All the Fifth year Guardians except for Malfoy were crowded at one table in the corner. At first glance, they were doing some sort of homework assignment, but on further inspection, the topic had nothing to do with any school subject. The books they were looking at all had something to do with Atlantis. Every known piece of literature about the legend was there on that table. Even Ron was reading avidly. Of course he was reading over Hermione's shoulder, but the concept was there.
"I gather this was Hermione's idea," Harry said, grinning at his friend even though he was still reeling from the shock George had given him.
"Actually it was Rhia's," Hermione said primly.
"Really? I'd have thought you would have already read all of this stuff," Harry said.
"No, I've been studying other things. My mother told me most of what I know about Atlantis. Family stories can get distorted over time. There is a remarkable collection on the subject here." She smiled at them all. "And we all decided to check them out."
"Where is Rose?" George asked.
"She's with Dumbledore, trying to make a section of the Forbidden Forest Unplottable." Neville said.
"Oh, well I'll see you all at lunch then," George said and he left the Library.
~
"That was odd," Ron said, watching his brother leave.
"So what have we got?" Harry asked, looking at Hermione's precisely written notes.
"So far, nothing we didn't already know," Hermione said.
"Well it's all news to me," Monica said. "No one's told me the whole story yet." It took them until lunch to get everything told. Monica merely stared at them when they finished. Finally she said, "So we must all be descendants of the Daughters of the Sun then."
"Or their counterparts," Rhia said.
"Counterparts?" Harry asked.
Rhia looked at him, then back at Monica. "There were male protectors of the Sunstone as well, but they had no name. As such, they did their job quite effectively. Until that last day of course. When Lianna sent them all away." They were all silent then. Harry thought about his dream, and his vision, but for some reason, he couldn't remember them as clearly as he had just the day before.
"Oh Blast!" Hermione exclaimed. "We're late to lunch." She slammed her book closed.
"That doesn't matter," Neville said. "It's Saturday."
"But we have the session with Rose right after lunch," Hermione told him. This caused quite a stir as everyone started closing their books and scooping up dannikits. Madame Pince stalked up to shush them, but instead merely sent them on their way, leaving her to put away the books.
They joined the other Guardians shortly thereafter for a quick lunch, Alaster showed up as they were finishing. He stood there nervously for a moment. Dumbledore nodded at Rose, who motioned to the others, including Alaster in the wave of her hand. She stood and left through a side door. They followed after her. Monica pulled Draco along with her, to the amusement of his Slytherin pals. As soon as they were out of sight of the Great Hall his smirk fell away and he almost smiled warmly at her, but caught himself when Harry glanced back. The hurried outside the castle and towards the edge of the Forbidden Forest only to be met by…
"Hagrid? What are you doing here?" Rose asked, obviously startled.
"I'm here to escort you to… well you know where," he said in what he thought was a whisper, but was actually quite booming. Harry was very glad to notice that they were the only people outside the castle. Everyone else was still at lunch. "Dumbledore's orders," Hagrid continued. "Can't have students wandering… unescorted." He threw a wink and a grin back at Harry and Ron. They both shuddered in memory.
"Oh, well all right then," Rose said. "Let's get going." They followed after the looming figure of Hagrid and the confident form of Rose. The Emmortal twins were looking extremely nervous as they filed beneath the dark canopy of twisted trees, Monica gripped Draco's arm with both hands. Harry nearly grinned, remembering the terror-stricken shrieks of Draco during that detention first-year, but a warning warmth from his Shard kept the grin under control. No one else seemed to notice the heat from their own and Harry wondered if everyone got a warning before they got a full zinging.
Rose stopped at a particularly nasty looking tree. She stared at it for a moment, thinking. Vestan leaped from her shoulder to the ground and walked towards the tree. He put a paw up in the air next to the trunk, all seven claws extended and brought it down again. There was a very faint ripping noise. Vestan trilled. Rose smiled. "Thanks dear. There it is." She placed her wand just above the dannkits paw and brought it up until it was as tall as she. There was a sound like that of a zipper being undone. She reached out with her left hand and seemed to pull away a curtain. One that looked exactly like the Forest itself, to reveal a clearing among the trees.
