Harry Potter and the Collegium of New Avalon
Author: Charlemagne
Part: 5
Rated: PG
Genre: Action Adventure/Mild Romance (HP/CC, Hermione/Other, Ron/Other)
Content: Fantasy Violence, Angst
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, Hermione, Ron Weasley, or even You-know-who as they all belong to one very special author in England who is not me. The events in this story make no claim to anything of J.K. Rowlings but attempt to create a fantasy story of what will happen to them in college and tell an amusing tale, which I hope you'll enjoy.
1941
Austria
Octavian Grindelwald breathed the air around the castle that had been his families' for close to a thousand years. The full moon was hanging high in the air around Grindelwald castle and the howls of the wolves into the dark night. The Castle was impossible to find on any map and the wolves mixed with goblins, ghosts, hags, and ogres that Octavian's family had unbreakable pacts that would call upon them to protect him and his home when the time came.
'But I will never need fear attack again, the hunted among Dark Wizards have become the Hunters.' Octavian smiled walking onto the Quidditch field that his family had built for his personal use when it had seemed he would open up his home to the wizard world instead of shutting himself away. The decades of seclusion, murder, and trafficking in dark magick he had spent though had paid off for in the stands were over a horde of wizards who had pledged allegiance to his dream of a world ruled by the wielders of the Prime Magic, a new wizard order over the Muggle majority. Octavian was pleased that his entire order of Wotan's Eye had come and many of the other attendees had brought their families including children eleven and under.
'Good it is right that they hear such things before they're minds are poisoned against the truth.' Octavian walked towards the podium his goblins had set up and adjusted his military uniform. The clothes had been crafted by his specifications in the manner of the Muggle leader he was supporting. The silly fellow countryman was a ranting fool but he looked impressive indeed to him with the parlor tricks he had worked before him along with the promises of future glories.
"Is it wrong to kill a Muggle? That is where we begin this day." Octavian looked at each of the faces, which were to listen both horrified and enraptured to his words. "You have heard my words before or heard of them in I calling for us to wield our magics against them. To slay en masse the nations they have forged and cast down curses upon their leaders, hide the troops who bend their knee to us, and destroy their foul machines with our power. You have perhaps asked yourself why, how can we do this? I say it is our destiny…one cannot blame a wizard for thinning the ranks of the Muggle masse as one can blame a wolf for slaying sheep. It is indeed far too long since we have fulfilled our DUTY to cull the weak and stupid which have infested our blood and culture." Octavian spoke of the purity of blood and his entire family held no trace of Muggles but in truth he bore Mudbloods little ill. They had the power of magic and were thus higher than Muggles or Squibs, which were the worst genetic mistake wizardry had ever seen. The General had no qualm with allowing them into his ranks to slay Muggles and the Squibs who were merely Muggles that had somehow crept into family lines.
"There are those amongst you who would STAND AGAINST my dream of a world free from the pollution that the Muggles have brought us. Poverty, starvation, sickness, and perhaps some day even death can be overcome with magic but they have wallowed in their pollution and purile false magic too long. The Minister of Austria Magic has already been arrested and exiled along with the rest of his family, other families follow of those who capitulate to Muggle demands." Octavian smiled as his magically altered asp Mesphisto crawled over his arm as he spoke. In truth Octavian had made sure the government would persecute them and his Wotan's Eye had ambushed many far from their wands and spells to make sure that it appeared to be the work of Muggles, the price for healing. "I will not!"
A pure blooded wizard could kill any Mudblood without staining his spiritual essence Octavian had long ago decided but the Minister and others Octavian had killed personally because only a wielder of the prime magic, the one true power of the universe, could kill a pure blooded wizard without staining themselves. As he continued his speech he thought of the power of the Prime Magic, which was controlling the very substance of creation. Prime magic duplicated nothing less than the bringing order to chaos (and returning to from order) that the power beyond had done before reality. He had shared only the basics of it with his most trusted pure blooded students and even then it had made them powerful beyond their wildest expectations even as one had transformed himself into a wailing insane bloated mass of corruption that Octavian had to destroy out of hand. 'No power is without price.' He thought continuing his eloquent speech.
"YOU CHILD…Come forward!" Grindelwald gestured to a handsome young man who was cloaked heavily in a winter cloak. He was obviously English and one of the students of Hogwarts. Grindelwald had sought Hogwarts out instead of Durmstrang because he knew it would teach him better and he had foolishly wanted to avoid the Dark Arts, he know knew because they were so weak to the true power of the Prime magic. The boy left the stands having obviously snuck here by apparate or port key or some other method, Hogwarts would no longer approve of the young student of Ravenclaw who had turned to Slytherin's way in the end.
"What is your name?" Grindelwald asked the child, looking down at the child who had no family or seeming patron, he chose this meeting on his own.
"Tom Riddle sir." The man replied with a look of pride and power to his form.
"Do you believe it is wrong to kill a Muggle?" Grindelwald asked looking into his eyes and meeting a fellow cold serpentine gaze.
"No sir. I believe it is right."
