"Feels weird, not going to the castle by boat", Charles said, in one of the carriages transporting them to Hogwarts.
"What doesn't feel odd anymore is getting strange looks from people", Dreogan replied.
"What is strange is your father has not yet made any moves after the Daily Prophet corroborated the Quibbler's story", Emerick said.
"Once again people are being stupid, with you", Claudia remarked.
"How so?" Charles asked, raising a brow.
"They are afraid I'll, still, help my father when he does make his move", Dreogan answered him.
"Again? Have you not proven yourself, already?" Charles exasperated.
"Ha! Maybe when Hell freezes over!" Dreogan replied.
They arrived in the castle's entrance where Professor Horsewood and Professor Willows took them inside to the Great Hall.
"Had a nice summer?" Anneke sat next to him in the Slytherin table. Harold Nott sat along with the older Slytherins and Ariana opposite them.
"I thought you weren't talking to me", Dreogan stated.
"I never said I was not talking to you. I just avoided you because you made me cry", Anneke replied.
"I don't know what I did to make you cry, but I'm willing to try and talk it through with you, if you want", His voice less harsh than before.
"It's too soon, you'll make me cry again. Later, perhaps."
"Okay. So, yeah had fun with Charles, Claudia and Emerick over the summer vacas", He said, trying to not sound as irritated as he felt.
"Oh, you all met?" Anneke tried to sound indifferent, her breathing becoming less steady.
"I spent most of the summer in Charles' house in Cornwall. Emerick and Claudia came for two or three weeks as well", Dreogan explained.
"Why didn't you tell me?!" Anneke replied upset.
"Uhm…wasn't my house to invite you in?" Dreogan felt uneasy, and unsure of what to, truly, reply to her.
"Whatever, you are right", The commencement start of the sorting ceremony prevented him from further replying.
Professor Horsewood opened the Great Hall's doors bringing in this year's first years.
After the sorting hat had said its variant of this year's sorting hat song, she started calling out names, each kid sat on the stool in front of the Professors' table and the sorting hat was placed on their heads and after a short time the hat yelled their house.
"Good evening everyone. Now that we're all sorted and settled in", The Headmistress stood in the podium, after the sorting ceremony ended and all the new students sat in their House's table.
"I guess no one outside of this table has forgiven you for saving Emerick's life last year and giving Slytherin our twelfth consecutive House Cup when the Headmistress awarded you the four hundred points, at the feast, last year."
"Don't sound so happy about it", Dreogan felt sick to his stomach.
"Why not?" Anneke giggled. "You saved a Ravenclaw's life and won us the cup. Perfect irony at your expense", She smirked.
"You have a…funny concept of friendship", Dreogan restrained himself.
She gave no further reply other than a shrug and an impish smile.
"This year starts off on a perilous niche", The Headmistress continued her start-of-the-year speech. "On the serious allegations made against the Ministry and the disastrous outcome the Minister's reply may bring forth for the future of our sons and daughters."
Dreogan looked at his friends, across the tables. They seemed to have the same thought as he did. "That's what my father is waiting for, for the Minister to reply."
"You are here to learn and be educated in the ways of magic and the arcane, not to worry of the outside world. Some notices before we feast. The restricted section, damaged two years ago, is now re-opened to the staff and seventh year students. To all from next year. Our search for a replacement caretaker continues, for now Professors Jordan and Willows will share the responsibilities and duties. Finally, after last year's events teaching, practicing or sharing and using any spell, curse, jinx, potion, or hex invented by Azrail Gaunt is now strictly forbidden. Anyone caught in the act will be punished most severely", Professor Adams paused for affect.
"Now, let us eat, drink and be merry!" She clasped her hands and the tables filled with platters, plates, bowls, and jars of all shapes and sizes containing food and pitchers full of beverages of a rainbow of colours, emitting different smells.
People gasped and gave out squeals of excitement before assaulting them like ravenous predatory animals.
