Disclaimer: Not mine. Hehe, you should know by now that 'tisn't… Well… I do own Terredepaix though. Except, I don't own the French language. Awww… Such a beautiful language too! My Elven language is almost exactly the same as French with a few tweaks here and there… So I own the name, but not the language! Weird, huh?
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Dedicated to my buddy Ana for helping me with the French seen in past chapters and future chapters. Although there is barely any French in this chapter, since she is on vacation to France until July 7th…
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WARNING: Abnormally long chapter up! This chapter is much longer than I would usually post, but it covers a lot. It is also the beginning of Phase Two in 'The Plan', which you will hear about plenty in this chapter. As of this point, everything is PG-13. Language will get stronger, a lot more violence, a lot more evil little things that are not for evil little kids! (Not really evil, but very annoying…) Anyways, on with the story!
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Chapter Seven---
Snape growled audibly as he strode down the corridors of Hogwarts rapidly. Damn that McGonnagal! Why did that woman have to be so damn convincing? For the safety of the students, my arse! He thought savagely. The Transfiguration teacher had asked him to kindly command his next generation of Slytherins to not be so menacing to other Quidditch teams during games. More like to win the Cup for your bloody team! He was overreacting, and he knew it, but it gave him a good reason to scowl. He snarled at the thought and walked even faster, his steps echoing amongst the empty halls.
Or so it seemed.
He stumbled, literally, upon something on the stone floor. He cursed and regained his composure, kneeling down to see what the blasted thing was. As he knelt down, his knees came in contact with a gooey red substance. Blood. He shivered, and looked at the figure before him. He straightened and conjured a stretcher floating in mid-air and levitated the figure onto it. He couldn't see the figure's face, but he undoubtedly had black hair, for it matched the figure's robes. Snape didn't think it was a student, for the figure was pretty tall to be one. It was obvious that this person had a fatal injury, for the amount of blood that was on the stone floor. He stood up in a quick motion, and moved through the halls as though he was gliding, from the dramatic wave his robes were giving.
Snape blasted through the Hospital Wing, fortunately not literally, and placed the figure onto a bed. Madame Pomfrey immediately bustled towards him in a hurry, starting to check the figure's basic health and questioning Snape as well.
"Where'd you find the poor dear, Professor?" she asked, pressing a hand towards the figure's pale forehead. Snape didn't answer as Madame Pomfrey continued her tirade. "He's losing much blood. He might die soon from such a loss. Fetch the Headmaster, will you? He will need to see this!" Snape complied as the witch said; for it was obvious she knew more on the subject of Healing than he did. He rode up the moving staircase to the Headmaster's office and knocked on the door as he reached it.
"Come in." It was obviously Dumbledore. No one else could radiate as much power as the old wizard did in his voice with two simple words. Snape opened the door hurriedly and quickly told Dumbledore a shortened version of what had happened. Dumbledore was up and moving in flash, moving through the corridors as if he were a blur. If Snape was not a fast walker, he was sure even the old man could beat him in walking even if he had a head start. Snape opened the door to the Hospital Wing for Dumbledore and left soon afterwards. It wasn't his place to deal with such things. Pomfrey had most of the potions she needed after all, and his presence would only be a hindrance.
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Pain. All he felt was pain. He'd suffered through worse, but that fact alone did not help hinder the pain. He still felt it, the throbbing in his arm and head. Slowly, he pulled himself out of consciousness. His vision swam before him. He blinked a few times and his vision righted itself. Harry felt himself looking up at the face of Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
"Hello, Albus, how are you this fine day?" he managed to croak. Dumbledore chuckled. As Harry's vision began to get to its normal state, he realized why it was so bright. He groaned. The Hospital Wing again. Was there ever going to be a year he hadn't spent at least a day with some type of injury in the place? It was like when he first met Aurenia in the Ayra Castle Medical Ward. Speaking of Aurenia…
"Oh damn!" he cursed out loud. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at his choice of words. Harry grinned slightly apologetically. "Albus, will you use the amulet around my neck and whisper Aurenia into it? Since I can't move my arm…" He tried moving his arm to show him, but the old man shook his head and picked up the amulet the had been placed atop his cloak on the side table next to him.
"Don't worry about it, my dear boy," Dumbledore assured him, running his hands curiously over the amulet. "I took care of letting Princess Aurenia know about your current condition. She is expecting you back in Terredepaix tomorrow for your delayed coronation. Your arm is perfectly fine. That shot that you had gotten missed the bone, but did go through a vein. Madame Pomfrey fixed that for you a moment ago. You should be good as new tomorrow after the potion finishes its work. I asked Madame Pomfrey if she knew of a way to speed the process up so that you could make it to your coronation looking as if nothing had happened at all." Harry murmured his thanks and leaned back into the pillows. Dumbledore placed the amulet back on the table and watched him curiously, sitting down on a wooden stool placed next to the bed.
"Albus, can you invite the whole Hogwarts staff, the Weasleys, Remus, the Longbottoms, and the families of my friends?" Harry requested. He knew of Dumbledore's ways of being able to tell who were friends with whom. It was the reason he was Headmaster after all. He had a way of figuring out many things. "They're all I need for family and friends from the Human Realm." He grimaced. "Even Snape. I think it'll be quite amusing to watch him interact with the Lords and Ladies…especially Lord Entai." He smirked as he thought of the similarities between the two. "Snape will be very much interested in the workings of Entari Magic. And our potions."
"I will, child," Dumbledore replied fondly, chuckling as Harry rambled on about the inevitable Snape-Entai meeting. "It is quite interesting to think about Lord Entai and Professor Snape's similarities. I'm sure we could find many of them and try to list them. It would be far too long a list to be able to make, though, without one of us getting impatient and losing our tempers. Rest, now. You have to be strong enough to pass Madame Pomfrey's checkups tomorrow so you can attend your own coronation. And, Harry, my boy, that would be Professor Snape, as it is his proper title. He is your elder, and you must treat him as such." Harry managed a weak smile before falling back into the white fluffy pillows, tiredly sleeping, his last thought being, 'Ah, but Professor, I am technically older than him…'
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Aurenia watched Araine interact with others the little girl's age quietly. She had adopted the little girl like a younger sister, or a daughter, after she had found her trembling, frightened, after a particular speech. Aurenia's face was blank, as it always was when she was in deep thought or absolute shock. She could not express those two expressions… because… well, she wasn't supposed to. She wasn't supposed to show that she was thinking hard, or shocked by any news that messengers would bring from all over Terredepaix. It was a large land with many problems, and she was expected to be able to expect all things happening and act quickly upon them. It tired her to keep up this habit, but it was harder work to express shock and deep thought. She settled for the easier way out of her situation, making her face absolutely blank.
Araine was so innocent and naïve, that Aurenia felt rather guilty of putting her in the Plan. The Plan was a huge set plan on the next twenty years that she, Elsar, Ember had made for the following years. If any trouble came up, the three of them would instantly bring out the Plan and change a few details. The Royal Court was asked for opinions most of the time, but the whole Plan was never out and read fully for anyone but the ruling trio. Each Lord and Lady knew a part of it, but had been told that they each knew the same part of the Plan, so never questioned each other. When asking for an opinion on a matter, they would ask the particular Lord/Lady who knew that part of the Plan.
Araine was another pawn in the game. Aurenia felt guilty in making a little girl a pawn, since she was naïve about the world. But this had to be done for the sake of peace, however lasting it may be. They had to fight for a lasting peace, although there would a chance it would end soon. Although it would be better if they had just left the Human World alone, many of their fellow Elves were joining Voldemort's legion and they could very well lead Voldemort to Terredepaix. Terredepaix meant 'Land of Peace' in Elvish, or what Humans would call 'French'. She didn't want to change the name to Terredeguerre [A/N1] any time soon.