Rose glanced over her shoulder at the others. "Please hurry through, the spell is trying to mend itself already." Sure enough the bottom of the forest curtain that Vestan had ripped was already knitting itself back together. The kit hopped through his own doorway and the other eleven followed him without a single glance at their human companions.
"Well, how's that for gratitude," Fred muttered as he helped Reggie through. Rose was holding onto the curtain with both hands now, holding her wand between her teeth.
"Don't talk to us about gratitude Fred Weasley," Ginny said before she stepped through the door. "You've already tried to test one of your jokes on Solida. She would have none of it and that has you miffed." Ginny disappeared into the clearing, Fred following after protesting.
Ahhh familial bonding," Ron muttered. "Isn't it grand?" Harry laughed. He looked at Alaster. The man was staring after Ginny with a positively gleeful expression on his face. Harry moved closer to hear him mumbling something about gifts already being accepted and how that was wonderful and would make training much easier. Alaster stepped through the curtain, though for a second Harry thought Rose would let go of it and shut him half in/half out of the clearing, but George caught her eye and took a grip of the curtain. She sighed and Alaster passed into the clearing without noticing a thing.
"Well hurry up," Rose said crossly. With a wave and a grin to Hagrid, Harry and Ron followed Hermione and Rhia through. Soon after them, Rose and George entered and the tear disappeared. Hagrid nodded and went back to the castle. Harry looked around.
The clearing was large and surprisingly sunny. The dannikits were playing in the grass, Fred and Ginny were staring stonily at them. The others were wandering around looking into the Forest, touching the invisible wall that surrounded them. Other than a rather large boulder to one side, the clearing was just that. Clear. Rose cleared her throat. "Now, If you'll get me one moment, we can get started." She walked to the boulder, smiled and tapped it with her wand. A portion of the boulder disappeared. Inside the boulder they could see their classroom.
"Wicked," Ron, Daniel, Fred and George all said at the same time. Still smiling, Rose climbed into the boulder classroom and fetched her incendiary aids and climbed back out again.
"Don't just stand there. Get your things.' She said, and they hurried to do just that.
Carrying her Book back out into the clearing, Hermione asked, "If the clearing is joined to the classroom, then why did we have to come through the Forest to get here?"
"That was only the first time. From now on, we'll get here through the classroom." Rose said.
Alaster was staring at the daggers Rhia brought out. "These are the Phoenix daggers… I thought they were a myth…" His voice faded.
"You believed all the things about our gifts and find the daggers surprising?" Ginny asked him.
"Your gifts, and yourselves were undisputed facts of my life. These daggers on the other hand have only been seen twice since their forging." Alaster said. He reached toward the box only to have it shut nearly on his fingers by Rhia.
"Guardians only," she told him simply. He blinked at her and nodded. Then he turned back to the others, clearly surprised at their aids, though not nearly as much as he had been about the daggers.
He turned back to Rhia. "So what is your aid?" he asked. He was clearly angling for a hint of her gift.
"Oh I don't need your help Alaster. I've been using my gift all my life. Even more than Rose has used hers." Rhia said cheerfully. "Thanks for the offer though." She smiled. Alaster frowned slightly but instead of pursuing the topic he turned to the four boys that were now toting weapons.
Harry was carefully carrying his lightning rods. He felt a not unpleasant buzzing sensation in his fingers from the rods and guessed that meant they were still charged. He walked to Rhia's side as Alaster was examining Ron's club. "So why didn't you tell him?" he asked softly.
Rhia glanced at the rods and whispered, "There must be a reason that he doesn't already know. Until he guesses, or someone orders me to tell him, I'm not saying a word." She smiled. "Besides, what I told him is true. With a sister that can throw fireballs, you learn quickly the art of hiding."
