Plans
The next morning Harry walked down to breakfast alone. It was Sunday; he had slept so late he had fifteen minutes to get down to the Great Hall and eat.
"Pssst! Harry! We've gotta talk," said a disembodied voice from apparently nowhere.
Harry jumped about a foot in the air and turned hurriedly. He saw no one.
"Over here," whispered the voice again, and Harry spied Remus Lupin poke his head out of the semi-hidden doorway into his office.
"Remus," mumbled Harry wearily, "I'm on my way to breakfast."
"Come on in-- I've got food all laid out in here."
Harry hesitated for a moment, but the prospect of skipping the long walk to the Great Hall and simply eating was tempting. He followed Remus.
"Close the door, won't you, Harry?" asked Remus. "What we're going to be planning can't be shouted all over the school."
Harry didn't like the sound of that; "planning", but he did as Remus requested.
Sophie Willow was, as Harry could have predicted, already there, and Fred and George huddled in a corner of the room, pouring over a parchment. "What's up?" asked Harry curiously.
"Oh, just a little plot to help out Sirius...." said Sophie innocently.
"Okay, you two," said Harry, rolling his eyes, "what're you up to?"
"Have a seat and grab some toast," invited Sophie, "and we'll tell you."
Harry took a piece of buttered toast and bit into it eagerly. "You may have noticed there were about fifty people in Sirius's class last night." Sophie looked smug. "Sirius is never going to be able to deal with a class that size, so I figure we'll do him a favor and chase most of them away. To educate them in the stuff that even Dumbledore doesn't teach, which is what we're planning to do, we need the die-hard, last-ditchers anyway."
"And just how are you planning to 'chase most of them away'?" asked Harry worriedly. He didn't like the sound of this at all.
"Oh, just a couple of scares," said Remus vaugely. "Figure we'll have the Bloody Baron come in-- if he agrees --and tell the kids he'll be helping out the next few lessons. That should scare at least Neville away."
"And we'll have Hagrid demonstrate the uses of Dark animals with Fluffy," added Fred, who had come over. "And my cohort, Monseiur George, has volunteered to show the class the tracks of a certain spider named Aragog."
Remus stared. "How do you two know about Aragog?"
"Oh, ran into him in the forest a couple years back," said George, looking up, "why?"
"Aragog was running rampant in the Forbidden Forest twenty five years ago," commented Sophie. "It was Remus, James and Sirius who finally tracked him down and made a deal with him."
"How did you possibly do that?" asked Fred.
"I was in werewolf form, and the others were in their Animagi forms, so Aragog had no interest in us as a source of food."
"Anyway," interrupted Sophie, "getting back to the point, we're also going to have Peeves bring in some Cornish Pixies and let them run rampant."
"Does Sirius know about all this?" queried Harry, grinning.
"Of course not," answered Remus, looking offended. "You give us too little credit as Marauders-- why spoil good fun?"
"Sorry I ever doubted you," muttered Harry sarcastically. "Oh forgive me before I fall on my knees and beg."
"That's the spirit," applauded Sophie. "James would be proud!"
"Actually, it sounds more like Sirius." Remus scrutinized the Marauder's Map.
"Aha!" Sophie leaned over and tapped the map with her wand. "Right there."
"What's there?" asked George, coming over.
"A boggart," explained Remus, "that we're going to use to frighten the hell out of Sirius's students."
"Rejoice, for I am here," said Fred, also standing up. "We're good to go, Remus."
"What've you two got?" asked Harry suspiciously. He peered at the parchment in Fred's hands. " 'Messers Padfoot, Prongs, Moony and Wormtail, aids to magical mischief makers, present: The Marauder's Detailed Map of Hogwarts Grounds'," Harry read aloud. "Where'd you get this?"
"Sirius," whispered George confidentally, "he gave it to us. Said it might come in handy.
"You've found Aragog's tracks?" interjected Sophie.