Dreogan grabbed a curry chicken leg in one hand and a fork-full of shepherd's pie in the other hand, stuffing himself slowly, yet anxiously.
"What do you think your father will do?" Ariana asked him, looking scared.
"I do not know. I think he wants the war that is coming, but he wants the justification for it first. The Minister's reply, to the two articles, will sway his reaction", Dreogan replied her, after getting over the initial surprise at her apparent fear.
"I don't understand why he is so angry", Anneke voiced, swallowing her crème of tomato soup and lowering the silver spoon in her bowl. "Of course, the Ministry surveils people. Order has to be maintained."
"At what cost? If this is true, has not the Ministry become what it is sworn to protect? Tyranny and Fascism?" Dreogan tried to remain calm.
"If one has nothing to hide, one has nothing to fear from the Ministerial scrutiny", Came her reply.
"Bold words, coming from the daughter of the merchant supplying both Cillian Gaunt and his "army" and the Ministry with wands and supplies", Ariana fired at her, while maintaining her emotionless face.
Dreogan's jaw slacked, now trying his best not to burst laughing, like others near them while Anneke choked on her orange juice.
"Lies! Daddy would never do something like that! He is a respectable business man", She threw her fists at the table.
"Believe as you want", Ariana dismissed her, with a flick of her wrist before returning to her lamb roast and country potatoes.
After the feast was finished and everyone felt content and full, Professor Horsewood gave the prefects the order to take their houses to their common rooms.
In the Slytherin common room some kids, first and second years had gathered around the forest-green leather sofas in the center of the room.
In their hands they held the Wizarding World's version of holo-tablets by Potter and Hornblower Inc, tuned in the Daily Seer channel.
Dreogan, curious walked over to it, after he was settled in the dorm.
"I can neither confirm or deny nor can I not confirm or deny the allegations made by the Quibbler and the Daily Prophet at this time. Nothing more will be commented on the divisive content of the two articles other than that the disruptive and terrorist elements in our fold will be found and punished according to our laws for their heinous crimes and attempt to destabilize our most respected Magical Government", The Minister left for the Ministry of Magic's interior, having made his statement.
"The moron…he just doomed us all", Dreogan whispered.
The Daily Seer's feed was scrambled, and large mist-panels appeared.
"Father!" Dreogan exclaimed as Cillian's figure became visible in the mist-panels.
Cillian Gaunt dressed in an outfit reminiscent of Kings' regalia from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries looked ahead, looking stern and resolute.
"The Magic folk of Britain and the world hoped of a different statement from the Minister of Magic. His comments leave us with no option but to declare war on all of their Governments and institutions. As regent to the Heir of the Imperium Arcana I give them one day to offer their unconditional surrender or face our wrath in Tours, where like the Arab forces in 732 AD they too will lose."
The mist-panels disappear in thin air.
Dreogan sighed, feeling everyone's eyes in the room on him he went to bed.
"Well, they wanted a reaction out of him", Dreogan commented, dryly seeing everyone numb the next morning. "I guess this mist-like substance appeared in all Houses?"
"Probably in all of wizardom", Claudia hypothesized.
"Lovely, yet not unexpected", Dreogan let out a deep breath.
"Do you think the Ministries will win, tomorrow?" Charles asked, with big, moist eyes.
"If I know my father, he won't wait the full day. Won't let them organize fully."
"More important matters. Our first class of the year is potions, and it looks like professor Turney is ill again."
"They need to find a replacement and quick!" Claudia said.
"Didn't sound like Professor Adams is in any hurry to replace anyone", Dreogan shrugged.
"Oh! That reminds me! How are we going to prove your theory?" Charles looked at Dreogan.
"I haven't the foggiest", Dreogan answered him.
"I am convinced you are right", Claudia commented. "The Headmistress' speech last night was not what I'd think Mary Adams would have said."
"You saw me looking at you?" Claudia nodded at Dreogan's question.
