A/N:  I apologize for the long time between this posting and the last, but upon trying to find new ways to avoid the cleaning of my house, rediscovered the joys of the Armored Core series on my Playstation2.  And after I had completed all 3 Armored Cores, I was going to write, but then I saw a commercial for Frank Herbert's Children of Dune mini-series on the Sci-Fi channel at 9:00 on March 16, 2003 (this is not a plug), which at the time I'm writing this author's note, will air in exactly 43 hours and 38 minutes and I wanted to finished the third book in the dune trilogy before I watched it, so I've been spending much of my free time doing that.  That as well as the fact I've had a little trouble coming up with ideas for chapters, probably due to the fact that my mother never took me to the zoo as a child and I wanted to see the circus but they never came to town and…but hopefully one of my readers is a shrink and can help me with these problems of mine but other than that, I don't know why the fuck I just shared all of that shit with you.

            Chapter 9

            Times Up

            Harry sat up abruptly, sending sheets flying.  He glanced around and saw the world as a blur and, after a minute or so, someone thrust his glasses into one of his hands.  He put them on and looked up at who gave them to him and saw a man there.  He looked to be around 60 years old and dressed in nothing but a loincloth with a scraggly beard covering most of his chest.  If his appearance said he was 60, to look in his eyes would say he was at least twice that.  Presently, Harry felt a hand at his shoulder and jerked his head around to see Madam Pomfrey aside Hermione and Andranos.

            "What did you think you were doing Harry," Andranos shot at him.

            "What?"

            "Why did you go outside?  Hermione here says you might have wanted to take a walk outside but whatever it was, I hope you enjoyed it."

            "Wha…"

            "You went outside," Madam Pomfrey said leaning over him, "and you got yourself killed.  I don't know what came over you two, well, lucky for you Andranos brought a shaman with him when he came to Hogwarts."

            "Geez, Harry," Hermione said fighting back tears, "it's a good thing you were so close to the castle, Andranos was able to pull you back into the castle without getting hit by lightning like you and Ron were."

            Harry imagined himself leaving the castle with Ron under the invisibility cloak, but his thoughts were interrupted when he heard a loud gasp to the right of him.  He looked over to see Ron jerking into a sitting position in the bed beside him.  Ron looked around and started stammering about what happened before the trio swooped down on him and told him, virtually verbatim, what they had said to Harry, almost as if it was rehearsed.

            "Yeah, I think I remember," Ron said after a minute, "I wanted to follow Hermione when she left…"

            Harry interjected with, "I remember leaving the castle with you under the cloak but when we got to the steps…"

            "We found you on the steps," Andranos said, "I was able to magick you back into the castle."

            "Yes, we followed her," Ron continued, "but when she went to the library, Harry said we should let her do as she wills,"

            "And then I suggested we take a walk instead, maybe we could go outside, maybe they couldn't detect us under the cloak."

            "Well, let us leave these two to rest and think about what they've done," Madam Pomfrey said, "now all of you, out, out, out."  She pushed and shoved everyone but the old man with too little clothes on out of the hospital wing and shut the door behind them.  "Time for you two to sleep, Ceena, would you," she said to the old man.  He bent over Ron and made a snoring sound as he touched one of his fingers to Ron's forehead.  Instantly, he collapsed on his bed and began snoring himself.  The shaman came over to Harry, making the same sound and extending his finger again, as soon as it touched Harry, he blanked out.

            Harry and Ron spent the remainder of the day sleeping in the hospital wing and when they awoke, Madam Pomfrey sent them down to dinner, which they were just in time for.  When they arrived, they sat down amongst their peers and were the target of many jokes for being the first two students to try and venture out of the castle, news travels quickly at Hogwarts.  They ate their fill and were preparing to leave when Fred told them to sit back down.

            "Dumbledore made an announcement during lunch," he said, "and he wants everybody to stay behind after dinner for something important."  So Harry waited.  After nearly half an hour elapsed, Andranos got up from where he was sitting and made his was up to the staff table.

            "Everyone," Dumbledore said as he addressed the crowd, "please listen to Andranos now as he has a very serious matter to present to you.  Mr. Andranos?"

            "Thank you.  The Emperors, in their infinite wisdom, have decided to move the freeing date of the house elves from January the first, to today."  He reached into the bag he had slung around his shoulder and removed a rolled up piece of parchment.  He held it in front of him and unrolled it.  "Mr. Dumbledore, please stand up."  The headmaster stood.  "According to Dymorian law, you as headmaster are responsible for the slaves in care of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  Do you now choose to free said slaves now and forever of your own free will?"

