Disclaimer here- I don't own Harry Potter or any of its characters. I just
make puppets of them to fit into my little flights of fancy. Or insanity.
Same difference. ^_^
Blood of My Blood
By Nyghthawk28
Chapter Eight - " Show & Tell "
The room was beautiful by anyone's standards but it was also quite unusual. One of the first things you see is a large pond with a lily fountain that sprays water to the very ceiling which brought your eyes to the vines that blanket and illuminate the room.
"Angel vines." Whispered Aris with a touch of awe.
"What are angel vines?" asked Solis.
"A very rare and sacred plant to faeries, pixies, and gremlins." Explained Aris.
"Oh." said Solis.
The Angel Vines looked similar to regular ivy with tiny morning glory blossoms and small bunches of berries. What made Angel Vines stand out from other plants is that it glowed with a gentle but clear white light. The vines covered the whole ceiling and light the whole room.
The furniture was made out of black crystal that gave off a gentle black light that seemed to enhance the light being given off by the Angel Vines. The mix of black and white light highlighted various areas in the room. For example there was a lounging area made up of large pillows on the floor, which would turn out to be a perfect bed for Blackfang, Thor, and Loki(in dog form). The other beds were more like hammocks made out of Ferrix webs, which is softer than silk and stronger than steel. Ferrics are magical creatures that look like white ferrets and spin silky webs only slightly thicker than an ordinary spider silk. Ferrics are vegetarian and so their webs are woven to make their dens and not catch prey.
"I never expected to find a room like this in a mortal castle." Said Davan.
"Don't underestimate mortals Davan. They can be just as creative as they are destructive." Said Zeaphur.
"I agree with the Prince but someone inhuman designed this room." Said Aris examining the room.
"Inhuman as in Fey or something else?" asked Solis.
"Something else. Ferrix don't like humans or "light" magic. My best guess would be something along the lines of a vampire." Said Aris.
"What makes you think vampire?" asked Solis.
"All the luminous light, the fire stones in the corners instead of actual fires, and the Ferrix beds." Said Aris still looking around.
"Why would a vampire be at Hogwarts much less design a room here?" asked Zeaphur.
"This castle has seen a lot of mixed breed and inhuman students. I can taste it in the castle's magic." Said Aris seriously.
"Taste it?" Zeaphur's eyebrow rose in question.
"Besides poisons I am also capable of identifying different kinds of magic, its one of my talents. There are no fancy words or definitions on how I do it but I call it tasting." Said Aris.
No one really had anything else to say after that so everyone moved around to pick their own beds and to explore. Zeaphur's servants(the little lights) appeared and started to unpack the luggage. They swirled around the room like a happy little tornado but instead of destruction they left order behind.
"We should set the wards." Said Davan.
"I want three layers." Said Zeaphur.
"What three?" asked Davan.
"Runes, Blood, and Fire." Said Zeaphur with absolute authority.
"As you wish my Prince which do you want me to set?" asked Zeaphur.
"Runes. I'll take Blood. If its alright with you Solis I'll like you to provide Fire?" requested Zeaphur.
Solis looked a little surprised but quickly got to his feet ready to help.
It was Davan who spoke the first part of the spell. His fingers spelled out elven runes the glowed brightly as they hung in the air.
Next came Solis his words came out fluidly in the Japanese tongue. Instead of runes, his fingers spelled out kanji(Japanese letters) made of fire floated in the air along with something that looked like a Celtic knot.
Zeaphur took care of the final part of the spell. His voice rang like a great silver bell and the distant sound of horns. Without care he pierced his finger and started to draw two Eastern type dragons with his blood. Once he finished drawing the dragons he drew a simple infinity symbol and his voice rose to finish the incantation.
As the final word was spoken the song of a huge gong echoed through the room. The floating runes, kanji, and symbols hit the wall and like a pebble dropped into a calm pond the magic rippled outward. It covered the walls, the ceiling, and even the floor until the whole room was encased. After a few minutes the glow died down and sank into the stone walls.
After the glow had completely died Davan started to test the wards to be sure they were set correctly. Not really necessary but being sure never hurt.
"It's solid." Said Davan.
"You can change back now Sirius." Said Zeaphur.
"Well today has been interesting. Me and the Marauders were good but you really know how to make an entrance Harry." Said Sirius with a grin.
Zeaphur didn't blush but an evil looking grin crossed his face. "Oh I don't know. I seem to remember Moony saying something about a pink Elvis costume, a herd of nuclear green penguins, and streaking."
Sirius went so red it was almost like his hair was trying to blush as well.
Sirius spent the rest of the night being teased until he told the whole story to the enraptured audience.
The next morning the Great Hall got crowded quite early. No one wanted to miss a minute of the demonstrations. Both older and younger students, and even some of the teachers, were excited to see how these new classes would be demonstrated.
As the students were finishing up breakfast Dumbledore entered the Great Hall, he'd been surprisingly absent for the morning. He said a few words to McGonagall and she nodded before calling for silence.
"I hope everyone has enjoyed their breakfast. I know you are all looking forward to the demonstrations but I have a little announcement to make first. I am pleased to say our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher has arrived! So please give a warm Hogwarts welcome to Ranger Valnoir!" said Dumbledore cheerfully.
"Oh shit!" said Aris softly and with feeling.
"What's wrong Aris?" asked Solis. A white fuzzy ear twitched in worry. Aris was prone to sarcasm but not swearing.
"I hope I'm wrong but if I'm not you'll see soon enough." Said Aris keeping a wary eye on Davan.
Even as the words passed Aris' lips Zeaphur could feel a certain tension, sort of like a high pitched hum. Zeaphur turned to look at Davan and the usually poised Blademaster was rigid. His eyes were glued to the doors leading into the Great Hall. He was focused like a hawk waiting to swoop down on prey.
The tension got worse when the doors opened and in walked the new DADA teacher. The first thing you noticed about him was the inhuman beauty of the Fey. He wore a green silk tunic with pants made of griffin hide, which looks like leather with a golden sheen. Calf high boots made of basilisk hide, doubtless containing knives. He wore an enchanted forest cloak that camouflages you within any forest. An elven longbow rode his back along with a quiver made of dragon hide. At his waist was a cutlass with a bone hilt. Long blond hair reached down to his butt, flawless white skin, and eyes the color of a clear summer day completed the package. All in all he looked like the stereotype of the Fair Folk.
A sound somewhere between a growl and a hiss issued from Davan. Davan had a white knuckled grip on his sword and a not quite sane look in his eyes.
Before Davan could do anything Aris was standing behind him and talking to him quietly in Elven. It took several minutes but eventually Davan's hand released his sword and he calmed down but the look in Davan's eye did not bode well for the future.
Both Zeaphur and Solis had heard the conversation although they didn't know the source of Davan's hate, insane fury, for Ranger Valnoir and now didn't seem the best time to ask. Basically what Aris said was this was not the time or the place to face off with Valnoir in front of children. Mostly it was the children argument that stopped Davan from trying to disembowel Valnoir in the middle of the Great Hall. After all Valnoir would be here all year so there would be time later on for the confrontation(i.e. deathmatch).
When Valnoir spotted Davan an arrogant eyebrow raised. As he saw the fury in Davan's eyes a small smirk appeared on his face. After a few moments Davan was no longer worth his attention his eyes roamed the rest of the table for points of interest. Aris was noted with caution, Solis barely got a glance, Thor, Loki, and Blackfang managed to gain his attention for a few moments before his attention settled on the Unseelie Prince. His face gave away nothing but his eyes were another story. There was a hunger there that Zeaphur was all too familiar with. It was lust, at least not for sex it was the over whelming hunger for the hunt. A chase that makes your heart pump, your muscles burn, and your spirit fly until the final moment of the kill.
Valnoir was a Hunter. As blue eyes met green there was an acknowledgement between two hunters. Not exactly respect but like recognizing like.
Valnoir continued forward and settled in his place at the head table.
Breakfast continued for awhile and rumors about the new DADA teacher spread all across the hall. The Slytherins were smart enough not to ask their new members about Valnoir. The kill vibes Davan was giving off was more than enough warning for the Slytherins to remain silent even though they were coming to their own conclusions about the new DADA teacher and his connection to Davan and Zeaphur.
About fifteen minutes later MacGonagall called for silence once again and Dumbledore stood to make another announcement. "I believe everyone has joined us by now. For those who might have missed his arrive this is Ranger Valnoir and he is the new DADA teacher. Today will be full of demonstrations of the new classes Hogwarts has to offer. Unlike years before even the first and second years will have the options of taking elective classes along with the required classes. Now lets get to the fun part! Let the demonstrations begin!" said Dumbledore with a wide smile.
With a quick wave of Dumbledore's wand the head table slide back and a fairly large stage area was formed.
Without warning a pillar of fire rose ten feet high in the newly created stage area. The pillar fell and revealed Professor Lupin standing center stage.
"Hello as you know I am Professor Lupin and I'll be teaching Elemental Manipulation. Now can anyone tell me what the four most basic elements are?"
Lupin pointed to a Hufflepuff boy and he stood to answer, "Fire, Water, Wind, and um . Earth?"
"Very good five points to Hufflepuff. Fire, Wind, Water and Earth are the four basic elements but there are others. Still to the gifted few they most commonly control one of the four. As Dumbledore mentioned before my class is required of the gifted but others may learn as well. The difference between the gifted and everyone else is that the gifted few actually have an element inside them, whether they ever use it is another question. For the ungifted you are learning to summon and control the elements around you. Truthfully it is harder for the gifted to learn because they need to learn to control themselves first before even starting to try elements outside themselves."
Lupin gave his audience a few minutes to digest what he'd just told them before moving on. "There are four ranks in Elemental Manipulation. The first is Apprentice, the second is Journeyman, the third is Master, and for the very rare and powerful the fourth rank is Adept, the final and greatest rank."
"I will not lie Elemental Manipulation is not an easy subject and has been out of favor for around three centuries. The only reason I learned it at all is I spent several years in a Tibetan temple learning from one of the last known Adepts in the world. It used to be considered a powerful Druidic Art but time, religious persecution, and war changed things." Said Lupin with unusual intensity. The usually mellow Professor obviously felt quite strongly about his new subject.
"If you want to learn more I'll welcome you in my class but this is supposed to be a demonstration so let's give you something to look at shall we?" said Lupin with a smile.
Lupin cupped his hands and when he opened them a small flame floated in the air. He reached out and captured the little flame like you'd catch a butterfly. When he opened his hands again the flame had been shaped into a fairy that burst into dozen of sparks. The sparks became fairies like the first one and flew all over the great hall lighting candles no one had noticed before. After the candles were all lit the fairies disappeared much to the disappointment of the younger years. Still there attention was once again caught as the candle flames grew to form little ballerinas that danced on their wicks.
After a few minutes of dancing the ballerinas grew in size and jumped off their wicks into a pile that formed a bonfire in the middle of the great hall. A few of the ballerinas had to jump from candle to candle before they were in range to become part of the bonfire. Once all the ballerinas had joined the bonfire was seven feet high and it started to twist and bend. Within a few moments the bonfire was formed into a life sized replica of a Great Wolf which trotted back to the stage and sat down at Lupin's side.
Lupin petted the seated wolf and said, "I hope you enjoyed this little demonstration and I'd be glad to welcome you into my class." Lupin gave the wolf a last pat before it dissipated and he returned to his seat at the head table.
There were cheers for the Lupin and it was obvious he'd caught the interest of several of the students.
The next to move forward from the head table was Madam Hooch.