"Yeah," said Fred offhandedly, "and a dead unicorn."
"What?" Sophie and Remus leapt for the map simultaneously, the result being a jumble of arms and legs as Fred went down with a resounding thump. Once everyone had gotten back up on their various appendages, Remus looked at the map again. "You're right," he said wonderingly. "A dead unicorn."
Harry leaned over the map. Sure enough, there was a small dot on the edge of the forest, labeled-- quite simply --"A Dead Unicorn".
"Strange," murmured Sophie. "Hagrid hadn't mentioned anything."
Once again, Harry could hardly wait until Sirius's class. Everyone filed in, and Sophie winked at Harry surreptiously and gestured under the table to a large cabinet. Harry guessed that was where they had hidden the boggart.
Sure enough, when Sirius opened the cupboard to show the class some baby grindelows, the boggart came out, and stopped, confused.
In respective order, it switched from: a moon to a rat; a mummy to Snape; a giant spider to a Dementor; and a large blob of goo. Sophie blinked innocently as it turned to her and began to transform into a strange sort of swirly gray cloud. "Riddiculus!" shouted Sophia, and leapt forward. The boggart was now Snape in a green hospital gown with a pink triangle on it. For some reason, Sirius seemed to find this hysterically funny, and 'Snape' exploded into a whisp of smoke. The class had not yet calmed down and only a few of them had picked themselves up off the dusty floor when all Hell broke loose.
Remus loosed the pixies.
Suddenly the room was bombarded by small electric blue flying menaces, who crashed out the windows, grabbed the chandelier and effectively made the place look as if a nuclear bomb had hit it. Two of them began to bludgeon the wall with large sticks, and another had gotten a hold of a wand and was blasting the ceiling. Chunks of mortar and bits of stone rained down as one pixie uprooted a tile and seized a hot water pipe, showering everything with hot chocolate. "What's up with the hot chocolate?" shouted Harry over the noise of shrieking students.
"Peeves," replied Remus wearily. "He's continually making the hot water pipes turn into hot chocolate pipes. It's an obsession."
The pixie with the wand had yanked the extiguished candles out of the chandelier and was hurling them at Neville, who whimpered and cowered under his desk as a gang of blue pests grabbed the downed lighting system and began to force it out the window. They shattered the glass and finally fit it through, flying it out over the lawns and dropping it in the lake, where a giant tentacle pulled it underneath the surface.
Cho Chang yelled as she was carried out the door by three pixies and uncerimoniously dumped on top of a suit of armor. Furious, she snatched a pixie and hit it over the head. The pixie dragged her all the way down the corridor, squeaking.
Remus, Sophie and Harry were doubled over as Sirius bit his lip, torn between anger and amusment. He gave in to the latter and joined Harry underneath a desk, laughing. When all the pixies had grabbed a victim and left, Sirius stood up in front of the class.
"Well, now we're all suitably invigorated," he joked, grinning, "let's go see what Hagrid--" Several people screamed. The Bloody Baron, looking particularly pale and horrible, glided straight through the floor and hovered over Milicent Bulstrode, who looked positively terrified. "And let's go see what Hagrid has procured for us," finished Sirius, shooting an extremely expressive glare at Sophia Willow.
"He's catching on," muttered Remus, smiling.
"Took him long enough," snorted Sophie in a loud, perfectly audible stage whisper. Sirius gave them another black look. The class filed out of the room, watching the looming shadows warily and jumping at small noises. Sirius pulled Harry aside briefly. "Harry," Sirius whispered, some undecipherable emotion on his face, "tell me you were in that little heist there with the pixies."
"Uh, yeah," confessed Harry, confused.
"Good," smirked Sirius, a smile dawning, "because no son of James would stay out or go to a-- ahem, teacher."
Harry was left staring after Sirius in astonishment as Sirius sprinted leggily down the corridor to catch up with his class. After a moment of inital shock, he ran to join them.
