Last time, Bloom explained to Harry and co. who she was and why she was here. Afterwards, Jill Sparrow of The Ramblers contacted our heroes and invited them to join the Ramblers in their next move against Voldemort. Upon arriving at the base of the werewolf leader, Fenrir Greyback, it was discovered that someone else had already attacked them. Someone who Bloom was apparently familiar with. Suddenly, Bloom was saved from death by explosion by Laura, as Bloom's old enemies, The Trix sisters revealed themselves. And Now, on with the show!

Chapter 21: Of Dark Witches and Demonic Boxes

Harry looked up to see three women approaching from the other side of the hill. One had long, platinum-blond hair in a ponytail, Dressed in medium blue with a dark blue cape. The second had short, purple hair, dressed in purple with a purple miniskirt. The third had long, brown hair, dressed in dark purple. All three had heavy eye-shadow, reflecting their respective colors. "Who the bloody hell are they?" asked Ron. "These three witches are my arch enemies," said Bloom. "The Trix sisters; Stormy, Darcy and Icy. Also known as The Bitches of Cloud Tower"

"Well that just tears it!" exclaimed Cornelia. "Not only do we have to deal with Harry's enemies, we now need to deal with those three Valley Girl wannabees! What next? Is Phobos going to show up?" "Bight your tongue!" exclaimed Hay Lin. "Well who ever or what ever you are," said Jill, "you've interfered with Rambler business. That cannot go unpunished." "If you're talking about those furry freaks," said Stormy, "They were in our way." "We're here for one thing and one thing only." Said Icy. "Today is the day we kill Bloom."

"How did you find me?" asked Bloom, who was severely out of breath. "It's a long story." Replied Icy. "Try me." Said Bloom, who, as Harry thought, was trying to buy time to recover. "You might as well tell her," said Darcy, "She's going to die any way, might as well tell her why." "I know why!" shouted Bloom, "You want the Dragon-Fire again." "Not this time," said Ice. "Go ahead and tell her, Stormy." Said Darcy. "You tell her," spat Stormy, "You're the one who was messing with the f#ck$ng thing!" "F#ck you!" replied Darcy. "I'll tell her." Said Icy, as she began…

FLASHBACK

Following the defeat of Laord Darkar, a huge bounty was placed on the three witches heads. They fled from the realm of Relix to the farthest reaches of the universe. It was there, on a remote trading outpost, in a small junk shop, that Darcy had found The Box. "What's your pleasure, madam?" asked the shopkeeper. The only reason Darcy was even in a junk shop was that she was bored out of her skull. Planning revenge can only occupy you for so long, and she couldn't use her magic, for fear of attracting attention.

"Just looking," replied the telekinetic witch. "Well look around," said the shopkeeper, "and see if anything strikes your fancy." Darcy wandered around the piles of broken gadgets and bins full of used books, when she saw it. It was a small black box with gold symbols on its sides. When she picked it up, she felt a small, but clear jolt of energy flow from it, and she liked it.

"How much is this?" she asked. "For a beautiful young lady such as yourself," said the shopkeeper, "A mere twenty wolongs." As she paid for the box, it didn't occur to Darcy why such an obviously priceless object should cost so little. Nor did it bother her when the shopkeeper said, "Take it Darcy Trix, it is yours," when she never told him her name. As Darcy left the shop, she was so entranced by the box, she didn't even hear the shopkeeper say, "It always has been."

Later…

"It's a brain teaser." Darcy said to her sisters. She rotated it in her hands until she had it facing the way she wanted. "When you hold it just right and press it in the right area," her thumb pressed a button hidden in the pattern, "and it opens up." Half of the side facing up slid up, and half of that section slid away from it. A soft melody issued from the box.

"Wow, that's amazing." Icy said sarcastically. "I know," said Darcy with a rare, authentic smile on her face. "Yeah, you know, it's really lame." Said Icy. "A waste of time and money if you ask me," spat Stormy. "We'd be better off thinking on how to get back at that fck$ng pixy Bloom and her loser friends. "Yeah, yeah you do that." Said Darcy idly. "Uh, hello, ground-control to Darcy!" shouted Stormy. Darcy ignored her sister.