***
Harry sighed as he looked at Ron who wasn't speaking to him, again. It had made classes exceptionally difficult, especially with Hermione having told them they'd had to re-choose nearly they're entire curriculum. Advanced Illusions had been the first class Harry had taken and aside from it being on a topic Harry had never really been very interested in (it felt too much like lying to Harry) he'd been quite interested in Professor Spectrum's talks about how he'd spent years on the road masquerading as a Muggle stage magician which was quite funny in his view because the profession was already Muggles masquerading as a wizards. Herimone had enjoyed it and before lunch they had taken the dueling course, which would cover Ron's and Hermione's physical credits. Harry had been surprised when Ron had trounced him and everyone in the class for the captaincy. His friend had been practicing.
"Listen the rabbit had it coming Hermione. No offense Phil, your bloody git of a bunny threw a rock at Pigwidgeon." Ron spoke some unpleasant language as Pigwidgeon flapped his wings on the would-be-Auror's arm.
"Mr. We..Ron you don't honestly believe a rabbit can…he's Hermes not David!" Phillip said as Hermione cradled the rabbit, which Ron's owl had attacked earlier and the looks the two pets were exchanging could have melted steel.
"I think your owl did something just horrible and you should apologize for him Ron." Hermione petted the bunny on the ears and stared daggers at the owl. Who managed somehow to look offended at the stare.
"HOW JUST LIKE A WOMAN!" Ron shook his hand in disgust causing Pig to adjust his grip. "Defend the cute animals from the great majestic predators…"
Hermione started to charge at Ron before the new friend of the group stepped between them.
"Please Ron…Hermione…" he was looking at Hermione for a moment before he said something else "There's no need to get all huffy about this. Hermes is alright really and um…I'll make sure he's alright." Phillip said and Harry just watched amused before he saw the Quidditch field coming up. He'd spied the announcement that Quidditch try-outs were starting at one and he was only going to barely make it.
The place were it was to be held was a coliseum and all around it were beautiful stone statues of the best players of the previous years along with gigantic woven tapestries of the championships the New Avalon Dragons had won. Heading through the stone arches Harry walked onto a beautiful quidditch field looked upon by stone row after stone row which looked like it could hold at least fifty thousand if not more participants. In the stands were what looked to be about a thousand or so people who were looking down on the hundred or more people dressed for play on the field. Some here to support family or friends and quite a few here to simply watch or report on the event for the news.
Harry was a bit intimidated "Wow."
"And this is where they'll be playing that aerial polo-soccer-basketball thing you were describing?" Phillip said giving the best approximation of his understanding of the Quidditch game.
"Yeah wow….Sports Scryer news is here! Harry your going to be on mystic access!" Ron patted Harry on the back as he looked at the many players preparing for their game and saw that entire groups were arriving and being dismissed it seemed out of hand by a seven foot five, five hundred odd pound woman and her accompaniment, which wasn't much smaller.
"It's not like any of those games…oh you'll see." Hermione took Phillip's arm and led him over while he got an odd look on his face. She'd become quite the quidditch fanatic since she'd dated Krum off and on for three years.
Harry looked at Hermione then saw oddly that Cho was getting suited up for her game and Harry remembered the pads and other equipment he'd bought the day before to help handle all the bruises and nastiness that would come with a good game. He'd rarely worn it at Hogwarts but with collegiate Quidditch he wasn't quite so sure he'd be able to avoid every flying bludger or broom that came at him. Heading over to a bench where a team had just been dismissed Harry put down his bag and walked over to Cho, summoning all the courage and valor that had allowed him to slay the Dark Lord and prayed to God it would be enough.
"H-Hi Cho." Harry cleared his throat pretending the stutter had been him coughing.
"Hi Harry!" Cho smirked looking quite well in her athletic gear. Harry tried not to look at her pad covered legs as he removed his glasses and cleaned them especially well for the try-outs. He also thought he might look better without them for this even as Cho became nothing but a blurry outline.
"So how's the competition?" Harry smirked trying to use their mutual interest to his best advantage.
"Oh just as bad as last year. Every school produces some pretty good players who want to try out and some truly exceptional ones always. Plus a lot of amateurs and causal fliers want to see if they've got the stuff for it too…still Mrs. Krell hates change and I think she's deliberately keeping her son back to keep him on the team. I only barely managed to get on the team last season because the previous chaser quit after a really bad bludger and I was the best alternate." Cho sighed and Harry nodded, it was about as bad as he expected though he wasn't sure about flying, if Cho could only make alternate he was very glad if he could.
"KEEP YOUR MITTS OFF MY RABBIT!" Phillip shouted.
"Okay that time the git hit me with a rock! I saw it!" Ron's voice clearly echoed behind Harry as he looked at Cho mortally embarrassed.
"RON…" Hermione's voice echoed as Harry swiftly changed the subject and decided to upfront say what was on his mind.
"Hey Cho I'm curious if your not doing anything later…" Harry was surprised at the ease the words were coming out of his mind.
"Hey look! Cho's with a boy! I guess I owe you a butter beer Hannibal. She's not playing for her own team…strictly at least." An oversized man whom Harry vaguely remembered from the pier over called out, dressed in black wizard's robes with a gorgon serpent wand to his side. Harry had learned to recognize those types in his final year and had signed up for Wand-studies to replace one of his lost classes. To his right side was a tall, similarly dressed and quite dashing looking blonde man with a goatee but a sneer of contempt on his face armed with a Rakshasa hair wand. To the left side of the man was a small weasel-looking man with dark sunglasses on, a black heavy cloak, and beater gear. His wand looked to be Manticore tooth.