"My name is Madam Hooch most of you know me as your Flying Instructor but this year I will be teaching you Beast Magic. Beast Magic has never before been taught as a class in the history of Hogwarts or any other magical institution. Originally Beast Magic was taught to human wizards by the Fey. It has always been taught as a Master/Apprentice class or Parent/Child. There are five basic elements of Beast Magic. The first is Beast Speech, it isn't like Parseltongue or Mer-tongue, it is a mixture of animal empathy and animal body language. The second is Beast Summoning and its exactly like it sounds, it is the ability to summon a wild animal. Actually controlling what you summon is he third aspect which is Beast Taming. Taming isn't like training a dog or other some other pet, you are getting a wild animal to do something it wouldn't normally do. The forth aspect is Beast Shape, which is becoming an Animagi but it also involves other animal transformations to get a feel for how animals think and live. The final aspect and my personal favorite is Familiar Bonding. I'm not talking about the pets you brought with you to school but an animal you share a magical, mental, and emotional bond with. A Bonded Familiar increases your magical strength, acts an emotional support, and occasionally they affect your physical strength as well."
"Well I've given you an a summery of Beast Magic but nothing quite describes it. It changes you and how you look at the world but I think by now you're all more interested in more show and less tell."
Only one person in the Great Hall could truly understand what Madam Hooch was trying to explain. Zeaphur hadn't meant to do it at the time but Thor was Zeaphur's bonded familiar. The bond was created with uncontrolled magic and cemented with Wild magic. Zeaphur had never spent much time examining his bond with Thor, it was there and Thor was a part of him. Still Hooch's words touched Zeaphur and his fingers played with the short fur on the Darkke Hound's head.
Without warning a red blur flew through the Great Hall and buzzed several students. Then as quickly as it entered it landed peacefully on Hooch's upraised arm. "This is my Familiar, his name is Diesel. Can anyone tell me what kind of creature Diesel is?"
A Slytherin fourth year by the name of Jason Vise was picked to answer, "He's a Midus Firedrake."
"Ten points to Slytherin, you managed to identify his species and breed Mr.Vise. Drakes are very similar to dragons but truthfully they are closer to being elementals. Drakes generally are either Fire or Ice Drakes. They like the extreme temperatures of their favored environment. Usually during the school year Diesel spends his time in a volcano soaking up the heat and socializing with others of his kind. As you can guess Scotland in winter isn't exactly his kind of place. Now to give you a true idea of the depth of the bond I've arranged a bit of an obstacle course. I think you'll get the point of this demonstration rather quickly." Finished Madam Hooch.
With a small nod to Flitwick, Madam Hooch was suddenly wearing a blindfold and she was magically spun in place for almost a full minute. She tottered on her feet for a few seconds until her center of balance reasserted itself. A bunch of chairs and other miscellaneous items were conjured around her, kind of like a mine field for the blind. Diesel hovered in the air and Madam Hooch began to walk.
She managed to negotiate the room without placing her arms out to feel for her surroundings. As Hooch predicted everyone was able to figure out the point of this exercise. Diesel was directing Hooch through the obstacles. How exactly they weren't sure but it was definitely a powerful bond if she didn't falter even once or even try to feel her way on her own.
As a finale she pulled a trick most common seen at a carnival and preformed by fire-eaters. She pulled out some small torches and just like a dragon, she inhaled and exhaled fire from her mouth to ignite them. She juggled the torches for a little while to show off then threw them high into the air where Diesel snatched them and dropped them into a waiting water bucket.
The general feel after Hooch's demo was positive. A lot of the younger years were interested since it involved animals. A few of the older years were interested in the implied power bonus. Either way Hooch had successfully stirred the student's interest in her class.
The next to take the stage was Professor Sinestra. There was a bit more interest in what she was going to say. Ritual Circles wasn't something anyone had heard of before. They'd all heard of magic involving a circle in one way or another but it didn't really inspire a picture.
"There are all kinds of magic involving circles. Some are offensive, some are defensive, and some are purely ritual. I will be teaching Coven circles this year. A Coven if you do not know is a group of witches and wizards that perform their magic as a single whole and not just as individuals." Explained Sinestra.
"The style I will be teaching is mainly Wiccan. There will be a lot of religious implications so those strongly tied to other beliefs please reframe from joining my class. Not that you aren't welcome but I do not wish to offend you."
"The Covens I'll be arranging will have thirteen people each. Of those thirteen, one person shall assume the position of High Priest or Priestess, which is the position and responsibility of leader and focus of the Coven. Besides the leader four others will be assigned as the Cardinals of the North, South, East, and West. The Cardinals are grounding points of the circle and usually have an elemental affinity if not ability. The other Coven members do not have fancy titles but they are very important to the Coven. The leader focuses the magic, the Cardinals ground the circle, and the other member provide the majority of the magic to accomplish their goal."
"I hope I'm not confusing you. What you may or may not realize by now is Circle Magic ritual or otherwise does not use wands. This is not instantaneous magic like Sorcery or Charms this is a carefully planned out magic like Potions or Arithmancy. Sometimes it has a practical purpose and sometimes it's just a celebration of nature and magic. A well balanced Coven can do what fifty wizards and witches together cannot. This is the magic that built the forbidden cities of Egypt. This is not the power of many but the power of many as One."
"I would have liked to show you a full Coven in action but I was not able to arrange it. Instead I've decided to show you some Circle magic that can be preformed solo. I'm not going to be teaching solo work this year but I thought you might find it interesting."
Sinestra pulled out a simple piece of chalk and began drawing on the stage floor. Flitwick cast a reflect charm over Sinestra so everyone could see what she was drawing. It started out as a simple pentacle and she was encircling it with runes and symbols. When she was done drawing she settled down in a lotus position.
She started chanting in softly and at first nothing happened but gradually a soft glow started to surround her. The glow seemed to chime and the chalk symbols started to glow. Still in a lotus position she started to levitate. She continued to chant and something started to form in the air above the levitating teacher. The form was fuzzy at first but soon the form of a blue eastern serpent dragon. It slid through the air like a snake in water. Soon it was joined by a white dragon, then a green dragon, and finally a black dragon. The dragons weaved around each other like an intricate Celtic knot. When they parted a crystal globe was revealed. The red dragon breathed on the globe and volcanoes spouted and erupted on the globe. Next the black dragon breathed on the globe and the water extinguished the volcanoes but the smoke encircled globe in a black cloud. It was the white dragon's turn and his breath cleared the smoke away revealing something that looked a lot like earth. Finally it was the blue dragon's turn and when he breathed on the globe it started to rotate gently and rose above the dragons. Next a phoenix appeared and perched on the rotating globe. Without warning it burst into flame and its ashes gently rained down on the globe. Where the ashes touched down green life started to sprout. The four dragons faded away and what was left was the solar system and the little green earth orbiting a star we call the sun.
Professor Sinestra stopped chanting and the images disappeared. The Great Hall soon echoed with the sounds of applause. Sinestra rubbed out some key points of the circle she'd drawn before banishing the chalk drawing completely. Then she bowed to the applauding students and returned to her seat. Even the other teachers had enjoyed her little picture show as much as the students.
It was a bit of a surprise when both Professor Flitwick and Professor Darkholme took the stage together. "Hello I'm Professor Filius Flitwick and my associate is Professor Darkholme. After some discussion we decided to do our demonstration together. Besides my usual Charms classes, I'm teaching Dueling this year. Dueling varies country to country since different spells are legal or illegal depending on the country your dueling in. There are also some countries like Italy for example that prefer a more physical/magical approach to dueling. While in Venice it's the height of dishonor to touch your opponent in any way. This of course is referring to formal dueling, in a life or death battle there are no rules, you do whatever it requires to survive. The one thing to remember is in formal dueling you must be very careful to stay within the agreed upon rules or the magical backlash can be deadly. The laws regarding dueling were ancient even in the time Merlin walked the Earth to cross them brings consequences I cannot even begin to describe. I will explain more about different dueling styles in my class. Now I'll hand the spotlight over to Professor Darkholme." Said Flitwick.
"First of all don't call me Professor, Darkholme, or Sir. Call me Damien. I'm here to teach you the Forgotten Arts of Sorcery. This is not what people commonly consider Wandless magic. Wandless magic is an internal Art while Sorcery is an external one. There are three basic types of Sorcery Black, White, and Shamanistic. Note I said Black and White not Good and Evil. There is a huge difference but I will not be discussing it at this time. White magic is mostly defined as a defensive, healing, and purification magic. Black magic on the other hand is defined as mostly offensive and destructive magic. Shamanistic magic is a form of elemental magic but it greatly differs from Elemental Manipulation. If you wish to learn more take my class. Shall we begin?" asked Damien of Flitwick.
Flitwick nodded but turned to say a few more words to the students. "This is a formal duel. We already discussed terms but I'll share them we you before we begin. This duel will stop when one of us surrenders, is rendered unconscious, or cannot continue. All spells are legal but no permanent maiming or death blows are allowed. Also physical attacks are allowed. Professor McGonagall if you'd please?" asked Flitwick.
McGonagall rose from her seat then with a few incantations set up a magical arena. Basically it's a shielding spell that keeps the dueler's magic in the arena and out of the audience. It also prevents outside interference.
"The rules have been set and the arena wards are in place. Take your positions and solute." Said McGonagall.
Flitwick made a figure eight motion and a slash as a salute. Damien just inclined his head.
"Begin."
"Faiaa Booru!"
"Glacialis!"
A fireball left Damien's hands but was countered by Flitwick's ice spell.
"Expelliarmus!"
"Bougyo No Jumon!"
The disarming charm bounced harmlessly off Damien's shield spell.
"Demona Kurisutaru!"
"Fuga!"
Damien's attack covered the floor with deadly crystal shards but had no effect of Flitwick since the small Professor took to the air with a flight charm.
"Erumekia Ransu!"
"Extundo!"
A spear of light was throw at Flitwick and he quickly repelled it back at Damien but all the Sorcerer did was step out of the way.
"Talea Ventus!"
Again Damien decides to dodge instead of counter attacking after all it is dangerous to block a cutting wind attack. Damien does take some damage. A few superficial cuts are bleeding including three on his face but he doesn't any attention to them as he watches his opponent.
"Gluten Orbis!"
"Rebiteeshon!"
Flitwick sends a giant orb of glue at Damien but Damien avoids it by taking to the air. Now both duelers are flying since Flitwick never bothered to come down. Damien decides to take it up a notch.
"Burasuto Bomu!"
"Contego!"
A very powerful fire spell is sent at Flitwick. Even shielded Flitwick was being bounced around by the power of this attack. Of course he was in the air so he didn't really have any way of bracing himself. The strain of holding the shield was quite visible on Flitwick's face but his shield held.
"Med Militus!"
To the shock of all those watching the stone floor rose up and formed into a giant stone golem. The animated stone statue attacked Damien he didn't avoid the attack. He just dodged the punch and threw a punch of his own. The scary part was Damien's punch pulverized the stone head as if it was made of fragile glass. It was a rather frightening show of strength.
"Torqueo!"
The officially legal form of Cruciatus is sent and Damien takes the pain curse directly in the chest. Damien doesn't make a sound but he does make a less than graceful landing. Flitwick uses the sudden grounding to his advantage.
"Concido Foro!"
When Damien sank into the ground many wondered if the duel was over but they quickly changed their minds when Damien jumped from the twenty foot hole.
"Bomu Di Win!"
Well the mother of all wind spells finalized the duel. Flitwick had no time to brace himself or even put up a proper shield. He was bashed against the dueling barrier and hit the ground unconscious and bruised but otherwise unhurt.
"Professor Flitwick is unconscious and cannot continue therefore this duels goes to Professor Darkholme. As witnessed the duel is over." Said McGonagall but the way she said it was strange but with last words the dueling barrier was cancelled.
The students reaction varied. Most of them had never seen dueling of this scale before. A lot of people who had underestimated Flitwick because of his small size started to realize what the title of Dueling Master really entailed. Some people were enthralled by the attacks that had been used and who used them but others were more concerned with the physical aspects that Professor Darkholme had displayed.