"Oh just give me that thing!" exclaimed Stormy as she tried to grab the box from Darcy. Darcy flinched away from Stormy and hissed at her. "Don't you touch it!" she exclaimed and turned away. "It's mine, I bought it and it's mine. My own, my precious." "It's no use," said Icy. In fact, Darcy only had eyes for The Box, and ears for the music it made. "That box is bad news if you ask me." Said Stormy. "Don't worry," said Icy, "She'll be bored in a hour, and she'll throw it away."

Later that day, Darcy sat with The Box in her hands, deaf to the world around her. She didn't even hear the bells tolling in the distance. "She's been fck$ng with that thing for six hours straight!' exclaimed Stormy. "What's she trying to do?" "I don't know," said Icy, "But if she's still like this by tomorrow, say goodby to that box." Suddenly, Darcy exclaimed in delight as she ran her finger around a circle on the top facing side. Half of the pattern slid up, and Darcy turned the piece a quarter turn to the right. She slid the piece down until it clicked into place.

"Are you finally done with that hunk of sh$t?" asked Stormy, "Because it's starting to…" But before Stormy could finish her sentence, she was interrupted as the air began to crackle with energy, and a sudden wind rose. "Now what?" asked Icy. "I told you that box was bad news!" shouted Stormy. Just then, there were several flashes of bright light, and the witches found themselves surrounded by people. Only, they weren't people. They were all clad in black leather, stained red with blood. Their skin was ash gray, and they had completely black eyes. They carried a variety of sharp, rusty objects. Several of them had open, festering wounds, some of them still bleeding.

"Just great!" exclaimed Stormy. "This is all your fault Darcy! You shouldn't have messed with that f#ck$ng box!" "How do you know the box and these things are even related?" asked Darcy. Just then one of the creatures stepped forward. Its entire head was covered with pins. "The Box," it said with a cold, raspy voice. It was obviously the leader. It pointed at Darcy, who was still holding the box in her hands. "You opened it, we came." "Told you so!" exclaimed Stormy. "Shut the f#ck up Stormy!" spat Darcy, before turning at the lead creature. "I thought it was just a puzzle box." "Oh, no," said the leader, "It is much, much more than that. It is a means of summoning us." "And you are?" asked Icy wearily. "Explorers in the further reaches of experience," replied the creature, "Demons to some, angles to others."

Icy dried swallowed before asking, "And what do you want with us?" "Normally when someone opens The Box in the correct combination," said the creature, "We take him, her or them down to our world. There, they shall taste our pleasures." "If we get out of this alive," Stormy said to Darcy, "You are so f#ck$ng dead." "But you three are an exception." Whispered a voice from the ranks of the creatures. One stood forward. This one was apparently female, yet it was completely bald. She had a nail pierced through her nose. Also, her throat was ripped open, and had wires running in and out of it.

"Our master, Leviathan," said the female, "has an offer for you. An offer you would be wise not to refuse." "We're listening," said Icy. "Leviathan is prepared to grant your every desire, your darkest dreams come true." Said the female. "Could you be a little more specific?" asked Darcy. "Black miracles, dark wonders, another life of unknown pleasures. Is that specific enough for you?" asked the leader. "Sounds like a sweet deal," said Icy.

"Yeah, but what's the catch?" asked Stormy. "The one you call Bloom," said the female, "We want her dead, and her heart brought before us." "Now I'm interested." Said Stormy happily. "I've got just one question before we make any final decisions." Said Icy. "If you're so powerful that you can give us our greatest desires, then how come you can't kill Bloom yourselves?" "Our kind cannot interact on your level of existence without first being summoned by a Box." Said the leader.

"If Bloom or any other fairy were to touch a Box," said the female, "Then the Box would be instantly destroyed." "That's a good enough reason for me." Said Stormy. "There's just one problem," said Icy, "Without the powers given to us by Lord Darkar, we're no match for that damn pixy." "Even if we did have our full powers," said Darcy, "She'll have her dumb friends to back her up." "The first problem is of no concern." Said the leader. "Place your hands on The Box, and your powers shall be recharged to their fullest potential." "As for her friends," said the female, "Bloom is currently away from them." She gave a small black stone with tiny markings on it. "This stone shall transport you to where she is."

