Chapter 4: Ancients of Old
Hermione paced in front of the stalls in Moaning Mertil's bathroom. Ron was leaning against one of the sinks and Harry sat on the cold tiled floor. Neville and Ginny were watching Hermione, and Fred and George asked the question that was on everyone's mind.
"Why are we here?" they asked together.
Hermione stopped suddenly and stared at the twins, "Obviously you two don't understand. That girl, Sherry, she's always hanging around you two. And Landiver can't seem to leave Harry alone. Falcon makes conversation with Ron but his facile expressions seems to say that he hates it. On top of all this…Neville, Ginny? Tell everyone what you saw yesterday."
Neville tugged on his shirt and Ginny stared at the ceiling in embarrassment.
"Well…" started Neville.
"First we saw Malfoy and Kiyla kissing, then by chance we turned a corner at the wrong time and…Kiyla was…kissing Snape," Ginny said in a rush.
"What?" Fred and George shouted.
Hermione nodded slowly to her friends as if to confirm the shocking news.
"That's not the half of it," said Hermione, "Every time I try to ask Landiver about the Ancient Academy he runs off. So, are these new students really students? I think we should all go talk to Dumbledore."
"I feel strange when I'm around Landiver," said Harry suddenly.
"Strange how?" asked Ron.
Harry rolled his eyes. "I feel like I knew him once. But when he does try to talk to me, and he looks me in the eye, hate overcomes me. I feel angry at him, but I don't know why. In the pit of my stomach I know he did something wrong once, something horrible. I'm not making sense."
Hermione had a puzzled look on her face then quickly snapped her fingers.
"I have it! Harry you are making sense, listen to me. Now all of you don't freak out. Here's my theory…Harry, you never knew anything of the wizarding world before Hogwarts. But did you ever see anything unnatural? No, not perform magic, I mean see it. Like, a purple flame on a lit candle? What if…just like the scar on your face, you are scarred by magic? Sort of an internal burse, and every time your around Landiver the hate and anger triggers? He must have done something to you, and you don't remember it, something horrible, like you said."
In the corner of the bathroom a shadow stirred.
Fred shook his head in disbelief. "No, it's extremely hard to cast a spell in someone's body. It would be easier if they were blood related or had an emotional connection, but the wand would have to be penetrating the skin, inside the body, and Harry doesn't have any other scars."
The shadow came up along the wall behind Ron, but it didn't move fast enough.
"Look!" yelled Neville.
Ron turned his head and jumped back in surprise. The shadow melted down the wall and settled onto the floor and swiftly began to take shape. The group of friends drew their wands and backed up against the bathroom stalls. The shadow grew a mouth, eyes and a nose.
"Falcon?" whispered Ron as flesh and clothes came into view.
Falcon stood in front of the group with his hood drawn up. He looked more fierce then normal due to the fact that he had heard the entire conversation.
He spread his hands in mocking sincerity, "If you only knew that we were trying to help you," he whispered in his unnaturally low voice, "I don't think you would question our motives so much."
Hermione shoved her wand toward Falcon and he flinched, "We have the wands, so tell us, what is the connection between Landiver and Harry?"
Falcon looked bored. "Landiver is a very private person, we all are. But I am allowed to tell you what we are now."
"Who do you answer to? Dumbledore?" asked Harry.
"No," whispered Falcon with a sly grin, "Albus is not is charge of us. We answer to a Vampire King by the name of Legwrong."
Everyone froze and stared at Falcon. Falcon sensed he was not going to get more of a reaction then that so he continued.
"The Ancient Academy is only for creatures that have mastered a human form. No real human has ever entered there. Kiyla is a Temptress or more commonly known as a Harpy. She despises men, and she's only kissing Draco because it's her job to protect him and she's kissing Snape because it's her job to kill him, her motto is pleasure before pain.
I am a Pegasus, a white winged horse. My mission is to protect Ron and Hermione as well as young Neville from being incarcerated by Death Eaters. Sherry is a Unicorn, and of course you all know what that is. Her job is to protect the Weasley twins and Ginny. Tonyur is a Marsupial Dragon; he has four legs, leathery wings, and a fire pouch. As you know he is blind but due to his magical training he is able to see certain things. He is meant to protect Cho and all of the Hogwarts teachers with whom he gets along with so well.
Now, Landiver, he is a Vampire Prince, the direct offspring of Legwrong. Landiver was mostly dead by the time Legwrong found him in what was to be his watery grave. Landiver was the age of fourteen when he was found by Legwrong, tied down by a weight in the Black Lake. So Legwrong turned him and named him Landiver, but as what comes with the price of becoming immortal, you forget yourself. Landiver has no memory of who he was or what he did, and none of us were about to ask him. His job is to defend Harry Potter, the one who will lead the Rebellion."
The young wizards stared with their mouths hanging open at the Pegasus in disguise.
Suddenly there was a loud crash, the sound of thousands of windows breaking. There were screams as Death Eaters appeared by the hundreds in the halls of Hogwarts.
Falcon looked toward the door of the bathroom and glanced back with sad look on his face and made his way to the exit.
"Wait!" yelled Hermione, "What was that noise? Where are you going?"
"Hogwarts is under attack. I must go; all of you stay in here. My team is the only one who can defeat them," said Falcon.
"How did they get in?" asked a worried Neville.
The bathroom door was abruptly kicked open by an angry looking Kiyla. She seemed out of breath and a streak of blood was running from her temple.
"We need to go, we have to get these kids out," she said.
Falcon nodded and began to transform…