DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN BEASTMASTER NOR HARRY POTTER
THE MASTER OF BEASTS
Chapter Five: A Difficult Decision
Albus Dumbledore stared at the young man before him a beastmaster? He asked,
"No I do not recall ever hearing about one," he said and watched as the young man began to pace again,
"Then tell me ever heard of a Beastspeaker?" he asked and this time Dumbledore nodded, "Well I have heard of people who could communicate to certain types of animals," he said,
"Like Parselmouth?" Sheroc replied,
"Yes," Dumbledore said,
"Well a Beastmaster is someone who can communicate to all animals," Sheroc said and told the headmaster what he remembered a beast master should be.
Now to say the least Dumbledore was intrigued, "Are you by chance a Beastmaster Sheroc?" he asked the man before him,
"Oh no I am sure as hell not!" he said,
"I am an eagle for crying out loud!" he said as if insulted and Dumbledore apologized.
"A Beastmaster must be human because he is the ambassador of nature itself. Well normally he would be what you wizards would call a Muggle and a warrior at that but desperate times call for desperate measures." Sheroc said.
Now it was the old wizard's turn to be curious, "Tell me Sheroc why you are consulting me of all people about this?" he asked, "Because you are the current guardian of the four whom I have chosen to be the next Beastmasters," he said and this is what nearly made Dumbledore star in shock.
"Me who could you be talking………You haven't!" he said finally realizing whom Sheroc was talking about.
"The decision is yours headmaster if the children are willing they must past a test and go through the ritual that will make them the next Beastmasters." He said,
"But why they are children! "Said out loud his voice rising a bit.
"I know you worry for them, but this is more then your human war I can assure you," the man then turned away from him to look at the wall.
"The main role of Beastmaster is to maintain the balance of nature. With the rise of this dark wizard nature itself has been thrown off balance." Sheroc turned back to the headmaster,
"For three hundred thousand years I have watched humanity grow and the magical community blossom, I have watched Nature's balance teeter now and then but…." He said and lifted his hand with his index finger in the air,
"This time it is not the normal routine," he said,
"Normally when the balance of nature teeters it is due to climate change or temperature change. It also is something drastic like an earthquake or a hurricane," he said while walking all around.
"But this time the balance has shifted drastically to the point where I must intervene." Dumbledore this time has leaned back in his chair stroking his beard in curiosity,
"So you are saying that the balance has been altered?" he asked,
"Yes it has life and death is also part of the balance. Ortheo (I hope I got the spelling right if any of you watched the series he was the guy who came from the dead you know big African American dude with a giant panther) the watchman from the dead noticed a shift in the realm of the dead.
Now when that happens and the forces of Nature become unbalanced then things will turn rather chaotic. The fabric between life and death has been torn and I have seen more dead in the Muggle as well as the Magical world. As you can tell Albus isn't it?" he said and the old wizard nodded,
"As I was saying as you can tell the very fabric of Nature, the forces of the universe and the very nature of magic was altered. When this human decided to defy death and used the forces of evil in his whim the very balance was altered. This is the second time this happened!" now it was Sheroc that was near hysterics.
"When has this happened the first time?" Dumbledore asked,
"Three hundred thousand years ago," Sheroc replied,
"At that time the Beastmaster made it right again, but I fear this time it would be far worse then the last." He said
Now this has gotten the old man's attention, "You mean this happened before?" he asked,
"Yes long ago," said Sheroc, "Before human kind recorded their history we animals were the ones who coincided to keep records within our memories. Unlike humans we are not likely to forget anything," he said.
"I especially have a photographic memory of those events all too well." Sheroc said as walked towards the headmaster's desk.
"Long before the first humans began to civilize into a large recorded city there was of course were small villages and temples but nothing too exaggerated. Well the first beastmaster was born from the womb of a cow. He was originally in a human womb when a witch took him and placed him in the womb of a cow. When he was taken out and thrust into the world he was rescued when the witch tied to kill him. He was saved by a farmer and adopted into a clan of peaceful farmers known as the Xua (Sue-a Spelling?) Well they named him Dar.
Dar grew up into a strong young man and a willing worker. It turns out that Dar has a perception on him for animals. This turned out the case when he told a bear to leave him and his father in peace after it killed someone. A group called the Jun-Hor attacked and killed his village they were also known as the Terrons. This group of savage humans killed off a lot of tribes not only Dar's. Dar seeking revenge sought help from Curapira the demon of the earth. She in turn gave him the powers of a Beastmaster after he passed a test." He said,
"What sort of test?" Dumbledore asked,
"He has to lie down in a spot of her choosing for three whole days. She has three of my feathers floating indicating time and he can't move for three days I mean can't move. She made sure of that as she assaulted him with all sorts of misgivings from ants eating him alive to the woman he loves saying she hates him for not moving. She did everything to get him to move but he did not move," Sheroc took a breath before beginning again.
"When the last feather fell he moved but was so stiff and thirsty that he walked out to the impressed Curapira." This is the part that Sheroc stopped,
"Well what is keeping you," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye.
Sheroc took deep breaths before continuing, "She congratulated Dar on a job well done and explained the tests to him. She said that the test was to see his loyalty, commitment to the cause, and devotion to nature." Sheroc said,
"By just lying there?" Dumbledore said,
"No by lying there and not moving! Even with the ants and the rats eating away at his skin and the urge to use the loo as you call it." Sheroc seemed to shake in his shadow as if ruffling his feathers.