Madam Pomfrey rushed over to Flitwick but quickly concluded there was no serious damage. She cast a few healing spells while muttering under her breath and dragged Flitwick off to the infirmary.
A few minutes were spent cleaning up the stage area before the next demonstration could begin. This time it was Professor Vector taking the stage.
Vector's start was rather abrupt. "I will not belittle your intelligence. You have all heard of Runes in one form or another. I will be teaching you to make symbols have power."
"I will be teaching a modified version of an Eastern style of magic. For them this style takes years of dedication, study, meditation, and practice to induce power into their wards. We'll be cheating the same way wands are used to cheat learning to focus our magic."
"Other rune styles require stone carving, bone carving, or even wood carving. I'm doing it this way since paper and ink are easier to come by. Besides I don't want to spend months teaching you to carve or chisel."
"Since I'm doing this as a Japanese version you will learn to read and write in Japanese kanji and a bit of ancient Japanese kanji. You might as well learn to speak Japanese as well. Those of you who already know Japanese have an advantage but there are plenty of language spells that can speed your comprehension."
"Now the key to cheating years upon years of training will be the ink we're going to use. Like the cores of our wands the ink will have magical properties of its own. Another aspect of this year will be brewing different inks and discover what inks bring the best affects for different magic's. This is a newer form of magic so there is a lot of unexplored potential to be found."
"Okay by now this either sounds very interesting or horribly boring. This class will be a lot of work. I will leave my demonstration for you to decide if my class is worth it." Finished Vector.
"Now to have a good demonstration I need a skilled opponent. Well good thing I brought my own!" There were a few snickers at Vector's crack at the other teachers.
Vector reached into his robes and pulled out a scroll. He let it fall open showing something written in gold ink.
"I summon the Doppelganger!" yelled Vector and he tossed the scroll into the air. The scroll floated away and started to twist and warp until there were two Professor Vectors on the stage.
"Do you have your deck?" asked Vector1.
"Yes. Let us begin shall we?" said Vector2.
Vector1 started the ball rolling by throwing three wards the size of tarot cards towards Vector2. One moment the wards were paper and the next three bolt of lightning were flying at Vector2.
Just moments before they hit Vector2 pulled out a bunch of wards and opened them like a fan. The bolts hit Vector2's ward fan and died. The fan smoked a little but showed no other damage.
"Nice defense." Said Vector1.
"You'll like my offense even more!" cried Vector2 as he tossed out a dozen wards. The wards glowed briefly before they morphed into what looked like little black blobs with claws and teeth.
"Inkblats! You know I hate Inkblats!" shouted Vector1 as he was swarmed by the nasty little creatures. He managed to flambé half of them but the others were quicker.
"That's the whole point Vecky!" said Vertor2 with a laugh.
"YEOW!" shouted Vector1 as one of the Inkblats sunk its teeth in his left leg.
Vector2 continued to laugh as Vector1 danced around trying to dislodge the vicious little creature and avoid the other five. Vector2 laughed even harder when another Inkblat managed to sink his teeth into Vector1.
Right on the arse.
"Okay THAT'S IT!!! The Gloves Are OFF! You think this is FUNNY well laugh at THIS!!!" shouted the enraged Vector1. Three wards were thrown and blocked by Vector2's ward fan but a fourth one made a direct hit to his chest.
What came next is one of the most unbelievably silly things seen in a duel. A fart of titanic proportion erupted from Vector2 behind but that was not all. The fart ignited like rocket fuel and propelled him head first into the castle wall.
In the audience the students were divided between those laughing their arses off and those frozen in stunned disbelief.
More specifically the Weasley twins were enthralled and excited.
"That was bloody-"
"-brilliant! We must-"
"-get Professor Vector to-"
"-show us how-"
"-to do-"
"-that!"
The twin basked in creative ecstasy and started scribbling their ideas down while keeping their eyes open for more inspiration.
Needless to say Professor Vector had guaranteed at least two students for his new class.
While the crowd of students were distracted by Vector1's last move Vector2 was recovering from his sudden introduction to the castle wall and the burning sensation in his anus. Vector1 was busy getting rid of the Inkblats.
The recovering Vector2 was just a little upset about Vector1's little trick. Physically he was fine but there was a nice scorched hole in the seat of his robes. Vecot2 didn't seem to mind of care that he was mooning the audience he had more important things on his mind.
"You want to play like that do you? Then lets play." Said Vector2 in a soft and slightly sinister voice. A blur of wards were released in a blizzard of paper.
The results were interesting. A herd of weird yellow squirrel like creatures surrounded Vector1 and a bathtub worth of ice water dropped onto the surprised Professor complete with ice cubes.
"I don't get it." Said Vecor1 in a chattering with cold voice.
"Oh you will. You heard him boys, let him have it!" said Vector2.
Vector2 got a very B-A-D feeling about this. Especially when the strange little squirrels seemed to have sparks glowing on their cheeks.
"Pikachu!!!!!!!!!!" yelled the little squirrels and a sound similar to a thunderclap heralded a couple thousand volts being pumped into the water logged Vector1.
Vector2 didn't laugh this time he just watched as Vector1 twitched on the ground. It was rather amazing that Vector1 hadn't passed out yet but he actually seemed to be fighting to get back on his feet.
Semi standing Vector1 launched a counter attack that created hundreds of boots that stomped on the squirrels and Vector2.
Still buried under the stomping boots Vector2 called out, "If you like shoes so much lets see you dance!"
Vector1 wasn't in good enough shape to dodge. The ward hit him and suddenly Vector1 was wearing a pair of red dancing shoes. Another ward escaped the horde of boots and transformed into instruments that started to play on their own. The music was from the Muggle show Riverdance and Vector1 danced.
And danced.
And danced.
And you guessed it. Danced some more.
It was not a pretty sight. The dance moves were all preformed perfectly but Vector1 wasn't looking so hot. He was still visibly twitching and he was turning some unhealthy colors.
At some point Vector2 had gotten rid of the boots and the weird electric squirrels. After seeing Vector1's face turning purple he finally took pity on his opponent. He walked up and slapped a ward to Vector1's forehead which acted like a stupefy and dropped Vector1 into blissful unconsciousness.
Vector2 remained quiet for about two seconds before joyfully jumping up and down yelling, "I WIN! I WIN! I W-I-N!!!" in a very juvenile manner.
"WHOOHOOO!!! You're all in for a special treat. I made a little bet with Vecky. Since I won I get to stick around as Vecky's assistant teacher for Power Runes. You can call me Professor Victor the Master of Slapstick and Dirty Tricks!" declared the new professor proudly as he made a victory sign at the students and laughed manically.
Victor grabbed up Vector, tossed him over his shoulder and took his physical twin to the infirmary and Pomfrey's tender mercy.
The Weasley twins were almost vibrating with excitement. A pranking teacher that could look like anyone. The possibilities were simply endless.
The future was looking very bright for the twins.
Others were not as enthused by the new teacher. Actually the other professors were almost looking downright scared by the enthusiasm of The Twins. They had six years of experience with The Twins and they were not looking forward to what they could do when encouraged. In fact both Snape and McGonagall visibly shuddered at the very thought.
A few minutes were spent cleaning up the stage before the next professor took the stage. To the surprise of some it was Headmaster Dumbledore who took the stage.
"I hope you have all enjoyed the demonstrations so far?" a small pause as the students cheered. Dumbledore smiled and continued, "Now it is my turn to try to fascinate you with my humble talents. Guardian Magic isn't a magical art of its own, it is a style of magic that draws from whatever sources are available to protect and defend, be it a magical or even physical defense. There are five basic aspects of Guardian Magic based on the five things you can protect. They are a person, a family, a place, an object, and knowledge."
"Now to some of you defending a person may seem the same as defending a family but there is a huge difference. A person is a singular entity and your job is done when they are truly safe or dead. With a family it can be a lifelong job that is passed down for generations. This particular scenario is based on the oaths to liege lords and certain families that pledged their lives to protect their liege's family. There is also the reverse where the liege lord has promised his protection to certain families for their promised loyalty to him."
"Even among purebloods most of these bonds have died out or have not been renewed so they have become dormant. Without acknowledgement on both sides the bonds will remain nothing but a hidden memory of the bloodline until reactivated."
"There are several ways to guard things be it magical, physical, or just by being silent. I will be demonstrating a magically physical defense."
Dumbledore moved a little to the left and grabbed something out of the air.
There were surprised murmurs as two gargoyles were revealed. In Dumbledore's formerly empty hand was a sheet of magical camouflage material.
"Now what do you see?" asked Dumbledore.
A Ravenclaw third year answered, "They're gargoyles sir."
"Correct. Five points for Ravenclaw but do you notice anything different about these two gargoyles besides their physical shapes?" asked Dumbledore.
This time it was George or was it Fred that answered, "They're different types of-"
"-gargoyles. The one on the-"
"-left is-"
"-alive-"
"-but the-"
"-one on the right-"
"-is-"
"-only-"
"-enchanted." They finished in unison.
"Very good Mister Wealseys. I see your time spent with Florence has not been wasted. Twenty points to Gryffindor." Said Dumbledore.
"As the Weasleys have pointed out there are two types of gargoyles. The originals are the creatures who sleep as stone during the day and move about at night. Very early on the gargoyles were employed as castle guardians. It was a good deal since they protected the castles inhabitants while they slept and in reverse the castle's soldiers protected them when they slept. Unfortunately after various wars, sieges, and other battles the numbers of the gargoyle population were seriously dwindling. A wizard by the name of Rudgar de Volter came up with a solution. Rudgar was very gifted in the craft of making golems for every occasion. His first try at a solution was to enchant a statue of a gargoyle but these enchanted statues didn't really compare with the real thing. This frustrated Rudgar since he considered himself a master of his chosen field of magic. It took Rudgar over a decade to finally come up with a solution. What the fake gargoyles lacked was the instinct to defend and know when something was wrong. Basically they weren't alive."
"His solution was brilliant. Most castles even the muggle ones have heart stones or some like to call them key stones. A heart stone is created when either a lot of magic is poured into the foundation of a castle or enough blood soaks a castle walls. In muggle castles the heart stone attracts ghosts and other phenomena. In a wizards' castle the heart stone is where the wards are centered. The older the castle the more powerful the heart stone becomes and the more sentient the castle becomes. If you haven't figured it out by now Hogwarts is an aware castle. Now back to Rudgar, he came up with a way to key his gargoyles with the heart stone of the castle, so when the wards were tripped or tampered with the gargoyles would come alive and defend. They were as alive as the castle and since they were "alive" they had the instinct to defend their lives."
"As I said gargoyles are a magically physical defense. Even real gargoyles are somewhat magically immune. They can sense the use of magic. They are a very honor bound breed, they will uphold their pledges to the death. A very rare form of loyalty that few really appreciate for what it is."
Dumbledore laid a fond hand on the gargoyle on the left.
"Knowledge is probably the hardest thing to protect since nothing is truly forgotten even things that should be. Sometimes trying to hide things is the worse thing you can do even if it is dangerous. For example the poison known as The Golden Death it was considered an evil potion and banned, after awhile it was all but forgotten but during Grindelwald's uprising he managed to uncover its making. Five hundred and forty-four people died before we were able to dig up the antidote that was as forgotten as the poison. Sometimes it is better to know and not use than it is to forget and be helpless." Said Dumbledore darkly. Memories of a war that even to this day haunted the old man hung like an invisible shadow over him for a few moments but was quickly dispelled by his usually nutty persona.
"Well I think I've said enough. I'll leave to another to impress you with their showmanship of exotic magic. I will say one final thing. It is a very heavy burden to be a Guardian because the lives of others will weigh you down whether or not you succeed or fail in your task. You are taking responsibility for the lives of others either directly or indirectly." Finished Dumbledore. They were unusually heavy words from the Headmaster and not easily forgotten.
