Three hundred became five hundred, and suddenly there were advance requests for late-night supper at 7:30 p.m. Both women, who were having a lot of fun, decided to invite Augusta to keep them company. Ved made extended trips to the grocery and wholesale suppliers, and many of the elves often went into Longbottom and Peverell manor to harvest extra onions and other assorted produce. The main challenge was to buy enough ingredients and other supplies to restock the storage. Ved averaged that they would get through most of the items in storage by tomorrow evening, if they continued at their current demand.

Molly and Amba began to realise that by tonight, they could earn an easy one thousand galleons. And to think, from merely being home cooks, that she and Amba would have to prepare eight hundred lunches. But more importantly, Molly felt alive and satisfied. This was something she had always wanted to do, and she was happy that her immense skill would be put to use. She considered that Authur could be of great value to the operation when necessary, and perhaps it was time to leave that poor-paying job at the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office.


To accommodate the one thousand students that attended Hogwarts, the administration generally separated each year group into two or four smaller sets of students, to make class sizes manageable. A class would generally run for at least forty minutes before the students would report to the Great Hall for a "study period." This study period was often supervised by another staff member, as the other groups retook the same class.

The broom flying class for the year one students was no different. The class had been split into four groups of approximately forty students each. Madam Hooch was already finished with the three other groups. The last batch of students was assembled outside, as they prepared to begin their broom flying lessons. Neville, who was aware of the sabotage walked towards the small area and realised that there were forty brooms on the ground. Out of curiosity, he buzzed Harry.

"Harry, how many brooms did you replace last night?"

There was a pause as Harry answered on his earpiece, from the kitchen.

"Twenty. Problem?"

"Yes. I am seeing forty of them laid out." Neville replied. Ronald and Luna were now on their way, but they were not tuned into the conversation. Ronald was not aware of Harry's alternate identity, and this posed a problem on how to proceed.

"Ah shit…." Harry replied.

"Madam Hooch is patrolling the area. Can you come under cloak, and undo the enchantment?" Neville asked.

"It takes about three minutes to undo a typical hex. We would have to untangle the magical flow. Not a rush job. That is an hour of work easily for all of them."

"Can we tell Hooch the brooms are sabotaged?" Neville suggested.

"She will ask how you found out. Then Malfoy will understand that somebody is spying on them. Keeping them in the dark, is what helps us to collect intelligence?" Harry suggested. Luna and Ronald looked on as they figured that Neville was talking to their favourite supporter. Harry continued:

"Alright. Let me improvise. Invictus, send off a loud distraction somewhere in the castle? Neville, we replaced some of the brooms last night, and nobody has entered that part of the castle. So, our Stormbolts are good. Explain to Ron and Luna, that all of you will have to perform rescues. I am getting my armour.

Mione? I need….."

Ronald and Luna were now standing next to Neville, and it seemed that Madam Hooch was only waiting for five more students. Neville collected his two friends, and carried them a little away from the main group. He whispered to the rest of them, "Draco sabotaged the older brooms, we need to be prepared to rescue others. Ron, don't ask how I know, I am under oath. Trust me."

Ronald nodded, as he suspected that Hadrian had discovered this plot somehow. Meanwhile, Daphne and Tracey had heard rumours earlier that morning - A nasty surprise was waiting for some people. When she considered her previous conversation with Neville, she ascertained that he knew exactly what was going on. She nudged Tracey, as they repositioned themselves next to Neville's previous spot. Draco watched on as Daphne seemed to whisper something into his ear. This displeased many students, and Theodore faked an expression of disgust on his face. After all, he liked Daphne and she could do no wrong in his eyes – but better not to let anybody know. Blaise, merely looked on, hoping to evaluate the situation. He was loyal to no one and wanted to see how the events would play out.

"I heard that there is a prank that was supposed to happen today," asked Daphne.

"Correct. But not a prank. Draco has sabotaged any number of brooms. Only the Stormbolts are working properly. When the brooms go into the air, pick someone and guide them to the ground."

She then raised her eyebrows in a rare display of emotion. As she considered Draco's stupidity, she realised that people could die. She continued to listen to Neville's instructions:

"Chase them down. Wingardium Leviosa. Levitate the students. Cast your spell calmly. Breathe deeply. Tell yourself that you can do this. Do not panic."

Daphne momentarily considered not getting involved. And then strange thought came to her - Her mother had always explained that while Slytherins were always crafty, at some point people had to make sacrifices. Ophelia had often explained to her daughter that after Lilly Potter had sacrificed her family for Wizarding England, the only repayment that Harry Potter would receive was possibly abuse. She looked on and considered that she could never face her mother if she decided not to help. She decided to be brave, just for the afternoon. She whispered the details of the situation into Tracey's ear, as the final five students from the castle began to walk to the brooms. Madam hooch began the class. Tracey loved adventure, and she was readily on board. Daphne felt afraid, but she felt content that her mother would congratulate her.

"Good Afternoon Class!"

"Good Afternoon Madam Hooch!"

