Harry Potter x Disney (Villains)

Harry Potter and the Powers of Heaven and Hell

Synopsis: Harry Potter, fresh off defeating Voldemort, vanishes in a raging inferno of Green Hellfire. Thought dead, his friends carry and the timeline changes, as Harry, with new mentor in tow, traverse the Multiverse to allow him a chance to learn his powers and new role in the cosmos.

This story will either contain active Slash, or passive references to SS Couples, or perhaps have an OC of same gendered attraction mentioned in a supporting role. There is heavy cursing in this drabble, and it may contain crack.

Chapter Setting: Earth, The Enchanted Lands.

Characters: Harry Potter, Disney Villains, O/C.

Disclaimer: No profit is sought, or accepted, in the publication of this fanfiction. It is purely being written and shared for enjoyment; no remunerations are accepted or expected by the author. All right, privileges, and copyrights belong to their respective holders/owners. I freely admit to having been on a Harry Potter x Crossover kick the last few months, and will try to give special thanks to authors who inspired me on my bio page. Until then, however, if you see something similar too another author of this genre, please point it out to me and I will check my notes as to whether or not I could have accidentally modeled my characters, names, places, events after another.

This story is without a Beta; I am open to receiving a Beta. :-)

Please enjoy and review with your comments, critiques.

Chapter 05. - Consequences

0oO0oO0Oo0oO0oO0Oo0oO0oO0Oo

After some level of panic had passed between the children and staff of the Academy, and after closing for a week before reopening promptly to allow the craftsman deity time to give his own unique version of protections and defenses to the school, Harry was glad to be free of the Dursleys once more.

… not that he'd actually stayed there once he'd been dropped off.

He'd booked it to the local TESCO as soon as he'd gotten back to Little Winging, and in the back corner, between the milk case and Ms. Alderman's Merry-Berry Bread Mix display, he activated the secret portal that would let him access the hidden spaces for all the more….free….spirits that belonged to the same sphere of influence as his professors.

Exiting the secret portal into a less populated, and more practical realm of reality ancient magicals had created to escape their persecution the wand wavers had long forgotten, Harry observed the slightly greyed appearance of the gateway station that the TESCO served as.

Staff clicking, then shrinking and storing in the hoody concealing his wings and horns, Harry made his exit into the 'Tween….a massively expanded pocket dimension made in ages past by sorcery beyond Harry's present understanding that would be covered extensively in his last year at the school during both history and enchanting.

When the Headmistress had led an outing for his cohort and explained the secret entrances to a world more secure and hidden than even that of the more…mainstream…wizarding world to which they tenuously belonged, she'd gone through pains to explain how to access these hidden spaces which were linked through time and space in a manner Harry had yet to understand.

The key to your survival into adulthood and infamy, Lady Maleficent had began as she led Harry and his cohort through the muggle supermarket with everyone wearing a special school medallion which placed a glamour on them, is the development of supreme situational awareness.

Over 1,500 years ago your forefathers determined that there should be a worldwide network of these safe havens and we access them hidden in plain sight.

Why's that Headmistress, Hermione had asked.

She stopped in the cereal isle and turned to give the children her full attention.

People are passing us by as we're concealed right now, but were I to end my enchantment, she said as her eyes glowed green and her true head once more emerged from the dark curls which had been upon her head.

A woman screamed from the end of the isle before backing away and Maleficent once more activated her glamour as several employees came running to their location.

I would stand out in the crowd…likely causing fear in those who have no knowledge of magic; even among the wand wavers, as those with a more primal connection to magic, contorted and attuned to serving as vessels of its flow by our very blood … we stand out and are in danger. True Sorcerers and those touched by the divine have had to remain separate from the mortal and mortal-magical spheres of influence. In the 'Tween you will see a simpler existence, lands, and opportunities which may be denied to you in the wand waver, or mortal worlds.

She finished with a pointed look to Harry and the two others who were of a unique magical heritage.

She escorted them lazily from their location to the concealed entrance to the 'Tween.

Our kind, she continued, have been outnumbered throughout the ages and though we can be supremely powerful…sometimes at terrible cost we have to stick together, she said with a forlorn gaze.

What we must do then is take all steps necessary to ensure the survival of the most of those like us. Those of you which have been to Diagon Alley have experienced this, even if you didn't realize the reasoning behind having a hidden wizarding district in London; the same too has been done for the families which lead to the founding of the Academy. Our ancestors have found our place in the 'Tween as artists, philosophers, researchers, scientists, playrights….anything their hearts desired and others have found a life among the mortals or wand wavers.

We make safe spaces, removed from the realms of men, to provide safety, and a unique space of our own where all can be as they are born to be and to provide the freedom of choice for you to decide later in life what is best for you and eventually your families.

Many times, those of us who are quite different, she said looking directly into Harry's eyes once more, need a place where we can find what is needed to make our life much easier than were we just to walk within the realms of men.

They came to a stop in the area near the entrance to the 'Tween.

To access these places open your senses as Professor Jafar has instructed you….reach out with your magic and tell me if you can sense the gateway.

I feel … something, Harry replied just as Hermione's eye shot open in shock as a portal began forming from purple light before them.

Did I do something wrong? He asked beginning to get upset.

No child, Maleficent replied. You've just activated it by reaching out with your magic and touching that which conceals the doorway.

Now…everyone through. Quickly! Don't doddle.

Harry once more stood before the swirling purple vortex which separated him from the normal world.

Looking around once more to ensure that he was not being observed or followed, he stepped through and entered the only place, besides the Academy, where he felt at peace.

0oO0oO0Oo0oO0oO0Oo0oO0oO0Oo

Purple gave way to blue skies, and the puffiest white clouds Harry had ever seen.

The smell of the sea, and the cry of gulls immediately drew his attention and the 10 year old dropped his glamour and took to the skies with ease.

Flight meant freedom to Harry….the sky felt as much his home as did his bed in the Academy. Flapping only occasionally as he truly flew by magic, for a long time Harry allowed himself to coast on the breeze and observe as he stewed over the events that drove him here.

Vernon had had the audacity, the sheer nerve to inform him that they'd been visited by a freak from the school he was supposed to have gone to and they'd be threatened in some way…as though he were at fault.

"Fat oaf deserves a good thrashing," Harry muttered darkly as he climbed higher in his rage and frustration, not realizing that his body was beginning to glow the same ethereal green as when he'd fought his would-be kidnapper earlier in the semester.

"He has the nerve….the bloody nerve," Harry cursed Vernon as he went into a steep and unexpected corkscrew dive before pulling up parallel to the tree line and firing off bolts of pure magic which felled several trees, caused several minor quakes, and several magical and mundane animal species to flee the grove of trees in abject terror.

For some reason, Vernon had been getting under Harry's skin so much …. easier… the last few times he'd had to return to Privet Drive. Harry had been addressing his anger issues by pouring himself into academics at the school, and the minor fall out he'd had with Harry "Henry" Hook at placing the entire school in danger with several of the upper years opening suggesting to his peers he should go, hadn't made his sudden appearance at the Dursley home one where he was in the best of moods.

In the distance, the domed adobe and stone structures of the Easterly Village came into focus as Harry sped up before landing with a small shockwave of excess magic bleeding off startling several shopkeepers, venders, and patrons from the village square market.

His eyes landed on the familiar three story sandstone bank which held the account Mistress Maleficent had helped him establish all those years ago, and from which the accumulation of his earnings from the international stock markets and business ventures he'd learned so much about from Professor De Ville were deposited.

The residents of the 'Tween, while supremely able to conceal themselves from the mortals and wand wavers, nevertheless maintained some very strong ties across a few industrial or economic sectors…banking and the stock markets of the world being one of the easiest ways citizens of the 'Tween managed to exert their silent influence over the other societies.

At a mere 10 years old Harry Potter, and under the guidance of Madam Cruella, going off a hunch and the "Potter Luck" his family was infamous for, had taken 10,000 Galleons, £5 million GBP, into an American Start up company that was showing promise, called Microsoft Corporation which he had a 10 percent equity share in, and had invested half that in the company the founder had once been affiliated with, Apple, along with a full quarter of his Magical Trust Vault, nearly 1 million galleons, into various muggle companies ranging from computers and tech, to pharmacology, retail giants emerging like Wal-Mart, and hedge funds that would manage his international wealth and investments.

Why Professor Cruella had focused so much on American Markets…Harry would never know, but as he walked into his local branch of Schweizer Bank he once more took in the simple elegance of the place compared to the ostentatious show of wealth Gringotts used to overcompensate for their inferiority complex.

Quickly making his way to a teller, Harry was greeted by his favorite Gnome, Herr Franz.

"Ah jung Potter! How lovely to see you this weekend mein kind," the kindly old man said in a thick accent as he left his station to give the Potter Heir a hearty handshake and a lollipop that always seemed to come from nowhere.

After exchanging pleasantries with the eccentric, if grandfatherly, teller Harry told him he needed to make a withdrawal for school supplies.

"Ah! No need mein herr!" he said digging around on his desk before he took out a small credit card looking piece of plastic, ran his knobby wand over it, and then of all things ran it through a muggle looking machine before passing it, a wallet, and several documents including an official British Passport and ID, of all things, to Harry.

Seeing a confused look on the preteen's face, Herr Franz clarified.

"There has been an advancement in recent banking technologies which we have been able to adapt for use in the 'Tween and beyond Herr Potter; this card is linked to your account directly, and due to your wealth and customer loyalty can serve as a check-card, a means of electronic funds transfer, or credit card with a 5,000 Galleon line of credit."

"Can I use this in the shops and with the vendors," Harry asked happily.

"Indeed kind. Indeed," the heavily accented voice replied. "For the wand waver districts, you will still have to withdraw hard currency as they refuse to innovate, but this," he said drawing a pouch of blue velvet embroidered with the Bank's Crest, "are linked to your accounts and will always have 100 galleons, 50 sickles, and 150 knuts, refilled on a biweekly basis. As it is not moke skin, it can be stolen jung Potter, so keep it safe and report its loss immediately so we can secure your accounts."

He continued pointing to the card he'd just activated to continue answering Harry's question.

"For those set up to accept credit or Check-Debits, even in the mortal world, yes use the card without need to carry cheques….but you can withdraw normal funds directly from your linked accounts with your pin at any ATM, in the local mortal currency, with this as well," the old gnome finished with a smile.

Quickly recalling Professor De Ville's lessons, Harry was surprised to note that any magical institution would be able to utilize or interested in electronic account maintenance and banking.

"Thank you Herr Franz!" Harry said with a smile. "This will make shopping in London immeasurably easier and I won't have to explain away carrying around several thousand pounds of notes," he finished with a chuckle.

Thanking the man once more Harry quickly exited the beautiful building and began making a beeline to the one shop he'd wanted to visit since the headmistress had first brought him and his cohorts to the 'Tween.

Crusoe Customs

Since 1912

Harry entered the shop with the tinkling of a bell overhead, only to find he was in a vast open area with various furniture and items stacked about the showroom.

"I'll be with you in a sec," a disembodied voice, oddly American, called from somewhere in the back.

"Feel free to look around!"

Harry spotted the speaker as a young man ringing up other customers.

He immediately turned his attention to one of the displays that was advertising runic mirrors.

The shop contained a wide array of custom-made knickknacks of enchanted household items, furniture and was a place Harry had wanted to visit since he'd first spotted the shop with the headmistress when they'd visited last term. Apparently this shop had just opened as an extension of the main store in Barcelona, and was the first to open in Britain….even if it was in the 'Tween.

Harry was drawn, inexplicably, to one of the larger wall mirrors which had been enchanted in some way.

The more he focused on his reflection, the more he began to see a taller, older, version of his true self as his glamour began to fade away.

"Ah yes," a voice suddenly spoke from his side drawing his attention away from the mirror and causing his vision to dissipate and now reflect the child he was, "this is our latest arrival from the enchanters of the dark forest in Germany. Their rune work is second to none, and this is said to rival the potential of even THE magic mirror of old which showed possible paths for our true self."