The students watched quietly as the Headmaster returned to his seat. Unlike the other professors there were no cheers or other shows of enthusiasm. Not that they were negatively inclined to Dumbledore's class but. It was all fun and games. At least not this class.
The next to take the stage was Madam Pomfrey. She looked a bit irritated like a ruffled bird but she paused for a moment and her invisible feathers seemed to settle. She'd just dealt with Vector and his new assistant Victor plus Flitwick from earlier. She was in the middle of her usual rant about adults that should know better.
"As most of you know I'm Madam Pomfrey. I'm the school nurse and I run the infirmary here at Hogwarts. I've treated most of you at one point or another and I'll get around to rest of you before the end of this year."
"Usually one or two students every year approach me with an interest in becoming a magical medic or Medi. After a few trials to test their dedication I'll help them prepare for further education in the medical arts after their Hogwarts education is finished."
"There are two types of magical healers. The most common is similar to any muggle doctor. They learn all the potions, spells, counter spells, and even hexes to cure a patient's illness. It takes a lot of dedication and an honest wish to heal others. The second type is a lot rarer and they are what is called True Healers. For Healers it is an intrinsic gift to heal another's illness almost instantly. The gift isn't precisely rare but the majority that do have it don't have enough of the gift to be useable. Most often these people might notice that they heal from cuts quickly. On the other hand sometimes those with a strong talent don't focus on normal healing. For example Professor Sprout is a strongly gifted Healer but her gift only works on plants. Another example is Hagrid, his talents are more along the lines of empathy but they are quite strong in regards to animals and he can heal animals to a limited degree."
"Whether a Medi or a Healer the point is to heal. Both are important callings with pros and cons. To be honest the Healing gift is more often curse than blessing. People with the gift are compulsive about healing and are usually empathic, so if someone is sick around them they feel sick as well. Healing in this case is a defense mechanism. Also those with a strong gift can not do certain types of healing like surgery, since cutting their patient is like cutting themselves."
"Before anyone starts to panic, these are only problems for the very strongly gifted. Those with lesser gifts don't have these problems and are some of the best Healers in the world. Healing is never about power. The point of healing is to heal by any means available."
"I'm not going to drag those three idiots in here to do a demo. I'm just going to explain the overview of my classes."
"In Magical First Aid the first thing you're going to learn is to identify the problem. There are several different scanning charms that will highlight the injuries of the patient. You will also be taught what you can heal yourself and what needs professional help."
"I'll leave the potion making to Severus" a small nod to the Potion Master, " but we will go over what various healing potions and other helpful herbs."
"We'll go over numerous charms for minor healing like small cuts, scratches, and bruises. You'll also learn the nonmagical methods of fixing yourself up."
"Another part of this class will be a small twelve hour internship in the hospital. The time will be spread out over six days. It's to give you a small taste of what it's like to be a nurse or doctor."
"My Healing Arts class is required for those of you with a moderately strong gift and those who are empathic. It will also be open to those I believe are truly interested in a future in the medical field. For the gifted ones you are not required to become Healers but you need to learn to control your gift so you don't end up hurting yourself or others. I guarantee this will not be a large class. This is an advanced version of Magical First Aid that goes more in depth and I will arrange for further education beyond Hogwarts for the dedicated."
"I'll see you all in Magical First Aid but I must admit to curiosity about who will be in my Healing class on talent and who will be there through vocational calling. As is my Healing Arts class will not start up until after Christmas break but I welcome all interested students to stop by the Infirmary to ask any questions you may have."
Madam Pomfrey gave a little bow and hurried out of the Great Hall and back to her infirmary.
Predictably the most interested in Pomfrey's class were the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. Ravenclaws were interested for the intellectual challenge of the medical field. For the Hufflepuffs it was part of their kind nature and willingness towards hard work. That's not to say a few Slytherins and Gryffindors were also interested.
Now there was only one teacher left. That is unless Ranger Valnoir decided to do one but from the looks of things the Seelie Fey had no intention of putting on a demo. Besides he'd just arrived this morning.
With a swing of her hips and a bounce in her step Professor Ruby Goldstrike took the stage. "Hello! I'm Professor Ruby Goldstrike and I'll be teaching Magical Amulets. If it wasn't obvious before, yes I'm American. My family tree is spread all over the place. My father is a Shaman who specializes as a Dream Warrior. My mother on the other hand crafts magical instruments. My older brother is a Magesmith and a royal pain in the a- Well you get the idea."
"As for myself I specialize in the creation of amulets and fine jewelry. Amulets are a self-sustaining form of magic. They can be destroyed, damaged, or improperly made but once formed correctly they are immortal. Their magic never dies."
"The key to 99.9% of all amulets is the stone or gem you use. The stone is the focus and power source of an amulet. Can anyone tell me the greatest of all stones that can be used for multiple kinds of amulets?"
"Diamond?"
"Nope. Diamond is actually one of the least magical stone there is. It is only good for one or two types of amulets. Next guess."
"Bloodstone?"
"A good magical stone but it is limited by where the blood came from."
"Jade?"
"Another good stone especially for healing but not the best."
"Mage Stone?"
"Mage Stones are powerful but like wands you have to key them to the right person."
"Amethyst?"
"You're getting much warmer. Amethyst is a good protection stone and is also good for clarity of mind."
"Quartz?"
"We have a winner! Ten points to Gryffindor Quartz is the best all around stone there is. Any guesses why?"
"Because it's clear?"
"That's a good guess. Ten points to Hufflepuff. The fact that its clear isn't a precise answer otherwise diamonds would be equally useful. Quartz is the best because it is magically neutral. It can be shaped rounded, edged, lumpy, or even natural and the power will remain the same. Most stones have to be in a particular shape to hold magic."
"Now if the stone is the heart of an amulet what is the body?"
"The setting?"
"Five points to Ravenclaw but I'm still looking for a more specific answer."
"The design?"
"No."
"The metal?"
"Ten points to Slytherin. The metal, like with the stones, some metals are more conductive for magic than others. This time I'm looking for best and worst."
"Gold and Iron?"
"You're half right."
"Silver and Gold?"
"Again with the half."
"Iron and Silver."
"Another ten points to Slytherin. Iron is technically the worst and Silver is the best. With magic there really are no set rules, so exceptions always exist but this applies 98% of the time."
"Now for my demonstration I'll need seven volunteers."
In short order seven students of varying house and age were assembled on the stage.
"Okay this will be a practical demonstration of how different stones affect magic. I have seven identical settings, in other words one for each volunteer. I'm offering a choice of twenty stones they get to choose their fate and we'll see what happens. This is supposed to be a simple jump amulet so lets see what happens. By the way Quartz is not an option."
The first up was a Hufflepuff second year named Susan Wiffle.
Susan picked a pink stone.
"Rose Quartz." Said Goldstrike popping the stone into the simple setting. "Now hold the amulet gently and give a small hop."
Susan nodded and did as instructed. The results were a little odd. Susan started to hiccough and bounce every ten seconds.
Goldstrike stopped Susan's bouncing and offered the remaining nineteen stones to the next volunteer.
A Slytherin seventh year by the name of Gavin Sinclair picked a shiny black stone.
"Onyx."
When Gavin came back down from his test hop he cracked a twelve inch hole in the ground.
Volunteer number three was Denis Creevy. He chose a red stone.
"Ruby."
When Denis hopped.
Nothing happened. Denis looked at the stone in surprise and shrugged.
Number four was fourth year Hufflepuff called Janice Hallow. She picked an orange colored stone.
"Carnelian."
Janice's small hop became an eight foot jump.
Number Five was a first year Ravenclaw named James Clover. He chose a translucent stone shaded with both blue and purple.
"Fluorite."
James gave a hop and started to spinning like a top. A slow top thankfully.
Number six was a second year Slytherin named Jeannette Knomes. She chose a pale green stone.
"Jade."
Jeannette's hopped ended up being three feet high instead of one but nothing overly showy.
The last volunteer was a Gryffindor third year named Hamilton Riggs. He chose a shiny brown stone.
"Tiger's Eye."
Hamilton's jump came within inches of bashing his skull into the charmed ceiling. Ruby had to cast a quick charm to catch him on the way down.
"Well I think you can see how important the stone is to a amulet. All my volunteers gain ten points for their help and Miss Hallow get to keep her amulet and gains an extra fifteen points for picking the best stone for a jump amulet. Well I hope you enjoyed by the little demonstrations and I hope to see many of you in my class." Said Professor Goldstrike with a smile before she walked back to her seat.
Shortly afterward the stage area disappeared and lunch was served. The students were busy discussing the highlights of the demos and what they were going to pick.
***Sev's POV***
Damn those little brats!
Some of the most difficult and rare forms of magic are suddenly being offered on a silver platter. They have absolutely no idea of the opportunities that have just been offered. Adult wizards have to search the globe to get offers like this.
A full fledged Sorcerer for Merlin's sake!!!
They're rarer than phoenixes!
That crazy old bastard really knows how to pull out all the stops.
Tricky, tricky old man.
He's managed to hide a master of Beast Magic, a Dueling Master, a Wiccan High Priestess, and a master of Eastern style magic. He's kept them all right under the ministry's noses.
Dumbledore's an even more dangerous man than I'd given him credit for.
It makes me wonder if he knows what I'm truly capable of?
Either he knows or her doesn't.
DAMN IT!!!
That blue pest is staring at me AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*****************end chapter********************
Author's notes - Well its months, centuries, eons later but the next chapter is finally out. I have a whole heap of excuses but I'll keep them to myself. I did learn one thing. Never again am I doing demos or classes for subjects I made up. It's way too tiring to be original without being boring or repetitive. I thank all the wonderful people who have reviewed. It is your comments, questions, and begging that spur me on when the words start blurring. I would have replied to all the reviews but I just wanted to finally get this out. I really hope it is worth the insane wait of faithful readers. ^_^
Next Chapter :
Playing with fire?
Playing with ice?
Playing with Draco?
Playing with .
Sorcery Spells
Faiaa Booru - fireball; a ball of fire appears between the hands of the caster which can then be thrown, upon contact with an object, the ball explodes, spreading flames
Bougyo No Jumon - defense; a white magic spell which creates a defensive shield
Demona Kurisutaru - demonic crystal; a spell which makes icy fog appear out of the ground, which then suddenly freezes anything within
Erumekia Ransu - elmekia lance; a spell which creates and fires a lance of light, which damages a target's spirit. This spell deals no physical damage, and even a direct hit only causes the target to fall unconscious for a period of time
Rebiteeshon -levitation; by manipulating wind, the caster gains the ability to levitate. After casting the spell, it is possible to rise or fall simply by willing it
Burasuto Bomu - blast bomb; the strongest fire-shamanist magic, when the spell is cast, balls of light about the size of a fist appear. each ball of light in the targeted area bursts into a raising tongue of blue white flame. The flames can melt even a golem with ease. Against a human, not even the bones will remain. This is the strongest fire-shamanist magic a normal human can cast.
Bomu Di Win - bomb di wind; this spell greatly increases the air pressure in an area, and then when released it blows away anything directly in front of the caster
Wand Spells
Glacialis - ice; the spell flash freezes on contact
Expelliarmus - disarming spell that both disarms and tosses the victum with varying force
Fuga -flight; a personal flight spell
Extundo - violently repel; a spell which returns attack to sender with added force
Talea Ventus - cutting wind; a spell that acts like a small blizzard of razors
Gluten Orbis - glue orb; sends a ball of glue to disable opponent
Contego - shield; a shield spell of varying power and size, can be completely spherical
Med Militus - stone soldier; a stone golem that will follows its caster's order, usually twelve feet tall or larger
Torqueo - tormenter; a legal version Cruciatus that mentally attacks victim with pain, usually nonfatal but very dangerous
Concido Foro - sinkhole; ground opens up and creates a rocky pit
Blood of My Blood
By Nyghthawk28
Chapter Eight - " Show & Tell "
The room was beautiful by anyone's standards but it was also quite unusual. One of the first things you see is a large pond with a lily fountain that sprays water to the very ceiling which brought your eyes to the vines that blanket and illuminate the room.
