CHAPTER SIX: L'AMOR'S IN THE AIR

"Hermione, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" Harry asked, his voice full of concern. Hermione muttered something incoherent in reply. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't understand what you said."

Composing herself, Hermione said, "I said I was crying because all you seem to think about right now is escape. Must be torture for you, being stuck in here with me and not someone like... like Cho!"

"Why would you think something like that? Are you alright, Hermione?" Harry asked, even more concerned than before. This was NOT the Hermione he knew.

"I-I don't know. I'm just so confused..." was all Hermione managed to get out before she broke down again.

Eventually, the door unlocked of its own accord. The two teenagers exited, both confused, one feeling hurt, the other concerned.

After walking Hermione to the entrance to the girls' dormatory Harry marched up the stairs to Gryffindor boys' dormatory, feeling very angry. He walked into the dormatory, to find the cause of his rage fast asleep.

Hn. Maybe Ron didn't know about this after all... I'll have to talk to Sirius. Harry thought before he, too, went to sleep.

The Orcish Warrior named Elarik moved swiftly through the forests of Scotland. He was headed to the location his master had specified: Hogwarts. However, his mission was not hostile to the school, but rather it was friendly. As he ran, he thought about the events which had brought him to this point, and to this alien world.

He was one of the last remnants of the Battlestone Clan, destroyed by their fellow Orcs when they refused to take up the Dark Arts. They had stuck to the old traditions of elemental and shamanistic magics, which were harder to master, but far more powerful.

Despite this power, the sheer number of enemy Warlocks fielded against them was too much, as the old Chieftain Nad'lug had seen. Before the Dark Clans reached their main encampment, he had sent away Elarik, his then-7 year old son, his Chief Shaman U'thok, and the Captain of the Chieftan's Huskarls, Nor'duk.

The three Orcs had continually raided small bases belonging to the dark clans, getting aid from the Muggle Orcs. When the Portal opened, The three went through under cover of darkness (and enemy uniforms) along with a band of soldiers from the Bonelord Clan, and a young Orc woman named Graon, Elarik's lover.

Now is not the time for thoughts of women Elarik chided himself. I can think of her after I deliver our proposal.

Sextus Maxwell arrived at Hogwarts at 11:00PM that night. He didn't plan on seeing his son; the reply to the letter Gaius sent was exactly had been sent, a letter. Less akward for Gaius this way thought Sextus before he went into his all-business mode.

After uttering the password to Dumbledore's office ("Lemon Drop"), he ascended the stairs to report his findings to the Headmaster.

"...thousands of Orcs coming through daily, an unknown number of other creatures coming through as well. Some things that look like undead riders, and some rather demonic looking ogres. Also, we've just recieved word that Voldemort is under the tutaledge of an Orcish Warlock named I'thok, Chief Sorceror to the Doombringer Clan. Things are looking especially grim now, sir."

Dumbledore smiled. "Not quite so grim as you think, Sextus." An Orc stepped out of the shadows. "I'd like you to meet Elarik, leader of the Orcish resistance, and our new encyclopedia on our enemy's strengths and weaknesses."

Odoacer returned to Hogwarts just as Sextus left. Gaius, up though it was after 1:00AM now, opened the letter, wanting to see just what his father had said.

Dear Gaius,

I was a bit suprised (and amused, I must confess) at your letter. A girl, eh? Oh, your mother would kill me for advising you to do anything about it, but I'm telling you to do so nonetheless. It sounds as though you really do like this girl, even though you've just met.

Now, for my advice: take it slow. Don't rush things, but don't go too slow either. Do either of those, and she'll feel either too pressured or too bored to get into any kind of relationship with you.

Let me know how things go. And, assuming they go well, I want you to tell me more about this girl in your next letter.

Sextus P. Maxwell,

Auror, American Bureau of Magic

Gaius laughed at the stamp on the bottom of the letter. He considered his father's advice. He then decided to act on it. This took him all of 13 seconds; his father had yet to steer him wrong. He then thought of someone else who could use this advice; his friend Harry.

I'll show sometime tommorrow he thought before drifting off to the land of dreams.

"Sounds like good advice" Harry said. I'll have to take it. "But I do have a question: what does the 'P' stand for?" "Pompeius. We all have Roman names in the Maxwell family. My father's Sextus Pompeius Maxwell, I'm Gaius Julius Caesar Maxwell. Tradition."

"Speaking of family... you never discuss yours, Gaius. What're they like?" Harry asked at they met Ron at the bottom of the stairs and walked toward the Great Hall.

"Well, my mother died a few years back. I have a younger sister named Julia, and a younger brother named Marcus. I know your parents died, Harry, and you have my belated condolences. What's your family like, Ron?"

The three boys discussed family, then moved on to Quidditch as they entered the Great Hall and sat down. Hermione was sitting down, looking much better than when harry had seen her last, which pleased him greatly.

"Morning, 'Mione" Ron said as he sat down and loaded up his plate. "Good morning Ron, Harry, Gaius. By the way Ron, a certain blonde was looking for you earlier." Hermione smirked when she said this, and shared a glance with the other two boys; Harry knew the blonde very well, and Gaius had met her on the train.

"Blonde? Who?" Ron asked absently as he continued eating. "Oh, I'm sure you would recognise my rather looney presence anywhere, Ronald." Gaius said, perfectly imitating Luna's distictive tone of voice.

Ron's fork clattered to the table. "Luna? Luna Lovegood? She asked for me? Where's she now?" "I saw her walking in the direction of Snape's dungeon, Ron. Hurry and you might catch up with her." Harry said. "Right, right." Ron said as he practically ran out of the Great Hall.

"That was cruel, but wheter you ought to be proud or ashamed of yourselves is beyond me." Gaius said to the laughing Harry and Hermione. "Maybe, but he deserved it!" Hermione said before breaking down into laughter again. Gaius just chuckled. Things were never this interesting at AIAM.

Soon enough, breakfast ended, and the students moved to their classes.

Ron got a detention from Snape from being in the dungeons before class (barely detention-worthy, but there's Snape for you), which Sirius thought was hilarious. The detention that night was with Sirius, who never made the students do anything; he just talked to them all detention long.

As the day ended, and the students moved towards the Great Hall, Gaius moved to intercept a certain girl before she could make it to the Hall.

"Blaise" he said as he approached her. She turned around to face him, a smile on her face. he smiled in return. "Hello, Gaius. Have a good day?" she asked. "Very. And you?" he replied and answered. "Oh, it went well enough." She considered his expression for a minute. "Gaius, is something the matter?"

Gathering up his courage, he said "Blaise, we need to talk..."

Sorry for the delay in updating; school and all. R&R, s'il vous plait.