Nicole fell back to walk with Harry. "Hello, noble hero who has saved the wizarding world only three times but has also cleared the name of an innocent man," she said, obviously playful.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" asked Harry, completely lost.
"It means I'm in a good mood," explained Nicole.
"Ladeda for you," muttered Harry. "It seems like I've been confused and lost and generally sporadic all day," he complained.
" 'Generally sporadic'..." repeated Nicole thoughtfully. "Excellent phrasing."
Hagrid was waiting for them. "All right, all right... gather 'round," he called. "Now, there's nothin' ter be afraid of, because Fl-- this little beastie's perfectly all righ'." He pulled the crate to one side, revealing a giant, three headed dog.
"Now this 'ere's Fluffy," said Hagrid hurriedly as the nearest people backed away hastily. "Fluffy?" Millicent Bulstrode sneered in the background. Hagrid didn't seem to notice. "He's the best guard dog this side o' America. Bought 'im off a Greek chappie--"
Sirius coughed loudly. "Anyway," Hagrid continued, "he's very useful... great dog, this..." Fluffy drooled and snarled at Neville. George popped up, his face smeared with white plaster. "We're ready," he whispered to Remus.
"Okay," Remus whispered back. "Ah, thank you, Hagrid," he said loudly. "We've learned a lot. Now, if you students will just step this way--" Sirius, confused, looked around, but there was little he could do. The class followed George to the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
"Here are the tracks of a giant spider," said George without preamble. "He lives in the forest and his name is Aragog. If ever you should bump into him, the appropriate course would be to scream like hell and run."
The class chuckled nervously. Fred held up a huge plaster cast of the track. "You can see how big it is, of course--" began George, but Sirius interrupted him. "Ah, yes, and that seems to be all we have time for," Sirius concluded. "Hurry on back to the school now." The students gladly filed back up to the school, extremely confused by short, abrupt, and weird lesson. Sirius snagged Sophia's arm. "I want to talk to you and Remus."
"Good, because we've got a thing or two to say to you." Sophie suppressed a grin at Sirius's death glare.
Harry shook his head, exceptionally glad to be excluded from this particular conference. He walked back to his dormitory, where Hedwig was perched. "What are you doing here?" he asked in surprise. "Well, I guess I'll just let you back out," Harry sighed as Hedwig hooted. She refused to go back out, however, and so Harry just fell into bed, muttering, "I know I've said this before, but it's been a VERY weird night.."
At breakfast that morning, barely anyone could eat-- they were all laughing too hard at the antics of Sirius, who was hitting shamelessly on McGonagall. McGonagall was blushing, Sirius was trying desperately to surpress his own mirth, and Harry just sat there, chuckling helplessly. Nicole entered, took one look at Sirius, and collapsed into a fit of giggles. She slid weakly into a seat beside Harry, trying to say something, but amid the giggles it just sounded like, "Froggall and swansis have got some problems."
"Uh, what?" Harry looked at her like she was deranged. Nicole took a swig of orange juice and coughed. "I said, Sirius and McGonagall are really messed up."
"Why?"
"Look at her! She thinks Sirius is-- well, serious."
"So?"
"That is really sick! McGonagall is thirty years older than Sirius!"
"Your point?" Harry was rapidly becoming irritable.
Nicole just shook her head and fell silent. Harry distinctly heard her mutter under her breath, "Brittish.. Limeys......"
"Harry! Harry!"
"Wha?" asked Harry groggily. He had only just fallen asleep-- it wasn't time to get up yet, surely. No, the room was still dark. "Harry! Wake up!" The voice was different this time, female and urgent. "Oh, Harry, get up."
Harry sat up, reaching for his glasses. "What is it?" he demanded, irritable. He looked around and gasped. Two figures swam before him, a wavering picture of a tall woman with long flaming hair and sharp green eyes; and an even taller man. The man's messy sable hair stuck up at the back, and his raven-wing eyes were kind and piercing.