"Angel vines." Whispered Aris with a touch of awe.
"What are angel vines?" asked Solis.
"A very rare and sacred plant to faeries, pixies, and gremlins." Explained Aris.
"Oh." said Solis.
The Angel Vines looked similar to regular ivy with tiny morning glory blossoms and small bunches of berries. What made Angel Vines stand out from other plants is that it glowed with a gentle but clear white light. The vines covered the whole ceiling and light the whole room.
The furniture was made out of black crystal that gave off a gentle black light that seemed to enhance the light being given off by the Angel Vines. The mix of black and white light highlighted various areas in the room. For example there was a lounging area made up of large pillows on the floor, which would turn out to be a perfect bed for Blackfang, Thor, and Loki(in dog form). The other beds were more like hammocks made out of Ferrix webs, which is softer than silk and stronger than steel. Ferrics are magical creatures that look like white ferrets and spin silky webs only slightly thicker than an ordinary spider silk. Ferrics are vegetarian and so their webs are woven to make their dens and not catch prey.
"I never expected to find a room like this in a mortal castle." Said Davan.
"Don't underestimate mortals Davan. They can be just as creative as they are destructive." Said Zeaphur.
"I agree with the Prince but someone inhuman designed this room." Said Aris examining the room.
"Inhuman as in Fey or something else?" asked Solis.
"Something else. Ferrix don't like humans or "light" magic. My best guess would be something along the lines of a vampire." Said Aris.
"What makes you think vampire?" asked Solis.
"All the luminous light, the fire stones in the corners instead of actual fires, and the Ferrix beds." Said Aris still looking around.
"Why would a vampire be at Hogwarts much less design a room here?" asked Zeaphur.
"This castle has seen a lot of mixed breed and inhuman students. I can taste it in the castle's magic." Said Aris seriously.
"Taste it?" Zeaphur's eyebrow rose in question.
"Besides poisons I am also capable of identifying different kinds of magic, its one of my talents. There are no fancy words or definitions on how I do it but I call it tasting." Said Aris.
No one really had anything else to say after that so everyone moved around to pick their own beds and to explore. Zeaphur's servants(the little lights) appeared and started to unpack the luggage. They swirled around the room like a happy little tornado but instead of destruction they left order behind.
"We should set the wards." Said Davan.
"I want three layers." Said Zeaphur.
"What three?" asked Davan.
"Runes, Blood, and Fire." Said Zeaphur with absolute authority.
"As you wish my Prince which do you want me to set?" asked Zeaphur.
"Runes. I'll take Blood. If its alright with you Solis I'll like you to provide Fire?" requested Zeaphur.
Solis looked a little surprised but quickly got to his feet ready to help.
It was Davan who spoke the first part of the spell. His fingers spelled out elven runes the glowed brightly as they hung in the air.
Next came Solis his words came out fluidly in the Japanese tongue. Instead of runes, his fingers spelled out kanji(Japanese letters) made of fire floated in the air along with something that looked like a Celtic knot.
Zeaphur took care of the final part of the spell. His voice rang like a great silver bell and the distant sound of horns. Without care he pierced his finger and started to draw two Eastern type dragons with his blood. Once he finished drawing the dragons he drew a simple infinity symbol and his voice rose to finish the incantation.
As the final word was spoken the song of a huge gong echoed through the room. The floating runes, kanji, and symbols hit the wall and like a pebble dropped into a calm pond the magic rippled outward. It covered the walls, the ceiling, and even the floor until the whole room was encased. After a few minutes the glow died down and sank into the stone walls.
After the glow had completely died Davan started to test the wards to be sure they were set correctly. Not really necessary but being sure never hurt.
"It's solid." Said Davan.
"You can change back now Sirius." Said Zeaphur.
"Well today has been interesting. Me and the Marauders were good but you really know how to make an entrance Harry." Said Sirius with a grin.
Zeaphur didn't blush but an evil looking grin crossed his face. "Oh I don't know. I seem to remember Moony saying something about a pink Elvis costume, a herd of nuclear green penguins, and streaking."
Sirius went so red it was almost like his hair was trying to blush as well.
Sirius spent the rest of the night being teased until he told the whole story to the enraptured audience.
The next morning the Great Hall got crowded quite early. No one wanted to miss a minute of the demonstrations. Both older and younger students, and even some of the teachers, were excited to see how these new classes would be demonstrated.
As the students were finishing up breakfast Dumbledore entered the Great Hall, he'd been surprisingly absent for the morning. He said a few words to McGonagall and she nodded before calling for silence.
"I hope everyone has enjoyed their breakfast. I know you are all looking forward to the demonstrations but I have a little announcement to make first. I am pleased to say our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher has arrived! So please give a warm Hogwarts welcome to Ranger Valnoir!" said Dumbledore cheerfully.
"Oh shit!" said Aris softly and with feeling.
"What's wrong Aris?" asked Solis. A white fuzzy ear twitched in worry. Aris was prone to sarcasm but not swearing.
"I hope I'm wrong but if I'm not you'll see soon enough." Said Aris keeping a wary eye on Davan.
Even as the words passed Aris' lips Zeaphur could feel a certain tension, sort of like a high pitched hum. Zeaphur turned to look at Davan and the usually poised Blademaster was rigid. His eyes were glued to the doors leading into the Great Hall. He was focused like a hawk waiting to swoop down on prey.
The tension got worse when the doors opened and in walked the new DADA teacher. The first thing you noticed about him was the inhuman beauty of the Fey. He wore a green silk tunic with pants made of griffin hide, which looks like leather with a golden sheen. Calf high boots made of basilisk hide, doubtless containing knives. He wore an enchanted forest cloak that camouflages you within any forest. An elven longbow rode his back along with a quiver made of dragon hide. At his waist was a cutlass with a bone hilt. Long blond hair reached down to his butt, flawless white skin, and eyes the color of a clear summer day completed the package. All in all he looked like the stereotype of the Fair Folk.
A sound somewhere between a growl and a hiss issued from Davan. Davan had a white knuckled grip on his sword and a not quite sane look in his eyes.
Before Davan could do anything Aris was standing behind him and talking to him quietly in Elven. It took several minutes but eventually Davan's hand released his sword and he calmed down but the look in Davan's eye did not bode well for the future.
Both Zeaphur and Solis had heard the conversation although they didn't know the source of Davan's hate, insane fury, for Ranger Valnoir and now didn't seem the best time to ask. Basically what Aris said was this was not the time or the place to face off with Valnoir in front of children. Mostly it was the children argument that stopped Davan from trying to disembowel Valnoir in the middle of the Great Hall. After all Valnoir would be here all year so there would be time later on for the confrontation(i.e. deathmatch).
When Valnoir spotted Davan an arrogant eyebrow raised. As he saw the fury in Davan's eyes a small smirk appeared on his face. After a few moments Davan was no longer worth his attention his eyes roamed the rest of the table for points of interest. Aris was noted with caution, Solis barely got a glance, Thor, Loki, and Blackfang managed to gain his attention for a few moments before his attention settled on the Unseelie Prince. His face gave away nothing but his eyes were another story. There was a hunger there that Zeaphur was all too familiar with. It was lust, at least not for sex it was the over whelming hunger for the hunt. A chase that makes your heart pump, your muscles burn, and your spirit fly until the final moment of the kill.
Valnoir was a Hunter. As blue eyes met green there was an acknowledgement between two hunters. Not exactly respect but like recognizing like.
Valnoir continued forward and settled in his place at the head table.
Breakfast continued for awhile and rumors about the new DADA teacher spread all across the hall. The Slytherins were smart enough not to ask their new members about Valnoir. The kill vibes Davan was giving off was more than enough warning for the Slytherins to remain silent even though they were coming to their own conclusions about the new DADA teacher and his connection to Davan and Zeaphur.
About fifteen minutes later MacGonagall called for silence once again and Dumbledore stood to make another announcement. "I believe everyone has joined us by now. For those who might have missed his arrive this is Ranger Valnoir and he is the new DADA teacher. Today will be full of demonstrations of the new classes Hogwarts has to offer. Unlike years before even the first and second years will have the options of taking elective classes along with the required classes. Now lets get to the fun part! Let the demonstrations begin!" said Dumbledore with a wide smile.
With a quick wave of Dumbledore's wand the head table slide back and a fairly large stage area was formed.
Without warning a pillar of fire rose ten feet high in the newly created stage area. The pillar fell and revealed Professor Lupin standing center stage.
"Hello as you know I am Professor Lupin and I'll be teaching Elemental Manipulation. Now can anyone tell me what the four most basic elements are?"
Lupin pointed to a Hufflepuff boy and he stood to answer, "Fire, Water, Wind, and um . Earth?"
"Very good five points to Hufflepuff. Fire, Wind, Water and Earth are the four basic elements but there are others. Still to the gifted few they most commonly control one of the four. As Dumbledore mentioned before my class is required of the gifted but others may learn as well. The difference between the gifted and everyone else is that the gifted few actually have an element inside them, whether they ever use it is another question. For the ungifted you are learning to summon and control the elements around you. Truthfully it is harder for the gifted to learn because they need to learn to control themselves first before even starting to try elements outside themselves."
Lupin gave his audience a few minutes to digest what he'd just told them before moving on. "There are four ranks in Elemental Manipulation. The first is Apprentice, the second is Journeyman, the third is Master, and for the very rare and powerful the fourth rank is Adept, the final and greatest rank."
"I will not lie Elemental Manipulation is not an easy subject and has been out of favor for around three centuries. The only reason I learned it at all is I spent several years in a Tibetan temple learning from one of the last known Adepts in the world. It used to be considered a powerful Druidic Art but time, religious persecution, and war changed things." Said Lupin with unusual intensity. The usually mellow Professor obviously felt quite strongly about his new subject.
"If you want to learn more I'll welcome you in my class but this is supposed to be a demonstration so let's give you something to look at shall we?" said Lupin with a smile.
Lupin cupped his hands and when he opened them a small flame floated in the air. He reached out and captured the little flame like you'd catch a butterfly. When he opened his hands again the flame had been shaped into a fairy that burst into dozen of sparks. The sparks became fairies like the first one and flew all over the great hall lighting candles no one had noticed before. After the candles were all lit the fairies disappeared much to the disappointment of the younger years. Still there attention was once again caught as the candle flames grew to form little ballerinas that danced on their wicks.
After a few minutes of dancing the ballerinas grew in size and jumped off their wicks into a pile that formed a bonfire in the middle of the great hall. A few of the ballerinas had to jump from candle to candle before they were in range to become part of the bonfire. Once all the ballerinas had joined the bonfire was seven feet high and it started to twist and bend. Within a few moments the bonfire was formed into a life sized replica of a Great Wolf which trotted back to the stage and sat down at Lupin's side.
Lupin petted the seated wolf and said, "I hope you enjoyed this little demonstration and I'd be glad to welcome you into my class." Lupin gave the wolf a last pat before it dissipated and he returned to his seat at the head table.
There were cheers for the Lupin and it was obvious he'd caught the interest of several of the students.
The next to move forward from the head table was Madam Hooch.