            "I am not in a position to do that."

            "Very well then, please sign here," Andranos said, giving him the scroll.  Dumbledore signed and gave it back to him.  Andranos put it back in his bag and withdrew three more.  He strode over to the Slytherin table and unrolled it as he did before.  "Mr. Crabbe, Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Goyle.  Please stand up."  Malfoy and his cronies did as they were instructed.  "You three, who will hence forth be addressed as the accused, are asked the following question, as your parents cannot be reached at this time.  Do you now choose to free the slaves in the ownership of your family now and forever, of your own free will?"

            The three 'accused' looked at each other and said in a chorus a resounding "NO."

            Andranos handed each of them a roll of parchment saying, "As you wish, please sign on the dotted line."  They did as he asked them to do and handed the scrolls back to him.  He put those into the bag and pulled out yet another one, walking over to the Gryffindor table as he did so.  "Mr. Finnigan, please stand up."

            Seamus stood.  "Mr. Finnigan you are asked the following question, as your parents cannot be reached at this time either.  Do you now choose to free the slaves in the ownership of your family now and forever, of your own free will?"

            "Yes."

            "Very good, please sign here," Andranos finished as he thrust the scroll at him.  Seamus signed and the sorcerer put it back into his bag while making his way into the center of the room.  "As you all have born witness," he said in a booming voice so everyone could hear him, "Mr. Finnigan has freed his slaves while Your Headmaster Dumbledore, as well as Misters Malfoy, Goyle, and Crabbe have not.  Judgment will now be rendered."  He pulled his dagger from its sheath at his belt and started mumbling words to which Harry couldn't hear.  He continued mumbling non-stop until he had put the dagger, blade away from him, at eye level.  He put his hands at his sides and said a single word: Syun.  Immediately, the dagger shot forward like a bullet and buried itself up to the hilt in Dumbledore's neck.  The Headmaster responded by clasping his hands around it and his throat while moving his mouth like a fish out of water, gasping for breath, blood gushing out all over the table and down his clothes.  After a minute, his hands fell as well as his head in a limp a lifeless state.  He was dead.

            Panic ensued.  People were jumping up and running for the doors, everyone was screaming.  Harry looked over to see Hermione had fainted and as she lay on the floor, was in danger of being trampled to death.

"SILENCE!" Andranos screamed over the din.  He clapped his hands together and a sound echoed through the room that sounded like an explosion had emanated from him.  People had started to look back at him, though everyone was quiet now.  Harry glanced around the room and glimpsed Malfoy and his thugs standing exactly were they were before, transfixed on the sight of the dead Dumbledore.  Everybody that was near them moved away, sensing what was next.

Crabbe and Goyle turned and bolted in opposite directions.  Andranos turned to face Crabbe and calmly said, "No, don't run."  He criss-crossed his arms over his face.  While quickly opening his arms, he shouted out jintag!  Suddenly, five small, pulsating red balls shot out from him, two from each arm and one from his chest.  They spread apart with a low-pitched whoosh and converged on Crabbe's back.  Crabbe seemed to trip and flew a few more feet before coming to a skidding halt near the end of the table, blood pouring out of the gaping holes in his back.  Andranos spun around to face Goyle, who just stood there, a look of complete terror on his face.  Andranos stretched both arms out in front of him, palms facing Goyle, fingers pointed up.  He then pulled his right arm back to his side with his palms still facing Goyle and then suddenly jerked if forward.  Goyle flew back against the wall and slumped to the floor.  Andranos mumbled a few words that Harry couldn't hear and reached out in front of him, grabbing at some unseen object.  Immediately, Goyle's head tilted skyward and he began screaming a horrible, blood-curdling screech.  Harry sat transfixed and watched as Goyle's scream tapered off to silence.  A few moments later, a loud, sickening crunch was heard as blood began pouring out of Goyle's mouth.  The blood sprayed out and he jerked his head back and forth.  The blood stayed suspended in midair in several places until it seamed to outline a giant, invisible hand squeezing the young wizard's chest.  With a second loud crack, all of his movements ceased and his chest crumpled into a thin shadow of what it once was, sending more blood onto the floor.

Malfoy turned his head to the body of Crabbe, then, turned to look at the corpse of Goyle, finally turning his head to face their killer.

Andranos just stared back at him.

