A/N thanks for your reviews and support.
Roos: thanks for your review, my friend. Thank you for reading!
mizzrazz72: thanks for your review, my friend. Yep. ^_^.
shadewatcher: thanks for your review, my friend. Dumbledore and his manipulations. He wants them to stay so that they are under his thumb. Separating them in hopes that it will keep them from leaving.
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...
Dumbledore had tried to stop him from visiting Durant. Too bad the older wizard didn't have any right to argue with him. Harrison knew that it was within his rights to visit his Headmaster. Especially since he had it in writing to expressly do just that. Dumbledore was only his temporary Headmaster and had very little authority over him and the other Nightingale students.
Reluctantly he was forced to let them go or risk an international incident. Both Harrison and XIII flooed to the hospital that was treating the injured professors. It was a small hospital in France that was privately owned. Floo was set up so that anyone international or within the country could enter. The owners were Nightingale alumni and had used their resources to ensure creatures had hospitals they could go to. They had the best of the best when it came to healers. Despite the length, some had been in the hospital students knew that they were in the best hands possible. The best part of it was the secrecy contract that had to be signed before entering.
Both XIII and Harrison had signed their contract after the attack. It would be in effect forever to both protect them and the patients of the hospital. Neither had ever considered trying to get around the contracts. To do so would go against everything they stood for.
Both boys headed straight for the rooms where the Headmaster and Deputy Headmaster were being held. No one tried to stop them knowing that the wards would have stopped them if the contract wasn't in place. They had to go up to the third floor and to the west side.
Once they found the appropriate door Harrison knocked. Then waited for a few seconds before a familiar tenor said, "Enter."
Both he and XIII entered taking note of the entire room. A large window with curtains pulled back to allow warm light into the room was on the far side. Close to the door were potted plants meant to keep up patients' spirits. Two beds were lined up on the wall. In one was a brown hair man about six feet in height his chest rose and fell evenly. There was a light stubble on his face showing he hadn't shaved in a while. Harrison's jaw clenched at the sight of his master still in a coma. Nothing about him had changed since the last visit he had right before Hogwarts started.
On the second bed looking disgruntled was Jack Durant, Headmaster of Nightingale. He had shaggy black hair and cold grey eyes. Like Keller, he had a light stubble across his face from not shaving. His cheeks were hollowed and his eyes sunken but for someone who had been in a coma for several months, he looked well enough.
The disgruntled look left almost as soon as Durant saw them. Relief flashed across his face along with something else Harrison couldn't quite identify. Without a word, he motioned for them to come closer until they stood next to his best.
Harrison was the first to speak, "It's good to see you awake again, Headmaster. Is there any word on?"
The look he gave to Keller was enough.
"Still in a coma I'm afraid," replied the cool tenor, "He's a fighter, Harrison. There is little chance that he will die. Just give him time and allow his magic to heal his body. It is good to see you both again alive and well. All things considered, that is a miracle of Mother Magic herself."
That did not decrease his worry for his master but he knew Durant was right. Keller would wake up when his body was ready. Not before as it could do more harm than good. Sighing he put all of his attention back on Durant.
His shoulders went back and he stood just a little straighter. The note had mentioned being called upon. Now he wanted to know why. Drawing his wand he locked and warded the door against eavesdroppers. Better safe than sorry after all.
Durant nodded approvingly, "Good this conversation is meant to be a secret. A Nightingale secret," magic pulsed around the two sealing in the order, "Nightingale was never meant to be drawn into the conflict. As you both know there have been several seers to come in and out of our Halls. What you don't know was our last seer gave a warning. He warned about a student coming in with fire in his veins. Uncontrolled despite the best efforts of the professors."
Both Harrison and XIII gave each other a glance. That description fits Harrison exactly. His magic was next to uncontrolled despite their best efforts. Mind magicks that should have helped did nothing.
Durant continued, "The warning was for the student not to fall into the Dark Lord's clutches. I understand that you wouldn't normally join a Dark Lord especially given what happened. But I felt it was necessary to warn you about this."
Harrison stared at the man for a long moment before sighing, "At least it isn't a prophecy. Those things are the biggest annoyance."
Durant snorted, "That is true. Now about the other thing."