"Welcome to your first flying lesson…." the spiky haired woman replied.

BOOM!

Simultaneously, Harry and the entire gang at Peverell Manor were strapping into their armour, while Invictus booted up the drone. The distraction was merely an incomplete test grenade that Harry had designed. Grace had dropped it off far from the castle, as he hoped that it would buy him enough time for him to get ready. Before the grenade had been dropped, Harry quickly explained the situation to everyone in the kitchen:

"Grandmas, Grandpa and Aunty Molly, Draco Malfoy sabotaged the brooms at Hogwarts. People could die if they malfunction. Hermione and I are leaving immediately to get into our armour to ensure their safety. Grace!"

ZAP!

Molly and Augusta who understood the significance of what Harry had said, looked at each other.

"This Draco boy, he sounds disgusting. Why does he give my grandson such a hard time?" asked Amba.

"Wife, I bet I could fix him. A slipper or a pot cover to the head will sort him out properly." Ved replied as they continued preparing the lunches.

"Will the students be alright? Molly asked Augusta.

"Molly, not to worry. Harry just told me over the earpiece that Neville, Luna and Ronald are going to attempt to rescue some of the children. They have unaffected brooms. Not to worry, Harry will get it sorted….." Augusta replied.

Meanwhile, at the mansion, Harry bolted into the workshop.

"Padfoot, Moony drop everything immediately! I need you fully armoured. Let me and Mione help you. Sabotaged brooms at Hogwarts, people could die!" Harry yelled over the intercoms.

Suddenly there was a flurry of action, as both men took their clothes off and got into their muscle weaves, after slipping on their speedos. Hermione loaded the drone with an emitter payload and sent a message to Lorna. Soon enough, the redhead was logged on via a protean-linked control system in Priya's apartment in France. Sirius and Remus worked to quickly get Harry and Hermione prepared, as they even installed the afterburner power packs and a new fuel tank. Grace appeared on command, and she apparated the entire cloaked group to Hogwarts, only for them to find at least sixteen students zooming off in different directions, totally out of control. Harry and the rest of his squad had no idea how they would manage to catch everyone in time, as they all got to work rescuing the students in whatever way they could manage.

Malfoy laughed as he hoped that some of the "mudbloods" would die.


"Good Afternoon Class!"

"Good Afternoon Madam Hooch!

"I am back, somebody decided to prank us. Welcome to your first flying lesson. Such a lovely afternoon. Well, what are you waiting for? Everyone step up to the left side of their broomstick. Come on now, hurry up. Stick your right hand over the broom and say up."

"UP!" the students chorused, after Madam Hooch's instruction.

Neville, Luna and Ronald had flown a lot of Stormbolts during the holidays and they immediately summoned their brooms. Daphne and Tracey also managed to summon their brooms, but on their second try. Draco and his cronies did not make an effort to do anything. Madam Hooch then instructed the students:

"If you have not managed to summon your broom, please pick it up. Now, once you got hold of your broom, I want you to mount it, and grip it tight. You don't want to be sliding off the end. When I blow my whistle, I want each of you to kick off from the ground, hard. Keep your broom steady, hover for a moment, lean forward slightly, and then touch down."

Draco was now smiling, as he prepared for the pandemonium. Blaise, as a rather observant person, realised that Neville had found out, somehow. He was prepared, and Ronald and Luna were surveying the area closely. Daphne and Tracey seemed somewhat unsure, and he reasoned that they were inventing the plan on the fly. He found it strange that they were participating in whatever they were about to do, but he did want to see the fiasco.

"3..2..1..eeeeeeeeeeeeeep" the whistle blared, as sixteen of the brooms suddenly flew off in different directions. Madam Hooch froze momentarily before she realised that the brooms were malfunctioning. She then grabbed a Stormbolt from a student, as she began to pursue one of the errant brooms. Once again, Draco did not fail to notice that at least five other brooms had taken off in hot pursuit of the others. He was happy that they too were going to die. Blaise considered that House Slytherin had a leak, and somebody among their small group was a traitor.

Somebody was passing information to Neville Longbottom.


Seamus Finnegan held on for his life as he flew over the suspension bridge. He tried his best to fight the broom, and he cursed loudly and rushed towards the viaduct. Remus toggled his controls as he prepared for a momentary burst of speed. He tucked in his arms as he quickly caught up to the terrified boy, who was screaming at the top of his lungs. Suddenly the broom exploded, but Seamus found himself hanging from a black armoured gauntlet. As Remus held the boy by his belt buckle, he quickly backtracked as he dropped the boy off at the caretaker's office. Seamus had seen only a black armoured gauntlet, but the whooshing noise had been audible. He was quite aware that some flying person had saved him. He ran back to the training grounds, which was a walk that would take him at least ten minutes if he considered all the detours.

