Hogwarts-a discworld crossover
All right, this chapter gets like X-Men, but stick with me!
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There was hubbub in the yard. The place usually accustomed to dealing with very sedate watchmen, a couple of complainers and some screaming and kicking men was overwhelmed by the noise of a hundred indignant voices. The walls were straining under the sound. All the wizards from both realities we arguing with each other. By the time Vimes, Cheery and Igor returned from the hall, Carrot had been trying to keep the noise down. The noise was deafening, especially when you wanted people to be quiet.
Vimes tried to wade through the sea of civic dignitaries. It was like trying to get a straight answer out of them. Finally, after about 5 seconds he lost his patience.
"SSSSSSSSSSSSSSHUT UUUUUUUUUUUUUPP!" The room went suddenly quiet. He cleared his throat, and said, " Thank you, You are all free to go, but the dinning hall in unseen university is out of bounds until the forensics team has gone through that place with a fine tooth comb. " The sounds of indigent voices raised," Now, there are some good places to go eat in the city, and many interesting sights to see. I'm sure some of you would like for Senior Captain Carrot to take you for a tour of the city," he said this without looking him directly in the face. Then Carrot stood up and started to talk.
"Well, Commander Vimes has a point. I'll take you out for a tour, and show you what Ankh- Morpork is really like" Oh gods, though Vimes, well be lucky if any of them get out alive if he shows them that. "And I'm sure you'll have a good time." There where a few grumbles, but as the man with flame red hair got up and got ready for the tour, a few other people got ready too. Finally everyone left or tried to leave.
"I'm afraid," said Vimes, clearly showing that he wasn't afraid," That a few people must stay here to be questioned. They are Mr Stibbons and Professor Dumbledore. That is all."
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Vimes sat in the questioning room. It was an hour since he had told everyone whom he would interview. The instant reaction was to have a fight, which the wizards did, with screams of who was guilty and who was innocent. Then they had sent in corporal Bluejohn to stop the fight. Which he did with pinpoint accuracy.
Then as the wizards left for the tour, Mr Fudge had a fight with Arch- Chancellor Ridcully, and had to be separated by a bucket of cold water. He could see Dumbledore and Stibbons cringe with embarrassment. Then both of them, sopping wet had shouted their innocence until he had to get Sergeant Detritus to put them in the cells.
Now they sat in their, sulking wetly. Dumbledore had just sat there, watching this happen. He had never seen a man as calm as the Patrician before. Stibbons had just cringed. A nervous constable looked around the door.
"Sir, Dumbledore says that if you want to interview him you can now."
"Thank you Constable Jones." The constable led in a wizened old man. He looked like the patrician in a strange way. Far too thin to be allowed, A natural authority and as if he planned his way through life, and sat behind a desk 24/7 (All right that isn't a Vimes-issm, but I wanted to write that.). He wasn't like the patrician at all though. The man looked like his face could smile without cracking itself and as if he had compassion. The silver hared man sat down on the chair in the room and looked expectantly at him.
"I'm waiting for Junior Captain Angua and sergeant Detritus be here before we do the interview. "
The door opened as the two officers came in. They pulled up two chairs and then Angua brought out a box. She opened it and said to the imp inside," I want you to record this." She put the box on the table, and signalled at Vimes to begin
"Today is the 6th of August, three forty-ish pee em exactly. The interviewee is Professor Dumbledore" Vimes lent back," Dumbledore is their anything you wish to say?"
"I wish to apologise to you for the way Cornelius acted earlier today. He just feels that he is under arrest."
"He is helping the watch with our inquires." Said Vimes simply," But it isn't the matter of his Violence that is of concern of the watch, yet." Vimes lit a cigar and savoured the smoke," It is the matter of the…Boy."
Dumbledore looked him in the eye. Vimes tried to outstare him, but it was like trying to outstare a tiger. "What would you like to know Commander Vimes?" said Dumbledore after a while.
"I'd like to know how a dead person can come alive just to tell us a message."
"Well… there have been several occasions when some people say they've seen the dead…"
Vimes froze the air around him turning to ice. " Don't play silly buggers man, I want you to tell me why this boy came through the window, scared all of us then told me that there are…. Changelings… and that they should be sent to Hogwarts! I know you know something about this and I want to know everything! Dumbledore merely looked impressed and said
"The only way I can explain this is to tell you the start of our kind. Where we come from, there are two kinds of people, Muggles, non-magic people, and wizards and witches. At one time, there were only mugges, until, some time about the 5th century, a wizard was born.
Shunned by society, he travelled the land, meeting more of their kind. The Man was Salazar Slytherin, one of the people who our houses are named after, and they meet three more men, Goderic Gryffindor, Henry Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. They were very resentful for there treatment from their type of people. They declared war. Muggles where almost wiped out, then Goderic decided it would be best to stop killing muggles, and better to explain to them. It didn't work. They were far too panicky, like chickens.