Harrison stiffened his eyes going ice-cold, "Is it true? They want to activate Battle Mages of a certain rank?"
"It is," he replied tiredly, "The Ministries want to pull anyone Rank 3 and higher. If it didn't include students I wouldn't have a problem with it. But they are trying to push for students to be forced to join."
Harrison's mouth went dry. There were young students in their Second and Third years that were Rank 3s. What the hell was the Ministry thinking? Around them, the air grew hot as his magic reacted to his anger.
Durant snapped drawing him back, "Potter, reign in your magic. Now!"
Biting his lip he used the pain to focus his magic. He tasted blood within a few moments but he took no notice of it. His magic swirled around him. Breathing in and out at slow intervals trying to bring his magic back within his body.
XIII had stepped away from him as his magic lashed out at everything. There had only ever been one person who could withstand his magic in order to help him. That person was still in a coma. Durant pushed himself further up. If they were in Nightingale he could lockdown the wards around him. This wasn't their school and he had no control over the wards.
Harrison wrangled his magic forcing him back into his body. He forced his occlumency shields down. The anger was forced behind the shields. Slowly the air became cooler as his magic returned to him.
Durant said once Harrison's eyes focused on him again, "I will do everything I can to stop this. You need to alert the others who fall into the category. Just in case everyone needs to be prepared."
Harrison said slightly disgruntled, "Of course. What else should we prepare?"
Durant thought for a moment before he said, "Work on your CAD. Nonverbal spells if you can pull it off."
"Yes, sir."
...
Far from the French hospital in the mountains of Germany was a castle. It was warded so that only members of the Reapers could enter without permission. Any other visitors had to be allowed in through the floo. There was only one room where those who weren't accepted flooed in.
A single man sat behind his desk in an office that had a large window overlooking the grounds of the castle. The man had light blond hair and mismatched eyes. On the desk in front of him was a book that was thought to have been destroyed in the last Dark Arts purge over a hundred years prior. The Black Family had been one of the few who had been able to save a copy. It was called Elementals and their history.
Elementals are individuals able to control one of the four elements. Because of this power, they were hunted, either to be killed or used. They had been declared extinct since the last one died back in 1581 after being hunted down. Gellert knew that this wasn't true exactly. The previous Dark Lord had one among his ranks, an Air Elemental if he remembered correctly. But the fool had gotten overconfident, ending up getting his Elemental killed and thus losing the war.
Personally, Gellert could not see himself committing such a grave mistake. Not after his mistake with Credence that had nearly ended the war. He wanted an Elemental, but he would never rely solely on one other person. Elementals were humans, and therefore prone to make mistakes like everyone else.
There was a good chance that there were Elementals out there. They likely would have gotten better at hiding to prevent another hunt for them. No one wanted to be hunted like a monster after all. Werewolves were the case and point.
Gellert's acceptance towards all creatures had brought many to his side. Those who didn't agree to actively stand beside him agreed to be neutral. At least that's what it had been until late in the summer when he made an attack on Nightingale. The attack had originally been to try and force the professors into agreeing to neutrality. He had not expected for the school to still have all of its students.
Not much was known about Nightingale and how it worked. The assumption had been that it worked like the other schools. Students only being there for 9 months of the year. That was something they had been terribly wrong about. Not only were students there but they were also combat trained. Forty-five members of his Reapers had died in the battle. Not even Albus's organization had been able to stun much less kill so many of his men.
When word got out about the attack he had received backlash. Many of the students that had been injured had creature blood. Threats of backing out of their agreements were made. Even months after the attack he was still dealing with the backlash. Many creatures watched his dealings carefully. Weary that he may try to attack their younglings again.
Gellert's head came up in a deep frown crossing his face as the floo flared green. A man with dark hair and grey eyes came through. He was tall nearly six and a half feet. Orion, he realized.
Gellert questioned his voice cold as ice, "Orion what brings you here? I thought you would have stayed in England unless called."
Orion bowed before he said, "My apologies my lord. I received information from my youngest son that could not wait."
Gellert waved Orion over to stand in front of his desk. The man did as he was bid and stood there tall and proud.
After a moment he began, "My youngest son has sent word that there is a possible Elemental at Hogwarts."
Oh really?