The speaker turned to address Harry directly and he noticed it was the same man which had greeted him earlier.

"It's a unique item…I'll give you that," Harry said with a cheeky smile. "But it's not very practical."

"No….no it isn't," the salesman said with a matching grin.

"How can I help you today young man?"

Harry took a moment to look around the shop before he handed over a handwritten list of school supplies he was here to retrieve for the remainder of this term and the next year that would help him continue several months long projects the professors were beginning to assign.

"Oh the Academy," he said with a smile after seeing the personalized stationary of a Scholar.

"First year Scholar," the man asked.

"Yes; but we're starting projects for many of our professors."

"I see," the salesman said directing Harry to follow him to a section of the store showcasing briefcases, carpet bags, chests, and steamer trunks of various designs and purposes.

"These are our stock of expanded spaces; you'll know best what you need young scholar," he said passing back the list Harry had handed him.

"Feel free to step into the display models, look around, and if you need anything please let me know," he said before walking off to greet another customer that had approached the register.

Harry finished up his shopping, having selected a mid-range trunk the academy recommended for students to allow for personal growing of potions plants, and safe spell practice in muggle environments. Inside the trunk was a 12-acre macro-space that housed a replica of Anne Hathaway's cottage and grounds with two grow houses and 4 glass houses for vegetables and fruits.

Harry planned to make good use of it while the school was closed for the renovations the Headmistress had warned everyone about over the course of the next month while the school was closed.

Loath as he was to admit it, especially after the actions of Dumbledore, he was rather looking forward to his time away from the school to come to terms with what had happened.

After he finished his shopping in the magical district for his normal supplies, he wandered down to Par a Lel Place, a more high-end magical shopping center than the normal market square of the 'Tween, Harry found his way to Creature Comforts.

Walking in, the bell overhead tinkled, and before Harry could prepare himself a rather squat…thing…popped into being.

He'd call it a house elf, but for the fact it was blue, and had a lizard like tail with wicked looking spiked tail.

"Not often we get one of your kind in here," the thing said sniffing the air and turning its glowing yellow eyes to Harry.

"Mistress Ursula said the school got its stock of domestics here; I find myself in need of a small staff," Harry said after resolving his confident.

Sniffing once more, the little beast smiled with shark like teeth before it replied, "I bet you do lad," and beckoned Harry deeper into the store.

After leaving the front, Harry saw many cages holding different types of creatures ranging from sprites, owls, eagles, ravens, dogs, cats, to house elves, and creatures that bore a striking similarity to the little blue devil leading him around.

"Close your eyes and loosen the hold on your magic boy….let it fill the shop and find your helpers," the little beast said.

Harry took a moment to do as the thing said and calmed himself.

He didn't even notice the noise of the shop immediately died down as though the animals, and creatures, knew what was going on.

After several minutes, Harry felt pulls, for lack of a better term, in several directions.

Without realizing it, he began walking.

He touched the cage of small white bird which the being directing Harry noted on a pad, noting Harry had stopped at the cage of Golden Chol, before moving on to the cage of a male and female house elf, before surprisingly moving through an illusion of a wall, and stopping before the cage of what appeared to be a man in his early 20s.

Opening his eyes, Harry was surprised to see he'd wandered from where he started only to see an almost naked man wearing positively ancient Greek style clothing. An extremely muscular almost naken man spread out in his cage, flexing, and seemingly bored until Harry entered.

Most startling to Harry was the man's long locks which occasionally seemed to twitch or move on their own, but on closer inspection Harry noticed they were not locks at all, but a mass of thin black snakes.

"Τι θέλετε τώρα imp," the man asked with a sneer overlooking Harry completely as though he were not present, and staring at the blue shopkeeper.

"I want nothing Calix; but the young master's magic has chosen you…and speak English damn you!"

Calix, Harry now knew, stepped back from the bars of his cage and, much like the blue thing, began sniffing the air in Harry's direction.

His strikingly blue eyes flashed gold before he seemed to shiver, and he bent over to examine Harry while beckoning him ever closer.

"Go ahead boy…he can't….won't….hurt you," the shopkeeper said with that creepy smile once more.

"I can't own a person….that's just…..wrong!" Harry said with indignation rounding on the diminutive shopkeeper.

Harry was unprepared for Calix to laugh, a deep booming laugh that didn't fit his body, and turning around Harry saw his form begin to melt away and where once there was clearly a man, albeit with snakes for hair, there now stood the naked torso of a man with a massive snake's body at his waistline.

"I am not a human child," his thickly accented voice called. "I am a Gorgon, and this bastard," he said pointing to the shopkeeper, "has held me for service since I was banished from my last patron," Calix said with a growling hiss.

"You want to be bought," Harry asked with some shock.

"I was created to serve, and my last master…my patron…no longer desired my services."

Harry met the gorgon's gaze and something seemed to pass between them.

"How old are you," Harry asked with a sigh.

"I'm a monster," Calix replied with a smirk. "I have existed since the inception of the gods."

"How would this work….how would you serve me and why would you possibly stay with me?"

"Over the ages I have been both General and confidant; bodyguard and majordomo."

"Regardless, your magic has chosen him and now sustains him," said the shopkeeper. "Let's go settle up," he finished with a snap of his fingers and let Harry pay for his purchases totaling several hundred galleons as the creature only delt in gold, before his elves popped off with his purchases, and the Golden Chol as Calix shifted back to his mostly, mortal form and shadowed Harry the remainder of the day as his personal guard in muggle London before they finally arrived at the Dursley residence.

0oO0oO0Oo0oO0oO0Oo0oO0oO0Oo

Back at the Dursley Residence

"What is the meaning of this boy," Vernon blustered as soon as Harry entered trailed by Calix.

A second later his elves popped in with his trunk and purchases, causing Petunia to clutch her pearls and Dudley to run screaming from the room.

"Dudders!" she called chasing after the slow-moving rotund doughboy out into the back garden.

"I'll not stand for this nonsense!" Vernon yelled.

"Then sit," Calix growled brushing past Vernon and shoulder checking him into the chair Vernon stood before as he closed curtains, and generally attempted to both familiarize himself with the home's layout and secure it as best he could.

"Where would master like his door deployed," the high voice of one the male elf holding a strip of something in its hands.

It took Harry a moment before he recognized it as the link to his trunk space.

"Place it in the wardrobe of the guest bedroom," Harry sighed in resignation once more remembering he was going to be here a whole month.

"There will be no freakishness in this house," Vernon sputtered after the elves had vanished and his terror abated.

"Clear and secure master," Calix said stepping back into the sitting room emphasizing his words to irk the mortal.

"I don't know who you are sir, but you're no longer welcome in this house!"

"Do shut up Vernon; I may be required to stay in this house while school is closed, but we're not going to be living here. Disturb me, or harass my retainers, at your peril," Harry said with his eyes flashing green before he bade Calix follow him and the duo exited normal space through the wardrobe and entered Harry's trunk space.

Exiting a small shed on the grounds, Harry and Calix made their way up the cobbled path to his new home away from home, while Harry heard the elves popping about and exploring, stocking his purchases, and other things before they met him in the empty living room.

The male elf popped in, surveyed the scene, and popped out before returning with firewood and kindling he began stacking in the space available as part of the fireplace.

"Nice place," Calix said sarcastically as the cool interior caused him to involuntarily shiver, even in human form.

"Elves," Harry called and the two popped into being.

"Yes Master," the male began.

"What are your names," Harry asked with a sigh.

Looking between the two, the male worriedly replied.

"We don't have names yet mater."

"Well that won't do," Harry said as he considered the two before him.

"How do you like the name Constantine, and you Anne," Harry asked each of them.

They talked amongst themselves for a few moments, tested their names, and then nodded vigorously with goofy grins.

"I am Constantine!"

"I am Anne!"

"And I am in need of your assistance Constantine," Harry said with a smile as he conjured a pen and paper before he scribbled a quick note before folding the note and sealing it with magic.

"Can you pop this around to Carlos de Ville, Number 134, Kensington Square W8, Kensington and Chelsea?"

The little elf looked at the paper in confusion.

"They cannot read master," Calix said looking up from the hearth where he was building a small fire.

Harry furrowed his brow and walked over to the two, who mistakenly began cowering in fear.

He gently began to hug them before placing his head on each of their brow, and concentrating with his magic which began to manifest as green waves of power, he desired them to learn languages, spoken and written, with English as the most prominent, and to have them capable of learning at the same rate as a human.

Magic reacting instinctively, he drew away and watched as the small traces of green magic lingered and sank into their skins, before they eyes briefly flashed the same green as Harry.

After they seemed to be normal again, Harry once more handed the letter to Constantine who smiled as he read it and understood.

"I can read!" he exclaimed in happiness! His little dirty tunic swirling in happiness.

Looking over Anne began dancing along with him and shouting how she could as well.

Calix muttered as he fought with the flue to open as smoke began to pour out of the fireplace as he'd forgotten to open it earlier.

"I'm off," Constantine said with a smile as he popped away … magic guiding him toward his destination and helping him narrow his search once in London.

Harry coughed a little before with a thought his staff appeared and with a thought the smoke began to drift back to the fireplace and up the chimney.

Harry looked over the spacious, if empty, interior, and smiled.

"I can work with this!"

He began exploring the entirety of the house and grounds, and an hour later Constantine returned with Carlos in tow.

"Your note said it was an emergency," Carlos started slowly looking around at the barren home, fire crackling, and the half-naked man laying in front of it rubbing himself oddly before he turned to look at Harry.

"Carlos, Calix; Calix, this is Carlos. Calix is a Gorgon and my newest bodyguard," Harry half grumbled.

"Umm…" Carlos squeaked as Calix flexed in leu of waving.

"So here's the situation," Harry said dragging Carlos on a quick tour through the house, showing him the kitchen, bathrooms, laundry, larder, cellar, bedrooms, study(s), library, hallways…everywhere…even the attic and outbuildings.

"It's so…empty," Carlos said.

"I know," Harry replied. "I need you to decorate it for me," Harry said with a smile.

"Me?" Carlos said with some confusion.

"I've seen your sketches Carlos and you're brilliant. You've clearly inherited your mother's eye for fashion," he said eying the trendy suit the other kid was wearing and thinking of how well his room at the Academy was decorated. "I'm going to be doing important things in here, and this will be my sanctuary at school…if I'm going to spend a lot of time here, I want it to be nice. Get familiar with it, and let's go shopping," he said with a smile.

A look came over Carlos' face before he threw himself at Harry and hugged him like his life depended on it.

"This is going to be so much fun! I won't let you down Harry," Carlos said with a smile. "First we'll need to start with furniture, and then appliances," he said looking at a corner of the room that could house an entertainment center before he looked around and started muttering about rugs, throws, couches, and moved on to tap on the walls to see if they were plaster or sheetrock.

"What's the little boy doing master," Calix called out with a bored tone as he shifted to enjoy the now roaring fire in the, surprisingly cold, shadows of the home.

"Carlos is measuring for curtains, placing lamps, and he's going to do me a great favor. Go grab my expanded shopping bag. We're going shopping for housewares."

"We just went shopping," Calix whined as she luxuriated in the heat.

"Stop bitching….and put some clothes on!" Harry called back.

Calix cursed in Greek, or at least that's what Harry suspected, before he slowly got up and then went off into the home to retrieve a few mortal clothing items that Harry had bought for him when they'd first gone out shopping.

Ten minutes later the trio were exiting 4 Privet Drive, and were making their way to a bus stop that would take them to the local commuter train into London, and two hours later Carlos was practically vibrating in excitement as they entered a high end furniture store and housewares retailer that Carlos' mother often used and which carried several of her lines.