Harry was for the first time, properly scared. He realised that without a method to track the targets, he had no way to coordinate the rescue. He would have to hope that they could get everybody, by merely picking targets at random. He had no way to identify his squad, as they were all flying under cloak. Item tagging not available on their HUD yet. If he was seen, and Albus Dumbledore arrived, it would put an end to all his schemes. He decided to call Grace and he prayed that everything would be all right.

"Grace! Zap me and Hermione to the biggest group, quickly….."

Madam Hooch who was an experienced flyer, managed to rescue Lisa Turpin, as she caught the girl mid-air. The broom was heading straight into the Divination tower, and the Quidditch teacher managed to truly pull off a sharp turn. After Madam Hooch grabbed the girl, she dropped her from a five feet distance, as she tumbled on the hard dusty stone. The sabotaged broom then veered off and exploded. Professor Trelawney, the Divination Professor who predicted bad omens on an hourly basis, would find her ominous omens substantiated today.

Daphne Greengrass was now chasing Lavender Brown over the middle courtyard. While other students had managed to hold on to their brooms, Lavender's broom had already taken leave of the curly hair girl. She was already in free fall. Daphne ejected her wand from her wand holster and then yelled, "Wingardium Leviosa!" As the spell executed, she felt the immense magical strain. This was not a spell that she had cast before, but she understood that if she failed, then Lavender would die. She decided she would hold the spell, for as long as she could, even if she had to force it. As she tried her best to support the girl, she felt light headed. Lavender was thrashing around like a howling banshee and Daphne descend vertically, as quickly as possible.

"Just a little bit more….just a little bit more…." she whispered to herself, as Lavender Brown emptied her lungs.

Daphne was now ten metres above the ground. Lavender was now crying as she realised that only Daphne's magic was keeping her afloat. Lavender closed her eyes and prepared for a brutal landing as she saw the icy blue eye girl fall unconscious. Now the blonde-haired girl was unconscious as she toppled off the broom. While they would not die, they would break a couple of bones easy. Flitwick caught on to the situation because of Lavender's screaming and stopped both girls with an Arresto Momentum, midway. Flitwick then made his way, hurriedly towards both girls as he gently lowered them to the ground. Professor McGonagall heard the sudden commotion and ran out of the Transfiguration Corridor.

"Fillius what is going on?" the lioness of Gryffindor asked.

"I believe Ms Greengrass rescued Ms Brown from a broom malfunction. I will take her to Madam Pomfrey, she is on the edge of magical exhaustion. Ms Brown not to worry she is fi…."

Tracey Davis flew right past the group with Hannah Abbot hanging on the edge of the broom. She too had emptied her core, in an attempt to levitate the girl with Wingardium Leviosa, until Hannah had managed to grab on to her broom handle. The Hufflepuff girl was now rolling on the ground like a football after losing her grip. Tracey realised that she and a Hogwarts window were on the way to an intimate encounter. The dark-haired girl crashed, as the stained glass shards from a large window cut her deeply before she collided with a solid wall. Her left arm was now broken and she was in a bloody mess. McGonagall who had heard the story of the malfunctioning brooms from Lavender called the Hogwarts head elf.

"Nimby. Training area immediately!"

The elf appeared, and Minerva apparated into a total mess. Luna and Mandy Brocklehurst were in free fall and heading to the ground. More alarming was that they were clearly out of range and she began to run towards the girls, as she hoped to reach them in time.


Luna found herself in trouble, as Mandy's broom seemed intent on knocking her off. Luna felt like she was being body slammed every so often, as she tried adjusting herself. The malfunctioning Cleansweep five managed to hit the front of her broom, and suddenly with Luna's hands now removed from her broom. Both of them were now in free fall. Lorna who was piloting the drone managed to get a lock as she engaged the emitter array.

"Gotcha!" she yelled into Luna's ear, as the cloaked drone began to levitate the pair of girls from their trajectory straight into the Owlery towards the training area. For the other people who were looking on, it seemed like something invisible had dropped them off. Many of the onlookers assumed that it was some special house magic. Draco was not bothered - Henry Warrington who had a free period at this time, had secretly released a special surprise.

Two rogue bludgers were now in play, as they whizzed away from the castle.

Sirius Black was tracking two Slytherin Boys. He could see that Madam Hooch was approaching from the opposite direction over Hagrid's hut, but she would not make the distance in time. He decided to use one of the newer spells that he had read in the Black Grimore. "Aliquet Supernatet" he roared as the two boys were plucked off their brooms and levitated mid-air. Sirius then used a standard Descendo to lower both the boys to the ground. Madam Hooch assumed that the boys were going to hit the ground, and increased her speed. However, by the time she was in range, Sirius had already flown away as he began to look for another candidate to rescue. Roger Malone and Oliver Rivers, scions of two minor pure blooded but neutral houses, had been saved. Sirius began to appreciate that the last month of rest, recovery and brutal exercise had truly made him stronger. He silently thanked Harry for making harsh demands of him, as he would have never possessed that type of fluidity with magic

As soon as Luna had dropped to the ground, she found Professor McGonagall approaching her to enquire if she was alright. Luna immediately sprinted at maximum speed and grabbed a Stormbolt from an unexpecting student. She was in the air, and looking for Neville. She hoped that she could locate another person. As she rose into the air, she found it difficult to judge which direction to investigate, as the targets were hard to see. She then decided to circle the perimeter of the school, and hoped that her eyesight might catch anything. That was when she saw Ronald with Padma Patil, as he tried to escape from two bludgers that were hunting him down. He dodged some towers and it seemed that he was getting ready to take a stand.