"My name is Madam Hooch most of you know me as your Flying Instructor but this year I will be teaching you Beast Magic. Beast Magic has never before been taught as a class in the history of Hogwarts or any other magical institution. Originally Beast Magic was taught to human wizards by the Fey. It has always been taught as a Master/Apprentice class or Parent/Child. There are five basic elements of Beast Magic. The first is Beast Speech, it isn't like Parseltongue or Mer-tongue, it is a mixture of animal empathy and animal body language. The second is Beast Summoning and its exactly like it sounds, it is the ability to summon a wild animal. Actually controlling what you summon is he third aspect which is Beast Taming. Taming isn't like training a dog or other some other pet, you are getting a wild animal to do something it wouldn't normally do. The forth aspect is Beast Shape, which is becoming an Animagi but it also involves other animal transformations to get a feel for how animals think and live. The final aspect and my personal favorite is Familiar Bonding. I'm not talking about the pets you brought with you to school but an animal you share a magical, mental, and emotional bond with. A Bonded Familiar increases your magical strength, acts an emotional support, and occasionally they affect your physical strength as well."
"Well I've given you an a summery of Beast Magic but nothing quite describes it. It changes you and how you look at the world but I think by now you're all more interested in more show and less tell."
Only one person in the Great Hall could truly understand what Madam Hooch was trying to explain. Zeaphur hadn't meant to do it at the time but Thor was Zeaphur's bonded familiar. The bond was created with uncontrolled magic and cemented with Wild magic. Zeaphur had never spent much time examining his bond with Thor, it was there and Thor was a part of him. Still Hooch's words touched Zeaphur and his fingers played with the short fur on the Darkke Hound's head.
Without warning a red blur flew through the Great Hall and buzzed several students. Then as quickly as it entered it landed peacefully on Hooch's upraised arm. "This is my Familiar, his name is Diesel. Can anyone tell me what kind of creature Diesel is?"
A Slytherin fourth year by the name of Jason Vise was picked to answer, "He's a Midus Firedrake."
"Ten points to Slytherin, you managed to identify his species and breed Mr.Vise. Drakes are very similar to dragons but truthfully they are closer to being elementals. Drakes generally are either Fire or Ice Drakes. They like the extreme temperatures of their favored environment. Usually during the school year Diesel spends his time in a volcano soaking up the heat and socializing with others of his kind. As you can guess Scotland in winter isn't exactly his kind of place. Now to give you a true idea of the depth of the bond I've arranged a bit of an obstacle course. I think you'll get the point of this demonstration rather quickly." Finished Madam Hooch.
With a small nod to Flitwick, Madam Hooch was suddenly wearing a blindfold and she was magically spun in place for almost a full minute. She tottered on her feet for a few seconds until her center of balance reasserted itself. A bunch of chairs and other miscellaneous items were conjured around her, kind of like a mine field for the blind. Diesel hovered in the air and Madam Hooch began to walk.
She managed to negotiate the room without placing her arms out to feel for her surroundings. As Hooch predicted everyone was able to figure out the point of this exercise. Diesel was directing Hooch through the obstacles. How exactly they weren't sure but it was definitely a powerful bond if she didn't falter even once or even try to feel her way on her own.
As a finale she pulled a trick most common seen at a carnival and preformed by fire-eaters. She pulled out some small torches and just like a dragon, she inhaled and exhaled fire from her mouth to ignite them. She juggled the torches for a little while to show off then threw them high into the air where Diesel snatched them and dropped them into a waiting water bucket.
The general feel after Hooch's demo was positive. A lot of the younger years were interested since it involved animals. A few of the older years were interested in the implied power bonus. Either way Hooch had successfully stirred the student's interest in her class.
The next to take the stage was Professor Sinestra. There was a bit more interest in what she was going to say. Ritual Circles wasn't something anyone had heard of before. They'd all heard of magic involving a circle in one way or another but it didn't really inspire a picture.
"There are all kinds of magic involving circles. Some are offensive, some are defensive, and some are purely ritual. I will be teaching Coven circles this year. A Coven if you do not know is a group of witches and wizards that perform their magic as a single whole and not just as individuals." Explained Sinestra.
"The style I will be teaching is mainly Wiccan. There will be a lot of religious implications so those strongly tied to other beliefs please reframe from joining my class. Not that you aren't welcome but I do not wish to offend you."
"The Covens I'll be arranging will have thirteen people each. Of those thirteen, one person shall assume the position of High Priest or Priestess, which is the position and responsibility of leader and focus of the Coven. Besides the leader four others will be assigned as the Cardinals of the North, South, East, and West. The Cardinals are grounding points of the circle and usually have an elemental affinity if not ability. The other Coven members do not have fancy titles but they are very important to the Coven. The leader focuses the magic, the Cardinals ground the circle, and the other member provide the majority of the magic to accomplish their goal."
"I hope I'm not confusing you. What you may or may not realize by now is Circle Magic ritual or otherwise does not use wands. This is not instantaneous magic like Sorcery or Charms this is a carefully planned out magic like Potions or Arithmancy. Sometimes it has a practical purpose and sometimes it's just a celebration of nature and magic. A well balanced Coven can do what fifty wizards and witches together cannot. This is the magic that built the forbidden cities of Egypt. This is not the power of many but the power of many as One."
"I would have liked to show you a full Coven in action but I was not able to arrange it. Instead I've decided to show you some Circle magic that can be preformed solo. I'm not going to be teaching solo work this year but I thought you might find it interesting."
Sinestra pulled out a simple piece of chalk and began drawing on the stage floor. Flitwick cast a reflect charm over Sinestra so everyone could see what she was drawing. It started out as a simple pentacle and she was encircling it with runes and symbols. When she was done drawing she settled down in a lotus position.
She started chanting in softly and at first nothing happened but gradually a soft glow started to surround her. The glow seemed to chime and the chalk symbols started to glow. Still in a lotus position she started to levitate. She continued to chant and something started to form in the air above the levitating teacher. The form was fuzzy at first but soon the form of a blue eastern serpent dragon. It slid through the air like a snake in water. Soon it was joined by a white dragon, then a green dragon, and finally a black dragon. The dragons weaved around each other like an intricate Celtic knot. When they parted a crystal globe was revealed. The red dragon breathed on the globe and volcanoes spouted and erupted on the globe. Next the black dragon breathed on the globe and the water extinguished the volcanoes but the smoke encircled globe in a black cloud. It was the white dragon's turn and his breath cleared the smoke away revealing something that looked a lot like earth. Finally it was the blue dragon's turn and when he breathed on the globe it started to rotate gently and rose above the dragons. Next a phoenix appeared and perched on the rotating globe. Without warning it burst into flame and its ashes gently rained down on the globe. Where the ashes touched down green life started to sprout. The four dragons faded away and what was left was the solar system and the little green earth orbiting a star we call the sun.
Professor Sinestra stopped chanting and the images disappeared. The Great Hall soon echoed with the sounds of applause. Sinestra rubbed out some key points of the circle she'd drawn before banishing the chalk drawing completely. Then she bowed to the applauding students and returned to her seat. Even the other teachers had enjoyed her little picture show as much as the students.
It was a bit of a surprise when both Professor Flitwick and Professor Darkholme took the stage together. "Hello I'm Professor Filius Flitwick and my associate is Professor Darkholme. After some discussion we decided to do our demonstration together. Besides my usual Charms classes, I'm teaching Dueling this year. Dueling varies country to country since different spells are legal or illegal depending on the country your dueling in. There are also some countries like Italy for example that prefer a more physical/magical approach to dueling. While in Venice it's the height of dishonor to touch your opponent in any way. This of course is referring to formal dueling, in a life or death battle there are no rules, you do whatever it requires to survive. The one thing to remember is in formal dueling you must be very careful to stay within the agreed upon rules or the magical backlash can be deadly. The laws regarding dueling were ancient even in the time Merlin walked the Earth to cross them brings consequences I cannot even begin to describe. I will explain more about different dueling styles in my class. Now I'll hand the spotlight over to Professor Darkholme." Said Flitwick.
"First of all don't call me Professor, Darkholme, or Sir. Call me Damien. I'm here to teach you the Forgotten Arts of Sorcery. This is not what people commonly consider Wandless magic. Wandless magic is an internal Art while Sorcery is an external one. There are three basic types of Sorcery Black, White, and Shamanistic. Note I said Black and White not Good and Evil. There is a huge difference but I will not be discussing it at this time. White magic is mostly defined as a defensive, healing, and purification magic. Black magic on the other hand is defined as mostly offensive and destructive magic. Shamanistic magic is a form of elemental magic but it greatly differs from Elemental Manipulation. If you wish to learn more take my class. Shall we begin?" asked Damien of Flitwick.
Flitwick nodded but turned to say a few more words to the students. "This is a formal duel. We already discussed terms but I'll share them we you before we begin. This duel will stop when one of us surrenders, is rendered unconscious, or cannot continue. All spells are legal but no permanent maiming or death blows are allowed. Also physical attacks are allowed. Professor McGonagall if you'd please?" asked Flitwick.
McGonagall rose from her seat then with a few incantations set up a magical arena. Basically it's a shielding spell that keeps the dueler's magic in the arena and out of the audience. It also prevents outside interference.
"The rules have been set and the arena wards are in place. Take your positions and solute." Said McGonagall.
Flitwick made a figure eight motion and a slash as a salute. Damien just inclined his head.
"Begin."
"Faiaa Booru!"
"Glacialis!"
A fireball left Damien's hands but was countered by Flitwick's ice spell.
"Expelliarmus!"
"Bougyo No Jumon!"
The disarming charm bounced harmlessly off Damien's shield spell.
"Demona Kurisutaru!"
"Fuga!"
Damien's attack covered the floor with deadly crystal shards but had no effect of Flitwick since the small Professor took to the air with a flight charm.
"Erumekia Ransu!"
"Extundo!"
A spear of light was throw at Flitwick and he quickly repelled it back at Damien but all the Sorcerer did was step out of the way.
"Talea Ventus!"
Again Damien decides to dodge instead of counter attacking after all it is dangerous to block a cutting wind attack. Damien does take some damage. A few superficial cuts are bleeding including three on his face but he doesn't any attention to them as he watches his opponent.
"Gluten Orbis!"
"Rebiteeshon!"
Flitwick sends a giant orb of glue at Damien but Damien avoids it by taking to the air. Now both duelers are flying since Flitwick never bothered to come down. Damien decides to take it up a notch.
"Burasuto Bomu!"
"Contego!"
A very powerful fire spell is sent at Flitwick. Even shielded Flitwick was being bounced around by the power of this attack. Of course he was in the air so he didn't really have any way of bracing himself. The strain of holding the shield was quite visible on Flitwick's face but his shield held.
"Med Militus!"
To the shock of all those watching the stone floor rose up and formed into a giant stone golem. The animated stone statue attacked Damien he didn't avoid the attack. He just dodged the punch and threw a punch of his own. The scary part was Damien's punch pulverized the stone head as if it was made of fragile glass. It was a rather frightening show of strength.
"Torqueo!"
The officially legal form of Cruciatus is sent and Damien takes the pain curse directly in the chest. Damien doesn't make a sound but he does make a less than graceful landing. Flitwick uses the sudden grounding to his advantage.
"Concido Foro!"
When Damien sank into the ground many wondered if the duel was over but they quickly changed their minds when Damien jumped from the twenty foot hole.
"Bomu Di Win!"
Well the mother of all wind spells finalized the duel. Flitwick had no time to brace himself or even put up a proper shield. He was bashed against the dueling barrier and hit the ground unconscious and bruised but otherwise unhurt.
"Professor Flitwick is unconscious and cannot continue therefore this duels goes to Professor Darkholme. As witnessed the duel is over." Said McGonagall but the way she said it was strange but with last words the dueling barrier was cancelled.
The students reaction varied. Most of them had never seen dueling of this scale before. A lot of people who had underestimated Flitwick because of his small size started to realize what the title of Dueling Master really entailed. Some people were enthralled by the attacks that had been used and who used them but others were more concerned with the physical aspects that Professor Darkholme had displayed.