Aurenia sighed and continued watching Araine play noisily with Baroness Sapientia's daughter, Jinna. She'd delay Araine's part as much as possible, however small it was. Eshdavid and Aquaziora would just have to wait if they wanted their daughter back. Even if they did, Aurenia sure as hell wouldn't give her back to them. Horrible monsters of Elves would probably harm the little girl again, just because she wanted to be saved from her own parents. Aurenia called Araine back and held the little girl's hand tightly when she returned.
"Araine, say goodbye to Jinna and return here, understand?" Aurenia said softly. "We have to get home, I have a meeting to go to with Lord Elsar to visit Prince Ember. You can meet them there; that's what you wanted, right? You wanted to meet more royalty! But we have to leave, okay?" Araine bit her bottom lip, torn with the decision. "You may play with Jinna during the next few suns, but I have to leave and I can't leave you here on your own. Come now, say farewell to Jinna, I must leave." Araine nodded reluctantly and hugged Jinna goodbye with a little tear in her eye.
"Hold my hand, Araine," Aurenia whispered softly. There was no other way to get through to Araine. She had obviously been yelled at too many times to listen to loud voices. "We're Melting to the palace now. I will leave you with Lady Arwyse, agreed?" Araine nodded reluctantly. "Afterwards, when I bring Lord Elsar and Prince Ember, you can meet them, is that fine?"
"Yes, Your Highness," she said in a small voice as a reply.
"'Tis only Aurenia, Araine," replied Aurenia, kneeling down. "I'll be taking care of you for quite a while, and it does me no justice to be called 'Your Highness' or 'Your Majesty' while you are around. Only Aurenia, please, little one." Araine nodded silently. The girl rarely spoke these days. Aurenia sighed. She would be a tough girl to manage, even if she was quiet. Aurenia stood up to her full height – which was rather tall for a woman, a trait she had inherited from her uncle on her father's side – and concentrated on a particular ray of light in front of her and her passenger. Araine stood quietly next to her, breathing evenly, her heart at its normal rate. The ray of light shone a little brighter as Aurenia stepped forward carefully, Araine stumbling forward behind her. She Melted into the light, feeling her body slowly break apart with the light and mesh with it like lava. She thought of her destination – which was the Royal Court located in the Entari Palace – and felt her body slowly come back together, piece by piece, with the light. The light engulfed her whole body before retreating and she took one more step, her presence and Araine's now in the dark castle of the Entaris.
She pulled at Araine's arm gently, startling the girl, but getting her attention nonetheless. Aurenia held onto Araine's hand as she walked briskly down the corridors she had memorized, Araine nearly running after her. She stopped in front of the Royal Court doors and spoke to the man waiting to announce them, telling him her shortened title and Araine's full title. The man started slightly at the mention of Eshdavid and Aquaziora's names and stared at the little girl curiously.
"Is she really…?" the man started, but Aurenia interrupted.
"I would speak to you more, good sir, but we are in a hurry," Araine said patiently. "Yes, she is their child, and a possible heir to the throne if I do not conceive. Will you please announce us?" The man nodded slightly and stepped inside the court dutifully, calling out their respective titles. Aurenia clasped Araine's hand tightly and hurried in, not caring if she lost her composure as she entered the Court of Nobles.
Lady Arwyse, recognizing her princess anywhere, immediately hurried up to her and released Araine of her hold. Lady Arwyse and the other Lords and Ladies bowed or curtsied and Aurenia acknowledged them with a slight tilt of her head in respect. Only Elsar was missing, and he already knew what he was to do. Lady Arwyse led the child away, whispering comforting words to her. Aurenia nodded at her and Lady Arwyse understood what was to be done, hurrying away to complete her task.
"Ember," she began in a loud, clear voice, "has been unexpectedly injured, according to Headmaster Dumbledore of Hogwarts. He had taken a shot to the shoulder, and is in the Hospital Wing of the Hogwarts Castle. Ember knows what is to be done next. Phase Two begins now. Lord Entai, I need to speak with three of your best spies. Lord Enral, gather all of the troops in Etrivian and bring them to a Military Meeting that is to be conducted by yourself and Lord Elsar tonight in Kasew, Etrivian. You know what to tell them. Lady Azra, meet with all of your Field Healers and prepare them for battle. Make sure all of your people are composed and prepared. All of them are to attend the coronation ceremony tomorrow. Lady Arwyse is gathering all of the press that is to attend the coronation tomorrow and is telling them what to do now, and she is also gathering the troops of Aladei and Atlantis, and bringing them to a Military Meeting conducted by Lady Azra and myself. Take haste, now, my friends. The lives of many are in your hands." With that, each bowed or curtsied once more and left briskly, their jaws set in determination.
Phase Two was perhaps one of the more dangerous of the Phases. There were four of them. Each Phase was predicted, depending on what Ember, Elsar, and Aurenia knew of Voldemort, the Ministry, their Elves, and other little things. Most of it was accurate; some undecided, and other events could be delayed or cancelled altogether. When new unexpected obstacles appeared that would be dangerous to the Plan, the three of them would immediately meet once again and plan around the obstacle, to make it seem as if they had planned that it would happen all along. Elves never worked very well when their leaders weren't determined or composed, something they had learned from past mistakes of their ancestors. The Plan helped them calm and it would make Elves concentrate better, not worrying about the little mistakes. The Plan was also built to help keep as many civilians and warriors alive as possible. Some people were pawns in the Plan, manipulated so that others would remain safe, like Araine. Others were told what was going on. It was very complicated.
Aurenia touched the amulet around her neck and whispered Elsar's full title into it, summoning a vision of Elsar. She looked up and gazed at the blurry outline of the Military Leader in front of her. "El, I've just started Phase Two. You are fully healed, I am guessing?"
"Correct," the illusion of Elsar said. "Just a little tired, but fully healed. Where do you need me? I didn't memorize this part of the Plan."
"You are to conduct a meeting with the troops in Etrivian," Aurenia began, "and are to station them on the proper places and give them a 'pep talk' of sorts. You are to calm their nerves, however slightly, and also to give them last-minute training on how to handle a bow and arrow and/or a sword without their magic, for Voldemort is sure to take away our Elven magic as soon as he is in battle. Send a fourth of the Kingdom Warriors to Etrivian, and a fourth to Aladei to help in the battle there. Keep half of the Kingdom warriors in the coronation ceremony, guised as normal Elves, and tell them to Cloud their weapons. Ember and I guessed that from what we know of Voldemort, he would be planning multiple attacks at the same time. He has gathered many followers over the past year that has passed in Earth. We guessed that he would plan attacks at the edge of our lands, meaning most probably Aladei and Etrivian, since those two are the most populated border regions. He would also be attacking the center of our lands, meaning Eirith and Atlantis, with a smaller force, hoping to surprise us by attacking us at our 'weakest point', which would mean during the coronation ceremony."
"Got it all planned out, haven't you?" the blurry illusion of Elsar joked, waving slightly at someone at his side.
"It took us a bloody week to figure every part of this part of the Phase over," Aurenia answered, irritated at the memory. "Ember wouldn't let me send half of the troops to Aladei, arguing that Etrivian needed it too. 'Racial equality' he says. Etrivian has twice as many troops as Aladei!"
"Calm yourself, Aure, we can't have an angry ruler during Phase Two, now can't we?" Elsar jested. Aurenia rolled her eyes exasperatedly but elicited a chuckle anyways. She calmed considerably.