Ronald had tracked Padma's broom into Hogsmeade as it ascended into the air. The broom exploded and Padma found herself hurtling to the ground. Ronald had managed to get alongside her during a vertical dive. Then he gradually flipped the broom to a horizontal position. Together with his wand work, he softened her impact, as she slid down the broom. Now she was sitting in front of Ronald, as he held on to her waist. He proceeded to fly back to the training area.

Immediately, two bludgers appeared and they seemed to intently follow his flight part, with far better precision than what was expected. Ronald reasoned that they had undergone some type of upgrade, and they could easily knock him off his broom. The redhead began to make a big sweeping arc as he flew at top speed along the Hogsmeade Station, as he circled along the Black Lake and into the Forbidden Forest. Padma spent most of the ride screaming at the impressive velocity, as he paid her no mind. The bludgers split off, and they were now approaching him on separate vectors, as they attempted to box him in. Ronald had a crazy idea, as he considered that the Greenhouse would be an excellent place for the showdown. He hoped that the ideas that Hadrian had mentioned, would help him execute his daring plan.


Hermione took a far different route from the rest of the squad as she circled the Black Lake. She had to rescue three students, and no help was coming. After consuming a reflex sharpening potion at the workshop, she was currently shuffling Kevin Entwhistle, Megan Jones and Wayne Hopkins. Instead of floating the individuals, she had opted to use a rather unknown spell. The Carpe Retractum was a type of magical rope that was conjured from energy, and it could be used to pull or swing objects.

Hermione had conjured multiple lassoes by successively chaining the spell. With this method, she abruptly pulled the three students off their exploding brooms. As she continued to recast the spells, she juggled the students while she flew toward the lake. The three students were distinctly aware that something was flying, and it had saved them. All three of them found themselves concerned, as they wondered where they would be put down. Of course, they got their answer when after skimming the surface of the lake, before they were plopped into the cold water. Hermione was orbiting the area and was quite surprised to see a big inky mass, as it moved beneath the still waters. Suddenly, the three students were being placed close to the boathouse, as the Squid had decided to rescue the students. She doubled back as she began to look for anybody else she could find.


Ronald found himself streaking to the Greenhouse. He assumed a position where the bludgers would have to dodge many of the castle towers. Pomona who was currently conducting the Year Five Herbology class was surprised - It seemed that Ronald Weasley was flying around with Miss Patil, during class hours. Before she could begin to shout, a stray bludger whizzed through the greenhouse and proceeded to break many of the glass panels. Then another bludger appeared, and both of them began to track the boy. Perkins the Hufflepuff prefect and chaser for the Quidditch team, who was quite observant looked at the bludgers and yelled:

"They tampered with the bludger! Everybody prepare to…." Perkins yelled as he was suddenly cut off.

"Protego!" Ronald yelled as he imagined a large flat shield, directly in front of him. The Year Five students watched on in awe, as the Bludgers merely hit the shield with a solid "gong" as they doubled back for their final attack run.

"….float them, when they fall!" Perkins continued to yell, as some of the braver students attempted to stun the bludgers. Ronald had taken a deep breath. He wanted his magic to help him time his shot. He needed to guess where the bludgers would swerve into a straight line.

Ronald had jokingly asked Neville what was the most dangerous spell that he knew on the train – to which he had replied "Bombarda Vehemens". It was a custom spell that Harry had shared with Neville much earlier. Ronald had never tried the spell, but for some reason, he felt that the standard "Bombarda Maxima" would not suffice. He began to connect to his core, and he willed for the magic to help his eyes. The magic seemed to nudge Ronald, and he felt like an instinct had been awakened. No, he could not see in slow motion, but he could predict where the bludgers would line up. He slowly raised his wand, and he pointed to an odd place, that surprised the onlookers. Lorna was rushing with the drone, as she shot off an entire volley of FiendFyre scattershot bolts. Unfortunately, the shots fizzled out over the one hundred metre distance.

"Bombarda Vehemens!" Ronald whispered, as a bright sky blue bolt left his wand. Most people believed that he had missed, until they were forced to revise their assessment - Ronald had predicted the pathway of the errant bludgers with perfect accuracy. The spell chained through the first bludger, as it was dismantled into a cone-shaped funnel of shrapnel. Then, the disassembled projectiles proceeded to shred the other bludger behind it into oblivion. After the two bludgers faded into a cloud of dust, Ronald casually flew off to the training pitch, as Professor Sprout yelled:

"Twenty points to Ronald Weasley for demonstrating a perfect Protego spell! Ten points for spectacular flying!" as she jumped for joy. The Hufflepuffs who were generally ignored, felt like Ronald was doing his best to put the House on the roadmap. Suddenly everyone was clapping. For a couple of students from the Quidditch team who were present, there was frantic whispering as they considered what they had seen. Perkins decided to express the sentiments of the entire group.