Then as more and more wizards and witches where born, they had to do something. The four of them started a school for witches and wizards. They stared one, called Hogwarts. Then as time went on their where more and more witches and wizards and they grew. They started to grow old, and realised that they had to pass on the flame. They passed it onto Davis Tucker, a wizard whose parents had been born of the first wizards. They died and left us all alone."
"Look, is this story going to take long?" Said Vimes, impatiently. Detritus gave him a look that could kill. "Please continue, " said Vimes a little too fast.
"Well, Commander, from there the story ends except for the later wars in the 20th century, but the less said about them the better. All I can say is that children exposed to magic, Any magic at an early age, and are susceptible, can become wizards. This seems to occur in our universe, so it could, possibly occur in your universe. Well, it seems to be a natural thing. In our universe we evolved from apes because of the magic, so I suppose its just another stage in evolution"
"Wait, wait, wait…We haven't got evolution here, we have gods."
"How do you know they exist" said Dumbledore coolly
"Well, I can't prove it, but if you go outsides and declare you're atheism, I promise you will be burnt to a sizzle by a thunderbolt."
" As far as I can tell, this is just a normal occurrence on a World that depends on magic to exist."
Vimes sucked on the cigar." So you're saying this boy was just a product of magical change? "
"Well, outside Mr Stibbons was telling me this magic that had leaked seemed to be different to the normal kind…"
"Look, we don't know anything about magic and the nature of it, so just explain it simply." Said Angua.
"The colour of magic on this world is octarine isn't it? Well this magic is blue. We, as a rule, don't have a colour of magic, but when we have been able to store it, it has been blue. I think this magic has mutated to be like ours. Ponder agrees with me."
"How did he know about Hogwarts? No one except the wizards and certain city official know about Hogwarts. Have you been messing with people's minds…"
"I assure you I haven't Commander, but this boy, who was he…"
"He was Jack Swifytery, son of the Secretary at the Teachers guild…" Oh gods, though Vimes he could have heard about.
"He could have heard about it," Said Dumbledore," but he knows far too much. He wouldn't know that much about Hogwarts."
"Well, that's true. Have you ever seen that boy before?"
"I'm afraid I've never seen him before in my life." Said Dumbledore sadly.
"Well, thank you for your time." Angua stopped the imp recording, and then gave Dumbledore a look to say he could leave. He stood up, and left the room with Detritus. A few minutes later, Ponder Stibbons came in.
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Jennifer left her Klatchian lesson for lunch. She hated the teacher, but she got on with it. She was good at most of her subjects, but they didn't like her. They said she was brilliant at her lessons, but her behaviour was appalling. She often got into trouble, and she didn't seem to care. She although trouble with a capital Tee, had got the highest mark in Klatchian. She was now the least popular girl in her class.
As she walked down the hall a boy with a face that looked like he had run straight into a brick wall, and hadn't noticed, followed her down the hall.
He then ran up to her and grabbed her by the arm. Before she could respond he bashed her against the wall. She could feel the breath come out of her body. He held her throat and started to strangle her.
"You bitch," he said as she choked," You think you're better than anyone else, but you're not. You're just a fucking traitor's daughter. You people think we've forgotten Lopez the kind? "
Jennifer choked and felt him hand getting tighter. She made some attempt to speak, but he rammed his fist further around her throat.
"Don't say a thing you fucking ugly whore, you killed our king and we won't let you forget. It. "
"Get your hands off me you fucking fag." she choked out. His eyes narrowed and he punched her in the face. Her head went into the wall a bit further. Her lip was bleeding and leaving a bloody trail down her school jumper. She coughed up some blood as he had lessened his grip around her neck.
He then let her fall to the floor and kicked her in the stomach. The boot hit her in the face as it came up. She did something she never though she would do. Tears streamed silently down her face as he hit and kicked her. The blood mixed with the tears.
Then she got up from the floor and her eyes flashed blue. She screamed. The glass in the windows melted as she screamed. The boy tried to run away, but she seemed to lift him into the air and bash him against the wall with her hand.
He screamed himself as she hit him into the plaster walls causing them to crumble. Them she dropped him to the floor hard and the flash of blue left her eyes. The place seemed to sizzle from the excitement. She looked at the bloody body of the boy, the shocked bystanders, the half-melted glass, the teachers coming to find out what had happened, and the intent on there face to find her guilty.
An unfortunate new male teacher came up to her as she folded up crying. He touched her hair and she looked up and shouted, "Don't fucking touch me you bastard! DON'T YOU FUCKING TOUCH ME! She got up to her feet unsteadily and ran out of the school crying, blood still oozing from her wounds.
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Jennifer ran through the Backside of UU. She was still crying and bleeding, but she didn't care. She had failed. She said she would stay in this school, but it was happening again. It was like in her dream. The boy who died, the face, the owls, she hated the dream, but she had to escape. She was running, but she didn't know where she was going, except away. She had to run away.