"Like I said to the others, take haste, Elsar," Aurenia said seriously, the future Queen inside of her coming back in full force. "Make sure to tell Ember to get rested and ready for the ceremony if you happen to come by him. That boy is simply uncontrollable…"
"That's why he's a ruler, Aure, no one is supposed to be able to control him," Elsar answered. "He's supposed to be able to control people using gentle ways. That he does already, as if naturally, in fact. We'll get through this war." Aurenia smiled in spite of her previous comment. "And anyways, he's your older brother. Who are you to call him 'boy'?" Aurenia gave a small laugh before cutting off their connection, ready to do her part.
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The following morning, Harry woke abruptly. He had been dreaming of sorts, and random thoughts began. As soon as they began, they stopped, and he thought nothing for a moment, before slowly organizing his mind. Eshdavid had captured him for a little while, and then as he escaped, someone fired a shot into his shoulder before he Melted to Hogwarts. Where he had been found by someone (he couldn't tell… he was unconscious) and brought into the Hospital Wing, where he went into consciousness for a little while, talked with Dumbledore about the… coronation…
"DAMN!" he shouted, shooting upwards. He nearly toppled off his bed as he hurried to get dressed to go back to the Entari Palace. A slight pain shot up in his shoulder. Madame Pomphrey did well! Luckily, the woman was not in the Hospital Wing at the moment, as it was still pretty early, and she must have dozed off in her office for a little while. He fumbled with the hood and slid it over his head, waving his hand and leaving a note for Madame Pomphrey and Professor Dumbledore behind to explain where he had gone.
He clasped his cloak, making sure to keep the hood over his head, and walked around. There were very few shadows in this room. He was awake, but he couldn't remember how to make a porte portique [A/N1] off the top of his head, as he was still rather sleepy, and stepped outside. His eyes widened in surprise when he suddenly crashed into someone, smaller than a professor, undoubtedly a student. It was Ginny Weasley.
Surrounding her was a group of closer friends. He couldn't recall any names of theirs, and froze. Ginny most probably recognized him. His guess was right as Ginny's eyes widened in astonishment and gasped out, "Ha—I mean, Prince Ember?" At the mention of his formal title, Harry smiled politely and removed his cloak, confirming Ginny's suspicions. He nodded slightly in acknowledgement as Ginny curtsied, rather gracefully at that. Her friends struggled to follow her example.
"No time to lose, Gin," Harry said, looking around hurriedly. "I have to be at my coronation this afternoon, at around 6:00 PM. Your family is invited, of course. Bring your friends – only a few, mind you, and I'd prefer if they didn't bring their families. I must hurry. There's a short reunion before the coronation for me and, unfortunately, I have to be dressed in full battle garb for a Royal." He scowled at the thought, and then smiled. "Your parents will tell you more about it, I'm sure. If you need more information, ask Dumbledore. If you still need more information, just come to the bloody coronation. Catch you later!" He waved and brushed past time politely, Melting with the shadows behind them. Ginny's friends gasped at the scene.
"Shit, Ginny, who was that?" Ginny's American friend – who had moved to Britain when she was ten – Maria, asked, awed. "He's a head taller than us and damn hot!"
"One of my best friends, Prince Ember," Ginny answered, staring at the spot Harry had Melted through.
"Best friends with a royal? Damn, Ginny, you got it good!" Maria exclaimed. She turned to the other two and they ran off. They had been late for class while Maria and Ginny had class in half an hour. "That guy was hot!"
"What?" Ginny asked, confused.
"You know, Prince Ember," Maria said slowly, as if talking to a toddler. "I bet he's older than us though." She swooned slightly. "Very dreamy. I'm definitely coming. Can I?"
"'Course!" Ginny cried. "Why not? You should see the other Entaris there, Maria. Though none could compete with—" Ginny stopped, blushing at what she was about to say. Maria had been told of the Elves, and Ginny was intrigued to find out that Maria's grandmother had been an Ayra. Maria's eyes widened and a broad grin spread across her face, her jaw dropping.
"You're in love with a Prince!" Maria exclaimed, jumping up and down from excitement. Ginny blushed darkly. "What's worse is…" she looked at Ginny once more, "you've known him for a very long time…" she assessed Ginny's movements, her eyes widening more, if possible, "and he's your brother's best friend! Oh Merlin, this is rich!" Ginny's face matched her hair, if it was even possible.
"Maria, can we talk about something else?" Ginny mumbled, leading her rambling friend away to the grounds, still blushing a rather dark scarlet color. 'I hope she doesn't spill it out to Harry…'
"My grandmother is definitely coming, she's an Ayra!" she continued her tirade. "If she finds out her granddaughter is coming, she most certainly is coming too. Mother is only half-Ayra, and she's interested in Royals, but she can't get off work. Gran said that little one-time use amulets are going to be available in stores all over Terr – er, what was it again?"
"Terredepaix," Ginny answered automatically.
"Yeah, what you said. Gran said that they would be free, and the limit to each family would be two. She's getting one for Mother, since Mother has to work. They're supposed to be a – a projectile sort of thing that gives you a full scoop on the ceremony. Like a Muggle te – tele…vision? Yeah, I think that's it.
"Coronations are always very grand, Ginny. Royals are dressed so beautifully. When you told me about Elves and I asked Gran about it, she showed me a picture of the Princess. She's the twin of the Prince. Not that I fancy women, but she is like, really beautiful! No wonder she's Princess! I have her picture with me. Gran said that if I should ever meet any of the Royal or the Royal family's friends, I should ask to see the Prince and Princess. Gran said they are most kind. She had served in the court in the past as the lady-in-waiting for Queen Azurei, their mother. Do you want to see the Princess's picture? I have a picture of the Prince too. She said she had asked the Princess to keep a few pictures of the Royal Family, since the Princess was very interested in the Muggle World and kept taking them. You want to see them?" Ginny stopped her sigh of relief. Maria had a tendency to keep on talking at a rant, and it was very hard to keep listening. Maria took the picture out from her pocket.
"Hey, Ginny, Maria!" yelled a voice from behind them. Ginny turned to face George and Fred Weasley, who had been visiting the castle on Order business for a week. "What do you have in your hands?" They stopped and looked inquisitively at the picture.
"It's a picture of Princess Aurenia," she said proudly, showing it off. Fred and George looked at it, stunned.
"That's how she looks like?" Fred asked in disbelief. George whistled appreciatively.
"If I hadn't been in love and married with Alicia, then I'd probably chase her," George remarked. He turned to his brother, a wide grin on his face. "Hey Fred, you could!" The twins had changed over the years, their hair no longer so short, but not long. It was indeed long enough to cover their eyes at times, but not long enough to look like Snape. Fred slapped George over the head.
"Did you happen to forget that I'm engaged to Angelina?" Fred said, his eyebrows rising. "But she is attractive…" Fred's eyes looked around, alarmed. "Don't tell Angelina I said that!"
"But…" George started, a grin spreading across his face.
"Charlie is—" Fred continued, a broad grin also blossoming on his face.
"—still very much—"
"—free."
"She does look his age," Ginny remarked. Maria agreed, nodding fervently. She too had a mischievous smile on.
"Perfect!" Fred and George said simultaneously.
"He's going to be coming to the reunion for Harry," Ginny mused. "It's before the coronation. He could most certainly meet Aurenia then, knowing Harry, he'd introduce Aurenia to everybody." Fred and George gave each a high-five, and rubbed their hands together excitedly. "If Harry asks who you got that information from, don't tell him it was me," Ginny added hurriedly.
"Misters Weasley, just the twins I am looking for," said a calm, yet cheerful voice behind them. The twins gulped nervously and spun around, sighing in relief when they found the Headmaster walking rather briskly for his age towards them.