"What do you think?" asked Icy. "I think we should take this offer." Said Darcy. "That's easy for you to say," said Stormy, "You've been staring at that box for so long, it's f#ck#d up your brain." "I think this is a rare opportunity," said Icy, "One we shouldn't pass up." "That's settled then." Said Darcy. "Majority rules, we do this." "I f#ck$ng hate democracy." Spat Stormy. "You hate everything." Said Darcy. "We'll do it." Said Icy. "Very well, when she is dead and you have her heart," said the leader, "Return to this place and open The Box again. Do this and everything you want, everything you have ever wanted, and ever will, shall be yours."

Just then, the wind began to blow even harder as the female said, "But be warned. Leviathan has little patience. If you fail, if you delay too long," The wind rose to gale force as the leader exclaimed, "WE'LL TEAR YOUR SOULS APART!" There was one more flash of bright light, and the creatures were gone.

END FLASHBACK

"So we recharged our powers," said Icy, "and used the stone to get here. And now Bloom," she said with a nasty smile, "It's time to die." The three witches advanced towards Bloom, who was still trying to recover. "So you're not working for Voldemort?" asked Ron. "Oh please," said Icy, "We've learned that lesson when Darkar betrayed us. We work for ourselves now." "If that's so," said Jill. "Why did you agree to work for those things?" "We're not," Replied Darcy as she pulled out an object from her pocket. It was the Box. She began to turn it in her hands. "It's a freelance contract. We give them what they want, they give us whatever we want." "Now, without further interruption," said Icy, "Let's get this over with."

But Harry stood in front of them. "If you want to kill Bloom," he said grimly, "You'll have to kill me first." Will and the other guardians moved to block Icy, Darcy and Stormy as well. "Same for us!" she said.

"Hold it! Hold it!" shouted Laura. She walked up to Icy and glared at her. "I have a question to ask before we all start killing each other. How f#ck$ng stupid are you to make a deal with the Cenobites?" "Cenobites?' asked Icy. "Yes, Cenobites. The things that you sold your souls to." Replied Laura. "What are Cenobites?" asked Irma. "They're demonic extremists who believe that humanity is the source of all chaos," replied Jill. "We've fought them more than once, each time more gruesome than the last." "They seduce people with the promise of un-worldly pleasures," said Laura, "And when they get their hooks in you, they drag your sorry ass, or in this case, assess down to hell."

"You are starting to piss me off little girl." Spat Icy. "If you think you're mad," said Laura, "Wait till I get started." "There's no need for any of you to be involved with this," said Bloom as she got to her feet. "I've defeated these three before, I can do it again." She was suddenly surrounded by a glowing orange light. "Now what?" asked Ron.

When the light cleared, Bloom was dressed in a sleeveless sparkling blue top with a blue mini-skirt, with a yellow beret in her hair. To top it off, she had grown wings! "Cool outfit!" exclaimed Hay Lin. "Thanks," replied Bloom. "If you think what you've got is hot," said Cornelia, "Wait till you see what we've got!" "I'm way ahead of you, Cornelia." Said Will as she pulled out The Heart of Candracar. "Guardians Unite!"

Soon after, Will and her friends were transformed into their Guardian forms. "You got to be f#ck$ng kidding me!" exclaimed Icy. "They have fairies here to?" "We're not fairies," said Irma, "We're your worst nightmare." "Hey, we have a say in this too." Said Harry. He, Ron and Herminoe joined besides Bloom. "Don't forget about us!" yelled Steve as he removed the safety on his weapon. Jill and Virgil soon followed suit. Laura just cracked her fingers. "I don't know if you know it," said Laura, "But you're outnumbered over four to one."

