Chapter 6

The week before Halloween, Dumbledore contacted Harry early in the morning, Harry being already dressed, grabbed a parchment and wrote a note, which he left on the desk and hurried out.

A tall-cloaked figure was visible for a second as the note was picked up and tucked in a pocket, still visible the form crossed the room and passed out through the wall.

Harry entered the Headmasters office.

"Good morning, Albus."

"Harry, do you sleep anymore?"

"Only if there is no alternative, besides I don't need too and it's much easier working with people in foreign countries if they can reach you at anytime."

"True, Minister Fudge is coming to see you about the DA."

"I know, the Minister has been for years, you don't need to worry about him"

"You aren't going to do anything unwise, now Harry?"

"No, the Ministers fate is of his own making, not mine" Harry said.

"Are you a seer?"

"No, it is of past events not future that I speak."

"I see, any other plans I need to know about?"

"Yes, I have some friends coming up at Halloween. I need you to prepare the students for their arrival."

"I see."

During breakfast a commotion was heard, Minister Fudge stormed in, followed in by a squad of Hit Wizards. The Minister's face was purple with rage.

"Can I help you with something, Minister?" Harry said, still seated.

"I DEMAND AN EXPLANATION?"

"For what, exactly?" Harry asked, calmly.

"For this illegal group you are forming" Fudge yelled.

"I don't remember that? What are they called?"

"The DA, do you deny you formed them?"

"Which one, the old one or the current one."

"The current one, naturally" Fudge said.

"The Defence Association, to give it its full name, is not illegal in any way, shape or form, Minister."

"Ministry by-laws prohibit the existence of any groups of individuals studying dark magic or anyone studying restricted or illegal magic while in school without official permission." Fudge said smugly.

"Under section 18 of the Magical Warfare Act, all restrictions on the training of wizards of any age is automatically void, in addition section 4 of the Noble Defense Act allows the formation of any groups, alliances or other relations without official censure of any participant there of" Harry said, Fudge looked shocked, turned on his heels and marched off.

"That was extremely cool."

"Yes, it was." Ginny said, grabbing Harry's arm and leading him off.

Two days before Halloween, a notice appeared outside the Great Hall.

ATTENTION

In two days we will hold a welcoming celebration and feast for the arrival of warriors from the ancient magical city of Takadune. The oldest inhibited place in the world. They are here to protect the castle and surrounding area, and fight in the coming battle against the forces of the Dark Lord Voldemort.

All students must be in correct uniform and those not in the Defense Association must line up by year and House order.

Note: this will be a lasting first impression, so present yourselves as well as possible, they will not easily forget. Also all wands must be left behind by those not in the DA.

M. McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress.

The DA that night was full of questions.

"Harry, is it true that they are vampires?"

"No, they are not vampires, or anything else that has to eat or drink humans or animals."

"Why can't the students bring their wands?"

"Because if someone unknown casts a spell near them without warning, they will likely kill that person instantly, which I would like to avoid."

"Except if it's Malfoy." Ron said.

"Even if its Malfoy, I want to wait till the new year if possible before having him killed." Harry said completely calm.

"You're joking, right?" Ron said.

Harry said nothing and after a moment the conversation moved on.

Under the cover of darkness and cloaked by spells no wizard could breach, three columns of cloaked riders rode through the mountainous terrain. The horsemen at the very front raised a gloved fist and they halted, he signalled and they all dismounted, quickly making camp.

The leader stood apart, starring at the landscape.

"War is close, I can smell it." He growled in a savage voice, a cross between an avalanche and a rain of blunt nails.

"Yes, and we will be there long before then, Brother" a higher voice like crisp snow and summer rain.

"I know, but I hate waiting." the first growled.

"I do not like it either but we have our orders, his Lordship commands us to arrive on the night of Samhain, what else need we to know."

"Nothing, I needed to be reminded, Brother." the first finished.

The school assembled in rows, first years at the back, in front of the seventh years was the DA, with the teachers next, with Marik, Dumbledore and Harry at the very front. Neville asked Harry when they would be here, as it was nearly time.

Harry cocked his head as if listening to something.

"They are arriving." He said as the sound of hooves reached their ears, three columns of cloaked riders rode up, halted and spread facing the students, a triple wall of mounted warriors, the two leaders rode up to Harry, dismounting they threw back their hoods, several students gasped.

One had a dark skinned face, a bony forehead jutted out between dark grey dreadlocks and savage yellow eyes, a scaled nose with wide flared nostrils and a mouthful of sharp teeth added to his fearsome appearance. He wore dark mail, black leather knee boots and gauntlets and dark leather armor.

The other was very different; a snow-white ponytail framed icy blue eyes, pale skin and a serene manner, he wore dark blue robes with black and gold edging.

"General Rak'ta, I bid you welcome to the halls of my ancestors," Harry said formally.

"Lord Gryffindor, in the name of the Jolen Ra, I accept" General Rak'ta said, he signaled and the rest dismounted, throwing back hoods to reveal more Jolen Ra faces.