"Fred and George, I was wondering if you might convey a message to Charlie Weasley for me?" Dumbledore requested politely. The twins nodded, rather confused. "I was wondering if you could ask Charlie to bring his Swedish Snort-Snout – Saphira, was it? – and to ride it to Hogwarts. Princess Aurenia requested that he does, for, I quote, 'There aren't enough Elves that have power to Melt everyone to Terredepaix and dragons are the next best option.' She is currently preparing the coronation, so she asked me to convey the message in some way possible."
"But it's going to take years for Charlie to bring his Short-Snout here!" Fred exclaimed.
"Actually, Charlie arrived at the Burrow last night with his Saphira," Ginny interrupted. The twins rounded on her. "Charlie fire-called me last night when he had arrived," she explained simply.
"Wonderful!" Dumbledore said, a twinkle in his eye. "Now, if you would, Misters Weasley? Princess Aurenia sends her thanks in advance." Fred and George nodded, still rather befuddled and walked off, murmuring to themselves. Maria rounded on Ginny.
"You're going to be riding dragonback!" Maria exclaimed excitedly. "Oh, I can't wait!" The two walked off again, babbling on incessantly about the upcoming coronation.
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Aurenia nodded thoughtfully as one of the designers suggested something different for the color scheme. Ember was insistent on keeping to the four colors of the Elven kingdom: gold, silver, black, and white. She looked around her in approval and nodded her consent to the designer as she started changing a tapestry's position.
"Au…re…I'm…back," a voice panted from behind her. Aurenia spun around and let out a delighted squeal, earning her looks of disapproval from Lady Arwyse, who was nearby, which she ignored. She ran up to the lone dark figure at the doorway and lunged into the awaiting arms of her twin brother.
"You worried the hell out of me, Ember," she whispered fiercely in his ear. She let go of him and examined his posture. He was tired, but pretty much not in pain.
"There ended up to be too many Humans that are needed to be Melted here for us to handle, so I had to ask Dumbledore if they had a dragon-tamer that was in any way relation to any of them," Aurenia explained as she walked beside her brother, examining the whole room. It was a large room, and could fit more than the Great Hall could. "Dumbledore suggested a man named… Charlie Weasley, I think, and he's bringing his Swedish Short-Snout. I'm going to be leading them into Terredepaix with Lord Enral. Great man, Dumbledore. I envy you for knowing him so well, Em." Ember smiled.
"Ember, you need to change into your outfit," Aurenia reprimanded her brother. Her brother started protesting that she wasn't wearing her outfit either. He was right. Aurenia was only wearing a simple tunic and breeches that were green and cream in color, and the boots on her feet were far from elegant. "I have to lead them into Terredepaix, and I very well can't do it in a fancy dress. You, however, are staying on the ground, so you don't need to stay in a dirty outfit. Go on." After successfully shooing off her brother, Aurenia stepped out of the Ceremonial Room and Melted outside to the Atlantis villages. She greeted each villager that passed her with a nod and a smile and stopped at the village library, where she knew Lord Enral would be. Lord Enral loved to read, although he was a great Magic Warrior.
"Lord Enral!" Aurenia called out. A figure to her left moved, and she saw the shape of Lord Enral loom closer. "We have to leave, we're picking up the a few Weasley kids and the Granger girl." Lord Enral sighed and stood from where he was. He was obviously engrossed in his book. She grabbed his arm and literally had to drag him with her to Melt to the Earth. Elsar had given her a mental picture of what Hogwarts had looked like since she had never been there before and because Elsar had spent more than seven years at the place. So, of course, she expected to be beautiful.
What she didn't expect was actually seeing the magnificent Hogwarts herself at her peak.
Hogwarts was absolutely glowing. Even the stone, that seemed to be colored so dull, seemed to positively radiate with light. She smiled brightly at the view. The lake that Ember had described so vividly seemed to live up to Ember's descriptions. It sparkled in the morning sun and small ripples of waves traveled across it. A warm wind blew, blowing her hair out of her face. It also made the Hogwarts flag at the very topmost part of the castle flutter a little bit, adding to the scene. Even the Forest, which her remaining relatives had described as enticingly dark, intrigued her. Of course, things that were dark had always enthralled Ember and Elsar. Aurenia always was fond of things that were bright. That was probably the reason Ember and Elsar were Entaris, and she was an Ayra.
"Wow," Aurenia said in awe, gazing around her in amazement. "I never expected this."
"Neither did I," Lord Enral muttered behind her, also staring at his surroundings. "The air is not as clean as our world's, but it's as clean as it gets here…"
"Come," Aurenia said, breaking out of her trance, grasping Lord Enral's wrist tightly. She pulled him to the grounds and let go as soon as she was positive that he was following. Lord Enral tended to act… below his age. "Headmaster Dumbledore said to meet the children in the 'Quidditch' field, whatever that is. Ember was always fond of that… thing… whatever it is…" She wandered across the grounds and heard a mighty roar sound from just ahead and great burst of flame issue forth into the sky. Figuring that was the dragon, she gripped Lord Enral's arm and dashed across the grounds. Lord Enral struggled to catch up with the smaller Elf and winced as Aurenia tightened her grip. The Ayra had too much strength for her own good. Perhaps not as much strength as him, but she had quite a lot for an Ayra.
She kept on dragging him relentlessly through the grounds until they rounded one last hill. As they did so, they gazed, enchanted, at a silvery-blue dragon which kept on breathing blue fire, as if excited. It was standing in the middle of a grassy field with stands and towers surrounding it. Bright red poles with hoops at the very top were erected at the farthest end of the field, and the farthest end directly opposite of it.
Aurenia grinned broadly and raced down the hill quickly. Lord Enral followed behind at a more reasonable pace. Aurenia gasped at the sheer power that the dragon emitted as she neared it. She smiled delightedly as the Swedish Short-Snout turned its – her – gaze to her. The dragon looked startled for a minute before moving slightly in a bow towards her. Aurenia curtsied, and when she looked up, the dragon's head was still lowered.
Your Majesty, it is an honor to be in your presence. Aurenia jumped as what seemed to be the dragon's voice entered her head. My name is Saphira, Your Highness.
'Please, it is just Aurenia, Lady Dragon.' Aurenia tried to talk in her head. To her delight, it worked, as Saphira seemed to smile in a dragon-like way. Aurenia raised her hood cautiously, so as not to attract attention.
I am here with my guardian, Charlie, Your Grace. Aurenia felt a stab of annoyance as Saphira insisted to call her in the 'proper way' but quickly pushed it down. Saphira thought it would be best, and however Aurenia felt at it, they would continue. He is here, Your Highness. Aurenia whirled around to face 'Charlie'.
"How did you do that?" 'Charlie' asked, astonished. He looked to be older than her – in Human Years – by about seven years and was taller than her. Perhaps as tall as Elsar, give or take a few. His hair was long enough so that some would fall over his eyes in a rather attractive way. Aurenia blinked at that thought, but dismissed it immediately.
"Actually, I don't know," Aurenia replied honestly. "I was hoping you could tell me."
"Charlie Weasley," the man introduced himself, holding his hand out. Aurenia blinked and figured it would be a handshake like male Elves did. She shook his hand uncertainly.
"Delayna," she said, planning not to reveal her Elven identity until the reunion. She didn't want them to act formal around her. She motioned for Lord Enral to lift his hood up as well, finding that his hood was already up. Their voices were muffled and their faces out of the line of vision. She waved her hand slightly, making her hood unable to fall until she wished it to. She maintained eye contact with Lord Enral for a bit, asking him to go along with the charade. "My Lord Enral and I are to guide you all on dragonback for His Highness Prince Ember and Her Majesty Princess Aurenia." She refrained from grimacing at using her own title. Charlie bowed to Lord Enral unsurely.
"Lady Delayna," Charlie began.