"That's what you think." Said Icy as she snapped her fingers. Suddenly, about three hundred creatures seamed to pop out of nowhere. They appeared to be human, but a crude imitation of humans. Their skin looked like cloth stitched together, with twisted faces. Each carried a pair of rusty hatches. "Bloody Hell!" exclaimed Ron. "You keep saying that," said Irma, "I don't think it means what you think it means." "These ugly minions," said Darcy, "Are Stitchlings." "I get where the name cones from," said Taranee. "You should show some appreciation for my creations," said Stormy, "I spent several sleepless nights sewing my fingers to the bone, just for you, Bloom," Indeed, Harry saw that Stormy's fingers were heavily bandaged.

"Yeah, you sewed them, but I brought them to life." Said Darcy. "That's all you've done besides f#ck$ng around with your precious box!" spat Stormy. "You just want it for yourself, don't you?" yelled Darcy as she returned the Box to her pocket. "Shut the f#ck up! Both of you!" exclaimed Icy. "We've got work to do!"

While the sisters were arguing, Jill spoke to Harry. "Listen, Harry, Do me a favor and let Steve, Laura, Virgil and I handle this. You and all your friends should sit this one out." There was a mixture of 'What's' and 'No's' from Harry and co. "Why should you fight my fight?" asked Bloom. "I'll tell you," said Steve, "It's our job to handle invaders like those three. They're here to cause trouble, and stopping other-worldly trouble is what we do."

Let's pause for a moment to learn a bit about Jill

Name: Jillian 'Captain Jill' Sparrow

Age: 23

Birthday: May 17

Zodiac Sign: Taurus

Height: 5'5"

Blood Type: A-

Hometown: London, England

Weapon of choice: Family cutlass.

Can trace family linage back to Captain Jack Sparrow.

Founding member of the elite paranormal combat team, The Ramblers

Enjoys surfing and fencing.

Further information to be released.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled Fan Fiction

"You can't expect me to just stand aside, and let you fight those things and those dark witches." Said Harry, his temper rapidly rising. "Yes, I do." Replied Jill. "But why?" asked Harry. "Because I'm expendable," said Jill, matter-of-factly, "You're, not! And neither is Bloom. If I, or anyone on my team dies, someone can easily fill in the blank. If you die, that's it, game over."

"Be as that may," said Bloom, "It's still my fight. If you want to help, that's cool, but don't try to stop me." "She has a point," said Virgil, "Besides, we couldn't stop her even if we tried." "Relax," said Steve, "I've got a plan." "Oh, yeah," said Virgil, "I bet it involves some hair-brain scam, so something." "No, it's just some military tactics."

"So what's the plan?" asked Will. "Okay: Will and the Guardians are going to attack from the air, while Jill, Virgil, Laura and myself attack from the ground. We're going to use weapons more suitable fore close combat." Steve took out from his pocked a small metal tube that unfolded into a long metal pole about six feet long. Jill unsheathed her cutlass, while Laura cracked her knuckles again. "What's your weapon Virgil?" asked Taranee. "This," said Virgil as he took off his sunglasses.

"Bloody Hell!" exclaimed Ron. "I'm telling you, that doesn't mean what you think it means," said Irma. "For crying out loud!" exclaimed Cornelia, "Look at his eyes!" The area around Virgil's eyes was heavily burned. He had no eyelids. Where his eyes should be were metal spheres with orange irises. "Good god!" exclaimed Herminoe, "What happened to you?" "I'd tell you the whole story," said Virgil, "But then I'd have to kill you." "Oh lay off the cloak and dagger routine will you?" said Steve.

"What do you want me to do?" asked Harry. "Just stay with Bloom and keep each other alive." Replied Jill. "I'll go along with this plan for now," said Bloom, "Under one condition; Leave Icy to me." "Okay, sounds fair." Said Steve. Our heroes then turned back to Icy, Darcy and Stormy who were still arguing. "So, are we going to do this or not?" said Jill. The three witches stopped arguing to gaze at her. "Of course we're going to do this." Said Icy. "And when we're done with you, Bloom will be all ours."

The end of chapter 21. Long one, but worth the effort. Next chapter, the fight begins. Note: a while back, the SciFi channel did a Hellraiser marathon. I missed it, bit it gave me the idea to incorporate The Box and the Cenobites into the story. So my thanks to Clive Barker for creating one of the best horror stories ever. See you next time!