"Mum?" Harry blinked. "Dad?"
"Harry, I can't explain right now," the man said in a deep, even, and worried tone. "Just, just do as we say, and remember we love you." He vanished.
The woman's snakey locks shuddered as she shook her head. "Isn't that just like James? But Harry, you MUST get up to the astronomy tower-- black tides are in motion, and they will drown us all if we do not stop them. Voldemort is on the rise once again, greater and more powerful, and if you and your friends fail, we'll all be swallowed by the Dark waves."
"My friends?" Harry was wide-awake, or mostly, for his vision sharpened, and he realized he could see right through the woman. "Your friends are just as important. Rely on them, for they are human, and they love you. Do not fail. Go."
"Right," he muttered.
The woman faded, her voice becoming an echo. "And do not forget, Harry, there are currents in motion even we do not understand, and things are not always as they seem."
Harry listened intently, but the message was done. So. Astronomy tower, was it? He could do that. No doubt in his mind that someone wanted him to do something, he pulled on his boots, grabbed his invisibility cloak, and hurried down into the common room. "Who's there, so late at night?" the Fat Lady squawked, but Harry ignored her and pushed the portrait hole shut again. He turned to go, and seconds later something slammed him in the back. He whirled, forgetting he was invisible, and found himself face to face with Nicole. "Oh," he sighed, letting the cloak slide off him. "I thought the proverbial door had hit me in the back."
"It did" was the reply. "Which was really strange, taking into account nothing appeared to be there." Nicole's violet eyes were giving off a strange purple luminescence, considering there was only a dim light in the hall, and this weird form of illumination lit everything within a foot. "Astronomy tower too?" queried Harry uncomfortably, aware she'd probably think he was raving. Nicole nodded. "Let's go."
Harry held out the Invisibity Cloak as she slipped under it. Following, Harry was engulfed in almost pitch-blackness; the lavender glow in Nicole's eyes seemed to be masked by the folds of silvery cloth. Cursing and stumbling, they made their slow and painstaking way towards the staircase that led to the tower. During this brief period, Harry learned more swear words than he'd ever heard from Sirius, Sophie, Fred, George and Ron combined, and, out of curiousity, asked where she had learned her colorful language.
"My uncle Nick swears like hell," explained Nicole, suppressing a curse as she stubbed her toe painfully on a suit of armor. "He taught my mother, Trina, and she taught me. As you may have noticed, my mother and all her friends are screaming liberals."
"Yes, I noticed that," remarked Harry dryly. "Americans."
"Shhh!!" Nicole clamped a hand over his mouth and dove for a small alcove that a sleep-walking statue had vacated, Harry clutching the cloak to keep it from sliding off.
They were just in time, for perhaps a minute later, Snape walked by, muttering and glancing about suspiciously. Harry fairly fainted when he looked their way, his eyes widening and nostrils diliating. When he had passed, Nicole stepped back out into the corridor. "Hurry!"
A ghost of a voice whispered down the hallway, gliding into every corner. Harry had the odd impression it was searching for him. A slight breeze washed over the cloak, and the sensation grew stronger. "Hurry! You must go faster!"
Nicole threw off the cloak and started sprinting, pratically flying down through the castle in her haste. "Nicole," panted Harry, running to keep up. "What are you doing?" She slowed, but only a little. "Harry, you heard that voice. I know you won't believe it, but your mom showed up beside my bed and told me it was vital that I get to the astronomy tower. She said something like, 'Speed is of the utmost importantce. If dawn cracks the horizon before you know that which you face, flee, for the downfall of Hogwarts is settled. Many lives hang in the balance, and the legacy of magic depends on you and Harry.' "
Harry gaped at her. "Why is it that my mum tells you more than she tells me?"
"I don't know-- my mother, Trina, was her best friend, though. What time is it?"
Harry looked down at his wrist, then remembered he didn't have his watch on. "I don't know." They kept running, dodging corners and skidding to halts before plunging down the staircases. Nicole found a clock, and that only increased their urgency-- it was nearly five in the morning.