Harry clenched his fists at those words before Cho gave him a slight bash on the back of the head with the butt of her palm. "Ignore those pieces of hydra spittle. That's Baal Krell the team captain in the center; a more stupider, meaner, and more compulsive cheat you'll probably not ever find. The one on the right's Hannibal Smodeus, a nasty piece of work from Durmstrang….the Chaser I have to work with and the little ferrets Moloch Krush who is the chief croney of both." Cho sighed "Hopefully all three will be off the team before it's done." She then crossed her arms and looked at Harry.
"Now what was it you were saying?" She smiled.
Harry was grinning from ear to ear even as he dreaded the possibility of playing with any of the three dark robes, which had insulted Chang. "I was asking you…"
Harry then looked up to see the woman he had seen earlier dismissing entire groups of people. Upfront she was much more intimidating especially since even at five, nine Harry wasn't much of a figure to the woman two feet taller than him and weighing three times his size over. She was dressed in a simple robe marked "Coach" in broad styled red letters with a whistle around her neck and a huge scroll in her arm. Her eyes were a deep green and her hair big tufts of curly red.
"Harry Potter?" the woman said staring at him.
"Umm yes?" Harry cursed the time of day and reality.
"A few questions….have you ever played Quidditch in a competitive capacity before?" the woman said apparently not treating him any different than the other kids despite his fame, which was good but Harry felt very small under his gaze.
"Yes I was Seeker at Hogwarts for Gryffindor." Harry answered.
"Did you win much?" She asked.
"Every year but the year it was cancelled and the final year." Harry admitted the last year he'd left Hogwarts for most of the year and along with other students quit and disrupted the Gryffindor team had been decimated.
"How many years was THAT?" the woman accented as if Harry might have only played two years and was trying to imply something false.
"Seven years maam." Harry said.
"You were Seeker Seven years?" the woman asked again as Harry nodded. For the longest time the woman stared down and then scribbled something on her parchment.
"Okay you can try out. Don't expect much though. Your one of many so called "good" Seekers and none of them are as good as my boy." Lilith Krell said simply.
***
1945
Austria
Octavian Grindelwald sat in his castle's study scratching feverishly away at the Book of Chaos. The Spartan chambers contained nothing but a few tapestries and the gigantic tome that was nearly three feet in length. The red dragon-skin volume had been his life's work since he had discovered the principles of the Prime Magic in Hogwart's library to unearth it's secrets and when he had begun his experiments, recording his results in this very book he'd begun what would become his lifelong path. The Prime Magic would guarantee his immortality and no being would ever be able to follow even so carefully outlined his instructions to achieve the level of power he had achieved in the Prime Magic, not that he had ever intended to let one view the contents of the Book of Chaos. Still, Grindelwald recorded his life's work in the Book knowing that it was the greatest monument that wizardry would likely ever possess to a genius that it would never know again. It was then that fragments of stone fell from the roof of the room down into the floor.
"Cursed Muggles!" Grindelwald called looking upwards. The war had been progressing badly and the thrice-damned Soviets had pressed well into his home territory destroying everything in their path. Octavian's recent experimentations with using the Prime magic to turn prisoners and easily replaceable goblins into terrifying eldritch monsters had proven quite satisfactory and he imagined he would have to pick that up again. A few hundred or thousand of the creatures should turn the tide of the war quite handily. What were a few Muggle villages or towns or even cities in the way? Re-built they could be, one and all.
It was then there was a knocking at the door. "Come in." Grindelwald said exasperated and quite sure that he wasn't going to get any further work done on his tome.
Alexander Smodeus walked in, a handsome and tall pure-blooded wizard who had been one of his first followers. The man had some talent in the Prime Magic but he had been fairly sure early on, Grindelwald had been, that he would destroy himself with it before he ever achieved anything of note. "Grindelwald." The words echoed with no trace of awe or fear but strength and more than a little pity. Octavian looked up from his book and stared back at the figure, which was already losing traces of his features to be replaced with those all too familiar to the Dark wizard.
"Albus Dumbledore…" Grindelwald said looking up and watching the English sorcerer merge out of the features of the Austrian man. Albus like Grindelwald had aged well past his prime years but unlike Octavian did not have to bear the weight of spending too much of it in the pursuit of selfish gain and purely hate-filled agenda. Indeed the ancient wizard dressed in his purple white trimmed flowing robes and pointed star dotted hat appeared incredibly majestic. Octavian took notice the man was still sporting that ugly wand made out of the phoenix tail on his shoulder, he had advised the young lad a few years back to steal it and hoped he would before he graduated.
"Octavian." Albus said forebodingly as he looked upon the man whom Grindelwald suspected still bore some similarity to Albus's close companion at Ravenclaw, before they're studies had diverged.
"Poly-juice is a bit beneath you Albus I'd have hoped you'd do something with a bit more dash like rip the roof off the castle in the form of a dragon or ride the winds not come thieving in dressed as one of my men. Tell me…did you kill him?" Octavian smirked looking with a sort of perverse interest and wondering how his student and the Prime magic had faired against his old colleague.
"We cannot all have your flair for the dramatic Octavian. Alexander Smodeus traded hair enough to supply my illusion, your castle's location, and whatever information he could about the horrors he did in your service for clemency. He needn't have bothered with the first, all your followers are either dead or have abandoned you for other tyrants." Albus's words were cold, harsh, and to the point and nature itself seemed to accent it by rumbling sounds that caused another piece of his roof to fall in the heart of his study.