"Professor, I am telling you, he is what we need! Hufflepuff has been a pushover since Jack left. We have a keeper! Professor, we need him! I will drag him out of the dorms myself if I have to!" Perkins begged.

"First years are not allowed to play. Although I understand that we could put up a fight with Ronald on our team. Perkins, I will see what I can do. No, you are right. We need him. I will speak to the Headmaster, to make an exception. He has been working very hard." Pomona replied.

There was sudden muttering as Jade Ethro who was part of the Herbology class realised that her "prank" had handed the duffers the solution to their ongoing Quidditch problem. Many of the Year Five students were now wondering what spell he had used, as it was utterly powerful. Some of the older girls were laughing, as they found the confident grip on Padma's waist to be very attractive.

"Damn, when are one of the boys in Hogsmeade going to grab my waist like that?" asked one of the more attractive witches in the class.

"Hmm. He will grow up nicely. Could be good to snatch him up early and train him. Maybe we can rent him? Percy seems very relaxed lately. You don't find?" another female student giggled.

The rest of the girls made innocent jokes about Ronald being "cute" but their whispered suggestions bordered on the ultimate fantasy of many young adolescent men. Perkins laughed as he realised that Ronald Weasley was indeed a casanova, without any conscious effort.


Harry had used every bit of his magic at his disposal. He often apparated mid-flight as he blinked forward with his enhanced apparition. He did find himself in a particular problem – with no landmarks, he could not accurately tell distances mid-air. Nonetheless, between the jetpack and the afterburner, he managed to cover the largest distance among everyone. He openly used his Mage sight, as he hoped that he would see the magical cores of individuals or magical trails that had been made in the air. Finally, he saw a small red-headed girl falling into Hogsmeade. He had sped across and grabbed Susan Bones before she crashed into the Hog's head. Harry was no longer using his wand, as his wandless capability along with the family magic that had been summoned, allowed him to merely pluck the girl off the broom with a pulling motion. He considered dropping her off but soon got a buzz from Luna, which invalidated that idea.

"Anybody, somebody is falling into the Forbidden Forest. I am trying my best, I won't reach him!" Luna cried.

Harry continued to hold the girl, as she screamed and curled up into a tiny ball. Harry observed a student streaking past the east wing of the castle, as he prepared to crash into the cold unforgiving rock. Harry opened up his afterburner, and he clutched the girl with all of his core, as he hoped that he could fight the wind resistance. Harry managed in the nick of time, to pull Ernie Macmillian off his broom. He had been within their last five meters of travel distance and Harry clutched onto every student as fought to stabilize all of them. Suddenly Lorna yelled on the comms. "We have three students unaccounted for! We don't know where they are!" and Harry began to panic, as he considered that students would die. Suddenly he began to pray as he had no idea what to do. He had no information as to which direction to go, or where to look.

"Our Father, who art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name….." he whispered frantically, as he immersed himself in his magic, and he hoped that magic and God above, could provide him with the location of the remaining students, with tears leaking from his eye.


Lady Magic who had not been paying attention to Earth one bit felt such a strong tug, and she immediately knew that one of her many favourites, Harry Potter was in deep trouble. She had not seen the boy as her duties had taken her elsewhere. She quickly paused her life-shaping activities as she dialled in, and acquainted herself with the situation. What she saw, pleased her. Harry Potter was now flying with a jetpack, and he had already developed a primitive exoskeleton suit. He was strong and healthy and he was sincerely hoping that Magic would provide him with the location of the last three students who would soon fall to their deaths. And he believed this, on the assumption that magic was alive and sentient.

Harry Potter was asking Magic itself to save the lives of these children, as he frantically prayed to anybody who would listen.

She found herself touched, as he wandlessly held two children in his hand, as he attempted to scout ahead. His neural activity was off the charts, as he pushed his brain to even direct others as to where to sweep the possible areas. The amount of growth she had seen had been staggering. She quickly reviewed his entire record, as she looked upon his actions - he had put together so many broken families after rescuing so many women at Cassius Manor. Many of them had been mothers and daughters, who had been missing.

And he had won the day. No, Harry Potter needed to win against evil.

"Good boy. Pure heart. Brave. Righteous. Not as an inch of malice, but willing to fight for what is right. Grace Storm-Talon, your reward for caring for the boy. Smite them with Odin's Hammer! So I say, so shall it be! Honour your ancestors!"

Lady Magic then called upon her cosmic tools as she summoned a thunderstorm, and she sang a gene song onto the essence of her favourite avian friend on Terra. She whispered:

"This is your gift, so that you may do, what you must."

She resumed her work elsewhere. She did not bother to watch on, as she was sure that everything would be fine.