She decided it was best to just run home. If mum was there, at least she could get changed. She couldn't go through the front door, it would cause a scandal, and she definitely couldn't go to UU, she would be caught. She decided to sneak through the backdoor of the Ramkin Mansion and get into her room that way.
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Ponder sat in the seat and shifted uncomfortably for Vimes to start the interview. Finally he signalled to Angua to get the imp recording. Detritus leered at him and made Ponder gulp. Finally, Vimes leaned back, lit a cigar and let the smoke stay in the air. Ponder could feel himself starting to crack.
"Today is the 6th of August, four sixteenish Pee E M exactly, the interviewee is Ponder Stibbons. Mr Stibbons, do you know anything about the changelings?"
"What?" said Ponder truthfully.
"Changelings, Mr Stibbons. I here we've got some changelings in our city. I want you to tell me everything you know about the changelings."
"I told you, I don't have a clue what you're talking about!" said Ponder strongly. He looked at Detritus. The troll could break him in two. He tried not to think about it and failed.
"Maybe if I told you I know about your magic evolution theory you might know something."
"Well, apart from the magic in the high energy building seems to have mutated, I know nothing."
"Tell me more about this mutation."
"Well, it seems that there is a new colour in the magic spectrum. Macreene. I think this mutation was caused by the evolution of magic on the disc. In the same way, humans are starting to mutate to match the environment…"
"Look," said Vimes pinching the bridge of his nose," I'm just a copper. I can't be having with this. The only thing I want to know is if one morning I'm going to wake up and find that theirs an eight mile wide smoking crater instead of Ankh- Morpork. "
"Not if you catch cases like this early enough. That boy obviously couldn't control the power and finally blew himself up. " Ponder did a daring thing. He stood up and rested his knuckles on the table," This isn't about the 8th son of an 8th son any more sir, It's about kids waking up one morning realising they can destroy their Maths teacher for giving them a bad mark on a test. As I think Dumbledore said, Hogwarts is the best place to send them. They'll learn to control their powers and become useful members of society. "
"Not if they know they can kill us!" Exclaimed Vimes. He didn't even know why he was arguing about this. He was being spoke to as if he was the Patrician, although people were doing things to him they wouldn't do to the Patrician if they wanted to walk away next morning.
"They won't because their will be magic people in squads with you! " Said Ponder. Then he saw the look Vimes was giving him. He removed his knuckles from the table. Then he remembered what Pippin had told him, Ponder gulped again. He realised his comment was falling like a lead balloon through a helium festival.
"Well," said Ponder getting back some of his confidence, " Their more kids like that boy out their, you might even know one, and they might go the same way. Could you let this happen?"
"I can't do anything about this! Talk to the patrician! He's the ruler, not me!"
"Commander, you are on the streets, you could help find them! Watchmen may not be popular, but they are respected. They can help get these kids before they start to kill people."
"Why are we even discussing this!" shouted Vimes," All I wanted to know if you know this boy and if you know any reason why he would be bursting through a window! I wasn't expecting to find out about magic mutation and how our kids are to change the universe! This is a…a…a…a crime and I need to get to the bottom of it! I don't need to be told about mutation! Just if you recognise him and if you pushed him. "
"A crime Commander?" Said Ponder cocking his head like a quizzical dog," Why it a crime?"
"It just is, okay! I want to know if you know him!"
"I don't"
"And where you involved in his death?"
"No."
"Thank you! Now I can go home and get some rest. That's all I needed to know!"
Angua stopped the imp and put it away. Detritus lead Ponder out as Vimes sat there acknowledging everything he had been told. None of this made sense to him. He heard noise in the main reception. It was the sound of more arguing people. It went along the lines of, "My (insert appropriate relative here) is expecting me home to night, I need to send them a message. " Vimes decided to go out and sort this out.
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Jennifer walked around the back gate into her home. Home was everything she dreamed of. She was bleeding crying and a total mess. This way she would at least be able to get a change of clothes. She crept around the dragon pens as she saw her mother tending them. She cursed inwardly, and tried to walk into the house unnoticed. She crept past them and ran into the bathroom. She grabbed at some bandages in the cabinet and tried to fix up the worst of her wounds.
She heard footsteps on the stairs. She slid down the wall, trying to keep awake, and not sob to hard. It was only when she heard the door handle rattle she remembered that she had forgotten to lock it.
"I knew it was you Jennifer Vimes!" said Lady Sybil" Now come here or…" Then lady Sybil saw the wreck that was formally her daughter. She was a bleeding, half crying mess.
"Oh my gods…" Said Lady Sybil quietly.
"Mum?" Said Jennifer simply. Then she wrapped her arms around her mother and started to cry again. She was a wreak, but she was tired, hurt and confused. Sometimes it was more than she could handle. Lady Sybil held her close and tried confort her.