By the end of the day, after confounding the sales staff from each of the stores they visited, Harry had them assembled the mountain of purchases in their warehouse and discretely shrinking them and having Calix store them in his shopping bag, finally after stopping off at a Surry Supermarket to store up on essentials, and at Carlos' insistence no less than five types of ice cream, Harry was unprepared for the whirlwind of activity as cabinets, curios, carpets, couches, pots, pans, bedroom suites, and all manner of other items began being arranged, hung, or placed as Carlos swished, flicked, and conducted the orchestra of magic using his petite wand freely in the safe space.

Before the light of the trunk space faded to twilight, the cottage lit from several candelabras, lamps, and the sounds of a quickly enchanted mortal TV begin filling his space.

Having a completed kitchen, full larders, and the freedom to do as they wished, Harry and company were very happy when the first wafts of what promised to be a delicious meal began filling the home once night fell.

Entering the large formal dining room, Harry and company were impressed that in just a few hours the transformation of an empty house could feel so much like a home. The lage mahogany table that could easily seat 12 gleamed under the weight of silver sconces, candelabras, platters, and all manner of precious metal plate settings that Carlos had picked out, while the curio and china cabinets glistened in the swaying light of the candles.

As dinner was being served by Constantine and Ann, Harry caught Carlos, seated at his left looking around and muttering about artwork, while Calix, seated to his right, eagerly dug into the salads and courses as they were delivered.

This could be nice, he thought as his anger at Vernon was forgotten and he relaxed into his little hideaway.

The trio finished their dinner in peace, and Harry invited Carlos to stay over so they could tackle the greenhouses tomorrow and Calix helpfully suggested they needed to consider stocking the grounds and getting the equipment to care for it, which sent Carlos into a whole other whirlwind of excitement as he began talking about barns, equipment, and various gardens for herbs and flowers that were ornamental and functional.

Harry smiled at his friend and gave him a hug before saying goodnight Happy that Carlos seemed to be coming out of his own funk over the events from Dumbledore's incursion.

0oO0oO0Oo0oO0oO0Oo0oO0oO0Oo

Hogwarts, Same Time.

Term had started off as it had in the past, and now as the days were growing darker the school administration was in some disarray as the headmaster, long a symbol of unity and pride for the school, was suddenly whisked to St. Mungos after a sudden illness befell him.

The rumor mill predicted he would be dead within a fortnight, and the Slytherins had been insufferable as they'd long since carried the grudge of their parents who saw Dumbledore as an impediment to their progress in the vaunted school.

The mill was also churning out that the governors, never seen by the students, were meeting to install a temporary head, usurping Minerva McGonagall as Deputy…ostensibly at the urging of Lucius Malfoy. The moral of Gryffindor was being delt a blow at the loss of the Headmaster and Snape was being as insufferable as ever. Even the other professors, Flitwick most notably, seemed to be down if putting on a brave face for the kids.

The sudden arrival of the Board during lunch, barging into the Great Hall a week after the Headmaster's departure, along with the Minister of Magic caused many to fear the worst for the old headmaster.

By the end of the day at dinner, when it was announced that the board had installed Horace Slughorn as temporary Headmaster during Dumbledore's convalescence, the student body didn't know what to think…nor why Draco Malfoy was preening like a prize peacock after he'd been pulled aside by a man who could be his elder clone.

On the dais, Snape, scowling as ever, seemed to be focusing intently on his meal while the man introduced as their temporary headmaster was seated with McGonagall on his left, her own scowl, better hidden than Snape's, clearly visible to those who knew the professor well.

Unnoticed by all Professor Quirrell was discreetly casting glances to the new headmaster as he primly ate his meal in silence.

0oO0oO0Oo0oO0oO0Oo0oO0oO0Oo

It took almost the entire week the school was closed, but Carlos, with quite a bit of input form Calix and occasionally from the elves, had managed to stock the greenhouses with Harry for their potions class, and he often praised Carlos for his designs of the gardens and the home that allowed them peace from the Dursleys.

Harry found it a little odd professor De Ville hadn't required Carlos to come home yet, but he was enjoying his time with his friend and he knew he'd need to do something special to repay his kindness…especially with a birthday approaching.

On the Sunday evening, with the school set to open tomorrow and all students set to arrive no later than noon to be registered for the new wards, everyone was in the living room, watching some movie Carlos had picked out and enjoying it immensely.

Even Calix, casting weary glances every now and again to Xerxes, a phoenix being an apex predator to snakes, had been enjoying Happy Gilmore several of their classmates had seen last year during one of the breaks at school.

Harry had never heard a house elf laugh while at school, but seeing Constantine and Ann nearly rolling in the floor was a sight to behold.

He frowned as he took in their nearly bare state of dress. Leaning over he spoke quietly to Carlos as the others continued to enjoy the show.

"What do you think about designing some uniforms for Constantine and Ann?"

Carlos, once he stopped chuckling at something done on screen, looked at Harry for a moment.

"You're really good at designing things. I figured if anyone could be up to the challenge it would be you," Harry said with a shrug.

Carlos had occasionally been spotted over the years sketching clothes designs, often inspired by stories told by their professors, and most often sketches of their professors with new outfits ranging from normal or exotic fabrics to leathers and furs. He truly was his mother's son.

"I've been thinking," Harry said conspiratorially before Carlos could answer, "that there's plenty of room in the back garden to build a workshop and studio for you…and plenty of room in the house for you, even Jay, when we get back to school," he finished.

Carlos, eyes shining, didn't know what to say.

"Happy early birthday Carlos," Harry said giving him a hug and turning back to the tv.

Carlos, stunned but excited and brimming with ideas now blossoming in his mind, began planning out how to build his studio and workshop, and how to decorate his new room in Harry's trunk.

The small group enjoyed the movie before turning in for their last night before term restarted.

0oO0oO0Oo0oO0oO0Oo0oO0oO0Oo

As students were arriving, mostly by mortal means up the drive from the road to the academy Harry, flanked by Calix carrying his trunk, and Carlos took in the sight of the hundreds of students milling about on the school grounds where hundreds of chair had been set up with a small stage and a few tents were set up with light refreshments.

Harry spotted the Headmistress' horns in the distance and thought he saw the blue wispy flames of Hades' towering figure near several beings … that seemingly had a golden glow emanating from them.

"That's Hephaestus," Carlos said pointing out the shorter man speaking with Hades.

Before he could continued they were interrupted by a missile of bush hair running their way and capturing Harry in a near death grip.

Harry ended up on the ground as Hermione sobbed over him and babbled away a mile a minute checking him over and berating him for not getting in touch with her over the break.

Calix smirked in amusement while Carlos rolled his eyes in annoyance.

Before anything else could be said, Jay joined them and offered Harry and Hermione a hand up.

"Whatever," Carlos said walking off toward the refreshment tent as the light of the sun bore down on the group.

"Students! Students please take a seat," Mr. Smee called out over the din of the crowd as he began corralling students, and parents, toward the seating area.

Calix informed him he'd be near the refreshments and watching out, as Harry and his friends made their way dutifully toward the rest of the assembly all took their seats as Hades made his way on stage and began speaking.

"Good afternoon everyone; I hope your break was relaxing, but it's time to get you all back to class. My nephew, Hephaestus, and his crew have been working very hard to make a few changes to the school given the safety threat we recently experienced. We won't be disclosing everything that's been done," he said looking over and the new statues that were flanking the entrances and exits of the school, "but we will be adding each of you to the wards which is a bit more involved than how we were before. Headmistress Maleficent has approved these changes, and will be supervising your clearance by the wards, but until then please keep your seats here on the lawn. Until you little tikes have been added," Hades said with a vicious smirk, "don't leave the lawn or cross the driveway.

"Parents, amegos, padres y madres," he said rounding on the large tent that housed several of the parents of the kids, "we will be adding you in small groups with the kids, so please hang tight until things are through. Until then," he said calling for Pain and Panic which appeared with a pop of blue and pink smoke, "we've set up a few games to occupy the kids' time."

With that the two imps popped off and suddenly what appeared to be a small carnival took shape with inflated slides, ring tosses, and even a small merry go round appeared.

"Kids listen for your names to be called and when it is, meet us at the main entrance," Hades said before dismissing the kids to play.

With narrowed eyes he watched the younger kids off to have fun while the older ones congregated near the refreshment tent.

Harry and his group, under the ever watchful gaze of Calix, and unknowingly Hades himself, mingled with their schoolmates and enjoyed the unexpected carnival….even if the decorations were a bit morbid as Hades had conjured them.

Less than an hour later Harry and his group were summoned to the entrance hall and Harry got his first glance at the new statues that flanked the entrance.

Bronze and gold glistened in the sun as the Harry took in the odd looking lions with wings and horns, and unless he was mistaken, a sting like a scorpion on the end of its tail. They sat on marble platforms and brickwork that matched the style of the academy but their shadow easily covered Harry and his friends as the meters tall statues, expertly crafted of metal, and inside the entrance hall, once his group were taken, Harry observed more metal statues of men with spears and shields by their side.

It could have been a trick of the light, but Harry could have swore he saw an inner light from the eyes of the warrior statue nearest him before Hermione said something and drew his attention to another addition to the hallway and when he looked back it was gone.

His group, surprisingly enough including Calix, to the bowels of the academy and to the new ward room that seemed to be as heavily protected as the bunker and completely different than the ward room that used to be in the school.

Headmistress Maleficent was alone in the room and stood in front of an odd array of quartz crystals, clear as glass, laying on a small table and black cloth.

"Each of you take a crystal, and prick a finger on the tip, then rub some of your blood along the top of the crystal," she instructed in a no nonsense voice.

The students, plus Calix, did as instructed.

Harry looked closely at his crystal and saw the odd hieroglyphs that seemed like a mix of ancient Greek and runes from a language he almost remembered.

"Alright the crystals have attuned to you now," Maleficent said drawing Harry from his thoughts as he looked up then back to his crystal and noticed the blood was gone as an emerald began to shine from the crystal in his hand.

Harry looked over at Hermione and the others and saw their crystals were shining different colors. Red for Hermione, yellow for Carlos, purple for Carlos, and a deep blue for Calix.

Maleficent instructed them to place the crystals in an odd looking holder, dip them in a basin of water, and then to dry them on a towel provided before handing them to her and she placed them in a brass holder along the wall.

The entire episode was over in less than 10 minutes, and Harry had no idea what had really happened, but he was glad to be able to go about the school and show Calix to his and his friend's suite where they could set up Harry's trunk and introduce everyone to Constantine, Ann, and Xerxes.

0oO0oO0Oo0oO0oO0Oo0oO0oO0Oo

By the end of the day, Maleficent, Smee, Hades, and a few other professors had gathered in the headmistress' office to share a glass of sherry and go blow off a bit of steam.

"The wards went up beautifully Hades; please pass along my sincere thanks to your nephew once more," Maleficent said tilting her glass to the god of the underworld.

"You know it babe," he said with a smirk as he sipped from a bubbling goblet that had some type of mist boiling over the edge.

"Still headmistress," Smee began, "with what Dumbledore was able to do…do you think the kids will be safe," the portly man worried fidgeting with his cuffs and fretting over the safety of his own child at the school.

"Dumbledore was acting alone. The wand wavers don't pose a threat unless they come in force and we've violated no laws of their ministry," Ursula, in human form, said as she puffed away on a long stem captain's pipe seemingly hewn from driftwood as Jafar and Cruella shared a hookah he'd conjured up.

Maleficent crinkled her nose at the various flavors assaulting her nose of magically enriched tobacco and with a motion of hew wrist several upper windows opened and her ceiling fan activated.

"My hands are tied against direct intervention," Hades said slowly as the conversation had lulled, "but Heffy has gone above and beyond what I'd thought he'd do. It cost quite a few favors," he said looking over to Maleficent with a knowing look, "but without Dumbledore to muster the troops the wand wavers are in chaos and focused solely on playing their own games right now."