They paused for breath, facing a spiral stairwell, and both bit off shrieks as pale hands clamped their shoulders. "Off for a little before dawn run are we," said a cold voice. "Very touching. I daresay the headmaster'll find it interesting. This castle's not safe after dark, you know."
The hands on their shoulders turned them around, the grip like iron. It was Snape, of course, his dark eyes glittering strangely and his mouth set in a strange smile. "Professor," pleaded Nicole, "we're not without reason. Go up to the astronomy tower with us and you'll see."
"I think not," whispered Snape, the smile growing more pronounced.
"Damn," muttered Nicole quietly. "We're not getting out of this the easy way."
"I'd say not," agreed Snape, whose keen ears had heard every word.
"Right then," said Nicole, trading a glance with Harry. Suddenly a thought echoed in his mind. We could force him to let go, and then run like hell. It sounded oddly like Nicole.
Nicole? asked Harry, startled.
Oh, hey, did I forget to mention this? Remember when we were all spun together last year? Telepathy happened to be a feature of that interesting little opus. George and I found that out one day. I thought I keep it in reserve for an emergency. This looks like one, doesn't it?
"What are you two doing?" snapped Snape sharply, breaking their concentration neatly. Harry looked at Nicole again, and suddenly, perfectly, and choriographically, kicked Snape in the soft muscle just below the knee, just as Nicole grabbed aforementioned teacher's finger and bent it backwards savagely.
Snape howled, trying to clutch both his finger and his knee at once, hoppig with pain and nearly crashing into a painting. Nicole and Harry fled. They raced up to the staircase, Snape hobbling along behind them, and climbed up it as fast as they could, panting and scrabbling in their haste. Soon they were out of hearing range-- Snape's cursing vanished and an eerie silence fell. When they finally reached the trapdoor that lead to the tower, they were both exhausted. Having to get up this early was not really Harry's thing, and he climbed the ladder slowly. Soft light was pouring from somewhere up ahead, a silvery glow that almost obliterated the weak torches.
As she got to the top, Nicole let out a small yelp. Six huddled figures were conversing in low tones at the other end of the dew-slick parapet, crouched around something long and oval-- it looked like a mirror. One of them turned at Nicole's quickly stifled noise of suprise. It was Sophie. "What are you doing here?" she frowned, tense, then forced herself to relax visibly. Nicole was not taken in-- the other people were Fred, George, Trina, Remus and Sirius. "What are you all doing here at five fifteen?" she asked suspiciously.
"Well, all the nutters are out in force tonight, aren't they?" sneered a voice. Trina whirled; it was Snape. He was still limping, but he seemed to have recovered his full malice. Perhaps the kick had only helped. "Snape," said Sophia pleasantly, grinning in a not-quite-so reassuring way. "So nice to see you. Why doesn't it stay that way?" There was a faint undertone of lurking menace in her tone.
"Yes, it is rather enjoyable to be out from under the eye of... partial judges, isn't it?" inquired Snape, his voice like a whisper of wet silk across a smooth slate. "Oh, come on, you two," sighed Sirius, "and get along for once. We've got a real problem here."
"What problem, that she's a stuck up prig?" smirked Snape. Sophia pointed her wand at the trapdoor and it closed with a dull bang. The lock slid into place with a sharp click.
"Sophie," warned Remus.
"I don't care," retorted Sophie, tossing her long blonde hair over her shoulder like a petulant child. "I've waited too long for this."
Remus stood up, strode over to her quickly, and whispered something in her ear. Harry couldn't quite make out what it was, but it sounded like, "Chorus.... mumble mumble mumble, seed.... mumble, mumble... what happened last time."
Snape looked from one to the other, a curious expression on his face-- until horror masked it, as whatever it was they were talking about dawned on him. Sophia noticed, gestured, and whispered something to Remus. He glanced Snape, and abruptly cut off the conversation.