A soldier passed something to the General.

"Lord Gryffindor, many ages ago my people were given the duty to guard this sword, until such time as a man was borne of royal blood great enough to wield it, that time has come" General Rak'ta uncovered the sword, and knelt, presenting it to Harry.

"A kinglier gift has never been given, General I thank you" Harry said and took it.

"A feast is being held, I believe?" the robed blond said,

"Yes, Torian, although I regret to say, no beer is being served"

"What" General Rak'ta growled, "No Beer, next you'll be telling me there's no smoking?"

"No Drinking, Smoking or fighting at all."

"No Fighting, what's the world coming to."

"Till the students go to bed, then we can go to your camp and have the real party"

"Better" the General growled and thumped Harry on the back, who glared at him, then all three laughed.

Torian entered the Great Hall after Harry, the General and the commanders; he looked around the room, his eyes lit up when he spied a bushy brown head at the end of the Gryffindor table.

"May I sit here?" He asked politely.

"Sure but why not sit with the others?"

"I can hear their Lordships if they wish me to anywhere, I like to talk to scholars when I can."

Hermione nodded, this she understood.

"What about them, Harry is a scholar?"

"Their Lordships are both geniuses, Gryffindor especially learnt more in six weeks than most wizards could in a couple of centuries, but neither love knowledge for its own sake."

"I have a question?"

"Fine, in your place I had dozens."

"What exactly are you?"

"Me personally or the Jolen Ra."

"Both, your not in any of the books on ancient magical civilizations."

"Well I will answer the simplest question first. I am one of a type of human with much in common with the muggleborns of wizard-kind?"

"Such as?"

"After the Ramulach, an ancient war, the clans freed the human slaves of their destroyed enemies, but the people could not return to their tribes for they were slaughtered when they were taken prisoner, so the clan council and the King meet and after some thought, brought them into the clans themselves."

"There most be more to it than that?"

"There is" Torian said, looking into space "Lord Gryffindor says bring up the leaders of the DA."

Hermione looked at Ron, Ginny and Neville and waved them over.

"Harry wants us up there."

They nodded.

They sat down, their plates appearing before them.

"Hermione, you asked Torian about him and the other Ha-Ra-Lr, and the Jolen Ra themselves?"

"Yes"

"It is a long story" Harry said "but one that all of you must know"

"There is to more the Ha-Ra-Lr than Torian said, isn't there"

The Jolen Ra, Harry and Torian burst out laughing when she said the name.

"What's the joke?"

"Piece of advice, don't try to speak their language unless your trying to be funny, you say it too 'nice'" Harry said, they roared again at the word 'nice'.

"Who Ha-Ra-Lr are " The General said in near growl "are a long story but I will tell it."

The General sat back and started.

"Two hundred ages of the world of men have passed since that time, then there were the twin people of the Ra, the Jolen and the Taka, all the Ra lived for war, we exist to fight and to kill, but the Taka would have slaughtered or enslaved all life if they could, in the time of which I speak the final war between Jolen and Taka was fought, but the Taka fought with rage and hate, and although as warriors they were are equal. They had far fewer archers and no mages, the war was ours, they were all but destroyed, the survivors mostly those too young to fight were bought in the clans, and within five generations the Taka were gone."

"But the fate of the former slaves must be decided."

"And so the clan council met in the former royal halls of Taka-Dune.

The clan leaders marched into the stone chamber, a giant oak table had been brought in, and the King waved them to sit as he took the throne.

"The war is won, but before we return to our families, our clans and our homes, we must decide the fate of the mortal slaves."

"Why must anything change, we should keep them ourselves" Han'mk said

"Because the Law says 'all things belong to themselves and the Gods' if you speak of this again we will have a problem"

"Let them go to their people"

"They cannot, no man-tribe would take them now, the Blood is in their hearts and minds"

"If the Blood burns in them they are kin" Gak'ds said.

"I'd sooner be kin to a Jackal then weak boned Raqsa" snarled Han'mk, instantly Gak'ds foot smashed into his chin, knocking him to the ground, He jumped to his feet only to fall again to a hammer fist blow to the skull, caving it in.

"The mortals are kin, all clans may bring them in, but only with the clanning ritual and that makes them kin and equal to all others."

"Will you" Dan'zao asked the King.

"Yes, I will" King Res'ta said the others left.

The General finished and took a drink.

"Wow, that is amazing, what about that guy who died." Ron asked

The General looked amused "What about him, he was dead."

"Didn't something happen to the guy who killed him."

"He fought him, he killed him, perfectly fair and honorable, combat is not against the Law, although his son led a war against Gak'ds and his clan, they lost and clan Ds'far was destroyed.

"How long ago was it, you talked about tribes?

"The Ramulach or Blood Wars were two hundred ages past, tribes were all that existed in that time."

"How long is an age?"

"A thousand years."

"Wow."

They talked for some time until Dumbledore sent the students to bed, afterwards Harry left with the General and Torian for their camp.