"Any word on him," Dioval asked suddenly directed to Hades.

Hades sipped his drink slowly before he sat the goblet down on an end table and responded.

"My boys," he started slowly which was uncharacteristic for the often hyperactive and fast talking god, "have heard the reapers are more active than usual at St. Mungos…but they're lingering…not active."

"And what does that mean," Jafar languidly enquired.

"Beats the fuck outta me," Hades replied with a waive of his hand replacing his current drink with a martini. "I tend to steer clear of Death's happy little helpers as much as possible and only communicate with them when necessary; and only through intermediaries….the whole lot of them have no imagination or desires apart from serving the great balance," he said with a face. "The only thing I've been able to pin down is that Dumbledore is still in critical condition and being monitored round the clock by damn near every healer the joint has," he said with a smirk.

"What about the others," Maleficent said with a raised brow.

"Triton has been quiet….well, quieter than usual," Ursula spoke up making a face at her former betrothed.

Known only to a few, Professor Ursula was a child of Lir and had originally been betrothed to Triton, son of Poseidon, but once their respective pantheons learned of the potential union and forbade it, Triton called it off and cursed Ursula into her present form using his father's trident after she "blasphemed" and denounced the Greeks who took such afront their union.

He dutifully married that girl that had flung herself at him and after being barred form Atlantican society, a culture she'd worked hard to earn the trust of, Ursula had sworn revenge.

And she'd nearly had it if not from Triton's youngest and her little fuck boy in the late 19th Century. It had taken her nearly 50 years to recover from her "death" and by the time she'd reconstituted, Atlantica had moved to some other location as it trailed Poseidon and the other Olympians which had moved on form Britain.

"Speaking of chaos," Jafar spoke up, shifting topics once more, "my contacts have heard whispers that Flamel has been spotted moving about openly in Germany of all places making travel plans to visit Britain."

"Bah," Hades said. "One descendant from a child of Fricco, and a half dead one at that….I don't know why you mortals fawn over that kid so much….so he was good with chemistry. So what?"

"All this aside," Maleficent speaking up once more, "are we going to have any interruptions with classes tomorrow with the new security?"

"So long as the wards aren't activated or the alarms activated with guests on campus Heffy said everything will be copacetic," Hades replied.

The adults continued their talk late into the night and discussed lesson plans and how certain trips originally planned for the upper years were going to have to be rethought or cancelled were Harry to go along to address their security concerns.

0oO0oO0Oo0oO0oO0Oo0oO0oO0Oo

"Oh my god Harry!" Hermione gushed as their group were welcomed into his trunk. "This is amazing!"

"Rad man!" Jay said as they entered the home and he immediately flopped down on the large sectional surrounding a big TV and he immediately flipped it on to cartoons.

"Oh my god look at that painting!" Hermione gushed as she moved through the house and drug Harry with her.

Carlos stood a bit straighter as Hermione gushed over his choices and decorations.

"Yes; little master has a good eye," Calix said with a nod to Carlos as he brushed past Hermione and made his way into the living room to join Jay intent on building a fire as the trunk's internal weather was quickly cooling off to match that of the outside world.

"What did he mean…who is he Harry," Hermione asked pointing to Calix.

"Like I said before…he's my bodyguard, and a Gorgon. I bought him when I got my supplies for this year."

"You….bought…" Hermione trailed off as Carlos spoke up and drug her out back to show her the workshop and studio Harry had given him for his birthday.

Harry barely managed to hear Hermione positively squeal about the library Carlos took her past as they rounded the corner and were soon out in the yard.

Even though he smiled, and as much as he was ready to get back to classes he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong and amiss.

Shrugging the feeling off, he turned around and joined Carlos and Calix on the couch watching cartoons.

0oO0oO0Oo0oO0oO0Oo0oO0oO0Oo

Away from the stability which was the norm at the Academy, Horace Slughorn was just getting comfortable in his new office and having a late night brandy with one of his old students, Lucius Malfoy. Though not a member of his little "Slug Club," Lucius had become acquainted with the lauded potion master in his later years and had, with the approval of his father, funded several expeditions Horace had went on to the continent to gather exotic potions ingredients and to study the native flora and fauna of the Dark Forest for a treatise he'd been working on for over a decade by the time of his retirement.

The expedition had proven fruitful, and his book a hit among his peers and portions were even revised for use to this day in the student guides for potions any wizard worth his salt bought, a small portion of the sales being repaid to the Malfoys who used their connections through Horace to get a seat on the Board in Lucius, and who in turn installed "his man" once Dumbledore had become incapacitated.

"Cornelius sends his regards headmaster," Lucius began after taking a sniffler from the old potions master.

"Oh I'm flattered Lucius. He was only a year or two behind me in school but for the life of me I'll never be able to understand how someone as quiet as he was managed to get into a position that requires so much talking," Slughorn said with a chuckle.

"Shall we toast?" Horace asked raising his glass.

"To the future," Lucius replied raising his own.

They clinked glasses and for a few moments Horace was distracted by the opulence, and weight, of his new office.

"I was wondering headmaster," Lucius said reaching into a coat pocket and pulling out a sealed scroll, "if you might consider a few proposals I and like-minded members of the Board would be most interested to see implemented during your tenure?"

Windlessly summoning the scroll, one of the few spells he could do windlessly and enjoyed showing off greatly in private, Horace broke the seal and began reading but he found his focus drawn to five major alterations to the standard Hogwarts curriculum proposed.

"Some of these changes," he began slowly, "would be trivially easy to implement Lucius. For instance, we're not likely to have any difficulty in finding or funding the expansion of the history department to replace Binns; he hasn't improved since he died as memory reflects," he said with a chuckle.

"Nor do I see any issues in bringing back alchemy, ritualism, cultural heritage classes for the muggleborn, or enchanting courses…but I don't see how we can easily implement the reclassification of Defense into courses specifically on Dark Arts and Defensive Magics. The Ministry would never allow it…the Board never fully funded the school, even when I was a student…we'd never get something like that, modeled along the lines of Durmstrang or even Ilvermorny here and hope to keep the pittance of funding we get from the government now. We'd have to hire and staff entire new departments and we're talking about at least a year before we could implement any of this," he finished slowly, but not negatively.

Horace should have been a politician…it was in his blood after all, but he never favored direct involvement. He preferred having connections and being able to call in favors of privilege safe in the shadows as a beloved professor. It was a power Tom never could understand the value of in place of direct control.

Direct action had never been his preferred method of influence and what Lucius was proposing, even if he agreed with in principle, purely in the academic sense, would require him to enter the political real and burn favors he wasn't ready to call in.

"Oh come now Horace," Lucius said sipping his brandy slowly. "A man of your talents surely knows how to navigate the ministry even better than I can, and with several families, the right sort, lining up even now to endow Hogwarts the Ministry can't pass up an opportunity to return her to the place of glory as the best in magical education the world has ever known. Surely you can't be content with that wretched Academy stepping on national pride and claiming more international attention and plaudits than they're due," he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Horace was well known to not particularly care for The Academy. What he wasn't known for was being a closet supremacist.

"Cut the shit Lucius," he said casting the scroll to the side and getting suddenly serious. "Your father could steal from a Goblin one day and provide him a loan with moderate interests rates the next and have the fool leaving with a smile on his mongrel face. You're trying to be a player…to pick up where the Dark Lord left off, and this is a very bold move that won't go unnoticed. You've barely been on the board 5 years now, and to your credit I've heard you have them wrapped around your little pinky. The mudbloods outnumber us three to one, and what's going to happen if these policies go into place with a populous who don't understand their importance to our culture because Albus was too damn stubborn to educate them properly? What's going to happen when the three out of every five mudbloods the Academy sucks up from ever walking these hallowed halls, see this new curriculum and decide Hogwarts would be a better choice?"

Lucius, taken aback sat up straight and instinctively reached for his cane until it went flying into the outstretched hand of Horace who set it at his side.

"Sit down boy and listen to me," the normally jovial man practically growled.

"You've got to consider the larger implications of this beyond these damnable walls! If the public isn't behind this then when Dumbledore recovers, he'll reverse it all. No matter the dirt you have on the board they will cave to Dumbledore. But," he said leaning forward and returning Lucius his cane, "if the law is changed…then the Board can't wiggle around it now can they," he said sitting back with a smile.

"Cornelius won't be a problem," Lucius started slowly, "but the Wizengamot will put up a fight. There are enough loyal to him they'll reject anything we propose out of hand."

With a chuckle Horace rose and went to his private quarters before returning with a framed photograph he handed to Lucius.

"That's Winston Masters, Class of '55. He was a freelance reporter for years with the Prophet before he got a mastery in ritualism, and eventually working his way into the Department of Education for MACUSA. He'd never be able to teach rituals in Britain and has been looking to come back home for the last decade or more. He's a half blood, no family name worth knowing, but well-traveled enough to know the dangers the muggle present to not only our continued existence, but culture too. He recently wrote me raving against some 'first gen,'" he said making air quotes, "beating him out to a deputy position and how the little snot knew nothing of true wizarding history."

"So," Lucius said handing the photo back.

"So," Horace replied with derision, "make Winston an offer he can't refuse in the Ministry, Head of the soon to be revamped education ministry, then groom him to revamp it. Grease the wheels so he has all the funding and staff he needs and have him inspect this school for every deficiency it has. Have an investigatory committee formed to review standards and practices, all public and above board, and then have him recommend these," he said passing the scroll back to Lucius, "to the Wizengamot to cement them in fucking law! Broaden your perspective Lucius and start thinking like your father instead of just acting like him!"

Horace rose and refiled his drink as he continued before sitting once more.

"Cornelius is wrapped around your purse tighter than my dead wife's hand reaching out from the grave trying to take it on another shopping spree. Get him behind this and with Winston being an unknown with ties to Ilvermorny and maintaining roots in the muggle world, he can win over Dumbledore's faction without them ever tracing this back to you for fuck's sake," he groused before summoning an elf to bring chocolates.

Lucious sat back and thought about what his old professor was telling him, and he thought everything over but everything always came back to Dumbledore.

"How long would you need to implement everything if this Winston fellow could deliver," Lucius asked.

Crossing his legs and relaxing fully into the small couch he'd placed before the fire, Horace thought.

"If funding were assured," he started slowly, "I could begin the candidate searches now and sign contracts to bring them on for electives before Yule. But if we go as far as you're proposing, making these classes mandatory and whole departments … 18 months at the earliest. It would take the summer months just to find the appropriate classrooms and bring them back to standards not seen since before Dippet was here," he said throwing a thumb toward the portrait of the doddering headmaster hanging behind him.

Lucius downed his glass and nodded.

"Do it; I'll have 5,000 galleons moved to your personal account by Friday Horace. That should be more than enough to cover your new electives and fund the revamp of the classrooms to start. A further 5,000 will follow every week after that for a month to cover your first hires for electives."

After putting his cloak on he did turn one last time to give the entirely too smug man a glower.

"Cross me headmaster, and you'll find out just what my true wrath can entail," and he left the room with a flourish of his cloak.

"What a schmuck," Horace said as he drained his own glass and rose to go to bed.

0oO0oO0Oo0oO0oO0Oo0oO0oO0Oo

Fred and George Weasley, the reigning prankster kings of the castle, were pouring over the Marauder's Map as they made their way as silently as possible with low wand light through the corridors to place their next prank that would be sprung on unsuspecting Slytherins as they left their common room.

"Fuck! A teacher," George said eyeing professor Quirrell suddenly appeared along the corridor they were about to go down. They disillusioned themselves and hid in an alcove lining the hallway just as Quirrell rounded the corner.

"Snape," Fred hissed having taken the map from George, deactivating it and stowing it in their bag.

The two observed Snape threatening Quirrell of all things, at length, before the frightful potions master left the quivering joke behind.

Unexpectedly the two observed Quirrell suddenly stop his blubbering, sneer in disgust and speak quietly to himself, sans stutter, before stalking past the twins and along the route he'd already planned.