"They will all be punished." Octavian considered this a moment though as a brief moment of clarity moved through his mind and he acknowledged that it was probably a wise decision to cut his losses with the Axis powers and seek some other Muggle leader to control for the glory of the Pax Magica to come. Octavian then drew his wand out from the folds of his robes. The twisted thing had been carved from the tooth of a Wyrm father and strung with the creature's heartstring, making it one of the most powerful types of wands in existence. "I suppose that we must now duel to the death dear old chum. In a way I knew it would come to this." Octavian mused, knowing the two Transfiguration majors had discovered the Prime Magic together but Albus had deemed it too powerful and horrible to control and thus abandoned godhood.
"If that becomes necessary." Albus said lifting his wand as Fawkes fluttered a few feet above his shoulder.
"Please the Alliance of Wizardry Councils would accept nothing less!" Octavian chided. The Ministries of Magic had allied well to preserve all magicians so frightened were they of the recent war. It had taken a man of true vision to rebel against their short-sighted muggle loving ways. "You are, as usual, their executioner and spy working to save us from the ambition which preserves us!"
"Beware your words Octavian. The hour of your doom is at hand and once it is done by your own hand or mine there is a punishment far beyond your reckoning awaiting you by those of similar corruption." Albus Dumbledore made one last plea to the mad eyed wizard as held his wand up.
"Enough banter! Shizzar-krekash!" Octavian cried summoning the ancient power of the Prime magic to release a torrent of stygian shadowy darkness towards Albus as it ate the very air it touched and led it oblivion.
"Wentaris Kree!" Albus spun around his robe before the primordial evil passed over his place and annihilated the door behind him and the castle walls behind it until the holes reached into the outside of the rainy evening.
A flash of light signaled Albus's return as his time skip of three seconds came to an end.
"Espiritus! Animatus!" Grindelwald began spinning around his wand causing the castle to shake as he opened himself fully to the maddening vortex of hate, passion, madness, land despair that he required to charge his next spell.
"Jupitus Annhilate!" Albus said lifting his own wand and shooting a bolt of stinging streaking lighting at Grindelwald who managed to fall to the ground just in time to see the lighting explode under his book rest and sending the book and the stone behind it flying into the air.
Already though the shadows in the room were peeling themselves off the wall and gaining black substance of their own as crude appearing golems starting to morph from the stone that formed the room and descend on Albus.
"ANIMATUS MORTE! ILLUMINUS!" Albus cried lifting up his wand as light filled the air and the golems and shadows screamed, being burned to nothingness where the light struck them and the golem's began to back away, turning to dust. However the pain of the exertion was clearly evident on Albus's face.
"You cannot hope to stand against the Chaos Magic Albus! It is the power of the Creator and all the universe, taken for myself and man!" Octavian lifted up Mesphisto into his hand even as he prepared another darker spell on his lips, the magical serpent becoming straight like a spear as it's master aimed it at his opponent who destroyed his creations.
"DIE!" Octavian screamed throwing the serpent with his magical venom that could kill nearly instantly at the heart of his rival, moving out of the toss into a spell that was so strong it's beginning casting tore the top off Grindelwald castle and sent stones flying into the air with the wind it began to channel.
Albus could do nothing but counter-chant, destroying the huge rocks sailing towards him and turning the shards of glass and wind into flowers or notes of music before they shredded him or bounced him against the wall so many times he was left little more than creamy jelly. The Transfigurations Professor from Hogwarts who had volunteered for many a dangerous mission to help mankind could do nothing about the lethal magical familiar sailing at him.
So Fawkes did.
Grabbing the snake in mid air the Phoenix flew unimpeded through the heavy windstorm and torrents of dark magic before casting Mesphisto into the face of his master, the snake so filled with battle lust it bit the Dark Wizard nine times before sliding off in horror and outrage.
"NO! IT CANNOT END LIKE THIS!" Octavian screamed falling backwards as he lifted his wand, the very poisons he'd made eating away at his body and immune to every natural spell of cleansing devised by mortal hands. "I will live!"
Albus now very wet but otherwise unharmed stared up in horror as he recognized Grindelwald turning the unpredictable Prime magic on his own form "No it cannot be controlled! Only directed! You know not what you do!" Albus futilely pleaded as he saw the man become directly infused with dark power of which no mortal could have hoped to survive, yet he knew it would be by this what Grindelwald was becoming would live. The form of a man already now gone as his flesh melted away and his bones seemed to contain entire galaxies and the stars of the Void.
"I LIVE" the thing echoed as Albus spied the book on the ground and he lifted his shoulder for Fawkes to land on, even as he gripped his wand with both hands, summoning every ounce of the will he possessed for a long and complicated chant.
"TO DARKNESS WITH YOU GRINDELWALD! FOREVER MORE! VENDI VENI VICHI!" Albus cried out before the vortex sucked everything but himself and Fawkes in the room downwards into the pages of the Book of Chaos. Only the rain puttering down on Albus's face seemed to remind him he was even here. Clutching the shivering phoenix in his hands he bent down and picked up the tome, sensing it's evil energy as he put it under his arm.
"Victory."
