Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to either the Harry Potter or Warcraft universe. They are the property of JKR and Blizzard, respectively. Only the plot is original.

Author's Note: This is a continuation of the Wizard of Awesome, but set three years later. The same base cast is there this time, with a few new and previously under-explored characters thrown in.

Strange Magic

Chapter 1: A Call For Help

Professor Dumbledore rarely experienced a dull moment. He had been following Jaina's progress for three years and faithfully relayed updates to Antonidas through the interplanar conduit that the two of them had constructed. They would communicate through written messages regularly, rather like the owl system at Hogwarts. They also quickly learned that they each had a sweet tooth, so every now and then Antonidas would send a couple slices of Azerothian velvet cake, and Dumbledore would send sherbet lemons.

Ever since the two great wizards stabilized the conduit which connected Hogwarts and Dalaran, Dumbledore started his Azerothian magic study sessions with Jaina and Hermione. Twice a week at eight thirty in the evening, they would meet in Dumbledore's office to study, but in time it became much more than a study session. Their relationship deepened into something more than mere teacher and student, but something closer to master and apprentice.

Dumbledore, like Professor McGonagall, had grown quite fond of Jaina and Hermione. Although their sessions were meant for the study of Azerothian magic, sometimes Jaina and Hermione had things outside of magic that they wanted to get off their chest and would sometimes ask Professor Dumbledore for some grandfatherly advice, or perhaps just to sit and listen to them vent. Dumbledore could hardly believe how much has changed in the past three years. These aren't innocent first-year students anymore, they aren't little girls. They're now young women. Smart and beautiful young women with boys on the brain.

Hermione was interested in Ron. She liked him, she thought he was rather cute, but he could be so infuriating sometimes. She felt frustrated that he just doesn't seem to reciprocate the subtle hints. Jaina felt similarly about Neville. Since she cast a memory spell on Neville on the train, he no longer needed his Remembrall and was able to develop self-confidence. However, the two of them were only friends and she wasn't sure he was romantically interested in her. Although she was happy that he developed confidence, he was still a bit on the clumsy side and that did embarrass her a little bit.

Dumbledore would smile at the girls. "Sometimes, the best way to a boy's heart is through his stomach. Would either of you care for a sherbet lemon?"

Jaina knew that both wizards had a bit of a sweet tooth. "Professor, has Antonidas sent you any of our famous red velvet cake yet? It's positively divine." "Why yes, Jaina, as a matter of fact he sent me a couple of slices a couple of weeks ago. You're right, it is a most exquisite treat. Would you like to have him send a couple of extra slices for you two the next time?" Jaina grinned broadly. "Hermione's been missing out – for her I know it will be love at first bite!" "Very well then, ladies. I will ask him next time for sure."

Hermione giggled. "You and Archmage Antonidas go through more sweets than first-years on the Hogwarts Express!" Dumbledore smiled, and cocked his head slightly. "I've been known to indulge, Hermione," he said. "On occasion." Hermione gave the old wizard a funny look.

"Now back to the subject at hand. I see that Polymorph is the next spell to study," Dumbledore said. With a knowing chuckle, he added, "I wish Minerva was here for this one as this is her speciality. Speaking of which, you two still meet with her every other week at four o'clcok for tea, I presume?" Both girls nodded in the affirmative. "Professor McGonagall, as I'm sure you know, is a very busy lady. The two of you are very dear to her, even if she doesn't outright say it much. She is very proud of you two young ladies."

Dumbledore paused for a brief moment. "Apologies, I'm getting off track. Polymorph, yes. It is similar to our Human Transfiguration spell, which is one of our more advanced spells taught in sixth-year, but if you can master the Azerothian Polymorph spell I can pull some strings and see if you can take Human Transfiguration early here." He then cleared his throat. "Now ladies, I don't want you practicing Polymorph on anyone here, not even Mister Malfoy if he's being especially antagonistic. So for practicing purposes, we need to try it on a target dummy. Hermione, could you please summon one for us?"

Hermione closed her eyes, waved both of her hands slightly, and successfully summoned a humanoid target dummy. Dumbledore nodded in approval. "Very good, Hermione. Thank you. The Azerothian Polymorph spell, thankfully, is temporary in nature. It does leave the target vulnerable while in their temporary form, and also for a short while after the effect wears off as they may experience brief memory loss, headaches, and other fairly mild side-effects. Again, I urge you to practice on a dummy and not a live target."