"Please, Monsieur Weasley, I am not a Lady," Aurenia cut off. "'Tis just Delayna."
"I see. Lord Enral, Delayna, how exactly are we supposed to go to Terredepaix on dragonback?" Charlie asked curiously, choosing his words carefully. "I'm not positive if Saphira, my dragon here, can endure that much height from what I've heard from Hermione. She said that it would be quite a ways up."
"Ah, you underestimate your dragon, Charlie," Lord Enral spoke for the first time. "Dragons have very much endurance for heights. They cannot pass our atmosphere however, for they need air like you and I. You Humans just didn't test out the theory."
"Lord Enral, please, we are to be kind," Aurenia interrupted. Charlie was confused on how a common Elf could speak to a Lord like Lord Enral, but took it as a sign that they could if they wanted to. His attention turned back to 'Delayna', who had continued speaking. "Prince Ember… Harry Potter in this world, I'm thinking… is currently unavailable. He sends his best wishes to the trip. We have attempted this many times before, but I cannot guarantee that you will not land without, at least, a bruise. The landing is quite hard to master…"
"Delayna, you are frightening them," Lord Enral chastised. "It is quite an enjoyable experience, in fact. That is, if no one is afraid of heights…"
"Actually, Hermione Granger is quite frightened of it, as I've heard, but no one else," Aurenia piped up rather unnecessarily.
"Alright, should I bring them here?" Charlie said.
"That would be wonderful, yes," Aurenia said with a smile. "Tell Professor Dumbledore this message, if you will." Charlie nodded. "'On July 31, 1980, an unknown birth certificate was made.' He'll understand. He always does." Charlie shook his head in confirmation, confused and slightly curious as he went to fetch the others.
"Why did you change your name?" Lord Elsar murmured inquisitively as soon as Charlie was out of earshot.
"I didn't want them to treat me as if I was a Princess," Aurenia answered quietly. It was the plain truth. Most of these people here in the Human World that she knew already treated her like a Royal, and probably based her upon their own version of a Royal, Minister… Fudge, was it? Ember had told her of the man's idiocy and snorted mentally. He messed up too much. It would save his dignity a lot if he would just resign and let another take over instead of trying to fix things. "And honestly, I wasn't lying. My name is Delayna. My Human name that is." That was also a true fact. "And, I'm not a Lady, precisely. I am a Princess."
On her Human birth certificate, she was named Delayna Liathane Potter [A/N2], the first name was the same of her mother's best friend, and her middle name came from Athane the Great [A/N3] and the first two letters in her mother's first name. The Elven title she carried around was – one needed to take a deep breath to be able to say it aloud – Princess Aurenia of Atlantis, Princess of the Ayra Elves, daughter of King Estrian of Eirith and Queen Azurei of Atlantis, sister to Prince Ember of Eirith. There were more titles to add to that, but that was the general gist of it.
"Ah. I understand," Lord Enral's voice broke through her reverie. 'No you don't,' Aurenia thought amusedly. No, he didn't, but he wanted to pretend like he did, so it would make her feel better. Ah well. Aurenia waved a hand and two rather comfortable chairs appeared. They both sat, waiting patiently as Charlie fetched the students to go to Terredepaix. A few moments later, they spotted four figures traipsing out of the castle, walking steadily towards their direction.
"I'm inferring that that would be Miss Granger, Miss Weasley, and Misters Weasley," Lord Enral commented. "Took them long enough…" he grumbled.
"Lord Enral!" Aurenia gasped. It was rarely that Lord Enral would be impatient, since he was the calm, patient type that Aurenia envied. He just shrugged and stood up. Aurenia followed his actions and waved the chairs away. The chairs disappeared with a small pop!
As soon as the four arrived, Aurenia gave them a hard look, warning them to 'Don't ask' and ushered them onto Saphira, who lowered her back dutifully. They were mounted on a rather comfortable and thick blanket with simple cloth handles. Aurenia guessed that they had put a Temporary Sticking Charm on the blanket to prevent others from falling off all of a sudden. Just in case, she told Lord Enral to watch each child. Aurenia was seated in front, with Charlie very close right behind her. She was pointing out the directions and half-controlling Saphira, while Charlie was the one that Saphira fully listened to. Ginny was behind them, followed by Ron, Hermione, and then Lord Elsar. Hermione was placed towards the back so that Lord Elsar could watch her closely. Aurenia had warned him that the girl was afraid of heights. Lord Elsar was towards the back because he was most experienced and he could easily jump after anybody who had fallen.
Saphira, seeing everyone was secure behind her, stood to her full height once again. Aurenia tensed. She hated take-offs and landings. She loved being in the air, though, and seeing the sights below her, or look at the fluffy, white clouds. Saphira stiffened, flapping her almost transparent wings next to her. Dust began to gather around them as Saphira lifted, slowly and gently into the sky. Aurenia smiled at Charlie as he clasped her shoulder as a motion of comfort. Saphira raised herself higher and started flying straight ahead.
"Straight ahead for about two hundred miles, gain at least 1,000 feet of longitude each ten miles!" [A/N4] Aurenia shouted over the wind. Saphira inclined her head quickly before concentrating. "Charlie, there is an invisible bubble for oxygen, right?" Aurenia felt Charlie move his head as a nod behind her and exhaled in relief. It wouldn't do for them not to be able to breathe.
The flight didn't take too long. Saphira was a very strong dragon and her wings were undoubtedly practiced in flying a great many miles. Soon, Charlie, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny spotted a distant blur. It wasn't a colorful blur, but the image of clouds seemed to… falter slightly at certain points as if hiding something. When Charlie pointed it out to Aurenia, she shouted,
"That's Terredepaix! Hiding in the clouds! It's not that large, really! About as big as the Americas combined, and then each race of Elves takes a half of it!"
"Why didn't they merge together?" Hermione shouted over the raging wind all around them. Even though there was an oxygen bubble around them, that didn't stop the wind from blowing in. They saw why the handles were there and used them quite well.
"Too many differences! They tried merging together once, but their morals in magic and everyday life are too different to gather in one area!" Aurenia replied. "The Entaris use 'Dark' and 'Light' Magic alike, while Ayras are more comfortable with 'Light' Magic and rarely use 'Dark' Magic. Entaris sleep during the day; Ayras sleep during the night, like most humans. Most Ayras are female. Most Entaris are male. Sure, they can mate together. We're fine with that. It's been done many, many times over history. But Elves mostly mate humans. Their children either turn out to be Fully Human, Half-Elven, or Fully Elven. It's randomness." Hermione nodded, satisfied with the answer. She still wasn't comfortable being so high up in the air, but she grew used to it. It wasn't a good thing, but it wasn't a bad thing either. Soon, they were right above Terredepaix. They couldn't see much of it, since a lot was still covered by magic, but they could see the basic outline of the lands. At least, to the Humans. To Lord Enral and Aurenia, the lands were formed perfectly clear, since they were Elves and they had seen it before. No one could get there unless they already knew where it was. [A/N5]
"Lord Enral, you're on!" Aurenia yelled over her shoulder excitedly. She loved jumping down. "Kids!" Lord Enral shouted over the constant blowing of the wind. "When I say so, stand up, grab each others' hands as fast as you can, including me, excluding Charlie and Delayna, and then jump. If you let go at all, I will be there to help you, but hold tight! You will not hurt yourself when you land. Trust me." Lord Enral glanced at Charlie and his Princess. Aurenia nodded. Lord Enral turned to the teenagers.