She took the gauze from Jennifer and wrapped it around the worse of the wounds on her arms, legs and chest.
"What on disc happened to you Jennifer?" Said Lady Sybil trying to quieten her down.
"I got into a fight… and he hit me…. and kicked me…then the glass…………..and then I sort of bashed him against the wall………then I think I killed him…." She couldn't continue. She just started to sob quietly, making her eyes go red.
Lady Sybil decided that this wasn't the moment to bring up the fact none of this made any sense. She patted her on the shoulder and tried to reassure her. She stopped crying but the wounds still wept. She felt so tried so suddenly, so she said," Mum, do you mind if I go straight to bed."
"Not at all Pippin, not at all, I'll come with you." Jennifer, half supported by Sybil, was helped to he room. Lady Sybil dumped her on the bed as she got a fresh night dress for her. Jennifer, only half understanding what was going on was shepherded into bed and tucked in. She fell asleep almost instantly.
Lady Sybil thought about it. When was the last time she had ever done this with Pippin? When she was six, seven tops. She looked at the thin, battered body and reminded herself why she put up with her. It was for these moments. The ones where they both realised that they loved each other and nothing would change it.
But Sybil was also angry with her daughter. She had left school early and she was covered in bruises and wounds. She had got into another fight. It wasn't like when other, normal, children had a fight. She had inherited her fathers fighting spirit. She would fall, but she would get back up again until she became uncontious. Or dead.
That had worried her for a while, especially at her primary school where she came back with a broken arm, but had managed to win a fight anyway. But it was who chose her to fight. She knew that Pippin would never pick a fight out of bravado, or for kick, but she had sent her teachers out in straight jackets for gods' sake.
Sometimes she wished she'd had a nice little girl who liked dragons a lot and was kind and generous. She then realised what she was wishing for.
Also, over the last few months she had been developing…strange tendencies. Things around her seemed to work in her favour and things happened. She never said a thing, but in the same way she found out what happened to Sam, she found out about her daughter's escapades
Only last week she had found out she had nearly beaten a kid to death for teasing her, but she had been across the other side of the room for gods sake! She had definitely been expelled this time. Lady Sybil wanted to rage, but she couldn't bring herself to. The poor shadow of a girl had almost fainted when she got back and was a mess. And most of all she was her daughter. She may have run away from school, but she obviously had good reason. She had been beaten up. Lady Sybil sighed. Sometimes it was hard to be a human.
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Vimes walked down to the cells. The two civic dignitaries were still sulking in their cell. As Vimes came down the steps they both seemed to look up and Fudge shouted at him, "I demand to be realised!"
"You're free to go," Said Vimes simply, " You too Arch-Chancellor,"
"What! It's that easy. I demand to know what I'm charge with!" Said Ridcully.
"Apart from being bloody idiots, you're not charged with anything. " said Vimes struggling.
"Well I should think so too! " said Fudge indignantly, we are guilty of nothing"
"Idiots?" Said the Chancellor quizzically, "Idiots"
Vimes walked again into a chorus of Angry Wizards. He sighed and waited as a constable of the forensics team pushed their way through the crowd. The constable saluted and said, "Sir the area is safe apart from the broken glass and the huge thaumic reading. I think it's safe for the wizards to go back."
"Thank you Constable Phalli, I'll tell them. Is the forensics' team out of the hall?"
"Yes sir"
"thank you constable."
Vimes grabbed a chair and stood on it. He cleared his throat in a way that could be heard over the explosions of stars and they vital line that furthered the plot.
"Well, the forensics team have looked through the hall and have found nothing except a high thaumic reading. You may go back if you want."
"About time too" said a voice in the crowd. Vimes ignored him and sent the crowd out.
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Ron came out of Quality Quidditch supplies with a Bard new broom. He looked very pleased with himself and showed them the broom.
"It's just like my old Nimbus 2000." Said Harry.
"That's 'cause it is a Nimbus 2000 Harry." Said Ron proudly.
"I think it's really nice," said Hermione," But I've been looking at a new broom in the Daily Prophet. It's called the Star-beam 103. It's very experimental, but I heard it does speeds never even heard of. But it's still very hard to control. Apparently, it doesn't obey a person who doesn't have talent…."
"Talent in what?" Said Ron, stroking the broom lovingly, not listening to Hermione
"Quidditch, dumb ass." Said Hermione slightly angrily. Harry was listening intently. He still liked his Fire bolt, but he liked to listen to news on brooms. If he knew their weak point, he could beat them at Quidditch easily.
"Well, I don't care about the Star- bolt, or whatever it's called, I think we should go and get a butter beer and toast my new broom." said Ron, still caressing the broom.
"Ron, please stop stroking that broom," said Hermione, "It's making me nervous"
"Ron, I have to admit, It's making me nervous too." Said Harry truthfully.
"Alright, alright, It's just the best broom I've ever had, I can't help it. It compels me too."
The three went into the leaky cauldron and sat down at a table.