Grace was currently tracking Anthony Goldstein and while she had no way to communicate with her partner-of-heart, she could feel his distress. She realised that some of the humans had not been found. While she thought about how she could help, suddenly something buzzed her. An instinct that she could remember, was here again. She could remember when she had been commanded to fly, by magic itself. Now her magic was asking her to become one with the elements, as she would use it in whatever way she saw fit.

Out of nowhere, the sky suddenly darkened as the thunder assaulted the eardrums of everyone. Even Albus Dumbledore felt the magic in the wind as if the elements were being summoned. He quickly used the school floo to travel to the source of the commotion. He followed the ominous shadows that were punctuated by small forks of lightning. He soon found himself on the training pitch, as for whatever reason lightning bolts were now hitting random spots on the ground. Albus quested and then realised that he was dealing with a magical signature that he had never felt before. It was strong. As strong as his, but far more youthful. Full of vitality. This young man almost had power that seemed close to his? How could Storm-Lord command such power? It seemed like he could control the weather. How was that even possible?

Well, Harry Potter couldn't control the weather. But Grace Storm-Talon could certainly control the elements like any other phoenix. It was not any fault that the magical lore had been lost, and Fawkes did not get enough exercise to manifest his latent capability. Fawkes could have easily toasted an entire field of soldiers by collecting the sun's energy and directing it to targets. After all, this was a favourite battle tactic that the Chinese and Indians had used many millennia ago. Grace being of Nordic heritage had merely manifested what her ancestors had done, in the times long forgotten.

She called upon the northern lights and for the thunder to guide her.

Grace had apparated not into her alternate dimension, but she had slid into a lightning bolt, and suddenly she could see through the tendrils that were being chained. It did not matter, that her family were under invisibility spells. No, she could see all of them. She then directed the lightning and collected all the students. Harry could feel the link to the sky itself as a fork of lightning apparated him, Susan Bones, and Ernie Macmillian. Terry Boot, Michael Corner and Anthony Goldstein had also been picked up, many miles away from the training pitch, as their brooms had flown in uncontrollable circles, while they held on for their life.

Albus, was on the training pitch and listened to the explanation of the events. He realised that the bravery of five students had saved many parents much heartache. He was aware that the Storm-Lord was here, but was it possible that the rest of his collaborators were also present? There was already so much lightning in the air. He cast an intent modified Homenum Revelio across the entire area. He was surprised as his ping returned four individuals, which included a fifteen year old boy, a fourteen year old girl, and two adult men who were thirty two years old. He contemplated the results against the information he already had at his disposal. The Storm-Bringers were a group and they were highly trained. And all of them could fly, based on the changing direction of their bodies. Then, the elusive phoenix that he had been thinking about for many nights suddenly materialised not into thin air, but from a lightning bolt that had forked directly from a cloud. The five students were now standing safely. For the onlookers, it was a fearsome sight as they realised that this "bird" had saved the students. As the actions that had been taken on Monday were still fresh in the minds of the students, it did not take much effort to guess that the Storm-Lord and the Storm-Priestess were here. They watched on in dead silence as the lightning seemed to suddenly express interest in someone? Of course, Grace from listening to the conversation last night knew who was responsible. She directed a bolt of lightning that curved around everybody, as it hit Draco, Crabbe and Goyle in the chest. They were now screaming from the pain. Albus who had conjured a Protego at the last moment found himself dismayed as the lightning passed through, with little effort. For Jade Ethro who considered herself safe in the Greenhouse, she was now being rushed to Madam Pomfrey. It seemed that a random bolt of lightning had hit her from the freak thunderstorm.

Harry and all the other individuals who were in his squad found themselves floating at a very high vantage point. Grace's magic had tripped the cloaks when she had apparated Remus, Sirius, Hermione and the drone. While they were far beyond the Quidditch Pitch, Albus and Minerva had applied magnification charms and were watching the five bodies in the air. Lorna, who had zoomed in with the telephoto lens, updated the floating squad.

"Harry, this is not a bad thing what happened today. Make a statement. Mark your territory. Let the drone, Remus and Sirius come home, but take a victory lap around Hogwarts. Let them hear the afterburner at work. What do you think?" Lorna laughed.

"I think after what we managed. We should show them our feathers. Grace, get the three of them home?"

Grace apparated the drone, Remus and Sirius to the manor, while only Minerva and Albus who could see the pair clearly, looked on. They had seen the floating platform and now it made sense – this was the flying artefact that had assisted with the breakout of Sirius Black. And now, two of the operatives had now disappeared.

Harry then made a pulling motion with his hand as he brushed it over his chin, almost like an expression that seemed to indicate a long beard. Harry then blatantly demonstrated a middle finger, which Albus could see, as he frowned. Harry then made a pointed hat gesture with his hands followed by a heart sign with both of his hands. Professor McGonagall was flattered - the Storm-Lord seemed to like her. As she considered how many lives had been saved by the young man, she was also surprised to see the Storm-Priestess make a thumbs-up motion, that also seemed to indicate that the young lady approved of her. Professor McGonagall was quite flattered, as she considered them to both be lions like herself. They were daring and brave, and better yet good fliers.