Harry smiled back. Before he could ask who could possibly order her to tell Alaster, Rose called for their attention.
~
"All right everyone, shall we get started?" She smiled. "I want George, Fred, Daniel and Ron over there on that patch were there isn't any grass. Reggie, Lynne and Ana, I want you over by the boulder. I'll join you in a moment. Draco, Monica, Hermione, Neville, Ginny, Harry and Rhia, you all just find a comfortable spot in between the two groups." She looked around. "Well? Get where I put you." There was a flurry of movement as they complied.
"Where would you like me?" Alaster asked loudly.
Rose stared at him for a moment. Finally, grudgingly, she said, "Where ever you think you will be most useful." He went immediately towards the boys. Ron was swinging his club like a bludger bat and barely missed striking Neville on the head as he passed. Fred was running his fingers up and down the staff. Alaster came up behind him and cleared his throat. Alaster suddenly found himself lying on the ground with no idea how he got there. His ears were ringing and his head throbbed. Fred was looking down at him, jaw gaping.
Alaster took a deep breath and sat up gingerly. The clearing was completely silent as everyone watched to see what would happen next. He looked up at Fred and grinned. "I knew it was all based on instinct with you four. This shouldn't be hard at all." He touched the swelling bump on the side of his head. "At least, not if I get a helmet." There were a few smiles from all of them as Fred and George helped Alaster to his feet.
"I'm sorry," Fred said, "I…I didn't know I could do that."
"I did. Should have realized coming up behind you was a bad idea." Alaster said with a grin. "Let's get started then. Brand, take out those knives of yours please." He motioned to Daniel when they all just stared at him
"Perhaps you should call us by our real names," Daniel suggested as he prepared to pull out the blade in his right hand.
"I did. Your real name is Brand." Alaster said, confused.
"Hang on, I thought those names were just what your family called us." George said.
"It is. Those are your true names, the names of your ancestors." Alaster explained.
Fred sighed, "Look, maybe we're not getting through to you because I coshed you on the head. We would like you to call us by the names out parents gave us. Not those of our ancestors. Make sense?"
Alaster frowned. "I… I'll try. If it will make you more comfortable."
"It definitely would make me feel better," Daniel said. He pulled his blade out of its sheath with a metallic hiss. Like the one on his kit box, it was etched with curling vines of brass all the way down the blade edge. The hilt was overlayed with what looked like dragon scales, but weren't quite.
"It's beautiful." Alaster sighed, staring at the blade.
"I wish he would stop doing that sort of thing," Harry murmured to Hermione.
She made no response because her nose was already buried in her Book. She was muttering something under her breath and making notes in a little pad that she's must have pulled from her pocket. Rhia was over talking to Monica and Draco. They were setting up Draco's cauldron and potion-making supplies. Before joining the other Elementals, Rose obligingly lit a fire under the cauldron. This sent Alaster into spasms of ecstasy, even as George was stringing his great longbow right next to him Fred intelligently moved the full quiver of arrows further away from his brother, so he wouldn't be tempted to shoot anyone. Ron was idly swinging his club, careful now not to hit anyone.
Harry looked down at the lightning rods in his hands. They were about a foot and a half long each, made of a metal he'd never seen before and etched with ancient symbols. He assumed it was the language of Atlantis. Before he could ask either Rose, Rhia or Alaster if he was right, the buzzing from the rods got stronger. He could almost see the electricity coursing through the metal. It was coming from his body. An arc of lightning passed from one rod to the other, creating a flash of blue-white light. Everyone looked at him. He could feel his hair standing on end. "Sorry," he muttered. Alaster skidded to his side.
"Don't apologize Bar…Harry. You have found the key to your tools," he said smiling.
"But I didn't do anything. I was just standing here holding them," Harry said, bewildered.
"Really? Hmmm… Have you used them before?" Alaster asked studying him.