This begins the final plot of Part I of this story. Who is the man behind the mysterious attacks on Angel, and why is he after her? Find out today, on Winds of Aeolus!

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Chapter 16: Riddle of a Riddle

Obviously, things did not improve, but I was glad at least that I knew Angel wasn't worried about Stephen. Although it had happened not long before our little "adventure", it was cause for concern. Angel was vulnerable.

"At least Tirui is dead," Harry said as we walked down the corridor. Now it was December, a time after Tirui had revealed himself to be. Everything to do with our enemies had been quiet. Too quiet.

"Who did you say brought you here?" Ron asked, trying to shove Scabbers back into his pocket. I knew what Scabbers was, of course, but I did not plan on telling Ron. At least, not yet.

"Some guy named Aeolus," I shrugged it off. "He said that he was the future form of her friend Aeolus, but she tells me that she doubts it. Some 'feeling' or some such rubbish. In my opinion, anyhow."

"If he brought you here, then he's all right," Harry grinned.

"He wants us to help you guys kill He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," I chewed thoughtfully on this for the first time in months. Of course, I had resorted to calling Voldemort by anything but is name. It kept Ron happy, anyway. "But I've still got one main question about that. After all this time of me settling in here, I've finally got to think on that. Angel and me kind of didn't have a choice."

"What happened when he brought you?" Harry asked.

"Well, we had just begun reading Goblet of Fire and I was going to sleep," I replied. "It was really funny how it happened. I just sort of...fell through the couch."
"You fell through the couch?"

"Yeah. Then everything went dark and I heard Angel screaming my name, but the wind had taken my breath, so I couldn't answer back," I didn't want to say that I was just too scared to answer at the time. They're my friends, but they'd still laugh, even at something so childishly simple.

We reached the Transfiguration classroom, and so had to be silent of such topics. Although Ron and Harry and Hermione and the teachers knew where we had really come from, it wasn't a good idea to let others know, at least not yet.

"Good morning, David," Angel smiled back at me as I sat down. "Ron, Harry, all right?"

"Yes, thanks," Harry smiled. Ron grinned at her, too.

"Good morning, class," Professor McGonagall made her way to the front. "Today, we will be transfiguring..." Her voice trailed off in my mind. She continued to drone on and on about what we were to be Transfiguring, however, I was hearing a different voice.

"It appears that the young girl is vulnerable now," said the voice. "We should go for it soon."

"But, sir!"

"It would be wise to act soon. But when?"

"Sir..."
"David!" Professor McGonagall rapped the desk in front of me and I awoke to the sounds of laughter. I had fallen so deep into my trance that it had appeared I had simply fallen asleep.

"Sorry, Professor," I mumbled.

"See that it doesn't happen again, Galis. Five points from Griffindor," she moved on, leaving me feeling worse than ever before.

***

"Are you sure it's Angel it's after?" Hermione asked fretfully when I told them what had happened. I nodded gravely and bit my lip.

"They kept saying that 'it would be wise to act soon', but they couldn't decide when to do it," I licked my lips apprehensively. "What do you make of it, Ang?"

"Dunno, babe," she shook her head. "I should be used to death threats by now."

"Angel, why are all these people after you?" Harry asked. "I don't get it. You're a writer with extraordinary magical talent, but wouldn't they be going after Hermione far more, since she's from this dimension? They've hardly even mentioned her. No offense."
"None taken," Hermione waved it off. "Harry's got a point, Angel. It's not quite right."
"I know," she threw up her arms. "But what am I to do? It's not like I can just reach into a hat and pull out all the answers."

"Maybe you can..." I murmured to myself. The Sorting Hat may have the answers to this little riddle. "Come on, guys. We're going to see Professor Dumbledore."

With that, I took off toward the front doors.
"Uh...Dee? Even I don't know the precise way to his office," Angel interrupted me.

"No, but we know someone who does," I smiled back and walked out the door, heading directly to Hagrid's hut. "Hagrid will be able to help us."
"Of course!" Hermione smiled.