"Click - click. Click - click"

Harry and Hermione proceeded to lock up their helmet support. Both of them slowly began to circle the school at a very far-off distance as they slowly increased their speed. Within ten seconds, the noise from their jetpacks thundered as they hit the afterburners. The students on the ground could barely see the outline of the flying objects but the long jet trail could be seen. The incomplete fuel burn from the low altitude usage of the JP-7 provided a clear contrast against the sky. That was when Madam Hooch who had fairly sharp eyes, realised that the Storm-Bringers had flown at speeds that she could only dream about.

"Headmaster, Dean….that is ballpark, about two and a half times faster than the Stormbolt. So about 450 mph?" she replied as Neville and Luna smiled. Neville was happy that everyone had been saved from the update that he had gotten over his earbud. Ronald who was observing the spectacle was now grinning as he realised that there were only two people who were crazy enough to fly at that kind of speed. And no wonder they were wealthy, and they knew so much magic. No wonder Bill and Percy had smug looks on their faces. Hadrian Singh and Jean von Neumann were the Storm-Lord and the Storm-Priestess. Everyone on the ground cheered, as the students began to openly yell….

"Storm-Lord!

Storm-Priestess!

Storm-Lord!

Storm-Priestess!

Storm-Lord!

Storm-Priestess!

The cheering continued as the two mystery wizards were the heartthrobs of the young students everywhere. Harry and Hermione laughed at Lorna's genius. Now the children would only give them good P.R. and Grace's actions would only cause the rest of the students to suspect who had been involved in the sabotage. The Slytherins who were members of the darker houses had no idea what to make of what they had seen. After all, surely it had to be a trick. Nobody could fly that fast.

It had to be some type of magically conjured effect!

Blaise took note, as he suspected that Neville was allied with the Storm-bringers. He understood that these Wizards were probably geniuses and that no forms of communication were safe in Malfoy's presence. Greengrass had been right. These people were very Slytherin. The question was to establish if she was allied with the Storm-Bringers or if she merely had wanted to take the mickey at Draco because he liked her sister.

Fred and George who were in the corner of the hospital wing realised that some great event had occurred – one that had caused Hadrian Peverell, Hermione Granger, Remus Lupin and Sirius Black to fly around Hogwarts. Suddenly Hadrian Peverell and Hermione Granger seemed to sound like two rather familiar people – two people who had been in their kitchen.

"Gred…..do you think…these four people are…..you know?"

"Sure Forge. Remus Lupin is the key here. Look, anybody who would gladly invest in our joke shop can only be good people. People who appreciate our unique talents. Perhaps we should revisit the Shrieking Shack? Let us explore some….muggle solutions? I want to see what is inside!"

"Ah Gred, you say the nicest things sometimes."


After the flying class had been dismissed, many of the rescued students soon retold the tale to their peers. While most magical tales, could easily be exaggerated out of proportion, the retelling of the spectacle remained accurate. After all, it was difficult to fabricate any embellishments. As far as students were concerned, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, Ronald Weasley, Daphne Greengrass, and Tracey Davis were the heroes of the school evening. Finally, the Storm-Lord and Storm-Priestess had transported people with lightning, to safety! Of course, they were not sure that this was the case. Most of them had not seen any of the flying wizards up close. Rather it was assumed that this was the case, and rumours did not care if they were accurate or not - If it made a good story, it was likely to be spread quickly. Daphne and Tracey had so many visitors from all the houses, (particularly year-one students) that Madam Pomfrey had to close the hospital wing. Upon returning to their dorms, the trio found themselves lauded as heroes in their common room. Chanting of their first names occurred for many minutes before the other students who had been saved were allowed to tell their tales. Suddenly, the ability of these wizards to remain invisible became somewhat of a hotly contested point as people argued if it was possible or not, and it only added to their mystique.

Roger Malone and Oliver Rivers did not have it easy. They found themselves keeping a silent tongue – their excuse was that life debts were owed, and they would not speak until they had discussed the issue with their head of House. This infuriated the darker houses within Slytherin, as they realised that they could not press them for information.

Ronald messaged Harry as he realised that in a manner of speaking, he had been pranked.

"Hey Hadrian Storm-Lord and Jean Storm-Lady, care to enlighten a poor Hufflepuff? I know that Neville and Luna know the full details. Willing to take an oath, if necessary? And Hadrian, Priya V. Singh is your adoptive mum. At least give me brownie points for my detective work? The box of 3D printed parts was kind of obvious…."

After waiting for a while, a message came through on his dataslate in the Hufflepuff common room.


"Trust me, if you think what you saw today is everything…..it gets worse. Be awake and ready at nine thirty tonight, Mipsy will bring you to the manor. You want in? sure. By the way, Sprout asked for you to make the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, and Dumbledore agreed. It was discussed not too long ago. For that fantastic magic and flying we saw today don't worry, we have some special Quidditch gear for you.