All right, this chapter gets like X-Men, but stick with me!
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There was hubbub in the yard. The place usually accustomed to dealing with very sedate watchmen, a couple of complainers and some screaming and kicking men was overwhelmed by the noise of a hundred indignant voices. The walls were straining under the sound. All the wizards from both realities we arguing with each other. By the time Vimes, Cheery and Igor returned from the hall, Carrot had been trying to keep the noise down. The noise was deafening, especially when you wanted people to be quiet.
Vimes tried to wade through the sea of civic dignitaries. It was like trying to get a straight answer out of them. Finally, after about 5 seconds he lost his patience.
"SSSSSSSSSSSSSSHUT UUUUUUUUUUUUUPP!" The room went suddenly quiet. He cleared his throat, and said, " Thank you, You are all free to go, but the dinning hall in unseen university is out of bounds until the forensics team has gone through that place with a fine tooth comb. " The sounds of indigent voices raised," Now, there are some good places to go eat in the city, and many interesting sights to see. I'm sure some of you would like for Senior Captain Carrot to take you for a tour of the city," he said this without looking him directly in the face. Then Carrot stood up and started to talk.
"Well, Commander Vimes has a point. I'll take you out for a tour, and show you what Ankh- Morpork is really like" Oh gods, though Vimes, well be lucky if any of them get out alive if he shows them that. "And I'm sure you'll have a good time." There where a few grumbles, but as the man with flame red hair got up and got ready for the tour, a few other people got ready too. Finally everyone left or tried to leave.
"I'm afraid," said Vimes, clearly showing that he wasn't afraid," That a few people must stay here to be questioned. They are Mr Stibbons and Professor Dumbledore. That is all."
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Vimes sat in the questioning room. It was an hour since he had told everyone whom he would interview. The instant reaction was to have a fight, which the wizards did, with screams of who was guilty and who was innocent. Then they had sent in corporal Bluejohn to stop the fight. Which he did with pinpoint accuracy.
Then as the wizards left for the tour, Mr Fudge had a fight with Arch- Chancellor Ridcully, and had to be separated by a bucket of cold water. He could see Dumbledore and Stibbons cringe with embarrassment. Then both of them, sopping wet had shouted their innocence until he had to get Sergeant Detritus to put them in the cells.
Now they sat in their, sulking wetly. Dumbledore had just sat there, watching this happen. He had never seen a man as calm as the Patrician before. Stibbons had just cringed. A nervous constable looked around the door.
"Sir, Dumbledore says that if you want to interview him you can now."
"Thank you Constable Jones." The constable led in a wizened old man. He looked like the patrician in a strange way. Far too thin to be allowed, A natural authority and as if he planned his way through life, and sat behind a desk 24/7 (All right that isn't a Vimes-issm, but I wanted to write that.). He wasn't like the patrician at all though. The man looked like his face could smile without cracking itself and as if he had compassion. The silver hared man sat down on the chair in the room and looked expectantly at him.
"I'm waiting for Junior Captain Angua and sergeant Detritus be here before we do the interview. "
The door opened as the two officers came in. They pulled up two chairs and then Angua brought out a box. She opened it and said to the imp inside," I want you to record this." She put the box on the table, and signalled at Vimes to begin
"Today is the 6th of August, three forty-ish pee em exactly. The interviewee is Professor Dumbledore" Vimes lent back," Dumbledore is their anything you wish to say?"
"I wish to apologise to you for the way Cornelius acted earlier today. He just feels that he is under arrest."
"He is helping the watch with our inquires." Said Vimes simply," But it isn't the matter of his Violence that is of concern of the watch, yet." Vimes lit a cigar and savoured the smoke," It is the matter of the…Boy."
Dumbledore looked him in the eye. Vimes tried to outstare him, but it was like trying to outstare a tiger. "What would you like to know Commander Vimes?" said Dumbledore after a while.
"I'd like to know how a dead person can come alive just to tell us a message."
"Well… there have been several occasions when some people say they've seen the dead…"
Vimes froze the air around him turning to ice. " Don't play silly buggers man, I want you to tell me why this boy came through the window, scared all of us then told me that there are…. Changelings… and that they should be sent to Hogwarts! I know you know something about this and I want to know everything! Dumbledore merely looked impressed and said
"The only way I can explain this is to tell you the start of our kind. Where we come from, there are two kinds of people, Muggles, non-magic people, and wizards and witches. At one time, there were only mugges, until, some time about the 5th century, a wizard was born.
Shunned by society, he travelled the land, meeting more of their kind. The Man was Salazar Slytherin, one of the people who our houses are named after, and they meet three more men, Goderic Gryffindor, Henry Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. They were very resentful for there treatment from their type of people. They declared war. Muggles where almost wiped out, then Goderic decided it would be best to stop killing muggles, and better to explain to them. It didn't work. They were far too panicky, like chickens.