Madam Pomfrey rushed over to Flitwick but quickly concluded there was no serious damage. She cast a few healing spells while muttering under her breath and dragged Flitwick off to the infirmary.
A few minutes were spent cleaning up the stage area before the next demonstration could begin. This time it was Professor Vector taking the stage.
Vector's start was rather abrupt. "I will not belittle your intelligence. You have all heard of Runes in one form or another. I will be teaching you to make symbols have power."
"I will be teaching a modified version of an Eastern style of magic. For them this style takes years of dedication, study, meditation, and practice to induce power into their wards. We'll be cheating the same way wands are used to cheat learning to focus our magic."
"Other rune styles require stone carving, bone carving, or even wood carving. I'm doing it this way since paper and ink are easier to come by. Besides I don't want to spend months teaching you to carve or chisel."
"Since I'm doing this as a Japanese version you will learn to read and write in Japanese kanji and a bit of ancient Japanese kanji. You might as well learn to speak Japanese as well. Those of you who already know Japanese have an advantage but there are plenty of language spells that can speed your comprehension."
"Now the key to cheating years upon years of training will be the ink we're going to use. Like the cores of our wands the ink will have magical properties of its own. Another aspect of this year will be brewing different inks and discover what inks bring the best affects for different magic's. This is a newer form of magic so there is a lot of unexplored potential to be found."
"Okay by now this either sounds very interesting or horribly boring. This class will be a lot of work. I will leave my demonstration for you to decide if my class is worth it." Finished Vector.
"Now to have a good demonstration I need a skilled opponent. Well good thing I brought my own!" There were a few snickers at Vector's crack at the other teachers.
Vector reached into his robes and pulled out a scroll. He let it fall open showing something written in gold ink.
"I summon the Doppelganger!" yelled Vector and he tossed the scroll into the air. The scroll floated away and started to twist and warp until there were two Professor Vectors on the stage.
"Do you have your deck?" asked Vector1.
"Yes. Let us begin shall we?" said Vector2.
Vector1 started the ball rolling by throwing three wards the size of tarot cards towards Vector2. One moment the wards were paper and the next three bolt of lightning were flying at Vector2.
Just moments before they hit Vector2 pulled out a bunch of wards and opened them like a fan. The bolts hit Vector2's ward fan and died. The fan smoked a little but showed no other damage.
"Nice defense." Said Vector1.
"You'll like my offense even more!" cried Vector2 as he tossed out a dozen wards. The wards glowed briefly before they morphed into what looked like little black blobs with claws and teeth.
"Inkblats! You know I hate Inkblats!" shouted Vector1 as he was swarmed by the nasty little creatures. He managed to flambé half of them but the others were quicker.
"That's the whole point Vecky!" said Vertor2 with a laugh.
"YEOW!" shouted Vector1 as one of the Inkblats sunk its teeth in his left leg.
Vector2 continued to laugh as Vector1 danced around trying to dislodge the vicious little creature and avoid the other five. Vector2 laughed even harder when another Inkblat managed to sink his teeth into Vector1.
Right on the arse.
"Okay THAT'S IT!!! The Gloves Are OFF! You think this is FUNNY well laugh at THIS!!!" shouted the enraged Vector1. Three wards were thrown and blocked by Vector2's ward fan but a fourth one made a direct hit to his chest.
What came next is one of the most unbelievably silly things seen in a duel. A fart of titanic proportion erupted from Vector2 behind but that was not all. The fart ignited like rocket fuel and propelled him head first into the castle wall.
In the audience the students were divided between those laughing their arses off and those frozen in stunned disbelief.
More specifically the Weasley twins were enthralled and excited.
"That was bloody-"
"-brilliant! We must-"
"-get Professor Vector to-"
"-show us how-"
"-to do-"
"-that!"
The twin basked in creative ecstasy and started scribbling their ideas down while keeping their eyes open for more inspiration.
Needless to say Professor Vector had guaranteed at least two students for his new class.
While the crowd of students were distracted by Vector1's last move Vector2 was recovering from his sudden introduction to the castle wall and the burning sensation in his anus. Vector1 was busy getting rid of the Inkblats.
The recovering Vector2 was just a little upset about Vector1's little trick. Physically he was fine but there was a nice scorched hole in the seat of his robes. Vecot2 didn't seem to mind of care that he was mooning the audience he had more important things on his mind.
"You want to play like that do you? Then lets play." Said Vector2 in a soft and slightly sinister voice. A blur of wards were released in a blizzard of paper.
The results were interesting. A herd of weird yellow squirrel like creatures surrounded Vector1 and a bathtub worth of ice water dropped onto the surprised Professor complete with ice cubes.
"I don't get it." Said Vecor1 in a chattering with cold voice.
"Oh you will. You heard him boys, let him have it!" said Vector2.
Vector2 got a very B-A-D feeling about this. Especially when the strange little squirrels seemed to have sparks glowing on their cheeks.
"Pikachu!!!!!!!!!!" yelled the little squirrels and a sound similar to a thunderclap heralded a couple thousand volts being pumped into the water logged Vector1.
Vector2 didn't laugh this time he just watched as Vector1 twitched on the ground. It was rather amazing that Vector1 hadn't passed out yet but he actually seemed to be fighting to get back on his feet.
Semi standing Vector1 launched a counter attack that created hundreds of boots that stomped on the squirrels and Vector2.
Still buried under the stomping boots Vector2 called out, "If you like shoes so much lets see you dance!"
Vector1 wasn't in good enough shape to dodge. The ward hit him and suddenly Vector1 was wearing a pair of red dancing shoes. Another ward escaped the horde of boots and transformed into instruments that started to play on their own. The music was from the Muggle show Riverdance and Vector1 danced.
And danced.
And danced.
And you guessed it. Danced some more.
It was not a pretty sight. The dance moves were all preformed perfectly but Vector1 wasn't looking so hot. He was still visibly twitching and he was turning some unhealthy colors.
At some point Vector2 had gotten rid of the boots and the weird electric squirrels. After seeing Vector1's face turning purple he finally took pity on his opponent. He walked up and slapped a ward to Vector1's forehead which acted like a stupefy and dropped Vector1 into blissful unconsciousness.
Vector2 remained quiet for about two seconds before joyfully jumping up and down yelling, "I WIN! I WIN! I W-I-N!!!" in a very juvenile manner.
"WHOOHOOO!!! You're all in for a special treat. I made a little bet with Vecky. Since I won I get to stick around as Vecky's assistant teacher for Power Runes. You can call me Professor Victor the Master of Slapstick and Dirty Tricks!" declared the new professor proudly as he made a victory sign at the students and laughed manically.
Victor grabbed up Vector, tossed him over his shoulder and took his physical twin to the infirmary and Pomfrey's tender mercy.
The Weasley twins were almost vibrating with excitement. A pranking teacher that could look like anyone. The possibilities were simply endless.
The future was looking very bright for the twins.
Others were not as enthused by the new teacher. Actually the other professors were almost looking downright scared by the enthusiasm of The Twins. They had six years of experience with The Twins and they were not looking forward to what they could do when encouraged. In fact both Snape and McGonagall visibly shuddered at the very thought.
A few minutes were spent cleaning up the stage before the next professor took the stage. To the surprise of some it was Headmaster Dumbledore who took the stage.
"I hope you have all enjoyed the demonstrations so far?" a small pause as the students cheered. Dumbledore smiled and continued, "Now it is my turn to try to fascinate you with my humble talents. Guardian Magic isn't a magical art of its own, it is a style of magic that draws from whatever sources are available to protect and defend, be it a magical or even physical defense. There are five basic aspects of Guardian Magic based on the five things you can protect. They are a person, a family, a place, an object, and knowledge."
"Now to some of you defending a person may seem the same as defending a family but there is a huge difference. A person is a singular entity and your job is done when they are truly safe or dead. With a family it can be a lifelong job that is passed down for generations. This particular scenario is based on the oaths to liege lords and certain families that pledged their lives to protect their liege's family. There is also the reverse where the liege lord has promised his protection to certain families for their promised loyalty to him."
"Even among purebloods most of these bonds have died out or have not been renewed so they have become dormant. Without acknowledgement on both sides the bonds will remain nothing but a hidden memory of the bloodline until reactivated."
"There are several ways to guard things be it magical, physical, or just by being silent. I will be demonstrating a magically physical defense."
Dumbledore moved a little to the left and grabbed something out of the air.
There were surprised murmurs as two gargoyles were revealed. In Dumbledore's formerly empty hand was a sheet of magical camouflage material.
"Now what do you see?" asked Dumbledore.
A Ravenclaw third year answered, "They're gargoyles sir."
"Correct. Five points for Ravenclaw but do you notice anything different about these two gargoyles besides their physical shapes?" asked Dumbledore.
This time it was George or was it Fred that answered, "They're different types of-"
"-gargoyles. The one on the-"
"-left is-"
"-alive-"
"-but the-"
"-one on the right-"
"-is-"
"-only-"
"-enchanted." They finished in unison.
"Very good Mister Wealseys. I see your time spent with Florence has not been wasted. Twenty points to Gryffindor." Said Dumbledore.
"As the Weasleys have pointed out there are two types of gargoyles. The originals are the creatures who sleep as stone during the day and move about at night. Very early on the gargoyles were employed as castle guardians. It was a good deal since they protected the castles inhabitants while they slept and in reverse the castle's soldiers protected them when they slept. Unfortunately after various wars, sieges, and other battles the numbers of the gargoyle population were seriously dwindling. A wizard by the name of Rudgar de Volter came up with a solution. Rudgar was very gifted in the craft of making golems for every occasion. His first try at a solution was to enchant a statue of a gargoyle but these enchanted statues didn't really compare with the real thing. This frustrated Rudgar since he considered himself a master of his chosen field of magic. It took Rudgar over a decade to finally come up with a solution. What the fake gargoyles lacked was the instinct to defend and know when something was wrong. Basically they weren't alive."
"His solution was brilliant. Most castles even the muggle ones have heart stones or some like to call them key stones. A heart stone is created when either a lot of magic is poured into the foundation of a castle or enough blood soaks a castle walls. In muggle castles the heart stone attracts ghosts and other phenomena. In a wizards' castle the heart stone is where the wards are centered. The older the castle the more powerful the heart stone becomes and the more sentient the castle becomes. If you haven't figured it out by now Hogwarts is an aware castle. Now back to Rudgar, he came up with a way to key his gargoyles with the heart stone of the castle, so when the wards were tripped or tampered with the gargoyles would come alive and defend. They were as alive as the castle and since they were "alive" they had the instinct to defend their lives."
"As I said gargoyles are a magically physical defense. Even real gargoyles are somewhat magically immune. They can sense the use of magic. They are a very honor bound breed, they will uphold their pledges to the death. A very rare form of loyalty that few really appreciate for what it is."
Dumbledore laid a fond hand on the gargoyle on the left.
"Knowledge is probably the hardest thing to protect since nothing is truly forgotten even things that should be. Sometimes trying to hide things is the worse thing you can do even if it is dangerous. For example the poison known as The Golden Death it was considered an evil potion and banned, after awhile it was all but forgotten but during Grindelwald's uprising he managed to uncover its making. Five hundred and forty-four people died before we were able to dig up the antidote that was as forgotten as the poison. Sometimes it is better to know and not use than it is to forget and be helpless." Said Dumbledore darkly. Memories of a war that even to this day haunted the old man hung like an invisible shadow over him for a few moments but was quickly dispelled by his usually nutty persona.
"Well I think I've said enough. I'll leave to another to impress you with their showmanship of exotic magic. I will say one final thing. It is a very heavy burden to be a Guardian because the lives of others will weigh you down whether or not you succeed or fail in your task. You are taking responsibility for the lives of others either directly or indirectly." Finished Dumbledore. They were unusually heavy words from the Headmaster and not easily forgotten.