"Snape," ordered Sophie languidly, "stand over there, and be quiet. Sirius, I want to get back to scrying. Would you be so kind as to guard Mr. Greasy over there?"
Sirius rolled his eyes, but got up and walked over to Snape, who was next to Harry. Harry seized the opportunity to whisper, "What's a Chorus?"
"Not now, Harry," was the curt reply. Fred, moving for the first time, beckoned Harry over to the mirror; Trina scooted over to make room for him. Sophie came over, crouched before the mirror, and chanted softly:
Just give up and let me scry.
The mirror spoke in a grumpy voice: "That was the most pathetic rhyme in the history of reflective glass. Can't you come up with something better than that?" The silver surface went milky white. "Well, what do you expect for five thirty in the morning?" asked Sophie irritably.
"I agree with the mirror," called Sirius from his position next to Snape. "That was a lousy poem."
"I rather liked it," Remus protested.
"Where do we want to go?" demanded the mirror.
"Three miles off of the Val mountain range."
"In which direction?"
"West, please-- sector 35A, 67D of the Vale area."
"Oh, phooey. There's some hot girl taking a skinny dip over to the south some-- well, almost three hundred miles, but....."
"A pervert mirror," muttered Fred. "What in hell is this world coming to?"
"Hey!" the mirror cried, indignant. "I never said I wanted to spy on her!"
"Yeah, but that's what you meant, isn't it?"
"Erm, yes... a bit..."
"Uh-oh." This un-astounding remark was intoned in such a voice of dread and utter terror that all heads swivled toward the sound. Fred pointed, white faced, to the mirror, whose blankness had vanished. Instead, a large plain, backed by mountains, was in view, and swarming across the field were hundreds upon hundreds of black figures, moving seemingly slowly yet at a great, ground-eating pace. They moved like ants, fouling all the army had walked on, and a black cloud seemed to precede them.
"Damn," muttered Remus. "At the exact coordinates you predicted."
"What in bloody hell IS that?" asked Harry in amazment.
"A Dark Army," said Sophie cheerfully. Harry gaped. "Yeah, it's great, isn't it? Going straight for Hogwarts, too."
Harry retrieved his jaw from the floor. "Sophie," intoned Trina reprovingly, "not everyone has your-- erm, rather WEIRD sense of humor."
"I know that," Sophie snapped back. "We'd better go tell Dumbledore, and we can drop off this--" she pointed at Snape "-- pail of offal along the way." Everyone descended. Snape and Sirius went first, awkwardly, because Sirius still had to guard him. In Harry's eyes, Snape needed that guarding. One of his cheeks was ticking madly and he looked more than a wee bit deranged-- as if he might leap for a throat at any point.
Sophia came last, and, as Harry descended down the ladder, heard her giggle, "Oh, this is going to be fun." Harry shook his head. What the heck was she talking about? Certainly not war being fun? All of them trooped up to Dumbledore's office, not a one of them even considering that he might not be awake. Luckily for all of them, he was, although, a large fuzzy green bathrobe was draped about his shoulders.
Wasting no time, Sophia explained what she had seen, and during the course of the following discussion, Harry learned several things. One, that Sophie, at least, had been up on the tower scrying since the first night of the year. Two, that she had inside contacts (she refused to name them) actually in Voldemort's inner circle, and so knew all the plans that the commanding officers did. "According to my resources, Moldywarts has got some white haired old quack as his second in command, and this wizard dude has the backup of an entire squad of winged horses and their riders. This is gonna be one tough cookie." Sophie smiled grimly. "But then, I can dredge up a small army of those riders-- on our side."
"Excellent," said Dumbledore, who looked quite worried, for the first time Harry had ever seen him. "If you would do so, I would be-- er, 'eternally grateful'. After you call these, uh, riders, I wish you to continue scrying with your-- ah, troops."