"What in the bloody hell was that about," George asked of Fred after they made sure the coast was clear.

"I don't knew…but I think I heard something about a Cerberus and the corridor Dumbledore warned us about," Fred replied in confusion.

Prank forgotten, the two quickly made their way back to Gryffindor Tower and set about studying the map in earnest to observe both Quirrell and Snape to get a better idea of what was going on.

Chapter 06. - The Philosopher's Stone

Life at the Academy had settled into a routine, with Jay and Carlos eagerly moving into Harry's "Pad" as their parents had not sprung for their own, only while school rules strictly prohibited Hermione from being outside of the mentoring of the suites of the school, and each greatly enjoying the more advanced lessons and trips that were planned for outings the rest of this semester.

Christmas had come and gone, and so had many days playing in the snow as it became too cold with the winds blowing in from the channel only a few miles away.

"Today Class," Professor Jafar began, "we will be broadening your understanding of ancient runes by building on what we've discussed of Cuneiform and beginning our unit on Egyptian Hieroglyphs as we continue to expand on how runic magic, written magic, was one of the first forms of true spellcasting that lead to the development of the complexities and mystical masterpieces we take for granted today. To that end, I have arranged to have our class visit the British Museum this evening for a special after hours tour. We will be focusing on the recovered relics of a famed court magician, Imhotep, which the mortal have no true understanding of."

The professor tapped his staff on the floor and several scripts of hieroglyph began drawing on the board behind him and a he held a lecture on their characteristics and how the drawing themselves conveyed ideas instead of being mere phonetic phrases.

By the time class ended, everyone left with a touch more appreciation for the Ancient Magicals of Egypt, before they made their way to Madam Ursula who was going to be instructing them on aquatic potions this semester.

By the time lunch was finished, and the group finished their introductory Alchemy courses, it was time for study hall and the group made their way to the Library to get some work done in the comfort of the stacks before they retired for the evening.

"Can you pass me that text on basic transmutations," Hermione asked to Carlos as he'd moved on from the passage he was reading from their assignment for Professor Facilier to some translation dictionaries for an assignment from professor Jafar.

"Here you go," Carlos said passing it along.

Harry was reaching for a text on saltwater plants and their use in potions for professor Ursula when out of nowhere a fireball blossomed over his head, a bird landed on his shoulder, and he disappeared in a fireball that didn't damage anything on the table.

"What the fuck," Jay eloquently stated before an alarm began ringing out in the corridor.

"Attention all students are to shelter in place immediately. Those in the corridors are to make their way immediately to their nearest classroom. School security has been activated. Do not engage with our guardians. Do not antagonize them. You will be alerted when this lockdown is over."

"We have to tell the Headmistress," Hermione said only for the woman to appear in a an inferno of green fire.

"The wards indicated two unauthorized transports from the Library," she said focusing in on Hermione. "Talk."

"That bird from before came in and took Harry away," Carlos spilled before Hermione could answer.

Confusion crossed Maleficent's face for a moment before a look of rage settled upon it.

"Hades," she growled out only for the god to appear from the shadows of the stacks.

"What's all the commotion about? It feels like the school's sentinels are active," he asked in confusion.

"Harry's been taken and I need you to take me to Hogwarts," she growled out.

"Direct intervention babe," he said with a shake of his head and a sigh.

"Do you really want me to express my displeasure directly Lord Hades," she purred dangerously.

"Hey, I don't make the rules but I am bound by them," he said throwing up his hands in apology.

With a huff she walked over to the nearest desk and took a metal bookmark before tossing it to Hades, who deftly caught it.

"Make a portkey that will track Harry's magical signature and power it enough to punch through their damnable wards. That's not direct intervention," she sneered.

Holding the bookmark, and giving a positively malevolent smirk, Hades did and the item glowed red.

"Activation phrase is the name of the school you're going to, to get back say this joint's name," he said summoning two curtain ties from the nearby windows and repeated the same process before snapping his fingers and suddenly four of the school's new security guards appeared and he tossed the ropes to them and had them form in columns.

"Alright," Maleficent said giving the honor guard an appraising look. "Hogwarts," she said and as she and the divine automatons disappeared with a red flash.

0oO0oO0Oo0oO0oO0Oo0oO0oO0Oo

Harry appeared into the dark, in confusion, into a seeming cavern with the steady drip of water.

Reaching for his bag, which held his shrunken wand, he cursed quietly as he remembered he'd taken it off to study and hadn't needed it while he write his essays.

Breathing calmly, not letting panic set in, he centered himself and using methods the Headmistress had long been teaching him to help control and refine his powers, he conjured a green light to hover over his head that helped to slowly banish the shadows. The trill of a bird overhead, somewhat startling to Harry drew his attention as it flew through the darkness and settled on the ground before what appeared to be a set of massive doors that had no business being underground.

Walking over and examining the doors, Harry clearly felt the magic imbued in them.

Harry approached and tried to enter but found them locked with no obvious mechanism. Looking around the periphery of the door, Harry clearly picked up on the snake motif.

With a sigh of exasperation, Harry centered himself and once more reached out with his magic and pushed it into the door willing it to unlock.

It resisted momentarily, before with a mighty groan they swung open and Harry saw the room was already torchlit.

Oddly enough a giant mirror stood before some monumental sculpture to vanity which immediately drew his attention. The hooded cobra statutes that stood taller than him next caught his gaze.

With a trill the bird, likely Dumbledore's phoenix, he thought in derision flew into the cavernous space and began chirping as it landed on top of the mirror.

Once more centering himself and casting his senses out, Harry immediately felt a dark presence, malevolent even, behind the statue while a magical wellspring seemed to be flowing from the mirror in a ten-foot radius. He felt a gentle pull on his mind and slowly he approached it.

Before he could examine the mirror he heard a grating noise and looking toward the statue and saw the mouth of the monstrous assault against the arts descending and a waif of a man crouching and coming through talking to someone Harry couldn't see.

He stopped in his tracks as he saw Harry before suddenly leaping, likely with the aid of magic, but Harry didn't stop to ponder the means of the mans flight before he took to the air himself to the shock of the man, and utilizing the talon on the top of his left wing, and a rather acrobatic twirl midair, he sliced through the man's rather thin clothing and cut him deeply across his body.

The man landed in a crumpled heap crying out in pain as he was obviously unprepared for a small target to present such a threat, but Harry was even less prepared to hear another voice cry out some spell or to feel as though every nerve in his body was on fire and crash into the statue having lost control of his flight.

"Interesting," a man's voice called out he cast his gaze to the visible portions of Harry that were barely clinging to the top of the statue.

"What levels did Dumbledore sink to by allowing a creature such as this entry into Hogwarts' hallowed halls?"

"Master…..please," the thin man cried out in pain summoning his master's attention.

Harry's assailant looked over in disinterest at the prone form and the rapidly spreading pool of blood.

"Oh Quirrell why did you have to be so useless," the man tsked as he walked over.

Fighting to maintain consciousness, Harry felt his rage building, his fury at his own weakness growing, and shame at being lured into such a dangerous situation.

The attacker turned his attention quickly to Quirrell and languidly made his way toward the prone form, and with a spell flipped him over.

"Ma…master," the professor coughed up blood and weakly called out as he paled even further as more blood was lost.

"Oh Quirinius," he said with a theatric sigh as he looked over the exposed intestines and portions of ribs from the flayed flesh.

He gave a calculated look once more to the prone form on top of his ancestor's statue.

"There's nothing I can do, but Lord Voldemort is merciful," he said slowly withdrawing his wand.

"Master," Quirrell gurgled in confusion before he was struck with the killing curse. His vacant eyes stared up in confused betrayal.

"I don't know what you are," the now identified dark lord began, "but I can sense you moving. The longer you talk, the longer you live so why not answer a few of my questions?"

Turning around Voldemort saw a monstrous form of a horned beast in a uniform of all things, demonic wings outstretched and some type of green energy cascading off of it.

"What has the old fool done?"

Before Harry could respond or Voldemort could fire a spell, there was a sound like an explosion and with a cascade of black flames Lady Maleficent and the school guard arrived.

Seeing the dead body, smelling the dark magic in the air, Maleficent gave a derisive sigh before speaking.

"Hell of a party we've been invited to Harry. Looks like you've been having fun," she said as the guards broke ranks and moved to surround the unknown hostile still pointing his wand at her student.

"Headmistress….I was wondering if anyone would be coming along," Harry replied sagging in relief.

"As amusing as all of this," Voldemort said indicating the guards surrounding him and the presence of Maleficent, "may be, I really must insist you all die now," before he amplified his voice and started hissing.

Another rumble and grating sound was heard causing Maleficent to go on guard.

"Get out of here Harry!" she called out as the had of a truly monstrous snake emerged.

Another hiss rang came from the man as what could only be a basilisk coiled about him protectively.

"I am Lord Voldemort, and you have intruded upon my solitude long enough. Another hissed order caused the snake to roar and begin attacking the guards who began to fight valiantly against it completely unphased by its eyes.

As the snake was engaging with the guards and occasionally shrieking in pain as a lance stroke broke its incredibly tough hide, Harry had little time to react as a spell cast from the self-identified Dark Lord caused the area of the statue he was perched on to explode, sending him tumbling into the reflecting pool below.

"NO!" Maleficent cried out before her magic exploded from her and sent infernal fire throught the cavern destroying all it touched.

Voldemort had just enough time to erect the strongest shield he could, which bore the brunt of the blast and created a break in the extremely strong magic he could hid behind, and once the wave had passed he was on the move, taking to the air seemingly gliding along on shadows as he was casting killing curses at Maleficent having perceived her as his most dangerous opponent present.

The battle raged as spell for spell Maleficent matched the vaunted Lord Voldemort as she too rose in flight, enraged to the point of berserker fury.

Flying around on his cloud of shadow, Voldemort cast killing curses frequently, summoned stalactites and threw them at Maleficient with glee.

Meanwhile Maleficent was giving as good as she got, conjuring stone archers from the very cave walls who were taking aim at Voldemort and trying to outflank him as the divine guardians were battling the great serpent of Salazar Slytherin.

"You will never defeat Lord Voldemort! I am immortal you foul bitch; my restored youth and vigor thanks to the Philosopher's Stone will see a new age of my reign that shall begin with 1,000 years of blood. The Muggles will fall to the might of Magic and the rightful wizard rulers of this world will usher in a golden age!"

"You petty men are all the same," Maleficent replied with her own sneer conjuring spiked vines that shot out of the dark and tried to capture Voldemort. Finding he could not banish or transfigure the strange conjurations he flew to evade and began heading for the still open doors of the chamber and a tactical retreat.

"No so fast my lord," she said and with a snap of her fingers the doors sealed shut with a golden and green glow of her magic as Voldemort raged in angry hissing, likely trying to activate the doors.

As the guards fought the basilisk, and as the once more airborne duo fought with spells getting progressively darker, none were prepared to hear a guttural voice cry out suddenly startling all present as a wave of pure power, and oppressively dark, called from a whirlpool of magic, steam, and water at the base of the statue which had suddenly appeared with green flames making their way from the depths of the pool Harry had disappeared into.

"ENOUGH!"

The magic carrying the voice was so strong, it stunned the basilisk and allowed one of the guards to pierce its eye driving a lance into its brain, killing the beast, and knocked both Maleficent and Voldemort from the air into opposite walls of the cavernous space.

A rumbling guttural growl saturated the chamber, as suddenly a massive clawed hand exited the pool of magic, then another, and finally a serpentine head of a pitch black dragon with green scales began to emerge as a torrent of displaced water flooded the cavern in a micro tsunami.

"THIS ENDS NOW!" the distorted voice of what could only be Harry called out as he spotted his prey before unleashing green hellfire from his massive maw consuming the absolutely shocked Voldemort and reducing his body to less than cinders.