"Get ready! Grasp each others' hands now!" The three did so obediently, Hermione holding onto Lord Enral and Ron's hand tightly. He glanced at Aurenia, who tilted her head slightly, before yelling, "NOW!" The four simultaneously stood up, letting go of the handles and were immediately blown off the dragon, even without having to jump. Aurenia smirked as she listened to Hermione scream hysterically. She remembered the first time she had done that. She had screamed. Hell, she screamed louder than Hermione at the moment. Soon, their figures faded into Terredepaix and Charlie and Aurenia were left on Saphira.
"Charlie! Get Saphira ready for descent!" Aurenia commanded. Charlie obeyed and patted Saphira's neck slightly. Saphira tossed her head back and a few ropes were revealed, hidden beneath Saphira's scales. Aurenia smiled, impressed. Charlie clasped his hands to the rope tightly, Aurenia following suit. It was much like riding a horse, except two people were riding instead of one, and they were descending to the ground. Saphira tensed up, preparing for the dive.
"I hate this," Aurenia muttered, before Saphira turned sharply, bringing them along with her down. She seemed to be doing straight downwards and her speed was incredible. Too fast.
"Slow her down, Charlie!" Aurenia shouted over the roaring wind. "She's going to have to make a smooth pull from the dive in fifteen seconds!" Charlie heeded her words, pulling on the rope slightly. His eyes glazed over for moment before returning to normal. Aurenia saw the ground first. It was green. If Saphira didn't dive properly, it would be the last color she would ever see. Moments before the inevitable fall, Aurenia squeezed her eyes shut. She felt Saphira slowed down slightly, and Aurenia waited for Saphira to curve upwards. This was the part she hated the most. It happened on every dragon landing on Terredepaix for some odd reason.
Saphira began to bend her head. Aurenia's lower lip trembled slightly as Saphira curved fully, still going at that hated speed. The immediate and almost 90-degree turn caused the Temporary Sticking Charm on the blanket to loosen, and for Aurenia to loose her grip on the rope, therefore flying backwards with the wind, and Charlie right behind her. Saphira flew onwards and into the sky, hovering above the ground as Aurenia sprawled to the ground. She was shaking, as if she was laughing.
Aurenia however, fell on Charlie, for he was behind her. She groaned in pain as she felt her back. Imagine her surprise when she felt another person's riding vest below hers. Her eyes widened in astonishment and she immediately sprung to the side, regretting so immediately. A bruise on her back ached painfully. It was, thankfully, the only formed bruise. Her body still ached horribly, even though no signs of the aches showed. She stood up reluctantly and trudged over to Charlie, holding her hand out.
"I'm so sorry!" she apologized immediately. It must have been harder on him, since she fell on him in the first place. Charlie just tilted his head slightly. Seeing her hand out, he grasped it firmly before pulling himself up, careful not to pull her down with his full weight. Aurenia winced slightly, feeling her arm go out of its socket slightly before returning. 'Gruesome thought,' she mused to herself.
"Don't worry about it," Charlie said, giving her a tight smile. "Just a few aches that an hour's rest won't cure," he assured. At her insistence, he slung an arm over her shoulders to help him keep his balance, which had been rather lacking. He signaled for Saphira to follow overhead.
"I meant to warn you that we would fall once Saphira curved, but I had forgotten until we were rocketing downwards," Aurenia remarked guiltily. She apologized again, and he waved it off, saying he was okay. Aurenia couldn't help but worry for him. She had landed on him and she had gotten a bruise and a few scratches. He probably would've gotten more than just a bruise and a few scratches. His face had no visible mark, but his hands were quite bloodied with scratches. She turned away from his hands, frowning, but immediately brightened when she spotted the Ayra Castle up ahead. She pointed it out to Charlie, who merely grunted in acknowledgement. Apparently, he was still in a rather lot of pain. It was amazing that the two could still walk.
Aurenia looked above her and spotted a spec of blue, marking Saphira. 'Saphira, m'lady, the Ayra Castle is up ahead.'
Your Highness! Terredepaix is a beautiful place! The air is much cleaner than down on Earthen grounds.
'I'm glad you think so, my lady. It is a rather confusing fact, since Earth and Terredepaix share the same air. It must be a spell of some sort set up by an Elven ancestor.'
Most probably so, Your Highness. Where shall I land?
'You should see a tremendously large field up ahead, quite large enough for you to walk for a few paces in all directions. There are many dragon handlers there. Alert them that Charlie is coming, if you would. Charlie needs some healing for his hands.'
Yes, Your Majesty. If 'tis not too bold, I would like to make a remark.
'You are free to do so anytime, Lady Dragon.'
You are in need of some healing for your hands, too, as well as a bruise on your left leg.
'Thank you, Lady Dragon, your comment is marked.'
Should I announce your presence as well, Your Grace?
'I'd rather you not, my lady. They do not know that I introduced myself to Charlie as Delayna, and they will undoubtedly scold me for it. Tell them that Charlie came with a companion but had to rush off to do her duties, if you please. Also, let them know that Charlie is needed to be healed, by request of Princess Aurenia, and to tell Charlie that I did not request it, but Lord Enral did. It is the best way to evade him.'
As you wish. She felt Saphira cut off the connection as she watched the dragon land in, hopefully, the field Aurenia had described. Aurenia tugged Charlie towards the gates, where she saw Ayra guards approaching. Without saying a farewell to Charlie, she ran as fast as she could to the forests nearby, hoping her rather green-ish attire would help her blend in with the trees.
As the guards approached Charlie, ushering him forwards and into the Palace, the Weasley looked around, rather surprised that his flight companion had disappeared. When he asked what had happened to his companions, the guards simply answered that the girl, 'undoubtedly a servant', must have gone off to her duties.
Aurenia smiled secretly and opened a porte portique, Melting with the Light with a final look at Charlie. Seeing that he was in good hands, she Melted with ease, reappearing in the infirmary. Instantly, a healer came to her attention. Charlie was all the way in the other Medical Ward on the other side of the castle. She showed her hands, and the healer instantly went to work. Aurenia smiled, telling herself to give a raise to the Palace workers as soon as she could…
---
Lord Elsar was having a panic attack. Everyone in the castle knew it, or at least those that could recognize the signs. Lord Elsar was a very humorous person and brought a brighter side to the dark, shadowy Entari Palace. It was instantly felt when the mood of the castle immediately changed. It seemed that the castle's moods – yes, it had moods – appeared to reflect Lord Elsar's. Candles were flicking on and off at random points, annoying some Entaris trying to read to no ends. Stairs kept changing, which occurred only at rare times, or in this case, when Lord Elsar was having a phase of panic or nervousness.
And right now, Lord Elsar was having a panic attack.
"What am I going to say to them, Ember?" Lord Elsar said, pacing up and down, wringing his hands as Ember put the armor over the elegant, but simple silver tunic and leggings that the seamstresses from the Ayra Castle had provided for him. "Remus will undoubtedly feel betrayed and hurt. I can't stand one of my best friends being hurt. I felt bad when I sent Snape to his doom, also known as Moony, during our Hogwarts years and Remus felt betrayed then. That was pretty simple compared to now! I mean, I pretended to be dead! Well, not deliberately. I mean, I've pretended to be dead for… what, a year and a few weeks? Yeah. Very long if you ask me."
"No one was asking you…" Ember muttered to himself as he tugged at the armor in desperation, hoping to loosen it, as it was sticking to his tunic painfully. Elsar, not hearing him, kept on with his tirade. It was amusing at first, but when his talking grew irritating, Ember finally burst.
"Si'! Jeesh, Si'! You're going to meet them one time or another! There's no point of trying to delay the meeting. If you do, they will start to feel like they're not important to you, which I know that they are!" Ember half-shouted, still not facing his godfather. "Making such a big deal of a petty little thing like meeting your friend again. You should be happy! Be happy!" Elsar blinked.