"Now the last part is the part that would change your mind about the whole thing," he said,
"As soon as Dar turned to Curapira she summoned a crocodile to kill him. It killed him and tore him to pieces!" he said and this made Dumbledore go white,
"She killed him instantly," he said and Dumbledore blanched at the thought.
"Why are you subjecting me to this as if you want me to agree with this whole thing," he said his voice no longer curious but dangerously low,
"You want me to endanger the lives of innocent children for this!" he could barely contain his rage but Sheroc held up a hand.
"Allow me to finish Headmaster," He said and continued.
"The pieces of Dar were all over the place and Curapira had the animals collect every single body part." He then looked at the eyes of the wizard,
"She put the human back together and closed his wounds. Then she bent over and breathed life into his mouth with a kiss. Curapira has the power to take or give life with a single kiss," Sheroc worded,
"She breathed life into Dar and gave him the power of the Beastmaster, the ability to speak and communicate with the animals." He said and now the headmaster was dumbstruck.
"She killed him then brought him back to life?" he said and Sheroc nodded,
"I think she killed him as a human and rebirth him as animal as you so likely put it. He even talked to werewolves and minotaurs," Sheroc says,
"And how do you know this?" Dumbledore asked,
"Because I was there," Sheroc put it in so casually. "I will leave the decision up to you for now I have some matters that needs to be attended to," he said and instantly the illusion was gone and the eagle flew out of the open window.
A few hours later as the last rays of the sun began to die found Headmaster Dumbledore at odds end. He used his pensive to listen to the conversation with Sheroc again and again. He was still amazed that the eagle could be able to do such magic. Then again he did say he was well over 300,000 years old. His worry was to the children who lay in bed. The latest one Harry especially since he is too weak to do anything at the moment let alone fight Voldemort. He was worried about all of them after all they are children. "What do you think Fawkes?" he asked his familiar.
The phoenix leaned in and the old man stroked his head knowing that he agreed with the eagle. What the eagle told him was quiet amazing. A person who is able to communicate with all sorts of animals not just one particular group or species. He knew of beastspeakers of course such as Voldemort and Harry both have the ability to talk to snakes. There were others who could talk to dolphins in South Africa and different parts of the world but he had never heard of anyone who could talk to all animals.
What Sheroc said was disturbing, the test and the ritual that Dar the original Beastmaster took. Dumbledore was more then shocked when he heard that the eagle intended to do the same for the children. Fawkes seeing his master in distress gave an encouraging shrill just to keep him up.
"Thank you old friend," he said stroking the phoenix.
Fawkes only shrilled a reply as he enjoyed the attention.
Four hours later found the headmaster walking down the long corridor towards the hospital wing. His robes blowing behind him as he walked through that door. There on the bed were the four children all sleeping soundly save one. This boy had a scar on his head the shape of a lightning bolt that same mark was the one that made him the prophesized child. He was known as 'The Boy Who Lived,' in other words the famous Harry Potter.
But as he looked down at the boy before him he could not help but feel that he is at fault. The boy had lost so much while he thought he was too young to know about his past, and in his folly too many people who truly cared for him and he in return have been killed. He and the others who remain thought the boy would need some serious mental help after this was all over. Though the old wizard tried his best to calm the turmoil in his heart as he gazed at the skeleton of a boy before him he finally realized what he had done. He caused this by putting Harry in a home where his relatives hate him so. It was he who by thinking that Lily Potter's sister Petunia would take the boy in with open arms and boy had he been wrong.
He had not known until he saw the marks himself and after witnessing full on what the Dursley's did to him Albus Dumbledore was at a loss. Out of all the children in here Harry had suffered the most. Hermione just recently lost her family, Ron was not that bad but still they are on the brink of losing his as well. Draco Malfoy lost his mother and his friends by his so called father. By looking at them it appears that they will be awake soon but Harry it seems will not awaken after what was witnessed just one day ago.
It was Severus Snape who gave the full detail of what happened after everyone has made sure that Harry is alright before addressing Voldemort's latest plans. He gave full detail about what had happened from the eagle to when he climbed those stairs. He was shocked when they found Harry tied, gagged, and bloody. The worse was the rape and from what Poppy told him it happened a lot.
No wonder the poor boy always begged to stay at Hogwarts he thought and if he knew about the abuse Harry would have been out of there faster then anyone could say Quidditch.
He sighed again as he looked out the window at the full moon outside. The sound of a wolf's howl made the old man smile a bit remembering the werewolf Remus Lupin.
The moon was blocked by a flutter of wings and the arrival of Hedwig, Harry's owl. The poor bird looked exhausted but as far as Dumbledore could tell she only cared. She looked at him with her golden eyes before fluttering to her master. She settled herself in quite nicely and began to snooze. She burrowed her head into her master's face and hooted softly.
Behind her was Pig who landed carefully on his master's hand and made his way to his face. Crookshanks the orange cat made his way to his master and curled up purring softly. Dumbledore sighed as he looked at Draco the boy has a large raven for a pet but the bird was badly injured and in Hagrid's care. Breathing a sigh he noticed the shadow on the window sill.
"You do what you must Sheroc but let them decide if they want the power or not," Dumbledore said before departing. The eagle nodded before flying out towards the forest.