***
TO BE CONTINUED
-Charlemagne
Author: Charlemagne
Part: 5
Rated: PG
Genre: Action Adventure/Mild Romance (HP/CC, Hermione/Other, Ron/Other)
Content: Fantasy Violence, Angst
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, Hermione, Ron Weasley, or even You-know-who as they all belong to one very special author in England who is not me. The events in this story make no claim to anything of J.K. Rowlings but attempt to create a fantasy story of what will happen to them in college and tell an amusing tale, which I hope you'll enjoy.
1941
Austria
Octavian Grindelwald breathed the air around the castle that had been his families' for close to a thousand years. The full moon was hanging high in the air around Grindelwald castle and the howls of the wolves into the dark night. The Castle was impossible to find on any map and the wolves mixed with goblins, ghosts, hags, and ogres that Octavian's family had unbreakable pacts that would call upon them to protect him and his home when the time came.
'But I will never need fear attack again, the hunted among Dark Wizards have become the Hunters.' Octavian smiled walking onto the Quidditch field that his family had built for his personal use when it had seemed he would open up his home to the wizard world instead of shutting himself away. The decades of seclusion, murder, and trafficking in dark magick he had spent though had paid off for in the stands were over a horde of wizards who had pledged allegiance to his dream of a world ruled by the wielders of the Prime Magic, a new wizard order over the Muggle majority. Octavian was pleased that his entire order of Wotan's Eye had come and many of the other attendees had brought their families including children eleven and under.
'Good it is right that they hear such things before they're minds are poisoned against the truth.' Octavian walked towards the podium his goblins had set up and adjusted his military uniform. The clothes had been crafted by his specifications in the manner of the Muggle leader he was supporting. The silly fellow countryman was a ranting fool but he looked impressive indeed to him with the parlor tricks he had worked before him along with the promises of future glories.
"Is it wrong to kill a Muggle? That is where we begin this day." Octavian looked at each of the faces, which were to listen both horrified and enraptured to his words. "You have heard my words before or heard of them in I calling for us to wield our magics against them. To slay en masse the nations they have forged and cast down curses upon their leaders, hide the troops who bend their knee to us, and destroy their foul machines with our power. You have perhaps asked yourself why, how can we do this? I say it is our destiny…one cannot blame a wizard for thinning the ranks of the Muggle masse as one can blame a wolf for slaying sheep. It is indeed far too long since we have fulfilled our DUTY to cull the weak and stupid which have infested our blood and culture." Octavian spoke of the purity of blood and his entire family held no trace of Muggles but in truth he bore Mudbloods little ill. They had the power of magic and were thus higher than Muggles or Squibs, which were the worst genetic mistake wizardry had ever seen. The General had no qualm with allowing them into his ranks to slay Muggles and the Squibs who were merely Muggles that had somehow crept into family lines.
"There are those amongst you who would STAND AGAINST my dream of a world free from the pollution that the Muggles have brought us. Poverty, starvation, sickness, and perhaps some day even death can be overcome with magic but they have wallowed in their pollution and purile false magic too long. The Minister of Austria Magic has already been arrested and exiled along with the rest of his family, other families follow of those who capitulate to Muggle demands." Octavian smiled as his magically altered asp Mesphisto crawled over his arm as he spoke. In truth Octavian had made sure the government would persecute them and his Wotan's Eye had ambushed many far from their wands and spells to make sure that it appeared to be the work of Muggles, the price for healing. "I will not!"
A pure blooded wizard could kill any Mudblood without staining his spiritual essence Octavian had long ago decided but the Minister and others Octavian had killed personally because only a wielder of the prime magic, the one true power of the universe, could kill a pure blooded wizard without staining themselves. As he continued his speech he thought of the power of the Prime Magic, which was controlling the very substance of creation. Prime magic duplicated nothing less than the bringing order to chaos (and returning to from order) that the power beyond had done before reality. He had shared only the basics of it with his most trusted pure blooded students and even then it had made them powerful beyond their wildest expectations even as one had transformed himself into a wailing insane bloated mass of corruption that Octavian had to destroy out of hand. 'No power is without price.' He thought continuing his eloquent speech.
"YOU CHILD…Come forward!" Grindelwald gestured to a handsome young man who was cloaked heavily in a winter cloak. He was obviously English and one of the students of Hogwarts. Grindelwald had sought Hogwarts out instead of Durmstrang because he knew it would teach him better and he had foolishly wanted to avoid the Dark Arts, he know knew because they were so weak to the true power of the Prime magic. The boy left the stands having obviously snuck here by apparate or port key or some other method, Hogwarts would no longer approve of the young student of Ravenclaw who had turned to Slytherin's way in the end.
"What is your name?" Grindelwald asked the child, looking down at the child who had no family or seeming patron, he chose this meeting on his own.
"Tom Riddle sir." The man replied with a look of pride and power to his form.
"Do you believe it is wrong to kill a Muggle?" Grindelwald asked looking into his eyes and meeting a fellow cold serpentine gaze.
"No sir. I believe it is right."