The students watched quietly as the Headmaster returned to his seat. Unlike the other professors there were no cheers or other shows of enthusiasm. Not that they were negatively inclined to Dumbledore's class but. It was all fun and games. At least not this class.
The next to take the stage was Madam Pomfrey. She looked a bit irritated like a ruffled bird but she paused for a moment and her invisible feathers seemed to settle. She'd just dealt with Vector and his new assistant Victor plus Flitwick from earlier. She was in the middle of her usual rant about adults that should know better.
"As most of you know I'm Madam Pomfrey. I'm the school nurse and I run the infirmary here at Hogwarts. I've treated most of you at one point or another and I'll get around to rest of you before the end of this year."
"Usually one or two students every year approach me with an interest in becoming a magical medic or Medi. After a few trials to test their dedication I'll help them prepare for further education in the medical arts after their Hogwarts education is finished."
"There are two types of magical healers. The most common is similar to any muggle doctor. They learn all the potions, spells, counter spells, and even hexes to cure a patient's illness. It takes a lot of dedication and an honest wish to heal others. The second type is a lot rarer and they are what is called True Healers. For Healers it is an intrinsic gift to heal another's illness almost instantly. The gift isn't precisely rare but the majority that do have it don't have enough of the gift to be useable. Most often these people might notice that they heal from cuts quickly. On the other hand sometimes those with a strong talent don't focus on normal healing. For example Professor Sprout is a strongly gifted Healer but her gift only works on plants. Another example is Hagrid, his talents are more along the lines of empathy but they are quite strong in regards to animals and he can heal animals to a limited degree."
"Whether a Medi or a Healer the point is to heal. Both are important callings with pros and cons. To be honest the Healing gift is more often curse than blessing. People with the gift are compulsive about healing and are usually empathic, so if someone is sick around them they feel sick as well. Healing in this case is a defense mechanism. Also those with a strong gift can not do certain types of healing like surgery, since cutting their patient is like cutting themselves."
"Before anyone starts to panic, these are only problems for the very strongly gifted. Those with lesser gifts don't have these problems and are some of the best Healers in the world. Healing is never about power. The point of healing is to heal by any means available."
"I'm not going to drag those three idiots in here to do a demo. I'm just going to explain the overview of my classes."
"In Magical First Aid the first thing you're going to learn is to identify the problem. There are several different scanning charms that will highlight the injuries of the patient. You will also be taught what you can heal yourself and what needs professional help."
"I'll leave the potion making to Severus" a small nod to the Potion Master, " but we will go over what various healing potions and other helpful herbs."
"We'll go over numerous charms for minor healing like small cuts, scratches, and bruises. You'll also learn the nonmagical methods of fixing yourself up."
"Another part of this class will be a small twelve hour internship in the hospital. The time will be spread out over six days. It's to give you a small taste of what it's like to be a nurse or doctor."
"My Healing Arts class is required for those of you with a moderately strong gift and those who are empathic. It will also be open to those I believe are truly interested in a future in the medical field. For the gifted ones you are not required to become Healers but you need to learn to control your gift so you don't end up hurting yourself or others. I guarantee this will not be a large class. This is an advanced version of Magical First Aid that goes more in depth and I will arrange for further education beyond Hogwarts for the dedicated."
"I'll see you all in Magical First Aid but I must admit to curiosity about who will be in my Healing class on talent and who will be there through vocational calling. As is my Healing Arts class will not start up until after Christmas break but I welcome all interested students to stop by the Infirmary to ask any questions you may have."
Madam Pomfrey gave a little bow and hurried out of the Great Hall and back to her infirmary.
Predictably the most interested in Pomfrey's class were the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. Ravenclaws were interested for the intellectual challenge of the medical field. For the Hufflepuffs it was part of their kind nature and willingness towards hard work. That's not to say a few Slytherins and Gryffindors were also interested.
Now there was only one teacher left. That is unless Ranger Valnoir decided to do one but from the looks of things the Seelie Fey had no intention of putting on a demo. Besides he'd just arrived this morning.
With a swing of her hips and a bounce in her step Professor Ruby Goldstrike took the stage. "Hello! I'm Professor Ruby Goldstrike and I'll be teaching Magical Amulets. If it wasn't obvious before, yes I'm American. My family tree is spread all over the place. My father is a Shaman who specializes as a Dream Warrior. My mother on the other hand crafts magical instruments. My older brother is a Magesmith and a royal pain in the a- Well you get the idea."
"As for myself I specialize in the creation of amulets and fine jewelry. Amulets are a self-sustaining form of magic. They can be destroyed, damaged, or improperly made but once formed correctly they are immortal. Their magic never dies."
"The key to 99.9% of all amulets is the stone or gem you use. The stone is the focus and power source of an amulet. Can anyone tell me the greatest of all stones that can be used for multiple kinds of amulets?"
"Diamond?"
"Nope. Diamond is actually one of the least magical stone there is. It is only good for one or two types of amulets. Next guess."
"Bloodstone?"
"A good magical stone but it is limited by where the blood came from."
"Jade?"
"Another good stone especially for healing but not the best."
"Mage Stone?"
"Mage Stones are powerful but like wands you have to key them to the right person."
"Amethyst?"
"You're getting much warmer. Amethyst is a good protection stone and is also good for clarity of mind."
"Quartz?"
"We have a winner! Ten points to Gryffindor Quartz is the best all around stone there is. Any guesses why?"
"Because it's clear?"
"That's a good guess. Ten points to Hufflepuff. The fact that its clear isn't a precise answer otherwise diamonds would be equally useful. Quartz is the best because it is magically neutral. It can be shaped rounded, edged, lumpy, or even natural and the power will remain the same. Most stones have to be in a particular shape to hold magic."
"Now if the stone is the heart of an amulet what is the body?"
"The setting?"
"Five points to Ravenclaw but I'm still looking for a more specific answer."
"The design?"
"No."
"The metal?"
"Ten points to Slytherin. The metal, like with the stones, some metals are more conductive for magic than others. This time I'm looking for best and worst."
"Gold and Iron?"
"You're half right."
"Silver and Gold?"
"Again with the half."
"Iron and Silver."
"Another ten points to Slytherin. Iron is technically the worst and Silver is the best. With magic there really are no set rules, so exceptions always exist but this applies 98% of the time."
"Now for my demonstration I'll need seven volunteers."
In short order seven students of varying house and age were assembled on the stage.
"Okay this will be a practical demonstration of how different stones affect magic. I have seven identical settings, in other words one for each volunteer. I'm offering a choice of twenty stones they get to choose their fate and we'll see what happens. This is supposed to be a simple jump amulet so lets see what happens. By the way Quartz is not an option."
The first up was a Hufflepuff second year named Susan Wiffle.
Susan picked a pink stone.
"Rose Quartz." Said Goldstrike popping the stone into the simple setting. "Now hold the amulet gently and give a small hop."
Susan nodded and did as instructed. The results were a little odd. Susan started to hiccough and bounce every ten seconds.
Goldstrike stopped Susan's bouncing and offered the remaining nineteen stones to the next volunteer.
A Slytherin seventh year by the name of Gavin Sinclair picked a shiny black stone.
"Onyx."
When Gavin came back down from his test hop he cracked a twelve inch hole in the ground.
Volunteer number three was Denis Creevy. He chose a red stone.
"Ruby."
When Denis hopped.
Nothing happened. Denis looked at the stone in surprise and shrugged.
Number four was fourth year Hufflepuff called Janice Hallow. She picked an orange colored stone.
"Carnelian."
Janice's small hop became an eight foot jump.
Number Five was a first year Ravenclaw named James Clover. He chose a translucent stone shaded with both blue and purple.
"Fluorite."
James gave a hop and started to spinning like a top. A slow top thankfully.
Number six was a second year Slytherin named Jeannette Knomes. She chose a pale green stone.
"Jade."
Jeannette's hopped ended up being three feet high instead of one but nothing overly showy.
The last volunteer was a Gryffindor third year named Hamilton Riggs. He chose a shiny brown stone.
"Tiger's Eye."
Hamilton's jump came within inches of bashing his skull into the charmed ceiling. Ruby had to cast a quick charm to catch him on the way down.
"Well I think you can see how important the stone is to a amulet. All my volunteers gain ten points for their help and Miss Hallow get to keep her amulet and gains an extra fifteen points for picking the best stone for a jump amulet. Well I hope you enjoyed by the little demonstrations and I hope to see many of you in my class." Said Professor Goldstrike with a smile before she walked back to her seat.
Shortly afterward the stage area disappeared and lunch was served. The students were busy discussing the highlights of the demos and what they were going to pick.
***Sev's POV***
Damn those little brats!
Some of the most difficult and rare forms of magic are suddenly being offered on a silver platter. They have absolutely no idea of the opportunities that have just been offered. Adult wizards have to search the globe to get offers like this.
A full fledged Sorcerer for Merlin's sake!!!
They're rarer than phoenixes!
That crazy old bastard really knows how to pull out all the stops.
Tricky, tricky old man.
He's managed to hide a master of Beast Magic, a Dueling Master, a Wiccan High Priestess, and a master of Eastern style magic. He's kept them all right under the ministry's noses.
Dumbledore's an even more dangerous man than I'd given him credit for.
It makes me wonder if he knows what I'm truly capable of?
Either he knows or her doesn't.
DAMN IT!!!
That blue pest is staring at me AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*****************end chapter********************
Author's notes - Well its months, centuries, eons later but the next chapter is finally out. I have a whole heap of excuses but I'll keep them to myself. I did learn one thing. Never again am I doing demos or classes for subjects I made up. It's way too tiring to be original without being boring or repetitive. I thank all the wonderful people who have reviewed. It is your comments, questions, and begging that spur me on when the words start blurring. I would have replied to all the reviews but I just wanted to finally get this out. I really hope it is worth the insane wait of faithful readers. ^_^
Next Chapter :
Playing with fire?
Playing with ice?
Playing with Draco?
Playing with .
Sorcery Spells
Faiaa Booru - fireball; a ball of fire appears between the hands of the caster which can then be thrown, upon contact with an object, the ball explodes, spreading flames
Bougyo No Jumon - defense; a white magic spell which creates a defensive shield
Demona Kurisutaru - demonic crystal; a spell which makes icy fog appear out of the ground, which then suddenly freezes anything within
Erumekia Ransu - elmekia lance; a spell which creates and fires a lance of light, which damages a target's spirit. This spell deals no physical damage, and even a direct hit only causes the target to fall unconscious for a period of time
Rebiteeshon -levitation; by manipulating wind, the caster gains the ability to levitate. After casting the spell, it is possible to rise or fall simply by willing it
Burasuto Bomu - blast bomb; the strongest fire-shamanist magic, when the spell is cast, balls of light about the size of a fist appear. each ball of light in the targeted area bursts into a raising tongue of blue white flame. The flames can melt even a golem with ease. Against a human, not even the bones will remain. This is the strongest fire-shamanist magic a normal human can cast.
Bomu Di Win - bomb di wind; this spell greatly increases the air pressure in an area, and then when released it blows away anything directly in front of the caster
Wand Spells
Glacialis - ice; the spell flash freezes on contact
Expelliarmus - disarming spell that both disarms and tosses the victum with varying force
Fuga -flight; a personal flight spell
Extundo - violently repel; a spell which returns attack to sender with added force
Talea Ventus - cutting wind; a spell that acts like a small blizzard of razors
Gluten Orbis - glue orb; sends a ball of glue to disable opponent
Contego - shield; a shield spell of varying power and size, can be completely spherical
Med Militus - stone soldier; a stone golem that will follows its caster's order, usually twelve feet tall or larger
Torqueo - tormenter; a legal version Cruciatus that mentally attacks victim with pain, usually nonfatal but very dangerous
Concido Foro - sinkhole; ground opens up and creates a rocky pit