"Be happy," Elsar echoed blankly. He always seemed to lose his wits during a panic attack. Ember didn't even blink in surprise at the change in his demeanor. Panic attacks happened whenever Aurenia was missing. It was rather interesting to watch his demeanor change from worried, to panicky, to blankness, then to wise thinking.
"Yes," Ember said slowly, nodding his head, still not turning to look at Elsar's blank face. "Now you need to leave the room while I finish up here." Elsar nodded, obliging immediately, his face going from blank to suddenly wise in a matter of seconds. Ember heard the door to his chambers close as Elsar disappeared to some place or another, undoubtedly preparing the moment he would meet with his best friend again.
"Unbelievably insane, that one, panicking over nothing," he muttered to himself. Ember didn't need to
"I believe you are the one insane, if you're talking to yourself, frère dear," said a familiar voice from behind him. He started slightly. He knew immediately who it was.
"Aure, how can you always scare me like that?" Ember asked, frowning as he tugged at the armor on his arm. It was a tradition in the Elven Royal Family that when a male was crowned, they had to wear full battle armor. Females were to wear dresses. It irked Aurenia to no end, seeing as she was very strong in her belief that females could do just as much as males could, which proved to be mostly correct. Females couldn't carry nearly as much as males, but they could certainly fight like males. Ember winced as he remembered the painful strike to the jaw Aurenia had given him when he was being particularly annoying during a political session. He was also rather… preoccupied with other matters at that time.
"It's skill, Em, pure skill," Aure said smoothly, mimicking one of his favorite quotes when he wanted to irritate her. This time, the tables turned and Ember's patience was grated to the very edge. He had grown unusually patient over the years of lessons he had, but this was ridiculous! He picked at the armor placed on his shins. They were unbelievably tight! They were a dark silver color, and covered his whole body. He had chosen separate pieces for his legs, and the only showing flesh on him was his face. Everything else was covered. The Entari emblem of a black shield with a silver 'E' in the middle overlapped by a sword, which in turn was overlapped by an arrow. Both weapons were dark silver in color, matching the armor marvelously. Weapons similar to the ones on the Entari symbol were strapped onto his waist and back. Only the shield was missing from the ensemble.
Aurenia was wearing a grand looking dress, which looked a lot more comfortable than his armor. It was a short-sleeved white gown, the symbolic color of the Ayra Elves. It had a design of golden swirls at the bottom and two swirls on the bottom of each sleeve. It was a V-neck sort of gown, one that she despised, but had to wear anyways, since the seamstresses couldn't make another gown. That was probably the reason why they didn't allow her to see it until the ceremony. The Ayra emblem, which was a pure white shooting star with a gold 'A' in the middle, was around her neck in a form of a long necklace. It reached past the vertex of her neckline. Her fingers were adorned with different rings, gifts from distant family members that were related by marriage. Her hair was held back with a purely white hair bow, which was covered with pins sent from the sixteen regions of the Ayra Elves.
"Handsome, as always," Aure complimented. Ember acknowledged it with a smile; he was still staring at himself in the mirror. "Merlin's beard, Ember, even Aquaziora spends less time in front of the mirror than you! And that's saying something!" Ember shrugged in response and pulled at his hair, which was still short and quite messy. He didn't have the heart to grow it out, since it would just be a bother if he were moving around if he had to push it back.
"Beautiful, as always," Ember returned the compliment, finally turning away from the mirror. His face acquired an expression that almost made Aurenia laugh. She stifled it as best as she could. "Tell me if I seem like I'm forcing on looking comfortable, please." Aurenia nodded, not trusting her own voice, as she was about to laugh. "This armor's too tight, and if this palace wasn't so fucking cold, then I would start sweating the second I put on a segment of this shit!" Aurenia couldn't help it; she stifled her laughter as best as she could, but she couldn't stifle the unladylike snort escaping. Soon, she started laughing. She was careful to laugh 'like a lady' as Lady Arwyse had taught her. Her right white-gloved hand covered her mouth.
"Don't worry, Ember," Aurenia soothed as she lowered the hand from her lips. "Just loosen up with them. You'll be tense at first, no doubt about it, but you'll loosen up. And make sure that you don't whine all day about your armor. I'm only letting you whine on me because that's a sibling duty. C'mon, Em. We have to leave for the reunion now." Ember was very reluctant in leaving his chambers, and Aurenia had to resort to dragging him away by the ear. 'Sometimes,' she thought, 'I have to be the mother for the two of us.' She thought of her real mother affectionately. 'I'm doing my best, Mum.' She grinned mentally at that thought. Even if her accent was more American than British, she was still British at heart, birthed by a British mother. Something she wanted to stay the same.
---
"Oi, Ron!" Fred and George called out simultaneously. Ginny glanced towards the twins and raised her eyes upwards in exasperated amusement as they neared her youngest older brother. She had arrived at the Entari Palace with Lord Enral, Hermione, and Ron earlier, Charlie following them soon behind. There was no sign of Delayna, the Elf maiden that had led them to Terredepaix along with Lord Enral. Professor Dumbledore had appeared last, and was now explaining to the rest of the people that had come from the 'Human Realm', as Aure and Harry would say, about the Palace and how to act around them during the ceremony. He also explained the traditions of the Elves and what was counted as unusual and what wasn't.
The room suddenly quieted as three people – Elves, she corrected herself – entered the room. They were all wearing long cloaks over whatever they were wearing, but their hoods were down, clearly showing their faces. Ginny beamed as she recognized the faces of Sirius, Harry, and Harry's twin, Aure. She was the first to react, throwing her arms first around Harry, then Sirius, and exchanged kisses on the cheek with Aure. Everybody followed suit soon afterwards. Ginny engaged Aure in eager conversation, yearning to know more about one of the most important female figures in Terredepaix.
"I was born in the Human Realm, actually. One of my mother's good friends was a midwife and I was birthed in my own home," Aure answered as Ginny asked about her. "Our births are the same as to those of yours, but usually, more pain is required to birth us. The midwife was a Court Lady, one you must know of. Lady Arwyse was her name. Kind woman, she was." Ginny nodded, eager to find out more. "Ember came out first." Aure scowled lightly at that point. "I came out five minutes later. My mother wasn't aware that she had twins, so she was delighted by my entrance to the world." Aure grinned. "Me and Ember started poking each other after that actually. We didn't know who the other one was at that point, since we didn't understand much of anything, and we poked at each other. My mother, not knowing that we were just curious with each other, poked at us to stop it. Of course, we just poked back at her. She was a beautiful woman. It was too bad that neither of us gained her red hair. It's gorgeous. It looks much like yours, actually." Ginny blushed at the compliment. Being compared to a woman as beautiful as Lily Potter was a great honor, according to Ginny. Elsar joined the conversation soon afterwards, his best friend in tow. Aure left the three wisely after she had met the kind Remus Lupin, knowing she was to meet many others.
She was right. As soon as she had left the conversation, Ember pulled at her elbow, causing her to stumble slightly next to him. "This is my younger sister, twin," Ember said. Aure scowled at him as he emphasized 'younger'. He always had to rub it in. When she turned away from Ember to face the person he was introducing her to, she blinked in surprise as she gazed into the familiar eyes of Charlie Weasley. He was tall, she had to give him that. He was tall enough that she had to lean her head slightly to get a good look at his face.
"Aurenia, it's a pleasure," she said, smiling brightly and holding her hand out. Instead of the awkward handshake as before, Charlie had kissed her delicate hand softly, smiling.
"Charlie Weasley," he answered. He frowned, his eyebrows creasing. "No means to be rude, Your Highness, but have I seen you before?" he asked. Aure chuckled slightly, extracting her hand slowly, not knowing how to answer. She settled for the truth.