"You understood he was talking to you last night, right? That whole thing was meant for you."
"If he thinks I'll join him, he has another thing coming!" Dreogan said, stubbornly. Fists on his waist for emphasis. "Feels like everything's fraying at the edges, our worlds hanging by a thread…"
"And your father and siblings are all too happy to push", Emerick said, bitterly.
"Shove's more like it."
They descended the stairs to the dungeons and the potions classroom.
Dreogan and Charles bumped on Emerick and Claudia, who had frozen at the classroom's entrance.
"Sit, sit. Professor Turney has fallen ill and I'll be covering his classes until he recovers", Professor Adams told them, waving for them to sit in their seats.
"Who can tell me what I will get if I mix fire seeds, powdered Graphorn horn and Billywig stings?" She asked, not waiting.
A few hands shot up in the air.
"You, in the back with the red hair", She pointed her hand at a Ravenclaw girl.
"Nothing, ma'am, but if you add Chizpufle carapaces you get the Antidote to uncommon poisons", The girl said proud of herself.
"Very well, ten points to Ravenclaw. You will learn about this next year, for now ready to learn the sleeping drought. Dreogan, what are its ingredients?"
"Lavender, standard ingredient, Flobberworm mucus and Valerian sprigs, ma'am."
"More specifically?" She asked.
"Dunno…ma'am", He shrugged in apathy.
"Disappointing. Anyone else?"
Again, various hands shot up.
"Slytherin boy in the back", She said, without looking.
The Slytherin boy replied, getting half of it correct...
"The level of this class is…low. To your cauldrons and let us hope to keep the Hospital Wing empty."
An hour later they exited the classroom.
The rest of the day went by without further excitement, History of Magic keeping them properly bored.
With the sun setting behind the mountains to the west, they gathered in the Great Hall for dinner.
Dreogan had just sat with Claudia and Emerick in the Gryffindor table with Charles when the mist-panels reappeared, displacing the hovering candles, overshadowing the enchanted ceiling showing the weather outside.
Three armies showed, the muggle army in the distance, unaware of the other two armies. The Ministries' and Cillian's."
Professors and students alike gasped aloud.
"This is it, this is where things go from bad to worse", Dreogan looked at his friends, grim.
"He didn't wait a day!"
"Not fair!"
"The Ministry will win!"
Students cried and chatted.
"I see French, Italian, British and…pretty much every European, Asian and American country…is that South Africa?" Charles studied the banners and colours the Aurors were wearing. "Jamaica, Japan…By Merlin's beard they gathered everyone!"
"Dear God…" Claudia buried her face in her hands, pushing back her hair.
Two hills with a valley in the middle separated the two Wizarding armies. Cillian stood in front of his. The trees had begun losing their leaves to winter's grasp and the grass was withering away, and dark rain clouds gathered above them.
"My Lord…most of them can't be older than what? Eighteen to twenty? They are kids!" Emerick whispered. "This is going to be a bloodbath!"
"You…and the Ministries vastly underestimate Azrail and Ernaline. Those are not mere eighteen-year old's, they are lethal weapons trained by psychopaths."
"Speaking of which. Where are your siblings?" Claudia said. "I don't like this…"
The President of the Magical Congress of the United States walked forth along with the British Prime Minister.
Cillian walked alone.
Professors tried, in vain, to make the mist-panels go away.
"I am bored, brother. You enjoy all this killing…I enjoy more subtle and refined forms of pleasure", Ernaline told her brother. They were in a House near the battlefield. Ernaline lay on the soft white couch looking bored. Her head resting on one hand, while her wand-hand, her left one, rested on her knee.
The lights dimmed, cast grim shadows on the modern-looking furniture
"You thrive on causing psychological torture, Ernaline. I have embraced what and who I am", Azrail run his fingers on a boy's face. He was crying and sobbing.
