Destiny's Riders

by

Draco's Daughter

Disclaimer: Again, Harry Potter is NOT mine. All original characters belong to me, Draco's Daughter, and are not to be used without MY permission.

A/N: Sorry it's taken so long, the muse is silent for the moment on pretty much everything except my original book that I'm working on. Anyways, my more recent stories have focused on Fairy Tales because I've been doing some personal research into them and their various themes. My new favorite story is "Godfather Death" and it has had a wonderful effect on my view of Dumbledore in Harry Potter. I also can't remember if I said this in the last chapter but: I am rearranging some events of Half Blood Prince to better suit my universe; but, the major life-changing events of HBP WILL be taking place, no matter what. I think that's also why the muse is silent, another piece of Rowling's Harry Potter universe has come into play...

------------------------------

Chapter Three: Momento Mori

Hogwarts School, Dumbledore's Office, 10:00 p.m.

It was nearing the start of another year for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Professor Albus Dumbledore was again between a rock and a hard place. Usually he had found a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher long before now but with the war, the Order of the Phoenix, and the Return of the Riders, he had far too much on his plate. For the last few hours he had been seeing possible DADA teachers every five minutes or so. Snape stood behind him, a sly sneer on his face. He was going to get the job for sure now. No one had been able to impress Dumbledore that year and this was the one time that Dumbledore promised Snape that if he couldn't find anyone, he would allow Snape to become the DADA teacher for the year. Dumbledore looked at his odd planetary pocket watch, surely they were almost through and he could move on to more pressing matters. It was about that time that a man clad in black slacks and a purple silk shirt came into the office. In one hand was the parchment resume every candidate had brought with them, but in the other hand was a deck of cards. Dumbledore knew this man well, they had been friends for a very long time. This man was not as ordinary men were, he had a sly smile on his face at all times, as if he knew some secret he was just waiting for someone to ask him about. He also had pale features, almost like a vampire, and he was tall and boney. If he moved his arms in the right way one could see his bones sliding and moving as if he had no muscles to fill out the space between the bone and the skin.

"Jake, what are you doing here?" Dumbledore asked the man. Even though Jake appeared to be only twenty or so, he walked and sat with a cool confidence way beyond his years. One could tell that he had the ability to wait.

"I heard that you were having a rough time. The cards told me to come," He replied, waving the hand with the card deck in it. "Momento Mori, Dumbledore. This is where most of the action for the wars are to take place."

"You sound as though you are sure of this fact," Snape said, a cruel sneer forming. This man, no matter how calm or collected he appeared, MUST have some inner turmoil, everyone did.

"I KNOW this to be true," Jake replied, smiling that secretive smile.

"Oh?" Was Snape's next question. Jake only waved the deck again.

"The cards tell me, Snape. Momento Mori," Jake said, using that Latin phrase again.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Snape asked, looking colder and radiating more hatred that ever, not even when he was dealing with James Potter and Sirius Black.

"You will find out, in time; which no man has to waste, so let Albus speak now," Jake said, turning things back around and getting them back on track. One could tell that Jake was extremely clever, even when he was just sitting there, still as a cat. No one ever engaged in a battle of wits with him, he seemed to know the answer to every question, even the most obscure and far-out ones that even sci-fi geeks didn't know the answers to. His logic was always sound and he occasionally slipped into Paradoxes and theories yet to be proven by modern man. Yes, Jake Grimm was impossible to slip up and confuse, he usually turned your mind tricks against you.

"So, Jake, you want to be a DADA teacher? What in the name of heaven are you thinking?" Dumbledore asked, letting his spectacles fall to the tip of his log and crooked nose. Jake waved the deck once again.

"It was in the cards," Jake replied. The deck he held was a very special and usually extremely accurate Tarot Card Deck. He could predict just about everything BUT the weather with it. But, you could never take the cards out of context with one another. Each card had fifty different meanings, depending upon the card that was directly next to it. Few knew the meanings of the cards but Jake had memorized them all. There was no way to slip him up, every which way you turned he had another trap set to catch you. Snape sneered at him, his calm collectedness, his suavity that set him apart from every, well, normal wizard. It would take an army of dragons to convince Dumbledore not to hire this man.

------

Villa Pegasuai ,10:30 p.m.

Harry and Vanessa were walking back to his room after a very large and extravagant dinner in which everyone had blowed their diets. Dudely was extremely content, Harry believed that he might have just gained back some of the weight he had lost over the last few years.

"You're cousin put away more food than Death does in a week!" Vanessa laughed as they walked into the library. Instead of heading up to the turret room, they collapsed onto the Victorian-style furniture in the library, bringing up large clouds of dust as they landed.

"Dudley, needless to say, enjoys eating. He also enjoys boxing," Harry said with a laugh. Vanessa smiled and tried to stifle laughter.

"Well, it's getting late, Vondrea has plans for tomorrow. I plan to have us sidetracked by exploring Vondrea's monster collection. Her husband likes to give her lavish gifts of rare and dangerous creatures because he goes away allot and, oh, how did he put it, 'she needs companionship.' Don't know why he insists when she has many employees around to keep her company," Vanessa commented before yawning. "Come on, we still have sixty steps to walk up before we reach our beds." Vanessa and Harry got up from their seats and she once again slid the skull out of its place. The doorway was revealed and they went up the steps and through the trap door. Harry sunk into the bed after removing his shoes. Vanessa stretched and removed her shawl once again before settling down on her fur pallet. Harry couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

"Nessa, please don't make me feel bad by sleeping down there," Harry said. Vanessa looked up at him with a quizzical look. "We slept in the same bed once in innocence, what's stopping us from doing so again?"