Fully emerging from the water now, a stunned Maleficent took in the form her student had constructed, and slowly began to calm as she saw the immediate threats were concluded, but she still saw the absolute fury burning in those stunning emerald green eyes of the young drake.

She made to stand only to cry out in pain, drawing Harry's draconian head to her, as she pressed a hand to her side and drew away with it covered in blood.

Behind Maleficent, a broken brazier hung which she'd been propelled into. The broken iron had pierced her, and in her shock she'd not felt it until the blood began to freely flow once she'd stepped away.

"NO!" Harry cried out causing the cavern to shake as Harry's body erupted into flame as the dragon began charging only for his actual body to walk through the flames and rush to his headmistress' side.

"Guards! Attend me," he called out lacing power unconsciously into his voice.

Cradling his mentor in his arms Harry's mind raced to try and find some spell, some way to heal her.

"Port….key," Maleficent said weakly raising and arm and pointing to the rope.

With a trill the phoenix landed near his headmistress and began singing.

The song caused a small hiss of pain from Harry before being replaced with an overwhelming sense of hope.

Maleficent, losing blood rapidly, passed out without being able to share the activation phrase and the guards were incapable of human speech.

"No! This isn't fair. NO!" Harry wailed as he pressed his hands against her side and tried to stem the flow of the blood.

Tears began freely falling from his eyes and their bitter sting caused him to cry out in rage. He collapsed into Maleficent and wept freely over her, limp form as he felt something change, almost as if a weight were slowly being lifted from him, or taking off a heavy winter cloak upon entering a home. It was a weight he'd never realized he carried, but now its absence was unmistakable. The room suddenly felt much colder.

He was startled from his sorrow when he felt something wet splashing his palm so uselessly trying to plug the leak in his professor's body, and sniffling to clear his vision he saw the phoenix crying into his professor's wound.

Without noticing, his own tears began trailing their way toward the wounds to join those of the phoenix.

"Why are you crying you stupid bird," Harry wailed. "It's because of you bringing me here….for nothing that she's dead. She's dead!"

Harry collapsed once more to the grimy floor as he held onto the cooling body of his mentor. He thought back to just how involved she'd actually been in his life, and how because of her his life had improved so dramatically.

He remembered his joy at escaping the Dursleys, he remembered the individual tuition she'd given to explain his heritage once he'd been given a wand, he remembered how she'd disclosed her own connection to his ancestry and her role in serving as his protector. She was there when the upper years had bullied him when he'd accidentally lost control of his magic after a football match in gym, she'd introduced him to the 'Tween and helped him find freedom.

She was the one who calmed Carlos when his own mother had ignored his stress over finals.

She was the one who caused Hermione to preen by recognizing her talents and inviting her parents to spend a weekend on campus to inform them of her clear talents, even going so far as to arrange special instruction for the areas, many as they were, for her talents and drive.

She was the one who Jay looked up to every time he took to the field to showcase his athletics, and who he dedicated every win to. She was the one who provided the parental affection most of their parents lacked, even if stern and demanding.

She was the headmistress of a school that saved hundreds of students from the bigotry of the world and a mother to them all, and each respected and feared her as all children respect and fear their own mothers.

… and Harry had let her die in his arms after she'd rescued him; again.

As the bird backed away, confused to see the wound still present on her body, Harry gently placed her down. Looking near his rapidly cooling corpse, Harry saw a broken twig lying where her staff once was, and knew that with its magic dissipating, the writhing vines stilling before flacking and blowing away as though on a fantom breeze, he knew she truly was gone.

"You two," he said directing two of the guards, "scout the statue and see if there is an exit. Do not engage hostiles if you find them and report back here immediately. You," he said pointing to another, "stand guard over her body. You're coming with me," he said pointing to the last guard.

The two slowly made their way back to the far end of the chamber where the magic mirror sat, amazingly undisturbed from the battle that had raged throughout the chamber.

Harry examined the runework, and found it to be mostly composed of proto Norse and Germanic sets, something they'd touched on in lectures but had yet to study in depth.

"Damn," he said as he vaguely recognized some clustered that he may have seen from somewhere but didn't know where or their purpose. "Fucking…weak," he said as tears threatened anew to fall from his eyes.

Picking up a loose stone he threw it in the area where the cinders of Voldemort rested and in the shadows the rock struck something that caused showers of sparks to fly.

Wand, immediately came to mind and praying to whatever deity may be listening Harry sprinted to the ashes of his former foe and kicking them aside saw the rock he'd thrown had struck a blood red almost gemstone that seemed to suck in the light.

Reaching out with his senses Harry could immediately tell the rock was highly magical.

Recalling his lessons from Madam Mim, a special guest lecturer they'd had prior to being fitted for a wand, who had instructed them on the myriad of foci magicals had used long before being fitted for a modern wand, that in ages past magicals had found highly magical items or imbued items with their own magic such as gemstones faceted into talismans or pendants to cast much more unfocused intent based magic, Harry thought maybe he had a hope…whatever this thing was, it positively reeked of magical power.

Picking it up cautiously, and tentatively pushing a small bit of magic into it, unfocused as it was, Harry was startled to see golden light emanating from it and reaching out as almost tentacles which connected to him and he felt his aches, pains, and his injuries healing.

Harry looked from his healed body, to the rock, and finally to Maleficent…her body…and slowly he walked over a half-baked plan formed in his mind.

"Professor Iscariot," Harry began talking aloud to calm himself and reason through his plan, "taught us in comparative religions that many different cultures attach different significance to the time of death and the soul lingering in the body. The Jews," he said recalling the professor's discussions on his former faith, "teach that the soul lingers for up to three days after death and the significance of Jesus' return on the third day, the rending of the veil in the Temple, was the proof of this even if the Christians disagree on that matter. Whether any religion was right or wrong," he said looking once more to the now glowing stone in his fist, "I command the soul of Maleficent, Mistress of Evil, to return and be made whole," he said as magic poured from his body and green flames of power erupted trailing his extramities.

Liquid golden magic began freely flowing from the stone, and with sheer force of will, Harry guided it to the wound of his professor and he commanded she be revived and protected.

For minutes he pooled the magic until he felt exhaustion and collapsed, smoking stone still clutched in his near claw, skin charred from the generation of such much primal magic.

Refusing to cry out or acknowledge the pain, he watched as his professor was bathed in golden light before it became blinding and he had to look away.

Several heartbeats passed, and nothing happened.

"Fuck!"

In dejection he placed the stone, gingerly removing it from his injured hand, and placed it in a pocket of his trousers in case it proved useful for opening a door or for their later escape.

The clanking of metal boots drew his attention as the two scouts had returned and indicated through gestures an exit had been found.

Before Harry could command them to pick up the professors body, intent on following them topside and transport her body back to the school once he knew he wouldn't be obstructed or impacted by the presence of iron in the rock, another explosion of golden light occurred emanating from Maleficent's body, and she began floating with her clothing bathed in golden light.

Before Harry could react, the light pulsed and Maleficent took a shuddering breath, golden light escaping her mouth, as though she were a bloody Time Lord, and she reached to her side but felt only bare flesh before her clothing mended.

As the light ended, and she returned once more to the ground, Harry was shocked beyond belief it had worked. He gave no thought to the strange yellow dress, as though made from spun gold in a style which oddly suited the headmistress, with phoenix red highlights throughout. He could only think it was soft as his body crashed into hers and he once more began crying into her overjoyed that she was ok.

"Harry," she started slowly as though coming out of a deep sleep. "What happened child?"

Unnoticed by the two, a few stray wisps of magic which had escaped from Maleficent's halo of light landed in the ashes of what was once Voldemort.

Slowly, dust began to fly and unnoticed by the two a small vortex was forming, growing faster, and stronger, until once more the shade of Voldemort constituted himself clawed back from the pits of hell by the mutated magic Harry had created with the help of the Philosopher's Stone.

Harry separated from his headmistress and was unprepared for the now enraged and screaming form of his defeated foe to fly at, and through, him, stealing much needed magical energy to sustain itself in its flight from the field of battle, as it escaped through the statue of Salazar Slytherin.

"Harry!" Maleficent once more cried as her charge collapsed bonelessly magically exhausted.

With a thought she summoned the portkeys, banished two to the guards who disappeared in a black vortex, and activated her own bookmark taking her once more back to the school and to the infirmary.

0oO0oO0Oo0oO0oO0Oo0oO0oO0Oo

As all that was transpiring in the, very well hidden, Chamber of Secrets of Salazar Slytherin, the school above was in utter chaos as something had caused the wards and castle defenses to activate, but no one knew or seemed to know what had happened. In the dining hall above, all the students had been corralled, and with a quick head count, ignoring the animated statues that were patrolling the perimeter of the Great Hall, pikes and spears held menacingly.

Professor McGonagall was beside herself in consternation while Headmaster Slughorn looked out of his depth. Only the entrance of Professor Snape, robes billowing, and his rapid ascent of the dais to speak to the Headmaster and Deputy momentarily distracted the students before the three, plus Flitwick, left the hall leaving Professor Sprout in charge.

They were led by Snape to the grounds where in the distance the guardian gates with their winged boars, an anchor point of the wards, to prevent hostile invasions or unauthorized travel, were a shouldering wreck of rock and slag.

The group stopped a safe distance from the mess, and Snape drawing his wand caused everyone else to do the same and cast field lighting spells that would illuminate the area better.

"Whatever happened," Snape began slowly, "the mirror is gone and Quirrell is nowhere to be found."

Horace, ignorant of the significance of that statement, turned sharply to Minerva at her sharp intake of breath.

"The stone….Dumbledore was right," Filius spoke up.

"We have to assume he has it," Snape said slowly. "Quirinius was many things, but adept enough to overcome Albus' final protections…he was not."

"Who?" Horace asked in alarm.

"We must make plans…if the Dark Lord has the Stone…I'll write Nicholas at once and see if the Stone can be used in any rituals He may have needed," Filius spoke up.

"What?" Horace asked in alarm.

"Dumbledore hid the Philosopher's Stone in the school after it was brought to Nicholas Flamel's attention that Voldemort was after it to restore himself," Minerva snapped. "It would see Quirrell was an unknowing agent of the Dark and managed to get the stone to his master….Voldemort, a restored Voldemort, is the only wizard in the last hundred years who'd have known the school well enough to be able to enter and exit the wards like this…" she said waiving to a small brush fire that had sprang up from the rapidly cooling metal and molten stone of the gates.

With a whip of his wand as though it were a lasso, Snape const a spell to the lake that transported enough water to extinguish the fire before the residents of Hogsmead could be awoken and investigate.

Pale and shaking, recognizing the implications of this new power dynamic immediately, Horace nearly collapsed as his vision tunneled and he dropped to his knees.

"No…no, no, no NO!" he wailed.

He knew intimately the danger he was in; he knew the lengths Tom would go to in order to protect his secrets, which Horace had so deftly kept over the decades no matter Albus' insistence and prying.

"Headmaster," Minerva called in concern rushing to his side and checking him over.

With a hiss of pain, Snape clutched at his arm bearing the Dark Mark and drawing the sleeve he saw it had completely returned.

Flitwick, drawn to Severus' hiss of pain, was shocked to see the Dark Mark dark and proud on his former student's arm where for years it had nearly faded.

Before they could consider things further, there was a deep rumble throwing most to the ground while the lake began to roil as fish came to the surface as though startled. The giant squid, a dwarf kraken, also made an appearance and flailed about before emptying its ink sack and swam away toward the far reaches of the lock.

"The Dark Lord is here!" Snape called out suddenly.

"The children!" Minerva cried dragging Horace to his feet as Severus staggered to his own, all began rushing back to the castle as loose masonry began to dislodge from the trembling coming from places unknown.

"Watch out," Filius said casting a protective dome over the croup as they ascended the grand staircase into the main entrance hall as a gargoyle's head was dislodged and came plummeting down at them.