Dumbledore prepared to demonstrate the use of Polymorph to Jaina and Hermione. "Jaina, I know you've seen this many times before, but I don't know if you've actually attempted it yourself." "No, sir, I've only seen it," Jaina admitted. "Very well. Please follow along while I Polymorph the target dummy into a white fluffy sheep," Dumbledore responded. He thrust his hands forward slightly, and a rather faint white glow surrounded the target dummy. Within seconds, where the dummy once stood, sure enough, a white fluffy sheep stood in its spot. The sheep looked at Hermione. The sheep bleated a few times, "baaa", "baaa".

Hermione reached a hand over to try to pet the sheep. She found a spot on its shoulder, and gently let her fingertips run over the soft, white wool. The sheep sure enough appeared to be real to her, as the telltale oily residue of the sheep's lanolin seeped all over her fingers. Her fingers continued working their way down the sheep's back, and suddenly her fingers ran into something hard. Her greasy fingers streaked down the back of the wooden target dummy, to her shock.

"As you can see, the effects are not permanent, but with further study and practice, the effect can linger a bit longer. Jaina, would you care to try now?" Jaina thrust her hands forward and easily transformed the target dummy into a sheep again. Dumbledore smiled at Jaina. "Well done, Jaina. Antonidas would certainly be impressed." "Thank you, professor," Jaina responded. "Let's wait for the effect to wear off, and then it will be your turn, Hermione."

Within a couple of minutes, the sheep again reverted to a target dummy. Hermione closed her eyes to concentrate. She thrust her hands forward. Jaina cheered Hermione on. "Come on, Hermione! You got this!" However, nothing happened. Hermione grunted in frustration. "Don't give up, Hermione. You can do it," Jaina said encouragingly. Hermione tried again. "Focus, Hermione," Dumbledore admonished gently. Still, nothing happened. Hermione's eyes began to fill with tears.

Jaina put her hand on Hermione's shoulder. "Remember – don't think you can do it. Know you can do it. Own it, girlfriend!" Hermione smiled at Jaina. "I remember you telling me that as a first year. That was some of the best advice I've ever received. It is easier said than done at times, though." Jaina gave a knowing smile to Hermione. "I believe in you, Hermione. Nothing is impossible for you." Hermione closed her eyes again, pushed her hands forward, and successfully Polymorphed the dummy into a sheep.

Dumbledore applauded Hermione. "Outstanding, Hermione. Very well done indeed. I admire your persistence. And I admire the faith that you have in your friends, Jaina. And what I admire about the both of you is how you encourage each other, how you feed off each other, and how you bring out the best in each other. They aren't necessarily Gryffindor-specific values, but they are certainly admirable traits for any of our four great houses."

The chimes of the Hogwarts clock tower sounded. "Nine-thirty, ladies. This concludes our lesson for this evening. Well done tonight. I'm very proud of the both of you. I look forward to our next lesson together later in the week. Have a great evening. Oh, and I'll be sure to write to Antonidas about him sending a few more slices of that delectable red velvet cake." "Have a great evening, Professor," Jaina and Hermione said.

The girls made their way through the Gargoyle Corridor and back to Gryffindor Tower. They went to their dormitory and changed into their Azerothian purple silkweave nightgowns – thankfully, Antonidas had the foresight to send the girls a few new sets every few months – and plopped down in the common room to study for some of their regular Hogwarts courses. Although Jaina was long used to her Azerothian attire, Hermione felt like a princess whenever she wore her Azerothian clothing. It was far more luxurious than anything else she ever wore. It put things in perspective for her, however. She always had a quality wardrobe and didn't have to rely on getting things second-hand, like the Weasleys. Jaina and Hermione both gave some of their outgrown Azerothian clothing to Ginny, and although technically second-hand, they were still much nicer than the few first-hand clothes she had. She happily accepted the garments without question.

Professor Dumbledore was working on his correspondence with Antonidas. He told him about the progress of the Polymorph spell, how quickly Jaina picked it up, and how well Hermione did once she found her confidence. He also included a sampling of custard tarts, one of Dumbledore's favorite treats. He had mentioned it in a previous correspondence and had piqued Antonidas' interest. "I hope the Archmage finds these as delectable as I do," Dumbledore thought to himself as he prepared to send the package to his friend.

He zipped his wand in the air three times, with the words "Locus arcanum", and an elliptical-shape hole appeared in the air just in front of his face. It was maybe a little larger than a wash basin, just large enough for a medium-sized man to fit through. He wrapped up the parchment into a scroll, sealed it, and placed it in the conduit. The scroll gradually shrank from view before completely disappearing. He then placed the box of tarts in the hole, and it too gradually disappeared from view. A couple of minutes later, the rift shut completely until conjured again. Dumbledore yawned, and retired to his quarters for the evening.