-Love, H.P and H.G"


Ronald clenched his hand in an "Awww yessss!" motion, as he felt that all of his hard work had paid off.

Harry went to the kitchen with Hermione, Remus and Sirius. As they all sat down, he filled them in on an eventful evening. Hermione had even opted to group call her parents and Priya, as she hoped that everyone would be on the same page. As Harry finished up his explanation, he put his head on the table and scratched Grace's head.

"This adulting is hard business you know. I should become an alcoholic?" he whispered as his grandmother and grandfather sat on both sides of him and Hermione.

"It surely is grandson. But trust the Lord. You called in your darkest hour for help, and it was answered. Those children are all safe, and their parents will hug them soon enough. You did your duty. You all did your duty." answered Ved.

"I am truly a happy mother today. I always wondered about Ronald. He was always short tempered and brash. He has changed much after getting a job. Today he was brave….so very brave. And he was excellent with his magic. You are speaking to him tonight?" Molly asked.

"Yes. We trust him." Hermione replied, confidently.

"I will stay with him. I will give him something to eat, while you explain. I do think I want to tell him in person about the ridiculous success we had today. Why Harry, I think I want to experiment with a Starbucks styled coffee for the Wizarding world!"

"I love that Aunty Molly. Let us hope I don't drink everything out?" Harry replied as he grinned. Suddenly there was laughter as the small kitchen distributed all the extras, among the many hungry mouths.


William and Jean at Granger Manor were on a couch, as they drank to their daughter's bravery late into the afternoon.

"She is everything we wanted her to be and more. Intelligent, beautiful, and a roaring Valkyrie. Equally a top-class academic and a soldier. Wife, you want to pop out four more? Think it is too late?" William asked jokingly.

"Too late, sweetie. That sweet talk won't convince me again to deal with little ones. I can only do one, sorry." Jean Granger laughed good naturedly at William's cheeky comment.


With the spectacle that had occurred, Albus had requested that everyone would be required to report for dinner, as a school wide announcement was necessary. Now, it was dinner time in the Great Hall and Albus tapped his glass.

"Good night students. Today we had a grave accident, but luckily nobody was hurt. It could have been an utterly terrible affair, and some of the circumstances are so odd, that I find myself unsure as to what happened. What I can tell you, students is that this evening we had the mass malfunction of several brooms during the First Year Broom Flying class."

The hall was now whispering in hushed voices.

"However, five students managed to get in the air quickly because of their quick observational skills. And even more heartening was that for once, there was no division. All four houses cooperated this afternoon."

The other three houses were suddenly watching Slytherin House.

"Finally, we believe that a wild but unknown species of thunderbird was flying through the area, and it decided to rescue the other students. However, the random bolts of lightning did cause accidental damage to some students who are being treated in the hospital wing. We have confirmed with Mr Newt Scamander that Thunderbirds can fly at such impressive velocities. They travel in flocks of two or four."

Many of the gullible students, suddenly realised that it had been some wild animal that had saved the students. Many of the pureblooded Slytherins comforted themselves, with this deception. The few students who could think critically did not buy it one bit. Neither did the students who had been rescued.

So, it was a good ole typical coverup, eh?

Albus Dumbledore continued his explanation:

"To Mr Neville Longbottom, Ms Luna Lovegood and Mr Ronald Weasley, sixty points each respectively to Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff!"

Suddenly the hall cheered, as they looked around but they could not find their heroes of the moment. They reasoned that perhaps they were sleeping or in the hospital wing. Albus held his hand up, as he silenced the crowd.

"And finally, please House Slytherin, do not think I have forgotten you. House Slytherin has traditionally had a rivalry with House Gryffindor, it is no secret. Yet Ms Daphne Greengrass and Ms Tracey Davis had merely been casually speaking to Mr Neville Longbottom, and this is what allowed both of them to deal with the situation, immediately. I understand that Mr Longbottom had dropped something, and she merely wanted to return the item. Merely a simple act of courtesy. I must emphasize that both girls emptied their entire cores, into exhaustion and they are currently in the hospital wing. Ms Tracey Davis broke her arm and was covered in glass splinters. Ms Daphne Greengrass is still unconscious, but Matroness Pomfrey has assured me that she will be fine. When I look upon the fact that they took the initiative to rescue people, I have decided to award them, based on outstanding moral fibre, ninety points each!"

That was when the hall became silent. However, Lavender Brown and Hannah Abbott immediately stood up and began to clap. And suddenly all the other students who had been saved, stood up and clapped. That was when Merula, Ismelda, Roger and Oliver proudly stood up and clapped, and suddenly most of Slytherin house was clapping as they celebrated the fact that the two heroes of the moment had literally earned one hundred and eighty points and Slytherin was now neck to neck with Ravenclaw in second place.

The darker houses were now angry, as they realised that the people who they disliked, had been responsible for giving them a chance at winning the House Cup.