"Conduct Harry. You are a sixteen-year old boy. I am a sixteen-year old girl. Things we could once get away with in innocence we can no longer get away with. Besides, what if Vondrea gets wind?" Vanessa asked. Wither her end of the discussion closed, she laid down on her pallet and dropped off into sleep.

--------------

Unknown Location, 11:15 p.m.

Sirius followed had followed Morgana in dog shape to the Dark Elf's manor home. It was obvious that she was higher in the dark elf social chain. It was easy enough to sneak in, the walls had various week points like most Dark Elf construction. They relied more on their magiks and beasts to keep intruders out. Morgana's home was largely unguarded by beasts but Dark Elf Magik laced with Necromancer spells hit Sirius full in the face. Sirius knew he had to keep going and ducked his shaggy dog head down in an attempt to protect himself from the magical onslaught. Soon he was able to reach a point devoid of spell energy. It was next to a drain covered with steel bards. He quickly slipped through them and changed back to a human. The opening was big enough for him to stand up and walk down. As he walked he came to another set of steel bars and quietly slipped through them. This lead him to a small opening from which he could see a meeting area. A large table set in the center of the room was weighed down with maps, parchment, scrolls, candles, and books. Morgana stood around the table with three others.

"When shall we meet again? In thunder, lighting, or rain?" Morgana asked.

"When the trouble is done; when the battle's lost and won," was the reply of one of the others.

"Before the setting of the sun," was another reply.

"By the pricking of our thumbs, we pledge our allegiance to the ones, who govern our dark activities. Come now forth and answer our quires," the four chanted, taking out daggers and pricking their left thumbs. They let the blood drip onto a symbol drawn on a piece of parchment. As Sirius watched, a bright light swirled from the blood droplets and a small figure dressed in black robes appeared. The four who summoned him knelt with their heads bowed in respect.

"Have you accomplished the tasks I set forth unto you?" He asked, inserting his hands into the opposite sleeves of his robes.

"Yes, my master. Mordred Malflus is among the living again. I also did away with the child of the one who banished you," Morgana replied.

"And what about Mademoiselle Caton?" Was the figure's next question.

"She is still among the living, my master. Her man-cat guard destroys every assassin we send, there is no way of trying to defeat her," replied one of the other figures.

"Has Garuda been smashed yet?" The figure asked, becoming impatient and displeased.

"Garuda's statue has been hidden from our eyes. He cannot be found anywhere, not even scrying can locate him," answered another of the figures.

"Then how is your progress on finding a weakness in the defense of the Plaza of the Heroes?"

"Very little, Crystalin's security is led by one Asad. He has made sure that there are no weak points," the final figure of the group said.

"Hm, I have put far to much confidence in you, my lesser servants. I was wrong to give all of you such important missions. The only one of you that has show real reasoning abilities is Morgana. None of you, however, noticed the spy that has gotten into this manor and is listening to every word we say," The figure stated. Sirius mentally cussed as the group went into action to try and find him. Like a bullet, Sirius was off down the tunnel, through the bars, into his dog shape, and off into the night. Two metal doors opened to reveal a pair of very vicious demonic dogs with glowing red eyes and Doberman-like appearances. These two began to chase after Sirius, seeing him for what he was. The manor's gate was closed but Sirius managed to slip through it. the Demon Dogs could not with their larger size. They continued to bark and howl at him as he raced away, fast as his dog legs could carry him. Sirius stopped only when he reached the edge of the woods. A quick shift to his human form gave him time to catch his breath. He pulled out his mirror.

"Dumbledore," Sirius said as the mirror's surface rippled.

"What did you discover?" the headmaster asked.

"They're working for someone, they didn't say his name. He's either very good or omniscient because he detected my presence. I'll try to find out more but I'll have to find another way to spy on her," Sirius reported.

"Come on back, there's nothing we can do right now. I have something else I need you to do for me," Dumbledore said. Sirius nodded as the mirror once again reflected his own face. Sirius once again turned into his dog form to head back for Hogwarts.

-------------------------------------

Hogwarts Mountain Range, Midnight

Griffer and Jamal stalked through the Forbidden Forest. The landscape was quiet, broken only by an owl's hoot. The griffin and the elf could walk silently, like most other Mythical Beasts.

"So Harry has to enter this tournament? Are you sure he can't just send some kind of proclamation?" Griffer asked. Jamal shook his head.

"No, impossible. Harry has to fight and win otherwise his claim of being a rider will be dismissed," Jamal replied.

"Then why hasn't Vanessa entered?" Griffer asked, standing in Jamal's path.

"Vanessa is half-dark elf. Dark Elves in general are not allowed to enter the tournament and she would be feared and possibly killed because of her heritage," Jamal answered, taking the Griffin's beak and moving his large head back and forth.

"What about Harry, are you going to tell him about your relations?" Griffer inquired, flicking his lion tail back and fourth. Jamal turned his back to the griffin and stalked away. "What? What did I say?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alrighty, I think this may be all the chapter you get. The muse is reeeeealy silent right now. Now for the usual replies to mah reviewers!

Auror101: Look! It's an update:P Thanks for showing me that people still do care about my work.

DawnRising: So good to see you're still with me! How is "Shadows" coming?

Lady Sienna: Hey, you! I wondered where you disappeared to!

FireElf: Wow, you don't have to shout…

TheGodfatheroftheBoyWhoLived: Wow, loooong name! Anyways, thank you.

Emmmkay, as for the Dialogue Competition:

1) Romeo and Juliet- 0

2) The Tempest- 0

3) MacBeth- 2