***
Harry sighed as he looked at Ron who wasn't speaking to him, again. It had made classes exceptionally difficult, especially with Hermione having told them they'd had to re-choose nearly they're entire curriculum. Advanced Illusions had been the first class Harry had taken and aside from it being on a topic Harry had never really been very interested in (it felt too much like lying to Harry) he'd been quite interested in Professor Spectrum's talks about how he'd spent years on the road masquerading as a Muggle stage magician which was quite funny in his view because the profession was already Muggles masquerading as a wizards. Herimone had enjoyed it and before lunch they had taken the dueling course, which would cover Ron's and Hermione's physical credits. Harry had been surprised when Ron had trounced him and everyone in the class for the captaincy. His friend had been practicing.
"Listen the rabbit had it coming Hermione. No offense Phil, your bloody git of a bunny threw a rock at Pigwidgeon." Ron spoke some unpleasant language as Pigwidgeon flapped his wings on the would-be-Auror's arm.
"Mr. We..Ron you don't honestly believe a rabbit can…he's Hermes not David!" Phillip said as Hermione cradled the rabbit, which Ron's owl had attacked earlier and the looks the two pets were exchanging could have melted steel.
"I think your owl did something just horrible and you should apologize for him Ron." Hermione petted the bunny on the ears and stared daggers at the owl. Who managed somehow to look offended at the stare.
"HOW JUST LIKE A WOMAN!" Ron shook his hand in disgust causing Pig to adjust his grip. "Defend the cute animals from the great majestic predators…"
Hermione started to charge at Ron before the new friend of the group stepped between them.
"Please Ron…Hermione…" he was looking at Hermione for a moment before he said something else "There's no need to get all huffy about this. Hermes is alright really and um…I'll make sure he's alright." Phillip said and Harry just watched amused before he saw the Quidditch field coming up. He'd spied the announcement that Quidditch try-outs were starting at one and he was only going to barely make it.
The place were it was to be held was a coliseum and all around it were beautiful stone statues of the best players of the previous years along with gigantic woven tapestries of the championships the New Avalon Dragons had won. Heading through the stone arches Harry walked onto a beautiful quidditch field looked upon by stone row after stone row which looked like it could hold at least fifty thousand if not more participants. In the stands were what looked to be about a thousand or so people who were looking down on the hundred or more people dressed for play on the field. Some here to support family or friends and quite a few here to simply watch or report on the event for the news.
Harry was a bit intimidated "Wow."
"And this is where they'll be playing that aerial polo-soccer-basketball thing you were describing?" Phillip said giving the best approximation of his understanding of the Quidditch game.
"Yeah wow….Sports Scryer news is here! Harry your going to be on mystic access!" Ron patted Harry on the back as he looked at the many players preparing for their game and saw that entire groups were arriving and being dismissed it seemed out of hand by a seven foot five, five hundred odd pound woman and her accompaniment, which wasn't much smaller.
"It's not like any of those games…oh you'll see." Hermione took Phillip's arm and led him over while he got an odd look on his face. She'd become quite the quidditch fanatic since she'd dated Krum off and on for three years.
Harry looked at Hermione then saw oddly that Cho was getting suited up for her game and Harry remembered the pads and other equipment he'd bought the day before to help handle all the bruises and nastiness that would come with a good game. He'd rarely worn it at Hogwarts but with collegiate Quidditch he wasn't quite so sure he'd be able to avoid every flying bludger or broom that came at him. Heading over to a bench where a team had just been dismissed Harry put down his bag and walked over to Cho, summoning all the courage and valor that had allowed him to slay the Dark Lord and prayed to God it would be enough.
"H-Hi Cho." Harry cleared his throat pretending the stutter had been him coughing.
"Hi Harry!" Cho smirked looking quite well in her athletic gear. Harry tried not to look at her pad covered legs as he removed his glasses and cleaned them especially well for the try-outs. He also thought he might look better without them for this even as Cho became nothing but a blurry outline.
"So how's the competition?" Harry smirked trying to use their mutual interest to his best advantage.
"Oh just as bad as last year. Every school produces some pretty good players who want to try out and some truly exceptional ones always. Plus a lot of amateurs and causal fliers want to see if they've got the stuff for it too…still Mrs. Krell hates change and I think she's deliberately keeping her son back to keep him on the team. I only barely managed to get on the team last season because the previous chaser quit after a really bad bludger and I was the best alternate." Cho sighed and Harry nodded, it was about as bad as he expected though he wasn't sure about flying, if Cho could only make alternate he was very glad if he could.
"KEEP YOUR MITTS OFF MY RABBIT!" Phillip shouted.
"Okay that time the git hit me with a rock! I saw it!" Ron's voice clearly echoed behind Harry as he looked at Cho mortally embarrassed.
"RON…" Hermione's voice echoed as Harry swiftly changed the subject and decided to upfront say what was on his mind.
"Hey Cho I'm curious if your not doing anything later…" Harry was surprised at the ease the words were coming out of his mind.
"Hey look! Cho's with a boy! I guess I owe you a butter beer Hannibal. She's not playing for her own team…strictly at least." An oversized man whom Harry vaguely remembered from the pier over called out, dressed in black wizard's robes with a gorgon serpent wand to his side. Harry had learned to recognize those types in his final year and had signed up for Wand-studies to replace one of his lost classes. To his right side was a tall, similarly dressed and quite dashing looking blonde man with a goatee but a sneer of contempt on his face armed with a Rakshasa hair wand. To the left side of the man was a small weasel-looking man with dark sunglasses on, a black heavy cloak, and beater gear. His wand looked to be Manticore tooth.