"Get your hands off him, don't you dare…" The father tied up and bloodied lay a few meters away. The boy itself was bound but not gagged, lying on the carpeted floor defenseless.
Azrail pointed his skeletal scythe-like wand at him, in boredom. "Avada Kedavra!" The man just lay there dead. The woman, his wife, lay next to him tortured and already murdered.
"Papa! Non! Papa! Maman!" The boy wailed.
Azrail wrapped his hand around the boy's neck and squeezed.
"He is not the one you want to do that to", Ernaline told her brother, with a faint, sadistic smile sprawled across her black lips, black hair falling on her amber eyes.
"He isn't but he is untouchable…for now."
"Will we aid Cillian?" Ernaline asked, in apathy.
"For now…it serves us, this Imperial notion of his", Azrail squeezed the boy's neck harder, making him choke.
"The battle is about to start", she stated, standing up.
"We have time, want to finish him off? He is Sandra's preference age", ,Azrail cackled.
"It would take too long for me to enjoy myself. My methods take time."
Azrail slowly looked back at the boy with an increasingly wide evil sneer.
"Look! Behind Cillian!" A first-year Gryffindor boy yelled. Azrail transformed from the black raven and Ernaline apparated on a red stream of liquid smoke.
"Well, you were searching for Azrail and Ernaline…here they are", Dreogan stated dryly.
They landed to the left and right of Cillian. "Son, daughter, we are parlaying", Cillian told them, irritated at the interruption.
Azrail turned his eyes to Ernaline. They sneered.
"You don't awaken the Angel of Death and his finest warrior from their slumber in the shadows, to parlay…Avada Kedavra!" The President of MACUSA fell dead as the British Prime Minister fell dead from Ernaline's wand.
"We came here to fight!" Azrail used his wand to magically magnify his voice over the whole battlefield. "So, let us commit to glorious carnage, for my scythe desires souls!" He laughed taking off as a dissapparated black stream of liquid smoke.
Students cried and gasped.
Cillian sighed. "Today we bring an end to their corrupt regimes! FIGHT!" He sent spells at the direction of the Ministerial army.
"So, it begins. Our Generation's Great Wizarding War", Professor Jordan, near them, mumbled under his voice.
Wizards and witches from both armies shot up in streams, dissapparating, to fly over the battlefield and cast spells in a wider area.
Cillian dissapparated over to the Muggle army, casting bombarda to their vehicles and camp.
Large explosions rocked the surrounding area along with the screams of the Muggle soldiers, their limbs and bodies torn to shreds.
Cillian targeted a railtank's magnets causing it to destabilize and explode.
Ernaline landed amidst enemy ranks, grabbing one Argentinian witch's wand-hand by the wrist, twisting it just at the right moment, so that the witch's spell hit another wizard to Ernaline's left blasting him back. Ernaline twisted the hand more bringing its end on the witch's lower jaw.
"Expulso!" Ernaline said. It was as if a freight train had slammed on the witch's lower jaw, snapping the head back with such a force it tore it clean off the shoulders. Ernaline laughed, grabbing the witch's headless body with her other hand and using it as a shield against a wizard's curse. "Dejugos!" she yelled, causing messy lacerations all over the wizard's body.
Ernaline hopped over to him, like a girl playing on a field of grass and daisies, humming to herself. Kneeling down she dipped a hand in his blood and dragged it over her face, eyes open.
Azrail led a few other witches and wizards to battle. "Bloodfang, Sandra, Marigold! On me! Saeth!" Over the last few weeks Dreogan had had Peter teach him some of the basics of Welsh and Cornish Gaelic languages. He was still a beginner, but he understood that word as "arrow".
The five of them formed an arrow-head-like shape moving through the battlefield, killing whatever moved.
Ernaline waved her wand and a green fog-like cloud appeared over the heads of a group of Greek Aurors or Polemofagoi, war-eaters clad in their blue and white suits, holding spear-like wands. A second later, with a thunderous roar, Bloodfang sent a red jet from his wand, causing the cloud to burst into acid rain that ate through their magical wards and then their skin in lightning speed.