"Hurry," Horace said reaching out to grab Severus who'd cried out in pain and fallen on the stairs.

The professors made it back just in time to seal the doors and see the suits of armor, long serving as decoration for the school and never in any of their lifetime activated, were heard clanking up from central stairs as armor poured in from the dungeon, towers, and all over to converge on the great hall where Hogwarts sensed the most lives in need of protection.

"We have to evacuate," Horace cried out as the group made their way back into the great hall as several children cried out as explosive rumbles were felt shaking dust from the pointed arches of the ceiling.

"The floo may be compromised," Filius hissed as several dozen candles fell from their position over head of students.

"The train," Snape gasped suddenly.

"It is highly enchanted and still carries the protections from the Dark Lord's first rise," Minerva said slowly.

"Summon it and gather the teachers. We need to start escorting the children to the platform; see if the golems will escort us," Horace spoke up, some steel in his voice no one knew he possessed.

"Filius," Horace said directing his attentions solely to the diminutive professor, "alert the ministry."

A window shattered unexpectedly scaring the masses until Minerva set up a canon blast from her wand and drew everyone's attention and ordered the students to form up by house, and being led by their Prefects, ordered everyone to slowly exit the school onto the lawn and to quickly make their way to the train platform.

Teachers fell in line and escort, wands drawn to strike at any that would endanger their charges.

Lead by the Deputy Headmistress, Headmaster bringing up the rear, the inhabitants of Hogwarts quickly made their way to the train station which housed so many memories and surprising all their journey back to London and likely the Ministry of Magic or their individual homes as Hogwarts was suddenly, and without warning, closed.

0oO0oO0Oo0oO0oO0Oo0oO0oO0Oo

Consciousness returned to Harry, slowly. Sluggishly he sat up and recognized the too clean walls of the clinic immediately having had to bring Jay in far too often for overextending himself at some sport, or more rarely himself having been on an opposing team to Jay.

The predawn light spilling in from the windows barely illuminated more than the small lamps that were strategically placed on the treatment tables beside the few beds that lined this wing, but from the dim light, Harry could easily detect the petite form bundled up in the warm blankets of the clinic as his constant companion, and near shadow.

He gave a smile at the slight snoring of his closest friend and appreciated the gesture of him staying at his side, only for a monstrous snore to his left to distract him and eyes sharpening as more of the cotton seemed to be removed from his cognition, he spotted Hermione on one end of a couch and Jay on the other.

Another window rattling snore escaped his bushy haired bestie and Harry longed for a video camera to immortalize this moment.

Harry was drawn to sudden movement and saw Calix, in his true form, lounging in a chair reading a book in the light of one of the small lamps, before he held up a finger to his mouth to shush Harry as though the child needed encouragement to be quiet.

He made to get up as nature was calling, quite loudly, but a tug from his right arm showed that Carlos had unknowingly maintained a death grip on Harry's hand even in his sleep. Carefully he extricated his fingers, and padded quietly to the restroom.

After washing the sleep form his eyes, Harry immediately summoned Constantine and requested his wand. His elf popped back, after hugging the life out of Harry with a commotion he was sure would wake his friends, the helpful elf returned with Harry's satchel he'd last had. Once his wand was in his hand, his magic sang in his veins, and the once more a staff, and assured he was no longer unarmed, shrank the wand once more and quietly slipped back under the covers.

He laid his hand back on the bed, wand under the covers near his hip, and without saying a word Carlos found Harry's hand again in his sleep.

Thinking back to the battle, derisively reviewing his actions as though they constituted either a true defense or offense, Harry focused on what else he could have lost if he'd not come back and gave Carlos' hand a squeeze as he looked once more to Jay and Hermione.

Never again, he promised himself. I'll never be weak or defenseless again.

Chapter 07. - The Dark Lord Returns

With a shuddering breath, Dumbledore awoke unexpectedly at 12:10 am, 4 months after the sudden closure of Hogwarts and, a full 6 months from the events that had led to his incapacitation.

His sudden change in condition alerted the medical staff who monitored him round the clock, and as he truly awoke he saw a beautiful woman, if pale, he'd swear he knew from somewhere but she disappeared in a flurry of activity as healers quickly surrounded his bed with their staff assaulting him with questions.

"Water," he croaked out.

The staff fussed over him until the chief healer had been summoned form home and ushered everyone out so he could focus on his patient.

"Good evening Headmaster," the healer began as he cast spells to track the progress of the treatments he'd administered. Seeing the old man recovering measurably, the healer continued with a bit more optimism in his voice.

"You gave us quite a scare there Albus. It was touch and go there for quite awhile," he said taking in the severe burns across the headmaster's face which were still pink and raw as the skin was only just starting to regrow cleanly. "Now that you're awake we can begin your physical therapy in the coming week, and so long as you're stable…by the end of the month, perhaps we can discharge you."

"Harry….we have to save Harry," he said in confusion.

"Who," the healer asked in confusion looking through the patient notes to see if anyone else had been admitted with the Headmaster.

"Harry Potter….he's at the Academy…with Demons! There's a demon in Britain! We must alert the Ministry at once," Albus gasped out.

"The Greeks have returned and the god of the Underworld is training students at the Academy intent on unleashing his demons on Britain! We must alert the ministry….NOW!" the old man said trying to stand only to weakly collapse back into his bed.

"Albus! I must insist you stay in bed. It's just after midnight…there's no one in the Ministry to summon," the healer said with false calm as he tried to calm his old headmaster.

"Severus. I need Severus Snape and Amelia Bones. Summon them….NOW!" Albus cried as his magic slipped his control and one of the many vases containing flowers exploded.

"Of course headmaster…we'll send for them at once," the healer said backing out of the room intimidated by the old man that had once seemed so kind and grandfatherly in his youth.

Looking to his side table in desperation Albus began searching for his wand, and found it in a protective drawer lined with plush velvet the hospital maintained to securely store enchanted items for their patients.

Feeling the familiar warmth of the Elder Wand, Albus calmed slightly.

With great effort, and popping joints which had grown far too stiff during his convalescence, Albus summoned his patronus to deliver a message to Severus, Minerva, Amelia, and others in the old guard.

Feeling a wave of vertigo nearly overwhelm him, with his last strength he called for Faux who appeared with a trill.

"Old friend," Albus said lovingly stroking the plumage of the phoenix, "I once again need your help, "he said indicating the glass of water that sat near his bed.

With a chirp Faux waddled over and began crying into the water.

Three fat tears fell, and with shaking hands Albus brought the glass to his lips and greedily drank.

Aches and pains instantly disappeared, and much of his strength returned.

Taking a deep breath and thanking his friend once more, he slowly began to dress himself by transfiguring his pajamas into passible robes.

Gathering his items and wand once more, Dumbledore asked Faux for help one last time and asked his friend to take him to his office in the Ministry for which the fire bird was happy to comply.

The healer would shortly enter to find a deserted room and smell singe and fire and with a groan he alerted his staff to the flight of their patient and to log he'd left without consultation and against medical advice.

0oO0oO0Oo0oO0oO0Oo0oO0oO0Oo

The office of the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot were as ostentatious and as gaudy as one would assume, which was part of the reason Dumbledore rarely used the office apart from the bare minimum.

Arriving in a flash of flame, he nearly collapsed onto the back of a couch as he realize that while his strength may have partially returned, he was still very much unused to walking after such a long time in bed.

Looking over to the astronomical clock he as shocked to see 6 months had passed.

Going to the internal floo, he started a fire and threw in a pinch of powder and called for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and summoned the Duty Sergeant that would be working at this time of night.

After being assured the man would swiftly make his way to his office, Albus stumbled to his desk and opened a secure drawer where he often stored pepper ups and other potions he knew he'd be needing to regain his strength to make it through this night.

With a thought and another patronous his summons for the others he'd reached out to informed them to come to the ministry and his office there as he didn't have the strength to make a portkey to Hogwarts at the moment, and if Minerva had been ushered into his place the wards would now reject any portkey he made.

With a snap of his fingers he summoned a ministry elf to bring him food as he was absolutely starving.

As his small meal arrived, and he eagerly dug into it, the duty sergeant arrived and Albus brushed away his well wishes and praise at being up and about once more, with Amelia Bones arriving moments later, disheveled slightly and monocle glinting in the firelight.

Severus had not responded and Albus would ponder that later, but the arrival of Alistair shortly after Amelia, and after several moments passed with no other arrivals, Albus put his plate aside and dug into a bar of chocolate he always kept on hand in this office for just such taxing occasions.

"Why have you summoned us Albus," Amelia asked waiting no longer.

"Why are you out of the hospital old friend," Alastair growled.

"We don't have time for questions right now," Albus began walking over to a cabinet that stored an official court pensieve which would be used to allow clerks to deposit official proceedings to transcribe a record.

Albus deposited a long memory strand into the device and invited everyone to venture into the memory before he'd answer any questions.

Reluctantly, the assembly did just that and 10 minutes later they exited violently in an attempt to get away from whatever it was they'd just witnessed.

The Sergeant, hardly a hardened veteran of the force and only in his current role as a Scrimgeour loyalist, violently began vomiting into a wastebin.

Amelia, stunned by all she'd seen, sat in a plush chair before Albus' desk and gazed at something only she could see as involuntary shivers occasionally passed through her.

Moody, drawing heavily from his customary flask, paced about and began speaking his mind.

"Demons….gods….hell beasts! By all that's holy Albus, what has been going on under your obscenely large nose!" Allister grumbled.

"This isn't something the Ministry is equipped to deal with…I mean, the pantheons faded centuries ago! How are we supposed to deal with whatever hell raising those fools in the Academy have done?"

"That's not the issue," Amelia's broken voice suddenly called out.

"How long," she continued, "has this evil been allowed to prosper. How long has this been going on there? If they have refined their abilities to that extent…" she trailed off.

"I never knew of any of the Dark Lord's supporters going to or being associated with that blasted Academy," Moody spoke up.

"I don't recall having met many of their graduates come to think of it," Amelia chimed in.

"It just doesn't make sense though," Moody said staring at Albus. "They've had six months since you've been laid up on bed rest, and nothing's happened. No sudden disappearances, no unexpected deaths…nothing that the dark side normally does to indicate their ramping up in activity."

"Why in the Hell would you send the Potter boy there!" the formerly quiet Sergeant yelled out a question no one else had thought to ask.

"Why did you send the boy-who-lived there if they're this…..evil," Madam Bones raged rounding on Dumbledore. "There were easily a dozen children's faces that showed up in your memory Albus."

"How did this get passed the Ministry," Moody asked suddenly. "Don't they send in inspectors for all licensed schools?"

"I don't know," Albus growled out. "I didn't know Harry wasn't coming to Hogwarts until the start of term, and the headmistress refused all reasonable requests for me to meet the lad. The reason I was there to start with was to check up on him and see how he'd managed to learn of that place, let alone how his guardians had signed him up."

In a huff he pushed back from his desk and began pacing, or at least he tried to, as his legs were still fairly numb.

"I went there to visit my ward and was attacked by that….beast, who had a mastery over the blackest of arts that even Voldemort in his prime could only dream of. One of those kids, if it escaped your notice," Albus said rounding on Moody, "managed to summon a hellhound. One of my first acts as headmaster was to remove any trace of ritualism, summoning, or invocations for the simple reason that," he said indicating the pensieve, "could result."

"We can't face this….there's no way we're ready," Moody said sitting down in defeat.

Eye spinning like a top, focusing in momentarily on threats only he could perceive before spinning wildly once more, Moody sat muttering about inept ministries and constant vigilance.

"Even with this evidence," Amelia spoke up, "Fudge will not see reason and the less progressive elements in society that draw on the darker magics," she said dancing around the topic of the purebloods, "will see this as an opportunity to rally once more to the Dark Lord and his whispers of returning to a time when magicals ruled nations. That kind of power…we can't combat it Albus."