"Yeah, Hagrid'll know what to do," Harry smiled.

***

"Sure, I'll take yeh to Dumbledore's office," Hagrid grinned broadly when we explained our predicament. "He'll definitely know what to do."

"Thanks, Hagrid," Ron sighed in relief.

"Aww, is Ronald worried about me?" Angel teased him. He turned about as red as his hair.

"I think we're all worried for your safety, Angel," Hermione covered the tension as quickly as it had been laid. "Let's go, before anything happens."
Malfoy met us outside.

"I heard it all," he ran a hand through his hair.

"Why do you insist on following my sister everywhere we go?" I growled at him. "It's like you're stalking her or something."

"I'm not."

"We don't have time for this rubbish," Hermione rolled her eyes. "Coming or going, boys?"

We followed her. Malfoy followed as well.

"Here yeh are," Hagrid announced. He stated some out-and-out password about gummy worms and climbed onto the moving spiral staircase. Everyone else followed him closely, not wanting to climb stairs about now.

"Professor Dumbledore, sir?" Hagrid called as soon as he got off the staircase.

"Hagrid, what a surprise," but he did not seem surprised at all. Angel took one look at him and pulled out her wand.
"There's something weird about him," she warned the others. "That's not Dumbledore."

"She's right," Malfoy announced, drawing his own wand. "It's someone named Kuja, in disguise."
"K-Kuja?" I stammered. "Like, Final Fantasy IX Kuja?"

"My father is very displeased," said Kuja, his guise tearing away to reveal his girlishly handsome Genome form. "Very displeased that Remulus did not succeed. Displeased that Tirui did not succeed. He will be pleased now, at least."

"What are you talking, Kuja?" Angel snarled. "Immobulus!" Kuja dodged the charm, clicking his tongue at her. "I defeated you in a game, Kuja. I can defeat you in real life, too."
"Game?" Harry, Ron, and Hermione were still clueless and I was frozen in fear. Only Draco and Angel were prepared to fight. Hagrid seemed to have disappeared and I wondered only briefly where he could have gotten to.

"The Hat was correct, it would seem," Kuja's silky voice caressed Angel's ears, drawing her into some kind of trance. "You do belong with the Snakes."

"Angel, snap out of it!" I screamed at her. Instead of listening to me, she took a heavy, determinate step forward. Draco lunged for her and kept her back by her forearms.

"Someone, try and immobilize him, something!" Draco called to the others. Angel took another step despite his firm hold on her. "Anything!"

Hermione stepped forward. "Ciadulus!" Her wand gave a spark of red light, then died. "What happened?!"

"Your wand's been Blanketed. It's useless to try and use it on me," Kuja laughed as Angel took three more thudding steps forward. Hermione and Ron jumped to try and help Draco pull her back, but even with all three, it was useless. Hagrid leapt in, and so did Harry. As quickly as Kuja had appeared, they disappeared. My sister and all of my friends were gone.

I heard a muffled sound of terror and climbed a small set of stairs, deeper into Dumbledore's office. The real Dumbledore was under Fawkes' perch, gagged and bound with magical ropes.

"I-I don't know how to release you," I muttered, looking over the ropes. Dumbledore used his head to point at a book, open on his desk. It was a spell for the ropes and such. So Kuja had used Dumbledore's own wand against him.

I found the counter spell and Dumbledore was free.
"Thank you, David," he said with a sigh. "We must set about to find a way to save your sister now."

"How?" I asked simply. "I've no idea how Kuja got here, and I've no idea what the heck's goin' on...for all I know, Angel's already dead."

"She isn't, you know it in your heart," Dumbledore sighed. "Come along, we must find some allies for this battle. Riddle has returned."
"You mean Voldemort?"

"No. His father."

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The next chapter moves fast, so keep on your toes! What does Dumbledore mean, Voldemort's father? Isn't he dead? Why were Angel and the others drawn to Kuja like that? And why was Kuja even there?! (If you don't know who Kuja is, ask. It's kinda hard to explain in the author's notes.)