Azrail moved his wand in a horizontal eight motion, "Fiendfyre!" Fiery magical energy erupted from his wand, casting forth Chimeras, Dragons and gigantic snakes made of fire, arcane fire swallowing all in their path.
"Hellstorm!" Marygold yelled, and a wall of fire raged around them like a gigantic hurricane of fiery tendrils, mixing with Azrail's spells.
Near them a soldier of Cillian, a witch no older than eighteen, threw a dagger at a nearby French Auror, before hitting it with the gemino curse. As the dagger impaled itself on the French Auror's hand, it started to multiply, endlessly.
Sandra flicked her wrist and the daggers floated up in the air before shooting straight like high-speed silver bullets. When one of them impacted a new target, it begun to multiply.
"Finite incantatem!" A Japanese female Auror flicked her wand, causing the daggers to vanish into thin smoke. "You have no honour, you do not deserve life", she called out to Sandra before unleashing a torrent of offensive spells at her with Sandra retreating back as she deflected and dodged.
"Crucio!" Azrail and Ernaline casted at the same time, making the Auror fall on the ground in heartbreaking wailing cries.
Sandra, a wide grin on her face, approached the flailing woman, grab her by her hair and lift her.
"I do not need honour to live or to kill", She stuffed her wand inside the woman's mouth. "CRUCIO!" The Auror's eyes tilted on the back of her head, in a tearless, voiceless scream.
"Reducto carne!" Sandra said, looking straight in the woman's blank eyes. The result was excruciating even for the students in Hogwarts, seeing the battle through the mist-panels, as they saw the woman's very flesh decompose and break up. First her skin fell of her muscles, then her muscles and organs begun to break apart and fall. She was still alive through it all until Sandra gave a flick of her wrist blasting her head to pieces.
Dreogan felt his stomach clenched in a vice-like grip. Next to him a Gryffindor girl was crying.
Cillian landed amidst the Muggle soldiers wreaking havoc and bloody massacre. A man shot at him a burst of bullets. Cillian stopped them mid-air, then transformed them in a myriad of tiny shard-like particles before launching them back at the soldier.
He was torn to shreds along with others near him.
Levitating a heavy personnel vehicle, he melted it to a liquid blob and threw it on a group of soldiers exiting a nearby temporary barracks building. Their screams filled the air, stomach-curdling wailing cries.
"Portus!" Cillian threw the spell on a weapon lying on the ground, before levitating and hurling on two other soldiers, a man, and a woman. They vanished instantly. "Enjoy life…in the middle of the mountain!" He laughed.
The battle raged for an hour until one of the Government officials sounded the retreat, the battle was lost.
One by one the remaining Aurors dissapparated.
"Roam the battlefield, kill any survivors", Azrail told his sister and his three followers.
They fanned out, following his order, all of them bathed in blood, grinning contently.
Cillian stood above the MACUSA's dead President, lying next to the Minister of Magic's corpse.
"Here! Here lie the ashes of the old world!" Directing his wand at the two desisted officials he incinerated them to ash. His army cheered. "Here in this battlefield I so proclaim the foundation of the Imperium Arcana with me as Imperial Regent and Consul", The mist-panels disappeared the moment he stopped talking, and a water-like portal popped into existence in the middle of the four tables, just where in the sorting ceremony the stool and hat would stand.
The students in the two tables nearest to it jumped back, yelping and gasping, trying to put as much distance between them and it as they could.
In the portal Cillian reflected in the center with Azrail and Ernaline to his left and right.
"My son and heir, Dreogan. Everything I have done, has been for you. To make you happen, to have you evolve into what is expected of you. The Imperium Arcana is my legacy to you. Join me, take your rightful place as Imperator", He stretched his hand towards the portal.
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