"No," he said resolutely while twirling the wand in his hand, "but I can."

0oO0oO0Oo0oO0oO0Oo0oO0oO0Oo

Two more days passed with Harry conscious and regaining his strength in the clinic before, when he was deemed well enough, he was escorted to the Headmistress' office with Calix and his crew in tow.

They'd tried to pry Carlos away but he'd clung rather tightly to Harry, while Hermione's temper threatened to show itself if their escort, a student aid, hadn't relented.

Hermione was renowned throughout the school for her innate grasp of magic, but was fairly feared among the students for the few examples she'd had to make of those who truly angered her.

It was a short time later that everyone was seated in the headmistress' office, Calix thankfully in human form to best utilize space, and after tea had been offered and politely refused, Maleficent began speaking.

"You all were subjected to a trauma recently," she began slowly, "one which we need to address. Harry, what happened to you was uncalled for, it was horrible, but it was not apparently not planned."

Harry showed surprise at this revelation.

"What I've been able to discovery from my connections," *Hades* Calix faux coughed over a glare from the headmistress, "is that the Dark Lord responsible for your being an orphan is not truly dead. He was operating out of that…other school," she bristled in rage and had to calm herself as she couldn't even say the school's name, "with the help of an unknown accomplice or accomplices. He somehow was disembodied after his attack on you in the winter of 1981, and what we saw in that chamber is still being investigated Harry, but he no longer has a body. He is not dead though."

She stood and walked around the desk and knelt by Harry's side and enveloped him in a hug.

"You saved me Harry. I saw death's reaper and you fretting over my body. They actually tried to take me…" she trailed off as a single tear rolled down her cheek as she stood before she whipped it away.

"I couldn't save you," she said looking down at Harry in abject failure. "Even hear, my little beastie…."

She turned away and shook for a few moments before she slowly made her way once more behind her desk.

After sitting down she thought carefully about what to say.

"The school is closing," she started slowly only for Hermione to cry out very much against the idea and a single glare from the headmistress silenced her, "until we can move to a more secure location. Until one has been found Harry, you will be coming with me to a secure location in an area I cannot disclose, and for that reason your friends," she said indicating the others, "will not be able to come with us."

"That's not fair!" Carlos said standing to his feet and rushing to Harry's side. "We're Harry's best friends. He needs us as much as we need him!"

"I mean yeah professor! Carlos is right," Jay spoke up.

"Professor surely there's some way we can make the school more secure….isn't there some way we could protect against phoenixes?"

With a sad shake of her head, the headmistress indicated in the negative.

"Phoenixes are creature shaped and sustained by divine magic apart from any one pantheon; they're primordial creatures which have been in existence since before this Earth was even formed from the dusts of Chaos. It's impossible to ward against them, and something I suspect Harry eventually would have discovered once his Golden Chol came of age and went through its first burning day."

"Xerxes is a phoenix," Harry asked in confusion.

The headmistress smiled genuinely to Harry before she responded with a bit of sadness.

"Yes, but he's in his infancy, a new birth from the rare joining of his species who you rescued before he's grown enough to perform the feats you've already experienced his kin are capable of. It will likely be some years still before he's grown to the point of having his first burning day. He would not have been able to rescue you even had you been able to call him to your aid Harry. Continue to nurture and love him as you have, and one day he may be an eternal companion for you."

"But professor," Hermione spoke up, "if Xerxes were a mature phoenix, would Harry have to leave the school? Would the school still have to relocate?"

Everyone perked up at the possibility, no matter how remote, that they would be able to stay together and maintain their family.

"That would certainly alleviate one major security concern Hermione, but right now the school is far too exposed and with Dumbledore and now Voldemort there exists the distinct possibility we will not be able to prevent the coming darkness from knocking at our door."

She shook her head in sadness.

"Hades is calling in several favors for me and locating a remote region Dumbledore's phoenix won't know of that we can transport the school to. Once we have a location set, the school will reopen, and everything will continue as normal…just not in Britain. Until then, we will be sending you all home and instructing you by correspondence with your professors visiting you to conduct evaluations. As a great deal of our students are from mortal heritage your tuition will be extremely limited outside of secured trunk spaces, but the more advance magics that could impact the dimensional compression and expansions could be at risk for more than your current level of abilities. The school is coordinating with Cruso Customs to provide you a more basic model of trunk than what you've experienced with Harry's but will nonetheless hopefully allow you the ability to stay on top of your studies."

Carlos, enraged, sad, upset, and afraid began crying and stormed out of the room in a huff intent on seeking out his mother to demand she fix this.

"Harry," the headmistress continued after Hermione excused herself to go after Carlos, "I need you to immediately go and pack all your belongings and contact your financial advisers to get your affairs transferred to our friends in the 'Tween. Travel arrangements are being made now to ferry all the students home once more for the remainder of the semester. Miss Granger's parents will be here in the morning for her along with all the other students."

"Carlos, I don't know what your father's plans are but we plan to be in close contact to coordinate on our next steps. I assume you'll be traveling back to Agrabah for the time being. I suggest you go and pack as well."

Jay got up in a huff and a muttered 'whatever,' as unshed tears threatened to spill if his sniffles were any indication.

"I expect I'll be given more freedom to do my job from now on headmistress," Calix spoke up with a touch of heat in his voice having been silent with a look of disgust on his face after everything had been said.

"I expect you will Calix, and I hope you recognize the extend of the situation we find ourselves in now," she replied.

A look seemed to pass between them as Calix stood and indicated his master should join him.

"Headmistress….what does all this mean? What's really going to happen," Harry asked.

Sitting back and rubbing her brow, Maleficent frowned.

"I don't know Harry. There is one option you and I have, but I'm hesitant to use it at this time as we aren't in as dire a straight as you may thing right now, and before you ask no…I'm not ready to discuss this or other matters concerning our relationship just yet. I will discuss how I came to be involved in your life, but to reveal that at this time would impact your education and life choices which may deprive you of the freedom to choose your own course in life. That's a liberty I would be loath to remove from you Harry. Do not," she said getting suddenly serious, "that my declining to reveal everything to you right now is a desire on my part to keep you ignorant. My mission at the moment is to ensure you have as much of a childhood and the best magical education as possible for the time being. If we have no other option but to reveal certain information to you, then we will cross that bridge and let you make your choices then. Do you understand me Harry?"

Harry rubbed his face tiredly as his mind raced.

"I don't think I do headmistress, but I will try to," he replied.

"Have your elves pack for you Harry. I think your friends need you tonight," the headmistress said as a gentle dismissal.

"Thank you headmistress, we'll take our leave," Calix said.

"Oh before you go," Maleficent said handing a strange leatherbound rectangle to Harry and Calix, "this is an ICW issued Learner License for the independent study of magic under the supervision of the Academy by correspondence, and appropriate paperwork for you Calix to move about without difficulty in the ICW countries. You're to supervise Harry in my absence, and at all times…is that understood?" she asked in an almost hiss to Calix after giving Harry the official looking document.

"Of course," he said taking his own document for his review.

"Come along master; your friends need you as much as you need them right now," he said ushering Harry from the office.

Alone in the office, Maleficent once more reached for her cabinet, grasping the iron lock intend to unlock it but was shocked when she no longer felt the burn from the infernal metal that posed such a danger to her in the past.

Unlocking it without even the slightest blister, Maleficent reached into a dark corner and brought out a small portrait she'd summoned from the renovated keep a lifetime and universes away and gazed with a heavy heart upon her beastie. It's cracked canvas and age, irreparable by magic without risking its destruction, had flecked and flaked to the point it was almost unrecognizable.

She wept freely into the night for nearly failing her last link to her daughter.

0oO0oO0Oo0oO0oO0Oo0oO0oO0Oo

Harry found his school suite empty, and quickly made his way to his trunk assuming everyone would be there waiting for him, but he was sadly disappointed. He checked every room in his house, Carlos' shop, and walked the grounds but apart from the elves, Xerxes, and Calix…Harry was truly alone.

Seeing no other option available to him, he went to bed tossing and turning much of the night and never truly getting to sleep.

At the same time, the full faculty and staff were meeting in the dining hall to discuss options. Most were upset, some were scared, but many were highly upset…especially given the severe changes made to the school by Lord Hephaestus earlier in the year.

"Quiet!" Maleficent called as the hall returned to some semblance of order.

"Now," she said meeting the gaze of those assembled, "Lord Hades is going to address us on our most pressing matter: the future location for the school. Please save your questions until he's finished."

In a flash of fire and smoke Hades appeared and immediately started talking a mile a minute.

"Hey, ho, how you doing babes?! Like horns over here was saying, before recent events have forced a drastic change on the school, but I believe a solution has been found and the movers and shakers," she said giving a little dance of his shoulders in emphasis and finger guns for emphasis before hooking his thumbs back at himself, "have managed to scout out locations in the mountains of: Sochi, Russia; Bumhpa Bum, Myanmar; and near Selawik Lake, Alaska, USA. All remote locations without the natural magical sinks that draw, or have drawn, phoenixes and other mystical creatures over the last several thousands of years. So which one is my ol' pal Meili going to travel the school to?"

A skeleton appeared holding a medium sized cork board with pictures of each location pinned to it so everyone could get up and examin the location.

"Well talk about it…..'sheesh," Hades said conjuring a bubbling goblet once more and began lounging on a midnight dark throne he conjured.

As everyone was milling about, Ursula of all people approached Hades and conjured a drink of her own.

"The protections I can offer will be stronger nearest one of the seas," she said quietly as she sipped her own concoction, "even if we are a bit inland."

With her free hand she fingered the nautilus necklace she was never without.

"You should go tell them that babe," Hades said only half interested in what his … friend had to say as he pointed to the group looking over the information he'd had his old acquaintance Meili compile.

"You know as well as I do dahhling," Ursula said drawing it out to irritate Hades, "that Myanmar is a no go for any magicals, and MACUSA would flip their shit if any one of us, let alone the lot of us, were to set foot within 1,000 miles of their borders. They may have been a candidate to house Olympus after the westward progression of your pantheon, not that I would know where your family's kicking it these days love," she took a drink from her breath before she finished her thought. "But we both know that the wilds of Russia are calling. The Black Sea is isolated enough that information would be hard to track back through divine channels if one of your brothers, or his analogues, were to be contacted."

"The Soviets are a godless bunch and it makes any time there … unpleasant," Hades said with a shudder. "The Slavic pantheon had their own phoenixes, but they were never as widespread as other mythos…and they've truly faded," he said with a sigh recalling some of the good old days remembering the hunts he would go on with Veles.

"Then I need to go speak to a few individuals and spread this information as I think we both know they will never come to it on their own. Remoteness…isolation…they don't understand the higher planes they have to avoid," she said with a sigh draining her glass before she got up and started speaking at the head of the group.

Many changes were soon to come to The Academy, and protections beyond anything they could have imagined would be discussed after Madam Ursula gave her information to the group and a consensus had emerged that the mountainous glens of Sochi would be their most likely future home.

Only time would tell what would happen, but near midnight the adults broke rank and went to bed as there would be an early day ahead of them, and many dejected, confused, and some despondent children as everyone vacated the grounds of the school, each with their own ICW Learner's License for Correspondence courses through the school, and some hope things would get better.

Only time would tell.

***To Be Continued***

Author's Commentary:

Translation: Τι θέλετε τώρα imp (What do you want imp?)

A Note Concerning my writing style:

As I've said in prior stories, my style isn't planned writing….I go at this as though I'm watching an episode of my story, then try to faithfully transcribe my imagination onto the page.

It's rough, some is crass, and some is gross…just as is actual life.

Thank you all sincerely for playing in my sandbox!

Original Chapter Date: 10/12/2020

Polished Date:

Reviews are welcome, and appreciated. Please feel free to share this story file with your friends, chat groups, etc. I welcome all constructive criticism.

Page Count: 49

Word Count: 20,522