Harry clenched his fists at those words before Cho gave him a slight bash on the back of the head with the butt of her palm. "Ignore those pieces of hydra spittle. That's Baal Krell the team captain in the center; a more stupider, meaner, and more compulsive cheat you'll probably not ever find. The one on the right's Hannibal Smodeus, a nasty piece of work from Durmstrang….the Chaser I have to work with and the little ferrets Moloch Krush who is the chief croney of both." Cho sighed "Hopefully all three will be off the team before it's done." She then crossed her arms and looked at Harry.
"Now what was it you were saying?" She smiled.
Harry was grinning from ear to ear even as he dreaded the possibility of playing with any of the three dark robes, which had insulted Chang. "I was asking you…"
Harry then looked up to see the woman he had seen earlier dismissing entire groups of people. Upfront she was much more intimidating especially since even at five, nine Harry wasn't much of a figure to the woman two feet taller than him and weighing three times his size over. She was dressed in a simple robe marked "Coach" in broad styled red letters with a whistle around her neck and a huge scroll in her arm. Her eyes were a deep green and her hair big tufts of curly red.
"Harry Potter?" the woman said staring at him.
"Umm yes?" Harry cursed the time of day and reality.
"A few questions….have you ever played Quidditch in a competitive capacity before?" the woman said apparently not treating him any different than the other kids despite his fame, which was good but Harry felt very small under his gaze.
"Yes I was Seeker at Hogwarts for Gryffindor." Harry answered.
"Did you win much?" She asked.
"Every year but the year it was cancelled and the final year." Harry admitted the last year he'd left Hogwarts for most of the year and along with other students quit and disrupted the Gryffindor team had been decimated.
"How many years was THAT?" the woman accented as if Harry might have only played two years and was trying to imply something false.
"Seven years maam." Harry said.
"You were Seeker Seven years?" the woman asked again as Harry nodded. For the longest time the woman stared down and then scribbled something on her parchment.
"Okay you can try out. Don't expect much though. Your one of many so called "good" Seekers and none of them are as good as my boy." Lilith Krell said simply.
***
1945
Austria
Octavian Grindelwald sat in his castle's study scratching feverishly away at the Book of Chaos. The Spartan chambers contained nothing but a few tapestries and the gigantic tome that was nearly three feet in length. The red dragon-skin volume had been his life's work since he had discovered the principles of the Prime Magic in Hogwart's library to unearth it's secrets and when he had begun his experiments, recording his results in this very book he'd begun what would become his lifelong path. The Prime Magic would guarantee his immortality and no being would ever be able to follow even so carefully outlined his instructions to achieve the level of power he had achieved in the Prime Magic, not that he had ever intended to let one view the contents of the Book of Chaos. Still, Grindelwald recorded his life's work in the Book knowing that it was the greatest monument that wizardry would likely ever possess to a genius that it would never know again. It was then that fragments of stone fell from the roof of the room down into the floor.
"Cursed Muggles!" Grindelwald called looking upwards. The war had been progressing badly and the thrice-damned Soviets had pressed well into his home territory destroying everything in their path. Octavian's recent experimentations with using the Prime magic to turn prisoners and easily replaceable goblins into terrifying eldritch monsters had proven quite satisfactory and he imagined he would have to pick that up again. A few hundred or thousand of the creatures should turn the tide of the war quite handily. What were a few Muggle villages or towns or even cities in the way? Re-built they could be, one and all.
It was then there was a knocking at the door. "Come in." Grindelwald said exasperated and quite sure that he wasn't going to get any further work done on his tome.
Alexander Smodeus walked in, a handsome and tall pure-blooded wizard who had been one of his first followers. The man had some talent in the Prime Magic but he had been fairly sure early on, Grindelwald had been, that he would destroy himself with it before he ever achieved anything of note. "Grindelwald." The words echoed with no trace of awe or fear but strength and more than a little pity. Octavian looked up from his book and stared back at the figure, which was already losing traces of his features to be replaced with those all too familiar to the Dark wizard.
"Albus Dumbledore…" Grindelwald said looking up and watching the English sorcerer merge out of the features of the Austrian man. Albus like Grindelwald had aged well past his prime years but unlike Octavian did not have to bear the weight of spending too much of it in the pursuit of selfish gain and purely hate-filled agenda. Indeed the ancient wizard dressed in his purple white trimmed flowing robes and pointed star dotted hat appeared incredibly majestic. Octavian took notice the man was still sporting that ugly wand made out of the phoenix tail on his shoulder, he had advised the young lad a few years back to steal it and hoped he would before he graduated.
"Octavian." Albus said forebodingly as he looked upon the man whom Grindelwald suspected still bore some similarity to Albus's close companion at Ravenclaw, before they're studies had diverged.
"Poly-juice is a bit beneath you Albus I'd have hoped you'd do something with a bit more dash like rip the roof off the castle in the form of a dragon or ride the winds not come thieving in dressed as one of my men. Tell me…did you kill him?" Octavian smirked looking with a sort of perverse interest and wondering how his student and the Prime magic had faired against his old colleague.
"We cannot all have your flair for the dramatic Octavian. Alexander Smodeus traded hair enough to supply my illusion, your castle's location, and whatever information he could about the horrors he did in your service for clemency. He needn't have bothered with the first, all your followers are either dead or have abandoned you for other tyrants." Albus's words were cold, harsh, and to the point and nature itself seemed to accent it by rumbling sounds that caused another piece of his roof to fall in the heart of his study.