Then as more and more wizards and witches where born, they had to do something. The four of them started a school for witches and wizards. They stared one, called Hogwarts. Then as time went on their where more and more witches and wizards and they grew. They started to grow old, and realised that they had to pass on the flame. They passed it onto Davis Tucker, a wizard whose parents had been born of the first wizards. They died and left us all alone."
"Look, is this story going to take long?" Said Vimes, impatiently. Detritus gave him a look that could kill. "Please continue, " said Vimes a little too fast.
"Well, Commander, from there the story ends except for the later wars in the 20th century, but the less said about them the better. All I can say is that children exposed to magic, Any magic at an early age, and are susceptible, can become wizards. This seems to occur in our universe, so it could, possibly occur in your universe. Well, it seems to be a natural thing. In our universe we evolved from apes because of the magic, so I suppose its just another stage in evolution"
"Wait, wait, wait…We haven't got evolution here, we have gods."
"How do you know they exist" said Dumbledore coolly
"Well, I can't prove it, but if you go outsides and declare you're atheism, I promise you will be burnt to a sizzle by a thunderbolt."
" As far as I can tell, this is just a normal occurrence on a World that depends on magic to exist."
Vimes sucked on the cigar." So you're saying this boy was just a product of magical change? "
"Well, outside Mr Stibbons was telling me this magic that had leaked seemed to be different to the normal kind…"
"Look, we don't know anything about magic and the nature of it, so just explain it simply." Said Angua.
"The colour of magic on this world is octarine isn't it? Well this magic is blue. We, as a rule, don't have a colour of magic, but when we have been able to store it, it has been blue. I think this magic has mutated to be like ours. Ponder agrees with me."
"How did he know about Hogwarts? No one except the wizards and certain city official know about Hogwarts. Have you been messing with people's minds…"
"I assure you I haven't Commander, but this boy, who was he…"
"He was Jack Swifytery, son of the Secretary at the Teachers guild…" Oh gods, though Vimes he could have heard about.
"He could have heard about it," Said Dumbledore," but he knows far too much. He wouldn't know that much about Hogwarts."
"Well, that's true. Have you ever seen that boy before?"
"I'm afraid I've never seen him before in my life." Said Dumbledore sadly.
"Well, thank you for your time." Angua stopped the imp recording, and then gave Dumbledore a look to say he could leave. He stood up, and left the room with Detritus. A few minutes later, Ponder Stibbons came in.
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Jennifer left her Klatchian lesson for lunch. She hated the teacher, but she got on with it. She was good at most of her subjects, but they didn't like her. They said she was brilliant at her lessons, but her behaviour was appalling. She often got into trouble, and she didn't seem to care. She although trouble with a capital Tee, had got the highest mark in Klatchian. She was now the least popular girl in her class.
As she walked down the hall a boy with a face that looked like he had run straight into a brick wall, and hadn't noticed, followed her down the hall.
He then ran up to her and grabbed her by the arm. Before she could respond he bashed her against the wall. She could feel the breath come out of her body. He held her throat and started to strangle her.
"You bitch," he said as she choked," You think you're better than anyone else, but you're not. You're just a fucking traitor's daughter. You people think we've forgotten Lopez the kind? "
Jennifer choked and felt him hand getting tighter. She made some attempt to speak, but he rammed his fist further around her throat.
"Don't say a thing you fucking ugly whore, you killed our king and we won't let you forget. It. "
"Get your hands off me you fucking fag." she choked out. His eyes narrowed and he punched her in the face. Her head went into the wall a bit further. Her lip was bleeding and leaving a bloody trail down her school jumper. She coughed up some blood as he had lessened his grip around her neck.
He then let her fall to the floor and kicked her in the stomach. The boot hit her in the face as it came up. She did something she never though she would do. Tears streamed silently down her face as he hit and kicked her. The blood mixed with the tears.
Then she got up from the floor and her eyes flashed blue. She screamed. The glass in the windows melted as she screamed. The boy tried to run away, but she seemed to lift him into the air and bash him against the wall with her hand.
He screamed himself as she hit him into the plaster walls causing them to crumble. Them she dropped him to the floor hard and the flash of blue left her eyes. The place seemed to sizzle from the excitement. She looked at the bloody body of the boy, the shocked bystanders, the half-melted glass, the teachers coming to find out what had happened, and the intent on there face to find her guilty.
An unfortunate new male teacher came up to her as she folded up crying. He touched her hair and she looked up and shouted, "Don't fucking touch me you bastard! DON'T YOU FUCKING TOUCH ME! She got up to her feet unsteadily and ran out of the school crying, blood still oozing from her wounds.
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Jennifer ran through the Backside of UU. She was still crying and bleeding, but she didn't care. She had failed. She said she would stay in this school, but it was happening again. It was like in her dream. The boy who died, the face, the owls, she hated the dream, but she had to escape. She was running, but she didn't know where she was going, except away. She had to run away.