The next morning, Dumbledore received a note and a whole red velvet cake from Antonidas. "He normally doesn't respond this quickly," Dumbledore thought to himself. He carefully opened the envelope, the contents of which completely caught him by surprise. The top of the letter had the Dalaran seal on the top of the letter, which was a stylized human eye. Below the seal read as follows:

"High Council of Dalaran

Head of Kirin Tor: Antonidas (Order of Medivh)

Dear Albus,

I am very pleased to hear that both Jaina and Hermione are doing so well in their studies. They are both supremely gifted young witches and I cannot help but marvel at their talents.

I sincerely thank you for the custard tarts that you sent me. I found them very pleasing to my palate and would love to sample more in the future. In return, I have included a full red velvet cake. I trust you to share it with Jaina, Hermione, and Professor McGonagle. If I remember correctly, neither of them have had a chance to try it. I sincerely hope they enjoy it.

Lastly, and most importantly, we have a bit of a situation here in Dalaran, and unfortunately I will require some assistance from your part. If you could round up six of your most promising pupils and send them to Dalaran, I would be most appreciative. I'm afraid one of my old wizard friends, Kel'Thuzad, had delved too deeply in the dark arts. We are stretched too thin here in the Purple City so this is why I am imploring you for assistance. I have full faith in your young witches and wizards to apprehend Kel'Thuzad. Please reply as soon as you are able.

Yours Sincerely,

Antonidas

Arch Magus of Dalaran"

Dumbledore stroked his beard in thought. He knew that Antonidas would do the same for him if the situations were reversed. He quickly ran through his most promising students mentally, selecting Jaina, Hermione, Harry, Ron, Luna, and Draco. Jaina, Hermione, and Harry were obvious because of their incredibly high magical aptitude. Ron wasn't quite as gifted, but like Jaina, he also had a knack of making his friends better. Luna's intelligence and perceptive abilities would make her valuable, and while Draco was powerful, he was also aloof and headstrong. Dumbledore was willing to look past his less desirable qualities because deep down, he knew that Draco still had honor, and perhaps a joint assignment such as this could be a way to bring Slytherin closer to the other three houses.

He owled all six students, who received them during their lunch hour, and they were to report to him once their lunch was over. Jaina, Hermione, Harry, and Ron all marched to the headmaster's office. Luna and Draco were already there. Draco rolled his eyes when he saw the four Gryffindors. "Bloody brilliant. I get personally selected by the headmaster for a special assignment and I have to work with four Gryffindors."

"Five," panted a voice from down the Gargoyle Corridor. It was Neville Longbottom, running as fast as he could. "Invitation or not, I'm coming with you!" Draco put his palm to his face, shaking his head in frustration. "Bloody hell indeed," he muttered to himself.

At that moment, the massive stone gargoyle shifted revealing a passageway, and Professor Dumbledore navigated the spiral staircase. He eyed each student to make sure they were all present. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. I thought I had only sent six invitations. Ahh, Mister Longbottom," he said.

Neville did not flinch. "Headmaster, I understand that I was not invited, but please, hear me out. Jaina was the one who helped me with my memory struggles. I don't know what spell she used, but I haven't needed the Remembralls my Gran sent me. Because of Jaina, I have confidence in myself. I may be a bit clumsy but I'm not useless. I can prove my worth – I just want a chance to do it. Please let me go with them."

Professor Dumbledore smiled. "Antonidas asked for six, but if you are that intent on joining this team, I will not stop you, Mister Longbottom. I'm glad to see that you believe in yourself. And that you're willing to take risks. That is very much a Gryffindor trait."

He continued. "Antonidas has asked for you to assist him in tracking down and capturing a renegade wizard named Kel'Thuzad. He was once a part of the Kirin Tor, the same council that Antonidas currently presides. He has placed his full faith in you, so please work as a team and observe the local customs and laws once you arrive. Antonidas can elaborate when you see him."

He turned back towards the staircase, and motioned for the seven to follow him. "Dalaran exists on another world, so I will be opening up a conduit for you to travel through. It's much like Platform Nine and Three Quarters at Kings Cross station, if you will. You will not be alone, I will be accompanying you on this mission. Oh, and I hope none of you are opposed to the color purple," he added with a chortle.