Malfoy reached into his robe and whipped out his wand, brandishing it at the sorcerer with a steady hand and a look of conviction on his face.  "Wingardium Leviosa!" he sounded as he waved it slightly.  The table in front of him lifted off of the floor and tilted so the tabletop was facing Andranos, sending the dishes clattering to the floor.  The table started moving across the room, sending students ducking so as not to be hit.  It picked up speed surprisingly quickly as it made its way for Andranos, who just stood there in its path stretching out his hand to meet it.  When the table was only inches from him, he said "Sumo" and it cracked where it would have hit him and each half spun away, falling to the floor on either side of him, leaving him untouched.  Malfoy reacted by thrusting his hand at him and said "Accio Table!"  The table directly behind Andranos shot towards him, clipped the top of his head, and landed right in front of Malfoy.  Andranos fell to the floor, bleeding slightly from where the table hit him.

Andranos stood up and reached for one of the pouches on his belt, but before he got his hand near one, Malfoy shouted "Diffindo!" causing every one of the pouches to split at the bottom, sending their contents to the floor.  Andranos looked down to see all his spell components scattered and mixed at his feet.  He looked up briefly to glare at the culprit before reaching down and snatching up a small white object.  He thrust it above his head and started chanting "Zoma nachy atu, Zoma nachy atu, Zoma nachy atu" punctuating it with "Zoma sichu natu!"  The object in his hand shattered and his head shot up to face the ceiling as he screamed.  From Harry's point of view, being behind him, he saw Andranos' face elongating into a wolfish length, as his skin turned to a dark purple.  Harry saw his fingers lengthen and the fingernails grow into claws.  Suddenly, the back of his robes ripped and two bat-like wings sprang out from them at the same time as a pair of goat-like horn started furling themselves out from the top of his head.  During this whole process, his scream changed from a low into a high pitch, and, after he seemed to grow another foot taller, changed into a wail.

Andranos jerked his head down to face Malfoy, grabbed his own robes, and ripped them off, revealing his entire skin had turned scaly like a reptile and was the same dark purple all over.  The creature that he had become just stood there, breathing slowly with heaving, readily audible snarling.  Malfoy took a step forward and yelled "STUPEFY!" sending a fiery red light out of his wand and hitting the creature in the chest.  It reared up drawing in a deep breath, and then hunched down to let out the most terrifying screech Harry had ever heard, a wail to rival that of any banshee.  This visibly shook Malfoy and all could tell this as he backing himself into the wall.  The creature jumped up started flapping its wings.  It hovered in the air for a brief moment before it swooped down on the terrified wizard, who shook his wand at it and silently mouthed words.  The beast dug the claws on its hands into Malfoy's neck and threw him to the floor.  It picked him back up and tossed him effortlessly across the room.  Next it took to the air again, picked Malfoy up, took him up near the ceiling and dropped him onto the Gryffindor table.  Malfoy groaned slightly after he cracked the table when he landed and a thick dark blood sputtered out of his mouth.  The creature fell down onto his chest, causing a fresh wave of blood to pour from his mouth, grabbed his head, and twisted it with a crunch.  It stepped down to the floor and knelt down into a fetal position and the whole process of transformation happened again, backwards, and a lot quicker.  Within just a few seconds, the naked form of Andranos stood up and sighed into the air.  He jerked around, sending his penis flapping against his thighs in the process, and shouted, "Hey Filch, take these men up to the infirmary to be resurrected."

A/N:  First of all, I probably don't need to tell you this, but Harry and Ron died when they were in Andranos' lab and they were resurrected at the beginning of this one.  Something you probably don't know is that nobody cast any spell to make them forget what they saw.  The human mind is very susceptible to suggestion after a traumatic event, and what could be more traumatic than death?

Next, I don't have access to a list of priest spells but I believe that I can safely say that the shaman cast Sleep on Ron and Harry.

Andranos caused the dagger to float and fly with an adapted version of the spell levitate.

When Andranos clapped his hands together, he cast Thunder Clap, a spell of my own invention.

Andranos hit Crabbe with a volley of Magic Missiles.

Andranos knocked Goyle across the room with Bigby's Forceful Hand and then crushed him to death with Bigby's Crushing Hand.

We all know what Wingardium Leviosa, Accio, Stupefy and Diffindo does, if you don't, you shouldn't be reading this story.

I don't know what spell Andranos cast on the table to split it so don't ask me.

Now for the last spell, Andranos turned into an Incubus using the spell Fiendform.