She decided it was best to just run home. If mum was there, at least she could get changed. She couldn't go through the front door, it would cause a scandal, and she definitely couldn't go to UU, she would be caught. She decided to sneak through the backdoor of the Ramkin Mansion and get into her room that way.
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Ponder sat in the seat and shifted uncomfortably for Vimes to start the interview. Finally he signalled to Angua to get the imp recording. Detritus leered at him and made Ponder gulp. Finally, Vimes leaned back, lit a cigar and let the smoke stay in the air. Ponder could feel himself starting to crack.
"Today is the 6th of August, four sixteenish Pee E M exactly, the interviewee is Ponder Stibbons. Mr Stibbons, do you know anything about the changelings?"
"What?" said Ponder truthfully.
"Changelings, Mr Stibbons. I here we've got some changelings in our city. I want you to tell me everything you know about the changelings."
"I told you, I don't have a clue what you're talking about!" said Ponder strongly. He looked at Detritus. The troll could break him in two. He tried not to think about it and failed.
"Maybe if I told you I know about your magic evolution theory you might know something."
"Well, apart from the magic in the high energy building seems to have mutated, I know nothing."
"Tell me more about this mutation."
"Well, it seems that there is a new colour in the magic spectrum. Macreene. I think this mutation was caused by the evolution of magic on the disc. In the same way, humans are starting to mutate to match the environment…"
"Look," said Vimes pinching the bridge of his nose," I'm just a copper. I can't be having with this. The only thing I want to know is if one morning I'm going to wake up and find that theirs an eight mile wide smoking crater instead of Ankh- Morpork. "
"Not if you catch cases like this early enough. That boy obviously couldn't control the power and finally blew himself up. " Ponder did a daring thing. He stood up and rested his knuckles on the table," This isn't about the 8th son of an 8th son any more sir, It's about kids waking up one morning realising they can destroy their Maths teacher for giving them a bad mark on a test. As I think Dumbledore said, Hogwarts is the best place to send them. They'll learn to control their powers and become useful members of society. "
"Not if they know they can kill us!" Exclaimed Vimes. He didn't even know why he was arguing about this. He was being spoke to as if he was the Patrician, although people were doing things to him they wouldn't do to the Patrician if they wanted to walk away next morning.
"They won't because their will be magic people in squads with you! " Said Ponder. Then he saw the look Vimes was giving him. He removed his knuckles from the table. Then he remembered what Pippin had told him, Ponder gulped again. He realised his comment was falling like a lead balloon through a helium festival.
"Well," said Ponder getting back some of his confidence, " Their more kids like that boy out their, you might even know one, and they might go the same way. Could you let this happen?"
"I can't do anything about this! Talk to the patrician! He's the ruler, not me!"
"Commander, you are on the streets, you could help find them! Watchmen may not be popular, but they are respected. They can help get these kids before they start to kill people."
"Why are we even discussing this!" shouted Vimes," All I wanted to know if you know this boy and if you know any reason why he would be bursting through a window! I wasn't expecting to find out about magic mutation and how our kids are to change the universe! This is a…a…a…a crime and I need to get to the bottom of it! I don't need to be told about mutation! Just if you recognise him and if you pushed him. "
"A crime Commander?" Said Ponder cocking his head like a quizzical dog," Why it a crime?"
"It just is, okay! I want to know if you know him!"
"I don't"
"And where you involved in his death?"
"No."
"Thank you! Now I can go home and get some rest. That's all I needed to know!"
Angua stopped the imp and put it away. Detritus lead Ponder out as Vimes sat there acknowledging everything he had been told. None of this made sense to him. He heard noise in the main reception. It was the sound of more arguing people. It went along the lines of, "My (insert appropriate relative here) is expecting me home to night, I need to send them a message. " Vimes decided to go out and sort this out.
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Jennifer walked around the back gate into her home. Home was everything she dreamed of. She was bleeding crying and a total mess. This way she would at least be able to get a change of clothes. She crept around the dragon pens as she saw her mother tending them. She cursed inwardly, and tried to walk into the house unnoticed. She crept past them and ran into the bathroom. She grabbed at some bandages in the cabinet and tried to fix up the worst of her wounds.
She heard footsteps on the stairs. She slid down the wall, trying to keep awake, and not sob to hard. It was only when she heard the door handle rattle she remembered that she had forgotten to lock it.
"I knew it was you Jennifer Vimes!" said Lady Sybil" Now come here or…" Then lady Sybil saw the wreck that was formally her daughter. She was a bleeding, half crying mess.
"Oh my gods…" Said Lady Sybil quietly.
"Mum?" Said Jennifer simply. Then she wrapped her arms around her mother and started to cry again. She was a wreak, but she was tired, hurt and confused. Sometimes it was more than she could handle. Lady Sybil held her close and tried confort her.
She took the gauze from Jennifer and wrapped it around the worse of the wounds on her arms, legs and chest.