"They will all be punished." Octavian considered this a moment though as a brief moment of clarity moved through his mind and he acknowledged that it was probably a wise decision to cut his losses with the Axis powers and seek some other Muggle leader to control for the glory of the Pax Magica to come. Octavian then drew his wand out from the folds of his robes. The twisted thing had been carved from the tooth of a Wyrm father and strung with the creature's heartstring, making it one of the most powerful types of wands in existence. "I suppose that we must now duel to the death dear old chum. In a way I knew it would come to this." Octavian mused, knowing the two Transfiguration majors had discovered the Prime Magic together but Albus had deemed it too powerful and horrible to control and thus abandoned godhood.
"If that becomes necessary." Albus said lifting his wand as Fawkes fluttered a few feet above his shoulder.
"Please the Alliance of Wizardry Councils would accept nothing less!" Octavian chided. The Ministries of Magic had allied well to preserve all magicians so frightened were they of the recent war. It had taken a man of true vision to rebel against their short-sighted muggle loving ways. "You are, as usual, their executioner and spy working to save us from the ambition which preserves us!"
"Beware your words Octavian. The hour of your doom is at hand and once it is done by your own hand or mine there is a punishment far beyond your reckoning awaiting you by those of similar corruption." Albus Dumbledore made one last plea to the mad eyed wizard as held his wand up.
"Enough banter! Shizzar-krekash!" Octavian cried summoning the ancient power of the Prime magic to release a torrent of stygian shadowy darkness towards Albus as it ate the very air it touched and led it oblivion.
"Wentaris Kree!" Albus spun around his robe before the primordial evil passed over his place and annihilated the door behind him and the castle walls behind it until the holes reached into the outside of the rainy evening.
A flash of light signaled Albus's return as his time skip of three seconds came to an end.
"Espiritus! Animatus!" Grindelwald began spinning around his wand causing the castle to shake as he opened himself fully to the maddening vortex of hate, passion, madness, land despair that he required to charge his next spell.
"Jupitus Annhilate!" Albus said lifting his own wand and shooting a bolt of stinging streaking lighting at Grindelwald who managed to fall to the ground just in time to see the lighting explode under his book rest and sending the book and the stone behind it flying into the air.
Already though the shadows in the room were peeling themselves off the wall and gaining black substance of their own as crude appearing golems starting to morph from the stone that formed the room and descend on Albus.
"ANIMATUS MORTE! ILLUMINUS!" Albus cried lifting up his wand as light filled the air and the golems and shadows screamed, being burned to nothingness where the light struck them and the golem's began to back away, turning to dust. However the pain of the exertion was clearly evident on Albus's face.
"You cannot hope to stand against the Chaos Magic Albus! It is the power of the Creator and all the universe, taken for myself and man!" Octavian lifted up Mesphisto into his hand even as he prepared another darker spell on his lips, the magical serpent becoming straight like a spear as it's master aimed it at his opponent who destroyed his creations.
"DIE!" Octavian screamed throwing the serpent with his magical venom that could kill nearly instantly at the heart of his rival, moving out of the toss into a spell that was so strong it's beginning casting tore the top off Grindelwald castle and sent stones flying into the air with the wind it began to channel.
Albus could do nothing but counter-chant, destroying the huge rocks sailing towards him and turning the shards of glass and wind into flowers or notes of music before they shredded him or bounced him against the wall so many times he was left little more than creamy jelly. The Transfigurations Professor from Hogwarts who had volunteered for many a dangerous mission to help mankind could do nothing about the lethal magical familiar sailing at him.
So Fawkes did.
Grabbing the snake in mid air the Phoenix flew unimpeded through the heavy windstorm and torrents of dark magic before casting Mesphisto into the face of his master, the snake so filled with battle lust it bit the Dark Wizard nine times before sliding off in horror and outrage.
"NO! IT CANNOT END LIKE THIS!" Octavian screamed falling backwards as he lifted his wand, the very poisons he'd made eating away at his body and immune to every natural spell of cleansing devised by mortal hands. "I will live!"
Albus now very wet but otherwise unharmed stared up in horror as he recognized Grindelwald turning the unpredictable Prime magic on his own form "No it cannot be controlled! Only directed! You know not what you do!" Albus futilely pleaded as he saw the man become directly infused with dark power of which no mortal could have hoped to survive, yet he knew it would be by this what Grindelwald was becoming would live. The form of a man already now gone as his flesh melted away and his bones seemed to contain entire galaxies and the stars of the Void.
"I LIVE" the thing echoed as Albus spied the book on the ground and he lifted his shoulder for Fawkes to land on, even as he gripped his wand with both hands, summoning every ounce of the will he possessed for a long and complicated chant.
"TO DARKNESS WITH YOU GRINDELWALD! FOREVER MORE! VENDI VENI VICHI!" Albus cried out before the vortex sucked everything but himself and Fawkes in the room downwards into the pages of the Book of Chaos. Only the rain puttering down on Albus's face seemed to remind him he was even here. Clutching the shivering phoenix in his hands he bent down and picked up the tome, sensing it's evil energy as he put it under his arm.
"Victory."
***
TO BE CONTINUED
-Charlemagne