"Very good," Sophie nodded, "I'll call Them right away." Something in the way she said it suggested it was a capital 'T'.
"Who's 'Them'?" asked George, thoroughly confused.
"Don't you EVER pay attention in History of Magic?" sighed Trina. Nicole just looked at her. "All right," Trina chuckled, "you don't. But I remember Professor Binns well enough-- small wonder you sleep at the desks. Anyway, 'Them' as my colleague so aptly put it, are the First Riders."
"Who?"
"The First Riders! Something wrong with your ears? The First were the first witches and wizards, the Magi, from Naevaerland. The First Riders were an elite group of Warrior Magi who rode winged horses in the later days, after Naevaerland had split. It was a hit-and-run force. 'Attack like lightning, vanish like smoke' was their motto, I believe."
"And Sophia Willow here did a favor to them, and in return they gave her a horse and a boon. She has yet to use the boon," finished Remus.
"And the horse?" inquired Sirius, who had had a few words with Dumbledore and was now free of Snape.
"Oh, he's still around," said Sophie carelessly. "Fireheart, they named him. Feisty little bastard, he was. Ball of lightning, too-- fastest thing I ever rode. Didn't like reins, though."
"Sophia," said Dumbledore pointedly, indicating the mirror. "I believe your friend over there is waiting for you."
"What? Oh, yeah." Sophie went over and crouched before the mirror, before looking up. "Dumbledore? You don't happen to have a speaking stone, do you? I hate working with mirrors."
"As a matter of fact, yes," Dumbledore said swiftly, and from his desk draw he took a spherical black rock, and laid it upon a cushion of velvet. The stone looked like onyx. "Excellent." Sophie got up and placed a hand on the stone. It slowly rose into the air, and, seconds later, a face appeared.
The face was unlike anything that Harry had ever seen, neither young nor old, but it had brown and silver hair, and deep brown eyes. The lips curled into a smile as the face saw what it was that it was speaking to. "That's Megana, commander of the Riders," whispered Sophie audibly.
"Sophie!" exclaimed Megana, grinning widely. "Long time, no see."
"Very long, Meg," commented Sophie dryly. "And only need brings me back to your tender, but doubtful, mercies."
"Still the sharp tounge, eh? I'm suprised you still have it. Thought someone woulda surely cut it out by now."
"How's Fireheart?" queried Sophia, choosing wisely to ignore the jibe.
"Ah, he's fine. Been pining a bit-- no one rides him as recklessly as you do --and needs some excerise, but other than that, he's fine. We know it 'cause he nearly broke the stable down yestermorn."
"Éoren still there?"
"Where else," retorted Megana. "She's still ruler. She's also proclaimed that no offical feast can go off without a foodfight."
"Like there was any chance of that."
"Well, it's Éoren, you know. Oh, and Saund and Bas have taken over rule of the Failte."
"Great. Failte still going strong? Where's Níve?"
"Hell yeah the Failte are goin' strong. Níve took off for the lower lands, though."
"Good," said Sophie vaguely. "Meg, I need a favor."
"Fire away."
"I need to borrow your entire company of Riders."
"WHAT?!?!?!"
"Hey, it's an emergency! Voldielocks is coming-- here, Hogwarts, and he's got a squad. We need all the help we can get."
"No," said Megana flatly. "I can't risk it."
"I thought you said that boon extended for--"
"No. If I let you talk anymore, you'll probably talk me into it." The speaking stone slammed down on the table again with a loud clunk. "Great," sighed Sirius, staring at it. Sophie was completely unconcerned. "Ah, they'll show up. Eventually. Might be too late, but the point is, they'll show up. Prob'ly drag along a horde of Failte as well."
Sirius looked horrified.
A/N: I'm SOORRRRYYY this part has taken sooo long, but I've got a writer's block the size of Mount Everest. I used to write good stuff, I swear I did! ::whimpers:: Anyhoozle, review, pleez. You know the drill.