"What on disc happened to you Jennifer?" Said Lady Sybil trying to quieten her down.
"I got into a fight… and he hit me…. and kicked me…then the glass…………..and then I sort of bashed him against the wall………then I think I killed him…." She couldn't continue. She just started to sob quietly, making her eyes go red.
Lady Sybil decided that this wasn't the moment to bring up the fact none of this made any sense. She patted her on the shoulder and tried to reassure her. She stopped crying but the wounds still wept. She felt so tried so suddenly, so she said," Mum, do you mind if I go straight to bed."
"Not at all Pippin, not at all, I'll come with you." Jennifer, half supported by Sybil, was helped to he room. Lady Sybil dumped her on the bed as she got a fresh night dress for her. Jennifer, only half understanding what was going on was shepherded into bed and tucked in. She fell asleep almost instantly.
Lady Sybil thought about it. When was the last time she had ever done this with Pippin? When she was six, seven tops. She looked at the thin, battered body and reminded herself why she put up with her. It was for these moments. The ones where they both realised that they loved each other and nothing would change it.
But Sybil was also angry with her daughter. She had left school early and she was covered in bruises and wounds. She had got into another fight. It wasn't like when other, normal, children had a fight. She had inherited her fathers fighting spirit. She would fall, but she would get back up again until she became uncontious. Or dead.
That had worried her for a while, especially at her primary school where she came back with a broken arm, but had managed to win a fight anyway. But it was who chose her to fight. She knew that Pippin would never pick a fight out of bravado, or for kick, but she had sent her teachers out in straight jackets for gods' sake.
Sometimes she wished she'd had a nice little girl who liked dragons a lot and was kind and generous. She then realised what she was wishing for.
Also, over the last few months she had been developing…strange tendencies. Things around her seemed to work in her favour and things happened. She never said a thing, but in the same way she found out what happened to Sam, she found out about her daughter's escapades
Only last week she had found out she had nearly beaten a kid to death for teasing her, but she had been across the other side of the room for gods sake! She had definitely been expelled this time. Lady Sybil wanted to rage, but she couldn't bring herself to. The poor shadow of a girl had almost fainted when she got back and was a mess. And most of all she was her daughter. She may have run away from school, but she obviously had good reason. She had been beaten up. Lady Sybil sighed. Sometimes it was hard to be a human.
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Vimes walked down to the cells. The two civic dignitaries were still sulking in their cell. As Vimes came down the steps they both seemed to look up and Fudge shouted at him, "I demand to be realised!"
"You're free to go," Said Vimes simply, " You too Arch-Chancellor,"
"What! It's that easy. I demand to know what I'm charge with!" Said Ridcully.
"Apart from being bloody idiots, you're not charged with anything. " said Vimes struggling.
"Well I should think so too! " said Fudge indignantly, we are guilty of nothing"
"Idiots?" Said the Chancellor quizzically, "Idiots"
Vimes walked again into a chorus of Angry Wizards. He sighed and waited as a constable of the forensics team pushed their way through the crowd. The constable saluted and said, "Sir the area is safe apart from the broken glass and the huge thaumic reading. I think it's safe for the wizards to go back."
"Thank you Constable Phalli, I'll tell them. Is the forensics' team out of the hall?"
"Yes sir"
"thank you constable."
Vimes grabbed a chair and stood on it. He cleared his throat in a way that could be heard over the explosions of stars and they vital line that furthered the plot.
"Well, the forensics team have looked through the hall and have found nothing except a high thaumic reading. You may go back if you want."
"About time too" said a voice in the crowd. Vimes ignored him and sent the crowd out.
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Ron came out of Quality Quidditch supplies with a Bard new broom. He looked very pleased with himself and showed them the broom.
"It's just like my old Nimbus 2000." Said Harry.
"That's 'cause it is a Nimbus 2000 Harry." Said Ron proudly.
"I think it's really nice," said Hermione," But I've been looking at a new broom in the Daily Prophet. It's called the Star-beam 103. It's very experimental, but I heard it does speeds never even heard of. But it's still very hard to control. Apparently, it doesn't obey a person who doesn't have talent…."
"Talent in what?" Said Ron, stroking the broom lovingly, not listening to Hermione
"Quidditch, dumb ass." Said Hermione slightly angrily. Harry was listening intently. He still liked his Fire bolt, but he liked to listen to news on brooms. If he knew their weak point, he could beat them at Quidditch easily.
"Well, I don't care about the Star- bolt, or whatever it's called, I think we should go and get a butter beer and toast my new broom." said Ron, still caressing the broom.
"Ron, please stop stroking that broom," said Hermione, "It's making me nervous"
"Ron, I have to admit, It's making me nervous too." Said Harry truthfully.
"Alright, alright, It's just the best broom I've ever had, I can't help it. It compels me too."
The three went into the leaky cauldron and sat down at a table.