"Ah, yes, I believe you have!" Aure said, pretending to think on the matter. She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I was 'Delayna' back then, if you remember." Aure grinned at his obvious shock and flustered expression. Her eyes widened as he started to apologize, cutting him off. "I didn't want to be treated like a Princess, Monsieur Weasley. Why would you think I would use the name Delayna if I wanted to be treated as a Princess?" He shrugged, looking thoughtful. "And anyhow, Delayna is my name. Human name, given to me at birth. And on my statement on myself not a Lady. A true statement. I am not a Lady, I'm a Princess!" She said, smilling her dazzling smile. The light mood was contagious, and soon, they were both laughing and talking like old friends.
Meanwhile, Ember, Elsar, and Remus were across the room, having a small family reunion. The three men, however much they denied it in future days, had tears in their eyes as they hugged each other, gripping each one in a death grip. Aurenia, who had spotted them, had a twinkle in her eye similar to that of the one Professor Dumbledore was sporting at the moment, and watched them out of the corner of her eye, some of her own tears forming. She held the tears of happiness back. There was a time for tears, and this was not the time.
Aurenia glanced at the four figures that had just entered and excused herself from Charlie and the twins, who had come over to converse with Charlie and herself earlier. Her face was grim as she walked up to them. Three were messengers and the last was Lord Entai. She walked up to Lord Entai first. She and Lord Entai had rather warm conversations. It was Ember that Lord Entai despised. Aurenia held her hand out, as was a custom for Elven Royalty, and Lord Entai bent his head to kiss it. Aurenia smiled at him, nodding her head in acknowledgement as she turned to the three messengers. They seemed… ruffled slightly. Probably on the prospect of Lord Entai being warm to someone for a change. She listened to the three messages. She frowned at all three of them, but thought that the last one was the worst. Ember joined her soon afterwards as she waved for him to come, telling the last messenger to repeat his message.
"A message for Prince Ember of Eirith, Prince of the Entaris, and Princess Aurenia of Atlantis, Princess of the Ayras from Lord Enral of Ethain. 'The troops have left Kasew, Etrivian. They are already Melting to their positions. Two minutes until the time Lord Voldemort attacks Dechtai, Etrivian. By the time this messenger reaches you, the attack has most probably started. I will send back messengers every other hour. Good luck.'" The messenger recited the message again for Lord Entai's sake. The rest of the room had heard it too, since they had quieted.
"Ginny, Ron, Hermione, I would like to ask you to leave the room for a few seconds," Dumbledore said, breaking the thoughtful silence. Ron and Ginny were about to protest, but Hermione shook her head at them and dragged them off by the elbows with her, closing the door behind them gently.
"So it has begun," Ember murmured.
"Nice of you to point out the obvious, My Liege," Lord Entai sneered, enunciating the last part in a mocking way.
"Really, Potter, I don't know how you are a leader of a whole nation," Snape agreed silkily. Lord Entai nodded in approval towards him; Snape did the same. They both smirked at each other, as if maintaining a temporary alliance to bait the Entari Prince. "Your ego couldn't take it if the Dark Lord attacked you. Your ego needs a deflating after all this. It's probably bigger than this whole room." 'Ouch,' Aurenia thought, wincing. Unfortunately, the thought reached Ember, and he glared at the three of them. The room was big, not much bigger than the Gryffindor Common Room, but still quite large.
"Prince Ember, I do advise that you start action immediately," Lord Entai continued. "If you go any more slower, you'll make us Entaris die."
"Lord Entai, enough," Aurenia said sharply. Lord Entai did stop, but he continued to sneer at her twin. "If we are to win this war, you two have to work together, Lord Entai, Ember. If you don't, Terredepaix will be blasted into smithereens by Lord Voldemort." Ember glared at her, and Aurenia stared stonily back.
"Lord Entai, you are the Head Spy, yes?" Professor Dumbledore asked, changing the subject entirely. Lord Entai nodded. "Severus here is one of our spies in the Order. He is also the Potions Master of Hogwarts. You are Potions Master here at Eirith, yes?" Lord Entai nodded his affirmation. "May I suggest that the two of you start getting acquainted? Perhaps teach each other what you know?" The two shrugged indifferently. Lord Entai looked to Prince Ember, reluctantly asking permission to leave, since he was the Prince of Entaris. Ember nodded stiffly and Snape and Entai left immediately, their cloaks flapping behind them. Everyone shivered involuntarily.
"That was scary," Fred muttered.
"One Snape is enough for me, thanks," George murmured in agreement.
"Professor Dumbledore, Ember's esteemed guests," Aurenia said warmly, "please take a seat. The ceremony is about to begin. Ember had the kindness to reserve seats for you in the front rows on the left side. If you could fill them?" They took seats obligingly. Aurenia forced a smile to her face.
"The ceremony will begin momentarily," she said, turning away. She and Ember glided out of the room, as was customary to appear in the middle of the ceremony, instead of standing by.
"It's starting, Ember," Aurenia murmured, her voice wavering slightly. "I'm getting scared." Ember nodded solemnly, and placed a comforting arm around her shoulders. Aurenia very rarely admitted she was scared.
"You would be a fool not to be," Ember whispered comfortingly, kissing the top of her head. "A downright fool."
---
Author's Notes: [6/22/04] Finally! I'm done! It took me a very long time to finish this chapter. Sorry about the long wait. Like I said in my Story Updates (located on my profile), I'm going on vacation. I'm leaving in 45 minutes actually. I had to rush to finish up this story.
When I get back, I'll be working on the story for a full week on editing the whole thing to match up with this chapter. My ideas are all jumbled and I'm planning to set them straight. I'll be writing a note on the editions very soon.
Hopefully, I'll get to finish Chapter Two while I'm on the trip. I'll talk to everyone of you very soon!
Au revoir!
Many Thanks To: athenakitty (see for yourself! :P), pingpong5 (I had to rush out the last part, since I didn't have time. It'll get better as soon as I find more time to edit it. I'll be back! E-mail me! :)), Naia (Thank you for the French tips. I've already edited them in the file, but I have yet to upload the new one. Thanks again!), uten (Yes, favor is tipped towards Voldemort at the moment. It'll tip the other way soon. You'll just have to wait and see!), I-want-to-fly, and crazyNproud.
Hoping to see some more reviews when I get back. Let me know what you think! No, I don't have a beta. If anyone is offering, I'll take it, but if no one, I'll last.
Jeni Black
[7/4/04 added after trip -- I'm back! Happy Independence Day to all Americans out there!]
[A/N1] The words 'porte portique' is roughly translated to 'portal door', and Terredeguerre, when taken apart is 'terre de guerre', meaning 'land of war'. These I had to get by using a translator. Horrible things, they are. I prefer Ana better, but I can't exactly call her in France from America...
[A/N2] Delayna Liathane Potter is a more Elven-esque name, but Delayna is in honor of my favorite now dead cousin. Like said earlier in the story, every living being has an Elven name. Most have yet to find theirs though, for only other elves are able to tell them.
[A/N3] Athane the Great was one of the greatest Ayra rulers of Terredepaix. Back in the older days, Ayras were considered less powerful than the Entaris when it came to ruling. Athane had overpowered her brother when he had turned to his evil ways and found a way to replace him peacefully with her husband, now the famous Eclion the Bold. More on this in the Side Story...
[A/N4] As to this fact, Terredepaix, to humans, is just a great pile of random clouds, unless they know it's there. Planes pass right through it. This particular spell was set up quite a few centuries ago, by the Royals, Court Nobles, and most powerful Casters. Again, more on this in the Side Story.
[A/N5] I got this little idea from Pirates of the Caribbean. Hope you don't mind, dolls...
Heh, sorry, I forgot about this last time.